A Tale of Two Loners

Kokoro Connect Hito Random — LNCrawler · All chapters

“What a nice, sunny day... Really makes me want to kick back and relax! Especially since I’ve been going to the dojo, like, nonstop.”

“I know the feeling, Yui-senpai.”

Kiriyama Yui and Enjouji Shino sat at the table, staring lethargically into space. It was just another peaceful day in Rec Hall Room 401.

Inaba Himeko had anticipated that they would all get sick of each other, what with having to cram seven people in one tiny clubroom, but in the end, she got used to it pretty quickly. Not like all seven of them attended club every single day, after all. Perhaps seven was actually the ideal member count for a room of this size.

Nearly a month had passed since the Cultural Research Club had gained its newest members. But although their ranks had increased, their activities didn’t change in the slightest. In the CRC, each person was expected to entertain themselves.

Across the table, Yaegashi Taichi was working on his homework. Joining him was Nagase Iori of all people.

“Man, this assignment sucks... Too bad it doesn’t stand a chance against my mighty brain! Oh yeah! I’m solving the crap out of these problems!”

She seemed to be having a great time. Here’s hoping you don’t burn out halfway through.

Inaba shifted her gaze to the side, where Aoki Yoshifumi sat staring at his shogi pieces. “Nnngghh... What do I do with this guy...?”

Across from him sat Uwa Chihiro. “Checkmate,” he replied without looking up from his magazine. Even with his opponent almost entirely distracted, Aoki still couldn’t win.

“Nooo! Not yet! There’s gotta be a way for me to make a comeback! Let’s start over!”

“So in other words, you admit defeat.”

Chihiro’s response was stone cold, but something about it brought a smile to Inaba’s face.

Sometimes she worried that they’d gotten a little too lazy, but in the end, she always concluded that they were fine as they were. Admittedly, there was a point in time at which they tried to act like a properly structured club in order to impress the first-years, but that quickly fell apart. They didn’t even last a month before their rigid schedule turned into “Eh, just find something to do on your own.”

Now, here at the end of May, the CRC had firmly cemented itself as “the club where you do whatever you want.” There was the monthly Culture Bulletin they had to publish, of course, but the manuscript wasn’t due until the start of June, so they still had plenty of time to work on it.

“Aaaagghh! FORGET IT! I’ll just do this stupid homework later! Let’s play a game or something!”

Sure enough, Iori had burnt out, just as Inaba predicted. Evidently, the homework had started to stress her out.

“You too, Taichi! C’mon!” She shook him by the shoulder to get his attention.

“In a minute, okay? I’m almost done.”

“I’m in!” Aoki shouted eagerly. “So, what are we doing?!”

“Uh, Aoki-san? Can you at least admit that you lost before you move on to something else?”

“N-No! I refuse to let you of all people beat me! And for the record, since this game ended prematurely, it doesn’t count! Heh heh heh!”

“I just want to take it easy for today... And another thing? Don’t be such a sore loser, Aoki. Right, Shino-chan?”

“That’s right! Aoki-senpai, you’re pathetic! Let’s have some drinks and snacks!”

“Yui?! Shino-chan?! Can you guys bond over something that isn’t dunking on me?!”

“Alrighty then, drinks and snacks it is! Let’s have some kinda group talk!” Iori declared as she rose from her seat to fetch the snacks from the shelf.

“But we talk to each other all the time...”

“Don’t ruin it, Taichi! Anyway, I’m gonna go buy us some drinks. Expense it to the club funds, will you, Inaban?”

“Fine, fine. But get a two-liter! And make sure it’s a knockoff brand!”

And so Iori bolted out of the clubroom.

“You’re going to be a good wife someday,” Taichi commented under his breath. Then his eyes widened when he realized what he’d said.

“A good wife...?! W-Well, duh, silly! Hee hee hee...”

Holy shit, I could die happy! And if it slipped out on accident, then that means he really meant it! Record... play... repeat!

As Inaba reveled in her glee, Yui piped up. “Wait, but... I mean, we say we’re going to have a group talk, but like, what if none of us can come up with a topic? Actually, that reminds me. How’s school going for our first-years? Have you made any good friends?”

“Looks like you found a topic just fine,” Taichi muttered. As usual, he never missed a beat when it came to snarky one-liners.

“How’s school going...?” Shino repeated. “Well... I did make some friends, but I wouldn’t say I’m close with any of them... At least, I don’t think so.”

“Ditto.”

“Eh, we’re still pretty early into the school year,” Aoki remarked. “Although I seem to recall Inabacchan and Iori-chan being total besties right around this time last year.” He glanced in Inaba’s direction.

“Me and Iori? You and Yui were the exact same way.”

“Yeah, I totally wish that was true, but eh, not so much. You and Iori had a connection that was way deeper.”

“Deeper, huh?” As usual, Aoki had a weirdly sharp sense of intuition.

“Yeah... Not to mention you would always put up these walls between us back then,” Yui added.

Indeed, Inaba was once a very guarded person.

“That reminds me,” Taichi murmured, “didn’t you say there was a story behind how you and Nagase got so close? And then you never told us about it?”

“What?! Oh em gee, you have to tell us! Right, Shino-chan?!”

“Y-Yes please!”

Just like that, the lazy mood in the room went flying out the window.

“Alright, settle down...” Not that I really wanted to spread it around, but fine. “I guess I don’t mind telling everyone, since Taichi wants to know so badly.”

“Huh? Me?”

Don’t you? It sounded an awful lot like you did...

“I’m starting to think Inaba has selective hearing or something... Well, whatever. Just tell us already!”

“Alright.” I guess it couldn’t hurt.

It was exactly one year ago to the day, so this was a good opportunity to reflect on how far they’d come. Besides, not like it would reveal anything personal—as long as she was careful, that is. After all, some things were best kept between the two of them...

+++

One month into our first year of high school, the early shyness had worn off, and everyone had grown comfortable with their classmates. By this point, cliques had formed based on common ground—people who sat near each other, people who attended the same middle school, and so on. Almost like our own little ecosystem, I thought to myself.

What position would I take in the food chain? This was a critical question to any teenager—one that would affect our entire high school career. School was, in essence, a microcosm of society, and one’s relative success was predicated entirely on the relationships formed therein.

As for me, I’d chosen to associate myself with a laid-back, relatively low-maintenance clique, one that (for the most part) lacked the drama and cat-fights common within other all-girl groups. Granted, in my experience, the quiet girls were often surprisingly vain and jealous at times, but fortunately these girls didn’t seem like the type.

That said, I was by no means committed to this clique. I didn’t hang out with them after school or anything, and I still frequently interacted with people from other groups. To me, this clique was something of a home base, where people respected me for always speaking my mind without crossing the line into offensive territory. This was precisely the reputation I was angling for.

“Earth to Inaba-san! What’s wrong?” one of the girls asked as they ate lunch.

“Huh? Oh, sorry. Just got lost in thought, that’s all.” I took a bite of my half-eaten sandwich. It generally wasn’t polite to stare into space in the presence of four other people.

“She does that a lot. She’s always thinking about something.”

“I know, right? She’s so cool!”

“If that’s all it takes to impress people, then I must’ve lucked out,” I joked.

The other girls laughed—but not very hard.

Admittedly, I owed my social success in large part to this particular group, since they always welcomed me back to the flock no matter how far I strayed. For that, I was grateful.

So far, so good. At the rate I was headed, I had this whole “high school” thing in the bag. All it took was a carefully manicured, respectable outward image, and as long as I didn’t go too far out of bounds, I could coast along on the momentum for the next three years...

“That reminds me, Inaba-san. How’s it going in the... Cultural Search Club?”

“Cultural Research Club, thank you. And to answer your question... eh, it’s pretty much the same as usual. We’re all just screwing around.”

The one anomaly in my otherwise flawless high school career: the CRC. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d end up in such a pointless club, and yet here I was. There was no justifiable reason for me to want to spend time in that clubroom, and yet I did.

“Can’t wait to read next month’s Culture Bulletin .”

“Thanks. It’s kind of a clusterfuck, but we work hard on it.”

Too hard, in my opinion, for something that ultimately mattered so little. But at this point, that wasn’t important anymore. As it turned out, I enjoyed being around a bunch of free spirits who weren’t so caught up in all the minutiae of day-to-day life. My club members were good, honest people... with one exception.

My gaze shifted to the center of the classroom, where Nagase Iori was eating lunch with another group of girls.

Iori was the biggest enigma I had ever encountered. It didn’t make sense . On the outside, she seemed so down-to-earth and straightforward—just a bubbly teenage girl like any other. And yet...

As I watched, Iori made some inaudible joke, and her whole group burst out laughing.

“Look, she’s zoning out again! Oh, were you looking at Iori-chan? She’s in your club, right?”

“Oh, uh... yeah,” I replied vaguely.

The other girls leaned in curiously.

“Lucky! I wish I could be friends with her, too. She’s so pretty!”

“Friends...?”

“Aren’t you? I mean, you’re in the same club, and I’ve seen you talk during class...”

“Yeah, but... I think it’s a little early to say we’re friends.”

“Oh my god , you’re such an ice queen!”

“Totally!” the other girls chimed in.

Fortunately, no one dared to rock the boat by asking if I felt the same way about them , too... but I could tell they were questioning it internally. Silence fell between us. Shit .

Desperate to smooth over my social faux pas, I reached for a change of subject. “So, what’s new with—”

But just then, I felt someone’s eyes on me. I turned my head... and found Nagase Iori staring at me with cold, lifeless eyes.

What does it mean to be friends?

Speaking in the most superficial sense, yes, I had a few—but they weren’t real friends. At least, not by my personal metric.

—You’re such an ice queen.

No, I really wasn’t. I was just afraid to let anyone in. And this was the reason why I found myself incapable of making any actual connections.

Someday I was going to have to find a life partner and get married, and yet here I was, unable to form even the most basic of human relationships. Thanks to that, I couldn’t even begin to contemplate romance at this stage.

Seriously, try to imagine me falling head over heels for someone at any point over the next three years. What a joke.

“Inaban! Let’s go to the clubroom!” Iori called, after the final bell rang.

With her large, bright eyes, well-defined nose, silky hair, and porcelain skin, it was easy to see how she’d stolen the spotlight. Unlike these other girls, however, I didn’t particularly aspire to be like her.

“Club time for both of us, eh, Iori? Well, hop to it! I’ll be rooting for you from the calligraphy clubroom!” shouted a particularly energetic Nakayama Mariko, her pigtails bouncing.

“Fight the good fight for me!”

“Likewise, comrade!”

Then they exchanged a firm handshake for some reason that was lost on me. The two of them were birds of a feather, always joking around with each other.

“Okay! Let’s go, Inaban!” With a final wave to Nakayama, Iori led me out of the classroom.

As we headed to the Rec Hall, the only sound was that of our footsteps.

...Wait, what? The conversation died so suddenly, it felt like we’d stepped into the vacuum of space. Not that I expected Iori to talk constantly, of course, but still... She’d been in high spirits leaving the classroom, so it struck me as odd that she’d suddenly fall quiet. Was it because we were alone together?

Come to think of it, Iori was only ever energetic when other people were present. When it was just the two of us, she calmed down considerably... probably because I wasn’t the high-energy type... or maybe Iori just didn’t find me especially fun to hang out with.

“Sorry if I’m boring you, Iori,” I told her without hesitation. I preferred to put these things on the table so both parties could work toward a solution. Only an idiot would keep it bottled up.

“Huh? Why are you apologizing? I don’t understand.”

“Well, you always clam up whenever it’s just the two of us.”

“Oh, right. Well, I mean, you like it better this way, don’t you? Wait... Am I wrong?”

“No, you’re not wrong, but...”

“Whew! That’s a relief! You know, I don’t mind having some quiet time every now and then!”

She skipped forward in a giddy display. Meanwhile, I watched her suspiciously. This wasn’t the response I had expected, and it gave me pause.

Objectively speaking, Iori hadn’t done anything wrong; she had simply explained that she kept herself quiet because she believed I preferred it to the alternative. But for some reason, this put me on guard. Almost like there was something far more frightening lurking beneath.

