The story so far:

Prolog – Mayumi Osaka finds herself in a horrific situation while on a pleasure ride aboard a multimillionaire's yacht.

Chapter I, Subpar – Serena resolves to win the love of someone she admires by altering herself.

Chapter II, Calamity – The wellbeing of Naru's mother, Mayumi, is called into question when her cruise vacation is cut short by a sudden epidemic aboard a luxury liner.

Book I

- Disingenuous -

- III -

Tryst

A lone, discarded cup rolled in front of Serena, every bit as slow as her pace. The walk to school was unbearably dull; the solitary cup in the otherwise immaculate streets of Minato being an unusual, yet altogether unimportant, highlight of her walk so far. She kicked the litter off the sidewalk, wishing Naru were with her. Last night, after numerous failed attempts to get through to the police department, Serena's mom had taken Naru with her to the police station, hoping to get more information on the well-being of Mayumi Osaka. They had departed with such haste that Naru had left her cell phone behind, so she did not have even text messages to keep in touch. Ikuko rarely left the house on her own and thus, did not have a cell phone of her own.

Always an opportunistic truant, Serena tried to capitalize on the situation to miss school and had pleaded to come with them, but her mother was adamant that she attend school, especially after the abysmal score on her last test. Serena worried that perhaps her motivations had been too transparent, not that she did not care about Naru's mother. It was too late to do anything about it, though.

As she slowly shuffled her way to school, countless people passed her along the streets. Unlike her, they were starting their day with vim and vigour. Most stores were still closed, their metal shutters fully down, delivery persons dropping off the day's fresh produce to markets and restaurants. Every few blocks Serena would spy takkyubin personnel rolling large, teal containers stuffed with luggage, to their corresponding destinations. Students and salarymen boarded packed buses with either book bag or briefcase in hand. It seemed that all of them greeted the new day with cheer.

The salarymen perhaps not so much, come to think of it, Serena reevaluated. Nevertheless, she was convinced they were all punctual at the very least. By contrast, she was running late again - later than usual, actually - as Shingo and Kenji had left before she had even woken, leaving the house entirely empty and Serena free to endlessly slam the snooze button on her alarm. Her pace was more sluggish than usual on account of the poor rest she had gotten, but her exceptional tardiness did not faze her. She hated being sleep deprived and groggy. It made her queasy and her head buzzed and wobbled whenever she closed her eyes. Sleep was wonderful, but blinking was an unpleasant tease.

Before leaving the house, Serena had broken her fast with nothing but a piece of toast in her stomach and half a glass of water. It was uncomfortable to walk around on an empty stomach, but she had resolved to lose weight and she was determined to see results, whatever the circumstances of her life. Sacrifices would have to be made when it came to food, however boisterous her stomach might become. Her discontent stomach was the least of her concerns at the moment; despite the uncertainty of the well-being of Mayumi Osaka, it was still Motoki who occupied Serena's thoughts. She was still deliberating how she was going to lose enough weight to be as thin as the girl who she had seen him with yesterday. That girl must have been no more than forty kilos, she reasoned. I've got so far to go... Even 45 kgs seemed out of reach.

The bemused teen mulled over her predicament so intently that she realized she had walked past the street where she should have turned. To correct for her short-sighted error, she decided to backtrack, but stopped along the way when an ad on the window of a health supplement store caught her attention. It was bright and colourful and Serena was unsure how she had missed it the first time. The large poster for Genkirin Kekkou Medicines that adorned the window display starred Mikan Shiratori, a graduate from Serena's high school who had gone on to become a famous actress and idol. The green-eyed, athletic brunette wore a blue and purple gymnastic leotard while she delicately balanced on her left tippy-toe as she snaked a green rhythmic gymnastics ribbon around herself. The leotard hugged Mikan's every curve, and highlighted her flat stomach and feminine features. As Serena stared at the idol's ideal body shape, it made her want it even more intently.

She's so beautiful. I wish I could be like her, Serena desired, her own reflection superimposed over Mikan's slim and toned figure.

In her free hand, Mikan held a small, red bottle containing a weight loss supplement, which boasted itself as being entirely natural and highly effective in burning fat. A huge sign indicated that the supplements were on sale for a limited time, marked down to almost half price. Serena was convinced Mikan's figure was exactly what she needed to win over Motoki. This is who I need to be.

No thinking was required to connect the dots. Serena impulsively withdrew her wallet from her book bag and examined its contents. Even though on sale, the pills strained the limits of her meager allowance. There was just enough in coins and bills to buy two bottles. Still, her mood suddenly picked up - Motoki's adoration seemed much more tangible now than even just last night. How had she not thought of this sooner?

