Chapter 5:

A New Perspective

I Planted a Girlfriend


None of this can be real! This has to be some twisted joke or something. There’s absolutely no way that I’m the only one who saw the new girl create vines from nothing!

Crouched with his knees pressed against his chest and his back leaning against a toilet, is third year Fushigi Taro. The image of the new girl summoning forth vines to ensnare his upperclassmen Minato lingers in his mind. All the other students had been too focused on their own conversations to even notice. Fushigi was the exception however. He was the last person to leave the boy’s locker room, and upon doing so, he caught a glance of one of Sakura’s abilities in action, leading him to promptly walk back inside and hide in a vacant stall.

I gotta tell the club about this immediately! I thought she looked familiar, but the way that she summoned her vines confirms it! It is exactly the way the main antagonist of the original ‘Elemental Troopers’ series would! There is no doubt in my mind that she’s the princess of Dionaea! The warrior who is said to return every two thousand years to wreak havoc among humanity!

The series he is referring to just so happens to be the classic 1975 tokusatsu series about a group of ambitious teenagers with attitudes who are recruited to be heroes. The same series being the inspiration behind the school's tokusatsu club, which he formed when he was a first year. Fushigi has always had an infatuation with the series, believing that he could accomplish the same feats that the various trooper groups could. The tokusatsu club’s meetings usually consist of the same five members meeting up once a week to watch new episodes of the show. The group dedicates the first meeting of every month to reenacting scenes from it in cosplay, in hopes of building their followings on their respective social media pages.

Excitement overwhelms Fushigi, and his heart beats faster by the second. His hand trembles as he scrolls through the messages on his phone, in search of the club's group chat. Upon finding it, his cheerful smile quickly fades. A shockwave of energy ripples throughout the locker room, causing his phone to slip through his sweaty fingers, and fall into the toilet water.

Though he reaches down to grab it, he’s halted just before his hands are able to dip into the water. The sound of screaming permeates through the locker rooms' thick stone walls, sending chills through Fushigi’s core. “J-just what the hell is going on today!? Is there an earthquake!?” He questions, quickly snapping back to his feet.

“I’m starving! Won’t somebody just feed me already!” A loud booming voice akin to a demon crawling from the deepest depths of hell echoes throughout the field. The voice has a strange southern drawl to it, and with every word that it speaks, the locker room vibrates. The force proves to be enough to make Fushigi stumble forward, only managing to catch himself with the aid of the stall door. Whatever is responsible is nearby, and Fushigi is left with a dilemma. Should he attempt to run, or stay hidden and hope that the thing doesn’t find him.

Seconds turned to minutes, and those minutes felt like hours of two discordant voices going back and forth. All the while, Fushigi stood in front of the entrance, with his hand glued to the handle, petrified at the thought of what lies just behind it. Things seem to have calmed down… Maybe whatever it is left? Could just as easily be a trap, and being silent could be its way of attempting to lure out those in hiding. If I go out there, there’s a chance that I’ll die. But If I stay there’s no saying how long it’ll be until somebody comes to rescue me. If they even can… I have to just take the initiative if I want to survive. I have to do what the valiant trooper of potassium would do in this sort of situation and face my fear head on!

His sudden boost in confidence proves to be short-lived. Upon opening the door, the sight before him is enough to leave him speechless.

A soft pitter patter covers the field in rapid succession. Down from the sky, small green droplets of a thick viscous liquid fall. In the middle of the field surrounded by two massive heads of a Venus fly trap, and standing atop the decaying corpse of the beast, is the new girl, whose clothes are drenched in the same liquid. It’s her! What the hell is she still doing out here!? Our class ended an hour ago! And what the hell is that in her hand! He thinks to himself, watching as the plant-based blade retracts back into her skin. She doesn’t seem to notice his presence, and she looks to the sky, allowing a chance for the emerald rain to coat her face completely. D-did she kill that thing? This day couldn’t get any weirder... Should I say something to her...? Fushigi reluctantly extends his arm outward, prepared to call out to the girl, but is stopped the moment she opens her mouth. A wide toothy grin stretches across her face, the bright white piercing right through the green like a beacon in the night. “Fu-fu-fu.”

A soft chuckle comes from her which quickly shifts into a boisterous laugh.

“It’s been so long since I've encountered something like you, that I almost feel bad for ending things so fast. But not bad enough unfortunately. So tell me why I shouldn’t kill you where I stand, you sniveling piece of shit.” She says as she begins to laugh hysterically, clutching at her arm in an attempt to contain herself. Unbeknownst to Fushigi, she’s referring to the plant inside of the monster. Believing that she’s talking to him, sweat begins to accumulate on his brow. The mask of the perfect student that Sakura struggled to wear all day has finally slipped, and the warrior she has always been at heart finally has a chance to show itself.

I-is she talking about me!? This bitch is insane! I gotta get out of here while I still have the chance. One wrong move and I’ll be her next victim for sure!

Reaching his hand back, Fushigi attempts to grab the handle of the locker room's entrance. If I can make it back inside, I should be safe. He thinks to himself. Though he tries to gently open the door, it emits a loud creaking noise. His face goes pale with terror. The girl's laughter halts, and she turns her head to face the direction of the noise. Her smile fades, and she finally opens her eyes, her crimson pupils brimming with pure hatred. Fushigi, however, is nowhere to be seen, having already made a run for it the moment the door malfunctioned.

John Lee H. Wu
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Vforest
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Ochroleucous
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Parademero
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Rabat
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Xiellion
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Armorien
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Dracors
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Koyomi
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Bubbles
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WALKER
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