Kaiju for a Day

I stifled a yawn, slumped over my desk at school. Little Shit had woken me up at dawn, screeching about his empty melon bread stash. 

So there I was at 6 AM, trudging to Law-Soon in my kaiju costume because someone's stomach couldn't survive another hour. The cashier - a new guy - didn't even blink at my bedhead or the freeloader perched on my shoulder.

As I sat there zoning out, my thoughts drifted back to yesterday's gaming session with Haruka. I'd crushed him round after round, but something felt off about those matches. Either my cousin seriously sucked at games, or he was letting me win. Probably the latter, because he had that same grin Dad wore whenever he deliberately lost to make me happy.

The real drama came after when Sae confirmed Haruka's findings about that weird crystal. I'd never seen Balloon Lady so wound up.

"What's the point of all this secrecy?" She'd muttered, pacing Haruka's room.

That's when Haruka chimed in with his idea of helping: suggesting they talk it over dinner, of course.

I caught Sae's eye twitch a split second before she smacked him with a folder. At least it snapped her out of crisis mode.

Anyway, a couple weeks had passed since our trip to Haruka's place, and now we were at the end of May. The crystals remained a mystery. Sae hadn't mentioned them again, and I wasn't about to ask. My brain had more pressing concerns, like the upcoming midterms that threatened to crush my Tokyo dreams if I didn't get those straight A's Gran Gran demanded.

I rolled my head just enough to peek into my bag, where Little Shit snored away after his morning melon bread binge. The classroom was empty except for us early arrivals: me because of Little Shit's hunger pangs, and-

"Nya-hello!"

The door slammed open. I didn't even need to look up to picture Kurumi's cat-like grin.

This was becoming a pattern. Kurumi, the girl who used to show up late because she got distracted by a cute cat, had been showing up earlier than Toukawa-san.

I knew exactly why or rather, who. My eyes drifted to Sae, who sat at her desk reviewing reports.

Should I tell her about Sae's promised date with Haruka? The thought of being caught between my cousin's perversion and Kurumi's crushed dreams made my stomach turn. Besides, who knew if Sae would even follow through? She seemed more likely to feed Haruka to a kaiju than go to dinner with him.

I watched Kurumi lean over Sae's desk, her whole face lighting up as Sae offered a rare smile. Yeah, no. Someone else can be the bearer of bad news.

"Hey Sae-chan, did you hear about the new containment zone? The one that popped up near the school?"

"I haven't received any reports about a new zone. Unless it houses a Grade A or B threat, they don't always notify us immediately."

"Sooo it should be safe to check out, right?"

"I wouldn't recommend it. There's a reason these areas are fenced off"

Kurumi twirled around to face me, her eyes wide with mock innocence. "Ryū-chan~"

"No."

"But Ryū-chan," she whined, dragging out my name like it might change my mind "if you don't find out what's inside, it'll haunt you until the end of the world!

"I absolutely want to die wondering about the containment zone rather than die investigating it."

"Fine, I'll go myself!" Kurumi huffed, storming out the door.

I stood up, my chair scraping against the floor. My eyes darted to Sae, hoping she'd want to follow Kurumi too. But no, she just kept flipping through her reports, Rhino bobbing lazily beside her in balloon form.

I slumped back into my chair. If Sae wasn't worried, maybe I was overreacting? Kurumi might be a walking disaster in the kitchen, but she could usually manage on her own (mostly).

Not that I had the energy to chase after her anyway. I'd been running on fumes since Little Shit's hunger fit. A nap sounded a lot more doable than a rescue mission right now. 

I crossed my arms on my desk, using them as a makeshift pillow. Little Shit curled up tighter in my bag, his tiny snores syncing with mine as I drifted off. Just fifteen minutes. That's all I need...

***

I blinked.

Trees. Endless trees stretched toward a too clear sky. Sunlight filtered through leaves that definitely weren't there a second ago.

I blinked again.

Still trees.

I raised my hand to rub my tired eyes, but froze mid-motion. Instead of my normal human fingers, I saw three massive claws. Each claw had two whips dangling from it, swaying gently in the breeze.

"What the-" I tried to say, but what came out was a high-pitched chirp that sounded exactly like Rhino.

I looked down at my body. Bulky, covered in rock-like scales in earthy browns and reds. My legs were like tree trunks, supporting a frame that felt heavier than I was used to. When I reached up to touch my head, I felt a sharp, zigzagging crest.

This was it. Had I finally cracked from all the kaiju nonsense? First Little Shit, then the Furnace Kaiju moving in, and now my brain had decided I needed to experience life as Rhino. At this rate, I'd be lucky if Gran Gran didn't ship me off to therapy before I could move to Tokyo.

Whatever. If my subconscious wanted to play "Let's be a kaiju for a day," I'd roll with it. The sooner I play along, the sooner I could wake up and-

The sound of gunfire ripped through the air, followed by screeches that made my body's scales rattle. Through the canopy of trees, I caught glimpses of something falling - no, plummeting - from the sky. A plane, minus one wing and trailing flames, was heading straight for the forest.

Maybe if I investigated, the dream would progress and I could wake up sooner? Back to my normal body, my normal problems.

Moving in Rhino's body was strange, but not entirely unfamiliar. After months of wearing that sweaty costume, I'd gotten used to waddling around in a bulky suit. The difference was the sheer weight. Every step I took sent tremors through the ground, like miniature earthquakes rippling through the forest.

Up ahead, smoke curled through gaps in the canopy, thick and black against the sky. The closer I got, the stronger the acrid smell became. Pieces of twisted metal littered the forest floor, creating an eerie trail leading to the crash site.

The plane lay split in two, smoke pouring from the engines. The whole scene reminded me of those disaster movies Dad used to watch, except the special effects budget here was way better. The smell of burning fuel and scorched metal filled my nostrils, making me wish Rhino's sense of smell wasn't so sharp.

"Hello?" I tried calling out, but only managed another high-pitched chirp. Right. Rhino vocals.

I peered into the wreckage through a torn-open section of the hull. Something shifted inside, just enough to draw my eyes to the pilot's seat.

Someone was slumped forward, still strapped in. That long ponytail and pressed uniform - even covered in soot and blood, there was no mistaking who it was.

Sae.