I tried to stay strong as everyone had gathered around me as soon as homeroom ended. Aiko was there beside me, looking pretty mad, but before she could start shouting at our classmates I raised one hand. Of course, it was the one with my engagement ring on. My second ring anyway. The plain band with delicate engraving was nice, and I loved it because Akio bought it for me, but it wasn’t the one I truly loved, no, that one was safe at home. I will put it back on tonight, after school.

“All right, I can tell you want to ask me, so I don’t mind. Just… don’t all crowd me and talk at once, okay? You may not know it, but I’m pretty bad with crowds, right?” I managed a slight smile, despite the knots in my stomach. I can handle this. Compared to fighting massive scorpions, this is nothing. I do wish Akio was here with me now though, or even Shaeula.

“Little Ri-Ri made a joke! The world is coming to an end!” Yae-san said, surprised. That reminded me, Aiko had brought their souvenirs, not that I felt they deserved any. Still, Akio always was kind, and since they spent some time with him, he’d grown attached to them a little. Annoying, but they aren’t a problem really. After all, I’m engaged to Akio, and they are nothing.

“I do have a sense of humour.” I muttered. “I just don’t waste it on people that don’t matter.”

“Ouch!” Yae-san reeled back, while Rika-san was laughing heartily. One of the guys in class… Was his name Tomo-san… Err Todo-san…? Never mind, I don’t need to know his name anyway… said “Wow, that’s a sick burn, Mori-chan. So, anyway, we are all dying to know.”

My face twitched as he called me Mori-chan. So annoyingly familiar. Aiko was right when she said most men are cockroaches. If only we had some pest control in here…

“Hey guys, guys. Come on, let the girl speak. And you, Tomoya-kun, back up, you are invading her space.” Aiko said fiercely, windmilling her arms to shoo them off.

Oh, Tomoya-san… I was close, I guess?

“I don’t know what you want to know, but yes, Akio did buy me this ring, and yes, it is an engagement ring. So sorry, none of you boys have any business with me anymore. I’m taken.”

“Not that you had any before anyway. Everyone knew it would come to this.” Yae-san said, twirling her blonde hair idly with one finger as she looked pensive.

“Yeah, no question about it. big bro and Eri are a fated couple.” Aiko nodded.

“It didn’t stop you trying your luck, did it?” I complained to Yae-san, who titled her head and giggled, trying to look contrite.

“Can’t blame a girl for trying, right?” she said.

“Well, we can, and we do.” Aiko answered for me. “But before I forget, here. For you. You too Rika-san. My bro and Shaeula decided to get you gifts, though someone close to me felt it would be better if you disappeared from his mind entirely. Or maybe just spontaneously combusted.” She giggled as she handed each of them a small, wrapped package.

“Ooh, why do they get gifts?” one other girl in our class asked, she was a noisy one, terrible at anything but sports. I think she was on the volleyball team with Aiko, maybe?

“Yeah, if giving gifts is a thing, why didn’t we get any too? After all, we are your classmates as well.” A guy said. This one I did know, but he was trash, always talking vile things about women with his friend, so Aiko and I made great efforts to stay away from him.

“Seriously? You are asking me that, hentai king number one?” Aiko shot him a dark look. “You are lucky that he didn’t bring you back a gun and shoot you, since all the crap you spout has been polluting my poor ears all this time. Eri’s too. You think he wants his betrothed listening to that? As for the rest of you…” She shook her head. “Well, it just so happened we all ended up hanging out after the baseball, so I guess big bro thought we were good friends or something? You lot weren’t there, so nothing for you. Simple.”

“We are good friends though, aren’t we, Ai-chan? The big brother you love so much asked us to stay friends and look out for you, so you are stuck with us… oh my god… wow, so cute!” Yae-san opened her box to find a pretty set of gold earrings with ruby stones. Rika-san was equally impressed, a similar pair with emeralds was in her box.

“Oh come on, that’s not fair, they look really nice! Expensive too!” volleyball girl said, jealously. “I’m your friend aren’t I, Aiko-chan? You should have put in a good word for me too! I’d have hung out with your brother…”

Yeah, I don’t think so. You aren’t cute enough to even enter his sight.

“Sorry!” Aiko apologised, insincerely, I thought. “Maybe next time. Although I’m not sure when that’ll be…”

As the girls were tyring on their new earrings, the second of the pervert boys piped up, asking a question I wasn’t looking forwards to. “So, hey, Mori-chan… why did you get engaged?” God, I hate his face, so fat and slimy. And the way he licks his lips when he talks to a girl. Ugh, he’ll never find love if he doesn’t sort himself out.

