The Code of Shinigami

Rule number 3: Never spare the life of a person you are chosen to kill

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"You seem different lately, sweetheart... Are you in love?"

Linus froze as he heard these words, his mother's carefree smile beaming from her blue eyes. Her brown, curly hair bounced lightly on her shoulders.

"N-No... Well, yes, but- it's not like that, I think..." he stumbled awkwardly.

His mother regarded him skeptically at first, then with a glimmer of joy. "Ah, youth is truly magical... Enjoy it, my darling."

"It's not what you think... There's just someone who's been really nice to me..."

His mother nodded understandingly. "Ah, yes, I see... That's how it always begins, hihi!"

"He's a friend, mom... Well, he could become one."

Some of her excitement waned with his words; after all, she had already envisioned her son getting married soon, but friends were certainly valuable too. "Oh, I see. Well, why don't you bring him over sometime?"

But Linus was already on his way to the door. "I have to go now, see you later!"

*

As the bell rang for break, Linus eagerly rummaged through his belongings and carefully placed them one by one on the table. It was almost as if he were painting a picture with the objects before he even began the actual painting. Finally, he placed the portrait he had been working on for several weeks now, in the center of it all. By now, it was clear who it was: Nele.

"I still don't get it. You've been raving about Maya all this time, but you're still working on this painting. Isn't that as if you were cheating on her?" Akira remarked.

Linus blinked several times before turning to Akira. "I like to finish things."

"Ah..."

Just as Linus was about to set a pen to the paper, he paused. "Besides, I haven't been raving about Maya at all! I barely even know her..."

Akira's eyes narrowed. "Have you ever listened to yourself?!" Then, he clasped his hands together, rested his head on them sideways, and began to mimic Linus' voice. "Maya, my angel, who, if not you, will free me from the darkness in my heart? Take me here and now!!!"

"I would never say something like that!"

"But you're thinking it."

Linus flinched. "N-no—well, my—my thoughts don't sound that cheesy! And like I said, we hardly know each other."

"Then I suppose it's a total coincidence you marked today with red hearts on your calendar?"

Linus jumped up in shock, his face turning red. "W-what?! H-how did you know that?!"

"So, I was right..."

"Weren't you going to get something to eat...?!"

With those words, Akira was already getting up from his seat. "Yup, that's right! I guess you don't want to come?" His gaze shifted to Linus' meticulously arranged workspace.

"Yeah, I'll stay here. Otherwise, this will never be finished."

"And what will you do when it's finished? Give it to Nele?"

Linus remained silent for a moment, seeming to ponder.

Akira sighed. "Well, it's up to you. Just do what feels right. You have nothing to lose. Girls are like dog poop in a park... all over the place."

"Y-yea..."

Akira half-heartedly waved goodbye as he left the room.

Casually, he strolled through the corridors, seemingly brightening the faces of the people just with his presence. A few girls giggled as they passed by Akira, as he waved at one of them, who then happily waved back. Continuing his way down the corridor, a strange feeling was coming over him. And it certainly wasn't the insane hunger he was feeling. It was as if something was... off. Checking the watch around his arm as if searching for an answer in it, his expression suddenly darkened, becoming more serious. Suddenly his eyes darted to the side, glancing at the corner behind him.

*

"Look at that! If it isn't our beloved artist Linus sitting here all by himself."

At the sound of that all-too-familiar voice, Linus froze. A tall, lanky, blond-haired boy stood before him, with a few more silhouettes behind him. As Linus met his gaze, a feeling of tightness enveloped him, as if he were trapped in the eyes of his counterpart. Painful memories shot through his head, memories he had tried to lock away in the farthest corner of his mind.

"He's about to cry already!" Marlon exclaimed amusedly, taking another step forward and reaching for the paper in front of Linus. A surge of anger shot through Linus' body as that dirty hand threatened to defile his precious artwork.

"S-stop!" Linus quickly pulled the paper closer to himself, leaving Marlon grasping at thin air.

"You're quite brave today. Must have learned that from your new friend, huh?"

Now everything became clear to Linus. The frustration in Marlon's voice had given him away. All week, Marlon had left Linus alone because he didn't want to deal with Akira. But now Linus was alone. What a pathetic creature Marlon was. Yet, despite recognizing his inferiority, Linus trembled all over.

