There was a saying that time flies when you were not paying attention, and Seito Shouichi was no exception. Between studying, attending club activities, and helping out at his mother's café, the days blurred together. Before he knew it, a new month had already begun.
Unfortunately, Ayane had been bothering him constantly but he shot her down whenever he could. It felt wrong to lead the girl on like that. But he couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth.
Shouichi pictured himself with a mysterious yet resolute expression — a so-called "locked-in" look — confidently telling her, "I know how you feel about me, Ayane. But I can't go out with you. My heart belongs to Misaki." However, the reality was far messier than the scenario playing out in his imagination.
"Say ahhh!" Ayane said playfully as she held out one of her eggrolls toward him. "Like I said, she's become like my second mother," Shouichi thought, but he complied anyway.
"Delicious!" He replied promptly.
"Right? I tried something different. Hehehe," Ayane smiled gleefully at him.
"It's been a while since you lost the key to the rooftop, right?" Shouichi asked, her gesture reminding him of the time when she fed him eggrolls like this.
"Yeah, I couldn't care less about it, but at least those seniors no longer bother me," Ayane responded, impassive in her tone, "One more?" She asked and gestured with her chopsticks.
"No, I'm good." Shouichi politely declined, lifting his hands.
With the sudden tap on his shoulder, Shouichi jumped and gasped reflectively, "Eh?"
"What did I miss?" It was Shinji who appeared behind him. He had just returned from a restroom trip earlier.
"Nothing, nothing," Shouichi waved his hands awkwardly.
"Cooooooool. You wanna hang out somewhere?" Shinji suggested out of the blue, "Emi already has a plan with Misaki, they said they are doing girl shopping at the beginning of the month." He added matter-of-factly.
"I guess?" Shouichi promptly replied, turning to confront Shinji, "Where exactly?" He probed.
"I dunno. This town is so boring! Ugh!" Shinji messed his hair in frustration.
Wearing a cunning grin, Ayane interjected with her bright idea, "How about my place?" Her peculiar suggestion caused the boys to exchange surprised glances.
"Why would we want to go to your place?" Shinji sneered, crossing his arms. "You're not luring us into a slaughterhouse, are you?" He squinted his eyes, suspicious of Ayane's recent change.
"Come on, it's gon' be fun!" Ayane insisted as her violet-purple eyes glinted with excitement.
"That would be my first time, actually." Shouichi replied with an agreeing nod.
"Right! So it's decided. We are going to Morimura's residence this afternoon!" She concluded clasping her hands before anyone else could voice their thoughts further.
***
"Well crap…" Shouichi cursed under his breath. He was clad in full kendo protection which consisted of a helmet, chest plate, and arm guards. The gear was uncomfortably chunky and sluggish with limited movement. His hands were gripping a bamboo sword in a striking pose. "The concept of fun for Ayane is beating the life out of him," He concluded inwardly after losing probably ten matches, duelling with her.
"Here I go!" Shouichi roared as he intensely focused on his legs to dash in and swung at the girl, aiming at her torso. Ayane was not wearing standard protection gear but a white Kendogi. She gracefully side-steped, and narrowly dodged the trajectory of his sword. Then in a split of a second, she lunged like lightning to strike his chest.
"Ouch!" Shouichi cried out of pain as he was knocked on his butt. As he stared at the ceiling above, feeling exhausted and sore all over his body.
"My, I even used one hand this time," Ayane mocked, her hand covering her mischievous smirk, her tone condescending.
"Let's go! Round 12, begin!" Shinji announced as if he were the announcer of a heated match.
"Stop! I yield!" Shouichi raised his arm in surrender, his breath ragged and his body drenched in sweat.
"Oh? Giving up already? What kind of man are you?" The black-haired girl taunted, looming over him. Her shadow cast an eerie eclipse over his face, adding weight to her words.
"I never imagined Ayane was the athletic type, but it turns out her lineage is deeply rooted in kendo. Just an hour ago, she mentioned that she started training at the dojo when she was just five years old, learning under her grandfather's guidance until his passing," Shouichi reflected, recalling her story.
Pointing her bamboo sword at his face, "Get up, Shouichi!" Ayane commanded firmly.
"Fine!" Shouichi muttered, his voice low but resolute as he steeled himself. All he needed was one win to turn the tide.
"That's the burning spirit, bro!" Shinji cheered loudly, putting his fist up in the air. "Round 12! Fight!" He excitedly announced.
Shouichi started by circling around Ayane, looking for an opening, he fought her multiple times. To the point that he swore he could remember her move sets like a boss in soul-like video games.
"Ayane's muscle memory is her greatest strength, but it could also work against her," Shouichi analysed, his mind sharply focused in a zone-like state. His brain seemed to process every detail with remarkable speed. "Her reactions are almost automatic, driven by years of training. If her movements are purely instinctive at the start, before her conscious mind adapts, there's a chance to exploit that! I just need to make a move she's never encountered before!"
"Aya!" Shouichi initiated his first strike, a swift vertical sweep. Ayane instinctively countered with a quick step to her right.
"Knew it!" Shouichi thought, his eyes narrowing as he observed her motion. "She's a lefty. She always moves in the opposite direction to position herself for the favourable angle."
A plan was beginning to form in his mind.
"Hmm!" Shouichi let go of his bamboo sword entirely, an unconventional move that made Ayane's eyes widen in surprise.
