You’re sure to find what you want on the other side of the magic door

It was the second day of the school festival and the last

morning of second semester, with the closing ceremony at

midday.

"First off, congratulations. You finally did it."

Hinami's smile was kind, and her eyes were full of good

wishes, with no trace of their usual harsh sharpness.

"Yeah…thanks." I glanced away, feeling kind of shy.

As always, we were in Sewing Classroom #2, the room

where it all began.

I was telling my teacher in life that Kikuchi-san and I

were dating.

She lifted one eyebrow and one side of her mouth.

"Reeling her in by using your position as cocreator of the

script. Not a bad strategy at all," she teased.

"Hey, that's not what I was doing!"

I chuckled. That was a hell of a way to compliment me for

finally reaching a major checkpoint. Her mean joke needled

at my habit of overthinking, but I was in such a good mood

that it didn't even bother me.

"But thank you, Hinami, for your help."

"My help?"

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She tilted her head in confusion at my earnestness.

"It's thanks to you that I was able to get here."

"…Hmm. Well, you're welcome."

Brushing off my thanks, she rested her chin lightly on her

palm. I'm sure I was only imagining that she glanced away

for a second.

"I just wanted to prove to you that I'm right."

"Right, I forgot."

That brusque reply was so typically her that I couldn't

help laughing dryly. Was she being disingenuous, or were

those her true feelings? Whichever it was, I didn't dislike

that chilly part of her personality so much anymore.

"But anyway. You can admit now that your character's

stats have improved, right?"

"My stats, huh?"

Thinking back, I realized everything had started with

those two words.

I'd met NO NAME, and she'd told me exactly what she

thought of me—which was that I sucked.

I said some characters were just better than others, and

that's why things weren't going well for me. Those

differences couldn't be overcome.

I was a bottom-tier character.

She'd seized on my argument, taken me to her house, and

proposed that I put in the effort to improve my character.

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And now here I was, having achieved that goal so fully

that no one could tell me I hadn't.

A huge success indeed.

"Shit, you really do hate to lose," I grumbled.

"Come on, are you really one to talk?"

"Ha-ha-ha. Guess you're right."

We laughed together as two extremely competitive

gamers. I respected her as a teacher, but I was also confident

I could catch her off guard now and then.

I was probably only able to pull that off because I was

nanashi and she was NO NAME.

"But seriously, thank you."

"That's your second thank-you," she teased, snorting.

"Sh-shut up! I said it twice because it's important!"

"Oh, no, the more important something is, the more you

have to put all your feelings into saying it the first time.

Otherwise, your words start to lose all meaning."

"Ugh, fine…"

Even at a moment like this, I had to admit she probably

had a point.

"But you're right," she added with a wicked smile, like a

little girl who had just come up with a practical joke. "To

balance it out, I'd better say my part again, too."

She pierced my eyes with her own dizzyingly attractive

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gaze.

"Tomozaki-kun. Congratulations."

She spoke in a warm, soft voice, clearly using her skill

with tone.

Her gentle gaze, like that of a mother watching over her

child, left me a little bashful.

"…Thanks." I earnestly accepted her words and told

myself that behind the constructed mask and tone were

genuine feelings.

"Well, on to your next assignment."

"Damn it, I knew you were going to say that."

She was so completely predictable sometimes; it was both

reassuring and frustrating.

"Of course I am. You might not understand, since you've

never had a social life before, but real life isn't like a

romance novel or a movie about young love. Agreeing to

date is only the beginning. Did you know that if you stay

together all the way to graduation a year or so from now,

people will be stunned? High school relationships often

don't last."

"Oof… I guess so."

The picture of reality she painted was terrifying. Stories

might be stories, but this was the story of life.

"Did you forget the big goal I set for you?"

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"…No."

Of course I remembered it.

"I'm supposed to get as good at this as you, right?"

She nodded. "So you can't just focus on love. Apparently,

on the Internet, a lot of people equate having a girlfriend

with being a normie, but that's an oversimplification. The

high-level normies have a lot more going for them than that,

right?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Truth be told, unless she was hiding it from me, Hinami

didn't have a boyfriend herself. But no one would call her a

loser. Anyway, if she wanted one, she could probably find

someone in fifteen minutes or so.

But I had something else on my mind.

I was wondering about "high-level normies."

"Hey, Hinami?"

After our showdown in the summer, I'd said something to

her. This idea of "what you really want" is key in all sorts of

games, life included. Letting that guide you forward is what

makes those games fun in the truest sense of the word. I

swore that one day, I'd prove to her that it was a real thing.

Of course, I still hadn't come up with proof for its

existence that I could confront her with.

It wasn't the sort of thing you could do overnight, and it

might not even be provable with logic, where she reigned

supreme.

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But all the same, clues were lying all over the dungeons of

the game of life.

