Natsuki rubbed her eyes as she walked over to see what the commotion was in the schoolyard. Sayori, Yuri, and Yukari were already there, one of many groups of girls staring and gossiping.

    Natsuki’s eyes widened. There were three newcomers walking around, looking at the crowd and gesturing. One was a big American with blond hair in a jacket, button-down shirt, and pants that all together looked a bit old-fashioned. The second was a tall lanky lady in pigtails, just a few years older than she was, dressed in something that almost looked like a school uniform, if uniform dresses came down to the knee. The third looked like something out of an anime, a lady with light blue hair and a long, flowing black military greatcoat with a popped collar, walking with a slight limp.

    “You don’t suppose...” Yuri said.

    “They’ve got to be,” Yukari added.

    “Nobody’s asking if they’re transfer students,” Sayori noted.

    “Of course they’re not,” Natsuki said. “The protagonist has already arrived.” She stepped a bit closer and concentrated on hearing what the strangers were saying. Her friends followed close behind her.

    “He said pigtails,” the tall lady said. “And that there might be three others with her.”

    “The uniforms don’t make this easy,” the lady in the military coat stated.

    “Well, then we’re back to hoping that she finds us,” the American said in perfect Japanese. “So we need to be conspicuous.”

    The lady in the military coat looked out at the crowd of students watching them. “I think we’ve accomplished that.”

    Sayori tugged at Natsuki’s uniform jacket. “He’s here,” she said, pointing to the other side of the crowd. Natsuki looked. The protagonist waved at them.

    “Forget him,” Natsuki said. “Let’s go.” She started walking towards the three newcomers. As she and her friends approached, the tall woman in pigtails tugged at her friend’s military coat and motioned to them. The three turned to face them.

    “Ah,” the lady in the military coat said, “Are you Natsuki?”

    Natsuki nodded. “Do you know Daiki Yamato?” she asked.

    “Oh yes,” the lady in the military coat replied. “We’re his friends. He wanted you to know that he got home safe to Osaka. He said you might be worried about that.”

    “He remembered me,” Natsuki said, her voice breaking. “He kept his promise.”

    “Very much so.”

    “I know the truth,” Natsuki stated quietly. “About all...this. And, my friends know too. I told them. I had to tell somebody, and...I told them. We can talk...but all the others...they don’t know. So, I guess we can’t talk openly about it.”

    “In my country, it’s traditional to talk about things over a meal,” the American said. “Maybe we should take them out for lunch.”

    “Lunch is starting soon,” Yuri said. “The cafeteria food is...good...I guess.” She tried to hide a yawn, and failed.

    “Daiki did say the food here was excellent,” the American said.

    “Then you should join us,” Natsuki declared. “Lunch today is going to be...it’s...I’m sorry, I don’t remember what it is today. But, it will be good, I promise.”

    The lady in the military coat grinned. “That sounds delightful.”

They sat down for lunch at one of the tables away from the crowd, Natsuki and her friends on one side facing the three newcomers on the other. Natsuki sat at the corner. Sitting at the opposite corner of the table, the American looked at the teriyaki chicken on his tray with delight.

    “It’s been ages since I’ve had this,” he said.

    Out of the corner of her eyes, Natsuki saw the protagonist heading over to their table. He’s going to trip and fall on me, she thought. Please don’t let him trip and fall on me. Not again.

    The protagonist tripped, flinging his hands out to catch himself, his palms on a trajectory to land on her breasts. Time slowed to a crawl. His hands drew closer and closer. Natsuki wanted to close her eyes and scream.

    The American caught him with only a few inches to spare.

    Natsuki blinked. She hadn’t even seen him move.

    “Careful, sport,” the American said, picking the protagonist up and making a show of dusting him off. “Your feet got away from you for a moment there.”

    “I’m sorry, I just wanted to–” the protagonist mumbled.

    “We haven’t seen our cousins in years,” the American said, flashing him a friendly smile. “Could you give us a few moments?”

    “Yeah, sure...” He wandered off with a confused look on his face.

    The American sat back down and smiled at her. “Sorry about that.” He turned and nodded to the lady in the military coat.

    “Seventeenth Stage,” the lady intoned. The crowd of students around them went silent. She smiled. “Now we can talk freely.”

