Masachika and Alya

The train was running through the countryside, and along the tracks, abundant nature

spread as far as the eye could see. They were on the way back from their beach trip, and

the first train car was peacefully quiet. Other than the members of the student council, there

was no one there, perhaps because it was a little past three o'clock in a rural area. Not a

word was spoken among them. Only the clickety-clack of the moving train filled the silence.

Eventually, the soothing rocking of the train put Yuki to sleep, her head tilted to the left so

that it was resting on Masachika's shoulder. Soon afterward, Ayano, who was sitting across

from them, slowly began rocking back and forth before finally dozing off as well.

Everyone must be exhausted…

Even Masachika was sitting heavily back in his seat. They had stayed up rather late the

night before due to the festival, and since this was the last day, they'd gone for an extremely

long swim in the ocean that morning. After having lunch, they cleaned up the vacation house

before getting on the train home, so it was only natural they would be fatigued to the point

of dozing off. It was no surprise… It was no surprise, but…

I know you're awake, Yuki.

He glared down at his sister's head and lightly pushed her away with his elbow, but…

"Mmm…"

…the instant he extended his elbow to the side, Yuki swiftly looped her left arm around

his right and held on tightly. She then carefully readjusted her head's position while getting

comfortable to fall asleep once more.

You little…

Masachika frowned at hisshamelesssister, who was pretending to be asleep. She seemed

to at least be trying to fall asleep, but her intentions were clearly mischievous.

Only couples would ever even attempt to sleep like this! She's obviously doing this to

annoy Alya!

As he inwardly screamed his complaints, he glanced to his left, where…

"Masha, come on."

"Mmm."

…he saw Maria clinging to Alisa's arm with her head resting on her shoulder. It was

like looking in a mirror. Masachika was surprised that someone would be doing the same

thing as Yuki.

"Sigh…"

But Alisa eventually exhaled a resigned sigh and stopped trying to resist. When her eyes

wandered over to Masachika, her eyebrows went up, but she just smiled wryly.

"She can be such a pain." Alisa gestured to Maria with her eyes.

"Ha-ha…ha-ha…"

Masachika awkwardly laughed, because seeing Maria nuzzle her head on Alisa's

shoulder started giving him flashbacks to the previous morning.

Y-yeah, Masha can be…really unpredictable when she's half asleep…

A hint of guilt buried itself in his mind as he thought back to how Maria had gracefully

fallen back asleep on him for the fourth time in a row, and he faced forward. Ultimately,

there was no way he wouldn't feel a little bit of guilt after realizing the previous day that

Alisa liked him, even if he didn't mean to "sleep" with Maria.

I mean, I didn't do anything wrong, but still…

He continued making excuses to nobody but himself when he suddenly realized that he

was alone with Alisa. Of the five people sitting there, three were (supposedly) sleeping, so

it wouldn't be that much of a stretch to claim that they were alone. The president and vice

president of the student council? They were at the very front of the train car, sitting in a twoperson seat that was facing the direction they were heading, and they were currently in their

own little world…which wasn't a problem, of course.

W-wait. Should I be worried…?

A chill crawled up his spine, making him grimace. After the fireworks show last night,

he and Alisa had met up with the others, and Masachika had explained that he had to steal

Alisa away because of the little game they were playing. Of course, they didn't mention one

word of the kiss. Masachika and Alisa never got a chance to be alone again after that, since

they were constantly either being teased by Touya and Chisaki or bombarded with questions

from Yuki. Plus, they had been avoiding being alone with each other all day today, perhaps

worried that it would be awkward for some reason, so this was the first moment they found

themselves alone since the previous day…which was why the conversation naturally drifted

toward—

"The fireworks were really pretty…weren't they?"

Yep! Of course this is what we'd be talking about!

Masachika felt as if his stomach was turning, despite seeing it coming.

"Oh yeah. They really were."

But Alisa didn't say a word about Masachika's obviously half-hearted reply. Of course

she didn't. That wasn't even what she wanted to really talk about anyway. Masachika knew

that, and as a man, he knew that he shouldn't run away, but this place—this situation—was

far too risky, and there was one glaring reason why.

There's no way Yuki's really sleeping!

There was no way he could talk about that when he knew his sister was eavesdropping.

It was dangerous—far too dangerous. He would rather die than bring up the kiss. He knew

that if there was one thing they shouldn't talk about, it was that. It was that, and yet…

"So, like…"

It's coming…! She's already going to bring it up!

