Dead Man's Tales: HSOTD

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From the perspective of the detention class, the normally bustling hallways of the school had transformed into a scene of controlled chaos. The usual end-of-day quiet, marked by the distant sounds of lockers slamming and the final calls of teachers, was replaced by a tense atmosphere.

As the detention room's door remained ajar, the occasional hurried footsteps and raised voices from the corridor leaked in. Through the open slits of the classroom blinds, the occasional flash of a parent's hurried gait or the stern face of a school administrator could be seen rushing past.

Inside the detention classroom, the air was thick with whispers and the shuffling of restless students. 

"Okay, please come back to your classes."

Most of the students, however, ignored the teacher's feeble attempts at control, instead exchanging whispers about the reason behind the sudden influx of agitated parents. 

Sitting at the back of the room, Kozen and Kohta remained apart from the rest, their demeanor calm but alert. 

"Kozen, why are we in detention?" 

Kozen, staring blankly ahead, responded in a flat, almost detached voice, "I want to see the reactions." There was an odd tone in his voice, something that might have been anxiety or perhaps anticipation. Kohta couldn't quite pinpoint it; the big man was an enigma.

After a moment of heavy silence, Kohta ventured further. 

"Dude, we're friends, right?" 

Kozen turned to him, one eyebrow raised, as if assessing Kohta's sincerity or perhaps the weight of the question itself. After a brief pause, his features softened into a smirk. 

"After what we have been through… Of course."

The rotund boy adjusted his glasses, gathering the courage to ask a more burning question, one that had been simmering in his mind through all their recent escapades. 

"Why do all of this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why needlessly go this far? From blackmail to torture… I don't think high school is worth that. So why do all of this?"

Kozen's lips pursed, a rare sign of discomfort flickering across his face as he turned away slightly. 

"I don't know, I guess you can say I was afraid and then… I don't know, man."

It was clear that whatever full truth lay behind his actions, Kozen was either unwilling or unready to disclose it.

Kohta sensed the struggle within his friend and decided to offer an olive branch. 

"Hey, if you don't want to tell me, you don't have to. But we are in this together, okay?" he said, bumping his fist gently against Kozen's shoulder.

Kozen remained silent, his gaze fixed on the chaos visible through the classroom door, but the slight nod he gave was enough for Kohta. 

The quiet between Kohta and Kozen stretched out, punctuated only by the muffled sounds of the school still dealing with the fallout outside. It was Kozen who broke the silence.

"Do you ever regret something?" 

Kohta turned towards him, noting that his friend hadn't even bothered to face him, his gaze fixed on some distant point. 

"Yeah," Kohta replied, his voice tinged with the universal acceptance of human fallibility. "Regret is part of us. We're human, after all."

"And what if you had a second chance to do it all over again? What would you do?" Kozen's voice held a strange quality, as if he was pondering the depths of his own questions more than expecting an answer from Kohta.

"I would try to do better and this time not regret it, I think."

"Well, that's my answer," Kozen said quietly, leaving Kohta puzzled. The response seemed to seal something within Kozen, a resolution or perhaps a justification for his actions that he could not fully grasp.

Kohta sensed the conversation was reaching its natural end, and though he still had many questions about Kozen's mysterious and sometimes troubling actions, he decided not to push further. 

"Thanks for telling me. I'm going to sleep. Wake me up when detention is over," Kohta said and scooted his chair back slightly and leaned forward, resting his forehead on his crossed arms atop the desk. 

As Kozen watched Kohta settle into a makeshift rest, a contemplative hum escaped his lips.  

If only someone in this world could truly understand me, he thought wistfully.

Kozen leaned back, closing his eyes, allowing himself a moment. His aspirations—to live a better, more successful life—weren't just goals; they had become an all-consuming obsession. This second chance at life was more than a mere do-over; it was his validation, his proof that he was no longer the loser he once was.

Each decision, each action he had taken was driven by a deep-seated need to craft a perfect existence, one unmarred by the failures of his past. To others, his methods might seem extreme, even psychotic, but to Kozen, they were justified—essential, even—as long as they safeguarded the idyllic second life.

Due to some sounds, Kozen opened his eyes and glanced toward the corner of the detention room, his eyes settled on a sight that unexpectedly captured his attention. A girl sat there, seemingly oblivious to the surrounding chaos, deeply engrossed in her game. Her light orange hair was styled in a bob with bangs. The multiple piercings in her ears glinted under the room's fluorescent lights, adding a unique edge to her appearance. She was playing on a Nintendo Switch.

Kozen's heartbeat quickened slightly; the girl was strikingly beautiful. Her frustration with the game broke through her concentration as she let out a groan. "Stupid world record," she muttered to herself.

"What?" 

The girl looked towards him, a flash of surprise crossing her features as her eyes met his. Her initial shock quickly gave way to a friendly smile. 

"Can I do something for you?" 

"No, no, no," Kozen stuttered, then cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. "I was just curious about this world record."

"Oh, I'm trying to hold a new world record in Mario Party."

"Why?" 

"Seems fun," she giggled, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Mario Party, huh? Can I get a turn? I know some speedrun tricks," Kozen offered.

"Oh, really? And what do I get from allowing you to play?" 

"How about I tell you why?" Kozen gestured toward the chaos of the parents outside.

"How do I know you're not lying?" 

"What do I get from lying?" 

The girl held up her Switch in response, a playful glint in her eyes. 

"Touche," Kozen acknowledged with a chuckle, then added, "But I bet I can score higher than you."

"Oh, yeah? Then may thy knife chip and shatter," she quipped, quoting a line that seemed oddly out of context.

"I don't know what to say to that, may thy wife shit and get fatter," Kozen replied.

The girl coughed and laughed, a sound that Kozen found unexpectedly delightful. 

"Who responds like that?" 

"Who quotes Dune when they're playing Mario Party?" Kozen shot back.

"Well, I thought it sounded cool," she admitted.

"My response was cooler," Kozen declared, feeling a rush of confidence as she smiled and handed over the Switch.

"So, what's your name, cool guy?" she asked, extending her hand.

"Kozen," he said, taking her hand in his. 

"Miku Yuuki," she introduced herself, her hand warm in his.

As he played the game with her, Kozen felt a connection he hadn't anticipated. Something about Miku—her beauty, her humor, and her spirit—drew him in. As they laughed and talked over the game, Kozen knew, with an unshakeable certainty, that he wanted Miku to become his girlfriend.