Someone else's account of the night of the shooting stars:
With an exacto knife, Irisawa Akari cut across the tap of a cardboard box. "Everything's cool."
Next to her on the floor of the traditional Japanese house she found herself living in was her phone which was currently on a group FaceTime call.
Her mother, Irisawa Honoka, was on one block of the screen. She smiled brightly. "Come on, Riri-chama! I know you're so excited to start school and make lots of lifelong friends!"
On the block below was her father, Irisawa Kiriya. "At least fake a smile for your parents."
With a sigh, Akari placed the knife down. "Why are you two so invested in this? School is school. And what's the point of making friends when I'll be moving back to Cali next year?"
"The attitude that you're giving your parents is crazy…" Kiriya mused as the sound of papers shuffled from his block.
Akari narrowed her eyes at her phone. Between her parents, she bore the most resemblance to her father Kiriya. Like him, her skin was pale and her facial features were sharp and striking. But sharp eyes were dark brown like her mother Honoka, although her hair was more of a jet black color than her mother's blue-black.
"Excuse me…" Another person from Honoka's block said in the background.
"Aw! I am so sorry, my dear! I have to get back to work! Bye! Love you!" Honoka quickly hung up.
"Yeah, I'm also kinda busy, Little Mamba. Not sure when I'll be back but I'll finish everything as fast as I can." Kiriya also hung up.
Akari was left by herself in the huge traditional Japanese house.
There were more cardboard boxes and luggages than furniture in the house even though the Irisawas had been in the country for a week. The parents were often busy at work while Akari was busy lazing around the house. She only decided to unpack now because she was tired of living out of suitcases and boxes.
Grabbing her phone, Akari laid down on her side on the wooden floor and curled her legs up to her chest. "They're over here confused about why I'm not excited to be here, but they never asked me if I wanted to come here in the first place…"
She swiped through Instagram stories of her former classmates back in Los Angeles. She could still feel the hot California sun even though she was thousands of kilometers away. In the stories, her former classmates were off on all sorts of adventures, whether it be hiking, or a nice drive, or fun at the beach, or the hottest party where everyone who's anyone attended.
"Japan's a nice change. You know, a different culture, different types of people, different everything. You can restart fresh over there," Kiriya had said one day with Honoka smiling right beside him.
"It would also be nice for you to see where your family's from. You've never once stepped foot in Japan, after all," Honoka added.
"And maybe…" Kiriya and Honoka shared a careful look before Kiriya continued what he was saying. "Maybe, you'll make a friend."
Suddenly, a beam shot through the washi paper of the sliding shoji doors that connected her bedroom to the backyard. Akari quickly sat up at the ripping sound. Then, she dropped her phone and her eyes grew wide.
The beam bounced from wall to wall and Akari followed the beam with her eyes as it traveled. Then, the beam charged at her.
"Woah woah woah woah woah!" She covered her face with her arms and braced herself for impact.
But it never came.
Slowly, Akari lowered her arms and looked around. "What…? Where did it go…?"
Still scanning her room, she felt around for her phone until she felt her fingers brush against the case. Sighing in relief, she looked down, expecting to see her phone looking like her phone. But then, she frowned. It did not look like her phone.
The case was a rose pink and instead of the Apple symbol on the back, there were little designs carved into it. And her phone could now fold down like a compact. Next to the phone was a golden key-looking charm. The top was a crown shaped as a heart and there was a charm hook at the top. The bottom had a rose pink bow. Right under the bow were the teeth of the key.
She scratched her head. "Hold on. Something isn't right."
Then, in a poof, her phone transformed into a rose pink plush toy, the fairy Lilu.
ii: a new star is shining in the room.
Present:
"You kicked me-lulu!" Lilu yelled, rubbing his little head as he stood up.
Akari had kicked it to a dark corner in her room and she felt no ounce of guilt or remorse. "And I'll do it again if you come closer!" She cried, waving her foot in the air.
"But I need to talk to you-lulu!" Lilu insisted.
Akari grabbed the exacto knife and pointed it at the fairy. "Do it from where you are! I'm dead serious!"
