The Neighboring Aarya-san who Sometimes Acts Affectionate and Murmuring in Russian - Volume 6 - Chapter Ep

EPILOGUE

At least for now.

“After tallying up the votes, the award for excellence goes to the girls’ kendo club for their play.”

“Nice.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

“The sword fighting was incredible…”

“Sumire was so cool…”

“And the special award goes to the freshmen of Class D and Class F for their joint project: the maid café.”

“…Yep.”

“I know people might say they had the advantage, being two classes and all, but I can’t believe they won by such a huge lead.”

“Wait. You didn’t go? Even though you’re the president?”

“It was a little too…you know? For me.”

“I caught a glimpse of how idol groups make their money…and I didn’t like it…”

After the school festival came to an end, each class and club diligently worked to clean up while the school festival committee held their final meeting. Alisa had also finished her accounting work, so she joined the meeting as well…but she was hardly paying attention to anything anyone was saying.

Sigh… Why did I do that…?

She thought back to what she did to Masachika after his piano competition. Feelings, which even she didn’t understand, pushed her to do something baffling. Now that her school festival duties had calmed her down, all she felt was regret.

Really, what is wrong with me? First, I hug him as hard as I can, and then I start biting him? I even kissed him… Ugh. It doesn’t make any sense.

At that moment, she wanted Masachika to look only at her, and she wanted to be the only one with eyes on him. Plus, she was annoyed at how unconcerned he seemed for doing something so selfish…and before she knew it, she was wrapping her arms around him.

Sigh… Maybe I’m just really possessive?

Alisa was no longer in any position to deny that Masachika was special to her. Except for when she was very young, he was her first friend, her partner for the election, and the wizard who introduced her to so many new worlds. Masachika was surely far more special to her than she was to him.

Is that why?

Perhaps she wanted to be special to him in the same way he was special to her. Was that the cause of her possessiveness? Unfortunately, each one of these emotions was new to her, so she had no idea what they could be.

I guess I really am still a beginner when it comes to personal relationships…

Alisa managed to make new friends, thanks to the band, and her social skills improved as well, but that was also exactly why she knew that she still had so much to learn. She still wasn’t comfortable with fake smiles, she still didn’t know how to strike up a conversation, and she had a hard time judging how close she was to others—what good friends they actually were.

Yeah… I still can’t rationalize what I did, though.

No excuses could explain why she suddenly bit him. It was incomprehensible. She wasn’t a dog, and claiming inexperience or awkwardness wasn’t enough to rationalize such a violent act.

Really, why? Why did I do that…? Then again, Yuki bit him, too, right? I remember seeing the teeth marks on his neck. Ever since I saw that, I’ve felt like…I wanted to scream…

After Alisa glanced at Yuki, who was focusing on the meeting without a care in the world, she shifted her gaze toward Masachika, who still had a cold compress on his neck to hide the bite mark, which filled Alisa with unbelievable guilt.

Sigh… I can’t believe I did that… I really have to apologize to him later…but how…?

How was she supposed to explain herself and apologize when she didn’t even know why she did it? Maybe she should just have him bite her back? An eye for an eye, as they say… Then again, that would make everything even more nonsensical than it already was.

Ngh… I want to disappear. Somebody, help… Anybody…

But right as she inwardly grumbled in the face of this unsolvable issue, the president of the school festival committee suddenly stood up.

“All right, guys! I know we ran into a lot of trouble today, but thanks to everyone’s hard work, nobody got seriously injured, and the top dogs in the First Light Committee didn’t have to come lecture us, either! We did it! So thank you! All of you!”

After he took a bow with the vice president, he grinned confidently and continued:

“It was a long month of preparation, but you did it! Now, go out there and enjoy the rest of the night festival together! Of course, don’t go too crazy if you still have work to finish up, okay?”

The school festival president ended on a joke as he held his arms out wide.

“Now, let’s wrap this up with a clap! Once I give the signal, I want everyone to clap once with me!”

Everyone in the room promptly stood up and got into the same stance as the president, with their hands in front of them.

“Yoooooo!”

Clap!

Countless hands clapped simultaneously, bringing an end to the sixty-sixth Autumn Heights Festival.

