Shuuen no Shiori 4: Chapter 1 Part 4

[whisperscrawls]

Our Days IV —Oncoming Sweets—


I began to head towards the courtyard once again.

I was thinking that it was about time for me to make my way around the stalls again, more completely this time; I wanted to do stuff like target shooting and other games.

I also wanted to continue my pattern of meeting all the other Film Club members by coming here.

I made my way around for some time, but I didn’t see anyone. I felt like I’d run into someone in the courtyard soon enough, though.

I looked around, surveying the area.

Bingo.

I saw him from behind as he walked, shrinking into his already slight body in order to not bump into those around him.


“Heeeey! B-kaaaaa!”

“! Huh? Wha—? E-ki-kun?”


Short and slender, with a feminine face and a uniform so loose its sleeves cutely covered his hands.

He looked so happy to see me that his whole face lit up; his expression reminded me of a puppy, and was just as adorable as one.

If B-ka was a girl, I’d go out with him in a heartbeat.


“Man~ You really are cute, B-ka...!”

“...Huh? What? W-Where did that come from!?”


B-ka flustered, a blush on his face.

No, really, why’re you getting flustered!?

Are you a girl!?


“Did you already take a look around the stalls?”

“...Huh? Oh, uh, not yet... I’m going to now, though.”

“Oh, I see. How ‘bout I come with you, then?”

“...Y-You want to?”

“Yeah! I’ll follow you wherever you wanna go!”

“...Thank you!”


And so, the two of us began to make our way around the stalls.

B-ka’s taste in stalls was girly, and his cute looks fit the part.


“Oh, um, uh... Is it okay if I have... some of that?”

“Hm~?”


B-ka was pointing nervously at the cotton candy.


“Sure, why not? And why’re you so embarrassed about it, anyway...?”

“Y-You don’t think... it’s childish...?”


I know it’s weird for me to say this, but he’s just adorable...

It’s scary...!

It’s scary how cute you are, B-ka!


“It’s just fine, yeah? Anyway, it’s a festival! It’s been a while, so I wanna eat some, too.”

“Y-You’re right! Thank goodness... I’ll go buy some, then!”

“Alright!”


After that, we continued to tour the stalls, B-ka enjoying his cotton candy all the while.

B-ka’s a sucker for both cute and sweet things.

Chocolate-covered bananas, candy apples, ‘n all those go-to festival foods made their way down B-ka’s gullet.

Each time, he’d ask “Can I...?” in such a shy voice that I, upon hearing it, could do nothing but give into his whims; what, like I could refuse!?


We continued to walk for some time until B-ka stopped in his tracks in front of a particular stall.


“What’s up?”

“...T-There’s... candy-sculpting...”

“Hm?”


Among the other stalls stood one that didn’t seem to be attracting many people: the candy-sculpting stall.

Animals, characters, and other such things made from candy were on display.

The stall manager was about to sculpt some before our eyes; you had to pour sugar into a small pot, stir it quickly, and, while it was still warm, poke at it with all sorts of tools, like tweezers or scissors.

I saw a sign saying that you could sculpt some candy here yourself, too.

B-ka’s good with detail work, so he’d probably like this kinda thing, right?


“Wanna give it a go?”

“...C-Can I?”

“Of course! But I’ve never done it, so how about you show me how it’s done?”

“Huh? H-How it’s done?”

“Yep. Hey, mister! Can we get a one-person set?”

“Comin’ right up~”


The stall manager cheerfully handed us a bag of sculpting tools.

As he did so, he poured some more sugar into the pot and began to stir it.

As soon as it became soft enough, he handed it to B-ka.


“Speed is of the essence~”

“...”


The stall manager was cheerful, but B-ka’s face was the very picture of seriousness.

He breathed in, a furrow in his brow as he narrowed his eyes, and swiftly worked to sculpt the candy, using tweezers, scissors, and the myriad of special tools he was given.


“W-Whoa...!”

“Ooh...!”


That’s how I felt, but it looked like the stall manager was impressed too.

I expected it, but looks like B-ka can hold his own!

I was curious about what part of the candy sculpture he was working on, but he was working so quickly that I couldn’t tell one bit.

With a final snap of the scissors, it was done, and the final product was of something very familiar to me.


“...Is this... me!?”


Indeed, what I was seeing was a candy formed into a stumpy little version of myself, and even with that modification, you could immediately tell it was supposed to be me.


