Seishun Buta Yarou Series - Volume 1 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Senpai Is A Bunny Girl

1 

One day, Sakuta Azusagawa met a wild bunny girl. 

It was the last day of Golden Week. 

A brisk twenty-minute bike ride brought him from his apartment to Shonandai Station, where the Odakyu Enoshima Line, the Soutetsu Izumino Line, and the Yokohama Municipal Subway intersected. The station was surrounded by a sleepy suburb with few buildings of any real height. 

Keeping the station on his left, Sakuta made a right at the light. From there, it was only another minute to his destination—the library. 

The bike rack was only half-full, so he parked and headed inside. 

Sakuta came here a lot, but the distinctive hush inside always put him slightly on edge. His body tensed up a bit as he stepped inside. 

It was the largest library in the area and was always pretty busy. Just past the entrance was a stand full of magazines and newspapers. Sakuta spotted a familiar older gentleman scowling at a sports paper. His favorite team must have lost. 

As he passed the lending counter, a row of study desks came into view, almost all occupied. High school students, college students, even grown-ups with laptops. 

Sakuta barely glanced at them. He headed for the shelves filled with hardback copies of modern novels. His eyes traced the spines arranged in alphabetical order, scanning the section of books that started with yu. His search forced him to look down. He was five foot eight, and even the tallest shelves only came to waist height. 

He soon found the book his little sister had asked for. The author’s name was Kanna Yuigahama. It was called The Prince Gave Me a Poisoned Apple. If he remembered correctly, this book had come out something like four or five years ago, but his sister had enjoyed one of the author’s other books and was determined to read through the rest of her works. 

Sakuta reached for the somewhat tattered spine, pulling the book off the shelf. 

Looking back up, he intended to head straight for the lending desk—but then he caught sight of her. 

A bunny girl, standing there between the bookshelves. 

“……” 

He blinked several times. Apparently, he wasn’t seeing things. She was clearly real. 

Glossy black high heels on her feet. Long legs in black stockings sheer enough that he could make out the color of her skin beneath. Above that, a black leotard that emphasized her figure—slim but curvy—and created a noticeable, if not especially dramatic, valley up top. 

White cuffs provided a bold accent at her wrists, and she wore a black butterfly tie at her throat. 

Without the heels, she was probably five foot five. Strong features plus a bored expression gave her a mature charm and ennui he found very attractive. 

At first, Sakuta assumed someone must be filming this. He checked around but couldn’t see a TV crew anywhere. She was here by herself. Lost and alone. Incredible. A genuine wild bunny girl. 

Naturally, she stood out like a sore thumb in the library on a regular afternoon. Totally out of place… In fact, Sakuta could only come up with a few places that might be considered a bunny girl’s natural habitat. Vegas casinos or shops of ill repute, perhaps? Either way, bunny girls definitely didn’t inhabit the local public library. 

Surprisingly, that wasn’t even the most shocking thing going on here. 

This girl was wearing the most attention-grabbing outfit imaginable, yet no one was looking at her. 

“What the…?” he said aloud. 

A nearby librarian shot him a glare that clearly said, “Shh!” Though he respectfully bobbed his head in response, he couldn’t help but think he wasn’t the one most deserving of reproach. 

But the terrible truth was already sinking in. 

Nobody cared about the bunny girl. They paid her no attention, raised no fuss, and did not even seem to notice she was there. 

Ordinarily, if a girl in this stimulating bunny outfit walked past, even that student wrestling with the Six Codes of Japan’s legal system would have glanced up. The old man with the sports paper would have pretended to keep reading while stealing glances. And the librarian would have come over and politely suggested a change of attire. 

Something was wrong. Very wrong. 

It was like she was a ghost only Sakuta could see. 

He felt a bead of sweat run down his spine. 

As he watched in horror, the bunny girl took a volume from one of the shelves and headed for the study corner in back. 

On the way, she leaned in, staring right at a college girl’s face—and stuck out her tongue. Then, she put her hands between a businessman and his tablet, waving it up and down as if verifying he couldn’t see her. When neither of them reacted, she smiled, seemingly satisfied. 

She then took a seat at the very back. 

There was a college guy buried in research across from her. He never noticed her. She noticed the front of her leotard starting to sag and gave it a quick tug back in place, but still, the college guy failed to react at all. Even though he was looking right at her. 

After a while, the student finished his research and got ready to go, as if absolutely nothing was out of the ordinary. Then he left—again, like nothing at all unusual had taken place. He didn’t even try to glance down at her cleavage as he passed. 

“……” 

Sakuta hesitated for a moment but then sat down in the seat the college guy had vacated. 

He stared directly at the bunny girl across from him, examining the soft curve of her bare shoulders. They moved faintly with each breath she took, a weirdly compelling sight here in the library, symbol of everything serious and dedicated. Sakuta felt like he was losing his mind. Maybe he already had. 

After a few minutes, she glanced up from her book, and their eyes met. 

“……” 

“……” 

Both of them blinked twice. 

Her lips parted first. 

“What a shock,” she said. There was an impish flair to her voice. “You can still see me.” 

That made it sound like nobody else could. 

But to Sakuta’s ears, these words rang true. At that very moment, even as outlandish as her presence was, there still didn’t seem to be a single other person who had noticed she was there. 

“Well, then.” 

She closed her book and stood up. 

That should have been the end of it. He could have reduced the entire event to a funny anecdote to tell his friends later. But Sakuta couldn’t let it go that easily. 

Because he knew who she was. 

She went to his school, Minegahara High. A third-year student, a year ahead of him—his senpai. He even knew her name. Her full name. 

Mai Sakurajima. 

That was the identity of the bunny girl. 

“Um.” 

Just before her bare back vanished into the shelves, he called after her. 

Mai stopped and shot him a questioning look over her shoulder. 

“You’re Sakurajima, right?” he asked, careful to keep his voice low. “From third year?” 

“……” 

A flicker of surprise crossed her face. “If you know that, then you probably go to Minegahara?” 

She sat back down, looking him over. 

“Sakuta Azusagawa, Class 2-1. The same Azusagawa as the highway rest area chain. Saku is bloom, and ta comes from taro.” 

“I’m Mai Sakurajima. Mai from Mai Sakurajima and Sakurajima from Mai Sakurajima. Mai Sakurajima.” 

“Yeah, I know. You’re famous.” 

“Right.” 

She seemed to lose interest. Resting one cheek on her hand, her gaze drifted to the window nearby. She was leaning forward just enough to emphasize her cleavage. Sakuta’s eyes were dragged to it. A sight to behold. 

“Sakuta Azusagawa.” 

“Yes.” 

“Let me offer you a warning.” 

“A warning?” 

“Forget what you saw today.” 

He opened his mouth, but before anything could emerge, she spoke again. 

“If you tell anyone about this, they’ll think you’re crazy, and you’ll be forced to spend the rest of your life labeled a lunatic.” 

That was a fair warning. 

“Also, never speak to me again.” 

“……” 

“Say yes if you understand.” 

“……” 

When he said nothing, Mai looked annoyed. But this soon faded, replaced with the ennui from before. She stood up, put the book back on the shelf, and headed for the entrance. 

Not one person she passed paid Mai any attention. Even as she sailed past the lending desk, the librarians just kept working in silence. Only Sakuta was left unable to tear his eyes off that pair of lovely stocking-clad legs. 

Once she was completely out of sight, Sakuta slumped on his desk. 

“Forget?” he muttered. “How can you forget that outfit?” 

Bare skin from the open shoulders down to her chest. When she’d leaned on her elbow, deepening the valley. The pleasant smell lingering in his nostrils. Her soft voice, just loud enough that only Sakuta could hear. Those clear eyes, looking straight into his. Every part of that was hitting Sakuta’s erogenous zones and getting him very worked up. 

