Chapter Two

The Queen of Thorns

The next morning, Naoya had just exited the station’s ticket gate when he happened to spot a petite figure.

“Morning, Sasahara.”

“Hey.”

It was none other than Koyuki. Naoya stood there absentmindedly for a moment, and Koyuki seemed to take this as some sort of small victory.

“Slack-jawed and lame as ever today, huh?” she teased haughtily. Her acid tongue was in prime form today. “Sorry, but you look more lifeless than the geezers strolling around the park. If you can’t shape up, don’t even think of coming anywhere near me.”

Seeing that Koyuki had slight bags under her eyes, Naoya slowly covered his mouth and whispered, “Damn, you’re seriously cute...”

Koyuki blushed and shouted, “Would you stop blurting random crap out?! What d’you mean, ‘I’m cute’?!”

“I just thought it was really adorable that you got up so early to go to school with me,” Naoya explained.

Koyuki’s face turned even redder than before, if such a thing were possible, but she fell silent instead of yelling. When he examined her closer, he noticed that she seemed even prettier than usual—she’d paid extra attention to her hair and makeup today. She’d gone through the extra effort just because she was going to school with him this morning.

The fact that Naoya could tell all this by one glance only confirmed his suspicions. “Oh, come on—you really do like me, don’t you?” he asked.

“Uh, no! Sometimes I simply happen to wake up earlier than usual, which gives me extra time to get ready. It’s got nothing to do with you, okay?!” Koyuki spat out before turning away in a huff. Naoya could tell she only did that to hide her embarrassment, though.

He found himself thinking back on what had happened the day before.

※※※

After Koyuki had made her declaration, they’d spent some more time in the donut store before leaving together. The town was dyed in the red of twilight, and the streets were packed with mothers out buying groceries and students heading home.

“Wow, it’s so bright,” Koyuki murmured as she shielded her eyes from the urban glow. At that moment, her hair was tinged crimson by the reflected lights of the city.

She really is quite the beauty, Naoya couldn’t help himself from thinking.

The magical moment was quickly ruined, however, when Koyuki suddenly turned on her heel and began walking away with a short, “Okay, bye.”

Naoya stuttered a bit before he called out and stopped her. “Hey, Shirogane. Where do you live, by the way?”

“Yotsumori. Why?”

“Oh, I live in the complete opposite direction. I was just thinking about walking you home. It’s pretty far and stuff.”

“I’m good. It’s not like we’re dating or anything,” she replied.

“It’s gonna get dark soon. I mean, worrying about girls is just natural for us guys, you know?” he prodded.

“Ugh, I wish you’d stop saying embarrassing crap like that.”

Koyuki hung her head and took several long, deep breaths. She then raised her head, stared daringly into Naoya’s eyes, and declared, “You won’t be saying stuff like that for long, though! I’m launching my counterattack today. You won’t be able to live without me when I’m done with you!”

“Looking forward to it. I’ve never really liked a girl before, so yeah... I’m excited to see how it turns out,” he responded.

“Hah, that’s pretty pathet—wait, I’m your first?!” Koyuki’s eyes went wide.

“Yeah. I got this whole ‘people-reading’ skill when I was still a kid, so, you know,” Naoya explained. He had always shut down any advances he’d gotten, and he’d never been the one approaching himself. He basically had zero dating experience. His friends at school often made fun of him for it, and even he himself wasn’t exactly proud of it.

Koyuki’s smile only grew. “Oh, really? Sounds like you’ve always been a pathetic loser, then.”

“Yeah, I guess you could put it that way. Either way, guess we’re both each others’ first.”

“How did you kn—?! I mean, ugh! Just listen to me! I’ve already said I don’t like you!” she cried. Her rage was interrupted by the ringing of a phone. She reached into her bag, pulled it out, and checked it. That seemed to have curbed her temper, because she then said, “As much as I’d love to grind you into the pavement right now, I’ve gotta head on my way. My little sister’s waiting for me.”

“Oh, you have a little sister? I guess if you’re heading home with her, then I don’t have to worry as much.”

“Yep. She’s a really good girl, you know. Recently, at hom—” Koyuki’s hand suddenly froze above the phone screen. Her eyes began to flit between the screen and Naoya. A thin smile crept onto her face, making her look like a child who’d just thought of a particularly cruel prank.

In contrast, Naoya stood there, unsure what to do.

“Okay, listen up, Sasahara,” she began. “I’m going to grace you with my phone number.”

