"My name is Brianne! But you, Miley~...You can call me Brie~"

  "...N-nice to meet you, B-Brie," Milo said to her, his mouth quivering a little.

  Suddenly, the girl started squealing as she shook her head.

  "Omigosh, omigosh! He actually said my name!"

  Uh...What's with her? he thought.

  "...A-ah, sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to creep you out! I'm just a little nervous, is all!" she said, adjusting her hair with her left hand.

  ...Maybe she doesn't mean any harm to me?...Maybe, I can just get up and walk away like nothing happened...

  "...By the way, does my arm scare you?" Brie asked him, looking to the side and fiddling with her hair, as she showed her blood-stained claw to the boy.

  Milo couldn't say anything. This wasn't his first time encountering such a situation, but he didn't want to give any bad answers.

  "...Well~, I suppose it's fine for now... — she pouted, — You'll grow to not be scared of it, soon ?"

  What's that supposed to mean? he thought.

  Milo looked behind him. The masked man from earlier was lying unconscious on the asphalt, with his cut-up right hand bleeding intensely.

  "Ah! That's right, the robber!— Milo said, quickly getting up and crouching next to the man, — Hold on, I'll stop the bleeding!"

  Milo noticed the leather belt the man was wearing. Removing it from the man's pants, Milo wrapped it tightly around the man's right bicep. Slowly, the blood gushing out of the hand had stopped.

  The boy then took off his hoodie, revealing the white t-shirt he had underneath it. Not wasting any time, Milo took off the shirt as well, as he did his best to tear it up for some reason.

  Crap, it's so cold! he thought, shivering and trying to rip off a piece of the shirt.

  "Oh!" Brie let out a small sound as she turned her head to the side, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. Reverting her monstrous hand back into its human form, the girl quickly covered up her eyes with both hands. Yet, she widened the gap between her fingers, letting her eye out a little.

  "...Why can't I do it?!" Milo said to himself, puffing his cheeks and closing his eyes as he yet again made an effort to tear his shirt.

  ...Oh my god. He can't even rip off a piece of his shirt! He's soo cute! Look at him trying his hardest! Brie thought.

  Suddenly, her expression dropped a bit.

  "...Aww, Miley?— she called to him, the boy quickly turning around to face her, — Are you actually helping that trash?"

  Milo paused.

  ...Did I do something wrong? Is she mad that I'm trying to patch him up?...But the guy's in serious trouble if I don't do something! Even if the bleeding's gotten better, the cut can still get infected really badly if it's not covered!

  "As expected of my Milo~. You're just an angel, aren't you? ?" she smiled at him. Brianne walked up to him and calmly took the shirt out of his hands. The boy found himself incapable of moving or saying anything.

  "...But you shouldn't be nice to everybody, you know, cutie? Otherwise, somebody bad will take advantage of you one day, and it would hurt me to see you like that..." again, the girl talked to him like he was some sort of infant or puppy.

  Oh my god...Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! I'm actually holding his shirt!... His scent! It smells so good! Lucky me, he actually took off his shirt on his own!

  "Please, do you have something to wrap around the man's hand?! He's seriously injured!" Milo pleaded, his voice shaky.

  "...Ohh, that won't do, cutie...I'm sorry, but — why exactly are you trying to help that walking waste of oxygen? It was about to stab you just a second ago, remember? And it also had me up against the wall, what about that?" she asked Milo, her tone getting harsher whenever she referred to the robber.

  'It'? Did she call him an 'it'? Milo thought as a cold sweat ran down his forehead.

  "Were it not for me, you would've been the one bleeding out on the ground right now. Am I wrong, cutie? ? Why does something that tried to kill you deserve kindness?"

  He dropped his head in silence, hearing those words.

  ...Gah, he's cute when he looks sad like that, too! I just wish I could get one good sniff of the shirt when he isn't looking!...Should I do it right now? He isn't looking! M-maybe...Maybe, yeah, maybe I should do it now!

  As the girl was drawing his shirt closer to her nose, Milo suddenly looked at her again. Stopping her hand immediately, she saw his eyes.

  "...You're not wrong! He did try to stab me, but...Even so! Please, let me at least wrap the gash on his hand shut! He's already lost too much blood!" he said.

  ...God, he looks so cool when he says things like that! ?

