[X] Medaka
"Please wait Medaka-san!" Akune comes from around the corner after Medaka leaves the room with Shiranui and Asa. "You're going too fast!"
"Oh, my apologies." She slows down until Akune reaches her. "But it isn't a matter of speed, as the fact you caught up with me proves. Zenkichi is simply taking the shortest possible route without hesitation or slowing down, with the various turns aiming to confuse potential chasers. See this?" With her fan she points to a piece of corner: Akune could, squinting, barely makes out the signs of fingers. "By grabbing the corner he swings himself in the desired direction without the need to slow down. Only someone who has memorized the school's layout and doesn't fear unexpected obstacles can do it."
"That guy and his unexpected competency in seemly useless skills..." Akune grits his teeth, not yet over his humiliation at the Judo Club. "Why are we even chasing after him?"
"I thought it was clear." Medaka opens her fan, revealing the word 'Obvious!' written on it. "Haven't you seen the hint given to us?"
"I have, but I still cannot make sense of it." Taking out a square piece of paper, one side reveals part of a Hakoniwa map and the other a very complicated and long series of numbers and letters. "What is this, some kind of equation?"
"That, Manager Akune, is a highly advanced algorithm. So advanced that it would take even me ten minutes of total, uninterrupted concentration to solve it."
"Even Medaka-san cannot solve it instantly?!" Akune looks up with dread. "How could Hitoyoshi create something like this?"
"He didn't. That, and all other hints, are probably the work of Ducati."
"Ducati? Who's that?"
"I have never met him, nor talked with him. I don't even know what he looks like. However, he is an associate of Zenkichi who helped him various times in the past." Medaka explains while they run through the hallways. "He is immensely intelligent, probably even more than me, and his specialty are numbers."
"More intelligent than Medaka-san? Is that even possible?" Akune looks skeptical. "But that doesn't answer my question: why are we chasing Hitoyoshi?"
"Because the algorithm is incomplete. You can tell by the minuscule space in the middle." No, Akune can't tell. "However, if you eliminate the letters and consider only the numbers...their distribution clearly spells out [Back]! As, [Human's Back]! That is where we will find the missing piece!"
"Eeeh?!" Akune is shocked. "Are you saying...the missing piece is on Hitoyoshi's back? How can you be so sure?"
"Because!" She stands up on the tip of one foot, the other leg brought close to her chest and arms raised to form an inverted triangle. "When I think of the human's back, the first person I invariably associated it with is Zenkichi! Not my father! Not my siblings! But Zenkichi! No back is as large, strong and reassuring as his own! Since the first time we took a bath together, I have never once forgot it!"
Every word from Medaka is like an arrow viciously stabbing through Akune's heart, merciless and unrelenting.
"So, let's go Manager Akune! We shall uncover the missing piece, even if we have to strip Zenkichi naked!"
"Don't wanna..." Akune moans piteously, blood dripping from his lips.
"No need to worry, I put it under my jacket." Zenkichi suddenly comments, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and a small smirk on his lips.
"What, tired already Zenkichi? That isn't like you." Medaka comments with a raised eyebrow.
"Correct. However, all paths forward has been sadly sealed." He looks to the side with one eye closed. "So I might as well relax and see what they want."
"Kekeke! If you didn't want to be found, you shouldn't have visited the broadcast room."
The one to speaks is a child that doesn't look older than ten. He has short, messy snow white hair and red eyes. He wears the uniform of the Public Morals Committee, and the white armband on his left arm marks him as the Committee's Chairman.
His name is Myouri Unzen, nicknamed the Monster Child. His face and hands are stained with blood, and following him are other members of the Public Morals Committee, the Enforcers. They're all armed with a weapon, or something that can be used as one.
A woman with long brown hair gives him a towel, which he uses to cleans himself. "Thank you. Man, I'm such an idiot. I always get my opponents' blood on me, yet I keep forgetting to bring a towel."
"...With opponents, you mean the clubs misbehaving at the Computer Club's room I guess?" Medaka comments with a stony expression. "They broke the rules and used violence, yes, but was there a reason to do the same?"
"What's that? You're also here, Kurokami Medaka? What a surprise." Tossing the towel away he walks in front of her and looks up. "Looking at you this close, those tits of you are amazing. How about I make you my woman?"
"I'm a little disappointed that our first conversation came in this fashion, Junior Unzen." She replies without changing expression.
"So true. To be sexually harassed by a sempai, it makes you want to cry." Zenkichi adds with a deadpan.