Arriving at the Rec Hall, we headed up the exhausting three full flights of stairs to the fourth floor.

“Man, it sucks having to walk up all these stairs, huh?” Iori remarked, and yet she wasn’t even out of breath. Do you mean “it sucks for you,” or what?

As we reached the fourth floor, I decided to be blunt.

“Look... You don’t have to change your personality to match me. I don’t need you to—”

Iori whirled around, her expression frozen in fear... or so I thought, but a split-second later, she was wearing her usual smile.

“What are you talking about?” she asked brightly as we entered the clubroom.

Inexplicably, a chill ran down my spine. That was the moment I became convinced that there was more to Nagase Iori than any of us knew.

Instantly, I was gripped by an intense feeling of revulsion. Why? I wasn’t sure.

All I knew was that Iori was undeniably doing it on purpose.

From then on, I started to scrutinize Iori more carefully.

She always seemed like she was having fun whenever she was talking to other people, but whenever no one was looking (or, more accurately, whenever I was the only one looking), she’d get this cold, steely look on her face. And whenever I saw it, I was overcome with emotions I couldn’t explain—fear, but also irritation.

It made me sick to my stomach. Why the hell was I freaking out over this one person?

As I was walking through the classroom, our eyes met, and she called out to me. “’Sup, Inaban!”

This was the “energetic” Iori everyone was familiar with.

“Hey there. So tell me, is this ‘carefree goofball’ schtick just a cover for your desperate need to fit in?” I asked, hoping to test my hypothesis.

“I mean... it’s more fun to play along, isn’t it?” she responded with a flawless smile. This didn’t answer my question, but whatever.

“I suppose so.” I headed past her in the direction of my desk.

I was the kind of person who loved to collect intel, often by unscrupulous means, because having that knowledge made me feel secure. Generally speaking, however, I knew where to draw the line. Was it time for me to back off?

“Now that I think about it...”

At her voice, I stopped short and turned back—

“...you act like you’ve got nothing to hide, but in reality, you’re not all that different from me, are you?”

—You’re not all that different from me, are you?

I bit my thumbnail in frustration, with Iori’s voice echoing in my mind. She made it sound like she could see right through me, and that pissed me off. Don’t even TRY to psychoanalyze me, bitch. I’ve already got you all figured out.

Meanwhile, Iori continued to act like her usual bubbly self in the classroom. Classes were over for the day, and she was engaged in conversation with Fujishima Maiko.

“Sorry, but I’ll have to pass.”

“Aww, c’mon, Fujishima-san! You’re no fun!”

“I’m the class president, you know.”

“Boooo! Time for my revenge! Take this!”

“S-Stop that, Nagase-san. If you keep touching my body, I’m afraid you might awaken something you’ll regret.”

By all appearances, Iori’s playful affection seemed genuine... but this only served to bolster my suspicion that she was, in fact, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I grabbed my bookbag and left the classroom without saying a word.

When I arrived at the clubroom, I found that I was the first one there. So I sat down, took out my laptop, and powered it up. I knew if I wanted to spend time on my computer, I could always go do this at home... and yet I wanted to be here.

For some reason, the empty clubroom made me feel all sentimental and shit.

Of course, I didn’t actually believe that these people had accepted me as one of their own. I was too different; I could never truly fit in. And yet, at the same time, being with them felt surprisingly natural. It made me think that maybe I was wrong about them... but of course, I knew better. The real question was: how long would I last?

While I chewed on that thought, the knob turned, and the door swung open.

“Hey guys! Oh... Just you, huh, Inaban?”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

“Huh? I’m not disappointed! Oh, but... I did get a little upset when I noticed you left without me. Especially since Taichi had to stay behind for cleaning duty. You should’ve said something!”

“Didn’t want to bother you.” I hadn’t completely switched out of introspection mode, and my tone was a bit more gruff than I’d intended.

“Aw, you’re just shy, aren’tcha, Inaban?”

“Seriously, quit trying to force it.” You don’t have to pretend you enjoy spending time with me.

“Huh?” Her face froze as her eyes widened in surprise. Two seconds ticked by... and then her smile returned. “Well, okay. If you’re not in the mood, I’ll just have to leave you be. Hahaha.”

She walked over to the little black couch and plopped down onto it. Then she tucked her knees up to her chest and buried her face in her arms.

“Wh... Hey...” I muttered weakly. Then I looked away. Why was she throwing a tantrum at me? I clucked my tongue in frustration and started typing away furiously.

I must’ve crossed the line with her. Come on, I’m better than this. Don’t stick your nose in her business—just leave her be. Don’t make it weird.

This is how I’d lived my life. I desperately avoided hurting anyone—to say nothing of letting anyone hurt me—and in exchange, I threw away the chance to make real connections. It was the safest path for a piece of shit like me, and I had no intention of straying from it.

The next day, Yui and Taichi both had plans with other friends, so they couldn’t make it to the clubroom. Since attendance was by no means mandatory, on days where there were multiple absences, we sometimes decided to cancel club for the day and head home early.

After school, I stopped by the library to do some research, then headed off campus. Most people left school either immediately after class or after club activities let out, so I was in the extreme minority. Outside, the athletic field was swarming with students playing sports for their respective teams.

Just up ahead, I spotted Nagase Iori. She was bent forward, peering through the hedges at the street outside. The fuck is she doing? I stopped short. Then I caught myself and started walking again. Just ignore it. It’s none of my business.

But evidently Iori had already sensed my presence, because she turned and looked at me. After a beat... she stuck her head through the hedges again, like she’d chosen to ignore me entirely.

This really pissed me off. I wanted to be the one to ignore her , but now she’d beaten me at my own game. And I wasn’t going to take it lying down.

“Hey, Iori? What the hell are you doing?”

She slowly turned back.

“...Oh. Hi, Inaban.”

Don’t play dumb with me. “What. Are. You. Doing?”

“Oh, uh... nothing much...”

“Liar. You’re obviously up to something.”

“Well, yeah, but...”

She completely lacked her usual energy, which was a first in my experience with her. Why was she always so quiet whenever I was around? Or was this her default? I couldn’t tell, but either way, it left a sour taste in my mouth.

“Out with it already. You’re wasting my time.”

“But... if I tell you, I feel like it’s just going to waste even more of your time.”

“Which means you are willing to tell me, right? Well, I can’t just abandon you now. What kind of...”

...friend would I be?

But I couldn’t finish the sentence, because I realized we weren’t actually friends at all. Silently, I cursed myself for nearly implying otherwise. To do so would be selfish and dishonest, and I held myself to higher standards than that.

But Iori must’ve realized what I was going to say. She looked a bit taken aback.

“O-Okay then, uh... I guess I’ll tell you. This will probably sound really weird, so feel free to laugh it off as a joke... I’m not even 100% sure I’m right, but...”

Everything about this screamed mind your own business , but now it was too late.

“I think maybe... someone’s stalking me.”

Great. A stalker. That’s WAY more serious than I’m equipped to deal with.

I must’ve let these thoughts show on my face, because Iori hastily piped up to continue.

“But I might just be paranoid, y’know? It’s just... Every now and then, I feel like I’m being followed, or being watched... but it might be all in my head, who knows!”

Her desperate denial made it all the more obvious that she wasn’t joking around.

“You need to tell the cops about this. Well... Then again, they might not do anything without proof of a crime...”

“Yeah, and like I said... I could be wrong about this.” She seemed weirdly timid. Was the fear impacting her decision-making faculties?

“In that case, make sure you walk home with a friend from now on. They probably won’t make a move with a witness present.”

“R-Right, but... I don’t know who to ask...”

“Ha ha, very funny. You’ve got about a million friends, Iori. Go ask one of them.”

“But...” Iori hesitated, her gaze flitting to and fro. Every now and then she snuck a glance at me like she was gauging something.

What’s your problem? I stared back at her. And when our eyes met, it almost felt like a spark of electricity jolted through my entire body. My pulse quickened. What was THAT?

“I don’t... really have any friends, actually.”

“Excuse me?” She had to be goddamn delusional. “What are you talking about? You’re on good terms with practically our entire class, are you not?”

“Yeah, but... those aren’t real friends. I don’t hang out with any of them after school.”

Which means they don’t count, is that it? Oh, poor baby. Pardon me while I play you the world’s smallest violin. Compared to an actual friendless loser like me, she had no right to complain.

“In that case, why don’t you go use your magical social chameleon powers to talk someone into it?”

“It’s not something I can control,” she muttered in an icy voice, her expression blank. She could have simply ignored my overblown sarcasm, but instead she took it 100% seriously, almost as if to acknowledge that I was indeed correct.

You’re kidding me... right?

A split-second later, she realized what she’d said.

“J-Just kidding! Haha!”

Stop it already. Stop trying to force a smile. You think I can’t see right through that shit? You think I’m that stupid?

My anger built and built... but I held myself back. Iori had to be scared shitless about this stalker thing. Only a massive asshole would kick her while she was down.

“...Okay then, I’ll walk you home myself. We live in the same direction anyway, right? I can get you most of the way there, at least.” Normally I would never get this involved, but this time my hands were tied.

“No, no, no. I can’t ask you to do that.”

“I don’t need you to. I’m gonna do it because I’m nice like that. Besides, if something happened to you, I’d blame myself for the rest of my life. Now let’s get going.” And with that, I started walking.

After a moment of hesitation, Iori followed after me.

“Um... Thank you,” she whispered somewhere behind me. I squirmed uncomfortably.

Today, for the first time, it felt like I’d only just now met the real Iori. We walked in silence, maintaining a careful distance. As for me, I had finally figured out the source of my irritation.

Deep down, Nagase Iori and Inaba Himeko were two sides of the same coin. Looking at her felt like looking in a mirror, and I hated it.

On the way home that day, sure enough, I got the vague sense that we were being watched.

◇◇◇

That morning, I was on my way to school. The weather was hot, and paired with the fresh green leaves on the roadside trees, it was an exemplary midsummer’s day. In the middle of goddamn May, no less.

Iori tried countless times to talk me out of walking her home yesterday, but in the end, I accompanied her (almost) all the way to her house. Sure, it took a lot of time, but I refused to risk the possibility that something might happen to her if I wasn’t there.

That said, it felt like I’d glimpsed a different side of her. Never before had I seen her so fragile... so vulnerable . How many people on this earth could claim to know the real Nagase Iori? Even I hadn’t seen this coming, and I generally considered myself an excellent judge of character.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t!” a familiar voice cried out, panicked.

I stopped short and scanned the area for the source. There, on the sidewalk, was Nagase Iori in the flesh. A man in his twenties stood in front of her, blocking her path.

“Come on, just hear me out. That’s all I ask.”

He was wearing a clean pressed suit and didn’t particularly strike me as a creep, but still... He’s not out hitting on girls first thing in the morning, is he?

“Please—my boss has been breathing down my neck about this. The guy’s obsessed with you. He’s convinced you’ve got what it takes!”

“I get that, but I really need to get to school, so... I need you to... let me go.”

“Trust me, I don’t want to bother you like this! But you keep ignoring me, so I don’t have much choice!”

Frightened, Iori shrank back.

“Hear me out, just this once! I promise, you won’t be rushed into signing a contract or anything. I gave you my business card, remember? Our talent agency is 100% legit.”

Apparently this guy was a talent scout. I’d heard of actresses and models being hired off the street, but I didn’t realize the people who scouted them were so... aggressive . Either way, bottom line, Iori was clearly not comfortable with this.

Other students gaped at the spectacle as they passed on their way to school—but none of them dared to step in and get her out of there. And when Iori noticed everyone staring, she started to shrink down even more.

But it was her behavior, not the onlookers’, that pissed me off the most. What’s the matter with you? You need to be firm with him and say no! In ten minutes you’ll be laughing about it with the rest of us back in the classroom. I know you can do this, Nagase Iori! Come on!

Truth be told, it surprised me that I put this much stock into her. But, contrary to my hopes, Iori just stared at the ground and trembled.

“I guess... it can’t hurt to talk about it...”

What are you saying, you moron?!

