A strange sense of déjà vu.
Prologue: How it Happened
When I got my first girlfriend, I was ecstatic. Everywhere I walked, I had a giddy smile on my face. I was hand in hand with one of the most beautiful girls on the planet.
I was overjoyed enough to call my parents and my grandma to tell them the good news. They were (maybe too) happy for me, and it fueled my excitement further. They told me I needed to bring her down and show her off to them immediately.
I think I may have gotten carried away in the high of it all. I was so happy that I was unaware of an encroaching reality.
She and I were not a compatible couple.
First red flag, I could tell she wasn't as serious about me as I was her. She continuously dodged any attempts I made to get closer intimately. A hug, an arm around her shoulder, maybe an attempted kiss, but nothing ever worked.
The second red flag and the turning point of it all was when she never met my parents and grandma. I had tried many times to arrange it, but she either flaked or said she had something important to do that day.
It was around a month into our relationship that I decided I had to end it. I figured it would be best for both of us.
From there, I decided I'd talk to her about breaking things off. I went to meet and tell her in person. I couldn't have done it over the phone; it wouldn't be fair to her.
The day I told her I thought we should break up, her face widened. She looked at me for a moment, opening her mouth like she had something to say, but then simply smiled and nodded.
"Okay," she said in her usual angelic tone of voice. "I understand. I think it's for the best too."
There didn't seem to be any pain or sadness to what she said. If she was sad, she didn't show it.
She just turned and left. That was it.
As she walked off, I became aware of a pervasive feeling; a heaviness in my chest. The further I began walking away, the more a realization began to dawn on me.
I had just lost my first girlfriend.
I know I was the one who ended it, but I never expected it to be that... easy for her.
I'm not really sure what I was expecting. I knew she didn't feel serious about the relationship, and I didn't fault her for not wanting to argue. I admitted the confrontation went well… but it still ate at me as I began to head home.
As I walked back from the station, I had a lot of time to clear my head.
I had to keep reminding myself to stay on the positive side. Just because one relationship didn't work out doesn't mean that others won't. A break-up, no matter how small it seems, can really eat at you. I wanted to try and overcome this moment in a healthy and forward-thinking way.
I wasn't going to let this bog me down. I chose for myself that once I was ready, I'd try to get a girlfriend again!
My university was full of opportunities to make meaningful relationships with people. Maybe there, I could find a girl who shares commonalities with me. Maybe, I would find a girl who would be in it for the long haul. Maybe, I could find a girl who would take the time to give me a chance, giving me as much as I gave them.
I was motivated. I was starting to feel a lot better about myself. It was a liberating feeling. I was going to go to school tomorrow and give it my all!
Then… I got sick.
Really sick.
It was the sickest I'd ever felt.
As I made my way up the stairs to my apartment, I could feel a painful headache coming. My body felt fatigued, and my legs started to feel like jelly. I didn't think I was going to make it to my apartment door. It felt like I was about to collapse.
I must have pulled myself through the door, but I felt my body rapidly deteriorating. My world was spinning, and my hands felt clammy. I thought I was going to have to use the bathroom.
Before I knew it, I lost consciousness. I can remember brief periods where I thought I was awake and looking at my ceiling, but I couldn't be sure. It felt like I had been dreaming for a very long time.
Then I woke up.
My eyes slowly crept open. I started to become aware of my surroundings. I was in my room, for sure. I must have slipped under my blankets to lay down on my tatami while I was half-asleep. I began putting myself back together mentally.
"How long was I out?" I thought.
I shuffled around for my phone. It was lying up against the wall charging. I must've done that as well, but I don't remember when.
The light from the phone stung my eyes. I faded the brightness down and squinted to look at the date.
It's been three days…
Three days?
THREE DAYS!
I immediately shot up, as my anxiety spiked.
"OH MY GOD!" I shouted, "I MISSED SCHOOL YESTERDAY!"
Suddenly something else became clear to me—a forgotten responsibility.
MY FISH!
I looked over at the fish tank, horrified that I might see dead floating fish bodies. I got up and examined the tank closer. I started pointing each of them out.
"Yori, Nori, Dori, Bori, Kiyori, Sayori…"
They all appeared to be okay. I immediately dug out the fish food and flaked it into the tank. Honestly, I think I may have put a bit too much in, but I wanted to be safe about it.
I started looking around the room again. Everything looked… a bit messier than I remembered? I guess I must've been rampaging in my half-aware state… but I don't remember having this much unwashed laundry. I also don't remember this sort of… odor in my room? The smell must have been coming from a trash bin.
I snapped back to my phone and looked to see if I had missed calls or text messages. Surprisingly, my phone had no new notifications on it. I scrolled through my text messages, but nothing appeared to be different.
"Well… glad to see my friends and family cared to know where I was the last few days I was out."
Actually, as I was looking, I noticed none of my texts about my ex-girlfriend showed up in my messages to my parents.
"That's very odd," I thought.
I remembered texting them a few times telling them days I was planning to bring her over for the first time… days being multiple times that never happened.
I looked in my call and FaceTime history.
It looked like I had gotten a call from my grandma the other day. I must've answered or called her back… but again, I don't remember.
I looked at the time on my phone.
09:53
"Shit! I can't afford to miss a day of school AND be late another!"
I started putting myself together. The mess and smell be damned; I can deal with that later.
After haphazardly colliding objects around until I had what I needed, I threw my shoes on and began out the door.
The morning sun hit my face. I double-checked my pockets for my keys, phone, wallet, etc. I nodded affirmatively. I shut the door, and I was just about to lock it until I was made aware of someone's presence. It sounded like someone gasped.
My head turned up. I looked right, and then I looked left. There, standing at the next door over was a girl.
She had glasses and braided hair. She looked very plain but intelligent. A student?
As I noticed her, I was also made aware of her almost horrified and panicked expression. My eyes widened. I started scanning my surroundings. I looked behind me, but there was nothing there. Did I forget to put pants on? I looked down, but this was not to be the case, thank God.
I heard a door slam. I looked back over, and she was gone.
I blinked.
What was that about? Did I scare her off?
Whatever. I decided to pay it no mind. I have more pressing matters to attend to.
I rechecked my phone.
10:01
"Shit!"
I practically hurled myself off the staircase and ran for the university.
Hey guys! Thanks for reading the prologue. I just started reading Rent-a-Girlfriend and came up with this story idea while I was at work.
I'll take a lot of creative liberties. This is not the Kazuya you guys know from Reiji's manga series, this is my reinterpretation of him from a different perspective. All other characters will be the same as faithfully as I can recreate them.
This story will also diverge from the main story and remerge how I see fit. I do have a storyboard in my head for how I want this series to progress, so I plan to finish it.
Odds are, this will be a long series.
I hope you guys will enjoy this!
- Ady Art