“That’s incredible!”

“...Phew... I-I got it done... somehow...”

B-ka smiled.

The stall manager was impressed with the result too.


“Haha, you’ve outdone me! You’ve made somethin’ so much more complex than an animal or the like! You’ve got me beat!”


He laughed boisterously.

I’ve barely done this before, so all I could tell is that it was good, but it sounds like B-ka made something pretty complex.

He turned towards me and continued to speak.


“You over there, how ‘bout you give it a go, too? I’ll let ya do it for free.”

“Huh? M-Me!? No, I...”

“...L-Let’s both do it, E-ki-kun...!”

“Really...? Well... Alright...”

“Okay, mister, I’ll make one again too, so enough for two, please!”


I sat down next to B-ka.

Another set of candy-sculpting tools was set down before me.

Now that I’ve sat down, though, I can’t think of anything...


“Hey, B-ka... Could you at least tell me what to make...?”

“Oh? Umm, well... How about... someone from the Film Club?”

“Huh? U-Uh, then I’ll... I’ll start with A-no!”

A-no probably won’t get angry if I mess it up.

“...Oh, okay. T-Then... I’ll sculpt C-na...”

For some reason, B-ka sounded a bit down.

Huh? Did he want to sculpt A-no?


“Here you are, you two!”


As I was mulling it over, the man handed us two lumps of candy.

Oh, yikes...! I have no idea where to even start on this...!

Peeking at B-ka out of the corner of my eye, watching him quickly sculpt his candy, I nervously poked at my own.

About a minute later, the candy had hardened enough that I didn’t feel like I could do much more with it.


“...What even is this...?”


What had come into existence before my eyes was a person... or rather, something that looked nothing like one.

The fluffy edges of A-no’s hair that I’d tried so hard to make looked more like a monster’s fangs.

B-ka’s take on C-na, on the other hand, captured her appearance well.

Her glasses, and even her usual expression, were perfectly sculpted.


“A-ha-ha, lookin’ amazing~ If you surpass me, I could even finally close up shop!”


The stall manager laughed as he spoke.

So that’s what it was... Beneath that kind exterior, he had an ulterior motive...


“...Um, I... Can I... make another...?”

“Let's do it! We’re already at it, so let’s make everyone in the Film Club!”

“Huh? Oh, uh, y-yeah...! T-Then! I’ll make D-suke-kun...!”

“Alright! Then I’ll make...”


Thinking about it, I came to a sudden realization.


“Guess I’ll make you, then?”

“Oh, y-yeah, I’m left... huh?”


B-ka glanced up at me, seeming embarrassed.

I-It is kinda embarrassing, isn’t it?

I didn’t know that B-ka was making one that looked like me before, so it was fine, but it probably is embarrassing to know that someone’s making one of you, right in front of you...

I-I’ve gotta at least make sure that it looks better than the one I made of A-no...!


“Alright! Hey, mister! We’re making another two!”

“Comin’ right up~”


And so, we were once again handed two blobs of candy.

I just learned how to do this, but I can’t fear failure so much I don’t do it at all!

I can fix some of the mistakes while the candy is still soft, anyway.

Looking at it as a whole, I pondered where to smooth it out and where to add edges.

I’ve got a clear vision in my head; I’m gonna finish this in one fell swoop...!

And thus the final result was...!


“It still sucks!!!!”


What had resulted from my work wasn’t something you’d recognize as being B-ka, or even something you’d recognize as being a person at all, just like last time.

“I’m sorry, B-kaaaa!!”

B-ka was clutching a perfectly-made model of D-suke in his hand.

“Oh? Hm...? But, well, ehehe... I’m still... happy, you know...?”

He reached out to accept my awful candy sculpture.

He’s such a gentle soul.

He was probably forcing himself to smile, but he really did look happy about it.

Is he an angel!?


“T-The two I made totally suck, but we managed to fulfill our goal of making the whole Film Club... Mister... Thanks a ton!”

“Hahaha! Get better at it ‘n come back next time~”

“T-Thank you... very much...”


The stall manager wrapped each candy that we’d made in plastic and put them into bags so they wouldn’t stick to each other.

We’ll be giving these to the others later, right?


...One of ‘em might blow their top, though.


＊


B-ka and I walked through the school building, and there we saw three people, already conveniently together.

