With the first day of classes over, students fill the hallways of Zonzai Academy. Suzaka is one of them, trying to find her bearings and her clubmates in the crowd. looks around, dodging the passing students as she tries to get her bearings.
Rina and Kirie wave her down, the green-haired girl’s excited flapping hard to miss.
“Yoo-hoo!”, Kirie shouts as Suzaka runs over to her, “Are you lost?”
“That would require her to have been found in the first place,” Kirika says as she walks up behind Suzaka.
“Hey, I know where I am!” Suzaka says back, “Sometimes...”
Kirika crosses her arms. “We can discuss your orienteering ability at the clubroom,” Kirika says. “You know how Yuuri worries when we dawdle.”
“Where’s the clubroom from here…” Suzaka looks around, increasingly confused. “Actually, where is here?”
Kirie hooks arms with Suzaka and Kirika “I will guide us!” She skips away with them in tow while Rina rolls her eyes and follows.
“L-Let me go this instant!” Kirika struggles in Kirie’s grasp, shaking free when her tour guide finally slows down.
“This sucks!” Rina groans. “I thought we’d be doing cool shit, not classwork!”
Kirika winces. “Please keep it down. People could be studying. That is the point of school, you know?”
“Damn kiddie principal,” Rina grumbles as she pulls a candy bar out of her bag. “Said this place was like Duke Wilson’s. I thought I was gonna be a superhero, not solving math problems!”
Suzaka watches Rina eat the candy bar and drools a little bit. “What’s a Duke Wilson?”
“Some sort of hero school in America.” Rina takes a bite out of the bar, “Apparently fighting crime pays well over there.”
“And you think it's a good idea for people with ‘powers’ to be ignorant?” Kirika asks.
“All you need to know is how your powers work and who the bad guys are so you can hit them!”
“America sounds like a nation of fools.”
“Wanna say that again prince-” Rina is cut short by a short girl with waist-long dark turquoise hair crashing into her. The girl and Rina’s chocolate go flying.
Rina glares at the girl “Watch where you’re going!”
The girl giggles, winking and bonking herself on the head. “Oopsies! So-rry!”
Kirika stoops down and extends a hand to her fallen underclassman, “Are you okay? You hit the ground pretty hard.”
The girl takes Kirika’s hand and pulls herself up, still giggling. “I’m fine! I got lost and wasn’t keeping track of what was around me~!”
Rina’s eye twitches, “Well, anything else to say, first year?”
The first year tilts her head, “Huh? What do you mean?”
“You ran into me, so I think you owe me some sort of apology.”
She tilts her head to the other side, “For what?”
“My chocolate.” Rina takes a step forward, reaching for the first year as embers leap from her hands
Kirika steps between the two. “Do you have any setting beyond angry?”
“Out of my way!” Rina shoves Kirika away, knocking to the floor.
Kirika glares death at Rina. “What part of this is heroic? Do I look like a villain to you?”
“Know what?” Rina says, looking down on Kirika. “Yeah. You kinda do. And I didn’t even push you that hard, Princess.”
Suzaka steps into Rina’s face. “Hey, if’n yer jus’ gonna beat up ‘n some’n weaker than ya, I think we might be havin’ problems, girl.”
Rina smirks. “You think I’m scared of you? I don’t pull no punches, and you don’t have Big Guy to hide behind.”
Suzaka raises her fists “Don’t be confusin’ th’ fear of a new situation fer a lack of strength. If yer bullyin’ people fer no reason, then I’ll have ta knock ya straight.”
“Me? A bully!?” Rina laughs at Suzaka’s accusation, getting softer and sadder as realization dawns. She furrows her brow, looks down, then turns away. “You think I’m...the bully?”
“Anyone picking on a poor woodland creature such as this would certainly count as a bully!” Kirie says, gently helping Kirika up.
Rina stares at Kirie in confusion, “What?”
Kirie points accusingly at Rina, a confident smile on her face. “Think about it!”
Kirika whimpers like an abused puppy.
Rina stands there for a solid minute thinking about what just happened. “I’m...sorry, Kirika, first ye-.” She notices the girl she ran into is no longer there. “Wait, she left?”
