chapter 3 : Debt

This Morning.

This morning, before the sun even rose and the weather was still cold, I had to drag myself out of bed and head to school earlier than usual. The reason? Because today the disciplinary committee was making a surprise inspection of my class. And to prevent any mishaps, my homeroom teacher—through a "brilliant" decision—personally appointed me, the poor little class vice-president, to arrive early, open the classroom, and check the overall cleanliness of the room.

("This is seriously too much!!!!") This clearly isn't even my responsibility—it's the cleaning committee's job, isn't it??? But no, somehow, as if some dark force was guiding things, I, the "little class vice-president," was the one honored with this noble mission by the teacher (￣▽￣).

As I walked, I kept grumbling to the cold morning air, "Why me…?" Sniffle… If it hadn't been for this out-of-the-blue mission, I could have been peacefully snuggling my body pillow for another 30 minutes of sweet sleep… How unlucky (`^´).

("Haizz…Why am I so unlucky...Aaaa…my body pillow…") — I continued whining about my tragic fate as I walked… But there was nothing I could do about it, really.

...

On the way to school, the sky should have been bright, but since it was winter, the daylight hadn't fully broken through yet. I trudged along, still groggy from sleep, yawning continuously… I hoped I'd stay awake by the time I reached class. But really, the early morning air was so cold, and the misty fog in the air made it even more freezing—it did help jolt me awake a little. Normally, I would be walking to school with my best friend Kazuya, chatting away about all sorts of random things. But today, since I was early, I had to go alone, which was quite boring without anyone to talk to.

A while later, I reached the school gate. The gate was open, but the security guard was nowhere in sight. I stepped into the campus. It was quiet, as expected—it was only 7 a.m., after all. But although it was mostly empty, I did spot a few diligent students strolling around the courtyard, breathing in the crisp morning air.

("Whoa… so diligent.") — I thought to myself, but I didn't care too much. I just hoped to get this check over with quickly.

My class, Class 2-A, is on the third floor, so I had to take the stairs. Climbing three flights of stairs first thing in the morning? Well, I guess I can count that as an early workout. Five minutes later, I was at the classroom door, panting and wiping the sweat off my forehead. I thought to myself:

("There's no way anyone else would be here this early.")

I pulled the door open; it creaked slightly. More importantly, the inside of the room was pitch black. Since it was still dim outside and the curtains were drawn tight, no light was getting in, making the room feel eerily dark and gloomy. Somehow, that gave me the chills… My mind started conjuring up horror movie scenes I'd seen. I swallowed nervously (gulp), shook my head to dismiss the ridiculous thoughts, and slowly, cautiously stepped into the classroom…

("This darkness... this cold... it's creeping me out… (;ŏ﹏ŏ)")

I groped my way through the darkness, planning to put my bag down before switching on the light. As I moved forward, I reflexively stretched my hands ahead to feel for obstacles like desks and chairs. Then—thump—I bumped into something...

("Huh...? What did I just hit?") I stopped, squinted my eyes to see (but in the total darkness, my eyes hadn't adjusted yet, so it was no use). Curious, I reached out to feel what I had just bumped into…

…

… (Feeling around…)

… (Feeling some more…)

…

("Huh…? What is this? It's soft… but… also firm… hm?... What on earth is this???") — I murmured in my head while still touching it.

Suddenly—

"…" (A breathing sound)

("Huh!!!!! Is someone there...?")

I jolted, panicked, and instinctively stumbled backward. In my panic, I tripped over a chair leg or something and fell back… But I didn't care about the pain—my brain was already flooding with terrifying possibilities...

("No way… Is it a person...? But… why didn't they turn on the lights? That can't be right… No one comes this early… Who the heck is this!? Don't tell me—")

(brain imagines creepy horror scenarios)

Then, in the darkness… I saw it. A tall, dark figure slowly stood up. My heart jumped into my throat. Without thinking, I screamed—

"AH—AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

"Oi, hey!!" — (???)

As I was screaming, the tall dark figure suddenly lunged at me and pinned me down, clamping a hand over my mouth.

"Mm-mm!!!" — I was so terrified my limbs went weak… I couldn't struggle.

"What the heck are you screaming for!?" — (???)

My eyes were tightly shut in terror. With my mouth muffled, I started spiraling into despair… My mind began writing my will:

("Dad… Mom… I'm sorry… Sis… I'm sorry… I might not make it home…")

"Hey! Are you listening?" — (???)

"Calm down a bit, it's me." — (???)

Me? Who…? I still had my eyes shut. But after hearing that voice, I slowly dared to open them. The hand was still over my mouth, but thankfully, my eyes had adjusted to the dark a little and I could make out the person in front of me…

It was Minase.

Seeing that I had recognized him, he gradually let go and released my mouth. I sat there stunned, still a bit shaken after the scare.

"You really didn't have to scream like that," Minase said while heading to the corner of the room to switch on the lights.

Click — the lights came on. The classroom lit up. I sighed in relief, stood up, and brushed the dust off my clothes… (Seriously… That scare almost made my heart leap out of my chest. I thought I was done for. Who would've guessed it was him.)

"…You nearly scared me to death, Minase! If you came in first, at least turn on the lights. I screamed out of reflex. And then you lunged and covered my mouth—I mean, how wouldn't I freak out?" — I grumbled at him.

"…Hm… It was just a reflex on my part too. You wouldn't calm down even when I told you to, so I didn't have much of a choice." — Minase replied calmly.