He was afraid if he stood up, people around him would notice. 

It seemed he’d be stuck at this desk awhile. 

He had a lot he wanted to ask Mai. But he was forced to save those questions for another day. 

2 

The next morning, Sakuta awoke from a strange dream. He mostly remembered being crushed beneath a pile of bunnies. 

“Take a hint! Those were supposed to be bunny girls!” he grumbled as he tried to sit up. “Mm?” 

But this didn’t go as planned. There was a significant weight on his left shoulder, pinning him to the bed. 

He pulled the covers back and discovered the cause. 

There was a girl in pajamas curled up next to him, her arms wrapped around his left arm. Sleeping peacefully. Pulling the covers back must have made her cold, because she cuddled up even closer to him. 

This was his sister, Kaede. She would be fifteen this year. 

“Wake up, Kaede. It’s morning.” 

“But it’s so cold…” 

She didn’t seem like she was moving, so he picked her up and got out of bed. 

“Damn, you’re heavy!” 

Kaede was five foot four, rather tall for her age, and she’d been growing rapidly lately. The heft in his arms made it very clear she was no longer a little girl. 

“Half my weight is made up of my feelings for you!” she protested. 

“Do you even hear yourself? I hope the other half is medicine for the headache you just gave me. Also, if you’re awake, get up already.” 

“Ugh.” 

Grumbling, she let him put her down. Her face had really matured a lot over the last year, and there was a serious gulf opening up between the way she looked and the way she acted. What would have been a totally normal level of physical contact for siblings a year ago was definitely making Sakuta uncomfortable now. 

“It’s really time you stopped crawling into bed with me.” 

Probably also high time she stopped wearing hooded pajamas that looked like a panda. 

“I came to wake you up, but you wouldn’t get up, so it’s really your fault.” 

That sulky face made her look younger than she was. 

“Fine, but you’re still too old to be doing stuff like that anymore.” 

“Oh? Am I getting you all hot and bothered?” 

“Sisters don’t work like that.” 

He rapped her forehead lightly and left the room. 

“Ah! Wait for me!” 

After he made breakfast for both of them, they ate together. Sakuta finished first and got ready for school. 

“Take care!” Kaede said. She saw him off with a smile, but he left the house alone. 

He started yawning before he even made it out of the apartment complex. The day before had been far too stimulating, and he’d had a lot of trouble drifting off. Waking from a weird dream was never a good way to start the day. 

Yawning again, he made his way through the residential streets. There was a single bridge he had to cross on the way. As he neared the station, the buildings around him grew taller. It grew more crowded, too—everyone was heading the same way he was. 

He eventually reached the main road, waited for the light, and crossed at the crosswalk. As he passed business hotels and consumer electronics shops, the train station finally came into view. 

All in all, the walk took about ten minutes. 

His destination was Fujisawa Station, located in the heart of Fujisawa, a city in Kanagawa Prefecture. Clumps of students and office workers on the way to school or work streamed by. 

On the station’s first floor were the Odakyu Lines. Incoming trains bound for Shinjuku and trains stopping here to head back toward Katase-Enoshima. On the second floor were gates for the JR Tokaido and Shonan–Shinjuku Lines. 

Sakuta joined the throngs headed up the stairs but turned away from the JR gates. 

He went down a thirty-yard connecting passage that led to the Odakyu Department Store. Not that he was planning to go shopping. This early, the store was still closed. He turned left at the shuttered doors, into the other Fujisawa Station. 

The Enoshima Electric Railway. Enoden for short—den being the first sound in the Japanese word for electric railway. It was a single-track railway that stopped at thirteen stations on the way to Kamakura—about a thirty-minute ride. 

Sakuta flashed his commuter pass and was through the gates just as the train pulled in. The train was green, with the window frames in cream—kind of a retro look. Trains on this line were short, only four cars long. 

Sakuta walked down the length of the platform, entering the front car. 

Short, medium, and tall, there were a lot of passengers in uniforms. The rest wore business suits. Before he moved here, Sakuta had assumed this line was for tourists, but plenty of locals used it for their daily commutes. 

Sakuta grabbed a spot by the door. 

As he did, someone spoke to him. “’Sup.” 

The boy who joined him while stifling a yawn was quite handsome—if there were a rumor that he was repped by a famous male idol agency, it’d be very believable. He had sharp-edged features and, at a glance, could be somewhat intimidating, but the moment he smiled, that impression vanished, leaving only the face of a friendly child. This appeared to be a huge hit with all the girls. 

His name was Yuuma Kunimi. A second-year student and a starter on the basketball team. And he had a girlfriend. 

“Sigh…” 

“That’s no way to greet someone.” 

“That pleasant smile of yours is the last thing I need this early in the morning. Instant depression.” 

“For real?” 

“For real.” 

They chatted about this and that. Eventually, the departure bell rang, and the doors closed. 

The train heaved itself into motion, traveling at a speed so slow it always seemed like it must still be getting up to speed. Before it ever did, though, it began slowing on the approach to Ishigami Station. 

“So, Kunimi.” 

“Mm?” 

“About Sakurajima…” 

“You poor thing.” 

Before he could finish the question, Yuuma cut him off, giving Sakuta a comforting pat on his back. 

“Why are you pitying me?” 

“I’m thrilled to see you express interest in a girl besides Makinohara, but, well… She’s out of your league.” 

“I didn’t say I was in love or planning to ask her out.” 

“Then what?” 

“I just wondered what she was like.” 

“Hmm… I mean, for one thing, she’s famous.” 

“I know that.” 

Yes—Mai Sakurajima was a legitimate celebrity. Every student at Minegahara High knew who she was. It’s likely that 70 to 80 percent of the population of Japan did. She was so famous that figure didn’t even sound exaggerated. 

“She started acting when she was six. Then the morning soap she was on got ratings so high it was like the golden age of television, turning her into a sensation.” 

Her popularity exploded, leading to appearances in all kinds of movies, shows, and commercials. She was so in demand that not a single day went by without her showing up on everyone’s TV screens. 

Certainly, two or three years after her meteoric rise, the “Everything must have Mai Sakurajima” fad passed, but by that point, her sheer skill as an actor kept the offers flooding in. 

In a business where it wasn’t unusual for performers to fade out in a single year, she worked steadily into her junior high years. That alone was impressive enough, but she was about to get another big break. 

By the age of fourteen, Mai Sakurajima had grown into a girl wise beyond her years. A starring role in a hit movie set off another surge of media attention so intense that there were weeks where it seemed like her smiling face was on the cover of every magazine. 

“I had a major crush on her back in junior high. Like, she had it all! Cute! Sexy! Mysterious!” 

Yuuma was hardly the only one. Legions of boys felt the same. 

Her popularity reached a new peak, but just as it did—Mai suddenly announced she was taking a break. This was just before she graduated junior high. No clear reason was ever given—and a little over two years had passed since then. 

When Sakuta had learned the Mai Sakurajima was attending his school, he’d been pretty surprised. 

Wow, famous people really do exist, he’d thought. 

“Man, I remember all the rumors, too. People said her success was due to casting couches or that she was sleeping with a producer…” 

“In elementary school?” 

“Nah, this was at least in junior high. Actually, the earliest versions of the rumors to hit the gossip shows were all about her mother—her manager. But she’s got her own agency now. Company president. I heard about it on TV just last week.” 

“Huh, I didn’t know that… I mean, rumors like that are totally baseless, of course.” 

“But where there’s smoke, there’s fire, right?” 

“The smoke may not even be coming from her, though. Not in the world we live in.” 

Information spread like wildfire across the Internet. People everywhere could learn about things in a flash. Even if it wasn’t true. The people spreading this or that scoop usually didn’t care what the facts were. They only cared if they could make a joke, get attention from it, join in a fad, or rub it in someone’s face. Nothing more. 

