A beautiful bunny girl appearing in the library?
Hozuki Nozomi blinked, momentarily frozen in place.
Was he hallucinating?
Or had he stumbled into some bizarre supernatural incident?
His mind quickly shuffled through his database of anime knowledge, and in an instant, he recognized the girl who stood there, boldly donning a bunny girl outfit in the middle of the library.
Mai Sakurajima.
The famous actress from "Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai."
Once a beloved child star, now a high school student burdened with the weight of fame. Thanks to her career, she had been under constant scrutiny—paparazzi, obsessive fans, relentless gossip. Eventually, the pressure became unbearable, and in an ironic twist of fate, she started experiencing something straight out of an anime trope: people literally stopped noticing her.
Her very existence faded from others' perception.
No one could see her. No one remembered her.
Even her own mother had seemingly forgotten that she had a daughter.
And now, here she was, strutting through the school library in a bunny girl costume, testing the limits of her invisibility.
Yet... Hozuki Nozomi could see her.
Sitting across from him, Sanshokuin Sumireko was carefully unpacking her bento. Noticing Nozomi staring blankly at the space beside him, she frowned slightly before speaking up.
"Nozomi, what's wrong?"
"Ah? Nothing... nothing," he quickly replied. Then, feigning nonchalance, he added, "Hey, Sanshokuin, what do you think the odds are of a bunny girl randomly appearing in Sobu High's library?"
Sanshokuin Sumireko immediately rolled her eyes.
"Nozomi, are you still half-asleep?"
"Listen, I know our school is a bit more relaxed when it comes to uniform regulations, but even Sobu High wouldn't allow someone to prance around in a bunny girl outfit. If anyone tried, they'd be dragged to the teachers' office for a serious talk—or worse, their parents would be called in."
Then, she smirked, her gaze turning playfully mischievous.
"Or wait… Nozomi, don't tell me you actually want to see me in a bunny girl costume?"
Hearing that, Nozomi nearly choked on air.
Sanshokuin's teasing expression deepened as she leaned forward slightly. "I mean, you did save me before. If you insist, I might just consider it."
"Oi, stop right there! I'm not that kind of guy!" Nozomi quickly waved his hands in protest.
"Oh? Then why bring up bunny girls in the first place?" she asked, her smirk widening.
"Well, hypothetically speaking, what if I told you that there's a bunny girl standing right here next to me? Would you believe me?"
Sanshokuin gave him a flat look, as if she had just discovered a particularly annoying bug.
"Do you think I'd believe that?"
"Not really."
"Exactly. You might as well just admit you want to see me in a bunny girl outfit. At least that would be more convincing."
Nozomi sighed, utterly helpless.
Meanwhile, Mai Sakurajima, who had been silently observing their exchange, folded her arms across her chest and stared at Nozomi with an unreadable expression. The brief flicker of surprise she had shown when he first acknowledged her had quickly been replaced with wary curiosity.
For a moment, she simply studied him, as if trying to decipher his existence. Then, as if finding the entire situation amusing, she smirked slightly before turning her attention to his lunchbox.
Nozomi could feel her gaze lingering on his food.
She was hungry?
Before he could process what to do next, Sanshokuin Sumireko let out a chuckle.
"Anyway, eat your lunch, Nozomi. Either you're seeing things, or you've somehow gotten yourself tangled up in a supernatural phenomenon. In both cases, food is the solution."
"Yeah... I think you might be right."
Choosing to ignore the bunny girl for now, Nozomi turned his attention back to his bento.
Ogihara Sayu had prepared it for him, and as always, her cooking was top-tier. Every bite was a testament to her skill in the kitchen. He couldn't help but wonder...
How would Shiina Mahiru's cooking compare?
Deciding to ignore the bunny girl for now, he focused on his meal. However, the bunny girl clearly had other ideas.
Without warning, she reached out, plucked a rice ball from his bento, and popped it into her mouth, chewing with an infuriatingly casual expression.
Nozomi's eyebrow twitched.
"Sanshokuin, did you see that? My rice ball just disappeared!"
Sanshokuin Sumireko glanced at him with a deadpan expression. "What rice ball? Didn't you already eat it? Or... were you hoping to get a taste of my bento instead?"
Nozomi sighed inwardly. As expected, she couldn't see Mai Sakurajima. That was probably for the best—it meant she wouldn't get caught up in whatever supernatural weirdness was happening.
A sudden idea struck him, and he shamelessly nodded. "Yeah, I do! Sanshokuin, let me have a taste of your bento. Onegai!"
Sumireko smirked slightly before pushing her lunchbox toward him. "I don't mind. You are my savior, after all. It's only fair, right?"
Nozomi blinked. "You're really letting me?"
"Of course. It'd be cruel to let my savior go hungry, wouldn't it?"
"Then I won't hold back! Itadakimasu!"
As Nozomi gleefully dug into Sumireko's lunch, a certain bunny girl sitting beside him was not pleased.
Mai Sakurajima pouted, puffing out her cheeks in frustration. She had planned to tease the only person who could see her, but instead, she was being ignored in favor of some countryside girl. The audacity!
With a small huff, she folded her arms and shot him a sharp glare. "Oi. If you know what's good for you, you'll forget everything you saw today."
Nozomi swallowed his food and raised an eyebrow. "Eh? Why should I?"
Mai didn't answer. She simply turned on her heel, her long black hair swaying gracefully behind her as she strode away.
Nozomi watched her go, a smirk tugging at his lips. He had a feeling that whatever was going on with her wasn't over yet.
Besides, she ate his rice ball and expected him to just forget about it?
Yeah, not happening.
He'd be sure to remember this grudge.