I never expected things to start this way…
Kanbara was going to leave school with Mio every day and accompany her home. This time Mio didn’t refuse the offer. She didn’t have the strength to anymore.
After practice, Kanbara waited in the hallway for her to finish changing. The older girls were startled by this and asked what he was doing. Before Mio could answer for him, he cheerily replied, “Aw, c’mon, don’t make me spell it out. We’re going out, obviously.”
Mio almost choked from astonishment. She thought her heart might stop. The other girls were stunned as well. Kanbara started walking off, as simple as that, and Mio had to rush to catch up. She turned to offer an apologetic bow to the stunned upperclassmen.
It was awkward, and she felt a bit bad for them, but she also felt incredible. When she caught up to Kanbara, he cut her off before she could ask him about what he’d said.
“Wanna get something to eat?”
The pair ate at a fast-food place near school. If only it could have lasted forever. Even if it was just defense against a stalker, Mio was delighted for the chance to play the role of girlfriend briefly. She even prayed that their little charade got fuzzy enough to become real.
Mio decided to completely ignore Shiraishi at school. Of course, she hated the idea of being in the same classroom as him—even the same building. He spoke directly to her only when she was alone, though. With others around, he’d never be able to say anything.
He was watching. Mio remained determined never to look in his direction when she felt those eyes. Glancing meant interacting. No matter how curious she got, she’d never check.
Shiraishi’s new uniform hadn’t arrived yet, apparently. Mio found that irritating. A certain vague, collared figure in the corner of her vision—not that she looked at him—stuck out like a sore thumb. She did her best not to think about it, yet he was always there, as though pursuing her.
But he couldn’t do a thing. Hanaka and Saho helped ensure Mio was never truly alone, so she could ignore him.
Or so she thought.
During math class, Mio noticed something amiss.
An irregularity stood out. Mio looked down at her desk, where something caught her eye.
Unfamiliar writing sat below her textbook.
Mitsumine Academy was a private school for students who intended to go to college, and it had a reputation of being like a major cram school. Desks weren’t typically vandalized because most students didn’t fool around during lessons. Occasionally, there were marks or scribbles from someone who’d sat at the desk before, but it was rare.
nbara?
There was only the one small bit of text.
It was very clear handwriting, done in pencil, but the strokes and wings on the characters were the pristine sort left by a brush. But there was also something undeniably eerie about the uniform, almost mechanical script. For one thing, it was written on Mio’s own desk. It hadn’t been there the day before.
She slid her textbook aside to see the entire message and gasped.
Can you not be so close to Itta Kanbara?
Mio covered her mouth.
Had she not, she would’ve let out another whistling shriek. She collapsed against her desk. Thankfully, she didn’t make any sounds. Mio’s head rose reflexively, and it threatened to look at Shiraishi. She held firm, however, pressing her forehead back against the desk and staying put. Mio wanted to give herself a medal.
With trembling fingers, she pulled an eraser out of her pencil case and got to work. She had to remove the whole message.
The beautiful letters, almost sickeningly straight and orderly, had to belong to Shiraishi. What was his upbringing like for him to behave in such a bizarre and disrespectful manner? It was difficult to believe he had a home with parents and other family members.
Mio recalled Hanaka’s words. “It’s sexual harassment.”
She also remembered saying that was wrong, and her other thoughts from that conversation. It wasn’t sexual in nature, but this was definitely some kind of harassment.
Maybe I just don’t know the right word. Trying to order someone not to be friends with someone else was like… What was the term used for abuse between couples? Moral harassment?
Mio rubbed the eraser against the desk, feeling ready to cry. She rubbed and rubbed. Even after the letters disappeared, she continued to work at the blank spot on the desk, hard.
The entire time, she keenly felt Shiraishi watching her. She couldn’t shake the sensation.
“You already erased it?”
School was over.
All the other students—including Shiraishi—were gone, leaving only Mio, Hanaka, and Saho to discuss the writing on the desk. Hanaka’s question caused Mio to realize something. Her friends stared at the clean desk.
“If it was still there, you could have shown the teachers.”
“Yeah. That’s a good point…”
Only now did Mio realize that she’d removed evidence to convince teachers and other students of her side of the story. That had never occurred to her in the moment. She was so disgusted that she couldn’t help but run her eraser over the desk until it was warm from friction.
“…Do you believe me?” Mio asked.
“Of course, we believe you,” her friends assured her, looking worried.
“But if you’re getting harassed to this extent, you should really tell the teacher or the school. You need evidence, so the next time he tries something, save it,” Hanaka added.
“…You’re right. Sorry.”
“C’mon, Hanaka, be nice. This is really hard for Mio,” Saho urged.
That would undoubtedly soften Hanaka’s tone. She’d say, “Sorry, I’m just worried about you…”
However, today Hanaka was hard as nails.
“Well, you don’t really seem that nervous about it, Mio,” she said, clearly irritated. “You talk about how scary it is and claim you hate it, but you don’t seem interested in telling the teachers at all. You’re going out with your senpai, so you’ve got a boyfriend, and it seems like you’re kind of over this.”
“That’s not true!” Mio erupted. She was surprised Hanaka thought of her that way. Fresh anxiety gathered, and it had nothing to do with Shiraishi.