Sucked into a Fantasy Game

Kiyomi didn’t have any friends. Some internet friends here and there from online games she played, but no one special. She hardly talked to her neighbors who lived beside her. They were annoying and loud. There was no one her age anyway who she could bond with.

At lunch time, she always sat on the school roof. If it was raining, she stayed inside and sat on the steps leading up to the roof instead.

Sometimes, others came to the roof, but they rarely bothered her. For the few who tried to approach her once in a while, she sent them away.

Her parents were elite spies working for the government who helped to crack down on illegal drug trades. They never told her about it, but she did a lot of snooping. They loved her, she thought, but they were always busy—hardly time to talk to their only child.

One day, they said they were going to the supermarket and that they loved her. They each gave her a kiss on her forehead. Then they went out and never came back. The next day, her aunt came to take her in. It was obvious that her aunt knew. She didn’t look the least bit surprised, like she had expected their disappearance. And when Kiyomi asked if she knew what had happened to them, her aunt said they were on a long trip and wouldn’t be coming back for a long time.

They never came back. They had died. Someone had done it. Being a spy was a dangerous job after all. The spy cartoons and movies on the TV said so. She overheard her aunt on the phone too—that they had died hours apart.

Her aunt, who was well-off, had her own children, so Kiyomi didn’t get much of her attention. She said that she would send her to college, since she had the money, but Kiyomi didn’t believe her.

Her parents had lied about coming back. Her aunt had lied about them coming back. None of her aunt’s kids—her cousins—would play with her. People were liars. They had all lied about loving her. 

Her uncle was a sick drunk who hardly came to the house. And whenever he did, he offered her liquor behind her aunt’s back. She tried it once but didn’t like it. It was bitter.

No life skills. Video game addict. Hardly any motivation to pass high school. Hell, she didn’t know what she would do after she graduated—if she managed to graduate. But she had a few years—she was only in her first year.

One day, at lunch, she went up the stairs, opened the door, and went onto the roof. It was quiet and empty, just the way she liked it. She limped over to her usual spot in the corner—she had sprained her ankle earlier in PE. I should’ve done my stretches first.

The sky was full of dark, gray clouds. It was going to rain, so she would eat quickly and head back in.

Minutes after she sat down and dug into her lunch, which her aunt had made, a few boys came up to the roof, talking among themselves. About ten. They were tall, some well built. 

“I’m telling you, man, I need some cash real quick,” the boy in the front said to another.

Then they caught her and stared for a bit.

“Hey, got some cash I could borrow?” He came over with his entourage. By “borrow”, he meant take.

She knew these boys. They were in detention every time she went there. They took extra lessons to try and pass their classes. Their uniforms were crushed with their shirts out of their pants. Ties undone or not done properly. Messy hair. Typical ruffians. 

Kiyomi shook her head. She had some left, but she was saving up to buy another game next week. Her aunt gave her lunch money every week, a little too much.

“Come on, just a little bit?” He took a step closer. The rest surrounded her.

The roof was fenced in. No one could fall off, so there was literally no escape.

Kiyomi ignored them and took another bite with her chopsticks.

“Hey, I’m talking to you.”

He took another step.

The rest of his crew approached too. They tried to look friendly, but their smiles came off as mischievous.

“I don’t have any.”

“Don’t lie to me.” He spat in her food, grabbed her by the collar, and began shaking her. 

She dropped her box lunch, and the food spilled onto the floor.

He raised a fist and swung at her face.

A black figure flew over Kiyomi in the air, landed on the fence next to her, sprang off with outstretched feet together, and jammed them into the boy’s face.

He flew across the roof as it landed on its feet in front of Kyiomi. A perfect dropkick.

Some of the boys shrieked.

“Hey, you okay?!” Some ran over to check on his bruised face.

He was out like a light.

Kiyomi had hardly seen the movements.

A girl stood in front of her, arms on her hips. Waist-length, white hair. Her uniform was a black blazer and matching pants. “Come on, boys, again? That’s like the tenth time this month.”

