I received a message from Yuuma that tells me to meet him in the courtyard. I didn't know what is he up to. Yet I wanted to know. I walked out of the class, Takigawa Ruri from 2-A walked in front of me. As pathetic I acted, it's normal that she hardly notices me.
Out of sudden, a guy present Ruri a bouquet of flowers. It wasn't fancy, yet it's his honest work. He sure put in a lot of effort in it.
"Takigawa-san! I've been liking you since a long time ago! Please go out with me!" he shouted. The crowd around them started to gossip about them.
"Who did he think he is? A bouquet of flower that looked like a dead bush, is he trying to build castles the air?"
"Don't be loud, he might confess to you with that!"
"Eww, stop with that!"
Ruri looked around, everyone around her were gossiping, I'm just standing there trying to walk through them.
"You, what is your name?" Ruri asked the guy.
"Ma..." Before the guy even finishes his words, she stopped him.
"I guess you would be more suited for this girl over here." Ruri dragged me in front of the guy. I was surprised, what a bitch. I bet she is being cocky because of her position in the school's social status.
"But... You are the one I like, Takigawa-san!" The guy insisted. I tried to walk away, but Ruri is looking at me.
"Hurry up, accept his love." Ruri said to me. No, it's more like commanding me.
"B-but!" The guy couldn't even say anything. Well, I'm in a pinch now.
It didn't take long for the crowd to grow bigger, I wonder why did they even bothered to gather here rather than taking their lunch during lunch time? I'm like in a stalemate, where any move seems unviable.
I'm just right outside of my class, perhaps Yuuma-kun will save me. Wait, why did I hope for Yuuma-kun to save me? He saved me a lot of times now, now I should be on my own now. I tried walking back to my class, where Ruri is standing in my way.
"Oh, where did you think you're going?" Ruri asked, her tone sounds menacing, it's like she is going to tear me apart. I'm of course scared, yet I'm supposed to walk away. She tried to push me, I dodged instinctively, and grabbed her wrist and pushed her shoulder down.
"What you were thinking you were doing!" She shouted, yet she couldn't free herself from my hold. What an athlete... I glared at her, she shuddered and loosened up. I released her and walked towards the crowd. The crowd made way for me to pass through. I think I'll get in trouble after this... What luck...
Along the way, a short girl with glasses stopped me.
"Rika-san, is that you?" She asked.
"Do you know me?" I asked. She nodded.
"Follow me, I have something to talk with you about." She said. I felt odd, yet I wanted to believe in her. So I followed her. Ruri then suddenly shouted.
"Haruko-chan! Did you know this barbaric girl who just almost broke my arm?" She shouted, flustered.
"It's probably you who tried to push her in the first place. You should apologise, Ruri-san." Haruko said. A name that sounds familiar, who could she be? Haruko started walking, I've never been with anyone from 1-A before, I had no idea why she knows me. Perhaps we have met somewhere else. I followed her to the rooftop, she turned around and faced me.
"Rika-san, can you not remember me from before?" Haruko asked.
"Did we met before...?" I asked.
"I can't blame you for that, since you lost your memories from your trial." Haruko said.
"A trial? What did you meant?" I asked.
"A trial from the Rain Goddess, Ame. If a person passed her trial, he or she will receive a blessing from her, which was said to be making one's wish come true." Haruko explained, I understood nothing from her explanations, yet it feels intriguing to hear more.
"Though I'm conscious in this world, I'm sure the both of us are in the same situation. This world, is formed based on how reality depicts. This world seems normal, yet something seems off." Haruko said.
"Something seems off?" I asked.
"I see, you let your trial guide erased his existence." Haruko mumbled.
"What?" I asked. The bell rung as she prepared to reply to me, she then stopped and walked away.
"I think we should resume this in an other day." Haruko said, before leaving the rooftop.
What a sinister person she is... I thought to myself. I returned to class shortly after. Classes resumed, yet I couldn't get Haruko's words out of my head. Continuously thinking of it made no sense, perhaps, something is really off here. Is it about Yuuma-kun...? He's been acting weird recently. I've been keeping my distance from him, yet he started to get closer to me since last year, even mentioning about that promise.
