Chapter 2 – How to Be Social, Fireworks Festival

I had a shift today.

I started to regret taking too many shifts during this lovely summer vacation.

“Haah…”

“For senpai to sigh like that, it’s a rare sight.”

Kawasaki, who was washing the dishes next to me, stared at me with a serious look.

“I thought you were like a machine built for working.”

“I’m a human being, thank you very much. I could get into a mood like this sometimes too.”

“…That’s new to me.”

“Why do you look so surprised?!”

I’d understand if someone were to react like this to my previous life’s self, but I wasn’t like that anymore!

Also, back then, I was a subject of human experiment, so it was doubtful that I was a human in the first place.

Well, one could call me a human, depending on their views on the definition of a human being. Wait, I’m getting too philosophical.

When I was thinking about this nonsense, Kawasaki called out to me. It seemed like she noticed something.

“Could it be… Did you get rejected, senpai?”

“How the hell did you come to that conclusion?”

I swear to god, I was just feeling a little under the weather.

“I mean, it’s summer. Summer is the season for blooming love!”

“I see, so you’ve watched that one movie.”

“Yes! I’m weak against that kind of emotional movie—”

Then, she proceeded to talk about the movie that was airing in the theater with a twinkle in her eyes. I gave an ear to her while doing my job. There were barely any customers here, so we had the leisure to chat idly like this.

“Jeez, listen to me, senpai!”

“I am, I am. So that one guy got dumped by a girl for some reason and then?”

“Don’t leave out the details! The details are important!”

Kawasaki started to complain while puffing out her cheeks. Her gesture looked flawless, but I knew that she did it consciously. Since I was used to Shiina doing the same thing, though that girl did it unconsciously, Kawasaki’s gesture had no effect on me.

I made a smug look, but Kawasaki ignored it and said something else to me,

“Ah, by the way, senpai, I remember you said that you aren’t really interested in romance movies, right?”

“…Yeah.”

Rather than not interested in them, I just didn’t understand them when I watched them.

Back then, I didn’t know what being in love felt like, so I couldn’t relate to those movies at all.

…But, I think I’d find those movies a little bit interesting now. I mean, I understand a little about love, after all.

At least, I knew that I loved Shiina.

Though, I wasn’t a hundred percent sure that I really loved her. I had never fallen in love with anyone, so I couldn’t really tell.

That was why I wanted to make sure that I really loved her before confessing. Besides, if I were to confess to her now, I doubt that I’d be able to say the words properly to her.

“Have you ever been in love, Kawasaki?…”

When I asked her that, she stopped working and stared at me.

I looked at her face closely. She had a well-defined face. With a face like that, she was definitely a popular girl. If so, she’d be bound to be experienced with love.

“Well, yeah. Back in grade school, I liked this classmate of mine who was really good at soccer. Then, back in middle school, there was a quiet boy who I took a liking to.”

“Both are different types of people.”

“The person I fell in love with became the type of person that I like.”

Those words were shallow, but at the same time, it felt deep.

“So, what happened to them?”

“I got disillusioned and my love just disappeared. Takahashi-kun, the boy who was really good at soccer, had no delicacy. Hoshino-kun, the quiet boy, was a chuunibyou who just tried to look cool.”

“Eh…”

“Well, that’s how it is. I fell in love and fell out of it on my own. Such is love~”

Was that how love worked?

Well, it was Kawasaki who said it, so it must be right.

As I nodded my head, she suddenly spoke in a quieter voice.

“…My love is always faint. It never grew too big, so it cooled off quickly. I don’t think I’m the right person to ask about something like this. I mean, I’m still looking for that one special person myself.”

She spoke to me in a serious manner, which was rare for her.

“It was just an idle question, you know? I-It isn’t like I’m looking for advice or anything…”

“Senpai, do you know that you’re an easy person to read?”

It seemed like everyone could tell what I was thinking about these days.

She was as perceptive as Shinji.

“That one special person, huh?…”

Suddenly, Shiina’s face came to my mind.

…Huh? Why did her face come up in this situation?

I started to be flustered because of my thoughts. Suddenly, Kawasaki let out a sad smile at me.

“I was hoping that it would work out this time…”

…Did she have someone in mind already?

When I tried to ask her what she meant by that, she shook her head.

“Don’t mind me. My feeling is just a crush. I can’t win no matter how hard I try.”

She continued and changed the topic,

“So, who did you fall in love with, senpai?”

“…How did you know?”

“Because this isn’t something that you’d normally ask.”

Then, she asked with twinkling eyes.

“Tell me, tell me. Who is she? Is she going to the same school as us? Is she pretty? What’s her name? I’m curious! Since you fell in love with her, is she a weirdo like you, senpai?”

“S-Stop with the barrage of questions! W-Well, it’s true that she is a weirdo…”

When I tried to answer them, I faltered instead. My reaction triggered something in Kawasaki as she smirked while saying, “Woah, you actually fell in love with someone~”. Seriously, what’s wrong with her?!

“There aren’t many people who’re as pure as you nowadays, senpai.”

“…S-Shut up. She’s my first love, okay?!”

“Huh, I see. No wonder you’re acting like this. C’mon, stop sulking~”

She giggled, trying to cheer me up. It made me wonder who was the older one between us. If I were to count my previous life, I would be significantly older than her…

“…Her name is Shiina Mai.”

When I told her this, she nodded in understanding.

“Ah, the transfer student. The boys in my year talked about how cute she is.”

“Is that so?”

It was true that Shiina was cute. Whenever she walked down the street, everyone would steal glances at her.

That was why I wasn’t really surprised to hear that the first-years were talking about her.

Even if I were to compare her to the ‘idols’, she would be among the better looking ones.

…I was sure that men would be all over her.

Of course, I didn’t want anyone to take her away from me. I wonder if this is what they call possessiveness.

At first, I thought that I didn’t need to be in a hurry, but looking at the situation, I realized that I couldn’t take it easy.

“Kawasaki, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“I want to know if I really love her. Just to be sure, you know? Since you know a lot about love.”

“H-How could you say that embarrassing line.”

She looked unusually embarrassed.

“B-Besides, I never had a boyfriend to begin with, so it isn’t like I know a lot about the matter either. But, sure, if you really need this onee-san’s help, I’ll gladly help you~ Come closer~”

She puffed out her chest. What a dependable girl.

I’m not sure about referring to herself as an ‘onee-san’, but I knew that she was more experienced than me in this regard.

Since I was a newcomer in this battle, I knew nothing about it. I had no techniques nor confidence to tread on it. That was why I’d welcome any kind of help.

And so, I told her about my feelings toward Shiina and what I had been through up to the time when I realized my feelings toward her. Of course, I omitted the part about our previous life.

“Well, that’s the gist of it— Huh, what’s wrong?”

When I looked at Kawasaki, she was hiding her face with both hands. For some reason her ears were dyed red.

“W-Why don’t you try putting yourself in my shoes?”

