After the final model left, a sign saying "tallying" was put up and we waited. The lights went off, the room became dim, and the lingering echoes of the bustling atmosphere rang softly in my mind.
I was worried about Arina's condition.
I don't know if her personality was still switched or if it had returned to normal.
There was a part of me that thinks that this is the way Arina should be. Now that she's in control, this is the state that Arina and her friends would want her to be in. It'd be idiotic of me to worry about it. That's what I told myself.
My initial promise to Akakusa-sensei was to change Arina's tone and attitude.
Although the meaning behind it was a bit muddy, it suggested evoking her base personality and submerging her current personality.
That's been accomplished just now. The only problem is that it won't last long.
"Let's see who'll win," Aki-senpai muttered.
"The winner will be Akakusa-sensei. It'll be a clean sweep."
"Ehhh… It was just cosplay. Sorry, sensei."
Can't talk back to that. It certainly was just cosplay.
"I think it'll be Arina."
"I'm sure she'll be up there. She'll still lose to Akakusa-sensei, though."
"You're too much."
After a while, the "tallying" sign came down and the lights once again illuminated the aisle. The moderator was also lit up and the results were finally being announced. The crowd started buzzing and the excitement was revived.
｢Sorry for the wait! The results are in, so if you're a model, please come out!｣
The moderator talked cheerfully.
The models in the tournament came out from behind the partition and lined up together side by side. Arina was also there, but it wasn't the foul-tongued Arina. She looked vulnerable and fragile. So fragile in fact that I wanted to wrap her up. Her brow furrowed and her eyes moved around restlessly.
Would they be swapped once again for the next two days?
I felt uneasy.
My anxiety wasn't rational. It came from the bottom of my heart. An instinctive anxiety. There was a possibility that Arina, the venomous-tongued Arina, would not come back. I might never be able to see that frown on her face ever again.
For the first time, I was aware of the contradictions swirling around in my heart.
｢It's my pleasure to announce the third-place winner! Entry number 9! Gotou Aiyo-san! Congratulations!｣
The 3rd place winner stepped forward. She looked great in her indigo dress. The person who won the prize was crying. They looked like tears of frustration, as if saying, "Why wasn't I first?!" She was pretty serious. Guess they're someone who took the sports festival earnestly.
How scary.
｢And the second place winner! Entry number 13! Midorikawa Kanaka-san! Congratulations!｣
What the hell.
There's only one person left. You've got to choose between Arina and Akakusa-sensei! What are you doing?!
"So it's Arina-chan."
"Don't be so hasty, senpai. Akakusa-sensei is coming."
"I won't give up until the very end…"
I ignored Aki-senpai, who was in a daze, and focused on the moderator again. The moderator noticed my eyes and looked a bit scared. I can't help it. Akakusa-sensei… Akakusa-sensei… I kept thinking about her. It was understandable if they thought I was crazy. Sorry, moderator-san.
｢A-And now, we'll announce the number one pick.｣
Okay, say it, say it!
I was so nervous that I couldn't stop myself from shaking.
｢Entry number….｣
19! 19! 19!
｢16!｣
Huh?
You read the numbers in the first place wrong, moderator-san. It's okay, 6s and 9s are so simple that they decrease or increase by 3 just by flipping them over, so it's no wonder you made a mistake. Now is the time to correct it.
No, hold up.
6 and 9. Those are written as Arabic numbers. What if the numbers of the winners were instead written in kanji? 6 and 9 . It's impossible to mix them up.
But I'm not giving up hope. They must have written the numbers in Arabic and made a mistake when writing 6 and 9. That has to be it.
｢It's Hiwa Arina-san! Congratulations!｣
God is dead.
Arina had a frightened smile. It was a bitter one, but she seemed to be embarrassed.
"Ehehe… Thank you very much."
The stage was decorated with applause and music.
The boys squealed in delight at Arina's adorable behavior, which we never usually got to see. Some even held up their cell phones to take pictures, like war photographers recording a historic scene. It'll be a Pulitzer Prize winner.
"Aki-senpai. Did you bring an SLR camera with you?"