“Coming from you, that does sound convincing…” 

Sakuta let that pass without comment. 

The train rolled slowly through four more stations: Yanagikoji, Kugenuma, Shonankaigankoen, and Enoshima. 

Sakuta glanced out the window, noticing they were currently rolling down the part of the line that cut through the middle of a regular street. It was always strange seeing regular cars right outside the windows. But he barely had time to think Oh! before they were back on normal tracks. 

This section of the line had buildings built so close to the train’s path it seemed like a collision could happen at any moment. Like you could reach out the window and touch the walls of people’s houses as they flitted by. Almost as if the branches and leaves in the backyards might actually brush against the windows. 

Heedless of such concerns, the train slipped in between the houses at a leisurely pace, eventually reaching Koshigoe Station. 

“But I’ve never seen her with anyone at school.” 

“Mm?” 

“Sakurajima. You’re the one who brought her up, Sakuta.” 

“Oh, right.” 

“She’s always on her own.” 

She didn’t fit in with her class—or with the school. That was the impression Sakuta had of her as well. 

“A senpai from basketball team said she didn’t come to school at all for a good chunk of her first year here.” 

“Why not?” 

“Work. She’d announced she was taking a break, but there were still contracts in place she had to honor.” 

“Oh, I guess she would.” 

But why announce it publicly before those jobs were taken care of? If there was some reason it needed to be said right away… 

“She didn’t start attending regularly until after summer vacation.” 

“…That sounds rough.” 

Sakuta could imagine what Mai found when she arrived that fall. Her classmates would have spent an entire term forming cliques and feeling out the hierarchies of school. 

“You can guess the rest,” Yuuma said, clearly thinking the same thing. 

Once the makeup of a class was set, it was hard to change or inject yourself. Everyone got comfortable where they were, then dug in. It was normal for people to protect their positions. 

When Mai started attending in second term, no one knew what to do with her. Plus, she was a celebrity. Everyone was curious, but reaching out to her was a risk. Anyone who tried to make friends with her would have attracted attention. Attention that carried a high risk of people saying things behind their back like “So obnoxious…” or “Who do they think they are?” This made it all but impossible for Mai to fit in. 

And once you’re out…there’s no going back. Everyone knows that. That’s how schools work. 

This was probably why Mai had never managed to find a place to belong at school. 

Everyone loved to groan about how boring things were, wishing something interesting would happen. But nobody really wanted things to ever change. 

Sakuta was no exception. If nothing exciting was going on, that meant things were easy. He could relax and be comfortable. No need to stress himself out. Hooray for peaceful days. Boredom rules. 

The warning bell rang, and the doors slid closed. 

The train lurched into motion again, passing slowly through more rows of houses. 

There was a wall right outside the window, which soon gave way to a different wall. Wall followed wall, house followed house, interrupted only by the occasional crossing. And right when it seemed like this would never end, with no warning at all…the view opened up. 

The sea. 

Blue water as far as the eye could see, reflecting the morning sunlight, glittering. 

The sky. 

Blue sky as far as the eye could see, clear morning air fading from blue to white as it stretched into the distance. 

Between the two, the sharp line of the horizon. Like magic, every eye on the train turned toward the windows. 

For a while, the train ran along the Shichirigahama coast, overlooking Sagami Bay. The breathtaking sight included everything from Enoshima itself on the right to the dazzling beaches of Yuigahama on the left. 

“But why are we suddenly bringing up Mai Sakurajima?” 

“Kunimi, do you like bunny girls?” Sakuta asked, not taking his eyes off the view. 

“I wouldn’t say that.” 

“So you love them, then?” 

“You got that right.” 

“In that case, I can’t say…” 

“The hell is that supposed to mean? Come on, man, tell me.” Yuuma poked him in the ribs. 

“If you ran into an attractive bunny girl at the library, what would you do?” 

“A double take.” 

“Figured.” 

“And then I’d stare until my eyes fell out.” 

That was the natural human response. At least, the natural straight male response. 

“So what’s this got to do with Mai Sakurajima?” 

“They’re sort of related, but…I dunno.” 

“You’ve lost me.” 

Yuuma clearly decided it wasn’t worth asking when Sakuta insisted on being this evasive. He settled for a pleasant smile instead. 

The train rolled along the coast, pausing at another station, and then finally reached Shichirigahama Station, the stop for Minegahara High—Sakuta’s school. 

When the train doors opened, the scent of the sea wafted in. 

Crowds of students in matching uniforms filed off the train. A single scarecrow-like machine stood at the entrance, reading the chips in their train passes. During the day, there would be an attendant standing by, but there was no one around at the hour Minegahara students plodded through. 

Outside the station, they only had to pass a single crossing before the school was right in front of them. 

“So how’s Kaede doing?” 

“You can’t have her.” 

“Come on, be nice to your new brother-in-law.” 

“You already have a girlfriend who’s plenty cute, Kunimi.” 

“True, now that you mention it.” 

“She’d be pissed if she heard any of this.” 

“Works for me. Kamisato’s cute when she’s mad. Hoh-hoh, whaddaya know? Thar she blows.” 

Sakuta followed Yuuma’s gaze and saw Mai Sakurajima walking on her own several yards ahead of them. Long arms and legs. Petite face. A slim, fashion-model build. Everyone wore the same uniform, but on her, it looked totally different. The black tights she wore, the skirt hiding the curve of her backside, the perfectly fit blazer—it all just seemed totally out of place. Like she was wearing someone else’s clothes. It was her third year here, but Mai didn’t seem to belong in her uniform. 

There were three girls chatting near her, and each of them looked much more comfortable in their school clothes. A first-year who was enthusiastically greeting a senpai from her club wore it far better. Even the male student playfully kicking a friend in the back came off as full of life by comparison. 

The short road from the station to the school was filled with Minegahara students, chatting and laughing. 

But in the center of it all, Mai walked alone in silence, completely isolated. Like an alien who’d wandered into an ordinary high school. Someone out of place. An ugly duckling. It was impossible to look at her any other way. 

In fact, nobody was looking at all. The Mai Sakurajima was right here, but she attracted no attention. Nobody seemed excited to catch a glimpse of her. At Minegahara High, that was just normal. 

Mai was simply there, like the air itself. Everyone accepted this. It reminded Sakuta of what he’d seen in the Shonandai Library. A sense of unease rose up inside him. 

“Uh, Kunimi…” 

“Mm?” 

“You can see Sakurajima, right?” 

“Yep, clear as daylight. I’ve got good eyes. Both twenty-ten!” 

Yuuma’s answer was just as he’d expected. So what exactly had Sakuta seen the day before? 

“See ya later.” 

“Mm.” 

Yuuma was in a different class this year, so they split up at the second-floor landing. Sakuta headed for Class 2-1. When he got there, the room was already half-full. 

He sat down at the front of the row by the windows. With a name like Azusagawa, he pretty much always ended up here on the spring seating charts. Unless there was an Aikawa or an Aizawa, he’d generally be first on the class roll. Unfortunately, being first in this case didn’t come with any real upside. Still, ever since starting at Minegahara High, Sakuta had come to appreciate this spring seating arrangement. 

After all, the windows at school offered a commanding view of the ocean. 

He could see a number of people out wind surfing, hoping to catch an early morning breeze. 

“Hey.” 

“……” 

“Hey, I’m talking to you.” 

Hearing a voice nearby, Sakuta looked up. 

A girl was standing in front of his desk, staring crossly down at him. A key member of this class’s most popular group of girls. Her name was Saki Kamisato. 

Big, wide-open eyes. Hair to her shoulders that curled slightly inward. Subtle makeup, with a tasteful shade of pink on her lips. All the guys agreed she was cute. 

