Chapter 112

CHAPTER 1 Our Own September “I’m close, but you can’t touch me,” said Fall. “That’s because September’s jealous and will throw a fit,” laughed Summer. No, that’s not it. …I’m trying to wind back to Spring, before Winter comes and provides all kinds of answers. As we cross the edge of September, we all feel a little lost. As I put on my uniform for the first time in a long time, thoughts like this spring to mind. Like paper lanterns lifted aloft over and over by tiny hands, summer deflates and falls to the ground. But fall isn’t here yet, so those summer lanterns are lifted up again and inflated anew. More like a desolate, lonely seesaw, I think. August is summer on one side, and October is fall on the other, with us seated precariously in the middle, arms stretched out, not knowing where we really land. Are we on a bridge between the two sides? Or are we sitting on the fence? As we try to find equilibrium, there are brief moments of balance. This colorless, liminal space seemed to fit me perfectly just then. It’s like when you squeeze a bunch of bright paints onto a palette and try to decide which one to dip your brush into first—you’re excited but also hesitant. As the seasons rotate and bring us along, it’s a good opportunity to stop and take a deep breath. Teeter, totter. Teeter, totter. And yet somewhere, you can hear a sound you shouldn’t. Yes… Someone else out there doesn’t want it to be over yet. Doesn’t want the colors of the season to change. Wants to keep things undefined… I gazed at the water’s surface like I was studying photos in an album. Here cool and flowing, there warm with the lingering summer heat. As I watched, reflections fluttered on the water, short-sleeved shirts marching along the riverbank. The greenery was still lush and vibrant. The sun was bright and hot enough to make you sweat even in early morning. And the cicadas were still chirping persistently. The scene is so unchanged from midsummer, you might think the July closing ceremony was just yesterday. But the skies feel a little farther away, and the loafers on the feet of the younger kids sound a little more worn-in than they did before. But those are the only tells. Heh, I thought, walking along and stifling a yawn, when… “Morning, Saku.” I felt a tap on my shoulder. I didn’t even need to turn around to see who it was. I simply inclined my head to the right and spoke. “Good morning, Yua.” Yua came up beside me, her profile composed, smiling slightly at my greeting. “That was quite a yawn. Sleepy on the first day back at school, really?” “No, I slept really well. But my body still thinks it’s summer vacation.” “Finished all your homework?” “Of course. I checked the weather and recorded it in my daily journal. Everything’s accurate.” “You never change, do you?” We chatted back and forth, like we were warming back up for the second semester. I couldn’t resist any longer, so I sneaked a peek out of the corner of my eye at Yua, who was fiddling with her hair. “You don’t need to mess with it so much. I promise you don’t have residual bedhead.” I cracked a joke, and she finally looked right at me, pouting. “Of course I don’t. I always check the mirror before leaving the house.” I think we both noticed the awkward current running through our conversation. We were too shy to make direct eye contact, talking too much, to try to act like everything was normal. But the content of our conversation was bland, inoffensive fluff that would fly away if you blew on it at all. And the too-short pauses before we spoke were impatient, nervous… Not that there wasn’t a good reason for us to be like this right now. Yua seemed to have regained some of her composure, and she forged ahead, as if nothing was wrong. “Sure you ate a decent breakfast?” And yet… “I grilled the dried fish you picked out for me at the market.” “Oh, I see. Did you enjoy it?” I felt a little bad about the hesitation I was hearing in Yua’s voice, but still… “Oh yeah. I think I’ve actually developed more of a taste for fish now.” …Still, I tried to answer earnestly. Because I didn’t want to pretend I wasn’t aware of what was going on. I couldn’t just pretend like I forgot the special time this girl gifted to me. I needed to face up to my feelings. To face up to her feelings. Yua pressed her lips together with embarrassment, then gently smiled. “We’ll have to go shopping again soon, huh?” “Yeah. But next time, more meat, less fish, ’kay?” “Hmph, didn’t you just say you liked fish?” I was glad I could still walk this path with her. Thank you, I silently whispered to my companion. As we slowly walked along side by side, I thought I could almost hear the soft, smooth sound of saxophone music, somewhere far off in the distance. As we passed through the school gate, I noticed a group of three people huddled in front of the entrance. Yua and I exchanged looks, and as we approached, the trio turned and saw us. Kaito was the first to speak. “Mornin’!” he chirped. Next to Kaito, Kazuki just blinked a greeting at us, and Kenta nodded. “Morning, King, Uchida.” We joined the circle, and Yua smiled. “Good morning, Asano, Mizushino, Yamazaki.” I raised my hand lightly and followed suit. “Hey, what’s up with you all being together? Did you walk to school as a group, or…?” “Yeah, right!” As he spoke, Kaito put his arm around my shoulders. “I just ran into Kazuki and Kenta on the way here, so I said hey. Total coincidence.” “Not a particularly pleasant coincidence,” I said. “What’s the matter, Saku? Are you jealous?” “Don’t say awful things like that, even as a joke.” I pushed his arm off me, and I had to grin to myself. Kaito, in his own way, was trying to keep things smooth for everyone’s sake. This level of cheerful joking was just what we needed after the unpleasant fighting. Kazuki, who’d been watching from a close distance, smiled in a sharklike way. “Interesting to see you two looking so friendly first thing in the morning, even after what happened.” Before I could think of anything to say in response, Yua smiled a little and said, “Oh, did something happen, Mizushino?” Even Kazuki looked taken aback by Yua’s chillingly flat voice. His gaze drifted off, and he scratched his cheek awkwardly. “Eh, well… I guess it looks nice to regular schmucks like us on the outside, eh, Kenta?” “Dude, don’t lob the grenade at me.” Everyone laughed at Kenta’s cool retort. Doubled over a little, Kaito said, “It’s too early in the new semester to get clobbered, you know, Kazuki.” Kenta raised an eyebrow and nodded. “Watch out, Mizushino. You really don’t want to provoke Uchida’s wrath.” This time, it was Yua’s turn to blink in confusion. “…Er, Yamazaki…I didn’t know you thought of me that way.” Kenta flapped his hand in a panic and scrambled to explain himself. “Er, uh, well, I mean… Sorry, I didn’t mean it in a bad way! It’s just… Let’s see, um, well… Okay, Uchida, you’re always so calm and kind. But even King here struggles to look you in the eye sometimes. You’re the type of girl who can really lay down the law and—” “Hmph! You’re literally just making it sound even worse!” This kind of back-and-forth was kinda rare to see, and I couldn’t help grinning. “Right, Kenta. You don’t want to go making Yua angry.” “Excuse me, Saku?” “…See? That’s all it takes to make her snap at you.” Everyone burst out laughing again. This kind of scene was so familiar, and yet there was a freshness to it. We all headed straight for the classroom. That day, that evening, I’d tried to flee from everyone through this very door. Looking at it now…it felt kind of nostalgic. “See you, everyone. Next semester.” Those words had been dropped right here, never to be taken back… “Bye, Saku. See you in the second semester.” But Yuuko picked them up and gave them back to me, before summer vacation came to its end. If that memory hadn’t been painted over in warmer colors, I bet stepping into this classroom again would feel totally different… It would feel very complex. “Morning!” Is it her? Is she here? I thought, lifting my gaze, but… “Oh, Chitose! ’Sup?” Not the person I was expecting at all. Nazuna stood in the middle of the classroom, waving her hand vigorously. “Morning, everyone.” I hadn’t seen her since first semester, but we did chat on a video call just the other day, so it didn’t actually feel like it had been that long. Yua and the others all exchanged quick greetings before heading to their seats. I paused to chat. “…Hey. ’Sup?” Nazuna came up close and tipped her head toward one shoulder impishly. “Hmm? Chitose…you weren’t expecting Yuuko, were you?” “Why would you say that?” “Wow, you’re not even denying it? Suspicions confirmed.” “I’m denying it now, then.” “Well, if that’s the case, I’m actually shocked at how little of a reaction you had to my morning greeting.” “Oh, sorry, here you go… Saku’s super happy to see you again after all this time, Nazuna.” “You neglected me this summer, wouldn’t you agree?” Maybe. I smiled awkwardly. Nazuna had helped out with baseball practice along with everyone else, and she had even come to watch the game. And she’d been chatting and laughing away with Yuuko and Nanase… I could no longer see her as just a regular classmate. Having said everything she wanted to say, perhaps, Nazuna seemed ready to end the conversation, but then she squinted, as if she’d just remembered something. “Speaking of Yuuko, I think she’s gonna be a few more minutes.” “I didn’t ask anything about her.” Nazuna snorted, shoulders shaking in amusement, before she strolled off. I watched her go—and the view was not half bad—then called out to the back of the guy sitting at the desk near where Nazuna was heading. “’Sup, Atomu.” “…’Sup.” You jerk. At least turn around. Atomu raised his hand, keeping his back to me, and I lightly shrugged. Well, at least he responded. I’ll take the win. Just as I was hooking my Gregory backpack onto the side of my desk… “Morning!!!” “Mornin’.” …two familiar voices reached my ears. The short ponytail of the one in the front bounced and bobbed. “’Sup, Hubby?!” A few days ago, for some weird reason, Mai Todo called me using Haru’s phone. The call got cut off in mid-conversation, and she didn’t call back. “So did you end up winning your game against the old alumni?” “Nope, we crashed and burned!” But Haru still seemed unbothered… And generally, I could tell she’d let go of some heavy burden. “I see.” I nodded, and Haru giggled. “But I’ve gotten stronger.” When I’d talked to her briefly on the phone, I’d been a little worried at how Haru didn’t really sound like herself… But I was glad she’d apparently worked through something. She’s leveling up in life, I thought, and I felt a fleeting sense of being left behind. “By the way, I got a text from Todo after that.” I’d forgotten about it until now, but when I mentioned it, Haru’s eyes went wide with shock. “Huh?! Why?!” “That’s what I’d like to know…” Judging from Haru’s reaction…it kinda seemed Todo had memorized my number and texted me of her own accord after the fact. Haru scowled. “And…?” Since there wasn’t really anything worth hiding, I shared the text from Todo. “If you want a man, hold him close. If he doesn’t care, knock him down… ” Before I could finish reading it out, Haru’s brow started to twitch. “All righty. Haru needs to step out and take care of some quick business at Ashi High right now! ” “Not sure what’s going on, but you should try to chill out.” “Oh? So is Chitose prepared to stick up for the beautiful and slender Mai?” “Don’t drag me into this.” While we were going at it… “Can you guys wrap it up? Geez!” Nanase, standing behind Haru, gave her stubby ponytail a gentle tug. Haru turned, grumbling, “You know, while you were off gallivanting around Kanazawa, Nana, Mai was running circles around our team.” “You’re blaming me for the failures of our team’s so-called ace?” “Oh, shut up! We put up a good fight at the end there!” “Let’s just keep the losses to the court and not in the rest of your life, okay?” “Nnng! Grrr! Before I take Mai down, I might just settle my score with you!” “All righty, now that we’ve made a deal…” Nanase grinned at me, signaling that she was done sparring with Haru. “Hey.” “’Sup?” I