Chapter Text
Horuda had always been seen as anything negative you could think of. Seriously, the most undesirable person on earth would gasp in shock at the sight of her.
It's as if she held a powerful curse, forbidding the unfortunate girl from any enjoyable opportunities. Would she just stay alone forever? Is that her fate?
Just to serve as everyone's punching bag?
Even her parents glance at her with pitiful, disappointed stares, despite their efforts to hide the noticeable annoyance they'd feel looking at their disgraceful child she could still notice every ounce of the disappointment.
Maybe, her true purpose was to help people feel more confident - There simply weren't any other reasons that would result in God deciding to trap her on this wretched earth.
What a hopeless girl, she'd come home from school and lie down on her bed completely unmotivated, then fall asleep quickly and wake up tired even though she slept a normal amount.
It's a never-ending cycle of humiliation and self-dislike.
Though one fateful, hopeful day would finally bring life to Horuda's colorless and empty eyes, usually reddened from crying. That was the one single source of color her wide eyes consisted of.
The alarm Horuda used her full efforts to ignore eventually ended up resulting in her waking up.
Nervously, she grabbed her phone gently, turning it on in an attempt to check the time.
As the screen roared to life, it only made her squint pathetically in realization that she forgot to turn her phone brightness down since the last time she used it.
It's fine. That's just how unlucky Horuda could be, for her it didn't really enrage her like it would to a normally functioning person.
After all, she's used to stuff like that happening “early” in the morning - Probably expecting a worse fate to surround her.
As if the world's purpose was to make her life consist of a horrible experience a minimum of once every single day Horuda diverted her iris to the phone screen, trying to check the time.
Shit.
SHIT.
The slightly cracked phone screen read “9:24AM” almost a full hour after class started.
Should she just not go to school? Despite that being the optimum solution and the best one, especially considering the fact that the miserable latter felt like she was being stabbed in the head, serving as an unfamiliar pain for her. Especially in the morning.
Though the obvious and understandable decision, she couldn't destroy her already weak attendance further.
Carefully but hurriedly, Horuda stood up from her untidy, disorganized bed, an uneasy and weak feeling washing over her.
It truly hurt.
Not to mention that due to the student's uncomfortable sleep that she sacrificed some valuable time on, her teacher would just scold and humiliate her.
“It's okay Horuda, you didn't do anything wrong. Please don't use this as an excuse to slack off, it'll just make you feel worse sooner or later”, Horuda thought to herself in an endeavor to reassure and motivate her, disregarding her suffering.
As she stood up, too unbothered to make her bed or to tidy up her already messy, hazardous room. She just went straight to the bathroom.
The latter pushed the tap up vertically, observing how it turned to life quickly. Horuda didn't bother to wash her face exceedingly, in actuality: The girl in question simply splashed some water on her face precipitously. A short amount of time later Horuda held up her poorly handled toothbrush, squeezing an ungenerous amount of toothpaste right on it.
Thoroughly, she cleaned her front teeth, barely showing any care for the rotting ones in the back of her mouth.
Afraid to dare to even shoot a light glance at her reflection, she rushed out of the bathroom nervously.
What would eating breakfast bring her? After all, Horuda is too worthless to even deserve any food. Although she held the knowledge that this negativity would only ruin her mindset further, she didn't feel the need to care about it or to fulfill her necessities.
Instead of brushing her hair or doing skincare, anything an average teenager around her age would do in this disappointing, unlucky situation she just made her way into the horribly handled, undesirable room Horuda called hers and sloppily put on her school uniform.
The uniforms were so uncomfortable and flashy anyway, how was this fitting for a strict Japanese school?
Timidly, comparatively to if somebody was watching her carefully. She exited the room and strode to the door, rarely stumbling due to the dizziness she unluckily picked up early in the morning on that day.
There was nothing Horuda disliked more than the bright sun on an already ruined day for her. The girl's breath hitched as she dramatically squinted, equally as fazed as an aspiring actress attempting to portray someone getting blinded by the sun. “Cch!”
As the bright sun illuminated Horuda's greasy, dark hair resulting in her headache worsening, eliciting a muffled and unfortunate sound from her she practically ran with an unfamiliar amount of energy.
Despite the latter's noticeable haziness she ended up consulting in contempt of the fact she slept a considerably long amount the girl felt an unyielding urge to make it to school quickly attempting to ignore the fact that she was hopelessly late.
Seriously, the poor, miserable student ran home to school and fell asleep immediately. Then woke up and realized the unlucky state she truly remained in.
