"Kasumi Yonamine!"

"Is it true about the Student Council?"

"Do they really eat people?"

My eyebrows scrunched together at the bizarre rumours that happened to be implanted in the minds of the student body. I shoved my way through the buzzing, paparazzi-like crowd, growing frustrated with each and every inquiry that pierced my eardrums.

"Yonamine!" cried the umpteenth girl. "Were they torturing you?"

"Did they lure you into their gingerbread house and feed you so they could cook you for dinner?"

"Did they lock you up in a tall, tall tower where you were saved by throwing your hair out the window?"

"Did Humpty Dumpty sit on a wall, have a great fall, and regardless of all king's horses and men—couldn't be put back together again?"

"Ladies, ladies—gentleman!" I snapped. "Stop crowding me!"

The rowdiness of the horde abruptly silenced, and there was a long pause. But as if they'd never heard it, they bombarded me once more.

"I can't believe our princes were like that," whined a girl.

Another whimpered, "They're into some kind of obscene nonsense, like creeps!"

"It's absolutely disgusting—"

"Hey, honey bun," I piped in, sending her a huge smile. "Your disgusting face will be rearranged by my fist if you dare ignore me again. Move."

The girl's jaw fell to the floor as she, and the students around her, gasped.

I mimicked them. Their mouths plummeted further, appalled, and exhaling a faint snicker, I finally squeezed my way out of the suffocating crowd. Spinning on the balls of my feet, I sent all the girls (and boy, who was standing front and centre of this touchy mob) a nasty glare.

"Just know this applies to all of you losers."

Cue more simultaneous gasps and gawking, but even as I stood at a taller height from occupying the top step leading into the school building, I jutted my chin with unwavering conviction.

"Look. I don't give a shit what kind of rumours you've all heard but I thought you were at least old enough to have common sense." I gave a pointed look to the person who'd asked if I'd been eaten. "Of all things, cannibalism? Really?"

The girl shrunk away with a shrug. "The News Department—"

"I'm going to have to stop you there." My nose itched a bit—most likely my allergies reacting to the minimal perfume from being surrounded. "As much as I like being treated like a damn celebrity, I don't like being pitied. Whatever those News Department bastards told you was utter shit soiled in even more shit."

They all blinked in unison. It was creepy how, honestly.

"Wait," the boy spoke up. "If it is shit, are you implying that the News Department was lying about everything?"

As their boring gazes penetrated into the depths of my soul, a wide smirk upturned my lips.

"Why don't you let them answer that for you?"

More united, creepy-as-fuck head tilts and blinks. They could come right from a horror movie I tell you.

Taking that as my cue, I waved over my shoulder and scurried into the building before they could pursue me. They still tried, as the thundering footsteps and shouts ringing after me was proof of that, but I dodged the flailing bodies of the students groaning about their disappointment to the best of my ability. The moment I turned into the isolated staircase I'd always hid at with my best friend, they scampered right on past.

"Kasumi!"

And there my said best friend was now.

I twirled around the moment she tackled me into a hug from the side. I was momentarily dazzled, and was brought back to my senses at her ear-splitting sobs.

"A-are you okay? Please tell m-me you're okay! I won't forgive you if you're not okay!"

I chuckled as I attempted to pry her fingers off my dear arms. "Hikari, you said 'okay' three times."

"And you didn't answer even once!" She rose her head and latched on even tighter. Tears overwhelmed her eyes, rolling off her eyelids and down her cheeks. "Y-you're not okay are you? Humpty Dumpty can't be put back together can he?"

I yanked to liberation and held up my hands to ward her away. All the while my eyebrow had quirked in confusion.

"What's with the students in this school and Humpty Dumpty?"

Hikari rubbed at her eyes, and considering she wasn't wearing any makeup today to smear told me just how frazzled she truly was. "You're okay aren't you?"

"I'm fine, Hikari." I dropped my arms and smiled for emphasis. "See?"

She eyed me and sniffled some more. "I can't believe you didn't tell me."

A heavy sigh pushed past my mouth. I wanted to tell her I tried but her infatuation was driving her mad, but considering my plan I brushed it aside. "I had nothing I could tell you," I said instead.

I could begin to see tears swelling in her eyes again. "I'm so sorry for being a crummy friend."

"You're not." The corners of my lips tilted up when she wasn't relenting. "Aw, come on, you don't have to cry."

"I-I'm not crying." She cutely puffed up her cheeks like a chipmunk and hid her face from me with her arm. "I'm not."

"You're acting like I nearly died or something. Look, I've left that entire occurrence behind me."

She snuffled. "F-for the better, too."

"Not exactly," I drawled, and grinned. "Using my amazing bullshitting skills I'm going to set everything straight."

Hikari peeked past her arm. "You're speaking gibberish... Are you sure they didn't brainwash you, Kasumi?"

"Positive," I lied through my teeth. I mean, they might've. The old me wouldn't have thought twice before doing what I was.

Glancing over my shoulders and seeing the coast was clear, I secured my hold on her shoulders.

"Look, Hikari, the Autumn Dance still needs to go on."

"It's already too late for that," she notified me. "All the preparations I did for that fell through; they cancelled it. The SC was in charge of it, and now that they're disbanded... Wait." Her eyes widened. "Are you planning on—"

"Bingo." I tittered at her gawping then reached over to push her mouth shut. "And I need you to keep fighting for the Autumn Dance. It's the event you were looking forward to so much."

I swerved around but Hikari finally mustered her voice.

"Are you crazy, Kasumi? They're two-faced scum! Nobody wants to believe it, but the SC—"

"Are human!" I yelled over my shoulder, already bounding down the hallway, my bag bouncing after me. "They're human, Hikari! I'm counting on you!"

I swallowed hard when the very room of my goal came into sight.

Those two asses had a storm coming.

One not being diarrhea related, mind you.