My phone vibrates.
Aneko? Fuck, I'm already freaking out…
Fear and anxiety take over my body and fight my excitement.
Round one.
Fight!
The fast and powerful blows of excitement overcome my fear, and deploy the LINE application.
You're evolving strangely,' mumbles Kinari jokingly.
Meet me at the mall in two hours.
I should have let my fear beat my excitement…
The thought of thinking about his statement terrifies me. I don't know what to say to him. I already can't figure out myself how I feel about anyone.
Aneko…
Is she a classmate? A friend? Do I love her… I don't know. But I know one thing for sure that I have to help her to realise her dream. I have to practise to keep up with her as a pianist.
Chizu enters the bathroom and asks me, with an air of Shinichi Kudo.*
—Where are you going, Big Brother?
—I'm going to the mall with Aneko.
A smile appears on my sister's face. She sings while skipping to my room.
—Big Brother has an appointment, she repeats untiringly.
A … a date…
—Look what I got you, big brother. You've got to look good for your first date!
A shirt and jeans? I only wear them on special occasions.
—You really want me to wear this?
—Yes!
Goodbye to my otaku outfit.
Her divine smile could not make me refuse. She helps me to do my hair and finishes by putting on my perfume.
Half past eleven, I still have half an hour to go, I can go and read.
—Where are you going, Big Brother? Come back here!
Chizu pushes me towards the front door and dislodges me.
What the hell is she doing?
I hardly have time to step outside when the door closes behind me.
Damn, you are abusing sis.
About ten minutes later, I arrived at the mall, someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around and discovered Aneko's face, who was smiling widely.
Is she smiling? I'll do the same.
—What's with the face, Kinari?
Let me try to fit into your world…
—Just be yourself, that's how I like you, silly.
The second statement, I'm going to faint.
She's beautiful, just like the day before. Dating a girl as beautiful as Aneko is clearly not in my habits.
She looks at me then makes a turn-on herself. Her dress floats in the air and her smooth black hair spins around.
Menma.
She approaches me and asks me sensually.
—Do you like me, Ki-na-ri?
Absorbed by her charm, I answer.
—You are…
I inhale deeply before swallowing my saliva.
—Look at this statue!
I have completely failed, she will hate me. How hard is it to compliment someone?
—You're silly, Kinari, but…
But?
—Look at that statue!
That was strong. I bow to such eloquence.
She giggles, then adds.
—Shall we go, Kinari?
—Yeah, yeah.
We start our walk.
On our way, Aneko spots a female shrine, she throws me a dreamy look, then asks me.
—Can you help me to choose a shirt, I don't like the one I have anymore.
I'm not going to look like a pervert by entering a place like that?
Bikinis! shout Kinari in love, letting his nose drip with blood.
You look too much like Kame Sennin,* Kinari otaku sneers.
—Don't stand in front of the door, come on,' she says, grabbing my arm.
—I'll look like a pervert, Aneko!
—But no, I'll be with you. They will think that we are a cup!
A haircut? It's worse than I thought…
We're going through some shelves.
What the hell are all these outfits too sexy to look at?
She shows me two choices.
—Which one do you prefer, Kinari?
On one side, a two-piece in a whitish colour with frills and red strings. On the other side, a one-piece swimsuit, apple colour, quite simple.
Think about it, think about it. If I choose the bikini, I'd look like a total pervert, right? The green shirt is more basic and it would prevent the idiot from getting a nosebleed looking at it.
Sure of myself, I point to the two-piece Jersey.
But what an idiot! Despite all these explanations, I couldn't resist the temptation.
—Wait for me here, I'll try it on!
Rintarou Okabe, send me back five minutes in the past, it's a need, there!
The doors of the store open
—I hope you're ready!
—Yes!
Those voices, is that Anzu and Masuko? What the hell are they doing here!? If she spots me, I can say goodbye to my student life.
I hide in a fitting room to avoid any suspicion.
Damn, I'm in big trouble!
—So to decide between us, we choose a shirt and we will show it to my darling, we will see which one he prefers!
All that for a competition, seriously, girls…
Little by little, the anguish is eating me up.
If they see me in the company of Aneko, they will make a crisis of jealousy…
Don't make them angry, suggests Kinari blasé.
He's right, I miss my solitude so much… Alone, I would never have found myself in this shitty situation!
The curtains of the next cabin opened.
— Kinari?
Aneko, I'm really sorry, good luck to you.
— Anzu, Masuko! What are you doing here?
—Were you call someone, Aneko?
—Yes, I was with Kinari, have you seen him?
Maybe it's time to escape and run away…
— Darling? Are you … on a date with him?
—He's my darling! So it's only natural.
So, a ticket to Mexico. That's right, it's Mexico, it's what? Ten thousand kilometres? That should allow me to be quiet for a long time.
—Honey?
What kind of new nickname is that?
When are you going to fix the problem?
I pull the curtains of my cabin and stand in front of the girls.
I can't even look at her, I'm too ashamed…
—You're here, darling! So what do you think?
I analyse her, and notice that her legs looked as soft as air, and those frills on her bikini … perfect for a chapter of eroge at the beach, that.
Were her breasts always this huge?
