"Stop pinging." Arguing with one's phone might seem stupid when there's a mute option, but it's much more satisfying. The sounds have driven me mad ever since leaving the apartment.

I'm the type that never checks the messages, but as anxiety spiked this morning, a peek might be okay. It's my first day at the university, of course, I'm nervous.

What's not okay is losing grasp of my surroundings, and almost hitting a lamppost.

Call it luck, fate, or destiny, as my Roomie drags me back and I look up, there's that Girl.

And holy shit, my parents might be right about me being a lesbian. She's crazy beautiful.

Long, black hair, porcelain skin, and... Cat ears?

He mumbles something, my roommate, I mean, but who cares at the moment?

She's much more interesting. Mesmerizing even. She's setting my heart ablaze and other corny shit as I reach the crosswalks.

Is that even possible? For me, who didn't even have a poster of any guy — or girl — bands on my walls?

Call me a late-bloomer, but I never cared about either sex. Love at first sight stories would even make me throw up, and here we are.

I got to get close to her, or something. And she's right across the street. I need to see her better. Closer.

Now that the phone is in my hands, I can snap a picture of her before she disappears, but there's no time for that.

After the lamppost, a semi-truck slips under my radar too. I freeze up from the horns, only to stare death in the face.

"Whoa! What the fuck is with you Lee? Keep your eyes up."

Roomie yanks me a second time, back to the sidewalk as adrenaline floods my brain. God bless his reflexes.

The scent of the morning rain creates an odd mixture with the stench of gasoline. It's the smell of being this close to dying.

"Don't get yourself run over."

The car misses by a few inches, but I see memories flash before me.

And for whatever reason, the most important moment looks to be when those cat ears showed up.

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Keep it cool, girl. Even if your chest wants to burst, take a deep breath, and don't get yourself isekaid first thing in the morning.

No matter how much I fantasized about it. Meeting Truck-kun right after seeing that beauty would be a waste. I can't even tell if this excitement is due to seeing her or from the near-death experience.

"I'm alive," I confirm with a shaky voice.

"Play with your phone later, Leona," Roomie says.

Phone? Right, the phone. I wanted to take a picture of... Where did she go?

"Don't die on your first day of school, who'll pay the rent?" At least he got his priorities set.

How did we even end up as roommates?

We were in the same class in high school but remained strangers, and in the three years, we talked twice in total.

It wasn't only him, being the nerdy tomboy in class didn't make me popular but I didn't want to be anyway.

When my growth spurt hit, all my limbs doubled in length. And my torso too, but the round bits... They never rounded out in the first place.

Most classmates treated me as an actual boy, which, as odd as it sounds, had benefits. I talked loads more to the guys than the girls anyway, they wouldn't mix with me.

I wasn't treated as a cool guy though, being nerdy and sucking at sports despite my looks didn't help. It's not like I didn't have friends. There were quite a few.

Not this guy though. I only heard about his programming skills when we discussed our choice of uni. He didn't waste time and recruited me to split the rent.

Nothing says 'I don't see you as a girl' clearer than inviting the opposite sex to live with you out of convenience.

And nothing says 'I bet she's a lesbian' better than my parents giving the green light to it right away.

"I'm all right, Frank, thanks for the concern." If I could answer snarkier after he saved my life, I would. Sorry about that, these memories always upset me a little.

And I want to see that Girl again.

Since the phone's already in my hand I glance at the screen. Someone sent a picture to wish me luck, and I sure need it. Roomie stole a peek over my shoulder too.

"Ooh, who's that cutie?" He perks up right after complaining about phones.

"She cheers for you, huh? I didn't know you made friends with girls too, you got to introduce me sometime."

"Wha... No, she's my sister." I try to hide the screen in protest while texting her back.

"You have a sister?! But she looks like an actual girl... I always had a thing for gingers." Does he have a death wish?

His yell even draws the attention of the campus, and I want to disappear. The crowd is too big, and I'm anxious already as is. Introverted, I can't handle these kinds of situations.

"Yeah, that makes more sense, but she's cute. What's her name?" He might as well said that I don't have friends. I could list at least three, and the fact that they're all blood-related is a mere coincidence.

Okay, he's right about my little sister being cute, but...

"Dude, she's fourteen."

"So what? That's only a four-year difference." He won't give up his attempts to annoy me.

"And an eight-year sentence if you look at her fancy." A warning won't hurt. God, I hate people. Not him, but people in general. I'm already tired, and it is still early in the morning.

This is why I picked IT. My life goal is to become a programmer who works from home, and the only stupid idiot I have to deal with would be myself.

Make some indie games, there are so many simple but great anime themes to work with.

This was the ultimate life goal until about five minutes earlier. Somehow, the way that Girl entered the picture changed it all.

And as I look for an escape route from this conversation, she graces me with her appearance again.