Volume 3 Chapter 6 (1/2)

It’s a calm morning, absolutely silent. Not even the sound of birds could be heard. It’s a pure white morning.

The date indicated on the cellphone was April 9th.

There’s no sign of any mess in the room. There was nothing written in the journal that laid

Such a morning left me with a fresh feeling, as though I woke up from a strange–beautiful dream that I could not recall.

“…“Thanks”, huh?”

I sent a message on the cellphone. The receiver’s Kazes.h.i.+ro.

“Sending.”

This short message’s sent over immediately.

“Hey Akitsuki.”

“Hm?”

“Do you have any troubles, if I may ask?’

“Hm.”

“If possible, please tell me.”

“Right now, I’m bothered that whenever I sleep in the infirmary, this teacher will just get onto the bed to sleep with me.”

It’s the spring, the sakuras blooming, and the weather’s clear.

I skipped cla.s.s, and came to take a nap in the infirmary. For some reason though, I’m woken up by the idiot nursing teacher who’s smiling at me from up close. Ehh, what’s with you?”

“Kukuku. Sorry about that. Your sleeping face is cute, Akitsuki, so I can’t looking at you.”

“Enough with that.”

Higumo gives me a smile, and I immediately blush, inadvertently looking away. She probably finds it interesting, as she covers her mouth and starts to giggle. After some silence, she says,

“But time really pa.s.sed by. It’s been a year, hasn’t it?’

“Hm? What?”

“It’s been a year since the time when you first came to see me, no?”

“Ah.”

I see. If it wasn’t for what happened a year ago, I probably wouldn’t be here. Besides, I won’t be looking for her.

“Anyway, get out. Not a good thing to be seen now.”

“I refuse. It’s rare to get such opportunities.”

Higumo says, hugging me with a cheery face. Ah, that’s enough already, d.a.m.n it. I don’t like it, but it seem like a waste to break free. d.a.m.n it.

“Hey, Akitsuki, I got a request.”

“What?”

Probably some ridiculous request anyway, so I thought, and I retorted back.

And as expected, her reply’s stupid.

“Want to do it with sensei?”

“…Again with that?”

Higumo pointed her index finger at her opened collar, and blew at my ears, giving off a mature alluring charm. What the heck, we young folks are growing every day, and this woman hasn’t changed at all.

“Do you want to?”

“Of course. But I won’t.”

“Fufu. How dishonest of you. Hm? That was for real?”

I can’t be bothered with you. Seriously, get out already.

“A year huh?”

However, Higumo ignored my wishes. She started to mutter with a nostalgic look.

“It’s been a long while. No, kind of short, isn’t it?”

“What’s with you? What are you mumbling about?”

“Kuku. Actually, sensei here is going to resign.”

The sudden news left me speechless. Eh, wh-why at this moment–

“My job is done. However, someone else will continue the mission. It’s a pity that the promise ends without being fulfilled. This is a challenge for the children. I do suppose–there is such kindness on this world, isn’t there/”

“Huh? What?”

Eh, what are you saying? No, more importantly, you say you’re going to resign–

“Akitsuki.”

Higumo ignores my confused stated, and stands up,

The hair flows, and the pretty m.u.f.fler fluttered.

With a childish–yet piercing voice, she whispered,

“You need to continue being kind.”

“Huh?”

My cheek’s touched by the soft, boneless-like hand.

Seeing me s.p.a.ce out, Higumo again smiles, and undoes the m.u.f.fler, walking out of the infirmary.

“…This is ridiculous.”

I, remaining in the infirmary, can only s.p.a.ce out and watch her leave. I just feel like my thoughts got rattled.

“…Time to return to cla.s.s, i guess.”

It’s a bit weird to be remaining standing stupidly in the empty infirmary, so I decide to return to cla.s.s.

I pull the door aside, and turn to look back at the infirmary.

And again–I feel a little lonely not hearing these words,

“…I’m not cutting my hair.”

I silently close the door, and say these words.

These are the last words I exchanged with Higumo.

Like a proper high school student, preparing for exams, I pa.s.s this day as usual.

“I’m back.”

After school, I return home, and walk into my room.

I’m back to my usual quiet daily life like before. However, it just feels that there’s a large hole opened in the room, or maybe it’s just me.

“…”

I look around. There are pentabs, anime blue-rays, figurines, ero-games, bolsters, manga, doujins, BL novels, and all kinds of things. Then, there’s also a notebook.

Naturally, there’s no reply to the journal entry I wrote two days ago. I knew that would happen. I saw everything Hikari Yumesaki wanted to say on the letter in the rain. When yesterday ended, Hikari Yumesaki ended. The cute words, the pranks that drove me crazy, the outlandish reports, the ridiculous rules, the cute ill.u.s.trations, none of them will appear in this notebook again.

“Ehh, not like I can do anything about it.”

I kept repeating such thoughts in my mind, but in the end, I closed the journal to avoid having any lingering thoughts. It’s not good to keep thinking about it.

“Now then, time to start. I’m prepping for college anyway.”

I try to coax myself so as to change my mood. Thanks to this year, my grades really slipped. To be honest, it feels like I was playing around for half the year.

Anyway, I finally manage to return to my usual daily life–and so a week pa.s.s.

Why is this happening? I a.s.sume that I’ll be a mental wreck due to anguish, but I never expect myself to accept this current situation so easily. Of course, there are times where I feel lonely. When I wake up in the morning, I’ll find my room all neat and tidy, and with people around me saying stuff i know, it just feels weird to me. Not having to write a journal before I sleep makes me feel that I’m missing something. Sometimes, I just feel powerless for moments, as though I’ve woken up from a wonderful dream. However, I haven’t sighed about it.