"Fine-lulu!" Lilu grumbled under his breath and jumped onto an unopened box. "I'm not here because I want to be here-lulu. There's actually something going on that I, the leader of the 12 Zodiac Beasts, have no idea what could be-lulu…"
Akari began to mentally check out as Lilu explained what he had to explain to her. She nodded along but it wasn't like she was listening. There were more pressing matters on her mind.
Okay. So a plush toy is currently talking to me. It came as a beam of light and it went into my phone before it transformed into whatever it is. And it says that its name is Lilu and something about the horoscopes or whatever.
For a quick second, she tuned back into the conversation.
"My fellow zodiacs are probably out there, cold and starving-lulu! They are in trouble and so is the Garden of Rainbows, maybe even the Garden of Light-lulu! I didn't see many signs of evil up to no good upon my descent, but that doesn't matter-lulu! Not even the Queen herself noticed which means this villain is good at hiding their traces-lulu! But there's also a possibility that there's no evil here in the first place and maybe by accident we were..."
She tuned out whatever Lilu was saying again.
It's still talking to me. So in conclusion, I'd fallen asleep somewhere along the line. Well, I have been unpacking all day without a break. I'm definitely tired. This was a nice little power nap but now, it's time to wake up.
She glanced at the knife. Then, she glanced at her free hand. Let's wake up. Without hesitation, she slid the knife across her palm, creating a bloody cut. Lilu stopped whatever he was explaining to stare at Akari cutting herself. Then, he screamed.
"Why are you hurting yourself-lulu!? Stop-lulu! You're stressing me out-lulu!" Lilu roared.
Akari winced from the pain in her palm. This hurts like hell! Why aren't I waking up!?
Then, she froze with the knife still digging into her skin. "...I'm not waking up…which means…" She looked up at Lilu who was jumping up and down and yapping his mouth and her face went white.
"This isn't a dream!?"
With the cut on her left hand wrapped up in a white cloth, Akari stood uncomfortably in the teacher's office the next morning. Having never worn a school uniform to school in her life before since American public schools did not give out uniforms, she felt odd in the Verone High School uniform she was wearing. She fiddled with the bow-less collar of her dress shirt with one hand and played with the ends of her dark gray skirt with another hand as the teacher who was assigned as her homeroom teacher, Kawaguchi-sensei, read through her file.
Kawaguchi-sensei raised an eyebrow. "Oh! Your mother is Yukishiro Honoka! No, I mean Irisawa Honoka now."
Akari nodded. Mom did mention that she attended this school.
Kawaguchi-sensei smiled as she spun in her rolly chair to face her. "I don't know if you know this, but your mother is a legend! She graduated at the top of her class, getting perfect scores in every subject. She made great contributions to the Science Club and had even won numerous awards. Even to this day, she donates money to this school so we can have new resources. I never knew she had a daughter! Nice to meet you!"
Unsure of what to do, Akari simply smiled back. Her eyes, though, did not smile with her.
"You know…I don't want to be that one teacher who compares a student to an older sibling or parent that came before the student…but you do realize that I'll have high expectations for you, right?" Kawaguchi-sensei said.
So basically, she wants me to be at the top of my class and continue mom's great work. Got it, Akari thought but instead responded with, "I won't let you down."
"Good, because I also see a history of delinquency in your file," Kawaguchi-sensei said with a pointed stare.
Akari dropped her fake smile and was about to retort back but then, she stopped herself. She already has her expectations and prejudices about me. Let's not make things worse for myself.
Soon, she was led down the hall by Kawaguchi-sensei as they made their way to the classroom. A couple of students who were running late for their own classes stopped to stare at Akari. She noticed the stares and covered her wrapped hand with her right hand. She could feel her phone vibrating in her skirt's pockets but judging by the phoneless Gen-Z students, phones seemed to be banned. The last thing she needed was for her phone to be confiscated then having to explain why a "fairy" was in her phone in the first place.
She frowned. There is a "fairy" in my phone and it's not fake. It's real. I have the cut on my hand as proof.
