Chapter Text
Muu doesn't really remember how she meet Rei.
Neither does she recall when she started developing an unnecessarily large interest in her.
The only thing Muu remembers is seeing her from across the classroom on the first day of school.
Rei was sitting at the back, looking down to avoid the other girls. Despite her ordinary appearance or even boring one (according to her friends) Muu somehow couldn't help but feel drawn to that new girl in class.
Before she knew it, Muu was walking towards her, passing by her friends who had saved her a seat next to them.
Muu sat down beside Rei, who looked up when she noticed the girl was now beside her.
Rei's eyes were, without a doubt, beautiful. When their eyes met, Muu tried to memorize every minute detail of those enchanting and mesmerizing eyes that were looking at her, even staring for longer than she should, despite not even knowing her name yet.
"Alright, let's start the class."
The teacher's voice was the only thing that made Muu temporarily snap out of that fantasy.
The girls took out their math books. Rei took a little longer than the rest, she searched in her backpack while being watched by Muu.
The blonde smiled "My name is Muu Kusunoki." She said while her gaze was still fixed on Rei. "I hope we can get along!"
"Ah. Uhh... Sure." Rei only glanced at Muu before continuing her search.
"........
Hmph."
Muu didn't complain. Rei must be new, she's probably nervous with the class.
"I wonder what kind of things she likes."
....
Thanks to the expensive, luxurious gifts or extra things Muu had in her bag, she had managed to make friends in less than 5 minutes.
Because of that, it was pretty easy for Muu to make new friends, even if they barely talked.
Maybe if she got some cute accessory for Rei... they would become friends immediately!
....
On the second day of school, Muu went to the bathroom during recess to put on some lip gloss.
While walking towards the bathrooms, she couldn't help but wonder again what Rei might like.
"If she likes animals, I could give her a cute plushie, or maybe some makeup. But... Rei-chan doesn't seem like the type of girl that wears makeup..."
"Well. What do you want, Rei?"
"Huh?" Muu stopped at the bathroom door when she heard familiar voices inside.
Muu peeked and tried to not be seen.
There were three girls from her class cornering Rei, but... they didn't seem to have the intention of hurting her.
At least that's what Muu hoped.
"Come on, Rei." Said one of them "Switch with me."
"Don't be silly. If you want to sit next to Kusunoki, you have to give something in return, right?"
Ah, so it's about her.
"Don't listen, Rei-chan. I can buy you whatever you want from the store."
"Really?"
"Mhm!" Ah. Who does she think she is?
Muu chose Rei-chan first.
Why do they think they have the right to interfere with her plans?
Besides, she wanted to be the first one to buy things for Rei...
"....Alright... Where did you say you were sitting?..." after a small silence, Rei addressed the girl who had offered her things from the store.
"Ah! In front of the blackboard, in the third row."
Rei nodded. "Mmm, got it. Then... let's switch seats."
"Really!?"
"It's not fair..."
"But- I asked first!"
"You wanted to hit her to make her switch seats. You don't have the right to complain."
"Hit her???" It's only her second day and they already wanted to bully her...
Rei coughed to regain attention.
"Ah. Sorry, Rei-san"
The girl lowered her head and apologized with some remorse.
Rei sighed and went straight to wash her hands. The girl she was going to switch seats with followed her and stood beside her.
She started applying some blush to her cheeks while glancing at Rei.
"Hey, Rei. Tell me already if you want something, I'm feeling very generous today."
"I'm only switching seats with you to see the board better. Believe me, I'm not interested in whatever you're offering."
"Please, everyone wants something. The price doesn't matter, I can buy it."
"Pft. In that case, you should use your money for better makeup."
Before the girl could keep talking, Muu interrupted in the bathroom and stood between Rei and the other girl.
"Muu-san!"
"I was looking for you." She replied "Why don't we leave... Rei-chan?"
"E-Eh?"
Muu took Rei's hand before she could react, and both of them left the bathroom and walked down the hallways.
That was the moment where everything started.
....
Muu's heart began to beat strongly.
She started to feel the heat reaching her cheeks when she saw how the rest of the girls in the hallways looked at them and whispered.
It was exciting.
For some reason, she enjoyed being seen next to her.
It was fun to know that some would be dying of jealousy and wish they were in Rei's place.
....
Muu and Rei sat on the school rooftop, far from everyone else. She ignored the messages and calls from her friends, who were trying to find out where she was.
"You remember me, right?" Muu asked with a smile.
"Uh, sure. Muu... Kusunoki, right?..."