It was A-no, C-na, and D-suke.

With that, the film club was all back together.

“Heeeey, guyyyyys!”

“Oh, E-ki.”

“What’s up?”

“Nothing in particular. We all just met up by chance.”

C-na smiled cheerfully. Given what happened earlier, it was hard to look her in the eyes.

“What were you two up to~?”

D-suke, still eating something, asked us a question. I’m just going to ignore that he’s still eating something.

“Oh, right! Here you go!”

I gave the individual bags to C-na and D-suke.

“...Candy-sculpting? Did you perhaps craft this?”

“Yeah! ...I mean, B-ka was the one who made them, but...”

“Whoaaaa, they’re so good~!”

D-suke and C-na openly admired the creations.

As one would expect, seeing replicas of amazing quality that captured their traits so well in 3D brought them joy.


“Huh? Wait, w-what about me?”


Seeing the others so happy, A-no also began to fidget with excitement, looking in my direction.

I handed over the candy to A-no, my expression stiff with fear.


“...Oh, uh, yeah... There’s one for you, too... I made it...”

“Huh!? You... made it for me?”


A-no’s face lit up from joy, her cheeks flushed.

However, as soon as she finished carefully unwrapping the plastic, her face flushed for a different reason.


“...Is this... supposed to be me?”


She was definitely angry.

Well, yeah... What was I expecting?


“You’ve got it wrong! Calm down, A-no! I know it looks bad, but I really tried my best! I don’t think you look this monstrous at a—”

“Who’re you calling ‘monstrous’!?”


—Bam!


“Whoa!?”


I dodged a punch that was aiming directly through my side.

If that had hit, I would’ve died!


“I-I couldn’t do any better!! It’s hard to get it perfect your first time, y’know!”

“Honestly! Even if it’s your first time, there’s gotta be a bit of a better way to do it!”

“Urgh... W-Well, give it back, then!”

“...What? No, I-I’m not doing that...”

“?”

“T-This is handmade in the end, so, I-I’ll at least accept it...!”


What’s up with that!?

I thought she was upset? I don’t get her...

But, well, no matter what happens, it’s always the five of us, together.

It feels right like this.


＊


“Heeey~ Why’re you all back together again?”

Amidst the happy atmosphere we had fostered, Mr. W popped up out of nowhere again.

“Oh, Mr. W! We just ended up running into each other; no real reason for it.”

“Ohh, got it~”

As usual, it’s hard to tell if he’s actually enthusiastic.

“Oh, riiight. By the way, E-ki, did you do something?”

“Huh?”

“Well, looks like some kids from your class’re looking for you, with real angry looks on their faces?”


Angry looks?

Why?

I don’t remember giving them a reason to be angry...


“Did you get up to something?”

A-no glared at me.

No, I really don’t know why...?

What’s going on?

It was then, as a question mark floated above my head, that two girls from my class happened to pass by.


“Ah!!! E-ki-kun!! We found you!”

“Huh? What?”


They were heading towards me with seriously pissed-off looks on their faces.

Huh? Did I really do something? Me?


“You didn’t help with our class’s festival event at all!”

“You’d think you could at least help out today!”

“Huh? O-Ohh, that’s what you were mad about?”


Oh, so they were mad because I didn’t help with our class’s event.

Yeah, I did feel a bit bad about that, so I can’t make any excuses.

But the Film Club finally managed to meet back up, and we’d just been talking about having fun at the festival together.

If that’s gonna be how it is...


“Since we’re all together, how about everyone helps out?”

“Huuuh? Why should we? We’re not even in your class!”

“Wait, wait! T-That’s not what I meant! It’s just that, when we do things together, it brings us all closer...!”

“You’re just spouting whatever comes to mind again, E-ki...!”

A-no looked annoyed.

I turned towards B-ka and D-suke, a plea in my eyes.

“...I-I’m personally... fine with it...”

B-ka nervously agreed.

“Hm~ Yeah, ‘m fine with it, too~”

D-suke didn’t have a reason to refuse, so he just went along with it.

Having gotten their approval, I turned to C-na.

“I don’t particularly mind helping out either?”

“...God, you’re so selfish!”

“I just...”

A-no sighed, a resigned look on her face.

However, it was then that C-na raised her hand, opening her mouth to speak.


“—What did your class prepare for the festival, E-ki-san?”


