Internet-Degenerate

Fun fact: Every last descendant of the indigenous Huflahoo tribe is dead. The main causes leading to their extinction are: global warming, deforestation, and the fact that they never existed in the first place.

"Hey! W-What's going on here?" Chloe demanded as I held her wrist tight. She had recovered from her stupor and started to try and shake me off. It didn't how hard she hit me or how much she flailed, I wasn't letting go. I kind of feel like a criminal. 

"The gate will open at nine o'clock," Sapphire tells us from behind the gates. "Be certain to return by then." 

"N-Nine o'clock?" Chloe repeats back Sapphire's words. She was red in the face and immeasurably flustered. "Hey, Sapphire!"

"Farewell." With that last graceful word and a smile, Sapphire disappeared down the path. 

"What is..." Chloe stared down the now empty path in disbelief. She turned back to me. "Seraph!" she cried out. "What's going on here?!"

She's so loud... "Don't be so mad. The teachers probably won't find out."

"Th-That's not what I was asking!" 

"Oh, come on~" I egg her on. "It's been years since we last saw each other (if you don't count this past week). We should at least get something to eat."

"Th-That's... that's not the point..." She's becoming more timid. I figured being forceful would be the best approach with her. Time to keep pushing.

"I'm getting an allowance from the school. I can buy you a full-course meal or whatever you want. Dinner's on me."

Chloe turned her head down to the ground in defeat, her face blushing profusely. 

"Oh, look, the bus is here," I point out. "We made it just in time. If we miss it, the next one's not for another hour, so we let's hurry up and get on." Saying so, I pulled her by the hand towards the bus stop. Chloe showed no signs of resistance. 

Sitting on the bench at the bus stop was a man dressed in black and a woman. The guy was probably the bodyguard, and the woman was just a bystander. 'Woah, why do you think that, Seraph?' I hear you ask. 'Why can't the woman be the bodyguard, and the man a bystander? Are you saying that women can't defend bodies? That's awfully sexist of you.' And to that, I would say 'shut up.' The reason I know the woman is a bystander is because it was Tabby in a disguise. I had know evidence to prove it, but I could feel it. That was Tabby in a disguise, 100%.

"How long are you going to hold my hand?" Chloe meekly asks me as we sit down on the bus. I have her sit on the window seat, so she couldn't escape. After deliberating it for a bit, I decide to let go. I doubt even she can run off somewhere now. "For God's sake..." she whimpered, looking out the window to avoid looking at me. "Well? Are you going to explain what's going on?"

"I just want to make up with you," I tell her, flat out.

"So you're going to bribe me with food? I'm not that much of a glutton, you know." 

"That's only half of it. I'm also going to show you how dangerous the Goons are. The mafia guys I told you about."

"...What?" She took her eyes off the window for a moment to glance at me. "What do you mean?"

"You think my story isn't real, right?"

"W-Well... yeah... it was... pretty fishy sounding." She confessed as such, growing concerned.

"It certainly does. That's why instead of telling you, I'm going to show you. They aren't gonna give up that easily. As soon as they see me, and they will, they'll come right after me. When they do, I'm leaving you for dead." 

"Huh?" Chloe was becoming distressed. 

"I'm kidding, of course." I flash her a joking smile as I tell her. "I'm only going to pretend to. By your logic, the Goons won't come after you because we aren't particularly related. But I guarantee you, their going to do it. So if it goes down like that, which it will, you'll believe me, right?"

"Umm..." She isn't sure how to respond. I'm doing pretty good, so I just keep talking without thinking. Maybe if I do, I'll get out the embarrassing things I should've said before and she can understand where I'm coming from. 

"The only reason I didn't tell you about the loan was because I was worried about you. I didn't think for a second that your attitude towards me would change if you knew about my financial situation." 

She turned as red as a cherry all over and looked down at her feet. I think she even scrunched up her face. She looked like she was in pain. We sat in silence for the entirety of the ride after that. 

As we stepped off the bus and into the crowd, Chloe stretched her arms into the air. "It's been so long since I left the campus," she says. "Vincennes really doesn't let us out at all. Makes me wonder if I really had a life before coming here."

