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A phantom roams the halls of Naoetsu Private High School.
That's what you've heard, anyway. If you placed faith into every odd rumour that circulated this place you probably wouldn't be able to sleep at night. That's what Kanbaru-senpai had told you, although in another way she was a prodigious bullshitter herself. For example, that arm of hers, the one wrapped in the white bandages from top to bottom? That'd been injured for years now, since you started coming here and maybe even before that. And no matter what, she swore that nobody was allowed to see what it looked like. Does that mean it's a lie? It's a long one. She was a strange girl, most people just let it be.
You are by yourself, cleaning up the classroom after a hectic day. Basketball club was cancelled for the day anyway, the club's head was out with the flu. So you didn't object to being given the task. You'll end up home early either way. The summer sunset cast a deep orange glow throughout the school; one of the most unique things about the building was how colourful it could be in good weather, everything always seemed to be dyed a bright hue.
Movement catches your attention, there's somebody at the door. You stand back up straight from cleaning off the board and look over. Stood there is... Ougi. Oshino Ougi. He's a boy from your year, although he tends to hang around the upperclassman instead. In a school full of strange characters, he's perhaps the strangest. He has mid-length black hair, large, dark retina that seem to block out as much eye as possible, and he's always wearing a pair of black gloves.
The thing that stands out to you though, is how pale he is. It looks almost unhealthy; like he's never been hit by a ray of sun in his life. If there was any phantom that roamed the school after hours, they were probably talking about him. That being said, during lessons he's pretty normal, even if he speaks in a roundabout and often allegorical way. You've heard that he lives in town with his Uncle.
"Oh?" he begins, "There's somebody here." He steps into the classroom with a wide grin. No matter how wide Ougi smiles, it seems that you can never see his teeth.
"Oshino-san, I was just finishing up," you respond, placing the markers and erasers back into their correct place. "Why are you still here?"
"Hm," he mumbles to himself, taking a seat on one of the desks. He crosses his legs, and holds out a gloved hand to cover one of his eyes. "I'm a rambler. I ramble. Rambling around the school after hours. To see if anybody is here."
"My Father would call that being nosy."
"Like all things, that's all a matter of perspective," Ougi's legs swing freely underneath the wooden table. "For some people, natural curiosity is too much. Even if you're the kind of idiot that only knows what others do. It isn't a crime to know most things."
There he goes again with his weird tangents. "Do you read a lot of philosophy Ougi-san? You seem to enjoy these kinds of conversations."
He smiles again, "Oh? Do you have reccomendations for me?"
"No, I usually spend my free time playing basketball..."
"I'm not a philosopher. I'm just a good liar. Although a lot of people say that's the same thing."
No closer to finding out why he's here. Maybe you should just be direct? "Do you want something Oshino-san?"
For the first time ever, you see Ougi hesitate, the unflappable confidence of the strange boy taking a back seat. "I've never had to ask anybody for much before. That's not very human is it? People ask each other for things all the time, but I don't. So, I'm going to be selfish and ask you for something."
"Sure, what is it?"
"Let's meet up tomorrow, in Haruya."
Huh?
"Like a date?"
"Or from another perspective, two friends going out."
"Did Kanbaru-senpai put you up to asking me?" you point out, knowing that she's the only mutal relationship between the two of you.
"Ohh. How astute of you. Yes."
You sigh, "Fine." Ougi pats your shoulder with a gloved hand and waltzes out of the classroom like he was floating on air.
Well, there goes your Sunday.
Part of you worries that this is an elaborate prank, but another part of you says that you're worrying too much. Obviously you know Ougi, not enough to consider him a close friend, but he's your classmate. His jokes are mostly verbal, or involve sudden hand on face contact.
You're sat on a bench people watching, waiting for Ougi to show up. It's a nice day, which means that the town is pretty busy. The admiration is cut short as a pair of smooth, covered hands slip over your eyes.
"Hello," Ougi greets you.
"Aren't you meant to ask me who you are?" you ponder as the hands dissapear from your view.
"Ooooooh. Very good senpai! Very good. But you know, I think you'd know who I was right away."
Well, he does have a very distinct voice. Ougi peels around the bench. And... he's wearing a dress? A frilly black one, with a bow tie around the neck. It only covers his front, leaving his sides and what you presume to be his back exposed. His gloves go up to his elbows, and he's wearing long black stockings, it looks like he's going to a cocktail party.
