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	Evil Eye untransformed as she landed, dropping Shuuko on her feet and playfully snatching the bucket of fried chicken out of her arms. [color=#990000][b]"They're at Suki's place—but, Ember?"[/b][/color] she said, recalling the name of the schemer. [color=#990000][b]"I'm tired. Give a girl a break? Lemme crash."[/b][/color] She sighed with a note of finality. Rei had arranged a place for Kiyo to stay, but she stayed over at Shuuko's about as often as she went to her own home. It was also very common for Kiyo to claim that she was tired, only to stay up giggling late into the night watching who knows what through her Mogalls. This was another such night; and Ember would join her, the two laughing together as they watched the other girls scatter about and do battle with Suki's food. In Kiyo's case, fun usually came at someone else's expense.

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	Kuroki Kiyo was a girl who, by all rights, shouldn't still be in high school. Yet, here she was. Make no mistake: She never failed a class—[color=red]the education system failed [i]her.[/i][/color] Still, she must have been held back a year. Wasn't she a little over a year older than the graduates? [color=red]Hardly. She was still the legal dependent of her parents, who live in Tokyo.[/color] That is, unless she needed to contact her parents to get their permission for something. [color=red]Why don't you look her in the eyes and say that?[/color]

	Kuroki Kiyo was a girl who, by any means, got her way in the end. At least, that's how it was supposed to be.

	[color=#990000][b]"Fuck,"[/b][/color] she remarked as she stepped outside to get on her motorcycle and drive her ass to school, fashionably late as always—only, it wasn't there. [color=#990000][b]"that bitch,"[/b][/color] she added. Well, if she was going to be [i]this[/i] late, she might as well skip class. With that decided, she made her way over to her favorite shop to do some window shopping. With those prices, she wasn't going to be affording a down payment for a new bike anytime soon. Irritated, she left the scene, amusing herself by breathing clouds of vapor into the cold air. [color=#990000][b][i]Guess I'll do the usual,[/i][/b][/color] she decided.

	On the way to school, there was a Red Cross place, where you could give blood plasma and get cash. They'd only let you do it so often, for your own safety—but Kiyo just so happened to be able to generate blood from her magic. Was it an ethical concern, giving magical blood of dubious origin to be used by the Red Cross? Maybe, maybe not. In the end, it didn't really matter. [color=red]"No, this is my first time,"[/color] she'd say in that sickeningly sweet, cutesy voice. [color=red]"I'm a bit nervous... I hate needles,"[/color] she rehearsed, over and over again. [color=#990000][b][i]Gets them every time,[/i][/b][/color] she thought cynically.

	[color=#990000][b][i]Drop the resting bitch face for just a second and the coldest hearts melt. The sharpest minds become dull as rocks.[/i][/b][/color] In just over an hour, she'd made enough money to buy food for two weeks, thanks to her reliable "first time donator bonus." Of course, free meals were easy to come by for a girl like her, so all of that went straight into her pocket for the bike fund. Were there other ways she could get money, using Detention Club connections? Absolutely—but owe someone too many favors, and they start to think that they [i]own you.[/i] [color=#990000][b][i]And if that happens, betrayal is inevitable.[/i][/b][/color]

	As she entered school grounds and began making her way to the Detention Club, she caught sight of a scene most schoolgirls hope to only see in manga: one of the shy, nerdier girls of Hibusa High was being held up against a brick wall by a couple of familiar-looking delinquents. Ironically, Kiyo herself was also dressed for the part. If anyone had seen her approach, they might have assumed that she was about to join the fun.

		[i]Pop.[/i]

	The noise from Kiyo's bubblegum caused the bigger girls to turn and face her. [color=red]"This is my turf, slugs. Beat it, or the next thing I'll pop will be your elbows,"[/color] she threatened, before starting to blow another bubble. The message was clear enough. As the next bubble popped, the younger girl—now alone—flinched, retreating against the wall, sitting on the ground and tucking her knees in as she whimpered. [color=#990000][b]"Welcome to highschool, kiddo,"[/b][/color] she said as she tossed a piece of hard candy into the girl's lap. Kiyo hated the blue raspberry ones. [color=#990000][b]"Next time, stick to your group. Don't take a shortcut,"[/b][/color] she advised. She was keenly aware of her hypocrisy—she just didn't give a shit. Nor did she care what the girl mumbled in reply.

	Her day was certainly shaping up to be very eventful already, she mused as she entered the club room. Suki and Tsubomi were there, along with the new blood. For once, she wasn't the last one to arrive. How had that happened? [color=#990000][b]"Really? I happen to think Suki is quite talented,"[/b][/color] she replied to Nyxia. [color=#990000][b]"I had fun watching your little cooking show. The kids enjoyed it, too,"[/b][/color] she added with a giggle. "The kids," of course, were eyeball monsters, but that was neither here nor there.