Samei's storytelling is over and for a few minutes now, silence has filled the room. With uneaten pizza slices on their plates, Geord and Aniik feel sorry for their friend. The mood sure has dropped. Everyone has lost their appetite and any coversation starting ideas.
But Samei feels the need to ease this tension.
Samei- Don't worry about me you two... Everything is fine now. Just as you, Aniik, was saved by Yonuro, and Yonuro who was saved by Geord, I was also saved by someone. This "uncle" I've been telling you about who's in the hospital one day took me in and saved me. Even though I say he's my uncle to decomplicate things, he's just an old man I met on the street. Yet he has been a caring father figure for as long as I can remember. I am forever grateful for everything my old man has done for me. And now that he's doing a lot better, I'm beyond happy.
Samei does a gesture to calm the others down, showing that everything is alright.
Samei- It's just that I never expected to see Ikki after all this time and remind me of the family I once abandoned... But now I've got a much better family to work with. I'm really glad I have met you all.
Geord and Aniik begin to smile.
Samei- And I won't allow anything or anyone to change things, either with you guys, or with my old man. And I know just how to do that! Mark my words!
Geord- Samei... I always knew you were tough in nature and really mature not only due to your higher age. Now I finally know why. You really are a brave girl...
Geord proceeds to take a small bite off his cold pizza slice. With a smile on her face, Aniik does the same.
Samei- Yoshi!
Samei takes a bite as well and thinks over a plan of hers. After finishing her plate, she says to herself
"My little brother... If noone else will, then I will be the one to save you..."
——————————————————
The following day, the girls need to go to school. As always, Samei and Aniik take the bus. The replaced bus driver smoothly gets them there.
After departing, they exchange determined looks. They must have talked about something in advance...
Samei- Quick, Aniik!
Aniik- Yeah!
They get to their desk earlier than everyone. And their plan commences!
Samei- Give me the letter and the pen and... let us create the perfect bait!
Samei starts writing something on the piece of paper and hides it under Ikki's desk. That's the first stage of her plan. Isolate him for a while.
The letter is fairly simple but clearly potent for any male student. In an indicative girly handwriting, she wrote.
"Skip first period and meet me at the gym. I need to talk to you about something"
Aniik and Samei leave the classroom before anyone sees them. Promptly after, everyone gets ready for first period and... There he is. The "fish" has been spotted.
Ikki sees the letter and takes a look at it.
Ikki- What is this? Some sort of love letter? Huh... So classy a prank. Bait used to be believable...
After looking around however, the only absent student except for Samei and Aniik is Shikomiya Anna, one of the prettiest girls of the 3rd year. The possibility of a prank "evaporates" in his head, and Ikki takes the bait.
Ikki- It—It's Anna?! Wai— Wai— Wait... What?! Is-Is-Is Anna in love with me?! I—I— THE GYM, WAS IT?
Ikki leaves in a hurry.
————————————————————
Aniik- I don't think this will work, Samei.
Samei- Anna told everyone in the group chat that she is sick and won't be coming to school for a while. But I highly doubt Ikki is aware of that... And his social skills aren't better than yours, Aniik, so I think he should be—
Ikki- Anna? Are you here?
Samei- See?
Ikki wanders around the huge gymnasium but Anna is nowhere be found. In her stead, two familiar faces enter his field of view that make him facepalm.
Ikki- You two did this? Tsk... Leave me alone, Samei, there's nothing to talk about.
Samei- Hear me out for a moment.
Ikki- If you're here to convince me about abandoning my family, then you're wasting your time. Our opinions are much too different, older sister—
Samei- I agree. Our end goals don't align, little brother.
Ikki frowns from that response. If she agrees to disagree, then what is the point of all this?
Samei- And that's why I want to negotiate.
Ikki- You have my attention "lady". What are you getting at?
Samei- Let's have a competition.
Samei throws a basketball ball towards her brother, who catches it in time.
Ikki- A competition about basketball? I've never played—
Samei- Any game you want. You get to choose. The showdown will be held at the end of the semester.
Aniik- And the loser of that said competition will be forced to accept the winner's conditions.
Ikki- So, if I win, you will agree to come home with me and if I lose, I'll forever cut ties from my family roots..?
Samei nods and explains her thought process further.
Samei- Since neither of us is willing do what the other wants, then this is the simplest and most efficient way to change things once and for all.