"Oshino-san, why are you wearing a dress?"
"Huh? What do you mean? I've always worn a dress, I am a young woman after all!" Oh, she was right. What were you talking about again?
Oshino sits down next to you and leans forwards. "Are you worried? I dressed up especially for this."
"I've never seen you out of your uniform, to be honest." You glance at Ougi's incredibly pale back, her shoulderblades shifting as she orientates herself to face you.
"Hm. Well in that case, it's easy to be surprised! That's a matter of perspective too, because to you the only thing I ever wear are uniforms, correct?"
"In a sense, but I know you probably wear other things outside of school."
"Ah, but that would be incorrect Senpai! As a young woman, I'm defined by how much time I spend at school. If nobody sees me wearing anything else, what does it matter? If Oshino Ougi fell in the woods and nobody was around to see it, would it have really happened?"
"Obviously. Your own experiences are just as valuable as other people's."
"For a normal person maybe. But much like a cat in a box, my actions require a witness."
You've been here for two minutes and Ougi is already trying to make your head spin. Just as you begin to open your mouth again, a black clad finger places itself squarely on your lips as if to shush you. Ougi smiles and tilts her head. "Today, I'd like to have a day out with a new friend. Or that's what Araragi-kun and Kanbaru-senpai said I should do." Her other hand grabs yours and pulls you onto your feet, she only reaches up to your chest, but she's deceptively strong. You're red faced from how casually she gets into your personal space.
"Hm, the only places that I know to go to are ones that Araragi-senpai has visited. What a shameful student I am." She mutters to herself. She tilts her head back, placing a finger over her mouth. "But I suppose that will do for today."
Ougi earns a few sideways glances for her... gothic fashion sense. You can't seem to take your eyes off of her back. Her skin is so pale... even somebody who only goes to school would get some kind of tan during summer. You're pulled out of your musings as she stops suddenly. It's the local arcade. "I wonder if they have any little girls as prizes today," Ougi says. You wonder what she means. Understandably, the place is nearly full, the Sunday rush having started in full.
"Oh. I wonder what we can do... huhuhu..." Ougi laughs under her breath. Any other person would find it creepy, but you know that's just how she is.
The two of you tour the place, playing a few games. Eventually you come to the claw machines, you're old enough to know how much of a scam these things are, but the little kids aren't as wise and happily toss their yen into the void. After seeing the dissapointment of the faces of a few of them, Ougi speaks up again. "Hm. No little girls, not that I'm interested in that kind of thing."
"What happened when you came here with Araragi again?"
"I wasn't here, but I know what he knows. That shameless Senpai, he spent an hour trying to fish a girl out of that machine."
You don't really want to know how that happened.
"Oh, don't worry Senpai, she was already dead."
Oh, another one of her jokes.
"Do you think you could win Senpai?"
"Probably not, they only apply the right amount of pressure after a certain number of tries."
"Oh? But you don't know whether they're at that point or not yet do you? That's essentially the same as it being random."
"I'll try once, but I don't want to spend all my money on this. It'd be cheaper to buy one of these things normally." You walk up to a newly vacated machine and dispense with your hard earned Yen coins. The machine rumbles to life again. Inside are an assortment of different things, plush toys, keychains, and empty boxes for gadgets like phones and game systems. Obviously they're impossible to win, but that doesn't stop people from trying. You lock onto a plush bird, seems like an easy enough shape to grip with the claw. You close one eye to try and make it easier to aim.
The claw zips down and grasps the blue bird by it's neck and drags it high. There's a moment of tension as it reaches it's apex. But to your relief it seems your yen wasn't wasted. The claw releases the toy over the hole. Ougi creeps up behind you and leans her head against the plastic surface. "Oh, look at that Senpai, you did it." You retrieve the toy from the slot and stare into it's black eyes, they kind of remind you of Ougi's.
You hold the plush bird out to Ougi. "Would you like it? That's good date etiquette right?"
"We've upgraded to a date have we Senpai? How shameless of you, without even asking for my permission," she chuckles, before taking the bird from your hands. She doesn't seem to know what to say about it, oddly enough. Not that there's much to say about a plush toy. "Oh. You were probably thinking that it has my eyes, didn't you Senpai?" Ougi certainly does have a strange iris to pupil ratio, but when they move from side to side you can see the whites of her eyes, slightly.