“Can’t believe you ignored me!” 

“Sorry. Didn’t think there was still anyone in class who’d actually talk to me.” 

“Listen…” 

The bell rang. 

And the teacher came in with it. 

“Argh! We need to talk. Roof, after school.” 

She slapped his desk and then wove her way through the classroom back to her own seat. 

“I don’t get a say, huh?” he muttered. Then he put his chin on his hand and focused on the view. 

The sea was still there. Offering no assistance. 

“What a pain…” 

Getting called out after school by a girl didn’t give Sakuta even the slightest flicker of hope. Not even the tiniest hint of a thrill. 

For one thing, Saki Kamisato was dating Yuuma Kunimi. 

3 

After school, Sakuta pretended he’d forgotten his appointment and started heading for the shoe lockers but then thought better of it and went to the roof. He’d decided blowing her off now would only make things worse later. Haste makes waste… Though maybe that didn’t quite apply in this case. 

Regardless, the first words Saki Kamisato said to him were “You’re late!” 

Already mad. Totally unfair. 

“I was on cleaning duty.” 

“I don’t care.” 

“So what do you want?” 

“I’ll get right to the point,” Saki began, glaring right into Sakuta’s eyes. “You’re a total outcast in class, so being with you devalues Yuuma’s stock.” 

“……” 

Quite a thing to say but certainly to the point. 

“Despite this being the first time we’ve ever spoken, you sure know a lot about me, Kamisato,” he said, keeping his voice flat. 

“Everyone knows about the whole ‘hospitalization incident.’” 

“Right, that,” Sakuta said absently, like the topic bored him. 

“If you feel at all sorry for Yuuma, never talk to him again.” 

“By that logic, you’re the one in trouble now. Your stock’s crashing as we speak.” 

There were other students on the roof, and the palpable tension between him and Saki was drawing a lot of attention. 

A few were even typing on their phones. Probably reporting to their friends. 

How industrious. 

“Forget about me. This is about Yuuma.” 

“I see. You’re amazing, Kamisato.” 

“Huh? Why’d you suddenly compliment me?” 

He’d intended it as a bit of a joke at her expense, but this seemed lost on her. 

“I don’t think you need to worry. Kunimi’ll be fine. His market value won’t take a hit just because someone sees him talking to me. Everyone knows he’s the kind of guy who eats the lunch his mom made him with real appreciation and always talks about how great it is every time. They know he’s a good dude who looks after people.” 

Yuuma had laughed once, saying that anyone raised by a single mom knew how precious mothers were, but even an idiot knew it wasn’t that simple. There had to be kids who came from similar homes who acted out all the harder. 

“So don’t worry. Kunimi’s such a great guy, he’s honestly way too good for someone like you.” 

“You trying to start something?” 

“You’re the one who showed up raring for a fight, Kamisato.” 

Sakuta was starting to get annoyed, and it was finally showing in his tone. 

“Ugh, don’t remind me! Why does he call you by your given name but calls me Kamisato? I’m his girlfriend! So why does Yuuma use my family name?” 

This was the last thing he’d expected to spark a tangent. Who cares? he thought but left that unsaid. He didn’t need her love life burdening him any more than it already was. 

But what he chose to say instead was possibly even worse. 

“You’re really on edge today. Is it that time of the month?” 

“Hah?!” 

She turned beet red. 

“Th— Drop dead! You idiot! I hope you die!!” 

Having completely lost her cool, Saki headed back inside, screaming insults over her shoulder. She slammed the door behind her. 

Still standing there, Sakuta scratched his head, muttering “Crap, maybe it actually was” with a hint of regret. 

To avoid accidentally bumping into Saki Kamisato in the halls, Sakuta spent a while enjoying the sea breeze on the roof before heading home. 

By the time he reached the shoe lockers, the sky was turning red. 

The place was quiet. No one to be found. This time of day was like a lull between two waves—students who left immediately after their last class were long gone, but everyone else was still busy with their clubs or practice. As he changed into his shoes, he could hear the sports teams shouting in the distance. That far-off sound only made him feel more alone. 

The walk to the station almost made it seem like he’d rented out the whole road for his own personal use. He was soon inside Shichirigahama Station, which was also pretty empty. He usually left with everyone else when classes ended, joining a huge crowd of students packed onto the tiny platform, but today there were only a few people around. 

His eyes were instantly drawn to one of them. A girl standing stoically at the end of the platform, as if rejecting all contact with those around her—earbud cords dangling loose, the cord leading to the jacket pocket of her uniform. 

Mai Sakurajima. 

Bathed in the light of the setting sun, she radiated forlorn beauty—just standing there, she was picture-perfect. Sakuta felt like he could gaze at her all day…but his curiosity overwhelmed that urge. 

“Hi,” he said, walking up to her. 

“……” 

No answer. 

“Hello?” he said, somewhat louder. 

“……” 

Still no answer. 

But he was pretty sure she’d noticed him. 

Sakuta and Mai stood on the quiet platform, waiting for the train. There were three other Minegahara students scattered around. Then, a college-aged couple entered—likely tourists. They flashed a Noriori-kun day pass at the attendant on gate duty as they passed through. 

After moving to the center of the platform, they almost immediately noticed Mai. 

“Hey…” 

“Isn’t that…?” 

He could hear them whispering. Pointing at her. Mai kept her eyes on the tracks, as if she hadn’t noticed. 

“You shouldn’t, you know!” the woman whispered playfully, clearly not trying to stop him at all. Their flirty teasing echoed through the hushed station. Sakuta found it quite grating. 

Unable to stand it any longer, he turned to face them and found the guy pointing his phone’s camera at Mai. 

Before he could tap the button, Sakuta stepped into frame. There was a click, but all he got was a close-up of Sakuta frowning. 

The man looked surprised, then angry. 

“Wh-who the hell are you?” he snarled, stepping forward. Couldn’t let some high school boy show him up in front of his girlfriend, after all. 

“A human being,” Sakuta said with a straight face. Very literal. Technically correct. 

“Huh?” 

“And you’re a creepshot photographer.” 

“Wha—?! N-no!” 

“You’re old enough to know better. What you were doing makes me ashamed to be the same species as you.” 

“I wasn’t—” 

“You were going to tweet that photo like you’d just slain a demon, right?” 

“?!” 

Anger and shame flashed across the man’s face. Sakuta must have hit the nail on the head. 

“If you crave attention so badly, I could tweet your photo and tag it ‘Creepshot Photographer.’” 

“……” 

“Didn’t anyone teach you this when you were a kid? ‘If you wouldn’t want it done to you, don’t do it to anyone else.’” 

“Sh-shut up, twerp!” the guy managed. Then he grabbed his girlfriend’s hand and dragged her into the Kamakura-bound train that had just arrived. Only a single track ran through the station, so no matter which way the train was headed, it stopped in the same place. 

Sakuta watched the cars pull out and then felt eyes boring into his back. 

Suddenly nervous, he turned around and found Mai pulling her headphones out, looking annoyed. 

Her eyes met Sakuta’s. 

“Thanks,” she said. 

“Huh?” 

He’d expected a different reaction and was unable to disguise his surprise. 

“You thought I’d yell at you? Something like ‘Mind your own business’?” 

“Uh…yeah.” 

“I thought it but left it unsaid.” 

“You could have left that bit unsaid, too.” 

Frankly, this admission was tantamount to saying it in the first place. 

“I’m used to that sort of thing.” 

“Even if you are, it still eats away at you, right?” 

“……” 

A glimmer of surprise appeared in her eyes. 

“Eats away… That’s very apt,” she admitted. 

A smile crossed her lips, as if she was enjoying herself. 

Feeling like she might actually be willing to talk some more, Sakuta stood next to her. 

But before he could ask her anything, she said, “Why are you here at a strange time like this?” 

