My Friend the Harem Protagonist

Chapter 45: Switcheroo

What time was it? It could have been just after I switched my alarms off in the morning, or school could have been over. All day I'd been curled up in bed watching the room spin. It felt like I'd slipped out of my body and was starting to drift away.

The doorbell rang, loud enough to make me pull the covers over my ears. I heard footsteps heading toward my room, and I prayed they'd pass by. The door creaked open and someone turned on the lights.

"Haru?" Inu asked. "You okay in there?" I grunted something affirmative. "There's someone here to see you."

I turned over in bed and saw someone standing over me. They had a feminine shape, and neat hair. "Juri, did you change your hair?" I mumbled.

"It's me Haru," a grouchy voice said. "Your room is a mess." I still couldn't see her clearly, but it had to be Ayami.

"What are you doing here? Why didn't Juri come?"

"A lot of dumb coincidences happened and she ended up bringing Shin his homework. Here's yours by the way." She threw it down onto my desk the way a cop might throw down an evidence file. "Alright, get better soon. You've got a lot of work to do once you feel better." She headed for the door.

"Wait, you said she's got Shin's homework? Is he sick too?" The thought was enough to shake off some of my fogginess.

"Yes, and I'm sure you know how disappointed we all were that Juri gets to-"

"Get me my phone," I said before she could finish. She raised an eyebrow but must have seen how serious I looked. Without saying anything she grabbed my phone off my desk and handed it to me. I began typing as fast as I could, but my head was so muddled that I only managed to unlock my phone. I grimaced and handed it back to Ayami.

"I need you to do me a huge favor and send a message for me."

She gave me a skeptical look. Ayami wrote down her own messages, or had me take notes. She never took minutes for another student. "Why should I?"

The room was swimming too much so I collapsed back in bed. "Because if this works out then Shin might end up single soon." From the look in Ayami's eyes, I'd convinced her. Now it all came down to Juri.

***

Three blocks from Shin's house, I was still upset about Ayami. Where did she get off with her holier than thou rule following? Either be a stuck up rule follower, or a moron who follows your heart but it can't be both ways.

My phone buzzed inside my pocket. I was in no hurry to get to Shin's house so I stepped off the path to check my messages, maybe send a few of my own and watch a video. Haru's name was at the top of the list, which made me feel happy and angry at the same time. If he was asking why I wasn't there I'd fill Ayami's locker with so many BL stories that she'd still be picking pages out of her shoes when she graduated, detentions be damned.

His message was a single line. I frowned at it and read it again, and a third time. Whatever happens make sure you're the one who hands Shin his homework. I began typing my response but stopped when I realized I wasn't alone.

I wouldn't say I was friends with Aya. We'd chatted a bit once, but she was a little too stuffy for my taste. She felt like a mix of the parts of Karin and Ayami that got most on my nerves, but without any of the fun of teasing them. I doubted she considered me a friend before, but now there was no warmth in her eyes.

She was decked out in clothes that were easy to move in. Sneakers, sweats, and a track jacket; and if she took her hands out of her pockets I was sure they'd be taped up. Unless she'd changed from her uniform and hurried over here I was sure she hadn't been in class today. Her jacket looked a few sizes too big, but on closer inspection I saw Shin's name printed on the front. It was almost cute.