    Natsuki looked around the room. Every other person in the cafeteria was frozen in place. A piece of teriyaki chicken that one of the boys at a nearby table had tossed in the air caught her eye – it hung in place, unmoving.

    “That’s really scary cool,” Yukari muttered.

    “The story around us is frozen,” the lady in the military coat said as she shrugged it off to drape over the back of her chair, leaving her in a yellow t-shirt. “I will restart it once we’ve finished our conversation. Let’s start with some proper introductions. I’m Aquila. I suppose you could call me a reformed villain. This is my creator, Kasumi Agawa.”

    “It’s like she’s a human DVR,” Sayori whispered.

    “I’m Captain Infinite,” the American said. “I’m a superhero from the United States, currently on extended vacation...and possibly starting a career change. Please call me ‘Cap’ – all of my friends do.”

    Natsuki took a deep breath. “I’m Natsuki Toshiro. These are my friends Sayori Sakamoto, Yuri Nakano, and Yukari Fujii.”

    “A pleasure to meet all of you,” Cap said.

    “Agreed,” Aquila said. “Now, for the first order of business: Daiki Yamato is now home with his fiancee and his family. It took some effort, but we got him there.”

    Natsuki blinked. “So when you said he was ‘in Osaka’, you meant–”

    Aquila nodded. “That he was in Osaka. When we left him he was taking Athena to meet his parents.”

    Natsuki stared down at the table. “I wish I could see him again.”

    “We can discuss that possibility,” Aquila said. “First, we need to discuss the four of you. Daiki told us that you were protagonists in a high school romantic comedy, is that right?”

    “It’s a harem comedy,” Natsuki stated. “We’re not protagonists. We’re the harem. I’ve lost track of how many times he’s accidentally pawed me.”

    “I don’t even like boys my own age,” Yuri said. “But, I...we...all keep chasing him.”

    “Daiki was better,” Yukari said.

    “Daiki was engaged,” Sayori pointed out. “To somebody with a tail. He wouldn’t have dated any of us.”

    “He was still better,” Yukari muttered. “He didn’t fall on people and accidentally grope them.”

    Natsuki rubbed her eyes. “It’s like...it’s...”

    “Take your time,” Kasumi said. “You’re safe here.”

    “Nothing we do feels real,” Sayori said.

    Natsuki nodded. “It’s not that I don’t like him. He’s the sort of boy I could like, the sort I could really like. And it’s not like I act differently than myself when I’m around him. I don’t say anything I wouldn’t otherwise say. But when I do say it, it doesn’t feel right. It’s like everything I do around him I’m doing because I’m supposed to do it. Nothing feels like my own choice. I had all these dreams – going to law school, starting a family – but they don’t even feel like mine anymore, even though I still want them.”

    “He likes Natsuki,” Sayori added, pointing to the protagonist, frozen in mid-stride. “We can all see it. And we can see Natsuki kind of likes him too. And we all know that we should just step aside and let them see if something would work. But when he’s around us, we can’t. And, like Natsuki said, none of it is stuff we wouldn’t do otherwise. I can’t help myself – I keep being mean to him and I...I guess I like him too. I would chase him if I thought I could win. But...I’m the tsundere in a harem comedy, and Natsuki is the deredere main girl...I just know it. I’m not going to win. I want to stop being mean to him, and let Natsuki be happy with him, but as soon as he’s there, I...” She buried her head in her hands. Yuri reached over and hugged her.

    “I get so jealous around him,” Yukari said. “I know I’m the possessive type. That’s a problem, I know that too, and I’m working on it...I really am. But I’m not even dating him, and I’m acting like I am! And it feels like something I would do! I’m terrified that if this goes on, I’m going to hurt somebody – I feel like I’m going to hurt somebody. That makes me the yandere, right? I don’t want to hurt anybody! Please, just make it so that I don’t hurt anybody, I just can’t...I...I just want to stop.” She broke down crying. Natsuki leaned over and held her.

    “How long has it been since any of you have gotten a full night’s sleep?” Cap asked.

    “Not since we learned the truth,” Natsuki replied. “I think I get a couple of hours a night, if I’m lucky. The rest–”

    “We’re the same,” Yuri said.