“I’m sorry…” There really wasn’t much else she could say to the girl with vengeance in her eyes. What could you say to someone who just went through something that… horrific. Wait, we're getting ahead of ourselves, aren't we? You don't even know the main character yet. So let's go back to a couple weeks before the life of our wonderful protagonist Megumi Shiro changed dramatically. 

-3 weeks ago-

    It was a spring day unlike any other, cherry blossoms slowly fell to the ground outside the entrance of the famous Okisana Academy, and right nearby was the stunning young 16 year old, Megumi Shiro staring absent-mindedly at the beautiful petals as her long white hair slowly flowed in the wind.

    "Megumi, you're gonna be late if you don't get a move on!" A very peculiar boy advised, snapping Megumi out of her absent-minded state. 

    "Sorry about that Shuichi. But you shouldn't be worried about me. At your size you're the one who should be worried about being late." She teased. Note, this wasn't jab at his height or anything it was genuine concern as the thing that was peculiar about him wasn't his looks or manner of speech (both of which were incredibly average), it was his size.

    Shuichi Shinko, much like many other students at Okisana Academy, was a micro student whose height was roughly 0.49' (~12 mm).

    "Crap, you're right!! Please Megumi, carry me to class. I'll be sure to return the favor!" He pleaded desperately looking back and forth at his watch. 

    "Dummy, I was gonna help you regardless! But I guess you owe me one don't you?" She smiled picking him up and placing him inside her shirt pocket.

    "Hold on tight it might get a bit bumpy, Shuichi!" She rolled up her sleeves and ran as fast as she could towards her and Shuichi's class. 

    "Soo soft…" Shuichi mumbled to himself in light of his situation as he was pressed tightly against her chest. Rightfully so, for Megumi was what some would call 'pretty stacked' which also meant Shuichi definitely wasn't going to be getting the smoothest ride to class. As two of them were making their way to class a Shuichi started to reminisce about the day he met Megumi. 

-1 year ago Okisana Academy Entrance Ceremony-

    "Welcome, freshman, to the prestigious Okisana Advanced Studies and Arts Academy! My name is Akane Shinko, your student council president." Her passionate voice echoed throughout the school gymnasium 

    "As you may already know Okisana Academy is one of the most well-known mixed sizes schools in all of Japan whose student body consists of nearly 40% micro students. As students of this humble academy it's your responsibility to work and study in harmony with your fellow students no matter their size." She looked around at all the promising students until her eyes fell upon her younger brother Shuichi. Feeling more motivated than ever she continued her speech. 

    "Our school is at the forefront of true equality, and it's up to you promising students to shape not only the Academy's future but the future of our country! And now a few words from the disciplinary committee president Tsuyonomi Saikyou." She stepped back from the podium, prompting the Disciplinary Committee president to speak. However, who seemed to be the president at first was actually the vice president gently placing the actual president on top of the podium. 

    "To those of you who are willing to cause harm to any students on campus, please know we here at Okisana Academy have a ZERO-Tolerance policy on all accounts of bullying, or violence towards regular or micro students!!" She then went on about punishments and legal cases and other stuff like that. As someone who's heard a nearly identical speech from his sister the whole speech was boring Shuichi to death. Noticing this Megumi, who was sitting behind Shuichi began to whisper an introduction.

    "my name is Megumi Shiro, I'm looking forward to being in the same class as you." This was the first time a regular girl (that wasn't his sister) had exchanged words with Shuichi so he was kinda in disbelief when she introduced herself. 

    "U-Um My name is Shuichi Shinko it's nice to meet you too." He looked back and became completely enamored with a certain part of Megumi's 'figure'. Soon after, the entrance ceremony had ended and each student walked to their respective classes, in which the two of them discussed their interests and life experiences. And before they knew it the two of had become great friends. 

-Present Day-

    Megumi and Shuichi had made it to class right in the nick of time. Out of breath Megumi slowly collapsed onto her desk. 

    "You owe me big time for that…" She breathed heavily as she took Shuichi out of her shirt pocket. 

    "J-Just ask me whenever you need something…" He looked away hiding his beat red face. Megumi was pretty dense when it came to romance and hadn't realized what her little gesture of kindness had done to poor ol' Shuichi's teenage boy hormones. However things weren't going to be all 'romantic comedy' for long as Megumi received a shocking text on her phone.

    "Sweetie… your father got fired from his job. You'll have to transfer out of Okisana while we try to sort out our finances…" Her mom had texted and even through the phone Megumi could feel how sad she was telling her own daughter that she is being forced to say goodbye to all her friends and the school she loved. 

    Instead of bursting out in anger or sorrow Megumi just stared at her phone in complete and utter disbelief. 

    "Watcha looking at…" Shuichi silently read her text and started to back away in sheer shock. 

    "You're transferring?!?" He yelled out garnering the attention of some nearby students. Who, we're also shocked by the sudden news.

    "B-But, you can't transfer out! You're our class rep." A student remarked. 

    "You're not only our class rep, you're my, no you're everyone in this class' friend. So please don't leave!" A female micro student who seemed to be on the brink of tears pleaded. 

    "I-I'm sorry!" Megumi said getting up from her desk, her voice was shaking from disbelief. Right as she stood up the teacher had walked into the room. 

    "Before, we start I have some unfortunate news to share about your Class Rep…" The teacher said looking at her clipboard. This further set in the fact that what was happening to her was indeed real and in an act of pure denial Megumi ran out of the room towards the nearby women's restroom to lock herself in a stall and lament. 

    The fact that she could make new friends at her school hadn't even occurred to her as she was mainly saddened by one thing, how her transfer would affect all the friends she'd be leaving behind, Shuichi especially. Truly the thoughts of caring person… 

Megumi sat alone in the bathroom stall swiping through her phone's gallery reminiscing on all the memories she's made over the past year and a half. 

    "I'm such an idiot…" She put her phone down, took a deep breath, and slapped herself in the face as hard as she could finally deciding to embrace this new chapter of her life.

    Now optimistic about the future Megumi confidently walked back to class. On her way there, she thought about all the positives of moving to a new school. Maybe-- she could make some new friends or even start a club. She kept filling her mind with all the positives imaginable, but one thing kept her from being truly optimistic about her situation, Shuichi.

    "Why do I keep thinking about him?.." She contemplated for a second until the reason as to why she couldn't get him out of her head finally hit her.

    "Aha! Of course! Shuichi's my best friend, how could I possibly be optimistic about moving to a new school if can't talk to my best friend every day. Maybe I should ask for his number so I can talk to him while I'm there…" 

    Meanwhile at class, as Shuichi worried about how Megumi was feeling he felt a sudden pain in his chest that was comparable to how someone would feel if they'd just been friendzoned by their crush.

    "Are you OK?" A student asked in response to Shuichi's sudden reaction to the pain.

    "I'm fine." He said confused as to why the pain only lasted a couple seconds, but that wasn't important right now as Megumi finally got back to class. 

    "I'm so very sorry for walking out of class Tachibana-Sensei!" She stood by the doorway expecting to be reprimanded. But instead of getting lectured the teacher just tapped her lightly on the head with her clipboard.

    "I won't reprimand someone for reacting irrationally, when they have a valid reason. Just sit down and use the rest of the class period to spend as much time with your friends before you transfer." The teacher said before putting her hand on Megumi's shoulder and writing 'study hall' on the white board. As Tachibana-Sensei left the class Megumi decided it was an appropriate time to give an early farewell speech.

    "To all the people in this class who've supported and accepted me, thank you! I truly appreciate you all for giving me memories that I'd cherish forever. I'll always remember all of you and everything you've done for me. As your friend, class representative, and student council vice president I hereby say goodbye." She bowed, prompting a round of applause from the rest of the students. 

    "Hey Shuichi, I know Megumi might be a bit dense but you might wanna confess your feelings to her while you still can." One of Shuichi's friends whispered to him as he stared at Megumi. 

    "C-Confess my feelings?! What the hell are you talking about!" Shuichi, yelled covering his friend's mouth. The thought of asking Megumi out has been in Shuichi's mind since the first time they met, however after seeing both micro and normal students crash and burn in their attempt to ask her out he kinda figured that it was a lost cause, but if he didn't confess now he might regret for the rest of his life. 

    So in order to prevent that situation, Shuichi gathered all the courage he had within and convinced himself that as soon as Megumi returned to her desk he was gonna confess his feelings no matter what. At least that was the plan because as soon as Megumi returned to her she asked an interesting question. 

    "Since I'm leaving… wanna exchange numbers?" She asked in such a confident manner that you'd wonder if she really understood the implications that the question posed however, Shuichi was so happy after hearing those words that it didn't even occur to him. Instead Shuichi's mind was filled with many extremely mild perverted thoughts that included, but were not limited to, calling one another in the bath, exchanging cute pictures of themselves, and even… having late night romantic conversations with each other. He was so spaced out and flustered at that moment that he failed to notice Megumi calling out to him. Until she gently placed him on top of her desk. 

    "Hey Shuichi! Are you still there?" She asked slowly snapping him out of daydream.

    "Yeah! I-I was just thinking about how… I also wanted your number!" He let out a nervous laugh and awkwardly pulled out his phone. After the 2 had exchanged numbers Megumi, who wanted to see if it worked tried to send Shuichi a cute picture of her cat accidentally sent a picture of herself in a frilly white bikini. Shuichi was so astonished by what he had seen that he dropped his phone. He couldn't understand how Megumi inherently had the power to be both extremely seductive and innocent at the same time.

    "Sorry about that, wrong image my bad." She giggled and politely apologized, somehow not minding the fact that Shuichi now had a picture of her in a provocative bikini. Megumi believed that being seen in a swimsuit wasn't exactly a big deal even if it was a boy. 

    "Well at least I know it works."

    Time went on and goodbyes were said until it was finally the day of Megumi's transfer. Before officially leaving Okisana, Megumi visited the school one last time in order to say goodbye to her most cherished friends and each member of the student council that supported her throughout the year. And as she was about to leave the main gates one last time Shuichi finally mustered up the courage and confessed to her. 

    "Megumi, before you go I wanna say one last thing!" He yelled out to her, his face was glowing a bright red from how flustered he was. 

    "What is it, Shuichi?" She asked kneeling down in front of him.

    "I-I…LOVE YOU!" He passionately exclaimed extending his arm out to her. 

    "I've loved having you as a friend too, Shuichi! Please don't be too sad that I'm gone OK." She said smiling sweetly at him. As much as he wanted to be internally depressed about what she just said, Shuichi, deep down he was actually relieved that he was finally able to get that weight off his chest. 'What did I expect?' He thought to himself and laughed. Until Megumi decided to pick Shuichi and whisper something to him. 

    "Just kidding, I'm not that dense." She giggled and kissed him on the 'cheek'. After placing him back on the ground Megumi ran off waving back to Shuichi as she left. Completely speechless he just stood there with a blank stare on his face. 

    With her last goodbye said, Megumi was finally able to leave Okisana behind with a smile. She knew no school could compare, but that didn't phase her. For better or for worse she was gonna continue her school life no matter what and  she planned on enjoying too. But things don't always go according to plan… 

      It was a bright and early morning and Megumi wasted no time getting ready for a new day at her new school. Once the sun had shone through her blinds she was out the door and on her way to school in 15 minutes flat. As she walked there Megumi took her time to memorize the faces of all the students she passed on the way. She was beyond excited to begin her first day but before entering, she had to do one last thing.

   She stood proudly in front of the school gates thinking back on her time at Okisana. Without all her friends by her side, encouraging her through every step of the way, Megumi may not have gotten the courage to enjoy this day with a smile, even if there was no way to thank them at the moment the thought was more than enough. 

'Thank you all for supporting me in the past. I promise, to everyone I've left behind that I will make it through my new life with a smile and I'll never forget you.' She thought, clenching her fist as she stared at the main school building. Even if she was being a bit overdramatic Megumi couldn't conceal the passionate fire in her eyes and with a new spring in her step, Megumi took her first stride into the place she'd be spending the next few years of her life in, Hanichi Public Highschool. 



   As she stepped foot on campus Megumi couldn't help but notice a bubbly and energetic looking girl slowly approaching her from the side.

   "Hey, you're a fresh face. Are you a new student?" The girl asked. Her voice, demeanor, and even the way carried herself, all radiated an aura that screamed 'bubbly, and innocent girl'. Her appearance also looked the part, and aside from her very feminine physique she also wore a very cute and vibrant ribbon on her head.

   "Yeah, I just moved here a couple of weeks ago. My name's Megumi, by the way. Megumi Shiro." She smiled excitedly shaking her hand.

   "Oh right! My name's Usako Asagiri, but you can call me Bunny! Are you a Senior?" She leaned in grabbing Megumi's hand. It was an appropriate nickname for sure, as the vibrant ribbon atop her head could easily be mistaken for rabbit ears. It definitely was a cute accessory for sure, even if it was kinda childish. But Megumi didn’t necessarily have the right to think of it as childish, as she also liked wearing bows.

   "I'm actually a Junior." 

   "Eh!? You look so ‘mature’ though!" She examined Megumi’s body up and down surprised by her response. However, this type of question wasn't exactly new for Megumi as even at Okisana she was commonly mistaken for an upperclassmen time and time again. This was mostly due to her major feminine ‘features' and her generally all-around well-developed body. 

   As much as both of them wanted to continue their friendly conversation it was cut short by 2 girls, who Megumi assumed were Bunny's friends.

   "Let's get a move on, you don't want to be late do you?" Said one of her friends as they pulled her away from the conversation. Megumi assumed she was a studious type, mostly because of her glasses. However, the girl who had followed behind her seemed like a complete opposite. She had reddish-orange hair and seemed a lot more laid back and friendly. As she walked past she waved casually at Megumi before catching up to her two friends. 

   "Seeya later Megumi!" Bunny waved goodbye as she was pulled into the main school building. 

   "What a colorful group of characters..." She mumbled to herself and walked to the faculty office to get her schedule. Meanwhile, a dark metaphorical shadow loomed over the school signaling that a tragedy was about to occur. (See http://labbacomics.com/comic/reader.php?page=13 for context)



-Half an hour later-



   'I can't believe I got lost…' Megumi thought as she wandered the halls dazed and confused until she turned the corner and spotted a female micro student at the corner of her eye. She figured it wouldn't hurt to ask them for some directions. 

   "Hey I'm lost would you mind…" As she approached a gruesome sight came into frame as in close proximity to the girl were the crushed and splattered remains of another micro student. This had been the first time in a while that Megumi had seen such a sickening sight with her own eyes. 

   'Is that blood?!' Her thoughts began to spiral into an inner turmoil. 'It can't be!' She tried to deny what was right in front of her but it was unmistakable. What had just occurred was undoubtedly a murder, at least that's how Megumi saw it.



   'Tch, to do something so brazen and heinous, especially while morning classes are still going on, it's absolutely unforgivable.' She wanted to go get help but then she remembered that there was still that girl near the corpse and at that moment she thought for a second, about what she must be thinking and felt absolute sorrow for what she must have gone through. So, before getting help Megumi decided it'd be the best course of action to comfort the girl because it was an undeniable fact that she most likely went through something more terrifying than anything that she could ever possibly imagine. 



   "I'm sorry…" Megumi felt like that was the only thing she could say at that moment. Upon closer inspection she noticed that the girl didn't seem sad or depressed, instead, she actually seemed incredibly furious about the situation. Her eyes were filled with vengeance, however, among the hatred and anger, Megumi could almost feel the sheer determination that was emanating from her. Seeing how hard she must have been trying, finally gave Megumi an idea of what she needed to say. 

   "Truly despicable… If this wasn't an accident it's incredibly heinous. You must have gone through the most horrific experience. For that, I'm sorry I wasn't around to stop it from happening. If there's anything, anything at all I can to do help please tell me." She knelt down and looked at the girl with the eyes that contained no hints of pity. The eyes of someone who was completely genuine, and willing to help. 

   "Who are you?" She looked up at Megumi, somewhat wary of her. Understanding that she'd be cautious Megumi decided to include one detail in her introduction that would surely make her 100x's more trustworthy to almost any micro student. 

   "I'm Megumi Shiro, a transfer student from Okisana Academy." She bowed her head towards the girl. Just as Megumi expected those final words were more than enough to convince this girl that Megumi was in-fact the real deal. A normal student who treated all her classmates, no matter their size, equally with no hint of bias or disrespect. 

   "I'm Mai Ogasaki, the Micro Student Representative at this school. I hope we can become good friends…" The 2 locked eyes, each of them absolutely positive that this was the start of something extraordinary. Something that Mai had always been waiting for. It was the start of a friendship that could fundamentally turn the tides of this corrupt school, a true friendship of righteous ideals…

      "Before I accept your offer, I'd like to pay respects to your friend, even though I didn't know them." She clasped her hands together. There, at that moment Megumi could've been mistaken for some kind of goddess praying for a soul's safe passage into the afterlife. Just seeing how respectful she was only giving Mai a stronger feeling of dread for what she was about to say to her.


   "That boy, Ryu… he wasn't the only victim. This was a double murder and a kidnapping. What's worse is that it was ALL my fault!" She looked away in shame, slamming her hand against the wall.


   "If I didn't give that stupid speech those 3 would be fine!" Seeing and hearing how Mai was feeling, as well as the gruesome scene in front of her made Megumi worry tremendously for all the micro students at this school. Was it OK for normal students to just get away scot-free with stuff like this? Just the thought was enough to fill Megumi with sadness. However, this sadness only gave her more motivation to help make a change. And the first step to that was to make sure Mai was motivated to make a change alongside her.


   "Don't belittle yourself like that! Even though I just met you, I can tell that you're always trying your best to help your fellow students! So no matter what, don't ever give up!!" She smiled at her, trying to hide the fact that she was somewhat afraid of the person or people who did this.


   "You're right! And don't worry I won't give up, and with your help, I'm feeling more and more confident about our chances." She looked up at Megumi with a motivated smile appearing on her face. However, that smile slowly turned into a concerned stare, for it was painfully clear that Megumi was extremely late for class.


   "I know that you have a probable reason for being late, but we won't be able to make that change if you get kicked out for truancy..." She criticized, worried about her attendance.


   "Well, the thing is… I only approached you in the first place because I was looking for directions to my class." She scratched her head and showed Mai her schedule. After looking at it for a few seconds Mai was able to figure out where her homeroom class was.


   "I understand why you couldn't find it, you're on the completely wrong floor. Leave it to me! I'll show you how to get there. " Hearing that Megumi smiled and gently picked up Mai.


   After a couple of minutes of walking the two had finally made it to Megumi's homeroom class.


   "Hey Mai, thanks for helping me get to class but, are you sure you wanna go back on your own, after everything that's happened to you?" She asked genuinely worried about Mai's safety. However, Mai just shook her head.


   "I wouldn't be the person I am today if I'm always restlessly worried about every little thing… But, if you're that worried about me, let's exchange numbers. And if I'm ever in trouble I'll give you a call, OK? Also, let's meet up during lunch to discuss some stuff. I'll text you the meeting place." Megumi nodded and exchanged cell phone numbers.


   Waving goodbye the two ways and Megumi was ready to enter her new class. Unsurprisingly, the teacher inside was getting pretty worried about Megumi after waiting for nearly half an hour. Fed up with waiting, she slammed the door open and went to go look for her only to find Megumi and Mai waving goodbye to each other outside the door.


   "Megumi Shiro, you're late! As a new student, it's not good to be noticeably late on your first day." She looked down, saw Mai and realized what must have happened. "You got lost didn't you…” She sighed.


   “Well, in any case. Thanks for escorting Ms.Shiro to class Ogasaki, please be safe on your way back." She bowed her head and pulled Megumi into the class. Inside, the class seemed fairly average, except for a few colorful characters.


   "Introduce yourself." She stepped away from Megumi allowing her to give her introduction, and after writing her name on the board Megumi gladly stepped up to the plate.


   "My name is Megumi Shiro, It's a pleasure to meet you all. I hope that I can work together and become friends with all of you!" She smiled sweetly and bowed her head. Shortly after, the class effectively erupted with applause and cheers(mostly from the male students.)


   "She's…an Angel!!" Some of the boys yelled.


   "No dude, she's a goddess… get it? Because her name’s Megumi, and if you replace the 'U' with an 'A' it becomes Megami, which means goddess." One micro student said, which almost instantaneously silenced the entire class.


   "Really? Nobody? Anyone at all? Not even a pity laugh?" The boy waited and slowly became depressed after realizing how cringy his comment was. At that moment he was probably thinking 'well, there goes my chance at becoming friends with that girl…' however, Megumi quite appreciated the ‘clever’ pun and decided to speak up.


   "I thought it was pretty funny." She giggled, causing an uproar of laughter among the rest of the class.


   "Haha! You're right Rentaro, If you replace with the 'U' with an 'A' it does become Megami. You're so clever, haha!" The rest of the boys in class began to congratulate and applaud the boy, whose name was Rentaro. Megumi's reply to his awful pun not only saved his reputation but scored major affection points not only for Rentaro but for most of the class, as her charming giggle showed off her cuteness, unlike anything else.


   "Now everyone, calm down! Ms.Shiro, your seat will be that one over there in the back corner of the class." The teacher said causing most of the class to recoil in disbelief.


   "C'mon Teach, that seats right in front of where Furyu sits. Do you want this pure and innocent flower to get corrupted or something!" One student remarked. Megumi didn't know this yet but this Furyu person, the class was talking about was an 'interesting' individual, to say the least. It wasn't like she was weird or creepy, it was mostly because she was the absolute epitome of the classic 'high school delinquent' stereotype.


   "I think it'll be fine. Nothing can corrupt me!" She said confidently, causing yet another uproar of applause, and after taking her seat, Megumi got her textbook out and the teacher finally started to teach.



   While the class was going swimmingly, a girl vulgar looking girl walked in, rudely interrupting the lesson midway through. Her hair had been poorly dyed blonde with a thick streak of red hair dye on the left side of her head. She was tall, was a bit on the flatter side when it came to breasts, and even if it wasn't as obvious thanks to her uniform, she had a toned body. Looking closely Megumi also noticed that the girl had a bandaged attached to her face and her arm was wrapped in some guaze, which both probably came from fights, if she had to guess.


   "You're late again, Furyu Mitsukabe! Please just have a seat, you're disrupting the class." Ms.Oshino (the teacher) sighed and continued to teach.


   "Shut the hell up! I'm only here cuz I'm being forced to…" She slammed the door closed and begrudgingly walked towards her desk. When she came across Megumi, Furyu was both angered and confused.


   "Who the hell are you?" Furyu asked rudely. Now, normally Megumi would introduce herself politely, however she knew exactly how to talk to delinquents and Megumi prided herself on being able to make a good impression on nearly anyone she met.


   "Tch, What's it to ya! Expectin' me to just tell you?!" She crossed her arms and glared at her.


   "Heh, you got some good intuition. The names Furyu, by the way. Furyu Mitsukabe!" She smirked and sat down at the desk behind her.


   "Mind waking me up after class is done, girl?" She put her feet up on the desk and began to nod off completely disrespecting the teacher's lesson, however she didn't mind all too much, considering she's had to deal with her attitude on an almost daily basis.


   "Sure thing…also, it's Megumi if you're still wondering." She opened up one of her textbooks to the appropriate page. However, it's not like she needed to. As far as Megumi could tell what she was already taught this exact lesson in Okisana.



   Once the bell had rung Megumi quickly put her stuff away and began to walk to her and Mai's designated meeting spot; the hallway outside the faculty office. From what Megumi could tell that spot was pretty much one of the safest places for a tiny to be, however, she was kind of confused by why she wanted to meet out in the hall rather than a class or club room.


   On her way to the faculty office, Megumi began to get more and more disturbed by the number of bloodstains in the halls. There weren't that many, but compared to Okisana (where seeing a squished micro was just as rare as seeing a normal student's dead body in any other school.) it was truly jarring. She couldn't let what she saw break her resolve, no matter what! But, she couldn't just ignore them, given that she pretty much always had to be looking down, just in case.


   After a few minutes of walking she finally approached the home stretch, but much to her dismay Megumi just so happened to come across something truly aggravating; A tall girl with jet black-hair bullying a helpless micro.


   "Hahaha!! What a pathetic little pervert! What’s the point of even trying to sneak a peek when you're such a minuscule little bug? Here I’ll do you a favor and give you what you deserve." The girl cornered the micro, before lifting her foot and preparing to stomp on him.


   “It was an accident! I swear!” The student pleaded, and from the tone of his voice and the fact that he was literally about pass out from fear, Megumi could tell that he was 100% telling the truth, probably. Just the thought of someone being killed due to some stupid misunderstanding genuinely disgusted Megumi and even if it wasn’t an accident outright murder as punishment for such a minuscule offense just wasn’t right. She needed to intervene, but before she could, a certain rowdy girl with poorly dyed blonde hair stepped in. It was that delinquent girl from her class, Furyu Mitsukabe.  


   "Just shut the hell up! Over-sensitive sadistic b*tches like you piss me the hell off! Who the hell cares if someone sees your what's underneath your skirt? It's not like you have anything going on down there." She scoffed, glaring at the bully. Furyu then grabbed her by the collar and threw her straight to the ground. Megumi couldn't believe that someone who seemed like a 'bad to the bone' delinquent would be the type of person to stop bullying rather than partake in it.


   "Now you have two choices. Drop your wallet and get the hell outta here, or get your stupid face beaten to a pulp!" She cracked her knuckles while glaring menacingly at her. At this point, it was hard to tell who the actual bully was, however, even if Furyu wasn't exactly a hero of justice, Megumi could tell that she was somewhat of a good person deep, deep down.


   "F-Fine, just don't hurt me!" The girl desperately dropped her wallet on the floor and ran away in Megumi’s direction. As she passed, Megumi could overhear her mumbling something. It wasn’t exactly audible, but Megumi was able to make out the words ‘Just you wait…’



After taking the money from her wallet Furyu absent-mindedly tossed it in a nearby trash can and continued on her way, not even taking a second to receive the thanks of the micro she had saved. Of course, Megumi, being the good Samaritan she is, went and checked out the conditions of the micro student. From the looks of it, he just seemed to be passed out. No actual injuries. ‘Oh good he's ok…’ Megumi breathed a sigh of relief and kneeled in front of him.


   "Hey, are you alright?" She looked at him, and under closer inspection, Megumi realized that it was none other than, Rentaro from her class. And after gently tapping him he finally woke up.


   "Please don't hurt me!!.. Oh, it's you. Megumi right?. Thanks for saving me!” He smiled anxiously. “I guess I must have blacked out when that girl almost stomped on me. I'm not a pervert by the way it was a complete accident. I didn't mean to look up her skirt I swear! She just walked over me and started calling me a pervert. Please believe me!" He started to laugh nervously thinking that she wasn't going to believe him. Megumi could tell he was pretty shaken up and maybe even traumatized from the experience because he kept mumbling 'I'm not a pervert' under his breath. She needed to calm him down somehow, and that's when Megumi remembered a piece of advice from one of her most trusted female friends.


   "If you ever come across a scared little micro guy at school just let him feel your boo- I mean, heartbeat through that massive chest of yours and they'll calm right down. Guaranteed!" After never getting an opportunity to use it Megumi didn't get to see if it worked, but this was her chance to finally put it to use. From something Megumi once read she was under the belief that the sound of one's heartbeat was a relaxing and calming sound.


   Following her friend's advice, Megumi gently picked the boy up and softly pressed him against her chest. At that moment Rentaro's sudden fear of women that he developed when he was getting bullied, instantly faded away. The calm beating of her heart serenaded him away to a land of tranquility and nostalgia as Rentaro began to remember his childhood. For him, it was almost the same feeling as when his mother would coddle him whenever he was sad. This treatment was exactly what Rentaro needed to calm down and regain his confidence. After about a minute of this treatment, Megumi finally pulled away. Rentaro thought no lewd thoughts about this treatment because, much like a certain person in this story, he was also extremely dense. If Megumi were to do the same thing to Shuichi, his teenage boy hormones would have skyrocketed, however, Rentaro merely saw it as a kind gesture from a gentle soul.


   "Thank you, I appreciate it. I don't know what I would have done without you. My name's Rentaro Kitagawa, but you can call me Ren, or Rentaro, either one works." He smiled innocently and promised to be more careful around normal students, even though it wasn't his fault.


   “I appreciate the thanks, but- I wasn't the one who saved you,” Megumi said putting him back on the ground.


   “Then who did?” He asked trying to remember if anyone else was near him when he was being bullied. There wasn't anyone in the halls other than him, and Megumi so he didn’t have a clue as to the person who saved his life.


   “The one who saved you was Furyu!” Megumi said and Rentaro was expectedly shocked by the surprising information, but after a few seconds he was finally able to accept what had happened and he was honestly quite flattered to learn that someone who he thought was some violent delinquent would go out of there way to save someone-- a  micro student, no less.


   “Well, I’ll be sure to thank her, next time I see her.” He said and the two parted ways. As she left, Megumi contemplated fishing the bully’s wallet from the trash and returning it to her, just in case she had an ID, train pass, or anything else important inside.


   ‘She tried to kill someone, so this is what she deserves, however, she kinda had somewhat of a reason for doing so, and she might also be insecure about it, in which this event may have made her even more hostile towards micros.’ She thought and after contemplating it for a good minute or two Megumi, reluctantly, retrieved the wallet and decided to find out where her class was so she can leave it on her desk later. However, she wasn't just planning on giving it back, she was going to give it back to her under Rentaro’s name as a way of somewhat swaying her, potentially negative, perception of Micros. What she didn't know was that her plan was going to heavily backfire in a way she'd never expect.


   After all this commotion had subsided, Megumi finally realized that she forgot to meet with Mai, and after seeing how late she was Megumi swiftly rushed over to the agreed location. As Megumi turned the corner she saw Mai and felt a huge sense of relief that she was completely fine, she did seem a bit antsy from waiting. After everything she saw on the way, it was hard not to be worried about her.

   "Mai, I'm so glad you're OK!" She said happily, skipping towards her and gently picking her up.


   "What's up with you? You're acting like you haven't seen me in years." She laughed, a smile appearing on her face from the unusual treatment that she wasn't used to.


   "Nothing's wrong, don't worry about me. So what did you wanna talk about?" She tilted her head looking at Mai with a puzzled expression. She had a tiny clue as to what Mai was gonna say but she didn't know.


   "Together… we're going to form a brand new micro representative council to protect the rights of every micro student in this school! And to make sure our members are up to the task… we'll search every inch of this school to find righteous students like you and me, that will help reinforce the rights of every micro at this school!! That’s also why we’re outside the faculty office." She confidently pulled out club creation form and smirked, but she was so engrossed and headstrong with her ambitious idea that she hadn't realized that they were missing an extremely crucial component.


   "That's an amazing idea, but… how exactly are we gonna do something like that? And wouldn't it be best to just integrate new members to the existing council rather than create a new council? Also, I'm not sure if it's the same at this school, but at Okisana to form a new student committee or council you need to get direct approval from the principal, a faculty advisor, as well as a specified percentage of a student vote..." Megumi ran on nonchalantly for a solid three minutes, contrary to all her ramblings Megumi's face seemed extremely excited about Mai's plan.


   "W-We'll work together." She said in the spur of the moment. The sheer amount of information was beginning to overwhelm Mai, but she wasn't demotivated in the slightest.


   Trying to understand her incredibly vague remark, she concluded that they were probably going to go for a member integration plan, and thus needed to selectively recruit members that would be of great help to their cause. She then started to think about some people she knew that could benefit their cause. And after a few seconds of thinking, it finally hit her.


   "We should ask Furyu Mitsukabe to join." She smiled not realizing exactly how much of a reputation she's built up in the school. Furyu was effectively a menace to the school, who seemingly had no motive for being a delinquent. She was ruthless, mean-spirited, and rebellious and she had such an infamous reputation that even seniors were afraid to mess with her. Hearing how nonchalantly Megumi said her name, Mai began to silently question why on Earth she would ever suggest a person like her.


   "Are you insane…?" She looked up at Megumi, still completely bewildered by her outrageous suggestion. At that point Megumi was already deep in thought, trying to formulate a plan to get Furyu to join their side when another person came to mind, but she didn’t have a reason to mention them yet.


   “Oh hey, you’re the girl from this morning!” A familiar voice called out to her from behind…

    "Hey, it's the girl from this morning. Megumi, right?" It was the same bright and bubbly girl that Megumi met at the front gates. She was waving at Megumi, with her two other friends standing right behind. Upon seeing one of them Mai instantly recoiled in shock and started to whisper something to Megumi. 

    "That girl with the red hair… She's one of the murderers from the hall.” She whispered to her. Thinking it'd be best to conceal Mai from the girl, she slowly put her in one of her pockets and nervously turned to face the three girls. She couldn't believe it, she just couldn't. How could a murderer be friends with such an innocent-looking girl? It had to be a Misunderstanding. So, for the time being, Megumi decided to act normal as usual, however, that was going to be a lot harder than she thought.

    "H-Hi Bunny! How do you do?" She waved back, her hands shaking like crazy. This kind of anxiety was incredibly rare for Megumi, as she almost always seemed to be confident and enthusiastic when talking to people, this time was different though. If Mai was telling the truth that meant she’d be partaking in idle chit chat with some kind of… psychopathic murderer! Few words could describe the emotions floating around in Megumi’s head, but her main priority above all else was protecting Mai. 

    "What's the matter?" Bunny leaned in close and placed her hand on Megumi's shoulder. Noticing her shaking, she tried to think of a reason as to why she'd be so nervous. Considering, how confident and social Megumi seemed when they first met there was no way it could be due to shyness. Nonetheless, she was practically shocked to see her acting so weird.

    "Maybe, she accidentally crushed a little bug, and is worried she'll get in trouble." The red-haired girl chuckled and looked toward the ground to see if there were any bloodstains. 

Megumi was baffled that anyone could nonchalantly say such a thing, even as a joke. But, a stupid comment like that wasn't gonna break her resolve. Megumi took a deep breath and tried to think of a reasonable excuse to avoid these girls.

    "Don't joke about that kinda stuff, Alice!" Bunny sighed and suddenly realized as to why Megumi was so nervous. Though, given the circumstances of her current position, there was a 0% chance she’d be able to guess correctly.

    "Oh, I got it! You got in trouble, didn’t you? That’s why you’re outside the faculty office.” She teased. A+ for effort but she was unbelievably incorrect, however, that did give Megumi the perfect excuse to excuse herself. 

    "Ahaha… Y-You're right. I… I got lost this morning and I was marked late because of it. The teacher called me here to reprimand me haha. Oh gosh, look at the time haha I guess I gotta go inside now." She laughed nervously. Just from hearing how bad Megumi was stuttering Mai realized one major weakness she had. Megumi seemed to be incredibly awful under pressure.

    "What are you talking about Ms.Shiro?" Megumi's homeroom teacher asked as she walked out of the faculty office. "I'm pretty sure I excused you when I saw that Ogasaki had escorted you to class…" She looked at Megumi, trying to understand why she'd lie about being in trouble not realizing that her comment may have blown their cover.

    "Huh? Wasn't Ogasaki giving her announcements to all the classes this morning?"She looked at the teacher who, unsurprisingly, wondered what she was talking about. Due to the incident that happened in the halls, Mai had to cut her plan short meaning she wasn't able to visit all the classes she was scheduled to give her announcement to. After hearing what the teacher had said Bunny started to become slightly suspicious of Megumi because she couldn't understand how Mai was able to finish up her announcements AND escort Megumi to her class. If she had been suspicious of her earlier Megumi wouldn't have been able to answer, but thanks to the teachers’ interference Megumi finally got the time she needed to calm down and think of a believable excuse. 

    "Well, when I was lost in the hallways I saw Mai leaving the nurse's office. She then told me that one of her friends got sick and that she needed to call the whole thing off for the day. And since we knew each other back in middle school she offered to help me while her friend rested up!" She said confidently, gazing at Alice with a slight glare. 

    "Oooh, that makes sense. I never knew Ogasaki had a childhood friend. Sorry for being suspicious of you." Bunny smiled at her, and upon hearing what she said in response, Mai couldn't tell whether she was supposed to be offended or relieved. But, with the onslaught of questions over Megumi was finally able to relax for the time being. Until Bunny decided to ask one more question.

    "So, if you're not in trouble then why are you waiting outside the faculty office?" She asked putting her hand on her chin. At this point, Megumi was starting to get pretty fed up with this nonstop interrogation. However, this one was easy to answer, because all she had to do was put on a bashful face and tell somewhat of a white lie. 

    "I… I wanted to start a club!! But since I'm a new student here, I thought it would be embarrassing…" She looked down and fiddled with her hair. She then hid her face and started to run away promising Mai that she'd turn in the form for her later. 

    "Poor girl, Why'd you have to interrogate her like that. You should probably apologize to her next time you see her…" Bunny's other friend sighed and started to walk away. Bunny didn't know why Megumi got so upset. 'what's so embarrassing about wanting start a club?' she thought, then tried to ask Alice, however, she seemed to be oddly quiet for some reason. 

    "This is gonna be very interesting…" She mumbled to herself, thinking about what Megumi said earlier. Of course as flawless as her reasoning was there was one major flaw that she couldn't avoid, or rather, a major flaw she chose not to avoid. It was pretty obvious that the person who caused the incident in the first place would know the real reason as to why Mai had to cut her announcements off short so she almost instantly saw through her lie, but understandably remained quiet about it. It wasn't a mistake though. Megumi completely intended to tell a lie that only she could disprove. It was a cryptic way of saying she knew exactly what she did in the halls, which explained her nervousness. Alice didn't know how to react to the very apparent fact that the 'annoying micro student representative', who knew of her true personality, now had a very competent and formidable ally.

-A few minutes later-

    "That could've gone better." Mai sighed looking at the club registration form. She then thought about Megumi's initial suggestion and decided that she should at least hear her out. "So why exactly do you think Furyu would be a good addition to our committee?" She asked waiting for her explanation. In response, Megumi told her about the little incident in the hall that occurred during lunch.

    It was clear that Furyu Mitsukabe was anything, but a kind person, however, the fact that she went out of her way to save Rentaro was smoking gun as to why Megumi wanted her to become part of their committee. However, they didn't just want her for her compassion they needed her for her intimidation and muscle. If they could just find out the reason why she saved Rentaro, both of them could be sure about their decision to recruit her. As for a plan to do such a monumental task, Megumi had a perfect idea. But, she wasn't ready to reveal it just yet. 

    "We'll just have to do our best and if she doesn't join, then at least we can say we tried." Megumi smiled and gave a thumbs up to Mai.

     'Where did she get all that optimism?' she thought, looking up at Megumi amazed by how cheerful and supportive she's been to her even though they met less than an hour ago. The admiration was mutual as Megumi was also amazed and inspired by Mai's sheer willingness and determination to make a change, even with the odds incredibly stacked against her. 

    "Thanks for hiding me earlier, by the way, I owe you one." Mai sighed, thinking back on how pathetic she must have seemed to Megumi at that moment, but Megumi didn't think that, even for a second. The thought never occurred to her. There was no way Megumi could ever think that Mai was pathetic or weak it was quite the opposite. After everything she's been through today, Mai was one of the strongest people Megumi's ever met. 

    "Well, mind if I cash in that favor right now?" She tilted her head and thought of something on the fly.

    "Uh, sure." 

    "Alrighty then…" She delicately placed Mai on a nearby window sill and took a deep breath. 

    "Please be my friend, Ogasaki-Senpai!" She asked bowing her head and extending her hand. Time seemed to slow down for Mai as those words left Megumi's mouth. In all her years of being at this school, she couldn't recall a single time in which a normal student ever addressed her with the proper honorifics. She was touched, so much so that she started to shed tears of joy. 

    "Of course!" She nodded, wiping the tears from her face, and just like that, the two were officially 'best friends', and right on time too, for the bell had just rung signaling the end of lunchtime. However, that reminded Megumi about the fact that she didn't get to eat, further solidified by the gurgling in her stomach. Hearing this Mai, started to extremely feel guilty for taking up so much of her time. 

    "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to use up all of your lunch breaks!" She apologized. There was no way she could have planned for so many obstacles to get in her and Megumi's way. 

    "It's OK I'll manage somehow." She laughed it off and began walking Mai to her next class. This not only helped Megumi get a better feel of the school but allowed her to see if any people of interest could help their cause. Sadly, as the two had finally got to class Megumi failed to notice any particular, or interesting people. 

    "Thanks for walking me to class! We should meet up after school?" She asked looking at the club creation form once again a smile forming on her face from the anticipation. Seeing how excited she was to get this committee off the ground there was no way she could decline.

    "I'd love to." She nodded and waved goodbye as she left Mai's class to head to her own. As she walked Megumi managed to accumulate quite the crowd of flirtatious boys as on her way there. However, the word flirtatious barely existed in Megumi's dictionary and all the pickup lines, and compliments that were thrown her way amounted to nothing as she just assumed all of them were trying to be her friend. As much as she appreciated the compliments she needed to get to class one way or another and all these boys were not helping. 

    "I'm truly sorry, but I've gotta get to class!!" She yelled pushing through the crowd and sprinting towards her class (watching her step on the way of course). Even with the interruption, she made it on time. Collapsing onto her desk she looked up at the ceiling. 'Talk about déjà vu…' she thought, remembering the day she received that fated message that sent her to his school in the first place.

    "I swear, I'll make a change!!" She mumbled loudly thrusting her fist into the air

    "The hell are you doin'?" She asked, confused by Megumi's sudden outburst. From the one conversation, the two of them had Furyu had enough reason to act all 'buddy-buddy' with her. Knowing this Megumi thought it'd be best to keep up the act till she was able to recruit her. 

    "What's it to ya'. Why don't stay out of my business, and stop actin' all friendly to me!" She glared at her, silently hoping she wouldn't be offended by what she was saying. 

    "Yeah, sure!" She laughed patting her on the back. "You can drop the act by the way." She put her hand on her shoulder, ready to explain how she knew of her act and the one thing that gave her away.

    "How did you know??" Megumi asked, in shock. As far as she knew she played the delinquent role perfectly. 

    "It's pretty obvious, considerin' how desperately you were running to get to class on time. Also…you look nothin' like a delinquent!" She yelled pointing at her frilly white bow and well-kept uniform. In Megumi's mind, just the act alone made her feel so much like a delinquent she never once considered that there may be a few things that could kinda give her away.

    "Ha...ha you found me out. But, if you knew I was lying, why are you acting so comfortable around me?" If she knew that Megumi wasn't a delinquent like her then she wouldn't have had a reason to be friendly towards her. 

    "What's it to ya'. Why don't you stay out of my business…" She laughed mocking what she said earlier. Furyu was embarrassed to say the real reason so she just came up with something basic. "You seem like a chill person, so I don't hafta worry about ya'. And anyways you should probably stop talking to me and pay attention to the lesson, Ms.Committed Student Delinquent. Also, quiet that stomach of yours it’s annoying." She laughed once more, before handing her a small protein bar she was saving. 

    'Well, I guess that's that…' Megumi smiled and swiftly ate the protein bar. Once she was done, she opened her notebook only to be shocked as she saw an assortment of graffiti and insults poorly written inside. Noticing this Rentaro, who was sitting nearby decided to console her. 

    "That sucks, but don't let it get to you." He whispered to her, hoping that she wouldn't be too sad about the hostility that was being directed towards her, however, she didn't care about a bunch of girls who had nothing better to do than scribble on someone else's notebook. It was gonna take a lot more than that to bring her down.

    "You don't have to worry about me! I'm way too optimistic to let clichéd bullying affect me! The real question is who did this…" She put her hand on her chin and thought about what kind of person would stoop so low as to bully a person that they didn’t even know. As far as Megumi remembered she didn't do anything that'd invoke such, harsh treatment. 

    "It doesn't necessarily have to be a single person. The girls in this school can be pretty ruthless towards transfer students like you, and the fact that you've attracted the attention of most of the guys makes you an even bigger target. But, you really shouldn't worry about it too much, it's not like they could do anything to you.” He gave her a thumbs up and the two of them went back to focusing on the lesson like many of the other students. However, many of the guys were focused on a more pressing matter that needed to be addressed...

    The class had ended, and Megumi decided it’d be best to use the short break between classes to investigate the identity of the girl who lost her wallet. Meanwhile, the guys in class huddled together and decided on a plan to peep on her and the other girls during gym class next period. However, as the planning progressed a glaring problem emerged which sparked debate among many of the boys. An issue concerning the method of peeping that would not only be the least conspicuous, but most comfortable.

    “There should be some peepholes in the locker room walls…” One student suggested, causing a wave of disgruntled sighs within the group of guys. 

    “I guess... but don’t you think that's kinda lame? Taking turns peering through some tiny hole just doesn’t seem optimal at this point." The classic peephole method may have been a tried and true staple of pervy peeping in anime and manga, but it left a lot to be desired (you could say it was… full of holes.) It was not only inconvenient and uncomfortable but the risk of getting your eyes poked out as punishment made the method more and more unappealing. 

    “Well, other than the peephole method what else could we do?”

    “There’s always the window option, but I’m pretty sure there’s a curtain. We could always sneak in there and hide, but that’s for sure out of the question because there’s too many of us.” The boys continued to think of other things that would work, but the group eventually fell silent as the well of ideas went completely dry. And just when all hope had left their eyes an idea suddenly popped into one of their heads.

    “Guys, we’re living in the crowning age of technological advancement, aren’t we?! Why must we resort to such outdated and barbaric techniques when we could just use the power that's right within our grasps!” He propositioned, then promptly pulled out his smartphone. "With the power of technology, we can simultaneously communicate with anyone from almost anywhere in the world. Which means… we can all peep on the girls, without actually risking our necks!” He said tapping away on his phone.

    “What do you mean-” Rentaro asked only to be interrupted by the extremely loud, obnoxious noise of his phone’s ringtone. At that moment the guys finally understood exactly what he was talking about. Using the power of video calls they were gonna send one of the micro students to infiltrate the girl’s locker room. From there, that student would hide somewhere in which they could get a view of the girls, and finally, once they were in an optimal position the guys back at base camp, otherwise known as the boy's locker room, would video call the student establishing a nice and simple viewing experience for the rest of the guys. With all that figured out, there was one more thing they needed to decide: who was gonna be the lucky micro who'd be brave enough to infiltrate the enemy base. With the break coming to a close soon they had to decide this fast, and in the spur of the moment, one of the boys decided to speak up. 

    "Why don't we let Rentaro do it? He has really good luck with girls, so they probably wouldn't even get too mad at him. And, if things go south he could just say it was an accident and at least one or two people would believe him." He said, causing the other boys to stare at him with a desperate look that screamed 'please do it, I'm begging you.' The peer pressure was way too much for him to deny and at the end of the day, he reluctantly agreed but on one condition. 

    "If any of the girls get completely naked, I'm ending the call." He stood his ground, much to the dismay of some of the boys. Though, they couldn't complain as he'd be putting his life on the line for this mission. It'd be unfair for them to just deny his condition, so after agreeing with him the boys were finally ready to commence 'Operation: Heaven's Gate' and right on time too. 

    The bell had rung and the boys decided it'd be best if they went on ahead so they could get Rentaro into girl's locker room as fast as possible before the girls had arrived. 

    "You've got this!" One of the boys said to Rentaro as the quickly dropped him off inside the locker room, before quickly going back to base camp. The pieces were set, and all Rentaro had to do was hide and watch. What could go wrong, with instructions as easy as that…?

    Trying to think of someplace convenient, Rentaro quickly hid under one of the lockers and waited for the girls to arrive. 'Why did I agree to this…?' he silently contemplated looking at the phone he was given, when the thundering footsteps of all the girls came closer and closer. 

    "So how are you enjoying the school so far Megumi?" One of the girls asked, entering the locker room. She seemed like a nice, responsible person, and she was quite the looker too. Sporting a slim yet curvy body, she had beautiful long brown hair and stunning green eyes. Her 'assets' weren't that bad either, way above average but still smaller than Megumi's. Her name was Tsuyume Tsugatsuki, and it wasn't a surprise to Megumi that she was the most beautiful girl in their class, well at least before Megumi arrived. 

    "It's been great! I've been able to make a lot of good friends." Megumi said somewhat lying to her. Though, it was really hard to say whether or not she was having a great day. Sure, she may have made some friends and helped out some people, but it was clear she wouldn't have sworn to make a change with Mai if this school had been everything she wanted. 

    “That’s fantastic. As a class rep, it's nice to know that our new transfer is getting situated nicely.” She smiled, patting her on the back. As she started to walk away, her attention was instantly pulled towards Megumi once more, as she began to undress into her gym uniform.

