Day 226

[from I Watch You Sleeping]

Compared to the morning homeroom session, the first couple of lessons pass rather uneventfully. During the short break after our second lesson, I decide to go outside to stretch my legs and go to the bathroom. As I head back towards the classroom, something suddenly collides with me with tremendous force, almost knocking me over.

"Aah! Sorry, sorry!" says a voice, that I soon recognize as Meiko's. "I should have known that was going to happen!"

Meiko turns round to face me, looking apologetic and a little embarrassed, and very quickly I realize three things. One, in order for her to have hit me with such force, she must have been running in the corridors, which is against school rules. Two, she's holding her camcorder in one hand, and a compact mirror in the other. She must have been filming something while she was running. Three, in order for her to have had to turn to face me after colliding with me, she must have been running backwards. The first seems normal for the rather energetic Meiko. The second is a bit of a stretch, but running backwards…?

"Are you okay, Ken?" Meiko asks me.

"Why were you running backwards just now?" I blurt out.

"Huh? Hey, I asked you a question first!" says Meiko.

"Yes, Meiko, I'm alright," I reassure her. "Now, why were you-"

"Running backwards?" says Meiko. "I'm experimenting!"

"Experimenting with… what, may I ask?"

Meiko seems pleased by my apparent interest. I wouldn't say I'm interested, per se, more confused. Nonetheless, she immediately launches into an explanation. "Well, you know those scenes in horror movies where the guy's getting chased by the monster through a dark forest or something?" she begins. "There's always a first-person bit where the camera angle looks ahead of him, showing the area he's running through. But I figured, wouldn't it be better to have it looking backwards while he's running? It'd place more emphasis on the fact that he's being chased by something, rather than just the fact that he's fleeing. Also, it'd make it seem like he's looking back over his shoulder at whatever's chasing him, emphasizing how scared of it he is. Add in some extremely fleeting glimpses of the monster - or monsters, or whatever - and you have one scary chase scene."

It really seems like Meiko has thought this theory of hers through. But… "Shouldn't you be testing that theory somewhere scarier, and with less people to bump into?" I ask. "Like a dark forest, for instance?"

"Well, I thought of the idea just now during second period, and I was so excited, I wanted to try it out right away!" says Meiko. "I reckon it'd work… assuming you don't run into anything while filming, of course. But then, that's what I have the compact mirror for." She holds up the mirror. It can't be more than three inches in diameter. There's no way she can see where she's going using that.

"Didn't exactly work, though, did it?" I point out.

Meiko lets out an awkward chuckle, rubbing the back of her neck. "Yeah, I guess not, heh…" She shrugs nonchalantly. "I'll work something out." She always seems so cheerful and carefree, so full of energy. It's like there's caffeine and candy floss flowing through her veins instead of blood. It's weird to think that there's still a chance she's my stalker.

"Well, I hope so," I tell her, "if it'll stop you from running in the corridors. There's rules against that, you know."

"There's rules against running forwards in the corridors," Meiko says with a mischievous grin. "Nobody ever said anything about running backwards!" I shake my head in disbelief at the sheer audacity of Meiko's actions. I don't think I'll ever meet another girl like her for as long as I live.

Before I can lecture Meiko any further, the bell rings to signal the end of break. "Oh crap!" says Meiko suddenly, her face turning pale. "I need to put the camcorder away, and then get to class, pronto! Well, anyway, it was fun talking to you, Ken! See you in class!"

Meiko dashes off, completely ignoring what I'd told her five seconds ago about running in the corridors being against school rules. Well, at least she doesn't run into anyone this time. I, meanwhile, head off for the classroom at a much more leisurely pace, arriving with plenty of time to spare before the bell rings again for the start of our next class.

Day 197

[from I Watch You Sleeping]

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.

Day 158

[from I Watch You Sleeping]

I wake up, and for a moment it almost seems as though the whole of yesterday was just a horrible nightmare. Then I roll over to turn off my alarm clock, and suddenly I'm reminded that the nightmare was all too real. Lying on the nightstand, next to my alarm clock, is a single red rose. Taped to it is a note. I instantly recognize the handwriting from the letter the stalker sent me yesterday.

HI, KEN-CHAN! YOU STILL WEREN'T ANSWERING YOUR MESSAGES, SO I GOT SCARED AND DECIDED TO CHECK UP ON YOU. I'M GLAD YOU'RE OKAY. I COULDN'T IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT YOU, KEN-CHAN. I GOT YOU THIS ROSE. I HOPE YOU LIKE IT. xxxxxxx P.S. YOU REALLY DO LOOK PEACEFUL WHEN YOU'RE SLEEPING, KEN-CHAN xxxxxxx

Oh God. She was here. She broke into my bedroom. She was here, while I was sleeping. She left this… flower for me. I don't want it. I snatch it off the nightstand and toss it into the trash. A thorn pricks my palm as I do so, but I don't care. I just want it out of my sight.

With the stalker's unwanted token disposed of, I get up and get ready for school, as though this were a perfectly normal day. Of course, I know by now that it won't be, but I don't really have a choice other than to just carry on as usual. Before I head downstairs, I pick up my phone from my desk and reluctantly switch it back on.

Only once I'm on my way to school do I start checking for any more texts. Sure enough, the stalker kept on sending "Answer me!" over and over again until my inbox was full, and the messages couldn't go through anymore. I go through and start deleting them one by one, but I'm still only about half-finished by the time I reach the gates. Well, I guess I could always show them to Raiden, so he can see how things have escalated since yesterday.

The bell to signal the start of homeroom goes quicker than I'd anticipated it would. Obviously being on my phone had slowed me down during my walk to school. I'm about to head towards the main building when something catches my attention out of the corner of my eye.

It's Mizuki. She's hiding behind a building, watching the other students filter into the school. While she doesn't appear to be looking for anyone, or looking at anyone, I still find this rather suspicious. Before I know what I'm doing, I'm heading towards her.

The moment Mizuki sees me approaching, she turns and sprints off. Now that's definitely suspicious. But do I really have the time to go chasing after her…?

…ah, the hell with it. There's gotta be a reason why she's running from me, and I'm gonna find out what. I quickly run off after Mizuki, trying to chase her down.

