"Welcome, Haru-kun." When I opened my eyes, the familiar surroundings that were reminiscent of my classroom was in front of me. I wasn't in it, I was merely floating in a black abyss that seemed to hold me in place.

I opened my mouth to ask her where we were, only for nothing to come out.

I couldn't speak.

"I would like to say to take your shoes off when coming in here, but I think we both know that you can't do that. Since the average human body cannot take the pressure of a space like this, I had to make sure that you won't be able to do anything for you to survive. You might think of this as a chamber of some sort." I was more than confused as to what she meant by that, but I chose to ignore her previous attempt of a joke.

"It's time for you to learn about Ninomae Ina'nis! I'll be your host, Ninomae Ina'nis!" I think I'm more than glad enough that I can't formulate words and sounds because if I did, I would be groaning in annoyance.

"As you can see here, I wasn't that much of a extrovert." From the vision I was given to me, I could see her sitting at her desk and scribbling on her book. It looked enough that it was during a free time that she was doing this.

"I didn't have any friends to talk to. No gossip about the hottest guy in school, no conversations on your favorite food and all..." I had seen multiple people walking past her desk as they enabled conversations around her, as if she didn't even exist. I would say that my experience was kind of the same.

And strange enough as it sounds, I had been sitting a few seats behind her. I wasn't focused on my surroundings as I had been writing in my book for whatever reason I don't remember.

"For as long as I can remember, no one bothered to speak a word to me. To everyone, I was an existence that didn't really have the chance of socializing with other people. They took my appearance to consideration, and never thought about bothering me." With the glasses, the long and messy hair, and the focused expression to her book was already noteworthy. She was a bit of a... focused and lazy person.

The vision had changed into a scene where I could see Ina-chan drawing in the lunch room cafeteria where she continued to draw and eat at the same time. People continued to walk past her with their lunch in hand and conversing with the people around them.

"To be honest, I wasn't really bothered by the fact that I didn't have any friends. For as my drawings were something that I would really like to focus on. They say that the biggest turn in life are the things that are in front of you... but if you're wondering who said that, no one did, I was the person who just created it." I closed my eyes and tried to sigh.

Opening them, I had seen a glimpse of myself walking with a food try in hand with Shinzo-senpai constantly bothering me from behind. I don't really remember what we were talking about. But, huh, did Shinzo-senpai talk to me even before the trip? I can't remember that much of us having conversations that much.

For some reason, just watching her sit alone with no one go talk to is... rather annoying.

I mean, isn't it the way of life for all teenagers to hang out and socialize with others in high school? I wouldn't care about doing those things because... I don't really care about it. But watching someone else living this kind of life of not socializing with others for no reason...

Annoys me.

I would've thought that I would be the only one anti-social.

The vision had changed again to a scene where she sat at a desk inside the art room. Again, she was doodling in her book which were truly impressive. To my surprise, the door opened to reveal a male and female walking inside the class. Both wore glasses, whereas the male had blue spiky hair, and the female had pink short hair.

"Ina-chan, do you have any ideas as to how we can get more members?" The male asked, seemingly ready to get an answer from the focused Ina-chan, only for her to not give them a response.

"Ina-chan, you're the president of the art club, so it should be in alarm to you that if we don't get enough members, then, we're going to get shut down! Do you want this to happen?!" Again, she didn't respond to them, only focusing on her own work. So... Ina-chan was the president of the art club?

"Ina-chan, please, we need a plan to keep this club stable! Just like you, we all love art! If you don't take action soon, then everything that we've worked for will be for nothing!" Again, she didn't respond. For the president of a club, you would think that the members of the entire club are communicating well, but sadly, it doesn't seem as so.

And as they waited and waited for her to respond, they soon gave up, closing the door without another word to say. As the clicking of the sound echoed in the room, Ina-chan had flinched in terror.

"H-huh? Was... someone in here?" She spoke out before continuing back to her previous work. Don't tell me that they as something clogged in her ears!

"Well, I guess I can't lie about the fact that I'm a bit slow when it came to my surroundings! Tehe~!" I wouldn't think that not being able to be aware of your surroundings is something worth laughing at. How did she even land the role of becoming the president of that club anyway?

But it's more frightening as to the reason why Aiko-sensei didn't tell me about the club president for some reason. Did Aiko-sensei know Ina-chan?

"Of course she did. I went to her so I could get into that position, you know. She's a really strict teacher, but I think you already know that already. She does focus on the students that are most anti-social with others." Right, being able to read my thoughts again. Right.

"Your thoughts and memories are very much... impactful to me. I mean, I admire how much you can change when given the right situation. At a normal perspective, you don't seem to care about those around you. But under that disguise that you hold, im pretty sure you do. Oh, how much one can change." If I could see her correctly, I could guess that she's giggling in her hand right now.

If you're so keen on looking through my memories, why would telling you even matter? You do realize that telling me that you could even do this would make me think of you as a pervert, right? I respect others spaces, so you should as well.

"Oh, stop it. Just because I know you more than anyone else that you've met, it doesn't mean that I should be called a pervert." I'm pretty sure that invading personal space is a deserving criminal label as a 'pervert'.

"Ahem, going back to before any of this, I think you should know that a person's actions is more than enough to change those around them, correct?" Right. What are you even getting at?

"People can listen to the smallest of words and still be influenced by them. Whether they choose to believe it is something that's worth noting. Ao-chan was always keen on understanding human decisions and behaviors, too." Ao-chan? There's no one else here besides me and you, so who is this person that's hiding around?

"This is the art club, right?" Hearing my own voice, I turned to the vision and stared at a scene that showed myself entering the art room. Still sitting at the same desk, she was still doodling in her book.

"Not anymore. The art club has already been canceled." As if she learned to speak while drawing, she responded to this... past version of myself. No matter how I look at it, I don't remember being here and talking to her.

"If it was, then, why are you still here?" I ask with a sketchbook in hand while going to a desk to sit in.

"Because... it's nice being alone?"

"Huh, I see..." As the conversation ended here and there, no one said anything to each other. But that was until I saw Ina-chan opened her mouth to speak.

"Why are you here?" She slightly turned her head to look at me.

"To be alone. I'm not the type to socialize with others. I'd rather be alone than hear who's the most stunning babe, or something like that. Teens these days would rather focus on their interaction with the opposite gender than their own work."

"Is... that so? Sorry for asking. I didn't mean to get you so worked up and rant about others." She was seen sweating a bit from my answer.

"You don't need to apologize for anything. I just like to tell others about my views on life when I have the chance. It usually ends up with them leaving me alone, but I don't care about that. Man, people are just so ignorant at times about the truth."

Again, there was a pause between us.

"Do you hate the world?" The question surprises my past self.

"Hate it? Well, I don't like how the world works right now; your value is only viewed from the amount of money you own and how famous you are. Useless violence over fame and trivial things, how people can just be so ignorant, and how they can just wish for everything to come to them, even if they didn't put in the work is what bothers me."

"You... see things in life a bit differently than others. I can agree on some points, but I don't belive that everything is perfect in the world, even the people. I might not... speak to others that much, but I do believe that certain aspects of life are beautiful when you're with someone when you share them." My past self could only stare at her with not-so-surprised eyes.

"Huh. Well, that's a way... to think of life." That was the last words I had seen before the vision had started to rapidly change into images of Ina-chan sitting at a spaces alone with drawings that can only be seen as... unnerving.

Before it showed that she hadn't been seen in the areas that she had previously drawn at.

And the last vision to come up was the scene of myself entering the art room alone with nothing but my sketchbook.

"Why are you showing me this?" Before I could even comprehend where I was, the words that came from out of my mouth came from instinct.

Back at the entrance of the cave, Ina-chan, with her crazy amount of tentacles surrounding her, could only smile. "Would you believe me if I told you that you were the first person I considered as a friend?" Of course, I squinted my eyes.

"I wouldn't. How does any of this have to do with you owning the book?" She turned around to stare at the moon that now glares its brightness at us.

"...Friends are willing to do things for each other, you know? After meeting you, Ao-chan and I became close because she knew so much about me. It was shocking how much she could understand the pain that I went through. Even you, Haru-kun, I consider a friend, even if I didn't know that much about you at first. Tell me, Haru-kun, do you know why Shinzo-senpai died for you?" My eyes widened at the sudden discussion.

"Don't tell me that you were involved in that!" Taking a few steps to me, I hesitated to even get away from her. She's too dangerous to just leave my back in her direction.

"Well, let's just say I did a little in that," As she raises her hand, it went past my ear, only for her to bring it back, revealing the small creature that I had lost earlier. "But this little thing? My Takodachi? I was able to see things where I actually weren't because of it." As it began to cuddle into her cheek, it stared at me before raising its bottom and waving it at me.

"You see, Haru-kun, not only was able to see things with it, but I was also able to do things that are supposed to be impossible; like taking over bodies for example." I stepped back away from her.

"You... made him do that?" She smiled as a response.

"Well, considering the fact that I became Shinzo-kun, then yes, I did make him do that." Her words were as like her smile.

Horrifying.