The classroom that was to be her homeroom, Class 1-C, was lively despite it still being morning. Students were chatting with each other and unsurprisingly, there were some students doing Tik Tok dances at the back of the classroom. Upon seeing Kawaguchi-sensei enter the class with a new student, everyone scattered and made their way to their seats.
"Who's that?"
"I dunno, but she's pretty."
"She looks like an AI!"
"Damn, her face is tiny!"
"It appears that there's an angel among us sinners…"
"She could step on me and I would thank her!"
"I wanna lick her spit!"
"Settle down, everyone! We have a new friend joining us!" Kawaguchi-sensei announced before writing "Irisawa Akari" on the board. Then, she smiled at Akari. "Please introduce yourself."
Akari faced the class and everyone grew silent. They all subconsciously leaned forward in anticipation of what she was about to say.
"My name is Irisawa Akari. I'm from the US." She moved a piece of her hair out of her face and on instinct, sent an intimidating glare at the students before her.
"She has an accent and it's sexy!"
"Kamiyama-san! Keep that to yourself!"
And just like that, the students started chatting away.
"Irisawa-san, your seat will be…" Kawaguchi-sensei trailed off when she noticed two more empty desks in the classroom. Then, she sighed. "I see that we're missing two students."
As if on cue, the doors slid open and Momo and Takeru ran inside. "Safe!"
Kawaguchi-sensei glared at the, "Not safe! Go stand outside!"
"What!? Auntie! You can't do this to me! I actually have a legit reason and it's all Momo's fault!" Takeru cried.
Momo gasped. "What!? My fault!? How's it my fault!? If anything, it's your fault!"
Akari watched the two of them bicker as Kawaguchi-sensei pushed them out into the hall. Something tells me that it's going to be a very long school year.
"Kawaguchi-sensei can teach all she wants. I still won't get it. Why am I so dumb…?"
Akari frowned when she heard the student's comment. Shit, don't tell me...She thought as a looming feeling washed over her.
Kawaguchi-sensei was standing in the front of the room going over an algebra problem. Akari looked around from her spot in the front of the classroom. Everyone was doing their own thing. Most students were taking notes and paying attention to the lecture. Or at least were attempting to. Their faces were scrunched up in confusion and a couple of students simply stopped writing. Some other students were either sleeping or trying to discreetly use their phones. One student packed their things and left. Takeru and Momo were still standing out in the hallway.
"I'm going to fail and end up on the streets!" Another student's voice yelled.
Akari took another look around the classroom. Everyone was still minding their business and doing their own thing as if the student who had spoken up did not actually say anything. She was still scanning the classroom when she heard another student speak up.
"I'm worthless and a disappointment…"
Akari was certain that nobody said what she had just heard. She turned back around and frowned. I'm hearing people's dark thoughts again...I thought I left this ability back in LA...!
She suppressed a groan as she unintentionally heard the thoughts of a couple of other students around her. From the moment she turned 13 a couple of years ago, she has had the ability to hear people's dark thoughts. At first, it was a cool superpower but the ability had grown old very quickly. Before, she'd only heard the thoughts in English, a language she spoke fluently. But now, they're all in Japanese and even though she grew up speaking Japanese at home, having a bunch of people speak Japanese at the same time while saying different things when she would only speak the language at home only gave her a headache.
The second class ended, Akari packed up her things, shot up from her desk, and scurried out of the classroom with her eyebrows furrowed.
Taking advantage of the short little break, students hung out around in the hallway, talking to each other. Students inside of the classrooms met at each other's desks. Some students went to different classes to briefly say hello to their friends. It was a quick free period and the 1st year hall was bustling. Everyone had smiles on their faces and were laughing with each other. A carefree atmosphere fell over the area but Akari knew that it was all a cover up. Behind those sunny smiles were dark thoughts piercing at their hearts.
"I just feel like everyone hates me."
"Why can't I be as perfect as Fujimura Miyako or Sakurada Yozora?"
"If I ended it all now, would anybody notice?"
