Chapter 5

"Aki! It's lunch break! Wanna eat? Or wanna summon a fairy?"

The following day during lunch break, I was leaning on my desk and grumbling about the heat when Kazama came to annoy me even further.

"What are these two choices? Do you want a beating?"

"I mean, our occult club met up yesterday, but they said we need some more people for the ritual. Aki, wanna join the occult club?"

"If you quit the club, I wouldn't mind."

"That basically means you'd do anything just so that you don't end up in the same club as me, right?!"

Yet another moronic conversation was about to ensue when a voice called out to me. One that I didn't hear too often up to now.

"Hey, Yamada -kun?"

"…Yeah?"

The voice belonged to a girl from my class, who had another girl right behind her. Then again, we're not particularly close, and I'm pretty sure this is the first time we even properly talked.

"Is it true that you went home yesterday with Yumiko-san?"

For a moment, I prepared myself for any possible interrogation, but that's what they wanted to ask. They were even leaning forward because of their sheer curiosity.

"Sure did. But Ayaka was with us, and all we did was eat Anpans at a public park."

"Waaah! That's plenty amazing, already! Or rather, it Akinds unbelievable! We're talking about the same Yumiko-san, right?! Just being with her is like a miracle!"

"Yep, yep. Just breathing the same air as her makes me incredibly nervous…Ah, I'm not making fun of you or anything?! I just thought it was weird that you could be relatively normal around her."

"We all, as well as the people from her class, get all tense when we simply pass each other in the hallway."

"I mean, I get where you're coming from, but we're all in the same year, so you don't need to treat her like some goddess."

"But, but…She feels like she's from a different world, no? Looking at her just turns my head to mush!"

"I would consider it impolite to just randomly talk to her."

Impolite…What is she, some queen?

"You don't have to worry all that much. Yumiko's pretty easy to talk to…if you try, that is."

"Yeah, that's true. She is a beauty and a perfect human being who's even rich, and she doesn't seem like a bad person, but…I just can't!"

"Even just the air she gives off…Or aura? We regular citizens don't dare to approach her. Might even just call it a barrier."

"I do admire her, though. But…I can only watch from afar!"

The two sighed. For some reason, they seem to think that they aren't allowed to approach Yumiko without a proper reason.

"Sorry to suddenly ask you about this, Yamada -kun. We just heard that Yumiko-san went home with a boy, and since that never happened before, we just had to ask. Sorry for bothering you."

After asking everything they wanted to know, the girls left the classroom, presumably to eat lunch. At the same time, Kazama approached me with an eerily curious expression.

"What did I just hear? Aki, you went home with Yumiko-san yesterday? Why do I only hear about this now?!"

"Like I said before, Ayaka was with us, and we just ate Anpans."

"But…just having her around is pretty amazing if you ask me! And also, you should tell me about that sooner! I didn't know about this until like a few minutes ago!"

"It's not something that I'd have to report to you, is it?"

"What are you saying? You've got a top-class childhood friend with Ayaka-chan already, and yet you're going for another girl! Are you going for the harem ending?"

"This isn't a gal game. Also, Ayaka was the one who put that entire meeting together, y'know."

"But, imagine that! A harem end! Rather than choosing one heroine, you instead opt to make everyone happy! Isn't that guy way too lucky? To be honest, I'm so friggin 'jealous! What about my jealousy, huh?!"

"Shut up! You go summon some devil or evil deity and get along with them!"

"Aki-Kun, Aki-Kun."

As we once again exchanged mindless banter, Ayaka pulled on my sleeve. Her eyes were sparkling, telling me that I should be terrified for my life.

"It's lunch break. Time to execute stage two of our plan!"

"Right, I actually just remembered something urgent I had to do, so I'm heading home now."

"N-No you can't! You're not allowed to skip classes!"

"But it's important. I have to look for a runaway cat."

"E-Enough about the cat already!"

"You brought it up."

"Aaaaaaaanyway! Lunch break. Time to eat. In other words, it's the time that gives birth to love!"

"Are you high?"

"With that said, let's move on to stage two! Lovey-dovey lunch time!"

"Like I said, fix your weird naming sense first."

Kazama observed my exchange with Ayaka and then tilted his head in confusion.

"Huh? What's this about? I heard something about lovey-dovey and plan or whatever, but…do you plan on seducing Aki? I mean, I get you're the heroine who's predestined to lose, but there's no reason to give up from the start. I know it might be hard as a loser heroine, but still…"

"What's a loser heroine even supposed to mean?! And why did you repeat your point?!"

