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.

Chapter III, Tryst – Serena's unusual morning ends off with meeting a strange girl and a controversial item in her possession.

Chapter IV, Friction – An interesting item catches Serena's attention at a boutique, and later, she finds herself heatedly defending her contentious decision to take drastic means to change her appearance.

MARIONETTES

Part I: Disingenuous

- V -

Outsider

The dispute with Naru had left an unpleasantness hanging over Serena that soured her thoughts, eating away at her ability to pay attention at the things happening around her. Her friend's tenacity had come as a complete surprise; Naru, often deferential to others, normally shied away from confrontations of any kind. Serena had expected maybe a little resistance, but not an outright argument... and much less Naru's refusal to support her weight loss endeavour at all.

Preoccupied with the rift that suddenly forced them apart, the rest of Serena's school day droned on, every bit as unpalatable as the fight itself. For Phys. Ed., they played volleyball, during which Serena cost her team numerous points with clumsy passes, lackluster serves and embarrassing misplays. It was no wonder some of her peers had groaned when it was her turn to be rotated in and muttered in relief when it was her turn on the bench. Thankfully, the students at this school did not tease her straight to her face. In Sapporo, her classmates had not been as kind. Final period was Home Economics, and although sitting through it was an unbearably dull affair, Serena was glad to be able to wallow in her mediocrity in peace, without making a spectacle of her ineptitude as she had done in Phys. Ed. She could cool off, too, having worked up a vigourous sweat in a failed attempt to hide her poor athletic abilities.

The Home Ec. classroom was as plain and unadorned as any other classroom, save for the stacks of different fabrics piled all around the periphery of the room. The teacher, Ms. Akiyama, was a perfect match for the drab room. She was an unassuming, bespectacled brunette that always seemed to lack confidence to address the class. Serena found it boring to listen to her, and as of late she seemed to show up even more unprepared than usual, making the class even more tedious. The current gossip was that Ms. Akiyama was getting married soon, but no one knew to whom. She looked so plain and dorky that it was hard for Serena to envision her as a beautiful bride in a flowing white gown. Wedding preparations must really be keeping her busy - she's even more tired today, Serena observed as her teacher stifled a yawn with the back of her hand. The lethargy was contagious and almost immediately, Serena mimicked her teacher to suppress her own boredom.

As much as she was dismayed with her instructor, it occurred to Serena that if she were ever to become a teacher one day, perhaps she would look like Ms. Akimaya in front of the class - reserved, distracted and ill-prepared. It was a disheartening thought, but daydreaming was all she could do to pass the time, as Naru refused to speak to her since lunch. She had not even as much as offered her kind words of encouragement, as she usually did, when she clumsily fumbled about in Phys. Ed. The silence hurt profoundly, even more than the angry words they had fired at one another earlier. The stillness was cold, tinged with the touch of vindictiveness.

By the time Serena had replayed the embarrassment of gym class all over again in her mind, Ms. Akiyama's lesson was over and it was time for the students to practice their needlework. While the rest of the class busied themselves in their fabric and thread, Serena fought to go beyond her initial stitches, but could not muster up the momentum to continue toiling away. Stitching was boring; nothing more than humdrum worrying over minute details. Serena hated such focused tasks. It was the same reason math was so unbearable. At least with numbers, though, she could write something that was a decent approximation of what was expected from her; needlework was a much harder beast to tame. Serena's stitching looked like it had been done by a five year old. What self-respecting teenager would want to take ownership of something as hideously put together as that?

If I could make an outfit like the one at that boutique, though... The fusion dress that meshed Sailor V's outfit with a seifuku, all grown-up and provocative, still remained vividly captured in her mind's eye. Its vivid blues and yellows against the white, all in an eye-catching design. Sure enough, there were provocative cosplayers, but she never imagined she would one day contemplate donning something like their revealing costumes. She had never worn anything like it and even felt uncomfortable just thinking about herself in it, but she was sure Motoki would like it on her. His girlfriend probably wears revealing stuff for him already. I can't possibly get his attention with what I wear every day. She looked down at her wrinkled uniform in dismay. This definitely isn't gonna cut it...

Serena whittled away her time by thinking of the beautiful outfit, pretending to look busy whenever the teacher approached. Not that it truly mattered, she figured, as Ms. Akiyama was likely too tired to even notice her shoddy work. Still, she feigned the part - after all, she had gotten quite good at doing just that, and had been doing it all her life for as long as she could remember. She did want to make her work better, but the motivation was simply not there... and Naru's obstinacy clouded Serena's thoughts yet again, tempestuously raining down a cascade of bitter irritation that eroded any concentration that remained in her. Part of her wanted to make amends with her friend, the other part - the little voice in her head that won out more often than it probably should - wanted to remain as unyielding as a great monolith. It was hard work to be bitter. It did not come easy to Serena, who was usually very affable. Despite her desire for resolution, she would not be the one to cave in, however. She would not let herself. A point needed to be proven. Hers.

While searching for a distraction from the fabric in front of her, Serena caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye. The door to the classroom was slightly ajar, leaving enough of a berth to peek into the hallway, where she was sure she saw movement. At first, she was unsure what it was - a shifting shadow just at the reach of her peripheral vision. Had the buzzing from the sewing machines not drowned everything else out, she might have heard it approaching. What was it? It had been too far off the ground to be a shadow on the floor and too dark to be confused for a male student's navy blue gakuran. With no satisfactory reason to remain in class, Serena slipped out without alerting anyone in order to satisfy her curiosity. The droning hum of the sewing machines provided the perfect cover for her escape.

