" And so , it is only neccessary to drop the sin x below , and use the L'hospital formula,"

The hollering fresh breeze breathing through the window were no match for the vague heatwave seeping in , much to her dismay.

The class she's currently in had been set off for half an hour , with a few glaze of sweat gracing the bodies slumping in the class.

"Sweet grace..." Atsuka groaned whilst the substitute lecturer circled the last word out of the end of the material answer , and to everyone's relief decided to dismiss the class.

Probably because the lecturer had their own rush to the teacher lounge's special air conditioner facilitated room.

"Geez , why does it have to be broken today ??"

Atsuka only spared a silent glance to the gal on the other side of the class , who fanned herself like she's a smoke machine.

The girl glared at the referred broken air conditioner , and in response the others just hum tiredly in agreement.

"More like why does it have to be this class's air con out of the other 30 air cons in the whole campus," Atsuka whispered under her breath , her hands busy stacking her notebooks and her gaze stilling on top of her desk.

Atsuka felt a stare tickling her temple , but as much as that disturbed her , she had things better yet to do than to confront the observer.

"Pretty sure the generator exploded because of yesterday's library accident," the girl sneaked a glance , tipping her chin high as the others took the hintーto whom she indirectly mocked." Blame whoever decided to pull an arsonist,"

Atsuka knew so well , and she had silently decided that keeping her cool and her head out of the bush would really suffice in avoiding the indirect roast the class awkwardly laughed upon.

The accident happening yesterday burned bright as a day in her mind , although she knew better not to indulge more of the throbbing in her chest.Constant concern lacing her mind is no better , taunting the words she should be reviewing in her head and note down quickly.

The lad sitting on desk clicked her tongue , probably feeling bold today in her own accord."Hey , don't you think a mere act like you're innocent was out of date already , Akataー

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!"

Although such ear piercing scream did some shocking buzz to her ears , Atsuka couldn't bring herself to silently curse upon whoever decided to high pitchedly scream , even more in the middle of the basketball field right outside the classroom windows.

The ladylike scream that immediately snatched attentions saved her from the coming up confrontation, afterall.

But what confuses her more , is that the scream bursting from the field 4 floors below wasn't new to her ears.

In fact...

"GOSHIKI!!! YOU OWE US EXPLANATIONS!!"

...it felt like she heard it everyday.

"Huh?? Volleyball team?"

The whispers erupting in the class sent mere curiosity through her head , and before anyone could even see her she spared a quick glance towards the window.

Oh.

I know the volleyball team got the special right to practice at this hour everyday and skip the lesson , but....

Is it common for the volleyball team play tags during the peak of heat like this?

'Cause lo and behold , below right in the middle of the desert-like yard , 7 people ran across , with Goshiki's frantic figure running as fast as he could from his gigantic seniors.

Cross out Yamagata and Shirabu.

"TSU.TO.MU!! IT'S EITHER MY EARS ARE DECEIVING ME , OR DID YOU REALLY HAVE SOMETHING GOING ON WITH HER?!" Tendou yelled from the top of his lungs , yet his legs still works wonder closing up on the first year.

"Why are we running along , again?" Reon Ohira , the student Atsuka nearly recognized well because of his routine library visit every Tuesday seemed to ask Ushijima who ran p̶r̶o̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶f̶e̶l̶t̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶j̶o̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶ along , not batting an eye.

"I believe we must prevent the others from making another ruckus , another way to blend this is only to making it look like our usual jog around the campus ground," and yeah , he must have speakers in his throat because Atsuka can hear it all the way to her seat , 4 floors apart.

Yeah no , Ushijima , you're not blending in like how you mean it.

"Goshiki!! Come back here! I know you're spatting nonsenses!" Semi voice following suit , making Atsuka perk her ears."You're being real suspicious, you know?!"

What else has her cousin been up to , to be chased by the entire team?

Then she felt shivers crawling down her skin , her cheeks tingle and her eyebrows knit.

It doesn't have anything to do with me , right?

"Goshiki , just tell us honestly whether you have a relationship going with her , even as far as to hang around alone behind the gym!!!" Yamagata's voice boomed louder , now making the entire students in Atsuka's class trot to the window...blearily enjoying the wind breeze and the free entertainment.

...F*ck.

"It's not like that!!!" Goshiki screeched in denial , his yelp loud against the wind as he spotted his redheaded senior blast after him with his abnormally fast limb movements."I-I was just , returning something i accidentally borrowed!!"

