"A date? Really? So I guess this means you two are going out, right?"
Nibutani leaned against the window in the club room. She was waiting for Dekomori, who stayed behind in class to help tutor some of her classmates. The day before, when Dekomori accepted her confession, Nibutani had taken her home and ended up making plans for a first date. When they had finally arrived at the gates of Dekomori's house, the two girls agreed on a movie and dinner date. Neither of them wanted to put unnecessary pressure on the other, so it seemed like the easiest thing to do as a first date.
Nibutani was slightly apprehensive about telling the rest of the group about her newly formed relationship with the first year. She didn't think Kumin or Yuuta would care, as they seemed very supportive of her and Dekomori before they got together. Rikka was the one who worried her. Dekomori and Rikka had a very strong bond, so it wasn't crazy to think that she might react strongly to this new development.
Dekomori had clearly been upset at Rikka and Yuuta's relationship in the beginning. Nibutani initially thought it was only due to hidden romantic feelings within the twin tailed girl, but some of it seemed to stem from general protectiveness. When someone has formed a strong bond with another, it's likely that they'll want to protect the other from harm, physical or emotional. Since Dekomori's initial reaction to Rikka's relationship had been intense, Nibutani worried that Rikka would react similarly when she found out about Dekomori's new relationship.
It was for that reason that Nibutani was hoping to put off telling them. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't alone in the club room. Yuuta had decided to spend the afternoon there as well. Yuuta, who was unaccustomed to seeing Nibutani spend time in the club room alone, had asked her what she was doing. Nibutani thought it better to just tell him then. There was no point in lying.
"Yeah, we got together yesterday," Nibutani replied. "We decided to just go ahead and get the first date out of the way, so we're going to the movies today. I'm waiting here for her to finish tutoring her classmates." Nibutani found herself holding her breath, waiting for Yuuta's response.
"I see. Well good for you," Yuuta smiled. Nibutani released the breath she had been holding. She was glad that he had no issue with it, not that Nibutani had really expected him too. There was no reason for him to be against her relationship with Dekomori, so Nibutani wondered why she felt so nervous about revealing it.
"I wonder how Rikka will take it…" Nibutani mumbled.
"Don't worry about it," Yuuta reassured. "She might be surprised, but I highly doubt she'll have any issue with it. If anything, she'll be happy for Dekomori. They are close after all. If it really does worry you though, have Dekomori take care of it. Rikka couldn't possibly react badly if she heard it from Dekomori herself."
Nibutani nodded. That sounded like the best course of action. Dekomori knew Rikka a lot better than she did, so she would probably have an easier time talking to her about it. It probably wouldn't be hard for the younger girl at all. Nibutani could practically hear Dekomori taunt her about getting so worked up over something like this.
"You don't need to worry about Kumin either. She's been wanting you two to get together for a while now," Yuuta continued. "If you were to worry about anyone, it should be Mitsuki. It's pretty obvious that she's interested in Dekomori as well. I don't know how well she'll take it. I can't imagine she'll be very happy about it."
"She already knows," Nibutani said. "She actually confessed to Dekomori before I did. I suppose I was just lucky that Dekomori had feelings for me instead. It was Mitsuki's confession that drove me to confess in the first place." Even though she didn't care for the purple haired girl, Nibutani had to admit that she was thankful that Mitsuki's presence was so intimidating. Nibutani was sure that she wouldn't have gotten to this point with Dekomori if Mitsuki hadn't been around.
Yuuta looked at her, surprised. "Whoa, that's intense. A double confession? How'd Mitsuki react to that?"
"Not well," Nibutani responded. "We had an argument. She was really aggressive about it actually."
"Aggressive? That doesn't really sound like her…" Yuuta noted. It seemed like Nibutani was the only one who had been exposed to Mitsuki's inner aggressiveness. That wasn't too surprising. Nibutani knew that Mitsuki liked to cover her own personality with fake friendliness. Mitsuki was more abrasive than she let on.