Ikki agrees with Samei's way of thinking—that they need to change things in one way or another—but after a brief moment, he makes up his mind and downright declines.
Ikki- I know a lot about you Samei. You didn't come here for this unprepared. Even if I choose a game you've never played before, like I don't know, badminton, then you must have a secret plan to get better at it fast before the deadline. Why do you want this to take so long and not just end things with a game of chess, let's say? These terms are suspicious. And you are cunning when it comes to long term strategies like that... So I won't accept this fishy suggestion.
Indeed, Samei has not come unprepared. And Ikki is keen to notice that.
Samei does have a secret plan up her sleeve and time is essential for it to work. Now that Ikki is not okay with the time window, Samei needs to momentarily withdraw and show disinterest. That way she can provoke his curiosity and keep the debate alive.
Samei- Too bad then. I just wanted this to take some time to reward the effort we put in. I think this is the fairest and most logical way to end this. Nevermind then, let's head back to class...
Ikki realizes that this opportunity is one of a kind and doesn't want to let go. Just as she is about to leave him behind, Ikki grabs his sister's shoulder and proposes new terms for the competition.
Ikki- I will compromise to your time window, only if you accept my following two conditions.
Samei- I'm all ears.
Ikki- We won't contest on a game, but rather on the entire school curriculum. In this way the competition entails all kinds of different skill categories.
Samei- Go on..
Ikki- And due to our age difference, I want another balancing factor to make this fair. Aniik over here is going to contest with us. Your team's final score will result from the average number of your individual mid-term grades.
Out of the blue, Aniik's jaw drops.
Aniik- You're joking, right? What shit conditions are those?! Samei would never agree to this nonsense!—
Samei says "Okay, let's do our best then, Ikki!" and offers a handshake which is soon accepted.
Aniik- I don't even have a say in all this?! Sameiiiiiii?????
Samei whispers "Don't worry, I have this under control"
Aniik- Yeah, sure. But I don't!
Samei- I want you to trust me on this one, alright? In the end, we're going to win, I promise!
Aniik lets out a desperate sigh as she watches Ikki confidently getting out of the gymnasium.
Aniik- Although it is hard for me, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and go along with this.
Samei- Great! Let's do our best, Aniik!
Overly confident in her plan, Samei seems really happy despite the grave possibility of failure. Aniik on the other hand, is being realistic and doubtful. Nevertheless, she pretends to be enthusiastic and has a fake hopeful smile on her face.
Aniik- Hah.. Yeah.. Yoo-hoo...
And thus begins the 3 month-spanning academic challenge between Ikki and Samei-Aniik...
—————————————————————
Things start off intensly. The contestants have been studying so hard that soon enough, they will reach the podium of the school's top students. But this is not their goal. Their battle does not revolve around becoming the elite students of the school and getting "popular". This is a life deciding competition between those three. If you fall behind, or run out of energy, you lose your future... And in a competition like this, things get really noisy and the use of sabotage isn't uncommon...
For instance, two weeks after its initiation, Aniik and Samei have created a barricade made of books on top of their desk to make it hard for Ikki, who's sitting behind them, to pay attention to the board. Small openings are purposefully left uncovered for the girls to position their heads and take notes.
Ikki- Move your stupid books out of the way!
Aniik- Hihihi!
Ikki sighs in irritation. But he doesn't give in to their schemes. It's quite the opposite, actually. He has planned a scheme of his own with dubious sabotaging involved. He hides his own phone inside Samei's bag and sets up an alarm to activate in the middle of the lesson. When it finally sets off, Samei panics and tries to quickly dispatch it, but she isn't fast enough. Alas, she gets caught by the teacher and is forced to leave class for the next hour.
Ikki- Gotcha!
But little did he know, Ikki wasn't gonna get away with it that easily. Samei pretends that to be her phone and leaves the classroom with it, all things considered.
Ikki- Oh I messed up! Shoot!
Ikki soon realises that his actions have backfired uncontrollably. Not only is he forced to go after her to get it back, in this way losing out the entire period just like Samei, but he is also met with another obstacle. Why would Samei give it back free of charge?
Samei- in return, I demand to gives us all your notes from chemistry and biology. Aniik doesn't understand a thing and her notes are just scribbles. It's all greek to her.
Ikki- Fine, I'll drop by later with some old notes I don't need. Can I have my phone back, please?