  "...Fine, but only because you asked so nicely~," she sighed, as she effortlessly tore Milo's shirt in half and gave one piece to him. The other quickly disappeared somewhere.

  "...Thank you!" he said, before he quickly turned to the man again, getting to work. In a matter of a few seconds, Milo was done. His white shirt was already getting stained a rich shade of red.

  After everything had settled, Milo let out a long sigh, as he wiped the sweat off his brow. Thinking back on how Brie so easily tore his shirt up like that — while he couldn't, despite him using all his strength — made Milo shiver. But, a sight like that wasn't something he hadn't seen before.

  "...If only there was alcohol or at least some water around. Could've disinfected the wound before wrapping it,— he said to himself, — Well, at least the guy should be safe no-"

  Before Milo could finish, he suddenly heard applause behind him.

  "Wow!~ Go go, Milo! So skillful! You should be a doctor!~" Brie clapped her hands and cheered, praising Milo.

  "O-oh, thank you..." he said as he backed away a little bit.

  Shit, shit...I forgot she was still here...How do I get out of this situation? She's way scarier than Pela, there's no reason I should be around her!

  "I knew I was right about you~! You did come to save me! My knight in shining armor! Heehee ?" she said, giggling like a cute little girl.

  Huh? What do you mean 'You knew'? he thought to himself.

  Milo was so preoccupied with treating the man a few seconds, that he had forgotten for a brief moment...But the intense and cold sensation in the air around this new girl, had returned stronger than ever before to him. It was enough to make him gulp.

  "U-um... I'm sorry, but I'm kinda busy at the moment. You should probably call the police and have them apprehend this man, hehe, — he chuckled nervously, as he slowly grabbed his hoodie from the ground and turned around, — W-well, I should be on my way no-"

  Suddenly, he felt something firmly stopping him from walking away by his wrist.

  "Oh, Miley~ You're not going anywhere,~" the girl said, giving the boy a sweet smile.

  Her hand felt soft, cold — yet, at the same time, it felt like an unbudging vise. Milo wiggled his arm a bit, only to feel that the other hand holding him was quite literally not moving a single inch.

  Turning around, he asked with a shaky voice...

  "...Umm, p-pardon?"

  "Milo Nishina, sixteen or seventeen years old. Currently a sophomore at Panney Public High School, Class 2-C...Right? You live on East Yoke Street, House 5623," she said with a soft voice.

  Milo's eyes widened in an instant.

  "You don't have any other family except your mother, from what I've seen. You don't stay at school after class for any club activities, and you don't look you have a part-time job either. Seeing as it's the weekend — I am VERY sure that you don't have anything else important to do right now~" Brie said.

  Everything clicked. The boy had been getting some sort of strange cold sensation on the back of his neck throughout the entire day so far, sometimes getting goosebumps.

  He wanted to call her out as a stalker, yet a part of him greatly hesitated, at the same time...

  "...S-so, what did you want to talk with me about?"

  "Oh, lots of things~...For one, I just wanted to say — you are soo cool and awesome! I'm, like, your biggest fan! You're my hero, you know? ?" Brie said, as she looked at Milo with her mischievous smile.

  Milo almost felt like she was mocking him, being sarcastic.

  "...O-oh, well, I'm flattered. But, can I ask — why, exactly?" he asked, looking back at her.

  "There's a million things I could list. Just today, I saw how you helped that poor old lady get down the stairs at the hospital!"

  She was there?

  "I also see how you give money to homeless people!"

  ...That's it?...Wait, you mean Pela wasn't the only one who saw me do that? I don't even do things like that that frequently...

  "And there were all the times you held the door open for little kids, or the elderly, or people with disabilities. Oh, and that time you gave some cracker crumbs to that stray tabby near your school a couple weeks ago!" Brie said, counting on her fingers.

  How long has this girl been stalking me for? Actually, never mind that — the things I did aren't anything special! Everybody should be acting like that! Are you telling me I'm the first person she's ever seen in her life that does these small good deeds?!

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "W-woow, I'm...I'm, uh, really flattered..." Milo said, scratching the back of his head. Her unbudging hand was still on his wrist.

  "Uhh, how about I get your phone number-r...? F-for starters, I mean! We can, uh, text each other at first, get to, uhh, know each other better, and become friends that way!" he continued.

  "...Hm~, that just won't do ?," Brie said, smiling faintly.

