karaoke

I made it right on time before the second class started. Surprisingly, I wasn't given as many dirty looks as I used to. I recognized a few faces in my class, like Masanobu, and even some characters from Bullied: Revenge Hypnosis. In the past, togawa never bothered to memorize the other students' names. For some reason, togawa was just fixated on making Masanobu's life miserable. 

 

"Togawa, why are you late today?" Masanobu's question caught me off guard, Masanobu had become more comfortable around me. It was a small victory, showing that my efforts to get to know him weren't in vain. The class also seemed taken aback by Masanobu's relaxed demeanor around me. 

 

"Had a bad night last night, barely got any sleep," I yawned. 

 

"Oh... is it because of..." Masanobu trailed off, seemingly hesitant to mention the reason for my sleepless night. 

 

"Yeah," I replied, deciding to let him assume whatever he wanted. 

 

"Masanobu, do you like anime?" I asked, changing the subject. 

 

"Uh, yes," he responded. 

 

"Good, then I'll introduce you to the manga club I'm in." 

 

Masanobu was caught off guard. "You're in the manga club!?" he exclaimed. 

 

"Could you be quieter about it? It's not official yet, but sooner or later they'll accept me. And it shouldn't be surprising; I also like anime," I said, picking at my ear, which had been screamed at. 

 

"Oh... Sorry," Masanobu apologized, noticing that his outburst had drawn the attention of the class. 

 

"Fufufu... so he likes anime," a girl quietly murmured to herself.  

-sanada- 

"Sanada, I don't advise you to go after Togawa," Izumi Nogami warned me. 

 

"W-what are you saying, Izumi-chan?" I stuttered nervously, feeling caught off guard. I realized I had been staring at Togawa, and my embarrassment only grew. 

 

"You want to make him your new pet, right?" Izumi questioned, her tone skeptical. 

 

"Oh, r-right, yeah, my new pet," I quickly agreed, nodding my head in an attempt to cover up my awkwardness. 

 

Izumi raised an eyebrow, clearly noticing how strange I was acting. 

 

"...ok, well, don't get too close to him. He's dangerous. If you don't want to be hurt, it's best to stay away from him," Izumi cautioned. 

 

"What makes you say that?" I asked, my curiosity piqued. I didn't know much about Togawa, and Izumi's warning only served to intrigue me further. 

 

Izumi lowered her voice, a serious tone replacing her usual lightheartedness. 

 

"There's a lot of rumors going around about him, many of which are exaggerated, but there are some that aren't groundless. One of them being that he killed his parents. That person doesn't have love; you can't control a monster like that," Izumi explained, her words dripping with condemnation. 

 

I frowned at the harshness that came from my friend's mouth about someone who had been my savior. my mind drifted back to that night. "He certainly is crude at times, but he stayed with me and comforted me. To say that he is a monster... it's not right," i thought, feeling conflicted. 

 

I couldn't forget the gentleness that had shaken my heart and kept me awake that night. It felt ironic to be on the other side of the equation when I was usually the one making people fall in love with me. 

 

"Why would you believe a rumor like that?" I questioned, disbelief evident in my tone. 

 

Izumi looked displeased at her friend's questioning. "I know you have a habit of collecting different types of men, but you shouldn't cross the line. Besides, I told you it wasn't groundless. Togawa joined a Yakuza group right after his parents died; people suspect that he did it to avoid going to prison." 

 

"Yakuza..." I whispered, feeling a mixture of shock and uncertainty. 

 

"Yeah, you know, those criminals," Izumi replied matter-of-factly. 

 

"I know what they are, it's just..." I trailed off, unsure of how to articulate my thoughts. 

 

"What?" Izumi prodded, sensing her friend's hesitation. 

 

"Nothing. Anyway, what did you say about finding your new toy?" I quickly changed the subject, eager to move past the uncomfortable conversation about Togawa. 

 

"Oh, right. Come with me to the girls' locker next class. We're going to surprise a piggy," Izumi said with a sadistic smile.  

"Togawa, your script is amazing!" Sagami and Yuki exclaimed eagerly as they waited for me to return. Ever since we completed the script, their minds had been consumed by Attack on Titan. 

 

"Too close," I thought, noticing Sagami's proximity. 

 

"Oh, sorry Togawa, did you write this script yourself?" Yuki inquired. 