I dashed over to her, slid in between them, and grabbed Iori by the arm. “Sorry, but we’re really in a hurry.” And without even looking at the talent scout, I dragged her away as fast as my legs could carry me.

“Huh—wha—?” Confused, Iori stumbled along after me.

“Hey!” the man called after us.

I should’ve ignored him, but instead I turned back on reflex.

“You’re pretty cute yourself,” he continued with a suggestive grin.

Two days in a row, I had witnessed Iori’s fragile side. Sure, maybe she was just going through a lot right now, but at the same time, it was just so drastically different from the Iori I thought I knew.

Now I had inadvertently come to her rescue. Twice . This was all well and good... except now I couldn’t possibly turn a blind eye to her plight. I didn’t care about the stalker or the talent scout or whatever—I cared about her .

This was a mystery I couldn’t begin to solve, and it was driving me insane. Thus, I started to investigate... starting with the girls in our class who had attended middle school with her.

“You know Nagase Iori? What was she like in middle school?”

“Oh, Iori-chan? Well... She was really popular, I guess? Super nice, pretty, and friendly with basically everyone... Yeah, she was pretty much the same then as she is now.”

“Hmm. Do you know of anyone she was close with? A best friend, maybe?”

“At this school?”

“Just in general.”

“Let’s see... ummm... Huh, that’s weird; I can’t think of any. Sorry... To be honest, I wasn’t super close to her myself. We just talked a lot during class.” The girl furrowed her brows. “Man, why can’t I think of anyone? Well, whatever. Why do you want to know, anyway? Or do you just like to pretend you’re a detective? I feel like this isn’t the first time you’ve interrogated someone.”

She laughed, so I laughed along with her.

“Yeah... Once I get curious about something, I start digging until I find the answer. Trust me, it’s exhausting being me.”

“Oh yeah, that reminds me! Everybody’s talking about how you rescued Iori-chan this morning. You guys seem really close!”

“Eh, I just happened to be at the right place at the right time when no one else was.”

After that, I spent the rest of the break period wandering down the halls and casually eavesdropping on other people’s conversations. This was how I discovered that our entire grade was talking about the scandal this morning.

I spoke to a few more people from Iori’s middle school, but they all said the same thing.

It was starting to look like Iori sincerely didn’t have any good friends. To me this was nigh-unbelievable, considering how cheerful she was at school every day. Why hadn’t anyone gotten closer to her? What sort of relationships had she built over the course of her life thus far? Maybe if I found out, I could reference it and—and what?

What was I hoping to do with this information?

Delete, delete, delete. I hit the backspace key in my mind until nothing remained.

No, I wasn’t going to live like that. I wasn’t going to hold out hope, either; it wasn’t safe. Instead, I was just going to keep—

“What are you doing, Inaba?”

I looked up to find Kiriyama Yui in front of me.

“...Nothing.” The clubroom was no place for introspection.

“Aww, come on! I wanna know! And while we’re at it, what is it you do on your laptop all day long?”

“Just... making a little macro, that’s all.”

“What? You mean, like, macaroni?!”

“Forget it. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Don’t talk to me like I’m stupid,” she grumbled, pouting her lips.

For a high-schooler, she often acted like a total child... but with her short stature and feisty personality, perhaps it was fitting. Gazing at her, I couldn’t help but wonder: were we friends, she and I?

“Hmm? Is there something on my face?”

She combed her long coppery hair out of her face and started feeling her cheeks.

“No, you’re good,” I reassured her.

“Hey, Iori? Is something wrong with my face?”

“Mmmm... nope! Cute as a button, just like always!”

“Awww, thank you! You’re really cute yourself!”

Then Yui and Iori started to fawn over each other.

Looking at Iori right now, you’d never imagine how gloomy she’d been just this morning. If she truly didn’t have any real friends, as she’d claimed, then how did she see Yui?

“Dude. Taichi. Read this part.” Aoki Yoshifumi held out a manga magazine in Yaegashi Taichi’s direction.

“Huh? Uhh... Pfft!”

“Hilarious, am I right?”

“That’s some shock humor, alright.”

These two were undeniably friends—you could tell just by looking at them. Well... Then again, if this sort of external evaluation was all it took, one could say even I had friends. Clearly this wasn’t something an outside observer could decide. It was up to each person to make the call on an individual basis.

“Is it just me, or has Inabacchan been kinda quiet lately?” Aoki asked the room.

“Unlike Yui , I’m not a chirpy little bird. Sorry to disappoint.”

“Hey! Why’d you drag me into it?!”

“Felt like it.”

“Are you bullying me?!”

“Yep.”

“Wha...?! Ioriiii ! Inaba’s being mean!”

At this, my attention naturally turned to Iori, and our eyes met. Truth be told, we hadn’t spoken since the incident this morning, and I wasn’t sure how to approach her after that.

“There, there, Yui. It’s okay, I’ll protect you... N-Now listen here, Inaban! Just because Yui’s a chirpy little bird, it doesn’t give you the right to make fun of her!”

“You agree with the chirpy part?!”

Everything was just as it always was. That little stutter was probably just in my head.

“I’m not chirpy! I’m not chirpy! I’m not chirpy !”

“Are you listenin’ to yourself right now...? Don’t worry, Yui! I’ll still like you regardless!”

Now Aoki had joined the fray. While the three of them chattered amongst themselves, Taichi turned to me.

“Is there something on your mind? If there is, I hope you’ll talk to me about it. I’m always happy to help.”

His “compassion” was so forced and insincere, it made me sick. I couldn’t foresee myself ever seeing eye-to-eye with someone like him. Not unless something changed dramatically.

After club activities, we all headed home. Past the gate, we split into two groups: Yui, Taichi, and Aoki all lived in the same direction, so they went one way while Iori and I went the other (though we didn’t live in the same neighborhood, so eventually the two of us would have to go our separate ways).

Yesterday I’d accompanied her all the way to her house due to the stalker scare, but what about today? She was visibly restless and kept glancing behind us as we walked, so clearly she was still worried about someone following her. On top of that, now she had some talent scout asshole to worry about as well. She was in over her head—I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

“Hey, so, I’m gonna walk you home again.”

“What? But—”

“Remember this morning? I’m not going to let that happen again. If you ‘don’t want to be a burden on me’ or whatever, then hurry up and get your shit together.”

I glanced over at her. In the clubroom she was a beacon of light, but here she was a candle in the breeze.

“Seriously, guys like him? They specifically target girls who seem weak-willed, so you have to stay strong. Tell him you’ll make a scene if he doesn’t leave you alone, or something like that.”

“I... I have trouble saying no to people. I’m used to just... doing what they want.”

“You have the power to stand up for yourself, Iori. I know you’ve got it in you.”

“How do you know that? How are you so sure?”

“Because I can kind of relate... So yeah, I know you can do it,” I finished, hastily changing tack partway through. Otherwise the subject of conversation would shift to me, and I dearly wished to avoid that.

The reason I was always careful not to pry too far was because I didn’t want other people to do the same in return. I didn’t want anyone to see the ugliness I kept hidden inside.

Time for a change of subject.

“Anyway... How are you planning to get to and from school? I can’t walk with you every single day, you know.” Well, technically I could, but yeah.

“Ummm... I’ll probably figure something out!” she replied emphatically, but the cheer in her tone was clearly forced.

“Isn’t there anyone else you can ask? I know you said you don’t have any friends, but what about Nakayama or Yui? I mean... don’t they count?”

The word friends made my throat tighten.

“Yeah, they count.”

So you DO have friends!

“But they’re just casual friends, not the kind I can open up to about the... y’know... heavy stuff.”

Aha. So that’s how she sees it.

“In other words, you don’t trust them?”

“No! That’s not what I’m saying at all!”

“Yeah, I get it.”

“Huh?”

Long story short, she’d sooner suffer in silence than make them uncomfortable by venting about it. How very noble. But she clearly had her own concept of what it meant to be “friends,” and I was in no position to tell her she was wrong.

Passing through the turnstiles, we boarded the train. But when it arrived at my stop, I didn’t get off; instead, I deboarded at Iori’s.

“Inaban... Here.”

She handed me some money to pay for the extra distance I’d traveled, and I accepted it without making a fuss.

Her house was a short walk from the station.

“So, just wondering, but is anyone home right now?”

I was starting to worry that she wouldn’t be safe there, either. I’d basically gone into full-on Mom Mode at this point—but only because it felt decidedly unsafe to leave her to her own devices.

“No... I don’t think she’ll be home until late.”

“Your mom? Okay, what about your dad? Any siblings?”

“Nope. Right now it’s just me and my mom. No siblings anymore.”

“Ah.” Sounds complicated.

Maybe her less-than-idyllic home life was part of the reason she’d turned out this way personality-wise.

In the beginning, I thought she was the perfect girl. Beautiful, sweet, good-natured. But the more I learned about her, the more tragic the story became.

So what was my next move?

Objectively speaking, my best option would be to encourage her to seek help elsewhere while moderately, but not entirely, pulling back on my interactions with her. That said, Iori seemed resistant to the idea of seeking help, so... Wait, why am I taking HER preferences into consideration here? This is about MY needs... isn’t it?

“Alright then... I’ll walk you to and from school for the next few days.”

For a moment, I was startled to realize what I’d just said. Was I trying to impress her? Trying to make myself look like a good Samaritan? Did I feel obligated to offer? I asked myself each question in turn, but each time the answer was no.

It wasn’t... what I sincerely wanted to do, was it? Surely not.

“Inaban... I really, really appreciate the thought, but...”

I could tell she was trying to turn me down, but I could hear the joy concealed in her voice. God, this is so embarrassing. My cheeks were burning. I couldn’t even look her in the face.

“L-Look, this is happening, whether you like it or not! I don’t need your permission to follow you! Anyway, you should be all set from here!”

I clapped her on the shoulder, then turned and set off briskly in the opposite direction. A beat later, a voice called after me down the street:

“Inaban! Um... Thank you!”

Stop that. You’re going to make me smile, damn it.

But as I headed home with that stupid grin on my face... I felt a hungry gaze lingering on me.

And when I turned back, I saw a shadowy figure standing next to the vending machine.

Watching me.

+++

“I’m baaaack!”

Nagase Iori returned to the clubroom with a two-liter of black tea purchased from the school store.

“Now let’s break open those snacks and get to chatting! Wait... What’s going on?”

The other club members were all gathered around Inaba for some reason. Something must’ve happened while she was out.

“Oh, welcome back, Iori! Inaba’s telling us the story of how you two became friends,” Yui explained.

Iori looked at Inaba.

“I was just telling them about how we started walking to and from school together. You know, the potential stalker, and the talent scout, and all that.”

“Right... Gotcha.”

Iori thought back to that period in her life... and with that memory came a whole lot of emotions. She could remember it perfectly, like it was only yesterday.

“Relax, I didn’t tell them anything personal about you. Not like I can speak for how you felt back then, obviously. You remember?” she asked, her words suggesting an unspoken “because I sure do.”

Iori snickered.

“What’re you laughing about?!”

“Just thinking about the way you were back then, compared to now... The contrast is so hilarious! Pfffft!”

“You’ve changed too, you know!”

“Yeah, I have.” Iori nodded in agreement. With your help, I took my first steps into real friendship, and now look at me.

“Uhhh... Are you guys having a moment or something...? And where was I when all this was happening?!” Yui flailed.

“You were busy chirping away, of course.”

“Pfft... Chirpy little bird... Hahahaha!” Inaba burst out laughing. Did she remember? Huh... That’s surprising.

“What’s that supposed to mean?! Seriously, what the hecking heck was I doing?!”

“Screaming like you always do, I would imagine,” said Chihiro.

“Good one,” said Taichi.

“I can hear you !” Yui shouted back.

“Okay, but can we get back to where we left off?! Did Inabacchan confront the stalker guy herself, or what?! How dark does this story get?!” Aoki yelled excitedly.

Meanwhile, Shino clasped her hands at chest height, gazing into the distance, her eyes sparkling.

“What’s up, Shino-chan?”

“I... I’m so curious about what happened next! I can see it now... Inaba-senpai crafts a bone-chilling, cutthroat plan for revenge... and then Iori-senpai faithfully acts on her orders, curb-stomping the stalker into oblivion... On the battlefield, their friendship blossoms for the first time...”