  "Huh-" but before Milo could even voice his confusion, he saw her disappear into thin air within the next instant.

  Where'd she g- and before he could even finish his next question, he suddenly felt himself being picked up off the ground. Brie had picked Milo up, holding him on her side with one arm.

  "What the?!" he yelled, flailing his legs and arms about in the air.

  "Oh~...You're just the cutest, Miley ?! The way you throw your little hands and feet around like that is just too adorable!...But, you should stop struggling so much~," she said her last sentence with a sweet tone, but the boy could feel something colder under those words.

  She picked me up so fast! I didn't even see her move! And what's with this ridiculous strength?! I don't consider myself to be that big or heavy — and this girl is very tall herself...But, still! She's carrying me like some baby!

  "P-please, Brie!"

  "Hm?"

  "P-put me down, please! This isn't oka-"

  "Why should I, my Mi-ley~..."

  "W-where are you even taking me?!"

  "...Isn't it obvious? My home!"

  "Y-your house?! But why?! I didn't do anything to yo-"

  "Oh, Miley~, you're so dense! ? You're my boyfriend from now on! Which is why we're going to my place!"

  The two argued in an empty street. It was already quite dark by that time.

  "B-boyfriend?! Hold on, this is moving too quickly!"

  "Why? I like you, so you're my boyfriend now!"

  Is this girl a kindergartener?! What about my feelings?! Please, somebody... he thought.

  "Please, somebody! H-help! He-" as he was shouting, Milo felt a strong yet quick impact on the back of his neck.

  "P-please don't scream, Miley!...Oh, I'm sorry for having to do this, cutie pie, but it's the only way..." she said, her voice shaking a little after she delivered a chop to Milo's nape. He was completely knocked out.

  "...B-but at least it didn't hurt, right?...I hope so..." she talked to herself.

  ***

  "Is this him, Boss?"

  "Yep! Isn't he super handsome? ?"

  "...I don't mean any disrespect, Boss — but doesn't he look like a complete pushover? He's all skin and bones...Was he really worth all the trouble? We had to disturb another group's territory just to let you meet him."

  "Trust me, he's much tougher than he looks~. And don't worry, he is definitely worth it!"

  "...Well, he's not ugly, at least."

  Milo slowly awoke, hearing some banter between a few female voices. Opening his eyes, he found himself lying on a bed, one with a particularly pleasant scent. When he looked up, though, he saw an extremely tall ceiling — with large and long construction steel beams crossing over each other, seemingly upholding the ceiling together. He began moving around, when he felt some long hair on the bed next to his left hand.

  "Oh! Look who's finally awake? ?" he heard a familiar girl's voice.

  Fully opening his eyes and looking to his left, he saw Brie — she was reclined on the bed right next to him, supporting her head with her right hand.

  "I'm sorry I had to knock you out, Miley...But I had to, because you wouldn't stop screaming otherwise~" she said, pouting.

  Milo immediately jumped out of the bed, standing up on his feet.

  "Hey, who said you could move, pretty boy?" he heard a girl say to him. Suddenly, he had a metal bat held right in front of his face. The one carrying the weapon was a girl, wearing quite a few piercings on her face along with a sour expression, standing to his left. She had a pixie cut, with her hair bleached.

  "Mind your manners around Miss Brie," said another girl to his right, who was holding a crowbar. This one was wearing a surgical mask on her face, with long black hair.

  "And did I say you could threaten him like that, Suzie, Jesse?" Brie gave the girls a stern look.

  "...Apologies, Boss," the girls quickly lowered both their weapons and heads, stepping away from Milo.

  Milo took a good moment to look at his surroundings. He seemed to be in an abandoned building, a large factory or something of that sort. There were no lights turned on inside the building, except a long strip of warm orange LED lights hung up along the bare-cement walls of the room he and the girls were in. The sound of the wind blowing in through the various uncovered windows and holes of the old building could be heard quite clearly.

  "...Where am I?" he asked Brie.

  "We're at my place, silly! Welcome!~"

  Looking at the bed he had been sleeping on, the boy noticed that it was just a mattress — on the cold hard concrete floor of the doorless, windowless, unpainted room they were currently in. It was large, but only had one thin blanket and pillow.