"Yeah, well it doesn't really matter. What's done is done." Nibutani decided to keep quiet about the details of her confrontations with Mitsuki. It seemed unwise to stir up more drama between her and the purple haired girl. It's not like it was anyone else's business anyway. Whatever happened between her and Mitsuki would stay between the two of them.
Nibutani heard the door slide open and saw Rikka and Dekomori walk in. The two girls were chatting excitedly. Nibutani noticed that the first year's hair was free from the usual pigtails.
"This is truly a courageous task you are undertaking. You've even disarmed yourself. I suppose I should come to expect these kinds of things from the Mjolnir Hammer. I would not have been able to complete a mission like this," Rikka praised.
Dekomori beamed, "I could not have done it without the years of training I had as your servant. You have trained me to be as strong as the mightiest gods! I am confident that this mission can be completed without my weaponry!" The two girls high fived each other.
Nibutani sighed, "What are you two going on about now?"
"Fear not, Fake Summer. I have the situation under control!" Dekomori grinned.
"You're still calling me a fake? Geez, I thought you'd lay off that by now," Nibutani groaned. Dekomori didn't respond. The younger girl stood in place, shuffling her feet. The atmosphere quickly turned awkward.
"Hey, don't you two have a thing to go to?" Yuuta asked. Nibutani silently thanked him for breaking the silence.
"Indeed!" Dekomori answered. "Let us go!" The blonde girl turned around and marched out of the club room. Nibutani, voicing a quick goodbye to Yuuta and Rikka, hurried after her.
Nibutani caught up to the younger girl as she was heading down the stairs towards the exit. Dekomori stared straight ahead and didn't utter a single word. Nibutani reached over and bumped her hand against the blonde girl's. Dekomori allowed Nibutani to intertwine their fingers.
"You okay?" Nibutani asked. The first year was uncharacteristically quiet.
"Sorry," Dekomori mumbled. This apology surprised Nibutani. Dekomori wasn't one to apologize a lot, especially over something small.
"What for?" Nibutani inquired. As far as she could remember, Dekomori hadn't done anything recently that warranted an apology.
"You got upset when I called you Fake Summer. Sorry," Dekomori repeated.
Nibutani smiled, "Don't worry about it. I wasn't really serious about what I said. It was sort of a natural reaction I guess." It was strange that Dekomori was worried about something like this in the first place. Dekomori never gave a second thought about calling Nibutani a fake, so she wondered why it was coming up all of a sudden.
"Really?" Dekomori asked. She grinned as Nibutani nodded.
"Good!" Dekomori cheered. "After all, I was only calling you by your proper title. I mean, you are a fake." Dekomori shot Nibutani a cheeky grin. Nibutani squeezed the younger girl's hand as hard as she could. Dekomori yelped in pain.
"I can only tolerate so much," Nibutani smirked. Dekomori removed her hand from Nibutani's and rubbed at it.
"You're rather strong for a fake…" Dekomori muttered.
Nibutani chuckled, "That's payback for almost crushing me to death while I slept." Dekomori pouted.
Why'd she get so worried over something stupid like that? She's never held back on calling me a fake before. I hope this isn't because Mitsuki told her that I'll hate her because I don't like chuunibyou. She should know that isn't the truth. Maybe I need to reassure her again...
Nibutani shoved her thoughts aside. There was no point in thinking about it now. She didn't want to ruin their first date by thinking negatively. Nibutani grabbed Dekomori's hand for a second time. The two girls continued their banter as they headed for the movie theater in town.
"What do you want to see?" Nibutani asked. There were a large variety of movies available. A romance movie seemed like a good choice for a date, albeit rather cheesy. Nibutani's cheeks reddened. It would be really embarrassing watching a mushy movie with the younger girl, but if that's what she wished to do, then Nibutani would comply.
Nibutani's eye's scanned the board that held the movie names. There were also quite a few sci-fi movies out. They seemed like something that Dekomori would enjoy. She always got excited at the idea of giant robots, monsters, and aliens, so would undoubtedly enjoy any movie with those things in it.
