Witch and Mermaid - 3

She already decided on that!? She was actually serious about what we talked about yesterday!? And even if she was, how can she calmly announce that in front of everyone!?

Because of this sudden announcement, the class was disrupted and left in confusion. Is…this my fault? Because I said something stupid yesterday, she's now…Eh, how am I even supposed to help with this?

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Right when nobody knew what to say, a bothered voice disrupted the silence.

"Even though you never talk with anybody, sitting in the corner of the classroom, you suddenly want to work for the culture festival? Who do you think you are?" Of course, this complaint came from none other than Mikagami Masuzu, our Queen Gami. "Do you want to stand out that badly? That's cringe~"

"…That's…not it…"

It was the same with her announcement just now, but her voice was constantly about to cut out. She must be nervous. Even if she's famous for possessing a poisonous tongue—No, exactly because of that, she has trouble stating her feelings in front of people like this. She should be aware that her idea would not be accepted by most people for exactly that reason. And even so, she acted. That just shows how desperate she is.

"I'll take responsibility. And I'll properly do my job."

"Huh…'zat so." Gami stared at Aotsuki-san, emitting insane amounts of pressure. "So then, if you're going to take care of the script, the main role, and everything else, then I'm down. Me and the others definitely won't be helping you though." Gami let out an arrogant snort, like she was aware that Aotsuki-san wouldn't be able to pull it off.

The responsibility on Aotsuki-san was far too large. She shouldn't give in to this provocation…However.

"F-Fine, I'll do that!"

Aotsuki-san immediately jumped on it! Maybe think about your actions some more! You'll end up in big trouble otherwise!

"...Hmm." Gami's eyes looked like a predator's looking at its prey. "Fine by me, then. Anybody got anything against it?"

Of course, if the queen said so, then nobody could object. Though, I doubt anybody had any objection to begin with. They might not be perfectly fine with it, but as long as the responsibility doesn't fall on them, they're fine.

"Then it's decided~ I wasn't feeling any preparations anyway. So if I can push off all the work onto Aotsuki-san, we can play around~!"

I guess you could consider it lucky that we found something to do for the culture festival this easily, but…Rather than playing around, I can see nothing but trouble here.

*

I have a curse plaguing me, which turns every sign of positive affection into the opposite. The only way to remove that curse is probably to meet the witch who put it on me in the first place. The name of the witch in that diary…'Shell'.

That's the same witch who put the curse on me. And ever since then, she's never appeared in front of me again. No matter how much I searched for her, finding her was impossible. But, if I could meet the owner of that diary, I might be able to. That's all the options I have. Even this small thread of hope, I can't let it escape.

Before heading to sleep, I was lying on my bed, wearing my pajamas as I looked up at the ceiling—I don't want this curse to be gone fully. This is something that I did to myself after all. Just…only one time, I want to tell

Yafune-kun about my honest feelings. Tell him that I'm thankful, and reassure him that he's much more kind than he might think. I don't need anymore than that. She can seal my positive affection again after that.

But, I just don't want Yafune-kun to think that I actually hate him…For that sake, I tried my best during today's homeroom class…! I was so nervous telling everyone of my idea. I knew that those who can't stand me would complain.

Not to mention that this is our first culture festival in high school. There's probably many other things people want to do, so I didn't expect my selfish desires to simply be accepted like that…But in the end, it was decided that we would be doing a play after all, and I was relieved to know that I was allowed to take care of the script.

…Though I bet that Mikagami-san did it only to make me suffer. Little did she know that this is exactly what I was hoping for. Even if she looks down on me, I don't care. She's right after all. I barely get involved in class, so I got some nerve wanting to suddenly take the initiative. I understand that everybody hates me.

…Even so, I can't let this chance escape. I need to search for the owner of those notes.

Still, Yafune-kun really is kind, and so reliable…While tightly hugging my pillow, those thoughts filled my head. At school, he doesn't seem like he's willing to spend time with me, and we only really talk at that park. But, that's to be expected. I can't even say 'thank you' or 'I'm sorry'. All I can do is insult him.

At this rate, Yafune-kun will get wrapped up in this mess, and everyone will treat him weirdly. I'm the only one who has to suffer through that. I'm thankful to him, but if I told him about my feelings…he'd probably deny them. But, even if Yafune-kun himself thinks he's not kind at all, I see him as someone wonderful.

Even if you can't come to treasure and like yourself, there are people who will disagree with you. But…because of my condition, I can't tell him that. I

thought that maybe I could convey it through something else but words. Maybe he might understand what I feel just by looking at my eyes…They say that your eyes are the mirror of your soul.

With these thoughts, I approached Yafune-kun's face last night in the usual park. A-And then, he got the wrong idea that I wanted to ki…kiss him! Even though that wasn't my attention at all!

I-It's true that I like Yafune-kun, but that's the friendship kind of like, and definitely not in the romantic sense! I only want to tell him my feelings of gratitude, nothing more!

