Chapter One-Hundred And Seven: Day Five: Support Class

Christina's Arc: Bend or Break

"Why, in the name of the five guilds, are you being so difficult, Knox? I literally had to hold your hand through class selection—"

"You didn't hold my hand, JT. You got all moody when I picked Ronin."

"Sure, I did, and then you went from male Ronin to Ashguard, which is a strength-based class, ignoring the obvious penalties."

I leaned in my chair, trying to look as intimidating as possible.

"I wanted to rock intimidation, so what's wrong with that?"

"Then you wanted to be a Moonbinder, but you didn't want to cast spells, even though it's a caster class."

I leaned back in my chair and sighed, resigned to another bullshit restriction in a make-believe game.

"I had a plan," I lamented.

"Yeah, yeah. Run that by me again. I think if you hear it again, it'll sink in as to why that was a stupid idea."

"Dropping spells and beating your opponent to death with knowledge was a great flipping idea. You're just mad you didn't think of it."

JT fixed her glasses.

"And how, pray tell, did you intend to 'beat opponents' with knowledge?"

I lifted her fancy book off the desk and held it in the air.

"Duh, I'd just hit them with it. Blunt damage is a damage type."

…

"You're bluntly damaged—"

"Guys," Nakamura said, standing up. "We're wasting our time debating class selection. Besides, Antwon, I mean, Knox, already settled on Bloomwarden," Nakamura said.

Lame ass support class.

"W-which is good because we needed a support class, Knox," Nakamura said, moving her hand like she wanted to pat me on the shoulder.

I looked around the room. If they'd been playing without support, did that mean they were good, or did the game not need a support class? One of the girls looked a lot calmer than JT. She didn't wear glasses and looked like a senior.

"Hey, you. What's your name?" I asked, figuring I should know the other two members of our merry band of… I didn't know what we were.

"Who, me? Oh. Well, my name is Mirei Hanatsuki. It's nice to—"

"Character name, Vow-Cut!"

…

She stood up, bringing her fist to her chest and looking toward the ceiling.

"My name is Seraphine Vow-Cut, and I am a Highborn Moonbinder, and my advanced class is Ritualist. My character is five-six with long silver hair that shimmers in the moonlight—well, only half of it does because the other half is shaved, making it easier to see my sharply pointed ears, the hallmark of my lineage. My armor is white with red thread, but I can only wear medium armor on my chest because of my advanced class. The other pieces are cloth, and I use a feather pen and scroll to cast my spells. It's nice to meet you, Cross," Mirei said with conviction in her eyes.

Holy shit! I just wanted a name.

"O-okay, are you a fourth-year student?"

Mirei nodded.

"That's right, so I've got to make this year count before my journey into adulthood goes beyond high school—"

"Okay, Vow-Cut. We will miss you when you're gone, but the year is young, Hanatsuki," JT said with a hint of sorrow in her voice.

Damn. I'd almost forgotten the hardest part about school life: we all grew up eventually. I wondered what would happen to her. Maybe she was part of the Veil. Could she still be her nerdy self if she were, or would she become as cold as the others? Not that I cared. I just wondered what happened to the people I kind of cared about.

"Don't be sad, Carter," Nakamura whispered. "Hanatsuki is going to be fine."

"I-I'm not… sad," I said, slapping my cheeks. "I was just impressed by how confidently Mirei shared her character."

"D-Di-Did you call me Mirei?" Mirei stammered. "I didn't know—" She blushed and brushed her hair behind her ear. "I mean, y-you can call me Mirei if you'd like." Then she clasped her hands and shyly laid them on her desk.

"Cool. What's your name?" I asked a girl who was the picture of perfection, from her hair to her attire.

She looked at me for half a second, then stared at her player card. I mean, she was laser-focused.

…

Looking at Nakamura, she smiled and gently patted her desk.

Can one of these girls be normal, like Nakamura?

"My name is…" she said, whispering her name.

