This would be the last elementary school festival for the third-year students. While some of them were busy preparing for high school entrance exams, Ichinan Academy was an escalator school. This meant that most students would automatically move on to the academy's high school next semester, so there wasn't much pressure to study hard. In fact, one of the students on the school festival committee suggested that their class do something grand for their final school festival, so they decided to create a haunted house. They were highly motivated at the start, however. Everyone was excited during the planning phase, but their motivation significantly waned when they realized how mundane and difficult it was to set up the haunted house. Alisa recognized this and was fully prepared to take on most of the work.
"Ouch!"
Alisa was still in the classroom after school, working on making costumes alone when she suddenly pricked her finger with the needle and dropped everything. As a drop of blood appeared at her fingertip, she put it in her mouth, cleaned it, and applied pressure until the bleeding stopped. Then, she placed a bandage over the wound to avoid staining the costume she was working on. This wasn't even her first prick. She already had five bandages wrapped around her fingers because she was inexperienced at sewing. Even so, she kept working, fighting through the throbbing pain. She wouldn't let something as trivial as this stop her. If she was going to do it, she'd do it right. That was what gave her the determination to pick up the needle again and continue her task.
"Oh, hey. I figured you'd still be here."
The classroom door rattled as it was suddenly opened. It was Isagi, who had almost immediately disappeared after class to go to soccer club.
"Isagi... What are you still doing here?"
"Eh. You know me, I stayed late practicing as usual..." he answered evasively, looking down at the documents in his hands. Alisa curiously followed his gaze but couldn't make out what the documents were.
"Anyway, Kujou, you can go home now. We can finish this tomorrow with the others," he added with a shrug, which irritated Alisa a bit; they wouldn't finish in time if they kept putting it off like this. Besides, she wouldn't be doing this alone if the others actually helped...
"Don't worry about me. I'll work on this a bit more before heading home," Alisa firmly declined, letting her irritation take over.
"Oh... Alright. Fine."
After Isagi sat at his desk and his eyes wandered a bit, he scratched his head a few times and said casually:
"I talked to the crafting club, and they agreed to help make the costumes, so we should let them take over from here."
"Huh...?"
"And check this out."
Isagi handed Alisa the documents he was holding while she was engrossed.
"I got permission to use the boarding house. I thought if we turned this into a nighttime event, it'd help motivate our classmates who are kind of down about it."
"...?! But how did you...?"
"I talked to the student council. I used to be the— Ahem. I know the folks, so I asked her for a favor."
Alisa gave him an inquisitive look as he corrected himself, but Isagi kept talking before she could ask about it.
"Anyway, I promised to have some of our guys help the crafting club with some manual work, so they agreed to help us. There are plenty of guys eager to show off for all those girls, so I'm sure we'll be fine in that regard. Now, about preparing for the nighttime workshop... Well, I think Muesume can handle that."
"Huh?"
"Anyway, go home soon, alright? There's no point in you working so hard alone like this."
His casual remark made Alisa's pent-up emotions explode instantly.
"No 'point'? Excuse me?"
Alisa was extremely stressed after working so hard on sewing despite being a novice. She felt like all her hard work was being belittled after Isagi suddenly offered a solution. That broke the barrier protecting her heart. Before Alisa realized it, she had slammed the half-made costume in her hands onto the desk, stood up quickly, and glared at Isagi.
"If I—! If I'm going to be part of this, then I want to do a good job! I don't want to go to the school festival with a half-baked haunted house! And I don't want to make compromises, no matter what!"
Even Alisa realized she was mostly venting her anger at him, but she couldn't hold back.
"But... but I know that's selfish of me! I know no one takes things as seriously as I do! That's why I'm working twice as hard to make up for it! Are you saying I'm wrong for wanting to do a good job?!"
She scolded him as she let her feelings take over. It was the first time she'd done something like this since elementary school. She was expressing raw emotions, something she usually hid. Isagi's eyes widened before he responded directly:
"You're directing all your effort to the wrong places."
"Huh...?"
Alisa was taken aback by his direct and unexpected objection.
Isagi looked her in the eyes and continued calmly:
"The festival isn't just about you. It's like soccer: you don't win alone. If the team's unmotivated, it doesn't help for you to run ten times harder and forget about the others. What changes the game is finding a way for everyone to want to play together."