remembered a little bit of friction between me and Nanase when she’d video called me during her trip with Nazuna and Yuuko. When she’d asked me what I’d thought of her kimono, I’d tried to style it out with a joke, and she’d gotten pissed. It’s still difficult to get the right balance between us, I thought to myself. I still haven’t forgotten how I got a tongue-lashing from Yua and Yuuko the night of the summer festival. “I think Saku really believes that. If he casually compliments a girl, she might get the wrong idea and fall in love with him.” “You think a girl’s going to get the wrong idea over a simple compliment? You underestimate us.” “Please, make up with everyone so you can get on with deciding.” On a logical level, I’d like to think I get it. You have to make yourself vulnerable and honestly face what’s in front of you, or you’re never going to manage to define what it is exactly you’re feeling. I smiled wryly as I felt the rising awkwardness reach a peak. But then Nanase gave me a teasing look. “Maybe you’re remembering the sight of me in a kimono?” “…Hmm, maybe.” I did not want to make the same mistake twice, so I decided to go for honesty. Nanase’s eyes widened in surprise; then she continued with a big grin and a theatrical voice. “Hmph, it’s too late to repent now. If you want to settle the score, though…I think you know what needs to be done.” “I know, I know. Unfinished business and all.” “Let’s go with that. So, when’s that rendezvous looking likely to happen?” “Don’t rush. All in good time. Make the sign of the cross and pray before you pull that trigger.” “Pulling the trigger—the ultimate act of love.” Then we looked at each other and burst out laughing. To be honest, I didn’t even know what I was saying partway through the bit. I was just making it up on the fly. I felt like it’d been a long time since she and I’d last done our goofy role-play together. When I pissed her off over the kimono incident, she’d said she’d treat me to some special dish I’ve never even tasted before. That was probably what Nanase was referring to with her cryptic dialogue. Haru, who’d been listening silently next to us, looked back and forth between us with disgust on her face. “Ugh, it’s so uncomfortable when you two talk like that.” “No need for rude personal remarks.” Nanase never failed to provoke Haru. “It’s a secret between me and him. We’re talking in code so no one will figure it out, okay?” Haru took the bait and grabbed me by the front of my shirt, her smile tight with barely repressed anger. “Hey, Chitose. Share your secrets with Haru, too, ’kay? B” “You think roughing me up is gonna work, huh?” When these two get fired up on the court, they’re the coolest. How could I resist the allure of joining in on their sparky banter off the court, too…? While the gang was back together and chatting, I checked the clock. There were still around ten minutes left until homeroom was due to start. She’s late, I realized, and I turned my attention now to the doorway. Some busybody had closed the door with a thud and a serious look on their face, and ever since then, it had been still and silent. This past year and a half, she always got to class before me and would greet me with that cheerful voice and bright smile. The colorful flower in the center of our social circle. But now, without all of that, I was surprised by how on edge and fidgety I was. It felt so strange, as if a crumpled-up answer sheet with a red mark was stuck in my throat, and I found myself swallowing hard. This summer, I was unable to accept the feelings offered to me by a friend I hold dear to me. And now I don’t deserve all her gifts. I’ve sunk to the bottom of the bottle, averting my gaze from the night sky. But I knew that she’d confessed her feelings—not to start something new, but to bring something to a conclusion, and that she had done it not for herself but for all of us. And when we tried to withdraw and lick our wounds, our good friends had sought us out and offered us a helping hand. So one final time…this time, I think, for sure… …we should both try to face up to our feelings. We owed that much to ourselves. Hand in hand. Sharing the same warmth. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised when I got that call from Nazuna in Kanazawa and saw her face on my phone screen. And yet the conversation that followed was so short that it barely counted as a conversation. A casual, normal conversation. It had been unthinkable to even picture such a thing before. For me, it felt just right. It was warm, like all the time we’d spent knowing each other had enveloped me like a hand-knit sweater. So warm, I almost got the urge to pull out my fall clothes. So the emptiness of the morning classroom was really leaving me ill at ease. Was it possible that I was alone in thinking of this as a soft reset? Was it possible that the “ending” we experienced was actually “the end”? “I don’t want to just pretend it didn’t happen.” I believe I made that pretty clear? Ugh, I thought, filled with self-pity, and then… …rattle, clatter, roll. The sound of the door opening arrived like a song. “Good morning!!!” I whirled around to face the voice I’d been actually really desperate to hear, and… “““““““…!!!””””””” I… No, not just me. The whole classroom seemed to hold its collective breath, and there was a preternatural silence. Yua, Nanase, Haru, Kazuki, Kaito, and Kenta, too. Their eyes were popping out of their heads, and their jaws were flapping in the wind. In my peripheral vision, I could see that Nazuna was actually staring at me, her shoulders shaking slightly. She was the only one. “…Huh? Good morning?” The bewildered voice reminded time to flow again. “““““““Whaaat?!””””””” Our collective shock burst and splattered out like a water balloon. None of us could process the situation. We looked to our neighbor, then back to the door. Confused glances flew every which way. And I was right there, staring with the rest of them. I mean, this wasn’t an easy scene to swallow. Yes, it was her, the girl I’d been thinking of so intensely just moments before, only… …only, Yuuko had cut off all her long hair, her pride and joy. I see, I thought, and for a moment, sadness filled me. I knew Yuuko considered her long hair to be her trademark. She loved to make the most of it in different styles, and she spent more time caring for her hair than anyone else did on theirs. Suddenly, a casual exchange we’d once had popped into my mind. “Hey, do you like long hair, Saku?” “I think your hair as it is right now suits you best, Yuuko.” “Hee-hee, I see! Then I guess I’ll keep it this way.” At the time, it wasn’t the compliment being from me that seemed to please Yuuko. It was because I’d complimented her hair. Who could have imagined a day like this would ever come? Yuuko walked over in the midst of our utter shock and confusion. “Good morning, everyone! Here’s to the second semester!” We all exchanged glances…but Nanase was the first to clear her throat and speak. “Er, good morning. So, um, what’s with…y’know…?” Nanase was beating around the bush, but Yuuko got straight to it. “Yeah, I thought I’d try becoming the new me!” Yuuko tossed her head to show off the cut. No longer weighed down by its length, her hair fanned out lightly, then fell smoothly against her cheeks. It reminded me of a first snowfall in the middle of the night, and I found myself entranced. Nanase raised an eyebrow in what looked like admiration and said, “A very Yuuko move.” She shook her head and chuckled. Yua seemed to have regained her composure while observing the exchange between Yuuko and Nanase, and she was the next to give a gentle nod. “Yuuko, you look really beautiful,” she said. “Thanks, Ucchi!” Haru lifted a hand and chimed in. “You look super cool! I actually think I like this much better.” “Really?! Yay,” Yuuko said, raising her hand, and Haru gave her a high five. “Whoooa!!!” Kaito bellowed, apparently no longer able to contain himself. “There was a time when I was totally convinced that Yuuko had to have long hair. But…but look at this, everyone! How could any man see her this way and not be utterly charmed?! Gaaah!!!” Yuuko chuckled as she watched Kaito, who was now addressing the entire class. “Hmph. Kaito, you always act so dramatic.” Yuuko paused for a breath, rolled her eyes, then said… “But I’m kinda pleased, all the same.” Then she smiled softly, a little shyly. “Y-yeah.” Kaito suddenly seemed to get embarrassed then, and he turned away, raising a hand to block his face. Kazuki shrugged and rolled his eyes, then spoke up next. “Not bad at all, Yuuko.” “What’s that, Kazuki? A genuine reaction? Yikes, that’s kinda creepy.” Kenta spoke next, through gasps. “Yuuko… That… You’re red-hot!” “What does that even mean?!” Nobody asked her why. But then they’re not that kind of people, I thought to myself. Once she was done chatting it up with the others, Yuuko finally turned to me. …Thump. That was enough to make my heart beat louder. Am I nervous? I wondered, not sure myself, and I found myself stiffening up. Perhaps it was just awkwardness over speaking face-to-face after such a long time…or insecurity about our relationship and what shape it would take now… Or perhaps it was something else entirely. Yuuko looked down, and her long eyelashes fluttered for about five blinks before slowly angling upward. At last, her wavering eyes met my own. She tipped her head a little to one side, and she gave me a faint smile that brought to mind an intricately twined knot of a traditional Japanese paper cord. “Good morning, Saku.” Quietly, gracefully, and simply put. Okay. In this moment, in this situation, with Yuuko right in front of me…how should I react? Up until now, it would have gone like this: Yuuko would have approached me with a mix of unease and anticipation on her face. She would have said, “So? Whaddaya think?” and I would have given her a cheesy, overblown compliment, keeping my awkwardness under control. So why not this time? Why don’t I play it off with a lighthearted remark, or act all cute and pretend like I haven’t noticed anything’s different, to spare both of us the embarrassment? Or I could even crack a joke about her new hair. …But all those things would seem crass now. Silently chiding myself for being so awkward, I said… “Good morning, Yuuko.” Just natural, you know. The other day, I had this feeling when I was talking to Yuuko on video call: We don’t need to say too much else. Not for a while, I should add. For some reason, I feel like I can guess the answers to everything I’d like to ask her without specifically asking, and even if there are certain things I’d like to know, I can probably get by okay without knowing them. Anything I’d want to express to her, I can get across without actually saying it, I thought, and I found that the smile on my face was completely natural. Not apologetically, but thankfully, I said: “I think it suits who you are right now, Yuuko.” What I ended up saying was the one thing I wanted to say, to overwrite what had gone before. As for Yuuko, it was like she’d known what I wanted to say this whole time. “Then feast your eyes on who I am now, I guess.” She chuckled. “…And, to my final topic of discussion…we have to decide on a class presentation, or what have you, for the Fuji High Festival next month. I’ll earmark a homeroom session for that soon, but until then, you should all give some thought to what you’d like to do.” After some rambling anecdotes from Kura and some good-natured envious bitching about the freedom high school students enjoy during summer vacation, followed by some dry administrative announcements, the introductory class of second semester came to an end. It’s that time of year again, I thought as I tidied up my desk. The Fuji High Festival is our school festival, held over three days in October. The first day is the public festival, where the culture clubs give presentations in the large hall of a facility located near Fuji High. The second day is the sports festival, and the third day is the cultural festival. Last year, I’d just quit baseball and wasn’t really in the right frame of mind to enjoy the school festival. In fact, I can hardly even remember the preparation period beforehand even though it had the rest of the school buzzing. And I can hardly even remember the actual day of the festival itself. I was still thinking about that as I shouldered my Gregory backpack, and then… “Hey, Saku, how about going to Takokyu?” Kaito grinned. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen the old dame who works there since just after the closing ceremony of the first semester. She’ll probably give me a bit of a tongue-lashing, I thought ruefully. “I’m down… What about everyone else?” Haru nodded. “Basketball is having independent practice today. So I have plenty of time to eat.” Kazuki spoke next. “Same here. Hey, why don’t we have a brainstorming session and discuss what we’re gonna do for the school festival?” He was probably referring to some kind of performance Year Two, Class Five would put on. Or maybe he meant just our group. Basically, aside from the presentations put on by the culture clubs at the public festival, anyone can take part in the sports or cultural festivals in any way they’d like to, if they’re so inclined. “You’re the last person I’d imagine would suggest something like that.” I was teasing, but Kazuki just shrugged. “Last year, we all chose not to, out of concern for a certain someone’s mental state.” “…Yeah. Sorry.” Nanase strolled over, shoulders shaking with mirth. “Mizushino taking point? Kinda surprising.” Kazuki narrowed his eyes a little and gazed out the window. “Same as the fireworks festival. There’s no guarantees we’ll be able to have the same type of fun next year.” When he said that, Kenta, Yua, and Yuuko also paused in the act of packing their bags, looked at one another, and nodded. As soon as we pushed open the door to Takokyu… “You never once showed your faces during summer vacation. You heartless kids.” Just like I’d expected, the first thing I heard was a tongue-lashing. We tried to placate the old dame and ordered yakisoba, takoyaki, and fried chicken as a token of our apology. Once our dishes arrived, Kazuki immediately got down to business. “So what to do for the school festival?” We’d ordered the yakisoba as a form of penance, but in the end, the proprietress upgraded our order to a jumbo portion for free. Kaito was busy chowing down, but he paused to speak next. “But the performances put on at the cultural festival by each class are something we’re gonna hash out in homeroom, right? Are you talking about doing something extra?” Kazuki nodded and continued. “Yeah, like serving on the executive committee or taking one of the free participation slots.” I don’t know how it goes at other high schools, but at Fuji’s school festival, basically all the students are assigned to some kind of committee or group. The executive committees for the sports festival and cultural festival are probably the best examples. Actually, a lot of students try to get the maximum enjoyment out of the event, so there’s a lot of competition for places. Conversely, less motivated students usually try to get onto the school grounds cleanup crew or the film crew, things that involve less work. Kaito went on to bring up the entertainment put on by each class at the school festival. Stuff like food stalls and booths, haunted house experiences, and stage performances like plays and comedy routines. Then there’s the free participation slots anyone can apply to fill, either as an individual or in friend groups. Stuff like light music performances or a cappella contests and so on. In other words, if our gang wanted to do something besides our official class entertainment, we’d either have to try to join the same committee or apply for one of the free participation slots. Nanase picked up a french fry and casually spoke. “I want to try being in a band for the school festival at least once in my life.” I paused in the act of wolfing down my takoyaki. “Hmm, I wouldn’t have expected that.” “Really? I mean, I don’t know much about music, but I think it’s just kinda cool, you know? I’ve always been sporty, ever since I was little, but I’ve always kinda admired people in bands like brass band, who perform onstage in front of an audience.” I kinda got what Nanase was saying. Of course, in baseball and basketball, you end up playing in front of a big crowd if you make it to nationals. It’s kinda similar in that you can show off the fruits of all your practice in front of an audience. But we’re not professionals, so we’re not playing to entertain anyone. We’re just competing with the other team, although it usually ends up with the audience getting excited anyway. So when you look at it that way, it’s like the whole point of a live band or brass band performance is to entertain an audience. I’ve thought about what it might be like to have people respond directly to a performance you’re putting on. Sure I have. I thought for a second and then spoke. “I reckon you could learn to play a basic song easily on, like, guitar or bass, Nanase.” It’s not uncommon for a group of friends to form a beginner band for the school festival. It’s not like we’re selling tickets and performing at some legitimate live venue. But a group of scrappy kids cobbling something together and pulling off a mostly okay performance at a school festival… That’s something a crowd loves to see. Nanase waved her hand airily. “Oh, I’m just spitballing, though. One song would be doable, I guess, but putting together a live set and doing our class entertainment and somehow keeping up with club stuff sounds too much like hard work.” “Hmm, I guess you’re right.” Haru sounded a little bit wistful. “We’ve got the Winter Cup preliminaries coming up next month. I want to enjoy the school festival to the fullest, too, but if we’re going to do something as a group, it’d be easier if we could slot into something our class or one of the committees already has all arranged.” Nanase cupped her cheeks, looking contrite. “Right. Sorry, everyone.” Fuji puts a lot of effort into its school festival, so all clubs are canceled in the immediate run-up to it. But when there’s some important tournament going on, like there is for Haru and her team, they can’t just neglect practice. They’ll probably have their hands really full if they have to balance the class activity with a committee-organized one as well. But Kazuki sounded like he’d been expecting that reaction. “Well, that’s only natural, I guess. All right, no free participation slots for now. I’m fine just doing a class performance if it comes to that. But is there any committee everyone would like to join?” “Oh, me me me!” Yuuko thrust her hand into the air. “So, like, what if we joined the cheering squad for the sports festival?” “““““Aha!””””” Kaito, Kazuki, Nanase, Haru, and I all vocalized our understanding in unison. Yua and Kenta didn’t seem to get it, though, and they both stared at Yuuko in bewilderment. Basically, for the sports festival, all the students are divided into five groups: red, blue, yellow, green, and black. Then we compete against one another in relay races and tug-of-war, stuff like that. Incidentally, our class is going to be in the Blue Team, apparently. But aside from the tried-and-true events, there’s a few other interesting ones—namely, the big group Display Project and the cheering squads’ routines. So for the group Display Project, each team has to physically make something that’s the same color as their team color. For example, the Red Team would make a big Lupin in his red jacket, and the Green Team would make Yoshi or some kind of famous character like that. You’d make them with a chicken wire framework, about sixteen feet high, and then display them in front of a background panel. Then you’d put on little skits when performance time comes around. And the cheering squads are there to cheer for their own team. While the races and so on are going on, the cheer squad leads the other students in shouting encouragement, waving flags, and performing synchronized cheers every now and then. But just like with the Display Project people, the cheer squad really shines during the performance sessions. Each cheer squad gets a slot to perform while wearing handmade costumes and performing original dance routines they’ve personally choreographed to music. The Display Project teams and the cheer teams get ranked and then bring in a ton of points. They’re basically one of the highlights of the whole sports festival. Haru was the first one to jump aboard. “Sounds great! I’m amazing at anything physical, after all!” I was quick to tease her. “Haru, can you even dance?” “Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Haru chided me, waggling her index finger in front of my face. “Don’t underestimate me, Hubby. Any basketball player worth her salt’s got to have a good sense of rhythm, in my humble opinion.” “Ah, indeed, there may be wisdom to your words. So then you’re cool with this, too, Kaito?” Kaito was quick to flex his bicep. “Heck yeah! I mean, I don’t know if basketball skills translate to dance skills, but if it’s jock stuff and not academic stuff, then I think I’ve got it on lock! I mean, I can easily wave a flag around and all that.” I grinned. He’s oddly persuasive, I thought. I looked at Nanase and Kazuki. Eh, these two are probably persuadable. Kazuki smiled. “Not that I have any experience, either, but either way, I don’t see why I should get outshone by Kaito.” Nanase smiled teasingly as well. “Same goes for me, but against Haru, of course.” “Hey, that’s not cool!” “Excuse me?! You wanna go right now?!” Eh, I never really had any concerns about these hard-core school club members to begin with. The issue lies with… I glanced over at the two who had yet to contribute to the conversation. Predictably, Yua raised her hand with a look of mild concern on her face. “I have some reservations, I think.” “Whaaat?” Yuuko said. “But you’ve been playing music since you were little. If anyone can do it, it’s you!” “I mean, it’s just a bit embarrassing…” “But, Ucchi, you have that big stage performance with the brass band on the first day of the public festival, don’t you? You’ll be performing in front of tons of people! This is essentially the same thing, you know?” “Hmm… Well, when you put it that way…” “Don’t worry! I won’t laugh! Even if it turns out you’ve got two left feet.” “Please! I’m not that uncoordinated!” Seeing the two of them giggling together, I realized that Yua was probably just fine. And then everyone’s head swiveled as we turned to look at… “No way, no way, no way, and NO WAY!” Kenta stood up, flapping his hands in a panic. “You jerks! Would you drag a deep-sea fish out of the ocean in midsummer and tell it to dance the samba on the beach?! You think a floppy blobfish like me can blend in with the tropical specimens on display on the cheer team?! Is this a ploy to mock the former shut-in?!” “Hey, calm down, Kenta. Not even tropical fish can dance the samba on the beach.” But at the same time, I saw what he was getting at. This kind of thing clearly divides folks into the “I could do that” faction and the “No way in hell” faction. So even though this is the best part of the entire festival, those who really want to participate usually get granted a place. It depends on the psychology of the individual. You can’t force it. Still, it wouldn’t seem right for Kenta to be the only one left out. Maybe we could switch to theater props or some other committee, I thought, but then… “Kenta, can I talk to you for a second?” Kazuki got to his feet, but before he could say any more, Kenta started protesting. “No, no, it doesn’t matter how hard you try to persuade me, I just can’t! I’ll join some other committee, something easy, but you guys go ahead and do cheering.” Kazuki shook his head slightly and placed his hand on Kenta’s shoulder. “Just listen, Kenta.” “I’d rather die than dance!” It’ll be no easy feat to convince Kenta when he’s all wound up like this, I thought with a smile. Still, let’s see what Kazuki does. “Kenta, you like anime, right?” “So what? In case you’re unaware, the school festivals depicted in anime are fictional.” And you call