Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai: CONNECT The Wings of Beginning

The Wings of Beginning

Uguisuyama private high school—— The best college-focused school in the prefecture, and known for its strict school rules.

At this school filled with academically gifted students, there was one boy who attracted more attention from those around him than most.

His name was Pegasus Kashiwazaki, the oldest son of and the heir to the Kashiwazaki family, a family so famous everyone in the surrounding area had heard of them.

He was a member of class 2-4, and was a prodigy among prodigies, having secured the highest score on every test in every subject since his enrollment.

He was also skilled in sports, and left an impressive record as a short-distance runner in a national tournament back in middle school. He ran as though he had wings on his back that made him light as a feather, and that style of his that charmed all who saw it was known as the "Pegasus Fantasy". Even now that he had entered high school, people still spoke of him as a legend.

He was also blessed in appearances as well, with a dignified face and tall stature. His beauty was such that he would inevitably attract people's attention simply by walking normally.

Of course, he was also incredibly popular with the girls, and had been asked out by several tens of girls in middle school, but turned them all down on account of him already having a fiancée.

The reason Pegasus chose Uguisuyama high school was partially because of its high standards and high college acceptance rate, but more than anything he picked it because it was a boys school.

To Pegasus, having girls swarm all over him was nothing but a nuisance.

However, that very same Pegasus Kashiwazaki was currently worried about a certain something.

Kapo~n

"Man, I was reading this manga the other day and it had this 'kapo~n' sound effect in it. What sound do you think that even is?"

That certain something, or rather, certain someone worrying him suddenly asked that random question. Completely naked.

"How should I know?"

Pegasus briefly replied with a frown on his face. Completely naked.

"'Kapo~n'... No idea what sound that's supposed to be, but for some reason it fits perfectly... I guess coming to the baths does have this 'kapo~n' feel to it."

Pegasus sighed as he watched the boy next to him seriously ponder this question.

Pegasus didn't read much manga, hence he wasn't very well-versed in sound effects and the like.

More importantly, why am I sitting here soaking in the bath next to this guy, Pegasus wondered to himself. Completely naked.

That was a much more important issue to him than this 'kapo~n' nonsense.

"...Well, the completely naked part is normal, I guess."

"Hm? What'd you say?"

"N-nothing."

"Oh, alright."

Pegasus quickly covered up the fact he'd let his thoughts slip out of his mouth, however the boy next to him didn't seem to care at all as he went back to pondering the mysteries of the 'kapo~n' sound.

The name of the boy causing Pegasus Kashiwazaki's worries was Hayato Hasegawa.

He had a stern face and sharp-looking eyes, but strangely enough he had a friendly air about him as well, possibly because of the way he talked and how he often changed expressions.

Pegasus had started talking with him occasionally after ending up sitting next to him when their class changed seats.

That said, it was mostly Hayato who did all the talking with Pegasus only offering a "...Yep." or an "...Uh-huh." every now and then.

However Hayato didn't seem to take any offense at Pegasus' anti-social attitude, in fact, it seemed to make Hayato want to talk to Pegasus even more.

Pegasus believed that it was not that he simply couldn't take a hint.

Unlike Pegasus, he seemed to be quite popular with many friends inside and outside of school.

He once even jumped in-between two students who were about to fight each other and calmed them down.

At first Pegasus thought he was a busybody, but he'd nimbly evade having to do any annoying work in class, and would never butt in to any serious problems like someone's parents getting divorced and such.

Pegasus was unsure why Hayato was so aggressive in trying to get close to him when it was clear that Pegasus wasn't being bullied, but instead chose to be alone.

Pegasus had intended on breaking off relations with Hayato if he was only thinking about "making some friends for the lonely honors student", but any time they went out to the baths like this it was always just the two of them, and although Hayato's friends would sometimes join them for lunch, Hayato would never go out of his way to try and make Pegasus be friends with them.

Incidentally, as for why they would go to the baths, it's because the school rules forbid going to any recreational establishments or restaurants.

"Anyway, I so wanna go peek at the women's bath."

"Bft-"

Pegasus couldn't help but spout out some saliva at Hayato's sudden announcement.

"W-what do you mean 'anyway'!? That's got nothing to do with what you were talking about! What happened to 'kapo~n'!? Where did 'kapo~n' go!?"

In response to Pegasus' sudden outburst, Hayato replied with a mellow look on his face,

"Ah, yeah, don't really care about 'kapo~n' anymore. I'm all about the women's bath now. I wonder, just what kind of paradise lays on the other side of this wall?"

