Furukawa Itsuki finally takes a step forward.

***

It was once again a dream of the days long gone. The two of us enjoyed each other's company, basking in peace and indulging ourselves in the comfort of each other's presence. All the while, I pondered about the feeling of wrongness buried in my chest. And that feeling wouldn't disappear no matter what.

***
Furukawa Itsuki

I followed the enigma until we reached the park. It was the one where I talked with Shosei a few days ago. There were many questions I wanted to ask, and I wasn't confident I would get any answers.

Finally, we stopped. I waited for her to begin but realized she was the one waiting for me to start. I heaved a sigh and reluctantly started speaking.

"So what did you want, Kato Mitsu?"

Yes, Kato Mitsu stood in front of me. She has been working in the shadows, watching and manipulating, since the very beginning.

She turned around, facing me with a smile. I found Ishikawa's to be creepy, but hers was downright terrifying. Kato intently stared into my eyes. Her gaze seemed to see through my thoughts.

"I was just wondering what happened with Shosei. I'm sure he contacted you, didn't he?" she asked, her smile unchanging and her gaze still as sharp as a razor blade. I was sure there was no point in trying to hide anything, so I decided to be honest.

"...He told me he'd lost the bet."

Kato nodded as if she expected that and then continued with a knowing gaze.

"But that's not all, is it?"

"..."

I stayed silent, shocked by how calmly she shredded apart my front. There were some things I wanted to hide, but it didn't seem to be possible. While I was still hesitating, she continued speaking.

"What was the deadline for your bet? It had to be a specific day, I assume. Would that be the end of the second term? Or maybe the end of the winter vacation?" she went through several options but did it so naturally and dismissively that it was clear she already knew those to be wrong.

"No, it has to be something else. It has to be something that can clearly show who won the bet, and the easiest way to do that is for the deadline to be a special occasion. Yes, if Shosei successfully invited us with him and we agreed, that would be a good confirmation, wouldn't it? It would be even better if that day was personally special, the kind to which you couldn't invite anyone short of your friends."

She paused and looked at me. Her smile twisted, becoming even more devious than previously.

"In conclusion, the deadline is... his birthday, isn't it?"

I stayed silent. Kato seemed to take that as an answer and smiled happily.

"I see, so I'm right, huh? Well then, tell me, Itsuki-kun. When is it? When is his birthday?"

I heaved a sigh and resigned myself to giving away everything.

"...It's December twenty-sixth, the day after tomorrow," I said. "He told me he will spend the whole day alone in an arcade," I hurriedly added, unwilling to play the interrogation game any longer. 

I didn't think giving it away would change anything, so it wasn't a big deal. I was sure Kato wouldn't tell everyone else. Hell, I was confident that the only one who would be willing to take action in such circumstances was Suzuki. 

Kato didn't seem surprised, but her expression shifted. Her smile became faint, and traces of sadness could be seen in her. Only in moments like these did her real character slightly show through. No, to be more precise, her true self was always on display. It was just so unfathomable most of the time that I pretended not to realize that.

"I've told you what you wanted to know, so now answer some of my questions," I said, switching the topic.

"I thought I've been pretty open with you this entire time, though... Well, whatever. Ask away," she replied, and for the first time since the conversation began, she seemed like the usual Kato Mitsu you would see in class.

Since the beginning, Kato had been manipulating the situation as she saw fit. She quickly understood Shsoei's intentions and guessed about the bet. Then, Kato pushed the hesitant Nakano to submit his script and even volunteered to present herself as the author so that no one could figure out that the play repeated his life circumstances. Then, she secretly worsened the class mood and heightened the tension to the point of no return. She did it so that Suzuki would have to face her past head-on instead of settling on a compromise. Kato then involved Shosei and used him as a pawn to fix Nakano and Suzuki's pasts.

The others weren't fit for the role. Ishikawa-san was scarred by his past, so he couldn't move. Maeda saw her entire life purpose in helping the group, which Kato saw as unhealthy. Nakano and Suzuki were obviously not an option. Now, that left a single question in my mind.

"Back then, during the cultural festival, you used Shosei in your schemes," I started.

"Yeah, I did. Is something wrong with that?" Kato asked, innocently tilting her head to the side. I wanted to retort that everything was wrong but swallowed my words and asked her the question that was on my mind.

"Why didn't you do everything yourself?"

Kato seemed to be confused by my words.

"I did help with dispelling the mood, but as for everything else..." she started. "I didn't know what to do with Suzuki, you know? I knew what troubled her, but I wasn't sure how to fix it. So I wanted to see what someone like him would do. Shosei is hopelessly optimistic, but that also means he can see positive things where neither you nor I can. I would have never even thought that Aiko was such a kind girl. That possibility was far beyond my predictions."

"Fascinating, isn't it?" she asked with her brightest smile yet. "There is so much unknown in this world! Even though Shosei's hopeless positivity was his ruin, it was also someone else's salvation. There really are no absolutes in life! Hahahahaha!"

As she finished her words, she burst into loud laughter. Suddenly, Kato went silent, and her gaze shifted back to me. Its previous sharpness was back and sent chills running down my spine.

"Now, are your questions over yet? If so, there's something I still want to ask about," she said.

"..." I stayed silent.

"I'll consider that a yes. So, I was curious for a long time. You've told Shosei about 'B' and 'I,' right?"