Like a U.S. Army sniper, Aki-senpai was holding up her SLR camera. I didn't see a flash, but the shutter sound was so loud and annoying.
"Aki-senpai's shutter sound is…"
"Shh! There'll never be another moment like this!"
Since I was reprimanded, I decided to shut my mouth and watch. I wanted to ask what she was gonna do with all those pictures, but it would probably be an idiotic question. Mine and Aki-senpai's views of the world are drastically different.
The winners were given medals and something that looked like a souvenir.
Although I noticed it late, a lot of teachers also came to see the ceremony. There were also a few old men here and there. If one of them had been filming, I would have called 110. [1] By the way, I'm allowed to point my phone towards Akakusa-sensei. Please forgive my youth. Click.
The fashion show ended and we, the audience, had to leave.
As the models waved, I caught a glimpse of Arina.
Our eyes met.
『That person…』
I couldn't hear her over the cheers, but I recognized the movements of her mouth.
She knows me. She remembers meeting me in the infirmary.
I wonder what she'll say to me.
"That was fun, wasn't it?"
"Yup. Thank you! Thanks to you, I got some great shots."
"Please don't sell them at an auction or something."
"I won't, I won't. Hmm? when did Arina become Sui-kun's?"
"I didn't mean it like that. I'm giving Aki-senpai advice so that you don't become a criminal."
"Ahaha. Oh, Arina's came out."
Arina came out of the classroom door on the partition side. I could tell in an instant. It wasn't the venomous tongued Arina.
She was still wearing her crimson dress. A deep red mermaid line.
"Arina-chan! Arina-chaaaan!"
Aki-senpai approached her, skipping all the while.
"Ah, Aki-senpai!"
Arina's eyes brightened and she opened her arms to welcome Aki-senpai. The two of them embraced without worrying about what anyone else would think.
It was a charming sight for me. I can't imagine Arina interacting with people.
It was the way it should be.
That was what came to my mind. It was a pleasant sight that I should hope for.
But I was hoping for the venomous tongued Arina.
As far as I could tell, it was their first time meeting again in high school. Aki-senpai knew that Arina was here, but she didn't talk to her. In other words, she wasn't aware of Arina's dual personality.
The timing was pretty good.
I was able to avoid the contact between the venomous tongued Arina and Aki-senpai that I was scared of.
"Arina was so beautiful! I'm a woman, but I fell in love! Guhehe."
"Senpai, please stop it… It's embarrassing."
"Sorry, sorry! Sui-kun was looking too, y'know! Sui-kun, come here!"
I was reluctant because I didn't know her. I know what she looked like, physically, but now she's an unknown mass.
It was like dealing with someone who has amnesia, and I feel helpless. I knew her, but she didn't know me. She was now just a beautiful stranger. Like the past had never even happened. It was the saddest thing in the world. My memories were alone.
I didn't know what kind of face I should be making.
I could try to talk to her intimately, but it would definitely come off as unnatural.
But it'd also be weird to act like a stranger. Aki-senpai would get suspicious, and, more than anything, it would be awkward for me and Arina right now.
Aki-senpai nodded her head when she saw me standing there.
I couldn't take a step.
I was afraid.
In the corner of my head, I was desperately screaming for the tsun Arina to return.
I even wished it was all an act.
But the reality was that Arina is like a gentle angel now. It's too cruel.
"Hurry and come here, Sui."
I doubted my very own ears.
It wasn't Aki-senpai's voice. Instead, it was Hiwa Arina's voice.
It was the first time Arina had called me by my name.
You, you, mealworm, pig food, gutter oil, were the things she called me. She didn't utter my name, not even a tiny bit of it, yet she just said it so easily. [2]
I was genuinely happy. Never in my life had I been so happy to just hear someone say my name.
The only thing that made my heart hurt was the fact that it wasn't coming from the venomous tongued Arina.
[1] For my American homies, this is 911, but Japanese.
[2] Unfortunately, this slightly ruins the moment, but the first 'you' is anata whereas the second 'you' is anta. Anta is basically a hyper-rude form of anata if you aren't super close with the person you're using it with.