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“Come on, show me!”
“But-“
“Don’t tell me you're shy, I’m your uncle, remember? I’d never do anything to hurt you kiddo.”
“But Yuuki said-“
“I don’t care what she said. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
Mizuki let out soft pants, sweat dripping down her forehead as she tossed and turned.
“Why don’t you put on this dress? It looks so good on you… it snatches your curves perfectly.”
“But I’m a boy-“
“STOP WITH THE FUCKING BUTS!!! I’m your uncle, remember? Just trust me.”
“…okay.”
“Good. Now, why don’t you put this lingerie set I bought for you on? It’s pink.”
“…okay.”
The blankets were slowly shifting away from her as she twisted and turned this way and that. It was hot, way too hot.
“There we go. Now you look perfect. So beautiful and gorgeous.”
“Uncle I don’t like this.”
“What do you mean you don’t like this? I spent so much time and money getting all this for you.”
“I know but-“
“No. I said shut up and obey me. Now, get dressed and then get on the bed. I want to see you-“
Mizuki gasped, her eyes flying open as she accidentally fell off her bed. There was a loud thump as her body hit the ground. A quiet, pained groan escaped from her lips as she pushed herself up and rubbed her shoulder.
“Ow…” Mizuki felt extremely hot, and her head pounded. She looked around her room only to realize how bright it was, so she looked out the window before checking the time on her phone.
12:34 pm.
Usually she’d screenshot her phone whenever the time was in numerical order, but she wasn’t exactly feeling festive this morning. Or afternoon. Either way.
Mizuki sighed before pushing herself up. It’s all alright. It’s ok. She just needs to find something to distract her from all those nightmares. School had already ended, so she could probably log onto Nightcord and chat with Rui or Ena.
First she needs a shower.
With that thought, she forced her mind to focus on the task at hand and grabbed a change of clothes and a towel.
Brushing off the thought, Mizuki turned on her computer, sitting down on her chair before clicking to see if any of her friends were online.
Well… anyone besides K. She was always online. It’s not like Mizuki hates her or anything, not at all. But… she’s always online so Mizuki could only expect her to be there.
Before she could even log on, her mother called.
A bit startled, Mizuki took off her headphones and started to the kitchen where her mother had called her from.
When she got to the kitchen, her father was there too. “Yes?” Mizuki asked. She knew a lot of other teenagers had problems with their parents, whether it be neglectful, abusive, or even controlling.
This was not the case with Mizuki. Her parents were really chill and laid back, oftentimes letting her skip school and such. One might call it neglectful, but Mizuki really does love them.
Her mother smiled at her. “We have news for you.”
An excited smile made its way on Mizuki’s face. Was Yuuki coming back?? Was she visiting for the month?!
“Your uncle’s spending the week over!”
What.
Mizuki stood there in surprise, frozen from disbelief as she searched her mother’s face for any sign of deceit or something akin to a prank. But her mother only gave her a look of confusion at the realization that Mizuki wasn’t excited.
And Mizuki was far from excited when she realized that her mother was not joking around.
Her entire world came crashing down. Shock and horror replaced her excited face. Dread swirled in her chest and fear pooled in her stomach. The sudden change of her demeanor took her parents by surprise.
Her father frowned. “Zuki? Is something wrong?” Zuki was Mizuki’s nickname. When she was a child, she was bullied in school, and they called her Zuki. Zuki meant “it throbs”. Basically, they were calling her a worthless child, someone who wasn’t worth it, but Yuuki changed it.
“It’s okay if they call you Zuki. It’s a cute name.”
“But it means I’m a burden.”
“Zuki means it throbs. But Mizuki, the most beautiful flowers have the thorniest stems. No one can hurt you, Mizuki. Not without consequences.”
Mizuki loved her sister so much, but she wished she could tell her how wrong she was. Mizuki could get hurt. And she was hurt badly.
What’s worse?
There weren’t any consequences for him.
“Zuki?” Her dad’s voice brought her back and she snapped out of her gaze. His frown deepened. “If you want, we can tell your uncle that he can’t come over-“
“No!” The word flew out of her mouth before she couldn even think about what he had just said. Mizuki watched as her father’s frown turned into confusion. Guilt clawed at her guts. “He can stay over.” This time, the words were forced out of her mouth by none other than herself.
