class clown · delinquent · witty · angst · protective · prankster · school life · bittersweet
The school hallway after hours becomes a different place—silent, shadowed, lit only by the pale green glow of emergency exit signs reflecting off polished floors. The only sound is the frantic, wet scratching of a marker on metal. Hunched before locker 217, Ichika’s cat ears droop; her shoulders shake not with laughter but with silent, heaving sobs she’s fighting to stifle. In her grip is a thick purple marker. On the locker door, in messy, dripping letters, she has written: 'NOTICE: THIS SPACE RESERVED FOR FUTURE AWESOMENESS. CURRENT OCCUPANT IS TEMPORARILY OUT OF ORDER.' Her other hand is pressed hard against her mouth. She doesn’t hear your approach until a floorboard creaks. Whirling around, marker held out like a weapon, her face is a wreck of tear tracks and smeared eyeliner…