Him saying he’d treat made him seem really mature, too... When he had in the past, it’d always been something like a can of soda or a shooting game at the arcade. He was always really good at those games, too... Ran thought back to her own quick game overs. She remembered watching Ichika out of the corner of her eye as she pretended to pay attention to the game. When he fired, so quickly and precisely, he seemed as cool as the hero of some action movie.

  But Charlotte’s so beautiful and so adorable at the same time, and she’s a national cadet too... It doesn’t seem fair... Once Ran decided to apply to IS Academy, she had spent all summer cramming up on everything about IS. Eight or nine out of every ten national cadets accepted to IS Academy had their own personal IS too. In other words, they were the elite of the elite.

  I saw on the news that that Houki girl had her own IS now, too. They even said that it was built by Dr. Shinonono herself... Ugh... Ran bemoaned the unfairness of it all, not realizing her own advantages as Ichika’s best friend’s little sister.

  “By the way, Ran.”

  “Eh?!”

  “The ticket for Cannonball Fast I gave you is for the same day as my birthday. You okay if we start the party at my place a little bit late?”

  “Oh, that’s fine! That idio—uh, my brother will be there too.”

  “Oh, yeah. That makes sense.”

  “Yeah...” Ran suddenly realized another problem, beside just getting home. “Is anyone from IS Academy coming?!”

  “Why’s that matter? I mean, of course they are, but...”

  “H-How many?!”

  “Oh, five or so.”

  “Five...”

  The world spun around Ran. Ling, Houki, and Charlotte were strong enough rivals. The thought of two more sent her almost into a panic.

  This is bad, this is really bad. There’s no way a handmade cake and something small will be a good enough gift... Her self-confidence began to collapse. She was pretty proud of her own cooking, but Ichika was handy in the kitchen in his own right, and just thinking of the price of the watch Charlotte bought made her shrink back into herself. But I can’t ask for an advance on my allowance, and my school forbids part-time jobs... Ugh!

  As she stewed, Ran’s thoughts turned to Ling. I wonder what Ling’s going to do... She’s a national cadet too. So she must get plenty of money from the military... She thought back to when Ling was in middle school and seemed much more of an even match. Though maybe that was just the clash between Japanese and Chinese food.

  Phew... I’ve got too way much competition... Ran slumped down gloomily. As she stopped eating, Ichika became worried and asked, “What’s wrong? Full already?”

  “N-No! Er, I mean, yeah, I’m fine! I’m done!”

  “I see. That’s great, if you’re full I can finish yours off.”

  “T-Thanks.”

  Even as she spoke, Ran realized the implications of giving him food that had touched her lips. Imagining that maybe-indirect kiss, her cheeks turned red again. Ichika’s probably already kissed someone... With the thought racing through her mind, she felt more and more self-conscious about the parts of her own lips he had just touched. As she casually reached her own hand up and ran her fingertips softly over them, they seemed to almost burn. I wonder what a kiss feels like... Ran wandered lost in her own thoughts until lunch was over and it was time for dessert.

  “Huh? Each of our ice cream flavors are different.”

  “Looks that way. I wonder why?”

  “Hmm, mine is strawberry, Ichika’s is vanilla, and Charl’s is chocolate.”

  “You’re right.” As Ran watched Ichika nod, a crazy thought filled her head. Are... Are we meant to share the different flavors between us? An involuntary grin sprung to her face as she imagined asking Ichika to open wide. Shaking the fantasy off, she gazed at her ice cream.

  “Hey, why don’t we feed it to each other.”

  “Whaa?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Err, what did you just—”

  “I dunno, it just seems like what you’re supposed to do.”

  “......!” Ran wondered if it was just a dream. If it was, pinching her thigh should wake her up. Pinch!

  “Oww!”

  “What’s wrong?!”

  “Oh, nothing! Nothing at all!”

  It wasn’t a dream! The pinch of the pain had brought her back to reality, but Ichika was still there and he really had just said that! Ahh, I can’t believe it! It’s like a dream! Ichika’s gonna feed me!

  “All right, let’s start with my vanilla. Charl, say ‘ahh.’”

