March 13th. 9 am.

After studying the festival's themes minimally, the day had arrived. Still, it was not festival time.

Although preparations were being made throughout the whole school, the event was not yet ready to be started.

"You have thirty minutes. Begin, plebs!"

Basara-sensei's beginning signal spelled anxiety to the majority as soon as they saw how long the questionnaire was.

My table partner, on the other hand, looked extremely confident as she did not let this 5-page questionnaire with no multiple-choice questions bother her.

Unfortunately, I couldn't feel the same way. Back in America, multiple-choice questionnaires were actually a thing.

And now you mean to tell me I'm actually going to have to write stuff?

Bruh.

1 pm.

The questionnaire was done a long time ago, but I was mainly looking forward to the lunchtime, however, something made me turn skeptical about my wish.

"Come with me!"

Dragging me out of the classroom, Yulai quite literally pushed my arm and drove me away from the rest with great haste.

That's a problem though.

"Yulia, actu--"

"No. Don't care. Nope. You're coming!"

This is the third time this has happened thus far this month. I have no idea why but Yulia's been extra persistent lately.

"What's wrong, Yulia...? This isn't like you..."

"Hm? That's not true at all. Aaaaannnnddd, we need to talk about something. It's urgent! Alright... Let's go to somewhere that has no people around..."

Usually, I hang out with Kawahara and the rest around this time since Kawahara pays me the lunch and sincerely, passing time like that is a great way to avoid Yulia.

"I know a place."

"Nice! Let's go there then!"

While I claimed to know the place that had no people in it, I had no clue if that was actually the case.

However, fortunately, that was the case.

This was a place that I had already been in. A place where there are no security cameras. Ironically, this was the place where I had to nonsensically beat three other students who I have not come across in a long time.

As a matter of fact, I haven't crossed them at all apart from that event alone.

By contrast, this place was an abandoned block that had no life to it. Henceforth, no security cameras are here.

Unlike the other blocks that have a considerable and remarkable structure, a vivid architecture into its fragrance, this block had nothing of that. Even the flowers that were in the mini-garden were dead.

Flourishing flowers through the upcoming spring comes across as a reoccurring phenomenon every spring yet I questioned if the same applied here, where the trees had pale and hollow appearances.

"Wow... I didn't know this place existed! How did you know about it?!"

Yulia asked me a relatively ironic question considering what actually happened as we entered the abandoned classroom.

Broken chairs and broken tables. I find it hard to believe that this place hasn't been brought down yet or just completely demolished.

"I found it by pure coincidence. Either way, no one is here. What do you want to talk about, Yulia?"

Despite the broken chairs, we took a seat in the first table that was right at the entrance.

Not even the clock was working. The podium was barely there, which made me wonder if this classroom had some sort of haunted ghost cursing it.

"Well, okay, okay. I'll get down to it! So, you see... What do you think about us...?"

And we are off to a very hard question. Answering this in an honest and blatant way will cause Yulia to be sad probably and that's problematic.

So...

"What is there to think about? We love each other, right? Isn't that enough?"

Did I miscalculate something? Isn't this development enough or is she craving for more affection?

"No... That's not what I meant. I'm talking about two of us in general. What are we exactly?"

I relaxed my back and leaned swiftly against the back of my chair while trying not to fall.

It seems that she's probably seeking a more developed affection right now. Sincerely, this was bound to happen, was it not?

There's only one problem with that though. I don't want this development to happen.

"We are two people who love each other very much. Hey, wanna kiss?"

"No, no... As I thought you really aren't getting it..."

She's refusing physical contact. This is weird. Normally, she's very open towards this yet now...

"What am I not getting?"

"A-Ah... I didn't mean to put it in an offensive way..."

Yulia found my response perhaps too harsh and regretted her way of speaking. It seems that I can't get rid of my monochrome way of speaking no matter how hard I try to.

"Don't fret. Go on."

"Yeah... Sooo, I was thinking that we should establish our status. We are lovers, aren't we? We love each other very much, yes, I get that. And I am so happy about that, I really am, but... We need to be more than just lovers! Like, I was thinking... Girlfriend and boyfriend maybe?"

What exactly is even the difference? And isn't the status of 'lovers' something far superior in comparison?

Not that I care honestly, but if your point is to achieve the superior status, then...

"Not to be rude, but is there a difference?"

"Yes! Yes, there is! And it's not a difference... It's differences! Lovers are two individuals that just love each other and can only see each other on occasion! We aren't like that, because we don't have to meet on occasion! Yes, it's true that while in class we can't really interact because we are so far away from each other, but aside from that, we perfectly can. Except..."

