Chapter 2

"Ruuuuuuuun!!"

"-Aki-Kun, you're too fast!"

Right now, I, Yamada Aki, and my childhood friend Shinomiya Ayaka are running to school as fast as we can. Our hair is rustled up from the wind, our skin sweaty as we gasp for air—that's the kind of experience you get.

"I-I can no longer run, Aki-Kun... Just go away from me.

"Ayaka, don't give up! Take my hand, please!

I caught Ayaka's hand as she started to fall behind and lose speed, and I pulled her along as we ran. All to ensure that we get to the classroom in time to avoid being reprimanded. Our deadline was also drawing nearer, but so was school. A struggle for seconds took place. I also had a thought as I was dragging her behind me as I sprinted for my life.

"Eeeps!"

The moment the bottle touched her skin, she let out a flustered voice, only to immediately rub her cheek against it. Having enjoyed the cool sensation for a moment, she gulped down a good amount of it.

"Listen, I don't want to repeat myself over and over. You don't have to wait for me every single morning. Just go to school without me."

"Huh? But, our houses and high school are the exact same, so I wanna go together with you!"

"I'm shocked you can say that after being forced for a last-minute dash like this all the time…Well, if it's just me, I can even use my bike, so I can handle myself. But when I go with you, I have to get up early too, right?"

"But you don't get up early at all! Even today, we almost ended up late."

"…It works out every three days, so that's good enough."

I'm saying this for her sake. I'm trying hard to wake up on time so that I don't have to force her through another last-minute dash…but as you can see, effort isn't always repaid one to one. And regarding the whole bike argument, I don't have a problem with Ayaka riding together with me. The issue I take is with her skirt. When it flutters around because of the wind, I don't know where to look, and it's poison for my eyes. And granted, this could be resolved by properly tucking it beneath her legs, but she doesn't even realize that. Ever since I got a clean look at her panties, I've realized that I cannot let her ride together with me.

"It's so weird. You can't get up at all, and yet you run so fast. Haven't you even gotten faster lately? I don't feel like I can catch up to you!"

"Sure you just haven't gotten slower?"

"N-Not at all, hmph!"

Really? It sure feels that way to me, at least. In the past, I never really paid attention to that, but as our bodies grew apart, she started to look smaller. Not just in height, but in her hands, too. And I realized that yet again today when we held hands. With that thought in mind, I glanced at Ayaka again. She's got a slender body and snow-white skin. Her almond eyes were big as she looked around. Her hair was soft, tied up into two braids beneath her airs. Each time she moved her head, her hair shook gently. And whenever that catches my mind, I just want to ruffle her hair up.

You know, it's like an instinct you have with small animals. She always seems like she's above the clouds, yet has good reflexes (except when she falls). And whenever I look at her on a tiring day, I just want to rub her head. Yep.

"Aki-Kun? What happened? Why are you staring at me like this?"

The reason I want to touch her from time to time is that she's like an animal. But…To me, she's a childhood friend and someone like a little sister. The other guys say "Ayaka is cute," and "If you're not dating, then introduce me!" And it's true, Ayaka and I aren't dating. That's why I don't have any particular reason to decline that request. However…

"But I've got no girlfriend, so it would be no fun if you suddenly found yourself a boyfriend."

"What are you talking about now?!"

"I'm saying that neither of us is dating someone."

"But…we didn't even talk about that up to now?" Ayaka tilted her head in confusion, only to then ask me with a somewhat worried tone.

"…Do you want a girlfriend, Aki-Kun?"

"I mean, if it's between wanting one or not, then I definitely want one."

"I-I see…"

"What about you? We rarely talk about this, but do you ever think that you really wanted a boyfriend?"

I don't know why, but I just can't see her ever getting a boyfriend. I never hear her talking about other boys from our class, and if she's interested in any.

"You'll never get a boyfriend if you keep hanging out with a guy like me."

Unlike the always-cheerful Ayaka, I'm not really going around making friends. I only really kept her around, and I'm not the type who's too open with others. And the one friend I have is quite the weirdo.

"Do you not hate being with me, Ayaka?"

"Huh? Why would I? I don't hate it at all! In fact…I like it! I like it very much!"

"You like it? What the heck does that mean."

"I mean, I really don't mind! You're so kind, too, Aki-Kun!"

"Oh? The guy who forces you to run almost every morning is kind?"

"But you try to get up early at least once every three days."

"That's…not a good record to brag about. Whoever this guy is can't be a nice guy."

