I can do this. I can do this.
Muttering under your breath, you choke back your terror and rush for the mop. In your haste to pull it out, the bucket clatters to the floor. The man seems to notice the sound – he ceases his movement and raises his head. You have to move. Running at his back, you let out a desperate, hoarse scream as you slam the weighted end of the mop into the side of his balding pate. His head jerks to the side with an ugly crack. There is an unexpected buzz – the man visibly flickers, his large body becoming translucent for a second. In disturbing silence, he turns jerkily to face you even as you rain down more futile blows with the mop.
The moment you make eye contact with the man, you freeze up. His bulging eyes are glazed over like that of a dead fish. The skin of his rounded cheeks is pale and ashen, contrasting with the dark purple tongue peeking out from between his parched lips. There is no way he can be human. The fat man takes a single, stumbling step towards you, squeezing his corpulent bulk out of the cubicle. You notice, with a mix of terror and astonishment, that his fly is undone, exposing a very turgid erection.
The fat man shrieks. The flickering ceiling bulbs go out, plunging you into total darkness. In a panic, you swing your mop around wildly.
Where is he?
Light floods the toilet a second later, returning your vision. The man is nowhere to be seen. Did he run out of the toilet? Or did he just disappear into thin air? You take a while to catch your breath before you remember.
Mitsuki.
Still holding the mop, you run to her side. She is still where you last saw her, in the cubicle. Her eyes are closed now; though sweat beads have formed along her brow, her complexion seems to be a bit better than it was moments before. You kneel down, and realize – a bit too late – that you have stepped in a lukewarm puddle. Holding your breath in embarrassment, you carry Mitsuki out of the cubicle. There is a dryer at the front. She will need it. Even so, you stand still for a while, wondering if you should try to wake her. Surely you can’t clean her up by yourself?
While you are still pondering your next course of action, someone enters the toilet.
Make that two someones – there are two girls in high school uniforms staring on while you are cradling an unconscious girl whose panties are still hanging around her ankles. One of them is tall, with her long hair tied up in a bun, while the other is shorter and has a boyish cut. From the look of their blazers, they probably go to a rather exclusive private academy – and that is as far as you get before the tall one shouts.
Two more boys dressed in the same uniform run in: they could not be more contrasting in their features. One of them is stylish and sporty while the other is chubby and nerdy. “Are you all right, Uehara?” shouts the athletic one.
The short-haired girl – who has been staring intently at you all this while – replies, “No, I’m fine, but…”
“What are you doing with the girl?” yells the long-haired one, pointing an accusing finger at you. “Are you… are you a lolicon?”
“I believe the correct term for him would be a pedophile, Shiba-san,” comments the chubby boy.
“What? No! I was...” Trying to save her from a fat freak that vanished into thin air? The words halt in your throat; you realize the ludicrousness of the situation even before you say it.
“Let go of the girl!” The sporty boy runs at you hot-headedly before you can cobble together your explanation. You flinch, taking a step back. With the physical ease of a trained athlete, he takes Mitsuki from your arms before shoving you back with his foot. “Come on, let’s get away from this weirdo!” he shouts.
“She’s waking up,” comments the girl named Uehara casually. “Sakimura, you might want to let her down.”
The boy stops in his tracks, already halfway out the door. Indeed, a groggy Mitsuki is staring up at him in surprise. He lets her down apologetically. Mitsuki casts her eyes all around at the new, unfamiliar faces, before she finally spots you. “Shinoseki-san!” she calls out, beginning to run towards you. She almost trips – her underwear is still tangled around her ankles. Her face begins to turn very red.
“Okay. All the boys should get out now!” orders the taller girl – Shiba? – as she shoos the other two out of the toilet. Folding her arms, she turns to give you a stern look. “That goes for you as well, mister.” It looks like they already understand that Mitsuki is your acquaintance from her behaviour towards you, but the feeling of hostility has not yet been dispelled.
