Dis·cov·er·y
The act or process of seeing, finding, or gaining knowledge of something previously unknown.
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Friday, 05/17/XX
The sound of the teacher's words flowed through one ear out the other. As much as I tried to focus, my head was pounding. I wanted to sleep, but putting my head down would lead to a slap on the head by the teacher. The teacher's voice faded into the background as I stared blankly at my classmates, hoping to find solace in their suffering.
The slim indigo-haired boy with two waist-length braids covered by a messy lob looked just as drained as I felt. His narrow slanted eyes were drooping lower each time his head nodded off. That boy is my childhood friend, Fukuyama Izuki. The skin-tight black track jacket he wore over his white collared shirt outlined his long arms and thin torso.
Meanwhile, the boy behind him listened intently to the teacher, looking at the front of the class through his thick lens. He pulled up the sleeve of his beige cardigan as he quickly scribbled notes with his overused mechanical pencil. His evergreen eyes and brows drooped like a crying puppy’s, but fully alert and focused. His honey brown-hair fringe was brushed to the side so it wouldn't cover his lens frame. That studious timid boy is my roommate, Chikanari Junya.
As the bell signaled the end of the first period of torment, I rested my head on the desk. The sound of footsteps forced me to lift my head.
“Another headache?” Junya pursed his lips, his soft voice easing my discomfort.
“Yeah, but it's manageable.” I pushed my black bangs back with a sigh.
“It’s probably because ya didn’t have breakfast this morning, right?” Izuki asked with a usual bag of snacks in his hand. “Rice cracker?”
I shook my head.
“You should go to the nurse’s office, Rito,” Junya suggested, his feeble eyes studying me. He placed his hand on my forehead and his own.
“I can’t miss class. I can handle it.” I attempted to give him a reassuring smile, but he frowned back. I quickly got out of my seat and excused myself to the bathroom. Washing my face would give me some relief.
I quickly walked to the bathroom and headed straight for the sink. I turned on the faucet and splashed the ice-cold water on my face, distracting me from my throbbing head. I wiped away the droplets with my handkerchief before leaning over the counter with my free hand. I decided to go into a stall to sit down and rest. It felt strangely comfortable on the toilet that I couldn’t stop my heavy eyelids from closing.
-
“What are we going to do?”
“All we can do for now is wait.”
“How much longer are we going to wait? Two more years?” The boy's voice echoed in the bathroom, his tone laced with anger.
My eyes peeled open as the sound of hushed arguing woke me up. Peering through the crack of the stall door, I saw two boys: one with ruffled, spiky chocolate brown hair and a boy with sleek black hair and blond bangs. The one with two-toned hair looked older than both me and the boy he was with. He was taller than the other with sturdy shoulders, and his short low ponytail showed off his toned neck muscles. He only wore the white collared shirt that was part of our uniform. 17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmhdmItwEd
The chocolate brown-haired boy was the same except he wore a puffy red bomber jacket over his uniform. I couldn’t get a good grasp of his physique, but he could have a sleeper build. One thing for sure was he is short, below average if anything.
“I know you're uneasy, Natsu, but my dream last night confirms that they're nearby…”
“Well, I do trust your judgment.” He said. “How's your vision?”
“It's getting better. Still can't focus in class though.”
“Let me know if it happens again, I have eye drops. They may not be as effective because your powers have been getting stronger recently.”
Powers? I thought.
“Look at you! Worrying about your upperclassman.” The eldest hugged the shorter boy which made his face contort in irritation. Then the unthinkable happened: he brushed the boy's bangs aside and softly placed his lips on the youngest’s forehead.
My jaw suddenly dropped. I covered my mouth as the two started kissing. I recoiled, inadvertently causing the stall door to make a squeaking sound. The two boys cocked their heads.
“I thought there was no one here.” The eldest whispered.
My heart dropped as “Natsu” walked towards my stall with a darkened expression.
Oh no. I'm gonna get my ass kicked, aren't I? I closed my eyes and waited.
The boy hit the door with enough force to break the lock on the door. He entered my stall, his sharp eyes were glowering at me as he continued to look around.
“Let’s get back to class.” The eldest said as he headed outside.
The youngest persistently reached his hand out, almost touching my arm, but I recoiled back. My heart was beating out of my chest; I'd never been this scared in my life.
He frowned. With a turn of his heels, he walked out of the bathroom.
I looked down and yelped. "What the–" I tried to touch my body, but it disappeared. Suddenly color came back and I could see myself again. I looked around the bathroom and saw no signs of the couple. When I got out, I tried to do it again but failed. I shook my aching head as I walked back to class.
-
"Alright, class is dismissed. Pages 12-20 is homework, due Monday." The whole class, including myself, stood up and walked out.
I couldn't stop thinking about what happened in the bathroom. With my current mental state, I couldn’t tell if it was my imagination.
I felt something touch my shoulder. “Ya ready~?"
"Hurry~! We won’t have time if we don’t go now~!" Izuki whined, dragging me by my arm.
Izuki and I walked to the cafeteria and saw Junya already there sitting at our usual table.
"Are you guys getting lunch?" He asked while eating his bread.
I shook my head. “I got home lunch.”
“Same!” Izuki chimed in.
I tried to forget what happened this morning as I distracted myself with noodles. I felt guilty for eavesdropping on the couple’s conversation. Maybe they were role-playing? I wondered.
“Rito, share your homework answers would ya?” Izuki asked with a mouthful of rice.
“Izuki, you know better,” Junya said timidly yet sternly.
“I already did it, I just wanna see if I’m right. Please Ricchan~?”
“Sure, sure,” I said absentmindedly, staring at the doorway.
