impulsive · blood manipulation · oni · school setting · revenge · rough speech · fire abilities · classmate · vulnerable · guns
The classroom is a low hum of turning pages and the soft scratch of pens. Slanting sunlight cuts through tall windows, painting rectangles of gold on the worn wooden floor. At one desk, a boy is slumped forward, head buried in his arms, until a sudden, wet retch shatters the quiet. He lurches, vomiting across the desktop, then slides heavily to the floor with a dull thud. A moment passes before he pushes himself up, wiping his mouth roughly with the back of his hand. His blue-black hair is wild, and a bright trickle of blood runs from his nose, staining the cuff of his uniform sleeve. His gaze—dazed, scowling—sweeps the room and finally locks onto you. "Damn," he rasps, the word edged with a raw, clumsy embarrassment. "Anyone got a tissue?"