“… congratulations and all, but isn’t this a bit sudden? Plus you were abroad, weren’t you? I think it’s against school rules to have… that kind of adult relationship isn’t it? Your parents were here at school today weren’t they, along with Oshiro-chan’s. And my elder sister works in the office, and she heard…”

I could feel my face cramping, and I was getting the urge to curl up into a ball and shut out all this… all this bother. Why can’t they just leave me alone and let me be happy? Aiko looked like she was about to explode, but that wouldn’t help. Was I ashamed or guilty for what I’ve done? No, never! And for him to insinuate I’ve done something wrong… I can’t let this pass. I promised to be braver.

“Adult relations? Why not say what you mean?” I snapped, standing up suddenly, surprising everyone. As my seat scraped back along the floor I glared at him. “After all, like Aiko said, we have to listen to you talking about your dirty books and games all the time, you’ve used the word plenty! So say it, go on, I dare you!”

Around me the girls in class were smiling or looking at me in shock. The pervert was wilting under my gaze, but seeing support from his partner-in-crime, he swallowed and spoke cruelly. “All right then. You did it with Oshiro-san, didn’t you, Mori-chan? You had sex with him. I hear you might even be pregnant! That’s filthy, and totally against school rules!”

“Fuck you!” Aiko began to move towards him, ready to start a fight, but I stopped her with a gesture. If I back down here, then I’ll never change. I’m a woman now, not a girl. Besides, hearing Akio’s name come from his fat mouth makes me ill.

“See this, you dumb idiot? It’s. An. Engagement. Ring. Stupid.” I punctuated every word with withering contempt, using it to prop up my small reserves of courage. “How can it be wrong for someone engaged to sleep with their partner? With parental consent it’s totally within the rules. My only regret is I can’t wear my real engagement ring at school, I miss looking at it, having to make do with this plain one. And if I’m pregnant, so what? I’m engaged, get it? It’s not like I’m doing anything immoral. I wasn’t ever going to go to University anyway, so why worry about it? As soon as school is finished I’m moving to Tokyo, to be with Akio, and then we’ll be married. And lastly, why should I care what you think? I can’t even remember your name, and looking at you turns my stomach.”

Finishing my pointed rant I was breathless and dizzy, but it sure did feel good. I think I’ve grown up a bit. I think some of Shaeula and Aiko is rubbing off on me.

For a moment everyone was in silence, before laughing and cheers broke out, the girls clapping. As they praised me, the two perverts slinked back to their seats, mortified and humiliated, while the other boys were looking at me differently, not with the usual dark gazes of lust that I so hated, but perhaps… maybe even some respect?

“Shit, Mori-san, that was one hell of a smackdown there.” One of the other boys said. His name escaped me, if I even knew it, but I smiled politely and nodded. “It was pretty cool. I guess it changes a girl, getting… well, you know.” He blushed, and I thought it a little endearing, surprising myself.

“It does. It was a magical experience.” I couldn’t help but let out a damp sigh, face flushing. “But only if you love the other person, so don’t all be experimenting, okay.”

“Oh god, who would have thought little Ri-Ri would be lecturing us about sex?” Rika-san giggled, her new earrings shining on her ears, throwing off sparkles of green. “Still, you look super cute right now, even more than usual. Makes me jealous. What about you Ai-chan?”

“Nah, I’m happy for my best friend and bro of course. Only downside was I was in the suite when it happened. And just listening to it scarred me for life. I might be ruined.”

“Aiko! You can’t say that!” Now I was flushing from embarrassment again, not arousal.

“Get a load of these pictures.” Aiko was saying, and everyone crowded around. “Although the ones of us in swimsuits are for my bro’s eyes only alas. Still Vegas was something else…”

I somehow ended up swept along into the group, looking at pictures and talking until the teacher for our next class came in. Afterwards, I still felt uncomfortable, but it was… well, better. I had talked to a lot of people I wasn’t comfortable with, got angry with a boy, and more…

I can change. Aiko too. As the teacher started the lesson, which luckily was English, I let my mind drift, not needing to pay attention. My ring glittered in the sun, just like my future was glittering now. Closing my eyes, I began to practice pulling in ether and raising aether. That was a goal I could work towards, something tangible as proof of my growth…