Jikirukuto: Takoyuki Arc

Scene Setup: Yuki's "Dead Inside" Moment

Yuki slumped on the bench outside the gymnasium, her face pale and her body limp as if all life had drained out of her. To anyone passing by, she might have looked like a tragic casualty of public speaking, but internally, her thoughts were screaming louder than a fire alarm.

"I survived the speech. I survived the Q&A. But at what cost? I just want to crawl into my blanket cocoon and never emerge again…"

Her eyes were glassy as she stared at the sky, whispering to herself, "Why didn't I just pretend to faint on stage? That would've been less humiliating."

Enter Taiyo and the Gals

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her. Yuki slowly tilted her head, only to see Taiyo, Kitsune, and a group of overly enthusiastic gals from the class. Taiyo looked genuinely concerned, while Kitsune had an apologetic yet mischievous grin plastered on her face.

"Yuki!" Taiyo blurted, leaning in close. "Are you okay? We thought you passed out or something!"

"Yeah, sorry for earlier!" Kitsune added, wringing her hands nervously. "I… I didn't mean to freak you out like that. We cool?"

The gals chimed in, their voices overlapping like an excited chorus:

"You were amazing on stage!"

"That speech was so funny!"

"You're, like, our queen now!"

Yuki blinked slowly, her expression completely blank. "Queen? Of what, public humiliation?"

The Unexpected Crowd

Before Yuki could process this sudden wave of concern and compliments, she heard a distant rumbling noise. It started faint, like the sound of distant thunder, but grew louder and louder.

"What now? An earthquake? A stampede? Please let it be a stampede. At least then I can play dead."

To her absolute horror, the noise was revealed to be the collective footsteps of the entire student body from the gymnasium. A sea of faces flooded toward her, all of them smiling, cheering, and waving.

"Yuki-senpai! That was incredible!"

"Can we take a picture with you?"

"You're a legend!"

"Teach me how to be funny like you!"

The students swarmed closer, completely surrounding the bench. Yuki froze like a possum caught in the headlights. Her Hikikomori brain screamed, ABORT! ABORT! THIS IS WORSE THAN STAGE TIME!

Yuki's Reaction: Too Funny to Ignore

Yuki's mouth opened, but no words came out. She tried to stand, but her knees wobbled like jelly. She ended up flopping back onto the bench, her arms hanging limply at her sides. Her inner monologue was going berserk.

"I can't believe this. I didn't sign up to be a school mascot. I didn't even sign up to exist today! Why are they all here? Why me?!"

Out loud, she muttered, "Th-thank you, everyone, but, uh… I'm not really… I mean… please don't—"

Before she could finish, one overly enthusiastic student handed her a marker. "Sign my notebook!"

Another held up their phone. "Can I get a selfie with you?"

"Can I touch your hair?" someone else asked, completely ignoring all boundaries.

Yuki's face twitched as her soul attempted to escape her body. She let out a weak laugh that sounded more like a dying squeak. "Haha… uh… help?"

The Unstoppable Chain Reaction

Taiyo stepped in, trying to organize the chaos. "Okay, everyone, one at a time! She's still recovering from her epic speech!"

Kitsune, meanwhile, stood protectively in front of Yuki, glaring at the crowd. "Back off, give her some space!"

But their attempts only seemed to fuel the excitement. The students were relentless, their numbers seemingly endless. It was as if the entire campus had decided to turn Yuki into their personal celebrity for the day.

Yuki's Final Attempt to Escape

In a last-ditch effort, Yuki leaned toward Kitsune and whispered through gritted teeth, "Distract them. Cause a diversion. Anything. I'm begging you."

Kitsune smirked mischievously. "You got it."

She turned to the crowd and suddenly yelled, "LOOK! A FREE PIZZA TRUCK JUST PULLED UP BY THE ENTRANCE!"

The students froze, then turned their heads in unison like a flock of startled birds. For a brief, glorious moment, there was silence.

Yuki didn't waste a second. She slid off the bench, crouched low like a ninja, and bolted toward the nearest exit. Her Hikikomori instincts kicked in, guiding her to the safest hiding spot she could think of: the janitor's closet.

Conclusion: The Day Yuki Became a Legend

As the students eventually realized there was no pizza truck, they turned back, only to find the bench empty. Whispers of "Where did she go?" and "She's like a ghost!" spread through the crowd.

Meanwhile, in the closet, Yuki sat in the dark, hugging her knees and whispering to herself, "I just wanted a quiet life… How did it come to this?"

Unbeknownst to her, the legend of "Yuki the Hikikomori Queen" had just begun, and the entire campus would remember this day for years to come.