Ichigo: "Are you sure?"
Kaede: "Yeah, you nag."
Okay, if you say so...
She smiled, but the twitching of her eyebrows made it clear that she wasn't happy with that answer. I scratched my arm, my eyes locked on her.
"Yeah, that should be fine."
Kaede, what are you planning, my dear?
Why is she suddenly speaking in such an innocent voice again? Creepy.
"Oh, me? Nothing."
Whoosh!
Outta here—just enough time to make it to the door.
I didn't even need to look back to know she was following me.
I quickly slid the dojo door shut and locked it. That was a close one.
Bam, bam, bam!
Was I too hasty? She's gonna break the door down!
My body went back into alert mode.
I scanned the room and calculated my escape routes.
Every second counts now.
If she gets her hands on me, Shiro won't be my problem anymore.
I gasped. Shit, my body's already giving out—I really need to exercise more.
BAM!
"Get back here, Kaede!"
Ah, now she's not laughing anymore. Why is she suddenly so pissed?
She's practically glowing with rage.
Time to run for my life.
I jumped onto the stair rail and slid down quickly.
I glanced behind me—yep, still being chased.
How long have I been running?
If this keeps up, I'll collapse from exhaustion.
And Ichigo? She still looks totally fine.
I need a plan.
Think, Kaede, think!
The locker—that could work.
"Kaede, come on. Don't you want to reconsider your decision?"
"Nope, thanks."
I shot around the corner.
If this doesn't work, I'm done for—there's no way out of that room.
I shoved the door to the left open.
Is she falling for it?
She shouldn't have seen me.
From her footsteps, I could hear she entered the restroom.
Just like that. Why not?
I mean, I also totally walk into the girls' bathroom and take a few photos now and then.
I myself had continued straight to the next door.
There, I managed to squeeze into my locker—which, luckily, I always keep open.
It's not like anyone wants to steal my nonexistent school notes.
The locker wasn't all that spacious, and my shoulders were getting crushed,
but overall, it wasn't that bad.
Still better than getting brutally murdered.
I suddenly felt a tickle on my neck.
Ah, there you are, Lili, I whispered softly. (Kaede's pet spider.)
Nice and dark in here. I could get used to this.
But back to the issue at hand.
That lunatic's still searching, I can hear her steps.
They're getting louder.
I peeked through the small slit in the locker.
She stood in the middle of the room.
I held my breath.
Not a peep—or it'd be my last.
"Kaede-dear, where are you?"
Ugh, this is so annoying. Just show yourself already!
Ichigo looked exhausted, scratched herself, and seemed aggressive.
She looked around one more time, then finally left the room.
Thank god.
My hand was already on the locker door.
But I hesitated.
If I've learned anything, it's that she's insane—and doesn't give up easily.
She's probably camping the hallway, waiting for me.
Update:
It's been about 20 minutes, and she's gone.
I think I'm safe. Think is the key word here.
But I'll wait a few more minutes just in case.
Made it. Code Green. I'm home now.
Most would think I'm safe now—
but this self-proclaimed friend of mine is totally unhinged.
She'll probably invite herself over any second now.
Tick tick tick.
Time passed and I stared at the door.
But nothing happened.
Did she forget about me?
Shiro's not here either.
He's probably waiting until I fall asleep.
It's already dark outside, but I'm still alive.
Knock knock knock.
Spoke too soon.
I stared out the window.
My body braced for the torment that was about to come.
I don't think I'm going to survive this time.
Then again:
Knock knock knock.
Well, I guess it's time.
I hope you liked the story.
I sure didn't.
"Yeah, come in."
Not like I could run anyway.
So this is how it ends.
I looked out the window one more time.
No idea why I even did that.
I got used to it as a kid.
My mom always said:
"When I'm sad, I look out the window and watch all the life around me."
I never really understood that, but somehow, I like staring out the window—
maybe because then I don't have to look at anyone.
If you're ready, Shiro, please make it quick. Chop my head off so it doesn't hurt too much.
If I'm gonna die, at least let it be fast.
I've had enough bad luck already—
the least I deserve is a lucky death.
(Kaede is extremely depressed)
Hahaha!
Wow, that's a whole new level of self-pity.
But hey, we've seen that before.
And then Ichigo's little stunt—
hahaha, hilarious.
But anyway, you can't die yet, Kaede,
I still want to see your magic.
I turned around.
There she stood, laughing and covering her mouth.
"What do you want, Yuna? You can tell Shiro I—"
"Nope nope! I said I want to see your magic. Come on, prove to me those magic records are real. I wanna see."
I'm on the verge of death and she's not even listening. My face twisted into a pitiful expression. I give up. I'll just stay quiet and wait.
I already knew Yuna was insanely obsessed with magic. Watching others use it and taking notes is basically her hobby.
But this intense?
That's basically stalking, right?
"I don't have explosion magic, sorry."
I put on the best regretful face I could, like I really wished I had it.
But I could tell she didn't believe a single word—she was already glaring at me, slightly annoyed.
Yuna: "Does he think I'm stupid? I saw the magic records."
"Oh, shut up. You know I hate this. Just show me already, please."
Kaede: "Nope."
"Show me your magic."
"Ow! Didn't anyone teach you not to pull on people's cheeks? That hurts!"
"I don't need explosion magic for this! How many times do I have to say it?!"
She folded her arms, visibly pissed.
What now? Are you blind or something? Why are you so close?
Is she trying to kiss me?
"Too bad. I thought maybe you'd resist, Kaede."
"Wait, what?"
"Yeah, maybe you'd use your magic to push my face away or something.
