Mahiro and an Intimidating Encounter

~~~PART 1~~~

The footsteps of students leaving the classroom continues to echo as the afterschool period has begun. Some of them are going to their clubs, and some go straight home. I, Mahiro Oyama, would really like to go straight home.

I'm not in any clubs, and I'm certainly not a part of any student body at this school. A new game came out last night and the preordered copy I bought months prior had finally come in the mail yesterday. I really want to play it as soon as possible and spend an all nighter, the reason why I didn't join any clubs was exactly this. To put it simply, I want to be in the house at all times.

But unfortunately, I cannot do that today.

Because today, I have cleaning duty.

I could easily just skip it entirely and go home with Momiji and the others, but unlike the rest of them, I have my pride as an adult. My gender may have changed, but inside, I still have the heart and composure of an adult. Skipping cleaning duty is not something a full fledged adult would do, so I opted to stay behind and fulfill my job til it's end.

"It sure is lonely here…"

Most, if not all of the students had already left the classroom, including my friends. I convinced them they should go home without me since I would be here for quite a while, and after a couple more persistence, they gave in and went home without me whilst being unsure of the situation.

But I didn't exactly feel lonely in that regard.

I was the one who sent them away, I knew what I did.

The only problem lies when my eyes scan through the classroom. There's no one to the left or right of me, and when I look back there's no one behind me either. What greeted my eyes instead were the calm and cinematic look of an empty class. Devoid of any human life, the golden rays of the sun are pouring into the room, lighting it with beautiful warm colors. There is no one left inside besides me, and there, in the middle of it all, I quietly stood alone.

Alone…

I have a feeling something is off, I wonder what it is… Oh yeah that's right.

"I'M THE ONLY ONE DOING CLEANING DUTY?!?!"

Where are all the other kids that were supposed to help me right now?

This is torture.

Why am I the only one here?

Usually there would be about 3 or 4 more people assigned to clean the class, but this is zero! How is this acceptable?!

Urgh… Kids these days

Kids should learn to take responsibility more seriously. I mean come on, do they just expect someone else to take care of everything for them? Do they have no shame?

They really think they can get away with this…? Hehehe… I'll show them… Never underestimate what an adult can do to you kids…

Hm?

Wait a minute.

Not taking care of responsibilities, ignoring chores, running away from your assigned duty… hang on, I feel like I've seen this type of behavior somewhere before. But for some reason I can't point my finger on it.

Hm…

The more I think the more I realize the current reality being displayed.

"Oooh, now I remember."

I soon noticed I have seen this exact type of behavior before. Not taking care of responsibilities, ignoring chores, running away from your assigned duty, etcetera.

That was literally me whenever

I'm at home.

"Ahahahahaha!" I laughed at myself outloud for finally noticing that now.

Sigh…

I'm a really terrible person.

My eyes felt like crying for realizing how much of a failure to society I was, but I managed to hold it back and instead finally start doing what I had been assigned from the beginning.

I started picking up some chairs and placed them neatly on the desks. Thank god there aren't many students in each class, and the chairs themselves aren't heavy as well. Even with this smaller body, I can manage to do this part relatively swiftly. And before I knew it, I had finished this task without errors.

"Aaaand that's the last of them."

The final chair was placed on top of the final desk. After a job well done, I stretched my back slightly to ease the pain that was accumulating, and as I was doing that, my right arm hit the final desk and a letter came out of the drawer under said desk.

"Ah! Oops, something fell down… Hm? What's with this shabby handwriting?"

I bent down to view the letter clearly. On the front of the letter were words written in extremely crude handwriting. The lines look stiff, as if the pen used to write this cannot do a circling motion without it looking like a pentagon.

"What's with this…"

It took me a while to read what it said, and when I eventually did…

"Whoa whoa whoa hey! I-Isn't this…"

Now sitting on the floor with the letter still in my hand, I was pushed back by the shock of what I had found. I can't be misreading this, I'd never thought I would encounter something both cliche and scary as this.

It was a letter of challenge.

The words were simple and precise, it doesn't cut any corners and gets straight into the point. Someone wants to challenge this person with a fight. I didn't think my second middle school life would have something so anime-like.

"Ah, that's right. Doesn't this desk belong to…"

Looking up at the desk above me, I slowly recognise who this letter was addressed to. Satoru Shinohara.

That kid was the infamous delinquent known throughout the entire school. I've only been in the same class as him for one semester, but that was enough to tell how threatening he was. Not only that, but usually everyone told me I should avoid him for the purpose of my own safety. It's one thing if one person told you about it, but basically everyone in the entire class said so and they were all really worried as well. That's the kind of guy he was.

Panickly, I threw back the letter to where it came from and pretended I didn't see anything.

Getting into the private matters of another student is something I should absolutely not do. I'm already super involved with Momiji and even that is dangerous. If I get close to anyone else my life is done for.