"Can you be a bit louder?"

She nodded.

"My name is…" she whispered before covering her face and saying her name through a blockade of fingers.

"For the goddess's sake, I swear you lot are not like this when it's just us!" JT shouted. "Her character's name is Briar Ashvale—"

"I didn't ask you, JT!"

JT smirked at me before crossing her arms like I was the one shouting. Then I turned back to…Briar, who looked like she would fall apart if I asked for her name again. She was shy, clearly, but I wasn't used to dealing with shy girls. I tapped Nakamura's desk, hoping she could help me understand what the heck was going on.

"Why won't she talk to me?" I whispered.

Nakamura leaned closer to me and covered her mouth to prevent the other girls from lipreading.

"Carter, you must understand that these girls don't typically interact with boys, especially… attractive boys," she whispered.

Well, I knew JT didn't have any guy experience. Why would she when she acts like a younger version of Ayame?

I leaned back over to Nakamura, and she leaned closer, giving me her ear.

"Y-you think I'm attractive?" I whispered as a goofy smile formed on my face. The rising tint in Nakamura's face was all I needed to know her answer.

"C-Carter, t-that's—"

I held my hand up to her.

"That's more than enough, Shadow Song," I said, causing her to burn bright red.

"Are we ever going to get started?" JT asked. But I needed to know my party before we started.

I stood up and walked around to Briar's desk and pulled up a chair.

"Hi, my name is Antwon Carter, and I'm a first-year student. Which year are you?" I asked, but she didn't answer me.

I gently touched the back of one of her hands, which still covered her face, and gradually brought it to her desk, resting mine on top of hers. I figured it would work. Even Shizuka's murderous ass was gentle at times because of her social conditioning.

"Hi," I said again. "Do you have brothers?"

The eye I uncovered found me, and she shook her head no.

"Don't worry, my sister would consider you lucky. Can you tell me your name and year?" I said in a gentle tone.

Then she did something dangerous: she wrapped her fingers around the hand I held hers with.

"Okay, I'll let you hold my hand this time, but we shouldn't do it in the future, okay?" I said, and she nodded.

"My name is—my name is Kanna—Kanna Shirogane. I'm a third-year student," Kanna whispered.

I gently squeezed her hand.

"That's good. You're doing a great job, Kanna. Can you lower your other hand and tell me about your class?"

She nodded again, and JT sighed.

"I hit things and make them angry… I'll protect you," Kanna whispered.

It was kind of cute in a schoolgirl kind of way.

"Promise?" I asked, and Kanna nodded again.

"Oh, come on, Shirogane. Stop being a paper princess," JT said.

Then I sighed.

"Do you want to hold my other hand, JT?" I asked, holding my hand out.

She balled up her face, so I turned back to Kanna, and then I felt JT grab my hand. Evil bloomed across my face, but I warped it into something warm for Kanna's sake.

"My character has…horns because I'm a Thornkin Ashguard."

"I like it. Tell me about your horns."

Kanna let go of my hand and made finger horns on the side of her head.

"Oh, does your hair get in the way?"

She shook her head.

"M-my red hair is short," she mumbled, and then reclaimed my hand.

I'd better find a way to disengage from these girls before my handler decides she wants to see me.

"I-I'm tall; six-two," Kanna added quickly.

I smiled.

"Wow, that's tall. Well, I need to use the restroom, so I need my hands."

"Jeez, make sure you wash your hands," JT sneered.

***

After Mr. Carter retired to the lavatory, I decided to discuss the terms and conditions of his continued membership, effectively warning the girls about who he belongs to.

"Well, Shadow Song, this is the longest it has taken to start Session Zero, ever. Your guy friend is shaping up to be more trouble than he's worth," Junko Takanashi, whom Carter had named JT, chided.

"I don't know, Madam Justicia. I think he's fun, and he's going to be a lot more fun once we start," Vow-Cut said, doing a quick fist pump.

