Prison School: No More Prison

Kiyoshi's POV:

"And… that's pretty much it. That's the plan we carefully devised with the boys…"

As soon as we settled down, I fully explained the plan to Meiko and Hana. Gakuto carefully put together this one, using methods to ensure that it will raise enough money for the summer trip, no matter the risk or challenge. Plus, now that I've joined the religion of PBR-sama, I've made sure to pray for it to work, so it should be perfect…

But it didn't look like that apparently, as the two girls in front of me looked at me with doubt on their faces.

"T-That's it? That's your big plan?" Hana was the first one to speak…rude.

"What's that supposed to mean? It's perfect! Will surely raise enough money with this!" I tried to sound as serious as possible. "We made sure to bring as many people as we can, promote it and have different ways for us to gain money!"

"Erm… It could work but… it looks a bit… impossible" Hana looked at the list of stuff I wrote on a small notebook I used for info. The same one I used to plan Chiyo's birthday…

"Impossible? How so?"

"Well… Not only are you asking for lots of stuff we can't get easily, but you want us to do it in less than a week?... There's no chance this is going to work… We'll have to cut most of it"

"R-Really?..." I felt like I was being crushed by a boulder. Not only the plan the guys helped me write down is now being judged and modified, but I'm not smart enough to find ways to improve it. Hana proved herself capable of doing that in the past… But it hurts my ego to see someone changing our work of art like it was trash. And to make it worse… The president hasn't said a word since I finished speaking…

"I'm sorry" She suddenly spoke. "It's my fault…" 

"N-No, ma'am! I should have-"

"I don't know what I was thinking leaving you in charge of something this important" She said as she facepalmed herself… Now I feel like a dumbass…

"I-I'm sorry… I-I'll try to find a better solution"

"Well… I don't think that will be necessary" Hana added, surprising us both. "I can change…most of it, making it useful… But we'll still need a lot of stuff…"

"If you say so Hana-san… Then we can ask the ASC to help us get the stuff we need"

"Yes ma'am president!"

"And you! You'll help Hana with her corrections!"

"Y-Yes ma'am"

D-Damn…Well, at the end of the day, even if Hana changes the plan, we'll be able to do most of it… I knew praying to PBR-sama was the right thing to do! Our efforts weren't in vain!

"One last thing before you go and start your duties" Meiko interrupted my thoughts

"Yes?"

"I need you to deliver some papers to Kate, as well as telling them your 'plan'. Clarify to them we'll be adjusting it so it can work, got it?!"

"Y-Yes Ma'am president!"

[...]

As I walked to the other council I started thinking about my conversation with Hana. After everything we went through, and the hell I've probably made her live, what she wants in return is… An ice cream?

I mean, I'm not complaining, It wouldn't surprise me if she asked me to jump from the school rooftop as a payback. But this seems… Too normal… Is she planning something? Maybe some type of revenge?... Nah, Hana has been acting more like a normal girl in the last weeks… I hope that continues…

*Knock Knock*

As I knocked on the door of the ASC's office, I gently opened the door.

"Excuse-"

Before I could finish my sentence, the scene before me left me dumbfounded. Before my eyes, Joe, Mitsuko-san and Cake-san were dressed in what I can call 'traditional chinese' female dresses (Yes, even Joe.), as well as striking a weird pose with fans on their hands.

The first one to look at me was Joe, who smiled at me with a face full of thrill.

"Ah! Kiyoshi! This is perfect! *cough* Please come join us!"

"I-I'll come back later…" I said as I gently closed the door.

"P-Please Kiyoshi-kun come back!" Kate was the one to stop me, her face showing a mix of fear and embarrassment.

As she said this, I gathered… 'courage' to sit next to them. 

On a second look, Joe and Mitsuko seemed excited about something, and while Cake was with them, she looked a bit more shy.

"So umm… Kiyoshi-kun, what brings you here?" Kate said with a trembling smile.

"U-Uhm… I brought some papers for you, as well as telling you the plan-"

"Ah! There's no need for that, Kiyoshi!" Joe interrupted me with a cheerful voice. "I already told her the plan! As well as… Adding the ultimate solution!"

