Haruka Sanegeyama
&
Yukari Yozakura
&
Donny Yang
Donnel sat between the garbage cans for quite some time. He had left his cellphone back in the kitchen so he didnât know what time it was. All he could say for certain was that he was hungry. So slowly he stood up and started to climb into the garbage cans to eat the contents within. Normally heâd transform into his true self to make short work of the waste, but Donny was too depressed to be bothered. He just climbed in and started to shove literal trash into his mouth, consuming it with no trouble aside from the mental anguish of stress eating.
Throughout the gathering, Haruka remained silent and generally kept to herself. There were more strangers than people she could be comfortable talking to present, and the people that she
was already okay with were all occupied with things of their own. She had pretty much decided to just finish eating and return to her dorm for the night, at least until she noticed Donny taking off. Since Haruka had mostly blocked out the conversations around her, she wasnât fully aware of what exactly made him do that. Whatever it was, it didnât seem like he was in a good spot when he left. Leaving her seat, she glanced at the crowd of people at the tables before she scurried away, following Donny with the intent of figuring out what was the matter.
Yukari was engaged in a bit of a conversation with some of the others when she heard a few heavyset footsteps leave through the front entrance. She only knew two like that: Haruka and Donny. She heard nothing of what they had said or what was said to them and normally Yukari would leave things alone, but Haruka was her roommate and she felt obligated to be with her when things happen. More so when Yukari had no idea what had happened. Excusing herself from the conversation Yukari went after Haruka and Donny, walking a bit beyond Haruka as to not be immediately spotted incase this was a personal thing.
Donny took his sweet time eating the trash in the can, making a bit of a mess as he did so. But even if he did all he had to do was lick it up, or just let a bit of his body out to chew at any stain that was on his clothes or body. He was really good at cleaning, even though what he cleans is disgusting. Some of the things were even maggot infested, but he devoured it like candy. By the time he was done the trashcan was spotless and he got out to start eating the contents of the other. He was so busy eating that he didnât even hear Haruka or Yukari approach.
When Haruka caught up to Donny, she opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when she saw him climbing out of one now-emptied trash can and into the next. Her immediate response was of intense confusion as to what the hell he was doing, but it turned into concern very quickly. She couldnât imagine what kind of awful things might have been in those things.
âU-uh, hey, Donny?â She tried not to sound judgemental, as she didnât feel that way, but she found expressing herself in odd situations even more challenging than normal.
âWhatâs going on?Donny was in the midst of eating when he heard Harukaâs voice call out to him. Though he was entirely concealed in the garbage can he still couldnât help but feel the need to press himself low to the ground.
âN-N-N-N-Nothing! Go away!â He said shakily as he started to pile some bags of garbage over himself in a pathetic attempt to hide.
âI, uh,â Haruka pursed her lips, frowning as Donnyâs try at being stealthy took place.
âI can still see you there?â Shutting her eyes, she shook her head and silently scolded herself.
âOh, thatâs just a great thing to say to someone whoâs freaking out. Terrific job, idiot.â She took a deep breath and gave it another try.
âI-I mean, you donât have to hide? I-if you just wanna come out and talk, or something?ââT-T-Thereâs nothing to t-talk about! I was justâŠ. I was justâŠ. Cleaning. Is all.â Donny gave a weak lie to Haruka as he continued to try to pile garbage over himself. Maybe he could just eat a hole through the garbage can and hide inside of a hole for tonight. That seemed like just as good of an idea as anything else heâs been doing.
âY-Y-You should g-g-go back to the d-d-d-d-dorms and finish dinner. I-I-Iâll be backâŠ. Eventually.ââI, I dunno, somethingâs...pretty clearly not right.â Haruka shrugged, letting her arms limply move out a bit.
âYou, uh, looked upset when you left, and I, I wanted to make sure things werenât too bad?â Of course, if someone was dumpster diving, chances are things were pretty bad. Primarily, she was still sort of baffled by it, but she abstained from bringing it up.
âI-if you want, I can like...I dunno, turn around so you can come out? Or something?â Upon making the offer, she did so, removing the trash cans from her field of vision. Instead, she caught sight of Yukari coming along. She jumped visibly, not expecting another person, but collected herself with a sharp exhale.
Donny sat in the trash for a good few minutes, not really taking up Harukaâs offer to get out. He wanted to just hide. But he also wanted to talk. So while he was still buried underneath garbage Donny spoke out from the echoing metal container.
âI⊠Was just t-t-talking to some girls and t-they scared me. They gave me a look t-t-t-that I didnât like. Like I had done something b-b-bad to them or something. One of those girls was my f-f-f-friend⊠Or someone I think as a friend. M-M-Maybe I just overreactedâŠ.â Donny said in a defeated tone. It was so much easier for him to just assumed fault than to think of what others may have done to wrong him. Because sometimes they may be justified in their reaction. Not that Donny was efver certain of this.
âI butted into a c-c-conversation, Iâm sure I annoyed them so⊠I just⊠Left.âFrom the sudden shuffle of footsteps Yukari could tell that Haruka just spotted her and was surprised. Quietly Yukari clasped her hands together in silent forgiveness, as well as holding a finger to her lip signifying that she wasnât going to say anything. She overheard Donny talking and frowned. He seemed like the type of person who was very pitiful. Yukari thought of what to say, but she paused. If she said anything out loud it might scare Donny. She needed to be subtle. So going up to Haruka she whispered into her ears something she could say to Donny.
