《Advice Master Megumi!》 Chapter 1: The Invisible Megumi [1] Mind you, this wasn''t just her being negative - it was just a fact. A fact just as true as the sky being blue, and the grass having a green color. In the same way, Megumi was a nobody to most people - even at her school, the Private School of Sakuraba Academy. Then again, Megumi hadn''t always been this way. She sighed slightly as she remembered the good old days in Kyoto in public school. Before she had to move from school to school all the time. You see, Megumi used to be a cheerful, social girl when she was younger. She used to run around with her friends every day, figuring out mysteries, and playing with her former best friend Suzuki-kun. But then her dad got a job offer overseas, and he left. Sure, he sent a few souvenirs every month, but it wasn''t the same. She missed him. A lot. After Dad left, Mom was inspired too, so she quit being a housewife in order to be a career woman. She went back to the office and started to climb the ranks of the working world. She was tired, and busy every day. But she was happy. Megumi didn''t blame her. At least, she tried not to. Even now, her busy mom always asked her about her day - how she was doing in school, if she had made friends, and so on. Because of her mom''s work, they had to move to a different city every two-or-so years. With time, Megumi grew more and more introverted, and she picked up a bad habit of being uncomfortable around other people. Growing up, she spent most of her time reading comics and watching anime...and not enough time on herself and her friends. It''d been like that for 5 years now. Megumi sighed a bit, glancing at her wristwatch. Even though her heart ached at the reminder, she tried not to think to deeply about it. After all... She had gotten used to it. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. And to be honest...she hated it! She hated the fact that she could only be truthful in her mind. She hated the fact that she couldn''t talk to people without her face blowing up like a red balloon. She could never tell other people her real thoughts, because then her mouth would trip over itself, and she''d stutter, and- No, it would be so embarrassing! Megumi''s cheeks reddened at the thought. Oof, talk about lame! ...But she really wanted to. Talk to other people. Look confident. Have some kind of talent, something amazing, like playing the piano or being good at arts - that only she could do. Megumi''s frown deepened. But...she really, really wanted to. As Megumi walked up the sidewalk, her eyes wandered towards the neighbouring house...and she nearly fainted when she realized who was there. It was her old friend from Kyoto, Suzuki Shun! He was a close friend of hers back in elementary...Megumi''s grip on her bag tightened as she power-walked to her house''s door. ''Ww-wha-what was he doing here? Why is he not in Kyoto like the rest?!'' She thought nervously as she put her keys into the door. The idea of having to talk to anyone was challenging for a shy girl like her. But with an old friend?! That would be way worse...she didn''t want to embarrass herself...and she didn''t want him to see how much she''s changed... Still...he might''ve forgotten about her, right? It''s been 5 years already. It''s not like most people remember their childhood classmates, right? He must''ve forgotten! Alright! Sneaking a glance, she turned her head to see him, only to discover him gawking at her. Just straight up gawking! His eyes were wide as he continued to stare at her. She was frozen in place. Only one thing was on her mind. ''HE REMEMBERED ABOUT ME NOOOOOOO-!'' "Oh, you must be the neighbour''s daughter!" She said, smiling. She noticed the shell-shocked expression on her son. They shared another glance (involuntarily). "No!" Chapter 2: A Guest for Megumi? [2] ¡®Agh! How embarrassing!¡¯
ALL to face them. Chapter 3: A Terrible Day, Part 1 [3] Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Chapter 4: A Terrible Day, Part 2 [4] Chapter 5: A Fateful Meeting for Megumi? [5] she here? Why is all this happening?!¡¯ not, under any circumstance, look in his direction..!¡¯ Megumi thought, as she pretended to be extremely interested in her toy eraser. Chapter 6: Megumi and Misunderstandings [6] Chapter 6: Megumi and Misunderstandings! If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. She needed to apologize. ¡°I¡¯m sorry-¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± They both paused. What? Shiori turned towards her, regret in her eyes. ¡°Look, Megumi, I¡¯m sorry for barging in and wrecking things like that. I should¡¯ve told you that I was going to work here. And about the whole ¡®Suzuki¡¯ thing...well, I could¡¯ve gotten around that better. I¡¯m sorry for acting so selfishly.¡± Megumi¡¯s eyes softened. ¡°No, it¡¯s me that should apologize. I haven¡¯t exactly been my most welcoming self ever since you showed up.¡± Shiori narrowed her eyes at her playfully. ¡°...Is that it?¡± Megumi¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. ¡°A-and, I suppose I could be more...amicable towards you.¡± Shiori did an airpump. ¡°Yes!¡± Megumi grew a bit embarrassed at that. ¡°Provided that you don¡¯t act like an idiot.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± A little laugh escaped Megumi¡¯s lips, and a smile stretched on Shiori¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about how hectic today has been for you. But hey, at least it can¡¯t get any worse, right?¡± Shiori said, and Megumi nodded. They finally reached the classroom and entered seperately. Megumi found her way to her seat while trying hard in ignoring Suzuki¡¯s existence - but found that she didn¡¯t really need to, given the fact that his seat was swamped with students, eager to get to know him. Megumi looked at him with a raised eyebrow. ¡®Looks like he¡¯s a hit¡¯, she thought. But she found that it didn¡¯t matter much to her - well, not as much as patching things up with her aunt. She felt happy, elated even, to have dealt with that situation. She felt like she was on a new path, in a strange way. And hey, maybe now with so much new attention, Suzuki would forget about her and interact with all these new kids. Their paths were diverging. It felt final, but in a good way. Megumi¡¯s smiled a nostalgic smile as she rested her head on her arm. It felt good. Shiori began class again, and people began to return to their seats. Then, just as Megumi had sharpened her pencil, something happened. A knock on the door. Who could it be? Megumi and everyone focused on the door, as Shiori went to open it. There, she was met with a beautiful girl. With long, silvery platinum blonde hair, and piercing purple eyes, she looked like a fairy from a fairy tale. She didn¡¯t even have to introduce herself, everyone knew of her: She was Kouchou Sayuka from Class 1-A. She was the most popular girl in the whole school, thought Megumi. And the worst part... ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disturb you, Enjou-sensei, but as the Vice-President of the Student Council, I have been sent to collect next week¡¯s surveys. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± She said in her soft voice. ''She was part of the Student Council!'' Megumi cried in her heart. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s no problem at all. Everyone, please cooperate¡±, said Shiori. Bit by bit, everyone approached the Teacher¡¯s desk to drop off their survey. Megumi was the last one to do so; and before her, Suzuki went ahead. He approached Shiori and Sayuka with an cough. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but since today¡¯s my first day here, I don¡¯t have a survey to give...¡± Suzuki began, but then he stopped. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I could find one for you now. Right, sensei?¡± Kouchou said with an unusually forceful voice. Shiori blinked a few times before agreeing. Then the two of them left, leaving behind a gossipping classroom. Ichinose Takumi, the boy who sits in front of her, said: ¡°Hey, Kouji, is it just me, or did Kouchou blush?¡± The other boy agreed. ¡°I think you¡¯re right...how strange!¡± said Tateno Itsuka, a glasses wearing girl. ¡°How exciting, you mean! Sayuka-chan being in love, that is!¡± exclaimed Aoba Rie, a sporty girl. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it for a second,¡± replied Maeda Haruki, the football star of the class. Megumi couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Everyone felt interested in the (supposed) love story between those two, but as she looked around the class and heard it all, she couldn¡¯t help but feel that it had just gotten even more troublesome. Especially when she saw her aunt¡¯s chesire grin. ¡®Are you kidding me, Shiori... Getting excited over random teenagers romance....my aunt really is helpless. She wasn¡¯t lying before, huh. Really, a true soap opera junkie¡¯, Megumi couldn¡¯t help but think. The murmers got louder and louder. ''It got worse!'', Megumi thought as she sighed in desperation. Chapter 7: Suzuki Shuns Real Feelings? [7] Chapter 7: Suzuki Shun''s Real Feelings? VERY unconvinced look on their face as she said it. But the way she acted, like a cutesy maiden in love, made them back off. But why...if this was the way to go, why did it feel so lonely? actually blushing right nowi! I didn¡¯t know you were such a boring type!