“Wait, seriously?”

“Yes, seriously. Get your phone out. Now.”

“I get it already. Jeez,” Naoya muttered as he hurriedly searched his bag for his phone.

Soon, the name “Koyuki Shirogane” appeared in Naoya’s contacts. Her icon was a white cat with a sharp glare—in a way, it reminded Naoya a lot of her. “Not that I’m trying to look a gift horse in the mouth or anything, but why are you giving this to me again?” he asked.

“Well, if I can message you, that means I can attack you at any time, doesn’t it?” Koyuki said, now holding her phone over her head like a weapon. “And your freaky powers can’t work through text, can they? So even if I get embarr—I mean, uh! You won’t be able to control the conversation! Yeah, that’s what I meant!”

“Ohhh, I get you. Good idea.”

“I’m full of ‘em. I won’t be on the losing end anymore, got it?”

She was right on one account—when someone was lying, Naoya could mainly tell through the movement of their eyes, their verbal tics, and their gestures. Text-based conversation limited this information, thus making it harder to read people. Aside from that, however, she had revealed something huge.

So you admit you get embarrassed around me, huh, Shirogane? Bet you didn’t mean to let that slip. Your grades are always top quality, but maybe you’re not actually the brightest tool in the shed.

“So yeah, see you later, Sasahara. Starting tomorrow, you’re so screwed.”

“Okay, stay safe.”

Koyuki didn’t notice Naoya’s eyes following her as she strutted off toward the station.

That night, they texted each other back and forth for a while and eventually ended up deciding to go to school together the next day.

※※※

It was still early in the morning, so the streets were relatively empty. That meant they were alone for the most part as they walked. Koyuki looked especially beautiful at dawn, basking in the glow of the early spring sun.

She cleared her throat and began, “Okay, you got me back there at the ticket gate, but don’t get too cocky now.” She gave him a devilish smile before brandishing her phone. “So, how did you feel about getting DM’d by the one and only Koyuki Shirogane yesterday? Bet that got your heart racing.”

“Uh...” Naoya replied flippantly, to which Koyuki seemed disappointed.

“What? I thought I messaged you a lot last night.” she asked.

“I mean, uh, yeah, you sure did,” Naoya replied as he produced his phone and navigated to the messaging app they’d used. A concise declaration appeared on the screen: “We’re going to school together tomorrow.” That was followed by a flood of cat and food photos. “How exactly were these pictures supposed to get my heart racing?”

“They didn’t?!” Koyuki was flabbergasted.

What kind of guy does she think I am? Naoya pondered to himself. He was at a loss for words and stood there awkwardly for a while as Koyuki studied the phone screen intently.

“Hmm, but my sister told me that these were the most suitable topics for posting on social media,” she mumbled.

“Yeah, if you’re some disgraced celebrity trying to lay low, maybe,” he replied. He was even more curious as to what kind of girl Koyuki’s sister was now.

Still, that had managed to answer some questions he’d had. The photos of mean-looking cats and food—sent to him apropos of nothing—had thrown him for a loop. It also indicated that Koyuki had actually been trying to have a positive interaction with him. That was her doing her best to get along with me, I guess.

Naoya quite liked that clumsy earnestness. Koyuki appeared to miss that she had just made some significant progress in securing Naoya’s heart while she continued to stare at the phone and mutter to herself.

Naoya gave her a lopsided smile and attempted to keep the conversation going. “It didn’t really get my heart going per se, but I did think the cat was pretty cute. Is it yours?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah, it is. We’ve only got one pet so far. One spoiled cat baby is enough.”

“Oh, cool. What’s their name?”

“Gizzard.”

“Yo, great name! Really, like... uh, unique!” he floundered.

“Hehe, I know, right? Everyone in our house calls him ‘King Gizzard.’ Lookie here—isn’t he the cutest when he has his after-meal nap? I’ll let you look, but only ‘cause it’s you Sasahara.”

“Ah. Thanks.”

As Koyuki began showing Naoya pictures of her cat, their bodies naturally grew closer and closer. It got to the point that he could smell her sweet scent and became very aware of her chest pressing against him. On top of this, he could sense her happiness—that she was content just to be spending time with him like this. And he found himself feeling likewise.

I’ve heard this is what your first is like—you’re just happy to be near them, Naoya thought. Because of his abilities, he normally didn’t feel like spending that much time with people, except for family and old friends who knew him well. Koyuki was different, though. He wanted to spend more time with her and see all her different moods and expressions.

