Prison School: No More Prison

11th of July, Wednesday

Hana's POV:

I still feel uneasy…

I have this feeling… That something bad is going to happen soon…

I'm still surprised at the outcome of everything. Five days ago I did something terrible, yet life has been going on like nothing happened.

I'm not the only one who may feel this way. Kiyoshi, Meiko-san and Kate have been acting strange lately. 

Kate is the weirdest to me. Meiko-san and her apparently tried to catch Mari-san before she took her flight, but they both failed at doing so. Since then, Kate has been acting… Kinder? 

At first I thought it could all be an act of sorts: The letters, mixing the councils and acting like that could work to easily destroy the USC from inside and take revenge… Yet it doesn't seem like that… She's trying really hard to fix her issues. Last monday, as we went to Kiyoshi's room, she seemed to actually care about the school's situation and problems. It seems she's more capable than it seems…

Still… If she knows anything about Kiyoshi and I… S-She's my enemy…

Meiko, on the other hand, seems to not only be kinder towards Kate and the regular council, but also with the boys. Due to being occupied with the festival, it's been hard to talk to her… I hope we can talk soon…

"Hey Hana, are you using this piping bag?"

"N-No no, you can use it!"

"Thanks! I'll give it back to you later!"

*Ahem*

Well… Kiyoshi hasn't been acting strange that usual, he's weird after all. He looks a bit sad from time to time, but he acts like nothing happened… I wonder if that's his coping mechanism.

…

Talking to him on the phone is…weird… Is my first time talking to a boy like that after all…

"Hana-san~"

"Y-Yes?" It was Satou-san. I didn't talk to her that much after the festival, but she's really good at baking and makes some amazing desserts.

"I-I've been meaning to ask you a question…"

"Of course! What's the matter?" I tried to sound as friendly as possible, yet my mind was still thinking about other stuff-

"Y-You see… I-I need some love tips…"

H-Huh?! W-Why do people think I have experience with this type of stuff?!

"T-There's this guy who recently has been helping me get over my last relationship…"

Ah, that's right. I heard about it during the festival. That guy she was dating was also dating like four or five other girls from the academy. What a douche. 

"D-Do you know any ways I could thank him?"

"T-Thank him?"

"Y-Yes… I like to give him some of the stuff I make here but I don't think that's enough…"

Shit, what should I tell her? I've never given a gift to a boy… N-Not even to Kiyoshi.. A-At least not yet…

"D-Do you know what he likes?"

"Eerm… A-Ants?"

Ants? Could she be talking about the hooded guy? She doesn't have good taste either…

W-Wait why did I say neither?

"H-Hana-san? W-Why are you blushing?"

"O-Oh it's…nothing"

Satou-san seemed a bit surprised by my reaction. Her surprise suddenly became a face of doubt.

"Could it be Hana-san… Do you also like a boy from this school?"

"W-What?! N-No!"

Before I could say anything else, he entered the room.

"W-With your permission"

A-Ah it was today… Today Kiyoshi joined the cooking club for the first time.

"oh, it's that one boy"

"yes… I heard he's part of the underground council now…"

I could hear some girls whispering behind me. After Kiyoshi joined the USC he's reputation has slowly been fixing itself. Meiko made sure to do as Mari said and helped him recover from the festival situation… Obviously, not a single girl at school has forgotten about what happened, but at least most of them stopped calling him 'Dickyoshit'... Hehe, I should call him like that from time to time.

"G-Good morning, Hana-san, Satou-san"

Hmm? He's now using honorifics with me again?... I-It's kinda cheesy.

"Hello, Kiyoshi-kun!"

"Hey…"

"U-Umm… I was wondering where to start, actually"

"Ah! I see! It's your first day in the club isn't it? I can help you!" Satou-san was always trying to help new people when it came to cooking. She apparently loves to help others with this type of stuff, so I guess I won't be needed…

"T-That would be great, Satou-san, you could both teach me!"

Both? He already included me?

"Yes, that would be great, wouldn't it, Hana-san?"

"U-Uhm… Yeah"

[...]

I'm actually surprised. 

Kiyoshi turned out to be good at baking stuff.

Apparently, her mother used to make him bake cakes and desserts with her, so he knows a few things about this type of stuff. 

"Ah! so this is frosting right?"