You nod. Although Mitsuki is looking at you, you avert your eyes from her gaze. “I… I’ll be outside…” you mutter. It’s best to let the girls deal with whatever is coming next. They seem normal enough, and you are already shaken by your encounter with the fat man.
After an uncomfortably silent wait outside the toilet, the girls are finally done with whatever it is they need to do. Shiba and Uehara march out with Mitsuki in tow – upon seeing you, she immediately scoots to your side.
“Sorry, Shinoseki-san, we heard from Mitsuki-chan what happened!” laughs Shiba apologetically as she bows. “We didn’t know you were her guardian.” It looks like Mitsuki has told them a story about her fainting in the toilet, and you going in to help her. She has left out the appearance of the fat man and everything in between - you do not blame her. Even now you find it hard to believe what happened.
“Sorry, dude,” smiles Sakimura genuinely, reaching out his hand. “I hope there’s no hard feelings.” When you are too nervous to reciprocate, he retracts it awkwardly.
The students begin introducing themselves.
The tall girl is Shiba Tsukimi, the short-haired girl is Uehara Shizuka, the sporty boy is Sakimura Yuuki and the chubby boy is Kozaka Touma. They are all second year students at Saint Xavier Academy, a school of good reputation. Mitsuki introduces herself too, drawing smiles from the two girls.
When it comes to your turn, you give only your name.
“Shinoseki-san, was it?” says Sakimura. “What do you do? Are you a university student?”
“You look more like a NEET,” comments Kozaka. That’s the second person today. You can hear Mitsuki giggling behind your back.
Shaking your head, you say, “I do… things. Here and there.” Your answer is vague, and it makes them frown in confusion. Luckily, they do not pursue it. It looks like they are heading towards the lobby – since that is where you were going before you were side-tracked by the toilet, you decide to follow behind after their invitation.
As you walk down the stairs, Mitsuki whispers to you, “Thank you for saving me, Shinoseki-san.”
“…did you see?”
She nods. “I couldn’t move, but I was conscious for most of it.” Her young face darkens and her whisper drops even lower in volume. “I-I could see in my mind what that… thing wanted to do to me. So… again, thank you, onii-san.”
After a while, you finally reach your destination. You note a big G painted on the wall when you complete your descent. Would that be for ‘ground’? It looks like this place is using the European style of numbering after all. The stairway ends in a spacious corridor that leads into a grand hall a short distance later. The ceilings are high and vaulted, and expensive looking chandeliers hang from the top. There is a magnificent fountain, at the center of which is an elevated dais where a marble statue of a man is posed nobly. Green houseplants and comfortable couches are arrayed throughout the hall; it looks more like a first class hotel than a hospital. One end of the hall is constructed entirely from glass and steel; that is probably the front of the lobby. It is still dark outside, as you saw from the windows – the only thing visible are the little lamps lighting the pathway out of the hospital compound.
There are a bit more than a dozen people milling about the lobby, looking restless and frustrated. The doors are closed and since none of them have left, it is likely that you cannot escape from here either. The size of the lobby and number of people present makes you slightly uncomfortable. The collar of your shirt is starting to feel a little tight. Though the students run up to the new people animatedly, happy to see other living beings around, Mitsuki stays by your side. You look at the scene, taking in everything that you can. There are probably about twenty people here, including you and Mitsuki.
“Aren’t you going to talk to them?” she asks.
***
00:25
A. You join the largest group – the students are there, and it seems to be comprised of staff and visitors. A smart-looking young man is talking to all of them at the moment. You can spot two nurses, a man in a security guard’s uniform, an office lady and a crochety-looking old man here.
B. You attempt to sit down with a small group of people lounging on the couches not too far from the first group. A well-dressed couple, a girl in a maid uniform, a scruffy looking fellow, a lady who looks like a house-wife, and a good-looking man who looks like he just stepped out of a magazine are here.
C. A big man in a trenchcoat who is hovering around the edges of the conversations.
D. A frazzled-looking young woman with big coke-bottle glasses who is sitting by herself.
E. You don't make the effort to talk to anyone.