"Hehehe... It would be fun if you didn't."
"..."
"Well~ Not many new students come around lately, you know. It must be scary being in a new place.
Hehe, but don't worry. You can ask me anything, Rei-chan~"
"Why everyone so... mean here?"
"Huh? Why do you say that?"
Rei opened the half-empty water bottle that looked like it had been crushed before and drank what little was left.
"The three girls cornered me in the bathroom before and two others threw a notebook at someone sleeping at their desk. And then she-" Rei lifted her bottle "got mad at me when I tried to offer some water."
"Ah, I see." Muu didn't pay much attention to the conversation; she went back to staring at Rei and the anguished expression on her face. "Don't worry, Rei-chan!" Muu carefully took her hand, as if it were something fragile she wanted to care for. "Some girls are a little mean sometimes, but you'll be fine if Muu takes care of you!"
Rei tilted her head in confusion.
Muu took her water bottle and threw it on the floor.
Before Rei could respond, Muu helped her stand up.
"Everyone in class respects Muu. They won't bully Rei-chan if you stay close to Muu."
Rei stayed silent for a couple of seconds. She looked at Muu with... pity? It was hard to tell. But the blonde didn't pay attention to that.
She anxiously waited for Rei-chan's response.
"... You're kind, Kusunoki-san. But-" Rei quickly pulled her hand free from Muu's grasp. "I think I can handle it on my own. I don't need your help."
"Ah..." Muu fell silent. She felt some surprise, even some anger.
No one had ever dared to refuse her.
No one had ever dared to reject Muu Kusunoki's generosity.
"...." Rei picked up her things when Muu stopped talking. "I'm sorry, Kusunoki-san. I have some things to do..."
"...."
Before leaving the rooftop, Rei turned around. "But maybe we can be friends if you want."
"!!
O-Of course we can!!-" Muu quickly turned around to give her response, but Rei was already gone.
....
Muu tried to go about her life normally, despite being frustrated with Rei and Ai's (Or... Airi? Muu doesn't remember her name and honestly she isn't even interested in remembering it) seat change.
"Ai" asked Muu if it was okay to sit next to her.
"Hmph. Not at all. Do you think you can buy Rei-chan's just because you have "money"?
Why don't you tell her to come sit here again?
I'd rather be with Rei-chan a thousand times over than with you!"
Muu wanted to say the obvious things, but doing so in front of the class could damage her reputation, so she simply told her there was no problem.
But clearly, there was.
Well, for Muu, it was a problem
....
"...And that would be all for today. See you tomorrow."
The class had finally come to an end. Muu and the rest of the girls in the class began packing up their things to head home.
"Hah... So boring.
I want to go home..."
"Muu-san!"
"Yes?"
Muu's friends approached her. "Are you going to do something after class?"
"Well..." Muu looked around for Rei. She still had her math book open on her desk. Rei looked frustrated.
She was flipping through her math notebook as if trying to find some answer.
"Mu-"
"Um! I have some things to do. Maybe we can do something another day..."
"Alright" The girls left the class, leaving Muu and Rei alone.
"Rei-chan, is everything okay?"
"AH!!" Rei almost jumped out of her seat. She probably didn't notice Muu was still in the classroom.
"... You look angry... is there a problem?"
"N-No. It's just that- Uh... I didn't understand today's class."
"Oh! So that's it."
"What don't you understand?"
"This exercise. I don't know how to get these formulas." Muu took one of the chairs and sat in front of Rei's desk. She checked the book and looked at the page. "Hmm... If you want, I can explain it to you."
"Thanks..."
Muu took Rei's book and tried to explain how to solve the exercise in simple terms so it wouldn't be hard to understand. "
"And... the result should be 23."
"I see... Thanks, Kusunoki-san."
Muu handed the book back to Rei. She felt her heart racing for a brief moment when their hands touched for a couple of seconds.
Instead of leaving, Muu stayed next to Rei. She watched as Rei's expression changed while solving the exercises.
Her expression changed from frustrated to relieved, then to confused.
...Rei was quite pretty. It didn't matter if her appearance or personality was dull or ordinary; she was always the one who stood out the most to Muu.
The faces of the other girls were blurry to her. She couldn't remember the color or shape of their eyes.
But Rei... She was different.
After a long silence occasionally interrupted by the sounds of pencil and eraser, Muu decided to ask. "Rei-chan."
"What's up?" She responded without looking up from her book.
"You still haven't gotten your school uniform."
"... I know. I have to wear it tomorrow."