    “Speaking of fantastic…” Tsuyume murmured, eyeing her chest up and down in awe at the size of her breasts, as they struggled to break free from the tightness of her bra. In terms of size, those cannons would easily surpass any small micro building. Those bouncy mammaries seemed like a massive pair of hills. It was truly a sight to behold, especially for Rentaro, who was silently watching from the sidelines waiting for the guys to call him, or at least it would be IF he was into that kinda stuff. Rentaro, ashamedly, never managed to quite understand the appeal of boobs. Sure, they were nice to look at and probably felt really soft, but he just didn’t think they were that great. The thing that captured Rentaro’s interest lied within the lower half of a girl’s body. Legs, particularly thighs, and feet. For the longest time, Rentaro has always had a strong and insatiable leg fetish. Combo this with a minor streak of consensual masochism, and being a student at a mixed sizes school was probably the best thing that had ever happened to him. Furthermore, legs and pain weren’t the only things he was interested in. (though they were the things he cared most about).

    As he stared blankly at the spectacle, Rentaro had a strong feeling that something bad was about to happen.

    “I think you should get a new bra because it kinda looks like the one you’re wearing is about to explode. How big are those things anyway…” She stared at her tightly packed bosom trying to guess her cup size. Tsuyume had originally thought they were D’s, but after seeing them like this, it was clear that her original thought was wrong.

    “Last time I checked, I believe they were DD’s. However, I think they’ve grown a bit since then…” She laughed nervously showing off the tag on her bra which read, ‘36DD’. It was very apparent that even a large holster like that wasn’t enough to contain those cannons.

    “D-D-Do y-y-you w-w-w-w-w-w-w-want t-to measure them for you…” Tsuyume asked slowly creeping towards her. Upon closer inspection, Megumi could see that her nose was bleeding for some reason. 

    “Do you need to go to the nurse?” Megumi asked in response to her bleeding nose, but Tsuyume was so focused on her bosom that she was unable to comprehend any outside distractions. Her thoughts were clouded with Megumi’s massive monolithic mammaries as they jiggled and bounced with each and every movement. It was truly a momentous occasion for Tsuyume as she slowly reached for Megumi’s breasts softly grabbing them. At that moment, time seemed to stop for Tsuyume as she experienced a blissful sensation, unlike any other. The softness of her breasts causing her to feel an overwhelming feeling of true happiness.

    “E?!” She moaned collapsing onto the floor, blood leaking profusely from her nostrils. There was a look of pure ecstasy on her face. Meanwhile, Megumi just stared at the class representative heavily creeped out and worried about her outlandish behavior.

    “Don’t worry about her. Tsuyu kinda plays for the other team, if ya know what I mean.” Furyu winked and started to laugh hysterically. Not understanding what she meant, Megumi just nervously laughed along with her. ‘Plays for the other team? Does she play sports or something?’ Megumi asked herself looking at Tsuyume, who was sprawled across the floor. It was at this time when the guys had gotten ready to call Rentaro, little did they know, doing so would heavily jeopardize the whole operation. 

    “Riiiiiiing!!” Rentaro’s phone began to flare up, ringing with a noise so loud that even the girls could hear it. Due to them running low on time, Rentaro had forgotten to put his phone on vibrate when he was back in the class. Furthermore, even when his phone rang during the break, the guys had neglected to remind him that it needed to be turned off in the first place.

    "What was that noise…?”

    “Did someone’s phone ring?” 

    “Wait, I think I’ve heard that sound before… isn’t that one of the little guys from our class’ ringtone.” One of the girls said causing an angered panic within the group of girls.

    “You’re saying that some little perv is watching us right now-” She was cut off as Tsuyume suddenly, regained consciousness at the news.

    “God, I can’t stand those scummy degen males! Just thinking about how they’d just so brazenly try to defile our pure bodies, is just plain disgusting! How immoral!” She said wiping the blood from her nose.

    “Ha! ‘Pure bodies?’ Why don’t you speak for yourself.” Furyu Laughed once more wrapping her arm around Megumi. “There’s nothin’ pure about these babies!” She grabbed one of her breasts and started to bounce it up and down. As much as this seemed like sexual harassment, Megumi didn’t necessarily mind all that much.

    “N-Nows not the time for that!!” She said pulling Megumi away from Furyu. “We need to catch this degen male and deliver swift capital punishment!” She said putting her hands on her hips, not necessarily know what the exact definition of ‘capital punishment’ was.

    “Wait, you’re asking us to kill someone?! Isn’t that going too far?!” Megumi asked in a nervous tone. Even if they were breaking the rules she couldn’t just sit idly by as these girls just up and killed someone for such a small thing like ‘peeping.’ 

    “I kinda agree with the new girl. What if the perv is someone cute like Renren.” The girl asked trying to hide the blush that appeared on her whenever she thought about Rentaro. 

    “It’s quite funny how you’d think an upstanding male, like him, would ever even attempt such a heinous act.” Out of all the guys in the class, Tsuyume only acknowledged one of them, and that guy was Rentaro Kitagawa. Nearly all of the girls in class 2-B either liked or respected Rentaro in one way or another and they’d be devastated to learn that he was using his size to peep on the girls.

    As the girl’s started to argue, Megumi could just about hear one of them say something incredibly worrying.

    “I don’t understand what the big deal is. If some bug wants to be a pervert then It’s only fitting if they became a stain on someone’s shoe…”

    And Megumi wasn’t the only one to hear this unknown girl, Rentaro also heard the same thing. 

    After debating for little over a minute it was decided that whoever found the perv could do whatever they pleased with him. And with that, the girls began their search. As they searched Rentaro realized just how much trouble he was in and slowly started to break down, fearing for his life once again.

    “Not again, not again, not again…” After narrowly avoiding his death the first time he didn't want an act of perversion to threaten his life once again. But, there was nothing he could do, even if by some stroke of god, he was let off the hook, his reputation would have cratered. His mind was in so much distress that he’d completely forgotten who was on the other line.

    "Calm down soldier!! It's not over yet! Trust in us, trust in your friends! We will get you out of there!! No. Matter. What!!" These words gave Rentaro hope. He knew he could trust his friends, even if they were a bit hopeless, Rentaro could always trust in the guys from class to always be there to help a friend in need. It didn’t matter if it was romance advice or studying, the bonds that they formed as classmates were unbreakable, and their bonds as friends were even stronger. Throwing away all his worries, Rentaro patiently waited for the opening he needed to escape. And he didn’t wait long as the diversion he needed had arrived before the girls even got close to the locker.

    "OH NO, my phone rang! I hope nobody heard me as I was looking at the girls while they were changing. It would be a real shame if someone were to discover me as I was doing such a perverted and… immoral act.” A guy wearing a very shoddily made mask conspicuously peered through the entrance of the locker room getting a nice look at all the girls before running off screaming the words ‘worth it’ as they chased him out of the locker room.

    “Don’t worry Mammari- I mean Megumi, we’ll catch that pervy degenerate!” Tsuyume said before following the other girls as they chased the masked pervert through the halls, leaving only her alone in the locker room with Rentaro. Even if the coast wasn’t completely clear, something within Rentaro told him that he’d be completely fine, considering his earlier interaction with Megumi.

    "Your sacrifice will not be in vain." He said, casually emerging from underneath the locker and walking towards the door.

    “That was a close one. Are you OK... Rentaro?” She said looking at him with a blank smile. It was easy to tell that she wasn’t exactly thrilled to see Rentaro in such a compromising position, after so boldly proclaiming that he wasn’t a pervert earlier in the day. Nevertheless, she was relieved that he was safe.

    “I’m not going to lie to you Megumi. This is exactly what it looks like, and I really am sorry for violating your and all the other girl’s privacy, but I couldn't let my friends down.” He said, looking up at her only to avert his gaze after noticing that she was still visibly undressed.

    “I understand that doing this kind of stuff helps boost morale among you guys, but you really shouldn’t risk your life to sneak a peek at some girls.” Sighing, she put on her gym uniform and zipped up her tracksuit. She then looked at him and smiled after seeing how serious Rentaro was when it came to helping out his friends.  “I don’t care if you saw me in my underwear, but I am glad that you’re safe and sound. Want me to escort you out of here before the girls come back?”

    “I’d appreciate that…” He stepped onto her hand.  “Gosh, you’ve been helping me out a lot today. If there’s anything you need from me, just ask.” He smiled earnestly at her, placing his hand on his chest. Rentaro was starting to see how good-natured Megumi was, and frankly, it was starting to make him feel a little attracted to her… 

…

…

…

...

    (as a friend of course). From her looks to her personality, it was truly hard to find anything negative about her.

    As the two got up to leave, their plan to leave the locker room before the girls had returned was shattered at the sound of angry footsteps and disappointed groans as they slowly approached the locker room.

    “I can’t believe that perv got away…” One of the girls remarked then glared at Furyu with a sullen expression. “Didn’t you, like, outrun the captain of the track team. Why couldn’t you, like, catch him or something.” This remark obviously managed to piss Furyu off to the point that she’d act on her violent delinquent tendencies.

    “Listen here girly, I ain’t gonna waste my time goin’ all out on some masked perv! The only reason I chased after him in the first place, was so I beat someone up!” She leered at the girl grabbing her by the collar. 

    “That’s enough! Break it up, both of you! If you’re going to be acting immature do it somewhere you won’t embarrass yourselves. Just because some pervert managed to escape punishment, that doesn't mean we should start fighting amongst ourselves!” Tsuyume said, using her commanding voice to bring an end to this petty dispute.

    Shortly after the two had separated from each other, Tsuyume then went to check on Megumi to see if she was doing OK.

    “Sorry that we let him get away, I hope you’re not angry or pissed off at the all stupid pervert degen males at this school. But if you are that's totally fine.” She said, mumbling that last part. It was at this moment everything made sense to Megumi. Her constant use of the word ‘degenerate’, her unnecessary emphasis on males being scum. It was clear that Tsuyume was, indeed, a very misandrous (or man-hating) girl. Knowing this fact, she’d probably be quite upset with Megumi if she learned that she was trying to harbor the exact kind of ‘stupid pervert degen boy’ she hated.

    “I don’t really mind, all too much…” She muttered nervously trying to hide Rentaro behind her back. 'Not again…' she thought thinking back to the events of the last chapter in which her nervousness got the better of her. She couldn't let that happen again, and she needed to overcome this weakness. Trying to think of all the possible questions that would be thrown at her she prepared a plethora of non-suspect answers, using her last interaction with Bunny as a reference. After a few seconds of silently thinking Megumi was finally ready to tackle any obstacle that was in her way. 

    'I'm perfectly ready. I am fully and completely prepared!' She thought, staring at the misandrous class rep bracing herself. What she wasn't prepared for was the outside interference of someone who was completely suspicious of her. 

    “What’s that in your hands?”  Asked one of the girls as she shot a menacingly scary glare towards Megumi. From the sound of her voice, she knew exactly who it was… It was the same girl who made that worrying remark. From her looks alone it was impossible to tell, but that scary glare told the entire story. Behind her mundane facade, and short blonde hair Megumi could guess exactly what kind of person she was. ‘Now that I think about it, I think I saw her with Alice, and the girl who lost her wallet.'

    "Huh…?!" Megumi froze in place. She didn't know how to react. Rentaro’s life was quite literally resting in her hands and the pressure was on. Was her plan to get Rentaro out of the locker room safe and sound really about to be ruined by the simple question of some rando blonde-haired girl? How was she going to deal with this situation? Should Megumi take these very obvious acts of sexual harassment a bit more seriously? Find out next time, on Half-Inch High: Alternative!!

       'This is all my fault.' She thought, backing away from the girl. If she didn't waste time by talking to Rentaro she could've gotten him out before the girls arrived. But instead, her poor decision making and consideration threatened the life of one of her friends, once again. As she tried to think of a way out of this mess, Rentaro was also doing some contemplating of his own. 

       'I'm such an idiot. I should've just played it safe. This is all my fault…' He facepalmed regretting all the actions that lead up to this. He wanted to help, but what could he do? At his size, there wasn't anything he could do to help her out… Or at least, that's what he thought.

       Through the nervous trembling of her palms and the rapid beating of her heart, Rentaro decided to change his way of thinking. Instead of thinking of his size as a drawback, he decided to use it to his advantage. That's when he had an epiphany. If he could climb up the sleeve of Megumi's tracksuit, she would no longer have to worry about hiding him in her hands. And thanks to the small opening between her wrists he could get there in no time at all. It was a perfect idea, even if it did kinda violate her privacy. 

       “Pardon the intrusion…” He whispered climbing out of her hands and into her sleeve. Clinging onto her soft, perfect skin Rentaro silently hoped that this wouldn’t turn into some cliche unaware body exploration scene, however much to his dismay, Megumi was too busy with the situation at hand to notice that Rentaro had escaped into her tracksuit.

       “Huh?! What are you talking about?! I’m not hiding anything!!” She averted her gaze trying to casually exit the locker room. Her complete and utter lack of self-awareness and inability to handle herself under pressure was causing the girl to suspect Megumi more and more. It wasn’t Megumi’s fault, she's always been like this. After living most of her life as a kind and lovable ditz surrounded by people who’d always be there to back her up, she wasn’t necessarily accustomed to handling stressful situations on her lonesome. But, this was more than a simple ‘stressful situation’, Rentaro’s life was on the line, and she couldn’t afford to mess up and with so little planning Megumi quite literally couldn’t get a word out without stuttering or sounding suspicious. 

       "Is that so… well, I guess everyone has something they want to keep hidden." The blonde girl said mainly as a way of avoiding the piqued interest of her classmates as they went to see what the commotion was about. She was already dressed in her gym uniform so she had no reason to stay, but as she walked towards the exit she needed to do one more thing. 

       "I think there's a bug on your hand." She said slowly approaching her from behind. Without a moment to react, Megumi felt a sharp sting on both sides of her hands. "SMACK!!" A loud slapping sound echoed throughout the locker room, she finally realized what had just happened. The girl had forcefully slapped both Megumi's hands at the same time, causing them to collide with each other. The impact leaving a slight redness on the tops of her hands. Rentaro had made the right decision because if he was still in her hands, there was no doubt that he'd be crushed flat between her palms. However, Rentaro may have been safe but Megumi didn't know that. For all she knew, Rentaro was still in there. The thought that she was responsible for his death reverberated and echoed constantly throughout her head as she shakingly went to look at her palms. Slowly bringing them to her face, she was terrified of what she was about to see. A gruesome image was forming in her head. The splattered and crushed remains of her newest friend as his blood slowly dripped down the face of her palm of her hand and the splattered organs and limbs creating a horrific, indescribable pile of disgusting gore. Just the thought alone was enough to make her sick and as she slowly opened her eyes she was amazed to see that absolutely nothing was there.

       “Thank goodness…” Megumi took a sigh of relief. The stress of being exposed was lifted and Megumi was back to her usual optimistic self. With a new smile on her face, she felt weightless and ready to take on the world. However, with everything finally cleared up there was still one question that was left unanswered. If Rentaro wasn’t dead, where was he? This seething question was enough to completely nullify any relief she felt at that moment, and she started to frantically search the locker room. As she searched she thought about that blonde girl from before. She recognized her from somewhere but, she didn't know where. That's when it hit her. When she was investigating the identity of the bully who lost her wallet during lunch she could vaguely recall seeing both her and the bully hanging around that red-haired girl from before. If that meant what Megumi thought it meant then she might have made a big mistake delivering the wallet to the bully's shoe locker under Rentaro's name, but that's a matter for another chapter.

       “What’re you lookin’ for?” Furyu asked, confused and genuinely worried as to how panicked Megumi seemed. Megumi wanted to tell Furyu the truth, but she didn’t know her that well and after that little debacle in the hallway, there’s no telling how mad she’d be knowing that she went out of her way to save some closet pervert, who’s so shameless that he’d risk his own life to sneak a peek at some girls (Or at least, that's how it would look to anyone who didn’t know the context[But, it's not like the context makes the transgression any less perverted]). 

       “Oh, it’s nothing.” She laughed it off, continuing her search. But, as much as she’d like to search every inch of the locker room floor the fact of the matter was, there was no time because of the little known fact that gym class wasn’t entirely composed of a shameless locker room scene. 

       ‘But, the life of a friend is more important than some class!’ Megumi thought to herself waiting for all the girls to exit the locker room. Meanwhile, as that was going on, Rentaro had finally stopped to rest on the collar of Megumi’s inside shirt collar, after a long climb. Sensing that it was safe to come out, he climbed onto her collar and began to make his way out of her tracksuit. But as Rentaro’s luck would have it, things were about to take a turn for the worse.

       “Rentaro!!” She yelled out, suddenly crouching down to get a better look at the floor. This simple action was more than enough to cause Rentaro to completely lose his balance and fall straight into Megumi’s shirt, and as he rolled down the steep hill that was her chest he came to an abrupt stop. His arms and legs were stuck, and without even opening his eyes Rentaro knew exactly what had caught him. As expected, Rentaro’s uncanny streak of bad luck had struck once again as he found himself in an all too familiar situation. 

       Rentaro has always had a knack for getting himself into a very particular kind of trouble. Ever since he started attending school Rentaro was constantly getting himself into very compromising and perverted situations. Whether it was tripping down a flight of stairs, or going through an unlocked door there’d always be a girl to fall onto or a half-naked girl in the middle of changing. This cycle wasn’t exclusive to micro-schools either. One time at the start of his freshman year Rentaro, who had somehow managed to mistakenly fall off his desk, fell face-first into the open cleavage of one of his classmates. And ‘lucky’ for him she didn’t notice and he eventually fell out an hour or two later. This ‘streak of bad luck’ was both a blessing and a curse, as it’s saved his life a multitude of times, much like in the above example, if a girl hadn’t always been there Rentaro’s life would probably ended years before meeting Megumi, however as you could assume, this ‘bad luck’ lead to a boatload of misunderstandings, slaps in the face, and a variety of women crushing on or wanting to crush him. This bad luck occurred so often that it eventually lead to Rentaro completely losing all the lust he had for boobs. And by far one of the worst things about this bad luck was, guys would constantly compliment him on how lucky he was when in reality Rentaro was going through literal, actual hell trying to be as careful as possible around tripping hazards, and unlocked doors. 

       But how is he so popular with the girls if he’s constantly in perverted situations? I hear you ask. Well, it’s a bit hard to explain. Rentaro isn’t particularly handsome or cute, and aside from his above-average grades, there isn’t much that made him stand out from the crowd. However, three things always seemed to capture the heart of any girl who’d happen to cross his path; his innocent smile, his pure and naive heart, and his uncanny ability to unintentionally be extremely charismatic whenever the situation called for it. Combine all those traits with his complete and utter lack of romantic experience and you have a boy who’s charm could steal the hearts of the most stubborn of women. 

       “What’d I expect…” He sighed trying to wiggle free from the massive canyon that was Megumi’s cleavage but to no avail. The tightness of her bra plus the sheer size of those mountains made it almost impossible to escape. He was stuck in there tight and without the help of a third-party or Megumi herself, there was no way he was getting unstuck anytime soon, which meant that there was a high chance he'd be spending the entirety of gym class pressed between her boobs. The sad thing was, he couldn't even enjoy himself. Any guy would kill to be in his position and the thought genuinely perplexed him. If he was trapped inside a girl's shoe for the entirety of gym class he'd understand why someone would be jealous, but as things stood now being beset on all sides by two fleshy melons was more boring than it was erotic. 

       “How did things get this way...?” He asked himself, thinking back on the events that lead to this predicament. If one word could describe him in his current position, that word would be ‘pathetic’. Trapped in the cleavage of someone he barely knew, after being peer pressured into being a sacrificial lamb so he could satisfy the sexual urges of his horny friends. At this point, he was no different than some kind of lowly worm. “Worm…” He muttered aloud, as an idea began to form in his head. 

       “I’ve got it!” He started to ferociously wiggle back and forth as fast as possible hoping to get Megumi’s attention. Sure, it was incredibly pitiful but, Rentaro was so passed that at this point that he’d be willing to do anything to get out of this situation. This wiggling was starting to work as Megumi began to feel a slight itching sensation in her cleavage, but at the same time that wiggling was causing him to slip deeper and deeper into her deep cleavage. She connected the dots, and Megumi finally realized where Rentaro was. But she needed to get him out fast because her cleavage was slowly starting to suffocate him little by little as he sunk further into this vast trench.

       “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She mumbled in disbelief as she started to undress once more. Seeing the bright ceiling lights flood his vision, Rentaro’s eyes were filled with hope. All the pessimistic thoughts faded away and an innocent smile fueled by pure joy started to appear on his face. And as he was fished out of her expanse, that joy faded away. 

       “I-I can explain!” He said staring at her blank smile. Unlike the first time, Rentaro could feel all the anger and frustration that was emanating from her being. Though, it wasn’t for the reason he thought.

       “I don’t need an explanation!” She yelled tightly holding onto Rentaro.

       “B-But-” He tried to explain but was cut off again. 

       “D-Don’t ever do anything like that ever again…” She said hiding her face. Upon closer inspection, Rentaro could see tears streaming down her face. After genuinely believing that he was dead, there was nothing on earth that could bring her more joy than seeing him alive and kicking once again.

       “I’m sorry.” He said feeling extremely guilty for what Megumi must have gone through trying to protect him. “Please forgive me!” Rentaro prostrated himself on the palm of her hand expecting some kind of punishment.

       “Don’t worry about it! I’m just glad you’re ok!” She smiled, wiping the tears from her face. “Now this time for sure, I’m going to get you out of here safe and sound!” She said walking out of the locker room, gently grasping Rentaro. Finally relieved of all the stress from this one class Megumi just couldn’t wait to meet Mai after school. Thinking about Mai’s will to make a change reminded Megumi of a burning question she wanted to ask Rentaro.

       “Hey, have you ever considered joining the micro-representative council?” She asked wanting him to join for no particular reason. She just had a gut feeling about him but was entirely prepared for Rentaro to decline her invitation.

       “I’ve never really thought about it before. I know Ogasaki-Senpai is trying her best but I can’t help but feel bad for her, ya know? She’s fighting a one-sided battle and very clearly losing. I’ve always wanted to help her out, but what’s someone as unremarkable and unlucky as me gonna do!” He said looking down, feeling a slight sense of guilt. “In any case, If you’re thinking about recruiting me I’ll gladly step up to the plate. Though there’s one thing I don’t understand.” He looked at her with a serious glance. 

       “And what would that be?” She asked walking toward the boy’s locker room.

       “Why would a normal student like you be so interested in helping out micros?” Rentaro thought about how weird it seemed for her to just straight-up join the micro-rep council on her first day.

       “Well, it’s kind of a long story so I’ll give you the short version. I came from Okisana Academy, which means I’m pretty much entirely accustomed to ‘true’ size equality. When I came here, I met Mai and learned about the truly atrocious things you guys have to go through daily. So after I became friends with her, Mai and I made a promise to each other. We promised to make a change together, and improve the lives of every micro at this school.” She said optimistically. It all made sense to Rentaro. Of course, someone from Okisana would want to help out micros.

       “That’s nice of you, and thanks again for everything you’ve done for me today. I’ll try to stay out of trouble from now on.” He said before returning to base camp. As Megumi walked away from the boy’s locker room she could hear the relieved cheers of all the guys as they welcomed him back. They all seemed ecstatic to see that he returned safe and sound. 

       “Hey, Megumi! What took you so long?” Tsuyume asked waving at her as she rejoined all the girls.

       “The zipper for my tracksuit snapped off so I was trying to fix it…” She laughed. Even if she felt kinda bad for lying to her, she didn’t want to put all those answers she prepared to go to waste. As the girls started to make idle chit-chat with Megumi, she couldn’t help but feel like someone was watching her. Dismissing that strange feeling she was finally back to her optimistic self and excited to make some new friends. 

Okisana Advanced Studies and Arts Private Academy: a prim and proper school known for being the safest, and most equal mixed sizes school in all of Japan. For many, its strict zero-tolerance approach to violence and bullying provides a sanctuary free of all the injustices and oppression that micros face on a daily basis but, as perfect as the school may seem corruption and prejudice festers in the shadows hidden away from prying eyes and in the case of these four students that corruption is hidden in plain sight. Using their beauty, wits, and influence they manipulate the feeble minds of their fellow students and bend the rules to get what they want. Under the facade of their fame and popularity, these students are known as, “The Four Treasures of Okisana Academy.” But, to those who know the truth their know by their true titles; “The Goddess” a narcissistic arrogant girl who hides her true personality under a mask of perfection, “The Mistress” a sadistic micro girl who takes pleasure in making both normal and micro students submit to her whims, “The Puppet Master” a master manipulator who’d lie, cheat, and steal if it meant getting her way, and lastly “The Succubus” a sly minx who uses her overwhelming amounts of sex appeal to get away with horrific acts of torture and exploitation. In this short mini-series, we’ll be exploring their backstories and motives.

First up on our list is “The Succubus” otherwise known as the recently expelled 2nd-year student, Kurome Hidoi. And in order to tell her back story, we need to go back. Back to Kurome’s first year at Okisana Advanced Studies and Arts Private Academy.

-1 Year Ago-

Kurome stood at the front gates tying her jet black hair into a neat and tidy ponytail, that was very reminiscent of a certain dense protagonist girl. And as the cherry blossoms gently fluttered to the ground Kurome made sure that her sexiness could be seen from miles around just in case any gawking boy happened to look her way, which wasn't hard because Kurome was pretty stacked in all departments. Though her boobs weren't as big as everyone's favorite white-haired girl, their modest size only stood to compliment her angelic curves. However, much to her dismay, all the gawking boys in the area seemed to be focused on the school's resident unattainable goddess, Okisana Academy's Student Council President, Akane Shinko as she walked to the school building with her loving brother, Shuichi, in hand.

“Shouldn’t you be preparing to give your ‘big opening ceremony speech’?” Shuichi asked trying to escape from Akane’s affectionate codling.

“You think I’m gonna let you go to school all on your own on the first day of school? I wouldn’t be your favorite big sissy if I let you do something dangerous like that, would I.” She smiled sweetly at him. Her perfect smile perfectly showing off her perfect looks and perfectly displaying how sweet and perfect her personality was. Noticing how all the guys were captured by her complete and utter perfection Kurome was expectedly quite perturbed.

“Tch, What’s that girl trying to pull!? Acting all lovey-dovey like that for all to see, is only gonna put that little guy at risk. He is pretty cute though, I bet he’ll make a nice morsel in the future.” She giggled seductively licking her lips. “I thought it’d be easy to single-handedly become the queen of this school, but it looks like I’ll have some competition.” She glared at the girl cooking up some sinister plan in her head. 

“Step aside normies, your disciplinary committee president Tsuyunomi Saikyou is passing through.” An anti-social looking guy with thick rectangular rimmed, black glasses demanded very condescendingly. He had a bright red armband that read ‘disciplinary committee’ so, it was pretty safe to assume that he too was also part of the disciplinary committee. Behind him was a group of four other students wearing the same bright red armbands escorting what seemed to be a micro girl with wine-colored hair.

“I’m terribly sorry for the impromptu change in plans Lady Tsuyunomi, the school issued a last-minute report requesting a revisal of your opening ceremony speech.” a dainty, plain-looking girl with long black hair tied in braids said swiping through emails on a tablet. This girl was Tsuyunomi’s, child-hood friend and right-hand lady Yowai Mottomura, and despite her delicate looks and name that quite literally meant weak, she was far from helpless. In her effort to live up to her title of Tsuyunomi Saikyou’s personal assistant and best friend she’s done everything in her power to become as strong as possible to not only protect Tsuyunomi but to please her in any way she knew how-

“HEY ISN’T THIS SUPPOSED TO BE MY STORY?! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU GETTING SIDE TRACKED!? SAVE IT FOR PART 2!!”

-Due to the request of an individual who shall not be named, the focus of the story will shift and any information that may, or may not have been fully explained will be saved for a future chapter of “The Four Treasures of Okisana Academy.” We appreciate your patience-

“What a joke.” She chuckled to herself staring in absolute bewilderment at the fact that the disciplinary committee was run by a micro student. It was basically an oxymoron, right? There was no way someone like her would be fit to run such a demanding task but given the size of her personnel, it had to be true.

“The hell did you say about Lady Tsuyunomi!!!” One of the disciplinary committee members yelled looking in Kurome’s direction. He looked super strong too and didn’t seem like the guy who’d pull their punches even against a girl. This obviously worried the ever-living hell out of Kurome. ‘Crap, did hear me?’ She started to panic, thinking that she was about to be beaten up on her first day of school. She was about ready to break out her ultimate seduction techniques if it meant not getting hurt. 

“I wasn’t t-talking about h-her.” She started to unbutton her shirt.

“Button up your uniform and get out of the way 1rst year!” The guy shoved her out of the way and proceeded to menacingly glare at a haughty 1rst year who seemed to be quite disgusted after seeing Tsuyunomi’s little group. 

“So, what if I did say something about that pathetic excuse for a disciplinary committee president?” The snobby student cackled in the face of the disciplinary committee member, angering him severely. Acting on this anger the committee member grabbed the student by the collar and pinned him against the cold hard concrete walkway. 

“Nagahama! Stand down!” Tsuyunomi yelled her commanding voice was surprisingly loud given her size. “That 1rst year doesn’t know any better. Save the punishment until after the opening ceremony. And Yowai would you mind, reading line 7 paragraph 4 of my unrevised speech aloud for me?” 

“With pleasure Lady Tsuyunomi.” She cleared her throat. Without even looking at her tablet the girl recited the quote from memory. “Students who challenge or make a mockery of any student body association, including the disciplinary committee, will be promptly expelled once they’ve been appropriately punished by Okisana’s finest, in other words, if you go against our school’s authority your nothing but garbage and shall be appropriately treated like so!!!” Her voice shattering the haughty student’s ego.

“Excellently written Lady Tsuyunomi-” That anti-social boy from before complimented only to be cut-off.

“Tsuyu, it’s easy to see why the school board asked you to revise your speech. Intimidation may be important but saying stuff like that is going to scare our new students, in any case, your personnel shouldn’t be shoving innocent bystanders around like that.” Akane knelt down offering assistance to Kurome who was currently on the floor after being shoved by Nagahama. 

How pathetic! Not only did Kurome’s spotlight get stolen once again, but she now needed to be helped out by her ‘competition’ though up close she was starting to realize just how perfect Akane was. This only served to piss Kurome off more and more fueling the sinister intentions. She was going to beat her, even if it meant 

“Madam President, Lady Tsuyunomi, we’re running low on time so we should probably head to the gymnasium for the opening ceremony, I advise that you do the same 1rst year,” Yowai suggested, and just like ‘that’ they were gone. Out of all the things she thought would happen on her first day of school she sure as hell never thought something like this would happen. 

“Talk about an intense first impression.” She sighed casually making her way to the school gym. “Speaking of first impressions, I wonder where that dense idiot is, I bet she’s got side-tracked by some boy.” She shrugged and continued on her way. 

For certain story purposes, Megumi won’t be making an appearance in this chapter. But, pretty much all you need to know about their relationship is that, Kurome is technically Megumi’s childhood friend.

A few hours later, the school day had ended and Kurome was making her rounds responding to all the love letters she got. “This is the third one today, I guess there are some perks to being an ‘attainable’ beauty rather some unattainable goddess.”She muttered to herself. Slowly but surely she was gonna have every guy at this school wrapped around her finger, and as luck would happen, her next victim was going to be quite the valuable asset. And thanks to him being a micro-student Kurome knew just how to seduce him.

Standing under the cherry blossom tree was the school's student council vice-president, Kyodai Hanazawa nervously awaiting her arrival. It seemed as if he was muttering something under his breath, though he was probably just practicing his confession. In his head, he was wondering if it was OK for him to ask out a new student on their 1rst day of school but, as he saw Kurome slowly approaching him he knew there was no going back. 

“I got your letter.” She said crouching down to get a better look at the little guy. Looking up at her, Kyodai could see that he was at a perfect panty shot angle(this was intentional, of course). But, it’s not like he panties necessarily interested in panties though. His interests lied in a ‘less’ perverted part of the body. And from where he was staring Kurome knew exactly what kind of stuff he was into.

“Ever since I first laid eyes upon you, I’ve been deeply and madly in love with you, so please would you do me the honor of becoming my girlfriend.” He confessed bowing his head, but before Kurome addressed his confession there was something else she needed to bring up.

“Look at you, staring so intently at a 1rst year’s legs. You’re quite the pervert, senpai~” She giggled, winking at him. 

“N-No I’m not!” He said trying to avert his gaze. But it was no use, for some reason he just couldn't take his eyes off her beautifully toned legs, and meaty thighs. His breathing started to become more and more erratic. If the others in the student council learned that their very own vice president was taking advantage of new students and staring pervertedly at their legs, he would without a doubt be punished severely.

“Don’t worry.” She crouched down even lower and whispered something to him. “Perverted little guys like you are exactly my type…” It was basically over at this point. Kurome had already managed to seduce the boy, though she still wanted to make absolutely sure that the little guy had completely fallen head over heels for her.

Taking advantage of the humid spring day, she used it as an excuse to do something that would completely shatter what little resolve he had left.

“For a spring day, it sure is hot. I hope you don’t mind if I get a little more comfortable~” She slid her tights off slowly and meticulously making sure that Kyodai had a full view of every inch of her seductive legs. From this angle, Kyodai could see each and every drop of sweat slowly roll down her expanse legs. Kyodai could feel the softness of her thighs just from looking at them. However as much as he wanted to see what was next, Kurome had other plans. 

“That’s all you get for today if you want the full experience… you’re gonna have to do a lot more than that~” She whispered, seductively rolling them back up. 

“P-Please I’ll do anything!” Kyodai begged, holding his ‘you know what’ in absolute arousal. At that time he Kyodai had no knowledge of how those simple words would single-handedly change the course of his life for the worse.

“Well, there is one thing....”

     The soothing chime of the school bells echoed throughout the school, signaling the end of Megumi’s first day at her new school. Though, it wasn’t exactly over just yet. After all, she still needed to speak with Mai about their plans for revitalizing and repairing the school’s micro-representative council. Normally doing something like that would be impossible on her own, but with Megumi on her side, Mai felt completely confident in starting from scratch (but it’s not like she had a choice. After that little incident in the hallway this morning, Mai was the only original member who didn’t quit/die/get kidnapped). Furthermore, thanks to Megumi’s kind and righteous involvement, Mai finally had a weapon that could completely turn the tides against micro-injustice at this school. This truly was a lucky day for her, probably the luckiest she’s ever been since, enrolling in this school. Running into Megumi and getting not one, but two new members. Maybe Mai’s good karma was finally coming to the rescue. In any case, like Mai, Megumi was extremely excited to get this show on the road. Holding Rentaro in her pocket Megumi swiftly walked into Mai's class, waving at her from the classroom door. She then went to pick her up, flawlessly and unintentionally dodging every guy who tried to approach her on the way.

      “Mai! You won't believe how relieved I am to see you!" Happily picking her up she briefly explained the events of chapter five and how worried she was. But none of that mattered anymore because seeing Mai once again brightened up her day tremendously and melted all her worries away. The feeling was mutual as Mai felt almost exactly the same.

      “Honestly, I’m just happy to see that you actually showed up.” She said smiling at her. Hearing what she had just said, made Megumi feel a little sorry for her, but that feeling only intensified her motivation to protect her. Even if they barely knew each other personally, they had more than enough motive to become the best of friends…

      Not wanting to dwell on things for too long, Mai thought it’d be best if she just introduced herself to Rentaro on the way to the faculty office. And with that established, Megumi steadily made her way there with both Rentaro and Mai in hand. Sensing the awkwardness between himself and Mai, Rentaro decided to earnestly introduce himself first. 

      “The names Rentaro Kitagawa. It's a pleasure to actually meet you for the first time!” He said with admiration in his voice, flashing his token innocent smile at her. Though it seemed as if no introductions were needed. 

      “I’m well aware of who you are…Pervtaro Scummygawa, the famous pervert from class 2-B. You have quite the reputation even among us seniors.” She said blankly, shooting a disgusted glare. Unlike many other girls, Mai was unfazed by his lady-killer smile. 

      As much as Rentaro was sought-after among normal-girls, his reputation wasn’t exactly the best when it came to girls his size. He even had a couple of degrading nicknames; Mr.Lucky Pervert Womanizer, Scummygawa, Pervtaro… just to name a few. Though he didn’t really mind, considering his ‘bad luck’ was entirely to blame. But still, getting ostracized because of simple accidents that were completely out of his control didn’t really help his self-esteem all too much. And he could already tell that Mai believed he only joined to get closer to Megumi and her melons. From this point, it was clear that Mai’s first impression of him wasn’t exactly positive. Hoping to change that impression, Megumi swiftly interjected.

      “You shouldn’t talk to people like that, Mai, it isn’t nice to judge someone off rumors, alone,” Megumi said trying to defend Rentaro, all while understanding the reason as to why he was being insulted in the first place. “Rentaro was kind enough to accept my invitation and I think you should try your best to make a good impression.” She said assertively, surprising Mai. She just couldn’t understand why Megumi would want someone like him on the team, and she hoped that it wasn’t for the reason she thought.

     “I get that you’re new here, but why would you want to recruit him of all people. What if he tries to… you know.” She whispered to her, making some weird grabbing gesture with her hands. Confused, Megumi still pushed forward hoping that Mai would accept him onto the team.

     “I get why you’re being cautious, but please, trust me. I know that Rentaro will be a good addition to the team, and I can tell that he’s genuinely willing to help!” She wholeheartedly pleaded only having a gut feeling to back her claim up. But, seeing how serious she was and how they really couldn’t afford to be picky when it came to new members, Mai reluctantly decided to unbiasedly introduce herself to Rentaro.

     “My name’s Mai Ogasaki, though I’m sure you already know that. I hope we can get along and fight together for the rights of every micro in school!” She extended her arm forward and shook hands with Rentaro. And just like that Rentaro had officially become a member of the school’s Micro Representative Council… or so he thought.

-Minutes later in the faculty office-

     “Ms. Ogasaki trust me, I sympathize with your current situation, I mean having every single member of your council simultaneously quit at the same time sounds like quite the predicament, but that does not change the fact that for a student to become a part of any student government or council, they have to be elected by their fellow student body.” The teacher said absent-mindedly filing some nondescript documents. This information came as a shock to both Rentaro and Mai, but Megumi, on the other hand, was pretty confused as to why the other two were confused. Rentaro, being confused made sense but, it was kinda weird that Mai seemed confused considering she must have gone through the same process, maybe she was just disappointed by the fact that their plan was facing yet another delay. However, as bad as this news was there was some light at the end of the tunnel. “Though, considering your current roster, getting votes shouldn’t be too hard. So, give it your all!” She smiled and gave a thumbs-up before trying to dismiss all three of them but, Megumi wasn’t ready to be dismissed just yet. She could tell how eager Mai was to get the ball rolling, and how she really couldn’t stand to wait any longer. Also, if they were planning on getting more members in the future(which they were) getting votes wasn’t exactly efficient per se. And for a person like Furyu, there was no way they’d be able to ‘campaign’ hard enough given her bad reputation. There had to be a way to overcome this problem, and luckily Megumi knew exactly what to do.

     “Ms.Shinozaki, I understand that to become official members of the council we have to be elected and obtain votes but, I was wondering if we can settle on a compromise..." Remembering a very similar experience she had back at Okisana Megumi thought to bring up an interesting prospect. "At this school, are cultural clubs and athletic teams allowed to work directly in tandem with student government organizations?" 

     "I can't see a reason as to why it wouldn't be allowed, as long as that club fulfills its basic duties… what does that have to do with your proposed compromise?" Intrigued as to what her intentions were she slowly started to realize exactly what Megumi was trying to do. “Wait, are you planning on starting a-”

     “That’s right! Together we’ll start a new club! A club devoted to fighting for the rights of every oppressed micro at this school!!” It was the perfect plan with barely any downsides. Upon starting the club they’d not only have the freedom to recruit anyone they choose, but they’d alleviate the hassle of obtaining votes every time they wanted some more personnel. And, it seemed like a lot more fun this way. Thinking back, Mai must have come to the same conclusion earlier during lunch, which must have been why she had that club creation from back then.

     “Well, if you can find one more member and an advisor then I don’t see a problem with you helping out the Ogasaki.” She gave Megumi one of the forms and excitedly saw her off. “Good luck! Give it your all.” 

     With that, they were almost ready to get this show on the road. With enthusiasm and energy, the group thought of who they wanted as a new member and who they wanted as an advisor. They already knew who the next member would be but when it came to thinking of an advisor each of them had no idea where to start. ‘Out of all the teachers at this school, who’d be the best for our club?’ They all thought.

     “We could always go back to the faculty office and ask Ms.Shinozaki,” Mai suggested but was ultimately shot down by Megumi.

     “That seems like a good idea, but something tells me that Ms.Shinozaki doesn’t like me all too much.” She laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head. It wasn’t exactly obvious but from how she tried to abruptly dismiss Megumi and the others not once, but twice back there, you could definitely tell that there was some kind of negative emotion being directed towards her, probably annoyance. With Ms.Shinozaki off the list, the two of them directed their attention toward Rentaro who seemed to have an idea.

     “Oooh! I’ve got one! What about we try to get a micro teacher to advise our clu-” Rentaro suggested but was ultimately shot down by Mai.

     “That’s way too risky. Hate to sound paranoid, but what if someone  like Alice learns that they’re advising our club and tries to threaten them to quit or shut down the club.” As pessimistic as it sounded Mai was completely right to think something like that, especially after what happened this morning. 

     “We should ask… um. Uh...” Megumi drew a blank, though it was completely understandable considering she was a new student. With everyone completely out of ideas, they needed a saving grace to get them out of this hole. And luckily for them that saving grace was, quite literally, just around the corner.

     “Is something the matter Ms.Shiro?” Asked someone from behind. From the sound of her voice, Megumi instantly recognized who it was. It was Megumi’s homeroom teacher Ms.Oshino. 

     “Oh, nothing really we’re just trying to figure something out.” She said with an exhausted tone. Not in the right state of mind to realize that the thing that she was looking for was staring her right in the face.

     “If you’re having trouble with something don’t be afraid to ask.” She smiled before slowly walking into the faculty office. As the rough sound of the sliding door reverberated throughout the halls, Megumi finally snapped out of her degraded state.

     ‘Wait!!!” Megumi yelled exaggeratedly reaching out to her. “There is one thingI’d like to ask about…”

     “I’m all ears!” She stared at her enthusiastically.

     “Please be the advisor of our club Ms.Oshino!!” She pleaded. From the tone of her voice and how she phrased her words, one could easily mistake this simple request for some kind of love confession. Seeing how desperate Megumi seemed, there was no way she could say no.

     “It's really nice to see how well you’re adjusting to this school. And if it’ll help you get better acclimated I’ll gladly become your advisor.” After thanking her profusely Ms.Oshino signed the club form and went back to whatever she was doing, 

     “Well, that was easier than I thought it would be…” Mai said with a confused look of disbelief on her face. As convenient as it seemed it’s not like she had any right to complain. They were one step closer, and all they needed was one more thing before they were finally ready.

“Now all we need is that last member. But, I’m guessing you two already have that figured out so would .” Without even knowing who it’d be Rentaro decided that it’d probably be best to leave it up to the two of them to settle this matter on their own, as he had plans to meet up with a friend after school.

     “You should have said so earlier. Want me to drop you off at the front gate?” Megumi asked, not wanting to keep Rentaro’s friend waiting for a plethora of reasons.

     “I’d appreciate it.” 

     Walking to the front gates Megumi could see a micro girl with bright rose-colored hair impatiently waiting for someone. That girl was none other than Rentaro’s childhood friend. And judging by her pissed off expression it was pretty easy to tell she was extremely tired of waiting.

     “Jeez, how late can you be?! Are you an idiot or something?!” She pouted. As rude as she was, it was very obvious that she was just hiding her feelings, like some kind of ‘tsundere.’ 

     “Sorry if I worried you, Ayame, but I had some important stuff to do after school.” He laughed nervously trying to make amends. Whether it was one thing or another Ayame always seemed to be needlessly harsh towards him for no particular reason. Though it wasn’t always like this. From grade school to middle they were inseparable, but once high school came around the two started to become more and more distant. Not only were they placed in different classes, but as more and more girls became infatuated with him, Ayame could never find the time she needed to hang out with her best friend. 

     “W-Worried?! Why the hell would I be worried about you?! Hmph.” She turned her head hiding her flustered face behind her twin tails.

     “Well if it’s any consolation I was worried about you. We barely hang out anymore so… I’m glad to see that you’re OK! I don’t know what I’d do if you-”

     “Sh-Shut up y-you idiot!!!” She yelled concealing the joyous smile and blush on her face. “I appreciate it…” She mumbled quietly reaching into her bag to get something. “I-I was gonna give this to you when we got to your house b-but they’d probably go bad by then.” She held out a small bag of homemade cookies (relatively they were normal size but to a non-micro person they were quite literally crumbs.)

     “Talk about nostalgia! It’s been so long since you’ve baked. What’s the occasion?” Rentaro happily grabbed the bag of cookies. As he opened the bag he was instantly hit with a heavenly aroma of pure sweetness. Combined with the nostalgia, the smell alone was enough to put Rentaro on the verge of tears. Even if Rentaro wasn’t big on sweets he’d always enjoy the taste of her cookies and this time was no different, in fact, they tasted even better. Maybe, it was the nostalgia (or maybe it was the 2 weeks of baking classes she took in preparation for this day.) 

     “D-Don’t get the wrong idea… It’s not like I wanted to make them or anything.” Looking at how happy he was to receive her gift Ayame couldn’t help but feel a warm fuzzy feeling in her hear. Not wanting to interrupt their moment Mai and Megumi left them alone to walk home with each other.

     “Are you sure we should have left them alone?” Megumi asked concerned about their safety.

     “We’d only be a burden and, that girl looked super desperate to spend some time with him.” 

     “Really? She seemed pretty stand-offish to me.” Megumi, being the romantically dense person she is, definitely didn’t understand the whole tsundere thing. Still confused the two of them went on to find Furyu who, unsurprisingly, was nowhere to be seen.

     “I guess that makes sense since she’s not in any clubs.” Mai sighed.

     “Isn’t she in the track team? I heard one of the girls in my class say she outran the captain or something.” She asked curiously, not knowing that she was completely wrong.

     “Oh right, you’re new here. Though I’ve never actually witnessed it, rumors say that Furyu is actually super athletic. I heard she was scouted by every sports team in the school. It got to a point in which she was so fed up with all the constant invitations that she challenged every sports captain to a match in their sport. If she won they would leave her alone, but if a sports captain won she’d be forced to try out. Even though it seemed like an impossible gamble in a single year Furyu ruthlessly and meticulously demolished every single sports captain in the school, well all except for two. She lost once officially to the girl’s wrestling captain, Riku Takamine, and lost technically against the captain of the track team, Chihiro Tsubasaki. And in the case of Riku, she didn’t want Furyu to join. I think she just wanted to test her strength…” Furyu’s reputation was more than that of a violent delinquent. She wasn’t just a menace to the school she was a menace to every sports team in as well. Conveniently, Mai had forgotten to mention the part in which Furyu would mercilessly shame and humiliate those who lost to her in front of the rest of their teams. This involved stuff like forcing  Sure, most of what she did was probably illegal, and needlessly cruel but, they knew what they were getting into when they accepted her challenge.

     “Wow, that’s amazing! She’s like a character straight out of a sports manga. So cool~ Wait, what do you mean by technically?” From the way she said it, it sounded like she didn’t lose.

     “Well, apparently she lost due to a supposed false start. Furyu insisted that it was a false claim but nobody believed her, which meant she was forced to join the team. Though it didn’t last long as I think they had some kind of falling out after nationals and she just quit the team.” That was pretty much the extent of her or anyone else’s knowledge of Furyu. For one reason or another she kind of went under the radar, and with every sports captain beaten there wasn’t much she could do to increase her reputation.

     “Well it’s getting pretty late, don’t you think? Since Furyu isn’t here, we should probably hold off until tomorrow.” Mai said looking at the sunset as it illuminated the sky with a burnt orange hue. 

     “Fair enough, but aren’t you frustrated that we weren’t able to do everything today?” In the grand scheme of things, Mai and Megumi were barely finished with step one. Even if things seemed slow this was merely a process of gathering momentum.

     “Megumi, things like this take time. If we rush we’ll only be setting ourselves up for failure. So, for now, let’s just take things at a moderate pace.” She smiled at her. That impatience and disappointment she was feeling finally disappeared, and Mai accepted the fact that even if they couldn’t finish things today there was always the next. What mattered was at the end of it all they were going to make a change. With that settled, Megumi finally delivered the wallet to the bully's locker (Along with with a letter) and the two of them walked home together, perfectly prepared to tackle whatever challenge that came their way…

-1 hour later-

     In a dark street lit by a single street light, we're the remnants of a street brawl. And among the sullen groans and bruises, that’s where she saw it. The true nature of the high school delinquent Furyu Mitsukabe…

     “Say a single word about anythin’ you heard, and you’re dead...” 

