A/N: Endings are never clean.


A Boy Meets Girl Encounter: Summary

Boy meets girl. Girl confesses. Boy accepts Girl's feelings in earnest.

( "I… I've been avoiding the subject…" )

Boy is anxious. Boy is nervous. This is his first experience with this sort of thing.

( "I… just didn't want you to get angry…" )

But as always, Boy casts aside all doubt and decides to do his best.

( "I'm sorry it's taken me this long to say it…" )

He would do his best. He would do his very best. He would do his upmost best.

( "About that day…" )

He would continue to believe in himself and push through with all he had…

( "The truth is…" )

Because… if he did that, surely something good would happen.

( "The truth is… I never really liked you." )

Surely…

Sogiita Gunha is Doing Fine

How necessary is it to describe a common event?

Relationships are constantly being formed and broken. Sogiita Gunha's situation isn't anything new. This is hardly a tragedy. It's barely a comedy. Rather, this is normal day to day life. And as such, it's completely predictable.

It's a story that's been told so many times, you can probably guess the beats and still be mostly right.

So… Putting it quickly…

Without lingering on the details…

There were feelings of guilt.

There were feelings of anger.

There were feelings of dread.

There were feelings of desperation.

And…

Emptiness. Of course emptiness.

It was a void that hovered in the air and slowly sank as he realized…

That the thoughts he had at that very second, that very minute, that very hour…

Day, week, and year…

Suddenly…

It could all mean nothing.

That it had all meant nothing.

And…

Even more frightening was…

That life would carry on as usual.

An ordinary revelation of a very ordinary fact.

Sogiita Gunha is Doing Well

A heavy metal door.

Unoiled hinges cried as it slowly opened.

Shokuhou Misaki was slightly out of breath after climbing so many steps. But she finally made it to the rooftop of the testing facility.

And in front of her…

Sogiita Gunha stood near the fencing, staring out and staring off…

Whether he was lost in thought or purposely ignoring her…

He didn't react to her arrival.

"…"

A brief moment of hesitation.

There were things she wanted to do. There were things she didn't want to do. There were things she should do. And there were things she shouldn't do. In light of previous events, all of that didn't matter.

Shokuhou Misaki had chosen to do nothing. She had no right to say anything now.

But nonetheless…

She called out to him with a casual greeting.

"Hey there. How's it going?"

This was a good way to start.

Sogiita Gunha is Doing Great

"Ho? Did you come to enjoy the scenery too?"

The boy looked back and gave the girl a smirk. The girl caught on and matched his pace.

"No… I… I just came to get some fresh air. Sometimes being in that room can get to your head."

Returning the smile, Shokuhou Misaki started stretching her arms.

"I see. I see."

The boy set his gaze forward again.

"I totally get ya'. It's relaxing being up here."

He continued.

"The view from up high makes you feel larger than life, doncha' think? It's like I'm Colonel Muska! The people are like ants!"

The boy laughed heartily.

"Yeah. They sure are."

Caution.

Consideration.

Both were aware.

Sogiita Gunha is…

"…"

It was as he said. The view from up high was a sight to behold. As the sun slowly dipped into the horizon, it bathed the whole landscape in a sweet orange glow.

The world had not ended.

Nor did time stop.

Nothing meaningful happened.

So, obviously, nothing changed.

"…"

Shokuhou Misaki stood silently. She must have been only thirty feet away, but the distance felt much further.

The silence between them was thick.

And the boy's expression altered.

Like a crashing wave…

His tone was almost hateful.

"You knew from the start, didn't you?"

A Fool

Shokuhou Misaki stayed where she was. She couldn't look him in the eye. And she couldn't respond back.

"…"

As Sogiita Gunha felt the weight of his words, he instantly felt regret.

"No… no…"

He defused himself.

"Sorry… I shouldn't have said it like that…

"Our relationship isn't that close… So… It's wrong for me to have those kinds of expectations…"

He lowered his gaze to the ground.

And raised it up again. He covered his expression with a smile.

"I… messed up pretty good, huh?

"When I look back on it now, I did a lot of embarrassing stuff. I just wanna go back and kick myself in the knees."

He made a half-hearted chuckle.

"You guys must have gotten a kick out of it too. I wouldn't blame ya'."

"I was… a complete idiot…"

"…"

Dilemma

"Putting on these garbage clothes… trying to act all mature..."

Sogiita Gunha spoke awkwardly. He wasn't used to saying these things out loud.

"It's funny. Even though she was the one who confessed… I felt like… I felt like it was on me to change.

"I was worried if I said anything weird to her, she'd get up and leave.

"You would think just being a Level 5 would be enough… But it isn't. And… of course it isn't. If all it took to be popular was a little bit of strength, then… I guess the world would be too unfair, right?"

His smile grew thinner.

"I wanted so hard to be likable, reading up on magazines and online websites…

"It really is funny. I put in so much effort, and I didn't change at all."

Shokuhou Misaki continued to listen. A heavy feeling welled up inside her.

The boy's fists began to ball. And he admitted something unexpected.

"I… really envy you."

The Boy Who Knows Nothing

There was something about the way he spoke. It was like something deep down was emerging…

"If I had an ability like yours… If I did… I wouldn't have gotten myself into this mess.

"I mean… the whole reading minds thing probably has its own share of problems… But… If I could do what you do, I wouldn't be fumbling around, you know?"

His voice became softer.

"I'm always guessing, never really understanding much. Whenever I think I have a clear grasp on something, I'm thrown in for a loop… I… I never actually know things for certain… And it bothers me…

"Is it… Is this alright? Is it really okay for me to be like this?