"I understand. I really do…Being the childhood friend is almost always a losing bet, especially for a type like you who gets all the attention stolen from another heroine. Lately, it's all about the lively tsunderes or those with crazy attributes that take the W…A childhood friend is just cursed to lose. I will cry for you…"

"I don't really get what you're talking about, but stop giving me that look of pity! A-Anyway, Aki-Kun! We should go and invite Yumiko-san out to eat lunch! You usually get stuff from the school store…But I made sure to prepare a lunch box for you just for today!"

"Like I said, Yumiko and I aren't going to happen."

"But yesterday, we became friends with her, right? And it's perfectly normal for friends to eat lunch together, yeah? I'm sure she'll be happy!"

"Well…I bet it could be fun to hang out…as friends."

"Right, right! As friends! You always start with being friends, after all!"

"…"

I don't think we're really on the same wavelength, but Ayaka is showing no intention of stepping down from this.

"…Ah, geez. I get it. Let's go over to her class."

"Phew…A flower in both hands, eh? Just go and explode, you damn normie."

"The hell are you on about? You're coming with us, Kazama."

If I actually eat lunch with two girls, one of them being Yumiko no less, then the boys will come to assassinate me. I need him to come with us.

"Huh? Well, I'm pretty jealous of your position, but I'm supposed to be the best friend character who can read the mood. I'm not such a brute to invade your joyful lunchtime with the heroine. Because we friend characters have a line we can't cross no matter what!"

"Stop thinking like this is some gal game! Wake up! This is reality!"

"Aki-Kun! If we don't hurry, our lunch break is gonna end!"

I wanted to give Kazama some more piece of my mind, but Ayaka just dragged me to Yumiko's classroom.

"You'd like to eat lunch together? Of course, I would be delighted."

Despite the sudden invitation, Yumiko seemed more than happy and agreed. As before, I could hear the faint mumbling of her classmates.

"Eating lunch with Yumiko-san…?!"

"I'm so…so jealous…!"

But of course, Ayaka didn't mind that in the slightest.

"Yumiko-san, where would you like to eat? We can choose an empty classroom, or the courtyard, even. It's pleasant outside today."

"Well…I always eat on the rooftop, so why don't we head there?"

"You always eat on the rooftop? But, the door's locked, right?"

"Actually, I have the key for it." Yumiko took out a key from her pocket. "I enjoy watching sceneries from high places, so I asked my father to talk with our teacher and provide one for me."

As expected of a rich lady. The special treatment is no joke. And with that decided, we headed for the rooftop to eat lunch together. Since this place was usually off-limits for us regular students, I'd actually never stepped through the steel door before. But when that door opened, I was greeted by what felt like an endless blue sky. The scorching sunlight worried me that I might break out in a sweat in seconds, but sitting in the shadows was actually a lot more comfortable than I thought.

And personally, I like the sky during summer. I just can't deal with the heat. The blue sky, even clouds filling it, it just feels like a season full of virtue. Right next to the door, we spotted a single plastic chair. I'm guessing this is where Yumiko would usually spend her time, eating lunch or reading a book.

"Ah, you've got a chair for yourself, Yumiko-san? Since I figured we'd eat in the courtyard, I brought a picnic sheet with me."

"Really? Then I'd prefer that. Eating like it's a picnic Akinds fun."

We placed the sheet on the rooftop floor, placing our lunch on top of that. It does feel like a picnic. By the way, Yumiko's lunch box had several layers. In terms of size, it was something even a girl like her could eat just fine, but everything about it looked so luxurious and extravagant. She really is playing the role of a rich lady perfectly.

"Hehe. If you see anything you like, feel free to grab a piece, Yumiko-san." Kzuhi opened the lid of her lunch box, which was a tad bit bigger than usual.

"The rice balls are filled with pickled plums and katsuoboshi1 and mayonnaise with tuna. As an additional dish, I have mini hamburger steaks, rolled omelet, octopus wieners, rolled cabbage with bacon…"

The menu itself wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but that's what made it feel so reassuring to have. Each of the individual dishes looked absolutely delicious, but the play of colors and positioning created a painting that made just looking at it exciting.

"Wow…You made this, Shinomiya-san? You must be such a good cook."

"Hehe…I actually worked really hard, hoping that you'd try some of the things."

"The rolled omelet looks especially delicious. Would you mind if I took one?"

"Not at all! But…just wait a moment!"

Stopping Yumiko, Ayaka raised her index finger with a smug face.

"Tadaaaa! It's fortune-telling time!"

