===

Story Fragment

*

Shiro Takashi

===

– I remembered, something I wasn’t supposed to.

Lightning crashed, thunder growled. Rain poured heavily on the outside, beating against the window. The teacher raised his head and looked towards her table– absent. He then looked to the rest of the class.

“Does anyone know why Kobayashi-chan is absent?”

Half the class shook their heads.

“Is anyone a close friend of hers?”

The other half of the class shook their heads.

Shiro’s brows furrowed.

Rika Kobayashi. His impression of her was the ‘loner-type’ student in class who often sat on her desk alone. A diligent student, average grades. If he were to point out a flaw, it would be that her social skills were negligible as she barely talked.

“Takashi-san.”

“Yes sensei?” Shiro Takashi answered.

“If you learn anything about her situation, please tell me about it.”

“Understood.”

Conversely, Shiro Takashi was part of the upper castes of the class. Well– somewhat. He was the class representative, a ranker in the academic charts, and was active in club activities. Class proceeded as usual in disregard of Shiro’s premonition.

Splash!

Water came spraying upwards. Her shoes and socks soaked, she then landed on her right feet, causing another splash..

‘A little more, just a little further..’

Pitter, patter.

Hundreds of mini ripples spanned the expansive puddle. Rain poured heavily, she continued her sprint, black blazer held above her. Panting, she watched as numerous colourful umbrellas passed her by.

She slipped into an overhang, finally out of the rain. Relaxing the tension of her hands, she pressed both hands against her knees and crumpled the coat now dripping in water.

She raised her head, taking note of the odd stares of the people in the locker hall.

Her blouse was soaked, bra visible through the fabric.

She felt a certain dread in her heart.

“Crap..”

She made a beeline to the bathroom.

Looking into the mirror, she saw raven black glossy from the tears of rain. Her white uniform underneath drenched, clinging to her skin, revealing the contours of her body. Her black bra and its strap could be seen through the translucent fabric.

Her lips quivered. Hands clenched tightly on her blazer.

“I should’ve.. brought the umbrella..”

She cursed herself for her lack of foresight.

Now that it has come to this.. how should she proceed?

She had no spare change of clothes, class would begin in another fifteen minutes.

Should she reach out to a teacher?

She wiped the dripping water from the bangs of her hair off using her arm.

===

“Shiro-san! Are you going to the cafeteria today?”

“Uh? No, I’m not actually.”

“Eh? Really? That’s a relief..”

“Why?”

To Shiro’s question in reflection, she blinked her big round eyes.

Chisu Sasaki. If Shiro was the calm protagonist, Chisu would be the flamboyant heroine.

“You know, you should just be honest and tell him what you prepared for him,” Yu Makino prodded.

“Uh..” Chisu fidgeted her fingers.

‘She’s always like this,’ Shiro showed a bitter smile.

“Please accept my cooking..!” Chisu slammed two lunch boxes on the table.

“Well, well, what is this?” Ibuki mused.

“I-I’m showing my sincerity.”

“I’m I really allowed this? Why did you cook for me anyways?”

“Eh.. uh.. well..”

“Shiro-san, you can’t be that dense, right?”

“Fine.. I get it. Thank you Sasaki-san.”

Chisu’s eyes sparkled.

“Itadaki..”

“Big bro!”

“Risa-chan?!”

“I got you your cream bun combo.. what’s going on?”

Barging into the class, Risa narrowed her eyes.

“E-E-Eh..” Chisu raised her hands in arrest.

Risa narrowed her eyes further, “What is this..?”

“Here we go again,” Ibuki looked away.

“Ibuki-kun, don’t look away like that,” Yu admonished.

Attention gathered around them, as would usually whenever they were in class. After all, they were part of the ‘popular group’.

Sniff. Sniff.

“Did you cook this? Why are there two?” Risa examined the lunch boxes.

“...”

“Risa-chan, you know Sasaki..” Shiro tried to placate her.

“I’m opening it.”

“W-Wait!” Chisu wanted to stop her, but her actions came a step too late.

Revealed underneath the cover was a bento set brimming with ingredients from small pieces of sushi, egg rolls, grilled salmon drizzled in gravy, fruit slices and a hearty amount of rice.

And it just happened that on the top of the rice, a seaweed sheet had been cut out into a heart shape.

“.. This..” Risa’s eyes twitched.

“I-I think you opened m-mine. The other one should be for Takashi-san–” Chisu’s face turned bright red.

“Why was this one closer to my brother then?”

“W-Well.. it was the wrong lunchbox!”

“Then we’ll see what’s in the second set.”

“No!”

“Hey, shouldn’t you stop them?” Ibuki leaned in towards Shiro and whispered.

“If you remain indecisive like this, Chisu-chan will definitely feel hurt,” Yu followed up.

“Well..” Shiro watched as the two girls bickered about.

He was aware that Chisu held feelings for him. But truthfully, he found it difficult to reciprocate.

‘If she confessed to me, what would be my answer?’

As someone who had rejected many girls in the past, Shiro didn’t know how to feel about this. Chisu was the one that got closest to his heart so far.

Ibuki and Yu looked at each other with defeated expressions on their faces.

“Hm?”

“Wait, that is.. Kobayashi-san?”

“What happened to her?”

Rika entered the class and made it over to her seat. Her hair was a mess, a shadow over her eyes.

She laid her bag down and sat hugging the table with her hands over her head.

“Don’t you think her clothes look wet?” Yu asked.

“Yeah, what happened?” Ibuki mused.

“Well, only one way to find out,” Shiro stood up.

He approached her who clearly expressed her dislike for anyone approaching, the tension in the class heightened.

“Excuse me, Kobayashi-chan.”

“...”

Yu was right, her clothes were wet.

“Did something happen?”

“...”

“Kobayashi-chan, if you need help, I can assist you. Everyone is concerned.”

“As if.”

‘As if?’

“At least tell me what happened.”

“.. nothing. Leave me alone.”

‘She’s really hard to talk to.’

Shiro turned to his group and shook his head. The rest looked at each other in confusion.

“I’ll let the teacher know that you weren’t able to make it to the earlier classes. If you have any complaints, you can come to me and tell me about it.”

“...”

“...”

Shiro returned to his seat after ending the awkward conversation.

“What’s up with her?” Risa said, displeased.

“Maybe something personal is troubling her? Her family, perhaps,” Chisu said.

“Perhaps,” Ibuki mulled over his words.

“Risa, my bread.”

“Oh, here!”

“E-Eh.. does that mean you won’t eat my cooking..”

“No.. of course I will..”

“Big bro..”

And so the conflict continued.

===

‘Cold..’

Sinking deeper into her consciousness, she felt everything growing distant. The sounds, the smells, the temperature of her own body.

She was floating, or so she felt. She was burning, or so she felt.

An unknown amount of time passed.

‘Hm? Don’t I still have class..?’

The realization struck her. She was asleep.

She forced herself to open her eyes.

“Ah..”

“You’re awake, sleepy head.”

“W-Where..”

The class was empty. The dark sky had lifted, revealing the clear afternoon hue soon coming to its evening.

“Don’t worry, I told the teachers about it already.”

“Don’t you have practice..” before she could complete her sentence, a chill caused her to jaw tremble intensely.

‘Cold.. I’m seriously cold.. and hot..?’

She felt incredibly cold on the inside, but hot outside. It was at this point that Rika realized she felt feverish.

“No. I don’t have basketball practice today.”

“...”

“Is something the matter?”

“N-Nothing.. the time is..”

“It’s after class.”

“Everyone.. left?”

“Except me.”

“I see..” Rika felt the world spinning.

“You don’t look good. Where do you live?”

“I.. don’t know the address.. why are you still here? Don’t you need to wait for your parents to pick you up..?”

“Nay. I take the train.”

“The train..”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing..”

“What happened earlier this morning any..”

“ACHoo!” Rika sneezed.

Shiro’s eyes opened wide. He placed the back of his hand on her forehead.

“You..”

“What are you d-doing..?” Rika panicked in fluster. The number one most popular boy in class was touching her–

His every action was as if flirting– misleading gestures. No wonder girls would fall for him.

“You have a fever. You better go home and rest.”

“I know that!”

“I’ll accompany you home.”

‘Huh? Why?’

Rika couldn’t believe what she had just heard. This person was going to bring her home? Was he being genuine, or could this be another one of his ploys? Wouldn’t a rumor spread if people found out?

“Or do you need me to carry you?”

“N-No. I can walk.. ugh..” her body felt heavy.

“Careful now. I’ll help you with your bag.”

“No.. it’s alright..”

“You’re sick.”

“...”

Rika didn’t understand his logic. He didn’t need to go out of this way just to help her, so why?

===

“If your house is so far away, why don’t you take the train?”

“To save money..”

Shiro looked at the map on his phone once more.

‘What kind of financial situation is she in to even save money in such a situation anyways?’

“Okay, we’ll do it this way. Since our train line connects, we’ll take the train.”

“I didn’t bring my train card.”

“I’ll get you a new one.”

“No need..” Rika tried to take her bag back from him; he wouldn’t budge.

“Follow me.”

“Takashi-san, you don’t need to do this.”

“The teachers told me to take care of you.”

“...”

“Everyone is concerned alright?”

Rika couldn’t deny his offer to help after seeing his resolute expression.

