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"But, I think you're pretty cool too, Amano-kun. Hmm... I wonder," she said, peering intently at my face from below. She got uncomfortably close, and I flustered a little.
"Okay, scoring's over." She finished simply and moved away. It didn't seem like there was a turn-based system where it was my turn next, so I just reacted meekly.
"Huh? Oh, so that's what you were doing? And, what's the result?"
"Hehehe, what do you think?"
"Well, it's hard to tell about myself... Oh, well then, what if Mii-kun wasn't around? What am I even asking?" I wondered, but my mouth moved on its own.
"Ah, if that were the case, then maybe I would've had a crush on you, Amano-kun."
"Whoa, I'm honored," I said lightly, though inwardly my heart was about to go haywire.
"Well, not that it could ever happen, though." She gave a little smile and shrugged.
"That makes sense," I almost readily agreed, but it's often the case that for these lovey-dovey couples who build a world just for the two of them, breakups come surprisingly easily—not that I'm bitter, mind you. It'd be a problem if I were misunderstood in various ways, but it's not like I could get closer to Misono-san just because she broke up with Sugawara, and more importantly, it's not like I harbor any specific feelings for this girl. Mmhmm, what unreadable Japanese. To cram so many words referring to the same person into one sentence, there's not a shred of beauty in it, I thought, *nope*.
"Hm?"
"Is he not here yet? Is he not here yet?" Misono-san twirled around in front of the boys' changing room, just like a puppy waiting for a treat. I blankly observed her, just killing time. It's not like I'm waiting for anything... Ah, but maybe I can just go home with Fushimi. That setup hasn't changed since elementary school.
Misono-san, who had stopped mid-stride as if about to lift her foot, suddenly pointed at me with a *shwipp*.
"Oh, about that scoring from before, maybe you shouldn't take it too seriously. It's kinda like, limited to me, y'know."
"No way."
"It's just, you know, I kinda feel like you're similar to Mii-kun, Amano-kun."
I answered instantly. Waving my hands side to side, emphasizing, "No way, no way." The people of Earth wouldn't bestow that much goodwill upon me. And I don't have the capacity to live without that being a burden.
"That's not true. I'm the one who knows Mii-kun best, so if I say it, there's no mistake, you know!"
*Tsk tsk tsk,* she wagged her finger, negating my negation, and bringing her affirmation to the forefront. But seriously, this Mii-Maa combo, whenever they try to talk about the other, expressions close to bragging about their love come out. What kind of filter has their language-producing mechanism evolved to pass through?
"I'm still searching for where exactly you're similar, but, hmm, somewhere, I guess. Your auras aren't that similar either... I wonder what it is."
Even if she tilted her head in thought, I'm in the denial camp, so I can't strike a pondering pose for a common goal.
"Mmmh... I don't get it!" *Mmhmm,* she nodded, pulling her chin back firmly. Even if she decisively states something uncertain, well...

"Ah, Maa-chan. Did I keep you waiting?"
Having finished changing, Sugawara emerged, his hair still tousled from the towel he'd had wrapped around it. "Mii-kun!" she exclaimed, her eyes instantly shifting focus as if losing all interest in me, and rushed over to him.
"Hm? Amano... Hmm, don't go stealing Mayu, okay?"
"As if I could," I replied with my honest, straightforward thought. In the first place, even if by some miracle I could steal her, I feel like Sugawara would kill me. Conversely, if Sugawara were to get infatuated with another girl, like that plain girl from this morning, Misono-san might just rip his throat out. Thinking about it this way, they should be a perfectly harmonious couple, yet what's broken inside them seems packed with the seeds of pandemonium. I prayed, as an uninvolved bystander, that they wouldn't bloom.
Arms linked, the two snuggled close and quickly started walking outside. No lingering sentiment or anything of the sort. Well, I guess it can't be helped if they don't spare any of their day's limited lines for a side character like me.
Stopping to put on her shoes, Misono-san turned back as if it were an afterthought.
"Well then, I'll try to discover it by next time! Bye-bye!"
Waving her hand energetically, a farewell greeting. I wonder if sticking to Sugawara has the effect of lowering her mental age. "...Goodbye," I waved back reservedly and saw the two of them off.
"Discover what?"
"Um, well, that Mii-kun..."
...For some reason, accompanied by a faint sense of loneliness behind my face.
They immersed themselves in their world for two, their conversation and presence fading out. I was left all alone in the open space of the judo and kendo hall, the setting sun bringing the world to a half-hearted standstill. The sound of metal bats that had crept in from the window also ceased, as if large stage props were being rapidly cleared away from a set.
I moved my feet. My elongated shadow distorted on the wall, forming a misshapen figure like a large, torn mouth. What is this, this sense of loss? Was there anything in our earlier exchange that would make me sentimental? A sense of dejection from not having a girlfriend?
No, it doesn't seem like that kind of thing. Something definitely made me feel a sense of desolation. The sunset? Trying to act cool? No, I'd usually like to chalk it up to that, but out of a whole year, how many days do I actually spend gazing at the sunset? If such sentimental dispatches arrived every time, my heart's mailbox would suffer from indigestion. I'm not a goat or a sheep. I'm a waste, doubtful I could even become a scapegoat. No, I don't think that's true, but why am I being so self-deprecating?
"Ah, A—i, A—i." *Hm?* I turned around. The young lady still singing the monkey song a capella—well, there's only one of her in the kendo club, and probably on Earth.
Fushimi-san came clattering out of the changing room. She's a shy yet rather restless girl.
"W-w-w-wait," *Gasp*. *Pikoon, chak* (sound of readying a notebook). "I" "was waiting" "f-for, huh?"
"...Of course you were," I replied, somewhat absently. Fushimi was in a fluster. Her feet stamped restlessly, *bashibashi*. Watching her, I somehow started to feel like worries were unnecessary.