"Fortune…telling?"

"And for this long-haired beauty, I have just the thing! If you and someone else feed each other today, you'll find happiness!"

"That's not fortune-telling…"

"It is! The legendary fortune teller Ayakatina said so!"

"Did you get infected by Kazama's nonsense?"

"It Akinds interesting. I just have to feed someone with my food, right?"

"That's right! Just push it onto them!"

"Then, here. Open wide, Shinomiya-san." Yumiko smiled as she pushed a piece of food in the direction of Ayaka.

"Ah…Um, Yumiko-san, you shouldn't be doing that with me…"

"Open wide~"

"Like I said, I'm not the…"

"Aaaaaah," Yumiko said as she smiled, showing determination to not back down from this.

Meanwhile, Ayaka hesitated for a moment, but eventually broke and opened her mouth.

"…Nom."

"How is it? My trusted cook made it for me."

"Y-Yeah, it's delicious…!" Ayaka chewed on the food, observed by Yumiko.

"Hee hee…How adorable. Your fortune-telling was right, I feel incredibly happy right now…"

I feel like I could see white flowers growing behind them. Seeing two girls eating lunch like this…tickles me jimmies.

"But now, it's your turn, Shinomiya-san. Go and feed Yamada -kun."

"Wha…Huh?! Wh-What are you talking about?!"

"Hm? Did I say something weird? If we're going in order, that should be next, no? I just fed you, after all. So now, you should feed Yamada -kun."

"Wh-Why would things turn out this way?! That makes no sense!"

"Why wouldn't they? We're all eating lunch here. Or do you plan on making Yamada -kun feel like an outcast?"

"N-No! Not at all! In fact, I'm doing this for his sake…"

"Then I think you should feed Yamada -kun now. It's the order of things, and you can't break the rules."

That explanation…Akinded a bit iffy at best, but Ayaka went quiet and mumbled something under her breath.

"…I-If this is the order then…Aki-Kun will have to feed you after I'm done?"

"Yes. That's correct."

"O-Okay! Aki-Kun!" Ayaka grabbed a small hamburger steak with her chopsticks and carried it to my mouth.

And with a troubled but equally embarrassed look in her eyes, cheeks red, she tilted her head.

"O-Open…wide…?"

"…"

"H-Hurry up and open your mouth…!"

You say that, but let me just organize my thoughts. She must feel embarrassed at doing this in public because her hands were starting to shake. What even is this messy situation? If you're so embarrassed, then just don't do it?!

"H-Hey, can you please? Hurry…Ouch?!"

As she began to shake more violently, I gave her a light chop on the head.

"Wh-What was that for?!"

"Nothing here makes sense. And I'm not doing it."

"No way! I tried so hard, though…!"

"Like I care. Sorry about this, Yumiko. She's just at that age," I spoke like her parents, forcing Ayaka to lower her head, as she growled like a scolded puppy.

"It's fine. In fact, I think it's adorable." Yumiko snickered.

Like this, the whole feeding fortune-telling was canceled, and we simply started eating our respective lunches. The air was pleasant, with no love nonsense around, which allowed us to have a chill lunch, only for Ayaka to once again bring up another topic.

"S-Still…it's almost summer break, right?!"

"Yes, that's right."

"It's summer! The season for passion and romance! The season of excitement!"

"Ah…So, what about it?" I asked.

"I was thinking that maybe you two should hang out somewhere. Like an amusement park or the aquarium!"

"Oh my, that Akinds wonderful! We three should definitely go somewhere!"

"I-I…I'm actually going to Hawaii this summer break! So I don't think I could join you."

"First time I heard of that, y'know?"

"I-I just told you! I'm gonna be real busy this summer break! I won't have much time to hang around with you guys!"

"Yet another blatant lie! And didn't you say you'd be watching a movie with friends?!"

"Huh? Ah, hm…?"

"Oh my, really? What movie is it?"

"Um, well…"

Yumiko asked Ayaka with stars in her eyes, but she grew flustered. What is she even doing?

"It's the one with the heroine who only has a few years to live. The tearjerker one."

"Oh, I see. Yeah, they regularly release movies like that."

"You like those, Yumiko? Not trying to bash your taste, but personally, I don't get the appeal behind it."

I'm sure it's related to taste and interests, but when dealing with entertainment, it has to distract me from the real world. I don't see the point if I feel like crap after watching something depressing.

"Well, tragedies are used frequently when it comes to storytelling. Look at 'The Little Mermaid,' for example. It doesn't have to be an incurable disease to still create an oppressive yet beautiful conclusion."

