A girl with black and pine-green hair entered a dark room. She had long hair—the top part black and the down part dyed pine-green.

In the darkroom lay the school president—Satou Gotou, asleep. He fell asleep waiting for the girl.

The room was a makeshift office, it had a Swivel chair and a table. It also had three couches.

The girl walked over to him and was about to hit his head to wake him up—

He caught her hand.

“Now Tenjin is that how to wake up your school president.” He grinned.

“First of all, if anyone saw you right now, they won’t think you’re the school president. You’re supposed to carry yourself with honor.” She voiced her exasperation.

Satou wasn’t dressed as he was during school hours, he dressed formally during school hours to save face.

After school hours or on weekends, he wore an unbuttoned white shirt revealing his brown shirt underneath, didn’t bother to wear a belt, and wore Crocs instead of shoes.

“You know I don’t give a damn about that shit.”

“Please refrain from speaking until I’m done scolding you. Even though you dress like an idiot you’re still the school president, so try to act like one.”

“Ok Tenjin-sensei.”

“And another thing, don’t call me by my first name, it’s Saito to you.” She said trying to punch but he dodged.

“OK let's get back to business.”

“…Fine.” Saito sighed.

“Mizumi you can come in. I know you’re eavesdropping.”

“Eh.” Saito was shocked that someone was eavesdropping without her knowledge.

Mizumi entered the room and went to the couch closest to Satou.

“Satou, what’s up?”

“I don’t remember asking you to come.” Saito glared.

“It’s ok, he’s the vice president so he’s always allowed.”

“…But it was only meant to be me and you.” Saito mumbled under her breath.

“Huh? What’d you say? I didn’t hear that last part.”

“It’s nothing.” Saito pouted.

“So, let’s get back to business. By Monday your deal with the principal will be over. You couldn’t expel Nakamura, what will you do?”

“Who said that? By Monday, Nakamura will be expelled.”

“Huh? Satou, this isn’t the time for jokes.”

“You’ll see. Just wait.”

“Ok fine, another thing I want to talk about is that Class B’s leader knows about the NE Project.”

“?!” Saito was shocked at this knowledge while Satou was silently brooding—he was thinking about these words.

He cracked a smile.

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I woke up early for the date, around 6 am. After 15 minutes I was ready for the date, since I had ample time as the date was by noon, I waited for awhile by 11:30 I left.

As I was turning around a corner so I could use the elevator, I bumped into Miyamura.

“I’m sorry. Miyamura?” I was surprised to see him, though it wasn’t impossible to see him. The school had 3 dorms, each one for each year.

That meant we were staying where this year’s second years stayed. It also meant it wasn’t impossible to see your classmates and friends.

“N-Nakamura?”

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Don’t ‘hey what’s up” me.”

“Uh, why?”

“You stole the class beauty.”

“Uhh…”

“Don’t ‘Uhh” me.”

“Fine, I’m sorry.”

“You think sorry will fix this.” Miyamura glared.

He’s really angry about this.

“I really am sorry but where are you going?”

“I’m going for a date.”

“Oh, are you dating someone?”

“What’s it to you?”

“I was just asking.”

“I am.”

“I see, well I need to get going. See you later.”

I was able to leave and get to my date, by the time I got there Aiya was already in the venue—the bowling alley.

“Hey.”

“Eiya!” She ran and hugged me—no she jumped on me.

“Are you going to let me go?” I joked.

“You should be happy that your girlfriend is happy to see you.”

“I-I-I am.” I said I was getting flustered as I could see her bra.

“Wait don’t tell me your shy?” She said with a devious look on her face.

“I’m not.” I dropped her before my face became red. Before coming here, I wouldn’t think I would get flustered by a girl.

“Anyway, let’s go in.” I said, trying to change the subject.

“Fine but I’ll have you know I’m a professional bowler.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll give a run for your money.”

We went into the bowling alley; it had an automatic door—the sliding kind.

It had really bright lighting, I’m sure it was made to boost focus.

It also had good air conditioning, even better than the ones in class. It was even cleaner than I expected.

It was less crowded than I expected, and even fewer people played.

It had about 10 lanes, and only 2 lanes were in use. The other people were just at the snack bar.

We went to pay for the services, then we went to play the game.

But before we started, I noticed Aiya pouting silently. What could have done wrong? Oh, right I didn’t complete her outfit.

