The culture festival came to and, this being the following morning, as we sat in the classroom. Before class began, everybody sat in their usual small groups, talking about this and that.
"…Excuse me, everyone."
Just like back at a certain homeroom, Aotsuki-san stood in front of the blackboard—in front of the class. The rest of the class gave her a dubious gaze, wondering what she was plotting yet again. Showered with everyone's attention, her eyes twitched. She angled her hips at a solid 90 degrees, and raised a loud voice that she gained thanks to the vocal training—
"I'm terribly sorry!!" She apologized with all her might.
After the culture festival…more accurately, after Shell and Shizuku-san were reunited, Aotsuki-san had the curse that was on her dispelled. Shell mentioned something like 'Since the curse lasted for several years, it'll take a night to completely vanish', and went with Aotsuki-san to her home. Unlike Shell who can't be seen by most people, I couldn't exactly go together with them, so I just put faith in Shell, but it seems like everything worked out.
Everything she wanted to say, ranging from 'I'm sorry' to 'Thank you', she was finally able to say what she truly felt. That's why she's here, apologizing to everyone.
"Until now…I was only acting rude towards everyone…And, I feel bad for it…"
Unlike the stage play where she had a proper script, she was now using her own words, so I could see the tension on her. Even now, she's holding down her chest. But…that's only to be expected. Even so, she's not running away from this, talking about it openly, which I really respect her for.
"I-I've had a change of heart so…if you are okay with it…I'd like to get along with everyone…" She lowered her head yet again.
Silence filled the classroom. Rather than it being simply awkward, nobody knew what reaction to show. The longer the situation continued, the worse it got. That being said, speaking up without any proper opinion would just completely ruin the mood, so I can't exactly do anything either. This situation continued for a bit, but—
"Like hell I'd forgive you, moron!"
There, a complaint sounding like it came from a grade school brat filled the room. Of course, it came from none other than Gami, who had her arms crossed.
"Huuuh!?" Aotsuki-san's face shot up, her face burning red but not only because of embarrassment. "You have the guts to say that after obstructing our stage play!?"
"What's that attitude for! You're not reflecting on it at all!"
"You're an exception! I was apologizing to all the people I troubled and hurt so far! If anything, I'm happy if I got to bother you!"
"Huuuuh? You just decided to do a stage play, and just pulled through with that without listening to anybody else! How selfish can you be!"
"T-That's why I'm apologizing right now! But, you have no right to say anything after trying to obstruct our stage play with such evil means!"
"Ahh, you really piss me off! I'll make you regret this! Make you cry for sure!"
Aotsuki-san and Gami were having another verbal fight. The others watching
this scenery hesitated for a second, but the atmosphere slowly relaxed, them thinking 'Ah, we can just go with that kind of spirit?'. Finally, when Aotsuki- san and Gami ran out of breath, the other students raised positive voices towards Aotsuki-san.
"Well, it's true that Aotsuki-san changed~"
"Yep. It's like she's lost all her sharpness compared to before~"
"Excuse me~! I have a question, Aotsuki-san!" One of the girls spoke up. "…W-What is it?" Aotsuki-san asked, clearly excited.
"So, do you like Yafune~?"
If somebody was drinking at that very moment, they'd be spitting out their beverage at this point. I'm glad my mouth was empty…No, but seriously! That question is way too difficult for Aotsuki-san! I was going to jump in with a 'What are you on about~', to easen the mood, but…
"…Y-Yes…that's right…"
Before I could say anything, Aotsuki-san blushed furiously and answered the question herself. After a brief silence…Cheers filled the classroom. The girls were showing excited shrieks, and the boys were whistling at me. A public confession like that, it's one of the most exciting things that could happen for a high school student. Despite the culture festival excitement being over, they were still in partying mood, saying stuff like 'Congrats!' and 'Be happy!'.
It's like nobody even knows what exactly is going on, but they just hopped on the trend. I bet half of these guys don't even care about me and Aotsuki- san, and just join in on the mood…But, I am still happy about it!!
"Yafune, what about you~? You heard that~?" A guy near me showed a gesture like he was pushing a microphone on me, interviewing me.
"…Ah…Y-Yeah…I'm…happy…" My brain slowly melted away, and I could only answer in honesty.
I don't hate it. I definitely don't hate it. But, it still is embarrassing as hell!! "Yafune-kun's blushing! So cute~!"
"Normally, he's always calm and collected~ Is this what you call gap moe?"
Damn it, they're all teasing me now…Yeah, so what if I am a tsundere, I'm cute, right? Everybody in class was looking at us like we're some couple, and only Gami was quivering with anger—or so I thought.
"—I finally know, Aotsuki Mifuyuu. I know the way to beat you." Her eyes suddenly lit up like a cat having found its prey, and pointed at Aotsuki-san. "Don't think you'll get a happy end just because you two start dating! I'll definitely steal Yafune from you! You'll become my pathetic dog!"
Another row of cheers and shrieks filled the classroom. "No way, Gami had feelings for Yafune-kun as well~?" "Oh crap, it's a love triangle!"
"Eh…?"
Was that really what was going on…? I was at a loss for words.
"A-As if! My pride just won't allow that to happen! Yafune, I'll make you fall for me and throw you away right after!"
"Like hell anybody would fall for you after that!" I subconsciously retarded after hearing that nonsense.
Where did the omnipotent queen from a few days ago wander off to? And of course, Sakana was watching this situation unfold with a big grin.
"Oh dang, this is getting spicy. This is what I wanted to see all along~" "Don't you dare have fun all on your own!" I retorted, but I laughed myself. Aotsuki-san held her stomach while laughing as well. There's no guarantee
that this happy and enjoyable time will continue forever. Nobody knows what the future might hold. Even so, I don't think that revealing everything about me to all the people I know is a good idea. As long as only one person accepts me for who I am, that's all I need.