They went to the train station, and there Shiro got Rika a new train card loaded with change.

As usual, it was crazy crowded.

Rika was pinned between the door and Shiro. She tried her best to not mind it– how their bodies were pressed against each other. Even though she was aware that there were a few layers of clothes between them, she couldn’t help but feel her already high temperature rise a little more.

‘Why is he helping me..?’

“Sorry,” Shiro said.

“I-It’s fine..” Rika’s ears turned red.

Shiro was kind, but she didn’t know that he was kind to this extent. She felt suspicious. She wanted to think that there was no ulterior motive behind his actions. They got off the train at the right station and headed towards Rika’s place.

“What the..”

A small dilapidated cornershop with stairs going upwards. The place looked like it had been abandoned for years. Rika felt somewhat annoyed by his exaggerated expression. It was not a proper house, but was there a need for a big fuss?

“Thank you for your help. I’ll take it from here..”

“Do you have enough money for medication? For dinner later?”

“Don’t worry about that.”

“There’s a convenience store nearby, I’ll go get something for you.”

“No need.. this is… enough already..”

“Stop trying to handle things alone. I don’t know what kind of family situation you’re in, but there are times when you need to get help.”

“Why are you doing this? Why are you wasting your money on me? I’m not even your friend.”

“Why not?”

Shiro grabbed Rika by the wrist and dragged her towards the nearby convenience store. She held back the urge to complain.

“Tell me what you need. I’ll pay for it,” saying that, Shiro went to ask the clerk for medication.

“...”

Rika looked around in a daze. She still didn’t understand.

‘Why..?’

===

“You should really go there and have the souffle next time you go on a date. No joke, it’s delicious,” Risa said, looking like she was drooling.

“Really?” Ibuki queried.

“Really, really. Yu-chan said she has a sweet tooth right? I think it would be perfect.. just too bad big bro didn’t have the time to come with me yesterday.. he really missed out,” Risa sent him a sidelong glance.

Shiro turned away.

‘It’s a necessary sacrifice.’

When Risa sent him photos of the dessert items she had with her friends on social media, Shiro felt somewhat regretful. Even so, if he had to choose all over again, he would still choose to help Rika.

“Morning!”

“Morning Sasaki-chan.”

“Morning~”

“Is Yu-chan not here yet?”

“Apparently not.”

“Oh! I saw the post yesterday. I can’t believe you ate a souffle! Next time can we go together?” Chisu looked at Shiro, practically begging.

“Ah, no. Big bro didn’t eat the souffle, that was me,” Risa corrected.

“Eh? Then..?”

“He waited for his friend who was sleeping and told me to go alone.”

“Risa, you technically weren’t alone, your friends were there too, right?”

“That is that, this is this,” she pouted.

“Well, when we have the chance we’ll go together next time,” Shiro muttered.

“Yes!” Chisu pumped her fist. “Oh, by the way, I made another lunchbox today so don’t buy anything later, okay Risa-chan? I also have your share”

“.. Are you trying to bribe me so you can swindle my brother away? Objection!”

““...””

‘What is this conversation..’

It was at this time also that Rika entered class. By chance, Shiro turned to her and their eyes met for a moment.

The dark aura that surrounded her yesterday was no longer present. The bangs which had normally been shadowing her face had been cut short, the loose strands were looped over her ears, connecting to the ponytail which swayed behind her.

Her eyes also had a different shine to it despite the dark circles that remained.

She took a seat at her table and looked out the window. It was the first time Shiro really paid attention to her, so he thought she appeared fresh for some reason.

“Big bro. What did you do to her?” Risa asked.

“What did I do?”

‘I bought her food and medicine.. I didn’t think she would come to school today. Has her fever subsided already?’

“Did you really not do anything?” Risa narrowed her eyes.

“Really, I didn’t do anything..”

“It doesn’t look like you didn’t do anything though,” Ibuki said.

“Something about her definitely feels different. Alright, I’m going to say hello,” Chisu said with enthusiasm.

Rika glanced in their direction, noticing Chisu approached her.

“Good morning,” Chisu greeted with a bright smile.

It was a little too dazzling for the quiet Rika.

“G-Good morning,” she stuttered.

“You look a lot prettier today. Did you get a haircut?

“I-I did..?”

“I’m glad you did. Who’d knew you’d be such a jewel after wiping off the shadow from your face.”

“Huh..?”

“Um..”

“...”

“I mean it in good spirit..?”

“I.. know..”

‘She’s someone who judges others by their looks huh..’

Risa looked at the rest of the class past her. The fact that Chisu only approached when she made herself more presentable proved a point.

“Haah.. Morning.. Kobayashi-chan,” Shiro entered the conversation zone to pull off a save.

“Un. Morning Takashi-san.”

“I didn’t say anything wrong, right?” Chisu gulped.

“No. You didn’t say anything wrong,” Rika shook her head.

“Alright..”

“Kobayashi-chan, later,” Shiro pointed to the roof. “Up.”

“???”

Despite the confusion, Rika nodded anyway.

Chisu’s eyes opened wide. He took the initiative?

“Well, let’s go Sasaki-san,” Shiro turned back and returned to his seat.

“Y-Yes..”

She kept glancing at Rika, wondering what in the world happened between them yesterday. An unpleasant feeling brewed in her heart.

===

“This is the meeting place, right?” Rika looked around.

A corner spot of the roof she occasionally spent her break time alone. There was a nice shade here, the breeze on the sunny day of spring was also pleasant to feel.

‘How does he know this place?’

Shiro mentioned this eating spot briefly just as he was about to leave yesterday. Though, she had never seen him come here, ever.

Rika sat on the bench and stared out towards the city. She observed as the train weaved through the tall buildings and cars that were caught in traffic.

‘What will he talk about though?’

“Were you waiting?”

His voice prompted her to turn to him.

“No. I just arrived.”

“Here.”

“.. what?” Rika received the paper bag. Inside was a sandwich set.

“Tell me what happened to your parents.”

“Are you a busybody?”

Rika glared at Shiro.

“Is that how you think of it?”

“Why’d you buy me this?”

“You didn’t bring anything to eat didn’t you?”

“I normally don’t eat anything until I get back home.”

“That’s not good.”

“And how exactly is that not good? Ugh, whatever. You’re being too nice for your own good.”

“I just want to help a friend, no?”

“Fine, fine. You wanted to know about my situation right? My parents are busy working overseas.”

“Overseas? Then your home..”

“It’s their old shop. They just left it there, I never wanted to take care of it so I left it to rot.”

“But it’s completely ruined?”

“It’s called vandalism? Haven’t you heard of it?”

Shiro wanted to say that the case should be reported to the police but.. realizing how they were only minors, it made sense why Rika decided not to do anything about it.

“About your financial situation?”

“Look. It’s not because my parents don’t give me money. I just spent too much money online this time okay?”

“Online? What are you buying?”

“Why do you care?”

“Can’t I ask at least?”

Rika gritted her teeth. “Website domains, editing softwares, email campaign subscriptions, ads.. those kinds of things.”

“What?”

“I’m trying to create a business, okay? I don’t know, I just followed their damn advice but nothing works,” Risa gritted her teeth.

“What kind of business?”

“Selling stuff.”

“What are you selling then?”

“I don’t know. Content? You know merch?”

“What content, what merch?”

“Random stuff like gaming, or news about gaming trends, or things like politics. Anything to boost attention so that I can create a brand for myself.”

“I don’t understand a thing you’re saying. How does building a brand even work? And really? I didn’t know you create content.”

“I don’t have my phone, it’s at home. It’s a pain to come up with ideas all the time, and I’m not making any progress. So I did my research and you know what? I wasted all that money thinking that this is how it should be. I don’t know how to earn money online ugh..”

“Why do you want to earn money online? Why do you want to build a business? It’s a risky venture, you know that right?”

“You think having a stable job is not risky? The moment you get laid off, it’s the end for you. At least for business people, if they lose, they have the skill to try again.”

“...”

“Whatever. You wouldn’t understand it. So what else do you want to talk about?”

“How about becoming a streamer? A v-tuber, perhaps.”

“Which means I’ll have to spend money on hiring an artist to create an avatar and buy more recording equipment. Blah-blah-blah. Great. What else?”

“...”

“What?” Risa felt even more frustrated seeing him silent like this.

“I didn’t think you’d have an interesting side to you.”

“As if any of this is interesting.”

“What’s your social media handle?” Shiro took out his phone.

‘The hell is wrong with his brian?’

Wasn’t this similar to asking a girl for her phone number?

“Don’t bother.”

“Hey. I’m just trying to be nice.”

“I don’t want you to cringe.”

“As if.”

“Don’t copy me..” Rika nibbled on the sandwich, “Thanks for this.”

“Hm?”

“No. Just, nobody talks to me about my stuff. Well, you’d get bored of it eventually. After all, it’s not a topic people relate to so..”

“I think it’s rather interesting.”

“That’s how you think. I’m sure things’ll return to how they were tomorrow. I’ll be back to become a loner, that way I can focus more on my business.”

“Good luck with that then.”

“Yeah.”

Silently, as they looked upon the clouds, they bit into their sandwiches.

===

“So she does this stuff huh.. her following is huge,” Shiro mused as he scrolled her account profile.