So lovers are those who can only meet on occasion? But isn't that like the case always, no matter how you look at it, Yulia...?

I would ask her that, but I allowed her to proceed with her reluctant speech filled with a dreadful sense of insecurity around it.

"Except you just vanish every time during this time! Mind telling me where you are going?!"

Aggressively, Yulia spoke with traces of anger mixed with anxiety.

Why is she so worried about my whereabouts though?

"I just go for a stroll. Actually, I've been learning about the themes of the exam lately. They are surprisingly hard..."

I'm not joking, there is a high degree of complexity in some of them. However, I didn't actually do this, since I already knew them after that certain day where I got mocked by my table partner and unwillingly expelled from class.

"Hahaha, a stroll? That's her name?"

"Sorry?"

What was that? That satire laugh. It literally sent a chill down my spine immediately.

Also, did she pick the wrong words or something? Her name? What did Yulia mean by that?

I'm seriously confused.

"Come on, no need to hide it. It's better if you just say it now before delaying the inevitable truth. I know I'm not perfect but I always appreciate the truth..."

Why is she so out of context suddenly?

She's even hiding her hands between her legs.

"What exactly are you talking about? I don't understand what you are trying to imply..."

Her breath is even heavier than usual. What is stressing her? Not that I particularly care but if there is some sort of misunderstanding then it would be best to clear it.

Otherwise, she'll turn back to her emotional unstable self per usual.

"You know what I'm talking about though... You always leave during lunchtime... There's no way you are just taking a stroll. Hahaha. Do you take me for stupid? Seriously, tell me... Who is she? At least have the balls to tell me who."

She's not making any sense. What the hell.

"What are you talking about? You've been talking stuff I can't understand in the past seconds..."

"Alright... So that's how it is, huh? You don't even have the courage to admit it..."

Oh, Christ, she's crying. Did I do something that I shouldn't have? Why is she so emotionally fragile?

"Why are you crying suddenly? Did I do something to upset you? What's wrong? Talk to me about it."

"You are lying to me! I know that you are cheating on me! And that's why you are always away during the time where we can be together! If you really loved me then you would stay with me during this time!"

Oh...

So that's the conclusion she has reached? That I am cheating on her? Honestly, I could just use this as a way to tear apart our relationship but I am not too certain about the consequences regarding it.

Frankly, Yulia's possible actions frighten me to a minimal extent yet not really that much.

The only problem is that I am not feeling even remotely attached to her to the point of going through that effort. Plus, it would be a pain in the ass to deal with all of her emotions at once. Furthermore, Hyunda said that he was going to do something regarding our relationship.

In other words, acting out of necessity isn't really something I should do right now.

"Why would I cheat on you though? I love you. You're not making any sense when you claim that I am cheating on you just because I am using my free time. But, you do bring a point. I should use my free time with you. Sorry about that."

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Also, I would not bother myself with another girl. It's so troublesome having to deal with all this shit.

I just want to feel free but instead, I feel constantly shackled by responsibilities I never asked for in the first place.

"O-Oh, you really aren't, right!? Haha, I knew I was being paranoid... Sorry about that, I didn't really mean to talk rubbish about you, I swear!"

That will never be a problem because I don't feel anything towards you, Yulia.

"No, that's fine. Don't think that I would cheat on you because I never would."

In other words, I would never go through such dumb length.

"So... We will stay together forever...? Is that what you are saying?"

I'm partially at fault for this. Yulia probably took my suggestive words to the next level and that was my fault.

However, it couldn't be helped. Emotional meltdowns aren't exactly my strongest suit...

"It depends. Do you want to be forever with me? You'll only have to be with me if you want to be with me."

"What are you saying?!"

"Yulia, I am saying, if you ever stop loving me, then don't feel embarrassed to say so. It's important that you consider your own choice first and foremost."

What a shame. Spending my lunchtime having this type of conversation. Something worth mentioning is that I refused to look for Gale just to provoke Ryoken.

I'll deal with him personally when the exam comes up. I can't agree with Kawahara and his methods.

They lack a direct impact.

"But I won't stop loving you, so why are you saying that...? Don't you trust me?"

"I do trust you, of course. But I'm not that interesting. Nor captivating. I'm relatively boring if we are being honest, so I wouldn't be surprised if you decided to abandon me."

Realistically, I'm upholding these characteristics on purpose. I have no conceivable purpose regarding any necessity to act on the contrast or opposition of these characteristics.

"That's not what I think though... You're just bad at expressing yourself. That's alright... I think I can help you with that if you allow me to..."