"How about a sci-fi movie?" Nibutani suggested. "You like that stuff, right?"
"Yeah! I've been wanting to see this one. Is that okay with you?" Dekomori asked. She pointed to movie called "The Last Week". Nibutani looked at the description. It was about a group of scientists who unintentionally doomed the entire human race by creating aggressive and intelligent robot beings. Nibutani wasn't surprised that Dekomori wanted to see something like this. It seemed to coincide with her interests.
"Yeah, that's totally fine," Nibutani replied. She walked up to the ticket counter and purchased tickets for the both of them.
The two girls walked into the building. They decided to not buy any food since they would be eating right after the movie. Once they entered the correct theater room, Dekomori raced to the very top. According to the younger girl, she liked sitting there because it made her feel less small since she got to look down at everyone else in the theater. Nibutani thought the reasoning was silly, but she didn't bother to argue about it.
They sat chatting idly with one another until the lights finally dimmed. As the movie started playing, Nibutani fully realized her situation. This was a movie date. She had heard from various people that couple's were supposed to hold hands and even kiss during movie dates. Was that something Dekomori was expecting? They've already held hands before, so that wouldn't be an issue, but in terms of kissing, Nibutani had only received a kiss on the cheek so far.
Nibutani glanced over at the smaller girl, who seemed completely engrossed in the film. Nibutani could feel her heart beat faster. She wanted to reach over and grab the blonde's hand, but her sudden nervousness was making her palms sweat. She folded her hands in her lap and sighed. She inwardly kicked herself for thinking about something like this in the first place. It was detracting from her movie experience.
Stop thinking about it, Shinka. It isn't important. That idiot probably doesn't consider dating customs anyway… But what if she does, and I'm not aware of it? What of she makes the first move? Am I ready for that? I mean, we've only just started dating. Though maybe it would be better to get it out of the way so we don't get stuck in dating limbo like Yuuta and Rikka.
Nibutani wrung her hands. She had always been so quick to give out dating advice, but now that she was in that situation herself, it was incredibly intimidating. She looked over at Dekomori for a second time. The younger girl had moved to the edge of her seat, her hands clasped together in front of her. She was absorbed in the movie playing and was unaware of the inner turmoil within the girl beside her. Nibutani sighed. Even if she really wanted something to happen, she doubted it would considering the younger girl's fascination with whatever was happening in the movie.
Nibutani turned her attention back to the screen. She had been so focused on her own thoughts that she missed a large chunk of the movie. Nibutani had no idea what was going on and she didn't know who most of the characters were. Nibutani closed her eyes and silently criticized herself for not paying attention. At least the other girl seemed to be enjoying the movie.
Nibutani managed to focus on the screen for the remainder of the film. When it ended, Dekomori jumped out of her chair.
"That was awesome!" Dekomori shouted. "The best part was when the robots started repairing themselves when the humans ran out of bullets and then they obliterated everything! I want to be a robot!" Dekomori grinned widely. Her excited rambling was interrupted by the low rumbling of her stomach.
Nibutani chuckled, "Come on, let's go get something to eat."
The two girls made their way out of the theater. Dekomori gushed about the movie as they searched for a restaurant. Not wanting anything big or fancy, they ended up at a small cafe. It was mostly empty, save for a older couple that sat near the back. A young waitress with long brown hair came over, seated them, and walked off. Nibutani noticed that the waitress had a small white flower in her hair. The girl seemed familiar, but Nibutani couldn't recall meeting someone like her before, so she decided to ignore it.
After a few moments the waitress reappeared at their table. "What would you like today?" she asked. Dekomori ordered a sandwich and Nibutani ordered a salad. After taking their orders, the waitress walked towards the kitchen.
"That was fun," Dekomori said. "We should return to see another movie someday."
Nibutani nodded, "Yeah, I agree. I bet we'll be spending a lot more time together now that we're dating. I wonder if that'll be okay with Rikka…" Nibutani was hoping that the first year would volunteer to talk to Rikka about it. It seemed like discussing it would be a lot easier for the younger girl.