  When he turned around to the corner of the room behind him, Milo noticed that there was a very long yellow-colored extension cord of some sort, connecting to a power strip. The extension cord stretched out of the room, seemingly going somewhere else. And, connected to the power strip, was a heater.

  At the opposite corner of the room, were a basic wooden table and chair — with all sorts of items on it. Some ragged books, some torn papers, a worn school bag, as well as a few convenience store snacks and groceries. There were also some folded clothes on the chair next to the table — probably a school uniform, from the looks of them.

  The place didn't have any noticeable stench, except maybe the faint sweet smell of dust in the surroundings.

  Suddenly, he saw Brie motion with her hands for the other two girls to leave, which they promptly did.

  "...Oh~, I know it's not the coziest place...Sorry for the mess..." Brie said, fiddling with her fingers and looking away as she said to Milo.

  ...I shouldn't panic...Clearly, this girl won't just let me go, for some reason...And, most importantly, she's a dangerous demi-human. She can attack people and smile about it...But, at the very least, she doesn't seem to mean any harm to me, so far...

  Just as Milo was thinking that, he began coughing.

  "Oh! I'm sure you must be thirsty! Let me get you something to drink, — she said, getting up and grabbing a water bottle from the table, — Here...I'm sorry I don't have anything decent to offer right now..."

  "...T-thank you," Milo said, as she gave him the bottle. Drinking it, the boy realized that he, in fact, was quite parched.

  "I-if you're hungry, I have some sandwiches? Would you like some?" Brie asked him, her cheeks a bit flushed.

  "O-oh, no no! I'm fine, thank you!" Milo gestured with his hands.

  I don't get this girl...She's surprisingly nice with me, yet she totally changes with anybody else she talks to. Those two girls from earlier...Is this girl some sort of gang leader or something?

  "..."

  "..."

  An awkward silence followed, as Milo sat on the mattress, with his feet tucked in under his butt. He noticed Brie acting strange too, not really looking at him. Suddenly...

  "...U-um," she said.

  "H-huh? Yes?" he panicked to answer.

  "...S-so...What do you like to do for fun?" she asked him.

  Is she seriously trying to get to know me right now? Of all times?...Wait, actually, since she stalks me, shouldn't she already kno-

  "Oh! Sorry, that's right! I already know — you like going to the arcade and the music store! And also you like to read manga! Silly me, hehe..." she said, embarrassed.

  "Um...Can I ask you something?" he said back.

  "S-sure, go ahead!"

  "You're a...Demi-human, right?"

  "...Yes, I am...Why do you ask?" she asked with a strangely curious soft voice, tilting her head to the side. That sudden and new shy side of her until just now, was suddenly gone.

  Milo swallowed something heavy in his throat, before continuing...

  "Why did you hurt that robber from earlier so badly? I don't know much about you yet, but I'm sure you didn't need to..." he couldn't finish.

  "Hm? 'Didn't need to...' What?"

  Milo couldn't finish his sentence.

  "That I didn't need to transform my hand? You can say it, Miley~ You seem to already know about us, so it's fine. Don't worry, I won't get angry over you calling me a demi-human. That's who I am, after all~..."

  "...Why did you need to attack him like that? When I took a look at his hand, there was very little holding its two halves from splitting apart...Don't you think that's too cruel?" he said, his voice shaking all the while.

  "...I already told you before, Miley~! Trash doesn't deserve any compassion or mercy! Trash is simply trash. It only needs to be disposed of, taken out, ?" she said, flashing a thin smile at him.

  "How can you call him that? He might've been a robber, but he's still human!" he said to her.

  "And you think I'm not?" her voice dropped into a serious tone, all of a sudden.

  Milo shivered all over, going silent.

  "You don't get it, Miley..." she said to him, walking around the part of the room behind him. He didn't move.

  "Why should I treat the people, who treat me like trash, any differently?" she asked him.

  "That's..." Milo struggled to answer the question.

  "They all give you that same stare of hatred, disgust, fear...How could they not, after all? People- no, things that are different shouldn't be trusted or loved, after all," the tall girl said, tracing her fingernails across the cement wall.

  Milo still heard her walking behind him.

  "If she's too tall, too fast, too strong...If she acts too 'scary'...If she can transform parts of her body...If she doesn't have human skin...She'll be hated and avoided, right? ?" she asked him, going back to a sweet and soft voice.

