Chapter 1: Wakeup Call

By the time I got to the university, I was a lot earlier than I expected. In the heat of the moment, I forgot how close the school was to my apartment.

Once I made my way onto the campus, I double-checked my phone.

10:23

"Okay," I sighed, "…not as bad as I thought."

As I was walking, I thought back to the strange encounter I had with that girl. I couldn't remember seeing any of my other neighbors, so I guess this was my first encounter with one of them in the four months that I'd been living there.

She was… odd, to say the least. Social anxiety, maybe? She was really pretty, though. Maybe I could get to know her better, soon.

Lost in my own thoughts, I didn't even realize who I was about to run over in my path.

"Ah, Kaz-Kun!"

Standing to my right was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty I'd seen just a few days prior.

"Mami-chan?"

I paused, somewhat taken aback by the encounter. My heart palpitated and I froze in place.

Wait... am I nervous? What was I nervous about? We're still on good terms with each other... I think?

She perked up with a friendly smile.

"How are you?" She asked.

Okay... so we are cool with each other? Thank goodness.

I relaxed my muscles before responding. "Better now, thank you for asking," I smiled back.

She twirled her hair back behind her ear and nodded.

"That's good! I was worried I might have ruined things between us," she said, looking to one side of herself.

My eyes widened a bit. "No, not at all! I think we both agreed it was for the best, right? I'm just glad we can still talk to each other." I shook my hands and nodded my head defensively as I said this.

She took another pause, her smile kind of dropping in a way that made it seem like she was a little surprised. The smile gradually returned before she nodded again.

"Yeah, I'm glad too." She took one last pause, sort of spacing out and looking at the ground before returning back to me.

"Sorry, I have to get to classes now. It was nice talking to you!"

"Yeah, you too," I responded.

She waved in a familiar way I'd seen days prior before walking off.

That went… well?

I didn't really know what to think, but it was nice to see her doing okay. I guess she's taking the break-up better than I thought.

That's good. I was kind of worried that I'd killed off any chance of a friendship by breaking up with her. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who felt unsure about the situation.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

A familiar voice chided from behind me. A hand slapped my back as my head spun to the right.

Kibe and Kuribayashi. My friends.

"The sad virgin looming around his ex-girlfriend in hopes of reigniting the flame? How many does that make it now?"

Kibe goaded me while shaking my shoulder, his eyes gleamed in smug satisfaction.

I scoffed.

"I have no intention of getting back together with her. Just because we weren't compatible doesn't mean we can't stay friends," I said, half-smiling.

Kibe and Kuribayashi paused. They seemed kind of surprised.

"Whoa… that actually sounded cool! And here we thought you were only looking to lose your v-card!" Kuri said in a teasing but congratulatory manner.

"No way! Our Kazuya is handling his break-up with a dignified air… now THAT'S a true MAN," Kibe praised.

I grimaced as they both rambled on.

"He's like a veteran when it comes to break-ups at this point. He must have seen it coming and prepared himself for the inevitable!" Kuri added.

Yeah, guys… that's kind of what I did. Although, what does "veteran when it comes to break-ups" mean? I most certainly am not. Mami was the first girl I'd ever dated.

They were still yucking it up. I regained a smile and rolled my eyes.

"So… it's funny? We're laughing? This is comedy?"

We all started laughing and chuckling together.

As we gathered ourselves, I got this weird feeling.

Something felt… ominous.

I started looking around. It felt like someone was staring daggers at me. I shivered a bit.

"What's wrong, Kazuya? You catch a cold?" Kuri asked.

"Eh? Ah, no. I got over my cold today," I said, waving them off.

"Huh? You were sick yesterday? I didn't even notice," Kibe said, sounding surprised.

Oh jeez, thanks, guys. So you didn't see me at school yesterday didn't think, "I wonder where Kazuya is at…"

"Yeah, that's why I stayed home from school. I was sick… not that you guys were concerned," I chided.

They looked confused now.

"What do you mean? You were here yesterday," Kibe emphasized, half-chuckling while doing so.

…

What?

"Funny guy, Kazuya. Remember? You walked into a girl with braids and glasses and looked like you'd just seen a ghost," Kuri added.

…

What?

I was at school? I don't remember any of this. All I remember was passing out once I got inside the apartment… and a girl with braids and glasses? Surely not the same one next door, right? If that's the case, then no wonder she was looking at me like that… she probably thinks I'm a stalker of some kind. If I see her again, I'll have to apologize.