"...I'm pretty sure it's full of old people just like our side is."

Pegasus replied, giving a perfectly rational point of view.

It was all old people at the baths this time of day except for Pegasus and Hayato, and neither of them had ever seen a young girl here, even outside by the entrance.

"Hey man, you never know. There might be a whole group of sexy chicks like Youko-chan from 'Urusai Katsura' over there."

In response to Hayato's latest delusion, Pegasus gave yet another logical reply.

"I have no idea what that Youko-chan or whoever is like, but... I'm pretty sure those kinds of customers all go over there."

"Oh yeah, that's right... They would go over there, huh."

"Over there" refers to the new super baths that opened up nearby recently, and which are currently enjoying a lot of business due to people coming to check it out.

Pegasus had never gone to one before, but his father told him such places were rapidly becoming popular across the country.

"I actually went there once~ It did have a lot of stuff and there was a bunch of cool food to try out too, but I dunno, it didn't really feel like a bath and I wasn't a big fan of it."

"...Well yeah... That's why they call it a super bath..."

"Yeah, that super bath's definitely got a super feel to it."

Hayato began nodding his head, seemingly convinced by Pegasus' random comment for some reason.

"Lots of couples over there too man, I swear. There's this mixed bath spot where you can go in with a swimsuit on, and it was loaded with couples. There were tons of people our age there making me jealous."

"...I see."

"Ahh~ Man I want a girlfriend~"

Seeing Hayato flip his head back and look up at the ceiling while letting out a deep sigh, Pegasus went "Hmph..." and let out a tiny mocking laugh.

Hah, whining about wanting a boyfriend or a girlfriend or whatever. I guess this man is no different than all the other foolish commoners that constantly pestered me in middle school, Pegasus thought to himself.

"If you want to fall in love you should've gone to a co-ed school. Why the heck would you pick a boys school like Uguisuyama?"

"Ahh, it's 'cause our school's got a referral program for the college I wanna go to."

Pegasus had meant it as a rhetorical question, but Hayato casually gave him an answer anyway.

"!?"

Pegasus took a good long stare at the side of Hayato's face.

Hayato however failed to notice Pegasus' stare, and simply continued speaking in his usual carefree tone, albeit more disjointed than usual.

"Yeah~ I wanna be an archaeologist when I grow up. But, it's like, it's hard to make a living in archaeology, get me? Can't really use what you learn in any other fields either. Basically, it's like, you need to have good connections and stuff. Which means that, like, the colleges I can pick from gets narrowed down a lot. And, after I did a bunch of research and thinking and picked out a college to go to, I realized going to this high school was like a shortcut to gettin' there."

Pegasus blankly stared at Hayato, who spoke of both his dream and his plan to get there like it was nothing.

"Ah, that said, it's not like you can get by on connections alone, and it's possible I might not get a referral either, so I gotta think about that, and... Hey, what's wrong Kashiwazaki?"

Try as he might to hide it, Pegasus' was visibly shaken.

Honestly speaking, part of Pegasus had always looked down on his peers, including Hayato.

He assumed none of them had a vision for their future, and would simply move on to college and then eventually settle into a position in life befitting their abilities.

After a spending a year at Uguisuyama, he had felt that even this, one of the best schools in the prefecture, was not significantly different than any other high school.

In fact, he even thought that this school was inferior to other schools with lower grades, because there was no variety and almost everyone did nothing but study.

That said, Pegasus didn't see that as necessarily a bad thing. In a prosperous time like this, anyone can achieve a happy life by cruising along through school and finding a simple job.

It wouldn't be an overstatement to say it was utterly foolish to willingly pursue a job like archaeology, filled with risk and little money.

When one is aware they are chasing a difficult dream, most find themselves just recklessly chasing said dream. Not many are able to stay the course after considering the more realistic aspects of it, such as income and lifestyle, and to be fair, there is no need to walk such a difficult path in the first place.

Not to mention starting from what high school one goes to—— In this day and age, just how few middle schoolers are able to not only plan their future, but carry out that plan?

Pegasus revised his opinion of Hayato Hasegawa to the following:

This guy—— is certainly a weird one.

Pegasus' young heart bundled up the complicated feeling resembling defeat he felt towards his classmate in the seat next to him, and expressed it in the single word "weird".