That's why I had to go along collecting tablet fragments,

crystals, and jewels, and trying to open the door to the next

world. You never knew when you'd find the key that solved

everything—the right item at the right time, just when you

least expected it.

So right now, I wanted to take the first step.

And I wanted to take it with this magician.

"There's somewhere I want to take you."

* * *

"Man, Fumiya! I knew you'd do it eventually, but not this

soon!"

I was in our classroom before homeroom.

Mizusawa, Nakamura, and Takei had surrounded me and

were jabbing my whole body with their elbows and fists.

"Everyone could tell something was up." Nakamura's

even, white teeth glittered as he spoke. By the way, his hair

was back to its usual bleach-blond color.

"I know! You guys were working on that project together,

like, all the time! And this wasn't your first time teaming up,

was it?!" Somehow, Takei looked super excited and

disappointed at the same time. He was using more words

than usual, and I was having trouble following.

"Y-yeah, I guess so."

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The night before, after Kikuchi-san and I decided to start

dating, I figured I'd better at least tell Mizusawa. I sent him

a LINE message, wondering what would happen in the

morning…and here we were. Okay, so I expected something

like this, but damn, guys sure are merciless when they get

going.

I shot Mizusawa a resentful glance, but he just laughed.

"Hey, it's not like you're doing anything wrong, so why hide

it? They'd find out eventually."

"Yeah, I know…"

"So putting it all out there right away is your best bet,

don't you think?"

"I guess so…?" He can convince me of anything in almost

no time at all—he's like Hinami that way.

Pretty soon, Nakamura's other bros caught wind of the

ruckus, and I was the man of the hour.

"No way!! Tomozaki has a girlfriend?!"

"Seriously?! Was it the festival?!"

Daichi Matsumoto, Kyoya Hashiguchi, and some other

normie guys were now poking me along with Nakamura,

Mizusawa, and Takei. I'm sure they didn't even know I

existed until I started training and walking home with

Hinami's crew.

"K-Kikuchi-san…? R-really…"

But what stuck in my mind most of all was Tachibana's

quiet, helpless reaction when he heard the news.

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* * *

Later that day, after the closing ceremony, I was on my

way home from Kitayono Station.

"Ah…so that's what happened." Mimimi seemed to guess

everything, said and unsaid.

"…Uh-huh."

"So it all went well! Nice job, Mr. Stubborn Top Gamer!"

"Uh…yeah."

It was so cold, I wouldn't have been surprised if it started

snowing. The two of us were the only ones in sight.

We were walking home together on our usual route.

"I told her how I felt, and she said she'd go out with me…"

"Uh-huh… After all, you chose her," Mimimi replied sadly,

kicking a stone by the side of the road. I felt like I'd seen her

shrinking in on herself that way before.

"Yeah. That's what I wanted to do."

Mimimi, who had battled Hinami with me.

Mimimi, who was always so spontaneous and fun

whenever we talked.

Mimimi, who'd told me how she felt.

And—who'd pushed me forward when I wanted to give up.

She was my friend, one who was so important to me. She

turned toward me with a smile that was bright and teasing,

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yet it seemed ready to vanish any second.

"Brain, you're a real jerk! Such a playboy!"

"Hey…that's not true…"

She'd told me her feelings, but I started dating another

girl without ever giving her an answer. I couldn't really deny

her accusation.

"I guess, like, this is what happens when I try too hard to

be sincere…"

I wasn't sure how to explain, but I put together some

words anyway.

Mimimi interrupted loudly, seemingly wanting to change

the subject. "Oh, just forget about it! I understand anyway!

You're Tomozaki; I'm sure you thought it all through way

more than I did and made a sensible decision."

"…Mimimi."

"And…I'm sure you really considered me, too! I know!"

"…Sorry," I mumbled.

"Don't apologize! No one did anything wrong!" she

answered cheerfully.

"I—I guess not. Sorry," I said, accidentally apologizing

again.

She pouted and poked my shoulder. "Argh, it's annoying!

I don't wanna hear it!"

"Ouch! Okay, okay…I get it."

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Mimimi smiled suddenly like she felt all better, then blew

out a puff of white air as if to let out her warm feelings. "But

to be totally honest…I still like you."

"…Yeah."

"I didn't fall for you on the spur of the moment… You'd be

surprised, but I can be pretty serious about this stuff."

I nodded without saying anything, taking in her words.

She seemed outgoing and loud on the surface, but in reality,

she was smart and worried about a lot of things, and her

feelings were sincere and honest.

I knew that about her.

That's why I didn't apologize again or say something nice

just for the sake of politeness. I had to just let her speak and

hear her.

"So anyway, don't worry about what happened this time.

And I won't, either. Okay?"

"…Okay."

Her resolute profile was full of a strength that seemed to

take everything in and then laugh it all off.

More than anything, I was proud that a girl like her had

fallen for me.

"—But listen."

Mimimi walked a few feet in front of me and then spun

around.