I took a deep breath and scoffed at my own shadow. From a distance, the sound of metal bats had started reaching me again at some point. And a crackly school announcement, urging something, also faintly vibrated my eardrums.
Whether I wished for it or not, my day was here.
Fushimi is standing next to me. Sugawara Michizane and Misono Mayu are close strangers. There's a junior in my club who teases me, and that plain girl whose name I don't even know is after Sugawara—or rather, the student council president is popular—and none of that has anything to do with Amano Ai. And now, I'll ride my bike home and eat the meal my mother made. There are no inconveniences or shortcomings to be found there; only my everyday life paves the road.
This is "my world," so I should just accept it resignedly.
"What's wrong?" "H-huh?"
"I was just thinking that as long as I have Fushimi, I'll be fine," I told her, greatly simplifying the conclusion of my thoughts.
"Hyo?!" She broke down even more. The kind of breakdown where she looks like she might climb a wire fence, *gassha gassha*, and jump off.
I wondered if I had a talent for breaking things, and it somehow became amusing.
Even so, I'm quite an honest person. A yes-man, too.
So if it's amusing, I'll laugh just as the word suggests. Ahaha, yeah, yahoo! Tra-la-la.
Dinner tonight was with three family members. My older brother made some excuse about university stuff and didn't come home.
"It seems we'll have to re-educate that boy on his homing instinct sometime."
Mother said, her eyes glinting dangerously as she chewed on pickled daikon. I estimated my brother's lifespan had just shortened by at least three minutes, conservatively.
"Hey, Ai."
"Yeah?"
"Hm? What is it?" It's rare for Dad to talk to me during a meal.
Dad put down his chopsticks, lowered the TV volume slightly, and then began to speak in his low, gentle voice.
"I think, you know, humans can only choose the best path."
"Huh." The main point of his story was too deep in a mental swamp for me to see. I removed a fish bone from my mouth.
"Well, even if I say 'best,' it's 'best' according to oneself... When people judge things based on their current subjective perspective, they always choose what they believe is best for them, right? And so, even if you look back at the past and regrets or self-praise sprout from it, since you can't choose again, those are just dream-like emotions, which means, well, they're useless."
"...Yeah."
"So maybe choices are actually meaningless."
"Ah, so, what was it... Maybe I should have organized my thoughts a bit more before speaking."
"No, I pretty much got it."
"I see, well, that's good then... Anyway, what I wanted to say was, I hoped to give you some fatherly advice that you'll be able to find happiness within your best judgments, both up to now and from now on... Did that get across?"
"Yeah, generally, at least."
"Mm. Alright." He picked up his chopsticks again and unmuted the TV.
"Phew... What book influenced you this time?"
"Oh, no, this time it was the TV..."
Dad, having the root of his statement seen through by Mom, looked away awkwardly. Occasionally, he tries to say something profound, it becomes a muddle, and Mom chides him for it. It was a common scene in my family.
Dad's pretty bad with words, after all. He's bad at lying, too.

So, when I tried to chew over the words Dad had thrown out... they were hollow, and my teeth just clacked together.
Ah, in other words... I'm very happy.
Therefore, that profound lecture just now was, honestly, unnecessary for "me."
...Hmm, well then.
Hoping Dad's message would reach somewhere inside me, I guess I'll just swallow various things down.
And so, one three-hundred-and-sixty-fifth of my year comes to an end, with no climax and no punchline.
But I don't regret or lament it at all.
The value of everyday life is extraordinary.
Because I don't forget that, I can continue to like my ordinary self, no matter what.
So, before sleeping. After closing my eyelids and my thoughts steep in darkness.
I wished that today's boredom would connect to tomorrow's peace.
May my world not be broken.

Ahaha. In the end, it's a~ll a lie, though.