The Girl that Time Forgot

5. I ain't giving up

The day and the schoolwork went relatively smoothly to your surprise. Maybe you can start considering yourself as something of a child prodigy, become a genius in the field of quantum physics, and invent some machine to send you back.

All jokes aside, Hinata was quite accommodating to any questions you may have, even when you assured her that everything was quite fine. You're becoming fast friends or at least you hope so. You could always settle for friendly acquaintances if she didn't thought of you in the same way. Although you do hope that you could make friends with her. The connection felt almost natural and was a much needed relief amidst the confusion you buried deep down.

When lunchtime rolled around, she kindly showed you to the cafeteria where meals are, thankfully, free. Despite it being quite a while since you last ate a bite, you couldn't build up the appetite to finish your food. You at least made an attempt to take some bites to reassure her when she expressed concern. And a little white lie that you were still feeling full from what you had for breakfast. She doesn't need to know you haven't eaten since the day before.

Your frazzled nerves kept your stomach full anyways. You doubt you can eat it all without giving the custodians a new mess to clean up.

As the last of the bells chimed, signaling dismissal, you and Hinata parted with the promise of seeing each other tomorrow. Just as you were about to open up the map for the directions back "home", an alarm caused it to vibrate in your hands. The suddenness nearly made you drop it on the hard concrete floor, but it seems that your reaction timing beat whatever mischievous intent the world had against you.

You smirked at your miniscule victory against the universe that had been against you since day one of your arrival in Japan.

Your smirk was promptly wiped off your face as a car sped by, sending water in your direction as it ran over a small puddle. Your upper body avoided the splash but your shoes weren't nearly as lucky. Where did that puddle even come from? As far as you know, it has been sunny since last night.

You scoffed at the absurdity of it all before finally checking the recent alarm, ignoring the feeling of your soggy socks squishing in your loafers. What does the universe have in store for you next?

You stared at the screen for a total of five seconds before rubbing your eyes and looking again. Was hunger finally getting to you and causing you to hallucinate? That must be it. There was absolutely no way that your phone had an alarm set just to tell you to go buy groceries. And it even had a specific store named, with the address written. Not as if you needed it when you could just search it up on your map. But were you really going to go out of your way to buy groceries just because some random application on your phone told you to do so?

You sighed as you looked up the directions. You might as well stock up on food if you don't want to die of hunger before finding a way back. And no, it wasn't out of fear of whatever the petty universe might do to you if you refused.

.

.

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Perhaps you weren't nearly as smart as you took yourself for. An empty street before the sun had set for the night clearly should have been enough of a warning to stay away. It might as well have been a sign planted directly on your path saying "Danger, turn back" but it seems you were lacking the brain to pick that up. So you decided to shrug it off as a weird coincidence and continue on your way home after your trip to the groceries.

Halfway past the street, you coincidentally passed by a park, and coincidentally heard some loud noises in the otherwise empty vicinity. That leads to you coincidentally choosing to investigate said noise, and coincidentally discovering what looks to be some kind of illegal fighting brackets. Meanwhile, coincidentally, more people, teenagers, were coming to join the audience, putting you in a position where you can't leave your hiding spot.