Hayato then donned a brazen smile, and said,

"I'm not exactly a genius or anything though, so I can't afford to mess around too much. But still, that aside, there's a lotta stuff you can only do in high school, and I wanna do as much of that as I can. Specifically, I wanna enjoy my youth. Enjoy my youth, too."

"...That doesn't sound the least bit specific to me, but anyway, so that's why you want to fall in love?"

"You got it! Youth and love go hand in hand my man."

Pegasus made a wry smile at how vague he was when it came to this as compared to his vision for the future.

"By the way, just so you know, impure sexual relations are against school rules."

"I ain't gonna have any impure relations. I'm as pure as they come."

Hayato said with a childish grin on his face.

I can't tell if this guy's sincere or just bold, calculating or just an idiot... Pegasus thought to himself.

"Although, you've got a good point about going to a co-ed school if you wanna fall in love. I know this is a boys school, but still, there are way too few chicks around here."

Hayato said and then let out a big sigh.

"Maybe I should have a mixer with my buddies from middle school~ Ah, hey, you know any cute girls Kashiwazaki? Like a rich family's daughter or something."

"...I do."

"Yeah~ Of course it wouldn't be that ea... Wait, you do!?"

Hayato said, realizing what Pegasus said halfway through his sentence.

Pegasus answered honestly without really thinking about it much, but soon after he thought that maybe he shouldn't have told him.

"What school's she from!?"

"...St. Chronica Academy."

"St. Chronica... You mean that girls middle and high school!? Why do you know a girl there!?"

Hayato's overzealous response made Pegasus think to himself, "I knew I shouldn't have told him," as he regretted his actions.

Pegasus' acquaintance was a senior girl attending St. Chronica Academy.

She was an exchange student from England, gifted in both academics and athletics, and was also quite popular due to how often she helped others out. In fact, she was so popular that she was chosen to be the Student Council president despite being an exchange student.

Pegasus' great-grandfather was the founder of St. Chronica Academy, and the position of chairman was always handed down to the next head of the Kashiwazaki family, meaning that it was almost certain Pegasus would succeed his father as chairman in the future. Thanks to that, he had visited the academy a number of times, and got to know her there.

She was a tad too energetic for the daughter of a famous family attending an all girls school though, so Pegasus generally tried to avoid her if possible.

However, he did think that Hayato would like her. Mainly because of her big chest.

"Is she cute!?"

"...Well, yeah, I think she's pretty, objectively speaking."

"What about her boobs!?"

"......I don't remember that well, but I think hers were bigger than average."

"Bravooooooooooooo!!"

"Shut up. ...Just so you know, she's English."

"English! So wait, is she blond!?"

"...Yeah."

"I'm in love already my good sir!"

"Why are you calling me sir now..."

"Please, let me meet her, Kashiwazaki! No, let me meet her, Lord Pegasus!"

"DO NOT CALL ME BY THAT NAME!"

Pegasus got up by reflex and yelled in a voice full of anger louder than Hayato's bravo a few moments ago. With his dick hanging out.

The other customers' gazes were painful.

...Pegasus respected his father, but each time someone calls him by that name, it makes him want to go back in time and punch his father in the face.

The reason Pegasus, who was a national-level runner, gave up on track and field was because constantly having his full name called at tournaments and having it spelled out "PEGASUS KASHIWAZAKI" in big bold letters in the newspaper traumatized him.

Pegasus swore to himself that if he ever had a child, he would be sure to give him/her a name that he/she would not be ashamed of.

"...A-anyway, I'll ask and see if she's OK with meeting you."

Pegasus said as he slowly sat down, trying to brush over his yell just now.

☺

Later that night, Pegasus kept his promise with Hayato and called the St. Chronica Academy dorms and got his acquaintance on the line.

Normally a boy from another school calling would be a problem, however the dorm mother accepted Pegasus' request without issue, on account of him being the chairman's son as well as next in line to be chairman.

Still, Pegasus found it awkward having to go through a parent-figure in order to reach the person he was after.

This wouldn't have been a problem if his acquaintance had a "cellphone" like the one his father had started using recently, but there was no way a regular student could afford such an expensive luxury item. They're crazy heavy, too.

Pegasus surmised that the cellphone would forever reign as a status symbol for the busy elites of the world. The weight of it represents the weight of the responsibility one carries.

As he was pondering such thoughts, he heard her voice through the receiver.

She spoke such fluent Japanese it was hard to believe she was an exchange student.

