"Fuck! This is soo boriing~!" I said as we carried some crates.
"You know that it's important! Remember that you want to win with Elaine-senpai, so work instead of compaining~" Arthur laughed softly.
"But that stupid girl gave us the worst combo of tasks!" I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "Like, we need to walk around so fucking much, and then go back and walk around again!" I scoffed.
"Ehh" He sighed softly. "It's nothing compared to the paperwork we have to submit weekly! Being a member of the Student Council looks fun and everything, but the reality is cruel and hard!" He smirked. "Something you couldn't withstand~!" He added.
"Yeaah? You ran away from Sebas like a little bitch, and I was able to master everything he taught me~!" I smiled in a cheeky way.
"Shut up, Nakamura! We don't talk about this!" He demanded in embarrassment.
"But why are you in the student council if it is sooo "hard", huh~?" I asked.
He then stopped walking and looked at the sky, smiling softly. "I... uhh... I just want to be close to my sister as often as I can... I barely get to see her outside the campus, but I love her very much..." He said softly.
"Damn man... that's creepy~! I would never follow Kaori around! After all, I see her at home every day~!" I laughed.
"Yeah... you got to live with your sister at the same house..." He looked down at the ground as his tone saddened.
I looked at him curiously. "Hm? What do you mean? You don't live with your sister? You two didn't seem to hate each other, so why live separately?" I asked.
"I... uhh... I don't want to talk about it..." He started walking again.
"Aww, man~! You can't do something like that! Telling me something so unclear, and then not explaining what it means!" I nudged him with the crate.
"It's not worth talking about..." He muttered under his nose.
"You can share it with me! Aren't we supposed to be friends now?" I sighed.
"Just... let... it... go... please..." He looked down at the ground.
"Hirano! Don't be such a fuc-..."
"I WAS BANISHED FROM THE UNDERWORLD, OKAY?! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?!" He screamed at me with frustration.
I took a step back out of surprise and I looked at him with confusion. "What? Huh? What do you mean?" I asked.
"I was banished, kicked out with no way of returning..." He said with sadness in his voice.
"Yeah I get that... but why did you get kicked out?!" I asked in frustration.
"I... I was considered an Anomaly... they told me that there is no place for me in The Underworld and that I should be killed... but they let me live, just far away from the demon realm.." He teared up.
"That's why no demon wants to befriend me... because I'm a damn Anomaly..." He said.
"Anomaly? Lilith's father called me an Anomaly... Layla was also called an anomaly... but why wasn't Layla banished like Arthur was? Does he know about her being an anomaly?"
I looked into his eyes. "You're not alone, Hirano." I placed the crate down on the ground.
"Huh?" He looked at me in confusion.
"Yeah, you're not alone! I was also considered an Anomaly by the demons, so what?!" I smirked.
"What... what are you talking about?" He asked, tears dripping down his chin.
"Listen, Hirano~!" I smirked and patted him on the shoulder. "You and I can be considered friends now... you're teaching me how to use the Hussar Saber and friends return each other's favors, don't they?"
"What are you talking about...?" He asked again, wiping his tears.
"I know how it feels to love your sister more than anything... I'd die for my sister, yknow?" I smiled. "That's why I'll help you... I know that on the bigger scene, I'm just a small ant compared to the likes of Mr. Muraoka or Carmilla's mother, not even trying to mention Lucifer... but I will try, I will give my best to help you reunite with your sister!" I said, giving him a thumbs up.
"That's the point... we are too small to do anything! I can't... I can't ever be with my sister, no matter what I do... they'll never let me back in..." He dropped the crate and covered his face with his hands.
"Yeah, you're right! You can't do shit, nothing, nic, null... but we all... but together, we all are able to accomplish things that were never accomplished before!"
"'We'?" He asked, slowly taking off his hands from his face.
"We all, you idiot! You've been already dragged into all that by the moment you went to the church with me! You're our ally, and for that, you have a couple of allies in return!" I smirked.
"Allies? What allies?" He asked.
"Me, Carmilla, Haruki, Lilith, Seraphina, Sebastian, Layla! All of us! We all are your fucking friends, Hirano~" I fist-bumped his shoulder.
He fell to his knees and started crying.
"Hey! Fuck! Don't cry on me! I don't know how to reassure a guy, yknow?!" I said in frustration.
"To think... that I'd be crying... in front of you... again... damn... the world must be... making fun of me..." He giggled while crying.
After two hours we finally finished the task of carrying the food crates. We left them in the food storage area. We both were tired as hell, but we still had two more tasks to do.