Damn, wait a minute… why the hell can't I remember any of this?

"Wow… I seriously don't remember that. I really came to school?"

Their returning smiles dropped, and a look of concern replaced them.

"Yeah… you don't remember?"

I paused, looking down at the ground for a second.

"No… honestly no."

Seriously? Maybe I need to get checked out by the doctor.

"Wow, that's some cold you must've had," Kuri exclaimed nervously.

"Y-yeah… seems that way, huh," Kibe added.

I looked at them, probably just as confused and concerned as they looked at me. I could feel a noticeable awkwardness in the air now. It was suffocating. I had to lighten the mood somehow…

"Eh- oh well, whatever," I said, waving my hand dismissively. "Odds are it'll come back to me. I only just recently woke up, so maybe I just need some time to collect myself," I said all this as I rubbed the back of my neck. That sounded ridiculous.

I don't think that eased their apprehension any less… they just seemed to look at each other worriedly before nodding.

"Yeah, sure thing, man... just steer clear of us for a while. Don't wanna catch what you got," Kibe said, half-chuckling.

We all began walking towards the entrance of the school. The conversation started to resume as normal between them. I think they were discussing some anime, but I can't remember. I could feel myself lagging behind them but I was too busy trying to think.

Damn it… maybe I should have stayed home today. If I'd known I'd come to school yesterday, I could've been alright staying home today. Maybe I should just go home for the day and claim I'm still not feeling well? Then again, I feel fine now. I hope I didn't get anyone else sick… who knows what would happen if the whole school caught the world's first "amnesia flu." On top of that, I hope I was conscious enough to take notes the day before-

My train of thought was interrupted as I felt a force pull on my book bag from behind. I was forcibly yanked into a locker room as my friends, and I passed under a shade leading just before the main doors. I don't think they noticed it happen. Before I could make sense of anything, I found myself face to face with none other than-

"You better explain yourself!"

…

What?

A woman's finger was pointed in my face.

It was… that girl from the apartment next door! The one with the glasses!

"Are you stalking me? Did you pick that apartment on purpose? First the university, and now this? There's no chance in hell that was all coincidence."

…

WHAT?

Too many questions and accusations began flying at me in too little time to comprehend. This girl… what the hell did I do the last couple of days? I needed to explain myself but…

"Eh- uh- I was-"

"You thought you could play it off so easy like you didn't see me. You've got a lot of nerve, you know that?!"

Whoa! Her aura was menacing! If looks could kill, then this was it. My flustered reaction only seemed to agitate her more. What's with this girl! This is definitely not the way I pictured our first interaction. She's angry, but what could I have done to make her THIS mad? C'mon, man, be coherent!

"I'm sorry, ma'am, you see I-"

"DON'T MA'AM ME! ARE YOU TRYING TO INSULT ME NOW? I AM NOT SOME OLD WOMAN!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin. Her voice was penetrating! She poked her finger into my chest.

"I already told you, we have nothing to do with each other. Do not meddle any further with my life, or else I won't hesitate to call the police, got it?"

"Eugh, yeah, of course, sorry," was all I could blurt out.

She backed herself off, placing both hands at her side. She scoffed and placed her hand on her forehead.

"Unbelievable," she said as she pulled up her bag.

And just like that, she walked off.

I was floored. I couldn't even begin to move. I was just whiplashed both literally and figuratively by a girl I'd never met before in my life… or at least not that I can remember meeting. What the HELL was I DOING the last couple of days?

I shook my head to snap out of it. I looked at my watch again. Classes start soon. I guess I couldn't do anything now but walk to class.

School lectures went in one ear and out the other. I couldn't focus. My brain was trying to piece together the events of the last two days… although nothing seemed to make sense in my head.

That girl… she's supposed to be my neighbor? Now that I've seen what she's really like, I'm going to have to keep my guard up around her. I don't want to make her any more upset than she already is, especially if I'm gonna be living next to her.

Once school concluded, I immediately set my sights on home. I was sneaking about the hallways, trying to avoid any signs of that glasses girl. Thankfully, I didn't see her. Once I got to the stairs of my house, I paused and looked around.

Could she have come home already? I need to be quiet as not to disturb her. I don't know why, but that girl really put me on edge. Hopefully, she's not already home, so maybe I can-

"Why are you just standing there? Are you creeping around? Move it."

My heart sank. Immediately, I spun around and back-pedaled up the stairs. It was her!

