By the time school ended, my brain was fried. I dragged my exhausted self out of the school grounds, feeling like a sack of bricks. Man, the first day at an all-girls school turned out to be way more intense than I had imagined. Just thinking about how I spent the whole day surrounded by girls was overwhelming.
"At least nothing weird happened after all that, right?" I muttered to myself, trudging along the path back to my dorm. That's when I heard it—the sound of heavy footsteps behind me.
*Thud!*
Suddenly, someone crashed into my shoulder hard enough to nearly knock me over. Stumbling, I looked up to see a girl with messy short blonde hair, panting heavily like she'd just run a marathon. She seemed too flustered to even notice she'd collided with me.
"Move aside," she said hurriedly, glancing at me with panic-filled eyes before darting into a nearby alley. Her urgency caught me so off guard that all I could manage was a confused, "Huh?"
Before I had time to process, the heavy footsteps grew louder. Turning toward the sound, I saw a group of men in black suits, complete with ominous sunglasses. Their presence screamed trouble, and the air around them felt anything but friendly.
Ah, great. Black suits, sunglasses... yeah, these guys are definitely a classic villainous mafia.
The ominous group marched toward me, each step sending chills down my spine. They stopped just a few feet away, their leader pointing straight at me.
"Hey, you!"
"M-me?" I stammered, heart pounding.
"Yeah, you! Who else would I mean?" the leader snapped, his loud voice making me jump.
"Uh, is there... something you need?" I asked nervously, trying to steady my trembling knees. Four pairs of intimidating eyes bore into me, making me feel like a tiny bird facing a pack of hungry snakes.
"Did you see a girl with short hair about this length?" The leader gestured to his neck, perfectly matching the description of the girl who'd just fled into the alley. Oh, fantastic.
Okay, Nut, think. If I say no, they might suspect I'm covering for her and drag me off to who-knows-where. But if I say yes and point them in a random direction, maybe they'll leave me alone...
"Uh… yeah. I saw her," I said shakily, forcing myself to keep eye contact.
"Where did she go? Speak up!" another man barked.
"Th-that way! She ran to the right," I blurted out, pointing toward a random street. Sweat poured down my face as I tried to sound convincing.
The men exchanged skeptical looks, then turned back to me.
"You're sure about that?" the leader asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Y-yes! Why would I lie about something like this?!" I practically shouted, my voice cracking. My whole body was trembling at this point.
After a tense pause, the leader barked, "Let's move!" The group bolted toward the direction I'd pointed, and I nearly collapsed from relief.
"Wait a second."
Oh, come on!
The leader turned back, his scrutinizing gaze pinning me in place.
"Something doesn't add up. I could've sworn she turned into an alley nearby..."
"Uh... th-the wind!" I stammered, grasping at straws.
"The wind?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow. "What does the wind have to do with anything?"
"Her... her handkerchief!" I blurted out, mentally screaming at myself. "The wind blew her handkerchief away—really hard! She must've chased it down that street!"
The men stared at me like I'd just grown a second head. One of them muttered, "A handkerchief? That sounds weird..."
"It's possible," another chimed in. "We can't take any chances. Let's go!"
To my utter disbelief, they bought it. Without another word, they sprinted off, leaving me standing there in a puddle of my own sweat.
*Thud.*
I collapsed to the ground, gasping in relief. "Finally... they're gone."
Turning to the trash can behind me, I whispered, "It's safe now. You can come out."
"Thanks a lot," came a voice from the shadows.
The girl from earlier stepped out of her hiding spot, looking both relieved and amused. Now that I could see her clearly, she had messy black hair cut to her neck and a strong, athletic build. Her tan skin suggested she spent a lot of time outdoors.
"Seriously, thanks for helping me out. You okay?" she asked, extending a hand.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine," I said, taking her hand hesitantly. Truthfully, I hadn't meant to help—I'd just been trying to avoid becoming mafia bait.
Her eyes flicked to my uniform, and she smiled. "Looks like we're from the same school. I'm Beam, by the way."
"Fah," I replied, still a little dazed.
"Nice to meet you, Fah. Thanks again for the save. I owe you one! If we run into each other at school, lunch is on me. Later!"
And just like that, she was gone, disappearing as quickly as she'd appeared.
"Beam, huh?" I muttered to myself. The name sounded familiar, like I'd heard it somewhere before...