¡± hollered Haruki annoyingly. The girls seemed annoyed at him too, but they mostly focused on Suzuki¡¯s face for an answer. ¡®yes¡¯. Just what did he know! ¡°Hahah...I know, right?¡± Chapter 8: Megumi and the Importance of Friendship? [8] Chapter 8: Megumi and the Importance of Friendship? *** Twenty Minutes Later *** Translation: Why are you sticking your nose into my business, clerk-dude? Are you that bored? Translation: Lol, tell me or you go to jail. You owe me. Come on¡­fess up. ¡°¡­What?!¡± Chapter 10: Troublesome Conversations If she had to tell the truth, she was feeling that tell-tale feeling of dread mounting inside her stomach. Why did Suzuki Shun arrive here? Why? Couldn¡¯t he have come a little later, when she¡¯d been gone, and there would have been no need for them to talk? Megumi¡¯s social battery was basically fried by now. ¡®Now I have to go through this too?¡¯ In her constant ruminations, she had forgotten that she was pretty much just staring into thin air. Suzuki Wakaba had already retreated into the kitchen, and her former friend was standing by the door, looking at her questioningly. Waiting for an answer. Megumi sighed internally. This was bound to happen. Might as well get it over with. ¡°Hello to you too.¡± Maybe it was the pettiness surging through her veins, because gone was her usual skittish self. All that was left, at least in front of the perplexed teenage boy, was pure distaste. Shun looked like he hadn¡¯t expected her to answer, or at least not answer something so...dismissive. He stepped closer. ¡°Megumi, I-¡± ¡°Kanazawa-san.¡± ¡°Hah?¡± She turned her full body towards him. ¡°Call me that instead. We aren¡¯t that close.¡± That got a reaction out of Shun. ¡°E-eh, that¡¯s...?¡± She saw how the fight left his body, and some unknown emotion filled it instead. But she didn¡¯t care. She honestly felt like an idiot, thinking about this guy for so long, and for what? He wasn¡¯t her friend. He wasn¡¯t even a stranger. He was a bully. Because of that, she didn¡¯t care if he thought she was awkward or not. She didn''t care if she made a good impression on him. Because he hated her anyway. She left him alone, which prompted him to react. ¡°Megumi, wait-¡± Rounding the corner, she entered the kitchen, Shun on her heels. She didn¡¯t pay him any attention and sought out Wakaba. Making eye contact with the cheery woman, Megumi gave a brief nod. In the short time she had remained at the front, Wakaba had made a small spread. Megumi felt bad that the woman had gone through so much trouble for her. ¡°Wakaba-san, you don¡¯t have to do this much.¡± ¡°Nonsense! You were so kind to me, it¡¯s the least I could do.¡± ¡°No, really...¡± ¡°I insist...¡± The ping-pong game of politeness had begun. Ridiculously enough, it seemed like Wakaba wasn¡¯t going to let up. Meanwhile, Suzuki¡¯s eyes looked from Megumi to Wakaba and back at Megumi again. He seemed as though he couldn¡¯t understand why his stepmother was acting so courteously. The doorbell rang once again. Megumi, feeling a little frustrated, went to open the door. She completely ignored the floored look on Shun¡¯s face. ¡®Why is she suddenly so comfortable in my house? Is there something I don¡¯t know?¡¯ Suzuki wanted to talk to Megumi desperately, but he also was afraid of seeming rude in front of his mother. She was a calm, sweet woman, but she also hated impoliteness. What was he to do? He sighed. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Meanwhile, Megumi had opened the door and peered down at the visitor. It was a little girl. She had cute braided hair with butterflies intertwined. Considering her pitch-black hair, Megumi wondered if the girl had gotten the wrong house. Instead, she was asked something like this: Little girl: ¡°Who are you? This is my house!¡± It was? The little girl glared intensely, and only seemed to stop once Wakaba¡¯s booming voice was heard. ¡°Suzuki Nana! Is that you I hear!¡± Megumi looked at the girl. The girl looked at her. Then she ran off. ¡°That little! I¡¯m so sorry, Megumi-chan, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to go after her,¡± said Wakaba before putting on her shoes. Megumi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You do? I could just go out, you don¡¯t have to go...¡± At this, Wakaba smiled briefly. ¡°No, this is something I have to do.¡± She leveled a tired smile at Megumi. ¡°It¡¯s my fault, after all. But thank you.¡± With that, she was gone. Megumi didn¡¯t understand. It was then that she heard footsteps coming closer. She didn¡¯t want to speak to him. And as long as he didn¡¯t understand her, he couldn¡¯t get whatever it was he wanted from her. So Megumi didn¡¯t feel particularly bothered about her current situation. ¡°...¡± She sat down at the kitchen table. After half a minute, Suzuki did so as well. Still, silence ensued. ¡°She tends to do that, you know?¡± ¡°Nana-chan. She runs away, glares at people, screams, yells, the works! It was hard to adjust to at first. But I think I¡¯d be the same way, with what happened.¡± He was talking to the air, not even facing her. Megumi didn¡¯t understand. Why was he trying so hard to talk to her? ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious? You seem chummy with my stepmother, I thought you might be interested is all. Even if you don¡¯t want to talk to me, this might make it worth it, or something. I don¡¯t know...¡± he trailed off sadly. It had to be a trap. A horrible, cruel trap. Maybe he got those awful people back at school to make a bet or something? Either way, she wouldn¡¯t be caught like that. Negative thoughts swirled in her head, the dull heartache of yesterday coming back in full force. She knew this was strange. She knew she was being rude. But he had hurt her first, and she didn¡¯t want to let him keep hurting her. So, she ignored him. He put up a good fight, but after ten minutes, it seemed he had had enough. ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡± he shot up from the table. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to speak to you since Thursday, but nothing! At school, nothing. At home, nothing. Seriously! Am I just air to you? It¡¯s like you hate me or something!¡± That got her attention. Hate? How could he turn this back on her? Megumi felt her anger rise, but she didn¡¯t want to give him the satisfaction of actually knowing why they were on bad terms. He was an idiotic bully, he could figure it out himself! ¡°Well, maybe you deserved it!¡± ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re saying I deserve to be ignored? Even though all I¡¯ve done is try to reconnect?¡± He looked at her as if he was disgusted. ¡°What kind of a friend are you?¡± It burned her. It angered her that he thought he was someone who could judge her. No matter how horrid she was at socializing, she wasn¡¯t nearly as manipulative as he was! Her, a bad friend? Hah! He should go take a long look in the mirror. ¡°So I¡¯m a bad friend, is that it? I¡¯m nasty, I¡¯m cruel. Good to know how you feel. I knew this was a mistake,¡± she said bitterly, before yanking her coat off the rack. She made the motions to open the door and leave. Immediately, Shun¡¯s tone grew panicked and he said: ¡°Wait, no that¡¯s not- Megumi, please.¡± The emotion in his voice made her stop. ¡°Can¡¯t we just solve this? I don¡¯t know why you dislike me so much, but I- towards you, I don¡¯t-¡± Megumi stilled. ¡°I, I loved being around you. We, everyone back home, we used to have so much fun together, y¡¯know? Those old memories, don¡¯t they mean anything to you anymore?¡± Her breath hitched. ¡°Please reconsider...whatever it is you think about me,¡± he pleaded. Megumi didn¡¯t know which Shun to believe. The Shun who acted so differently around his newfound friends and smeared her name like it was nothing? Or the Shun she recognized from her childhood, the one she¡¯d spent so many summer days playing football with, laughing with, growing up with? The one who stood before her bore such a striking resemblance to her old friend. Finally, she could see a connection between the past and the future Shun. But if he was lying, then... Megumi wasn¡¯t sure if she would be able to pick herself back up again by herself. If it was just all a bet, if it was the bidding of Maeda Haruki that Shun had acted under, then what? She couldn¡¯t believe his words. She realized now that she genuinely didn¡¯t know him anymore. This was a fact that embarrassed and relieved her at the same time. Because now, she could do something like this easily. Finally, she turned to him. ¡°Suzuki-san, I think it¡¯d be best if you leave me alone. I don¡¯t want anything to do with you anymore.¡± With that, she left his house and went inside her own. Closing the curtains, she sighed before trekking inside her room and collapsing into her bed. She had done it. She had finally done it. With this, things could go back to normal. She was finally free of this feeling. Chapter 10: Troublesome Conversations If she had to tell the truth, she was feeling that tell-tale feeling of dread mounting inside her stomach. Why did Suzuki Shun arrive here? Why? Couldn¡¯t he have come a little later, when she¡¯d been gone, and there would have been no need for them to talk? Megumi¡¯s social battery was basically fried by now. ¡®Now I have to go through this too?