"U-Ultimate… solution?... Joe, what the hell are you talking about?"

"You see… Joe-kun, Satou-san and I have joined together to build the best project for the cultural festival!: A Three Kingdoms boy-love cafe!"

I just sat there… dumbfounded. The same dude that was laughing at Gakuto and I some few months ago thinking we were gay for each other, is now asking to make a yaoi cafe?... Ridiculous.

I glanced at Kate who looked at me with a smile, but her eyes read 'please, tell them something'. 

"I- Uhm… Have bad news for you"

"Hmm?" The three of them looked at me.

"The president wants to change most of the plan… So uhm… I don't think she will allow something like-"

"Worry not, Kiyoshi-kun!" Mitsuko talked over me, weird coming from her. "We have Kate's permission to do this!"

I glanced back at her, she looked a bit more nervous than before. Guess I'll have to ask her later…

"S-So… how will this work exactly?"

"Uhm… I'll handle the 'cafe' part of it, while Mitsuko shows and sells her manga to the customers" Cake looked a bit ashamed, but her smile seemed genuine.

"I'll be helping them both before the Rapunzel play starts! That way I'll make sure they sell everything!*cough*" Joe said cheerfully.

"A-And you think the students or parents will actually go in and buy stuff from there?" Kate asked before I could say anything. She was right, this looks weird from every angle you look at.

"Hehe, don't worry, Gakuto's fame in school has made the Three kingdoms' popularity increase, and Mitsuko's stories include him as well" Although Joe seemed pretty excited about this, as soon as Gakuto's name was mentioned, Mitsuko seemed a bit… mad? "Plus, if they don't like either thing *cough*Cake-san's pastries will sell for sure!"

"..."

"So? What do you think?"

"I uhm… This won't affect the rest of the plan, right Joe?"

"Huh? No, of course not"

"Then… Do as you please I guess, if Kate okay with it, so am I"

Kate gave me a desperate look, but if she had actually accepted it, then there's nothing I could say against them…

[...]

As soon as the others left, I was left alone with Kate in the room. I gave a quick glance at the papers Meiko gave me but they were for the most part just about the cultural festival.

"Ahh… This plan won't work at all…" Kate said while looking exhausted.

"W-Well, Hana is going to adjust it if that makes you feel better…"

"Uhm? So that wasn't a lie? Then I can relax for a minute…" She sat on the small sofa their office had, it looked a bit uncomfortable compared to the ones in the USC's office. Now that I think about it…

"Kate-san… Can I ask you something?"

"Uhm? What is it?"

"Well… This is going to sound strange but… What changed?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I-I mean… Just one week before, you hated the USC. You tried your best to dissolve it as well as trying to get Mari, Meiko and Hana out of the school… And now… You and Meiko are now working together? I-It just seems…Weird to me…"

"A-Ah… I didn't expect you to be so straightforward"

"S-Sorry!"

"Nono, it's alright… I've been asking myself that same question"

"D-Does this has something to do with… Mari?"

Instead of answering, she pondered my question, then after some time, nodded to my words.

"I guess Meiko hasn't told you… But after we went to the airport looking for Mari… We clearly didn't find her" Oh… Was that the reason why she looked so defeated the next day? "And after reading Mari's letter and spending the day with Meiko-chan… I felt miserable"

"w-why's that?"

"I… I don't know… But after so much time, I felt like Mari, Meiko and I could finally be… friends, I guess. Yet, Mari left… I never had the chance to… apologize"

Kate's face showed how sad she truly was. I'm not good at reading people's faces but even I could tell she wanted to cry.

"I-If it makes you feel any better… Meiko seems to be trusting a lot more on you. She looks up to you as she does with Hana, I guess"

She stopped for a second to look at me, then chuckled and turned her back against me.

"I see… I hope we can fix all that happened in the past and look on to the future…"

…

Fix what happened in the past and look on to the future… Those words stick up to me the most…

"U-Uhm… Kate-san"

"Yes?"