“You look cute.”

“Huh?”

“I said you look really cute.”

“O-Oh thanks.”

I went to research on bowling so I’m sure I would do at least better than average. The problem is I have no idea how good she is.

But that also isn’t a big deal, the thing about bowling is that it isn’t a sport that allows for external interference—that is to put simply, the more pins knocked down the higher the possibility of you winning.

She looked really cute; she wore a black blouse and a black tennis skirt with tights.

She was starting, so she went to get the ball. She tied her hair in a bun to avoid getting it in her face.

She assumed a bowling stance and threw the ball, her form was elegant even more elegant than some professionals.

She knocked down 6 out of 7 of the pins.

“Wow!” I exclaimed.

“I’m good right?”

“You're better than good, you’re amazing.”

“N-Nakamura?!” A voice behind me said my name, it was Miyamura.

“Miyamura? What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“Oh, me and Miyamura were just out for a date.” Yoshida spoke emerging from behind him.

Wait if he’s on a date, why was he angry with me for dating Aiya?

“What a coincidence. I can believe you also wanted to go on a date to the bowling alley.” Aiya said surprised to see her best friend.

“Like for real.” Yoshida replied. “Well since we’re both here, let’s play a game.” She continued.

“What kind of game?”

“It’s more of a competition.”

“Go on.”

“Between our boyfriends, let's see who can get higher scores, best of 3.”

I seriously don’t want to do it. I don’t want to compete with Miyamura, well I won’t if they both say no.

I threw a look at Aiya that said, ‘Please say no.’ She smirked with a menacing look.

“Yeah let’s.” Aiya agreed.

That bitch, it’s fine as long as Miyamura doesn’t—

“I’m down.” Miyamura also agreed.

I’m basically forced to play the game with Miyamura, might as well throw in the towel.

“Also, by the way the loser treats everyone to lunch at that new restaurant.”

Ok I’ve got to win; I don’t want to waste money at that new restaurant. Miyamura looks athletic, but this game is not like football and basketball that requires a certain level of athleticism.

It needs grip, speed control and good stance/footwork. Therefore, it doesn’t need expert skills, therefore I can replicate something good enough to just get a little higher than him.

As we stepped onto the assigned lane, I adjusted my grip on the blue-and-black bowling ball I took, I didn’t pick it for a specific reason.

Miyamura carried a red ball, probably to match his red hair.

“I’ll show what Hiroto is made off.”

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Hiroto?”

“That’s my first name.”

“Oh. By the way, I want to go first.”

“Sure, go for it.”

“Eiya, win it for both of us!!!” Aiya cheered.

“Miyamura!!! Win!!!” Yoshida cheered.

It’s kind of unfair that the girls get dinner no matter who wins. Well, it doesn’t matter now, all that matters is that I win without standing out.

However, it seems students around are paying attention. I hate these conditions; I can only win by one point or at least that was my plan.

I lined up my shot. I stared down the lane, taking a deep breath before stepping forward.

I used the athletic stance, the most textbook stance—I’m not a professional so I only know 3 stances, and this is the most efficient one.

I toppled 5 out of 7 pines.

I think that’s good enough. It was neither impressive nor was it underwhelming.

“N-Nakamura chill.”

“Huh?”

“Your expression, you look like a dead fish.”

“…I don’t know how to reply to that.”

“Just relax, I’m gonna win.”

I was instinctively reacting to this, but that was the only way I knew to deal with stress.

Next was Miyamura’s turn, he used the pendulum stance, it involved the bowler starting with a relaxed arm position to prepare for a smooth pendulum swing.

His ball knocked down all the pins, a perfect strike. He turned back, giving me a playful shrug.

“One down.”

“…”

It seems I should change my form; I’ll follow the stance of a famous bowler—Parker Bohn III.

I skimmed through his book—Bowling: How to Master the Game, yesterday as I was preparing for my date with Aiya.

The stance that he used is known as the stroker stance.

My throw was a strike.

Miyamura threw his, he also got a strike.

“If I get a strike then I win.” Miyamura said, his tone more serious now.

“…”

“Don’t sweat it, I’ll order something cheap.”

Everyone in the bowling alley was watching, random people started cheering my name. Most people at this point would give into the pressure but I’m not one for that.

I threw my ball; I got a perfect score.

I have to reinforce my win; I need to do something right now. I’ll have to cheat.