¡¯ In her constant ruminations, she had forgotten that she was pretty much just staring into thin air. Suzuki Wakaba had already retreated into the kitchen, and her former friend was standing by the door, looking at her questioningly. Waiting for an answer. Megumi sighed internally. This was bound to happen. Might as well get it over with. ¡°Hello to you too.¡± Maybe it was the pettiness surging through her veins, because gone was her usual skittish self. All that was left, at least in front of the perplexed teenage boy, was pure distaste. Shun looked like he hadn¡¯t expected her to answer, or at least not answer something so...dismissive. He stepped closer. ¡°Megumi, I-¡± ¡°Kanazawa-san.¡± ¡°Hah?¡± She turned her full body towards him. ¡°Call me that instead. We aren¡¯t that close.¡± That got a reaction out of Shun. ¡°E-eh, that¡¯s...?¡± She saw how the fight left his body, and some unknown emotion filled it instead. But she didn¡¯t care. She honestly felt like an idiot, thinking about this guy for so long, and for what? He wasn¡¯t her friend. He wasn¡¯t even a stranger. He was a bully. Because of that, she didn¡¯t care if he thought she was awkward or not. She didn''t care if she made a good impression on him. Because he hated her anyway. She left him alone, which prompted him to react. ¡°Megumi, wait-¡± Rounding the corner, she entered the kitchen, Shun on her heels. She didn¡¯t pay him any attention and sought out Wakaba. Making eye contact with the cheery woman, Megumi gave a brief nod. In the short time she had remained at the front, Wakaba had made a small spread. Megumi felt bad that the woman had gone through so much trouble for her. ¡°Wakaba-san, you don¡¯t have to do this much.¡± ¡°Nonsense! You were so kind to me, it¡¯s the least I could do.¡± ¡°No, really...¡± ¡°I insist...¡± The ping-pong game of politeness had begun. Ridiculously enough, it seemed like Wakaba wasn¡¯t going to let up. Meanwhile, Suzuki¡¯s eyes looked from Megumi to Wakaba and back at Megumi again. He seemed as though he couldn¡¯t understand why his stepmother was acting so courteously. The doorbell rang once again. Megumi, feeling a little frustrated, went to open the door. She completely ignored the floored look on Shun¡¯s face. ¡®Why is she suddenly so comfortable in my house? Is there something I don¡¯t know?¡¯ Suzuki wanted to talk to Megumi desperately, but he also was afraid of seeming rude in front of his mother. She was a calm, sweet woman, but she also hated impoliteness. What was he to do? He sighed. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Meanwhile, Megumi had opened the door and peered down at the visitor. It was a little girl. She had cute braided hair with butterflies intertwined. Considering her pitch-black hair, Megumi wondered if the girl had gotten the wrong house. Instead, she was asked something like this: Little girl: ¡°Who are you? This is my house!¡± It was? The little girl glared intensely, and only seemed to stop once Wakaba¡¯s booming voice was heard. ¡°Suzuki Nana! Is that you I hear!¡± Megumi looked at the girl. The girl looked at her. Then she ran off. ¡°That little! I¡¯m so sorry, Megumi-chan, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to go after her,¡± said Wakaba before putting on her shoes. Megumi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You do? I could just go out, you don¡¯t have to go...¡± At this, Wakaba smiled briefly. ¡°No, this is something I have to do.¡± She leveled a tired smile at Megumi. ¡°It¡¯s my fault, after all. But thank you.¡± With that, she was gone. Megumi didn¡¯t understand. It was then that she heard footsteps coming closer. She didn¡¯t want to speak to him. And as long as he didn¡¯t understand her, he couldn¡¯t get whatever it was he wanted from her. So Megumi didn¡¯t feel particularly bothered about her current situation. ¡°...¡± She sat down at the kitchen table. After half a minute, Suzuki did so as well. Still, silence ensued. ¡°She tends to do that, you know?¡± ¡°Nana-chan. She runs away, glares at people, screams, yells, the works! It was hard to adjust to at first. But I think I¡¯d be the same way, with what happened.¡± He was talking to the air, not even facing her. Megumi didn¡¯t understand. Why was he trying so hard to talk to her? ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious? You seem chummy with my stepmother, I thought you might be interested is all. Even if you don¡¯t want to talk to me, this might make it worth it, or something. I don¡¯t know...¡± he trailed off sadly. It had to be a trap. A horrible, cruel trap. Maybe he got those awful people back at school to make a bet or something? Either way, she wouldn¡¯t be caught like that. Negative thoughts swirled in her head, the dull heartache of yesterday coming back in full force. She knew this was strange. She knew she was being rude. But he had hurt her first, and she didn¡¯t want to let him keep hurting her. So, she ignored him. He put up a good fight, but after ten minutes, it seemed he had had enough. ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡± he shot up from the table. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to speak to you since Thursday, but nothing! At school, nothing. At home, nothing. Seriously! Am I just air to you? It¡¯s like you hate me or something!¡± That got her attention. Hate? How could he turn this back on her? Megumi felt her anger rise, but she didn¡¯t want to give him the satisfaction of actually knowing why they were on bad terms. He was an idiotic bully, he could figure it out himself! ¡°Well, maybe you deserved it!¡± ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re saying I deserve to be ignored? Even though all I¡¯ve done is try to reconnect?¡± He looked at her as if he was disgusted. ¡°What kind of a friend are you?¡± It burned her. It angered her that he thought he was someone who could judge her. No matter how horrid she was at socializing, she wasn¡¯t nearly as manipulative as he was! Her, a bad friend? Hah! He should go take a long look in the mirror. ¡°So I¡¯m a bad friend, is that it? I¡¯m nasty, I¡¯m cruel. Good to know how you feel. I knew this was a mistake,¡± she said bitterly, before yanking her coat off the rack. She made the motions to open the door and leave. Immediately, Shun¡¯s tone grew panicked and he said: ¡°Wait, no that¡¯s not- Megumi, please.¡± The emotion in his voice made her stop. ¡°Can¡¯t we just solve this? I don¡¯t know why you dislike me so much, but I- towards you, I don¡¯t-¡± Megumi stilled. ¡°I, I loved being around you. We, everyone back home, we used to have so much fun together, y¡¯know? Those old memories, don¡¯t they mean anything to you anymore?¡± Her breath hitched. ¡°Please reconsider...whatever it is you think about me,¡± he pleaded. Megumi didn¡¯t know which Shun to believe. The Shun who acted so differently around his newfound friends and smeared her name like it was nothing? Or the Shun she recognized from her childhood, the one she¡¯d spent so many summer days playing football with, laughing with, growing up with? The one who stood before her bore such a striking resemblance to her old friend. Finally, she could see a connection between the past and the future Shun. But if he was lying, then... Megumi wasn¡¯t sure if she would be able to pick herself back up again by herself. If it was just all a bet, if it was the bidding of Maeda Haruki that Shun had acted under, then what? She couldn¡¯t believe his words. She realized now that she genuinely didn¡¯t know him anymore. This was a fact that embarrassed and relieved her at the same time. Because now, she could do something like this easily. Finally, she turned to him. ¡°Suzuki-san, I think it¡¯d be best if you leave me alone. I don¡¯t want anything to do with you anymore.¡± With that, she left his house and went inside her own. Closing the curtains, she sighed before trekking inside her room and collapsing into her bed. She had done it. She had finally done it. With this, things could go back to normal. She was finally free of this feeling. Chapter 11: Things Can Change In an Instant Megumi had a bad habit. It was something she always told herself she¡¯d fix, but she never did. Sure enough, it always came back to bite her in the behind. Megumi always counted her chickens before they hatched. Today was no different. Coming into class uncharacteristically later than she usually did, Megumi was too focused on making it on time to notice the strange feeling in the air. Sitting down as quickly as possible, she took out her books and breathed a sigh of relief. Her science teacher, Mr. Ugo, hadn¡¯t arrived yet. But what was up with this strange atmosphere? Megumi dismissed the thought. Even if she thought about it, she had no way of knowing. Class started, and she largely forgot. Big mistake. Halfway into class, Mr. Ugo, an elderly man, gasped as if he remembered something. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! I forgot to mention,¡± he started, ¡°You students will need to pick this year¡¯s class presidents. I will need a representative of the girls and one from the boys.¡± An awkward silence stretched. ¡°Come on, now. Being class president is a remarkable thing! You get to learn about the inside workings of school in a whole new way!¡± They averted their eyes. ¡°And, you get to work together with a classmate, learn compromise, and show off the school in the best manner possible...