"That's fine and dandy, but I just prefer happy endings."

"Well, I'm sure there's a lot of people like that. But…what exactly would you define as a happy ending?"

"Huh?"

"In these types of movies, one person dies, whereas the lover continues to live on. For example…the protagonist loses the girl he loves, but he ends up together with another girl and lives a happy life. Could you call that a happy ending?"

"That…might be a happy ending for the protagonist, but don't you feel bad for the girl who died?"

"Then what if that girl who passed away wishes for the protagonist to be happy with someone other than her?"

"Hm…It's definitely not a bad ending, but I don't think the audience would enjoy that very much."

Looking at this from the perspective of a movie, I personally would want the protagonist to stay with the first girl. To always keep living that girl instead.

"Holding feelings for the girl who died until the end of time definitely has a beautiful ring to it, but it's quite cruel, don't you think? Rather than suffer forever by thinking about the person you've lost, it would be best to be together with someone else and live the rest of your life happily, no? They may have lost their lover, and feel pain at that fact, but they overcame that and became happy with someone else. Isn't that much better than a story ending with nothing but loss?"

"That's true…But we're talking about a movie, right? If you're going with another girl, then it renders the point of the first lover pointless. It makes her less special."

I'm not adhering to fate or destiny or any of that. But becoming lovers means that you've become special to each other, so just casting a loved one aside to pick another person…just feels so depressing. It's like the bonds between the two of them weren't all that deep, to begin with.

"But because this first lover existed…Because there was something to be lost, it equally grants something special by having met."

A summer breeze passed us by, as Ayaka and Yumiko's hair shook. Like a ripple, almost. However, that quickly subsided, as everything went back to normal.

"…But, that's enough. Sorry to bore you with my hypotheticals. I just remembered a movie I'd watched some time ago, so I wanted to discuss that with you."

"It wasn't boring or anything. I just realized that there are a lot of viewpoints to be had. And that explains why Ayaka enjoys these sorts of movies so much."

"She does?"

"Yeah. When it comes to a sad movie, she likes that it makes you think about life itself. That each person in the movies has a different way of dealing with or handling the inevitable end of death. Right, Ayaka?"

"…Wha…?"

Ayaka hadn't participated in this conversation up to this point, and yet when I called out to her, she froze up for a moment. It's like her thoughts just stopped.

"What's that reaction about? You love tearjerkers, right?"

"Huh? Uh…Well, I don't…really like them so much, no."

"What? Not too long ago, you said you liked them."

"A-Ahaha…Well, a maiden's heart is ever-changing!"

"What the heck does that mean?"

"I mean…well…" She showed a smile devoid of her usual radiance, as she gripped her hands together into fists on her lap, muttering. "…A sudden death like that is just…unreasonable, right?"

I don't know why, but I felt like an emotion I'd never seen on Ayaka was mixed in with her voice. It's weird. She's my childhood friend who's always been with me, and yet she's not like herself lately. Even that dejected profile of hers, it's like I'm talking to a complete stranger. I don't like feeling this distance between us. And I didn't know how to respond to those words. Panicking, I rushed to get the usual Ayaka back and spoke up.

"…The summer festival."

"…Huh?"

"We promised we'd go there together, right?"

"Wha…Ah."

"I haven't forgotten. So don't say you're off to Hawaii or whatever."

"S-Sorry."

"It's a promise. We'll go together this summer. That's why…"

I didn't even understand why I was saying this. And why I tried to force this point home so badly. But, I felt restless, like I had to say it now or regret it forever.

"…Don't go anywhere, Ayaka."

Summer is supposed to be the season of life and vigor. The season of shining light and virtue. In return, the shadows it creates become stronger. The contrast between the endless blue sky above us and the shadow of the tower we sat behind was so beautiful…that it honestly gave me the creeps. And despite what I've said, Ayaka didn't respond. She just showed a troubled, somewhat saddened smile. Without returning anything, she looked toward Yumiko instead.

"Oh yeah. I think you should come with us to the summer festival!"

"Huh? No, I'm okay. I wouldn't want to get in the way…"

"You're not getting in the way of anything! So…please?" Ayaka took Yumiko's hand as she pushed her face closer, souding like she was pleading. "I want you to come with us…I really mean it."

I don't know why Ayaka was so desperate for this, and Yumiko shouldn't know, either. But, she was probably overwhelmed by Ayaka's request that she smiled faintly and nodded.

"…Okay. I'll think about it."

"Yumiko."