Chapter 3: The strangely ordinary blonde

The next day, I went to school as usual. I thought the day was gonna be just like any day, but I was wrong. The mob that chased after me frequently no longer do. And the minute I set foot in the school premises, I knew something was gonna happen. I stood in front of the school entrance, deep in thought.

Then someone from behind said, "You look troubled."

"Well, yeah."

I turned to see who it was and saw the white figure.

"W-what are you doing here?!"

"Am I not allowed?" he asked back.

"Don't answer with a question!"

He didn't have a face, but I could tell that he was depressed from what I had said. Still, I didn't care.

"So, since you're here, I'm guessing you want something again..."

"Wow, nothing goes through you, huh?" the faceless man said.

It was obvious that he showed up to ask a favor. Why else would he be there? I told him to spill the beans so that Mako and I could get to it.

"Of course! But first..." he paused while looking at the surroundings, "Let's go someplace without people..."

Then I noticed that we were talking in the open and everyone was staring at me. Lucky for the white figure, he couldn't be seen by ordinary humans. It kinda looked like I was talking to myself. From among the crowd, I could hear hurtful comments:

"Why is that guy talking to himself?"

"He's crazy."

"I think he needs medical help."

Sure, most of the comments were insults and it hurt a little, but it didn't affect me that much since I was already used to it. I ignored them and took the white figure to the back of the school building to discuss.

"So, what will it be?"

He bowed his head down and said, "I want a strand."

Then he paused, as if adding suspense. I anticipated what he was going to say.

He raised his head and continued, "...of blonde hair!"

That made slip and fall. Of all the things he could've wanted, he chose a strand of hair. First, a giant rock, now a strand of hair. He was one strange deity. But I guess I had no place to complain, so I just nodded and accepted his request.

"What? You're not gonna retort?" he asked.

"No." I answered nonchalantly.

"Well, I'm gonna talk back anyway!"

There was no point in stopping him. Even if I did, he'd still do it.

He crossed his arms and explained, "You see, nobles usually have blond hair. They come in different styles: straight, curly, braided... Imagine if I had that kind of hair, it'd be the most awesome thing in the universe!"

"Sure, but... why a strand? Why not a whole set of hair, or a wig?"

He replied, "Are you crazy?! I can't take care of a whole set of hair! It's too much! And don't even tell me to wear fake hair!"

His "wisdom" knew no bounds.

"Well, I'll see you later then!" he said one final time before disappearing in front of my eyes.

Once he was gone, I went back to the school entrance. And from the school gates, I heard some students mumbling. I approached the crowded gate and got a glimpse of gold. Slowly walking into school was Nanoka Suzuna, a senior blonde beauty who happened to be the school's top idol. She walked elegantly with he left hand on her waist and her right hand carrying her bag. She gave the spectators a nice, big smile, and that got them drawn to her.

Meanwhile, I was standing from behind, not caring at all. I had seen Mako in that situation as well, so it wasn't anything new. What did get my attention was her blond hair. It was exactly what I needed.

"If I could get a strand of her hair, I can give it to the white figure and I can finally rid myself of this horrible Paraphobia!"

Of course, I couldn't just approach her and ask for a strand of hair. That'd seem too suspicious. Also, she was a girl, so I couldn't talk to her. Instead, I went to Mako and asked for his help.

"I see..." he said after hearing my dilemma, "And why do you need my help?"

"You know exactly why!"

He knew that I couldn't communicate with girls. That was exactly why I asked for his help: because he could talk to anyone easily.

"Because you get big, am I right?"

"Absolutely not!"

Then he chuckled and said, "Relax, it was a joke."

Well, it wasn't funny. Actually, it was very offensive. Joking aside, he agreed to help. Besides, he's too nice of a guy to refuse.

I watched Mako from the window as he confronted the beautiful Suzuna. A crowd of fans surrounded and cheered for their idols. The two were talking it out peacefully.

Actually, they were fighting it out. When I realized that, my classmates and other students gathered to the windows and watched their confrontation, shouting, "Fight! Fight!" How it came to that, I didn't know...

The two idols stared at each other for a while. Then Suzuna flipped her hair back and asked, "What's the matter, little man?"

Mako got angry and exclaimed, "Don't call me little man!"

"Oh, really?" she responded.

Mako retorted by saying, "I'll have you know I'm 5'6 feel tall!"

Then I suddenly got jealous. I just realized that Mako was taller than me, despite being the older cousin.

"That's nice..." Suzuna replied while slowly walking towards him, "...But not tall enough!"