Atsuka silently face palmed from her seat , begging to whoever to let her cousin spat out anything but the word she feared the most.

"And people wouldn't have ran away this stubbornly just for returning something , TSU.TO.MU!!"

And right as Atsuka quietly cursed her stubborn believe, that the meeting spot she had choosen for their meeting half an hour prior were completely safe , Goshiki's high pitched shrill screaming echoes.

▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎

🥀T.E.W.D.S🥀
Chapter 12

《Busted》
••☆•••••☆•••••☆•••••☆•••••☆•••••☆••

"I'd rather not go to the bathroom and shit my pants than to miss the opportunity to know the truth , Goshiki." Yamagata menacingly hollered towards the cornered bowl cut teen , who cowered in fear among his demanding upperclassmen.

"ExactlーWait what? No no no , Hayato-kun , nobody wants to you to shit your pants , moreso with us around," Tendou who almost spurred Yamagata's threat folded his arms , one eyebrow rising taller than Shirabu's wickedly wide forehead line."Go go go!! Before you miss the best part!"

"Geez , fine , you better tell me later!!" His figure ran further away in frantic , leaving the others with disgust , especially Shirabu who only followed the group because of the potential blackmail material he could gather from his annoying underclassman.

"Hurry up , wannabe Scaramouche.Spill the tea," Shirabu seethedーwith a hint of sneer which resembles like the appointed fictional character more than the bowl cut teen himself." You only have a few seconds , before my phone shut itself down."

"What's the recording for?" Semi frowned.

"Research purposes."

"Hell knows you lie."

"Hell knows your grandma." Shirabu muttered , way too succumbed in fixing his camera angle.

"Soo , Goshiki , did you convey well with Akatani-san?" Reon took up the opportunity to speak up himself , crouching with his back facing the former third year setter who got held back from trying to land several punches on the second year setter's disgusted face.

Reon's smile truly is soothing , but that right there is a trump card he actually saved for the best times.

Like now.

"I-It went...well?" Goshiki still cowering , dusted his pants although crouched still."Why wouldn't it went bad?"

"Because she's infamous to be hostile?" Kawanishi shrugged , lightly recalling those times he passed her in hallway."I can list out horrible things she can do to you based on the gossips that goes around only,"

"Hey! Atsuka NーAkatani-san is not as bad as the rumors said!" Goshiki shot up , a pout prominent.He silently bawled upon his stammer, but his head inclined that this matter should be straightened before it gets worse."She's...nowhere near hostile."

"Oho? And how would you know?" Tendou grinned ear to ear , clearly enjoying the starting burn of denial rediating off the rookie."As if you're in a very intimate relationship that knows her very well.."

"Could it be , you're both dating..?" Reon held an amused smile, and the gasp others let out upon the thought made Goshiki speechless."Oh , am i right?"

"Dating?! That emo looking dora??! Goshiki, what did you smash your head to?!" Semi's strangled grunt immediately sounded in disbelief, before Goshiki could even open his mouth.

However, when Goshiki got the chance to blurt a word , all he can muster is some stuttering mess."I-I no , it's not like t-thatーAnd what does Semi-san mean with emo?"

"Gifting her some snack, and her eating your snack with ease , meeting secretly somewhere private where no one can see, to the point where you're even late to the volleyball practice you've loved like your own heart and soul...." Tendou willingly spat out an entire summary , building up the panic in Goshiki's throat.

"Sounds like a gold level tea material Shiratorizawa Academy would like to indulge in," it was Tendou's devious smirk that dawned the entire risk into Goshiki's head."But still , to think our innocent and naive Tsutomu here manages to date the infamous malicious daredevil Akatani Atsuka in person!!!"

The next words Tendou spat out in following seconds dissipated to thin air however , as Goshiki's fear took over him.

If the whole school heard this rumour...

Atsuka Nee will surely get dissapointed at me..

Words rolled out of his tongue faster than his mind could comprehend , and by the time it rang in his own ears , that he noticed the amount of anger tone he had let loose.

"HOW MANY TIMES DID I TELL YOUーATSUKA-NEE WASN'T AS BAD AS YOU ALL ACTUALLY THINK!!"

Oh.

Goshiki , who went rigid seconds after such outburst inhaled a sharp breath , gaze fleeting everywhere but his teammates faces.

Oh shiー

Oh shiiii....

Goshiki trembles as he curled on the ground , face pale and his lips quiver.