You're super introverted, after all. Hahaha!"
Now she's laughing like an idiot again. So annoying.
And what even is that logic? Why would I resist?
If I've learned anything this year, it's that fate is sealed—and running only makes it worse.
I stared at her blankly. What a dumb goat.
But Yuna just smiled.
She probably doesn't even know what privacy is—or just doesn't care.
Now I get why she and Ichigo get along so well—they're both nuts.
I should probably feel bad for their parents.
"You… Yuna, are you just bored?"
"Nope. I just want to see your magic."
So it's case number two: She just doesn't care about other people's boundaries. Like a toddler. Keeps pushing until she gets what she wants.
Someone really needs to teach her some manners.
I stared at her in disbelief.
Why am I surrounded by all these idiots?
"Get out. I want to enjoy my last minutes in peace."
I looked at her, annoyed.
"Huh? No."
"Out."
"Nuuuh, don't wanna."
My eyebrows twitched. Stupid toddler.
"Out, now!"
My hand grabbed her left arm.
But before I could even pull her away, she was already clinging to my bed.
"Come on! You stubborn, ugly brat. Get out! Let go! Ugh! How can she cling so hard to my bed?! Come on, move! This is insane."
"Never! I'm not going anywhere."
She looked at me like a child refusing to give up their lollipop.
This can't be real.
Her grip tightened, like she believed death was waiting outside.
"Yuna, don't you think you should get tested or something? You might actually be addicted to magic.
What do your poor parents say about this? Argh. Poor Shiro—I feel bad for him having to hang around a psycho like you.
Also, you didn't even shower today—(made that up)."
"What?! I don't stink! I smell like lavender!
And I'm not addicted!
The only one who needs help is you!"
Oh really? In what way? I pulled as hard as I could.
"For example: your social skills, fashion sense, and, well… a lot more."
Creeeaak
The bed shifted. Who am I pulling—her or the entire bed?
Whoa, and I fell. Of course it was her leg. I wasn't paying attention.
Her crazy accusations completely distracted me.
"Now I've got you, Kaede. You're gonna use magic. Come on!"
Aghh, she's pinning me down. I need to get away.
"Yuna, I don't have explosion magic, I swear!"
"Yes you doooo!"
This is useless—I'm not getting away.
"Are you going to use your magic now, Kaede, or do I have to hurt you?"
I froze, looking into her magic-obsessed eyes, then...
"Heeelp, help, hel– meh, phf, phife..."
"Tsk tsk, Kaede. We wouldn't want you to scare the other students, would we?"
She said sweetly as she shoved fabric into my mouth and covered it with her hand.
Stairwell:
Watsukawa:
He was walking up the stairs.
"Well, if I think about it… and what the principal said is true, then it must be someone from M2f these guys are targeting. And really, only one person comes to mind."
Mr. Watsukawa was completely lost in thought as he climbed the stairs.
Suddenly, a cry of "Help!" snapped him out of it.
"That's Kaede's voice."
His expression grew serious, and his mana began to glow slightly. Small sparks crackled across his body.
"Good thing I was already on my way to him."
The door was already open.
Mr. Watsukawa listened first.
"Fil fe phife..."
Then he quietly entered the room, an electric orb in his left hand, mana gathering in his right. He turned the corner.
"What's going on here?"
Yuna:
"Oh shit… um, Kaede and I are just playing around a bit."
Kaede:
"She's straight-up lying. At least she took her hands off me. Now that I notice it though: Yuna's actually pretty heavy. She's almost crushing me with her body."
"Aha, I see. Then I'll just leave you two alone to your perverted games."
No way he's serious?! I quickly yanked the cloth out of my mouth.
"Help! Help, Mr. Watsukawa! I'm being smothered and assaulted against my– aghh! Her legs! She's choking me with her legs! What's wrong with her?! Why does she have so many muscles?!"
"Okay, Yuna, that's enough. You're coming with me now."
Mr. Watsukawa yanked Yuna up and grabbed her – where exactly, is debatable. He's not called the most perverted teacher for nothing.
But you know what? I misjudged him. He's not that bad. He is saving me from Yuna, after all.
"Where are you touching me?! What the hell?! This is sexual harassment!"
"According to Protocol 11, Section 2, a teacher is authorized to separate students in emergencies. As long as it's necessary, it doesn't matter how – as long as no one gets injured or exposed."
He said it flatly, without any emotion.
He really is a pervert, but what do I care?
"What kind of nonsense is that?! Don't touch me there!"
Pause.
Pause.
"Not there either… not there… help, help! Kaede, please, you have to save me from this pervert – or at least be a witness!"
She looked at me with big, teary eyes, like she was the innocent one here.
I sat back up.
Pause…
I think Mr. Watsukawa is waiting for my response. I started to grin wickedly.
"But what are you even talking about, Yuna? My muscles are numb – because of you."
"No, Kaede, please! Help me, please!"
she whined.
"And I don't know what your problem is – Mr. Watsukawa isn't doing anything disgusting."
I gave a thumbs-up – and so did Mr. Watsukawa, like we'd been best buddies for years.
"Then everything's fine."
He turned and dragged Yuna away.
"Kaede, please! I swear I'll never do it again! Please save me!"
"Tough luck. You didn't listen to my 'stop' either, remember?"
She looked at me like I was the villain – but I hadn't done a thing.
As soon as they were around the corner, you could hear Yuna screaming again.
I didn't think he'd be that shameless… but hey – that's what I call karma. And that's fine by me.
As long as he's not coming after me, I've got no complaints.