Chapter 12: You know the story about assassins and student council presidents……

The events of this chapter are set in between chapter 6 and 7

POV Katsura

"Hey Zura, could you pick up Souta on your way" Hori san asks.

"Sure. do you have something to do ?" I ask.

"It's just some council work, Sengoku and the others are severely understaffed, they need some help" she says.

"I would have helped, but I have no idea what they do at council" I reply. Honestly for a guy attending school for the first time in his life, student council was something of an alien concept to me

"It's all right. You are helping me by picking up Souta" Hori san says.

The classroom was already empty, as the others have left, I head out too, leaving Hori san alone with a stack of papers. I knew Sengoku was her childhood friend, but couldn't she just refuse. She seemed so stressed these past few days.

"Out of the way out of the way" I could hear a female voice rushing towards me, before I could even switch my train of thought *BANG* I feel something crash into my back, we both crash to the ground.

"Watch where you are going" I hear from back.

"But you are the one who crashed into me" I say, as I pick myself up, I look at the person who crashed into me, she was half my height, pink hair, she fumbled on the ground gathering papers that were lying askew, she paid no heed to my words, I pick up one bundle, by that time she was already done and running again

"Hey! You left a page behind" I shout after her. "If I left something, I probably don't need it" I hear her shout back. She turned a corner and I couldn't see her again. Weird girl. I look at the bunch. It definitely looked important. I stuff it into my bag and leave, if someone put it up as lost, I would return it.

The next day

I see a huddle outside class. Did something happen. I spot Yoshikawa and Ishikawa in the group.

"Did something happen?" I ask.

"Zura, help, Sengoku is accusing Hori san for losing important budget papers" Yoshikawa san pleads me.

It takes me a second to figure out what happened actually. I could see two girls, one green haired, with glasses and the pink haired one from yesterday along with a red-haired boy, he looked thin and reedy, the boy was saying

"Well, Remi says she took all the pages from you and delivered them straight to us." He says, his tone accusatory

"But Sengoku, I clearly remember recording the entire budget carefully" Hori san tries to say. Her voice was strained, she seemed to be the one losing the argument, the public opinion seemed that way.

She felt almost at the verge of tears, almost natural for someone so careful and meticulous as her to be accused of a stupid mistake. I don't know what suddenly strikes me, I could feel Harry Freeman subtly take over. Strange, for a persona like him, it's not often he does that. He comes out when I call him, but this time, I feel a spark of anger. HE was definitely pissed.

I don't lose my overall control, but I could feel my aura change, I open my bag and pull out the stack of sheets from yesterday.

"Ishikawa kun, please hold my bag for a moment" I could feel my voice change, it was sprinkled with a toxic sweetness, he looks at me, and he seems alarmed. He grabs my bag "Bu.." I move before letting him complete.

I slowly walk through the group. The others seemed to sense my aura and almost willingly part to give me the way. I walk up to Sengoku, close to his face, he is a few inches shorter than me, I could see the others scared, I could see Sengoku's, eyes scared. It wasn't surprising, my malicious aura could even scare battle hardened veterans in the heat of the moment, schoolchildren were almost too easy. I give him my most bloodthirst glare. I know it's all acting and pretence on my part but for the observer it looks real enough.

"You know you shouldn't blame others when the fault lies with you" I say, in the same deadly sweet voice, I dangle the papers in front of him. He was shaking by now

"Wh..where did you get these?" he asks, taking the papers from my hand.

"Well, the sweet lady behind you told me to toss them away yesterday" I say in the same mocked politeness. The red haired boy and the green haired girl turn to the pink haired girl

"I did not…" the girl couldn't even complete her own sentence when her memory came back.

"Ohh… that time…" she speaks, slowing down, realising her own mistake

"Remi !" they both say angrily,

"Ah ha, sorry guys, my fault" the girl named Remi says meekly, they give a quick apology to Hori san and leave, chasing behind the girl called Remi.

I take a quick glance behind and the crowd quickly thins away after making eye contact with me.

"Hori, are you all right" Yoshikawa san embraces Hori san in a hug. She was almost breaking into tears herself.

"You know, Hori was the one getting yelled at and you are the one breaking down" Ishikawa kun says to Yoshikawa san.

I stand there unsure what to do. So, I just stand there awkwardly. Hori san manages to free herself from Yoshikawa san's clutches. Then they all seem to notice me at once.

"Scary" Yoshikawa san says, clutching herself by the sides.

"Intense" Ishikawa kun says.

"Sorry guys, I couldn't help myself" I say, dropping down my head apologetically.

I turn towards Hori san "Are you all right?" I ask, genuinely concerned.

"Yeah…. I am fine. Man ! I was about to cry; it would have been so humiliating. Nice save Zura" she says, beaming at me. I smile back.

She wasn't scared by Harry Freeman, I could feel him give an approving nod.

"You know you can really be something Zura" Ishikawa kun says.

"Is that so…. I was just angry as Sengoku was talking like that to Hori san I say. I should apologise to him later." It was true. I was mad that he was about to make Hori san cry, but still I should have put on a better composure. Something strange is happening to me after joining High school. I seemed to have lowered my guard

We go inside class, through the corner of my eyes, I see a flicker of a smile on Hori sans face.

"By the way, Hori san, why do you always seem to pick up the slack for the council work, does Sengoku have some dirt on you?" I ask.

"Yes, Hori I was thinking the same thing too" Yoshikawa san says.

"Huh.. No no definitely not… he is just a childhood friend that's it" She says, suddenly flustered.

He definitely had something on her doesn't he, we all think in our minds.

POV Hori san

My mind wanders back to the time when Sengoku and I were middle schoolers, how he would be under my thumb acting according to my wishes. "When we are in high school, I will not allow you to bully me anymore" he finally said in the final day of middle school.

"Oh and what are you going to do about that " I asked coyly.

"I… I.. I am going to tell everyone how you treated me, if you evert try to pull anything on me" he said. The golden words, after that our relationship turned more of a different turn. I couldn't tell the others that, not Zura, he would think I was weird.

Probably not. I think if someone did understand, it would probably be Zura, although I don't know the reason for it.