Atsuka Nee's going to kill meー

He could already imagine what's going to meet him in the face...his teammates diebelieving gazes and probably one of Atsuka's shoe flying straight to his face out of dissapointmentー

"AND THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT , BABYYYY!!!!"

What did he say..?

Goshiki blinked profusely , head full of questions as the responses he heard scratched out any expectation he had in mind.His confusion stays longer as he noticed that the only ones who don't look as shocked as the others are Tendou , Reon , and the Ushijima himself.The rest have their eyes bulging out their sockets upon the indirect confession.

"...i see now," Ushijima mutters , fingers on his chin.

"Huh?" Semi blinked in disbelief , stone rigid on his spot as he stared straight to the bowlcut head.

"He said it semisemi~~No need to act ignorant..."

"HUH?" Semi repeated a bit more aggressively, brain cogs and gears turning slowly as he eyed Goshiki up and down , faze lingering longer on the similar nearing hair colour.

"We should have told him first , Tendou."

"And where's the fun in that , Reon???"

"HUHHHH?!!!?!" Semi legit lurched forward , gripping Goshiki by his upper arms and inspected his face like he had seen a resemblant looking criminal poster.

Shirabu popped an irk mark.

"As much as it sounds screwed up , we heard it just fine the first time , so try not to bust out our eardrums , please!"

Semi looked like he's ready to combust , his tight grip digging in Goshiki's sleeves."That Akatani Atsuka , your sister?!?!"

"N-No!! Of course not!" With a stammer , Goshiki deniedーnearly making Tendou snarl until Goshiki unconciously added in retaliation."She's my cousin!"

Semi stopped mid-sigh.

"I appreciate your desperate attempt Goshiki, however that won't ease the fact alone," Tendou sniffled, eyeing the former third year setter who gawked.

"Akatani Atsuka...Goshiki Tsutomu..." Kawanishi thought deep down.

He shivers.

"Kind of makes sense.."

"I-I'm not upset about the fact that she has a cousin like you...." Semi calmed down , brows knitted."I'm just surprised that you have a cousin like her..."

Semi looked down to add another comment , until he saw the rookie in his grip slump down in either exhaustion or heat , face pale with his pupils dilating."G-Goshiki?!?!"

In the meantime all voices flew out of his right ear.

"Oh no no no , it's happening!! Everyone knows it now, what should we do !?" A mini-Goshiki franticly flailed his arms.

"Well , it's technically not everyone..it's just the volleyball team," the second mini goshiki shrugged.

"Fuck formalitiesーkidnap them and torture them 'til they can't remember a thing!" The third mini goshiki seethes aggressively from the corner of the mind , wrists bound by ropes and legs bound to a wooden nonexistent chair.

"Oh yeah , do that and tell yourself to the jail , jail is safe and quiet," the second mini goshiki chimed back."But from Atsuka Nee? Think twice."

"Can we just focus on what to do now?!?!?!" The first mini goshiki screeched , cutting on the second him.

"Scream at their faces and run!!" The third one yelled on top of it's lungs , making the first mini goshiki consider adding a strip of flex tape on his mouth.

"Faint , get brain concussion , and die." The second one yawned."Wait ,can people die from brain concussion? I hadn't been paying attention on biology class,"

"Uuuuhgh...shit! Fine thenーscream and faint , it is!!" The first one stammered , and Goshiki's mind went autopilot.

"D-DON'T-" his lips quiver in midst of his sentence , heat effecting his head way too much.

"PLEASE DON'T LET ATSUKA NEE KNOW THAT I TOLD YOU!!!"

slump.

"......"

"Did he just scream and faint...?"

"Wha－he's burning up!!! Quick , to the infirmary!"

"Shirabu , Reon.I would like to ask for your cooperation in assisting Goshiki in the infirmary as he recovered.Feel free to go back to class in 15 minutes , i will be reporting back to Coach Saito." Ushijima sighed , jogging still on his spot before leading the others back to the gym.

Yamagata appeared with a huff from the bathroom, sweat adorning his face as he looked around in curiosity."What did i miss!?"

"Do we really have to go now..." Tendou scoffed , slow jog starting in reluctance as he eyed Ushijima's further disappearing figure.

"You've got your prediction right and won your bet...isn't that more than enough?" Reon softly chuckled , arms busy lifting Goshiki's body to his side in support.

Yamagata raised his eyebrows."Huhh?? What prediction? What bet?!"