"No worries!" Dekomori grinned. "That's what we were discussing back in the club room when we walked in! She was very supportive of the formation of our contract!" Nibutani sighed in relief. If that was true, Rikka had no issue with their relationship. That left only one person to deal with.
"That's good. Now Mitsuki's the only one left who might cause some trouble." Nibutani said. The purple haired girl had made it obvious that she disapproved of their relationship, and Nibutani wouldn't be surprised if she didn't let it go easily.
"I have already spoken to Mitsuki, and she seemed to understand when I explained everything to her. She even wished me luck with our contract," Dekomori explained. Nibutani was almost 100% positive that whatever Mitsuki had said to Dekomori had been part of her act to cover up what she was actually feeling. The confrontation Nibutani had with her in front of the school proved that.
"If you say so," Nibutani sighed. "Mitsuki Akiyama, what a character…." Nibutani suddenly heard the sound of breaking glass. She looked up and saw the waitress from before bending over to pick up pieces of a shattered cup. It looked like she had run into a table, which had caused her to accidentally drop the glass. She must have not been paying much attention.
The waitress rushed back into the kitchen, carrying the pieces of the broken glass in a small handkerchief. A few minutes later, the waitress emerged from the kitchen holding a tray that contained two plates of food and two glass of water. She walked over to their table, more carefully this time, and set the plates down.
"I'm sorry for the commotion," the waitress apologized. "I wasn't watching where I was going, and I ended up crashing into one of the tables." The girl looked like she had seen a ghost. Her face was pale and she shook slightly. Her eyes darted around the room in an attempt to avoid eye contact with the two girls sitting at the table.
"It's alright," Nibutani reassured. It was odd that the young waitress was so shaken up. Dropping a glass didn't seem like too big a deal, so Nibutani wondered what had caused the girl's sudden anxiety. The waitress bowed and hurried off.
"That was weird. She's weird," Dekomori said, her mouth full of food. The younger girl had already started munching on her sandwich.
"I wouldn't worry about it. It has nothing to do with us," Nibutani stated. The two girls ate their meal and resumed their chat about the movie they had seen. They had almost finished eating when Dekomori's phone suddenly buzzed. She pulled her phone from her bag and answered it.
"Hello?" Dekomori answered. "Yeah, I'm out with a friend…. Okay. Yeah, I can do that…. Okay… See you soon." Dekomori hung up and wolfed down the rest of her sandwich. She reached into her bag and pulled out a 1000 yen bill and placed it on the table.
"Sorry, I must rush home," Dekomori explained. "My father is coming back from an important mission and my mother wants me back at the fortress to greet him."
"I understand," Nibutani said. "Be careful on your way home." Dekomori nodded. She leaned over and gave Nibutani a peck on the cheek before running out the door.
Nibutani rested her head on her left hand and leaned on her elbow. Since Dekomori had to leave so suddenly, the rest of the evening became free. Nibutani didn't feel like going home right away, so she would have to figure out what to do to pass the time.
Nibutani looked up and saw the waitress lingering by the door to the kitchen. She was staring at Nibutani, and she looked like she was debating on whether or not to approach the table. Nibutani decided to wave her over. The waitress walked up to the table, the check in hand.
"Are you okay?" Nibutani asked. "You seem kind of jittery. We weren't too loud, were we?" The waitress shook her head. She placed the check on the table. She didn't say anything and she seemed incredibly uncomfortable.
Nibutani was about to ask the question again when the waitress finally spoke up. "How do you know Mitsuki Akiyama?" she asked. Nibutani stared at her, bewildered.
"Um, w-we go to the same school," Nibutani stammered. She hadn't expected this girl to know Mitsuki. Did the waitress overhear her and Dekomori talking? Was that why she was acting so nervous?
"She's back in public school…" the waitress mumbled. "In what way are you involved with her?"