She showed by standing in front of him that she was an inch taller. It was clear that she only wanted to show off, but what was Mako doing? He just stood there, clenching his fist and totally forgetting the task at hand. Was it that hard to pluck a girl's hair? In the end, they went their separate ways after the bell rang.

We tried again at lunchtime, but the same thing happened. They'd argue every time they would bump into each other: In the hallways, on the field, at the classrooms, in the cafeteria, and even beside the restroom. Each time I called for Mako to take a strand of hair, he'd forget and would focus on Suzuna's rebuttals.

I suppose he was never in good terms with sassy girls. Even when we were small, he avoided playing or talking with girls who showed off. But for some reason, his anger for Suzuna was different.

Anyway, it was clear that I couldn't entrust the task to him, so I decided to do it on my own. I went to Suzuna's classroom while she was preoccupied with Mako and slid a letter on her desk. However, when I slid it in, I noticed the fan mails filling up the desk. Guess I wasn't the first person to think of that idea.

At that moment, Suzuna returned. I panicked and quickly sat down, unaware that I was seated on her chair.

She saw me and exclaimed, "W-what do you think you're doing, sitting on my chair like that?!"

Obviously, because of my fear of girls, I couldn't respond. I simply stared at her with innocent eyes, but that didn't thaw her rage. Furious, she hit me on the head with her bag. I dodged it unconsciously and saw the chain on her bag: it was a purple heart with the phrase "Swing Out". I didn't know what it was or what it meant, but I figured I could use that against her... someday.

"Get out already!" she shouted.

And so, I left her seat and went back to my classroom, grinning. During class, I sneaked out and went to the computer room. I spent the whole afternoon looking for information about "Swing-out" on the internet. And what I found was surprising. It turned out Swing-out was a hostess club located at the red light district of the city. I wanted to ask Mako about it, but I knew he was uncomfortable with anything concerning sex, so I didn't. After doing a few searches, I spent the remaining time playing First Fallacy.

Then suddenly, someone entered the room and saw me loitering. It was the school prefect. "What are you doing here?! Why aren't you in class?!" she asked.

"It's boring there."

"That's not a proper excuse!" she exclaimed, "Get back to class now!"

"No way."

Then she approached me and dragged me out of the room.

"H-hey! Let go! Aren't you afraid of me?!"

"Afraid?" she replied, "Why should I be?"

How odd. I thought for sure my miasama would scare her away. But she was neither scared nor panicked. More importantly, how could I talk to her normally? I had never talked to a girl normally. Why wasn't I afraid of her? Just who was she?

She continued dragging me all the way to the Public morals room. When we got there, she forced me to sit on a chair, stood firmly and asked, "How dare you loiter around the school so freely?! Have you no respect for your teachers?!"

"Y-you're one to talk..."

She obviously hadn't realized that I was a special student. And I guess it was a good thing, considering that I was talking to her, and I had always wanted to gain confidence in talking to a girl.

"I can't let you do as you please all the time! As a member of the public morals committee and substitute prefect, I can't let this behavior pass me!"

She just kept nagging and nagging the whole time, and I just sat there listening to every word that came to her mouth. But instead of feeling guilty for what I had done, I was excited because it was my first time talking to a girl my age.

"Seriously..." she said, "I can't scold you all the time!"

Then I suddenly had an idea: In order for me to find out why she's not affected by my miasama and to freely loiter the school as much as I want, I could join the Public Morals Committee. When I finally join, I could learn more about her and maybe gain enough confidence to talk to girls. And when I have enough confidence, I won't need the white figure's blessings anymore.

"Then let's stay together."

Then she flustered. She may have gotten the wrong idea.

"W-what are you talking about all of a sudden?!" she exclaimed.

"Y-you don't want me running around during class hours, right? Then let's be together."

She got flustered even more, "I-I'm not yet ready for that kind of relationship yet..."

She definitely got the wrong idea.

"W-wait! That's not what I mean! I don't wanna be lovers!"

Then her flustered face changed to a disappointed one, "Oh... Then what do you..."

"A room... Together..."

Then she flustered again "A-r-room?! T-together?!"

"R-right here..."

"R-right now?!" she reacted.

She was getting the wrong idea again. Dammit! Why can't I say what I'm thinking?! It must be the pressure of talking to girls.

"I-if you let me join you, I won't wander around aimlessly. And I'll go where you go so you'll always know what I'm up to."

Surprised, she replied, "Are you saying you want to..."

"Yep! I'm joining the Public Morals Committee!"

That was the first time I've decided to join something on my own, and it felt like it was worth it. And so, my relationship with the school prefect began.