Whaddaya know? For once it actually helped to be at the front, Serena smiled to herself once she was in the hallway. Despite her regular truancy, it was rare for her to be in the halls during class time. Daydreaming was a much more enjoyable way to pass the time, she was convinced. There, she could caress Motoki for as long as she wanted and be held in his strong arms indefinitely, with no steadfast Naru, no exigent parents, no manipulative Shingo, no condescending Mamoru, and no nefarious black cat to intervene.

More pertinently, she also knew what to do and where to go, whereas she presently found herself aimlessly walking down the corridor with closed classroom doors on either side. Whatever the shadow had been, it had left no trace of its path - as shadows are wont to do. Nothing in the stairwell, nothing at the dead end, not even someone at the poorly-lit alcove with the drinking fountain where lovers frequently met for a brief moment of secluded privacy. Kisses, for sure, and sometimes more - if the gossip were to be believed.

Turns out I'm as horrible a detective as I am a volleyball player, Serena frowned, her lips pursed with disappointment as she stood akimbo, gazing at the lonely drinking fountain.

After a slight shake of her head, she continued down to the end of the hall, reaching the large windows that overlooked the courtyard. Another class was enjoying their time in the sun, playing volleyball just as her class had during the previous period. From this vantage point, it was easy for Serena to see who were the star athletes and those who were in the same category as herself. It was much harder to do this when she was on the court itself, as she was either too busy trying not to look embarrassed or too busy concentrating trying not to do anything that would embarrass her any further. It was all so clear from this distance, though.

Serena watched her peers, each play concretizing the division she had drawn up between the students on the courtyard. One girl in particular caught her attention. She was tall and as skinny as a twig, yet the nimbleness that came with such a frame did not help her at all. She dropped one ball after another and shied away from it whenever the opposing team sent it her way. Her fumbles were often accompanied by laughs from the opposing team. It was as though they were sending the ball to her on purpose. Play after play, the poor girl found no respite from either the ball or the laughter.

Serena's heart reached out to the girl, partly because of the embarrassment she must feel, but overwhelmingly because Serena felt a kinship with her. The bewildered girl seemed so helpless - so pathetic - as she struggled to keep up with her peers. Is that what I look like? Serena brooded, distraught by the new perspective on her incompetence. The realization was hard to stomach.

As if in mocking agreement with her realization, her stomach rumbled painfully. Serena forced herself to pay no mind to it. She had to become skinny for Motoki. Just as importantly, though, she concomitantly had to prove Mamoru - and now also Naru - wrong, too. I'm not gullible and I'm not stupid. I got this.

"There you are!"

The raspy voice made Serena jump. She turned to see it was one of her classmates, though she was ashamed to still not know the girl's name. Truth be told, 'the-chubby-girl-with-short-curly-hair' had worked just fine for her up to this point, though 'the-girl-who-doesn't-cover-up-in-the-change-room-even-though-she-really-should' would have sufficed as well. Not that Serena would ever say that out loud. That would be rude.

The chubby girl with short, curly hair was accompanied by another student from their class, Yuuji Kimura. Or was it Takayuki Kamikawa? I really should know this... Half the boys who were in her class looked like Umino, so she paid no attention to them. The other half paid no attention to her. It was a fruitless situation. Learning names in that kind of environment took too much effort to be worthwhile, especially for someone as unmotivated as she was.

"You just wandered out of class."

"Yeah, I guess I did, didn't I?" she asked. It was a silly response - she knew very well that she had intentionally walked out of Home Ec. But for what reason? Oh, yeah, the shadow... The apparition had fled from her thoughts just as quickly as it had entered.

"Ms. Akiyama sent us to get you," Yuuji or Takayuki - or maybe it was neither of them - stated authoritatively, as though his tiny frame were imposing and commanding.

Serena must have made a face, for the chubby girl spoke again in her strained voice. "It was either us or have the headmaster track you down," she defended their actions, absolving them of Serena's scorn.

Well, so much for the adventures of Serena, the Shadow Hunter... Without any further fuss, she dragged her feet all the way back to class, vowing to stick to daydreaming in the future. Her fanciful escape had been a pointless venture, ending in being escorted back to class by her peers, after realizing how pitiful she must look to everyone else when she played volleyball - or any other sport, for that matter. She hoped it was limited to just sports, but now had a growing suspicion that it extended far beyond gym class.

Walking past the numerous closed doors, Serena remembered that Naru would be back in class, diligent as ever, no doubt. She would surely be looking up at the door when Serena was brought back in custody, ready to fire off a look of disappointment at her when she re-entered. Or, maybe not. Perhaps her friend would continue giving her the silent treatment. Either way, Serena convinced herself that she did not care what her friend chose to do. She could be aloof, too.

The chubby girl leapt ahead a few steps, her puffy cheeks jiggling with every bounce, to open the door to the classroom while the other sentry remained behind Serena, keeping the wayward student trapped as though in an inescapable pincer. Evidently, they had taken their assignment to capture the fugitive with staunch determination. Serena met her captors' seriousness with a smile, reaffirming in her mind her commitment to daydreaming, which never amounted to a walk of shame that culminated in being paraded back into the classroom.

So cutting class made me a criminal? So be it, then - I'll be a criminal, Serena jested to herself, re-entering the classroom with the nonchalant, detached demeanor of a felon.

A.N. – Loved it? Hated it? Doesn't matter! Please leave a comment! (It goes a long way to keep me motivated!) Thanks! ^_^

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