A step down the wrong path? (Kogami)

It wasn't that he disliked this school. No, if anything, the school was a reprieve in its own way from his life, so it was a pleasant routine lately. Given his mind tended to stray into the negative, he often found himself relaxing and taking in the scenery about the academy. Perhaps muse about why he loved to make his situation worse, before hurriedly brushing the thoughts away and thinking about relatively more mundane things. And also ponder on who in their right mind would invest so much for one institution out here? For some reason, it just didn't seem practical ...

'Or perhaps I'm just over-analyzing this, and should shut up and enjoy the view?' the youth off-handedly muses, finding annoyance at how his mind wandered so much. Before quickly forgetting that annoyance and resist contemplating his navel literally.

Sadly he had a feeling what enjoyment he was getting out of this experience would probably conclude soon. It was just a nagging sensation he had since leaning against the building, well-suited for the weather (and always having a preference for the cold, particularly ice and snow) and observing the pristine landscape, blanketed white and relatively untouched by human hands or feet.

His prediction, which was more or less an offhand comment against his latest string of fortune, proved to be true once a bunch of hoitsy-toitsy assholes seemed to have come to spoil his mood. If memory served him well, which it had a strange tendency to fail him when it came to remembering shaven apes that walked upright with arrogant swaggers, these lot were from the Nokawia region. More reason to dislike them, since the contempt was mutual.

"Oi, oi! What's a delinquent like yourself doing, lounging about here?" the most large-nosed and obnoxious of the five-man band of douchebaggery addressed him in a voice that sounded much like a pig's squeals.

"Classes are done for the day. I thought I'd relax a bit and take in the scenery around here. Enjoy the ambience, before heading home. Sadly, you're all ruining the moment, so please. Leave me alone." he responds dead-pan, annoyance was definitely how he felt with regards to these louts, but he had no interest in demonstrating that they had that sort of effect on him.

'Insects. Pretend they're gnats buzzing around. Brush them off, and they'll leave.' A mental sigh, perhaps a plea to whatever non-existent supernatural entity or extranormal being the governed the laws of probability. Sadly, no dice. He was already being surrounded, since he hadn't bothered moving from his relaxed position against the building.

"Hey, you scum, are you trying to piss us off?" Clearly their prejudice didn't stem from the fact that was a better student then they are. No, it seems to have to do with his socioeconomic status, that they made such a big deal out of that he was sorely tempted to break the sucker's jaw open then and there.

"Oh? I'm sorry, I thought it was obvious that I find you and your buddies to be complete idiots. Let me fix that: You're all morons, go away."

“Ahh patrolling the area can really take a turn for the worse when there is nothing happening around campus, I would declare this as one of the boring days. “ Kogami was doing his usual rounds with most of the guys from the boxing club. All of them who were ex delinquents that Kogami shaped up one step at a time. Now they were well trained and loyal subordinates, the black paws of the chess board. However, to have such power had to be justified. What Kogami was searching for is a means to an end. He was expecting the delinquents to be after Abel Mistral any minute now for revenge, wandering on campus and starting trouble would promote the disciplinary committee quite well. It would be more accepted by the school, or a little more welcome. The were definitely walking around in custom uniform, much different from the blue uniforms that are usually worn. The blazers were black and they had a special insignia on the right side of the outfit as well. It was an gold eagle, the symbol of kizuna academy. “To reach greater heights, flying higher than anyone. Achieve greatness…. Such quality only given to the students of this school. And its Showtime…”

Kogami finally made it to the entrance of the school, taking a good look at the delinquents entering and harassing a fellow student. A few people were watching as well, but didn’t have the will to interfere.” Such typical actions of a human being, only looking out for themselves. Always in groups, Well you did this right… entering the fray, towards the gates of hell…why not bring an army?” Some of the delinquents turn around, turning their back on Kazuya, the disciplinary committee members started Cracking their knuckles. “ Where Is Abel Mistral!! He hurt our boys!! I want to give him a proper thank you!!!” Kogami laughed as he asked that question. “Sorry, hes not here right now. Believe me, I would love for you to handle your business, as your altercation might danger the students. So getting it settled as soon as possible is proactive, however…. Getting an innocent student involved.. “ Kogami then points at Kazuya, the delinquents started getting pissed at Kogami. “Im sick of your Face!!!” One of them ran at Kogami with an attempt to punch him, the one of the DC members came in front with incredible speed and gave the person a straight jab. That punch was precise and had enough power to break his nose. “Ahhh !!! Ahhh!!” All of the delinquents got rowdy, a fight was breaking lose. The newly formed DC versus a bunch of angry delinquents, they were easily outclassed.

