Seven Nights Vol 1 Chapter 2.3

Chapter 2 - Wield the fabled blade - Part 3

After school.

"Nice work ---"

With my tennis practice over, I join with other freshmen and left the court behind us, our tennis gear left behind on our clubroom, and already on our school uniforms. Whenever I'm with my fellows on our club activities, we would always walk along until the train station or return quickly home, but today I took a detour in the school premises and visited the juniors' area.

"Oh now, now"

In the grounds where I used to run until six months ago, I found the girls' lacrosse team. Checking the pleats of their collars, the girls on uniforms are running on a temporary court, their crosses on their hands pa.s.sing along a ball. During that time I think their fluttering skirts are fouling up the boys (even though they're wearing leggings).

"Found you, Akeno"

Along with the girls, Akeno was s.h.i.+ning noticeably. Even with the sweat from the summer heat, she's still on that refres.h.i.+ng smile. That d.a.m.n girl, showing her innocent face in front of her friends ...

This club activity will take some time before it ends. For now, to wait for her, I proceeded with searching for shade within the school building.

 

After her club activity, I invite her to join me leave the school. Akeno, on receiving the invitation, was suddenly quite obedient unlike during noontime; from the middle school shoe racks to the bicycle parking lots (she went to school on bike), we spoke little as we left school. I made up my mind and I was about to ask her something,

"Going to a place where there are my friends, I was really worried that time."

As Akeno pushed her bike, she bashfully acknowledge that.

"I see ..."

I see. When I called out to Akeno, she came out along with her friends, them plainly examining me. I think they're probably with Akeno yesterday morning.

"That would be embarra.s.sing ..."

"I would be embarra.s.sed too ..."

"I was embarra.s.sed too, during that noon break"

"I know that. So there's no reason to complain about it."

"I wouldn't do that if it was a bother."

"But, it would be difficult to get in touch with each other if were that to happen ..."

Akeno says that worriedly. But, to get in touch with each other, how could we do that? As I incline my head in deep thought, she nodded once,

"Shall we exchange our phone numbers?"

She unexpectedly proposed that.

"Well ..."

"Don't you have a mobile phone?"

"No, I have one, but ..."

"Well, we've only met for two days, we don't want to disagree over something but ..."

"No that's not what I mean. I was only a bit surprised."

Because she's probably the type who would turn down every boy's love confession, I think I have to be overly cautious with private information.

"But, that would be convenient for you. Just to make it absolutely sure, you know. Because I think we wouldn't call each other first."

With that situation, she appeared she did not mind. Is she that confident in me, or is she the one who prefers convenience over privacy. Well, probably the latter type ...

"Well, we didn't go past exchanging each others addresses. I say it's a-OK then."

Taking out our respective mobile phones, we exchange our numbers and email addresses.

From school, we head south. We pa.s.s through the shopping district along Nanaobi Station.

By the way Akeno's house is in that direction. Probably in s.h.i.+rais.h.i.+-cho, it is about 45 minutes by foot.

"And my house is about 15 minutes north from school. That easily means we're an hour separated by foot."

"That's reasonably far. And for us to experience the same dream ..."

There's something else I don't understand. I started twice in the children park twice in my dream, but Akeno probably started twice in Suijou Academy.

"You're wondering why our starting locations are fixed?"

"Which reminds me, isn't our outfits fixed? I've been on this uniform twice ..."

"I'm on this very uniform too. I can understand 'School and uniform', but 'Park and uniform' is a mystery ... are location and outfit two different matters?"

I can understand why on our school uniforms. For us, we are on this outfit for most of the time, which probably means we're familiar with it. But I don't know why about our starting locations. Schools can be childrens' park .... There must be a place in my memories of old, but it's a place from my past come to think of it. In truth, I forgot the park I visited in my dreams.

I'll ask Teru-san about this tomorrow.

Soon we're out of the shopping district. We were in s.h.i.+rais.h.i.+-cho.

"... ... Here. This was the place."

My childhood friend and I used to pa.s.s this shortcut from my old house to s.h.i.+rais.h.i.+ Elementary. Here, in my dreams, I met Akeno, and went through here while being followed by that monster.

"That was really a dream, wasn't it?"

Where we expected to see the dragon totally destroy the block wall, it still stood there just like before.

"Looks all too real to me."

"You're right."

We look silently for a bit at the pathway, as we remember clearly what happened before.

The Valkyrie said "We will meet again". She would for the third time. I have a feeling that it would happen in tonight's so-called dream.

"Na, Akeno, shall we meet tonight?"

She must be thinking too about my request.

"Okay!"

She immediately replied that.