35 - Days of Our Verdant Youth (5)

The exit exams are tomorrow.

It's almost midnight, and we're in the ASSS club room, cramming as hard as we can, last-minute.

(Himacchi: "Ughh … Forget graduation, guys. Go on without me, okay? I'll just stay behind another year."

Me: "Done."

Alex: "Say no more, fam."

Himacchi: "Tsk. … These hoes ain't loyal …"

Kaya: "You can do it, Himacchi! I believe in you!"

Himacchi, sniffling: "Kaya-cchi …")

It's been several weeks since that fight at the soccer field. (… Well, maybe 'fight' isn't the most accurate term for it. Let's just call it Saya's Forehead Flick Victory.)

Saya is pretty comfortable dropping into our club room, these days.

Though, I must point out it wasn't like that at the beginning: For the first week or two, she was still pretty awkward and reserved, making the typical tsundere excuses, like, "D-don't misunderstand! I'm just monitoring to make sure the ASSS isn't causing trouble … A-after all, it would reflect badly on the student council if you were," whenever she came around.

But with time, she began to open up—helped in no small part by Kaya, who always made sure to include Saya in our club activities.

Let's see … Together, the five of us, have played board games, gone out for pizza. We even had a group camping trip together! (… Admittedly, all we did was set up tents on the soccer field; but it was still fun, and plus we roasted marshmallows on a stick, which I'm pretty sure is all that really matters in the end.)

And yes, we study for our exit exams.

Like, a lot.

At this point, Saya's pretty much a regular fixture of the ASSS, despite technically not being a full-fledged member.

… Not that this makes her any less of a tsundere than before.

(Saya: "Wow, so you guys really just sit around and play video games after class, huh? How childish. How unbecoming of students of the most prestigious academy in the country."

Alex: "You're the one with a controller in your hands right now."

Saya: "… Just one more game!")

Anyway, as midnight rolls around, I can barely keep my eyes open anymore.

I stand up, look around.

Himacchi has actually pulled out the emergency sleeping bag ("That's all from me, guys … See you all in the morning …"), and is currently curled up on the floor, snoring lightly.

Kaya and Alex are both at the table, their heads down. Alex drooling on his notes. Kaya hypnagogically half-muttering equations.

And Saya is—

… Huh. I have no idea where Saya is. She was here a minute ago. She must've stepped out.

I stretch my arms, yawn.

I might as well turn in, too. Not much point in cramming any more, this late in the game. Better to get a full night's sleep while I still can.

But first!

… Bathroom.

*

After taking care of business, I head back to the club room, guided only by moonlight.

The school halls are eerily silent.

I can't remember ever staying this late before.

Alone with my thoughts, I think back on my time here at Parallax Academy. The memories we made together, with the ASSS.

Once exit exams are done—(assuming I pass, of course … but if I'm being honest, I actually feel pretty confident; we've all studied a lot)—that means graduation.

And graduation means no more school, no more ASSS.

No more Moeka-sensei throwing chalk, no more of Sunny's cheery smiles. (… As long as the twins aren't around, at any rate. What exactly is the deal with that, anyway?)

So many memories here, in these hallways. These classrooms.

I can't explain why—maybe I just get so caught up in the sudden rush of nostalgia or something, I dunno—but for whatever reason, I find myself taking an unexpected detour.

Instead of returning directly to the ASSS room, I decide to stop by our homeroom.

Up the stairs. Down the hallway. Around the corner.

It's strange, but this same route that I take every day feels so alien at this time of night.

When I reach our homeroom, I freeze at the doorway.

The light's still off, but I can see the outline of another person, sitting in the back row, the room next to the window.

The moonlight highlighting her side profile.

… It's Saya.

*

If she's surprised to see me, she doesn't show it.

I walk over to her desk. "… Yo."

Saya slowly looks up at me, and nods.

"You good, Saya?" I ask.

She offers a weak smile. "… Yeah. I'm good."

I pull out the chair in front of her and sit down.

Then I angle myself sideways a bit, to face her.

… Which might have been a mistake, because it's not like we actually have anything to talk about.

Shit.

Why the fuck did I sit down?

… Argh, but it's gonna be even more awkward if I just stand up and leave all of a sudden—and plus, I'm pretty sure this is the first time we've ever been alone together, just the two of us … so what am I supposed to—

"Odd-kun," says Saya, thankfully interrupting my quickly spiralling thoughts, "… Thank you."

