The next day I arrive at school, I get out of the limo like always and begin walking to the entrance, the two bodyguards my mother and father hired close behind. They both wear suits, are tall, lean, and muscular, and have short black hair, but their faces are hidden by kitsune masks, each matching the style of their respective suits. One of them wields a tento and the other wield a katana, but both are experienced adventurers in the low level one hundreds.
I don't even attempt to hide the solemn look on my face or my sour mood. I see Jeshan waiting for me in our spot like always, and he turns in my direction as I approach, tilting his head as he sees the two bodyguards, but I don't say a word to him, nor even look at him for that matter. I just pass him by, treating him like another one of the many students gaping at me as I walk to my locker, and I feel his eyes on me the entire way there.
No one approaches me, though no one takes their eyes off me either, just as afraid of the two guards as they are of Jeshan because of his appearance. It disgusts me, and I let everyone know by scowling at anyone who looks at me. Everyone jumps somewhat when they see me glare, whispering among one another, looking away from me, and/or continuing with their business. Some whisper insults about me and such, but I don't care anymore. I don't care to put on a facade for these fakers, I don't care enough to pretend to be happy for the parents that love their work more than their daughter, and I don't care enough for this life where the only thing I was ever happy with was stripped away from me. I just want to graduate as soon as possible now so I don't have to go through the pain of seeing Jeshan everyday and not being able to talk to him, react to him, or even look at him in any way other than a nonchalant glance at most.
It's only the first class and I already miss spying on him to judge his reaction in class, and I know I'm gonna miss everything else as well. I'm going to miss buying him various snacks and drinks to try with him, I'm going to miss bringing him to various places to try and find out what he's interested in, and I'm going to miss all the deep conversations we had. Every single greeting, farewell, and any form of small talk will completely vanish between us now. With my guards watching me in every class at the door, watching me from afar at lunch, and driving with me to and from school in the limo, I have zero chance to speak to Jeshan.
I want to message Jeshan through my interface and explain things to him, but I don't want to risk that he might do something crazy and possibly get himself killed by the two guards, so I've chosen not to say anything at all. It's harsh and cruel, and it breaks me to think of how this makes Jeshan feel, but at least he'll still be alive at the end of it all. Once I graduate, I'll never see Jeshan again, but at least my life will get a little bit better, right? Yeah, right, after high school I may not have to deal with all this crap anymore, but I'll then have my parents' work to stress me out for the rest of my life.
My life may as well already be over, and I somehow feel like it's only going to get worse from here on out. Even once I've arrived home, the two guards are always nearby; just outside the double doors of my parents' office when I'm reporting my day, standing beside the entrance to the dining hall at dinner, and standing outside my door when I'm in my room. Life continues this way for quite a while. Jeshan does message me and tries to approach me in school, but I completely ignore him, for fear of what my parents will do and for fear of what I might do if I had the chance to talk to him again. I think I might actually run away from home if I do speak to Jeshan, which would most likely result in Jeshan's death and severe punishment for myself. So, I simply avoid Jeshan entirely to keep him safe.
Even after a whole month of this passes, Jeshan isn't giving up on trying to talk to me, and it makes my heart ache. On this day however, I don't go to school because I've come down with a bad fever. I'm filled with anxiety as I'm forced to stay in bed because today was supposed to be the day for a big test, and now I'm going to have to reschedule it. Oh well, at least I finally get a break from all the stress I've been feeling lately. Avoiding Jeshan on top of getting insulting messages from my previous admirers, doing school work, and dealing with the things I have to deal with at home, I'm surprised I didn't get sick sooner.
I just have a common cold, nothing too bad, but I also have a fever, so my parents told me to stay in bed. However, I can't simply follow that request when I hear a knock at the front door, and then continuous, obnoxious talking. Getting rather annoyed, and not thinking in my right mind because I'm sick, I get up, wrap myself in a blanket, and step out of my room. When I step out of my room, I hear the two guards talking to someone. I walk down the stairs that lead to the lounge and then turn the corner to enter the entrance hall and see none other than Jeshan, standing inside my home by the closed front doors and speaking to the two guards the same way he talks to everyone. However, his eyes widen slightly as he catches sight of me.
"Sara." He starts lightly jogging over to me, but in the blink of an eye, my guards appear at his sides.
"Don't take another step further!" The one with the katana yells, drawing his weapon since Jeshan doesn't stop, and time seems to slow. Everything that's been happening since the day Jeshan protected me from Vincent began flashing through my mind rapidly as the bodyguard's katana's blade flies in Jeshan's direction.
"No... No no no no no... This can't be happening... Why are you here Jeshan..? Why..? You can't die..! You can't die Jeshan! Not like this! Not after everything you've told me and done for me! Please just move!" Everything I've done to keep Jeshan safe, the way I've been acting toward everyone, and the fact that I've accepted the way my life is turning out is all falling apart right in front of me. My own guard is about to kill Jeshan and I have no idea what's even happening. My vision blurs, everything spins, and just like that, things go dark, and my body goes limp. The last thing I see before passing out is the guard with the tento disappear, and the guard drawing his katana stumbles back, as if he was just kicked in the face.