I was having a dream that made absolutely no sense, Nao and Arisa were dragging me across the floor while yelling something about rehearsals.

  My brain, clearly, had not recovered. As my eyes fluttered open and I stood up, I fully expected to see a female version of World War Three, but I was greeted by an entirely different scene.

  "Holy crap, you guys aren't burning the place down?!" I shouted in surprise.

  The sisters, who were all getting ready, looked at me, blinking in confusion.

  "What are you talking about, Silly Maid-chan?" Nao replied as she crawled over to me.

  "He must still be sleeping," Reina muttered, her tone dismissive.

  "Aww, Souta's cute when he sleep-talks," Arisa chimed in, already starting to style Yuki's hair.

  "No, I'm not asleep! I'm just surprised. Did… Did you all just collectively decide yesterday didn’t happen?"

  And with no hesitation, they all tilted their heads in unison.

  "I dunno?" Nao said, showing no sign of remembering.

  Whatever coping mechanism they were using, I wanted in.

  I’d gladly forget yesterday, especially the part where I nearly bled out.

  With a sigh, I pulled on the prince's costume. It was heavy and absurdly overdesigned, complete with a gold-trimmed cape that felt as heavy as my expectations.

  After stepping out of the bathroom, I saw that the girls were still getting ready.

  I told them I’d head over first.

  Truth was, I needed a few minutes alone before I stepped onstage and pretended everything was fine.

  ***

  Which I realized was a mistake, because even in the quietest moments with the sisters, my mind was distracted by the play and what had happened. Surprisingly, I was taking the whole thing quite well, considering I had almost been stabbed. Now, once again walking through the same corridors, I still felt as if… I was being watched. I couldn’t tell you why; it made no sense. I had watched Subaru get dragged away by the police. So why did it feel like the world was about to reset and drop him right back in front of me, just so he could finish the job?

  I glanced over my shoulders, left and right. Some of the students walking by gave me a side-eye, as if I were some crazy man. Which, if the roles were reversed… I wouldn’t blame them.

  I approached the front reception, where, aside from the receptionist, it was quiet. "Hmm, must be everyone heading to the hall."

  And then I saw it. Or rather, I saw him. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of dark, familiar hair, too familiar, his face hidden behind a mask I knew all too well.

  “NGH!” I cried out, turning around. My heart was racing, no, that wasn’t the right word to use. It was pounding, but not quickly as if someone were methodically beating my heart for me, slowly yet with power.

  “STOP!” I shouted as I ran around the corner, but the moment I turned, there was nothing there.

  “You’re shitting me… I’m hallucinating a full-on deranged, Yuki-obsessed goober,” I murmured to myself as a bead of sweat dripped down my face.

  “Excuse me, sir, is everything alright?” the receptionist asked. I turned around and saw the worried expression on her face. She definitely thought I had some mental issues.

  …Maybe she wasn’t wrong.

  “No, sorry, ma'am. I thought I saw… An old friend of mine,” I replied, letting out a chuckle.

  “Oh… I see,” she said, giving me a small but worried smile before returning to her desk.

  “Shit, I need to sort myself out,” I told myself before making my way outside.

  Now, don’t get me wrong, I did look like a badass, wearing this clothing and walking down the gravel pathway. It felt like I was the king of this place. But one thing I wasn’t prepared for was the fact that it was boiling... The sun beat down on me mercilessly, sweat creeping down my back.

  I told myself it was just the heat. But my body didn’t believe that.

  He was gone. I watched him get dragged away.

  I knew that.

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  So why did it still feel like I wasn't safe yet?

  ***

  Making my way through the lush greenery and old-style buildings, the smell of food wafted to my nose. It felt like it was screaming at me to ditch everything and grab a bowl, but somehow, I resisted. Reaching the building, I stopped and stared at it for a minute, watching as boys and girls, even adults, filled it up.

  Whoa, there are a lot of people.

  A lot of people going to watch me.

  Especially after that whole incident, word spread.

  They’re going to critique every move.

  Every word. Every mistake.

  Oh shit.

  As the realization that I was well and truly finished kicked in, my mind started racing, and my vision began to narrow down. The world around me felt like it was going to collapse.

  “Calm down, Souta,” I muttered, my breathing growing shallow and fast.

  Is this what a panic attack feels like?

  The weight of my own body suddenly felt wrong, and my knees buckled.

  “Oh shit, everything is going-” I managed to say before feeling my body letting me down.

  This is it. This is where I flunk out; after all that, it’s over.

  Just before my body was about to touch the floor, a voice called out, a feminine voice that radiated teasing… only towards me, a voice that now sounded worried.

  “A-Arisa,” I muttered, blinking. My vision was blurry, but as she lifted me back up, I could see her crimson hair fluttering ever so slightly.

  “What are you doing, goober? Are you okay?” she asked softly.

  “Y-Yeah… just a bit nervous,” I replied, standing on my own.

  “Oh…” she said, her teasing smile fading for just a second.