The problem is, Mizuki's a much better runner than I am, and with the head-start she got, she quickly pulls way out ahead of me. Eventually I lose track of her somewhere near the back of the school. So much for that, then, I guess.

At this rate, I'm gonna be late for homeroom again. Darting down a narrow pathway between two buildings, I start to head back towards the main entrance. To my surprise, however, I come across Mizuki again. She blocks my path, glaring at me.

"The hell are you chasing me for?" she barks angrily.

"The hell are you running from me for?" I retort.

"The hell do you think?" asks Mizuki. "After your little lecture yesterday, I didn't wanna be caught skipping classes again today! Least of all by you!"

"…oh." With my adrenaline rush subsiding, I start to realize just how irrational my panic really was. As bad as skipping classes is, it's probably not something the stalker would do, especially if they were in the same class as me. And if they want me to notice them so badly, then why the hell would they run away from me? They wouldn't, obviously. Dammit. I need to stay calm, keep rational, make sure I think things like this through before I act. Speaking of which, now that I think about it… "Wait. Why even come to school today if you were just gonna ditch anyway?"

"My dad makes me," says Mizuki, scowling. "He drops me off in his car, right outside the gate, and waits for me to go inside before leaving. But he can't make me actually go to class."

Before I can inquire as to what she intends to go for the whole day, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I assume the stalker has noticed my tardiness. Before I can check what it is, though, the bell rings to signal the start of homeroom. I'm now officially late, and for the second day in a row. Both technically the stalker's fault.

"I have to go," I say abruptly, but as I turn to leave, Mizuki grabs my arm.

"Oh no you don't," she says.

"Hey!" I protest. "What are you-"

Mizuki cuts me off. "You'll snitch," she says. "You'll tell 'em I'm ditchin' and then they'll come and drag me back here."

"I won't, I promise!" I say hurriedly, suddenly scared that Mizuki might hit me. It's not beyond her. "I don't even know where you'd be going for them to come and find you!" Good thing I didn't ask her in the end, then.

Mizuki hesitates for a moment, then lets go of my arm. "You tell and I'll punch your face in," she says, her expression deadly serious.

"I won't," I say. "I swear."

"Good," she says. "Now get the fuck outta here."

I swiftly oblige, all too glad to get away from the angry Mizuki. Not to mention the fact that since I'm already late for homeroom, I should probably get there as fast as I possibly can. Or… maybe not, on second thoughts. Mizuki might not have killed me, but Sasaki-sensei just might.

Day 133

[from I Watch You Sleeping]

Once Raiden has obtained his usual mapo tofu, and I get my usual soba noodles, we sit down at a mostly-empty table and start eating. "Oh, right, I almost forgot!" says Raiden suddenly, lowering his voice. "You remember you sent me on that errand? I managed to track down the girl from the photography club and get a handwriting sample from her. Here you go."

Raiden places a scrap of paper on the table in front of me. An old proverb is written on it, in what I assume is the photography club member's handwriting. I can't help wondering how Raiden got hold of the sample, but that's not really important. What's important is that, even at a glance, I can tell this doesn't match the stalker's handwriting.

"Does it match?" asks Raiden.

"Nope," I tell him.

Raiden frowns. "So we're back to square one, then," he says.

"Yeah, I guess so," I admit.

"Darn," says Raiden. "Well, at least we ruled her out as a suspect, I guess."

"True," I say, nodding. "But now we need to find some other line of inquiry."

Raiden opens his mouth to reply, but quickly closes it again as a familiar voice rings out from behind him. "Excuse me, may I sit with you both?" asks Sakura.

Raiden and I nod in agreement. "Of course," I say.

"Thank you," says Sakura, who promptly sits down next to Raiden and begins eating. Sakura Hatoyama is a girl from Class 3-1. Her younger sister, Shiori, is best friends with Natsume. Because of that, we've known each other for a few years now.

"I don't think we've spoken in a while, have we, Kentaro?" asks Sakura. "How have you been recently?"

"I've been pretty good, thanks." Up until this morning, that is. "How about you?"

"I can't complain," says Sakura. "How about you, Raiden?"

"Eh. The usual," mumbles Raiden through a mouthful of mapo tofu.

Sakura scowls disapprovingly at Raiden. "Please don't talk with your mouth full, Raiden," she says.

Raiden's response is to roll his eyes and make a motion with his chopsticks, in a crude imitation of a talking mouth. Sakura just ignores him, and we carry on eating our lunch, pausing every now and again to talk about nothing in particular. Sakura's calm, relaxed pace, and insistence that we all wait until we've finished out mouthfuls before speaking, means it takes us longer than usual. We've only just finished when the bell goes to signal the end of lunch.

"Lunch is over already?" remarks Sakura, as the bell rings out. "Gosh, that was fast."

"Yeah, we'd better get going," I say as I stand up. "See you later, Sakura."

"Until we meet again, Kentaro. Raiden." Sakura stands up and bows to each of us in turn, then heads off back to her own classroom as we head back to ours. I have to admire how polite and well-mannered Sakura is. Shiori's much the same, from what little I've seen of her. I wish Natsume was as polite as those two.

***

The afternoon lessons pass rather uneventfully. Before I know it, it's the end of the school day. While a number of students will be sticking around for club activities, I'm heading straight home as usual.

While the school day may have drawn to a close, it seems my ordeal is far from over. As I make my way through the grounds, towards the front gate, I receive another text message. It's the stalker again:

"YOU NOTICED ME! I KNEW YOU WOULD! I'LL FOREVER CHERISH THOSE MOMENTS WE SPENT TOGETHER TODAY~ THANK YOU, KEN-CHAN. XXXXXXX"

I guess that confirms it, then. The stalker really is one of my fellow classmates. I don't understand it… why go to all this trouble? If this person really loves me, why don't they just come up to me and say it to my face? Why send these letters and text messages? And… why send me photos of myself in my sleep?!

I shake my head wearily. None of this makes any sense at all. As far as I can see, the only way to make sense of this is to track the stalker down. I just… don't know how.

