Chapter 42: Nightmare

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Mashiro’s consciousness was sinking downward.

It felt as if something were dragging her into water.

She could not struggle.

She could not resist.

Everything around her was pitch-black and ice-cold.

Her body could not muster any strength at all.

The dripping by her ears grew louder and louder.

In the end it slowly gathered together.

It turned into the water inside an iron bucket.

It hung above Mashiro’s head and poured down.

Splash—

She snapped her eyes open.

So cold.

Her whole body was soaked through.

Her school uniform clung to her skin.

Water droplets fell one by one from the tips of her silver hair.

They shattered on the tile floor.

Mashiro blinked.

She found that she was sitting in a dim, narrow space.

Looking more carefully, she realized it was a bathroom stall.

The bento resting on her knees had been completely soaked.

Grains of rice slid down her thighs and fell onto the floor tiles.

They mixed together with bits of vegetables.

The scene felt somewhat familiar.

She remembered.

It was yesterday.

The scene where she had been cornered in the bathroom by Yumiko and her people.

“Yo, finally came back to your senses?”

Yumiko’s voice came from above.

It carried her usual contempt, as if she were tasting some cheap candy.

She was half-crouched in front of Mashiro.

Her long golden hair slid down from her shoulders.

Her leopard tail swayed behind her with interest.

Several followers stood nearby in a semicircle.

Their shadows covered Mashiro’s body.

They looked like a flock of vultures waiting to feed on carrion.

“I thought you’d fainted from fright. Playing dead over something this small is way too boring, isn’t it? Want another bucket of water to wake you up?”

She laughed.

The people around her laughed along.

Just then, a pink-white figure squeezed out from behind the semicircle.

She was carrying a heavy water bucket in her hands.

…It’s Classmate Takanashi.

She was small.

Her pink-white hair was a little messy under the light.

Her overly long bangs hid her expression.

Her steps swayed unsteadily.

With every step she took, a little water spilled from the bucket.

It left shallow wet stains on the floor tiles.

She’s going to fall.

Mashiro remembered what would happen next.

Yukina would deliberately fall here.

She would spill the water from the iron bucket.

She would use that clumsy method to interrupt this farce.

But just as Yukina’s foot landed on the spot where she was supposed to fall.

Tap.

Her shoe stepped across the wet stain.

She walked past it in a completely ordinary way.

She did not fall.

Instead, she walked over in a completely ordinary way.

She stood in front of Mashiro.

Her small body lifted the bucket, and then…

Splash.

Cold water slammed over her head and face.

It was even rougher than Yumiko’s movements.

The bucket slipped straight out of her hands.

It nearly smashed into Mashiro.

It crashed into the stall wall and let out a huge clang-clang.

Water poured into her nasal cavity.

Mashiro nearly choked.

The liquid ran down her hair, her neck, and her school uniform.

It flowed all the way into her shoes.

Water droplets hung from her lashes and trembled lightly.

Her vision grew blurry.

There was laughter.

It was Yukina laughing.

That laughter mixed together with Yumiko and the others.

It was sharp and piercing.

It was like glass beads scattered all over the floor.

“Ah, sorry. My hand slipped.”

Yukina stuck out her tongue.

She knocked her own head in a fake-cute way.

“Who told you to act on your own?” Yumiko glanced at her sidelong.

Her tone was a little displeased.

“Sorry, Boss.”

Yukina immediately sidled closer to Yumiko.

She smiled in a fawning, ingratiating way.

“I just wanted to learn from you. Look at that expression of hers. It’s really hilarious. This pathetic stinky bat actually dared to look down on you. As your follower, of course I have to vent your anger for you.”

…Who is this?

Mashiro looked at her.

She suddenly felt that that face was so unfamiliar.

The Yukina she knew would not talk like this.

She would not do this kind of thing either.

But that appearance, that voice, that small figure — it was clearly her.

What’s going on?

Mashiro was just about to open her mouth.

She wanted to call Yukina’s name.

But her throat felt as if it had been blocked by cold water.

No sound could come out.

Suddenly, the scene jumped.

The classroom.

Mashiro sat in her own seat.