Naoya quickly lost interest in the cat photos and began staring at Koyuki’s face from the side. She’s so adorable. Not to mention she’s just a normal girl. Where did this whole “Queen of Thorns” thing come from anyways? Doesn’t fit her at all, he pondered. He began to wonder about her image at school—about what their fellow students thought about her.

It was standard to spend lunchtime with the person you walked to school with. Koyuki and Naoya were in different classes, so it made sense to him to ensure they got to spend some time together at school. He decided to go ahead and arrange something before they arrived. “Did you bring your own lunch today? D’you wanna eat together, maybe? Just the two of us.”

“Uh, well, yeah, that’s fine...” Koyuki mumbled, seemingly overwhelmed by the sudden invitation. Surprise attacks looked to be super effective on “The Queen of Thorns.”

Once the lunch break had arrived, Naoya made his way to Koyuki’s classroom. He was surprised when he was unable to find her. I guess she’s in the bathroom?

“Hey. You,” a familiar voice called out.

Naoya turned to the sound and found Koyuki, but she wasn’t speaking to him. She was addressing a girl who Naoya didn’t recognize. She sported glasses and a prim appearance—a real honor student type. She was struggling to carry two cardboard boxes in her arms, which were filled to the brim with used printouts and such.

The girl looked at Koyuki with wide eyes. “Um, what is it, Shirogane?”

“That looks heavy. Let me take half,” Koyuki commanded.

“But the teacher asked me to do it, and I don’t wan—”

“Just give me the damn box,” Koyuki ordered as she wrenched the box from the other girl, coming across like she was mugging her.

Glasses seemed stunned for a moment before she broke into a smile. “Thanks, Shirogane. That’s really kind of you,” she said.

Koyuki seemed troubled in response to the girl’s kind words—she stumbled over her words for a moment before she managed to snap, “Hmph. I’m only helping you because I was getting tired of watching you struggle, okay? Seriously, you looked like some stupid monkey trying to bang sticks together. Now stop talking, and let's get this over with. You’ve wasted enough of my time already.”

“Hahaha... Okay. I’m sorry, I guess...” the girl visibly deflated, and her eyes drooped sadly.

Other students in the surrounding area exchanged knowing glances and shrugged. The atmosphere in the hallway was far from light.

Ohhh, now I get it. So this is where the whole ‘Queen of Thorns’ name comes from, Naoya realized. The whole exchange had been obvious to him—Koyuki had been trying to hide her embarrassment, but others had seen things differently. Naturally, they took her words and actions at face value. It’s obvious she’s gonna get a bad reputation if she acts like that all the time. That’s sad, though. She really is a nice girl at heart.

Naoya reached a conclusion—he knew what he had to do. He began to walk toward the two girls with a wide, unassuming smile on his face. “Hey, Shirogane!” he called out to her.

Koyuki turned, spotted Naoya, shrieked, and almost dropped the box she was holding. Glasses cocked her head to the side, unsure what to make of the sudden interloper she didn’t recognize.

“Come on, Shirogane, that’s really not the way to go about it,” Naoya continued.

“Huh?” Koyuki blinked.

“Now, I can tell what you’re feeling, so I wasn’t particularly bothered by what you said, but these guys don’t know that. I realize all that just now was because you were embarrassed, but you’ve gotta be more honest about how you feel, okay?”

“I wasn’t embarrassed!” she exclaimed.

“It just really bums me out that everyone’s ended up misunderstanding you so much...” Naoya lamented, clutching his chest dramatically and hanging his head. He knew his over-the-top, hammy acting would have an immediate effect on Koyuki.

Sure enough, Koyuki grumbled and sputtered to herself at Naoya’s emotional words. She turned toward Glasses and bowed her head. “Um, I’m sorry. I was really mean just now, and I didn’t mean it. I just wanted to help, that’s all,” she apologized.

Female onlookers in the hall began to shriek in disbelief in a high-pitched chorus. “No waaay!” “Ohmigod!” “Whaaa?!”

Even Naoya was surprised—he hadn’t expected her to be that submissive and polite about it. He had simply wanted her to think about her actions a bit more; he hadn’t expected her to go this far. Ah, maybe she’s only being like this because of me.

