The boy against the window was promptly pushed aside, allowing for a prettier girl to come into view. Her striking violet eyes flitted onto the glass, her lengthy black hair flowing after her. Although she was clear to me, I was aware that the outside glass was tinted, meaning that must've not been the case for her. After the clinking of keys on her end, the knob twisted, and the door flung open.

"Shuuhei!" exclaimed the same male from earlier, racing into the room and nearly knocking me over. He halted as soon as he reached him, stars in his eyes. "Where were you, dude? The two of us were talking then you suddenly left and never came back!"

It startled me to find Shuuhei's typically charming smile back on his face. No traces of malice or sadism to surface; only that polite facade he made sure to fool others with. "I was receiving a task from the principal."

"Task?" The brunet shook his head, fists still raised. "From Mr. Jael? Did he approve of the Autumn Dance stuff?"

"Kakeru, calm down," said a more feeble voice. A shorter, more timid looking male entered through the doors. His bangs crossed over his eyes leaving the upper portion of his face invisible. "You're being way too loud."

The energetic brunet awkwardly retreated from Shuuhei's personal space. He scratched the back of his neck, turning his gaze to the shorter male. "I always get carried away. Sorry, Wateru, Shuuhei."

"It's fine," Shuuhei chuckled. "This situation required a little lightheartedness anyway."

"Shuuhei," voiced the girl who ambled in last. Her eyes settled onto me as she leaned forward, giving me a better look at her milky complexion. Her head tilted to the side as she batted her long eyelashes. "Did you appoint a new member while we were away?"

I stiffened. If Shuuhei was the prince of the academy, this girl right here was the princess. Juuna Muramoto was Little Miss Perfect and Vice President of the Student Council.

"My, she's such a cutie," she drawled, smiling warmly with her hand positioned on her cheek. "What's your name, dear? I'm Juuna Muramoto."

I set my jaw into place, squaring my shoulders. I rose my guard, gripping my bag straps tighter. Juuna's eyelids peeled apart in shock but her reaction was the least of my concern. I stuffed the keys I had into her hands before fastening my fingers around the doorknob.

I didn't get an inch out the door before I was tugged back in a hurry.

"Wait! Don't leave yet!" For a girl so frail looking, her grip was surprisingly tight. She manoeuvred her way around me, widened eyes searching through mine. "What's the matter? Did you come to the Student Council for a request?"

"Kasumi is going to be assisting the Student Council for awhile," Shuuhei replied in my stead.

"Assisting?" repeated Wateru Horie, the Student Council Secretary. His voice remained faint as before.

"Whoa!" a yell cut in. In only seconds the raucous male infiltrated my personal face, filled with vigour. "A new helping hand to the Student Council? That's awesome! I'm Kakeru Horie! The Student Council Treasurer!"

I was momentarily taken off guard. Compared to Shuuhei, the other Student Council members definitely portrayed themselves to be a lot more humane than the gods and goddess I was expecting. Though, it was definitely relieving that they weren't splitting images of Shuuhei. Even still...

Frowning bitterly, I snagged my hand from Juuna. Clearly none of them expected my reaction because they became shell-shocked for a good amount of time. I stared at the exit Juuna was currently blocking. As I did, Juuna's expression soon morphed and she aimed a glare Shuuhei's way.

"She's so wary of us," she complained. "Shuuhei, you were teasing this cute underclassman of ours weren't you?"

"A bit," he admitted with laugh.

"Wary of us?" Kakeru echoed. He once again brought his face to mine. "There's no need to be so cautious! Come and take a seat. We'll make you some tea."

His fingers fastened over my wrist and I was being dragged to the table before I could stop him. He went to grab the teacups all the while I stood in place.

"You didn't even make her tea?" sighed Juuna, knocking Shuuhei's arm.

"We were having a bit of a quarrel," he defended.

"For submission and dominance again?"

My ears perked at Juuna's choice of words.

"Obviously you can't control her, Shuuhei," she went on. "As long as Kasumi here is hard-bitten you'll forever be butting heads until one of you submits. Like you for instance. Why are you acting so oppressing anyway? We all know you're a—"

"Why don't you take a seat?" Wateru said to me. He beckoned with his hand, head dropped the slightest.

I frowned, peering over my shoulder at the exit.

"Now, now!" Hands secured themselves over my shoulders and I was ushered into a seat by Kakeru in no time. A cup of tea was already outstretched before me. I looked up to see Kakeru seated on the opposite end of the table, chin placed in his palms as he watched me. A wide smile appeared on his face. "So what's your name?"

"Kakeru, you're making her uncomfortable," Wateru commented, appearing by his brother's side, lips curved down.

Kakeru dropped his hands and grinned at his younger brother. "Don't be such a downer, Wateru." When he glanced my way again, there was a sudden change in his demeanour. "I ask for the sake of being polite, but if I'm being honest, I already know who you are."

