Vol 2 Chapter 5 (2/2)

Twenty-stars huh.

What’s she doing. I remembered something from the past, probably something like this had happened before Kasumi-chan’s confession. That idiot purposely try to push me and Kasumi-chan together. But what happened in the end….

“………”

Hikari Yumesaki should have reflected about that, and she knows that I have a crush. Even so, she is still doing it again right now. Does she think that I have a crush on Misaki?

“What’s going on?”

On that day, after school.

Hikari Yumesaki always sends Misaki a message saying, “I’ll come see you tomorrow too!”, and so, I came to Café Moonleaf. There’s quite a lot of people here too.

“He’s here again, that loitering b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”

“At least I’m an actual customer.”

I answered the depressing greetings with a sigh. However, isn’t this basically how we always greet each other?

“…Huh?”

Just as I was about to open the menu, I noticed that she had focused her attention on my hand.

“A ring huh, you don’t see that quite often.”

“Huh? Oh, this?”

I stared blankly at her for a few seconds before I could respond back. She was talking about the ring that I was wearing on my right middle finger. (T/N: No, I don’t know why it’s his middle finger and not the ring finger. Maybe mistranslation from JP to CN.) (E/N: Original had it as middle finger. Yeah, I gave up on erasing the translation notes myself…)

It was the weird ring that Hikari Yumesaki bought online. It’s really embarra.s.sing to wear such a weird thing, so I had specifically written a rule to only wear it at home. However I had forgotten to take it off before I stepped outside.

“A friend gave this to me. It was a bit expensive.”

“A friend?”

Yeah, a friend.

“…….” “……”

Huh?

“……Hmph.”

Hey, w-what’s wrong…? Why did you chortle?

Under the strange atmosphere surrounding us, I nonchalantly wasted time. Once it reached nightfall.

As I was escorting her and her pouting face home.

“Do you have anyone you like, senpai?”

“Wah?”

This question was way too sudden, and I couldn’t help but let out a weird sound.

“You have someone you like, right? What do you wish to do with that person?”

She concluded before I could answer, and even added another question. What are you doing?

“About that…”

Looking at this atmosphere, it appeared I couldn’t run away.What would I want to do…

“……pet her head?”

“Pet her head? That’s it?”

Yeah, to pet the head of the girl that I like. Isn’t that enough?

“Besides that, what else is there?”

“Errm…besides that…hugging her tightly from behind?”

“……”

Hey, what is it? Why aren’t you saying anything?

“Hmph.”

She chortled again, dammit.

I couldn’t help but scrunch my face, but Misaki, who was standing in front of me and playing with her hair, didn’t seem to care about my reaction. Her sweet, charming scent and her long eyelashes deeply captivated me.

“Hm~mph. I can understand your feelings, senpai. There was a time, when I too wanted to do those things with the person I like. It was a childish thought though.”

“Childish…”

“But Senpai, it’s better not to have this kind of fantasy. Because once that dream breaks apart, the aftermath really hurts…”

Saying that, she quietly looked down with a forlorn look.

This kind of atmosphere is really surprising. Has a girl this cute actually been dumped before? She’s probably talking about the same guy from before, the one she took photo with at the arcade. Just how up there are his standards?

“Hey, Senpai.”

“Yeah?”

“There’s going to be a fireworks show this Sunday. Do you want to make one last memory of this summer with me?”

Sunday, today’s Monday. Let me think…that day will be me.

“No problem, but why?”

“Giggle, questioning a girl’s invitation won’t help you lose your virginity you know.”

Ok then……

“Oh well, I’m looking forward to it.”

As she said that, she turned her back towards the sunset, while letting out a small impish grin.

This expression seemed a bit forlorn, but that must just be my imagination.

“Survey time!”

“Haa.”

It was a different other day. This is what the journal read today:

“It’s been five months since we’ve begun switching personalities. And so right here we’ll conduct a satisfaction survey for the guest.”

“Satisfaction?”

“Please answer the following questions:

① It is fun to be with Hikari-chan.

② Hikari-chan is very cute.

③ Meeting Hikari-chan is a great thing.

④ Hikari-chan is actually my long-lost older sister! (What!?)

⑤ I really want to see Misaki-chan.