Glasses was understandably flustered by Koyuki’s show of honesty and quickly tried to smooth over the situation. “Oh! No, no, really. It’s fine,” she reassured the other girl. “I wasn’t bothered at all. No worries, ‘kay?”

“Really?” Koyuki asked.

“Yep. I know you always say stuff like that, but help out anyway. I totally get it,” Glasses added with a bright smile. “Still, thanks for being honest. I’m serious. I’m glad to get to know you better.”

“B-But...” Koyuki floundered.

Glasses turned toward Naoya and said, “And thanks to you too! I’m gonna borrow Shirogane for a bit, if that’s cool?”

“Sure, have fun,” Naoya said with a wave. With that, the two girls headed off in the direction of the staff room, Koyuki grumbling all the while. The other students in the hall all gawked at Naoya in awe, as if he was a lion tamer at a circus. He pretended not to notice.

Koyuki returned about 10 minutes later. Naoya had been waiting for her on an open bench in the school’s courtyard. “Good work out there, Shirogane,” he greeted her jovially. “That’s your good deed for the day, haha.”

Koyuki answered with silence.

The courtyard was located between two school buildings and boasted a large, grassy area. There were a large number of students who normally spent their lunch there. The weather was particularly nice today, so there were even more students than usual.

Koyuki took a seat next to Naoya, lunch box in hand. She didn’t start eating immediately, though—instead, she sat there silently.

Naoya could sense her displeasure emanating from her. Ah, crap. I wonder if I went too far earlier. Yeah, I guess calling her out like that in front of people was a little... he contemplated.

“Hey,” Koyuki finally spoke in a low volume. She raised her head, and Naoya noticed a serious expression he hadn’t seen from her before. “About earlier... Thanks.”

“Oh,” he replied simply. This was not what Naoya had been expecting. He couldn’t spot any falsehood or grandstanding in her eyes—she really did appreciate his advice and took it to heart.

Koyuki took a breath before continuing, “I’m always like that. I guess you could say I’m really bad at socializing. I always end up saying awful things to people as a result.”

“Well, admitting it is the first step, right? Isn’t that what they say?”

“I know it’s bad, but then I just say things without realizing, and I just can’t stop myself...” she confessed with a tinge of pain in her voice. She was being truly honest. She kept glancing at Naoya in between words, and he could see her troubled expression. “But because of what you said earlier, I was finally able to talk to the girls in my class for the first time. So I just wanna say... thank you.”

“Well, you’re welcome,” Naoya replied with a bright smile. Deep down, however, he was somewhat worried. Koyuki had been in that class for a month already. Had that truly been the first time she’d actually spoken to those girls? He had to conclude he’d been right from the start about her—she really was nothing more than an awkward girl. Her sharp tongue was, most of the time, a product of her embarrassment or a defense mechanism. It wasn’t a particularly uncommon tactic, but in Koyuki’s case, it seemed to be especially bad.

Hmm... Her behavior leads me to think there was some kind of event in her past that triggered her to act this way—oh no, no, nu-uh. Don’t go there, Naoya. Bad Naoya. Naoya quickly stopped himself in his mental tracks. He knew that if he followed that train of thought, he’d only end up prying too much into her personal life, so he banished it from his head. He really couldn’t stop himself from digging into a person’s brain once he started. It was incredibly rude—not to mention unethical—to do that just because he could.

Koyuki’s face darkened as Naoya sat in silence. “I knew it. They call me ‘The Queen of Thorns,’ but I’m really just a bad person,” she said in a trembling voice. She hung her head over her lunch box.

Seeing she was on the verge of tears, Naoya quickly stepped in and reassured her, “You’re not a bad person.”

“What?”

Naoya looked around for a moment before he pointed to a walkway on the other side of the courtyard. The school guidance counselor, Iwatani, stood there. He was known as the toughest and strictest teacher in the school, and he had a grim exterior to match. He was a real stickler for meaningless school regulations, and no student had ever witnessed him smile.

“Look—that’s Iwantani over there. You see him?” Naoya pointed.

“Yeah. What about him?”

“He’s actually a huge sweetheart. He works really hard as a counselor.”

“You’re messing with me.”

“I’m being serious. Just watch him.”

He had just finished pulling some students aside for minor infractions based on their uniform regulation. When he was done, they all scattered like a newly-hatched nest of spiders. As he watched them leave, Iwatani’s normally hard expression faltered for a moment. His façade crumpled in exhaustion, and he let out a long sigh. The moment of vulnerability was short lived, however, and his usual stern expression was reconstructed in the blink of an eye. He turned around and headed back inside the school.