“I got summoned to the roof by a girl from class.” 

“A confession? You’re that popular? How unexpected.” 

“A confession of undying hatred.” 

“Oh?” 

“She told me to my face she hates my guts.” 

“Well, that’s the hot new trend.” 

“It was certainly a first for me. What about you, Sakurajima? Why are you here so late?” 

“I was just killing time so I wouldn’t bump into you again.” 

He glanced over at her but couldn’t tell how serious she was from her profile. Deciding he’d rather not know if she meant it, he let it drop. 

Instead, he turned toward the train schedule, changing the subject. 

“What time is it now?” 

“Time to get a watch.” 

He held up both wrists. Both were bare. 

“Then check your phone.” 

“Don’t have one.” 

“Not even a dumb phone?” 

“Smart or dumb, I haven’t got it. I didn’t accidentally leave it at home today, either.” 

He didn’t own any kind of phone. 

“…In this day and age?” 

Mai clearly found this hard to believe. 

“I’m serious. I mean, I used to have one, but I got pissed and threw it in the ocean.” 

He remembered it well. That was the day he’d come to check the Minegahara entrance exam results… 

That little seven-ounce box, a handy-dandy device that connected him to the rest of the world, traced a gentle arc through the air when it sailed out of his hand and fell into the sea. 

“Trash belongs in a trash can.” 

She was absolutely correct. 

“I’ll do that next time.” 

“I take it you have no friends?” 

Without a phone, how would someone make plans with other people? That was the world they lived in. Mai made a good point. Exchanging numbers, e-mail addresses, and IDs was the start of many a friendship, and the lack of any of these placed you outside the bounds of modern society. In the microcosm of a school, anyone who failed to stay inside the boundaries was regarded with deep suspicion. Sakuta had a lot of trouble making friends early on. 

“I have two whole friends.” 

“Why’d you make that sound like two is a lot?” 

“Two is more than enough! I just have to stay friends with them forever.” 

The number of phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and IDs on his contact list was irrelevant. Quantity didn’t matter at all. Not in Sakuta’s philosophy. 

For one thing, what exactly was a friend? Sakuta’s baseline was “someone who’d reluctantly put up with it even if he called them for advice late at night.” 

“Hmm,” Mai murmured, taking her own phone out of her jacket pocket. There was a red cover on it with bunny ears. 

She showed him the screen. The time was 4:37. The next train was only a minute away. But as soon as Sakuta had finally learned what time it was, Mai’s phone started vibrating. An incoming call. 

He could make out the word Manager on her screen. 

She declined the call, though, and the vibration stopped. 

“You sure?” 

“The train’s coming…and I know what she has to say.” 

He thought he heard a note of irritation in that second part. 

The Fujisawa-bound train rolled slowly into the station… 

Sakuta and Mai stepped on together, then found empty seats next to each other. 

The doors closed, and the train lurched forward. The car was reasonably full. About 80 percent of the seats were occupied, while a few people remained standing. 

Two stations passed in silence. Leaving the ocean view behind, the train started rattling through the residential area. 

“So about yesterday.” 

“Forget about that. I warned you, right?” 

“Your bunny-girl outfit was far too sexy to ever forget.” 

The yawn he’d been trying to stifle managed to escape just then. 

“It had me so worked up, I couldn’t sleep a wink last night.” 

He stared at Mai reproachfully. 

“H-hey! You’re not imagining me doing anything weird, are you?” 

Sakuta had expected a look of scorn and possibly a stream of insults, but Mai was actually turning red and stammering. The glare she shot him was clearly an attempt to disguise her embarrassment. It was rather cute. 

But she soon recovered. 

“N-not that I’d be bothered at all by some young boy fantasizing about me,” she said, trying to put up a front. But her cheeks were still flushed. This was an obvious bluff. She might have come across as a mature adult, but there was definitely an inexperienced kid underneath. 

“Don’t sit so close.” 

She gave his shoulder a push, like trying to bat away something filthy. 

“Wooow. So harsh!” 

“You might get me pregnant.” 

“What should we name it?” 

“Really…?” Her gaze turned frosty. 

Maybe he’d gone a bit too far. 

“It wasn’t my outfit I was telling you to forget,” she said. 

“Then what was that?” If Mai was going to bring the subject up herself, Sakuta was going to press her on it. This was what he’d wanted to ask about in the first place. 

“Sakuta Azusagawa,” she began. 

“You remembered my name?” 

“I try to remember every name after I’ve heard it once.” 

An admirable goal. She might have been on hiatus at the moment, but being in the business had clearly cultivated some lifelong habits. 

“I’ve heard the rumors about you.” 

“Oh…those.” 

He knew what she meant. Same thing that had gotten him summoned to the roof today. 

“I suppose saw is more accurate than heard,” Mai said, pulling her phone out of her blazer pocket again. The browser was open to some forum or other. 

“You went to junior high in Yokohama.” 

“I did.” 

“And got in a fight that left three classmates hospitalized.” 

“Well, you know, I’m such a great martial artist.” 

“And that’s why you withdrew from the Yokohama high school you’d originally planned to attend and went with your second choice—Minegahara High. And moved here.” 

“……” 

“There’s more. Should I continue?” 

“……” 

“Well, like a certain someone just said, ‘If you wouldn’t want it done to you, don’t do it to anyone else.’” 

“I don’t mind you asking. I’m honored you’ve taken an interest.” 

“The Internet’s something else. All kinds of personal info, just out there in the open.” 

“True.” 

What else was there to say? 

“Of course, no guarantee what it says is accurate.” 

“What do you make of it?” 

“It’s obvious if you think about it. Someone who’d actually done that wouldn’t be attending high school like nothing happened.” 

“Wish my classmates had heard you say that.” 

“Why not just tell them it isn’t true?” 

“Rumors are like…the air in a room. The vibe or the mood or whatever you want to call it. These days, you’ve got to know how to read the room.” 

“That’s true.” 

“Anyone who can’t pick up on it well enough gets shunned. And the people who create those unspoken rules aren’t aware of it, so if you make a passionate argument for the truth, everyone’s just gonna be like, ‘The hell’s his problem?’” 

The battle wasn’t with the people themselves, which was why nothing Sakuta could say would get him anywhere. Anything he tried would backfire in the most unexpected way. 

“Fighting the air is pointless.” 

“So you just let the misunderstanding stand? Give up without a fight?” 

“This stuff is totally unsourced Internet gossip. I don’t see how I could ever be friends with anyone dumb enough to believe that crap without a second thought.” 

“You sound pretty mad.” 

Mai was smiling. It seemed like she agreed. 

“Your turn.” 

“……” 

She shot him a grumpy look. But now that she had heard his story, she gave in. 

“I first noticed when the holidays started.” 

In other words, four days ago. May 3. Constitution Memorial Day. 

“I went to the Enoshima Aquarium on a whim.” 

“Alone?” 

“Is that bad?” 

“Just wondering if you’ve got a boyfriend.” 

“I’ve never had a boyfriend,” Mai said, rolling her eyes. 

“Ohhh?” 

“You’d rather I wasn’t a virgin?” 

She gave him a sideways glance, like she was teasing him. 

“……” 

“……” 

They stared at each other in silence. 

Mai gradually turned red. Even her neck was red. She’d brought it up, but the word virgin was clearly far more embarrassing than she had thought. 

“Uh, I wouldn’t have held it against you,” he said, trying to smooth it over. 

“G-good. A-anyway! There I was, surrounded by families at the aquarium, when I suddenly realized nobody was looking at me.” 

She was sulking a bit, which made Mai look much younger. He’d always thought she seemed really mature, so this felt like a new side of her. But mentioning this seemed like it would derail the conversation again, so he kept it to himself. 