Masachika inwardly screamed when he noticed Alisa waver as she searched for the right

words. He only had a split second to react, so he weighed his options as quickly as he could

to come up with an answer. He was going to pretend to be a guy who couldn't read the room

—someone who couldn't read between the lines—someone who was insensitive and braindead.

"Speaking of fireworks…! Do you have fireworks during festivals in Russia, too?"

"Huh? Oh… Yeah, we do."

"Oh, cool. Is it different from the fireworks in Japan?"

"W-well, I haven't really thought about it much before…but I think they're basically

the same?"

"Really? Oh, hey. Do the fireworks have funny names like they do in Japan?"

He had suddenly become unusually talkative. His conversation skills had always been

far better than Alisa's, so once he got control of the conversation, it was simple for him to

steer it away from topics he wanted to avoid.

"…Hey, are you trying to play dumb?"

But there was not much he could do if she decided to attack head-on, especially when

her eyes were downcast as if her feelings were hurt. Masachika was at a loss for words.

"It's obvious you're trying to avoid talking about it, which is fine. We can just pretend

it didn't ha—"

"Hold on. Can you give me a second?" he requested, holding up his left hand as he cut

Alisa off.

"…What?"

"Sorry. Hold on."

After slowly slipping his smartphone out of his pocket, he turned up the volume and

began to play a certain video.

"Hey, yooo. What's going on? I get that you want to save

every moment you spend with me, but could you at least wait

until I get dressed?"

"…?!"

The voice playing on the phone was from when Masachika was hypnotized into being

an overconfident wannabe player. Despite Alisa's eyes widening at the sudden video,

Masachika was focused on how the other three were reacting, but after noticing that nobody

was moving, he immediately stopped the video.

"All right, it looks like everyone's really sleeping." He nodded in a satisfied manner.

"Wh-what kind of way…to check…was that?" asked Alisa, her cheeks twitching as she

desperately tried to hold in her laughter. It was definitely an expression you wouldn't see

Alisa make often.

"Because there's no way you could hear this video and not laugh a little unless you were

really sleeping, right? I mean, look at you," replied Masachika with a somewhat detachedfrom-reality gaze.

"I-I'm surprised you would admit that…and I'm even more surprised you still haven't

deleted that video, too…"

He ended up explaining to the other student council members that Yuki had hypnotized

him and shared that video without his permission, so he got everyone to delete it from their

phone, which was why him playing it now was completely unexpected.

"I bet you haven't deleted it, either, right?"

"Wh-what? Of course I deleted it. Rude…," replied Alisa with clear discontent, but

Masachika noticed. He caught how her voice shook, albeit only for a split second.

Wow… She seriously didn't delete it…

Despite being reminded of an embarrassing moment in the past and suffering mental

damage, Masachika still managed to get them back on topic.

"Anyway… Sorry about that. I wasn't sure everyone was actually asleep, so… No, I'm

done making excuses."

Although he was partially worried Yuki was secretly awake, deep down inside, he didn't

have the courage to face it—to face the feelings that Alisa had for him. He didn't have the

heart or determination to come to grips with them, so Alisa was right. He was trying to avoid

talking about it.

"Look, I'm sorry. I was trying to avoid talking about it, but I don't want to pretend like

it never happened, either. I just… I still haven't processed everything that happened. I'm still

trying to sort out my feelings," he replied seriously, looking Alisa straight in the eye. She

seemed a little surprised.

"You don't need to make a big deal out of this…or sort out your feelings. That was…

It was a kiss to congratulate you," she mumbled.

"…For what?"

"Because you did so much yesterday to make sure Masha and I had a good time. I know

it didn't go exactly as you planned, and you were a little disappointed, right? So think of the

kiss as a consolation prize…because what you did really made me happy. Got it?!"

Her speech gradually got faster and louder as she leaned toward Masachika.

"Huh? Oh. Okay." He nodded as if he felt pressured to do so, though he honestly didn't

exactly understand what she was trying to say. After all, telling her he didn't get it would

only upset her, and that was something he wanted to avoid.

"Well, what an amazing way to be rewarded. Like, that was worth more than the effort

I put in yesterday," he blurted awkwardly due to the pressure. Even Masachika didn't know

what he was saying, and he slightly regretted opening his mouth.

"…Hmph. Of course it was." She swiftly put her nose in the air, then lowered only her

gaze and sternly added, "Oh, and so you know, I don't do that for just anyone. It ended up

happening like that yesterday because of Yuki's order and because the fireworks were really

romantic, too."