She fanned her face for some reason.

“You like her so much that you end up thinking about her all the time? What the hell?! If that isn’t love then what is?! What are you so confused about?!”

“It’s obvious that you’re in love.” muttered Kawasaki.

I see… Honestly, I didn’t know the difference between liking and loving someone. Well, if Kawasaki said that my feeling was love, then it must be it.

“So, what should I do now?”

“Just ask her out already.”

So she said, but I didn’t even know where to begin. In the first place, I didn’t even understand the concept of ‘going out’. I knew that it was necessary to make me and Shiina become even closer, but that was it.

“But, I don’t know where to start…”

“Well, from what I understood, you two are on good terms already, so it should be easy. All you need to do is to make her conscious about you. To do that… Try asking her on a date.”

“J-Just the two of us? That would be embarrassing!”

“Why are you even embarrassed over this?!”

When I tried to imagine the scene where I asked Shiina out on a date, I suddenly got cold feet. Yes, we were on good terms, but she could still reject me.

What if I screwed it up and she still treated me as a friend after everything was over? Just thinking about that made me feel embarrassed to the point that I almost rolled on the floor. Lucky that I still held on to my sanity.

“B-Besides… I don’t know what to do for a date…”

Could I just do the same thing as when I hang out with my friends?

If that was allowed, then it would be easy, but I doubt that our relationship could progress like that.

Suddenly, Kawasaki seemed like she got a flash of inspiration as she tapped her palm with her fist.

“Right! There’s a firework festival this weekend! Try to invite her to that.”

Come to think of it, she was right. There will be a firework festival this Saturday.

I planned to go with Hina like usual this year, but I should do what Kawasaki suggested instead.

Since Shiina liked pretty things, she’d definitely love fireworks too.

…Though, she hates the crowds. I guess I’d need some time to convince her first.

“Got it. I’ll try doing that.”

When I nodded, Kawasaki quickly spoke,

“Later, when the mood is good, make sure to hold her hand tightly. If she doesn’t mind, you could drag her to a secluded place and hug each other there. After that, bring her to a hotel and–”

Kawasaki let out a creepy laugh as she went on with her fantasy. I noticed the manager approaching us, so I quietly went back to work.

“What are you talking about at work?”

“Ow!”

“If there are no customers to take care of, follow what Shiraishi is doing and clean up the place!”

“Yes…”

Kawasaki stared at me with a resentful gaze as she responded to him.

I knew nothing about love, but even I knew that your fantasy was too far-fetched, Kawasaki.

* * *

Shiina’s PoV

…I wonder what he is doing right now?

Whenever I let my mind wander around like this, I always ended up thinking about Godou.

“Godou…” I muttered his name. Somehow, it felt embarrassing when I did that.

I used to call him ‘Hero’, but he insisted that he wasn’t a hero anymore, so I called him by his name instead. I knew it was too late to mull over this, but I still didn’t know why I called him ‘Godou’ instead of ‘Shiraishi.’

Well, that didn’t really matter as I felt comfortable calling him ‘Godou’.

…On the contrary, I felt miffed that he kept calling me ‘Shiina’. It was better than him calling me ‘Witch’ at least, but, you know…

I called him ‘Godou’, so he should start calling me ‘Mai’.

…Wait, did that even make sense? Calm down, me! It felt unfair, yes, but I shouldn’t think about something like that!

I imagined Godou calling me by my name.

“Hng!!~”

I let out a strange moan and rolled on the bed.

Then, I took one of my plushies and hugged it tightly.

The trip to the pool was fun.

I couldn’t swim, so I just spent my time floating around with a floatie, but with Godou and everyone there, there was never a dull moment. Being around with friends that I could trust felt fun and refreshing.

…Though, I didn’t feel happy enough to cry.

I felt the muscles on my face relaxed as I remembered Godou’s silly looking crying face.

Lately, I felt something strange happening in me. My heart would throb without warning.

Was I sick?

No, of course not. It was probably the ‘curse’ that was eating away my heart.

I recalled the face of the person who ‘cursed’ me, Godou. Whenever I tried to think about him, my mind went blank involuntarily.

Ever since that day…

The day when he asked me to be his friend…

Our relationship grew strange. Whenever I made eye contact with him, I’d involuntarily look away. Whenever I stayed together with him, my cheeks would grow hotter and I’d become fidgety. For some reason, I’d find myself staring at him without realizing it. Was this the side effect of friendship?

If that’s so, then friendship is amazing. It made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

I wanted to see him again. When would we be able to meet again?

Even though I was ‘cursed’, I found the cure to it already.

For the first time in my life, I felt blessed even though I was ‘cursed’.

As I was rolling in my bed while thinking about such things, my phone rang.

I immediately stood up and grabbed it, thinking that it was from Godou. Sadly, it wasn’t. I wasn’t disappointed by it much, though.

It was Kirishima-san who called me.

I took a deep breath before answering it. A cheerful voice came from the other side.

{Ah, heya, Mai-chan~ How are you?~}

“I-I’m good… I-It’s just, it’s so hot outside, so I have been staying inside my room…”

Ever since the trip to the pool, I’ve been trying to talk to them more casually.

When I unintentionally shifted to my normal tone back when I denied being an airhead, both Kirishima-san and Shindou-san welcomed it with excitement. That was why I had been trying to treat them more casually.

…It felt like I became even closer to them. It felt good.

However, I still felt nervous about treating everyone casually like that.

While I was feeling conflicted, I heard Kirishima-san’s voice.

{Ahaha, I feel you! Honestly, if I didn’t have club activities, I’d do the same as you!}

So she went to her club today too. Kirishima-san sure was amazing. If I were her, I wouldn’t even attempt to run in the middle of this kind of heat.

Actually, I would have fainted the moment I attempted to do so.

{Right, Mai-chan, you like novels, right? Have you read that one novel yet? The one that’s trending right now?}

What novel was she talking about? She didn’t mention the title at all.

I took a wild guess and mentioned a popular title that was trending because it got a live action adaptation. It seemed like my guess was correct. Actually, that one was one of my favorite titles of all time. Even though I mostly read light novels these days, I usually read that kind of book too.

Romance was one of my favorite genres. I always found myself looking for one whenever I went to a bookstore.

{You know the movie is currently airing, right? So, Yuuka and I were talking about watching it together. Do you want to go with us?}

“Y-Yes! I-I’d love to!”

When I answered that, I could hear her excited squeal from the other side.

Lately, Kirishima-san has been calling me like this to invite me to hang out.

By chance, did she like me? If so, I’d be so happy!

Could I consider her as my friend? I wonder if she’d mind me as her friend.

If only she’d tell me outright like Godou did.

Then again, you didn’t normally say this thing out loud, right?

That was what Godou told me anyway. Unlike me, he had a lot of friends, so he should know a lot about this.

Oh right, I should ask Kirishima-san about that.

“…Will you invite Godou and Kudou-kun?”