"..."
Alisa instinctively wanted to look away from his steady gaze and irrefutable argument, but her pride wouldn't allow it. Instead, she stared into his soul as if she wouldn't back down. Before she could say anything more, however, Isagi quickly looked away.
"Uh, I probably could've phrased that better. Sorry if I upset you. I know you've been working hard, and I'm not trying to downplay that in any way."
"Ah..."
When Isagi lowered his head slightly, Alisa didn't know what to do with her anger anymore. He responded to her misdirected fury with an apology, leaving her raised fist with nowhere to go. But what strangely flooded her with emotions and took her breath away was that single sentence: "I know you've been working hard."
"I'm going home."
Those were the only words she managed to say before grabbing her bag and quickly leaving the classroom.
I can't... I can't believe him!
She desperately tried to suppress her countless tumultuous emotions as she headed toward the school gate... and pretended not to notice the regret, remorse, and a hint of joy deep in her heart.
The next day.
"It's time, you slackers! Who's ready to have some fun?!"
The school festival meeting began with Muesume's exaggeratedly enthusiastic shout. While his classmates stared at him in confusion, he excitedly explained that Isagi had gotten permission to use the boarding house.
"We'll be able to prep for the festival during the day and, at night, use the old building to play scary hide-and-seek! It'll be like our own private pre-pre-pre-festival party, with all kinds of fun! Yeaaahhhhh!"
His classmates laughed at his unrestrained enthusiasm, saying things like "The festival is still a week away" and "This sounds more like having fun than actual festival prep." However, his excitement was contagious, and everyone got hyped up too. It didn't take long for them to come up with a schedule for the event day, and even when the meeting finally ended, everyone was still eagerly discussing the details. They were even more excited now than when they were initially brainstorming what to do for the school festival.
Some time passed, and the day to prepare for the nighttime festival finally arrived. The boys were working extra hard and fast because they were excited not only about that night's activities but also about a dinner made by the girls. The morale boost continued even after the night at the boarding house, and they managed to complete the haunted house at the quality level Alisa had hoped for. In fact, it turned out even better than she could have imagined. In the end, their haunted house raised more money than any other stall, and they were awarded for their hard work.
"Ah..."
"Thanks for all your effort, Kujou."
The nighttime celebration party finally began, and the students were dancing in a circle around the school courtyard. Alisa was heading toward the school building when she passed by her dancing classmates and found Isagi sitting on the steps. He was resting his cheek in his hand, a faint smile on his face as he watched the others dance. Alisa followed his gaze to find Muesume flirting with every girl he could approach, while Hikaru, on the other hand, was being invited by one girl after another to dance.
"Ha-ha... must be tough."
"...You're not going to dance?"
He raised an eyebrow and shrugged at Alisa's question.
"Hmm? Nah. I don't have a dance partner anyway. This school can be so old-fashioned sometimes. Folk dancing at the nighttime festival? Who does that these days? At least there's no bonfire too... Do you mind if I sit next to you?"
"Hmm? Oh, sure... You're not going to dance? I bet there are tons of guys dying to ask you. Oh, wait! You don't know how to folk dance or something?"
"Rude. I used to do ballet when I was little, for your information. I can do what everyone else is doing easily. I just wasn't in the mood to dance, so I turned everyone down."
Alisa grumbled with disdain, flipped her hair over her shoulder, and sat next to Isagi.
"Oh... Sounds tough."
"It's not really. I'm used to it."
"Uh-huh. Guess I should've expected that from the lone princess."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Alisa furrowed her brow in confusion.
"What? You don't know? That's what everyone's been calling you lately," Isagi replied, looking surprised.
"Hmph."
"Uh... you don't seem too thrilled about it."
"I'm not."
"Why? Because they're pointing out how lonely you are?"
"No, it's not that. Besides, could you not insult me just this once in your life?"
"Sorry."
He shrank under her piercing glare.
"Striking out again," Isagi joked with a pout. Alisa sighed.
"It's this whole 'princess' thing that bothers me," she told him.
"Why? It's a compliment."
"Is it? It makes me sound like some fairy-tale character who's never worked hard a day in her life."
"Ah, I see... Never thought about it that way."
"I admit I'm prettier and more talented than the average person, but I've never taken it for granted. Not even once. I don't like people thinking I was born with what I worked so hard to achieve."
