Volume 8 - CH 7

“Yup…Yup…Good.”

Standing at the school gate, Natsukawa Aika smiled, as the chilly fall breeze tickled her sweaty cheeks. She placed her pen inside the binder she carried in her hands, finishing another work checklist. Narrowing her eyes in relief at having accomplished another duty, she placed her side hair over her ear. Around an hour and a half had passed since the closing ceremony finished.

When it came to cleaning up everything, the executive committee was tasked with giving orders and directions. It was to ensure that all objects and other necessities used for the festival would return to their original location. Aika spotted trash with colorful tape nearby, picked it up and placed it into a nearby trash bag another student carried. Soon enough, the work of the committee would come to an end, too. With that thought in mind, she looked around once again, when a shadow appeared behind her.

“…H-Hey!”

“?”

A boy’s husky voice reached her ears, probably not quite having made it into puberty yet. Just like the other students around Aika, she turned toward the source of the voice. A young boy stood next to the gate, wearing a white hoodie with oversized cargo pants, his hair styled up with presumably hair gel. His clothes acted as a strong contrast to his faintly tanned skin. And unless Aika was imagining things, he was looking directly at her.

“I’m sorry, but outsiders aren’t prohibited on—”

“L-Last time!”

“Huh?”

“Wh-When you showed us around school, I just couldn’t get you out of my head! I’ve been thinking about you all this time! If I get accepted at Kouetsu High…then please go out with me!”

Out of nowhere came a passionate confession. The surroundings grew noisy, as Aika stood frozen stiff because it took her by surprise. The first thing that popped up in her mind was the day during last summer break when she was tasked with showing around the middle school students. She remembered that one of the boys there could be a bit rebellious at times.

“What’s this? A confession?”

“From a middle school kiddo, no less?”

“Holy smokes…”

“…Ah…!”

Mumbling from all around pulled Aika back from her thoughts, as a wave of embarrassment filled her, and she realized that her head was beginning to boil. She had to say something, so she turned toward the boy again—However, a large shadow appeared from Aika’s side, so she stopped before taking a single step.

“Hey now, think about the place and time, kiddo.”

“Huh?!”

Then, another student, wearing a black t-shirt, arrived and wrapped his arm around the boy’s shoulder. It was one of the seniors who were busy carrying the bigger props earlier. He was accompanied by two other students, who all worked to drag the young boy outside the school gate.

“Wha?! Hey…?!”

“I gotta commend your guts, though.”

“But you shouldn’t go around causing trouble.”

The middle school student tried to protest, but he couldn’t beat several high school students. After they moved further away, the surroundings turned quiet again. Aika grew worried they might have been too aggressive.

“Yo. You okay, first-year?”

“Ah…Y-Yes!”

Everything was resolved without Aika realizing it. The students in black t-shirts returned from the school gate, managing to have the middle school student go home quietly. Some students around went back to work, whereas some other girls seemed disappointed that nothing else happened.

“Well, why not agree once he actually gets accepted here?”

“Um…Haha.”

One of the female seniors nearby said it like it wasn’t anybody’s problem. And she was absolutely right, but saying it so bluntly…Aika couldn’t completely accept it. She just smiled amicably and responded, before returning to her work. Although the only work left was to gather up the other necessities, while her focus had drastically lessened, Aika followed after the mass of people. In her head, the previous confession repeated over and over, having left a definitive impression. But, it wasn’t the impact of having met the unknown that stuck with her. It gave her a sense of nostalgia. The voice that replayed in her head slowly began changing into one belonging to another boy…but Aika did not even realize this.

*

The meeting room of the cultural festival executive committee was packed with people, and Aika happened to be a bit late because of her work, so she quickly rushed to her seat. To her left sat a boy from her class, Sasaki, and in the back she could also see her senior Inoue. Coming closer, that senior spoke up.

“I heard some guy confessed to you?”

“Eeep?!”

These words, coming from Inoue’s mouth that formed a devilish grin, made Aika let out a flustered shriek. She quickly covered her mouth but was still momentarily showered with more attention from the people around her. Seeing Aika this flustered, Inoue voiced her joy.

“Gah, you’re so cute!”