The DC members were professional fighters taken piece by piece from every physical club at the club. Judo, Karate, mostly boxing. Money was the motivation in a sense, their club would continue to prosper, and Kogami made all the problems they had go away. Some were bullied, some were manipulated, but them coming together changed everything. Kogami destroyed their hope, and gave them a new one in replacement. And now, they did whatever he said. As the delinquents ran away, the DC stood at attention. This was good publicity, they drew up a great crowd. Everything was working according to the plan, Kogami then walks over to the bullied victim. " Are you alright?"

Well, he certainly wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Particularly when said gift horse appeared to have been a whole cadre of uniformed fellows headed by ... wait, he recognized this person. That is to say, he identified him as a member of the Student Council, but did not personally know him. The implications that a member of the Council, who normally tend to be upstanding students, with his own personal attack force had plenty of implications about what was going to happen. If anything, it was probably a disciplinary committee, which would be a reasonable explanation. The other explanation was that this person was an evil genius who was creating his army of personal soldiers with which he would use as canon fodder in his scheme to acquire a weapon of mass destruction that was hidden somewhere in this academy due to it being built on top of some old weapon silo.

Okay, enough day-dreaming.

So he had come with twelve attack dogs, with himself numbering the thirteenth and the apparent commander. The immediate events earned a muted disappointing click of the tongue from Kazuya, who REALLY wanted to be the one who had put his fist into the loudmouth's face. But ah well, such was life. A miserable existence filled with violence and cruelty, and a strange sense of humor. And what followed was the Disciplinary Committee of 13 against 5 thugs with one 'innocent bystander' possibly getting caught up in the cross fire.

From his perspective, the DC lot had come from the left, which meant, including the arse who had been threatening him earlier, three of this band of retarded brothers were closer to them. That left one directly to his right and one at a bit of a diagonal to him. Of course, considering they had the gall to try to ruin his day, he certainly wasn't going to just let this incident go by without some retaliation. Even though in the back of his mind, he calmly mused the fact that behaving violently would probably not be approved by the 'disciplinary committee' that was currently standing less than a few feet away from him.

But, again, he had been annoyed. Such a heinous offense could not be left unpunished.

His right hand, palm flattened to match the horizontal strike, lashed out with a quick stroke into the thug on his right, who had tried to charge into the fray ... obviously thinking if he could take down the 'leader' of the committee that would somehow spare him from being brutally mauled by the 12 other clearly more experienced combatants. This one found himself halted, clearly not at all pleased at having a strike to the the throat, which was immediately followed by a very plain front kick into his chest to compound his sudden respiratory issues. To be fair, he didn't put THAT much force into the kick, but considering how loudly the fool had crashed, it apparently did more than he was expecting.

Unlike the 12 black-adorned fellows who had clear discipline and training and were putting them to use, he was just pretty much doing as he damn well please. That included a gratuitous spin kick that planted his heel right into the side of the other thug that had been furthest away from the committee, and clearly was uncomfortable considering it had dug into him a bit. The end result was him staggering forward just in time for someone who was probably a member of the boxing club to firmly plant his fist into the poor fellow's face.

'Well that's new.' he muses to himself, as the pack of assholes were chased off by a larger pack of disciplinarians.

"Are you alright?"

"Never better, thanks." The much shorter teen responded with a cheery smile to this question, as though clearly not at all disturbed at what was going on here. Or at the fact that the crowds that had gathered the moment the committee had shown up were now all dispersing after witnessing the short scuffle and the blood that had been drawn. Those who remained were clearly not stomaching this well, and murmuring among themselves.