Kinari in love just collapsed on the floor, he's running out of blood, let's get him an IV!
—Yeah… It looks good on you.
The two girls look us up and down and then ask us.
—Can we stay with you?
Never.
Aneko sketches a smile and answers.
—Of course we can!
She is not Haruka Kotoura…
After finally choosing all their swimsuits, we progressed to the sports store.
A real ordeal this shopping, I never felt so ashamed. And why does Aneko stick to me so much?
She grabs my arm and whispers to me.
—If I let you go, I'll lose you, darling…
She's cute, Kinari dreams in love.
Well, did this pervert wake up?
We arrived in front of the sneaker rack and Aneko chose a pair.
It was quite fast, so much the better.
—Will you accompany us to the café? I'm thirsty, Masuko proposes.
Around the table, Anzu looks at me and asks me.
—You … are you going out together, you and Aneko?
—We are going out together to the mall. Why are you doing that?
—That's not what I meant! I wanted to know if you were a couple!
My soul is leaving my body and going to far away places.
—Answer me, Kinari!
Masuko and Anzu sigh, then Aneko clings to my arm and sticks out her tongue at them.
—I'm in love with him!
Take me to the hospital, I'm going to have a heart attack now.
I want to run away home.
The rest was silent.
Damn, she declared herself so many times and each time she is so adorable, it drives me crazy…
—I'm going to go home, Chizu must be worried.
—Okay, see you later, darling.
—See you later, darling.
—See you later, Kinari.
I hate this harem.
I get up and get on the first bus.
What an absolutely pathetic day!
On the bus, I hear the passengers whispering.
—Watch out for the chikan over there.*
—Isn't he is abusing a student?
—I don't know. I can't see well.
A chikan, here?
Nobody reacts? Who is it?
I sweep my eyes and analyse each person.
It's him! It's him, under his cap! Eyes much more terrifying than Ryuji Takasu's* and his hand, he … he dares to grope the girl next to him?
That's my choice.
I cross the bus, discreetly approach the assailant and grab his wrist.
I'm going to make your life hell.
—Let go of me, kid!
I take off his hat.
That should distract him for two seconds, tops.
He looks up at the ceiling.
Guard down. Perfect.
Give me your strength Hanma Baki, * you too Makunouchi Ippo.
I gain momentum, clench my fist and send it into his pelvis.
He crashes to the ground.
—You! Don't bullshit, leave her alone! You're a family man, you've got a wife and kids, right? What kind of guy are you to do such obscene things!? You disgust the whole of Japan, damn it!
I turn to the terrified student and whisper.
—We get off at the next stop, don't worry.
I grab my phone and quickly call the police.
—Hello. Yamazaki Kinari, a chikan was assaulting an underage girl on the K1 road, we are a few metres away from the Kanagawa police station, can you intervene?
—Thank you, we're waiting for you.
I turn around and notice the empty expression of the girl.
Why is she making that face, I'm not her hero?
If Izuku Midorya* had watched All Might* make such a rescue, he would have been happy, so why is she silent?
I stare at her, trying to understand her emotions.
Are her hands shaking? What am I supposed to do?
I don't know.
The bus doors open and the police intercept the pervert before thanking us.
And a good deed, and one.
—Are you OK?
—Yes … yes. Thank you.
Square cut hair, bluish, rather straight. Dark, shadowy eyes.
Who is she? I've never seen her and yet she's wearing our uniform.
I really have no memory, it's crazy.
She looks at me and remains silent.
Her body is twisting around?
Izanami,* what did you do to her existence?
—You…
She cuts me off.
—Are you at Kanagawa Kibogaoka High, sensei?
Sensei?
—Yes, 10th grade.
—Me … me too, and what's my sensei's name?
— Yamazaki Kinari and you?
—Yoshida Junko.
Yoshida Junko? Never heard of her. I guess she's not in my class.
—See you tomorrow, sensei!
What kind of nickname is that anyway?
Probably due to the shock.
—See you tomorrow, Yoshida-chan.
The school year starts tomorrow… I don't feel like it, seriously.
I go back to my shrine and notice Chizu putting the phone back on its base.
Did our parents call us?
Curious, I ask him.
—Who was it?
—Aneko, she answers me by smiling, she told me her day. She seemed really happy that you accompanied her to the mall! Bravo, big brother!
Of course, it wasn't going to be our mother checking up on us.
Shinichi Kudo: Main character detective. (Detective Conan)
Menma: Main character wearing a long white dress. (Anohana)
Kamé Sennin: Pervert character. (Dragon Ball)
Rintarou Okabe: Main character travelling in the space-time. (Stein's Gate)
Haruka Kotoura: Main character who can read people's thoughts.
Ryuji Takasu: Main character with a terrifying look. (Toradora)
Hanma Baki: Main character with a monstrous strength. (Baki)
Makunouchi Ippo: Main character boxer. (Hajime no Ippo)
Izuku Midorya: Main character who loves superheroes. (Boku Hero Academia)
All Might: Main character adored by Izuku Midorya. (Boku Hero Academia)
Izanami: Character of a famous Japanese tale. (Izanami and Izanagi)
Chikan : Sexual aggressor in Japanese public transport.