The contents he found were semi-professionally made. News on the latest trends, conflict in esports, industry developments. Of course, he understood none of it, so he couldn’t make sense of her work.

“Her wish is to visit Toji Pagoda in Kyoto huh?”

‘How much effort is she putting into this anyways? She even posted a few hours ago.’

Shiro slid into her DM.

[“Hello. Found your account.”]

There was no response.

“Big bro, are you stalking someone?” Risa asked, jumping onto the couch.

“How did you know?”

“So you are? Who?”

“You know, Kobayashi-chan is apparently a content creator.”

“What? Let me see.”

“I don’t even know half of what I’m seeing.”

“Wow, she has so many followers. The number of likes are crazy too.”

“Yeah.”

“So are you going to follow her?”

“Obviously.”

===

“Hey.”

“Un.”

Shiro and Rika happened to bump into each other at the class entrance. Shiro was just about to head to the teacher’s office.

“You didn’t reply to my DM?”

“Shut up.”

Rika walked past Shiro.

Shiro turned around and watched her take a seat.

‘What’s up with her?’

Shiro walked out of class.

‘I guess that’s why people say business people are jerks.’

===

“Why are you here again?” Rika frowned.

“Can’t we?” Risa asked with a raised brow.

“This certainly is a nice spot to rest but..” Chisu looked at Rika warily.

This was her roof spot. Their presence was a violation of her individual space.

“Fine, fine. I’m going,” Rika stood up, ready to leave.

“Kobayashi-chan, stay,” Shiro said.

“Do you think you’re my mom?”

“Your rude attitude is going to get you nowhere.”

Rika fell silent.

“Um..” Chisu shifted her eyes between the two.

“You're right. There’s no way I can create viable content if I keep thinking the world owes me stuff,” Rika muttered.

‘What is she talking about?’

“Here,” Shiro held out another paper bag.

“Why do you keep buying me stuff? Give it to Sasaki-san can’t you?”

“I’m just trying to help you.”

“Stop being a creep. I don’t need help.”

“Kobayashi!” Shiro raised his voice.

‘Shit.. why did I shout..’

Rika looked down.

“Wait, no I’m..” Shiro followed up regretfully.

“Sorry,” She quickly slipped past him.

“...”

Shiro watched her back grow distant until she left past the door.

Chisu and Risa both had perplexed expressions on their faces. But one thing was clear to them– there was definitely something up between the two.

===

“For today’s homework. Please flip to page 124 and do questions 2, 3 and 7. Then for page 125 do..”

The students in the class took down the questions to be completed.

‘Is she still mad?’

Shiro sat in the front, Rika sat at the back. Because of this, Shiro was not able to gauge Rika’s current state unless he turned around.. which if he did, would only arouse suspicion.

“That’s it for today. Thank you class.”

This marked the end of today’s school session. Shiro had to head for basketball practice today. He grabbed his bag and turned to Rika’s seat.

‘What?’

Her figure was seen already outside the class.

‘She’s avoiding me on purpose..’

“Shiro-san, you cool?” Ibuki called out.

“I think I messed up.”

“With Kobayashi-chan? I don’t think she minds. You’re just overthinking things. For an introvert like her, if you try to barge in her peaceful school life like that, obviously you’re going to get that kind of response.”

“I know.”

‘Still.. I want to make it up to her somehow.’

“Takashi-san, let’s go,” Chisu nudged. She was also part of the basketball club.

===

[“Why aren’t you answering your DMs?”]

“This guy must be insane.. what did I get myself into..”

He’s like a stalker. She had no intentions of getting along with him, yet he keeps trying to get closer to her. If his intention was to simply help her, he should leave her alone. If not that then he’s probably an ignorant bastard who pushes his ideals on other people.

‘I shouldn’t have talked to him in the first place.’

Rika set his profile on mute.

“I need to get to work.”

Scrolling away, Rika opened up new tabs and began to scour the net for the latest news. Keeping track with the accounts of famous esports enthusiasts, the news of the industry, upcoming events..

Taking down notes and translating what she saw from English into Japanese, she would then turn them into infographics or plain text. For three hours a day, this was her life in front of the computer.

“Done..” she stretched her hands into the air.

‘I’m hungry.’

She looked at her notes and began organizing them.

‘I’ll begin posting these later. First up, I need to eat.’

Risa went to the kitchen and dug the fridge for anything she could heat up.

‘Right. He bought this last time, didn’t he?’

Tteokbokki. All Risa needed to do was reheat it. Left any longer and it would spoil.

She tossed it into the microwave and waited.

She took out her phone and watched videos to rest her mind. Though, thanks to the suggestion pop-ups, she tended to drift towards videos regarding the content she creates.

‘I still have homework to do but.. I need to push my rank later.’

Ding.

She put down her phone and opened the microwave. The smell of the spices, chili and cheese stung her nose, it made her mouth water.

‘Thanks for this Takashi-san.. I just wish you were less of an ikemen.’

She brought the container to the table, turning on the lights, she took a photo of it before turning the lights back off. She sent the picture to Shiro.

[“Thanks.”]

‘What am I even doing..’

Loneliness. This is something people like herself suffer from. A necessary sacrifice to achieve her goals.

“Itadakimasu.”

She poked the rice cake and put it in her mouth one by one as she scrolled social media for more news.

===

“Morning.”

“Morning.”

They passed each other by.

Rika made it to her seat and loosened a big yawn. She observed the students of the class, each with their own cliques, some like her who sat in their seats alone.

‘Hm?’

A second glance would have her realize that there were more people alone in their seats than usual. Their hands were busy moving to something.

‘Hold on, I have additional mathematics I need to do, don't I? Shit.’

Rika dug her back for her textbook and exercise book then began to stretch her hand muscles to burn the equations on the paper.

‘How do I do this again? Do we do this again? Which fraction becomes negative or positive?’

Rika scratched her hair painfully, poking her pen against her temples for her memory to echo back an answer. She stared between the textbook, equation, and her blinking calculator.

“Here.”

Rika raised her head.

‘This guy is persistent. Does he like me or something?’

“Thanks.”

She couldn’t reject his offer now. There were only a couple more minutes left before the first session. Though it wasn’t additional mathematics class, there was no way her concentration would last once the teacher began teaching.

“Don’t copy the entire thing.”

“I know that.”

Rika made changes to certain portions of the equation and purposely ruined her answers at some parts to make it look convincing. Through the Japanese literature class, Rika secretly worked on her homework. Fortunately she wasn’t caught as she sat near the back.

By the time additional mathematics class came, she slipped his book over, she relayed her thanks in a low voice. Shiro nodded.

She was spared from being called to demonstrate writing the answers.

“Rika, are you free later?” Shiro asked.

“By that you mean when?” Rika looked unamused.

He voluntarily approached her, again, sparking the attention of the class. Moreover, his harem consisting of Chisu and her own sister didn’t look too pleased that Rika was hoarding his attention. She wasn’t even doing it on purpose.

“After school.”

“What do you want?”

“How are you financially?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Look, you’re not my ATM, stop trying to be one.”

“I’m not trying to be an ATM. I did some research yesterday at home. There are certain things you’re subscribed to that’s taking away from the money you need to feed yourself with, isn’t it? Like your website, or the editing software.”

‘The hell. This ikemen is a real stalker, someone call the FBI.’

Rika had a post in the past demonstrating the cost of producing her contents. It was a selfish piece of content made with the intention of venting over her repeated failures. Of course, it didn’t garner a lot of attention.

“And so?”

“You should cut down on those things.”

“Haha.. you’re insane.”

“You’re the one that’s insane,” Shiro's eyes were dead serious.

“Like I said. Normal people like you could never understand people like me. If I want to make things work, you have to just sacrifice certain things.”

“But not at the cost of your own life.”

“...”

“Do a part time job or something if you’re really in need of money.”

“...”

“Hey.”

“I knew I shouldn’t have accepted your help back then,” Rika got up.

“Hey!”

Rika walked out of class.

Shiro clenched his teeth.

‘The hell is up with her? I’m just trying to help. Does she not know how stupid it is to waste all the money like that without knowing how to make money?’

Pat.

Ibuki placed a hand on Shiro’s shoulders.

“You should look at yourself in the mirror,” he said with a thoughtful smile.

“Look at the mirror?”

“You’ve never gotten mad for people like this before.”

“.. Yeah, well, that’s because..”

“Come to terms with how you genuinely feel about her first before approaching her again. You may not know this, but to the rest of the class, it’s as if you and her are an item.”

“What? No.”

“Like I said, look at yourself in the mirror–” Ibuki patted twice and turned to the door about to leave. “–Tsundere.”

Shiro stood there in befuddlement.

‘Look at myself in the mirror? Tsundere? The hell?’

===

“Thank you so much for your help Takashi-kun. Please place the books here.”

“No problem sensei.”

Shiro dropped the stack of homework on the side of the desk.

“Speaking of which, thank you for talking to Kobayashi-chan.”

“Ah, no Nana-sensei. All I did was tell her a few things..”

‘What exactly did I tell her?’

“Whatever it may be, I’m glad she’s looking much healthier than before. So, how is she?”

“About that..”

Shiro began explaining what he knew about Rika’s situation to their homeroom teacher. How she lives alone, her aspirations of becoming a content creator, how she lives in a poor home..

