8:33 AM
For a change, I stayed up all night again. I know we promised each other we'd relax a bit, but my worries still haven't ceased.
Everything remains very confusing in my mind. I don't know what to think about everything that's happened. I don't know what to think about what's left for us in this world of repetitions.
I'll try to lie down again; maybe I can get some sleep in the morning.
Before heading to the classroom I use to sleep in, I decide to stop by the student council room to check on how the two are doing.
I briefly open the door and see that both are awake. Ailiss is seated in front of Mikoto's desk, who is heating water.
"Good morning, Johann," she looks at me and smiles. "You have come at the right time. I was just about to ask Ailiss to call you for breakfast."
Wait, there's something extraordinary here. It's not usual for Mikoto to be this kind unless she plans to embarrass me in front of others. But it's just the three of us here...
"Breakfast... for me? Can I trust such benevolence?"
"You do not need to worry. Did you forget that in our situation, there is no point in poisoning the food or anything like that?" she laughs. "Come on, sit down and eat a bit."
"You've got a point. Honestly, I was just passing through, but I think I'll accept the invitation," I reply and sit next to Ailiss.
In any case, I don't know what kind of trick these two might be plotting against me. Throughout all these repetitions, Mikoto has never done anything kind for me without an ulterior motive.
"You better hurry up. Knowing her, in a few minutes, there will not be anything left."
I glance at the table and see that Ailiss is fixated as she devours the appetizers prepared by Mikoto. Apparently, there's no prank in the food.
Typically, I stayed aloof from moments like this between them. But thinking about it, I believe it was more my fault than theirs. Aside from that lunch with rice balls, I don't recall ever being excluded. This only further illustrates how I intentionally isolated myself.
I grab a bowl of rice and a piece of toast before Ailiss devours everything.
Her consumption rate is impressive; I imagine being an assassin must be exhausting enough for her body to need so much energy.
"Tea or coffee?" Mikoto asks as she sits at the table with a coffee pot and a teapot in hand.
"Coffee, please."
With politeness, Mikoto pours coffee into my cup and then gracefully pours tea into her cup.
It's becoming harder not to be suspicious, but I'll just go with their flow for now. Could I have been wrong all this time about their toxic personalities?
"Would you like me to serve you?" I try to mimic Mikoto's etiquette by asking Ailiss.
"Don't bother. I'll do it myself."
All right then. I see I shouldn't get my hopes up too quickly.
I suppose, in Ailiss's case, it's a bit more complicated to simulate a loving personality as Mikoto seems to be doing.
Ailiss grabs both the coffee pot and the teapot and pours them into her cup.
Tea and coffee mixed? I won't judge her, but that's a rather unusual combination, isn't it?
She picks up the cup and drinks the entire mixture in one gulp, rather crudely.
Noticing I was watching her drink, she asks, "What?"
"Nothing," I dodge the question.
How can a girl with inexplicable beauty like Ailiss behave like this? The funniest thing is that no matter how uncouth her behavior is, it doesn't diminish her charm at all. She remains as dazzling as Mikoto, who, in contrast, uses napkins and cutlery with the utmost care.
The etiquette contrast between the two at the table is striking and somewhat comical. It's as if I were eating alongside an aristocrat and an ogre.
However, what strikes me the most is a vague and strange feeling. This simple occasion where we can sit together brings me an incredible sense of safety... like a warmth shielding me from a harsh blizzard.
9:22 AM
After finishing the meal, we head down to the courtyard, which is covered by a thick layer of snow. I look at the entirely white space and can't help but recall that period when this white snow was entirely stained with red.
In a brief panic attack, memories of those massacres echo in my mind. The screams become increasingly deafening in my head, and the rotten stench of my corrupted soul materializes, causing me nausea.
However, just before losing my balance, I manage to regain composure with a sigh, without letting the two notice my crisis.
"We were talking about having fun, right? I remember watching the children in the street where I lived build snowmen in the winter," I comment to change the subject.
"Oh, that sounds like a fun idea. We could try making some..." Mikoto pauses with a surprised expression. "Wait, I have an even better idea. Why do we not have a contest to see who can build the best snowman?" She turns to Ailiss. "What do you think?"