***

As I embark on the short walk home, I continue to go over the letter and the text messages in my mind. Especially this latest one. "You noticed me"… from that, I can only assume that I must have actually talked to my stalker at some point today. It's a horrifying thought. Having a stalker is bad enough, but knowing that you know them, that you see them and maybe even converse with them on a regular basis… dear God. It's like being the heroine of a magical girl show, and knowing your arch-nemesis is one of your classmates, but you have no idea who they are or how to prove it.

However, I think I have a way to narrow it down. I think it's fair to assume that the stalker is female. In that case, if I really did talk to them today, I can just run through the names of every girl I talked to. Meiko… Aiko… Sakura… Mizuki… Harumi. As unlikely as it seems, any one of them could possibly be the stalker.

If it's Mizuki or Harumi, then they're most likely doing it out of spite. As for Meiko, Aiko, or Sakura, I can't imagine what their motivations could possibly be. Least of all Aiko. But then, nobody ever knows her motivations for anything, as she never says anything.

I pause suddenly, realizing I already passed my house a couple of blocks ago. I was so preoccupied with everything that I didn't realize. As I turn and walk back towards my house, I silently resolve not to tell my parents about any of this. This doesn't concern them, and I don't want them worrying about it constantly, which they will do if I tell them. This is my problem. I'll deal with it myself.

***

The subject of this morning's letter isn't raised until dinner time. "So, Ken, dear, what was that letter from this morning about?" my mother asks me. "Anything important?"

I've had more than enough time to come up with a convincing lie, but I don't find one necessary. Instead, I just respond, "No. Nothing important, really," and to my relief, nobody seems to question it.

"Who was it from?" asks my mother. "One of your classmates, I assume?"

This time I don't need to lie. "Yeah," I say. "Yeah, it was." I just wish I knew which classmate.

"Speaking of your classmates, how's Raiden?" asks my mother. "He hasn't come over for a while now."

"Nah, he's been kinda busy lately, catching up with homework…" The conversation carries on from there, and the letter is not mentioned again. Indeed, for a while I can pretend I don't have a stalker at all. Until I get up to my bedroom, that is.

I'd left my cellphone upstairs on my desk when I got home. Checking it now, I have 38 messages. One is from Raiden:

"2DAY WAS TOUGH 4 U, I BET. DON’T WORRY, MAN. I'M HERE 4 U. OH, & WORD OF ADVICE: DONT TALK 2 ANY GURLZ. THE STALKER WILL KILL THEM. L8R~!"

What an idiot. Still, I can't help feeling better, knowing that I'm not going through this alone. The other 37 texts are all from the stalker. No, wait… make that 38. A vibration heralds yet another text from them. Guess I'm gonna be hearing from them at all hours of the day. I check the messages with a sense of foreboding that's already starting to become uncomfortably familiar.

The first message reads, "WHY AREN'T YOU ANSWERING MY MESSAGES, KEN-CHAN?" The second reads, "ARE YOU ILL? ARE YOU BUSY?" The third reads, "ARE YOU WITH ANOTHER GIRL?!!" The fourth simple reads, "ANSWER ME!" As does the fifth. And the sixth. Scrolling down, the rest of the messages all say the same thing: "ANSWER ME!" She's sent it over and over again, every other minute, as though it would actually get me to respond. I get the feeling she won't stop until I do… but I don't want to…

I guess I don't have much of a choice, though. I hit Reply, and just stare at the keypad for a while, trying to think of what I could possibly say to this person. I guess… maybe… sigh. No good. I can't do it. I can't respond to them. I just can't.

I switch off my cellphone and put it back on the desk. I can only hope that the stalker gets the message and stops texting me, though I know that isn't likely. This is all getting too much for me. If things continue to escalate like this… what next?

I sit down on the end of my bed and let out a heavy sigh. At this rate, never mind the obvious danger to myself, there's a danger other people could be affected by this. It's like Raiden said: if any other girl tries to hit on me, the stalker might well try and attack them out of jealousy. That's the last thing I want.

I don't know how, but when I finally go to bed, I fall asleep as I usually do. At least the stalker can't hurt me in my dreams.

Day 108

[from I Watch You Sleeping]

As Raiden and I head out of the classroom towards the cafeteria, we only make it about a dozen steps before we're halted in our tracks. "Hey, Ken! Raiden!" Oh, great. This is the last thing I need today.

Harumi Nakata and her two followers are casually leaning against the wall to our right. I can only imagine that in order to have gotten here so quickly, they must have wrangled their way out of their lessons early. That is, if they even showed up.

Harumi holds up a CD case, looking for all the world like a sweet, innocent idol. "Want a signed copy of Harumi-tan's new demo CD?" she asks. "This is an exclusive, not even in the stores yet~"

"Have any of your CDs ever actually been sold in stores?" asks Raiden rather pointedly.

"Of course they have, don't be silly," says Harumi. "Harumi-tan s a famous idol, after all."

"No, you're just a bimbo with an over-inflated ego," I retort. Ahh… that feels better. Projecting my stress onto Harumi is a good way to relieve myself from the troublesome events of the past few hours. It also has the side effect of winding Harumi up, which is always fun.

"Any "ego" Harumi-tan may have is perfectly justified, thank you very much," she says, pouting.

To demonstrate, the girl on Harumi's left grabs a passing freshman girl by the arm and pulls her over to us. "Excuse me, miss," she says. "You're a fan of Harumi-tan, right?"

"Uhh… of course!" squeaks the girl. Her tone of voice and facial expression indicate that she's only saying this so that the slightly psychotic-looking girl holding her arm doesn't punch her in the face or something. Nonetheless, it's what Harumi's follower wanted to hear, so she promptly continues.

"Would you be interested in a signed copy of her new demo CD?" she asks.

"O-of course!" says the freshman.

Harumi's other follower (I really should learn their names at some point) takes a CD out of her rucksack and hands it to Harumi, who takes out what looks like a permanent marker from her breast pocket. Harumi happens to be left handed; of course, she makes a big deal out of this as part of her idol persona. "So, who should Harumi-tan make this out to?" asks Harumi sweetly.

"Uhh… Senomiya." says the freshman.

