37: Azuna Land

Yu, Ayumu, and Setsuna were walking together and chatting as they approached us from a distance, the bright morning sun at their backs, illuminating their pastel blouses and skirts. My heart constricted at the sight. They were so beautiful… and yet, how did I not have a girlfriend? I don't think a normal boy can get this close to girls like this and not catch any feelings. Maybe I already have. I don't know. Or maybe they just thought of me as another girl. But no. That can't be true, can it? I mean, I know I'm blind when it comes to romance, but even I can tell that… well, there were feelings other than friendship between us.

I just didn't want to say it, because it would confirm their existence. What good would that do? So what if one of them liked me, or if I liked one of them?

In the end, I've got to leave anyway. Is there any point?

We all know long distance doesn't work. Right?

I don't want to start something and end it a couple months later. It's really just a waste of feelings.

"Teehee, how long are you gonna stare at them?" Shizuku giggled, approaching me from behind.

"Wh-what?" I said, startled, as I turned to face the girl in her light blue one-piece. Shizuku smiled.
"We're going to the amusement park today, right? You know, it's a perfect situation to confess your love! So which one are you gonna pick? I mean, Ayumu-senpai's free now, right? Isn't she the one you wanted in the beginning? Or… did things change?" Shizuku raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?!" I shot back, shaking my head. "I- they're just friends!"

"You gotta face the truth, Derrick-kun!" Karin said, and we turned to see Karin and Kanata arrive.

"Oh! Hey guys!" we said in greeting."Haha, you two just graduated a few days ago, but you're already another stage in life ahead of us!" I said.

"Yeah, I feel so old now!" Kanata joked. "But seriously, you should consider your true feelings! I mean, those girls are all really good choices, so I think you should shoot your shot!"

"Wh-why are you guys bringing up all this all of a sudden?!" I said, panicking. "I thought we were all just friends?!"

"Just because no one explicitly says anything doesn't mean those things aren't there," Emma said.

"When did you join in on this conversation!?" I blurted.

"It's true! You think I wasn't noticing all the things happening between you and the others? It's not even something I need to try to notice, it's so plainly obvious. I just didn't want to say anything!" Emma laughed. "But come on. You don't want to regret leaving without ever telling her your true feelings."

"Heyyyyy! Who's ready for today!?" Setsuna cheered, arriving.

"Yeah! I can't wait to ride all the roller coasters!" Yu grinned.

"I want to eat one of those cute mascot cotton candy thingies I saw on IG," Ayumu piped.

"Y-yo!" I replied, worried that they heard our conversation.

"Derrick wants to do all of that too!" Shizuku shouted, nudging me into the three.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" I said, annoyed.

Shizuku widened her eyes suggestively and stuck her tongue out.

"Really? You like roller coasters, senpai?" Yu asked, grabbing my arm.

"Y-yeah. I do!"

"You know about the mascot cotton candy too?" Ayumu asked. "It's soooo cute, right?"

"Err, yeah, I do!"

"Then let's do all of it!" Setsuna stated. "We've got no time to waste!"

After we arrived at the park, we waited in line for quite a while. Finally, we entered the space, bustling with crowds, festive decorations lining every corner, spiraling roller coasters towering above the horizon.

"Roller coaster! Roller coaster!" Yu squealed, pointing at the scariest looking one around.

"Are you serious, Yu!?" Ayumu latched onto my arm. "That one's the scariest one! I don't think I can handle it!"

"Don't worry! I'll be with you," Yu said, pulling Ayumu away from me. "Come on, how are you going to survive if your future boyfriend likes roller coasters?"

"I- I guess…"

We got in line for the coaster.

"Wait, we have eleven people, right? How is there going to an even number of people to ride if it only seats two people per row?" I asked.

"Um, you can sit alone?" Kasumi suggested. "I don't think any girl would want to sit next to you…"

"What are you talking about!? Aren't you the one who's always acting so desperate?!"

"But don't you get the situation? We've got ten girls and one boy. Obviously, no one wants to be that one girl who has to go with the guy. How embarrassing is that?"

"How is that embarrassing?"

"Duhhhh! If you're the only boy-girl couple in the entire group, everyone's going to start making rumors about you two going out? Hello?"

"But- I don't want to sit alone!" I protested.

We were approaching the front of the line.

"I mean, one of you guys wants to sit with me, right?" I said, getting desperate. "Yu-chan! W-want to sit with me!?" I grabbed her arm and made puppy eyes.