"You just tried to use that as an argument, though!"

It was a regular slapstick comedy act. Since we've known each other for years, we can have these kinds of nonchalant exchanges.

"…Y-You are kind, Aki-Kun. And I know how hard you work. The reason you sleep in every morning is that you help your family at home, right?"

My parents own a restaurant, so I regularly help set tables or wash dishes. That being said, I'm not doing it out of kindness, I get paid for it as an allowance. And yet, Ayaka seems to think I'm doing it out of sheer benevolence, as she sends me a warm gaze.

"A-And…when we have to run in the morning, you tend to grab my hand and pull me along…and that makes me h-happy, too."

"Morning, you two!"

Ayaka started mumbling something, which was eventually drowned out by an energetic voice.

"What's this, what's this? What were you talking about? Let me join in! Actually, just look at this! Tadaaa!"

The same voice now continued and showed me a pebble he found. This guy…at least is supposed to be my friend, but when I looked at the pebble that was just…a pebble with a shit-eating grin, I started regretting calling him my friend.

"Listen to this, Aki! I bought this a while ago! And it says this stone makes a devil grant any of your wishes! Ain't that amazing?!"

"That really is amazing, but how about you cool your damn head, you moron."

"Insulting me right off the bat?! Why?!"

"You came here bragging about this nonsense and didn't expect to get insulted?! Your brain works in mysterious ways even I don't understand!"

The boy who puffed his cheeks out at my retort was my other childhood friend, andmy only male friend, Kazama. And as you may have been able to filter out from this short exchange…this guy's an idiot.

"Why are you wasting money on a bogus like this?! Do you wanna go homeless in the future by throwing around your money?!"

"How rude, I'm not that stupid! And also, my dear Aki, I'm buying dreams! It's a dream!"

"You don't buy dreams. You grasp them with your own hands, dumbo."

"Huh?! That sounds hella cool! But, Aki! On the shop page online, it said that this stone has the devil slumbering inside! The devil! That's so romantic! How could I not buy one!"

"I don't get how your brain works. And I don't wanna know, either!"

"N-Now, now. Let's relax, Aki-Kun, Kazama-kun."

Ayaka observed our exchange for a brief moment only to get between us when things were about to get heated.

"You go tell him, Ayaka. He should buy a textbook instead of throwing away money for some nonsense like that. Might help his brain grow."

"A-Ahaha…But, the idea of a stone granting any wish does sound interesting."

"That's my Ayaka-chan! You really get it!"

Ayaka played good cop with Kazama, who laughed.

"All right! Since you're so kind, you can have this stone, Ayaka-chan!"

"Huh? But…you bought this because you wanted it, right?"

"No worries, no worries. I felt satisfied just buying it. And honestly, my room's getting cramped with all the stuff I bought, so good riddance!" He gave Ayaka a thumbs-up as he handed her the stone.

Sidenote here, his room is full of occult goods and all the related…Imagine weird statues, odd wands, fishy magic books, it's all full to the brim you can barely even walk through it. Honestly, all those goods are put away in much greater order than the room itself.

"Ayaka, you can just throw that thing down the river."

"A-Ahaha, but that'd be such a waste. Thanks, Kazama-kun, I'll gladly accept it."

"You're very welcome!"

"Don't waste any more money, okay?" I emphasized.

"I'm not wasting any money! Oh yeah, I bought a screaming straw doll together with this stone! It was 50% off, so I couldn't let that slip past me."

"You're already throwing more money out the window! And why does it have a screaming function?!"

"Like I said, it's not a waste! It's a necessary expense for the ritual at our occult club! And the screaming function actually works super easily by pressing the button, and it screams like a real person! Listen!"

Kazama didn't give me any time to decline as he pressed the small button on the back of the doll. Immediately after, you could hear terrifying screeches and screams of terror filling the classroom. Our classmates around us immediately glared at Kazama.

"God, that's so annoying! It's not "bring your object to class" time today!"

"It's always the same with this guy…"

Despite the usual grumbling and complaints of our classmates, there was a certain level of familiarity mixed in there. We're still in our first year of high school, and it's July 1st, no less. It's barely been three months, and they've already accepted the fact that he's a total weirdo who buys ridiculous stuff off the internet. And they fear him…in a bad way.

"Howzzat?! Pretty cool, right?!"

