NOT SO TIMED ENCOUNTER
Inoue-san's timing was totally off. The streetlight turned green, and the engine roared to life. *Maybe I should take my leave*, I thought to myself. I didn't have time for chit-chat. But then the red light appeared again. I saw her crossing over to my side.
"Hi, Hananoi," I raised my hand in greeting.
"What's up, Inoue-san? What are you doing out this late?" she asked.
*That's my line*, I thought. And honestly, I couldn't recall us ever having a proper conversation before. She took a step back, looking a little uneasy.
"Is it wrong to say hi to a classmate?" she asked.
*What the hell?* I didn't want this to drag on, so I quickly tried to change the subject. I paused for a moment, thinking of what to say next.
"Are you okay?" she asked, breaking the silence.
"Got it!" I said, tapping my hands together. "Your dress is pretty, and your face cap looks nice too."
"Huh? Where's that coming from?" she replied, clearly surprised. I took a closer look at her. She was all dressed up.
"Do you have an event or something you're attending?" I asked.
She turned aside, repacking her hair as the night breeze blew gently. Her cap covered her face tightly—*stress of a star, I guess*. But I could see her clearly now.
I hate to admit it, but she's kind of pretty.
"Nothing. I'm getting late. See you at school tomorrow. Bye," I said.
Sheleft.
I went straight home. Looking around, everything was still unorganized. *Phew, that's a problem for later*, I thought as I pulled the futon out of the box and cleared some space for it.
I was stressed out. My phone buzzed.
"From Mom: I sent some money to you. Bye."
"Thanks," I replied.
*Let me go to sleep.* I rolled around for a few minutes, then decided to text myself for a bit. I did that for about an hour before finally falling asleep.
---
**TheNextMorning**
Even though I slept late, I woke up early—around 5:39 a.m.
*Well, nothing's ruined.* I washed up and headed to school.
I arrived around 6:37. *Benefits of living close, I guess.* I went straight to the rooftop, dropped my bag, and lay down on the bench. I had a toothpick in my mouth, chewing it aimlessly, before dozing off again.
I woke up hours later. It was 10:45. *Damn, I slept too long.*
*Well, no reason to go downstairs now. I'll just spend the whole day up here.*
During lunch, I was reading some psychological book recommendations I found online. *How to Cure Yourself?* Really? Maybe I should sue the author—it's not working, I joked to myself.
The door creaked open. I glanced up, praying silently, *Please don't let it be my nemesis.*
It was the student council president. *Phew, that almost scared me.*
"Mr. Council!" I called out loudly so he could hear me.
"HT-kun, it's been a while. I haven't been able to come to the rooftop lately," he said.
"No problem. Here for a smoke?" I asked.
"Not today. I had club activities, but it got too boring, so I made a run for it."
"Slacking off, huh?" I replied.
He lay down on the bench next to me. "I might fall asleep, so don't be mad if you're looking forward to chatting."
"Not at all. Sleeping is totally my forte too," I said.
"Nice wind," he remarked.
"Yeah, truly," I agreed.
The vibe stayed like that until we both fell asleep.
---
**LaterThatDay**
I woke up, yawning, my eyes watery and my muscles feeling weak. *I slept way too much.*
Mr. Council woke up a few seconds later. "Damn, it's 3:36! Sorry if I swore."
"I don't mind," I said.
"Ahhh!!! Fourteen missed calls from the vice president and three from the club leader!" he shouted.
"You better get going," I told him.
"So, HT-kun, later," he said, stopping abruptly. "Have you joined a club yet?"
I whistled a bit, raising my eyebrows. "Still looking for a suitable one."
"Then will you join the art club?"
"No, thanks," I replied quickly.
"I better leave before she scolds me," he said.
"But you're the president, right? Why stress yourself?"
"She does most of the work. She's the only one who really understands my strengths and weaknesses. See you later," he said, leaving.
---
**AfterSchool**
The school was as silent as a morgue a few hours later. I picked up my bag and went downstairs, laughing to myself like I'd accomplished something. *That woman didn't see me today.* I stuck out my tongue, mimicking the words, *Keepan eye onme.*
I walked to the bar, but the atmosphere was dull, like no business had been around. I entered and saw Yui inside. The "Closed" sign hung on the door.
"Yui, what's going on?" I asked.
"Some idiots rented the bar till closing time," she said, her voice cracking. I moved closer to her as she was moving drinks from the refrigerator. I held her hand to get her attention.
She looked like she was about to cry. "What's wrong? Calm down before talking," I said.
"Fuka and Mr. Nagano said they had something to do today. I was the only one here. Then some guys—about six of them—rented out the store. They stayed in the VIP room."
"So what happened?" I asked.
"One of them was harassing me sexually. I tried to fight back, but he called the boss."
"You mean Mr. Tanaka?"
"No, the real boss. They looked influential I said."
"Yeah," she replied.
"Sorry you couldn't fight back."
"Yes, it was totally unfair. He was yelling at me like I was the one at fault."
"Don't worry. I'll take it from here," I said.
"Thanks a lot," she said, wiping her tears.
I picked up the drinks and walked to the VIP room. I grabbed the doorknob, about to open it, but I hesitated, curious about what they were saying.
---
**ConversationBetweentheSixGuys**
"Damn, that hits the spot. Are you sure you're going to stay here till night, Kyo?"
"Don't worry. Drink as much as you like. I called my plug to get me some girls," Kyo replied.
"I like the ass of that girl earlier. You want her?" One added
"Forget it. She doesn't look like the type who'd go for money," Kyo said.
"Hold on, let me call this bitch," Kyo added.
"Are you talking about the rising star, Misaki Inoue?"
*Misaki?* I was totally shocked. Then I remembered her crying, calling a guy named Kyo.
*So that explains it. It's Misaki's parasitic boyfriend.*