It wasn’t a holiday, it wasn’t a special anniversary and it definitely wasn’t Valentine’s Day; it was just a rainy Tuesday in April, and all I wanted to do was change my wet loafers, get to class, and go home to rest—but.
“P-Please, Ori-Sama! M-My feelings are impure… I know I am just a nuisance, but… W-W-Would y-you go out with m-me!”
How did I end up with such a pretty silver haired girl confessing to me in the library?!“Ehhh?!”
I yelled, my palms sweating like never before. The sound echoed way too loudly in the quiet library.
“I… I d-deeply apologize for the inconvenience of… m-my confession!”
Mio shrank back, pulling her book up until it covered half her face. She looked like a frightened turtle retreating into its shell.
“…”
(W-Why am I quiet?! I screamed internally. I need to say something! Say something, mouth!)My brain was spinning. A confession? Me? There’s no way a girl like me would get asked out by one of the most popular girls in school! There had to be a mistake. She probably meant to confess to the guy standing behind me!
“Aha… a-are you talking to me?”
The rain tapped on the window, a ticking that made me want to throw up.(W-What are you saying?! Why did you chuckle?! Of course she is talking to you, dumbass! I need time, this is too much!)Mio blinked, her silver eyes peeking over the edge of her romance novel. She looked genuinely confused, as if I had just asked if water was wet.
“There… there is no one else here, Ori-Sama,” she whispered, her voice barely louder than the rain. “Only… you. My… protagonist.”“Y-Yea right! W-what am I saying-”
I suddenly stopped talking, I paused and looked at Mio.
“P-protagonist? H-How could I be?! Me? I’m not even popular like you! L-Look at you and then me, you are so pretty and cute!”
(Shut up! Stop talking!)
I stuttered all over the place, slipping on my words like I was running on ground marbles.The moment the words “pretty and cute” left my mouth, time stopped.
I had just accidentally flirted with the school’s silver-haired angel while trying to run away. Great job, Kaori.
Mio's face turned a shade of red that defied the laws of physics. She made a sound like a tea kettle beginning to boil—Piiiii—and pulled the book completely over her head.“O-O-Ori-sama thinks I-I’m… cute?”“Yeah! I-I think you are very pretty… and cute…”I awkwardly smiled, scratching my cheek with a finger. My face felt hot enough to fry an egg.
(Ugh! She’s so adorable! Is this legal?)
“I-It’s such an honor! T-To be complimented by such a goddess!” Mio squeaked, clutching her book so tight her knuckles were white. She looked like she was about to kneel on the floor and pray. “I… I might pass out from happiness…”
Doki-Doki.
My heart skipped a violent beat.
“N-No! Please, I must be thanking you!” I stammered, waving my hands frantically in front of my face like I was trying to fan away the embarrassment. “I’m not a goddess! I’m just… me!”
The air between us was thick with panic and rain. But I had to answer. I couldn’t leave a girl like this hanging.
“I… Yes. I would be glad to go out with you… Tsukishiro-san.”
The silence stretched for three agonizing seconds. I reached my hand out to hold hers—a warm welcome to… whatever this relationship was.
“May I call you… Mio?”
She let out a small squeak, snapping out of her daydream.
“S-Sorry! C-C-Call me whatever you please! Use me as needed! I… I don’t mind!”
Ellipses practically floated over my head. I stared at her blankly.
“W-What?! M-Mio-chan! What do you take me for, some kind of pervert?!”“I-I didn’t mean it like that!” Mio waved her hands frantically, looking like she wanted to dig a hole and bury herself in the library floor. “I just meant… I exist to serve the narrative! Your narrative!”She fumbled in her pocket and thrust a small, trembling hand toward me. A smartphone with a fluffy white hamster case.
“P-Please! Scan this! Therefore I can, uh- receive your summons!”
I instinctively pulled out my phone and scanned the QR code on her screen.
Ding-Dong-Dang-Dong.
The warning bell saved us from further embarrassment. Mio jumped about a foot in the air, grabbed her book, and bowed so low her forehead nearly touched her knees.