Just as he had gone over in his head several times before, Pegasus explained to her in a serious tone that he wished to hold a productive meeting wherein his friend, who wanted to meet her, could spend some time with her and get to know her better.

"So you wanna have a mixer, right? OK!"

"Mixe-!?"

As Pegasus remained at a loss for words, she then asked what day and time would be good, and where they should meet. However, Pegasus had no idea how to answer her, which led to her making suggestions while he simply replied, "...OK", "...OK.", "Ah, yes, that's fine.", "Yes, you're right.", "OK, see you there." and agreed to each idea in a lifeless tone of voice.

"Alright, this is gonna be fun! Nighty night!"

"Ah, yes... N-nighty night..."

And thus, their call ended.

Pegasus placed the receiver back down and let out a deep breath.

He did not have the strength left to call Hayato as well, and let him know what was going on. Hence, he decided to tell him tomorrow at school.

☺

It was now Sunday, three days later.

Pegasus and Hayato had both arrived at the stylish cafe where they'd agreed to meet at an hour ahead of schedule.

Up until yesterday Hayato was full of life, singing "A blond busty babe, a blonde busty babe~♪", however today he was a nervous wreck. God only knows how many times said, "H-how am I? Do I look OK? I-I'm gonna go check in the bathroom mirror," before running off to the bathroom.

His short hair was combed over with far more gel than he needed, and he was also wearing a fancy suit and bowtie he'd borrowed from his dad, which made him look exactly like your stereotypical shady guy.

Normally Hayato acted like an older brother who wasn't afraid of anything, but apparently he has some foolish parts to him too, Pegasus thought.

In the baths he'd said "I'm as pure as they come," but who would've thought it was actually true.

"...H-how do I look? How's my bowtie... Is it just me, or is it crooked?"

"For God's sake calm down already, you imbecile."

Pegasus said with an annoyed look on his face.

However, Pegasus was only able to act calm thanks to how ridiculously nervous the man next to him was, and was actually just as nervous on the inside.

Even though she is an acquaintance, this was the first time Pegasus had ever agreed to meet up with a girl at a cafe like this.

After all, his fiancée lives in England, and he'd never met her in person before.

The stylish cafe they were in was full of girls and couples as well, and it was extremely awkward for two short-haired high school boys (school rules say their hair has to be short) to be sitting in there alone together.

The two boys spent an anxious hour waiting for Pegasus' acquaintance to arrive.

Then, a few minutes past the designated meeting time, she finally arrived.

"Hey guys! Sorry 'bout the wait!"

She told them in a lively voice along with an energetic bow.

"I-it's OK, we just got here too!"

Hayato replied in a high-pitched voice.

St. Chronica Academy Student Council President, Noel Redfield, 18 years old.

A beautiful and dignified young girl with short blond hair and narrow blue eyes.

She was wearing a highly revealing blood red mini one piece dress that tightly hugged her body.

This must be that new fashion style that emphasizes the body lines, Pegasus pondered to himself.

Pegasus had never seen her in anything other than the St. Chronica Academy uniform, so it was quite striking to see her in this kind of trendy outfit; so much so, that Pegasus found himself even more flustered than before.

He was unsure of where to look, now that the cleavage formed by her already large chest was further emphasized by her dress.

"Yeah, I got held up 'cause this girl here said she changed her mind and wasn't gonna come at the last minute."

Noel said as she sat down at the table across from Pegasus.

"This girl?"

Pegasus at last noticed the other girl who'd been hiding behind Noel's back.

She was, like Noel, a beautiful white girl with blond hair and blue eyes, and when coupled with her seemingly timid attitude made "adorable" the perfect way to describe her.

She appeared to be either their age or a bit younger... Foreigners tend to look older than they actually are, so it was hard to tell.

She was wearing a mature-looking long dress with a black base. It didn't quite match her younger looks though, making it appear as though she were a child trying to wear clothes too big for her.

However, rather than her clothes, it was her face—— Specifically, the eye patch on her left eye that attracted the most attention.

Perhaps she was injured or has some sickness... In any case, it wouldn't be proper of me to stare, Pegasus concluded.

The girl timidly sat down at the table next to Noel, practically sitting on top of her.

Noel then introduced this second girl.

"This girl here is Airi Aaron. She's a year younger than me, so the same age as Kashiwazaki I guess. I brought her since I figured if we were gonna have a mixer it'd be better to have an even number of guys and girls."

"I told you, this isn't a mixer or anyth..."

