COTE: Alter Ego - Indecisive [HIATUS]

Prelude [1]

NONE OF US ENDED TOGETHER

I knew what I wanted when I enrolled into ANHS. The one word I never learned was freedom.

Nonetheless, I realised that there is no such thing as absolute freedom that humans can achieve. Even at ANHS, there are written and unwritten rules that must be followed at all times.

Essentially, this world has already ruled over everyone. As a result, there is no true freedom.

But am I now satisfied with everything I had achieved?

Will I be returning to the white room after three years of high school?

"Hey, you're making that face again," Kei touched my cheek with her finger.

She had left her friends and was now sitting on the chair in front of me.

I'm not sure when it started, but Kei's presence became more natural to me over time.

"What kind of face? Isn't my expression always like this?"

"No, no, no. When things are simple, you just keep a straight face, but when things get complicated, your brows will drop slightly and your eyes will narrow. That's pretty self-evident!"

Maybe Kei is the only one who can explain those small details from my face.

In fact, I was completely unaware of my own expression. I used to think my face never showed any emotion.

"By the way, Kiyotaka, I just spoke with Matsushita-san. She said she might continue her parents' business after graduating from ANHS."

Matsushita that Kei meant was Matsushita Chiaki, who had already guessed my relationship with Kei. As a result, when we revealed it publicly, she was completely unsurprised. And, in some ways, without my knowledge. They grew closer.

"What do you want to do after graduation, Kei?"

Kei closed her eyes and drew her chin up in thought.

"It's difficult to explain."

"What do you mean?"

"Yeah, as you are aware. We have been told to study hard since we were children. When we start elementary school, middle school, and high school, it appears that our only goal is to graduate. Even though our competition will never end, there will still be collage and the working world after this."

"You're thinking on a very far-reaching level," that's what I said to her.

Kei opened her eyes, "It wasn't me who thought that, but you. Am I correct?"

That's a little surprising. Kei knows what I'm thinking.

"So, what's the deal? Do you want to know what I did after I graduated?"

"Exactly."

I didn't immediately respond to Kei's question; instead, I took her fingers and intertwined them with mine. Kei didn't say anything either; she just stared at me, perplexed.

Kei's hand is warm to the touch. It's the warmth that's been with me for the past one and a half years. Unknowingly, it felt as if not only Kei, but also I, had become overly reliant on her.

Can we meet again if I leave her?

Am I just going to be a passing memory in her life?

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and Karuizawa Kei are probably just names next to each other in a graduation book. Our names would almost certainly never have crossed paths in any other way.