*

Suddenly, Maya stepped into Akira's line of sight, almost like a cute edition of a jump scare. "Hayyy~!!! OwO" Her hands were pressed together as if she were performing some sort of origami with them while posing in front of him.

Neither surprised nor impressed by her sudden appearance, Akira looked at her with an expressionless gaze. "Hey...?"

"Hay!!! :3" Maya looked at him with an almost brainlessly happy smile.

"Uuuuum, have you been following me?" Akira once again glanced around as if still feeling observed by someone.

"Yes! (⁀ᗢ⁀)"

"Cool..."

"Like you! :P"

"Eh- what?"

"I like you! ^‿^"

"Ah... Okay..." Akira awkwardly scratched his cheek. "Can I help you with something, or...?"

"Who knows~ 😊" Maya giggled softly before falling silent. Akira just looked at her, unsure of what to say.

"What are your hobbies? UwU"

"...Eating."

"Oki! (◕ᗜ◕✿)"

*

Marlon stepped close to Linus, once again reaching for the paper, when suddenly—

"That's enough." A stern voice made him stop. Linus' gaze went up to the person who had just stepped between them. Leopold?!

Faking an unauthentic laugh, Marlon pointed at Leopold. "Look, the looser has found another dwarf friend in his nerd-club!" His friends, consisting of a boy just as small as Leopold and Linus, and another boy who was slightly overweight, laughed loudly.

"It's called the Literature-Club," Leopold said.

"Oh, sorry! Please don't get angry!" Marlon taunted, raising his hands in a peaceful gesture.

"Would you please leave us alone now? I need to talk to Linus."

Marlon gave him a disgusted look. "And we have something to settle here. Get in line, goblin."

Out of nowhere, Leopold's voice got much more serious. "I have already told you; it's enough."

Marlon gave him a disgusted look. "It's none of your business, so get lost or you'll go down with him."

"It is very much my business, after all, Linus is a member of my club."

"So what?!"

"I don't like repeating myself; leave-us-alone."

"Shut up!" Suddenly, Marlon rushed forward, swinging his fist at Leopold. Out of fear, Linus, who was watching their conflict silently, closed his eyes, not wanting to see how Leopold would get hurt. But there was no such sound as a punch or scream of pain.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

As Linus dared to take a look at the situation, he was baffled. Leopold had grabbed Marlon's wrist with a tight grip, causing Marlon's expression to change from defiant to scared, almost submissive. Linus watched in astonishment, still unable to grasp what was happening here.

Marlon's arm twitched nervously as he realized his position. His gaze fell to meet Leopold's once gentle brown eyes, that were now filled with determination. Panicking, Marlon attempted to pull his arm away from Leopold, but he refused to release him. "In the event that Linus couldn't attend our meeting today, that would be quite a shame, wouldn't it?" Leopold asked firmly, his smile unwavering as he locked eyes with Marlon.

For a few seconds Leopold remained his stare, until Marlon finally managed to free himself from Leopold's grip. Although it was not due to his own strength, but rather Leopold's leniency.

"Fucking nerds, go touch some grass..." Marlon muttered, almost sulking, as he rubbed the fiery red bruise on his arm, as he walked off. The other two boys seemed lost at first, then quickly decided to follow their leader.

Leopold sighed in a tone of annoyance, "It will get better when they’re out of puberty..."

"Hopefully," Linus added. Before he could continue and thank Leopold, the latter already resumed speaking.

"What I actually wanted to say is that the Literature-Club will only last an hour today... for you guys, at least. I thought it would only be fair to inform you in advance."

Linus blinked in confusion. Was that the only reason he had come here? It wouldn't have been a problem if Leopold had just mentioned it at the beginning of the meeting. "O-okay, no problem- thanks for telling me."

Leopold smiled. “I value punctuality, and that includes informing about time shifts and changes in plans as early as possible. Thank you for your understanding, Linus."

He nodded in agreement, assuming this would be the end of their conversation, but Leopold kept looking at him thoughtfully. “If this ever happens again, feel free to ask me for help, okay? I hate to see the strong picking on the weak."

Although Linus didn't let it show, an uneasy feeling washed over him as he heared those words. Weak... Yes, that's what he was.

***

Running through the hot summer sun, sweat poured down his forehead as Linus struggled to keep pace with the others. Akira was far ahead, leaving Linus to merely watch his retreating figure as he pulled further away. They were only on the first lap of five, and Linus already felt drained. Miss Rosenmüller was merciless.

