Flip The Script

Hinako introduced Toshi to her friends at her usual lunch table, but just as she was about to sit him down, a boy from Toshi's class came up and dragged him away. Hinako considered insisting that Toshi stay with her but decided he needed to get to know his classmates. ~Maybe I'll get lucky, and he'll start to figure out how to be a guy from them.~

Hinako was the toughest girl in school and was set to graduate this year, which meant a power shift was imminent. Her crew was known as Shi'suma behind their backs—a mangling of the various nicknames they had acquired over the years. Initially called the Angels of Death, then the Daughters of Death, Hinako took offense to both names, leading people to eventually settle on Shi'Suma. Hinako herself was originally nicknamed Sukeban, but when that angered her, some people started calling her Hina-Ban just to provoke her.

As much as Hinako worried about the group's reputation, they were the student body's internal 'law enforcement,' with Hinako as the boss. She might not have been the class president, but when it came to enforcing rules and maintaining order, Hinako was the one everyone turned to. Known as the toughest fighter in school, she had proven her strength and leadership enough that no one questioned her authority anymore.

Just like any organization that relies on the strength of a single individual, things were going to change when she graduated. With half of Shi'Suma disappearing this year, they needed to recruit fresh blood to keep the group going. People hoped they would succeed because, despite their harsh methods, the school had never been more peaceful since Hinako took over.

Of course, the other rising power was Naora. She had two loyal followers, and while they couldn't take on Hinako alone, Hinako was the only one in school who could. Once, the three of them jumped Hinako, but she managed to walk away fairly unscathed, while Naora and her pals ended up in the emergency room. Thanks to that incident and getting held back a year, Naora was now a year behind Hinako. If Hinako didn't find a strong replacement, it would be Naora's time to rule next year.

At least, that was what the primary concern of Hinako and her crew up until today. Hinako was shifting gears and moving over to the Toshi problem. Niwa Abi leaned out into the row to eye Toshi as he walked away, "Now I see why you rarely talk about your brother." She let out a low growl. Hinako let out a well-placed kick to Abi's chair under the table. Abi flailed about trying not to fall, "HEY!"

Hinako glared around the table, "Maybe I didn't make it clear this morning. That's my brother and I want you guys to keep an eye on him to keep the other girls from taking advantage of him. NOT take advantage of him."

Madoka looked thoughtful, "There is something off about him..." As she watched him leave, "He's... not walking right."

Fukami looked confused, "I wasn't here this morning. What's going on?"

Hinako sighed, "My brother had an allergic reaction to a medication and stopped breathing. He spent three days in a coma and now his brain is all screwed up. He doesn't understand... well... much of anything. But especially anything related to socializing. He's relearning everything from scratch. He is going to be easily taken advantage of and I don't want anyone preying upon him because he's got the commonsense of a five-year-old." She pointed around, "You warn everyone my brother is hands off and if anyone so much as makes eyes at him, I want their name and I want them dead." She paused then added, "The order doesn't matter."

Madoka pushed her glasses up on her nose, "Then you are going to have to kill about half of the student body." Hinako looked at Madoka who in turn pointed at Toshi. Hinako looked over at Toshi, sitting at a table of boys from his class. Most of the boys were just talking to each other, giggling, and in general being like boys. Toshi wasn't part of the group. His body language was all wrong. He was too quiet while sitting too boldly. He was aggressively shy, or passively intimidating. He just wasn't right. He was trying to keep up with the conversation but seemed to keep fading out. The real problem was he kept looking around the room. How a girl knows a guy is interested in them is eye contact. The girl stares and the guy either ignores them or stares back. That's how it works. That is how it has always worked. The guy only stares back if they want the girl to respond.

Toshi was making eye contact with every girl in the lunchroom.

The more Hinako watched, the more insane it got. Girls all over the room were laughing and pointing and clearly talking about her brother by their glances and gestures. Toshi just smiled and sometimes even waved. Everyone started watching as this impending disaster unfolded. Abi muttered out of the side of her mouth towards Hinako, "Is your brother a slut?"

Hinako's smack to the back of Abi's head was so fast all anyone saw was Abi's forehead bouncing off the table.