yourself an otaku? Don’t pull us into the bleak real world. Kazuki continued in a cool voice. “Speaking of dancing, anime characters dance in the opening and ending credits sometimes, right? Who wants to watch something like that? Wouldn’t it be better to show something more in canon, something more steeped in the world of the actual work itself. That stuff is just pandering fanservice.” Kenta gave Kazuki a shockingly sardonic look. “Excuse me? It’s a TREAT for fans. It’s practically every fan’s duty to reproduce the dance moves to perfection!” One corner of Kazuki’s mouth twitched up a little. “And incidentally… Don’t anime fans do those Wotagei dances with glow sticks at voice actors’ live performances?” Kenta sighed heavily. He turned both hands palms-up and rolled his eyes. “Oh dear. See, this is what happens when people like you act like you know the first thing about otaku. Nobody does Wotagei these days. It just annoys people who’ve actually come to enjoy the live show. Anyway, I’m not even a voice actor otaku. So if you want to reach me on my level, at least do some research first.” Amazing. Kazuki blinked away Kenta’s diatribe with that same cool expression on his face. If I were him, I would have flicked Kenta right in his big dumb forehead. “So, Kenta… You don’t know any Wotagei moves? You can’t do it?” “Huh? I know Wotagei. I never said otherwise.” “But you said nobody does Wotagei these days.” “Oh, you don’t get it, you don’t get it at all, Mizushino. If you do Wotagei at a concert, it’s an inconvenience to others. But in your own room, you can do what you like, right? You can dance your heart out with a concert video. And you know, I’ve been keeping up the training program King made for me, so I’m actually really in shape right now.” Looking closely, I could see Kazuki’s shoulders shaking slightly, like he was desperately trying to hold back laughter. But by this point, I knew where he was going with this. Kazuki seemed to be trying to speak with the utmost calm. “Hmm? It sounds kinda interesting… But I guess it would be embarrassing to do that in front of others, right?” Kenta puffed out his chest melodramatically. “Hmm. But King said something once… You gotta be proud of who you are. Like, there’s no need to be ashamed of what you like.” Hey, don’t go paraphrasing me. You’re making me sound like a dork. Kazuki got to the point. “Well then, why not show me what you got? Might be good to do something new, not one of the dances you’ve already learned.” Kenta’s eyes gleamed. “It’s on! Challenge accepted.” “Including practice time, I think next month should be good. On the school playing field.” “With that amount of time, I can show you three or four dances.” “Well, if you’re going to be dancing, you should plan out every detail and make a costume to go along with it, hmm?” “Heh. It’ll be my first time cosplaying. But I’m not complaining.” “Well, then…” Kazuki looked around the table, a dodgy smile on his face. “It looks like Kenta will be joining the cheer team, too.” “Wait… WHAAAAAT?!” We’d all held back our mirth enough. Now we burst out laughing at the way Kazuki had trapped Kenta. Kaito was wheezing with laughter and clutching his stomach. “What’s the issue, Kenta? It sounds like you’ve got the most experience of us all.” Haru wiped her eyes dramatically. “I’m looking forward to seeing Yamazaki’s amazing dance moves.” Nanase chimed in, too. “Don’t worry, a bunch of us will be dancing, so it’s not like you’ll stand out.” Yuuko brightened and got to her feet. “Kentacchi! Let’s make some amazing memories, okay?!” Yua looked up at Kenta and smiled gently. “Let’s work hard together, Yamazaki.” Finally, I spoke. “Well, looks like it’s all decided. Let’s enjoy our youth while we’ve still got it.” “Darn normies,” Kenta sulkily mumbled to himself. As we all laughed together, I found my thoughts wandering. The summer of our seventeenth year…never to come again. After passing through that fresh green tunnel, everything felt different. I saw last summer through to the end with Haru, then welcomed a new summer. Yuuko opened up her heart to me. Then Yua opened up to me and Yuuko. Honestly, thanks to Nanase and Asuka, I felt like things had already started changing, though. Kazuki and Kaito… Well, they’d always been Kazuki and Kaito. But Kenta had evolved into a higher form. …Together, we all saw this summer through to its end. I have zero intention of pretending like none of it ever happened. However… Everyday life was back to normal, and boy, if it didn’t taste sweet. I walked along the riverbed path. Same as this morning, just in the opposite direction. We’d all gone our separate ways after Takokyu. Nanase, Haru, and Kazuki went right off to club practice. Yuuko and Yua were going shopping near the station, apparently. And Kenta, who was headed to Animate, would be walking that way with them. I had no particular plans, myself. I strolled home, leisurely taking in the scenery. I felt so laid-back. Taking a nap with a stray cat for companionship…now that would be a nice way to pass the rest of the afternoon. I could do whatever I wanted. I could do absolutely nothing, too. It was a glorious time. Done with their duties now that August had passed, the wind chimes were putting in overtime. Their tinkling was almost morose. I could smell something sweet drifting on the air. Leftover corn being hastily boiled, perhaps. As I made my way along, I spotted a figure sitting by the little sluice gate. I stopped dawdling and sped up. Then I clambered down the bank, using the narrow, paved channel that was just wide enough for one person. I saw her in profile, and for a moment, she appeared to be wearing a crisp new dress, soaking wet. I called out, hoping my voice would sound light and cheerful. Lively, like festival music. “Asuka.” Asuka looked up from her paperback, relief crossing her face. It was the kind of look she might have had at a parent-teacher conference if her dad ran in after being late, or something. Then she tossed her head and turned away. “I was sure I wouldn’t be seeing you today.” I smiled a little and sat down beside her. “Sorry, sorry. I was grabbing dinner with the gang.” I glanced at the cover of her paperback and noted the title: Me, and Our Summer. I’ve never read it, but it made me wonder if Asuka was feeling wistful about the season that had just passed. Asuka shook her shoulders a little awkwardly and spoke. “Just kidding. It’s such a nice evening, I didn’t feel like heading home straight away. Although I was kinda wondering if I might get to see you.” We were thinking along the same lines, I realized, and that realization filled me with warmth. I was worried I might have inadvertently hurt her feelings when we went to tour the URALA office together that time. But it seemed like she’d long gotten over that incident. Oh, speaking of which… “What color are you, Asuka?” From her confused expression, I realized I’d been too vague and quickly clarified. “Sorry, sorry. I mean for the sports festival.” She seemed to realize what I was getting at, but her response was still kinda muted. “I don’t think we found out yet… How come?” “Nothing. Just me and the gang were talking about doing cheer team together.” Generally speaking, the committees for the school festivals and the color-coding for the sports festival were decided randomly. In other words, besides school clubs, it’s the only time in all of high school that we could participate in activities together with students from different grades. Maybe she’d picked up on my subtext—or should I say, the rather exciting possibility I was subconsciously expressing. Asuka turned away and blushed. “Well, what color are you?” she asked. “Blue.” “I see… The cheer squad for the sports festival…” I could see that she looked troubled, so I quickly kept talking. “Well, I guess you aren’t really the type to put on a colorful costume and dance for a crowd, Asuka.” The comment was meant to be lighthearted, to soften the mood, but Asuka pouted. “Hold on. What’s that supposed to mean?” Her reaction was so funny. I felt an urge to mess with her. “I just mean that you look best to me reading, in a white dress.” Now Asuka was pouting even more. “Listen here, you… You think I can’t even dance, don’t you?” “…Honestly, all I can picture is you yelling, ‘Wait! Don’t leave me behind!’ like you did that one time, and…” “Okay, so I’m not exactly the best at sports. But I’m not totally uncoordinated, either.” “The issue is, you become a total klutz when you’re out of your element.” “…Oh, okay, now I see what you think of me!” She turned her back on me, sulking. I grinned. “I was just joking. What I wanted to say is, don’t force yourself to go along with the crowd.” Asuka let out a short sigh, and her shoulders slumped. “I understand well enough that it’s not in my comfort zone.” “You never would sing at karaoke, either.” “Oh, again with the teasing, huh?” “C’mon, you know me.” Asuka gave me an exasperated look. Her expression was more melancholy than I’d thought…and more vulnerable than I would’ve hoped. She started to say something but then stopped herself and just muttered under her breath instead. “My final school festival…” Loneliness welled up inside me; I had nowhere to put it, so it spread through me. I responded in a subdued tone. “It’d be cool if we got to be the same color, at least.” “Yeah. Blue, like you.” And so we sat there gazing at the blue sky for a while, at a red bicycle parked by the side of the road, at a yellow T-shirt swaying on a nearby balcony, at the green trees rustling in the breeze, and at the black crows swooping by. Swish. As my hundredth two-handed three-pointer fell through the net, I, Haru Aomi, finally relaxed my shoulders and took a deep breath. After we all dispersed at Takokyu, the independent practice session began. Before I knew it, it was seven PM already. Sen, Yoh, and the others were all as caught up in practice as I was. None of us were showing any signs of leaving. And no one had even thought to bring up the idea of wrapping it up when we were ready, either. Things really have changed, I thought, taking in the scene. I wiped my sweaty brow with the hem of my T-shirt and turned to my partner, who’d been passing balls to me. “Thanks. Shall we wrap it up for today?” Nana looked composed, even though she’d just finished a hundred baskets herself. “All that practice has started paying off.” “You’re one to talk.” I wasn’t exactly keeping count, but I’m pretty sure it only took Nana, like, 120 to 130 shots to get a hundred baskets. As for me, I took well over 200 shots. Actually, it might have been more like 300. Seeing me deep in thought, Nana smiled, turned her back to me, and began briskly instructing the others in tidying up. Actually, when I told her that I’d been practicing my three-pointer in secret, away from the rest of the team, she got pretty steamed at me and was like, “Why didn’t you tell me about it?” “I mean, I just thought I should try to get the basics down first, before I brought it to the team… Otherwise, I might just confuse them or make everyone do more practice than they’d normally need to…” “Are you crazy? It’s like with any shot. The only way to get a real feel for a three-pointer is to try it out in a real game! I mean, even if you get an eighty percent success rate in practice, that usually only translates to, like, forty percent in an actual game. Practicing shots from a fixed position, not even passing—it’s better than nothing, but you’re not gonna get too far doing that!” “…All right, all right, my bad.” In truth, getting passes from Nana and trying to convert them was way less successful than just shooting by myself. I can pretty much imagine how this would go in a real game, especially with defense players all up in my face. Nana often got on my case about it. “Why didn’t you try for a three-pointer?!” Yeah, she has a point, but… My partner is just kinda amazing, being able to make shots like that as calmly as she does during games… “But,” I said, hugging the ball. “I’ve gotten stronger.” Those words I said to him weren’t lies. I’ve seriously leveled up since that game against Aki and