¡± Somebody coughed. Ugo-sensei seemed to get angry, before sighing. ¡°...Alright, I give up. Whoever you decide amongst yourselves will be our representatives. Children these days, I tell you.¡± Ugo-sensei didn¡¯t know the effect of his words. Suddenly, everyone¡¯s voices rose in volume as they each tried their best to avoid the role. ¡°I have football practice, so!¡± said Ichinose Takumi. ¡°Well, I have swimming meets to attend,¡± replied Aoba Rie. ¡°I have to watch my grades,¡± said someone else. Takumi was on the football team, but he was a reserve member. Aoba wasn''t on the swim team, she was a member of the announcements club. These excuses were largely lies. This was the extent everyone was willing to go towards to avoid class rep responsibility. Megumi wondered why. It couldn¡¯t be that bad, could it? Still. She was always invisible in social settings, and never before had she been so grateful for her skill. Yay! Unfortunately for Megumi, her super-powered days were numbered. Now Megumi could never have known, but it was a fact that Maeda Haruki was looking at her. Or, more specifically staring at her. He hadn¡¯t been obvious. As he kept looking, he suddenly felt that he could no longer ignore her anymore. It was harder than he thought. Ever since Friday, he kept thinking about her. All sorts of strange thoughts came to the forefront. Like, when did she even transfer into his class? Was she always just there, and no one noticed? That made him feel better about forgetting her name, but it wasn¡¯t enough. He wanted her to feel the same kind of humiliating horror that he felt. Standing in front of your long-time crush and making a fool out of yourself, that shouldn¡¯t just be brushed off, it should be capital punishment! Only reserved for criminals. Even now he was suffering from despair. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. So how come she could get out of it scot-free? It irked him. In a perfect world, she shouldn¡¯t be. So he did something unusual. He took a step forward towards his revenge! ¡°Sensei, I think Kanazawa-san is a good choice for Class President.¡± And the bickering voices went silent. A good thing too, because Ugo-sensei looked like he was nursing a headache. Maybe this way, he¡¯ll be remembered well. ¡°Kanazawa-san? Who¡¯s that?¡± whispered one voice. ¡°There was someone named that here?¡± said another. Megumi was jolted out of her mind as dozens of heads reared towards her, looking at her as if it was the first time. ''You idiots, I''ve been your classmate since last spring! How do you forget someone you''ve seen for 6 months?!'' She didn¡¯t understand. Why was this happening to her?! Seeing her flustered state, Maeda¡¯s lip curled in a smirk. It was too easy. Ugo-sensei looked pensive. ¡°I didn''t realize you two were on friendly terms. Then, why do you believe she is a good choice for the position, Maeda?¡± Unlike Megumi, Maeda had an excuse ready. ¡°I think the position is meant for someone careful, cautious, and serious. I thought Kanazawa-san fit the bill perfectly. Honestly... I just thought it was a waste if somebody unqualified got it instead.¡± This guy was totally insulting her! He was, wasn''t he?! Was she dreaming?? This was just too strange. This was not happening. What happened to being invisible~? And by the way, she did NOT believe his reasoning for one second! He was Maeda Haruki, a certified piece of crap. Why was he talking about her? They had never had a single conversation! He didn¡¯t even know her! A single thought appeared inside her mind, but she ignored it. Surely he wasn¡¯t so petty that he was doing this just to get back at her, right? Right?! Yet it didn''t matter. Because Maeda''s seemingly humble praise made everyone support him. "That''s so nice!" someone exclaimed. "As expected of Haruki-kun!" squealed a few girls. And before she could object, she was made to stand in front of the class, just as Ugo-sensei handed her a badge. Eh? Isn''t this progressing a little too quickly?! She stood there in shock as Ugo-sensei said, "Then we''re all agreed. Kanazawa will be the Class Rep representing the girls." The class clapped, and that was that. ''Is it over?? What about my answer??'' She thought about rejecting the offer, but Maeda''s words made refusing the position tough. Logically speaking, it only made sense to accept and move on. Yet, Megumi didn''t want to. It was like that feeling from Friday had returned; back when she overheard Maeda''s cruelty and second-guessed herself. Before it could get too bad, she steeled herself. Then, she uttered these words. "Thank you for the opportunity, Sensei. I promise to do my best." And then she turned to face the class and smiled a small, shy smile. Now, on the inside, Megumi was dying of embarrassment. But she figured that if Maeda intended to smear her, then she should accept and make this into an opportunity to benefit herself. Why should that hateful guy win?! Unluckily for Megumi, everything was far from over. Maeda was seething in his seat, angry that his plan to make Megumi uncomfortable hadn''t worked. Sitting next to him, the class'' rising star Suzuki Shun raised his hand. "Sensei, I nominate..." Everyone gasped. "Sorry, I coughed. Anyway, I nominate Haruki as the boys representative." Everyone was shocked. "Suzuki-kun! You guys are friends?" asked Hitose Chie, a girl in class. Suzuki, under the scrutiny of everyone, blushed and said: "Ah, well...he''s been very kind to a transfer student like me. Even though I''m just a transfer student who knows nothing..." he trailed off and smiled sweetly. The girls went into shock. "He''s so kind!" "How dependable!" "Suzuki, you should just be our Rep instead!" screamed one girl. "Eh..." he said. "Then, I guess I could..." Again, the class (mostly the girls) was at the mercy of Suzuki, getting controlled left and right. Megumi was shocked. Did he even understand how much power he had? Suddenly, he sneaked a glance towards Megumi, whose eyes widened in shock before turning away quickly. Meanwhile, Maeda was suffering an unforeseen loss. He didn''t want to do something as meaningless as this! He was bigger than this! Why did Suzuki nominate him?! Then, he remembered one thing, and suddenly the urge to reject the nomination vanished. He accepted and thanked the class (and Suzuki) for nominating him. ''Huh'', thought Megumi. She genuinely thought he''d get angry and let his ugly personality slip, but he didn''t! Either he was better at this than she thought, or... Either way, it didn''t matter. Haruki made his way to the front of the class to receive his badge. He kept that refreshing kind smile thing up in front of the class, but he couldn''t fool Megumi! That was until he turned to her and said: "Kanazawa-san, let''s do our best! I know we don''t really know each other well...but I really admire you! Let''s aim to become a great help for this class." Hah? Excuse you?? Um??? He wanted to become a great help? He admired her?? Really?! That guy?! All she could do was agree and nod. If it had been a week ago...Megumi shivered. Fortunately, he had no idea she heard his real opinion of her. Unfortunately for her, she now had to act like she didn''t despise him. This guy...she had completely underestimated him. Maeda Haruki... he was crazier than she thought! Chapter 12: Dealing With The Enemy! (1) Ugo-sensei made them wait after class. They were now class representatives, and that meant they had some kind of chore they had to do. Megumi had no idea what, though...! Her idea of a class representative was a little muddled. Weren¡¯t they just those guys with glasses who stood in front yelling at their classmates all day? To be honest, she was kind of offended that everyone just unanimously decided that she would be a good representative. Though, she thought as she looked at Haruki, it wasn¡¯t really their fault. He had manipulated them, and it looked like he was used to doing underhanded stuff like that. Besides...before today, she was sure they hadn¡¯t even known her name. ¡®Well, whatever!¡¯ she decided. She was going to do this class representative thing well! That way, she would prove to Haruki that nothing he did could hurt her! ¡°What are you muttering about by yourself?¡± said a distinct voice. Maeda Haruki. Megumi¡¯s eyes blinked, as she turned in his direction. He was leaning on his desk, a strangely languid stance for him. ¡°N-none of your business!¡± came Megumi¡¯s reply. Ah, she thought, social anxiety was a monster! She couldn¡¯t even attempt a nice tone. Usually, you¡¯d do that, right? But every time she thought of acting nice with this absolute tool of a human, her grudge reared its head. No way about it then. ¡°Oh? What¡¯s this? The little mouse has a backbone? Not that it matters to me,¡± Haruki said, intrigued. Megumi¡¯s heart stilled. Hold up, Haruki-kun, did your real thoughts just leak into the world?! Her eyes said as much, as she turned to him in shock. ¡°B-B-Bully! That¡¯s such a classic bully line! You, what kind of crap are you spewing like its normal?!¡± she exclaimed while pointing to him. ''Didn¡¯t he care about his image or whatever?'' He only smiled cruelly. ¡°Well, what¡¯s the point? With the others, there¡¯s a point in acting nice. It''ll get me far. To them, I''m just kind responsible Haruki - and the teachers eat that crap up like crazy! But with you? Fat chance,¡± and he laughed that sarcastic laugh. He put a hand through his dark blue locks. ¡°Seriously though, where is Ugo-bastard? Old man should retire instead of making me waste time like this.