"So. Since I did try to kick a couple of those guy's asses, does that mean you'll be meting out some punishment for me?" Perhaps one of these days he will curse his mind and mouth being unified when it came to asking questions that could possibly be detrimental to him and were better left unasked, period.

“Hmmm, that is a good question….” The Disciplinary committed then tensed up once more, prepared to retaliate if Kazuya did. However, Kogami snapped his fingers. This indicated an order for them to stand down, and they stood at attention once again. Towards the man who gave them second chances, they were quiet jumpy and protective. As they should, the game of chess is to protect the king. “ But it is quite obvious that you are a victim, and in the whole entire struggle…I wasn’t exactly paying attention to your actions..so it would have probably never happened if you didn’t say anything in the first place. Ahh… another mystery… I don’t have any data on you. I can tell… your new here are you?” Kogami then smiles at the student. “My name is Kogami Shibuya, second in command of the student council. I am also running this trial project of mine, the new disciplinary committee. The campus could be dangerous, the security guards are slacking if anyone can just walk in here and cause trouble. Especially if they don’t even go here. It’s a necessity…but enough about that.”Kogami then holds out his hand as a form of a handshake. “So who might you be? I apologize for this altercation in general… must be a bad first day.. Im pretty new myself, I joined two weeks ago.

He couldn't help put politely nod and listen to all this person had to say. After all, he did hold several degrees of seniority over him, or at least ranked higher up on the social food-chain that it was polite to wait until he was mostly finished or at least asked him a question. Though he couldn't help but chuckle at his mentions about 'lack of data' or something or other ... it just seemed so. ... So. Stereotypical? Of Student Council members that is. Or maybe he was imagining things. But eventually, he finally did pose the question (not before explaining that his cadre of bodyguards was, in fact, a disciplinary committee as Kazuya had suspected).

"My name is Kazuya Inaku, first year here at the Academy. I've been here for a couple months already, but ... well, I generally don't linger all that much here after classes. Might explain data shortages on me, ha ha ha. Also, no worries about this. I'm kind of used to the hate by this point." He notes with a hint of sadness in his voice, as though he were legitimately concerned enough with how others viewed him that worms like those could provoke an emotional response.

"Actually, now that I think about it ... I think we may have run into each other a couple of times. Also submitted an application to Student Council, don't think it ever got out of the faculty inbox." Once again, another bout of chuckling, this one a bit nervous. Perhaps nervous he's making small talk while a contingent of unarmed thugs were backing up their fearless leader? Or the fact that he can't stop his mouth?

“Oh? So you was trying to join the student council but they never got back to you? Well, consider this your interview…starting now. What do you hope to accomplish when you join the student council? What about your ambitions? Your dreams? There are plenty of gaps to fill, because this job is not for everyone. If you are trying to use this for popularity, then you need to look somewhere else.” Kogami then fixes up his tuxedo, this was a serious conversation. “ DC…crowd control. “ There was a big crowd due to the altercation, the DC members started to do their job. “Nothing to see here, carry on.” As they waved the other students away, Kogami puts his arm around Kazuya and started walking back to the school. He was headin to the student council room. “Alright then, now that’s out of the way. “ Kogami then took his hands off of Kazuya and puts them in his pocket.
“Whats your reason? Whats your purpose? Better yet, where do your desires lie? The background story always has a hand in who you are today. “ This was definitely a test, he wondered if Kazuya was cut out for such a job.

"Whats your reason? Whats your purpose? Better yet, where do your desires lie? The background story always has a hand in who you are today."

A reason, huh? To be completely honest, he didn't have a good reason when he tried to apply for Student Council. The only reason he had, which was most certainly not for the sake of 'popularity' was that he wanted a responsibility or multiples of such. He needed other things to occupy his mind, to keep it all check and avoid what he wanted hidden spilling out. But how was he supposed to explain this to Shibuya? Just saying he only applied since it seemed interesting seemed like a weak answer . . . and yet, no suitable replacement answer could come to mind that he could make seem genuine. Should he lie? Should he answer truthfully?

