After being left alone by her boyfriend Iino's worst fears come true.


Advance warning: This chapter isn't for the faint of heart, and especially not for those who are easily triggered by anxiety inducing topics, and might negatively affect people who have experienced stalking, abuse, or any form of unwanted attention.
Only read this if you feel comfortable enough to do so.

Nonetheless, I hope you still like this chapter.

Please enjoy!


Iino Miko cannot understand [Part 2]

'Why Ishigami? Why is it always like this with you? Why can't we just be a more normal couple?'

"That wasn't really nice of him, right Miko-chan?"

Startled by a deep, male voice, the girl with a height of 147 centimetres turns around. A middle-aged man stands in front of her. Almost bald, the back of his head still has some grey hair, a wrinkled face, a polite smile on graces his face. 'This person knows me?' The gentleman wears glasses, a brown suit, black shoes, and a greenish necktie. 'He must be a in his fifties.' A cane on his arm, and a tiepin reveal his social status. 'Why is this guy here?' The brunette's former anger, sadness, and despair subside, leaving her vulnerable. An even more unpleasant emotion rises from her inside. Fear.

"W-… well… what can you do…? Right? I-I mean Ishigami just-"

"Ah… his name is Ishigami. Is he your boyfriend, Miko-chan?"

The words and the way he speaks sound nauseating in the ears of the auditor. Why does he call her by her first name, and why does he know it? What does it matter to him who Ishigami is to her? She doesn't want to answer any of his questions. The girl just wants to leave.

"I-I'm sorry, but I have to-"

An arm, appearing from the general direction of the elder man cuts her escape route off, and his closeness presses her against the wall behind her. Iino feels captured.

"You know, if I were to be your lover, I wouldn't neglect you like this… ever."

This sentence is horrible enough as it is, but this sly last word terrorises the student. Iino already analysed that he is the suspected stalker. This guy must've seen Ishigami getting close to her and felt threatened by him. Her brain works perfectly. Her body feels numb. She wants to flee, but the lack of option, her weak body, and fear make it hard for her to even breath. The entrapped person can't scream for help.

"You stayed as beautiful as you were back then, Miko-chan. You just need proper attention, and you will blossom into a great housewife."

This disgusting old man wants her to become his wife? The member of the public morals committee closes her eyes, wishing for all of this to just be a dream. What can she do anyway? What did she do to deserve this? Her bothersome personality? Her unappealing behaviour towards her peers? Her constant bickering with her boyfriend? Her wish to not to be alone anymore? Was she selfish?

Nothing of this would be as terrible as it is if she at least experienced some kind of love from her partner before whatever this scumbag plans to do with her. 'If Ishigami just kissed me…'

Her thoughts are failing to function properly now too. There is no way she can fight him. Iino doesn't know what to do or say anymore. It's as if she stopped caring, breaking away into emptiness. Only her instincts keep her pressed against the wall as hard as she humanly can. Every millimetre farer away from him counts. The auditor's face can only be described as filled with disgust, but the older man doesn't seem to care for the far younger woman's feelings.

He reaches out with his free hand, wanting to touch the small chin of the girl opposing him, in order to lift it. A touch of him would most likely break her even more. So, just like all people during despairing moments, Iino hopes for something to happen in her favour. 'Yuu…'

Another arm grabs the one of the quinquagenarian stopping it in its tracks. An extremity that already caused the auditor to become excited on this very day once before. She follows the length of the pale skin in front of her, leading to a shoulder covered in a white shirt, ending with the face of her supposed saviour. What she sees surprises her more than the creepy voice she only heard minutes ago. Her wish came true.

From the angle Iino stands in, she can see the entirety of the right side of her boyfriend's face. Ishigami is consumed by fury. The old man lets out a groan of pain, indicating the pressure his arm is exposed to. After shoving him back, the male student brings himself between his girlfriend and her stalker and begins to insult him. They argue.

The brunette is only able to see the back of her crush now, letting the old man disappear entirely from her view, which puts her at ease. Another set of footsteps comes from the direction of the blue-haired boy's appearance, closing in on them.

"Rei-chan!"

"Are you okay?"

The blonde pulls her classmate away from her predicament and creates another net of safety. Onodera is tensed up as well, her forehead bears beads of sweat, her movements are jittery, and anxiety is written all over her face.