Pegasus began to say, but then cut himself off, telling himself she wouldn't listen to him anyway.

He then glanced at Hayato, and figured he should introduce him as well.

As for Hayato himself, he was frozen solid staring at the face of the girl named Airi.

His mouth was hanging half-open, and his eyes were both wide open as gazed at her.

His face was so red it was obvious even from the side.

...It's pretty easy to tell when somebody falls in love at first sight, huh... Pegasus realized.

"A-Airi... is it...?"

Hayato said, barely choking out the words.

"T-that's a wonderful eyepatch you have there!!"

"Wha...!?"

T-this guy... is he an idiot...!?

Pegasus looked at Hayato, stupefied, after hearing what he just said in that high-pitched voice of his.

On what planet would a girl willingly wear an eyepatch like that?

Whether it's a sickness or an injury, you're supposed to be sensitive with these kinds of things and do your best to ignore them.

Pegasus, now at wit's end, couldn't help but grimace.

As for Airi, she looked down at the ground as though fleeing from Hayato's straightforward gaze, and then began to speak.

"......Y-you think so? ...T-thanks..."

Her cheeks were faintly red, and for some reason... she seemed to smiling quite happily.

...Huh?

Anyone could see that that adorable smile of hers had just further strengthened her grasp of Hayato's heart.

Airi, still acting shy, then said in a solemn tone of voice, as if to hide her smile,

"Hmph... Airi is but a mere alias... My true name is Xiàhóu Fan... An ancient warrior of 2000 years past reborn in the present..."

"S-shaho...?"

Noel smiled wryly after seeing Pegasus' confusion, and explained,

"Ahh, you can ignore that. It's just some stuff she made up."

"Made up?"

"I-it's not made up!"

Airi yelled, her face beet red.

Apparently Hayato loved her angry reaction too, as his expression became even more lovestruck.

"You know the 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'?" Noel asked all of a sudden.

"Huh? Yeah, sort of."

"Airi here's been really into it lately. She especially likes this one-eyed general named Xiàhóu Dūn, and she started saying that she's his reincarnation. Don't worry about her eyepatch either, it's not because she's sick or anything, she's just copying Xiàhóu Dūn."

"Uh-huh..." Pegasus vaguely replied.

What a bunch of incomprehensible nonsense.

"Is she an idiot?"

Pegasus said, accidentally letting his honest opinion slip out.

"H-hey! Kashiwazaki!"

Hayato hurriedly yelled at Pegasus for his rude comment.

"Ah! N-no, umm, I..."

"Ahaha, don't pull any punches, do ya? Kashiwazaki."

Noel cheerfully laughed at the now flustered Pegasus.

Airi, on the other hand,

"I-I'm not an idiot~ People who call others idiots are the real idiots~"

Airi said to Pegasus with tears in the corners of her eyes and a hostile expression on her face.

What are you, 12...? Pegasus thought to himself, irritated, just before Hayato lightly jabbed him on the head.

"S-sorry Airi, you're exactly right, this guy's a total idiot! In fact, he's such an idiot that just the other day he stood up in front of a bunch old guys completely naked and yelled at the top of his lungs while showing off his dick to them!"

"Wha...!?"

Pegasus gasped at Hayato's shocking reveal.

"You did that?"

Noel asked with a surprised look on her face.

"I-I did not! ...I mean, it's not completely untrue, but that was just me making a ruckus in the baths. It's not like I was showing off anything to anybody...!"

Noel smiled at Pegasus as he desperately tried to explain himself, and then said,

"Ahaha, you're pretty wild, huh Kashiwazaki~"

"L-like I said..."

Pegasus' face went red with embarrassment as Airi looked at him with a triumphant expression, and murmured,

"...See, you are a total idiot. Idiot, big fat idiot!"

"What was that!?"

"Hyau!?"

Airi twitched and latched onto Noel's arm after getting an angry glare from Pegasus.

Which, of course, prompted another jab from Hayato.

"Stop making that scary face, Pegamoron! Sorry about this guy, Airi, he's just such an idiot..."

"P-Pegamoron... you say...!?"

Pegasus began to shiver from the humiliation.

""H... Hmph... What a fool... You~ got~ yelled~ at~ Hehe..."

"Don't get carried away, Airimoron."

Noel made a troubled look on her face as she jabbed Airi for making fun of Pegasus.

☺

And so, after everyone introduced themselves and ordered some cake and tea and such to eat, the "mixer" as Noel called it officially began.

