A/N: Hello everyone! I started The Perfect Strategy as a twelve year old, and now that I'm twenty, I can't help but cringe hard at how I wrote this when I was younger. So - I've decided to do a complete overhaul of TPS and make it better. And yes, this does mean frequent updates. Nonetheless, I would love to hear from you about how the story should go, so whether you're a new or old reader, give it a review. Many hugs!

1 The Fall

Namimori at early springtime is beautiful. The grasses and tree leaves have a layer of sheen from the melted ice from the previous winter, while the cherry blossom trees start to sprout little pink flower buds. Most houses are traditionally wooden, in hues of black, brown and beige, and almost complement the increasing intensity of sunlight at dawn. It's quiet, although muted rustling can be heard from the nearby morning market, or the echo of an arriving train from the next town over.

It almost took two of the previous seasons for Okaa-san and I to settle fully into Namimori, but it was only this morning that I saw Namimori for what she saw it as: a quiet, normal, beautifully traditional neighborhood. From the balcony of my room, I could see the biggest and oldest cherry blossom tree at the top of the hill next to Namimori High if I tiptoed enough. Another strong breeze passed the balcony and made my pajamas flutter against the wind. It was unusually cold this morning - which is probably why I woke up earlier than my school alarm.

"Suzu-chan! Breakfast!"

I sighed. No more sightseeing, Suzume.

I went into my room and closed the balcony door. I donned the Namimori spring uniform — a ribboned white blouse and blue pleated skirt ensemble — and partnered it with brown shoes. Of course, I would change into white ones after entering campus premises... wouldn't want to get in trouble with the Disciplinary Committee for something so insipid, wouldn't want to get beaten up like Nishimura-san from Class 3-B yesterday...

I went into the kitchen and sat across the untouched bowl of steamed rice and beef. I lazily finished my breakfast and tea, eyeing my mom's bustling form.

"I might get home late today, Suzu. We're launching a new product, so buy yourself dinner on the way home, 'kay?" She chattered while hurriedly arranging our bento boxes.

Ayame Rikamori, otherwise referred to as my "Okaa-san", is almost a mirror image of me (except maybe twenty years older and more mature). While she always kept her brown hair evenly bobbed at the shoulders, I kept mine long in a high ponytail and had side-swept bangs. We both had brown almond-shaped eyes, fair skin, and a slim stature... It worked well for her job as a cosmetics sales specialist, because she looked like a naturally pretty, mature-looking twenty-five year old, instead of a forty-three year old single mom.

"Okay. Don't come home unless you've sold every single lipstick, okay?"

She stuck her tongue out at me and headed out.

As I neared the gates of Namimori High, my inner tranquil quickly transformed into anxiety — there were Disciplinary Committee members scattered everywhere! It didn't happen often, but it happened enough times for me to know it would soon involve a handful of people getting admitted into the hospital and only Kami-sama knows why. Last fall, there was that incident with Sasagawa Kyoko's brother. It became the talk of the school for a while, but I guess Sasagawa-senpai recovers fast anyway, so everyone pretty much moved on quickly. I dashed from the front gates to the shoe lockers and into the campus premises. I decided long ago not to get caught up with the likes of the members of the Committee (who, honestly, with their outdated looks, stupid hairdos, and violent tendencies would never ever ever get girlfriends).

Finally reaching the back of the room and my seat next to the window, I tiredly hooked my brown bag on the side of the table and greeted familiar faces. Hana Kurokawa and Kyoko Sasagawa arrived a bit earlier. It seemed that, luckily enough, our seats were adjacent to each other's this semester again.

"Hey, hey, did you notice the committee today? The place is crawling with them..." Hana started to whisper.

"Yup, something's definitely up." I replied nervously.

"Might just be an inspection later," Kyoko offered. "Best not to do anything troublesome today, you hear?"

Kyoko and Hana seemed to be eyeing me.

"You guys won't have to tell me twice, I swear." I laughed nervously.

Hana suddenly tilted her head to the window. "Can you guys hear that? It sounds like—"

"—is someone screaming?" Kyoko stood to approach the window. We gather near the open windows in confusion.

…

…

…

"...aahhh—"

The echo came closer.

"—AAHHH—"

Not even a minute later, a baby wearing a black and violet bodysuit falls just in front of our faces in slow motion. Its stubby arms were wildly flailing in the air. I could see my frightened expression in the black mirror of its helmet. It extends its stubby fingers and tries to reach a strand of Hana's long hair, but a split second later, the slow motion stops, it barely misses its mark, and the baby is free-falling at the speed of gravity once again.

"AAAAHHH—"

Our faces contort in horror.

"HELLLPP—"

What the fuck!

A small scream escapes from my lips as we hurried to peer out of the window.

"Was that a baby?"

"Kurokawa, what's the matter?"

"Rikamori-san…?"

A handful of students in other floors had also chanced by the falling baby and were leaning out of their windows as well. I looked up, down, sideways. Trees... students... prefects... Open field... It was gone? No blood, no dead baby?