“Miyamura.”

“Yeah.”

“When you lose, I’m going to celebrate by doing it with Aiya.” I muttered so only he could hear me.

Miyamura gets angry when I do anything related to Aiya so I’m sure he won’t at least get a perfect score, if he’ll get lower than me is not for sure.

To make him so angry that he will lose would take some effort, like for example me and Aiya—the object of his affection not paying attention to him.

Yoshida, Aiya, and I started conversing before he finished bowling, I made sure we were out of his range, so he wouldn’t know we were talking about how he’d win.

“I might lose.”

“Don’t worry I’ll help you pay.” Aiya offered.

“Really. You’re an angel.”

Yoshida and Aiya started laughing, I glanced at Miyamura then mouthed the words, ‘It will be a threesome.’

He threw his ball in a fit of rage, forgetting his form, it was a gutterball.

He came back and pulled me to the restroom.

“What the hell?” Miyamura glared.

“Dude, what?” I feigned confusion.

“Don’t play dumb. You said you’ll do it with Aiya, then said you’ll have a threesome with Yoshida.

“Chillax. First of all, what I meant was that I’ll bowl with Aiya to celebrate.”

That’s a lie.

“Oh…Wait then what about the threesome?”

“Which threesome?”

“You said you’ll have a threesome.”

“I said I’ll have three rounds at the restaurant.”

“R-R-Really.”

“Yeah.”

After my explanation, me and Miyamura left the restroom. Miyamura repeatedly apologized but I told him it was ok; I mean after all it was a lie.

“So, is everyone ready?” Miyamura asked.

“Yeah.” We answered in unison.

Yoshida led us to the restaurant; it was supposedly a 3-star Michelin rating.

I have no idea what that meant but when Yoshida said it both Miyamura and Aiya got excited.

On entering a waiter greeted us and asked if we had a reservation, to which we said no. We were guided to our table, which was perfectly set with elegant flower arrangements.

They offered us a welcome drink which we declined.

“This place is so amazing. Miyamura are you sure you can pay?”

“Uh, let’s just see the menu.”

The waiter brought the menu and told us the prices were reduced for students.

The menu was way out of Miyamura’s price range.

We saw meals that were 40,000 RP, the most expensive meal was 80,000 RP.

Miyamura couldn’t pay so we saw ourselves out.

We just went to the convenience store as we were already tired of walking. Miyamura got us ice cream.

I’ve never actually had ice cream before, so I was excited to try it out.

“Here you go.” Miyamura said, handing me ice cream.

I’ve seen ice cream before, it’s in a cone but this was on a stick, moreover ice cream is white, this thing he gave me was black.

“I thought ice cream was in a cone and was white.”

“This is a popsicle; don’t tell me you’ve never had it before.”

I opened the wrapper on the popsicle and then put the popsicle in my mouth.

It was cold but also sweet. Wow, I’ve never had anything this sweet. This really is amazing.

We walked back to the dorms.

“Brainfreeze!!!” Aiya said holding her head.

“If you can’t handle it, you can give it to me.” I had already finished mine and wanted hers.

“You’re supposed to say sorry.”

“Sorry, can you give me the popsicle?”

“Hmph.” She pouted.

“So, Aiya, are you like going out tomorrow?” Yoshida asked.

“Uh, no.”

“What about on Monday?”

“Nope.”

“What about on Tuesday?"

I gave Miyamura a look that said, ‘Tell your girlfriend to stop’.

He got the message.

“Yoshida, don’t you think that’s too close?”

She glared at Miyamura as if saying, ‘Stay out of it’.

On reaching the dorms, everyone followed me to my room.

“Ok, why are all of you following me?”

“I wanna see your room, I mean it’s way too early.” Aiya said.

“Yeah.” Yoshida agreed.

“I don’t want to have many people at my house.”

“Come on dude, friends are supposed to hang out at each other’s houses.” Miyamura replied.

Friends, huh?

“Fine.” I sighed.

They went to my room, and now that I think about it, this is the second time someone’s coming to my room.

I led them to my room because my living room didn’t have a couch or a rug.

It barely even qualified as a “room.” No couch. No rug. Just a bed, a plain chair with a lone chair for studying, and the TV that came with every room.

This wasn’t exactly the kind of setup that screamed, “Welcome, make yourself at home!”

I went to make tea as it seemed they already made themselves at home.