Kei. This sometimes happens to people who have been involved in sports for a long time. Growth isn’t always a smooth curve. I mean, of course, skills and physical strength are always improving bit by bit, but there always comes a point where you feel like you’ve plateaued. Like you’re standing on a landing in between flights of stairs. You can push yourself to the limit, practicing longer, practicing harder, chasing this ideal, but your body can’t quite keep up. Then one day… …it’s like you break through the proverbial ceiling, and you go up another flight of stairs two or three steps at a time. You feel lighter, like you’ve shed the weight of the person you were yesterday. You catch up to that ideal style of play you were chasing, just a few steps ahead—and you’re perfectly in sync. Like you’ve broken out of a shell, vaulted over a barrier, finally grabbed hold of something. Yeah, there are definitely times like that. For me, I think it was the game we had the other day. Or more specifically, I think it was down to what Miss Misaki said. “You’re not warriors. You’re fighting girls.” Those two sentences blasted away all my confusion. Suddenly, the promise I made with everyone at Takokyu came to mind. Me, on the cheer squad at the sports festival? I wanted to laugh. Of all the ways to participate in the school festival, cheer squad has to be among the top five most difficult and time-consuming. I mean, for the dance performance bit, we have to choose the theme, make costumes, pick music, come up with choreography, memorize the choreography, then do the actual performance itself. If it had been last year, I’d have said no, claiming it was too much of a distraction from basketball. “If I have time to dance and cheer, I’d rather spend it practicing basketball,” I’d say, or something like that. But…thinking of that guy I’m crazy about… The more I devote my passion to basketball, the more I miss him. And the more fired up I get about him, the sharper my basketball skills become. So I was able to decide what to do without any hesitation at all. I can still be around him, even without the excuse of helping him with his baseball practice or making summer memories. What kind of conversations will we have? What kind of time will we spend? What kind of memories will we create? I want to embrace it all. I want it to power me. Maybe… Maybe I don’t even need an answer from him. Maybe there’s no need to make a serious challenge of it. Right now, I think I’m probably happier than anyone else in the world. If just having feelings for him is this fulfilling, then is there really any need to hope for anything more? I mean, I’ve already figured something out. I’ve inextricably linked basketball and you in my mind. That’s how come I know I can get even stronger. That’s how I’ve come to know fear. Two sides of the same coin. Both things I think about whenever I have a spare moment. If this love were to end, would I still be able to stand on the court? Would I be able to gaze at the basketball hoop with the intensity I have now? …I don’t think I could. Would I be able to shake it off and focus solely on basketball again? Or would I lose all my fighting spirit and never get back to this sweet spot again? One thing I do know for certain. If this love ends, then the girl I am today ends, too. In that case, I thought, putting a hand to my heart… In that case, I won’t be dramatic and ask you to consider me. As long as I get to gaze at you all I like…then that’s enough. I’d rather have both hands full than both hands empty. …If only our relationship can carry on just like this… Forever… I, Yua Uchida, was preparing dinner as usual. Today’s main dish was swordfish wrapped with plum paste and shiso leaves. Dad and my brother don’t really like fish—where have I heard that before…? But this recipe is something they both really like. Maybe because pickled plum paste goes so well with rice. First, I cut the horse mackerel I’d pre-thawed in the refrigerator into bite-size pieces, sprinkled a little salt on it, then left it for a while. While that was sitting, I took out a couple of large pickled plums, removed the pits, and pounded them with a chopping knife until they turned into paste. Then I got out the shiso leaves I’d bought in bulk on sale. I’d kept them stored in a plastic container half filled with water. Then I spread the pickled plum paste over the cut swordfish pieces, wrapped them up in shiso leaves, and lightly dusted them with potato starch… And that was the prep work all done. Before I started frying them, I checked on the pot I had bubbling on the stove. I’d boiled some potatoes and onions. Ordinary base veggies for miso soup. Since it was a weekday, I’d cheated a little and used granulated dashi soup stock. I checked that the potatoes were cooked through, then switched off the gas and dissolved some miso into the stock. Then I shook in some dried wakame seaweed, and I was done with the soup. Next, I put a frying pan on the stove and heated the rice oil, which we use instead of salad oil at home, and started by frying half of the horse mackerel rolls that I’d already prepared. Once those were cooked through, I put them on a plate and then fried the remaining half. Salt-and-plum flavor is delicious enough on its own, but my younger brother prefers stronger-tasting food, so I always splash some mentsuyu on half the portion to provide a different flavor dynamic. Today, I poured on some of the ishiru dashi that Yuuko had brought me back from Kanazawa as a souvenir. The delicious smell of marinated fish filled the air, and my mind suddenly drifted to this morning. …Summer was over. And my best friend had cut her hair. That’s all that really happened…technically speaking. But I never thought a day like this would come. I knew that Yuuko took exemplary care of her hair. I remembered how excited she was when she showed me some new updo she’d mastered, something that made the most of her long tresses. …I just couldn’t have imagined her without that long hair. Because she was the girl it looked best on. Ever since the day Mom left, right up until I started high school, I stuck to a short haircut. Something understated. I never wanted to have a fashionable hairstyle, nor did I want people to think I was pretty… I’d much rather have blended into the crowd than stand out in any way… When I met Yuuko—and then you—was the first time I ever wanted to be more girly. The new friend I made had such long hair that it shook whenever she laughed and whipped around when she got angry, and whenever she came running up to me, it’d stream out behind her shoulders like a wedding veil. She was exactly what a pretty girl should be. No doubt, back then, I was just as charmed by Yuuko as I was by that boy I hated. I was too embarrassed to ever express it out loud… But the truth is, I’ve been an admirer of hers since last year. I wanted to be like “that girl.” I’d grown out my hair as part of that desire, and by now, I had considerable length myself. …But just when I thought I was getting close, the gap opened wide again. I heard oil spitting and quickly turned to the frying pan to turn over the swordfish with a pair of cooking chopsticks. I had to smile over how silly I was. Yuuko…really is something else. I had basically zero concept of boys and romance until I entered high school, but even I got the significance of the gesture. After what happened, she cut her hair. In other words, she was signaling to the world that she had no lasting sadness or regret over what happened. All she’d done was cut off her long hair, which had always reminded me of angel wings and which I’d spent so much time admiring. So why does it give off that impression? She always looked like she’d be able to take off and fly out the window with just a firm kick against the ground. Even when we were shopping together near the station after school. Here I was, thinking the old Yuuko had returned. But now there was this brand-new Yuuko I didn’t know at all. She was somehow much more mature, but also ethereal, like she might disappear if you touched her. And yet she was all here emotionally, but with an aura that was hard to pin down. It made me feel a little left behind…and a little in awe. I switched off the gas, transferred the swordfish rolls to a plate, and gently placed a hand on my chest. I’m so glad it didn’t end like that. I’m glad we were able to link hands once more. But still, I thought, gazing at the kitchen stool. “And then, one day, we’ll all decide to face up to our own feelings of love.” That evening, I remember I said that… A reconciliation, with a clear time boundary. At the very least, it was clear to me that the “someday” hanging in the air between Saku and Yuuko was definitely a “not now.” I’d said those words for two people so precious to me. In that case, then, I thought, ready for some soul-searching: When will that “someday” be for me? Yuuko was moving forward in her own way. Saku listened to what I had to say and made a little place in his home for me. An acknowledgment of how I feel. But still, I… I’d realized that what I want is to be special. I’d made up my mind to be a little more self-indulgent. But there’s a part of me that’s still clinging. Facing up to your romantic feelings doesn’t always mean disaster. But this summer…I tried to see through to Saku’s and Yuuko’s true hearts. To see those endlessly flowing tears. The pain that hurts so bad, you want to rip out your own heart. The suffering that takes you out of your true self. The sadness that feels like drowning. Regret so strong, you want to erase your own memories… To know the end of love. Because I knew how Yuuko felt that day. She was me. The only difference is, one confessed her feelings, and one kept them a secret. If it had been me who had confessed in that classroom at dusk, I would have been rejected with the exact same words. Even if there was a place for me in your heart, well…what about the other girls? What then? Without having the courage or resolve to take the first step, I just accepted the results in advance. Instead of being deeply hurt, I was only hurt superficially. But because of that, I can live in the present, where things seem likely to continue rather than end. This happiness. I’d like to just enjoy it, I think. I can hang out one-on-one with Yuuko again. Saku and I made plans to go grocery shopping like it was the most natural thing in the world. And while this cheering squad idea kinda freaks me out a bit, I know the Fuji High Festival will end up being an experience I’ll never forget. If I could have my wish… …not just for me, but for everyone… …it would be that we could cherish this September, now that we’d made it through the trials of August. For “someday” to remain just that. …If only I could fully indulge myself in ordinary days like these forever. “What color are you, Asuka?” You’re like…the only postman who comes to an isolated island. Just when you’ve forgotten about him, he suddenly shows up to deliver a letter… A thing of joy. Though experience should have taught me better… Though I know I should just face reality… I keep wondering, Will he come today? What about tomorrow? And I find myself waiting… I haven’t noticed. I don’t see it. I’ve been repeating these falsehoods like some sort of prayer. But in reality…it’s always been on my mind. That’s what kind of summer it was. With me out of the loop. I spent the summer quietly…and mostly alone. My date with you felt like a continuation of the seven days we spent when we were little. And when we spent time together on the summer study trip, it made me feel like we were actually classmates, if only for a short time. I was getting all excited over trivial shared moments—falling in love with you—and all the while… Unbeknownst to me, you were hurting terribly, and I was so far outside the situation, I couldn’t even try to wipe away the tears you had to be crying. Well then, at least let me be your older, wiser school friend. The invite to Grandma’s house was steeped in nostalgia. I tried to get you to open up…but who knows how much help I actually was? Then the night of the festival. When you returned with