PROLOGUE
“Kazuki, why do you like me?”
“W-What do you mean Akane?!?”
I can’t even remember the last time I was here. The sky is full of stars tonight from the rooftop of my old apartment complex. He is lying down next to me, pointing out constellations here and there with ease. It’s just the two of us, alone with each other.
I don’t even remember what it was like being alone…
Kazuki’s the first person I’ve ever brought here. He like his typical self was wondering why I dragged him up here to begin with. Luckily, the key the landlord gave me still works. In a few days the school festival would begin, and I just wanted to be alone with him before the chaos ensued.
Even though we are a couple, it was also typical of him to start getting flustered whenever I asked him something like this. I still remember like it was yesterday when he confessed to me at school. At first I thought he was joking. Surely Kazuki was pressured to do something like this. Nobody wanted to do anything with me my whole life. But hearing him pour out his feelings for me like that, I knew it was genuine. There was something in his eyes, the same hazel-colored eyes that I saw myself in. I’m not exactly sure what I was thinking at that moment, but the only word that could come out of my mouth was “yes.” The Ice Witch of Kasumigaseki High’s heart had melted.
“C-C’mon!” I pleaded. “Don’t make me say it again…”
I sat up next to him on our makeshift tarp. My fingers rolled through my hair, eventually stopping at my red ribbon.
“Did…you really mean it when you confessed to me?”
Kazuki has been waking up every other day in another world - one where I was his girlfriend, and another where I wasn’t. If Kazuki never had any memories of me saying yes, then are my feelings genuine? Was it all a lie if the boy of my dreams doesn’t even remember what I said to him? I look deep into his eyes for confirmation. I had to admit that Kazuki was painfully average compared to any other guy, but there was something comforting with his eyes.
Kazuki sits up and rubs the back of his head reluctantly.
“Well…of course I meant it even if the other you rejected me.” he laughs.
Kazuki places his hands on top of mine. The sudden warmth I feel circulates throughout my entire body.
“How I feel about you is still the same since the day I confessed to you. Well, technically Yuki-san.”
This makes me happy.
Doubts were gone from my mind. Our feelings to each other are real, and no one can deny it.
“Besides, if you feel the same way, then that must mean there’s hope for Yuki-san.”
Joy and hopefulness is written all over his dumb smile. I lie back down onto my back, arms crossed.
Hmph.
Although I am really happy that my feelings are genuine, the idiot was still focused on my World B self. I wasn’t really jealous. Okay, maybe I was a little jealous that Kazuki had feelings for someone else as well. But what kind of girl would be jealous over herself? I was the one who encouraged him to seduce my other self to begin with anyways.
Argh! Why am I even mad at this idiot!
“What’s wrong Akane?” asks Kazuki.
Kazuki notices my internal dilemma and breaks my line of thought.
“Nothing. I’m fine. I’m always fine when I’m up here again.”
Based on what Kazuki had been telling me, there was quite a lot going on with him. The last thing I wanted to be was a burden and get worked up over getting jealous over myself. I try to calm myself down by looking into the starry night sky again.
“Okay!” said Kazuki.
This idiot!!!
I spring up above him. One step closer to the right and my foot would’ve been plastered onto his naïve face. I’m going to have to explain everything to my poor oblivious boyfriend. Maybe this tip would help him in World B.
“L-Look! When a girl says she’s fine, she really isn’t!” I lectured.
The dummy sat up confused, scratching his head about what I just said. I was explaining to him clearly, but Kazuki seriously had zero clue about what I meant.
“Wait what? But when I asked, you said you were fine!” he said, still confused.
I sit down and grab him by the shoulders.
“You idiot! Girls say that because they don’t want to admit anything’s wrong!”
Kazuki ponders in thought. Finally, it looked as if my hint got through his thick skull.
“But why wouldn’t you want to admit anything’s wrong then?” asked Kazuki.
The bluntness of his question catches me off-guard. He was right. Just why didn’t girls admit anything was wrong? The philosophical question brings a headache and my temper started rising.
“Argh!”
I crossed my arms and bit the bottom of my lip.
Is there really hope for this idiot?
“U-Uh…can you get off me Akane? I-It’s getting hard to breathe…”
I look down only to realize that I was lying down on his stomach. Kazuki was feeling the whole weight of my body. Just a few more centimeters behind me was his c-crotch!