"She's in my club," Nibutani replied. "Who are you? How do you know Mitsuki?" Nibutani was taken aback by the waitress' sudden interest in the purple haired girl. With the way she was acting before, it seemed like she would want to avoid the topic altogether.
The brown haired waitress sat down across from Nibutani. "My name is Aya Fujiyoshi," she said. "I used to go to middle school with Mitsuki." That's why the girl had seemed familiar. Nibutani recalled Mitsuki telling her about a girl who liked to put flowers in her hair. This was the girl who had caused Mitsuki so much grief.
"You're the girl who Mitsuki befriended in middle school," Nibutani stated. "You're the one who rejected her love letter and had your friends show it to the entire class. Wow, I never thought I'd run into you." Aya's shoulders slumped and her head hung. She looked ashamed.
"Yeah, that's me," Aya muttered. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you find out about me?"
Nibutani told Aya about how she first met Mitsuki. She explained how Mitsuki had become part of the group and that she attached herself to Dekomori. She explained what had happened when Mitsuki decided to kiss Dekomori and the fallout from that. Nibutani ended up unintentionally talking about everything that had happened recently involving Mitsuki.
"I see," Aya said, who had been listening intently. "I'm surprised that she told you about her past…" Aya squirmed in her seat.
"She's changed a lot from middle school, you know," Nibutani pointed out. "What you did really screwed her up, so she changed herself after she was pulled out of school. She's a lot more confident now." Even though Nibutani didn't like Mitsuki at all, she couldn't help but feel defensive while in the presence of the one who cause her to be bullied.
"I know," Aya said quietly. Nibutani's eyes widened. She knew? Mitsuki never mentioned seeing Aya again. Had they reunited after the incident?
"That girl that was with you before, " Aya said, "Is that the same girl that Mitsuki took an interest in? From what I saw, it seems like you two are dating. Is that true?" Nibutani nodded. A million thoughts swarmed in her head at once. Why was this girl asking about Dekomori? What was going on?
"That's what I thought. I know you just met me and this will probably sound rather strange coming from a stranger, but I have one piece of crucial advice for you. Stay away from Mitsuki Akiyama." Aya looked Nibutani straight in eye. Her expression was serious, and it somewhat unnerved Nibutani.
"Why should I listen to you?" Nibutani asked. "I mean, you are the reason she had to be pulled out of school. Yeah, she can be aggressive and sometimes she doesn't regard other people's feelings as much as she should, but I hardly think it's necessary to completely avoid her. Plus, Mitsuki is friends with Dekomori, so I can't just pull away from her because you told me to."
"I understand why you would feel that way," Aya said. "But you haven't been told the whole story. From what I've heard from you, it seems like she neglected to tell you certain important aspects of her past. That makes it convenient for her, but for others, not so much." Nibutani felt anxious. She couldn't tell if Aya was being overly dramatic or if there really was important information that she wasn't aware of.
"Care to elaborate?" Nibutani asked. She needed to know exactly what was going on. Every second that passed made her more fearful. Aya made it sound like Mitsuki was a lot worse than she thought.
Aya glanced around the cafe. The old couple had left some time ago, so Nibutani was the only customer left.
"My boss isn't around right now, so I suppose I have time to tell you," Aya said. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. It looked like she was trying to gather her thoughts. The sight embedded more fear into Nibutani.
"Mitsuki failed to tell you about the time we met again," Aya began. "It must have been year after she left middle school. After she was gone, I spent most of my time feeling guilty. I know what I did was wrong. It's my fault that she's the way she is now. I can never apologize enough to make it up to you."
Nibutani looked at her in shock. "Make it up to me? What do you mean?" She had never met Aya before this, so there was no way Aya had ever done something bad to her personally.
"Anything Mitsuki has done to you is my fault," Aya whispered. "Every bad thing Mitsuki does to someone is my fault. If I hadn't done what I did, she wouldn't be like this." Aya buried her face in her hands and whimpered.