"Heh…" she scratched her neck. "Well… I would love to, but… Ayumu-chan's not really good at roller coasters. So I want to sit with her to keep her company."

"B-but the other girls can do that too!" I protested. "Come on, you're the only girl here that I can chill with and not be considered a predator!"

"Hahah, don't you think that's a problem you created yourself?" Yu punched me in the arm. "I know that, Derrick. But I think you should find another girl to chill with… because I don't want to leave Ayumu alone ever again. Especially…" she leaned in and whispered in my ear. "...after what happened between Ayumu and Takeshi… I don't want to make Ayumu jealous by talking to a boy… I'm sorry. But as her friend, I have to consider her feelings. When you've just been dumped, I don't think you'd like it very much if your friends kept hanging out with boys and flirting with them… your feelings are out of sync, and that'll make you feel even worse. That's why I'm going to have to pay more attention to Ayumu than you from now on, okay?"

"What are you guys flirting about!?" Ayumu said, jealous.

"See what I mean?" Yu said.

"But we're not even flirting! We're literally just friends!" I shouted.

Yu smiled sadly.

"I wish that were true," she said, quietly, and took Ayumu's hand, stepping forward to the platform at which we had arrived.

What does Yu mean!?

But before I could think about that, I needed to deal with the situation at hand.

"I guess I'll just go on alone?" I said, hopelessly.

"Derrick-senpai!" Shizuku called out. "Here, I'll go on alone! Setsuna, g-go!" she pushed a protesting Setsuna toward me.

"W-why!?" Setsuna complained, blushing, as she was shoved into me. "O-oh, s-sorry," she said, looking up at me with a nervous expression.

"Shizuku-chan? No, it's fine!" I protested, but Shizuku shook her head.

"Oi, hurry it up, will ya!?" A disgruntled man behind us shouted.

"S-sorry!" I said, and pulled Setsuna with me up to the platform. We got into the seats and buckled up, behind Yu and Ayumu. The two turned to us and giggled.

"Sorry, Setsuna-chan, that you had to sit with me… I know you'd rather have sat with Shizuku-chan…" I apologized.

"No, it's fine…" Setsuna replied, fixing her hair and straightening out her white blouse. "It's just… I'm kinda scared of roller coasters too! Hehheh… so if I scream and hold onto you, I'm sorry in advance, okay?"

"O-okay." The roller coaster started moving, and we began slowly rising, up and up, approaching a tremendous drop.

"A-a-a-ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" Setsuna screamed, latching onto me.

"We didn't even drop yet!" I said, as the cart slowly climbed higher and higher.

"Derrick-senpaiiiiiiii! Save me!" Setsuna squealed, as we dropped.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed, and my insides were flipped upside down as the wind rushed across our faces, hearts in overdrive, twisting and turning.

"You okay?" I asked Setsuna, supporting her as we stumbled off.

"Y-yeah…"

"You didn't enjoy that at all, did you…"

"What?! No, it was fun!" Setsuna smiled. "Oh! They took our picture!" We looked up at the display screens that showed our group, and we could see Setsuna, hair flying, crying and holding me for dear life.

"Hahahaah!" I laughed, amused.

"Ahhhh that's embarrassing," Setsuna covered her eyes.

"Did you have fun!?" Shizuku said, putting an arm around each of us.

"Yeah! But you really didn't have to go alone just for me," I said.

"What? It wasn't really my idea. It was Setsuna's," Shizuku said, pointing at the girl in question.

"Huh? Shizuku-chan!? No it wasn't!" Setsuna protested. "Stop making lies!"

"You said you were worried that Derrick would be lonely…" Shizuku said slyly.

"Stop making things so awkward!" Setsuna shook her head and ran away.

"Setsuna-chan!" I shouted, running after her. I grabbed her arm and held her in place.

"Ahh, I'm so sorry! I don't want to keep making a nuisance," Setsuna said. "I just, I just thought I should care for you, because of how you lifted my spirits after Love Live! But I'm sorry! You must think I'm too clingy and awkward! And you're closer to Yu-chan and Ayumu-chan, so I'm just getting in the way of your friendship! Or… I- I don't want to say this too loud, but… I don't want to get in the way of… the… thing… you guys have." Setsuna turned away. "I'm sorry…"

"Wh-what?!" I said, exasperated. "Setsuna-chan, you've got everything wrong! First of all, you're not a nuisance at all. I enjoy being with you! As much as Yu and Ayumu. And you don't need to repay me or anything for helping you. You've already helped me before, remember? When I wanted to drop out? And I never did anything for you in the first place, but you still wanted to help me. That's just what friends do! And- and there's no 'thing' between me and any of the other girls, so don't think you're getting in the way!"