“Sorry, Shino-chan, but you’re completely off the mark with that one.”

Somehow Shino knew exactly how to walk the line between optimism and pessimism with laser precision.

“Let’s see... Okay, so here’s what I remember.”

And so Iori began to recount her side of the story...

+++

It was around this time that I first noticed my acting ability was starting to slip. This was beginning to cause problems in certain aspects of my daily life.

Who am I as a person? What do I want to achieve? I didn’t have the answers, so instead I was just passively coasting through life.

Furthermore, I didn’t have a clue how to interact with the people around me... so I just defaulted to whatever I thought they wanted. And I had a good time doing it, so clearly there was no harm in it.

I was completely unstable; I didn’t know which version of me was actually “me.” But after last spring, I had come to terms with that... and now I was just trying to make it work.

But one day, someone saw through me: Inaba Himeko, fellow classmate in 1-C and vice president of the Cultural Research Club.

The moment I first realized she had me pegged, I was overcome with mind-numbing terror. It felt like I’d been caught doing something wrong. But on the other hand, part of me was relieved , too. Deep down, I guess I was yearning to change.

Fortunately, Inaban seemed to relate to my situation. She understood where I was coming from... or at least, I was hopeful that she did. It was all just guesswork on my part.

If I wanted to find out for sure, I’d need to be completely open, honest, and vulnerable with her—and I just wasn’t brave enough for that.

I didn’t want someone outside my usual circles to find out about me... and yet, at the same time, I couldn’t quite suppress my desire to confess my secrets. As a result, the way I interacted with Inaban was completely inconsistent. I didn’t know how to act around her, so I ended up playing the part of the damsel in distress—even though I knew she didn’t like people like that.

And once I lost my “sense” for how to interact with someone, I was seldom able to recover.

I’d always liked Inaban, right from the start. She had a strong sense of self, and she kept a careful distance from other people, so she wasn’t annoying to hang out with. Plus, we both seemed to have a similar outlook on life; even if she approached things differently, she still felt like a kindred spirit.

The downside to the two of us being so similar, however, was that it made it impossible for us to deepen our friendship. After all, one of us would have to deviate from our usual stance. Instead, we both kept testing the waters from a distance.

Did I want to meet her in the middle? Was I looking for someone I could truly connect with as a person? For that matter, who was I as a person?

The stalker thing and the talent scout thing were both problems I needed to take care of myself... and yet Inaban was helping me. Was it right of me to let her?

I’d always tried my best to avoid causing trouble for my friends, lest it ruin my friendships with them. But because of that, the friendships that survived all felt artificial. My whole life started to feel like a lie.

Even if I did eventually find someone I could trust completely, would I ever find the confidence to call them a true friend?

The next morning, I met up with Inaban, and the two of us headed to school together.

She walked beside me, her posture perfectly straight—elegant at first glance, but also a bit stiff, like she was trying to make herself appear larger to ward off predators. Still, that sort of swagger was a perfect match for her demure beauty.

“Hey, Iori?” Inaba spoke suddenly, in a low voice. “About your so-called stalker... Can you describe how it feels when you think you’re being watched?”

“Umm...”

Seeing as I had yet to explain it in detail, I went ahead and described my experiences to her.

Next, she buried me in an avalanche of questions:

“Have you seen what they look like? When did it start? Around what time does it usually happen? How long does it last? How many times per day?”

Dutifully, I answered each question in turn.

“...Not that often, and not every day. I’ve only felt it five or six times so far.”

She folded her arms pensively. “Hmm.”

“Why do you ask?”

“Well... On Friday, after I walked you home... I felt someone watching me.”

SHE felt it? HER? Not ME?

“Oh god... Now they’re after you, too?!”

“Wh—Shhhh ! Keep your voice down, dumbass!”

“S-Sorry...” Some passersby looked over at us. I lowered my voice. “B-But... this means my stalker started following you instead, right? And they only noticed you because you were with me... so it’s my fault...”

My vision darkened. My whole life was nothing but misery; I needed to keep people out of it so the curse wouldn’t spread to them, too. And yet—

“Hmph!”

“Ow!”

Inaban karate-chopped me on the head. Not gonna lie, it actually kinda hurt.

“Good grief, you’re the biggest idiot alive. Just because someone was watching me, you automatically assume they’re a stalker? And not just any stalker, but specifically your stalker? Don’t be absurd... That said, they did share some similarities with what you described.”

“See, I told y—ouch!”

Karate chop #2.

“Don’t give me that ‘I told you’ crap! God, you’re obnoxious! You don’t get to turn this into some tragic story where it’s all your fault, okay? We don’t know for sure that it was a stalker at all, much less yours.”

“O-Okay...”

“For now, let’s just wait and see what happens. Have you told anyone else about this?”

“N-No... Just you...”

“Then you should report it to your parents and the school, just in case. It’s up to you whether you want to tell your other fr—peers.”

“...Okay.”

For some reason, Inaban had stopped herself from saying the word friends .

“...or something like that! Crazy, huh? Right, Iori?”

“...Huh? Oh, uh, yeah.”

“I see what’s going on here... You weren’t even listening, were you?! You little rascal!”

Nakayama-chan playfully poked my tummy.

“Honestly, she didn’t miss much,” said Youko.

“Agreed,” said Haruna.

At this, Nakayama-chan slumped her shoulders. “Aww, man!”

These three girls were the “friends” I typically talked to and ate lunch with in class. After we finished eating, we spent the rest of the lunch period chatting.

“Just wondering, but... have you been feeling kinda blue lately?” Nakayama-chan asked me, peering curiously into my eyes.

“Huh? No, not at all.”

“Now that you mention it, she’s been pretty quiet...”

“Methinks the lady doth protest too much...”

“I mean it—Wh—What’s there to be sad about when I’ve got these guns?!” I rolled up my sleeve and flexed my bicep. Internally, I could feel myself shifting gears.

“Squish, squish!” Nakayama-chan poked my muscle.

“Hey, that ti—that tickles! ”

“Let me try!”

“Ooh, this is fun... I could get addicted to this.”

“Stop—You guys—Grrr, time for my revenge!” I reached out and clutched Nakayama-chan’s upper arms with both hands.

“It’s like a scene out of a love story...” Youko mused.

“First they embrace each other, and then they confess their love!” Haruna exclaimed.

I looked at Nakayama-chan. Our eyes met, and we exchanged a silent conversation: Let’s go for it!

“Iori...! I must confess, I’ve always—!”

“Wait,” I interrupted in a low, manly voice. “Let me go first. Ever since the first moment I laid eyes on you, I...”

“Ooh, Iori makes for a pretty hunky guy! Feels like we’re watching a musical!”

“Yeah! This is where the song starts, and then they do a dance number!”

“Cha-cha! Cha-cha-cha!”

“La la la la...!”

“Then the guy grabs the girl and jumps and lifts her into the air...”

“Ooh, like in figure skating? I’d kill to see that!”

“Okay, I’ll lift you.”

“R-Ready...?”

Then we turned to the others and shouted, “Now you’re pushing it !”

“Hahaha! You two are in perfect sync!”

“You just can’t stop yourselves from putting on a show, can you?”

“I-Iori? I think they’re messing with us!”

“I think you’re right, Nakayama-chan!”

At that point, I couldn’t hold it in any longer—and I burst out laughing. This, in turn, made Nakayama-chan start laughing, and her laughter made me laugh even harder, and so on, until we were both clutching our sides. The smile on her face made my heart dance.

This is so much fun.

These people were my friends—Youko, Haruna, and obviously Nakayama-chan, too. But now, more than ever, I was certain their friendship only applied to the good times.

I couldn’t burden them with my misery. They didn’t want that. Doing so would only sap the fun out of the room... and out of the friendship itself.

I was afraid of rejection, and I had no idea how they’d react if I were to give them something they didn’t want. The idea terrified me. I cared about our friendship too much to risk any major changes, so instead, I put it off for another day.

I couldn’t tell them about the stalker thing. I needed to solve it myself. I couldn’t let the misery spread to anyone else. I wanted to be the kind of person who made other people feel good... That way I could have friends...

Ugh .

Deep down, I knew my idea of “friendship” deviated from the norm. But right now, I was technically making it work—and I was scared of change.

This was just the sort of person I was. And that meant I needed to put in a lot of effort to keep things going smoothly.

The CRC didn’t have club activities after school that day, so instead I found myself with Inaban.

“Hey, um, Inaban?”

“Let’s hurry up and get out of here.”

She walked briskly out of the classroom, so I followed her all the way to the shoe lockers. There was something I wanted to say to her, but I decided it could wait until we were somewhere more private.

Once we had left the school building, I tried again.

“Hey, Inaban? I realized something...”

“Spit it out.”

“You’re walking me home to keep me safe from the stalker... right?”

“How many times do we have to go over this? Yes, I am!”

“Well, the thing is... now you might have a stalker, right?”

“I might, I might not. We don’t know yet.”

“Okay, well, mine isn’t set in stone either.”

“So what?”

“So... I think I should walk you home this time.”

She stared at me in shock for a moment. Then a few seconds ticked by... and that shock steadily shifted into incandescent rage.

“Excuse me ?! The hell is wrong with you?! Have you forgotten why we’re doing this?! Well, here’s a refresher: because I can’t trust you to stay safe on your own! There’s no point in you trying to protect me when you can’t even protect yourself! Is this some ‘the hunter becomes the hunted’ shit?! Actually, that analogy makes no sense, so never mind!”

Apparently she was so angry that she was starting to confuse herself.

“B-But Inaban... you said someone was watching you! So you’re not safe either!”

“Who cares about me?! What’ll you do if I’m not there with you?!”

“I... I’ll figure something out...”

“If you were capable of that, then you wouldn’t need me around in the first place, dipshit!”

“D-Don’t call me a dipshit! You walking me home made sense before, but things are different now!”

“That doesn’t mean we need a different plan, bonehead!”

“Bonehead?! Look—if I let you walk me home, then you’ll have to walk all the way back by yourself!”

“I mean, yeah, that’s what happens when two people walk home together, unless they’re neighbors or something!”

Completely unrelated observation: I think Inaban enjoys making catty clapbacks like this.

“Listen... Maybe I can’t keep myself out of danger, but I can at least try to protect you!”

“Argh! Enough! Let’s just take a step back for a minute. This is all nothing but conjecture; we’re wasting our time. We need to have a more constructive discussion.” She took a deep breath, then exhaled. “Okay. Iori, do you have any other friends you trust? For that matter, did you tell people about the stalker thing? If so, have them walk with you.”

“If I tell other people, then they’ll get dragged into it, too... I really don’t think I have any good friends I can talk to about this.”

Normally I would never admit something like that, but with Inaban, I felt comfortable talking about it.

“Are you sure you can’t talk to them about it, or are you just scared to try?”

“Wait—Inaban, did you just say ‘other friends’? Are you saying we’re...?”

Wait, no, I didn’t mean to ask that right now! Is this the right time? I don’t know... Ugh, but now it’s too late—

“N-No!”

Rejection.

I could feel my heart breaking—no, it’s just a crack. I can just paint over it. I can recover.

Meanwhile, Inaba hastily continued, “I mean—we’re not friends, but we’re still... comrades? United under a common cause, you know, like... like sisters-in-arms!”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Sh-Shut up! I’m describing how I see our relationship, damn it!”

Blushing, Inaban ran a hand through her hair. While her aggressive personality often kept other people at bay, to me it was completely endearing. Relatable, too, in a way. Before I knew it, I found I had regained my composure.

“Okay, real talk: what’s our plan?”

“Well... I still think our best option is for me to protect you, since you’re more at risk.”

“Ugh, there you go again! Listen—”

“Fucking hell, I’m never going to get anywhere with you, am I?! I refuse to back down about this!”

In the end, after going around and around in circles a few more times, we ultimately decided to settle it with a game of rock-paper-scissors. Sadly, Inaban won, so I had no choice but to let her escort me home. We were both exhausted from our argument, so we didn’t talk much on the way.