A textbook lay open in front of her.

Not far away, several desks near the door had been pushed together.

Yukina was sitting on one of them.

One of her legs was planted on someone else’s chair.

The other was spread wide in a sloppy way.

Her pleated skirt was bunched wrinkly on her thighs.

She was talking animatedly about something.

The followers around her were laughing themselves sick.

“The moment that guy heard me drop Boss Yumiko’s name, she wilted on the spot and dropped to her knees right then and there. You guys didn’t even see it. I almost died laughing.”

Yukina slapped her thigh.

Her succubus tail swayed back and forth behind her.

“I thought she was supposed to be so amazing. Turns out she couldn’t even last three seconds.”

“And then? You didn’t add a couple extra kicks?” one of the followers asked.

“I did! I kicked her hard twice! If I hadn’t been in a hurry to go get a massage at the beauty salon, I would’ve loved to kick her a few more times.”

Yukina pouted.

She picked up the juice on the desk and took a sip.

“Beauty salon?”

Another follower noticed the keyword and showed curiosity.

“Yukina, do you mean that super popular beauty salon from before? That’s insanely expensive, right? I remember it costs several thousand a session.”

“What’s the big deal? Just ask the family for some money and it’s done.”

Yukina shook her leg indifferently.

“My family has never refused any of my requests. If I want something, I just move my lips and I’ve got it.”

“Must be nice. I want to go once too,” a follower said enviously.

Mashiro listened to their conversation.

Her fingers unconsciously slowly closed on the textbook.

She had investigated Yukina’s background.

After her parents ran up huge debts and disappeared without a trace, only she was left at home.

There was also an older sister working herself to the bone at Feilin Corporation to repay the debt.

Their life was extremely tight.

The usual Yukina did not spend much money.

Even buying a bottle of a drink, she would hesitate in front of the vending machine for a long time.

How could she possibly spend several thousand on a beauty salon massage?

Even less could she say something like “just ask the family for some money and it’s done.”

This person… who is she really?

“Ah, I gotta pee.”

Yukina jumped down from the chair and stretched.

“Anyone coming with?”

“Not going.” “Not urgent.” “Too lazy to move.” Several followers shook their heads.

“Then I’ll go alone. Seriously, you guys are lazy to death.”

She complained as she walked toward the door.

Her strides were large.

Along the way she tossed the empty juice box toward the trash can.

It missed.

She did not care and kept walking toward the doorway.

Mashiro slowly closed her textbook.

She stood up and followed.

The hallway was very quiet.

Yukina walked ahead.

Both hands were stuffed in her school uniform pockets.

Her steps were light and quick.

Mashiro chased after her from behind.

When she was still two or three steps away, she first called out softly.

“Classmate Takanashi.”

Yukina ignored her and kept walking forward.

Mashiro hesitated for a moment.

Then she reached out and lightly touched her shoulder.

“Classmate Takanashi.”

“Ah—!”

Yukina whipped around.

After seeing Mashiro’s face, her whole body reacted as if something filthy had stuck to her.

She flung Mashiro’s hand away.

She stepped back half a pace.

She slapped the touched shoulder hard several times.

“W-what are you doing! Don’t touch me! Get away! Don’t infect me with your germs!”

She glared at Mashiro.

The disgust in her eyes was almost overflowing.

That face wrinkled up.

“Who told you to call me that? Why are you acting so familiar? Are we that close? Seriously, so dirty…”

She muttered.

She turned and walked quickly toward the other side of the hallway.

After a few steps, as if she had remembered something, she looked back and added:

“Stay away from me from now on, you hear? Otherwise I’ll have Boss Yumiko deal with you! Seriously, unlucky.”

Mashiro stood frozen in place.

Her hand was still hanging in midair.

She did not know where it should fall.

What’s going on.

It was obvious.

This was not Yukina at all.

But as Mashiro watched her gradually receding back, she inexplicably felt a familiar sense of dissonance.

That tone of speech.

That feeling of being both fierce and hollow, desperately trying to look impressive.

It seemed she had seen it many times somewhere before.

It was as if…

Yukina, originally, was supposed to be like this.