"Makes sense," Isagi agreed. "Then I won't call you that anymore."
"Okay," she replied as if she didn't care. But after a moment, she turned to him and added, "...Thanks, Isagi."
"Hmm? For what?"
"This might be the first time I actually had fun after a school festival."
Preparing for school festivals always stressed Alisa out. She always had to compensate for her classmates, and when the festivals finally ended, she felt more exhausted than accomplished. But this time was different. She had fun working and preparing as a team. The sense of accomplishment she felt from succeeding with her classmates was far greater than anything she'd ever felt from succeeding alone. Though she was tired, she also felt a sense of exhilaration.
"I was wrong," Alisa said, looking away. "I probably never would've enjoyed the school festival like this if I'd tried to do the whole project alone... Sorry for taking my frustration out on you."
Isagi fidgeted uncomfortably with his hands.
"Don't worry about it. Besides, all I did was some extra paperwork. You and the rest of the gang worked harder."
Though he said that, it was he who had organized everything and encouraged the boys in the class to get excited multiple times. Plus, he was the one who actually created a positive work environment and always made sure everyone was doing okay. While Isagi himself might've claimed he didn't do much, Alisa knew none of it would've happened without him.
"I can't 'not worry about it.' I want to apologize for blowing up at you... and I want to thank you for everything you did. Is there something in particular you want?"
"Something I want? Uh..."
"You can't say 'nothing.'"
"Mmm..."
Isagi racked his brain for a few moments since Alisa had blocked his escape route.
"I'm pretty sure I heard that people in Russia use nicknames as a sign of affection instead of just first names. What was your nickname?"
"What? Why do you care all of a sudden?"
"Alesha? Wait. Aleshka? That sounds like a Russian nickname, doesn't it?"
"...Alya. My family calls me Alya."
"Alright, then. You can thank me and apologize by giving me the right to call you Alya from now on."
"What? How's that a reward in any way?"
Isagi wore a nihilistic smile while Alisa furrowed her brow, perplexed.
"I'd be the only guy in school who could call the class idol by her nickname. Booyah!"
"Were you dropped on your head as a baby?"
"Sounds like we have a deal! Thanks!"
"Ugh," she spat with a look of disgust. That's when one of the boys from the group of students gathered around her suddenly spoke up.
"Hey, uh... Would you like to dance?"
"Hey! Who do you think you are, man?! I was here first! Alisa, I've always loved you! Please dance with me!"
"What...?! Who do you think you are?! You're not the only one who feels that way about her! I..."
Six guys suddenly crowded around Alisa after the first student spoke up. It must've been time for the last dance, so they all gathered the courage to ask her.
"Sorry. I can't dance."
"Don't worry about it. I'm a good dancer. I can teach you."
"You? I'm a way better dancer than him. Come on, you'd rather dance with me, right?"
"Who cares who's better? All you have to do is move your body to the rhythm!"
Despite Alisa apologizing and declining their offers, the male students showed no signs of backing off. But as they slowly closed in on Alisa, she narrowed her eyes and suddenly stood up.
"You people—?"
But before the harsh words rolled off her tongue, someone suddenly grabbed Alisa's hand and pulled her aside.
"Sorry, but she's already got plans with me. Let's go, Alya," Isagi said, still holding her hand, heading toward the school courtyard.
"Hey...?!"
Alisa tried to protest, only to follow him quickly, confused. Under normal circumstances, she would've yanked her arm back and slapped him, but to her surprise, she went along without a fuss. Alisa's heart was racing. She couldn't take her eyes off Isagi's broad back in front of her. When she really thought about it, she realized it was the first time someone of the opposite sex had held her hand and led her away.
Yeah... She was just a little confused because this was the first time this had happened to her. It doesn't mean anything more than that!
As soon as Alisa started convincing herself of this, Isagi stopped in an opening in the circle of students, and the last song suddenly started playing.
"You said you used to do ballet and could dance folk dances easily if you wanted, right?"
"Huh? Oh... Yeah. So what?"
He grinned provocatively as she tried to calm herself down.
"Then let's see, princess," Isagi teased. His intentions were obvious considering their conversation a moment ago.
"You've got some nerve challenging me. Good luck keeping up with me and not embarrassing yourself."
"Don't get so excited that you step on my foot, okay, Alya?"
