Are You Trying to Be The Main Heroine of a Shōjo Manga?

[The Following Day - Friday]


Class 2A had settled into their seats and their tutor broke the silence usually used for self-reflection and organizing notes.

“Today, we greet a new student. I know it’s later in the year than usual but needs must. Please be kind and help her along.” Gesturing to the person peeking through the glass at the top of the door, the teacher stepped away from the small podium just as the barrier slid open. “Please come in and introduce yourself.”

The girl entered the classroom with a strut regardless of knowing she looked different from the rest even without the uniform. “Good morning. My name is Hanabusa Reika. My father works across the country, meaning I have to move a lot but in the time I’m here, I hope we can be amicable.”

Scowling, the girl seated closest to the door inspected the newcomer and hissed. “Amicable? Who does she think she is?”

“She’s tubby for her age.”

“Hana-buta,” the first girl scoffed and her friend sniggered at the play-on-words.

The teacher heard the snide remarks - everyone heard them - but chose to ignore the petty name-calling. “Hanabut-busa, you’re at the back, by the window.”

As if the bullshit wasn’t enough with the transfer alone, she was placed between two members of Inarizaki royalty. Clenching her jaw, Hanabusa made for where she was directed. “Excuse me for disturbing you,” she murmured under her breath as she sat down on the last seat on the column by the windows.

Inching away from his desk, the boy with a grey undercut whispered to the newcomer without turning around. When she ignored him, he slid a note along the window sill.

‘Join our club.’

She pushed back the note as her dominant hand began to write the header from the board in her notebook.

‘No.’

Leaning back in his seat until it was almost on its two back legs, the boy ahead of her spoke just loud enough for her to hear. “Because you fainted?”

“Honestly, all of you are so sure of yourselves. Sorry to say, but me passing out has nothing to do with your great club.”

“Really?”

“Not everyone is dazzled by you.”

“You’re one in a million here.”

“I prefer to use my brain for other th-”

“-Hanabusa Chan, are you passing notes on your first day?”

“Yes, Sensei,” halting the hissy-whispering conversation she was having with the #11, the newcomer faced forward and looked the teacher dead in the eye. “I’m trying to deal with the harassment from the volleyball team.”

Every single person in the room snapped their attention to the girl as if she’d just kicked a kitten. Rather than rebuking and calling her out on what was the rules, the teacher merely rolled his eyes and berated her choice.

“Tch, do you think you’re better than us?”

Not expecting that kind of scolding, Hanabusa stood up. Palms on her desk, she spoke as if reading a passage from a textbook she was yet to receive. “I don’t think I’m better nor worse than anyone here but you, Sensei.” Using her desk for support, her skin prickled and her insides trembled. Eyes burning holes into her, her throat tightened up but she refused to be picked on for such trivial reasons. “No real teacher would try to drag a student unless they’re lacking themselves.”

Flustered, the teacher barked, “that’s a detention for you, Hanabusa.”

“Sensei, she already signed our club membership,” the boy ahead of the newcomer spoke up.

“Is that right, Osamu? When did she?”

More surprised than the apparent authoritarian, Hanabusa croaked, “yes, when did I?”

“Rei Chan exchanged her troubles for working as our manager.” Osamu wafted a sheet of paper madly before shooting a glance to his teammate diagonally back and to his right. “Right, Rin?”

The addressed - Suna Rintarō - mumbled as he pored over a thick textbook with a deep scowl. “Don’t involve me; I need to catch up on this anthology.”

As she was sitting down, Hanabusa caught sight of the sheet of paper Osamu had been brandishing. The fucking thing was blank bar a very dodgy scribble. From what she could make out before he slipped it inside his notebook, it appeared to be a deformed cartoon of an onigiri with limbs and a face. Creepy.

The glares from earlier had solidified from agitation to pure abhorrence. Great, just what she needed.

 

Finishing the majority of the morning classes, 2A filtered out of the classroom in order to attend gym. The boy who had spoke up on Hanabusa’s behalf shifted her bag onto his shoulder as natural as brushing his teeth. “The next game is a practice against a casual team so we can take it easy”, he informed Suna, who was practically asleep with his eyes open when Kita had informed them of the next match earlier that morning.

“Can I have my bag back, please?”

“But Kita San still wants us there.”

Suna glanced from the girl clenching her fists and to his teammate, “Osamu...”

“What are your plans for this weekend?"

“Asshole, give me my bag.”

Turning around and looking down to the newcomer, the vulgarly addressed smiled. “What do you think?”

“I think the Captain and twins of the volleyball club are-”

“-Yes?”

“Ignorant cunts.” Taking her bag back from him with so much force that he lurched forward a step, Hanabusa staggered in the opposite direction.

Off kilter from the shift in weight, she fell into the desk behind. Both she and the table clattered to the ground. Horrified, Osamu and Suna rushed to her aid. Flopping like a fish out of water, she smacked their hands away with a gruff mumble. A few seconds passed but she showed no sign of getting up.

“Should I call for someone?”

Head down, Hanabusa chewed the inside of her lip. Sight down, she clung to the worktops either side of her head. “I don’t have anyone to call. I just need a minute.”

“You can’t stay like that all day.”

“Let us help you.”

“I don’t want help.” Muscles tensing as much as her body would allow, which just happened to be so feeble that they may as well not have worked at all, she bore holes into the linoleum with a venomous glower. “I don’t want any of this.”

Sharing a glance, Osamu and Suna hooked their arms under hers, already expecting another wave of beating. “We’re gonna lift you up now, ‘kay?” Doing just that, they helped her to unsteady feet and quickly eased her down into the closest seat.

Covering her face with her arms, she felt her entire nervous system frazzle. “Leave me be. You’ve done enough.”

One hand on his hip, the other scratching the back of his head, Osamu inspected the girl for any external injuries. “There’s no way I’d leave anyone who looks as upset as you do.”

“I’m only upset because of your pity.”

“I don’t think of it as pity. You’re our manager, aren’tcha?”

“Are you all idiots, or do you just want somebody to do your paperwork that desperately?”

“Can’t it be both?”

Finally looking up only to give serious stink-eye, Hanabusa’s flushed face scrunched up. “You’re really not going to give up, are you?”

The Wing-Spiker grinned as though he’d just won a wary battle. Suna gave a bland version as he held up a lax peace-sign. “You don’t have anything else to do, right?”

“Rude. I could be extremely busy.”

“Are you?”

“That’s not the point.”

“We have gym next. Let’s walk down together.”

“I have a medical exemption, so I’ll be going to the library.”

“What’s the actual issue-”

“Osamu…Don’t just ask people things like that.”

“I’m not going to talk about it with a stranger.”

“Fair enough. You can though, y’know?”

“Thanks, but I think I’ll speak to someone qualified if I need to talk about my issues.”

“Whatever you say. Still, the library’s on the way so we’ll walk you and pick you up after we’re done with gym.”

“I’m not an invalid, and I certainly don’t need a babysitter.”

“Don’t be fussy; we’re classmates and you’re now our one and only manager. The least we can do is make sure you don’t get lost again.”

“Again?”

“Kita San told us you were in a tizz yesterday because you couldn’t find where you were looking for and ended up lost.”

“I’m really gonna punch that little cretin in the throat if he keeps talking shit behind my back.”

“Uwah, don’t mess with Kita San; he’s scarier than he looks, y’know?”

“Then you better hurry the hell up before he finds out your late to play sports.”

Holding out his elbow, Osamu returned both hers and his own bag to his shoulder. “Let’s go then.”

Pulling a face, Hanabusa pushed herself up and held her hand out for her belongings. “I just told you I’m not an invalid; I can walk and carry my shit all by myself, thanks.”

“I’m trying to help.”

“Then treat me like a normal person.”

“A normal girl doesn’t have that much physical strength. Like, really, what the hell kinda ‘roids you on to almost yank me over when you’re clearly unwell?”

Hanabusa glanced up as they passed through the doorway to give a glare to the grey haired boy to her left but halted herself from getting pulled into the idiocy. At her left, Suna took out a handful of slim fruit-jelly sticks. Holding them out, he offered the girl one.

“Don’t mind him; he and Tsumu share a single brain cell.”

Shaking her hand at the offering, Hanabusa declined under the reason that she disliked sweet things before nodding at Suna’s remark. “I don’t know any of you yet, but it seems like a team full of…interesting characters.”

“Just wait until you actually sit through a full practice.” Slowing when he noticed the sign for the library, Suna pointed to the double-doors. “This is you. Don’t forget to register for a library card while you’re here.”

“O-oh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me.” Eyes sliding past the pair, Hanabusa pointed to the window. “You really better hurry up, look.” Looking to the direction, both boys saw the rest of their class filing out onto the field. “You’re not even changed yet. You’re going to get into trou-”

Before she could finish her sentence, the pair a few feet in front of her pulled their pants down. Shrill exclamation stuck in the back of her throat, Hanabusa blinked thrice before she realized that they were already wearing their shorts underneath their uniform. Sweat sucking back up into her pores, the new student felt her skin tighten. “Just how much do you guys like sports?”

Hopping from one foot to the other, the male pair kicked off their pants and began unbuttoning their shirts. “Damn, it’s cold. I hate winter.” Mid-way through undressing, a teacher turned the corner. In varying states of undress, the pair glanced from the teacher, to the girl, and then to each other. “It’s not what it looks like.”

“Really, because it looks like you’re stripping in front of the new girl.”

“Okay, maybe it’s a little bit what it looks like…”

Glancing to Suna, Osamu scooped up his belongings. “Run!”

“W-Oi! Don’t run away from me; I know who you are, you pair of morons.”

Already dashing around the corner of the long hallway, Suna waddling as he only had one shoe on and Osamu with his shirt fluttering behind him as it was attached via a single sleeve, the pair were gone in a blink. The teacher turned to look at Hanabusa, who in turn gave a shrug and an expression which said she had no clue what had just happened.

“They didn’t do anything to you, did they?”

“They were still able to use their legs, weren’t they?” Pushing open one of the library doors, she lowered her voice as not to be attacked by the librarian perched at the reception area right beside the barrier. “They were just running late due to helping me after I had a bit of a turn in class. It wasn’t their fault.”

“Don’t go getting into the habit of making excuses just because they’re popular or attractive.”

“Believe me, I’ll be the last person to do that.”

Just as Hanabusa was about to step into the deadly silent space, the teacher halted her. “Why are you not taking part in gym class.”

“Medical issues.”

“Do you have a pass?”

Sucking in a breath, she took the slip of paper from the outer portion of her bag and handed it over. Watching the older woman read over the note with the same scrutinizing eyes she was used to when it came to this specific thing, the transfer tried her best not to huff. It was the same no matter where she went; she’d been dealing with her condition for just over three years and without fail, people were always ready to discredit her. It’s not like she enjoyed sitting in a stuffy library when everyone else was out playing with their friends. Who the hell wanted to be looked at like they were a malingerer.

Giving the pass back to the girl, the teacher looked down her nose despite barely reaching the silver haired girl’s shoulder. “Don’t take advantage of the privilege that note gives you.”

“I won’t be here long enough to.”

“Excuse me?”

Back-stepping, Hanabusa looked over her shoulder. “I said, I won’t be here long enough to.”

Not expecting a reply after giving her best tone of authority, the short teacher huffed and continued on her way.

Venturing into the space filled with bookcase upon bookcase stacked to the brim - as one would expect from a library, Hanabusa stood at the check-out area without a word until the young girl behind the desk noticed her. Finishing adding sticky notes to a trolley of books behind her, the girl wearing the school uniform turned around with a bright smile.

“Hello, what can I help you with?”

Hanabusa felt her heart squeeze at the bright welcome. For the first time since stepping foot on the school’s grounds, she felt genuinely alleviated. “I’m new and need a library card. Also, I’ll be spending gym period in here.”

“I can help you with both,” typing away at the keyboard below the desktop, the petite girl with caramel twin-tails reached under the worktop to retrieve a print-out. “If you have your school ID with you and you fill out this form, I can do it for you now.”

Expelling a heavy breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding, Hanabusa was glad to come across someone normal. Placing her ID on the counter which rounded the girl around her age, she set out to immediately fill out what had been given to her with serious glowering intent.

“Eh~ You’re the new Senpai that everyone’s talking about.”

Almost writing her name wrong due to the remark, Hanabusa glanced up. “This is literally the second day I’ve been on campus; what can people possibly have to talk about?”

“Ouh, I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“I’m not offended, just confused.”

“Inarizaki isn’t an easy school to get into unless it’s down to some kind of scholarship or a lot of hard work, but I heard you change schools a lot.”

‘Jesus Christ, how fast does news travel at this place?’ Continuing her writing, the transfer hummed. “I have decent grades and my father is an alumnus. Plus, I won’t be here too long, so it’s more of a temporary thing.”

“That’s a shame. I heard you really stuck it to that creeper, Yamato Sensei during form class.”

“E-eh?”

“The man is a real weirdo, always has been.” Flapping her hand, the girl behind the desk chuckled. “He’s been caught watching the girl’s gym classes from the windows loads of times. Like, the glass was actually steaming up.”

Hanabusa never put much stock in gossip, and she certainly didn’t enjoy taking part in it, but the way the girl told the tale held no malice whatsoever.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself.” Struggling to get up off her seat, the small girl bowed. “I’m Sasaki Kirie, first year.”

Noticing the crutch propped against the inside of the desk and the unstable teeter she was way more than familiar with, Hanabusa nodded upwards. “What’s your damage?”

“O-oh, this…” her eyes dropped with her shoulders and her hands went directly to cover her right leg despite wearing jogging bottoms beneath her uniform skirt. “I had hot cooking oil spilt on my leg a couple of weeks ago during Home Ec.”

“Holy shit, I hope it’s not too serious.”

“It’s likely to leave a scar, so it looks like it’s tights for me all year round after I get the bandages off.” Despite her heavy words, there was a small smile on her lips.

Hanabusa knew that look. She didn’t know the girl, but she felt an irrationally strong desire to wipe that gloom right off her face. “Who gives a shit about a scar or two? I have a ton, look.” Pulling up the hem of her shirt despite hating her body more than anything, Hanabusa pointed to her left side. The entirety of her left torso from under her bra to past the waistline of her tights was marbled by thick, textured scarring. “I was in a car accident when I was thirteen. I got burnt pretty badly, and I have stretch marks everywhere, and I’m always cutting and burning myself by accident. I’m pretty sure more of my skin is scarred than not at this point.”

Sniffling, Sasaki held balled up fists to her eyes. “My family was really horrible about it. They said I’d have to have surgery because it’s ugly.”

‘Gods, some people are just shitty from start to finish…’ Readjusting her shirt, Hanabusa shook her head with bared teeth. “Everyone loses their looks over time, but there are a lot of people who are ugly inside from the very beginning.” Finishing stamping her family seal on the bottom of the form, she handed it over with a packet of tissues from the front compartment of her bag. “Don’t let people who judge you on your outward appearance alone dictate to you when you clearly have a lot more to offer besides your looks.”

“Ha-hck-Hanabusa San…”

“Stop snivelling now, come on. It’s unsightly, and you should have enough pride to pull yourself together.”

“You’re the first person who’s been kind to me since I started here.”

“I hardly find that surprising: this place is full of weirdos, conceited pricks, and bullies.”

A small chuckle escaped swollen lips as Sasaki tried to return the packet of tissues. “You really call ‘em as you see ‘em, don’t you?” Her Kansai accent slipped out thicker than intended and the older girl couldn’t help but to grin at how cute it sounded coming from the upset girl.

“I don’t see the point in putting on airs or acting out of character for someone elses’ sake. I’ve been to too many places and seen the same shit over and over, and over again. People are generally fuck-tards no matter where you go. It’s a fact that can’t be helped, so why bother wasting your time with them when you can do what you enjoy and prepare for your own future?”

“What do you enjoy, Hanabusa San?”

Hanabusa trawled through her memories. She had enjoyed lots of things when she was younger but her ailing health and weight gain had prevented her from taking any of them further than middle school. Regardless of how she looked now, she used to be very active as a child. And fearless - she would go swimming in rivers, pick up strange bugs, and climb trees so high you could see entire towns. Honestly, she wished she could go back to being like that but now, she could barely force herself to stomach a petty argument without her body going into blue-screen mode.

“I guess the only thing that’s stuck is Shogi.” Putting her personal effects back into her bag as her library card was laminated, the taller girl looked up at the halogen strip lights. “I’m too unfit to do anything else any more.”

“W-w-what?” Pointing a shaking finger at the older girl’s torso, Sasaki spluttered. “Hanabusa San, I saw abs when you lifted up your shirt!”

“I draw them on every morning when I brush my teeth.”

“I really can’t tell if you’re being serious when you say it with an expression like that.”

“It’s just remnants I’m trying to cling to. Not really abs, but I do have strong hips and legs!” She held up a victorious bicept in a hero-pose.

“It may be weird to ask, but…can we be friends?”

“Why’s it weird?”

“You’re a year above me.”

“So what? I just got here, too.” Shrugging off her bag and blazer from her previous school and placing them on an empty space by a stack of books on the worktop, Hanabusa cracked her neck and finger joints out of habit. “I never really liked the stuffy hierarchy BS anyway.”

“So, I can address you as Hanabusa Senpai?”

“Just call me Rei; it makes me uncomfortable when people I know try to use honorifics.”

“I can’t do that!”

“Says who?”

“I really just can’t.” Fiddling with her fingers, the makeshift receptionist spoke sheepishly. “Reika Senpai?”

“Uh, if that’s what your most comfortable with, it’s fine by me.”

“You’re really a lot more laid-back than I expected.”

“I’m a prime example of why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover - or its rumours.” Poofing out a burst of air through puckered lips, dimples on the outside became prominent. “Huuu~ I’m so punny.”

“Can I ask you something else?” Hanabusa nodded without missing a beat as she slot her new card into one of the designated slots in her wallet. “I saw Miya San and Suna San walk you to the door…Are you really the new manager for the volleyball team? ”

“Apparently so.”

“What does that even mean?”

“It’s a long story; I’ll tell you over lunch if you don’t have somewhere else to be.”

“Y-you want to have lunch with me?”

“Shall I say it’s a date?”

“Please don’t tease me like that.”

“I’m not going to eat you. You can ask me whatever you like.” Unfurling a roll of paperwork with copies of her transcript, classes, and campus map, the silver haired girl scoured over the information with her notebook open. “I’d rather people do that than just make up their own stories in their head.”

“Actually, before you think I started speaking to you for just this reason, I want to tell you something.”

“Hm?”

“Ohmuhgaaaahh, it’s too embarrassing to say out loud.”

“Are you going to tell me, or no?”

“I have a crush on one of the members.”

“As most people do - I’ve began to gather.”

“No, it’s not like that. I went to the same middle school as him.”

“Let me guess: he saved you from a bully?”

“No, but yes… no, that wasn’t the reason.”

“Girl, make your mind up; I’m getting dizzy.”

“He was the class mood-maker.” Staring off like the heroine of a Shōjo manga, Sasaki was on the verge of doing the shy finger-prod cliche. “It wasn’t really a surprise because he did the same for everyone, but he always got me a card on my birthday and got angry when people picked on me. I thought I could get over it, but he greeted me by name when he passed me after the welcoming ceremony.” Covering her face with both hands, Sasaki squirmed in her seat, her voice pushing out several keys higher. “I wanted to fix it, but I really do still like him. Whhhuuuu-kyaaahh~”

“I don’t even know what that noise was. Honestly, I can say I’ve never heard a person make that sound, but if you truly feel that way, shouldn’t you just tell him?”

“W-w-w-what?! No! I can’t do that!”

“Why not?”

“You really have no idea how this place works, do you?”

“Humans are the same, no matter the place.” Leaning both of her elbows on the desk separating them, Hanabusa rested her chin atop her left palm. “If you tell a boy you like them in earnest, they will lose their shit - it really doesn’t matter who it is. Even if their friends make jokes about it in the beginning, when they’re on their own, they will fly into full-blown retard mode.”

“You seem to know a lot-”

Shielding her eyes in a dramatic weeb pose, Hanabusa threw her hand out, a long index nail a few inches from Sasaki’s face, “however!”

“However?”

“They’re all idiots to begin with so we’re the ones who have to be brave and drop hints like it’s Hiroshima all over again.”

“I think that’s gonna offend a lot of people if you use that analogy anywhere else.”

Clearly ignoring the warning, the transfer pulled over a chair from one of the many table set-ups. Plonking herself down on the hard wooden seat, Hanabusa rested her forearms on the worktop, her head bobbing in lethargy. “No matter what, men are dense when it comes to small signs - you have to be blunt, even if you think you’re gonna come across the idiot or too forward.”

“I know I said we should be friends, but it feels like you just expelled a weight of pain into the air.” Brow raised as she tilted her head to the female now at a lower eye-line, Sasaki made a concerned sound. “Are you okay, Senpai?”

“I need to learn how to volleyball, but I’m so dead inside and out that I can barely make my lungs function.”

“Do you want a warm drink? We have tea, coffee, and hot-chocolate. Not like you can drink them as you read though…”

“Stop being so kind, Kirie Chan. Or so I’d usually say to those putting on the act.” Flinging her arms into the air in a last-ditch attempt to motivate herself, the new girl sounded as if she was about to transform under a full moon. Collecting herself after the temporary loss of composure the younger girl seemed to think the older girl had any kind of grip on, Hanabusa rolled out of her chair with wildly blinking eyes and a yawn. “Can you tell me where the sports section is?”

“It’s the back two rows.”
 

Updated: 14th December 2020 - 14:14