Surely it’s because of the last letter she left behind for me.

Don’t cry, smile.

I knew it was because of these words supporting my inner heart that I was able to continue living on enthusiastically. Even until the very end, she lived on for my sake.

–However,

I can no longer open the exchange journal.

Back in the day, whenever I woke up, I would open the journal Hikari Yumesaki and I shared. Right now, even if I open it, there won’t be any new content, I guess, only the memories she once left behind. But for some reason, I can’t open it.

Because I know.

That if I’m to open it–and see the words she wrote, surely,

Something might collapse,

……

“Nn…”

Sunday arrives. The sun rises, and I wake up. I take a look at the date on the cellphone, see that it’s Sunday, and scan the room in a blur. What’s going on? I just feel so refreshed on a Sunday after spending Sat.u.r.day. So a week is this long?

“… Time to do some cleaning up.”

This is the room where Hikari Yumesaki and I spent time together.

I want to make memories, and leave the stuff that person bought or got from somewhere untouched, but it feels like I’m basically admitting that I have longing feelings for them. Memories are memories, to be left buried in the heart. At the very least, I should at least revert my room to how it’s like before.

“Alright, time to get pumped up!”

I shout, quickly finish my breakfast, wash my face, and change into comfy clothes. This motivation is important. It’s pointless to remain dejected all the time; I still need to live on.

With such determination, I start to clean up. I’m mentally prepared, but there’s still a lot of work.

Either way, there’s way too much stuff. If I’m to do a clean up as usual, I guess I’ll be done in a short while, but with so much, I’ll be done at sunset if I do this seriously.

So, to heck with being serious. Rather than a cleanup, I might as well say that it’s a full shakeup–with such thoughts, I start to clean up my room little by little. It’s been a while since I cleaned up my room like this–

“Hm?”

Suddenly, something flutters out. While I’m thinking of a way to stuff the manga into Hikari Yumesaki’s personal shelf, something flutters out from between the books.

“A note?”

I have a look at the thing that fell onto the floor. So it’s a folded piece of paper, and there seems to be something written on it. I pick it up; what’s written in there–

“Hikari shows up after being forgotten! It’s amazing that you managed to find this hidden Hikari! As to be expected of you, partner!”

Ah–

“This…”

The next moment, I can’t be bothered.

I start looking around the room, and I find papers stuck under the carpet, in the creases of the chair, at the back of the clock.

When did she stick them? When did she put so many–

Countless bits of papers are stuck at every corner of the room. The other half that I so love–

“Ohhh! You’re able to find Hikari even after she’s hiding here! As to be expected of you, Sakamoto!”

“Ehehe! This is an afterimage of Hikari!”

“Even if you find me, there’ll be a second, third Hikari appearing…”

“Even though I’m found, there’s still more coming after me!”

“You idiot! I’m a shadow clone!”

“…!”

The paper slips aren’t only in the room. They’re also in the corners of the washroom, the corners of the hung scrolls, beneath the table in the living room.

The house I lived in with her, one by one–

“Ah…”

My eyes catch sight of one of the bits, and with pretty handwriting, the words written are,

“The name written on this note shall die after obeying Hikari’s order.”

“…”

“Akitsuki Sakakmoto, you died once in Hikari’s place. After that, Hikari was completely revived. So, forget Hikari and live on happily. Please continue to live on happily.”

“–!”

No, I can’t cry. Got to hold it in.

Didn’t I make a promise? I can’t cry. She and I–“

“Brother…?”

“Woah!?”

Suddenly, I hear a shout, and recoil in shock. I turn around, and find Yukiko behind me.

Th-that shocked me. What’s going on?

“What ar eyou doing? You’ve been looking around everywhere.”

“Eh, ah, yeah…”

Got to find a way to bluff her. Hold it, try to bluff her,

“W-well. I’m packing things up,. I’ll be done immediately.”

I try my best to tweak my tone. That’s close, but I should be able to pull a fast one.

–However,

“…”

“Yukiko?”

My answer doesn’t seem wrong, but why does Yukiko look surprised?

And her face starts to look sad.

“Brother.”

“Hm?”

“Erm, it’s late to ask this now, but I’m curious to what you said before…what you’re doing now has nothing to do with what you said, right…?”

“Hm? Ah, what?”

“I really thought hard about it, but I don’t get what you mean at all. I’m really curious.”

Looks like Hikari Yumesaki said some strange stuff to Yukiko. What happened.

“Erm, what did I say?”

“You said,on that day, ‘tomorrow, I will die, and your brother will revive, so relax’. I can’t get what you mean at all.”

“–“

Those words…

“E-even if it’s a joke, don’t die or anything. I heard that those who want to die will look clean up the stuff around them. What you’re doing now has nothing to do with that, right brother?”

“–!…”

–I finally obtained a delinquent's body I always wanted! I now fear nothing!

–Yukiko got a boyfriend!

–Okay, based on Hikari-styled's majority vote, it's decided that I'm not the one at fault~

–One day, the two of us will go see mama, right?

–Ehehe. It’s great to be in your body❤

“…”

“Yukiko’s sensitive to such things, so please don’t say such strong things. Don’t say anything strange whenever you want to. As-as punishment, brother, today, you must–“

–Kyu.

“Eh–!?”

I can’t help but hug Yukiko.