Thugdere Oni

Your position was not an unfamiliar one, but one you had come to resent and fear. Three inhuman girls surrounded you, trapping you in the isolated corner of the school hall, behind the stairs. One of them had her paw pressed against your chest, pinning you to the wall. Their dog like ears twitched, and their tails swished back and forth, clear signs that they were enjoying your torment. “C’mon, cough it up, runt! You buy lunch every day, so we know you got money on you!” The leader ordered, pulling you back only to slam your body back against the wall. The werewolves to her sides did not speak, but made a show of baring their teeth in wide grins, and brandishing their claws.

“Hey now, what’s all this?” You and the werewolves glance over to see the owner of the voice, a tall muscled girl with a large horn protruding from her forehead. Several buttons on her disheveled uniform were undone, exposing a vast expanse of crimson cleavage. Her wavy, pale blue hair hung just below her shoulders. “You wouldn’t be picking on my friend now, would you?” she asked, staring down at your assailants, who quickly removed their paws from you, as though they just realized they’d been touching a hot stove.

“A-Akane! We weren’t picking on anyone. We were just having a little chat. Right girls?” the leader responds with a shaky voice, her cronies quickly nodding their heads in agreement. Their fear was understandable. Akane was widely known as the biggest badass this school had ever seen. Rumor had it, she’d even fought off a gang of wurms by herself once.

She strolled over to you and put an arm around your shoulders, pressing your against the side of one of her pillowy soft breasts. “Good, good. I’d hate to see my little buddy here get hurt.” You were confused by her words, mostly due to the fact that you’d never actually spoken to her before, but you remained silent. If this got you out of the werewolves clutches without losing your lunch money, it was a welcome blessing.

“Yeah, of course,” The werewolf spoke slowly, obviously just as suspicious as you were, but not willing to challenge the oni’s claim. “Well, we gotta go. See you!” The trio made a hasty retreat, tails tucked between their legs.

Akane chuckled as she watched them leave, releasing you from her grip. “First years, no respect,” she grumbled to no one in particular, before shifting her gaze down to you, “They shouldn’t bother you anymore. You alright, twerp?” You nodded, thanking her for her help. She smiles back at you. Maybe she’s not as scary as the stories make her sound. “Now, about my fee…” Or maybe she is. “My protection isn’t cheap. Take out your wallet.” You pause, half in fear, half in disbelief of your poor luck. She responds by slamming her palm into the wall next to you, a few cracks forming around her hand. “Wallet! Now!” she demands, bright yellow eyes gleaming with anger. You scramble, hurriedly pulling your wallet out of your back pocket, and shakily offer it to her. She snatches it from your hands, opening it, and removing the few bills that would have bought you your lunch.

“I thought you nerds were loaded. Is this really all you got?” she asks, eyeing your lunch money disappointedly with bright yellow eyes. “Jump,” she commands. You act quickly this time, not wanting to piss her off. Apparently satisfied that you weren’t hiding any spare change, she tosses your wallet back at you with a scowl. “Just my luck. See you around, small fry.” She walks off, taking your money with her.

Letting out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding in, you sit down on the floor, and pull your notebook and math textbook out of your bag. You wouldn’t be able to buy lunch, but at least you could get some of your homework out of the way early. If nothing else, having something to do would take your mind off of being hungry.

No more than ten minutes into your work, a small sandwich, wrapped in plastic, drops onto your notebook. Looking up, you see Akane, towering over you with a wide grin. You nervously tell her you don’t have any more money. “Relax, this is my way of saying thanks for the dough.” You notice she’s carrying an armful of sandwiches sold at the cafeteria. The money she took from you should have only bought one, but you don’t dare ask how she got the rest.

She sits down next to you, watching you expectantly as you unwrap the sandwich and take a bite. “It’s uh…it’s your favorite, right?” she asks. You nod, unsure of how she could have known that. For a second you think you can see the faintest hint of blush on her cheeks, but it’s hard to tell with her bright red skin. She begins eating as well, scarfing down whole sandwiches in one or two bites. You both eat in silence, you too scared to speak, and her too absorbed in her own meal.

Once she finishes her lunch, she pulls a large gourd, topped with a cork, out of her bag. She removes the cork, and takes a long swig of its contents. “Want some?” she asks, offering you the gourd. You take a quick whiff of the liquid inside, but quickly pull your nose away. It was either some kind of alcohol, or rocket fuel. You politely try to decline, telling her you’re not old enough to drink. “Never stopped me. C’mon just have a sip.”

She doesn’t wait for an answer this time, instead jamming the opening of the gourd into your mouth and pouring the liquid down your throat. It burns like hellfire going down, and you pull away from the gourd coughing and sputtering. Akane chortles at your discomfort, slapping you one the back with immense force. “Good stuff, right? Listen, I gotta get going, but I’ll come find you again when I need some spending money. Be sure to bring some more tomorrow, alright?” With that, she got up and sauntered off to do whatever it is delinquents like her do. You sigh, wondering how much she expected to mug you for the next day.