HOTD: A New Dawn

The episode at Miku's house had left her a bit dispirited, but ultimately served as a valuable stepping stone for growth. 

Of course, that didn't mean that Miku had escaped the ridicule in school. While her treatment didn't worsen, neither did her tormentors disappear overnight. Tysone wondered if going so far for Miku was worth it, especially with the apocalypse so close, but eventually decided to double down on her. 

"Miku, remember to do as we discussed these days. I can't guarantee it'll work, but it's worth a shot. Don't go against the rumors; make those idiots doubt them. If a guy approaches you with a disgusting remark, brush him off without blowing up on them. Stop going out with guys, and button up that damn shirt. That skirt is high enough as it is." 

Miku blushed and scratched her cheek. "You're making me feel a little nervous here, is it really going to work?" 

He gave her a firm pat to the shoulder. "If not, we'll work on something else and move on. Try different methods. Also, I'll help you from the sidelines. I've got someone in the school to watch your back. All you have to do is keep your cool, alright? Start paying more attention in classes. No flirting. No texting. Ignore that damn phone." He warned seriously. "Do you understand?" 

Miku nodded. "Y-Yeah. I'll do my best." 

She did. 

To her merit, her effort wasn't something to scoff at and by the end of the school day, even her tormentors were taken aback by her behavior. It was like she woke up, brushed the dust off of herself and finally decided to take her own life and wellbeing seriously. 

Some weren't convinced it was genuine, so they took a step closer and poked the bear, but by the time that the bear turned around, bit a chunk off their ass, and flung them into a corner with a paw swat, it quickly became apparent what the real issue with her personality was. 

Of course, it was not easy. No one saw her under a new light overnight. But there was still the Puberty Syndrome effect looming above, influencing their perception. 

However, with a change in behavior and attitude, Miku managed to shatter some of those ill-construed notions and stereotypes people held against her. 

Mai, who was slowly becoming more and more visible due to the weakening of her syndrome, found herself in the spotlight at school. A figure everyone wanted to talk and associate with.

Tysone, naturally, made use of that. He had the teenage celebrity breathe new gossip in the rumor mill. Her increased popularity provided him and Miku the cover needed to sweep old rumors about Miku away in favor of the new. 

Sure, Mai couldn't influence all her classmates and students, but there was a ripple-effect. 

And, it worked. Miku's shift in personality, and her display of modesty, together with Tysone's constant backing of her, quickly began to force people to reconsider her behavior. Some still had doubts, while some others, if only not to be left behind by the wave Mai started, joined her in supporting Miku. 

After all, there was no way that Mai Sakurajima would support a shameless girl, right? 

That said, the slurs and curses did not stop and never would, as those would always be whispered behind backs and in closed rooms, where they thought no one listened. 

Regardless, with the silent, tacit backing, Miku no longer suffered in the shadows. In fact, most students began to treat her very nicely. 

… 

Mai had been quite against the idea of Miku living in Tysone's apartment. A girl and a boy, at the full height of their hormones, living in an apartment, alone, completely unsupervised? 

Frankly, it made her incredibly worried, and to no avail, since Tysone was adamant that nothing scandalous was happening. She still questioned his morality more than once over the issue. 

Still, Miku had nowhere to go, so she tried to be more understanding. 

But even then, couldn't he have Saya offer Miku a place to stay? That bratty girl had a mansion bigger than her school—surely, a spare room could have been made available for the poor girl. 

Besides, if the girl knew about this odd arrangement, she'd have raised hell knowing how 'secretly' attached she was to him. 

Tysone told her that once he had his new property, he'd leave the apartment to Miku, which in turn made Mai even more eager in her task to find a proper place for him.

That being said, she did find something that'd tickle Tysone's fancy. A property surrounded by a few acres of land, quite isolated, but not to the point of disconnected from the city. Its back faced a mountain, so the area had a more secluded feel. 

