The Future Will Change

At the site where the fraternity’s cleanup was taking place, the sun had started to set as they gentlemen worked hard to clean up the park. In a surprising display of organization skills, Vertex made sure that everyone worked carefully and took proper breaks as they cleared up more and more of the park. Soon enough, the park was around halfway free of debris and other garbage.

“...I’m actually shocked,” Keiji commented as he wiped sweat from his forehead and flopped on the grass, “Everything went pretty smoothly today, huh?”

“I’ll say,” Rumble replied as he tossed away a set of logs into a nearby wheelbarrow, “I could get used to this though. Working off the stress of classes is fun.”

As they worked, Keiji noticed that Vertex had taken a moment to relax on one of the rocks in the park. Since nobody else was around him, Keiji decided to get up and go talk to the guy.

“Wait, where are you--?” Rumble called out but Keiji had already left to go speak to Vertex.

The vampboy took a seat on the rock next to his frat house leader and spoke up. “Yo. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, I suppose,” Vertex replied with a sigh, “What is it?”

“Well I didn’t really get much of an answer from you earlier,” Keiji began the conversation carefully, “But…what do you think of all the mutant stuff in the news? Ever since magic came over here and started messing with stuff. Do you hate it, or…?”

Vertex scratched the back of his head and turned away from Keiji for a moment. “I…it’s not that I…listen, the mutants that cause trouble here are part of a bigger problem.” He sighed again, and shook his head, “But there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m just one guy in a big-ass city. A little fish in a big ocean. Nothing I do is gonna matter and once I die, I’ll just fuck off back to the earth like the other corpses buried there…”

The man’s…pessimistic perspective was disheartening, but understandable given how much crime had occurred in the last year alone. Keiji wouldn’t judge him over it, but he still had another question.

“...I see. And why exactly do you feel this way?”

“...can we change the subject, please?” Vertex huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, “I don’t feel like talking about mutants, alright?”

“...right, I get it,” Keiji replied and immediately changed the subject as requested. Since he was their house leader at the university, what better topic than studies itself? “Let’s see…ah. What’re you majoring in, Vert?”

“Medical research,” he replied with a neutral expression, “I’m…looking to become an ER doctor someday so I can work to save lives. Even if it’s something small like healthcare, then I’ll be happy that I’ve made an impact, ya know?”

Keiji could relate, seeing as he had no choice but to abandon his biological family, he too was desiring some form of acknowledgement. “...yeah, I feel that. You’ll get there one day, bud. I know you will. You deserve that much.”

Vertex’s response was delayed, “...thanks. That means a lot coming from a freshman. Anyhow, let’s finish up for the day and head back. We’ll pick this back up tomorrow, alright?”

“Got it.”

With that, everyone in House Iota got their supplies and started to head back to the campus to rest for the evening as it got dark.

Meanwhile, at the campus itself…

A young woman from the sorority House Gamma had taken out the trash to a dumpster behind the building. But on the way there, she noticed a small cat limping away from the campus and into an alley behind a shop across the street.

“...hm? A kitty…?” the student called out to the cat and took off after it. “Hey, wait! You look hurt…!”

Soon enough, the college girl had found the small, black cat and scooped it up in her arms. “...poor thing. You look hurt. Let me help you get better by taking you to the--!”

SHING!

Suddenly, her throat was slit by what sounded like unsheathed claws. The girl immediately dropped to the ground as her neck bled and her body went limp. Her eyes blank and staring off into space as she bled to death…

Back at the campus…

Filament had been looking around for someone and muttered, “Where the heck is Spring? She should’ve been back by now…”

Another one of the soro-sisters put on a jacket and called out, “I’ll go check on her. She probably got lost trying to find her way in the dark. I’ll go see what the problem is.”

“...alright. But if you see anything weird out there, you gimme a call, alright?” Filament demanded as her sorority sister left out of the back door.

“...what’s going on?” Silver Spoon asked from upstairs, “Everything okay?”

Filament would call back, “Nothing! Just go back to sleep, everyone. I’m sure everything will be fine.”