  The sun had set and Megumi was making her way home, but due to her house being in the opposite direction of Mai’s house the walk back wasn’t exactly short. By the time she had gotten to her street, it was pretty much nighttime. And as she turned the corner a less than pleasant scene appeared before her eyes. Four (normal) students laid out and sprawled along the pavement, with a fifth one currently being pinned against a wall by none other than the high school delinquent Furyu Mitsukabe.

     “Try to mess with my sis one more time, and there’ll be hell to pay!!” Furyu stared at the battered and bruised student with a menacing glare. Her eyes piercing daggers through the poor boy’s soul. Just seeing how pissed off she was, gave Megumi a pretty good idea of Furyu’s take on family values. And as much as she would like to help break up the fight she remembered what her mother told her when she was little. ‘If you ever see a group of people laid out in a street brawl with one person who looks like they took all of them down single-handedly, you should always turn the other way and act like nothing ever happened.’ Sure, the advice was oddly specific, and irresponsible but right now that most definitely seemed like the best course of action. However, as things were there was no way she was gonna get away without being noticed. 

     “Well, if it isn’t Ms.Committed Student Delinquent.” She looked at her, dropping the now unconscious body of the student to the cold hard pavement. “You’ll keep quiet about this right?” She walked over to Megumi placing her hand on her shoulder.

     “O-Of course!” She laughed nervously. No matter how intimidated she was that intimidation didn’t break her resolve or cause her to think badly of her. She was positive that Furyu was still a good person, and even if what she was seeing contradicted that belief, there was no doubt in her mind that she must have had a valid reason. Wanting to find out that reason, only made Megumi want to recruit her even more. Though, given the current situation now might not have been the best time to formally recruit her.

     “That’s good…” She let out a sigh of relief before suddenly gripping her shoulder with more and more force. “I trust that you ain’t lying but, if you say a single word about anythin’ you heard, I’ll break every bone in your body.” She scowled intensely at her before, roughly letting go of her shoulder. 

     After she left, Megumi took a look at the knocked out students once more and was thoroughly surprised. None of them looked particularly weak, in fact, it seemed that they were above average in terms of physique. Not to mention, that Furyu was up against five of them and came out relatively unscathed. It was kinda scary how much strength was contained within this highschool girl. Whether it was a pure determination or just raw power, Furyu seemed to be one of the most physically exceptional people she knew, though she did know someone who was eerily similar when it came to athletic prowess. But, none of that mattered now because Megumi had some more important business to attend to… Late-night texts with Mai!! Discussing ambitions, hobbies, and interests were always Megumi’s favorite part of making new friends and considering how much she respected Mai she could not be more excited... (Though none of those discussions would make for interesting content so we’ll just skip ahead to the next day…)

     It was a bright and early morning, and despite everything that happened on the first day, Megumi was still excited to continue her daily school life at her new school, however this time, Megumi was fully prepared to face any challenge that may come her way. But, as Furyu’s words lingered in her mind she started to think more and more about what she said, trying to understand why Furyu would be so protective of her sister. Lost in thought, Megumi took her time walking to school, a decision she might end up regretting later down the line…  

     Meanwhile, at school, Rentaro was casually approaching the shoe lockers hoping that he wouldn’t have to deal with another ‘accidental pervert’ incident so early in the morning. And lucky for him, no such thing happened… Instead, something much worse was about to occur.

BANG!!!!!!

     As he got to his locker a loud thunderous bang came from right behind him. The great force of the impact knocking him off his feet and shaking the very earth beneath him. As he turned to face the source of this loud bang he slowly realized that it was someone’s shoe landing scarily close to him. A few more centimeters and he’d be crushed flat like some meaningless insect.

     “Thanks for finding my wallet, bug. I really appreciate it.” Rentaro slowly turned his head up to the shoe’s owner and as their face slowly came into frame his heart sunk. It was the girl who almost killed him during lunch yesterday.

     Feeling an overwhelming sense of fear, he slowly started to back away but no matter how far he backed up, or even if he ran away there was no way he could escape her. The only thing he could do was, do what he did ‘best’ and try to talk himself out of this tricky situation.

     “I-I’m s-sorry about yesterday. I-It was an accident.” He shifted his gaze left and right trying to see if there was anyone that could help him, but sadly, even if there was someone there was no way they’d even notice what was happening. Looking up at the girl she seemed to be holding some kind of light blue envelope. That caused Rentaro to think more about what she said earlier. What did she mean by ‘thanks for finding my wallet?’ Feeling like he’s seen that letter before Rentaro thought back to yesterday and realized exactly what happened. 

     After classes had ended yesterday, Rentaro faintly saw Megumi stuffing what looked to be the same light blue envelope into her bag. It couldn’t have been a coincidence and it was completely in-character for her to do something like that. ‘You have got to be kidding m-’ His thoughts were cut off as the girl decided to stomp her foot once more.

     “If you went out of your way to leave a love letter in my locker you should probably be showing some more gratitude.” Rentaro listened to her in complete and utter fear. ‘What kind of letter did she write?!?’ He wondered, completely baffled. He couldn’t even understand how someone could misinterpret an apology letter for a love letter, but the fact that she did made Rentaro question exactly what she wrote even more.

     “I-I didn’t...” He was cut off once more as the girl started to tilt her shoe upwards, and slowly lower it onto Rentaro. Pressed up against the sole of her shoe Rentaro was up close and personal with certain demise. Though, for being so close to his death, Rentaro could not feel more alive.

     “Oh! I’ve got an idea! Why don’t you show some gratitude by licking the dirt off my shoes and maybe I might consider your confession.” She said joking about that last part. Hearing those words filled him with an overflowing amount of anticipation. This was a dream situation for him… but something wasn’t right. As much as he wanted to enjoy being belittled his sense of self-preservation was stopping him from completely submitting to her. Every time he’d try to stick out his tongue he found himself instinctively trying to escape from this situation. Seeing how pathetic he was, gave her an even better idea that would inadvertently put Rentaro’s mental fortitude to the test.

     “Or… would you prefer something like this.” She shifted her foot so that it was no longer right above him and slowly started to remove her shoe, playfully dangling it right on top of him. As much as he wanted to see where this was going, Rentaro found himself fruitlessly trying to escape in a fit of self-preservation. Wanting to crush his hopes, she dropped the shoe a few millimeters shy from crushing him. After seeing how close he was from being crushed flat, Rentaro’s heart began to race rapidly, but not for the reason one would assume. The sensation of being at this girl’s feet made Rentaro feel an even larger feeling of confused arousal. This confused feeling was causing an intense internal conflict in his mind. On one hand, he wanted to enjoy this feeling of complete helplessness, but on the other hand, his sense of self-preservation was telling him to turn tail and run. This conflict was so distracting that Rentaro had completely failed to notice that he was currently being picked up by the girl.

     She fastened him tightly between her index finger and thumb, snapping him out of his internal conflict. And as the air was slowly being squeezed from his lungs, the sense of self-preservation took over and Rentaro started to fruitlessly struggle against her grasp all while gasping for air at the same time.

     “What’s wrong? Out of breath? I think I have the perfect place for you, it has plenty of room to breathe, though it might be a bit cramped…” She giggled maniacally, slowly lowering him into her discarded shoe. In an instant, Rentaro went from being very afraid to insanely turned on. Ever since his bad luck manifested, Rentaro had always hoped that he’d end up in some girl’s shoe. This was a dream situation, but it was strange though, as much as Rentaro anticipated this moment, it just wasn’t right. 

     Thinking about it more seriously Rentaro, honestly, did not want to be forced into something like this... No matter how much arousal he may have been feeling at the moment, the hope he had that someone would rescue him, stuck in his mind. And as his white-haired savior, groggily entered the school building Rentaro couldn’t help but smile excitedly (a decision he would soon regret later on in the future). 

     “...” She stared at his smile feeling like she could stare at him for hours on end. Her gaze was so fixated on him that her mind became clouded with thoughts and feelings she just couldn’t explain. Her heart started to beat faster and faster. She felt her face grow hotter and hotter as a flustered expression suddenly appeared.

     It was unreal! For her micros were nothing but insects that were fun to torture, but if that was the case why, all of sudden did she not want to hurt this one specifically. 'It couldn't be…' She thought about it some more. 'could it be…?' As a twisted smile started to appear on her face Rentaro could feel the heat radiating from her body. 

     "L-L-L-L...?!" She stuttered incomprehensibly, confusing Rentaro even more. He had no idea what she was trying to say, and frankly, he didn’t care. All that mattered to him, at that moment, was trying to get Megumi’s attention, though it would seem like he didn’t need to…

      Extremely overwhelmed by these strange feelings, the girl nervously put him back on the ground and sprinted away in embarrassment, hiding her face as she ran.

     "Morning Sekira-" The red-haired girl from before, Alice, tried to greet her but was rudely ignored as she ran to her homeroom class. Thinking nothing of it, Alice joined her three other friends as they went to class together. 

     "Good morning Rentaro~," Megumi said happily walking towards him. "Did something happen you look kinda shaken up..." She laughed hoping that Rentaro was OK. However, since he was still pretty confused he thought it'd be best to just keep it to himself. Instead, he decided to change the subject and confront her about a certain familiar light blue letter. 

     “So would you mind telling me about that ‘apology letter’ from yesterday?” He asked with a suspicious glare.

     "W-Well I thought it'd be a good idea to you know, um… have you make up with her because, uh… it's good too, you know, make… up… with people…?" She said very nervously. It was clear that she had good intentions. And even if she neglected to ask Rentaro if it was OK to apologize on his behalf, it's not like she knew something like this was gonna happen. In fact, if it were anyone else they would, without a doubt, humbly accept the apology. Knowing this, Rentaro decided to forgive her and just forget about what happened.

     “I, honestly, really appreciate the gesture and I’m thankful that you made the effort to try to help me, but that girl doesn’t exactly have the best reputation when it comes to treating micros fairly.” With everything set and done, Megumi apologized to Rentaro once more, and the two of them made their way to class.

     Almost an hour had gone by, and Megumi was hit with a startling realization. At first, she thought she was just playing hooky, but it was clear that it was more than a simple act of truancy for tardiness. With Furyu’s absence came yet another obstacle to stand in the way her and Mai’s plan. Megumi was so confident in her being present, that she didn’t even think of a substitute. ‘This is bad…’ She started to silently panic at her desk. Considering her options, none of the people she knew seemed like worthy candidates. Tsuyme’s misandrist personality wasn’t exactly the best for what they were going for, not to mention, she’d probably be too busy with her duties as a class representative. She couldn’t trust Bunny just yet, considering she was friends with that girl Mai warned her about. As she tried to nervously maintain her composure, it seemed as if one person noticed her distressed state.

     The class had ended and Megumi stared blankly at her desk with a melancholic expression. All the celebration plans she made last night were all for naught and her enthusiasm was washed down the drain along with her optimism. Megumi was so disappointed in herself that she didn’t even have the guts to face Mai in her current state. However, she would not be like that for long as her savior approached her once again.

     “Judging from how depressed you are, I’m guessing you still need one more member before you’re able to officially start your club. If you’re having trouble, I think I know just the person…” Ms.Oshino lightly tapped on her shoulder trying to cheer her up, and after hearing her words Megumi wasn’t just cheered up, she was ecstatic. So ecstatic in fact, that she was quite literally on the brink of tears.

     “Thank you Ms.Oshino!! Thank you! Thank you…” She clung onto her wiping her pouring tears on Ms.Oshino’s blazer. 

     “Wait, a minute you shouldn’t be thanking me just yet!!” She pushed Megumi away. “Just because, I’m willing to introduce you to him doesn’t mean he’ll automatically accept. That part is up to you.” She wrote something on a small sheet of paper and handed it to Megumi.

     “Huh? What’s this…” She respectfully took the paper from her. Written on it was the name of the student and where to find him. ‘Tomoya Utsumi: Second-year student, spends most of his time in the ‘sealed off computer room.’ She didn’t quite understand what she meant by ‘sealed off’ but nonetheless was excited to meet him.

     “Word of advice, he’s a bit of a problem child… You’ll see what I mean once you meet him.” She warned Megumi before, smiling and walking out of the class.

     “Making a good first impression is my specialty. I’m sure It’ll be no problem.” She excitedly pumped herself up before texting Mai about her plans to recruit him. “Let’s go Rentaro!!” She quickly placed him in her shirt pocket and went to go get Mai. Little did she know, recruiting him would be a lot harder than she could ever imagine.

-5 Minutes Later-

     Arriving at the computer room they were met with a very interesting and confusing letter stapled to the outside of the door.

     “Be warned! The seal that has been laid upon this door has been the culmination of every barrier spell in the library of nocturnitis. If you think a cretin like you could ever hope to break this unholy seal you’re surely mistaken, and if you’re brazen and idiotic enough to force your way in you’ll be personally acquainted with me, a remnant of the shadow worlds greatest mage union! Otherwise known, as The Dark Flame of Annihilation. With the black flare that burns deep inside my heart, coursing its accursed embers throughout every vein in my body I will laugh at your pathetic soul as it crumbles into ashes under my demonic flames!” Megumi read out enthusiastically. It would be quite an intimidating warning… If this was some kind of fantasy world!! Both Rentaro, and Mai stared at the letter in absolute contempt. Thinking it was just the ramblings of some edgy chuunibyou, the two decided that it’d probably best to just ignore the letter completely and enter the room, but under closer inspection, that task appeared to be easier said than done. 

     “Huh?” Megumi tried to open the door only to find it locked. Though, it wasn’t your average lock. It was an electronic lock, complete with a keypad and everything. Whoever this Tomoya guy was, he definitely didn’t seem like the most social person. However, after thinking about his letter more Megumi had the perfect plan to get him to unlock the door. Lightly placing Mai, and Rentaro in front of the door Megumi was finally ready to commence her plan.

     “Aaahh!” Megumi let out an exaggerated scream of pain before collapsing onto one knee. “These memories! Aghh! I r-remember!!” She grabbed her arm like she was trying to resist some kind of invisible power,

     “Megumi? Are you ok?” Rentaro looked at her with a worried expression.

     “Megumi? Oh, that must be the name of the person who originally inhabited this body... Well, you two seem to be her trusted companions, therefore, I believe introductions are in order.” She bowed her head in a knightly fashion. “Stricken down from the heavens, forced to do the bidding of the holy church. My name is Megami Shirou! The fallen goddess and the sole possessor of heaven’s blade. You can call me The White Goddess and for the time being, I’ll be sharing bodies with this girl..." She examined her own body up and down as if it completely new to her. "This seal must have awakened my dormant memories and judging by the color of this girl’s hair I believe she’s an ancestor of mine. How fortunate.” She placed her hand upon the door sensing the 'accursed magic.' Mai and Rentaro were not having it. Magic didn't exist, this wasn't a fantasy world and it was extremely obvious that she was faking it.

     “Huh...?” The two of them looked at her with utter confusion in their eyes.

     (Note: For those unaware what Megumi is doing right now is a common trope that’s often used in Japanese anime, and media. Chūnibyō, otherwise known as, “eighth-grader syndrome” is a Japanese colloquial term that is typically used to describe early teens who have delusions of grandeur, who so desperately want to stand out that they have convinced themselves they have hidden knowledge or secret powers.)

END SCENE:

     As the disheartened sighs of Megumi’s old classmates echoed throughout the room, Shuichi was trying to figure out why she wasn’t responding to any of his messages. Staring at his phone with a sullen expression, his mind was flooded with extremely pessimistic thoughts.

     “What if she forgot about me-”

     “You can be a real idiot sometimes, ya know that.” Said one of the normal girls sitting behind Shuichi. 

     “Why don’t you shut it, Fujo! If you can’t tell, I’m internally grieving right now.” He glared at her, watching as she casually played with her waist-length green hair. “You probably wouldn’t understand because she’s probably texting you every day or something…”

     “Are you sure about that…” She turned her phone towards Shuichi revealing a nearly empty chatroom. Looking at the last message she sent Shuichi realized that she too was facing the same thing as him, it wasn’t just the two of them either. For whatever reason, Megumi just stopped messaging every single one of her old classmates as soon as she moved to her new school. The reason as to why was unclear to everyone but, Fujo.

     “I’ve known that dense idiot for almost 10 years so I’m pretty sure she’s not the type of person to just forget about her friends. I’m also pretty sure I know exactly what she’s doing.” Fujo chuckled and put her phone away. “Though, to confirm my suspicions, I might have to transfer there as well…” She said with a cunning tone.

     “Yeah, as if…” He snarked, only to remember that Fujo wasn’t exactly the most comedic person. “Wait, you are joking right.”

-Yesterday night-

     “Flat chested loser, with a little loser sister. Ha! What a joke!” A semi athletic student with plain-looking brown-haired student provoked, pointing and laughing at Furyu as he stood behind a posse of four other students. Clenching her fist Furyu was raring to punch someone to the point of near-death. The flat chest part pissed her off, but the ‘loser sister’ part pissed her off even more.

     “Looks like you made her mad Tatsu. Shame there ain’t shit she can do!!”

     “Yeah! The hell is a girl gonna do against the five of us?” They continued their insults, unbeknownst to what was coming next.

     “Look, just tell your stupid b*tch of a sister to back off Tatsu’s li’l bro and nobody gets hurt, or rather… tell her to back off before she ends up dead-”  With a thunderous smack, the boy was knocked out cold, his unconscious body falling flat against the pavement.

     “How about, I give you another offer: Talk crap about my sis one more time and I’ll break more bones than you can count.” She cracked her knuckles glaring menacingly at the group of boys. Following the initial punch, the fight transitioned to a full-on brawl that lasted over half an hour, with Furyu as the winner. 

     Standing victorious on top of a heap of unconscious bodies, Furyu decided that it'd be best to threaten their 'leader' before walking away. That brings us to the events that occurred right after Furyu threatened to inflict bodily harm on Megumi if she spoke about what she saw that night...

     Walking away from her, Furyu knew that she had made a mistake by threatening her so harshly. Even if she didn’t know her personally, it was blatantly obvious that Megumi was the kind of person who’d never betray a friend. Nonetheless, what mattered most to her was protecting her little sister. If she had to sabotage a potential friendship, or even beat someone up to the point of legal ambiguity, Furyu was ready to do anything and everything in her power to keep her little sister safe and sound. However, the more she thought about it, the more she regretted her actions. Even if she didn’t care too much about hurting the feelings of some broad, she had a sneaking suspicion that Megumi wasn’t exactly just ‘some broad.’ 

-Present-day-

     “Huh?” With utter confusion filling the halls, Mai and Rentaro were at a loss for words. Was she trying to make a joke, or was she just messing around? It was honestly hard to tell, and for the time being the only thing they could do was sit and watch as Megumi did… whatever it was that she was doing.

     “This seal... It must have awakened me!!!” She placed her hand on the door feeling around for some kind of energy. “In order to find the truth, I must break this seal!!!” Slamming her hand against the keypad, she frantically pushed an assortment of random numbers hoping to unlock the door with 'luck' alone.

     “Megumi… I don’t think it’ll be that easy so maybe we should ask Ms.Oshino for hel-” As Mai stared at her, trying to understand what she was hoping to accomplish by doing this, she was thoroughly surprised as a sharp beeping sound came from the keypad, followed by a light clicking sound which presumably came from the lock on the door. It was shocking, usually trying to unlock a four-digit keypad would take at least ten thousand tries, but Megumi managed to crack it in a matter of seconds. (Well, as effortless as it may have seemed, Megumi would not have been able to open the door without Ms.Oshino directly giving her the code off-screen).

     “Ha Ha Ha!! Never underestimate the might of a goddess! This seal may have been formidable, but not formidable enough...” She chuckled to herself sliding open the door to reveal a… 'completely' empty computer room. Megumi was silently writhing in disappointment, hoping that they wouldn’t have to face ANOTHER setback. However, she wouldn’t be like that for long as upon entering the room, the three of them were greeted with a very interesting scene. Standing alone on a desk toward the back was an introverted looking micro student with a needlessly long tattered red scarf draped around his neck. He had bandages wrapped around both his arms and wore tacky fingerless gloves on both of his hands. He was the spitting image chuunibyou and seemed completely shameless about it to boot. 

     “To think, a simple mortal would be the one that releases me from that unholy legacy seal. How, impressive.” He placed his hand on his face covering what seemed to be a medical eye patch, along with the right side of his face. 

     Feeling that they’d only get in the way, Mai and Rentaro left Megumi to deal with the situation on her own as they went on to face a more pressing issue.

     “So… what do you think the club name should be?” Mai asked walking down the vast hallway.

     “That’s a really good question! In all honesty, I haven’t thought about it.” He scratched the back of his head trying to think of something good. “Ooh! What about the ‘Micro-Representative Assistance Association!’ I think something like that would be a good fit for what we’re trying to do, don't you think?” He smiled, proud of how good the name sounded. 

     “That’s way too long, but you're on the right track!" Placing her hand on her chin she thought about a way to make the name more appealing. "What about the ‘Micro-Rep Support Squad!” Mai suggested. The name was concise and simple. Conveying the purpose of the club without sounding too wordy or long-winded. 

     “That’s way better! Unless Megumi has a different name in mind, I think we should keep it-” Turning the corner Rentaro had crashed right into a very nervous looking micro girl with short brown hair and a very nervous looking demeanor. And as she daintily fell onto her butt, Rentaro caught a small glimpse of her very feminine underwear. 

     "I'm really sorry about that! I wasn't paying attention, it's all my fault!" As he apologized to the girl, Rentaro couldn’t help but notice just how strange she was acting. She was constantly looking over her shoulder, and the look on her face was one of both fear and worry. She definitely seemed paranoid, and could you blame her? Going to a mixed sizes school was anything but relaxing for a micro, especially for a first-year student, and having an air of cautiousness was a plus. However, this girl seemed a little too worried. 

     “Y-You really shouldn’t apologize. It was my fault.” She got back onto her feet and continued on her way.

     “Shinako! Wait up!” Trailing behind her was a guy who seemed to be on the complete opposite side of the spectrum. He seemed confident and naive and shined with a commendable air of positivity. As he turned the corner he was shocked to see that the person he idolized was right in front of him. “No way… M-Mai Ogasaki?!” He yelled out in surprise. After seeing her for only a few seconds his body was coursing with excitement and an expression of pure admiration appeared on his face.

     “Yup, that’s me!” She smiled taking pride in his excitement.

     “It is an honor to meet you.” He took her hand and began to sing her praises for all to see. Mai was used to hearing compliments from her fellow students but this guy was taking things way too far. His admiration was that of an eager fanboy, and that prideful feeling Mai had earlier was slowly turning into an awkward feeling of discomfort. 

     “Shinako, was it? Is he always like this?” Rentaro asked looking at the girl from earlier, as she stood awkwardly hiding her face in embarrassment.

     “Um, I guess? He’s kinda obsessed with ‘righteous activism,’ Like, whenever it comes to protecting a fellow student from being crushed, or whatever, Mutsuhiro is always willing to throw himself into danger to fight a losing battle for equality or something… or I mean uh,” Upon letting her pessimism slip, she frantically tried to correct herself to not offend Mai, and by extension, Rentaro. 

     “You really shouldn’t worry about it. I know more than anyone how stacked the odds are against us micros, but no matter what… I will never stop trying to fight for the rights of every micro at this school!!!” She exclaimed triumphantly clenching her fist.

     “So cool!! As expected of the one and only micro student representative! I hope that one day I’ll be able to fight alongside you and the rest of the micro representative council!” He smiled staring at Mai in pure amazement at her selflessness.

     “Why would you go so far..?” She mumbled catching Mai off guard.

     “Huh?” She asked confused by her sudden remark.

     “Why go so far for something so… useless! Can’t you just be contempt with the life you have right now?! You’re already risking your life by coming to this school every day, what’s the point of drawing attention to yourself?! I just don’t get it! Do you have some kind of deathwish?!” She yelled, clearly upset by how recklessly optimistic the two of them were. As you could tell, Shinako Tanaka isn’t exactly the most positive person around. Hoping to live a completely average life, she wasn’t exactly pleased to learn that she’d be attending a mixed sizes school with her brother, Muneki. After pleading and begging to be homeschooled, she reluctantly accepted that the next three years of her life would be spent in a state of constant fear and paranoia. She knew of all the risks and she hoped and prayed that nothing bad would befall her or her brother. However, her brother had different plans. 

     Living life with a righteous and naive perspective Muneki Tanaka was always hell-bent on helping those who were in trouble, even if it meant angering larger students. His goal in life was eerily similar to that of Mai: to make a change for the better and to help those in need. Typically that’d only be a good thing, but for his sister Shinako, it meant having to tag along as he naively stood his ground against the normal students of Hanichi Highschool. After so many close calls and near-misses, it was honestly a miracle that he was still standing to this day. 

     “I-I’m sorry…” Shinako hid her face in embarrassment and ran off in the other direction. She didn’t mean to get so heated, and yet for some reason seeing how determined they were set her off. 

     “I’ll try to cheer her up, sorry for cutting things short. It was nice meeting you!!” Muneki waved off running after his distressed sister.

     “I kinda feel bad for her. Something bad must have happened for her to be that pessimistic.” Rentaro remarked. It was honestly a little shocking but as hopeless and despairful as those words were Mai, knew more than anyone the truth behind them.

     “When you think about it, she’s right in a lot of ways.” Mai sighed, thinking back on her despairing words. “Attracting as little attention as possible is without a doubt the best way to survive high school as a micro student. Hiding from problematic normal students, running from them, submitting to them. When you don’t want to die, you’ll try anything and everything you can to avoid being squashed flat like a bug. Some students live on in fear, contempt with their safe and riskless lives but, does that sound like a true high school experience?” She asked rhetorically. 

     “From all the anime that I’ve seen and the manga that I’ve read, high school life is all about hanging out with friends, and joining clubs and stuff.”

     “That’s right! Highschool life is meant to be enjoyed! It’s meant to be spent worrying about grades, popularity, and tests not worrying over your life! And without the will to fight on and make a change, we may never have the luxury… But, if we try hard together, we’ll be able to make that difference and someday we’ll be able to enjoy all the slice-of-life cliches, and go through high school like any other student!” Her words were truly inspiring, and at this moment, Rentaro was finally allowed to observe, in-full, the admirable ambitions of the one and only Mai Ogasaki…

     Meanwhile in the computer room, Megumi or rather, Megami was in the midst of a heated battle of epic proportions. With the two of them ‘running low on mana’ they threw out their final moves in hope to end this duel.

     “HAHAHA! With the cursed black flames that course through my veins, I invoke thee! Corrupted magic that lies dormant in this unholy world submit yourself and form in my hand, repent in ashes and suffer in eternal purgatory!! Blaze Inferno of Eternal Darkness!!!” Acting as if he was casting some spell, he tightly clutched his arm and directed towards Megumi. In his mind, he was probably imagining a wave of black flames engulfing Megumi.

     “Even in this body, my status as a fallen goddess protects me from such accursed magic!” Pretending to be unfazed by his ‘attack’ Megumi clasped her hands together and began to cast a spell herself. “Heaven’s Blade, come to my aid once more! Summoning the true might of the godly realm, I give my body and soul to you!  Appear in my hand, form twenty-four of the holy arsenal: Light of Divinity!”

     “Agghhh!! Damn, even in the body of a human the power of the gods is unmatched.” He fell to his knees. “Being trapped within this sealed room has diminished my magical power, thus for the time being… I’ll accept my defeat. But, before you finish me off, I’d like to know your name.”

     “Stricken down from the heavens and forced to adhere to the holy church, my name is Megami Shiroe! A fallen goddess trained to be an unstoppable knight, and the one true wielder of Heaven’s Blade: The most powerful weapon in all of the divine realms!!” She pressed her left hand against her right eye and struck a victorious pose. “Furthermore, I have no intention of finishing you off. Instead, I request your assistance in discovering the true reason as to why I was awakened in this world.” Holding out her hand, Tomoya had no other choice but to accept her terms. And thus, Tomoya had officially joined the MicroRep Support Squad.

     Following her successful recruitment, Megumi exited the room to make a quick phone call.

     “I did it! We can officially become a club now, haha! Yay!!~” She exclaimed ecstatically over the phone jumping up and down with excitement. Mai may not have been able to see her at the moment, but from how happy she sounded, it was pretty easy to tell just how big her joyful ear-to-ear smile was.

     “You really are an angel, Megumi. We’re heading over there right now! Thanks a lot!” As Mai imagined all the good that they’d be able to do, she was filled with an insane amount of motivation and hope. 

     “Would you like me to pick you guys up?”

     “Nah, it’s fine. We’re almost there anyway.” As the two of them made their way to the computer room, Rentaro couldn’t help but feel like someone was watching him but, given the current mood, he thought it would be rude to bring it up and decided to just not say anything about it for the time being.

     As the two of them arrived in the computer room, they were met with quite an interesting introduction.

     “Enshrouded by a wicked aura, and blood laced with the hellish dark flames of my soul. My Tomoya Utsumi, otherwise known as, The Dark Flame of Annihilation!!! A typical conversation would have ended with exchanging pleasantries, but I do not plan on conversing with such menial words!” He scoffed, dramatically covering his right eye. “It is clear that at my current state, I am unable to withstand the power of this accursed fallen goddess and thus, for the time being, I will be working with you as a temporary club member.” He sighed handing Mai a signed club enrollment form. 

     “The lingering powers of my old body remain, though much like my fellow comrade, I too am lacking sufficient magical energy to fully sustain even a sliver of my heavenly powers,” Megumi said clutching her arm like someone trying to cast a spell. As confusing as this whole situation was, Mai could just barely understand what Megumi was trying to do. Similar to what she had done with Furyu, Megumi imitated Tomoya’s personality to form a relatable connection. “Rentaro! Please accompany me to the faculty office so we can deliver this club enrollment document!” She gently picked up Rentaro and made her way to the faculty office. 

     “Hey, Rentaro… what do you think of this school?” Being a new student, Megumi was more than enthusiastic to learn more about her surroundings, however, she wasn’t looking for an answer that would be particularly useful to her. Instead, she was hoping to find out more about him. 

     “What do you mean?”He asked, leaning against the palm of her hand.

     “Like, why did you enroll? And other stuff like that.”

     “When I graduated from junior high, my parents gave me the option of choosing which school I would be attending. And when they gave me options, they meant it. Boarding schools, academies, prep schools, micro-only, mixed sizes, public and private, even prestigious schools like Okisana and Issunkyoji.” Rentaro explained. “Though, since I'm not really good with decision making, at the end of the day, I just went with whatever school was closest." Scratching the back of his head he had prepared himself to be made fun of. 

    "That makes sense, I'm guessing you're not big on traveling then." She giggled softly.

     "Well, not exactly... In all honesty, I just didn't want to be a burden. This is the only high school in the area and if I were to choose any other, my parents would've had to hire a personal driver or something." Half joking, Rentaro began to wonder how his life would've been if he had gone to a different school, like Okisana. With all it's credibility, he'd probably be able to experience the typical high school life he was talking about earlier. 

    "Well, I'm speaking from personal experience, but I think that you'd really like it in Okisana…" Looking back on all her school memories, she began to feel kinda sad, and as she scrolled through all the unread messages from her old classmates, that sad feeling turned into something different. 

     "I'm sure I would! Though, if I had enrolled in Okisana… I'd probably have to feel the sadness of seeing you leave." He smiled sweetly towards her. If Megumi didn't have the romantic awareness of a rock she might have misinterpreted what he said as some kind of romantic confession. Instead, those words only made Megumi come to a stunning resolution. "But, even if it's a bit dangerous, I'm glad I went to this school because I got to meet you… and all my other friends."

    "Ughhh I'm such an idiot!!" Putting Rentaro in her shirt pocket she whipped out her phone and realized that if she kept ignoring all her friends she'd made them worry.

    "What do you mean-" Looking towards her hands Rentaro understood exactly what Megumi was doing. At that moment, Megumi had relieved herself of all the embarrassment of talking to her old classmates and decided that, at the end of the day, it'd be best if she just responded to all their messages.

     Scrolling through all the concerned messages, and sincere goodbyes she came across a wholesome group photo of that she took with her former group of friends. At the bottom of it was a sincere message: "Thanks for all the memories! We'll always be your best friends Megumi and don't you ever forget it!" Seeing the photo brought a small tear to her eye and gave her a better reason for making a change in this school. 

     Meanwhile, in an undisclosed empty classroom, a certain trio of bullies was planning their next move. 

     "We kind of have a problem. That new transfer student has joined forces with that pesky micro student representative and she's very clearly onto us!" Alice exclaimed slouching onto a nearby desk.

     "Is that really what you called us here for?" One of them asked, absent-mindedly flipping through the pages of an inappropriate light novel. And aside from her short blonde hair, she seemed like a completely average student. And despite her looks, Tsumi Yoshikawa is a merciless sociopath. Responsible for the deaths of over a dozen micros, she along with the other two bullies have consistently escaped prosecution due to lack of evidence. (if you remember, she made a brief appearance in Chapter 5 as the girl who tried to kill Rentaro, after thinking that Megumi was hiding him in her hands).

     "This is serious! If she blabs to any of the teachers we're done for!" Alice yelled genuinely worried about the future of their little group. 

     "Can you keep it down?" She sighed rudely telling Alice to be quiet. "And even if she does report us, it's not like she'll have sufficient evidence. Furthermore, I have no idea why you're telling me any of this. I'm pretty sure it's your guy's fault that she even made contact with that bug. You did leave her alive, after all." Flipping through the pages once more, she uncaringly shifted the blame towards Alice and Sekira.

    "Ugh, what do you think Sekira?" She turned her attention to the black-haired bully who was currently staring at some blurry stalker photos of Rentaro. She seemed to have quite an unhealthy interest in him for reasons even she couldn't understand. "Hello? Earth to Sekira! You there?" She asked waving her arm pin in front of her face trying to gain her attention. 

     "Hehehe~ so cute… Huh? Oh! Yeah, sure!” She hid her phone behind her back and started to pay attention to what Alice was saying. However, it was far too late as Alice realized that she was the only one taking this ‘meeting’ seriously.

     "You guys are hopeless…" Alice facepalmed and turned her attention towards Tsumi once more. “What are you reading anyway?”

     “It’s some stupid cheesy fantasy novel.” She remarked with a hint of disdain in her voice.

     “If it’s stupid why are you reading it?” Sekira asked, examining the cover.

     “I have no interest in any of the garbage that’s written inside… I only care about the illustrator." Flashing a page of the story, she showed the two of them an incredibly gory and graphic scene that consisted of a haughty looking highschool girl torturing an entire class of micros. "Fuzue Shijo's art is amazing!! No, it's more than amazing!" When it came to talking about her favorite artist, Tsumi seemed genuinely willing to talk enthusiastically. Compared to her usual manner of speech, it was honestly a bit jarring.

     "Wow, that is good…" Staring at the illustration, Sekira was astounded by how stylish and detailed the art was. 

     "Well, not all of their art is good. Unlike other artists, Fuzue makes an incredibly wide variety of art." Typically you'd think something like that would be a good thing but for Tsumi, who only cared about the brutal and gory art she always despised the fact that she'd do gentle content from time-to-time. "In any case, I'd love to meet them but they're known for being super reclusive. And they don't even show up to their own Comiket booth. Every time I've gone to their booth it's always a bunch of pompous looking Okisana Academy students cosplaying as her original characters." She sighed thinking that her dream was incredibly far from coming true, little did she know… it was way closer than she thought.

     "I thought that you’d have a little more trouble with him, nonetheless I’m glad to hear that he didn’t give you any problems." She carefully took the enrollment form from Rentaro and placed in a small paper scanner so she could get a better look at it. "Everything seems to be in order, congrats on becoming an official club!" She shook Megumi's hand prepared all the necessary documents that still needed to be filled out. 

     "One step closer!" She murmured now filled with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. They were finally ready to make a difference and Megumi couldn't be more excited to begin. But one question remained in her head: 'Where to start?' 

     "So what goals do you have in mind?" Ms.Oshino asked looking at Megumi with a hint of skepticism. That's when Megumi realized that, other than helping and protecting the micros at this school, she didn't exactly have a set goal in mind. This filled her with a minor sense of panic as she struggled to come up with something good, only to be faced with the blankness that occurred whenever she was out on the spot. 

     Noticing Megumi's struggle to find an answer, Rentaro stepped up to the plate and set the club goal himself, using Mai's speech from earlier as a reference. 

     "The goal of the MicroRep Support squad is to... assist the Micro Representative Council and create an environment in which micros are free from oppression and allowed to freely enjoy their highschool lives to the fullest!!" He exclaimed, imitating Mai's righteous tone before flashing a kind smile towards Megumi.

     “Thank you.” She whispered to him, breathing a sigh of relief.

     “How admirable! Well, I wish you luck in your endeavor and I’m looking forward to being your club advisor.” Shaking hands with Megumi, Ms.Oshino stamped their club registration form, making the MicroRep Support Squad an official club. “We’re running short on time, so I’ll inform you about your club’s budget on a later date.” 

     Maintaining her composure, Megumi sauntered out of the faculty office. And right as the sliding closed behind her she let out all her built-up excitement and celebrated to her heart’s content.

     “We did it! We did it!!” She yelled jumping up and down. “Thank you, thank you thank you!!” She repeated looking down at Rentaro who seemed to be bracing himself in Megumi’s palm.

     “It’s no problem really-” As he humbly accepted her gratitude, he felt a huge sense of vertigo as Megumi began to press him softly into her ample bosom to give him 'a friendly hug.'

     Typically, whenever a girl did this to him (which happened way more often than you’d think) he’d be pressed so tightly that he’d suffocate and pass out but, thanks Megumi’s gentle and caring demeanor, it was surprisingly pleasant. So pleasant in fact, that without even thinking, Rentaro found himself snuggling closely against Megumi’s bosom. Upon burying his head into her school uniform, the softness of her assets and the beating of her heart practically lulled him to a state of perpetual relaxation. As someone who wasn't that into boobs, Rentaro felt enlightened to the true joy that lies within those bouncy melons of flesh. It was a strange feeling that felt oddly nostalgic to him. A feeling that he never thought would be possible after all of his breast encounters. It was so pleasant that Rentaro was starting to think that things were too good to be true.

     ‘This must be what good luck feels like…’ He thought, pressing his face deeper into the soft wall in front of him. Things weren’t like this for long as Rentaro was abruptly released from her soft embrace. 

     Dazed and confused Rentaro tried to understand what was happening, but upon realizing that he was being flung through the air for seemingly no reason, he braced himself for impact. However, his landing was far from rough, it was soft... for some reason. As expected, Rentaro was once again thrust into the open cleavage of yet another girl and upon seeing where he was, Rentaro let out a measly sigh filled with all the disappointment you'd expect from someone who was uncomfortably used to being in compromising positions and receiving no joy from them. At that moment, all he could do was hope that whoever had 'caught him' wasn't someone who got mad easily. 

     “Out of the way, cow!” A rude looking girl with maple colored hair reviled, shoulder checking Megumi as she impolitely pushed her out of the way. Just from the tone of her voice, she could tell that the girl hated her. It was understandable, even if she never knew the exact reason, Megumi could always recall being bullied in some way or another until she had enrolled in Okisana(Where bullying was an offense punishable by expulsion). Megumi always assumed that girls would bully her for her silver hair, but it was clear that bullies were not focusing on her hair. Nevertheless, thanks to Megumi’s status as a stunning young beauty she’s often the center of attention with lovestruck boys, meaning that if girls weren’t jealous of her assets, they were pissed at her for being inadvertently popular.

     “S-Sorry!” She yelled trying to apologize to the girl. But, as Megumi lost sight of her, she shifted her focus towards worrying about her friend. “Are you OK, Rentaro?” She looked down at her hands only to see that Rentaro was no longer there. Feeling an intense sense of tragic Deja Vu, she examined her chest hoping that Rentaro was lodged in her cleavage or something, however much to her dismay, there was no trace of him. 

     The panic started to begin and Megumi began to hyperventilate out of worry for Rentaro’s safety. Scanning the ground by her feet, the inside of her clothes, and all over her body, Megumi searched high and low trying to think of where he could have gone. That's when she realized that the only way he could have gone missing in such a short time was; he was taken. 

     "This is bad…" She repeated to herself, pacing back and forth. Thinking back to a few minutes ago, she reluctantly understood where he was…

     As Megumi cuddled Rentaro into a soft embrace, the abrupt impact from the rude girl must have caused him to fly out of her hands and onto some part of the girl's body… most likely her chest given Rentaro’s ‘unique’ characteristic. If she had paid more attention she could have trailed the girl and maybe even stopped her, but as things stood, she had no hopes of finding her now, especially because lunch was almost over. And as much as Megumi regretted it, she decided that it'd be best if she just looked for the girl(and him) later. 

     Meanwhile, in the computer room, Mai was awkwardly trying to start a conversation with Tomoya unbeknownst to the fact that he was hiding a very interesting secret… 

     “So, Megumi’s pretty cool right?” Grasping at straws she resorted to the most barebones conversation topics. However, instead of getting an answer, she was merely met with a slightly cynical cackle. 

     “Hahaha! Cool?! That girl is a full-blown idiot!” He exclaimed pulling out his phone to check something. From where Mai was sitting, she could just about see a very incriminating video of Megumi acting chuunibyou in front of Tomoya. "Honestly, I can't believe she bought that whole Dark Flame BS! That just goes to show how much of a dumb popularity obsessed b*tch she is." He ridiculed, clutching his stomach in laughter. Mai, on the other hand, didn't find anything he said comedic. 

     “Huh?” She stared at him with an expression of sheer disbelief.

     “Imagine how desperate she must be to act like an immature nerd just to get someone to join a club." He scoffed. "On the school forums, she's praised for being some kind of angel, but it's clear that she's just some brainless manipulative b*tch who only cares about lying to people." He ridiculed her once more trying to provoke Mai into realizing her 'mistake.' 

     “You’re wrong…” She mumbled under her breath.

     “Yeah, of course, I am. Because it makes sooooo much sense that she’d fake her personality with me, but act completely honestly towards you." He snarked, hitting Mai with an eye-opening logic bomb.

     “You’re wrong!!! I know it might be too good to be true… but, I don’t care! I know that Megumi is a good person and you have no right to be insulting her like that.” Shooting an intense glare towards Tomoya, she thought about all the events of the past two days, Mai felt genuinely offended by Tomoya’s harsh remarks and she was pissed beyond belief. Even if some of his points were valid, in one way or another, she couldn’t stand it anymore. However, as she thought about it more, those feelings of anger turned into feelings of denial. Maybe everything she thought she knew about Megumi was a lie…

     "I’m pretty sure having no rights comes PAR for the course when you’re a micro.” He let out a disheartened chuckle that reeked of the same subservient energy that permeated around Shinako. And despite his sarcastic tone, that remark was extremely insensitive to the point of awkwardness. After clearing his throat Tomoya went back to grilling Mai about her ‘questionable’ trust in Megumi. 

     “Believing is kinda overrated don’t you think? I mean gosh, you might as well talk about the power of friendship, while you’re at it. Why don't you face the facts?!" He scoffed sending the incriminating video to a group chat that contained four people(including himself). Mai could see the names but, it’s not like any of that mattered. At the moment, she only cared about distancing herself from Tomoya.

     “Shut up! You’re wrong about Megumi and I’ll prove it to you!!” She yelled storming out of the room in anger. It may have been a brash thing to do, but it was blatantly obvious that Mai wasn’t in the best state of mind to be making rational decisions.

     Sadly walking towards the computer room, Megumi didn't have the heart to explain the whole Rentaro situation with Mai, and thus, decided to keep it to herself for the time being. And as she picked up Mai from the computer room she was displeased to see that she too seemed to be having a less than pleasant day. Judging from her slightly angered/depressed expression, Megumi assumed that she wasn’t exactly a fan of Tomoya’s chuunibyou act, unbeknownst to the real reason as to why she was so downtrodden.

     “Hey, Megumi…” Talking with a depressed tone, Mai looked up and stared at Megumi’s uneasy eyes. “Why did you agree to help me?” She asked, her disheartened tone bringing a frown to Megumi’s worried face. 

     "If you're having doubts about me, I want you to know that even if I lie sometimes, you can always trust me." Stopping in her tracks Megumi brought her hand to eye level to deliver a wholehearted response. "Because I made a promise to you!! And together, we’ll make that promise come true, no matter what!" 

     Satisfied by her answer, Mai stared at her filled with a newfound respect and admiration. All the doubts she had were gone and as she thought back on the reason for her distrust, Mai realized just how much of an idiot she was being. 

     A couple of minutes later, and Megumi was making her way to class after dropping off Mai. As she walked her mind was filled with an overwhelming sense of worry for Rentaro’s safety. It was all her fault, and the only thing she could do was pray for his safety. For the remainder of class that was all she could think about, and yet for some strange reason, she felt oddly confident about his chances of survival. It wasn't optimism, it was just a gut feeling. Though, as confident as she may have been, that didn't stop her from being excessively concerned. 

     "Ms.Shiro?"

     As the could teacher went over the lesson the only thing that echoed throughout her head, were not the teachings of the kind and experienced teacher, but the morbid thoughts concerning how Rentaro must have been feeling at that moment. She could only imagine how afraid and claustrophobic he must have been feeling (Note: Megumi doesn't necessarily know about Rentaro's Bad Luck).

     "Ms.Shiro?!"

     Thinking that it was all her fault, Megumi started to repeatedly blame herself for being so careless with her best friend. The lingering regret and hopelessness were digging into her, and every attempt she made to calm herself down fell flat against the pessimistic depths of Megumi's optimistic mind. It was honestly hard to stay focused. Upon her thoughts of concern, was a sneaking position that Rentaro secretly hated her for abandoning him. 

     "Hello?!" 

     Thinking it over again, Megumi decided that even if Rentaro hated her, she'd still do everything in her power to rescue him. It was do or die, and she was determined to make things right. 'Sit tight Rentaro! No matter what, I will save you!!!' Filled with some newfound motivation, Megumi psyched herself up for what was to come.

     "Are you feeling OK?" 

     While being lost in thought, Megumi was snapped back to reality by as a sharp sting shot out throughout her forehead. Looking around, she realized that the teacher was calling on her for almost the entirety of class. 

    "A-Ah I'm so sorry. I'm not feeling well, so I hope that it'd be OK if I went to the nurse's office." Megumi respectively, hoping to use the time in between classes to deal with the Rentaro situation. This was the first time Megumi lied to a teacher, but given the circumstances, there was no time to waste.

     "I see. Well try to get some rest then and you'll probably feel a little better." The teacher said, looking at her with a slightly worried expression. And as Megumi nervously exited the classroom she thought about how difficult this task seemed. For one, she didn't even know who the rude girl was. And for two, she had no idea how to explain to her that she had a micro 'somewhere on her body.' It was a real mystery, but one thing was blatantly obvious: she needed help and she knew the exact person to call. 

     Pulling out her phone, she texted the school’s resident 'Dark Flame of Annihilation' and courteously requested their help in this matter. 

     [Comrade! As a resident of this school do you know of a young maiden with maple hair?] She texted him, hoping that he'd be able to help her. Though, if she knew of his true nature she'd probably think twice about requesting his assistance. 

     [I believe the 'maiden' of which you are speaking of, goes by the name of Makoto Masumi and for all intents and purposes, she's far from what one would call a maiden.] Despite his disdain for Megumi, he wasn't quite done toying with her just yet and decided that it'd be more 'beneficial' to keep stringing her along. 

     [What do you mean by that?] 

     [Makoto Masumi is a tyrant at this school and holds a top spot in its social hierarchy. Known for her ruthless bullying methods, she gradually breaks down her target's emotional state and ruins their school lives. Her title among the masses is 'Sadistic Queen' and as you'd expect, she isn't a fan of micros either. I'd be cautious if I were you Megami, that body your residing, or rather, the person who was originally in that body just so happens to be a prime target for vixens like her.] Tomoya texted secretly cackling quietly within the safety of the computer room. He wasn't a fan of normal-sized people, but when it came to the girls at this school specifically, his hate and disdain for normal people were multiplied exponentially. Girls like Megumi and Makoto were no different, and it just so happens to be that to defeat one you must give the other a weapon and request that they defeat them for you. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend... until it comes to the time at which I also have to ruin them myself.' That was Tomoya's underlying plan. He wanted to see just how much of a manipulative b*tch Megumi was and thus decided to anonymously supply Makoto with the perfect ammunition she needed to defeat someone as 'socially impregnable' like her. With the ammunition being the secret chuunibyou video that he took of her. 

     As Megumi began to text her response she grew more and more afraid for Rentaro’s condition. It was obvious that, if Rentaro was found by her there was no way he'd survive. 

     "Don't worry Rentaro! I'll rescue you because that is what friends are for-" 

     "Excuse me, but would you care to explain why exactly you are out in the hallway during class time?" 