I composed myself a bit and got back to cleaning like I was supposed to do.

The broom, the broom, where is the broom…

That was one hell of a finding. I'll make sure to avoid him as much as I can from now on. My mind started imagining some happy place as a way to cope and forget the terrifying letter I saw.

La la la la la, I wonder what Mihari made for dinner?

However, my fantasy was short-lived. I was just thinking what Mihari might just be cooking for dinner, that was until the front classroom door opened noisily and I twisted my body in reaction to the noise.

Thinking that everyone was supposed to be gone by now, having someone suddenly coming into the room unannounced made me jump a little.

The situation only got worse as I took a good look at the person standing by the doorframe. The slightly above average height, the unkept uniform, and several bandages were plastered onto his face. Oh dear, this isn't good.

The one person I would really like to avoid right now is standing by the doorframe. His threatening aura was hard to ignore. His calm and cold face was lacking in any sort of warmth. Just having him in the same room as I was enough to send me down in shivers.

His eyes wandered into the classroom, as if he was searching for something. His gaze got closer and closer to my general direction until we made eye contact. And at that moment, blood started draining out of my face. I tried my best not to scream or shriek from terror, but even that was starting to prove difficult.

"C-can I help you?" I said stutteringly.

Gah, what am I doing being all shaky? I'm way older than him, I'm the one that should make him fear me, not the other way around!

I stood my ground not moving an inch.

Shinohara didn't say anything, instead, he walked into class as if I wasn't here at all. He went towards his desk and placed his hands in the drawer cabinet, searching for something again. Oh no, that's where the letter was.

My worry was unfortunately confirmed, he soon retracted his hand and now he had the letter on it. He read through the message that was colored in red and clicked his tongue. His face seemed to suggest the content was dissatisfactory, I could almost see veins popping up around him.

From what I read in the letter earlier, it was an invitation to someplace remote and unseen by the public. The letter also states the time, which said "afterschool". That should be right now, if he's here still in school, then does that mean he's avoiding the challenge?

I didn't really know what to make of it as I was just watching him silently the entire time. Shinohara would then scramble up the paper to make it into a ball and put it in his pocket. He remained silent and our gaze met again. Now instead of ignoring me, he started walking. Not towards me, but towards the back of the classroom where our supply cabinet was.

Um, wait, is he…?

The cabinet door was unlocked, and Shinohara grabbed another broom from within.

"Let me help you."

Shinohara finally said something after being completely quiet since entering the room. It was a bit sudden and unnerving hearing him say that, but I did not have the courage to say something against this kid.

"Uh—a— um— I think—" My mind could not make a comprehensive sentence with the situation I was in. The infamous delinquent of our school had suddenly appeared in the classroom when everyone was gone and now he decides he wants to clean instead of going to throw hands at other middle schoolers. Even in my previous middle school I never had to deal with troublemakers. I would always avoid them with my skill as an unsociable creature and hide behind others, but this time, I can't be in the crowd when there isn't one.

But regardless, Shinohara was brooming the floor while I was still in shock. I suppose there's no reason for me to stop what he's doing, so I tried to calm myself down and resumed my own brooming.

My entire body was shaking all over, it's really hard to concentrate when my motor skills aren't working properly. But still, I tried my best.

… … …

Sweep sweep, sweep sweep.

… … …

This is awfully quiet.

… … …

Sweep sweep, sweep sweep

… … …

My heart is still panicking due to his presence alone. But I eventually got used to the situation and calmed down just a bit, although my mind was still unconsciously worrying about him.

The floor sweeping was complete faster than I initially thought. After brooming we should clean the stairwell next to the class, so let's not waste anymore time because I want to go home.

… … …

… … …

Hm… Actually, now that I think about it…

Shinohara is more cooperative than I thought. He strikes me as the kind of person to be the lone wolf type, but surprisingly he doesn't do too bad helping me clean the area. Well, I haven't really seen him in group projects, but maybe he's not so much of a liability.

… … …

… … …

Now isn't this unexpected. Today I learned that Shinohara is pretty good at cleaning. The part of where he mopped just now was super polished, it made mine look weak in comparison.

You know, I think I've managed to notice another thing about him. Shinohara was well behaved during that whole cleaning session. It might be because of the bad rumors surrounding him, but as a first impression, he was really scary and I tried my best to avoid him at all cost. But seeing him silently sweeping and mopping was oddly calming. It was like I was watching those satisfying restoration videos.

I couldn't exactly tell when it happened, but my heart started to calm down completely. The rapidly beating heart was no more, and I was able to keep my composure and even look him in the eye.

