LIGHTNOVELONLINE Arc 3, Ch.20: The final day of our old life
Yees, I know that there are many couples who don’t even move together after years, let alone a few months. But, come on, I think it would work fine…
I awkwardly turned away, coincidentally seeing a very pleased look on Mizuki’s face.
Was it because I had started the topic in front of him?
I mean, I guess he might be worried that he pushed me into moving in with him, but he really didn’t.
Daichi looked between the two of us with a somewhat pleased face.
“Pretty sure they will be. When did you decide on that, after all?”
Just now. “Hmm, I was mostly waiting to hear Mizuki’s opinion and he agreed.”
I was actually feeling rather bashful about it all. It felt… more permanent, which was incredibly pleasant, and gave me a great sense of security. Things were going so well that I had a feeling the system was playing along a bit.
“Well, before you think about a car and a place to stay, you’d better get ready for the finals and that… game test of yours! Don’t forget your grades, alright?”, Daichi chastised, and I had a feeling that there was an underlying comment about Mizuki and me sleeping in so long.
Okay, yes, my boyfriend was distracting me from studying. With his existence. Because that's obviously enough to distract me.
“I can do it”, I said, half hypnotizing myself and earning a ruffled head in return.
We drove Mizuki home and Daichi helped me break the topic to our parents, to my sisters’ joy.
It was a really nice day, but after that, I made an agreement with Mizuki to make sure that we’d focus on studying as much as possible.
I don’t want to admit it, but Mizuki being with me was very helpful in lessening my stress. Usually, I’d be wailing louder and louder the closer the date of the final approached, but I was somewhat calm.
“You’re like a buddha”, Kaoru once commented in a bellow of laughter.
Cause I was practising abstinence and spend my school days sternly staring at the chalkboard. Yep.
I did my best.
The system threw happy cheers at me, trying to support me. I basically had a text form cheerleader.
I could talk about how the finals went, the party afterwards, all that, yada yada. But to be honest, my memories drew a blank with how fast those days went by. I didn’t have much free time.
In some breaks, I just ran over to Mizuki’s classroom and spent a quiet minute or two just hugging him.
Even though people were staring.
Recharging, you could say. It helped.
Finally, I looked at my sisters. Haru was wearing a darker dress, Risa a light coloured skirt. They were two pretty fairies, accompanied by Prince Charming Daichi in the middle. My more normal-looking parents were a step away, talking to Mizuki’s.
It looked funny because Mizuki’s father was as overjoyed as always and only barely controlled by his wife, while my father kept back a bit and my mother took over the talking.
I stared numbly, then looked over at Mizuki.
Kirumi was hopping around him, stared at by a large number of fascinated students. His other sister, Eri, was closely attached to him and nervously looking down.
Maybe she felt my gaze on her, because she looked up and gave me a shaky smile.
Ah, she’s cute. Like a little rabbit. She was also doing her best to accompany her brother on this… day…
“Hic…” I pulled up my nose.
“Sheesh, stop looking like you’re going to cry! Decide on one! Don’t just start every few minutes and then stop!”, Yuji scolded playfully, pushing a tissue into my face.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and wailed. “But! My school life has ended! I’ve been my whole life at school, and suddenly it’s different! Also, I won’t see you lot every day anymore!”
“Ball!”, Tarou sobbed, jumping over and pulling me into a bear hug.
“Idiot!”, I responded with a sad cry, hugging back.
“Me too!”, Kaoru declared, not half as sad as we were.
“Other idiot!”, I responded with a wail anyway, pulling him into the group hug.
Yuji sighed and opened his arms.
“Mama!”, we called out at the same time, pulling him in as well.
My siblings snickered at the interaction. I’m sure it looked insanely weird, but as a matter of fact, there was a large number of students pulling off equally stupid moves and a lot of girls were actually crying a bit.
[It’s scary, but it's a good change], the system promised gently.
It sure was scary. I didn’t know anything other than school, and suddenly I was faced with unlimited possibilities. Possibilities and responsibilities.
I couldn’t just follow my parents forever.
“We’ll keep in contact and meet often”, Mama Yuji said softly, patting our backs. “Let’s keep this day in a happier memory, rather than you just wailing, okay?”
I nodded with a heavy heart.
The whole year was standing in the courtyard, waiting for our final ceremony. To get our final certificates.
I pushed down another sour feeling.
Akihito and Uruya came over not too much later, greeting us and talking for a bit.
“We’ll need a new nickname for me”, Prez said. “Since I won’t be a president anymore.”
“You could become the president of something else”, Tarou suggested with a grin. “I can imagine that happening.”
“How are you two gonna continue?”, Yuji inquired.
“Management. Both of us. Even at the same university! Nice coincidence, isn’t it? I’m relieved to have someone I know close-by, to be honest”, Prez said happily
I glanced over at Uruya, who avoided my eyes.
...Eeeeeeeh. What a coincidence, indeed.
“And you and Mizuki are gonna move togethher, I heard?”, Uruya asked me curiously, with glowing eyes. She was part of the fujoshi club, after all.
I nodded a bit awkwardly and rubbed my neck.
“Invite us over when you’ve settled in”, she just said with a beautiful smile that made me smile in return.
Just then, then bell began to strike; our sign for going into the hall.
I shivered and flinchhed, all nervosity returning in a wave. A hand grasped mine and I looked back to see Mizuki, who had left his sisters with his parents.
“Let’s go”, he said to none of us in particular and we all began to walk at the same time, towards the open door.
The large auditorium was surprisingly quiet and solemn. Us students went to the very front of the seats, gathering in fidgety groups and filling the lines slowly while our families sat in the back.
The headmaster began his prepared speech with a quiet and calm voice, until he called for Akihito as the student council president to say his part.
Prez was a great talker. He lightened the mood, even made some of us chuckle a bit. At the end, you could clearly see that he halted, then finished his speech with unprepared text.
“My school life wasn’t exactly what I had imagined when I was little”, he slowly said. “But I never felt that this was a bad thing. All of us, from the moment we leave this school, we are thrown into cold water. We will have to deal with things we aren’t prepared for, and didn’t expect. I know that most of us are worried about this - whether openly or in hiding. And that’s okay, but…”
He stopped, then smiled lightly. “We have managed to get through this school life that wasn’t what we assumed it to be, either. We did well. So let’s straighten our backs and proudly declare that we finished this part of our lives. And whether nervous or not, we will walk towards our future with our heads held high.”
Under other circumstances, I would have found the speech cheesy. But at this exact moment, it resonated well with me.
Mizuki patted my back and I straightened it with a chuckle, then raised my hands like everyone else to begin clapping. One by one, only us students stood tall and applauded.
The headmaster went to take the place again as Akihito went down the stairs to us, getting a short group hug before he sat down.
The headmaster opened his mouth and called the first name.
…
Yeah, we had all done well.
I tightly grasped Mizuki’s hand in mine and held back my tears, making sure not to crumple the paper in my hands.
