Chapter 10: The Glitch

Chapter 10: Chapter 10: The Glitch

Mataguchi’s monologue, POV

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Hands in his pockets, he walked forward calmly. He turned slightly to the right, his gaze settling on the tennis practice.

His phone beeped.

He pulled it out.

I couldn’t hear what he was listening to or the person on the call.

"Sorry, wrong location hehe."

"Try the other spot."

"I will send you the other map location."

"Tch." An irritated sound escaped him as another notification beeped from his phone.

"He doesn’t even sound sorry for what he did," the boy muttered, running a hand through his hair in frustration. I could barely hear what he was saying, I made sure to stay extremely close to the window’s side.

Just as he was about to step forward

The world glitched. I didn’t feel anything but my mind went out completely, I couldn’t think but watch.

Sound vanished.

Movement ceased.

The surroundings remained the same but felt wrong. Distorted. Isolated. Empty.

A small figure stood behind him.

"Mommy?" the child’s voice echoed softly.

The boy turned sharply

And everything snapped back to normal.

The tennis practice continued. Students moved. Sound returned.

There was no child.

No trace of anyone behind him.

He immediately raised his phone and made a call.

"Hello,... you sure there’s nothing here at Karafuguru High School?"

A pause.

"Then what was that?"

I stood there thinking I was unaffected I quickly stepped back to avoid been caught but fell to the floor. My phone stayed quiet. No consistency warning yet, good.

The surrounding were black and white. My perception were getting blur, I couldn’t move. I felt something hot rushing down my nostrils, my eyes shifted to the ground.

It was my blood. I place my hand on my nose seeing my blood strain on my fingers.

I couldn’t stand, my eyes suddenly began to close slowly utill I went blank.

My phone beeped, a notification had been sent to me. It would seem my SOAAD metrics had been recently updated.

My body sensation went off. I can’t feel my limbs.

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"Ma....." I couldn’t see, it was completely black none can I hear.

"Ma..." wait I think someone is saying something but I can’t tell what it is.

My head hurts

I’m I still on the hallway?

What’s going on?

"Pre.."

"Prez!!!"

My vision came back, I was on the nurse facility, on bed. It was strange I wasn’t sure if I opened my eyes, it was like a black mist faded.

I saw Shion sitting next to me. She looked worried, her breathing were a bit hard as if she were patting for air. She rushed closer to moment I moved a inch.

"Prez can you hear me?!" She asked, her voice loud, for a I thought she looked motherly.

"I’m fine" I said trying to sit up but then a sharp pain clicked on my head. I could hear the constant light ring and sharp pain that flashed through my brain sockets.

I bend my head slightly , touching the side of my head for comfort. It was unbearable.

"Are you sure, you are okay. Does it hurt anywhere?" Shion asked panicking, her hands trying to hold me but her hesitation made her withdraw.

I guess despite all that my poker face was still for her not to had noticed.

"I’m fine, really" I repeated again, to ease her but to my surprise she did what even I couldn’t have imagined was a possibility.

Shion hugged me, tightly.

"Thank Goodness" she uttered. I could feel her warmth, which meant my limbs were active. The pain hasn’t left me yet, I could still feel it but remained neutral for Shion’s sake.

"I thought something bad had happened to you, I didn’t know what to do" she added, as tears began to fall. Her hold on me was tight but her strength seemed weakened. Not only that but she was shaking.

"I’m sorry I made you worry" I replied, it was the only response I could think of at that moment.

"You were luck, she had found you. You were lying down on the second floor of the building during break hours. Must students don’t like to still indoor during that time." A man walked in dressed in a laboratory white uniform jacket. Shion pulled away from me slowly.

"I’m sorry for the trouble I have caused you, Mister Yamaguchi" I responded.

"Trouble? This has been an occurrence since Elemetary. Getting into unforeseen situations has a been a side of you I have to clean up" He replied, his presence was plain. He didn’t have the normal influence of the teacher and elites of the school. He was a simple and mature man with his own responsibilities to handle.

"So what happened at the hallway?" Mister Yamaguchi asked.

"You were laying on the hallway bleeding from your nostrils and your eyes were opened..." Shion explained pausing, she seemed to had remembered how I looked and was terrified to continue

"You looked like a dead corpse, whose eyes where still opened." Mister Yamaguchi continued.

"The school cameras spotted you collapsing with no sign of physical interaction or any hint in your micro expression changing. From what was seen on the footage you were likely watching the girl’s tennis court."

"I tried texting you but you weren’t answering." Shion added regaining her confidence. "So I decided to take some measures to find you"

She showed me her phone, it seemed she gotten her information of my location from a school group chat she had brought together.