  “Ahh.”

  Charlotte swallowed the spoonful of vanilla ice cream. The blush on her face was all the proof Ran needed that she was a romantic rival.

  “This is delicious.”

  “Oh? That’s good. You’re next, Ran.”

  “Okay!”

  “Say ‘ahh.’”

  “Ahh...”

  Chomp.

  Ahhhh, what do I do? What do I do?! I can’t even tell how it tastes... But it feels so good... Ran, in a daze, continued running her tongue over the spoon even after the ice cream was gone.

  “Ran.”

  “Mm?”

  “Done yet?”

  “Huh?! Oh, of course! That was delicious!” Flustered, she pulled the spoon from her mouth. I can’t believe I just did that... Student council president Gotanda Ran wouldn’t be caught dead doing something so embarrassing. But this wasn’t her. This was just another girl in love.

  ◆

  Hmm, looks like she likes Ichika too. As she watched the two interact, Charlotte confirmed her suspicions. I guess he really does just attract women without even thinking about it. With a quiet, private sigh, she took another bite of ice cream. Do your best, Charl!

  “I-Ichika, let me give you some of mine.”

  “Sure.”

  “Say ‘ahh.’”

  “Ahh.”

  Chomp.

  “How is it? Is it any good?”

  “Mmm! This has cocoa powder streaks in it too! It’s incredible!”

  “Ohh! That’s interesting.”

  In her heart, Charlotte was a little bit disappointed that Ichika was seriously breaking it down so intently. C’mon, Ichika, I’m feeding you. You don’t have to focus that hard. Can’t you just relax and ignore the food itself for a little bit? A little Charl ran around inside her head, pounding her fists. Still, though, Charlotte was sincere and conscientious enough to share with Ran as well.

  “You next, Ran. Say ‘ahh.’”

  “Ahh.”

  Chomp.

  Wait, huh?

  “It is really good.” Ran smiled. Meanwhile, Charlotte was anything but calm on the inside.

  Did... Did she just get an indirect kiss with Ichika? She’s so lucky... Charlotte’s jealousy shone in her eyes. Without really even thinking about it, she was consumed with the urge to lick the spoon too. No. No, I can’t. That’s going way too far.

  Only her iron will held her back until a realization struck. Oh, right! It’s my turn next for an... For an indirect... kiss... Her heart pounding, she looked again at the spoon in Ran’s hand. Her eyes burned, and her cheeks shone a cherry-blossom pink.

  “A-Anyway, Ichika! Say ‘ahh’!”

  “Ahh.”

  Chomp.

  “Mmm! This has fruit in it, too! It’s great.”

  Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum... Charlotte’s heart pounded like a drum.

  “You next, Charlotte. Say ‘ahh.’”

  “A-Ahh.”

  Chomp.

  A-A-An indirect kiss with Ichika! I’m indirect kissing him! What do I do?! She couldn’t even taste the ice cream. She could feel the almost crisp sherbet-like texture, but even that was faint and distant.

  “It... It’s nice.”

  “Oh! That’s good.”

  Charlotte sorrowfully watched the spoon recede as Ran took it from her mouth. The realization of how shameful her own behavior was brought a deeper blush to her cheeks. Ran... Ran really is a good girl. She had deliberately fed Ichika first or the indirect kiss wouldn’t have happened. Or maybe she had just wanted to feed Ichika first, but Charlotte was happy to consider it as considerate.

  Oh man. What do I do? My heart won’t stop pounding... She felt like her chest was going to explode from sheer glee. As they finished their desserts, she couldn’t taste her chocolate ice cream at all.

  ◆

  “Thank you for walking me home.”

  “Mm. Say hi to Dan for me.”

  “Sure.”

  It was shortly past four in the afternoon. Ichika, Charlotte, and Ran were standing in front of Gotanda’s in the early fall twilight. After lunch, they’d each done their own shopping, until finally, Ichika offered to walk Ran home—which brought them here. Ran was almost tempted to offer them dinner, but as it was still only 4 PM, she gave up on the idea. It was still way too early.

  “Anyway, uh, see you at the party.”

