Chapter 3: Mahiro and the Distraction(s)
~~~PART 1~~~
I haven't known my friends for very long. They're really nice and they're great to have around but I should keep separate matters separate. They're just kids, I shouldn't involve them with serious issues like a debt.
"Eeeeh?? Mahiro-chan, Shinohara-kun was asking for your help in math? You should've said so! We were worried sick about you!"
"Ehehehe… Yeah…"
Which was why I lied about the meeting while the four of us were walking back home. I only told them that we went to the library with him so I could teach him math because it was the only thing I could think of on the spot. Usually I would die at the sight of math, but it's only 8th grade math so it wasn't a big deal and I could actually ace it.
"But really, I never expect him to approach you of all people."
"I was surprised too, but he's not as scary as you guys might think."
"Really? I don't know about that… But if you say so. Hang on, didn't you leave your bag in class? How did you—"
"A-anyway, do you guys wanna grab a parfait or something? I have a sudden craving for sweets!"
A blunder, how could I have missed such an easy oversight? But if I distract them with something else they should forget about it.
"A parfait…? Hm… I didn't bring any money with me for it."
"Neither does Asahi!"
"... I have some money…"
"Hya—! Who's there— Oh it's just Nayutan."
The four of us were walking. But that wasn't right, there was supposed to be one other person with us. The previously absent Nayutan finally showed up after not showing herself the other day.
Nayutan is my second savior behind Mihari. Her "Older sister" works at the same lab as Mihari's and that older sister is actually the mastermind behind my gender transformation drug. Because she knows my true identity and because she's a sweetheart, she helps me out whenever I'm in a pinch.
But of course, I don't think I can ask a middle school girl to help with my debt problem either.
"Where have you been, Nayutan? I didn't see you after class… Or throughout the entire day."
"...That's because I was helping Onee-chan at her lab… So what are you guys up to?"
"We were just talking about Mahiro-chan. Apparently Shinohara-kun asked her to teach him math."
"...Shinohara-kun…? Oh that guy… He's pretty funny…"
Funny? That's an unexpected reaction, I thought.
"...The other day I saw him standing over the vegetable stall in the supermarket for hours. He only stared at them and did nothing until I had to leave the store… That was a funny sight…"
"Right…"
"S-So Nayutan, you have some money to buy parfait for all of us right?"
"...That's correct…"
"Then let's go guys!"
"Hm, I don't want to feel like I owe Nayutan tho…"
"It's fine, it's fine, Momiji. Right?"
"...I don't mind…"
"See? Then let's get to it!"
I reluctantly dragged my friends to a parlor where we enjoyed the sweet ice delight. For a short moment I had completely forgotten about the deal we made to Blondie, but that was fine, because taking my mind off of something for even a second was enough to make me calm down and rethink the situation.
But eventually, parfait time was over and the weight of all the thinking in my brain was too much for me to carry alone.
~~~PART 2~~~
"I'm home…"
"Welcome back Onii-chan! Hm, you don't look very well today, did something happen?"
"It's nothing… don't worry about it"
"I guess if you say so."
Despite being my lord and savior, I cannot tell Mihari about my money issue. It's because she's my little sister that I can't tell her. If I did, I could only see her being worried and endlessly being anxious about it everyday, hindering her work and neglecting all her other responsibilities.
"I made some snacks for all the hard work you've done. Wanna try some?"
My mood immediately shifted without delay after I had heard that magical word 'snack'.
"Really?! I'll gladly take all of it!"
How nice! Another thing to distract me from the real world!
I dropped my bag down on a random spot on the floor and dashed straight towards the kitchen. Just taking a whiff of that bakery smell activated the neurons in my brain and the desire to consume it all for myself drowned out my life troubles.
I wanted this moment to last as long as possible.
"Mmm— Delicious!"
I couldn't wait even a second for these cookies. These cookies are her speciality since she has been making them for a long time and has perfected the recipe. Not to brag, but my little sister has the best cookies in the world!
"I'm glad you're enjoying them."
Meanwhile, Mihari was sitting on the couch in front of the kitchen leisurely reading a magazine.
Aaa~ I wish these chocolaty goodness would last forever as I keep eating them. The whole world would achieve eternal peace if everyone had just taken one bite from this. It truly is heaven on earth.
However, no matter how many of us wish to gain world peace and end world hunger, some things are just inevitable and can never be truly obtained. Just like there was no way to obtain infinite cookies, it was inevitable they would end.
"Aw~ That's the last of them"
My tool for escapism is gone, but luckily, I already forgot why I was so gloomy just 3 seconds earlier. So with my belly full of sweet cookies, I went back to the entrance to retrieve my bag and play video games until midnight.
"Finally I can play that game I preordered…"
From one escapist tool to another, I was ready to deeply immerse myself in the world of video games.
