Chapter 1: CHAPTER 1: “A shipper’s ships”

I never would have seen this coming. As a kid, I had overly flirtatious tendencies. But as I grew up, I realized that finding romance, was not something for me. It became something I came to accept. Due to my weirdness, I was only able to make three real friends during my childhood. But sadly, all good things come two an end. My best friend and my second, best friend left my town. They ended up in Okinawa something I learned later on. And my third friend… well, that ended in tears.

 

   When the time came for my high school entrance exams I contacted my best friend, in order to go to his high school. But on the day of the tour, I saw it. My best friend was living a romantic comedy life… The type you see in anime. Five different girls with different archetypes were interested in him… AND HE DIDN’T EVEN KNOW!

 

   Upon realizing this I came to a conclusion… I needed to help him find the one for him.

 

   I was ecstatic, I had waited for a moment like this for ages and now was my chance. To help someone fulfil his romantic life. But how was I going to do that if I didn’t even know the girls he was dealing with? Another obstacle was our classes, my bestie and his love pentagon, (or whatever you call a group of five people in love with the same person), were all two years older than me, meaning they were about to enter their third-year high school, while I was going to start my first year if I got accepted. 

 

   But I didn’t just want to be accepted, I wanted to skip grades so that I could be in my bestie’s class. So, I took the entrance exam and two additional skip-a-grade quizzes (that is the name, sounds farfetched but this high school was weird). To enter the third year, I needed total points in the entrance exam and at least 70% on both quizzes. Never have I ever studied so hard for something in my life, but sometimes it's just not enough. I aced both quizzes but missed a point in the normal entrance exam. Reeling with frustration I accepted my fate, at least I was accepted. But I wouldn’t give up. Out of the five ships, I would try to make one sail… provided my bestie was at all interested.

 

   It has been two months since I was accepted into Eagle High, a Japanese high school, mixed with an American curriculum and style, it was prone to receive transfer students. Outside of the time, I spent in the classroom, or clubroom, and excluding my workdays, I spent every ounce of free time amongst the third years, notebook in hand, gathering intel on my bestie’s harem of love interests.

 

   I assure you; I wasn’t doing it with creepy intentions, and it's not like I followed them around. I just sat close to John, that’s my bestie and listened in to their conversations to learn. I wrote in my notebook all that could help each girl to get closer to John, it's not like John minded that I wrote, he didn’t ask what it was anyway, and only two of those girls cared about me at all, and even they were too focused on John to notice what I wrote.

 

   Over the span of two months, I gathered valuable intel, chose my OTP, and my ship tier list, based on compatibility, personality, love interest safety, mental health, and my own personal bias.

 

   Mattari, Chiru, the cold beauty. Long navy hair, stone expression, tallest in class. Class representative, apparently for the third year in a row. She was a person of few well thought words. Barely showed any emotion at all, was very focused on her studies, and highly authoritative. She sometimes acted as a second teacher. She is number three on my ship tier list. She doesn’t notice unless I let my presence known, but is willing to help, because of her duty and sense of responsibility. A total kuudere.

 

   Panchikikku, Tsuki; smallest in her class but still taller than me (my growth spurt must have left to buy doughnuts or something). The class tsundere. Prone to violence, verbal and physical when her feelings feel exposed or when she feels looked down on, both physically and emotionally. Her vocabulary needs a filter, she has short brown hair, but her hair points are colored red. She always has a jacket on and plans to join the boxing team, despite her other extracurricular activities. She is on the athletic and acrobatic teams. She is fourth on my ship tier list. She needs to work on her personality, otherwise, John will be hurt, and I won’t let it happen.

 

   Kiken, Utsukushi. She has beauty, she has smarts, she leads our school’s music group, she is very sociable and loaded with money. Her long cyan hair serves as a weapon to those of romantic hearts. Her locker is always full of love letters she kindly discards. Second only to Mattari, she makes it up in people skills. She is like the perfect girl, except Kiken is a total yandere. She doesn’t hide her feelings for John anywhere (still John takes it as a joke), she is possessive, strong, and cunning. I know her hands are not exactly clean. She is fifth on my ship tier list for obvious reasons, but it’s not hopeless. But it will be if she remains psycho.

 

   Takamiya, Miko, I call her Ao-sen. Mine and John’s childhood friend. She was my second, best friend back in the day. Lack of contact between us over our separation lost her that spot, and I also lost that spot to her. She has delusions of grandeur. To know more about her await to hear my origin story and my encounters. She is second on my ship tier list. She would be OTP were it not for…

 

   Gita, Chowa. My current second, best friend. I met her on my tour of the school before I vowed to succeed on my entrance exams and get accepted. Other than Ao-sen, she is the only girl in John’s pentagon that acknowledges me. We bonded over music, she liked my anime OSTs, and I liked her own playlists from the very same singers of the OSTs I hear. Sadly, Gita is shy when conversing, not to the levels of incomprehensiveness, but she gets easily flustered especially when it comes to John. Gita developed feelings but she doesn’t know how to express them. She has the least chance at success of all, but I love an underdog, I always want shy beauties who value the protagonist to win.

