Chapter 30: 2.4

After a while, the loud sound of the fireworks had ceased.

 

I looked away from Shiina and saw the last spark scattering through the sky.

 

I ended up only seeing the very first and last spark. But I had no regrets since I got to spend all the time sitting next to Shiina. Overall, I felt satisfied already.

 

What about Shiina, though?

 

I wonder if she felt the same way as me?

 

Thinking that, I turned my gaze toward her and saw a drop of tear running down her cheek.

 

Then, water droplets slid through her smooth cheeks and fell into the ground.

 

She was crying.

 

“…Shiina?”

“…Can you move your hand away?”

 

I lifted my hand that had been placed on top of hers.

 

Her warmth still lingered in my palm. After all, I had been holding her hand for a long time.

 

Shiina shook her head.

 

“We can’t do this. We are friends, aren’t we? Friends aren’t supposed to do something like this…”

 

She was right.

 

We weren’t like Shinji and Yuuka. We weren’t supposed to be that close.

 

“…Stop doing things that’ll cause misunderstandings.”

 

Said Shiina before she took some distance from me.

 

“I don’t want to betray you…”, she continued.

 

Among the people who were immersed in the afterglow of the fireworks, we were the only ones who were cut off from the rest of them.

 

“…Sorry.”

“…You don’t need to apologize.”

 

After that, I never took a glance at her again.

 

I didn’t know what kind of face she was making.

 

In any case, we achieved our goal for today, watching the fireworks.

 

And so, we went back home. Shiina called a taxi and I went to the parking lot to grab my bike.

 

I finally mustered the courage to ask her out on a date, but it turned horribly wrong, somehow.

 

Shiina refused to let me become closer to her.

 

I guess that meant she just liked me as a friend. She had no attachment to me romantically.

 

In other words, I got rejected.

 

It took a few hours for me to come to terms with that reality.

 

*   *   *

 

Shiina’s PoV

 

The credits started playing.

 

Several sobbing voices could be heard from our surroundings. It seemed like a lot of people were moved by the movie.

 

They said that this movie was one of the most popular romance movies and I could see why. The production quality was high and the two main characters were likable. But to me, it felt somewhat empty.

 

As the room brightened up, the silence gradually broke down.

 

“That was great…”

 

Shindou-san said while smiling.

 

Meanwhile, Kirishima-san was crying so hard that I couldn’t even tell what she was trying to say.

 

“Sniff… Sho… Ghood!…”

 

Hearing her sobs, Shindou-san giggled.

 

“Calm down first. Here, use my handkerchief.”

 

Kirishima-san wiped her tears with the handkerchief. In a normal situation, I’d most likely cry as hard as she did, that was how good the movie was.

 

But my current situation wasn’t normal. There was something that bothered me, deep in my heart.

 

It felt like I was looking at myself from inside a cage.

 

The cause of this feeling was most likely the night of the fireworks festival.

 

On that day, Godou and I watched the fireworks together while holding hands.

 

Back then, I felt really happy.

 

I realized how much I loved him.

 

But, I had to force my feelings from becoming bigger than it currently was.

 

Thanks to that, I feel empty these days.

 

“…I’m tired of crying.”

 

Kirishima-san’s eyes swelled as she flopped her body to her chair.

 

Shindou-san shrugged her shoulders. Meanwhile, I giggled at the sight.

 

I envied Kirisihma-san’s empathy, although I wouldn’t want any right now.

 

“Anyway, let’s take a break first.”

 

Neither Kirishima-san nor I had any objections to Shindou-san’s proposal.

 

*   *   *

 

The theater was attached to a shopping mall, so the food corner was within a walking distance. When we got there, most of the seats were occupied by students like us. Luckily, we managed to find an empty seat near the window. Since I was thirsty, I bought tea, meanwhile Shindou-san and Kirishima-san bought crepes for themselves. I didn’t order any food because I had eaten my lunch before watching the movie and—

 

I shouldn’t say anything more. I’ll make myself feel depressed.

 

“Mm! So tasty! Good food, good movies, summer vacation is the best time to be alive!”

 

Kirishima-san looked so happy when she said that.

 

“But, you have to do your club activities tomorrow don’t you, Hina?”

“Don’t remind me of that! I’ve been trying to keep my mind off of it!”

“Haha~ Poor you~ Lucky that me and Mai-chan are members of going-home club~”

 

Shindou-san smiled at me.

 

“Yeah. I don’t have part-time jobs, so I just spent my days reading.”

“In my case, I hang out with my other friends every day.”

 

Shindou-san always had this calm and relaxing atmosphere around her. It made me feel comfortable.

 

“…Or not, that was a lie. Actually, I spent my days lazing around in my room.”