In a matter of minutes, she was out of the store, the weight loss pills in her hand. The muffled rattling from within the container made her feel good. A smile spread across her face. With the help of the pills, she was certain she would soon become beautiful like Mikan; hr flabby muscles made firm and defined, her rectangular figure reshaped into a curvy hourglass. Perhaps a flatter stomach would increase the size of her small breasts by comparison, too.

Guys like girls with big boobs... Hers were firm, but also small and definitely not the size of some of the other girls' in her class. Serena had always been curious about where she fit among her peers and as a result, she had seen more pairs of breasts than she had ever cared to admit to attain that knowledge. Sometimes, even when she did not want to look, it could not be helped, as some girls were quite brazen when changing during gym class.

Serena put aside her thoughts, not hesitating to awkwardly bend her notebooks in order to fit the first bottle into her bag. It took some work, but the she eventually managed to get the bottle into the corner. The second bottle was a different matter altogether, and she struggled against all the other items that were fighting for space in the interior. She was so determined to cram everything into the leather book bag that she only realized that she had automatically begun to walk to school when she tripped over something. The container flew out of her hand as she tumbled forward, unable to regain her balance and set herself upright. A moment later, she was on the sidewalk nursing the stinging scrape on her knee. It was the second time in less than twenty-four hours that her knee had taken a painful blow. She was grateful only to have a minor scratch; her pleated skirt stopped shy of her knees and a bloody gash would have stood out even from afar. She could hide this injury much better.

Serena looked back to see what had caused her fall, knowing there had been no tripping hazards on her first pass - not that she had been keeping an eye out for them in the first place. The sidewalk was smooth, with no raised edges to speak of. Just a little further down the sidewalk, however, a tiny black shape bounded away from her in a hurry. It took the dumbfounded teenager a split second to realize it was a black cat, though she only clued into that after it had raised its tail in the air like a wayward bumper car.

"Stupid cat," Serena muttered. Almost as if the animal had heard her, it stopped to gaze at Serena, seemingly in objection to the remark, suggesting the incident had been the girl's fault entirely.

"Do you ever watch where you're going?" asked an unfriendly voice from behind, startling Serena. She looked up, her mood changing altogether once again when she realized it was Mamoru Chiba, Motoki's friend who constantly rubbed her the wrong way. His short black hair spiked upward, he sported faded blue jeans with a grey shirt that peeked out from under his unbuttoned, jungle green blazer.

Who the hell even wears blazers during the summer?

As with the cat, Serena had not seen him approaching. How long had he been there? Had he seen her fall? Serena was mortified. Would he tell Motoki about what a klutz she had been? That was the last thing she wanted, but would not put it above him to share this embarrassing event with others. His delight in schadenfreude brought out a Shingo-like quality in him, causing her to dislike him even further.

Pretending not to have been hurt, she raised herself with whatever dignity she could muster. "Thanks for the help," Serena remarked with obvious sarcasm, dusting off her skirt.

"What? Not gonna thank me?" he questioned arrogantly.

"For what?" Serena shot back with palpable annoyance. It was then, upon a second look, that she realized he held her weight loss pills in hand. This was bad, way worse than him having seen her trip over a cat. Mamoru blabbing to Motoki about this could jeopardize her entire plan. He could not come to know that she was using these to enhance her appearance.

"I'm surprised you even considered being nice for a change," Serena retorted as she might normally have, not wanting to draw extra attention to the item in his possession. She hoped he had not bothered to glance at the label when he reached down for it. Serena held out her hand with anticipation.

Mamoru's eyes shifted downward, scanning the label.

"You mind respecting my privacy?" she stated angrily, feeling betrayed.

"You know, this is nothing but a dumb placebo meant to rip off gullible girls like you, right?" he derided her with a taunting smirk.

"I didn't ask you for your opinion," Serena shot back at him.

"Well, it's true. Anyone with half a brain will tell you that," he defended himself. "You probably don't do all that well in school, do you?"

Irritated by the insinuation - however accurate the part about school might have been - she snatched the container out of his hands with more success than when she had attempted to take her test back from Shingo. "Like I said, I didn't ask for your opinion."

"I'm just trying to help you out," Mamoru assured her, raising his hands as though declaring innocence.

"Well, you sure have a funny way it showing it," Serena remarked, bending her books even more in order to stuff the second bottle deep into her bag. It required all the strength in her biceps but she was determined to finish this matter and walk away immediately. "Next time, just do me a favour and stay the hell away from me. I don't need your stinkin' advice," she said bitterly, hoping her anger would hide her embarrassment and anxiety. Serena quickly stormed away, utterly frustrated by the experience. Thankfully, he remained in place and did not pursue the issue any further. She was glad to leave him behind.