His words made me feel so wronged (Like… I was the victim here! And yet he's talking like he's the one who was wronged?!)

"And besides..." — Minase paused, glancing sideways at me with a sharp look. (For some reason, that gave me chills…)

"You were the one feeling me up first, weren't you?"

My face instantly flushed red…

("Oh no… I did grope around earlier… and touched something… don't tell me it was something… questionable… right…?")

The more I thought about it, the more embarrassed I felt, like steam was about to pour out of my ears.

I stammered, waving my hands frantically to defend myself.

"No… No! It wasn't like that!! I couldn't see! I thought I ran into a desk or something!" — I laughed awkwardly. (That excuse doesn't sound convincing at all…)

I kept my head down in embarrassment. Minase went back to his seat and said nothing more. When it was quiet, I snuck a peek in his direction and noticed he had his headphones on—probably listening to music. His eyes were half-closed like he was lost in his own world.

Now that I wasn't being teased anymore, I scratched my head and finally went to my seat, pulling out my notebooks to review… (I completely forgot about my actual mission…)

...

Time passed. The sun gradually rose higher, the golden morning light finally piercing through the cold winter air. Warm rays streamed through the windows into the classroom…

*Click — the door opened. One classmate entered, then another, then a few more. The once quiet hallway began to fill with footsteps and voices. After some time flipping through books, I looked up at the clock—it was 7:45.

Then, suddenly, I remembered—

("Oh crap!!! I forgot I have to inspect the classroom for cleanliness!!") — I shot up and began checking every desk and corner, leaving nothing unchecked.

...

While I was rushing around, inspecting everything thoroughly, the classroom door SLAMMED open violently.

"YO!! Ryura-channnn!!! Your bestest best friend has arrived!!!"

That unmistakably loud voice could only belong to one person—my best buddy Kazuya. He shouted like a public speaker, like I wouldn't hear him otherwise. I was still frantically cleaning when I froze in surprise.

This guy never changes—still totally unserious. He ran over and hooked his arm around my neck.

"Ugh… L-let go… I'm going to suffocate…" — I gasped, face turning blue from lack of air.

His mouth kept going like a machine gun:

"Hey hey, why are you here so early? Usually you're still asleep at this hour, right? Something's up with the weather today, huh? Haha."

(Though we're in the same class, this guy totally forgot about my surprise assignment.)

"…"

He kept rambling non-stop. I couldn't take it anymore and punched him in the stomach. He finally shut up… (face turned green) and tried to say something…

"Hey… that hurt… I was… just worried… asking… out of… care…"

I glared at him and said:

"Hey, if you have that much energy, then help me out instead of overacting."

Kazuya kept playing the injured soul, clutching his stomach like he was about to cry.

"I'm injured inside… I need nourishment… to have the strength to work…"

I could only shake my head at him...

"Fine, fine. Help me out and I'll treat you to lunch later."

The moment I said that, he sprang up like the pain never existed.

"Oh ho! That's awesome! Hehe!"

(Yeah, real injured, huh… (-_-;))

...

But with his help, the cleanup went faster and smoother.

By around 8:15, the entire class was present. Our homeroom teacher walked in, took one sweeping look around the class—everything was clean and shiny. He nodded in satisfaction… (Phew… finally, I'm done with this ridiculous job.)

...

That Afternoon – P.E. Class

The sun was blazing. The schoolyard buzzed with running shoes and shouting voices. The boys split up to play soccer. The girls played badminton or jogged around the track.

As for me… I was given the task of carrying a bunch of basketballs from the storage room (Why am I so unlucky today, seriously? I mentally cried.)

The storage room was at the far end of the hallway on the ground floor. After arriving, I opened the door—it was pretty dark inside, but I ignored it and went to get the balls.

A moment later, I staggered out carrying a huge stack of basketballs. (I got greedy and took too many…) I could barely see where I was going because the balls blocked my view.

("Ugh... Being short sucks!!") — I silently cursed my fate for teasing me like this.

"Hang in there, Ryura-chan!" — From the distance, Kazuya waved enthusiastically like he had nothing better to do. (I must've looked ridiculous…)

I was struggling step by step toward the court (I swear I'll get back at that idiot Kazuya once I'm there...), still plotting revenge, when—

Suddenly, from the field, a ball came flying like a missile—smacking me square in the forehead.

BONK—a perfect headshot.

(Time slowed down in that instant…)

I only managed to say "A—" before falling backward… My head felt woozy… I was bracing myself for a painful fall when—

Instead of pain…

I felt a strong hand catch me...

("Huh...?")

I opened my eyes, stunned… and there he was.

It was him.

"Mi—Minase-san…"

His face was so close. Close enough for me to see the sunlight reflected in his deep black eyes.

For a moment, time felt like it froze. In my mind, that instant seemed to stretch on forever...

"Are you okay?" — he asked, voice low and calm, but… there was a hint of concern in it.

I was dazed like I'd been spirited away… and only snapped out of it after that question… (Honestly, at that moment… he looked like a divine prince. Just one word… Cool.)

My face turned beet red, and I stammered my reply...

"N-no… I'm fine… Th-thank you…"

Seeing I was okay, he immediately let go—as if to avoid misunderstanding.

"Be more careful when walking."

He left those words and turned to walk away, leaving me there… my heart pounding wildly… along with a feeling—an emotion I couldn't quite put into words.

Could it be… I owe him now?