{Ah… Well, they don’t really like romance movies. Even if we invite them, they’ll just refuse. I haven’t asked Godou yet, Yuuka hasn’t asked Shinji too, I assume.}

“I see…”

I was looking forward to watching the movie since I liked the novel. But I felt a little disappointed because Godou wouldn’t be there.

Come to think of it, back in his previous life, he said that he didn’t really understand love stories.

Even though love was a beautiful emotion. It was a shame that he couldn’t understand the feeling.

…Then again, I’ve never fallen in love either, so I didn’t really understand it.

Suddenly, Godou’s face came to my mind. I shook my head frantically.

W-What am I thinking?! He’s just a friend!

Besides, even though we were friends, we were enemies back in our previous life. There was no way that he’d think of me like that.

{…What’s wrong?}

While I was making such excuses in my head, Kirishima-san called out to me.

“N-Nothing. Don’t mind me.”

Ahem.

Did I do something strange? Kirishima-san went quiet for a while…

{Anyway, do you want to meet up now? I just got back from my club.}

I agreed to meet up with her. Unlike her or Godou, I had no club activities or part-time job, so I had a lot of free time.

* * *

Shiina’s PoV

I left my house and walked to a park a short distance away. There, I found Kirishima-san sitting on a bench under the shade.

She was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, her club’s uniform. There was a towel draped around her neck.

“Mai-chan!~ You look cute today too! Yay~”

When she noticed me, she raised her hand in high spirits.

“Y-Yay?”

I followed suit and raised a hand. In response, she immediately clapped my hand with hers. It seemed I made the right response. It was the first time that I had ever done a high-five. Somehow, it felt moving.

She, then, patted the empty space next to her. I obediently sat there.

Seeing her up close like this, I realized once again that she was really pretty and stylish.

She had a large pair of breasts, thin legs and waist. Overall, she beat me in every aspect.

Her personality was bright, cheerful and kind. I wanted to be someone like her.

“It’s another hot day, today. Ah, don’t get too close to me, I’m covered in sweat, so I don’t think I’ll smell that good.”

“Ah, sorry…”

I was trying to sneak closer to her, but it seemed like she noticed it.

She gulped the cider she bought from the vending machine. How should I put it? She looked a little erotic? …Wait, what the hell was I thinking? Calm down! (T/N: Cider here is a brand of lemonade, not alcohol.)

Anyway, why did she call me out here?

Maybe she just wanted to see me? If that so, that would be blissful for me. Hehe~

“I want to talk about the schedule for watching the movie. I know we could talk it over the phone, but since I was nearby anyway, I figured I could just call you out instead. Sorry if it inconveniences you!”

“N-No, not at all!”

She clapped her hands together with an apologetic look. I shook my head in response.

After that, we checked on the movie’s schedule and decided on a date.

Since Shindou-san and I were free during the vacation, we only needed to adjust to Kirishima-san’s schedule. After figuring out the days when she didn’t have her club activities, we decided on a date easily. I’m really looking forward to the day.

When I was thinking about the movie, I noticed Kirishima-san smiling happily while looking at her phone.

I tilted my head in confusion. Noticing that, she apologized to me before showing me her phone screen.

It was a RINE from Godou.

“So I tried to invite him to watch the movie. Surprisingly, he said that he was interested.”

…That means Godou will be coming too? Oh no, what should I wear then? I couldn’t wear the same dress I used the other day, could I? I should wear some cute clothes.

I started racking my brain, but suddenly Godou’s next response came and doused all my excitement.

[Ah, but I have a shift on that day.]

“Oh, jeez.”

Seeing that, Kirishima-san looked totally unamused.

I understood her. I was a fool for being so happy. My shoulders slumped.

After that, both of them tried to work on a schedule.

“Ngh… I don’t think this will work out. Let’s just go with the three of us.”

That was the end result. It seemed like everyone was quite busy during the summer vacation.

But still, those two communicated casually like this all the time, huh?

…How envious. The figures of both of them walking together came to mind.

They were perfect for each other. Anyone could see that Kirishima-san was so pretty that one could mistake her as an idol easily. Meanwhile Godou, although I hated to admit it, he was the coolest guy in this world.

Moreover, they had known each other since their childhood.

“What’s wrong?”

As I was deep into my thoughts, Kirishima-san called out to me.

“N-Nothing. I-It’s just, you and Godou seem to be getting along really well, Kirishima-san.”

“…From my perspective, you get along better with him, though.”

Me and him? Was that really the case?

It was true that we got closer than before ever since we reconciled, but our relationship was incomparable to his relationship with Kirishima-san. I mean, we argued a lot still.

“…Mai-chan, what do you think of Godou?”

“Eh?…”

I couldn’t come up with an answer.

What do I think of him?

Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t even know why I don’t know.

Back in our previous lives, we were enemies, but now we’re friends.

He was the one who saved me.

He taught me what happiness looked like.

He was my hero.

Whenever I was with him, I felt nervous, but at the same time, I felt happy. Whenever I looked at him, I realized that he was the coolest guy in the world. Whenever he found me doing something silly, even though he would laugh at me, his smile made me very happy.

Words couldn’t describe the feelings I had toward him.

But it seemed like Kirishima-san understood my feelings.

“Mai-chan, you look like a maiden-in-love, do you know that?”

“Eh?…”

I froze for a moment, not knowing what she meant by that.

Then, she pulled out a hand mirror and pointed it at me.

The mirror reflected my face, which was bright red from the base of my neck to the tips of my ears.

…It was exactly the kind of expression a heroine would make whenever she was thinking about the hero.

“You love Godou, don’t you?”

When she asked me without any pretense like that, I couldn’t make any excuse to deny it.

All this time, I pretended not to notice what this feeling was.

Even though I knew what exactly this feeling was. The feeling that had been occupying my heart.

The feeling of wanting to meet him, the feeling of yearning for his touch.

I wanted him to hold me close, to kiss me with his lips again…

I wanted to be his lover.

When Kirishima-san confronted me boldly like that, the chain that had been keeping this feeling in check broke down to pieces. With that, realization came to me.

I’m disappointed in myself.

I couldn’t admit this feeling.

If I were to do it, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.

Because Godou asked me to be his friend.

He reached out to me to start a new relationship with me. A relationship filled with warmth.

If I were to ask for something more, I would be betraying him.

Godou wouldn’t say anything, but I knew that he’d be annoyed if he were to know about my feelings. That was why, it would be better for me to keep this feeling to myself.

“I don’t…”

So I shook my head and denied my feelings. That was the only option available to me.

“There’s no way that I’d fall in love with him…”

When I said that, Kirishima-san shut her mouth for a long time.

My gaze was facing downward, so I didn’t know what kind of face she was making.

She probably felt uncomfortable since my tone came off strongly.

“…I see. Sorry for asking you a strange question.”

She apologized in a low voice.

“Me too. Sorry, I didn’t mean to deny it strongly like that…”

“No, don’t be. I’m at fault here. Prying into people’s feelings is just the worst thing someone could do…”

Kirishima-san’s cheerful atmosphere was gone.