Samei- Sure! I'll be waiting for you, so don't set me up!
Ikki- I'm an honorable warrior. I won't go back on my word! (...) If you let me copy your english notes from last week that is...
Samei- Uh... Whatever, I guess we can do that, too...
As apparent from this last interaction, the competition is starting to change shape. The participants do not only rely on sabotages to win but they seek help from one another through trades and agreements (and blackmails even). After a few instances of sabotaging themselves instead of the enemy, they finally realise that "Helping each other out, at the end of day, proves much more efficient than wasting too much time to slow down the enemy."
A few days later, we have some athletic contests. And in the renowned Blanket High School, even these small scale sports competitions are not negligible for the final grade. Since they are completely optional however and noone really cares about a good grade in physical education, most students usually skip them. But that's definitely not the case for these three.
White T-shirts, red skirts or shorts, headbands and athletic shoes... These three have clearly come prepared...
First round: Basketball. Aniik's shots are really precise and fast. Her rebounds are top tier and Ikki doesn't even get to play the game. Yeah, complete annihilation for team Aniik-Samei. (Ikki is teamed up with some other random guy who also wanted to participate.)
Ikki- H—HOW?! How can anyone do this so seemlessly?!
Aniik positions herself for the winning shot and just like that...
Aniik- Easyyy!
Gym teacher- Team Samei-Aniik wins! Alright, everyone, next up we have ping pong!
Ikki's teammate is making a smug face. He's played tons of this game and he is quite confident in himself. As a result his opponent doesn't stand a chance.
Samei- Oof, I got owned there. I've never played ping pong before...
Samei lost to Ikki's teammate and now it's Aniik's turn versus Ikki.
Aniik- Hah! Let me show you how the pros do it!
Aniik throws the ball so hard that it flies way off the table and she instantly loses the round.
Aniik- Umm... Uh oh...
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Ikki takes the lead and doesn't let go. He keeps the pressure up till he finally takes Aniik down.
Ikki- Yay! Take that!
The teacher keeps track of the students' wins and writes down the score, which will act as a bonus when they receive grades at the end of the semester.
The teams are challenged throughout many sports games and other athletic competitions. Over the course of two hours, the participants have been challenged through all available atheltic competitions. The teacher congratulates everyone on their performance and the final points of each team is announced via a megaphone. It comes with no surprise that the team Aniik-Samei wins—they're definitely more athletic than the boys—but noone ever expected the sheer difference in score.
Gym teacher- Team Samei-Aniik wins with a score of 16 points over the 4 points the other team managed to get. Your performance will be rewarded! Thank you all for being here!
A measly crowd of 4 students make a half-assed applaud and leave the gymnasium looking all bored and gloomy.
Samei and Aniik fist bump whereas Ikki's teammate gives him a side eye before leaving him behind. Ikki doesn't let this defeat damage his ego, however. He calls it a bad day and moves on while focusing on the other subjects that he is more likely to succeed in.
Ikki- Tsk.. This loss means nothing... In the end I'll better you both!
After a complete cycle of REM sleep however, Ikki regrets everything. If he gets a bad grade in physical education, then he'd need to study way harder to minimize the impact of that loss. And the actions he proceeds to take in order to counter this are... less than proper for such a serious competition...
As soon as Samei and Aniik try to sit at their desk the next day, they stop dead at their tracks, as they watch Ikki slowly kneel down on the floor, asking for the girls' help.
Ikki- Please, you two... I really need to become more athletic, but I have no idea where to start... Dad always trained us for the most intense excersises but I don't even have the basics down. I'll do anything, please! Have a training session with me!
"Perfect" murmurs Samei.
Samei- I guess we can teach you the basics... whatever... Drop by Geord's and we'll see what we can do.
Aniik whispers something to Samei's ear. "Are you sure Samei? We're basically helping him for free..." To which Samei replies with "Trust the process."
Ikki- Thank you, Samei! Erm.. I mean... uh.. Thanks.
In the afternoon of the same day, Ikki drops by Geord's in his athelitic attire and is ready for the training session. After waiting a few minutes for the girls to get ready, they all venture to a nearby park to train there.
But the exercises that Samei has prepared for Ikki are a bit... how to describe them... random?
Samei- To improve your endurance you'll have to survive sixty seconds on the merry-go-round, while Aniik is spinning it non-stop.
