บท 15: That was quite the tragedy, wasn't it?_Part 1

"Are you okay,Alya?"

Masachika timidly called out to Alisa as she limply sank onto a bench in the park near the ramen shop, but she didn't reply. She didn't even have the energy to pretend like she was okay anymore as she slowly passed into the next world.She sat with her elbows on her knees and her forehead resting in both hands in silence, as if she were a philosopher deep in thought. Masachika scratched his head, pondering what he could do, but before he could figure anything out,she gradually lifted her head and sluggishly searched the park with her vacant eyes.

"...Where's Yuki?"

"Oh, she said she had to pick up something at the store,so she left.She'll meet up with us when she's done."

"...Oh."

And by "store," he meant the anime store. She decided to go empty out her wallet while Alisa was in a daze. Even though they were friends in the student council, Yuki seemed to want to keep her nerdy hobbies a secret.

"Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"What?Uh..."

It seemed Alisa still didn't want to admit defeat, despite not being able to stand. She technically didn't lose, since she stubbornly forced herself to eat every last bite, but...but that begged the question: What was she even fighting against?

"So,uh...want some ice cream?" asked Masachika after darting his eyes around the park and spotting an ice-cream truck.

"...Yes."

Alisa was unusually honest about what she wanted for a change,so they got some ice cream and returned to their bench when...

"...."

Masachika licked his chocolate chip ice cream while staring hard at the ice cream in Alisa's hand. Unlike Masachika, who went for the cone, she went for the cup and decided on chocolate, vanilla, cheesecake, and cookies-and-cream ice cream-all the sweetest flavors. "Green tea? Chocolate mint? Ice cream wasn't supposed to be bitter or refreshing! Cones were a waste of stomach room,too!" That was what her bold choices said for her. Even the guy making her ice cream was a little surprised.

"...It's only because I just ate something spicy," argued Alisa,bashfully looking away from him as if she'd noticed his half-surprised, half-amazed stare.

"Okay."

It was still overly sweet and excessive, thought Masachika. For some reason, Alisa was hiding her love of sweets. Maybe she felt that it didn't fit her image.

The fact that she drinks red-bean soup like water and claims her brain needs the sugar and she needs the energy makes it kind of pointless to hide it,though.

Nevertheless,Masachika never attempted to call her out, since she clearly wanted to keep it a secret. He believed that no matter how obvious it might be,you should respect others trying to be the person they wanted to be.

Could she have had a more difficult personality?

How stubborn and vain could one person be? Alisa had worked on herself over the years to become her idea self, and Masachika respected that. Watching her work so hard even brought a smile to his face, which was why he naturally wanted to help her. He wanted to make sure her hard work paid off. Whether that was some overwhelming desire to protect others or merely something he did to make amends for his father's and his past was a mystery to even Masachika himself.

It's a crappy reason to do something, regardless.

But while he was mocking his reasoning, he suddenly found himself curious about something else.

"Hey,Alya."

"Yes?"

"Why do you want to be the president of the student council?"

"Because I do. I'm aiming for the top. Do I need any more of a reason than that?"

It would be hard to explain that her extremely bare response was a satisfying

answer to his question, but Masachika realized that was how she actually felt.Perhaps Alisa herself didn't know exactly why she wanted to do it. She simply had to run, no matter what. Whenever she found a mountain, she had to climb it.That was just who Alisa Mikhailovna Kujou was.

I'm jealous. She's incredible.

And he genuinely felt that way. He was impressed by the beauty of someone pursuing their ideals and continuously working hard toward their goals. There was something noble about people who continued to push forward on their own two feet without relying on others.

Only people who took pride in what they did and fully committed themselves to their lives had souls that gave off a brilliant glow, and Masachika could clearly see that in Alisa. Yuki and Touya had that same glow, but what Alisa had was even brighter yet also somehow uncertain.

"If you're going to run for president, then does that mean you have a vice president already lined up to run with you?"

After Alisa's eyes briefly wavered, she faced Masachika with a bold expression, as if she was embarrassed for getting flustered.

"I don't, but that isn't going to be a problem because I don't need a vice president."

"Uh... You have to run together as a team. That's the rule."

"I only need a vice president in name only. I'm sure I'll be able to find someone who'd like the title."

Masachika was suddenly overcome with loneliness. This was it. This was why Alisa's glow looked so uncertain. She didn't consider going to others for help, and she didn't expect anything from others. She wasn't interested in acceptance or praise. What drove Alisa for results were her ideals and her ideals alone...or perhaps it was for her own satisfaction, which was why she believed she couldn't rely on others. Be that as it may, Masachika couldn't just leave her like this, because he knew there was only so much one person could do,and he knew how depressing, painful, and empty it felt when hard work didn't pay off.

Hard work should be rewarded. People who actually put in the effort deserve their desired results.

Those beliefs were part of why he always wanted to help Alisa. He would get those around her more involved so she would have no choice but to work together with them, and he took the initiative to call her by her nickname. Why?Because he wanted to make her more approachable. Though, it didn't seem to be working that well by the look of things.

"...Huh."

"..."

