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In a lit room, Kane lies flat on his bed quietly in casual clothing, staring blankly at his ceiling. "Why does it feel like I have no energy to get up?"
He stares out his window and it was already midnight, before looking back up at his ceiling. "Yeah, I am definitely out of energy."
Now reaching for his phone, he notices something in the corner of his eye. A glint. He turns to the glint and catches glimpse of the picture on his desk. His expression softens as he stares at it for a moment.
He sits up and crosses his feet as he admires the picture — his gaze growing more relaxed as a smile begins to form on his face.
"Ahh~, I wish I could go back to such a simpler time before all this happened — but hey, at least she's back in my life, albeit in an unexpected and chaotic way... I hope you understand where I'm coming from, younger me."
The picture remains motionless— as a picture should be — and he lets out a light chuckle, possibly noticing the fact that he has been talking to a picture this entire time.
Scratching the back of his head. Kane grabs his phone and checking the time. It was exactly 9:34PM when he looked at his phone, he stands up and turns off the light of his room. He also makes sure to shut his curtains before tossing himself onto his bed lazily.
He lays his phone down and goes under his blanket. As he gets himself in a more comfy position, he covers his forehead with his arm while staring at the ceiling. He begins to ponder to himself, "I hope... tomorrow isn't as chaotic."
As his eyes begin to feel heavy, he feels his breathing become slow and his heart rate calm down as well, before his final thoughts of the day arrive, "But... with them... around..."
He begins to see flashes of all the people he met today and them smiling warmly at him, which causes him to creep in a smile as well.
"S… Sore.... wa..... muri.... da.....[1]"
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SLAM!
The next day has arrived — and to Kane's surprise — the table he was sat at, alongside Kazuo and Satoshi, was slammed by none other than the red-haired boy using his fists, red- eyes lighting up with stars.
"KOYASU-KUN!"
Satoshi shouted with a burning passion as his bowl of ramen nearly spills out due to the force he had used to express his happiness and excitement to share something with his friend.
"I have to tell you something super important, and you have to promise me with your life that you will never forget this, got it!?"
Kane takes a sip from the can of copyright-free soda he bought from one of the various vending machines scattered around the campus, while staring at him with one eye open.
He brings the can down while speaking with an uninterested expression, "Oh~? Sure, I promise..."
"Could you at least look somewhat interested!? Damn it..."
Satoshi spoke through his gritted teeth while shakily raising a fist infront of his face, after the lack of interest Kane has to this super duper important information that may or may not be forgotten the next day by all three of them.
His demeanor then changes to that of an egotistical yet righteous man as he holds his forehead, while cackling maniacally, "Shou ga nai na[2]~? I'll just have to express my thoughts without the approval of my dear friend~."
"Oi, have you forgotten about me, Ryūzaki?"
Kazuo looks at him with a disapproving glare, which results in his face being completely covered by a swift and sudden palm strike in tiger grip combo, which was obviously Satoshi's hand in an attempt to shut his other friend up.
His facial expression then changes to that of a calm and collected individual about to say something serious yet flirtatious in nature as sparkles begin to float around him, "Nee, Koyasu-kun, do you prefer small boobs or big boobs?"
"What is this question?! Are you a pervert or something?! And what is with that look on your face, do you seriously have to look so seriously hot while saying something so gross?!"
"Calm down~ calm down~, there is no need to question my survey so angrily, just answer with what your heart desires~."
Sighing deeply, Kane spoke while drinking from his can, "My heart desires for you to disappear, you scumbag,"
"Mmfmfmfmfmm... Mfmmmfmfmfmm..." Kazuo tried to speak, but it came out muffled thanks to the hand covering his face.
"Hidoi[3]~! I feel my heart shattering into a million pieces, Kyaah~!"
Satoshi mutters in a girly voice as he is sent into a spinning motion as an arrow with the words 'Scumbag' are written on it hit him directly in the chest. His tears begin to graciously fly out of his eyes.
Kazuo is then freed from Satoshi's clutches. Satoshi falls back into his chair, before going limp. After a moment of recovering from having his face clamped tightly, Kazuo turns over to Kane who is currently drinking his soda while staring daggers into the limp Satoshi.