¡± Megumi, feeling sufficiently pissed off, replied: ¡°Maybe he wants to instill some manners in you? You¡¯ve never had to wait for a single thing.¡± Haruki smirked. ¡°What, jealous? You should be.¡± Megumi wanted to laugh. He was so pathetic! ¡°What¡¯s there to be jealous about? I might be quiet, but I live how I want unlike you, shitty imposter!¡± That must have struck a nerve, because Haruki came closer and glared. ¡°Aah? Big talk coming from a no-name. Hey, how did you enroll here again? Principal must¡¯ve felt particularly generous to let someone like you in.¡± Did he think Megumi cared? She knew she was different from these rich kids, and she was glad! ¡°I don''t know. You tell me, Daddy¡¯s boy! You probably max out your dad''s card on the regular.¡± And she crossed her arms victoriously, knowing she''d won. Hah! Haruki (irked): ¡°This gloomy loser!¡± He probably thought she would fall to pieces, but Megumi knew how to get under his skin. Megumi: ¡°Oh yeah? Do you bother girls like this every day, or is it just me? Oh! Could it be, this is your version of a confession? I''m flattered, but as expected, I have decline! You see, I don''t date trash.¡± ''Con-confession..?!'' ''Love...nerd...him?'' Haruki''s mind short-circuted, before he ran to the class sink to throw up. Truthfully, it was more likely the bad tuna sandwhich he had for lunch, but that nerd didn''t need to know. The nerve! How could she...with a 100% knockout like him...was she crazy?! He had wanted to insult her a bit, so she''d stay away from him during their Class Representative work, but how come she was so aggressive?! Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Crazy nerd! And now, she had sullied his pure mind with that horrible thought! Haruki''s eyes shone with fury. ¡°That¡¯s it! Like I¡¯m going to let a little loner like you talk to me like that!¡± he said, raising his hand. ''How could she talk to him like that?! A daddy''s boy...?! this extra, what did she know about him!'' Megumi, fueled on her frustration, raised her hands too. ¡°Oh? Too afraid your fragile ego can¡¯t take it?" Haruki: "What did you say!" "Listen here mister! I may be a quiet little loner, but I¡¯m not so pathetic that I need to spew insults on everyone else just because I feel inferior! If you feel bad about yourself, hire a shrink! Why should I get involved? You feel insulted? I¡¯m the one getting bullied here, you piece of shit! Read the room!¡± Megumi faced him fully, anger radiating from her small frame. Megumi knew this was crazy, but she was done running away. How come guys like Haruki could run around as they pleased, while she couldn''t even be left in peace? ''Give me a break!'' ¡°And as for that invitation, I¡¯ll definitely accept." ''Eh..?'' thought Haruki. Surely he must''ve heard wrong. "I mean it! If you want to fight, come here!¡± Megumi raised her knuckles, eyes blazing. ¡°You think you know me? I¡¯ll destroy you, daddy¡¯s boy!¡± yelled Megumi. Haruki retreated, shocked by her outburst. Just then, a hand reached over to her shoulder, stopping her. ''Who''s this? She hadn''t even heard anybody coming inside...?'' She hoped it wasn''t the teacher. ''That would be horrible!'' There was Touzenji. She stood by Megumi''s side. Her concerned eyes moved onto Megumi, seeing her body taut with tension. What had happened? "Megumi, what''s with you?" She looked at Haruki''s frightened face. Touzenji couldn''t believe it... That mousy little girl, about to fight a guy twice her size? Was this April''s Fool''s?! Touzenji would normally assume the other guy to be the perpetrator, but she saw the fear and gratitude in his eyes. He was two seconds away from a knockdown, and he knew it. ''Private school kids,'' she groaned. ''So pathetic.'' In that moment, she knew she had to de-escalate things quick. "I''m going to take Megumi outside. You, you''ll be alright without her, right?" Touzenji announced as she pulled the agitated Megumi outside the classroom. And then, in that wide classroom, there was only Haruki. Haruki, who had never been told ''no'' in his life. Haruki, who arrived at school by limo and had servants do his homework. Haruki, who was sure Kanazawa was an easy target. How could he have known...? Honestly, he had never wanted to fight her, but since he was a guy, he figured she would at least feel scared that he might hurt her. Instead, it was him who was almost reduced to dust. It was safe to assume he had either pissed Kanazawa off so much that she didn''t care that he was from a wealthy family. Or, was it just her real personality...?! ''Eh? EH!!!'' Snot dripping from his nose, Haruki''s bewildered eyes widened as the truth dawned on him. ''S-s-so...all this time...that mousy loser thing was just an act! She was really...a delinquent?!'' He clenching his shaking fists. Fighting seemed easy to her. No way would she just attempt to fight him if she wasn''t well-versed, so... Haruki couldn''t have known, and he would never know. The truth was, he had just pissed Megumi off. She was no fighter. He was just that weak. But he didn''t know that. ''Then, then! That white-haired guy just saved my life...no way could I keep coming to school if I got beat up by a small girl...'' thought Haruki. ''Thank you, my white-haired savior!'' he thanked in his heart, tears flowing.
Touzenji had brought Megumi to the school roof-top. She was pulling her pretty ruthlessly, and she didn¡¯t care what she said until they reached their destination. Only then did she let her go. Megumi was not pleased. ¡°Touzenji! What are you doing here?!¡± Megumi was furious. She didn¡¯t care what would happen tomorrow, she just wanted to break the nose of that bully! Touzenji sighed. ¡°I¡¯m here to visit family.¡± ¡°Family?¡± Recognizing Megumi''s attempt to stear the conversation somewhere else, her eyes narrowed. She sighed, ¡°More than that, Megumi, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Megumi felt strangely raw, and deflected instead. ¡°What¡¯s it to you? We¡¯ve only had one conversation.¡± Translation: We don¡¯t know each other, so butt out! Megumi knew she would regret it, but right there and then, she felt more like her past self than she had in, well, years! Maybe fighting Haruki would make her feel..less like a failure. Touzenji¡¯s face contorted, but she said nothing. A thin silence passed. Then, she said, ¡°You don¡¯t mean that. You¡¯re just angry and you¡¯re directing it at me instead.¡± Megumi¡¯s face reddened in shame. ¡°Y-y, you don¡¯t know that.¡± She smiled. ¡°Actually, I do. I have a brother that you remind me of. That guy''s off to college, but... Man! Talk about carbon copies. He¡¯s so afraid of hurting others that he wears himself thin catering to everyone. That¡¯s no good, you know? All that amounts to is bottled up feelings and a miserable heart.¡± She stepped closer. ¡°Megumi, I¡¯m glad that you finally found your backbone. But please don¡¯t do something you¡¯ll regret.¡± Those words cut her deep. It wasn¡¯t fun, feeling so transparent. Megumi had been invisible for so long. The light...it was so scary. Her hair obscured her face as she looked downward. ¡°You.. how do you know I¡¯ll regret it? Maybe this is what I want. Thinking about me like that...I had to do something. I''m tired of being looked down upon!" Her eyes shone with determination. "If it comes to that or this...I''d rather have it like this. That bastard had it coming!¡± ¡°So? I care about you. Not him." came the swift reply, and the quickly assembling darkness stopped like that. Megumi stumbled. How...how could she know what to say? Even though she was being horrible towards her... Touzenji continued on. "In any case, that was...that football idiot, right? Megumi...¡± She started to laugh, probably remembering how they first met. First, it was giggles, then it was belly aching laughter. And Megumi, even as confused and defensive as she acted, felt something fall from her heart into the pit of her stomach. Her limitations. Her anger. Her misery. Because it was no fun being alone. Because she wanted to laugh whole-heartedly too. Because she was so, so thankful. Because she could finally feel the sun''s warmth on her face again. And she laughed too. They stood there, making eye-contact before more laughter escaped their mouths. It all fell from her. What was she so angry about? What did she spend so much time crying about? She felt strangely foolish, giggling. But maybe, she had been foolish all along. Megumi: ¡°What, like I said, he had it coming! And, and...I did something crazy, didn¡¯t I?¡± Mizuki: ¡°You did. You really, really did.¡± Megumi: ¡°Hey, stop laughing!¡± Mizuki: ¡°What? Is that the thanks I get for sticking around? And keeping you out of your messes.¡± ¡°...I, uh...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. We¡¯re friends.¡± Megumi stilled. She could hear her pulsating heartbeat rumbling in her ears. What...that''s...? ¡°The two of us... we¡¯re beyond saying thank you." "More importantly, I''m so hungry...Let¡¯s go to a restaurant before they all close.