The others in the Film Club, as well as our teacher, looked at me, while I looked at the two girls from my class.


“You don’t even know, do you!?”

Without missing a beat, A-no aimed a punch straight at me.

The girls from my class, agreeing with A-no, glared at me as well.


“Wait! W-Wait! I-It’s not that I don’t know, okay!?”

Right, it just slipped my mind for a second there.

Ummm, that, right, it was definitely that.

“I mean, do you know? That also happened today, so...”

“Wait wait wait! C-na!?”

C-na covered her mouth with a hand as if she hadn’t meant to say that.

No, she definitely said it on purpose!

“...T-That?”

“No need to worry about it, B-ka~!”

“...”

“As for you, D-suke, worry about it a little more! Are you going to continue eating forever!?”

“...Ohhh~...”

“Quiet, Mr. W!!”

Ummmm, what was it again? That, right? Yeah, that. It was, uh... Oh, right.

I could feel the neurons in my brain firing.


“—It’s a maid and butler cafe.”


““““...What?””””


＊


Scene change, and here we are in my classroom.

The inside had been redecorated to resemble something like medieval Europe.

Of course, there wasn’t electricity back then, but the candles placed on the desks really did a good job of setting the mood.

Everyone worked really hard on this while I wasn’t around, huh? I could tell.


“Ooh, lookin’ good, E-ki!”

“...S-Shaddup!”


Customers were coming in droves, so it looks like they really did need the help.

It was seriously noisy inside, and anyone who could handle working up front was needed there.


...And so, I was made to wear a butler’s uniform.

The guys in the class called out to us in teasing voices.


“Sorry for getting you involved in this, D-suke.”

“I don’t mind~”


D-suke, also wearing a butler uniform, was standing beside me.

As usual, his bangs were covering his expression, but D-suke just naturally had a nice figure.

Honestly, he looked really cool in a butler uniform; it suited him. Oh, by the way, both of us were wearing glasses, too.

I heard high-pitched voices from all around us.


“So cool...!”

“Which one’s the bottom? Which one’s the bottom?”


Well, some of the voices weren’t so high-pitched, but I’m just gonna pretend I’m imagining those.

And so, alongside the two of us, A-no, C-na, and B-ka... and Mr. W too, for some reason... had all been brought to the fitting room.

The fitting room could only fit maybe two people at a time, at best, so it took some time for us all to change.


Anyway, A-no and C-na in maid uniforms, huh...

As I faintly imagined what they’d look like, I heard excited voices coming from the students in the classroom.


“...Ooooh!”

“You’re so cute~!”


I heard delighted cheers from boys and girls alike.

I turned my head to look, and there stood the two in maid outfits: A-no with a flushed face, and C-na looking cool as a cucumber.


“...Ohh.”


Honestly, they looked really, really good in those.


A-no was wearing a maid uniform with a shorter skirt, which really showed off her slender limbs.

The best part was seen at the thighs!

The small stretch of exposed skin between over-the-knee socks and the edge of a skirt!

It really emphasized the beauty of A-no’s legs, so I’d say it was a wonderful outfit for her.

Also, it showed me something else I never see: A-no wearing glasses! That adds some points!

And next but not least, C-na’s maid uniform!

With how elegant she looks, plus the glasses, she gave off the vibe of a real gothic maid, like she’d time traveled to our time from the medieval era.

However, what really deserves a special shoutout is, well... her chest!

It was really big.

How do I say it, like, how the maid uniform was made, plus how big her chest was, seeing it was like... such abundance seemed a gift from the Earth itself...


“W-What’re you grinning to yourself for...!?”


A-no lashed out at me, her eyes teary from embarrassment.


“It’s nothing! You look really good! Have some more confidence! You’re really cute! Right, D-suke?”

“Yep, looks good~”

“Urgh... This is embarrassing... You’re not embarrassed, C-na?”

“Not particularly...? This isn’t something to be embarrassed over, is it?”

“Grrr...!”


A-no’s face was still a bit flushed, but, gathering her wits, she got to work with a, “Tell me what you want to order already!”

Hey, if she’s gonna be like that, it’s gonna turn into a tsundere cafe...!


“...Huh? By the way, where’s B-ka?”

“Mr. W isn’t here yet either, huh...?”


It’d already been some time since A-no and C-na had shown up, but there was no sight of those two.

I began to look around, and just then, an unreasonable amount of noise sprung from the crowd around us.


