Taiga sat with a straight back, arms held tight. With a glare through his glasses he opened his mouth with slight hesitation. Otie left without much care and it was Horst and Taiga alone.
“Don’t tell that Ayihcah anything you’ll regret later, ya?”
“Tch…” Horst kept quiet. “Doesn’t matter, he doesn’t seem very interested.”
“Taiga, that brat Urjo told me you’ve been authorized to take part in the Zodiac Palace.” Jaromir said. His winter puffer suffocates his neck from speech. His shoulder blades sat on top of the bridge's guardrails, his hands staying in his pockets as he spoke.
Oppositely stood Taiga without his glasses, a thick beanie, nylon gloves, and a denim coat. “Haha, ya, I’ll be in the competition.”
“Why is it always ya’ll…?”
“What do you think…clearly it’s because I’m better.”
“In your dreams, I ain’t betting a single cent on you. Hah, what summon would you even get anyway?”
Taiga’s face grew grim, staring down at his shaking hands, he stopped trying to warm them; letting the cold numb them. “I would…you would make a hell of a lot of money. Since I’m the big outsider.”
“As long as you survive…isn’t Urjo in much more danger?” Jaromir said clumsily.
“Right.”
Jaromir, I’m still alive. No matter what, I will stay alive… Taiga’s gaze couldn’t stay away from the blue sky that peaked through the window blinds. In the fogginess of morning light stood the effervescent illusion of a transparent visage; he who stood by the shelves in the back of the classroom, in a hood so close to that of a puffer.
“Why so cold Cherry, has it been too long since we last spoke?” Milky asked in the academy’s garden area by the freshmen block of the campus. “It’s been ages since you’ve shown up for club activities.”
“Cherry!” Urjohar shouted as imprinted himself between Cherry and Milky’s gang. Fester walked behind in silence.
“Ooo, Festy,” one of Milky’s goons addressed Fester with lustful eyes. Fester squirmed, but tried to stay still in the discomfort. “Oh, Milky, did you know this little cutie is actually named Morana, or was it Moru…? I always read it as Morana, but she don’t like that, huh Festy?” The boy laughingly questioned as he played with Fester’s face. “Shit, her parents run a prostitute joint too, don’t they.”
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“Hahaha, so what are they?” Another boy asked.
“Just some whore child, cute for a tomboy playing dress up.”
“Yo, Urjo, we don’t need you here,” Milky waved, not giving Urjo a glance. “We got enough fun right here with these two cuties. Cher, let’s hit up your place, ya.” Their laughter corroded the air. The four boys standing side by side in a guise of their own harassing.
Hiding behind a wall by the field's exit stood Otie and Horst. Horst exclaimed wildly his displeasure, but Otie shushed him. “Wait,” he said.
“Listen up Milky,” Cherry said with her blood vessels so very close to bursting. “I really liked the time we spent together. You took me places no middle school girl would normally see…and I always thought you were cool because you made everything happen in the blink of an eye. Maybe it was all due to Jaromir’s leadership, but I was really pissed off.” Urjohar and Fester gave puzzled expressions. “I didn’t cry at his funeral… I couldn’t cry.” I hated myself, more than I can express. “And I didn’t know that Urjo and Taiga participated in this crazy Zodiac Palace, or what happened on the night Jaromir died. One thing I am aware of is that you are involved with the Zodiac Palace. Because of that…I don’t want to see you anymore.”
Milky was about to cry, his well done due was breaking and his face grew flush. Yet the clamor of laughter crowded the wind once again, the four boys did not hide, for they felt no concern. “Aah, that was good. Lovely monologue. But please, don’t give me that shit. Hehe, we aren’t involved with Zodiac Palace. We’re simple students, just common youth like any other. We would never be able to pull off such events…event.” Hands wide as if marketing something, his glowing white teeth never hid. “Ah, and Jaromir’s death, merely an accident. Bad luck is all, one shouldn’t be staying out so late.”
“Urjo, ain’t ya ashamed, you letting a woman defend you? That’s pussy shit…” the crew mate who was copping a feel of Fester said.
Dropping her bag, Cherry swiped her long fingers through her mane of hair. “How can I make myself any clearer? I don’t know your business with Urjo, and I don’t want to know… You should already be aware that I won’t stay silent when you bully someone from our school! Ya know Milky-moo? Since you know me so well.”
“Too bad Cher, Mako take your hand off the twink.” Squeezing his temples Milky opened his bloodshot eyes. “I thought you smarter Cher, simple mathematics you dunce, with the power of my academy’s middle and high school divisions I can easily mobilize two hundred. What do you five punks think ye can do?” The wind picked up, but Milky could feel it wasn’t following his stir, another force was brewing it. Out of the makeshift of leaves clustered in a twirling wind came waltzing Otie.
“Five, how peculiar…” Jaromir, in that moment, nobody that was there, not even one of us doubted that Jaromir had returned.
Horst came in with his own thoughts. He says wait for this huh? Perfect timing I suppose.
Clouds opened rays of light to create a carpet of gold for Otie to address his advisories. With faces plagued with more than surprise, Milky and his crew almost stumble to the floor in more than basic shock.
Back in the classroom, Dr. Dushyanta in his aim to take attendance questions why he still bothers to work at all.
“Taiga, you’re the only one… How can we have a proper class like this? Finals are coming up and yet it seems that all of you have simply forgotten.” Two hundred or so days until graduation.
“Ja-Jaromir! I…I thought… How?! You were dead!” Milky exclaimed. With crossed arms, Otie merely smirked in jest.
