So here's the new chapter. In the last one we had a day wherein people were still coming to terms with whatever happened the day prior. In this one, two days have passed and Shinka is returning to school. Consider this to be where the real story begins.

Enjoy if you can. If you can't, I apologize.

CHUUNIBYOU

Shinka's room was lit with dim orange diffuse from the light filtering through her curtains. It was early enough in the morning that the sun wasn't up yet but late enough that it wasn't pitch black anymore. Shinka had woken up significantly earlier than she needed to be, all due to the fact that all she had been doing for the past two days was sleeping.

On her bed was her uniform, neatly folded and ready to be put on. She hadn't worn them since the accident. She glanced at the clothes and sighed. "I better get ready," she muttered.

She changed in silence, contemplating the past two days she spent in bed. She thought of the amount of time she wasted sitting around just because she failed to dodge a sand bag - one she had been hit with countless of times. Why did that hit in particular be the one to cause her this much trouble? She didn't understand. It was just so frustrating.

She sighed again. "Nothing to get so worked up over," she muttered to herself. "Just... just forget it."

Upon buttoning her cardigan, she picked up her bag and exited her room. She reached the front door, put on her shoes, and made way for school without another word.

CHUUNIBYOU

Upon entering her classroom, Shinka went and sat at her desk, readying her notebooks and putting away her bag. Her seatmates scooted their chairs nearer and began conversation with her. The usual questioning followed soon after - "how do you feel?", "are you caught up on homework?" and all those kinds of questions. Nothing too extravagant. The return of Shinka Nibutani was quiet and understated which was exactly the way she wanted.

However, her peace of mind lasted roughly three minutes as a new arrival suddenly called out to her.

"Nibutani!"

Shinka flinched and turned around. One Rikka Takanashi had just entered from the back door. Her single eye was staring intently, mouth quivering in what looked to be the beginnings of a smile. She dropped her bag, and ran for Shinka, embracing her tightly. It was more of a tackle, really.

"Ack!" Shinka yelped upon impact. She smiled wryly. "Settle down, Takanashi. That hurt." She squirmed out of the hug and held Rikka by the shoulders.

Rikka swatted Shinka's hands away and once again hugged her, though not quite as tightly. "Your presence was greatly missed," she said, face buried into Shinka's shoulder. "It's good to have you back."

Shinka stared at the girl embracing her, noting how earnest she was about her return. It was so endearing. She couldn't help but smile. "And it's good to be back," she muttered, returning the hug.

From the corner of her eye, Shinka noticed Yuuta standing close by. When their eyes met, he mouthed a question. "Are you okay?" he asked. Shinka paused and thought before replying with a slight frown and a single unsure nod. Yuuta nodded back and gave a small salute. He returned his seat shortly after.

Rikka eventually let go and made her way to her desk. Shinka noticed that her bag that she dropped was already on the table. Yuuta must have picked it up and put it there. Shinka turned her attention back to Yuuta who was readying his books. She smiled proudly before returning to her own books.

Class started a few minutes later.

CHUUNIBYOU

Shinka stood in front of the club room, hand hovering over the door handle.

I wonder if Dekomori is in there. What is she doing...? She thought. Then she scowled. I don't wanna go in. I'm not mad at her anymore for what she did but I don't want to go in there and accept whatever kind of apology she wants to give me. But I don't want to hurt her by not accepting... She bit her lip. Me opening that door... nothing good will come out of it...

"Hey."

A voice from the end of the hall jolted Shinka from her daze. Speak of the devil, she thought, turning to face the sound of approaching footsteps. "H-hey, Dekomori," she greeted stiffly. She then glanced at the door. "I thought you were already in there," she muttered.

Sanae shifted her weight awkwardly and searched her pockets. A few seconds later, she held up a key. "The room's still locked," she explained.

Upon hearing that Shinka tried opening the door. There was small click as the door resisted her push. She reddened in response. I was hesitating in front of a locked door this entire time...

She gingerly removed her hand from the door handle. "Right," she said, stepping to the side to let Sanae open the door.

There was a somber emptiness in the air around them as they sat the table. Even the soft opening of their lunch boxes seemed to echo. With only the two of them, it was uncomfortably silent.

"Where is master and her lover?" Sanae asked. She barely looked up from her meal as she asked that.

Shinka bit her lip. They left the classroom before I did so I assumed they went here. I don't really know where else they'd be...

"They're eating somewhere else. They didn't tell me where..."

"Oh," Sanae said, nodded. "Okay."

They continued eating in silence.

Shinka chewed thoughtfully. What the hell's going on we the two of us today? she wondered. Are we seriously just going to skirt around the entire issue? We're both here now. We should at least address the elephant in the room. She closed her eyes. I say that, and yet I was reviewing the option to run away mere minutes ago. I guess both us have the doubts about how this will turn out... She stared at the single piece of rice sticking to her chopsticks, silently cursing their inability to just talk about the matter.

"I'm sorry about what happened three days ago..." Sanae finally said, breaking the silence.

Shinka felt a brief feeling of relief when the younger girl decided that she'd be the one to initiate. That feeling quickly turned into an awkward tension as she hesitated to answer. "It's... Yeah, I know..." She looked away, unsure of what else to say.

From the edges of her vision, she could see Sanae lower her head. "Are you still mad...?" Sanae asked, sounding uncharacteristically timid.

Shinka scowled. That was the crux of the matter, really. Was she still mad? She at least knew she hadn't let go yet. The pain in her head and the forced confinement was something she couldn't forget so easily. In time, maybe. But not now. And yet, as bitter as she felt about her entire situation, the thought of staying mad at Sanae just didn't sit right with Shinka. So what should she say...?

"Maybe," she answered.

That was the only thing she could think of. None of what she felt made any sense. She couldn't quite put into words what her feelings on the matter were - not in a way that satisfied her, anyway. And if it didn't satisfy her, then surely it wouldn't satisfy Sanae either... right?

She looked back to Sanae, wondering what the chuuni thought of her answer. Said chuuni looked deep in thought, nodding slowly. A slow trickle of guilt welled up inside Shinka as she watched. This is a no-win situation, she thought to herself. Even if I lied, I'd still feel guilty. The reasons would just be different...

Shinka was reluctantly returning to her meal when Sanae suddenly spoke. "What can I do?" she asked. Shinka looked back at her and found her staring seriously, eyes just at the edge of tearing up. "What can I do to make it up to you? I'll do whatever you want."

Her face, her eyes, her voice - everything about how she said those words suggested that Sanae was absolutely serious about it. She would do literally whatever Shinka wanted. Part of Shinka felt elated. The little devil who was opposing her at nearly every turn was no indebted to her. It was great! And yet, what did that entail? Sanae's fate was in her hands now. What was she going to do with it? What was she willing to do to her before she was satisfied? The implications were, quite frankly, terrifying.

"Mori Summer," Shinka suddenly said. An idea was forming. She just had to roll with it. "Stop calling me Mori Summer. That person's gone now. Me right now? I'm not her and have never tried to be her. So stop trying to bring her back through me." Realizing what she was saying, Shinka felt a surge of confidence. "I'm not her fake. I'm not her copy. I'm just me. And I think it's time you start seeing me as me."

Sanae stared at her, looking a little shaken. Shinka, on the other hand, felt great. It felt incredibly liberating, affirming herself to the very person who made her question her life nearly every single day for the past year. Shinka Nibutani was Mori Summer. But Mori Summer isn't Shinka Nibutani. They were the same person and yet distinct entities, separated by time. And as that separation grew larger and larger, less and less Mori Summer could be found in Shinka Nibutani. And the very thought was exhilarating.

"Okay," Sanae suddenly said, snapping Shinka out of her self congratulatory mental loop. "Okay, I'll do it."

Shinka frowned. Sanae looked like she wanted to cry, barely keeping a straight face. Why was she so upset? It was such as simple request. Just call her by her real name. What was so upsetting about that? It didn't make sense. And yet, there she was, holding back her tears trying to save face.

Shinka felt a pang of guilt. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing." Sanae started packing up, not even finished with her meal.

"What you're already done? Dekomori, what's going on, you're freaking me out."

She got up and left without another word

Shinka watched as the door slid behind her, unsure about what she should say. By then, it was already too late.

She turned back to her food, once again staring at a piece of rice still stuck on her chopstick. She leaned forward, resting her chin on her palms, shoulders slumped and elbows on the table. "I've lost my appetite," she muttered.

CHUUNIBYOU

Yuuta and Rikka stood in front of the door to the club room. They had planned to let the two work things out on their own before entering. It was Yuuta's idea, actually. Rikka wanted to play as arbiter for them but Yuuta insisted otherwise. He was starting to regret that decision. Sanae had just passed them, not saying a word as she did so. If she noticed them, she didn't look like she cared. Shinka, on the other hand was still inside the club room, not even saying anything.

"I still don't understand why Dekomori is so upset," Yuuta muttered. "What was the big deal? Nibutani just wanted to be called her real name."

Rikka looked grim as she closed her eyes. "Names have power," she said cryptically. "I shall confront the Mjolnir Hammer," she announced. "Do not follow me."

Yuuta turned to Rikka only to find that she was already bounding across the hall in the direction of the stairs. "Don't run in the halls! You might get hurt!" She turned the corner and was no longer in view, leaving Yuuta with only the echo of his voice.

He turned towards the door frowning. "Hey, can I come in?" he asked.

"Yeah," came Shinka's reply shortly after.

Yuuta sighed and entered the room.

CHUUNIBYOU

So how was it?

Personally, I think it could use some work. I think the scenes at the start with Shinka in her room and the classroom were a little dull. I was trying to get a somber atmosphere going though I'm not quite sure if I nailed it. Either way, not entirely satisfied with it. The scene at the end didn't quite come out the way I expected it to either. It feels a bit stiff.

Regardless, those sections weren't really the point of this chapter. They were more of a means to bridge the rest of the story with one particular scene. Yes, it's that scene.

Shinka and Sanae's little encounter in this chapter is what this story's title is referring to, at least for now. Call it an unequal trade if you wish, but it's fairly believable that things would turn out like this given the context. In any case, from here on, this story will be exploring what Shinka's decision will entail for herself those around her. I have a couple of ideas and concepts that should prove to be interesting to tackle in the shoes of some delusional teenagers - especially Shinka.

Also, for anyone wondering, yes, this will be a DekoSummer fic. Be ready for some angst and drama in the near future.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Hopefully I finish the next chapter soon. Just sit tight until then.