Although she was angered by Mamoru's actions, her primary concern was that he would mention this entire embarrassing encounter to Motoki. I hope Mamoru keeps his mouth shut about this. She knew him well enough to know that even bringing up the issue, whether kindly or threateningly, would be enough to entice him to actually mention it. Her apprehension over the matter further ingrained her despise for him.

Serena marched on without as much as glancing back, leaving behind Mamoru and the stupid cat that had precipitated the entire incident, not wanting to see either of them again. When she was certain to have left their sights, she observed the time on her cell phone and sighed. At best, she would be only twenty minutes late. First period today was Language and Ms. Haruna had already warned her about her constant lateness. Showing up at this hour would likely mean being penalized. Skipping first period altogether became a more enticing thought with every passing second. Not like I can concentrate on work anyway. That guy always manages to find a way to piss me off!

The rage slowly subsided but the anxiety and embarrassment that had clawed into Serena could not be shaken off so easily. She tried to enjoy her newfound freedom as best she could, while she carelessly strolled down the street at a lackadaisical pace, stopping to window shop here and there. A shoe store, a video game store, a clothing store. Not that it mattered what the stores sold anyway - most of them still had not opened, but above all, she was broke and could not afford anything beyond the least expensive of items. Still, she did not mind just looking.

Eventually, she came upon a small 7-Eleven, where she used the last of her money to purchase a bottle of water to down her first set of pills. She opened the small red bottle with a strange excitement. Serena peered at the bottle's contents, the promise of a slimmer body encased within the blue and white pills. I'll show Mamoru who's the stupid one, she reveled. Eager to realize her new form, she doubled the recommended dosage. The large pills did not go down easy and felt as though they had become lodged part way down her esophagus. The hopeful teen forced herself to keep them down with another stiff drink of water, as she drained the bottle of its contents. The liquid hurt all the way down on account of her empty stomach. If eating and drinking were going to become painful ordeals, it seemed that avoiding them altogether would be the best solution.

Tightening the lid on the empty water bottle, Serena searched for somewhere to toss out the item. There were no waste receptacles in sight, but something else did catch her attention. Across the street, she observed a lonesome girl, not much younger than herself, speedily walking down the sidewalk. She wore a light, yellow summer dress with a black flower print that flowed in the breeze along with the girl's long black hair. A slew of older boys followed closely behind, calling out to the girl with crude whistling and catcalls. It was clear to Serena that their attention was unwanted, yet they continued to harass the poor girl.

The young girl suddenly pivoted and vehemently shouted something at her crass pursuers. Although Serena could scarcely hear anything above the sounds of traffic along the busy intersection, the meaning was self-evident in the girl's gesticulations. Unfortunately, her ire did not prove to be an effective deterrent, and they continued to pursue the girl, whose pace had now quickened.

Contrary to Serena's usual meek unassertiveness, she felt compelled to act at this very moment. She was unsure why. Perhaps the pills had bolstered her self-confidence. Perhaps her earlier encounter with Mamoru had embittered her more than she had realized; he had now come to tarnish her view of every male in sight. Acting now would be a retaliation against his harshness, in some queer way. Whatever the reason, even someone as unassertive as Serena had their limits.

Traffic was heavy and Serena had to wait for her turn to cross the narrow street. Her conviction fueled a sudden eagerness as she impatiently counted the seconds until the traffic lights favoured her crossing. Meanwhile, the young girl and her pursuers disappeared into a narrow street that was lined on either side with side entrances to restaurants and businesses, reserved for deliveries rather than patrons. Not wanting to lose the girl in distress, Serena impatiently rushed into the intersection headlong, angering motorists who did not hesitate to honk and curse at her for ignoring traffic signals and crossing before she had the right of way. The malicious shouts and blaring car horns did not faze her, though - tunnel vision had kicked in and she was now only concerned with reaching that helpless girl. Unfortunately, upon reaching the narrow street, neither the girl nor the boys causing her grief were anywhere to be seen.

A sharp anxiety suddenly overwhelmed Serena, her valiant plan suddenly thwarted. Dammit, she cursed, taking a moment to catch her breath. Disheartened but still determined, she slowly walked down the garbage-ridden street, searching for a clue to where they had all disappeared. A dour stench filled the air and Serena found herself wishing that they had ventured elsewhere instead. Upon further inspection, she realized that the girl could have gone into any of these backdoors for refuge. Trying her luck, she pulled on a random door handle. Maybe she tried to hide somewhere...

The door was unyielding, stubborn as Serena in one of her most obstinate of moods. "Locked," she muttered in dismay. Much to her disappointment, the weathered green door a few meters down bore a similar, discouraging result. Serena's valor was waning. Valiance sure was fickle.

"Leave me alone, you idiots!"

The shout came from nearby, arousing Serena's attention and heroism once more. She sped toward an even narrower back alley street that ran perpendicular to the one she currently found herself racing down. Not far from the garbage-cluttered intersection, the young girl was backed up against the wall, the group of boys crowded around her, preventing her escape.