Also, it's kind of unsettling how she figured that out. "Do you want to get something to eat, Oshino-san?"
The two of you end up sat ouside at a nearby cafe. Ougi balances her head on her upturned palms. A breeze ruffles the frills and bows on her dress. There's something otherwordly about Ougi. Not that you'd ever say that to her face. Her pale skin, mostly black eyes and eternal smile cut an imposing presence. She's the centre of attention, when you notice her anyway. The waitress returns with your order, placing two plates in front of both of you. You grab your fork and dig in, but Ougi seems to be disinterested in eating hers.
"Aren't you hungry, Oshino-san?"
Ougi's smiled widened again, "Oh. I suppose I am. But of course hunger is just another matter of perspective, I'm sure there are men and women out there who are much hungrier than me."
"So... you are hungry."
Ougi picks up her fork and begins to slowly eat what's in front of her. In between mouthfuls she continues to speak. "What do you think of me Senpai? I'm curious."
"Think of you?"
"Hm. We haven't spent much time together before have we? But Kanbaru-senpai insisted that I make friends with some of the people in my class. She said it'd help me become more of a person."
"More of a person... I guess having a strong circle of friends is important. You can learn a lot from other people."
"Hoh. I want to become more of a person in a literal sense. A lot of people can't even see me. So I'll take it one step at a time."
"What do you mean?"
"Hm. When you see somebody you don't know, how many thoughts do you dedicate to them? Do you think about what they like to eat, or where they live, or what TV shows they like?"
"Not really."
"So in a sense, you think less of them as a person. You can't help it; the people you know are like wonderful paintings, while the people you don't are rough sketches or background characters. Kanbaru-senpai is worried becuase nobody really knows me, not in school anyway. How can I be a person when nobody knows me?"
"But if you're here talking with me, doesn't that make you a person?"
"Reality and the perception it gives are often different, aren't they? When people watch a movie, there is what the director intended, and then what the audience thought it meant; all because of who they are and what they know. When we met a few hours ago you asked me why I was wearing a dress, didn't you?"
Did you? You vaguely remember doing something like that...
"How can you be sure that I'm real?"
You lean back in your chair and look around the cafe, not a single person seems to be taking notice of you. It feels like there's an invisible wall surrounding the two of you.
"I don't like liars, I think honesty is important. But I lied to you earlier, what a hypocrite I am. A shameful classmate. I even call you Senpai when we're in the same year."
"I don't think... that's... that important Oshino-san."
"Hoh, but maybe people walking by will believe that you're older than me, taking his poor underclassman on a date!"
You open your mouth to respond, but Ougi leans over the table and places her gloved hands onto your cheeks. "Ah ah ah, Senpai, let's finish our date first."
You and Ougi end up at the bay near the school. It's not exactly picturesque, there's a huge dock nearby so the waters are always busy with ships coming back and forth. It's starting to get darker. Ougi dragged you to a bench and sat close enough that you can feel her left leg against yours. You're trying not to show how embarassed you are, this was supposed to a day out with a friend, right? If anything she keeps getting closer. You can feel the skin of her leg against your pants, the lower part of her dress hiking up slightly.
"Oshino-san, why did you choose me to go out with anyway?"
"Hm? You were the first person I saw."
"That's mean."
"Ufufu, I'm just joking! I think you're very handsome Senapi." You blush and avert your eyes.
"Oh, really?"
Ougi just keeps laughing. Before you can retaliate she stands up and walks towards the waterside, placing her gloved hands behind her back. The sun casts a striking silhouette around her; as if she's sucking in the light. You stare at her pale back for a few moments before she begins to speak again.
"Thank you for coming along with me. I'm probably the last choice of company for most people."
"I had a good time."
Ougi turns back and leans against the railing, tilting her head with a tired smile. "Fun enough that you'd do it again?"
"Maybe."
Ougi places a gloved finger against her lips, as if contemplating something. "Now that is very interesting Senpai. But what if I told you that I was tricking you into going out with somebody who's much less fun than you think?"
"That's for me to decide, isn't it?"
Ougi blinks, and claps her hands together. "Oh, very funny Senpai. It's nice to know that you've been paying attention." You stand up and approach the elusive girl, snatching her hand with your own and interlocking your fingers together, she's surprisingly cold to the touch. You pull her away from the railing and onto the pathway, her eyes portraying a loss of control for perhaps the first time all day.