"C-Could I ask your opinion on something?" What am I even trying to say?

"Hmm? S-Sure…"

"If someone lied to you… A-And did some terrible stuff to you… B-But his true intention was to make you happy… W-Would you forgive them if they showed remorse?"

S-Shit… I explained myself like shit… I don't even know why I'm asking her of all people but…

She looked at me a bit surprised… And after some seconds, she looked at me with an answer in her mind.

"Well… It would depend on the situation clearly but… I would want them to tell me the truth… To show me they can change or fix the 'terrible stuff' they did… That they can… grow"

?!

"W-Wow"

"W-What?"

"I did not expect an answer like that… T-Thanks Kate-san"

"Ah! No worries, I'm honored to help my friends after all" She inflated her chest, looking proud. Heh, I guess I could call her my friend after all…

"Also, one last question"

"Sure! What is it?"

"Why the hell did you accept the guys proposal to make that 'yaoi cafe'?"

Her smile suddenly dropped and looked a bit flustered by my question.

"I-I owed it to Mitsuko-san! A-After what happened in the festival, I expected her to feel used by me, but she showed no remorse… I wanted to compensate her b-but… To think she would ask for this…"

"A-Ah… I see" This indeed surprised me as well… I'll have to trust Joe in this one… It can't be that bad…

End of Kiyoshi's POV.

Kate's POV:

"Well.. I guess I'll be going now"

"Alright, goodbye Kiyoshi-kun"

As Kiyoshi left the office, I was left alone… again.

Lately, this place has been pretty empty. Risa is now dating Andre, so she spends most of her time with him, while Mitsuko is meeting a supposed friend of hers to teach her about that Three kingdoms stuff…

I've never really cared about being on my own… But as of recently… I wouldn't mind some company. 

As I sat down on that hard old sofa, I started thinking about what I talked about with Kiyoshi. What did he mean by that question?... Was it about… Hana-san?

Maybe they fought and he wants to fix their problems? I would love to know but… I don't think I should ask… not yet at least. Hana doesn't trust me yet and Kiyoshi seems… worried about something.

I guess all that I could do is… Try to learn something from their situation. I saw them together acting pretty decently to each other… But I guess not everything is like what one sees from the outside…

…

"M-Maybe I should read it once more…"

As I got up, I walked to my small desk, the one I've been using since I became the president of this council. It's a bit ugly, but it has its charm. I used to have a small photo of me from when I was 13 years old… And… She was on it too… I shouldn't have burnt it…

I opened a small drawer that the desk had and grabbed the white letter Mari wrote to me…

I walked back to where I was sitting, and as I grabbed a cup of tea, I took out the well-written letter she left me.

I took a small breath and started reading it.

…

'Dear Kate. 

I'm sorry to notify you about my exchange in this letter and to make you deliver these letters to express my gratitude to you all.

Do you remember when we were inside your bedroom? I must say I won't forget about it. Don't misunderstand my words, this is not a love letter nor a declaration of love. Not unless you wanted it to be so.'

I had to take another sip of breath after reading that. My face turning red didn't help it either. H-How could I forget about what happened then?... M-My mind has not fully recovered from that…

'I hope you forgive me if that memory hinders you, it was a means to an end after all, but I can't help but feel like I did something you may regret. If that's so, then all I can ask for is for you to forgive me.

I'll be blunt: I used to really dislike you. You were nothing more than a 'vulgar bully' in my eyes. But to be honest with my feelings, in the last weeks, my eyes have not been the only thing to control my mind. I think I'm finally learning to see more than meets the eye, as they say. Now, I can finally begin to understand you, and like that, I can understand you are not a bad person.'

I hope she's right. I do want to believe I'm not a bad person. But everyone seems to see it like that. Maybe it was during the cavalry battle that most people started seeing me as a monster of sorts, some even blaming me for the accident that happened afterwards… But I'm trying to mend them… To mend myself…

"Excuse me…"

"Gwk-"

Before I could continue reading, Meiko entered the office, making me choke on my tea. I tried to hide the letter as fast as I could.