Satoshi shakily mutters to himself as shadows cover his eyes, "Even when I'm acting dead... the observant Koyasu-kun is still looking at me like he wants to kill me..."
Kazuo shakes his head before taking a sip of the miso soup he had bought from the cafeteria. He exhales in amazement due to the flavor of the miso soup, before looking back at Kane.
"Kane-san, did I ever mention how lively you look today?"
That comment catches Kane off guard. He turns over to Kazuo with a weird smile, before responding in an unintentionally creepy way, "I-is that so? W-well, thank you a lot, hehe~."
"Nevermind, I take that back."
Kane stares at him with a deadpan expression, deducing that he was now obviously having his emotions being played; he sighs in defeat before resting his head on his hand while sipping on his can of soda.
"I guess I was right about not being able to experience a relaxed day..."
He looks over in the distance, catching that purple hair in a ponytail that he has grown so accustomed to in his line of sight, his gaze softens a bit as he watches her from afar.
Erisa is also accompanied by Ayumi, the silver-haired girl from yesterday who nearly pummeled him into a pulp. He shudders at that thought of nearly becoming a new brand of paste they sell in convenience stores.
But still, his gaze softens once more knowing that Erisa is in good hands, maybe the friendship they had was bound to end anyway, and that it was better to start from scratch all over again.
He knew that harboring these kinds of connections and the memories it holds will just bring him more pain in the future. Maybe... just maybe, the childhood friend he once knew was now a completely different person.
"Ahh~ What a hassle... am I really the only one who held onto our memories, Erisa-san? If so, I guess I treasured our friendship too much..."
He leans back into his chair and looks at his two friends who are currently bickering with red fires burning in their eyes, before chuckling at this fruitful display of pride and passion.
His eyes point downward as a presumptuous thought trickles into his head, "...I guess I should just let go..."
Soon realizing what had just entered his mind, his eyes widen before shaking his head, completely shocked by what he had just conjured in his head.
He takes a sip of his can of soda to try and redirect his focus elsewhere; his eyes begin to wander as they move over to Erisa once more, who is seen walking further away alongside Ayumi.
His gaze grows distant and cold with every step she takes away from the cafeteria. For some reason, Kane wanted her to stay, not out of jealousy or selfishness, but out of the fact that he was scared that she would leave again.
As soon as she steps out of view, he lets out a defeated sigh as if to say "I really am presumptuous," before putting down his soda can and looking back at his friends.
He was unable to properly connect with his friends due to this conflicting battlefield in his mind that he has found himself in, with chibi versions of himself engaging in armed combat whether or not he should forget or remember.
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"Koyasu-san and Inari-chan~! The student council is calling all the representatives of each homeroom to their office, and room 1-A had just finished talking with them... so you know what means~!"
Are the words his teacher said as Kane had recalled. He was now standing infront of the student council office with a blank expression.
Inari peeks over his shoulder with a confused expression, before asking, "Hey~ hey~, what's the hold up?" A playful grin then forms on her lips, seemingly preparing herself to tease her companion.
"Ara~, don't tell me... are you getting cold-feet? Or maybe you're just shy~!"
Unexpectedly, snow starts falling from the sky as Kane slowly turns over to Inari in a slow yet intimidating fashion. He answers slowly while turning, "Oh? If you're so excited, why don't you go first?"
Inari, now feeling the bitter cold of the environment thanks to the cold aura Kane is emitting feels a shiver crawl up her spine, she stays silent while having a terrified expression.
Kane's glare holds a sharp blue flame, enough to make the once simple snowfall turn into a heavy blizzard, as he looks at Inari with a wry smile and speaking with an intimidating voice, "Come on~, the student council president is waiting, Inari-chan."
"IYAAA[4]~!! THE ICE PRINCE HAS ARRIVED!!!"
Now standing in the student council office, Inari's face is downcast while Kane stands behind her with a warm smile on his face.
