Chapter 14: Myuu's Dilemma

UNBALANCED SCHOOL LIFE

MYUU'S DILEMMA

CHAPTER 14 OF THE MANGA

On the front steps of the Dorm Building, Shinya is trying to comfort a continually distraught Shiori, who is softly crying. Shinya is still wet, wearing only his soaked walking shorts. Shiori is soaked to the bone, too! Midori comes out the front door carrying two dry towels, only to find the two intimately talking about what happened. Shinya is asking Shiori if she heard the unusual noises coming from the lake ? See did, just before she saw the seemingly lifeless body of Myuu-chan in the water. Midori gives a towel to Shiori, as Shinya declares that he thought that Myuu-chan was done for ! She was floating face down in the water (Shinya hunches over and assumes the position to show Midori.)! Shinya plunged into the lake water, making his way out to where Myuu-chan was. Shiori jumped in, too, and tried to follow. Shinya gathered Myuu-chan in his arms, and brought her back to the shoreline, with Shiori following behind. In Shinya's strong arms, Myuu-chan had her eyes closed the whole time, like she was sleeping, but she appeared to be breathing, therefore, she was still alive. Myuu-chan did softly mumble something to Shinya, but he has since forgotten what she was trying to say. Even now, on the steps, Shiori was then having a 'melt-down' over what had just happened. Midori gives the other towel to Shinya.

Midori nonchalantly remarks that it seems as if Myuu-chan can breath underwater, as she, Midori, had seen her do just that at the school's swimming pool the other week. Shinya remarks that if Shiori and himself had known that, they would not have panicked and gone bananas, like they did. Shiori asks, wondering what Myuu-chan was doing out on the lake ? Shinya says let's ask her tomorrow, after she wakes up. He is dog-tired, and promptly scoots off toward bed !

Next day, in the late afternoon, after school classes have ended for the day, word comes to Shinya and the girls in the classroom that Myuu-chan has not yet awakened. Shinya expresses surprise that it is afternoon and she is still sleeping. Very unusual. Shiori had actually earlier gone to the Infirmary and asked Haru-chan about Myuu-chan. Myuu-chan has never missed an afternoon snack time, but today she is sleeping on and on. Akagi remarks that the two, Shiori and Shinya, did a great job of finding her. It was Shiori who first noticed the glistening and sparkling in the lake. What was emitting that unusual kind of light ? It couldn't have come from Myuu-chan, since Shinya found her with not having a flashlight or any kind of illumination about her. Yet it does not seem reasonable that she would have gone out without anything to light her way. Maybe she just lost it along the way. Shinya offers that if Myuu-chan can breath underwater, maybe she can see quite well in the dark without anything to light up the surroundings. She is an alien, after all !

Shiori now recalls that when Shinya was carrying Myuu-chan in his arms and trudging through the water, with herself following, didn't Myuu-chan try to say something to Shinya, even though she was groggy and 'out of it' ? Shinya thinks for a few moments, then remembers what Myuu-chan was trying to tell him. He recalls that she spoke in broken and disjointed phrases---

"Sooner then I expected......I'll just......sleep without......if I don't.......the drug......I'll only sleep.......you found me......but I'm too sleepy.......*don't touch me, Shinya*.......when I'm about to.......???"

Koiwai now expresses a line of reasoning. She mentions that Myuu-chan had said earlier that they can change into either a boy or a girl when they go through puberty and become an young adult. The change would happen almost instantaneously. Her alien species would do this spontaneously, according to their own internal body development coding. Yet now her alien kind can override the DNA style coding, and choose which gender and sexual characteristics that they want, using a special drug. Midori points out, that drug is why we are all female now, isn't it ? Koiwai caps it off, speculating that could it be that Myuu-chan's body is right now trying to change into that of an young alien adult ? Remember, she told Shinya, "......sooner......than I expected........?!?" Shinya deduces that this must mean, that this is normal for her as an alien being, and it's nothing to be concerned about. Probably, quips Koiwai. Midori bolts out of the classroom, saying that she is going to inform Haru-sensai. Shinya yells after her that we don't know that for sure, and we might be getting our hopes up for Myuu-chan's successful transformation into an young adult without any evidence or understanding. What if we are wrong, and Myuu-chan never wakes up ?

