riSe HiGhsCHool aU: 4: With a VEngEance

riSe HiGhsCHool aU: 4: With a VEngEance

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Commissioned by IhaxlikeNoob

Word Count: 2500

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It took me everything to tell Li Song that he needed to hear. Explaining to him his situation was terrible experience. I am but a mere mortal, unblessed with MC traits such as being super handsome, talented, and charismatic. As a mere side-character to the life of Li Song, and not even being the proper gender to be a childhood friend (wait, what) I could only grit my teeth and tell him the truth.

A lot of girls were in love with him, wanted to be with him, and he should tell them about Coda and his relationship with her. 

In a gag manga, I was sure this sort of thing would be happening in a classroom with the setting sun shining in the distance. However, both he and I had other things to do after class, so I was doing this in my room, in the morning, and in my pajamas after he woke me up to take me to school. Yep, without a doubt, the narrative was not in my favor, I wasn’t going to make emotional impact, and Li Song was not going to understand me, because I was just a side-character to his life.

“Ah, I see. Thank you for telling me, Issei.”

Hbwuahh!?

“I didn’t wish to assume anything, so I did my utmost to ignore advances and not ruin my friendship with anyone, but if what you say is true, and I have no reason to believe that you’d lie to me, then matters must be addressed.” Li was… being manly. He was obviously afraid of what was going to happen, of what awaited him at school now, but instead of running away and calling me a liar, he believed in my words! “I’ll do my best to settle everything today, so that I don’t find an excuse for myself to do otherwise. For everyone’s sake, I’ll settle this situation as fast as possible.”

As a man who’s well-versed in literature, I should have nothing but praise for my best friend. He has overcome all the limitations of a protagonist with utter ease, believed in my words, and has decided to upset the natural order of things for the sake of his friends. This man was truly a man amongst men, a being who decides what to do and whose fate is not decided for him, and I should be happy that such a man was my best friend.

However, without even thinking, I reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

“W-wait? T-today!? You’re going to solve everything today!?” While my spirit agreed with Li’s intentions, my mind and body worked together to delay the apocalypse. Li rejecting one of the girls who liked him would send shockwaves through the whole school for days, if not weeks, and maybe even months. However, if he did it all in one day? No, what if if he rejected Occisor and Creighton on the same day? Alright, my spirit agrees with my mind and body now. Miyakuro was an idiot. There’s no way this can end well! “N-now, let’s thing about this, Li. There has to be another way to go about this!”

I can see the future that goes with this mistake.

The world will become a barren wasteland. Civilization as everyone knows it will cease to exist. All the comforts we now take for granted will be lost forever. The basic necessities shall become luxuries. Food will be little more than edible ash. A single drop of water will need to lauded and sorrowfully imbibed. Even air might become a dear, terrible commodity that must be rationed amongst the strong and healthy, whilst the weak die excruciating, slow deaths tortured by levels of oxygen barely enough for them to live. 

Li’s intentions were pure, but they will surely result in the end of the world!

“Issei, I can’t let this go on. If what you’ve said is true, I’ve left feelings that needed to be answered unanswered for the longest of time. I am being cruel to the people who want to be kind to me.” Don’t do that. My heart can’t take it. I’m already saying no to you, so can’t you understand that it hurts already? When you make that concerned face, believing you’re right, and make me feel that I’m hurting you… it makes me want to die! Stop it, please! This is already the most difficult thing I’ve ever done in my life! “Everything will be fine. I know them and they know me. Surely, they’ll understand that I cannot be with another person now. Coda needs my help, and I need her help, and I’ll only search for another once we’re both well.”

No. 

NO!

NOOOOOOOo!

“That’s the absolute worst thing to say! If you can just say no, it’d be better!” At the very least, that will give people hope. If it was just a no, people will think that they can do better, change, and be with Li. However, if Coda is introduced into the picture, the only thing that can happen is absolute end to all life. The previous, apocalyptic scenario is hell on earth, suffering on a scale hitherto undreamt of, but CodaxSong is absolute obliteration of all life! Every ounce of happiness, joy, and delight ever felt with be outweighed by absolute sorrow. Why? Because there was no chance of anyone changing and becoming better than absolute perfection! “Think of something else this instant! Or, at least delay your answer until a year after graduation!”