"Remind me, Hirano... why the fuck did I agree to do this?" I groaned.
"Because you're stupidly prideful and can't stand losing?" He laughed.
"Fuck... you're right. Now, what's next?" I rolled my eyes in annoyance
He pulled out the task list that Elaine gave to him. He sighed softly as he was reading the tasks.
"Ehhh... The next one is clearing those stupid trails!"
"Are you telling me we have to walk around like some fucking idiots again?" I sighed with defeat.
Arthur smirked. "Oh, not just walk~ We have to hike through the entire trail, remove any obstacles along the way, and mark safe paths so none of the little gremlins from your class get lost."
"You're fucking with me!" I grabbed his shoulders.
"I wish I was, Nakamura!" He said dramatically.
I shook my head. "Fineeee! Let's get this over with... I want to go home and... uhh? And... uh..." I scratched the back of my head.
We made our way to the hiking trail, which was even deeper into the woods.
"Now that I think about it... This forest is a part of the Aokigahara Ward District... Nyx made it clear that it's her territory... so why isn't she attacking?" I looked around. "She might be everywhere, watching us..."
"Alrighto! We need to do three things: Mark the correct paths, clear out everything that may be dangerous, and make sure there's nothing blocking the way!"
I rolled my eyes. "Pft... easy!"
Arthur raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Do you really think so? Because the President specifically mentioned a section of the trail being blocked by some stupid fallen logs. And guess who was chosen to do this task?"
"...Don't say it."
"It's us, dumbass."
"Fucking hell."
The first part was easy of clearing those trails was easy. We walked along the trail, tying orange ribbons to tree branches, and marking the correct paths. Since the trail had a couple of routes, Arthur made sure we placed extra ribbons where necessary.
"Okay, I'll admit," I said as I tied another ribbon "This isn't that bad! Kinda relaxing and peaceful, I'd say!" I giggled.
Arthur smirked. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"I wouldn't say that it's something I would do if I had a choice, but it's better than carrying crates for another hour! Besides, after everything that has happened lately, it's a good thing to do something else..." I said.
He giggled. "Fair enough."
After marking the trails we started cutting through overgrown branches. Arthur handed me a machete, which I immediately started swinging like an idiot.
"Hey, put that down before you accidentally slice off your own dick!" Arthur scolded, rolling his eyes in annoyance.
I smirked, slicing off an overgrown bush. "Chill out, Hirano! Let me have fun for at least a moment, okay~?"
A branch snapped back at me, smacking my face. "Ugh! Fuck!"
He started laughing. "Oh man, karma works fast, especially on your ass, Nakamura~!"
I rubbed my face. "Shut up!"
It took us about 30 minutes to clear everything and open up the path, but then we finally reached the fallen logs.
Two massive logs covered in moss were lying on the trail, blocking it.
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Yeah, no way we're lifting these. We're gonna have to break them down."
I sighed in annoyance. "Why can't we just use Vymir Enhancement, or any spells to just burn that down?"
"Because Elaine-senpai specifically stated to not use Vymir and to give our best using only our natural strength!" He smacked the back of my head.
"Well, thanks fucking God that we at least got some tools!"
We grabbed two axes and slowly started to chop the logs into smaller pieces.
"This shit is taking forever!" I huffed in annoyance.
"Shut up and chop, Nakamura!" He said.
After an eternity, we finally managed to break down one of the logs and roll the other one off to the side, clearing the path.
Arthur sat down on a rock. "I think I just lost five years of my life."
I dropped the axe on the ground. "Yeah?! Really?!" I asked sarcastically.
We sat there until I started laughing.
Arthur gave me an annoyed and tired look "The hell are you laughing about, Nakamura?!"
I smirked. "Just thinking about how that stupid bitch totally gave us the worst tasks because she is scared that she'll lose~!"
Arthur smirked. "Oh, I'm not so sure that we will win, you know? But hey, at least we did it."
"The fuck you mean by 'I'm not so sure', huh?!" I asked with annoyance.
Arthur chuckled. "Noothing~."
I flicked him with a twig. "Motherfucker."
He just laughed, and I couldn't help but join in.
Before we could calm down, the walkie-talkie on Arthur's belt buzzed.
"Arthur, report in. Have you finished marking the trail?" Her calm but authoritative voice was heard through the speaker.
Arthur sighed, picking the walkie-talkie up. "Yes, Ma'am. We cleared the path, tied the ribbons, and almost died chopping up logs."
"Good work. Now hurry up and get to your next task. You still have to do the campfire stage."
