"Oh, oh, oh, it hurts, it really hurts..."
"Wait, there's not much left."
The nurse abruptly pulled the needle out of the neck of the young man, who was moaning in pain.
"Well done, Patrick. You are the first brave man who came to my office."
"The others felt a little uneasy when you said that we were going to have injections now. I decided to support everyone."
"All children are afraid of injections like fire, because they've read all sorts of children's books and now they think it's painful and unpleasant."
"But it's really like that."
Patrick tried to smile despite his pain, but he got something like a disgruntled grimace.
"The first batch is usually the most painful, but don't think that now we will give you such huge injections. The remaining doses are three times less, and over time you will realize that this pain is more like a mosquito bite."
"I believe you. But tell me why we are given injections?"
The nurse fell silent for a moment, and then a forced smile appeared on her face.
"This is... for your own safety. May you be healthy and strong. Don't worry, everything will be fine."
"I hope so."
"Of course, everything will be fine. Now call the others. We have a lot of work to do."
Patrick, confused, hurriedly got up from his chair and got tangled in his shoelaces, falling.
"Oh, Patrick. Are you okay?"
The nurse laughed.
"Oh my God, you never change. Need some help?"
"No, thanks, I can handle it myself. I'm sorry for the delay, I'll call the others now."
"Take your time."
"Come on in, who's next!"
"Patrick, are you okay?"
"Patrick, how painful is it for you, rate it on a scale of ten."
But Minato, the main bully in the class, intervened in the discussion, as always, and decided to liven up the conversation a little with his presence.
"Disperse, everyone! Patrick, are you actually crying? It's just an injection, you're bawling like a little girl. So sensitive!"
"N-no, that's not it! You're completely misunderstanding me!"
Patrick's voice trembled, tears shining in his eyes as he desperately tried to defend his masculinity.
"Ahahaha! Did you hear that crybaby?"
Minato laughed, raising an eyebrow with a mocking grin.
"Personally, I'm not buying it. Looks like he's forgotten how to form a sentence from pure terror!"
"Minato, if you're so brave, why don't you go next, instead of picking on Patrick?" Miku said, clenching her fists, a glint of steel in her eyes. "It doesn't even hurt. Injections are just for babies."
"Miku, let go, you're crushing my arm!"
Minato exclaimed, pointedly avoiding her gaze.
"Chickening out?" a mischievous smirk playing on her lips. "So who's the 'girl' now? Afraid of a little prick?"
"Uh, I, uh… I think I left something in the hallway," he mumbled, looking anywhere but at her.
"Oh, sure you did. I totally believe you," she replied, arms crossed, tone dripping with sarcasm. "Come on, I'll walk you there. I can even hold your hand, if you need it."
"No, Miku, don't, I can do it myself!"
A touch of panic creeping into his voice.
"Nope. You're coming with me right now,"
Muku grabbing his wrist.
"Okay, okay! We'll go together!"
He agreed, lifting his chin in mock defiance.
"Someone, save me! This audacious creature is taking me hostage!"
He trying to sound like he was joking, but Miku clearly had the upper hand.
Miku's smirk widened.
"Darling, you'll become my hostage the second I close that door behind you," she purred, giving him a look that sent a shiver of anticipation, mixed with a healthy dose of fear, down his spine.
"Fine, fine, I'm going"
Minato entering the medical room with obvious reluctance.
"Should've done that in the first place," one of the guys said with a knowing grin.
Laughter rippled through the room, a lighthearted wave that only made Minato bristle. Resentfully, he slammed the door shut. Angry footsteps echoed from within, and the others pressed against the door, straining to hear.
"Hear anything?" One whispered, ear pressed to the wood.
"Yep," the second replied, barely suppressing a snicker.
Inside: "Are you sure it won't hurt?" Minato's voice, now thin with nervous tension, trembled slightly.
"Just a little pinch"
"No way. I don't believe you!"
Minato resisting being guided toward the examination table.
"Sit down, please!" The nurse insisted, her tone patient but firm.
