Once the train returned to motion, I casually cleaned up and then took my bags out. I hadn’t been told who I was going to meet at the train station. It was presumably one of the girls at the academy. It was probably part of the social experiment. I supposed I understood the faculties point of view. Having been isolated from men for years, the girls were quite vulnerable, especially to guys like me. Well, I supposed I could give them a crash course.

I realized something after my encounter with the train woman, or perhaps it was after I hit my dad with a bat. I realized I was being much too uptight about who I selected. Of course, that didn’t mean there weren’t certain core women I should love and put most of my effort into, but who ever said that I couldn’t play around? In fact, it was a lack of playing around that made me so inexperienced before, and had so many troubles in the beginning.

In that way, this trip to the all-girl’s school was the real training that Netori had wanted me to have, but failed to deliver on. I could practice seducing and playing with all the women I wanted. Even if they didn’t have boyfriends, they still had the rules of the school which I had to break down. Every sexual encounter would have to be just as hidden, else we’d get in trouble. In many ways, it was like an entire school full of women to steal. There was no better proving ground than that. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any opponents.

It was silly considering how much I had feared losing in the past, but since I had no investment in the women here, a challenge actually sounded a bit exciting. I supposed there was still Matt I had to worry about. However, he wasn’t quite the stepping stone I was looking for. It was too bad it was unlikely I’d be running into another player here. At the very least, I could hone my abilities and truly become skilled at the game.

While thinking about what I was planning to do, another attendant announced that the train would be arriving shortly. I noticed that it was not the same woman who had knocked on my door before. She must have run off in shame or embarrassment. Ah, well, it wasn’t like I wanted to see her shooting me angry glares anyway. When the train finally stopped and the bell rang, I grabbed my stuff and headed for the exit.

Upon exiting the train, my eyes immediately landed on a girl in a school uniform holding a sign. It didn’t have my name on it. Instead, it had the name of the school. I figured that was where I needed to be. I smiled and waved at her. As soon as the girl saw me, her eyes widened and her eyes locked on to me. It was an effect I wasn’t all that used to, but it was growing on me. She found me attractive, although at this point, there were few girls who would find me ugly. Actually, that sounded pretty shallow. As a former guy with below average looks, I was starting to understand how pretty boys ended up so full of themselves.

I wiped the stupid grin off my face and gave a polite cough instead. She jerked her eyes away from me, only now realizing that she had been staring awkwardly. She was a cute girl in pigtails with glasses. I could instantly tell she was a shy type. My desire to corrupt and have fun with her was stroked a bit. Even though I had just enjoyed the train attendant, I was already interested in this girl too. Putting aside my previous squabbles had seemingly opened my world to the possibilities.

I reached out and touched her cheek, bringing her face up to look at me. She was likely sent here exactly because she was the shy type. I decided I’d only bully her a little for now. As far as eating her, it’d probably be a bit more satisfying once I had gotten to know her a bit.

“My name is Hakaru.” I smiled as I noticed the blush growing on her cheeks, “What is your name?”

“Ah… it’s Toma Nahoko.” She responded, trying to avoid my eyes.

“Hello, Toma,” I winked. “How about you lead the way?”

“Ah… y-yes!”

She spun and I started to follow her through the crowds. This particular train station wasn’t that empty, so it was quick making it out of the building.

“So, what is the plan here?” I asked.

“Ah! Right. I’m supposed to orientate you on the program. I heard that you had to arrive early for various family problems.  The school isn’t really set up for a boy yet. We managed to clear out a dorm room for you, but the entire level was intended to be cleared out for all the boys.”

“That’s fine…” I chuckled, then noticed that she started walking down the street rather than headed to the parking lot or calling a car. “Um… we walking?”

She nodded her head. “Oh, yes. The school isn’t too far from the train station It’s not too far of a walk. I hope that is okay?”

I shrugged, not really minding one way or the other. At least, I wouldn’t feel trapped in the school if I wanted to leave. That was always a bonus.

“What else?”

“Classes start officially next week. Although many of the activities we will be working on as a group, a few of them you will work on as a team. Each boy will be teamed up with one girl. You will also be under strict supervision during every event.

“How about after school?”

“A-after?”

“Yeah, what do you guys do?”

“Isn’t it important to study all the material you received throughout the day?”

