Part-1 Ch-09 Ep-02

 “Maki.”

“What?”

“Are you worried about something?”

“…Why would you think that?”

“No, it’s just that your emotions seem even more up and down than usual… Ouch! That hurts…”

On our way back from the first shrine visit of the year, we stopped by a family restaurant to take a break and sat across from each other at a window-side table.

While we were together, Maki was mostly cheerful, but every now and then she would suddenly stare off into space.

Worried, I spoke up, only to be flicked on the forehead in response. There is nothing less rewarding than that.

“You’re exaggerating. I thought I did it pretty gently.”

“Then be gentler…”

The princess who had begun sulking rested her cheek on her hand and turned her gaze toward the window. She was clearly ignoring me. I wondered whether I might have done something wrong, but nothing came to mind.

To begin with, Maki is the type who says whatever she is thinking the moment she thinks it, so if she is holding something in this much, it must be something serious. The new year has just begun, and school will start again soon.

In a few months, we will be second-year high school students. The time we can spend together will not be as abundant anymore. One-third of our high school life is about to pass.

Even the past year felt as if it had flown by. If we are not careful, graduation events will arrive before we know it. And yet, there are far too many things we need to do and think about.

In the otome game’s scenarios, there are indeed brief mentions of life after graduation, but they amount to little more than a few end cards accompanied by background music, showing daily life with the captured character.

There is no depiction of university entrance exams, job hunting, or career paths in the game. It is a game, after all. Of course it is. The focus is romance, right? Naturally. But for us, this is reality.

Even after graduation, life does not end with the words “Game Over.” Our lives will surely continue beyond that point.

…Right?

That is why the time when we can focus purely on romance is probably limited to our second year of high school at the latest, and even during that period, we still have to think about our own futures. Yes, about my life after graduation, without Maki.

I gaze at Maki’s profile as she continues to rest her cheek on her hand, looking out the window. Half of the juice in her glass is gone, and condensation clings to it like beads of water.

Maki has truly grown beautiful.

Her eyes are large, and her long eyelashes lend a seductive air even to her languid expression. Her pale skin is so smooth it seems as though there is not even the faintest peach fuzz, making me want to reach out and touch it.

As expected of the protagonist of an otome game. And, surprisingly, she is deeply affectionate and considerate.

She acts as though nothing interests her, yet she always gathers information about things I like or might enjoy and invites me out.

Things like, “I heard that drama series you like is being made into a movie. Want to go see it this weekend?” or “I found a café on social media that seems like your kind of place. Want to stop by after school today?”

There was even this one time.

“There was that guy who asked for your contact information after the sports festival, right? He kept trying to talk to you after that, so I turned him down for you.”

Well, it is true that I am not in the mood for romance at all right now. Is she my bodyguard or something?

But interactions like these will probably decrease once Maki gets a boyfriend. Movies on our days off, detours after school, moments like this where we just talk.

The day will come when she starts prioritizing someone truly important to her. Just thinking about that makes my chest feel tight.

“What’s wrong with you, Mari?”

“Huh? Nothing. I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine. Just now, it was like the light vanished from your eyes.”

“No, that’s just your imagination, right?”

I cannot possibly say something like, “I was feeling sad imagining the day you get a boyfriend.” Making such an emotionally unstable confession to my childhood friend would only trouble Maki.

I hastily brush it off and try to change the subject.

“I understand, you know. We’re childhood friends, after all.”

“I… see…”

That feels unfair. Childhood friends. A distance closer than ordinary friends, comfortable, yet not lovers. A relationship stretching back to the days when collecting pill bugs was enough to make us happy.

“Our first year of high school really went by fast.”

“Yeah.”

“At this rate, we’ll be second-years before we know it, then third-years. After graduation, we might not be able to spend time together like this anymore. When I think about that, I feel a little lonely.”

“That’s… kind of heavy, isn’t it? Haha.”

As I scratch my head and try to laugh it off, Maki responds as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Then we can just stay together. Forever.”

“No, but from here on out, our career paths might start to diverge, you know.”

“…I’ll try to match mine as much as I can. I chose this high school because you were absolutely set on it during entrance exams.”

“Wait, seriously? Really!?”

“Yeah. I’m good at both sports and academics, so I had recommendation offers from all sorts of places. I had plenty of options.”

…Is that so?

Come to think of it, Maki’s hobbies, preferences, personality, and abilities are all completely different from how they were in the game.

In the first place, there were routes where the game would not even start if Maki did not enroll in this school.

“S-so… that’s how it was…”

No, rather, with so many choices available to her, the fact that she still chose this school makes me wonder if some kind of game-enforced correction is at work.

“See? So it’s not just about career paths. Even if we go to different universities, and even after graduation our jobs take us to different places, we could live together or… um… as adults, that’s an option too… mumble mumble.”

“Wait, but doesn’t that sound strange?”

“H-h-h-what? Is there something wrong with living together!?”

“Ah, sorry, I didn’t quite catch that. What did you say? No, I mean, career paths are something you choose to realize the future you want for yourself, so there’s no need to align them with a friend’s.”

“…”

I am happy that she chose the same high school as me. That much is true. But what I am thinking about is not simply careers or entrance exams. It is about the route where Maki properly ends up with one of the capture targets.

Still, in this situation, there might also be a route where Maki is happy even without pairing up with anyone. But since I have not met all the capture targets yet, it is too early to judge.

Besides.

“And even further down the line, if we both start families, it might become hard to meet like this.”

“…You want to get married?”

“No, I don’t feel that way right now. But there’s no way any guy would leave you alone, Maki.”

No, in fact, there are at least seven guys scheduled to meet you who definitely will not leave you alone.

One is strangely enthusiastic about observing us, one is interested only in your muscles, and one already has a girlfriend and has dropped out. For a while, silence settled between Maki and me amid the noisy family restaurant.

Maki lowered her gaze, her shoulders trembling slightly. Huh. Did I step on another landmine?

“Wh… why…”

“Huh? Did I say something wrong…?”

“…Why do you always break our promises like that, Mari?”

“Huh?”

When she lifted her face, Maki’s nose was bright red, and she was glaring at me with eyes brimming with tears.