A Monster's Influence: Route B

Volume 2 - Chapter 18

Ayanokouji's POV

I quietly listened to the pitter-patter of the torrential downpour from this summer's typhoon against my window. Water droplets that formed on the glass coalesced into larger droplets, turning into streams as they were dragged earthward by gravity. Rainclouds blotted the sky a dull grey, my mood reflecting the somber atmosphere.

I took a brief period of absence from class, citing mental health reasons. While it was approved by Hoshinomiya-sensei, I still was depleting some of our class points. Some of my classmates were mildly disgruntled, but Kanzaki assured the class that it was something urgent. With Ichinose backing him up, I didn't have to deal with my classmates' displeasure. I also avoided the Tea Ceremony club's chashitsu in order to avoid dampening the ambiance with my gloominess. According to Ikari-senpai, Shiina had temporarily taken over my duties... sort of. She definitely still had a lot to learn.

"Haa..." I sighed profoundly. I was thankful for Yuki's daily visits during school intermissions. If it wasn't for her bringing bento during lunch and after classes, I would have spent most of my time brooding, forgetting to eat as I remembered both what had transpired recently along with the experiences of my past that had clawed their way to the surface of my mind. My hands stopped shaking, but I wasn't in the mood to return to class. I was no stranger to emotions, being able to feel envy, joy, annoyance, and the like, but it had been a long time since I had felt such a vivid emotion. Was I changing? I didn't think so—

Ah, speaking of bento, the one Yuki brought over today was left forgotten. I begrudgingly left my comfortable position on my bed, taking measured steps towards my refrigerator, lazily tugging the handle to reach the bento box inside. I lightly kicked the refrigerator door closed and grabbed some disposable chopsticks before I took a seat in front of my window. I idly watched as a group of four people loitered in the rain under their umbrellas, seemingly waiting for someone. Ah, it was Ryuuen and friends. I seldomly took minute bites of my meal while I listlessly peered at them, my appearance obscured by the rain and the height of my room.

After five minutes of waiting, another group of people approached their direction. I squinted as their figures became more recognizable; a crippled midget, beer-chan, snake-kun, and that one freshman on the basketball team besides Sudou. Kudos to that guy; I really didn't like Sudou. To be honest, both groups looked a bit like ants from where I sat. They stopped in front of Ryuuen's group and gathered around the crippled midget girl, rightfully so. Ryuuen does seem like the type to kick babies and puppies, after all. He probably won't make exceptions for cripples. The two seemed to exchange words while I looked at them in disgust. I couldn't believe them — they were having a standoff, right in front of my salad? Couldn't they be more courteous? So annoying. It was unfortunate that I couldn't hear the contents of their conversation; perhaps it's... what did one of those Class D boys call it? A dick-measuring contest? Since that midget girl is likely to be in Class A, she probably has the bigger one.

I finished my bento, casually disposing of the chopsticks and carefully washing the bento box in the sink before returning to my original seat on my bed. I didn't want to do anything for the rest of today; it would be best if I just rested for the weekend before returning to class on Monday.

Timeskip

I stood up and bowed to my classmates after homeroom period, all eyes on me, "I'm sorry for the trouble."

While I had an inkling that my classmates had forgiven my transgressions already, I had to formally apologize to them for the inconvenience, even if it was needed on my part.

"It's no biggie,"

"Jeez, you had us worried for a bit,"

The class all seemed to voice their acceptance of my apology; or rather, the ones still offended kept quiet, refusing to voice their disapproval for me due to peer pressure. I'll eventually have to correct that; unfortunately, the Japanese culture of collectivism and conformity is ingrained in their memories, having been raised that way since childhood. I would welcome their criticism of me, not just following the crowd.

After the noise died down, everyone had returned to their usual conversations; Ichinose's clique seemed to have expanded several-fold, encompassing at least half the members of the class, Kanzaki and the boys chattering with one another about practice and the latest games, and Yuki and I discussing random topics. Yuki seemed a little happier than usual; perhaps she was happy that I was relatively 'back to normal'. For some reason, it wasn't forced; I was astonished that she didn't look at me too differently, considering she saw my darker side. Ah, speaking of darker sides, I still haven't shown her Kushida's hidden persona. I definitely had to inform Kanzaki and Beppu about it too; they are rather pragmatic and had seen a glimpse of what I kept hidden.

A bespectacled girl had suddenly entered the room with Hirata and the Horikita girl, causing the room to suddenly decrescendo, everyone eyeing these foreign invaders. It was good that they were a bit wary of them, even if they were meant to be allies. The bespectacled girl flinched and hid behind Horikita for some reason; I guess unlike the persona she portrayed last week as told to me by Yuki, she actually is a meek girl.

"What is it that you need from us?" Ichinose finally questioned them with a smile.

"Ano..." the bespectacled girl started, everyone's eyes flicking towards her figure, "I-Is Ayanokouji-kun here? I want to thank him."

"Thank him? What did he do?" Ichinose asked, suspicious of her motive. Her eyes narrowed, likely connecting her intent with what happened that caused my momentary absence from class.

"I-If it wasn't for him, I... I would have dropped out!" the bespectacled girl exclaimed after she gathered courage, "I made some chocolates to thank him—"

"Ooh!" I suddenly rose my hand, startling everyone, "I'm here! You didn't have to make the chocolates for me, but I'm grateful for them. I just did what everyone would."

Yuki, Kanzaki, and Beppu stifled their laughter while everyone looked on at me in confusion. The bespectacled girl ran up to my desk, shoving a box of chocolates in my hands before she bolted outside of the classroom — tried to. She accidentally banged her knee on the side of one of the desks along the way before she continued on her way, stumbling out of it. Hirata and Horikita followed her out, fondly shaking their heads. They looked in my direction and gave one last bow before they exited.

Everyone started to crowd around me, curious about what had transpired. It was honestly bothersome having them ask numerous questions, overlapping one another. It was lucky that one of our senseis entered the classroom, causing everyone to return to their seats. I'll definitely have to dash outside of the classroom later on — it would be best for my sanity, at least.

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Taking a two-week break after this chapter. I have a few exams in this period. I hope you enjoyed the ending of this volume and the beginning of volume 3. Do you think I should note the divide in volumes or do you prefer it as is? Anyway, Hundred Blossoms out.