That’s Not How You Treat A Girl

As summer’s heat subsided, fall arrived, unveiling its vibrant tapestry upon the world. Painting the landscape in hues of gold, amber, and ruby, fall acted as a transition between summer’s scorching heat and winter’s cold embrace. Trees, transformed into a riot of crisp colours, created breathtaking visuals for the human eye to admire. Leaves gently danced their slow descent, exemplifying the season’s natural beauty. This was a time when people would take leisurely strolls and take in the picturesque scenes.

The new season also indicated the start of a new school semester. Still high from their summer endeavours, students would groan and moan about returning to school, especially since the exam season was coming closer and closer. Fall almost meant there were new opportunities. For Sensei, she had been eagerly waiting for a response from a school she had recently interviewed for the entire week. Her body was slightly tense; she arched forward as if unconsciously drawn towards the phone. Haruno-sensei and I would watch as Sensei repeatedly glanced at her phone to make sure she didn’t miss a call. Even if we tried to convince her that she didn’t need to be so uneasy and alert, she would continually look at the clock like her life was coming to an end. To her, this call was important as it determined her future in her career. The end of the day arrived, and her phone didn’t ring once. In an attempt to ease her anxiety, Haurmo-sensei and I assured her that she would get the call.

The next day, Karou had been acting weird, so I approached her. She revealed that the boy who had been hitting on her recently had asked her to meet him behind school during lunch.

“Is this the same guy we had to hide from when we were shopping once?”

“Yes.”

“And he’s still bothering you?”

“He’s persistent; I’ll give him that.”

“So, what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. It’s not like I’m particularly interested in this guy.”

“Then just tell him you don’t like him.”

“I can’t be that blatant! But you’re right. I should just be truthful with him. Can you come with me?”

“Why should I?”

“To support me.”

“But you’re the one he’s asking out. I shouldn’t be there for that moment.”

“But what if something bad happens?”

“Nothing bad will happen, so stop worrying.”

At lunch, Karou went behind the school to meet with her admirer. Despite stating I wouldn’t come with her, I decided to follow her and spy on them from the bushes. Yoshi also decided to accompany me. I knew that we shouldn’t be intruding on their private moment—I was the one who even said that I shouldn’t—but seeing Karou so paranoid about meeting up with this guy made me concerned for her safety. We watched as the boy pinned her to the wall and looked down at her with suggestive eyes.

“So, would you like to go out with me?” The boy said

“Sorry, but…”

“But?”

“Sorry, but I can’t go out with you. I don’t feel that way about you.”

“Huh? Why?”

“I just—I don’t think we would work together.”

“What is that supposed to mean? Am I not good enough for you?”

“No. That’s not it.”

“Then what is it? Answer me!”

The boy pushed her to the ground. Being forceful was an already instant red flag, but shouting and pushing her was enough to make me take action. Before he could do any more damage, I charged in and shoved him away. He was much taller than me, but that didn’t intimidate me.

“Who the hell are you!?”

Before he could try to attack me, Yoshi placed himself between us. “Is that how you treat girls? You just corner them and then harass them?”

“This isn’t any of your business!”

“It became my business when you attacked my friend.”

We stood our ground, ready to fight back if our rival provoked me. Luckily, he made the right decision and left without a word. I checked on Karou, who was holding onto her scrapped knee.

“Karou, are you okay?”

“Y-yes.”

“I’ll take you to the nurse’s office.” Yoshi and I carefully helped her up.

Sensei was still staring at her phone when we entered the nurse’s office.

“Kurosawa, Nishida-san, Muto-san. What happened?”

After explaining what happened, Sensei patched up her wound.

“I’ll inform the school about what happened. That boy will be punished.”

“Thank you, Sensei.”

“What was that guy thinking? I’ll make sure he never comes close to you again.”

“Thank you, Yoshi-kun.”

“Do you feel better now?”

“Yes. Thank you, Sozen. You both saved me, but you were the first to stand up for me.”

“Of course. I would never let any harm come to you.”

The sudden ring of a phone caught our attention. Sensei picked up her phone and looked at the number. It was the school she interviewed for. She answered it. We listened as she received her results. Once it ended, she slowly placed her phone down on the table, her face consumed by disappointment.

“Sensei?”

“I didn’t get it.”