"To Senomiya-san…" Harumi-tan… uhh, I mean Harumi… shit, it's rubbing off on me now... uhh, Harumi signs the CD and hands it to the girl. Well, I assume the squiggle is her signature. It just looks like… well, a squiggle.

"Thanks, Harumi-tan," says the freshman, still rather bemused by the whole ordeal.

Harumi smiles a sickly-sweet false smile. "Harumi-tan will do anything for her beloved fans~"

The bemused girl hurries off on her way, and as he vanishes into the crowd, I'm convinced that I see her quietly slip the CD into another student's backpack. Harumi, wrapped up in her own smugness, doesn't notice. "Now, where were we?" she asks. "Ah, yes. Two more CDs for our friends here, please~"

I'm about to point out that we never asked for any CDs when Raiden puts a hand on my shoulder, speaking to me in a low, quiet voice. "Hey, the sooner we get outta here, the sooner we can eat," he says. "And I dunno about you, but I'm starving. So let's just take the damn CDs, and find a bin to dump 'em in on the way to the cafeteria."

"Ahem." We abruptly turn back to Harumi to find her holding out the already-signed CDs. I guess that settles that, then. I wonder whether she heard Raiden talking about his plan to dump the CDs. If she did, she isn't letting on.

Raiden immediately takes his CD and heads off without another word. Harumi's sickly-sweet expression sours in an instant, her idol persona slipping momentarily. "How ungrateful," she scowls. "I give him a free signed copy of my new CD, instead of charging him 2000 yen for it, and does he thank me? No!"

I decide it's not worth invoking Harumi's wrath as well. For now, it's best to just play along. I take the remaining CD from her and bow slightly. "Thank you very much, Harumi-tan," I say.

The smile returns to Harumi's face as her ego is sated. "You're most welcome, Kentaro-kun~ " she says. "Harumi-tan has no further use for you. You may go now~" She waves a hand as if to shoo me away.

"Alright," I say. "I'll see you later, Harumi, and, uhh…" Well, I'd been meaning to ask anyway, so I might as well. "…what were your names again?"

Both of Harumi's followers look a little wounded, perhaps understandably. The aggressive-looking one swiftly answers me. "I'm Suzume," she says. "That's Yuuka." She thumbs in the direction of the other girl, who nods to confirm this.

"Ah, okay. I was wondering what your names were," I admit. "Thanks." Suzume merely grunts in response.

"Wonderful, everyone knows who everyone is now. Weren't you going, Kentaro?" Harumi's sharp, sarcastic voice and pointed gaze cut through the atmosphere like a knife.

"Yes, yes I was," I say, nodding.

"Well then."

All too glad to get away from Harumi, I hurry to catch up to Raiden. I eventually catch up to him just outside the cafeteria. "Oh, there you are," he says as he spots me. "I was worried for a second there. Was that harpy holding you up?"

"Yeah," I say, nodding.

"Still got your CD?" asks Raiden.

"Yeah," I reply, holding it up so he can see. "I was gonna dump it like you said, but I was too busy catching up to you."

"That's alright, I got a better idea," says Raiden, smiling. "Give it here."

I hand the CD over to him. "Do I wanna know what you're planning to do with this?" I ask him.

"I'll answer that with a question of my own," says Raiden. "Do you know what happens when you put a CD in a microwave?"

"No…" I say warily.

An almost frightening grin spreads across Raiden's face. "Well, you're gonna find out," he says. "I'll send you the footage, just as soon as I get hold of another microwave. Anyway, come on," he continues, gesturing in the direction of the cafeteria entrance. "There's a bowl of mapo tofu in there with my name on it."

"I'm right behind you." Raiden puts the CDs away in his rucksack, and the two of us finally make our way into the cafeteria.

Day 103

[from I Watch You Sleeping]

Our third class of the day is math, with Sasaki-sensei. We're doing group work, which usually means pairing up with your friends and just talking for the whole fifty minutes without actually doing the work. But not in Sasaki-sensei's lessons. She's not an idiot. Instead, she puts us into groups herself.

"Shiina, Matsuhara, Minatoya, you're a group…" I smile to myself as I imagine Raiden trying to coax the answers out of a silent Aiko. "…Kurozawa, Asano, Miyazaki, you're a group…" And the smile's gone.

Once all the groups have been read out, we proceed to rearrange our desks so we're all sitting together in the right groups. Taking a cursory glance at my temporary group-mates, I ponder who got the worse deal, me or Raiden. Me and Kurozawa don't talk much, but he's a nice enough guy. Mizuki Asano, on the other hand… "Quit staring at me!" …yeah.

"I'm not staring at you," I reply calmly.

"Yes you are!" she insists.

"No I wasn't," I calmly reiterate. "I'm looking at you now, because that's the polite thing to do when talking to someone. There's a difference between looking at someone and staring at them."

"No there isn't," she says rather bluntly.

"Come on, you two," says Kurozawa, trying to keep order and get us back on track. "We should be getting on with the work."

"Whatever," says Mizuki. Mercifully, she decides not to argue any further, and we settle down to start working on the exercises.

Mizuki Asano is notorious among the entire student body for her delinquent behaviour. She's argumentative, abrasive, and violent. Even the teachers have given up trying to straighten her out, for the most part. If she walks out during a lesson, they just let her. She won't go back inside no matter what they do to try and convince her. Raiden says she reminds him of Taiga Aisaka from Toradora, only taller and less clumsy. I've never watched the show myself, so I can't say whether that's an accurate comparison or not. Probably, though. Raiden knows his stuff.

We begin working our way through the questions. Kurozawa's fairly smart, so we burn through them pretty quickly… or at least we would, if Mizuki didn't keep insisting that we stop and explain things to her. She doesn't seem to be the brightest when it comes to math. I'm guessing all those lessons she misses aren't helping matters. How the hell she got through the entrance exams, I have no idea. Maybe she just beat the crap outta the examiners until they agreed to give her a passing grade.

Anyway, there's one question in particular that seems to have her especially stumped. "How the hell have you two got the right answer for this one?" she asks, confused. "The question doesn't make any sense!"

Once again, Kurozawa steps in to try and defuse her temper. "Okay, calm down a moment, Asano," he says. "Which part of the question are you stuck on?"