Classes were over now, Yuuma-kun headed out without his friends, Kaito and Hikaru. Hikaru, who sat in front of me, turned around.
"Yuuma just sent an invitation to you right?" He asked.
"Y-Yes..." I nodded.
"Well, don't let anyone see you there." Hikaru said before leaving. What's going on...? I was preparing to leave, yet Haruno caught up on me.
"Hey! Ricchan! Let's karaoke today!" She exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, I'm occupied today." I said. She looked disappointed, yet she ran off with her friends. I shook my head, and walked to the courtyard. I saw Hikaru standing there, it's like he's guarding the entrance.
"Oh, you're here, hurry up, Yuuma's been waiting for you." Hikaru said. I raised an eyebrow, what is going on now? Honestly... I'll know when I go to the courtyard, Yuuma-kun is acting weird today, what is he up to...?
"Ah, the heroine!" I heard Kaito, when I entered the courtyard, Yuuma-kun approached me, holding a flower in his right hand.
"Rika-chan, I would like to reenact the promise we made years ago." He said. Oh dear, it's a stupid confession he's pulling.
"I would like to see the stars with you, just the both of us together, under the night sky where you were very excited when you saw that years ago. The moment is impossible without you and me in it. With this, will you be with me forever?" Yuuma-kun said, I was touched that he remembered everything, yet something seems off. Is it the atmosphere? Is it the location? Or is it the person in question?
"I'm so..." I said, yet my head hurts. A voice, it echoes within me.
"Behold, the climax of your story, before descending into an ending!" The voice kept repeating itself.
"Ending?! What is that?!" I screamed in pain, eventually I collapsed in the ground, my consciousness isn't fading away, a pain that is unbearable, yet I'm feeling it without passing out. Perhaps, even if I passed out, the immense pain wakes me up repeatedly.
"What are those?!" I screamed, I couldn't hear what they said, they looked very worried. My mind went blank, but are they...? Rather than just blank, it's more like it's showing me empty pages about a certain memory.
"Behold, the climax of your story, before descending into an ending!"
"Behold, the climax of your story, before descending into an ending!"
"Behold, the climax of your story, before descending into an ending!"
No... Stop it...!
"Tachibana Yuuma, I assume you know a person named Ryutenji is it?" A girl's voice asked. It sounds like Haruko... Why is she here?
"Go get him!" She said.
"O-Okay!" Yuuma ran off.
I had lost track of time, I've been agonising for like ages, every second passed made it felt like the pain is amplified. I noticed, the sky turned orange, the clouds were drifting away. Despite the soothing scenery I've been seeing, the pain never lessen, yet the sunset made the pain bearable for a moment. The last thing I ever hear is some mumbles that sounded like the same man, the difference is, it now makes the pain gone.
"Pain pain go away~" Like that? Kaito said.
"Ah, don't make bad jokes at inappropriate times, Kaito!" Yuuma-kun exclaimed. He... Is, indeed worried about me eh?
"Pffft hahaha..." I laughed. Is it about the joke? Or how much of a fool I've acted in front of three guys in front of me...? I opened my eyes, a starry sky, much like the one I remembered on that day appeared in front of my eyes. I raised my hand, trying to reach them which obviously I couldn't reach them. It's so reminiscing, that a drop of tear escaped from my eyelids and rolled down to my ears.
"Rika-chan, are you fine?" Yuuma-kun asked. He sighed and looked upwards.
"Ah... Although I messed up today, perhaps am I allowed to indulge myself to fulfill a part of the promise?" Yuuma-kun asked. I was too exhausted to refuse, he lied down next to me, and just as he said:
"I would like to see the stars with you, just the both of us together, under the night sky where you were very excited when you saw that years ago. The moment is impossible without you and me in it. With this, will you be with me forever?"
I wouldn't agree to be like this forever, yet if it only last for this short moment, I guess I'll be fine with this. The pain went away eventually, leaving us stargazing in the courtyard.