     Slowly turning around, Megumi was mortified to see that she was caught 'cutting classes.' It was all over, Megumi's life was finally finished and the only path ahead of her was a life of crime and truancy. As she accepted her fate, she reflected on the life she once had. A life a friendship and happiness, filled with ambition and kindness. She couldn't have wished for a better turn out. Her only regret was that she was unable to save one of her best friends… 

     'No! It won't end here!!!!!!' She couldn't let her failure to perform well under pressure control her anymore. It was time to make a change and break free from such restraints. 'Goddess Release!!! Imbue my soul with unyielding courage so that I may come to the aid of one of my trusted comrades.' psyching herself up she faced the teacher with a clear focus in mind. 

     "I wasn't feeling well, so the teacher sent me to the nurse's office so I could get some rest. Though, since I'm kinda new, I got lost on my way there." With a clear and confident tone, she gave a perfect answer. Even if she was technically lying to a teacher, she couldn't help but feel proud of herself. 

     "If you're having trouble finding the nurse's office I wouldn't mind showing you the way." She said kindly signaling Megumi to follow her. "You're new, I guess we have something in common then. It's Ms.Shizuka by the way."

END SCENE:

     Lodged inside the cleavage of a girl he didn't know (yet again), Rentaro slowly reached for his phone hoping to contact Megumi. But, his arms and legs were pinned between the slightly moist cleavage of Makoto Masumi.

     "Damn it, Chihiro! I can't stand that bitchy transfer!" Slamming her hand against the desk, she let out a disgruntled sigh as she ranted to her friend who was sitting right in front of her. 

     "Oooooh, is someone jealous?" She teased. "Don't worry Mako, you're a growing girl and boob size isn't everything, ya know?" 

     "Who the hell said anything about boob size?!" Makoto yelled.

     "Well, they might be bigger than your's but..." She crept towards her. "I'm sure they're not as soft!!!" Fondling her breasts, she somehow narrowly avoided crushing Rentaro between Makoto's slightly above average mounds. In fact, she actually managed to free him and as Rentaro rolled toward the bottom opening of her shirt. Grabbing onto the top of her skirt, Rentaro stealthily exited her clothes falling onto the classroom floor.

      "That was lucky..." Rentaro dusted himself off and pulled out his phone.

      "I'm probably just gonna cut classes. Can you take a pic of today's assignment!" Makoto got up and sauntered towards the exit of class. 

      "Sure thing, Mako!" Waving goodbye, she looked towards the ground trying to search for a pencil she dropped. "Well. would you look at that." Her eyes fell upon Rentaro, and as she reached towards him a sinister smile formed on her face.

      "U-Um I can explain!"

     "I know that this looks bad but, I swear it's just a big misunderstanding!" He pleaded with her hoping that she wouldn't be too mad. Though, from where she was sitting, she couldn't care less about whether or not it was a mistake, the only thing she did care about examining the micro in front of her until she finally recognized who he was. 

     "That's a surprise! I never expected to see someone as infamous as you in a place like this! So, how'd you end up in, 'you know where" Wrapping her fingers around him, Rentaro could feel her slowly putting more and more pressure onto his body. She was waiting for an answer and was ready and willing to kill him if she didn't receive one.

     “I kinda got trapped…” Catching his breath, he had a minor coughing fit as Chihiro lightened her grip around him to let him finish his thought. “When I was talking with the new transfer student, your friend bumped into her and I must’ve fallen into one of her… pockets.” Fearing for his life, Rentaro decided that honesty wasn’t exactly the best policy for this current situation.

     “I see, and now you’re stuck in an area that’s not exactly the safest place for micros like yourself.” Chihiro loosened her grip and placed Rentaro gently onto the table.

     “Yeah, pretty much.” He scratched the back of his head, letting out a nervous laugh. Given his current position, walking back to his class all on his own was practically a death wish. From the rumors alone, Rentaro knew that this part of the school contained some of the most notorious bullies and delinquents. The only person he could rely on at that moment was Megumi, and as he pulled out his phone, he hoped and prayed that Megumi would’ve been able to help in some way, shape, or form. But, as reached into his pocket he realized that his phone had been crushed during Chihiro’s ‘interrogation.’

     “A-Ah! I’m sorry about that.” Understanding that she had sabotaged Rentaro’s only method of escape, she decided to take things into her own hands and help him out instead. It was pretty much the only way she could repay him at this point. 

     “Hmmm… I got it! How about I take you to her? It’s the least I can do!”

     “Really? You’d do that for me? Thanks a lot!” He smiled kindly towards her, but Chihiro was busy looking off into the distance to see his heart-stealing smile.

     “You don’t have to thank me. However, it might be dangerous for others to see you in this part of the school, so I should probably hide you somewhere in the meantime…” She placed her hand on her chin and thought of the perfect hiding spot for a micro like him.

     “Better safe than sorry, I guess.” He chuckled nervously. It seemed kinda weird for someone to say that in a mixed sizes school, but maybe this girl was just being overly cautious or something. And as the girl reached down for something under the desk, he felt a strange feeling befall him.

     “Aha! I’ve got it! How about I hide you in my shoe while I take you to your friend. And on the way there you could help me keep things clean in there. It’s a win-win situation, don’t you think?” She said with a sinister smile and a sickening cackle. But, Rentaro barely noticed any of that. Upon hearing what she said, his mind became filled with an endless stream of pleasurable and erotic thoughts. Hearing those exact words has always been a dream of his and the fact that it was finally happening filled Rentaro with more excitement than winning the lottery. 

     "Absolutely!!" Giving a stern answer, Rentaro didn't even stop to think about the dangers of the situation, because he thought the girl was being completely genuine. 

     "Well too bad, because you have no choice- Huh..? What did you just say?" Shocked by his clear and composed answer, Chihiro thought she was just hearing things. 

     "There's no helping it! Your shoe is undoubtedly the safest place for me so let's get going!" As he eagerly waited for her to get things started, Chihiro was hit with a major wave of confusion. 

      "Are you an idiot?" She poked playfully at him with a confused look on her face. "Do you have some kinda death wish or psycho foot fetish." She teased now pinning him to the surface of the desk with her index finger. 

     "Hehe~" Even in a situation like this, Rentaro couldn't stop thinking about what was coming up shortly. 'My lucky phase is finally beginning!!' He proclaimed in the confines of his mind. Chihiro, on the other hand, was starting to get annoyed. 

     This kind of stunt was something she frequently did throughout her 1rst and 2nd year of high school, and not once has a guy been ecstatic to be at the butt of her estranged bullying technique. Nonetheless, it's not like she cared all too much. Passing it off as Rentaro just being a weirdo, Chihiro slipped off her shoe and slowly lowered him inside. 

     "Oh, where are my manners? I haven't even introduced myself yet! If you don't already know, I am Chihiro Takanami, the captain of the track team. You know what that means for you right?" Trying to intimidate him, she hoped to break that excited demeanor of his. 

      "Are you saying you'll give me a reward if I do a good job cleaning?" At this point, Rentaro was salivating at any erotic thought that may have crossed his mind. 

      "Reward?! How does being captain of the track team correlate to you getting a reward?!?" Baffled by the wave of horniness and stupidity emanating off of Rentaro, she started to feel oddly uncomfortable from just talking to him. 

      "Well, I was thinking that if I do a good job… you'll put me in your shoe again and run some laps around the track in the hot sun! And then if I got thirsty I'd be forced to drink your-" Rentaro had entered full foot perv mode and as long as the idea remained in his mind there was no escape from that state. However, as he was detailing his ideal fantasy, Chihiro was finally fed up with his perverted ramblings. 

     "I see what you're doing… you're intentionally trying to creep me out to get out of being forced inside my shoe. WELL TOO BAD!! It's not gonna work. I bet in an hour or two you'll be begging me to let you out!" She cackled, tossing Rentaro roughly into her shoe. As his face skidded across the worn insole, Rentaro came face to face with a putrid aroma of pure musk and sweat. It was exactly as he thought it would smell like and Rentaro loved every second of it. Furthermore, the fact that it was track girl made it all the better, reinforcing Rentaro's belief of his luck turning around.

      Staring down at the well-worn and darkened matting of the sole, Rentaro felt like he was going to become no good himself if he stayed in her shoe for too long.  Nevertheless, he crawled his way to the toe section and waited for Chihiro to put the shoe on. 

       He couldn’t help but fanboy over how well things were turning out. As Chihiro slowly and meticulously slid her foot into the shoe, a veil of imposing scent and darkness slowly approached him. While the light slowly diminished, Rentaro enjoyed the view of Chihiro's battered sock as it encompassed his entire vision. From where he was standing he counted at least seven holes in her sock, that was undoubtedly from months and/or years of overuse. Furthermore, he also observed something incredibly interesting. Looking at her socks for the first time, he originally thought they were Grey by default but as he thought about it some more, he realized that they were undoubtedly white socks that had just been stained over the course of however many days, weeks, or months, she's been wearing them. 

      "Enjoy your stay! Oh and you can forget ever going back to that new transfer student! Hahaha! Maybe if you turn these socks back to their original color, I might reconsider." She securely fastened her foot into the shoe, pinning Rentaro between her big toe in the process. Despite all the enjoyment he was feeling, those words finally made Rentaro realize that she might not have been exactly the nicest person at Hanichi High school.

      "Talk about Deja Vu…" Thinking back to his earlier interaction with Sekira, he realized that maybe enjoying and taking advantage of his current situation may not have been the best idea. His life was on the line and trying to get off on his captor’s foot didn't seem as appealing anymore… 

      Meanwhile, on the way to the nurse's office, Megumi was still thinking of a way to rescue Rentaro, unbeknownst to the fact that all her planning would go to waste due to Rentaro now being in a completely different location.

      "Wait a minute, you're in Reina- I mean Ms.Oshino's class right?" Ms.Shizuka asked. 

      "Yeah, why do you ask?" 

      "She’s a good person, so if you need help with anything, anything at all, don't be afraid to ask me, or Ms.Oshino.” Placing her hand on Megumi’s shoulder she smirked. She saw a lot of herself in Megumi and she desperately wanted to make sure she ended up on the right path. 

      “I’ll be sure to take you up on that offer, eventually.” She giggled walking towards the entrance to the nurse’s office. “Thanks again for showing the way, Ms.Shizuka. I’m going to get some rest until this ‘headache’ dies down.” Megumi walked into the nurse’s office and the two of them went their separate ways with a sense of motivation in their minds. 

      As she entered the room, she noticed that there was someone else in the room: someone who wasn’t the nurse. 

      “I guess I must’ve overdone it last night. Heh, I’m such an idiot.” Lightly coughing behind one of the cubicle curtains, Megumi could hear a very familiar voice. Even if it was a bit raspy, Megumi knew exactly who it was and as she quickly slid open the curtain. Behind it, she saw none other than Furyu Mitsukabe laying soundly in one of the medical beds. She had a feverish expression and she looked like she was burning up. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop Megumi from showing her how excited she was to see her.

      “I’m so happy to see you!!” She smiled brightly trying to hug Furyu.

      “Get the hell off me *cough* idiot." She struggled against Megumi's loving wave of affection trying to push her away. In her sickly state, she was no match for Megumi. "Do you wanna get sick too or somethin'?!" Finally managing to push her off Furyu sunk back into her warm blanket. She still felt kind of bad for threatening Megumi, but she didn't have the guts to admit that she made a mistake. 

      "Sorry about last night! And don't worry, your secret is safe with me!" Megumi said kneeling by Furyu's bedside. 

      "You really are an idiot aren't ya." She let out a small sigh. "Look here, as long as you don'tGuo runnin'your damn mouth about me or my family… we can 'go back' to bein' friends." Pulling the blanket over her face she hid her now flushed expression. 

     "Yay!" Megumi cheered trying to hug Furyu once more. But, unlike the last time, Furyu was prepared. As Megumi got close, Furyu delivered a swift strike straight to the top of Megumi's head causing her to face plant into the soft mattress. 

      "I get that you're excited, and all, but I don't want you gettin' sick because of me. Got it?" She smirked at Megumi trying to conceal the exhausted expression on her face. 

      "Wait, give me a second!" Megumi said going out in the hallway to buy a drink from a nearby vending machine. As the soft clunking of the drink machine reverberated throughout the 'empty' school halls Megumi reached down only to be intercepted by the rude girl from earlier. 

      "Thanks for the drink, cow! There's nothing better than getting something for free." Taking one sip from the drink she was filled with an unimaginable wave of sour-tasting liquid that one would dare to call lemon flavored. "SSSour Lemon Juice." The worst drink on school grounds. As the name suggests, it's really sour. So sour to the point of absolute infamy. As her face puckered from the awful face she collapsed onto the ground trying to get the sour taste out of her mouth.

      "A-Ah I am so sorry!" Apologizing profusely, Megumi quickly bought a small can of milk tea to help neutralize the sour acids in her mouth. With no choice but to accept it, Makoto grabbed it from her hands and drank the entire thing, before tossing it on the ground in front of Megumi. 

       "What is wrong with you?!?! Why the hell would you buy something like that?!? Are you some sicko masochist who wants to torture herself or something?? Or maybe…" She glared at her with a pissed-off expression. "You planned on me taking that drink and thought you could trick me, or something." 

       "Huh?" She looked at her with pure confusion on her face. In all honesty, Megumi had no idea that what she bought was that sour. In fact, the only reason she bought it in the first place was, she thought it would help Furyu get over her cold (Lemon juice is a good source of Vitamin C and it also helps reduce congestion). 

      "Look here, you cow! If you think you can one-up me, you're sorely mistaken." She grabbed Megumi and stared intensely into her eyes. "I'll make sure that you regret ever encroaching on my territory, slut."

      Typically you'd think that someone would be incredibly intimidated or scared if they were told that, however, Megumi wasn't paying attention to anything she had said. This was due to Megumi's intense focus towards Makoto's cleavage. Not for the reason, you'd think, instead, she was trying to see if Rentaro was still lodged inside. Her little collar grab helped Megumi get a full look at her tits, but as she tried to recall everything she saw inside, she remembered seeing no trace of him. This gave Megumi a feeling of relief as well as a newfound sense of worry. And as Makoto walked off in a sullen and angry demeanor, all Megumi could think of was the whereabouts of Rentaro. 

      "I'll find you, Rentaro!! Don't you worry!" Thrusting her fist into the air, she quietly shouted trying to get herself pumped up and determined. As a motivated smile appeared on her face, she dramatically pushed one of the buttons on the vending machine and went back to Furyu. 

      "The hell took you so long?" She chuckled looking at Megumi as she entered the room. 

      "It was nothing,  don't worry about it. Here's your drink by the way!" She smiled at her. 

Thanks…" She mumbled dipping below her blanket once more, to hide her genuine smile. 

       A few hours later, the school bell had rung, signaling the end of another day at Hanichi High School. While Megumi dragged Furyu towards the computer room hoping to convince her to join, Rentaro was still held captive by Chihiro who was leisurely walking towards the locker room to meet with members of the track team. 

       "Sit tight little guy, you're about to be introduced to a whole new region of Hell once you meet the rest of the team." She cackled trying to scare Rentaro. In reality, Rentaro wasn't scared in the least. In fact, he was quite the opposite. As Rentaro stood tall, in more ways than one, in the claustrophobic depths of Chihiro's shoe, he contemplated how to optimize his self-pleasure while also resisting his inner desires and temptations. 

      "Well, it wouldn't hurt to try it once…" Submerging his face in one of the many holes in Chihiro's beat-up socks, he rubbed his tongue all over the space between her big and middle toe. He was hit with a strange, salty taste that was almost indescribable. In all honesty, he didn't exactly have an opinion about whether or not he liked it. He enjoyed the feeling of being pathetic at such an 'imposing individual', but the taste wasn't as good as he thought it would be. Nevertheless, something as simple as that didn't ruin the experience for him. Instead, the only thing that was killing the mood for him, was the fact that Chihiro wasn't exactly the kindest person. 

      "A-Aaah! What the heck are you doing?!" In response to Rentaro's perverted actions, she scrunched her toes constricting Rentaro tightly between her toes. Miraculously, he managed to escape unharmed. After a couple more minutes of walking, Chihiro finally made it to the girl's track and field locker room. 

      "Enjoy the last few breaths of fresh air, bug." As Chihiro slid off her shoe Rentaro was blinded by the bright ceiling lights that shone overhead. Then suddenly, he was freed from his heavenly prison and tossed out onto the linoleum floor. Standing above him were the silhouettes of seven imposing figures, otherwise known as the Hanichi High School Women’s Track Team.

      At the same time, it seemed as if Megumi, Mai, and Furyu were dealing with quite the troublesome issue of their own…

     "Huh?" Crudely tacked onto the door of the computer room was a very roughly letter addressed towards Megumi of people. It was rudely worded and looked like it was straight out of a cliche murder mystery. 

      "Listen here, bitch. You just pissed off the queen of this school and now you must face the consequences. Meet me behind the school, 5:00 pm. You better be there, unless you want your little friend to end up a little red stain on the floor." 

      "Who the hell wrote this?" Furyu asked,  looking at the letter with a really confused expression. 

      "I think I know who it is, and... I'M NOT GONNA BACK DOWN FROM THEIR CHALLENGE!! !!" Megumi yelled, striking some stupid pose. Assuming that whoever sent the challenge, wanted her to come alone, Megumi did the only logical thing and asked for help anyways. "We'll defeat this foe, together!"

      "Don't you think that's a bit reckless?" Mai looked at Megumi, with concern for her safety. It seemed a bit problematic for a student to be picking fights on their second day of school, but knowing Megumi, there was no way she'd pass up the opportunity to save the life of a micro, even if her safety and reputation was at risk. 

      "It's reckless for sure, but in order to keep the promise you and I made, a little bit of recklessness is unavoidable, don't you think? Plus, our friend's life is on the line. Do you really expect me to worry about my safety at a time like this?" She stared at Mai, her eyes filled with a fiery resolve that radiated with unwavering determination. That confident look on her face was more than enough to reassure Mai, and at this point, it would be bad if they didn't go. But, even after fully agreeing to Makoto's challenge, there was still one more question that was left unanswered; who was this 'friend' that she was talking about? Megumi originally thought it was Rentaro, but she had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn't the type to be held hostage, especially because even if Makoto was a little on the cruel side, she was still a girl who had a firm appreciation for cute guys. 

      "That means that it must be…" Sliding the computer door open, she peered inside only to find it completely empty and in disarray. Chairs were overturned, and loose papers littered the ground. These were clear signs of a break-in and it was very obvious that Makoto was referring to Tomoya. Seeing how he was missing conflicted Mai a bit. After her 'enthralling' conversation with him earlier, her general opinion of him wasn't exactly high, but nevertheless, it was her job as Micro Student Representative to look out for her fellow students, even if some of them very greatly deserved their punishment. 

      "Well, it's only 4:00 pm, so we have some time to kill. Whaddya' wanna do in the meantime?" Furyu wrapped her arm around Megumi, her body filled with energy after resting in the nurse's office. After reading that threatening letter, Furyu was extremely eager to beat someone up and the fact that they were threatening Megumi, of all people, pissed her off. But, as much as she wanted this petty squabble to turn into a full-on brawl, she knew that Megumi wouldn't allow it. She was the type of person who'd always take the non-violent approach in every situation, and even if Furyu disliked that kind of attitude, she made an exception for Megumi. 

      As the group thought of a few ways to pass time, Megumi remembered that there was still one thing they needed to do, and from the way things were, she was starting to doubt being able to do it all her own. Even if it was embarrassing, Megumi needed to cast her fear aside and wholeheartedly ask for Mai and Furyu's help with finding Rentaro. Gathering up all her strength she woefully exclaimed how much of an idiot she was for losing him and desperately requested their assistance in finding him

      "Please! It's my fault for losing him, but there's no way I can find him on my own, so please!!" 

      "Why are you gettin' your panties in a bunch? You don't need to make such a big deal about it. It's not like we'll say no." Furyu placed her hand softly on Megumi's shoulder before flashing an enthusiastic smile towards her. It was safe to say that the two of them and whatever problems they may have had were officially patched up. After seeing how genuinely kind and honest Megumi was she saw nothing wrong with finally putting her trust back into her. 

      "Yeah, plus Rentaro's a member of the club and a fellow classmate. It's not like we're just gonna abandon him." Mai smiled at her before also flashing a thumbs up towards her. Mai was ecstatic to save Rentaro's life because, for once, she had a chance to rescue a fellow student from the clutches of a normal student. What once seemed like an impossible ambition was finally coming to fruition and with Megumi and Fuyu by her side, she was starting to feel like she could do her job as Micro Student Representative. This feeling caused her to feel an emotional amount of confidence and joy. Meeting Megumi was one of the best things that ever happened to her and she finally felt as if she had a fighting chance in this fight for equality. 

      Blindly following Megumi they had no idea how they were going to find Rentaro given that he was no longer 'with' Makoto, but even if they didn't know, it was clear that Megumi had a tiny hunch as to where he was… Or rather, she knew someone who did. 

      Absent-mindedly roaming the halls, Alice, Tsumi and Sekira casually searched around for some micros that they could bully when they noticed that one of them was acting strangely for no apparent reason. 

      "Hey, is something wrong? You've been acting weird ever since lunch." Alice asked, staring at Sekira with a worried expression. Upon exclaiming this she was only met with an incredibly awkward and suspicious response, followed by a slew of nervous fidgeting. 

      "What?! Why would there be something wrong?! Haha! I'm perfectly fine!" She said, poorly hiding her nervousness. In her mind, she was freaking out and feeling conflicted about Rentaro's sudden disappearance. She wondered constantly about why she would even care about a micro as it was extremely unlike her to do something so 'stupid.' She thought nothing of micros and enjoyed torturing them for her personal pleasure, and yet for some reason, whenever it came to Rentaro (specifically) all those feelings went away. Upon seeing his pure and innocent smile for the first time, she couldn't help but feel something deep within her cold heart. A feeling that, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't explain. She refused to believe that it was love, but it was very obvious that she was in denial. She denied all the positive things she thought about the unlucky insect that was Rentaro. She denied how cute he was. She denied how kind he must be. She denied the fact that she could happily stare at his kind smile for hours on end. All those emotions built up in her soul until she witnessed something incredibly worrying. 

      During lunch, Sekira was aimlessly roaming throughout the halls when she 'coincidentally' happened to see Megumi and Rentaro celebrate the founding of their club. As she secretly watched them from a nearby corner she looked on jealousy as Megumi held him in her soft embrace and stared on in disbelief as he was whisked away by Makoto and taken to a place in which his chances of survival weren't exactly the highest. She hated herself for worrying about him but, despite hating what he was, her opinion on who he was, was vastly different. The fact that she loved him and only him, was undeniable, and there was no way she was gonna let him die to anyone, but her. 

     Following this newfound ambition of her, she tailed Makoto only to lose him as she wandered into her class. However, he wasn't lost for long, due to a certain 'intuition' she had about a certain person, otherwise known as Chihiro Takanashi (the girl who kidnapped Rentaro). The reason she had this 'intuition' was because of her very similar reputation. The two of them may not have known each other personally but they did know of one another's existence when it came to being a danger to micro students. It wasn't difficult to say that they were both very high on the rumored 'students that you should avoid' list that was supposedly shared among many of the micro students. Nonetheless, she knew that if Rentaro had somehow managed to escape from Makoto's grasp he would surely be caught by Chihiro. 

      However, before she was able to act on her intuition, she was stopped by a teacher who forced her to go to class. That simple action was enough to shatter all her hopes of saving Rentaro and having him fall in love with her, and she walked solemnly to her next class. In class, she waited impatiently in worry and regret until school was over. Which brings us to the present. 

      It was hopeless. She knew that Chihiro had probably gone home by this time and she knew that Rentaro was either being mercilessly tormented, or dead. Either way, the fact that she wasn't the one to who had the pleasure of torturing and/or killing him, angered her greatly (for clarification, she doesn't want to kill and/or torture him (yet) but if given no other choice, she'd want to be the last person he saw before he was slowly killed and/or tortured). But, even if she believed that there was no point in trying to save her, there was one person who did earnestly believe that they'd be able to rescue him, and that person was the one and only Megumi Shiro! 

      A few minutes of searching later, Megumi had finally found the person who might have known about Rentaro's whereabouts, or the person who might have taken him, and that person was surprisingly enough, Sekira herself.

      "Why on earth would you even suggest asking them for help?!" Mai asked, snapping at Megumi. It was pretty obvious why she'd be upset upon learning that she was planning to request help from a gang of murderous psychos, especially after the interaction she had with them a little while ago. 

      "I know it might sound crazy, but there's no other choice! It's my fault that Rentaro got lost and there's no way that I'll stop until he's safe and sound." She said with a commendable amount of passion before gently handing Mai off to Furyu to make sure she wouldn't be in any danger when she went to talk with Sekira. As she walked away Mai stared at her hoping that she'd find the answer she was looking for. But, even if she did find the answer there's no way that Mai would ever forgive those murderous psychos. 

      "Well, if it isn't the new transfer student-" As Alice got ready to provoke her, she was thoroughly surprised as Megumi completely ignored her and went straight towards Sekira. Stopping right in front of her the two were face to face with each other. While Sekira seemed to be more preoccupied with worrying thoughts, Megumi spent what little time she had, preparing what she was gonna say to her, but in all honesty… She had no clue about how she was gonna ask her. It didn't help at all that she was still kinda afraid of the three of them. But, now wasn't the time for stupid emotions like fear. Her friend's life was on the line and she had to think of something. 

      "Please help! I know you know who took him so…PLEASE!" She stared into Sekira's uncaring eyes, hoping that she'd help her find Rentaro. This was her last chance, and she needed to give it her all. Even if she had to embarrass herself, she was prepared to do everything in her power to rescue her friend, and that's exactly what she did. Getting on her arms and knees, she prostrated herself in front of Sekira praying that she'd find it in herself to help out someone she barely knew.

      "What the…" Snapping out of her worried state, Sekira stared at Megumi with a look of confusion and disgust. She honestly had no interest in helping her with whatever she was begging for, or that's what she was trying to convey. In her mind, she was questioning whether or not Megumi would actually be able to save Rentaro. "What are you even talking about?!" She asked backing away from Megumi.

      "I need your help finding R-" As she tried to explain herself, Sekira was quick to react to shut her up. If Alice or Tsumi found out about her little crush, she couldn't even imagine what the two of them would do. Instead, Sekira tried her best to keep Megumi from revealing her secret. 

      "Oh! Of course! Since you're new here you wouldn't know where the restroom is! Haha, I guess I should be a reliable upperclassman and show you the way!" Laughing nervously she pulled Megumi into a nearby restroom to have a one on one talk with her without having Tsumi and Alice find out about her secret. 

      “I appreciate the thought, but I already know where the restrooms are. I was actually asking if you knew the whereabouts of a student. I’m pretty sure you know him, his name’s Rentaro Kitagawa!” Megumi said looking overly enthusiastic after hearing her call herself a ‘reliable upperclassmen.’ Things were looking up for her now and she couldn’t wait to finally rescue Rentaro, or so she thought.

      “Look, you must be some kind of idiot if you think I’d help you find some pervy little bug. But, if you want some advice try searching around for some of the bloodstains on the floor. If you're lucky, you might find a couple of disembodied limbs." She chuckled walking away with a shrug. As she walked away she tried her darndest to hide how much saying that hurt her inside, she just hoped that Megumi would reluctantly accept her answer and sadly cry to herself about it, or something. But, it was clear that Megumi was not going to lay down and take something so despairful for an answer. 

      As she walked towards the exit of the restroom, Megumi swiftly caught up to her wrapping her arms around her waist. As a small stream of tears flowed from her face she was determined to get Sekira to tell her where he was. 

      "Please! I know you know where he is so please tell me! Please! Please!" Similarly to a whining child, Megumi begged Sekira with all the conviction in her soul. 

      "What the- Are a little kid, or something?! Let go!!!" Fruitlessly trying to push her way, she contemplated just lying to her to get her to back off, but in a fit of panic, she accidentally said something extremely crucial. "Even if I did tell you I doubt you'd even be able to find her-" Covering her mouth she hoped that Megumi somehow didn't hear her, but much to her dismay, Megumi heard her loud and clear. 

      "Find who?" Looking at her with a smug expression, Megumi caught her in a lie and was ready to pry at her for hours until she revealed who the mystery person was and Sekira knew that, at this point, resistance was futile. 

     "Uuggghhh! Fine! I'll tell you. Just let go of me already." She sighed finally managing to escape from Megumi's firm hold. She didn't want to tell her, but if Megumi somehow managed to make good on her word and save Rentaro then she'd be extremely relieved. However, she didn't like the prospect of Megumi being his savior and capturing his heart in the process so she agreed to tell her on one condition. "If I tell you who took him then you have to owe me a favor!!"

      "Great! It's a deal." Smiling sweetly, she ignored Sekira's sinister smirk and extended her arm out accepting her condition. At the time she didn't state what her favor was, but it's not like that mattered to Megumi. All that mattered was that she could finally save Rentaro. 

      "Her name's Chihiro Takanashi, she's the captain of the track team and that's pretty much all I know. If she's still here, you better get a move on. I hear she's pretty ruthless to bugs like him." She shrugged walking out of the restroom. "Oh, and word of advice, if you tell anyone that I helped you. You could say goodbye to all the bugs you happen to string along in your little club."

Her harsh threat sent a chill down her spine and as she left the restroom she thought deeply about what she said before leaving the restroom herself. 

      Meeting up with Furyu and Mai she gave a thumbs-up before relaying the information to the two of them. And as the name 'Chihiro Takanashi' left Megumi's mouth, Furyu became extremely ticked off. 

      "That son of a bitch!!" After handing Mai off to Megumi, Furyu sprinted her way to the girl's locker room by the track and field yard. As Megumi chased after her she dreaded to learn the reason as to why she seemed so perturbed. 

      Meanwhile, in the girl's track and field locker room, Rentaro was face to face with a group of very questionable girls who all seemed pretty interested in playing with the track team's new toy. 

      "So, Chi-chan(Chihiro's nickname) who's this week's plaything?" A really cute looking girl with peach-colored hair asked poking at Rentaro as he laid exhausted on the cold ground. 

      "Just some weirdo I found on the floor earlier. He's kind of a creep so watch out. Also, I want him back by the time I'm done helping out Makoto with her transfer student problems." She shrugged looking at the time. There were about 4 or 5 girls in the locker room (not including Chihiro) and almost every single one of them seemed interested in taking their time mercilessly toying with the Rentaro, even if most of them had no idea who he was. 

      "Hello little guy, I bet you're glad to be out of Chihiro's awful running shoes, but I'm sorry to say you're not going to  be any happier now that you're with us…" The girl with the peach-colored hair said, creepily chuckling to herself as she held her hand tightly around Rentaro's waist. 

      "P-Please…" Now faced with real danger, Rentaro began to fruitlessly beg for his life. Despite how eager he was to put himself in tricky situations for the sake of indulging his foot fetish, he had no intention of actually dying because of something that was completely out of his control. It scared him, he was afraid of saying goodbye to all the people that he called friends and the fact of the matter was, this situation was all caused by his stupid bad luck. He hated it, he hated the luck but, most of all he hated himself. If he never went to this school, none of this would have happened. If he went to Okisana or some safer micro-only school. He'd be completely fine… or that's what he wanted to think. As much as he wanted to regret attending this dangerous school, he loved every day he got to spend with all the friends he made. 

      He had to get over his fear, and believe in the exact thing he despised. He put all his faith in his luck and hoped that, by some miracle, he'd be able to get out of this situation relatively unscathed. As he closed his eyes, he had hoped to hear Megumi's kind voice approach with her yelling something cheesy like, 'I'm sorry it took me so long.' He imagined her cheerful smile as she endearingly apologized to him and he wanted nothing more to go back to her and the rest of the club. He had no ill will towards Chihiro or any of the other girls on the track team, that was just the kind of guy he was. 

      As he slowly opened up his eyes, all his hopes of being saved were shattered as he found himself in the same situation he was before he believed in his detestable luck. Still clutched tightly from his waist, held by a cute girl he didn't even know and as he expected to be thrust into a world of torture, she began to speak once more. 

      "Wait a minute…" Looking closely at Rentaro she let out an almost comical sounding gasp as her face lit up, beat read all of a sudden. "No wonder you seemed so cute." She smiled seductively looking at Rentaro with a look of pure lust and desire. He was kind of relieved by this reaction, at least he wasn't gonna be tortured anymore… hopefully. 

      Her lustful intent shined brightly through her eyes as she stared intently at Rentaro. This girl seemed way too depraved to be a typical lovestruck shoujo girl and too vanilla to be some kind of yandere. He had no idea how to act in this situation, but it honestly seemed like nothing he did would make a difference. All he could do was just stand there silently with a fearful expression and hope that she wouldn't be too rough with him. Even if he was reassured by the fact that his reputation had saved him once again, he was still worried about what exactly would happen to him shortly. And because Rentaro dabbled in soft-core masochism, it was a testament as to how afraid he was in that situation.

      "Look what you did Chi-chan, the little guy looks scared to death. Here let big sister Kaori take care of you <3." Smiling sweetly she pulled Rentaro into her soft and ample bosom. As she pressed him tightly against her chest Rentaro felt like he was being suffocated by two pillows that were aggressively soaked in sweat. Her sports uniform seemed relatively dry at first but now that he was pushed in so closely, it was impossible to ignore the salty liquid that was currently drenching his entire body. Comparing the experience to soft waterboarding, Rentaro just quietly waited until he was freed from this temporary prison. 

      However, much to his dismay, she kept him there for way longer than he had hoped. Her body heat was starting to get unbearably warm, creating a less than comfortable environment for the tiny boy. It had gone from slightly moist and slow pillow suffocation to complete and utter sauna. The heat was slowly making him feel a little light-headed and as he tried to catch his breath he choked as every breath he took was filled with an unimaginable amount of humidity and moisture. It was like being underwater in the sweat of a high school track girl. As he struggled to hold in his breath, Rentaro was very suddenly and abruptly freed from his watery prison. 

      Coughing out all the liquid that had crept its way into his lungs, he soon found himself tightly held in the oddly petite hands of the track member that 'rescued' him from Kaori. Her grip was very gentle, but considering how petite the girl was, it wasn't exactly that surprising. She had light blue hair and wasn't exactly the tallest person in the room, but even if she wasn't that tall or mature looking, she towered over Rentaro (and so did every other normal girl in the room). Her lack of maturity really showed in her appearance. It was at the point of which she didn't look like a high school girl in the slightest, however, a girl with no boobs to show for was a relief for Rentaro. There was no way his bad luck would trigger off of her.

      "Too clingy…" Talking with a deadpan and robotic tone, she held Rentaro away from Kaori like a child trying to keep her toy away from someone. 

      "Eh? Kyoko? Hey, what's your problem? Can't you just wait a few more minutes for your turn?!" She pleaded, trying to bargain her way into getting Rentaro back. But as much as she tried, Kyoko wasn't having any of it. 

      "You were suffocating him." She pouted and turned away from her. Unlike Chihiro or Kaori, this girl seemed somewhat gentle, though, something felt off about this situation. The track team was known for being mean to micros but, if that was the case, then how did a girl like her manage to become a key member. Not thinking about it too much, Rentaro enjoyed what little downtime he was allotted on Kyoko's soft palm. "Cute." Patting on him on the head, her deadpan tone did wonders to give Rentaro a false sense of security, and as she pinned him against her palm and very slowly started to undress him, Rentaro’s once positive and innocent image of Kyoko was shattered in an instant. Now warped in his mind, the cute and petite girl she previously was replaced with the image of an immoral and perverted nymphomaniac. For some reason, he felt way more fear in the hands of this ‘sexual deviant’ then he did in the suffocating bosom of Kaori and the claustrophobic shoe of Chihiro. Fear of defilement trumped his fear of death momentarily.

      "Wait please!!” He pleaded, in a fruitless struggle to keep his clothes on. There was nothing he could do to stop a girl that was almost 100x’s his size but, he didn’t want to just lay there and be stripped down. His pleas meant nothing to her and he had only the whims of fate to keep his innocent body from being completely desecrated.

      “Eh?! What the hell are you doing?!” Being a relatively innocent-hearted girl, the sight of seeing a cute boy slowly undressed in front of her very eyes, flustered Kaori to no end. As all his clothes were meticulously pulled away, Kaori shielded her eyes while subtly sneaking a few peeks, every now and then, through the gaps between her fingers. And for Rentaro, it was almost impossible to describe the levels of humiliation he was feeling at the moment. Being ruthlessly stripped down and defiled by this uncaring girl was tearing away at his innocence and he was slowly becoming a hollow shell of his former self.

      “Too cute not too. I have to see-” As she blankly tried to explain herself a metallic bang echoed throughout the locker room. Silence befell the room and every member of the track team focused on the source and Rentaro sat there silently tuning out all the commotion as he tried to be at peace with his scrambled feelings and hollow thoughts of innocence. Nothing around him mattered. For all he knew, he was now a powerless plaything destined to be toyed with by a bunch of girls he didn’t know…

      “Tch, where the hell did that son of a b**ch go!!” Her first was planted firmly into the side of one of the lockers. The tips of her knuckles were flushed red lying in a shallow dent in the thin metal plating. She was out of breath and pissed off. And ‘she,’ if it wasn’t already obvious at this point, was the one and only Furyu Mitsukabe. Her presence struck fear into the hearts of the devious members of the track team, and for good reason. Noone likes seeing her mad, especially the members of the track team.

     Looking for Chihiro, she scanned the room hoping that she’d be in the prime position for an old-fashioned beating, however much to her dismay, it was clear that Chihiro had left a few minutes ago and she definitely wasn’t satisfied with that result. It was clear that, at this point, it'd be best if she ‘interrogated’ some of the members to find out where exactly she went.

      “Long time no see, ladies. If you don’t tell me where your b**ch of captain went, I’ll pound you all into the ground!” Cracking her knuckles she shot a menacing glance towards the cowering group of girls. Her first target was none other than Chihiro’s right-hand woman; Kaori Natsumaki. 

      “F-Furyu?!? U-Uh, if you’re looking for Chi-chan… she left earlier today. In fact, she was never here, to begin with! I-Isn’t that right, Kyoko?" Terrified by her former teammate she looked over at the very uncaring looking Kyoko Miu, and silently hoped that she’d take the hint and back her up in the matter. But, Kyoko wasn’t exactly the best at ‘reading the room.’

      “What do you mean? She just left.” Still holding Rentaro in her hands she completely blew through Kaori’s obvious lie without even trying. Furyu wanted to punch Kaori for lying to her but she didn't have a reason to anymore. She had all the evidence she needed to deduce where exactly Chihiro had gone and it was all thanks to Kyoko. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Furyu was always grateful to her. Among all the members of the track team, Kyoko was the only one who never passed any negative judgment towards her when she was on the team. The others may have thought of Furyu as just some juvenile delinquent, but Kyoko, on the other hand, only thought of her like any other teammate. It was honestly refreshing, even though she was a bit emotionless, Furyu owed her a lot. Even if she was the only person on the team that she didn’t hate, Furyu never really had any interest in becoming friends with her. Their personalities didn’t match in the slightest and Kyoko wasn’t necessarily the best when it came to being friends with people. Nevertheless, that didn’t matter at the moment because Furyu only cared about how fast she could deliver a swift beatdown to Chihiro.

      “Thanks, short stuff. I'll make sure that she gets what she deserves!” Flashing a slight smile towards her, Furyu patted her on the head before cracking her knuckles once again. She was fully riled up and ready to beat someone up.

      "Do your best." Completely ignoring the fact that she was condoning an actual crime, she did her best to encourage her former teammate as she continued to play with Rentaro. 

      Furyu looked down towards Kyoko's hands and finally realized that the micro she was playing with must have been Rentaro. She wanted to do something to stop her, but she didn't want to steal Megumi's thunder. Making sure she didn't do anything drastic, Furyu waited for her to arrive.

      Short of breath, Megumi stormed into the room with a determined expression and a hopeful resolve. Being the cautious type when it came to situations like this she held Mai securely in her shirt pocket before scanning the room desperately looking for Rentaro until her eyes finally fell onto his half-naked body. Not focusing on why he was half-naked, Megumi felt a surge of relief in her heart. Despite having a gut feeling that he'd be OK. Megumi could only do so much to calm her worries down and upon seeing Rentaro relatively safe and sound she couldn’t be happier. 

      “Rentaro!!” Calling out to him, she ran over to Kyoko swiftly stealing Rentaro from her nimble hands. As he sat there with an empty expression on his face, Megumi continued to call out to his hollow shell hoping that he’d respond to her. In a defiled state of mind, Rentaro barely heard the echoes of Megumi’s kind and caring voice. Her face, as well as the rest of the world around him, was distorted and blurry and no matter how much she called out to him there was no hope of him hearing her unless Rentaro went back to his positive state of mind

. 

      Megumi struggled desperately to snap him out of his hollow shell but, no matter how much she called out to him, it was practically useless. She had to try something different and that's when she remembered something similar that had happened when she first met Rentaro. Flashing a kind smile towards him, she pressed him softly against her chest, letting him hear the soft rhythm of her heart once again. This was the only thing she could think of and if it didn’t work she’d regret not being able to comfort him for the rest of his life.

      As the subtle thumping of her heart reverberated throughout Rentaro’s mind he was flooded by a wave of nostalgia and relaxation. Positivity returned to his hollow shell and a small smile returned to his innocent face. Being coddled by Megumi was exactly what he needed and he was finally back to his cheerful state. Pressing his face against her chest he was finally able to calm himself down enjoying the soft beating rhythm and plush bounciness of her bosom. As Megumi pulled away she saw Rentaro’s smiling face and erupted into tears of joy.

      “I’m so glad that you're ok and I'm truly sorry for losing you!!” She looked at Rentaro with small beads of tears in her eyes. Wanting desperately to give him a friendly hug, she remembered how this whole situation began and decided against it. 

      "You don't have to apologize. It wasn't your fault!" Rentaro said humbly scratching the back of his head. 

      "But still, if I just held you normally this whole situation wouldn't have even happened…" Thinking of some way to apologize to him, her mind went blank as she couldn't think of a single way to repay him for forgiving her. Seeing her struggle to come up with something Rentaro decided that it'd be best if she just came up with something for her. 

      "Hmm, how about this! You owe me two favors that you'll have to obey no matter what!" He suggested. 

      "That sounds alright!" Slightly worried by his request she realized that it wasn't unfair considering what had happened to him. She was determined to fulfill his order even if he wanted her to do something embarrassing or weird. 

      "And if you don't mind, I'd like to use one of my favors right now!" 

      "Hm? And what would that be?" 

      "Megumi Shiro! Please be my friend!!" He yelled out earnestly looking at her with a joyful expression on his face. Hearing those words brought a minor feeling of nostalgia to both Mai and Megumi. 

      "Haha! Isn't that the same method you used on me when we decided to become best friends? Gosh, you two are practically the same person." Mai giggled remembering the joy she felt back when Megumi did the same thing to her. From that alone, she knew that Rentaro was a trust-worthy person. If he was anything like Megumi, she had no reason to doubt him.

      "You didn't need to ask, of course, I'd say yes!" She smiled sincerely at him. Even if it was a bit mundane this was a momentous occasion for her. In only three days Megumi's made a total of three best friends (Rentaro, Mai, and Furyu). She couldn't wait to finally do club activities with all three of them, but they still had one more thing to do.

      "Times ticking Megumi. We should probably head over to our little 'meeting' so, I can give that dumb track team captain a piece of my mind." Furyu said as she looked at the time. 

      "Oh wow, you're right. I guess we should probably head over there now, but Furyu. Before you politely confront this Chihiro girl, I want you to be on standby while I try to handle this situation on my own." Megumi placed Rentaro in her shirt pocket as well and turned towards the door. In all honesty, even if she didn't show it, she was afraid to confront Makoto, but, she knew they wanted her to come alone and she couldn’t risk Tomoya's life for a little security. 

      "Sounds fine to me, as long as I can kick her ass eventually I don't see a problem with that." Furyu was completely alright with Megumi proposition, however, Mai on the other hand, was quite averse to it. 

      "Are you crazy? Makoto is known for breaking down girls like you! If you do this alone she'll undoubtedly find some way to ruin your reputation!" Still feeling reluctant to save Tomoya she tried fruitlessly to make Megumi think about her safety more than that of a person she barely knew, but of course, Mai already knew what Megumi's answer was. 

      "If things get a little too rough then I'll signal you guys, but I don't want someone to die over a little cautiousness. Thanks for worrying about me by the way. I appreciate it." Gently patting Mai on the head, she made her way to the exit of the locker room and headed towards their next destination. 

      In the meantime, Makoto, Chihiro, and one other person were waiting by the back of the school waiting for Megumi's arrival. 

      "Ugh, I can't believe you tried to charge me for that stupid blackmail video. Why don't you learn your place bug!" Dangling Tomoya by his school uniform she ranted to him about his unfairly lucrative offer. 

      "You must have been pretty desperate to request my help with ruining her reputation. Is 'Ms. Self-Proclaimed Queen of The School' scared of a single Okisana transfer student?" Even in the position, he was in, Tomoya still felt confident enough to be snarky towards Makoto. 

      "He's got you there Mako, why didn't you just handle the new transfer girl on your own?" Chihiro said, absent-mindedly poking at Tomoya. 

      "No particular reason…" Crossing her arms she avoided the question out of embarrassment. If she said the real reason as to why she asked Tomoya for help, there was a 100% chance that she'd be made fun of. Despite her secrecy, it seemed as if she didn't need to keep quiet about it at all. 

      "She's afraid that she'll lose her place in the social hierarchy by openly targeting her." The third girl said leaning up against one of the walls. With her nose buried in what looked to be a pretty advanced scientific textbook, she was the spinning image of the genius girl stereotype. She had a head of long and straight black hair, a pair of thin-rimmed rectangular glasses and to top her whole look off, she even wore a lab coat despite not being in a lab. Compared to Makoto and Chihiro she seemed a little out of place in this little group of bullies but, considering the type of person she was inside, it made more than enough sense that she'd be part of the group. 

      Akatsumi Aomori was once a top student and the president of the science club at Hanichi High School. However, at the start of her second year, everything changed. After losing her number one spot to a micro student, she slowly began to despise the tiny people that roamed the halls of Hanichi academy. To vent out this frustration, she'd frequently kidnap and perform torturous experiments on micro students using the science lab as a torture chamber. Eventually, she was found out and kicked out of the science club, however, there wasn't enough evidence to get her expelled so she just laid low with the only friends she trusted: Chihiro Takanami and Makoto Masumi.

      "Why don't you shut it, Aomori! I wouldn't be caught dead being afraid of that girl." Snapping at her, it was clear that she was in denial.

      "I doubt that she can be any cuter than you are Mako, so you really shouldn't be too worried. And even if she's somehow cuter than you we can just ruin her reputation like always." Chihiro said wrapping her arm around Makoto. 

      "Even still, I can't believe you tried to get help from a bug." Aomori looked at Tomoya with a very disgusted and disappointed expression before returning to her book. 

      "I'm not exactly thrilled to be here either, Acuntsumi but you can't expect everything to go your way, can you??" He snarled glaring at her from afar. From the way he was acting, it was clear that Tomoya was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. 

      "Wow! He's a feisty one ain't he." Chihiro laughed, surprised by how insulting he was. Nevertheless, his harsh words only served as a minor annoyance to Makoto and the others. Whether they like it or not, they really couldn't just kill him off right then and there because they still needed him to be their hostage. All they could do is wait until their imminent showdown with the Megumi Shiro. 

      The clocked ticked down under the orange-tinted sky. A fight between ideals was stirring and in a secluded area behind the school building, Megumi clashed against her fate choosing to face Makoto head-on. If saving Tomoya meant giving up her reputation, she'd more than gladly accept those terms. Even though she had no intention of telling Mai, Furyu, or Rentaro, she wasn't just willing to give up her reputation, she was dead-set on submitting to whatever humiliating tasks Makoto demanded of her if it meant saving Tomoya. The only reason Makoto kidnapped him in the first place, was because she hated Megumi, so in her mind, this whole situation was entirely her fault.

      "Well, you might be risking a lot to deal with Makoto but… if that's the case, then you have to let me help you. If I'm there, then I promise you that Makoto or her goons will be able to lay a finger on you!!" Confidently staring at Megumi she was determined to help her out, even despite her very miniature size.

      "Yup." With a blank smile on her face, she continued her walk to her and Makoto's meeting place. The response she gave was very strange. Usually, she’d give some overly enthusiastic or caring answer but, it was very clear as to what the real reason was.

      "You're nervous aren't you?" Rentaro said, looking up Megumi. On the surface, she looked calm, focused and determined to take on Makoto, but it was impossible to deny how nervous this situation was making her. Another dead giveaway was something only Rentaro would notice. 

      "H-How'd you know?!" She asked, surprised that Rentaro managed to break through her facade she gave in to the pressure and reluctantly admitted to her nervousness. 

      "Well, you're heartbeat, of course. You know how when people are nervous they get really panicked and their hearts start to race? That's what your heart is like." With his head pressed up against her boob, he listened to the sound of her heart through the thick fabric of her shirt, much to the discomfort of Mai who was standing directly next to him. 