"I'd be more than happy to do this again, Oshino-san." Ougi remains silent for a moment, the wind blowing her dark hair too and fro.
"If you want to be my boyfriend, I'm going to hold you to a high standard you know."
"Then I'll have to try hard then."
"You can't lie to me either, I can smell a liar from a mile away."
"I'll just be honest then."
Ougi closes her eyes and nods. "I'll permit you to take me out again. Isn't that good news Senpai? As my uncle would say, this is a good thing, the kind of thing somebody would be visibly happy about."
You sigh, back to her usual self again.
A phantom roams the halls of Naoetsu Private High School.
She's always watching you, somehow. Gloved hands and dark eyes. Ougi is otherwordly in many senses, she's pale like a ghost, seems to come and go as she pleases without restriction, and seems to know things that others don't. Kanbaru says that her uncle is similar but different, a fan of run-on sentences and cryptic advice. You've never met her uncle, but Kanbaru says that he's like a ray of sunshine as opposed to a black hole. Blonde hair, carefree demenor, and a fondness for Hawiian shirts. When you asked how Kanbaru met the man she dodged the question; evasive as always. You wonder how two diametrically opposed people could belong to the same family in such a way. But stranger things have happened.
Speaking of which, you can barely do anything without Ougi being nearby. Maybe that's what it's like to be the protagonist of a story; always in the right place at the right time. Is it exciting or exhausting? Ougi is an eccentric person just like Kanbaru, her other friends must be too, you reason. Every so often you get to see a peek of the Ougi that you saw on that date. Kanbaru said that she couldn't believe that the ever unflappable Oshino Ougi could be stunned into silence, you hope that's a good thing for your relationship.
"Senpai, you look pleased, did something good happen to you recently?"
Ougi is in the doorway, just like the first time you met. The pink girls uniform of the academy standing in contrast to the brown walls of the classroom.
"Maybe."
"Something good is happening to me actually, I'd like to invite you along."
"What would that be?" you ask, wrapping up the process of putting away your stuff.
"Araragi-senpai has finally graced us mortals with his presence. His harem is going out tomorrow, you can be my... plus one, is it?"
The legendary Araragi? The talk of nearly every girl in school for two years straight?
"I didn't know you and Araragi were so close."
"Oh, we're almost like siblings, actually. But I'm the only girl he hasn't molested, is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Is this one of your jokes, Oshino-san?"
"Yes, I'm sure I'm misremembering, a lifelong pervert like Araragi would never pass up the opportunity to molest his friends."
"Are you asking me to fight him or go for a day out with you?" you ask, pulling your bag onto your back.
"Who says you can only do one? Araragi-senpai doesn't like fighting anyway. Once he let Kanbaru-senpai beat him to a pulp."
"I'll be happy to come along."
"Maybe we can graduate from Oshino-san, to Ougi instead."
"Subtle."
"Subtlety is the domain of future lies, you can only get what you want by being honest with other people."
"And if I start doing it right now?"
"I'll be happy," she responds, curtly. You're surprised that Ougi can even deliver a sentence so short and to the point.
"Okay, Ougi, how about you walk me home." Ougi grins, all lips and no teeth. An eternal symbol of intense smugness. But you never feel like she does it to condecend, not to you, anway.
"I brought my bike Senpai, we could ride together. You can sit on the back like a fair maiden."
"That'd be embarassing," you complain, peeling out into the corridor.
"Would accepting a ride from me wound your pride? I only offered in the spirit of co-operation."
"I refused in the spirit of getting to spend more time with you."
Ougi pulls on your backpack, stopping you as you approach the stairs. You turn around, she's smiling earnestly. "What a smooth talker you are Senpai, sweeping me off my feet, I wonder how Araragi would feel about his harem being pulled apart by you?"
Before you can respond she closes in, like a viper striking it's pray she seizes your personal space. Her cold lips touch yours for the briefest of moments, you end up getting the shortest look into her eyes. She pulls away, leaving you stunned once again. "I'm a human creation, just like everything else, so don't be surprised when I kiss you Senpai." She skips ahead of you, as if floating across the floor like it isn't even there. You stare ahead for a second more before turning and chasing the smug girl down the stairs of the school.