Nobody in this world is born evil. It’s their environment that turns them bad.
Those words may seem profound, but in fact they came—quite naturally—into existence in the mind of Kageishi Midori—that is, me. Reason being, at this moment, I knew just how it felt to be bad. Really bad.
“Can you believe Midori-san let us do this? I thought she’d shoot down the idea for sure!”
“Yeah. Goddess of rules. Free day? No fun. That’s Midori-san.”
I could hear my fellow drama club members having an amicable conversation. As for the source of their surprise, it was all around us.
Chattering, cheering, and chuckling swirled between the costumes of the famous game characters around us as the costumed actors gave lighthearted performances for the crowds. In this lively space overflowing with hopes and dreams, it was as though the rich tapestry that was life had been reduced to merely the parts that embodied fun.
“Tenchido Eternaland.” I murmured this place’s name. Among the bright colors, I could feel a darkened aura radiating from me, deepening my shadow. “Everybody’s right. I don’t belong in a place like this. I’m far too serious for amusement parks. It must seem so absurd to everybody that I came here in a poorly disguised, desperate attempt to cheer myself up and let loose.” I gave a hollow laugh.
“M-Midori-san? C’mon, cut it out!”
“Smile! Smile!”
This was the day of our class trip on which we were permitted to go wherever we liked. We weren’t required to keep to our groups or even our classes, and so I had decided from the very start that I would venture out with the other members of the drama club. It was a decision I had made long before Ooboshi-kun had rejected me.
The choice of destination was a different matter. I had agreed to come here as a direct result of his rejection.
Originally, I had intended to visit historically and culturally significant places today. There were still plenty of such places and temples in Kyoto we had yet to see. However, after what had happened, I was very much in the mood to cut loose and have a good time (not that kind of good time; a pure and wholesome good time). That was why, when the club members started to clamor about visiting Tenchido Eternaland, I joined them on the bandwagon.
“This is the end for me, and I’ve come to accept that. So I may as well surrender and act without an ounce of restraint!”
“Midori-san’s been overcome with her whole lifetime’s worth of rebellion! Till it runs out, she’s gonna be transformed into the world’s worst delinquent!”
“I dunno what happened, but let’s treat her nicely today, okay?”
Yamada-san was a kind, level-headed girl. Even if I broke down completely, I knew the drama club would continue to function as long as she was around. I was grateful to know that I didn’t have anything to worry about and could safely continue my demise.
“Where should we go first?”
“It’s hard to pick, huh? Everywhere looks so fun!”
While I observed everybody animatedly discussing which attraction we should visit, I felt a small sense of relief within me: that things were...normal.
My heart had been ravaged by my romantic affections, and for a short time, those feelings had sent me to a far-off land. There, any hope I had for those feelings being returned had been torn apart, and I had made my way back to reality. A reality where absolutely nothing had changed. It was immensely reassuring.
Personally, I wasn’t concerned about where we went. Thrill rides, haunted mansions—it was all the same to me. I was with the people I wanted to be with... That was the most precious thing to me right now. It was like a jewel, and the choice of attraction was simply a choice between polishing that jewel with a file, a drill, or a diamond. Ergo, it was completely trivial.
Leaving the decision-making to everybody else, I stared off into the distance. My consciousness itself had no say in the direction of my gaze; it was as though my body had moved on its own.
So why, then, did that glance lead me to catch sight of that particular couple?
“Ooboshi-kun and...Tsukinomori-san?” I found myself whispering their names. When I realized, I swiveled around to look at the club members, but fortunately they were still engrossed in their discussions of where to go, and it seemed that they hadn’t heard me.
I casually positioned myself behind everybody else so that I wouldn’t be seen, and kept my eye on the couple who disturbed me. I was under no illusion that I still had a chance with Ooboshi-kun; that wasn’t why I was doing this. I was simply curious about who he had picked over me.
Surprisingly, Tsukinomori-san seemed to be taking charge of their date. There was determination in her step as she studied the pamphlet in her hand. She was barely looking in Ooboshi-kun’s direction; her interest seemed to be focused only on the sights and scenes around them. Ooboshi-kun did nothing more than follow her like a faithful dog, and they looked much more like a pretentious princess and her servant rather than an actual couple.
But it was enough. Enough for me to know for sure.
“Ooboshi-kun can’t keep his eyes off her...”
Was it attraction or something else? I had no way of knowing why his gaze was stuck to her like glue. All I knew for certain was that every last one of Ooboshi-kun’s thoughts and feelings were being dominated by Tsukinomori-san in that moment.
Ooboshi-kun was in love with Tsukinomori Mashiro. I was sure that was the case. And how could I be wrong? I was the girl who got a perfect score in every test in every subject. The girl capable of solving every problem I came across.
“Man, we’re never gonna come to an agreement. Midori-san, where do you wanna go?” Yamada-san’s sudden question captured my attention. I imagined it was partly because they genuinely couldn’t decide, and partly because she was trying to be considerate. I decided to take advantage of her kindness.
“I want a drink,” I replied.
“Huh?”
“I want to drink enough to forget everything. To drown in it. I want a drink.”
Those words came out of me perfectly naturally. How curious.
Now, obviously, I’ve never had any alcohol myself. I just knew of the drinking culture among adults; that it helped to relieve stress. And I learned that much through novels and movies.
Hence, it was no wonder my brain had identified my current state as one which could be solved by alcohol, and yet I was struck by how quickly it had come to that decision when I’d never had an ounce of drink in my life. It was as though it was borne of something transcribed into my very DNA. That, or a trick of my imagination.
“U-Um, you know we can’t drink.”
“I know you’re going through a period of intense rebellious feelings, but that’s no excuse for underage drinking.”
“Inescapable firestorm. The acting upon of a single misguided impulse. It can forever hang overhead.”
“I’ve looked this up: about eighty percent of recent celebrity controversies online have been linked to their underage drinking, know what I’m thinking?”
I gave them a sharp look in response. Did they really think I was capable of such a thing?
“Of course I didn’t mean an alcoholic drink. Who do you think I am?”
“Oh, so you’re still sticking to the law.”
“I guess Midori-san will always be Midori-san, even when she’s going through a period of intense rebellious feelings.”
“And why shouldn’t I be? Rebellion is no excuse for criminal activity!”
The tension in the air dissipated. I took in the relieved expressions that lay on the club members’ faces, then pointed decisively into the distance towards one of the theme park’s restaurants. A bright green sign stood in front displaying a photo of a cream soda. It was a tasteful advertisement, supported by Tenchido’s colorful characters and presenting the popping of the soda bubbles as explosions. It was an excellent way to promote soda’s extreme, mind-numbing mouthfeel perfectly.
If I can just get my expressions straight... Yes, a soda was just the thing to hype us up after a sesh chilling out with the gang. Now try and tell me I’m not a delinquent.
“Great idea, Midori-san! I’ve heard good things about the cream soda here.”
“Perfect information, perfect answer. Welcome to Midopedia, the free encyclopedia.”
My answer seemed to have impressed the girls, even though it was based on nothing but what my soul was crying out for.
I suppose it didn’t matter, as long as they were happy.