I zipped up my bag and stood up in a quick motion, dragging myself zily. My back shot quietly, and I sighed.

  A long day. Just need to get to the locker room and I can get out of here.

  On the way, I stopped at the vending machine. I pressed the button and the machine spit out two bottles of co zero. I tossed them into my backpack and continued on my way.

  It was seemingly getting cooler, but after an hour of extended math, I felt like my neurons were begging for mercy.

  The chill of the corridor was strangely noticeable. Maybe it was the silence - most of the students had already left, and the echo of footsteps bounced against the walls, as if the building was breathing at its own sleepy pace.

  I approached the stairs leading to the locker room.

  crackle.

  At the very first step, the pnks made a protracted, ominous creaking sound.

  I stopped for a moment, and my fingers tightened on the strap of my backpack by themselves. The school was not old. But those stairs? Mother those stairs were awful. They looked like someone had once died here.

  If anyone ever filmed a horror movie, this is where the scene where the protagonist realizes he is not alone would start. That is, me.

  I felt an unpleasant sensation right on the back of my neck - something I couldn't name. Maybe just cold air. Maybe...

  Squeak, like the rustling of cws.

  Something ran through my mind - if I turned around now, would I see a shadow that shouldn't be there?

  Imagination is a funny thing. It can make something out of empty space that seems alive.

  My imagination told me that someone was standing at the top of the stairs, looking down. I couldn't see him, but after all, that didn't mean anything, did it?

  I didn't want to turn my head. Okay, okay, it's just wood. The wood creaks. No phantom holding a hand on my shoulder.

  Right?...

  My brain cued up the image of something crawling up the stairs, gliding silently through the wood, with empty eyes fixed on me.

  For a split second, I was sure something had touched my ankle.

  No, no, no.

  I swallowed my saliva and quickly climbed the st steps. I wasn't a coward, but... I don't know what I felt myself.

  The men's locker room was the same mess as usual - shoes thrown under the benches, some abandoned sweatshirts. I changed my clothes and went back along the same route.

  On the stairs I sped up a bit. Not that there was anything, but... when I got halfway up the stairs, I felt the cold air brush my neck.

  I looked over, but no one was there. Whether it was the fault of math, I have no idea.

  When I walked out the main door of the school, the first thing I saw was Megumi. She was standing leaning against a low wall at the entrance, with her arms crossed over her chest and a slight, almost triumphant smile.

  She looked like someone who had been created by fate just to test my patience - and worse, she did it with the precision of an artist who had honed her craft to perfection.

  She had fiery red hair, as if fmes were dancing on her head, always falling gently to her shoulders and framing her face in the shape of a heart. In the sunlight, they seemed to live a life of their own, vibrating in the air like the rippling light of a candle.

  Eyes... Warm, caramel-colored, like melted honey in the light of the setting sun. And always alert, as if ready at any moment to catch my slightest weakness and take advantage of it immediately. There was intelligence in them and something else - something that made a person feel as if he was participating in a game whose rules he would never fully grasp.

  What made her stand out were her freckles - scattered like cinnamon on pale ivory, adding something slightly girly, something that created the illusion of innocence. And a smile. Full, pinkish-peach lips that arranged themselves into an expression that always preceded trouble. He was never straight. Nor did it ever appear without reason. In Megumi's case, a smile was like a harbinger of a thunderstorm - you never knew if it was about to pour down rain or if it was just going to py a person like a pawn on a chessboard.

  And the dress... It was already a btant cheat.

  White, reaching before the knees, with colorful embroidered flowers, giving the impression that Megumi was a living illustration of spring. A V-shaped neckline that fell from the colrbone, revealing a piece of creamy skin, seemingly by accident, but in a way that left no illusion that it was no accident. And the ce - intricately crocheted, encircling her shoulders and hips like a delicate ornament, adding a subtle, almost ethereal charm to the whole.

  The fabric moved with her - it didn't weigh her down, didn't restrict her movements, it was like an extension of herself, as if it matched her every step, every movement of her hands, every twist of her head.

  She raised an eyebrow as soon as she noticed me, and the corners of her mouth twitched slightly in a satisfied smile.

  - You are free, and you still procrastinate?

  I stopped a few steps away from her and shrugged my shoulders, feeling the first signs of déjà vu. My hands involuntarily slid into my pants pockets.

  - Am I procrastinating? After all, I am punctual.