Kane speaks with a friendly and not-so-harsh tone, compared to his demeanor earlier before they entered the room, and also making sure to bow toward the figure in the distance, "Good afternoon. Nice to meet you, President!"
On the other hand, Inari looks downright traumatized. She begins to speak in a low voice, "H-h-hello..."
The student council president stands by his table while staring outside the open window with a mug in his hand, looking cool, mysterious, and imposing all at the same time. His short black hair flowing in the wind and his glasses opaque. He answers while turning around slowly, "There's no need to be so formal."
He makes eye contact. His emerald eyes staring sharply at Kane and Inari, before beginning to smile with both his eyes and lips. He began to speak in a welcoming tone, "Please, why don't you make yourself at home?" He gestured toward the sofa they have in the office.
Kane stares at him with surprise, fully expecting him to be this strict, scary looking individual. He accepts his invitation nonetheless, happily sitting himself down on the sofa.
Inari follows suit, and once she is also sat down, her once traumatized expression soon disappears, being replaced with a relaxed look on her face as she fully envelops herself in the sofa.
The student council president then walks toward them while still holding his mug, before sitting across from them on the other sofa and crossing his legs.
"I suppose you two have been informed about why we, the student council, called you here to our office, yes?"
"Uhh, no I don't think so... our teacher just told us to report to the student council office."
"Is that so? Well then..."
After a quick back-and-forth between the Student Council President and Kane, the president takes a sip from his mug before clearing his throat, and continuing.
"As we all know, it's the start of a new school year for all of us, and we just wanted to talk with the representatives of each of the homerooms — think of it as team building between the student council and the students themselves, if you get what I mean."
Kane nods in agreement while rubbing his chin and replying, "Oh~, I suppose that is a good idea, good job, President!" He gives him a thumbs-up and an approving expression.
The president laughs after hearing his compliment. "Haha~! There's no need to commend me at all, it was the collective idea of the student council — you should commend the rest of the student council!"
Kane rubs the back of his head and seems embarrassed based on the look on his face, he apologizes relatively quickly. Shortly after, the president then speaks once more.
"So, since you two are first years, where did you two study before coming to Goshogawara Academy?"
"I studied here during my junior high years, President. I suppose my parents didn't bother with choosing another school since this is a good place, after all."
Inari giggles slowly before responding lazily while raising her hand, "Same here, Prez~."
Kane stares at Inari with a half-smile that voices his resentment and disappoint alongside a twitchy eyebrow, meanwhile the president is just sitting there while awkwardly laughing.
He then looks back at Kane, now choosing to place his focus on the more active person. He speaks calmly, "Oh right, if you get tired of calling me 'President' or 'Prez', I also have a name you know; it's Tanyu Ando."
Turning back to him, Kane looks at him with a shocked expression, since he has gotten used to calling the student council president by 'President' over the span of a few minutes.
"A-alright, Ando-senpai[5]. I-I suppose it's common courtesy to introduce myself as well since I know your name; my name is Kane Koyasu."
Inari once again cuts in, answering in the same lazy tone she answered with earlier while raising her hand, "Name's Inari Kuroki~, you can call me Inari-chan~."
"A pleasure to meet you both, Koyasu-kun and Inari-chan!" Tanyu says with a warm smile on his face. That expression however doesn't last long. He clears his throat and his glasses turn opaque.
"Now... let's get to business, shall we?"
[1] "Sore wa muri da" (それは無理だ) This roughly translates to, and I quote directly from the line itself, "T... That's.... i..... imposs...... ible.....".
[2] The term "Shou ga nai na" (しょうがないな) is a Japanese phrase that means "Nothing can be done about it," or "It cannot be helped". It basically expresses acceptance about a situation that cannot be modified or changed.
[3] What Satoshi said here was "Hidoi" (ひどーい) which roughly translates to "You're mean!" in this situation.
[4] The term "Iya" (いや) which was shouted exaggeratedly by Inari, is a softer version of how "No" is normally said, which is "Iie" (いいえ).
[5] "Senpai" (先輩) translates to "senior", it either refers to someone who is more experienced or someone that is older. In Kane's case, it was someone who was more older.