  Strange reaction. Though I had no idea what she was thinking, something about the look she was giving me was… Strange.

  “Tell me, Souta… Have you spoken to Saki since you got here?” she asked, giving my back a playful slap.

  That was a sudden change in direction?

  “Um, no… I actually haven’t.”

  To be honest, it completely slipped my mind. I had been so focused on what was going on with the girls and with Subaru that… I just forgot.

  “Ahhh, come on, Souta! For a sister-obsessed brother, you are really disappointing. I was ready for you to tell me that you’ve rung her or texted her every 20 seconds.”

  “Right, okay, sure, I care for Saki… But that’s way too far.”

  “Just saying,” Arisa chuckled as she walked in front of me, hands behind her back, smirking. “At least ring her and tell her that her oh-so-amazing big brother is going to perform in front of a lot of people.”

  I stood there for a second and blinked.

  “That’s not the worst idea, I guess,” I murmured. I mean, I could see where Arisa was trying to go, doing her best to distract me from the fact that I was going to embarrass myself in front of everyone.

  “Sure, you know what, I’ll do it. She’s probably off doing God knows what with whatever the latest anime merch the-” I froze as I fumbled for my phone, which I hadn’t used much.

  I realized.

  “Shit… I don’t have my phone,” I muttered.

  Arisa tilted her head as she stepped in closer.

  “Oh Souta, you really are useless,” she whispered.

  “Damn it, damn it, damn it!” I repeated in frustration.

  Arisa watched me stomp my feet like a toddler. My life couldn’t get any worse, could it?

  Until Arisa raised her hand, her palm sticking out.

  “Do not worry, for I will find your phone.”

  “…….What?”

  She gestured with both hands for me to lift my arms up.

  Am I getting searched… To find a phone?

  I kind of like this.

  Wait, no.

  “Why am I being searched?”

  Arisa didn’t respond as she began searching my pockets, then patting my chest a little too deliberately.

  “Hey…” I replied, narrowing my eyes.

  “Oops, slip of the hand,” she replied, sticking her tongue out.

  After checking my entire pocket dimension, she stepped back.

  “Hmmm, looks like you have lost your phone.”

  “Ahh… Well, it wasn’t like I was expecting you to pull that out,” I replied, still devastated.

  “But…” she said, and without letting me reply or reach, she charged in.

  “TICKLE TICKLE TICKLE!” she shouted, and like a critical attack, she began tickling the life out of me.

  “AHAHAHA! S-Stop!” I cried out in laughter, barely managing to tell her to stop.

  But Arisa didn’t listen. I fell to the floor as she jumped on top of me, still using those usually delicate porcelain fingers to send me off to the next world.

  “STOOOPPPP!” I wheezed, completely out of breath.

  ***

  I don't know how I feel about that…

  Being tickled by an insanely attractive woman felt good, but the looks we were getting from people walking past were… Uncomfortable, to say the least. One thing I didn't register the moment Arisa had fun keeping me on the edge was that she was on top of me, pressing down against my stomach. If this had been any other situation, I probably would’ve panicked even more. As both our breathing finally came under control, I realized Arisa noticed what this looked like.

  "NGH!" She jumped up off me. "Sorry, I didn't realize you looked really funny when you’re laughing." She said, brushing the ends of her dress. I sat up, feeling my friend downstairs doing his best to make an introduction to the equation.

  Bad timing.

  But for the first time since I'd really met her, I saw Arisa, actually flustered. I could tell from her tone that she seemed panicked. Don't get me wrong, I felt embarrassed too, but if there was ever a time to get her back, it was now.

  "You’re flustered, aren’t you?" I softly said, standing up and closing the gap between us. It sounded better in my head, not going to lie, but it did the job. Arisa's eyes widened as she stepped back slightly, her usually porcelain face turning red as our faces came closer.

  "N-no, of course not! I just didn’t want it to look weird in public, okay?"

  "But you were tickling me in front of everyone," I replied with a flat expression.

  "That's besides the point," she countered, her eyes wandering everywhere but mine. I smiled, thinking, "I think that's enough payback." I took a deep breath, letting some fresh air fill my lungs.

  "Thanks, Arisa. Though it was a weird way of doing it, I feel much calmer… but I still need a new phone, though."

  "You'll be able to afford one once you get that sweet yen." She smiled.

  "Oh yeah… I forgot I'm getting paid for this!"

  We both locked eyes before Arisa started to giggle. "You're such a rascal, Souta," she said before walking past me. "Come on, you're going to be late; the others are on their way."

  I nodded and followed the girl with crimson hair into the building, my thoughts still lingering but less apparent as the girl in front of me smiled. Her radiant smile and the remnants of her red cheeks still lingered as she looked at me while opening the door.

  "If you still feel nervous… just remember, I believe in you, Souta," she whispered. In that moment, it wasn't even the way she said it; just making direct eye contact with me was enough to make my heart skip a beat.

  "This feeling," I thought as we walked past the crowd and into the backstage area. "This feeling...It’s almost like…"