"M-Meiko-chan… W-What brings you here?"

"Sorry for the interruption…" Meiko said as she looked at the envelope I left on the table. S-Shit… "I wanted to talk about those dumbasses plan"

"O-Oh… Yes, I heard about the plan…"

"So… You're fine acting in that 'Rapunzel' stuff?"

"W-Well, I can't say I'm a bit nervous to do so, but I'm not against it!" I said with the best smile I could make at that moment.

Apparently, the main idea for making money the guys planned is a play of 'Rapunzel', a story by the Grimm brothers, I believe. They wanted me to play as 'Mother Gothel', the main villain of the story. I would be a bit mad at this, but I must say I kinda like the idea. Plus, I'll have an excuse to use a pretty dress.

"I see… You'll do a good job, I know that"

"Oh!... T-Thanks" Its hard getting used to being her 'coworker' of sorts. But it feels nice to have her by my side now. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Actually… There is" She looked at a loss of words for a second. "I… need your help with something"

"My help? You've got my attention"

"T-The thing is…" Her face turned red. To say this was rare would be an understatement. "I want to give Mari… A parting gift"

"H-Huh? What does that mean"

"You see… I talked with the Chairman recently. Mostly about the festival, but I couldn't help myself to talk about her" She looked a bit sad, but a faint smile appeared on her face. "She went to visit him as well as telling him about her exchange…"

"S-So he knew about it? And he didn't stop her?"

"I said the same thing, but he told me she made her decision the moment that helicopter crashed into the prison. But before leaving, they made a deal…"

"A deal?" 

"Before this sunday, she would find a way to contact him. Specifically to talk about how she was doing in her new school, but…"

"T-That means he'll know Mari's new phone number?!"

"Y-Yes… And I asked him to send it to me…"

Before leaving the school, Mari made sure to erase all means of contact, and just like Kiyoshi, she lost her phone during the helicopter incident…

"S-So… We'll be able to speak to her?"

"Yes… Not only that, but I'll be able to accomplish the promise I made in the past."

"H-Huh? You're talking about…"

"Yes. The same thing I tried to do at the cavalry festival. I want to finish the song I wrote for her. I didn't have the chance to sing it properly, let alone play the melody I spent years training for her"

"A-And what do you want me to help you with exactly?"

"... Isn't it obvious?" She looked a bit confused. "You'll help me sing the song to her"

"W-What?! Why?!"

"Don't you want to apologize to Mari-san?!" She suddenly screamed at me, with a small blush on her face.

"...Y-Yes…"

"Then… You'll help me, it's as simple as that"

I sighed… and then I smiled back at her. "Fine… What should we do?"

I stood up and put the letter in the drawer.

End of Kate's POV.

Kiyoshi's POV:

Things are going… well?

I got Mayumi's attention and managed to make a meeting between her, Gakuto and I. The plan is getting readjusted but most of it will still happen and even though I'm not sure of that cafe thing, I'm sure Joe will make it work…

Plus… I managed to do 'my part' faster than possible, but the chocolates didn't go that well I guess… I had to give the ones that turned sweeter to Hana and Meiko… Hope they don't mind…

So everythings going according to our plan… Then… Why?

Why do I have a bad feeling about this? I feel like I'm missing something…

"Hmm? Kiyoshi-dono!" 

As I walked my way back to my room, I found Gakuto near the teachers room.

"Gakuto? What are you doing here?"

"Yours truly was just looking for a phone, and the teachers were kind enough to let me use theirs" Ah that's right, even the teachers are obsessed with Gakuto… I'm jealous…

"Why did you want to use a phone? You could have asked to use mine"

"Ah… I had to contact my parents, and as they work till late, I had to call them now or I would have lost my chance to do so"

"Ah… You called them about the festival?"

"Indeed, I wanted to see if they would be able to come, but sadly, I don't think they will" 

Gakuto seemed a bit sad, but I never heard him talking about his family…

"What about you, Kiyoshi-dono?"

"Huh?"

"Are your parents coming to the festival?"

