Stigma

Episode 3: Rumors

As I was walking back to my apartment, the blonde was eager to follow me, even after what I said. Her walking speed was identical to mine and she was right beside me, as though she wasn't trailing me secretly.

"Akae, why are you following me?" I asked.

I turned to her and saw a puzzled look on her face as she tilted her head to the left like a confused puppy. It was as if she didn't hear what I said at the school gates.

"Akimoto, you never said no," she said.

"I told you that we've just met."

"That meant no?"

As our conversation came to a close, Akae and I arrived at the apartment where I was staying as a light breeze brushed passed as though welcoming us.

"Did she plan this?" I thought to myself.

I started to feel anxious and perplexed. It felt like she knew that my apartment wasn't very far from the school. She couldn't have known but the strange feeling in my stomach stated otherwise.
As I was in deep thought, I noticed that Akae was walking away slowly, away from the apartment.

"Akae, where are you going?"

"To your house, why are you stopping at this building?"

"I live here."

She turned around in shock and disbelief. She glanced at the apartment and glanced back at me several times, overreacting.

"I thought you were poor."

"Have you never heard of an apartment before?"

Her puzzled expression returned like a poster was just plastered on her face. I told her to ignore everything I said and just follow me to my room.

As we were walking up to my room, at the worst time possible, I saw my landlord standing in front of my neighbor's door, knocking on it.

"Kin'ichi?"

He looked startled. It was probably because I brought a guest, he usually doesn't mind but I have never brought anyone over before Akae.

"You have a girlfriend?" he asked.

"She isn't my girlfriend and sorry, I forgot you were single," I answered.

Brushing aside the landlord's fury after my statement, I took out my keys, unlocked the door and entered. Akae followed me in and turned around to close the door.

As she was doing so, I started to undress out of my uniform and right as I took off my shirt, she turned around. Surprised at the sight, she covered her eyes as her whole face started to turn red, oddly resembling the hue of wine of a white suit.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"You're shirtless!!"

I was confused, though the entire day was strange to me. It was obvious that we were very different considering the difference of her family's status and mine, it was like comparing cultures.

"Boys normally take off their shirts, don't they?" I asked as I was putting my shirt on.

After my shirt was on, I told her that she could open her eyes. She hesitated and took a peak to make sure before doing so.

Passing the whole ordeal, I started to take out some ingredients to cook dinner so she sat down on the bed as she waited patiently.

"So, you're only living in this small room?"

"That's what an apartment is, yes."

"And who was the man that you talked to outside?"

"My landlord, the guy who owns the place."

As our conversation continued, I could tell that she wasn't fully aware of the outside world. However, it wasn't really bizarre considering her parents probably want her to be elegant and cannot be influenced by anything "peasant related" as they would say.

After finishing the dish I was preparing, I handed Akae a plate of it. She hesitated and after seeing it twice already, I immediately noticed her confused look.

"You've never had steak before?" I asked.

She giggled at my question.

"Of course I have, but this room alone would've been costly right? Plus you have to pay the school too, yet somehow, you still have enough money to cook steak?"

Her deduction caught me off guard. She was slowly catching on, noticing the inconsistency to my story. There was nothing I could've told her, 'he' made sure that I wouldn't tell anything to anyone.

"Look, Akae, there are some things that I can't tell you but I am poor, I didn't lie about that," I told her, trying to keep it as minimal as possible.

She nodded in understanding.

As the two of us were eating, a conversation started to emerge slowly. She asked me about the day and then asked me about the two jocks I met earlier in the cafeteria and why they were bothering me.

"Oh, same reason as our classmates," I answered.

"But they were second years, how could they have known?"

Her question confirmed that my hunch was correct. Though that did beg the question on how they managed to know about me.

"Probably someone from the class."

"I wanted to ask you about Kyukichi Reiji," I added.

My request seemed to have frightened Akae. Similarly to the cafeteria incident, she was looking down but this time, she was shaking.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Y-yeah. What do you want to know about him?"

Her previous reaction forced me to retract my questions. Even though, because of her reaction, I was more intrigued but I couldn't have made her feel uncomfortable for the sake of getting some answers.

Our conversation carried on and slowly, time passed faster than expected.

"I have to leave, I told my parents that I would be back before 8."

She packed up, thanked me, and left.

After she left, I got a notification on my phone, it was Akae.

"Hey, thanks for dinner again, maybe we can meet up another time. Anyways, I'll stop by your room tomorrow before school, don't be late," it read.

I smiled. She was very different from the rest, she was the first person to even treat me as a decent human being.

"But that doesn't change anything," I said to myself.

I dialled 'his' number.

"Hey, meet me tomorrow at school where you're normally at before class starts, don't be late" I said, ending the call then and there.

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Author's note: Over 1000 words, yes. I know I just released episode 2 yesterday but episode 4 probably won't be released tomorrow.