You know those mornings when all you want to do is roll over and dive back into the comfort of your bed? Yeah, that happens to everyone, right? Sometimes, it feels like it occurs multiple times a week. Well, today was definitely one of those days.
The moment I heard the rustling of Nao and Reina moving around, chatting away as if it were the most natural thing in the world, I knew it was going to be a long one. Honestly, I wished I had a "Skip Cutscene" button for mornings like this, but alas, life doesn't come equipped with that luxury. Reluctantly, I pried my eyes open, only to be assaulted by a bright light that made me reconsider my life choices. "Nao… please turn the light off," I croaked, struggling to pull myself from the depths of sleep. Of course, my luck dictated that I received no response.
"Reina, can you do it, then?" I called out, a bit louder this time. Still nothing.
"What the...?" I muttered, now fully awake and sitting up. That was a decision I quickly regretted. The moment my eyes focused, I caught a glimpse of a barely wrapped Nao hurrying across the room.
"NGH! NAO, WHAT THE?!" I shouted, slamming my head back down into my pillow.
"AHH! SORRY, SOUTA! I THOUGHT YOU WERE JUST SLEEP-TALKING!" Nao yelled, dashing into the bathroom.
Honestly... that wasn't the best possible way to wake up. After a moment of ensuring that Reina was fully clothed (because I did not need another surprise), I finally mustered the courage to get up and get ready.
After listening to the shower running, I mean, getting changed, I managed to get dressed and met up with Reina in the hallway, both of us waiting for Nao to emerge. I smiled at her as I closed the door behind me. She smiled back, but the tension between us hadn't faded since last night.
"It's time to find out who's going to be my princess," I said softly to break the ice, even though Yuki's face wouldn't leave my mind.
"I hope it's me..." Reina muttered, her face a mix of hope and determination.
"I know, I know, but something tells me it might be Shirori," I replied, sharing a knowing look with her.
"I know it's going to be me!" Nao shouted, bursting out of the room, fully dressed this time.
"Sure, we'll see," I replied, rolling my eyes and remaining alert. Just before we started walking, I opened my bag to ensure I had the camera with me.
I glanced at it for a moment before shaking my head.
"Not now. I'd deal with it after the announcement." I told myself.
And long, we were heading back to the hall building where this whole adventure had begun, excitement and anticipation buzzing in the air as we wondered who would emerge as my princess in this unexpected quest.
***
During the walk there, I became Mr Swivel. Every corner we took, I made sure there was no one around, especially anyone who might notice the bag slung at my side. Every building we passed, you best believe I was checking the windows.
"Hey, Souta…" Nao muttered, her voice sounded confused, as I stuck my face against the window of some random person’s shop.
"Yeah," I responded, my voice slightly muffled.
"You know you're scaring the lady, don’t you?"
"…"
"Oh… Sorry," I said, not realising there was a lady on the other side with her eyes wide in fear.
"Hehe, silly Souta." Nao giggled.
Reina stopped for a moment as her eyes met mine.
"Souta, I think that guy isn't going to show himself, at least not now. Besides, he's after Yuki, isn't he?" Reina voiced, and to be fair, it was a fair point. But at the moment, I didn't know where Yuki was and wasn't ready to text her. Still, I had faith that she and Arisa were doing okay.
"Yeah, you've got a point there. But even so, it doesn't hurt to be extra vigilant," I replied, still looking left and right.
"Silly Souta! Reina chimed," It's not like the stalker is just going to show up here and-"
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"Oh, hey, Souta!" a voice called from behind.
The voice came from behind, and my head instantly swung in that direction. I saw him.
"Subaru?"
"Hey! How are you? Are you nervous?" He shouted as he jogged over.
I smiled as I waited for him to get close enough to me.
You know that certain distance where, unless you shout, the other person isn't going to hear you? Yeah, that awkward distance.
After waiting for a second, Subaru finally got close enough for me not to make a fool out of myself.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, smiling.
"Honestly, I'm not too sure. Nervous, yes, but kind of worried at the same time. Definitely a yes."
"Hahaha, don’t worry," Subaru replied, patting my shoulder. "Whoever you get, it's going to be fun to watch."
"Yeah, fun for you."
I turned around to go meet Nao and Reina, who had just walked ahead, before Subaru stopped me.
"Hey, is that the sisters?" he murmured, almost as if he were a shy school kid.
"Um, yeah, well, only two of the four."
"Ohh, where are Yuki and Arisa?" he replied. I sighed and put both hands on my head.
"Honestly, it's a long story to explain. Let’s just say they're hiding from everyone?"
Subaru furrowed his brow. "Oh. I see. Well, do you mind if I join you?"
I blinked for a second before looking at Nao and Reina, who were in their own little worlds.
"I guess having another guy besides me doesn’t hurt."
"Great!" he chirped.
As we made our way through the village, we eventually arrived at the building.
"Yoooo, Souta! And Subaru! Where did you go, man!" Shinji cackled as he and Felix waved at the front entrance.
I slightly tilted my head in confusion before looking towards Subaru.
