Part 12: Hidden Aspirations

Lunchtime is my favorite part of everything Dream Academy High has to offer. They serve gourmet style meals and drinks and we can sit at any table we choose without having to worry about it being messy. It’s almost unreal in a sense but the place has changed since the renovations from two years ago. For example, the tables we have now are like self-serving vending machines rolled into one. The snacks and beverages are delivered through pipe elevation systems that replace the center legs of a cafeteria table. What makes it so cool is we can decide what we want using this long touchscreen pad that’s adjusted from an angle on both sides to decide and pay for it using our school accounts. Pretty neat right?

Well, anyway the point of today was to have Imagi help me contact Toma to meet him over at their house and talk about the situation. I know he might not want to have anything to deal with this. I know there has to be a suspicious pattern behind every murder that happens. When Wata wrote the names, he probably didn’t go in numerical order for every death on each page because Tachigo, Shinobuki, Kibe, and Ogato were still alive from what I heard. Just more older now. Most of them had to have ranged from 21 to 25. We had to contact them too through Toma. It was the only way to prevent their futures from being taken away.

“Hi Imagi! So how was your weekend?” I asked while sitting down next to my best friend.

“You. Won’t believe. What just happened.”

Imagi took out her phone while showing me pictures of being at Paradise Park’s Convention Center hanging out with her friends that came from her childhood school, Augustine Elementary. I haven’t met them yet but every time I asked about introducing myself to them, she said they don’t really like Dream Academy High students. They only made exceptions for their former peers that ended up at this high school though from what I heard.

The “high school” they go to now is Ito College Prep. They are said to be more prestigious which is probably why they treat us like we don’t belong. I’m surprised Imagi got into their circle but I don’t know if I’ll ever understand their relationships. I guess they’re just very competitive.

“Wait, did you get to see—“

“Yeah. I saw many Princess Candiere cosplays. I took some photos for you since you really wanted to see them.”

As I scrolled through each one, I just couldn’t help asking her to share the photos with me. There was much more besides that too. In retrospect, I began to explain to Imagi what I thought about completing the game.

“Imagi, if you don’t mind me saying this, I completed the game.”

“Oh… Nice…”

“I know you don’t play it cause Toma said no but I don’t think the game is intentionally bad. It was playable and gorgeous to look at, but there was no way SourSplash Games would be at fault for this. The mysterious cult that Hanakawa was a part of could be behind its delivery. If they did it with dead bodies, then that probably wouldn’t be their only way to influence the masses.”

“Haniki, can I be honest about something?”

“Of course.”

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Like, at all.”

“Wait what? But why?”

“That was six years ago. I know I told you about what happened, but I said to not bring that up in public. I don’t think the developer is behind it either. Can we just end it here though, please?”

“Fine…”

I was really disappointed in being shut down like this. Why did it always happen to me? It’s like no one believes I can help them. Am I just tossing my thoughts into the air for nothing? Just like when I said I wanted to try and make something special for my relatives at the family reunions. I studied for hours to perfect meals and desserts for my family. And yet… They always bring up what happened before.

The failure that was. I just want them to give me a chance. To see what I’m capable of. I don’t want them to be scared. Still, here I was venting my unhappiness with myself. I couldn’t help thinking what it would be like if I could taste again. I wanted to savor and share my experiences. It was like life didn’t want me to do that either. Was I just destined to fail?

The school bell rang and it was time to go. At that point, I had been closing my eyes with shut-in hopes, knowing I’d never get to express my true aspirations. Then I opened my eyes and saw a post-it note beside my arm on the table.

The following words were written on it when I picked it up:

Meet me after school immediately at Paradise Park. I will be three benches down.

Yours truly, Cherry Brooks.