      "Look, Rentaro… I know that you have good intentions but, I think you're being a bit of a perv right now. Also, you should probably put on some clothes." Mai looked at him with partial disgust in her eyes. Even if she did fully trust Rentaro she couldn't stand how unintentionally perverted he was being towards Megumi. With him pressing his face against her breasts and snuggling warmly in her embrace, something about him seemed off. Maybe, it was jealousy? She didn't know. Nevertheless, none of that was important at the moment. The only thing that was mattered to her was helping Megumi through this Makoto conflict with her integrity and reputation intact. But, much to her dismay, it seemed as if she'd be both unable to help her and unable to make absolutely positive that she'd be able to get through this with both her integrity and reputation…

      "Mai, you really should know that you sound a little hypocritical telling people to put on clothes. Didn't you once roam the halls in nothing but your-" Before he could finish his sentence both him and Mai were plucked from Megumi's pocket and dropped off in the surprisingly soft palms of Furyu. 

      "Furyu, stand by while I deal with this on my own. And Mai… I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that you won't be able to assist me with this one." She walked away under the orange-tinted sunlight towards a relatively hidden part of the school. As Mai looked on in confusion she was more than furious with her decision. 

      "But you said that you'd let me help you." She called out to her, but Megumi had no intention of letting Mai get involved in something that could very well lead to her getting hurt. This was her responsibility and she had to deal with it all on her own, even if it meant having to give up her reputation and whatever chance she had at a normal school life.

      Masked by shadow stood three individuals. A girl with thin-rimmed rectangular glasses and long, straight black hair, a slightly tanned girl with short brown hair, and a girl with maple-colored hair tied into some trendy pigtails. It was Akatsumi Aomori, Chihiro Takanami, and Makoto Masumi. Together they glared menacingly towards Megumi. 

      "So you actually decided to show up? How long were you planning to make me wait…" Makoto looked at her with an incredibly smug look on her face. She was gonna have fun toying with her and she couldn’t wait to break her to pieces. 

      "What do you mean? She got here exactly on time. In fact, she arrived at this location exactly 37 seconds before 5:00 PM, so technically, she’s early." Aomori pointed out looking closely at her watch. 

      “C’mon Morimori (Aomori’s nickname), don’t interrupt her during her dramatic moment,” Chihiro commented, trying her best not to laugh at how overdramatic she was being in front of Megumi. 

      Despite all the side commentary and distractions, Makoto held strong. She chose to not let her confidence falter in the face of her most hated enemy. Thoughts of destroying Megumi were the only things that permeated around her hateful mind. Even if she never did anything to her, Megumi was the only person who had a chance of completely crumbling her social standing at this school. She worked hard to get to this point, and she couldn’t let it all go to waste.

      “Look, I don’t know what you want but, please! Please let Tomoya go!!!” With a desperate tone, she begged profusely in front of all three of the girls. She didn’t know how to fight and she definitely wasn’t the most athletic person in the world, so this was her only shot of getting him back safe and sound.

      “Hahaha! I heard you were a pushover but, I didn’t know that you’d be this pathetic. Look here, you cow! Your little bug friend is completely safe, but he won't be like that for long if you don't listen to what I say." She held out Tomoya in front of her, almost as if to taunt her. Despite being somewhat of a spiteful airhead, she knew exactly what she was doing. She's been through the same process with dozens of girls. You could almost say that Makoto was a bit of an expert when it came to blackmail. Nevertheless, if Makoto could be classified as an expert bully: Megumi could very easily be classified as an expert at dealing with bullies.

      "I'll do whatever you ask. But, you have to promise that you'll give him back to me." Her request wasn't exactly that unreasonable, but still, she was in no position to be ordering Makoto around. This pissed her off to the point of wanting to crush Tomoya right then and there, but if she did that, she'd lose her only piece of leverage against Megumi. 

     "Oh really? You'll do anything I ask?" Cackling maniacally she pouted straight to the ground hoping that Megumi would take the hint and get down on her hands and knees, which she did without a single ounce of resistance. "Now that you're on the ground… why don't you try munching on some grass like the cow you are!!!!" Her cackling became much more depraved and a sickening expression began to form on her face. Seeing her 'greatest rival' on all fours about to do something so embarrassing filled her with an unimaginable wave of satisfaction that she could barely contain her intense pleasure. 

      "There's no way that she'd do something so degrading…" Mai commented in disgust at Makoto's outrageous demand and she wasn't the only one who thought there was no chance that Megumi would lower herself to the point of eating literal grass just to save someone she met a few hours ago. But, as Rentaro could attest, Megumi was the type to go above and beyond when it came to helping out a friend. 

      She lowered her head towards the ground and mentally prepared herself for the harsh humiliation she was about to experience. Glancing up at the three bullies, she saw that both Makoto and Chihiro had their phones out and were recording Megumi’s humiliating task. Chihiro felt somewhat reluctant about making her do something so degrading, while Makoto was not holding back. She was prepared to enjoy every millisecond of the pathetic image that was unfolding right before her eyes, and she could hardly wait to try out some more methods of torture until she was completely broken. This was all so exhilarating, and things were just getting started.

      “She might be dumb, but I doubt she’d do something stupid.” Much to her surprise, the one who made the insulting remark wasn’t one of the bullies, but it was the hostage. Fed-up with all this pointless hostage BS he finally decided to expose his true self to Megumi. “Why don’t you just cut it out and stop acting like you actually care about the life of someone you barely know.”

      “Huh?” Makoto and Megumi both said in unison confused by his very sudden remark.

      “Don’t act surprised. You and B*tchkoto are one and the same. Just some shallow b*tches starving for attention. You act all kind and innocent, but in reality, you’re just using this whole situation to manipulate your way into becoming some... school idol, or whatever. Just give it up. I know you don’t intend to do something dumb like eating grass.” He scoffed, practically asking Makoto to kill him right then and there.

      “I think you have an incorrect idea about what kind of person I am, Tomoya. For one, I don’t care about stuff like popularity, and for two… there’s nothing in this world that could stop me from saving my friends!!!” Planting her face into the grass-covered ground. A gasp of surprise rang out from everyone watching this unfold. 

      “Oh my god, she actually did it!! Hahaha!!” Laughing hysterically, she ended her recording and started to take a staggering amount of embarrassing photos of Megumi. That was her only focus and Megumi definitely wanted to take advantage of the situation. Grabbing a small tuft of dirt she needed to keep her distracted to execute her plan to save Tomoya.

      With a few blades of grass sandwiched between her lips, she gave Makoto the impression that she actually did partake in a hearty helping of the dirt ridden foliage. She carefully observed what Makoto was doing and the moment she let her guard down that’s when she’d commence her plan.

      “There’s also one more thing you should know about me...” Her voice muffled by the tuft of grass she was currently stuffing her face into, she subtly grabbed a handful of dirt and glanced upwards at Makoto who was still insultingly laughing at her. 

      “Aside from being your everyday average high school girl, I’m also… Megami Shiro: A goddess knight of both light and darkness and I will stop at nothing to save my comrades.” Lining up her shot she waited for the perfect moment to strike.

      “As if your chuuni bullshit can save you now! Have fun being known as the cowtits girl who ate grass just to save some stupid bug-”  

      “Nature’s Grand Divinity Slash!!” She tossed the small clump of dirt towards Makoto’s face and as she instinctively reacted to shield her eyes she accidentally dropped Tomoya. As Makoto clumsily struggled to get tiny bits of dirt out of her eyes she neglected to see that Tomoya had fallen gently onto the ground and now had an ideal escape route. This was very clearly planned by Megumi and a certain person desperately wanted to make sure that all of her planning went to waste.

     “Chihiro! Finish him off before he can get away!” Aomori yelled out.

     “Understood! Sorry, little guy.” Cutting his path off with her shoe, Chihiro wasted no time when it came to positioning her foot right on top of Tomoya. Despite his cynical and sarcastic attitude, even he felt terrified by his slowly approaching demise. A shadow slowly came over him and he hopelessly braced himself for the end of his short life.

      “Giving up so easily? The Dark Flame of Annihilation that I know would never falter under circumstances like this. Even if you’ve lost your magic you can still keep on fighting.” As Tomoya slowly opened his eyes he was greeted by Megumi’s smiling face. Judging by Megumi’s grass-stained uniform it was clear that she did some overdramatic dive to save him at the last minute. Even if Tomoya subtly hated her, he found himself wanting to thank her.

     “For a goddess, you sure are reckless, though I appreciate your concern. The dark flames that resonate throughout my soul have… been cooling down as of late, so it was quite considerate of you to lend me your aid.” He said in his edgy ‘dark flame of annihilation’ tone. Both of them, at this point, completely knew that they were faking their personas. Nevertheless, they had fun acting as their made-up characters.

      “Damn cow, do you honestly think you’ve won?! You’re outnumbered three to one.” She looked at her with an angry look on her. She was seriously pissed off and didn’t hesitate when it came to resorting to violence. As she threw the first punch her arm was abruptly stopped by someone just out of vision.

      “Look here girly, I think that’s quite enough!” Furyu said tightly holding Makoto’s arm back. 

      “C-Crap…” Chihiro said in fear as Furyu subtly stared at her from afar. She knew that if she stayed there any longer she’d be undoubtedly beaten to a pulp. In fear of her safety, she reluctantly decided to retreat leaving the two of her friends behind. Akatsumi soon made the same decision as it was the completely logical thing to do. Both of them deeply regretted leaving Makoto behind but Furyu made defending her in this situation completely impossible.

      “Tch, since that son of bitch captain ran off, so... it looks like I’m gonna have to take out all my anger on you.” Cracking her knuckles she looked at Makoto with an intense and terrifying glare. Shocked by fear, all color left her face and she fainted on the spot. It was quite easy to say that Megumi and the others had beaten Makoto, but something stopped Megumi from feeling any satisfaction from this victory. However, there was no reason for her to mention why she felt so dissatisfied, it’d only dampen the mood. Upon celebrating their achievement the group then decided to think about what they’d do with Makoto. It’s not like they could just leave her alone. 

      “You should probably just leave her here. If anything does happen to her she’d probably deserve it.” Tomoya said, surprising the rest of the group with his very rude and dangerous suggestion. But, surprisingly, he wasn’t the only one to share that opinion.

      “I know it might seem cruel, but I think it’s a fair idea. After she made you do something so embarrassing this is comeuppance isn’t it.” Mai said, mostly as a result of Tomoya bringing up the idea. 

      “Honestly, I couldn’t care less about what happens to her. I’ll leave it up to you Megumi…” Furyu shrugged searching Makoto’s pockets for her phone and/or wallet.

      “Even if she might be a bit of a bad person, she’s still a girl! We should at least take her to the nurse’s office.” Rentaro said trying to have an actually good-hearted suggestion. Unsurprisingly, Megumi had the same opinion and despite the majority vote the group reluctantly agreed to drop Makoto off at the nurse’s office before heading home. 

      As they went their separate ways. With everyone’s homes in the opposite direction of where Megumi and Mai’s houses, Megumi found it appropriate to walk her home once again. It was a mostly silent walk. Thanks to Megumi’s earlier ‘stunt,’ Mai felt a little awkward talking to her.

      “I’m sorry about lying to you earlier. I know you wanted to help, but I really couldn’t risk you getting hurt.” She said with a hint of sorrow in her voice. It was really easy to tell that she genuinely regretted not being able to let Mai help. Upon thinking about some more, Mai finally realized how outrageous her request was. Thanks to the power-high of being with Megumi she might have gotten a bit ahead of herself.

      “Hehehe! Jeez, you’re so over apologetic Megumi.” She laughed putting aside her earlier feeling of helplessness.

      “Eh? What do you mean?”

      “Hey, look it’s my house. Thanks for walking me home.”

      “You can’t just change the subject like that!!!”

      It was the start of a new day and, unlike the one that directly preceded, Megumi was filled to the brim with unrivaled joy and she was more than ecstatic to meet up with all her friends and discuss their first official business as a club. The sun was shining and, as Megumi waved an earnest goodbye to her caring parents and loving sister, she exited her house with an expression of pure bliss splashed across her face. Despite her desire to change the school for the better, Megumi wasn't averse to the possibility of just hanging out and talking about random stuff with Mai and the rest of the group. Just the thought of having pleasant conversations will all her friends was enough to give Megumi a shining glimmer in her dark magenta eyes.

      As she joyfully walked to school with a bubbly spring in her step, onlookers and students on their daily commute were astonished by Megumi's hypnotic breasts as they bounced rhythmically with each step. However, the lecherous and confused stares did nothing to make her feel uncomfortable. She was used to being stared at… for a variety of different reasons. 

      “Morning, Megumi!!~” After feeling a light tap on her shoulder, Megumi quickly turned around only to see the bubbly and energetic face of Bunny with her two friends Alice and Nana following closely behind.

      “Good Morning!! Hehe~ I didn’t expect to see you all so early! It’s a beautifully bright and happy day today isn’t it?” She smiled brightly with an aura resonating with the unbridled happiness and joy of a kid in a candy store and it was noticeable. Even from a glance, it was easy to tell just how happy this wholesome silver-haired girl was and, for most people, that same happy aura was enough to spread joy and positivity to anyone who just so happened to look at her smiling face. Even for Bunny, who was pretty much happy and bubbly ALL THE TIME.

      “Woah! Aren’t you happy today? Did something good happen? Oh! Wait, don’t tell me… I bet it’s because of what happened yesterday.” She smiled happily, like someone who just correctly guessed the million-dollar question on a quiz show. It was true that the Micro-Rep Support Squad’s victory helped add to Megumi’s joyful attitude, but the real question was… how she was able to find out about it in the first place.

      “Because of what happened yesterday? H-How did you find out about that?” She shuddered in surprise. For all she knew, only Mai, Furyu, Rentaro, Tomoya, and the three bullies knew of what went down yesterday. This was especially alarming to Megumi, as she wanted everything to stay between the seven of them so she could hopefully turn the three bullies away from their lives of senseless micro misdeeds. But, if people knew about what happened, there was no way she'd be able to get close to any of them. 

      "You don't know? It was posted all over the school forums last night." Interjecting, Bunny's friend, Nana said, showing off her phone to Megumi. Plastered across were comments and information about the 'Micro-Rep Support Squad's first victory against an infamous trio of bullies.' Following shortly after those posts and comments about their victory was a staggering article that revealed a lot of private information about the one and only Makoto Masumi. 'Self-proclaimed queen of the school’s private life as a murderous loser otaku!!', 'Bitch-Koto Masumi suffers embarrassing loss after kidnapping INFO-Knight Utsumi' and so on. 

      What Megumi saw was horrible. Even if Makoto was being mean to her there was no way she deserved to have hate articles written about her. In a single day, Makoto had lost every single unit of popularity that she had accumulated over her two years of high school. She feared the worst hoping that she'd still be able to reconcile with her. 

      "Honestly though, it's so amazing that you were able to do something like that on your second day of school. Here's hoping that you guys can take down some other bullies…" Subtly glancing over to Alice, Nana placed her phone in her pocket and continued to converse with Megumi about a bunch of stuff regarding how much of an achievement 'overthrowing' Makoto and her posse of bullies were, however, she couldn't help but feel bad about, essentially, ruining Makoto's school life.

      "In any case, I guess that means you're getting used to our school, haha!~" Bunny said, smiling excitedly at her. 

      "You're a lot more interesting than I thought you'd be…" Alice mumbled, glaring playfully at Megumi. She had a slight giggle in her voice and it seemed as if she was very interested in seeing what else Megumi could do. Of course, she was worried about eventually being exposed by her, but Alice was sure that she'd never be caught. She only thought of Megumi and the puny micro-representative as a minor inconvenience to her and her small group of murderous psychos. 

      As Megumi, Bunny and the others walked to school together they had finally reached the school's entrance. Trying to make idle and positive chit-chat with the three of them she eventually caught sight of something incredibly worrying.

      At the corner of her eye, was none other than Makoto Masumi herself. She was standing in front of her shoe locker with a total look of shame and despair. At first, the reason was unclear, but, as Makoto pulled her school shoes from the locker, they were decorated, or rather, vandalized with an array of awful messages and graffiti. It was very similar to the kind of stuff that was written in her notebook when she was being bullied by Makoto. It was true that this may have been well-deserved but, she couldn't stand seeing anyone get bullied, whether they were a bad person or not. She reached out her hand hoping that she'd be able to reassure her but, the moment Makoto caught sight of her she shot a dejected glare her way and took off leaving her vandalized school shoes behind.

      In the span of a few minutes, Megumi's day was slightly dampened and her mood went from extremely happy to concerned. Nevertheless, that didn't stop her from being optimistic. All she had to do was talk to her face to face during lunch and she'd have a 100% chance of setting things straight, that was the plan at least. For now, the only thing she could do was stay positive until then. 

      "It was nice talking with you guys!" Megumi said with a slightly forced smile on her face. As they all waved goodbye to each other Megumi felt as if one of the three girls had slipped something into her pocket. It was a suspiciously cryptic looking note that read, 'If you need any more information about you know who just call me.' Followed by a phone number. Judging off of her earlier conversations there was no doubt that the 'mysterious sender' was Nana. It was clear that she clearly had something against Alice, Bunny's other friend, and from everything that Mai told her on the day that they met, she didn't particularly trust Alice either. It was an intriguing offer, but Megumi had no intention of asking for further information about Alice. She was going to do things the truthful way and there wasn't anything that could change her mind. 

      "Yaaawwn, good morning Megumi. I heard you and the micro student-representative did something about that disgrace of a female yesterday. If you want some more people to expose, I have a long list of disgusting males that you should take a look at." Tsuyume said (Look back at chapter 4-6 if you don't remember who she is) stretching her arms. She seemed pretty tired and had small bags under her eyes, she must have pulled an all-nighter or something. Megumi wanted to snap at her for suggesting that she ruin the reputations of other people, but there was no way she'd be able to be mean or critical to anyone. This interaction only deepened Megumi's desire to clear up all the confusion. 

      "Oh hello, Tsuyume! You seem awfully tired this morning. Did you stay up all night or something." Megumi teased trying to change the subject immediately. 

      "Eh? You don't know- Oh right! You're new here so you probably wouldn't know." She yawned, once more before continuing her explanation. "Midterms are coming up so I spent all night studying. I'd suggest that you study too, but you're from Okisana, so I doubt you even need to study." She stretched her arms pulling her school shoes from her locker. 

      "Well despite what you may think of me, I'm not exactly the best when it comes to getting good grades." She laughed nervously, admitting one of her major faults.

      Pulling out her school shoes from her locker, she found herself acting upon one of her overly cautious habits. Nonchalantly, she flipped her shoes upside down and emptied seemingly nothing onto the palm of her hand. Confused, Tsuyume pointed it out to alleviate her confusion. 

      "Oh? Well, it's a bit of a long story. At my old school, I guess I was sort of popular, which meant every so often some of my 'micro fans' would sneak into my shoe locker and mistakenly fall into one of my shoes, so to make sure that I don't end up hurting anyone, I always make sure to check. You can never be too safe haha~" After carefully checking that no one had 'mistakenly' gotten into her shoes, she crouched down to slip them on. 

      "Mistakenly? Yeah, right!! I bet most of those 'fans' were just a bunch of sexual deviant foot perv males trying to take advantage of your kindness! Geez, I can't believe a school like Okisana could have such perverted males. I swear if I see a single guy try to put the moves on you I don't think I'd hesitate to stomp them into the ground…" She said without a second thought, unintentionally making Megumi feel uncomfortable. And if things weren’t bad enough, a certain micro person decided to come in at the exact wrong time.

      “Good morning Megumi! Or should I say ‘Megami Shiro’ haha! Honestly though, ever since we took down that stupid bitch I’ve been feeling great! And that feeling felt even better after I posted those expose files on the school forums! Haha, sorry for not telling you about what I was planning, but, I had to teach that braindead b*tch what happens when you mess with The Dark Flame of Annihilation!!” Tomoya said casually strolling up to Megumi. Upon hearing what Tsuyume had just said, Megumi’s heart essentially stopped. She couldn’t tell if Tsuyume was joking earlier, and she had no idea whether she’d act on her earlier remark. This uncertainty poked at Megumi’s worries so much that she genuinely felt afraid of Tsuyume. She wanted to quickly jump to action and save Tomoya from the potential danger, but she felt paralyzed in fear as her greatest weakness caught up to her once again. The intense pressure compacted on her, pushing her into a mental corner.

      “Tch, I never would've imagined that you’d become friends with absolute scum like him

…" She said and then looked at how afraid Megumi seemed and realized that what she said earlier must have caught her off guard. "Don’t worry about what I said earlier, death would probably be too good for a garbage male like him." Heavily disgusted by Tomoya's presence, Tsuyume quickly took action to get away from him.

      "Seeya in class, Megumi. Try not to let that scum rub off on you too much." She scoffed, glaring at him for a solid ten seconds straight before going to walking away. 

      After solemnly watching her walk away, Megumi took one big sigh of relief before confronting Tomoya about everything he just said. Regaining her composure, she looked at Tomoya with a smile that hid an immeasurable amount of seething rage that Tomoya felt a little scared from just being near her. 

      "We'll have a little talk about this later… For now, it's time for class so we better get going." Picking up Tomoya she headed to class only to be stopped almost immediately after.

      "Wait a second, there's probably something you should know about me…" Switching to his edgy 'dark flame' personal he stared earnestly at Megumi's confused face. "My dark flames can go loose at any moment and thus, it's unwise for me to be in such a compact location. So, out of concern for you and every mortal at this school, I advise that you return me to the location in which you initially found me." He said grasping his arm in pain as if he was pretending to feel an intense amount of pain Megumi wanted to play along with his act but despite the ridiculous reasoning Megumi felt compelled to respect his wishes… on one condition.

      “If you want me to take you to the computer room, but since you're a member of our club, you have to promise that you’ll study with us next weekend.” Megumi smiled at him, hoping to subtly manipulate him into agreeing to her terms and eventually, Tomoya, who was initially reluctant, finally agreed to her offer. And after quickly taking him to his ‘sanctuary’ she hurried her way to class, arriving just in time to avoid being marked late.

      As she collapsed onto her desk she sighed, still thinking about how she’d deal with this whole Makoto incident. After hearing that Tomoya was responsible for all the private information that had been released about her, she felt extremely conflicted. After everything that he went through, Megumi couldn’t blame him for wanting to get back at her. For Megumi, all of this was way too much to process and she found herself stressfully grasping at her head trying to find the best possible course of action. However, during her temporary moment of mental turmoil, she was abruptly snapped out of it as Rentaro called out to her.

      “Um, Megumi? Would you mind lifting your boobs off of me?” He said, and as Megumi looked down towards her bosom, she saw that she had mistakenly pinned Rentaro under her boobs when she collapsed onto the desk earlier. Miraculously, her boobs only managed to trap Rentaro’s bottom half leaving him relatively unscathed. Feeling relieved at the fact that she didn’t accidentally crush him, Megumi wasted no time when it came to gently pulling him out from under the avalanche that was her sublime breasts. 

      “I’m sorry for not noticing you earlier. I’m kind of dealing with a stressful situation at the moment.” She laughed nervously, still thinking about what to do about Makoto. Megumi originally thought she was alone in feeling sympathy for Makoto, but as she looked at Rentaro as he humbly tried to shift the blame onto himself, she realized that Rentaro was also in the same boat as her. The type of person who tried their hardest to see the good in everyone around them. Choosing to confide in Rentaro, she earnestly spilled the beans on why she was so stressed out. 

      "I see, well that's quite the predicament. With Makoto's standing on the social hierarchy in ruins, she probably hates you even more than she already did. Sorry to say this, but if you want a solution that'll instantly patch things up between the two of you, you're gonna have to ask someone else." He honestly apologized to her hoping that she wouldn't be too disappointed. As for Megumi, she kind of just stood there at odds with her thoughts. Was there nothing she could do to make amends? But, just as she had begun to lose hope Rentaro continued his earlier thought from a new perspective. 

      "Though, if I was in your position, I think that I'd probably just try to go up to her with an earnest smile and genuinely ask to be friends. I know it might sound a bit lazy but I guess that's just the kind of person I am, haha." He giggled, scratching the back of his head. After thinking that his idea was stupid, he was surprised to see such a joyful expression had formed on Megumi’s face. Thanks to Rentaro's suggestion she finally realized the reason why she couldn't think of anything; she was overthinking the entire scenario. Trying to think of some elaborate solution when in reality, the answer couldn't be more clear. A new objective entered her mind and she was more determined than ever to accomplish it. 

      "Hehe! You're such a kid, Rentaro!" She giggled, smiling sweetly at him. "But, even still… I think that's what I like the most about you! Thanks for helping me get my head straight, I honestly appreciate it!" 

(Note: there are no romantic feelings behind their words)

      "After everything you've done for me, there's no need to thank me. Plus, you're an amazingly cute and kind girl so I'm sure that you would've been able to figure everything out on your own." Looking deep into her eyes the two of them smiled at each other relishing in each other's flattery. 

(Note: there are no romantic feelings behind their words) 

      As the two of them giggled playfully at each other they ended being quite a distraction for all the students who were trying to pay attention to the lesson, and if the menacing glares of all the girls in class fell onto Megumi and the jealous scowls of the all the boys focused on Rentaro, the two eventually got the hint to quiet down when the teacher herself, Ms. Oshino, confronted them personally. Respectfully shutting up the two of them took their seats (Rentaro sat down on a miniature desk that was on top of Megumi’s desk) and decided to finally focus on the lesson. 

      After half an hour of anxiously waiting for the bell to ring, the class was finally over and Megumi walked out of the class with Rentaro in her hands. She was filled with confidence and ready to take on her next challenge. But, she still had something to do. 

      "Do you have any plans for lunch? If you do, I'll be more than happy to take you wherever you need to go." Sure enough, he did have somewhere to go, but Megumi didn't necessarily like what he had in mind.

      "You told me that you asked one of the third-years for help when you were trying to find me, right? If that's true then I'd like you to take me to them so I can give them my thanks!" He smiled, not realizing that he may have been making a huge mistake by requesting such a thing from Megumi. And what he said afterward didn’t help to alleviate her worries. " Oh, and if possible, can you let me handle this on my own?" Being alone with a girl who's almost killed him not once, but twice? What could go wrong?

      Time was ticking and Megumi had no gripe with letting Rentaro do what he wanted so she decided the best course of action was probably to respect his wishes and deliver him to Sekira. However, in fear of Rentaro's safety, she bent the truth and secretly texted Furyu to watch over him, just in case. 

      With that set and done, Megumi hightailed it to the cafeteria in search of the elusive and sullen Makoto Masumi. At first, it was almost impossible for her to even find anyone in such a populated area, but right as she was about to give up she heard something very worrying come from somewhere near her. 

      "Arara??? Is little miss 'queen of the school' eating lunch all alone?? How sad." Two incredibly rude and haughty girls approached Makoto with smug-looking expressions on their faces. It was probably easy to assume that Makoto either bullied or tried to bully them considering how they seemed to have a major grudge against her. 

      "..." Sitting there in silence Makoto tried her best to ignore the two of them as she ate her cheap barley nutritious lunch in total despair. No matter how hard she tried to deny it, the fact that she lost to Megumi was ever-present in her mind. And she didn't just lose, she lost badly and paid the price, ten-fold. It was pretty safe to say that she was completely removed from the social hierarchy. And not only that, thanks to the severity of her loss all the people she bullied in the past now had ammunition to bully her back. You could say she was getting what she deserved, but that's not what Megumi thought… 

      "Hmmm??? Why the silence? Cat's got your tongue? Here! Perhaps a refreshing beverage would get you talking." The second girl said slowly opening a bottle of water. From the looks of things, Megumi knew exactly where this was going and she had to stop it from going any further. So, without even thinking about it, Megumi jumped in right away just in time to save Makoto from being splashed by water. 

      As a gasp of surprise reverberated throughout the cafeteria, Megumi, now soaked in water, turned to face Makoto. 

      "Are you OK?" Megumi said, smiling at her. 

-To Be Continued-

      "Are you OK?" Soaking wet, with a kind smile on her face, she extended her arm out to Makoto. The look on her face was one of pure shock and anger. Apparently, a single day wasn't enough for her to completely get over her hatred for Megumi, nevertheless, that was never her plan in the first place. Megumi was at least smart enough to comprehend how grudges and hatred works, but she didn't care. Even if it took the entire school year she was gonna get on Makoto's good side and rid herself of every sliver of guilt she felt from seeing her in such a miserable state. 

      "Wait a minute, aren't you the girl who exposed her? Why the hell are you trying to save her?!" One of the haughty girls asked, glaring at Megumi with an angered expression. The girl she was with also seemed to hold the same angered confusion as her friend. But, despite what the two of them may have thought, Megumi's answer couldn't be more simple. 

      "I wanna be Makoto's friend!" She proclaimed loudly, grabbing her reluctant hand and running off while the two haughty girls stood there in confusion at the absolute stupidity of that statement. And since Makoto wanted to get away from that situation anyways she didn't necessarily resist Megumi, but once the two were in the clear she didn't hesitate to ditch her almost immediately. 

      Before she walked away from Megumi, she quickly grabbed her hand and thought of something that'd get her to stay and listen to what she had to say. Ignoring her intimidating scowl, Megumi stood there in silence nervously looking at her like a complete idiot. This was probably her punishment for going through such a brazen and simple plan. She had no idea what to say, but as Makoto struggled to break free from her grasp she decided to follow through and be completely honest with her. 

      "I'm sorry!! If there's anything I can do to make you not hate me, please tell me!!" She begged and prostrated herself. Despite criticizing Rentaro's plan for not being entirely thought out, she realized that the only way for her to correctly execute was to act exactly as Rentaro would in this kind of situation. So, aside from copying his kind and innocent nature, she made sure to imitate how over apologetic he was, to the best of her abilities. 

      This was it, after being humiliated by Megumi, she finally had her groveling on the floor, once again. But this time was different… She was all alone and vulnerable. Makoto could finally take her revenge and slowly claw her way up from the bottom. It was the perfect situation, and yet Makoto couldn't even think of a good way to vent her anger, and felt no satisfaction from seeing her in such a state. Her mind was so warped and molded from the humiliation she felt, that she couldn't bring herself to do anything to the pathetic Megumi who prostrated herself in front of her. Even in this situation, it was Makoto who felt pathetic.

      "J-Just leave me alone! You've already won, there's no point in throwing me some stupid pity party!" She said, turning away from her. “Plus this whole thing wasn’t even my idea in the first place…” She mumbled, then very hastily covered her mouth, as if she had just revealed some tightly kept, and classified information. This surely seemed to be the case, as soon after revealing the minor truth behind Megumi's unwarranted harassment, the despairful Makoto took off racing towards the opposite direction of Megumi. Running as fast as her legs could take, she felt both intense embarrassment at the inadvertent revelation of her true intentions, as well as the desire to escape the silver-haired maiden that had so desperately pursued her for the sake of unwanted companionship. 

       Meanwhile, as the naive Rentaro psyched himself up for his meeting with Sekira, he happily thought about how grateful he was to her. If not her, he'd probably still be in the lecherous grasp of the track team, and despite his earlier and most perilous interactions with the girl whose mental state had seemed to lean towards the edge psychopathic and who's demeanor emanated a violent sadistic nature, the young boy had held firm in his gratuity towards her, while retaining his optimism in the fact that Sekira still had a semblance of humanity left in her soul.

      As he struggled to keep up with her, he watched as Sekira suspiciously entered what was supposed to be an unused classroom in a very secluded part of the school. She seemed to be needlessly cautious about it, making sure that absolutely no one was following her. Though her gaze was most likely fixated upwards as Rentaro managed to miraculously evade her wary gaze. Without acknowledging the very ominous implications, Rentaro decided to follow suit and enter the room as well. 

     Squeezing himself under the gap in the door he scanned the dimly lit room only to see Sekira all alone with an antsy grimace on her face. She had her arms crossed and was repeatedly tapping her foot against the floor. It seemed as if she was impatiently waiting for someone and seeing how she was alone, Rentaro excitedly seized the opportunity and slowly approached the Sekira. As he got closer to her the constant tapping of her shoe increased exponentially in volume, and each and every tap felt like a miniature earthquake that shook the floor to such a degree, that Rentaro could feel the rapid vibration surge into his legs and reverberate throughout his entire body. He wanted to call out to her but the soft tapping of her foot completely masked all sounds made by his minuscule mouth. 

       Just when Rentaro had given up all hope on gaining her attention the normal, the previously ceaseless and constant tapping had subsided transitioning into a calm and relatively stationary motion that bobbed up in down at the rhythm of her breath. The reason behind the very sudden shift from impatient to calm could be explained upon examining what was plastered all across the screen of her phone. Rentaro may not have been able to see it, but displaying on her phone was a collage of more than a dozen different photos of him. Whether it was taken from afar or ripped right out of the yearbook, Sekira felt an intense and immeasurable pleasure from every little pixel of the photos spread across her screen. 

      She found it difficult to understand what the strange feeling was at first, but after following her love-stricken instincts she couldn't be more in love with the thought of making Rentaro hers. Just the very thought of seeing his most casual and innocent smile was enough to fill her body with a feeling of immeasurable pleasure and joy, but deep down she had her worries. After almost killing him and threatening to torture him after he apologized, she had a terrifying suspicion that maybe Rentaro didn't like her at all, and seeded even deeper in her anxiousness was the worry that Rentaro didn't just dislike her, but he also feared and despised her as well. And if that were the case she'd be truly heartbroken to the point of tears, and when she'd eventually kidnap him against his will, her face would be filled with the sorrow that tore her heart and soul apart. But luckily, she wouldn't have to worry about such an awful thing occurring as, thanks to Rentaro's newfound determination to get her attention, she'd soon learn his true feelings. 

      "Hello!!!" He yelled out, sporadically waving his arms. "Please, would you mind if I talked to you for a second!" Due to the dim lights and Sekira had not the faintest idea of who the yammering micro her ankles was, and was more than compelled to stomp it out of existence. However, Sekira wasn't exactly the type to just kill a micro without filling their entire soul with true despair through her many methods of torment. 

      Slowly lowering her foot onto him, Rentaro had neither the time nor the speed to evade it in time and he found himself sandwiched between the cold classroom floor and the dusty underside of Sekira's school shoe. Thinking it was an accident, Rentaro pounded and yelled against the immensely colossal, and all-encompassing rubber sole that was slowly compressing him into the ground. As she added more and more pressure, Rentaro found it hard to come to terms with his ever-approaching demise. He was feeling a minuscule fraction of the total weight of her shoe and yet, he found himself so hopelessly out of luck that he barely had time to think before the air was slowly pushed out of his lungs. However, just as he had fully embraced total hopelessness and despair, all the pressure was lifted off of him in a very sudden motion. 

      Gasping for air and covered in the dust and dirt that had transferred from her shoe to his school uniform, Rentaro was expectedly terrified when Sekira began reaching down towards him. Wrapping her fingers around his lower body, she opened her mouth, and like clockwork, exclaimed the terrifying reasoning behind her actions. 

      "You didn't think I'd let you die just like that-----" She said, but upon getting a closer look at the micro she had just tried to kill, her entire body froze and every fiber of her being was filled with regret and her face lit up with a hollow expression of deep and genuine remorse. The look on her face, as well as the nervous shaking of her palm, was enough to make the previously endangered Rentaro, forgive her completely. "I'm so sorry…" She repeated constantly trying to come up with some excuse that would make her seem less psychopathic to her one true love. 

      "You honestly don't have to apologize. It was an accident and nobody got hurt, so don't worry about it too much." Smiling nervously at her, he was astonished to see how fast Sekira's expression had changed after hearing that she was forgiven. Along with the nervous smile on his face, she was ecstatic and filled with a lustful ecstasy that shot straight through her heart and spread throughout her entire body. It was almost hard to maintain a simple conversation, but after almost crushing him, resisting her lustful urge was the least she could for him at the time. "And also, I should be the one apologizing to you…" 

      With a more serious and earnest expression on his face, Rentaro stared deeply into Sekira's eyes and despite his very minuscule size, she still felt completely entranced by this little bit of eye contact. 

      "I wanted to apologize for causing you so much trouble, and I also wanted to thank you for telling Megumi how to find me. If it wasn't for you I'd probably still be kidnapped by those girls in the track team, haha. I'm forever grateful to you." He smiled innocently at her. With how honest and genuine his smile was, Sekira felt all the restraint she had left crumble in an instant and she became even more infatuated with the small boy. After quietly admiring his smile from afar, seeing it up close and personal was way too stimulating. And in a fit of pure love and passion, she plunged Rentaro straight into her ample chest in a loving embrace. Even if it felt like she wasn't hugging anything, the thought alone of having Rentaro all to herself was so amazing that Sekira wanted this singular moment to last forever… however, things didn't exactly go to plan as the person (or persons) she was waiting for finally arrived. 

      "What's up, Sekira? Sorry to make you wait. We kinda got stopped on her way here, but none of that really matters. Are you excited for another exciting torture session?" The door slid open flooding the once dimly lit classroom with light. Standing in the doorway were two of Sekira's friends, Alice and Tsumi. Under normal circumstances, she would have been happy to torture some pathetic micro students, but these circumstances were far from normal. If the other two found out that she was hiding Rentaro in her loving embrace, she'd be undoubtedly ridiculed and made fun of. And as for Rentaro, he'd undoubtedly be brutally tortured and/or mercilessly killed. Not wanting either of those things to happen, Sekira pulled Rentaro out of her loving embrace and hastily hid him behind her back.

      Feeling a strange sense of Deja Vu, Rentaro thought about climbing into her sleeve but ultimately decided against it choosing to remain in her hands until something else happened. 

(btw, Rentaro didn't hear what Alice said because Sekira's bosom had muffled the sound).

      Seeing Sekira with her hands behind her back, filled Tsumi with a very similar feeling of Deja Vu, which eventually led to her being a little suspicious of her. 

      "What are you trying to hide?" Tsumi asked, with a bold and uncaring demeanor. As she slowly approached her, Sekira was forced to think fast if she wanted to hide Rentaro from Alice and Tsumi. With no bright ideas, she eventually just did the first thing that came to mind. 

      Sliding her foot forward so that there'd be a little space at the heel end of her shoe she placed Rentaro against her thigh, leaving him to slowly slide down into the tiny space she had made in her shoe. He wrapped his legs around the soft fabric (or rather he tried to wrap his legs around, think of it like trying to wrap your legs around a large tree trunk) of her thigh-high sock as daintily slid down into her shoe. Touching down at the slightly damp insole, he noticed a very apparent and glaring problem. Thanks to him trying to wrap his legs around her thigh, he found himself pinned in such a way that he was unable to move his legs at all, which meant Rentaro's 'little Rentaro' was pushed directly against her massive and imposing heel. The combination of moist humidity and the intensifying odor was perking Rentaro up in more ways than one. 

      'Calm down…' He thought, struggling to contain his vapid sexual urges. Rentaro, surprisingly, had no intention of taking advantage of this situation and pleasuring himself on her heel. Taking advantage of an unsuspecting girl was sorely against his morals and taking advantage of a girl he barely knew was absolutely unacceptable. But, as much as he’d like to believe that his integrity was the only thing that kept his sexual urges in check, his lingering fear of Sekira as a person largely contributed to his restraint. This restraint of his was put to the test as the fact that she could end his puny existence with a slight movement of her heel was both immensely terrifying and kinda arousing, nevertheless, he held firm against all the elements that sought to break his resolve.

      “I’m not trying to hide anything!!” She said, retaliating against her outrageous remark. The shakiness of her nervous voice did little to help her case, but as she revealed her hands to Tsumi, it seemed as if all the suspicion that had been previously targeted towards her had vanished, if only for a moment. 

      “Hmmm…” Tsumi pondered, staring at her hands with slight confusion. If she had nothing to hide then why was she acting so suspicious? That question plagued her mind for a short while before she finally concluded that maybe, her instincts were wrong, yet again, and that she may have been overly suspicious of Sekira. But still, unlike Megumi, if Sekira had been hiding a micro, she necessarily wouldn’t have a reason for being so secretive about it. She’s kidnapped and even killed many micros in the past without acting the least bit nervous or remorseful about her actions so it made no sense for her to be acting like such a nervous wreck. From the way she was acting, Tsumi deduced that she was probably being nervous about something else that wasn’t important. 

      With her suspicion of Sekira cleared, Tsumi sulked over to a nearby desk and promptly pulled out the latest issue of her favorite gts themed hentai magazine. She had been particularly excited to read this month’s issue as it had featured many illustrations drawn by her favorite artist. Flipping through the pages her eyes lit up with curiosity and enchantment (which wasn’t exactly a common occurrence for someone as cold as her). As she scanned through each and every page she was confronted with a myriad of different manga shorts, illustrations, and short stories that each shared a delectable and stimulating theme; Gore and brutality, which was by far her most favorite theme when it came to hentai and erotic. And with such a wide variety, Tsumi found herself unconsciously reaching towards her crotch, almost as if she didn’t care that people were watching her.

      “Woah, you should probably save that kinda stuff for when you get home, don’t ya think?” Alice suggested grabbing Tsumi’s arm before she started to pleasure herself in the middle of the school. Now snapped out of her trance, the tiny smile on Tsumi's face faded away as she decided to heed Alice's advice and read the rest of the h-mag when she got home. "Man, I bet there must be some crazy stuff in there…" Much to the dismay of Tsumi, Alice had gotten a hold of the magazine and began flipping through some of the pages herself. 

      As the two of them were distracted, Sekira took it upon herself to make sure that Rentaro wasn't crushed flat against her heel. Sliding her foot further into her shoe, she tried her best to give Rentaro a little extra room in the heel end of her shoe, however, this plan proved to be a little hard to execute as Sekira’s shoe had fit her almost perfectly and sliding her foot forward only provided Rentaro with a few millimeters of space. But, comparatively to the extremely tight and narrow crevice, that he was in earlier at least he finally had room to move his legs. Taking advantage of that privilege, Rentaro decided to just kick back and relax until this whole situation blew over.

      Using her insole as an impromptu futon, he decided to rest for a bit lying down on his side. Of course, now that his face was closer to the damp and worn insole of her shoe, Rentaro found his ‘you know what’ was now firmly nestled in the soft fabric of her sock. From the moistness of her socks, her nervous sweats were more than apparent and upon closer inspection, he found that his uniform was coated with a thin layer of her perspiration. However, much to the young boy's disappointment, the salty liquid was fresh and lacked the kind of odor that he had secretly hoped for. Dissatisfied with this result, Rentaro had unconsciously started to bury his face in both her socks as well as the worn insole of her shoe. But, he'd soon enough regret that decision. 

      "Wow, this magazine is… a lot." Alice said, trying to conceal her minor discomfort at the sight of such a vast array of gut-wrenching gore. Even if it was drawn, and even if most of the gore involved micros, seeing how detailed a vast majority of it was still kinda gross. "Well, no matter how graphic or detailed a magazine like that is, it'll never beat the real thing." She boasted, trying to change the subject. The feeling of awkwardness that came from trying to maintain a conversation with Tsumi dawned on Alice once again and upon giving her back the magazine she walked over to Sekira who was blatantly whispering something to Rentaro.

      “Sit tight Rentaro…” As she looked downwards trying to reassure him, she failed to notice that Alice was more than close enough to hear her whispering and by the time she did see Alice, it was far too late. Her secret was busted and the only thing that could protect Rentaro now was the whims of fate, and Sekira herself.

      “Who’s Rentaro…?”

      "R-Rentaro? U-Uh why would I know who that is haha!!" With an intense shakiness in her voice, Sekira slowly backed away from Alice hoping that she wouldn't be too suspicious of her, but right as Alice was thoroughly convinced that she was just mumbling something unimportant, Tsumi stepped in at just right the time to completely crush Sekira's hopes of concealing Rentaro. 

      "Rentaro? I think he's a member of that pesky micro representative's group, though I’m not exactly sure." Even if she’s only heard about him through rumors and the occasional thirsty remark from the girls in class (which she mostly tuned out), she wanted to be somewhat helpful to Alice if it meant that they’d be able to take down the greatest threat to micro-injustice that the school’s ever seen.

      “Oh, I see… So if that’s the case, then why were you whispering to yourself about him?” She pried looking closely at Sekira’s currently panicked expression.

      After realizing that her cover was effectively blown, Sekira did the only sensible thing and high-tailed it towards the exit of the room while making sure that Rentaro wouldn’t be crushed by her heel. However, not only was this action extremely suspicious but, as it turns out, trying to run while anxiously worrying about a micro in your shoe wasn’t exactly best for Sekira’s balance and in less than a few steps she had fallen flat against the waxed wooden floor. As friends, Tsumi and Alice's first instinct was to help her.

      “Are you OK?” She asked, helping her up off the floor. As Sekira winced in pain, it was clear that when she tripped, she must have scraped her knee. However, other than some minor bleeding she seemed to be completely fine Rentaro, on the other hand, was in quite the troubling position.

      “Ugh…” Grasping his head in pain, Rentaro felt the cool air of the classroom wash over him. In a daze, he failed to notice that Sekira’s foot was no longer kept tightly contained within her shoe. Trying to regain his composure he was abruptly snapped out of his trance by the two figures that were currently standing overhead. It was Alice and Sekira, who both seemed to be completely oblivious of his whereabouts.

     “I’m fine really…” She said, wiping the blood off her knee. As she focused her attention on her shoe, which had fallen off during her little tussle with the classroom floor. It didn’t take long for Alice to follow suit and interpret that she was simply looking for her shoe.

      “Here, let me get that for you.” She said, reaching for Sekira’s shoe.

      “Wait!!” To the fruitless protest of Sekira, Alice got her hands on Sekira’s shoe and thus promptly laid her eyes upon Rentaro.

      “What do we have here?” Alice said, pinning him against the sole of Sekira’s shoe with her index finger. As she applied more and more pressure, Rentaro desperately tried to explain himself but he soon found that all the air in his lungs was forcefully pushed out by Alice’s imposing finger. With his face and body planted firmly onto the insole of Sekira's shoe, he was forced to breathe in all the musky and sweat-ridden odor that had accumulated in her shoe over her three years as a student at Hanichi. Within mere seconds of being pushed against Sekira’s insole, he felt a surge of arousal surge directly into the depths of his soul as well as another place hidden within the ‘depths’ of Rentaro’s adolescent body. “And I thought I was the only one who kept bugs in their shoes, what’s the story behind this little guy?” She said, picking him up by his waist. Her thumb firmly planted against Rentaro’s relatively above average and currently erect, ‘you know what,’ and Rentaro couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed about this current ordeal.

      "U-Uh…" Trying to think of something that wasn't all too incriminating, Sekira sprung to her feet and said the first thing that came to mind. "He's just some bug that tried to confess to me the other day. Honestly, I'm surprised he's still alive." 

      "Eh? This little ant confessed to you?! I would find that hard to believe, but after feeling how hard his little pecker is, it seems like he has a thing for you." She teased, running her thumb up and down Rentaro's midsection. To maintain her cover, Sekira was forced to hide the massive amount of joy that was swelling up inside her after hearing that she made Rentaro feel that way. 

      "T-That's so g-gross. I don't want some pervert little bug getting off to me!!" She said, struggling to contain the smile that was currently forming on her face. Little did she know, this remark would put Rentaro in an even worse position than he already was. 

      “Do you want me to crush him for you?” Alice said, squeezing Rentaro tightly between her fingertips. Constantly adding on more and more pressure, Rentaro was pushed to his limits and felt his body painfully compress and all his bones creak audibly under the intense constraint. And most importantly, his **** was at its breaking point. If she squeezed any harder not only would his privates be flattened, but he’d probably be heavily injured and be sent into a world of unbelievably agonizing pain. Luckily, Alice didn’t want to steal Sekira’s prey, and thus waited patiently for her decision. 

      “Tch, I swear if someone other than me kills him there’ll be hell to pay…” She mumbled gritting her teeth while shooting a subtle menacing death glare towards Alice.

      “Did you say something?” Alice said, absent-mindedly twiddling with Rentaro’s body. “Dang, even in a situation like this he’s as hard as a rock. Now I’m starting to think that he’s just some kind of pervert, haha! Maybe he likes being treated like this by all girls, and not just you!” After being so excited by what Alice said earlier this simple remark was enough to make Sekira’s blood boil. But she couldn’t blow her cover just yet, she had to contain her emotions until she and Rentaro were completely in the clear.

      “Ha Ha Ha Ha!! That’s how all boys are so it’s not even a surprise. Even so, hearing that only makes me want to crush him. Hand him over, and I’ll make quick work of him myself.” She said, quickly stealing Rentaro from Alice. “But first, I’m gonna torture him in the nurse’s office while I get my knee patched up!” Walking leisurely out of the room, she hoped that she’d finally be able to save Rentaro, but much like the door in front of her, that hope was shut down right away by none other than Tsumi herself.

