Pre-chapter author's note:
Hi! It seems many of my readers are complaining that they can't tell when Kazuto is talking because he doesn't have quote marks around his sentences. Let me see if I can make a quick statement on this subject.
*taps mic, leans in* Learn to read context clues, you whiners.
Now that may sound harsh, but there's a pretty easy way to tell if he's talking to someone: Try paying attention to the story and see if it makes sense that he said something out loud. I will not be changing how I'm handling Kazuto's dialogue/shrugs/methods of communication. How dare I ask you to think, I know.
Great! Now that that's all handled, on to the chapter!
Chapter 4: Burning with Passion! Or, Energetic Girls are Exhausting
June 1st, 2025
Rika Shinozaki was bar none the most energetic person in the entire high school. Honestly, she was probably the most energetic person in the whole city. 'Why walk when you can run, and why run when you can sprint?' wasn't her motto, but probably should have been. Everyone at school knew her, mainly because she was constantly running around the halls during the day. Asuna might have been more popular with everyone (according to the thoughts and the membership numbers of her unnoficial fan club) but Rika had a small dedicated following, mostly among the boy and girl athletic clubs. She was the kind of person that would put 110% effort into whatever she was doing, and then when someone pointed out that wasn't possible she'd laugh it off and say she's just bad at math.
She was pretty enough, with freckles and her bangs pinned out of her face with two clips, and I knew a couple boys (and a girl or two, not that I judged) had a crush on her, but she was way too energetic and active for my tastes.
Look, the point here is, I knew who she was, mainly by being forced to listen to everyone thinking about Rika Shinozaki. That didn't, however, explain why she had run up to us on the way to school, leveled a finger at me, and exclaimed, "Kazuto Kirigaya! I challenge you to a duel!"
I stared at Rika for a long second, and kept walking to school.
"Wha- Hey! You can't just keep walking away!" Rika pointed a finger at me. "Answer my challenge, dang it!"
"Hey, wait up!" Sugu raced to catch up with me. 'Eheheh! I knew he'd prefer to walk with me and not those other girls!'
'Somehow, this feels strangely familiar...' Asuna giggled weakly. "I'll see you at school, Rika. I hope you did the homework."
"Ack! Shoot shoot shoot, I forgot! Asuna, can I copy yours..."
'I guess I'll see Kazuto later, then.' "Why are you like this, Rika..."
"Sorry, sorry! I promise, I'll do it next time." 'Urgh... Fine! Our duel will have to wait! But I'm not giving up!'
I'd really prefer that she did, all things considered. What's wrong, world? Was one month of peace and quiet too much for you? It wasn't even all that peaceful or quiet, either! I still had to deal with the hugging whirlwind known as Strea, and everything that was Kizmel. I may be the world's most powerful psychic, but I need some downtime!
I sighed as I walked into class and sat down. Things just can't be easy, can they? The girl to my right glanced at me before she went back to writing her own homework. 'I have to concentrate...!' Whatever. Her homework wasn't my problem.
What was my problem was the constant pressure of Rika's thoughts. It was like the girl just never sat still, even in her mind! 'I'm so glad Asuna let me copy her homework again. She's the best! ...So why is she hanging out with that first-year? Argh, I just don't see it! But I can't believe he just walked past me. Is he a man or isn't he?!' Seriously, so annoying. 'I'll just have to go find him at lunch time!'
Please don't. This room literally can't fit more people at this desk. Yuuna's pushing the limits as it is.
The one single upside to this whole situation was that Rika needed to focus on her classwork instead of having the free time to think about me non-stop like Asuna had. I might be able to read my teachers' minds to know what the lessons are all about, but it's still a lot easier to listen to the lectures in class.
...
When lunchtime finally rolled around, I got up from my seat. Naturally, people started whispering about that. "Isn't he waiting for Asuna?" "Did she dump him or something?" "Were they even going out?" 'Did I miss my chance to invite him to the Yuuna Shigemura fanclub?!' "I thought he was going out with that third year."
'Kazuto? Sorry, but I'm going to be busy during lunch today.' I blinked when Yuuna's mental voice popped up. 'I'm super sorry! I'll definitely walk home with you to make up for it!' No, you really don't need to do that. Sugu might throw a fit. 'I'll see you later, bye!'
Huh. Wonder what's keeping her busy, that she won't be down to visit? She hasn't missed a day before now. Well... Yuuna wouldn't mind if I listened in on her thoughts, right? She knows I can't really control my powers like that, so...
'Where is she...? Oh! There she is! She's the -'
"Kazuto Kirigaya!"
I jumped at the voice that suddenly filled the hallway. Rika had finally made her grand appearance, shouting from the other end of the hallway! Though, really, what else did I expect? That was the whole reason I'd left the classroom in the first place, so I didn't have to deal with all of this in front of people from my class. Now, if only my powers had somehow given me the warning that this was going to happen at all today, instead of being as frustratingly useless as ever-!