Mizuki throws her hands up in exasperation, something I'm sure her teachers feel like doing on a regular basis. "I dunno… all of it!" she snaps.

"Okay, well, it's pretty easy if you look at it like this…" Kurozawa proceeds to take Mizuki through the problem, step-by-step. I have to admit, I barely understand this stuff myself. It's pretty advanced, and there's a ton of different formulas and rules you have to remember. I'm managing to cope with it, just about, but Mizuki clearly isn't.

"…and so, dy/dx=(6x²+12)/4y," says Kurozawa, jotting down the final answer underneath the rest of his marking. "Do you get it now?"

Mizuki just stares at him, her expression an intriguing mix of glazed incomprehension and pure frustration. "It still doesn't make any fucking sense!" she exclaims.

"Maybe it would make more sense if you stopped cutting classes and actually attended your lessons."

The words are out of my mouth before I can stop myself. Mizuki instantly leaps from her seat, slamming her palms down onto the desk, glaring down at my with a half-furious, half-wounded expression.

"Sit down, please, Asano," says Sasaki-sensei, vainly trying to avert disaster.

"You can't judge me, Miyazaki!" shouts Mizuki. The whole class has fallen silent by now, their attention drawn to Mizuki's latest outburst, torn between looking at either me or her.

"Perhaps you'd like to move to a different group, Asano?" suggests Sasaki-sensei. Mizuki's response is to angrily snatch up her back and start packing up her things. I fully expect her to storm right out of the classroom, as she usually does, but instead she simply moves over to the nearest group, which happens to be Raiden's, and violently pulls back his chair with him still in it.

"Get up," Mizuki snarls. Raiden promptly obliges and vacates his seat, which Mizuki then sits down in. Raiden, in turn, heard over to our table and sits down in the seat that Mizuki had just left.

I hope Raiden doesn't start talking about his search for the second photography club member in front of Kurozawa. I don't want a virtual stranger knowing about the stalker, or the lengths we're going to to track them down. Thankfully - or not - he looks like he has other things he wants to talk about. He's wearing that stupid grin he always puts on right before he says something "smart".

"What was that all about?" he asks, turning to me, the amusement clear as day on his face. "'You can't judge me, Miyazaki!'"

"I told her that if she stopped cutting classes, she might actually learn something," I reply simply.

"And you have a point," Kurozawa chimes in. "There's no point in complaining that you don't understand something if you're not willing to put the effort in."

Raiden ignores Kurozawa's perfectly valid statement and continues talking to me. "I bet, secretly, she likes you," he remarks.

I roll my eyes. Honestly, I should've seen this coming. "Oh don't start with the whole "tsundere" thing, Raiden," I say. "I told you, tsunderes only exist in anime and manga. If a girl in real life is mean to you, it's because she hates you, or because she's a dick, not because she loves you."

"I dunno about being a dick," remarks Raiden, "but she totally wants your dick."

"What was that about penises, Shiina?"

Suddenly Sasaki-sensei is standing right next to our table. The entire class falls silent again as she speaks up, and as she mentions Raiden's name, they all turn to look at him. Then, one by one, the entire classroom bursts out laughing, myself included.

Raiden simply brushes it off without a care. "Well, you see, Sasaki-sensei, I was just telling Kentaro-" Oh great, now he's done it.

"If you boys want to compare sizes, I suggest you do it in the boys' toilets during lunch break, not during my lesson, when you should be working," says Sasaki-sensei. This time neither I nor Kurozawa join in, my face growing bright red as his grows pale.

"Sorry, Sasaki-sensei," says Raiden.

"Don't do it again, Shiina," says Sasaki-sensei. With her punishments meted out, she turns her attention back to the rest of her class and sets about restoring order. "Alright, everyone, show's over, get back to work." Within moments, the classroom has settled back down again, and everyone gets back on with their work as though nothing had happened. Raiden, too, silently carries on with the exercises, his pen having sat idly in his hand the whole time he's been at our table.

This whole incident reminds me why Sasaki-sensei is such a popular teacher. She's not exactly strict, but she doesn't tolerate any nonsense. If you push her, she'll push right back. And instead of giving you a detention for stepping out of line, she'll just call you out on it and embarrass you in front of the whole class. Public humiliation is a surprisingly powerful deterrent. She wasn't really telling Raiden off for… comparing sizes or whatever… she was telling him off for talking and not doing the work. She was probably listening to our entire conversation, waiting for the right moment to jump in to cause maximum embarrassment. Sasaki-sensei's friendly, laid-back, and sometimes eccentric approach to both teaching and discipline means that pretty much all of her students are on good terms with her.

With Mizuki having moved to a different table, the rest of the lesson passes uneventfully, as does the one after it. Before I know it, the bell has gone to signal the start of lunch. As usual, I pack up my things and prepare to leave the classroom.

"We heading to the cafeteria as usual?" asks Raiden, as he picks up his bag.

"Of course," I reply, as I pick up my own. I always eat lunch in the cafeteria with Raiden. No point in changing that just because of the stalker. Except… they'll be there, won't they? They'll be expecting me, surely. Well… at least Raiden will be there with me.

Day 89

[from I Watch You Sleeping]

At the start of our first ten-minute break between lessons, my phone vibrates in my pocket, telling me that I have a text message. Curious as to who could be texting me at this precise moment, I take out my phone and check the sender ID. It's an unknown number. With a strange sense of dread, I open the text and read it.

Hello Ken-chan! You got my letter, right? Look out for me in school today! I’ll be waiting for you~ xxxxxxx

I stare at the screen in horror, question after frightened question tumbling around inside my head. What do I make of this? Is this really the same person who wrote the letter? Who took all those photos of me? Are they here, at the school, right now? Are they watching me right now? How on earth did they get my number? In my paranoia I frantically look around the classroom, trying to see if anybody is watching me. There doesn't seem to be anybody…

…this is insane. I was still holding out a faint hope that this would all be just a hoax, a joke, or something, but this feels way too real to be a hoax. So… I really do have a stalker then. Raiden was right. Damn.