"Allllright, that should be the last one. Phew, man that was painful. Thanks for helping me clean, Shinohara-kun." I feel relieved knowing it's all over and I can finally go home. I bid Shinohara a farewell along with a good job before departing for my home.

"Hey you, what are we cleaning next?"

"Eh? W-what? We're done here…"

"What are we cleaning next?"

…Shit, he's still as scary as a lovecraftian monster.

His sharp glare is piercing right through me. I had just managed to calm down a few seconds ago but now I began to panic again for the second time.

Think think think, what does he want? And why does it feel like he's staring into my soul?! Think, Mahiro, think, if you still have the brain of an adult male, then you must think of something!

"Uh, um… Oh that's right! We haven't cleaned the windows yet! Hehe…"

I blew it.

I should've just stood firm and told him we were done and that I want to go home right now. Damnit, now I have to spend a little more time before I can go back. I feel like crying.

Shinohara was as stone faced as ever, he didn't give any kind of reply to what I just said and just walked over to the supply closet and grabbed the equipment. If I'm being honest I have no idea we had those in the class, I thought we had to go to a closet elsewhere.

But eventually, we got around to one more hour of cleaning and at this point the sun really was about to set. Getting Mihari to worry about me is one of the last things I want to happen so I was glad it was over.

Or so I thought.

"Hey, what are we cleaning next?"

My only reaction was a facepalm. I was just about to leave the classroom door when I heard him say that same line behind me.

If you want to clean the whole damn school then go ahead, don't ask me about it!

Is what I would say normally.

If I wasn't being a scaredy cat right now, I would leave him to himself and go home while he's cleaning by himself alone. That's what I did multiple times when I was still a guy in highschool anyway. My friends all hated me afterwards but not doing labor outweighs the negative.

But now as an adult, ditching an assigned duty while some kid is doing it all by himself voluntarily just doesn't sit right with my pride. Leaving him alone meant leaving a responsibility, and I'm sure Mihari would be mad about that.

So really, my only option here was to comply and finish our job together with him until he's satisfied.

For the next few minutes I did exactly that. We cleaned every little thing in the classroom until he was satisfied, and then moved on to another task. If this keeps going, I'm sure we would be stuck in here until dark, but thankfully, that didn't happen.

There exists an alternate universe where the two of us would be stuck in this room cleaning for eternity, but thanks to fate, something broke that cycle. Or more accurately, someone.

While I was busy moving things around for better access, outside of the school gate there was a loud motorcycle noise. The distance from here to the gate is not really far and you can even see who was there from the windows, albeit they would look like ants from this distance.

The painfully roaring exhaust was disturbing me from making any progress so I went to the nearest window and had a look.

"Who the hell still uses those annoying engines nowadays… Ah! That's not good!"

I should have known which group of people uses those kinds of vehicles. They're definitely not normal civilians, and they definitely have a few screw loose. Who could they be, you asked? Well of course, they're delinquents.

A group of 3 weirdly looking people stood by the gate with their motorcycles parked besides them. I really shouldn't underestimate the creativity of middle schoolers because their fashion sense is so off limits and uncomfortable looking it makes me have second hand embarrassment.

"Oi Shitnohara, I know you're still here somewhere! Think you can get away by avoiding us completely huh?! Well too bad! Come out here and fight me like we're supposed to!"

One of the men started shouting demands to Shinohara all the way from the entrance. It wasn't like that was something impossible to do, but to do it meant that you had to scream really loudly which I dislike.

Oh no! Noise isn't the main issue here! They're the ones that wrote that letter!

It was just now that I figured out the writer of the letter. If they're here to demand an audience with Shinohara, then it means one of them was the author.

Shinohara must have decided to clean the class instead of going to them to avoid a meaningless fight completely. But man, I hope I don't get involved with this whole thing. I would run if I had to, but my physical strength was greatly reduced due to my gender swap. But even then my previous body had barely any energy in the first place.

Just look away. Stay away from the window and forget this is happening.

I stepped away from the window as far as I could to take a breather and control my nerves. Today had already been a trainwreck, this wasn't how I planned the day to be.

Please go away!

I sat down on the floor hugging my knees. If Shinohara was this scary, then those guys must be scarier. Not only that, but they're a group instead of just one person.

Come on…! Can a teacher just come out there and deal with them?!

It's way past the time for students to go home but there should still be teachers working at the moment right? There's still some students in clubs as well, so come on! Someone, anyone, just get on with it and go out there!

Awawawawa… I wonder if Shinohara will ignore them… Wait, where'd he go?

I stood up from my crouching position to look over the desks and find Shinohara but to no avail.

If he's not here, then does that mean…

My worry was justified as soon as I turned over to look at the window. There he was, walking over towards the weird motorcycling bunch.

Their height seemed to match, and their frightening aura were similar, but unlike them, Shinohara actually had a proper uniform on instead of whatever-the-fuck it was they're wearing.