Horuda eventually made her way into the large building, clutching her bag harshly in remembrance of when her bullies stole it and used a way to lure her to have any kind of negative and awkward interaction with them, only further fueling her misery.
Inaudibly, she sighed, bracing herself for another scolding from her teacher, the oddly familiar feeling washing over her once again.
“I a-apologize for being late, miss.”, Horuda immediately managed to get out of her mouth timidly and cowardly, her head held low and nervousness already consuming her until all her energy and dignity was gone for the day.
Maybe the teacher had a nice good-night's rest or noticed Horuda's undeniable suffering because instead of humiliating her in front of everybody, making her wish she had never decided to come to school instead of showing any consideration to her grades and attendance she simply answered her with an “Okay Umetsu, just make sure to tone down your habits of being late, okay? It will have an effect on your grades.”
Horuda's chapped lips curled into a light smile as she nodded, going over to her seat with her hands clasped together as if she were even more flustered and humiliated than before.
The girl in question immediately settled in her seat, ready to find a comfortable position she could spend her time in this class in, and will probably attempt to concentrate and listen to the teacher due to her upcoming exams she can't risk falling, likely to end up zoning out anyway whether she'd enjoy it or not.
Despite her flawed attempt to have any kind of relaxation she desires it seemed to be that Horuda had forgotten about her seatmate.
Kokoro Moimoro.
Kokoro hadn't done anything to Horuda in particular when they were alone, but she still remained a person Horuda would dislike deeply and have an eternal fear of.
A silent tone only Horuda and the rotten girl sitting next to her could hear suddenly filled Horuda's ears, causing her to sweat a mild amount knowing that she'll have another embarrassing and miserable encounter.
“Hey, Horuda. Can you pick it up?”, Kokoro's voice suddenly became the new focus of Horuda, who already found herself disassociating and withering away slowly but gradually.
As she comprehended Kokoro's intentions, taking a short glance at her face and finding a sweet, considerate smile but a shatter through the student's perfect mask noticeable if you cared to look close enough.
The girl quietly nodded lightly, she knew that it would be better to not cooperate with her, though the inevitable consequences would only bring a worse fate to her.
Reluctantly, Horuda bent over, picking up the overly decorated, pastel pink pen from the slightly dusty hardwood floor. For some foreign reason, she felt humiliated. More humiliated than whenever her unfortunate self would get bullied to her face.
It just felt incorrect and uncomfortable, showing a similarity to if somebody silently judged her and she couldn't confront them about it.
Lost in thought, Horuda's eyes widened lightly as she noticed the kogal gyaru point her light pink, expensive phone at the unfortunate, black haired girl capturing one of the worst possible angles of Horuda, making her appear distorted and undesirable.
Well, she already was, just simply to a larger extent.
“Moimoro… Please don't take any p-pictures of me.”, the crouching girl whispered in a barely audible, miserable voice. Immediately getting up - pen in hand meanwhile Kokoro held back a light giggle, resulting in Horuda wishing she had never gone to school today.
Almost immediately, Horuda got up and sat back on her uncomfortable seat complimented by her disorganised, untidy desk. She opened her mouth as if attempting to say something, though she refrained from saying whatever consumed her mind, like an abused child afraid to utter a word to their parents.
She nervously handed the mechanical pencil to her seatmate using her sweaty, pale hand, showing a refusal to make eye contact.
Kokoro smiled sinisterly at the sight of the frowning, black haired student sitting carefully.
Too carefully.
Like she showed a worry of breathing too loud and enraging Kokoro somehow, God, was she pathetic.
The fashionably dressed student attempted to open her mouth to tease Horuda or to make a cruel remark about her, but as soon as she found the correct words to say to hit harsher and deeper inside of her heart the bell rang loudly, eliciting a silent sigh of relief from the woman.
Walking through the hallway, the fluorescent lights illuminating the girl in question's greasy hair as dark as the night she found herself absolutely lost in thought.
Though instead of any productive thoughts flooding the inside of her brain, all she could think about was self-dislike and her inner voice degrading her whether she enjoyed it or not.
“I wish I hadn't gone to school today.”, she muttered under her breath, there was nothing that Horuda desired more than to be able to lie in her bed timidly, sinking into her thoughts and daydreams until she eventually fell into a deep sleep as she always ends up doing.
Walking wherever the wind took her, Horuda didn't end up noticing the silhouette of the man in front of her getting closer and closer, suddenly bumping into him.
