Moving on

Chizuki woke up in an unfamiliar, spacious bedroom, with sunlight streaming through the curtains, casting a warm glow on the room.

"Where am I? Where is time is it?"

Panicked, Chizuki searches the bedside table for her phone to check the time and gather some clues about her location.

"It's 3 pm? What about school it's a weekday?!"

Chizuki's heart races as she realizes it's already 3 pm and she might have missed school. She begins to wonder where she is and how this could have happened.

"Akako, it was you, correct? Please come forward and clarify your actions."

Is she not paying attention to me now?

As I search through the bedroom for information about the situation, I come to the realization that all my belongings, including my diary, are here.

"Perhaps there's something written in the diary?"

I flip through the pages and discover a recent entry by Akako.

*Akako's note reads:

I am writing this in case I won't be able to talk to you, and knowing you, you would be panicking right about now. So let me explain: you are currently in the mansion that I mentioned last night. I did all the hard work for you and moved all your belongings from your dorm room to the mansion, so you don't have anything to worry about. Don't get scared by the maids and driver; actually, there are some bodyguards outside too, but I hired them for your safety and comfort. So make yourself at home.*

"It's frustrating how unpredictable she is, doing everything she wants without asking me," I sigh.

"Akako, I know you can hear everything I say. So let me make this clear: I'm willing to go along with whatever you have planned, but please don't cause harm to anyone, and don't make me skip school. I'm at risk of losing my scholarship if this continues," I assert.

After making my intentions clear, I head out of the room to explore the house.

"Ojou-sama, you're finally awake. Are you hungry? I've prepared a variety of dishes for you since I didn't know your preferences," I presume it's the maid Akako mentioned.

"Please address me as just Chizuki," I request feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"If you're okay with it, Chizuki, you can also just address me as Hinata-san."

"Okay, thank you for the food, Hinata-san," I reply, bowing down to express my gratitude.

"Chizuki, you don't have to do this. I am here to take care of you, so I'm just doing my job. Please, take a seat at the table, and I'll quickly set it for you to eat," Hinata-san replies as she gently pats my head.

As I take a seat at the table, watching Hinata-san set the table with an array of dishes, I think to yourself, This might not be as bad as I thought.

"Let me know if you need anything, Chizuki," Hinata-san says after setting the table.

"Thank you, I will," I reply with a smile.

It's been so long since I've had a warm, home-cooked meal.

"Is the food to your liking, Chizuki?"

"Yes, I like everything."

---

After eating, I continued to explore the place.

"There are so many empty rooms; what am I supposed to do in a house this big?" I wonder aloud.

"Ah, there's a Koi pond in the garden of the house!" I exclaim with excitement as I spot the pond through the clear glass door.

I quickly run outside to get a closer look at the fishes in the pond.

"There are so many of them!" I marvel at the abundance of fish in the pond.

"So pretty!" I find yourself captivated, gazing at the fishes for a while.

---

"Hey Akako, where did you get this house from? It's spacious and beautiful. I really like it, but do I really deserve all this? I feel kind of guilty since it's not mine," I express my feelings to Akako.

"Of course, she's not responding again," I remark, noting Akako's silence.

The phone on the bed beside me begins to ring.

"It's Ayumi again..," I mutter as I turn off my phone.

"She's been calling me since yesterday. I know she's worried about me, but I already messaged her that I'm fine," I express my concern, not wanting to hurt Ayumi again.

"Akako, I'm going to sleep, but I have to go to school tomorrow no matter what, so please wake me up on time," I say to myself before drifting off to sleep.

---

"Chizuki, wake up! You're going to be late for school," Hinata-san wakes me up.

"Hinata-san, thank you for waking me," I reply, still half asleep.

"You told me yourself to wake you up for school. Now get ready and come out for breakfast," Hinata-san reminds me before leaving the room.

"I forgot to tell her that I don't eat breakfast," I realize, remembering that it must have been Akako who instructed Hinata-san to wake me up on time, as I don't recall telling her that myself.

After eating my breakfast, Hinata-san let me know that the driver was waiting outside. I arrived at school in a fancy car with a driver. However, as I stepped out of the car, I couldn't help but notice Ayumi's disapproving glare. How am I going to explain all of this to her?

