Target Acquired - VOLUME 1

CHAPTER 2.5 - "Monthly Visiter Time"

Megumi's been in the bathroom for a while now. I wonder if I should check on her. Wait, it's been a month since-

"SHIT!" I hear a voice scream from upstairs. I recognize that it belongs to Megumi. "GAKUSHU, I STARTED MY PERIOD!" Welcome to death row, people.

"I'll be up in a second, babe," I call back.

"GET YOUR ASS UP HERE NOW!" she snaps back at me, officially beginning our monthly battle.

I get out of the chair I've been sitting in and walk toward the staircase. I trek up the stairs and decide to check my phone. I have tons of new notifications, but one sticks out in particular:

New text from Karma Akabane

Huh? Karma and I barely talk, and when we do, it's incredibly passive aggressive. Great, what does he want? His text reads:

"Hey, can you call?"

I type back, "Sure."

My phone starts to ring, and I answer calmly with, "What's up?"

"Well, a little birdie flew by and told me that Megumi is planning on trying to combine the A-Class and E-Class for that theater thing, so could you not crush her dreams?"

"Why? You planning on doing it?"

"Nah, just wanted to help a friend."

"Really?"

"Oh, and since you know everything, what's corn in Cantonese?"

"Let's see... isn't it 'suk mai'?"

A girl's voice who I recognize as that blonde girl Megumi's friends with blurts out, "SUCK MY NUTS!" Karma and the girl roar in a laughing fit on the other end. I look at the time - 9:46PM. It's too early for this.

"ASANOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Megumi's voice yells from the bathroom. The door slams open and reveals her standing there with messy hair. Her face is fitted into a scowl, and she stares daggers at me.

The phone goes silent, and I stare at her, scared for my life. Lucky I'm good at hiding my emotions because she'd rip me apart if she could detect my fear.

"What have you been so goddamn busy with that you left your girlfriend alone while she surfs a fucking crimson wave?!" she shouts. She stomps toward me, fists clenched and stops once she gets inches away from me. She stares up at me and blinks slowly. That's odd.

She sniffs a few times, and... is her lip trembling? Oh, no-

"I'm sorry," she wails out. Her eyes are tearing up, and she latches onto me, pressing her face into my chest.

"Aw, my poor baby!" I hear Karma's friend say sympathetically.

Megumi steps back from me and stares at the phone. She snatches it from my hand and observes it. "Why are you here on call with Karma... and Nakamura?

"Because I'm more fun to talk to!" Karma bloats. Nakamura snorts obnoxiously in the background.

Megumi shoves the phone back into my hands and collapses onto the floor. She puts her head in her hands and starts bawling again.

"Damn it, Karma. You made her cry again!" I groan. I crouch down and ask Megumi softly, "Hey, are you okay?"

"NO!" she screams at me. She then stops crying and falls backward. I hear a few soft... snores?! Is she asleep?!

I hang up on Karma and Nakamura and sit down next to Megumi. I brush her silver hair out of her face. She looks very peaceful and delicate when she sleeps. That's something I've noticed whenever I wake up before her during naps.

I guess she'd probably rather sleep on a bed than a hardwood floor. I scoop her body up and stand. She shivers, so I hold her little body closer to my chest. She's not exactly a midget, but she's around 5'2ish from what I remember. Compare that to my 5'9 self, and she doesn't really appear all that threatening.

I walk into her bedroom and set her down on her bed. She rolls onto her side and then tries to rolls over again, but I stop her before she falls off the bed. I can't let her hurt herself - what am I thinking?! Geez, I really have fallen for her. I hate to admit it, but Ren and Karma are right for once!

I start to get up from her bed when I feel something take hold of my arm. It's Megumi. Her eyes are barely open, and she whispers, "Don't go. I'm sleepy." She then drifts back to sleep.

I sit back down next to her and sigh.

I guess I won this battle.