A-Anyway, in order to tell Yafune-kun my gratitude, I really need to take care of this curse. For that, I'll try my hardest…at the culture festival. Even if I have to do it all on my own. Because…I don't want to bother you any more than I already did, Yafune-kun. I want you to smile with everyone, without me around…

B-But…if possible, even if it's only for a brief moment, if you were to watch over me…I'd be really happy.

*

A week passed after Aotsuki-san's idea of doing a play for the culture festival was decided. Right now, we're in the middle of self-study.

"Our club's doing crepes for the culture festival~ We tried making some before, and everybody just used whatever ingredients they felt like~ Was super fun though!"

"Listen to this~ my club's doing chocolate bananas! Isn't that super lewd? Lol"

"Compared to that, we barely have to prepare anything for our class~"

Although we received printouts to work on during self-study, the excellent students already finished them, and the others just copied the work, so most people already formed groups to talk. Since Aotsuki-san could not profit

from that at all, she just sat in the corner of the classroom, facing her own notes.

I did see a faint glimpse of these notes, and it seemed like she was working on the manuscript for the play. As of late, she's only been working on that the past few days, and I wouldn't be surprised if that work continued even late into the night. Ever since that homeroom class, I didn't even see her at the park…

She might seem perfect, but I can see her losing focus at times. Even now, she's trying to stay awake by pulling on her cheek, or stabbing her pen into her hand. To be honest, it was painful to watch. After all, I brought up the idea, so it's partially my responsibility. Can I really just leave her be like that?

—Am I not going to do anything yet again?

A flashback played in my head, taking me back to my second year in middle school, the day of the sports festival. It was a clear sky, with strong sunlight despite it being fall already, and the scent of the sports grounds tickled my nose. My classmate who had been all alone after the festival, and me, who just acted like I wasn't seeing anything—

"Hey, Yafune." As I was lost in my thoughts, Gami tapped me on the shoulder. "What are you spacing out for? Anyway, Bubble Pearl's new song is crazy good, don't you think? Here, listen. And, sing that next time we're going for some karaoke~"

She forcefully stuffed one side of her earphones in my ear, and kept the other half in her own. When she played the music, it really felt like I wasn't allowed to think about anything else, and the pressure coming from her told me as much. I get it, I really do. If I made Aotsuki-san my ally now, I'd lose my position in class. I'm not that stupid.

"So then—did—and…Hey, Yafune? Are you listening?" "Hm? Sorry Gami, what were you saying?"

"Huh? You dare not listen to me?"

"Soz soz. I was just focussing on the song. It's godlike alright." "Right? But no talking your way out of it." Gami pulled out the single

earphone again, and blew some air into my ear. "You only need to listen to my voice. You're my dog after all."

"Hey now, who's your dog~?" I retorted, but below my smile I was just thinking how nice it must be to be born with such innate talent to rule over others, overflowing with confidence like the normie she was, she's definitely the exact opposite of me.

Especially if you put Gami and Sakana together, the difference in levels between me and them is just painfully obvious. I'm only putting up a good- looking face, and only my gross true self lies beneath that. I wonder why nobody realizes. Despite us being the same on the surface, we couldn't be more different. It makes me want to scream 'You don't even realize that there's a gross otaku within your group!?'.

Then again, I guess I'm the ultimate evil here, putting labels on everybody and everything around me. But, I can't go back to those hellish days of my past. That's why I worked this hard to change myself. Then, what else am I supposed to do here?

Search for a way that allows me to deal with this without losing my position, of course. What's important isn't keeping it a secret no matter what, but rather to get things over without having the need to reveal anything.

"Welcome...Ah, Yafune-kun. Been a while~ How rare, all alone. What's up?"

After classes ended, I made my way to the family restaurant, where a Senpai I've known ever since I transferred to the new middle school is working at, after my new debut. He's attending the same high school.

"It's been a while~ I came here to meet you, Namiki-senpai."

"Wah, you're making me blush. There's gotta be some ulterior motive, right?" He showed me a handsome smile together with a cheerful voice.

Whenever I meet him, it's just so dazzling. Unlike me, he's an actual normie, born to stand above others.

"For now, I'll just get an order in. Since I'm the customer, you better treat me right~ Lol."

"Then at least order something expensive to make it worth my time, dear customer~"

"Hey now, what kind of tone is that, lol."

Although he's one year older than me, we can hold a frank conversation like this. He hates people who are too stiff after all. When I was in my second year in middle school, I got to know Senpai through a contact of mine, and he was the most popular guy.

I ordered the use of the drinkbar, some friend food, and fried potatoes. After waiting for a moment, Senpai delivered the food to my table. Although Senpai couldn't exactly sit at my table, he at least talked to me a bit, since the restaurant wasn't too full of customers right now.

"So, what brings you here today, Yafune? You definitely didn't come here just to meet me, right? What are you plotting?"

"That's Senpai for you, so sharp~" Getting some coke from the drink bar, I let out a laugh to keep the tension comfortable. "To be perfectly honest, there's something I need some advice on."

"Hmmm, then let me hear you out."

"There's some trouble going on in my class, you know~"

"Ah, I feel like I heard about that. There's this amazing girl in your class, right? That rumoured beauty."