“Alya,” uttered a voice from behind right as Alisa was about to leave the conference room, making her jump. But when she looked back over her shoulder to find Masachika behind her, she coldly replied:

“What?”

“Uh… Are you free? I need your help with something…”

Alisa hesitated. She frankly didn’t have any plans after this, except for maybe helping her class clean up if they needed her help. Since she had finished her duties for the school festival committee, she didn’t really have any other obligations…but she wasn’t sure if she should honestly admit that to him. She pondered…until she realized that there was no use lying, since Masachika, who had been working with her this entire time, obviously knew she didn’t have anything to do after this. Besides, it would be far better to apologize and settle things now instead of telling some ridiculous lie so that she could continue wallowing in regret alone.

“Fine,” she replied over her shoulder with a nod.

“Thanks. Follow me, then.”

Alisa proceeded to follow Masachika out of the room. As they walked down the hallway illuminated by the evening sun, she stared at his back while racking her brain for ways to apologize.

“I’m sorry for biting you”? But how would I then explain why I did it…?

Even the most far-fetched of explanations would do. She just needed something. The first reason that came to mind was the fact that Masachika had an official match against a potential rival without her, but he’d already explained the entire situation to her, the student council, and the president and vice president of the school festival committee after it was all over, so she didn’t feel like it was right to bring it up anymore, since the issue had already been settled… Besides, there was an even bigger problem she had to face before that.

My anger itself is irrational…

There was no reason for it. Alisa simply acted on impulse after allowing her possessiveness to cloud her judgment.

I’m such an idiot.

Being physically close didn’t mean they were any closer on an emotional level, and using her feminine wiles to see a genuine reaction wasn’t going to get her any closer to catching a glimpse of what was in his heart. From the moment they first met until now, nothing had changed between them. Masachika was still right there by her side, and yet still so far away.

And one day…Masachika is going to leave my side.

Because he could do anything by himself and go anywhere he wanted. Once the time was right, he would most likely go far, far away as he followed his heart. And Alisa, who could not freely fly on her own, would surely not be able to follow after him.

I… No… I feel like I’m going to cry.

Her heart suddenly began to thump like a drum while she blinked…when Masachika came to a stop.

“…? Is this…?”

She tilted her head curiously after seeing where he had brought her, but Masachika paid no heed to her bewilderment and opened the door.

“Go inside.”

When she stepped inside the craft club’s clubroom, she saw a familiar female student waiting for them.

“Oh, great. You’re here, Kuze.”

“I’m really sorry to bother you like this, Professor Side Slit. I know you’re busy.”

“Yeah, you should be sorry. You owe me one.”

“I’ll pay you back tenfold when I become the vice president.”

“Hya-ha-ha! Sounds like I’m gonna have to make sure you two get elected, then!”

Alisa shot a complex look at the two during their friendly exchange until the female student suddenly cast an eye on her.

“Anyway, shall we get started?”

“Huh? W-with what?”

“Don’t worry about that. Just come over here.”

“Wh-what?”

“Go with her,” Masachika seemed to be saying to Alisa with his eyes when she turned to him for help, and before she knew it, she was taken to the same storage room that she’d had her pictures taken in the day before.

“Uh…?”

“All right, it’s time to get changed. Go on.”

“What?”

Standing in the direction the girl was pointing was a mannequin wearing a pure-white dress before the same window she’d posed in front of yesterday.

“Have fun! I’m fairly sure it should fit you, but if it doesn’t, then I’ll work as fast as I can to make sure it does. Oh, these are the shoes that go with it.”

“Huh? What? Uh… What in the world…?”

“Let’s do this!”

After the female student beautifully ignored her confusion, Alisa proceeded to change into the dress, still just as bewildered as she was when she walked through the door.

“Yesss! It’s just the right size! Damn, I’m good. Yo, Kuze! We’re done in here.”

Right after flexing, as if she were proud of a job well done, the female student quickly left the storage room.

“…Uh… What am I supposed to do?”

Alisa began to rock back and forth uncomfortably, all alone in the storage room, but Masachika soon called her name, so she gave herself a quick check, then retired from the room as well.

“Whoa… You look really beautiful.”

But Masachika’s smile was met with a puzzled gaze, for his clothes were so bright that they were almost blinding, even in this dim room. He was dressed as a knight, his outfit predominantly white and blue, and his hair was combed to the side.

