The Code of Shinigami

Rule number 2: Keep the existence of Shinigami secret

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The girls voice was filled with uncertainty as she tried to pronounce his name. "Akira... Kurogi...? Your name sounds so... exotic! You must be from abroad, right?"

A group of girls had gathered around the new student's desk. He pondered for a moment.

"Uuuh... yeah… That's right." A gentle smile played on his lips.

"And from where?" The girl looked at him with wide eyes.

"From… 'where’?"

"Yeah, where are you from?"

"Oh, right..." He took a look around, taking his time as he noticed everyone staring at him curiously. Being good-looking seemed to have it's advantages.

"Africa's my hood," he said, maintaining a serious expression. The others looked at him incredulously, acting shoked.

"Huh?"

“What?”

It might have been a bit presumptuous, but due to his fair skin and white hair, it was hard to imagine. Apart from that, the name ‘Akira’ wasn't exactly what one would expect from an African name.

Seeing the obvious surprise of his classmates, he couldn't hide his amusement any longer.

"Just kidding! I'm from Japan."

The others reacted with a mix of astonishment and laughter, which seemed to make him happy.

"Oh, got it!"

"Hahaha!"

Then he turned back to the girl who had questioned him so eagerly. "And where are you from? What's your name?" He gave her a charming look that noticeably quickened the beta of her heart.

"I'm Nele, and I'm from Germany..." She grinned, glancing at the other girls. "...Just like all of us, I guess."

They laughed heartily. All, except one. Only now did Akira notice that he was being observed. Piercing blue eyes followed his every move—every word he spoke. Akira returned the boy's gaze, who then quickly looked away, pretending to be busy with something else.

Suddenly, Nele made a disgusted sound. "Ugh, that's Linus. He's a total psycho!"

'Psycho'? Akira observed him curiously. He had orange, disheveled hair, wore glasses, and seemed shy. His clothes were unremarkable, much like his entire existence. "He looks rather boring to me."

The group chuckled—Akira raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Sometimes he draws pictures of girls from our class, and..." But the girls fell silent. A couple of them blushed, others started giggling.

"And what?" Akira asked curiously. "What does he do with the drawings?"

All sorts of fantasies raced through his mind; yes, this stuff was right up his alley.

THUD!

"Everyone back to their seats, please!"

A stern looking man entered the classroom, as the crowd around Akira's desk dissolved into nothingness. Disappointed by the tease of his classmates, he rested his head thoughtfully on his hand. His gaze turned back to Linus, who kept looking at him over and over again, and seemed annoyed whenever Akira obviously noticed it. After some time, Akira started waving at Linus, but the latter put a book in front of himself, using it as some sort of shield.

“Maybe he's not as boring as I thought”, Akira thought, as a malicious smile appeared on his face.

He had been aching for some personality around this place, since it had been lacking quiet a bit among all these wanna-be girls. Those weird girls had become instantly unlikable when they spoke so disparagingly about their classmate, and besides, he could never get along with females anyway. He would much rather deal with a 'psycho' like Linus.

Mr. Dietrich's stern voice echoed again, seemingly directed particularly at Linus, who startled. "I would like to remind you once again that you must sign up for one of the school clubs by the end of this week."

The class reacted with disappointed groans.

"Oh no, not this again..."

"Ugh, fuck that shit..."

"I know, I know… But please consider—should you not sign up for a club on your own, you will be assigned to the one with the fewest members. And I don't expect any of you to be interested in visiting the Literature Club, right?" Akira nodded in agreement. Yes, Mr. Dietrich was absolutely right. You would truly have to be a psychopath to voluntarily subject yourself to something like that.

***

"You're quite the naughty boy, aren't you?" Akira asked in a teasing tone, draping his arm around Linus' shoulder. He had been looking forward to welcoming his new friend for the entire school lesson.

Linus winced as he pressed the sheet of paper, which had just been in front of him, tightly to his chest. "W-what?!"

Suggestively Akira wiggled his eyebrows as he looked back and forth between Linus and the paper. "I know you draw pictures of the girls."

"Y-yes?" Linus seemed extremely puzzled. What was this odd boy getting at?