My friends’ chatter washed over me, their voices a distant echo in the chaos of my mind. Suddenly a boy with messy platinum hair walked inside. His hair suited his face so well. He always wore trendy and expensive clothing. Today he only wore his collared shirt and navy blue tie. Even he made the plain boring uniform attractive. He was blessed with height and a muscular body so it wasn't a surprise. I couldn't stop staring at him, the object of my unrequited affection since junior high: Matsuoka Takeshi. His dazzling gaze met mine and I completely lost it. I pretended I wasn't looking at him and turned back to my friends. I thought I saw him smile at me for a split second. It would be a dream if he did.
“We should go to the beach this weekend!” Izuki beamed.
“I don't think I can go, I have homework and kyudo practice,” said Junya.
“C'mon Junchan, ya need to relax! Let’s at least hang out this weekend!” Izuki hugged me and leaned his head on my shoulder. “Ricchan, please tell Junchan we should hang out this weekend.”
I sighed as I tried to lean away from Izuki. “Fine, we can study and hang out at someone's house or something.”
Izuki cheered and hugged me tighter, squeezing the air out of me.
I looked back at Matsuoka and saw him watching me. I started to feel self-conscious and attempted to push Izuki off of me. “Get off!” I scolded, but Izuki held on tightly.
I pinched the skin of his neck, causing him to jump and yelp. “I can never eat in peace, can I?” I mumbled, before stuffing my face with food.
-
After a long day of classes, I descended the stairs absentmindedly. All I wanted to do was to head back to the dorm, change out of my uniform, and sleep. With only sleep on my mind, I almost didn't notice the young boy who rushed past me. I recognized his red bomber jacket right away. He stepped outside and took a sharp turn, hurriedly walking to the back of the school.
My curiosity started to build up as I began to follow him. I leaned against the building's wall, stealing glances when I thought he wasn't aware of my presence. Abruptly, the boy turned around and my breath hitched as I tried to hide against the building again. I decided to wait a few seconds before looking past the wall. The boy was nowhere to be seen. I stepped out in the open and walked down the same path he followed. Instantly, I felt my knees buckling beneath my weight as my arms were pinned behind my back.
“What the hell are you doing?”
I groaned in pain. “I should be asking you that!” I said with my face pressed against the ground.
“Says the stalker.”
I tried to get a glimpse of the boy, but he was wearing a face mask. Suddenly my hands were tied behind my back. I struggled under his weight and his insanely strong grip.
“You got two choices: chopped or whole?”
“What?”
The floor began to tremble. I craned my neck and saw a massive shadow looming over our heads. The shadow was shaped like a gigantic wolf. Smoke emanated from its silhouette as it bared its large teeth.
My jaw dropped at the sight of the ravaged beast. I screamed in terror as its mouth opened wide to consume me. The boy yanked something off his neck and wielded a sword. Within a blink of an eye, he swiftly lunged at the monster. He was so fast I could only see a blur of the afterimages of his jacket.
The wolf stood on its hind legs, its front paws waving in the air. I squeaked seeing its massive paws right above my head. I rolled to the side barely avoiding being squashed. The boy stabbed into its back and pulled the blade as he ran down its body; a long gash was drawn from its neck to its tailbone. I watched as the boy ripped the shadow to shreds. Finally, the beast disappeared into thin air.
The boy walked towards me as his necklace turned back to normal. "How peculiar..." He said to himself.
My eyes shot wide open. Behind the boy was another werewolf holding an axe the size of a school bus. I tried to warn him, but the words failed to come out. Suddenly, I couldn't control my body. It was my instincts making me run towards him. He heard my footsteps and turned around to see the enemy. The monster slammed his ax down on him. I closed my eyes before pushing him out of the way. The beast's ax slashed right through me. I fell to the ground on my shoulder, groaning in more pain. I squeezed my eyes closed, waiting to drift into eternal darkness.
A few seconds passed and nothing happened. I opened my eyes and saw the ax was stuck in the ground. I was invisible again. Before the werewolf could comprehend what was happening, the boy drew his sword out and attacked. The boy managed to cut its head off and the monster instantly dissipated into thin air.
I tried to sit up, but my body was throbbing in pain. I lay limp on the floor, panting heavily.
“Lie on your stomach.” He commanded.
Despite my soreness, my fear of him was stronger. I quickly followed his orders. Is he going to kill me?!
I heard him slash his blade causing me to wince. I felt the pressure on my wrists release itself. I sat up and rubbed my wrist with my hand.
From a distance, his lover, the half-blond half-black haired boy, ran up to us. "Natsuki, that was a close one!" He said, dashing to the boy to hug him.
"I know... I should've been more alert." Natsuki chided, removing his mask. "Hey you,” he glared menacingly at me, “how were you able to do that?"
I fidgeted with my hoodie strings. "Uhhh… I-I don't k-know."
The eldest softly hit Natsuki’s shoulder and whispered something to him.
"This guy?" Natsuki asked.
His lover nodded with a smile. "Thanks for saving Natsuki. I'm Mita Asuka."
"I’m Yokono Rito."
"Rito, you have to keep this a secret. Promise?" Mita-senpai stared at me until I nodded slowly.
"Um…” I mumbled. “Can you please explain to me what that was?"
Mita-senpai patted the dust off of my clothes. “Let's talk later.” He handed me a notebook.
I looked up at him with a puzzled expression.
“Open this at home. Bye!” he said as he walked away with Natsuki.
I reached my arm out, yelling, "Wait!” But Mita-senpai dismissed me with a wave of his hand.
I looked around and saw no traces of the monsters or the couple. I rubbed my eyes while gritting my teeth. Can this get any more confusing?17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9dh8cmMCf
