②⑨

Following A Bunny__________________________

Monday. 5 AM. I'm standing in the lobby of Sunshine Apartments, waiting longer than I'd expected. My favorite androphobic student, Mei, is supposed to show up, but as the minutes tick by, doubt creeps in. My legs are starting to ache. I could sit on one of the white couches, but that's a dangerous idea. The second I get too comfortable, I'd probably drift off. Or worse, fall into one of my pretend-death sleeps, and I doubt anyone here would bother to wake me up. Especially not Mei—she'd never dream of touching me.

Where is she?

I even wore a dark blue sports jacket to make her feel less threatened.

Given her condition, the odds that she'll show are slim. So why am I here, you ask? We made a deal. A simple promise.

You're wondering what the deal was? Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. My memory's a bit hazy, but if I had to guess, it was during the last time Mei visited me at home to talk about her problems. That was two days ago. She was stuttering, trying to get something off her chest, and the next thing I knew, I was lying in bed, completely checked out.

Luckily, Sohee sent me a message later, asking questions about Mei and Monday, which clued me in. I pieced together enough to realize I must've promised something.

Here's the gist: I'll walk Mei to school and back home. In return, she'll attend my study sessions.

When I asked Sohee what Mei had said before I mentally checked out, she—out of her inexplicable crush on me—graciously narrated the entire conversation.

I tried to skip most of her six paragraphs, but the line "someone bad has eyes on Mei" caught my attention.

"Someone bad?" I thought. Like the Joker or some cliché villain?

That got me reading the rest. Turns out, Mei doesn't just have a stalker; she has a full-blown kidnapper. And she doesn't want to go to the police about it. Which, frankly, is pretty hilarious in a dark, absurd kind of way.

Should we be worried? Maybe. But Sohee mentioned Mei's history with the police, which has made her wary of trusting them. Still, I don't buy it. When I pressed Sohee further, she dodged the question with a vague, "I couldn't let this just be."

Not that I cared enough to dig deeper. They'd probably handle it better than I could anyway.

Truthfully, I'd rather be back in my room, watching some femdom videos. That's infinitely more appealing than fulfilling a promise I barely remember making.

A promise, huh.

I could break it, but where's the fun in that? If I'm going to live this life, I want to live it fully. Maybe that's why I'm stuck in this bizarre role.

So here I am, keeping it together—for now.

I finally give in and sit on the couch. It's not as comfortable as I feared, so it won't lull me to sleep. But I'll give it a solid 6/10. Not the worst.

While I sit, I watch people come and go—women with both happy and sad expressions. Everyone's living their own day. The men? They exist too, I guess, but they don't interest me. What's there to say about other guys, really?

The janitor, headphones in, pushes a trolley of plastic bags past me. That guy's deep in his music, living life to the fullest. Too bad that'll only lead him to despair eventually. Which is fine. Despair is justice, after all.

"Sun, Sunbae?"

A girl's voice pulls me from my thoughts.

Mei. She's wrapped in the largest hoodie she could find, practically hiding inside it like it's her shield from the world. I can't say much—it's her comfort zone. But a darker part of me wonders what her reaction would be if I ripped that hoodie right off.

Not that I would. Well... probably not. I'm immortal, but even I know when to pull back. Sort of.

"Sorry," I mumble, realizing I'd spaced out again. Mei looks at me, trembling from the cold. Her hands are shaking so badly they're practically vibrating.

I stand up. "You're here, Mei." Stating the obvious like an idiot.

Over Mei's shoulder, I see Tammy storming toward us, her green eyes blazing with fury.

Mei turns, looking both relieved and worried.

Tammy plants her fists on her hips like some cartoon character. "Mei, I've thought about this, but are you really sure about going through with this?"

Mei takes a shaky breath. "Sister Tammy, we've had this conversation so many times already."

"But I want to make sure you're really sure."

"I am."

"But maybe you're not thinking straight. I don't see why you have to follow this plan."

Mei's voice tightens with frustration. "I can handle this, Sister Tammy. I can…" She falters for a second but quickly regains her composure. "I believe in Sohee."

Not me, apparently. Even though I'm the one escorting her to school.

Putting your faith in someone like Sohee feels good, though. Like... well, I won't make that comparison out loud. But trusting her feels like slipping into something comfortable. The problem is, consequences are unavoidable. You can't take anything back once you've committed. Unless you're me, of course. I can just swallow a pill and come back fresh as new.

Tammy points a finger at me, almost poking me in the nose. "Sohee, I get. But this guy?"

She says it like she's my ex or something. Chill, Tammy, we only talked once, and it was mostly about drugs, justice, and, if I remember right, possible blowjobs. You even offered me a cigarette. Let's not act like I'm the only bad guy here.

I gently push her finger down. "Your fingers still smell like tobacco."

Tammy gestures at me with both hands, as if I'm some used car she's trying to sell to Mei. "You're going to spend alone time with this on your way to school?"

Mei stammers, "W-we won't be alone!"

Tammy sighs and rubs her forehead like she's about to slap it. "Mei, let's forget about this plan. I'll drive you to school myself. The car's ready."

She reaches for Mei's arm, but Mei steps back, holding her hands to her chin, eyes wide with panic.

Tammy and Mei lock eyes, both of them shocked by the sudden rejection.

"I'm sorry," Mei whispers.