Akari sped walked through the hallways, doing her best to ignore the dark thoughts radiating from the students she passed. I have to get out of here! She repeated to herself over and over again.
Eventually, she found herself on the roof of the school. Letting out a deep breath of relief, she flopped down and put her arm over her eyes to shield herself from the sun.
In a poof, her phone slipped out of her skirt's pocket and transformed into Lilu the fairy. "Why did you run out of the classroom like that-lulu?"
"None of your business," Akari said, exhaustion laced into her tone.
"Doesn't matter-lulu. I've been trying to get your attention all this time anyway-lulu." Lilu cleared his throat and pranced over to where Akari's head was laying. "A school is a perfect place to start looking for fairies-lulu! Possibly, some of my fellow Zodiacs found a human to take them in as they save their energy and wait for me, their leader, to find them-lulu!"
Akari turned her head to stare at Lilu for a long minute. Then, she turned her head back to its original position and placed her arm back over her eyes. "You go look for them yourself."
"No-lulu! I can't be walking around in this form in a public place-lulu! You must be the one to escort me around-lulu!" Lilu insisted.
"Well, then I guess you'll never find your fairy friends," Akari responded.
Lilu frowned and scoffed in disbelief. "What is the matter with you-lulu!? Have you not been listening to everything I've been telling you all of this time-lulu!? It's my responsibility to find the rest of my crew-lulu! It's my responsibility as leader to make sure nothing happens to them, especially if it turns out that this whole thing is a false alarm-lulu! How dare you stop me from doing what I must do-lulu!?"
Akari rolled over to her side and covered her ears as Lilu continued to yell at her. Damn. I came up here as a means to escape but I still can't catch a break. And speaking of break, it's probably time to go back to class...
When Akari left the classroom:
"Hey. Let's play a game," Takeru told Momo as they stood in the hallway, counting down the seconds until the bell rang.
As usual, they were late for class. Unfortunately, they were caught so they had to stand outside until the end of class. Sometimes, both of them would be outside. Other times, only one of them since the other one found a way to sneak in without notice. School hadn't been in session for a full month and already, it was common for Takeru and Momo to be late and sent out.
Momo glared at Takeru before she looked away with a huff.
"What? You mad at me or something?" Takeru asked.
"Damn right I am! I was planning on changing my act! I was going to be on time and everything!" Momo cried, facing him.
"You!? Don't make me laugh! I was the one who woke you up! How the fuck were you supposed to 'change up your act'!?" Takeru cried.
I only woke up late cuz the alien-fairy-plush-toy in my phone named Casi made me stay up searching for some damn fairies that probably don't exist! Momo thought before responding, "I still would have somehow!"
Momo shoved Takeru a bit and he stumbled a couple of centimeters back. He pushed her as a way to retaliate back. Unaware of his own strength, however, his push caused Momo to fall onto the floor and slide a few spaces back.
"Oh...uh...oops..." Takeru said when he received Momo's death glare.
Momo stood up and pounced at him. "Takeru, you son of a bitch!"
When the bell rang, Kawaguchi-sensei stepped out into the hallway and caught Momo and Takeru fighting. Takeru's fingers were tangled in Momo's hair as she was yanking on his tie, choking him out.
"Ya!" Kawaguchi-sensei yelled. "Cut it out and get out of my sight!"
Momo and Takeru quickly separated and bowed. Kawaguchi-sensei shook her head and left. Once she was gone, Momo and Takeru glared at each other with Momo raising a fist, threatening to punch Takeru.
Takeru raised his fist, threatening her back. Then, he angled his face away from her and his jaw dropped. Momo looked in the direction he was looking at and saw that a student had left the classroom. At this point, her back was to Momo so all Momo saw was the student's straight, jet black hair waving back behind her as she walked down the hallway.
"Bruh. Let's go." She yanked his arm and dragged him into the classroom.
Takeru was still staring in the direction of the student as he was dragged over to where Momo and her friends sat. Harumi was doing a popular Tik Tok dance at the back of the classroom and Kazuha was recording her with Harumi's phone. They looked up when they saw Momo and Takeru approaching them.