“Dear. She does have a lot on her plate. Can I count on you to continue supporting her?” Nana-sensei asked.

“I’ll try..”

‘Should I even continue? She keeps rejecting my help.’

“Thank you so much for this Takashi-kun. You’re a good friend.”

===

“Takashi-san. Here.”

“Huh? Thanks..”

Chisu smiled. She sat beside him, both of them opened their can of carbonated drinks at the same time. They stared towards the field.

“How did the match go?”

“I kept messing up. You?”

“It was alright. I missed a couple shots though.”

“Well, that’s better than passing the ball to the enemy.”

“Pft, what? Are you not right in the head?” Chisu chuckled. She took a sip from the can’s mouth.

Shiro spun the can in his hands.

‘I’m not right in the head. Yeah. I’m probably not right, I keep thinking about her.’

“Maybe.”

“Hm?”

“Why do you buy me these drinks, and why do you bring homemade meals for my meal? There’s typically a reason for it, right?”

“U-Uh.. no reason in particular.. I just thought it would be nice to share what I have without someone..?” Chisu stuttered.

‘I shouldn’t put her in a difficult position..’

“True.”

“Um. Do you not like it?”

“It’s not that I don’t like it, just.. it’s funny.”

“Funny?”

“I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just, funny.”

“???”

‘It’s funny. I’m doing the same things Chisu is doing for her, aren’t I?’

“I’m sorry for worrying you,” Shiro sighed.

“Uh, no, it’s alright.. I’m glad I could be of help.. she’s bothering you, isn’t she?”

“It’s the other way around actually. I feel like I’m the one bothering her.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You know, she’s trying to make money online.”

“Oh? But from the way you said it..”

“She isn’t making much progress. She’s sacrificing her health, and everything else to achieve this goal of her’s. Don’t you think it’s stupid?”

“Hm..” Chisu dangled her legs a little, “I don’t think it’s stupid. In fact, I admire her for her persistence. Trying to make money online is hard, I think?”

“Is it hard? I think she’s making things difficult for herself. I mean, can’t you just do part time work or something?”

“Maybe she had another reason for it? We can’t read each other’s motivations after all..”

“Right..” Shiro stared at his can.

“Aren’t you going to drink it?”

“Ah, I will. Sorry.”

Chisu flashed a bitter smile.

“Life is truly unfair, isn’t it?”

“Unfair?” Shiro reflected her question back.

“No. Nothing..”

“Okay..?”

Shiro said simply and returned to sipping on his drink.

– Comparing the way he treats her to the way he treats Rika, the difference is so obvious, it made Chisu giggle.

‘How unfair..’

She wanted to cry.

===

A week had gone by with a certain distance forming between Rika and Shiro. Whether it was because of her change in self-care, or how Shiro had given her that boost in attention, it felt like Rika was becoming increasingly appealing to the rest of the class.

Some people had begun to hang out with her. While they were mostly girls, some boys were also mixed into the fray occasionally.

Bit by bit, Rika’s image in class seemed to improve. Her old self was no more, replaced by a youthful high school girl exhibiting a silent charm.

More and more, her presence made a shrine in Shiro’s mind.

“So we’ll finally go to eat the souffle tomorrow? Yes!” Chisu pumped her fist into the air.

“With all of us, don’t act so victorious,” Risa muttered.

“Including your friends too Risa-chan?” Yu asked.

“If you don’t mind it, maybe I can ask if they’re alright with joining their senpais for a snack?”

“We don’t mind, right?” Ibuki said.

“Un,” Yu nodded.

“Then it’s settled. Tomorrow at 2pm, we’ll meet up at the Madeleine dessert pastry. You all know where it is right?”

“You can just find the location through that old souffle post I made a while back,” Risa said.

“I already know where it is, no worries.”

“Ibuki-kun, what about lunch?” Yu asked.

“We’ll just have it earlier then. Maybe we’ll not eat so much.”

“Okay.”

“Lunch?” Chisu asked.

“Oh. Yu and I will be going on a date in the morning. We’ll join you guys in the afternoon.”

“Ibuki-kun!” Yu’s puffy face turned red.

He chuckled, “You hinted at it first. So I thought you didn’t mind them finding out.”

“Mwu..”

“Sorry, sorry..” Ibuki patted her head.

“In that case, Iet’s go somewhere in the morning, just the two of us alright?” Risa tugged at Shiro’s clothes.

“Um.. sure..”

“Objection! No fair, no fair!” Chisu complained.

“What? Can’t I go out with my brother?” Risa grinned.

Chisu puffed up her cheeks.

While such a conversation was going on..

‘Should I try asking her about it..? She won’t have the money to spend on the cakes.. I guess we’ll pay her share..?’

===

[“Rika. We’re going out for souffle tomorrow at 2 pm. Do you want to join?”]

[“No thank you.”]

[“We’ll pay your share.”]

[“Was that agreed upon?”]

[“Yes.”]

‘No. Nobody knows she’ll be coming.’

[“Sorry. I have work I need to do. I won’t be going.”]

[“Stop trying to work all the time. I’ll be paying alright? You should take a break and enjoy life once in a while.”]

[“I’m happy with my life. Going out trying to appeal to people isn’t my thing.”]

[“You’re not trying to appeal to anyone.”]

[“As if.”]

‘Again with this..’

[“Or would rather I go to your place and drag you out of the house?”]

[“I dare you. I’ll call the FBI.”]

[“Is the FBI like the SDF?”]

[“Do your research.”]

[“I’m asking you because you know about this dummy.”]

[“I’m not your encyclopedia.”]

[“I’m not your ATM either.”]

[“Good.”]

“...”

“You’re chatting with her again?” Risa glanced up from her phone.

“Yeah.”

“You like her, just admit it.”

“I don’t know if I like her, alright? I just.. want to get to know her better. She’s actually a content creator, you know?”

“What kind of indirect confession is that, tsundere?”

“I’m not a tsundere.”

“Bruh,” Risa flopped onto the couch hugging her knees lying sideways. “Mom and dad are going to come home late again, right?”

Shiro looked at the time.

“It seems so.”

“They have a lot of endurance. I get tired just trying to make sense of english grammar. I miss having dinner with them,” Risa said, going on a tangent.

“Yeah..”

“At least I have my dinner with you,” Risa smiled slightly.

===

A dilapidated shop house.

Ivy and moss growing on the walls, small puddles of murky fluid with algae growing over. If one had to describe, it resembled a post-apocalyptic shelter where nature had taken root over the humans.

“She lives here?” Risa tilted her head.

“Apparently.”

Shiro took to the tight stairs. The ascent felt as if they were walking into a horror movie. Light faded into shadow, it came to a point where the two of them had to turn on the flashlight of their phones.

“Wow. How does she live here?” Risa muttered.

“I wish I knew.”

The last time Shiro came here, he saw Rika off at the last few steps of the stairs. He never got to see the interior of the home.

They reached the door. Shiro texted Rika.

A few minutes passed.

Click.

The creaking sound of the door, a dark figure emerged.

Her brows arc showing annoyance; hair tied loosely, hanging down her shoulders. She stared up at Shiro with her mocha-black eyes.

Risa pointed her phone light at her. Rika squinted her eyes and screamed.

“AH!!”

“Whoops,” Risa placed her hand on her lips.

“Risa!”

“My bad, my bad.”

“I still need my eyes okay?” Rika complained, rubbing her eyelid.

“Kobayashi-san, we’re going. Are you joining?”

“You’re really persistent aren’t you?”

“And?”

“So you’re really going to pay for the whole thing? You’re not afraid I’ll suck your wallet dry?”

“I dare you.”

“Okay. No. I’m still not going. Using other people’s money for my selfish needs leaves a bad taste.”

Rika tried to close the door, Shiro stuck his foot in between the gap.

“The hell?” Rika shot a look at him.

“Can we enter?”

“Are you going to rape me with your sister here?”

“If that was my intention, she wouldn’t be here to begin with.”

“Enter, whatever. There’s nothing here. I need to work, you just distracted me,” groaning, Rika left the door open for them and headed for her PC.

Shiro and Risa looked at each other.

“Sorry for intruding,” Shiro said.

“As if.”

“Shut up.”

“Is there no one around?” Risa asked.

“No. Just me,” Rika sat on her cheap chair and began typing away at her computer.

“Do you not turn on the lights? It’s hard to see.”

“Sure, whatever.”

Shiro searched around for the light switch.

Click.

The lights came on, revealing the mess of a place– not. The living room was simple, with mismatched old furniture arranged around a simple plastic table. No television, no radio, a ticking clock, a few stacks of thick personal development books arranged neatly inside a box.

The kitchen had a fridge, microwave, cabinets and a clean sink. Meanwhile, a short hallway led to the bathroom and a room with a closed door. That room was her bedroom.

There were only a minimal number of basic supplies here. The sheer barrenness of the place made it seem as if Rika didn’t exist.

“Why don’t you open the windows?”

“It’s a pain to close it later.”

“I’ll do it then.”

“Hey!”

Ignoring Rika’s shout, Shiro tried the bars.

‘What the hell.. it doesn’t budge.’

“Like I said,” Rika nudged Shiro away and pulled the window. Holding it at a certain angle, she shifted it a few centimeters to create a small opening with much effort.

“...”

“It hasn’t been oiled for months, the wheels at the bottom are crushed.”