“Ah, ugh…”

She moved her arm past Sasaki and slapped Aika on the back. Not being too experienced with this sort of teasing, Aika blushed only further.

“Hey, Senpai…You’re hitting me…!”

“Yuck, gross.”

As a result of all this, Sasaki could feel the girl’s chest directly hitting his back, despite her supposedly having a boyfriend. No matter how much of a player he was, he was still shaken by that. However, a saving grace arrived for the poor lad who had just found himself a girlfriend—

“Okay everyone, good work. We’ll be holding a small party during lunch break in the coming few days, so we hope to see you there.”

“Okaaaay!”

With this final speech, this cultural festival filled with lots of drama finally ended. Out of all the members, the one who went through the most change during that time was the committee president Hasegawa. She changed her hair into a more docile shortcut look, switching from glasses to contact lenses, solidifying her sophisticated look. You’d think she went through a broken heart with this big of a change. But thanks to that, she sounded a lot more composed during these final words.

“All right! Time to get back!”

“Saitou-san’s waiting after all.”

“R-Right!”

Thanks to the tension inhabiting this final meeting, Aika managed to regain her composure. Picking up that Sasaki was oddly itching to get back to their classroom, Aika commented while keeping the current situation in mind. Girls always grow interested in love affairs, and she was no different. And the attention she directed at Sasaki had grown quite a lot compared to before he began dating the Yamato Nadeshiko who was currently waiting for him in the classroom.

I see…

Walking not next to Sasaki but a few steps behind him, Aika gazed at his back while she realized that these types of stories had grown in number lately. Compared to middle school, the human relationships around her were ever-evolving, making the passage of time even more apparent.

What…do I do… now?

She remembered that impactful incident with the young boy’s confession earlier, as she opened the lid inside of her heart to peek inside. Pale feelings were in turmoil deep inside of her. It was probably something that had festered only recently. This odd lump of liquid returned a strong stimulus each time Aika tried to caress its surface. If she tried to figure out its consistency, it sent waves through her, almost urging her to scream. It resembled an energy that left her completely restless. That’s why she couldn’t afford to carelessly come in contact with it.

The boy walking in front of her, as well as his girlfriend…They both must be feeling the same way as Aika herself. Caressing it, touching it, the same stimulus would run through their bodies. It must have left them thinking, troubled. And now, with the existence she longed for by her side, that girl must be trying to touch this lump that was finally full. Of course, in the most ideal way.

What…am I supposed to do with this?

Realizing that she lacked something, Aika felt her heart’s hunger grow stronger. Ever since this began, she regretted what she had done in the past for the first time. And her instincts sadly didn’t help in letting her find a way to remove this feeling. She had known, but a human’s heart was as incomplete as could be. But in the end, it was up to the people themselves to use their own reason to keep themselves under control and erase this prank of the gods. Through that, they can finally grow up to become adults. And since Aika had never realized that people would need each other to become whole, she was immensely inexperienced.

Amidst all this, she realized that this hunger and thirst made her extremely lonely. What should she do to not lose this taste still lingering in her? Using the special skill of a maiden’s heart, she opted to use the sample in front of her to find the answer for herself.

“…Wah!”

“Whoops.”

She heard two flustered voices and quickly raised her head. As they had turned the corner, Sasaki seemed to have bumped into a small girl. Luckily, neither of them ended up hurt. The girl carried her smartphone in both her hands, pressed against her chest like it was a charm. Seeing this earnest behavior, Aika narrowed her eyes.

“Oh, Ichinose-san? What’s wrong?” Sasaki asked.

Maybe she held the same feelings as Aika in her heart? Even in Aika’s eyes, the girl was as adorable as a cute animal. It awakened a desire to protect her even from someone of the same sex, making you want to care for her. However, if Aika hadn’t prioritized her good faith this one moment, she may not have been able to reach out her hand to Ichinose-san. Having a little sister, she was aware she had these caretaker tendencies, and yet she was feeling this way.

“Are you okay, Ichinose-san?”

“Y-Yes. I’m sorry…”

Everybody knew that she was a very docile girl. She and Sasaki rarely talked, so it would probably be difficult for him to make any progress with a conversation. That’s why Aika took over, seeing Sasaki off as he hyped himself up and went back to the classroom. Good luck.

