I tried to stay strong as everyone had gathered around me as soon as homeroom ended. Aiko was there beside me, looking pretty mad, but before she could start shouting at our cssmates I raised one hand. Of course, it was the oh my e ring on. My sed ring anyway. The pin band with delicate engraving was nice, and I loved it because Akio bought it for me, but it wasn’t the oruly loved, no, that one was safe at home. I will put it ba tonight, after school.

  “All right, I tell you want to ask me, so I don’t mind. Just… don’t all e and talk at once, okay? You may not know it, but I’m bad with crowds, right?” I managed a slight smile, despite the knots in my stomach. I hahis. pared to fighting massive scorpions, this is nothing. I do wish Akio was here with me now though, or even Shaeu.

  “Little Ri-Ri made a joke! The world is ing to an end!” Yae-san said, surprised. That reminded me, Aiko had brought their souvenirs, not that I felt they deserved any. Still, Akio always was kind, and sihey spent some time with him, he’d grown attached to them a little. Annoying, but they aren’t a problem really. After all, I’m eo Akio, and they are nothing.

  “I do have a sense of humour.” I muttered. “I just don’t waste it on people that don’t matter.”

  “Ouch!” Yae-san reeled back, while Rika-san was ughiily. One of the guys in css… Was his omo-saodo-san…? Never mind, I don’t o know his name anyway… said “Wow, that’s a sick burn, Mori-. So, anyway, we are all dying to know.”

  My face twitched as he called me Mori-. So annoyingly familiar. Aiko was right when she said most men are cockroaches. If only we had some pest trol in here…

  “Hey guys, guys. e ohe girl speak. And you, Tomoya-kun, back up, you are invading her space.” Aiko said fiercely, windmilling her arms to shoo them off.

  Oh, Tomoya-san… I was close, I guess? “I don’t know what you want to know, but yes, Akio did buy me this ring, and yes, it is an e ring. So sorry, none of you boys have any business with me anymore. I’m taken.”

  “Not that you had any before anyway. Everyone k would e to this.” Yae-san said, twirling her blonde hair idly with one finger as she looked pensive.

  “Yeah, no question about it. Big bro and Eri are a fated couple.” Aiko nodded.

  “It didn’t stop y your luck, did it?” I pio Yae-san, who titled her head and giggled, trying to look trite.

  “’t bme a girl f, right?” she said.

  “Well, we , and we do.” Aiko answered for me. “But before I fet, here. For you. You too, Rika-san. My bro and Shaeu decided to get you gifts, though someone close to me felt it would be better if you disappeared from his miirely. Or maybe just spontaneously busted.” She giggled as she handed each of them a small, ed package.

  “Ooh, why do they get gifts?” oher girl in our css asked, she was a noisy oerrible at anything but sports. I think she was on the volleyball team with Aiko, maybe?

  “Yeah, if giving gifts is a thing, why didn’t we get any too? After all, we are your cssmates as well.” a guy said, trying his luck. This one I did know, but he was trash, always talking vile things about women with his friend, so Aiko and I made great efforts to stay away from him.

  “Seriously? You are askihat, hentai king number one?” Aiko shot him a dark look. “You are lucky that he didn’t bring you back a gun and shoot you, since all the crap you spout has been polluting my poor ears all this time. Eri’s too. You think he wants his betrothed listening to that? As for the rest of you…” She shook her head. “Well, it just so happened we all ended up hanging out after the baseball, so I guess big bro thought we were good friends or something? You lot weren’t there, so nothing for you. Simple.”

  “We are good friends though, aren’t we, Ai-? The big brother you love so much asked us to stay friends and look out for you, so you are stuck with us… oh my God… whoa so cute!” Yae-san opened her box to find a pretty set of gold earrings with ruby stones. Rika-san was equally impressed, a simir pair with emeralds was in her box.

  “Oh e on, that’s not fair, they look really nice! Expeoo!” volleyball girl said, jealously. “I’m your friend aren’t I, Aiko-? You should have put in a good word for me too! I’d have hung out with your brother…”

  Yeah, I don’t think so. You aren’t cute enough to eveer his sight.

  “Sorry!” Aiko apologised, insincerely, I thought. “Maybe ime. Although I’m not sure when that’ll be…”

  As the girls were trying on their new earrings, the sed of the pervert boys piped up, asking a question I wasn’t looking forwards to. “So, hey, Mori-… why did you get engaged?” God, I hate his face, so gaunt and slimy. And the way he licks his lips whealks to a girl. Ugh, he’ll never find love if he doesn’t sort himself out.