“We’re in our second year of highschool, Issei.”

“That gives me just enough time to dropout now and prepare for the apocalypse for two years!” I needed a job. Not a part-time job. A full-time job that lets me work myself to the bone, that’s obliterate all my sensibilities, and earn me lots of money. My virtues are weaknesses that I can’t afford in the World-That-Will-Be. If I can manage to convince other people to join me, to work with me in creating a safe haven before the world ends, maybe I’ll consider an occupation that just takes a toll on my body, instead of also my mind. However, if I’m alone, then I must sacrifice the entirety of myself for my future survival. “Please, consider it thoroughly, or at least give me time to make a peer-reviewed presentation!”

“Now, Issei, there’s no need to worry. It won’t be the end of the world. It’ll be difficult, but I’m sure that nothing extreme will occur.” There are many moments in my life where that smile will dash away all my thoughts and concerns, before making me lament the fact that I’m born, but this is not one of those moment Li. The facts are irrefutable. I will not back down no matter how charming you are. I know the truth. I can’t have you hurt yourself like this. Oh, huh, I really don’t care about the world, do I? What the heck, why am I think about you and your situation more than the whole world!? “We’re young and we’re friends. In a few years, I’m sure we’ll all be able to come together and laugh.”

“It’s easy for you to think that because you’re already secure and safe, Li!” There. That was it. What needed to be said was said. Li was taken aback by my words. He was actually surprised, instead of smiling. My parents gasped through the gap in the door. I told them to scram and give us privacy in my bedroom, before I continued. “You have Coda-chan, but what about everyone else? They’ll all be sad, with no one to hold them, and have no outlets for their feelings. This is just asking to be turned into a terrible, psychotic thriller light novel for biggest of freaks!”

If Song couldn’t see how it would affect everyone, then I was going to force him to. He was such a nice guy that if it just meant he’d suffer, he’d gladly do it for the sake of everyone else. However, if he was going to suffer less than the people he was going to try and care for? Well, it wasn’t even a question! His smile has turned into a frown at my words. I might never be forgiven by humanity for doing such a thing, and I’ll definitely never forgive myself, but if I could save him from potential suffering, I’ll gladly suffer forever. 

(Was that a confession?) No, my weirdly straight-man alterego who’s never existed before this moment, but who I feel who would like videogames very much. it was not a confession. (Sure.)

“You… you’re better at discerning people’s true feelings better than I, Issei. Tell me, do you really think that’s the case? And, if it is… what can I do?” Li stood before me, ready to listen to my words. I am but a weed in his presence, and had no right to speak to him—wait, wrong genre. Right, he and I were childhood friends, but this was the first time he relied on me instead of the other way around. Since when has he been so tall and handsome—AHHH THAT’S DEFINITELY THE WRONG GENRE. “Please, Issei, I’m not sure what to do, especially when you believe that my current actions will only result in strife.”

Li Song looked at me pleadingly.

No, he did more than that.

He was grasping my hands in his own, while taking a knee, in my bedroom whilst I was freshly disheveled from awakening in my bed.

There was only one thing I could say to him.

“Son, if you don’t say yes, I’ll kill you!”

“NOT THE TIME, DAD!”

…

This is the part of the story where shenanigans occur. The scene has been set, everything is in play, and all that needed to be done was unveil our plan to the delight of the audience. Naturally, that meant that any plan that we put into motion would fail utterly, as we would have to entertain the whims of fate. Such a despicable being would naturally desire only one outcome of us, one end, and that was our complete ruin and downfall.

So, the only thing that we could do was nothing.

Nothing more and nothing less.

Homeroom passed!

Lunch passed!

After lunch classes passed!

Everything went smoothly as expected, until I found myself confronted by the person who I couldn’t ever deal with! 