"I'm really sorry about this, Kazuto," Asuna said with a smile as she and Rika approached me. "But Rika insisted on getting the chance to talk to you at lunchtime." I just shrugged. "So! In order to not bother people, why don't we go up to the roof? It's a nice day, after all, so we can eat before you two talk."
"What?! No way!" Rika exclaimed. She leveled a finger at me. "I have to challenge him right here and right now, before he -"
"Rika," Asuna said. Her tone was sweetness and light, and even if I couldn't read Rika's thoughts ('Oh crap oh crap oh crap, Asuna's scary when she's mad!') I'd know that it wouldn't be a good idea to refuse her. "Let's go eat lunch first, yes?"
"Y-Yeah, sure thing, Asuna!"
I sighed. Of course we were going to go eat on the roof. It was inevitable, really. If anything, I'm surprised it took this long for whichever hack was writing this story to get around to forcing me up there. It didn't help that on our way up to the roof, every student in the hall was staring at us. 'Is that the Princess?' 'That's the guy that always hangs out with her...' 'Shinozaki looks angry, is it an argument? A love triangle?!' How could this be a love triangle?!
The rooftop of our school had a waist-high fence around it for safety purposes, but other than that it was pretty plain. When Asuna, Rika and I stepped out of the stairwell, it was empty; now that it was June and it was getting warmer, it would start filling up with groups of students that wanted to eat together but didn't like the cafeteria very much. In other words, it was perfect for the dramatic confrontation between me and Rika.
That was a sentiment the brown-haired girl clearly shared, because as soon as the door swung shut behind us she took a few steps forward and then spun around dramatically. "Kazuto Kirigaya!" she declared. I wonder if people down in the courtyard could hear her? I hope not, that would be embarrassing. "I challenge you to a -"
"Rika, Kazuto," Asuna said as she knelt down to spread out a cloth for them to sit on. "Let's eat first, okay?"
...Sure, I guess. Eating first was just delaying the inevitable, after all. At least this way, I'd be able to deal with Rika on a stomach full of Asuna's sandwiches.
"Coming, Asuna!" Rika called out before she ran over to help Asuna spread it out. Seriously, she didn't do anything at a regular pace. Even the whole way here, she was power-walking. "Hurry up, let's eat!"
Like usual, Asuna had a few sandwiches to give me to go with my lunch that Sugu insisted on making for me, so I sat down next to Asuna. Rika fell into a seated position naturally, drumming her fingers on her lunchbox. 'Come on, hurry up, I want to get eating! I'm hungry!' But if you were hungry, why would you challenge... Oh, whatever.
My lunch that day was a nutritious blend of vegetables, rice, and even some rolled omelette that Sugu must have prepared. She'd been getting on my case about eating more veggies lately, so I'd been expecting something like this. Asuna's sandwiches were amazing like always - though as I chewed my first few bites, there was something slightly different about them.
Asuna leaned over. "Do you like them, Kazuto?" I nodded. "Oh, that's good." She sat back and let out a sigh of relief. "I tried out a slightly different sauce for the chicken this time, so I wasn't sure if you'd like them better. What do you think?"
They're really great.
"That's great!" Asuna smiled at me as I swallowed.
As for Rika, her lunch was almost entirely meat aside from one larger than normal but still lonely rice ball. Seriously, how did she have so much energy if that was all she ate? 'Kuh... If only Asuna would make me sandwiches again! I'd do anything for them...! That one week was so glorious, but then she stopped giving me the ones she'd made. I knew Asuna was a great cook, but those were like nothing I've ever eaten before!' I nearly recoiled from Rika's mental image of those sandwiches she'd eaten the first week of school. The glorious triangles of bread and delicious meat filling shone with a golden glow as Rika pictured them in her mind before chomping down on a skewer of hotdog from her lunch.
There's no way. There's no way all of this was because of something so stupid. ...Wait, what am I saying, it's entirely possible.
It didn't take too long before Rika and I had finished with our lunches. Rika actually scarfed down her food at a rapid pace, though Asuna didn't so much as flinch. Maybe she was used to it? Did Rika always eat that fast? As for me, well, Asuna's sandwiches never lasted that long. She could probably hand me a platter full of the delicious triangles and they'd be gone in under ten minutes. Rika tilted her lunchbox left and right, studying it. 'Aww, all the crumbs are gone. But that means...'
I braced myself.
"Kazuto Kirigaya!" Rika leapt to her feet, pointing her finger at me. Seriously, does she have to say my name every time? "I challenge you!"
This is such a pain... "Rika," Asuna said with a weak smile, "what on Earth are you talking about?"
"You've been spending a lot of time with this boy, Asuna!" Rika declared. "So of course I'm going to get suspicious about what's so great about him!" She leaned forward and stared at me with her hands on her hips. "I'm not impressed, honestly."