“Oooooh! ...Oh?”

“Sooo cuuuute!! And... huh?”


What on earth happened? I thought, turning in the direction of their screams, and there was...


“W-Waaaah... D-Don’t look at meeee...!”

“Ahh...”


There stood B-ka, as well as Mr. W, in maid uniforms.

B-ka seemed embarrassed about it, hiding behind D-suke.

That action just added to it, but even though I couldn’t see him in his entirety, what I could see was incredible.

Honestly, he was super duper cute!

I’ve already thought these words in response to him before, but I just had to say it again:


—What is he, a girl!?


And not just any girl, but a really cute one.

It suits him way too well!

Not only was not a single thing out of place, there were tons of things that only elevated his appearance.


...On the other hand...

I don’t even know what to say about Mr. W at this point.

If this wasn’t a school festival, he’d get arrested.

The way he gave me a thumbs up for some reason, a smug grin on his face, really pissed me off.

I totally get what the commotion earlier was about.


“B-ka... It looks really good on you!”

“...I-I hate iiiit...”

“Aw, I think it’s nice, though~”

“...P-People are going to see my scar...”

You could see B-ka’s bare legs extending from beneath the skirt.

Hey, shouldn’t you be worrying more about other things happening than your scar!?

“No need to worry about that! I can’t see it, so it’s fine!”

“Urgh... I-It’s frustrating... But he’s so cute... But I’m still frustrated...”

“B-ka-chaaan... Hehe, if you come with me, I could put on some makeup for you~?”

C-na was excited for some reason, and A-no was frustrated about something.

“Hey, your teacher’s here t—”

“We don’t care, Mr. W!”

We ignored him and continued to bask in the immense excitement we felt.

The rest of the class was excited too.

Doesn’t this place feel like it has the potential to get big?


“Alright, c’mere, B-ka!”

“...Huh? Huuuuh?”


I grabbed B-ka’s hand and pulled him with me into the hallway.


“Our class is holding a maid and butler cafe~ Won’t you stop by for some tea~?”

“...W-Waah...!”

I leaned towards B-ka, whose face had turned bright red from embarrassment, and whispered in his ear, “C’mon, you too!”


“U-Um... If you’d like...! Please stop byyyyy...!”


The students who’d been walking in the hallway turned inquisitive gazes towards us.


“So cute~”

“The butler’s cool too~ Wanna go?”


It went just as well as I thought it would, and we saw tons of customers slip into the classroom.


“Welcome back, my lady.”

I greeted the customers with a greeting I’d vaguely recalled hearing before and winked in B-ka’s direction.

“...W-Welcome back, master.”

His face was completely red.

The customers got really excited seeing that, though, loudly cooing, “Cute~!”

Upon entering, A-no, C-na, D-suke, and all the others greeted the customers together.


“Oh wow! The setup is suuuper high quality!”

“The girls are really cute, too~!”

“Oooh, that maid over there is cute...!”

“Hey, what about the maid over here...!?”


Everyone who entered the cafe, boys and girls alike, was delighted by what they saw.

Us in the Film Club, who had experience from handling guests yesterday, swiftly got to work with handling these.


Yeah, I’m feeling it again; like no matter what, we’re always gonna have fun when it’s the five of us together.

B-ka and I raised our voices even more as we spread word of the cafe.

“If you have time, please stop by our maid and butler cafe~!”


＊


Some time passed.

We were currently all relaxing together in the music room we use as a clubroom.

There weren’t any showcases happening today, but the school band’s bags were all scattered around the room.

Yesterday, somehow just one measly day ago, we held a film screening here.


“Phew! I’m exhausted...!”

“Good work, E-ki~”

“Here, have some tea, E-ki-san.”

“Oh, thanks! You did great too, B-ka, D-suke!”

“...Oh, uh, g-good work...”

“Good work~ We got some cookies, too~”


Maybe it was the time of day, but the maid and butler cafe got way busier than was expected.

But before long, fewer customers were showing up, so we got permission from my classmates to stop helping.

It may have started with my classmates making me help them since I didn’t do so at all before, but by the end of it, they were grateful for our work.


Well, honestly, I did enjoy getting into costume, and I feel like the others did too.

Even B-ka, who was super embarrassed at first, was able to tell customers, “Welcome back, master!” with greater confidence.