“I’m right here!” The girls hear the first year’s disembodied voice. She fades into view behind Suzaka and pokes her.
Suzaka almost jumps out of her skin. “Wah! H-how’d ya’ git there?”
The first year strikes a pose, “I can hold my breath and become a ghost! Pretty cool huh?”
The color drains from Suzaka’s face. “A g-g-ghost!?” She takes off and hides behind Rina, “Ah take‘t all back! Hit ‘em!”
A blue blur rushes to the first year’s side. The blur reveals a tall, athletic boy with dark blue hair, who looks like the first year doting on her. “Hana are you okay?! I saw your text and rushed over!”
Hana, the first year, giggles, “I’m fine, Big Bro! I’m just chatting with my new friends!”
“But you said you were lost!” Hana’s brother appraises the four second years. “Are they helping you out?”
“Ah don’ even know where Ah am right now!” Suzaka answers cheerfully.
Kirie runs up to greet him. “Good afternoon, Tanashima!”
“Oh hey Kirie.” Hana’s brother responds, “What exactly is going on here?”
Kirika stomps up and points directly to Rina, “This...this…American,” she hisses, leaning in. “Threatened to harm that lovely young lady next to you!”
“Oi!” Rina yells, eye twitching again, “What are you muttering about me over there!?”
“Lovely young lady…” Hana’s brother says, giving Kirika an incredulous look. “You mean my little sister?”
“Sister…” Kirika mumbles. “Y-Yes! She threatened her and I stepped in between them, then she shoved me to the ground!”
Hana’s brother’s incredulity grows, “Is all this true Sis?”
Hana twirls some of her long, blue hair, “Sounds kinda crazy, doesn’t it?” She pokes at her temple, face scrunched up with thought. “Well, we all have superpowers, so everything we do is kinda crazy, huh!” An acceptable answer reached, Hana returns to her natural, airheaded self.
Everyone stares at Hana, trying to process what she just said.
Tanashima looks to Hana and Kirie smiling equally dopey. “It’s like two of the same person…” he mutters.
“Hm?” Hana and Kirie tilt their head and stare at Tanashima.
He waves them off. “It’s nothing.” He asks Rina “Is all of this true?”
“Your airheaded sister ran into me!” Rina yells. “She should have apologized when she had the chance!” Embers fly from her tightly clenched fists. “Why is everyone here so crazy!?”
“You’re the crazy one,” Kirika yells, “All you do is look for the next thing to punch!”
“Keep talking and you’re next!”
“Do you see what I mean?” Kirika points back at her. “She’s an animal! A savage!”
Hana’s brother shrugs “This seems more like a problem with your club than anything. Let’s go, Hana.”
Hana watches the scene unfold with rapt attention. “I think I’m gonna stay here, Big Bro. These guys are fun. I want them to meet my club!”
“If you’re Tanashima’s sister…: Kirie says to Hana. “Then you must be in the Soccer Club too.”
Hana laughs. “Soccer makes my head hurt. I’m with the Tennis Club!”
“If they keep bothering you, don’t hesitate to text me again,” Hana’s brother says, hand on Hana’s shoulder. “Well, I gotta get back. Take care, Hana.” He leaves as he came, in a blue blur.
Hana waves her brother off, “Okay, bye-bye Kyouya~!”
“Hey don’t go just yet!” Rina yells after him, “Take Princess with you!”
“Will you pipe down,” Kirika says. “All this yelling is making our club look bad!”
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Rina growls back at the elf.
“What club are you with anyway?” Hana asks, twirling a bit of her hair.
Kirika’s anger melts away as she watches Hana play with her hair. “Why, we are members of the Paranormal Club!”
“...Paranormal Club?” Hana gasps “You’re the new club! My President wants to speak to your President!”
Rina hooks a thumb at Kirika. “Whatever she says, she’s not the President!”
Kirie steps in front of the other second years. “Because I am!”
“Wait,” Suzaka says, scratching her head. “Ah thought tha prez was-”
“Cool!” Hana takes Kirie’s hands in hers.
Kirika gives the two a longing glance.