"I told you, he saved me -"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it, you told me the story while you were chasing after him for a week." Rika waved Asuna's statement away with a hand.
"I-I wasn't..." We both ignored how Asuna blushed at the comment and stammered a denial. 'So maybe I was following him a little bit... but I wasn't doing anything like that, I wasn't!'
Rika pointed at me again. "But I can't see how someone like him was able to save you from thugs. So, naturally, the only way to tell is to challenge him!"
Really? That's the only way?
"Rika, why are you always like this...?" Asuna shook her head before she smiled at me. "Rika's heart is in the right place, even if she's bothering you."
"Hey!"
Asuna glanced at Rika for a second before she continued, "So... Sorry about this, but could you play along?"
Fine, fine.
"Thanks, Kazuto." Asuna smiled at me.
"Hey!" Rika frowned. I didn't want to call it a pout. "You'd better answer me, Kazuto. Are you going to answer the challenge?!"
I waved a hand at her.
Whatever, sure, I'll accept.
"Yesss!" With a loud cheer, Rika threw her fist in the air. "You'd better be on the rooftop after school, buster, or that'll be considered an automatic forfeit!"
I already missed Sword Art Online. Come back, Strea. I would take Kizmel sneaking into my bed or Strea's constant hug attempts over this. Rika is loud.
...
The wind blew between me and Rika as we faced off on the roof and stared each other down.
"So," Rika said. "You came."
Of course I did.
"I would have thought you would chicken out. So already, I'm impressed. But that's not good enough to satisfy me!" It almost felt like a blazing aura surrounded Rika as she posed and leveled a finger at me.
"Kuh!" Yuuna gasped, rocking backwards. "What is this pressure?!"
"This is my fighting spirit!" Rika shouted. "I'm all fired up to do this!"
It was... Yeah, there wasn't anything there. She was just acting. Yuuna, don't encourage her.
"Heheh... Sorry."
Rika pouted at me. "A-Anyway! That's besides the point. Like I was saying, it's time to begin!"
Uh, before that...
"What now?" Rika sighed.
I pointed over to the side of the roof, where Asuna and Yuuna were sitting. The beautiful long-haired girl had a bottle of water sitting next to her, and Yuuna was halfway through drinking her own bottle of water. What are they doing here? And how did Yuuna even find out about this, anyway?
Yuuna waved. "Asuna told me this was happening," she said.
I thought you were busy?
"Nope, only during lunch," she said. "But I can't believe I missed this!" She tilted her head. "How come you said yes, anyway?"
Asuna asked me to.
"I should have known..."
Huh? Why do you sound disappointed?
Yuuna folded her arms. "I don't sound disappointed." 'Stupid Kazuto.'
What? What did I do wrong? Even reading Yuuna's thoughts was pointless, because she was focusing hard on thinking 'Stupid Kazuto' over and over again.
Rrrr... Whatever. So, what's the first challenge?
"Ahahaha! Raring to go, I see!" Rika grinned. "The first challenge takes place down at the track. We're gonna race!" ...Why didn't we just meet down there to begin with, if we're going to be racing first? Sheesh. 'Yesss! I always wanted to have a cool rooftop face-off, the TV shows always make it look so fun!'
Of course it's because Rika wanted to have fun. I'm not even surprised anymore.
Despite being irritated at me for some reason, Yuuna walked next to me while we all headed down to the field outside. "You're just gonna throw the challenge, right?" she asked quietly. I still checked the other girls' thoughts out of habit, but Asuna and Rika hadn't heard what Yuuna said. "So you can lose fast and go home?"
She really does know me, doesn't she?
Yeah, probably. I just want to be done with this as soon as possible. And besides, I can't exactly use my powers or anything like that.
Yuuna nodded. "Yeah, that'd probably out you right away. Sorry to say this, Darling, but you really don't look that strong."
I shrugged. It's not like it really mattered what I looked like when it came to my psychic powers. I could have... who knows, I could have pink hair and it wouldn't change how powerful my abilities could be.
"But what I'm really wondering is how you managed to get the track and field groups to agree to this, Rika," Asuna said.
Rika grinned. "Heheh! Don't worry, I took the afternoon to prepare everything. I help the girl's track club from time to time, so I asked they said it was fine. I'm all fired up, too!" Her blazing spirit came out again like a shimmering field of heat.
When we made it out to the track field, Rika and I lined up on one end at the starting line. "This is pretty simple," Rika declared. "It's just a hundred meter dash. First person to finish wins!"
"So, honey, why are they racing, anyway?" Yuuna asked Asuna. "I mean, what's the point?"
Asuna smiled. "I think it's Rika's way of, um... I'm not really sure, actually? But she's a good person at heart, I'm sure of it."
Yuuna giggled. "Well, you know her best, after. And you're cheering for your best friend, right? So I'll cheer for Kazuto."