Comrades. Sisters-in-arms. I wasn’t opposed to it, since I’d never experienced it before. But this sort of relationship only existed so long as there was a common enemy to fight.

For some reason, I didn’t sense my stalker at all that day. Maybe they would be back tomorrow, or maybe they were gone forever. But once the danger was gone... would my “comrade” still stick around?

Over the next few days, Inaban continued to walk me home. Our compromise was thus: after I made it home safely, she would email me periodically on her way home until she, too, was safe.

I hadn’t sensed my stalker at all lately, nor had that talent scout approached me since last time. And as I started to relax, the conversation between us grew more and more frequent.

“So, what’d you get on the history test?”

“An 82!”

“Hah! I win. 93.”

“Aww, man! I lost again?! Ugh, I can never beat you!”

“I had an idea of what would be on the test, that’s all. I’m impressed you scored so high, actually. You’re pretty smart.”

“Are you trying to say you thought I was stupid this whole time...?”

“Uh, obviously! Pretty girls like you tend to assume you can get anything you want in life by flirting with men.”

“I beg your pardon, madam?! If anyone’s the conniving bitch type, it’s you! ”

“Generally speaking, I choose not to use my femininity as a weapon. I’d rather crush them like the monster I am.”

“I swear, you’re the only person I know who would openly admit to being a monster... and it’s really badass.”

“What about you? What’s your ‘conniving bitch’ quotient?”

“Hmmm... I’d say I’m an ‘if you’ve got it, flaunt it’ kinda gal.”

“Yikes. You’re gonna break a lot of guys’ hearts, I can tell.”

Unlike a lot of girls, Inaban was unabashedly open, honest, and direct. Talking to her felt more like talking to one of the guys—I knew I could relax and joke around without having to read too much into anything. And unless I was mistaken, Inaban seemed to enjoy talking to me, too.

In the classroom, she generally kept her barbed comments to a minimum. But in the clubroom, or when it was just the two of us, that was when her claws came out... and that, in turn, felt more like the real Inaban.

The days flew by uneventfully, and as time passed, my emotions began to stabilize.

After school, Inaban, Taichi, and I all left Classroom 1-C and headed for the clubroom. When we arrived, Yui and Aoki were already there.

“Why are you guys sitting so far apart?”

They were practically on opposite sides of the room.

“You’ll never believe it, Iori-chan! Yui told me if I come any closer, she’ll leave!”

“W-Well, I can’t be in a room alone with a guy—especially not you! Who knows what might happen!”

Yui was by far the cutest and most feminine of the CRC girls, but evidently she wasn’t all that comfortable with boys.

“I can’t help but wonder... Hmm... Maybe I should try to coax it out of her...” Inaban muttered under her breath.

We each took a seat, and then the discussion began.

“Looks like I’ve got everyone beat by an average of six points!” Inaban declared as she peered at Taichi’s graded history test.

“Rrgh... I know I study more than you do!”

“Yeah, and that’s where you’re going wrong. You gotta study smarter , not harder.”

“But guess what?” I joined in. “I got the same score as you, Taichi! Twinsies!”

“What...?! But you hardly study at all... Ugh, kill me now...”

“Guys, relax! From where I’m standin’, you’re all practically geniuses! I mean, look at me—I’m failing three different subjects! Hahaha!”

“Aoki... I don’t think you understand, but like, that’s really, really bad. I mean, we’re already halfway through the semester. You might get held back.”

“Huh? Really...? Oh god, you legit feel bad for me...?! I... I’m gonna start studyin’! At least until I can get to fourth place! I’m gunnin’ for your spot, Yui!”

“I-Inaba! Will you tutor me?! If Aoki starts getting better grades than me, I’m totally gonna throw myself off the roof!”

Just another day in the clubroom, same as always. In a blink, this had become my home away from home—the place where I could remember what my life used to be like.

Every now and then I would stop and wonder what exactly made this place so special, but I could never seem to find an answer. Still... I had this inexplicable feeling that maybe, just maybe, I could make some real friends here. Whenever I imagined our future together, my heart ached with joy.

I was doing well with my club members, doing well with my classmates, and doing really well with Inaban. All my life, I’d struggled with despair... but now, for once, I could see a light at the end of the tunnel. I was... happy. If only things could stay—

No, it’s too early to get complacent. I need to aim higher. After all, a girl can dream.

But if I wanted something better than what I already had, I would need to step out of my comfort zone.

After club activities ended, once again, I headed home with Inaban.

“Man, it’s hot. I bet they’re gonna start selling summer clothes soon... which means it’s my big chance to buy a bunch of springtime clothes on clearance!”

In my single-parent household, we weren’t exactly struggling to get by, but we didn’t have the money to splurge on stuff. Hence, I made sure to spend as little as possible on clothes. As long as I had the basics in my wardrobe, I could still create some pretty cool outfits even if I didn’t have the latest in trendy clothes. I was tempted to go bargain hunting...

“Eh, it can wait.”

I’d only just bought some nice clothes at the start of the season. Besides, I was already making Inaban shuttle me to my house; it’d be rude to drag her on a detour.

“...Want me to come with you?”

“Huh?”

Was it just me, or did she just say something crazy?

“Rrgh, don’t make me repeat myself! I asked you if you wanted me to come with you, seeing as you’re scared of walking by yourself!”

“No, I’m not...”

Okay, maybe I was, just a little. She seemed to have sensed this. And while I didn’t want to burden her with more hassle... the prospect of hanging out downtown with her was actually really exciting.

“A-Anyway, nah, I wouldn’t ask you to do that! I don’t need to buy any clothes—”

Wait, what? She was the one who offered, and I did want to go, so why was I turning her down? Was I lying? No... Deep down, I was scared of screwing up and damaging the relationship we had. Instead of trying to improve it, I was focused on maintaining the status quo.

“Well, I won’t force you, obviously.”

Now that I had declined, Inaban was starting to back down.

What am I doing?! I need to take that first step! It’s now or never!

“On second thought, actually, please do come with me! I’d really like that!” I blurted all at once.

Inaba recoiled slightly. “Chill out, would you? Anyway, I’m free tomorrow...”

Though she tried to act like I was twisting her arm, I could tell from her voice that she was a tiny bit pleased... but I kept that to myself, of course.

The next day, our club activities ended after a quick chat, as we’d agreed upon in advance. This way we could spend a good two hours downtown and still get home reasonably early.

At the school gates, we said our goodbyes to Taichi and the others, then headed off together.

“W-Well then, off we go!” I declared.

“Y-Yeah.”

“You’re still cool with going to the place we talked about yesterday?”

“Oh, uh, yeah.”

Silence fell between us.

“...Why are you all stiff and awkward, Inaban?”

“I’m not awkward, you’re awkward! Dumbass!”

Another moment of silence... and then we burst out laughing. What a couple of dorks.

“Feels like we’re going on a first date or something. Keheheh!”

“In a way, we kind of are.”

Looking back, I’d hung out with friends on multiple occasions, but rarely ever one-on-one.

“Are you coming on to me...?”

“Not particularly!”

After a short train ride, we stepped out into the downtown area. We were only going clothes shopping, and yet for some reason I was on cloud nine.

All this time, I told myself I wanted to be friends with everyone, but at some point, I had stopped trying to engage with people on a personal level.

Our first stop was an eight-story retail building just outside the station. The plan was to take a quick look around and get a feel for all the specialty stores.

“What kind of clothes do you buy usually?” I asked her.

“I don’t care too much about fashion, but...”

She looked around the store, her tone calm and unaffected. On our way here, I was terrified that we wouldn’t have a good time, but we both seemed pretty comfortable with each other.

Silence fell between us as the conversation petered out... and yet I didn’t feel obligated to revive it. Instead, the silence felt peaceful. Was this what it would feel like to have a boyfriend? If so, then maybe it would be fun to date someone... That said, I’d need to actually have a crush on someone first.

“...Sorry. I don’t know anything about clothes, so I’m not the best person to talk to.”

“Oh, no, that’s fine! I don’t mind the quiet!”

While Inaban seemed cold and insensitive at first blush, I’d realized quite some time ago that she was actually a delicate girl who would often fret over small details.

“With you, I don’t feel pressured to talk constantly.” I was comfortable around her, after all.

“Oh. Gotcha.” She nodded and didn’t press further.

Ooh, I think I see something cute over there!

Likewise, Inaban had pulled a dress off the rack to examine it.

...Wait, a DRESS?!

To me, this was so unexpected that I had half a mind to tease her for it, but I suppressed the urge; I could already picture her shouting “I didn’t care about this stupid dress anyway!” and storming away. So instead, I decided I’d wait until she was tempted to buy it, then egg her on. Heh heh heh.

“I’m gonna go check out that section real quick,” I told her.

“Oh, okay.”

We were so comfortable together, I didn’t feel obligated to hover by her side at all times. Here I was, essentially operating on low-power mode, and yet she didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. Was she a special case? Or was my low-power mode not quite as boring as I thought?

With a skip in my step, I jogged over to the other side of the store—

“Oh hey, it’s Iori!”

Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice. I glanced to the right. It was Youko, my “friend” from class. Next to her was Haruna, my other “friend.”

“What’s up?”

“Huh? Oh, uh... you know...”

What am I doing? Come on, snap out of it!

But for some reason, I found I couldn’t switch modes. I was too far “off” to revert back to “on” at a moment’s notice. They’re going to think I’m acting weird... Well, maybe they won’t actually mind—

Just then, I noticed that a third girl was standing with them. She wasn’t in our class, and I didn’t know her name, but I recognized her as a fellow Yamaboshi first-year.

“Oh, is this Nagase Iori-chan? Oh. My. Gosh. It’s great to see you up close for once! You’re, like, mega adorbs! I heard you’re the class clown of 1-C.”

There was a click as the switch in my brain finally flipped.

“What are you folks up to? Shopping? Oh, I guess this is the first time we’ve talked, huh? Nice to meetcha!” I grinned, extending a hand.

“Yeah, totally! I’m Iijima Maki!”

Judging from her thick makeup and her valley-girl voice, she seemed like a gyaru. I had nothing against gyaru girls personally, but for whatever reason I always struggled to get along with them.

“We’re just looking at clothes and stuff. Look what I got!” Youko reached into her shopping bag and pulled out a tank top. “Isn’t it cute?”

“Yeah, totally! Very sexy!”

“How so?”

“It’ll emphasize your boobs, that’s how! ...Gah, now look what you made me say!”

“Hahahaha! You’re such a goofball, Iori-chan! I love it!”

The conversation was going surprisingly well. Idly, I wondered what Inaban was up to. I turned my head—and our eyes met.

“Uh oh.”

She was looking straight at me, her expression blank. I need to get back over there, I thought to myself. I could already feel her starting to distance herself.

“What about mine? I said ‘screw it’ and went with red!”

“Spicy like a hot pepper! If I was a bull, I would charge right at it! Uhh... I mean... not that I want to gore you or anything!”

“You’re just digging yourself deeper, Iori-chan! Hahaha!”

“I’m just giving the people what they want, man!”

What am I doing? I need to tell them I’ve got a friend waiting for me so I can get out of here! It’s okay—they aren’t trying too hard to keep me around, so they won’t hate me for leaving. I need to get back to Inaban and switch over to low-power mode.

...Do I really NEED to switch back, though? I don’t HAVE to be on low power with her, do I? Nah, I don’t need to change gears. Wait, but... will SHE be comfortable with that?

I was hesitating, but I didn’t know why. I couldn’t make sense of it. And my brain’s attempt at solving this was to procrastinate on the more important decision while prioritizing the situation right in front of me.

“Anyway, are you busy? We were gonna go to karaoke after this.”

“Karaoke, huh? Sounds great! But... I actually—”

“You should go with them.”

An icy knife pierced my chest, cleaving my heart in two.

No... Wait... I was just about to wrap this up!

“Inaba-san? Oh, did you guys come here together? Well, why didn’t you say so, silly? Seriously, Inaba-san, where were you hiding all this time?”

“I just didn’t want to interrupt the fun,” Inaban replied, a forced smile plastered onto her face.