The rest of the boys gawked at her.

“But our friend just needed some money, ma’am!”

“Then he should ask the office to help his financial situation.” Her voice turned soft but dark. “I don’t tolerate bullying.” She checked her wristwatch. “ One of you will be reimbursing Ayano by the end of the week for today’s lunch.”

“Y-yes, ma’am!” they said in unison.

“You have 15 minutes left for lunch. Get moving. And take your friend to the nurse’s office.”

They bowed and hurried through the door and left the roof, some helping their injured friend to his feet to walk him out.

Once they were alone, the girl turned around to Kiyomi. She had a few pins on her uniform above her breast. One had “prefect” on it. Another pin had her full name: Sako Kosetsu.

“You’re a prefect… Kosetsu?”

“Yep! Sure am! A first-year like you though. And call me Sako. Are you okay? Can you make it through lunch?”

Kiyomi nodded. She had managed to eat enough food before those boys had come along.

“Let’s go for a walk, hm? I’ll ask the janitor to clean up the mess on the floor for us. He owes me a favor anyway.”

She nodded but was hesitant to walk on her bad foot.

“Can you walk okay?”

“I’m fine.” She didn’t need her help. After a few steps, she felt a sharp pain in her ankle. She clenched her teeth and fell forward.

“Whoa!” Sako caught her. “Careful. Always ask for help when you need it.” She helped Kiyomi stand upright again and put an arm around her as support.

Kiyomi flushed. “Um… thanks for… all this…” she whispered. She wasn’t used to thanking people or people being this close to her. She… kinda liked Sako’s sweet scent. Her perfume was nice.

“Mm-hm.” Sako walked her carefully off the roof and down the stairs. And now they ambled through the hallways.

“Hey, is violence okay, especially for someone in your position?” Kiyomi didn’t mind the violence. If anything, she preferred it, but for a prefect to use it was weird.

Sako laughed nervously. “I really shouldn’t. They’d chew me out if they found out, so keep it a secret.”

“Then why did you use it?”

She dropped her smile. “If I see someone I can help, I’ll help in the most efficient way I can. And I’d be lying if I said bullying has never made me angry. So, in a way, I fight to take out my pent-up anger.”

That surprised Kiyomi. To think that someone as upstanding as this prefect could ever think like this.

“I have a little sister, Kimiko, in elementary school. She was always getting beat up by her classmates. Whenever she came home from school, one way or another, she was a mess, covered in dirt and stains. I was so busy with classes, clubs, sports, and tournaments that I didn't have time to do anything about it. Everyone was always counting on me, so I couldn’t just leave them hanging. Mom told her to tell the boys to stop bothering her, and she even called the school and asked them to talk things out. Everyone talked things out. The boys said they would stop, so they did. We all thought it was over. Then a week later…” Her voice faltered. Tears ran down her cheeks. 

“One of the boys was angry and told Kimiko she should’ve kept it a secret because talking only made it worse for her. I don’t know what happened that day. Kimiko didn’t tell me. But when she got home, she was bleeding. Mom was still at work. I was inside and I heard something at the door. When I opened it, she had collapsed in her own blood. I called the ambulance, and they took her to the hospital. But even today, she has a nasty scar on her stomach that she’s too ashamed to show anyone.”

“What happened to the boys?” Kiyomi asked.

“They transferred to another school. I… couldn’t do… anything. Nothing. That’s why I do martial arts, sports, and workout—so I can take action when I can. I may not always be able to help people, but when I can, I want to make sure my help counts.”

“Oh…” She didn’t know how to make her feel better. “I’m sorry I…”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Got any plans after high school?” Kiyomi tried to change the subject.

“Mom wants me to go to one of the top universities, so I have to study hard. You?”

“Dunno yet.” Her aunt didn’t really care whether she went to college after high school.

“I’ll take you to the nurse’s office.

They continued walking in silence, and not once did Sako look at her, as if looking would resurface some hidden shame and guilt inside her.

Sako bit her quivering lower lip the entire way, struggling to hold something in.