Kokoro no X (I) ~EDITING~

Four

tw: implied abuse for about 14 paragraphs after tatsuo oshiro is mentioned

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"You two." Her voice was cold and calm, smooth and at the same time sharp enough to rip your lungs from your chest. Her eyes were narrow, and they glistened with a clear, hidden anger. Her dark hair hung straight and silkily from her head, framing her face almost exactly, brushing the collar of her gray suit jacket. She was pale, but not ghostly. She towered over her coworkers, seething with an aura neither of them could describe. Nor did they want to.

Her name was Maiko Akiyama, and she was the deadliest soldier in the agency.

"I've heard rumors about Ryuu's actions. For the love of God, tell me they're not true."

There were two men sitting in front of her, one an older man, with gray hair and wrinkles adorning his face. A father, protective and empathetic. He swallowed cautiously, unsure of how to respond to her.

"Uh... As far as we can tell, they are," he began cautiously.

The air soured and Maiko went rigid. She turned and stalked back to the center of the room, both the men left with chills.

"Are- Are we gonna have to answer for this?" the other man asked. He was younger, fresh out of college. He was still soft around the edges, unlike Hisoko, the older one. His eyes were still bright, his heart still solid.

Makio paused. "I'm not sure yet. He is my responsibility, but he's also yours. If anyone will have to answer to anything, it will be me... though if it does come down to that, I'll find some way to pass it off on you two."

Hisoko laughed nervously. "Y-Yeah, of... of course," he stammered.

"After all, you both are in charge of him..." She turned around, a glint in her eye and a tilt in her smile that neither of them could quite place. "...and I'm Tanaka's favorite."

Both of them turned back to their work, their shoulders weighed down by a feeling of foreboding.

Something was coming.

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"Come on, Tamotsu! If you really liked me then you'd do this for me."

"When did I ever say I liked you?"

"I read between the lines. Just come on!!"

Sayuri opened the door to the fourth floor library. It was small, and had very few books. It was less a library and more a place of gathering. There was a wall lined with computer desks, with a screen on the wall for reserving the computers. A kid with bright red hair sat there. It was messy, and stuck out in every which way. He was looking down at his phone, his legs stretched out over another two chairs. A girl sat behind him, leaning against his back, her stark-black hair falling over his shoulders. Her eyes were closed, and she looked asleep.

"I thought you said his was a Games club," I whispered to Sayuri.

"It is- I mean, it was. As more of us joined, it just kinda became a place to hang out."

"And the teacher doesn't mind?" Sayuri shook her head.

"Weird."

"WHO, is this handsome man you have brought to us?" Someone stepped up beside me. Their voice was loud and excited, and their hair was cut short, almost to the scalp, save for the top, where it fell down to almost their eyes. They looked at me expectantly, as though I was supposed to speak.

"This is Tamotsu!" The new kid's eyes lit up.

"This is Tamotsu? THE Tamotsu Hashimoto?" Sayuri nodded.