"Oh yeah..." A thought occurred to me. "Why are you even at Vincennes?"

"Oh, well... ah... my parents recommended it," she says, looking a little abashed. 

"Isn't the entrance fee really expensive, though? Is your family doing okay?"

"Ah, there's no problem. People who enter in Final just need a good test score," she informs me.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you were smart."

"I don't know..." Chloe says, humbling herself. I go for the kill.

"Yeah, you did slap me twice without explanation or in consideration of the consequences. That is a move a stupid person would pull." At my little jab, Chloe silently glared at me. I stare at her deadpanned right back. "Am I wrong?"

Chloe shook her head, disappointed in herself. Jokes aside, she was pretty smart, academically. She was one of the best one the school's track and field team when I last saw her, so she was a cut above the rest athletically, as well. The diamonds only flaw was that she was stubborn to a fault - and that's if you could even call it that. But then again, it was hard for me to be objective since she was my first friend I ever made. I think she's a very impressive person. Speaking of which...

"Do you have a title?" I let my curiosity get the better of me and ask her. She was someone who excelled in plenty of fields that would make her popular and had the looks to match, so I thought she might have a title. But, she is being discriminated against because she transferred in late, so I'm not entirely sure. Chloe looks up at me blankly.

"Are you serious?"

"No, I'm Seraph." I respond with the obvious quip. We both stare deadpanned at each other. I knew neither of us would think it would be funny, but I said it anyway because that's showbiz, baby. She answers me after an uncomfortable amount of silence passes.

"...Of course I don't have a title." 

"I see..." Just because she transferred into the Final Course. People really do discriminate others for the smallest things. Unsure of how to continue the conversation, I started walking off ahead of her.

"You're really going to buy for me?" Chloe asks as we walk. "You know that I don't have my wallet with me. Sapphire told me not to bring it." Of course she did...

"Yeah, don't worry, I got it."

"Sapphire wanted me to wear my uniform too. Is there a reason for that?" 

"The Goons know about Vincennes, so it makes you more of a target."

"Oh..."

We walk in awkward silence to the restaurant. It was the same one Sol took me to when she picked me off the street like and abandoned dog, making it the only restaurant I know about. I don't even know what it's called, though. We sit down at a table and place our orders.

"Wow..." Chloe utters, looking around the place appreciatively. "This place is so stylish... How do you even know about this place?"

"Sol fed me here," I tell her.

"Oh..." she says, looking at me with a little bit of contempt. "So that's how it is."

"Yeah... What about it?" I ask, not knowing why she's being so moody.

"You did seem rather close. You and Sol."

"Uh, yeah. She invited me to Vincennes and is the only person I'm on speaking terms with there. Well, there's another girl, but she slapped me in the face twice after yelling at me and is making a constant effort to avoid me, so I haven't really gotten to talk to her as much as I would like to-"

"Anyways!" she says, silencing the truth. She put her elbows on the table, face resting in her hands as she stared off to the side in embarrassment. "...I never knew your family was so badly off..." she says, looking melancholic. "I mean, I sort of had a feeling... but I never knew it was that bad."

"Good. That means I'm good at keeping secrets."

"And good at keeping people like me and my family who want to help you at a distance."

"I'm glad I did. When I think about what that cunt did to me for pocket change makes me sick... Oh, that reminds me!" I take on a cheerful tone in an attempt to dispel the darkness hanging over our conversation. It's a good thing I did, because she's looking really worried right now. "There's something I've been wondering about. Why did you want to talk me that day?" I didn't tell her what day I was talking about, but I hope she can piece it together with context clues.

"Well... It was years ago. It's... too late to bring it up now. I'm not telling you." She was very despondent in her answer as she looked away from me. 

Then, out of the corner of my eye I spot them. The Goonies. 

"Chloe, don't make it obvious, but do you see those two guys off to your right?" I draw her attention to the same two Goons who tried to kidnap Sol. Seeing my change in mood, Chloe took a sneaky glance in the direction that I pointed out.

"Is that them?"

"Yeah. Bye."