"...Right. Shame on me, I was distracted by those tits and almost forgot." Unzen swirls around and points a finger at Zenkichi. "Caught you, you fucking troublemaker!"
"Me?" He sounds and looks actually surprised. "I didn't cause any trouble."
"And what do you call the whole school turning into a warzone, uh?" Unzen sneers. "Because you dangled out a pretty shiny everyone went full retard and turned the school upside down! It's your damn fault!"
"Last I checked, there are clubs that are participating in a peaceful manner." Zenkichi shrugs with a smile. "Also, why are you putting on me the blame of others? I haven't forced anyone to behave the way they do."
"Who are you, Eris and her Golden Apple? Helen? That's your fault exactly because you created the opportunity in the first place." Unzen answers back.
"Isn't that too harsh, Junior Unzen?" Medaka crosses her arms and closes one eye. "True, Zenkichi's little game is the cause for the birth of a great number of problems...however, who created those troubles isn't him, but the students who went overboard."
"I'll be honest here, the results exceed my own expectations." Zenkichi sighs. "I mean, this isn't a medieval world where people live in wooden houses and eat meat once a month. I expected only two, maybe three crazy money-grubbers."
"Uhm, I think I can explain why." Everyone turns to Akune. "There are too many clubs, so we're having troubles assigning funds."
"So everyone is more or less penniless? Talk about shitty luck." Unzen snickers before glaring at Zenkichi. "But that doesn't excuse you in the slightest! Those who break the rules need to be punished!"
"You're dead-set on this course of action, uh?" Zenkichi stands up and puts his hands in his pockets. "Then please, enlighten me: what kind of punishment do you have in mind? I heard the Enforcers are a group of righteous rule-keepers, but-" He looks around with narrowed eyes. "No offense, but you look ready to fight a gang war. I know, I have been in more than one."
"What's that, a confession of misspent youth? Kekeke, not that I care. We have been give permission from the Chairman to use weapons when the time calls for it." Unzen begins to advance towards Zenkichi. "Like...now!"
Unzen whips out his arm, causing something to come out and strikes Zenkichi's head, pushing it back.
"What was that? A thrown weapon? A whip?" Akune mutters. "I didn't see it at all."
"Ooh, you can still stand?" Unzen licks his lips. "That's fine, it's more fun this-"
*rerorerorerorerorerorero*
"Uh? What's this sound?" Unzen looks around, confused, before his eyes set back on Zenkichi-
Who moves back his head to the original position, revealing he's rolling around some kind of ball on the tip of his tongue.
*rerorerorerorerorerorerorerorerorero*
Everyone stare, some actually disgusted at the sight, until Zenkichi finally drops the ball into a handkerchief and begins cleaning it. "Using a Super Ball as a weapon? Nice trick you have there, Unzen-sempai. And this residual taste of gunpowder...you also have a variant filled with the stuff. Useful when you need to pack a bigger punch."
"...What the actual fuck?" Unzen has stopped smiling. "Dodging was already stretching it, but to catch it with your teeth? And to deduce the existence of the Smart Bomb: Cinderella just by taste? Why aren't you part of Class 10 or 11? No, why aren't you part of Class 13?!"
"...Let me answer that question with another question: why are you still wasting your time here, when the Library Committee is still being attacked?" Having finished to clean the ball Zenkichi gently throws it at Unzen, who doesn't make a move to catch it. "Also, did anyone beside me noticed? Our commentators for the event has been silent for the last past minute." He looks in the direction of the broadcast room, eyes narrowed. "It seems...someone really had the bright idea of hijacking the broadcast room."
Unzen looks in the same direction before making a 'tch' sound. "Don't think we're done, Hitoyoshi. You just shifted down on my list of priorities. Let's go everyone!"
He rushes away, immediately followed by the other Enforcers. Zenkichi stares for a moment at their retreating forms before putting back the handkerchief into his pocket-
Whoosh!
Some kind of force raises the back of his jacket, followed by the afterimage of Medaka chasing after the Enforcers, leaving Zenkichi alone with Akune.
"Sheesh, why did I tell her to never let a moment of dropped guard go to waste?" Zenkichi huffs before sprinting in the same direction.
"Wait! Have you forgot about me?!" Akune cries out before doing the same.
Choose who to follow next:
[] Zenkichi
[] Rica
[] Sugar
[] Suzuna
[] Nekomi
[] Shiranui
[] Stay with Medaka
[] Write-in