Their clothes are ripped beyond repair, and the sizes don't fit at all. Compared to them, Shinohara's supposedly messy outfit is a lot cleaner which says a lot.

He eventually reached the gate and the two parties began talking. From this far, I couldn't make out a word they said. Their expressions and gestures were my only lead to figuring out the conversation.

It first started as somewhat civil with the guy in the middle mockingly raising his nose up high. Shinohara stood firm and did not react. He was stiff, his hands were resting out of his pockets. The way he acted towards them was just like how he was in the classroom earlier.

However, their hand gestures and expressions started getting a little aggressive. The middle guy, —who I named Blondie because of his hair— even started to grab Shinohara's collar and lift him off the ground.

He did that with one arm, something that can't be taken lightly. The other 2 guys started closing in on him and the tension suddenly rose.

It was at that moment where I realized no one had called the police yet. Surely by this time someone would spot them and call in the authorities to handle the situation, but as far as I know, no one had spotted them yet.

As far as the normal convention goes, I'm responsible for calling the police as a witness. But there's a slight problem in that dilemma that's hard to ignore. I'm afraid to talk to strangers. Not only that, but I have to talk over the phone as well.

So this leaves me with quite a conundrum. Do I gather up the courage to call for help? Ignore the situation entirely? Or do something else about it without needing to talk to people.

This isn't looking good

While I was busy worrying over myself, the quarrel between delinquents was still underway. Shinohara looks like he was in a pinch and in need of an escape route.

Blondie and the other guys are looking like they're coming out on top. With each passing second they shortened the gap between them and Shinohara. But it's odd. Shinohara doesn't try to fight back.

His calm posture was mostly the same as it was before. His arms and legs are free, yet he chose not to use them. Instead, he chose to do nothing and let the situation play out itself.

Watching this entire event unfold right in front of my eyes doesn't sit right with me. It's as if I had a guilty consciousness over this type of stuff.

Shinohara is the infamous delinquent at school, people often tell stories of his outgoings, stories in which he built around his time winning battles in the remote places in town. Hiding away from the public view.

Everyday when he arrives at school he always has several bandages plastered onto his face. No one dared to question what happened or where he got them from, no one would even ask how he was doing or if something was bothering him. Any time that thought popped into someone's mind, they would only think of the consequences of asking those questions in the first place.

This naturally means he didn't have any friends, no one to talk to at all. Watching him sit impolitely by the corner alone was actually relatable. Before I became a girl I was going through something similar as well. But now, it's different. This time, I actually have friends to talk to, I'm not alone anymore.

I know just how good it feels to have someone by your side, someone you can rely on, someone who accepts you for who you are. Having a group of friends like that is priceless and I wish everybody can feel the same kind of happiness you get from it.

Shinohara might be the infamous delinquent, but above all, he's just a kid. I wasted my entire youth on video games and manga that I ended up becoming a good for nothing neet and shut myself off from the world. It was only thanks to Mihari that I got a chance to restart my life.

My situation is a miracle, something that won't happen again and something that won't happen to anyone else.

Which is exactly why I hate it so much looking at Shinohara like this. People shouldn't waste their early life doing something they regret. Shinohara doesn't look happy at all in class. He always has that stone cold face on him and his expressions never change.

I don't want anyone to end up like me.

Middle school kids should go have fun with their friends and do dumb stuff they can laugh over and share memories with. Don't go around beating up people for no reason, you'll never be satisfied when you walk out of that fight. Go pull a prank on someone or something, geez! Make the best out of your youth!

…

… aha ha ha ha…

What happened to me? I'm laughing out of nowhere now…

Aha ha ha ha… No, I know why I'm laughing…

Facing my back towards the window and sliding onto the wall to sit on the ground, I now sit in contemplation.

I really have changed.

I'm actually worrying over someone now…

Just last year, if I saw someone like that, I wouldn't care an inch. I wouldn't worry myself over them and I certainly wouldn't want their life to change, because I don't give a damn about anyone in the first place.

But now, after knowing what it's like to have friends who will care for you, and having people who will make your life better, I can't sit this one out. I can't let this incident slide under my radar. I have to do something about those guys.

I told myself earlier I wouldn't get involved with him, but it seems like I'll be an idiot for today and avoid my own warning.

Shinohara probably already accepts life as it is to him now, and my own selfish desire would make him do things he never asked for.

But that's fine.

As long as it's for his own good, it should be fine.

I quickly stood up and looked at the entrance again. Little to no time has passed it seems, they're still mostly in their standoff poses. But this was bad, if one of them makes the first move towards the other, a brawl will surely erupt.