I've always been bad at expressing my own thoughts, so Yulia is not wrong here.

"Sorry... I've been bad to you lately, haven't I? Is there a way I can make it up to you?"

"Actually, there is! Come with me!"

"Oh, okay."

With high enthusiasm, Yulia once again dragged me all the way to a certain place.

This place was a place that I had already been in, as it was a public restaurant.

Amidst it, in one of the tables, three of my classmates stood.

By far, the most recognizable one was the silver-haired boy who I had a fair share of talks to and the very person who told me that he was going to do such a huge favor as a way to repay me.

This person had a monochrome expression on his face as he seemed to compel boredom every now and then yet, for now, he was talking to Arkalee, who was talking with him alongside possessing a radiant smile.

Lastly, Sana paralleled to those two, was drinking a strawberry shake. Also, Arkalee's twin-tails were gone. Her hair was now vastly long and free.

"Yulia, you're late, did something happen?"

Sana asked, unaware of the event that had taken place.

"Ahhh yes, but it's all solved now! It's quite clear!"

Yulia, for some reason, did the okay signal to Sana and Sana replied with a smile. What?

"Perfect! Have a seat you two! Order something too! It's on me!"

This time around, Arkalee was the one who talked and ordered us to place an order yet I was not that hungry, surprisingly, so I just went with a coffee and Yulia went with a vanilla shake.

Hyunda and I crossed glances momentarily.

"Arkalee proposed that we five should gather all here today in order for us to get to know each other better. I hope this isn't a problem with any of you."

"Oh, this was Arkalee's proposition?"

I had no clue that this event was already staged, but how rare of Hyunda to involve himself directly like this.

"Yeah, Daniel. In light of getting to know each other better, we should play a little game."

"A game? I'm curious now."

I'll agree with Sana here, as I'm relatively curious about what Hyunda meant by little game.

"It's fairly simple. We are in a circle table so here is how it will work. Starting from me, I will ask Yulia, then Yulia asks Daniel, Daniel asks Sana, Sana asks Arkalee, and Arkalee asks me. What will we be asking? Well, just about anything. Whoever has the turn is free to ask anything and whoever is questioned must answer it brutally honest."

It really is simple. But why is Hyunda going along with this? I didn't expect him to be this cooperative.

And recently, he has been hanging out with Arkalee quite a lot.

"Um, Hyunda, I think that it would be better if it was the reverse. It should start with you asking in my direction and so on."

What's the difference? I don't understand what Arkalee is trying to insinuate here.

"The order is random, Arkalee. It makes no difference."

"But I think it would be better still!"

"No means no."

"I insist."

Why the hell is Arkalee persisting so hard with this triviality?

"Wait, I need to make sure of something first. You guys aren't going to ask shameless questions are you...?"

Sana looked particularly at both Hyunda and me, for some strange reason.

Damn harlot. You actually think I view you like that?

"Ah, don't worry Sana, there is no way that Hyunda will ask anyone questions like that, hahaha."

How come Arkalee just spoke in Hyunda's turn by claiming something that might not even be true?

She's not making much sense, honestly.

"Oh, okay. Sure, alright then. Let's get this started then!"

"Wait, Sana, before that, Hyunda, you are changing the order, right?"

Bruh.

"Arkalee, why are you so obsessed with the order?"

Not Hyunda, not Sana, not Yulia, but instead, I interrogated Arkalee this time. How neurotic can you be regarding some damn order?

This is bugging the hell out of me.

"Hahahaha, I am not obsessed with the order at all! I just think it would make the most sense for it to go the way I said it! It doesn't have to be random and instead can be correctly structured!"

"But why does it have to be correctly structured in the first place? The order is random, as Hyunda mentioned."

"Well, Daniel, you might not know this yet, but there are some things that are meant to be and some that are clearly not."

"What...?"

I know this argument doesn't make any sense in the first place but Arkalee's poor choice of words gives me little to no clarity when it comes to understanding what she's trying to imply.

Arkalee's soft smile doesn't seem as clear as it was before. It's almost as if she's faking it.

"Arkalee, we are going with this order."

"Do me a favor and let's go with my order, please."

?????????????

"You know, if you continue this, that certain experience might never repeat itself again, just saying. Are you sure you want to persist still?"

"A-Ah, okay! Let's go with your order then!"

Hyunda and Arkalee's dialogue isn't making any sense to me. Why would Arkalee argue here in the first place? It's just an order that was randomly made.

There is no reason to argue this over. More confusingly, Arkalee then ultimately agreed with Hyunda as soon as he said that a certain experience might never repeat itself again.

I do try to understand and perceive but this is just bizarre.

