Around ten to fifteen students were walking with me to school. I could hear all of their conversations since we were all clumped together walking on the side path of the road.

I never really enjoyed the feeling of wearing these leather shoes, the leather shoes that you're forced to wear as a uniform requirement for school. They're heavy, not stylish at all and are extremely uncomfortable when taken on long walks. They make me feel like a nuisance as well...

Every step I take makes that god damn annoying sound... the one that goes clack, clack, clack. At first, it was a satisfying sound with it being pleasing to the ear, but after hearing it over and over and over again I can't help but be annoyed by it.

I was wearing my school uniforming walking slowly and awkwardly to school. Despite that, I was walking normally it felt as if there was something incredibly wrong with my posture as if I wasn't walking correctly. My legs began to feel shaky and my walking began to become wonky as if I was a baby deer walking for the first time.

It was near the end of spring and summer was about to start. Despite that it wasn't summer yet it felt incredibly hot outside. The back of my neck began to sweat a little as I kept walking. I have only made it around halfway to school by now and it already feels as if I've walked a marathon.

I have to fix my posture...

I don't want people looking at me weirdly...

"Haha, oh my god are you serious!?" A female student said to another one of her friends.

What is she talking about? Is she talking about me? No that can't be it she's not even looking at me. But what if she is and isn't looking at me so I wouldn't notice? Why am I caring about this so much?

"Haha! Yo dude check this out!" A male student said to his friend as he presented his phone to him.

Check this out... check what out? Why is he laughing aswell? What's on his phone? Is it a message? Is it something about me?

What do both of these people have in common that I'm worried about...

????????

Laughter, chuckling, giggling, whatever you'd call it. They're all laughing. Their voices began to echo in my head replaying over and over again inside of my mind giving me that feeling of anxiety and helplessness.

I stop walking and stood still in the middle of the sidewalk with everyone walking around me not batting an eye or wondering why I stopped at all. I began to hear a ringing sound in both of my ears and had a moment where I just began to stare off into space.

...
...
...

I'm going home...

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It's been almost two weeks ever since I quit going to school. I've decided to drop out and stay inside my house for the rest of my entire life. My parents didn't care since they didn't live with me and my brother, they lived overseas in America and funds money when I and my brother need it. My brother is around 30 years old and is a full-time employee of some random IT company working as a programmer. He works seven days a week and arrives home very late at night so I rarely see him often. I should thank him, he's the reason I can manage to live this life of solitude and isolation. I enjoy it, it's quiet, I can eat what I want and I never have to do any work...

It's just lonely...

Just so...

Incredibly lonely...

I think to myself while lying down on my carpeted bedroom floor.

I haven't talked to a real human being for two weeks and I feel terrible. I thought I hated those moments where you'd have to occasionally wave towards your teacher as you pass them but now I'd do anything for social interaction like that. Sadly it's now nearly impossible for me to talk to anyone anymore. Ever since the disappearance of Chi I've had a hard time trusting people, I also feel incredibly anxious around people, it feels like they're judging me for every single movement I do even if the only thing I'm doing is blinking.

Seeing how I feel now I still haven't come to understand why I don't feel that way about her...

"Please, sign this you need to help yourself, I need to help you. Do this... do this for yourself! I don't want to see you lonely anymore!" I could recall her voice from before, saying that she didn't want to see me lonely anymore...

Why does someone like her even care about me... Why did Chi care about me... Why does anyone care about me...

What would they think if they saw me like this... a useless member of society who doesn't work or goes to school, a parasite that leches of my family...

I wonder if she hates me now since I didn't go to school.

"Alright... let's get started." I could remember the joy on her face as she said that, a face of sweet innocence.

I then got off the floor and walked up to my old school bag. "Where is it..." I mutter to myself as I begin searching through my bag. I then manage to find the piece of paper/contract Mao had given me. The paper wasn't damaged or crumpled in any way after being left in a bag for over a week, it's surprising really, the duct tape is still unpeeled.

"I wonder what's written on this contract," I mutter to myself as my hand slowly reaches for the duct tape.

"I want you to hold on to this and not open it until I say you can, that means no peaking and reading, I don't want you to come up with any loopholes or anything." I could recall Mao saying.

You know what... I think I should just put it down for now. I then placed the contract on my computer desk next to my desktop.

I wish someone would come and visit me... Chi... My brother... Mao... just anyone... please.

...
...
...

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?????

As soon as I heard the sound of my door being knocked upon I ran as fast as I could downstairs towards the door with my entire body trembling and shaking to find out who's knocking. As I finally get downstairs and arrive at the door I quickly grab ahold of the door handle and wait.

?????
?????

My hand stood still holding the doorknob not moving a single muscle.

?????

Why can't I move...

?????

What if it's not anyone I know like Mao or Chi?

?????

Wait... what if it is Mao or Chi? What would they say to me, would they hate me? What would they do if they saw me like this? I can't let them see me like this I'm not prepared.

?????

But if it is, this would be my last chance to see someone familiar...

?????

Well, if it is Mao or Chi I'll just close the door immodestly so they don't see me...

?????

I'll open on the count of three.

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1...

?????

2...

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3!

I then opened the door and was almost blinded by the brightness of the sun and immediately covered both of my eyes with my right arm with me also backing off slightly to slowly adjust to the sunlight. I then slowly lowered my arm and saw who was in front of me.

She took a step in closer and blocked most of the sunlight blinding me. The sunlight gave her an angelic outline of light as if she was a messenger of God, and with me squinting my eyes it was as if the light gave her wings. She was also holding a plastic bag filled to the brim with groceries.

She was wearing an oversized hoodie that was a colourful mix of orange and yellow along with a pair of puffy white pants.

"Dude, it took me ages to find out where you live. I had to look through the school's database and everything to find out where you lived if you were gonna do this earlier you should've told me beforehand." Mao said with a slightly annoyed tone in her voice.

I was stunned for a couple of seconds lost in thought...

Wait, I forgot about the door! I think to myself as I try to close the door as fast as I could. But before I could close the door in time Mao managed to rush in as fast as she could and slide through the open gap of the door, "Nope, nope, nope, nope! You signed a contract my good friend! I ain't going anywhere!" Mao replied as she placed down her plastic bag filled with groceries down on the floor.

"Why are you here!?" I ask Mao in a confused and angered voice.

"We both signed a contract, and the contract clearly states that the patient shall be healed by the doctor, aka me." She said as she pulled out the contract I signed from the pocket of her hoodie and presented it to me.

3: ??? ??????? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ??????.

"Shouldn't you be at school right now? It's around 10 am, you're late." I ask Mao.

"Ah no worries that's not a problem, my family is pretty wealthy so I just left school," Mao says with a slight laugh.

"What!? Why!?"

"Well, why did you leave school?"

"None of your business."

"Well, I'll tell you why I left school." Mao said as she placed both of her hands on my shoulders, "It's because you're more important to me." She said with her head tilted and expressions joyful.

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