"As per usual I want the classroom to be left spotless understood?"
Ms. Aoi directed at me as she pushed her glasses up in that typical intimidating teacher way.
"Yes Ms. Aoi…"
"And don't forget to empty the trash bins."
I let out a defeated sigh.
"Yes Ms. Aoi…"
I just wanna go home...
Ms. Aoi then did a dramatic spin and walked away leaving me standing in the hallway.
I stepped back into the classroom and began another day of my punishment. Clean up duty.
It was a tedious, mundane and repetitive routine but at least I got some time to think for myself since I found myself in a troubling situation.
Wait did I say troubling? I meant to say stressful. This is a really stressful situation.
One week.
That was the allotted time that Mr. Hideaki had given me to make up with his daughter. In reality, that meant only 5 days, because the only time I have a chance to speak with Kido is at school.
Today is Thursday. Which meant tomorrow was the final day.
If I failed, then thoserumors would spread and I have no doubt that my high school life would practically be over, I mean that's basically what happened in my last school.
Is high school supposed to be this hard?
I thought the toughest part about all of this was going to be having to confront Kido and go along with Mr. Hideaki's plan.
But the fact of the matter is… I haven't even gotten a chance to speak with her at all!
This entire week I've tried to approach and talk to Kido, but she somehow always scurries away before I even get too close.
On Monday I spotted her walking in the hallway but as soon as she saw me, she ran away.
Tuesday, I went directly to her classroom, but too many people were blocking the way as usual, and she slipped away amongst the crowd.
I really thought I had her on Wednesday when I saw her carrying a tall stack of papers, but she blurted out 'sorry!' and dropped the entire load on top of me…
As for today, I haven't seen her at all damn it!
She probably realized I'm looking for her and has gone into hiding.
Ha… this whole situation is messed up. I wouldn't be surprised if Kido hated my guts right now. From her point of view I probably treated her like she was a crazy obsessed girl.
And with the whole Mr. Hideaki deal, it's like the world is saying, "you want a peaceful life? Sure go ahead, just gotta be a complete douche to get it"
I continued cleaning. Wiping away the writing on the front board and picking up bits of trash that were on the floor.
I soon made my way to the teacher's podium, although it was more like a small rectangular table rather than a podium.
Just like before I checked to see if there was trash under, until something hidden under the podium caught my eye.
"What the…"
It was well hidden and hard to spot but a plastic toy had been taped to the underside of the podium.
Just as I was about to grab it, two voices coming from the hallway could be heard.
"Sorry to bother you at such late hour."
"It's no problem at all Ms. Aoi."
One was the voice of Ms. Aoi, while the other was someone I recognized too, it seemed the class rep, Kousaka, was also helping the teacher out.
Soon the door to the classroom opened.
"I know you're busy enough as is with studying and keeping up with your other responsibilities, but I need you to deliver these handouts to the student council whenever you're available and after that please make some copies for tomorrow's class."
"Of course Ms. Aoi" she responded diligently.
"You are such an exemplary student, if only everyone was like you especially that new kid Naoki, that little rascal just smells of trouble. Which speaking of, he should be here right now cleaning..."
Ouch.
Ms. Aoi soon let out a disappointed sigh.
"Maybe he had to use the bathroom." Kousaka intervened before Ms. Aoi let out another complaint.
"Maybe, whatever the case, I appreciate your help Kousaka-san. I'm counting on you alright?"
"Yes Ms. Aoi."
Soon the door closed, and it seemed Kousaka was left behind.
I should've probably shown myself to avoid looking like a slacker, but I really didn't want to deal with Ms. Aoi again, seems I'm disliked plenty already.
I went back to the matter at hand, checking out this odd toy I had found below the desk.
After ripping it from its spot, I could more closely inspect it. It was one of those toy gadgets that you typically see in a Tokusatsu toy set. You know, the kind with blinking lights and sound effects?
This one in particular had the shape of a flip phone with a couple of buttons in it.
I pressed one of the buttons and… nothing happened.
Guess it's broken. I thought to myself.
I shrugged it off and pocked it, figuring it was some dumb prank.
Regardless it was an odd discovery for sure.
As I was about to stand from below the podium with the toy in hand, Kousaka suddenly spoke.
"God, what a massive pain in the ass."
I took a peak around the podium, only to spot Kousaka, sitting on a chair with her legs on top of the desk, headband off, hair spilling over her face and muttering things like she wanted to murder someone.
"Tch." she said while picking something off her nails.
Her voice had dramatically shifted, going from a soft, slightly higher pitched tone to a lower and more coarse matter.
"'Kousaka, can you help? Kousaka please do this! Kousaka, could you do me a favor?' Tch. What am I, everybody's mom!?" She clicked her tongue, scraping her nails against the desk.
"Why does everyone always ask me to do such bothersome things" She groaned once again. "Now Ms. Aoi wants me to do that tedious task? Yeah right, and where the hell is that guy anyway? Isn't he supposed to be here cleaning? Jeez. Like hell I'm going to do this by myself."
Is she talking about me?!
"Ha~ This role model persona is turning out to be more annoying than I thought."
Every passing moment Kousaka seemed to be getting angrier and angrier.
