Requested by: kellic1344

Warning: slight swearing, and triggering themes.
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Humans were and are animals. No matter how much the human mind or technology evolved, our primitive instincts were intrinsic to human nature. Even if one claimed they had transcended to the top of the food chain, as long as another overwhelmed them, they find themselves yielding to the innate urge deep down to flee and cower.

Such are the works of the food chain. The prey-predator relationship ironically is of paramount importance in the thriving of wildlife. Perhaps it was because of the advanced civilisation that brought humans too far above that they begin to thirst for the beastly nature to be unleashed.

You came to understand that, no matter how much human civilisation flourished, the natural drive to prey still resides in everyone, and that the society had no place for the weak.

"Get in," a voice snarled just beside your ear. Pain shot through your scalp when you felt manicured fingernails dug into your (h/l) hair, squeezing to a fist before yanking on the roots with intended force that your chin snapped upwards. Your cries had long since died on your tongue, and all you could do was muster a weak sob as the culprit mercilessly dragged you through a grey door into the girls' restroom.

You felt another hand latched onto your collar. You were thrown against the wall. Your back and head slammed into the unyielding cement surface, and you stumbled to find your balance.

"Hey, (y/n), bet you had a real good time with Yuhei, right?" Trembling and vision blurred with tears, you peered up to see a hazy outline of four figures clad in grey school uniform similar to yours. One was holding up a purple cased phone. Albeit you knew it was futile, you still found the words slip out of your lips: "I... d-don't understand..."

A stinging slap to the face greeted you in response. "Hah? Don't play dumb, bitch! Yuhei told me what happened, how you forced yourself onto him! And he was so kind to offer you money for a train ticket..." she broke out into a sob. Fake devastation was practically oozing from every word, but you doubt anyone would be suspicious of her.

"Calm down, May," one of her croonies gave her a hug, then glared at you. "We got her now."

"N-No... you've got it all wrong..." you didn't know why you still even bothered to clarify. You knew it wouldn't matter, but you still did it anyway. "He f-forced himself on me...! Then took my money right afterwards!"

A chill ran down your spine when you saw the familiar dangerous flash in their eyes. The school bell chimed; rays of the evening sun seeped through the small opening of the windows above, engulfing the room in an eerie glow of tangerine.

"Wow, are you hearing this?" The girl holding her phone finally spoke up, her face contorted into a look of disgust. It then occurred to you she was filming this whole thing. "First, this whore tried to steal May's boyfriend, and now she's turning the blame onto the victim himself!" She then sneered. "I mean, look at her clothes! Where did she get those shoes from, the recycling centre? Of course she would rely on stealing and prostitution to make ends meet!" The other three snickered.

"Hey, guys, I've got an idea. Since our (y/n)-chan is so poor, let's help her get rid of her filthy clothes. Itll serve to promote and get her more customers too!"

"Yeah, the bell's already rung. Let's just get this over with and go home."

A sense of dread overwhelmed you as they closed in, ominous smirks on their face and hands outstretched.

"N-No!!"

*

You huddled against the bathroom wall, tears streaking your face and arms wrapped around your quivering self. Those bullies had ripped and tore at your uniform, and finally left after a few more slaps and hits. Now, you were left alone, body aching and the rest of your dignity shattered into pieces. You had to go home, but you didn't dare to. This was the third uniform you had gotten destroyed this month and you couldn't bring yourself to face your parents, who were already working themselves to the bones just to support your education fees.

You didn't understand. Why did it have to be you? What's the point of being given life, if your only purpose in this world was to suffer and be trampled over? What did you even do wrong?

Those voices- ones that haunted you and imbued negative thoughts in your head late into the night, robbing you of sleep- crept back in, snarling and devouring your mind. A plethora of questions you had always asked yourself unwind like a broken tape, the noise sending so much pain you had to cover your ears and curl up into a ball. Every beat of your heart sent waves of anguish through your veins; your nails dug into your scalp as hot tears flooded your vision.

Why me? Why am I so weak? Why am I so useless? Why must I suffer? Why am I here?

Suddenly, the solution came to you, like a knife that sliced through the thick blanket of agony, a crisp sound amidst the roaring voices in your head. You knew what you wanted to do.

You picked yourself up, hugging what's left of your uniform, and limped out into the dark hallways.

You didn't even bother stopping to collect your bag, for it had already been rummaged through and dumped into the bin by Yuhei and his gang when his girlfriend dragged you away.

You wouldn't need it anymore, anyway.

Deep in thoughts, you hadn't realise you had reached the top of the stairs until a door stopped you in your steps. With no hesitation, you twisted the knob. The door swung open, and a gust of wind rushed past you, the chilly air nipping at your exposed skin.