"Hrmm . . . to be perfectly honest with you, when I first applied, I do so on impulse, rather than having a strong reason to. I guess the reason is that I wished to see what it was like. The purpose is to see if can handle other responsibilities beyond personal obligations. ... The desire? It's not a ... desire for power, or authority ... I can see those two being major attractions. It's a desire for change, I suppose. Changing of myself, and being a part of something that can change others. Within reason of, course"

He wasn't sure if any of these answers were appropriate anymore. At this rate, he was going to start babbling, if any of his answers were pressed for more details. But still, he managed to get out his answers to the questions without completely tripping over them.

Kogami started to clap, he was pleased with what he heard." Yes my friend, that...was the right answer indeed. The desire for change, yes..the winds of change are upon us. Everything will change, and the shift of power will turn towards who deserves it. Alright, ill put in a good word for you. Welcome to the student council, we could use a man of your nature. Sometimes, the simple action of....acting ... is all we need.. quick decisions that could determine success or failure. Its a good trait.. and it would be my honor to work side by side with you. " This was good, the guy had a lot of spirit towards him. It turned out well after all. Finding another student who can look towards the horizon, the new Kizuna academy.

" Yes my friend, that...was the right answer indeed. The desire for change, yes..the winds of change are upon us. Everything will change, and the shift of power will turn towards who deserves it. Alright, ill put in a good word for you. Welcome to the student council, we could use a man of your nature. Sometimes, the simple action of....acting ... is all we need.. quick decisions that could determine success or failure. Its a good trait.. and it would be my honor to work side by side with you."

An involuntary chill settled in him as he heard his fellow classmate speak about ... well, his answers. These were not normal ideas that a teenager would happen to think about at the time. At least, they held the same degree of incorrectness as his own internal desires to watch the whole damn world burn, and the people dying along with it. From a logical standpoint. From one based on the passions, there wasn't so much wrongness as there was strangeness and possibly absurdity.

For starters, unless Shibuya was a master actor capable of putting up an unbreakable mask, like himself (which was a possibility, and one he had no means of confirming unless that mask was ever purposefully dropped), he really ... REALLY seemed 'into' what he was saying, which was a bit of an unpleasant thought. It needed more investigation from him since it piqued his interest.

"Thank you for that, I hope to live up to your expectations. He responded pleasantly once it seemed Kogami had finished talking for the time being. They were still walking it seems, though their destination was neither here nor there at the moment. So, considering the hallways were mostly empty at this time, it seemed now would be the best time to ask a couple of questions to his fellow Academy Student, since there was that whole issue earlier troubling him ... and the fact that he swore he had seen this person before.

"If you don't mind me asking, which class are you in? And why do you talk like the Student Council has absolutely authority over the cosmic imperative of the universe?" Once more, his smartass commentary just couldn't keep itself out of his inquiries. He wanted to phrase it more politely, but given how absurd his conclusions were about the statements in the first place, it didn't seem reasonable to ask a straightforward question. So the latter question would be delivered in light tone with a chuckle, as if he were joking.

I think I am in, well…. I cant remember to be honest. 1A, ahh there it is! I am in that class. Also, as to why I seem to claim that the student….thats hust silly. “ Kogami started laughing. “No, its not like that at all. Being apart of the student council comes with power, I wont sound cliché but that’s why I joined. I wanted power, but I also wanted to take on the responsibilities that it came with. The simple fact that the voices of the students could be heard, in fact..they should be heard. By using an aggressive approach, I am eliminating the existence of a monarchy. Every student goes through a stage in their lives when they have to think for themselves. In which they should, who would want obedient mindless drones? What I like about this school is the character. And I have the power to take action against anyone who sets out to ruin my plans, which is in fact, to make this school prosper. Its my equal exchange, because.. it’s the only place I can call my home for the time being. “ Kogami then takes a deep breath. “For me to call a place my home, it has to be safe..it has to be perfect..not just for my sake..but for the other students that are residents as well…

"I swear, I feel as if we've seen each other, even if we didn't meet or speak . . ." The shorter ponders for a moment aloud, mostly to himself, as they happen to cross by his classr-

"Hahahaha! Of all the strangest coincidences. We're in the same class, it seems."