"O-oh…" Setsuna looked at the floor. "In that case…" she seemed as if she had made up her mind about something. "Anyway, let's go eat some cotton candy, shall we?"

"S-sure!" I said, confused. We went back to the others, who were all observing from a distance with intrigue.

"Wahhhhhh! This is so cuteeeee!" Ayumu squealed as she held up her cotton candy, taking a picture of it.

"Is it worth having to ride on the roller coaster?" I asked.

"Yeah! It wasn't that scary, being with Yu-chan," Ayumu replied, pulling me close to her. "Here, let's take a pic too!" I held up my cotton candy and smiled. "How was it with Setsuna-chan?"

"She was screaming so loud!" Yu remarked, coming over and sitting down at the table. We were sitting next to this manmade lake, near the center of the park, where numerous stands were selling various treats.

"Yeah… it was pretty fun though."

"'Omgggg! Save me, Derrick-senpai!' that was so hilarious!"

"Mm… do you think we're making Setsuna-chan uncomfortable?" I asked.

"What?" Ayumu remarked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… she was talking to me earlier, and I think she feels like she's being a bother to us, getting in the way of our relationships."

"Huh? I don't think so," Yu replied.

"Well… something like that did happen," Ayumu suggested. "Before you came, senpai… there was a time when Yu and Setsuna got really close, and I… kind of got jealous."

"Oh… yeah, I think I remember that in the anime… anyway, that's why I think we should take care of her more. After all she's our leader and all…" I looked over at Setsuna, who was busy chatting with Karin and Shizuku. She caught my eye, and waved at me. I waved back.

"You're so cute," Yu said, putting an arm around me. "You always notice the little things about girls' feelings. That's why you're such a playboy."

"Huh?"

Yu sighed.

"If you want something, go for it, okay? There's nothing stopping you now. There's no one stopping you now." She reached over and put a hand in my pocket.

"You want a girlfriend, don't you, Derrick?" Ayumu said bluntly.

"Wh-what!?"

"I know you do… after all, remember when you first joined us?" Ayumu licked the bare stick of her cotton candy. "You liked me, didn't you?"

"Wh-what!?" I broke into a cold sweat.

"Everyone was talking about it… and you kept staring at me… it was kinda creepy…" Ayumu chuckled. "B-but don't take offense, senpai!" She held my hand. "I think I kinda caught some feelings for you too. Because I was also pretty desperate and lonely. That's why… those weird things happened at the training camp during winter break. But… after all the drama that happened with Yu-chan, I think… it would've been too awkward if we took our relationship any further. But Takeshi came along, and I fell for him… well, everything's over now, so… yeah…" Ayumu smiled.

"Ayumu-chan! I- I kinda came to that conclusion too, but I never wanted to bring it up… because I didn't want to start any conflict…" I said.

"It's fine! We're still the best of friends, so we should say everything we feel, right? Don't be shy!"

"Ayumu… don't worry, you'll find a boy that's right for you!"

"Don't worry about that, I'm not interested in finding a boy right now… I realized that, in order to find the one who's right for me, I have to better myself first. I can't just be a desperate girl and go after any boy who's willing to talk to me. That's what I once was. It takes a lot of responsibility to be in a relationship… I think that it'll be better if I waited a few more years before I'm ready."

"Oh… well… I'm glad for you, Ayumu-chan." I hugged her.

I turned to Yu-chan.

"On that note… I don't want to bring back any bad memories, but… I remember… on that night when I beat up Kenta, you slapped me and ran away. Before you did, you said… you said that… you had started to like me?"

"Y-you remember that!?" Yu said, blushing.

"Yeah… I just never said anything about it… after all, we didn't talk for a long time after that, and I almost died as a result, so it didn't seem important at the time."

"I- well-" Yu choked on her words, and tears began streaming down her cheeks.

"Yu-chan!"

"It's fine," she replied, smiling as tears continued to fall. At that moment, I realized that Yu's hair was down, not in her usual style, and that it had grown long and fell halfway down her back.

"What do you mean, it's fine?" I asked, heart thumping. "Because… because I wanted to tell you… that… that I also… kind of… liked you." There it was. I said it.