Alisa didn't say another word, nor did she show anything that would resemble an emotion. As she silently ate her ice cream, Masachika felt as if her silence was a plea, but perhaps that was merely his ego making him believe that.What was it that Alisa was going to tell him the previous day before she stepped into her apartment? But she confirmed his suspicions right after she finished eating her ice cream.

"<If we were together...>"

However, she fell silent before finishing her sentence, as if she was afraid of what he might think, despite the fact that she was speaking in Russian. But for Masachika, that was more than enough.

But I...

He didn't have the glow that Alisa, Yuki, and Touya possessed. He didn't have the passion to continuously work hard toward a certain goal that he himself had come up with. He always let others decide the goal for him, and how passionate he was depended on the other person. He'd always been this way,even during the period of his life in which he shined the most.

His mother and his grandfather had given him the goal to become someone worthy of taking over the Suou household, but his enthusiasm toward this goal depended only on his mother and that girl. MAasachika wasn't passionate about the idea itself. He only worked hard because he desired his mother's praise along with the praise of that young girl. All he did was run on the fuel given to him on the path laid out for him. But now that they were both gone, he couldn't go anywhere. He was stuck in place.

I'm not good enough.

Masachika was grateful that she had said that in Russian, because if it had been in Japanese, he would have probably chosen cowardly silence as his reply.

"Kuze, do you have any other plans today?"

"Hmm?Oh,not really."

"What about Yuki?"

"Oh... She'll probably call whenever she's done."

"Then help me finish my shopping."

"Didn't you say you were shopping for new clothes?"

"Yes.And...?"

"It's just... I thought there had to be a certain amount of intimacy between a guy and a girl before he got to help her pick out her new clothes."

"Really?"

Masachika's eyes opened wide in surprise when he saw the puzzled look on Alisa's face.

Ohhh... Alisa's never had any friends she can go shopping with, so it's hard for her to pick up on subtle things like this...Sniffle!

The pity he felt caused the inner corners of his eyes to burn as he tightly clenched his teeth, but his expression was brimming with compassion.

"Yeah...I'll help you.Let's go."

Alisa knit her brow at how understanding he'd suddenly become.

"Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Uh... Because we're friends, of course. Yep."

"I find it hard to believe that's why."

"Don't worry about it," joked Masachika, evading her question.After that,they returned to the shopping center they met at before lunch, went to the floor with all the clothing shops, and began their exploration. But the entire time,Alisa couldn't help but wonder why he was acting so nice all of a sudden, and her curiosity slowly transformed into misunderstanding.

Wait... Does he think I'm going to lose the race for student council president? Is that why he's being nice all of a sudden? Tsk! How dare he look down on me like this?!

She was mentally clenching her teeth because Masachika was treating her like a parent trying to cheer up his child. The way he was always seemed to think he was above others had always bothered her, but arguing with him and trying to rebel was something only a child would do.

I...I can't just let him treat me like this. I have to get back at him! I'm going to knock that smug look right offhis face!

Alisa groaned to herself as she racked her brain...when she suddenly remembered what happened one morning the other day.

I'm going to put on the best fashion show he has ever seen until he starts getting hot and bothered!

There was a clothing store Alisa had been wanting to check out,and the moment she stepped inside, her outlandish decision, which had been born from an absurd misunderstanding, sent her straight to the changing room with a handful of various styles of clothing.

"I want to hear your opinion after I finish changing,okay?"

"Sure thing."

After closing the curtain between her and Masachika, she quickly began to examine the clothing.

I suppose I'll go with this one first...

The first article of clothing Alisa immediately reached for out of the bunch was a summery pure-white dress.

There's no way this isn't going to work! Masha even told me that all guys loved dresses like this!

Contrary to her competitive determination, Alisa decided to play it safe,perhaps unaware of her own competitive streak. She trusted the possibly unreliable information from her sister, who learned everything she knew from comic books. But when it was time to finally put on the dress and she reached for the button on her blouse, her hand froze.

Hold on... He can't hear me getting undressed,right?

There was only a thin piece of cloth separating her and Masachika. To make matters worse, the curtain didn't go all the way to the floor, so there was a slight gap. Alisa was suddenly overcome with embarrassment.

"Kuze! Stand a little farther away!" shouted Alisa from the other side of the curtain, unable to take it any longer.

"All right," lazily replied the voice, and the sound of footsteps slowly retreated into the distance. While she was somewhat relieved, she also began to panic because she could hear the footsteps far more clearly than she imagined she would.

Hmm? If I can hear his footsteps from here...does that mean he really can hear me undressing,too?

Alisa was no longer able to relax after realizing that she was doing something so embarrassing, and she felt that she finally understood what Masachika meant when he said he thought there had to be a certain amount of intimacy between a guy and a girl before he got to help her pick out her new clothes.

No, it's okay. There's music playing in the store, so he's probably not even going to be able to hear meat all...I hope.

Alisa was so embarrassed that she wanted to run away, but her pride wouldn't allow that. She swallowed her shame and finally began undressing.After she got changed as quickly and quietly as possible without thinking about the boy on the other side of the curtain, she strained her ears to see if she could hear Masachika, all while knowing it was pointless.