'Oh no! I can't cheer for Kazuto, or Rika might get upset! That means... That means Yuuna gets to cheer for him alone!' "Of course I will," Asuna said without a shred of her inner conflict showing. "You can do it, Rika!"
"Go go Kazuto!" I blinked. Where did Yuuna even get those pom-poms?
Rika waved at our two cheerleaders before she pointed down the track. "Alright, let's do this! And remember - the loser gives up their rights to Asuna's sandwiches!"
...
...No.
Noooooo! This is the worst possible outcome!
I'd never get to taste those wonderful meals again?! Then... Then there's only one way to solve this problem. I'll have to win!
"Ready..." Asuna called out.
"Go!" Yuuna shouted, raising one of her pompoms in the air.
Rika burst off of the line like a bullet and started sprinting down the track. I followed her, but... Fast! There was no way I was going to beat her like this! Should I use my full strength? But, if I did that, it'd be way too obvious!
"Go Rika, you can do it!" Asuna shouted.
'Kazuto, run! You can do it! I think...' Yuuna was in the middle of some complicated dance with her pompoms. Well, at least she's having fun.
I did my best, but by the time I made it halfway down the track, Rika was already crossing the finish line with a loud cheer. "That's a point for me!" she exclaimed as she threw her hands up in the air.
"Aww," Yuuna pouted. "You tried your hardest, Kazuto!"
There was one thing left for me to do, then. Thanks to a quirk of my psychic powers, I had total control over my body functions. In addition to tears (It was pretty convenient when chopping up onions for dinner) and things like that, I could also make myself sweat at will.
Naturally, when I stumbled across the finish line I was covered in sweat.
Rika stared at me in shock. 'No way... Even though he lost, he tried this hard...! Well, I kinda have to give him credit for trying like this.'
Perfect. I could tell that she was the type of person to respect hard work, and that confirmed it. So, even if I didn't win, I was still a moral victor. The problem was, it didn't put me any closer to securing my sandwiches!
...
"Alright, what's next?" Asuna asked.
Rika spread her arms to gesture to the room around us. We were in one of the Home Ec rooms with cooking utensils and ingredients laid out in front of two of the stations. "We're cooking, obviously! Kazuto and I make something to eat, and then our two judges try it and pick the better one!"
"And the judges are us?" Yuuna asked, pointing at herself.
"Yep! And no cheating because you're friends, got it?"
"I promise," Asuna said.
Yuuna smiled. "No worries! I'll take this seriously. Idol's honor!"
What even is idol's honor, anyway? But Rika and Asuna seemed suitably impressed by Yuuna's declaration and it was time to start.
I studied what we had. Rika, how did you get all this?
"Oh, it was pretty easy. I just needed to talk to the Cooking club, and they said I could use this stuff. They were leftover ingredients or something, so it's no big deal." Rika looked over at me. "Besides, I help them out from time to time with carrying stuff, so they said this was the least they could do!"
Does this girl help literally every group in the school? Then again, she has the energy for it. Either way, it's not like it matters much. All I have to do is cook something to eat, huh? Well, there's rice and a little bit of beef, plus some potatoes and carrots. I'll make curry, everyone likes that. Besides, I make it often enough for Sugu that I don't really have to worry about screwing it up.
Chopping everything didn't take too long, and before long everything was simmering in my pot. The rice was easy, so while that was going I glanced over at Rika's pot - and recoiled. It looked like tendrils of black ooze were climbing out of her pot in an escape attempt.
"Something wrong?" Rika grinned at me while she smashed the ladle down on something in her pot. The tendrils flinched before Rika shoved them back in. "Are you worried you'll lose again?"
Well, whatever. We'll see how the girls like what we made once it's done.
"Time!" Asuna said after five more minutes had passed. "Okay, you two, let's see what dishes you've made."
I put the rice on three plates and ladled some curry on top of each. Steam rose up from them, and a delicious smell filled the air. "Oooh, curry!" Yuuna said with a huge grin. "And Rika made..."
We all stared at Rika's 'dish'. The blackened mess seemed to suck the light in from around it as a menacing aura rumbled around us. 'Do you want to be a magical girl?' I looked around, but the voice seemed to be coming from the eldritch geometries on her plate.
"I made hamburger," Rika said.
"I, uh... I see," Asuna replied. 'I think I can see into another dimension if I stare hard enough.'
"It, um... looks like you tried, honey," Yuuna said. 'I feel like it's trying to steal my soul...'
Asuna and Yuuna exchanged a quick glance before the beautiful long-haired girl smiled. "Let's try Kazuto's dish first, okay?"
Each of the girls picked up one of the plates and simultaneously ate a mouthful.
'Asuna gasped as her knees went weak. The plate clattered on the floor when she sank to the ground, unable to keep herself on her feet. She clutched at her blouse as she shivered, panting. "So... good..."'