"What's up with him?" Kazuha asked, putting the phone down as Harumi stopped dancing.
Momo shrugged as she let go of Takeru's arm. "I dunno."
"I-I-I-I-I-" Takeru stuttered, staring at the door.
Harumi frowned, worried about her cousin. "Takeru, are you okay?"
Kamiyama Daiki, who was at another corner of the classroom, noticed Takeru staring at the doorway and approached him.
"I-I-I-I-I-I-" Takeru continued, trapped in a trance.
Daiki threw an arm over Takeru's shoulders with a knowing smile. "I know, bro. I know."
Harumi, Kazuha, and Momo blinked and tilted their heads.
"Like...I'm in love!" Takeru was breathless. "A goddess has graced this classroom! But why!? Because the red string of fate is leading her to me…since she's my wife!"
Harumi blinked again while Kazuha and Momo snorted.
Daiki scoffed. "What? You're crazy. Irisawa-sama is my wife!"
Takeru snapped out of the trance he was in and glared at Daiki. "Huh!? What did you say!?"
"I saw her before you so that makes her my wife!" Daiki cried.
The two boys glared at each other with lightning sparks in between them.
"Ah. I think I've finally figured out what's going on," Kazuha said. "Takeru spotted Irisawa Akari, the new girl."
"We have a new student this early into the school year?" Momo asked.
Harumi nodded. "Yeah, you should've seen her when you and Takeru entered the classroom before my mom kicked you two out."
Momo thought about it. "Really? But when..." She remembered briefly seeing a student with straight, jet black hair in the front of the classroom when she and Takeru ran in. She didn't get a good look at her but she did remember her hair. And now that I'm thinking about it, that girl that Takeru was staring at a few minutes ago also had the same hair as her. "Oh. Okay. I think I know who you're talking about. Y'all are saying that her name is Irisawa Akari, right?"
"Yep. She's really pretty! I'd like to be friends with her but she's also a little bit intimidating," Harumi confessed.
"And she's from the US!" Kazuha added.
Suddenly, Takeru stood on top of another student's desk, scaring the student out of his seat. "The girl is mine! Fight me! Fight me!"
"Okay! Let's go!" Daiki cried, picking up a chair from a nearby desk.
"Ya! Put the chair down!" Momo cried, standing up to grab the chair out of Daiki's hands.
"Why're y'all fighting over Irisawa-san anyway!?" Kazuha asked as Harumi cautiously watched the scene play out.
"Exactly. And even if y'all fight over her, it's not like she'll notice any of you," Momo said, putting the chair down.
"But...the one who she does notice will get to officially claim her as his wife…" Takeru slowly smirked at Momo.
Momo immediately knew what the smirk meant. "Wait, no. That's not what I meant!"
"You're onto something!" Daiki cried. "How much we betting?"
"1,000,000 yen!" Takeru cried, crossing his arms.
Harumi gasped and threw her hands over her mouth while Kazuha choked on the air.
"What do you say, Daiki? Don't be a pussy and back out!" Takeru challenged.
Daiki threw his head back and laughed. "Bet! 1,000,000 yen it is!"
Takeru jumped off of the desk and happily shook hands with Daiki. A deal has been made.
Someone else's account of when Akari left the classroom:
The teacher who was teaching history in Class 1-A left soon after the bell rang and the students immediately went about doing their own thing during the short break. Kamiyama Kumiko, the older twin sister of Kamiyama Daiki who was in Class 1-C, leaned back in her chair and pulled out the tiny, heart shaped hand held mirror she carried with her. Two other girls left their desks and joined Kumiko.
"Where is Watanabe with my snack?" Kumiko asked. "He knows that the first class transition is the time where I receive my snack from him and decide if I want it or not."
One of the girls rolled her eyes before plastering a smile onto her face. "Kumiko-sama. You know you always reject his snacks!"
"I know, but still." Kumiko checked on her red acrylic nails. Students were not supposed to have their nails done but coming from a family with money that makes contributions to the school allowed her to get away with some things.