“Tea’s ready.” I said, setting the tray on the table.

Yoshida immediately perked up, sliding off the bed with a grin. “Finally, some hospitality.”

“You didn’t ask for anything.” I muttered.

“You’re not supposed too.”

I carried my table to the bed, I also carried the chair and sat down.

I poured the tea into simple, mismatched cups—nothing fancy, just practical.

Aiya took a sip and immediately winced. “What is this? Black tea? No sugar?”

“You’re in my house. You drink what I serve.”

We sat silently, drinking our tea. Aiya despite her earlier comment finished her cup of tea.

Eventually, Aiya, Yoshida, and Miyamura broke into a chatter about school. I made some comments here and there but was mostly kept quiet.

“Aiya, how are you and Nakamura's study sessions?” Miyamura asked.

“Actually…We haven’t started yet.”

“Eh?!” Yoshida and Miyamura shouted in unison.

“What have been doing?” Yoshida asked.

“G-G-Going on dates.” Aiya replied sheepishly.

They went on to scold Aiya about how she should take her studies more seriously.

After some time, they left, and finally alone, I prepared a light dinner.

After dinner, I took a bath and went to bed. I was awoken by a text message from Aiya.

Can you handle one more date?

If I say no, would you let me?

Nope.

Can’t it wait till Monday?

It’s urgent, I have something to tell you.

What? Why is the date urgent?

I see so where are we going to?

The amusement park : )

Fine.

I really need to stop being a doormat. Now it’s time for rest.

I came to the Amusement park around 5 pm. We didn’t have a designated time, but I guessed she would be coming around that time.

“Yo.”

“Hey Eiya, how are you doing?”

“I’m good, what about you?”

“Oh me? I’m super excited.”

“So, what was the urgent thing you wanted to talk about?”

“Let’s finish the date first.”

I have a feeling she just wanted to have a date.

The amusement park was alive with energy. Bright lights blinked rhythmically, music drifted through the cool evening air, and the excited chatter of students and even some staff blended into an almost magical atmosphere.

As we stopped through the gates, I glanced over at Aiya. She was already grinning, her eyes darting from one ride to the next like a kid at a candy store.

“This place is huge.” She said, brushing a strand of her hair out of her face. “Where should we start?”

“You’re the one who wanted to come, you decide.” I shrugged.

“How about…the rollercoaster?” She grinned.

“Sure.”

The line for the rollercoaster snarked around metal barriers, the sounds of the ride roaring overhead.

Aiya’s excitement was contagious, even if I wasn’t particularly moved by the sight of the towering steel tracks.

“You’re not nervous, right? She teased, leaning in with a sly smile.

“Why would I be?” I replied, my voice calm.

“Good.” She said. “Because this is going to be intense.”

When it was finally our turn, she practically dragged me into the front seat. The safety bar clicked into place, and the ride began its slow ascent.

Aiya leaned forward, her hands gripping the bar, her pink hair in the wind. “Look at this view!!!”

“Yeah.” I said glancing down. The height didn’t faze me—I haven’t been afraid for a long time—since I was seven.

I mean fear isn’t as big as people make it to be. Fear is a natural emotional response designed to protect us from perceived danger, triggered by our brain’s survival mechanisms, particularly the amygdala.

It activates the body’s fight-or-flight functions; it is used to make the body aware of danger.

While fear is essential for survival, over the years it has become an oppressor rather than a savior.

Fear is made from perception, that is to say, anything you think will harm you will become something you fear. That is to say fear is not ‘real’ unless you make it real.

One famous social experiment that backs this claim is The Little Albert Experiment conducted in 1920 by John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner.

They worked with an infant known as ‘Little Albert.’ Initially, Albert was unafraid of various stimuli, such as a white rat, rabbit, and other animals.

However, the researchers paired the sight of the white rat with a loud, frightening sound (striking a metal bar behind him). After several pairings, Albert began to fear the rat even when the noise was absent.

Albert’s fear extended to other white, furry objects such as a rabbit or a fur coat.

This experiment teaches that fear can be learned and is irrational. Despite that, just as any other emotion, once you realize it’s just a chemical reaction; getting over it is somewhat easy.

Despite all that, I still need to act a little nervous, or else people get weird about it.

As the rollercoaster plunged, I let out a carefully timed yell, just enough to blend in with the screams around us.

