As I enter the classroom, about four minutes late,
Sasaki-sensei glares at me. "Sorry I'm late, Sasaki-sensei," I say
quietly.
"I hope you at least have an excuse this time,
Miyazaki," says Sasaki-sensei.
Well, technically I do have an excuse, but I can't use
it. It would mean breaking my promise to Mizuki, and if she found out I'd
ratted her out.. it wouldn't end well for me.
[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here's how the scene plays out if you
choose not to make an excuse…]
In the end, all I can do is heave a sigh. "…no
excuse, Sasaki-sensei," I say.
"I hope you realize that lateness is unacceptable,
Miyazaki," says Sasaki-sensei. "If you're late again this week, I'm
afraid I'll have to put you in detention."
"Yes, Sasaki-sensei," I say. "Sorry,
Sasaki-sensei."
Sasaki-sensei sighs. "Well, at least you are here, which is more than can be said
for Asano. Sit down, Miyazaki."
I walk slowly to my seat, aware of everyone's eyes
following me as I do so. This is so stupid. It's the stalker's fault I've been
late these past few days, not mine. I suppose I should be thankful that the
only thing they've wrecked so far is my punctuality, but if they really cared
about me like they keep insisting they do, they wouldn't wreck anything of
mine.
The moment I sit down, Raiden turns to me and whispers,
"You okay, dude?"
"No, Raiden," I mutter back, folding my arms.
"This just isn't fair."
"The stalker again?" Raiden guesses.
"Well… yes and no," I say. "She got me
chasing shadows."
"I see," says Raiden. A moment later, he seems
to have a brainwave, and glances over at Mizuki's empty seat. "That shadow
wouldn't happen to be tall, dark, and tsundere, would it?" he asks.
"I can't say," I whisper with a shrug,
"I'll get my face punched in."
"That's a yes, then," says Raiden. I think it
says a lot about Mizuki's personality that he can tell just from that one vague
statement. "Don't sweat it," he says. If she tries to hurt you - or
the stalker, come to think of it - if either of them wanna hurt you, they'll
have to go through me first."
"That'll be pretty easy," I quietly remark.
"You asshole," whispers Raiden.
Raiden chuckles and playfully punches me on the shoulder.
I can't help chuckling as well. It's good that we have these exchanges: right
now they're really helping me cope with all of this. I really don't know how
I'd be coping right now without Raiden's support.
[AUTHOR'S NOTE: …and here's how the scene plays out if
you make an excuse, and if you hadn't told Raiden about the stalker earlier]
"Uhh… I got
hit by a cyclist on my way to school." Come
on, make it more believable than that, I think to myself. You don't look hurt at all. "I was
fine, but they crashed their bike and got kinda hurt, so I made sure they were
alright before I continued. That's why I'm late."
Sasaki-sensei puts on a perfect poker face, leaving me
unable to tell whether she believes me or not. I'm sure if she had any reason
to doubt it, though, she would have called me out on it immediately. "And
were they alright?" she asks.
"Uhh… a few grazes, but nothing serious," I
lie.
"Alright then," says Sasaki-sensei. "Sit
down, Miyazaki."
Holy crap, I think she bought it. Relieved at having
managed to talk my way out of danger, I gladly take my seat next to Raiden, who
gives me a sly grin. "Man, I can't believe you managed to BS your way out
of that one," he remarks.
"Me neither," I admit.
"But seriously," asks Raiden, "how come
you're late again?"
"I can't say," I whisper with a shrug,
"I'll get my face punched in."
"Mizuki?" asks Raiden. I think it says a lot
about Mizuki's personality that he can tell just from that one vague statement.
"What was she holding you up for? Oh, right, you-"
"can't say, or she's punch my face in," I
finish. "Precisely."
Raiden is silent for a moment, thinking, than asks,
"Did she try and rob you or something?"
I sigh and shake my head. "Raiden, even if she had,
you know I couldn't tell you-"
But Raiden isn't going to give up so easily, and changes
tack completely. "Was I right about her wanting your-"
"For the hundredth time, no," I hiss.
Raiden flinches backwards with feigned shock.
"You're turning into her," he whispers. And before I can stop him, he
raises his hand and calls out, "Sasaki-sensei! Asano-san's already here!",
pointing to me as he does so.
Of course, nobody else heard out whispered exchange,
which means that nobody else gets the joke. They do, however, find Raiden's
utter stupidity absolutely hilarious. As the laughter subsides, Sasaki-sensei
crosses the room, standing right beside my desk. She peers up and down at me,
examining me from several angles, as though trying to determine whether I
really am Mizuki in disguise. Then, to my absolute horror, she reaches out and
gropes at my chest, right where my breasts would be if I were a girl.
"No, I'm pretty sure that's Miyazaki," says
Sasaki-sensei, straightening up. "I think you need to get your eyes
tested, Shiina."
Sasaki-sensei walks off again to another bout of
laughter, leaving the two of us humiliated for the second time in as many days.
Class can't come soon enough.
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