beneath tangerine skies | eishi tsukasa

― 𝘴𝘪𝘹 ;

CHAPTER SIX | THE MONSTER UNDER YOUR BED

You see I usually find myself among strangers because I drift here and there trying to forget the sad things that happened to me. — The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Sachiyo's eyes fluttered open and she was met with the strong smell of antiseptic. She tried to move her arms but they were a little too numb. Her head was throbbing in pain but she still managed to figure out that she was in their school's infirmary. It might be because of the overly conspicuous emblem of their school on the wall but that doesn't really matter. She took a deep breath as she tried to calm down her erratic heart.

The shrill noise of curtains being pulled aside made her turn her head to see a deeply annoyed doctor, "You overdosed on drugs. If those boys didn't see you collapsing, you might as well be dead. What were you thinking?"

"You have my thanks for saving my life but I don't appreciate your tone. I didn't do it on purpose. My doctor gave those to me to counter my panic attacks. I was in too deep to count the pills so stop looking at me like that before I get up and gauge them out myself."

The doctor clicked his tongue before leaving. Sachiyo moved her gaze to take a glimpse at her saviors. Her eyes met a blonde boy that was only a few inches taller than her and a chubbier black haired boy that was smiling kindly met her eyes. She stared at them curiously before motioning for them to come closer. 

She tipped her head as best as she could with her sore body, "Thank you for taking me here. I owe you both greatly. I'm sorry you had to see me like that though."

She was more irritated than sorry. She hated showing her vulnerable side to anyone.

"It's no problem! We'll help anyone who needs it," The black haired boy told her with a pleasant smile.

"Thank you. You didn't have to stay but you did. I'm sorry for wasting your time. I'm Yamada Sachiyo. It's a pleasure to meet the both of you although I would've wished for better circumstances."

"I'm Isami and this is my brother, Takumi. He's a little grumpy because his 'rival' ignored his challenge but he's a good guy."

"Hey! You didn't need to say that! Anyway," Sachiyo raised a brow as Takumi looked at her with curiosity and admiration, "You're THE Yamada Sachiyo right?"

"I suppose I am?"

"I didn't know you went to this school. I'm a huge fan of yours!" The twinkle in his eyes made Sachiyo's heart flutter and she smiled at him softly. Maybe they weren't so bad afterall.

"Thank you. I'll take you both out on my restaurant when I feel a little better. Is that okay?"

"It's more than okay! Thank you very much!"

The three of them fell into a light conversation. Sachiyo was surprised to feel at ease with the two when she barely knew them at all. It was odd how she preferred the company of these strangers. Maybe there was some truth with Isshiki's words from before. She also found it weird how these people who claim to be fans of hers never mentioned cooking at least once. It surprised her but it didn't bother her. In fact, she was thankful for it. It had been a month or so since she last cooked and she didn't really feel like touching a knife anytime soon either.

"Sachiyo-senpai!" Her head snapped towards the door as a loud bang halted their conversation.

"Ah... Megumi-chan and Soma-kun... What brings you here?"