And worst of all, he's not even bothered by all the negative attention he gets, just jumping around like a little child on Christmas. It's like he was asking to be praised for his good work. Going that far, he's honestly starting to look a bit adorable with how oblivious he is. How does that even make sense? He should get chastised for good at least once. But for that reason, I also chose to keep quiet about the murderous shadow appearing behind him.

"Y'know, I think our next ritual is gonna be a huge success! Isn't that crazy? I'm so cool! I feel like I might be able to win against some devil or evil deity!"

"Oh, really now? So you think you can win against your teacher, Kusama?"

Kazama showed a confident grin but only for a split second as he froze up like an ice statue. Shortly after, a hand was placed on his head, belonging to our homeroom teacher. It was a gentle hand placement, but if I had to guess, that very hand could crush Kazama's head like a ripe apple. The devilish aura from behind Kazama said as much, too.

"Hahaha…Causing problems each and every single damn week…Maybe I should send you down to hell so that you can repent for your actions…"

"N-No, please! I may be interested in occult stuff, but hell and all that is outside my area of expertise!"

"I don't wanna hear any complaints! Kusama, come to the faculty office after school today! It's time I make sure the word 'repentance' is added to your vocabulary!"

Our homeroom teacher was kind deep down, but he also doesn't bother hiding his fury if he's ever brought to his limit, just like now. That aura emitting from him alone was enough to make Kazama's legs quiver. I'm so glad we got him as our homeroom teacher. He's the one person who keeps Kazama's nonsense in check.

"W-Will he be okay…?"

"Probably not, and that's all I need."

"Homeroom's starting! Take your seats, everyone!"

With our teacher's dominant call, all our other classmates quickly stopped their discussions with their friends and sat down obediently. Like this, another regular day began. It's what I would call my daily life. It's nothing oppressive or drowning, but there are no powers or special abilities you'd see in a fictional story. However, with my always-smiling childhood friend and a stupid but genuine good friend at my side…this kind of life isn't so bad.

…And with that being the case, the day passed as quickly as it started.

"Aki-Kun, let's go home!"

"Yep."

Since we were neighbors and not part of any club, Ayaka and I would always walk home together. Unlike in the morning, we could actually take our time, which I preferred. Around this time, the sun was still high, and the clear sky was colored in a bright blue, with dusk being far.

"Aki-Kun, it's almost summer break, right?"

"Yeah. Being able to sleep in…Ah, what bliss."

"There's lots of other stuff I wanna do other than that! This is our first summer after becoming high school students, right?"

"Lots of other stuff, eh? What do you have in mind?"

"Huh? Well…Going to the beach, or going hiking in the mountains!"

"I don't have the money for that…Well, hiking could work out, but in this heat? You'll just be drenched in sweat by the end of it."

Our homes were relatively far from the next beach, but using the train, we'd reach the mountains in just a few minutes. However, we went there already in both elementary and middle school, so I don't feel too motivated this time.

"Really? I think it'd be so much fun. And getting all sweaty makes it feel like youth, no?"

"You can always sweat as much as you want…Specifically in the morning when we have to run to school."

"But I'm not talking about that!" Ayaka pouted as she complained.

But right after, she averted her gaze and started fidgeting awkwardly.

"But…it doesn't have to be a special place like the beach or the mountains, honestly. As long as you're with me…I'm fine with going anywhere."

"…Right."

"Back in elementary school, we'd spend every day together, remember? I'm getting all nostalgic."

Back then, we were always a pair. I never doubted that for a moment. It only really changed once we enrolled in middle school. Girls would spend time with girls, and boys start hanging out with boys. It was an adolescent mood, you could call it, and although we'd still see each other on the daily because we're neighbors, we stopped playing together every single day during summer breaks. But even so, Ayaka is Ayaka. That won't ever change. Even though she's a girl, we were always together. She may be like a little sister, but that doesn't mean I would want to push her away or hurt her.

"…Well, if it's anything realistically doable, then we could go somewhere. Money-wise, that is."

"!"

When I showed the intention of spending time with her, Ayaka's eyes lit up.

"Really, really?! What place would be good…Ah, I don't know…Um…Yeah! I wanna go to a festival!"

"A festival, huh?"

That'll be the 3rd and 4th of August. They usually put up a lot of stalls, holding a larger festival for the whole area. When we were still in elementary school, Ayaka and I would often go there.

"That much should be fine."

"Really?! It's a promise, okay!"

"Yeah."

"Yay!" Ayaka raised both her hands in the air as she jumped like a rabbit.