I wanted to cheer her up, but with my lack of social skills, I didn’t know how to.

That was why I apologized to her, thinking that it’d make her feel better. But, her cheerful smile never returned.

“…Alright, that’s all. See you at the theater, okay?”

She smiled weakly and walked away.

I couldn’t say anything to stop her.

* * *

Godou’s PoV

By the time I finished my part-time job, the sun had already set.

It was 8pm, but it seemed like it didn’t want to linger around any longer, even though it was supposed to be the summer sun.

A cool breeze ruffled my hair. Only on summer nights like this would I appreciate the strength of Gunma’s wind. Unlike on summer days where it only made the day hotter as it blew the hot air around, on summer nights it blew the cool breeze around.

I was holding a leaflet in my hand, a notice for the upcoming firework festival. A while ago, right before I left the store, Kawasaki gave it to me.

Maebashi Firework Festival. They held it every year in Shikishima Park and I always went to see it together with Hina. It would take me twenty minutes by bike to get there from my house and thirty minutes by bike to get there from Shiina’s place.

They will hold it next Saturday, August 13th.

It was a perfect excuse to ask Shiina for a date.

Even though I saw her just the other day during the pool trip, I couldn’t wait to see her again.

During this summer vacation, I didn’t get to see her much.

Well, I saw her occasionally because I had to treat her curse, but that wasn’t enough.

I wanted to see her everyday if possible.

I miss school.

…I said that, but I’d probably be embarrassed if I were to be with her on our own.

“A-Alright…”

I took out my phone and opened up my RINE. I opened my chat screen with Shiina.

Now, how should I invite her? Should I just drop the subject without beating around the bush? It was the first time I’ve ever felt conflicted when trying to send her a message. Usually, I’d just state my business clearly.

Even after racking my brain for a while, I failed to find a way to ask her out. You know what? Whatever, I should just call her.

I let momentum carry me and called her. Almost immediately, she answered my call.

“H-Heya.”

{…Hello. What’s wrong?}

Her calm voice reached my ears.

“I just want to ask you something. Are you free next saturday?”

{Next saturday? Well, yeah. Actually, I’m always free.}

“Ah, I-I see…”

I didn’t know how to feel after hearing that response.

Anyway, I should cut to the case.

“If you’re free, let’s go to the firework festival together.”

{Firework festival? …Ah, come to think of it, it’s that time of the year already.}

Muttered Shiina. After that, there was a short silence.

Was she still contemplating? Was the thought about being in the crowds intimidating her?

The few seconds of silence felt longer than it actually was.

{Who else are you inviting?}

It took a bit of courage for me to answer her question.

“…No one. I want to go with you only.”

Will she realize the meaning of those words?

She probably won’t. I mean, this was Shiina, someone who had communication disorder.

Perhaps because I felt really nervous, I felt unusually thirsty. I sipped the tea in my hand.

{Only us two? …A-Are you asking me out on a date?!}

I almost spit out my tea.

Contrary to my expectations, she realized it almost immediately.

“W-Well, you could put it that way…”

I couldn’t think of a proper response. My state of mind was in chaos.

{O-Okay… S-Sorry, I misunderstood your intentions…}

She apologized for some reason. Even though she didn’t misunderstand anything.

I really was asking her out on a date. I wanted to be with her.

I wanted to say those words to her so badly, but I could only give ambiguous affirmation to her words.

{I-I see it’s all good then… A-Alright, I’ll go with you…}

“O-Okay.”

It was great that she agreed to go with me, but part of her words gave me a sense of discomfort.

Sadly, I didn’t have enough courage to point it out.

After that, we decided on the time and place for us to meet up and said goodbyes to each other.

“Alright, see you later.”

{I’m looking forward to it.}

Shiina’s voice, which had been sounding so happy, suddenly turned monotonous.

{We’ll be staying as friends, right?}

It felt like I was being stabbed by countless nails.

But this was Shiina, there was no way she’d use that roundabout way to reject my advances.

I still have a chance. For sure.

* * *

The day of the firework festival came before I knew it.

My shift ended at 3pm. I was absent-minded all day long to the point that Kawasaki was amazed that I managed to get through the day without any accident. I had trouble deciding what to wear for the festival, but ultimately settled on a normal shirt and jeans. I was thinking of wearing a jinbei¹Jinbei is a Japanese’s traditional summer clothing. The top looks like a kimono, but the bottom is a pair of trousers instead., but I figured that Shiina probably wouldn’t wear a yukata.

I mean, she’d probably go to the festival by bike, so it would be impossible for her to pedal it if she were to wear a yukata. The girls who went to the festival wearing a yukata usually came with their parents’ vehicles, but Shiina was living alone, so that wasn’t an option.

Not to mention that the location of the park was quite awkward since there was no train station nearby, so she wouldn’t be coming by train.

There was still an hour before the promised time, but I couldn’t wait any longer, so I took my bike and left my house. It was sunny today, but the current temperature wasn’t as hot as usual.

We decided to meet up in a coffee shop near the park where the festival would be held.

The closer I got to my destination, the more crowded the street became.

I didn’t like being in the crowds much, but I didn’t really hate this bustling atmosphere either.

Eventually, I arrived at the coffee shop thirty minutes before the appointed time.

I arrived way too early, I know.

I should buy a coffee or something while waiting.

As I thought so, I heard a trotting sound coming from behind me.

When I turned around, I saw someone wearing a bright red yukata.

“Hello. You’re early.”

She styled her hair differently than usual. It was curled up and was being held by a kanzashi²A kanzashi is a traditional hairpin..

There was a faint smile on her lips. Her face looked prettier than usual because of her makeup.

Everything about her looked so refreshing that I let out my true feelings involuntarily.

“…Man, you look so cute.”

“E-Eh?!…”

In a blink of an eye, her face turned red.

She looked even cuter. I can’t… I’m barely hanging…

Then again, whatever thing that she’d do, she’d always look cute.

I might have defeated her in my previous life, but she completely owned me in this life.

“S-Stop joking around! L-Let’s just go inside!”

“I’m not joking though… Anyway, if you came here earlier than me, you shoulda wait for me inside.”

“I just arrived. I thought I got here too early, but there you are.”

She looked at my face and giggled.

Why did she look so relaxed?! I felt so nervous, it was killing me!

It’s strange. I was supposed to be the one watching over her stumbling around like a fool, but why was I the one who was stumbling around like a fool instead?! Was it the after-effect of my love for her?!

“Anyway, how did you get here? You didn’t ride a bike while wearing that, did you?”

Still, I have to hide my current state of mind from her.

“Taxi.”

Oh right. She was filthy rich!

It slipped my mind that she could just call a taxi instead. I wonder how much money she had to spend for that?

“I don’t normally ride a taxi, but…”

“It’s nice riding it once in a while”, she continued.

“Because of the yukata, you have to, huh?”