But walking from the entrance to my bedroom takes time, and I was walking slowly due to my exhaustion. And in times where my brain is running on autopilot and has nothing else better to do, it tends to make some shower to keep me entertained for the journey.
And one of those shower thoughts just happened to be the reason I was tired this evening.
"Oh my god I totally forgot about it—!"
But I'm glad I remembered. I would be the biggest failure in my life if I had left Shinohara alone to deal with it. Good thing I'm a responsible adult!
"Onii-chan what is it? Why'd you scream all of a sudden?"
"Mihari!"
I ran back downstairs as fast as possible which caught her off guard.
"Mihari I uh— How do I say this… Do you know any place where they might be willing to hire middle schoolers?"
"?---What?"
"I mean, do you know a place where I can get a part-time job—?"
I was a bit nervous in asking her because I didn't know what type of response I would get from it. And when I eventually did ask her… She stayed silent.
"Um, Mihari? Hello—! Are you there?"
She was as stiff as a statue.
"Ah wait, don't tell me you're…"
I know my sister well enough to know where this is going.
"Onii-chan you… you…"
Yes I am me.
"You're finally willing to work—?!"
And she starts crying again. I knew this would happen.
She kept crying whenever I made an advancement in my life and getting a part-time job made me stray further away from the NEET life so she was very happy about that.
"Onii-chan is willing to wooork—!"
Her dam was completely breached and tears were continuously flowing out of her eyes. I tried calming her down a bit but it seems like she was very emotional about it and couldn't snap away from her episode.
"So uh… Can you help me?"
"O-of course—! I'll *hic call Kaede *hic about it *hic."
"Okay… Thanks…"
"Onii-chan is letting go of his NEET ways—!"
Waah, she's still into it. But I can call this a win right? I couldn't straight up tell her the issue but asking about a place to work part time was one major step towards that goal.
Despite getting a huge win, I wasn't in a celebratory mood at the moment because of this person next to me. I opted to leave her to her own thing and went back to my room.
Now with that painful first step out of the way, I was wondering how Shinohara was holding up.
I brought out my phone and scrolled through the contact list to… Remember I don't have his Line id.
"Oh shoot I should've asked for his Line earlier."
Man, what a blunder.
But there's nothing I could do about it so I'll just have to ask him for his Line id tomorrow.
Ask him for his line id
…
…
…Fuck me why did I suddenly get conscious of it…
This is the part in typical romance series where the the girl would get embarrassed and shy over asking for the protagonist's line id or mail (Depending on the time period of the anime)
And since I had no romantic interest for the person I'm about to ask, I didn't think much of it. I thought it was going to be easy. But that was before I was considering other factors at play.
Like for example, I'm still afraid to talk to strangers, and even though we have this strange relationship going on, I'm still too afraid to ask him. So my shyness and embarrassment will show up when I talk to him. Especially when I'm asking for something that can be easily misconstrued for a different reason.
So for everyone, I will look like some maiden too scared to ask for her crushes Line id. And that image of me being the heroine of some romantic comedy makes me want to bang my head to the wall.
"Uurrrrgh— I have to do this right!"
I have to do everything in my power to make this right.
I have to keep my dignity in check and not fail at this!
I've met mad scientists, scary biker gangs, the manifestation of death itself, and exams, yet I feel like this is the most challenging thing I think I've encountered in my life.
"Bring it on world! I'll ace this and keep every single shred of my dignity I have left! Oraaa—!"
Little did I know that that night would later be the spark of a new legend among the player base of the game. The legend of an anonymous player who dominated everyone on the server for apparently no reason.
My motivation was through the roof for that one singular night, and it was the best gaming session I have had in a long time.
~~~PART 3~~~
Calm down me, Last night wasn't for nothing!
The time is here, the time is now.
He's in front of me, but don't think about it.
He's looking down on me, but don't think about it.
He might get annoyed, but don't think about it.
"...what?"
"Shinohara-kun I uh…"
Oh no! My body is fidgeting on instinct!
I'm playing with my fingers on instinct!
I'm looking down on the ground on instinct!
My body is moving on its own and I can't fight back, but don't think about it! Just say what you want to say so this will all be over and I can go home in peace!
"C-can I have your Line id…!"
"Don't have one."
Gyah, all that anxiety and fidgeting were for nothing.
But more importantly, if he doesn't have Line, then does that mean he still uses…
"Then… Can I have your mail adresses?"
"Don't have one."
No mail either?!
"Your phone number?"
"Don't have one."
What?!
At this point I was thrown down to the floor by the shock I was receiving. No Line, no mail, not even a phone number. So what does he use?
"So then, what do you use, Shinohara-kun?"
"I don't have a phone."
"Huh?! You don't? What if you need to call someone for an emergency?"
"I have no one to call."
That was the most unexpected surprise.
A kid at this age who doesn't have a phone? Maybe I still haven't reconnected to society yet because I could've sworn they're the norm by now. But I suppose it's not uncommon to see an outlier.