 

"Of course," I replied confidently, though inwardly, I apologized to Isayama-sensei for ripping off his work. 

 

"Amazing," Sagami and Yuki's eyes shone with admiration. 

 

"Let's talk about that later, I brought a new club member," I interjected, gesturing towards Masanobu, who had been standing by unnoticed. 

 

"Wait, Togawa, I didn't agree to join the club," Masanobu protested. 

 

"Don't worry, I guarantee that you'll want to join by the end of the day," I assured him with a confident smirk. He really needs some friends, and this is a good place to start, I thought. 

 

"Hello, my name is Sagami, and this is my manager and editor, Yuki," Sagami introduced themselves. 

 

"Hello" 

 

"H-hello, my name is Masanobu. Nice to meet you," Masanobu greeted awkwardly. 

 

"Okay, now we're done with the introductions. Let's talk about AoT," I declared, taking charge of the conversation as we all settled onto the couches. 

 

"AoT?" Masanobu questioned, unfamiliar with the term. 

 

"It's the script I created. I introduced it here before, but it was refused before they even read it," I explained 

 

Yuki held her head down in shame, realizing the missed opportunity and the potential of Togawa's script. 

 

"My apologies, Togawa-san. I jumped to conclusions," Yuki said, her tone filled with sincerity as she realized her mistake. 

 

Masanobu's eyes widened in genuine surprise at the revelation. "Wait, you made a script?" he exclaimed. He never would've expected Togawa to be an author. 

 

"so do you agree to draw out my story?" I turned to Sagami and Yuki, hoping for their support. 

 

"Yes," Sagami said without hesitation, his enthusiasm evident. "The story has immense potential; it could even become recommended to Shounen Weekly." 

 

"Also, that's why we want to replace our work with yours. We want to enter this in the amateur mangaka competition," Yuki added. 

 

"...then what about your other projects?" Masanobu inquired. 

 

Sagami looked at Yuki and nodded. "We can put them on hiatus for now. Compared to this, our work is mediocre." 

 

"Heh, okay, I agree," I nodded in agreement. 

 

"Alright, I'll get started right away," Sagami declared with determination. 

 

A fire had lit in Sagami as he went to the work table and started sketching out the characters. I helped him by describing the designs from my memories. 

 

Hentai logic was really weird as Sagami's hands moved fast enough that even I had a hard time keeping up with what's going on. Sagami couldn't move his hands this fast in a fight, but when it comes to manga, he was a machine. No mistakes were made; Sagami's lines were straight and precise. I sweat dropped as I could see Yuki blushing while looking at Sagami showing off his skills. Masanobu also looked astonished. 

 

I filled the gaps of AoT from my memories with my imagination, making sure to make it fit with the future plot while being entertaining. 

 

"Done! This is the first volume," Sagami handed it to me. 

 

"Wow, it only took you 2 hours," I remarked, genuinely impressed. This quality of work should've been completed in months, yet Sagami had made a perfect replica in merely two hours! 

 

"No, this is only the first volume; there are still more I need to finish," Sagami replied. 

 

"Don't overwork yourself, Sagami. We'd rather have it without any mistakes," Yuki reprimanded him. 

 

"She's right, I don't need a corpse," I agreed. 

 

"...alright," Sagami reluctantly agreed and set down the pen. 

 

"How about we take a break and celebrate the achievement of completing the first volume of AoT?" Yuki clapped her hands together, her smile beaming with excitement. Sagami nodded, and then both of them turned to me and Masanobu, awaiting our response. 

 

"Sure," I replied. It seemed like a good opportunity for everyone to unwind and bond, especially for Masanobu to step out of his comfort zone. 

 

"What do you have in mind?" I inquired. 

 

"How about we go to karaoke?" Yuki suggested. 

 

Instantly, my smile faded. Karaoke held a host of unpleasant memories for me. From the hentais I have read, it wasn't the ideal place for a celebration. But I couldn't let that dampen the mood. 

 

Yuki noticed my sudden change in demeanor and asked with concern, "Is something wrong with that?" 

 

I quickly composed myself and forced a smile. "No, I just had some unpleasant experiences at karaoke before," I replied, covering up my true reasons. 

 

"Maybe we should consider another option then," Yuki suggested, sensing my discomfort. 

 

"No, it's okay. Let's go to karaoke," I insisted, trying to reassure myself. I won't let anything happen to them.