Naoya turned back around and found Koyuki wide-eyed in surprise. “He actually does look really tired. I had no idea,” she marveled.

“Right? He’s always hiding it from everyone,” Naoya replied.

He was pretty sure only he and a few teachers were aware of this fact. Iwatani was strict with the students, his coworkers, and himself. He was aware this made him hard to be around, so he played into the perception of himself as a strict authority figure so as to better perform his job.

“I can tell that he’s doing that ‘cause I’ve got this skillset,” Naoya explained. “I can also tell that pretty much everyone hides how they really feel. They play into people’s expectations to some extent—just like you do.”

Some hid behind the mask of a mean teacher, some hid behind the smiling face of a perfect, popular student, and others held everyone at distance with a veneer of cynicism and irony. Everyone had such masks, multiple facades that they would adapt and wear depending on the situation. Naoya didn’t believe this was a bad thing—it was a necessary skill for getting through life, after all.

“So I don’t think you’re a bad person,” he continued. “The way you act is just another way of living. That’s not a bad thing in the slightest.”

“So why did you tell me off earlier then?” she asked.

“Well, I just figured it was a waste.”

“What was?” Koyuki’s voice was low and sad.

Naoya took her hand in his and clarified, “I thought it was a waste that even though you’re such a good, hard-working person, you give yourself the short end of the stick. People always have the wrong impression of you.”

“I’m not a good—” Koyuki muttered, struggling to make eye contact.

“Do bad people help out their classmates?” Naoya asked with a smile. “You really want to get along with others, don’t you? If you continue to be honest with yourself and others, you’re gonna net yourself so many friends that soon you won’t know what to do with them all.”

“I don’t think there’s anyone who wants to be my friend, though...”

“What d’you mean? I’m right here.”

“You don’t count. You’re a weirdo,” Koyuki spat out with a red face.

Naoya felt that he had spot on in his assessment, though, so he was going to support her and help her achieve just that.

“This isn’t something that really changes overnight, but we can work on helping you articulate your feelings more starting now. I’ll help you as much as you need,” he told her gently.

“Sasahara...” Koyuki trailed off as she started at Naoya. It took her a few moments, but then she nodded in response. “Okay! I’ll show them all! I’ll be so honest! And I’ll never be called ‘The Queen of Thorns’ ever again!”

“Yeah, that’s what I like to hear!” he cheered.

He could tell she was serious about changing herself. When most people are confronted with their flaws, they choose to ignore them and carry on as they were. Koyuki wasn’t like that. Soon, the day would arrive when that unbecoming nickname would no longer haunt her.

And as Naoya thought this, a realization came to him: I really do like her. He could feel that deep within his heart. Naoya had always thought love was just something that would conveniently fall into his lap one day. It took him a while to realize that is exactly what had happened.

“Thanks, Sasahara,” Koyuki said.

“For what?”

“If it weren’t for you, I would’ve continued being the same person I am now, and I know I would’ve ended up regretting all of it later on. I want to let you know that I’m grateful for that.”

“Sure, but I haven’t really done anything,” he replied somewhat awkwardly. Despite his attempt at a natural smile, Naoya was still a bit bashful from his sudden realization.

---

---

“I just gave you the push you needed,” Naoya told her. “From now on, you’re gonna be the one who makes friends.”

“Friends, huh? I don’t know if I really can do it, though...” she whispered hesitantly.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. You don’t really need to do anything in particular, you know. Just be yourself.”

“Be myself? What kind of stuff should I do?” she asked.

“Like, uh...” he fumbled. It wasn’t like Naoya was drowning in friends himself—he wasn’t exactly an expert on the subject. “You could go to school together, eat together, go home together...”

“That sounds like some high level friend-ing... Sasahara? What’s wrong?” Koyuki asked while she tilted her head to the side in puzzlement.

Naoya had realized that he was basically describing what he and Koyuki had started doing today. Meaning that we’re basically just friends, he concluded mentally. Naoya had some female friends, so he knew that friendship between a man and woman was entirely possible. To put it another way, he had never had any other kind of relationship with a woman—in the past, whenever a girl had approached him, he’d always shut it down.

He liked spending time with Koyuki; he really did. I like her, but in what way? Was it love? Or was she nothing more than a friend? Naoya realized that he couldn’t tell exactly which one it was.