"Y-Yes… we'll use it to make cupcakes for the festival"

The cooking club was one of the first ones to join the idea of the festival, wanting to open a small cafe and selling some goods near the entrance. It's an easy way of making money.

"Hey Kiyoshi-kun… Can I ask you a question?"

"Umm? Sure Cake-san"

W-Wait… Is she gonna?

"I-I need a bit of help with a gift for… A-A boy…"

S-She asked him??? Out of all the people on this planet, she asked Kiyoshi for help?

"A-Ah! I see… May I know who's this gift for?"

"U-Umm… I-It's a 'thanks' gift to Joe-kun for taking care of me recently…"

"Aww… Sure! You need help choosing something for him?"

"Y-Yes! I wanted to give him something different! I always bring him food or stuff like that… I think he'll end up disliking my cooking if I conti-"

"No! Please keep giving him food!"

H-Huh? What's up with him?

"Boys love when girls give us sweets! And we also love when they tend to give us the same thing, even if it's over and over."

I-Is that true? Do boys really like that? H-He's one after all… Maybe he does know that type of stuff…

"I-I see… B-But still, I don't want him to get fatter because of me…"

"C-Cake-san… Y-You never saw Joe shirtless, have you?"

"H-Huh?! O-Of course not!"

"I-I could tell… He won't get fatter, I promise"

Mmm… Kiyoshi at least seems like a good friend. I heard that boys tend to treat each other like brothers… And it's true that during prison they bonded a lot in really little time…

I hate to say it… But in that aspect Kiyoshi may be better than me. I'm a terrible friend.

I haven't talked to Meiko about how she's feeling. I didn't try to look for Mari after she announced her exchange. And I… I lied to Chiyo…

I felt as if the piping bag I was using slipped through my hands. Am I actually alone now?

If Chiyo comes out now and tells everyone what happened, no one will come and defend me. I lost everything for basically nothing… Why did I even do that to begin with… 

"Kiyoshi…"

H-Huh?... Oh… Satou-san's talking with him… I was scared for a sec-

"Do you like someone?"

..?!

H-Huh?!... Satou-san… W-What are you asking him? W-Why?

"E-Ehmm… Y-Yes… I-I think…"

"Hmm? I think?"

…

Ah… That's right… He's as fucked up as I am… Even if everything goes wrong… My downfall will be his too…

"I-I uhm… Liked someone… But there's no way we'll end up together"

"Oh… I'm sorry for asking then"

"N-Nono, it's okay, it's my fault only"

I tightened my grip without noticing as he said that.

"H-Hana-san? Y-You're using way to much frosting on that one"

"I-I'm sorry… I miscalculated…"

[...]

Club time was over. I made around 24 cupcakes while the idiot made around 6. As they weren't that perfect due to being his first ones, We decided that he could eat them.

"Bye Satou-san, see you tomorrow okay?"

"Yes Hana, bye!"

Time to go to bed I guess… I feel a bit… Weak again…

"U-Uhm, Hana?"

I looked behind me to find Kiyoshi with a nervous smile.

"I-I uhm… wanted to give you this… as an apology… I know it's kind of a bad gift but… please take it"

Kiyoshi handed me a cupcake. I could tell it was the best one he made so far.

"I… Know I can't change what I did… And for as long as I'm part of the USC you'll sadly have to be around me… So until my time is over and I can stop bothering you… I want to ask for your forgiveness"

…

"I'll take it… but this won't be enough"

"H-huh?... I-I see… If you want anything else… just tell me"

Anything…?

"I actually do…"

"H-Huh? W-What is it?"

I took some air. It was not an easy thing to say after all, right?

"I-I…I-..."

S-Shit… I can't say it

"H-Hana-san?"

"Shut up! I'm trying to concentrate"

"S-Sorry!"

…

I looked at the wall and saw Mari's exchange announcement on it. It brought back so many memories in such a few seconds.

I knew what I needed to do. I just didn't know if I could do it.

"I-I want you to help me"

"H-Help you? Help you what?"

"H-Help me understand myself…"

"I-I don't get it… H-How can I help you do that?"

S-Shit… I feel like I'm gonna pass out… I gotta go fast…

"C-Come to my room before night. D-Don't get any ideas!"

"H-Huh?!"

End of Hana's POV.

Shingo's POV:

It's been almost five days since my training began. Joe, Andre, Gakuto and Kiyoshi have been helping me get better at Strange Warriors III. And with their help…

*Knockout sound* 'SWEET'

"W-Wow, Shingo! You beat me flawlessly!"

