Collatio - Pt 1

(...)

Seeing her so beautiful like this—my heart can’t take it anymore! …Enough of being a coward; it’s time to finally confess my love for her!

No, no, wait, take it easy, Hikaru. You can't just skip steps! You need to act calmly—don't let your emotions get the best of you!

Wrong! Aren't you always complaining to yourself about being a coward? It's time to act like a real man and be true to your feelings.

You know, sometimes I wish I were an amoeba. No thoughts, just existing. My own thoughts eat me up inside, tossing me back and forth like a ping-pong ball.

Why? Why is it so hard to just act like a normal person and be honest with your words?

"Hikaru? Is everything okay?"

"Kaede!"
"Ah, yes, I'm fine."

"You seem a little dazed; you're not used to parties, are you?"

"Well, I'm not, but... I don’t think that’s the issue."

"And what is it, then?"

"Can we talk alone for a bit?"

"Alone? Only if we go outside..."

Really, as guests at Nana's house, we weren’t allowed to wander through other rooms. Even though it was a party, it was still a social occasion, not a free-for-all celebration.

"That works, let’s go outside."

"Don’t even think about it!" a voice interrupted.

A girl with short brown hair appeared from behind Kaede. It was Tsuchiya, her best friend.

"Tsuchiya..."

"You've already monopolized enough of Kaede's attention. Today is a special day; don’t go running off and taking her from me!"

"Hinata... don’t be like that."

Tsuchiya pouted.

"No way, Kaede. The party doesn’t make sense if the reason for it is outside!"

"Ah..."

"It’s okay, Tsuchiya."
"We don’t have to go outside, but can we talk a little more privately? It’s something personal."

"Go ahead."

Tsuchiya pointed to a table near the exit leading to the garden. It was far enough from the group for a more private conversation.

As soon as we sat down, Kaede asked:

"Did something happen? Is it something serious?"

"No, nothing serious happened."
"I have something I’d like to tell you, but I don’t know how to put it into words."

"Well, you can take your time; there’s no need to be anxious."
"Although now it’s me who’s starting to get anxious about what you have to say."

Is it really okay if I tell her I like her now? Shouldn’t I wait for a better opportunity? Look for a more romantic mood?

No, Hikaru, twisting yourself up in these lies is what made you regret things so bitterly before.

"Kaede, it’s been a while since we first met."
"All this time, I’ve cherished every second I’ve spent by your side."

"I see, so that’s it…"

"Then you already know?"

"I’m sorry…"

"It’s okay, it’s all my fault."

A cruel little detail they include in Revixits is the ability to cry. Well, crying is essential to feeling human.

It’s not fair—shouldn’t I be the one crying? I’m the one being rejected here, so why did tears start welling up in her eyes and not in mine?

"Even if I already know your answer, I still need to say this and get it off my chest!"

"Hikaru… You don't need to..."

We both ended up speaking at the same time…

"I love you, Kaede!" // "Don’t hate me for being a Revixit, Hikaru!"

…

There was a moment of silence; we were both caught off guard by what the other had just said.

"Huh? Hikaru… You don’t hate me?"
"I thought you couldn’t accept my situation…"
"That you didn’t want to be my friend anymore."

"No, of course not!"
"I would never do something like that! You’re special to me, Kaede!"
"I love you!"

"Eh? Eh?"

Kaede’s sad expression turned into one of complete surprise. That’s fine—if you still don’t understand, I’ll say it loud and clear.

"I LOVE YOU, KAEDE!!"

"Ehhhhhhhhhh!!!"

Now, for sure, she heard my confession.

… But I made a small mistake. I forgot that we weren’t alone like I’d planned.

I looked around us. It wasn’t just Kaede who heard me… EVERYONE heard me.

…

A flood of stares fell upon the two of us. I tried to hide my embarrassment and slumped into my chair. Meanwhile, Kaede was still stunned by what I had just said.

"Love? L-L-love? Love?!"

Obviously, after hearing that, our classmates weren’t going to stand still. The gossip spread from one side of the room to the other, whispered from ear to ear. 

Some people even reacted. Tsuchiya was the first to head in our direction.

"Kaede, are you okay? Did he make you cry?"

"Love!"
"Hinata, I think I’m having a short circuit…"

"But Revixits don’t have those issues…"

"That has to be it!"

