You tugged at the collar of your uniform, your eyes shifting from left to right
The walk home through this part of town feels longer because you're on edge
Every little thing nearly caused you to jump out of your skin
You're so focused on walking, you barely notice the man stalking behind you until you felt his scaly dry hand wrapping around your wrist
"GET THE FUCK OFF ME" you screamed immediately, twisting around you face your attacker
"You're 16, aren't you?" He laughed, pulling you close
It takes you a moment, but you recognize him. He's the same guy who gave chase the last time you were out by yourself
"I said LET GO." You spat, thrashing wildly against his grip
"HEY, QUIT STRUGGLING AND ANSWER ME" his voice boomed, and he struck you over the head with a closed fist
You seethed in pain, shrinking away from him
"If you don't answer me, I'm gonna do it again" he growls
You look up at him, hesitating, until he raises his fist again threateningly
"YES, Yes, I'm 16," you responded hastily
"Hmmm...good girl. Wouldn't you like to come home with a gentleman like me? I promise I'm a nice guy" He grins, and you see his fangs glisten under the shade of his hood
"...ha," you swallow "are you serious? GENTLEMAN???"
"Why you little..." he starts, but the distinct voice of a woman's yell rang out from behind him
"Are you really a gentleman, or are you a joke? Seems like you just can't handle rejection."
You peek over his shoulder
UME
Ume stands with her hand on one hip, a silhouette in front of the headlights of her parked motorcycle
Your attacker turns to look at Ume, and you take your chance
You twisted and broke free of his grip, running past him towards Ume
"HEY DAMN IT—" he shouts, but Ume swung at him and cut him off. She's taller than this man, so he won't be much of a threat
He gets up again, and Ume kicks him back down
"UME—Ume, what are you doing here?!" You shout frantically, breathless
Ume stands with one foot pressing the man's face into the concrete "whaddya mean? I live here ya nut"
You finally catch your breath and stand upright "no, I mean..."
Ume stomps on the man's head, but she's looking at you now
"Why are you helping me?" You ask
Ume cast her gaze downward at the now broken man, thinking.
She looked at you again, her expression cold and serious
"I hate you. But I cant just stand here and watch you get manhandled like an animal"
You raise your eyebrows in confusion
"Besides," she shrugs, placing a hand on your shoulder briefly as she walks past "we're both girls, right?"
You allow yourself to smile a little, watching her hop on to her motorcycle
"Yeah...thanks, Ume."
"Whatever kid. Don't get to thinking I like you." She laughs, driving off
And she was gone just like that; it was almost like she left as quickly as she appeared
When you made it home, you rushed upstairs past your parents to wash your wrist with soap in the bathroom
You must've been scrubbing it for what felt like forever, but you desperately had to get clean
So dirty...disgusting, revolting
You exhaled deeply and placed your hands on the sink, looking in the mirror with your wrist dripping wet
I was reckless and I was almost violated...manhandled, as Ume said
You study your own face for a moment...you look really tired
This...THIS exact moment. This is the last time I back down in the face of danger. Ume took him down so easily like it was nothing, so I'm gonna learn to do that too.
You step out of the bathroom, feeling refreshed
I'm gonna...sign up for martial arts class! Just like Sabito. Then, I can spend time with them and they won't be mad at me anymore
You flopped down onto your bed, turning on your phone
Chat name: (no name yet)
Nezuko: (Y/n)! Look at this
Nezuko: 1 attachment
Nezuko: somebody at our school likes you. I found this crumpled in the trash after school x3
Tanjiro: omg...
Nezuko: it seems to have been printed out, so there's no handwriting...booooo
You opened the image, squinting at it
It was a picture of a piece of wrinkled paper in Nezuko's hand
No way...
You're in disbelief but there's no denying it. The way the letter was written, it obviously had the intent of sharing ones true romantic feelings toward you
You cleared your throat, reading it aloud to yourself
"(Y/n),
It's beyond time that I do this. I've thought for some time about it, my feelings for you. All of It truly is a mystery—as I've never desired the attention of one person as much as I do you.
I'll be blunt; this isn't that kind of letter where I talk creepily about all your features that I admire. Though, if asked, I could list them extensively. Instead, I want to say thank you. At times I thought that 'maybe I'm a robot. Maybe I'm not capable of connecting with others' but you showed me that nothing could be further from the truth.
I will end this note with a question...will you—"
The end of the paragraph was smeared with ink, and the bottom corner where you assumed a name would be was torn off
You rushed to text the group back
You: what room was this in?!
Nezuko: mm I think I saw it in Himejima's room. But from the looks of it, it seems kind of old
You: I have a secret admirer 😟
Tanjiro: are you surprised? 😪
You: Uh, YES. Someone would have to be out of their mind to date me, lest they be willing to embrace the bad luck and let hell rain upon them
Nezuko: wowee! The theatrics on this one!
Tanjiro: oh? Is that true?
You: I mean think about it. Probably a failed prank
Nezuko: it's unconventional, sure, but definitely not a prank. This is the most sincere love letter I've ever seen
Tanjiro: I agree. Maybe it's someone close to you
You: 😟 like my friends?!
Nezuko: I mean, it obviously wasn't us. Right Tanjiro?
Tanjiro: *starts typing*....
You: I guess that makes sense. But how would I get them to fess up?
Nezuko: it'll be a piece of cake. Clearly whoever it is already wants you to know. Just ask!
You: easier said than done 😞 alright alright fuck it, I'll try it