I got way better than before!

"Thanks Joe, I couldn't do it without you"

"Man, do you think you're ready for Anzu?"

I gulped… I wanted to believe I was so… but she was a beast at this game.

"I-I do hope so… Yes!"

"So… When are you going to fight her?"

"U-Uhmmm" Shit! I haven't told her anything yet. Is it too soon? Would she think bad of me if she knew I spent the last 4 days playing video games?

"Well… I'll guess it's now or never…"

"Huh? What are you talkin-"

"Heeey, Shingo! Joe!"

I heard a voice behind me and my body froze. I knew who it was from.

"Hey Anzu, what are you doing here?*cough*"

"Y-Yeah Anzu, what's up?"

"N-Not much, what's up with you? you look like you saw a ghost"

I must have gone pale due to her appearing out of nowhere. Is it not the right time to challenge her?

"Oh, we were playing some video games *cough*, but Shingo is really good at this one"

"Huh, it's that so? Shingo always loses against me on Strange Fighter"

"T-Then, why don't we have a fight?" Yes! That's it Shingo, assert dominance!

"Mmm… Sure, why not!"

"Then, I'll get going, I gotta see about a girl" Said Joe out of nowhere

"E-Eh? A girl?"

"*cough* Hehe… I'm not wasting any time either, Shingo-kun."

Ah… That's the spirit Joe! We'll all become men just like Andre did!

As Joe went and Anzu sat on the opposite arcade, I started feeling a bit nervous. To be honest, I didn't think about it this far. What happens if I lose? I mean, nothing happened so far, but I feel like I would have lost so much time for nothing. And if I win? Will she really kiss me just for winning this game?

"Hey, Shingo-kun"

"H-Huh? Yes?"

"I see you've been playing a lot recently…"

"W-Why do you say so?" S-Shit! H-How does she know?

"Your name is now on the ranking! Congrats on being third!"

"A-Ah, yes… It simply appeared while playing and I thought it was kinda cool too…"

"Haha, don't try to act all cool and tough! I'm gonna beat your ass now"

"I-I'd like to see you try!"

[...]

I-It's impossible…

"Don't get distracted!"

"I'm n-not!"

She's hitting combos I didn't even know existed… Not only that… She's not playing the one I thought was her main! 

She always uses 'Kathy', that's good at maintaining distance and attacking when it's only necessary, yet she used grabbers today! That makes my 'Gale' useless, as he's only good at cutting distance…

S-Shit! I sound like a weeb! What has this woman done to me…

*Knockout Sound* 'K.O.'

S-She beat me thrice in a row! She's even better than before… Could it be that…

She was holding back?!?! S-Shit… It's almost night and I haven't beat her yet!

"Hey Shingo…"

"Y-Yes?"

Please don't tell me she's bored, this was my one opportunity, I gotta win!

"You really did get better! I'm proud of you! I haven't sweat like this for a long time!"

"A-Ah… W-Well yeah, but I still can't win…"

"Haha! Of course, I'm the best around here! But you still did good"

Y-Yes but… I gotta focus! I have to win! I won't leave this arcade without winning at least once!

"Why don't we go and have something to eat, it's a reward for playing this good"

"Y-Yes! Let's go!"

Ah well… I can win any other time…

I tried my best tho…

Without everyone's help I couldn't have gotten this good. I gotta pay them back somehow.

We both got up and walked until we found a fast food takeout. We grabbed some soda, fries and sat on a bench in the park.

"Hey… Isn't this park the place where…?"

"Heh, yes, it is" Anzu smiled… She looks so damn cute! "This is the park where I admitted that I was actually lying to you"

"To think that almost 2 months have passed since that" 

"Puff, you talking live we're lovers or something" Anzu hit me with her elbow

"H-Hey! I-I didn't say that…" She laughed at the face I did.

T-This damn woman is making me lose my cool…

W-Wait… this situation is kinda what I wanted, right? We're both alone in a romantic setup…

S-Should I try?

"Hey Shingo"

"Y-Yes?"

"You know… I gotta thank you…"

"F-For what?"

"You've made me live some crazy moments. I've bonded with girls I never thought I could and experienced so many things I only dreamed about…"

"I-Is that so?"

