𝐌𝐘 𝐈𝐍-𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐘𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃 [Kozume Kenma]

22. ANGRY CAT

~ SHIRO ~

"Hey, watch out!"

I turned but it was already too late. The last thing I saw was a flash of blue and yellow before my world went black. And that was the end of my life story. Akari Shiro, age 17, was killed by a volleyball.

Sadly, that didn't happen. Well, yes, I did get hit with a ball and yes, it was a pretty solid hit, hard enough to knock me to the ground and kill off a couple thousand brain cells, assuming I had them in the first place. But unfortunately, it didn't kill me. Damn it. Better luck next time.

"Shiro, you okay?"

The voice was soft and surprisingly tender. My eyelids fluttered open to see a beautiful boy with golden eyes leaning over me. Perhaps I am in heaven...

"Yeah... I'm perfectly fine."

Holding both of my hands in his, he carefully helped me back up, all the while gazing at me with a strange concern, as if I had almost died or something. I mean... fair enough.

Suddenly, the blonde-haired angel was shoved aside by a devil-like creature with a ghastly mohawk, who appeared to be... crying?

"Shiro-chan!!!" He wailed, shoving his rather frightful face in front of mine. "Thank goodness you're alright! I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to hit you, my aim is just so off today. I'm so sorry!!!"

"Taketora?" I mumbled, my thoughts still a bit incoherent from the fall.

"Yes? What it is, Shiro-chan?"

"Please call me Akari."

In the corner of the gym, hyena-like shrieks erupted as the black-haired captain doubled over in laughter. Beside him, the mother figure of the team, Yaku, tried to control his own chuckles. "Damn, that must've hurt."

But clearly it didn't, as Taketora's intense enthusiasm did not waver one bit. "Cool! Then you can call me Tora!"

"Okay..." I slowly backed away, in an attempt to put a little more distance between myself and this impossibly energetic being.

"Get out of the way, Tora!" Kenma hissed, pushing the taller boy out of the way. "You're scaring her, you brainless barbarian."

But Taketora wasn't one to back down easily, even if it was a fight he knew he couldn't win. "What did you just call me?" He asked aggressively, squaring up to the considerably smaller boy.

"You heard what I said! You're a brainless barbarian. The ones that die first in Clash of Clans!"

"You gutless, little..."