“Yeah. It’s too far to get here by walking.”

She could just wear normal clothes and come here by bike, why did she insist on wearing a yukata?

Maybe because I was staring at her for a long time, she glanced downward to look at her yukata.

“…Do I look weird?”

“…I just said that you look cute.”

“…R-Right, you did. S-Sorry, it’s my first time wearing a yukata.”

“Why were you wearing it anyway? I mean, I’m happy to see you in it, but, you know…”

Oh crap, I slipped up again.

“Y-You’re happy? I-I see… T-Thank you…”

She muttered shyly.

I felt my cheeks heated up. No good, I need to be more careful. I can’t let my true feelings come out again.

“A-Anyway, I looked up ‘how to enjoy fireworks festival with your friends’, and they said that I have to wear a yukata, so I prepared one in a hurry… Was I wrong?”

“N-No… You don’t really have to wear it, but there are a lot of people who do.”

We managed to find empty seats inside the crowded coffee shop while talking.

The place was cool because it had AC inside.

I ordered an iced coffee and Shiina ordered an apple tea.

When my iced coffee arrived, I sipped it. It tasted bitter.

Shiina looked at me in surprise.

“You drink it black?”

“I prefer black.”

I used to enjoy adding more sugar to my coffee, but these days, I found that the coffee tasted better without any sugar.

“I don’t really like bitter stuff like that.”

“I know. Even back in your previous life, you just ate sweet things.”

We managed to have a pleasant conversation.

I glanced at the clock and realized that there was still time before the festival started.

We could kill some time at the stalls outside, but considering Shiina’s weak stamina, it would be better for us to stay here instead. I mean, that was the reason why we decided on this place as the meeting place.

Of course, we could try to meet up right before the festival started, but, you know…

I wanted to see her sooner.

I wanted to spend more time together with her.

“…It’s great that it’s sunny today.”

“…I know, right? I bet the fireworks will look pretty.”

“…”

“…”

However, we soon ran out of topics and fell into silence.

We ended up finishing our drinks really quickly because we used them to cover up the awkwardness.

“…Oi, that girl over there looks really cute.”

“Woah, is she an idol?”

Perhaps because of the silence, I could hear the voice of the girls chatting from a distance away.

“Look at that girl, she looks really cute…”

“I should try to hit on her.”

“Don’t you think you should focus on your girlfriend sitting in front of you?”

I could hear the conversation of the couple sitting two seats away from us.

Aside from those, I felt countless gazes at us. Shiina seemed to also notice this as she let out a wry smile.

“…Are they talking about me?”

“Obviously, yes.”

No matter how insecure Shiina was about herself, when people clearly showed their interest in her like this, she was bound to notice it. Well, she was the cutest girl in the world, so it was obvious that she’d stand out.

“I’m not used to receiving this kind of gaze…”

“That’s surprising.”

“If only they’d scorn me instead, that’d make me feel more comfortable…”

“That’s new to me. I thought you’d love this kind of gaze.”

“I mean, when they look at me like that, it feels like they’re placing a lot of expectations on me…”

I don’t know about that… She looked at me and smiled.

“I think I understand what you went through back then…”

Ah, so she was talking about that. I understand where she was coming from.

Back in my previous life, the gazes the people sent me were filled with expectations. It was suffocating.

“If the gazes are filled with scorn, I don’t need to worry about anything.”

If anything, I think she just felt numb to it at this point.

Normal people wouldn’t feel good by being scorned by others.

“Remember that no one in this world wants to hurt you.”

“Is that so? Well, even so, people have their likes and dislikes. Maybe there are people who secretly hate me, they just aren’t here at this moment.”

She had a point.

“Still, everyone I’ve met so far has been kind…”

“You have to cherish them well, okay?”

If she cherished them, they’d also cherish her.

When I told her this, she stared at me blankly.

“I know. Well, after experiencing their warmth, it’s hard to let go of them… It made me feel like I don’t want to be alone anymore…”

There was a soft smile on her face.

“…I won’t let you be alone.”

“Really? …Will you be friends with me forever, then?”

I couldn’t nod to that. I didn’t want us to stay friends.

“Like I said, I will never let you be alone ever again.”

That was why I repeated my words instead.

“Is that a promise?”

“…Yes, I promise.”

I nodded and offered my pinky to her.

She, then, intertwined her pinky with mine.

For some reason, she looked like she was about to cry.

“It’s a pinky promise”, I said.

Then, she muttered,

“…If you break the promise, I’ll curse you to burn forever in hell.”

“Isn’t that punishment too severe?!”

I said that, but honestly, I think that it was too light.

“I’m kidding. I should be the only one who’ll burn forever in hell.”

“I won’t let that happen. I’ll drag you up to heaven with me.”

“…I-I see.”

“…”

“…”

“A-Ahem…”

I let out a cough to clear the awkward atmosphere and pulled back my pinky finger.

Doing Japan-esque things like this was proof that we had gotten used to living in this world.

Suddenly, Shiina opened her mouth. As if she understood what was in my mind, she said,

“Well, this much should be fine. We’re still high school students, after all.”

* * *

When we left the coffee shop, the sky was dyed in orange.

The sun would set soon and more people came to crowd the streets.

I walked alongside Shiina to the site of the fireworks festival.

There were food stalls lined up on the streets near the riverbed.

Lanterns illuminated the street, accompanying the people passing by.

“This place is so crowded.”

“Do you want to go home?”

“No. Being in the crowds once in a while doesn’t feel bad.”

…Once in a while, huh? Come to think of it, the other day, the pool was quite crowded.

She was probably being considerate to me. I should invite her to a quieter place next time.

As I was thinking about that, she asked me a question,

“I’m looking forward to seeing the fireworks. When will they start?”

“Hm… A while longer, I think. Let’s grab something from the stalls to kill some time.”

“I’m quite hungry”, I added while rubbing my stomach.

Since she was wearing geta and it was quite hard to walk while wearing it, I slowed down my walking pace. (T/N: Geta are basically flip-flops, but they were made of wood and they had heels.)

When I looked around, I noticed there were more couples than I originally thought here. Of course, families or students walking in groups could be seen here and there but, compared to them, the number of couples was simply bigger. They were quite noticeable because they were walking while holding each other’s hands.

…I looked at Shiina’s hand.

Her small hand was free.

Wait, we aren’t dating yet! It’s too soon to take that hand!

Calm down, me! Drive the sinful thoughts away!

“I’ve never gone to this kind of festival with a friend before.”

Meanwhile, Shiina was walking happily. If I were to leave her alone, she’d probably start skipping her steps.

…With a friend, huh? I was the one who told her to be my friend.

Seriously, I screwed myself up. I shoulda asked her to be my girlfriend instead back then! Who knows if she’d nodded because of the atmosphere at the time!

“Ah, I want those! Cotton candies!”

She excitedly bought a big cotton candy at one of the stalls. Her eyes sparkled at the sight of it. The middle aged man who manned the stall looked at her warmly.