“How do you even live here..”

“You just do.. ah, whatever. I give up, I can’t work you bugging me like this. Take a seat, I’ll see what I can prepare for you two.”

Rika walked over to the fridge and opened the door.

“I don’t have much. Will you be alright with canned drinks?”

“Um, you don’t need to go so far..” Risa drawled.

“Alright then,” Rika took out three cans of fruit flavored soda.

She washed the lid before handing it out to the other two.

She popped one open and chugged.

Then she sighed.

“Everyone has their own life. This is mine,” she stated as if to draw a line.

“What were your parents thinking when they left you here..”

“No idea. At least they send me money every month.”

“But it isn’t even enough for you to sustain yourself..”

“It’s enough. I’m just using it frugally so that I can become financially independent in the future.”

“What?”

“I don’t know how many times I’ve said this but, I don’t live in the same world as you do. I live in a world where I fight against the normal system of society. I don’t want to get a normal job and work till I retire. I want to learn to create an income for myself so I can decide to do what I like for the rest of my life.”

“...”

“How are you going to do that?” Risa asked.

“I don’t know. But I’ll know how to someday,” Risa sipped on her drink.

“Why are you torturing yourself like this?”

“You think I’m torturing myself. When did I say I’m not okay?”

“How much does your parents give you each month?”

“150 thousand yen (approx. 1100USD).”

“Counting the electric bills, water bills..?”

“Those are paid separately. Look, a high school kid can live off this amount and have spare alright?”

“Still, I think you’re taking it to the extreme by living like this..”

“Why are you here mister ikemen? To tell me to waste more money on unnecessary things?”

“I never said that,” Shiro growled.

“Stop it, stop it. This isn’t getting anywhere!” Risa interjected.

“Right. I just remembered you wanted to invite me out. I repeat, my answer is: no,” Rika turned away, staring at the screen of her computer.

“Kobayashi-senpai. Please, just come out and hang out with us can’t you?” Risa pleaded.

“No,” Rika sat down in front of her computer and tried to take another sip of her drink when Shiro’s words..

“What are you so afraid of anyways?”

.. halted her.

“There’s something you’re hiding, right?”

“Not particularly.”

“Big bro, stop it.”

“Kobayashi-san, are you really alright?”

“I’m alright, okay? Stop asking me these questions already. Ugh, this is why I should’ve just ignored your message earlier.”

“Big bro, let’s go,” Risa tugged.

“You can keep this. I don’t need it,” Shiro placed the unopened soda can on the table.

“...”

“I’ll leave.”

Saying so, Shiro stormed out of the entrance. Risa placed her unopened soda can on the table and bowed to Rika.

“Sorry.”

“No. It’s fine,” Rika turned to look at her with her back still facing them.

Risa left with Shiro.

Rika got up and locked the door.

She crushed the can in her hands.

“Stop trying to care..”

Tears swell in her eyes, pressing her head against the boards of the door.

“Stop making things difficult for me..”

The image of her shattered family flashed through her mind. It belied the throbbing feeling of expectation in her heart.

‘I can’t love him.. I’m not ready. He’s naive, I need to become better otherwise..’

Rika turned around and leaned against the door. She took in deep breaths to calm her beating heart.

‘Stop thinking about him.’

“I still haven’t finished writing my blog. I need to complete it before evening,” she muttered, attempting to distract herself from the bitter feelings in her heart.

She hopped back onto her computer.

“H-Huh..? What is this..”

She froze up at what she saw.

…

..

.

“Why is she like this? Can’t she spare a day to hang out? It’s just a day, what harm would it do?” Shiro muttered to himself.

“She has her own circumstances.. I think,” Risa said.

Seeing her home in such a state left a deep impact on them, Risa especially. Comparing their lives, it made her realize just how blessed she was to be able to live without needing to concern over money– to still be able to see her parents albeit their busy work life.

They reached the rendezvous point: Madeleine’s Dessert & Pastry.

“Good afternoon!”

“Good afternoon Sasaki-san.”

“Good afternoon Takashi-kun!”

“Yo.”

“Afternoon Takashi-san.”

“Perfect timing, let’s go in!” Risa announced.

“Did something happen?” Ibuki asked.

“Huh? Oh, no nothing,” Shiro said.

“You feel kind of down.”

“Maybe I do. A little blues, maybe.”

“Well, let’s cheer up with some cake,” Risa forced a grin.

‘She’s really good at faking her feelings huh..’

Shiro smiled wryly at Risa’s behavior.

They ushered themselves into the busy patisserie.

“Delicious!” Chisu said, a spoon in her mouth, the other on her cheeks.

“You didn’t bring your friends Risa-chan?” Yu asked.

“Nope. I thought it would make them feel awkward.”

“True. We don’t mesh after all,” Ibuki followed up,

“This is really good,” Shiro was surprised by the taste of the ice cream souffle.

The contrast between the cold icy vanilla ice-cream and the hot, creamy souffle hit just right. It wasn’t too sweet nor plain.

“I’m going to steal some from you~” Risa’s spoon flew over.

“Sure, sure. I’m going to try this velvet cake too.”

“Yum.”

“Not bad.. but the souffle definitely tastes better.”

“Well, the cakes help add variety. Last time everyone ordered souffle, our taste buds went numb from the taste.”

“Really?” Yu asked.

“Yup. That’s why it’s good to have some other thing to wash the taste away..” Risa spoon inched over to Shiro’s souffle again.

“At this rate you’ll be taking everything away..” Shiro sighed.

“We could always order another one right?” Risa grinned.

“Ah? Really? Then should we order one more to share just between us? Like, now because um, if not we have to wait.”

“Sure.”

“Wait, let’s take away one set.”

“Big bro, the ice cream on the souffle will melt. If you want to take away something, pick this instead.”

“Oh right.”

“Hm? We can always come here again, right?” Yu asked.

“Well, I mean, the cake here is nice right? I could eat it tomorrow, and while we can come here anytime, it’s not like we get to come here every day.”

“True, true.”

…

..

.

Groaning, she raised her head and looked at the screen one more time.

“Fuck.”

Past the fringes of her messy hair, her eyes reflected the ban notice in front of her.

“When did I breach copyright? What happened to fair use? Fair use damnit..”

She scratched her hair and wiped her tears.

“Damn it.. I haven’t even written the blog. Calm down, not everything is gone.. I’ll just have to tell them that my account was banned.. I need to create a new account after that..”

Rika gritted her teeth and returned to work.

Obstacles are an inevitable part of pursuing something. Either you plow through them, or go around. There is no other way.

An hour passed, Rika pushed her blog and made preparations to launch another account under a different email address.

‘Getting banned sucks, but if I broke some legal thing and had to pay a fine or something..’

“At least that didn’t happen.. well, I’ll go get dinner.”

Rika hopped off her hair. She took out her frog wallet from underneath the desk and headed to the door.

“Huh?”

There was a paper bag at the doorstep outside.

“This is.. Madeleine’s Pastry?”

Rika looked inside and found a note and three different dessert items. A velvet cake, mocha tiramisu and green tea cake.

– I’m sorry about earlier. Here, enjoy.

Her hands trembled.

“Why..”

Tears formed at the edge of her eyes.

“Why are you doing this to me..”

===

Shiro stretched his hand into the air and loosened a yawn.

“You look sleepy,” Chisu said, “Did you not sleep well?”

“Hm? I did sleep well. Morning blues.. perhaps.”

“Mn..” Chisu narrowed her eyes.

For a moment the entire world zoned out, in their little scene only both of them existed– Chisu blinked at the realization. Her face quickly turned pink.

“U-Uh..” flustered, she turned away.

‘Yeah, well..’

Shiro sighed inwardly.

“Flirting so early in the morning?” Ibuki said as he passed by. Chisu’s face grew redder.

“Don’t get the wrong idea Ibuki-san. Morning,” Shiro retorted harshly.

“Yeah, morning,” he shifted his seat to face Shiro who sat right behind him. He looked between them, a little concerned about how things between them would progress.

“Anything?” Shiro questioned with a raised brow.

“No. Nothing,” Ibuki shook his head.

“Alright,” Shiro stood up.

“Where are you going?”

“The washroom.”

“Oh.”

Saying so, Shiro walked out of class. Casually, he went down the busy hallway.

– Thank you.

Those words just seemed to drift into his existence, her meek, bashful tone transmitted in earnest. Shiro turned around, and for a moment he stood there and watched as she walked forward with her bag facing him– and then she stopped and turned around.

Today, Rika’s hair had a cute strawberry ornament on it. It added a hit of adorableness to her typically stern expression.

“M-Morning,” her words quivered.

“Morning Kobayashi-san.”

Rika nodded. She turned back around and proceeded to class.

Shiro kept his attention on her until she made a right turn.

‘Is it just me.. or is she somehow different today?’

===

‘Damn it.. why, why, why..?!’

Rika felt like her world was crumbling, all beginning from that gift of a cake he sent. The weekends had been a constant debate of should she text him to say thank you or not. It screwed with her entire head.

A fuzzy feeling of fear and anticipation clouded her rational thoughts, leading into a frustration no worse than seeing hate comments online.

Worse, this morning she just had to spare a couple extra minutes in the mirror to make sure she looked pretty and nice. For what reason? Well, Rika would deny it even if it were mentioned.

