The Colorless Cage (2)

“Fight me.”

I was faced with this declaration of war the moment I stepped into the karate club’s dojo with Ichika.

Standing right in front of me was a girl that I could easily describe as a rabid chihuahua. Short hair, compact, and cute at times, but overall a literal demonspawn from hell. Nakamura Aoko was a girl of short stature and few words, but “small” wouldn’t be the right way to put it.

She was stockily built and her muscles were probably firm underneath her karate gi, not that I would ever have the pleasure of confirming that fact myself. I’d seen her on a daily basis for the past two weeks in class, but we’d never interacted.

It was surprising then, that she chose this very moment to do so, especially as she had never even given me so much as a passing glance.

I wasn’t sure what I’d done to earn her ire, but in truth, it didn’t matter. I was weak, she was strong.

That’s all there was to it.

“Why?”

Honestly, I didn’t really care why, but the best thing I could do right now was stall for time. The atmosphere of the room was still somewhat relaxed. Only a few of the club members had even noticed the tension that was slowly brewing in the room, and even fewer were actually paying attention.

I’d wager that Aoko tended to pick fights like these often, so to them, it must’ve just seemed like a normal day at the club.

However, I could assure you that this was not a normal day for me.

Instead of answering me, Aoko simply narrowed her eyes and stared straight into my eyes. They were dangerously slanted and possessed a color not unlike burnt mushrooms.

Why mushrooms?

Well, I’ve heard that fear makes you a little peckish, and I can tell you that the moment she took that step toward me, my fight-or-flight instincts were immediately kicked into high gear.

My gaze slid to Ichika, but the amused smile on her face told me that I’d find no help from her. So much for being her “knight.” Aren’t lords supposed to protect their vassals!?

There was only one option left for me now. Of course, I could choose to fight, but I knew how to pick my battles.

As much as I wanted to be stepped on by a cute tomboy, it was much more preferable to indulge in my fantasies in private instead of in the middle of a clubroom.

So I did the only thing I could.

I fucking ran.

I ran for my goddamn life. I ran like I was about to get castrated by a pair of rusty scissors. I ran like my hot girlfriend (nonexistent) just shot me a text saying that she was home alone.

And by god was I fast. Just not fast enough.

Even as I ran through the hallway, I could feel the futility of my struggle. The feeling of dread that hung above my neck like the sword of Damocles, the desperate pumping of my heart, and the sluggish movement of my too-slow legs.

If only I knew that I would be put through an ordeal like this, I might’ve tried just a little harder during my daily workout sessions.

Right now, I was dashing through the school’s east wing as fast as I could. My destination?

The front fucking door.

The only problem with that was where it was located.

I’m not sure what idiot architect designed this school, but whoever it was probably had a deep-seated fetish for piecewise functions way back when they were still studying mathematics.

The school was essentially three buildings mashed into one. It consisted of the east wing, the west wing, and the central building which connected the two wings. If the school was viewed from above, it would probably look like some sort of malformed “W.”

It wasn’t as if this was a grave error. Rather, it wasn’t. However, the issue stemmed from the building only possessing a single egress point located smack dab in the middle of the central building with the rest of the exits only leading to the fenced area behind the school.

Sure, it was aesthetically pleasing, but I was willing to bet this place was constructed without any regard for fire safety.

I mean, seriously! What kind of school only has one fucking exit?

Speaking of fire, I had finally mustered the courage to look behind me, only to be greeted by the sight of a furious Aoko hot on my heels. I was pretty sure she was going to catch up any moment, even as I turned this latest corner.

Normally, I would’ve been ecstatic to have a girl like her—well, any girl really—be chasing after me with such fervor, but the dangerous light in her eyes made me think twice. Still, I was honored.

The moment I rounded the bend, I could see sweet salvation beckoning toward me in the form of sunlight streaming through the beautiful glass double-doors that led outside.

But there, standing before me and paradise was something that just wasn’t possible. That’s right.

She was an impossibility after all.

How could she have known I would be here? How did she move faster than both of us to arrive here? She couldn’t have, right?

But there she was. Nakano Ichika stood just in front of those glass doors with that same self-satisfied smile she was wearing just a few moments earlier. It was infuriating, really.

It wasn’t her smile that angered me so, nor was it her passivity in light of the situation.

No.

It was something far more simple.

It was the god damn look in her eyes. While she stood there in front of those doors, with the light of the setting sun diffusing around her like a full-body halo, she wore a mask of utter calm.

It was an expression that could only be found on the faces of only the most arrogant of know-it-alls.

But before I could utter even a single word, I felt a tug on the back of my collar. At that moment, I knew it was all over. My life as an eunuch had begun.

“AAAAUGH!” I screamed as my back hit the hard wooden boards of the school floor. “Wait, wait! Mercy!”

But my pleas would not be heard. I could see the burning rage in Aoko’s eyes, and I knew that there would be no mercy on that day.

Perhaps I should’ve put more effort into figuring out why exactly she was so angry with me, but it was much too late.

Even as she mounted me, I couldn’t help but feel a little scaroused. It was a strange phenomenon, really. Here, I was being overpowered by a girl that was half my size and about to punch my face in, but all I could think of was how nice she smelled and how cute it was that she wore pink.

Then, she swung her fist and everything went dark.

Even as my consciousness slipped away from me, I still didn’t understand how the hell I ended up like this.