She nods and asks, "But what will be the judging criteria? Size?"
"That would be too simplistic. I think we should judge them ourselves, but since we are all participating, we cannot vote for our own work..." Mikoto ponders.
The two of them can't do anything without turning it into a formal task or commitment?
"How about we just build them without thinking about competing? Then we can evaluate them informally," I propose.
"And what would be the purpose of doing that, then?" Ailiss asks.
Purpose? They're even worse than I am at these things.
"The idea is to have fun, isn't it? There's no need for a purpose... I think."
"I admit I do not feel very motivated to do this informally, but let us build them anyway, as I do not have a better idea," Mikoto comments.
Finally, both agree and with that, we separate so each of us can create our masterpieces in secret.
I walk to a secluded spot in the courtyard and begin my snowman.
I make a small snowball with my hands, press it to make it firm, and place it on the ground. Then, I crouch and roll it from side to side until it becomes bigger.
This way, I use it for the body and then repeat the process, creating a smaller one for the head. I place the smaller sphere on top and finally draw a happy face with my fingers.
I think that's how they did it.
As I stare at the snowman's smile, I remember those days watching such scenes from a distance.
Mikoto and Ailiss appear to see how my work of art turned out.
"Oh my, you have finished already?" Mikoto touches her lips and asks.
"Well, it didn't turn out as I'd hoped, but this is basically what I had in mind."
"How can I put it... it is quite minimalist," she says with a mocking tone.
"Yes... that was my intention," I reply.
Ailiss, on the other hand, looks at it intently and spares no harshness.
"It's crap."
In summary, our opinion is unanimous: it's quite simple.
Next, we move to another spot in the courtyard to check out Mikoto's creation.
She was right about the simplicity of mine because she added a ton of details and decorations to hers. She put buttons on the body, a carrot as a nose, and even a top hat.
Honestly, how did she manage to grab all these decorations so quickly?
"Yours is more complete than mine. I admit my defeat."
"Hey, Mikoto, you cheated by adding that," Ailiss comments annoyedly.
"There were no rules about this. You could have used whatever you wanted too."
"Really, it was our mistake not to think of that possibility," I add.
"It's not like yours is better than mine just because of that."
"Well then, let us check it out. Johann already declared his own defeat, so he can decide which of our snowmen is better."
Both of them glare at me with an unfriendly look.
Hey, don't put all the responsibility on me; I'll suffer at the hands of one of you because of this. Anyway, I can't escape my fate...
With a tired look, I let out a long sigh.
Finally, we check out Ailiss's creation.
We walk to the spot, but it seems we arrived too late. She had made something so big that it collapsed.
"So, your snowman was this snow mound? How many meters tall was it?" Mikoto asks in surprise.
Good question. Judging by the amount of snow, it must have been quite tall—however, the arrogance of making something this exaggerated ended up being her defeat in this game.
I can't help but laugh, and I'm rewarded with a snowball to the face.
"Hey, stop it!" I protest.
"You jinxed me, you bastard," Ailiss says in her usual grim voice and keeps throwing snowballs.
She's upset about this? Such childishness. Well, I guess this kind of competitive reaction comes with the package of activities we didn't get to experience in our childhood.
With my arms, I shield my face from the snowballs. Fortunately, the snow is soft and doesn't hurt anything compared to her punches.
"That's enough!" I continue protecting myself.
However, she doesn't seem like she'll stop and keeps throwing at me. Amidst all this, I can only hear Mikoto's soft laughter witnessing this situation.
"Don't just laugh; help me out here," I call out to her.
Mikoto then decides to join in, but not in the way I expected.
"This is embarrassing for the student council president, but at the same time, it looks quite fun," Mikoto starts throwing snowballs at me.
"You too?!"
I run from both of them and gather some snow to fight back.
"Two against one is unfair!" I exclaim.
We create small trenches and continue our war for a little over an hour.
And once again, I find myself laughing uncontrollably in the middle of such a silly game I deprived myself of during childhood. My laughter is contagious enough that the two also burst out laughing as they throw snow in my direction.