      “You might get caught by a teacher out there, I think it’d probably be best if you just crushed him in here…” Slamming the classroom door shut, Tsumi glared at her, still slightly suspicious of Sekira. 

      “Honestly Tsumi, you can be such a buzzkill sometimes. Well, if you’re that eager to see some rando bug bite the dust… then I’d be more than happy to oblige!!” In one swift movement, she held Rentaro in the palm of her hand and quickly closed her fist around him. Out of breath and fearing for his life, Rentaro could barely get a word out before his entire body was confined within Sekira’s tightening fist and crushed completely in her grasp. After wiping his remains off her hand, all that remained was a small red stain smeared across Sekira's.

      “Now if you’ll excuse me!” She said exiting the room and walking towards the nurse’s office. When she was far enough away, Sekira finally broke character and let all her emotions run loose, falling to her knees with a blank and sorrowful expression on her face. “I’m sorry…”

[BAD END ;-;]

      "R-Rentaro? U-Uh why would I know who that is haha!!" With an intense shakiness in her voice, Sekira slowly backed away from Alice hoping that she wouldn't be too suspicious of her, but right as Alice was thoroughly convinced that she was just mumbling something unimportant, Tsumi stepped in at just the right time to completely crush Sekira's hopes of concealing Rentaro. Putting down her erotic magazine she glanced over at Alice. 

      "Rentaro? I think he's a member of that pesky micro representative's group, though I’m not exactly sure." Even if she’s only heard about him through rumors and the occasional thirsty remark from the girls in class (which she mostly tuned out), she wanted to be somewhat helpful to Alice if it meant that they’d be able to take down the greatest threat to micro-injustice that the school’s ever seen. Thinking about the Micro-Rep Support Squad legitimately disgusted her. The thought of some random girl from Okisana waltzing in and befriending the perfect anti-discrimination team was preposterous. If she knew something like this would've happened then it would've been best to finish Mai off before she had the chance to meet Megumi, but now even if they did finish her off, it’d only be a matter of time before the remaining members came at her and the others with full force. And what’s worse is that she shared the same class with Megumi, meaning that she had to be extremely cautious when carrying out her micro misdeeds.

      “Oh, I see… So if that’s the case, then why were you whispering to yourself about him?” She pried looking closely at Sekira’s currently panicked expression. At first, she didn’t have any reason to suspect her, but seeing her like this was very strange. Sekira may not have been the sanest individual, but she’s never seen her act so weird before. ‘Maybe she’s just worried about getting exposed like that Makoto girl…’ She thought.

      Wanting to keep Rentaro safe, she couldn’t afford to be caught and she couldn’t take any risks, so Sekira did the only sensible thing and high-tailed it towards the exit while making sure that Rentaro wouldn’t be crushed by her heel. However, not only was this action extremely suspicious but, as it turns out, trying to run while anxiously worrying about a micro in your shoe wasn’t exactly best for Sekira’s balance and in less than a few steps she had fallen flat against the waxed wooden floor. As a caring friend, Alice’s first instinct was to help her.

      “Are you OK?” She offered her hand to Sekira as she winced in pain. When she tripped, she must have scraped her knee against the classroom floor. But, other than some minor bleeding she was alright. However, she had no reason to worry about herself. She couldn’t feel Rentaro anymore, but because she was extra careful, she knew that he wasn’t dead. 

    ‘What happened..?’ In a mildly concussed daze Rentaro looked around. He was still in her shoe, but he wasn't being pinned down by her foot anymore. In fact, her foot wasn’t even in the shoe. ‘It must have fallen off when Sekira tripped.’ He thought, catching his breath. As much as he liked being surrounded by Sekira’s surprisingly careful foot, he appreciated a little break from the relentless stress. But, much to his dismay, that rest would last only for a few moments before Rentaro was put into a whole new different and even more troubling situation.

     “I’m fine really…” She said, wiping the blood off her knee while stealthily reaching for her shoe. But, as fate would have it, Alice noticed it first and grabbed it before Sekira could. 

      “Here, let me get that for you.” She said, trying to be a thoughtful individual.

      “Wait!!” To the fruitless protest of Sekira, Alice picked up Sekira’s shoe and almost instantly laid her eyes upon Rentaro.

      “What do we have here?” Alice said, pinning him against the sole of Sekira’s shoe with her index finger. As she applied more and more pressure, Rentaro desperately tried to explain himself but he soon found that all the air in his lungs was forcefully pushed out by Alice’s imposing finger. With his face and body planted firmly onto the insole of Sekira's shoe, he was forced to breathe in all the musky and sweat-ridden odor that had accumulated in her shoe over her three years as a student at Hanichi. Stale sweat was uprooted from the insole like a moist sponge, and his uniform was stained and covered with odorous sweat and dust. Within mere seconds of being pushed against the insole, he felt a wave of fear and arousal surge directly into the depths of his soul as well as a certain other place within the ‘depths’ of Rentaro’s adolescent body. “And I thought I was the only one who kept bugs in their shoes, what’s the story behind this little guy?” She said, picking him up by his waist. Her thumb firmly planted against Rentaro’s relatively above average and currently erect, ‘you know what,’ and Rentaro couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed about this current ordeal.

      "U-Uh…" Trying to think of something that wasn't all too incriminating, Sekira sprung to her feet and said the first thing that came to mind. "He's just some bug that tried to confess to me the other day. Honestly, I'm surprised he's still alive." She shrugged over dramatically while trying her damndest to contain her emotions. 

      "Eh? This little ant confessed to you?! Normally, I would find that hard to believe…” Pressing Rentaro tightly between her thumb and forefinger she felt something strangely stiff on Rentaro’s body.

      “What do you mean by ‘normally you’d find that hard to believe?’ Are you trying to make fun of me?” Sekira interjected, shooting a slightly angered glare towards Alice.

      “But, after feeling how ‘passionate’ his little ‘you know what’ is, it definitely seems like he has a thing for you." She teased, running her thumb up and down Rentaro's midsection. 

      In an effort to maintain her cover, Sekira was forced to hide the massive amount of joy that was swelling up inside her after hearing that she made Rentaro feel that way. 

      "T-That's so g-gross. I don't want some perverted little bug getting off to me!!" She said, struggling to contain the smile that was currently forming on her face. Little did she know, this remark would put Rentaro in an even worse position than he already was. 

      “Do you want me to crush him for you? It wouldn’t be that hard.” Alice said, squeezing Rentaro tightly between her fingertips. Constantly adding on more and more pressure, Rentaro screamed from the intense amounts of pain. In a few seconds, he was pushed to his limits and felt his body painfully compress and all his bones creak audibly under the intense constraint. And most importantly, his **** was at its breaking point. If she squeezed any harder not only would his privates be flattened, but he’d probably be heavily injured and be sent into a world of unbelievably agonizing pain. Luckily, Alice didn’t want to steal Sekira’s prey, and thus waited patiently for her decision. 

      “Tch, I swear if someone other than me kills him there’ll be hell to pay…” She mumbled gritting her teeth while looking at Alice with a subtle menacing death glare.

      “Did you say something?” Alice said, absent-mindedly twiddling with Rentaro’s body. “Dang, even in a situation like this he’s as hard as a rock. Now I’m starting to think that he's really just some kind of pervert, haha! Maybe he likes being treated like this by all girls, and not just you!” After being so excited by what Alice said earlier this simple remark was enough to make Sekira’s blood boil. But she couldn’t blow her cover just yet, she had to contain her emotions until she and Rentaro were completely in the clear.

      “Ha Ha Ha Ha!! That’s how all boys are, so it’s not even a surprise. Even so, hearing that only makes me want to crush him even more. Hand him over, and I’ll make quick work of him myself!!” She said, quickly stealing Rentaro from Alice. “But first, I’m gonna torture him in the nurse’s office while I get my knee patched up!” Walking leisurely out of the room, she hoped that she’d finally be able to save Rentaro, but much like the door in front of her, that hope was slammed shut right away by none other than Tsumi herself.

      “You might get caught by a teacher out there, I think it’d probably be best if you just crushed him in here…” Slamming the classroom door shut, Tsumi warned with a slightly suspicious and deadpan tone. Sekira knew that Tsumi was already partially skeptical of her before, so she really couldn’t afford to act on impulse. She had to make a decision.

      “Honestly Tsumi, you can be such a buzzkill sometimes... Well, if you’re that eager to see some rando bug bite the dust… then I’d be more than happy to oblige!!” In one swift movement, she held Rentaro in the palm of her hand and quickly closed her fist around him. Out of breath and fearing for his life, Rentaro could barely get a word out before his entire body was confined within Sekira’s tightening fist. And after wiping her hand on her chest, all that remained was a small red stain smeared across the palm of Sekira’s hand.

      “Now if you’ll excuse me!” She said exiting the room and walking towards the nurse’s office. When she was far enough away, Sekira finally broke character and let all her emotions run loose, falling to her knees with a blank expression on her face. “I’m sorry… that you had to go through that, my love.” Unbuttoning her shirt she stared deeply at Rentaro’s little legs as he squirmed upside down between Sekira’s bouncy and ample cleavage. He was in a desperate struggle to breathe before he was fished out and placed in her reliable palms.

      “Thank you! I don’t know what I can do to repay you.” He thanked her with utmost sincerity before bowing his head and prostrating himself before her. With his head planted firmly against her palm, he noticed something extremely… concerning. Her hand was stained with blood. To Rentaro, even the mild stain on her hand looked like an atrocious, and horrific scene. “What’s all this?! B-Blood?!” 

      “Oh, my hand? I kinda used the blood from my scraped knee to make it look like you died. But, don’t worry I made sure that Tsumi couldn’t see your face that well, and Alice hardly remembers the faces of her victims so you shouldn’t have to hide that much. Just avoid them and everything should be fine.” She smiled at him, placing him on her shoulder before washing her hand at a nearby water fountain. “Though, if you want to be extra careful… I could make you my pet and keep you safe forever!” She suggested looking deeply into Rentaro’s eyes.

      “Hahaha! If I ever run into that problem, I’ll definitely take you up on that offer.” He chuckled smiling sweetly at Sekira, piercing through her heart in the process. “I’m sorry if I caused you a lot of trouble, but I just wanted to say that… I really like you, Sekira…” 

      “W-What?!” She stuttered. Shocked by his words, she felt her heart begin to beat erratically as a strange feeling shot throughout her entire body. ‘Am I dreaming?! Did he really just say that?! Oh, my darling Rentaro, are our desires so deeply intertwined by the red string of fate that you can understand my true feelings just by looking at me?! Though this might be a little sudden, I suppose there’s no denying true love ’ She grasped at her heart and smiled earnestly at him before puckering her lips. “Well, if you like me so much then… we should probably get married-” 

      “I think we’d be great friends!” He said nonchalantly, cutting her off with a smile on his face. To Rentaro saying that kind of stuff was normal, but for Sekira that single sentence was enough to stab at her heart and shoot down all her romantic anticipations. She really couldn’t believe him, and she honestly felt like crushing him right then and there. But, after some careful consideration, she was still ecstatic to be his friend. ‘Friendship is the first step to true love!’ She reassured herself.

      “I’m glad you think so as well. But…” She averted her flustered face away from Rentaro. “Would you mind saying that again… but only the first part.”

      “Say what? That ‘I really like you?” He said looking at her with a smile.

      “Yes, please!” She pleaded desperately. Her body was voraciously thirsting for his kind words. 

      “You really are a weird one aren’t you, haha. Well, if that's what you want.” He cleared his throat. “Sekira Sumehara! I really like you!!!” Confident, but confused about why she wanted him to say that Rentaro looked at her honestly willing to accept someone like her as his friend, and he couldn’t wait to have fun with her and the rest of his friends.

      “Aghh!! I can’t resist it, Rentaro!! Please, I know you said we should be friends but, I wanna be something much more than that!” Grasping him tightly in her hands she pulled him close into her embrace. Up close and personal, Rentaro could feel her intense beating heart, body heat, and unsteady breath. He may have thought that maybe she was just tired, or had a fever but in reality, Sekira’s mind was filled with thoughts about him. Being this close was the best experience she’s felt in a while and she was starting to get all hot and bothered. But, despite wanting this moment to last forever, things didn't exactly go to plan. 

      “Ms. Sumehara!! You better not be harassing another micro student again!” A voice called out from behind her.

      "What do you want?! Can't you see I'm trying to…" Turning around, Sekira was ready to snap at whoever interrupted her 'romantic' moment with Rentaro, but as she saw who it was, her heart sank with a partial feeling of fear. "Crap, it's Ms. Shizuka. This might be bad news for you, my love. Sit tight." Closing her fist around Rentaro, she hid him behind her back before turning to face formidable teacher known as Ms. Shizuka.

       "Harassing another micro student?! I don't see any micro students around here!" She lied, slowly backing away from Ms. Shizuka. 

      "I'm not an idiot, Ms. Sumehara. Just hand them over." She sighed and shot an intense menacing glare at her. Sekira knew she had no chance of denying her, and if she did take her in there she'd undoubtedly be caught for all of her micro misdeeds. She had no choice but to hand him over to her. 

      "Tch, whatever." She said gently giving Rentaro to Ms. Shizuka. "Try not to kill him, teach… if you can help it." Sekira scoffed pushing past her while whispering something to Rentaro. "It was fun, while it lasted" She winked and ran off to the nurse's office.

      After waving her goodbye, Rentaro thought back to what she had said earlier. 'There's no way a teacher would kill a student.'  Dismissing it off as nothing, he looked at  Ms. Shizuka nervously. Despite being an honors student with way above-average grades, he had never been the best with associating with teachers. And even if he wasn’t the best at communicating with teachers, Ms. Shizuka was one hell of an intimidating figure so that made conversing with her even harder. 

      "You there, don't you think it's a bit risky to be involving yourself with that girl." She said coldly. Rentaro couldn't believe she just said that. After being saved by her, Sekira was kind enough to become his friend and even if she was a teacher, there's no way he'd let anyone talk bad about his friends. 

     "What do you know?! Sekira saved my life and put her own friendship on the line to protect me! You're a teacher and even if you don't like some of the students at this school, it's your job to teach and treat them with fairness and respect. You can't just go around ostracizing them like that!" He yelled loudly at her, but at his size, that yell accounted for nothing more than a soft whisper for Ms. Shizuka, but even so, she still heard him and headed his words. 

      He was right, and even if he was putting his faith in a false identity, his heart was in the right place. And that's what Ms. Shizuka respected more than anything about the tiny boy she held oh so firmly in her palm. But, even if he was right, above all else it was still her job to keep the students of this school safe. 

      "Your 'friend' is dangerous. I suggest that you reevaluate your relationship with her." She said before placing him down onto one of the micro walkways. "Try not to get yourself killed. Oh, and I’ll be subbing in for Ms. Oshino tomorrow so try to behave in class tomorrow as well." With that last piece of advice, she walked off into the distance, leaving Rentaro alone. 

      "She obviously cares about her students…" He sighed watching her almond-colored ponytail disappear around the corner "I probably shouldn't have said those mean things to her, but that's what she gets for insulting one of my friends. Speaking of which, I wonder how Megumi's doing on her end..." 

-----

      “Wait up!! Please! I just wanna be friends!” Running after her she finally saw her chance to catch up. Makoto was slowing down, and thanks to a crowd of students she was blocked from getting any farther. Running off of pure adrenaline, Megumi took her chance and ran towards Makoto with all her might… but amidst her adrenaline-fueled sprint, she had forgotten the most important thing; her caution. 

      As her foot touched down she felt an awful sensation course through her entire body. Her body froze and she found herself falling harshly towards the ground. She fell to her knees and stood there, in a completely broken state. Looking down is when she saw it. An awful, disgusting and horrific color stained across the floor and the bottom of her shoe. A color that sparked complete despair and fear in her heart. A color that Megumi absolutely hated with every fiber of her soul: The color red.

      Megumi stared at the crimson stain on her shoe with horror and disgust. She was at a loss for words and her heart was beating like crazy. After proclaiming how she'd protect the micro students of Hanichi High, did she just murder one? 'This shouldn't have happened!' She thought. Megumi only dropped her guard for a second and she was paying the price in full. If she really did kill someone, everything was over; her promise to Mai, her 'normal' life at school, and most importantly, her honor as a student of Okisana. 

      "Why..? Why now?! I was doing so well-" Ready to give up completely, Megumi knelt there in total despair. As a tear busted from her face a single voice rang out in Megumi's sorrowful thoughts. 

      "Ugh, those stupid boys from the art club are always tracking their stupid boy paint all over the place, and seriously? Red paint? At a school like this? What a stupid prank! Only a group of stupid boys could come up with a prank as stupid and… boyish as this!!" A familiar voice called out from a couple of feet away from Megumi. It was Tsuyume, and she was looking at her shoe with a very annoyed expression. Unbeknownst to her, this single unhappy remark was enough to fill Megumi with immeasurable amounts of joy and relief.

      “Paint..? Art club..?” Recoiling in total shock, tears burst from Megumi’s eyes once again, however, unlike before, these were tears of pure happiness. And in what seemed like an instant, she charged towards Tsuyume tackling her into an excessively friendly hug. “Tsuyume! Thank you! Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!” She tightened her embrace around Tsuyume.

      “Thanks for what? I-I didn’t do anything... oh wow, your b-boobs feel great a-and they’re kinda suffocating me. B-but, it feels so freaking amazing…” Tsuyume said with a perverted and flushed expression on her face. She was struggling to breathe in Megumi’s tight embrace, so it was kind of hard to tell if the blush on her face was from romantic thoughts or oxygen deprivation. 

      “O-Oh sorry about that.” Megumi apologized and loosened her embrace on Tsuyume. “Thank you Tsuyume! I love you!!” 

      “L-L-L-Love?!? I-Is this a confession? I-I don’t know what to say, b-but if that’s what you want then I guess I shouldn’t deny these feelings!” She puckered her lips only to be suddenly let go. Tsuyume stood there astonished as she saw Megumi happily strut off into the distance, all while being absolutely sure to watch her step. "Sorry..." She mumbled under her breath, watching as she left her line of sight.

     A few minutes later, Megumi finally gave up on looking for Makoto and instead, pulled out her phone to message Furyu about Rentaro, but thanks to the girl from earlier (the one who splashed water onto her), Megumi's phone was in no condition to be sending messages, meaning that she had no way of checking up on Rentaro, nevertheless, Megumi still had enough confidence in Furyu that she wasn't worried in the slightest. Little did she know, Furyu had completely lost sight of Rentaro a couple of minutes ago. 

      'I'm sure she has the situation on lockdown, so all that's left to do is meet with the rest of the club!' She thought to herself, as a big child-like smile appeared on her face. Despite Megumi not being a studious person, she still loved studying with others and she especially loved studying with her closest friends. She was going to text Mai about it, but thanks to her broken phone, she was gonna have to cautiously walk to the computer room to meet with her. As she approached the room an interesting scene unfolded right before her eyes. 

      "Please!! Let me join your group!!!" With his head pressed up against the floor, a micro student pleaded to the very uncomfortable looking Mai. He had an extremely desperate look on his face and seemed like a complete embarrassment, to both himself and his sister who was standing a few inches away. 

       "You don't have to be so desperate. If you're interested in helping our cause, I wouldn't mind letting you join." Mai said averting her gaze from the pathetic display in front of her. To reduce the layer of awkwardness she shifted her gaze to the boy's sister who was silently standing there in anguish. 

      Megumi, mostly confused, was still excited by the prospect of getting a new member. But, thanks to Tomoya's interference, that prospect seemed a lot less likely.

      "Well, well, well. If it isn’t the suicidal fighter of justice, groveling on the floor while trying to peak up a girls skirt. What do you want… um, what was your name again? Mutsumi?” Tomoya sneered, walking out of the club room to confront him.

      “It’s Mutsuhiro, you ass! How the hell are you gonna call me that stupid title without even knowing my name?!! And I'm not looking up her skirt!” He stood up, dusted himself off, and glared at Tomoya. “What even gave you that idea in the first place?” 

      “Well, while you were burying your head in the ground you were looking up to Mai so much, it’s obvious that you were trying to sneak a peek,” Tomoya said trying to ridicule him in front of the girl he respected the most.

      “I look up to Micro Representative President Mai Ogasaki out of sheer respect and admiration. Nothing more, nothing less. Though, it’s not like someone as underhanded as you could understand.” He retorted.

      “My methods are underhanded, and that’s putting it nicely. But, you’re an idiot for insulting them considering how often you fill up my request forum and how often you ask me to expose students for free.”

      “Don’t you have any integrity?! With the information and power you have, you can save lives and yet you choose to charge these stupidly high prices for things you should feel obligated to do!” The two of them went back and forth, slinging insults every now and then. It was a complete and utter conflict between Mutsuhiro and Tomoya’s ideals. But, what Mai and the timid bystander behind Mutsuhiro, didn’t understand was what their relationship was and neither of them could find a window of opportunity to interject. Even if Megumi couldn't hear any of their conversations, she could tell that things were getting out of hand and before things got worse, Megumi finally decided to step in using the information she obtained through reading the air and some minor things she understood thanks to her lip-reading skills.

      “Hey, um Mutsuharo, was it? We should probably talk about this inside. I think you wanted to join the club, right? If you want to join then we can discuss things better in the club room, don't ya think.” She smiled sweetly, offering her hand to Mutsuhiro and the others. 

      “Yup, that’d probably be a good idea!” He laughed awkwardly, accepting her proposal.

      Following that, Megumi promptly carried everyone into the clubroom and set them down gently on the table.

      “Now, before we talk about your enrollment into the Micro-Rep Support Squad, would you mind explaining how you and Tomoya know each other, and while we’re at it, I’d like to hear your opinion about Mutsuharo joining this club. You seem to be pretty down, and if there’s anything you like to talk about then you should speak up.” Megumi said, looking at the girl who’s been silently standing behind Mutsuhiro the entire time. From their dark brown hair and grey eyes, it was easy to tell that they were siblings. However, their mannerisms told the entire story. Mutsuhiro seemed outgoing, driven by a strong will, and even greater resolve. While even his sister, on the other hand, seemed to be a complete opposite. Judging off of her unconscious reactions to Mutsuhiro's generally naive personality and reckless actions, and body language it was easy for Megumi to read her personality completely without actually hearing her talk. It was Megumi’s ultimate skill as an expert at first impressions. 

      “Tomoya runs this online forum where he grants the requests of students at this school. But the requests aren’t exactly… nice requests. They’re like things you ask if you want another student to… ya’know um-” Mutsuhiro said, nervously fumbling his words trying to explain how he knew Tomoya. He was nervous, and it was almost as if he was trying to save face in front of both Megumi and Mai at the same time. 

      “It’s a forum where the shallow idiots of Hanichi  High go to have their enemies 'dealt with.' People mostly request forged documents or evidence that’ll lead their enemies’ expulsion but in your case, Makoto requested some blackmail to ruin your rep.” He said, pulling out his phone to see if he had any new requests. “Ah, right on time. Here’s a request from an anonymous person, probably some insecure b*tch.” Clearing his throat he read out the request in an extremely demeaning and insulting high-pitched voice.

      “Some flat chested delinquent whore from class 2-B keeps messing with some of my BFF’s in the track team. Can you, like, get her expelled or whatever. Thx!” Stifling a laugh, he then put his phone away. 

      “How, mean! The internet really brings the worst out of people doesn’t it.” Megumi pouted, feeling that one of her friends had just been insulted.

      “If you think that’s mean, then you haven’t been here at this school long enough,” Mai said, looking off into the distance with an empty expression on her face. It was the kind of look you’d see from someone who had been around the block in terms of horrific events; and in Mai’s case, it was extremely justified.

      “In any case, I take it that you use this request forum a lot, Mutsuharo?” She asked leaning closer towards him, unintentionally pressing her boobs against the table, which was proving to be quite the display for the naive hormonal teen boy.

      “U-Uh I-I haven’t really, um you know-” Trying to answer her question, Mutsuhiro stuttered nervously. His face was flushed red and in the vicinity of such imposing mounds, it was almost impossible for him to form simple sentences, which in Megumi’s case was a normal reaction for both tinies and normal-sized people, though she never noticed it before.

      “Mutsuhiro often uses it to save other micros who are in trouble with normal-sized people…” The timid girl behind him, Shinako, spoke up instinctively covering for his brother’s shortcomings. “Though, he never has enough money so none of his requests ever go through. But that doesn't stop him from risking his life to save some random girl in the hallway!!!” She yelled with an unnatural looking scowl on her face. However, due to Mutsuhiro’s nonchalant reaction, this seemed to be pretty PAR for the course, or at least, that’s what Megumi noticed. 

      “Wait… Mutsuhiro?” Megumi tilted her head in confusion. If it wasn’t obvious already Megumi had been unintentionally getting his name wrong the entire time, and upon noticing this fact, Megumi felt a huge wave of embarrassment wash over her. “A-Ah I am so sorry for getting your name wrong! Please forgive me!!” She instinctively went to bow her head, but thanks to her chest being so close to the table, she accidentally ended up pressing her boobs against the table, even more, causing her massive boobs to push forward towards Mutsuhiro. From this angle, he could practically see how squishy, bouncy, and soft Megumi’s two fun bags were.

      “N-No it’s fine. You don’t have to apologize! People get my name wrong all the time so it’s no biggie haha~” He laughed nonchalantly, smiling at Megumi with a flustered yet humble look on his face. She was hiding it at the time but Shinako was quite perturbed by his brother's behavior at the time and as much as she wanted to blame Megumi, it was clear that everything she was doing was purely accidental and that she only had her brother's 'boyish' desires to blame. 

     "Oh, so it's alright if people get your name wrong, now? I thought you called whoever got your name wrong an ass or something, hmmm. Maybe, you're just distracted by her b-" Tomoya spoke up only to be suddenly cut off by Mutsuhiro. With a panicked look on his face, rather than insulting him like before, he practically begged Tomoya to keep quiet at that moment. Of course, Megumi was confused by this but she didn't pay too much attention to it. "I'll keep quiet about it sure… but, as a favor, I'd like you to do something to Mai real quick." With a scummy look on his face, Tomoya whispered something to Mutsuhiro. 

      "WHAT?! I'm not gonna fondle Mai's breasts!! Are you stupid, or something!?!" He yelled, glaring angrily at him, all while grabbing him by the collar in disgust. 

     "What was that about fondling breasts?" Mai looked at the two of them with slight discomfort.

      Mutsuhiro was expectedly embarrassed by this and quickly tried to excuse what he had just said, but before he could get a word out, he was cut off by Tomoya. 

     "Mutsuhiro here has been eyeing you and Megumi up the entire time and he was asking if I could snap a few boob shots for his 'personal collection.' But, I told him that you'd both be OK with him copping a quick feel." Barely containing his laughter, he ridiculed Mutsuhiro before savoring the angry and baffled expression on his face. 

     "W-What the hell are you talking about?! I-I never said anything like that!! Please, ladies, you have to believe me." He pleaded, desperately to bother Megumi and Mai. 

      "Considering how it came out of Tomoya's mouth, it's obviously a big fat lie," Mai said, slightly glaring at Tomoya. She seemed to still be holding a grudge over what he had said to Megumi a few days ago.

      "Don't you think that's a bit mean, Mai?" Megumi said, looking a little worried after hearing what she had said. 

      "It's exactly what someone like him deserves. He may be a club member, but there's no way I'm gonna try to get along with him! Especially after the things he's said about you." Mai retorted, murmuring the last part. 

      "W-Wait… Tomoya's a part of the Micro-Rep Support Squad?!?" Mutsuhiro said in disbelief. "I can't believe that you'd let someone like him join!* He leaned forward trying to question Mai about her decision to let Tomoya into the club, but before he could further question her, a peculiar set of photos fell out of one of his pockets. 

      A set of five perverted candid shots of girl’s breasts. Some from normal students, and some from micro students. They all seemed to be taken in secret and didn't help Mutsuhiro's case at all. He had no idea how they got there, and he desperately hoped that no one had seen them fall, but sadly, his worst dreams had come true as both Mai and Megumi were both painfully aware of the photos. 

      Looking down, Mai examined the photos, and with an inquisitive expression, she glared at him with absolute disgust on her face. 

      "Maybe, Tomoya wasn't lying about you… pervert." Those words shot straight through Mutsuhiro's sole, breaking through his heart in the process. 

      "Those aren't mine I swear!! You believe me right, Megumi?" Thinking that Megumi was a nice girl who wouldn't dare scold a micro, but much to the surprise of almost everyone in the room, she had quite the angry expression on her face. "Please, you have to believe me!" Hoping to clear his name he pleaded once more. 

      "I don't care about some stupid photos!!!" She yelled out, shocking Mai in the process. She didn't even know that Megumi was capable of raising her voice, so seeing her get so mad was honestly pretty scary. "But, what I do care about is you insulting one of my friends!!" This time, Tomoya actually reacted to what she had said. He felt a strange feeling of nostalgia, as well as some genuine happiness upon hearing those words. 

      "Tomoya may be rude and offensive at times, but that doesn't give either of you the right to treat him like he's some kind of nuisance!” She demanded, looking at both Mai and Mutsuhiro (though, she did manage to keep her voice relatively low, as to not hurt their tiny ears). Even if it pained her to scold Mai, it had to be done. But, after a few seconds, her face returned to its normal happy-go-lucky expression. “Sorry about that, but Mai… we’re a club now, which means we have to work together with each other. Also, as much as I hate to say it, if we can’t work together as a team then we might end up jeopardizing the lives of the micro students we swore to protect. So… I know I might be asking a lot but, can we all try to get along.” Ending off her sentence with a beautiful and caring smile, Mai finally realized how childish she was being towards Tomoya. Even if he said all those awful things, he seemed eager to help, and Megumi even proved those doubts wrong by saving him the other day.

      Megumi’s display also did a lot to impact both Shinako and Mutsuhiro. At first, they thought that it’d be virtually impossible to find a normal-sized student who seemed genuinely interested in helping micros, but after seeing how passionate Megumi was about protecting those who were way smaller than her, they were both filled with hope for the future of micros at this school.

      “By the way Megumi, I don’t think I’ve seen you around before, are you new here?” Mutsuhiro asked.

      “Yeah! I recently transferred here from Okisana a few days ago.”

      “So that makes you this school’s second Okisana transfer student! How crazy is that?” Mutsuhiro said, piquing Megumi’s interests by a considerable amount.

      “Huh? Who was the first?” She tilted her head in confusion, as a strange feeling of worry started to invade her body.

      “I-I think her name was Kurome. Though, she’s barely ever here so nobody knows much about her.” Said Shinako answering her question with a timid voice. 

      “Ah, I see…” Megumi casually passed it off and looked at time, secretly hoping to change the subject. “Oh, would you look at the time! Lunch is almost over! Allow me to walk you guys to class.” She smiled opening her palm to Mai, Shinako, and Mutsuhiro. 

      Kindly thanking her, all three of the micro students hopped aboard her hand and waited for Megumi to exit the room. 

      A few minutes later, Megumi had dropped off Mutsuhiro and Shinako Takanashi, meaning that she and Mai were alone together once again. Thanks to her being a third-year, her classes were pretty out of the way compared to the second-year students, meaning that she had to walk a bit further to take her to class. To fill the time, the two of them struck up a friendly conversation.

      “Oh, right! I almost forgot. Hey Mai, you know how midterms are coming up soon? Well, I was wondering if you’d like to participate in a study session with everyone in the club!” Megumi asked, eagerly awaiting her response.

      “Of course!” She smiled at her. With that, Megumi had invited everyone in club (Rentaro and Furyu were asked off-screen) and the Micro-Rep Support Squad had officially planned their first out of school meeting…

END SCENE:

      “So, Ms. Shizue, why exactly did you want to transfer to Hanichi High School? You’re more than wealthy enough to stay at Okisana without any issues and yet you decide to transfer to a public high school of all places?!” A rather mature looking adult said, confusedly looking at a nerdy-looking girl with waist-length dark green hair. “Don’t tell me… is it about-“

      “Yup that’s right! Megumi and I have always been together and there’s no way I’m gonna abandon her just because she transferred to a new school!” She said triumphantly, before pushing up her glasses. “And if that’s not a good enough excuse, consider this research for my latest manga.” 

      “Honestly, you can be quite a pain sometimes, Ms. Shizue. But, I have no other choice but to support you in this endeavor.”

      “Heh, watch out Hanichi High, because the great and talented Fujo Shizue shall grace your presence in the near future!”

     “Good morning…" Megumi yawned, groggily greeting Rentaro and Furyu before slumping down onto her desk. Her hair was messy and she had small dark rings and bags under her eyes. And as she slumped down onto her desk both Furyu and Rentaro finally caught a glimpse at just how exhausted she was.

      "The hell happened to you?" Furyu asked worriedly. 

      "Yeah! Not to be mean or anything, but you look like a wreck. You're a lot cuter when you're all energetic and happy!" Rentaro remarked. 

      "Ehehe, I kinda stayed up until 5:00 am talking to one of my friends from my old school." She laughed, nervously scratching the back of her head. 

      "5:00 AM?!?!" The two of them said in unison, shocked by her statement. 

      "What the hell were you guys even talkin' about?" 

      "Well, not much really. We just talked about how I was doing at this school, what kind of friends I was making, what class I go to, how many empty seats are there, the current lesson that was being taught, where everything in the school was, what street my house was on, if there were any apartments available for rent nearby, you know, the normal stuff~" Leaving off her sentence with a cheerful giggle, the other two were left in complete disbelief. 

      "THAT'S NOT NORMAL!!" They yelled, almost disturbing a couple of nearby students. After thinking it over in their heads, Rentaro and Furyu shot each other a worried look and prepared themselves to give her a speech on internet safety. 

      "Megumi… it might not be the best to reveal that much personal info." Rentaro said, thinking that Megumi's 'friend' was a stalker from her old school. 

      "Y-Yeah, if you're not comfortable talkin' about that kinda stuff, you shouldn't reveal it, even if they're your 'friend." Furyu then put her arm on Megumi's shoulder hoping to comfort her. But, as Megumi stared at the two of them with a blissfully oblivious, she finally got the hint. 

     "Ohhh! You guys don't have to worry about that stuff! I've known this friend since elementary school. If I didn't trust them then there's no way I'd give away that kind of information, what kind of person do you think I am? Hehe~" She said with a cheerful expression that caused Furyu and Rentaro to face-palm at how cautious and judgemental they were a few minutes ago, at least she didn't take it too personally.

     "It's good that you guys are still in contact! Losing a friend that you've known for a long time is the worst feeling ever!" Rentaro said with a barely noticeable solemn look on his face. And while he was trying to hide it, it was clear that Rentaro probably experienced such an event himself, or at least it was clear to Megumi. 

     After seeing his minor display of sadness, Megumi swiftly jumped into action by pressing Rentaro into her bosom while gently patting him on the head with the tip of her finger. 

     "Your true friends will always be by your side, even if they're miles away from you." She smiled, hoping to cheer Rentaro up, however, thanks to her sleep deprivation she ended up blowing it way out of proportion. "If you're still feeling sad, just let me know what I could do to make you feel better."

     "Can you let me hug your sock." He said jokingly, knowing that Megumi would never do something so reckless. And while that may have been true for typical Megumi, he had underestimated the lengths that sleep-deprived Megumi would go to please a friend. And since she wasn't exactly thinking straight, she saw nothing wrong with that request. So, after hearing what he wanted, Megumi picked him up by his waist and brought him under the desk towards her feet. 

     Despite feeling guilty about taking advantage of Megumi’s sleep deprivation, Rentaro was undoubtedly excited about this. His heart started to beat extremely fast as Megumi popped her socked foot from her shoe and brought him closer to it, leaving him to bask in its slightly humid, yet pleasant glory. He salivated as Megumi slowly brought him towards the sole of her sock, however, before he was able to plunge his face to her socks and embrace them with everything he had, the door slid open and the teacher entered the room. Now that classes had started Rentaro was pulled away from her foot and placed back onto the desk. From there he could only watch in despair as Megumi slid her foot back into her shoe. 

     "Good morning, students." As Megumi looked up towards the teacher, she was surprised to see that Ms.Oshino wasn't teaching that day. Instead, it was a certain substitute teacher that Megumi had already met before… 

     Standing tall at the front of the class was a mature woman with long dark brown hair that was tied up into a prim and proper ponytail. She was wearing a formal suit and tight skirt combo, both colored black radiating a very professional, and almost intimidating aura. While the outfit itself was standard for a teacher, there was something that set her apart from any other teacher. She stepped away from the podium and grabbed a piece of chalk from the corner of the board. As she walked, the class was able to get a good look at her very curvaceous legs which had been covered by a pair of alluring pantyhose and high heels which were also colored black. 

     She introduced herself to the class, idly scanning the class for students that seemed like trouble makers. “My name’s Ms. Shizuka, I’ll be your substitute teacher for the rest of the week.” She said. Her voice had a very casual, comforting tone which served as a nice contrast to her general menacing demeanor. However, while some seemed comforted by how she was presenting herself, others were not having it. A low mumble reverberated through the class as a whispered rumor began to spread.

     “I heard that the substitute is some kind of assassin…”

     “Really?! I heard that she used to be an exterminator or something."

     "Yeah! An exterminator for micros!"

     "That's not all! I heard one of the teachers say that she was a complete psycho back in the day."

     The whispers went on and on until almost everyone in the class had heard some variation of "Ms. Shizuka used to murder tinies." or "That new teacher is supposed to be a psychopath." And while nobody provided any solid proof, the rumors alone were enough to worry every tiny in the room. Soon, one question was on everyone's mind; "Why would they hire a person who used to kill tinies as a teacher at a mixed sized high school?!" The atmosphere in the room was heavy and Megumi was having an internal freak-out. Even if she never trusted baseless rumors, after what she had experienced at this school, anything was possible. 

     When she had first met Ms. Shizuka, she was under the belief that she was a genuinely nice teacher, but hearing all these rumors were starting to corrupt her pure and naive mind. 'if someone like her could be a murderer who else could be hiding their dark secrets?!' She thought to herself, slowly becoming more and more pessimistic as time went on until… 

     "Holy crap, can you all… SHUT THE HELL UP!?! I'm tryin' to get some sleep and I can't thanks to all this damn noise!!!" Furyu yelled, slamming her hand hard against the desk, which caused the entire class to become silent from fear. Furthermore, thanks to this action, she had inadvertently snapped Megumi out of her negative thoughts. 

     'Ehehe~ after hanging out with her so much, I almost forgot that Furyu was a delinquent.' She thought, chuckling to herself. Furyu's action not only helped out Megumi but it helped Ms. Shizuka. Now the class was orderly and she could finally get back to reading the announcements in peace. 

     "I appreciate your assistance, but I'll have to ask that you not sleep during class." She said. 

     "Tch-" She clicked her tongue at the teacher. "Yeah, yeah whatever you say, teach." Upon saying that she leaned back in her chair and propped her feet up on her desk. 

     "Oh, and before I can start teaching, I have one more announcement! There will be a new transfer student joining." Ms. Shizuka said enthusiastically after looking at her clipboard. As soon as the words left her mouth, the sliding door slid open and a peculiar looking person walked in. 

     She was slightly below average height and had quirky shoulder-length hair that had been dyed green with strands light green on the left side of her head. She also had some red oval glasses which helped balance out her generally strange appearance. Though in terms of attractiveness, she was nowhere near Megumi's level, and the reactions from the students made that very clear. And while their reactions may have been mild, Megumi herself was in disbelief. 

     "My name is Fujo Shizue! I'm a super cute high school transfer Okisana academy, and I'm looking forward to studying with you all." She bowed. Her tone was both formal and playful, and yet for some reason, it seemed extremely fake. As if she was just mimicking a line she saw in some manga. She received a mild applause from her new classmates, that was nothing like the reaction Megumi had received. 

     "Really?! Another student from Okisana?" 

     "Yeah, I'm disappointed too. I thought every girl from that school was cute!"

     "Same! Though, it's not like she's completely awful."

     "She looks like she's trying too hard to be quirky."

     The class discussed their thoughts about her, but Fujo had been too busy scanning the room to even notice their side conversations. Looking around she finally locked eyes with the girl with the silver hair and unnaturally large bosom sitting towards the back corner of the class. She stared deeply at her expression of disbelief and a comically smug smile appeared on her face. "Yo! I bet you didn't expect to see me here, did ya?" 

     "Ehhhhhh?!?!" She yelled, erupting from her seat. Megumi was both confused and immeasurably happy. As Fujo went closer to explain herself, she was unexpectedly tackled into a very affectionate hug. "I've missed you so much!" Megumi repeated tightening her grip around her. Though it wasn't obvious to most of the class, she had tears of pure joy on her face. Just seeing her again, filled Megumi with enough energy to wash away her sleep deprivation. 

     "There, there, Megumi~," She said, gently patting her head, similarly to how one would treat their pet that they haven't seen in a while. Megumi had a lot of questions for Furyu, but sadly those had to wait…

     "Excuse me!" Ms. Shizuka cleared her throat. "Class is currently in session so I'd suggest you save your reunion for later." 

     Realizing how sudden her action was, Megumi respectfully apologized to Ms. Shizuka and returned to her desk while waving playfully back at Fujo. After that strange occurrence had subsided, Ms. Shizuka cleared her throat and directed Furyu to her seat. A desk on the other side of the class next to one of the sliding doors. It was in the front row and right to it was a stoic looking girl with a bored look on her face and a head of blonde hair. She was reading notes off of a standard looking notebook. It looked completely ordinary and even had her name "Tsumi Yoshikawa" written on the front but something felt odd. Whenever she turned a page, a very slight blush had appeared on her face. Fujo wanted to know what she had been reading, and thus right before taking her seat, she stretched to get a tiny look at the contents. It was no ordinary notebook; it was an erotic doujin of a plain-looking tiny boy and his normal-sized divine older sister. 

     While any other student may have been weirded out or disgusted after seeing their classmate bring a hentai mag to school, Fujo was very intrigued for one particular reason: she was the one who drew the doujin. Fujo Shizue was far from your ordinary high school student, she was a hentai artist and a really good one at that. Her works have sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide and she's known for creating very graphic and detailed art that usually consisted of normal-sized girls and micros. She couldn't help but smile at the unassuming girl as she sat down at her new desk, reached into her bag and pulled out her own personal textbook, which was also a hentai magazine, but not just any hentai magazine, an extremely rare one (that she also made). 'Let's see if this girl is a real fan of mine.' She thought, placing the magazine on her desk in such a way that it'd invade the girls peripheral. 

     The words “Gore Galore!! The Terrotic(Terrifying + Erotic<3) Torturing Succubus Kurumi Hideo!!” were written out in big obnoxious letters accompanied by an extremely lewd image of a girl with jet black hair and deep red eyes. She was scantily clad in a thin black bikini and in between the cleavage of her sizable breasts was an absolute mess of blood and the tiny body parts of many micros. It was a gore-filled cacophony that'd make almost anyone uncomfortable, however, Fujo took it out for two particular reasons: there were only "7" physical copies of the doujin in existence, and the manga was infamously well known by almost every single one of her die-hard fans. If she was a fan of her work, then she'd undoubtedly know about it and know about it, she did. 

     As her eyes focused on the doujin she went wide-eyed, struggling to keep her jaw from dropping. And when she looked at it closer she froze. This was no ordinary copy of the extremely rare doujin, it was a signed copy. Seeing Tsumi’s shocked expression had confirmed all of Fujo's suspicions and she struggled deeply to hold back a smug laugh and smile since there was still one more thing she wanted to do…

     "Oops!" She murmured "accidentally" dropping it on the floor towards Tsumi. This was the last straw on the camel's back for her and instead of showing a restrained or hidden reaction, she eagerly got up from her seat to get her hands on it. She stared deeply at the cover before reluctantly handing it back to Fujo. 

     "W-Wait!" She whispered. "Look, since this is my first day, I don't wanna get in trouble for having stuff like that, so would you mind holding onto it for the rest of the class?" Fujo clasped her hands and watched as the desperate Tsumi completely believed her lie. She nodded her head and returned to her seat excitedly clasping the doujin in her hand. For the rest of the class, she hadn't taken her eyes off of it. 

     An hour later and class had ended. The students cleared out of the room and before Fujo could get up and leave, she was confronted by none other than Tsumi herself. Slamming her hand on Fujo's desk she stared at her with intense skepticism. 

     "Oh hey, thanks for holding onto that doujin for me! I'm sure you already heard this, but my name's Fujo Shizue, it's nice to meet you-" Trying to be friendly she reintroduced herself only to be cut off a few seconds after. 

     "Yeah, I don't care," Tsumi said rudely before carefully placing the doujin on her desk. "But what I do care about, is this. Tell me how you got a signed copy of Fuzue Shijo's rarest doujin!" 

     "Eh? That old thing's rare? I got it online, but I don't understand how anyone could like it. It's just a gross and offensive mashup of shameless tiny killing. It's no wonder the artist took it down and stopped selling copies." She shrugged, a smug smile slowly appearing on her face. Truth be told, Fujo hated that doujin, and she hated herself for making it. It was such a disgusting collection of gore themed hentai that only a psychopath could genuinely enjoy it. If given the chance, she'd track down and burn every single trace of the doujin. 

     "A gross and offensive mashup of tiny killing,' yeah, right?" She said in a mocking tone. "As if someone like you could understand the true beauty that is contained within these pages. Seeing those little bugs get stomped and squished by Kurumi is the most amazing thing and someone who could take that for granted doesn't even deserve to have the doujin in their possession." She scoffed. 

    "And also, what's up with that 'I got it online' crap? People are willing to spend a small fortune on stuff like this and despite owning three of the seven copies, I've never even seen one with their signature!" Tsumi glared, tearing her lie to pieces. 

     "OK, you got me. Truth is…" Fujo leaned in close, whispering into her ear. "I'm friends with the artist. We were in the same class back at Okisana. Don't tell anyone." She winked. 

     "Yeah, as if!" 

     "It's true! And what's even crazier, is that she's that silver-haired girl in the back corner of the class."

     "Are you trying to play me for a fool? There's no way in hell that some vanilla gentle bait like her could be the Fuzue Shijo. Plus, I'm not an idiot, I've seen a picture of Fuzue's reflection and she looked nothing like that." Despite being relatively relaxed, that single comment was enough to make Fujo freak out. 

     'What the hell?! That picture was up for like 3 seconds before I took it down. How does she even know about it?' She thought, realizing how obsessive she was. 

     "Why are you so quiet all of sudden?" 

     "U-Uh..." Fujo was used to having obsessive fans, but for some reason, this girl seemed to creep her out more than anything she's ever experienced but for some reason, it felt familiar. And then she remembered something. She recognized this girl from a convention she went to, and she could definitely say that it wasn’t a good encounter...

     Last summer, Fujo had gone undercover to see how well her most recent doujin was selling. The lines, unsurprising, were extremely long and her doujins were selling like hotcakes. After multiple hours, the booth had finally sold out. With not a single Fuzue Shijo doujin left, many customers were turned away and advised to come back tomorrow, during the second day of the convention. While ultimately upset, they could only blame themselves for not showing up earlier. However, unlike the many sad fans that weren’t able to get their hands on the doujin, Fujo was extremely satisfied with the turnout, and she walked away with a smug look on her face. 

     ‘As expected, of the one and only genius artist Fuzue Shijo. I blew it out of the park with this one.’ She thought, patting herself on the back. But, as she was basking in her own self-gratification she hadn’t been watching where she was going and bumped right into a certain blonde girl who was most definitely not the happiest person at the convention. Her fists were clenched and her brow was furrowed. She had been staring daggers at the clerk that was running Fujo’s booth before she was ever so rudely bumped into. Before being able to apologize, Tsumi had brushed her off and began walking towards the convention’s seating area. Out of sheer curiosity (and boredom), Fujo had nothing better than to blankly stare at the girl from afar. Initially wanting to just observe, she felt an odd sensation from her, kinda like she had some kind of dangerous aura permeating around her. But, nonetheless, she decided not to do much about it. Little did she know, that’d be a big mistake.

     Seemingly frustrated, Tsumi was looking for something to take her anger out on, and lucky for her… she’d soon find the perfect way to relieve her stress. Right across from her was a micro-sized boy chatting on a bench with a normal-sized girl. They seemed disgustingly lovey-dovey and just the thought of them being a mixed-size couple— or just mixed-size couples in general— was infuriating to Tsumi, but something about those two made her even more furious. After glaring at them for a solid minute, she finally realized what it was; they were the ones who bought the last two copies of the doujin Tsumi wanted and she wanted nothing more than to get her revenge. As she impatiently stared at the two from afar, the chance Tsumi was waiting for had finally come. 

     ”Excuse me for a second, darling~,” The micro’s girlfriend said with a cutesy wink before walking towards one of the nearby restrooms. Initially hesitant about being left alone, the boy soon got comfortable after nobody seemed interested in approaching the bench. Taking a seat on top of the plastic bag that held their recently bought doujins, that comfortable feeling soon faded as a certain blonde girl slowly sauntered over towards the bench. Before the tiny even got a chance to speak, he was knocked off his feet and tossed onto the convention floor as Tsumi nonchalantly grabbed the bag he was sitting on.