Ikki initially doubts her peculiar "methods". Nevertheless he can't back away now. He was the one to ask for her help.
Aniik starts spinning it faster and faster. At some point, Samei joins Ikki and they both scream to the top of their lungs. When the speed is high enough, Aniik drops her post and hops on as well.
When they finish with the merry-go-round, Samei runs somewhere. She then waves at Ikki to join her in a game of darts.
Ikki is already filled with adrenaline and happily accepts.
Samei- To improve your aim, let's play a game of darts!
Ikki- Sure!
Ikki never expected physical activities to be so much fun. He thought he had to concentrate hard and practice a lot to become more athletic, just as he was taught back at home. But in reality, it is much more effective learning something when you're having fun. But these kids never had the opportunity to understand that...
They go on and play lots of games that don't require some particular skill. Most of them are kids games, but that's all you need in the beginning, not advanced techniques and excersises. And surprise surprise, Ikki is doing much better already.
Samei- Alright, I think that's enough. It's getting dark so we're going back home. Wanna join us for dinner? We have Geord's fanfavorite curry!
Ikki- Nah, I'm okay...
*growl*...... Ikki blushes and presses his hands against his belly.
Aniik- I know that sound very well. Hihihi!
It is truly difficult to decline this invitation after so much that the girls have done for him.
Ikki- Since I was gonna order out again, I don't really mind joining you...
Samei- What are we waiting for then? Let's go!
Ikki, Samei and Aniik join Geord for dinner and for once in their lifetime, the siblings have a wonderful and care-free meal and a funny small talk afterwards. The night ends so well that Ikki doesn't understand how to feel about it. Nevertheless, he seems rather... happy.
———————————————————
One month later...
30 days later, and a lot of things have happened. The most noteable one is Aniik's birthday. On the fifth of December, Aniik had her eighteenth birthday party, an important event that was happily celebrated by everyone. Yes, even Ikki was invited to the party and he was glad to wish her happy birthday.
But now, the fun and games are all over, as the competition is coming to an end. Only two weeks remain for the final mid-term exams. And on top of that, tomorrow is a history test that will determine 30% of students' grade.
Consequently, the competitors have no time to waste and are feeling more "hostile" than ever. And knowing that they won't be able to study in time, they devise a plan. They will attempt to cheat by sneaking into the teacher's office, find the test questions and take a photo of them.
Samei and Aniik decide to carry out their master plan after school has ended for the day.
Samei uses her spyglasses to capture the teacher's every movement as she gets out of her office. With the use of walkie talkies, Samei tells Aniik to lockpick her way inside the office. After unlocking the door, Aniik waits for Samei to catch up and then they both head inside. When they search for the answer sheets however...
Aniik- Where are they?
They make a mess of the room, but the questions are nowhere to be found. And to make matters worse, the idea of not finding them is not what scares them the most. They hear loud footsteps coming their way!
Samei- Ughh!! Nevermind— Leaveeeee!
Just as Samei tries to escape, she bumps into... her brother, Ikki.
Ikki- Samei?! Aniik?! Shoooot! Why are youuuu here?!
Aniik- Don't tell me we thought of the same thing...
Ikki- Get out of the way! I really need those questions!
Samei- We got in here first!
Samei and Ikki headbutt against each other over the cheat sheets. In the meantime, Aniik searches everywhere as fast as she possibly can.
And surprisingly enough, the quarrel between the two siblings is stopped by Aniik, as she does find the questions at long last.
Aniik- Hold your horses you two! I FOUND THEM!
Ikki and Samei shout "Nicee!—"
The aftersound of that word falls short, however. The siblings and Aniik widen their eyes and hold their breaths. Third party footsteps are now heard. And this time, they are the real deal...
Teacher- Shit, I forgot Gidenir's samples in my office.
As soon as the "deliquent" students, witness the teacher's head from outside the window, they quickly duck to hide themselves. They've got less than 10 seconds till she gets past the windows, reaches the door and catches them in the act.
Everyone (whispering)- WHAT DO WE DO?!
Samei looks around the room for anything to use that can save them, she finds nothing important. Aniik's mind is racing with possible escape routes, as she is familiar with these dire situations. And Ikki decides to empty his pockets as to help the other two in any way possible.
Ikki- I've got these...
What Ikki shows them are 1) a kunai, 2) a few matches and 3) some harmless firecrackers. Nothing seems useful at the moment, but Aniik decides to keep onto some firecrackers.