…Please answer all of the questions.”

“Another of those things I don’t understand.”

She had prepared “Completely agree/Agree/Somewhat/Disagree/Completely disagree” as answers for all of the questions, The first thing that came to my mind was: is there a rule that I need to be an idiot when answering the fourth question?

However, the problem was——

“Is she trying to pull another fast one?”

Clearly, question five was the real question that she wanted to ask. She was probably trying to sneakily probe in, but her method was way too sloppy.

And so, I answered “Somewhat” for all of the questions. Two days later,

“What do you mean ‘Somewhat’ for everything!? Is exchanging diaries with cute Hikari-chan that boring!? Hikari Yumesaki seems pretty angry. It looks like my definition of cute and that idiot’s definition are worlds apart, which only makes it more annoying.

Although, looking at her words above, it seems that she’s really afraid of being alone.

“…Sakamoto, is it really only ‘somewhat?’”

Written in small print in the corner of the journal was this. Sigh, I can’t take it anymore, I’m sorry. It was just a joke, you’re making me blush, just understand where I’m coming from for a bit. So please don’t write these lonely words. However, the most important part was the sentence that came after.

“Misaki-chan is also somewhat?”

“…That idiot, so that’s why.”

“Sakamoto, you still haven’t given up on your crush, have you.”

Two days later, on the morning of the day when I had arranged to go to the fireworks show with Misaki. Just as expected.

Before, she would always try to probe in roundabout way, but now she’s finally throwing throwing fastb.a.l.l.s.

Two days ago, I left the word “SOMEWHAT!” in big letters in the journal. I even purposely added an exclamation mark in the hope that she would play it off as sarcasm instead of treating it seriously again. However, it looks like she didn’t grasp my hope.

“Misaki-chan is a very good girl. Going out with her will surely bring you happiness.”

Hikari Yumesaki’s handwriting had become incredibly more deliberate and neater than before. Whenever that idiot is writing seriously, her words always become neater. The thing is, I don’t really like this style of writing. That’s because I feel like I can see that idiot letting out a side of her that I usually never see.

“Is your crush so much better that you are willing to give up on Misaki-chan? Even if you may never go out with her, you still won’t give up? Is it someone I know?”

“…Definitely.”

Hikari Yumesaki’s definiely trying to hook me up with Misaki. Even after what happened with Kasumi, even though she knows I won’t give up on the girl that I like, she still doing it again.

Why? Why does she want to hook me up with Misaki so badly?

Hikari Yumesaki’s actions was impossible to understand, and she even left a question at the end.

“Do you really…like that girl that much?”

“…I…”

I couldn’t think of an answer, and I closed the notebook without writing anything.

I’m such a sleazy guy. But I’m not happy about it either.

Even though I don’t know her reasons, Hikari Yumesaki really wants me to go out with Misaki.

This made me feel incomparably reluctant and miserable——

That night, it was finally time for the fireworks. Misaki seemed a little elated herself.

She showed up to the meeting place in a yukata, looking much more mature than usual. Her pearly white neck, usually hidden, exposed her charm, and I couldn’t help but blush. She looked at me with an impish grin, and gave me some calm.

After we exchanged some dull greetings, we began to roam through the festival stalls. She talked more than usual when she had some takoyaki. In comparison, I didn’t say anything at all.

As the fireworks burst in the night sky.

“——It was the same last year.”

She suddenly said.

“It was just like this last year too, being here with the person dear to me. Walking around the festival together, eating candied apples together. Standing shoulder to shoulder, watching the fireworks.”

“…Eh. Isn’t that youth?”

I didn’t know if I should talk with her about her old boyfriend, and so I just casually replied. When Misaki heard it, she cheerfully smiled.

“Giggle, you can’t hide your jealousy huh, senpai?”

“Umm….”

Seeing my fl.u.s.tered look, she could not resist letting out an impish giggle, and pulled out from her purse, the same color as her yukata, a small mirror. A large photo sticker was subtly stuck onto the mirror. (T/N: By photo stickers, I mean stickers with actual photos on them (think Oreimo *cringe).) (E/N: Here, have some bleach to drink. And with that, we welcome a new translator.)