"I know that, senpai." Yu grinned her classic grin. "But I'm not available right now. Teehee! Sorry!"

"Yu-chan! Wh-why?!"

"Like I told you earlier, I don't want to be too close to another boy when Ayumu-chan's just gone through so much."

"B-but that's fine, Yu-chan! You don't have to worry about me!" Ayumu protested. "You two are the cutest thing ever! I'm not gonna be jealous!"

"It's not just that…" Yu shook her head. "I don't deserve you, Derrick. Why does Setsuna think she's the one causing problems? It's always me. I was the one who got close to her and made Ayumu jealous. When I walked in on you and Ayumu making out, I was the one who overreacted and made all this drama happen. And you wouldn't have beaten Kenta up if he didn't start making fun of me, and that got you hurt so badly. It's all my fault! And I know what you're gonna say. It's fine, you'll still accept me. But I can't accept you because I can't accept myself." Yu stood up and took her hand out of my pocket. "Thank you, Derrick. Ha!" She laughed, though her anguish was as clear as day. "I guess I just friend zoned myself, eh? I'mma go use the bathroom, see ya guys later!" Yu waved and skipped off.

"Yu-chan…" Ayumu looked at me. "I'm going to go talk to her, okay?" she left and chased after Yu.

I sighed. Well, there's nothing I can do about that, can I?

To think we actually had a thing.

But in the end, it couldn't come true.

It's fine, anyway. Right? After all, I'm leaving pretty soon.

I stood up and put my hands in my pockets.

I noticed that there was something inside, where Yu had put her hand.

It was the green ribbons which I had given to her.

We spent the rest of the day going on rides and eating overpriced food, until the sun had set, and glowing lights began to flicker on throughout the park.

I couldn't stop thinking about Yu. I mean… if she doesn't want it, then I can't force her. It's her choice.

"Yu-chan!" I said, running up beside her as the twilight faded into night. We were all exhausted, and had sat down at a little row of benches, facing a small stage.

"Senpai?"

"I need to talk to you! Yu-chan-"

"Shhhh!" Yu put a finger to my lips. "Watch!" She pointed to the stage.

Suddenly, the lights on the stage flickered on, and three girls in striped dresses appeared on the stage.

"Heyyyyyyyyy everyone!" Ayumu announced, twirling and winking.

"Who's ready for some musiccccccccccc!?" Setsuna piped.

"I know I am!" Shizuku joined in.

"What? Since when!?" I looked around, and the three were not around me. When did they go backstage!?"

"Don't underestimate my negotiation skills! I am the manager, after all," Yu said, grinning. "This was all part of the plan!"

"What!?"

"I know everyone has a lot of worries in their heart, and that's fine," Shizuku said, winking at me.

"Whether it's from school, work, or… love," Ayumu added.

"But we've all come here tonight, for one thing- to have fun!" Setsuna finished. "So lay down all your worries and sing along!"

Yu cheered beside me, and I joined in, as well as the rest of the girls, as well as the crowd that had gathered around.

"Welcome to AZUNA land, boys and girls!

Let's dance along with splendid steps!

Learn them by watching others, as long as you're moving, it's fine!

It's as if we're living a dream!

Even if the sadness grows darker, don't worry!

If you come here, all of it will become smiles~!

"This is amazing!" I said, looking over at Yu. "It's 'Dream Land, Dream World' by the AZUNA subunit!"

"It fits right in with the situation, doesn't it!?" Yu replied, clapping her hands.

"You're the best manager ever!"

Let's find AZUNA land together,

A dream you've long forgotten

If you close your eyes and wait, it'll come back to you

Let's have fun and forget about all your frustrations and fatigue

We'll go back to being kids!

When the song ended, a roar of applause erupted, and I turned and hugged Yu as tight as I could, holding her in the air and twirling her around.

"Kyaaaaaa! Be careful!" Yu squealed.

"Yu-chan! No matter what happens, we'll always be friends, okay?!" I said, setting her down.

Yu looked up at me and smiled.

"Best friends," she replied.

"I won't be needing these," I said, placing her ribbons back into her hands.

"How did we do!?" Ayumu said, appearing next to us, breathing hard, in her little dress.

"You did amazing! I was so moved," I said, feeling the worries evaporate from my heart. Ayumu saw the ribbons back in Yu's hands and smiled.

