Love and Lies [Saioumami]

He Meant Well

Gluing the last text box to the poster, Rantaro sighed and leant backward in his seat. "Alright, that's the project finished."

"Hang on," Kokichi halted the group, carefully selecting specific colours to draw a border around the paper, allowing it to match the rest of the poster.

"You're good at design Kokichi," Shuichi investigated the boy as he finished drawing.

"I know." 

"Alright class, attention up here please." The boys finished with their project, paying attention to the class. "Whether you're ready for this or not, we have to present your posters today. Amami, Saihara and Ouma, are you three okay with presenting first?" They shared a look between each other, nodding. Standing from their seats, Kokichi grabbed the poster and stuck it to the whiteboard with tape. "Whenever you're ready, take your time."

Rantaro stepped forward out of the three, speaking first. "Our topic is on domestic child abuse. Domestic child abuse is any form of improper treatment towards a child in the family. It can take the form of physical, emotional, mental, verbal, psychological, financial, sexual and religious, to name a few. I won't be going over each type for the sake of time. In a simple explanation, child abuse is the mistreatment of a child in any manner." 

Wow, he's great at speaking in front of everyone. Kokichi swayed in place, listening to the jingle of the chains on his new uniform Shirogane apparently created. Rantaro continued to his second topic. "If you witness abuse of any kind, contact the authorities immediately." Why is the class looking at me? Fuck off. 

Rantaro stepped back from his position, Shuichi replacing him as he spoke, fidgeting with his hands behind his back. "From 2003 to 2015, physical and sexual abuse were the most common forms of child abuse. From 2015, psychological abuse became prevalent." I hate listening to this, can we hurry up and finish?

Seeming to notice his discomfort, Rantaro nudged Kokichi and gave him a smile, a wave of calm instantly washing through him. They watched Shuichi as he continued reading from the poster. "Common causes of abuse can include a family crisis such as marital distress, a history of the parent being abused as a child or the parent having an illness such as PTSD or depression."

Shuichi stepped back, finishing his topics and allowing Kokichi to step forward. Great, here we go. Taking a deep breath, Kokichi maintained eye contact with the poster to avoid seeing his peers. "If you're being abused, contact the authorities immediately when safe to do so. If for some reason you can't there are many other websites, phone numbers and-"

"Take your own advice."

Kokichi turned to Momota, glaring at him. "Momota, please refrain from interrupting." The teacher stated, turning to Kokichi. "Please continue."

"Warning signs of abuse can include a child having injuries such as bruises or cuts, being unusually hypervigilant or-"

"Did you research this, or is this based on your dad?" Momota interrupted again. Kokichi huffed, angry at the boy's statements.

"Momota, go to the principal's office. That is inappropriate discussion." The teacher stated, harsher than earlier. Kokichi didn't want to continue though, he hated what the class seemed to think of him now. This will teach you to talk about my life like you know shit. Walking over to Momota's desk, Kokichi picked up the only textbook lying there and slammed it into the back of the boy's head, smashing his face into the desk with a loud bang.

"What the fuck?!" Momota shouted, raising his head to reveal a small puddle of blood on his desk, the red liquid already staining half his face as his nose poured.

"Ouma Kokichi. Principal's office immediately!" The teacher shouted, pointing to the door. "Harukawa, please take Momota to the nurse's office." Not wanting to stick around, Kokichi shoved his belongings into his backpack and swung it over his shoulder, storming out of the classroom. Instead of making his way to the principal's office, he rushed to the bathroom and kicked the door open, ignoring the unusual smell of smoke entering his lungs.

"Stupid fucking bitch, What right did he fucking have to talk about my father?" Kokichi mumbled to himself, punching the countertop underneath the mirrors. Punching the sink, the rusty faucet snapping from its place and clinking in the basin. "He fucking deserved it."

"What's up kid?" A deep voice sounded from a toilet stall. A stall door opened, revealing the short Hoshi putting out his cigarette. "You seem pissed."

"Oh do I? I didn't know!" Kokichi shouted, throwing his hands in the air. This type of anger rarely shined through in Kokichi, but when he did get enraged no one would want to be near him. Some had accused him of being insane, but Kokichi couldn't see it. "Fucking Momota. Had to talk shit about my father. Fuck him, what does he know?!" He continued to shout, pacing around the room.

"You're this upset about him saying something about your father? Why?" Hoshi continued, completely calm in the situation.

"No one has the right to assume they know what's going on in my home. Much less the right to assume I'm being abused based on a little mistake my father made!"

"You have to admit, it looked suspicious." Kokichi rolled his eyes, not needing a lecture. "What did you do to Momota?"

"How do you know I did anything to him?"

"I hear you say something about him deserving it when you burst in here."

Kokichi stopped pacing and leant against the counter, a malicious grin creeping onto his face. "I smashed his face into the desk with a book."

"Hmm, maybe not a good idea to go back to class." Kokichi nodded, agreeing with Hoshi. "Want a cigarette? They help keep me calm."

"No, I'm not stupid enough to smoke." The boy retorted playfully.

"Right. I'll try to get rid of the smoke for you." Hoshi took off his jacket, waving it around in the air before Kokichi stopped him.

"You look like an idiot. Don't worry about it." The two stood next to each other in comfortable silence before Hoshi spoke.

"I know you don't want to hear it, but I hope everything's okay. Just in case you needed it, I put a few small bags of food in that gift basket. It's not healthy food, but at least you'll be able to keep it for a while."

"Thanks. Oh and if you tell anyone about this little conversation, I'll kill you myself." Kokichi threatened the younger male.

"Lips are sealed like a therapist." 

"Great, well I best be off to the principal's office." Kokichi sang, waving to the boy and opening the bathroom door. 

"Oh, Ouma?" The boy in question hummed, turning to face Hoshi. "Momota was only trying to help, he meant well." Kokichi nodded, deep inside he knew Hoshi was telling the truth. Turning from the bathroom, the leader made his way to face his punishment.