Sure, we were having fun—but your presence wouldn’t have ruined it, Inaban. Please, I need you to understand that!

“You aren’t interrupting, don’t worry! Anyway, wanna join us for karaoke, Inaba-san?”

“I’ve actually got other plans after this. You should take Iori with you, though.”

“No, that’d be mean! We can’t just steal her away from you! Maybe we could meet back up after your other plans.”

“I don’t need her. She was just tagging along for the hell of it.”

“Oh, really?” Youko asked me.

“Huh? I mean, yeah, we didn’t really have serious plans together, but...”

Why is the conversation headed down this road? I don’t get it. How do I put things back on track? What persona do I need to use in order to—oh.

Wow. Listen to me. I sound like I’m trying to deceive my friends on purpose.

“Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow at school.”

And with that, Inaban walked off.

“I-Inaban! I... um...”

Should I use my goofy persona to drag her back here? No... Maybe I should tell the girls she and I are hanging out one-on-one today? Which option would resolve everything more smoothly? Which one is more normal? Well, if I’m aiming for the most natural resolution to the conflict, then...

“S-See you tomorrow!” I called after her.

All I could do was watch her go.

“Um... Were we intruding on something...?” Haruna asked anxiously.

“No, no, it’s fine,” I replied, donning a false smile.

Tomorrow, I’ll need to apologize to Inaban about what happened, I thought to myself. I had already sent her an “I’m sorry” email, but as I expected, she only replied with “About what?”

Clearly I was going to have to speak with her in person—but what would I say? If I wanted to get my feelings across, then I was going to need to have a deep, serious conversation with her. Should I really let myself be that vulnerable? Isn’t it too risky? What if she doesn’t even show up at the meetup spot tomorrow morning?

I agonized over these questions until late that night... and the next morning, I slept through my alarm.

“Crap, crap, crap!”

I didn’t waste time eating breakfast—just washed my face, threw on my uniform, and dashed out of the house. My mom was still asleep; her job had her coming home really late every night this week.

As I ran, I tied my hair back into a ponytail. If there were no delays, and I caught my connecting train, I might still make it in time... or would I? It was hard to tell.

Fortunately, my full-speed dash enabled me to catch the train I needed right as it was about to depart. (Sorry, Mr. Conductor.) Then I positioned myself at the “meetup spot” by the middle doors of the last train car. This was how we met up each morning: if Inaban saw me through the window when the train pulled into her station, then she would board the train, but if I didn’t see her waiting out there, then I would get off and wait for her to arrive.

Granted, I could still count on one hand the number of times we had met up in this fashion, but to me, it was my new routine... even if I knew it wouldn’t last forever. But today in particular, I needed her to be there. I didn’t want it to end like this. Seriously, of all the days I could’ve overslept! Silently, I cursed my folly.

Knowing Inaban, she’d probably already caught an earlier train. She’d never risk being late to school, after all. And yet... part of me still held out hope that she would wait until the last train. Arrogant, I know. But I was so sure Inaban would go the extra mile for me.

At Inaban’s station, the train rolled to a stop. But rather than look through the window and find my answer, I stared at the floor and waited for the doors to open. I wanted to believe that fate would bring us together, just like it did the day we met.

I heard the doors open and looked up. In walked a man in a business suit, a university student, and a few fellow high-schoolers.

But Inaban wasn’t among them.

In the end, I arrived at the classroom right as the final bell was ringing. Class started right away, so I didn’t have time to talk to Inaban. Instead, I planned to approach her after class.

Time ticked by, and then first period came to an end. It’s go time. I jumped to my feet and headed over to her.

“Oh, hey, Iori! Karaoke was a total blast yesterday!” called Haruna.

“Y-Yeah, totally! Let’s go again sometime!” I replied with a smile and a thumbs-up.

While I was distracted, however, Inaban rose from her desk and started to head for the door. Hastily, I flagged her down.

“Inaban!”

“...What is it?”

Her tone was frightening, as was the look in her eyes. Something told me she was pissed .

“I, um... I wanted to apologize about yesterday—oh, but first I should apologize about this morning! I completely overslept, and I didn’t even have time to send you an email to let you know! I mean, assuming you waited for me—”

“Nah, I didn’t wait for you. Don’t worry about it.”

“Oh... O-Okay then... Good.”

Yeah... It was a good thing that I hadn’t created any hassle on her end. A very good thing, to be sure... But did I actually believe that, or was I just trying to tell myself I did?

“And another thing—I’m really sorry about yesterday! First I dragged you there, and then I ditched you... Me personally, I wanted to keep shopping with you, but then you said you had plans, so...”

“Yeah, I know,” she replied flatly. “Is that all? I need to go.”

“Oh, um... yeah.”

I wanted to stop her. There was so much more I wanted to say.

I wasn’t doing this right—I knew that. But I didn’t know what the “right” response would look like.

And so Inaban walked off.

Did I screw up...?

All my life, I only ever focused on getting along . But now, for once, I had taken a step out of my comfort zone to try to foster something deeper. Unfortunately, this attempt had ended in disaster. Now she hated me so much, she’d given up on me as a person.

How could I possibly ask her to walk me home after that? I couldn’t.

I wanted to make it work, but I couldn’t.

I wanted to make friends, but I couldn’t.

Why am I such a failure?

+++

“So yeah, we were going to and from school together, but we both had some misconceptions about each other,” Iori explained.

You can say that again, Inaba thought.

“Wait, that’s it?! ” Yui shouted. “You spent all that time thinking about it and all you said was, like, five sentences?!”

“What’s wrong with that?” Aoki asked.

“Nothing, but like... How is it they had this cool friendship moment with each other, but not with me?! Why’d you guys have to leave me out?!”

“It’s a little late for that now.”

“I’m not just going to shrug my shoulders about this, Taichi, you blockhead!”

“Then what sort of solution would you suggest, Yui-san?”

“I don’t know! Think of something for me, Chihiro-kun!”

“Why me...?”

“Oh boy... Someone’s set off the chirpy little raging tiger,” Inaba muttered. Every now and then, Yui could get really annoying.

“Chirping tiger?! Those things don’t even go together! And don’t talk down to me!”

“H-Hey, um... Maybe we could cut Her Chirpiness a break and go back to the story now...? You haven’t told us how the situation with the stalker and the talent scout was resolved. Which one of you exterminated them?”

“Ouch... When Shino-chan says it, it doesn’t really sound like a joke anymore... Ugh, maybe I should go home and think about the kind of person I want to be...”

“Holy moly! Shino-chan’s powers of snark are getting so strong, they can smash Yui’s self-esteem with a single strike! The girl’s unstoppable!” For some reason, Iori sounded rather pleased about this.

“I don’t think this really needs to be said, but I’ll go ahead and give you your punchline, Shino: nobody exterminated anybody.”

“What? What?! ”

“Seriously, how are you surprised by this? Whatever. Here’s how the story ended, alright?”

And so Inaba picked back up where Iori had left off.

◇◇◇

Trust issues. The belief that her true self was “unwanted.” A deep fear of failure. And above all, a desire to change.

These were the key components that made up both Inaba Himeko and Nagase Iori—though to what degree, I couldn’t be certain. All I knew was that we were birds of a feather.

But though we were similar in nature, we each had our own approach to life. In my case, I put up walls and kept people at arm’s length to protect myself. In Iori’s case, however, she kept herself safe by using friendship and diplomacy to frame herself as harmless.

The morning after Iori ditched me for her other friends, I waited for her at the station. But she didn’t show up, so I caught the train without her. Later, I was relieved to learn that she had simply overslept... but when she asked me if I’d waited for her, I told her I hadn’t.

Why? I didn’t know—actually, no, I was probably just lashing out at her.

When I saw her talking with her other friends and being her usual bubbly self—the way she never was when she was with me—it pissed me off. That was why I left. Now here I stood, awash in shame and deep, deep guilt. God, I’m such a fucking child. I need to apologize to her—maybe on the walk home.

“Inaban!”

Only one person ever called me by that nickname. I looked up from my desk to find Iori standing a short distance away—wait, what? No, she was next to my desk. She really wasn’t far at all. So why did it feel that way?

“Listen, um... You don’t have to walk me home anymore.”

Her tone was serious enough that I didn’t feel comfortable pushing back on her decision. All I could say was:

“Alright.”

Iori nodded, but I couldn’t tell if her expression was one of sorrow or guilt. Was this how it would end? Were we going to revert back to the way we were before?

Why was I so opposed to that?

“Hey, uh... Just checking, but are you still upset about what happened th—”

Just then, a pair of pigtails entered my field of vision as Nakayama Mariko latched onto Iori.

“Hey, Iori! You know how we all went to karaoke last night? Well, it turns out Youko forgot to bring her coupon, and it expires tomorrow! So she’s thinking about going again tonight—and yours truly is on board, of course! You’ll come with us, right?”

“Huh? Oh, uh... I...”

“While I’m here, what about you, Inaba-san?”

“I’ll pass.”

“Gotcha... Okay, well, we’re making plans over there. Come with me!”

“Uh—wha—?”

And so Nakayama dragged her off. As I watched, they joined the biggest, giggliest group in the room... and naturally, Iori fit right in.

“Hah,” I scoffed under my breath, then leaned back in my chair. I felt so stupid. She didn’t belong with someone like me—she belonged with them .

Iori didn’t turn up at the clubroom that day. Instead, she probably left campus to hang out with Nakayama and their other friends. Naturally, this resulted in me going home alone.

It had been a while since the last time I walked home by myself, and it felt... colder, somehow. But even at home, my mood still didn’t improve. I sat around in my room for a while, ate dinner, then holed up in my room again.

I sat down at my desk. A moment passed. Then I leapt to my feet and started pacing. I looked at the clock—8:30 PM. Try as I might, I couldn’t get her out of my mind. Was karaoke over now? Was she home safe? Or did they opt to stay late? I could trust Nakayama to wrap things up at a reasonable hour, but what about the other girls with them?

Ugh, listen to me right now. What am I, her mom?

Surely Iori asked one of the other girls to walk home with her. I had nothing to worry about. Then I remembered that her mother worked late into the night... but I pushed it from my mind.

Goddamn it, I can’t get it out of my head. What is WRONG with me? Why am I so obsessed with some random classmate? Fuck this shit.

I could feel a weight in my chest.

Maybe this friendship just isn’t worth it if it’s only going to make me miserable.

Just then, my cell phone started to ring, its green light flashing, from atop my desk. My heart skipped a beat. If it was an email, the buzzing would have stopped by now, but no. Someone was calling me. I grabbed the phone and checked the display.

Incoming Call: Nagase Iori

What could you possibly want from me now? I thought to myself. You only want to talk to me when you need something, is that it?

I stared down at the phone as it continued to ring and buzz. She was awfully persistent about talking to me, apparently. Just give up already, would you? I’m sick of tearing my hair out over you. I entertained the idea of turning my phone off, but I couldn’t find the courage to go through with it.

Meanwhile, the phone rang... and rang... and rang. Eventually I gave in and answered.

“Hello?”

“Oh! Um... Inaban... I... I think someone’s... There’s a stranger outside my house, and... I’m scared.”

I leapt to my feet and dashed out of the house.

As I ran to the train station, I stayed on the line with Iori so she could keep me updated.

According to her, when she arrived at home that night, she walked to the window to close the curtains—at which point she noticed an unfamiliar man looking at her bedroom window. At first she told herself she was overreacting, but every time she peeked out through the gap in the curtains, she found that he was still there, still looking. This had gone on for over an hour now, and she was starting to think he was the stalker she was worried about.

When she told me she was home alone, I encouraged her to call the police, but she wasn’t sure they would take action, since there was no proof of any crime. Eventually I decided it would just be faster for me to go there myself. However, I instructed her to either call the cops or take refuge with a neighbor if things got any worse.

Meanwhile, I boarded the train and set off in the direction of her station. As it rolled along, it occurred to me that I could have hailed a taxi instead, and I cursed my idiocy. Every stop in between drove me mad with impatience.

When I finally arrived at Iori’s station, I ran out of the train car, past the turnstiles, and onto the street. According to her last update, the man was still just standing there. What am I DOING? I thought to myself. Why was I coming to her rescue? She was just some random classmate. What am I, her boyfriend?