"Eh?" I blink, caught off-guard. Oh, she must be talking about the Forehead Flick. "No, no, that was all your sister's idea, really. I—"

"No," she says, shaking her head. "Not that. I mean … Thank you for letting Kaya join the ASSS."

"Oh. … I thought you'd be mad about that, to be honest. Like we stole your sister away from the student council."

Saya's lips tighten into a faint, almost weary smile. "I bet you all think I keep a tight leash around my sister. That I used to control her life, back in the student council. I know that's what it must look like, from the outside."

She pauses. She looks out the window, at the moon.

I don't say anything.

Then, she continues, "It's not like I wanted to be mean to her. All I was trying to do—… I just wanted for her to be her own person. … Kaya loves me, yes. I know she loves me. But that's just the problem—she was always trying to win my approval. To do things she thinks I want her to do. And that's what she didn't understand. I don't … I don't want her to do anything. Except make up her own mind. To do what she really wanted. To follow her own heart."

She idly runs her hand through her twintails. "I think joining ASSS … I think that was the first decision I can remember Kaya making for herself."

She turns away from the window to face me. "And whatever Kaya wants—what she actually, truly wants, rather than what she thinks I want—I'll support her every step of the way."

I look into her eyes. Moonlight glinting off them.

And I ask her, "Did you ever tell Kaya that?"

Saya shrinks into her chair, embarrassed. "… Well, no."

"Maybe you should."

"Ugh … It'd be easier if we could all just read each other's minds."

"What?" I chortle. "Like telepathy? That's dumb. … And you know what? I think, maybe, humans aren't meant to understand each other completely, anyway."

Saya smirks. "I'm an elf, though?"

"You know what I mean." I scratch the side of my face. "… Actually, speaking of—I don't think I ever met an elf before you two."

"I'm not surprised. Even back in our homeland, we were a rare enough sight. But …" Her forehead creases as she struggles to think. "… But you know, it's weird—I can't seem to remember any details about our old lives back home. I know there were these monsters called … Terrors. And I know Kaya and I must have had something to do with them … But I just … can't …" She rubs her temples, clearly in pain.

I lightly grab her wrist. "Hey. Don't push yourself. It's late, we're all tired from studying. It's okay. You're just tired."

"Y-yeah," she says. "You're right." She laughs, a bit nervously. "Is that weird—not being able to remember your own life?"

It's not weird, at all.

In fact, I want to tell Saya that I can't remember anything about life before Parallax Academy. I have no idea where I was born, or how I ended up here. I want to tell her that sometimes, when I stand before the bathroom mirror, I get a sense of wrongness—that somebody with a pot belly and slightly balding hair and a face that looks like it belongs more to a jaded salaryman than to a student has no business wearing a high school uniform.

And I want to tell her, more than anything, that I can't remember what happens, or where I go, after school is done with, and after the ASSS finishes their activities every day.

… Because I must go home somewhere, right?

I must sleep in a bed at night, right??

So why can't I remember any of it?

… But I don't bring any of this up.

All I do is smile, and say, "It's late, Saya. We should go back to the club room. … Big day tomorrow, remember? Let's get some rest. Okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, okay."

And then we stand up, tuck our chairs in, and—for the last time—leave our homeroom class.

*

We all take our exit exams the next morning.

"How'd you do?" Alex asks me, after it's over.

I shrug. "Meh."

"Well, I for one," says Himacchi, "aced the shit out of it."

(Alex: "Thanks, Himacchi. I asked.")

I look back, to ask Kaya and Saya how theirs went.

But the twins are lagging behind, the two of them talking excitedly about their exams. Laughing. Joking with each other. Saya pinches Kaya's cheek. Kaya pouts cutely.

… I don't remember ever seeing the two of them get along so well.

I smile, and turn back to my friends.

And then we head to the club room, to celebrate the end of our exams.

"What should we do to celebrate?" asks Himacchi.

And I respond, "… Same thing we always do, I guess."

"Which is?"

"Absolutely nothing."

*

We don't have to wait very long for the exam results to come out.

In fact, right after we finish lunch, the five of us gather outside the courtyard, where large bulletin boards have been set up.

We push past the crowd of cardboard cutout students, and try to find our own names on the posted lists.

Aaaaand … Yup. There I am. 'Odd-kun'.

Meh. It's not a great score. Still passed, though.

Alex looks at me over the crowd, and gives me a thumbs-up. Looks like he passed, too.

Himacchi, on the other hand, looks like she's crying—so at first I think she failed; but when I approach her, I realize she's just overcome with ecstasy from being surrounded by the B.O. of the other students around her.

… But yes, otherwise, our resident degenerate passed, as well.

I look for the sisters in the crowd.

There they are, hugging each other, crying tears of joy.

Well, there was never any question of Kaya passing—but from the looks of it, Saya must have passed, too.

… Which means only one thing.

We're all going to graduate.

*

We make our way to the gymnasium, shortly after that, dressed in our hats and gowns.

I see Alex frown, as the five of us file in through the double doors. "Hey, Odd-kun?" he asks me.

"Yeah?"

"Isn't it all … a bit fast?"

"What is?"

"I mean, we just literally took the exit exams this morning. And already we're heading to our graduation ceremony."

Is that weird? I don't know—but it hurts my head when I think about it.

… Just like it hurts my head when I see that, aside from five fold-out chairs set up neatly in a row facing the stage, the gymnasium is completely empty.

So like always, I simply stop thinking about it. To make the pain go away.

The five of us sit down in the chairs, and wait.

"And where's Moeka-sensei?" asks Alex, beside me. "Shouldn't our own homeroom teacher be at our graduation?"

But before I can say anything, I hear the double doors slam shut.

Shutters black out the high windows near the ceiling, plunging the school gym into near-darkness.

A spotlight snaps on, illuminating a lone figure standing on the stage, in front of the podium.

A tall man I've never seen before in my life, wearing a military-like uniform, with a black eyepatch.

The five of us exchange confused looks.

Who is this?

… He's not our principal. He's not a teacher.

Actually, now that I think about it … What does our principal even look like? Do we even have one? We must, right? Because we're a school. So then why can't I remember—

Then the man leans in toward the microphone, and begins speaking.

"Congratulations! … To the graduating class of Parallax Academy. You've all worked hard to get to where you are today."

Himacchi whispers to me, "… Is that a pistol on his belt?"

Alex: "… This is really weird."

Man: "Now, then—I'm going to call your names one by one, and when I do, please come up to the stage, to collect your diplomas. Staring with … Alex!"

Alex slowly rises. He looks at us, a bit uncertain, then to the man at the podium.

After a long time, Alex finally heads for the stage.

He walks up the steps, to the man in the eyepatch, who hands Alex his diploma.

Then the man offers Alex his hand.

We all watch as Alex simply stands there, looking at the gloved hand, unsure what to do.

The man with the eyepatch smiles at Alex, and tells him, "… You have to shake my hand."

So Alex does, after a long time. "Th … Thank you," says Alex.

Then the man instructs Alex to stand there, as the process is repeated for Himacchi.

Then Saya.

And then Kaya.

And finally, me.

And as I begin to walk up to the stage—

THOOMP.

—That's when we first hear it. Feel it.

THOOMP. THOOMP.

The gym floor shuddering with each low, reverberating quake.

The walls rattle, the ceiling trembles overhead.

The man adjusts his cap, and begins, "… And you must remember, dear graduates, that even though this day serves as the end of one chapter of your lives—…"

THOOMP. THOOMP. THOOMP.

The slow, pounding foosteps, of something massive.

Something monstrous.

Something … close.

"…—it also marks the beginning of another, exciting journey."

The members of ASSS huddle together on stage, clinging to each other, trembling.

The ceiling groans. The afternoon sun spills in through the cracks spreading along the roof.

I look up.

Giant claws and—and tentacles!—are curling along the seams of the roof.

… Something—something big—is tearing the gym apart from the outside.

"Yes. A journey, my dear graduates—…"

With a sudden, violent upward motion, the claws and tentacles rip the entire roof off its frame, and fling it away.

"—… into the brave unknown!"

Silhouetted by the sun, looming over us, is a giant monster. Tall as an apartment building. A terrible mass of tentacles and claws. Gaping maw. Jagged teeth, dripping with slime. And six red eyes fixed on us, like we're prey. (… Which I guess we are.)

The man smiles, pulls out his pistol. Adjusts his cap.

"Once again—Congratulations! … To the graduating class of Parallax Academy!"

The monster roars into the gymnasium.

And then we run.