What is she, a grade schooler? Well, I’m not mean enough to say it to her face when she is this happy.

She licked the cotton candy. How could she look cute while doing it?

It seemed like she was struggling because of the sheer size of the thing. Nevertheless, she looked like she was enjoying herself.

“So tasty! It’s so sweet!~”

“Of course it’s sweet. It’s a lump of sugar.”

“R-Right… W-Will I get fat from eating this?”

“Just enjoy it, don’t worry about it. It’s fine for you to get a little fatter anyway, besides—”

I almost said ‘You’ll look cute either way’ to her, but I managed to hold myself back at the last moment. I kept repeating myself, but she was really cute today. It felt embarrassing to say it out loud over and over again, though.

“Besides?…”

She waited for me to continue my words.

“N-Never mind…”

When I tried to dismiss it, she looked a little miffed.

“If I get fatter, my good looks will be gone, I know that much, okay?”

“So you’re aware that you’re cute.”

“S-Shut it! Everyone keeps telling me that I’m cute, so I can’t help but accept it!”

I called her cute again. Her face turned bright red.

Seriously, I need to stop.

Anymore of this or I’ll die out of embarrassment.

…Anyway, I’m hungry. I should grab something too.

“I’ll get some yakisoba.”

I muttered. Shiina, then, turned her head around to look at the various stalls.

“I’ll get okonomiyaki then.”

“You’re going to eat more? You’ll get fat for real.”

“There’s no way cotton candy is enough to fill my stomach!”

Shiina groaned before going to the okonomiyaki stall.

I parted with her to buy my yakisoba before going back to her side again.

“Where shall we eat?”

“Since everything is about to start, we should look for a decent place to see the fireworks.”

A lot of people already occupied the grassy patches on the side of the streets.

Since I brought a sheet with me, I just needed to look for an empty spot.

As I was walking toward a less crowded place, Shiina stopped me.

“…Ah.”

“What’s wrong?”

I followed Shiina’s gaze, only to find Shinji and Yuuka there.

They were so close to each other. Rather, they were practically clinging to each other.

Yuuka noticed us and immediately pulled away from Shinji.

“Y-You guys are here too? W-What a coincidence!”

Said Yuuka with a bright red face. Her eyes wandered around like a guilty criminal. She needs to calm down.

Meanwhile, Shinji just shrugged his shoulders calmly at the sight. How could this one be so calm?

“H-Hello.”

Shiina bowed as she greeted them.

After looking at both of them alternatively, she tilted her head slightly.

“…Are you two going out?”

A blunt and direct question that completely ignored Yuuka’s efforts to hide everything.

“A-Ahaha… We aren’t going out… Yet…”

The ‘yet’ part was said in a small voice. That sounded cute, actually.

“Oh, really?”

Asked Shinji teasingly.

Well, after seeing what they did it was hard to believe that they weren’t dating.

“Y-You shut up!”

Yuuka desperately tried to cover his mouth, but he managed to dodge her.

The usual exchange.

Then, Yuuka cleared her throat and tried to change the subject.

“Anyway! You look cute in that yukata, Mai-chan!”

“R-Really?”

“I shoulda worn a yukata too. I want to take some pictures with you…”

“You don’t need to wear a yukata to do that…”

Shiina pulled up her phone and opened her camera.

Yuuka smiled when seeing that and both of them proceeded to take some selfies.

Meanwhile, Shinji and I were busy admiring both of them.

“So, since when? I’ve noticed you two got along better recently.”

“Since the start of the summer vacation. She had been liking me for a while and she just got the courage to confess to me.”

His smug attitude was typical of him.

Well, it was true that Yuuka had been liking him for a while.

“…And she said that you aren’t together.”

“I mean, it’s true. I haven’t given her an answer yet.”

“…Yet you flirted with her out in the open like that?”

“I’m going to reply to her tonight. I gave it a lot of thought and I figured that I like her, so yeah.”

He had an unusually serious expression.

His serious expression made him look cool. He rarely showed his serious face like this, what a waste of his good looks.

“I see.”

“What about you?”

He asked me.

“Where’s Hina? Don’t you normally go with her?”

“I invited Shiina instead. Well, I told Hina about it, but she said that she wanted to go with her friends today.”

Since I always went with Hina, I felt the need to tell her. But, it seemed like it was unnecessary since she planned to go with her friends anyway.

I guess I was being too self-conscious.

She told me to do my best tonight.

It seemed like she noticed what I was trying to do.

“I see.”

Shinji leaned his body on the fence at the side of the street with a bottle of ramune in his hand.

He popped the bottle open.

“Are you okay with that?”

I somehow knew what he was trying to say.

After I became aware of what love was, I became aware of the feelings that Hina directed toward me.

“You don’t think that she was being truthful when she said that, do you?”

“…I noticed that she was faking her smile.”

She seemed to have practiced making a fake smile.

“…You like Shiina Mai, huh?”

“…Yeah.”

He nodded, before glancing toward the night sky while sipping his ramune.

The sun had long since gone from the sky. The night sky was filled with stars.

“If that’s the case, I’m not going to say anything else.”

He left my side and joined up with Yuuka, who was playing with Shiina.

“Let’s go. The fireworks are about to start.”

“E-E-Eh? W-Wait…”

He casually embraced her by the shoulders.

Yuuka stiffened up by his actions, meanwhile Shiina’s face reddened after she saw this.

“See ya, Godou, Shiina.”

Meanwhile, Shinji dismissed both reactions and left with Yuuka.

Yuuka, who normally would scold Shinji, seemed to be letting him do whatever he wanted.

Shiina watched their departed backs with interest.

“…I-I just saw something amazing.”

“Well, if it’s those two, it was just a matter of time.”

“R-Really? …I-I didn’t notice that they had such things going on…”

Well, it hadn’t been long since she moved here, so of course she wouldn’t notice.

“Anyway, he is right, the fireworks are about to start.”

We rushed to find an empty spot on the grass patches and laid down a sheet on it. Perhaps because our sheet wasn’t too wide, our shoulders were touching.

While eating my yakisoba, I glanced at Shiina.

She was blowing on her okonomiyaki to cool it down.

When she noticed my gaze, she turned her face away and said, “Could you not stare at me too much?”

And so, I obeyed her and focused on my yakisoba instead. After a while, I noticed she was staring at me, so I stared back at her. When our eyes met, she averted her gaze.

I stared at her longer. Then, she stared back again, and turned her face away again.

What the hell are we doing? Well, this felt comfortable, so I didn’t mind this.

Even the bustling atmosphere around us felt surprisingly comfortable.

We didn’t talk, but it felt fulfilling, somehow.

After she finished her food, Shiina drank the green tea she bought from the vending machine.

I gently placed my hand on her other hand that was laying on the ground.

Sensing my touch, her shoulders trembled.

Then, she looked at me timidly.

“W-W-W-What? W-What are you doing?”

