Although she had said something like "then let's just leave it at that," as if everything no longer mattered, Kushida Kikyo still took the initiative afterward to satisfy some of Sakura Airi's curiosity, selectively explaining a few things she could talk about.
For example, the whole "mom" thing wasn't actually about a lack of maternal love but simply a kind of play. Their relationship wasn't romantic, but it also wasn't that of parent and child. And the so-called angel named Kushida Kikyo also had a side filled with very human desires.
…Though the more she explained, the murkier everything became.
In any case, Sakura Airi's situation had, more or less, come to an end for now.
As night fell, both Kushida Kikyo and Asakusa Toru had to return to their own dorms.
And so, Sakura Airi's room was once again left with only her.
"..."
Her breathing was calm, and the wind outside continued to blow softly.
Sitting at the edge of her bed, Sakura Airi suddenly thought—
How did I usually spend my time when I was alone?
She had only briefly gained something, only briefly held onto it, yet the feeling of "having someone" made it seem as though she had been completely separated from her past self.
That was why, at the moment everything ended, she had that fleeting illusion.
Would tomorrow come? After she woke up, would they go back to being strangers again, just like before?
This was the kind of worry that had taken root in Sakura Airi, who had spent over a decade as an unnoticed background presence.
Normally, she would hug her blanket, lie on her bed, hold her phone, and repeatedly refresh her blog.
New replies, new feedback, new comments, new followers, new likes, new interactions.
These were her source of motivation to keep going.
…Of course, that was before enrolling.
Since entering the school, she had gradually tried to break that "bad habit."
Because the feedback on her blog wasn't always positive.
"You believe in fate, right? I do. From now on, we'll always be together."
"I've always felt like we're so close."
"You're even cuter today."
"Did you notice when our eyes met? I did."
Messages like these, all from the same person, appeared again and again like a stalker lurking behind the screen.
Disgusting, escalating, and frightening to read.
That was the direct reason she tried to stop.
So now, she didn't really know what to do with her time.
Read?
She couldn't focus. Studying had never been her strength.
Chat?
She had no friends. She couldn't even gossip with anyone.
Her only hobby—photography—was difficult to continue for various reasons, and with her lack of money, she couldn't do much anyway.
Other than sitting in a daze, there seemed to be nothing left.
But starting today, things were a little different.
She now had something she could do.
The cold, smooth weight of metal rested in her palm.
A small but solid voice recorder lay quietly in her hand.
It was a farewell gift from someone.
"Record the sounds you like. Record the sounds around you. Anything is fine—just like your camera. Capture what would otherwise be carried away by the wind."
That was what he had said.
And so, Sakura Airi had made a request.
"…Can you say 'I love you' a few more times?"
She turned on the recorder and asked softly.
"..."
The brief silence wasn't rejection—it was surprise. She could feel it. She could hear it.
"I love you."
"I love you."
"I love you."
He could have continued, but Sakura Airi felt that even words that never lost their weight would start to feel cheap if repeated too many times.
She didn't want that.
So she raised her hand to signal it was enough, then gently pressed stop.
Three times was enough.
Three times was enough for her to replay it later, alone like this, listening to those words—preserved in a device instead of disappearing into the air.
One time. Two times. Three times.
Playback ended.
"..."
The wind continued to blow. Sakura Airi pressed replay once more.
...
Dorm room.
Today had been a good day.
He had enjoyed a mother's indulgence and formed a relationship with Sakura Airi that could never be undone.
Asakusa Toru decided to get serious and write in his diary.
He hadn't forgotten about the notebook he had. It was just that recently, he hadn't had much to write.
If there was anything worth mentioning this June, according to how things originally played out…
Oh right—Ryuuen orchestrating Sudou's violence incident, and Sakura Airi encountering a stalker fan.
Those two.
After that would be the much-anticipated uninhabited island exam.
The violence incident… based on his current understanding of Class D, it probably wouldn't happen.
Honestly, he had never found it hard to understand why Ryuuen targeted Class D.
From a class competition perspective, it made sense for Class C to keep an eye on Class D to prevent being overtaken.
But Class D had zero points.
Was Ryuuen really not afraid that pushing them further would just make them snap and drag Class C down with them?
If their homeroom teacher had been Hoshinomiya, he could understand. She wasn't exactly normal—she might willingly pay a price just to crush Class D.
But that wasn't the case, which made it puzzling.
And while the school ranked classes, aside from Class A having clear graduation privileges, Classes B, C, and D weren't fundamentally different.
If anything, targeting Class A should have been the real strategy.
So the real issue to consider was the latter.
He needed to deal with that stalker.
…Oh right, there was also something else in between.
Around this time, their class mascot, Shirahata Chihiro, was supposed to confess to Ichinose Honami.
—Let's write about that.
