My heart nearly stopped.
The phone screen was less than a foot from my face.
And the photo.
The photo was me.
It was the one I'd posted after getting soaked in the rain.
For one full second my brain stopped working.
Huh?
Huh?
HUH?!
Did some creepy old man just discover me?
A thousand horrible thoughts shot through my head.
Creepy old man.
Stalker.
Obsessive fan.
Serial killer.
Premium subscriber.
I wasn't sure which one terrified me the most.
"Well?" the man asked.
I felt a bead of sweat run down my neck.
"N-No…"
"No?"
"That's not me."
A lie.
A shameless lie.
A lie so obvious even I felt insulted by it.
The man brought the phone closer.
"Are you sure?"
"Completely."
"It looks a lot like you."
"There are lots of girls with silver hair."
"Not that many."
Damn it.
He had a point.
The man narrowed his eyes.
"Even the voice sounds similar."
That made my soul temporarily leave my body.
The voice?
THE VOICE?
Had he watched my streams?
Had he recognized me?
Was my life over?
Should I flee the country?
Was there a witness protection program for failed dancers?
"I think you're confused," I said with a stiff smile.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"I'd swear it's you."
"It's not."
"Positive?"
"Absolutely positive."
Silence.
The man looked at the photo again.
Then at me.
Then the photo.
Then me.
My life expectancy dropped with every passing second.
Finally he sighed.
"Sorry."
I blinked.
"…Huh?"
"I think I had too much to drink."
It took my brain several seconds to process that.
"You were… confused?"
"Yeah."
He looked at the screen again.
"Now that I look closer, the girl in the photo has something different about her."
I went completely still.
Something different.
But it was literally me.
Then a blue message appeared in front of my eyes.
[Digital Camouflage activated.]
[Recognition successfully altered.]
…
…
…
I'm sorry, what?
That actually worked?
There's no point trying to make sense of this…
The man put his phone away.
"Sorry about that."
"D-Don't worry about it."
Inside I was celebrating.
I hadn't been caught.
Not this time.
But that also left an uncomfortable feeling.
It saved me this time.
What about next time?
And the time after that?
What if the camouflage failed someday?
I tried not to think about it.
The man kept talking about work.
About meetings.
About impossible clients.
About overtime.
And I kept pouring drinks and nodding until he finally decided to leave.
When I tallied up how much money he'd spent just during the time I was sitting there, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest.
"That's why depressed salarymen are the best clients."
I nearly leapt out of my seat.
Bibi had appeared behind me out of nowhere.
"Since when are you there?!"
"Since before you started breathing."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"Nothing in this club does."
Point to him.
Bibi patted my back.
"Good job."
"Really?"
"You did much better than I expected."
"Thanks."
"I was convinced you were going to start a fire."
…
"Was that a compliment?"
"Sort of."
Before I could respond he gently pushed me toward the exit.
"Go home."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that."
"I thought I'd keep working."
"No."
He pointed at me.
"You need sleep."
He was probably right.
The ride home felt like a dream.
Lights.
Empty streets.
Lit windows.
By the time I finally got to my apartment I could barely keep my eyes open.
I closed the door.
Dropped onto the bed.
And then I remembered everything that had happened.
The stage.
The music.
The crowd.
Reiko.
My face turned red instantly.
"No."
I covered my face with a pillow.
"I'm not thinking about that."
I thought about it for ten more minutes.
Then I fell asleep.
"AH!"
I bolted upright.
I checked the clock.
And nearly had a heart attack.
"I'M LATE!"
I ran around the apartment like a fugitive.
Shower.
Uniform.
Hair.
Bag.
Breakfast.
A lie.
There was no breakfast.
I ran out the door.
Later.
Much later.
I was finally sitting in the library next to Mei.
Trying to study.
Trying.
Because my brain was still stuck in paranoia mode.
What if someone from school recognized me?
If a teacher finds out I do that stuff in such indecent clothes I'm definitely getting expelled…
"I'm surprised how good you look in it."
I froze.
I felt my soul leave my body again.
"W-What?"
Mei looked up from her book.
"Hm?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your clothes."
…
…
…
My brain immediately ran through the worst possible scenario.
Clothes.
Last night.
Club.
Disaster.
Social death.
Expulsion.
Funeral.
"My clothes?" I asked.
"Yes."
Mei smiled.
"Your new uniform. Ever since you changed it, you've been getting looks every day."
She said it gesturing toward a guy at another table who wasn't even trying to be subtle.
It took me several seconds to react.
"Ah."
Uniform.
Right.
Uniform.
Not lingerie.
Uniform.
Perfect.
Normal.
Mei watched me, concerned.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes."
"You seem nervous."
"I'm completely fine."
A lie.
I was about thirty seconds away from my hair starting to fall out from anxiety.
A while later Mei closed her notebook.
"By the way."
"Hm?"
"Are you really sure about the play?"
The play.
Right.
The play existed.
With everything going on with the club I'd completely forgotten.
Mei blushed slightly.
"The final scene."
Oh.
THAT.
My brain immediately decided to remind me of every single detail.
It didn't help.
None of that helped.
"I already told everyone I'm fine with it, you don't need to worry."
I really wasn't, but I wasn't going to back out now.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"You don't have to force yourself."
"I'm not forcing myself."
Okay.
Maybe a little.
But I wasn't going to make the whole club change the play because of me.
Mei smiled softly.
"I see."
For some reason my eyes drifted down to her lips.
They looked really soft.
With a pink shine.
I could feel the heat climbing into my cheeks more and more.
"Aika-san."
"Huh?"
"You're looking at me weird."
I patted my cheeks twice.
"I'm fine!"
"That's exactly what someone who isn't fine would say."
Damn it.
After several minutes of trying to focus, I finally let out a sigh.
"I need to clear my head."
"Hm?"
"In moments like this it would be great to go to an arcade."
Mei tilted her head.
"Arcade?"
I blinked.
"You've never been to one?"
"No."
I just stared.
"Never?"
"Never."
"Not even once?"
"No."
I felt like I'd just discovered a new species.
"Then what do you do for fun?"
Mei hesitated.
And then looked away.
"Not much."
Her smile got smaller.
"My parents prefer that I focus on studying."
Ah.
I understood now.
I felt a small pang of sadness.
Because I recognized that expression.
The expression of someone watching their youth pass by through a window.
I stood up suddenly.
"What if we go together?"
Mei jumped slightly.
"Huh?"
"Let's go to the arcade."
"Now?"
"Now."
"I can't."
"Yes you can."
"I shouldn't."
"That's exactly why you should."
"Aika-san…"
"Come on."
Mei tried to resist.
It lasted about thirty seconds.
In the end she stood up.
Still nervous.
Still hesitant.
But smiling a little.
And for some reason that small smile made me smile too.
Maybe because, for the first time in a long while, it felt normal.
Just two girls.
After class.
Going out to have fun.
Like ordinary teenagers.
Something neither Ren nor Aika had really gotten to have.
I hadn't had time to think much about it since becoming Aika.
But…
What's so wrong with wanting to be a normal girl?