“Relax. I wanted to see your reaction, senpai, so I only pretended that I had a guy I liked. I’ll be worried if you keep on taking it the wrong way. Here, look at this.”

“Huh?”

I couldn’t understand the meaning behind her words, but still looked at the mirror in her hands. Just what——

“…What…?”

Eh? This——

“This is the person…you admire…”

Why would she say those kinds of things.

Perhaps I should have thought a bit more on what those words mean.

“Yes, she is the person dear to me——Hikari Yumesaki.”

Misaki softly spoke her name.

I looked over the sticker on the mirror again. There was no doubt, that standing next to Misaki with a perfect smile on her face, was Hikari Yumesaki.

Huh? W-Why? Why is she in Misaki’s photo——

“She’s a pretty strange person. The first time I met her was probably a year ago, when she came to eat at Café Moonleaf. She broke some of the plates, but she also bothered the other guests with her loud noise. My first impression of her wasn’t very nice.”

Misaki softly delivered her sentences, as if she were reciting very delicate memories.

“There was also the time when she was at the register but didn’t have enough money. What do you think she did? She suddenly took a picture of herself and said, ‘Selling a celebrity photo of Hikari-chan’s KISS face for 520 yen! How about it!?’ At that time, I really wondered just how reckless she was.” (T/N: $1 = 100 yen, so 520 yen = $5.20 (€4.56))

……

“Another time, I was hara.s.sed by a customer who was hard to deal with. I impatiently tried to refuse the customer, and then he immediately began using foul language… In that moment, Hikari Yumesaki suddenly ordered two slices of cake, saying that she was holding a birthday party for me… Even though it wasn’t my birthday.”

…I think I had a similar experience.

“I was very happy. Knowing that there was still a person this nice in the world, I was really happy. Ever since that day, I became much closer to her. When I get off from work, I would occasionally go hang out with her. In that time, I chatted a lot with her, like my parents’ situation, and my younger siblings. No matter how painful the subject was, she would always listen to me thoughtfully. I really was happy. Slowly, I too wanted to become stronger, just like her, no matter how painful things got, to have a smile on my face, I wanted to be like that——”

Misaki stopped talking, let out a sigh, and her body began to s.h.i.+ver. She remained silent, trying to hide her discomfort.

But, I——

“…What happened to her?”

Asked.

Even though I knew the answer.

“…She transferred schools. Some other day, and went far away.”

………

Misaki probably already knew, she can’t not know. Even if she became much stronger, she was the only person left in this cruel world, and she would be crying in some corner I’m unaware of, because of how this story ends. She’s a fragile one.

“…Is that so.”

I see. So that’s how it was.

Everything finally makes sense. I thought it was unusual. Why didn’t I notice?

The reason why Hikari Yumesaki cared so much about Misaki.

The reason why Hikari Yumesaki wanted me to go out with Misaki.

The reason why Hikari Yumesaki was hiding everything.

Hikari Yumesaki and Misaki Koudera’s. Their encounter, relations.h.i.+p, bonds, the truth.

“More importantly, I need to come up with something.”

Some time ago, when Hikari Yumesaki was having outbursts over her time loss of five minutes, she wrote this in the diary. At that time, I didn’t think too much of it, not noticing that it was the biggest hint.

“Moving on, since it’s my hard-earned summer, I can play all I want! Today, I went to one of my favorite places and ate parfait. I haven’t had moonleaf parfait in so long, it’s absolutely the best☆!”

Before that sentence, she even mentioned this. Visiting Café Moonleaf again. It only takes one guess.

That time, I thought that Hikari Yumesaki was just doing everything she wanted before she died. Finding a cute undercla.s.sman, spending money and playing around. I only thought that she had given up on life. But as it turns out, that wasn’t true.

That idiot already knew Misaki. After going to Café Moonleaf again, she saw Misaki. She was probably worried about her undercla.s.sman’s wellbeing. Using my body to talk with Misaki would be difficult, so she pretended to have given up on herself, while simultaneously get closer with Misaki. Since she knew about Misaki’s situation, no matter what Misaki asked her to buy, she would always do so with a smile. She even pretended to have just learned of Misaki’s household situation, but even so I was too dense.

