No, This Isn't a Recap Chapter

I buried my face deeper into my arms, hoping the cool surface of my desk would ease the throbbing in my head.

"Nya-he- You okay there?" Kurumi's voice had drifted from somewhere above me.

I grunted, not bothering to lift my head. My thoughts churned as memories of yesterday's trip resurfaced. The twins had grumbled their disappointment when we told them we couldn't stay longer. It was sad seeing their bioluminescence fade into a muted blue as we waved them goodbye.

Meanwhile the car ride home had been its own comedy show. Kurumi had kept Toukawa-san at arm's length, like she was handling radioactive waste.

"Don't you dare throw up on me!"

"So this is what'll get you to stop hugging me," Toukawa-san had quipped between dry heaves.

…

I turned my head on the desk to peek at Little Shit, who was busy trying to balance a pencil on his nose. The pencil had clattered to the floor for the fifth time, but he'd picked it up again with determined squeaks.

As I watched him, a beam of afternoon sunlight hit my face, making my head throb again. With a low groan, I buried my face back in my arms.

…

Gran Gran had cornered us at dinner that night, demanding details about our "field study."

"So how did the field study go? Did you learn lots about... what was it again?"

"Marine biology," Sae had replied with a completely straight face.

"Ah yes, marine biology! Did you see many fish?"

"Yeah," I had mumbled into my rice. "Giant ones. With tentacles."

"Tentacles? Like squid? Perfect for hotpot! Next time, bring some back-"

Somewhere in the middle of Gran Gran's interrogation, I managed to slip away with the home phone, my thumb hovering over the keypad. After everything that happened today, I just wanted to hear his voice.

But what would I even tell him?

"Hey Dad, remember the Inky Inferno? It's still there! We should ride it again sometime. Except now it's got two giant octopi living on it. But it's okay! They're friendly."

Yeah, that'd go over well. He'd drop everything, hop on the first flight back, emergency travel restrictions be damned. Then he'd lose his job, and things would get even worse for us.

But maybe... just maybe, I could do better than a phone call. Once @LittlePoopOfficial really took off, I could surprise Dad with a first-class ticket home.

I pressed the phone against my chest, imagining the moment I could finally surprise him.

"Ryūka! Stop hugging phone!" Gran Gran's voice had sliced through my daydream. "The government could be listening! They put tiny microphones in everything these days. That's how they know when to send monsters!"

Gran Gran's usual nagging was grating, sure. But it wasn't what had me rattled.

This morning's commute had been another kind of hell.

Every other block, randos had materialized from nowhere like NPCs in a badly programmed game. This was definitely when Toukawa-san had worn our school uniform to Seven Flags. The internet, being the cesspool of stalkers it is, had probably taken all of ten minutes to figure out we go to Ikuka High just from that alone.

At one point, some guy with a professional camera had tailed us for three blocks. Well, until Sae had fixed him with a look that explains why the military had picked her to monitor me. He practically tripped over his over himself trying to get away.

Little Shit had squeaked proudly from his perch on my head, like he was taking credit for scaring away the creepy guy.

…

I lifted my head, rubbing my temples. What is it that people say nowadays? Don't dwell on the past? Focus on the future? How was I supposed to focus on getting straight A's when everything around me kept getting weirder? Tokyo felt farther away than ever, buried under an avalanche of kaiju and end-of-the-world chaos.

The thought made my temples throb harder. Ok, stop, Ryūka stop. Shut down all higher brain functions until class starts…

…

…

…

Since that day, you're probably expecting something exciting to have happened. Like maybe Little Shit unlocked some epic new supervolcanic power, or Gran Gran turned another kaiju into her personal slave, or Sae casually revealed she could turn into a kaiju herself.

But nah. Life just... kept going.

I mean, sure, there were the usual shenanigans. Kurumi kept trying to dress Little Shit in increasingly ridiculous outfits for @LittlePoopOfficial. The poor kaiju spent three days squeaking in protest after she squeezed him into a mini tuxedo. Though I have to admit, the top hat was kind of cute.

Toukawa-san kept bringing language learning books to school. Gran Gran had started cooking everything on the Furnace Kaiju now. It's free gas, so why not take advantage of it? And Sae... well, Sae just kept being Sae, as usual.

The most exciting thing was probably @LittlePoopOfficial hitting 250k followers. Kurumi insisted on celebrating with a cake, which she tried to bake herself. Key word: tried. We ended up ordering one after the fire department left.

But other than that? Pretty normal. Well, as normal as life can be when you're babysitting a baby kaiju and trying to get straight A's while the world might be ending.

Then this morning, Kurumi bounced over to my desk with that look in her eyes. You know the one - the "I'm about to drag you into something troublesome" look.

"Hey hey, Ryū-chan! Are you going to Shibue's Yozakura?"

I opened my mouth to answer, then closed it as Gran Gran's voice echoed in my head:

"Night viewing? NIGHT? You want go out at NIGHT? When all monsters come out? When bad men prowl streets? When government releases mind control gas?"

I could already feel the phantom pain from her wooden spoon.

"Pass." I waved my hand dismissively at Kurumi.

"Ehhhh? Come on, this'll be the last Yozakura. Like ever!" Kurumi flopped onto my desk, nearly squishing Little Shit who squeaked and scurried onto my shoulder. "Plus think of all the great content we could get for @LittlePoopOfficial!"

"Gran Gran would kill me. Like, you'll never find my body."

"Your grandma's not that scary-" Kurumi caught my deadpan stare and backtracked. "Okay, maybe she is. Buuut it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience!"

"Everything's a once-in-a-lifetime experience these days," I muttered, thinking of the Twins at Seven Flags. "Besides, festivals mean crowds. Crowds mean people recognizing Little Shit. People recognizing Little Shit means-"

"Ok, ok, I get it." Kurumi straightened up with an exaggerated pout. "But if you change your mind, I'll be there with Toukawa-san! We're meeting at the shrine entrance at five!"

I watched her bounce back to her desk, already chattering excitedly to Toukawa-san about what yukata to wear.

A festival, huh? The last one I went to was with Dad years ago.

Maybe I could sneak out after Gran Gran went to bed. Just for a little while.