My favorite flag colour is white.

The air was ripe with the alluring fragrance of jack flowers, which were in full bloom as the enchanting time of spring was upon us. I was never the type of guy to stop and smell the roses or even the coffee because the last thing I needed was caffeine keeping me up on restless nights. However, this time I unusually took my time, as if it were my last day on earth. Or maybe it was, as I felt the glower of ten million suns on the back of my neck. It was a familiar feeling with a mirroring scent. It wasn’t the jack flowers this time, but cherry blossoms.

Maybe a brief sense of tranquility? Or so I thought, as things were never that simple, sadly enough.

“I see you’re rather joyous today, Katagiri-kun. Stopping and enjoying life. It’s so concerning,” an icy female voice remarked.

“Whatever do you mean, Tachibana?” I replied innocently, still keeping my back towards her.

My classmate and self-professed thorn in my side, Tachibana Yuukari, was a dangerous girl to turn your back on, but I couldn’t bear to look into those emerald-green eyes right now.

“That’s so unlike you. Did you finally get a new lease on life? Next thing I know, you’re going to be frolicking in a field of dandelions and having picnics in the butterfly gardens.”

“Eh? I wouldn’t go that far... ” I muttered, loud enough so only Tachibana could hear.

Not that it was necessary, though, as we were the only two here.

“Mhmm, I see. Or maybe you’re just attempting to avoid the inevitable?”

“Inevitable? I wouldn’t say that. But what did you want again?” I stalled.

“If you were to turn around and face me like a man, I’d gladly repeat myself.”

The wind blew once more, causing the neon-orange petals of the jack-flowers to sway.

“Didn’t you mention you hate doing that very thing?”

“Unlike certain people, I am willing to do the things I dislike and more.”

“Aren’t you being a liar this early in the morning? And it’s not like I’d have to use lie-detection magic to even confirm it.”

A brief snicker escaped her lips.

“You’re right, Katagiri-kun. I won’t repeat myself, but I won’t ask twice either. Now quickly make your choice.”

“What choice? It’s not like you laid out anything fair to begin with, and they all should be classified as mental abuse to the highest degree.” I complained.

“I did. And are you planning on informing the local authorities? Maybe our headmaster or homeroom professor, if you’re feeling a bit spicy. Now, if you don’t comply, I will paint your nails a different color every time you’re asleep in class. I’d cast rain every time you stepped outside with no umbrella. And I’ll even spread a rumor that I caught you with one of those kinds of magazines.”

Strange and unusual punishments, but to be fair, the last one didn’t sound too bad. Every guy goes through his magazine phase, or so I had assumed.

“By the way, it’s the other kind.”

Those words alone caused me to shudder....Tachibana, you truly are a monster.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Do you wish to try me? If not, turn around.”

Tachibana left no room for doubt.

I deeply sighed and made a slow 180-degree turn, finally facing my foe. A beauty with sharp eyes and a porcelain doll-esque appearance. Despite my surface-level description, she gave off the vibe of a wild beast sizing up their prey. Unfortunately for her, I was about to put up the fight of someone else’s life for the next fleeting moment as we locked gazes for the first time in a long while.

“My answer is n— I mean, fine.” I immediately waved a white flag; the fresh taste of defeat lingered on my tongue.

Tachibana kept that same monotone expression even as I said the magic words she had been dying to hear.

“Your eyes still have the same look as before, and this means that you haven’t made any progress as a human being, and to some degree, that worries me.”

Ouch. I’m being stagnant, and that’s me assessing it in the nicest way possible.

Sometimes I wish she were a bit more forbearing, but that isn’t registered in her deoxyribonucleic acid — or for some reason, it got skipped before her due date. I am what you would call a prisoner to her goals, and she is the warden who refuses to let me see the light of day until whenever.

“There’s no need to mention all that. Now, back to the topic at hand. I did say I’d consider it, which is a stark improvement from the ‘no’ you received earlier.”

“That’s good, we’re making progress. I was afraid I’d have to bend your arm to garner your agreement. Your kind is always so stubborn, it’s utterly frustrating; it should be a crime.”

Knowing her, she didn’t mean “bend” figuratively.

“You make it sound like I’m not a regular old human being.”

“Those who act in such a shameful manner are less than human, so make your choice.”

I raised my arms in quick surrender as translucent, pale-blue auralite spiraled around the tip of her mage’s relic — a slender, needle-like rod etched with faint rose-like patterns on the hilt, which housed a tear-shaped aetherite gem.

The glow was soft at first, like moonlight rippling across still water, but every pulse hinted at a precision sharp enough to cut me in half.

“Please don’t hurt me.”

Tachibana’s eyes shone with determination as she looked me directly in the face, her sleek jet-black hair dancing in the air.

“So, what shall it be? Servitude or unrelenting pain?”

A question for the ages, as the options were that of a sword and a dagger.

I slowly nodded my head, keeping an eye on the gathering auralite in her possession.

And just like that, her words yanked me straight back to our first days together — back to when that same voice first tightened the invisible noose around my neck.