"I'm better now…"

Even though her situation has technically improved, the short girl isn't revealing the truth. Her skin is pale, her eyes are empty. The stalking victim in no condition to talk, leaving Onodera desperate. 'If this continues, Miko might get traumatised… What should I do?'

"Take deep breaths in and out… in and out."

Relying on standard procedures to ease one's distress, Iino follows those instructions. This results in her perceiving her surroundings better again. She focusses on what the two men next to her have to say.

"Let go of me immediately, or I'm calling the police! Do you even know who I am?"

"I do. And to make it easier for you, I already informed the authorities of this."

The shortest member of class 2-A of Shuichiin Academy widens her eyes. Did she hear that correctly? The auditor's head turns to her fellow female classmate, who wants to clarify her confusion.

"He planned all of this, Miko. After you told him about your fear of being stalked, Ishigami watched out for strangers following you, and he seemed confident about a suspect. Last Monday, out of the blue, he asked me to accompany him. I understood what he wanted to show me, after I saw this creep a few metres behind you, so we decided to shadow the stalker."

"So… last week, Ishigami…"

Her friend nods, which Iino immediately replies with a faint smile. Colour is coming back to her face, and she seems less perturbed. 'Talking about him seems to ease her mind.' The voice of the schemer interrupts the girls' conversation.

"You should be familiar with the law yourself. Article 223 of the Penal Code states that the threat to another one's body or freedom will be punished with prison. And with the revised law of anti-stalking your actions should create an even more devastating outcome for a former member of the supreme court."

This statement awakens the brown-eyed student's memories. She knew the man from the very beginning but couldn't say why. This creep used to be a colleague of her father who was dismissed from his position due to misbehaviour. A man her father sometimes invited over to drink with him, suddenly was never mentioned again by him.

She also involuntarily blushes during Ishigami's speech while her eyes are fixated on her long-time crush.

"As if the word of some high school students bare more weight than mine."

"It's not only our words, we also filmed the entire incident as well as your stalking from last week."

Now the quinquagenarian tries to free himself more violently. He must've understood the predicament he's in and wants to flee the scene. Ishigami doesn't let go of him. Realising this, he lifts his cane wanting to use it like a club.

"Just go ahead and hit me."

The male student's entire anger crawls up from within him. His fist is clenched, and he's grinding his teeth. It must've been frustrating for him to just watch his girlfriend being stalked, not being able to act, doing all of this the proper, legal way, just how she always preaches. But if this guy exerts violence on him, he'd be in the right to wallop this piece of shit.

Both girls sense the brutal desire of Ishigami. He doesn't want to hold back anymore. They're afraid of this escalating, but at the same time they don't know what to do. On one hand this might be better for the stalker to learn to stay away from the defenceless girl, on the other hand their friend might get hurt. The only thing that comes to Iino's mind is the principle she always considered to be her beacon of hope. Justice.

"Don't!"

Her voice, the plea, his consideration.

"It wouldn't be the first time I smashed a guy's face in, you hear?"

The man in the suit stops in his tracks again, just barely in front of his opponent's face; this time voluntarily. The phrasing, his gaze, and Ishigami letting go of his wrist make him realise that he isn't joking. The student is preparing for the impact and the subsequent fight. The old man is feeling fear but instead of confronting it, he takes the opportunity, his now free arm creates, and runs off.


"I'm sorry… I didn't want you to see this…"

His voice is filled with a lot of emotions. Something his girlfriend never heard from him before. Disappointment, dread, relief, worry, care, ire, but most importantly love. The treasurer turns around, shaking, sweating, and paler than usual. He is even more shaken than any of the girls in this moment. Her supposed saviour might be weaker than she thought. But this didn't stop him from being there for her. Iino wants to smile for him.

"You did it, Ishigami. You fought him off."

"But I let him escape."

"Don't worry, we have him on tape, caught him red-handed and know who he is and where he lives."

The treasurer looks down at the ground, mustering a smile, only visible to his girlfriend due to her low height.

"I hope you're right."

"But we still have to inform the police about the happenings. You should probably file a restraining order, Miko."

"And inform your father too."

Looking back and forth between her classmates, she realises that, even if this was one of the most horrible experiences in her life, she's not alone anymore. Tears build in the corners of her eyes, out of relief, dread, and happiness.

"Thank you."

The other woman smiles, following the principle of all's well that ends well.

"No problem."

After hearing her gratitude, the student of the opposite sex doesn't feel as suffocated as before anymore.

