Rule 33: A Midnight Date for the Cornered Marin (1) ♥Marin♥
Weekend afternoon with no classes.
I headed to the university library for the first time in ages.
It wasn't part of my plans. Weekends usually meant mornings spent reviewing major textbooks.
But the pointless questions that puppy had been babbling all day kept circling in my head, scattering my focus.
I needed a change of pace.
I wolfed down lunch and slipped into the library, wandering quietly in search of a book that might calm my rattled nerves—and a secluded spot.
Just as I was climbing the stairs toward the rooftop, where no one ever went...
"Um... excuse me."
Someone called out, stopping me in my tracks.
I turned around. Five steps below, a vaguely familiar woman clutching books to her chest was looking up at me.
"What? You got business with me?"
"W-well, actually... I'm in the same department as you..."
...Come to think of it, she was that girl from the department monkey gatherings. I'd seen her around a lot.
But we had zero connection, so I couldn't fathom why she'd suddenly stop me.
I asked bluntly.
"And?"
At first, I had zero interest, just staring at her impassively.
But her next words...
"You here with any friends?"
That single line started chipping away at my sanity.
Grip.
I clenched the book in my hand without thinking.
"Friends? Don't have any."
"Good... I came to the library alone today too, and I was feeling kinda lonely."
Was she clueless? Or mocking me on purpose?
"If it's okay, mind if I hang out with you?"
I was seething with irritation, but she was beaming like an idiot.
...It was grinding my nerves.
Normally, I'd ignore her completely, but right now, I couldn't.
The more I thought about turning away, the more pissed I got.
I decided to draw a hard line so she wouldn't follow.
"Don't talk bullshit. Get lost. Even wasting time on you pisses me off."
The moment I turned my back...
"W-wait! Your skirt hem is fol—."
Smack!
I slapped away her approaching hand on reflex. The puppy's face from when he'd peeked up my skirt flashed in my mind.
But...
"...Huh?"
The woman I shoved stumbled back, missed a step, and her thick books tumbled down toward the floor.
As her body tilted backward, her flustered expression burned into my brain.
Thud thud crash!
She rolled pathetically down the stairs, curling up with a groan.
"Ah! Ow... ugh..."
Instantly, gazes from the library's hidden corners locked onto me.
My fingertips trembled from the shock—I hadn't meant to shove that hard.
I just hated the idea of her discovering I wasn't wearing anything underneath. I just hated the thought of her filthy hands touching me.
The moment I saw her leg twisted wrong, my heart sank.
"Did you see that? She pushed her."
"Isn't that girl from our department?"
"Whoa, she's a total psycho. Just shoving someone down the stairs like that."
"...Tch."
It was so unfair.
She touched me first. I was just blocking her.
But these idiots were siding with the perp over the victim.
I swallowed my frustration and instinctively tugged my skirt hem down.
★Toilet★
I stood at the dark front entrance, listening intently to Marin's story.
It was a total disaster, in one word.
The girl who'd tumbled down the stairs had been carted off to the hospital, and Marin was stuck footing the entire bill for treatment.
The girl's parents rushed over upon hearing and politely demanded an apology from Marin, but she insisted that since it happened because the girl tried to touch her body, she wouldn't apologize beyond the money.
And the reason for all this?
"Puppy, it's all because you kept spouting that useless crap..."
Marin hung her head, clutching at her clothes.
But honestly, I was the one in trouble. She'd caused the accident herself but was pinning it on me out of nowhere.
...Still.
I couldn't bring myself to scold Marin.
-I'm in your major too... if it's okay, wanna grab lunch together?
That was straight out of a dream I'd had a few days ago—the words from a precious connection I'd missed in my loner days.
The more I chewed on it, the more Marin's situation overlapped with my isolated college days.
I knew that feeling better than anyone, so I clasped my hands politely and bowed to her.
"I'm sorry..."
I hoped that would soothe her a bit.
Grip.
Instead, Marin yelled at me.
"Don't apologize! Is that what I wanted? I told you to take responsibility! Whether you're sorry or not means nothing to me!"
"But as your slave, I can't offer any financial compensation..."
Her face twisted even more at my response.
The small hand gripping my sleeve trembled, then she weakly punched my chest, venting her rage.
"Who asked for your money? I have plenty of that crap. If you hadn't even mentioned friends... if you hadn't gotten all fidgety peeking up my skirt..."
Marin bit her lip in frustration, then grabbed my collar and practically shouted.
"I never would've suffered that humiliation! Your stupid words pissed me off all day!"
"...So what do you want me to do?"
She froze.
Marin pondered with her head down for a long while, then muttered while looking away in a tiny voice.
"Tell me... what being friends is like..."
"...Pardon?"
"I've never had a friend in my life, so you tell me!"
I was flustered.
I barely had any real friendships myself, and now she wanted me to explain?
Her sudden request left me stumped, but the dilemma didn't last long.
Something I'd always wanted to do with a friend if I ever got one popped into my head.
"Then... shall we take a walk?"
Back in my loner school days, there were two things I envied most about the popular crowds.
Not having to eat lunch in the bathroom. And having someone to walk home with.
The first one was tolerable—kinda cozy if you ignored the gross factor.
But the second? Totally different story.
The commute to college was ridiculously long for no reason.
Plugging in earbuds and trudging home alone always felt pathetic. With perfectly good eyes, I couldn't ignore the world around me.
Everyone else was filled with happy laughter. That inferiority gnawed at my heart.
Why were those department monkeys filming their youth drama with haha-hohos, while I walked this lonely road alone?
Maybe I'd dreamed of a moment just like this.
Sure, slave and master divided us, but still—with a beautiful woman like her...
"So, how is this supposed to be 'friends'? We're just strolling the village garden."
...Yeah.
While walking the village garden, Marin finally snapped, crossing her arms and glaring at me.
"It's just wasting time on inefficient bullshit."
She really had zero sense of mood. No wonder people whispered she was a psychopath somewhere.
Sigh...
I felt pathetic for getting even a little excited about this moment.
"Then why did you suddenly wanna know about friends, miss?"
"Just... it pissed me off. That girl pitying me with her tone... I wanted to show her I could make friends anytime if I felt like it."
"Maybe she wanted to be your friend? If you're curious about friends, why not accept?"
Marin flinched at my words and looked away.
"No way... I don't wanna hang with monkey trash like that..."
She was all twisted up.
Her headspace and personality were so messed up, completely off the rails.
"Then no matter how much I explain friends, it won't matter... Can we quit this pointless crap and head back?"
As I turned to go...
Yank.
Marin grabbed my sleeve again.
"No..."
She'd just been griping about inefficiency and hating it, but her actions made zero sense.
"Useless doesn't mean... that..."
"...Then what?"
Marin hemmed and hawed with her head down.
I couldn't take it anymore and blurted out exactly what I felt.
"You just don't wanna be friends with a monkey like me."
She bristled, furrowing her brow and yelling.
"That's not it!"
Then her face crumpled, and she pointed at the ground, mumbling.
"This is what I meant by useless..."