“Hahaha, me too. Aside from reading, I’d laze around while watching random videos on MeTube.”

 

I nodded to Yuuka-san’s words.

 

Meanwhile, Kirishima-san was staring at us in jealousy.

 

“You could just quit your club, but you don’t want to do that, right?”

“…Yeah. I mean, it’s fun and I want to win…”

 

Kirishima-san’s voice was a tone lower than usual, but that made her sound cooler.

 

“So cool.”

 

When I involuntarily said what was in my mind, Kirishima-san shook her head shyly and said, “S-Stop that.”

 

“S-So cute…”

“I-I told you to stop!”

“Haha, Mai-chan knows how to deal with Hina now~”

“I’m just telling her the truth, though.”

“Ngh!”

 

Kirishima-san’s reaction was quite extreme.

 

I was taken aback by that, but Shindou-san was just looking at her calmly. After a while, Kirishima-san coughed with a red face and tried to change the topic of the conversation.

 

“Anyway, I thought you were busy with your cram school, Yuuka?”

“Not really. I only need to attend it three times a week, so I have a lot of free time.”

“…You go to cram school, Shindou-san?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, we’re in our second year now and after summer vacation, we’ll enter the second term. It’s about time to think about our university entrance exam. I figured I’d do more studying, so I decided to go to cram school for the time being.”

“I triggered an annoying conversation…”

 

Kirishima-san covered both her ears with her hands. But it was Kirishima-san we were talking about, even though she acted like this, she probably studied properly every day.

 

Meanwhile, the matter of the entrance exam didn’t even slip in my mind.

 

In fact, I never really thought about my future.

 

After all, I knew that I’d never be happy in my life. A witch wasn’t an existence that deserved to be happy, so there was no point in thinking about the future. But, now I realized that I was allowed to be happy, thanks to Godou.

 

Thinking about Godou, my chest started to ache.

 

The future… My happiness…

 

I imagined the scene that’d make me feel the happiest.

 

It didn’t take me long to imagine it. After all, it was my biggest wish.

 

To become lovers with Godou. The scene where we treated each other lovingly would be enough to make me feel happy.

 

“…Mai-chan?”

 

Kirishima-san’s voice brought me back to reality.

 

“Are you okay? You look distressed.”

 

Shindou-san was also looking at me with a concerned expression.

 

“Sorry, I have to go to the toilet…”

 

I managed to deceive them with a smile and ran away to the toilet.

 

Anyway, I should calm down first.

 

*   *   *

 

I sat on the bench by the toilet and let out a deep sigh.

 

After a lot of thinking, my previously messed up emotions were gradually cooling down.

 

…Just a bit more, and I’ll be back to normal again.

 

This overflowing emotion of mine could be contained in a cage.

 

As a witch, repressing my own emotion was something that I was good at.

 

But, before that…

 

“…Mai-chan.”

 

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Kirishima-san called out to me.

 

“Sorry, did I worry you?”

“Don’t be sorry.”

 

Her voice sounded so gentle. She then sat beside me.

 

“You’ve been absent-minded all day long.”

 

So she noticed…

 

“Ah, I’m not mad at you or anything. Did something happen between you and Godou?…”

 

I couldn’t give her an answer. It seemed like she took my silence as an affirmation.

 

“You went to the fireworks festival with him, didn’t you?”

“…Yeah. Did he tell you that?”

“Yeah. Since we always go there together, he probably thought that it’d be better to tell me about it.”

 

…I wonder why Godou told Kirishima-san that he chose to be with me rather than her.

 

Nevertheless, this kind of development wasn’t something that I wanted.

 

“…I don’t know.”

 

I felt stupid for letting myself indulge in such a dirty desire. Anyway, after reaffirming my relationship with Godou, the atmosphere started to get better.

 

Godou was my friend, nothing more, nothing less.

 

‘Be my friend.’

 

Those words that saved me at that time.

 

I wanted to cherish those words, the words that he chose to define his relationship with me.

 

That was why I had to abandon my arrogance, my wish to become lovers with him.

 

“…I see. So Godou failed.”

“…Failed?”

 

Kirishima-san’s words confused me. I tilted my head and asked her.

 

Instead of answering me, she blinked her eyes in surprise.

 

“Could it be… You haven’t noticed?”

“?”

 

I tilted my head even deeper, to the point that my neck hurt. 

 

Seeing my response, Kirishima-san placed her hand on her chin.

 

“I don’t think it’s a good idea if I were to tell you. I’ll keep quiet for now.”

“…Since you’ve told me this much, it’s unfair to keep me hanging like that.”

“Sorry. Things between you two went differently than I thought…”

 

Again with words that I failed to understand.