She looked at me with a less-than-amused face. Her eyes had this cat-like shape to them. She probably didn't want to see me as much as I didn't want to be seen by her.

"Oh, uh, sorry! I just got home from school. I didn't mean to-"

She simply walked past me with her eyes closed, unlocked her door, entered, and slammed it shut.

So cold… and terrifying. I sighed in resignation to my situation. Best not to bother her now.

Once I made it to my entrance, I unlocked the door and walked inside. I threw my book bag off of my shoulders and collapsed face-first onto the tatami.

What an exhausting day.

I blinked a few times before rolling my body onto my back and staring at the ceiling.

I put a hand to my forehead. I felt fine.

What the hell kind of cold causes memory loss… honestly, it doesn't even feel like I was conscious the last few days. For the most part, I could have sworn I'd been in bed. I hardly even remember getting up after I collapsed on the floor.

Suddenly, I remembered the way this apartment looked before I left today. I rolled back over and surveyed the whole room.

Wow… this place is a mess. I tend to be pretty tidy, so I'd never let my room get this messy under normal circumstances. There's so much laundry piled up, and it looks like the trash has been neglected. Actually, it seems like takeout meals from over a week ago are stacked in that trash bin. Did I really eat that much? I typically cook for myself, but I doubt I had the energy to cook anything this time since I was sick.

My eyes continued scanning the room. My waste paper basket was filled with used tissues. It must have been a runny nose from the cold… but wow, there are so many. Actually, there must be an entire box worth of tissues in there.

I glanced down towards the floor. There were a bunch of magazines strewn about. That's weird? I don't remember owning any magazines. I bent down to turn one of them over only to be met with the distinctive front cover of a-

…

I instantly trashed them.

Who the hell even uses those kinds of things anymore? We have the internet, damn it! That's so cliché.

Man… I'm gonna need to clean this place up ASAP.

After about a few hours of dish cleaning, laundry, trash removal, and sweeping up, I finally got my room back the way I remembered it. I had to place some of the dirty laundries into a separate clothes hamper for now, but for the most part, my room was back in business.

The room felt breathable again; my bathroom was clean, and I even cleaned out the fish tank as I'd noticed it was looking a little unruly. My fish seemed livelier for the effort as well.

Perfect. I guess the next thing I should do is get caught up on some homework-

Another interrupted thought.

I got a buzz from my phone. I reached for it in my front pants pocket. I looked at the notification. It was a message… from Grandma?

"Kazuya, I left the hospital, and I'm headed over in two hours. Tell Miss Chizuru that I'll be coming over to visit with you two. I'll leave the rest up to you to prepare."

...

What?

Wait a minute, the hospital?!

I started dialing her phone, but she wouldn't pick up. Damn it! You just sent the message; how do you not see me calling? I tried a few more times, but it went to voice mail each time. I frantically started trying to text Mom and Dad, but I guess they might have been working or something because they never replied.

What the hell… Grandma was in the hospital? Why didn't anybody tell me… as a matter of fact, why didn't anyone call me to know where I was-

"You were here yesterday."

Kibe's words boomeranged back into my head.

How much had I not been aware of while I was sick? This whole situation was starting to get to me now. Too many things were piling onto one another to the point that nothing was adding up.

I looked back over the message again. This time, the name she mentioned caught my eye.

"Who the hell is Chizuru?"

I started digging in my contacts for a name of such description but to no avail. This mystery was too vast to scavenge for answers on my own.

I sighed.

I figured at that moment that the only thing I could do was prepare for my grandma's arrival. Maybe then I could get some answers to some of my lingering questions. I'm not sure who this Chizuru is, but Grandma will have to make do with just us for tonight so that I can hear an explanation.

I guess I'll prepare some dinner.

I opened the fridge to find it empty.

…

Guess I'll take a trip down to the store since I ate myself out at home as well.

18:35

Grandma should be arriving soon. She hasn't gotten back to me about my messages yet, and neither have my folks. I sighed.

I was in the middle of cooking dinner for Gram and me. Japanese-style hamburger steak with broccoli, carrots, and potato wedges. I closed my eyes triumphantly and silently gloated. Maybe I should've just been a culinary student.

There was a ring at the door.

What the hell? That was quick.

I turned the stove off and walked over to my door. When I opened it, I was greeted with a welcomingly familiar presence.

"Grandma! Welcome." I said happily.

She paused, slightly surprised at my greeting.

"You're more chipper than usual. I don't usually get greeted like this."