The moment the thought crossed his mind, Asakusa Toru made his decision.
He had written too much about the princess and Kikyo. Compared to that, his own class and Ryuuen's class had barely been covered.
Part of it was because the original story focused on Class D, making other classes less eventful. But still, he had been a bit too biased.
Today, he would give a little attention to "Little Shirahata."
As for whether writing about her confession was appropriate…
Haha. He'd already messed with Kikyo multiple times, and look where that got him.
What was wrong with writing about a confession that was doomed to fail anyway?
Girls who only liked girls were a problem—they needed fixing.
Having made up his mind, Asakusa Toru flipped open the diary.
[Thinking about it, the time should be about right.
Don't get the wrong idea—it's not about a special exam.
This school isn't insane enough to bury students under nonstop exams without giving them a chance to breathe.
After all, what they want are properly trained corporate drones, not some "ultimate masterpiece" forged through endless pressure tests.
As for the next special exam…
Haha, of course it'll be when the sun is at its peak.
We'll talk about that when the time comes. What I mean is—it's a good time for confessions.
It's already been two months since school started. By now, everyone should have formed at least some basic relationships, right?
Exchanging contacts, becoming friends, making deals, forming bonds that can't be undone…
How nice.
Unlike me, who only has a soft, fragrant, adorable girlfriend in my arms.
Even though I haven't really done anything extra, writing a diary itself is already excessive.
I've already made our little princess so angry she lost her Class A position and got trampled into Class B, crying miserably.
I should reflect on that.
I've paid too much attention to her and my dear little sister.
It can't be helped—Class D is full of flawed products, so there's just more to write about.
Even now, there are still plenty of names I haven't roasted yet.
But let's leave Class D aside for now.
I should spread my love evenly.
I've talked about the princess plenty. I'll let you guys off this time!
As for Dragon Boy… he's too funny, honestly a bit boring. But his NPCs are great—I like them. I'll talk about them next time.
Today, let's give Class B… oh wait, current Class A something to do.
Sigh. I didn't want to keep mentioning rank changes, but the princess keeps messing up, and I don't want to confuse people.
Alright, from now on I'll refer to classes by their original ranks! I'll specify if needed!
Anyway, the former Class B is basically a bunch of… average people.
They get along well, happily treating this meritocratic battlefield like a friendly high school.
In terms of combat power, they're the weakest.
Because they lack aggression.
The more capable ones got sent to Class A to serve the princess. The more aggressive but rough ones got dumped into Class C with Dragon Boy.
So what's left in Class B are people who aren't bad—but not exceptional either.
—Except for three.
The angel, the recorder, and the noble boy.
They have flaws that keep them out of Class A, but not enough to be thrown into Class D. Too valuable for Class C. So they stayed in Class B.
…Well, there's also that one "puppy" who probably qualifies for Class A but somehow ended up here.
Let's ignore that—maybe the school just messed up.
Anyway, I'm not talking about those four today.
Hehe.
Don't rush—they'll all get their turn (except the puppy).
Today, I want to talk about the mascot.
The only confirmed girl who likes girls in first year!
Our princess may be a magical girl, but she's straight—no doubts there. I can confirm that!
As for Hoshinomiya and Chabashira, they're more like two barnacles dragging each other down. Their orientation is normal.
Handprint girl and little sister? Not even related—don't call everything "that"!
So after filtering everything, there's only one true candidate left.
Looks like I got the timing wrong though.
Damn, the confession happens next month!
Oops, my bad. I thought I could give you guys a show.
I sincerely apologize.
As compensation… hmm, let me talk about someone else.
—It's you!
…Actually, I can't think of a proper nickname.
Blowbaby? Bad-movie addict? Queen of escape rooms?
None feel right.
Whatever, I'll just call you Baby.
Baby, you're a baby. You're someone who picks fights with everyone but can't beat anyone.
You're someone who watches everything but rarely finds anything good.
You look strong and unapproachable, but somehow feel like you'd cry if pushed too hard.
Sigh. Baby, you're really a baby.
I'm not even sure you'd recognize yourself from this description.
But whatever.
Anyway, stop eating instant food. It's bad for you. That's why your chest isn't as big as Miss NPC's.
You exercise a lot and don't eat properly—even if you had fat, it'd all get burned off.]
Pen down.
In one go—more or less—Asakusa Toru finished writing today's entry.
Originally, he planned to write about Shirahata's confession, but halfway through, he realized… it was still June.
And all those events? Sudou's incident, Shirahata's confession, Sakura Airi's stalker—
They were all in July.
That's right. There was an entire empty month between the midterms and the next major event.
Well, it made sense. This school wasn't a nonstop drama stage.
So, changing course, he casually wrote a few lines about Ibuki.
Ibuki Baby, Ibuki Mio.
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