835Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwHfOeTjUq
Their chase was pointless in the end, but not all for nothing. The Big Three being the ones at fault for their classmate's and teacher's accident isn't true at all:
"We're new in town but Armin is my friend here so we asked him to come over as our tour guide in this place." Annie explained.
"Then he happened to introduced us to Erwin-san, suggesting to us that we should enroll in Demi High... Armin showing up with the teacher surprised me." Bertholdt added with an opinion of his own.
"And they're really insistent to let us enroll in their- and your- school, but was kind to handle the enrollment for us, even if we didn't actually plan to, so we just gave in. We talked for a bit more before leaving, and that was it." Reiner claimed, ending their explanation.
"We didn't even know they got a car accident just before we left, and we just know of the news just now, with Hanji-san telling us here."
With that little misconception cleared up, Inoue, Kuro and, Rikkun went back to their usual days, but still with their own thoughts lingering in their minds. But for the most part with deep thoughts was Inoue, so much so, that what happened afterwards their little encounter just pass by to her in a blur.
Rikkun was too busy wracked of himself from not getting over with the fact that it could be just an accident to appreciate anyone's presence at the moment, having to glare at anyone who dared interact with him in any subject. He didn't even welcome their three new classmates, The Big Three, in their class when they finally showed themselves to them with the explaining things about the accident before things actually get ugly.
But Kuro, with not much things to think about and apparently prefers to mess people around when bored out of his skull, noticed Inoue's rather bizarre disposition.
After a pop quiz:
"Inoue-chwan! I got a C in my math test! How's that for a smart, tall-and-handsome gay me?"
She didn't reply, her mouth left unmoved.
During lunchbreak:
"Lookey here, there's a strawberry milkshake~ I wonder who owns this? Welly well, well, I'll just take a little sip~"
She didn't even look at him.
During their Japanese Literature class:
Kuro threw a paper airplane, flying for some time before it landed on Inoue's head.
She didn't bother taking it out poking in her head. Much less even blink.
Weiting for English Class:
Kuro was sitting across Inoue's seat. His meditative face directly looking at Inoue's poker faced one.
He made a duck face.
No reaction from her. Then he made a horse face.
Still no reaction.
He made few more animal faces, small facial movements hurt his face, feeling pain more so than usual. Changing tact, he decided to pull off a derp face. But still, there was no reaction.
So he used his trump card. He made a face that no one has seen before that even if someone witnessed its ugliness, they wouldn't be able to describe it. The doctors who made ugliest face surgeries would run for its reputation. He tried not to cry from contorting his oh-so-handsome face and the pain he's feeling all over it.
But this time, he thought. This time she'll react for sure!
.
.
.
But there was none.
There are no other options. Frustrated and angry, he raised his hand holding a marker he borrowed, already uncapped. Without any drop of mercy left he went for Inoue's face, about to scribble stupid things when a thumping sound can be heard all over the classroom.
Glaring, he turned behind him. Only to be stared back with dull-blue piercing eyes.
He jumped, getting off from the unassigned seat to his assigned one in a flash.
"Kuro, don't you ever go for my seat again." Chael forewarned, fixing his seat to settle himself.
Everyone else did as well, but with a rather surprise look on their faces. However, no one dare speak. They simply stared at the teacher standing in front of them, quite unsettled.
Though Kuro actually feel the gravity filling the room just because the teacher appeared, he doesn't exactly has a sense of familiarity toward the teacher, unlike the rest of the students who completely recognized him by one glance.
Silence formed. A chosen half a minute to be stilled into uncomfortable silence. Kuro thought this what detention felt like in foreign schools.
The teacher tilt his head forward, casting shadows over his hard, intimidating gaze.
Kuro changed his mind and thought this could be a Prison School instead he's been reading. The vibe was similarly uncanny.
"I'll be quick with this little introduction for tots who hasn't cross through me yet; it's Levi. Your substitute instructor in English and Social Studies. Your sensei, Erwin, as you may all know, has no choice but to sh*t on his bed for about a month or more, but I only agreed to deal with all of you for 30 days of everyday torture."
Yep, this is definitely like Prison School. I feel like a criminal now. Kuro thought with a subtle uncomfortable shift of his hands.
Levi took a glance at a brownish notebook a bit too small for his big hands and did a quick write-down on it.
"For the task today..."
He closed the book in one hand, snapping it shut. He eyed the students once more with a sort of glare.
"Clean your eleven-month dust-filled library."
♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡
Carrying books out of the cases was tremendously harder than his weekly work-out in gym.
"Aaa... a-choo!"
Kuro wrinkled his nose partly of disgust and partly because it itched. He blinked several times as he did so, to get rid of the dust particles flying onto his eyes.
He sniffed, and sneezed again.
"Aah these dust devils! Where's the exorcist when we needed it!"
"Fair idea, Kuro."
He heard Chael said, which seemed to be coming behind the bookshelf he's been dusting off with- you guessed it- duster. "We have enough budget to buy a vacuum cleaner."
Kuro knew Chael couldn't see him but he rolled his eyes anyway. "Right. With vacuum cleaner the good guys will prevail."
Chael didn't reply to his sarcasm, but maybe because he's done with the part and left already. Kuro let out a long yawn. "We always do these stupid chores at home... why do we have to do this at school too?"
But with a little patience, he finished dusting every cases with quick waves. He went on to the next bookshelf, much to his dismay.
Begrudgingly, he began dusting off again, humming tunelessly to dwindle his boredom.
"Can you shut up for once?"
He flinched.
That voice came from Inoue behind the bookshelf he currently stood and cleaning on.
He felt a little hurt of the flat-out cold and brassy tone that came out from his love rival's mouth. She didn't even bother calling out his name, or an insulting nickname, which she usually do.
