Short Story 3 : Sakayanagi Arisu SS – The Time of Realisation

In a multi-purpose room. Me and Ayanokouji-kun would be spending some time alone in here. The teachers started talking among each other so they must be doing the final checks.

The strong beatings in my chest felt pleasant to me. Every time I looked at Ayanokouji-kun in front of me, my whole body felt hot as if not wanting to look away.

Fufu, just like a maiden in love, isn't it?

I observed myself as if I was a bystander, while enjoying myself from the bottom of my heart.

Let's savour this moment by striking some conversation before the match starts. The time he and I was granted together was decisively limited after all.

"Finally… finally this day has come at last. I really couldn't sleep yesterday so I almost overslept today."

I earnestly started talking about my morning. I stammered a bit since it was the first time raising my voice for a while alone with him. He looked a bit troubled but replied back.

"I have no recollection of making you wait though. Me meeting you was a coincident in the first place."

It was easy to think why he would have doubts regarding whether it was a coincident or not.

"You are saying that if you did not enter this school, we would never have met?"

The world is big. True, the fact we met once again may have been close to a coincidence.

"Certainly, the fact we met at this school was a coincidence. However, I'm convinced I would meet you again someday. It was meant to be, yes fate."

Yes, it was not a coincidence, it was inevitable.

"Fate? That's quite an abstract thing to say."

True, there was no logic to that, just some hunch. But… here we were talking to each other, right? Ayanokouji-kun.

If this wasn't fate, what else would you say it was?

"It's because I'm also a maiden."

But there was probably no need to say more than that.

"If you didn't enroll at this school, that should only have been a delay of 3 years. I had confidence I could hide my anticipation deep inside my heart without rushing it. But, I can't hold it back anymore. inevitably, I felt the days becoming longer knowing you were there by my side. I want to fight, suppressing that feeling have been quite difficult. That's the extent of my dream."

A loved one. I was thinking of him as my childhood friend, although selfishly. That's why I couldn't stop the overflowing words by my own will. I was talking to him non-stop, as if I was yearning for him, one topic after another. That calm look he gave me and those pupils gave me an even greater pleasure.

"Are you not afraid of waking up from that dream?"

Nothing is as kind as a dream. When you wake up from that dream and return back to reality, that happiness will disappear in a moment. Fighting Ayanokouji-kun and lose, and then despair. Or, winning so easily that all that's left was disappointment.

I couldn't overlook the chance that it could happen.

But that was fine.

"Because dreams are things you are meant to wake up from."

If I could find an 'answer', I will be satisfied with that.

"Normally, I would ask you to… go easy on me but…"

I pierced his elusive pupils.

"Please meet me with all you have."

He definitely, although just faintly, confirmed by a nod. And at the same time, I could begin to guess what he had in mind. The thing keeping me from enjoying myself to the fullest, its true identity.

"It would be a lie to say that I don't have any conflicting feelings about this. An inadequate test like this won't be good enough for us to prove our abilities. Us leaders are limited to how we can influence the outcome, right?"

This special exam had meaning in that it was simply a secret duel between me and Ayanokouji-kun. It was just an extension of a game, played in secret, unknown to the teachers and other students.

That's why it was understandable why Ayanokouji-kun was looking so suspicious. No matter how limited our way of fighting may be, it would be fine as long as it was fair for today. Ascertaining anything more or less would be a luxury so it was best left unspoken.

The teachers were approaching. The special exam will start very soon.

"A—right! The exam will soon begi—n! Back to your seats!"

After hearing what Hoshinomiya-sensei said, me and Ayanokouji returned back to our seats.

I could no longer see his face, but there was no need to be discouraged by that.

Because as long as we were in the same room, I could exchange words with him anytime, as many times as I wanted.

"Best regards, Ayanokouji-kun."

I sent a greeting in his direction in a voice so low that nobody could hear.

I suppressed the throbbings of my heart—

And now, the time my dreams will be realised has come.