Gotta just gather up the courage and go call a teacher!

I ran out of the classroom and into the long empty hallways. The golden lights from the evening sun were unfamiliar, but I'm very much familiar with the school layout to know where the teacher's office is.

My physical stamina was already running out before I could even reach the door.

Not good… gotta keep going…

In hindsight, any normal person could run at this distance no problem, but because of my own lack of exercising it was too much for me.

Damnit! I should've kept training my muscles more!

But I eventually persevered and made it to their front door. The sign hanging on the side of the door spelled out "Teacher's office" confirming I hadn't just ran in the wrong direction.

There was no time to panic or deal with my anxiety to talk to people, I had to commit to this.

There I was in front of the door, my hands holding my knees and my throat was sore and dry after running for so long, I let go of my hands and opened the door to the room as quickly as possible. The sliding door roared a loud bang because I didn't pay attention to my own strength and carelessly opened it with more than enough force.

I was scared for a moment that the loud opening would distract all of the teachers inside and make all of them look towards me, but that didn't happen. For one, I was happy no one was looking this way, but secondly, no one was here at all.

Huh? There's no one here? Where'd everybody go?

What greeted me on the other side was an empty room full of desks and chairs and piles of untouched paperwork. The office looked clean as if everyone had finished their work, leaving behind no mess and clutter.

Uh oh, this isn't good…

With no teachers around, who's gonna call the police?

I tried thinking maybe I would find someone else and call for their help, but when I was running earlier, I didn't see a single soul anywhere. Not outside in the courtyard, not in the classrooms, heck, the club rooms all look empty too.

Did everybody go home? But it's not even that late yet… At least… I think so.

With everyone gone, there's only one person left to call the cops.

Let's see here… Hwah!?

The first thing I noticed when opening up my phone was the time on the lockscreen.

It displayed 18:05

It's already past curfew.

How have we been cleaning for this long?!

Putting aside the strange time anomaly, I unlocked my phone and scrambled to search for the call feature.

Okay just gotta input the number… Wait a second.

What's the number for the police?

I've never encountered crimes being done right in front of me, so I never had to call anyone over to help. And whenever a police car was parked outside and it showed the number on its sides, I would always forget the number combination the next day even though it was only 3 digits.

Arrgh, I can't worry about this now! Even if I called them they'd arrive late!

My other option was to call Mihari to do something about it, but I doubt she can arrive on time as well. Plus she's always busy with stuff, so bothering her over something like this is unnecessary and a waste of her time.

Time was running out and the boys over at the entrance are surely getting hurt right about now. I can't rely on anyone else to deal with this mess. I'm the only other person in the school building. It's my own responsibility if I want to make things right.

I should've just done this from the start…

My stamina still hasn't recovered from my earlier run, but I have to keep going. The only fuel I need right now is my determination. As an adult, I have to set things straight with these kids. I was only a coward who would fear 14 year olds when it should have been the opposite, so I'm reclaiming my title. Despite what my body says, I have to keep going.

The school is a lot bigger than I remember, and I ran more than I thought I needed to. But, my sheer will seemed to have worked as I had made it to the gate.

"Huff… Huff.. Wait… You three…"

My physical body was at its limit and my vision got blurry. My unregulated breath only made it worse. Not enough oxygen was feeding into my brain, and the world felt as if it had left me behind. This weightless and thoughtless sensation felt like a fever dream, but it was reality.

"Huff… Huff… You three… Stop it… Huff…"

I got close enough to let them hear my dry panting. My voice sounded like an extremely quiet inflated balloon, but it was enough to attract their attention.

"Huh? What do we have here? A girl came out to stop us? Hahaha! You make me laugh, Shinohara! Never thought I'd see you getting saved by a girl!"

I couldn't see well with my eyes at all but thanks to that distinctive hair color I knew it was Blondie who talked to me just now. It seems nothing has happened between them yet so that was a huge relief.

"Huff… You kids… are better off… Wasting your time… Playing video games…"

I was truly at my limit.

My legs could no longer support my wavering body as I swung my torso left and right uncontrollably. The only thing keeping me standing was my legs, but when that started to fail, nothing else was supporting it.

And, just as I finished what I said, I faltered and fell onto the ground face first.

"What's with this weird girl… Heeey! You came here to save your boyfriend didn't you! Come on—!"

My hearing started to disappear like my vision, and the last thing I heard was the faint screams of Blondie. I didn't know how long I was going to go out for, and I didn't know what would happen to my body if I left it there unprotected against a group of delinquents, but thinking about it only made things worse so I would prefer if I just leave everything to fate and trust they didn't do anything weird to me.

They should all be virgins anyway. I'm willing to bet they're a wuss when it comes to things like this.