“U-Um…Natsukawa-san?”

“Yeah? What’s wrong?”

With how docile and insecure her voice was, it was hardly possible to show any malice towards the girl. And Aika’s maternal desires grew stronger as she asked the girl. Her Onee-san gears were turning.

“…Do you know where Sajou-kun is?”

“…Um…”

And now, her consciousness was neutral. She didn’t even know why, but Aika knew she stood there with a frozen smile. She managed to get a grip and continued the conversation. From the looks of it, this girl was panicking a bit, tightly gripping her phone, as she looked for a boy by the name of Sajou.

“…What’s that about Wataru?”

“I just…couldn’t find him…And he’s not responding to me, either,” she said and looked at her phone screen, then around her.

Witnessing that, Aika realized this mannerism wasn’t because of her shy personality, but rather because she was genuinely panicking.

“Wasn’t he helping clean up the classroom?”

“I-I didn’t see him…”

“You didn’t…?”

The classrooms weren’t incredibly spacious, so not being able to see him was close to impossible. And while Sajou Wataru greatly helped the cultural festival executive committee, he was not part of the final meeting earlier, either. That would mean…

“He might either be at the student council office or with the public morals committee…?”

“Huh…?”

“His older sister is part of the student council. Did he ever tell you?”

“…”

The young girl showed an expression close to perplexion. She apparently didn’t know that the student council’s vice president was related to Sajou Wataru. And for some reason, that made Aika feel a bit better. She realized that his position wasn’t all that normal, considering he was the younger brother of someone as amazing as Kaede.

“And the public morals committee…”

“…?”

“What…exactly is the public morals committee?” The girl’s round almond eyes looked up at Aika.

The president of the public morals committee, Shinomiya Rin, was as dignified and remarkable as her name suggested, being the target of the admiration of many girls here at this school. Aika’s best friend Ashida Kei was no exception to this, always watching the girl with a strong radiance in her eyes, smiling gleefully. For some reason, Wataru happened to be in contact with this president quite a lot, sometimes even eating lunch with them. Aika understood that this mostly stemmed from the fact that his older sister and Shinomiya Rin were good friends, but she even came to their classroom at times without any correlation to his sister, which even confused him.

“I think that…he’ll be back soon enough, right?”

“Mmm…”

Either way, this pretty much made it obvious that Wataru’s sister was sending him around to do work again. Surely, he must be doing his work like always, while having this distant and uncaring gaze in his eyes. That’s the conclusion Aika reached.

“Anyway, let’s go, Ichinose-san.”

“Y-Yes…”

With the executive committee having disbanded, they only had to go home. The girl still seemed worried as she stared at her phone, so Aika gave her a warm smile. Staying away from the classroom for too long would only make them stand out more, after all.

*

“…”

The school had returned to the regular procedure, as the students inside the classroom were indulging in various conversations. Aika sat on her seat the furthest in the back, next to the window, staring at the empty seat in front of her. It was Sajou Wataru’s seat, yet the boy himself was nowhere to be found. Since the chair was still placed on the desk, Aika put it down and placed her belongings on the hook.

“Curse you, Sajocchi…! Skipping your work to help us clean up…!”

“Oh, Kei.”

There, Aika’s best friend trotted her way with a sour expression. She wore her blazer on top of her yellow hoodie, putting both hands behind her head as she pouted. Aika responded by calling her name, as she sat down on Wataru’s seat.

“No clue where he got summoned off to, but even skipping classes is a bit much, nah?”

“That…is true.”

“He’s not responding to my messages, either. I bet he’s hitting on some random woman.”

“He wouldn’t be…”

Aika tried to deny this harsh accusation Kei threw around, but she showed no signs of calming down.

“Starting with a tsundere classmate, followed by an older Onee-san, a mascot, a younger Onee-san, and even Sasakichi’s brocon sister! What’s next, a gal?”

“What line-up is that even? You’re adding his older sister and—Wait, who’s a tsundere?!”

“Tehehe, sowie!”

