Erase

Act 52: The Discrimination

-Goto Residence 12:10 PM-

After the schoolday, Mayuka went home with Michiru. However, she still couldn't get those three words out of her mind.

"Weird. She's weird."

Upon going home, Michiru starts to notice something strange with Mayuka. She looked rather sad, in contrast to her usual happy self.

As soon as they enter the house, he decides to ask her something.

"How was you schoolday, sweetie?" Said Michiru.

"... Am I weird?" Mayuka replied.

"Weird? Ahaha! Of course not! You're just as normal as the other children." Said Michiru. "Why would you say that?"

"Because... I hear my classmates. They talk to each other." Mayuka replied, as tears start falling down her face. "They say I'm weird because... I have two daddies."

Michiru's mood quickly turned into that of sadness and pity out of Mayuka. As a legitimate gay man, and one who's in a deep, intimate relationship with another man, Akira, he knew exactly what Mayuka was talking about.

"Listen... sweetie. People sometimes look at two boys together and call it weird." Said Michiru. "But don't worry, it's only because they rarely see these kinds of people together."

"Just remember, whenever you hear these people, you just shrug it off, okay?" Michiru continued.

"Shruggit... off?" Mayuka replied.

"You just do this." Said Michiru, as he hunches his shoulders and shakes his hands.

Mayuka then follows what Michiru did, and felt better as a result.

"There we go!" Said Michiru. "Remember, sweetie. Whenever something bad happens, just shrug it off, okay?"

"Okay!" Mayuka replied.

For years, Mayuka followed Michiru's teachings, and reacted to all the bad words she gets by "shrugging it off".

It made her feel better, it made her feel in control against her detractors.

THE NEXT DAY

-School 8:26 AM-

The next school day, Mayuka goes to school in a lighter mood than yesterday. Same as yesterday, she was brought to the school by Michiru.

Around that time, Mayuka and Michiru, who was about to leave at that time, saw a young classmate who was running for school, when she suddenly tripped and fell down, grazing her knee on the way down.

As soon as she felt the pain of her grazed knee, the female classmate started to cry. It was then that Mayuka runs to her classmate's rescue, with Michiru soon following.

"Are you OK?" Said Mayuka.

"Blood... blood!" The female classmate replied, pointing at the bright red wound on her left knee.

"Wait! Let me get something." Said Michiru.

Michiru then pulls out a small bandage strip from his pocket. He always brings a pair of these just in case. He then goes near the female classmate, wipes off the soil from her knee and carefully places the bandage across her wounded knee.

"Feeling better now?" Said Michiru.

The young female classmate nods.

"Thank you..." Said the female classmate.

"No problem." Said Michiru.

"My name is Mayuka." Mayuka added. "What's your name?"

"Name? Umm..." The female classmate replied "Shi... no..."