"Do you want help with that? We're friends, after all."
Rei shook her head, which annoyed Muu. "I've got it handled, you don't have to worry."
.....
It was 3 AM when Muu received a message from her group chat with friends.
"Have you guys seen this?"
_Video_
"No way! Gross, haha"
Muu complained and turned off her phone again. It was too early to deal with her friends' drama.
....
The phone vibrated again, and she checked the messages (something inside her told her to check the group).
"Oh my god, isn't that Rei???"
!!
Muu jumped out of bed and started reading the conversation. She saw a video being sent in the groupchat.
Muu hastily pressed the play button without even thinking about it.
The video started with someone filming from a distance as Rei left an apartment. Then she walked through a park until she was near various convenience stores.
The person filming the video started laughing when Rei began walking towards the parking lot of a motel.
She went in and didn't take long to come out with the school uniform in her hands.
Rei entered the nearest laundry facility and put the uniform in the washing machines. She sat down while waiting.
Muu couldn't help but feel sorry for that girl when the video ended.
"So that's what she meant by 'handling it'..."
....
The uniform Muu had ordered was going to take 2 to 4 days to arrive at her door. She pressured her supplier to be faster, even offered to pay a bit more for the uniform to arrive as soon as possible.
Her supplier promised her he would get it done, but she had to be patient.
The downside of ordering clothes made with the best fabrics was that they always took longer than Muu liked.
She heard the girls talking about Rei in the hallways, but she made her best effort to ignore it.
To console her, Muu left a bracelet and an expensive ring in her bag with a red box.
"Don't feel bad, Rei-chan ♡"
She left a note to make her feel better.
Of course, she would be happy with her gift.
After all, who doesn't like receiving expensive things?
When morning came, Muu received a package at her door. She opened it and found the school uniform perfectly folded and in a bag to prevent it from getting dirty.
Muu ironed the shirt and skirt.
She took her time since it was a special gift for Rei-chan.
Even if she was late for class, the teachers wouldn't be able to punish her.
Having rich parents was a big advantage.
When she finished, she carefully folded the uniform and put it in the bag. She smiled with joy.
She couldn't wait to see Rei's reaction.
....
Muu arrived late to class that day. Her teacher didn't complain, she barely looked at her and continued with the class.
Rei was sitting at her desk, taking notes of what was on the blackboard.
"Muu-san, are you okay? You arrived really late today." Asked Airi or whatever her name was.
Muu rolled her eyes. "Everything's fine."
....
Muu's friends surrounded her when she was still at her desk.
"Have you seen the video?"
"Gross, I'd rather be dead than buy my uniform outside a motel!"
"Huh, but it's not even that expensive. Couldn't she buy it at a normal store?"
"Pfft- Rei probably doesn't even have money to do that."
"Is Rei poor? Maybe that's why she lives in such ugly apartments."
"Oh! What do you think, Muu-san?"
"..."
"Muu-san?"
"Oh! Sorry..." Muu touched her head and pretended to complain a bit. "Muu didn't sleep well last night... Maybe she should take something."
"Meh, whatever."
"Oh no, do you want us to take you to the nurse's office?"
Muu stood up and grabbed her bag. "Muu will be fine! She just needs some pills to feel better."
....
After walking for a while, Muu saw Rei walking towards the bathroom and slamming the door shut.
Her hair and uniform were wet and dirty, her skirt looked like it had been stained with black ink.
Muu cursed her supplier internally and, eventually, herself. This wouldn't have happened if she had rushed her gift.
Poor Rei. She must be very sad.
....
"Rei-chan! Muu has been looking for you everywhere!!"
"..."
Rei had thrown the uniform sweater on the floor and took off her shirt to wash it in the bathroom sink.
Luckily, she had a low-cut, thin tank top on, so Muu didn't feel uncomfortable seeing her without clothes. (It would have been a different story if she didn't have the tank top on)
(Not in a perverted way!!! Obviously...)
"Rei-chan~" Muu closed the door behind her to prevent anyone else from entering (there are more bathrooms in the school. If they need to use the restroom, they can go to the others).
"... Huh? ...Kusunoki-san?..."
"Who else could it be?"
"I'm kind of busy right now."
"That's why I'm here. You need help, right? Let Muu take care of it!"
Rei took the wet shirt in her hands, frowning when she saw the stains on the collar wouldn't come out.
Muu approached her and lifted her bag. "See this? It's for you."
"What?"
"Open it!!"
Muu handed Rei the bag, who accepted it and opened it with distrust.
