That first day of school was, in Kaito's objective opinion, a resounding success.
He had established a new zero-effort routine. He sat down. He propped his head on his hand. He closed his eyes. The first class was math. The second, Japanese history. The third, English. He absorbed it all as background white noise. No one spoke to him. The teachers ignored him, assuming he was just another lazy transfer student.
Beside him, Mai Sakurajima was the perfect, invisible student. She took notes, answered (though no teacher ever called on her), and maintained an impeccable posture.
The only source of irritation was Fia's mental voice.
"Kaito! You're sleeping! The 'Bond' bar has only gone up 2 points in three hours!" she shrieked in his head. "That's from 'osmotic proximity'! You have to pass her a note! Ask her if she has a spare pencil! THIS IS BASIC HIGH SCHOOL ROMANCE!"
"Shut up," Kaito thought back, sinking deeper into his chair. "I'm achieving homeostasis."
"You're snoring!"
When the final bell rang, Kaito was one of the last to move. He packed his bag with the speed of a sloth. Mai, of course, was already on her feet and leaving the classroom, not sparing him a glance.
Perfect.
He followed her, maintaining his "Paradox Assistant" regulation distance. They went down to the shoe lockers, out the school gates, and followed the flow of students toward the train station. It was a silent repeat of the day before, only now they were both in uniform.
At the station, however, something changed.
Mai didn't go straight to the platform. Instead, she stopped in front of a small bakery/convenience store inside the station. The same shop where Kaito had seen her buy her cream bun yesterday.
Kaito stopped ten meters away, near a vending machine, pretending to analyze the canned drink options. Mission: Paradox Assistant was still active.
Mai stood at the counter. A cashier, a middle-aged woman, was arranging some products, her back to her.
"Excuse me," Mai said, her voice clear and polite.
The cashier didn't turn.
"Excuse me," Mai repeated, a little louder. "I'd like one cream bun, please."
The woman continued her work, as if Mai were just a draft. Another customer, a man in a suit, approached the counter, and the cashier immediately turned to him. "How can I help you?"
Kaito watched, impassive. Mai's invisibility was getting worse. Yesterday, she was a "functional ghost"—people didn't actively see her, but they could process her presence if she initiated a transaction. Today, she was background noise. She was inaudible.
She watched the man get served, pay, and leave.
"KAI-TO!" Fia's voice was full of panic. "The Syndrome is progressing! Reality is ceasing to process her! If this keeps up, she'll dissipate! Do something! Quick! Intervene!"
Kaito let out the longest, most pained sigh of the day. "How... problematic."
He pushed himself off the vending machine and limped slowly to the counter, stopping directly beside Mai.
The instant he stood there, the cashier looked up. "Yes? How can I help you?"
Mai flinched beside him, surprised he had broken the distance and irritated that he had witnessed her failure. She looked small, frustrated, and, for the first time, vulnerable.
Kaito didn't look at her. He kept his eyes on the cashier.
"Two cream buns," he said, his voice monotone. "And one black coffee. To go."
"Is that all?"
"Yes."
He pulled out his wallet, paid with the money the System had conveniently supplied in his backpack, and waited. The cashier handed him a small paper bag and the coffee.
He took the bag and, without turning fully, held it out to the empty space beside him, where he knew Mai was.
She hesitated. He could feel her gaze on his cheek.
"Take it," he muttered, still looking straight ahead. "I don't like cream bread. I just ordered two because... I don't know. I felt like splurging."
A silence. Then, cool, delicate fingers brushed against his as she took the paper bag.
[+10 Affinity (Mai Sakurajima)] [+5 Bond Points (Act of Service)]
"Yes! A classic 'Act of Service'!" Fia celebrated in his head. "Almost Tsundere-like! You're a natural at this, Kaito!"
Kaito just grabbed his coffee and started limping toward the platform. Mai followed him in silence.
They waited for the train. The platform was crowded, but the space around them was empty, a bubble of silence and invisibility. The sun was beginning to set.
There was something different in the air. He had helped her. It had been... almost nice. Kaito sensed the imminent danger of an "emotional conversation."
Mai broke the silence first.
"Thank you," she said, her voice low.
Kaito just shrugged, taking a sip of the bitter coffee.
"I don't understand," she continued, more to herself than to him. She was staring at the cream bun inside the bag. "Yesterday, the cashier could hear me. Today... it's like I wasn't even there. It's getting worse."
She looked at him, her violet eyes searching for something. An answer. "Why is this..."
[ALERT! CRITICAL BOND OPPORTUNITY!] Fia's voice was hysterical. "She's opening up! Say something kind! Tell her you'll help her! Ask about her feelings! QUICK!"
Kaito felt a chill. Vulnerability. Feelings. Conversation. Effort.
He needed to shut this down. Now.
He turned to her, his face a perfect mask of apathy.
"It's because you're doing a terrible job," he said, bluntly.
Mai froze. "W... what?"
"You," he continued, taking another sip of coffee, "wanted a break from your old life. To be 'normal.' But you didn't have the guts to go all the way. You just want the easy part of being anonymous without actually cutting ties with your career."
Mai's face went pale. "What are you talking about?"
"I read about you. It wasn't hard," Kaito lied (technically, he knew from the anime, which was a type of reading). "Famous actress, Mai Sakurajima. Sudden hiatus. Your mother, who's also your manager, must be absolutely furious."
He'd hit a bullseye. He saw it in the flash of pain in her eyes.
"She's probably calling you nonstop," Kaito continued, hammering the nails into that conversation's coffin. "And you're ignoring her calls, pretending the problem doesn't exist. That's why you're disappearing. This isn't some mystical 'Adolescence Syndrome.' It's just a prolonged existential tantrum and an unresolved conflict with your mother."
There was a second of absolute silence.
[Affinity (Mai Sakurajima): -10... -20... -40...]
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Fia screamed, her mental voice cracking. "THE BAR! IT'S RED! YOU'RE TURNING THE BAR RED!"
Mai's expression shifted from vulnerable shock to a cold, cutting rage. Her eyes narrowed.
"You..." she hissed, her voice trembling with fury. "You don't know anything about me. You're just another sick stalker who read a few stupid gossip magazines."
[Affinity (Mai Sakurajima): -50 Points] [STATUS CHANGED: Hostile (Temporary)]
"Excellent," Kaito muttered under his breath.
The train arrived, its doors opening with a hiss.
Mai turned, her shoulders rigid. "Stay away from me."
She entered the first car, stomping.
Kaito waited and got into the next car. He found a seat in the corner and leaned back against the glass, the now-lukewarm coffee in his hand. He could feel Mai's furious glare through the wall of the train car.
"MISSION 'PARADOX ASSISTANT' FAILED!" Fia was sobbing in his head. "SHE HATES YOU! WE'VE LOST ALL OUR PROGRESS!"
Kaito closed his eyes.
Finally.
Peace.
________________________________________
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