  "After all, I'm not human!" she said her last word strongly, before a loud bang could be heard from the wall she was standing next to. Panicked, Milo turned around — to see that Brie had transformed her hand again. She'd pierced a hole into the wall, the impact dropping dust everywhere.

  Suddenly, she turned around to look at him — wearing a sweet smile on her face.

  "But you, Miley ?...You're not like the others!" Brie said, taking her claw-like appendage out of the wall and reverting back into its human form.

  "You, Miley ?...You care for others! You care for animals! You care even for non-humans!" she said, getting closer and closer to him. Milo stumbled backwards, falling onto the mattress on his back again.

  Before he knew it — this girl, who was a full head or more taller than him, had gotten on her long hands and knees, right on top of him — pinning him down to the bed. She looked at him with a strange smile, her previously small black pupils seemingly having gotten bigger than before. Milo's breath started getting shorter.

  "That's why I like you, Miley ?" she said to him.

  "...U-um, do you know about a demi-human girl named Pela?" he asked her, his voice shaking. The boy saw the girl's affectionate smile instantly, as she started looking at him with bitter eyes.

  "...on't bring her up..." she whispered something.

  "Hu-"

  "Don't bring that girl up!" she yelled loud enough for her voice to echo throughout the building.

  Milo lay terrified.

  "Miley...I'm the one for you...Can't you see?" she said, showing him a smile again. Yet, this one didn't seem as sweet as the ones from before. Milo heard a boing right next to his head. Looking to his side, he saw how the girl was gripping the mattress. She was holding it so tightly, that a spring had popped out of the tear she had made on the bed.

  "Look at me, Miley," she said, before suddenly cupping him by the chin with her other hand, turning his face to hers.

  "That girl...Don't even say her name...I don't know what happened between you two — but the two of you don't talk anymore, right?...Right?!" she kept her hand in his chin, even caressing his cheek.

  "I haven't been able to see you personally recently, because I had some other business to attend to...But my girls have been near you the entire time, and they mentioned that they'd hear you saying that name constantly — whenever you were with her. A stupid creepy blonde girl, that has apparently been walking around the city with MY Miley! And many times, at that! Lucky for her, she wasn't with you today, huh?" Brie's one eye seemed to be twitching, as her voice got shaky.

  "You understand, don't you? She didn't like you...She doesn't deserve you...Whenever I would see you walking outside by yourself, I would always see how lonely and sad you looked...Even just thinking about it makes me mad!...Don't worry, Miley. I'll show her soon..." she said to him, her dark-green hair hanging above his head.

  The boy was still unable to move, unable to think.

  "She stopped being your friend, despite knowing how lonely you were...I wouldn't do that to you, Miley..." Brie continued, her smile getting sadder and sadder.

  "That's why...That's why..." she whispered to him, as her face leaned in closer to his. The girl slightly parted her lips, still keeping her hand on the boy's chin...

  *BANG*

  A large impact resounded throughout the whole place.

  Large dust clouds formed, as pieces of stone and concrete could be heard falling onto the floor. Milo coughed, clearing the dust particles from his face — when he noticed that Brie had gotten off of him.

  "What the?" he said, coughing all the while. When he got up from the mattress, he noticed a silhouette standing beyond all the dust, right past the wall that was supposed to have the door to Brie's room.

  "Damn, to think I didn't notice your presence. You just had to show up at the worst time, didn't you?..." Brie said, venom behind her words. The girl brushed some of the dust off her shoulders, before cracking her neck on each side and winding up her two arms.

  "Get away from Milo, you freak," a familiar female voice announced.

  Immediately, Milo's eyes widened.

  "...P-Pela?" he stuttered. As the dust settled, he saw her — Pela had already transformed two of her arms into tentacles.

  "Pot calling the kettle black, as they say...I know you aren't calling me a 'freak', bitch...Lucky me, to think you would bring your head straight to me, instead of me having to look for you myself..." Brie said, before transforming her legs into those same insect-like limbs. The shape of her new legs resembled those of a deer's. They seemed to bend backwards at around the middle, with even stranger blade-like metal plates growing out of the back of her shins and ankles.

  "Just try it," Pela responded — her eyes already yellow, with those same strange slit-shaped pupils.

  What kind of monster was this girl? Milo thought to himself.

  [Chapter END]