Although gasping for breath, Linus couldn't silence the whirlwind of thoughts in his mind. It was thanks to Akira that the others had stopped bullying him, but they still hated him. And as the earlier situation had shown, Linus wouldn't be able to hide from them forever.

As if sensing his thoughts, Akira slowed down to run alongside Linus. He didn't even sweat a bit. Linus felt jealous about it. Then, Akira laughed at him. “Are you already giving up, Linus-minus?”

With a lost expression Linus looked at him.

“Your nickname,” Akira explained. “Until you improve yourself, the minus will stay.” Akira teasingly stuck out his tongue at him.

That's not exactly motivating... What a stupid nickname... Or perhaps it was exactly because of that, that it was motivating? “Mhmm...” Linus hummed, as he had no air to waste for any words.

“Just think of Maya, maybe that will keep you going. Hormones and stuff, hahah!”

Linus blushed, but Akira wouldn't notice as his face was already read as a tomato from all the exertion. Sadly, the Literature-Club would always meet on the same day they had gym class. So if he didn't take a shower, he would not only stink but also look sweaty.

And that’s where the problem lay; taking a shower at school sounded like pure horror. In fact, Linus had never done it before. It seemed to be normal nowadays not to do it, although there were some people who had enough self-confidenceto to just do it anyway. Not him though.

“Well, good luck Linus-minus, I’m going for first place today. See you later!” With those words, Akira rushed past him again. Linus felt like a cyclist being overtaken by a fancy sports car, left in the dust of exhaust fumes. A sad feeling.

'Going for first place', what's that even supposed to mean? It's not like this is a race or something...

***

As Linus entered the locker room, he realized what Akira meant. Apparently, everyone who had finished the run was free to leave. It seemed to be some sort of motivational tactic by Miss Rosenmüller, and it appeared to have worked. Linus was all by himself; everyone else must have left long ago. Despite the initial feeling of inferiority at being the last one to finish, a spark of hope crept into his mind. I’m alone… all by myself…

A strange sensation came over him as he glanced over at the door leading to the communal showers. Never had he even considered taking a step in there, but now...? Again, he looked around himself, just to make sure no one would see him even thinking about it.

With an unfamiliar feeling of euphoria and excitement, he grabbed his things and cautiously opened the door. The coast was clear. Then he closed it, rattling the doorknob a few times to make sure it was really shut. Although he hadn't packed any shower gel, water would still do its job at cleaning, and deodorant would kill the smell afterward. Today, he wanted to impress Maya. Yes, this would be the day he would go and win her heart!

After having undressed and feeling the water cascading down upon him, an unfamiliar feeling of freedom washed over him. Although he still kept glancing toward the door every couple seconds. He'd better hurry up.

Man... It must feel amazing to be independent... And confident... With these thoughts, a picture built up in front of his inner eye. Akira was smiling at him... It made Linus feel both happy and angry at the same time. Other than Akira, Linus would always have to watch out not to mess up. Otherwhise, he would somehow manage to turn everyone against him in an instant. It was the one thing Linus was an expert at.

After finishing his shower, Linus realized something he hadn't considered. Completely wet, he stood there, naked, water dripping off his body...

Towel... I didn't bring a towel!!! And why would he? This wasn't planned at all.

Stress coursed through his body. It was almost as hopeless of a situation as sitting on the toilet while dumping a shit, only to realize the toilet paper was out. And all of this AT SCHOOL. On top of that, the Literature-Club would start in just a few minutes. What impression would it make if he was late? And then completely soaked? He would be immediately out of favor with Maya. Maybe they wouldn't even let him in, confirming Beyza's and Leopold's concerns about him joining the club. No, no, no!!! This isn't good at all! What should I do now?!

“Yo, wanna take mine?”

“Oh, yeah, sure-” Linus grabbed the towel that was offered to him as he turned around to the voice and started screaming.

“UHWAAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

***

With an almost hateful gaze, Linus sulked in his chair, observing as Akira enthusiastically recounted what had transpired. In this moment, he hated Akira from the bottom of his heart.

“...And then we shared the towel! Hahahaah!” As Akira burst into laughter, the others looked at him with uncertain glances.

“That’s… cute, I guess?😅” Maya asked, forcing a smile.

“I-I used it first!” Linus interjected, trying to salvage the situation, but it seemed futile. With this, his chances of landing Maya were sealed.