~~~PART 2~~~

My head hurts.

The first thing I noticed when I was conscious was the pain welling up on my head. I couldn't even bring myself to open my eyes because of how heavy the eyelids felt, but sooner or later I had to figure out where I was so I slowly but surely started opening them despite all the resistance.

"Urgh…"

Little by little parts of my body began to function again and I can feel the pain in my upper body. I eventually managed to open my eyes completely and look at my surroundings.

"What kind of room is this…"

The first thing I noticed was how large this chamber is. Not only was it spacious, but this room lacked any kind of decorations. But it wasn't just a completely white room either, the walls have pretty wallpaper attached to it, and the ceiling has those indents rich people always install to make it more fancy and 3 dimensional. The floor was carpeted in bright red, and it looked like it had been cleaned recently.

But despite the pretty carpet, wallpaper, and ceiling, the only thing that was present in this room was the bed I was sitting on. This room was a prime example of being uncanny, it felt like it's supposed to be filled with many items and decorations, but it lacks any of that.

I couldn't even tell where the window or door was. But the worst part was how I can't tell where the lights are coming from. The room is lit like any other room, but there were no visible lightbulbs anywhere. That's how creepy this room is.

Next to the bed I was sitting on was my school bag, I had noticed it when I was scanning the room, but it looked like it was untouched. Seeing a familiar item brought my mind to a slight ease as it was a reminder that I was still somewhere on earth.

But the time for familiarizing was over as I soon learned where the door was and someone walked into the room. For one, I was startled by the noise it made, but for another, I was surprised whoever built this house was able to hide a door behind wallpaper like that.

The person who came out of that door was none other than Shinohara. He was standing in front of the door, hand still holding the door knob, and casually said to me;

"You're awake" then proceeds to come closer towards the bed.

His familiar unkempt uniform came into view, He still had those bandages and it felt like almost no time had passed at all. But most importantly, seeing him right here made me wonder how the brawl ended.

"Aah Shinohara-kun are you alright?! Did you guys fight after all?!"

His face didn't change. He merely stood next to me with the same face he always has.

"No, you ruin the mood when you collapse like that so I took the excuse of having to carry you to get out."

"Sigh… That's a relief… Wait, did you just walk out of there like it was nothing?"

It was only a little, but Shinohara tilted his head.

"No, I kindly told them to fuck off."

"Oh okay… You've brought my bag here as well, thank you. So, where am I?"

"You're in my house."

"Huh?"

"The nurse's office was closed so I brought you here."

"Wait, are you rich? What's with this empty room and why does it feel so creepy!"

Now that I think about it, I never really got to learn what he's like. I've never heard him talk this much before either.