'Yuuna burst into tears as she swallowed the mouthful of curry. The food was just so delicious that she couldn't keep the tears back. "I want to eat this every day!" she wailed while she wiped at her tears.'
'Rika exploded backwards like the curry had punched her, sailing through the air. "It's strong! But the heat doesn't distract from the rest of the tastes!" She landed in a crumpled heap on the ground, still clutching the plate in her hands, and scooped another spoonful into her mouth. "It burns, but that makes the rice taste even better!"'
The girls all handed me the empty plates. "We, uh. Ate it all," Asuna said sheepishly.
Sometimes I hate that I can read their thoughts. That always happens, too; whenever people eat good food, it's like they hallucinate something. These three are a little bit better than Sugu's, the first time I make a new recipe. Her hallucinations always end up with her clothes flying off.
"So Kazuto wins this round," Yuuna said.
Rika nodded. "Yeah, he does." She carefully slid the plate holding her four-dimensional burgers into the trash. 'Let's make a contract!' I swear I can hear Latin chanting coming from somewhere... "So onto the next challenge!"
...
"Play ball!" Rika shouted as she grinned and took a few practice swings of her bat. "First to get a hit wins!"
This was really, really dumb. But I wasn't even surprised when Rika said she had a few friends in the baseball club, and had played as a pinch hitter for them a few times before. She'd gone over, asked them to borrow a few things, and then came back with all the equipment.
"Um, Rika, is this really necessary...?" Asuna fidgeted in her cheerleader outfit.
"Of course it is!" Rika shouted. "If we're doing this, we're going all the way!"
Yuuna giggled and shook her pompoms. So that's where she got them. "Aww, don't be like that! You look cute, Asuna. Super pretty!" 'I almost don't want anyone else to see her like this but me!'
"Right! And that's the important thing, you know!" Rika laughed before she turned back to me. "Well? You gonna throw the ball or not?!"
I stared at the baseball in my hands and then up at Rika. She stood over home plate in a professional-looking stance, and I sighed. Well, the sooner I do this, the sooner I can get all of this over with and go home. I have to win, for the sake of my sandwiches! I can't use my powers, but I can't just give up either.
I wound up and threw the baseball. "Oraa!" Rika shouted as she swung the bat. Her swing collided solidly with the ball and sent it flying into the distance. "Oh! That's a homerun!"
"Way to go, Rika," Asuna cheered.
"No, no, Asuna, honey, you've got to shake it like this." Yuuna kicked her legs up before wiggling back and forth. "Hooray, hooray, Rika!"
I thought you were supposed to be cheering for me.
"Whoops, sorry Kazuto!" 'My bad!'
Since Rika had hit the ball, I got one shot at her pitch before the point was called in her favor. I picked up the bat that she had used as Rika scuffed the pitcher's mound with her foot. "I'm going to throw a forkball, right down the middle."
"What the?!" Yuuna exclaimed. "She's telling Kazuto what she's throwing?!"
"Will you believe me? Or not?" Rika called out, before she wound up.
Of course I'm not going to believe you. I can read minds. I know full well that she's going to throw a fastball instead and try to strike me out before I can do anything.
The pitch came out hard and fast. "A fastball!" Asuna gasped. "No way!"
"Go for it, Kazuto!" Yuuna shouted. "Rick 'em, rack 'em, rock 'em, rick! Hit the baseball with that stick!"
I swung the bat -
- and the baseball smacked into the chain link fence behind me. Darn, I'd missed; I'd been holding back my strength too much and swung too slowly.
"Awww," Yuuna and Asuna chorused before they shared a quick glance. Asuna cleared her throat and looked away.
"That's two to one, my favor," Rika said. "Only two more challenges to go!"
Two more, huh? I have to win both of them, or... Or my sandwiches will disappear!
...
"How the heck did you clean this place so well?!" Rika yelped.
The fourth challenge was to clean one of the empty classrooms. It seemed that in exchange for all the favors Rika had asked (borrowing the track, borrowing the home ec room, borrowing the baseball stuff) she'd promised to help out with cleaning duty for one of the second years. We each worked on half of the room.
Rika's side was pretty clean; she'd gotten rid of most of the dust and dirt, and picked up the worst of the trash. In comparison, though...
"It's sparkling," Asuna gasped.
"Kazuto would make a great wife," Yuuna said. "Cooking, cleaning... He's perfect!"
Hey... At least call me a great husband.
Yuuna grinned. "Eheh, sorry, Darling."
"I can't believe I lost at cleaning to a boy," Rika muttered. "Then again, that makes sense! He has to keep his room clean, or his mom will come in and find where he's hidden his porn!"
Asuna covered her mouth, her cheeks bright red. 'That makes sense!' "Rika, you can't say those things!"
'Kazuto, do you have magazines like that?' Yuuna glanced at me.
