Prologue:[]
Sakawa and I have reached an agreement. Even though I pretty much have understood her intentions, I didn’t understand her at all. It’s like she knows something, yet she decided not to use it at all in the most critical times. Sometimes… I wonder what is going on inside of her head.
“Sakawa, are you sure about this?”
Sakawa who had a smile in her face nodded to me. For some reason, I really didn’t understand her position at all, even though…
“Yes. This should be the best for all parties.”
“I don’t like it.”
“I know you’ll say that but… what can I do? I am nothing more than just a dead weight to you. I don’t deserve any attention at all.”
“Is that so?”
“Sorry Admiral.”
“But Sakawa, is that what your heart says right now?”
“!!!”
And from here, I’ll hear what Sakawa has to say to me… straight from her heart.
What turned out to be a peaceful time…[]
A few hours before our confrontation, I asked Sakawa out and she didn’t decline my offer. So far, she didn’t say anything to me about being busy or such. But even so, even if she is busy… I’ll just have to convince her mentor to let her have a day off.
And so…
“Wow!!! Thanks Hiro-san.”
We are currently at a bookstore where a lot of books piled up right before our eyes. Rather, it was just full of Sakawa’s orders.
“Hiro-san, let me get this and this and this and this and this… (repeated to ad infinitum)”
“Sakawa, how can you read them all? Aren’t these too many for a single person to read?”
“For an avid reader, quantity isn’t an issue. What I am after is quality.”
Sakawa continues to pile up her orders as the cashier can’t help but to flash out a forced smile while looking at the mountain of books she just purchased.
“Oh. Something is written here…”
As I said that, I pulled out a book and I saw a paper stuck on its pages. I immediately pulled out the said paper and something fell from it.
“A bookmark?”
I picked up the bookmark and look at its back and I saw something like a flavor text.
[Use when you want to arrive at the truth – Suzukaze]
For some reason, I frowned after seeing such a bookmark, was this one of Suzukaze’s tricks again? Was she seeing something again? Sometimes, I really don’t know if she can see the future or not.
I paid the bookmark and keep it on my pocket just in case. From the looks of it, there was no reason for me to use it unless I wanted to know something. Well, Kasumi might be the best subject for such an experiment.
After we got all of Sakawa’s mountain of books paid to the cashier, I decided to send them all to the base via express delivery and have Sazanami receive it by using her name. Anyways, I decided to take Sakawa somewhere far from my usual places to walk. It’s after all a place where a lot of good things happen.
“Hiro-san, let me say something to you about a very important matter…”
“What is it Sakawa?
“I think… that you should stop dating me and get serious with Noshiro-nee.”
And out of nowhere, Sakawa pulled a fast one on me, and it hits harder than the usual.
Reasons[]
“Are you sure about it?”
“Yes. This should be the best for all parties.”
“I don’t like it.”
“I know you’ll say that but… what can I do? I am nothing more than just a dead weight to you. I don’t deserve any attention at all.”
“Is that so?”
“Sorry Admiral.”
“But Sakawa, is that what your heart says right now?”
“!!!”
Sakawa froze as I ask her that question. It seems that she is doing it out of goodwill to Noshiro who has been with me for the longest time. But… I want to know what her heart says.
“I can’t tell you…”
As usual, since I have been anticipating this. I decided to hold onto a magic item which should be usable at a time like this.
“Let me ask you again. Sakawa, what does your heart says?”
Without noticing it, the bookmark slightly shines and soon, I can feel the bookmark slowly disintegrating within my palm and it slowly appears right in front of us. After that, the light made a field for the two of us which I felt something only Suzukaze would do.
“I don’t… want to be hurt but… Noshiro-nee has never been so happy after all these times. I mean, she loves you, more than that of mine. I think it’s logical for me to give way to Noshiro-nee since she deserves better.”
Sakawa can’t help but feel surprised as she said those words to me. From the looks of it, I can feel that the bookmark works. I wonder what would Kasumi say when I ask her about something, But for now…
“Sakawa, what you say indeed is noble. But I won’t accept it!”
Also, I can feel that I can’t hide anything while I am inside of this field. I guess that’s the trade-off for that, but this isn’t a bad trade-off at all.
“But… Noshiro-nee deserves to be happy. I want to for Noshiro-nee to be happy too.”
I threw all logic aside and ask this one question that I am sure she can’t lie to it.
