NOVEL WEB Friends
I walk through the halls of the school, smiling and waving at all the people there. Occasionally I stop to chat with some of my ‘friends’. Though I know how they would react if I were to show them how I really am.
After all, I saw how they reacted to Himiko Toga.
Sure, it was an abrupt and dramatic reveal of her personality, what with her slicing up Saito and drinking his blood in the middle of the hallway. But it was obvious she was repressing herself, and you can only do that for so long until you explode. That’s why I always make time for stress relief at least once a week. Playing the perky airhead gets tiring.
“Hiya Catia!” Speak of the devil and she shall appear.
Heaving a mental sigh, I turn to the red skinned girl and literally bounce over to her. Ugh, so irritating. But the act is important until I’ve obtained a secure position in society.
“Hey there Meruem! It’s so good to see you. We missed you at karaoke over the weekend!”
“Yeah, I’m so sorry about that, but my mom needed help, and then when I mentioned it to her she wouldn’t let me go! She said she didn’t want me going out with some guys I don’t know. I told her that you were going to be there too, but she still rejected it! It was totally unfair.” She sighs as she rubs her forehead between the little nubs of her horns.
I smirk at her. “Mhm. I’m sure that’s the reason and not that she enjoys your special skills.” I lean in and purr the last part in her ears and her cheeks gain a purple blush.
“Y-y-you know that my quirk doesn’t do things like that!” She waves her arms in front of her at a frantic pace while I back up to avoid getting hit.
I tilt my head with a finger on my cheek in feigned confusion. “I thought that your quirk lets people have a good night's sleep? Isn’t that what you use on me in class?”
She freezes like a deer in the headlights at my words before pouting with her cheeks puffed out. “You’re mean, Catia.”
I can’t help but laugh at her expression. I pat her on the head as we walk into the classroom. “Don’t blame me, blame your quirk. After all, what else are people going to think when they hear that your quirk is Succubus?”
Her pout turns more sulky when I name her quirk. “This is why you don’t get your kid’s quirk appraised when you’re drunk…” She mutters under her breath. I can’t help the giggles that escape me.
Apparently Meruem’s dad forgot that he was supposed to get her quirk appraised, and instead got drunk. When Meruem reminded him he panicked and ran all the way there with her in his arms. Having enhanced stamina for a quirk is useful for situations like that. Anyways, when she was appraised, it was discovered that she could affect a person’s dreams. Since they didn’t have a category for it, they asked her to name it, but she wanted her dad to name it instead. And he decided that since she’s red, had small horns, and could affect dreams, he would call his daughter a Succubus. You can imagine her mother’s reaction when she heard about it later.
We sit at our desks and I look at her hopefully. With a sigh she nods. Beaming I pull her into a one-armed hug. “You’re the best!” So saying, I activate my own quirk.
Two ethereal shapes rapidly form on my desk, quickly turning solid, though they’re still transparent. My quirk, Phantom Cat, lets me summon and control cats with a variety of forms and functions. The first I summon is a tall cat, it surveys the room before hopping on my head and sitting regally. It focuses its attention to the front of the room.
The second one I summon is a big chunky and fluffy thing, and I can’t even tell what’s fur and what’s fat. Though that doesn’t matter of course.
I hug chunky on my desk and rest my head on her, rubbing up against the ethereal fur with my eyes closed as I do. It’s a strange sensation, but a pleasant one. After a few moments, I open one eye and look at Meruem. She’s looking at me with stars in her eyes, a wide smile stretching across her face.
I snort at the sight and her skin flushes purple. “Sure you’re not a succubus?” She ignores my question and instead activates her quirk. I can feel it encroaching on my mind, filling it with tired thoughts. Since I’ve helped her practice with it, we know that it’s possible for someone to fight off the effects, but this is exactly what I wanted to happen so I let it overcome me.
But when I next open my eyes, I don’t behold the classroom. Nor am I seeing some kind of dream. Instead, I’m overlooking an alleyway from on top of a roof. I stand up, arching my back as I stretch my forelegs.
I pad along the rooftop, tail swaying, trying to gauge whether or not the cat had wandered far from where I’d sent it the day before. Luckily it stayed nearby and I quickly make my way to a different alley.
There I see an unexpected sight. The old woman I encountered seems to have encountered someone far less pleasant.
“I said give me the bag you old bat! I’m not gonna ask again.” A man with wild silver hair is threatening her with a series of blades projecting from his hand, though they don’t extend very far.
The old woman is not amused. “How rude! Didn’t your parents teach you any manners? Hmph. Young people nowadays.” She shakes her head in disappointment at the attitude of today’s youth.
Her words, obviously taunting, expectedly make the mugger angry. “Hey! Don’t bring my parents into this! Just give me the bag and you get to walk away. Nobody has to get hurt, but you will if you don’t listen.” His eyes shake and dart from side-to-side, as if searching for any witnesses nearby. He’s probably on drugs.
Sighing, the old woman reaches into her bag. “Fine. If it’ll stop your yammering I’ll give you something special that I keep for my own use.” The mugger leans forward, his interest piqued. I can’t help but shake my furry little head at his stupidity.
The old woman quickly pulls out a small knife and swipes at him. Surprised, the thug freezes. A rookie mistake. She cuts him across the eyes, blinding him. The pain knocks him out of his shock and he reels back in pain, screaming as he clutches his bleeding eyes.
The woman lets out a giggle unfit for her age, giving anyone watching shivers. Unfortunately I’m the only one watching, so I suffer alone.
Then something almost as disturbing as an old woman giggling like a schoolgirl occurs. She starts to melt. Her skin and clothing sloughs off in clumps, dissolving soon after they touch the floor. Instead of a bare skeleton like you would expect, a bare young girl appears, about two years older than me.
She giggles as she walks towards the blinded man, uncaring of her nakedness. “You know,” she says, “I would have been perfectly happy letting you go.” A crazed grin stretches across her face. “Ok, that was a lie. I’m always happy to cut somebody up! It makes me so happy that you decided to let me. You’re a good person!” Her eyes gleam as she goes behind him, easily avoiding his panicked flailing. She steps back as blades erupt from all over his body, making coming closer dangerous. I pad forward, getting tired of the show.
The mugger cusses her out as he continues swinging one arm around. “You crazy bitch! I can’t see! You’ll pay for this!” The desperation in his voice is funny, as is the anger. I laugh a little cat laugh at him.
As the girl pouts at the new difficulty in cutting up her opponent, I drop down on his head, claws extended. “Wha-?” His words are turned into a scream as I dig one paw into his scalp and swing down, dodging the new blade he ejected from his head. Coming to a stop in front of him, I jab my other paw forward into his damaged eye socket. His screaming grows more intense, but comes to an abrupt stop as I push my paw past the last bit of resistance and my claws dig into his brain.
I jump off as he falls, landing gracefully on my feet. He lands with a *thud*, his blades having retracted during his fall.
Licking the blood off my paw to get it clean, I’m too slow to notice the girl pounce on me. “Ah~, so cute! She nuzzles her face against mine, holding me tightly so I can’t escape. Of course I don’t even try. After all, she’s my only true friend.