"Strips of paper?"
I, Arisu Sakayanagi, looked at the large bamboo that was set up in front of the school.
Today is the seventh day of the seventh month.
Today is July 7th, the day commonly known as Tanabata.
It seems that the bamboo is set up here for the same limited time event as the fortune tellers who came to the Keyaki Mall during the summer vacation.
"...A lot of people are writing."
There were a lot of students in front of the bamboos, and it seemed that every high school student had a wish or two in mind.
I don't have any particular wishes that I would like to make, because I am satisfied with my current situation, except for that Acting Director Tsukishiro.
"Ryuen-san! What did you write on the strips of paper?"
"What? I'm not going to show you. More importantly, show me yours, Ishizaki."
"Oh, My wish!"
"Kukku... "
"I want to be in class A with Ryuen-san."
"Nonsense."
"Sorry, sorry..."
"It's not like you need to make a wish like that. By the time you graduate, you'll probably be going to a normal school anyway."
"Ryuen-san... I'll be following you for the rest of my life!"
When I heard the noise, I looked over and saw that Drago──── Ryuen-kun and Ishizaki-kun were wrapping strips of paper around a bamboo branch.
But when I think of delinquents putting their wishes on the strips of paper, I was shocked.
I should probably take a picture of Ryuen-kun's smiling face and show it to Hashimoto-kun?
Some time after he disappeared, the students gradually disappeared from the bamboo.
"The strips of paper are left here, aren't they?"
Apparently, there were many strips of paper on the desk in front of the bamboo for everyone to write and tie.
I was a little curious, so let's take a peek at what everyone's wishes were.
Ichinose honami
"May we all make it to Class A without missing a single student."
Hiyori Shiina
"May we all live peacefully until graduation without too much conflict.
Nazuna Asahina
"I wish that someone will destroy nagumo."
Komiya
"May your confession be successful."
Tokito
"May bird poop fall on the head of that guy I hate so much."
Ichika Amasawa
"I want to be my senpai's wife"
Ken Sudo
"I want to get better test scores and be able to do things on my own without relying on Suzune."
Kei Karuizawa
"I hope that this happy and joyful time will continue forever."
Yuki Himeno
"I hope that my high school life will end soon."
Kiriyama
"I hope I can graduate from A class."
Airi Sakura
"I wish I can be more aggressive with the person I love."
Kamuro Masumi
"I want to be free of that little girl."
Sae Chabashira
"I like ketchup on fried eggs."
Ryuen
"Hurry up and fight me again."
Tsubasa Nanase
"May you avenge me soon."
Miki Yamamura
"I'm a bamboo shoot fan."
Kanji Ike
"I wish I could make up with that person."
Shibata
"I want a girlfriend soon."
Haruka Hasebe
"I hope everyone in the group can make it through the deserted island without missing anything.
Mio Ibuki
"Defeating That Guy on the Deserted Island."
Kiriyuin
"I wish I can get closer to the junior I care about the most right now,
Hosen
"I want to kill Ryuen paisen as soon as possible."
Utomiya Riku
"May no more students be expelled from C class."
"Everyone's writing is very interesting."
I know it's against etiquette to read other people's wishes, but I took advantage of the fact that no one was around to read them.
There were a few weird ones mixed in, but I guess there was no point in worrying about them.
Some of them were anonymously asking for a relationship with Hirata-kun or a date with Ichinose.
I was about to take a strip of paper and write a brief wish when I heard a voice say,
"Is that... Sakayanagi?"
"Oh, it's you, Ayanokoji-kun. How are you?"
I was so happy to hear the familiar voice that I turned around with a start.
"Do you want write Sakayanagi?"
"Yes, I was planning to. What about you, Ayanokoji-kun?
"I was wondering the same thing. I'm surprised so many students wrote strips of paper in such a short time."
"That's right."
"Here, Ayanokoji-kun. Take one."
I handed Ayanokoji-kun a strip of paper.
After receiving the strip of paper, Ayanokoji-kun didn't seem to move, as if something had happened.
"Ayanokoji-kun?"
"What's wrong, Sakayanagi?"
"No, you have been in a daze since I gave the paper, so I thought something happened to you."
"I'm fine. I've already decided what I'm going to write. What about Sakayanagi?"
"Yes, I've decided too."
"Give it to me. It's hard to tie a knot on a high place."
"Thank you for your concern.I will take your word for it."
"..."
When I handed the strip of paper to Ayanokoji-kun so that he could see it, he gave me a slightly disapproving look.
"Hey, Sakayanagi."
"I meant what I wrote, okay?"
Sakayanagi Arisu
"I hope that I will be able to play with him one more time, in a place where I will not be disturbed."
Perhaps remembering the end-of-year exams, Ayanokoji-kun looked a little tired.
It's a bit annoying when someone sighs at your sincere wish.
"I don't really like it, but..."
"Oh, I didn't name anyone specifically. Am I correct in assuming that you will accept my challenge?"
"Give me a break."
"By the way,what did you ask for, Ayanokoji?."
"Hmm? It's nothing out of the ordinary."
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji
"I hope I can spend my high school life peacefully in the future."
Fight against many people is quite stressful.
However, it is interesting that Ayanokoji-kun still wants peace after coming here.
"You look kind of complicated, Sakayanagi."
"Yes. It seems to me that Ayanokoji-kun's wish is absolutely impossible."
"Who knows."
Ayanokoji stretched a little and tied two strips of paper to the highest branch of the bamboo.
"See you later, Sakayanagi."
"Goodbye, Ayanokoji-kun."
Ayanokoji-kun walked away from the school as if his business was done.
I was going to take a look around and see what people were wishing for, but apparently Ayanokoji-kun was not interested.
Masumi will be punished later, though.
I chuckled when I saw the wishes that were all about lust. A day like this is not so bad sometimes.
That's when it happened.
"Ah..."
The strips of paper that Ayanokoji-kun had tied for me earlier were blown away by the wind.
Fortunately, it fell under the bamboo, so I was able to retrieve both strips immediately.
The strips got crumpled up.
I wondered if Ayanokoji had tied a bad knot.
"Well, Ayanokoji-kun's strip of paper is ────.
It was just a coincidence.
I picked up the crumpled strip of paper and tried to brush the sand from the back.
I found a sentence that was very thin but readable if you paid attention to it.
On the back of Ayanokoji-kun's paper, there was a sentence that read.
"I want to be free soon."
"────────"
I was speechless.
He was always calm and collected.
I felt a little resentful towards him.
He only showed me upper Half of his wish.
I don't blame him for that.
I understood clearly that his problems were not solved.
"You want to be free as soon as possible?"
The words I muttered disappeared into thin air.
"How can you be so obvious?"
As soon as I saw that, I couldn't stand it any longer and prepared another strip of paper.
Sakayanagi Arisu.
"I wish my loved one be a normal person again one day"
I didn't feel embarrassed at all that someone would see me.
Tanabata Day.
Also known as the Star Festival.
Make a wish upon a star.
Now I'm just thinking about the one person I love
His wish, my wish too.
May they reach the star.