I nodded silently.

"That's what I thought... Hey, by any chance, have you..." she began. Once again, her gaze sharpened, and her smile twisted as she looked at me.

"Have you told it to him the same way you did to me?"

This time, with hesitance, I nodded again.

"Hahaha, is that so? I see, I see...," she said as she repeatedly nodded her head. Then, as if she remembered something, she suddenly stopped and asked me a question.

 "Oh, also, I was always curious —" 

"—What do 'B' and 'I' stand for?"

Prepared for that question, I replied immediately.

"'I' stands for 'Isolated' and 'B'... 'B' stands for 'Betrayer.'"

Because that day, I committed a horrible betrayal. And I'm not planning to forgive myself for that any time soon.

In the past, I was sort of a popular kid. I had good grades, was sociable, and had wide enough interests to easily interact with most kids my age. I was confident everyone found me easy to talk to. I stumbled upon a loner and foolishly thought I could help him. To this day, I keep thinking. What was I supposed to do? To leave him alone? To have fun with just the two of us? Or maybe I should have gone about integrating him with the others better.

Either way, I couldn't change anything. Whenever I told this story, I would never specify who was who. That was because I didn't want others' pity. I didn't want them to say I did nothing wrong or that it wasn't my fault. That just didn't feel right. I understood that I couldn't have predicted the outcome and that my intentions were good, but that meant nothing. I made a mistake, and that was it. I didn't need forgiveness — I simply needed answers.

After hearing my words, Kato continued with some sarcasm in her voice.

"Hey. Don't you think you should have explained that to Shosei? I'm sure he misunderstood your intent quite a bit from that."

Her remark annoyed me, but I couldn't argue back as she was right.

"I know that without you...," I replied begrudgingly. Kato giggled before she spoke up again.

"You conveniently switched the topic, so I couldn't ask," she started. "But what are you planning to do? I don't think you will leave Shosei as he is, will you?"

Her voice was calm, and I knew that the inquiring tone was nothing but a superficial front. It was less of a question and more of a confirmation of my intent. Kato seemed to have known my answer already, which annoyed me. As did almost everything about her.

"Of course not. I still have much to say to Shosei. He's not getting away with just spewing his feelings in my face and running away. I'm not giving up until I talk some sense into his head."

Shosei called his actions a betrayal of our connection, but I disagreed. In the first place, I can't refer to a relationship where one ties the other down as friendship. If I pulled him into my little world, locked him behind a cell made of suffocating comfort, and denied all of his dreams, I would be the one to curse myself.

I thought he understood that as much as I did, but it seemed that the pain blinded him. Shosei was too much of a prideful goodie-two-shoes to forgive himself for hurting others. The moment he realized he wasn't the only one feeling this emptiness, there was no going back.

You, dumbass. I don't need your sympathy. In the first place, I was the one who provoked you and began this bet. And I did that purposefully. There was no reason for you to feel bad for what was my fault. If anything, I was the one who betrayed you. 

I relied on his nature to find my own answers. I hadn't changed even a bit since I met 'I.' Back then, even after hurting a dear friend, I still selfishly screamed that he couldn't give up on people. I wasn't addressing him when I said that. It was less of an expression of concern for him and more of a desperate prayer directed at myself.

I didn't expect Shsoei to repeat the exact same words, but I still agreed with them. I didn't think people should ever give up on others, nor should they lock themselves away in solitude. That applied to me, to Shosei, and everyone else.

I had to tell him that, so I couldn't just ignore his one selfish plea for help.

After hearing my reply, Kato's expression softened.

"I see... Good luck then, Itsuki-kun."

I turned around and lifted my hand in the air. I left silently, saying goodbye with nothing but my gestures.

As I walked away, I began recalling one more important thing.

I began recalling those dreams I continuously kept seeing these past few months.

Since the beginning of the bet, I've been continuously seeing those dreams of the past. From the first time we played games, to mundane park trips, to our pointless arguments. Every time I would see one, the feeling of emptiness would increase, torturing me the entire time. I wasn't about to complain since I was the one who chose this outcome. However, it was now time to put an end to those dreams.

It was time to end that forever-present feeling of wrongness that haunted me for years. I was approaching my answer.

***

It was December twenty-sixth, Shosei's birthday. I made my way to the arcade, mentally finalizing what I wanted to say. I walked through the streets, blanketed by snow. The crunch beneath my feet resounded in my ears, mysteriously helping my mind to focus on the upcoming conversation.

Yesterday was an unnecessarily busy Christmas for me. I added that to the lists of complaints I planned to present to Shosei and hastened myself. I didn't want to spend a single extra second in this cold. Finally, the outline of the arcade appeared in the distance. 

I walked into the building with no hesitation in my steps. As I made my way through the rows of arcade machines, I looked for him with my gaze. Eventually, I saw him. Shosei was glued to the machine themed after Blooming Youth. Of course, he was. I confidently approached him. He noticed me while I was still a few steps away and lifted his face. Surprise colored his features, and he seemed shocked by my appearance. Shosei attempted to say something, but I spoke before he even managed a single word.

"Hello, dumbass," I said with the familiarity that I hadn't heard from myself in a while. "Thought you could get rid of me that easily?"

Oh, boy, did I have a lot to say.