"Aren't you a little harsh, Inoue?" To his amazement, his voice sounded genuinely soft and hurt.
The swishing of their dusters was louder than anyone else's voices in the library.
"I'm sorry..." He heard her mumble.
A numbing, aching pain he felt as his face contorted into some sort of surprise and a frown.
But he didn't care. "I'm sorry...? W-wow. I mean, I appreciate that but Inoue, you've been acting weird lately. You're so quiet and boring and not annoying anymore that—" I missed the Inoue being my love rival...
He didn't let himself finish when that thought appeared in his head.
But also because he heard a loud thud and the sound of books toppling over that came after. Quickly, he went to Inoue's cleaning position and almost jumped toward her laying figure among the massive fallen piles of books on the floor.
"Inoue?" With care, he lifted her head in one arm and patted her face with his other free hand. Upclose, Kuro noticed little changes in Inoue's features. Her hair was a mess framing her face. Inoue's crisp-brown face was paler. Her round, bright-brown eyes had bags and dark crows under them.
Her breathing a little shallow next to Kuro's heavy breathing ones. "Inoue? Inoue, say something. Come on, Inoue! Inoue!"
Just like the same response he got a while back from Inoue, there was none.
⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔
She passed out from a day or two of sleep deprivation. And it was coincidentally— if people called it a coincidence— a bad timing for their clinic to be locked. Their teacher, Levi, took charge of the situation and let Inoue rest on his— Erwin's former— office. He informed the students to get back to class after the cleaning is done and let the next instructor know Inoue will be given an exceptional dismissal. They didn't worry no more, since they knew she'll be in capable hands.
Well.
All except for Kuro, apparently.
Formally bowing to their last teacher, they were dismissed. While grabbing his backpack, Kuro noticed Rikkun's beckoning hand to call him out. Rikkun's hand gesture implied urgency and his face was blatantly plastered in lingering suspicion.
Ah! He must've noticed too! Kuro thought, jogging toward him as he shrugged in a strap of his backpack on one shoulder.
"Rikkun-kun, what—"
He tried to say, but faltered the moment he felt a hand gently clasping his chin. Rikkun's hand.
Just a moment, he forgot to breathe.
"These bruises are not from Inoue, don't they?" Rikkun inspected his face, inching closer to get a better look. Kuro's face felt a little hot, and he already knew he's really deliciously damn hot.
"Tell me, who did this to you?" Rikkun inquired, giving Kuro a look that lying is not a good idea.
Kuro found himself, dauntlessly slapping Rikkun's hand clasping his chin. Flaunting will come next time.
"This is what you're worried about? You should be worried about Inoue!" He rebuked. Rikkun's I-dont-care personality was now rubbing on to him.
Rikkun backpedaled, looking confused. "What happened to Inoue?"
Kuro's face hurt from pulling a reaction, but he couldn't keep himself from being shocked in disbelief. "Wakey, wakey, my lovely Rikkun! Inoue just passed out! Out of nowhere! She never passed out because she knew of my mischievous handsome presence! This is the first time!"
Running a hand through his hair, Rikkun sharply sighed. "I wasn't really paying attention in class. I noticed just now that you have that purplish not reddish color on your face you hide with make-up. Where is she now, though?"
"That teacher— Leviathan's office!"
"It's Levi, Kuro. Not a sea monster." Rikkun corrected him with a shake of his head. "Then there's really nothing to worry about."
"What do you mean— she just passed out!"
"Like I said, she'll be fine."
"How can you say that? It's not like you to trust anyone completely like that."
Rikkun looked like he's a little surprise to Kuro's perception but decided not to strain a facial expression. "It's Levi-sensei. Inoue knows him long before we even know him. They were pretty close."
"Huh??" Kuro was lost after the second sentence.
Rikkun, about to glare, frowned instead. "I thought you have lots of connections... Haven't you heard already? That sensei was Inoue's first crush before she got infatuated with me."
"What...." Kuro's eyes widen in realization. "WHAT? Inoue had a crush before?!"
"Why do you sound surprised? I thought that was obvious ever since she took a liking on me."
"Weit," Kuro cocked his head "what do you mean by that??"
"Everyone found it obvious..." Rikkun took a once-over look at Kuro, in a subtle attempt to mock him, which didn't worked, because Kuro was staring at him expectantly. "You're an exception, I guess. See, Inoue must've only liked me because she reminded me of him- that teacher, Levi."
Slowly but successfully, Kuro's jaw clattered onto the floor. Rikkun shrugged at his reaction.
"In my opinion however, we're nothing alike." Rikkun added with a look of distaste. "He prefers black tea over black coffee, like stallions more than felines, and rather sleeps in the chair instead of in the couch— but anyway. That's also the reason I'm telling Inoue to give it up."
"Because... because it might have been just a rebound??" Kuro guessed with an unusual look on his face. "That she's not really serious about liking you than she claimed she was?"
"You win the jackpot." Rikkun replied flatly. "Now you know why. You should be happy. If she happens to return liking Levi-san again, you have no competition."
"That's true.... I guess..." Kuro said very slowly, as if wording them normally quick will leave a foreign taste on his tongue. "I have you... all to myself... yeah..."
Rikkun raised an eyebrow at this. "Now you're being weird. You didn't get hit in the head, did you? Whoever did those bruising to you?"
He shrugged again, not weiting for Kuro's reply. "It's pass dismissal and Inoue's still not here yet. Want to weit for her?"
Kuro thought for a minute.
A nod of his head.
"Yeah. Let's go to her." Came his earnest reply.
835Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMk1PnfHcsD
835Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhho9oce85