  “Yeah. Don’t forget to cheer for me at Cannonball Fast!”

  “Of course! Do your best!” As she spoke, Ran couldn’t bring herself to look directly at Ichika, and instead kept glancing around. It seemed almost like she was worried about being spotted by her family, or what they’d say after. Please... Please, just don’t let my idiot brother walk out the door... Not dad either... Please...

  As she thought, she took one last look at Ichika’s face. He really is soooo cool... Ran thought back to the first time they met. The day she fell in love in 0.1 seconds. ‘Love at first sight doesn’t exist. That’s just silly.’ The day she learned how foolish she was for thinking so. People fall in love over the smallest things. A more complex reason can be figured out later. What matters is that first impression which never fades. And once it starts, it will never stop. Love cannot be stopped.

  “I-Ichika.”

  “Yes?”

  “Um... Uh, well...”

  Holding her hands behind her, Ran twisted her index fingers around each other. Fidget, fidget. Hunting for the words she wanted to say, but failing in her search, she eventually left off with a regretful ‘Goodnight!’

  Ugh, I’m such an idiot! A big dumb idiot! She walked into her house, climbing the stairs quickly while berating herself.

  “You’re back?”

  As she stepped on to the second-floor landing, she came face-to-face with Dan. In his hand was a cup of expensive ice cream she’d been saving.

  “YOU MORON!” Ran released all of her pent-up frustration with a kick.

  ◆

  I’m walking home alone together with Ichika... Alone... Together... Charlotte and Ichika walked back to IS Academy, enveloped in a strange quiet. Mostly, it was due to Charlotte’s fretting, but Ichika’s consideration for her made him silent as well.

  “Today was fun.”

  “Ah? Yeah! Yeah, it was!” Charlotte had been stumbling in a haze of confusion over how to use this chance and frustration that she couldn’t think of a way since they arrived at their bus stop. The tiny Charlottes inside her head were embroiled in heated debate. Ahh, we’re almost to the gate. This is no good, once we get inside we’ll probably run into so someone. What do I say... What do I say...

  “Hey, Ichika.”

  “Yes?”

  “Do you listen to music a lot?”

  “A friend of mine used to lend me CDs all the time in middle school, but I haven’t really bought anything lately. I’ve been too busy with my IS.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. Heeey, speaking of which.”

  “Yeah?”

  “The new gear I got shipped in from France is really good! It’s got a really high rate of fire, and a big magazine!”

  “Really? That sounds cool. That must mean you’ll be even better at shooting, then.”

  “Y-Yeah! Ahahahah...”

  Argh, I’m so stupid! That wasn’t girly at all! I need to think of something better to say! If Ichika hadn’t been there, she would have pounded on her head in frustration.

  “Oh, there’s Houki.”

  Too late. Charlotte’s heart sunk.

  “Hey! Hey, Houki!” Ichika called out to Houki, like Charlotte knew he would. And of course, she turned around and rushed over to meet them.

  “Ichika and Charlotte. Did you two go out somewhere?”

  “Yeah, shopping. Right?”

  “Y-Yeah.”

  “To-Together?!”

  “Nah. Ran was there too. Well, we ran into her. Right?”

  “Y-Yeah.”

  Houki furrowed her brow at Charlotte and her conspicuous guilt.

  “Well, I guess it’s okay if it wasn’t just you two.” She cleared her throat as she stood with her arms crossed. “But if you’re going to go shopping, you should invite me along. It’s not like I don’t need to pick up things for myself, as well.”

  “Sure thing. I’ll text you next time.”

  “Yes. That’s fine,” Houki nodded, her cheeks a pale red. “Anyway. Since you’re returning just before dinner, why don’t we eat together?”

  “Sure!”

  “I guess I’ll join in.”

  “Very well. Why don’t we each go back to our rooms, and then meet at the dining hall entrance? Say, in around ten minutes?”

  “If Laura’s in, should I invite her too?”

  “Sure. It’s more fun to eat as a group. I’ll try to get a hold of Rin too.”

  “Why does Ling need to be involved?!”

  “Well, she was gonna come along today, but then something came up. She should be done by now though.”