Somehow, the gaze she turned on me was both looking

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toward the past and boundlessly optimistic.

Her eyes were overflowing with emotions I knew she

couldn't even make sense of herself, joy and sorrow all at

once—and she said this.

"If you think I'll like you forever, you're wrong! Silly

Brain!"

With that, she ran off, and all I could do was watch her go.

* * *

It was the end of December, and winter break had started

a few days earlier.

I was at the café I'd been to with Kikuchi-san once before.

The two of us were sitting there in that odd little

restaurant, with its retro vibe and displays of colorful sake

jars and Western-style knickknacks. Now that I think of it,

Hinami was the one who told me about it. I'm so indebted to

her.

"Yes…this is very good."

As usual, Kikuchi-san ordered the omurice, and I ordered

the cheese hamburger—guess a certain someone's tastes in

food are contagious.

"This is good, too. Look at the cheese; it's just dripping

off."

Wait, wasn't this when we were supposed to trade bites?

But that didn't happen, and instead, we went along in our

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usual gentle mode. This was our safe zone.

We talked about a lot of stuff—the play, since we never

really got a chance after the performance; what we'd been

thinking about since we started talking; and how life used to

be before we met.

I realized I hardly knew anything about Kikuchi-san, and I

hadn't told her much about myself, either.

We had a bottomless well of topics.

After we finished eating, I went to the restroom, and when

I came back, I noticed something on the table.

A stack of A4 paper.

Printed on the first page were the words On the Wings of

the Unknown.

"…The script?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, it's the rest of the short-story

version."

"Ah…"

That's right.

The play our class performed for the school was based on

an unfinished story.

The story was only partly written when she adapted it as a

script and came up with an ending for the play. But she'd

never finished the story version.

Now she had.

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"I finished the original story… I'd love if you would read

it."

She shyly held the manuscript out to me, more

embarrassed than I'd ever seen her.

I'd already read it a million times, so why would she be

blushing like that just because it was the short-story

version?

"…What's the matter?" I asked.

"Um," she said, looking panicked, but since we always had

conversations like this, she seemed to resign herself and

started explaining. "Um, actually…this isn't the official

version; it's something I wrote for myself."

"For yourself?"

She nodded. "You told me I should be true to my feelings."

"…Uh-huh."

"So this isn't the official version…but I decided to write

this version how I wanted it, not based on what's best for

that world—but what's best for me."

Her moist eyes were incredibly human, so I was sure that

they must be seeing a brilliantly colorful world.

"Okay. I'll read it today and text you what I think."

That was how our relationship was: respectful, mutually

understanding, comfortable.

None of that gentle, cozy feeling had gone away just

because we were dating.

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Or so I thought.

"…No, that's not what I want."

"What?"

Her cheeks were as red as candy apples, and her words

revealed just the tiniest bit of the hidden emotions exploding

inside her. My emotions were rising, too.

"I want to hear what you think here and now." She hit me

right in the tenderest part of my heart. "I-I'll wait."

I wasn't sure if it was because we were dating, or because

she'd decided to be true to her own desires, but…

"I'll sit here quietly and wait while you read it…but I'd like

to hear your impressions directly…"

…Kikuchi-san had gained the ability to ask for something

just a tiny bit selfish.

"O-okay. If you insist…"

"…Yes," she replied in a happy, soft voice. Then she bowed

in my direction. "I'm…very glad."

Somehow, that exchange made me truly feel that we were

dating.

She was irresistibly cute.

Sometimes, we climbed slowly over short walls, and

sometimes, we accidentally jumped over high ones too

quickly.

I was sure our relationship would go on like that,

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sometimes going well and sometimes less so.

"Hee-hee… This is fun, isn't it?!"

A relationship between a girl called Fuka Kikuchi—and

me, her first boyfriend.

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* * *

I was back home in my bedroom.

Smiling wryly at the LINE message on my phone from

Hinami asking [How'd it go?], I dived onto my bed. She

could ask me all she wanted, but there was no way I could

sum it up in one word—my brain was way past capacity.

"…Oh yeah."

Just then, I remembered something.

Before I told her the details of our date, there was

something else I wanted to let her know.

I mean, I was positive this other thing would catch her

completely off guard.

I whipped my exhausted body into action and typed into

the reply box.

I finished all the goals.

But I did it in a different way than she imagined.

After making sure the message was sent, I let the tension

drain from my body.

Everything that happened that day, every word we

exchanged, every expression I saw Kikuchi-san make for the

first time…it was all so overwhelmingly precious to me, I felt

like I was going to explode with happiness.

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But that was what I'd decided I wanted—what I chose for

myself.

With all my heart, I wanted to keep this feeling forever.

Well then—I knew what to do.

I'd read that final scene in Kikuchi-san's story one more

time.

After all, it was the conclusion of the story that she and I

created together.

She'd written down her own feelings, and for me, that was

the greatest masterpiece in the world.