“I-I’m sorry Kazuki!”
I get off immediately and sit away from him. I bury my face into my hands and knees as I feel blood rush towards my face. I hear Kazuki take a deep breath of relief.
“You’ve gotten heavier y’know…”
“P-Pervert! I-Idiot!”
I’m actually trying to eat less starting with the portion sizes of my bento box, but the supermarket sale of the new Masked Avenger spicy potato chips made it really hard. I quickly punch him on the shoulder as a defensive response.
“Oww…”
Rubbing his shoulder, he started to laugh. His laughter was contagious that it was the two of us laughing in the night sky.
“So what is bothering you Akane?” he asks.
Should I tell him…?
“I…”
Kazuki had been under so much stress. With the school festival coming up, him trying to work Operation Maiden’s Heart with Daisuke and Mary, I need to play my part as the good girlfriend. Judging from his progress with Yuki-san, he was getting really close. Was it my place to ruin his happiness with my own insecurities about myself? My heart feels heavy, but I press on.
“I…I hope you better remember everything I’ve taught you for Yuki-san!”
He smiles.
“I’ll remember what you said Akane. One day Yuki-san will feel the same as you do. Thank you very much.”
It was the warm smile I was so very used to. The smile that made me look forward to waking up next to him every morning. It just made me believe that everything will be fine, no matter what. But deep down I know his smile wasn’t for me – it was just practice for Yuki-san in the end.
I just want to be a woman that suited you…
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CHAPTER 21
“O-Ow! Not too rough!”
“I-I’m sorry! It’s my first time doing this Mary!”
Mary and I were close together, I could feel the heat coming out of her body. She was sitting on top of a table, raised to around my height. Her face was red with her rosy cheeks from embarrassment, but she had a slight look of willingness. Mary had been waiting for this moment for a very long time. To be honest, I wasn’t willing to do this, but Mary was demanding me, almost to the point of begging for it. I can’t believe that we were doing this outside, and if anyone saw it would be a huge scandal.
“I-I’m going to it pull out, okay?” I said.
Mary was unable to contain the pain that was shooting throughout her body. I was reluctant to do this based on her fragile figure, Mary raises up the bottom of her dress slightly, and my mind begins to go blank.
Woah…
“Watch your eyes Kazuki-kun!”
I shift back to reality for the task at hand. I slowly take off the heels off her tiny foot; they were soft like a baby’s. Dr. Mori was standing next to me, readying her bandages for Mary’s ankle at this first aid station. The school was practically empty right now, with mostly everyone leaving after the play ended. The last thing I wanted was rumors of me carrying Mary around. Luckily, Dr. Mori had come back from the play we were supposed to be at. She wasn’t exactly thrilled when I arrived carrying a wounded Mary princess-style. Mary was trying her best not to show her pain, but I could see the mark that her tooth left from biting her lip.
“There we go.” said Dr. Mori, putting the finishing touches of Mary’s bandages.
“Luckily for you Mary-chan, it wasn’t too serious.”
Mary and I have a collective sigh of relief. She gets off the table to walk around a bit, but she stumbles.
“Woah, careful Ka- I mean- Mary.” as I catch her before she falls.
“T-Thanks Kazuki…” as Mary anxiously chuckles.
Mary kept her head low, and couldn’t bear to look at me in the eyes. Any words I would say to her would be meaningless at this point. A sign of resignation was apparent with her, unable to smile or emote. Who wouldn’t be depressed after what just happened? Mary Kaneko had just confessed to me. The Roadrunner of Kasumigaseki High, the most popular student at our school, the one that everyone adored, and I coldly rejected her. Anyone else would have killed to be in my position, but I could not bear the worse guilt of lying to her. There was just no energy left in her, like the light had been turned off, but she was still trying to function as a façade.
I’m so cruel.
“Let’s go kids. It’s too late to walk home. C’mon, I‘ll give you two a lift.” said Dr. Mori.
She begins to pack up her medical tools into a small bag. She promptly places it in front of me indicating it was job to I carry it for her towards the parking lot on the other side of school. I can hear Mary’s erratic walking, so I reluctantly extend a hand to her. Mary limps next to me, using my shoulder sort of like a crutch.