"I'll go first now that this is solved. So, Yulia, tell me something. If you wagoned something with another person in a bet, and you had that lost that bet, would you accept the consequences of that bet or would you not?"

Sincerely, I was expecting a soft question but Hyunda fired off a rapid personal question like that at Yulia right of the bat.

"Hmm! Well, I would accept the consequences of course! After all, I wouldn't lose in a bet, haha!"

Without faltering, Yulia gave a confident reply to Hyunda.

"I definitely would accept the consequences!"

?

The question was directed at Yulia from Hyunda so why did Arkalee give her opinion about this?

What the fuck?

"Arkalee, respect the order. Yulia, your turn."

Arkalee looked displeased, which was a first to me. I have never seen her not smiling.

She seems oddly opposed to Yulia for some reason.

"Okeee. Soo, tell me something that you wouldn't generally tell anyone! Not even your loved one!"

I'm surprised that Yulia had the gal to say that so openly after she reasoned that she didn't want anyone to find out about our relationship.

Something I wouldn't tell anyone though?

As I thought about this, it eventually clicked. It happened a few years ago. Not my proudest experience, but I'll be truthful here.

If I'm not truthful then the rest of us are just going to give mediocre answers and so, that will bring down the quality of this event.

"I was once a Bieber fan..."

"Hahahaha!!!! No way!!! Oh my god!!"

"Ewwwwwwwwww!"

"Hahaha, that fits you too well, Daniel!"

"Bro, Bieber? F."

First Yulia, then Sana, following that up Arkalee, and lastly, Hyunda had their round of mockery against me mercilessly.

"In my defense, we all had our embarrassing phases that we are not proud of."

It wasn't even a phase though. To be more specific, I was just into 'Where Are Ü Now' way too much. That doesn't even qualify me as a Bieber fan, because I only really liked the song due to Skrillex.

Bieber's actual dynamic and aesthetic are laughable to me. Then again, I had to say such an embarrassing thing in order to ease up the atmosphere.

"So, Sana, now that it's your turn, tell me who you hate the most in class."

I took a sip out of my coffee. I really like the smell of it. So good.

Sniffing coffee is something that I have done ever since I was little. Unfortunately, I got addicted.

On the other hand, the one who I just asked that question, Sana, seems to prefer strawberry shakes.

"...Ikkiri. No offense, but I just hate her."

"Why?"

Out of nowhere, Hyunda cut into the conversation.

I took a slight glance at Arkalee, who seemed on the verge of crying. What the hell?!

"She's an attention whore! I hate, hate her stereotype. What, you got a problem with that?"

"I just asked."

"Oh... My bad, I guess."

Recalling it back, Sana did vote against Ikkiri because she thought Ikkiri orchestrated the whole event by herself.

Hence, she hates her due to this attention baiting act. That's really understandable.

I'm surprised Sana is aware of this and hates that sort of stereotype. You don't see this much open honesty coming from a girl these days when it comes to this sensitive topic.

"Okay, Arkalee, what is your absurdest high standard that you think all men should have?"

"Oh, it's not really an absurd high standard but I believe that top priority to the girl that actually matters should be something that might be considered absurd when it comes down to high standards because apparently, it's just so rare and hard to find, hahahahaha."

What the fuck was that? That was the longest and exaggerated laugh I have ever seen in my entire life.

And such a detailed answer to. Nonetheless, I couldn't help but feel like that answer was entirely satiric.

I get that Arkalee has a crush on Hyunda but this is just... Isn't her behavior somewhat exaggerated?

"Aaaannnddd, it's my turn! So, Hyunda, imagine the following scenario... You are in the middle of a fire with two individuals! One of those individuals is your current girlfriend and the other one is your ex-girlfriend that you would still have hypothetically speaking and only sincerely hypothetically speaking, feelings for. Who would you save, if you could only save one person?"

The hell...

"The one I love, supposedly."

"See, that's kinda the thing. What if you somehow love both?!"

Arkalee's unusual enthusiasm is creeping me. I can hardly call it enthusiasm honestly due to how exaggerated it sounds.

It's like a facade made of pure satiric sarcasm.

"Then, the one I love the most, of course."

"Oh, I see! I see! The--"

"Arkalee, it's my turn now. I've told you to respect the order, but just one question at the time, alright?"

"Ah, yes, of course, hahaha..."

My conversation with Kawahara the other day is starting to come to my mind. It's not as if Kawahara's assumption suddenly makes more sense now, but the credibility is increasing.

And besides, if I assume that that last question was an indirect reference to Ikkiri, then...

