For every person in the world, there’s a moment when life demands you to take uncomfortable decisions, ideas you oppose to with all your might, however, although life according to many people is focused in being happy, you can’t wait for every part of it to happen as you’re expecting to.

This day for example, is one of those days when life forced me to make things against my will, there wasn’t better reminder of it for me than hearing and seeing the hustle around me a midday saturday, moment when I’m supposed to be in home, despite that… with a transparent empty cup of tapioca on the table without any other guest except from me, the wait of half an hour kept extending without an apparent reason in an establishment close to school whose flagship was its unparalleled tapiocas in all the city. Despite my mood being floor-leveled, I should admit that the taste was certainly singular and unique from the place.

“Yukiko-chaaaan!”

The acute voice from the long awaited individual made its way from the entrance to what my response was no moving a single muscle, looking at the aforementioned girl walking hurriedly towards the table and taking the opposite seat to me.

“Sorry for making you wait!” Gathering both hands on the table, she closed her eyes and lowered her head in an apologetic way.

Inohara Madoka, the girl right before me wore a dark blue long skirt with straps, reaching just a bit above her knees, almost to the point of being black with a vertical pastel-multicolor striped above a white long sleeved blouse. On her white hair was a small bow of a soft purple tonality combining perfectly with her natural colors; lastly, a pair of semi-open heeled shoes with lavender socks reaching her ankles.

Her appearance, even her clothing was perfectly suitable for the situation of a date while I was wearing a black hoodie and a short skirt with a pair of black boots, practically the clothes I wear for every situation that isn’t school.

“If you went far enough to threat somebody to have a date with you… won’t it be common sense to get to the designated meeting place before?” Looking at the ceiling, I spoke while using my fingers to play with my hair.

“Threat? I would never threat Yukik-”

“Stop that” irritated, I released my hair and stared at her. “Let’s do this quick, you know perfectly why I accepted to come along so don’t act all idiot now.”

Letting a sigh out, she looked at me with an obviously faked sadness expression on her face.

“Probably something in your mind got twisted…” Dropping her mocking behavior for a moment, Inohara focused her sight on mine. “But I’m not that kind of girl.”

Something hurt, undoubtedly something inside of me moved fiercely when I heard her speaking such words with a sinister meaning.

“Huh? ‘You’re not that kind of girl’…?”

“Anyway” getting up, Inohara got closer to me. “Probably you’re tired of this boring place, come on, I’ll buy you something to compensate all I made you wait for me.”

“But…!”

“Be patient, eventually we’ll reach that point… but all in due time, sounds good?”

Swallowing my own words, I felt as if Inohara Madoka… no, as if the image I have of the platinum-haired girl collapsed, as if the innocent and energetic girl hide a twisted personality behind that ‘self-imposed’ hyperactivity and joy.

For a moment I clenched my fist, I felt… I felt the need to hit her in the face with everything I had, for some reason.

Denying my own instincts, inhaling and exhaling and eliminating all the negative thoughts from my mind, I decided to go along with this girl, well... someone’s life could be in danger if I decided not to go along this game of hers.

Even though I refused to care about someone else’s life again...

Despite having given up such attachment emotions, I...

“Come on!”

Huh?

While I was still immersed in my gloomy thoughts, the sensation of a hand grasping my wrist crept through my nervous system, bringing me back to reality.

By the time I got back to the real world Inohara was standing next to me, holding my wrist with her right hand and a splendid smile on her face.

Am I misinterpreting this girl’s actions? Is it possible that she is such a good actress?

Still I felt peace...

I felt peace and joy in her grip for an instant.

Getting up, I kept up with the girl who dragged me out of the store where I was waiting for her previously.

***

“What do you think? Does this looks good on me?”

Somehow, I was dragged by Inohara to various places in the shopping district, wandering from store to store, we ended up at our current destination; a clothing store.

In front of me, Inohara lifted a blouse against her body trying to align it with her figure. Either way I didn’t had my head focused on it, instead, with my arms crossed I looked away while my brain was a jumble of negative thoughts.

What did she meant? She… she was certainly talking about the kidnapping of Tamanaha Yuu, that famous micro that the girls in my class were talking about. It was undeniable that she wanted me to believe that, however...

“Don’t ask me that…”

“Come ooon~ Yukiko-chan, don’t be so mean!”

Dragging my eyes regretfully to her figure, I gave her a slight glance.

The pale pink long-sleeved blouse resembling the cherry blossoms in full bloom gave an air of freshness to her innocent appearance; large enough to cover up to the waist and quite comfortable in appearance. Blending in with her white hair and silver eyes, a mixture of soft and solemn colors that brought to life the embodiment of innocence and tranquility formed, if I’m supposed to describe it somehow.

