[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/h5xf31C.png[/img][/center][hr][i][b]//Day 0 | Location:[/b] Nameless Forest - Clearing[/i]

Others roused themselves at Masato’s shout, some still groaning while others leapt up to their feet, scrambling for their belongings. The Ito twins, as Rin had understood, were quick to recover, rushing out from the front doors. Daisuke, alongside Maki and Fujita, took more than their fair load of discarded bags, urging others still weakened by the aftereffects of the crash to get going, while Kumi’s face transitioned from a sickly green to a mortified red when Yuki approached to help her, only to end up stepping on her vomit.

It had been a traditional Japanese breakfast. Miso, natto, fish, and rice, all chewed up and semi-digested, now a sticky, acrid mess that somehow even managed to overpower the stench of gasoline. A lesser man would have squirmed and writhed, would have been unable to hide the flash of disgust. But Endo Yuki? He had dealt with worst, and was happy to take Kumi by the hand regardless, leading her out to the back.

Mayumi, still trying to find her glasses, didn’t have a chance to act on the president’s orders before Rin had sprung into action. And as other students began filing out best they could, especially Shun who was swinging her hands like a baseball team advisor urging players to steal a plate, she resigned herself to being half-blind and scrambled out after the rest.

Kogen’s dramatics were enough too, to wrest Tsubaki out from the mound of cushions she was underneath. The short-haired girl [i]yawned[/i] as she was pulled out, her free hand rubbing her head as if trying to shake cobwebs (or concussions) out of it, before the severity of the situation dawned upon her and the simplest thing she could say was…

[b]“Fuck.”[/b]

…

But they all got out alright.

In the end, as Shun stood at the threshold of the back door, waiting for an epic explosion to jump out from…nothing happened. There was only a fwoosh of gasoline being ignited, before the front end of the bus caught fire. Oily, black smoke rose up in thick plumes, polluting the picturesque skies above. It had been an accident, to be sure, but as for the injuries…only superficial cuts and bruises were sustained. Some were woozier than others, having fallen down after they had all cleared away from the bus. Others had lost some of their belongings during the exit, though Hiroshi recommended not re-entering. Even after Shun had ate the bitter pill of disappointment, hopping off of a bus that wasn’t going to explode dramatically, smoke was still building up inside there, streaming out from open doors and cracked windows. Soon enough, the cushions would catch fire, and then, perhaps by tomorrow, there would be nothing but the charred husk of a bus.

Kumi was retching again, her empty stomach still trying to hurl things up. Of all those out on the clearing, only she could really smell it. Beneath the heftiness of smoke, laid the umami [i]aroma[/i] of crackling fat and flesh, boiling blood and bone. The slight girl doubled over a second time, Hana rubbing her back with an unreadable expression on her own face.

No, perhaps, going by where she was looking, perhaps this was the first time in a long time that her expression was readable.

Gone were mountain roads and saltwater breezes, countryside desolation and rice field terraces. In its place, there was a cerulean sky and a hot sun. A forest of foreign trees, and a clearing of lush, uncut grass. It was nature, picturesque and untamed, unspoiled by even a hint of civilization. And, though no one really knew the how, the where, the why, they all knew the what.

This was the Otherside. This was what laid beyond a Portal.

…

[b]“Well, Prez?”[/b] Daisuke folded his arms, looking down at Masato. [b]“What’s next?”[/b]

Mayumi cast a glance over at him, glaring. Or squinting. [b]“What do you mean by that? This isn’t school, Nakagawa-[i]san[/i].”[/b]

…

[b]“Sit down, you two,”[/b] Tsubaki snapped, gesturing at the most obviously injured duo. [b]“And stay still. Ayana-chan, look at my fingers. How many are there? And Ko-kun, hold fucking still. I’m trying to clean it up before you get an infection in your eye.”[/b]

[b]“Dunno why you give a shit.”[/b] A familiar voice, crude and callous, sounded. [i]Akito.[/i] [b]“It’s survival of the fittest, Tsubaki-chan. Those clowns’re liable to get offed first when shit g- OW! Maki, watch where you’re going!”[/b]

…

[b]“Heyo, passin’ by,”[/b] Yuudai sang, popping up before Shun. [b]“Everything alright, Kanamori? Trynna tally up where everyone’s at right now. Emotionally and all. Ah, and...”[/b]

He managed a softer smile, gratitude dimpling his cheeks.

[b]"Thank you for the shout,
But Nobel Peace Prize a doubt,
Poetry I..."[/b]

His brows furrowed in concentration.

[b]"...seek out?"[/b]

...

[indent][i]Perhaps this was how they coped.

Perhaps they were simply made of stronger stuff.

Or perhaps, they were being willfully ignorant.

Of the [i]children[/i] of the Otherside.

Of the monsters.[/i][/indent]