The cafeteria for Tier 4 was as depressing as Yuri expected a dilapidated slum more of a prison kitchen than a school eatery,   She sat alone at her table drinking her Sepsi Max while stirring her wooden spoon around in the sludge that was supposed to be her porridge.  

Her fellow Tier 4 classmates paid her zero attention she couldn’t tell whether it was because she was a transfer student or because they were just to preoccupied with themselves. 

Humans are just like,  we pretend to be invested in the lives, hopes and dreams of others but at the end of the day it’s only so that we can further our own agendas.  

“Oi give it back you”  A hoarse male voice bellowed catching Yuri’s eye.   

“Nah I think I’ll keep it,  Shit licker.”   A larger boy and what appeared to be his mindless entourage were antagonizing a much smaller boy.

The boy had been working on sort of miniature figurine that clearly held great value to him.  “Come on give it back it’s important to me man.”   The boy pleaded reaching for the figure.    The tripped him causing the boy to tumble to ground.

“That position suits you better Shit Licker Tomoya,   Tell you what I’ll give ya this figure back,  if you pay me,  it’s worth what… 100 humanity”   The boy and his hoard laughed.  It was a sad spectacle but there was nothing to be done about it,   You need to be your own hero in this world,  a gallant knight isn’t going to save you after all.   

Yuri pushed her food aside her appetite faded from the boring bullying routine

“You know I can’t afford that,  Shin..”   Tomoya pleaded struggling to return to his feet.

“Shin?  You don’t get to call me that Shit Licker…”   The taller boy lurched arm out stretched ready to strike the quivering boy.    “Do you enjoy being a limp dick asshole Shintaro?” A familiar voice scolded capturing the boy capturing Yuri’s full attention.

Marin entered the cafeteria though her friends were nowhere to be seen,  a thick black leather collar with the word Thrall etched onto it was clamped tight around her neck,  along side the name Yuri in crimson cursive writing to denote her master.  

“What’s this Shit Lickers flock together now do they?”  The tall boy laughed lowering his arm and turning his attention towards Marin.   “Know your place you Thrall Slut”  The boy slapped Marin hard across the face ending her careening to the cold checkered tiles below.

Oh for fuck sakes…  Yuri tossed her can of Sepsi Max behind her and stood up,   This was going to be a long day she thought as she moved forward,  shoulders slouched and eyes glazed over.   The taller boy had begun launching a tirade of vitriol at Marin slapping her over and over again.

Several on lookers had gathered now to watch the abuse of two students,  if they weren’t going to step in and save that Tomoya boy than they wouldn’t even bat an eye at a Thrall being abused that’s just the way things work at Hibiya.

"You know you’ve got a great body for a Thrall Whore,  So how about this,  Strip Naked now and apologize and I’ll forgive you for your arrogance.”   The boy was in a frenzy egged on by his lackeys.   

“What’s the matter,  Thralls don’t have rights,  What you need some help here.”   

The boy tugged on Marin’s shirt ripping it open despite her struggling she was easily overpowered and held down by the boy’s lackeys.    “No stop!  Don’t this… please,  let her go!”  Tomoya said crash tackling into the taller boy trying to stop him.   

He was cast aside with all the effort of a human batting away a fly with a quick punch to the face sending him careening backwards.   Yet surprisingly he was persistent coming back again and again no matter how many times he was beaten.  

By this point they had removed Marin’s skirt and top striping her down to her underwear and still nobody had come to her rescue.    “I won’t let you!”  Tomoya cried throwing himself over Marin to shield her from their disgusting assault.

“Oi Shit licker you’re that desperate to get beaten, well fine by me I’m happy to oblige.”  In a moment of careless cruelty the boy slammed the figure on the ground shattering it.   Before Tomoya could react the onslaught of kicks and punches rained down.

“What are you doing,  Get off me… Do you want to be beaten to death?" Marin asked her voice trembling with concern.   

 “It doesn’t matter what they do to my body… Nothing hurts more than them breaking that figure…  Nothing hurts more than my own powerlessness”   Tomoya said gritting his teeth as the volley of blows continued from all directions.

“Oh no.. Oh crap.. Hey watch out!”  Yuri warned as she stumbled into the group sending a cup of scolding hot coffee straight into the face of Shintaro causing the boy to fall to the ground and squirm in excruciating torment.  

“My Face!  My Face!”  He howled in between anguished screams.

“Sorry about that I’m such a clutz,  You boys better get him to the Nurses Office ASAP!”  

His lackey’s were quick to scoop him up and rush him the to Nurses Office his blood curdling screams hastily giving way to a defeaning silence.    

“Man the kettle here takes forever to boil,  You alright Rin Rin?”   

A bruised and bloodied Tomoya managed to stumble to his feet and was in the process of scooping up the shattered pieces of his figurine while Yuri attended to her Thrall.   “You… saved me… but why?,  I’m just a Thrall.”   Marin said as she sat up right.

“Did you hit your head or something,  What do you think that name on your collar means.  You’re my Thrall,  and I’ll protect you for as long as that’s the case. “   Yuri said unkinking her neck.

“Let’s go for a stroll Rin Rin!”  Yuri said offering her hand.   “Sure thing,  Yu... Master.”  Marin answered with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.