She smells pretty.
With Mary this close to me my heart raced. Her head was still kept low. As I look off into the distance I could see two figures. As we walk closer and closer, the silhouettes reveal themselves to be Yuki-san and Daisuke. They were walking in the other direction, towards us where the front entrance of the school was. Even in the lamp lighting I could see sorrow upon their faces, as if they had witnessed something abhorrent. I couldn’t help but think of the striking parallels that our pairs were experiencing.
Oh crap!
Mary was holding me awfully close. In fact, I think from an outside perspective you would think we were a coupl-
I can’t push Mary off me, she’s injured.
They walk past the three of us without even a glance.
“D-Daisuke! Y-Yuki-san!” I let out. I couldn’t stay silent.
Daisuke didn’t bother to stop, and he continues onward. Yuki-san only gave me a slight glace, but it was the first time I saw genuine reaction from her usual stoic self. Her face was one of disappointment and anxiousness, but most of all - sadness. She recomposes herself and continued on with her path, catching up to Daisuke’s brisk pace. Yuki-san and Daisuke were walking side by side silently. They couldn’t bear to look at Mary and I.
I just want to go home.
We finally reach the parking lot, and there was only a single car left.
“It’s new, so try not to mess it up.” Dr. Mori immediately gives me a menacing look. I’m too tired at this point to come up with something witty to say. Any other day I would’ve gone for the classic “you’re still single grandma” but I was grateful for her generosity in giving us a ride.
It was a bright red convertible. I think it was a new model, the one that they had advertised all over TV, and even a tie-in with the new Masked Avenger movie. I couldn’t take my eyes off how elegant and yet animalistic the machine was. Maybe that was the point of this car, to attract certain people. Ironically, I think it was supposed to be the other way around, with a guy probably having something like this to pick up women.
“Just put it in the trunk Kazuki!” said Dr. Mori.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
With a flip of a switch, the car went from an open-air mode to an enclosed one. There was almost no way you could tell it was a convertible if not for the different black-colored covering since the folds were so thin. She pops the trunk open.
What a mess…
Dr. Mori’s trunk was filled with junk. Dirty laundry, empty beer cans, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was actually a cadaver hidden underneath everything! I shrug and throw the medical kit inside, and shut the trunk door. I walk towards the passenger side, noticing that Mary was sitting in the back seat, looking off into the night sky.
“Went all out for this one!” said Dr. Mori as she puts on some leather gloves. I assume they were specific for racing.
The interior was unlike anything compared to my dad’s car. It was all leather lining, along with satellite GPS and other new features like heated seats. I fasten my seatbelt and hold on.
*BEEP*
Mary reaches for her phone inside her dress. She still had the same phone even though I had accidentally dropped it giving the phone a rather large crack on the screen.
Well technically she dropped her phone when we were exchanging numbers.
She quickly texts something and puts the phone away nonchalantly.
It’s gonna be an awkward ride…
----------------------------------------
We dropped Mary off at her place without a word. She only said thanks, and I could barely stutter out anything to her. Now it was just Dr. Mori and I alone together. She was playing around with a toothpick in her mouth.
“Geez…what happened between you two?” said Dr. Mori.
Just like that the awkwardness in the air was cut in half. Dr. Mori was never the most subtle of people, and instead chose the direct approach.
“It’s a long story Dr. Mori…”
Dr. Mori pulls up into a gas station. She steps out to go pay for the gas inside. I stand outside by the car, and begin to pump gas for her. Premium she noted.
Am I a gas attendant now?
“I have a lot of time Kazuki. My night was interesting too.”
She returns with two cans of coffee. She hands me a cold one. It was the same ones from the vending machines at school. I wasn’t exactly much of a coffee drinker, but it felt appropriate for the situation.
“I have a lot of time Kazuki. My night was interesting too.”
I take a small sip of coffee.
Bitter.
I wanted to spit it out, but I swallowed it anyways. The cold temperature brings a shiver down my spine. I took another sip, and another, and another. The cold was numbing my body from everything. All I could smell from the coffee was metal; there was nothing fresh about it despite the labels claiming it was organic. There was not sweetness, no cream, just black.
“Well…I’m a dense idiot.”