"Hey, Ayumi, how are you?" I attempt to strike up a conversation with her.

"You have a lot to explain to me, Chizuki. First, start with why you've been ignoring my calls," Ayumi confronts me.

"I was busy with moving into a new house. Remember the time I mentioned wanting a mansion?" I explain to Ayumi, trying to clarify the situation.

"Yeah, don't tell me Akako actually got you a mansion?" Ayumi asks, clearly surprised.

"She did, and she moved all my stuff and everything herself, leaving me with all this," I confirm to Ayumi.

"Your an overnight millionaire now?"

"I guess so," I respond, still trying to grasp the sudden change in your circumstances.

"I can't fathom Akako," Ayumi muses as we make our way to class.

Time passed quickly at school, and it was already time to head back.

"Chizuki, could you stay behind? I need to talk to you about something," the teacher declares as the other students leave.

"I'll wait for you outside," Ayumi says to me before leaving the class.

"Okay," I reply to Ayumi before turning my attention to the teacher.

"Chizuki, I know you're a hardworking student, but lately, you've been neglecting your classes, and you haven't turned in your homework for the past few days. I've heard the rumors circulating about you. Don't let yourself get distracted by these things, or you could jeopardize your position as the top student in the school. Do you understand what I'm trying to convey?" The teacher's concern is evident as they address me.

"Do you want me to kill him?" I hear Akako's voice in my head.

"Noo!" I shout aloud, clearly startled by Akako's suggestion.

"What do you mean by no, Chizuki?" the teacher inquires, clearly startled by my sudden shout.

"I'm truly sorry for my behavior, it won't happen again," I apologize to my teacher promptly.

"This is your last warning, Chizuki. If you continue down this path, you will risk losing your scholarship," the teacher cautions before exiting the room.

I sigh in relief.

"I repeatedly emphasized to Akako not to harm anyone," I lamented.

"That's precisely why I sought your permission beforehand," Akako responded.

"Permission is not required; a 'no' is a definitive answer," I firmly replied.

"Fine, you win," Akako acquiesced.

As I opened the classroom door to leave, I accidentally bumped my head into someone.

"I'm sorry," I looked up as I apologized, only to realize it was Eito.

"Why are you here?" I inquired of Eito.

Eito's question can be expressed as:

"I was just passing by. Are you doing alright?" Eito asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine now. If you'll excuse me, Ayumi is waiting for me outside," I replied before hurrying off.

"What took you so long? Did you run here?" Ayumi inquired, noticing me catching my breath.

"Yeah, the teacher was lecturing me about my recent behavior and even gave me a warning," I complained to Ayumi.

"That's why I study just enough to keep the teachers from bothering me," Ayumi added.

"I couldn't afford the tuition fees, which is why I needed the scholarship and worked hard to earn it," I explained my situation.

"I already know how much time you spend studying each day; don't take it to heart," Ayumi reassured me.

"Ayumi, I'm sorry for ignoring your calls," I apologized once more.

"You don't have to apologize again. Just pick up my call next time, okay?" Ayumi said before leaving and waving goodbye.

I waved back at her.

As Ayumi disappeared from my view, I began walking, only to suddenly remember the car waiting for me. I had nearly forgotten about it.

---

'These are the same streets I used to walk, but they look so different from the car window,' I thought to myself as I gazed out the window.

"Stop the car!" Akako suddenly yelled out with urgency.

Chizuki, now Akako, hastily exited the car to intercept the girl who was also running away from her.

"Stop right there! I'm not here for a fight; I just have a few questions to ask you," Akako yelled out as she chased after the girl.

"Stop following me, then!" the girl yelled back at Akako.

"You're the one running away from me!" Akako retorted.

The girl abruptly halted, her breath heavy and labored.

"Finally, I've got you, Sumire," Akako declared triumphantly after firmly grasping her.

"What do you want, Akako?" Sumire inquired while struggling to break free.

"I need information from you. Follow me quietly; I don't want to use my powers in front of all these people," Akako whispered to Sumire discreetly.