Don't encourage Rika, please.
"Anyway, that means we're tied." Rika erupted from her seat and whirled around to point a finger at me. "So it's time for the final round. This one is worth five points, so whoever wins this wins it all!"
Wait, five points? Then... even if she'd won all four points earlier, the only one that mattered was the final one? Then what was the point of spending all this time in the first place?! I'm almost afraid of what we're doing next. Is it a race up and down the hallways? Are we going to compete in music club or something? Flower arranging?
"To the mall," Rika declared.
...What.
Asuna cocked her head. "Er, Rika, the mall? Isn't that..."
"Well, just Kazuto and I have to go. You two can go home if you want," Rika said.
"I don't get it," Yuuna said. "I thought we were supposed to be judges?"
Rika scratched the back of her head. "This one's kinda... oh, don't worry about it! It's fine! Besides, Asuna's mom'll get mad if she's late for dinner."
Asuna gasped before she reflexively checked her watch. "That's right, I almost forgot the time." She shouldered her bag and smiled. "I'm really sorry, but I have to go!"
"Oh no! I'm going to be late for rehearsal if I stay around too much longer," Yuuna said. "See you tomorrow, you two!" 'And an extra good luck to you, Darling~!'
The two girls waved goodbye and hurried out of the room. Rika and I had to return to her classroom first since she hadn't remembered to bring her bag with her, so by the time we were out of school and got on the bus towards the mall, the sun had already started to set. I sighed and pulled out my phone.
"Who're you texting?" Rika asked.
My sister. I told her I would be walking home with her after this all finished, but if we're going to the mall, I won't make it before she does kendo.
"Aw, shoot," Rika said. "Sorry about that. We can always - wait, we're already on the bus! Why didn't you say something earlier?!"
You were dragging me around so quickly I couldn't get a word in edgewise.
"Whoops..." Rika chuckled and rubbed the back of her head. "Really sorry about that. Tell her it was my fault, okay?"
Even if her request was earnest, there was absolutely no way I was going to say something about that. After all...
'Nooooo! Kazuto won't walk home with me?! And he doesn't know when he's going to be back?! This is the wooooorst!'
...She's already upset enough. If I told her that I wasn't walking home with her because I was spending time with another girl, all alone, who knows what would happen?
I do. I know what would happen. Because I am intimately familiar with Sugu's thoughts about me.
So of course I'm going to have to decline Rika's offer of blaming it all on her. As convenient as the excuse would be, Sugu would definitely forgive me because I'm me.
When we got off the bus at the mall, I turned to Rika. So, what's the final challenge?
"Right. Ahem! The final challenge, Kazuto Kirigaya! It's to buy a present for Asuna!"
I stared at her.
What.
Rika clenched a fist. "How else will we figure out who's best suited to be by Asuna's side, huh? The price limit is 1000 yen, and we'll give them to her at the same time. The one she likes best is the winner!"
This is really stupid.
"Ready? Go!" Rika shouted. Seriously, does she not wait for a second? I'd heard the stories and the exasperated thoughts of teachers in the school, but this was more than I'd ever imagined.
Naturally, her shout attracted all sorts of attention - ('Who are those two kids?' 'Are they on a date?' 'Tch, kids never know how to be polite...') - so I sighed and started walking. I don't know what to get Asuna for a present. How was I supposed to know, anyway? I've known her for two months!
Well, in this case, there's always the safe strategy. Rika started off on the second floor, where she looked at a shop selling some clothes. It was an expensive boutique though, out of the price range. I tried not to be too obvious that I was looking through the clothes. I didn't want people to get the wrong idea.
'...Is that boy looking for clothes? He looks like he's lost...'
Okay I'm leaving before the saleslady tries to convince me to crossdress or something! Rika left the clothes store a little bit before me, so I hurried to catch up to her. She glanced over her shoulder and frowned, and then sped up on her way to her second stop, a little jewelry stand in the center of the mall. It was cheaper than the clothes store, but I don't remember seeing Asuna wear jewelry before. Maybe a necklace? Whatever it was, Rika shook her head again and ran off.
She stopped by the food court briefly but I think that was just because she was hungry, if the images floating through her mind were any hint.
On our way to the third stop Rika finally whirled on me. 'That is it!' "Why are you following me?!" she snapped. She planted her hands on her hips and leaned forward. "I told you, we're supposed to buy a gift and find out which one Asuna likes more!"
I scratched the back of my head. Well, if I'm trying to buy something that Asuna likes, then obviously I'm going to follow you around. After all, you're her best friend. Of course you'd know what she likes the best, right?
"I, uh..." Rika leaned back. "R-Right, I'm her best friend, that's it. Just that."
Of course. It's really obvious.
Well, maybe it's more obvious to me because I can read Asuna's mind, but it still counts!
