Next Door: Open World - Chapter 3

[iridesenescence]

Tsumugi: Ah, so that's what this was about?

Natsume: Huh? What do you mean, "so that's what this was about"?

Tsumugi: Umm, lately you've been going around proclaiming yourself as the Five Eccentrics' successor or something, and trying to take over Yumenosaki Academy, right?

Natsume: Mmhm. Since we've got a common goal, I've been working with Knights' Su~kun.

That kid... Everyone seems to make light of him quite a bit, but he's pretty competent, and he's got both might and authority to boot.

All that's left is to win Sari-kun, the student council president, over to our side, and we'll have completed our conquest of the school.

I'm already making connections to him through Baru-kun and having him consider me as an ally, anyway.

As long as things in school are stable, I think things will be fine -- At present, nothing there is even remotely a threat to us.

Tsumugi: You sure give people some odd nicknames, Natsume-kun.

Natsume: Mmhm. By intentionally mimicking the name that someone precious to them uses, I can strike their nerves.

Perhaps this is another of my bad habits... Though it's purely involuntary on my part.

Tsumugi: Well, putting that aside. So right now, you're trying to support Yumenosaki Academy as one of the Five Eccentrics...

Carefully, deftly... So that this time, things won't end in a feud or subjugation.

Natsume: Yeah. Though the Five Eccentrics supporting the academy is but a fictional story concocted by a certain group of people...

If I make that come true, the lie you all concocted will traverse spacetime and become reality.

With that in mind, I'll do my ve~ry best to support the academy.

So when the historians of future generations see how Yumenosaki is flourishing, this is what they'll think: That instead of the student council, the Five Eccentrics really were the ones who should have been ruling over the school...

That the student council's actions were foolish, worthless, and ultimately all in vain.

Of course, that wasn't how it was in reality. But for every person who thinks that way, I'll feel that much more satisfied.

That shall be my -- Sakasaki Natsume, the last of the Five Eccentrics' -- frivolous vengeance.

Tsumugi: Yes. It's only natural that you'd exact such vengeance on us -- we know very well what we did, after all.

Honestly, the rest of the Five Eccentrics are all far too reasonable. Shu-kun is the only one who holds a justified grudge against us.

Natsume: But even Shu-niisan would never retaliate in a concrete manner, you know. He's proud, wise, beautiful, but most of all, he's a kind person.

To nii-san, the best form of revenge will be to treat everything that happened as nourishment for him to present art that can be replicated by no other.

Respectable men cannot live when sustained solely by negative emotions like hatred.

Even Double Face, or whatever their name was that debuted yesterday... Both its members can survive only because they have their respective public faces in MaM and Crazy:B.

By keeping the negative emotions that have the potential to destroy them in check, they become capable of temporarily transforming, allowing them to accomplish what they need to without ever falling into ruin.

Doing so allows them to remain human, and to go on living.

Of course, I'm no exception; I won't be able to live sustained solely by the negative sentiment of revenge.

This conquest of the school is being executed for other reasons as well. Though I'm sure that even without hearing my explanation, you've got a rough idea of what those are, Senpai.

Tsumugi: Yes. This is an investment for the future, isn't it? It's quite the signature move of us at NewDi.

Natsume: We don't quite have the results that would allow us to say it's a signature move with our heads held high, though... At present, that is. When the time comes, we'll be sure to leave all those who currently look down on us absolutely speechless.

Tsumugi: Indeed we will. For that day to come, let's do what we can right now, and move forward, one step at a time.

Fufu. Ahh, I'm so relieved to learn that you have no intentions of repeating the tragedy of the past... To be honest, I was rather worried.

I couldn't help but recall what happened last night while reading my horoscope after waking up, and it suddenly filled me with unease.

Somehow, you just seemed awfully lonely back then, Natsume-kun... I started to wonder if I was doing the exact same thing to you as the other Five Eccentrics.

I shut you out, shouldered everything by myself, tried to protect you, and -- I have no good way to say this, but... Focused too much on satisfying myself.

Even though I knew just how much that had hurt you before.

Natsume: Oh come on, I'm not hurt by something as trivial as that. I'm not like you who gets hurt but feels no pain; I haven't sustained a single scratch from this.

After all, we've been active as part of Switch for a bit longer than a year now. All that has helped us grow, and we've come to understand our comrades at least a little.

We can predict and understand each others' movements, and we know very well how to distance ourselves just enough to avoid hurting each other.

I mean, if we weren't capable of that much, then we'd end up wondering "exactly what was the point of the one year we spent together?", wouldn't we?

Right now, I'm able to properly understand you, and I trust you, Senpai.

I don't want you to interpret this weirdly, but I'll say it anyway -- I love you, so there isn't a single thing you need to be anxious about.

Tsumugi: I love you too, Natsume-chan~♪

Natsume: I've told you not to add a "chan" to my name, shaggy glasses. I'll kill you.

Tsumugi: We've been talking for so long, but that's the first spell you say?!

Natsume: That just means those are the feelings I wanted to convey the most.

Don't you take things for granted just because you're loved; it doesn't mean I'll affirm or forgive everything you say or do, so you'd best keep that in mind.

I'm not a child anymore, so I know the tough times until now were necessary for us to live with our heads held high, but...

If you push yourself to the point where you're collapsing randomly, that's obviously going to cause worry. We'll wonder if you're going to end up dying...

It's true that you sometimes need to be a little reckless to achieve success, to reach happiness. But. If you're constantly acting that way, you'd be acting just like the gamble-crazy Crazy:B.

We are not gamblers, but magicians, you know.

Tsumugi: Yes... Creating these personas for yourself is important; surprisingly enough, that holds true even out in the adult world.

For better or worse, everyone seems to be unable to see past the labels we attach to ourselves.

Though, I'm an average person who's a magician only in name, so all I can do is work my hardest and plod along steadily.

Natsume: Mm. Do your best. Sora and I will lend you a hand -- No, we'll be there to work our hardest alongside you, so rely on us a little.

Wait, that's right... We ended up getting way too comfortable here and our chat just went on and on, but I was actually looking for Sora.

Tsumugi: For Sora-kun?

Actually, is he not with you today?

It's a weekday after all -- I was under the impression that you're always together at school.

Natsume: Nn~... Honestly, I didn't want him to get involved with all these bloody schemes, so...

For whatever reason, I saw it as a good thing that he was avoiding me at school, and just let it be...

It sounds awful when I put it this way, but I haven't had much chance to address it either...

Tsumugi: Natsume-kun, don't you often tell me off for doing the exact same thing? I'm sure Sora-kun is feeling lonely~, he's surprisingly clingy, you know?

Natsume: I mean, you've been neglecting Sora too, Senpai; I won't let you pin all the blame on me...

Of course, I do deserve part of the blame. Both of us are responsible for this situation.

The two of us have spent a long time together, letting our emotions butt heads repeatedly... That's how we've come to understand each other decently well.

We've got a good grasp on what a healthy distance between us should be, I think.

But when it comes to Sora -- Just how well do we understand him?

Especially when we have no clue as to where he might be, or what he might be doing right now?

Tsumugi: ......