COTE: YEAR 2 REACTION

Chapter 12: Kushida's Decision

A strangled sob tore from my throat as I yanked at my hair, the strands snapping between my trembling fingers. This is what my life has come to. Sitting in the toilet and crying about how shitty I feel.

It's all over. My life, my dreams, everything I worked for. I can't just switch schools and start over. The thought alone was exhausting, draining the very will to live out of me.

So, this is all I'll amount to. A girl who got clowned on, the biggest bitch to exist. What a pathetic way to go down. Starting over? A laughable fantasy. The sheep of Class D wouldn't accept me with open arms anymore. The news would follow me, a scarlet letter branding me a fraud.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" I muttered under my breath, my voice shaking with rage. What's with the sudden self-deprecation, you bimbo? Get your head in the game. It's not over until it is. Think, Kikyo, think!

My eyes widened in realisation. I suddenly remembered what I thought when this episode aired, more in hastened anger. I got up and started running before my body could fully process the thought. My legs moved on its own, carrying me up the stairs two at a time. My destination? The second floor of the building.

I threw open doors one after another. Where the hell is the electrical room?

Finally, I stumbled upon it. As I burst inside, my eyes darted around in search of the power board. The room was a mess of wires and switches. Should I just set this dump on fire? No, arson is never the answer... usually.

"Where is it, where is it?" I muttered, my voice rising in pitch as I frantically opened each board. My hands were shaking, sweat slicking my palms as I yanked open another panel. And there it was, my prize. Coloured in black and red, the switches stood out starkly.

The surprising part was that they were all labelled pretty and shit. Grinning, I thanked whichever idiot made my job easier. "Finally, something is going right for once," I muttered, my fingers hovering over the switches.

With renewed determination, I reached for the switch labelled "Auditorium Power."

"S-Stop!" I heard a voice from someone I expected the least from the doorway.

"You?!" I muttered in bewilderment. Why the fuck is she here?

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Meanwhile, 500 kilometres from the school, in the middle of the ocean, the harsh wind and rain battered against the walls of Japan's largest and most notorious prison. The structure loomed ominously. Inside, the atmosphere was cold punctuated only by the howls of the wind and the occasional drip of water seeping through.

In a particular cell, deep within the heart of this place, lay a peculiar individual. The cell was sparse, with only a thin, tattered blanket providing a semblance of comfort on the hard, metal bed.

A middle-aged man, appearing to be in his 40s, suddenly sneezed, jolting awake. His gaunt face was etched with lines of bitterness, his eyes bloodshot and wild.

"Ugh, I-I bet someone is thinking about me... probably my idiot son," he groaned, rubbing his nose with a sleeve already stained with dirt and sweat. He shifted on his bed, the thin blanket slipping off to reveal a crumpled, grimy shirt. The name 'Yukitsu Kusuda' was embroidered on it.

"Why didn't I marry a model and live a comfortable life? At least my good genes wouldn't be wasted on that useless boy," he mumbled. "I miss you, Shizuku-chan..."

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