  Megumi tilted her head slightly and squinted, as if she couldn't believe what I had just said. After a moment, she sighed, rolling her eyes as if I was trying to sell her the world's most absurd excuse.

  - Technically, maybe so... but I arrived first. So... for me you are te.

  Aha - Megumi logic.

  - I didn't know we had our own absolute clock here.

  - Oh, Arata, Arata... - she shook her head, looking at me with pity, as if she considered me a hopeless case. - You still have so much to learn.

  Instead of any retort, Megumi raked her eyes over me from top to bottom, crossing her arms on her chest. Her gaze stopped on my backpack. She didn't speak up immediately, but squinted slightly, as if analyzing something I hadn't figured out yet. She continued in this strange silence for a few seconds, and I began to wonder if by chance I had something on my face.

  - Okay...? - I finally chuckled, raising my eyebrows in a questioning gesture.

  Megumi smiled as if in front of herself and reached into her bag. Without a word, she pulled out a bottle of co zero and handed it to me. I furrowed my eyebrows, taking it from her and looking at it curiously.

  - And that's interesting.

  Megumi looked at me carefully, tilting her head slightly.

  - What do you think?

  I didn't answer right away. Instead, I deliberately dragged out the moment, tilting the bottle slightly in my hand, twisting it in my fingers as if I were looking at it.

  - Just... an intriguing situation.

  Megumi raised an eyebrow, and her hand involuntarily tightened on the strap of her bag.

  - Because?

  - Because...

  I reached into the bag and took out the identical bottle I had bought earlier. I lifted it to Megumi's eye level, looking at her with a mysterious smile and lifting the corners of my mouth.

  - Look what I have here.

  Megumi just stared for a moment, and then looked at her hand, in which she still held the bottle she wanted to give me. Her eyes widened with slight surprise.

  She wrinkled her eyebrows, and her mouth formed a narrow line.

  - Hey, what's up?

  - Well, that's what. - I replied calmly, with a slight smile and a shrug of my shoulders.

  She gnced at one bottle, then at the other, then at me, as if checking to see if I was making fun of her. Her gaze pierced me to the core.

  - Wait...

  Her head tilted slightly to the side, and her index finger went to her lips in thought.

  - Did you buy me a Coke? - She asked slowly.

  - Mhm. - I lifted the bottle to eye level. - Did you?

  Megumi gnced at her other hand, in which she held an identical bottle, then back at me.

  - Well... I bought you one, too.

  There was silence.

  We looked at each other, each with two bottles of co in our hands.

  Finally Megumi squinted her eyes suspiciously.

  - So... - she began.

  - It came out to zero. - I finished.

  We measured each other's eyes for a while longer, until Megumi sighed and unscrewed her bottle.

  - I guess that means we think alike - she said, taking a sip.

  - Or that we both don't believe that the other will buy something for herself.

  Megumi rolled her eyes.

  - Or this.

  We both reached for our drinks simultaneously, as if in silent agreement.

  Well. It came out as a draw.

  For a moment we stood in absolute silence. Megumi was the first to look away, and her shoulders slumped along her body.

  - Well, nothing. - She chuckled lightly, opening the bottle and taking a sip. - At least we both have something to drink.

  Before I could say anything more, Megumi took another drink, turned around and moved ahead as if nothing had happened. Her arms swung freely along her body.

  When we stepped outside the school grounds, the air brought with it the faint smell of hot chocote.

  I stopped for a moment, taking in the scent.

  Hot chocote? It was more suited to winter evenings than the beginning of autumn.

  I looked down. The gray cobblestones covered with fallen leaves looked like a picture painted by some nostalgic artist.

  - Finally, semester break, and with the leaves flying beautifully. - I said, holding the strap of my backpack over my shoulder.

  - Arata, since when are you such a fan of autumn? - Megumi looked at me with mild amusement. - I didn't know the leaves would make such an impression on you.

  I didn't comment on that. In fact... maybe that's why I said that. Sometimes something just looks pretty.

  We walked on, and Megumi seemed exceptionally pleased with herself.

  She was sipping her Coke, her gaze fixed somewhere in front of her, as if she was analyzing something. I, on the other hand, couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right here.

  I gnced at her out of the corner of my eye.

  - Megumi?

  She turned her head, looking at me curiously, and her eyebrows raised slightly in a questioning gesture.

  - Hm?

  - There is something I should mention to you.

  She raised her eyebrow slightly, but remained silent, waiting for the next part of the sentence. Her posture became slightly more tense and her gaze more attentive. She clearly did not know what to expect.