"Calm down," Nibutani said, trying to sooth the other girl. "It's all okay. Just start from the beginning and we'll figure this out together." Aya lifted her head and nodded feebly.
"I spent a lot of time thinking about her after she left. All of my friends were happy to see her go, and their glee just made me feel even more guilty. I had been her first friend, and I had completely turned my back on her. I was so concerned with how my friends and classmates would act towards me that I was actually happy when she got taunted instead of me. When I realized how wrong that was, it was too late. She was already gone."
Nibutani felt slight relief knowing that Aya felt remorse over what had happened. It made this whole situation a lot easier to swallow. It would have been a lot harder to deal with if Aya had felt no guilt at all. Though Aya probably wouldn't have approached her in the first place if that was the case.
Aya continued, "One day, I grew sick of wallowing in guilt. I knew I needed to make things right, so I made it my goal to seek her out and apologize to her. I tried calling her household first, but no one ever answered. It took me a long time to work up the courage to go to her house directly. When I finally did, I wasn't able to meet with her then either. A really scary looking man had answered the door. He told me that Mitsuki wasn't around and to go away, so I did."
"How did you manage to finally meet her?" Nibutani asked.
"It was mostly luck," Aya answered. "One day while I was out shopping, I ran into her. It was a surreal experience. She was so different than before. She wore a huge smile on her face and she was cheerful and kind to the people who worked in the shops. I remember the first time we locked eyes, her expression changed to one of sheer horror. If was a brief change, but it was long enough for me to notice."
Nibutani wasn't surprised. It must have been a huge shock to see the face of someone who had such a negative impact on her life, especially after a whole year had passed.
"The surprising thing is that she actually allowed me to approach her," Aya said. "She didn't say a word to me when I did. She just stared at me. Her expression was unreadable, and it was very intimidating. I eventually fell to my knees and begged for her forgiveness. I must have apologized a hundred times. It was a pathetic sight, I'm sure, but she deserved an apology as dramatic as that." Aya grimaced at the memory. Nibutani had a feeling it had more to do with what was coming instead of the actual act of apologizing.
"What did Mitsuki do? Did she accept your apology?" Nibutani asked. She doubted that that would have been easy for Mitsuki considering what she had gone through.
"Surprisingly enough, she did," Aya answered. "I remember her holding out her hand to help me get up. She smiled at me and thanked me for apologizing. She told me about how she worked to change herself so she wouldn't be so shy anymore. She said that she had seen great results already and that she had a great group of friends. I was ecstatic. I had been so worried that I had damaged her beyond repair, so hearing that things were getting better for her made me happy."
"At the end of our conversation, I remember her asking me to join her for lunch one day when I was free. I happily agreed. I was so intent on fixing the mistakes I had made, that I was blind to what was really going on. I quickly fell into her trap. I'm sure running into me that day was the best case scenario for her. I was an easy target in the state that I was in."
"What did she do to you? It seemed like everything went well when you apologized to her," Nibutani said. This whole story was confusing. Nibutani wasn't quite sure what to expect.
"At the time, I thought that everything had went well too. We even got to a point where we would spend a lot of time together after I got out of class. She really had changed dramatically. She took more of a leadership position and she was often the one to make the decisions on where we would go and what we would do. She did everything with a smile on her face too. It wasn't until it was too late that I realized what she was up to."
Aya looked visibly shaken, as if she were relieving horrible memories. Nibutani pushed her half empty glass of water across the table. Aya grabbed it and held it with both hands. Her hands shook as she raised the glass to her mouth. She took a few sips, which seemed to help her calm down.
"She told me that she loved me," Aya continued. "She said it was no longer in a romantic sense. It was now platonic according to her. She went on and on about how I would always be her best friend because I was the first person who had been willing to talk to her. She referred to the incident between us as a minor speed bump in our relationship. I had believed her when she said that. I truly believed that we could repair our fractured friendship. I was foolish for thinking that was possible."