 

   This is my knowledge so far, all on my notebooks but I am still learning. I walk out of the classroom for my own class, but I bump into one of the third years and drop my notebook and the one I use to cover it. I pick it up, bow in apology, and leave saying goodbye to John. But I didn’t know how much this was going to change everything.

 

…

 

 

   At the sound of the final bell, I get ready to leave the classroom, when I hear a woosh pass me. I stay petrified, I sweat more in 3 seconds than in my entire life (at least that is how it feels). I look to my right and see a knife stuck on the board. I don’t need to look to my left to know who it was.

 

- “If you know what is good to you, you will not move nor speak other than to answer my questions.”

 

   Freakin Kiken! I can feel her breathing next to my ear, and I can promise the sound of her voice is so enchanting that if she wasn’t my fifth ship with John, and if her dead eyes were not piercing my skull, I would become her simp, like the army found in my class. But I know what she is, and I know the danger I’m in. Back home, I can take her on, in here I’m vulnerable. I’m as good as dead.

 

- “Nod if you understand your predicament and are willing to comply.”

 

   I nod.

 

- “Good boy. Who thought that insects would make good pets.”

- “(Gulp)”

- “Turn around, look at me in the eyes and tell me what this notebook is for, and for what purpose do you intend to use the information in it? And, for your information, I can tell when I’m being lied to”

 

   That is true. I sweat profusely, and comply, turning around and looking into her eyes. Crud she is even scarier in person. Why does she have to be so dang tall? 

 

- “You have 60 seconds; dead insects can’t watch anime rom coms”.

- “How do you…?”

 

She smiles sadistically.

 

- “I notice that you and a couple of others have a crush on my best friend John”.

 

   She grits her teeth, and her eerie smile intensifies. I feel like peeing right now.

 

- “He is my beloved. He is nothing to you. NOTHING, do you understand?! As for the other females, they are merely roadblocks I need to step on without my usual tactics. But what of it?”

- “(Incoherent rapid speech). I want John to be happy, so I started to analyze every girl and her probability of success in winning John’s heart. Your strengths, your weaknesses, and how to improve. There are also some drafts of plans at getting each of you, chances to get close to him. Should he accept and should any of you accept my help.”

- “So, you were going to ask to help us?”

- “No, I was preparing should any of you come to me voluntarily.”

- “I guess insects can be helpful. You have been useful. I’ll be keeping this.”

- “B-but it's mine…”

- “You won’t need it where you’re going.”

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  The color drains from my face, but her movements are interrupted, by the opening of the door to the classroom. I’ve got to hand it to Kiken, in less than 5 seconds, she took the knife hid it, and practically warped 6 feet away from me.

 

- “I’ll guess you have no idea as to why we were suddenly asleep and woke up tied to our chairs, right, Utsukushi?

- “Indeed, I have no idea what you are talking about.”

 

   The other four girls enter the room. The one who spoke was Mattari, the class rep. What shocked me was that she used Kiken’s first name. Were they close? As this happens, Gita quietly approaches me searching for possible injuries.

 

- “This is not how you solve things Utsukushi, we know what you have done, even if there is no evidence. Your money wont always be there to cover you, and if we ever catch you, I doubt our friendship will stop us from doing the right thing.”

 

   Friendship? What? Is Mattari serious? Wait, she knows? They know?! And, these girls are friends? Two months and I didn’t notice that.

- “Fine, fine… Be grateful our friendship stops me from going all out. I promised I’d stop, so I’ll stop, but I thought that only applied to our class. How did you free yourselves anyway?”

- “Your ropes are strong, but no rope is stronger than me.”

 

   As expected from Panchikikku.

 

   She takes the notebook, in her hands, and I can see her fuming.

 

- “THIS FREAKIN STALKER. PERV!”

- “NOT THE FACE!”

 

   She punched me so hard in the gut so hard, I believe I saw shock waves. Gita panicked but I assured her I was fine.

 

   The girls approach my notebook, and after flipping the pages a bit they all stare at me in disappointment. I wave my arms in panic while sweat keeps rolling.

 

- “It's not what it seems, I promise.”

- “Wait. This might be the work of Sen-sen. Spare the young one’s life!”

- “I want to punch him so hard.

 

   Ao-sen tried to defend me and I appreciate it.

 

- “Wait, it says here that these are to improve our chances with John.”

- “WHAT?!”

 

   First time I hear Gita raise her voice.

 

- “How do you know.”

 

   She asks that as if it wasn’t obvious.

 

- “Why you creepy perv?”

 

   Panchikikku is still insulting me, but at least she doesn’t want to punch me anymore.

 

- “Because I waited for a moment like this for ages.”

 

…

 

Next time, learn of the origin of our shipping protagonist, and what lead him to this glorious path.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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