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It was strange. When Yutsuya came into the picture, he thought it would be easy. For them to let him go. He couldn’t eat, or even see or hear ghosts. Nor was he even sure he thought their existence was real…yet.
It shouldn’t have caused such a ruckus. He didn’t fit into there, he wasn’t a ghost hunter like the others. He was just a… genius.
Genius… that word.
…
It really shouldn’t have been that hard. It feelt illogical in a way. A month of time spent, it shouldn’t make you care. It should be easy to forget. They should just have let him leave, with an awkward ’goodbye’. If only to later give cold looks in the corridor, acting as if everything you went through was worth nothing. Cause it shouldn’t be.
Though what should, and do happen are at most times different. He didn’t move away to began sign papers if his departure…. No definitely not! For Mogari threw himself between, with all of his normal flare and show of face. Yelling that ’no way would he ever let her take one of his club members!’ Even Zaki and Tamon seamed to agree…
Weird.
There must be a reason though…
Could it be for the thoughts of a dept unpaid, the one regarding him saving him on his first day. Though that couldn’t be it, that had been paid back, he had spent a hole night searching for his grandmothers key. He even rescued him from drowning by the help of Zaki, even if it was his fault for dragging him into that mess in the first place. It couldn’t be that.
Maybe that was just his personality, to be so protective and passionate about everything… That there was no reason at all and he just acted that way for everyone.
…
Soon he was turned into a trophy for a competition. Without a choice in the matter, it seamed. Mogari fought for him to stay, aggressively and passionately (after he seamed to leave his earlier cockiness after the understanding that Yutsuya was being serious about her choices and would stand a match against him.)
She fought for him to leave, not listening to a word of anyone. She threw the food in her mouth not even looking at him as she did so. The others, Zaki and Tamon fought for him in their own way, not as aggressive or passionate as Mogari. That just wasn’t them, but in other more quiet ways.
Why they did, he didn’t know. Though, could it have been for his smarts and the things he did for them? That Yutsuya was right and they only keept him around for what he could do for them. That they only used him. He didn’t want it to be that way….
…
No.
He didn’t think that was why….
He had stood up and stooped them, the competition. He didn’t care if she was right, for it was his decision to make. Even if this choice of his would lead to him growing lazy and falling steps closer to stupidity. Letting his opportunities go to waste with the ’gift’ of his brain. It was his choice to make.
He wouldn’t work as hard as he did before, but he wouldn’t regret that for he was the one to make that choice. No one else. Him.
’Why would he do that?’ This choice would only lead him to further sorrow and disappointment. Leding him to become ordinary and boring. Something his mother had always thought the worst to be.
They had treated him differently, not as everybody else did. Not as his mother does, as Yutsuya do or everyone else. No they treated him like he was normal, a person, a friend. They treat him like his grandma did. Not as a genius.
A camera clicked.
Eugene wasn’t the jealous type. He really wasn’t. He could be happy just seeing ’other people’ run around and have fun. He wasn’t sad when he was left out. Not really, he’d knew that what he was doing was far more important.
He was studying for his future. For the worlds scientific improvement.
For he knew that he would discover and make something that would improve the world. It would lead to him becoming a household name, with fame and money. Though that hadn’t been as important as the things he would be able to make with his mind. To use his intellect for good and become something in the world.
He didn’t need to run around and play, like normal kids. He wasn’t normal, he was ’gifted.’
Therefore it was his obligation to do something with his ’gift’. (Not to let it rot.)
Thus he didn’t have time for pleasurable things as having friends or playing. He needed to study. That’s what his mother told him. Others seamed to agree with her, his teachers and other students who seamed to look up to him and wanted him to solve their problems. That’s how everyone saw him, ’as a big help’. Everybody, but his grandma. And now them…
A camera clicked.
They had included him even though he was just a strict, smart and posh kid. Who only talked about facts and couldn’t ever have fun. Though that wasn’t what he’d seen. What they saw.
He wasn’t just a Genius with them. And that was just why he could do all those stuff. Handle all the papers and administrative paperwork about the club. They could rely on him, because he knew he could rely on them.
A camera clicked.
What had he even thought. He couldn’t just leave them. For what would they even do without him. They would probably not even last a day without him, without getting into serious trouble. Those idiots.
He slid down the camera in his pocket. Fast enough so the people approaching wouldn’t see.
”Koreshikiii” Mogari shouted as he ran up to him. The others following short after. He let out i little sigh full of fondness that he couldn’t hide. ’Would he never get it right, darn Mogari for re-naming him.’ (He wasn’t that mad though.) It was almost like a nickname, he hadn’t had that many of those before.
”No one’s hurt?” He asked as Tamon and Zaki walked up to them. ”Everyone fine.” Zaki said uttered.
”Alright then how…”
”It was a gang of robbers!” Mogari shouted loudly. ”They were so agressive!” ”Wanted to take all our money, but hey I don’t have any! So they got a bit angry when I sad that…”
”Huh,there was…”
”you didn’t have money, but I did! They took three thousand of my yen!” Zaki muttered with murder in his eyes.
Though before Eugene could feel bad for him, Tamon spoke. ”Does it really count as taken if you got them back some minutes later”, he said as he put his hand on his shoulder.
After that little interruption, Mogari’s rant continued. ”They tasted a lot worse than some of the other ones I ate, don’t know why but dam!!! It was horrible!”
”Could it be that they taste differently depending on their crime and if they did worse deeds? Also how many…”
”I dont know, but it was disqusting! Even worse than anything my grandfather made me eat!” ”Oh poor you, though how many ghosts were…”
”Yessss poor me!! I need to eat so much more of these and my stomach is so full!!!”
It continued like that for a while Mogari and him speaking, with Zaki and Tamon sometimes adding in their opinions. And yes he did finally found out how many ghosts it was. 984 left.
They said there goodbye’s and he began to walk home.
…
He opened the door and passed his mother that stood in the hall with her arms crossed, probably having waited for him, again. Her eyes lingering on him as he walked by her, not giving her a glance back. This time none of them spoke.
He let her darkened expression and closed mouth fell to the backbone of his mind as he entered his room. He didn’t go to his worktable filled with his books and homework that could have a last overlook before they were turned in. No he went the other way, to his bed.
Took out his camera. Flipped open a picture and smiled. ’Robbers huh, to him it looked like they were just twirling around and failing at dancing.’
Scrolled to another, did they really not understand how stupid they looked. Then another. And he almost laughed. Mogari was on top of a night lamp. With a foot in the air and his arms moved before him like ha was fighting the wind. It could have looked cool if he didn’t look so dumb. Since it looked like he would scream out the sound ’Hijjaaaaaaaaaaaaa’ in any second and then fall right on his ass.
That was how the pictures went. Really the first time, (or third time… since the first and second was kinda bad) he saw them fighting he’d to hold himself from smiling and laughing at how ridiculous they looked.
He really needed to show them these someday. He only hoped you couldn’t see the ghost through the screen. Then it would kind of take away the thought of it. Just for safety he had taken other pictures to, that didn’t have ghosts in them. He thought so at least. Still he couldn’t show them these for a while…. He needed to build up his collection first.
They really looked stupid. That was okay though, they didn’t need to be. They were his idiots after all.