“I… I will see you at lunch, Ori-Sama! Please excuse me!”
She rushed out of the library—no, she didn’t just rush. She vanished. One second she was there, the next, poof. Gone like a ninja.
“Wahh!! What type of cursed power is this?!”
My mind was rushing with thoughts, but I supposed I should be worried about what I just got myself into! Ugh! This is bad! No—this is good! I-I am dating a cute girl… and not just any girl. Tsukishiro Mio.
Thud.
I slumped onto my knees, the adrenaline finally leaving my legs. I felt overwhelmed… but then, the image of her face floated back into my mind.
She was devastatingly cute.
Her long hair wasn’t just grey; it was a shimmering silver, flowing down her back like liquid moonlight. Her eyes were large and trembling, the color of a deep, clear ocean—a sparkling teal that seemed to hold a million unwritten stories. And her skin… it was so pale and perfect, usually hidden behind that heavy blue hardcover book she wielded like a shield.
She looked like a porcelain doll that had accidentally wandered into a high school. A fairy tale creature.
And she confessed to… me?
I looked at my hand, the one I had almost held out to her.
“From this day on,” I whispered to the empty library, “I need to make her happy.”
I didn’t know how. I didn’t know why she chose me. But for the first time in my background-character life, I had a main quest.
I managed to drag myself out of the library before the teachers came for their rounds. My legs still felt like jelly, and my face was definitely still a dangerous shade of red.
“Kaori-chan!”
Geh.
I froze in the hallway. Running toward me were my two best friends: Suzuki Yumi, clinging to a bag of snacks, and SatōChiaki, looking sharp as ever with her phone in hand.
“You’re late!” Yumi puffed her cheeks out. “We waited at the shoe lockers for ten whole minutes! I almost ate my emergency chocolate!”
“S-Sorry!” I stammered, trying to look casual (and failing miserably). “I was… returning a book! A very… heavy… emotional book!”
Chiaki narrowed her eyes. She stepped closer, invading my personal space. She sniffed the air like a detective. “Hmph. You look flushed, Kaori. And you’re sweating. Did you run a marathon in the library?”
“It’s the humidity!” I squeaked. “The rain! It’s very humid today!”
Chiaki smirked, tapping her chin with her phone. “Is that so? You look like you just saw a ghost. Or… maybe an angel?”
Thump. How is her intuition so scary?!
“I’m going to class!” I shouted, pushing past them. “I need to… study! For… history! Bye!”
“Wait! Kaori!”I didn’t wait. I ran.
I somehow managed to survive the rest of the day—mostly by staring at my desk and trying to keep my heart from exploding every time I remembered Mio's face. The second the final bell rang, I sprinted all the way to the station, my heart pounding not from exercise, but from the terrifying weight of my new secret.
8:00 PM. My Room.
I flopped onto my bed, burying my face in my pillow. My room was quiet. The rain was still tapping against the window, but now it sounded peaceful.
I rolled over and held up my phone. There, in my contacts list, was a new entry.
[Name: Tsukishiro Mio]
It wasn’t a dream. I actually did it. I, Aigawa Kaori, the mob character of Class 2-B, got a girlfriend. And she called me her “Protagonist.”
“Aaaaaah!” I kicked my legs in the air, screaming into my pillow. It was too much. It was too cute.
Bzzt.
My phone vibrated. A new message.
From: Tsukishiro Mio Subject: Goodnight “Umm… I hope you arrived home safely, Ori-sama. I… I am currently reading the sequel to the book I was holding. I will prepare myself to be a worthy heroine by tomorrow. Goodnight.”
Attached was a picture of a small, white hamster plushie bowing.
My face heated up all over again. I hugged the phone to my chest, staring at the ceiling.
Maybe… just maybe… my high school life was finally going to be something special.
Little did I know, as I drifted off to sleep with a stupid smile on my face… That “Special” was an understatement. And that tomorrow, the difficulty setting of my life was about to switch from “Easy” to “Lunatic Mode.”