“Aah..!”, she yelped, immediately shutting her wide mouth in fear of coming off as annoying or unlikable.
Horuda looked up, a nervous expression plastered all over her small and preposterous face. “I-I'm sorry…! Did I hurt you?”, though as the words spilled out on their own, tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
Not because she felt like somebody would scold and humiliate her again, but because a deep pain rose within her despite her pathetic efforts to ignore it.
“I apologize, is everything okay, Umetsu?”, the man standing before her replied, stretching his muscular arm out offering a hand to help the pitiful girl stand up, treating her with genuine respect unlike most people.
Even bothering to remember what her actual last name was, unlike most people at the academy.
Despite her overwhelming feeling of being undeserving of any help, she still made the decision to stretch her hand out, accepting his help.
Horuda smiled sadly if not painfully, this had been one of the first times someone unknown or someone she never initiated a conversation with offered her some kind of help.
With the help of the man in front of her, the fragile student carefully got on both her feet.
Instead of removing his hand at an immediate pace like other people attempting to show politeness to her do, he remained holding Horuda's hand gently, treating her as a fragile thing in fear of accidentally hurting her.
Horuda appreciated it.
Not to mention, he was also good-looking, also one of the most popular people in that whole entire school. Seriously, how could somebody emit this amount of perfection and still not show any judgement to someone clearly below him in status, like a poor, unfortunate soul like Horuda?
“Uhm.. Masuyama, (The man who helped her up was Budo :), if you don't know his actual last name!) t-thank you for your help. I appreciate it.”, a smile overcame her face before she knew it.
Budo made slight eye contact with Horuda, noticing her joyful expression only resulting in him also showing a light smile, especially considering the fact he knew her as somebody often engulfed in misery. “Are you feeling any pain in any specific areas?”, he asked. The tone in his voice consisted of a perfect balance of normal professionalism and consideration.
Completely ignoring the fact Horuda's hand still remained engulfed in the warmth of Budo's, she took some uneven and noticeably painful steps.
After a short while of thinking, Horuda found an answer. “M-my thigh.. It hurts a lot, if I had to describe the pain. It has the same s-sensation as rope burns.” For some reason, Horuda's tendency to only speak in short, timid sentences suddenly vanished when she felt the comfort of having somebody genuinely interested in her issues.
Budo listened carefully instead of interrupting her, then made sure she already finished her sentence before letting anything else come out of his overly respectful, kind and considerate mouth. “Okay. I'm walking you to the nurse's office now. I hope everything will be okay with you.” to which Horuda nodded lightly.
A few moments awkward for Horuda and completely normal for Budo did they finally arrive at the nurses office, Budo knocking on the door twice before opening it.
As he walked in, he bowed respectfully and explained Horuda's issue, seeming to already have knowledge on her dislike of having to form explanations.
“Hello Miss. As me and Umetsu were trying to cross paths in the hallway, we accidentally bumped into each other. I'm completely fine, but she’s showing noticeable pain. I asked and she told me the feeling was on her thigh.”
Horuda, who didn't enjoy speaking in general, glanced at Budo amazed and dumbfounded listening to him effortlessly explain everything.
The nurse listened attentively, then walked over to Horuda’s side. “I’m going to do a check-up, okay?” She said gently.
Budo stood next to the door, watching carefully as the nurse carefully examined Horuda's wound.
As expected, the situation wasn't anything severe, just a simple friction burn, resulting in Horuda getting a bandage placed on the open wound and an ice pack carefully wrapped by a piece of cloth.
“Thank you, Masuyama.”, Horuda looked up at the tall man, her expression grateful and a subtle though warm smile consuming her lips.
Budo looked down at the girl, then at her wound shouldering a considerable amount of care despite it only being a minor issue.
“Bye!”, he told her, a short yet kind farewell as he watched the girl walk away, seemingly struggling less physically.
There weren't many words to describe how the rest of Horuda's day went, one of the best ways to describe it would simply be:
“Mediocre.”
Her bullies barely paid any attention to her for the day and all ended up going surprisingly well, even shocking the usually saddened, woeful girl.
Though Horuda can't seem to catch a break nor rest for long, can she?
As she packed up all her belongings after her last class, eager to finally arrive home she hurried unnecessarily to the exit of the school, though her peace immediately came to an end as she noticed a familiar, tragic sight.
Her locker surrounded by five tanned, blonde girls emitting a cruel, undeserved beauty.