But, maybe I should really give up on creating a fake self. Both Gami and Sakan, all these normies…aren't that bad after all, even though I thought they were superficial…Then again, I probably am the most superficial here, so I'm reflecting on it.
That being said, life isn't as nice. There's many pit traps you could fall into… And, I guess me thinking about that shows how twisted I am…But, I can at least laugh from the bottom of my heart like this. My peaceful days pretty much crumbled away, but with the person most important next to me, I don't mind these energetic days…
In the morning, we had Aotsuki-san's public confession. The entire rest of the day, I was teased about that. I was pulled along by Sakan and his girl friends, made fun of…Like that, the sky turned dark. And finally, it's just me and Aotsuki-san. We were on our way home, both awkwardly conscious of each other, as we kept a bit of distance between us. Thinking about it, this… actually might be the first time where it's just the two of us after the end of the culture festival.
On the way back from that hill, Shell and Shizuku-san were with us after all. So far, our goal was always the culture festival, so we simply worked towards that, but…now that everything's over…what am I even supposed to talk about? So far, I never had problems talking with classmates about anything, and yet…Being together with Aotsuki-san has my heart racing, and my head just turns blank…with no words coming out.
Not to mention that she's been quiet this entire time as well. Since the curse has been dispelled, I was hoping that maybe she'd be a bit more honest but… Unable to bear with it any longer, I opened my mouth.
"So, Aotsuki-san."
"Fah, y-yesh!?" Aotsuki-san twitched in shock.
"W-Why are you so surprised?"
"Well, um, you know...Nice weather we're having!"
"Eh? I mean…it's night, but since it's not raining, I guess you're right?" "Y-Yeah, but…Actually, no."
Something's off. Her gaze was wandering left and right, her eyes spinning. "…Are you…nervous?"
"!"
When I pointed it out, her face turned beet red, and she pushed it away from me. I see, so she's embarrassed. Man, how can one person be so cute.
"Aotsuki-san, look at me." "I-Impossible."
"I don't buy that." Crap, I'm about to grin. "…I…"
"You?"
"I-I don't know…what to do…" Awkwardly, her mouth opened. "After all… I could never be honest…and now, I suddenly can…S-So, I'm at a loss on what I should say…Not to mention…this morning, I just…"
—Ahh, she's so cute. As she desperately tried not to look at me, I gently touched her hair, running my fingers through it.
"…Come on, look at me."
"...…" She awkwardly turned her head towards me, like a robot turning its
head, as her legs shook like she was a newborn fawn. "W-Wait. Wait wait wait wait…I-I haven't mentally prepared myself yet…" With these words, Aotsuki-san pressed her hands on her chest, taking a few deep breaths, and finally looked at me.
Every single action looked so lovable it made my heart feel like it'll burst.
"…S-So, yeah." A fierce passion burned in her eyes. "I'll be saying everything…that I couldn't before." Even without touching her, I could feel a comfortable warmth coming from her gaze. "I still…don't know everything about you." Her words sunk deep into me. "I don't know everything, but…I know that you understood my sadness. I know of your kindness, and how you couldn't leave me alone when I was crying to myself. I know of your courage, helping me through the dangers of the stage play. I know that you're considerate enough to look at your surroundings, and worry about others. I know that you have the strength to get through everything, no matter how tough it may be." With a beet red face, but sincere feelings, she counted on and on. "…So, isn't this enough?"
Seeing her tilt her head, I felt the warmth fill me from deep inside. "…Maybe."
"As for the rest, can't I just learn about that from here on out?" "You might just come to hate me after all that."
Too embarrassed, I gave a twisted response again. Maybe I was the real tsundere all along?
"…Then, show me everything about you to the point where I come to hate you."
That's not fair. She was supposed to be dishonest because of the curse, and yet she's hitting me directly in the face.
"But, I can tell you that this won't happen. Once I fall in love, I won't ever stop."
"Really?"
"That was a lie." "Eh?"
"…B-Because, this is my first time being in love…I don't know what to do after realizing that." She showed me a smile, despite being embarrassed. "… But, I'm sure that I definitely won't ever hate you, Yafune-kun."
Ahh…I can't anymore. I can't even look at her face because of my embarrassment. I felt the strength vanish from my body, and I was about to sink to the ground. Knowing that it'd just make me look pathetic, I tried my best to keep standing on wobbly knees.
"…This is bad. You really, definitely, can't act affectionate towards others, Aotsuki-san."
Because, if she does—It can kill. "…Really? Then I'll stop." "Eh…"
"That was a lie." "A second one!?"
She showed me a teasing grin. Crap, how can she be this cute just because the curse is gone…!
"S-So, Yafune-kun…I'm going to say the most important part of all." Aotsuki-san cleared her throat, put one hand on her hip, and pointed at me with the other hand. "I-I'll only say it once, so listen carefully!"
"Eh…only once…?"
"Eh, ah, no…that was a lie."
"A third lie!?"
"S-Shut up. There's this thing called tension, okay. Don't just retort on every little thing! A-Anyway…" She cleared her throat again, and looked at me with a serious expression.
I calmed down as well, just earnestly listening to her.
"…I'm sorry that I could never tell you this before. But, I just have to say it over and over from here on out."
So soft, gentle, warm, and sparkling, it was everything I had ever wanted, and everything I could never get. She was giving it all to me.
"…I've always…always wanted to tell you this…" With a big smile, Aotsuki-san jumped into my arms. "I love you!"