     ”H-Hey, that isn’t yours!!” He yelled staring up at her, unbeknownst to the fact that stolen goods were the least of his worries...

     Looking around very briefly to make sure no one was watching, she lifted her foot casting a shadow above him. He backed away from fear trying to beg for his life, only to realize soon after that his pleas had fallen on deaf ears. After seeing that all his begging was useless, the tiny boy began to flee but before he was even able to take a few steps, it was already too late. All he could do was watch in despair as Tsumi lowered her sandaled foot onto him. Wanting to express her frustration, Tsumi ended the boy’s life in a slow and painful manner; crushing him slowly. After a few seconds, the tiny’s body was mercilessly crushed under the sole of her sandal. What was an excruciatingly slow and unimaginably painful experience for the tiny was a satisfying moment of Tsumi’s day. With her foot planted firmly on the tiny’s corpse, she stood there with a terrifying smile of satisfaction on her face.

     Fujo wanted to call security, but it was too late. Tsumi had blended into the convention’s crowd and never to be seen by Fujo again— until today, in which she had finally come face to face with her once again. But, for some reason, she was even more scared of her. Fujo may have drawn and seen tinies getting crushed before, but Tsumi was something else. She couldn't get that image out of her head. That creepy satisfied smile of hers scared Fujo and she was left in a stammering nervous mess after figuring out who she was.

     "F-Forget what I sai-" She stuttered, only to be cut off once again.. But not by the person she expected.

     ”It’s so amazing to see that you’re making friends already!” An oddly cheerful voice came from behind, and Fujo was soon pulled into a caring hug. Almost as she had sensed Fujo’s nervousness, Megumi arrived just in time to save her from her awkward situation.

     Giving Megumi a short but very hateful glare, Tsumi clicked her tongue and silently walked off, taking the signed doujin with her.

     Since she was the artist it wasn't a big deal for Fujo. Mostly relieved that things hadn't escalated further, the two of them nodded towards each other and after taking a deep breath, Fujo returned to her cheerfully composed self.

     "So, what do you think about school so far?" Megumi asked, placing her hand on Fujo's shoulder. 

     "Yaaawwnn, it was sooo boring. There was no action at all! I honestly thought a school like this would be more exciting." She exclaimed in a barely noticeable tone of sarcasm.

     "Well, that's because you haven't made any new friends yet! Here allow me to introduce you to someone!" Opening her palm towards Fujo, Megumi presented her with an oddly cheerful Rentaro, who was ready to introduce himself. 

     “My name’s Rentaro Kitagawa! It's nice to meet you!" With a bright smile on his face, he stared deeply into Fujo's green eyes through the shine in her glasses. Despite being a major otaku and having what some would consider a tainted and dirty mind, deep down, Fujo was still a girl and Rentaro’s smile was enough to make even her blush a little, but she was quick on the draw when it came to brushing it off.

     ”Nice to meet ya! Are you famous or something? Because I feel like I recognize your name from somewhere…” Fujo readjusted her glasses and put her hand on her chin, looking closely at Rentaro’s tiny body as she tried to figure out where she knew him from.

     ”Oh, my family owns this really big tech company so you probably recognized me from tha-”
     ”Do you have a foot fetish?” She asked with a plain and simple tone.
     ”Eh?” Rentaro stood there, on Megumi’s palm, absolutely speechless. Even if it was true, it was never something he’d admit. “I-I don’t have a foot fetish, w-why would you even say something like that.”

     ”Give em’ here Megumi, I wanna test something.” Extending her palm she was met with little resistance as Megumi gently plopped him onto Fujo’s hand. As for what this “test” was, Rentaro would soon find that it was something very interesting.

     Slipping out of her shoes, she flexed her socked toes and propped her foot on her lap before grabbing Rentaro by the waist and bringing him closer to her foot. Rentaro was feeling an unimaginably vast amount of emotion: excited, confused, embarrassed, intrigued, aroused, and a plethora of nondescript emotions that conveyed feelings of lust or bewilderment. Heavy breathing ensued as Fujo brought him closer and closer to her foot until he was less than a few centimeters away from her massive sole. He braced himself, expecting Fujo to push him directly into her foot and have her way with him, but as fate would have it, he was pulled away. 

     "Pffft! Is that a pencil in your pocket or was I right about your little interests." She smirked, feeling Rentaro's "little Rentaro" between her thumb and forefinger. While all this was happening, Rentaro could do nothing but hide his face in complete and utter embarrassment. 

     "F-Fine! You caught me! B-But how'd you even know something like that…" He asked, his flustered face glowing beat red.

     "There are two reasons for that! One I'm a super genius. And two, try using a less obvious username when commenting on hentai. I mean c'mon is 'Kentaro Ritagawa' the best you could come up with?! Ritagawa is so fricking obvious!" She laughed. 

     "Haha, you're one to talk." Megumi chimed in. "Isn't your username 'Fuzue Shijo?" At that moment, both Fujo and Rentaro let out a collective gasp as they stared at Megumi in disbelief. Confused at first, it took Megumi a few seconds to realize what she had done. 

     With a mildly angered expression on her face, Fujo bonked Megumi softly on the head with her free hand causing her to recoil in pain.

     "Gah, I thought I finally hammered it into your head, but two weeks of being away and you've already forgotten everything. How many times do I need to tell you not to just reveal my identity like that?" She sighed and then looked around. "You're lucky nobody heard you, but one of these days I'm gonna tape that big lovable mouth of yours shut and then draw a fifteen-page erotic image set to celebrate the occasion." While the two chucked at each other's banter, all Rentaro could do was sit there and be excited that he finally got to meet the artist… until he thought about it some more. 

     "Wait, you knew about my fetish because…"

     "Because of all those wonderful comments you've left on my online doujins. Here are some of my favorites." She flashed Rentaro a smug smile whilst pulling out her phone with an air of nonchalance. Rentaro had a vague idea of what she was about to do and all he could do was watch in horror as his suspicions were confirmed. Clearing her throat, Fujo began whispering into Rentaro’s ear while looking at her phone.

     ”Oh yeah, Meguri is amazingly cute!!! I just want her to stuff me inside those stuffy socks and run a marathon. Ahhh, I can only imagine how heavenly it’d be to inhale all that steamy smell and be absorbent rag for all her angelic sweat!!! I know she’s too gentle to ever do something like that but I dream that one day I’ll be transported into one of your doujins so I could lap up all of Meguri’s foot sweat.” Fujo whispered, causing Rentaro to have a physical reaction to the copious amount of cringe that was currently attacking him from all angles. After just one comment, his face was bright red and he tried everything he could to block out the noise, but Fujo wasn't done yet. "UWAAAA! Akana is such an amazing character!! I love the fact that even though she's a perfect girl her feet still smell! That kind of stuff is so fricking hot! Especially the part where she forced Shisui to clean every inch of her foot with his tongue was the bomb! Idk why he kept complaining, if I was asked to lick her after-practice feet I'd submit to her in a heartbeat." 

     A few more comments later and she had stopped talking. Rentaro was in a fetal position, his hands were covering his ears and he was completely laid out. Regrets could not be more abundant in the young boy's head. The cringe had hit so hard that he didn't even have the strength to tell her to stop. After seeing this, Fujo put her phone away and patted him on the head. 

     "Look here, little guy. Your comments aren't as awful as you think they are, so stop feeling so ashamed. I get comments a lot worse than those on a daily basis." With a genuine smile on her face, she helped him up and brought her hand closer to her face to look Rentaro in the eye. "I draw hentai of my friends for a living, so if anyone should feel ashamed about that kind of stuff it should be me. If anyone tries to judge you for the things you like (within reason), just ignore them and move on… also, change your super obvious username!! 'Kentaro' is fine but 'Ritagawa' has got to be the laziest thing I've ever heard!!" She laughed causing Rentaro to reflect on how much he was overreacting and soon even he was laughing. Despite subtly not liking how much he had been exposed by Fujo, he came to genuinely like her more as a person. 

     ”Haha, yeah you’re right… wait, since you’re friends with Megumi, and you have a character named Meguri. Does that mean…” Rentaro shakingly turned to look at Megumi, a nervous sweat dripped down from his head as he finally connected the dots. Mumbling, “that’s why she looked so familiar.” under his breath, Rentaro froze in place, as a look of dread appeared on his nervous face.

     ”I guess that dream to lap up all of Meguri’s sweat has a chance of coming true…” Fujo whispered, with a mischievous expression causing him to internally cringe about all the perverted comments he left about Fujo’s Meguri character.

     "I'm happy that you two have become such good friends, but there are still a couple more people I wanna introduce you to… but, class is about to start so it'll have to wait!!" Gently grabbing Rentaro, Megumi ran back to her seat in the corner while waving back at her. "Oh! And I can't wait to introduce you to this gal!!" Shouting happily, she pointed at a sleeping Furyu and sat down excitedly in her chair. 

During the remainder of the school day, Megumi made sure that Fujo made the rounds to meet every one of her newly made friends. Introducing her to all the club members, she even made sure to introduce her to people like Mutsuhiro, Shinako, Tsuyume, and Bunny. And thanks to Megumi’s irresistible begging, Fujo even developed thoughts of joining the Micro-Rep Support Squad. Soon enough, Fujo had gotten familiar enough to know everyone’s names but there was still a lot more to learn and more people to meet. But luckily, she transferred at just the right time to join in on the club’s weekend study session. Originally anxious about dropping everything in order to have fun at a new school with her best friend, Fujo had gotten rid of all that anxiety and realized that she definitely made the right decision…

END SCENE:

     The sun was beating down and at the gates of a stunning traditional Japanese mansion were the members of Hanichi’s Micro-Rep Support Squad standing in awe. Bamboo gardens and koi ponds filled the grandiose courtyard creating a beautiful scene. It was almost hard to believe that someone they knew lived in such a place. 

     "Are you sure this is the right place? I never thought someone like him would be so frickin' loaded." Furyu asked, climbing onto the gate to get a better look. 

     "Be careful! What if you're right about this not being his house." Mai yelled through her megaphone, trying to warn Furyu from the safety of Megumi’s shirt pocket. Staring at her phone Megumi desperately tried to confirm that she was in the right place. 

     "The address should be right…" She said nervously scratching the back of her head. While she was trying to seem confident, that facade soon faded as Megumi started to get more and more confused. She tried texting and calling but Rentaro hadn't answered his phone. But just when she was about to break down, a certain person came up to the group from behind. 

     A mature woman with elegant deep blue hair and green eyes approached them carrying a bag of groceries. She looked very well reserved and had been wearing a maid outfit, oddly enough. And while it seemed a bit weird that someone would be wearing something like that, this was just exactly what the group needed. 

     "Oh, you must be the young master's friends. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Hoshikawa Tsukikage, a maid in service of the Kitagawa family, but you can just call me Ms. Tsukikage. Allow me to show you inside." She bowed and, in a well-mannered fashion, opened the gates and welcomed them inside.

     Walking into the house, the group took off their shoes and stepped inside hoping to see Rentaro, but it seemed as if he was a bit preoccupied. Carrying him in her fist, was a young girl who had the same dark brown hair and blue eyes as Rentaro, but she seemed to be extremely angry. 

     "How many times do I have to tell you to stay the hell out of my room you, damn pervert!!!!" She yelled, about to throw Rentaro out into the hallway until she saw the group of people. 

     "Agh, I just wanted to tell you that I was having friends over! Why are you being so mean, sis?" He protested, struggling to escape her grip. 

     "I don't have to tell you again!" She said before tossing him onto the ground and walking into her room. "Oh, and if you ever think of going into my room again to hide inside my socks, or whatever, I'll toss you in the koi pond!" She yelled slamming the sliding door shut. 

     "Oh, hey. Sorry about that, my sister and I don't really have the best relationship…" He sighed, dusting himself off. "Anyway, please make yourself at home, I hope that we'll all have a fun time studying today." He smiled.

          Mai Ogasaki was never a lucky person. From the moment she started attending high school, Mai came face to face with the most horrific things a person could see. She was humiliated, disrespected, bullied, threatened, and… pressured to believe that she was nothing more than a worthless bug. While most of this stuff was a given for someone like her, saying that “Mai Ogasaki is unlucky,” would be an undeniable fact. Even the circumstances of her birth could be described as unlucky as Mai, much like a good percentage of the world’s population, was born a micro. Barely half an inch tall, the world was never kind to the small girl, and attending a mixed-sizes high school only served to toss fuel to the fire of all the awful events that would occur during the poor girl’s life.

          As soon she entered that school, Mai would be confronted by death at every corner. The tiny spatters of blood and gore sprinkled throughout the vast hallways of this unfriendly school were all grim reminders of how unsafe the idea of this school was. And before she was able to even get used to her horrific new surroundings, life hit Mai hard in the form of her unfortunate senpai and her untimely death. Seeing her final moments filled Mai with an awful feeling of helplessness. Was there really nothing a micro student like her could do to stand up to such impossible odds? From that point on, Mai was done being helpless. Wanting to avenge her friend’s death, she decided to stand up and let her voice be heard— to make a difference, even going as far as to follow in her footsteps of her friend by becoming Hanichi’s Micro Student Body Representative… but even then, she still couldn’t catch a break.

          Taking up the position of Micro Representative was never an easy task and despite gaining the respect of many of her tiny peers, Mai found herself at odds with the hardships of micro discrimination now more than ever before. With a large target on her tiny back and no fear of letting her voice be heard, it was obvious that some wouldn’t take too kindly to her behavior. They couldn’t stand a “bug” like her, and how said bug attempted so hard to make a stand. And as luck would have it, those same people would always be there to shut her down right when she felt like she was finally being able to make a difference. Whether that be a protest, or in the midst of announcing a plan to make the school a better place, Mai was humiliated, abused, betrayed, and driven back to that awful corner of helplessness once again with the splattered bodies of those she once knew. Was she really just some bug destined to be the plaything of those bigger than her, or were things actually going change, just as Mai would tell herself often? But those doubts in her mind would soon change as a chance encounter would change her fate in a major way. On that fateful day… Mai found an ally.

—————————————————————

          The school bells chimed and an orange glow shined through the windows of Hanichi Public High School. The fading sound of chatter echoed throughout the schoolyard. As students leisurely headed home for the day, a young Mai Ogasaki found herself walking down the schools (relatively) vast hallways towards what she believed to be one of the safest locations for her; The Micro-Rep Support Squad’s club room. While normally she was carried by one of her larger companions, Mai was informed that she “had to head home early.” It was a slow and long walk for someone of her size, but something else had been bothering Mai more than a boring journey. Turning the corner, Mai was hit with some painful memories as she found herself in the exact same hallway where so much had gone wrong. Ignoring the sparse bloodstains that were speckled throughout the hall, this particular are held a more significant meaning to the tiny. This was the hallway in which her senpai had met her unfortunate end, as well as the place where the fellow members of the previous micro-student representative council were murdered and kidnapped.

          Regardless of how depressing it was, Mai was typically numb to this kind of stuff as it was practically a normal part of a micros school life. She felt so sad, all of sudden. She passed through this hallway all the time without feeling a thing, but for some reason… it was so much worse that day. Keeping her head down and staying close to the wall, she walked hoping to make her way through as fast as possible but she couldn’t keep those thoughts out of her head. Those memories, the screams, and trauma was still stuck with her clinging with a horrible tenacity. After a minute or two of walking, Mai found herself breaking down. Tears rolled down her face as she slowly dropped down to the floor. 

          ‘Why? Why did all of that have to happen?’ She asked herself, burying her head in her hands. So many people and she couldn’t save any of them… Was everything that happened to her just the universes way of punishing her for breaking the status quo? Was she really just some bug who’s voice meant nothing?? Her mind raced with questions, each one breaking her spirit down more than the last. All her hard work, all her humiliation, and all the suffering... was it really all for nothing? More and more tears fell down Mai’s face, hitting the floor as more and more sadness crept up on her. She didn’t want to believe it, but her mind was slowly starting to make her think that all of that was true. She couldn’t even think clearl-

          Before Mai could even finish her depressed thoughts she found herself slowly lifted off of the ground by some unknown individual. With tears clouding her vision, Mai sadly started to think that this may be the end of her. ‘A fitting end for a bug like me…’ She thought closing her eyes…

          but, contrary to the small girl’s thoughts, she soon found herself placed gently onto the person’s palm. Confused, and relieved, Mai cleared her tears to look at the person’s face. Basked in the gentle orange light of the beautiful sunset, was a tall and busty looking girl. With a caring smile on her face, she seemed like the optimal image of kindness and optimism. Her long ponytail blew in the wind as light bounced off her elegant silver hair. 

          “M-Megumi?” Mai asked wiping her tears. “I thought you went home.” She averted her gaze trying to not let her see the tears on her sad face.

          “Sorry! That was kind of a lie, I wanted to surprise you with a lift to the club! I hope you’re not upset that I lied.” Megumi apologized, smiling towards the girl. 

          “N-No, it’s fine.” She said, feigning a smile. Sitting down on her palm, Mai looked ahead as Megumi walked slowly down the empty hallway. She still couldn’t keep those negative thoughts out of her mind, but a certain person would soon change that for her.

“Hey, Mai! Do you know where we are?” She asked. And while Mai would consider herself painfully aware… Megumi had a different idea in mind.

“Huh?” Faking curiosity, she stared blankly ahead hoping to just forget about all those sad thoughts.

          “It’s where we first met each other.” She smiled while tilting her head. Hearing that surprised Mai and she looked back to see the caring expression on Megumi’s face. “I was honestly shocked, to see what happened to you that day, but despite all the awful things that happened to you… I could tell that you were strong.” She said, looking at her with a passionate expression. Mai could only stare at her, speechless as she had never heard anyone call her that before.

          “No matter what, I could tell how determined you are to get back up and keep fighting! I don’t even know what I’d do if I were in your position, hehe.” She giggled, her soothing voice and kind words breaking through her sadness. “I wasn’t always the positive person you see today… but it’s people like you who help me realize that… there will always be people who seek to fight injustice in the world and stand up for what they believe is right!” Megumi exclaimed, stopping to look at the picturesque sunset. 

          “And as long as there are people like that, I can feel happy just being… happy! Knowing that I can help them achieve their righteous goals, is really… amazing!” She laughed, once more. “So, Mai…” Megumi cleared her throat, before placing the tiny girl down on a nearby windowsill.

          “Let’s keep fighting to make this school a better place for everyone!” Megumi yelled, with a heartfelt tone of voice, and a genuine state of mind. “And as long as we keep trying our best… I know that you, along with everyone else in the club, will be able to truly change things up for the better!” She smiled gleefully, her positive energy and inspiring words finally shattering all of Mai’s sad thoughts and placing a smile of genuine happiness on her face. 

          Wiping all her tears away, and tightening her headband, Mai nodded before lightly slapping herself in the face. “I’m such an idiot!” She mumbled to herself realizing how dumb those sad thoughts were and understanding that she couldn’t give up! Not just for herself, but for everyone in the club, and all the micros in school… as well as all those sad souls who had lost their lives to the awful injustice! She had to keep trying, and she couldn’t let them die in vain!! She, with help from all those who had supported her, was gonna breakthrough that injustice, once and for all!

          “Sorry for stopping on the way, I just thought, you needed to hear that~” Megumi apologized, picking Mai up and continuing her walk to the club.

          “It’s really no problem, I really appreciate what you said to me. Though, I’m the one who should be apologizing.”

          “Hm? What for?” 

          “Don’t worry about it!” She said, scratching the back of her head. “Anyways, why did you wanna surprise me with a lift to the club?” She asked, getting comfortable on Megumi’s palm

          “Well... I think it’d be best if you see for yourself.” Megumi said as she approached the entrance to the club. “Today’s a special day after all~”

          “Huh?-” Before Mai had a chance to react to her statement, Megumi had slid open the door revealing a happy scene within the club room.

          “Pop!!” The loud banging of party poppers went off, spewing multicolored streamers and confetti all over the clubroom floor.

          “Happy Birthday, Mai!!!!” Each member of the club yelled in unison. Each one of them was dressed in colorful party hats and the club was decorated festively with banners, balloons, and streamers. And in the middle, was a delicious looking cake with a megaphone design in the frosting and the words “Happy Birthday” written out. 

          “Happy birthday, I hope you like your gift. I wanted to give it to you after we ate the cake, but I couldn’t resist.” Megumi said, pulling out a really tiny box from her pocket and setting it down in front of her. Unwrapping it, Mai found a tiny megaphone within. The simple sight of it made her unbelievably happy. And she couldn’t wait to test it out. Switching it on and bringing it close to her mouth, she took a deep breath…

          “Thank you!!!” She yelled, her voice being amplified ten-fold and more than loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Surrounded by people that cared about her, Mai took in the surroundings, and soon a tear fell down her face once more; not of sadness or grief, but of pure genuine happiness.

          Mai Ogasaki was never a lucky person… but she had her moments in which she felt truly blessed, and the day she met everyone there was undoubtedly one of those moments in which Mai Ogasaki felt like the luckiest tiny on the face of the planet.

Last time on Half Inch High: Alternative! The eccentric yet mysterious transfer student Fujo Shizue enrolls in Hanichi High School only to reveal that she was the so-called best friend of the Micro-Rep Support Squad’s Vice President, Megumi Shiro and after having a run-in with her dark past, Fujo is saved at the last minute by Megumi’s kind intuition. Soon after, Fujo begins integrating herself within the main group and eventually they find themselves in quite an interesting situation… midterms are coming up and no studying has been done! Now, in an act of comradery and for the goal of increasing her bond with all her friends, Megumi devises a plan! A club study session in none other than the home of fellow club member Rentaro Kitagawa, however, as they arrive they find something that almost none of them expected. Now, standing before a luxurious traditional Japanese mansion, Megumi and company are invited inside by a maid claiming to be in the service of the Kitagawa family. After coming across a brother, sister quarrel the group gets into gear and prepares for their long-awaited study session, but little do they know, an even greater surprise awaits them shortly…

“Damn! It’s so nice to be in the cold AC. Standin’ out there in the heat was hell, even for someone like me.” Furyu exclaimed, wiping the sweat off her brow, before taking a seat underneath the air conditioner. “My AC’s always on the fritz, so I can’t even begin to say how frickin’ good this feels.” Letting out a moan of comfort, the group also took that time to wind down as well. But this would only be a minor moment of reprieve as the group came face to face with something… or rather someone they never expected to see.

“Wow, I’ve never seen an actual honest to goodness maid before! And she seemed so cool! Don’t you think so, Alice?” A bubbly, and optimistic voice echoed throughout the hall and a flurry of footsteps made their way towards the living room which housed the rest of the group. 

“Yeah, I guess. Though, can’t you see those maids in Akihabara, you know in those loser otaku cafes. Anyways, that doesn’t matter, can you tell me why we’re studying at some bug’s house?” There was no doubt! From the tone of her voice, everything was clear. The living room went dead silent. 

“What? T-That was Bunny’s voice and did she say...Alice?” Mai remarked feeling a surge of fear ran down her tiny spine. A resurgence of bad memories followed by a cold sweat. Nervous and shaking, Mai looked towards the bamboo screen door to face yet another shock... Bunny and Alice weren’t the only ones in the hallway. Aside from the shadow of Rentaro’s maid, there was one more. A girl, tall in stature with a sizable bust and long hair. At first, it wasn’t exactly obvious who it was but that would soon change.

“H-Hey! Have some respect! I get that he may be a… b-bug, but we're still in someone else’s house!” Despite her saying something oddly uncharacteristic, it was clear. That voice was none other than Sekira, and there was no doubt about it! This fact only served to imbue Mai with even more fear. Both of those who mercilessly bullied and murdered her own comrades in front of her were right there. When she faced Alice in the halls she was forced to hide, but having both of them was way too much for her tiny heart. But her soul wasn't just filled with fear… At the same time, a wave of anger and rage was rushing through her. However, while those feelings of anger would remain, all her fear would soon be destroyed as Mai received something precious from her fellow club members. 

"Don't worry, Mai. Unlike that time in the hallway… You have support from the Micro-Rep Support Squad, and we'll make sure everyone here has a fun time while studying, but most importantly, we'll make sure no one gets harmed." Megumi said confidently before patting Mai gently on the head with her finger. 

"Yeah, if any of those sons of bitches try anything, I'll beat their asses into a bloody pulp before they can even think about steppin' on you or any of the other micros here." Cracking her knuckles, Furyu jumped up from her relaxed position under the AC and looked towards the bamboo screen door. 

“I may not know a lot about those girls, but judging from your reactions they seem like they’re bad news and if there’s anything that pompous ass school has taught me, it’s that protecting you tinies is important, so I’ll give it my all!” Fujo said, dusting herself off, however, despite her boisterous and confident claims, Fujo was no fighter and she definitely liked playing things safe. Guided by her shameless cowardice, the girl then promptly went to Megumi’s side only to… hide behind her!! “And by that, I mean, I’ll follow your lead Megumi! I always thought of myself as more of a support player anyway.”

“WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH THAT?!” Tomoya yelled, completely appalled by Fujo’s actions. “The nerve of this *****! Are you really sure she’s your friend Megumi?” 

“Oh, yeah, Fujo makes jokes like that all the time, don’t mind her~” Megumi giggled.

“By the way, Megumi I’ve been thinkin’… mind if I asked you a question real quick?” Furyu said, pulling her to the side. “Why the hell are those two here in the first place?” 

“Oh! About that… Rentaro and I invited them!” Megumi said, with a blissfully dense smile on her face, and just as it had before, the living room went dead silent…

After all their bluster and confidence, it turns out that all their fear and problems were caused by none other than the two idiots of the group. After being punished accordingly, Megumi and Rentaro were swiftly put on blast and forced to explain themselves. Soon enough, the dead silent living room had turned into an interrogation room!

“Well, see it’s simple! We didn’t want anyone to feel left out while we studied so Rentaro and I invited some of them~” Megumi exclaimed, somehow still blissfully unaware. Soon after saying that, a question was posed.

“What do you mean by left out?” And almost as if the two of them were on the same wavelength, Rentaro was able to answer the question without wasting a single breath.

“See, since all of us are sophomores, and Mai’s a senior we decided that it’d be unfair if Mai didn’t get to study with others the same grade as her.” He said, baffling everyone else in the group. Just as Megumi explained before, it really was simple— simple-minded, that is. Due to their unbelievably naive and caring natures, the two were so eager to make sure everyone could study well and have a good time that they failed to realize the consequences of their actions. Their idiocy was paved by only good intentions. Though, while they were dumb, they weren’t completely careless. Neither of them was dumb enough to invite someone like Alice. Originally Megumi had only invited Bunny and, truth be told, the two of them were too dumb to predict that Bunny would invite Alice alongside her. But as for Sekira, that was purely Rentaro’s idiocy at work.

Even after hearing their explanation, the rest of the group was still racking their brains at how unbelievable the two were. A sigh ran cold throughout the room, after a quick facepalm Mai shook it off and caught Megumi’s attention. 

“Look, as long as you keep good on your promise, then I guess we can all… have fun and study together.” She sighed, getting comfortable on the living room’s table. “But keep in mind, the only one I’ll actually study with is Bunny! I’m not getting anywhere near those two psychos.”

“Fine by me! Now… as soon as everything’s ready we can let this study session begin!!” Megumi cheered, and a couple of seconds later, the door slid open and a tense aura ran throughout the room.

“Heya! Sorry, we’re a little late.” Bunny said, waving towards the group before taking a seat near the living room table. However, none of her words registered because the group's eyes were focused on Alice and Sekira as they walked into the room. While the relatively nonchalant Alice reciprocated a smug glare towards Megumi and others, Sekira’s eyes were hyper-focused on a certain person. As soon as her eyes fell on him, Sekira’s heart began to flutter and a visible blush appeared on her face. Unbeknownst to him, Sekira was once again stalking Rentaro and now that she was inside his house, a large number of perverted ideas began to flood her mind, leaving her with a spaced-out expression and a small strand of drool running down her face. 

“I’m so happy to be here Ren-” She exclaimed, ecstatically only to trip and fall face-first onto the wooden flooring shortly after. And with that alone, the micro-rep support squad knew they were in for one hell of a day…

After quickly bouncing back, Sekira dusted herself off and took a seat at the living room's table. Her giant shadow beckoned Rentaro's tiny body, though, for better or for worse, he wasn’t afraid of her. After flashing a quick smile and wave, Rentaro got out tiny books and notes and placed them neatly on top of the table while Sekira admired each and every single one of his cute movements. While it may not have looked like it, Rentaro was quite a diligent student. Often placed at, or near the top of the class, the little guy loved studying and thanks to his family (mostly his maid) pressuring him to give his studies even more attention, he quickly became an A-student. However, none of this really mattered to Sekira. Whether he was dumb or smart, didn't concern her at all, because she loved every bit of Rentaro’s tiny body. 

"Well, let's get this over with. Studying sucks but it's whatever." Alice complained, tossing her school bag onto the table in which it landed a couple of inches away from Rentaro and its impact was enough to knock every other tiny off their feet. "Oops, sorry. You bugs are kinda hard to see. It's your fault, anyway, why would you even wanna study when you're so tiny and pathetic-" Alice commented rudely only to be quickly grabbed by the collar by an increasingly annoyed Furyu. 

"The hell's your problem?!" Furyu asked as a ticked-off expression started to form on her face. The two stared each other down and, as expected, the atmosphere quickly became tense. With the tinies still trying to recover from the sudden impact, and Fujo still awkwardly trying to comprehend the situation, it was up to the “powerhouses” of each group to finally speak up.

“H-Hey, she’s just messing around! There’s no need to get violent.” Said Bunny as she tried her best to escalate, however, this seemed to only piss Furyu off a little more.

“Messing around’ my ass!! I’ll mess this b**tches face around when I ram my fist down her throat-” She said, rearing her fist back as she winded up a punch which was then stopped by none other than Megumi, but something seemed different…

“Don’t!” Megumi ordered in a strangely serious voice as she held Furyu’s arm back. And as Furyu tried to throw the punch, she found that her arm had been stopped completely by Megumi’s surprisingly strong grip. And while this wasn’t exactly odd, Furyu never thought that Megumi would be able to hold her back like that. Furthermore, it seemed as if Megumi had other reasons for wanting to hold her back, and those reasons became clear to her Megumi shot a quick glance towards what was behind Alice. It was then she realized that punching Alice probably would’ve caused her to fall onto the living room table and right on top of the helpless micros who were standing on top of it.

“You really shouldn’t start fights with people… especially when micros are so close.” Megumi said, returning back to her bright and peppy voice. After going flushed with embarrassment and anger, Deciding it wasn’t worth her time to start fights this early on, Furyu relaxed her arm and glared at Alice before turning away with a rebellious click of her tongue.

"Ha! Imagine that! One of your own club members crushing your president like the bug she is, I don't think I'd be able to stop laughing if that happened. I guess this is what happens when you have a bug for a club president." Alice said, stifling a laugh and striking a nerve with Furyu, once again. However, unlike the previous time, Megumi had stepped in to defend her before things got violent.

“Who cares about that?” Megumi said, in that same oddly serious tone only to immediately switch back to her normal cheerful voice once again. “We came here to study right? And I’m sure out of everybody here… you’d need all the help  you can get.” She smiled, and while her smile looked exactly the same as all her other cheerful smiles, Alice felt oddly insulted by it. 

“What’s that supposed to mean…” Alice asked, starting to get slightly annoyed herself.

“Ehehe…” Placing her hand on Alice’s shoulder, Bunny let out a nervous giggle before looking her in the eye.

“What do you mean ‘ehehe’?!” 

“Well… originally, Megumi didn’t want me to invite you, but after I told her about how bad your grades were, she finally agreed.” Feeling a little guilty, Bunny pouted hoping Alice wouldn’t be too mad at her.

“Oh, right! I remember now!” A small snicker came from the living room table only to evolve into a straight-up cackle. “Hahaha!! If only your cup size reflected your grades, because I bet you’d probably be at the top of the class as opposed to being at the bottom!!” Grasping his stomach, Tomoya could barely contain himself as he laughed at Alice's shortcomings while also insulting her appearance. Truly the moves of a complete scumbag…

"What did you say, you little bug!?-" Before Alice got a chance to lash out in anger, she was interrupted by Rentaro, of all people. 

"You're no better yourself, right?" He said nonchalantly. "Since we wanted to help you guys out as much as possible, Megumi and I did some research to prepare for the study session."

"Yup! Sorry, if you wanted to keep private about your grades, but we just wanted to help~" Megumi smiled, and pulled out a piece of paper from her bag. Written on it were everyone at the study sessions' test scores as well as where they placed on last year's midterms from highest to lowest and the results were clear as day.

Rentaro, Furyu, Mai, Megumi, Bunny, Sekira, Fujo, and tied for bottom of the list was none other than Tomoya, and Alice, Much to his surprise it seemed as if all the tiny boy’s insults and bluster were shattered in an instant, and Alice’s once embarrassed expression turned into one of pure smugness. Turning towards the nerdy micro boy, she started to belt out laughing while mocking him.

“AHAHA!! Talk about pathetic! At first I thought you’d be a smart bug since you look like such a nerd, but it turns out you're just as bad!!” From there, the two of them continued to sling insults at each other for a couple minutes while the rest of the group got out all the stuff they needed to study. 

“Before we get started, I’m gonna go ask Tsukikage to bring us some drinks.” Rentaro exclaimed, sliding down a ladder attached to the living room table and heading towards the sliding door. Typically, delivering drinks for six normal sized people as a micro would be like carrying all the world's oceans on your back, but with the help of  a maid almost anything was possible… But, if Rentaro had it his way (and if the task weren't physically impossible) he'd definitely go out of his way to not cause trouble for his maid or anyone else in his family. Though, at the end of the day it'd seem as if Rentaro's family would end up being the ones who would cause trouble for him…

While Rentaro was never really the most cautious person, he still kept his wits about him while he was at school, however, in one's home, that caution may have gone completely out the window. With a caring mother and over protective maid, as well as a sister who’d always try her best to constantly avoid him, Rentaro felt completely safe within his house… despite that, as long as normal sized people were around, a micro should never let down their guard!

As the young boy walked towards the door he was shocked to find that the door had begun to slide open rapidly. Air from the hallway rushed into the living room knocking Rentaro off his feet and allowing him to look up at the person who had opened the door. She had dark brown hair tied into pigtails, and was wearing a slightly oversized hoodie, She looked to still be in junior high, and couldn’t be over 4’9. Much like her older brother, Rei Kitagawa seemed to have a pretty average air to her. Nothing about her screamed “daughter of the president of a huge tech company” and it was honestly pretty surprising just how low profile the Kitagawa’s seemed. Without the maid and luxurious house, it would be almost impossible to tell them apart from your average mixed size Japanese family.

Holding a tray of drinks Rei nonchalantly stepped into the room… and right on top of her tiny sized older brother. Trying to get back up, Rentaro finally noticed the immense shadow of Rei’s black high socks encompassed his entire vision before slowly coming down onto him. Noticing the apparent danger, Rentaro backed away and tried to run, however, his escape was quickly cut short as he was hit square in the face by some strange liquid. The liquid made its way into his mouth, filling his taste buds with an awful salty flavor. After realizing that he had just gotten a mouthful of his sister's sweat, Rentaro's face quickly became flushed with red as his mind filled with a lot of perverted thoughts, however, he had way more important things to think about. Trying to run from her foot, Rentaro was very close to escaping, but at the last second he was hit again by another, much larger, droplet of sweat. It's size was enough to wind him, knocking the tiny boy over and leaving him at the complete mercy of Rei's sweaty sock. 

The shadow of her foot grew larger and larger until, in just a moment his tiny body was completely buried under her toes and slightly damp sock. Seeing the whole thing take place the rest of the group could only stare in disbelief and silence.

“Ms.Tsukikage told me that Rentaro would probably be thirsty by now so I got some drinks... Huh? Why are you guys staring at me like that? Did my perv of a brother say something weird about me..?”

An awkward silence ran cold through the room only to be broken by the worried gasp of all but one person in the group. Much to Rentaro's sister's confusion, she eventually realized that they were all staring at her foot. Setting the tray of drinks down, she lifted her foot to see none other than her brother stuck underneath the toes of her socked foot. However, unlike the worried expressions of everyone else, her face had a more annoyed look on it. Staring angrily as she peeled the tiny Rentaro off her sock, the group was relieved to see that he was still alive as well as surprised to see how she reacted to that fact. 

"Wow, did you wait at the front of the door just so you could be stepped on?? I didn't think you were that much of a perv! And even in front of your friends too? You really make me sick sometimes…" She said with a disgusted and angry expression as she grimaced towards her tiny brother’s flustered form as he laid there pathetically on the floor.

“Can’t you believe it was an accident for once, Rei? Why do you just assume that’s the case every ti-” He said, dusting himself off as he stared at the floor, ashamed. Before Rentaro could even fully plead his case, Rei had started to leave. Walking out of the room with a disappointed sigh and leaving the boy with yet another emotional jab. However, despite deciding to just take it on the chin and accept things as they were, Rentaro got some unexpected assistance. 

Staring at the ground with a disheartened expression, a vast shadow loomed Rentaro and with a gentle step towards the boy’s angered sister, Megumi placed her hand on the girl’s shoulder. 

“I know I might be overstepping my boundaries but Rentaro is telling the truth.” Staring at her with a serious expression on her normally optimistic face. “I may not know a lot about your relationship but-” Getting ready to defend her friend, it was like Rentaro saw fire light up in her eyes, but just as fast as the fire was lit, it was extinguished as Rei turned towards Megumi with an embarrassed look on her face. 

“I-I’m sorry...” Looking down towards Rentaro, she murmured and bowed her head slightly, only to run off seconds after. Standing there confused, Megumi stood with her arm in the air where Rei’s shoulder previously was. Neither her nor Rentaro had any idea what just happened and the awkward silence persisted for a little bit until the group study session started to finally get back into the swing of things. 

Boredly walking over to the tray of drinks on the floor and stepping dangerously close to where Rentaro was, Alice let out a disinterested sigh as she grabbed a glass and went back to her seat near Bunny. And while no one noticed it, thanks to Alice, Rentaro was knocked off his feet once more. Shakingly getting up and dusting himself off, he couldn’t help but feel extremely terrified by what she had done. Despite thinking it was an accident, the boy’s mind lingered on her step. One or two inches to the right, and he would’ve been stomped onto the tatami mat. It was scary to him how hard she seemed to walk everywhere, almost like she was intentionally weighing down each of her steps. Thanks to his generally optimistic outlook, Rentaro barely noticed her malicious intent and shrugged it off with a sigh of relief. 

Still recoiling from the shock of almost being stepped on twice, Rentaro was surprised when he was suddenly swept off his feet and placed in the gentle palm of Megumi. Holding him in one hand and the tray of drinks in the other she walked slowly towards the table in the center of the living room, hoping to say a few things to the small boy before they arrived. 

“Sorry, I think I might have scared your sister back there.” She said bashfully with a slight pout. While that was the impression she got, Rentaro on the other hand didn’t think that was the case. And while he still didn’t know exactly why she reacted like that he started to feel as if he was at fault. “But I couldn’t help it! She was being mean to you when it wasn’t even your fault.” Megumi exclaimed, pouting cutely.

“Don’t worry about it too much~ That’s sorta just how our relationship is.” Scratching the back of his head, he flashed her a nervous smile before letting out a light sigh and looking down towards the ground that was Megumi’s smooth palm. “It’s my fault that we don’t get along, so I think it’s only fair that she treats me like that from time to time…” 

“What do you mean—” Before Megumi could ask any more questions, their private talk was interrupted as the two of them finally reached the table. 

“Thanks for bringin’ the drinks over Megumi!” Furyu said, standing up to grab a glass before placing it and the tray down on the table for everyone. 

“O-Oh! No problem!” Flustered from not being able to finish their conversation, Megumi just smiled and decided to continue their discussion later. Putting Rentaro down gently on the table she grabbed one of the glasses and started awkwardly sipping from the straw as she tried to figure out what Rentaro possibly could have done to negatively impact his relationship with his sister in such a way. Considering the fact that she doesn’t exactly have the best relationship with her own sister, she didn’t have the experience to even understand how it could’ve got so bad. ‘Maybe that’s just normal. The hero from the fantasy anime I was watching didn’t get along with his little sister either before he got transported into that fantasy world so it’s probably not that big of a deal.’ Mentally reassuring herself and getting lost in her thoughts at the same time she brushed off whatever worried thoughts she may have had and focused on the topic at hand: Studying! 

Placing Rentaro down safely on the table she cleared her throat and rummaged through her bag trying to find her study materials. When she was finally situated and ready to review her exam materials, Megumi looked up only to see that Rentaro had seemingly vanished from sight. After briefly scanning the surface of the table, a cold sweat ran down her brow and she slowly started to panic.  Not wanting to cause panic, she kept her concern to herself and tried to discreetly search for the tiny boy. Looking under papers, in their school bags, and even at their chests! The dense Megumi’s brain drew a blank as she frantically tried to think of where he could’ve gone. As she gave the room a quick once over, her mind went to a dark place. Staring at the glasses of ice tea in everyone’s hand her heart sank. While it was impossible to see how he could’ve even ended up in someone’s drink, her conscience couldn’t help but think that was a major possibility. 

Breathing heavy, yet still trying to compose herself, Megumi did a really good job at being the least discreet person in the room. With Fujo, Furyu, and Mai staring at her strangely she flashed a nervous smile and tried to reassure them that everything was fine. And while she didn’t exactly do the best job at reassuring them, the girls decided to just dismiss her behavior for the time being. Starting to hyperventilate she looked around again, but this time, she decided to look at the two most suspicious people in the room. While Alice seemed to be preoccupied with talking to Bunny, Sekira on the other hand had quite the interesting expression.

Distracted, with a blush on her face, and an averted gaze it looked like she was trying her best to whistle while fidgeting with something using her legs. She didn’t exactly look malicious, oddly enough. Despite that, Megumi took a look anyway, and upon taking a peek beneath the table a huge wave of relief washed over her.

Sandwiched between the soles of Sekira’s white socks was none other than the tiny boy himself. And while this seemed like a super dangerous situation, Rentaro didn’t exactly look scared or alarmed. He seemed pretty relaxed all things considered and any worry Megumi had hanging over her head was instantly gone at the sight of a relaxed Rentaro. 

“Aha!” Plucking Rentaro out from between Sekira’s sole, she was met with a light ‘eep!’ from the two of them.  Placing Rentaro back on the table she saw that both he and Sekira had a heavy blush on their faces for some reason. Stammering at the fact that she was found out, Sekira quickly tried to think of an excuse, but as she’d soon find out, any rational thinking would go out the window upon hearing what Megumi would say next. 

“Oops! Sorry, Sekira, I didn’t mean to tickle you.” She apologized, lightly holding the boy while he averted his gaze in embarrassment while he stood crouched on her palm. Sekira didn’t look too good herself. A severe blend of extreme confusion and embarrassment was plastered on her face. Cheeks flushed with red and a nearly blank stare. Sekira figured the girl was a little dumb from the rumors she heard, but this was on a whole other level. 

“What were you doing down there anyways, Rentar-”

“Ok! That’s enough. Let me stop you right there, Megumi.” Eyebrows furrowed, and a piercing stare directed straight towards Sekira from the opposite end of the table, Furyu glared in disbelief that Megumi could misconstrue something as obvious as that. “You're not even gonna question why the hell he was down there?” Skeptical and fed up she sat there waiting for whatever unconvincing explanation the bully could give. 

“Yeah, I’d have to agree, Megumi. Stuff like that doesn’t happen often, especially with girls like her! Given the type of things she’s done before, there’s no way you can overlook something like this…” Mai said, coldly looking at Sekira from afar with a disapproving gaze. 

Staring down at Rentaro a nervous droplet of sweat rolled down her brow before she took a deep breath to compose herself. Looking towards Alice and averting her gaze from the tiny boy for the first time this study session, she took yet another breath before looking at Furyu with an annoyed expression.

“What’s it to you, blondie—“  Before she could finish whatever rude statement she had cooking up, Rentaro decided to muster up whatever strength he had to step in to explain the situation. 

“It was my fault!” Rentaro yelled out, tapping against Furyu’s finger as it rested angrily on the table. Bowing his head he tapped on her finger once more to get her attention. “I accidentally dropped something, and when I went down to get it… I got a little too comfortable.” Saying the last part with a murmur, he blushed, holding on to the tip of her finger tightly while bowing his head in embarrassment. Clicking her tongue, Furyu looked down at the tiny boy with disappointment in her dark grey eyes. With a sigh, she pulled her hand away and stood up from the table.  

“Tch, whatever. I’m gonna go take a leak.” She said, brutishly storming out of the room. 

Despite telling her the truth, Rentaro felt awful inside once again. Feeling like he caused this whole mess he held his head in his hands and sat down on the table, dejected and upset with himself. 

“Ehehe… clearly this wasn’t the best idea,” Bunny said, forcing an awkward smile. “I think it’d be best if we left for now. Sorry if we caused you guys any trouble!” She bowed her head. Megumi tried to reassure her that it really wasn’t her fault, but Bunny had already decided that it would be for the best. Grabbing Alice’s hand, she walked out of the living room and out the front door of Rentaro’s house. Being the odd one out, Sekira could feel that all eyes were on her, and despite things not exactly going as well as she wanted, she felt that it’d be best for Rentaro if she stepped out as well. Looking down at the tiny boy, she mouthed the words ‘sorry’ and grabbed her belongings before heading out the door. Wanting to be disappointed about not being able to spend more time with him, she just could not wipe the excited grin off her face. That feeling of holding his delicate tiny body between her soles will forever be ingrained within her head, and she left the Kitagawa estate feeling pretty satisfied, all things considered. 

“And then there were five...” Fujo sighed, feeling the awkwardness fill the room for the third time today. “Don’t beat yourself up over this, Megumi.” Wrapping her arms around the silver-haired girl’s waist, she gave her a warm hug hoping that she wouldn’t be too distraught about all the bad things that happened today. 

“No, it’s fine… Like Bunny said, it was probably for the best.” Running her finger along the rim of a glass of ice tea, she stared at the floor in low spirits. “I just wish things could’ve gone a little better.” She pouted and took a quick swig of ice tea before pepping herself up once more! 

Standing up straight and stretching her arms she let out a restrained shout before giving herself a soft slap in the face. However, odd this may have looked, it was clear that it was helping her cheer up a little. After her odd routine, she seemed to finally be back to normal. Smiling as brightly as ever with a glint of sunshine in her eye, she kneeled down and faced the sulking micro boy to make sure that he cheered up a little as well.

“Well, the past is the past. At the end of the day, we still had fun with everyone in the club, right?” Smiling brightly towards him, she laid her hand out in front of him. “So, before the day’s completely over… how about we go check on Furyu.”

Staring at her cheerful face beaming down brightly in front of him, Rentaro couldn’t help but be infected by her contagious energy and stepped onto her hand. 

“I’m sorry that things-” Not even giving him a chance to apologize, Megumi shook her head and pulled the tiny boy into a gentle hug. Flung into her soft cuddle, the rest of his apology went muffled as the cloth of her casual blouse silenced it and calmed the boy’s heart with a familiar plush embrace. With the beats of her heart ringing out with a soothing tone, Rentaro was effectively cheered up as well. And that was far from the end of it. Filled with happy energy, Megumi could barely contain herself and before long, she picked up both Mai and Tomoya to bring them into a hug as well. Smiling joyfully alongside Megumi and Rentaro, Mai happily accepted her embrace. Feeling her soft bosom release any tension she may have felt for having to be in a room with two of her most feared enemies. However, for Tomoya, it was quite a different story.

“S-Stop! Let me go!! Y-You… you— “ Blushing red, and frantically flailing his arms the cynical tiny struggled against her boob. Steaming from embarrassment and he stammered nervously, trying as hard as he could to come up with some insult. Pushing against the soft surface, his hands sunk into them like marshmallows and his face erupted with embarrassment and became even redder. He tried to face away but before long he was gently pressed into her hug. 

“Hey, don’t forget about me~!” Fujo said, resting her head gently against Megumi’s chest, making sure she was extra careful as to not harm any of her tiny clubmates. And as she pressed her head against Megumi’s ample bosom, she could just about hear the panicked yells of desperation from Tomoyo. Cracking a smile she snickered and pulled away, and tapped the overly affectionate Megumi on the shoulder. 

“There’s still one person left without a hug, ya know.” Patting her on the back she plucked the shivering Tomoya from Megumi’s hand and pushed out the door. “I’ll look after him for the time being. It looks like your hug melted his brain.” She giggled, pointing at flustered red face. Glasses were misaligned, and hair frizzled Tomoya was practically steaming from embarrassment at this point, and while he thought being saved by Fujo was a blessing, he would soon realize that it would end up being a lot more than he bargained for.