those girls, now that you’d all made up, I wasn’t even surprised. I knew it was going to happen the day before, with that telephone call. It was that kindhearted girl who made you omelet rice while you were crying. It was obvious she’d been by your side through the whole thing. This summer… Hiiragi. Uchida. Nanase. Aomi. Mizushino. Asano. Yamazaki. And you, friend. You all shared things together. Your worries, your suffering, your pain. You made stories together that can never be overwritten. But it doesn’t matter how many pages you flip through. My name doesn’t even appear in the book. It’s always been this way. And it always will be. I’ve given up. And that’s precisely the reason why. Why your casual words had the power to bring me to tears with happiness. Whenever I think too hard about things, I start hoping for stuff. So I try really hard not to focus on it too much. Because of that, the true meaning passed me by at first. If we could be on the same committee for the Fuji Festival… If we could be on the same color team during the sports festival… I’m sure I’ve been imagining this possibility for a long time, longer than you have. Suddenly, I realized that the retro-style radio perched on the edge of my desk was playing Bump of Chicken’s “Stage of the Ground.” The cheer squad for the sports festival, eh? I thought, and I couldn’t suppress a grin. Yeah…that tracks for you guys. They’ll get all excited about it, take it super seriously, get fired up to an embarrassing level, and put on a performance that’ll whip the audience into a frenzy. If I joined that circle…? Hmm, nope, can’t really picture myself cheering at the top of my voice or dancing around in a costume, but maybe breaking out of my comfort zone might not be so bad for once. Because after all, you always take me to places I’ve never known before. Or, perhaps, I think. Maybe that’s what I need right now—to spend some time doing stuff like that. Not time with “you”…but time with “you all.” I wanna get my name in the book, too. I feel like I didn’t pick up on certain things because I’m a year ahead of you. Maybe they aren’t all great things. I’d only ever had experiences of them through you—through the soft filter of your stories about them. But now I see the depth of your relationships with them, the look in your eyes when you see them, the shorthand you all use together…expressions on your face that I’ve never even seen… I want to see it all up close. Some of it will hurt. Some of it will be confusing. Some of it will cause suffering, no doubt. But I even envy the pain involved. “It’d be cool if we got to be the same color, at least.” “Yeah. Blue, like you.” Dye it blue, I think. Recently, I keep having this random thought. Would my big love really come to an end if I went to Tokyo? I mean, I’ve certainly been prepared for that to happen. I would leave this town and chase after my dream. No more surreptitiously waiting for a third-year Saku at this very riverbank. No more random date invitations. No chance of being his wife. For all those reasons, I’m trying to make the most of the time we have left… Or at least I thought I was. Still, sometimes I find myself tempted by a sweet escape. I think back on the year when I encountered you once again in my life. We never had the type of relationship where we saw each other every day. And until recently, we never once made plans to meet in advance, let alone exchange phone calls or chat on the LINE app. So can’t we just stay like that? If I work hard at a part-time job over there, I might be able to come home, like, once a month. Without telling you, I’ll sit on the riverbank and read a book just as school’s getting out. Then, after thoroughly enjoying the look of surprise on your face, I’ll drag you off for a date. This may sound a little conceited, but I can certainly provide you with career advice… Like, literal career advice via phone calls. We could even do video calls, and I could bring you on walks along the streets of Tokyo on the weekends. Would it be all that different from this past year? It’s incredible how fast it’s gone. That day we went to do that workplace experience, we had dinner that evening. The conversation you had with Hiiragi and Uchida before you came back to the festival… How things worked out… I think you probably took care to tell me only the parts it was okay for me to hear. It was a beautiful story, one that moved me to tears of sympathy… So much so that I wanted to run away… One single ray of moonlight shining down. Your big love hasn’t started yet. But maybe…, I think to myself. You’re so earnest with everyone, but you make everything so hard for yourself. For someone like you, choosing just one person is never gonna be easy. But maybe you’ll be able to name your feelings in time and earnestly face each of the girls in your heart (and please, let me be one of them!). You’ll take your time about it, choosing every word carefully, like you’re writing a novel. While that happens… Maybe the big one-year gap between us will naturally close. Let’s say, for example, you consider college in Tokyo, too… Once we’re both college students, me being an academic year older is going to be almost completely irrelevant. Heh. I know, I know, I’m making it all sound way too easy, aren’t I? But if I could have one wish…then even after I graduate… …please let this closeness…this time we spend together…go on and on and on. I, Yuzuki Nanase, opened my eyes quietly to the sound of dripping water. No matter the time of year, I just love taking long relaxing baths like this. I turn off the bathroom light and light a scented candle. Sometimes I just stare blankly at the flickering fire, and other times I rest my head on the edge of the bathtub, just loll there in the water, and let my thoughts wander. I think about basketball, about my team partner, my friends, the guy I like. Today, I’ve been thinking about September. Or I should say, I’ve been thinking about all of us—here now, having passed through summer and finally reaching fall… I think about Chitose. “…But there is another girl in my heart.” He said that again, it seems, in a pained sort of way. After prefacing it by saying that Yuuko was in his heart. He’s always a total disaster, I thought, smiling a little to myself. Why couldn’t he just say, “Please wait a little for my response”? I know the girl Chitose’s referring to. Or girls. Yuuko, Ucchi, Haru, Nishino. …And me. Heh. Okay, maybe it’s bigheaded of me, but I’m not some naive, cowardly girl. I can include myself in the list. Right now, these are the five girls in Chitose’s heart, I think. Well, in that case, I should be jumping for joy a bit, getting a little cute about it. But I can’t be all the way happy. I can’t just let things slide. I can appreciate how conflicted he is about all this. There’s no doubt he feels differently toward us than he does toward our other classmates. But as friends…? As team partners? As someone to look up to…? At the very least, those feelings aren’t romantic. Not yet. We’ve all been dragged left and right by imaginings and delusions. I’ll put a label on it and call it love later on, at the end. That’s what I thought…until I made contact with the real Chitose. I mean, he’s the person I find it easiest to talk to at school. I can hang out with him like he’s family. He’s a running buddy who can keep up with me and match my enthusiasm. He’s the one who accepted, for the first time ever, the version of me I can’t show publicly. I’ve seen plenty of people eager to slap on the LOVE! sticker for the most trivial of reasons. Then they get sick of who they’re with and rip off that same sticker with callous abandon. “Love” is carte blanche to go hurting other people for your own selfish whims. I’m sure that’s what we were both thinking. My past self. Your current self. It applies even more when the person in question is a precious friend you don’t want to hurt. …I don’t know when it becomes okay to label my feelings as love. In other words…, I thought, as I scooped up water in my palms. I can see Yuzuki Nanase reflected in the surface of the water I’m holding. In other words, maybe one day Chitose will look at me differently, and I’ll finally be able to call these feelings “requited.” Tch. This is all so deeply annoying. And yet here I am, grinning. I think about Nishino. To be honest, I still don’t know much about her. But you’d have to be dumb not to see that Chitose looks up to her. And that he’s somebody special to Nishino, too. Ever since that trip to Tokyo I encouraged him to go on, their relationship doesn’t seem to have the same air of mystique that it once did. But at the same time, it’s like the time they spend together is building something that’s increasingly untouchable by anyone else. Well, crucially, Nishino will be going far, far away soon. But maybe one or both of them will have come to a decision by then. I think about Haru. After we went up against Ashi High in July, my partner was a little distant. Like emotionally, she was away with the clouds. Still, she never neglected practice or lost sight of her goals. So I wasn’t able to reach out a hand to her in any specific way. I just watched from the sidelines, feeling conflicted. But then that day when we played the match against the older girls I also look up to—Aki and Suzu. Umi seemed to get something from that. Yeah, I was shocked she’d apparently been practicing three-pointers without telling me. But it was proof that with enough practice, she could be an ace player, a menace on the court. Trouble for our opponents, and for me, too. In all probability, Umi’s little slump was probably connected to her romantic feelings for Chitose. But the fact that she was able to break free of the slump must mean that she came to some resolution within herself. She’s my right-hand girl on the court. But as an opponent? She’s a rival worthy of striking fear into my heart. And there aren’t too many of those around. I think about Ucchi. When I think about Ucchi, my heart aches. “I want us to understand each other better than anyone else.” I thought I wanted that, too… But I wasn’t able to find Chitose’s hidden heart for her. Because I’m not the one who understands him best. It’s her. What’s she thinking right now? That girl with the strength to dash forth without hesitation for the person who matters most to her? That girl who has such a kind soul, she can ultimately unite everyone? Then I think about Yuuko. I don’t want to admit it, but to be honest…right now… I think it’s either Ucchi or Yuuko who’s got center position in Chitose’s heart. It’s not like they forced him to consider them by confessing their love, even if he wouldn’t have otherwise. …This summer, Yuuko’s gotten so beautiful, I can barely recognize her. I felt it during the Kanazawa trip, and then it hit me all over again this morning. I don’t even know what words to use to describe the change she’s gone through. More mature? Grown inside? Gotten more modest? Those words get close, but they’re still slightly wrong. It’s the soft look in her eyes sometimes. The warm smile she directs at Chitose. The affection in her voice when she says that name. She’s breathtakingly attractive. So I think she, too… Finally, I end up thinking about myself. I try to look at myself from an objective perspective—rationally. I’m not poised to go far away like Nishino. I can’t bond with him over sports like Haru does. I haven’t gone ahead and confessed my feelings to him like Ucchi and Yuuko. So as a girl, I should be able to get closer to him, in a nicely balanced way, than any of the others can. Some days, I feel like we’re sparking more than we ever did while we were fake-dating. Like, is this okay? I mean, I think it’s okay. Sure we don’t have anything special connecting us. So if we’re close, it’s not because of anything in particular. But in a backward sort of way, that seems more powerful. Eventually, I get out of the bath and look at myself in the mirror. A lot happened this summer, but I’m glad things settled down, and we were able to welcome September. Yuuko’s confession and the fallout put us all into a state of stasis, for better or worse. I’d explained things to Haru, with Yuuko’s permission. And I’m guessing Chitose talked about it to Nishino. It’s not like any one of us was thinking, “Well, even if he said no to Yuuko, maybe the answer would be different if I ask.” It’s just that we need a little more time. A little more time to really face the reality of this crush. Nothing’s over. We know that much. But now’s not the right time. Why don’t we just enjoy this time together, with the far-distant sounds of festival fun light on the air? So until the day you put a name to this feeling… …I just want this fake time to go on and on and on… A few days after the opening ceremony. Year Five, Class Two was having a homeroom session in seventh period to discuss the class committees and skits for the school festival, including the off-campus day, the sports festival, and the cultural festival. I, Saku Chitose, as class president, was standing at the lectern taking point. Vice President Yuuko was in charge of taking notes on the blackboard behind me. We were going with a “raise hand if interested” approach to committee membership. If it happened that there were more people interested than spaces available, we’d have people either discuss it among themselves or do rock-paper-scissors in the case of a stalemate. It might have put some people off the cheer squad if all the members of Team Chitose shot their hands up in unison when it was brought up. We’d had a little meeting beforehand and all decided to hold back at first, then if no one showed much interest, Team Chitose would swoop in and claim the cheer squad spots. Incidentally, with eight people, boys and girls included, we were already over capacity. But luckily, no one from the science classes who were Blue Team for the sports festival wanted to do it. So there was no issue with Team Chitose basically forming the entire cheer squad ourselves. I’d checked with Kura beforehand, and apparently something like this happened every year, and it was no biggie. Actually, we still technically had space for one more boy and one more girl. We reached out to Nazuna and Atomu, who responded in a “Is today the day you’d like to die?” type way. In the end, those two ended up joining committees that seemed to involve the least amount of work. Anyway, we were done discussing the committees now, and we’d moved on to discussing what kind of performance we’d be putting on as a class for the cultural festival. Everyone in class seemed pretty excited about the topic. There were a lot of ideas being tossed around. “But don’t you wanna do something food-related? Yakisoba! Takoyaki! Frankfurters!” “Or maybe sweets like crepes or pancakes would be good, too.” “Maybe a haunted house setup?!” “What if we make a funny video?” Scrape, scratch, scrape, scrape. Yuuko wrote down each suggestion on the board in her cute rounded handwriting. “I know! I know, I know, I know!” One of the guys got to his feet with way too much enthusiasm, and I focused on him. “Yes, Kaito.” “A maid café with cute cat ears! Me-OW!” “““““Boo!!!””””” “But why not?!” It was mostly the girls in the class who’d booed Kaito’s suggestion. Haru rolled her eyes. “You’ve clearly been watching too much anime. I’m guessing this is Yamazaki’s influence?” But Kaito wasn’t one to be deterred so easily. “Come on! It’ll be a big hit for sure! I wanna hear Yuuko and Ucchi say, ‘Welcome ho-meow, Master!’ Don’t you, Kenta?!” Put on the spot, Kenta pushed his glasses up by the bridge and addressed Kaito in an uncharacteristically sarcastic tone. “Asano, do you understand the definition of ‘fiction’…?” “Damn you, Kenta! Traitor!” “We should both grow up, that’s all.” “But what happened to the days when you and I would have those passionate discussions about cosplay?!” This exchange had the whole class rolling. But the guys seemed quietly kinda disappointed that Kaito’s suggestion had sunk like a rock. I know more than a few of them had been picturing Yuuko and the other girls dressed as maids. And of course I’m not excluding myself from that. Then Kura spoke up from the side of the classroom where he’d been silently watching the meeting progress. “Hey, Yamazaki.” Kenta stiffened a little. Kura sounded like he meant business. “Y-yes?” Kura heaved a sigh and gave Kenta a stern look. “Asano’s right. Don’t you go becoming another one of those boring adults.” Kenta blinked, not grasping what Kura was saying at first. “What…?” Kura sighed and muttered, a distant, disinterested look on his face: “I, too, would like a round of ‘Welcome ho-meow, Master’…” “You’re just an old pervy teacher, aren’t you?!” Then everyone basically died laughing. Come on, Kenta. It’s time you realized what kind of grown-up Kura really is. I was still chuckling when Kazuki sighed and shrugged. “Your idea’s a few years out of date, Kaito.” Kaito pouted. “All right, then, Kazuki. What’s your big idea, hmm?” Kazuki’s mouth twitched with annoyance. “A tomboy butler café.” Kaito blinked, apparently not following this line of thought at all. “So…girls dressed like boys? Who wants to see that?” Kazuki elaborated, a wry smile on his face. “Well, picture this… Yuzuki, dressed in a butler’s uniform, pins you against a wall… She grabs your chin…and jerks your face up to meet her eyeline…” “…You’re a genius, is what you are!!!” Darn it, Kazuki. How can you look so cool and composed while proposing the most insane ideas? Seeing their banter, the rest of the class was dying again. But Nanase was frozen in her seat, bewildered. Not her typical reaction. Hmm… It’s more like she’s not used to Kazuki teasing her in this kind of flattering way. And she’s clearly not sure how to respond to it. To be honest, I was also surprised that he used Nanase as an example. Maybe he’s gone through an internal change of his own. “I know, I know!” The next to stand up was Nazuna. “There’s a lot of good-looking boys in our class, so what about a cosplay café where the guys dress as only female characters…?” ““““Yeah!”””” ““““No way in hell!!!”””” This time, the reactions were split evenly down the middle between the boys and girls. Nazuna placed her index finger on her lower lip in this kind of deliberate way and grinned, almost like she was enjoying our reactions. “Oh, and of course Chitose here will be dressed in a frilly maid costume… Right?” “Gimme a break.” “Mizushino in a girl’s school uniform with really heavy makeup.” “Cut it out!” “Asano… Hmm, maybe a kindergartner’s uniform?” “A big guy like me?!” “And then…,” Nazuna said, turning her head to gaze across the room. “Atomu as a bunny girl.” “Wanna die?! How about I toss you through that window?!” This interaction caused the whole class to collapse into laughter again. Nazuna waited for it to die down before looking my way. “All jokes aside, how about a play?” “Hmm. Well, it is a classic option.” The class performance isn’t limited to the classroom. In previous years, a café or a haunted house booth tends to be set up here in the classroom, but stalls selling food like yakisoba or crepes tend to be set up outdoors in the parking lot. And we can use the stage as well; we just have to organize timing with the other classes to avoid overlap. Nazuna continued. “Of course, it depends on what we do, but we can implement cosplay elements for the boys and girls if we’re doing theater. We should divide up the roles based on everyone’s strengths and weaknesses as well.” “What do you mean?” “Well, those who don’t mind being onstage can act. Those who prefer not to be in the spotlight can work behind the scenes… Scriptwriting, props, lighting, costumes, et cetera.” “I see, I see.” It would be a lot of work to juggle school festival prep for the committee stuff and the class performance at the same time. No matter what we choose to do as a class, there’s gonna be a bunch of prep work involved, and we’ll have to assign roles. But it’s easier to get everyone working on specific things when it’s something that involves several specific areas, I guess. “All right. Yuuko, can you jot that down, too?” “Certainly!” Her response lacked our usual easy informality, and I turned to look at her, a bit worried. When I saw her writing play on the board, I felt oddly relieved, for some reason. In the end, the class voted for several humorous suggestions, like “maid café with cute cat ears! Me-OW!”; “tomboy butler café”; “all-female character cosplay”; and so on. Actually, what we did was vote anonymously, with slips of paper in a box. Yuuko and I quickly tallied up the responses, and then I cleared my throat. “Okay, starting in third place.” I paused, coughed, and went on. “Third place: maid café with cute cat ears! Me-OW!” “““““Whaaat?””””” This time, the boys and the girls groaned together. The girls were groaning to say, “Seriously, third place?” and the guys were groaning to say, “Seriously, only third place?” Quite a few guys seemed to have capitalized on the anonymous vote aspect for this one. Incidentally, I felt like I was getting some frosty glares from the girls on Team Chitose, but I was avoiding their eyes out of a healthy sense of fear. …It’s not all on me, you know… I gathered my wits and returned my attention to the results paper. “All right, all right, pipe down.” I double-checked the results, then forged onward. “Second place… All-female character cosplay.” “““““Whaaat?””””” The guys and the girls groaned again, but their motivations for groaning seemed to be the inverse of last time. Yikes. Who voted for that? I glared at the Team Chitose girls, but…they all avoided my eyes. Darn you, ladies. Still, third place and second place… The options were nicely balanced between what the guys wanted and what the girls wanted. Incidentally, Kazuki’s proposed tomboy butler café got fourth place. I guess it was the kind of thing only an enthusiast would vote for. Most of the guys went for the maid café. Well, that brings us to— I lifted my head and scanned the faces of my classmates. “And in first place, a play. All right, a round of applause!” “““““Whoo!””””” Finally, there were some genuine cheers and a round of applause from both the guys and the girls. Hmm. Well, a fine result in the end, I thought. Nazuna’s pitch had been pretty persuasive, too. I glanced at the clock, one eye on the excited ripple going through the class. Deciding on school festival committee membership and choosing the class performance had gone surprisingly smoothly, and there was actually still a little time left in homeroom. I looked over at Yuuko, who smiled and nodded. Right. I cleared my throat again. “We don’t have to decide today, but let’s throw out some ideas as to what kind of play we’ll put on. Never mind who’s going to be acting or not for now. Is there anything anyone would like to attempt in particular?” Everyone started to talk noisily then. “We have a lot of sporty guys in class, so maybe something with a lot of action?” “Maybe we could act out a popular manga!” “The two-dimensional in five dimensions?” “A musical could be fun.” “But that’s really tough on the actors.” “Something balanced so the girls and guys have equal roles.” As various opinions flew back and forth, Nazuna raised her hand. “Why don’t we come up with our own original play?” I scratched my cheek as I responded, “We only have two months until the actual performance… I mean, do we have anyone who can write an original script? Or anyone who’d like to try?” I thought I’d ask, but predictably, no one raised their hand. Maybe someone in the lit club, I thought, but no dice. Seeing this, Nazuna seemed to lose a lot of her enthusiasm. “Hmm, I guess not. Then maybe a popular manga? Or a movie? Something we can riff on?” At this idea, Kaito immediately spoke up. “When you think of a school festival play…you’ve gotta do Romeo and Juliet, right?” Nazuna clapped her hands loudly. “Aha! A classic! I think everyone knows the gist of that play. We could set a modern version in present-day Fukui! That would be interesting.” “Oh, hell yeah! We could have everyone talking in thick Fukui accents!” “Too funny!” Then Kura piped up from the sides, where he’d been watching the discussion unfold. “Uh, we had Romeo and Juliet last year. And a few years