It's quite possible that Kawahara has nailed this. But still... There's no guarantee, in the end.

"Back from where we started. Yulia, what would you do if you caught your boyfriend cheating?"

Unexpectedly, Hyunda asked a question like that, which shocked me considerably.

Furthermore, Sana, Arkalee, and Yulia showed visibly surprised expressions too.

"Hey! Isn't that question way too personal?"

"It is? How so? I'm only speaking hypothetically, Sana. Besides, Yulia doesn't have a boyfriend, right?"

Oh, I see... Hyunda's lying on purpose here. He's acting as if he's not aware of the reality of the situation and since Yulia wants to keep our relationship a secret, she won't just openly declare the truth.

I think.

"Even for a hypothetical question, it's still personal."

"Oh, it's alright, Sana. We have to be fair and reply with honesty. Otherwise, won't this just be sporadic? Um, give me a second to think about your question, Hajime."

Hajime?

"Um, Yulia, could you say that again?"

With her eyebrows twitching, Arkalee asked.

"Hm? Oh, I--- Righttt, that first name stuff. Confusing. Sorry, I meant to say Hyunda."

Accidents happen I guess. Is Arkalee seriously upset that Yulia called Hyunda by his first name on accident?

Not even Hyunda was bothered by it, so what gives? Arkalee would be a serious nutcase if this was all just based on jealousy but I don't think she's that type of person.

"Alright, I've thought about it and, I don't think that I would forgive who cheated on me, even if the reason is good."

"Yulia, there is not a single reason that can be labeled as good because cheating is wrong! Death to all traitors!"

Okay, chill Sana, it's just hypothetically speaking, no need to get your gear on.

Even despite that, Hyunda objected to Yulia's answer.

"That was not the actual question though. I asked what would you do, now how you would react to it. I'm talking about general actions. Or would you not do anything if you got cheated on?"

"Oh, that...? Let's see, let's see... It depends on how invested I am, honestly. If it's a lack of interest, then I can understand. However, if it's with someone who I want to be with forever then I don't know how to answer your question. Maybe a radical action, like, suicide?"

What?

"W-Wait, Yulia, don't say stuff like that!"

"Eh? But it's the truth. No reason to lie about it, right? If you had someone you loved would you not resort to radical action, in this case? Or would you not, Sana?"

Yulia seems to be completely serious about this. There is not a single trace of insecurity behind her words and her expression remains serene throughout it.

"That's... Well, don't ever do that, alright...?"

"Ah, don't worry! That will never happen, either way!"

"Y-Yeah! Man, Hyunda, what's up with those questions of yours? Creep."

Sana's somewhat right, Hyunda's questions have been sorta personal thus far.

"..."

Hyunda did not defend himself, however.

Unphased as always, he didn't even care about Sana's retort.

"Oh... It's getting late! We should get going! We'll go on ahead!"

There are still 15 minutes left, but Yulia seems to be in a rush and I am not exactly in a position where I can just get into the same position as last time.

I'm still having trouble accepting the fact that I was forced to say that in front of all my classmates. I wholeheartedly appreciate the fact that no one here mentioned that yet.

"Yeah, otherwise Daniel will have to roast himself publicly again, haha!"

Ah, Sana, you bitch. You just couldn't resist it, couldn't you?

Smug grins like those remind me of my obnoxious table partner's oblivious smug expression.

"Not funny..."

Unhappy, I grabbed my school bag and accompanied Yulia all the way to block F, where we would shortly have classes.

I absolutely refuse to face a similar shame like last time. Kawahara was at fault though. What sort of a bad idea was that either way?

"Hey..."

"Hm? What's wrong?"

I sometimes forget that Yulia is right next to me. How do I say this... I have a tendency to daydream way too much or focus too much on my own thoughts to the point of excluding physical existences from my current environment while they are actually still there co-existing.

"Hyunda's question got me thinking honestly. But, I don't want to think about it. I'm sorta scared to think about such a thing. Because it will never happen, right?"

Looking downcast, Yulia pondered if the possibility of me cheating on her was high.

However, in reality, it's non-existent because I would never bother myself with another human being for the sake of the actual sentiment of 'love'. It's incredibly feeble and weak.

"You don't have to worry. I promise you, right here and now, that I will never cheat on you. I love you, so stop questioning that."

"Mhm...! Now that you have promised, I feel more secure now! I love you too! We should stay together forever and beyond!"

I find it hard to believe that there are times where I wish I wasn't this immoral piece of garbage that I am.

Because there are people out there like Yulia who put their honest and truthful genuine love for people who do not deserve such genuine sentiment.

I am one of those people.