I explained to Dr. Mori everything that happened in the last hour or so. Mary’s problem wasn’t that she was interested in Daisuke, she was in love with me the whole time. I never saw the signs, yet they were obviously there in hindsight. The Mary Kaneko in this world was not the same as the one in World A(kane). I just assumed that they were the same person, with the same desires and thoughts. I was unintentionally leading her on a pointless journey, one that wouldn’t end well for either of us. There was no way we could ever be “just friends” again.
“I see…” said Dr. Mori.
I’m glad she was hearing the trouble of a teenager. Even with our regular check-ups, it was more or less both of us acting as each other’s “arm-chair” therapist. It was nice to get an adult’s perspective on things sometimes. In some ways, we understood each other better than other people.
“Well Kazuki, let’s get one thing straight: you’re one lucky idiot.” she teases.
She was right.
“But hey, chin up Kazuki. I may be the last person to be giving advice about love and relationships, but I know that your friends really care for you. I know you care about them too right?” said Dr. Mori.
“Of course. I would do anything for them.”
“It’s just unfortunate that you missed the play though. Mary set a pretty high bar and despite everything Ms. Yuki gave quite the heartfelt performance as Juliet. She and Daisuke had that look in their eyes.”
“Look in their eyes?” What did she mean by that?
Dr. Mori finished her coffee and aimed it towards the trash can in the corner. She missed by a meter. I finish my can and attempt my shot. It goes in. I look at Dr. Mori, who was still standing, motionless at her poor attempt. Instead of embarrassment, she simply sighs and promptly walks over and places it into the trash can.
“I don’t know too much about your buddy Daisuke either, but he and Ms. Yuki had a look I’m far too familiar with – heartbreak.” she sighs.
I still haven’t processed everything yet. Not only did I ruin my friendship with Mary, but I had just unintentionally betrayed my best friend. Daisuke Akatsuka is my partner in crime.
I guess that partnership is over.
I knew from the other world that Daisuke was interested in Kaneko-san. They were a couple for God’s sake! There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to make my best friend happy.
“I’m such an idiot Dr. Mori.”
“It’s okay Kazuki.” she said. “You didn’t mean for this to happen.”
I had all the signs laid out clearly in front of me. My guilt couldn’t be absolved that easily.
“Sometimes…sometimes we have to take risks in our relationships. It’s the only way they can grow right?” she said.
“Take me and my boyfriend Junpei-kun. One day this really weird guy dressed in all black approached me. I thought he was a pervert, but I was a little impressed at how bold he was. If I never took that risk, I wouldn’t be like this. Every day I wake up realizing how lucky I am. I’ve never felt happier in my life.”
Despite her maturity, Dr. Mori reminisced like a school girl. Underneath the white lab coat and binge-drinking was a caring woman at heart. She gives a slight grin, before she caresses her long black hair behind her ear. I never noticed it before, but Dr. Mori was quite the beautiful woman. She was taller than I was a bit from her heels, with her long black hair flowing over her typical white lab coat. She was insecure about her small beauty mark next to her lip, something she would make sure to cover poorly with make-up. Although she didn’t give off an elegant vibe as Akane or Yuki-san did, there was something comforting about her. Despite her insecurities about her maturity, her experience made it simple for her to understand others. It was the way she spoke, the unbelievably blunt way she would say something. You could literally talk to her hours on end about nothing, and not realize where the time had gone. Here I was, talking to her yet again.
“But…was I even worth the risk?”
My doubts were troubling me. I keep my head low towards the ground. Dr. Mori pats me on the back.
“Of course you are.” she says. “Even though you’re plain, barely smarter than the average student, and the most oblivious knucklehead I’ve ever met-“
She raises my head with her hand. I look into her almost ruby-red eyes. I could see years of experience in them.
"You are worth the risk to Mary.”
She gives me a hug that I didn’t deserve. It felt like I was getting a hug from my mother or an older sister if I had one. Her warm embrace just makes me feel at ease. The gas stops pumping, and we get back into the car. Dr. Mori drops me off at my house, and she drives off, headlights into the distance.
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“So that’s how it is huh?”
I’m back in the relatively normal World A(kane). It was lunch time in this world. Akane brought me up to speed on everything I missed out on, while I told her the failure of Operation Maiden’s Heart. Not surprisingly, the play was successful, with Daisuke and Mary managing to be the highlight of the show. My head was resting upon Akane’s lap, which felt like pillows.
