Getting off on the Wrong Foot

--The mid-term exams are over.

It was very unnatural that this day had come and gone without incident since that incident with Mary.

(When will the climactic moment come?)

I have not been able to talk to Kurumizawa-san yet.

She had been absent for a few days, but started coming to school on the day midterm exams started.

As for me, I was expecting some kind of event with Kurumizawa-san to happen soon.

However, the "climax" that Mary-san was talking about, there was no sign of it even coming.

She's saying too many random things just because she's on a leave of absence..., and thanks to that, I'm kind of tired of waiting.

(There is no progress in the relationship with Shiho either..., and I don't know what's going on.)

Also, I had stopped talking to Shiho.

I feel sorry because I am responsible for this, but I think she is probably concerned about me.

(If I could, I'd just get it over with...)

Then surely we can get back together again.

I can once again enjoy the happy days with Shiho.

But there is still not enough story to do that.

(I've dragged you this far, remember? You messed with me like that, so why don't you just end it?)

I didn't ask for it, but she forcefully intervened in the romantic comedy between me and Shiho ... and swept me off my feet a lot, but by the end of the day, nothing was happening rapidly.

My main event didn't happen until I cried when I met Shiho again.

After that day, it was obvious that my participation in the event decreased, or rather, the meddling by the god of romantic comedies seemed to have ceased.

It's as if I'm not good enough, as if I've been branded as a failure, living my days as a mob character like in the old days.

That's all right.

But I don't want to be a mob character just because of my relationship with Shiho.

So, for goodness sake, I hope the story will move forward ... and when I prayed so, the mid-term exams were over in the blink of an eye.

The date was December 22.

The world is already in a Christmas mood and I'm looking forward to this day too.

If I could, I would give Shiho a present.

If I could make her smile, what a wonderful day it would be.

(After all, should I be the one to take action?)

Rather than staying in a half-hearted state like I am now, should I forcefully create a "flow"?

Of course, I have thought about this many times during the past few days.

But the answer is always the same.

(No, ... I am just a servant of the "story". I can't change anything by myself.)

Mary's words were good medicine.

Thanks to that, I don't get it wrong. Instead, I spend my days frustratingly ... but the god of romantic comedies will adjust things on their own anyway.

I know that, but I was worried.

(Since it's been dragged out so much, could it possibly be a big event?)

The calm before the storm, if you will.

There is a possibility of a turbulent climax at the end of a story that has become awfully monotonous.

That would be troublesome... and it was at such a time when I was feeling uneasy.

After the mid-term exams were over, it was after school.

School ended in the morning during the test period, so I went home early.

When I got home, I took a little nap, probably because I was tired from studying for the exams.

Then, at around 5:00 in the evening. I woke up and tried to take out my smartphone from my bag.

"Huh? Is this... a letter?"

I opened my bag and found a single sheet of letter paper in there.

And the person who wrote it was...

"... Kururi Kurumizawa."

When I saw the small letter, I felt my blood boil.

The letter simply said, 'Come to the rooftop after school.'

"You're kidding, hey!"

I panicked. It had already been after school for quite some time.

For goodness sake, Kurumizawa-san would have gone home ... and I was not so optimistic.

(If she's not there, it's okay. But just in case...!)

I rushed out of the house and headed for the school.

It takes roughly an hour one way, so when I arrived at the school, it was already past six in the evening.

But... there she was.

"... You're late. How long have you been keeping me waiting?"

When I opened the door to the rooftop, there was a girl, looking cold and shrunken.

She was leaning against the edge of the fence, staring at me, her pink hair swaying.

"W-what a, huh? I'm sorry for calling you out of the blue. I thought you might not be coming today, so I thought it was time for me to leave. ... But you came after all."

Delighted with my arrival, Kurumizawa-san smiled.

And then the climax came...

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