As for the house itself, it was a hybrid, which suited foreigners just fine. It did need a bit of renovation and cleaning, but most importantly, Mai picked that one due to the big underground facility. Apparently, the previous owners had used the space 

as an improvised bomb shelter or something similar during the cold war, and Mai was quick in exploiting the fact to her benefit. 

The building itself had two floors—basement excluded—with six rooms, two bathrooms, a large dining room, a living room, a balcony, and an inner, closed patio facing the east. It checked almost all the marks. 

She didn't know why Tysone wanted to move out of the city all of a sudden, especially taking into account his university life. The commute from the place and the city wasn't too long, but not exactly comfortable. She could only assume that he liked the seclusion and the nature around. 

'It's perfect!' 

… 

"Are you impressed? Come on, you must be impressed." Mai gave Tysone a playful shoulder bump. She wore a smug smile all along. 

Tysone had just finished walking around the property, with the realtor guiding him the entire way, and had come back to stand at Mai's side, both watching the building. 

"Well? What do you think? That is the exact location and layout you wanted." Mai's pose exuded a confidence that she earned to have. After all, she did a damn good job. 

"It's a bit rough here and there. Quite old as well, but it fits almost perfectly what I wanted. Good job." Tysone's smile only made her smile in return. 

Tysone took one last look at the property, already envisioning a tall fence surrounding it. 

Maybe even razor wire along the top. The thought of fortified gates and motion sensors came next, the image of an impenetrable safe haven forming in his mind. 

But beyond the practical, his gaze lingered on the mountain backdrop, the quiet serenity of the landscape. It was hard to believe that, in just weeks or months, the world could descend into chaos.

"By the way…" Mai started. "I have something for you." 

Tysone turned to her. She had an eager yet nervous smile. "What is it?" 

She held a ticket in her hand. "This." She waved it. "For my debut concert. It'll be in a week from now, and… well, I'd appreciate it if you could come to give me some encouragement." 

Her shyness was adorably sweet. She wasn't expecting rejection, was she? He sighed. "Alright, let's go and listen to your screaming and shouting." 

"Excuse me." Mai crossed her arms. "I'll have you know my singing voice is pretty and angelic." She was acting offended, but soon, her true intentions were betrayed. "But that doesn't really matter since it's the first show ever in my career, so I'm a little nervous and could use a friend." 

Tysone bumped her shoulder, to which she retaliated in kind. "Fine. I'll be there. I'll be waving some of those glow sticks in support." 

"Why don't you hold a banner with my name on it?" Mai giggled. "Now you're pushing your luck, partner." 

After wrapping the purchase, the pair shared a quick dinner nearby while watching the sunset. 

... 

While Tysone could move immediately, he needed a little time and arrangements to have the necessary equipment transferred and ready at the new property. Besides, the new property needed some quick fixing and cleaning before it was all set. 

Miku seemed a little sad, lately. They had lived together for a bit, but the younger girl had come to unexpectedly enjoy the arrangement. 

"So, this is it. You're moving out?" 

Tysone shook his head. 

Miku must have been spending a little too much time, by how attached she had gotten to him, or maybe she was desperate for human contact all along, and happened to find it in the most unlikely person. 

"Not yet. A few more weeks, I reckon."

Miku looked away, "I see..." She muttered under her breath. It was painfully obvious that she was disappointed about the arrangement coming to an end. Tysone observed that her attitude of 'acting like everything was fine and dandy' was slowly returning. 

A cough tried to hide her sadness as she approached him, and wrapped her arms around his chest. 

"What is this? Trying to climb onto me before I leave?" He teased. "Aren't you ashamed? With the day still young like this?" 

Her grip tightened. "You asshole. I'm trying to express gratitude here, let me have this moment." 

He awkwardly patted her back. "Right, right, thank you and get off of me please." She pretended not to hear him. "I don't wanna." 

Tysone sighed, but a smile crept up his face. 

It really felt that things were approaching their finale.

Author's Note:

If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at [email protected]/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support