Chapter 67

Well, it seems I’ve been able to pass it off anyway.

It’s a satisfying result, but since it’s a club activity, shouldn’t we help with the planning at least?

I first asked to confirm Hans’s thoughts.

“So, what are we going to do?”

“Yeah, what should we do?”

It seems like they haven’t thought of anything yet, probably because it was decided so suddenly.

Hans tilted his head and started brainstorming.

Watching this, Sena slightly raised her hand.

Weirdly, it’s becoming a rule to raise hands whenever we discuss things among ourselves.

I think I started it, but I must’ve spread some strange habit.

Well, it’s easy to follow, so no problem, I guess.

“How about a phantom goldfish catching game?”

“Seems like you kinda liked that idea, huh?”

“It’d be fun with the Princess.

With illusion magic, we could create not just goldfish but various other fish species too.”

It’s a decent idea, but I’m a bit skeptical about that part.

How deep are they planning to go with this?

The goldfish catching at festivals is supposed to be a light, fun experience, you know?

If they try to make it like real fishing, it’ll never end.

Is this world different?

Well, I’ve never seen a goldfish catching booth at a school festival in my past life.

Maybe it has a different meaning here.

…Still, it’s kinda meh.

Fishing is boring, I’m telling you.

“Sounds dull.

At that point, isn’t it just fishing…?”

“But it’s an illusion.

The biggest advantage is that you can adjust the tempo however you want.”

Even so, it still feels like fishing to me, but maybe the locals here see it differently.

Hans, who had been pondering for a while, seemed to like Sena’s idea.

“…Not bad, huh?”

“Right?”

“We can name the booth ‘Phantom Fishing Spot,’ borrow some park space, and create a big pond…

There are quite a few middle-aged noblemen who enjoy fishing as a hobby, so it might appeal to them unexpectedly.”

“See, it’s my idea.

Everything’s going just as I thought.”

Sena puffed up with pride at Hans’s positive reaction.

Seeing her chin tilt up like that made me want to flick her forehead.

She’s a bit annoying.

It’s not like she came up with it herself.

She said it’d be fun with me.

Now I’m the only one who almost ended up with fishing as part of my first and last date course.

“What are you so smug about?

You said you wanted to do it with me…”

“Ah, just kidding.

Who our age would want to go fishing at a festival?”

“……”

I glared at Sena, who was grinning slyly.

Anyway, Hans seems to have some ideas, so I didn’t feel like opposing him.

“Really, it’s not bad.

Wait a sec.

I need to plan this out right now.”

He’s not just thinking—he’s on fire with inspiration.

Hans opened his notebook and started scribbling something down quickly.

Brainstorming… or brain storm, I guess.

I unconsciously took a step back, overwhelmed by his energy.

“…Uh, yeah. Go for it. We’ll head out?”

“Go for it, DiCardi.

Make sure to win first place.

You know the prize is split, right?”

“Of course. Leave it to me.

I can do this.

I’ll make it the best booth at the festival, so look forward to it!”

…It doesn’t need to be the *best*, though.

Just middle-of-the-pack is fine…?

It’s not like the observation club is known for their booths for no reason…?

I clenched my fist awkwardly and left the classroom, watching him refocus with mixed feelings.

He looks like an intellectual, but he’s surprisingly passionate.

Well, I guess that’s part of why I liked him.

“Should the pond be rectangular?

A circular shape would look better, but space-wise…

We can mix freshwater and saltwater fish, add some fantasy species…

Should we do a design vote? If we post it on the board, it’ll attract some attention…

We should probably make the fishing tools customizable based on requests…

Hmm, but that might make the wait times longer…”

Sena smiled contentedly, hearing his muttering even out in the hallway.

She must think she guided him just right.

I think it’s a bit over the top, though.

“He’s fired up now. Well done~”

“Well done, but… Hmm, something feels off.”

“If he’s into it, what’s the problem?

We weren’t going to force him if he didn’t like it, right?”

“But I didn’t expect him to accept it without any complaints.”

I thought he’d try to drag me into it somehow.

Now I feel kinda guilty, like I did something wrong.

Sena blinked at my uncomfortable expression.

After a moment of silence, she added,

“He’s sincere about the Princess, after all.

Even if he’s a bit clueless.”

Yeah, that’s true.

At first, I doubted his intentions, but now I don’t think he has any ulterior motives.

He was just being selfish.

But at the core of it, it’s probably goodwill and regret.

I feel like if we just talk it out properly, things will work out.

Maybe the problem was just our good intentions accidentally clashing.