"No!" He growled, backing away.
"I said, sit down, Minato!" Her voice sharpened, yet retained a hint of understanding.
"Oh, no, no, no"
Minato protested, straightening his shoulders in a desperate attempt to project confidence.
Outside, his friends exchanged glances, fighting back peals of laughter. They knew Minato's aversion to needles, and this public display of his crumbling bravado was pure comedy gold.
"Just imagine it's a mosquito bite," one of them muttered through the door, barely containing his mirth.
Back inside, Minato stared at the nurse with wide, pleading eyes. But her expression was resolute. She uncapped the syringe and smiled.
"Just a little prick, Minato and then you get a lollipop."
In the hallway, one of the observers chuckled softly, genuinely enjoying the spectacle.
"He really does scream worse than a girl."
"What a fool" another chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.
While the others gleefully dissected Minato's impending doom, Kyo, the group's quiet center, remained apart. He sat hunched over his notebook in the hallway corner, pencil dancing across the page. Lost in his art, he only occasionally glanced toward the medical room. But someone's called him.
"Hey, Kyo! Don't you want to hear the screams?"
Kyo just grinned faintly, not looking up.
"It's amusing," he admitted, "but I'd rather concentrate on my own… world."
The mundane scene within the medical room was evolving into a classic comedy, and Kyo knew his friends would rehash it all later in class. Perhaps his art could even inspire fresh jokes.
"Wait a second. You think he'll actually survive this ordeal?"
"He'll survive"
Kyo conviction as he shaded a detail.
"The real challenge is preventing him from fainting from sheer terror."
"Another new drawing?"
Eyes Asagi got interested, when she settling down beside him.
"Yeah…" He offered a small, self-conscious smile.
"What is it?" She leaned closer, studying the intricate lines.
"I don't know yet"
Kyo admitted, his brow furrowed in concentration as he traced a line.
"How can you draw something you don't know?"
Asagi's eyebrows arching in disbelief.
Kyo chuckled, sensing her sincere curiosity.
"That's the problem, isn't it? I haven't found the right title. But when I'm finished, I promise to show it to you first. Maybe you can find a name that fits."
"Really?" Her eyes widened, sparkling with surprise and… something else.
A faint blush crept onto her cheeks as she looked away, her expression shifting to a dreamy smile.
"Promise?"
Kyo was about to answer when a hand snatched the notebook away, making him flinch.
"Hey, wait! It's not finished yet!"
He cried, trying to snatch the drawing back.
"But I have to know what's on it!" Tori giggled, adding vibrant color to the black-and-white image with her infectious enthusiasm.
Kyo couldn't help but laugh at the sheer joy that danced across her face.
"Alright, alright! Don't shred it! This is a work of art, not some sketch!"
Kyo rubbing his forehead, still flustered.
Now, a small crowd gathered, peering at the drawing with growing curiosity.
"Yeah, who knows what he's scribbling this time!" one of them remarked, laughing. "If only we could get him to spill the beans!"
Their attention, however, was soon drawn back to the medical room and Minato's continuing protests.
"Wow, Kyo, you've outdone yourself!" exclaimed Tori, staring at the drawing in disbelief. "Even I can't make out what's on it."
Two more classmates joined the others, nudging each other playfully. This is Hana and Carmen - two inseparable friends, among which Carmen is the most playful.
"Hmm, is that… the girl with wolf ears? It's strange, I've never seen anything like it," suggested Hana, squinting at the art.
"I think it's a giant gray wolf!"
And then, Carmen playfully pounced on her friend, and soon they were both kicking and squirming in a tussle of laughter and mock escape.
"Nope... Not again! Please, no wolves! I won't be able to sleep today," Hana sobbed in a trembling voice.
"All right, Carmen, that's enough. You know that Hana is not indifferent to wolves."
Asagi intervened in their quarrel, not wanting to tolerate the mess that her classmates had made.
"That's why I'm teasing her."
A mischievous smile appearing on Carmen's face.
Hana continued to sob theatrically, raising her hands defensively as if warding off an invisible beast.
"Just stop it, okay? And Tori, give the drawing back to Kyo. Now." Asagi said, her voice firm as she snatched the paper from Tori's grasp.
"Asagi, are you serious? I wasn't done!"
Tori protested, trying to grab the drawing back, but Asagi stood her ground.
"I've never been more serious."
She handed the drawing back to Kyo.
"And don't let anyone touch your things without your permission, okay?"
Kyo nodded curtly, his expression a mixture of gratitude toward Asagi and lingering confusion that his art continued to stir up such chaos.
Tori sighed dramatically, collapsing onto the floor as if she'd lost all will to live.
"Well, there goes the fun… She always spoils everything. Kyo's work just sparks our curiosity! It's hard to resist admiring a beautiful painting"
Tori's voice edged with genuine disappointment.
"You can admire it from a distance. And with your reputation, you should probably stay at least six feet away from Kyo."
Asagi retorted coolly, eliciting a fresh wave of laughter from the others. This undoubtedly annoyed her, but there was nothing she could do about it.
"Asagi, you're such a pest! I can't see a thing!"
Tori demanded, frustration rising in her voice.
"That's the point"
"Wh-what?"
Tori stammered, her eyes widening in genuine surprise and anger.
"You're incorrigible, Asagi. You always try to control everyone and keep us in line. You should be a commander in the army with such a talent!"
"Oh, shut up, Tori!"
The group was smiling again, and Kyo, observing the escalating chaos, simply shook his head. He still couldn't fathom how such a maelstrom could erupt from a simple drawing.
Minato approached Kyo, who was still deeply engrossed in the details of his artwork.
"Kyo, Nurse Hinata wants you to be her next patient"
Mimato pulling his friend away from his artistic contemplation.
"Right"
Kyo sounding a bit bewildered. He glanced back at his drawing, clearly still fixated on the details.
"Don't worry, Kyo. I'll protect your work"
Asagi offered, reaching out to gently take the drawing. But before she could, someone shoved her aside.
It was Minato, who swiftly snatched the drawing and clutched it possessively to his chest.
"?!"
Asagi exclaimed, taken aback.
"No, Kyo, I'll keep your drawing safe. These… emotional types are too volatile to be trusted with such a delicate treasure. They might tear it!"
Minato declared, his face completely serious, as if he were delivering profound wisdom.
"What? Who are you calling emotional?!" Asagi demanded, her arms crossed and her voice rising.
"Hmmm… what is this?"
Minato leaned in closer, squinting at the drawing with a critical eye.
When he got a little closer, he started laughing.
"What even is this?" he scoffed, clearly indifferent to art.
Kyo, feeling the sting of Minato's words and the laughter, retreated slightly, feeling a pang of bewilderment. He simply stood by, watching the class's resident troublemaker make fun of his creation.
"Let's talk about your screams back in Nurse Hinata's office" someone suggested, trying to redirect the conversation away from Kyo's art.
"I wasn't screaming! We were having a perfectly lovely chat while you were all gawking at this kid's drawing"
"Hey, Kyo's a guy, unlike you, buddy"
"Yeah, and drawing is for wimps"
"You're just jealous that Kyo's got more talent in his pinky than you do in your whole body" Asagi stood up for Kyo.
"You're all just jealous of me because, unlike you losers, I was charming Nurse Hinata. I even… touched her breasts."
"No way! That's not true!" Several voices shouted in unison, incredulous.
"That's a blatant lie!"
"How would you know? And oh, the sounds Nurse Hinata was making. Did you hear her angelic voice call my name?"
"Shut up!" Asagi yelled, finally reaching her limit.
"I can't listen to this anymore"
She muttered, visibly grinding her teeth.
"Heh, I told you you were all jealous."
Minato summed up smugly, completely oblivious to the fact that he was the punchline.
Kyo, who was left without his drawing, only smiled slightly, watching this comedy, while the class was filled with streams of laughter.
However, he was not the only one who was not amused by this comedy.