Madam Justicia glowered at Vow-Cut in disapproval.

"Not a chance! He's annoying and argumentative." Madam Justicia adjusted her glasses and stuck her nose up.

"I want him to stay," Briar said.

"You only want him to stay because he held your hand, which was pathetic," the Madam said with a hint of resentment.

"He held yours, too!" Briar violently retorted.

I covered my face because this was all too much for me to deal with, and for once, I wasn't managing Carter directly. However, he was still the focal point of the problem.

"Yeah, well, I only held 'his hand' because he asked me to. Besides, it's clear that he likes me, which is why he keeps fighting with me."

Oh, dear.

"And this is why I think we should kick him out while things aren't messy. He's already causing us to fight, and infighting only hurts progress."

"Ha!" Vow-Cut laughed. "This is the reason we need him. When he was present, everyone behaved. Now look at us. In fact, the only one who has kept her head is Shadow."

I sighed because I knew what must be done and didn't want it to change our group's dynamic. But they all wanted him here, even the Madam, though I suspected it wasn't what Carter wanted. I must consider my friends' safety before my feelings, but I wasn't a monster. So, I'd be gentle with my delivery.

"Knox hasn't even had a Session Zero as a Bloomwarden and is already supporting us, so I'm taking Briar's side," Vow-Cut said, rubbing her hands together.

"Girls, I have something important I must confess, and it may very well change the way you all see Mr. Carter. But please understand that it wasn't his decision, nor a decision he ceremoniously accepted," I said as fear consumed my countenance.

"Shadow Song—" Vow-Cut said, standing up. "You're starting to weird me out. Like, what could be so crazy about a boy? Do you like him, too?"

I fought back nascent feelings, but I could feel warmth grace my cheeks.

"Listen. Antwon Carter has already been claimed by—"

The door opened, and Carter walked back into the classroom. He whistled his way back to his seat as we sat petrified by the sound of silence around us. Then he looked at each of us, ensuring he had made eye contact with everyone before adjusting his posture to a relaxed position. Then he looked at me, and I looked at my desk.

"Alright," Knox announced. "What happened while I was gone?"

I all but peeked as Knox scanned the room for volunteers.

"Kanna," he cooed. "Why's everyone so quiet now? Is JT making me change classes again?"

Kanna didn't say anything, for all her luster had dulled again. Kanna didn't speak. No, what she did was far worse, as she rubbed her hand. The hand he held before his departure. On instinct, Knox rose from his chair, circled the group, and sat next to Kanna. He placed his hand in hers, and she leaned in, beckoning him to move closer, and whispered something.

I'm sorry, Carter, but I feared their growing attachment to someone taken by one who frequents death the way I frequented guilt.

"Ah—I see," Knox said. Then he stood up.

"Yes, I've been claimed by the blond-haired, blue-eyed monster who stomps around beating up sisters. No, I didn't ask nor put myself in a position for her to claim me; it's just something that happened. But I'm not her. I don't have her power, authority, or temper. I have my own temper," Knox joked, eliciting a few giggles.

"So please, don't treat me like I'm anything other than a Bloomwarden, playing this make-believe game with a girl who can't take a chill pill and let me be a Ronin."

"Here we go again," Justicia said, causing silence-shattering giggles to erupt from everyone but Kanna.

Instead, Kanna, who was still holding his hand, seemed angrier as she stood slowly, earning Knox's attention.

"I'll…I'll fight her, and…" Kanna shouted in a whisper.

"Kanna, I would never ask you to do something that dangerous."

Kanna bit her bottom lip and started to shake. Tears pooled in my eyes due to shared sentimentality. Then, when Kanna couldn't hold the tide of emotions, Knox—no, Antwon hugged her, and she cried into his jacket.

"It's okay, Kanna. I need you to stay safe, okay?"

I also fell apart, moved by Antwon's kindness and the knowledge that Kanna Shirogane joins the Veil and dies during her second term.