"Kusunoki-san, this-"
"I bought it especially for Rei-chan! It just took some time to arrive...
B-But that doesn't matter!!"
"..." Rei pulled out the sweater and looked at it with confusion.
"Isn't Muu the best?" She laughed. "Hehe, it might be a bit big because I don't know your size... But I can get you another one if this doesn't fit."
"But-"
Muu took the new shirt and showed it to Rei. "See? It's made of fine fabrics. Why don't you try it on, Rei-chan?"
"...."
"Hmmm... I think it would fit you perfectly!! Oh, but I forgot to buy the skirt... Um! No problem, Rei-chan. Muu will get it as soon as possible!!"
"Hah...." Rei ignored Muu's self-congratulatory tone.
She looked at herself in the mirror. Rei was sad, anguished, and angry. Meanwhile, Muu... she looked incredibly happy.
There was a great sparkle of hope and joy in her eyes. If anyone saw her flushed cheeks, the happiness of her smile, and her shining eyes... they would think Muu had received some beautiful gift or a love confession.
"Muu, you're weird." She whispered. Rei lowered her head and looked at her stained shirt.
She regretted buying her uniform from a shady source with some weird guy on Twitter.
Now everyone wouldn't stop calling her a slut and mentioning the apparent smell of "corporal fluids" that Rei and her uniform emitted wherever they walked.
"Please. It doesn't even smell like that anymore. I made sure to clean it at the laundry. I even hand-washed it when I got home!"
But of course, none of the girls were interested in hearing her explanations. They would even bother her more if she did.
"So it did smell like semen?"
"Ew! Your house must smell horrible!!"
"Aren't you ashamed?"
Clearly, no one was going to listen to her.
Everyone was going to laugh at her.
Everyone was going to mock her. Now Rei is a slut to the rest of the girls.
They're so hypocritical.
They're not saints either.
They shouldn't have the right to mock Rei for being a "slut" when they probably do worse things.
They're fucking hypocrites.
They're stupid, spoiled brats.
Everyone is a fucking hypocrite and spoiled bitch.
Everyone is a fucking hypocrite and spoiled bitchEveryone is a fucking hypocrite and spoiled bitchEveryone is a fucking hypocrite and spoiled bitchEveryone is a fucking hypocrite and spoiled bitchEveryone is a fucking hypocrite and spoiled bitchEveryone is a fucking hypocrite and spoiled bitchEveryone is a fucking hypocrite and spoiled bitchEveryone is a fucking hypocrite and spoiled bitchEveryone is a fucking hypocrite and spoiled bitchEveryone is a fucking hypocrite and spoiled bitchEveryone is a fucking hypocrite and spoiled bitchEveryone is a fucking hypocrite and spoiled bitchEveryone is a fucking hypocrite and spoiled bitchEveryone is a fucking hypocrite and spoiled bitchEveryone is a fucking hypocrite and spoiled bitch
"Rei-chan..."
"¡!
Mu-"
The blonde surprised Rei when she hugged her from behind. Her heart was beating strongly, and she felt the heat reaching her cheeks.
"Hehe, you fit in my arms..." She sighed. "But... you're a bit tall. Muu has to stand on her tiptoes..."
"...."
Muu rested her head on Rei's shoulder. She felt a shiver run down her body when she felt Muu's hair on her neck and her chin resting on the bare skin of her shoulder.
Muu didn't say anything. She stared at Rei. Her gaze softened when the other girl made eye contact.
Rei could swear she saw Muu's pupils dilate slowly.
The two remained silent for a couple of seconds.
Muu unconsciously hugged Rei a little tighter as she leaned in close to her ear. "Did you like the jewelry I gave you, Rei-chan?"
Rei froze. "W-Was that note from you?..."
It was hard for her to speak without stuttering. The physical contact with Muu had made her nervous, maybe more than it should.
It's not like she had never hugged a girl before. She just had never had one so close to her.
She also hadn't felt another girl's skin touching hers.
Her heart rate increased when she felt Muu's face getting closer to her neck. "Mhm."
"W-Well..." Rei gathered all the strength she could to slowly push Muu away from her. "Kusunoki-san-"
"Yes?"
"... I don't need any of that."
"Eh?..." Muu tilted her head.
Rei pushed Muu away. "I'm not like you. I don't need expensive things or a new uniform."
"But..."
Rei went back to washing her shirt and avoided looking at Muu. "I can keep studying with a stained uniform. I don't need a new uniform with... expensive fabrics or whatever."
