What Rules Cannot Hold (A Naekusaba story)

Chapter 15

An assembly was held in the hall that Kyoko and Shuichi recently used to conduct a class trial. The headmaster spoke briefly, repeating many things he already mentioned on previous assemblies. 

Mukuro forgot that she had to pack her belongings so she hurried back to her dorm once the assembly finished. If it wasn't for her weaponry, she'd have been able to fit everything else in a large handbag. She secured the weapon cases and arranged them near the door, looking around her dorm to see if she had missed anything. 

The room was desolate; shelves were empty and dusty, while the bed coverings and pillows were folded and prepared with neatness and care reminiscent of an unused hotel room. Mukuro walked up to the window to look at the scaffolded Hope's Peak. The number of workers repairing it increased daily, with the workers themselves working many hours. Whatever progress they made, one certainly couldn't see it from the outside, so Mukuro concluded that this might really be her last time being here. The conclusion didn't have an effect on her until she realised that she was forever leaving the place where she and Makoto shared their first moments. Even though school would remain virtually unchanged outside of the place of study, she sensed a division between her time here and the new place, an impression no less made by Junko's absence. 

She didn't visit Mukuro nor spoke to her when they encountered each other. This change hurt her the most. Junko was the most important person in her life as far as she could remember, therefore, a sudden separation left Mukuro grieving inwardly for many days. The sense of loss she faced didn't differ much from what others felt upon the death of a loved one. There was no one else like Junko, whether because of her affectionate cruelty or hateful care. 

Glancing at her desk, Mukuro spotted a notebook she forgot to pack lying atop a flashy magazine. It was a weekly fashion magazine given to her by Junko and copies from other weeks were buried with her other belongings. As always, the cover depicted Junko wearing a frilly outfit. Mukuro was amazed how little her sister's appearance changed over the years, if it did at all, where one'd be scarcely able to see a difference between her face three years ago and now. She stared at the magazine, hoping that perhaps Junko's depiction would tell her why she had left her, but the model treated her with a motionless half smile and with a pose meant to highlight her voluptuous shape. 

Mukuro stuffed the magazine and notebook inside her back and, handling her weapon cases, she left the dorm. The coaches would arrive soon and so each class had to be ready outside of the dormitory. 

She arrived on time and was one of the only students to do so, the remainder following soon after, encumbered by their belongings as much as she was. Among this crowd of belated students she saw Makoto and waved to him. He recognised her and ran up, several things dropping out of his duffle bag. 

''I thought it was zipped...'' Makoto muttered to himself and collected his things. ''Hey, you were quite early, huh?'' 

''I was on time,'' Mukuro said, watching another set of stragglers join their cohort. ''Did something happen?'' 

''I think most people were late, so when everyone started leaving their dorms the place got kind of crowded and it was hard to leave,'' Makoto said and, after a brief pause, asked, ''by the way, where's Junko? I thought that she'd be with you.'' 

''I don't know. I haven't seen her.'' Mukuro inspected the people surrounding her again, trying to discern her sister's flashy hair; she thought she saw her when some strips of pink glimmered in the sunlight, but she quickly realised that it was Ibuki. Mukuro was sure that Junko would join them eventually, yet the prolonged absence made her suspect that maybe this wasn't going to be the case.