“Spill, Hyoudou. Tell me what’s happening.” She stood taller than me, despite being a girl and being only a year older. She wore her skirt long, until her ankle, and somehow didn’t look like a delinquent. Her hair was up to her waist, slightly curled, and her bangs just-so crested her brow. Upon her face, as she looked me, was a countenance of barely-withheld antagonism… which I returned to the bitchiest bitch to ever be a bitch! “Or, do you think I didn’t notice how Li was avoiding me and everyone, but stayed with you the whole day?”

“Maybe, he just smelled something stuck too far up your ass, Creighton. Maybe, you should get it checked out?” Of all the people in the world, the one who I could never stand was Valerie Creighton. Her existence was opposite to that of Coda. Killing babies? Creighton can do it. Poisoning a nation’s supply of drinking water? Creighton would do it with a smile. Marrying Li Song, keeping him locked up for her own ends and never letting him out of her sight? Yes, Valerie Creighton would do that without a fucking heartbeat, because she’s a heartless bitch! “I mean, it’d be totes terrible if he decided to avoid you for the rest of his life. Oh, wait. It wouldn’t! Go huff some paint, Creighton!”

“Hmph, I see that you’re as uncouth as ever, you refurbished-yet-still-defective imbecile.” Guh. How does she do that? I always attack her with all my strength, yet I never seem to faze her. However, with a single breath, she breaches all my defenses and strikes at my heart. The way she looked at me, as though I wasn’t worth her time, definitely had something to do with it. How did the saying go? If you accepted yourself completely, you shall never waver in your path? I suppose that Creighton, being the mega-, turbo-, and superbitch that she was, could use self-actualization as a weapon against commoners like myself! Damn her! “Now, if you’re done attempting to make yourself significant, allow me to help you with whatever you need to make Li better.”

And, of course, I couldn’t just take her out of my life. 

Valerie Creighton cared about Li Song. Why? Because she helped him and he’d helped her. That was all there was too it. Their paths crossed, became intertwined, and if he needed help, she’d help him. He’d naturally do the same. As much as I disliked her, and while she acted like a stick-in-the-mud, she wanted Li to be happy, even if that meant coming to me and leaving things to me, instead of doing things herself. 

Without a doubt, Creighton cared about Li Song, and I should let her help me, so that I could help Li.

If I could.

And, that’s the issue.

“You can’t. It’s not because I don’t like you, either. You’re a total bitch, but I’d let you help me help Li whenever.” Valerie Creighton is one of the people who’ll be hurt if she knew the truth. She’s one of the people that Li had to keep the same relationship with until we could figure something, anything, out. As it stands now, if she knew everything I did, she’d only hurt herself, Li, and everyone else. “Creighton, please, just this once, let me and Li handle this by ourselves. Li will be normal tomorrow, I swear.”

Today, we had to do nothing. Li wasn’t a good liar. He wasn’t even a decent one. I could keep my mouth shut, but if I could convince him, a lot of others can too. 

Creighton can make him confess everything if she wanted.

And, she wants to know the truth, so that she can help him.

It was a dangerous combination, one that couldn’t be tampered with, and was best left aside and alone for everyone involved. 

So, I told her what I could and kept silent, while hoping that she’d listen.

I didn’t know how long I met her gaze, as she met my own, but when she turned away I took a heaving breath. 

“Fine. Be that way, Hyoudou.” Creighton stalked away. If she weren’t human, I was sure that each of her steps would’ve cracked the pavement with every stride she took. However, thankfully, we weren’t in some sort of Shounen Battle manga. As strange as our circumstances were, this was just real life, albeit somewhat more different than most. “But, know this, if you break your word and Li doesn’t talk to me tomorrow, I will not hesitate to do everything in my power to make you talk and give up trying to help him by yourself… forever.”

Scary.

That was definitely scary.

I didn’t know whether she was going to kill me, or just make it so I’d never try to help Li by myself again!

Augh… how the heck am I going to have Li act naturally around everyone tomorrow… and until we can make some solution that doesn’t end with our social life breaking apart!?

Why couldn’t I just have a lighthearted comedy as my highschool life, Kami-sama!?