  “...She really worms her way into absolutely everything...”

  “Huh?”

  “Oh, nothing!” Flustered, Houki cleared her throat to change the subject. “Anyway, see you then.”

  “Got it!”

  “Yeah!” Charlotte and Houki each answered energetically, with a smile.

  Chapter III: Cannonball Fast

  Sunday. After school. I was hanging around the tennis courts, feeling miserable. It had finally begun. ‘It’ being the Student Council Executive Branch’s Rent-an-Ichika program.

  “Phew...”

  They had ended up holding a bingo tournament for first dibs. And first place ended up going to the tennis team. But that wasn’t what was really bringing me down. What was really bringing me down was the second half of it, going on on the court right now: the Massage from Ichika Cup.

  “Haaah!”

  “I won’t lose!”

  “I’m gonna get that massage Cecilia wouldn’t shut up about!”

  What did you tell them, Cecilia? More importantly, why were you fighting so hard to get another? That just made it seem even worse.

  “Here I go!”

  “Ugh! So fast!”

  “Is that all you’ve got?!”

  “Ahh!”

  Cecilia, you’re really taking this seriously... Ah well. I supposed it was better than how she had been acting. Lately, she’d been pushing herself harder and harder, spending all her free time in the arenas. If the thought of a massage from me was all it took to take the edge off of that exhaustion, well, it was a small price to pay. She advanced to the finals, and took the crown with straight sets. Meanwhile, I was kept busy bringing the competitors fresh towels and sports drinks.

  “Great job, Cecilia. You won it all.”

  “Haah... Haah... Of course... I did... Phew...”

  “Here’s a towel. And something so you can rehydrate.”

  “Ah... Ichika? My arms... My arms feel like noodles... Right now... Could you perhaps... Wipe my face?”

  “Sure. No problem.”

  That was no surprise, since the victor had to play the most matches. I wiped off the sweat dripping from her face, like she asked. As I did so, cries of sorrow arose from the crowd around us.

  “Ah—”

  “What are you doing, Cecilia!”

  “I know you won, but that’s still no fair! It’s just no fair!”

  We were being booed off the court, but Cecilia smirked back while flicking a lock of hair out of her eyes.

  “Unfair? But I’m the winner.” As she spoke, she posed with a hand on her hip, seeming almost to shine under the glowering stares.

  “Grrr...”

  “I hate it! I hate how she acts like a pretty princess!”

  “Orimura! You’re gonna have to do that for everyone now!”

  Urk. Why were they coming after me?!

  “I know! When we go change, we should make him dry our backs.”

  “Ah! That’s good! That’s a great idea!”

  “I’m soaking in sweat, I could really use it.”

  “Doesn’t that sound good, Orimura!”

  I was immediately surrounded by girls angling for their turn, and fumbled for a way to deal with them.

  “There’s no way I can do that! When you go change... I mean, you’re all going to be in your underwear...”

  I let myself dream of the sight. The entire tennis club stripped down to bras and panties as I wandered through the room, scrubbing backs. Ugh, dammit! I can’t!

  “Th-That isn’t on the list of what I’m here for!”

  “EHHHHH?!”

  The boos only intensified.

  “C’mon, it’ll be fine!”

  “They’re sports bras, so it’s not embarrassing!”

  I crossed my arms in refusal and yelled as they latched on like hungry deer at a petting zoo, “No! Absolutely not!”

  The booing became so intense that it echoed across the tennis court.

  ◆

  Ahh, how absolutely blissful it will be to receive such a massage again... Cecilia, having thoroughly washed every drop of sweat away, hummed happily as she rinsed the lather off. This was her second shower, the first after practice and the second after returning to her room.

  The shiatsu is a touch painful, but the lymphatic massage afterward... Simply wonderful. Imagining the sensation of his palms running over her, she closed her eyes in rapture.

  “Hmm~ Hmm-hmm~♪”

  The notes of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons sprang from her lips. As a composition which could be played on piano or violin, its melody, rhythm, and tempo were pure and direct. The beauty of Cecilia’s own voice was met with backing from the echoes of the shower.

 

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