…

?!?!?!

It suddenly hit me.

I can't believe how long it took me to notice.

My parents were invited to the festival… And knowing them… They will assist… 

If they see how people treat me here… They'll ask a lot of embarrassing questions…

"K-Kiyoshi-dono? Is everything correct?"

I must have gone pale. The idea of this happening burnt my brain in a matter of seconds.

"I… I haven't asked them… But they'll probably come…"

"I-Is that a bad thing?"

"Yes"

"I-I see… Troubled times…"

Before I could stop and think about it for another second, someone appeared behind us.

"Oh, Kiyoshi-kun! Gakuto-kun!" Mayumi's voice appeared from behind us. 

"Ah! Mayumi-dono! It's a pleasure to see you again"

"Hehe, don't be so formal! I was looking for you two"

"Mmm? Looking for us?" I asked. She was carrying a small empty food tray. She probably took some food for Chiyo and was taking it back to the cafeteria. "Care to accompany me?"

[...]

As she left the small tray, the three of us sat on a bench outside the school buildings. It felt a bit weird, I've never hung out with her, so I felt awkward.

"So uhm… Why were you looking for us?"

"There's two reasons. First, I thought about your proposal about the festival, and I'll help you if you do the same to me"

"Oh! By that you mean getting your account back? That will be no problem to an internet genius like me!" Gakuto said in a cheesy egotistical tone. But he wasn't wrong, he has shown us his expertise with computers, unless you're searching for mp3 sound effects…

"You can really do that? It would mean the world to me!" Mayumi had small tears forming on her eyes… Was it really that important to her? During the festival I saw her start a crow cheer of sorts just by… roaring? I guess she really likes the attention it brings…

"Y-Yours truly will do its best to get it back this weekend, so worry not!"

"T-Thank you…"

With this, If Gakuto manages to get it back, the first part of our plan would be mostly finished. Promoting the festival will be a piece of cake with Mayumi's fans and Gakuto's fame… All we can do is pray to PBR-sama that this goes well…

"A-Also… there's one more thing I want to ask your help with…" Mayumi added looking a bit nervous.

"Mayumi-dono, This gentleman will do whatever is asked for your sake!"

"W-Well… It's about Chiyo-chan…"

Gakuto and I stopped smiling quickly. 

"I talked to Hana and she wants to help her get better before the festival but… I don't know if that's enough…"

Gakuto sent a nervous glare at me. What am I supposed to do? You know I'm can't do anything.

Suddenly, Mayumi turned at me.

"Please, Kiyoshi-kun, you're the only one who can help her!"

"M-Me?"

"Yes! You're the only guy she cares about! If it's you the one to talk to her… I bet she'll be fine! Plus, I don't like the fact she's skipping this many classes…"

That's true… Chiyo has been missing from school and… I can't help but feel it's all my fault…

I guess there's no other option… I have to do it… I'll have to do 'my part'...

"Mayumi… Could you do me a favor?" I set my face to look as serious as possible.

"Y-Yes?"

"Could you give this to Chiyo? I don't know how she'll react but… If there's any chance I have a way to help her… Is with this" 

I handed her a box of chocolates and a small letter I wrote. I was heavily inspired by Mari's letter, but I'm in no way as good at writing as her.

"I see… I'll give it to her. Thanks Kiyoshi-kun" She bowed at me.

"It's getting pretty late isn't it? We should go Gakuto"

"A-Ah… You're correct, Kiyoshi-dono, then, farewell Mayumi-dono! I'll be contacting you soon!"

"Thank you guys! See ya!"

As Gakuto and I started walking to our room, he looked at me worried.

"Kiyoshi-dono… Are you sure you're going to use that plan? I thought you wanted to maintain your distance…"

"There's no other option… If it's between her happiness and my pain… I'll have to pay for my sins…"

"I see… Then I'll have to accompany you through the pathway to hell"

I faintly smiled at him, knowing that if Chiyo read that letter, I could either have the chance to solve my problems, or lose the ability to ever talk to her again.

To be continued…

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