¡± With a calm smile and a knowing look, Touzenji turned her back on Megumi. Like it was nothing. Like she hadn''t just colored her dreary world in sunset shades. Megumi knew she was being silly. She knew. But that didn''t make it anymore false. White hair blowing in the wind, all she cared about was finding something nice to eat. But Megumi couldn¡¯t. She was rooted to the ground. Slowly, a marvellous grin bloomed on her face, the corners of her smile expanding further. That feeling spread in her heart, and fearing she would be left behind, but not really, she eagerly jogged up to Touzenji¡¯s side once again. It was genuinely nice, having a friend again. Chapter 13: Dealing With The Enemy! (2) Megumi decided that today had to be the work of an enemy stand user. She was kidding. But it was a close thing! How could a day like this occur? Megumi smiled from ear to ear as she recalled the fun afternoon she had experienced. Megumi had completely forgotten how drastically different it felt to hang out with a friend. Sure, Megumi could go to the arcade by herself. She could grab a smoothie by herself, and she could venture by the local bookstore by herself. But it was definitely a hundred times more fun with a like-minded friend by her side. With someone else, the usual things just seemed...brighter, somehow. It was either that, or the more likely scenario that Megumi had eaten something dated from the food stall. Megumi dropped her bookbag by the counter and hurried to her room, where she promptly plopped down onto her bed. Full of wonder and reverie, Megumi spent minutes reminiscing. Today had begun as beyond horrible, but somehow ended miraculously great. She could hardly believe it. Megumi was sure that Mizuki must be working part-time as a cop like that one movie, 2* **** Street. Maybe she was just using her as a cover. That almost sounded more likely...Megumi felt the negative thoughts crawling by slowly, but she dismissed them just as quick. No! She wouldn¡¯t rain on her own parade. Normally, she probably would go right ahead - her mind didn¡¯t listen well to her sometimes, after all. But this time, she wouldn¡¯t just be making herself sad, but she¡¯d be outright lying to herself. Mizuki had said as much, hadn¡¯t she? ¡°We¡¯re friends.¡± ¡°We¡¯re best friends, Megumi.¡± "We''re the bee-estest fwiends, Megu-min!" ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m your secret stan. Sign this please.¡± Okay, that wasn¡¯t what she had said, but to be honest, it made her feel the same way. It was like a compliment punch to the gut. She hadn¡¯t seen it coming, and now she had to spend the rest of the day feeling like a million bucks. Cold sweat broke out on her face. She wasn¡¯t used to this at all! Mizuki was a kind girl, Megumi decided with finality. She crossed her arms and nodded. Yes. This was a fact of the universe, not just Megumi¡¯s thought. After all, they were strangers, but she deemed it important to back her up and care for her. Megumi couldn¡¯t imagine doing the same for her. Not because she didn¡¯t want to, she did! She definitely, definitely did! But it was hardly a secret that years of social anxiety messed with her still. While it was fun to remain inside the realm of what-ifs, Megumi knew the truth. She would probably freeze up and say nothing, like always. Megumi hated that about her the most. But Mizuki wasn¡¯t like that, and Megumi admired that deeply. Mizuki extended a hand towards her, and she grabbed on firmly. And somehow, all reservations had vanished after that talk. Mizuki and her had checked out so many places, taken photos here and there. They had to return once the light outside waned, and Mizuki had the brilliant idea of running home instead of taking the bus. Megumi didn¡¯t mind. She felt freer than ever in those moments. And wasn¡¯t that something? While yes, Megumi had secretly regarded Mizuki as a friend since they met, she had no idea Mizuki felt the same way. Mizuki had wanted to be her friend too! Her friend! Her! This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. She almost wanted to go back to class to have another go at that Daddy¡¯s boy, Haruki. She wanted to shout, ¡°You see? I¡¯m way better than you! I! Made! A! Friend!¡±, but she refrained. She also had to lower her fist, who decided it wanted to punch him. Like, a lot. She blushed while lowering it down slowly. Megumi exhaled, ¡®Happy thoughts¡¯! It was truly a day full of discoveries. She was more bloodthirsty than she thought. But she liked it. Grinning, she went to open her door, only to find Shiori standing beside her. Hm... Megumi squinted at her. ¡°Did you... want to come inside?¡± Megumi asked, perturbed. Shiori¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not...¡± She sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just, I haven¡¯t seen you in a few days, and I got worried.¡± While that would be the case with a normal aunt, Shiori was anything but. It was suspicious... Megumi squinted at her again. ¡°We¡¯ve barely known each other for two weeks, why would you-¡± Shiori pouted. ¡°Ah, seriously. Semantics. You,¡± she grabbed Megumi¡¯s shoulders, ¡±are my precious niece, and I¡±, she pointed triumphantly to herself, ¡°am your wonderful and amazingly nurturing aunty. Your auntie! So spend some quality time with me.¡± Megumi wanted to disprove many of these accusations, but she relented. Shiori¡¯s eyes seemed earnest and, dare she say it, sad. Had it been that long since they last talked? Megumi scratched her neck in confusion. This much was normal with her mother, so... She turned to Shiori again with a smile. ¡°Okay, let''s do it. What do you have in mind?¡± The sheer joy and relief expressed in her aunt¡¯s eyes astounded her. ¡°Yes! Thank you! You won¡¯t be disappointed!¡± Megumi laughed, ¡°Okay, okay! Enough already.¡± She let Shiori cart her out of her room. That made her pause. She hadn¡¯t yet seen Shiori¡¯s room, but hadn¡¯t thought much about it. Excitement pooled out of her aunt, and it was times like this that Megumi decided her aunt wasn¡¯t half bad. Her childish side (in doses) could even be considered kind of adorable. Megumi was wrong. Dead wrong. Repeatedly stabbed in the neck wrong. ¡°This is excrutiating. I think I''m dying,¡± she moaned. Shiori turned around, thought for a minute, before declaring, ¡°You¡¯re not. Come on. This much is easy!¡± For the record, Shiori wasn¡¯t completely wrong to assume this could be a fun bonding experience. She just didn¡¯t realize how much Megumi loathed things like these. What is it, you ask? Calling TV hotlines to complain about Soap Opera storylines. Not just one, either. They had already gone through 13. 13! Megumi wanted to combust. This had to be some high level form of ninja torture. Death through intense shame. Shiori didn¡¯t mind that though. ¡°Honestly! Do I have to explain everything?¡± Megumi looked at her like she was crazy. ¡°Yes, you do,¡± she started, ¡°Because unlike you, I haven¡¯t seen half of these shows! And the ones I know of are like 20 seasons long! How am I supposed to make real criticism?! At this point, I¡¯m just harrassing these poor people!¡± Shiori laughed, ¡°Poor people? As if! Anybody who could look themselves in the face after sending my favorite Claire off to prison is not poor at all! They should feast on the taste of my fists instead.¡± Megumi¡¯s eyes darted around, before settling tiredly on her aunt. ¡°Umm...okay. Auntie, why do this? They''ll think you¡¯re crazy.¡± ¡°Yes, and that¡¯s why you need to call them. I would try lying to the receptionist, but by now, they know my voices.¡± Megumi sighed, ¡°Not voice, but voices.¡± Shiori looked away. ¡°Hey. A man has to fight for what is right.¡± ¡°You''re not a man.¡± Dissapointment seeped out from her pores at this point. Megumi had had enough, but she felt strangely like this was important. Instead of her normal response of ignoring her aunt¡¯s quirks, she decided to play into it. ¡°Aunt Shiori, suppose I get through to this show¡¯s team, err, ¡°Wilting Rose Captain¡±...¡± ¡°Of the Never-Ending Torment of Turtles, yes,¡± Megumi continued, ¡°Right. That. If I get through to them about your bullet point of criticisms, will you answer a question of mine?¡± Shiori eyed her for a while. ¡°Sure. You¡¯re in luck, that¡¯s actually my favorite. It¡¯s about a turtle drinking an evil witch¡¯s potion and becomes human male all while falling madly in love with a female assassin, who has a trauma of all aquatic creatures.¡± Megumi was done. "Why." "Ah, that was because the grand-father of the grandfather of the Main Character Turtle ordered a hit on her-" "Not that. Please, stop talking." For her sanity''s sake. She was messing with her, wasn¡¯t she?! There was no way a real-life tv executive would greenlight something like that. If that was the case, they deserved this harrassment. In fact, they should double it. Megumi paused. ¡°I¡¯ll do it then. And you¡¯d better hold up your end of the deal!¡± So Megumi endured the stomach-splittering torment that came with bothering working people about inconsequential things at night-time. It was technically that company¡¯s fault for having around the clock hotline established, but Megumi believed in human decency...unlike her aunt, who cheered excitedly in the corner. ¡°Thank you for listening to my concerns, Mr. Terebii. Yes, I don¡¯t expect you to do anything to rectify or change anything to fit my concerns, I just wanted to state them. Yes, I¡¯m serious. No, I¡¯m not crazy, and I¡¯m not an insomniac. Yes, I know this is inappropriate. Right. Sure. No, really, It¡¯s fine. Goodnight. No, I wasn¡¯t being sarcastic. Please believe me. Alright. Bye.