"The more time we spent together, the further she dug her claws into me. It got to the point where she could make me do anything. If there was something that I didn't want to do, she'd guilt trip me. She would accuse me of faking our friendship. She would cry and say that I was reminding her of what I did in the past. It made me feel so guilty. I always consoled her and I promised that I would do anything for her. I was so desperate to fix things that I ignored the fact that she was pulling my strings relentlessly." Aya paused to take another sip of water.
Nibutani's jaw dropped. That was clearly emotional manipulation. Nibutani felt bad for the other girl. What she had done was wrong, but no one deserved to be manipulated. She wondered if Mitsuki accepted Aya's apology solely for the purpose of getting revenge on her. The thought was sickening and Nibutani prayed that she was wrong.
"One day, Mitsuki landed the final blow," Aya murmured. "We were in a shop, and there was this beautiful necklace on display that Mitsuki was admiring. She eventually turned to me and asked me take it and hide it in my bag. I initially refused, but she got angry. She said she doubted that I wanted to fix our friendship because I was never willing to do anything for her. I ended up taking the necklace out of guilt. We were caught of course. I had expected Mitsuki to confess alongside me, but that was the last thing she did."
"Mitsuki had apparently grown popular amongst the people in the shopping district. Since she was home schooled and didn't have to attend school every day, she had more opportunities to be around them, and they all eventually became friends. They had all fallen prey to Mitsuki's friendly demeanor. It became clear to me that she had them under her control when she started crying and accusing me of forcing her to steal. She told the shopkeeper and the policeman who later arrived that I was the bully who forced her out of school. They immediately took her side. It was devastating."
"What happened after that? You didn't get arrested did you?" Nibutani asked.
"No, I didn't," Aya replied. "My parents were called, however, and they punished me for trying to steal. They wouldn't even let me explain the situation from my perspective. I could see Mitsuki's smug grin as they screamed at me in front of the entire shopping district. That's when I knew that she had planned my downfall the moment we reunited. It was revenge for what I had done to her."
Nibutani slumped in her seat, dumbfounded. She knew that Mitsuki was aggressive, but that had been downright cruel. Nibutani had been suspicious of her motives before, but she never would have never believed that the purple haired girl was capable of something like that.
"I had it coming," Aya hung her head. "None of that would have happened if I hadn't been awful to her in school. I had pushed Mitsuki into a corner, and she believed the only way to protect herself was to learn how to control any situation. All Mitsuki desires is control. That's been made painfully clear to me, and it's all my fault." Aya's body trembled.
"You can't honestly blame yourself for that." Nibutani argued. "It was Mitsuki's choice to emotionally manipulate you into doing things you didn't want to do. Yeah, you did some stupid things in middle school, but you didn't deserve that kind of treatment. Mitsuki obviously has a few screws loose, so please don't blame yourself."
"I think you've misunderstood my purpose of telling you this," Aya said, "I do not mean to antagonize her or paint her in dark colors. I only wish to warn you of what she's capable of doing. I acted as a catalyst for something much bigger to emerge. My actions in middle school released something within her that is truly terrifying. I do not believe she has any control over it. It's just how her mind functions now. It's destructive, yes, but I doubt it's her fault."
"So, like a mental illness?" Nibutani asked. That did make a lot of sense. Many of Mitsuki's actions were very irrational. Nibutani wouldn't be surprised if something like that was going on, but she had no real way of knowing.
"I suppose you could call it that," Aya answered. "Mitsuki has a deep rooted hatred for people in general. She just doesn't trust anyone. She believes that in order to thrive in this world, she needs total control of the people around her. She rarely cares about the connections she makes. Mitsuki never had much interaction with people before middle school, and when she finally did, it was traumatic for her. I'm not surprised that she has this viewpoint."
Nibutani had trouble wrapping her mind around the whole thing. Aya claimed that Mitsuki had some mental illness that caused her to want absolute control, but how did she know this? Nibutani doubted that Mitsuki told her, so where did she get the information from?