Aiya’s laughter rang out beside me, pure and unrestrained, as the ride twisted and turned through loops and drops.

When we finally stumbled off, she turned to me, her eyes shining. “That was incredible! You screamed so loud!”

“Did I now? I have no memory of that.” I said, raising an eyebrow.

“Don’t even try to deny it.” She said, poking my arm. “I heard you.”

I smirked, it seemed I had fooled her.

After the rollercoaster, Aiya insisted on grabbing snacks. We found a food stall selling churros and hot chocolate, the smell of cinnamon and sugar wafting through the air.

“Here.” Aiya said, handing me a churro. “Don’t just stand there, try it.”

I took a bite, the warm sweetness filling my mouth. “Not bad.”

“Not bad?” She repeated, her eyes narrowing. “It’s amazing, admit it.”

She must really love churros.

“Alright, it’s good.” I said flatly.

She laughed, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. “Relax, you’re too serious.”

“I hear you.”

Next up was the haunted house, a dimly lit maze filled with actors dressed as ghosts, zombies, and various other horrors.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Aiya asked, her tone playful.

“Are you?” I countered, holding the door for her.

The first scare came almost immediately—a bloodied zombie lurching out from the shadows.

Aiya screamed, clutching my arm, but her laughter followed just as quickly.

“That was so fake!” She said, though her grip on my sleeve didn’t loosen.

“Pretty obvious.” I agreed, though I kept my expression neutral.

As we moved through the maze, Aiya alternated between screaming at jump scares and laughing at herself for being startled.

I played along, flinching when appropriate, though nothing in the house was remotely frightening.

By the end, Aiya was grinning from ear to ear. “That was so much fun!”

“Glad you enjoyed it.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t get scared at all, did you?”

“Of course I did.” I said, keeping my voice light.

“Liar.”

It seems I had been caught.

The night was winding down when we reached the Ferris wheel, its colorful lights reflecting off the nearby water.

It seems I’ve reached my goal; I have a girlfriend and even friends.

But, I still feel the same way. I have not grown at all, everything is still not normal. Is it that I haven’t tried enough?

I’m still the same—the same person from 4 years ago. The same Nakamura Eiya.

“This is the perfect way to end the night.” Aiya said as we climbed into one of the cabins.

The wheel began its slow ascent, lifting us above the park. From the top, the entire amusement park stretched out below us, a dazzling mix of lights and motion.

Aiya leaned forward; her hands pressed against the glass. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah.” I said, though I was watching her, not the view. I have a feeling she still has something to tell me.

“Right.” She said leaning back in her seat; noticing I was looking at her and not the view. “W-W-Wait you were talking about me?” She blushed, her cheeks being as red as raspberries.

I nodded, indicating that she was right.

“So, why’d you want to go on a date today?”

“I-I-I want to break up.”

What? Isn’t that sudden?

“Why?”

“Because you’re too boring.”

“Elaborate.”

“You act like a textbook that you won’t allow me to read.”

“…”

“The few times where you do act interesting, it’s when people aren’t there.”

“…”

We sat in comfortable silence as the Ferris wheel completed its slow. For a moment, the world felt distant, the noise of the park muted by the height.

Aiya silently left when the Ferris wheel came down before she was out of ear shot; I spoke.

“See you tomorrow, Suzuki.”

“…”

Now that we weren’t dating, I didn’t want to call her by her surname, so people won’t misunderstand and think that we are dating anymore.

The walk back to the dorms was peaceful, I enjoyed the cool breeze.

I saw a classmate—that same purple-haired girl I saw outside the window on the first day, in the bushes, apparently her name was Yumemiya Aikawa.

I went to see what was up, the thing is if I was caught, I couldn’t really explain what I was doing.

“Aiya has done her part. What’s left is to get my class’ student records.”

I wonder who she’s talking to, I doubt she’s talking to herself.

“Good work, I trust you’ll be able to handle everything.”

“Yup, trust in me.” Yumemiya giggled.

She was about to leave, so I left to my room.

I walked to school the same way I always did but today was a little different when I walked into class, my classmates gave me nasty stares.

In class, Aiya was crying so I went to try and calm her down until—

Yoshida slapped my hand before I could touch Aiya.

“How dare you try to touch her after what you did?”

What I did?

The class was in a murmur until Ito walked up to me, his eyes looked sad.

“Nakamura, did you try to rape Aiya?”

What?