But, it seems his statements were ignored as Kogami Shibuya continued on to explain himself. Explain his strange view about why he valued the Student Council, and his explanation seemed vested on the idea of power. Already he was disliking this classmate simply because he brought that up as a reason, but ... he was honest about it. Maybe a bit blindingly honest. It was cliché no matter how you looked at it though, a classic case of desire for power, with a somewhat noble goal across a thorny path. I mean, sure he stated he wanted to make sure Kizuna Academy remained a 'safe' place, a 'perfect' place, but the way he spoke about it. The fact he mentions a monarchy, drones?

This wasn't normal.

Or at least, maybe it was normal? Who knows, Kizuna Academy was an already an oddity no matter how you looked at it.

"Amusing, but what on earth are you even talking about? A monarchy? What single individual holds power here at this academy? And how could that even be case for fickle teens like ourselves, in which popularity is stupidly considered a form of power, Shibuya-san? How can such a place be safe when you have your own squadron of attack dogs that create invisible enemies whose overall influence is more imagined, then effectual?

...

... I-I'm sorry ... I d-don't know what came over me. It's just ... the way you talk seems strange, and it worries me. I ... I've always been afraid of people who talk like that, because t-they .... they usually come after me. N-not that I think Shibuya-san is a bad person! I think you have good intentions, b-but . . . it's strange."

“To be honest with you, can think however you want. If you think that I am evil, then I am. If you think that I am good, then I am. Your personal perception on how things are ultimately depends on how you see it. It has nothing to do with me or my actions, because there can be some cases where your opinion would never change. I am perfectly fine with that way of thinking to be honest, in fact I welcome it. Do you know why I want you in the student council Kazuya? Because of what you just did, you voiced your own opinions. Someone would say that the student council is the right of passage for people that actually have something to say, something worth speaking about, something worth to mention. “ Kogami then points to the ceiling, interacting the higher ups. “Who has the power? The principal, the president, the military. Once their hand is forced, they can get the world to turn whatever side and shape that they want it to. Even a thug with a gun against an unarmed man. See the power there? The power over life and death, cruel right. A man would have to submit all of his belongings , everything of worth because of one simple fact.

Kogami then snaps his fingers. “Why would anyone want to be the sheep or the victim. Its better to be the person that gains something from each experience, and grow from each experience. Most of all, to continue to live no matter what. Being through much worse, having been through much worse, I know how it feels to lose everything in one night. The process is picking yourself back up after such a tragedy. “They finally make it to the student council room and Kogami takes a seat in the presidents chair, he always liked that chair. “ Want something to drink?” Kogami the pours himself some tea and starts to drink it. Tea was always the soothing part of his life, it was more ritualistic than anything. “To stand against someone with great conviction. The skills and qualities that makes a great leader, while being humble at the same time. You’re a perfect fit… and don’t think that I will come after you. I come in peace, amazingly…I have a good side. I was much worse of a person a few years ago..i wonder how I kept it together all this time. “Kogami shrugs and sips his tea. “But you aren’t in any danger.. so….” Kogami then puts his hand towards the chair across from him.

In the end, it seemed that Kogami did not wish to explain himself to him under the explanation that his views would not change not matter what he said. ... How positively rude! To assume he would allow his bias to affect his judgment to such a degree! The only way he could manage to survive in this world was to allow his worldview to change, so he could observe and adapt. That sort of answer was completely antithetical to the way he'd mostly carried out his daily activities and not be seen for what he wanted to the world to forget and never remember again.

If there was one thing he had learned, it was that things were never as they seemed. His value (or rather lack thereof) in concepts that were ephemeral by nature, rather than rooted by empiricism meant that he was nearly insulted by this strange explanation that was entirely irrelevant to what they had been discussing earlier. Well, alright, maybe it was his analysis of his hurried attempts to try to maintain an appropriate social mask, while backtracking and slipping over words since he realized he had been letting too much of that out, but still!

"You seemed to have misunderstood my question, Shibuya-san. I was asking about what pre-established order among the students here at Kizuna Academy constituted a 'monarchy' in your view. Not about power in general, and those who wield it.

But, now that you mention experience. Lessons that are without pain or inconvenience are meaningless in themselves. To do that, one must suffer or witness an infraction, perhaps an injustice to learn the truth. We can't let the world be all sunshine and rainbows and expect to learn anything. However, that's a matter of difference in opinion.