I groaned. "What a bitch!"
"I heard that Nakamura, so shut up and get back to work!"
Arthur clicked off the walkie-talkie and stood up. "Let's get moving, Nakamura."
"Fuck... could we go check out that hot spring we found earlier before we go?" I asked.
"Nope~!" He said.
After surviving the hiking trail task, we made our way toward the campfire site, which was located in a clearing near the place where we arrived. The sun was slowly setting.
The center of the site had a large, circular pit meant for the campfire. There were a couple of logs and many wooden benches, looking half-rotten and uneven.
There was also a makeshift stage, basically a pathetically small wooden platform that looked like it would collapse.
I sighed. "Alright, so what the fuck are we supposed to do here?!"
Arthur pulled out the task list again. "We have to reinforce the stage, set up lights for when it gets dark, and gather firewood for the campfire."
"You're telling me that this bitch Elaine just fucking 'forgot' to mention that we will be doing construction work?!"
"I mean, since the fuck setting up means constructing?! I thought that those were... fuck this!" I roared in frustration.
Arthur smirked. "Sounds like it does from now on, I guess."
I slapped myself a couple of times. "Fucking hell! Okay, let's just get it over with!"
The wood was bent as soon as I lightly placed my feet on it.
Arthur barely even touched one of the support beams before it snapped clean off.
"Yeahh~ This thing is done for~" Arthur giggled.
I stepped off the wood before it would completely collapse under my weight. "Fuuuuck! I guess we gotta rebuild half of it, don't we?!" I roared.
I looked to the side at the planks and tools. "At least those fuckers left us something to work with, right?"
We removed the weakest beams, replaced them with sturdier planks, and hammered everything into place.
Arthur secured the corners, while I focused was reinforcing the steps and flooring.
After what felt like hours, I finally sat down on one of the benches. "Solid. Sturdy. Not falling apart. THANKS FUCKING GOD!" I screamed in happiness.
Arthur groaned. "My Devil, shut up! But we at least have one thing down, two to go."
Since the campfire was the main source of light, we only needed to place lanterns and string lights around the area so no one would break their necks in the dark.
Arthur climbed a tree, securing the lights while I held the ladder.
"You good up there?" I asked.
Arthur tied the last light to the tree. "Yeah! Just don't-..."
I shook the ladder.
"FUCK YOU, Nakamura!" He screamed.
I started laughing as he clung to the branch as if his life depended on it.
"That's what you're getting for making me carry all those crates earlier!" I smirked.
"I ALSO CARRIED THOSE CRATES... FUCK... NAKAMURA! YOU ARE SO DEAD-"
Arthur somehow made it down in one piece, immediately putting me in a headlock.
"OKAY, OKAY, I'M SORRY!" I said between laughs.
After some time the campfire site was finally well-lit, and everything else wasn't falling apart.
The last job was collecting dry wood for the bonfire.
We went our separate ways and collected some branches and small fallen logs from the surroundings, but then I spotted something weird.
It was a large, unnatural-looking claw mark slashed across a tree trunk.
Suddenly a vision of a dark blurry silhouette flashed before my eyes. "Ugh... the fuck..."
I frowned. "Damn... this shit is deep, and definitely not from any normal animal... it must have something to do with the Kitsune, so I guess leaving it will be the right option..."
Arthur noticed me staring. "Ey, what's wrong, Nakamura?" He asked.
"Nah, nothing's wrong! Just lost myself for a moment, I guess?" I brushed him off.
Arthur smirked. "Just don't faint like some bitch out there haha~"
"Arthur! Report in." Elaine's voice was heard through the walkie-talkie again.
Arthur grabbed it. "We're done here. What's next?"
"Get back to the main site. It's almost time to tally the scores."
He then put the walkie-talkie back on his belt.
Arthur glanced at me. "Finally! Let's put the wood back in its place and finally rest!"
"Yes! Yes! Finally!" I teared up in happiness.
By the time we got back, the other teams had also finished their tasks.
Elaine stood at the center, her arms crossed, and a smug look on her face. The entire Student Council and their companions have gathered.
We just stood there, waiting for the results with anticipation.
Elaine pulled out the results. "Alright, let's get this over with. The scores are in."
"Team One got 85 points. Team Two got 91. Team Three got 103. Team Four got 93. Team Five got 142. Team Six got 130. Team Seven got 75. Team Eight got 123." Elaine glanced at the paper again and then bursted out laughing.
Arthur and I looked at each other.
I frowned. "What the fuck you mean '75'!?" I asked.