Meanwhile, walking amidst the empty halls of Rentaro’s vast and impressive house. Starting to regret brazenly walking out, the girl roamed alone and lost. Surrounded by what seemed like a maze of traditional screen doors, tatami mats, and immaculately polished wooden floors Furyu was pretty intimidated, to say the least. Even after she began opening doors and peeking within the house’s assortment of rooms, the bathroom still eluded her. As time went on her impatience grew more and more till she finally decided to give up and hopefully get directions from the Kitagawa family’s maid. But looking back only caused more confusion for the delinquent, as the area around her seemed to blend in her mind. With no recollection of which path she may have taken, she had no frame of reference for where she even needed to go to find anyone, let alone the maid. 

“Damn, do you really need this big of a house for five people?!” She yelled out, frustrated. However, as her voice echoed through the vast hallways, the brash girl received something she never expected: a response. From around the corner, a voice called out to her answering the question she had asked out of frustration.

“It’s four actually, well more like three. Ms. Tsukikage, my brother, and I are the only ones who actively live here. Mom’s always out on business, and our dad…” Trailing off, she came out from around the corner. “Anyways, don’t feel so bad about getting lost. This place is stupidly big, you get used to it though. All the ‘important rooms’ are out near the front of the house since we had to remodel a bunch of stuff to accommodate my older brother’s size! Here, let me show you to the bathroom.” Grabbing her hand, she led her through the halls and towards the bathroom.

“Speakin’ of which… is your bro always like that? You know, always apologizin’ for shit he didn’t do?” Furyu asked, still angry about how he acted.

“Well, sorta…” Placing her hand on her chin, she started to get lost in thought before looking back at Furyu. “I guess it started around the time he finished middle school. I don’t remember that much about how he was before then, but for the most part, he’s been a massive— or should I say tiny— pushover ever since. I think it makes him feel like a good person, you know? Taking the blame for others, and stuff like that…” She sighed. 

“But why though? That sounds kinda shitty. Does he think everything’s his fault or somethin’?” Furyu asked.

“Beats me, that’s just how he is. I get how you feel though, I do wish he would stand up for himself more often, though as a tiny that’s sorta hard to do, as you can probably imagine.” Rei said. “Don’t get it twisted though, his pervy ass still pisses me off!” She pouted, before letting go of her hand. Just ahead of them was the restroom, but before Furyu could get close she was suddenly tackled by what felt like an overly soft pair of airbags. 

“Waaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!! We missed you so much, Furyu!!” She wailed, clinging to Furyu’s comparatively flat chest. 

“Get the hell off me!!” She said, lightly pushing her off. Smile on her face, she looked at Rentaro and Mai tucked safely in one of her pockets, and let out a sigh. “Don’t just tackle people like an idiot when you’re carryin’ people.” Lightly chopping Megumi on the head, she reached out towards the pocket and plucked Rentaro out. 

“Look, I’m sorry if what I said made you upset back there.” He said, resting on the palm of her hand. But before he could say anything else, he was met with Furyu’s massive finger pressing lightly against his face.

“Don’t go apologizin’ for everythin’! But I do wanna say it was wrong of me to walk out like that. I probably shoulda realized that you were still a little scared after bein’ put between that bitch’s socks against your will…” She apologized, slightly bowing her head. But upon receiving an awkward averted gaze, she started to realize that something felt fishy. But instead of investigating herself, Furyu’s suspicions were answered as the boy’s sister chimed in. 

“Oh wait, that’s what you thought he was taking the blame for?” She asked, laughing awkwardly. “Well, considering his gross foot fetish, chances are he was apologizing for something he actually did.” 

Staring at Rentaro with a blank yet disappointed glare, she quickly placed him between Megumi’s cleavage and stoically walked to the restroom, mumbling obscenities on her way there. 

“Well… all's well that ends well, right?” Megumi said, a nervous drop of sweat rolling down her forehead as she fished Rentaro out from between her two orbs.

-TO BE CONTINUED-

Walking through the halls, neither Megumi nor her classmates ever expected that they’d be heading to the gym first thing in the morning. It was far too late to question Ms. Shizuka about it and it’s not like anyone had the energy to complain. The waxed hardwood floor squeaked, and the class began piling in. Holding Rentaro in her gentle grasp Megumi, who was now given a proper chance to take a look around without having to focus on introducing herself to everyone in her class, was bursting with excitement. While it was nowhere near as large as Okisana’s one, the quaint nature of Hanichi's gym was a little endearing to Megumi and she couldn’t help but stand there with a beaming smile on her face while Ms. Shizuka explained what exactly they were doing there. 

"I know it's early, but due to an impromptu absence, you’ll be sharing the gym with class 2-A.” She said, her commanding voice echoing throughout the gym while she stood staring at a clipboard, silently taking attendance as both classes sat down on the bleachers. Surprisingly, despite transferring a couple of days ago, the eccentric Fujo was continuing the string of absences that plagued her record from Okisana. With a sigh, she brought her hands to her temple and faced the class.

“Well, I did have a lesson planned for today, but given the nature of the situation, and the absence of class 2-A’s teacher… I suppose I wouldn’t mind giving you this period off.” Ms. Shizuka explained with a hint of resentment in her voice. “This technically counts as PE, so I expect everyone to get changed.” She said, exiting the gym and heading to the teacher’s lounge. Left alone, the two classes piled into the locker rooms to get changed. Due to the possible hazards thanks to the influx of people, the micro-students were heavily encouraged to change into their gym uniforms on the bleachers, but aside from some light peeking from a few perverted micro boys, it wasn’t much of a problem for any of them, however, the same couldn’t be said for the normal-sized girls in the women's locker room.

While Megumi struggled to change into her tight gym clothes an interesting scene popped into her peripheral. In the distance was a very familiar girl with trendy almond brown hair, and a pair of cherry-shaped earrings. Her hair was tied into pigtails, and her face was contorted into a disgusted gaze as she stared blankly into her gym bag. It was a girl who had caused much strife for Megumi and the others a little while ago: Makoto Masumi. At first, Megumi didn't know what to make of it, but as soon as she reached into her bag, everything became clearer. Empty bottles and scraps of trash fell to the floor as Makoto pulled her gym clothes out of it. Her shirt was completely vandalized. Riddled with stains from various soft drinks and ice tea, and scribbled on with a permanent marker. Megumi couldn't understand the cruelty, but as a certain delinquent would soon remind her, it seems as if she didn't quite understand the situation. 

Placing down her gym bag, she went to confront the girls in Makoto's class about it, but before she could step any further away from her locker, her path was blocked by Furyu.

“Oh, did you need something Furyu?” She asked, happily. Without even answering her question, it seemed as if Furyu was more than keen to stop whatever it was Megumi was about to do.

“Look, I get what you’re tryin’ to do, but please just drop it. Helpin' a girl like her ain't worth.” She said sternly, pulling Megumi closer to her. “Did you seriously forget what she and her lackeys tried to do to you!?” Staring at Megumi with an angry expression, she couldn’t help but feel a little bad for lecturing her like that, but she knew it was the only way to completely stop her. However, despite her efforts to intimidate Megumi, she was somehow able to keep an optimistic smile on her face. 

Grabbing her hand, she held it tightly with a look of determination on her face.

“Thank you for your concern, Furyu, but I can’t in good conscience let this slide…” Staring directly into Furyu’s eyes, she placed her hand on her chest and took a deep breath. At that moment, Megumi's deep purple eyes burned with an intimidating amount of determination. Despite how naive she seemed to be, Furyu knew there was no way she'd be able to stop her, and before she could give some kind of big speech, Furyu let go of her and turned her around to face the direction Makoto was in. 

"Yeah, yeah… I figured it wouldn't be possible to stop you, but it was worth a shot." Before she let her free though, she placed her hand gently against Megumi's shoulder. "However, if you get into any trouble you better not try and handle it alone. We're a club now, remember? I ain't gonna let you do everything on your own." Smiling back at Megumi, Furyu sent her on her way with a slight push, while not expecting to very swiftly be at the receiving end of a fairly energetic hug.

Burying her face in Furyu's less-than-modest bosom, she stopped hugging her only to gently pound her fists against her chest with an exaggerated whiney voice. 

"You're such a meanie! I had such a cool speech too! If you were just gonna let me go regardless, why didn't you do it earlier?!! Hmph!" After failing quite badly to pout, she broke into a cheerful giggle and wrapped her arms around Furyu once more. "Thanks again! I won't let you down—"

Turning back around, whatever enthusiasm she had vanished, when Megumi realized that Makoto was no longer there. Letting out a nervous laugh, she quickly changed into her gym uniform before running out of the locker room as fast as she could, all while yelling about how she wasn't gonna let Furyu down. With a sigh, Furyu stuffed her and Megumi's gym bag into a locker and headed out of the locker room to grab Rentaro and watch Megumi from the bleachers in case anything went wrong.

Out onto the gym’s floor, Megumi’s shoes screeched against the waxed hardwood floor as she came to a grinding halt. She scanned through groups of students till her eyes fell on a lonely Makoto sitting on the floor near the corner of the gym with a borrowed tracksuit. In the distance, a group of three stalked her from afar like lions. Their eyes beamed with evil intentions and their snickers reeked of a sickening aura. But while Megumi wanted to feel disgusted by this behavior, it wasn’t completely alien to her, and comparing it to what she saw in the “undergrounds of Okisana” made it look like playground roughhousing. She still needed to step in, but unlike Okisana, it wasn’t her role as a member of the student council that was driving her; it was her obligation to make things right.

Not letting the group of bullies draw closer, Megumi went in, much to Makoto’s disdain. Before she could even get a word in, Megumi sat down right next to the sullen former bully with an energetic smile in contrast to her annoyed glares. Despite repeated attempts to scoot further and further away, Megumi held firm, sticking as close as possible to Makoto until the two were arm to arm and pushed up against the gym wall. She was finally at her breaking point. Her irritation became more and more apparent, and while Megumi didn’t like the idea of annoying someone, she could tell Makoto wasn’t necessarily angry… 

Letting out an annoyed groan, she finally faced Megumi and looked at her with the angriest expression she could make. Her menacing magenta eyes stared daggers at Megumi’s stupidly happy expression but there was no way they would breach past her defenses. With intimidation out the window, Makoto held her head low and let out a pained sigh as she finally spoke up. 

“What the hell is your problem!?!” She yelled. “Look, cowtits. Are you dumb or something? I'm pretty sure my friends and I tried to kidnap your little 'boyfriend' and off that four-eyes nerd a couple of days ago. Do you think you're gonna accomplish some sick vengeance by trapping me against a wall? Was embarrassing me and ruining my reputation not enough?” Staring at her smile, Makoto was dumbfounded by how weird she was acting.

“What made you think I'm trying to trap you, hehe. It's not like I'm pinning you to the wall. You're free to leave if you really wanna, but that won't stop me from trying to talk to you!" She explained, happily. "Also Rentaro's just one of my best friends, I hope we didn't give you the wrong impression~" 

"Does it look like I give a— You know what, I honestly couldn't care less about that. And yeah, you are trapping me. If I was 'free to go’ as you said, those pack of hyena wh***s wouldn't be laughing at me from afar…" Looking towards the basketball court, she was surprised to see that the group of bullies had left her alone. For a moment, a slight smile appeared on Makoto's face, and with an amused chuckle, she looked down, shaking her head while contemplating about the weirdo right next to her. After a long and drawn-out pained groan, she looked at Megumi and took a deep breath. 

"Fine… if talking's all you wanna do, I guess I have nothing better to do." She said reluctantly, before looking at her with a more stern expression. "BUT! If you want me to join that 'micro-whatevers' club of yours, you might as well cut your losses."

"That's fine by me!" With a happy expression on her face and a successful feeling running through her veins, Megumi felt bouncier than ever and while she was still hesitant about Makoto, she felt as if she was slowly starting to understand her as a person. 

Meanwhile, across the gym, Furyu and Rentaro sat side by side watching Megumi from afar. While Furyu could easily tell that nothing had gone wrong yet, it was a different story for Rentaro. To a normal-sized person, the two were a couple of dozen feet away, however for a micro like Rentaro, it was more like a couple of dozen miles away. Appearing as towering blurry figures in the distance, the only thing reassuring the tiny was Furyu’s pleased expression which gave him a little peace of mind. 

“As expected.” She chuckled, choosing not to worry about the situation anymore. Stretching her arms, she pulled her feet up onto the bleachers and kicked back, laying down on the bleachers. “Still, didn’t that bimbo’s bimbo friend kidnap you last week? I still don’t get why she’d go out of her way to somethin’ as dumb as that.”

“Well, I can sorta understand why Megumi wants to become friends with her. She and I are firm believers in—” Before Rentaro could finish his sentence, he was cut off by an abrupt groan. 

“The fact that everyone deserves a second chance?’ Don’t know why I even asked.” She said mockingly. “Look, that mindset can get you places, but it ain’t good to keep believing everybody has some secret nice side. Some people are just rotten assholes and it’s somethin’ you gotta accept one of these days.” 

Rentaro laughed nervously, trying to think of something optimistic to say, hearing her say that almost gave him whiplash but it wasn't like Furyu was wrong. 

"Yeah I understand, but at the end of the day, I trust Megumi's instincts on this." He said resting his back against the side of Furyu's shoe. 

Thinking about what Rentaro said, Furyu let out a slight chuckle after finally realizing why Megumi seemed so sure of herself.

"Welp, I'm gonna catch some Zs! You better not try to squirm inside my shoe while I'm asleep or there'll be hell to pay!" Recalling what Rentaro's sister said at their study session, Furyu didn't want some tiny person trying to mess around near her feet, for their safety, and her own self-esteem. 

“Ehehe… Sleep well.” Laughing nervously, Rentaro found himself sitting alone by the side of the sleeping girl’s shoe. Not trying to upset her, Rentaro let out a pained sigh before distancing himself from the objects of his temptation, absent-mindedly watching his classmates mess around in the gymnasium as he walked across the length of bleachers.

The squeaking sounds and distant chatter were soon tuned out as he started to become lost in his thoughts. Furyu’s words had an interesting effect on him. While he had no intention of completely abandoning his beliefs, he started to think that maybe he was way too forgiving. He was almost traumatized and stripped completely naked upon being brought to the track team after being kidnapped by Chihiro. While he was given a truly arousing in-shoe experience on the way there, his odd lack of resentment towards any of the girls was beginning to come into question. But before any more pondering could be done, the tiny boy was thrown off his feet by a vicious and rhythmic quake. However, in reality, the footsteps were actually quite light compared to the shaking of other female students. The hollow underbelly of the bleachers amplified the strength and sound of each step. Unable to gain a footing, Rentaro watched as a shadow slowly fell over him. 

When he finally did get his footing back, all he could see was the bottom of a fairly skinny feminine student falling on him. The bright red fabric of her gym shorts was like a flaming meteor, and the tiny boy broke out into a full sprint. With barely enough time to escape, he felt the girl’s body heat get more and more intense, and saw as his surroundings grew darker and darker. No options left, Rentaro dove towards the light, narrowly escaping their shadow. Taking a sigh of relief, the tiny found himself between the girl’s thighs and upon getting his breath back, started to call up to the person who almost sat on him. 

Looking up at her, Rentaro watched as she tugged at her shirt in an attempt to cool down. Hoping that she’d notice him soon, he kept yelling up at her, and after a while, she finally started to notice his calls for help. Reaching for him and bringing Rentaro close to her face, she adjusted her semi-rimmed glasses to get a better look. In the tiny’s view was a pair of gargantuan dark-magenta eyes. A bit intimidating for sure, but nothing Rentaro’s never seen before, but as he nervously stared back at the girl, things became a little awkward. She was completely silent. It was almost as if the mere sight of him had left her completely shocked, and upon flashing a nervous smile towards her, that silence was soon accompanied by an intense blush.

With their free hand, they started to awkwardly twirl their short peach-colored hair. Soon the silence was broken by the sound of her clearing her throat, however, when she opened her mouth, no words had emerged and a cold sweat ran down their forehead. Even Rentaro could tell that she was scrambling to say something, but the reason why was still unknown to him. His best guess was that she was shy.

“Are you alright?” He asked, starting to worry about the timid girl. His words of concern came as quite the shock, and the shrill girl let out a small ‘eep!’ before almost fumbling Rentaro out of her hands. Rentaro clung tightly to her finger, his heart racing as he narrowly avoided plummeting to the ground. While it could have gone really bad, Rentaro was able to bounce back and find his way back onto stable footing in the palm of the girl’s hand. He was completely ok, the same couldn’t be said for the girl holding him though. Looking like they were about to break into tears, it looked like she was more scared about almost dropping Rentaro than he was when he was about to fall. Before he could ask if they were ok, the girl bowed her head, and for the first time since being in her grasp, Rentaro was able to hear her voice.

“I’m so so so so sorry!!!!” He was expecting an apology, but Rentaro was completely unprepared for the sheer volume of their voice. Wincing from how loud it was, he tried to reassure her that it was ok, but nothing seemed to shake the teary-eyed expression from her face. Nervously looking around, he had hoped that one of the girl’s friends would step in to reassure her, but given how she was acting towards him, he soon realized that she probably didn’t have any friends. Letting out one last nervous laugh, he cleared his throat and gently placed a hug against her trembling thumb. 

“Look, I get you’re sad that you almost dropped me, but I’m alright, see?” He said, smiling happily at her while proving he was okay. Her sorrowful expression began to fade, as a wave of relief washed over her. Seeing this as an opening to finally communicate with the shy girl, he took his chance and earnestly introduced himself. 

“I’m Rentaro! What’s your name?” Still staring shyly at him, a quivering smile appeared on their face as they took a deep breath.

“I-It’s Nozomi Ichika. Thank you for not being mad at me!!” She said bowing her head once more...

In contrast to the relative success Rentaro had achieved on the bleachers, it was a completely different story near the other side of the gym. While Makoto had agreed to Megumi’s offer, she wasn’t very keen on contributing to the conversation. Open-ended questions were met with brief, unhelpful answers, and attempts to make small talk was shot down just as quickly. Despite saying she was willing to talk, it was oddly difficult for her to actually open up. While Megumi kept an understanding smile on her face, she was repeatedly racking her brain and struggling to find new ways to approach this situation. After so much intensive thinking, something finally hit her… but not in the way she had hoped.

“Oh, I know—” Before she could come up with another plan that was sure to fail, something extraordinary happened. Almost as if she was being punished by the universe for failing to get through to Makoto, Megumi was bashed straight in the head by an incoming volleyball. The sound of the impact echoed throughout the gymnasium, She held her head in her hands and let out a groan of pain, a small amount of blood dripped out her nose, falling onto her similarly red gym shorts. Makoto sat beside her in awe, her jaw agape as the volleyball awkwardly rolled away from the scene. Looking at who they hit, the boys who had been playing volleyball went silent almost immediately. A tsunami of regret washed over them and they quickly rushed over to her to make sure Megumi was ok. Looks of shame and fear were plastered on their faces, and they apologized profusely. They seemed so ashamed by their actions that some even got on their hands and knees to beg for forgiveness.

“I-I’m fine~ Everyone makes mistakes. Ehehe...” Looking up at them with a pained smile, she held her aching forehead whilst trying her best to laugh it off. From the looks of it, and the steady stream of blood rushing out her nose, things were very clearly not “fine.” Undeterred by her constant attempts to reassure the boys, they repeatedly offered to take her to the nurse’s office, until yet another surprise came her way. Rather than a speeding volleyball that was aimed towards her head, the surprise was Makoto’s surprisingly soft hands wrapping around her own.

“Out of the way losers, I’ll be the one taking her to the nurse’s office,” Makoto said, pulling her up and walking her out of the gym. The low grumble of irritation and jealousy got farther and further away with each step until the two had exited the gymnasium completely. Trying to thank Makoto while plugging her nose, she was quickly interrupted by Makoto handing her a stylish handkerchief with a cute kitten embroidered across the surface. Wiping her nose on it, a look of sadness fell on Megumi’s face when her blood stained the handkerchief’s design.

“Sorry about this.” Megumi apologized, feeling bad about staining her handkerchief.

“Kyojineko will be fine. You, on the other hand, look like you’re about to pass out. I recommend saving your breath till we get to the nurse’s.” Despite the throbbing pain shooting through her head, and slight lightheadedness, Megumi was oddly happy about this whole situation. Soon she was giggling happily while the two of them walked through the echoing hallways of Hanichi.

“Are you sure that ball didn’t give you brain damage…” Makoto said, looking at her with a worried expression…

Now sitting safely on one of her thighs, the two happily talked with each other. Considering everything he went through, it was surprising how fast Nozomi was able to open up to him, but he could still tell that they were still a little shy. 

“Eh?! I almost sat on you?!” A look of shock appeared on her face, and they grew flustered. “Ehehe… I guess I’m causing all sorts of trouble for you today. Sorry again!” Nozomi backed away to properly bow her head. In some ways, the two were alike. And it was thanks to her that he was able to understand how his constant apologies make others feel. Slowly becoming more and more self-conscious, he quickly tried to distract himself from those intrusive thoughts. Looking towards the bowing Nozomi, he could see every detail of their vibrant, light-peach hair, and catch a whiff of the similarly peach-scented shampoo that she had used before going to school. Backing away, Rentaro blushed slightly before giving the apologetic girl some words of reassurement. 

“If I was paying attention to where I was walking, this probably wouldn’t have happened.” He said, nervously scratching the back of his head. “So, really, I should be the one apologizing for being an idiot~.” Apologizing with a smile on his face, Rentaro chuckled to himself before mimicking Nozomi’s apologetic bow. And while he was expecting that they’d both laugh it off together, Rentaro was met with quite a different reaction.

“HUH?!” As soon as Rentaro’s words fell on Nozomi’s ears, he shot up. Bringing her face closer to Rentaro’s tiny body, the tiny boy was treated to a front-row seat of Nozomi’s eyes, as she stared at him with an intense look of concern and admiration. Fog began to build on her glasses as she took a deep breath and leaned closer towards him. “How could you say such a thing?! You’re not an idiot! I know you’re trying to make me feel a little better, but please, please, please don’t say stuff like that!! I-I mean you have no reason to forgive me and yet you still did! And while some could say that forgiving everybody isn’t the smartest thing, y-you’re definitely not a dummy or an idiot! Also, if anyone’s an idiot it’d be me…!” Continuing to ramble on and on, Rentaro couldn’t help but find the situation a little amusing. With every word, they seemed to get more and flustered, similarly to how she was a couple of minutes ago, but unlike that time, Nozomi was ALOT more talkative. Walking towards one Nozomi’s hand, he gave it a firm pat before smiling at the flustered girl as she finally stopped rambling. 

“S-Sorry.” They said, getting up from their bowing position and sitting back down on the bleachers. While he wasn’t paying attention at first, Rentaro had started unconsciously stare at Nozomi’s body. Like a certain friend of his, she was flat as a board and way skinnier than Furyu was, which wasn’t exactly a surprise considering he assumed that Furyu worked out and probably ate enough to keep her body in peak condition. And from the sweat running down her brow and slightly seeping into her shirt it seemed as if she wasn’t the active type either. Still, it was a little surprising, as someone who apologizes a lot, he never realized it was possible to get winded from it. Cheerfully laughing to himself, he continued to talk to Nozomi until they had little to talk about.

Sitting there next to Rentaro, Nozomi found herself staring at the open court of the gymnasium. An awkward silence began to grow between the two of them. At first, Nozomi was happy about how easy it was to talk with Rentaro, but somewhere around the midpoint of their conversation, he started to become a lot more bashful. Constantly glancing down and getting distracted during their conversations, compared to how he was a couple of minutes earlier, it was almost like night and day. While Nozomi had concerns, they didn’t want to be rude by bringing it up so she kept whatever concerns she had to herself. 

Letting out a small sigh, she grabbed her water bottle to drink. Struggling to open it, she was rudely surprised as the cap popped right off the bottle. Falling towards the floor, it continued to roll until it had found itself inconveniently sandwiched between a crevice that made it nearly impossible to retrieve. Mouth agape, a look of sadness appeared on her face as she tried to force his hand in between the crevice to no avail. 

Not wanting to see their new friend sad, Rentaro tapped on Nozomi's thigh, yelling up to her that he'd help get the cap for her. After much insistence, Nozomi accepted the tinies help and proceeded to lower him down onto the floor of the bleachers. When Nozomi finally let him off her hand, the tiny boy was hit with quite the surprise. Feeling a slight warmth behind him, he saw that Nozomi had taken off her shoes. Whether it was recently or a couple minutes earlier, Rentaro found himself extremely close to Nozomi's socked feet as they aired out casually behind him. 

Breathing heavily, he gathered up all his will power and soldiered on to retrieve the cap. However, soon after his efforts to push it out from between the crevice, his will power began to drain. In his peripheral were Nozomi's toes idly flexing while she waited patiently for the tiny to return. Giving into his desires after much temptation, he yelled up to Nozomi that it'd take a little while for him to get the cap unstuck before waiting for Nozomi to look away. In that brief moment in which her gaze wasn't focused towards the ground, Rentaro took his chance using her toes as cover that'd temporarily hide him from view. Unable to control himself anymore, Rentaro unabashedly plunged his face into the fabric of Nozomi's socks. To his surprise, the girl's feet carried a pleasant aroma. The smell of peaches and the subtle aroma of sweat wafted into his nostrils as he planted a hug against her big toe. The softness he was experiencing had caused the tiny to lose himself, and soon Rentaro had pushed his luck too far. 

After a couple of minutes, Nozomi began to feel guilty. Had she given Rentaro a task that was way harder than she could have ever expected? Thinking that Rentaro was expending so much effort in order to retrieve something so mundane for her was eating away at Nozomi's consciousness and, overcome by guilt, she bent down to see if she could help him somehow, but as her eyes fell on the micro student she was shocked to see what he had been doing. 

Without warning, Rentaro was swept off his feet by Nozomi and gently held in between her fingers. The perverted tiny was caught in the act and was now staring face to face with Nozomi as she looked at him with a nervous and inquisitive gaze. Looking at her, all Rentaro could see was his own guilt through the reflection in her glasses. He knew what he did wrong, and he was willing to accept whatever punishment Nozomi had in store for him, however in spite of his acceptance, he had no idea about what was in store for him next… 

“And that’s why I’m no longer allowed near gym equipment!” Sliding open the classroom door with Furyu behind her and Rentaro nestled in her front pocket, Megumi was expecting to be able to just casually sit down at her desk like always, but judging by the small crowd that had gathered nearby, it seemed like that was not going to happen. After trying and failing to get by the crowd Furyu was eventually forced to use her unique skill set to “guide them” into letting them slip past. Cracking her knuckles and putting on a menacing glare, she only needed to clear her throat for the crowd to finally step aside. 

“I-I’m sure we could’ve asked nicely, but I guess they were blocking your desk too, eheh…” Briefly apologizing to everyone who got scared, Megumi was finally able to see what the commotion was about.

“So much… chocolate?!?” They all yelled upon seeing a mountain of chocolate stacked up high on top of Megumi’s desk. Homemade and store-bought, dark chocolate and milk, shaped in the form of hearts, bars, and other miscellaneous objects and all addressed to a “certain someone.”

“W-What the hell?” Furyu looked on in both confusion and amazement. “There’s gotta be like… 200 dollars worth of candy there.” 

“Technically chocolate isn’t candy! They’re more of a sweet if anything, but that’s not the point!!” Megumi said rushing over to the desk as fast as possible. “Can’t you see how amazing this is!” Practically drooling, she leaned in close hoping to catch a whiff of the sweet aroma. But despite it being on her desk, the chocolate was not for her and when she leaned in, Rentaro was able to catch a good look at who most of the chocolates were for. And as he expected, they were for him.

“Oh… I guess it’s the 14th already, heh.” Rentaro laughed nervously. While even he wasn’t dense enough to not understand the meaning of Valentine’s day, Megumi was a whole other story.

“I’ve never seen a guy get this much obligatory chocolate before! This is almost the same amount of chocolate I got on White Day, last year. This must be a sign that we’ve helped a lot of people!” Megumi said, proud of herself and the club. Even if her head wasn’t in the right place, she definitely had the spirit. Neither Rentaro nor Furyu had the heart to correct her, and they both collectively decided to change the subject.

“Anyways… we should probably put all this stuff away before class starts,” Rentaro suggested, apologizing in advance for how much space all of it was going take up in Furyu and Megumi’s bags. Following a disgruntled sigh from Furyu, the two of them got to work. By the end of it, both of their bags were practically bursting at the seams and almost impossible to zip up. While Megumi was glad to help out, Furyu was expectedly annoyed. 

Not wanting to see another piece of chocolate for the rest of the day she fell back in her seat, exhausted. Just when she was about to get comfortable, she felt a light tap on her shoulder. Already pissed off and not exactly partial to being disturbed, Furyu reacted accordingly with a slight rageful outburst.

“The hell do you want!!” She yelled, turning to face the person to her side. Initially, she wanted to be angry, but upon seeing who it was the only emotion she felt was confusion. Looking at her with a flustered expression was a meek girl with thick glasses and an overall nervous demeanor. After a couple of seconds of trying to figure out who she was, Furyu eventually realized that it was an underclassman that she saved from a bully a week ago. Holding her hands behind her back, she let out a shy “thank you” before presenting Furyu with a small box of chocolates. Shakingly handing it over to her, she bowed her head before quickly running out of the room. The whole situation left Furyu speechless. Staring at the box of chocolates she tried her hardest to not crack a smile, but the blush on her face was a dead giveaway. Maybe she wasn’t sick of chocolate after all… or at least that was until she read the letter that was attached aloud.

“Happy Valentine’s day, senpai. I’ve always been afraid of you, but now I realized that you’re a really nice and handsome… guy. Thank you so much for helping me the other day!” In an instant, that feeling of slight joy was reduced into nothing and amidst the awkward silence was a stifled laugh from Rentaro. Gently placing the box of chocolates on her desk, she quickly snatched Rentaro from Megumi’s laugh. 

“You better shut your damn trap before I end up having you for my valentine’s day chocolate instead.” She said, holding him over her opened mouth. Steamy breath rushed up from below and Rentaro apologized to hell and back while holding on as tightly as he could to Furyu’s finger and while it was really scary, when she finally put Rentaro back in Megumi’s hands he couldn’t stop thinking about just how hot the experience would’ve been if he did end up falling in…

-The End-

Watching the setting sun within the Micro-Rep Support Squad’s club room Furyu leaned back in her chair regretfully realizing that she had nothing planned for the weekend. Turning towards Megumi and the others, she was about to ask something but was interrupted as Rentaro sent a text to the club’s group chat. And while Furyu thought she knew the tiny pretty well, she was shocked by the message he sent.

                “Are you guys free to go to a gym this weekend?” He asked on their group chat. Furyu could barely understand why he of all people would ask such a question, and as she tried to figure out an ulterior motive, the replies rolled in from each member of the club.

Makoto: No way, I might chip a nail.

Fujo: Comiket deadline is coming up!

Tomoya: I’d rather die.

Megumi: Sorry!! Me and gym equipment don’t have the best history… (;-;)

While Furyu was understandably suspicious, she felt pretty bad that everyone declined. Putting her suspicions aside, she typed her reply. 

“I’m free. What gym are you going to?” Slightly hesitant, she sent her message and awaited Rentaro’s reply. After thinking about it a little more, she realized that it wasn’t right to be so skeptical of someone who potentially wanted to improve their health. Letting out a sigh of relief, her phone pinged, signaling Rentaro’s reply. 

Rentaro: Great! :D I’ll meet you outside your house tomorrow!

The next day…

Excited to hit the gym with a friend, Furyu packed up her stuff and waved goodbye to the rest of the club. Getting home, she packed a bag with everything she usually brought to the gym and slept as normal not knowing that she was in for a big surprise in the morning. When the sun rose and Furyu awoke to a bright and early day, she grabbed her bag and headed outside to meet her tiny friend. Her initial expectations were that they’d walk to one of the local mixed-size gyms, however, those expectations were almost immediately shattered upon seeing a luxurious car parked outside her house with Rentaro’s housemaid patiently waiting for her. 

Being honest with herself, Furyu should’ve expected something like this. First, it wouldn’t be safe for someone as small as Rentaro to just be waiting outside alone in a normal-sized neighborhood, and second, despite his unassuming demeanor, he was still the son of a rich parent. While, thankfully, that aspect didn’t affect his personality, the stuff his family-owned and the people associated with them was still intimidating for someone like Furyu. With an uncharacteristically polite bow, she stepped out of the burning sun and into the passenger seat of the housemaid's car. Settling into the comfy seat and relaxing in the car’s cool air conditioning. This was by far the most expensive car she’s been in and from that relaxing feeling alone she almost didn’t wanna leave. Though, she eventually realized that distracting herself with all the luxury accommodations was a bad idea. Snapping herself out of it, she scanned her surroundings hoping to find her micro friend. At first, Furyu couldn’t find him, but with a click of a button, Rentaro’s housemaid revealed a very unique feature of this luxury car. With a low mechanical ‘hum’ the top of the floor console slid off revealing a small room with Rentaro inside. The room slowly began to rise out of the console, coming to a stop at around stomach height.

“Heh, sorry about all the formal stuff. I was planning on meeting you outside, but my mom said it’d be a lot safer if we took Tsukikage’s car. I hope you didn’t get too intimidated by everything.” 

"A bit late for that, bud." She snarked before grabbing Rentaro out of the room and holding him in her hand. "In any case, may as well get comfortable while you still can because when we get to the gym I'll do everything I can to whip ya into shape." 

Playfully poking him in the stomach, she giggled happily watching her tiny friend get tickled. Being tickled aside, this was a pretty nice change of pace. Rentaro didn't always get along with Furyu so being able to bond with her over fitness was awesome. Plus, it was really amazing to see Furyu get so enthusiastic about something for once. And while he'd never tell Furyu the real reason he asked everyone if they wanted to go to the gym, Rentaro was starting to have second thoughts about whatever ulterior motives or perverted thoughts he had the night before. The drive continued on normally with Furyu explaining some general fitness advice to Rentaro, but after a couple of minutes, something strange happened. 

"Uh, I think we passed the gym," Furyu said, staring into the rear-view mirror. 

"Oh, right. I forgot to mention..." Scratching his head, Rentaro tried to explain the situation, but was soon interrupted by his housemaid. 

"A company gym owned by the Kitagawa family was recently renovated to accommodate the families of staff members and the young master, along with what was supposed to be all his friends, were given early privileges to test out the facilities before we officially opened it to staff." She said, shooting a slightly disappointed glare towards Rentaro before focusing her attention back onto the road. 

"It ain't his fault, though. Our club ain't exactly the most fitness-focused, ya know?" Rentaro was shocked. He never expected to get defended like that and by Furyu no less. With a slightly smug smile on his face. When they finally arrived at their destination, the tomboy was pleasantly surprised, to say the least…

Standing in the shadow of a 45-story tall building in the heart of Tokyo was a luxury hotel owned by the Kitagawa family, and considering Furyu has never even walked close to, let alone inside a building this tall, the look on her face was priceless. 

“Now you know how I feel when I look up to you and the others.” Rentaro snickered, before being escorted in by his housemaid. “You coming, or what?”

“Damn… can’t wait to tell Haryu about this.” She said, still straining her neck to look up at the building as she slowly followed them. 

Minor Recap:

Previously on Half Inch High: Alternative! Megumi, Rentaro, Furyu, and the rest of their class were forced to share the gym with a neighboring class. However, after noticing that Makoto Masumi (a bully the micro-rep support squad had previously dealt with) was being bullied herself, Megumi decided to intervene. Following her out onto the court, she tried to talk things through with Makoto but before any more progress could be made, Megumi was hit in the head by a rogue volleyball and taken to the nurse’s office by Makoto. While all that was happening, Rentaro met a shy but mysterious person from the other class but, after getting a little too ambitious, he was caught red-handed sniffing their feet. Instead of being reprimanded, though, the mysterious student bashfully grabbed Rentaro and brought him into the gym’s storage room… 

Megumi's eyes slowly opened. With a blood-soaked tissue stuffed in her nose and a painful bump on her head, she struggled to remember what happened. Looking around she saw white curtains surrounding her, but she definitely wasn't in the hospital. Upon closer inspection, the gears in her brain finally began to turn. It was clearly the nurse's office. Yawning, she rose from the bed and the memories of what happened came rushing back. While it wasn't the first time (nor was it the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th time), it was probably the hardest she’s been hit with a ball. Sighing, she looked around some more before realizing something was missing. Feeling the back of her head, it was immediately clear to her that someone had removed her bow. Having her hair in a ponytail was the norm so it felt weird to have her hair down for once. Looking around her pillow all she could see was an ice pack that was probably for her head. Searching around the bed some more it wasn't long till she noticed something she probably should have seen a while ago…

It was Makoto. Fast asleep with a strand of drool running down her face, and her head resting on the side of the bed. Megumi began to wonder just how long she’d been out. Not only was her memory still hazy but her phone was still in the gym's changing room. It was only when she looked at Makoto’s arm, which ever so gently supported her sleeping head, that she could glance at the time on a very trendy-looking watch. On its face was the same popular fairly local mascot that was stitched onto the handkerchief Makoto handed to her. A building-sized cartoony cat, often called KyojiNeko. Megumi found her fondness towards the mascot very charming, but eventually, she stopped letting herself be distracted and finally looked at the time. 10:00 am on the dot. Megumi was surprised that she’d only been out for a little over half an hour. After finding her bow and tying her hair back, she felt slight relief that she didn’t miss out on an entire day of school but also wondered about how Rentaro and Furyu were…

Back laid flat on the bleachers, Furyu was doing whatever made her most comfortable for her this early in the morning: sleeping. Though as much as she wanted to rest her eyes, the constant noise of the gym made it more than a little difficult for her. Gritting her teeth she finally had enough and jolted to her feet. Stretching out any tiredness she looked down at the space beside her and absent-mindedly started to talk. 

"Man, all this damn noise is so annoyin'! Wanna ditch class and head the club early Ren—" It took her a second to notice, but it was clear as day. Rentaro was no longer there. Of course, this in and of itself wasn't too worrying but for some reason, she had a bad feeling about it. Rushing down from the bleachers, Furyu started to ask around the gym if people had seen him. First, she tried talking to the group of perverted boys he always hangs out with, and despite their scared and nervous ramblings at the sight of Furyu, they had no idea where he was. After that didn't work out she decided to use her head and decided it'd be a good idea to check if any of the girls were acting weird. Whether it was due to them being suspicious and knowing where he was, or acting strange in the sense that they might have had a tiny Rentaro stuck between their boobs. 

Aside from looking like a weirdo, staring at tits yielded no results for the worried delinquent. It was after giving up that idea did Furyu notice a group of girls hanging out by the door of the gym's storage room. One girl from her class and two from the class they were sharing the gym with. The girl from her own class had a somewhat angry or anxious expression, while the two from the other class seemed like they were up to no good. They reminded her of how the boys would look whenever they waited for Rentaro to return from the girl's locker room after completing whatever perverted mission he had been sent out on. That alone gave her more than enough reason to investigate, but her suspicions were further reinforced after realizing that the girl from their class almost certainly had a crush on Rentaro. It was before Megumi transferred to Hanichi but Furyu could’ve sworn she’d seen her staring at him from afar or murmuring to herself whenever the girl who sat next to him struck up a conversation. Furyu began to wonder why she even paid attention to such details but her sense of urgency quickly stopped her from thinking too deeply about it. 

Running to the gym storage room, she wanted to question the girls, but they quickly fled the scene as soon as they caught sight of her. With no other leads to follow, Furyu had no other choice but the check inside. Normally this room is off limits, but with no teachers around that rule wasn't exactly enforced. A myriad of thoughts entered Fury's head. "What would Rentaro be doing inside a place like this?" She asked herself. Maybe he was being tortured by some bullies. Or maybe something even worse. More and more dark thoughts entered Fury's head as she reached for the doorknob. These thoughts continued to fester until she slowly opened the door…

Ten minutes earlier. Slamming the storage room door shut, Nozomi held Rentaro in their hand. Heart rate and body temperature rising, she looked at the tiny student with a flustered expression. Slightly heavy breathing caused her glasses to fog up as she nervously brought herself and Rentaro onto some soft padded mats. Taking their shoes off, Nozomi sat down before placing the tiny student near her feet. Feeling the residual heat wafting off of them, Rentaro also started to become increasingly nervous. Looking up, he saw an extremely flustered Nozomi. Their entire face was red and their gaze would constantly shift back and forth between Rentaro and some other direction. 

"G-Go ahead." Nozomi stuttered, scrunching her socked toes and soles before bringing them slightly closer to the now flustered Rentaro. Ideas conflicted in tiny's brain about whether it was really alright for him to take advantage of the situation. On one hand, this kind of thing was super inappropriate, but on the other hand, this was almost a once-in-a-lifetime situation. No other students, aside from some of his closest male friends, knew about his foot fetish. Admittedly it wasn't exactly a rare fetish to have among tinies, but Rentaro was pretty confident in his ability to keep "that side" of himself hidden from others. He had always thought if anyone ever learned he had such a fetish he would be made fun of or called creepy. Never in his life did he think that someone would not only have a supposedly positive reaction but actually allow him to indulge in said fetish. And while Rentaro didn't know much about Nozomi, he was explicitly given consent so, in the end, he made the obvious decision.

Rentaro approached Nozomi's socked toes timidly before slowly plunging his face and body into the slightly moist fabric. While he had gotten up close and personal with several normal-sized student's feet in the past, this was the first time it was mutually consensual. Nozomi's feet were nowhere near as overwhelming as Chihiro's, but that was to be expected. Unlike the rough and tumble athletic tomboy, Rentaro's impression of Nozomi was that she was a very meek and soft-spoken girl who had generally good hygiene. As Rentaro inhaled more of her scent, he started to make more comparisons in his head. Disregarding memories of his maid or sister's feet, he thought back to his relatively brief encounter with Megumi's foot a day or two ago, he'd say they probably had even less of an odor oddly enough. While that was slightly disappointing for him, Rentaro guessed that Megumi’s feet must have been extremely soft just like hers— Stopping mid thought he plunged his face deeper into Nozomi's sock to hide his embarrassment. 

Shifting his thoughts to when he accidentally fell into Sekira’s shoe, he noted that Sekira’s socks had a very distinct and strong odor. While nowhere near as strong as Chihiro's, it was odd for someone who didn't seem that athletic. It was almost like she had avoided washing, or used a pair of already-worn socks. Thinking it was due to laziness, Rentaro then fantasized some more. Moving towards the sole of Nozomi's foot, he noticed a slight tear. Not thinking too hard about his actions, he stuck his face into the hole, pressing it against the skin of Nozomi's barefoot. As the slight moisture of her sweat coated Rentaro’s face, the urge to lick Nozomi's foot grew stronger and stronger. Trying to distract himself from such thoughts, he started to think about Fury's feet. Remembering a time when he had seen her at the shoe lockers, Rentaro thought back to a vivid memory of how her socks looked. Heavily worn with several holes and supposedly stained with sweat, the thought alone made him even hornier than he already was. After his thoughts had gotten the better of him, Rentaro took a deep (foot-scented) breath and anxiously slid his tongue out of his mouth. Before he could get a taste, the sound of the door knob turning shocked the two of them. As Rentaro scrambled to get away from Nozomi's feet and Nozomi scrambled to get her shoes back on, the door flung open…

"Oi! I'm lookin' for a tiny. Seen him anywhere?" Furyu called out, looking at Nozomi with a confused and slightly threatening expression. Thankfully she didn't have to do much looking as the Nozomi and Rentaro sat right next to each other. Each of them was averting their gaze with extremely flustered looks. Not really one to ask questions, she grabbed the nervous Rentaro and started to carry him out of the room. As the tiny boy stared back at the flustered Nozomi from the safety of Fury's hand he spotted something shocking. Pressing against Nozomi's tight gym shorts was an unmistakable silhouette. He froze up as his brain slowly began to piece things together. When he finally realized that this supposedly soft-spoken and shy girl may have actually been an effeminate, soft-spoken, and shy guy, his heart sank. This revelation had caused Rentaro to soon after, much to the delinquent's confusion… 

Still not understanding why he fainted, Furyu just tossed the little guy into one of her pockets and moved on to the next order of business: Finding Megumi. A tiny going missing made sense since they're so small, but Furyu was a tad bit annoyed at the fact that Megumi had seemingly disappeared despite being normal-sized. Hoping she wouldn't have to exert too much effort she asked around once more. While the delinquent had found an answer pretty quickly, whether or not she was satisfied with it was another story. 

"In the nurse's office with WHO?!" She asked, slamming her hand against the wall beside the person (otherwise known as a kabendon) she was questioning. A look of terror appeared on the boy's face as he re-explained the situation to her. 

"A-After I accidentally spiked the ball against her face, the rest of us playing volleyball wanted to take her to the infirmary but Makoto grabbed her hand and ran off with her before we had a chance! That's all I know! Please don't hurt me!" The boy said, his knees shaking in fear as Furyu stared at him with a pissed-off expression. 

"Crap!" Taking her hand off the wall, she headed towards the exit leaving the startled boy to collapse to the floor in fear. Checking that Rentaro was still safely secured in her pocket she ran to the nurse's office, worried about Megumi. Her worries would go to waste though, as after waking up, Makoto was more than comfortable enough to have a casual conversation with Megumi.

“You like cats?” Megumi asked.

“Ehhh, “like” is kinda an understatement. I love cats! They’re kinda like the epitome of cuteness, you know?” Makoto exclaimed, showing Megumi a photo of herself hugging a cat.

“Woah!! So cute! I’m more of a fish person, but cats are super cute too! Is that one yours?”

“No way! My mom’s hella allergic, so I’m not even allowed to be near cats half the time. I used to work part-time at a cat cafe but I had to quit since the cat hair on my clothes would cause her allergies to freak the hell out. It sucks but it’s whatever.” Makoto shrugged, sighing as she put her phone away. Staring sadly at Makoto, Megumi couldn’t help but feel a little conflicted. While she did think that cats were cute, her view of them was pretty negative. With cats being a danger to micros and the sworn enemies/predators of fish, it wasn’t easy for her to trust them. Of course, she wouldn’t directly express this distaste to Makoto, but the thought lingered in her mind nonetheless.

“I guess that explains all the cute cat merchandise you own~!” Megumi smiled, thinking back to her watch and handkerchief.

“Cat merchandise? Ahhh, you mean KyojiNeko? He’s seriously awesome! I’ve got, like, 5 plushies in my room and a buttload of merch. I’m kinda his biggest fan, heh!” Makoto boasted, smiling smugly before rambling on some more about some of her favorite characters. Since Megumi recently moved, it was endearing to hear about all the city’s cute mascots. Despite once seeing her as a cruel bully, the dissonance created by her nerding out was endearing. After a couple more minutes of talking, Megumi had an idea. 

“I know this might be a weird thing to ask but would like to join—” 

SLAM!

The forceful sound of the door sliding open echoed throughout the room, interrupting their conversation. Breathing heavily in the doorway, stood Furyu who undoubtedly sprinted all the way from the gym to the nurse’s office. After locking eyes with Makoto the two instinctively stared at each other with looks of absolute disdain. Before either of them could even berate each other with insults, Makoto was practically ready to get up and leave. Before she could, though, Megumi instinctually grabbed her hand. Surprisingly, this was enough to stop her from leaving and Makoto just stood there without struggling despite maintaining the same annoyed expression. 

“What the hell is this all about?! First, you and your dumbass lackeys kidnap and almost kill our friends, and now you’re actin’ all buddy-buddy and shit? Don’t think for a second Megumi’s dumb enough to fall for whatever crap you’re trying to pull!” She yelled, angrily walking up to the two of them. Taking one look at Megumi’s confused face put a dent in her confidence, but that didn’t stop her from further threatening Makoto. “We already put a stop to your crap the first time, was losing your reputation not enough? Need to lose some teeth too?” Furyu said, cracking her knuckles to intimidate Makoto. As threatening as she may have been, Makoto remained practically unfazed by the delinquent's harsh words. She didn’t even feel that mad or offended, she wanted to snap back at her but for some reason, she didn’t feel like she needed to. 

“We don’t need to get violent, please!” She looked at Furyu with pleading eyes. “Makoto doesn’t have some ulterior motive, she brought me—” Before she could finish her sentence, Megumi was cut off once again, this time by Makoto. 

“Sorry, Megumi. I don’t need someone to defend me. You can keep the handkerchief, I’m gonna get outta here.” Pulling her hand away, from Megumi, Makoto shot one more angered glare towards Furyu before walking towards the door. A feeling of regret began to pool up in Megumi’s stomach, and before Furyu could even ask if she was okay, Megumi yelled her request at Makoto before she could leave.

“Please join our club!!!” Megumi yelled, leaving both Furyu and Makoto speechless.