She didn’t tell me about her relations.h.i.+p with Misaki probably out of consideration. She rarely ever talks about what happened in her life, probably because she doesn’t want me to think that she has any remorse.

“Senpai, what’s wrong?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. I’m sorry. So it was like that huh, she transferred schools huh.”

“Yeah… Maybe this will sound like an excuse, but I really hope to find someone who will spoil me. When Yumesaki left, well, I felt as if a hole opened up in my heart. My life’s back to how it was before I met her, but every day just felt so dull, nothing exciting… That’s why I played with the boys who approached me by pretending to like them, to indulge them, and let them feel popular. I thought that doing so would let me fill in the emptiness in my heart, even just a little——But, even then, every night I still felt alone…”

“………”

Hikari Yumesaki’s also probably aware of this, that Misaki felt distraught by her death, and that a hole had been left in her heart. Maybe it was when she had finally visited Café Moonleaf after several months, and saw how lonely Misaki was, that she had to try and do something for her.

She couldn’t leave Misaki alone. She wanted Misaki to be happy.

She hoped her beloved undercla.s.sman could find happiness, so she went ahead and thought of a plan to make Misaki happy. The final conclusion that she came to was——me.

She believed that I would definitely be able to bring Misaki happiness.

As such, ignoring what happened with Kasumi, she wanted me to hook up with Misaki. She didn’t even care who it was that I liked and pushed me to give up.

Even though the situation has progressed this far, she still wouldn’t tell me the truth… she probably didn’t want me to feel pity for Misaki. Maybe she hoped that I’ll truly like Misaki, and bring her happiness.

That idiot hasn’t give up on life yet. When she found out about the five minutes reduction, she thought her personality might disappear, so she wanted to leave no regrets behind. She planned to use her remaining time on her favorite people, and not for herself. That idiot was kindhearted until the very end.

Thinking more just made me sigh more, so much that my sighs could cover the entire world.

Hikari Yumesaki’s still on this earth. This plan would make more people happy than I thought——while also letting one person feel unhappy. (E/N: t.i.tle of this series can be named as ‘Hikari ga Chikyuu ni Itakoro……)

“Giggle, I’m so stupid. I always thought I wasn’t strong. I’ve already forgotten about the moments I had with Yumesaki, and even pretended that those moments don’t exist, but yet I still couldn’t get rid of loneliness in my heart. Honestly, I don’t think that I’ll ever defeat that pain. This loneliness will always be with me. But the thing is, Senpai.”

Suddenly, the whole world fell silent.

Everyone raised their heads to gaze at the night sky.

“Now——I have Senpai with me.”

The booming of the exploding fireworks resounded through my heart.

Blue, green, and red——

The vibrant glimmers added intense, bright colors to the cute pair of eyes staring right at me. The beautiful fireworks unceasingly burst, as if they wanted to melt off her mask.

The smile illuminated under the light appeared unimaginably gentle–

“Senpai.”

She pointed her finger.

It was pointing at a certain festival stall in the corner. There’s a bunch of weird looking accessories at the stall, and right in front of the vendor, looking up at the fireworks, was a prismatic ring.

“Will you buy me…that?”

What does she mean by that.

She’s probably teasing me again. Or maybe she’s blackmailing me. Or maybe——

No one knew the answer. Maybe Hikari Yumesaki knows. But, I couldn’t possibly hear her voice.

That’s why, I——

“Can’t. I didn’t bring enough money.”

I replied in a joking manner, and smiled.

I believed that she couldn’t hear my little voice crack.

I believed that her trembling gasp was a hallucination caused by the sound of the fireworks.

“…I guess not…after all…”

I couldn’t respond, and this was probably the definite answer. Looking as if she was worried about the tormented look on my face, she took a deep a breath, and put on a mischievous look.

“…Giggle, how unfortunate. I had planned on using Senpai’s money to buy my little sister a ring.”

“Sorry about that. You should try asking your manager for a raise.”

I continued smiling, using my frivolous smile to pa.s.s by. Misaki turned her back towards me, and asked,

“Senpai, what’s your crush like?”

“Huh?”

“The one that you want to pet her head, to hug her tightly from behind, tell me about her.”

She didn’t turn her head, nor did she open her mouth again.

What is she like, huh…

“She’s a happy-go-lucky idiot.”

I said the first thing that came to my mind.

“She really is such a happy-go-lucky person, always giggling as she pulls stupid pranks. She’s a downright idiot, a moron who never considers anything. Always giving me trouble…always mocking my virginity, even calling me things like ‘Bakatsuki.’”

Misaki didn’t say anything, keeping her back to me.

“But——”

I suddenly dropped my shoulders, and spoke my true thoughts.

“She’s very kind. At first glance, not only does she look like she can trespa.s.s into your heart, but also an idiot who would dance with a hula hoop on your desk, yet she really is kind. Kind enough that even when she is stuck in a bad situation herself, she will first consider others. That’s why I, that’s why I——”

The truth is that she’s a crybaby, a kind but fragile girl, a coward who wants to become stronger.

I want to protect her more than anyone else…

“Senpai.”

“Huh?”

Pah

“Ow!”

“I didn’t ask you to tell me this much.”

Misaki softly flicked my forehead, and looked at me face to face, wearing her usual playful smile.

As she giggled, the pure sound of her laugh makes one feel relaxed.

After she finished giggling by herself——

“Senpai, please pretend that nothing happened.”

Using a professional smile, she opened her bright lips and spoke.

“I want Senpai to continue acting as a fool, easy to be tricked by me, and yet a cute and reliable senpai. The Senpai that I usually see. So…just pretend that you never saw the weak side of me today.”

Pretend that nothing happened.

I’ve once heard——once said that phrase before.

This kind of phrase is much too lonesome. But, let’s just go with it.

“Ok. Starting tomorrow, show me some mercy too alright.”

Ok, she softly nodded her head, and continued to wear a pure smile.

“……regret.”

I felt as if that sound came from somewhere under her smile.

“I don’t think that I’ll ever have a day of regret.”

“Huh——?”

She took a step back, turned around, and the fireworks illuminated her face once again.

“Am I the Misaki that you expected today, Senpai?”

“…!”

“Well, let’s just stop here for tonight. Goodbye.”

After saying that, she disappeared into the crowd.

That sight of her pet.i.te back, like the fireworks fading in the night sky, gradually disappeared from my sight.

“So that’s what happened huh. So Misaki has someone in her cla.s.s that she likes huh. I wanted her to be your girlfriend you know.”

Two days after the fireworks show, I opened up the notebook, and saw this journal entry.

In the end, I didn’t write about what happened during the fireworks show that day, and lied, “I was talking with Misaki when I heard that she liked someone in her cla.s.s. I encouraged her and told her to go out with that guy, to earn her own happiness.” I had to in order to pretend that nothing had happened. As such, Hikari Yumesaki won’t have to worry about it anymore.

“She always looked so lonely, but I probably just imagined it. Yeah, it’s good to have someone that you like! I can finally rest easy! Hikari-chan can rest easy!”

“Rest easy, huh.”

Seeing as how Hikari Yumesaki had resolved the conflict in her heart, I could rest easy too.

“There shouldn’t be anymore problems now.”

I said to myself as I closed the notebook. Pah——this sound reminded me of the booming of the fireworks.

A summer night, a fleeting memory, a moment that, like the fireworks, never seemed to have happened.

That glowing time of radiance neither remained in anyone’s memories, nor could it ever remain.

I felt the memento stuck to the corner of the desk, a picture taken with Hikari Yumesaki, stretched a bit and then walked out of my room. There’s no point in being so down all the time. And so, let’s go make breakfast for now.

“It must be fall already.”

A morning chill could already be felt. I muttered softly to myself as I walked to my room.

There were all kinds of events, some that felt too surreal. Well, even then, this was by far the most unforgettable summer break. Yeah, it was pretty fun, and it was all thanks to Hikari Yumesaki.

As I thought that, I walked towards the kitchen.

——However.

I had forgotten something at that time.

“……Wha……!”

A few days later, Hikari Yumesaki was trying to beat a galgame through the night again, and when I checked the time as I switched over in the early morning, the whole world stood still.

“Four…twenty-nine…”

I had forgotten.

The dread I felt when Hikari Yumesaki had her time reduced.

“How can this be…”

As well as the fact that Hikari Yumesaki lived in a cruel world.

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