She glanced up at me. She had already noticed that I wasn't buying her fantasy proclamations at all.
"You don't believe me?" she tossed out, not offended in the slightest. "No big deal. You'll see when I can show you my powers."
"Powers? You have powers... and if you really had pow—"
I stopped right there, exasperated. I sighed. I didn't believe a word of it. Why was I even still talking to this girl? I pressed my hands against my forehead, turning my head away to try to calm my thoughts, which were spinning in every direction.
"What, you're resigning yourself to keep talking to me? Still don't believe I've had this encounter millions of times?"
"If you've really had these encounters before, then guess what I'm about to say right now," I said, feeling confident.
She thought for a moment and scratched her head slightly. "Well, you see... It's a bit complicated. I don't have the exact same conversation every single time, you know?"
She kept rambling to herself while I stopped listening to a single word she said. I just turned toward the door to make my escape. But when I tried to open it, the handle was stuck. I forced it once, twice, three times... nothing. The door wouldn't budge a millimeter. Why wouldn't it open?! It worked perfectly fine two minutes ago! I couldn't stay trapped in here with her, not now, not during the worst moment of my day.
"Heh heh..." she chuckled softly behind me.
I turned around. She was smiling, spinning a keychain around her finger with provocative agility.
"The door is stuck, huh?"
Why was she doing this? And more importantly, how could she have jammed that door without me even seeing her move? She tossed her own keys at my face, then shoved me unceremoniously aside. With a fluid motion, she pulled the handle, and the door opened without any effort.
She gave me a proud, mocking look, a small smirk on her lips. As for me, I was completely lost.
"How...?" I stammered.
"The door is a bit old, it's normal," she said, pointing toward the exit with a wave of her hand. "So, you want to leave?"
I took a step into the hallway, but she was still staring at me. Her calm gaze and mocking eyes annoyed me to no end.
She seemed to be enjoying my distress. We both stepped out, and with a sharp movement, before I could react, she snatched the keys from my hand and locked the classroom behind us.
At this point, I just wanted to sprint away, go home, settle in, and forget every second of what had just happened. Even though my high school life had only just begun why did my first encounter have to be with her and not someone normal? If I had the choice between having a dog as a friend or her, I would have made my choice without a second's hesitation.
"Before you go, I have a favor to ask," she said, continuing to lock the door. "What now?" I asked, tired of these multiverse stories. "You have to come back here tomorrow, after classes. In this same room. Okay, Salkony?"
I looked at her one last time before turning on my heel. "...No thanks."
She stopped and turned toward me, wagging her index finger, "no" with a smirk. "You should be happy that a pretty girl like me is inviting you," she teased. "This is different. You could invite someone else; I'll pass."
"What? You don't want to see my powers?" "Your powers?" I said ironically. "What, are you going to show me how your thumb disappears?"
She huffed, exasperated, putting her hands on her hips. Without another word, she pulled the key from the lock and, as she walked away, tossed a metallic object over her shoulder without even looking back. The object bounced on the floor with a sharp clink.
She raised her hand for a final goodbye, disappearing into the hallway in the opposite direction. "You're forced to come anyway. Your curiosity and your boredom will betray you. And just to be sure... if you don't come, you'll regret it."
Was she blackmailing me now? "Why! Why would I regret it, and why do you want me to come tomorrow?!" I yelled at her back.
Her voice drifted back to me, growing more distant: "I'll tell you tomorrow, in the room. And also, pick up your keys from the floor."
What? The object she just threw... were those mine?! I looked away from Haruka to stare at the floor. It was indeed my keychain. I looked up, surprised, but she was already gone. She had vanished in less than a second in a hallway that was otherwise deserted.
I stood there, frozen, fumbling through my empty pockets like an idiot. Did she pickpocket my keys without me feeling a thing? Or maybe...
No, impossible. I shook my head, dismissing the idea that she actually had powers. And even if the situation I just lived through felt more like blackmail than an invitation from a girl... now that I think about it, I'm starting to get curious. What could she possibly want from me? We haven't even known each other for a second.
Could it be that she has a crush on me? .... I stayed silent for a few minutes, and after finishing my train of thought, I concluded:
Impossible.
How could I even think that? Who hits on someone like that?! But if that really were the case... people like her are seriously weird.
I picked up my keys, clenching my hands as the metal felt cold, and turned toward the exit without a word. Finally, outside, I whispered to myself: "She's dreaming if she really thinks I'm coming."
Then, a small smile escaped me.
yeah I would never go.