She closed her eyes and made her entrance. I moved out of the way for her to come in.

She was eloquently dressed. She looked like she was ready for a date.

"Oh my," Grandma said.

"What's wrong?"

"Well... this apartment surely isn't a fitting abode for any female to enter, but you keep it surprisingly well maintained."

Yeah? You should have seen it earlier.

She stopped and sniffed the air.

"What is that smell? Are you cooking something?"

I perked up. "Yeah! You said you were coming, so I made some hamburger steaks. I hope that's alright with you, Gram."

She looked at me for a moment, mouth slightly agape, blinking slowly. She seemed baffled.

"I must say Kazuya, I am impressed. I didn't take you for such a household host."

"What do you mean? I learned it from you."

She scoffed. "Oh please, you hardly ever seemed interested in anything I had to say about cooking or cleaning. You were the messiest boy. That's why I had to look after you so much."

She smiled, her eyes closed as she seated herself at the table. I smiled as well. I began preparing the plates. As I did, Grandma spoke up from behind.

"Where is Miss Chizuru? She's not here yet?"

I paused for a second. I guess that was my queue to ask my questions.

"Uh, hey, Gram?" I said, turning to face her.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I quite understood your text. I don't know anybody named Chizuru... and I meant to ask you about how you got stuck in the hospital as well."

There was silence. As I looked at her, she had a curious appearance. She gave a small chuckle before shaking her head.

"Boy, I might be old, but I'm not senile."

Her face soured. "It's rude to play pranks on your elders like that! Now tell me, when is Miss Chizuru coming."

I blinked.

...

What?

I shook my head a bit before regaining some composure.

"Uh, Gram... I'm not trying to be funny or anything; I seriously don't know who you're talking about."

Another pause... shorter than the last one, though, as it was quickly followed with a whiplash of a response.

"Kazuya, if you're not trying to be funny, then quit with this idiotic behavior. When does Miss Chizuru come in? I came all this way to speak with the future wife of my grandson, now stop playing around."

...

What?

Future wife? Is she talking about Mami? Jeez, that's jumping way WAY too into things, but I guess I never told her we broke up. Then again, why is she calling her Chizuru? I don't think I ever mentioned her name to my family. I guess now is where I can set that record straight.

"Oh, I see," I said as I nodded. "You're talking about the girl I was telling you about, right?"

There was a slight pause, but she continued to look at me, her face not changing.

"Gram, I never got the chance to tell you or my parents the last couple of days I was out of it, but you see, me and her broke up."

Her face lit up. I continued...

"See, because I kept trying to bring her around to introduce her, but she never wanted to come around. On top of that, I could tell she and I just weren't going to work out, so I decided to break it off before things went any furth-"

"WHAT?!"

A shout so loud it snapped me out of my explanation. She looked absolutely pissed. Her face was one of pure annoyance and rage. She was standing out of her chair now, hands down on the table and leaning forward. I tried to continue...

"S-sorry! I meant to tell you, but then I got sick for the last couple of days and-"

"Kazuya!"

Another shout. I held my hands out in front of me defensively. Why was she so upset about this?!

"I don't know what the hell kind of game you're playing with me, but if you let that woman go, then you're not only a fool, you're an idiot!"

I didn't know what she was saying now. I just starred in bewilderment as she continued.

"And what the hell are you even saying? You seemed perfectly fine to me the other day when you brought her to the hospital..."

...

What?

"She was absolutely perfect! I couldn't believe my eyes and ears when I saw and heard that SHE was your girlfriend! Such a pleasantly nice woman..."

...

What?

I was absolutely stunned, dazed, and confused. There's no way I brought Mami around my folks. I tried a bunch of times, and she never came around, and now apparently I did introduce her?!

"Wait, Gram, I-"

She cut me off, grabbing her things as she rebutted.

"I seriously don't know what the hell you think you're pulling, but if I dragged myself all the way down here to be met with this kind of disappointment you should have told me so!"

"But I... tried to call you... you never-"

She started making her way for the door.

"Wait, Gram, where are you going?!"

"I'm going back to the hospital, you idiot! It was a waste of time coming down here if you were just planning on embarrassing an old woman."

She started walking down the steps to the ground floor. I hugged the guard rail from the top as I shouted back.

"Wait, please stop!"

"Kazuya," she said, stopping midway down the steps. Her eyes were closed, and her lips tightened. She looked to one side of herself. "I don't know what happened between you and Miss Chizuru, but I expect it sorted out and explained properly the next time I see you!"