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Shion: question, has anyone seen Mataguchi around? I can’t find him"

Nana: Mataguchi? Who’s that?

Guu: haven’t seen him

Nana: you mean the one you hang out with? The mysterious one?

Shion: (reply to Nana) yes, that one

Zanka: never heard of him

$$: I thought I saw him with Sakurai a moment ago

$$: I think he went inside, don’t know his exact location though. Sorry.

Shion: (reply to $$) it’s fine, thanks anyway

$$: (reply to Shion) wait you actually replied to my text, I’m on the moon!!!!!

Fuu: try second floor, I saw him walked that wah"

Fuu: way

Fuu: sorry typo

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Isn’t this convenient.. I thought seeing the chat.

"You had us worry there, how would I been able to explain to Oota that his best bud nearly left us?" Mister Yamaguchi added. It seemed like a joke at first but his expression was showing the opposite.

"I’m sorry" I muttered.

"I honestly don’t know what happened." I added.

"Neither way, we are glad to see you are still with us. I will run some test on you to see if this would slow down your academic nurturing speed." He said walked away. I wanted to give Shion and I some space. His thoughtful isn’t he.

Shion on the other hand, hands where sit holding my cloth, Not letting go.

"Shiwogata-san ...i" I muttered but she punched me on the chest, it wasn’t hard or have any serious force to it.

"I told ...you.." she muttered, her voice barely audible.

"Call me Shion like everyone else"

"..."

I was taken by surprise from her statement, it wasn’t like I didn’t know that it meant but I was not expecting her to cling to this, I jave only called her by her name on Elemetary school but since the reason I had back then was not vaild anymore, I stopped.

"Shion.." I said in response to her feelings. One thing became more clear to me today. I don’t want to see Shion get hurt.

She smiled, it was bright and soothing but this was not the side of her I was interested on, it was the other side she had never shown anyone but me.

"So how was Oota doing? He seemed fine on the pictures she sent me of him and Vice President Ruby"

"They actually sent that?" Shion asked in irritation.

"Wait they weren’t meant to?" I asked.

"It was a cool picture though" i added.

"Forget about that, you nearly died and you are bringing that up" Shion replied, it was obvious she didn’t want to continue woth the topic.

"What about you Mister?" Shion uttered. Pointing her finger to my face.

"Hmm?.."

"Just when did you have chicks chasing after you like that" Shion asked, she folded her hand underneath her blazer, her eyes watching closely.

I’m guessing when she might ’chicks’ she meant Ruby, their interaction must have let some unnecessary misunderstanding.

Speaking of Ruby, I have some questions for her. She must have some connections...

"I’m thinking you must have gotten the wrong idea of things" I answered.

"Vice President Ruby, isn’t interested in me in the slightly. She must have gotten attached to Oota during their little interaction"

"N-no, even worse. Please God i don’t want it to be true" Shion panicked, I found this side of her cute.

Oh I thought of it again, it the word ’cute’ has been ringing on my head recently anytime I’m with Shion.

She tighten her grip on bedsheet.

"Wait, what if Ruby has feelings for Oota but she’s just shy and using some roundabout way to show it" Shion added as if coming to a realisation of things.

"Why are you explaining your own health diagnosis now?" I asked.

"Wait, n-no..it’s not like that. We are just close friends. I’m worried that his going to get seduced by a man eating upperclassman" she protested, stammering a bit. This facade wasn’t believable to anyone but Oota.

Ruby may already know the connection between Oota and Shion and is just doing all this to get a reaction out of her. Ruby isn’t even the type to be interested in boys. Yeah her true objective was clearly Shion. She must have fallen for her at some point.

Lesbian and a guy? Totally mistaking...

Shion the one that needs protection is you not Oota.

"Then why so overprotective? Close friends aren’t like that, if I’m not mistaking?" I added, countering Shion comments. But then Shion suddenly shouted. Pushing me back to lay down on bed.

"They’ll soon come to run your tests. You should get some rest" Shion suggested.

"Your SOAAD metrics overall must had received some draw backs, not to mention your social standing. You should be more self conscious of your standing as Student Council President, Prez"

"I should go back to class, I will be with Oota late so make sure to finish up so we can head home together" Shion added, her voice commanding.

"Yes mom" I replied immediately. Shion let the infirmary immediately after.

I was left alone in the room. Today was another experience for me, and a work in progress. I did learned a few useful things,.

I’m sorry Shion, But I’ll have to break our promise. I have a more pressing project to finish later

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"The unknown is dangerous but far more intriguing than the obvious facts"

"Man are made of these unknowns"

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