“I’m such an idiot! Operation Maiden’s Heart was a disaster.”
“Kazuki, no one could have seen that coming.” she said to console me. “This just means maybe our two worlds aren’t as black and white as we thought.”
Maybe Akane was right. What’s happened so far has completely thrown out all the rules that we’ve established so far. Certain things carried over between worlds, and some things didn’t. That makes it really difficult for me to know what to do when I’m in the respective world. It means that what happens here could mean nothing for my original world. Maybe that everything I have been working on for Yuki-san has been meaningless. I hold my head in my hands to comfort myself, but it proves to be a futile attempt.
I wish I could just stay in this world permanently.
“Then does that mean that we shouldn’t assume what happens here will carry over to my world? Like with Daisuke and Mary being a couple here…?” I pondered in thought.
Akane pauses for a moment. She rubs her chin, thinking deeply for a logical response. Judging by the look of her face, I wasn’t going to like the answer.
“I don’t know.” she says as shrugs playfully.
It was the first time that she didn’t have an answer for me. Whenever there was a problem or setback, Akane would always have some advice or words of wisdom to help solve it. Now, there was no clear answer on what to do next.
“B-But don’t give up! I-I’m sure this is just a small setback for you Kazuki!” she said in all smiles.
I had to believe that there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. Everything that happened so far happened for a reason. I just had to keep calm and move forward. Suddenly, I hear a loud grumbling noise next to my head.
“Haha…we should probably eat right now eh Akane?” I teased.
Akane’s face turns bright red from the deafening growl of her stomach. It sounded like she was holding back for a while, but her stomach can put up with it no longer.
Was she letting me rest my head on her lap for as long as possible…?
Akane pulls out our lunch boxes that were prepared earlier today. Like usual, Akane’s tower-like box was almost three times the size of mine. I wondered just where did all the food go?
I wonder if Yuki-san ate as much?
I laugh at the image of the stoic Yuki-san eating everything in sight like Ms. Puc-man from the old arcade game I used to play with Daisuke when we were kids.
“W-What are you thinking Kazuki?” pouted Akane.
“Nothing!”
Akane had already managed to finish the first layer of her tower-like lunch box before I even took one bite.
“I was just thinking that with your appetite, you’d probably run a buffet out of business.” I teased.
Akane without a break punches me lightly on my shoulder. Some of the rice on her chopsticks in her hand flings towards my face at the force of her punch.
“T-That only happened on my 10th birthday!” she said. Akane’s face was flushed red with embarrassment.
Wait what?!?
“Hey you two!”
My thought process is interrupted when I look to my side to notice that Daisuke and Mary had arrived.
“We just came back from the wrap up meeting for the play. Sorry we’re late!” said Daisuke.
Daisuke was holding a small bag with two ready-to-eat boxed lunches from the convenience store. Upon further inspection, it looked like those were deluxe lunches, not the regular ones that Daisuke and I would buy since we were both broke. Mary’s mouth was slightly drooling at the sight of our homemade lunches, but she quickly looks to Daisuke with an adoring smile.
“Let’s eat.” said Mary.
If only things were this simple in my world.
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“Not again…”
Daisuke was covering his mouth with his hands, trying his best to stifle his laughter to no avail.
“Well…it’s better than last time Mary-chan.”
Akane could only sigh at Mary’s chocolates. Mary was almost on the verge of tears, with her face red from the disappointment of failing yet again. All of our chocolates had turned out fine, except for Mary’s. Mary’s chocolate looked like burnt animal droppings that were run over by a truck.
“Aka-nee! What am I doing wrong?” asked Mary in frustration.
Akane’s face was pale-white, as if she was completely out of words to say anymore. Even though Valentines’ Day was long past, one little girl still didn’t receive her chocolates yet. We were planning to live up to our promise of giving Daisuke’s sister Yui some. The four of us had a little competition to see which ones Yui liked the most. Unlike the rest of us, Mary still had a long way to go.
“Guess you really are the Roadkill of Kasumigaseki High as well Mary!” teased Daisuke.
Mary slaps Daisuke in the face, leaving a chocolate-covered handprint.
“Ow!”