Kaede’s eyes and hands began moving in a kind of Morse code.

"Understood. Let’s go to Nana’s room."
"Hikaru!"

Tsuchiya shouted in my direction, and I turned my gaze toward her.

"Don’t come after us, you bastard!"
"I’ll deal with you later."

"Hinata, you don’t have to be so mean to him…"

"You’re the one being too soft."

Kaede stood up, and the two of them walked off arm in arm toward Nana’s room.

"Kaede, wait!"

"Rrgh!"

Tsuchiya turned around with the look of a rabid dog protecting its territory. I could swear she was actually growling.

"K-Ka..."

The two crossed through the door leading into the house, but just before I looked away, Kaede turned back, clutching the edge of the door.

"Hikaru…"

It looked like she wanted to say something, but a blush overtook her cheeks, and she hid it with one hand while giving me a little wave with the other.

Right afterward, Tsuchiya returned, pushing Kaede further inside and slamming the door behind them.

A golden strand in the shape of an "S" popped out near the edge of the table. That lock of hair was the unique mark of the quirkiest girl in the class.

"Nana…"

"Nice job, Kikuchi! Boa sorte!"

"Bo-?"

"That means 'good luck' in Portuguese."

"Ah… I see."
"Thanks?"

Nana nodded afirmatively.

"Yes, you did well, but it won’t be an easy path, Kikuchi."
"I’ll be supporting you, good luck!"
"I’ll go after them—enjoy the party. Nice party~!"

That was Nana for you, always showing up when you least expected it, with her curious nature, leaving her punchlines behind, and confusing everyone with her multilingual flair.

"At least I have her support."

"It won’t be an easy path"? Well, I think I already understand why she said that.

I turned my gaze to Kobayashi, who was glaring back at me with contempt. Maybe after hearing what I said, she already understood that I’d decided to break off our alliance.

I thought about trying to talk to her to clear things up, but I was sure Sakura would interfere again. Yet as I scanned the crowd, I couldn’t find Sakura anywhere.

I was about to get up and look for her when a shadow appeared in my path.

"Can I help you with something?... Minato Okada?"

I did my best to look intimidating. I couldn’t afford to falter in front of Okada. Even though he was just Kaede’s childhood friend to her, that didn’t mean he saw her the same way.

Okada was a little taller and leaner than me, with straight hair that still showed traces of its dye job. He had a style that reminded me of a delinquent, but he was just a loser trying to look cool.

"Kikuchi…"

"So, what do you want?"

"Know your place."

"Huh?"

"Who do you think you are?"

"Making a declaration in front of everyone like that?"
"Don’t you realize you’re just embarrassing Kaede?"

What kind of nonsense is this? He’s not saying that to defend her dignity; he’s just trying to attack me with those insults. I couldn’t resist his provocations, and I let my anger get the better of me.

"Huh?! How is that embarrassing her?"
"If you’ve got something to say, then why don’t you just spit it out already?"

"Don’t mind if I do!"

Okada stepped in close, bringing his face right up to mine.

"A piece of crap like you isn’t good enough for Kaede."
"Stay away from her!"

"And who do you think is good enough for her? You?"
"A loser like you doesn’t even come close to deserving her!"
"You’re just jealous because I was the one who said it, and not you!"

"Why, you little bastard—how dare you!"

"Hey, hey, calm down, both of you."

Kenji Hasegawa, the vice-representative of the class, arrived to pull us apart before either of us threw a punch or a kick. Unlike the two of us, Hasegawa was tall and strong; it would be easy for him to hold both of us back at the same time.

"Don’t start acting like cavemen; you two need to make up with each other right now."

For all his politeness, it’s ironic to hear that coming from Hasegawa, considering he looks the most like a caveman.

"He’s the one who came at me first."

"Kenji, I can’t stand looking at his face anymore."

"Hmm. It seems like you two really can’t get along."

Both of us shouted at the same time:

"Not even a little!!"

Hasegawa thought it over for a few seconds.

"Well, when two knights are competing for the same lady, there’s not much you can do about it."
"But violence is never the answer, so if you really want a fight, then let’s take it to the virtual world."

"Huh? Are you saying…"

"A battle of BladeSynth!"