The Day the Weasel Bit Me [After School / Broadcasting Club Room]

Hara told her everything from the beginning.

The abandoned shrine.

The weasel.

The fever.

The distant sounds he began hearing that night.

The sudden strength.

The faster reflexes.

The way even smells and vibrations had become unnaturally vivid.

Koharu didn’t interrupt once.

When he finished, she stayed silent for a long moment.

(Koharu) : “Wait.”

(Hara) : “Yeah?”

(Koharu) : “So... you got bitten by a weasel and basically got superpowers?”

(Hara) : “I know how ridiculous that sounds.”

(Koharu) : “Ridiculous doesn’t even cover it.”

Hara lowered his head.

(Hara) : “That’s why I couldn’t tell you.”

Koharu replayed the last few months in her mind.

The impossible dodges.

The bent bike handle.

The moments when he seemed to hear things from far away.

The way noise overwhelmed him.

(Koharu) : “So all the things I thought were weird...”

(Hara) : “Yeah.”

(Koharu) : “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

(Hara) : “I was scared too. And I thought if you knew, you’d follow me into dangerous situations.”

Her face hardened.

(Koharu) : “So you made my choice for me again.”

Hara nodded immediately.

(Hara) : “Yeah. I’m sorry.”

Silence.

Koharu let out a breath.

(Koharu) : “I still don’t know if I completely believe you.”

(Hara) : “Fair.”

(Koharu) : “But not believing you because you lied and not believing you because this is completely insane are two different things.”

Hara burst out laughing.

Eventually, so did Koharu.

Then she asked for the first time,

(Koharu) : “So how far can you actually hear?”

The question made something inside Hara loosen.

At least in front of Koharu, he no longer had to pretend to be ordinary.