And that was the biggest mistake she’d ever make.
~•~
1
“I can cut myself off, smile, put distance between us, and I’ll still be able to smile. I’ll be able to smile but…”
“Come on, let’s shower together.”
“I don’t like taking showers though.”
“Oh? Then how about a bath?”
“Yuuki said that I can’t bathe with other people.”
“Hehe, well that’s where you're wrong my sweet bun. I’m not just ‘other people’, I’m your uncle.”
“But-“
“That’s enough. Just hush and come with me.”
It was the day. Her uncle was arriving any second now. Her father had picked him up at the airport about two hours ago, and they were gonna arrive any second and she felt nothing but pure dread and fear.
But like always, Mizuki shut them out by distracting herself. It was 1:28 am. It had been 1:23 five minutes ago, but she forgot to screenshot her phone.
Mizuki was chewing on her tongue like it was gum from anxiety. She kept checking the time, waiting for 2:34 even though it was over an hour away.
She was checking out the window almost every other second, all while editing Nightcord at 25:00’s newest song. She was on call with K, Yuki, and Enanan like always.
Mizuki was wearing her headphones, so she didn’t hear the car tires scraping over gravel in the drive through. She didn’t realize that her uncle was just outside now.
Not until she checked out the window.
All the dread and fear that she had felt turned into a tsunami of emotions. Her tongue pushed itself back against her will, making it harder for her to breathe as her breath quickened (despite being unable to breathe properly).
There was a knock on her door. “Mizuki!” Her mother called. “Come see your uncle.” It was about a quarter until 2:00 am in the morning, which means she could pretend to be asleep and then leave her house in the morning.
The problem? Her parents already knew she got together with N25 at this time.
Mizuki felt like she was right about to pass out. But instead, she told her friends that she would be right back, and hung up the call.
She knew that Mafuyu knew something was up. Mizuki wasn’t good at reading expressions, but seeing Mafuyu’s eyes narrow and her lips thin was pretty clear for her.
Mafuyu knew something was up.
But Mizuki ignored it, instead standing up from her spot on her chair and making her way out of her room to the living room where she knew her uncle was.
Her uncle, the very man she wanted nothing more than to stay away from. But alas, she would need a reason, and even though she has a reason, she’d have to tell her parents and there was no way she was doing that.
Her mother smiled tiredly at her, which was quite expected, given that it’s almost 2:00 am in the morning. “Sorry for interrupting your meeting with your friends, but your uncle is here.”
She took only a step in the space before being tackled into a bear hug. “Ah hello my little sweet bun! How’s my favorite niece?” Her uncle’s deep voice choked her, as did the hug.
It was suffocating, yet Mizuki had never been claustrophobic.
Their “sweet” interaction made Mizuki feel sick. The taste of acid and bile rose up in the back of her throat, and she wanted nothing more than to tear away from the man and claw at her neck until she died of blood loss.
Mizuki wanted to get away.
But she can’t. Not in front of her parents.
In the morning, Mizuki went into class. She wasn’t gonna skip, because skipping means that there will be nothing to distract her. Her mind tends to wander, and her uncle is the last thing she wants stuck in her head.
She set her bag down beside her desk, taking a seat with an exasperated sigh. She stole a glance at Touya, who was walking in the class. A mischievous smile made its way on her face as she stood up from her desk and strolled over to him.
“Hey Aoyagi~” Mizuki gave him a cheerful smile. “Touya~ can you show me your notes from the class I missed?”
Touya blinked at her, taking a look at his notes and putting a hand to his chin. “Notes won’t be enough… I’ll have to teach you the class myself”
“What’s that now?”
~•~
2
“I’ll make sure we escape this time, no matter how many times it takes.”
“Come along princess.”
“I’m not a princess though-“
“Yes you are.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Oh? And why not?”
“Because I’m a boy.”
“Not right now. Right now, we’re playing house, which means you're a different person.”
