TSUMUGI
I had fun today!
Around ten minutes after eating my fill of crepes alongside Kiharu and Tsumugi and parting ways, I beamed loudly at my cell screen, specifically the text Tsumugi had sent to our group chat.
KIHARU
Shiina, let's go for the entire menu next time. Whoever barfs first loses.
TSUMUGI
Kiharu,,, we're not children. There's no need to compete like that.
Right, Shiina?
Passersby probably thought I was crazy, how much I was smiling at my phone. But, this was a first. Going out for crepes with friends (girls, for that matter). Exchanging contact information and texting them, more so right after we'd met up for real. Even this banter. . .
SHIINA
Exactly.
I mean, try as you may, but you stand no chance against my black hole of a stomach.
KIHARU
Aight. We'll see who the victor is won't we? I'd prepare a barf bag if I was you.
SHIINA
So I can give it to you when you forfeit?
KIHARU
εε——-ヽ(*｀Д')ﾉ
TSUMUGI
Shiina,,, don't spur her on!!
Jeez, you two are so gross.
Chuckling, I sent one last emoji before pocketing the device. Possibly due to the giddiness of today, I'd added an extra hop in my step, and hummed a outgoing tune under my breath. If there wasn't such a crowd, and it hadn't gotten dark considering the time of evening, I'd have spun in circles also.
So many crazy things had happened recently. Some bad, most out of my wildest imagination. Igarashi wasn't as much of an incorrigible jerk. Koshiba wasn't coming for my head like she used to. I'd become a spectacle for my Music Festival performance. Not to mention that Beautician Boyz show, where I'd met Banri.
And now Tsumugi, Kiharu and I were friends. . .
Oh no. Was it all right for me to be this happy? It shouldn't have been. Something bad was going to happen to balance this out. I wouldn't be surprised if somebody dropped dead right in front of m—
When my leg hit an unexpected object, I didn't have the opportunity to catch my balance. I hit the ground chin-first, though my hands cushioned my fall a bit. Wincing, I yanked my torso off the ground, spitting to rid it of the asphalt that'd infiltrated. Craning my head, I flapped my eyelids rapidly. What in the world made me fall?
Upon seeing a body, sprawled onto his stomach, face buried on the road, a gasp caught in my throat. I clambered from him, eyes wide in pure terror. The body itself had made it difficult to breathe, and after sparing glances at onlookers who were also gazing in our direction, whispering, my heart dropped.
"He just collapsed out of nowhere."
"Oh no. Is he all right?"
My extremities juddered. I reacted straightaway, crawling my jittery self over.
"Hello?" I demanded. "Are you okay?"
He didn't respond, but I did spot his fingers twitch. That was enough for me to barrel forward, elevating his shoulder and forcing his body onto my lap with all my strength. His youthful features stood out to me first. Dishevelled dark brown hair. Glasses.
I was too out of it to truly discern that I'd recognized him.
He was from Hoshizaki. Upperclassman Issei—the one who'd done my hair for the BB show.
YOU ARE READING
Outsider Syndrome | ✓
Teen Fiction(A Reverse Harem) Due to her above-average height, Shiina Kisaragi lives as the constant object of ridicule by her high school peers. Not a day goes by where she isn't reminded of being an outcast. With her mother having passed away a year ago, she...