Good question. I don’t know what am I doing too.

“U-Um… You know, the curse’s treatment? I-I thought of doing it right now.”

“But isn’t it hard to concentrate in a place like this?”

“Right…”

The excuse I managed to find was shot down with her unusually logical argument.

Even so, I didn’t move my hand away and neither did she.

For some reason, she looked sad. It seemed like she was trying to tell me something.

At that moment, the first firework was shot.

We both looked at the night sky.

A ray of light soared through the sky.

With a loud bang, a large spark was released.

It felt like the sparks were about to rain down on us.

I could hear the cheers of people around me, along with rounds of applause.

The light that lit up the dark night sky in an instant, faded away in an instant too. The place was enveloped in silence.

“So pretty…”

Muttered Shiina quietly.

Her cheeks seemed relaxed, but she looked like she was about to cry.

Then, a barrage of fireworks was released.

One after another, they exploded in succession, accompanied by the cheering crowds.

The fireworks must be beautiful to look at if the crowds were going wild like this.

I wouldn’t know how beautiful they were since my eyes never left Shiina’s side.

* * *

After a while, the loud sound of the fireworks had ceased.

I looked away from Shiina and saw the last spark scattering through the sky.

I ended up only seeing the very first and last spark. But I had no regrets since I got to spend all the time sitting next to Shiina. Overall, I felt satisfied already.

What about Shiina, though?

I wonder if she felt the same way as me?

Thinking that, I turned my gaze toward her and saw a drop of tear running down her cheek.

Then, water droplets slid through her smooth cheeks and fell into the ground.

She was crying.

“…Shiina?”

“…Can you move your hand away?”

I lifted my hand that had been placed on top of hers.

Her warmth still lingered in my palm. After all, I had been holding her hand for a long time.

Shiina shook her head.

“We can’t do this. We are friends, aren’t we? Friends aren’t supposed to do something like this…”

She was right.

We weren’t like Shinji and Yuuka. We weren’t supposed to be that close.

“…Stop doing things that’ll cause misunderstandings.”

Said Shiina before she took some distance from me.

“I don’t want to betray you…”, she continued.

Among the people who were immersed in the afterglow of the fireworks, we were the only ones who were cut off from the rest of them.

“…Sorry.”

“…You don’t need to apologize.”

After that, I never took a glance at her again.

I didn’t know what kind of face she was making.

In any case, we achieved our goal for today, watching the fireworks.

And so, we went back home. Shiina called a taxi and I went to the parking lot to grab my bike.

I finally mustered the courage to ask her out on a date, but it turned horribly wrong, somehow.

Shiina refused to let me become closer to her.

I guess that meant she just liked me as a friend. She had no attachment to me romantically.

In other words, I got rejected.

It took a few hours for me to come to terms with that reality.

* * *

Shiina’s PoV

The credits started playing.

Several sobbing voices could be heard from our surroundings. It seemed like a lot of people were moved by the movie.

They said that this movie was one of the most popular romance movies and I could see why. The production quality was high and the two main characters were likable. But to me, it felt somewhat empty.

As the room brightened up, the silence gradually broke down.

“That was great…”

Shindou-san said while smiling.

Meanwhile, Kirishima-san was crying so hard that I couldn’t even tell what she was trying to say.

“Sniff… Sho… Ghood!…”

Hearing her sobs, Shindou-san giggled.

“Calm down first. Here, use my handkerchief.”

Kirishima-san wiped her tears with the handkerchief. In a normal situation, I’d most likely cry as hard as she did, that was how good the movie was.

But my current situation wasn’t normal. There was something that bothered me, deep in my heart.

It felt like I was looking at myself from inside a cage.

The cause of this feeling was most likely the night of the fireworks festival.

On that day, Godou and I watched the fireworks together while holding hands.

Back then, I felt really happy.

I realized how much I loved him.

But, I had to force my feelings from becoming bigger than it currently was.

Thanks to that, I feel empty these days.

“…I’m tired of crying.”

Kirishima-san’s eyes swelled as she flopped her body to her chair.

Shindou-san shrugged her shoulders. Meanwhile, I giggled at the sight.

I envied Kirisihma-san’s empathy, although I wouldn’t want any right now.

“Anyway, let’s take a break first.”

Neither Kirishima-san nor I had any objections to Shindou-san’s proposal.

* * *

The theater was attached to a shopping mall, so the food corner was within a walking distance. When we got there, most of the seats were occupied by students like us. Luckily, we managed to find an empty seat near the window. Since I was thirsty, I bought tea, meanwhile Shindou-san and Kirishima-san bought crepes for themselves. I didn’t order any food because I had eaten my lunch before watching the movie and—

I shouldn’t say anything more. I’ll make myself feel depressed.

“Mm! So tasty! Good food, good movies, summer vacation is the best time to be alive!”

Kirishima-san looked so happy when she said that.

“But, you have to do your club activities tomorrow don’t you, Hina?”

“Don’t remind me of that! I’ve been trying to keep my mind off of it!”

“Haha~ Poor you~ Lucky that me and Mai-chan are members of going-home club~”

Shindou-san smiled at me.

“Yeah. I don’t have part-time jobs, so I just spent my days reading.”

“In my case, I hang out with my other friends every day.”

Shindou-san always had this calm and relaxing atmosphere around her. It made me feel comfortable.

“…Or not, that was a lie. Actually, I spent my days lazing around in my room.”

“Hahaha, me too. Aside from reading, I’d laze around while watching random videos on MeTube.”

I nodded to Yuuka-san’s words.

Meanwhile, Kirishima-san was staring at us in jealousy.

“You could just quit your club, but you don’t want to do that, right?”

“…Yeah. I mean, it’s fun and I want to win…”

Kirishima-san’s voice was a tone lower than usual, but that made her sound cooler.

“So cool.”

When I involuntarily said what was in my mind, Kirishima-san shook her head shyly and said, “S-Stop that.”

“S-So cute…”

“I-I told you to stop!”

“Haha, Mai-chan knows how to deal with Hina now~”

“I’m just telling her the truth, though.”

“Ngh!”

Kirishima-san’s reaction was quite extreme.

I was taken aback by that, but Shindou-san was just looking at her calmly. After a while, Kirishima-san coughed with a red face and tried to change the topic of the conversation.

“Anyway, I thought you were busy with your cram school, Yuuka?”

“Not really. I only need to attend it three times a week, so I have a lot of free time.”

“…You go to cram school, Shindou-san?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, we’re in our second year now and after summer vacation, we’ll enter the second term. It’s about time to think about our university entrance exam. I figured I’d do more studying, so I decided to go to cram school for the time being.”

“I triggered an annoying conversation…”

Kirishima-san covered both her ears with her hands. But it was Kirishima-san we were talking about, even though she acted like this, she probably studied properly every day.

Meanwhile, the matter of the entrance exam didn’t even slip in my mind.

In fact, I never really thought about my future.