It was confusing, to say the least. It was only the second day, and so far, her uncle had done nothing but be normal. He never looked at her like he used to, and he didn’t act differently like he used to whenever the two were alone.
In short, it was kind of driving Mizuki insane. Was she just delusional all along? Was it all just some made up memory that her mind created for some weird unknown fucked up reason?
Either way, there was nothing but guilt that accompanied her everywhere.
Ena sighed irritably. “My stupid brother keeps complaining to me about Aoyagi acting strange. While I am concerned as to what, it’s extremely annoying.” She complained, which was ironic to Mizuki. Ena complaining to her about Akito complaining to her about something to do with Touya.
Mizuki talked to Touya only yesterday, and he seemed perfectly fine. There was no school today, something to do with an incident that happened at the Miyamasuzaka Girls’ Academy.
She had no idea why it would cause her school, Kamiyama high school, a completely different school, to have a canceled day but it’s not like she’s complaining.
…Well she is complaining, because that meant she had to stay home which is partly why she’s here talking to Ena.
Anyways! Point is, Touya seemed fine, but according to Ena’s complaints about Akito’s words, he’s not.
She wondered what happened.
Mizuki nodded, listening to her pouting. Well… kind of. Her mind switched from Ena to Touya to her uncle. Yesterday, he had gone around to explore the city or something, and when he came back, he looked a bit satisfied with himself.
“What happened?” Mizuki asked. She didn’t know why she initiated a conversation with him, but for whatever reason, she did.
“Some kid made me drop my keys.”
“Oh.”
“I made him apologize for it though.” Was all he said before leaving to the guest room.
“Is something wrong?” The sudden voice pulled Mizuki away from her mind as she woke up back to reality. She blinked before looking to her left.
“Oh, Ena. Yeah I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be?” She put up a smile. No one can know.
This caused Ena to frown. “You’re acting differently. Don’t tell me you’re becoming emo like Asahina.” Mizuki rolled her eyes at Ena’s words. “Do I look emo to you?”
Ena let out a huff. “Well… I guess not, but my point still stands.”
Mizuki giggled. “I really mean it, Ena. I’m okay.” The pink haired girl looked out the window of the bakery they were hanging out in. “I’m okay.” She said once again, as if trying to reaffirm her claim with more confidence.
But really, she was just convincing herself that she was fine.
“Uh… well… it’s 2:31, I’m supposed to leave at 2:30 which means I have to go now.” Ena said, putting her phone in her bag and taking a last bite at the Italian pastry she bought.
Sighing in disappointment, Mizuki pouted. “Aww, do you have to go?”
Ena rolled her eyes before letting out a soft laugh. “Well yeah. I’ll text you later though, bye Mizuki.” With a smile, Ena strolled out of the bakery, leaving Mizuki alone.
She stayed there for a while longer. It was only the second day of her uncle's stay since he arrived, and she did not want to go home anytime soon.
She thought back to that kid her uncle told her about, the one who made him drop his keys.
She felt bad for him.
~•~
3
“I’m sure that the lights that shine upon the shadows of the city seemed more gentle than yesterday, so I’ll close my eyes.”
“Hey sweet bun. Since I’m gonna babysit you for an entire day, what do you think about playing a game?”
“What game?”
“It’s called ‘House’. We pretend to be a family.”
“But we’re already family.”
“You’re right, but it’s a bit different.”
“How?”
“You’ll see.”
Rui reminds Mizuki of a cat. The way he walks and talks and just acts in general. He smiles like a cat, and his voice is smooth like a cat. He hates exercising, and Mizuki has seen him try to dance, and he falls into a coma right after.
It’s funny too, because he’s the one who choreographs the dance, yet he does it poorly himself. Although it is understandable, since he has asthma.
Mizuki remembered back in middle school right after Rui changed. He got bullied for dressing weird and he always had trouble running away from them, since they’d break his inhaler and he would start coughing badly.
She frowned at the memory. It didn’t matter anyways… not anymore. They’re both happy now.
But the point is, Rui reminds her of a cat
“Hey Mizuki~” Rui smiled, waltzing over to Mizuki. The two were skipping classes on the rooftop once again, just as they had done more than a thousand times in the past.