"Hmph! Bring it on!"
Alisa raised her eyebrows and scowled at the annoying, smug smile on his lips. While the last dance was usually reserved for couples, there wasn't even a hint of sweetness in the air as they teased each other. They started dancing like the others around them, but Alisa's steps gradually began to stray from the pattern. She elegantly spread her long limbs as she danced effortlessly under the night sky of the school courtyard. Though she was moving to the rhythm of the music, what she was doing could no longer be called folk dancing. Still, Isagi managed to follow her swift movements unflinchingly. He wasn't dancing at her level, but he wasn't completely overshadowed either. His movements were good enough not to get in the way, and he skillfully managed to keep her dance from becoming too wild. Their combination miraculously worked as a dance, as they had clearly defined roles. One was obviously the lead, while the other played the supporting role.
"Hee-hee... Ha-ha-ha!"
Before Alisa realized it, she was smiling. She was unconsciously enjoying the dance from the bottom of her heart, even though it started as a competition. However, it didn't last long. The music soon came to an end, and their dance ended with it. Alisa eventually let go of his hand and bowed, albeit reluctantly.
"Man, I'm impressed. That was all I had just to keep up with you."
"I had a lot of fun."
Isagi blinked with a puzzled expression. He seemed shocked by her sincerity.
"Well, I guess I should head back."
"Oh? You're not going to walk me back?"
"Give me a break. You know how that'd make all the other guys jealous? They'd kill me."
"Uh-huh... Thanks for the heads-up."
Her lips curled into a playful smile as she suddenly wrapped her arms around his.
"Hey?! What are you—?"
"Walk me back."
"You're asking me to die for you. You know that, right?"
"It's payback for calling me 'princess.'"
"Ack..."
His face drained with despair, but even so, he started walking with her arms wrapped around his without even trying to break free, so Alisa smiled in the best spirits, finally having the upper hand. It was only then that she realized what she was doing and started to blush, but her good mood drowned out the embarrassment. She was walking side by side with someone, and it made her incredibly happy. As they headed down the short path to the school building, Alisa felt the vague sense of loneliness and alienation she'd carried with her since that day in elementary school slowly dissolve.
And yet, the next day...
"Good morning, Alya. Sorry to ask, but could you share your Japanese textbook with me?"
...Isagi had returned to his usual, unmotivated self when it came to studies.
"..."
"Hey, uh... Alya? What's wrong? You're looking at me like I'm trash."
"Because you are."
"What the heck?! That's harsh," Isagi shouted...
"Haaah..." Alisa sighed as if for show before suddenly looking away from him with a pout.
"И подумать, он был таким милым вчера..." she whispered.
(And to think he was so cool yesterday...)
Isagi still didn't change after that. He kept surprising Alisa in all the wrong ways, and yet you could always depend on him more than anyone else when help was needed. He'd consistently be there by someone's side as if it were natural. His behavior seemed bizarre to Alisa, who always saw others as competition, but she also felt relieved. The fact that she didn't need to compete or compare herself to him eased her mind. And since then, she found herself able to interact with Isagi without feeling like she had to prove anything. She scolded his lazy behavior and teased him because she was frustrated with how laid-back he was.
She almost got annoyed at how he seemed to care for others as if he were above the rest, so she opened up in Russian and laughed at his ignorance and the absurdity of it all. The days passed like this until one day...
... ...
Back to the present, Alisa sighed as she finished telling everything to her sister.
"You're in love! How cute!" Maria exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly.
"Were you even listening to what I said? I'm not in love." Alisa looked at her with a resigned expression.
"What? That sounded like the start of a love story, no matter how you try to spin it."
"Stop twisting my words to fit your narrative. I said we were just friends. Remember?"
"Yeah. From friends to lovers. That's super common. Isah and I were the same. Right, Isah?" Maria giggled as she smiled softly at the photo inside the gold locket she'd just pulled out from her neckline. She was so in love that there were practically hearts popping out of her head like in a comic. Alisa gave her sister, who had entered her usual lovestruck maiden mode, a cold stare.
"But, well... I acknowledge his skills, and I trust him..." Alisa admitted reluctantly, looking anywhere but at her sister. Maria nodded as she continued admiring her boyfriend's photo.