ago, kids did the whole Fukui version of it. I mean, repetition is fine and all, but I thought you should be aware.” Nazuna’s shoulders slumped in an “awww…” kinda way. “Hmm, hearing that makes me want to try something different.” As moderator, I intervened. “Whether we do it for comedy or play it straight, I like the idea of riffing on a classic with a fresh angle.” I looked around the classroom and saw everyone nodding enthusiastically. “Hmm,” Nazuna pondered, rubbing her mouth. “So the question is what to do for the original material.” I don’t mean to put her down or anything, but I think the reason why she was actually participating in something for once was because it was her idea we were running with here, and she felt duty bound to provide some options. Having come to the limit of her brainstorming, Nazuna spoke up. “Yuzuki… Any ideas?” Nanase’s eyes widened. Apparently, she was surprised to have the conversational ball tossed her way. She thought it over for a few seconds. “Maybe…Snow White?” Her voice was barely above a whisper. It was unusually soft and pensive, like she was revealing something secret and hidden… “Oh, I love that idea!” Nazuna got up and looked around at the class. “It’s perfect. It’s not as played out at high school festivals as Romeo and Juliet is. And this may just be my personal bias, but I’ve always thought Snow White has more panache than, say, Cinderella.” The whole class laughed again over Nazuna’s outspoken opinion. I was a little surprised to hear Nanase talking about Snow White, but I had to agree that it was a perfect fit. Everyone’s heard of it, so it’ll be that much easier to mix it up and play off it. “Ah!” Nazuna looked over at me with her eyes wide, like she’d just had a thought. “Sorry, Chitose. Can I take over for a sec?” “Sure, go ahead.” I nodded, and she came trotting over. I took a step back and stood next to Yuuko, offering her my place in front of the lectern. Nazuna raised her hand casually. “Don’t be shy, now… Who here feels like acting onstage?” There was silence in the classroom. Everyone awkwardly stared at their desks or glanced at how everyone else was reacting. Did they really not want to act? Or maybe they did, but they were too shy to raise their hands? We should be more specific, I started thinking, but then Nazuna continued. “Okay, then how about those who definitely don’t want to act? I mean, a lot of people probably don’t, so you can be honest about it. Don’t hold back.” I exhaled a little… Guess she had this covered without my input. Atomu was the first to act—lazily but without hesitation. This started a slow chain reaction, one by one, until eventually almost all of our classmates had raised their hands. Only the members of Team Chitose were watching with wry smiles—probably holding back to help us out. “Okay, then I’ll make a suggestion.” Nazuna sounded casual, like she’d been expecting this to happen. “The main characters in Snow White are Snow White, the Evil Queen, the Witch who’s actually the Evil Queen in disguise, the Prince, and the Seven Dwarves, for a total of eleven roles. So why don’t we have Chitose and the other cheer squad members play those roles?” Oh, right, I thought, as Nazuna turned around and clasped her hands in front of her chest. “Sorry if that’s overstepping… But what do you think, Chitose? I mean, cheer squad practice is pretty tough, right? So why not keep things nice and simple and have you all stick together for the play as well…?” Her explanation matched what I’d been expecting, and I nodded a little. It wasn’t a bad proposal, and it was actually quite considerate of our needs. Yua and Kenta might be a little hesitant, but they’d have to dance in front of an audience for the cheer performance, too. Anyway, we’d already hashed all that out at Takokyu. Nazuna opened her mouth to add something. “Working behind the scenes with props and stuff will mean more time meeting up with the whole class. I’m not saying I’ll take over everything, but if you’re willing to handle the performance part, I’ll act as class representative behind the scenes.” It certainly sounded like it’d be kinda difficult to balance the cheering squad with prep work for a play. It might just be a title, but technically I was the class representative, so it occurred to me that I couldn’t just opt out of participating… But still… I looked around at the others’ faces. “I mean, personally, I think that works.” Yuuko piped up from beside me. “I agree!” Nanase scratched her cheek pensively. “If we’re acting…we can learn lines in our own time and even block out scenes together during cheer squad practice breaks. If you add club activities on top… I guess it would be easier to do it that way.” Haru thrust her hand into the air. “I’m down!” Kazuki looked at us and nodded briefly, while Kaito gave a big thumbs-up. Even Yua, who I’d been most worried about, timidly cleared her throat to speak. “At…at least let me play a dwarf… One with only a few lines…” Kenta nodded vigorously. “That goes for me, too.” Nazuna gave everyone a big “thanks!” kind of grin; then she looked around at the class. “So is everyone cool if we ask Chitose and company to be our actors?” “““““Yeah!!!””””” There was a cacophony of applause and cheering to signal the class’s full agreement. Nazuna really helped out here, I thought. It’s kinda awkward and tricky to propose something like this on your own. Speaking of which…, I realized, and I cleared my throat. “The Evil Queen should play the Witch role as well, but even with that…I think we’re still two people short, aren’t we?” The magic mirror was just a voice-over. So in terms of actual onstage roles, it was just Snow White, the Evil Queen/Witch, the Prince, and the Seven Dwarves. We needed at least ten people, but there were only eight of us. Nazuna answered calmly. “No problem. We’ll just have Atomu play a role as a nonspeaking dwarf.” That’s going too far, I was about to tell her, but… “The hell are you talking about? No way!” Sure enough, Atomu started complaining. “Ah-ha-ha,” Nazuna laughed. “Aw, come on. You’ll look cute in a little dwarf hat.” “Lay off!!!” I snorted with laughter over them, my shoulders shaking. Only Nazuna could get away with treating Atomu like this. “Then I’ll play the dwarf, and you can take care of the props and sets. You literally don’t belong to any after-school clubs, so you can at least do that much.” Atomu sniffed. “Tch… All right.” He sounded very reluctant, though. Still, he must’ve realized that continuing to argue with Nazuna wouldn’t end well for him. I felt like I’d gotten a little glimpse into what their relationship was like. Nazuna looked my way with a smug smile on her face. “So why not just rewrite the script to eliminate one more person?” I nodded and responded: “Well, I guess it’s not something we need to be too strict about.” Nazuna clapped her hands together. “While we’re at it, let’s cast the actors for Snow White, the Evil Queen, the Witch, and the Prince.” I checked my watch before I responded. “That might make it easier to write the script.” “Right?” Nazuna said, looking at Nanase. “Yuzuki, why don’t you play Snow White?” “““““Ooh???””””” Suddenly, our classmates grew all excited. Still, it was her idea. And she had what it takes. She was definitely leading lady material. But Yuzuki was shaking her head awkwardly. “I’m not the Snow White type.” Oh? I thought, raising my eyebrows. It was unusual for Nanase to be so self-deprecating. I was expecting her to just smile confidently and accept. Nazuna looked a little caught off guard as well. Picking up on the surprise in the air, Nanase quickly spoke again. “I’ll play the Evil Queen and Witch roles, though.” That tracks, Nazuna seemed to be indicating with a smug quirk of her lips. “Yeah, that role might suit you better.” “Hmm? What do you mean, Ayase?” “Ah-ha-ha! Why don’t you ask your magic mirror?” When did these two get that kind of chemistry? I wondered with a little smile. Maybe it was on that recent trip to Kanazawa. I looked over at Yuuko, who was watching them warmly, too. She’d invited the both of them, like it was a totally normal thing to do, and they’d managed to resolve their differences. Hmm, well, that kind of thing doesn’t surprise me anymore. That’s just the kinda girl Yuuko is. “Okay, so then…,” Nanase said. “…Wouldn’t Yuuko make a great Snow White?” “““““Ooh!!!””””” Our classmates were getting all stirred up again. Yuuko pointed at herself and blinked. “What? Me?” Nazuna laughed and rolled her eyes. “Well, who else could face off against the Evil Witch onstage?” Nanase grinned and made a jab of her own. “You are our princess, after all.” Yuuko giggled, shook her hair, and lifted her chin. “Well, I’m not sure I’m so great at the acting thing… Is that okay?” Nanase nodded enthusiastically. “It’s okay. Even if you forget your lines, I’ll cover for you.” “Well, then…” Yuuko paused and moved to stand next to Nazuna. “All righty, then!” And she happily raised a hand. “““““Yeah!!!””””” Now the whole classroom was in an uproar, boys and girls both. Yuuko as Snow White, and Nanase as the Evil Queen. Well, who wouldn’t want to see that? No doubt the fantasies were starting already. “We have to make a really cute dress for Hiiragi!” “And a sexy one for Nanase!” “What about the script?” “Oh man, I’m gonna end up rooting for them both to find happiness!” “…Wait a minute! Who’s going to play the Prince?!” One voice rose louder than the rest…and then Nazuna turned and looked right at me. “Well, I mean…?” Kazuki threw up his hands and sighed. “Saku, obviously.” Kaito shot me a look of disgust, like I’d just personally wrecked some precious item of his. “Fine, you can have this… This time.” Kenta pushed up his glasses with his middle finger. “Go die, normie.” Haru had her chin in her hand and her elbow propped on the desk, and one corner of her mouth twitched. “Hubby, you’re good at saying annoying things, aren’t you?” Yua was smiling her usual sweet smile, but when she spoke, her words were laced with sarcasm. “It’ll be fine. After all, Saku’s cool.” I scratched my cheek. “…Well, it’s not like I’m going to be the only one to opt out. So I’ll do it. But this is peer pressure, you know?” When I said that, the classroom got really noisy. I was being heckled from all sides. “Hey! Chitose! You’re really not gonna choose Evil Queen Nanase?!” “Don’t ask me. Blame the scriptwriter.” “You… You kidnapper! Stealing away sleeping Snow White Hiiragi!” “You know I’m just playing the Prince, right?!” “More like playboy prince!!!” “Keep that up and I’m gonna shut that smart mouth of yours for good!” Everyone was really excited about the school festival. Who can sit on the sidelines hugging their knees when everyone else is dancing? You want to get up and dance, too, right? Me, you, him, her, everyone. Play the flute, pound the drums. Wave your hands and spin around. Nazuna beckoned, and Nanase swiftly stepped behind the lectern. The Evil Queen and Snow White gazed at the newly minted, probably-not-that-reliable Prince. Nanase lightly wet her lips with the tip of her tongue and spoke in a sensual, seductive voice. “Do you like poisoned apples?” Yuuko softly smiled, the embodiment of pure-white snow, the kind that dissolves at human touch. “Take me away, my prince.” If only, I thought. If only there was a magic mirror somewhere. No doubt it would be currently reflecting the face of the most pathetic guy who ever lived. If only the Evil Queen wasn’t so charming. If only Snow White was the only girl the Prince met. …Then the Prince and his true love could go hand in hand, happily ever after. But the story ends at an all-too-convenient point. How can I write the next scene when I’m faced with a blank page and a heart that can’t so easily be linked to another’s? Maybe what we’re doing is trying to fill up every page in the book, so that no one has to be left out in the cold alone. Though I know it’s pointless to want these things, I still do, deep inside. One day, we’re all going to stand in a line, heads bowed low and tears streaming as the final curtain falls. …I only hope we can all clap for a performance well done, in the very end.