And at the last second, Aniik comes up with a sloppy plan on the spot.
Aniik- I got it! You two, take the photos, I'll deal with her!
The other two nod and get to work. Aniik, on the other hand, summons her Demonic Claws and instantly becomes invisible by quickly tapping on her Demonic Item.
Everything happens so quick that Ikki doesn't even get to have a proper reaction.
Ikki- WH—?!
Samei- Get the photo!
The invisible Aniik gets out of the room through the window and executes her last second cooked up plan.
As soon as the teacher tries to open the door wth her right hand, Aniik throws one of her demonic nails next to the door handle.
After processing the situation, the teacher takes a few steps back and she frantically stares at the long "needle" for a long time. Aniik sneaks her way forward and starts writing something on the door with her other demonic nails. The words "Repent for your Sins" appear out of nowhere, seemingly written by a ghost.
The teacher starts to freak out, but she isn't moving out of the way still. She's simply petrified by fear. Yet, Aniik want her to disappear. So... What does she do?
"Ha! The firecrackers are gonna scare the shit out of her!"
After writing down the last letter, Aniik lights up the firecrackers and makes it all look like some scene straight from a horror movie.
Teacher- I'm sorry! I should have followed your orders, Zaiaku!
The teacher leaves in an instant and Aniik laughs her ass off. "Gottem!" is the last thing she says before going back to the others.
Aniik- Quick! Let's go!
Aniik signals to the others that the field is cleared. Ikki and Samei quickly tidy up the room, however they can, and meet Aniik at the door to escape.
The 3 students, run their way back home together, as a team. The idea of who gets to cheat disintegrates as Ikki asks Aniik other types of questions. The girls explain a few things about Aniik's nature and her past. Ikki listens carefully to what Aniik gets out of her chest and he seems to be compassionate. They then talk about other things and completely forget about tomorrow's test, to which they all get 0/100 by they way.
This moment is really important. It signifies how close Ikki has actually gotten with his two "enemies" and how little does he now care about the competition.
And this is the exact reason why Samei needed time for her plan. She didn't need the time to properly get ready and win, no, she never had the words "win" and "lose" in mind. From the begininng, her plan was to get closer to her brother...
And a few days later, on the penultimate day of the competition's long-awaited finale, everything is starting to become more clear than ever. And that's because of a certain event that is happening that day. An event so important that Samei is going to skip school and the final exam preparations.
Samei- My old man is getting out of the hospital today!
Aniik says "that's great news!" and she is clearly happy for Samei. Ikki smiles a bit for Samei and tilts his head out of curiosity over the man's mystery.
Samei gets ready to see him and packs up her things real quick. After looking at her smart watch, she then goodbyes the other two.
Samei- I was just staying for only the first two periods. The bus is leaving at 11:00 and I've gotta pay him a final visit. So, see you later!
Aniik- Wait! I'll come with you! I really wanna meet your so called "uncle".
Samei- No, Aniik, you don't have to miss out on the test preperations as well—
Aniik- I won't hear a word. I'm coming.
Samei agrees with a simple nod and they both head outside the classroom.
But just before they can do that, Ikki says something shocking.
Ikki- I'm coming with you!
Samei pretends to be baffled but in reality she really wished he would say those words. That's because, this is the final stage of her plan.
Samei- Sure, come along!
Sanshoku Hospital, Yonaga city.
The three of them enter the hospital. After a few minutes of walking along some huge hallways, they finally find the room.
The nurse gives them permission to go in and Samei slowly opens the door.
In front of everyone's eyes appears a man past his 70's with short grey hair due to aging and a pair of innocent blue eyes. He's sitting on his care bed, as always, looking outside the window. But when he sees Samei, he raises his eyebrows, waves at her and greets her.
???- Howdy, Samei!
In the next moment, though, two more people enter the room and surprise him.
???- Oh my, oh my. What a crowd we have here today. 'ey there. I'm Samei's ol' man, Nikakou. Nice to meet ya.
Aniik- Hi! The name's Aniik. We are Samei's friends and we wanted to pay you a visit now that you're finally checking out of the hospital!
Ikki skips the formalities and says a timid "hi" as he then averts his gaze.
Nikakou tries to get on his feet to get to know the visitors better, but he fails and returns back to bed.
Samei- Don't force yourself. Take your time. We're skipping school today.