"Oh yeah, I did leave them for a bit. I forgot my painkillers," he said with a soft smile.
"Damn, even Subaru got the scared feels."
"Heheh, you best believe I do."
"ANYWAY, FORGET THAT, SOUTA, MY MAN! WHO ARE YOU WANTING!!!" Shinji started.
"as I said, I don't really mi-"
I couldn't finish my sentence. Somehow, Shinji managed to create a makeshift light and a red curtain backdrop, getting Nao to stand in the middle.
"WOULD YOU WANT THE CUTIE PATUTI NAO? SHE'S LIVE AND ENERGETIC, AND HER PERFORMANCE WITH YOU WAS ABSOLUTELY STELLAAA!"
Why do I feel like this is going a bit too far…
"Again, as I said, I'm-"
Cut off again.
"WELL WELL THEN, SOUTA! IF NAO ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH, THEN WE MOVE ONTO REINA!!!!"
"Is that really how you feel, Souta…" Nao said, showing me the evil puppy eyes.
BAD NAO! BAD!!
"O-o-of course not! Don't listen to that idiot!!" I replied, doing my best to save myself and give myself a chance to stay in heaven.
"REINA MIGHT BE QUIET, BUT SHE'S BOLD WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT, AND SHE'LL SURELY MAKE EVERYONE FALL FOR HER! JUST LIKE NAO, HER BEAUTIFUL LONG GOLDEN HAIR WILL DAZZLE ANY MAN OR WOMAN AS SHE SWEEPS THROUGH THE STAGE!"
"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SHINJI, STOP IT!" I shouted, trying my best to grab him, but the slippery bastard kept dodging me.
"OR I SEE WE'RE MISSING TWO BEAUTIES!" he shouted, still running away from me. "ARISA, THE DEVILISH LOOKS AND LONG RED HAIR, WILL MAKE ANY MAN INSTANTLY BARK FOR HER! WITH THE HIPS OF A GODDESS AND THE SMILE OF A QUEEN, SHE COULD EASILY MAKE YOU SUBMISSIVE!!!!!!"
This kinky son of a bi-
"OR DEAR SOUTA, IF SHE'S NOT ENOUGH FOR YOUR DIRTY FANTASY, HOW ABOUT WE GO TO THE FINAL ONE, SUBARU, FELIX, AND RANDOM GUY, WHO IS THE FAVORITE FOR YOUR CHOICE!"
Wait, why are we bringing in the random guy?
"Yuki!!!" They all shouted.
My stomach tightened.
"INDEED," Shinji twirled around like a high school student. "OUR FAN FAVORITE IS YUKI, THE ULTIMATE GODDESS FOR OUR EYES!!!!"
…We'll just ignore that hiccup.
"Right, right, we're going now, you guys… do your own fangirling, but I want to actually find out who's going to be the winner," I said, pushing both Nao and Reina towards the front door.
"Hahahahah, Yuki Supreme!!!!" Shinji shouted. "YAHHHHH!" The others joined in with a cheer.
"There seem to be a lot of Yuki fans," Reina muttered.
"Yeah, makes me wonder. If maybe…" Nao started, but stopped.
But I knew what she was implying, and there was no way…
Surely.
No way, I'm really going crazy.
***
"Shit… there are way too many people for a small announcement, for all we know, the stalker could be here somewhere," I murmured under my breath as we stepped inside the waiting area. From the small gap I saw through the main door, the first 6-7 rows were filled with students who were also here, some from our school and some from neighbouring schools. The front entrance still had lingering students talking, but before we could get past them, we were stopped by our oh-so-kind teacher.
"Souta, Nao, and Reina, you can join us in the back," she said with a smile.
"Jeez, since when were there other schools here, too?" I whispered.
"Yeah, we aren't the only school that visits here, you know?" Nao whispered loudly.
"Other schools are here too on the same trip as us, except we, for some reason, decided to have a play going on," Reina murmured.
"…"
"So you're telling me this is voluntary work?"
"Pretty much," Nao said, far too cheerfully. "But hey, you get to act with one of us... Well, maybe Shirori."
"That's not the point..." I groaned, feeling even worse than I already did.
We made it backstage, where the teachers had already started their little announcement.
"We thank you for arriving at the grand selection of our upcoming play," she said.
Usually, I wouldn’t have cared. But what I did care about was the fact that neither Arisa nor Yuki were here... Especially Yuki.
"They're not here?" I stammered.
"Hmm, must be running late," Reina replied, though her voice had a bit of worry behind it.
But before I could reply to my concerns.
"Souta!" Shirori called as she hurried over to us.
"Hey, Shirori, how are you feeling?" I asked, smiling.
"Better than last time. How are you faring?"
"Heh, long story," I replied, scratching the back of my head.
But before she could ask why, the booming sound of the announcement echoed.
"And so, once again, thank you for your patience. After careful thinking and also thanks to the auditions we received, we are happy to announce that the winner is..."
I felt my stomach tighten.
Thank you for reading.
DeadEndYuto!