"Did the song help at all?" Shizuku said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Shizuku!?" I creased my brow. "I don't know what strings you're pulling, but that performance really caught me off guard. But it was amazing!"

"Thank you," she replied. "Leader-san!" Shizuku pulled Setsuna in front of her. She was breathing heavily and had a trail of sweat on her sideburns.

"Derrick-senpai!" Setsuna declared. "Was it good!?"

"Yeah! It was amazing!"

"Hold on, hold on-" Yu interrupted, going up to Setsuna and grabbing her hair.

"Wh-what are you doing, Yu-chan!?" Setsuna asked, confused and embarrassed.

Yu took her green ribbons and tied them into Setsuna's hair, in the form of the twintails that she specialized in.

"There you go. Ganbatte, Setsuna-chan!" Yu stepped back.

"O-oh… a-anyway, Derrick-senpai!" Setsuna fidgeted, playing around with her new hairstyle.

"Yes?"

"The fireworks are going to come soon! Want to watch them with me!?"

I stood in line, waiting to buy a melon soda float. The others had gone off, leaving Setsuna and I alone…

Setsuna was running off to the bathroom to change, so I was by myself when I bought the drink.

"Um, can I have two straws?" I asked the clerk, who gave me an extra straw. I took the drink and got out of line, waiting for Setsuna under a glowing yellow light.

"Ahh! Derrick-senpai! Sorry for making you wait," Setsuna said, rushing over, dressed in her white blouse, green ribbons around her twintails, face pink and ears red.

"H-how did they know to give us two straws?" Setsuna asked.

"Well, I asked for another one…"

"Oh…" Setsuna leaned in and took a long sip of the soda from my hand.

As she did so, strands of her black hair brushed against my arm, making me clench up in nervousness. She smelled like Yu's watermelon shampoo.

"Setsuna-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"How much do you girls talk about me behind my back?"

Setsuna smiled.

"I'm sorry, senpai!" she took another sip. "But we're girls! We can't help but talk about girl stuff."

"I see." We sat down at a little planter, and looked up into the night sky. Around us, people were still milling about, and there was an atmosphere of festivity in the air. The smell of popcorn wafed across our noses, and the muffled chatter of passersby resounded.

"Can I tell you something, senpai?" Setsuna asked, scooting over so that her arm touched mine.

"What is it?"

"To be honest… as the student council president, I was the most opposed to the creation of the international program at our school," Setsuna explained.

"Which means I wouldn't be able to come here?"

"Exactly. I raised many concerns about how letting boys sign up was in any way a good idea. It sounded like something straight out of an anime!"

"I mean…"

"I fought with all my strength. But in the end, I was still a student, and I couldn't stop it from happening."

"So you're basically my arch enemy," I remarked. "You almost denied all of the experiences I've had up to now."

"Y-yeah." Setsuna looked into my eyes. "I'm sorry for that…"

"Then again, I can't blame you. You're the president for a reason."

"Mm. For the longest time, I actually wanted you to leave our club. I couldn't force you, but I… hoped that you would resign on your own. I'm the worst, aren't' I?" Setsuna took another sip of soda, and I did so as well.

"But you changed, right?"

"Well. When you actually were going to resign… I realized that… maybe, having boys wasn't such a bad idea. Maybe… I could start to understand them better. Maybe I could start to understand you better." She smiled. "So when I received your resignation forms, I took them so that they wouldn't get to the principal."

"And when I came back to you guys after the first competition, you had them- and you tore them up in front of me. I can't ever forget that," I said. "It was like a scene straight out of a movie."

"Yeah. I'm glad you decided not to leave. If you actually left, I would have been devastated! Just when I decided that you were worth getting close to, you would have been far, far away. That's why I'm so grateful that you're here right now." Setsuna leaned her head on my shoulder, and whispered. "And I hope I can get to know you much, much better from now on."

Just then, the fireworks shot into the sky, exploding into millions of twinkling stars, a myriad of greens, pinks, and reds reflecting upon our faces, shadows painted with light for brief instances; loud thumps echoing through the air, though not as loud as the thumps within our own chests; beautiful patterns streaking across the dark, though not as beautiful as the girl beside me, as I cast my eye upon her, her soft, round cheeks, the small, pink, heart-shaped earrings she wore, the faint scent of watermelon shampoo, the green ribbons holding together her silky, black hair, which shrouded the side of her face, bangs cresting across her brow, lips quivering and almond eyes glistening with the color of fireworks.

End of Arc 7