"Which one are you talking about? Aotsuki-san? Gami? They're both crazy

beauties. Anyway, I wanted to borrow some of your strength, see."

"Ehhh, what should I do about that? Don't wanna get hated by the cuties~" "But, don't I have a favor with you, Senpai? I'm your cupid in love, right?"

That's right, the girl Senpai had feelings for back in middle school happened to be in my class, and my seat neighbour. That's why I asked that girl about all the stuff she liked, places she liked to visit, stores she often visited, and relayed all of that to him.

"You're still a thing, right? Aren't you two lovebirds."

"Shut it, I'm the type of man who pours all my love into my relationship!"

I wasn't trying to make fun of him or anything. After all, these two had been dating ever since they got together in middle school, so I genuinely think they're admirable. If I wanted to, I might be able to get a girlfriend that's only in it for the looks, but I doubt that we could stay together for that long of a time. Not to mention that I'd feel guilty for deceiving her. That's why I'm not even looking for a romantic relationship. Neither do I think that the real me would be able to get a girlfriend either.

"Well, whatever. I'll hear you out after my shift is over. No promises though."

"At least say you'll help me even if it's just a pretense. I'll treat you to something."

"Moron, I'm not so pitiful to have my junior treat me to something. Better make it a large ramen bowl at least!"

"Which is it? Lol."

We both were laughing, and I thought about my future plan of action. I don't like joining the ring of the strong, but the more people I can rely on, the better. If I could get his help, and succeed in my plan…

"Sup!"

Namiki-senpai's footwork is fast. The day after asking him for advice, once lunch break rolled around, he came to my class.

"I came over to play!" "Eh, it's Namiki-senpai!"

"Wahhh, what brings you to our class?"

Although our school years are different, when it comes to someone as famous as Senpai, even the people from the first year know about him.

"Well, I'm part of the culture festival execution committee, so I need to check out what the other classes are up to. How's it going? Are things making progress?"

Despite Senpai being cheerful no response came, and the atmosphere cooled down. However, Senpai didn't move at all, and kept up his gentle and reassuring smile.

"Hm, what's this gloomy atmosphere for? Let me guess, you didn't make any progress at all, right? You'll become the laughing stock of the other classes at this rate~"

I'm sure that everyone must agree subconsciously. Even if the preparations were easy-going, nobody wanted to get ridiculed when it came to the actual day of the culture festival.

"Senpai, even if you're excited for the culture festival, you shouldn't be so passionate, it's creepy!"

"Shut up, Yafune! Don't call it creepy, you're hurting me!"

As the atmosphere grew awkward, I jumped in, and brightened up the mood. Because of Senpai's retort, laughter filled the classroom.

"Alrighto, Yafune! I'll order you to become this class' culture festival hero!" "Huh!? What are you talking about?!"

"It's a hero's duty to make the culture festival succeed! You have to save this class!"

"That makes even less sense! Lol"

The other people around us joined in, screaming stuff like 'Why not! Go and do it, Yafune!' or 'Yo, culture festival hero!' and so on. Alright, with this I got the official right to help out at the culture festival. Otherwise, nobody would bother to work for Aotsuki-san's sake, and it'll only worsen her position.

That's why I'll use an excuse like this, and become the pillar. However, I can't destroy my own position either. At the same time, I can't just leave Aotsuki-san alone. Even if that's the case, I'm not ready to throw away everything for her. I need to keep my position. I'm not as clumsy as she is, nor am I straight-forward. Neither am I clever enough. The best I can do is pull through until the very end.

"And this being the case, I'm your culture festival hero!" "…Are you stupid?"

I really think I tried my best there, but the person I all did it for seemed to disagree. Well, that's about what I expected. Despite not showing up at the park for the past few days, almost as if she was ready to give me an earful, she was waiting for me as she stood in front of the swing.

"What happened this afternoon…That was your doing, right?" "Who knows? You got any proof?"

"…Why did you purposefully stuck your head in this trouble?"

"So you're aware that this is a lot of trouble?" When I provoked her, I got a sharp glare back.

"…I never asked for your help."

"Yeah, you really aren't fair, Aotsuki-san."

"Huh?"

The people in this world always split between 'truth' and 'lie'. However, a person's feelings can't be split in two like that, and oftentimes it's not black or white, but grey.

"Even if you didn't want help, when I looked at you like that, I was just forced to help, that's all."

This is the truth, as well as a lie. "…You…really are an idiot." "Haha, I just—"

—I just want to be friends with you, Aotsuki-san.

I don't want to only talk with her here in this dark park. I want to have a normal conversation in the classroom. I want to help you without having to rely on these stupid plots. These feelings were bottled inside of me, but…

It's a wish that will never be granted, and a fantasy I don't even want to grant. It's like the whole 'I want good grades, but I don't want to study'. I don't feel like wanting to reveal myself, nor lose my position in class. I don't have the determination for that. In the end, the people around me are what's most important. That's why I can only help her in such a roundabout way.

I'm as selfish as always, and I really hate myself for it. "No, it's nothing."

"Is that so."

"You're not gonna ask?"