Luckily, my thoughts are suddenly interrupted by Meiko's arrival at our desks. "Here you go!" she says cheerfully. "This is all the girls in the photography club!" She hands me and Raiden a piece of paper that she appears to have torn from her exercise book. Written on it are two names.

"This is all of them?" says Raiden, surprised.

"Yep!" says Meiko. "It's kind of a small club, I guess."

"Well, that'll make our investigation a little easier, then," says Raiden. "Thanks, Meiko."

"No problem!" says Meiko cheerfully, before heading back to her seat, leaving the two of us to look at the list of names. Well… that's if you can really call it a list, since there are only two names on it. One is Meiko's. The other name I don't recognize, but Meiko seems to have anticipated that: A scribble next to the name tells us that she's from Class 2-4.

I take note of Meiko's handwriting. it's very loopy and girlish, like the title card for a girls' TV show. It's not like the handwriting on the letter at all. I point this out to Raiden.

"So you're saying it's not Meiko?" he replies.

"Doesn't look like it," I tell him.

"Well, that makes things simple," Raiden remarks. "I know a couple of second-year girls from the soccer club, maybe they'll know who this other girl is." Raiden's expression then becomes almost uncharacteristically serious as he continues, "You should go take a walk or something next break. Get some fresh air, clear your head. This must be pretty heavy for you."

I nod. "Yeah, just a bit."

"Alright, then that's settled," says Raiden, his expression going back to normal.

"Indeed it is." I reckon a walk will do me good. I'll get some fresh air, clear my head a bit. Yeah, that's what I'll do. Next break I'll go outside and take a nice walk.

***

True to my word, when the next lesson ends I head off to take a short walk through the grounds. Since there's only ten minutes of break, I can't really go all that far, but hopefully it'll still be enough to take my mind off things.

There aren't that many other students around outside. Most of them are still indoors, hanging out in their classrooms or in the corridors. Because of how short the breaks between lessons are, most people don't see the point in going outside during them. I never really did, either. But today is different.

As I round the back of one of the school buildings I spy a familiar face leaning against one of the walls, phone in hand. Her name is Aiko Minatoya. She's another of the students in my class. She's a strange one, by most people's accounts. She rarely, if ever, talks to anyone. She spends all her time on her phone, doing who-knows-what. Even during class she just sits at the back, quietly getting on with her work and ignoring everyone else around her, like she's the only person in the room. Right now that's a quality I find admirable. Being able to carry on regardless of what's going on around you…

My eyes rest for a moment on Aiko's phone, and a paranoid thought rushes through my mind. She was probably using it during the last break as well. She could easily have…

This ridiculous train of thought is halted in the nick of time as Aiko finally notices my presence. She almost reluctantly shifts her gaze away from her phone screen to look at me.

"Hey, Aiko," I say, raising a hand in greeting.

"Hello," is the quiet response.

I have no idea why, considering how quiet she usually is, but I decide to try and strike up a conversation with Aiko. Perhaps a good chat will help take my mind off things as well. "So, how are things?" I ask.

Aiko blinks, looking at me with a blank expression. "Things?"

"Yeah, you know… are you doing well with your schoolwork?"

A single, almost imperceptible nod is the only answer I get. Yeah… maybe Aiko wasn't the best person to try and strike up a conversation with. I might as well press on, though. It's not like I have anything better to do. Besides, any thoughts of her being my stalker are long gone. There's no way someone this anti-social could be a stalker. Right?

I decide to ask the one thing that everyone else in the year has probably been wondering since day one. "So, what are you up to on your phone?"

I'm almost expecting her to say, "It's a secret", or something, but instead she tilts her phone screen towards me, to show me. She's on a news site, halfway through an article on some conflict somewhere in the Middle East. There seem to be a lot of those happening.

"Are you interested in current affairs, then?" I ask.

Another tiny nod. Would it kill this girl to loosen her tongue a little? Still, I try to think of a current news topic that Aiko might have an opinion on. Maybe that way I can get a proper conversation going.

The article she was reading gives me an idea. "So, uhh… what's your opinion on all those Middle Eastern uprisings?" I ask.

A very slight change of expression indicates that Aiko finds this an interesting topic. "You mean the Arab Spring," she says.

"Yeah, that," I say nodding.

"It is long overdue," says Aiko. "These countries deserve freedom and equality." The words sounds strangely dispassionate when spoken in Aiko's hushed monotone voice.

"So you support the rebels?" I ask. Aiko nods, a little more forcefully than before. "But what about that guy, uhh… the one who ruled Libya? What was his name?"

"Muammar al-Gaddafi," says Aiko, her pronunciation flawless. I assume.

"Yeah, him," I say. "I heard that when the rebels found him, he was dragged from his hiding place and shot in the street. Didn't he deserve a fair trial?"

"Yes," admits Aiko. "But what of the thousands of innocents dragged from their homes and shot on Gaddafi's orders? They also deserved fair trials, did they not? Sinning against many is worse than sinning against one. If it takes one sin to prevent a thousand more, then that one sin is justified."

That's the longest I've ever heard Aiko speak for before. Not only that, but she's completely right. This is obviously a topic she feels very strongly about, even if she's still speaking in her quiet, almost monotone voice. "I guess you have a point there," I admit.

Before I can say anything further on the topic, however, Aiko speaks again. "If you don't mind," she says, "I would like you to leave me alone now."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to annoy you," I say.

"You didn't," said Aiko. "I just prefer reading in silence. That's all."

Right now, I think I can understand why Aiko prefers solitude. And I think I can respect that. "Alright. My apologies," I say. "I'll leave you alone now."

"Thank you," mutters Aiko. she returns to staring at her phone screen, and I turn and head back the way I came. A short time later the bell rings to signal the end of break, and I traipse back to the classroom, my head no clearer than it had been when I'd left it.

Day 73

[from I Watch You Sleeping]

The first lesson of the day is English. But instead of focusing on the foreign language in front of us, Raiden and I spend the whole lesson compiling a list of potential suspects. Girls we believe - or at least, Raiden believes - could be behind the letter. Neither of us has any proof at all that the sender really is a student from our school - or, for that matter, a girl - but it's the only possibility either of us can think of. Whoever this person is, they must know me from somewhere. Where else but school?

"It might be someone from the photography club," suggests Raiden.