There were six boys in total, older than the girl but still younger than Serena. Despite being outnumbered, she did not hesitate for a moment to intervene; her valor and vengeance would be realized, no matter the odds. Reaching for the nearest projectile, she picked up an empty glass bottle from one of the waste bins and heaved it as hard as she could. Her aim, much like her throw, was terrible and the errant projectile missed Serena's intended target entirely. The bottle shattered noisily against the wall, shooting glass across the asphalt like an angry army storming an unaware enemy. The loud burst was enough to get the boys' attention, sending them into a panic now that they had been caught in their collective misdeed.

"Hey, you goddamned punks!" Serena cursed the pack of boys, hoping her angry voice would be enough to scare them away. She had no backup plan in case they stood their ground and it dawned on her that perhaps she had jumped into this hero role too eagerly. Was she supposed to have a backup plan? "What d'you think you're up to?" she shouted, hoping to keep her insecurities hidden.

Although the other boys remained mute, their expressions revealed a similar fear. The boys went into a sudden panic now that they had been discovered. Serena kept her relief hidden as the boys demonstrated themselves to be cowards. They could not have been intimidated by her diminutive stature, that was certain.

"Let's book it!" the tallest one of them ordered.

They all followed the command, not a single one of them caring or daring to confront Serena. She was glad they did not, for even if just one of them had called her heroic bluff, she would have been no better off than the girl they had already cornered. Even though they were about Shingo's age, Serena was barely above their height, and she scarcely knew the first thing about fighting. Much to the two girls' relief, they all cravenly ran away, dashing past Serena at top speed. Nevertheless, Serena felt incredibly embiggened. The stampede of boys that fled the scene filled her with untold pride, an unusual feeling for the scholastic underachiever.

"Are you okay?" Serena asked, approaching the girl. She was shorter than Serena and almost as skinny as Motoki's current girlfriend. Nevertheless, upon closer inspection, she appeared to be nearer Serena's own age than she had discerned from across the street. It struck her odd that she was in street clothes rather than in a school uniform. It was a school day, after all.

"Thanks, I'm fine," the girl replied, keeping a watchful eye on the intersection. "Those idiots had been pestering me for several blocks. The oldest one refused to take 'no' for an answer."

"You know them?"

"No. I'm... not from this area."

"Oh. Where ya from?" Serena inquired innocently.

"Far away," the girl dusted off her yellow dress, adding nothing further.

"I see," Serena was surprised by the girl's terseness after she had come to her aid, not that her good deed necessarily meant the girl had to be forthcoming. "So... you're visiting?"

"I've been traveling, actually," she revealed. "I was looking for someone."

Serena felt the need to extend her generosity even further to help the girl who clearly seemed out of place. "Do you need to make a call?" she asked, preemptively reaching for the cell phone inside her bag. Despite dreading the prospect of fishing between notebooks and bottles of pills, she was content to be of help nonetheless. The unnamed streets of Tokyo were such a problem that even locals had to rely on GPS and phone calls to those who knew their way in order to find destinations.

"No, that's quite alright," the girl politely declined as they stepped out of the odourous alley and back onto the main street. "I've found who I was looking for," she said plainly, once again scant on details.

Serena smiled awkwardly, confused by the girl's response. She casually glanced at the time on her phone. She was stunned at how quickly time had passed. At this rate, she would be lucky to even reach school for the start of second period. "Look, I'm really sorry, but I'm going to be very late for school," Serena excused herself. She hastily ripped a sheet of paper from her notebook without much regard for its contents. Despite being well into the school year, most of her books were blank anyway. Serena quickly scribbled something on the ripped page, then handed the piece of paper to the girl. "That's my number. Call me if you need a place to crash or something," she generously offered, fully knowing her parents would likely object to a stranger suddenly living with them. She doesn't need to know that though. I'm a hero in this girl's eyes, she egotistically envisioned herself through the petite girl's point of view. I'm the hero for once, she relished. "I'm Serena, by the way."

"Thanks," the girl smiled back, showing two rows of perfect white teeth, her canines seemingly more pointed than those of most other people. "I'm Kaguya."

With a quick wave and a final pardon, Serena ran off, puzzled by the strange girl she had just met but thrilled to have stood up for someone. Who could have known saving someone in trouble was such a rush? She never would have done that before. This new strength, wherever it had come from, felt wonderful. Maybe it was the hunger, maybe it was the pills kicking in, maybe it was excitement. Whatever it was, though, it felt good. Running to school, Serena could feel a new self stirring inside her, eager to manifest itself.

AN - Loved it? Hated it? Doesn't matter! Leave me a comment! :)

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