“I swear…”

Aika cooled her head after this outburst and then realized something. Not only did the so-called mascot not reach Wataru, but even Kei also didn’t get any response. Curious, Aika went to confirm this.

“Did you try to get in touch with him?”

“Several times. What about you, Aichi?”

“I’ll text him right now…”

“You really don’t get it. I’ll just chat him up in the group chat!”

Aika grabbed her smartphone and opened up her chat with Wataru. The final conversation they had was during the night of the first day of the festival. After they went on their way home, they discussed walking around the festival together. And although it was a bit too early to sleep, they each said “Good night.” For a brief moment, Aika found herself smiling, but she quickly got a grip and ran her fingers across the screen.

‘Where are you right now? We’re going to disband soon.’

The message went out…five seconds passed…but wasn’t read. Staring at the screen for a moment, Kei’s message appeared in their class’ group chat.

‘Key, skipper Sajocchi. You’re treating us later during the party.’

“Ah, the party…”

“That’s right! To celebrate the success of the festival. But keep it a secret from Ootsuki-chan!”

“You have no respect for our teacher…”

‘Only Sajou gets scored during the karaoke.’

‘Key +3, too.’

Following Kei’s individual message, other classmates joined in, spewing their complaints. It seemed like the guilt for not having helped was larger than expected. And Kei’s initial message surely didn’t help.

“…He’s not responding.”

“What is he doing…”

Checking the private chat, Wataru had yet to read the message. The same was the case for Kei. The two of them grew worried that he might have gotten in serious trouble this time around, so they looked at each other.

“I’m…gonna call him.”

“Yeah, good idea.”

“Erm…”

Since Aika had never initiated a call herself, she had to first search for the call button. After finding and pressing it, the screen changed and she placed her phone on her ear, waiting for Wataru to answer. Being nervous was one thing, but she also felt her heart racing faster because this was a first for her.

“…Um.”

“He’s not answering after all?”

“I’ll wait just a bit longer—”

‘Excuse meee!’

““?!””

Roughly ten seconds after Aika called Wataru, a clear voice could be heard from outside the classroom. It had been so loud, the entire class turned toward the door, when a third-year student, judging from her necktie color, came running inside.

‘This is class C, right? Right?’

‘Y-Yes?’

It was a senior with long black hair, styled in waves. From the tone of her voice and general demeanor, she did not look like the most serious of students. And with this sudden appearance, the students in the classroom began whispering to themselves. Naturally, Kei and Aika looked at each other. The candidate for Wataru’s next target didn’t care much for the attention however and just looked around.

‘Excuse me, but where is little bro…Where’s Sajou-kun’s seat?’

“Huh…?”

“Wha…?”

From this random person now appeared Wataru’s name, leaving both Aika and Ashida confused. The mysterious senior heard about Wataru’s seat and walked towards us.

“Um…?”

“Ah, it’s here.”

“Oh, you were just sitting on it.”

“Yes…Ah, hey?!”

“What are you…?!”

Kei got up from Wataru’s desk, making space for the senior. She walked over and just grabbed Wataru’s bag without saying a thing, turning around to walk away. However, that was too abrupt, so Aika and Kei called her out on it.

“What’s up? I’m in a rush, right now.”

“W-Wait, why are you…”

“He’s about to head off to the hospital. He won’t be coming back to school today.”

“Wha…”

“Like I said, I’m in a hurry! Thanks a bunch!”

“Ah…!”

Not giving the girls any time to ask questions, the mysterious senior rushed off. Unable to understand what was happening, Aika and Kei tried to reach for her arm but only met empty air. Learning about Wataru’s situation, their classmates whispered to each other.

“Huh? Did that Sajou…collapse again?”

One of the male students muttered. Soon enough, speculations filled the entire classroom. And since a senior came to stop by and grab Wataru’s belongings, it alluded to this whole ordeal being more serious than they initially assumed. Guesses ran wild, even about things that had nothing to do with Wataru.

“…”

“…”

Despite being told face-to-face, Aika and Kei had no idea what was even happening, just frozen stiff. Another girl, sitting on the opposite side of the classroom, was utterly pale and in a similar state.

