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??? POV
'Hey, what should I do?'
'What's wrong?'
'Everything. . .I don't know anymore.'
'I see. . .'
'What do you think?'
'I. . .'
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'Hmm. . .Yes. I'm here. I'm still in this body.'
I can't believe it.
Those four days of vacations, all she's- I mean all I've done is sleep, eat, play games, watch videos, and read novels. What a lifestyle.
She has a cellphone, and yet the only number in there is her mother's number. There are some text messages from her classmates for project assignments of course.
The life of an introvert indeed.
Within these 4 days, I've noticed.
Even though she keeps a poker face in front of her family and other people, she laughs and gets excited over the things she does like a normal person.
She even sings in her room, and well- in the bathroom. Ahem* During- you know- shower time.
She also takes her time in there (bathroom), it might be strange to say this, but she seems to make some imaginary stuff, like a situation simulator, as play pretends.
She really seemed to be enjoying herself. I can't imagine Naiko doing this though.
I wonder she doesn't show this to anyone else.
After a few days, I found out why.
She woke up at 3 a.m., went to school at 5:00 a.m., homeroom starts at 7:30 a.m. In other words, she was REALLY early.
While waiting for her classmates, guess what she does, read. She reads novels. Not for her school subjects mind you, but for romance, she reads romance-themed novels.
"Haa. . .just confess already, for the love of God. If you don't say it now, when?! When it's too late? This guy, seriously. You'll regret it!"
'Should YOU really be saying that? And yes. . .She just said these words aloud in an empty classroom.'
Surprisingly, she can really speak up when she's alone. It's like a mute phone turning into a megaphone all of a sudden.
After a few hours, it's class time.
'God, I've been here before. I don't want to listen to this boring lecture again.'
After a LONG passage of time, she was about to skip class early and go home but━
Bullies appeared!
"Haa. . ." she deeply sighed.
'Are you serious? Bullying is supposed to stop, right? Come on.'
Just as I was yelling inside, one of the bullies began to say whatever they wanted one by one.
"Look who's here, the goody-two-shoes of Class 2-A, the smart-ass."
"Hey, I've heard you are an excellent student who doesn't fail, even though you skip school a lot. Mind giving us some of your cheat codes?"
"The only reason you're not being reported for your absence is that you don't flunk. Give us some tips, will you?"
'Wah. What a bunch of losers. You're skipping class too, you idiots.'
As if we're synchronized, I also heard her thoughts.
'If you can't even pass simple tests like that, I pity you. Failing a highschool test similar to a grade school level is just━
Besides, it's the same thing over and over again. How can you not pass it?
If only I can say all this.'
I mean if you're brave enough to say it. Why not?
'No. I shouldn't. I can't. It would cause a commotion. That would be bad. Let's just walk away.'
She ignored the bullies and wanted to avoid trouble, but━
"Hey, where are you going? We're not done yet."
One of the bullies grabbed her bag and dragged her down. She stumbled on the ground.
'Wha━Is this for real? 3 guys ganging up on a girl? Cowards! Hurry, call for help!'
There were a lot of eyes around, just watching. Why? Can't they see her getting bullied? They had troubled expressions.
"Haa. . ."
She just sighed, and once again, her thoughts flowed right in.
'It's only 3 guys. I can take them if I wanted to. Can't I just punch them? God, I want to punch them. If there was no one here, I would've━'
She was clenching her fists and the grim look on her face. Ooh, if only looks could kill.
Yep, wouldn't want to be her enemy.
But still, I can't believe no one is helping her. Something convenient like a hot teacher or a badass classmate won't appear in real life.
You can only depend on yourself, that's just why reality sucks.
She stood up, patted the dirt off her clothes and bag, and ignored them once again.
"Hey, were you listening?"
One of the bullies was about to grab her hair but━
She slowly turned her head around and gave off a cold glare.
"Shut up, you fucking bastards."
"Wha━!"
'Eh?!'
It's not just the bullies, even I froze in place, I mean I can't move but, my mind froze. Her voice was soft enough that it couldn't be heard by the people around us, yet it was filled with force.
She was scary.
'Who is that?!'
After that, she just casually walked away with a dark expression. This time, the bullies didn't stop her. Or should I say couldn't?
'Serves them right!'
It was still noon, she had lunch in a minimart on her way home.
And just when I thought the rest of the day would end up peaceful, what happens?
Argument. When she opened the door, what welcomes her? This.
'They're at it again. Every day?'
"I'm home. . ."
Her parents didn't even hear her.
She went in her upstairs to rest. As soon as she changed her clothes, she lied on her bed.
"Haa. . .I'm tired. I want to skip the whole day tomorrow."
This time, I could actually feel the tiredness that she was feeling. She has a headache that won't seem to go away. Her body was so strained. It was uncomfortable.
It would only disappear after a good, long rest.
Just like that, she slept for the rest of the day.
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Back in the room of silence, 2 people sat down.
"So? How's it going? Any improvements?"
"I wonder. I don't know."
"That's too bad. I wanted to meet her while she is still innocent."
"What are you talking about?"
"You know. . .a person who's like. 'Oh, the world is beautiful. Don't be discouraged. There's always a good tomorrow.' kind of person."
". . .Hmm."
"Haha. . .no need to look at me as if I'm a weirdo. We both know it's impossible anyway. Once you see the dirt under the snow, there won't be any room for ignorance."
". . .You're right."
"Ah! Rare praise from you. Thank you, O Lord."
". . .Quiet now."
"Hahaha. . .Alright, alright."
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