"...
Fine then."
Rei could hear Muu whisper "whatever" before taking her bag and storming out of the bathroom, upset.
....
Had she been too direct with her words?
No.
It doesn't matter.
Rei doesn't need anyone's pity. She can buy things on her own.
Even if they mock her...
....
Muu sat at her desk and threw her bag on the floor.
It wasn't fair! Why hadn't Rei-chan accepted her gifts?
And what's with that "I don't need things like that"?...
Muu had never been rejected.
So...
why?...
Oh! Right! Maybe Rei didn't liked the jewelry.
She didn't wanted to be mean, so she said all of that nonsense so Muu wouldn't feel bad!
They're friends, right?
In that case, she must find something that Rei will like so much that she won't reject Muu again!!
....
The classes ended. Muu saw Rei leaving the classroom. She noticed she was wearing the uniform she had bought for her (How did she know? Obviously, there was a big difference between the cheap uniform from the motel and the uniform Muu had ordered exclusively for Rei-chan!).
The blonde ran after the girl and followed her to the school exit.
"Rei-chan!!!!"
"Oh, Kusunoki-san."
"Are you already leaving?" Muu asked enthusiastically. Rei nodded.
"Are you walking home too?"
"I normally i would just call for a ride, but I can walk with you if you'd like ♡"
"You're not... You're not mad at me?"
"Of course not!! Muu isn't upset with Rei-chan! After all, you ended up accepting her gift."
The two girls walked outside the school. Rei tightened the straps of her backpack and spoke somewhat nervously. "I promise to pay you back for the uniform."
"Excuse me?"
"I'll pay you back."
Muu shook her head multiple times. "No, no, no. It's supposed to be a special gift for Rei-chan!"
"You must have spent a lot on the uniform and jewelry. I'll return them and give you the money as soon as I can."
"Eh... I don't need it. Money and jewelry are nothing for me, I can buy four more if I wanted to."
"?"
"Oh, maybe I sounded too prideful."
"I mean... Muu is financially stable!! So money isn't a problem."
"Still, I want to return them. We haven't talked that much to be giving each other gifts."
"But isn't that what friends do?"
"I guess, but I think we should get to know each other a bit better before doing that."
Rei glanced at Muu from head to toe. "Kusunoki-san, did you get taller?"
Muu tried to contain her laughter. "Ha ha- Of course not! I'm wearing high heels, see?"
"I didn't know those made you look taller."
"You know, Rei-chan. I think you'd look good in a new pair of shoes. I would like to buy some for you, but I need to know your shoe size."
"Huh." Rei looked down and observed her own sneakers. "...What's wrong with mine?"
"Well~ they're a bit worn out, and it's not very feminine to wear that kind of sneakers."
"But I like them. Besides, I don't think it's a good idea to wear high heels every day."
"Why?"
"Well... You can't run in them."
"Run? I don't need to do that."
"What would you do if you're late for class?"
Muu crossed her arms at a question with an obvious answer. "I'd call my driver and get there quickly."
"Yeah, well- What if there's traffic? You'd have to get out of the car and run to school to avoid getting in trouble."
"Oh. I think you have a point, Rei-chan."
"Besides, if you encounter a thief who's following you, you'd trip and hurt yourself."
"A thief?... Just thinking about it scares me..."
"Well, it's just a hypothetical scenario, it doesn't mean it's actually going to happen..." Muu took Rei's arm and hugged it. "M-Muu!?"
"Rei-chan, let's stick together. It scares me that a thief might be following me..."
"... Okay." Rei sighed. "But it's not necessary to hold my arm like that..."
"Ah! So..." Muu lowered her hand to her friend's and held it. "Is this better?"
"S-Sure..."
The two girls walked together and sat together when they reached a bus stop.
Muu never let go of Rei's hand at any moment. She said she felt safer that way.
Rei tried to ignore the moment when Muu intertwined their fingers as they boarded the bus.
She also tried to ignore her heart racing and the heat in her cheeks when Muu leaned on her shoulder, still holding her hand.
It was too strange. Muu was being too kind to Rei, and she had no idea why.
Maybe it was because she was new. But that kindness made Rei feel some peace after seeing how the other girls treated her during class.
....
Still... Rei couldn't be sure that Muu didn't have any other intentions with her.
She would probably end up betraying her at some point.
Or maybe not?...
Who knows.
Rei just wanted to enjoy the moment and stop overthinking everything for at least just a minute.
But, theres one thing.
Rei never told Muu her name.
How did she know?