"Then there's those idiots out there calling me a 'modest beauty'! Thinking I don't mind because I don't get mad at them! It really makes me want to punch them in the face. They really think it's okay to compare me to someone like that rich Oujou-sama?! They themselves are like snails."
Scary!
"Keep yourself together Kousaka."
She said after inhaling and exhaling deeply.
"Just have to get back on your perfect role model mindset."
"Ehem." She said trying to fix her voice to how it was.
"Yes of course Ms. Aoi it's my pleasure" she muttered, but her voice was slightly off.
"Agh damn it! This is so annoying to do as well."
She sighed, slapped her cheeks lightly, then pitched her voice back up into that fake sweetness.
"Yes, of course, it's my pleasure, tee-hee~!"
🗿
Ah.
Another one appeared.
ISN'T IT TOO SOON FOR ANOTHER EVENT TO HAPPEN?!
DON'T YOU KNOW INTRODUCING CHARACTERS, ONE AFTER ANOTHER CAN BE OVERWHELMING FOR THE READERS?!
You know the drill already…
Cliché number 18: The Girl with the Perfect Façade(™)
Or just a girl who pretends to be someone she's not in front of others.
Damn it. Like hell I'm showing myself and getting caught up in this.
I haven't even resolved the issues with Kido! And now you throw this at me?!
Nu-uh world! I'm too busy, you can screw off.
I sat below the desk covering my mouth with my hands just in case, trying to be as quiet as possible.
That's when a faint light glowed through my pocket.
Oh no.
The Sentai gadget buzzed to life, and a countdown began flashing across its small screen.
"Don't you dare…" I whispered.
But it was too late.
"Henshin! Pink Spark!" it blared, complete with cheesy sound effects.
Please tell me she didn't hear that.
The classroom went dead silent.
Then, footsteps. Slow, deliberate, right toward me.
Stopping right next to the podium.
I gulped and slowly peeked over the podium. Only to be met with Kousaka staring me down with hollow and terrifying eyes.
"You heard." She simply said.
It's over.
I stared at Kousaka with unimpressed eyes. In part because I can't be bothered anymore to look shocked or afraid and in part cause this is getting old fast for me.
"I did indeed." I replied, "Now if you excuse me. I got trash to throw."
I quicky began to head for the door trying to pretend nothing happened.
But just as I began to open it, Kousaka slammed it back shut.
"Stop right there." She said in a dead-pan serious tone.
"You are… Naoki from my class, right?"
She said while having an uncanny smile.
"Perchance."
"Then, everything you just heard—"
But before she even got to finish her sentence, I cut her off, that's right, now I'm doing the cutting off.
"Let me stop you right there."
I said while putting my hands up.
"Earlier I misspoke. I didn't hear anything alright? Matter of fact I'm legally deaf."
A vein seemed to grow on Kousaka's forehead.
"Hah~? Are you making fun of me right now?"
Take the hint…
"No, not at all. I'm simply saying I heard nothing. Furthermore, I don't even know who you are."
"What do you mean you don't know who I am?! We are in the same damn cla—"
"LIKE I SAID LADY! I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND I HEARD NOTHING."
I exclaimed, catching Kousaka off guard.
She seemed confused at first, but then her face subtly lit up like she had a moment of realization.
"I see."
Kousaka had been holding on to her headband the entire time and only then, she pushed back her hair back and put it back on.
"It's a good thing that the classroom was empty. Otherwise I'd would've been troublesome for whoever was in there. Isn't that right Naoki?"
She asked in her usual soft-spoken voice, but there was a sinister aura behind it.
Just mind your own business Naoki.
"Yup." I said while smiling back.
"Oh and thanks in advance for offering yourself to help me with those printouts Ms. Aoi left me."
God, damn it.
"See you around."
Kousaka began to walk off and gave me one last nasty glare as she subtly looked at me from the side.
I took a deep breath.
One problem at a time Naoki. One damn problem at a time. First gotta throw out the garbage.
I grabbed the trash bags waiting for me and left for the back of the school.
….
After leaving the classroom, I made my way to the trash bins behind the school building.
It was quiet back here, just the faint sound of a bat cracking against a ball somewhere in the distance. Probably the sports club practicing.
This place had that sketchy vibe too, like the kind of spot students used to sneak cigarettes away from teachers. Isolated from the rest of the school.
The bins weren't hard to find, sitting near the far corner of the building.
As I reached for the lid, a strange sound made me stop.
"Meoow~"
A cat?
"Nyaah~ Nyaah~"
A… person?
"Meoow~"
I leaned over the corner, and that's when I saw it.
A small gray kitten with a red collar, rolling on its back and batting at the air. But the real surprise wasn't the cat.
It was the girl crouched beside it.
Kido.
Her hands curled like paws, her voice soft and playful as she mimicked the kitten's cries.
"Nyaah~ Nyaah~"
"Meoow~"
I froze, watching. That aloof girl who had been avoiding me for days was now making cat noises in secret, smiling in a way I'd never seen before.
The kitten noticed me first. It went still, its eyes flicking toward where I stood.
And in the next instant, Kido turned too.
Our eyes met.
"Ah."
"Ah."
The afternoon breeze carried a certain warmth to it.
In that moment, beneath the fading light of the sun, that girl's gaze was fixed squarely on me.