And, seeing the guys at our school be struck dumb by his cuteness each time, I felt a little guilty.

Sorry. You’re not a girl.

Even if that’s hard to believe.


Right now, we were having a quiet little afterparty, drinking tea and munching on the cookies that my classmates gave us as thanks for the work.

“Man, y’know...”

Though I wasn’t really talking to anyone in particular, I began to speak.


“This year’s school festival was super fun.”

“...Yeah, i-it really... was.”

“I thought this yesterday too, but I’m kinda feeling like, ‘man, I wish this never had to end~’, y’know?”


I ended up saying something pretty sentimental.


“Yeah, I get that, but... We’ll hold a movie screening next year too, right? The five of us.”

“Yeah! Of course!”

“Until that time comes, I have much work to do in sharpening my editing skills.”

“Mm, yeah, I wanna get a better camera, too~”


But everyone else was already thinking about the future.

It’s so unlike me that I can’t help but laugh at myself.


“Alright! Let’s make this next one way, way more interesting than the last!”


I began to speak to the others, gesturing widely.

“We’re basing the story on the last one, right?”

“Yep, sure are~ But since we’re goin’ through the trouble of remaking it anyway, I wanna make some big changes!”

“...We’re changing it?”

“Yeah! Like, if we flipped some things around in the story, but kept the core of it like it is now, it opens up the door to try a bunch more things, I think. Like, y’know, a revival?”

C-na let out a sigh as she heard me speak, adding her own thoughts.

“‘Revival’ has a slightly different meaning than simply rescreening a film... But, I suppose if we run with calling the perfected film a ‘revival screening’, that is fun in its own right.”

“That’s a great idea! The Bookmark of Demise: Revival...”

“Oh, but, since while we’re at it, wouldn’t it be cool to just start it off completely different than last time?”

“Hm, how so?”

“Like... Having it take place on a tropical island instead!”

“...Huh?”

A-no continued, her eyes sparkling.

“The bright sun! The blue sea! Let’s make a teen film that takes place in Okinawa!”

“That’s a totally different genre!”

“What’s wrong with that!? Don’t you wanna go on a trip~!?”

Oh, that’s what it was.

It really would be fun to go on a trip together, just the five of us.

“I mean, I wanna go on a trip too, but...!”

“...I-I think it’s a good idea! A story about A-ya and C-ta’s friendship...!”

Following A-no, B-ka expressed his agreement.

“Nice, nice! How about a scene with a night at a hot spring?”

“Like I said, mind the genre! ...But if there’s a hot spring, a bath scene is absolutely necessary. As a guy, there’s some kinda fantasy involved with that...”

“We can play ping-pong, too~”

We’d completely gone off on a tangent, so C-na brought us back to the topic at hand.

“Honestly... The reason we started having this conversation in the first place was because we wanted to reshoot and inspect the segments that had static in them for some reason; did you forget that?”

We all exchanged looks and laughed.

Honestly, it didn’t even matter much what our initial reason was; anything would’ve worked.

“Personally, I’d like to employ a trick I learned while in this year’s haunted house. To start with, a scene in which a hanging corpse suddenly appears would help emphasize the horror aspect of the film, and there are many techniques I’d like to try in that regard.”

“Oh, that sounds like it’d be fun to film~ What kind of trick was it?”

“You see, by cloaking the area in darkness and using a transparent stand...”

“Makes sense. Oh, but the camera would reflect it, so...”

C-na and D-suke continued to discuss hanging.

Hearing two highschoolers chat about that was kinda freaky, honestly.


“Did you come up with anything yourself, E-ki~?”

“Mm, let me think...”

Leaving those two to their discussion, A-no asked me a question.


“I want to do, like, that kind of scene: ‘You’re the culprit!’”


“What? If we did that, we’d have to choose a culprit first!”

“Ahh, well, I think it’ll turn out okay~”

“What do you mean, you think!?”

”One step at a time!”

“You just didn’t come up with anything yet!”

“T-That’s not true!”

“Ahaha~”

“Well, we’re used to this by now.”

“...Yeah... W-We really are...”


The five of us chattered noisily, as we always do.

Back then, I was immersed in the feeling of slight loneliness and the thought of the exciting days that were to come in the future.

That’s probably why...


At that moment, I heard someone, somewhere, murmur something,



...And I didn’t register it at all.

<-- Chapter 1 Part 3 || Chapter 2 -->