"This school has a photography club?" I honestly didn't know that. I can understand Raiden's train of thought there, though.

"Yeah, of course," says Raiden. "I mean, they took all those photos of you, right? A photography club member would be pretty good at that sort of thing."

"I guess so," I say, shrugging. "But why send them to me?"

Raiden thinks about this one for a moment. "You know… I'm not too sure about that one," he says eventually. "I guess, maybe she just wants to show you how much she cares about you or something."

"And… how is sending me photos of me in my sleep going to achieve that?" I ask.

"It's not," says Raiden bluntly. "But from the sounds of it, she's nuts, so…" He shrugs, letting the sentence hang in mid-air.

"Okay, fair enough," I admit. "So, the photography club members are in the frame. Anyone else?" We think for a few moments, and then, as I recall my initial suspicion, I'm struck by a sudden thought. "What if whoever's doing this is just doing it to get to me?" I suggest. "Like… they're not really obsessed with me or anything, they just wanna get a reaction outta me."

"You mean like a prank?" says Raiden.

"If this is just a prank, it's going a bit too far," I tell him, "but… yeah, something like that." I neglect to mention that my initial suspicion was that Raiden was pranking me.

"Hmm… well, I guess it's possible," admits Raiden. "I mean, if they're just trying to spook you, I dare say it's working so far."

"It is," I assure him.

Raiden pauses for a moment, thinking. "Maybe it's Harumi," he suggests. "She likes dicking with people."

"In both senses of the word," I remark, and we share a quiet chuckle at my crude joke.

Harumi Nakata is the queen bitch of the third year. Depending on who you ask, she's either the most popular girl in school, or the most hated girl in school. She abuses her popularity in order to get her own way. Even the teachers bend to her will most of the time. She has these two girls that follow her around and do whatever she tells them to, out of sheer adoration or something. It's kinda sad.

"Alright," says Raiden, "so, any other initial suspects you can think of?"

I think for a moment more. "Uhh… no, not really. No-one that springs to mind, anyway. I think, really, we need some kind of lead. Something to point us in the right direction."

Raiden flashes me a confident smile. "Well, I think I know a good place to start." He turns to the girl sitting in the seat on the other side of him. "Psst! Hey! Meiko!"

Meiko turns round quickly to face him. "Yes, Raiden?"

"You're in the photography club, right?" asks Raiden. Ah, so that's how he know there was a photography club.

Meiko puffs out her chest, looking at us with a proud expression on her face. "In it? I run it!"

"Great," says Raiden. "Could you get us a list of all the girls in the photography club, please? Me and Ken are doing some investigating."

"Ooh, is that so?" asks Meiko, intrigued. "May I ask what you're investigating?"

Raiden glances at me before answering, seeking my approval. I rpomptly shake my head. I don't want Meiko to know what's going on, for two reasons. Firstly, she's pretty loud and talkative. If we told her, it'd be five minutes before everyone else in the school knew, and I just couldn't deal with that. Secondly, since she's a photographer herself, there's still a slim chance that she's the one who took the photographs, and that she's the stalker. It's only a slim chance, I know. But I can't rule anything out yet.

Raiden turns to give her the bad news. "Nope," he says. "Sorry."

"I see," says Meiko. "Well, I'll get you the names at break. Have fun with your investi-"

The teacher suddenly clears his throat rather loudly, glaring in our direction. Me and Raiden are pretty good at whispering, but Meiko… not so much. She quickly flushes red and goes back to her work, and me and Raiden do the same, putting our thoughts of the stalker to one side for now.

Day 58

[from I Watch You Sleeping]

A few minutes later, I'm stood outside the door to Class 3-2. Whatever the deal is with that letter, and those photos, I can't let it get in the way of my schoolwork. Before entering, I take a couple of moments to compose myself. The last thing I need is people asking questions. However, my mouth is still dry and my hand shakes a little as I reach out, grab the handle and open the classroom door.

Everyone else is already inside and seated, and as I enter they all turn to look at me. That's not surprising, since I'm a few minutes late. Normally this would be kinda awkward, but at the moment I have bigger things to worry about.

Our homeroom teacher, Sasaki-sensei, is halfway through a talk about something or other, but cuts herself off and joins her students in staring at me.  She pouts, no doubt disappointed with my tardiness. "You're late, Miyazaki," she says.

I rub the back of my neck apologetically. "Sorry, Sasaki-sensei."

"Any particular reason you're late?"

I freeze for a moment. Should I tell her about the letter? This seems like a pretty big deal…

"…no, Sasaki-sensei. No reason."

She purses her lips disapprovingly. "Well, at least you showed up," she says. "Sit down, Miyazaki." She vaguely waves a hand in the direction of my seat, and I nod silently and sit down.

As I get out my things, Sasaki-sensei picks up where she left off. "Now, as I was saying…"

I'm about to tune out of her speech when I hear a whisper coming from my left. "Psst! Ken!" I turn my head to face Raiden. He's looking at me with something approaching concern on his face. Raiden doesn't get concerned easily. He knows something up. He always knows. That's partly why he's my best friend. One of my only two real friends, as Natsume was quick to point out this morning.

"What's up, man?" he asks quietly. "You look real troubled about something, and it's not like you to turn up late to homeroom. Did something happen to you on the way here? Come on, you can tell me."

I didn't tell Sasaki-sensei about the letter because that would have meant telling the whole class. I don't want everyone knowing about this. But I think I can trust Raiden. So I tell him about the letter, and the photos that came with it. He looks pretty surprised, and concerned. "Wow, really? Damn." Then a grin spreads across his face. It would be frightening, if not for the fact that I've known him since we were both five and I know exactly what he's about to say.

"Hey, you know what that means, right?" he whispers excitedly. "You got yourself a stalker! I bet she's a hot yandere chick who'd kill anyone who looks twice at you! Damn, I'd kill for a girl like that!"

"I know you would," I tell him, "but I don't want a stalker, or a girlfriend who murders people."

"Come on, man!" says Raiden. "Yandere is best dere!"

"No it isn't."

Raiden looks at me like I just told him the sky is orange. "You're weird, man."