¡± After that pathetic excuse of a conversation, Megumi turned to her aunt, but found that she beat her to it. She was engulfed into a bearhug. Shiori¡¯s hugs were like a prison, she could barely move! ¡°Shsjss, whpalp r you¡± came the muffled response. ¡°Thank you! Thank you Thank you Thank you! I''m sure if a young girl like you asks them, they are sure to do something!¡± Jumping up and down, she expressed real joy at Megumi¡¯s escapade. All while her mother stayed back, watching the two in their little moment. She coughed. ¡°Ara, I¡¯m home! I¡¯ll get started on cooking...My, are you two adorable! Shi-chan, why didn¡¯t you say you got along with Megumi like this?¡± ¡°It was all Megumi! I am proud to have such an go-getter of a niece!¡± It was clear that Shiori was still deep inside the throes of her recent victory. Was she blind? That was nothing like Megumi! Megumi regarded the two siblings as they dressed the table excitedly. She then noticed the clock by the wall. 10:30 PM. It was super late for a meal, but she decided to humor them anyway. Megumi smirked, as she rubbed her eyes. If she did arrive late tomorrow, she could always cite Shiori as the reason. She was her teacher, after all. Chapter 14: Sickness Makes You Nostalgic, Doesnt It? Megumi was resting. It was a perfectly fine Thursday, beautiful weather and everything, yet here she was, resting! You want to know why? She was home with the flu. She couldn¡¯t believe her luck! Today of all days! She had stayed up all night with her teacher...only to get sick. She didn¡¯t even want to think about her irresponsible aunt. You know what she had to say?! ¡°Aunt, I¡¯m sick. ¡°Really? Wow, sucks for you.¡± ¡°Aunt, I¡¯m sick.¡± ¡°I heard you the first time.¡± ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you reacting properly?¡± ¡°I am reacting properly!¡± ¡°You¡¯re an adult! Where¡¯s the, ¡®oh, no, are you alright?¡¯, or, ¡®Let me grab some medicine!¡¯...?!¡± ¡°Pshh, that much is coddling. Did Gohan cry when Piccolo threw him down to train?! True strength is powering through! If you whine, you¡¯ll be weaker than Ciao Tzu during the Saiyans Arc. That¡¯s pathetic.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°W-what¡¯s with the silence, your aunt¡¯s heart is fragile, say something!¡± ¡°Say you¡¯re sorry or I¡¯ll power through all over your sweater then.¡± ¡°Nooo! Power through your mom¡¯s sweater!¡± ¡°So it¡¯s fine if it isn¡¯t yours?! ¡°Mou, I don¡¯t want to lose an argument so early in the morning! I¡¯ll lose my spirit!¡± ¡°How? Anyway, just admit it was your fault! I had to stay up super late because of you yesterday!¡± ¡°Hah? That much was normal! It can¡¯t be because of me...¡± Shiori said, averting her eyes. Megumi scoffed. ¡®Oh really?¡¯ Megumi had listed 20 reasons, about 12 of them being ¡®because you¡¯re you¡¯, before Shiori retreated. ¡°What¡¯s that? Is that the school bell I hear? Bye!¡± and Megumi was left raging in her pajamas. Her mom had been the one to put her back to bed. ¡°Megumi, honestly,¡± she began. ¡°I thought you got a long well enough with my little sister. Why are you picking fights so early in the morning? Hmpfh.¡± she ¡®hmpfh¡¯ed cutely, and only her obliviousness saved her from the disbelief from her face. ¡°Did we witness the same scene?!¡± ¡®Shiori was clearly the one egging her on!¡¯ But her mother shot her a knowing look, and she quieted down. ¡°Really, don¡¯t make me worry. The office is holding a welcome party, so I¡¯ll run a bit late. But knowing how reliable you are, I don¡¯t have to worry much.¡± she finished putting the fluffy blanket across Megumi - and Megumi, overcome with loneliness, couldn¡¯t help but reach a hand across. Her sickness didn¡¯t let her. And her mother, reassured by something she didn¡¯t understand, smiled wearily before locking the front door. Again. Like she always did. A well of emotions threatened to tear down...something. Biting down hard onto the blanket, she withdrew and fell asleep. She¡¯d get over it. Eventually.
Suzuki Shun was many things. He was 178cm tall, 14-years old, a massive nerd on the inside - but he kept that secret, mind you! And newly minted member of the School Council - though, he didn¡¯t have a title. All the others seemed to have a title, but hey, he understood. He was the new guy - and if he had to be honest, he wasn''t even interested in being a Student Council Member. It just kind of happened. That, in itself, was scary, but he didn''t want to think about it. He was perfectly okay with the Soccer Club alone...but his fellow Council member, Kouchou Sayuka, sure wasn¡¯t. To be honest, he didn¡¯t get it. And more than that, he thinks he is just a tiny bit scared of her. Sure, she might be beautiful...but she was bossy and straight-laced. And really, really, strict. Suzuki shuddered. ''And most importantly'', he thought in disbelief. ''Why wouldn''t she leave me alone?!'' ¡°I can¡¯t believe they won¡¯t accept you as a titled member,¡± began Sayuka. Her hair swayed gracefully, her voice serene. The only indication of her anger was the coldness in her eyes. Suzuki paled. The two of them were walking down the hallways during a lesson - Sayuka had dragged him out on Council business. Suzuki was surprised, but the teachers were eerily fine with it. ¡®She¡¯s an upperclassman,¡¯ he supposed. ¡®And a respected member of the Student Council.¡¯ Even so...Suzuki wondered. He couldn¡¯t personally expect to do something like obstruct classes willy-nilly the way Sayuka did - at other schools, it just wasn¡¯t done. Well, it was a different matter for Shun, he sighed as he clutched his neck. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "It''s okay, he began. "I''m new and inexperienced. It''s only fair." "Besides," he laughed, "I think I''d just mess up paperwork. Having such a clumsy kouhai would be more trouble than it''s worth, don''t you agree, Sayuka-san?" he said. "..." He turned to her. "Are, Sayuka-san? What''s wrong?" Sayuka took a little too long to answer. "A-ah, yes! No, Suzuki-kun, I believe you are more than capable for the position! Way more than Igarashi, that''s for sure...In any case, please don''t worry. I shall ask the teachers to reconsider their foolish decision." ''Um? What did I just hear?'' thought Suzuki, as he fought to maintain his smile. But he reasoned that must''ve just been the wind. Because there was no way that such a princess-like, well-put-together young girl like Kouchou Sayuka could suggest threatening teachers. Taking a brief glance at her face, he suddenly felt a shiver down his spine. It was true. That crazy line he just heard had been the truth. The threatening sheen in her eyes was the reason that Suzuki feared this girl. ''Why is this so important to you?!'' he wanted to say, but couldn''t. Something like threatening teachers...it was too much! It was times like these that Suzuki Shun found himself thinking back to simpler times...back when the world made sense. Back before he transfered, he had looked different. He was much more of a troublemaker. It was a known story. At every kindergarten, there was always that type. The troublesome student. The former him - careless, disrespectful and cruel - was recklessly ruining the everyday lives of everyone he met. Looking back at it now, it seemed so silly. But the truth was, he was just acting out. No one at home would take him seriously. His mother was obsessing over his older sister, Ayaka¡¯s violin future, and barely acknowledged him. Whenever he would ask for her attention, no matter how obedient and docile, he would be treated badly. Very badly. ¡°Agh, what do you want? Do you think the shelves are just decoration? Eat something and go away!¡± And she would always say, ¡°I¡¯m better than other moms. You know better than to question me!¡± It was only later, when all the drama had died down, that his father had apologized and told him the truth. That that woman wasn¡¯t his real mother, but simply someone he owed a lot to. That she had an older daughter and she needed a roof over her head. That, since his own mother had died in childbirth, he was willing to shoulder coldness and shame so long as Shun had a real mother growing up. Seeing his father so vulnerable, young Shun made a choice. Usually, children would clam up and take anything, so long as their parent would be happy. But Shun was different. He was a fundamentally selfish boy. So he told the truth. He watched as his father, a really stoic man, shook and blistered in anger. He didn¡¯t know. He really didn¡¯t know about Mother. And if Mother hadn¡¯t told him, then that meant she was lying all along. That she could be questioned. That Shun hadn¡¯t been a bad person. Embroiled in emotions so tangled he could barely breathe, it was then...that he met Megumi - a breath of fresh air. A light that shone without break. His best friend. He did everything with her. They, along with the others in their group, went on adventures. They saw beetles in the forests. They raced to the ocean to play. They had fun. If the current Suzuki Shun had to be honest, then that time was probably the most fun he¡¯d ever had in his life. It was a moment of wonder amidst darkness and loathing. When he was with her, he was playing freely. A memory of happiness. Which was why he didn¡¯t understand what was happening with his old friend Megumi. His father had switched jobs once again, and this time he was offered a major promotion at a high-ranking company. The only problem was, it was in a new city - a much smaller one, too! Shun was frustrated, but he also wished for a change...secretly. So he pushed and dedicated that final year to train. He wanted to be like his role model Shimobe Dan - a master football player at the age of 16. He wanted to be accepted into the high leagues of the football world - to play on that scene not only inside his dreams but in real life too. He had to take that chance. But how could that ever work, if he was still his pudgy, dorky self? ¡°But you¡¯re adorable!