“Sakawa will you be happy if Noshiro and I will be together?”
Sakawa froze again on my question, from the looks of it. All I need to do is to push her more so that I can get the right answer out of her.
“Sakawa, are you satisfied that you are just an extra character!?”
Tears fall from Sakawa’s face, soon the field slowly collapses and Sakawa started to run away from me.
But, I decided not to hold back and I immediately held her hand in order for me to prevent Sakawa from making some distance.
“Let me go. I don’t want Noshiro-nee to get hurt because of me!”
“Even so, you are just hurting yourself. Sakawa, snap out of it.”
Soon, A slap was heard, it was from her hand as Sakawa slap my face. I didn’t know what just happened but… I can see from Sakawa’s face tears as it flows down from her eyes.
“Unfair. Why do you press on for answers? Why did you have to use a cheap trick like that in order for me to say what I don’t want to say. Admiral, you are too unfair. I know that Noshiro-nee deserves this more than I do, but you keep pressing me on as if you don’t recognize her feelings at all. Admiral, I hate you!”
“I see, well then… I give up...”
I have decided to give up. No, not because I can’t reach my goal even after that help but…
Soon, Sakawa hugged me tight as if she doesn’t want me to go.
“Why? Why are you giving up? A while ago, you were pressing me for answers, now that I am about to break, you decided to give up on me? Unfair… Admiral, haven’t you noticed anything?”
Sakawa tightly hugged me from behind as she tries not to let me go, even though I have seen her cues, I decided to end it so that…
“If that’s the case, I’ll say it to you what you wanted to hear. Admiral, I am not happy if Noshiro-nee and you get together, It’s just not fair for me. I mean… Noshiro-nee didn’t did her best and yet…”
Soon, I broke away from that tight hug of hers, I faced her and smiled as I mess her hair for a bit.
“I got you now.”
“Eh!?”
“Who says I am totally giving up?”
“But you just say you give up?”
“I did give up, on using the conventional methods in arriving to the answer. Because, no matter what I do, I can’t bring you to say the truth to me, even with a cheat item can’t make me bring that answer, how the hell Am I going to draw the truth out from you? That’s why I did what I usually don’t do.”
“You mean to say that what happened a while ago is just a trap?”
“No. I was about to win on that round, only if that would have lasted 5 seconds more. But in the end, I have made a way that I reversed the situation after that field vanishes. Seriously, if that didn’t work; I will be forced to do some more drastic actions.”
“Ha…”
Sakawa lost her strength and she fell to her knees as she can’t believe that she was lured into another trap. Sakawa smiled as she lost on that battle of words against the admiral.
“You got me Admiral. And I admit, I don’t want to be an extra character.”
The Admiral pulls Sakawa up and Sakawa smiles as the Admiral held her hand.
“It’s time…”
“About what?”
“For you to see something good.”
And then, I carried Sakawa towards the destination.
Another flower in hand[]
Sakawa and I stood at the field of flowers that were about to get carried away by the wind. Autumn flowers are pretty rare and they just started to bloom as soon the season started to kick in. But even so, we didn’t know the name of the flower.
Sakawa and I looked at the field as those flowers get carried away by the wind. And even so, Sakawa’s face reflected the happiness she is feeling right now.
“It’s beautiful. Admiral, thank you.”
“I am glad that we made it in time. We will see that phenomenon again next year.”
“I see. Those flowers were fleeting towards their dream.”
“Well then, shall we head back home?”
But, Sakawa held my hand and she shook her head.
“Nope. Tonight, we will be out of the office.”
“Sakawa, what are you…”
“Please don’t say no. I have informed Sazanami-san about this a long time ago and I have received her blessing.”
“That girl, how much did she anticipate it?”
“Well then…”
As soon as I have realized it… I saw someone I shouldn’t be seeing today. Rather, Who the heck invited Noshiro today?
“Admiral?”
“Noshiro…”
“Sakawa, care to explain what is happening?”
Sakawa smiled as she took Noshiro’s hand.
“You know Noshiro-nee, Agano told me that you didn’t do anything when you two had a date back then, right?”
“Well, the Admiral just respected me… it’s not like I really want to…”
“Worry not Noshiro-nee. We have the permission to do that.”
“Eh?”
Soon, Sakawa dragged me and Noshiro towards the city and Sakawa booked a room for the three of us.
What happened that night was something that we really can’t forget.
End.