Mizuki could only let out a small wave of acknowledgement to him, which caused him to frown. He took a seat beside her, and for a good half an hour, they sat there in pure silence.
Rui knew of her tendencies to run away from her problems, in fact, he does it too. Distractions are the only thing that can save either of them. So he patted Mizuki’s head and smiled. “Why don’t we hang out today?”
That brought a soft and vulnerable smile to her face. “Sure. But what?”
Rui grinned. “Let’s make something together. Maybe we can bake, or sew. You left your sewing machine at my house last time you came over, remember?”
Mizuki let out a giggle. “I remember that. Sounds like fun, I’m down.”
And that’s how they ended up in Rui’s workshop area in his room. The last time Mizuki came over, she had brought her sewing supplies to make matching room decorations with Rui, but she had accidentally forgotten her sewing machine in his room.
This time though, they were making matching kitty plushies, since they both loved cats.
Mizuki chewed on her tongue while cutting out the fabric. It was purple decorated with a lighter shade of purple polka dots. She was creating a kitten version of Rui, while he made a kitten version of her.
Their relationship was quite funny. They had dated back in middle school just for the sake of having someone to date. They didn’t really love each other romantically, it was all just for fun since they were both lonely outcasts.
But when Mizuki transitioned during the summer, Rui had broken up with her. “Sorry Mizuki, I’m only attracted to boys.”
That statement was supposed to hurt her badly (though it wasn’t Rui’s intention to hurt her), in fact, it did the complete opposite. She felt a surge of happiness. Rui was only attracted to males, so he broke up with her.
She wasn’t a male, and Rui saying he wasn’t attracted to girls (Mizuki) made her feel so much happiness.
And she knew he felt that same happiness when she said she didn’t feel attraction to boys.
So even though they were ex’s, they remained the closest of friends. They considered each other best friends, and he (along with An) was the only one who knew of her secret.
And she was the only one who knew of his.
“You’re chewing your tongue again.” Rui stated, cutting out his own fabric, which was a cute pastel pink with peachy-salmon colored stripes.
Mizuki chuckled sheepishly. Her habit of chewing her tongue was a family habit of hers, stemming from her mother’s side of the family. Not a lot of people know this, but Mizuki’s mother is half Italian, and according to her, chewing one’s tongue is an Italian genetic trait.
It doesn’t make any sense to Mizuki, but Yuuki does it when she’s extremely focused, and so does her mother.
“It’s a habit. I don’t do it as much as I did when I was a kid.”
Rui let out a soft chuckle before cutting the last bit of fabric. He put the right sides of the fabric together, keeping it together with sewing pins. He set it underneath the needle of the machine.
Mizuki smiled. They had been working for almost half the day. It was early morning when Rui found her, and they had gone home to Rui’s place to hang out and make matching plushies.
So she turned on her phone to check the time. 3:26. It seems that she had once again forgotten to take a screenshot. It had been 3:21 about five minutes ago.
“Don’t worry Mizuki, I screenshotted your phone screen for you.” Rui said with a sly smile, causing Mizuki to grin. “Thanks Rui.” She unlocked her phone to check her photos, and there it was.
She’ll send it to Ena later.
Mizuki walked back happily with her new plushie in hand. She had a pleasant expression on her face as she strolled towards her home. Rui had offered to drive her home (how the fuck does he have his drivers liscence??) but she rejected.
She decided to walk around a bit, since she didn’t want to get back home too early.
By the time she got to her house, it was already 11:01 pm. She opened the door and waltzed in like she’d usually do before her uncle came here to visit. At that thought, Mizuki got struck by a pang of fear. It wasn’t that big, but it was enough.
She quickly hid in her room. She distracted herself by staring at the time for it to turn 11:11pm. The moment the time switched from 11:10 to 11:11, she took a screenshot. There were about dozens of dozens of screenshots in her photos of just her phone screen.
Suddenly, she heard the door open and close and then footsteps. She opened the door just a crack, peeking through to see her uncle. He had just come in from the front door, and he looked exhausted.