"Yeah, of course," agreed Masachika, thinking that this was probably the best Alisa

could do. After all, telling him that she wouldn't kiss just anyone was perhaps the best way

to express how much she liked him, and if anything, Masachika was relieved, since he now

knew how she felt about him.

I don't know if she hasn't realized it herself, or if she has realized it and is pretending

not to… She would never admit it, regardless.

He had no idea what Alisa liked about him, but there was no way someone as proud as

her would ever admit that she liked such a laid-back, lazy guy.

Honestly, that works better for me, too…

Because he still wasn't ready to face how she felt about him, and if she could at least

wait for him to sort out his feelings, then—

"<I wouldn't do that with anyone else but you.>"

…Yep. I really hope she keeps blurting out those inner thoughts in Russian only.

He still had no idea if she was merely teasing him or if she was revealing how she

genuinely felt. So…

"What was that?" he asked, as if there was some kind of preestablished harmony.

"I said I wouldn't do that with anyone else but you."

"Oh…?"

Masachika froze, completely taken aback by her unexpected response, and Alisa

immediately tried to hide her embarrassment with a scowl.

"I told you already. I don't do that for just anyone. And I don't want you thinking I'm

some girl who is easily swayed by the mood or pressure, so I'm going to be direct… I felt

a little kiss on the cheek as a reward was fine because it was you," she insisted almost as

if she was complaining.

"O-oh… What an honor?"

"And there was absolutely nothing romantic about it, okay? I trust you to an extent as

my p-partner, and I guess there are some things about you that I might possibly respect in a

way? And most of all, I guess I consider you my best friend…but that's all!" claimed Alisa,

her cheeks burning red while she glared at him.

"O-oh, okay. Thanks," he awkwardly replied, then softly snorted and faced forward. He

couldn't help but smile wryly at her clumsy way of expressing how much he meant to her.

Her tone almost made it sound as though she was trying to pick a fight with him, but this was

so like Alisa. This was the kind of person she was…and that was why it really resonated with

Masachika, because he knew that was how she genuinely felt. Alisa herself probably still

hadn't realized that she was in love, but even then, she faced her emotions in her own way

and gave him the answer she found in her heart. She was courageous and entirely sincere.

Who is this cute creature? She's absolutely adorable.

That thought naturally came to Masachika's mind as he observed her pouting with the

reddest ears he had everseen. He almost immediately regretted the ridiculousthought, though

he kept it to himself.

Sigh… This is a really bad habit of mine. I always mess around and crack jokes to hide

how I really feel.

That was Masachika Kuze's defense mechanism. After losing the love of his mother,

the love of that girl, and the part of himself that he was proud of, he refused to let himself get

close to anyone, and instead, he joked around, evaded his problems, and played the fool. If he

didn't get attached to anyone, then he would never have to suffer losing anyone. If he never

got close to anyone…then nobody would have to know the pathetic true nature of Masachika

Kuze. And if nobody else knew, then Masachika wouldn't have to face himself—this person

whom he hated—either.

But at least, right now…

He couldn't run away. At the very least, he wanted to be true to this girl in front of him

who had showed him courage and sincerity.

"I…"

His voice was hoarse and trembling. All he was doing was being honest with himself

and with her, and yet it was so hard. One corner of his lips was naturally trying to curl into a

smirk. Smile. Make a joke out of it and run away like you always do. The inner voices were

deafening, and he desperately tried to block them out as he continued:

"I wanted to kiss, too…because it was you, Alya."

Alisa immediately looked back at him, and her eyes opened wide in astonishment when

she saw how unusually desperate he looked.

"If it were anyone else, I would have probably joked around and avoided the whole

thing. But because it was you, Alya…I didn't. I wanted to kiss you back. I mean, I wouldn't

have been able to kiss you on the cheek, and if you asked me why I wanted to kiss you,

then I'd have trouble answering, but…maybe I'm just the kind of guy who gets caught up

in the moment?"

In the end, he couldn't help but kind of joke about it, despite doing his best to seriously

convey how he felt. He never had trouble talking, and yet it was times like this when he

would freeze up. His gaze gradually lowered the more he spoke, until—

"…Sigh. What are you doing?" muttered Alisa in a fed-up tone, placing her right hand

on his cheek. After gently lifting his chin so that he was facing her, she gazed right into his

eyes and smiled as if she was truly happy from the bottom of her heart.

"Giggle. I've never seen you look this way."

