Chapter 3

Sitting in the student council office, he looked at Yuna as they ate.

"I'm so thankful that you agreed to be my new vice president, Inoue. You're a lifesaver."

Swallowing, he nodded while looking over some of the paperwork he had agreed to help her with.

"Hikaru won't like it that I'm here with you."

Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms at the mention of the name.

"I don't care what that meat head says. I don't belong to him, you know. I dated him for two weeks and that jerk thinks he owns me or something. Don't worry about him, Inoue. You and me are a team and I'll be dammed if I let him come between us."

She looked at him and reached across the table to pat his arm.

"We're a team now, remember? You and me. Just like we used to be back when we were kids."

He shivered slightly as memories of his childhood flooded his mind as the end of lunch bell rang.

"Aw, lunch is over already? I was hoping we had a bit more time. I guess we better head back to class."

Following her lead, he packed up his bento and grabbed his bag before following her.

After the final bell, he grabbed his bag and quickly made his way to his shoe locker.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, Inoue!"

Yuna called after him, waving as he speed walked down the hall.

Changing his shoes, he turned and slammed into someone which caused him to stumble backward into the shoe lockers.

"Well well. Where do you think you're going in such a rush?"

Hearing the voice, he looked up to see a tall boy with spiked blonde hair, his uniform carelessly opened with a cocky smirk.

"Heard from Kiara that you were with Yuna in the student council office at lunch today. Now what would a gloomy, otaku freak like you be doing with my Yuna?"

Hearing him speak, other students crowded around as he laughed and kicked Inoue in the side.

"You've been hanging around way too close. You really need to stop being so clingy with her. It's pathetic. But I guess pathetic is just your style huh?"

He asked, grabbing Inoue by the hair and pulling him to his feet before punching him in the stomach.

"Man, you're parents should've just offed you instead of letting you live. Would've done the rest of us a favor, right girls?"

As he continued to punch Inoue, two girls with expensive jewelry and spoiled attitudes walked up behind him
One with pink hair and the other with light blue colored hair. They shadowed him on either side with twisted smiles as they watched the one sided beatdown.

"You're so strong Hikaru. Look at him, crying like he's an actual person that can feel. What a weirdo, right Megumin?"

The pink haired girl laughed and nodded at what Kohaku, the blue haired girl had said.

"Weird and gross, Kohaku. I mean, look at his hair and he smells like he hasn't showered in weeks. Yuna should have let you jump off the roof a few months ago when you were going to. This school would be better off without you."

Hearing their words, tears started forming in his eyes as Hikaru slammed his head into the shoe lockers.

"Come on, say something, freak! Say that you're sorry for continuing to live. Appologize for us having to look at your face every day. Say it! Say that you should kill yourself!"

Opening his mouth to speak, Inoue was stopped when Yuna pushed her way through the crowd, seeing Inoue shaking and on the verge of a panic attack and Hikaru with his fist ready to punch again with Kohaku and Megumin laughing.

A look of pure rage covered her face as she walked up and pushed Hikaru back, helping Inoue to his feet.

"What the hell are you three doing!?! This is completely unacceptable. Inoue has done nothing to you. I'll make sure that the principal hears about this. You disgust me, Hikaru. I can't believe I ever dated a monster like you. And you two. You should both be ashamed of what you said to an innocent person. Come on, Inoue. I'll walk you home."

She glared at them while keeping her arms around Inoue to steady him as she lead him out of the school.

Reaching his appartment building, Yuna rubbed his back.

"Are you sure you'll be ok? I can stay a bit if you want."

Shaking his head, Inoue made his way toward the stairs.

"I'm ok."

Hearing his simple reply, she took one step forward before seeing Miss. Tanaka standing outside her appartment, waiting for Inoue and waving at her.

Waving back, Yuna glanced at him one more time as he walked toward Miss. Tanaka.

"I'll see you tomorrow, ok Inoue? I'll meet you by the station!"

After seeing his nod and watching him enter Miss. Tanaka's appartment, she walked away, glancing back once more before pulling out her cell phone, grumbling about Hikaru, Kohaku and Megumin's unacceptable actions.

Entering his apartment after eating and spending some time with Miss. Tanaka, he dropped his bag and flopped onto his bed face first as the sun set, bathing his room in an orange glow.

Glancing at his computer screen, he sighed when we saw his character on the character select screen in an idle animation which involved his character interactingwith Philomena, his in game, NPC wife.

"Life sucks. Maybe I should have jumped back then... The only person that loves me isn't even real. I really am a pathetic loser. Even Miss. Tanaka and Yuna probably only pity me. It would be better if I never woke up again."

Staring at the screen, he mumbled to himself, his self loathing filling him with even more dread about the next day then he already had.

Burying his head in his pillow, he hugged it tightly and sighed, shaking slightly as he replayed the situation with Hikaru, Megumin and Kohaku inis head.

As he slowly felt himself dozing off, he glanced one more time at the computer screen when he saw a strange movement.

Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he turned back to be more comfortable but out of the corner of his eye as he finally fell asleep, he swore he saw Philomena walk past his character and toward the screen.