Nikakou- Your ol' man can do better than that. Just gimme a min... Ahhh..
Bored of how much time he has spent laying in bed, Nikakou tries his best and ultimately lands on his two feet.
With a smile on his face, he shouts "aight" and laughs for a bit. He then approaches the other two to see their faces better.
Nikakou- Unique friends you've got here Samei. They must've been through a lot, just like you. You seem to have a lot in common.
He takes a really close up look on Ikki's face and says "Especially with this one. You really are similar—"
Samei remains silent.
Nikakou- What's your name again, young lad?
Ikki- Ikki. Ikki Kendomo.
Nakikou's casual expression and tone of voice become more dramatic.
Nikakou- You are... Oh... yes, it is you...
The next thing he tells him is quite unexpected. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you both..."
Ikki- Save me? What do you mean? I'm doing just fine, I don't need—
Nikakou gives him a light hug and repeats the same words "I'm sorry."
Ikki feels so awkward. He hasn't felt the warmth of a hug since the days his mother was still mentally sane.
With a teardrop on each eye, Nikakou asks Samei the following "Please, Samei. Now that you two are together again, I beg you to take good care of your brother. He deserves it."
Nikakou is a simple man, who hates formalities and unnecessary words. And this is I believe the first time he has done such a thing. That is to formally ask for a favor from the bottom of his heart.
Samei laughs a bit as she isn't sure she can do what he's asking and says "I'll see what I can do!, haha.."
Nikakou has a smile on his face for a long time. Seeing Samei smile like that, although awkwardly, makes him act up. Out of the blue, he swiftly gets on his feet and leaves the room.
Samei- Hey! Where are you going?!
Nikakou- I'm free, aren't I? I ain't gonna let this memory just vanish. I'mma go home and recreate this fulfilling memory.
As always, Nikakou doesn't have a care in the world and heads back home like nothing has happened. Things like, goodbyes, shall we's and whatnot are not in his dictionary, he just does whatever his heart tells him to. That's his philosophy. His take on life.
Samei, Aniik and Ikki shout "Wait!" and hurriedly follow him. He's walking fast for his age I might want to add..
Thankfully, Samei's house is as far away from the city center as you can get. And that's a good thing as it's really close to the hospital. Therefore, they all make it without any trouble.
Nikakou- What a mess... You really did mean it when you said you "abandoned" our house and went to live with Geord and Aniik.
Yeah. The place is quite a mess. It's unrecognisable. So much dust and spider webs need cleaning...
Nikakou- Let's clean this up, then.
Samei stops him on the spot.
Samei- Hold up, old man. You just came back from the hospital. You are not the one to do the cleaning. Leave it to us!
Nikakou- You don't tell me what to do, kid. I'm dying from boredom. I'd rather dig my own grave than spend another day doing nothing!
Samei can't stop him. He's so eager to help with the cleaning that stopping his spirited will would make anyone feel bad. As a result of his uncalled-for support, the house is done sooner than expected.
Nikakou- Ah, finally. Lemme go get my brushes real quick.
Nikakou goes to a certain drawer and gets some things he wants. He then returns back to the living room and sets up the easel and adjusts a new canvas. He then starts drawing with acrylic paint.
Aniik- Wow! I didn't know your "uncle" was an artist!
Nikakou is concentrated on his work, so Samei speaks on his behalf.
Samei- Yeah, he had really been into art even before I met him. I haven't asked him how he became so passionate about it, but if I know one thing about it, it's that his works will leave you speechless.
For the next five minutes, no word is spoken. They all have their utmost attention on the canvas.
Nikakou- And with this... It's finished.
The painting is breathtaking. A feast for the eyes one could say. Its meaning is vague and gloomy but it also gives a rather hopeful final touch. That's at least what I can tell from the changes in the audience's expressions. In reality I can't understand what the artist has drawn.
Nevertheless, they seem moved by his masterpiece. Someone in particular is moved so much that he can't hold back his tears.
Ikki- It's wonderful... I've never seen something so beautiful...
Nikakou takes the painting that the others praised so much and hangs it on the wall next to the couch. He then changes canvas and holds out his hand holding the brush.
Nikakou- Why don't ya give it a try, Ikki? I think you have it in you.
Ikki is at a loss for words, yet unable to decline. He spontaneously takes the brush and lets himself go spirit-free. He proceeds to draw a delicate hand surrounded by darkness, the forefinger of which however emits a radiant glow of some sort.