"Take this!" He shouted, crouching as low as possible and generating torque through his knees and feet. It was a move inspired by the fade-away technique used in rugby to execute a rapid and deceptive reversal.
"Damn it, she's already swinging again!" Shouichi thought as Ayane's kendo blade arced toward him. Without hesitation, he launched himself off the ground, closing the gap between them.
"If I can get close enough to her centre of rotation, I'll minimise the impact!" He calculated rapidly, throwing his arms around her in a desperate bid to neutralise the strike. His momentum carried them both off their feet.
"Crap, I didn't think this through! She's going to hit the ground headfirst!" Acting on instinct, Shouichi twisted his body mid-air and shoved his arm guarding the back of her head.
With a resounding thud, the pair slammed into the ground. Ayane's head landed safely on his arm, but the force of the fall left Shouichi groaning and rolling in pain, his body aching from the impact.
"Ooooouch!" He winced, biting back a louder cry as Ayane blinked down at him, momentarily stunned by the abrupt turn of events.
"Magnificent! Magnificent! Magnificent!" Shinji shouted repeatedly while clapping his hands like a maniac.
"Are you alright, Ayane?" Shouichi examined her with worry.
"Yeah… What about you, Shouichi-kun?" The girl gasped, urgently removed his helmet and inspected his face and then his arm.
"It seems like nothing is broken." He uttered by experimentally moving his limps around.
"Are you crazy?! You're not supposed to drop your weapon!" Ayane scolded, her face full of concern as she crouched beside him.
"Hahaha, I'm such an idiot," Shouichi said between breaths, collapsing onto the wooden floor. His laughter echoed through the dojo, filling the space with an unexpected levity.
The infectious sound made Ayane crack a smile, despite herself, and soon she was chuckling along. Shinji, leaning against the wall, burst into loud laughter as well, his voice ringing out over the entire space.
Before long, all three were laughing uncontrollably, the tension of the intense match melting away in their shared moment of camaraderie.
***
At Hoshimashi Mall, two beautiful girls strolled through the bustling shops, enjoying a lively and indulgent shopping spree. Unsurprisingly, it was Ishikawa Misaki who spent money as if it grew on trees, her carefree attitude shining through with every extravagant purchase.
On this afternoon stroll, Misaki was dressed in a sweet Lolita style, complete with intricate frills and lace, her outfit contrasting sharply with the black mask covering half her face. Beside her, Emi sported a more laid-back look, wearing an oversized tee, black jeans, and a cap pulled low over her eyes, creating a stark yet complementary balance between the two.
"Do you think I should redo my nails? I got bored of them already," Misaki showed her beautiful black and pink nails.
"I think they already look so nice, though." Emi disagreed as her fingers inspected Misaki's nails.
"But my boyfriend doesn't even notice 'em! He never compliments me on my nails!" Misaki complained, fuzziness laced her expression.
"Oh…" Emi was stunned, speechless.
"Say… do you notice my eye bags? Look, look. They've got fine wrinkles already," Misaki said, pointing at the slight shadows under her eyes.
Emi shifted awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable with Misaki's endless stream of complaints about her own face. Misaki was obsessing over every tiny flaw, being overly self-conscious about her appearance.
Eventually, Emi decided to be honest, "B~but I can barely notice them. I doubt your boyfriend could."
"Right, I will take your word for it then. Anyhow, men are hard to please, you know." Misaki continued as they both strutted through the buzzing hall
"Can we visit the clinic? Please, please, please!" The pretty girl with twin tails turned to plead cutely.
"Misaki-chan, but you just went last week!" Emi reminded, unyielding in her tone.
"True. But I don't think it's working. You see, the results on my face, it is still ugly!" Misaki said, her shoulder hunched and brooded. "What if Shou-senpai goes for someone prettier? Then I'd regret not being prettier 'til the day I die, right?" Then her bantering went on and on.
Emi exhaled deeply, frustration evident in her posture.
She already knew that Misaki was far from ordinary. The truth was, Misaki had been pulled back from the brink of a severe depression. Emi couldn't shake the nagging feeling that some of those old symptoms might be resurfacing, albeit subtly. "I need to be extra mindful of Misaki-chan. I'm her only friend," Emi thought, reminding herself of the responsibility she felt.
After a deep breath, she steeled herself, determined to support Misaki through whatever came next.
"Please take a deep breath, Misaki-chan." Emi gently placed her hands on Misaki's shoulders, grounding her with the touch.
"Ye~yeah... Sorry. I was just afraid." Misaki finally confessed, her voice soft and vulnerable as she shared her true feelings.
"The best solution is you should talk to Seito-senpai." Emi met Misaki's eyes, her expression sincere, signaling the honesty in her words.
"But what if he... he hates this side of me?" Misaki's gaze dropped to the floor, her face clouded with doubt, the threat of tears visibly forming in her glassy eyes.
"I can't really offer much advice, but I truly believe Seito-senpai isn't just any man. He's the kindest and most considerate person I know." Emi's voice was filled with admiration, a warmth in her tone as she spoke of him.
"Th~thanks, Emi-chan. I wanted to believe that too," Misaki replied, a flicker of hope lighting up her face. She wiped away a tear that had escaped, managing a sweet, grateful smile.
"That's my Misaki-chan," Emi laughed gently, encouraging her friend. The two girls chuckled together, the mood lightening, their bond of support growing stronger.