Leopold cleared his throat. “Well, this certainly isn't the place to discuss such private… relationships.”

'Private relationships'? Linus looked at him, filled with desperation. He felt betrayed… by everyone.

“So, what’s up for today?” Akira suddenly asked, receiving questioning looks from the others. “What?! Am I not allowed to ask?”

“N-no no, it’s all good. I guess we’re just… surprised by your sudden interest in the club,” Leopold explained, still somewhat uncertain, as if he thought Akira was joking. “Sadly, I’ve had a lot of studying to do over the last few days, so I couldn’t prepare anything…”

“Let's eat cake!” Maya blurted out in an extremely convinced tone.

“Cake…?” Leopold hesitated, as if he didn't want to dare and crush her dreams, but, “I’m sorry, I didn’t bring any…”

Akira gave him a mean look, his eyes narrowed. “Yea, just like last time!!! You’re disappointing me!”

As Leopold's expression saddened, Maya stepped forward, holding a brightly decorated cake with all sorts of confetti, candles, icing, and a bunch of candies smashed on top of it. “For you, Aki! :3”

'Aki'?! Linus felt like he must have misheard or, rather, hoped he did. What was going on here?

Akira looked down at the abomination of a cake, which looked like a unicorn had puked all over it. “For… me? Did you make this?”

“Yes! (─‿‿─)” Maya nodded eagerly, radiating with her adorable aura.

Linus, on the other hand, observed the spectacle with a bitter taste until finding his voice again. “D-did you also make one… for me?” His stuttering was filled with uncertainty, just like his whole demeanor. Maya blinked at him a couple of times before putting a finger to her lips as if contemplating his question. “Hmmmm…"

"No. :)”

Linus froze in place as her words echoed through his head, crushing his aspirations and burying them for good.

“Wow, what brutal honesty,” Akira murmured condolencingly. “Well, if it’s just for me, then I guess I’m gonna eat it all by myself! Guten Appetit!” As Akira took a bite of the cake just like that, without using any utensils, Linus watched him in silence.

Spectating the whole situation, Beyza despairingly placed a hand on her forehead, as if her head started hurting from all this nonsense. She clearly regretted not intervening more forcefully last time.

With loud smacking, Akira made it evident how tough the cake must have been, yet he didn’t show whether he liked it or not. With his mouth full, he merely emitted a few incomprehensible sounds. “Ho mch sga ss nn it?”

Maya nodded at him with a bright smile. “Mhm, yes! Exactly! UwU!”

As Akira continued to eat the cake as if it was some sort of sandwich—at least he held it like one—Linus grabbed a cup of tea and drank it down in one gulp. Then his face contorted into a horror of disgust and inner emptiness. Not even this black gunk will wake me up from this nightmare...

His gaze returned to Akira, who now was on the verge of choking on an overly large piece of cake, while Leopold stood behind him applying the Heimlich maneuver. “Spit it out, come on!” Meanwhile, Maya cheered him on eagerly. “Eat faster, eat faster! ^o^”

Linus sank into his chair. Maybe I’m just not interesting enough…? But what would even impress her? Do I need to be as cool as Akira? Or is she still mad about the vampire incident?

He looked at Maya again. She didn’t seem mad at all. In fact, she was laughing heartily together with Akira. Suddenly, a weird feeling came over Linus. It didn’t take him long to realize what it was—or rather, who it was. Beyza pierced him with one of her death stares, but Linus felt so down that it didn’t even bother him too much. Yet, still enough to make him turn away from her.

After Akira finished eating, he breathed out in relief. “Haaach, that wasn’t bad at all. But how much sugar did you put in there? Were you trying to kill me or what?!” Akira laughed amusedly, but Maya seemed not to find the joke as funny as him, as her expression was blank. For a moment, Akira was concerned she would start crying again like last time, but this time she looked much more serious than when she got scared by the vampires. But before Akira could pursue that, a muffled sound reverberated against the door. Everyone's heads turned around as another sound followed. And then a third.

“New members?” asked Leopold with a slightly suspicious undertone. The deadline for entering a club wasn't over yet, so there could definitely be more interested individuals who would like to visit the Literature-Club.

“Uiih, I’ll greet them~!（＾ω＾）” Sang Maya in her usual cheerful tone and hopped to the door, but what happened next, nobody could have seen coming.