“Come on over in an hour then!” Hana says. She takes a big gulp of air and vanishes, still holding Kirie’s hands.
“We’ll be there!” Kirie responds to Hana’s general direction, shaking her invisible hands.
Rina hooks her arm around Kirie’s shoulders. “Good one Miss President,” she says, dripping with sarcasm, “Now how exactly do we get to the Tennis Club?”
“Obviously we’ll just find the tennis courts,” Kirika answers, cutting Kirie off.
“Great idea!” Rina grabs Kirika by the collar, “I bet the window I’m about to chuck you out of will give you one helluva head start.”
Suzaka shakes her head “Not ‘gain…”
Kirika’s phone buzzes, deescalating the situation. She pulls it out and takes the call.
“Where are you guys?” Yuuri says over the phone, “Class ended 20 minutes ago!”
“W-we’ll be right over,” Kirika answers. “We just got a little lost.”
“You guys have Kirie with you right?” Yuuri asks.
“S-Sorry! I didn’t catch that,” Kirika makes static noises into the phone. “You’re breaking up!” and hangs up.
Rina lets Kirika go. “Lemme guess? They’re wondering where we are.”
“Well done!” Kirika claps mockingly. “Gold star for you!”
“That’s it!” Rina snatches Kirika by the collar again, lifting her off the ground. Kirie and Suzaka restrain Rina by grabbing one of her arms.
“Ms. Warren, please calm down!” Kirie says, “You don’t want to get expelled on your first day!”
“Yeah! Ya were doin’ so well earlier, too!” Suzaka says. “Don’t be no bully now!”
Rina thrashes, embers flying, her rage making the hallway hot and stuffy. With a guttural roar, she gutters out the embers sparking up her arms and hangs her head in defeat as the temperature returns to normal.
Suzaka and Kirie drag her to the clubroom. Kirika walks behind, giving Rina the evil eye all the way.
***
Yuuri paces around the center table in the Paranormal Club’s new clubroom, arms over her chest. “Where are they? They shouldn’t be this late.”
“Take a deep breath,” Saito reassures her, “You’ll give yourself a heart attack worrying like this. Besides, they have...” Saito trails off, looking around the room for who’s missing, “Kirika with them?”
Mari puts down her BL manga and leans back in her chair, avoiding Yuuri’s pacing. “Shure ‘bout that Phones?” She sighs. “Kiricchi’s my buddy an’ all but do yew really think she’s tha leadin’ type?”
Everyone silently nods in agreement.
Yuuri paces faster, now biting her thumbnail.
Katsuki shrugs, “You know if they get lost and you aren’t there then you can’t be held liable right?”
Yuuri shoots a dirty look at the former president.
Katsuki quickly changes her tune, “I-I was joking!” Let's add Katsuki's hair change here.
The door explodes open. Rina storms past everyone and takes a seat in the far corner of the room. Kirie, Kirika, and Suzaka walk in not far behind.
“We’re home!” Kirie chirps. She draws stares for the third time today.
“What’s her problem?” Cerys asks, pointing at the sulking Rina.
“None of your business you stupid Redcoat,” Rina grumbles from across the room.
“She was eatin’ some candy, an’ then this girl called Hana ‘r somethin’ bumped inta ‘er an’ made ‘er drop tha candy so she’ started bullyin’ ‘er, then Kirika got bullied, an’ I was like STOP BULLYIN’ EVERYUN!” Suzaka poses like she's about to fight “OR I’LL BEAT’CHA UP!’ an’ then she’ stopped!” She relaxes her pose and smiles proudly.
“Say that again, but in Japanese,” Akina says with a look that makes Suzaka flinch. “Actual Japanese.”
Kirie clears her throat, “One of my old clubmates, Kyouya Tanashima, rushed in to check on his sister and Miss Warren and Komori began arguing with one another while it was going on. Tanashima’s sister is in the Tennis Club and she let us know that their president wants to speak with us!”
“I...don’t think that was the same story,” Yuudai says to Suzaka and Kirie.
Kirika sighs, walks to Yuuri’s side, and points accusingly at Rina, “That barbarian launched an attack against one of our precious underclassmen and tossed me to the ground in a fit of rage!”
Rina shoots up, the chair clattering to the ground, “Stop feeding them bullshit! I barely touched you!”
Kirika continues her prosecution of Rina, “She’s a menace to our club and this school! I say we report her directly to Miss Kurosaki and have her expelled! After all, look at the injuries she caused me!” Kirika rolls up her sleeve and traces the outline of an ‘injury’ near her shoulder.
The room gets hot with Rina’s temper, “I’ve had it up to here with your prissy little attitude!”
“Of course you can’t stand a proper woman, you American idiot!” Kirika screams shrilly, “You ill-bred brutes only understand violence and hamburgers!”
Rina tears across the room and into Kirika, forearm pressed below the elf girl’s slender neck. “For your information, Princess,” Rina grits her teeth and scowls at Kirika. “I’m half-Japanese.”
The rest of the club is paralyzed with confusion and fear, caught in the sweltering heat of a room about to explode.
Kirika smirks at her attacker, “I guess brutishness is a dominant trai-" Kirika’s sentence is cut short with a yelp as Rina presses down harder on her collarbone.
“Choose your next words carefully.” Rina spits, her breath near scalding. “Who knows what this brute will do next!”
Yuuri panics, “What’s going on!? Why are you doing this Rina!?”
Kirie runs up and grabs Rina’s right shoulder, “Miss Warren! Did we not get through to you before? Why are you still trying to bully Miss Komori?”
Suzaka grabs her left shoulder, pulling with all her might. “Ah reckon this’s gone past bein’ a bully an’ inta bein’ a bitch!”
Rina sees the concern and anger on her clubmates’ faces. She feels Suzaka and Kirie’s words sink in deep. She watches Kirika struggling against her, the elf girl’s bluster turned to fear and pathetic whimpering. Head bowed low with shame, Rina slowly starts easing off of Kirika. Before Rina can let go completely, Mari grabs her by the waist and growls.
“Git yer hands OFF KIRICCHI!” She German Suplexes Rina into the floor and into unconsciousness.
The clubroom goes deathly silent, watching Rina spew steam. Mari stands up and dusts herself off, a sour look on her face.
Akina claps, impressed by the violence, “You’re a lot more flexible than you look.”
Mari ignores Akina and wordlessly checks on Kirika, who’s collapsed to the ground.
Cerys, ignoring the mood, asks Kirie “So what’s this now about Tennis Club wanting to meet us?”
Kirie snaps out of seriously observing the scene. “Oh yes! Hana Tanashima is a member of the Tennis Club and she told me that their President wanted to speak to us!” Kirie scratches her head, “I think she said she wanted us to come over in an hour or so...Oh yeah! I told them I was the President too!”
“Not anymore you’re not.” Cerys smirks, hopping out of her chair, “I’m the President now!”
“Wait, wha-” Yuuri’s shocked out of her previous shock, “W-what’s going on now?”
Cerys points at all the underclassmen, skipping over Rina, “You guys are all with me. We’re going to the Tennis Club. The rest of you can take care of the teakettle.”
“Wait, you can’t just-” Yuuri frets.
“I can and I did.” Cerys snaps her fingers and walks out of the clubroom, Kirie right behind her. Suzaka and Hotaru share a confused glance, then follow along, Suzaka stopping to help Kirika up and lead her out.
Yuuri smiles weakly at Katsuki, on the verge of tears. “So...what would you do in this situation?”
Katsuki shakes her head, “Dunno. The one time I had to deal with this kind of thing it wasn’t really resolved by me. You’re the President now Yuuri, so I’ll trust in whatever you come up with.”
“Okay then...I can do this.” Yuuri walks over to where Rina’s laying and squats down next to her, “Rina...are you okay?” She asks, poking her in the back.
Rina stirs, looking up at the clubroom’s lights. “What happened?”
“Mari suplexed you for hurting Kirika,” Akina says, nose buried in the BL manga Mari was reading.
Mari glares at Rina and growls.
“Suplexed me?” Rina asks sitting up, rubbing the back of her neck. “It feels like she hit me with a truck.”
Mari bares her teeth at Rina. “Be thankful Ah weren’t tryin’ ta break nothin’.”
“Yeah, yeah; quit barking,” Rina tries to get up from the floor but stumbles. Yuuri catches her, keeping her up.
“D-do you need to go to the nurse?” Yuuri asks, “You did hit your head pretty hard.”
Rina waves her hand. “I’ll be fine...just help me over to that chair.” Yuuri slowly guides Rina over and helps her sit down. Rina takes a second to get her thoughts straight before looking back up at the other. “Shoot straight with me, have I...been bullying people since I got here?”
“You have been a bit rude and standoffish since we’ve met,” Yuuri says, taking a seat next to her. Katsuki, Yuudai, and Saito nod in agreement with Yuuri. Akina says nothing.
“Ah musta knocked some sense inta yew wit’ that suplex,” Mari mutters.
Rina frowns. “Look, I think you guys are blowing this out of proportion. that prissy little drama queen has done nothing but complain, and insult everyone since I got here. It was only a matter of time before she got what was coming to her. ”
“What do you mean?” Yuuri asks.
“What do I mean!?” Anger flares in Rina’s voice. She moves to get up, only to be held down by Mari’s hand on her shoulder. Mari gives her a look of pure death, more suited to a demon from the pits of Hell than a person.
“Choose yer next words real careful,” Mari says. “There’s no tellin’ what a gal like me’ll do ta someone who hurts her friends.”
Rina shrugs Mari’s hand off of her and leans back in her chair, breathing heavily despite herself. “Whatever. You guys are just gonna take her side on this anyway so if you wanna kick me out of the club, go ahead and report me.”
Saito chuckles, giving Akina a knowing look. “If that was all it took to get kicked out of this club we wouldn’t have any members left.”
Akina smirks ever so slightly in response.
Yuuri silently pleads to Katsuki for guidance.
“I mean, I did let Akina stay in the club after all,” Katsuki says, taking Yuuri’s side. “Maybe she just needs a helping hand?”
Yuuri nods meekly. “I’m willing to forgive you for this,” she says to Rina, “as long as you keep your anger in check.”
“Really!?” Both Rina and Mari say.
Mari pulls Yuuri away from Rina and whispers to her, “Seriously, Prez? After what she did ta Kiricchi?”
Yuuri shrinks and nods.
Mari begrudgingly nods in agreement and walks past Rina, “Touch Kiricchi again and Ah’ll do more than suplex yew.”
Rina holds her hands up “Fine by me. Just tell her to tone down the insults.”
The formerly placid Akina cackles, “It’s the same as last year isn’t it? You think this one will stab the elf?”
Saito stretches “Man, why can’t this school have a Dickhead Club we could stick both of you in.”
“Hey!” Rina wheels onto Saito before remembering that Yuuri is standing next to her still. She takes another deep breath, calming herself down and sitting back in her chair, “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”
“I can say it again if you didn’t hear me,” Saito smirks, enjoying his newfound power.
Yuuri chastises him. “Come on Saito, we don’t need to taunt her, that’s just being mean.”
Saito slouches and sits down like a kid scolded by his mom.
Yuuri looks at the clock, then at her bag. “Well...I guess we still have time to do one activity.”
“What exactly did you have planned for today?” Katsuki asks.
“We still need to fill out all the forms for the Paranormal Club.”
The room erupts into a collective groan.
“Why didn’t Ah jus’ go wit’ Kiricchi?” Mari complains. “Hay, how come they ain’t doin’ this?”
“They can fill their forms out back at the dorm!” Yuuri says.
“Can’t we also fill ours out at the dorm too?” Rina asks, trying to act normal.
“I guess we could,” Yuuri says. “Thanks, Rina.” She smiles and grabs her bag.
Saito walks over and grabs her hand. “Ready to go, President?”
Yuuri blushes to the tips of her ears.
Katsuki walks past them. “No PDA in the clubroom.”
Saito holds his and Yuuri’s interlaced hands in Katsuki’s face. “You have no power here, ex-President.” He walks out with Yuuri, leading her by the hand.
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you can just do what you want!” Katsuki shouts as she walks out behind them.