  - You know, there are times when one has to fight a battle with one's instincts.

  Megumi looked at me suspiciously, squinting slightly, and her hand involuntarily tightened on the strap of her purse. Still, she waited for me to finish, though her expression suggested growing impatience. I moved my gaze lower, toward her dress, letting her discover for herself what I was getting at.

  - I mean... I sighed theatrically, shrugging my shoulders, and the corners of my mouth twitched slightly in an ironic smile - Sometimes you have to show a strong will, overcome temptation, control your inner animal.

  -Arata - she spoke up more cautiously, in a tone that said that any moment she might strangle me if I didn't get my point across. Her arms crossed over her chest, and her gaze became piercing. - To the shore.

  - The wind will blow your dress a little....

  I didn't even have time to finish the sentence when Megumi abruptly pressed her backpack against her hips, draping herself as quickly as possible. Her cheeks were momentarily covered with a carmine blush.

  - Arata! - she hissed, and her eyes narrowed in an angry look. - You couldn't have communicated this to me earlier!

  I raised my hands in a defensive gesture, spreading them wide.

  - Well, that's what I was trying to do!

  - No, you tried to dress it up as a philosophy of life! - her voice trembled in exasperation, and her arms raised in a gesture of helplessness.

  - I thought it would be more subtle - I shrugged my shoulders, and my eyebrows raised in an innocent gesture. - After all, I won't shout it to you in the middle of the street.

  Megumi looked at me sternly, still clutching her backpack. Her lips formed a narrow line, and her body tensed. After a moment, she sighed heavily, lowering her shoulders, as if this conversation had drained her energy reserves.

  - I already thought you had grown weaker, and yet I was wrong.

  - And it is supposedly me who does not meet your expectations? - I raised an eyebrow, and a spark of contrariness fshed in my eyes.

  Megumi rolled her eyes, but I could see that she was slowly rexing. Her shoulders slumped along her body, and the tension in her posture eased. She took a few steps, and her gaze wandered off into the distance, then she sighed.

  - Never mind anymore.

  I squinted my eyes, and my body involuntarily tense up.

  - Don't say it like that.

  She looked at me out of the corner of her eye, tilting her head slightly, and her lips formed a gentle smile.

  - Why?

  - Because when you say it like that, you start plotting something in a moment, and I always come out poorly on it. - I crossed my arms over my chest, and my eyebrows raised in a warning gesture.

  Megumi stopped and was silent for a moment, as if she was calcuting something. Her gaze wandered over my face, and her hand went to my chin in thoughtfulness. Then she looked at me, tilting her head slightly, and her eyes shone with a pyful gleam.

  - You know what - she chuckled lightly, almost with amusement, and the corners of her mouth lifted in a mischievous smile. - You're right.

  I squinted, and my body involuntarily tensed up.

  - I don't like it when you say that.

  - And why? - she looked at me innocently, tilting her head slightly, and her lips formed a gentle smile.

  - Because when you say that, in a moment you start plotting something, and I always come out poorly on it. - I crossed my arms over my chest, and my eyebrows raised in a warning gesture.

  - Arata. - She pronounced my name with a draggy, almost melodic tone that made me feel a shiver of anxiety.

  I took a step back, and my hands involuntarily rose in a defensive gesture.

  - What?

  - I think you should make it up to me somehow. - she said with feigned seriousness, and her gaze became piercing.

  Oho, I don't like it. My body tensed up, and worst-case scenarios began to form in my head.

  - Compensate? - I asked cautiously, and my eyebrows raised in surprise.

  - Yes. - She nodded her head with feigned seriousness, and her lips formed a narrow line. - Because of you, I had to experience unimaginable humiliation. - She added with a theatrical sigh.

  - It was your backpack. I had nothing to do with it. - I replied, and my hands involuntarily clenched into fists.

  - Never mind. - She waved her hand, and her gaze became dismissive. - My honor was put to the test. - She said with a dramatic tone.

  - She sounds serious. -I replied sarcastically, and a spark of contrariness fshed in my eyes.

  - Very. - she stated with conviction, and her attitude became even more confident.

  - And what about this? - I asked, and my body tensed in anticipation of her answer.

  Megumi thought for a moment, and her gaze wandered off into the distance, as if searching for the right words. Then her eyes fshed with something suspicious, and a devious smile appeared on her face.

  - You are to buy me something sweet. - She said with a triumphant tone.