My heart started beating faster. Where was the baby? My brows furrowed together as people settled down and decided it was probably a prank. I decided to peer outside the window one last time, just to be sure I'm not crazy, but then felt something incredibly heavy land on my back. My upper body suddenly dipped down and out of the window. Instinctively, I grasped onto the window bar for support — but then something pushed me down further, making my body flip, release my hold and start my very own freefall from the fourth floor of Namimori High.

There was that scream again, but in my panic, I barely realized it was me.

"—AAAAAAHHHHH—"

As I fell, my stomach cramped and twisted and made me scream. I could barely hear the commotion from the people in my class. I vaguely heard, "Oh my God! Oh my God! Somebody call for help!"

I won't die today, I decided. Bravely opening my yes, I looked for the nearest thing I could hold onto. The trees were too far! I was going to become a stickered cement blood and flesh art on school grounds, a crime scene for everyone to see.

My throat felt hoarse from screaming. I lose air and braced my knees and closed my eyes. Suddenly, I rolled in the middle of the air and switched from landing head first to feet first. I could barely see the image of my mom in my head, said my last goodbye, and held my breath—BAM!

I landed on something. I'm... not... dead?

My hands shook nervously as I felt for my head— it was intact. It took me a moment to realize I was still alive. I shivered on the spot, traumatized and I felt tears coming down my face. My eyes were still closed. I began sobbing.

But then I looked down.

I laid not on an inflatable, rescue float for suicide attempts. I lay not on a fat, lazy Snorlax and now, I hope I did, I wish I did, I wanted it to be a Snorlax. Because what I had fallen on wasn't anything meant to save me. It was Kyoya Hibari—the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee.

"What… were you thinking…" He had pushed me off, his left arm hanging. "…Herbivore?"

My entire body froze. I could barely feel the tears on my face. I think I just broke Hibari-san's arm. I think I just landed on Hibari-san from the fourth floor. Oh my god. I knew it then, and I knew it well—if I didn't die from the fall, I'd die from this.

My body shook as I watched him stand shakily. I remained speechless and horrified, even as I watched him take out his tonfas. I could barely crawl away. I watched as he slowly sauntered after me. I watched as his eyes glinted dangerously and his mouth twist in a snarl.

From the corner of my eyes, I see the baby with the violet helmet. I see him stand up. I see him approach the nearest exit into the building— I see him approach another baby, but this baby wore a suit. I tilted my head in confusion. It directed a small bow of thanks in my direction, but I closed my eyes and braced myself instead. None of this matters. I was going to die and I was going to die hard.

Wasn't it just this morning that I finally saw Namimori as a normal, quiet, peaceful, and beautiful province? Isn't this ironic at best? I did all I could, right? I was a normal person, trying to live a normal, teenage life in Namimori High.

Goodbye, world. You were good to me.

And then from afar, I hear a gunshot, followed by something like, "I will save Rikamori-san with my dying skill"?

I had no idea. I was too far gone. I had just received a tonfa to the left side of my cranium.

One Month Later

When I woke up—yes, I woke up thank you very much for your concern—I was surrounded by white walls, a familiar scent, and some lilies. I had been discharged from the hospital three days prior, so as of the moment, I am resting in my room, alive, but nursing numerous bruises all over my body nonetheless.

For the past week, I've had this simple routine: carefully lift my wrapped arms and wiggle the fingers that survived, stretch, use my tongue to count the teeth I had left, feel the sides of my face, the bruises, the marks from the tonfas. I had no idea how they got off explaining that to my mom, but when she started tutting to me about being a rulebreaker, I felt the anger dissipate from my body in a quiet hiss.

You see, if there was one thing I'd felt after waking up, it wasn't pain. It wasn't definitely happiness, or gratitude that I was still alive. All I knew, was that I woke up, and I wanted to hurt something—anything. My jaw was clenched and I just knew that my silent rage filled me from head to toe.

It didn't matter anyway. Everything felt different now. The view from my balcony seemed like a facade. Namimori only seemed quiet and peaceful — but it was bat shit crazy.

I carefully lift my cellphone and read the messages from my friends. Most were messages wishing for quick recovery, but one message stood out.

[Let's kill that prefect! He also beat up Kanagawa-san last week! Can u believe him!?]

I glance at the yearbook of Namimori High from the bedside table and flip through the pages until I arrive at the Disciplinary Committee section. I'd been staring at the same face for the past week. With such nonchalance staring into the camera, and bold black highlights on his name, it read: Kyoya Hibari, Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee. I smile tightly and place my hand over his image.

Slash

I rip it off my yearbook.

You see, it doesn't matter that Namimori is bat shit crazy.

I was done pretending anyway.

...

My name is Suzume Rikamori and I want revenge.

Kyoya Hibari... you are going to pay.

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of Namimori High

"Hn."

Kyoya Hibari feels a shift in the air. His eyes remain closed, but his brows furrowed.

He knew Namimori like the back of his hand. This temperature... the shift of the spring breeze...

Something was definitely about to change.

Chapter edited 22 Jan 2019