I didn’t know if she was actually in any danger. And if she was, then she was better off calling the police or turning to someone who could actually protect her. But I couldn’t count on her to actually follow through on that advice, hence why I was headed there.

How lucky for her that she has me to turn to! She’s probably just using me... Whatever. I don’t care anymore.

I didn’t have time to make a list of pros and cons. This was happening regardless.

Go ahead and laugh at me later if you have to. If I don’t do this, I know I’m going to regret it. Nothing can convince me otherwise.

Then Iori’s apartment complex came into view, so I dialed her number. I’d only been running for five minutes or so, and yet I was completely out of breath. God, I’m so out of shape.

“Haah... haah... How’s it... going...? Is he... still there?”

“He’s... He’s by the east building... standing under the overhang.”

“Haah... haah... Okay... East building...”

Once I got my breath under control, I made sure to stay as quiet as possible as I snuck around the building. Which way is east? Over there? Aha! There he is.

Sure enough, a man was standing there, keeping watch on the Nagase family’s apartment. Judging from the angle of his head, he was looking at Iori’s bedroom window.

I swallowed hard. The saliva clung to my parched throat, forcing me to swallow again. Here I was, face to face with Iori’s stalker. This was the first time I’d ever seen one in real life; stupid as it was, I’d always hoped they were just a staple of fiction and nothing more.

My mind replayed the vague memory of some news segment I’d watched a long time ago: Investigators say the killer repeatedly stalked his victim prior to the murder. Hastily, I shook the morbid thoughts away.

Goosebumps pricked up my arms, and my stomach was in knots, but I forced myself not to think about it. This isn’t a TV show, okay? This is real life. Keep it together. I can solve this.

Then my legs started to shake—but that was just from all the running I did on my way here. I wasn’t scared or anything.

There were no street lights where the man was positioned, and I had set up camp approximately ten-plus meters behind him to keep watch. With these two factors combined, I couldn’t quite make out the features of his face.

“There’s definitely a guy out here. All I can tell is that he’s wearing a hat.”

“Sorry to make you come all this way... It’s really not safe.”

“Don’t worry about it. And for the record, you didn’t ‘make’ me. I felt like coming over, so I did.”

“But if I hadn’t called you about it—”

“Oh my god, will you shut the fuck up?! I’m sick of your shit, Iori! We can worry about all that after we figure this out! Focus!”

I was tired of her constantly waffling back and forth. Never mind the fact that I was waffling about it myself up until tonight.

Anyone would be scared in her shoes.

“At this point, I think you’ve got more than enough grounds to call the cops about this.”

“N-Not yet... I don’t want to turn it into a huge ordeal unless I have to. My mom will freak out, and... it’s possible one of her ex-husbands might get involved. And I really don’t want that.”

Good lord, how complicated is your home life?

“Alright, alright. We’ll put a pin in that idea for now.”

So what was their next move? Without the police, they’d need to solve it themselves. And sure, if they sat here until he left, the immediate crisis would be averted—but it wouldn’t be a permanent fix.

Should we make a scene to drive him away? No, that’s still just putting a band-aid over the real problem. For that matter, is this the same guy I caught looking at me? In which case... am I in danger, too...?

My breath quickened and my chest grew tight. I still had the option to back out. If I left right now, I would be safe. But if I stayed, I would be taking a tremendous risk. That much was plain as daylight.

“Inaban?”

“Gaaahh! D-Don’t startle me like that!”

“Uh... We’re on the phone, aren’t we? All I said was your name.”

“Oh, lay off! Anyway, what do you want?”

“Well... we don’t know for sure that he’s watching me, so I was thinking maybe we should find out.”

“Right... I guess that makes sense.” There were plenty of other apartments in this complex, so there was a chance (however small) that he was looking at someone else’s.

“Okay, I’m gonna leave the house.”

“Alright... Wait, what?!”

“I’m gonna walk outside, and if he ignores me, then we’ll know he’s not after me.”

“You better be goddamn careful about this, you hear me?!”

Seriously, the hell is she thinking? Dumbass!

“I... I’m sorry to do this after you came all this way, but... I really don’t want to drag you into my mess, so I’m gonna hang up.”

“Wha—HEY! Damn it, she hung up on me!”

I tried to call back, but she didn’t answer. Oh, NOW you’re magically feeling brave, you coward? I might’ve been impressed if I couldn’t CLEARLY hear your voice shaking!

I was scared just sitting here, so I couldn’t imagine what it must’ve felt like for her. Why did she only think to take action once I got here? Was... Was it because I was here?

She claimed she didn’t want to “drag me into her mess,” but I knew she wasn’t really as strong as she was letting on. She was just putting on a tough-girl act for her audience—oh, right. I do that, too.

Perhaps Iori had only taken action because she’d realized that I was frightened... in the same way I’d dashed over to her house the second I heard the terror in her voice.

Her bedroom light clicked off. Then, twenty or thirty seconds later, she stepped out onto the street with me and the stalker—about fifteen meters away from him, by my estimate.

For the briefest of moments, she shot a glance in his direction. Then she turned in the opposite direction and started walking, like she hadn’t even noticed he was there. Was she trying to lure him away?

Then she entered his field of vision. Still, I couldn’t risk calling her back—not yet. Not until I could be sure he’d noticed. As he stared after her, I stared after him, observing him.

From my position, I could no longer get a visual on her. Just then, I felt my phone buzz; I answered it straight away. I was pretty sure the stalker couldn’t hear me from this distance, but nevertheless, I cupped a hand over the receiver to muffle the sound.

“Is it working?”

“Don’t give me that shit! What you’re doing is extremely reckless!”

“Too bad. I’m already doing it.”

“Tsk... Fine, whatever. So far, he hasn’t moved. And for the record, I can’t see you from here.”

“I’m just gonna keep heading straight down this road, and I won’t look back.”

“Good idea. Try to act natural. Once you’ve walked for a while, find a store and kill time inside.”

My heartbeat raced as sirens went off in my head. It almost felt like we were characters in a crime drama... Then again, seeing as we were literally surveilling a criminal, maybe there was no “almost” about it.

“Still nothing?”

“Nothing.”

Thankfully, the stalker didn’t show any signs of taking action. In fact, perhaps this man wasn’t really a “stalker” at—wait, what?

“Hold on... He’s doing something.”

The man crouched down and began to sneak around the side of the apartment building. I watched him go, all the while silently pleading: please don’t follow her. Please just go the other way. Please prove to me that... you’re not... a stalker...

“He’s... headed in your direction.”

“What? For real?” I could hear the chill in her voice.

I need to instruct her—but what should I have her do? For that matter, what should I be doing? What do I... How do we... Oh, for fuck’s sake, CALM DOWN!

“Don’t turn back. Don’t provoke him. I’ll tail him from a distance.”

I stepped out onto the sidewalk and started walking. Oh god, what am I DOING? I could feel my phone growing slick with sweat from my palm. My nerves had hit my stomach, and nausea was on its way, but I ignored it. Instead, I kept walking—quietly, carefully.

No one else was on the street, save for the occasional passerby on a bicycle, but there was no time for me to flag them down and ask for help. It was taking everything I had to maintain the perfect distance—close enough to keep tabs on him, but not close enough to the point that he noticed I was there.

Up ahead, I caught a glimpse of Iori, and relief flooded my chest. But just like that, she was gone again. If I got a little closer, could I keep an eye on both of them simultaneously? No, maybe that was too risky... After a moment of deliberation, I decided it was best to avoid his notice at all costs. Even if it meant I couldn’t get a visual on Iori myself, I needed to stay a good thirty meters behind him for my own safety.

“Wh... What do we do...? Actually, if you think about it... is this our best chance to catch him ourselves?”

“Don’t bite off more than you can chew, you idiot! Just keep walking and playing dumb!”

She was going to give me a heart attack at this rate. Maybe the fear was starting to get to her.

Quietly, I continued to tail the stalker. It was too dark to make out any of his features, but fortunately there was no one else around, so I was in no danger of losing him. As he passed under a streetlight, I could vaguely make out his dark-colored attire.

“We’re never going to get anywhere if I just keep walking forever.”

“Go to the police station—no, even just a convenience store will do the trick. If you find a store, go inside.”

“O-Okay.”

See? I’m instructing her. Look at me, level-headed in a crisis. I can do this.

Then the road began to slope downward. From my high vantage point, I could see Iori about twenty meters ahead of the stalker. Added to my thirty meters behind him, that made for a total of fifty meters between myself and her—about the length of a sprint in gym class. I relayed this information to Iori over the phone.

“Just don’t force yourself to do this, okay? If it gets dicey, leave me and run.”

“Right back at you.”

Seriously, if anyone’s overextending themselves, it’s you. And yet she seemed to feel the same way about me . Our opinions were at total odds with each other... but in a sense, they were also in perfect sync.

She turned a corner and disappeared from my line of sight. The stalker hastened his pace so as to not lose sight of her. Likewise, I did the same.

He was moving so quickly, he was practically running—so I started running, too. And the faster I moved, the more I began to panic. The intensity of the situation seemed to magnify twofold.

Then the stalker rounded the same corner, and I lost sight of him as well. With both of them out of view, my imagination went wild with worst-case scenarios. What if he ran up and grabbed her? Or worse?

I was terrified. Terrified that it would be my fault—no! This isn’t about me; this is about Iori! Who gives a shit what happens to me? She’s... He’s...!

As I approached the corner, I started running at full speed. And when I rounded it—I found him standing there. Facing me.

Please tell me this is a different guy. Tell me I’m not standing face to face with Iori’s stalker!

Our eyes met. We were standing at a distance, but I was under a streetlight, which meant he could probably see my face. As for him, he had the brim of his cap pulled down low over his eyes... just like the stalker I’d been tailing.

We were ten meters apart... no, twenty? Is that close or far? I can’t tell. My powers of analysis were fading, and now I was rooted to the spot.

After a beat, I realized my error.

If I had just kept walking, I could have masqueraded as an ordinary passerby, but now that possibility was long gone. The stalker had noticed me; worst case scenario, it was possible he’d been stalking me , too. In other words, I was in danger... and yet I just stood there, my feet frozen in place, my phone still pressed to my ear.

Why did I ever decide to go on this suicide mission? This wasn’t like me—I wasn’t usually this stupid. So what the hell happened? Why would I—

“Inaban? What’s wrong?” Iori asked over the phone.

“Don’t turn back. Just go.”

No matter what happens, I’ll never regret making this choice... because I know I’d only regret it more otherwise.

It surprised me just how strong I felt in that moment.

I can do this... I can do this, damn it!

“Inaban...? Is something going on?!”

Apparently my instructions had backfired on me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could spot a shadowy figure. And when I looked at it, the man turned and looked over his shoulder, following my gaze.

“...Oh.”

It was Iori. Now she and the stalker were staring each other in the face. He was standing about... fifteen, twenty meters from me, and she was another... twenty or twenty-five meters from him. We had him flanked on both sides.

What is happening right now? I couldn’t begin to process it. My animal instincts screamed at my brain—do something! Figure it out! Take action! Hurry up—every second counts!

The man was now fully conscious of both me and Iori.

Option 1: fight him. One adult man versus two teenage girls—he would have the advantage. Plus, we couldn’t predict what kind of weapons a stalker might carry on him.

Option 2: run. If we split up, he would be forced to choose one of us to chase after, thereby sparing the other... but the less fortunate of us would be placed in massive danger. Pass .

Option 3: do nothing—that would be sheer idiocy.

What do I do? These options all suck!

Then I realized: I was too focused on the short-term. Even if we got away from him this time, there would always be a next time... unless we did something to prevent it.

Call the cops? They won’t arrive in time. Go on the defensive, or go on the offensive? What about Iori?

I looked over at her... and the second she came into view, I knew what had to be done.

She was too far away for me to make out her expression—especially in the shadows—but when I looked at her, I knew I needed to fight. For the first time in my life, I was going to prioritize someone else’s well-being over my own.