*

Wataru was brought…to the hospital…

With Aika constantly repeating these words to herself, she couldn’t particularly focus back on her conversation with Kei. Her entire body was rushing her to dash to his side this instant, but Kei held Aika’s hand and shook her head. Since the homeroom had arrived, they were unable to leave. Aika’s fingers nervously ran along her phone screen, as she wanted to text him, but not knowing the details, she wasn’t even sure how to bring it up.

“…”

“A-Aichi…Let’s just calm down, yeah?”

Aika must have looked frantic and worried because Kei had to tell her to relax. Met with this, Aika looked down at the ground.

“I get it. You’re worried.”

“…Yeah…”

After a brief exchange, Aika seemed like she had calmed down a bit. She had even sat at her own seat again, with Kei’s arms wrapped around her, like a scarf warming up her frozen heart.

“It’s Sajocchi. He’ll be alright.”

“…Yeah.”

Kei’s voice gently whispered into her ear. Realizing that she was taking things too far, Aika held onto her reasoning and nodded. She knew that accepting another person’s warmth was unplaced at this very moment, but he also couldn’t deny the comfortable feeling of her frozen-cold neck slowly warming up. And even so, as she stared down at her desk, the passage of time felt much slower than usual.

*

“Regarding Sajou-kun, it seems like he had to be brought to the hospital because of an injury. It is a shame that he couldn’t be here to end the cultural festival with all of us.”

“An injury…”

Finally, the homeroom arrived. Their homeroom teacher Ootsuki delivered the same truth they had already heard, which was the worst-case scenario for Aika. Now that the cat was out of the bag, nobody dared to make light of the situation.

“Anyway, we need to discuss the plans for tomorrow.”

After that was done, their homeroom teacher went along with their standard procedure to not allow the mood to dampen more than it already had. Playing along like a fiddle, the students quickly regained their composure, too. And then, the topic of conversation changed to Ootsuki grumbling about having to go out drinking with her middle-aged colleagues, which allowed the students to smile again and forget about Wataru.

As soon as homeroom ended, Kei and Sasaki approached Aika. And behind them was Saitou Mai, utterly bewildered. She probably didn’t know how to feel to see her new boyfriend running off to another girl right as homeroom started. However, Sasaki didn’t pay much attention to that and called out to Aika.

“Natsukawa…What about the get-together?”

“Huh…?”

Surely, this was Sasaki trying to be considerate. As he cared for Aika more than just as a friend not too long ago, he knew all too well that she wouldn’t be able to run around and have fun while someone close to her was hospitalized. And although she thought about it for a moment, her hesitation didn’t last long, as she was about to decline his offer, knowing she wouldn’t be able to have fun anyway. She opened her mouth to voice her feelings, but her best friend got the jump on her.

“Aichi…Let’s go, yeah? Sitting around doing nothing will only make you more anxious.”

“Kei…”

“I do have to agree with Ashida…”

Just as Kei stated, there was nothing they could do, so distracting herself would at least let her heart and mind rest. Sasaki definitely agreed with that. And listening to their reasoning, Aichi realized that her own ability to judge was severely dislocated.

“You’re…right. I’m coming, too.”

“Good! That makes me happy!”

Her feelings of worry, the kindness interlinked with those, they might not always reach the person. To get her feelings across, she shouldn’t be rushing ahead. What she needed right now was to think of the exact words she could tell Wataru once she could get in contact with him again. Aika took a deep breath and then thought about it.

…Ah, right.

She had recovered some of her vitality and energy and looked over at Ichinose Mina, who must be as distraught as Aika because of how close she was to Wataru. Even though homeroom had ended, she still stayed seated in the corner of the classroom, not moving at all.

Huh…?

She must be in a similar state to Aika. And she could understand that. However, something was off about her, still. She may be a docile girl who spends her time in solitude, but starting into the second term, she was always with someone else. Worried, Aika headed her way.

“Ichinose-san…are you okay?”

“Huh?! Ah, eh…”

The second Aika placed her hand on Mina’s shoulder, she almost jumped out of her seat in shock. She quickly realized that it was Aika and regained her composure.

“Homeroom ended already.”