“Uh, it looks good on you… I guess.”

“You could have tried harder, but…” Pushing the garment aside and dropping it into a basket dangling from her left wrist, she gave me a contented look. “But even if it was rather simple, receiving a compliment from Yukiko-chan is very pleasant~”

“Tsch.”

She may have just fooled me and everything is planned in advance, that’s it... Inohara Madoka does not look like the kind of girl who would do that kind of thing, it’s true that she’s usually a nuisance, but to reach the level of a kidnapping... why would she do it? Just to attract me? Does she have ulterior motives?

But then there are her constant ‘reassuring words’ suggesting that this is not what I am thinking... What am I supposed to think?

I guess the only way I can find out is by doing what she tells me, after all... I wouldn’t want someone to get hurt...

Although there is also that factor...

Why am I concerned for the safety of one of those vermin? After all this time…

“Ufufu…~ Who would think that the pink looks good on you too? Although you used to have pink hair so it wouldn’t be that strange, hehe...”

While I was distracted with all kinds of worries in my own world, Inohara came up from behind and placed the same blouse that she was trying on herself before, now against my body, wrapping her arms over my shoulders. It’s the second time I feel like she’s dragging me out of my thoughts today.

In front of us there was a mirror so I could see myself in it... with that same blouse.

Obviously it was slightly tight in the chest part since she initially chose it for herself and since the difference in height between Inohara and me is about nine centimeters, the garment did not cover me as much as it did with her... but for some reason, when I saw myself in the mirror...

“Get off me!” Shaking myself a bit, I managed to push the annoying girl away.

“Awww… but it looks great on you!”

When I thought I might dress that way again, the hair of the Yukiko in the mirror in front of me was dyed a melancholic pink color and funny ponytails appeared… likewise, glasses came out of nowhere.

It was almost as if everything that reminded me my version of the past did hurt my chest.

“I don’t care, is that what you’re going to buy?”

“Well... I had planned to try some lingeri-”

“I’m leaving.”

“W-wait!”

Before I could leave the place, she grabbed me by the sleeve of my hoodie.

“Fine, fine! We’ll go to that place... let me finish buying this first.”

After releasing me, I saw her heading to the cash register while I shoved my hands into the pockets of the hoodie, waiting for her to finish paying.

And so, we both left the clothing store and began to walk to a destination that was unknown to me.

***

“You lied to me”

“Haa?! B-but I even bought you an ice cream!”

To my sur... well, not very much to my surprise honestly, instead of ending up in the place I was hoping to get to, we both stopped at an ice cream parlor where my current partner bought a strawberry ice cream for herself and practically forced me to reveal my favorite ice cream taste to her.

“Anyway, I don’t care, I guess I have to thank you for the ice cream”

I glanced at the ice cream that I held in front of my mouth, the pleasant taste of rum and raisins that brought back memories chilled my tongue as I shyly let it out and licked the white, cold and milky ball with black spots.

“Still... it was a surprise to learn that you liked the rum raisin ice cream... hey!” She continued talking even when she opened her mouth and, contrary to me, pulled out the slimy pink muscle without shame to attack the pink, strawberry-flavored ice cream ball. “D-don’t tell me I’ll experience a scenario where you unexpectedly get drunk thanks to the ice cream, you open to me, let your feelings flow and then I have to carry you home on my back while you sleep!”

“… I assure you that won’t happen.”

It is impossible for such an absurd cliché as having a character eat a rum raisin ice cream and then get them drunk since underage drinking is illegal and light novel authors are often looking for ways to get their characters drunk.

“M-my head! Graaah!!”

Yet another cliché did end up occurring when Inohara held her head with her free hand and began to agonize over the classic among kids, having your brain frozen from eating ice cream too quickly.

While the girl I sat with at the circular table under an umbrella in a group of equal outdoor tables made me feel ashamed for behaving so childishly, I looked away seeing two persons... more specifically two girls and two micro guys that were occupying a table close to ours.

Losing myself in my sight towards the apparent double date, I began to wander imagining what kind of life those micros would have, if they would be happy, if they had future plans or what kind of relationship they would have with the two regular sized girls they were accompanying. My mind was filled with ideas and statements that probably turned my gaze into a creepy one... I hope they didn’t notice.

But while I was still gawking, a certain someone in front of me had already completed her stupid shameful act.

“Do you have something to do with them?”

As soon as I heard those words, I looked away and looked back into the distance, away from the double date or Inohara herself.

“Nothing, I don’t know them” I subtly shook my head as I licked my ice cream once more.