  “… gratutions and all, but isn’t this a bit sudden? Plus you were abroad, weren’t you? I think it’s against school rules to have… that kind of adult retionship isn’t it? Your parents were here at school today, weren’t they, along with Oshiro-’s. And my elder sister works in the office, and she heard…”

  I could feel my face cramping, and I was getting the urge to curl up into a ball and shut out all this… all this bother. Why ’t they just leave me alone a me be happy? Aiko looked like she was about to explode, but that wouldn’t help. Was I ashamed uilty for what I’ve done? No, never! And for him to insinuate I’ve done something wrong… I ’t let this pass. I promised to be braver.

  “Adult retions? Why not say what you mean?” I snapped, standing up suddenly, surprising everyone. As my seat scraped back along the floor, I gred at him. “After all, like Aiko said, we have to listen to you talking about your dirty books and games all the time, you’ve used the word plenty! So say it, go on, I dare you!”

  Arouhe girls in css were smiling or looking at me in shock. The pervert was wilting under my gaze, but seeing support from his partner-in-crime, he swallowed and spoke cruelly. “All right then. You did it with Oshiro-san, didn’t you, Mori-? You had sex with him. I hear you might even be pregnant! That’s filthy, and totally against school rules!”

  “Fuck you!” Aiko began to move towards him, ready to start a fight, but I stopped her with a gesture. If I back down here, then I’ll never ge. I’m a woman now, not a girl. Besides, hearing Akio’s name e from his mouth makes me ill.

  “See this, you dumb idiot? It’s. An. E. Ring. Stupid.” I punctuated every word with withering pt, using it to prop up my small reserves of ce. “How it be wrong for someone eo sleep with their partner? With parental sent it’s totally within the rules. My only regret is I ’t wear my real e ring at school, I miss looking at it, having to make do with this pin one. And if I’m pregnant, so what? I’m engaged, get it? It’s not like I’m doing anything immoral. I wasn’t ever going to go to uy anyway, so why worry about it? As soon as school is finished I’m moving to Tokyo, to be with Akio, and then we’ll be married. And stly, why should I care what you think? I ’t even remember your name, and looking at you turns my stomach.”

  Finishing my pointed rant I was breathless and dizzy, but it sure did feel good. I think I’ve grown up a bit. I think some of Shaeu and Aiko is rubbing off on me.

  For a moment everyone was in silence, befhing and cheers broke out, the girls g. As they praised me, the two perverts slinked back to their seats, mortified and humiliated, while the other boys were looking at me differently, not with the usual dark gazes of lust that I so hated, but perhaps… maybe even some respect?

  “Shit, Mori-san, that was one hell of a smackdown there.” one of the other boys said. His name escaped me, if I eve, but I smiled politely and nodded. “It retty cool. I guess it ges a girl, getting… well, you know.” He blushed, and I thought it a little endearing, surprising myself.

  “It does. It was a magical experience.” I couldn’t help but let out a damp sigh, face flushing. “But only if you love the other person, so don’t all be experimenting, okay.”

  “Oh my God, who would have thought little Ri-Ri would be lecturing us about sex?” Rika-san giggled, her new earrings shining on her ears, throwing off sparkles of green. “Still, you look super cute right now, even more than usual. Makes me jealous. What about you Ai-?”

  “Nah, I’m happy for my best friend and bro of course. Only downside was I was in the suite when it happened. And just listening to it scarred me for life. I might be ruined.”

  “Aiko! You ’t say that!” Now I was flushing from embarrassment again, not arousal.

  “Get a load of these pictures.” Aiko was saying, and everyone crowded around. “Although the ones of us in swimsuits are for my bro’s eyes only, as. Vegas was something else…”

  I somehow ended up swept along into the group, looking at pictures and talking until the teacher for our css came in. Afterwards, I still felt unfortable, but it was… well, better. I had talked to a lot of people I wasn’t fortable with, got angry with a boy, and more…

  I ge. Aiko too. As the teacher started the lesson, which luckily was English, I let my mind drift, not needing to pay attention. My ring glittered in the sun, just like my future was glittering now. Closing my eyes, I began to practice pulling iher and raisiher. That was a goal I could work towards, something tangible as proof of my growth…