My heart raced. Why do I feel so compelled to save her? And why do I feel like I can actually do it? Is this how it feels... to help people?

I balled my hands into fists, holding tight to the power I’d just discovered inside myself.

I was going to talk to him. He probably wouldn’t attack me without warning—no, I wouldn’t let him.

Was I going to talk him out of stalking her? No, I wasn’t that naive. Instead, I was going to debate him. If he was afraid of getting arrested, I’d quote penal code at him; if he was intimidated, I’d threaten him; and if he was gripped by some twisted desire, I’d cut a deal with him—anything to stop him. If he fell for it, awesome. I was ready to do whatever it took to buy time for Iori to escape.

Just in case, I put emergency number 110 on speed dial on my phone. Perfect .

“Let’s do th—”

“Let’s do this!”

“...Huh?”

Right as I was about to take a stand, a certain someone else took it for me. You’re joking, right?

“The hell are you planning to do?”

“You tell me, Inaban.”

“I was just going to t—”

“I was just going to talk to him.”

“Quit copying me!” I hissed. What, like you came to the exact same conclusion I did, purely by coincidence? Fat chance.

“I’m not ‘copying’ anybody! This doesn’t even involve you, Inaban! Get out of here!”

Excuse me?

“You’re slower than me, so you’ll need a head start! Just leave him to me! Unlike you, I can outrun him!”

Are you fucking kidding me?

Out of nowhere, the damsel in distress was suddenly acting like a hero—and stealing my spotlight.

Here was a girl who seemed to have it all... everything except friends, or so she claimed. But just when I thought she needed me, she started acting like I was the helpless burden. Who do you think you are?

I refused to let her one-up me. My pride wouldn’t allow it. Just how selfish could she possibly be? She infuriated me, and now I was going to give her a piece of my mind.

“Bullshit! This does involve me, actually! And I’m already committed to doing this, so just back off! It’s not safe for you to take the reins here!”

As I shouted, I could feel a weight lift from my shoulders.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“I’m trying to keep you from getting hurt, you nimrod!”

God, how embarrassing . But I knew if I didn’t get it off my chest, I’d only stress myself out.

“Why?! This is my problem... I... I can’t let you—”

“Yeah, well, your problems are my problems, too! I’ve already made up my mind about this, so just let me help you! ”

On the other end of the line, I heard her voice catch in her throat. Gotcha. I win!

Without wasting another moment, I started walking.

“W-Wait! That doesn’t count!”

Just a few steps later, I spotted her walking over in my direction.

“No, you wait! And by ‘wait,’ I mean get out of here! We can’t both be the bait! And you know I’m the better debater!”

“But I’m the one he’s interested in, so it’ll be more effective coming from me!”

“And more risky! Way, way more risky!”

“I refuse to put you in danger, Inaban! You’re too... You’re...!”

This time it was my turn to falter. Was she going to say the very thing I’d never found the courage to say?

If she said it first, she could probably stop me in my tracks... Did that mean it would have the same effect on her? If I said it first, could I stop her? I didn’t have any concrete evidence in that regard, but we were already pretty clearly on the exact same wavelength, so I wanted to believe it would work.

Yes... For once, I was going to beat Iori at her own game—

“Y-Yeah, and I... uhh... you...”

Fuck! I can’t do it!

If I could just get the words out, I would win, and Iori would stay safe. How was it this difficult? It’s now or never, dumbass!

Meanwhile, I kept walking. If I didn’t hurry up, we’d both end up putting ourselves within range of the stalker... and I was running out of time. Come on! Stop her!

I’d been conscious of my worst traits for a while now. That was why I stopped trying to form genuine connections; instead, I just established a handful of shallow friendships. But this only left an empty void in my heart, and deep down, I wanted to find what I’d truly been missing... and right now, if I could just put myself out there—

I took a step forward.

I’ve made up my mind.

Another step.

I’m going to say it.

I was now close enough to see Iori clearly; I could feel something hot welling in my chest. Then I saw the desperate determination on her face.

For once, I’d found someone who was willing and able to go toe to toe with me.

I can do it. I can say it. I’m going to say it!

“I...!”

She was Nagase Iori, and she was my—

Just then, I noticed a large, dark blur on the right-hand side of my vision... about 180 centimeters tall, by my estimation... wearing dark clothes and a cap pulled down low...

“Oh crap! THE STALKER!”

“AAAAHHH! THE STALKER!”

“WHAT?! STALKER?!”

Shit . I’d spent too much time thinking while my body was on autopilot, and now it was too late—we’d both walked all the way up to the stalker. This was a critical error. How could I have let this happen?

Not only that, but Iori had screamed along with me. Did the exact same thing happen to her, too? Plus, there was that deeper third scream... Wait—a THIRD scream? And if Iori and I are just five meters apart... where does that put the stalker?!

The man in black was now just two or three meters away.

“Iori, no! Get back! Get away from the stalker!”

“Get out of here, Inaban! Hurry! Before the stalker... y’know...!”

“Huh...? Who, me...? Guys, I’m NOT a stalker!” the man yelled back.

“...Wait, what?!”

As it turned out, he looked a lot less intimidating with his hat off... so we decided to interrogate him.

“I’m telling you, I’m not a stalker! Nothing of the sort! I’m just a private investigator. I got a request from this one talent agency to do a background check on someone named Nagase Iori-san... Oh, and they had me add ‘Inaba Himeko-san’ at one point, so I investigated you too. To be honest with you, I’m not sure this is standard procedure for a background check! I was just following orders from my client... Man, the word ‘client’ makes me sound pretty darn cool, don’tcha think? This is actually my first job as a private investigator, so I’ve been experimenting with a bunch of different methods. I always wanted to do a stakeout, y’know, like you see on TV!”

The more he talked, the more I started to see the whole picture.

“Long story short, the agency asked me to do a background check on their prospective recruit Nagase Iori-san, then tacked on Inaba Himeko-san as another potential recruit partway through. As a rookie, I figured I could use the practice, so I did a bunch of surveillance stuff for fun!”

“ ‘For fun’?! Fuck! Off! Do you even realize what you’ve put us through, you jackass?! You can go ahead and delete all the intel you gathered on us—and never try to mess with us ever again, or else you can expect to hear from my lawyer! I demand to see your license and business card!”

“Eeeeek!”

“Go ahead, Iori. Rip him a new asshole.”

“...I think you’ve got all the bases covered, Inaban.”

And so the stalker crisis came to an end.

“I can’t believe it... All the incidents were linked to each other!” Iori laughed on the way home.

“Ugh, what a waste of my time... If only you’d been firm with that stupid talent scout right from the start, none of this would’ve ever happened!”

I’m so goddamn done with you. Do you know how much emotional labor I put into helping you? How much anxiety this whole thing has given me?

“But... if I can be really selfish for a minute... I’m kinda glad it did.”

“Excuse me?” Are you out of your mind?

“Well... because we...” Iori faltered, blushing. Naturally, this made me start blushing, too.

Embarrassed, I turned away and looked up at the sky. The moon shone softly down upon us, almost like it was watching over us... Ugh, this feels so cringey.

Come to think of it, we’d gotten pretty emotional at each other over the phone earlier. What was I supposed to do, now that she’d seen me at my worst?

“I-Inaban!”

“Y-Yes?!”

She stared firmly into my eyes. Was she going to say something important? Her lips were twitching. I swallowed hard.

“Inaban... I bet you feel kinda gross after all that running around, huh?”

“What? Uh... Yeah, I guess...?”

“And it’s gotten pretty late.”

“Y-Yeah...”

“And my mom emailed me earlier to tell me she won’t be coming home tonight, so... I’m gonna be all alone in my apartment.”

Silence.

“So... if you want... and if your family’s cool with it... would you wanna... stay over?!”

“...Are you sure you’re not coming on to me?”

“No , you dork! Will you get your mind out of the gutter?!”

That night, we talked for hours.

“I have to admit, I don’t have much experience with this ‘girls’ night out’ stuff.”

“Me either... This is my first time, so go easy on me.”

“See, there you go again with your damn innuendos!”

“You are reading WAAAAY too much into this, Inaban!”

First, we discussed the awkward tension between us the past few days.

“I just... really didn’t want to add more problems to your life. That’s why I told you not to walk me home anymore.”

“You’re not adding problems to my life. Hell, even if you were, I’d prefer that to you suffering in silence. But yeah, I admit I was being kind of a bitch. I just... wanted to believe we were... you know... buddies or whatever.”

“We are! In my eyes, you’re the best buddy I’ve got... or... at least, I’d like it if you were...”

“But...”

What I was about to say was going to make me sound like a total child, and I was already mortified just thinking about it... but I needed to say it. I was sick of us constantly dancing around it.

“You seem happier when you’re with your other friends.”

“About that...” The smile vanished from her face. “Listen,” she muttered quietly.

I was terrified of what she was about to tell me, but nevertheless, I waited for her to continue.

“This is pretty heavy stuff, so I won’t blame you if it makes you uncomfortable, but I want you to know... Growing up, I’ve been through some... traumatic sorts of experiences.”

“You can tell me about it, if you want. I’m all ears.”

“Well, okay... uh... So basically, I have five dads...”

And so we talked until dawn.

“...Man, it’s already four?”

“Wow... This conversation got pretty deep, huh?”

Even Iori was starting to sound tired.

“We should get some sleep... Oh.” Out of the blue, I remembered something.

“What’s up?”

I’d wanted this for so long, yet always kept my distance out of fear. But now I wasn’t afraid anymore.

“This thing we have going on... Is this what people call ‘true friendship’?”

“...I’m not sure.”

Yeah, me neither. Then again, perhaps it wasn’t a question we were supposed to ask someone else.

“I guess we have to decide for ourselves, huh?”

It didn’t matter what anyone else thought. How did we feel?

“Well then, let’s decide right now!”

In that moment, Iori’s smile shone brighter than the moon.

“As of right now... we’re best friends forever!”

+++

“...And that’s how the story ended,” Inaba finished.

As she recounted the tale, Iori listened with her eyes closed, basking in nostalgia.

Inaba was her first real friend. And after that, she’d gone on to make a lot of other friends—almost like Inaba had shown her where she’d been going wrong. Not to mention they’d spent the past year dealing with all those bizarre phenomena, through which Iori was able to reflect on herself as a person. As a result, she slowly stopped putting friendships into rigid boxes.

“S-So, um... what happened to the talent scout?!” Shino asked curiously.

“Well... Inaban went down to the agency with a file folder full of documented evidence of the harassment, and... you get the picture.”

That was the moment she vowed never to get on Inaba’s bad side.

“Oh god, they died?!”

Evidently Shino did not, in fact, get the picture. But Iori decided not to set her straight.

“Is the story really that interesting? I mean, it doesn’t even involve any of you.”

In retelling the tale, they had both danced around the most important emotional element. Not that the antagonists weren’t exciting in their own right, but when it came down to it, that wasn’t the part that mattered.

But then affirmation came from the person Iori least expected:

“Yeah, but I’m still glad you told us,” said Uwa Chihiro . “...Wait, why is everyone looking at me like that?”

“Well...” Yui began.

“I mean...” Taichi continued.

“It’s just...” Aoki trailed off.

“Yeahhhh...” Inaba nodded.

They all exchanged knowing looks amongst themselves.

Chihiro scowled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Whoops! I’d better clue him in. Gotta act like a proper club president for a change!

“Oh, Chee-hee! We’re just all surprised to hear you say it, that’s all! So tell me, first-years, did you enjoy it?”

“Oh, yes, very much!”

“Yeah, more or less.”

“In that case, how about we spend the rest of the day sharing our favorite CRC memories? That way our younger members can get to know us better!”

Perhaps the senpai-kouhai relationship wasn’t quite the same thing as friendship, but nevertheless, Iori still thought of the first-years as her friends. And in the end, that was all it took to make it real.

Once we’re adults, a one-year age gap won’t matter in the slightest. Forget the social hierarchy! Why restrict yourself to same-age friends when you’ve got a whole school full of cool people? Friendship has no limits!

“Shino-chan! Chee-hee! You may be junior to us, but that doesn’t make you any less important!”

Because you’re our friends... and that’s what matters!