This Girl Is A Delinquent!, Vol. 1

Chapter 11: Making Your Own Way

A grogginess hung over Ken's head as he slowly opened his eyes. Yet, instead of his bedroom, he only saw permeating darkness. As his facilities returned to him, he noticed that his body felt light as if he was floating. Just as the peculiarity of the situation began to sink in, a spotlight was cast across him and the surrounding area. Wincing to overcome the sudden brightness, Ken noticed that the floating feeling was not imagined. A springy cable was connecting him to a rod hanging overhead and was attached to what appeared to be an oversized scratching post. Before he could express his bewilderment, a loud familiar voice caught him by surprise.

"Well if it isn't the idiot weasel, meow meow!"

Standing before Ken and eyeing him with a smug grin was who appeared to be Sonya. However, instead of his petite underclassmen, her frame was gigantic next to the scratching post and looked as though she could easily hold his entire body in her hand. Notably, she had a set of small cat ears atop her head and her hands and feet were replaced with paws coated in black fur. Whiskers protruding from her cheeks twitched as a long tail swayed haphazardly behind her. The sight made Ken freeze as he shook his head in disbelief. This had to be a dream, he thought. Not waiting for him to respond, Sonya playfully hopped around the scratching post as she eagerly viewed him from all angles and called out giddily.

"This is great! You must be my new toy, meow meow!"

As Ken wondered why she was so excited, a large paw brushed into him from the side and sent his restrained body careening through the air. As the cable that connected him made him swing around the scratching post, he could see that Sonya was laying on her back and happily kicking all of her limbs into the air in an attempt to swat him once more. As he drifted back towards his assailant, the sensation of falling made his vision fill with bright light. Instantly his eyes opened as he slipped from his bed backwards onto the floor.

Holding his head in his hands, Ken recited the details of his dream as Lucas and Mary watched him with worried expressions. It was Monday and the three had been sharing lunch in the student council room when Ken had brought up the subject. Having finished his story, Ken looked to his friends as he lamented.

"So, that was the dream. I'm not sure what to make of it..."

"What are we going to do with you..."

Meeting his confused expression with one of his own, Lucas rubbed his temple as he responded. Dropping her face into her palm, Mary interjected with an annoyed tone.

"Are you serious? You don't have the slightest idea what a dream like that could mean?! Ken... you really need to be more honest with yourself."

Drooping his shoulders, Ken sighed defeatedly as he met Mary's eyes. Seeing him in such a sorry state caused her to continue speaking in a softened tone.

"Ken, if you're worried about Sonya... "

As Mary was speaking, a soft knock reverberated from the student council room door and interrupted her. As the group turned to see the source of the sound, they were surprised to see the subject of their conversation emerge from the threshold. Gently closing the door behind her, Sonya met them with a timid expression that she quickly replaced with a grimace as she approached the table. Ken's chest tightened as he avoided her eyes and the memory of her pained expression as she ran from the gymnasium last week played in his head. A few seconds passed before Lucas cheerily called out to their unexpected visitor.

"Sonya! Awesome timing! Are you here to have lunch with us?"

Subtly glancing at Ken as she inched closer to the group, the sound of a voice startled Sonya and caused her to stumble forward as she quickly redirected her attention to Lucas.