His hair was a mess, leaves and a few small tiny twigs stuck in his hair and scratch marks on his arm. His arm was super red, in fact it was bleeding a bit. He gritted his teeth as he washed the scratches in the sink.
Mizuki frowned at the sight of his arms. It seemed to lead up past his shoulders, and she watched as he took off his shirt. She immediately looked away, but she caught sight of the claw marks on his back. It looked really bad.
It looked like the doing of a cat.
~•~
4
“Plotting how to achieve harmony, I’m a kitty that follows their instincts.”
“I don’t like this game.”
“You don’t like pretending to be my wife?”
“Yuuki said-“
“Shut up!! It’s always Yuuki this, Yuuki that, do you ever stop yapping about her?!”
“ I-“
“She’s a stupid naive girl who doesn’t know what she’s talking about. You listen to me, not her.”
“Why?”
“Because-“
“You used to play House with her too. She knows what she’s talking about.”
“She doesn’t. Besides, don’t you enjoy dressing up all girly?”
“I do, but-“
“See? Don’t defy me, got it?”
“ But-“
“I. Said. Got. It?”
“…yes.”
It was 4:31 right now, and Mizuki was sitting crisscrossed on her bed, waiting for the time to turn to 4:32. She didn’t know how or when this whole screenshotting thing started. It was a bit odd, to say the least. It wasn’t an obsession either, just something she liked to do.
She would constantly check the time for any kind of numerical or mathematical order. Sometimes (rarely) she’ll check the dates.
For example, during winter break, it was 12/11 she stayed up, waiting for the time to turn 12/12. So when the day went from 12/11 11:59 pm to 12/12 12:00 am, she stayed up an additional 12 minutes just to see it turn 12/12 12:12 am.
But she meets up with N25 at 1:00 am (well obviously, it’s literally in the name) so she ended up not sleeping at all that entire night. Which was a normal occurrence, but the reason for it was considered odd.
She even set an alarm at 11:00 am so she could wait an hour and 12 minutes to see the time turn 12/12 12:12 pm.
Mizuki does this all the time, so it wasn’t that much of a surprise to Mafuyu when she had to sit there waiting with Mizuki just for the time to turn from 4:31 to 4:32.
Mizuki ignored Mafuyu’s empty glare as she screenshotted her phone screen the minute it turned 4:32.
Mizuki let out a small cheer after her action. Today was just her and Mafuyu. Kanade’s housekeeper, Mochizuki, had informed them that Kanade was sick. And Ena had texted Mizuki earlier that something unexpected with Akito came up, so she was busy with that.
So right now, it was just the two of them alone together hanging out. Mizuki grabbed Mafuyu’s hand and pulled her along. She pointed at a clothing store. “That shop looks so cute!!! We have to go there!”
Mafuyu simply nodded. It’s been years since Mizuki had first met her, yet she was still unable to read her.
And admittedly, that scared her.
But Mizuki had pushed away all those kinds of feelings bottled up inside of her and dragged the purple haired girl towards the shop. The doorbell rang as they entered the store.
Hours passed, and despite the hangout only consisting of the two of them, it was way more enjoyable than both of them thought it would be. They (Mizuki) were laughing and chatting about fashion and colors until the two of them got tired.
“That was fun, too bad it has to end for today.” The pink haired girl pouted, disappointed that their time together was ending, even if it was only for that day.
Mafuyu nodded in acknowledgement to her complaining. “I agree.” Mafuyu turned to take a good look at Mizuki, who in turn didn’t seem to notice at all.
“Mizuki?” She asked. Mizuki’s gaze shifted from the kitty plushie to Mafuyu, accidentally making eye contact. She quickly averted her eyes, yet Mafuyu remained piercing at Mizuki. “Yes?” The pink girl questioned, a small amount of dread withering the insides of her stomach.
“Are you running away again?” The question caught Mizuki off guard, she hadn’t expected Mafuyu to hit the nail so quickly and so harshly. It was as if she just knew more than she figured it out. “Of course not! Why would I do that? What would I run from hehe.” Mizuki stuttered, the lies spilling from her mouth like expired coffee.