Like a robot, you stepped out onto the school's rooftop and traversed it in steady steps until you reached the railings. You gripped the metal bars and peered down.

The hard, flat ground was a good five storey height from where you were, so if someone were to drop, death would be instant. Relieved and assured, you climbed over to the very edge of the building. You took a few deep breaths, staring at the scenery of the town you grew up in one last time.

It was ironic, really, how the sky was splashed with the most brilliant orange and streaks of red as the evening sun bathed the whole town in a soft, warm glow. You supposed that it was a good thing this was your last view of the world.

Beautiful, yet cruel.

You closed your eyes-

The door slammed open.

"Wait! Stop!"

Your eyes snapped open and glanced behind. A boy (or girl?) with unusual blue hair had hunched over slightly, panting probably for dashing all the way up.

Oh, now they care when it matters.

"If you're going to try to change my mind, I suggest you leave now," your lips moved before you could think, but you were so, so tired. If it meant stopping all the pain, solving a problem student for the school, and even lightening the burden for your parents, this was the best answer you could think of.

"P-Please stop and consider what you're about to do!" He was persistent, but you guessed it was only natural. "If you end you life like this, even if you are facing a huge problem, this will end nothing, but cause more grief for your family and friends!"

Something snapped in you. You threw your head back and laughed, rather abruptly that he flinched a little. "What do you know about me?" you sneered. "Don't just barge in and expect you can change my mind without knowing anything about me. Who are you to tell me what I should and should not do?"

"Look, I understand you're going through a rough time, but-"

"Don't give me that crap!" you snapped. "You don't understand at all! You don't understand what it feels like to be constantly stepped over just because you are a little poorer than the rest! You don' t understand the pain of having your dignity strip away from you over and over again! You don't understand the voices that consume my mind every single waking moment til late into the night! You don't understand the mere struggle I face each day I wake up just to continue living!" Before you knew it, new tears were streaming down your face, all the fury you felt towards the world uncapped and spilling out faster than you could think. "What's the point of me being alive if I am only an eyesore to others?"

The boy was silent, but there was a look on his face that somehow told you that he knew. Unable to hold in the guilt, you turned away. "Please... just leave me alone..." your plea left you in a whisper.

"Even so, I can't do that," his voice rang out once again, unwavering. "I really understand how you feel. I..." he faltered slightly, as if debating whether he should confide whatever he was holding in. "I... am an E-class student. If you're talking about being the lowest in the ranks, believe me, there's no one else who knows it better than my class. But still, that doesn't mean that we can't stand up again. It's all the more we should prove to them that we aren't that weak."

"What can I do?" You looked back at him, a weary smile on your face. "If you know so, tell me, what can I do against them?" You then let out a bitter chuckle. Admitting the truth left a foul truth in your mouth. "I'm so weak, I can't even stand up for myself, and no one else cares for a scum like me, not even the teachers. This world is fucked up." Glancing down at the ground once more, you could feel the sweet temptation of the Devil murmuring in your ears, tantalising you to escape this cursed life by just a mere tip of your body.

"Still," the gentleness and sincerity of his voice overpowered the whisperings in your head. "You shouldn't give up. I can show you something, but first, please? Come over?"

You sighed, wondering if you really were gullible, but it wouldn't hurt to join him and entertain him for a bit, right? Then maybe he would leave you alone and you could proceed with your initial plan. When you turned around, you could see his face genuinely lighting up, and guilt weaved into your heart, though nothing could change your mind.

Then your foot slipped, and your heart dropped as your body plunged downwards.

Time slowed down. In that instant, it was as if your senses had sharpened to their zenith. Wind roared in your ears, along with the beats of your heart. You saw the blue-haired boy leaning over the edge, hand outstretched and mouth open in a half scream. Then visions of your life flashed by. From your parents' affectionate smile, to the bullies' sickening smirks. You saw yourself, bloodied and bruised, but struggling to get up. You saw the future, where you were able to graduate, get a stable job and give your parents every luxury you could afford.

That was when you realised: you weren't ready to die. The animal in you still screamed to survive.

You reached back out in a useless attempt to grab his hand-

Boing!

You crashed into something soft and sticky, the force of impact knocking the wind out of you. When the thing finally stopped bouncing, you slowly get up, disoriented and baffled- only to find yourself stuck to a yellow web.

"Nyufufu~ that was close~"

"What the-?!"

A yellow ball with pill-shaped eyes and a wide grin peered over you. Did it actually speak?

"Korosensei!" You glanced up to see the boy who had a relieved smile. "Thank goodness!"

The ball replied something in a jovial tone, but it failed to register in your ears. Before you knew it, your vision blurred, and your world fell into darkness.

*

"...a while... stay here..."

"I can't... shouldn't...your existence..."

Disjointed mutters gradually crept into the never-ending void your consciousness hovered in. You let out a slight groan, and immediately the voices went quiet. Slowly peeling your eyes open, you first saw an unfamiliar wooden ceiling, then familiar azure eyes. "You're awake, (Y/n)-san, that's a relief!"

"Nagisa, step back a bit. Let me check her condition."

The blue-haired boy, now known as Nagisa, obeyed the deep voice, and another man with sharp black eyes and clad in a business suit appeared in your view. "Can you sit up?"

Sluggishly, you nodded and slowly hoisted yourself upright with the help of the said man. You scanned your surroundings, which seemed to be an infirmary in a wooden building of some sort. Nagisa handed you a glass of water, which you gratefully took a sip before blurting out: "A yellow ball saved me."

Instantaneously, they both froze, albeit the man was quicker to react. He cleared his throat. "...You blacked out due to intense shock and stress. What you see may just be a hallucination."

"I don't think so. That yellow... blob tells me otherwise," you deadpanned and pointed at the doorway, where a tentacle like feet stuck out at the corner. It twitched, as if tensing up before disappearing with a whoosh. You glanced at the two (murderous intent practically seeping out of every pore of Mr. MIB) with a blank face. "Are you sure I'm not dead yet?"

Nagisa nervously chuckled. "Ah... well... definitely not..." His eyes trailed downwards, then darted away immediately, a red hue gracing his pale features. You followed his line of sight, and realised you had forgotten about your shredded uniform. However, you were now wearing the school's blue tracksuit, and was pretty sure it belonged to the boy Nagisa. Embarrassed, you instinctively wrapped your hands around yourself as you felt your cheeks grow hotter.

"S-Sorry..."

"I-It's okay, thanks for your jacket..."

Awkward silence pervaded the room. Then someone coughed, and you both flinched. Mr. MIB lifted a disapproving eyebrow at Nagisa before speaking: "So, (Y/n), right? My name is Karasuma, I'm a teacher for class 3-E. From what Nagisa told me, you attempted-"

"Wait," you cut in, a new sense of premonition settling over you. "How do you know my name? I don't have my belongings with me." That was when you saw Nagisa's face ashen and fear flashed in his eyes. Karasuma glanced at Nagisa, and nodded gravely. "Show her. She will have to face it sooner or later."

Nagisa hesitated, but took out his phone and showed you a blog page.

GoddessFive: Hello, everyone! Just doing a slight promotion here to help a dear friend of ours who is in need of financial help!

Below was a video showing a painfully familiar scene. One girl stood surrounded by three others, weak and pathetic, before they pounced, like predators aiming to corner and rip their prey to pieces. They held her down, limbs spread, and savagely tore at her uniform while she thrashed and screamed, only to be kicked in the stomach that she choked on her own cries. Her face was a mess of blood and tears and bruises when they held her up, as if to show off their masterpiece. As the camera zoomed in, they forced her into several poses so it could get a few lecherous shots up-close, revealing- to your horror- other scars of unnamed stories.

"Boys, if you are interested in doing a good deed, be sure to drop by Class 3D and ask for (L/n)(Y/n). 300 yen for 10 minutes, don't forget-"

You tossed the phone away before the video even ended and threw up. Fortunately, Karasuma-sensei reacted fast enough to grab the waste basket and shoved it into your hands. Nagisa rubbed your back with a guilty look across his face. "The link was only sent to my and your class boys, so not everyone knows about this-"

"I can't go back." You hid your face behind your bangs as you felt the tears threatening to spill once again. "I can't face anyone anymore..."

"W-What if we report this-"

"It's no use. The school will cover this incident up in order to protect its reputation." To your surprise, it was Karasuma-sensei who spoke up. "They will let this slide, and worse come to worst, expel her because they've got nothing to lose." Though you were aware all along, the truth hit you in your gut and you couldn't help your sharp inhale. The fog of despair once again clouded your thoughts and weighed down your bones as you buried your face in your hands. You knew it. You should've just thrown yourself off the building-

"Then, let her join class 3-E!"

A familiar merry voice rang out, and when you lifted up your head, you found yourself staring at the strangest thing you've seen in your entire life. A yellow octopus like creature dressed in black academic robes with its ball of a head donning a graduation cap towered over the foot of your bed, its tentacle like arms wiggling about in the air. Its pill-shaped eyes scanned your figure.

The next thing you knew, you slipped into darkness once more, the last thing you hear being: "DAMN OCTOPUS!!"