‘It’s only a cake, only a cake so how come it made him so damn.. ugh.’

She wanted to smash her head on a pillar somewhere.

‘I need to stop getting anywhere near him.. he’ll be the end of me..’

The thought caused a squeezing pain in her heart. She had to remove herself from the situation, yet if there was a chance to get closer to him, she wondered if she would have the strength to deny such an opportunity.

“Morning Kobayashi-chan. What’s up with you today?”

“Morning. Nothing, really.”

“It doesn’t look like nothing to me,” Rika’s friend narrowed her eyes.

“What? I only put on a nice pin, right?”

“Fine. I won’t poke into it, because you’re cute.”

“Cute?”

“Yes, have you heard of gap moe?”

“Ah..”

How could a little pin like this cause a gap moe? Kobayashi began wondering how Shiro thought about her appearance today. He stopped and stared earlier, so did that mean her measures were effective..

As soon as she caught herself in that train of thought, she smashed her head against the table.

“K-Kobayashi-chan?!”

“Ugh.. get out of my mind,” she groaned.

“What’s wrong? Hey? Kobayashi-san..?”

Meanwhile, a little distant away, Ibuki and Chisu were looking at the scene with increasing curiosity.

===

The week passed with the gradually intensifying dance of courtship. Mix signals thrown into the battlefield of love, neither could tell each other’s true intentions or feelings.

[“Don’t you have a goal in life?”]

Shiro looked at the message. The previous two times, he had been the one to initiate the message, today, it was Rika herself.

[“Even if I do set goals, it’s unlikely that it’ll happen. Trust me, I’ve tried.”]

The response came back quickly.

[“That’s not the point of goals. Goals are there as a guidepost in life, a direction to head towards. If we don’t have a goal, we’ll be dragged into helping other people achieve their goals.”]

[“And? I don’t see a point in that.”]

[“You’re really..”]

[“Really what?”]

‘Everyone is different. I don’t set goals because it’s demotivating if I don’t achieve it.’

Shiro placed his phone face down on the table and headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner. It was also at this time that Risa came out of the bath, wrapped in a white towel.

“It’s your turn today? So what are you going to make?”

“Miso soup with seaweed and bean curd.”

“And?”

“Then I’ll cook regular eggs, and maybe a side of bean sprouts.”

“Hm.. sure thing then. I feel like eating cake,” muttering so, Risa disappeared upstairs to get her clothes changed.

Shiro dropped seaweed into the small pot before mixing miso paste into the broth. On the side he fired up a pan with oil before cracking a couple eggs into it.

It didn’t take long for him to finish preparing everything.

“Itadakimasu!” Risa said, chomping down on the flavourful bean sprouts and rice.

“Itadakimasu,” Shiro picked up his chopsticks and stirred the soup.

“How nice it is if mom and dad could come back and try your cooking. You’ve gotten a lot better.”

“At least you’re here to taste it.”

“Geh, don’t say something so suggestive.”

“Suggestive what?” Shiro looked at Risa as if she were a seagull.

“Nothing,” she chuckled.

‘The hell..’

Then she kicked his leg underneath the chair.

“Hey,” Shiro groaned.

Risa stuffed her face with rice before saying, “How has it been between you and Kobayashi-san?”

“Why do you want to know that?”

“I’m your sister, of course I need to know how your relationship is progressing.”

“We’re not in a relationship.”

“Do you think I’m blind?”

“We’re not in a relationship.”

“You text her almost every day. And you peek at her during lunch.”

“Can’t friends do that?”

Risa looked at him blankly before saying. “They could– if said friend was a stalker.. no, a pedophile. Right..”

“Swallow you food before talking.”

“Aha! Dodging the problem.”

‘Shut up.’

Shiro had one hell of a dinner thanks to Risa’s incessant prodding.

“I’ll clean up,” Risa said as she took the plates and bowls to the kitchen.

“Right. Thank you.”

“No problem.”

Shiro got up from his seat and took his phone to check for Rika’s reply.

He felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

She didn’t respond.

===

A sunny day, cerulean skies, cotton clouds. Rika kicked her legs on the seat and stared downwards. She watched the folds of her skirt move everytime her legs moved.

“Our values don’t align. Our goals don’t align. Most high school love fails by the time they reach college. Based on statistics, most people would go through 3 breakups before they find the one. These should be enough of a reason why our relationship won’t work out. Rika, just give up on him,” she muttered to herself.

It remained on the top of her mind that she shouldn’t let her emotions cloud her judgment, she understood that it wasn’t easy to get her out of the situation. The past week had been an emotional roller coaster ride. Just when she thought she found a reason to excuse herself from her feelings, her heart would nudge her back to him.

Love is blind, she knew as much.

Rationality is nothing but a lie, after all, emotions were the basis in all of decision making.

“Love is so complicated.”

Risa sighed.

“Give up, give up. I technically can’t focus on two things at once. Heck, I think I might die trying. He’s going to tell me to stop pursuing my dream or something..”

“So that's what you’re concerned about?”

Rika’s body tensed. She turned around and found Shiro standing there.

Too absorbed in her thoughts, she failed to notice his presence.

‘He obviously likes me. There’s no way he would be stalking me like this if not. I need to get out of here.’

“Sorry,” Rika got up and tried to leave.

“Rika-chan.”

But his words caught her off guard, he just called her by her first name.

She stopped on the spot.

“I want to be honest with you.”

‘Ah.. right. He heard everything, didn't he?’

Rika didn’t even understand why she turned back to look at him. She should be retreating, logically, it was the best course of action. Yet her existence acted contrary to reason.

They peered into each other’s eyes. The light breeze caused their clothes to crease.

Shiro came alone, it was just the two of them.

“You asked me if I have a goal, right?”

“Yes, and?”

“I don’t have one.. is what I would say before until I thought about it a little more..” Shiro said awkwardly.

Rika felt her heartbeat quicken. She could already guess where this was going.

She was excited for his response, excited that she would finally be liberated from having to guess his feelings. Yet at the same time, she was scared; scared that this would change her, scared that it would be the obstacle hindering her from her dreams.

“If I don’t have a goal, then I will support someone else’s goal…

Rika wanted to reject it. But the words just got stuck in her throat.

“I’ll support your’s.”

She wasn’t sure if the reaction was instinctual or emotional, but she could feel something warm slide down her cheeks.

“I like you.”

‘This guy.. this ikemen is just.. too damn strong.’

“I.. like you too..” Rika said through her teeth.

Shiro loosened the grip on his fist.

He narrowed the distance and hugged her. She didn’t resist, simply standing there blankly.

‘I’m screwed..’

This wasn’t the development she wanted, but this was also what she had been hoping for.

A dilemma in her mind which had been fulfilled.

Hiding behind the block, Yu stroked Chisu’s back.

“It’s alright, it’s alright,” she tried to soothe the trembling girl.

===

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Shiro pressed the alarm and got right out of bed. He stretched his hands up and yawned. Picking up his phone, the first thing he saw was.

[“Good morning.”]

“Morning Rika-chan.”

‘She’s so early.’

[“Good morning.”]

Shiro replied back with a couple sunny emojis.

He got out of bed and went to wash up. His parents were already in the kitchen by the time he finished.

“You’re late!” Risa exclaimed.

“My bad.”

…

Rika looked at herself in the mirror and kept adjusting the pin on her head.

‘I think I get why girls go all the way to make themselves look pretty in front of their boyfriends now. It’s so freaking annoying! Am I insecure or something?’

She would like it if Shiro would tell her honestly that she was cute.

“Might as well use some deodorant..” Rika sighed.

Finishing the matter in the bathroom, Rika checked her computer, put it to sleep before heading out. For breakfast, she had simple toast with egg and some dried dates.

“I can’t believe I’m excited to meet him,” Rika smiled wryly as she made her way to school.

…

..

.

Shiro arrived first. Greeting Ibuki, Yu and Chisu as usual, he took his seat.

“Congratulations,” Chisu said with a smile.

“Hm?” Shiro tilted his head.

“Ah look, he’s mimicking her now.”

“What?”

“No. Nevermind,” Ibuki faked a cough.

‘What’s up with them..? Wait, don’t tell me they..’

“You guys found out?”

“Found out about what?”

“What else..” Shiro groaned, tapping his finger on his table.

“Well, of course. You made it so obvious,” Yu said with a slight frown.

“Sorry. Should’ve told you earlier then.”

“You hurt Chisu’s feelings, you know?” Yu added.

“It’s fine. I’ll get over it eventually.”

“.. sorry.”

“No, it’s fine, it’s fine..” Chisu waved her hands to deny the remark.

“Oh right. Shiro, for the additional mathematics homework. Were you able to find the answer for question 4b?”

“Hold on,” Shiro went digging through his back.

Also at this moment, Rika entered the class. Their eyes met for a moment. Rika waved meekly, Shiro nodded. A short exchange like that to acknowledge each other’s presence, Rika went to her seat.

“Here.”

“Thanks,” Ibuki clapped his hands together and bowed.

Shiro titled backwards in Rika’s direction, “Rika-san, have you completed your additional mathematics homework.”

“Huh..? Eh.. uh, I don’t think so..”

Shiro’s sudden call caught her off guard.

“Then come over, Ibuki-san is using my book right now.”