“Ah…”

Just as Aika anticipated, the girl hadn’t even realized that she was freed from school for the day. Coming to the realization that she had been spacing out this whole time, Mina dropped her gaze in shame. Aika could easily tell how she must feel right now because she went through the exact same thing earlier.

“Ichinose-san, are you coming with us to the get-together?”

“…”

If she felt the same way Aika did, then doing the exact same thing as Kei and Sasaki would be the best for everyone. Namely, to try and have Mina join their party. She considered even forcefully dragging her there if necessary. She knew that Mina had been asked to join this party by her other classmates even before. She eventually looked up at Aika with quivering eyes—

“I…I have a shift at work today!”

“Ah…”

With an unexpectedly swift move, Mina shot up and declined Aika’s invitation, much to her surprise. She then grabbed her bag and ran out of the classroom. Aika didn’t know what to say, nor did she make it in time to stop her.

“Will she be okay…?”

“You’re so kind, Aichi.”

Seeing Aika this worried, Kei walked over with a gentle smile. But after being rejected by Mina, she could only blush furiously.

*

Under the guidance of class president Iihoshi, everyone headed to the designated karaoke box. It was a bit cramped to fit all of their classmates, but today being the final day of the cultural festival at Kouetsu, the entire karaoke place was booked to the brim with students and familiar uniforms, heading into various rooms. Sasaki got put under a headlock by a senior from his soccer club and dragged away, too.

The inside of the room was bristling with music and excited voices, as even Aika couldn’t stop herself from smiling eventually. Naturally, she wasn’t the type of person to be influenced by her surroundings, so the most she did was hold her drink as she sat still on the sofa, but it was more than enough for her mental state to recover. In the midst of all of that, a mild and mellow song began playing. It was a famous song from a popular singer, and with this being the turn of the girl they had all been waiting for, the boys in the room cheered.

“Aichi! Let’s sing!”

“Huh?! What?!”

Kei placed Aika’s glass on the table and pulled on her arm. Unsure of what was even happening, she got dragged to the front of the class, holding a microphone. Then, Kei began singing. Once the A-melody ended, Aika joined in for the B-melody, albeit a bit belated. Her voice she had trained by singing lullabies for her precious sister gently caressed the boys’ ears, soothing their souls. That being said, she didn’t focus on the lyrics at all and only later realized that it was a love song, blushing furiously.

“Phew…”

The girls’ turns were continuing as Aika sunk into the sofa with a sigh of exhaustion despite not having exercised. But of course, Kei was with the other boys partying like there was no tomorrow. Aika was spacing out for a moment when she saw her phone screen lit up as it laid on the desk. And Aika wasn’t the exception. She picked up her phone, seeing that a new message arrived in the class’s group.

‘Sorry I couldn’t go. I messed up a bit.’

Seeing this brief message on her lock screen, the color of Aika’s eyes changed as she unlocked her phone. She wanted to respond, but her other classmates already got ahead of her.

‘We heard from Ootsuki-chan. You okay?’

‘Good to hear from you. What was that about your injury?’

‘Didn’t think you’d be here.’

“Ugh…”

Aika rarely touched her phone throughout the day. Sure enough, she couldn’t keep up with her classmates who would text 24/7. And while she was carefully choosing her words, more and more messages came in. Not to mention that other people already asked the questions she had.

‘I happened to stab my palm while I was busy cleaning up.’

“Ah…”

Aika could hear gasps and groans from the people around her. They must have imagined the scenery that Wataru was describing. And Aika was no exception. She could see that one boy, holding his wrist as his face distorted in agony. A boy who fell to his knees, rubbing his cheek on the ground as he groaned. Then, he would be taken away by an ambulance…and this scene she envisioned was far too lively in her head. Unable to bear it, she pressed the phone against her chest.

‘For real?’

‘That sounds painful!’

‘I’m okay. I’m not gonna get hospitalized anyway.’

So he said, but Aika couldn’t trust those words. She couldn’t hear any voice from his message. She couldn’t read his expression as he wrote this. So how believable was this really? Aika shot up, as all the attention in the room gathered on her. She ran to the door, as several of her classmates read the mood, sinking deeper into the sofa.