“At first, I thought I was imagining it. I haven’t worked in a couple of years; everyone was busy looking at the fish, et cetera.” 

Her tone was steadily growing grim. 

“But on the way home, I stopped in a café, and the truth became clear. The hostess didn’t greet me. Nobody showed me to a table.” 

“And it wasn’t a seat-yourself place?” 

“No. An old-style place. A row of seats at the counter and four little tables to one side.” 

“No chance you’ve been there before and done something that got you banned for life?” 

“Of course not!” One cheek twitched angrily, and she stomped on his foot. 

“Your foot, senpai.” 

“What about it?” 

Mai had an impressive poker face. Like she genuinely had no idea what he was referring to. Perhaps this was nothing for a professional actress. 

“I’m overjoyed you chose to step on mine with it.” 

He’d meant this as a joke, but Mai seemed genuinely repulsed. The boy sitting next to her had just disembarked, so she took the opportunity to put a space between the two of them. 

“I’m kidding.” 

“You were at least marginally serious. I could tell.” 

“Well, sure. What guy wouldn’t want to spend quality time with a beautiful senpai?” 

“Riiiight. I’m never getting through this story if you don’t shut up. Where was I?” 

“You’d just been banned from a café.” 

“That’s enough.” 

There was a glint in her eyes. She was clearly actually mad at him. 

As a way of indicating remorse, Sakuta mimed zipping his lips shut. 

“The café staff didn’t speak to me or respond,” Mai continued. Her mood had not improved. “Neither did any of the customers. I got so flustered I left and just started running.” 

“How far?” 

“All the way to Fujisawa Station. But when I got there, everything was normal. Everyone saw me. Surprised faces whispered, ‘It’s Mai Sakurajima!’ everywhere. So I figured I must have imagined what happened in Enoshima. But then I started wondering if the same thing would happen anywhere else. I began investigating.” 

“Hence the bunny-girl outfit?” 

“Dressed like that, everyone who can see me will naturally look. No way I can convince myself I’m just imagining it.” 

That was certainly true. Sakuta’s reaction alone was proof of concept. 

“So…this started happening in other places, too? At the very least, you ran into it again in Shonandai.” 

“Yeah. I was starting to hope there was no one left who could see me.” 

She shot Sakuta a reproachful glare, like this was his fault. 

“But school has been totally normal. For now.” 

Mai flicked an eyebrow at the door toward the back of the car. Some boys in some other school’s uniforms had their phones out, angling the screens at—well, obviously not Sakuta. 

“As weird as this all is, it sounds like you’re kind of enjoying it.” 

Sakuta figured he might as well ask directly. She definitely didn’t seem like someone grappling with a tragedy. 

“Because I am!” 

“You’re serious?” he asked. He didn’t see the upside. 

“I’ve spent my whole life at the center of attention. Always aware that people were watching. As a kid, I used to wish that I could visit a world where no one knew me.” 

She didn’t seem like she was making this up. Even if it was a performance, what he knew about her made it sound believable. She had been a famous actress her whole life. 

As they talked, Sakuta saw Mai’s attention drift to a movie poster hanging from the train’s ceiling. It was an ad for an adaption of a popular novel. The lead actress was a big name, one making a major push for stardom. She was roughly Mai’s age. 

Was Mai still following current events in the industry? Did she miss it? No, neither of those felt right. It was like she was staring at something far away, conflicted emotions swirling behind her eyes. 

Like she just couldn’t let go. 

“Hello?” 

“……” 

“Sakurajima?” 

“I hear you.” 

She blinked once and looked back at him. 

“I’m thrilled this is happening. Let me enjoy it.” 

“……” 

The train had stopped at Fujisawa Station. End of the line. The doors opened. Mai stood up first, and Sakuta scrambled after her. 

“Get it now? See how crazy I am?” 

“……” 

“Just leave me alone,” she snapped. Then she sped up her pace, passing through the gates. She pulled away from Sakuta like this was good-bye. 

Sakuta followed her from a distance for a while—to be fair, she was headed the way he had to go. They crossed the connecting passage to the JR station. 

Mai stopped in front of a coin locker in the corner and pulled a paper bag out of it. Then she started walking again, headed for the counter of a bakery stand. 

“One cream bun,” she said, addressing the woman at the counter. 

The woman must not have heard her. She didn’t respond. 

“One cream bun,” Mai said again. 

But the woman still didn’t react, like she couldn’t see Mai at all. She accepted a thousand-yen bill from a businessman who’d arrived after Mai. Like she couldn’t hear Mai’s voice. Next, she handed over some melon buns to a junior high school girl. 

“Can I get a cream bun?” Sakuta asked, stepping up next to Mai. 

“Coming right up!” the woman said. She passed a paper bag across the counter, and Sakuta passed back 130 yen. 

A few steps away from the stand, he handed Mai the bag with the cream bun inside. 

She was staring uncomfortably at her feet. 

“Seems like there’s a downside.” 

“Yes. It would never do to be deprived of this shop’s cream buns.” 

“I know, right?” 

“But…you believe my crazy story?” 

“I know a little something about stories like these.” 

“……” 

“Adolescence Syndrome.” 

Mai’s eyebrows twitched. 

He’d never specifically heard of any cases where people turned invisible, but… “I can read people’s minds!” or “I can see people’s futures!” or “We swapped bodies!” There were plenty of well-known stories about seemingly supernatural phenomena. Checking any relevant online forum would turn up a mountain of them. 

Responsible psychiatrists dismissed it as a suggestive state induced by emotional instability. Self-proclaimed experts talked about it like it was a new form of panic attack brought about by the rigors of modern society. Regular people just enjoying the crazy stories likely assumed it was some sort of mass hypnosis. 

Another popular theory was that it was a mental illness brought about by the stress of reality not living up to the afflicted person’s ideals. 

The one thing all these explanations had in common was that no one took the condition seriously. Most adults were sure it was all in children’s heads. 

Somewhere in the storm of casual opinions, people started using Adolescence Syndrome as a collective name for these bizarre phenomena—like the one happening to Mai right now. 

“Adolescence Syndrome is just an urban legend.” 

Mai was right. It was an urban legend. No one would normally believe such a thing. Everyone would react like Mai just had. Even if they witnessed something strange happen right in front of them, most would assume they’d imagined it. Even if it happened to them personally, regular people would struggle to accept it. The world they all lived in was a place where fantastical things like this simply couldn’t exist—that was common sense. 

But Sakuta had good reason to think otherwise. 

“I have something to show you. It should be a convincing reason for why I believe you.” 

“What are you going to show me?” Mai looked dubious. 

“Mind coming with me?” he asked. 

Mai thought about it. 

“…Fine,” she said, nodding, her voice barely above a whisper. 

4 

Sakuta led Mai to a certain spot in a residential area about a ten-minute walk from the station. 

“And this is?” she asked, staring up at a seven-story apartment complex. 

“My place.” 

“……” 

He felt a suspicious, scornful glare stabbing into his side. 

“I’m not gonna try anything.” 

Under his breath, he added, “Probably.” 

“What was that?” 

“If you decide to seduce me, I’m not sure I’ll be able to resist.” 

“……” 

Mai’s lips pursed. 

“Oh? Senpai, are you nervous?” 

“N-nervous? M-me?” 

“There was an audible squeak to your voice…” 

“I think nothing of entering the bedroom of some younger boy.” 

Mai hmphed loudly and walked into the lobby ahead of him. Sakuta followed, trying not to laugh. 

They took the elevator to the fifth floor. The third door on the right was Sakuta’s apartment. 

“I’m home!” he called, stepping inside. No answer. Kaede was normally waiting for him, but he was back at a weird time, so maybe she was sulking. Or just asleep? Maybe too absorbed in a book to notice her brother’s return… 

“Come on in,” he invited, realizing Mai was still standing in the entrance with her shoes on. 