In addition to being known as the Roadrunner of Kasumigaseki High, Mary had another infamous reputation as the “Roadkill of Kasumigaseki High.” Last semester in our home economics class, Mary would always burn her dishes somehow. In fact, I remembered she was the first person ever in the history of the class who managed to set off the fire alarm in class. We were supposed to make fruit salad.
Fruit. Salad. Just…how?
“S-Shut up!” pouted Mary.
Daisuke on the other hand, was reveling in the fact that he was a better cook than his girlfriend. His chocolates were almost an exact replica of Akane’s. Taste-wise, I might have even preferred his caramel filling over Akane’s, but she was eagerly brandishing a sharp kitchen knife when I tasted his.
I might get killed over chocolate.
“It’s okay Mary, we still have enough ingredients for a few more runs. You almost have it!” said Akane.
She demonstrated her process step-by-step. For our practice batches, we were using the cheaper ingredients for test runs, just to get the technique down properly first. Akane wanted to go above and beyond using raw cocoa beans, but it was probably a better idea to learn the fundamentals with cheap cocoa powder.
“Alright Mary, let’s simply get some water to a boil. Easy right?” said Akane.
Mary was the only one here who still needed to practice. I’m completely wiped after today.
“Meanwhile, you should combine the cocoa powder and softened butter into a single bowl.” explained Akane. “Just keep mashing until you have a smooth paste-like texture.” she further emphasized.
Mary began to smash the ingredients together with a wooden spoon in her bowl.
“You gotta put some love into it.” said Daisuke.
Mary raises her spoon and looked at Daisuke with murdering eyes. It wasn’t until she noticed that the chocolate mix was at the right texture that she held back. The look of satisfaction on her was priceless.
“Ha! I always put plenty of love in everything I do.” said Mary proudly.
Finally, it was time for Mary to cook the chocolates. Sweat was beginning to form from her forehead. Her forehead became so bright that I was almost blinded by the reflection of the kitchen lights. This would be her third attempt.
They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result…
In one swoop, Mary pulls off the pot off the heat. She stirs the chocolate immediately, making sure it was an even mixture, and not lumpy. The chocolate wasn’t a mush, but like a silky viscous-like texture. The next step was to add milk and sugar into the cocoa solution. Then, it would be the most important step – pouring the mixture into the cat-shaped chocolate mold that Akane had.
These look awfully familiar to the ones from the Purrfect Café…
Akane smiled at the rest of us, covering her mouth with her gentle hands.
“Tee-hee! I’m just borrowing it from Manager-san.”
Needless to say, all of us were a bit skeptical. In fact, I think most of the ingredients came from there.
“Right…” said the three of us.
We let go of Akane’s kleptomania and instead focus on Mary’s chocolates to cool. Mary takes a sigh of relief, and eagerly awaits the result of her third attempt.
Hopefully this is the one.
I close my eyes of a bit, only to feel someone’s thumb caress my cheek.
“You left a small mark…”
Akane was rubbing off a chocolate stain. She took her thumb and put it on the inside of her mouth, sucking off all the remaining chocolate. At that moment, she was pleasantly surprised, leaving a warm smile of satisfaction. It was bold of her, but that was the Akane I knew. It was the Akane I liked. It was something I could never imagine Yuki-san would do.
If only my original world was like this.
“T-Thank you Akane…” I said, trying my best to hide my blush.
Akane stops sucking her thumb. I guess she had finally finished. She looks at us, only to feel like she was being observed like an animal at the zoo. Her face turns a bright red, finally realizing how sultry she was.
“I-I was just trying to help! N-Nothing else!” said an embarrassed Akane.
Daisuke was still dumbfounded; mouth agape at what Akane had just done publically. Mary was trying her best to not think of lewd thoughts, but her face was saying otherwise. She uses her chocolate covered wooden spoon to cover her eyes, but it was too small to do anything.
“C-Control yourself Akane!” said Mary.
Akane ran away from the kitchen, eventually tripping and going face-down into the sofa.
“AHHHHH! I-I’m s-so embarrassed! I want to die!” she said, squirming and rolling around on the floor.
I couldn’t help but laugh. My heart and mind were at ease. It seemed like everything here for the most part was perfectly happy. I was with my friends, with the people I love, living the best days of my life. As selfish as it seemed, I wish there was a way for me to stay in this world instead.