"Yeah."


Ishigami Yuu and Iino Miko

A few moments later the authorities arrive and take notes of their personal information, testimonies and gather the proof Ishigami and Onodera hand them. They don't seem so happy about the incident, but at the same time they explain what will probably happen, and that it's hard investigate against someone only because they were stalking. They might have a good chance with a compulsion charge, though. The younger policewoman asks Iino if she wants any psychological help, which she declines. After informing them to stop by the police station next Monday to formally record their testimonies, they leave.

The blonde student turns to the blue-haired one and begins to rant.

"You yourself said, if we have proof of him touching her, it could've opened an investigation against assault. Why did you intervene so suddenly?"

Ishigami flusters, not in a good way though.

"I just… couldn't bear to watch this any longer, you know…?"

Given his untypical emotional reaction, Onodera immediately emphasizes with him, and looks in another direction out of embarrassment.

"I'm sorry. Should've been obvious, even for me."

"Don't worry. I don't think that I could've done this without your help. Your called me just in the right moment."

"She called you?"

Now where the situation calmed down, the brown-eyed girl sees clearer, questioning herself about the sudden appearance of Onodera and Ishigami. She looks at her classmates and demands answers. In order to pressure them the auditor crosses her arms and taps on the ground repeatedly with her foot.

"Why were you here in the first place?"

The treasurer reacts surprised by her interrogation. Contrary to his female counterpart. The blonde is relatively calm and collected, ready to explain Iino what they planned.

"Um… well…"

"Ishigami told me to call him, when he had you in a Kabedon. It should make your stalker envious of your supposed boyfriend, so he'd take bigger risks in pursuing you, which we, in turn, could use against him. And before you ask, why we didn't tell you of this, Ishigami insisted that your reactions had to be genuine, because your acting is-"

"BECAUSE if we faked this scenario, we could've been tried for false accusations, a honey trap, or something like that!"

While blushing deeply, her boyfriend is quick enough to cover Onodera's mouth up before she reveals the actual reason for his secrecy, leading to the public committee officer to tilt her head ever so slightly. Given the circumstances, she lets it slide.

"So, you two always had an eye on me during this situation and the entire last week, right?"

Letting go of the blonde student, after receiving a hit to the face for touching her so suddenly, the former track member only nods, while the IshiMiko-shipper answers verbally.

"So to speak, yeah."

Without any warning, Iino pouts, eying her fellow female with a fierce gaze. 'Only two more seconds, Rei-chan!' Startled by this, the blue-eyed girl feels like her friend's anger results from her hitting the top student's boyfriend and apologises.

"Um… sorry, did it hurt Ishigami?"

The guilt-tripped girl turns towards him, and looks at his cheek in more detail by getting closer to his face.

"Well, you pack quite a punch, but it's nothing I can't handle."

Smiling slightly, he rubs the sore spot. Meeting Onodera's eyes, he wants her to know, that there's nothing to feel sorry about, resulting in her smiling as well. It takes not even a second, before the former cheerleader's emotion of relieve yields to the fear of falling backwards to the ground. Her arm's being pulled, causing distance between her and the baffled boy. It's his girlfriend, who's causing that. Turning her head, she discovers a displeased, almost horrifying, expression on Iino's face. 'Did I do something wrong again?' Being scared and having other stuff to tend to, Onodera bids a farewell.

"I'm glad everything worked out well for us in the end. But would you look at the time? It's so late already; I really have to go now. Get Miko home safely, Ishigami. See you around."

"Bye-bye, Rei-chan!"

She waves goodbye as fast as she disappears from their sight, giving the treasurer no time to see her off.

"Well… that was strange."

"You mean just as strange as leaving your girlfriend in the dark about secret meetings with another woman?"

Despite her words and implications, the short girl smiles brightly. She menacingly moves in on the treasurer, while looking as cheerful as one can be.

"S-subtle criticism a-acknowledged, Iino."

He takes a step back, but she has her sight set on her goal already and closes in quicker.

"W-we did this for you! Nothing happened between us. I promise!"

The auditor finally reaches her destination, gripping on his beige piece of clothing, resting her head on his chest. A few seconds pass with Ishigami being frozen.

"Huh?"

"I know… thank you, but next time communicate your plans with me."

Iino's voice bears unusual sweetness. The treasurer swallows hard, blushes, closes his eyes, and hugs his girlfriend. 'Well, it's good that she's processes this so well, so I won't put a hold to it…'

"I will."