"What about your parents? Don't they get worried?"
"I have other ways to communicate with my parents."
Jeez, what a bummer. I got so worked up last night for nothing. However, it is still a problem for me if I'm gonna work together with mr. stone face over here if I can't call him whenever. He lives so far away and the only reason I could meet him is because of school.
I wanna go home…
"So…"
But before I could turn around, he called me out.
"Was that the reason why you followed me all the way here."
Yikes, it seems like I got exposed.
By 'Here', he's referring to the supermarket the two of us are currently in. Hey don't blame me, I can't help it can I? There's no way I would talk to him at school with all the weird rumors circulating around, so I had no choice but to follow him after school to find the perfect opportunity to talk.
And it just so happens that the place Shinohara stopped was at the supermarket in front of the vegetable stall, where no one was around and he doesn't seem to be occupied to talk to.
"Ahahaha… Busted…"
But, Shinohara didn't seem surprised or confused at all with the situation. In fact, he didn't even react to me and continued staring at the vegetables.
Hm… What's this?
Looking at the way he's staring at the vegetables reminds me of what Nayutan had told me this morning. Could it be that he's having the same problem right now? From what I can observe, he's having trouble picking apart the differences in the vegetables right in front of him. Hey, this is a problem even I can fix, does that mean I can be of help to him?
Wait wait wait wait calm down.
This is a good opportunity for me.
If I help Shinohara with his vegetable problem, then I can open up to him way more than what our current relationship is like. I got dragged into this whole mess by my own accord and it's inevitable that I'm going to have to spend more time with this guy, so if I could talk to him like how friends talk to each other, then cooperating with him would be much easier!
Hurray! I've found the key to all my problems!
Fufufu… I'm so smart.
Thank you for making me run all those painful errands, Mihari.
The more and more times I do it the more and more times she keeps relying on me to run her errands, so naturally, I've become a god at this! Trivial things like this are no match for me! If it has a goal, I can win!
Ha ha ha!
A poor child had strayed off from the main path and had nowhere to go, no idea how to traverse the darkness. Fear not! A light is shining at the end of the tunnel and it's none other than the master of winning himself.
"Oh poor Shinohara-kun. I pity you, you are very troubled are you not? In times like these, leave it to the master…"
"... thanks."
Ah.
I said that last part out loud.
I said that last part out loud in my chuuni speech.
Fuck.
"So, which one is it, master?"
AAAAAAA—
Why did I just say that last part out loud?!?!
My brain went full on chuuni mode as a result of being cocky at knowing something he doesn't. For once in my relationship with this guy I finally have the upper hand in something and that superior complex gave me weird ideas. I can't help it, okay?! I thought I had a win for once!
"F-first… Wha-what do you need exactly…?"
"Here's a list."
He reached over his pocket to retrieve a list of items needed for cooking.
Ah! I know these ingredients! He's trying to make the same thing as when Momiji was helping me for the first time.
"Shinohara-kun, are you making nabe? That's perfect! I know all about it, follow me!"
"..."
He obediently follows me around the supermarket while staying silent the entire time. He seems to be a very observant person, he listens to the things I teach him and a fast learner. I picked up every ingredient diligently and taught him all about it. Though, I only taught him what I know, like the basics of choosing a good one, differentiating all the different types and which ones to avoid.
"You see this onion? They're supposed to be more delicious if the colors stand out from each other a lot."
Yes, all of this should be common knowledge. But it seems like he doesn't know which is the perfect opportunity for me.
"As for the meat, hm… I don't know how rich you are, but try being moderate about it."
For the next 20 minutes, Shinohara tailed behind me like a duckling as I guided him through the entire supermarket in search for the ingredients.
This is unexpectedly fun! I can do this all day.
We've successfully managed to gather all of the ingredients and got out of that building sooner than expected. Or maybe that's because the shopping was actually fun and our 20 minutes spent there felt like 5 minutes. Nevertheless, I was satisfied with our result.
"Maaan, we sure bought a lot. I didn't know you're the kind of person to run errands for their parents, Shinohara-kun. I thought you were a rebel."
"Well…"
"Oh that's right, I haven't met them when I was in your house. Were they out at that time?"
"No, they were simply resting."
"Oh I see… Ah! I need to return home or else Mihari might get worried. Anyways see you at school! Shinohara-kun!"
"...Later…"
I ran off into the crowded street on my journey back home. Today was more fun than I thought. I had started getting used to running errands, but I never knew it could be this fun! Not only that, but I've gotten closer to him! If I keep this up, eventually I can talk to him normally!
With a satisfied feeling and a mission accomplished, I smiled happily on the way back.
"Mission accomplished…? Wait, why did I follow him in the first place?
…
Ah that's right!"
I never got any of his contact info!
Nor do I know his status on that job hunt!
Aww maaan, I totally forgot my original purpose.
Sigh… Tomorrow, I suppose.
Please, don't get distracted again.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone