I want it.

 

I want that ice cream! I love strawberry!

 

Across the street, I see three people lined up to buy ice cream. On an outdoor table in a garden next to that line are four girls from my class with ice creams of their own. I always see them there after school. I don’t understand how they even manage that. Don’t they ever get tired? I even saw them there a month ago when it was still winter. They’re seriously dedicated.

 

I don’t actually want any ice cream. I’ve never even set foot in that store.

 

I want to go window shopping and check out all the cool clothes!

 

Now I pass by a clothing store with two other girls from my school inside. These two are another two girls I always end up seeing on my way home. I still don’t understand why they come here every day, they’re not here to buy anything, and it’s not like the store is going to have new stuff every day, so why are they here? I get it, it’s not about the clothes, it’s about going somewhere to have some fun, but don’t they ever think about doing something else?

 

So no, I don’t want to go window shopping either, there’s not really anything to see, and I can just buy clothes from home. I’m just not that kind of girl.

 

I understand why they do it, no one from either of those groups wants to be the one to suggest something different only for it to bomb with the others. If they’re particularly unlucky, they might get picked on, not really worth the risk just to eat a burger instead of ice cream for one day. There isn’t any room for any slip ups, I would know.

 

I want to see more cars.

 

Why are there never any cars at this hour? We have such a nice road for them right here, so how come not a single one ever shows up?

Well, I guess I’d rather it stays that way, the less cars there are the less adults around, and I like it that way. Having too many people slaving away at boring jobs would make everyone feel sorry, and the whole city would get depressing.

 

Or maybe not, it might not really work like that, but I still don’t want to see more cars, just in case.

 

Cars are one thing, but why is there no one on the streets?

 

I want to see more people walking around…

No, I really don’t.

 

This one is easy to explain, though. Everyone is just busy doing their own thing. Like those girls from earlier. One group was sitting at their usual table eating ice cream, and the other one was in the clothing store for their daily check-in. Pretty much everyone I pass by is busy with something. That’s why they’re not walking around.

And that’s fine by me, the more people on the sidewalk the harder it’ll be for me to move, and I wanna get home as soon as possible.

 

This city of ours is a relatively recent one. I heard it was only finished around the time I was five or six. It’s called Three Records, and it was meant as a city to cultivate the academic capabilities of the youth. As such, there are a lot of different schools, academies, colleges, universities, and a bunch of other stuff with different names that are all really just schools deep down.

The city is named after the three goals behind its construction, one of which is to record the academic achievements and scientific progress made here. There are two other records that I don’t remember the meaning behind, but that’s where the name Three Records comes from.

The whole project itself was very successful, and this place now draws people from all over the world to come study here. Though there are others like me who are just here because it’s just a nice place to get through school.

If I had one complaint about this city, it would have to be the out-of-place statues. The city construction project was more of a large-scale renovation project than actually building the city from scratch. Because of this, some vestiges of how the city used to be can be seen here and there, which just clash with the modern style.

It’s not a big deal, and I wouldn’t even notice these vestiges existed if I didn’t pass by one such statue every day on my way home.

 

So do I want to see more statues?

No, I don’t. I’m not even gonna consider this one.

 

That’s right.

I don’t want any of those things.

Maybe in another life. Maybe a different me would have been interested.

But that’s not me, that’s not what I want.

Deep down, there’s really only one thing I want…

 

“Sooo cuuute!”

 

As soon as I enter my apartment, I start pressing buttons and turn on my computer and consoles. Not even a minute later, I’m greeted by my two adorable waifus on the desktop.

 

“How are these two so cute? Seriously, I can’t get enough of them!”

 

Maybe it’s time to change background picture… I feel like I’ve been showering these two with too much love lately. I should give another girl some time in the spotlight.

I wonder when was the last time I changed backgrounds? They can probably stay a little longer. I’m feeling too lazy to change anything right now.

 

It really is nice to be home, though. It’s so hard to be separated from my girls for such a long time. The two on the background right now are characters from an anime. They’re always at each other’s throats in the show, and that’s what makes them such a great pair. Their banter is so captivating and cute, it really gets me going!

 

I wish I could somehow bring one of my waifus with me to school, but that’s a terrible idea. If anyone found out that a girl like me gets crazy crushes on fictional girls, it would be instant game over for me. My reputation is already on thin ice as is. I don’t need to push my luck.

 

“*Sigh…* This is happiness…”

 

I was exaggerating earlier. I can function just fine without seeing a cute girl for a couple hours. I lead a normal life at school, and when I get home, I can get as much happiness as I want from my girls, and no one is none the wiser. I can’t help but laugh, it feels like I’m cheating at life.

 

I take a look around the room looking for my blanket. It’s not that cold anymore, but it feels great to be wrapped in a blanket. I should probably grab my controller too. I haven’t decided what I’m gonna do yet or even if I’m going to play at all, but at least I won’t have to get up again if I need it. But if I really don’t wanna get up again, I should also grab something to eat and drink. I should probably also swing by the bathroom too.

It’s a bit of a pain having to go through all this, but running this paradise takes some real effort.

 

I’m so blessed. It’s so easy to be happy, all I need are games, anime, a quiet, comfortable room, and, most importantly, my precious waifus.

 

After getting those chores out of the way, I wrapped myself up and watched an episode of anime while eating some cookies. I think I’m gonna pick up where I left off yesterday on one of my console games after I’m done. No matter what I choose, I can’t go wrong, I know I’m going to be happy regardless. Time blurred together as I sank deeper into my personal paradise.

 

…

 

It’s noisier than usual… I wonder what’s going on.

 

I was sitting down on my desk waiting for class to start, but it was hard to ignore the agitation in the room. It’s normal for there to chatter and conversations before class, but their energy was different today.

I tried to overhear some of the conversations, and it turns out there’s a transfer student joining to our class today. That’s a surprise. I thought this kind of thing only ever happened in anime… I’m not particularly interested, regardless. Events like this end up having very little impact in the real world.

I see. That’s what has gotten everyone so riled up, that’s good to know. Why does everyone else even know this? Where do they get their information? It only takes one person to find out before the word spreads, but how does that one person find out? If I hadn’t overheard some of the conversations, I wouldn’t have found out until the teacher announced it.

 

Soon enough, the teacher entered the room and quieted down the class. The tension was palpable as everyone in class looked at the teacher in anticipation of the official announcement. The teacher confirmed the rumors and called in the transfer student.

 

“Woah…”

 

I was shocked.

 

The person entering our class was a girl, and she was an unbelievable beauty. She looked calm and moved with confidence. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her.

She’s so my type! Her hair was long and just a little wavy, its color was silver with an ethereal blue tint to it. She looked like some kind of princess, is she really transferring to our class?

The girl stood in front of the class and took a look at everyone’s faces. Our eyes met for a split second, and that made my heart start pounding violently. Every part of her was beautiful, her eyes had a beautiful blue color and were extremely captivating. She’s completely out of this world.

 

“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Miyuki, Miyuki Eis.”

 

Her face showed a dazzling friendly smile. How can she be so cute? Is she a goddess? My heart can’t take this! She has to at least be some kind of model or something. I can’t believe a girl this pretty is going to be my classmate. Miyuki… even her name is beautiful.

 

When I finally came to, Miyuki had already taken her seat somewhere behind me. I finally realized I spent the entire time staring at her in a trance. It’s so over! If anyone saw the way I reacted, the rumors were going to pop back up again, and I…

 

“Hm!?”

 

I looked around in a panic, but then I realized I wouldn’t have anything to worry. I wasn’t the only one who had been stunned by Miyuki. At the very least, everyone else was too interested in Miyuki to pay any attention to me and my reaction.

That was a close one… I almost made a fatal mistake. My face is still burning. I think I’m sweating a little bit too. A single look at me would tell you exactly how I was feeling. I have to calm myself down. The teacher is about to start the class. I have to try to forget about her for a while.

 

But that didn’t work. After two hours, it was now time for a break, and I was unable to think of anything else during class other than her. I normally wouldn’t talk to a girl just because she’s pretty, but this time it’s different, Miyuki is just too pretty! I want to get to know her better, at least I wanna be friends with her. I know I’d regret it forever if I ended up never trying to talk to her.

I turned my head around and looked towards Miyuki’s seat. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, but Miyuki had been immediately surrounded by people asking her all types of questions. Did everyone have the same idea as me? I doubt that any of the other girls are interested in her in the same way I am. This complicates things, though. It’s not gonna be easy to talk to her right now.

Alright, I guess I’ll talk to her some other time. I should wait for a better opportunity. Yeah, that’s a good idea.

 

I sneaked out of the classroom to grab a bite before the next class. We still have more breaks today, next break for sure…

 

It didn’t work out.

 

No matter how hard I tried, I never got the opportunity to speak with Miyuki.

That’s to be expected. There’s no way a beautiful transfer student like her would be left alone for a single second on her first day of school. I’ll have my opportunity another day.

I’m already on my way home, so it won’t be long now until I can forget all about this and relax.

I may not have been able to talk to Miyuki, but at least I have my girls waiting for me at-

 

“No way…”

 

As I made my way home through these unchanging streets, I noticed a face I had never seen before.

 

“She’s here.”

 

The one I just couldn’t get out of my mind was right in front of me. Miyuki was leisurely walking along the sidewalk occasionally stopping to take a peek into the nearby shops.

 

She’s so cute! She’s so my type! How can she be so perfect? What’s she doing here? Is she by herself?

…

Wait a second! Isn’t this my chance to speak with her?