I was surprised that she had the delicacy to speak in a volume moderate enough so that the distance did not let the previous focuses of my attention hear that we were talking about them... honestly, Inohara seems to be the type of person that just start speaking super loud something like “EEEEH?! WERE YOU LOOKING AT THEM?!” as she gets up throwing her chair back, making a lot of noise and shamelessly pointing at them with the finger.

“Nothing huh... hmm… why were you looking at them then?”

“No particular reason, they just caught my attention.”

“What was the reason that your attention was drawn to them?”

“Huuh?” I pushed the ice cream away from my face, seeing her with a somewhat confused expression.

It is not natural that Inohara is so interested in that kind of things, right now it even seems that she is interrogating me, leaving her almost finished ice cream aside.

“Is there a reason?”

“I don’t know... there is? I was just rambling, don’t those things happen to you? I saw them and thought about what kind of relationship those two micro guys would have with the regular girls who accompany them.”

“Do you think that if those micros weren’t there, the regular people at that table would have caught your attention by themselves?”

“Excuse me?”

“Is there something wrong?”

“I mean, you’re interrogating me right now!”

“Am I?”

“You are!”

Indeed, she is.

“You even left your scandalous character somewhere else, do you have a fragmented personality or something?”

“I see, sorry about that... hehe, sometimes I focus too much on a specific thought and I can make the ambient feel a little weird with other people.”

Just a little? I’d say even too much, I’ve been too lenient with Inohara since this ‘date’ started but this time it really made me feel uncomfortable, like she wanted to reach some conclusion by asking something so trivial.

“Whatever!” Suddenly, the girl in the strappy skirt regained her previous aura of inexhaustible energy and took a couple of bites from her ice cream, eating it whole.

As expected, with some delayed effect she began to hold her head now with both hands.

“Hyaaaa, this is terribleeee!!”

Shameful.

***

As soon as I finished eating my ice cream, I almost had to force Inohara to end this nonsense as I was exhausted not physically but mentally. This girl is so energetic and frantic that I can feel my own vitality being drained by being with her. The two of us then headed to the place that was the cause I couldn’t stay home this saturday.

“You didn’t let me buy you any clothes… why do you have to be so impatient?”

“I appreciate it but I’m not interested, all I want is for you to show me what you know I want to see.”

“What I know you want you to see huh... certainly, I won’t say I don’t know what you’re talking about but I’m sure that thought has been inflated in your mind.”

Inflated... for some reason... until now Inohara acted as an annoying girl and rather silly in my eyes, that kind of girl that throws at you and hugs you just by walking into the classroom... because she’s literally like that. Today, however, I discovered a completely different side of her than that silly one... what was hidden behind that solid mask?

“You mean giving it too much importance?”

“Who knows?”

The rest of the way was silent until we arrived at a residential complex that included some buildings four floors high. Reaching up to the top floor of rooms, I followed Inohara from behind until she stopped in front of one of the doors and inserted one of the keys in her key ring into the door lock which subsequently was pushed back. She came in and kicked off her shoes, setting them aside before turning to look at me.

“You can come in.”

“Excuse me…”

I shyly walked in and closed the door behind me, kicking off my boots before stepping onto the clean wooden floor, Inohara rushed to turn on the lights before the only remaining light source entered underneath the door.

“My parents aren’t at home, follow me.”

I do not know why she wanted to clarify the detail that her parents were not... or would not be at home during my visit; I don’t know if it has to do with the nature of what she was going to show me or something totally different. Inohara walked in the direction of a door which she opened stepping aside to let me pass.

An ominous feeling turned my stomach with more intensity than before… what was I supposed to see as soon as I entered?

Today during all the day I have felt slight dizziness that had put me in a bad mood, a familiar smell of death haunted me throughout the day and a funereal mood that I cannot drown with other thoughts keeps taking over me. Passing her I hurried through the threshold of the door that almost seemed to exert some kind of putrid force that repelled me.

Once in her room I found the darkness of four walls without almost any source of light, the AC that cooled the place beyond the slightly comfortable to a bit cold claiming its silent presence when I felt the temperature change and the light dimly finding its way through curtains over the window as well as shyly flickering out of a monitor in suspension mode connected to a computer that was the only source of a slight noise from the place.

“Welcome to my bedroom~”

The sound of a switch was followed by an artificial light that illuminated the entire room, increasing my ability to appreciate the details of my surroundings.

It was then that I realized a detail that I had overlooked completely moments before.

A detail that made my blood run cold.

“T-Tamanaha… Yuu…”

In that same place I found the reason because I had been dragged to various places on a day that should have been quiet at first.