"Wellーmy guess was right of courseーbut i demand more!! This simple thing could shock the entire academy itself though!" Typical Tendou , excited for things that'll blow your mind.[or blow hisー]

"Ugh why is he so heavy.." shirabu groaned as he supported Goshiki's other side , frowning at Reon's laugh.

"WhaーWhat happened to him?!" Bewildered Yamagata looked around for an answer , only earning a lopsided smile from Tendou.

And as the others jogged away , Yamagata popped an irk mark.

"WHAT THE HELL DID I MISS?!"

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"Finally.."

Heaving a tense sigh , Atsuka stretched her arm mindfullyーnarrow eyes eyeing the figures dashing down the halls from the open doors.

Although she usually roll her eyes upon the childish excitement her classmates radiateーshe does feel the urge to sprint down the halls to the first year building.

Maybe i should really go check on him.

Atsuka eyed Kosaki's empty desk one last time for that day , before shoving her phone and earphones in her blazer pocket and leaves.

"Is that her..? You sure?"

"There's only one psycopath in this academy , Yuna."

Hm?

Atsuka's step slowed down as the whispers reached her ears.Pretty sure she felt more intense eyes glancing at her too.

"Ah...i was hoping that i'll be able to enjoy my first year in peace.."

"But did she really do that...?"

"If not then who else..?"

Atsuka drew a short breath , hands clenching to fists in her pocket as she put more lenght in her strides , usual cold stare unwavering.

But it felt useless.

It feels like...fighting fire with more fire.

There is certainly....something different in the atmosphere today..

When was the last time she feel like surrounded by predators, again?

With a grunt she spun her heels towards the girls bathroom , occupying the fourth stall out of frantic.

Why isn't it working..?

Atsuka leaned on the wall , gaze casting to the ceiling perturbatively.Despite the panic , she managed to keep her expression in check...which she should be truly proud of.However her head spun in recollection , trying to find out what is differentー

What makes her usually effective cold demeanor attempt in scaring people away....

So futile now...?

It was because of Satou's accident...isn't it?

This is tiring , as much she had to admit it.With a final huff and a short reminder to why she had decided to attend the first year building , she slapped her cheeks.

Fine then.

If that's how they're going to play...

Then i'll step up my game too.

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

Preview....

Creak.

"Oh? Akatani-san?" Reon smiled as gently as usual , sitting on a stool calmly as he tend Goshiki's unconcious figure on the bed."Unusual for you to come here , looking for something?"

".....i need some bandaids." She truly doesn't have anything to use on with the bandaid , but anything to avoid getting suspected of course."What happened to him....?"

"Oh geez , cut the crap already," Shirabu finally voiced behind the curtains , tongue clicking.

_______________________________________
_______________________________________

"Naoto....."

"Hm? What , Ame-Nee?"

Ame silently sighed with a phone in her hand , a smile adorning her round face as she gazed out the window.

"That boy Goshiki you're friend with..."

She turned with a hazy eyes , sighing as she eyes her phone screen.

Possibly waiting for a notification...

"...what with him?" Naoto's voice nearly dropped in disinterest....hiding a high alert.

"Could you do some favor for me....regarding him?"

Naoto turned his head in disbelief , horror in his eyes as he started to catch on something.

"Oh no."

"Not again , Nee-chan."

○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○

Here's some sketch of my current OCs in this story so it'll be easier for all of you to imagine the scene(?)

1.
° Akatani [Last name]
Atsuka [First name]
° 3rd year
° Around 170cm
° No after school club
° Favorite food/dessert : anything melon flavored
° Dark purple hair and eyes [indigo and fandango]

2.
° Kosaki [Last name]
Maru [First name]
° 3rd year
° Around 153cm cus i said so
° Home economics club
° Favorite food/dessert : unknown yet.
° Light cherry blossom coloured hair and dark brown eyes.

3.
° Mikudoshi [Last name]
Naoto [First name]
° 1st year
° Prob 180cm [how about 185 hehehe]
° Swimming club
° Fav food/dessert : natto [i hate that shiー]
° Baby blue hair and dark yellow eyes.

4.
° Mikudoshi [Last name]
Ame [ First name]
° 3rd year
° 155cm
° Journalist club
° Fav food/dessert : red bean mochi
° Dark red hair and dark yellow eyes.

_______________________________________

If y'all forgot who is Ame , she's the owner of the book Atsuka stepped on in chapter 《Akatani Atsuka》 :P

If you squint she might look like a nonexistent character , but she had at least showed 5 times now.