Mafuyu narrowed her eyes, seeing past Mizuki’s lies like they were as clear as the ocean.
“Hmm…” Was all Mafuyu said before taking Mizuki’s hand and pulling her along.
Affection and love blossomed in Mizuki’s rib cage, replacing that burning feeling of anxiety and dread as Mafuyu and her excited the mall.
And for once, Mizuki wasn’t as scared as she used to be going home.
~•~
5
“It’s as if this flower of transformation has finally gone and bloomed.”
“Don’t fucking ignore me bun.”
“Go away.”
“Go away? After all I’ve done for you? You’re gonna play the victim and act like I’m the worst person in the world?”
“You are the worst person in the world.”
“Excuse me?”
“Yuuki told me to stay away from you.”
“And why would she say that?”
“Because you’re a bad person.”
“Don’t you fucking dare tell me you told our secret to her?”
“…I did.”
Mizuki traced the tips of her fingers over the scars on her thighs and hips. If anybody saw them, they’d automatically think they were self harm scars, but they’re not.
They’re all surgery scars. They hadn’t healed fully yet despite it being almost a decade of having them. She may be a teen, but those scars take her back to what her uncle had done.
Mizuki looked out her window to the gate. She always hated going in her backyard and seeing that shed. It was where it had all taken place. And Mizuki will never ever go back there.
Tearing her attention away from the shed, Mizuki looked back at the kitty plushie on her lap. Rui hadn’t texted her since their hangout, and he was only talking to her at school.
He was avoiding Tsukasa, and it confused her as to why, but she didn’t question him. They both knew something was going on with the other, yet neither of them wanted to spill.
But that was fine, friends don't need to spill secrets in order to stay friends.
…right?
“Mizuki, me and your father are gonna go on a date, okay?” Her mother said, smiling beautifully with her red lipstick. She wore a beautiful short red dress with black tights and a Champagne white colored jacket.
”When will you be back?” Mizuki quickly asked with a hint of desperation in her voice.
“After 6:00pm.” She responded.
Her father nodded. “Make sure to take care of your uncle. He’s a bit old now.” He teased, making eye contact with her uncle with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Her uncle, in turn, let out an annoyed huff and rolled his eyes.
Her parents may be 40 years old, but Mizuki is pretty sure that they’ll forever be 20.
Mizuki forced a smile and sent off a small wave. “Of course! Have fun!” She said cheerfully, as if she genuinely wanted them to go on a date and leave her there all alone with her uncle.
Today is the fifth day he’s been staying here. Only two more to go and he’s off. He wouldn’t hurt her. It was probably all just a fucked up nightmare that her fucked up brain conjured up to make her suffer.
Even if it all really did happen, it’s already been five days, he wouldn’t do it now.
Unless he’d been waiting for a moment like now.
Mizuki was sitting on her chair, editing that video for Nightcord. It wasn’t time for their meeting yet, but she was still on call with their chat. K wasn’t online, which was a first. Probably Mochizuki’s doing. Enanan wasn’t online, she was probably dealing with Akito and Touya.
Yuki was online. A few seconds later, she joined the call but had muted the mic as well as the camera, which kind of disappointed Mizuki, but oh well. Meanwhile, her own mic and camera was on, but to be honest, she didn’t mind if she was the only one.
They didn’t really chat, just stayed there more for the sake of being there while doing their “jobs”. She checked the time. 5:31. Twelve more minutes and then it’s 5:43, and then 17 minutes more until it’s 6:00.
Mizuki had her headphones on, so she couldn’t hear her door opening. He grabbed her from behind, trapping her in a tight strong embrace. Her eyes widened in pure terror as she let out a surprised scream. He slapped his hand over her mouth to prevent any further noise.
Tears spilled from Mizuki’s eyes as pure terror ran coldly through her blood. She kicked his shin hard before elbowing his gut. He stumbled back in surprise, not even having the chance of recovering before Mizuki shoved him out of her room.
She was still crying and panicking when she slammed the door shut, locking it before grabbing her dresser and pushing the furniture in front of the door.
He banged on the door, his fists punching the wood more than knocking. Mizuki was sobbing, fear interwoven through her tears as she shook.