What worries me is that you're imposing a policing force in attempt to do what? Make things safer? Why are you imposing your values and beliefs on others? Enacting a plan and using your power as force on others, even if it is for their sake. And even then, would not crushing those who oppose your ideals still bring them suffering? Making them victims of your attempts to bring a safety that was not agreed upon by any consensus? Such would be an autocratic state of being, Shibuya-san, and that doesn't exactly mesh well with your ideas. A plan to bring peace through force alone just ... ..."

This said in the gap after Kogami had finished speaking, and they were entering the Student Council room. This was unlike him ... it was that something seemed genuinely wrong with the ideas here. Not on a moral level, mind. He wouldn't care if Kogami were a serial-rapist who as creating a gang of thugs that would go out and massacre thousands. The details of his actions were the least of his concerns: What really bothered him was the link between the motivation and the action. It seems his words were either being considered, or being ignored. Although Kogami had been obtuse in providing answers, Kazuya was still willing to believe it was the former case, and that Kogami merely wished to move the conversation forward.

"Thank you ... but, that's not entirely true of me, I'm afraid. And ... you make me worried, Shibuya-san. Worried about the repercussions of your actions. I believed you when you said you wanted to ... what was it ... 'make the school prosper'? But, this sort of action, even if backed by good intentions, isn't going to go over well with many people. And when that happens, I'm worried what you will do next. No matter what reassurances you give."

Another pause as Kazuya, who was standing close by to Kogami, but had chosen (for obvious reasons) not to take a seat. He had voiced his opinions, and Kogami had noted that this was positive thing in his opinion. But who knew if this were true. That said, a police force was perhaps a necessary component, considering there was a bit of a problem with misbehavior, like the incident before ... but the existence of the group was not as troublesome as the ideals spouted by the one who seemed to lead them. Perhaps it was, as Kogami explained, a clash in understanding. In which case, he'd probably need to follow this one around more often to better understand his point of view.

But then again, he did go off on a spiel about power, when that was a tangential comment on his part, and only strengthened the deeper portions of his mind declaring "I TOLD YOU SO" in regards to the off-hand theory that Kogami was in fact a mad scientist bent on World Domination.

"But ... that's not really relevant, considering you've already created the disciplinary group, I guess." He states this time, in a much lighter tone than before. In the end, it was just him voicing opinions again, and given that Kogami had spent a bit of time explaining about differing viewpoints, the likelihood of his statements making any sort of impact here would be negligible.

Then again, he didn't mind that so much. It was simpler ... maybe even better that way.

"So, what now?" he inquires politely, clearly putting the topic away and, even if Kogami had any other comments, not interested in dealing with something so touchy to begin with.

I guess we wait, tag along with me and get use to the things around here. To be honest, you seem like a fine replacement for me if things were to go south. "Kogami then lets out a laugh. "Ahh, i am kidding. But just watch and learn, even give in your own input. See if you really want to be here. Thats all i really ask for you to do. Also, pay close watch to the student webpage, something might happen soon. "The bell then rings, Kogami had social studies now. "Kogami then gets up and puts his hand out. "WElcome to the team. "

-Exit

'Twas a sad way for them to end the conversation. It seemed they had not connected well enough in the past ten minutes or so to be able to make the most out of this meeting. But, while he wasn't sure how deep of an impression he had made on Kogami, there was no doubt an impression made on him about that fellow.

A somewhat impatient person whose thoughts lingered on troublesome hypotheticals that were irrelevant to the discussion on hand. Yes. It was either that or thinly veiled obfuscating stupidity to mask the evil genius that lurked beneath, threatening the peace of the world with plans of conquering the world!!

'OF COURSE!!' his internal monologue bellowed loudly, as if trying to make a statement to the world after he had already bid farewell to Kogami who had taken off to some imaginary course by some imaginary bell that was completely imagined on his part, so much so that it seemed as if he just stood and left for no apparent reason other than thinking the conversation was over.

Not that it wasn't, mind you, but it looked pretty damn funny. Either way. He had lingered long enough and had his fill of boredom-sating, so now was the time to leave.

After all, he still had other business to take care of before finally heading home.

[EXIT]