"Yes, my father is a wealthy man. For your second question, I don't think I understand what you mean."

Man this guy really is unpredictable.

But for now, I don't think I want to be in this room any longer so I think I might just have to leave for now.

"A-anyway, thanks for taking care of me… I think I should be going now."

"Alright, let me show you the exit"

I got out of the bed and took my bag with me. He slightly led me out of the room and into a really long hallway that would look great in a horror film. Because this time, I can actually see the windows where the typical lightning would strike behind the monster. The rest of the walk was surprises after surprises. His mansion was way bigger than I thought, but eventually we got to the exit door where he opened it for me.

"Thanks for taking care of me once again…"

"..." He doesn't say anything in response.

After finally getting out of that huge mansion and into the cold streets at night I was able to breathe properly.

"Huff… Huff.. What's with that house, it doesn't give me good vibes from it, I can hardly breathe."

Perhaps it was my unconscious fear of Shinohara, or perhaps there weren't a lot of windows open, but I felt like I was gonna suffocate inside there. Compare that to this street and you could tell the difference in atmosphere. Something is really wrong about that house.

"Sigh… Anyway, time to head home. Oh yeah, what time is it anyway? Mihari must be really worried— Hwah!"

Checking my phone, it displayed 21:03 on the lock screen. Not only that, but I've been getting a lot of missed calls from both Mihari and Momiji. The two of them must be worried to death if they've been trying to contact me this much.

"Oh no, I really need to get home soon. Speaking of which, where am I?"

As a former shut-in , I'm not exactly familiar with the outside world, but even more I'm on a street that doesn't even look Japanese to begin with. The houses were all huge mansions like Shinohara's and the sidewalk and street lamps looked straight out of Europe

"Guess I have to take a look at google maps… Seriously…?"

Opening the app I never had to use before, I discovered something very unpleasant. I am 2 hours away from school by train.

Huh?

I feel like every second I learn something new and weird about this delinquent. Not only was he rich but he commuted to school everyday for 2 hours and was never absent. Talk about a pain in the ass.

"No choice then, I have to use the train alone at night…"

I'm still relatively scared of strangers and crowds, but I think school has helped me calm myself against huge crowds so I should be fine… Maybe.

And that's if the trains are still operational at this hour.

But before that I have to make sure I call Mihari so she doesn't think I'm dead.

Oh man, what a day this has been…

The train ride home felt unusually short. Even though it was supposedly 2 hours, it felt like 30 minutes. If I had to guess it would most likely be that during that whole ride I had so many things in my mind and barely enough time to process it.

Today did not go according to plan at all…

~~~PART 3~~~

"Onii-chan where have you been?! I got worried sick you know!"

"Sorry, sorry…"

The trains were in fact operational and eventually it was already 11 at night when I got hom. The first thing that greeted me at the front entrance was my little sister who was about to lecture me.

Please save the lecture for another day, I've already had too much on my plate to consume already.

"Sorry, Mihari, I had a little trouble during cleaning duty."

"What kind of trouble makes you go home so late?! Anyway, dinner is in the microwave, don't forget to take a bath as well. And don't sleep so late, you still have school tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight…"

The little sister that was already in her pajamas makes her way upstairs to her room to sleep. I still had my school uniform on and my body is covered in sweat all over so skipping the bath seems like a bad idea.

She sure has grown.

Make no mistake, despite our looks, Mihari is the younger sibling. Although our roles have been completely reversed, I'm technically still the older one.

I remember back when we used to play with each other when we were little, over time we would spend less and less together and subsequently created a weird gap where we distance ourselves.

After I got turned into a girl, we got to spend more time together and it feels just like the old days when everything was so simple. Although, now I'm her plaything and test subject. But, above anything else, I'm still her older brother.

The rest of the night went well, dinner was as delicious as ever —As expected of my little sister's cooking!--- But it does feel lonely eating by yourself. Afterwards I only had a shower since I didn't want to bother heating up the bathtub all over again, and I got changed into some comfy shirt for sleeping.

Entering my own room feels like heaven. After spending 11 hours in class, and ending up in some rich kid's house, being inside the room I was familiar with since as long as I could remember was the best feeling an introvert like me could ever experience.

Oh bed, how I've missed you…

This morning, I was planning to play the game I ordered when I got home, but today I was so tired I didn't even bother going to my game console.

Oh man, today was very exhausting… I can't believe I'm gonna do this but I'll hold off gaming for tonight…

When I ran around school looking for the teacher's office, my energy still hadn't fully recovered. If I move an inch more from this position my brain would surely cut off.

But I was also in bed early for another reason.

Shinohara… I might want to talk to him at school tomorrow.

That ending with Blondie and the other guys left a weird taste in my mouth. I felt like I hadn't done anything but Shinohara insisted because of me he was able to get them off of him. Somehow or another it made me have more questions than answers, and I hate the feeling of a cliffhanger.

Well, what's the harm in asking him about it anyway? I was already able to talk to him normally back at his house, so if I strike up a conversation it shouldn't look out of place, for both him and me.

That's enough thinking for today… Time to sleep.

So, with not being able to do anything else, I slowly close my eyes and my mind drifts off into an imaginary dream world where I would get plenty of rest.

I… Haven't played a game… for a day… since… Forever…