"…How do I look?"

Probably pathetic, he thought, as he replied in a sulky voice, then almost immediately

felt overwhelmed with embarrassment for acting so childish.

"…!"

As he averted his gaze without saying another word, Alisa's lips curled almost

mischievously, and she replied:

"If I had to sum up how you look in one word, I'd say…cute."

"…!"

Being called cute right to his face while she devilishly smiled at him sent a sweet

numbness down his spine, so he immediately furrowed his brow as if he was in a bad mood

to hide how happy it actually made him.

"…Are you making fun of me?" he asked, trying to sound annoyed, but Alisa didn't

even blink.

"Of course not. Anyway, I actually was wondering why you went with my hair, but it

looks like you actually were just nervous, after all."

…Don't give me that. You noticed the moment I kissed you. You called me a coward.

"Come on. Of course I was nervous. Plus, I personally felt that it was weird to kiss your

hair…but you don't want someone to kiss you on the cheek just because they were ordered

to because of some game, right?" he interjected in an accusatory tone.

"I don't know," she replied, raising an eyebrow. She then took her hand off his cheek,

began tapping hers, and said:

Masachika instantly stopped breathing. His heart felt as if it stopped beating for a

moment.

"Wait. What was that?"

He was worried that this sounded awkward, though he had asked her to repeat herself

like this countless times before.

"I just said I don't know about that. That's all."

But thankfully, Alisa didn't seem to care, and she lied with a brilliant smile like she

always did…while slipping her right arm around Masachika's left and resting her head on

his shoulder.

"Oh…"

She transitioned from brazenly taunting him to resting her head on his shoulder so

naturally that his body went stiff. Alisa let out a brief but exaggerated yawn, perhaps not

realizing that Masachika was entirely at her mercy.

"Yawn… I'm starting to get sleepy… Can you wake me up when we get there?"

"…So basically, I'm not allowed to sleep?"

"Oh my. Are you confident you can sleep with me leaning against you like this?"

"…Not really."

Alisa snickered, then closed her eyes, but Masachika wasn't joking when he said that.

He was genuinely nervous. Only after realizing that she wasn't going to "attack" anymore

was he finally able to relax his tense body.

Phew… This has to be bad for my heart.

He truly felt that because the gap between this Alisa and the version who was always

curt was too big. Of course, Alisa herself probably just thought she was teasing him for the

most part…but after Masachika realized she had feelings for him, it was hard to tell how

much of this was really her merely teasing him.

Tsk. I wonder how much of what she does is on purpose…

He looked to his side with an exhausted smile and found Alisa already sleeping

peacefully. Her usual overly serious expression was gone, and her guard was lowered. It was

the expression of someone who completely trusted the person they were with. Masachika's

heart was instantly filled with a warm yet intense emotion.

I want to protect her. I want to cherish her. I never want to hurt her. Perhaps these

emotions were born of his desire to protect her…or perhaps even from his love for her.

But…this isn't a romantic love.

This wasn't the same feeling he used to feel with that girl…or at least, that was what he

believed. But he could no longer remember exactly what romantic love itself felt like ever

since she abandoned him. Ever since that day—

Hmm?

That was when he started to have doubts about his own memories.

Did that girl really abandon me…?

He frowned and tried to remember what happened, but it felt as if there were a deep mist

blurring his memories. Her smile was still hidden on the other side of the fog. He couldn't

remember, but what he did understand was that his love for her hadn't faded.

I still can't let her go…

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget her. He would randomly remember her…

because deep down inside, there was a part of him that didn't want to forget…since he had

a lingering attachment and love for the girl of his memories.

"<Masaaachika! >"

He could still hear the weird way she pronounced his name in his head, and the innocent

voice calling out to him from the other side of the mist was tearing his heart apart.

"Mn…"

But the soft voice coming from his left side dragged him back to reality. He blinked in

wonder as Alisa, stirring in her sleep, tightly squeezed his arm, and the loving warmth began

to soothe his aching heart.

…I have to find closure and move on.

The decision naturally formed in his mind as he looked at Alisa's sleeping face. He had

to do it for the girl who fell in love with someone like him. He had to move on from his first

love and free his heart from his memories of her. Surely, once he did that…

"..."

That was when Yuki slowly lifted her head, and ignoring her brother's silent glare, she

began staring at Alisa, who was tightly holding Masachika's other arm, and she firmly

nodded.

"Interesting. So this is what it feels like to be cuckolded."

"Wanna make your next nap permanent?"