The Devil Is Mocking Us
It was a dark morning for Yokohama, rain poured and drenched every corner of the port-side metropolis. Chuuya was no exception to this he realised, sighing as he parked his motorcycle in his school's basement. He was lucky that his butler, Hirotsu, had given him a raincoat just before he left, if not he would've been soaked from head to toe. The redhead kicked his legs over and onto the right side of his parked bike, standing up and taking off his coat followed by his helmet. As gently as he could, he wiped away the rainwater and folded the plastic fabric small enough so that he could place it in his helmet, which he then hung on one of his bike handles. Brushing his clothes off and fixing the bag on his shoulders, he began to make his way to the elevator, observing the empty parking lot around him before he pressed the button to go up.
It was rather early, but Chuuya prided himself on being one of the first people at school. He was punctual, which was much appreciated by his peers and teachers. Another reason he liked leaving for school early was that it was quiet, the sky was still dark and the only noise accompanying him was the crickets that croaked on and on until the crack of dawn. It was as if only he existed in this world, a thought he liked all too much, and it made him feel what could only be described as peace. The metal doors opened with a small ding and as if on cue, his phone started ringing. He waited until he stepped inside the elevator to take his phone out of his pocket, "Why would anyone be calling me at 6 in the m... Oh." His phone screen reflected upon his eyes, the name read 'Principal Mori', and mostly because he wanted his phone to stop ringing, he answered within the next second as the elevator doors closed.
"Good morning, sir. How can I help you?" Chuuya's voice was rough, unlike the usual smooth tone he used during the day while conversing with others. The boy took a mental note to drink more water in the morning.
"Good morning to you too, Chuuya. Please come up to my office."
"Okay, I'll be there in less than five."
"Splendid."
The call ended right before Chuuya could question any further. Why the sudden meeting? Did he do something wrong? How did the man know he was already in school? Was he watching the surveillance cameras? Well, he wouldn't put it past Mori, he was a strange man after all. The teen shook his head, all his questions vanishing completely as he pressed the button to take him to the fifth floor.
The ride-up was quick, and courtesy of the school's seemingly endless funds, it was no surprise that the elevator system would be high-tech and efficient. 'Seriously, how much money do they make? The principal has a whole floor to himself.' Chuuya remembers hearing one of his juniors whine about it during lunch some months ago, and at the time he paid no mind to it, but only now did he realise how obnoxious it really was.
A familiar ding signalled that he had finally reached the top floor, the fifth floor, and that the doors were about to open. Chuuya took in a sharp breath, anticipating what was waiting for him on the other side. And when the doors finally opened, he was greeted by two pairs of eyes staring straight at him from the other side of the massive room. One pair belonged to Mori, how could anyone not recognise his fierce red eyes? It was the other pair that surprised him, dark brown eyes that appeared to be on the borderline of lifeless and fully alive at the same time. He recognised them, slowly but surely, those eyes belonged to the recently made infamous, Osamu Dazai.
That name was no longer foreign to Chuuya, even if he wanted to, the poor lad just couldn't escape from the gossip that seemed to plague everyone's circle when something interesting or scandalous happened. Dazai just happened to be both, already breaking hearts and starting fights left and right since his arrival only a week ago, he was nothing but a pretty-faced troublemaker. So, why was he here? With a sly smirk plastered on his face? Taking part in a meeting that involved the one and only, Nakahara Chuuya? The ginger stepped out of the elevator, trying to read the room but to no avail. What is going on? He thought to himself.
"If it isn't the famous, Nakahara Chuuya!"
Personally, Chuuya had never heard him speak before and though he typically wasn't the type to judge, but that voice. That voice sent shivers of disgust down his spine. "Osamu Dazai." Was all he said in acknowledgement of the other teen in the room as he made his way to Mori's desk, quickly shifting his attention to his principal, who he rightfully chose to be more respectful to. "Sir." He greeted him with a bow.
"How kind of you to join us, Chuuya. Please have a seat." The man finally spoke, a smile adorning his face as he gestured to the seat across from him, next to Dazai. But due to the other boy staring up at him through his messy brunette bangs with a sickly sweet grin plastered on his face, he really didn't want to, but did so anyway just to please the older man who was also in the room. He made a conscious decision to stare straight ahead at Mori, completely ignoring Dazai's presence.
"You needed me?" Chuuya spoke up, raising an eyebrow slightly at Mori. The man nodded before speaking, "Yes. The both of you might be wondering why I have brought you guys together at such an early hour of the day, but there isn't a more perfect time than now." This introduction sparked even the playboy's interest, producing a small hum which caused Chuuya to steal a slight glance at the boy, he noticed the brunette's expression was now levelled down to more of a poker face. "Yes, what about it?" Dazai's tone was now unsettling, oddly empty. It made Chuuya question if the boy was bipolar or something.
"I'm assigning both of you as the heads of student council this year." Mori put his hand up as if to say 'Let me finish', acknowledging the look of horror now on Chuuya's face and Dazai's subtly scrunched-up expression. "I know what you're thinking, Chuuya. Though Dazai doesn't seem like it, he is highly intelligent for his age. And as for Dazai's concerns, Chuuya isn't as mean as you think." The man chuckled, leaning back into his chair. Dazai and Chuuya both acknowledged that there was no use objecting now, knowing that Mori's spoken decisions were always final. It was now their turn to lean back into their seats as if it would help them process the situation better.
"Today is a Friday, which means you two will have the entire weekend to prepare your introduction speeches for Monday's morning assembly, which is when your new positions will be announced to the entire school. Do work together to ensure it gets done by the deadline. Understood?" Mori gestured for them to stand up, which they did, in a rather unlively manner.
"Understood." The two boys said in unison, ready to leave as soon as they were allowed to.
"Oh, and please do try to get along." Their principal smiled, "That is all. Thank you both for your time."
And as if it was coordinated, the two boys turned on their heels and started speed-walking towards the elevator. Secretly, but also quite obviously, hoping that one would get to it first, leaving the other behind for the next chance to catch their way down. Unfortunately, the two made it to the metal box at the same time, both sulking in silence as they accepted the fact they had to share more time in each other's presence to not create a scene that would likely anger Mori, who was still staring at them with his signature taunting smile, making the two feel like it was as if the devil himself was mocking them.
Dazai had already pushed the button the bring them back down to the ground floor of the school, causing the doors to finally close. Now, they were alone with each other, and the tension shared between them was astronomical.
Chuuya stole glances at the boy next to him, not enough to give a full descriptive analysis of his features, but enough to conclude that he was slightly taller compared to the ginger himself. The shorter decided it was time to break the silence, choosing to be professional and adhere to his new responsibilities.
"Let's meet somewhere tomorrow to work on our speeches." It's not like he could ignore Dazai forever, and he didn’t even have a personal reason to hate him. "My number is-"
"I'm sorry, is someone talking to me? Maybe it's just the wind."
Well, now he sure as hell had a reason.