“O-Oh..”

“Jeez. You’ve grown some balls,” Ibuki said.

“Shut up.”

“I’ll be going back first,” Chisu said with a wryly smile.

“Ibuki-kun, I’m going to be with Chisu-chan a little while,” Yu quipped.

“Sure.”

“Okay..”

The two girls left for their places. Rika wasn’t blind to the exchange, she knew well what happened.

“It’s alright. Come sit here,” Ibuki beckoned.

“Thank you..”

“You must be quite lucky to have won over his love.”

“...”

“It’s a sensitive topic huh? Well, here. I only need this question here, you can copy the rest,” Ibuki said as if to change the topic.

Shiro looked towards Chisu and Yu. Then he looked at Rika who was looking at him.

“The one I like is you.”

“I know. You’re concerned about her, I would be too if I were in your shoes.”

The only thing Shiro wouldn’t understand was the discomfort Rika was feeling. Being eyed by many of the jealous girls in class, as much as she disliked being in the center of attention, she thought she had to at least go out of the way for him like this if she wanted their relationship to work.

‘Still, he could’ve acted less insensitive around Sasaki-san right?

===

Lunch break. Rooftop hideout.

“Rika-chan, are you free this weekend?” Shiro asked.

“Hm? Are you planning something?” Rika tilted her head and blinked a couple times. Shiro found her gesture plain cute.

“My brother wants to bring you out on a date. Remember the cake we got you last time?” Risa said as she sucked on her carton of juice.

“Well.. something like that.. or are you busy?” Shiro scratched his head.

“Well.. I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep sitting at home.. so sure.”

“Oh right. I’ll pay for it.”

“No need. I’ll pay my own share. It would be unfair if I tried to take advantage of you. Like I said, this relationship could fail.. of course, it’s not like I want it to fail,” Rika said with a grim expression.

“I know..”

‘She’s really a worry wart.’

As much of a front she tries to put up, the truth was that she wanted to have someone she could share her concerns with. Beyond her unorthodox manner of understanding the world, she was still a girl with emotions.

“Then how about me? Will I be going? Then it won’t be a date anymore would it?” Risa questioned.

“I would prefer if you came together. Um, I’m not used to going out, it would be nice to have extra company or.. Shiro-san, do you prefer not..?”

“No. It’s alright. Right, Risa-chan?”

“Yay~”

“Then it’s decided,” Rika brought the sandwich to her mouth and took a big bite out of it.

“Yup,” Shiro looked towards the direction Rika was facing, the cityscape.

Risa stared at the two for a long time.

The bell rang, informing them of the end of their break.

“Oh shoot. It's about time. We should return to class,” Rika quickly finished her sandwich and stood up.

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

“Oh crap, I was supposed to copy my friend’s homework!”

“Risa-chan..”

“Whoops?! I gotta go!” Risa dashed off first.

Heaving a sigh in unison, they looked at each other. They questioned each other’s intentions with their eyes before bursting into laughter.

“Let’s go, let’s go.”

“Yup.”

The usually crowded hall was abnormally empty today for some reason.

“Love is blind. I can’t believe I fell for you even though I told myself not to,” Rika muttered.

“Really now?”

“Of course, it’s not that I don’t want to be with you but.. logic and emotions, in the end the latter wins out. It’s really stupid.”

“How is that supposed to be stupid,” Shiro rolled his eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

“And what are you even apologizing for?”

“No reason.”

“Well, I’ll go up ahead first.”

“Yes class rep. Good luck.”

His pace quickened, Rika slowed her pace down.

‘If I go in together with him, it would be awkward..’

She imagined the sight of the class turning to look at them. The prickling sensation of being stared at didn’t bode well on her.

She still wasn’t used to being around him even. A week was still too short of a time to truly accustomed themselves to their new identities. An ikemen and an introverted girl, obviously there'd be some adjustments that have to be made between them.

Rika felt a strong force tug on her body.

‘Eh?’

A white light spread out beneath her feet. Runic symbols rippled outwards at the ever increasing intensity of the pulsations around her.

Shiro, upon noticing the weird energy, turned around. His eyes widened.

– A magic circle emitting an ever-brightening glow.

“Help?” Rika whimpered.

“RIKA!!”

He reached out to her.

She stretched her hands toward him.

‘Ah!’

She felt a hand grab her back. Supple, soft–

“Otherworlder, please save this world from everlasting destruction.”

As the light faded, what she witnessed before her was an enchanting beauty. A pair of iridescent eyes peered into her own.

– The Goddess Ra.

…

Gold particles drifting in the air, carrying with it the refreshing scent of a flower field. The light subsided, Shiro standing blankly.

“What’s going on?”

“What, what?”

“You saw the light right?”

Those in the surrounding class peeked outside.

“Rika..?”

Shiro looked at the ground, at the fading runes.

‘Magic? What the hell is this.. right! She still has her phone!’

In denial, Shiro took out his phone and gave her a call.

It rang and rang– the person you called could not be reached at this time– no one picked up.

He texted her multiple times, checked her social media status, refreshed his phone– there was no clue as to where she was.

The worst case scenario crept into his mind.

‘Shit..’

===

“I don’t know. She just disappeared into something like a magic circle,” Shiro said in a monotonous voice.

There were cameras installed at the stairs, but not in that hall where Rika disappeared specifically.

It has been two days since the incident. The news caught the eye of the media and was all the clout on the news.

Currently, Shiro was being held up by the police.

As they reviewed the eye witness testimony alongside the camera recordings, the detectives were not able to make sense of what had happened.

When they tried to trace Rika’s phone location, they failed to come up with any results. The forensic scientists on site were unable to find any clues. All they knew was that there was an elevation in electromagnetic concentration around the area.

“Previously, you were on the roof. Why was that?”

“It’s where we hang out.”

“Do you normally come back to class at this sort of time?”

“We usually went back before the bell chimed.”

There was no proof that Shiro was the culprit, if anything, he was the victim. The school was to be closed for two weeks owing to Rika’s disappearance.

Online, the news sent the anime community into a frenzy, with many suspecting this to be the first instance of isekai. It sparked a crazy number of followers to Rika’s accounts despite her no longer being in this world. The same went to Shiro.

In fact, journalists mobbed his house just to hear the real incident from the closest eye witness himself. Privy ones found his location and spread it across the web. Overnight, Shiro became a superstar.. but not in a good way.

His mother was almost laid off from the job because of the media attention while his father had decided to come home early to check on Shiro and Risa daily in case anything happened to them.

[“Any questions?”]

The teacher asked in the group call.

Shiro opened his microphone to speak.

[“No questions.”]

He clicked away and scanned the catalog of anime and light novels pertaining to isekai.

[“Alright, with this everyone may be dismissed. Remember to complete your homework. I’ll be sending the file right after this.”]

At the end of the online class, Shiro laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

‘Will she be alright..’

It was crazy to think that a phenomenon like world-jumping could exist. Many experts in the field of quantum physics and alternate dimensions were requesting that the school be suspended for a month so that they could come to study the mysterious phenomenon.

“What kind of world did she even go to..”

There were many kinds of isekai. Some were light heart and cheery, others were grim and brutal. While the basic concept remained the same, whether or no Rika would have a good life there remained a mystery.

Did she acquire some big cheat? What kind of threats would she face? Did she meet a goddess? How about the difference in the progression of time between the two worlds? Would she eventually find a prince and settle down?

‘Is she even in an isekai? What if she isn’t …’

Shiro closed his eyes.

‘..But say she is. She’ll forget about me eventually..’

In almost every story in the isekai genre, the victim seeks to find a way home. There was no guarantee that such a thing was possible.

The ultimate end-game for the victim: they either had to become a god, defeat the demon lord or have some amazing cheat in the start.

Even if in the best case scenario, Rika does get to return, it would take a year at least before her return.

“What do I do if she doesn’t come back..”

The gnawing feeling in his chest, the discomfort of knowing that she would be a changed person if she does return.

And the fear that their bond would fade to the time.

‘Actually, there’s still one possibility.’

In most isekai stories, if one half left their other half in the other world– the likelihood they would find their way back to each other was–

===

“Koujo-san.”

“Here.”

“Takashi-san.”

“Here,” Shiro raised his hands.

As the teacher called out each person’s name, he ticked off the attendance list. But, when he reached Rika’s seat, he turned silent. The mood in the class seemed to change.

“We’ll begin class.”

He placed the list on the desk and told everyone to take out their homework. Shiro stared at Rika’s seat in a daze.

Class felt longer than usual, Shiro ruminating about everything that had happened the past month. While the media had calmed, it didn’t mean the situation was back to normal.

He remembered how Rika’s parents came to visit his family. Their reaction and hostility wasn’t something he would want to experience again in the future.

Break.

“Um, Shiro. Here.” Chisu held out a bento box to him.

“Oh, I.. nevermind. Thank you.”

Even though he had made himself something from home, he thought it would be too impolite to accept Chisu’s hardwork. While he knew before Rika disappeared that some distance had been created between them. Of course, it wasn’t like all ties were severed.

Shiro opened the box.

Instead of the hearty bento he received in the past, the contents inside this one were much simpler, more practical.

“I know I shouldn’t be asking this but.. how have you been?”

“I’m fine. Thanks for asking.”