The blue-eyed boy feels her body leaning on him now more than before. The brunette's tenseness seems to have loosened. She relaxes and uses him to support her quite literally. Even without his astute observation skills, Ishigami understands that his lover is at her physical limit here.

"We should get you home, Iino."

"Yeah, that would be for the better. I'm exhausted."

After snuggling him for one more time, the short girl decides to stand on her own feet again but holds on to his hand and stands close next to him.

"You should know the way by now, so lead it."

"Y-yes!"

Even in her weakened state, his girlfriend is quite demanding. Usually, her behaviour would annoy him to the point where they start fighting, but he feels her nervousness crawling up again. 'The adrenaline seems to cease.'

They're making good progress, slowing down every now and then, but overall Ishigami's able to read her mood right. Giving her breaks, whenever she needs some, and picking up the pace when his girlfriend is feeling better, until they arrive in front of her apartment.

"There we are."

"Good work, eager beaver."

It must be the mixture of exhaustion and relief that let her act smug, but Ishigami only reacts with a neutral gaze. She puts in the code on the keypad to the Iino household and opens the door. Stepping over the threshold makes her feel like she finally escaped the dangers of the world. A place where her tiny body can rest without being interrupted or threatened by anything. 'I want to eat, take a bath, and sleep now… also…' She turns around, looking in the eyes of an Ishigami, who's ready to leave her alone. Her voice doesn't hold much strength anymore, so her following words are only audible to him.

"D-do you want to come inside?"

The young man's eyes widen while he gets flustered. If this were a manga or anime, he'd probably started to have a nosebleed. 'Don't phrase it like this, Iino!' He turns towards the opened door, nodding multiple times, hoping that this somehow would calm him down. It's obvious that today's incident is taking a toll on the adolescent teenager as well.

"Pardon the intrusion!"

The nervous student steps in right behind his crush and takes off his shoes. 'The last time I was here, I almost kissed a girl… Maybe…'
His thoughts are put on a hold because of the view in front of him. The short girl just put her slippers on and looks down at the screen of her smartphone. Iino's eyes appear lifeless.

"I wrote my father a message about the stalking during your and Rei-chan's conversation with the police. He won't be able to take care of this until tomorrow evening."

"So that means you're alone all weekend after I leave, right?"

Sharp as always, Ishigami concludes, earning a slow nod from the auditor.

"He'll give me a call during the afternoon, though… It's just…"

She starts to shake. Tactfulness isn't the treasurer's strong suit but even he's able to analyse this situation quickly. Iino feels alone in this apartment, he knows that. But now where her place of retreat should be alleviating her pain, it's causing her even more trouble. 'From one hole into another.'

Anger rises within him. Shouldn't her father drop everything and rush over to check on his daughter? Does this delay happen because the stalker is a former colleague of his? All Ishigami can do is to muster his girlfriend and come up with something to cheer her up.
He sighs deeply and gets out his own smartphone, tapping on it, seemingly writing multiple messages.

"What a pain…"

His demeanour catches the attention of the brunette, pulling her back into reality.

"What's the matter?"

Ishigami blushes, avoiding her general direction.

"W-well, I thought if your parents won't show up… I'll… um… stay until they do…"

The last part of his sentence is barely audible, but his girlfriend hears it quite clearly, letting her face flush red as well. 'He wants to stay over for the night.' Not getting an answer from the auditor, drives the treasurer to a wrong assumption.

"Only if it's okay with you…"

"Of course it's fine, but I don't have enough to eat for two."

"We can order something, or I'll cook."

"And what about pyjamas?"

"Again, we're in the 21st century. I can buy them. Besides that, they're not essential."

"It's settled then!"

Life returns into Iino Miko again. She seems excited, causing Ishigami Yuu to smile. 'Mission accomplished, I guess.'

"A-and we could study together, maybe even make this a reoccurring, weekly meeting between us two! A date so to say. We can also watch movies, talk, and play games!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

Ishigami's wish of seeing Iino's sweeter side comes true.

Today's battle results after a long day of battling:
Victory for Team Iino


Thanks for reading!

Well, the M-rating wasn't for show. I hope I didn't upset you guys too much, but I think all of this was still believable and in-character with Iino, Onodera and Ishigami.

Anyway, comments and criticism are very much appreciated.

Have a nice day!