The Colorless Cage (6)

The fight—if you could call it that—didn’t even last a minute.

“I yield, I yield!” Eiji slapped his palm repeatedly against the dojo mat.

“I thought you nearly got picked to compete?”

“Yeah, in my first year of middle school!”

I laughed. “You really should’ve been more specific, then.”

I kept him pinned down on the floor for a few more seconds before finally letting him get up.

It was strange, really. This was the first time I’d ever met Eiji, but for some reason, I felt some sort of deep connection with him. It was as if I could tell him all of my secrets and it would turn out alright.

As if he was the only person in the world who could understand me.

Yeah, no... That’s crazy, right?

The two of us ended up chatting for a while. At first, it was just small talk, but we slowly started sharing our interests and within the span of an hour, it was like we’d known each other for a lifetime.

I honestly wished that the time we spent inside that dojo would never end. But alas, the sun had long begun dipping below the horizon and the light that streamed through the clubroom windows bled orange.

It was time to say farewell.

We parted ways, and again, I felt that sharp pang of regret and loss in my heart. This time I knew why.

The next day, I was visited by Nakano Ichika.

It was early in the morning when she arrived.

As always, her long black hair billowed in some unseen wind.

“Nakano-san. What brings you here this early?” I asked as I stepped away from the makiwara. I noticed that she still hadn’t bowed when entering.

“Have you made your wish?”

I stared at her, thoroughly confused. “No...? Of course not. I’ve only got one.”

Without even a moment’s hesitation, she immediately turned on her heel and left.

After finishing up my morning training, I made my way to my classroom. For the first time, I noticed that Eiji was in the room just across from me.

He sat with his back facing the door as he stared out the window. He was the picture of solitude.

I was suddenly struck with the desire to wrap my arms around that small back of his, but the feeling had washed over me so abruptly that it left me more creeped out than anything.

I’d only known him for a day.

The following lesson proceeded as usual. I didn’t really understand much of what was taught, but I was sure that I could just power through the exams if I spent the entire night before studying.

After class, I headed straight to the classroom next to mine.

“‘Sup, Eiji? Wanna go grab a bite together?” I put on my most casual grin, but I somehow couldn’t stop the butterflies in my stomach.

Just what the hell was it that made me feel like this around him?

“Uh, yeah, sure!”

As it turns out, this was the first time Eiji had been invited to eat with anyone since school started two weeks ago. He’d been ostracized by his classmates after they found out that he wasted his wish back when he was a kid, but really, I didn’t care that much.

Sure, I thought it was a stupid decision, but at the end of the day, Eiji was Eiji. He was the only person who made me feel at ease in school.

Lunch was a lot more enjoyable than normal. Having someone to eat with really did make it more fun.

Before, I used to just cram as much food down my throat as quickly as possible so I could get in some extra training.

Now, I was trying to eat as slow as possible.

Just like yesterday, farewell came too soon and we ended up parting ways once more.

Again, I was struck by that sharp pang of regret and loss in my heart.

Was this love?

No.

I’ve only known him for a day.

...But it had to be, right?

Otherwise, what else could this pain be? Why did it have to hurt every time I left his side?

My final classes of the day passed uneventfully.

After school, I headed outside to find a large crowd gathered at the school’s entrance.

That’s when I saw it.

Nakano Ichika committed suicide.

[256th jump]

My name is Nakamura Aoko.

I’m 16 and currently entering my first year of high school. I wasn’t anywhere close to intelligent, but even so, I needed to get into this school.

The only redeeming quality I had was being strong, so I became a karateka to chase that dream. We all only had one wish, and I wouldn’t dare waste it on something so trivial. After years of training and competitions, I finally made it.

The carefree attitude of my peers made me resent them, though.

Why was I the only one who had to work hard?

It wasn’t fair.

But that’s how the world is.

On the second week of school, an absurdly beautiful girl walked into the club dojo with not even a shred of decorum. Her beauty was so refined that it reminded me of a perfectly sharpened sword.

“How many tournaments have you won?”

“Twelve. What’s it to you?”

She left without a single word more. Accompanying her was a boy. He was average in build and average in appearance, but looking at him made my heart hurt.

After school, Nakano Ichika committed suicide.

[478th jump]

My name is Nakamura Aoko.

I’m 16 and it’s the second week of high school. I worked my ass off to get here, and yet, here I am in my clubroom continuing to do so.

The door slid open to reveal an absurdly beautiful girl who made a beeline toward me. I would’ve been struck by her beauty if she wasn’t so brusque.

“How many tournaments have you won?”

“Twelve. What’s it to you?”

The boy that she left with seemed kind of familiar, but I couldn’t place it. Either way, looking at him made my heart feel heavy.

After school, Nakano Ichika committed suicide.

[1675th jump]

“How many tournaments have you won?”

“Twelve. What’s it to you?”

After school, Nakano Ichika committed suicide.

[18446744073709551616th jump]

The door slid open.

We’d done this more than a thousand times. I can’t even count how many times this exact same scenario was played through.

But I remembered it all.

Your absurdly beautiful hair that fluttered in the invisible wind. Your absurdly beautiful face that made me want to puke. Your absurdly beautiful voice that made my ears bleed.

But most of all, I remembered the first time.

The exultation that I felt when I actually managed to win the nationals.

It was all thanks to you, Eiji. So... Why did you choose her in the end?

Rage welled up in my heart.

“Fight me.”

That’s right. I wish... there was a world just for the two of us.