"Yo! Sakimachi-san from Class 1-B just told me that the prettiest girl on Earth just walked by!" Someone yelled out, waving their phone.
"He's clearly talking about you, Kumiko-sama," the other girl standing around Kumiko said, glancing at a boy that sat a couple of desks down.
All of the boys in the classroom, including the one that the girl was looking at, ran past Kumiko and exited the classroom. The curious female students followed after.
"What in the world are they looking at!?" Kumiko wondered out loud, standing up.
She and her two entourages stormed out of the classroom. Nobody was willing to let them pass so she had to do some pushing and shoving. Once she was out, she locked eyes with a student with straight, jet black hair and piercing sharp eyes. The student looked like an AI, completely unreal. She was strutting down the hallway like a supermodel and a cold aura surrounded her. But despite her coldness, Kumiko couldn't take her eyes off her. So couldn't any of the other students.
"I heard from Okami-san from Class 1-C that her name is Irisawa Akari," Kumiko overheard another student say.
Kumiko narrowed her eyes at Akari who was turning down the hall. "Irisawa Akari, huh?"
Suppressing a yawn, Akari opened her locker the next morning and immediately, letters, flowers, and snacks spilled out.
"What the fuck...?" She wondered out loud, staring at the contents on the floor.
"Don't worry!" Daiki yelled, running towards her. "I'll clean it up for you!"
Akari glanced at him before she turned on her heel and left.
"Alright, class. Take out your textbooks," Kawaguchi-sensei said, marking the start of class. She glanced around the classroom and saw that Momo's seat was empty. However, Takeru was seated in his seat. She glanced at him again, not used to him being on time.
Akari reached for her bag and proceeded to open it when Takeru jumped up from his seat and ran over to Akari's desk.
"I got it!" He yelled as he ran.
Everyone in Class 1-C watched as he yanked Akari's bag out of her hands and pulled out her math textbook for her. Then, bowing and blushing, he handed the book to her.
Akari furrowed her eyebrows but took the textbook anyway.
Once the lunch break was announced, Takeru and Daiki acted fast. They jumped out of their chairs and zipped past the other students so they could talk to Akari first. Then, after glaring at some students who were trying to approach her, they put their plan into action.
"H-H-H-" Takeru glitched.
Daiki pushed him out of the way. Then, he placed a hand on Akari's desk and leaned towards her. "Hello beautiful."
Akari's eyes narrowed in response.
"I noticed you were looking for something. But don't worry. You've found it." Daiki smirked like a fox. "You've found your husband."
What...? First the locker thing. Then the textbook thing. Now this. Am I being punked or something? Akari wondered.
Takeru kicked Daiki away before standing in the spot that Daiki, who was groaning on the floor from the kick, once stood. He placed both hands on the desk and leaned even closer to Akari. "Look into my eyes and notice me!"
"Um...why?" Akari asked.
Takeru's eyes grew wide and he stared at her. "I-I-Is that…an accent I hear…? I'm in deeper love…!"
Akari blinked.
"Y'all are weirding her out!" Momo called out from where she sat. "She notices you two all right, but y'all are making bad first impressions!"
Kazuha, whose desk was behind Momo's smacked Momo on the arm. "You're encouraging this!?"
"What? It's lowkey kinda interesting," Momo answered.
"True," Kazuha answered. Then, she faced the boys. "Buy her lunch!"
"Duh! Of course!" Daiki ran out of the classroom.
"No! I won't let you beat me!" Takeru yelled, running after him.
Kujo Hanako, who was entering the classroom with a pack of bread from the cafeteria, was quickly pushed out of the way by Takeru and Daiki. "Why are you two running!? No running in the halls!"
"We're buying our goddess lunch!" Takeru and Daiki yelled.
The other students who were standing around in the hall and were in their classrooms overheard this.
"Oh shit! They're onto something!"
"I'll get Irisawa-san something first!"
"No! Me!"
Suddenly, a couple of other students, mainly boys, followed Takeru and Daiki to the cafeteria.
