This oni really hates men! I’m just a punching bag to her! She loves to bully me! Is she taking out three years of aggression on me, or what?!

I pouted silently as she stepped over to the nearby kiosk. In the meanwhile I stayed on the ground, flopping. Finally, I rose when enough people had enough of my flouncing. A sigh left my noh-lips as I leaned against the kiosk’s wall and waited.

“Um... Do you have any germ masks for sale, pretty please, store manager-san?” I heard Rui ask in an ultra cute tone I hadn’t heard from her yet. I furrowed a noh-brow.

The store owner responded. “Hmm... I think I might have one left in a box in the back. Just a sec.”

“Yay!” Rui exclaimed, dancing a little. Why aren’t we asking why you need one anymore? Did you just give up after all those missed attempts at uncovering the mystery? I wasn’t foolish enough to voice those questions.

She hummed and rhythmically tapped her fingers on the counter as she waited. The expression on her face wasn’t annoyed or angry. I had seen her face without those emotions, but I had never once considered her cute. Her intense eyes were always commanding attention. Reaching into my fanny pack, I messed with my phone. Twenty and five o’clock. I stared at the screen dully.

“Ah, yes!” the clerk cried out when he discovered the location of the germ mask. “Here it is.” He straightened from a stack of boxes he’d rummaged through to hold up a sealed germ mask. “Wow, you’re one of the cutest little girls I’ve seen lately! It isn’t worth much, so go ahead and take it.” I frowned as I heard it. You don’t know how horrible she is. Does she routinely profit from using that fake ‘cuteness’ that she’s obviously conceited about?

“Who’s that weirdo in a red ranger costume? He looks like a stalker.” I glanced over in time to see him jerking his thumb towards me. That got my attention and I stiffened. “Aren’t you too old for being a freak sentai addict?” he asked sarcastically.

Ouch...

I fell over. His words were an arrow to snap straight through the center of my heart. There were many comments like this back at work when I first wore it. Some positive comments, cheers, and smiles. Mostly it was because my ugly mug was covered. They could forget for just a few minutes who they were forced to work with. But, knowing they felt that way hurt.

“Thanks for the mask, but don’t be a jerk, please. He’s my friend.” She walked over to me with a smile and took my arm to clutch my arm to her chest in a way that disturbed me. “I’ll have you know something special about my Red Ranger friend. He’s saved several people just today. You shouldn’t casually insult a neighborhood hero!”

That statement shocked me. I had no words in response. All I could do was stare at the strange loli oni. She’d sprouted new horns. Well... more accurately, the oni had grown wings to go with her horns. Did she really come up with that silly lie for my sake?

The man blinked, but shrugged and smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry, Red Ranger-san! Keep up the hard work!” His smile broadened into an apologetic grin. “That was uncalled for on my part. My bad. I’m just freaked out by this strange obsession with these masks today. I nearly ran out of them, but many came to the station already wearing them. I never found out why.” That neatly explained why he wasn’t wearing one himself. Possibly he was just more courageous.

He lifted his arm to throw an object at me. It flew directly towards me, and I caught it by reflex. It was a delicious-looking tonkatsu sandwich! My stomach rumbled embarrassingly. “I was saving it for the train ride home tonight. It’s the last of my wife’s cutlet sandwiches. Please enjoy it instead. No charge for it either. I feel guilty I only have one mask, so that should satisfy. Take care and keep an eye open. Sometimes shadows move in strange ways around here!”

My helmet flooded with hot tears of gratitude. It was a novel experience that I wasn’t being treated like the story’s villain.

“Now, now. Enough with those tears, Susumu..." Oni patted my wrist. “I know how you feel. You can’t eat it..." she whispered. Oh, crap… now that she mentions it… I cried even more.

The sound of a train barreling into the station distracted us. It was rushing up along the right side of the platform, and I sighed again. It would take us up the line towards my home. I noh-gulped. The confrontation was drawing near. My noh-mouth felt dry.

I handed the sandwich silently to the oni.

“Thanks, Susumu!” She was beaming an unusual smile at me. I noh-blinked. She raised her hand in a victory sign and accepted the sandwich with her other hand. I almost regretted giving it to her. It was pure manipulation, but then again, maybe I was a little paranoid about her.