"Ah... hey! Wait a minute!" As I stood up to leave, she reached out to grip my hand. Every bit of her face was screaming in fear.

"I'm not actually leaving you, remember? Also, I think I forgot to tell you, but the man in the suit that was on the bus with us is a bodyguard that Sapphire hired, just in case. You'll be fine, understand?"

Chloe shakily nodded her head at my words and let go of me. 

"Good girl," I tell her, reflexively patting her on the head. "Now sit still and let the bloodthirsty mafia men approach you." With those words, I take my leave.

Chloe watched hopelessly as her friend departed. For obvious reasons, she was very scared. She didn't doubt the fact that the mob would go after her about someone else's loan, but it was hard to believe. There were two men who clearly stood out from the crowd. They were heading towards the restaurant. They were looking right at her. Soon after, they entered. At first, they just looked around threateningly. Then, with loud footsteps, they advanced on her table. They stood out like sore thumbs in the upper class restaurant. Some of the other patrons were casting surreptitious glances at them. 

"Hey, girlie." It was the blonde man in a suit who called out to her. "Seraph Thorne was just at this table, wasn't he?"

"W-Well... why are you asking?" She had meant to sound defiant, but her voice was clearly trembling. The delinquent gave a coarse laugh and leaned in close to her. Chloe turned her face away. His breath was foul. 

"He's a pretty smooth operator for having a face like that," he says. "You know he was with some other pretty Vincennes girl a while back? And now he's eating dinner here with you. Hey, did you know about that? He's got a lot to learn, though. You can't take different girls to the same restaurant. He's gotta be more cautious about that stuff."

Chloe was going to speak out, but she knew that nothing good will come out of arguing with a gangster. She just stayed silent. She wondered if Seraph was watching from somewhere. She glanced out the window, but couldn't see him anywhere.

"But girlie," the gangster continued. "You sure know how to pick 'em. Did you know that brat owes us money? Ain't a small amount, either. Here, look at this." He opened both of his hands in front of her. "One finger represents a million. That makes ten million. I wonder when he'll pay that back? You could pay it back for him, you know?" With that, he grabbed her shoulders, and a chill of disgust rand through Chloe's body. Just then...

"That's enough of that." It was the man in black who had been on the bus. 

"Hm?" The delinquent looked him up and down. "Who the hell are you? You're not with the restaurant."

"I'm a bodyguard."

"Huh? A bodyguard?"

"Take your dirty hand off of her," the bodyguard demanded. The delinquent didn't do anything. He only looked at the guard in confusion. "You didn't hear me? You want me to hurt you?" He resorted to threats. 

"Hurt me? Heh heh, and what are you going to do, exactly?" The delinquent made a blatant mockery of him. He wasn't intimidated in the slightest.

"Hmm... don't take me too lightly, or you'll regret it," the bodyguard warned. "I'm a combined 75th rank in judo, kenpō, karate and capoeira. It's true, so if you don't want to get hurt-"

"A 75th in what and what?" With a mocking laugh, the delinquent reached into his suit and... "Well I've got a fucking gun," he says, pulling it out. The bodyguard quit talking and broke out in a sweat.

"Y-You think you can take me down with a toy like that?" The bodyguard says, trying to save what little face he had. A hole was shot in the wall. Everyone in the restaurant froze. "I'm sorry!" he begged for forgiveness almost immediately. "I only just joined the company! The 75th rank thing was a bald-faced lie!" He ran away with his tail between his legs. Chloe couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. Instead of being terrified, she was suspended in disbelief. 

"Now, c'mon!" Only when the delinquent yelled ate her and forced her towards him did she become terrified.

"NO!" she started crying. The customers scattered like flies. Not one of them even looked back. It's not like Chloe was expecting help from any of them, though. No one would willingly put their lives in danger for a stranger's sake. That was true for strangers, but what about for an old friend? Chloe was shocked when the thought occurred to her. At the end of the day... we're not strangers... He'll help me, won't he? Before she could think about it, her mouth moved on its own. "Seraph! SERAPH!"

Seraph was walking out of the convenience store from across the street, slurping on a slushy he had just bought when he heard the scream.