I wanna get to know her better, and maybe we could even become friends! We could go on dates as friends, grow closer to each other, and then we could start dating for real!

I’m getting ahead of myself, but I think I would die happy if I ever got to date someone on her level.

But that means I can’t approach her right now. I mean, we’re classmates, but we haven’t talked yet. If I had talked to her, approaching her now would be just two classmates accidentally running into each other. But since I didn’t, this would be our first conversation. Two classmates talking for the first time in the middle of the street is just weird, isn’t it? It wouldn’t be that much different from a stranger walking up to you.

I don’t know when I’ll get another opportunity like this, though.

 And if I take too long to talk to her, she’s eventually going to hear the rumors about me, and then it’s gonna be impossible to get close to her.

 

I should just drop it, talking to her right now would just be too weird. Normally, that is what I would say, and I would go home while avoiding her, but not this time.

 

I need a better opportunity… Next time for sure… Now is not the right moment…

Those are all excuses. I’m just gonna be waiting forever. I know that’s how it always goes. That’s just how I am, but this time is different.

 

Miyuki is just too perfect! This is not who am I but this is the opportunity of a lifetime.

 

I gathered my resolve and approached Miyuki.

 

“H- h- hi.”

 

“Hm?” Her hair waved gracefully as she turned around. “Oh, Hi. Can I help you?”

 

“Uhmm… I’m one of your classmates… Do you remember me?”

 

“Oh!” Miyuki gently clapped her hands in front of her. “I do! I remember seeing you. What’s up?” Miyuki’s face showed a kind, friendly smile.

 

“Well… uhmm… we haven’t talked yet, and… I just saw you on my way home, so I thought I’d greet you. Maybe we could be friends?”

 

“Ah! That’s what’s going on. Alright let’s be friends. Uhmm… I don’t think I caught your name yet.” Miyuki let out a short, awkward laugh.

 

This is awkward! I should have introduced myself earlier! “Iroha! My name is Iroha Shinohara. It’s very nice to meet you, Miyuki…”

 

“It’s nice to meet you too. I haven’t had the time to befriend anyone yet, so I hope we can be friends, Iroha.”

 

“Y- yeah! Me too!”

 

I’m so lucky! I can’t believe Miyuki actually agreed to being friends. She’s so nice! I hope I haven’t said anything too weird…

 

“So? What do you wanna do now?”

 

“I… We could do something together… it could be an opportunity to talk a little more… if you’re free, that is.”

 

“We should go get some ice cream then!” Miyuki’s voice was suddenly brimming with enthusiasm.

 

“W- what?”

 

“I feel like eating some ice cream, so I thought we could go together. Do you know any place nearby with ice cream?”

 

“I guess I do… but isn’t it too early to be getting ice cream? It’s still quite cold these days.”

 

“It’s obviously better in the summer, but just because it's cold doesn't make it any less delicious. Are you not a big fan ice cream?” There was a hint of worry in Miyuki’s voice.

 

“I don’t dislike it. I’m fine with getting some.”

 

“It’s settled then! You know where it’s sold, right? Lead the way!”

 

The closest place nearby is that ice cream store I pass by every day on my way home. I didn’t think I’d ever come here much less together with a girl like Miyuki, but I’m glad I did. I truly am getting too lucky.

 

We got our ice cream and got to talk a little bit. Miyuki asked me about my interests, and I told her I liked games. That’s only part of the story, but I didn’t want to creep her out by telling her everything. To my surprise, though, she said she was also interested in games. Hehehe… It seems we have more in common than I thought. Can this girl be more my type?

 

I was too nervous, and eventually the conversation slowed down. I wanted to say something, but I felt like I had already embarrassed myself so much today that I couldn’t get any words out of my mouth. Am I overthinking? I hope she doesn’t hate me or anyth-

 

“Hey, Iroha.”

 

“W- What?” Miyuki startled me calling my name all of a sudden.

 

“Come with me.”

 

Miyuki walked into a nearby parking lot, and I followed her. It looked like she just saw something she wanted to show me. A little in front of Miyuki, I saw a butterfly with a very vivid blue color fly towards an empty spot next to a car. Miyuki turned in the same direction and stopped.

 

“Over here, Iroha.”

 

In front of my eyes was something I had never seen before. In the parking spot next to the car, there was a hole in the floor that looked unbelievable. It was bright and colorful, almost like a screen, and it looked like it was playing some kind of video too.

 

“Miyuki, what’s th-“

 

I’m falling. Before I could even understand what was going on, I started falling. This hole… there’s something weird about it, I can’t seem to stop falling.

She pushed me. Miyuki pushed me in. Why? What’s going on? Miyuki… why are you looking at me like that?

 

I saw a calm, subtle smile on Miyuki’s face before sinking too far to see her anymore.

 

Damn, she really does make my heart race.