Epilogue: Pledge

"That was the most intense trivia show I've ever seen. Our noble princess got close,

but…"

"Nah, man. That was some BS. She got way more answers right, so she deserved to win.

Plus, she figured out how those percentages worked in the middle of the show. She may have

technically lost because of that last question, but she basically won."

"The only reason she got more answers right was because Alisa got every pop culture

question wrong. Other than that, Alisa got more answers right on basically every topic, so if

we're judging them by how knowledgeable they are, then Alisa wins."

"Ayano deserves credit for figuring out how the percentages were calculated! You guys

probably don't know this, but she was actually the first to figure it out! Pretty awesome,

right?"

"Seriously?! But you know who's legit badass? Kuze, for using that phone-a-friend

lifeline! I low-key couldn't even understand what he was trying to say, but looking back, he

sounded like he knew what the last question was gonna be."

"I feel ya, man. Same vibes. I'm still shook."

"To tell the truth, I was most touched by Alisa's eloquent speech. Seeing her be so

courageous in the face of adversity made me a fan."

"Oh my. Then what about Ms. Suou? She was so brave for not taking advantage of the

rules and for fighting fair and square. That was very respectful."

"Yes… After thinking about it, it's hard to decide who really won."

"Yeah, those were some bizarre rules, but it was so much fun!"

Exhilarated voices could be heard in the background while Masachika and Alisa sat in

metal folding chairs behind the stage. There was not another soul in sight, since every other

worker was busy preparing for the next attraction. The excitement still hadn't worn off from

the match while they sat side by side without saying a word.

"…I wanted to prove that I was good enough to be your partner," Alisa eventually

muttered. Masachika stayed quiet and listened. She continued to face forward and added:

"A lot of people depend on you…and a lot of people accept and respect you. And they

talk about you and Yuki…like you're the ideal pair…"

She paused for a moment—the next time she spoke would be with more force. She would

speak her mind boldly, making her competitiveness and determination no secret.

"That's why I wanted you to see just how capable I was. I wanted to prove that I was

more than a prop who needed you to hold me up. I wanted to show that I could beat Yuki all

by myself and that I was good enough to be your partner. I wanted to be acknowledged…"

Her voice trailed off at the end, and her brows furrowed as she gazed into Masachika's

eyes.

"But…I failed. I would have lost if it weren't for you," she whispered in a selfdeprecating manner as her stare drifted toward the ground. Although her expression was

hidden behind hersilver hair, her fists were clenched on her lap, which was more than enough

to convey how she was feeling.

She's like a brilliantly shining star.

Masachika was envious of how she could honestly acknowledge how helpless she was

and be so frustrated by it. It was this noble nature of hers that he felt needed to be protected

at all costs…but at the same time, it hit him like a truck because he realized that—

Someday, Alya's not going to need me anymore…

Countless people were going to be drawn to Alisa one day. Her single-minded, proud

way of living was going to move countless people who would gather around her and support

her. But even when she became the center of it all,she would continue to move forward, never

looking back…and someone like Masachika, who still couldn't let go of the past, wasn't

going to be able to keep up with her.

If…

If he agreed with what Alisa claimed and said something cheap like, "Yeah, you're

probably right, but don't worry. I'm going to continue being right there for you, every step of

the way," then maybe she would continue to depend on him from now on. Maybe she would

take Masachika's hand, smile, and tell him that she was counting on him.

But he couldn't do that to her. There was no way he could say something that would

slow someone down just so the two of them could walk at the same pace.

Right now, what I need to do is…

Masachika quietly stood up, spun around so that he was standing right in front of her,

and got on his knee…like a knight about to pledge his loyalty to the princess.

"Alya, you were never losing to begin with."

Alisa looked up to find him kneeling before her, and her eyes widened in wonderment.

As he gazed deeply into her eyes, Masachika placed a gentle hand on her tightly clenched

fists.

"The pride and willpower that you showed onstage was very attractive to a lot of people,

and now you have countless followers who are going to support you, no matter what. And

that's why you were never losing to begin with."

There was no reason to embellish his words or put on a show. All he needed to do was

speak honestly from the heart.

"All I did was go head-to-head with Ayano as a rival striving for the position of student

council vice president, and it revealed a path to victory. But you already found something

even more valuable than that. You alone were the one who captivated that audience. Your

success came from your hard work, and that's why there's no reason to feel frustrated with

yourself."

She began to tremble while her fists clenched tightly around Masachika's hand.

"Really?"

"Hmm?"

"Did I really earn everyone's respect and acceptance?"

It must have been stressing her out for so long. She had been worrying and fighting this

battle alone for a while, and it was Masachika's inexperience that forced her to do that.

"Yes, really. You have my word," he assured as if he were trying to make up for his

mistakes, but it still wasn't enough to rid Alisa of her sorrows.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because…"

Only when he paused for a moment to think did he realize his mistake. He promised

himself that he wasn't going to embellish his words, so he decided to reply only with honesty

and only from the heart.

"Because…your performance onstage captivated me as well."

Alisa looked stunned, but Masachika continued as if he wanted to be sure that what he

was saying reached her heart.

"You have no idea how cool you were when you said you were going to beat Yuki fair

and square. It made me genuinely proud to be your partner."

He smiled but with a hint of sorrow.

"And that's why you need to keep being bold as you move forward. I'll get rid of anyone

who holds you back or slows you down."

Even if that person is me, he added in his head.

"…Thank you," she whispered, smiling like she wanted to cry as she took Masachika's

hand and placed it against her forehead.

"I'm really glad you're my partner."

His heart throbbed painfully, knowing she meant that from the bottom of her heart, but

he fought through the pain and maintained his composure. Alisa then gently lowered his hand

back to her lap and smiled affectionately like a blooming flower, prompting Masachika to

smile in return. They peacefully gazed into each other's eyes for the next few moments…

until one of the school festival committee workers returned to the area behind the stage.

"…! Huh?!"

The individualsaw one person kneeling before another asthey held hands and gazed into

each other's eyes, which caused him to take a step back in utter shock. He blinked curiously

for a few seconds before dragging his other foot back as well, then he began to scratch his

cheek in a bashful and bewildered manner.

"Uh… Did I just walk in on a proposal?"

"N-no! He was just taking my pulse…"

"Come on, Alya. That's the best you could come up with?" joked Masachika.

Nevertheless, their schoolmate smiled stiffly while continuing to retreat.

"Oh, okay. Well, enjoy yourselves…"

"H-hey!"

Alisa immediately jumped out of her seat, but there was no way she could simply chase

him around the stage.

"…!!"

She groaned, struggling to not just chase him down while Masachika uncomfortably

smirked at her.

"A proposal, huh? Wow… I mean, we're not even old enough to get married, right?"

But Masachika's comment was immediately met with Alisa's discontent, foul glare.

"We might be too young to get married…but we could still get engaged, right?"

"Come on—don't give me a serious answer. It was a ridiculous thing for him to say."

"Oh? What, am I not good enough for you?"

A devilish smirk instantly formed on her lips, making Masachika's breath catch. He

eventually made a sweeping statement in an attempt to avoid the question.

"No, it's not that… It's just…freshmen in high school getting engaged? That's not even

realistic."

"Really? Because I wouldn't mind it if they were my one true love."

"…?"

He raised an eyebrow at her unexpected remark before provocatively grinning as if he

could already taste his sweet revenge.

"It almost sounds like you're indirectly asking me to propose to you. Should I be a real

man right now and ask for your hand in marriage?"

But Alisa confidently lifted her chin as if to belittle his smug counterattack.

"You're an idiot." She grinned, fidgeting with her hair with her left hand.