âTell him that since heâs friends with one of them, he should go back and apologize when theyâre done talking. She would understand. If he just ran away without saying anything it will cause a misunderstanding between the two of them.â Yukari didnât know what exactly happened but she figured this would be good advice. Better than wallowing in despair.
Haruka listened closely, agreeing with the advice that Yukari gave. It was similar to what sheâd been thinking of saying, but much better articulated, which would surely help Donny out a lot more compared to Harukaâs tendency to speak awkwardly.
âThank you,â she whispered back to Yukari, turning back to the trash can to try and talk Donny out of the garbage.
âWell, since youâre friends with one, you could just, like, go back and apologize for interrupting? Stuff like that happens sometimes, you know, to everyone. Sheâll understand, definitely. Running off like this might just make the misunderstanding worse.â After saying her piece, she looked to Yukari and made a very subtle, inquisitive noise, as if asking if sheâd done well nonverbally.
Donny sat in the trash can a little while longer to think about it. It was hard for him, as much as he hated to admit it. He came to Komei to change and change was difficult. His first reaction to a bit of tension from his friend was to run, which thinking about it wasnât a very heroic reaction. What would he do if more lives were on the line? He could really say that heâd do better, considering how badly he handles less vital situations like this? Still⊠He wasnât sure if he was entirely ready to go back. But he could at least get out of the garbage can.
âI-I-I guess youâre r-r-right I just.... Dunno want to s-say. I umâŠ. Iâll go back. Soon.â Donny shuffled around in the garbage can, tossing the trash off of his body.
âIâm uhâŠ. Not smelling good. Might w-w-w-wanna save your noses and give me some s-s-space.âThings seem to have gotten better so Yukari, still remaining quiet, tugged on Harukaâs sleeve.
âIâm going to head back to the dorms. Tell Donny that he should too, itâs almost curfew and the last thing we need is trouble on our first day.â Smiling at her roommate Yukari silently walked away and headed back to her dorm. She was full from dinner and wanted to rest up for tomorrow. No doubt itâll be a busy and exciting new day.
âThanks a bunch,â Haruka whispered to Yukari, smiling lightly. Sheâd helped out a lot with this situation. There was no way in hell Haruka wouldâve been able to articulate the advice as well as she had. Once she was gone, Haruka turned back to Donny, stepping back and nodding at his advice.
âHey, it happens.â Once more, she gave that casual shrug, an active attempt to not make a big deal out of it.
âMaybe, uh, talk to the others about all that stuff tomorrow? Itâs getting kinda late, and uh, we should probably head back to the dorms.â Bowing her head to Donny once he was out, she gave him a little smile as well.
âIâll see you around, yeah? Goodnight.â With a small wave, she headed off after making sure Donny wasnât about to dive back into the garbage. The poor guy didnât deserve to be in there, especially not of his own volition. He seemed like a good dude to her.
Yukariâs alarm rang by her bed and she struggled to get a firm grip on it. She was always super loose early in the morning, and every time her finger hit the button it just molded around and slipped off.
âMuuuugh not todayâŠ.â Eventually Yukari did manage to turn her alarm off and stretched her body out completely. She was nearly three times her size fully extended, her body knotted up in different shapes and forms. It would have looked like a horrific murder to most people, but for Yukari it was just how she slept. She easily untangled herself and dragged her body to her closet where she looked for the schoolâs uniform. She had other outfits nearly hanging in her closet as well, picked out by others since she canât really tell whatâs a good look herself.
Once she had her outfit Yukari went to the bathroom to wash up, change into her clothes, and was pretty much ready to go from there. She went back to her room to get her school things, her cane, and to make sure that Haruka was awake.
âHa-Ru-Ka-Chan, itâs time for school! Are you awake?âPreviously fast asleep, Haruka was stirred from her slumber by her dorm mateâs alarm. Her face, mostly hidden behind her mess of hair, took on an expression of distinct grievance.
âEhhhâŠâ she responded, a half hearted groan that at least confirmed she wasnât asleep anymore. As tempting as it was to remain face-down in her pillow and not move, she hadnât come to the school to waste her time doing the same thing she did at home, and with considerable effort, she wriggled out of her blanket and sat at the edge of her mattress for a moment, taking a slow breath and lightly slapping at her cheeks to gain some composure.
She did a basic morning routine, straightening out her hair, brushing her teeth, and dressing in one of the uniforms that were in her own closet, preferring the vest-topped style. After securing the bow-tie, she pulled her hair up into a ponytail and cracked her neck.
âOkay,â Haruka half-whispered, pulling her bag up onto her shoulder.
âLetâs get going?âNodding her head Yukari tapped her cane on the floor and walked out of the dorm. She grabbed a quick breakfast from the kitchen, two bananas and two yogurt drink, handing one of each to Haruka.
âI bet our first class is going to be exciting! We should make sure weâre properly fed before we get to it. A filling but light meal, enough to give us energy but not make us feel bloated.â Of course Yukari was used to having such a spartan diet, and the same may not be said for Haruka. At least Yukari grabbed the large yogurt drink.
âOh, uh, thanks,â Haruka said as she took the food. Not quite as filling as she was used to, she had to admit, but it would do for now. With the drink in hand, she used her teeth to grab the bananaâs nub, then peeled it back by moving her hand away.
âIf itâs anything like yesterdayâs, it canât be too bad.â Those classes had been pretty good, even with the craziness that had gone down earlier in the day. She was looking forward to seeing how things went this time around.