~~~PART 4~~~

"Mahiro-chan! I thought you said yesterday you were fine, but cleaning the class until six was definitely not fine! What were you up to?!"

"Ahaha sorry sorry."

This time, Momiji came to lecture me like Mihari did yesterday.

You know, after sprinting the most I had sprinted in my entire life, my body went beyond numb. I could barely get out of bed due to it. But painstakingly force yourself to get ready to not be late for class, and the first thing that greeted at your desk was a lecture from someone 10 years younger than you, it just makes me want to go back to bed.

This wasn't the first time Momiji had yelled at me, but it still feels really embarrassing, more so than when my little sister did it.

"Anyway Momiji, everything is good now so you don't have to worr–y! Ow ow ow that hurts…"

I tried to reassure her that it's all right, but even moving my legs a little to face her properly was tough as my legs cramped from the slight movement.

"A-are you alright?! What happened?! Geez, you're such a bad girl Mahiro-chan."

—Which naturally resulted in another scolding.

Sigh… I want the rest of the day to go peacefully at least.

I couldn't do anything other than laying my head on my desk as words kept entering my left ear and out from my right.

How did I become so pathetic as to get told by a middle schooler?

My energy from yesterday still hasn't recovered so even if I want to make her understand and be quiet I physically cannot.

Oh yeah that's right, I want to talk to Shinohara later. I hope my energy recovers when I face him then… I'll probably talk to him when no one is around so rumors won't float around and bother me.

But for now, I have to rest as much as I can before class starts. Speaking of which, he never arrives late and he's not here yet. Class is about to start, so he's probably in the building already.

Yesterday, it was fine talking to him because I knew what the topic was, but since I'm the one opening up the conversation I have to think of something as an opener. I can't just straight out say the subject matter at hand, I don't really know much about social interactions but that's definitely something you don't do… right…?

I mean come on, it's just weird.

For the remainder of the time before class starts I kept thinking of things to talk about to Shinohara that would make for a good conversation. All the while Momiji kept talking to me about the dangers of overworking. I was so engrossed in my thought process that I didn't hear a word she said.

My brain cannot handle multitasking.

And because of this, I didn't notice another thing that was happening.

"Excuse me."

"Hey, don't— uwah?!"

Hm? What was that? Why did Momiji scream all of a sudden?

I looked to my right to my surprise. It was Shinohara looming next to my desk. I hadn't heard the door opening and his footsteps approaching which made it feel like he had just manifested out of thin air.

I wanted to scream like Momiji too but my lungs were still tired, so my brain instead made incomprehensible sounds.

"Ah—oh—it's—H-hey…there…"

"You, come with me after school."

…

"Huh?"

The entire class fell silent. Everyone heard that, and everyone was equally as shocked. How could they not this kid literally hasn't spoken to anyone at all let alone a girl.

"Y-you mean me, right?"

"Yes, you."

He raised his index finger and pointed at me.

My pessimistic brain was thinking maybe he could've mistaken me for someone else. Maybe he was just tired from yesterday. But that sliver of hope of escape was gone. Thinking about it, who else could it be other than me.

"I'll be waiting." He then retreats to his seat over by the corner.

Let me set the record straight.

A boy asked a girl out to meet with him after school and he said "I'll be waiting"

Now, what do you think the people who overheard it would think of the situation?

What would they think when they don't have the right context?

Yeah that's right.

All the young teens who just entered puberty could only think of one thing.

And for a moment, I was thinking the same thing too.

But that's not even the worst part.

No.

The worst part was that… It made me blush a little.