After all, I knew that I’d never be happy in my life. A witch wasn’t an existence that deserved to be happy, so there was no point in thinking about the future. But, now I realized that I was allowed to be happy, thanks to Godou.

Thinking about Godou, my chest started to ache.

The future… My happiness…

I imagined the scene that’d make me feel the happiest.

It didn’t take me long to imagine it. After all, it was my biggest wish.

To become lovers with Godou. The scene where we treated each other lovingly would be enough to make me feel happy.

“…Mai-chan?”

Kirishima-san’s voice brought me back to reality.

“Are you okay? You look distressed.”

Shindou-san was also looking at me with a concerned expression.

“Sorry, I have to go to the toilet…”

I managed to deceive them with a smile and ran away to the toilet.

Anyway, I should calm down first.

* * *

I sat on the bench by the toilet and let out a deep sigh.

After a lot of thinking, my previously messed up emotions were gradually cooling down.

…Just a bit more, and I’ll be back to normal again.

This overflowing emotion of mine could be contained in a cage.

As a witch, repressing my own emotion was something that I was good at.

But, before that…

“…Mai-chan.”

Kirishima-san called out to me.

“Sorry, did I worry you?”

“Don’t be sorry.”

Her voice sounded so gentle. She then sat beside me.

“You’ve been absent-minded all day long.”

So she noticed…

“Ah, I’m not mad at you or anything. Did something happen between you and Godou?…”

I couldn’t give her an answer. It seemed like she took my silence as an affirmation.

“You went to the fireworks festival with him, didn’t you?”

“…Yeah. Did he tell you that?”

“Yeah. Since we always go there together, he probably thought that it’d be better to tell me about it.”

…I wonder why Godou told Kirishima-san that he chose to be with me rather than her.

Nevertheless, this kind of development wasn’t something that I wanted.

“…I don’t know.”

I felt stupid for letting myself indulge in such a dirty desire. Anyway, after reaffirming my relationship with Godou, the atmosphere started to get better.

Godou was my friend, nothing more, nothing less.

‘Be my friend.’

Those words that saved me at that time.

I wanted to cherish those words, the words that he chose to define his relationship with me.

That was why I had to abandon my arrogance, my wish to become lovers with him.

“…I see. So Godou failed.”

“…Failed?”

Kirishima-san’s words confused me. I tilted my head and asked her.

Instead of answering me, she blinked her eyes in surprise.

“Could it be… You haven’t noticed?”

“?”

I tilted my head even deeper, to the point that my neck hurt.

Seeing my response, Kirishima-san placed her hand on her chin.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea if I were to tell you. I’ll keep quiet for now.”

“…Since you’ve told me this much, it’s unfair to keep me hanging like that.”

“Sorry. Things between you two went differently than I thought…”

Again with words that I failed to understand.

It seemed like she knew something about Godou that I wasn’t aware of. Honestly, it irritated me a little, but the feeling was suppressed by my anxiety.

“…Kirishima-san, what do you think of Godou?”

Those words slipped out of my mouth.

I didn’t know why I asked that question.

But, I had a feeling that if I were to go back in time, I’d still ask her the same question.

Silence enveloped us.

Then, Kirishima-san smiled. There was a tinge of loneliness in that smile.

“…What do you mean?”

“You know…”

I thought my question was clear enough.

Though, I knew what her answer was. There was no need for me to ask this question at all in the first place.

“Are you asking me if I like him as a man?”

Her question made me freeze in place. I couldn’t move my mouth to respond.

“Why are you asking me that, anyway?”

“I’m just curious…”

“It isn’t like you like him anyway, right, Mai-chan? So, why?”

Right, I told her that back then.

The day before the fireworks festival, I told her that there was no way I’d fall in love with Godou.

“…Well, yeah, I don’t like him.”

I only asked her out of curiosity, nothing more.

There should be nothing more to it. Right?…

“Then…”

Kirishima-san stopped mid-sentence.

She seemed to be hesitant to continue her sentence, which was unusual for her.

Was something wrong?

I looked up and saw her looking at me with a serious face.

“…Is it okay for me to go out with Godou?”

I couldn’t breathe.

Just imagining that scene felt painful.

Still, no matter how many times I thought about it, the two of them were well matched.

She was the perfect person to stand next to him.

Unlike me who always needed his help, Kirishima-san was someone who was able to help him whenever he needed it.

They had known each other since they were little. They were childhood friends.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they got together?

“…Go ahead.”

He gave me happiness.

So, I should give him happiness in return.

Kirishima-san should be able to give him bigger happiness than I ever could.

This would be the best development.

A happy ending for him.

After a lot of thinking, this was the answer that I came up with.

“To answer your earlier question…”

For some reason, Kirishima-san looked as if she was about to cry.

But, she never did. With a strong tone, she continued,

“I love him. I love Shiraishi Godou. Out of everyone in this world, I love him the most.”

I knew it.

But why did her words hurted me more than a slash of a blade did?

Still, I had to bear with this pain. It was my punishment for having such feelings.

“…Sorry, Mai-chan.”

For some reason, Kirishima-san apologized to me in a trembling voice.

Why did you make that kind of a face? Why did you apologize to me?

I don’t understand. I just want her love to be requited.

She knew Godou better than me, she knew him longer than me, she deserved this.

And so, I encouraged her and said, “Good luck.”

* * *

There laid the headless body of the hero.

No, he wasn’t a hero anymore. Rather, it was the headless body of a foolish man who betrayed the world because he was seduced by the witch.

Apparently, he was decapitated on an execution platform in the town square.

The executor was someone from the church and the citizens were watching his execution.

The square, which had been in a frenzy, suddenly became enveloped in silence after my sudden appearance.

After I was informed of the hero’s execution, I immediately teleported myself here.

I prayed that I wouldn’t be late, but it seemed like that was futile.

“What an idiot…”

I muttered with blood running down from the tip of my mouth.

From my side, blood was pouring like a stream because of the deep wound I had suffered.

…It seemed like I would join him soon.

After I heard of his execution, my enemy used the opening to inflict a fatal wound on me.

The guards who were about to detain me stopped after seeing my wounds. They probably were wondering, how could I still be alive. Everyone was looking at me as if they were looking at someone terrifying.

In the middle of those gazes, I kneeled next to the hero.

Even at the end of his life, he failed to attain happiness.

All because he tried to save me. If only he chose the correct choice back then, to kill me, he’d probably be living in happiness right now. This wasn’t the kind of ending I wanted.

Then again, I wouldn’t be able to make him happy.

And the same goes for him, he wouldn’t be able to make me happy.

Still, probably we could suffer through the unhappiness together.

Gradually, my consciousness faded and I fell down next to his corpse.

His blood was covered by mine.

“…May your next life be a happy one.”

With my last ounce of strength, I casted the reincarnation magic on him.

That was the end of my previous life’s memory.

It was the end of our story. A bad end.

It was the end of the witch who brought unhappiness to everyone around her.

ED: Dodo