“Hey, don’t just stand there. Say something,” he said, laughing, as Alisa stood in a daze.

“Oh, uh… It’s, uh…”

“On second thought, don’t say anything at all! I know I look like an idiot.”

Alisa almost said he looked handsome until he suddenly stopped her, making her swallow her words, so instead, she decided to put another thought into words.

“What is going on…?”

“Oh, this…”

Masachika awkwardly placed a hand on his neck.

“Remember the promise we made yesterday? I mean, technically, I guess it was a while ago…but we promised to check out the school festival together, right?”

“Ah—”

“I know. I’m really sorry. The festival is over. Not only that, but I didn’t even get to see your performance, either…so I get why you were mad. Anyone would be,” suggested Masachika, pointing at the cold compress on his neck. It was this gesture that proved how considerate he really was, and it made Alisa’s heart flutter. He had realized that she was regretting her actions and that it was tearing her apart, and that was exactly why he was doing this. Masachika was telling her that she didn’t need to apologize—that she didn’t need to explain herself.

Ah…

Alisa almost wanted to cry all over again. Meanwhile, Masachika darted his eyes swiftly down to the side at the floor, as if he were giving her some privacy to shed a tear.

“So, uh… I know the night festival isn’t the same thing, since it’s basically just a closing party for the students, but I want to invite you to go with me…in my own way, just like you asked me to.”

Once he cleared his throat, Masachika got on one knee, and after a moment of hesitation, he smiled softly.

“Just for tonight, I ask that you allow me to treat you not as a princess but as an individual,” he pleaded in a joking manner as he gently held out his hand to Alisa. “Princess, would you do me the honor of being my partner tonight?”

It was an invitation to the night festival dance. The flashy, romantic performance sent Alisa’s heart racing while she smiled.

“Come on… What are you doing? Who do you think you are? Sumire?”

“What? I’m being a perfect gentleman.”

“How do you really feel?”

“Like the biggest idiot in the world.”

“Pfft! Ha-ha-ha!”

Alisa could feel her heart fill with bliss while she laughed at his honest response. Although Masachika may have always joked around like this, at least right now, the only one he had eyes for was Alisa. The only one he wanted right now was her.

At least for now, he truly is my partner.

By some curious coincidence, they felt the same way. Although the present was but a fleeting moment, at least for this period of time, they shared the same emotion for one another. Alisa theatrically placed her hand onto his, not even realizing that their thoughts were one and the same.

“I would love to,” she replied. She then grinned mischievously—

Out of nowhere, the soft sound of a camera shutter resounded, prompting Masachika to glare reproachfully in the direction of the noise.

“Hey, Side Slit. Don’t take our picture.”

“Don’t shorten my name like that. Besides, you’ll now have something to remember today by. Check it out.”

Displayed on the female student’s phone screen were Masachika and Alisa, smiling while they joined hands. Alisa bashfully curled in on herself, but when she glanced at Masachika, he was coincidentally glancing right back, and their eyes met before they quickly looked away.

“Whew. You two really are the perfect match. In fact, I’m sure everyone feels that way after hearing your passionate exchange onstage,” the female student gushed unexpectedly in admiration.

“…What?”

But when Alisa knit her brow in wonder and looked back at the girl, she seemed genuinely surprised.

“Wait. Do you honestly not know what I’m talking about? Everyone at school is talking about what you said to Kuze onstage: ‘I believe in you,’ was it?”

“…Huh? Why—?”

Alisa suddenly began having flashbacks about what happened onstage as she stood in a daze. When Masachika told her to trust him and wait, Alisa had tightly clasped her hands before her chest and replied: “I believe in you.”

…Her hands were clasped before her chest.

…Clasped around the microphone.

…Which was turned on.

“A-ah… Ahhh…,” she gasped, dreading what was to come, as the female student brightly grinned while giving her a thumbs-up.

“Anyway, as I said, it’s the talk of the school right now, so once you two go outside dressed like that, you’re going to be the stars of the night festival! I guarantee it!”

Her lack of awareness only made it sting that much more, overwhelming Alisa with embarrassment like she had never experienced before.

“N-nooooooooo!!”

Her bone-chilling scream echoed throughout the clubroom building that evening.