Still, I don’t plan on going back to how things were before.

“Anyway, he’ll do fine on his own.

I should think about what to do for fun that day.”

“Agreed!

We can look at last year’s and the year before’s booth lists to get an idea of what’s coming and plan around that!”

“Ah, before that, we should confirm the participants.

We should ask Maid Ai and Yohan, just in case.”

“…Hmm. Alright.”

For some reason, Sena looked a bit disappointed as we headed down to the first-year floor.

Luckily, we ran into Yohan right away in the classroom.

“I’m going to help out a bit at the horseback spear club booth.

Sadly, I don’t think I’ll be able to hang out with you.”

Next, I went to the servant’s room.

This time, I was able to meet Maid Ai right away, who was taking a break.

“Ah, I was busy that day…

The reason I’m staying until the Thanksgiving Festival is to help out. S-sorry.”

Just in case, I also went to the Health Room.

The teacher, who was casually sipping tea as usual, frowned the moment she saw me and asked what was wrong.

“Of course, I should be in the Health Room.

Do you think only one or two people collapse during the festival?”

Rejected by everyone, we stood blankly in the hallway and turned to each other.

At the same time, our eyes met.

Sena, with a slightly excited expression, blinked her eyelids.

She seemed to have regained her energy, even though she had been sulking earlier.

She looked happier being alone with me, even more so than before.

“It’s just the two of us!”

“It’s just the two of us.”

“Do you mind?”

“Of course not.”

Honestly, I felt the same way.

I wanted to spend the last moments alone with her.

“It feels like a date, so my heart’s racing.”

“What a coincidence.

I feel the same way.”

As I absentmindedly stared at her endlessly blue figure, I suddenly asked her a question.

“Sena, have you been to many festivals?”

“I’ve been to quite a few since I was young.

Our territory was small, so the festivals were embarrassingly modest.

But since coming to the Academy, there’s been the Thanksgiving Festival every year.”

“I see.”

Maybe because the end was near, memories of the past started flooding back.

Not from my previous life, but from when I was still a noblewoman.

“Honestly, this is my first time.

I’ve been to and hosted many parties, but I’ve never been to a casual festival like this with friends.”

“…Because you were a noblewoman.”

Back then, being a noblewoman was the problem, and now, not being one is the problem.

It’s a shame I didn’t get to experience much during the time I had the most friends in my life.

The only times I miss being a noblewoman are when I think of Raymond or Kristina.

Back then, I wasted my days clinging to Hans, and now I barely remember my past life, living off those fading memories.

Why is it that we don’t appreciate what we have until it’s gone?

Regretting after losing something is human nature, but this feels a bit too much.

“Probably won’t happen again.

I’m graduating next year, so this might be the first and last time?”

When I die, it’s over.

No more tears from suffering, no more drowning in happiness.

I’ll lose even the awareness of my existence, so there’s no need to fear what comes after death.

“That’s why I’m looking forward to it, but it’s also a bit sad.”

I guess it’s inevitable to feel regret.

Giving up the remaining years of my life based on the pessimistic assumption that I won’t change is one thing.

But if that’s not the case, if I could change and find happiness, I can’t help but make all sorts of assumptions.

I’m human too.

I have desires in life and dreams in my heart.

Hesitating to choose death might be natural in a way.

“What’s there to regret?”

That’s why Sena’s words mean so much to me.

Even if her intention is different, the mere existence of a friend’s encouragement gives me strength.

Her starry smile carries my own wishes.

“If we make this the best, that’s all that matters.

So much so that I won’t even feel like going to another festival.”

I compared Sena’s smile to my reflection in her eyes and crafted my emotions.

I’m always grateful.

Because of you, I could at least pretend.

Even though I didn’t wish for it, I could recall memories that were already fading.

Don’t forgive me for wishing you pain.

Even if it’s like this, I hope you won’t forget me while you live.

That’s the only way to prove that I existed, even after I’m gone.

…How strange.

I said death is the end, so there’s no need to fear it, but knowing it’s the end makes me even more afraid.

That’s why I’m using you, who became my friend, like a tool with just a brain.

Leaving only scars and asking you to remember me, isn’t that disgusting?

I’m sorry.

I like you.

Thank you…

“…You’re right.

It’s the last time, so let’s enjoy it.”

“Yes. Let’s do our best to make it a memory.”

I silently nodded.

Just by exchanging glances, we understood each other’s wishes.

Even if our intentions were different, it was enough.

Of course, it has to be a memorable moment worth remembering.

For you and for me, it’ll be the last memory of Remia Adelian.