"I gotta say, you're the first junior outside of the volleyball club to approach me for something. So then, what did you want to ask?"
Takamoto says in a friendly tone. It's weird seeing her so nice and acting like a normal senior student. If I hadn't witnessed her violent outbursts, I would say that she's just a normal girl. Boy, I wish that were true.
"Well, I was wondering if I could ask about—"
"Hang on. You kinda look familiar. Don't you think so, Maki-chan?"
"Yeah… We've definitely seen you somewhere before."
I couldn't even finish what I was going to say before the two goons started to get suspicious. Come on guys, this should just be about Takamoto. You two shouldn't even be here.
"Oh I remember now! He's that guy from behind the building! The one who took pictures of us."
"Are you sure, Ami? I didn't get a good look at his face back then."
"Yep, I'm pretty sure, Maki-chan."
Just like that, the entire mood shifted from pleasant to tense. Even while the two girls were trying to remember who I was, I never took my eyes off of Takamoto. Her eyes, which were initially exuberant, have now become cold and menacing after hearing and realizing who I am.
"... You're either very brave or just plain stupid to come to me. You got a death wish or something?"
"Yeah, I actually do. But that's not the point. I was just wondering how long you were going to keep up that fake goody-two-shoes act."
The two cronies step in front of Takamoto, essentially forming a blockade between me and her. I'm curious, do they mean to protect her from me? Or is it the other way around?
"Listen kid, Miyoko's not in the mood right now. I suggest you just run along now before you regret it."
This girl, Maki I think is her name, sounds like she's genuinely trying to get me to just back off and walk away. I can even feel the shakiness in her voice, like she's afraid of Takamoto suddenly going berserk. Unfortunately for her, that's exactly what I want to happen.
I take a quick glimpse at Sakakibara Daiki just to make sure that he's still standing behind me. Sure enough, he's vigilantly observing the situation as it unfolds. When he sees me looking at him, he gives me an "I'm handsome and I know it" smile; the kind of smile that irritates me the most. Though this irritation actually helped strengthen my resolve a bit.
"Yeah well, I don't really care about her mood. Though I can imagine she's feeling crappy right now. Especially after hearing about Suzuki and Inoue officially dating."
I can practically feel the murderous intent coming from Takamoto. But I can't stop now. I have to keep talking or else I feel like my nerves are gonna get the better of me.
"I'm just curious to know if Suzuki knew that you were a violent, cold blooded delinquent. Maybe that's why he didn't even give any attention to you. Or maybe you're just not that attractive? Like, at all?"
"Okay, seriously man! What's your problem with Miyoko?"
"Just back off, will you? Miyoko's already had a really rough day as it is."
Her two friends start berating me and trying to take the heat off of Takamoto, who is silently stewing and hasn't moved an inch since I began talking. I can't waste time or momentum with these two girls, so I decide to ignore them and just aim all my jabs at Takamoto.
"Say, Takamoto, how's it feel to act like a groupie for someone who actually likes a different girl? Must've been rough to know that all that time you spent gushing over him was wasted, huh?"
"Dude, you seriously need to stop. Come on Miyoko, we don't need to hear this crap."
The two girls begin to gently drag her away. Takamoto still looks like she hasn't completely lost her composure yet. I gotta dig deeper for something that she'll go ballistic over.
"Yeah, I mean, who would want to hear the truth about their failure of a love life, right? I feel almost sorry for you, so how about this? What if I just end your suffering by showing the pictures of your bullying antics to the principal? I mean, if you're expelled, then you wouldn't have to see Suzuki ever again. Oh, and you can take your two friends with you so you won't have to be alone."
The two girls freeze in place with a horrified expression on their face. However, Takamoto doesn't look fazed. Instead, she slowly starts to step closer to me. In response, I take a step back for each step forward she takes. While doing so, I accidentally bump into Sakakibara Daiki, who takes a few steps back along with me. I quickly turn around just to see if my back is still directly towards the staircase before continuing to speak.
"Or maybe I should just show this to Suzuki and tell him all about your mean streak. Maybe he'll put two and two together and figure out that you're also bullying Inoue. How do you think he'll react to that?"
Takamoto stops her advance and is now standing motionless in the middle of the hall. Her eyes, which have never strayed away from looking at me, have a sort of deranged look about them. She takes a hair tie from her pocket and begins to tie her long hair into a ponytail before saying something.
"Are you done talking?"
"... If you want, I have plenty of—"
I was in the middle of talking when she suddenly lunged forward in an attempt to grab my shirt. She would have succeeded if not for Sakakibara Daiki pulling me away at the last second.
"That was a close one. You alright?"
"Yeah. I had that, you know? I didn't need your help."
"Ahaha! Sure you did. So, you got her attention. Now what?"
I take a brief moment to assess the situation. Takamoto's two friends have rushed to her side and are now frantically trying to calm her down. Some students have also taken notice of us and are beginning to gather around. But despite it all, Takamoto is still laser focused on me. She pushes the two girls aside and is getting ready to charge.
"Go to the gym."
I told Sakakibara Daiki before making a run for it down the flight of stairs behind me. I don't think I even need to look back to make sure that Takamoto followed me. Judging by the loud and fast footsteps that seem to creep closer and closer, she's running after me like a crazed bull. So just like the people of Spain do, I now need to lure this bull into the arena.