I could only let out an awkward cough. Did the all-girl’s school really forsake having a life in pursuit of their studies, or was it just this girl? At the very least, it explained why the girls seemed to have a sheltered problem. This girl seemed quite innocent and seemed to have no defenses.

“Alright, let’s try a different question.” I continued, “You clearly do stuff outside of school. What about shopping? The mall? Eating out?”

“O-oh…” She blushed. “The campus does have a convenience store and a cafeteria to eat, but if you want something special, the town is small and there is a mall strip not too far away. The girls sometimes go there to pass the time.”

She said it in a way that suggested she wasn’t one of the girls who went there. It was clear that she was a good girl who focused on her studies and schooling absolutely.

I reached up and grabbed her shoulder. “Since the train was late, I haven’t eaten. How about we go get something?”

With a very clear reason, I could trick her into going on a date with me. After that, she’d be more open to the concept. I didn’t have any particular desire to be with Toma, but I was happy setting about making her mine.

“Ah… ye-yes… sure?” It was clear she didn’t want to go, but she also didn’t want to be impolite.

We continued to walk through the streets. We were only a few hours north of home, so it wasn’t like there was much difference here. Yeah, the buildings were in different spots, but it wasn’t like I was in another country. If there was a difference, we were farther away from the ocean and the U.S. base, so the aesthetic and population leaned more heavily toward Japanese than western.

The mall on the strip that she spoke of was just a dozen or so shops. There was a small movie theater that played old Japanese films. There were a few clothing stores, a noodle shop, a grocer, and a few other convenience areas. Other than the movie theater, I didn’t see anything else to do. There was no arcade, or karaoke or something like that. Certainly nothing like the game center that I used to work at, or better yet, a love hotel. As such, we found a Ramen place on the corner and went inside.

When I ordered and she didn’t, I casually touched her shoulder and gave another smile. “I’ll pay. If you want something, please order.”

“N-no… I mean…” Just as she tried to deny it, her stomach began to rumble. “Ah… that… I guess I’ll get something after all.”

I got a simple ramen set and so did she. We chatted casually as we ate. Toma was very passive, and quick to avoid talking when she could. Breaking through her shy exterior would definitely be the most difficult part.

As I was thinking about what to do to seduce her, a voice came from behind. “Toma… sweetie.”

“Ah!” Toma stood up so fast that her chair fell.

The voice was that of a woman, smooth and sultry. She grabbed Toma and pulled her into an embrace. I could only see her from Toma’s backside, and without a moment’s notice, I could hear kissing noises. My eyes shot up in surprise. The girl was making out with Toma right here in the middle of a Ramen shop! I felt a wry sense of stupidity. Here I was talking about seducing her, and she was apparently a lesbian.

Of course, an all-girls school would foster plenty of lesbians. I wondered if they were true lesbians or opportunist. With a push, maybe I could turn some of these lesbian women into proper dick sluts. As for the woman whose face, I couldn’t see, the way she talked and moved instantly reminded me of myself. She was a seducer as well, and she seemed to have the sweet little Toma wrapped around her finger.

This didn’t even seem that strange to the townspeople. A few glanced their way, but most seemed to ignore the kissing couple like seeing two girls in school uniforms giving each other lip service was a regular sight in this area of town. I found myself with a knot of emotions, but part of me was genuinely curious as to who this person was.

“Who is this?” I finally asked, turning towards the kissing couple when I had enough of hearing their tonsil hockey.

Toma, who had found herself lost in the other girl’s attacks finally managed to pull away and spin around. Her lips were still wet from her kiss and she had an extremely panicked expression on her face.

“Ah! I’m sorry… th-this is my… um… friend… she’s a new student. Came in only a month ago. Her name is Rose.”

As if worried I’d accuse her or look down on her, she immediately stepped to the side and pushed her female friend forward. She didn’t meet my eyes as she looked away with a look of part shame and part embarrassment. As for her friend, it was the first time I had gotten a look at her face, as it was attached to Toma’s before. The girl herself shot me a sultry look, but as soon as our eyes met, she froze and her eyes widened slightly.

For me, I got a sense that she was extremely familiar, but I couldn’t quite put my finger- realization came crashing home in a second. She had died her hair blonde and did it up differently. She had removed her glasses. She had a lot more makeup on her face and in fact, the entire way she carried her body was different from the girl I remembered. However, as we stared at each other, I became certain it was her. It was perhaps the last person I ever expected to run into here.

“Kira…”

“Hello, Hakaru…”