Archangel's Scissors

It wouldn't be appropriate to go to the Manga Club today, so I'll just find a place to draw.

Tsukishima looked left and right, spotting a bench under a surveillance camera.

He smiled at the camera, sat down on the bench, took out his drawing board, clipped on some paper, and started humming a tune as he began to sketch.

Without a model, he pulled up a 2D character on his phone and started copying the pose.

First, the outline—don't press too hard, just relax...

The slightly messy lines on the rough paper slowly formed a silhouette.

"Tsukishima-kun, what are you doing?"

Tsukishima turned his head. "Whoa, have I already passed away? The Archangel actually appeared?"

Ichinose had grown immune to that nickname. She rolled her eyes and sat down next to Tsukishima. "If I were the Archangel, I'd give you a Heavenly Fire Burning the City. Are you drawing?"

Tsukishima had no shame left. "Isn't it obvious? I'm learning to draw manga. Want a future great manga artist's autograph? When you're down on your luck, you could sell it for some cash."

Ichinose rolled her eyes again. "So, does the future great manga artist have any works now?"

Tsukishima snorted lightly. "The future great manga artist is still in the learning phase."

"Archangel, want to invest? Right now, just one cute full-body photo can get you shares in a future super-famous manga artist."

Ichinose stood up and casually struck a pose. "If you want a free model photo, just say so. Is this okay?"

One hand on her hip, the other making a peace sign, she stretched out a long leg, trying to highlight her body's details.

Tsukishima quickly put down his drawing board, pulled out his phone's camera, and started circling Ichinose, snapping photos while chatting.

"Archangel, how have things been lately?"

"Not bad, but Class C has been too much. They keep causing trouble for Class B while saying they want to cooperate with us against Class A and Class D."

"Class C probably says that to every class, right? Teaming up with Class A to mess with your Class B, teaming up with your Class B to mess with Class D, then teaming up with us to mess with your Class B... Huh, when you put it that way, Class B has it rough. But it makes sense—your class is full of good kids, the perfect type to bully."

Ichinose changed her pose. "Tsukishima-kun, that's harsh."

Tsukishima kept snapping photos as he spoke casually. "The good get bullied, the meek get ridden. Can't be helped."

"Class C is a bunch of thugs. As they say, a tree without bark is doomed, a person without shame is invincible."

"Class A can be seen as society's elite."

"Class B is society's decent, normal people."

"Class C, in society, would mostly be those unemployed drifters—living off petty theft, loan sharking, gang activities, and guarding places for a living."

"Can small-time thugs get close to the elite? No way. The class gap is too wide. One word from an elite could sink them in Tokyo Bay."

"Take Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A, for example. Would Ryuuen dare to use the same tactics on her that he uses on you? Touch her finger in the morning, and by noon he'd be at the bottom of Tokyo Bay, with a funeral feast by evening."

"So, the only ones they can screw over are the ordinary people represented by Class B—law-abiding, following public morals, without strong backing. It's a sure win if they extort you, no loss if they don't."

Ichinose opened her mouth, her tone a bit complicated. "And Class D?"

"Our Class D is society's fringe. Everyone has flaws, but if those flaws can be corrected, a lot of us could soar."

After that, Ichinose fell silent. Tsukishima didn't pry, just kept circling her and snapping photos as she changed poses.

After a while, Tsukishima stopped and nodded in satisfaction. "Thanks a lot, Lady Archangel. I've been needing a model lately!"

Ichinose leaned over and took his phone. "Not bad photography skills, future great manga artist."

Tsukishima casually took his phone back. "The model's good-looking. If you gave me a 300-pound elephant, no matter how I shot it, I couldn't get a good photo."

Ichinose laughed. "Alright, I should go. I just happened to run into you and wanted to say hi."

Tsukishima pulled out his phone and started tapping. "Hold on, I can't let the Archangel model for me for free."

With that, he transferred 30,000 personal points to Ichinose.

Ichinose frowned. "30,000?! That's way too much. Friends should help each other out. I can't accept this..."

Tsukishima quickly stopped her from returning it. "Don't. If you don't take it, I won't dare ask for your help next time. Even brothers settle accounts clearly. I'll need you to cosplay all kinds of characters in the future."

Ichinose paused. "Cosplay other characters?"

Tsukishima nodded. "Like a magical girl caught by tentacle monsters, a model student being blackmailed by thugs, or a wife enduring humiliation for her husband's job."

Ichinose looked at him with a strange expression, stepped back, and hugged her chest. "I don't think those are normal manga characters..."

Tsukishima feigned confusion. "Aren't these all perfectly normal roles?"

Ichinose rolled her eyes. "Maybe you need to read more normal manga. I'll take the points. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Watching Ichinose's ponytail sway as she disappeared around the corner, Tsukishima sat back down on his bench and continued drawing.

Buzz!

A message popped up on his phone.

[Kushida]: Help! I'm dying!

[Tsukishima]: Need me to buy you accident insurance? You can put my name in the beneficiary column.

[Kushida]: Die die die! Study session, study session!

[Tsukishima]: What's wrong with the study session?

[Kushida]: That brainless gorilla Sudo—calling him a gorilla is an insult to gorillas! Why doesn't he just go die!!!

[Tsukishima]: An angry bird shaped like a basketball.

[Kushida]: And that bastard Yamauchi—look at the textbook, why are you looking at me?! Drooling at my chest, so disgusting, if you're sick go get treatment!

[Tsukishima]: Can't help that one. Even after treatment, he'd still drool.

[Kushida]: That fake-smiling bastard Hirata—just sit down and study properly, why are you pacing around?! Who asked you to manage things?! I want to peel off his face and see what's underneath!

[Tsukishima]: Please cut Hirata-superman some slack.

[Kushida]: That arrogant Ike Kanji grabbed a calculus book to read, but he's holding it upside down!

[Tsukishima]: It's spring. Fighting for mating rights, you know.

[Kushida]: The worst is that Horikita! Like a block of ice, reciting answers like a robot, then asking if we understand—understand my ass.

[Kushida]: Ha! They're fighting now, the gorilla's slamming the table.

[Tsukishima]: Make sure to record it!