My eyelids rose the slightest as I lowered the cup I'd picked up. Aware of who I was? Shuuhei's words from earlier flitted to mind. "Because I'm a new face to the school roster?" I guessed.

Kakeru chuckled. "That did bring you to the Student Council's attention, Kasumi, but I know you from the fact that we're in the same class. You're always the talk amongst the second years. Especially today because you beat up the principal."

Mortification crawled through my veins. The fact that such a popular entity of my homeroom class was aware of me made me gush, but hearing the last of his sentence slapped the joy away. Maybe if I was a delinquent I'd be proud that such rumours were floating around about me, but I wasn't. And rumours like that could reach my dad if I wasn't careful.

"You have the wrong idea. I didn't beat Mr. Jael up," I quickly refuted. "I maybe not so subtly punched him, but...."

Kakeru gasped. "So it is true! That takes a lot of courage!"

"And a death wish," added Wateru.

Kakeru nodded, sparkly-eyed once more. "How great did you feel afterwards?"

"Great?"

"Come on!" he prodded. "I always tease our homeroom teacher and it's quite amusing because of how flustered he gets, but this is the principal we're talking about! Just imagining making him submit...!"

"Submit?" I gulped, hard. "What do you..."

"Is that why you're here, Kasumi?" Juuna's face popped into my personal space, making my heart stop. "Because you need help out of sucker punching the principal?"

"It wasn't a sucker punch!" I cried. "It was an accidental punch! An honest mistake! My classmates provoked me and since I thought there was a wall beside me I punched it. I didn't think it'd be him!"

"You poor thing. It must've been scary..." With an innocent smile in place, she patted the top of my head. I froze at once. "Don't worry," she cooed, "we'll take good care of you so that nothing like this happens again."

Growing uncomfortable, I reeled away from her. "Um, thanks, Upperclassman Juuna, but I don't need anything from you people, much less a behavioural reform." I shot a discreet glare to Shuuhei for emphasis. He beamed widely as a result, only managing to grind my gears. Yup, definitely not in a place like this. Palms against the tabletop, I elevated to my feet. "I'm leaving for today."

Juuna's features scrunched with amusement as she broke out into a giggle. "Did you say 'Upperclassman'?" Her sweet smile became more twisted and cunning than Shuuhei's himself. "No, no, dear. You will refer to me as 'Master.'"

Once again I was riddled with disbelief. I blinked consecutively. "Excuse you?"

"If the principal has sent you here to be 'reformed' it won't be such a difficult task as long as we're here," Juuna said, ruffling my hair once again. Before I could stop her she also took my hand, giving it a firm squeeze. "Aww, see, you're so obedient already! Say 'I'll obey you, Master'!"

I blanched at my current situation and fumbled a step, yanking at my arm. "Wh-what do you—"

Juuna's grip tightened, her innocent smile ominous enough to send shivers down my spine. Was she always this freaky?

"Hey, will she be coming here every day, Shuuhei?" Kakeru questioned, joining Juuna by her side.

"Will she?" agreed Juuna, her hostility lifting the slightest.

"The principal gave us the task to discipline her so she will," that devil answered with ease.

I was losing colour in my complexion, quick. Nausea overcame me like a wave. Nonetheless, the sparkles surrounding the three of them hadn't faltered.

"You're all fond of her already?" Shuuhei chuckled.

"She's so adorable!" Juuna gushed.

Kakeru grinned. "It so seems like it'll be fun to play with her."

"Lucky... Being petted by Master Juuna like that..." muttered a starry-eyed Wateru from the corner of my eye.

My vision ended up swirling like cotton candy. The unexpected twist this entire situation had taken was too much for me to wrap my head around. The way they were talking... It was almost as if...

"Wateru, you should share your collection with her," Kakeru said, pivoting on his foot towards him.

"Collection...?" I echoed.

Snapping out of his daze for a moment, his younger brother bobbed his head. He slipped his bag off his shoulders and rummaged through it. It wasn't even a minute later that Wateru whipped out a range of collars between his fingers. Moreover, at each one he grabbed his fond smile expanded to his ears. It was the first means of expression I'd ever seen from the guy. "Yonamine, which collar would you like?"

That notion was the final straw. I tugged away from Juuna as desperately as I could, and this time, I was freed. Gawping, I seized my backpack and lunged for the doorway. Before I knew it, I was outside and jostling aside other students out of the school building without the regard to ever look back.

It wasn't only Shuuhei.

The phrase continued to tumble around my mind.

It was the entire Student Council.

They weren't the angelic perfectionists they were known throughout the school to be. Not even close. They lived a mask of lies. Their facade had given them all the power, status, glory. And now these psychopaths were treating me like some kind of dog they were implementing discipline into?

No way.

Nu-uh.

Forget expulsion—there was no way in hell I was ever going back to that place!