  I furrowed my eyebrows, and my lips formed a narrow line.

  - Was this just emotional manipution? - I asked, and disbelief could be heard in my voice.

  - No, it was compensation for moral wrongs. - She corrected me with seriousness, and her eyes shone with a pyful gleam.

  I wiped my face with my hand, and my body involuntarily tense up.

  - What if I refuse? - I asked, and a challenge could be heard in my voice.

  Megumi smiled, and her lips formed a confident smile.

  - You won't refuse. - she said with conviction, and her gaze became piercing.

  I sighed, and my shoulders slumped along my body.

  Of course I won't refuse.

  - What do you want? - I asked, and resignation could be heard in my voice.

  Megumi made a thoughtful face, and her gaze wandered off into the distance, as if she were really considering options. Then her eyes shone with a pyful gleam, and a devious smile appeared on her face.

  - Something chocote. - She said with a triumphant tone.

  I looked at her, and my eyebrows raised in surprise. Then at the smell of hot chocote wafting through the air, which suddenly became more intense.

  ...

  - Hey, Arata?

  She was at it again. I knew that glint in her eyes, heralding a series of bizarre questions and equally bizarre theories.

  I squinted, and my body involuntarily tensed, preparing for the coming avanche of absurdities.

  - What?

  - Let's say you have to choose: you eat only one food for a whole week, or you speak only one sentence for a whole week. Which do you choose?

  I croaked, and my eyebrows raised in surprise.

  - What kind of idiotic question is this? Is this some new kind of mental torture?

  - Answer. - She threw with feigned seriousness, and her gaze became piercing.

  - I don't choose anything. - I replied firmly, and my arms crossed over my chest. - This is senseless.

  Megumi sighed theatrically, rolling her eyes as if I had failed her on some absurd level. Her hand went to her forehead in a gesture of resignation.

  - You are terrible material for an experimental participant. - She said with a dramatic tone.

  - And you for a scientist. - I replied, and a spark of contrariness fshed in my eyes. - Maybe you should do research on the effect of absurd questions on the level of irritation in people?

  - These are not absurd questions. - She replied indignantly, and her cheeks reddened slightly. - These are questions that force you to reflect on your priorities and choices!

  - Yeah, right. - I muttered under my breath, and my lips formed a narrow line. - Or maybe you just like to see people suffer?

  - Don't be so dramatic. - She waved her hand, and her gaze became dismissive. - This is just innocent fun.

  - Innocent fun? - I raised an eyebrow, and disbelief could be heard in my voice. - Recently, your innocent fun consisted of trying to convince me that aliens control the weather.

  - It was not an attempt! - she protested indignantly, and her shoulders raised in a gesture of helplessness. - It was a hypothesis!

  I sighed heavily, and my body involuntarily tensed up, forgetting that Megumi is a foil.

  - All right, all right. - I said, trying to alleviate the situation. - Maybe I'm just not in the mood for your experiments.

  - That's too bad. - She replied with feigned sadness, and her lips formed a mischievous smile. -Because I have a few more questions.

  - Oh no. - I muttered under my breath, and my body tensed in anticipation of more absurdities.

  - Let's say... she began, her eyes twinkling with amusement, - you could have any superpower, but every time you use it, you sneeze uncontrolbly for five minutes. Which superpower would you choose?

  I stared at her, my mind struggling to process the absurdity of the question. - Are you serious?

  - Dead serious. - She nodded, her smile widening. - Think about it. Imagine, you can fly, but every time you take off, achoo!... five minutes of sneezing. Or you can read minds, but achoo!... every thought you hear triggers a sneezing fit.

  I rubbed my temples, trying to ward off an impending headache. - This is ridiculous.

  - But fun, right? - She tilted her head, her eyes sparkling. - Come on, Arata. Just pick one.

  I hesitated, knowing that any answer would only encourage her. - Fine - I grumbled. - If I had to choose, I'd pick teleportation. At least I could teleport away from the sneezing.

  Megumi cpped her hands together, a triumphant grin on her face. - Excellent choice! But imagine, you teleport into a crowded room, achoo!... and everyone stares at you. Priceless.

  - You're enjoying this way too much. - I sighed, feeling the st vestiges of my patience slipping away.

  - Maybe a little - she admitted, her smile never faltering. - Okay, one more. If you could have a conversation with any historical figure, who would it be and what would you ask them?

  - This is still an experiment? - I asked, my voice ced with skepticism.