Suzumi, the glasses girl, now speaks up. It would be horrible if Myuu-chan never wakes up. If she does not awaken, what would happen regarding the supposition that Myuu-chan expressed that everyone human would presumably return to their birth sex at the end of a "year" ? If Myuu-chan never wakes up, will that actually happen, or not ? And if that happens, will it be with or without the drug ? Myuu-chan never really said one way or the other ! And how would she know about human bodies, and how those bodies react to the alien drug ? A long silent ensues in the classroom. Finally, Akagi speaks up, saying if Myuu-chan's awakening and recovery fails, this must mean that we are going to be forever female.......!?! The classroom of girls breaks out into dozens of speculations as to what is going to happen in the future, good or bad. Above the din and noise, Shinya calls for everyone to just calm down ! Shiori approaches Shinya, and whispers something into his ear. "Hey, Shinya ! It is just a possibility, but.........?!?!?!"

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The next morning, all classes were suspended for the day due to an emergency proclamation and project. Just about all of the girls in the Academy were assembled out on the beach adjoining the lake on campus. Most were wearing swim suits of many different kinds, many in bikinis. The Superintendent addressed the assembled group with a megaphone. She stated that it is thought that Myuu-chan was out in the pond area of the lake looking for something, probably the "drug" that she referred to earlier. The container might be somewhere in the pond area, as that is where she was found floating on the water. Everyone should spread on out in and under the water and search for it. **Go to it !** And with that announcement, everyone plunges into the water at the shoreline, and spreads on out.

Shinya, wearing beach bum shorts and an unbuttoned shirt, and Shiori, wearing a tiny string bikini with ruffles, covered up with a sports jacket, watch everyone take to the water, individually or in teams of two. Shiori wonders if the drug container is really here ? Shinya reminds her that she is the one who suggested it to him yesterday. Shiori further wonders if Myuu-chan will wake up if we give her the drug ? Myuu-chan may have exhausted herself looking for the drug in the dark, and fallen asleep. Shiori then tries to position herself to where she was standing last night, wherein she saw the sparkling effect on the lake. She takes note of the angle, the line-of-sight, and of the position in the water where the light came from. Unexpectedly, Shiori grasps Shinya's shirt sleeve, and tightly clamping her fist around it, declares that if we don't find it, she is scared of what will happen to Myuu-chan.

A voice is heard from behind the two. It is of the Superintendent, wearing a sexy, minimal-coverage, flower print bikini, showing off her ample bust cleavage, and the well defined cheeks of her behind. She is asking if the two are distracted by a sudden romantic mood at this critical time ? Let's, instead, get going ! Time is getting short ! As the Superintendent walks on by and heads on down to the water's edge, Shinya quietly spits out that he is certainly okay with the Super being female for the rest of their life. This doesn't go by Shiori unnoticed; she grabs Shinya's butt cheek and sharply squeezes it, then walks away. Shinya awkwardly apologizes. He follows Shiori down to the water's edge. Shiori silently thinks to herself that maybe she just did something weird....? Maybe, as she removes her sports jacket, revealing her attractive bikini swimsuit with the ruffles.

By early afternoon, the search grinds on, with nothing found, except a lot of trash and garbage that has been dumped into the lake. Akagi is floating on an inner tube, already worn out and sleepy. Just like Myuu-chan was. Shinya floats by, as she asks him about Midori ? Midori is with Haru-chan back at the Infirmary, and not in the lake. In a while, it dawns on Shinya that he has not seen Shiori in quite a while. Where could she be ...... ???

Shiori actually had tried to follow the line of trajectory from where she stood on land, to where she saw the sparkly light on the lake's surface last night. She is at the place of the luminous disturbance, underwater from the surface point at which the light was seen. She has on snorkeling gear, allowing her easier breathing. She sees something at the bottom of this area of the pond, down about seventy feet or so. What is this ? It is resting on the lake floor. It looks like a round ball, big enough to hold a washing machine and dryer combination inside. Part of the curved surface of the ball is open and exposed, with a curved hatch door ajar and laying on the lake floor. She goes to look inside the open hatch area. A container of some sort ? Looks brand new ! She feels the inside with her hand. It is perfectly smooth. Maybe.....could this be.....a ship.....a space ship......??? Suddenly, silently, and without warning, the curved hatch door begins to close. Shiori feels the water swirling around her, and notices that she had better get out of the way of the closing hatch door. She struggles, as the door grazes her body from behind. The hatch door closes, with Shiori outside the capsule, but she can't move away from it. What gives ? **NO WAY !!!** She reaches behind herself and feels for what is keeping her from leaving. What is this ? Horror of horrors !!! Her hand feels that the ruffles of her bikini bottom have been caught in the door jam of the closed hatch door. ***I CAN'T.....FREE MYSELF....!!!***

(End chapter 14)

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(Click on Chapter 15: Boy or Girl? to be taken to the next chapter)