"You're probably wondering why I think Mitsuki feels like I said she does," Aya said. "I believe that because I've gotten proof. I returned to her house one day to confront her parents about what had happened in the shop. They didn't seem surprised upon hearing the story. Apparently, Mitsuki had voiced her hatred for people and how she thought everyone was out to get her. I asked them why they hadn't taken her to get help. They seemed too worn out to care anymore."
"That's awful…" Nibutani murmured. If Mitsuki's parents no longer cared enough to help their daughter, it was no wonder she had spiraled out of control.
"Mitsuki hides all of this under a facade of happiness and friendliness. She uses it to gain people's trust, so they cannot hurt her. It truly is sad," Aya stated.
"If that really is the case, why'd she get so attached to Dekomori?" Nibutani asked. It didn't make sense for her to like Dekomori as much as she did if she really hated people.
"She must see something in her that she does not see in other people," Aya replied. "That girl probably acts as a beacon of hope for Mitsuki, who has lost all faith in people. Your girlfriend is probably in the safest position right now. I highly doubt Mitsuki would do anything to harm her. She'd probably do anything to protect her." Nibutani nodded. Looking back at Mitsuki's behavior, that made a lot of sense.
"If Mitsuki has painted a target on anyone, I suspect it's you," Aya said. "You have something that Mitsuki could not attain, something that she holds dear to her. Considering what has happened between you two so far, she definitely does not trust you and will most likely do whatever it takes to take Dekomori away from you, and she'll do it in a way that exempts her from all suspicion. This is why I told you to stay away from her."
Nibutani's head was spinning. This was just too much for her to handle. The possibility of Mitsuki being mentally ill was something that she never expected to have to deal with, and she had no idea how to go about handling it.
"What do I do?" Nibutani asked, her voice barely rising above a whisper.
"Keep away from her as much as possible. She'll try to weasel into your head, so don't believe a word she says. Tell your girlfriend as well," Aya answered. The waitress looked towards the kitchen. She got up out of her seat.
"I need to go," Aya said. "I'm sorry that you got caught up in all this. I didn't think Mitsuki would ever return to school. If you ever need to talk, I'm here every night until nine." Aya gave a short goodbye and hurried back into the kitchen.
Nibutani left some money on the table and left the cafe. She felt numb. She was in way over her head. It was intimidating to think about how much influence Mitsuki had on people. Despite all she had heard, she couldn't help but feel bad for the girl. Feeling like you couldn't trust anyone in the world must be awful. Nibutani groaned. She had no idea how to approach this. It was beyond her realm of understanding.
How do I deal with someone who might be mentally ill? It's technically not her fault, but I can't let her do whatever she wants. If she truly doesn't care about people, then she must not care about the others either, excluding Dekomori apparently. I want to protect them… but I also want to help Mitsuki. I don't know why, but I do. How should I handle this?
Thinking back on her interactions with Mitsuki, what Aya claimed seemed likely. The more Dekomori gravitated towards Nibutani, the more aggressive Mitsuki got. No one else had seen this personality shift besides her. They all believed in Mitsuki's fake bubbly personality because that's all the purple haired girl was willing to reveal. Nibutani had no idea how she would bring this up to Dekomori. She wasn't even sure if the blonde girl would believe her.
Then there was the possibility of Mitsuki manipulating everyone's thoughts to suit her desires. She had already tried that with Dekomori by using Nibutani's dislike of chuunibyou, and it seemed like it may have worked considering Dekomori's growing doubt. The thought that Mitsuki might of managed to get into the twin tailed girl's head scared Nibutani. She would have to be extremely wary of Mitsuki from now on.
Nibutani, feeling completely exhausted, decided to head home for the night. Worrying about this all night wouldn't help her at all. She could start figuring out her first course of action after she got a good nights rest.
A/N: I've decided to put my other fic on hiatus until I finish this one because school is getting busy again and I don't have the time to deal with two fics right now.
Also, Mitsuki's mental illness is loosely based on paranoid personality disorder in case anyone was curious.