Rika cupped her chin and hummed in thought. "Welllll... Oh, fine!" She pointed at me, shaking her finger. "But you still have to pick out her gift on your own, got it?"
I will, I will. It's not like I'm going to give up my chance at Asuna's amazing sandwiches.
As we headed towards the next shop, Rika wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, it's so crowded today," she muttered. "We picked the worst time, huh?"
And whose fault is that? Who decided today was the perfect day to challenge me?
"Oh shut up," Rika sighed. "Anyway, do you know where Tower Records is? On the first floor?" I shook my head. That was a shop I wasn't really familiar with. I didn't even come to the mall that often in the first place. There were too many people around, blasting my telepathy. I'd closed myself off as tight as possible, but even still it was like someone blasting loud music in the next room over, only the door between the two was closed. "Err... Crap, if we just try to shove our way through, we'll get split up..."
Can we just... go?
I reached out and grabbed her hand. Rika froze totally and just stared at her hand. It was... kinda weird? I mean, before this she'd always been moving in one way or another, but now she was motionless. I'd check her thoughts to see if something was wrong, but I didn't want to risk it in this crowd of people.
Rika? Hello?
"Y-Yes!" she yelped. "I, uh, let's just go okay it's this way!" Whatever had been wrong seemed to be gone now, because she took the lead again and pulled me through the crowd by the hand. At least she was acting normal again, even if she'd surprised me at first.
The crush of people in the mall was obnoxious, but Rika pushed through without hesitation. If I hadn't been holding her hand, I would have gotten separated from her nearly instantly. Instead, she acted as a battering ram that parted the shopper sea and let me through behind her. Once we were in Tower Records - which, like the name suggested, sold music and related accessories - she snatched her hand away and rushed off towards one side of the store.
Let's see... Rika would know better than me what Asuna likes (which was why I followed her around, obviously) but I'd promised her I'd pick out Asuna's gift on my own, so I can't ask her. Hmm... We were in a music shop, so obviously I should buy some music for Asuna. It was lucky that she and Yuuna had gotten into a conversation about the subject a week or so ago over lunch, then.
Wait, why is this flashback-worthy?!
May 23rd, 2025
"Asuna, listen to this one," Yuuna said. Asuna smiled and leaned over to let Yuuna put the second earbud in her ear so the two girls could listen to the song on Yuuna's phone.
I didn't mind that they didn't ask me if I wanted to listen. It'd be weird for me to share earbuds with one of the girls, obviously. Plus, I could hear the music through their thoughts. This one was a slower song than Yuuna usually hummed or listened to; she'd shared a few of those with Asuna before but the girl had seemed politely disinterested. Instead of just leaving it alone like a normal person, Yuuna had decided, 'I'm going to find something Asuna likes!'
So, here we were. Yuuna and Asuna were happily sitting next to each other and listening to some music, while I'm left to wonder when exactly those two got so close they were practically rubbing their cheeks together.
"Ooh, I like this one," Asuna said.
Yuuna smiled. "Really? What do you like?"
Asuna scratched her cheek. "Umm... The, uh, you called it the melody, right? And I think I like the singer."
"Haruka Tomatsu! She's one of my favorites."
"Really?"
"Sure!" Yuuna giggled. "I don't have many of her songs, but if I get any, I'll let you borrow them!"
Asuna smiled. "That'd be wonderful, Yuuna!"
Necessity of the flashback aside, at least it helped me remember the name of that singer Asuna liked. Haruka Tomatsu, huh? Well, I'll go see if they have anything from her.
Searching the store didn't take too long, and I found the section devoted to pop songs pretty easily. I really didn't buy music all that often, but that's a lot of CDs... Now, which one should I get for Asuna?
Again!?
May 31st, 2025
"I heard there's a new CD coming out today," Yuuna said to Asuna. "By Haruka Tomatsu, I mean."
Asuna gasped. "Oh, that's wonderful! Let's go this weekend and check it out!"
"Sure! It's a date."
Okay, that was literally yesterday, I already remembered that. What was the point of the flashback? I think whoever's writing this story is messing with me.
Whatever. That's the present I'm going to look for. Asuna should like that, right?
Fortunately for finding it quickly, the new album was right there on full display. I reached out to pick one up, and my hand brushed against someone else's.
I turned to apologize, only to see Rika snatch her hand away and look away from me. "S-Sorry!" she yelped. "I didn't mean to tuh-touch your hand, I promise!"
You're being loud, Rika.
"Whoops," she said. This time her voice was still loud, but Rika-levels of loud instead of loud enough to get everyone else in the store looking at us. "Sorry. Anyway, I saw it first!"
...It won't work anyway, it costs 10 thousand.
"What? Oh, dang it," Rika sighed. "This was the best thing that I could think of... Maybe I can go get her a coat or scarf or something? But it's the middle of the summer, she wouldn't... Graaah!" Rika tugged at the ends of her hair in frustration. 'I want to get this for Asuna, but I only have a thousand yen on me...'