Kumiko, from her spot in Class 1-A, crossed her legs and her arms. "So nobody's buying me lunch? They're buying Irisawa Akari lunch!? How dare they!?"
Kumiko couldn't stop her perfectly threated eyebrows from twitching as she listened to her brother in the room next to the one she was in.
"Yes! All for Irisawa-sama! We must make it big and grand and outrageous! Everyone must know that the love I feel for her is pure and she must notice me and like me the most! I don't know what Takeru is planning but I'll do better!"
"Tune the idiot out like you always do," Kumiko told herself.
She was sitting in front of her vanity in her bedroom as she slowly brushed her long, redish-brownish locks. "Kumiko, you are so beautiful and everyone loves you. Shit, everyone worships you. This obsession with Irisawa Akari is only temporary. She'll never replace you."
"Yes! Anything for our beloved Irisawa Akari!" Daiki yelled on the other side of the wall.
Kumiko slammed her brush down on the table of the vanity. "Daiki! Shut up!"
"No!" Daiki yelled back. "Telling me to shut up is like containing my love for Irisawa-sama!"
"Who are you even talking to!?" Kumiko yelled.
"I started the Irisawa Akari Appreciation Club! We're having a whole Zoom meeting right now!" Daiki answered.
"Th-th-what happened to the Kamiyama Kumiko Appreciation club!?" Kumiko asked.
"I dunno! Ask your fanbase!" Daiki answered.
Kumiko was tempted to leave her room and enter Daiki's room to give him a good knock but just as quickly as the idea entered her mind, it left. She sighed and stared at her reflection. "Have I really been replaced...?"
She studied her facial features. She had a button nose, a small face, and natural double eyelids. She knew that the other girls were jealous of her natural features. Her hair was silky and it wasn't a pain to maintain, another thing she was blessed with. She knew that the boys gushed over her looks. And because of her features and the fact that she came from money, she was treated well by everyone.
They used to call me Verone's Doll back in junior high, but now? They've moved on so fast and replaced me with...with...she clenched her fists. They replaced me with that damn AI Irisawa Akari!
She was still staring at her reflection when she saw something shuffling on her bed. Confused, she focused on whatever was shuffling on her bed.
"Ah...these silk sheets are so soft-roro...!" A small voice mused.
Kumiko stood up and turned around. A lavender purple plush toy with stubby arms and feet and a bull's tail, royal purple baby bull horns, and a royal purple Taurus zodiac symbol on its forehead was rolling around in her covers.
"Ahhhh! What is that!?" Kumiko screamed, stumbling back.
She hit her back on the vanity's table and fell to the ground. Her brush and makeup products fell around her and with a smirk, the plush toy on her bed jumped over to her in a few bounces.
"Hi-roro! I'm a fairy named Taro and I represent Taurus the Bull-roro! Your bed is so soft-roro! You have no idea what I've gone through to get here-roro!" The toy, Taro, said.
"Stay away from me! Da-" Taro jumped up and slapped Kumiko across the face. She immediately grew quiet and placed a hand on her cheek where Taro had slapped her. Hold on. Did a toy just slap me? And why does a slap from something that small hurt so much!?
"No-roro! Don't call anyone-roro!" Taro cried before clearing his throat. "Okay-roro. I've decided-roro. I choose you-roro."
"Choose me? For what?" Kumiko asked, nervousness suddenly bubbling inside of her.
"I sense a storm in your heart-roro. Those damn inner demons are biting at you, correct-roro? Don't worry-roro! I can free you from them-roro!" Taro cried.
"A-A-A-And how...?" Kumiko asked as she hugged herself.
Taro smiled. "By granting you unimaginable power-roro!"
Random Fact: Karina from Kpop girl group aespa and everyone's response to her looks when she first debuted inspired Akari's looks and the response she got.
Wassup!? It's ya gurl sugarsugarrush! My author's notes are usually unnecessarily long so I'm gonna start making them very short!
Please let me know y'alls thoughts and opinions in a PM or review! I hope y'all are enjoying this constantly improving story! Later!