She smiled like a blooming flower, worrying about nothing else in the world—

"Hey, Ayaka!"

"Eeek!"

But, she was too careless. She didn't realize that a bike was quickly approaching her from behind, so I had to pull her closer to me.

"You okay, Ayaka?"

"S-Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. Just be careful…Here, walk next to me."

"Okay…Th-Thanks, Aki-Kun…"

"…You okay? Your face is red."

"Huh?! N-No, I'm okay…Well…It's hot, after all! And I was feeling a bit thirsty!"

"That makes sense. Maybe we should grab something to drink. But there are no vending machines around here, so…Ah."

"What's wrong?"

"Maybe we should stop there? Been a while since last time, right?"

"There…? Ah! Yeah, that sounds great!"

We made a change to our route on our way home, and wound up visiting a favorite sweets store from when we were kids. The nostalgic air and the tantalizing scent in the store made it feel like it had never changed, like it was frozen in time. It was a smaller store, specializing in snacks with a savory or ramen taste, chocolate sticks or jelly with old-fashioned sweets, paper balloons, and masks, as well as cheap plastic tools. It was colorful like a rainbow, but with all these goods lined up on the shelves, it was like we had traveled back in time. It's like a retro store in a way.

The older lady at the store has clearly aged since we were children, but her energy is still as strong as ever and she watches over the young children with a benevolent eye. We went about our business as usual and bought what we intended to buy, before sitting down on the bench outside the store.

"There's only one thing you get through a hot summer day like this!"

Ayaka raised the blue bottle of ramune into the air and smiled. She knew this was the perfect summer drink - sweet and carbonated, with a beautiful sky as the background. Even though it was getting close to evening, the blue light from the bottle made the summer feel eternal.

"It's so delicious! Right, Aki-Kun?"

"Yeah. Sure takes me back, too."

"We used to have this a lot when we were kids…Man, summer breaks back in elementary school were so much fun. Hunting insects, looking for crayfish, always together…"

"I know I'm not one to talk since I dragged you along, but that was all stuff boys would usually do. Was that even fun?"

"It was! I was so excited when we caught a stag beetle! And getting all dirty while looking for crayfish was fun, too."

"…When you say that with such a smile, I'm getting only more worried. You get along with your other friends?"

"Of course! We're in the same class, so aren't you seeing that?"

"I mean, I am, but…"

Rather than me, who only has one friend with the name of Weirdo Kazama, Ayaka's actually pretty popular. She's not the type to pull others along or anything, but she usually ends up the unsung hero. Maybe I don't have to worry about her friendships, after all. However, unlike me, who just says what he thinks, she tends to hold back and show restraint when it comes to her own feelings.

"Well…If anything ever comes up, you can always come to me."

Granted, I don't know if there's anything I could even do for her (even if Ayaka isn't the type to retort on that), but I can at least hear her out. It's better than letting her worry all on her own.

"Yeah! Thanks! But, I'm okay. All my friends are good people, and we promised to watch a movie together this summer break."

"A movie? What's it about?"

"Um, it's a romance movie. And the girl only has three more months to live."

It's one of those tearjerkers, right? The biggest request of those is that it moves you to tears, which is mostly about a couple with one partner dying at the end.

"Yeah! It's so romantic, and it makes me cry every time."

"But that's so tragic and depressing. How is that fun?"

"Fun…Well, it's profound, and it makes you think. What is life, and what does it mean to live."

"That is so diligent. A movie's supposed to be an entertainment you enjoy, right? Should you really watch it with such a philosophical outlook?"

"But, people don't only die in movies, right? And a tragedy usually arrives suddenly. And it makes me think about what I would do if I was in that sort of situation."

She's just a lot more sensitive than me. She picks up the feelings of the character on the screen, treating their problems like her own. She easily gets invested, is what you could call it.

"There are so many movies where people die, right? But the answers those people find are all different in so many ways. When they lose someone important, they need to find a reason to keep going. Some say that their lost one would want them to live on, whereas others have their family and friends they have to keep going for. Others keep on living because…it's just what they have to do. Finding hope amidst despair is what really makes me think."

"The answer they come up with…So it's more like the process rather than the result."

"If you were in their position, what would you do? Your girlfriend only has a few months to live or something like that."

"Me…? Well, honestly, it's not something I'd like to think about."

Since Ayaka's so serious about it, I wanted to respond in an equal fashion, but…it's just hard to imagine.

"And I don't have to think about either, since I don't have a girlfriend! Hah!"