"Yeah, there's nothing cooler than a guy who gets things done when it counts. Isah's like that too. I still remember when he showed up to rescue me from that dog..."
"If you're just going to gush about your boyfriend, then get out."
"Oh, Alya! You're so cold!"
Alisa shot an icy glare at her sister, who was puffing out her cheeks.
"And for your information, I like people who work hard."
"You've still got a lot to learn, Alya. He's usually so laid-back, but then, boom! He shows how much of a real man he is! That's a good quality, if you ask me!"
"Sounds like we don't have the same taste, because honestly, it annoys me how lazy he is most of the time when it's not about soccer."
Alisa started ranting about his character traits and flaws:
"He forgets his books all the time, sleeps in class, and doesn't even seem to care when I tell him to get his act together! He always gives that goofy smile like nothing's serious, and... well, I guess that's why I can say whatever I want without caring..."
"Right? In other words, your relationship is built on trust."
"What the heck makes you think that?"
"Because he's not going anywhere no matter what you say. Isn't that why you can talk to him without worrying about the world? And he's okay with anything you say. That sounds like a relationship built on trust, if you ask me."
Alisa was left speechless by her sister's unexpected and insightful comment but quickly recovered and argued back.
"No, it's not like that at all. I can scold Isagi without caring because everyone in the class knows he needs to be put in his place. That's all... But I'll admit it's easy to get along with him. Getting along with someone doesn't mean you're in love with them, right? Besides, having feelings for someone means... you want to go on dates together, kiss, and that kind of stuff, right? I've never even thought about doing anything like that..." Alisa mumbled while shyly looking away.
"You're so cute, Alya." Maria smiled softly and clasped her hands.
"Are you mocking me?"
"No way. Alya, listen. You don't need to go on dates, kiss, or do anything special. If you care about him, then just talking to him or touching him would feel special." Maria boasted with her ample chest puffed out with pride. Alisa's eyebrow twitched.
"Could you be more specific?"
Surprisingly, Alisa had fallen into the trap instead of just ignoring her sister like she usually did, making Maria blink slightly in surprise. She looked out at the horizon.
"Hmm... The easiest example I can think of is holding hands. You don't even need to do that. If it's someone you like, even the brief touch of their hand would make your heart race. It'd make you blush and want to scream, but not because you don't like it. It fills you with happiness and..." Maria chattered excitedly, explaining what love was while looking at her boyfriend's photo and shyly shaking her head.
"It makes you blush and want to scream..."
Alisa silently looked down at her legs and slowly extended her right foot toward Maria.
"What's wrong, Alya?"
"Sorry. Do you think you could help me take my socks off?"
"Huh? Why?"
Maria blinked, perplexed by the sudden and bizarre request, but after seeing the expression on Alisa's face, she got a good idea of what was going on, and so she crawled across the carpet and placed a hand on her sister's leg.
"Hmm..."
Alisa watched with a slightly stern expression as her sister gently removed her sock.
"There. Uh... want me to take your left sock off too?"
Maria pointed questioningly at the knee-high sock on Alisa's left foot.
"No. Just put my right sock back on," Alisa responded with a crease in her brow.
"What? Why?"
"Just do it."
"If you say so."
Intrigued, Maria slowly slid the sock back up her sister's foot while Alisa's grimace gradually deepened.
"Okay, done. So...?"
"..."
Maria looked hesitantly at Alisa's face, but Alisa was just frowning at her leg without even glancing in her sister's direction. Before long, she sighed and stood up.
"This isn't working, Masha. You're not helping at all."
"What's that supposed to mean?! That hurts, you know!"
"Yeah, yeah. Are we done here? Because I need to change, so I need you to leave."
"Sniffle... Is Alya going through her rebellious phase? Is that what's happening? Sah, what should we do? Alya's become a rebellious teenager."
With slumped shoulders and a miserable expression, Maria was then kicked out of the room. Alisa looked down at her right leg and slowly traced her finger along her bare skin, but embarrassment made her look up, where she instantly caught sight of her slightly flushed cheeks in the full-length mirror.
"Hmm..."
Alisa frowned as if denying the fact that she was blushing, then pictured a certain young man, that focused look when he talked about collective effort, and the carefree smile that annoyed her off the field, and, grimacing, whispered:
"Это не так."
(It's not like that.)
Her whispers in Russian faded into the air before reaching another soul.
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