"It… just feels wrong being so lost all the time."

"Ahhhgh! I don't even know what I'm trying to say anymore. This is so frustrating. It's so frustrating it sucks!"

The boy pulled his hair. He started to look more like the Sogiita Gunha everyone was familiar with.

Of course, it was a given he was still himself, even if he changed his clothes or combed his hair.

"…"

The boy took his glasses off and heaved a sigh.

The Girl Who Knows Everything

"…"

Sogiita Gunha's face reddened after realizing what he said.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, he backpedaled.

"Sorry… I think I just said a bunch of nonsense there… I've just been thinking a lot lately and… You should probably ignore all that…"

Shokuhou Misaki corrected him on the spot.

"No. It's quite alright."

After hearing what the Number 7 had to say, she wanted to express her own thoughts as well.

It was the least she owed him.

And so… apologetically… She expressed herself the best way she could.

"There's something I have to apologize for.

"I think… I might have gone too far. I shouldn't have called you a gimmicky comic relief man-child."

Sogiita Gunha stared blankly.

"Did you… ever actually call me that?"

"Not to your face."

"Oi."

"But…"

The girl continued…

"You certainly are a fool."

Misaki and Gunha

Shokuhou Misaki said it bluntly.

"Don't misunderstand now. Even though you let yourself be deceived by some cute girl, that's not the reason why you're a fool. The reason is because you tried to deceive yourself."

She huffed arrogantly. Turning herself away, she continued to look down on him.

"There's no reason to force yourself into being someone you're not! Even idiots know better than that! When a girl confesses to a boy, she's not confessing to the boy she thinks he'll become in the future! She's confessing to boy in front her! Make it any more complicated, and you deserve to get dumped!

"At least… that's how it should be."

Shokuhou Misaki slowly changed her expression. Perhaps her way of cheering him up was too much.

"You… don't need to change. If you think it's not okay being lost or having no sense of direction, you're not alone. Those kind of insecurities are what make you and me human. In those regards, you're perfectly fine being the way you are."

The girl scratched the back of her head uncomfortably.

"And… to be honest, there are those that think you shine brightest when you're fumbling around. You probably aren't aware of this, but this experiment would be way less interesting if you weren't present. I'm sure that's what everyone else thinks too."

"…"

It wasn't much, but Sogiita Gunha felt something. Like a burden gradually being lifted.

Word of the Day

After that sincere moment, Shokuhou Misaki regained her composure.

She pointed at the boy with a gloved finger.

"But you know what! I just realized what the underlying problem is!"

Sogiita Gunha became stunned!

"The true heart of the matter! The reason why you're having these out of character moments!"

The boy blinked. He seemed confused.

"Huh?"

The girl crossed her arms and stretched a wide smile across her face. It seemed like she was quite proud of herself.

"Simply put, you're lacking something important right now."

"Lacking…?"

He didn't quite get it.

"Really? Do you really want me to spell it out for you?"

The girl made an exaggerated sigh.

"What you're lacking is…"

Shokuhou Misaki stood with her hands on her hips. She inhaled and arched her back. And then she shouted up into the air.

"Guuuuuuuuuuts!"

GUTS

"…"

Sogiita Gunha felt the word melt in his head.

"Ah… so that's what it was…"

Perhaps the smile he had on became a bit more genuine.

"So in the end… it was guts, huh?"

The boy tried covering his mouth, but he couldn't hold it.

"Aha… ha…"

Sogiita Gunha smiled warmly as he broke into a fit laughter. He held his stomach as he burst out.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

"You're completely right! Absolutely!

"I had unintentionally led myself away from the path of GUTS and paid the full price for it!"

He looked up at the girl. It seemed like the normal Sogiita Gunha was back.

"I never imagined that you'd be the one that would set me straight. But… thank you, young lady. No, Leader."

Shokuhou Misaki grinned.

"Good to see you like normal."

Sogiita Gunha Will Be Okay

Glancing back at the exit, Shokuhou Misaki said to disheveled Sogiita Gunha.

"The experiment has already ended. So… shall we leave this place?"

The boy shook his head.

"I… I think I'll stay here for a little while longer."

"Ah?"

A moment… And the girl's smile disappeared.

"Go on ahead. You don't need to wait for me. Don't worry. I'm fine."

The girl understood. But she responded in a typical manner.

"As if I'd worry about a moron like you."

"Of course. Of course."

The boy added.

"And one more thing…"

Shokuhou Misaki was caught off guard. Sogiita Gunha lowered his head to her in a bow.

"Thanks. I mean, for real. 100 percent real."

"I know."

The Number 5 shut the door on her way out.

Endings were never clean.

And it was foolish to think that the distance between them would close in such an artificial environment.

In Time

Feelings weren't so easy as to disappear at a moment's notice.

They were oceans that swept you up.

Torrents that thrashed you about.

Sogiita Gunha and Shokuhou Misaki might have had a talk

But what does that really mean?

Nothing had changed.

Past events could not be erased.

The void was still there.

Even if that boy was thankful from the bottom of his heart…

The feelings in his chest continued to tear him up from the inside.

This was something he wouldn't allow anyone to see.

For at least a few minutes… he needed to break…

And so…

Left alone…

When no one could see his hands tremble…

When no one could see him slink to ground…

When no one could see his unsightly face…

He allowed himself to be weak.

Letting go…

Sogiita Gunha broke apart.


Gutsy Girl Arc end.

Timeline: 10, 1, 2, 4, 8, 9, x, 3, x, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, x, 5, 6, 7, x, 11