With that, she marched down the steps. As she walked off, I bent down at the knees and lowered my head dejectedly.

Seriously... what the hell just happened.

...

There was a ten-second pause before I heard a door creep open from behind me.

"Well... that was not how I expected you to handle things."

A familiar voice chided from my right. I turned my head in surprise. It was the glasses girl... only this time her appearance was more relaxed and settled in. Her long, chestnut-colored hair was unbraided and hung down to her waist. She was wearing a comfortable set of at-home clothes, probably for studying or lounging. She looked completely different to me now.

She stood with her body half in and half out of the door. She stepped outside into the overhead light above her apartment and rested her back against the wall, looking down at me with half-closed eyes.

My heart sank.

I lept to my feet and held my hands out defensively.

"Look, I know what you said, I'm sorry if I bothered you! I don't know why, but my grandma just flipped out on me! I'm sorry to have bothered you further," I said, bowing my body to her.

"Huh?" Her words sounded half-confused and half-disgusted. "Sounded pretty obvious why she was upset to me. I'm just surprised you actually told her. I didn't think you had it in you."

Told her? Told her what?

"What are you talking about?" I lowered my guard slightly, raising my body back up to meet her gaze.

"You told her we broke up, right?"

...

WHAT?

"What the hell are you talking about?!" I shouted. She jumped. She was obviously surprised at my outburst. "I don't even know you?! I literally just met you today, and you're talking about breaking up; where the hell did that come from?!"

She looked confused and a little upset. Her face soured quickly as she began to shout back. "Don't yell at me! You're the one who started all of this. What are you talking about you just met me today? Is that your idea of a joke? You're the one who said we were dating in front of your grandma! I had to play along because you rented me!"

I felt my eyes widen. It probably looked like they were about to burst out of my head. I put both hands to my head as I started staggering backward. "What? How? When did this even happen?"

"What do you mean when? It happened two days ago, don't act stupid."

I froze up. My head started tingling.

There it is. That's why none of this makes sense. It happened two days ago. Two days that I was completely blacked out from being so sick.

"Are you serious?" I said in a shaky voice. I could feel my legs start to betray me as I backstepped. I felt like I was going to faint. My body slid back against the railing and my arm gripped the sides for support. The girl in front of me's face changed from annoyance to concern.

"H-hey, are you okay?" She reached a hand out vaguely in my direction as if not sure whether to grab me or not.

"I... I don't know." I said wide-eyed. I think I was about to have a panic attack. My heart had sunk. I gripped at my shirt a bit. A chill snuck up my back.

"Hey, do you need me to call an ambulance?" The woman said worriedly. She carried this apt seriousness about herself that made me calm down.

"N-no. I'll be okay," I lifted myself up slowly. My legs felt solid now. I think I can stand. My eyes looked at the ground before drawing back to hers.

"Please bear with me," I said, my legs still jittery from the adrenaline. "I need to ask you some questions that may not make any sense, but I need a straight answer. Please."

She seemed confused by my statement but nodded her head. "Okay, fine," she said as she folded her arms.

I paused. I opened my mouth but I waited to speak. In my head, I tried thinking of a better way to say what I was about to say. There's no way this won't be confusing if this person has run into me prior. Either way, I need to understand what's going on. Might as well give it to her straight.

I closed my mouth again and breathed in deep.

"Who are you?"

She blinked. I studied her reaction. There was no tell in her face but I could tell she was processing what to say. Her response to me was delayed but it eventually came.

She sighed. "If we're going to play stupid, let's go somewhere else and do it. I don't want to be standing around the whole time I'm doing this."

She walked back into her house for a brief moment. She came back out in a pair of sneakers. She shut the door behind her and began walking towards the staircase, looking at me before speaking.

"Come on, there's a place we can go to talk."

I only looked at her for a second before deciding to follow her. At least now, maybe I can get some answers.

What the hell is going on?!

Hey guys! Thanks for reading the first chapter!

I've decided to go ahead and publicize this for everyone to see!

Just recently, the 彼女お借りします fandom has experienced one of the messiest releases of chapters I've ever seen (up to chapter 220 at time of posting.)

I figured now would be a good time to come back and continue writing this story I started nearly a year ago!

I hope you guys enjoy reading this! It'll be really fun, I think.

Expect new posts every 3-4 months maybe? I have some other things going on at the moment but I want to continue actively working on this piece.

- Ady Art