“You don’t look fine to me,” Chisu pouted. “Tell me everything.”

“Taken to the police to be questioned, getting mobbed by a bunch of journalists, my parents almost lost their jobs, Rika’s parents barged into our house to make a mess.. you know. The typical developments,” Shiro said with a bitter smile.

“There’s nothing typical about that,” Ibuki said seriously.

“It’s not like I can do anything about it right..? Rika is gone, now what.. wait until she returns?”

“Hey, is it really a magic circle? Did you actually see it?”

“Yes. It’s a magic circle, the kind with weird symbols and a bunch of smaller circles. Golden-white, maybe a little red. It even has that particle effect, and it tingles when it touches you, and I even felt a cold breeze.”

Hearing Ibuki, Chisu and Yu’s expressions turned grim.

“Big bro. I’m here.”

“Oh, Risa-chan, come in,” Yu grabbed a seat from a random person who wasn’t in class.

And those that remained in class, it was clear that they were keeping their ears attuned to their conversation. Moreover, there were people from other classes peeking from the outside.

“They’re a bother. Want to move to the roof?” Risa asked.

“If we do that they’ll follow.

“True.”

“We’ll stand as your vanguards then,” Ibuki said.

“Thanks..” Shiro smiled wryly. He glanced towards Rika’s empty seat once more.

===

Another month had passed since the incident.

Shiro was getting used to his new life without Rika. Part of him wondered if it was alright to even feel this way, the other part of him emphasized Rika’s indication that they were unlikely going to be together in the end.

“A self-fulfilling prophecy huh..?”

“Prophecy?”

“Ah, no. I mean, Rika said that we’d likely not be together and get married. To think it would actually happen..”

“Then should we say that we’d end up being isekaied too? Make it a self fulfilling prophecy so you can go see Rika again,” Risa said.

“Don’t curse me.”

“It’s not a curse. You miss her a lot right?”

“...”

The two of them made it to the train platform. The busy station made it hard to maneuver, so Risa pulled Shiro close. This action, though done on purpose by Risa, made Shiro a little suspicious.

The train arrived, barely anyone got off, more people squeezed in. They didn’t even get a chance to move from their spot.

“Why are there so many people today?” Risa asked.

“No idea.”

Typically, when they took the train to go back home at this sort of time, it wouldn’t be so packed.

Standing there, many onlookers who noticed them secretly took photos, recognizing that Shiro was the missing victim’s boyfriend. It irked him.

‘Do these people not know tact?’

The next train arrived. This one with less people so many of them flowed into the coach.

“I think we should wait for the next one,” Risa suggested.

“Alright. We’re in no rush anyways.”

“So, what’s for dinner?”

As they moved forward into position to better catch the next train, the ground below Shiro began to glow.

“Hm?”

“Huh? Big brother this..”

“Shit, get away–”

“NO!!”

A commotion broke out as the bystanders, noticing the strange phenomenon, backed away. Screams echoed, gasps resounded. Risa clung to Shiro tightly as he tried to push her away.

“Risa! No! Get..”

“I won’t let you go alone!”

The completion of the magic circle evoked a grand explosion of light. They shut their eyes, sounds seemed to fade, distort.

In the next moment, they opened their eyes and found themselves standing in a crystal white space. A golden throne on top of an elevated stage. On it sat a belle whose hair shone like a divine lily.

Eye arched upwards, the girl on the throne looked fairly surprised. Captivated by the allure of her iridescent eyes, Shiro and Risa were unable to tear their eyes away from her, falling into a trance.

“I, the Goddess of Ra, creator and manager of the world Ekia, greets the hero.”

She stood up from her throne. Her white dress trailing the floor behind, an aura of majesty riveted them in place.

“As fate would have it, you have been summoned to save this world except..”

‘Except..?’

They couldn’t talk– dared not to talk, fearing that it would be the end of them should they try anything unusual.

“There shouldn’t be two of you. I only have enough blessings to only accommodate one person.”

‘Right. Risa was dragged in by accident..’

“Shiro Takashi. Come forward.”

“Me?”

Risa squeezed Shiro’s hands once before letting it go. She prodded him with her eyes, he took his first step towards the Goddess.

“Thee shall be the hero that’ll bring new light to the darkening world. I entrust you with the mission of–”

The white world faded in black as the goddess voice drowned asunder.

Shiro woke up.

He sat up from the bed and held his head.

“That was..”

‘So we did meet the goddess after all? Why don’t I remember it.. did she erase our memories? Or I’m I thinking too much?’

Shiro looked around the large bedroom. The silky white curtains fluttered, moonlight peeking in to illuminate the fluffy red carpet. Beside his king size canopy bed was another bed where Risa was sleeping on.

“What time is.. right. They don’t have a clock here.”

‘I was isekaied. Rika died five centuries ago.. I was made the hero so why did Risa get the abilities then?’

Shiro gripped his hands into a fist.

‘The hell is this?’

Shiro tried his best to grasp everything he remembered from the dream, the sights and scenes slowly fading.

‘Mission.. what is our mission.. I don’t remember what the goddess entrusted us with? Why?’

Shiro got up from bed and reached the desk. Under the dim lights, he scribbled everything he knew.

“Could Risa be hiding the fact that she remembers?”

Shiro couldn’t help but find it weird that the dream was cut off at such a crucial moment.

He turned around thinking to wake Risa up when he noticed a large shadow. An ominous pressure shocked him into reaction as he saw the entity standing right beside Risa’s bed

Jet black armor, dark purple flames. A black sword held in an inverted position pointed down against the sleeping Risa.

[Passive Trait: Emergency Reserves]

Time seemed to compress itself as Shiro’s body moved.

The sword descended slowly in his vision. The groaning of every muscle fibers in his body pushed to the very limits.

He grabbed Risa by the shoulder and threw her away from the bed. Harshly, she hit the other bed before falling onto the carpeted floor moaning in pain.

The sword impaled the duvet and mattress.

The black knight looked up at this person called Shiro.

A sense of dread welled up inside him, feeling the cold stare beneath the visor prickling his face.

‘Shit..’

“What the hell..” Risa’s voice echoed as she got up rubbing her back. She wanted to complain but froze up when she felt the unusual pressure in the room.

Shiro was standing in the face of a black knight.

The black knight raised the blade and unsheathed it.

‘What..?’

It walked towards the open door towards the veranda. In a forlorn manner it seemed, it stared off into the distance.

“Wait?! Why did..”

The black knight faded into black mist.

“What..”

“Big bro that was..”

“He spared us for some reason..”

“I.. I almost died there didn’t I?” Risa shuddered.

“Y-Yeah..”

“T-Thank you.”

“No problem..”

The exchange took place with both of them still staring out the window.

“Risa.”

“Y-Yes big bro?”

“Do you really not remember meeting the goddess?”

“H-Huh? We met the goddess?”

“I had a dream, a vague one. We were given a mission, but I can’t remember anything about the mission. I don’t know why the goddess wiped out our memories but..”

Looking towards the window, Shiro thought it definitely had to do with the black knight that had just attacked them.

===

Shiro walked into Rika’s study.

It was a place located on the uppermost floor of the pagoda located at the center of Riestallia Academy.

Books arranged in wooden shelves, little potted plants on the dark wood desk, louvered windows made of paper, a lamp made of brass sitting in the corner. It gave off an archaic vibe.

He took a book out of the shelf and placed it on the desk as he sat.

It was the untitled book he found in the athenaeum in the trainee dungeon. Containing Rika’s research and also proof that Rika worked closely with the demons to find a way to return home.

Rizal’s Theorem, describe the past demon lord’s attempt to send Rika back to earth. Even with his ingenuity, he wasn’t able to come with a solution. Even so, he laid out his deductions on paper, which would later be picked up by his son, the current Sovereign of Demon, Bartonn Arch.

Bartonn’s Theorem, built upon his father’s work, was more comprehensive, diving into the aspects of quantum magic and soul magic.

During the isekai, what happened to their original bodies? If it really was a simple teleportation, why would their bodies be able to use mana? More so, the diseases that plague this world are likely to be different from the previous world. Either they die from some illness or they cause a widespread epidemic but.. none of these events have occurred.

Of course, beyond all the assumptions and guesses, the question Shiro had rolling in his mind was the discrepancy in history. Rika killed Demon Lord Rizal, so how come she had his thoughts written out here? Or was this information gained through reading his library? Or did Rika take him hostage?

There were many questions that remained unanswered. However, located in the ‘hopes and wishes’ section, Rika mentioned that many more of the mysteries can be found deeper in the Black Ravine.

– I created a base located deep inside the dungeon. Bring the key with you, it should signal a resonance the nearer you are to the site.

Also..

– If you ever meet the goddess, kill her if you can. She’s a liar.

“I don’t get it..” Shiro kept reading the sentence over and over, trying to decipher the true meaning behind this sentence.

What did she mean by not trusting the goddess? Because she had lied to her saying that she could return her back home when the reality was that it was a lie? Was it to vent? Or was there something much deeper to this?

“Big bro! Sir Aaron is calling!” Risa’s voice echoed.

“O-Oh.”

He hadn’t realized that an hour had flown by.

“I’m coming, hold on.”

Shiro took the book and hid it back on the shelf.

He checked his system points.

It had gone up a few more points yet again.

‘Rika.. I’ll find you.’