"Excuse me?" I retort quietly. "I'm weird? I'm not the one who finds murderous psychopaths adorable." Nor am I the one who bought a hugging pillow of that girl from M*rai N*kki, but we agreed never to talk about that again.

Before our argument can continue any further, the bell rings to signal the start of class.

Day 45

[from I Watch You Sleeping]

I wake to the sound of my alarm clock beeping. Still half-asleep, my arm flails across my bedside table and my hand presses down about half-a-dozen times before I finally hit the snooze button. I look at the clock. It's 7:15am, just as it should be. At least I haven't overslept, but considering how tired I feel, that's not surprising.  Rather reluctantly, I slip out of bed, stretch my back and prepare to get ready for school.

God, I hate Mondays.

***

After a quick shower, I pull on my school uniform, grab my bag, and head downstairs into the kitchen for breakfast. My parents are already there, as is my annoying little sister, Natsume.

"Hey, Ken-chan! Ready for school?"

"I keep telling you, don't call me that," I tell her as I sit down at the breakfast table.

"Now, Ken, dear," says my mother, "it's just her way of showing her affection." Affection. Yeah. Right. My mother places a plate in front of me, with a couple of slices of buttered toast on it.

"Well, I wish she wouldn't," I say, picking up a slice. "It's annoying, and in front of my friends it's embarrassing."

Natsume seems to find this amusing. "You mean friend," she says teasingly. "I mean, Raiden's the only friend you've got, right?"

I slam my fist down on the table angrily, causing my plate to jump slightly, and glare at Natsume. "That's not true!" I bark at her. It's kind of true, though. The only other real friend I have is Sakura, I guess. But hey, the truth hurts.

My father immediately puts down his paper and glares at me in turn. His glare is a lot more fearsome than mine. "Kentaro!" Crap. My parents only call me Kentaro when I'm in trouble. Kentaro is my real name. Everyone just calls me Ken, though, except Natsume, who insists on "Ken-chan". Ugh.

"I will not tolerate that sort of behaviour at the breakfast table!" my father snaps. "Do you want me to confiscate your PS3?" My father always threatens me with that. It always works. Being unable to play video games when I got home… I dunno how I'd cope with that.

I heave a defeated sigh. "Sorry, Father," I say. "Sorry, Natsume."

Natsume beams in triumph. "That's okay, Ken-chan~" She's just doing it to wind me up now, I know it.

I eat my toast in silence, and thankfully, Natsume does the same. I've almost finished when the silence is broken by my mother snapping her fingers, the look on her face telling me that she's just remembered something.

"Oh! I nearly forgot!" she exclaims. "Ken, dear! This arrived for you in the mail this morning!"

She hands me a brown envelope. A letter? Who'd send me a letter? If my friends had anything to tell me outside of school, they'd just text me, or message me on Facebook. This must be important. I look at the front of the envelope. There's no sender's address, just "Ken-chan" scrawled crudely in red ink. This means that whoever sent this must have walked up to our front door and shoved it through the letterbox. It must be very important indeed.

For some reason, though, the writing on the front sends shivers down my spine. Red ink tends to have that effect on me. It just looks too much like it's been written in blood. Especially when it's a giant "F" scrawled across your test paper. Thankfully I don't get too many of those.

My thoughts are interrupted by my mother gasping rather loudly. "Oh, look at the time!" she exclaims. "You two are going to be late for school if you don't hurry up! We wouldn't want that, now, would we?"

I shake my head, a half-eaten piece of toast clamped between my teeth. Sasaki-sensei would be very disappointed if I came in late. Nobody likes to disappoint Sasaki-sensei. I quickly polish off the rest of my toast, then grab my bag and head out the door. Just before I leave, I grab the letter from off the table and stuff it into my bag. If it's this important, I should probably read it as soon as possible, so I guess I'll open it once I get to school.

***

Like most Japanese high school kids, I walk to school rather than being driven there. Thankfully it's only a short walk away. I started my third and final year of high school last month; Natsume's in her final year of middle school. Thank God I'll graduate before she arrives.

As I pass through the school gates, I pull out my phone quickly to check the time. I've got a few minutes left before homeroom. That should be enough time to read this letter. I slip my bag off my shoulder and lean back against the brick wall of the main building. Usually I'd stand here and watch the sunlight streaming over the treetops, of the students trickling in through the main gates, happily chatting away. But today, I have a letter to read.

I take the letter out of my bag. Again, the red lettering on the front gives me chills. I ignore it, tearing the envelope open. I take out the letter inside and read it.

HI, KEN-CHAN! I'M WRITING THIS LETTER TO CONFESS MY FEELINGS TO YOU. I KNOW YOU'LL FEEL THE SAME WAY, SO I KNOW YOU'LL ACCEPT THEM. I LOVE YOU, KEN-CHAN. I'VE ALWAYS LOVED YOU. YOU'RE SO HANDSOME AND SMART… YOU LOOK SO PEACEFUL WHEN YOU'RE SLEEPING… HOW I WISH I COULD BE LYING THERE BESIDE YOU… PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE ME, KEN-CHAN. I BREATHLESSLY AWAIT YOUR REPLY.                xxxxxxx

I fel my heart pounding in my chest. What… is this? Is this some kind of practical joke? Yeah… I bet this was Raiden. This is exactly the kind of stunt he'd pull. And yet…

I notice something else in the envelope. I fold the letter up, place it in my school bag, and reach back inside the envelope.

This looks like a…

No. It can't be.

It is.

It's a photo of me. In my bedroom. Asleep. It appears to have been taken through my own bedroom window. I reel back, a horrified gasp escaping my drying lips. …who? Who took this picture? How? And most importantly… why? And why send it to me?

There are more photographs inside the envelope. I take them out with a shaking hand. They're all the same. Me. In my bedroom. Asleep. In every single one of them. This is… insane. I guess I was wrong about this being Raiden. He would never go this far. But then…

If this wasn't Raiden…

…who the hell was it?

I jump as the bells ring out to signal the start of homeroom. Damn. I better put these photos away before somebody sees them. I quickly stuff them back inside the envelope, then stuff the envelope back in my bag, along with the letter. Then I pick up my bag and make my way over to my classroom.