Again, I cannot explain what it means, but they all seem to praise Ikki for such a good starting painting.
Ikki feels a hole in his heart closing. He's never had so much liberty in his life before. Therefore, these few hours that they've spent with Nikakou are priceless. And he doesn't want this to end...
Aniik- Alright everyone, I'm gonna go see how Geord's doing now and get ready for tomorrow.
Samei- Okay, I'm coming with you. I also need to tell him about Nikakou and that I'm probably gonna move out again.
Ikki doesn't know what to do. He awkwardly says "I'm gonna go, too." without a reason in mind however.
Nikakou- Take care, everyone. See ya later!
Ikki leaves all alone and heads to the inn he's staying at for the time being. While walking, he's lost in thought. He's looking up in the sky thinking about all the memories he's made with Aniik, Nikakou and of course, Samei.
He lets out a long sigh after realising that all that is probably coming to an end tomorrow. He's changed so much that at heart, he doesn't want this competition to end.
Ikki gets in bed with mixed feelings about tomorrow's long awaited event. He is so troubled that it takes him a long time to finally fall asleep...
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The day of the mid-term exams is here and the competitors, Aniik-Samei vs Ikki, are embarking into a battle to the "death".
Ikki takes a peek at the girls' reactions on each exam. Aniik is constantly panicking with each exam sheet she takes, whereas Samei is thinking hard but not writing much.
Ikki, on the other hand, knows mosts of the questions. He's quite confident in his ability to get a better score than then. But despite all that he doesn't seem all that happy...
Now the exams are over and a large group of teachers are currently grading the examination papers. All the students are patiently waiting for the results in the school yard, and one by one are called to the principal's office to get their grades.
The only student that doesn't have a surname is called out first.
Aniik- My average grade is 55/100... Ouch...
It's not looking good for the team Aniik/Samei already. Samei tries to reassure her, even though she didn't do that much better either.
Samei- Don't lose hope just yet. In the end, we won't lose!
Ikki is sitting on the opposite bench, but he doesn't want to say anything to them yet. He wants some time alone and for good reasons. By now, he has clearly understood Samei's plan and he knows he is going to lose. He has already accepted "defeat."
And at long last comes the surname "Kendomo". The siblings say "good luck" to each other and go to the principal's office together. The then take their results and get back to Aniik to reveal the winner.
Samei has scored a 65, and the average of their team's grades is 60/100. Ikki hasitates a bit but shows his grades to the others. The moment they all have been waiting for...
Ikki- I got 80/100 grades on average.
Ikki wins. He scored a much higher grade than the other two. As a result, Samei has to follow Ikki back home in Hokoyama...
Samei- It's (joe)over. We tried our best but, we lost Aniik...
In a serious tone, Ikki says the following.
Ikki- So, I win the competition. You do remember what was at stake, sister?
Samei nods and Ikki asks another question.
Ikki- Are you going to keep your promise?
Samei- Yes, I don't break my promises.
Ikki thinks for a bit, becomes nervous and decides to say the following.
Ikki- If—If you are not going back on your word, then you leave me no choice... I—I will be the one to break my promise.
Samei and Aniik start smiling and jumping from joy. Ikki can't help it but smile a bit himself.
Ikki- But on one condition! Nikakou is gonna take me in as an apprentice!
Samei- That's your only condition?! You could've asked for much more in return, hehehe!
Ikki- Wait, I also want you to—
Aniik- Too late!
Samei- Exactly my words, hahaha!
Ikki- Whatever! Who cares! Hahaha!
Everyone laughs to their hearts' content. They all knew this was going to end this way. Yes, even though they never talked about it, this outcome was determined a long time ago. Ikki has gotten so close to these two, he could never abandon his only two friends.
So the only point of this anticipated day was just the revelation of it all. Now that they have gotten this out of the way, they feel as if they've brushed an unnecessary burden off their shoulders. And they can officially become friends, not just act as friends...
In the end, the final school day for this year comes to a happy end and Samei utters these last words to officially start a new life for herself and her brother.
Samei- What are we waiting for then? Let's go home together, little brother!
𝕍𝕚𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝟞— ℍ𝕒𝕫𝕪— 𝕌𝕟𝕔𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕣. "𝕍𝕒𝕝𝕦𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕁𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕪, 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕕𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟."