Exploration of Self - Part Two

Like a summer breeze, the weekend came and went in a flash, then the week began again in earnest.

Life with Kaneko continued just as it had before, but some things did change about her after our little breakthrough over the weekend. She no longer made a conscious effort to remain on my left side at all times, instead just going with the flow. She also kissed me more often, sent more lovey-dovey texts, hugged me more frequently, and most importantly she smiled more. She was still shy and soft-spoken around others, but she was beginning to act much more like a typical high schooler around me.

On the other hand, I had no idea what to do now. I didn’t know how I should be treating her now that she had revealed such an important detail about herself. That had to have changed something right? Was I just supposed to carry on like nothing ever happened? The considerations tormented me to no end.

The single time Kaneko reverted back to the way she was before was after one of our classmates, a girl named Hana Sumine, called her “Sadako-chan”. This caused me to realize that most of the times I’d heard Kaneko get called names it was either Sumine who had done it or one of her circle of friends. I already didn’t have a terribly good relationship with the gyaru girl, as she had a propensity to disrespect not just her teachers but also her fellow students at every turn. But this sealed the deal, I despised her.

Either way, Kaneko thankfully seemed to recover after chatting with Honda and Ishibumi at lunch.

Speaking of the idiot duo, they were growing even closer to being friends with her. Once Ishibumi found out that she liked Demon Kanojo, the two of them went off talking about it all lunch long. Well, he did most of the talking, but to my surprise he spent very little time talking about the perverted aspects. I suspected it was because he was talking to a girl, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if those genuinely weren’t his favorite things about it. Even I had a sort of “come for the tits, stay for the plot”, kind of relationship with the series.

I also realized that my hunch about Sasaki being assigned to watch me may not have been too far from the truth. At various points of the day, no matter what I was doing or where I was, I spotted one of the Spirit Society members. At one point I even noticed Yamazaki-sensei herself keeping an eye out for me. I had to imagine they were on high alert, Ando mentioned that she’d never encountered two hostile phantoms in the school before.

So, when the day finally drew to a close and I literally bumped into Yamazaki-sensei leaving the classroom, my face planting itself firmly into her huge boobs, I wasn’t entirely surprised.

“Sato-san,” she said, calmly, not seeming to mind where my face ended up.

I pulled away, “Ah, yes Kouchou-sensei?” then I bowed, and Kaneko did the same from beside me.

“I need to speak to you about something in private, would you mind coming with me for a few minutes?” She turned to Kaneko, “I won’t keep him for very long.”

“Ah, sure,” I nodded, and Kaneko did too. “Just wait for me by the shoe-lockers, okay?”

Then we split up and went our separate ways. Yamazaki was leading me to the pocket dimension of the Spirit Society, and eventually we reached a part of the school where fewer and fewer students were loitering in the halls.

“I’m guessing you came and got me because of what happened on Friday?” I asked.

She nodded, “Yes. Two hostile phantoms appearing in one night is unprecedented. Even if there are more than one, they never appear so close together in the school. This could just be a one-time coincidence, but when it comes to the safety of my pupils, I will not take chances.”

I was actually kind of touched to hear that. Yamazaki-sensei had always seemed like a cold no-nonsense kind of woman, it was comforting to know that she cared enough about me, the new guy, to personally ensure my safety like this.

“Thanks, Kouchou-sensei.”

She shook her head, “No, Sato-san, I should be the one thanking you. If you hadn’t taken a gamble on your spell, I might have not only lost one but two pupils in a single night. I don’t even want to imagine what would happen to the Spirit Society if we lost both of you at once.”

That was a good point. Not only were we fellow Shinigami, but we were also fellow students, and Ando was definitely friends with them. Hell, I was starting to consider them more than just classmates already.

“That’s why we aren’t going to delay any longer, we will learn about your Gear today no matter how long it takes.”

I nodded and we arrived at the stairwell entrance. Yamazaki-sensei crossed into the spirit realm first followed soon after by me. I was about to open the door when I heard a familiar noise. Seductive giggling.

I whirled around to see another soaking wet half-snake woman at the top of the stairwell. Or perhaps it was the same one coming back to finish the job? Get **** for making it turn against one of its own kind? I had no idea, and I wasn’t keen on finding out.

“Tch,” I heard Yamazaki-sensei make a frustrated click of her tongue. “I apologize Sato-san, this is going to be a bit strange.”

Almost as soon as she said this the scenery suddenly changed. I was standing on the other side of the door now, inside the pocket dimension. I had no memory of going through the door, though. Furthermore, Yamazaki-sensei was standing in front of me, and she was completely frozen. And I don’t mean just standing there, I mean she was completely motionless. She wasn’t even breathing. It was like she was a wax statue of herself.

What the hell just happened? What the hell is still happening?

Then just as soon as I was about to go further into the club room to get help, she began to move again. She was immediately panting and breathing heavily, her huge chest heaving with the movements.

“Ah, sorry about that,” she said.

“What just happened?” I asked, “I don’t remember coming through the door, why were you just frozen like that?”

She composed herself quickly and cleared her throat, “It’s one of my Grim spells. I can stop time.”

Oh, so then what happened was she stopped time and pulled me through the door then started it again. That made sense and was also really cool.

“Unfortunately, there is a cost to using the spell; I have to pay for it. In other words, when I stop time, I need to freeze for exactly the same duration. It’s a really useful spell, but I need to be careful because I will leave myself **** and defenseless afterward.”

That was one hell of a gamble. I would be too afraid to ever use that power if it were mine.

“Yo, teach,” I heard Miura call from down the hall, “you okay?” His familiar red-haired head poked out from behind the corner curiously.

“Yes, we just ran into a phantom outside the door. It was good that I decided to escort Sato-san.” Yamazaki-sensei nodded, “We’ll be holding tonight’s meeting in the dojo again, we’ll be right there.”

“You got it,” Miura gave us a thumbs-up before disappearing around the corner again.

By the time we all arrived in the dojo, it was time to begin the training in earnest. Before we got to unraveling the inner-workings of my Grim Gear, however, Yamazaki-sensei wanted to understand the Crimson Rose spell a little better. After giving a recount of what happened when I used it—leaving out about the part where I swapped spit with the nure-onna—she wanted to see its effect for herself.

“I’d like two volunteers,” Yamazaki-sensei announced.

“I’ll do it,” Ando raised her hand.

“Sounds like it will be interesting,” Hinata also offered and the two lined up in front of me.

“Very well, Sato-san, please use the spell on both of them. I’d like to see what happens when you choose a secondary target that isn’t yourself.”

“Uh, alright,” I was a little nervous. Just because I hadn’t brought up the make-out session with snake-chan didn’t mean that I didn’t remember it. Perhaps it was just because it was a phantom? Well, no, there wasn’t any way around this, something lewd was probably going to happen but… god damn it, I was a pervert after all. I used the spell, targeting Ando and then Hinata in that order.

The red light shot from one to the other, just like it had with the nure-onna, and right away their expressions changed. They were looking at each other like they had never truly looked at each other before, and they were both blushing furiously.

Then Hinata, ever the bolder of the two, suddenly stepped forward and immediately embraced her fellow class representative, and just like I expected might happen, they were instantly pressing their lips and tongues together in a passionate and lustful kiss.

“Ah, this is…” Sasaki muttered and scratched the back of his head.

“Oh my,” Shino said from beside me, staring at the scene wide-eyed with wonder.

“Oh, I see,” was Yamazaki-sensei’s response but her flushed cheeks conveyed volumes more than her words did.

“Whoa,” Miura was slack-jawed with a perverted expression, one that I was pretty sure I was sharing.

“Mmmn…” Hinata moaned as she aggressively pushed her tongue between Ando’s lips.

“Ahhn!” Ando returned the moan and pushed forward with her own oral ****.

I was entranced. I’d never seen such a sapphic display before in real life, and it was with two gorgeous classmates and class representatives to boot. This was probably the most delinquent thing I’d ever seen either of them do, and that only seemed to add to the arousal of the situation. Mentally, I was recording this scene for later use.

Then, like clockwork, when one minute was up, they both suddenly froze in place, their eyes wide. They awkwardly pulled away from each other. Their cheeks were still flushed but for totally different reasons now and they both looked around the room, trying to avoid eye contact with nearly everyone.

Yamazaki-sensei cleared her throat, “Sato-san, did anything like that happen when you used the spell on the nure-onna?”

There it was, it was time to answer for my crimes, “Y-yes, sensei. It **** itself on me and um… kissed me, yes.”

“And you didn’t think to mention that!?” Ando asked, flustered.

I scratched the back of my head sheepishly, “It… it was kind of embarrassing.” I shook my head then and clapped my hands together and bowed, “I’m sorry, that’s no excuse.”

“W-we-well,” Hinata stammered, “I suppose we did volunteer for it.”

Ando sighed, “I guess so.”

“I can’t say Sato-san is totally to blame,” Yamazaki-sensei said, “I should have realized something like this might’ve happened if the targets weren’t phantoms. If I had, I would have just assigned Miura-san and Hinata-san to be the test subjects just in case.”

“I’m sorry,” I apologized again, “I hope I didn’t traumatize you two.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Ando waved away the sentiment.

“Hey Haru,” Miura turned to me dazedly, “can you do that again?”

Whap! Goodbye dearest Miura, you will be missed.

After that… um… interesting experiment, Yamazaki-sensei decided it would be smart to move on to my Thorn Heart next. Miura and Sasaki were primarily in charge of showing me the ropes on this topic as the former had already worked out the “controller” analogy with me, and the latter because Sasaki was good at something called Spirit Sense. It was a method of sensing what was happening with a person’s spiritual essence, as well as having an idea of what’s happening in the spirit realm even if you aren’t there.

It turned out that the reason my earlier method of trying to activate the Thorn Heart didn’t work was because assigning it to a button only equipped and unequipped it. I decided to remap that to one of the directional buttons like my gym uniform. It was further explained that the button method would work the way I wanted it to, but I had to assign the individual abilities the Thorn Heart had to each one, as well as different tactics for using them. My gear was able to do a number of different things, so having just one button for it wouldn’t do a whole lot of good.

So, with that in mind, we managed to assign a button for summoning a whip to my hand, summoning a group of thorn vines from the ground to entangle those above, and a defensive tactic of making vines grow out of my own body to ward off physical attackers. I definitely wanted to avoid being crushed to **** by a certain snake-like phantom.

We then experimented with the various powers. I began by sparring with Miura using a summoned whip. This was also the first time I’d seen the redheaded delinquent’s weapon, and it suited him perfectly. It was an overly large black greatsword with bright red glowing runes. It exuded an ominous aura. It was evidently called the “Demon Slayer Sword”.

His movements were easy and flowing, they had nothing even remotely along the lines of technique or discipline. It seemed like he was just moving with the moment, staying completely open to any possibility and adopting any tactic without hesitation. Given that he’d indicated on occasion that he got into frequent street fights, this didn’t surprise me much. He was a **** to be reckoned with.

He also didn’t wield his sword like I expected him to, he rarely made any actual attacks with it, seeming to primarily block with it and parry. Its massive blade was wide enough that it made an effective shield, especially against something like my whip. I couldn’t touch him.

“That’s no good,” Sasaki said after yet another failed strike, “Sato-san, your weapon isn’t built for those kinds of attacks.”

“You’re brandishing a long, spiky noodle,” Miura agreed, “trying to use something like that as a hammer or a sword isn’t going to do much good. You can’t rely on the weapon’s momentum to carry through like you can with something more rigid.”

I sighed, “Well, what should I do, then?”

“Your Grim Gear is an extension of yourself. It’s alive, it knows what you’re feeling, it knows what you want. Don’t let it act on its own, direct its movements. The movements of its length aren’t just dictated by the laws of physics, they are dictated by your will.”

I wasn’t sure I was getting it. That was all a little too vague.

Perhaps my confusion was evident on my face because Sasaki continued, “Think of it like the wind. It flows in a very specific way, charging forward in a specific direction. If you throw a lot of wind at something, it might bend thin things and even break some other things—it might even carry things away. But ultimately, that’s all it can do, it’s a gust. If it’s given direction, however, that wind can become a tornado that can tear through buildings and uproot trees. In nature, the direction is determined by hot and cold air interacting, but the direction of your thorn whip is determined by you. Pretend you’re wielding a wind current, and when the time is right, turn it into a tornado.”

I nodded, thinking I understood what he was getting at. We continued our sparring session, but this time I didn’t attack as often or as ruthlessly. Instead, I let myself focus entirely on the moment. I focused on directing and controlling the whip in my hand, pretending it was the wind. I did as Sasaki asked, waiting for the right moment, but Miura’s defense was too good.

“Even Miura has his weaknesses,” Sasaki said, “find them and exploit them. People build walls to protect against the wind, but the walls don’t do any good if the wind isn’t coming from where they want it to.”

I frowned, continuing my ****. I focused on Miura now, trying to read his movements. I was pretty sure I knew what Sasaki was trying to say, and I continued to try and make my stronger attacks from a specific angle. This guy was a street fighter, a simple feint wouldn’t work that well on him, he was likely used to them. But I held the wind in my hand. The wind was more flexible than a mere man.

After a relentless ****, I made my move. I whipped out and then suddenly changed direction, directing my thorn whip to a spot I hadn’t been aiming for before.

This, Miura predicted, and angled his sword to catch the attack just in the nick of time. Fortunately, that left my true target wide open.

The tension soared through the length of my whip, but unlike Miura likely expected, it did not crack at the point he wanted, instead going right back to the spot I had been assaulting before. It was a double-feint.

And it worked. I watched as his athletic uniform suddenly tore from his chest up to his shoulder. A look of surprise was painted on his face, and a spray of blood shot from the gap in his clothes.

I panicked, “Shit! No!”

“Gah!” Miura cried, dropping his sword and gripping the spot I struck.

“Are you okay!?” I asked rushing over to him.

“Damn, Haru-kun, you got me good!” He laughed in response.

“Sensei!” I called.

“Don’t worry,” Sasaki replied calmly, “my Grim Magic lets me heal.” With that, he hovered his hand over the wound in Miura’s chest and a gentle blue light shone from his palm. I watched in amazement as the wound slowly closed up like it was never there. “We can’t expect to spar without any injuries, you know.”

“Oh.”

“That was awesome! I can’t believe you actually double-feinted me, you little shit,” Miura said and clapped a hand on my shoulder, grinning like an idiot, “I need to step up my game around you.”

“Indeed, you did exactly what you needed to do,” Sasaki agreed.

“It sounds like you’ve made progress,” Yamazaki-sensei said from beside them. It seemed she came over at my call, even if it wasn’t necessary. “Good work, our time is just about up for today. You can train independently or go home if you like.” With that, the Spirit Society meeting had drawn to a close.

“Good job, Sato-kun!” Ando congratulated, followed by Hinata and Shino who also expressed their excitement at me finally knowing how to use my Gear. Slowly, everyone began filing out of the dojo, I stared down at the hand that had held the thorn whip.

“Be like the wind, huh?” I said to myself, silently.

“Sato-san,” Sasaki called from the doorway, “You worked up quite a sweat back there, let’s go and take a bath. This pocket dimension has a natural hotspring, it’s quite nice.”

That did sound nice, “I don’t want to keep Tsuki-chan waiting, though.”

“We can make it quick. C’mon,” he insisted.

I supposed that when time moved so much faster here it wasn’t really that big of a deal. I shrugged and then relented, following after Sasaki toward the bath.

---

“Ahhh!” I sighed as I lowered myself down into the pleasantly heated water. I was alone for the moment; Sasaki had lagged behind because Miura wanted to talk to him about something private. Since I was about to take a bath with him, I couldn’t help but let my mind drift to Sasaki.

He was the first member of the Spirit Society I’d met, and though one might expect him to be one of those insufferable self-absorbed bishi-boys, he continued to surprise me with how nice he was. He was patient, kind, and understanding. I felt like I could trust him with anything, but I honestly didn’t know that much about him.

That did it, I made a decision. I would use this opportunity to get to know him better. That was what baths were supposed to be about, right? Baring it all and getting to know someone’s true colors. I’d heard that somewhere, at least.

The sound of the sliding door at the entrance of the bath sounded, signaling the entrance of Sasaki.

“Ah, there you are,” I greeted, turning to look at my new friend.

I froze. I had to immediately look up at the face of the newcomer because I couldn’t understand what I was looking at. I even shook my head violently, thinking the steam of the bath was causing me to see things. I didn’t feel all that feverish, and I hadn’t been in here long enough to pass out. I was having trouble believing what I was seeing because what I saw was exactly what I had imagined the other day with Kaneko.

Long legs, topped with slender but shapely thighs, a thin waist creating a subtle hourglass figure. A pair of breasts, not especially large, probably C-cups or along those lines, but very perky. From delicate shoulders extended a pair of slender arms, and a gorgeous neck held up Sasaki’s head. It was literally Sasaki’s head on a woman’s body.

“Sa… Sasaki?” I asked, breathless.

Sasaki chuckled, but the sound was accompanied by a slight blush, “Before you even think it, no, you haven’t been wrong.”

“W-what?”

“You’ve been thinking of me as a guy, right? You haven’t been wrong.” Sasaki then began walking toward the bath. “I have to admit, the look on your face right now is pretty funny. It doesn’t hold a candle to the look Touma-kun gave when he first saw this, though.”

Oddly, this made me relax a little. It would have been one thing if Sasaki expected this not to surprise me, but the fact that my reaction was anticipated was strangely comforting. This did not cure my deep state of confusion, however.

“I… what’s going on?” I asked, suddenly closing my legs in embarrassment. If Sasaki was really a girl I shouldn’t be so brazenly showing off like this. But wait, didn’t Sasaki just say he was a guy? Also, he wasn’t making any effort to conceal his own form, I could clearly see those adorable pink nipples. My mind was reeling from so many conflicting ideas and thought.

Sasaki stepped lightly into the water and sat down at the edge, seeming to only be soaking his feet for now. “I’m transgender,” Sasaki said simply.

Somehow, that possibility hadn’t even crossed my mind and I blinked, “O-oh, I uh, well… sh-should we really be sharing a bath together, then?”

“And just who should I be bathing with? A guy bathing with the girls? Where’s your sense of decency?” Sasaki chuckled; his tone slightly sarcastic. “In all seriousness, what’s the problem?”

“I mean uh… I… well…” I was flustered, and my cheeks were probably flushed scarlet.

“Let me guess, you find me attractive?” Sasaki asked.

It was true, frankly, but thinking of Sasaki that way, someone that I had only ever associated with being a guy, was giving me such a strangely conflicting feeling. I couldn’t bring myself to answer his question, which in itself probably seemed like silent confirmation.

“I want you to imagine something. If I had a standard guy body like yours and came in here, you wouldn’t have any issue, would you?”

I nodded.

“Even if I were gay?”

I almost nodded again but then blinked as I realized his point. We didn’t make homosexual men and women use different facilities segregated by gender, even though they were attracted to their own sex.

“Once you start thinking about stuff like that, you begin to realize how silly it is to be segregating places like this based on gender. It doesn’t make much sense.”

“I-I see.”

“You don’t need to be so tense, Sato-san. Just relax. I’m the same Sasaki you’ve known this whole time, I just don’t look like you thought I would. Frankly you don’t look much like I thought you would either. Might I add that you might have more female fans if they knew just how… um… blessed you are.”

I blushed furiously and covered myself even more.

Sasaki laughed, “No point trying to hide it now, the damage is done, my friend. Come on, relax, this is the first time we’ve really sat down and talked at length.”

I closed my eyes and nodded in determination. I could see Sasaki’s point now. If we were professional and I exhibited the basic amount of self-control society expected adults to have, everything should work out fine. It’s not like I would be driven crazy with lust just because Sasaki had tits, that was a childish and unrealistic notion.

“Sorry,” I said at last, “kinda insulting to both of us to act like this is a problem, huh?” I asked.

“I don’t really see it that way, and there’s no need to apologize. After all, I specifically avoided telling you about this because I wanted to eventually prank you when we decided to bathe together. So, consider us even.”

“Ah, I see,” I nodded. It didn’t occur to me until much later, but this might have been a deliberate move on his part. If he framed this reveal as a prank it put us on equal footing no matter what kind of reaction I had. In other words, it was a clever way to ensure I didn’t feel guilty and could continue like normal with him.

I then relayed to him that I might not have reacted so surprised if not for the conversation I’d had with Kaneko. When I thought back on it, that really was the reason I was so shocked, it was like Sasaki had jumped right out my brain.

After hearing this he laughed in his consistently charming way then perked an eyebrow, “Kaneko-san’s instincts are sharp, she’d make a good Shinigami. Even if she didn’t consciously recognize my body type her subconscious mind hit the nail on the head. She’s the first person to even get that close.”

“How haven’t the guys in your class realized it yet? Don’t you have to change with them for gym classes?”

“Ah, I have exemption from gym classes.”

This surprised me, normally exemptions of that sort were only granted to those with long-term illnesses. “Do you have a health issue?”

He shook his head, “Just a very understanding doctor.”

Oh, I understood now. “Are you planning on getting surgery then?” I asked, hoping the question wasn’t too personal, “I can’t imagine it’s easy having a body like that as a guy.”

Sasaki suddenly gave him a surprised look, his usual smile faded to a look of fascinated shock colored by an intense blush.

Thinking I had said something wrong, I apologetically clapped my hands together and bowed, “I’m sorry, that was too personal a question, wasn’t it?”

“No, no it’s not that,” Sasaki said, blushing slightly, “it’s just… you’re the first person who has ever worried about that. It doesn’t matter who I’ve told, even Touma-kun didn’t say something like that when I first showed him. I think it speaks a lot about you that you even considered that aspect.”

“Oh,” I scratched the back of my head sheepishly, “I just asked the first thing that came to mind.”

Sasaki’s smile returned, “Whatever the case, the answer is no. The phenomenon you are referring to is called ‘dysphoria’, and I’m something of a rarity because I do not experience that feeling at all.”

“Really?” I asked.

Sasaki nodded, “I love my body. I even love my breasts even if they make it difficult to pass as a man.” I then noticed distinctive reddish impressions in the skin under Sasaki’s arm, likely from some sort of binding. That made sense, if he hadn’t been binding them, I would have noticed the swell a long time ago. “In fact, I happen to think this body is rather convenient.”

“For what?”

“When I brought up the idea of me being gay, that wasn’t a hypothetical,” Sasaki said, chuckling, “I am attracted to men. If I keep this body, my pool of potential lovers isn’t limited to fellow gay men. An open-minded straight man, for instance, might find me attractive.”

“O-oh, no wonder you never accepted any of those confessions then,” I said. God, being constantly asked out by girls must actually be agony for him, beyond the feeling of annoyance. I couldn’t imagine I’d be able to keep my sanity for very long if I were constantly assaulted by confessions from guys. If Ishibumi knew this about Sasaki he’d probably lose his mind, not that I was planning on telling him. I’d keep these secrets about Sasaki until he chose to reveal them himself.

Sasaki laughed, “That isn’t the only reason, but it’s definitely chief among them, yes. More than that, I can’t imagine most of those girls would be too happy to find out that this was what I really looked like and that I have no plans of changing it.”

That was definitely interesting. “Well, you’ve been nothing but helpful to me and an amazing friend ever since I reincarnated. I’m grateful for having gotten to know you, and I’m honored that you trust me enough to show me this.”

Sasaki smiled thoughtfully, “I appreciate that. But call me Rei. Now that you’ve seen me naked, we’re well beyond just being acquaintances.”

“All right Rei—” I caught myself before giving him the -chan honorific. Getting used to this would take time, but I was determined. “I mean, Rei-kun. Feel free to call me Haru.”

Sasaki nodded, “Will do. Now, on to less awkward topics. How are things with you and Kaneko-san?”

I couldn’t see any reason to hold back with him, especially not after he’d shown me this much trust, so I told him everything. About what had happened on the date and about my thoughts on it. I honestly wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t know how I should act around her now that she had revealed her scars. I also had concerns about her living situation and the way her mother was treating her.

Sasaki nodded along, “I think you may be overthinking things. You said that you felt guilty about getting her to show you her scars because you were her safe space. What made you think that you were her safe space?”

I thought about it for a moment, “Well, I mean, she was comfortable. She wasn’t acting all shy and hesitant, she was being like an ordinary girl. Plus, she, well, she was leaving her guard down. She stopped worrying about being on my left side.”

“Deep down, I think Kaneko-san just wants to be treated like an ordinary girl. I think she let her guard down around you because you were doing exactly that, and it made her feel safe.”

I blinked; he was totally right. I was an idiot for not seeing it sooner. She’d been treated like something less-than-human her whole teenage life, of course she’d just want to be treated like everyone else.

“Wow, once again, you’ve saved me, Rei-kun,” I bowed to him, and he smiled.

“As for the trouble with her mother, I think your hesitancy is well-warranted. It’s only been a few days; you don’t know everything about her situation yet. Give it a while, but if things really are as bleak as you think they are, then I definitely don’t think she should be living in that house.” Sasaki continued. “I’m personally familiar with toxic households, and getting away from one has been the single best choice I ever made.”

I nodded, I hadn’t been planning on doing anything about it yet, I mostly just needed someone to vent to.

“That being said, I’d definitely ask around, see what people say. Maybe ask your parents about it?”

“I guess I could ask my dad, yeah,” I agreed.

“Your mom too, she must remember what its like to be a teenage girl. I’m honestly surprised you haven’t already gone to her about any of this.”

I tilted my head back and gazed up into the purple sky of the pocket dimension, “My mom passed away when I was eight, so I don’t think that will be very easy.”

“Oh, my apologies, I didn’t know.”

“I do wonder what she’d say though,” I admitted. My thoughts drifted to her. I didn’t remember a whole lot about her, at this point, but I remember how much she used to smile. She’d probably have loved Kaneko like her own daughter.

That idea made me smile.