If only there was a way.
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“Are you ready for tomorrow?”
Akane and I were back in bed together. When I wake up tomorrow, I’ll be back in my original world – World B. My timeline was still reeling at the consequences of what had happened. Because Mary suffered an ankle injury, our entire school had decided to postpone the big relay race until she felt better. She was the big draw after all; there was no point in the race without Mary. It also happened that I would be part of the relay team for class 2-B against 2-A and the other classes. According to Akane, 2-A completely blew us out of the water.
“You’ll remember to tie your shoes this time right Kazuki?” Akane teased.
“Haha, very funny.” I reply sarcastically.
My gut began to fill with butterflies at the thought of repeating what happened last time.
Akane turns over to the other side of the bed, her back facing me. She pulls up her hoodie that was part of her black cat - pajamas.
It’s too quiet.
I could hear crickets outside of our house, which is a first. I never noticed the noise since Akane would be talking non-stop, but tonight she was silent. In fact, she has been pretty quiet ever since Daisuke and Mary left.
“Akane, is something wrong?” I asked politely.
“Nothing. Everything is fine.” she said after a long pause.
Alright, something is definitely wrong.
“Aren’t you the one that said when a girl says she’s fine, she actually isn’t...?” I say to her.
Akane turns over to me and grabs a pillow on cue. She slams the pillow onto me, but I already had another pillow prepared to deflect hers. Suddenly, I come point-blank to another pillow she had hidden behind her that comes flying into my face.
“Ow!” My hands rubs my face to ease the pain.
“I-I’m sorry Kazuki! Why’d you have to use my own words against me?” she says, making it seem like a tragedy.
It was obvious we weren’t going to get anywhere at this rate. I turned on the lamp on my nightstand and sat up. If I learned anything from the last few crazy weeks, it was best to be direct now.
“Just tell me what’s on your mind Akane.”
She follows suit and sits up as well. Akane holds her old cat doll stuffed animal tightly to her chest. It was full of patches and mismatching buttons, clearly replacing old materials over time. I was surprised it was still intact based on how raggedy it looked.
“You’re not going to like this.” as Akane takes a deep breath and pauses.
“I just wondered if Mary still had her feelings for you.” said Akane.
“There’s no way! She’s with Daisuke!” I said to her. “There’s no way she’s like that anymore.”
Although I was not completely sure, there was no way Mary from this world would be like that. Despite some differences, this Mary was deep down the same as the Roadrunner of Kasumigaseki High I’ve known for a year. I’ve admired her from the start, and she was someone I held high regard for integrity and would never do something shameful like that. To have Akane just imply that was insulting.
“I’m just speculating Kazuki! I’m just wondering that if we weren’t together, if she would –“
“Would what? Be with me?” I said, finishing the sentence for her.
This is the first time I’ve ever raised my voice against her. She lowers her eyes, and soon looks down towards the floor with a pained look. Akane grips her cat doll tighter, bringing it even closer to her chest. My body was heating up, as I can feel a newfound rush of energy go through my veins. I clench my fist almost instinctively, noticing that my fingernails were digging into the palms of my hands.
“Is that…what you want?”
Her voice was cold, completely emotionless. I could hear the slight resignation in her tone, where she tried her best to remain composed. My body begins to tremble, and my frustrations become enamored with guilt for snapping at her. Did Akane not believe my faithfulness to her? Could our relationship be broken that easily? I moved to the side of my bed, with the soles of my bare foot touching the cold floor.
“No. Of course not.” My voice was low, a bit threatening, almost like I was holding back.
I stood up from my bed. Having state the obvious was making it difficult for me to stay still, let alone be in the same room as her. My legs start moving towards my bedroom door, with the walk feeling like kilometers. My hand reaches the doorknob, which was still warm to the touch. My eyes stayed forward, but I couldn’t help but turn one eye to look behind me.
“You’re the only one I ever wanted.” I say to her, with a pained expression.
It wasn’t the Akane I knew that could be that jealous and petty. It wasn’t the Akane I knew that grew resentful at Mary Kaneko, the first friend she ever made. It wasn’t the Akane I knew that would think I would ever give up on her. I decided to head towards the living couch. Tonight, I sleep alone in this house.