“Mizuki!”
The sudden familiar voice of who couldn’t be anyone but Mafuyu caught her off guard, surprising her as she looked back at her computer, reminding herself that Mafuyu had seen everything.
Mizuki froze. Mafuyu’s camera was still off, but her voice was loud and clear even through the headphones. “Go to the Sekai. Now.” Her tone held order and demand, but it was soft and gentle.
Her eyes widened as she realized she could escape to the Sekai, and as quickly as she could, Mizuki grabbed her kitty plushie and her phone and pressed play on Composing the Future, pure relief flowing through her veins as she disappeared from her uncle’s reach.
She curled up, hugging the kitty plushie to herself tightly and sobbing. Tears streamed down her cheeks as the adrenaline slowly disappeared and all that was left was a frozen fear.
“Mizuki?” A soft, monotonous voice rang across the lake, and Mizuki looked up to see Miku standing there with her head tilted in confusion.
Mizuki quickly wiped her tears away. “Ah… Miku.. I didn’t see you there.” She said, forcing a small laugh. She stood up awkwardly, as if embarrassed that Miku had most likely seen her crying.
There were footsteps, and Mizuki turned to see Mafuyu approaching her. “Who attacked you?” She asked bluntly.
Mizuki bit his lip. Her phone grew hotter in her hands, and she had to resist the overwhelming urge to stop playing Composing the Future.
Mafuyu narrowed her eyes. She noticed Mizuki’s temptation, and without any hesitation, she snatched her phone away. Mizuki’s eyes widened in shock as she stood still there before shaking her head and frowning.
“Hey! My phone-”
“No.”
Was all Mafuyu said. She stared dead at the pink haired girl, and for the 613 time, Mizuki still couldn’t read her. She wished Rui was here to translate for her, but she doubted he’d be able to decode her, and besides, he was probably already dealing with worse, though she wouldn’t be able to say what exactly.
Mizuki eyed the other side of the lake, the big bright shiny “door” that would transport them to that other area of the SEKAI. Mafuyu followed her eyes, and Mizuki knew she had little time, but so did Mafuyu.
Without thinking any further, Mizuki dashed off, sprinting towards that white glitchy “door”. She wasn’t wearing any shoes, only socks since she was just in her room, relaxing like a normal teenager should.
But a normal teenager shouldn’t worry about their uncles raping them though.
Normal teenagers don’t worry about their friends, because their friends shouldn’t have problems in the first place.
And normal teenagers don’t have problems in the first place.
…but Mizuki isn’t a normal teenager, and neither is anyone else in the world.
Mafuyu lunged at Mizuki, grabbing her by the waist as the both of them crashed to the ground. Mizuki let out a surprised yelp, she should have expected this, really. Mafuyu was athletic and way faster than everyone Mizuki knows (well maybe not everyone but enough).
Miku frowned at the situation, watching with something that wasn’t pity as Mafuyu held Mizuki from escaping.
Mizuki suddenly just broke down. This wasn’t supposed to happen!! She was supposed to be safe, not facing her problems head on. She wasn’t strong enough to fight for herself, and she wasn’t strong enough to stop her uncle, and she’s not strong enough to escape from Mafuyu-
“Mizuki.”
Miku’s soothing voice pierced through Mizuki’s cloud of iron blood and fear, and the two made eye contact. There were tear stains on Mizuki’s cheeks, and her eyes were red from crying.
There were no words needed as Miku came and gave her a hug. Mafuyu was still holding on to her, but in Mizuki’s grief, she hadn’t noticed that it transitioned from harsh and tight to soft and comforting. It seemed that during her attempted escape, she dropped her kitty plushie.
She didn’t notice that Mafuyu placed it in her lap.
Mizuki leaned against Mafuyu, her sobbing quieting down and turning into hiccups and small whimpers.
…and it felt nice, to be held instead of running away and being alone because she chose to be isolated rather than staying and confronting what was growing bigger with every second.
With this, Mizuki felt more content than before in a situation like this, and for once, she closed her eyes and allowed someone else to protect her.
She can’t wait to tell Rui about this.