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"Mhmmhmm~" Akira gave him a meaningful look. "...And also that you do weird things with them!"

"W-w-w-what?!"

"Yeah~ and I bet you're working on one of those drawings right now. Let me see!" Akira snatched the sheet from Linus' grip and examined it closely.

Linus froze in shock. Akira, on the other hand, blinked in confusion. "Um..."

Nervously, Linus kneaded his hands as his face turned red. "I-I know it's weird, but I just enjoy drawing stuff like that..."

"...and the girls in our class happen to be the best models for it."

Akira sighed disappointedly. "It's just a nice portrait of a girl... Why are you making such a big deal out of it?" He had really expected more out of this.

"Y-you like it?"

"Of course. It looks great... But I was kind of hoping for more..." Carefully choosing his words so as not to sound too weird, "...Well, I was kind of hoping for more romantic elements."

Linus nodded as if taking notes in his mind. He would definitely try to implement the feedback, even though he didn't quite understand how he should interpret that statement.

As Akira placed the drawing back on the table, a grin spread across his lips. "Aaand who's the lucky one?"

"Uh... which lucky one?"

"I mean for whom are you drawing this picture...? Don't tell me all this effort is for nothing."

Linus' gaze dropped, as if ashamed. "Oooh, yeah... Well, it's for... For Nele."

Akira was pleased with this confession. Maybe things would get interesting after all. "You little Casanova." He nudged him in the side. "Yeah, she's really damn pretty..." ...At least on the outside.

Linus didn't know what to answer. He wasn't used to having such a casual conversation. Usually, no one ever spoke to him. Especially not at school. "D-do you think she'll like it?"

Akira sighed thoughtfully, seeming unsure at first. "Well... You'd definitely win me over with such a beautiful drawing, that's for sure." Even though Akira seemed to say it in jest, there was still a certain seriousness in his voice. Linus laughed, which surprised himself. When was the last time he laughed? And then so loudly? The worst part, however, was that they were in school. He suddenly covered his mouth with his hands. His eyes were suddenly filled with fear, as if he had made a big mistake. Akira watched the roller coaster of emotions Linus was going through and awkwardly scratched his head.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"

Linus shook his head slightly and gave a muffled reply that Akira couldn't understand. Then he noticed how Linus' eyes passed him and focused on the group of people at the other end of the room.

"...They don't really like you, do they?" Akira asked, now able to read him like a book, even though he could barely read.

Linus continued to stare over at the other students who had also stayed in the classroom. He said nothing, but his gaze spoke more than a thousand words.

Had it been tactless to ask about it directly? Akira had never experienced anything like bullying, but he knew that many suffered from it and that it could even end in suicide.

"They all think I'm a freak... They're probably right," Linus confessed, now composed again. He sounded both sad and angry - but who was he angry with? The others or maybe even himself? He wasn't sure himself.

Akira looked the boy up and down again. "Hmm, yeah, you're definitely a bit peculiar..."

Linus' expression clouded. That wasn't what he wanted to hear right now, but it didn't surprise him either.

"...But you're still a good guy." Akira patted him on the shoulder and laughed. And how he laughed. Loud and unrestrained.

Linus almost felt like Akira was laughing extra loud and crooked, just to make a statement. Out of the corner of his eye, Linus saw a few classmates looking over at them and starting to whisper, but that seemed to drive Akira even more. Linus didn't know what to make of it. He didn't really want attention, because it meant trouble for him.

Gradually, Akira calmed down and wiped a tear from his eye. "So, Linus, we'll see each other later." Akira winked at him and disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. Linus just managed to wave goodbye with a hand.

What a weird guy, but somehow... nice?

***

The class had gathered in front of a large gymnasium as the break came to an end. Linus stood slightly apart from the crowd, giving the impression that he didn't belong to them. Every time laughter erupted from the group, he felt a pang of fear, as if the conversations were always about him. The others threw glances at him, disdainful looks, mocking looks. He felt like a zoo animal, admired and pelted with garbage by gawking visitors. This wasn't just metaphorical either. In fact, someone had just thrown a carton of chocolate milk at his head, smearing some of its contents into his hair. Laughter erupted again, but it suddenly hushed as distant but distinct footsteps echoed.

A woman with long blonde hair and lilac eyes approached the students confidently. She wore high-heeled shoes, yet walked with a firm and determined stride. Her body was athletic, emphasized by a crop top. The boys in the class were captivated by her presence. Quiet murmurs arose.

"Wow, she's hot!"

"Dude, I'm gonna hit that up!"

"Good day, my dear adolescent monsters! I am Miss Rosenmüller, your new physical education teacher!" With a broad smile that showcased her perfect yet sharp teeth, she greeted the class. She had a certain lightness about her, but her gaze conveyed that she wouldn't show mercy if they didn't obey.

The class greeted her in a jumble of voices. "Good morning, Miss Rosenmüller."

She looked slightly puzzled. "Morning? You kids must be little sleepyheads if it's still morning for you. I can see you need an extra portion of fitness training." With these words, she unlocked the door to the gym and gestured for the students to enter. "Come on, hop, hop! We have no time to waste! I'll give you 2 minutes to change. Anyone taking longer will run an extra lap."

The students looked at each other, unsettled by having such an energetic teacher. But in the next moment, the boys shot off as if it were a race. Her words had evidently made an impact.

After the boys rushed ahead, she turned to the girls, who were still keeping their distance from the hustle and bustle. "The girls, of course, get an extra minute." She winked at them charismatically.

Linus, also obediently in line, felt somewhat out of place. Did the 3-minute rule also apply to him? He'd rather not risk it. Also, he didn't want to be treated as a girl anyway.

"And where is Akira?" he wondered silently as he looked around, only to realize with regret that he was indeed the only boy left. He must have rushed ahead with the others.

As Linus finally entered the boys' changing room, mocking glances awaited him. "Hey Linus, did you mistake the door or something?" asked a tall, lanky boy with blond hair. Like Linus, he wore glasses and had blue eyes. But that was where their similarities ended. Marlon, that was his name, had targeted him since the beginning of 5th grade and had now incited the whole class to use Linus as some kind of emotional punching bag.

Linus glanced around, trying to find a spot where he would be as far away from everyone, especially Marlon, as possible. Then there was a ray of hope. Akira was almost right in front of him, with some space on the bench next to him. Eagerly, Linus approached him.

"H-hi," Linus greeted him uncertainly, as Akira seemed not to notice him while changing. His body was defined, a perfect blend of muscle and fat - the complete opposite of Linus. He resembled more of a chicken that had lost its feathers; skinny and bony. He usually waited until the others had left the changing room to avoid their stupid remarks. But then he'd have to run an extra lap around the field if Miss Rosenmüller kept her word, and he believed she would.

With a sigh, he pulled his T-shirt over his head, holding it protectively in front of him to ward off as many stares as possible. But it was no use. Enthusiastic whistles sounded, obviously aimed at him.

"Wow Linus, did you hit the gym over the holidays or something? You look hot~" Marlon laughed, drawing all attention to Linus.

"Uuuuuh~ So you're into guys?" suddenly asked Akira, with a slightly mocking tone, looking at Marlon.

"Huh? What's your problem?!"

Akira raised his hands placatingly. "That's nothing to be ashamed of, and just between us...," Akira leaned over to Marlon, "Linus is quite a catch." Amused, he winked at Marlon, unable to suppress his smile. Marlon, on the other hand, looked at him with a mixture of confusion and disgust, but he apparently lacked the words to express those feelings.

"I don't feel like running an extra lap..." Marlon muttered to himself as he turned his back on the others and left the changing room. The other boys seemed to have completely forgotten their intention to hurry in the midst of the confrontation they had spectated so captivadetely. In another tumult, similar to the one at the beginning, they all rushed out of the room.

Only Akira and Linus remained. Linus had already finished changing, while Akira was still tying his shoes.

"T-thanks...," said Linus.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"I-I mean, you distracted them from me and-"

"I didn't do that for you," Akira interrupted him. "And you should learn to defend yourself, otherwise you'll eventually break from this crap." With these words, he left Linus alone. Standing still for a moment, Akiras words choed through his head. Linus wished he could be as confident as him.