Elaine wiped a tear from her eye and smirked at me. "Nakamura Shoji…"
I grinned. "Go ahead, say it. Say the real score!"
She held up the paper dramatically. "You got…"
She paused for effect.
"Zero."
Silence fell upon everyone.
Arthur's eyes widened "Wait...WHAT?!"
I blinked in confusion. "Excuse me? What the fuck do you mean by '0'?!"
Elaine's smirk widened. "You heard me. You. Got. Zero."
I snatched the sheet out of her hands. "There's no way I got a zero! I carried this entire-..." I looked at the list.
"Hirano Arthur: 75 points. Nakamura Shoji: 0 points."
I almost ripped the paper in half. "What kind of bullshit is this?!"
Elaine barely held back her laughter. "Well, I reviewed the scores myself, and turns out… you never actually signed your name on any of the task sheets."
My eye twitched in fury. "What?"
She held up the forms. Under every completed task, there was Arthur's handwriting. "Since Arthur was the one who wrote down all the completed assignments, he got all the credit. You? You didn't write a single thing. So, officially, you did nothing."
Arthur gasped, realization hitting him. "Oh my god… Nakamura, I'm sorry! I filled out the forms because you were too busy shit-talking everyone." He said in embarrassment.
I just stood there in shock. "I... I lost?"
Elaine patted my shoulder. "So, Shoji-kun… I expect to see you bright and early Monday morning for charity school cleaning."
Everyone erupted in laughter.
I grabbed my hair. "You. Are. An. Absolute. Bitch."
Elaine just smirked at me. "Don't hate the player, dear Kouhai. Hate the game."
Once the crowd was gone, I sat on one of the logs, pouting. Arthur awkwardly patted my back. "Hey, at least you technically won in spirit, ya?" He asked.
"Shut the fuck up, Hirano." I rolled my eyes.
Elaine walked up to us, her arms crossed, tho she wasn't smirking anymore.
I frowned at her. "What? You here to fuck my mood up some more?"
She sighed softly. "No. I actually wanted to say something."
I looked at her with frustration. "If it's 'I told you so,' you can shove it up your thick ass."
She ignored that. "Look, I gave you a hard time earlier… but I need to admit something. I was wrong about you."
I blinked a couple of times. "Huh?"
Elaine sighed again. "I expected you to slack off, mess around, and make this whole event miserable. But you actually worked your ass off. Sure, you're an arrogant, reckless idiot..."
"...But you're not useless."
I raised my eyebrows. "Wow. High praise coming from Demon Council President."
Elaine rolled her eyes. "What I'm saying is… if you actually put that effort into something that matters, you can be an asset. Maybe even… Student Council material."
Arthur nearly choked on air. "Wait, WHAT?!" He coughed a couple of times.
Elaine shrugged. "I'm just saying! Shoji would be a nightmare to work with, but I can't deny he gets things done. And he's… surprisingly loyal to his friends. Besides, it would help your poor reputation.
I scoffed. "Ohhh, so now you like me?"
Elaine scowled at me. "I never said that. I just think you're not as terrible as I originally thought."
I smirked. "Damn. That almost sounded like a compliment~ What now? A date?"
She groaned. "Forget it. Offer revoked."
"Pft, as if I would accept anyway. I'd rather spend eternity licking the school floors than sit in an office dealing with bureaucratic nonsense. No thanks, Madam Demon Council President."
Elaine rolled her eyes but smiled slightly. "Figured as much."
When she was about to leave, she paused. "And… about what I said earlier. About Layla."
I looked at her.
She sighed. "Maybe I was too harsh. I don't know her personally, but I shouldn't have insulted her like that, even after hearing what she did. I still don't trust her, but… if you believe in her, then maybe she's not as bad as I assumed."
I stared at her for a moment.
Arthur smirked. "Wow, Nakamura. Look at you. You lost spectacularly, but still somehow won over our scary Student Council President."
Elaine punched his shoulder.
"Ow! Okay, okay! Sorry President!"
I smirked. "Guess even queens can admit when they're wrong."
Elaine rolled her eyes. "Don't push it."
And then, she just walked away.
Arthur nudged me. "So? How does it feel? You may have zero points, but you got respect."
I shrugged, smirking widely "Tsk...Could've just won both."
Arthur sighed. "You really are impossible."
I leaned back, watching the fire crackled behind Taida's Silhouette.
"You lost, Yokubo. Zero points." He said, tho he didn't seem as cheeky as always.
"Zero points. But somehow, it didn't feel like a loss after all." I smiled softly.