¡± would Ayaka, his not-really sister say. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be adorable,¡± he¡¯d counter. ¡°I want to be cool! And manly! But most of all super-cool!¡± ¡°That just makes you more adorable!¡± she¡¯d squeal and he¡¯d sigh in frustration. And then like clockwork, his dad would come home from work and say the same thing that Ayaka did, only in that old-man way. Hey, it was his dad, he was allowed to say that much! ¡°Ayaka-chan is right, Shun. You don¡¯t need something like looks. You¡¯re perfectly...what was that word? Adorable, just the way you are.¡± Ayaka had infected him, he was sure. There was no way that stiff old man would say cute things like that before! But after Ayaka¡¯s mom went to jail after everything, she lived with them full-time. And Suzuki was afraid of making her feel like he didn¡¯t appreciate her. He knew she was struggling after...that. So he said nothing. ¡®I¡¯ll show them, they¡¯ll be so shocked!¡¯, he thought as he worked out at the local gym. ¡®I¡¯ll so cool, you won¡¯t even know!¡¯ and he continued. And he did, ¡°show them¡±. By which he posed triumphantly and they both burst out laughing. The thing with family was, they had seen you through your good times...but also during your lame times. There was no way they could see you in any other way. Massaging a damaged pride, Shun bitterly bit into an orange and let that be that. No matter what they did, he loved them both anyway. A little bit happened after that - Dad¡¯s young girlfriend became his new Mother - which was strange, to say the least. He gained a little sister, Nana-chan - who was, despite her cuteness, more feral than human (he remembered all the scratches he got as a ¡®welcome gift¡¯.) And he finally set foot on his new home - a little city to the North named Neruma. The next week, his father¡¯s transfer had been finalized, and they were good to go. And a little later, he was finally able to attend school! It will just be a little longer, he thought. Shun was tired of this! He just wanted to feel normalcy again. ¡®Transfers¡¯, Shun shuddered. ¡®They were the worst!¡¯ So who could have known that he¡¯d find his savior again? Wholly unrecognizable, but still, it was her! He was still in disbelief. He yawned as he traversed the street, his blonde hair shimmering in the sun-light. He had seen a barber across the street and got his hair done professionally - whatever that meant. He just wanted to get home already. It was then that he moved his feet towards his house. Bored out of his mind, he walked towards his house, before noticing a nostalgic color in his eye''s periphery. Turning slightly, he came face-to-face with his long-time childhood friend. He could barely believe it! It was her. Who could have ever foreseen the storm that was coming? Chapter 15: Shuns Last Interlude (Prologue End) A lot of time has passed since then - well, not really, but it sure felt that way! And in that short timespan, he¡¯d learned that he wasn¡¯t imagining things, and Megumi really WAS avoiding him. He let his long legs move him to his destination, Class 1-B, in silence. Ruminating over it wasn¡¯t helping. He didn¡¯t know why or how any of this came to be - how did his childhood friend come to hate his guts this much? Was it something he said? If so, what? Or was it just something he could attribute to the years that went by? Maybe Megumi didn¡¯t think their friendship back then was really all that great. Suddenly, his chest ached. He had always held such admiration towards her. He scoffed, this was Megumi he was talking about. THE Megumi! Popular and envied, she was the most shining and charismatic person in class, and he was just grateful to be her friend - but he¡¯d never really thought about what she ever thought of him. He paled slightly. EH? EHHHHH??? Was that it? Maybe --- Megumi didn¡¯t see him as a friend back then, but just some annoying kid they had to drag along? No, no, no - he swattted his hand, intent on convincing himself. If that was the case, then --- he''d know something was up, wouldn''t he? Right??? He didn''t like how plausible that explanation was... his stomach dropped at the mere thought. Those days were precious to him...he hoped it was all just a misunderstanding. ''Oh...'' His worries intensified, even as he reached his classroom and sat down. He tried to think of other thoughts, but it didn¡¯t work - the situation was just that odd. His mind couldn''t reconcile his view of the old Megumi with the new one. How did she change that much? What had happened? The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. He let out a long-suffering sigh, turning his head to gase at the window instead. He figured this wouldn¡¯t be all that rude, considering the fact that he arrived early to class. But it was no use. Also, the titters and giggles coming from girls in the back made it rather hard for him to focus. Call him conceited, but he was noticing a disturbing trend...and he was 60% sure it was because of HIM they were acting this way. He didn¡¯t even know how to approach this kind of...attention, so he did what he could - ignoring them completely. ''This is so creepy...'' he couldn''t help but think. ''Why did they think this was normal?'' That was the scene that greeted Megumi once she¡¯d arrived. ''Megumi...!'' His heart surged. He wished he could just, you know, talk this out with her - and maybe this was his chance. Shun¡¯s neck turned rapidly towards her, looking for some kind of hint of her hatred for him. Was it for real? Or was she just feeling under the weather that day? He would get no news, since she seemed so completely out of it when she sauntered clumsily to her own seat near him without even looking in his direction at all. He wondered what was up with her. He was stuck inside that feeling, until a disturbance came. Igarashi, a boy with a sunny smile and soft vibe, flicked him in the face. Shun groaned slightly, and the giggling intensified. He scowled at Igarashi, saying: ¡®What¡¯s with you?¡¯ and massaging his forehead. Igarashi let out a chuckle. ¡®Not much. Just wondering why our resident class star is acting so sad. Did something happen?¡¯ Igarashi was a boy he¡¯d bumped into in the library after dodging yet another ¡®friendly¡¯ invite from Haruki. The guy was insistent, and it was the strangest thing. Even now, he didn''t claim to understand the motives of that seemingly refreshingly nice Class Rep. Igarashi was a whole different story. He was simple, fun, and held a strange rank of neither being popular yet not being one of the uh, invisible students, either. He just was. People greeted him, he¡¯d smile and greet back, but he never went above simple niceties. Well, except with Susuki Shun. Shun found him to be extremely chatty. Truthfully, he had no idea why Igarashi liked him so much, but he found his company enjoyable - and he figured it would never be worse than Haruki¡¯s smiling enmity. Ever since that day, Shun had thought back on that meeting of theirs and noticed something eerie. Maeda Haruki....didn¡¯t seem to like him very much. Even that was an understatement. The thing was, Shun couldn¡¯t really pinpoint why. Sure, he was the new kid in town, but - his eyes trailed back to the side of the classroom where Megumi¡¯s seat was - that couldn¡¯t be why. After all, Megumi was also from Kyoto, and thus had to have been ¡®the new kid¡¯ at some point too. Haruki had made it very clear that day - he didn¡¯t consider Megumi to be a threat at all - to be honest, he didn¡¯t seem to view Megumi like she was a fellow human being. Thinking of Haruki usually made Shun kind of nervous. It was a bad habit from before - since he hated stepping on other people¡¯s toes - so how was it that once he thought of Haruki taunting Megumi, that nervousness changed into pure contempt? He frowned. He really didn¡¯t quite understand himself these days, he realized as he re-entered reality. Now, Igarashi was staring at him - he must''ve taken too long to answer. ¡®Hmm? Ah, no - I¡¯m fine,¡¯ he found himself saying, but it didn¡¯t sound all that convincing. Igarashi threw him an odd look before going back to his seat on the other side of the classroom. Igarashi''s final words stayed inside his mind, repeating themselves incessantly. They said, ¡®If you¡¯re sure...¡¯ with that annoyingly worried voice, and even though the bell had just wrung, Suzuki wished he could get a ''re-do'' on this whole school transfer - seeing as nothing was going his way. He clutched his head, groaning internally. How did things get this confusing?