*

You sipped on a cup of warm tea (from England- as the yellow creature claimed) in your house as you recalled the strangest twenty minutes of your life before. After you had awoken again, you found yourself getting convinced- along with Karasuma-sensei- to join 3-E since you had already known about "Korosensei's existence". A much exasperated Karasuma-sensei then explained to you the odd mission the students of class 3-E was assigned that was linked with the incident of the destroyed moon recently. Despite claiming that it was the "20 mach speed octopus" who had done it, the way he was actually genuinely sorry for scaring you made you doubt he would be that cruel, as he even went as far to repairing your uniform, retrieving your belongings and given you a bag of authentic English tea in a mere 5 second interval.

But then again, the day has already been as queer as it is.

At last, you agreed on transferring to 3-E. Karasuma assured you he would take care of the documents, and all you had to do was just show up the next day. Korosensei was over the moon upon hearing he was going to have a new student despite the fact it meant one more killer. Nagisa could only shoot you a sheepish smile at his teacher's antics before offering to walk you back home as it was already late. You easily concurred. He felt safe to be with, something you had never felt for the longest time.

"Will they laugh at me?" You had suddenly blurted out when you both reached the front steps of your house. Nagisa gave you a soft smile, and something foreign, yet welcoming stirred in your stomach.

"No, they're all good people. We'll help you." At those words, your body moved before you could think, and you wrapped your arms around him, making him stumble a little. You were teetering on the edge of breaking down again, but for the first time it was because of the rush of hope and gratitude that surged in you. "Thank you," you managed to utter.

When he returned your hug, you could practically hear the smile in his words: "You'll be okay."

You slapped your cheeks now when you could feel the blush threatening to return again. Shaking your head, you quickly gulped down your tea and prepared to go to bed, nervous for a fresh start the next day.

*

You showed up as promised. At first, your new classmates freaked out a little, some even ashamed they watched the video, but gradually welcome you into their circle. It was a little hard opening up to people again, but with Nagisa's guidance, you gradually adapted to the unusual yet enthusiastic ambience of the classroom. They helped you forget about your fear, and more importantly, taught you that violent revenge was not always the right answer (although part of your classmates were rearing up to go beat your bullies up themselves). You turned your focus to honing your skills and improving yourself as a person, eventually managing to suppress your traumatic past until it became no more than a memory. The scars still lingered, a permanent reminder on your skin, but you began to accept it as a sign of your growth and a reminder of who you once were, so you would never succumb to the beast inside you.

Your life was filled with smiles and laughter. You finally understood that the weak will not always be the weak, and even a prey's bite could be lethal after years of survival.

And here you were, eight years later, in (Company's Name) striding through the building hallways to the your office with a thick file in your hands. You had almost reached the huge wooden doors when someone crashed into you.

"OW!"

"Ah, I'm so sorry-" you set the file aside and crouched down to help them up, and froze upon reading the nametag.

"Mimiko May," you softly gasped out.

As soon as May saw you, she sneered and got up. "Wow, fancy meeting you here, and I thought you had died in E-class or something." You casted your gaze downwards and bent to gather your things, but a hand snatched at your wrist. You winced slightly when her nails- sharp as you remembered- dug into your skin. "Hey, hey, where are your manners? Have you been mingling too much with those trash that you can't even say a simple apology?" She leaned in, cold green eyes boring into yours. In her, you saw the old you, helplessly struggling against the shackles she once bounded you with.

But you were different now.

"Let me go," you uttered. May narrowed her eyes and shoved you hard, sending you stumbling and almost tripping over yourself. She crossed her arms and glared at you. "Excuse you, bitch. Do you know who I am? I've just been promoted to assistant manager of the Human Resources Department in just my two years of work here, so you should respect me, or do I need to teach you a lesson again?"

Just as she reached out to grab you, the wooden door swung open and a man hurried out towards you. "(Y/n)-san!"

Under the bewildered stare of May, you straightened yourself and turned to the man, who had clasped his hands together and lowered his head in respect. "(Y/n)-san, the board meeting is about to start, so I came out to find you. The directors are all here and waiting for your arrival."

You gave him a kind smile. "I apologise for keeping everyone waiting. I'll be there in a second. In the meantime," you slid your gaze to May, who was beginning to connect the dots and face going pale. "Could you get me Renjo-san who was in charged of interview batch no.3 two years ago? Inform him Mimiko May of the Human Resources Department has been fired for show of disrespect towards the CEO of (Company's Name). Also, clear my schedule on Friday from 6p.m. for my date with my fiancé."

As your secretary's head dipped down into a bow once again, you picked up your file and brushed past a paralysed May with a triumphant smirk.

"Excuse who, bitch?"

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This came out extremely late and I sincerely apologise to Kellic1344, as I only had time to write now. (Covid-19 lockdown is actually healing the society and Earty, people xD)

I also want to thank everyone for your constant support. Your comments and votes mean a lot especially after coming back from a hiatus to see notification spam. I am glad to see majority enjoying my works and I hope I can give a little more to you with this chapter.

All jokes aside, stay safe, guys!