"Yeah… Thanks" She's blushing…S-She's too damn perfect… I-I need to try my best right now… I-I'm not the romantic type but…

"I-I gotta thank you too, without you we wouldn't have escaped prison, we would have lost against the other council and you're one of the only women who don't punch me on site at the moment"

"Ha! that's what you get for being a dummy" She hit me in the back while laughing.

"D-Dummy?"

"Yes… that's who you are…" 

She's blushing again, yet she maintains her cocky smile… 

I got a bit closer and looked her in the eyes.

"S-Shingo?"

"I'm not a dummy, Anzu-san"

Damn! That was a really cool liner! She's actually blushing more than before! To think this came from one of Kiyoshi's dumb sumo movies, thank you!

"Y-Yeah? Then what are you then?" She said in a defying tone.

I gulped. It's now or never.

"I'm… A man…"

I got to the point of almost touching our noses. She closed her eyes and I got closer.

I-I can feel her breath… I'm going to do it…

I closed my eyes and-

*Cell Phone ring*

S-Shit! It's that Anzu's phone?

"I-I'm sorry! I-It's Meiko-chan!"

"N-No no, it's okay, it's your duty as guard, right?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm sorry, it will be just a second, okay?"

"Yeah yeah! Don't worry!"

…

That bitch! She ruined my moment! It was perfect!

I even used the best phrase I had…

…

I looked at Anzu's face, who went from blushing to pale really soon.

"W-What did you say?"

"Hmm?"

"S-She tried to what? A-Are you sure?"

"W-What happened, Anzu?"

"O-Okay… I'll go there as soon as possible…"

She put down her phone and looked at me with a worried face.

"A-Apparently… someone almost drowned herself in the female showers"

"W-What? D-Drowned herself? Who?"

"C-Chiyo-san"

End of Shingo's POV.

Kiyoshi's POV:

I-It's almost 8:00 pm and Hana-san told me to come to her room.

I have to say… Mari and Meiko's plan is working really well! I haven't had someone call me anything like a pervert or 'dickyoshit' in the last 12 hours! It's a new record!

Yet I'm still not feeling well. My mind is trying to forget about Saturday but I guess I just can't…

If I think about her for too long, I'll start feeling like shit. 

Today during the club, as Cake-san talked to me about love, I felt my chest going numb.

This is what it feels to have your heart-broken?

I don't know…

Maybe meeting with Hana isn't the best idea, but I think I owe it to her for… pretty much everything I've done since I met her…

*Sound of door opening*

"G-Get in, quickly"

"Y-Ye-"

"D-Don't talk, no one has to know you're here"

I simply nodded and entered her room.

Her room is nothing like mine, after all it's designed for one person. Last year students did get the best stuff, huh?

"S-Sit on the floor"

"O-Ok" Well, I don't know what I was expecting.

Her room smells really good actually. She has posters of some martial arts dudes I barely know and a huge library of books. I can also see a tea collection, some duck plushies and some really pretty clothes…

W-Wait…H-How didn't I think about this?!

I-It's my first time in a girl's bedroom!

H-How can Hana be so goddamn calm? I was freaking out when she came to my room…

Godbless I took a shower and put on some nice clothes…

"Hmm… that suit… isn't it the one we saw while shopping last time?"

"U-Uhm, no… I found a similar one in a store while buying my phone and bought it… It's not as pretty as the other, I don't have a good eye for clothes."

"Mhm… D-Do you still want the other ones? I-I can buy it for you"

"F-For real?"

"J-Just if you do as you promised…"

L-Like I promised?...

To wear them only when I'm with her?

"S-Sure…"

"T-Then I'll buy them for you next time I'm out"

"I-I can go with you if you want to"

"S-Sure" Her face went a bit red with that…

W-What's going on in here? I thought she was gonna beat my crap… Or maybe she actually wants to talk about what happened on Chiyo's birthday? 

I still don't know how I can help her 'find herself'.

"U-Umm… D-Do you want some tea?"

"I-I'd love so…"

T-This looks just like a regular meeting…

…

N-No, wait…

I-Is this…

A d-date?

To be continued…

---

Hey there! Thanks for reading this far! To be honest, I had some issues while writing this chapter, but I feel like its direction is as good as it can be. Next chapter we'll see about today's "date" and maybe learn what happened in the female showers!

Also, if not updated, please check AO3 version of Prison School: NMP!:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/58965832/chapters/150314026

(You can find next chapter's release date in there!)