Hey, Rika?
"Huh?"
Why don't we just get Asuna the gift together? If we pool our money, that's enough to buy it. Plus, she'd probably like it the most if we got along, or something like that.
Rika stared at me, and then grinned widely and clapped her hand on my shoulder. "That's a great idea! Let's do it!"
Two days after the whole 'challenge' between me and Rika, I headed up to the roof while Yuuna's humming lead the way. I didn't even try to ignore the girls at this point; if I did, then one or more of them would come down to get me. The best-case scenario at that point was Yuuna, and that would still be enough to get people talking about it.
Asuna smiled as I stepped out onto the roof. "Kazuto, there you are! You're just in time."
"C'mon, get over here!" Rika called out. She was already cross-legged on the ground and tapping her foot impatiently. 'I wanna eeeeeaaaat, hurry up and sit down alreadyyyy!'
Why is she even hanging out here anyway?
Well, I ask myself, but I already know the answer. When Rika and I gave the CD to Asuna yesterday, she was so excited that she leapt out of her seat and through her arms around both of us at once. After a second she'd let go (both Rika and Asuna were blushing) and sat back down, thanking us profusely. Then, she'd told us that she'd made enough sandwiches for both of us.
After I sat down for lunch, it was more or less the same as it was before, just with Rika joking around. "So, you're a transfer student, huh?" she asked Yuuna.
"Sure am," my friend replied. "I transferred in early in the year."
"How're you liking it so far?" Rika grinned. "Joined any clubs? I bet there's something here you're interested in, right?"
Yuuna shook her head. "I wish," she sighed. "But I'm so busy with my idol practice for right now. I'd love to join the drama club, their outfits are amazing!"
"Hey, you were great a few days ago," Rika told her. "I bet they'd love to have you! Right, Kazuto?"
That was when it happened.
Rika, in her natural state of Rika, slapped me on the back as if trying to drag me into the conversation. However, I was about to take a bite of one of Asuna's sandwiches, and when she slapped me on the back it went flying in the air from the force she smacked me with. It was like time slowed to a crawl as it flew over the railing and fell to the ground.
No!
I lunged from my seat and reached out.
"Rika!" Asuna scolded her.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't realize that would happen!" 'Crap, now I feel really bad... I'd offer him one of mine if I hadn't eaten them all...' "I'll make it up to you, okay? It's not..."
Rika trailed off and Asuna let out a gasp. I didn't have to turn around to know that she'd covered her mouth with both hands; I couldn't even if I wanted to, because all of my focus and concentration was tasked towards one, vitally-important goal.
Picking up my sandwich out of the air and lifting it back to the roof with my telekinesis, of course.
...I said I was only going to reveal my powers in case of an emergency? Well, what do you think this is?!
"Kazuto," Yuuna sighed. "Why?"
Because it's a sandwich, Yuuna.
"You - what the - HUH?!" Rika yelped. She pointed at me.
"K-K-Kazuto?" Asuna stammered, eyes wide. 'How did he do that?' "What... What was that?"
I sighed. Crap. Now I have to deal with this. It's a really good thing that one of my powers is the ability to manipulate memories. This is one of the good cases, too; unless I know their mind really well I have to physically touch someone to erase their memories. I could erase Sugu's memories from a distance, and probably Yuuna's, but Asuna? Rika? No way.
If I'm lucky, nobody else caught my use of psychic powers -
'...Was that a flying sandwich?! Oh man, I HAVE to write an article about this!'
...I had to just think it. I had to taunt whoever's writing this story.
...
I sighed as the morning bell rang to start classes. I go through my day-to-day life trying to keep things as simple as possible, and it was incredibly stressful having someone sniffing around about my powers. Especially since nobody had said anything at all yet.
'Kazuto...! Some girl from the journalism club just came to talk to me, and I think she's the one who knows about your powers. She kept asking me whether or not I was up on the roof for lunch yesterday!'
My head hit my desk with a light thump.
Gasp! Shock! Who could this mysterious journalism person be, who's snooping around for information?!
Anyway, moving right along. Rika is INCREDIBLY ENERGETIC! Blazing passion, with the fury of a thousand suns. Perfect for her fiery personality, right? (I don't care, she's fun to write like this. Instead of sassy, she's sassy and ALL FIRED UP) That being said, I will never ever ever give up the idea that she is also incredibly vulnerable to that lewdest of lewd things, hand-holding.
Besides, I need someone to drag the others into shenanigans. Yuuna is fun to write (I'm trying for something like slightly-over-the-top emotiveness, since she is an idol) but she's more a reactive character, and Asuna is The One Sane Girl in all of this, so she's not going to be doing stuff like 'Let's go play baseball!' or 'Time to do some cooking!'
(And yes that WAS an emergency! He almost lost a sandwich!)
Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed.