 

It seemed like she knew something about Godou that I wasn’t aware of. Honestly, it irritated me a little, but the feeling was suppressed by my anxiety.

 

“…Kirishima-san, what do you think of Godou?”

 

Those words slipped out of my mouth.

 

I didn’t know why I asked that question.

 

But, I had a feeling that if I were to go back in time, I’d still ask her the same question.

 

Silence enveloped us.

 

Then, Kirishima-san smiled. There was a tinge of loneliness in that smile.

 

“…What do you mean?”
“You know…”

 

I thought my question was clear enough.

 

Though, I knew what her answer was. There was no need for me to ask this question at all in the first place.

 

“Are you asking me if I like him as a man?”

 

Her question made me freeze in place. I couldn’t move my mouth to respond.

 

“Why are you asking me that, anyway?”

“I’m just curious…”

“It isn’t like you like him anyway, right, Mai-chan? So, why?”

 

Right, I told her that back then.

 

The day before the fireworks festival, I told her that there was no way I’d fall in love with Godou.

 

“…Well, yeah, I don’t like him.”

 

I only asked her out of curiosity, nothing more.

 

There should be nothing more to it. Right?…

 

“Then…”

 

Kirishima-san stopped mid-sentence.

 

She seemed to be hesitant to continue her sentence, which was unusual for her.

 

Was something wrong?

 

I looked up and saw her looking at me with a serious face.

 

“…Is it okay for me to go out with Godou?”

 

I couldn’t breathe.

 

Just imagining that scene felt painful.

 

Still, no matter how many times I thought about it, the two of them were well matched.

 

She was the perfect person to stand next to him.

 

Unlike me who always needed his help, Kirishima-san was someone who was able to help him whenever he needed it.

 

They had known each other since they were little. They were childhood friends.

 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they got together?

 

“…Go ahead.”

 

He gave me happiness.

 

So, I should give him happiness in return.

 

Kirishima-san should be able to give him bigger happiness than I ever could.

 

This would be the best development.

 

A happy ending for him.

 

After a lot of thinking, this was the answer that I came up with.

 

“To answer your earlier question…”

 

For some reason, Kirishima-san looked as if she was about to cry.

 

But, she never did. With a strong tone, she continued,

 

“I love him. I love Shiraishi Godou. Out of everyone in this world, I love him the most.”

 

I knew it.

 

But why did her words hurted me more than a slash of a blade did?

 

Still, I had to bear with this pain. It was my punishment for having such feelings.

 

“…Sorry, Mai-chan.”

 

For some reason, Kirishima-san apologized to me in a trembling voice.

 

Why did you make that kind of a face? Why did you apologize to me?

 

I don’t understand. I just want her love to be requited.

 

She knew Godou better than me, she knew him longer than me, she deserved this.

 

And so, I encouraged her and said, “Good luck.”

 

*   *   *

 

There laid the headless body of the hero.

 

No, he wasn’t a hero anymore. Rather, it was the headless body of a foolish man who betrayed the world because he was seduced by the witch.

 

Apparently, he was decapitated on an execution platform in the town square.

 

The executor was someone from the church and the citizens were watching his execution.

 

The square, which had been in a frenzy, suddenly became enveloped in silence after my sudden appearance.

 

After I was informed of the hero’s execution, I immediately teleported myself here. 

 

I prayed that I wouldn’t be late, but it seemed like that was futile.

 

“What an idiot…”

 

I muttered with blood running down from the tip of my mouth.

 

From my side, blood was pouring like a stream because of the deep wound I had suffered.

 

…It seemed like I would join him soon.

 

After I heard of his execution, my enemy used the opening to inflict a fatal wound on me.

 

The guards who were about to detain me stopped after seeing my wounds. They probably were wondering, how could I still be alive. Everyone was looking at me as if they were looking at someone terrifying.

 

In the middle of those gazes, I kneeled next to the hero.

 

Even at the end of his life, he failed to attain happiness.

 

All because he tried to save me. If only he chose the correct choice back then, to kill me, he’d probably be living in happiness right now. This wasn’t the kind of ending I wanted.

 

Then again, I wouldn’t be able to make him happy.

 

And the same goes for him, he wouldn’t be able to make me happy.

 

Still, probably we could suffer through the unhappiness together.

 

Gradually, my consciousness faded and I fell down next to his corpse.

 

His blood was covered by mine.

 

“…May your next life be a happy one.”

 

With my last ounce of strength, I casted the reincarnation magic on him.

 

That was the end of my previous life’s memory.

 

It was the end of our story. A bad end.

 

It was the end of the witch who brought unhappiness to everyone around her.

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