Sakuta’s room was right by the front door. 

Mai put her schoolbag down and set the paper bag from the station locker next to it, then sat down on the bed, palms down on either side. Sakuta stole a peek inside the paper bag and saw the ears from the bunny-girl costume. She must have been planning to do her wild bunny-girl routine somewhere else. 

“Well, at least you keep it tidy,” she said, looking around the room. She didn’t sound particularly impressed. 

“I just don’t own anything.” 

“I can tell.” 

The bed, his desk, and a chair—there was nothing else here. 

“Senpai,” he began. 

“Stop,” she said, interrupting him. 

“What?” 

“Could you not call me senpai? It doesn’t feel right.” 

“Sakurajima?” 

“That’s too long to use all the time.” 

“I could shorten it to Jima? Urp!” 

Mai had grabbed his necktie, pulling hard. 

“No weird nicknames.” 

“I thought it would make us closer!” 

“I hate people who don’t know their manners,” she growled. There was a real tension here, one that did not allow jokes. Were these strict principles also the result of her acting background? 

“In that case…Mai?” 

“You don’t seem like an Azusagawa, so I’ll just call you Sakuta.” 

He wondered what her mental image of an Azusagawa looked like. 

“So? What is it you want to show me?” 

“First…if you could let go?” 

Mai finally released him. Sakuta straightened up, loosened his tie, and undid the buttons on his shirt. Moving smoothly, he also peeled off the T-shirt underneath it, leaving him naked from the waist up. 

“Wh-why are you undressing?!” Mai yelped. Uncomfortably averting her gaze. “Y-you said you wouldn’t try anything! Gross! Pervert! Flasher!” 

After this stream of insults, she turned her eyes on him again with great trepidation. 

“Ah—” 

And then she let out a yelp of genuine surprise. 

Three macabre scars carved into Sakuta’s chest. It was as though he’d been raked by the claws of a giant monster. They ran from his right shoulder all the way to his left hip. 

The scars were raised, like unusually large welts. One glance was all it took to know something was wrong. You could get attacked by a bear and get off with less. If he’d been hit by an excavator’s shovel, that might explain it. Sadly, Sakuta had never fought an excavator. 

“Were you attacked by mutants?” 

“I had no idea you were an American comics fan.” 

“I’ve only seen the movies.” 

“……” 

“……” 

Mai was staring fixedly at his scars. 

“Those are real?” she inquired at last. 

“Do you think I’d be dumb enough to do this with makeup?” 

“Can I touch them?” 

“Go ahead.” 

Mai stood up and reached out, pressing her fingertips lightly against the scars at his shoulder. 

“Oh!” 

“Don’t make weird noises!” 

“They’re a little sensitive. Be gentle?” 

“Like this?” 

She lightly brushed her fingers along the scars. 

“That feels really good.” 

Without her expression changing at all, she pinched his side, hard. 

“Ow! Ow! Let go!” 

“You really seem to be enjoying this.” 

“It actually hurts!” 

Mai let go, presumably deciding this was a battle she could not win. 

“So? How’d you get these scars?” 

“I’m not really sure.” 

“Huh? What do you mean? You wanted to show me these, right?” 

“Actually, no. These don’t really matter. Forget you saw them.” 

“How can I? If they don’t matter, why take your shirt off?!” 

“I always change the moment I get home, so…habit?” 

Sakuta unlocked his desk drawer, took a photo out, and handed it to Mai. 

“This is what I wanted to show you.” 

“……?!” 

The moment she saw the picture, Mai’s eyes went wide with shock. Then she looked up at Sakuta, grimly demanding an explanation. “What is this?” 

The photo depicted a girl in her first year of junior high. Her summer uniform left her arms and legs exposed, making it plain to see that they were covered in purple bruises and painful-looking cuts. 

“My sister, Kaede.” 

The uniform hid her back and stomach, but Sakuta knew those were blanketed in the same injuries. 

“…Was she attacked?” 

“No. Just bullied online.” 

“…I’m confused.” 

That was only natural. Almost everyone introduced to the incident reacted the same way. 

“She left a text message unread or something, and one of the class leaders got mad at her. The social media the whole class was using filled up with abuse. ‘You suck,’ ‘You’re so creepy,’ ‘Drop dead,’ ‘You’re so obnoxious,’ ‘Don’t bother coming to school.’” 

As he spoke, Sakuta undid his belt. 

“And then one day, that happened to her body.” 

“Really?” 

“At first, even I assumed someone did it to her. But by then, she’d already stopped going to school. If she hadn’t left the house, how could anyone attack her? That’s why I thought the stress had gotten so bad, she’d done it to herself.” 

He took off his pants, hanging them over the back of the chair so they wouldn’t get wrinkled. 

“It’s true that some victims come to think the bullying is their fault,” Mai said. For some reason, she was staring very intently at a corner of the room. 

“So I skipped school, staying with her the whole time. I needed to know the truth.” 

“Before we get to that…” 

“What?” 

“Why are you still undressing?” 

Sakuta glanced at himself in the mirror. He was only wearing boxers. No, wait, he also had socks on. 

“Like I said, I always change as soon as I get home.” 

“Then put some clothes on!” 

He opened his closet to do just that. As he did, he kept talking. “Where was I?” 

“You skipped school to stay with her. What happened?” 

“The moment she opened the app on her phone, a new wound sprouted up. Her thigh just…split open. Blood came out…and every post she saw caused more injuries or bruises.” 

Almost as if the pain in her heart was carving itself into her flesh. 

“……” 

Mai seemed unsure how to respond to this. 

“Anyway, that’s why I believe Adolescence Syndrome exists.” 

“…It’s not an easy story to believe, but I can’t see why you’d make it up. Or fake this photo.” 

Mai handed the picture back. Sakuta returned it to his desk drawer and locked it. 

“Was that also when you got the cuts on your chest?” 

He nodded. 

“Those clearly aren’t from anything human.” 

“Still, I have no idea how I got them. I just woke up covered in blood and was rushed to the hospital. Seriously thought I was gonna die.” 

“Is that the truth behind the so-called hospitalization incident?” 

“Yeah. I’m the one who was hospitalized.” 

“That’s the complete opposite! You really can’t trust rumors.” 

Mai sighed and sat back down. 

As she did, the door opened, and a calico cat slipped in, meowing. 

Behind it… 

“Oh, you’re home?” 

A face in panda pajamas popped out from behind the door. 

“Er…,” she said, flummoxed. 

Sakuta was standing there in his boxers. An older girl was sitting alone on his bed. 

“……” 

“……” 

“……” 

None of them spoke. Three sets of eyes swiveled. Only the cat, Nasuno, was happily rubbing against Sakuta’s legs. 

Kaede was the first to break the spell. 

“S-sorry!” she yelped, fleeing into the hall. But then she peeped back through the crack of the door, her eyes bouncing back and forth between the two of them several times. Finally, she beckoned to her brother. 

“What?” he asked, picking Nasuno up and moving closer. When he reached the doorway, Kaede stretched to put both hands around her mouth and whispered in his ear. 

“If you’re going to hire a professional, warn me ahead of time!” 

“That’s one hell of an assumption, Kaede.” 

“I don’t see what can explain this besides a burning need to indulge your uniform fetish!” 

“Where did you even pick up these things?” 

“I read a novel last month about a lady in that line of work! She’s a wonderful person who leads sad men to heaven!” 

“Well, everyone sees things differently, but I think most people would assume I brought a girlfriend home.” 

This seemed like a much more natural conclusion to Sakuta. 

“I don’t even want to consider that nightmare scenario.” 

“Nightmare, is it?” 

“The ultimate nightmare. Like the destruction of the earth itself.” 

“Well, I consider the end of the world a fair price to pay for a girlfriend.” 

“Are you done yet?” Mai called. 

He turned back to the room. Kaede pressed herself up against his back, hands on his right shoulder, hiding herself behind him while peering suspiciously at Mai. Kaede was fairly tall, though, so she wasn’t all that well hidden. Mai could probably spot quite a bit of her. 

“This lady didn’t make you buy a vase, did she?” 

“No.” 

“Did you promise to go check out a painting?” 

“Nope.” 

“English conversation textbooks…?” 

“She isn’t trying to sell anything. Don’t worry. This isn’t some dating scam. She’s a year ahead of me at school.” 

“I’m Mai Sakurajima. Nice to meet you.” 

When Mai spoke to her, Kaede hid herself in Sakuta’s shadow like a small animal fleeing a carnivore. Her lips were close enough to his back that he could feel her breath as she spoke, even if the voice was too small to make out the words properly. 

“Uh,” she said, “nice to meet you. I’m Kaede Azusagawa.’” 

“Ah.” 

“And the cat here is Nasuno.” 

He held the cat up so Mai could see. Nasuno meowed again, stretching herself. 

“Thanks for telling me that,” Mai said. 

Kaede poked her face out for a second, but then she snatched Nasuno from Sakuta’s arms and dashed out of the room. The door slammed behind her. 

She talked a lot when it was just her and Sakuta, but if anyone else was around, Kaede always acted like this. When Yuuma had come over, the two of them had only managed to converse when Sakuta stood between them. 

“Sorry, she’s painfully shy.” 

“Don’t worry; I’m not upset about it. Tell her that for me later, would you? And I’m glad her injuries have healed up.” 

Strangely enough, none of her injures had left any scars. Sakuta was really happy about that. She was a girl, after all. At the same time, it made him wonder why his own scars had persisted. It remained a mystery, but…not one to think about now. He focused on Mai. 

Mai had put her hands behind her and was leaning back, crossing her legs. 

“I’m surprised she doesn’t know who I am.” 

“Well…she doesn’t watch much TV.” 

“Hmm.” 

He wasn’t sure if Mai had found that explanation convincing. 

“Back on topic… Mai, when you left, you said something about wanting to visit a world where no one knew you. How serious are you?” 

“One hundred percent serious.” 

“Really?” 

“…Sometimes. Other times, I worry I’ll never get cream buns again.” 

Mai took the cream bun out of her bag and took a bite. 

“I’m asking because it’s important.” 

“……” 

Mai kept chewing. 

He waited a good ten seconds before she swallowed. 

“I meant what I said,” she explained. “How I feel changes moment to moment.” 

“Yeah, but…” 

“Then let me ask. Why do you want to know?” 

Sakuta’s eyes turned toward the door. He was checking for Kaede, even though she was long since gone. 

“In Kaede’s case, distancing her from online stuff seems to have resolved the issue.” 

She no longer checked social media. No longer read forum posts. No longer joined in class group chats. They’d canceled the contract on Kaede’s phone, and Sakuta had thrown it in the ocean. They didn’t even have a computer in the house. 

“Seems to?” 

“The doctor who examined her said, ‘You think your stomach will hurt, so it does’ and that something along those lines was probably happening. That said, there was no convincing the doctor that the physical injuries weren’t self-inflicted.” 

Ultimately, he had taken the doctor’s assessment with a grain of salt. But parts of it seemed eerily accurate. Having her friends turn on her had obviously been rough for Kaede. With her heart in tatters, the pain she felt began presenting itself on her body as actual injuries. Watching it happen from up close, that seemed like the only possible explanation to Sakuta. The idea that the state of the mind influenced the condition of the body also just seemed to make sense to him. If someone was dreading something, their body wouldn’t stay in tip-top shape. Just the sight of a hated food is enough to elicit nausea. People who hate swim class might find themselves running a fever when pool time was approaching. Pretty much everyone experienced something along those lines. 

All things being equal, even if the specifics and scale were totally different, Sakuta thought the doctor’s general theory was right on the money. 

“So?” 

“I believe Kaede’s injuries were caused by the strength of her feelings.” 

“That much I get. But you think this applies to me, too?” 

“I mean, look how you are at school. You act like you’re part of the air.” 

“……” 

Mai’s expression didn’t change. She seemed mildly interested in what he had to say, but her eyes were mostly saying “So?” and silently urging him to continue. This struck him as a feat that would have been beyond anyone but her. 

“Uh, like I was saying,” he said, breaking eye contact. “I think the best way to avoid making things worse would be for you to go back to work.” 

He deliberately kept his tone light. There was no reason to grapple with her directly. He’d never win on her turf. 

“What is that supposed to mean?” 

“If you’re all over our TV screens, no matter how good you are at pretending you’re not there, the people around you won’t leave you alone. It’ll be like before you started this hiatus.” 

“Hmph.” 

“Besides, Mai…you’ve got goals of your own,” he said, keeping a close eye on her reaction. 

“……” 

Her eyebrows definitely twitched. Ever so slightly. If he hadn’t been watching for it, Sakuta might not have noticed. 

“What goals?” Her voice betrayed no emotions. 

“You want to go back to work.” 

“When did I say that?” she asked, sighing dramatically. Sakuta thought this was another performance. 

“If you’re not interested, then why were you staring enviously at that movie poster on the train?” 

He immediately pressed the attack. 

“I liked the novel it’s based on! I’m just curious how it turned out.” 

“You sure you didn’t want to play the heroine yourself?” 

“You’re really pushing it, Sakuta.” 

She smiled confidently. Her mask wasn’t coming off this easily. 

Sakuta wasn’t giving up, either. 

“I think you should do what you want, Mai. You’ve got the skills and the résumé. Plus a manager who wants you back at work! What’s the problem?” 

“…To hell with her.” 

Mai didn’t raise her voice. But the emotions underpinning her words were volcanic. Her brows had snapped shut, and she was glaring at him. 

“Mind your own business.” 

He’d clearly stepped on a land mine. 

“……” 

Mai silently rose to her feet. 

“Toilet’s down the hall on the right.” 

“I’m leaving!” she snapped. She grabbed her schoolbag and flung the door open. 

“Eep!” 

Kaede was right outside, holding a tray with some tea. She’d also changed from her pajamas into a white blouse and a skirt with suspenders. 

“Er, uh…I made tea,” Kaede stammered, clearly bowled over by Mai’s ferocious expression. 

“Thanks,” Mai said, flashing her a smile. She grabbed a cup and downed it in a single gulp. “That was lovely.” 

She placed the cup politely back on the tray and headed for the front door. 

“Uh, wait, Mai!” Sakuta called, scrambling to follow. 

“What?” she spat, putting her shoes on. 

“You forgot this!” he said, holding out the bag with the bunny-girl outfit. 

“Keep it!” 

“Then at least let me walk you—” 

“No.” She cut him off, clearly irritated. “I live close by.” 

And with that, she was gone. 

Sakuta was about to follow, but… 

“Don’t! You’ll get arrested!” Kaede yelped. 

She pointed at his clothes, or lack thereof, and he was forced to abandon the idea. 

The two of them stood awkwardly in the hall. 

“……” 

“……” 

After a few seconds of silence, they both looked down at the bag. 

And the bunny-girl outfit inside it. 

“What’s that for?” Kaede asked. 

“Well, for now…” 

He took out the ears, and since Kaede was still holding a tray and unable to resist, he stuck them on her head. 

“I-I’m not wearing it!” 

She scurried back into the living room, careful not to spill anything. 

It would never do to force her, so he abandoned the idea for the moment. He put the outfit away in his closet, certain the day would come when he could enjoy it again. 

“That’s fine.” 

Things with Mai were not so fine. He’d really pissed her off. 

“Guess I’ll have to apologize tomorrow…”