Unlike Noel, Airi was not an exchange student, but rather the daughter of an English couple that has lived in Japan for over 20 years.

She was born and raised in Japan, apparently having only returned to England to visit her parents' families every once in a while.

Airi and Noel became friends due to them sharing similar heritages, however while Noel quickly became popular at school, the incredibly shy Airi had a hard time making any friends.

According to Noel, she brought Airi along today precisely because of her shyness. Noel had hoped that by interacting with students from another school that Airi would be able to overcome her shyness.

Pegasus was impressed by her caring attitude, noting to himself that it's no wonder she was chosen to be the Student Council President despite being an exchange student.

Hayato on the other hand did nothing but fawn over Airi—— he wasn't just flattering her either, he seemed to honestly agree with her on everything—— and Airi seemed to have opened up considerably to Hayato as well.

Pegasus and Airi remained angry with each other. It's only natural though, seeing as how neither of them attempted to compromise with the other.

"Man~ That Airi girl is such a cutie~"

Hayato said to Pegasus as soon as they'd entered the men's bathroom together with a big fat grin on his face.

Pegasus frowned at this, and said,

"Hasegawa... Do you seriously like that thing?"

"Don't call her 'that thing' man. Either Airi or Fan, pick one."

"In your dreams. ...That woman... she's, how to put it... just off. Just way too off."

"Yeah, I know what you mean! The way she's kinda weird is part of what makes her so great~"

Pegasus grew even more irritated at the now completely blind Hayato.

"...Besides, I thought you only liked girls with big chests."

Pegasus had gone and found the exact kind of girl Hayato wanted, and yet he'd almost completely ignored Noel.

...Pegasus felt that he was being rude to her.

"Kashiwazaki... You shouldn't go judging a girl by the size of her chest man."

"...I am going to fucking kill you."

Pegasus was about to completely snap after having Hayato tell him that in all seriousness.

"No, I get it. To tell you the truth, I'm kinda surprised too. I guess the kinda girl you think is sexy isn't necessarily the kinda girl you fall in love with, ya' know what I mean...?"

Hayato explained, as though he'd suddenly attained enlightenment.

"No, I don't 'know what you mean', you idiot. ...Look, I won't say anything bad, but if you're gonna go out with someone go out with Noel. If you do, then I can honestly give you my suppor——"

"G-go out with? Man, y-you idiot, Kashiwazaki you idiot, it's way too soon for that man!"

Hayato began pounding Pegasus on the back with a pair of bright red cheeks.

...This guy's hopeless, nothing I say can stop him now.

Pegasus let out a big sigh and murmured "Whatever happens happens..." under his breath as he left the bathroom, having given up on trying to change Hayato's mind.

☺

Afterwards, the four of them spent about an hour chatting together and agreed to all meet up again another day before going their separate ways.

Hayato spent the rest of the day on cloud nine, even after Airi and Noel had left them.

Pegasus, Hayato, Airi and Noel continued to meet up with each other at a pace of about once every two weeks, and on their 10th "something resembling a double date" Hayato and Airi finally, at long last, officially began dating one another.

As for who asked who out, well, that depends on how you look at it.

By their 10th get-together, Airi no longer wore her eyepatch and Xiàhóu Fan had completely stopped appearing (although she appeared to still like 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'). Also, while she remained an introvert, she was clearly much more cheerful than before, and had even started having friendly conversations with Pegasus every now and then.

The event in question happened as everyone was saying their goodbyes as usual.

It was obvious Hayato and Airi loved each other, and yet they showed no signs of progress with each other whatsoever. There was even something resembling a hope that the four of them would be like this for the rest of their lives inside Pegasus as everyone said their usual goodbyes.

Then all of a sudden, Airi, who seemed less energetic than usual, suddenly formed an angry look on her face and yelled at Hayato, "Say ya' love me already!!" This in turn caused Hayato to reflexively yell back in return, "O-OK! I love you!!"

Airi then yelled, "Then say 'Please go out with me' already!!" to which Hayato yelled back, "Ah, OK! Please go out with me!!"

Upon hearing those words Airi's face turned a bright red, after which she murmured quiet as a mouse,

"............OK."

Shortly after, Pegasus and Noel burst into laughter on account of having had front row seats to that all too sudden, ridiculous confession of love that had not so much as a hint of romance to it.

Thus came the swift and unexpected end to the time the four of them spent together.

After Hayato and Airi started going out, Pegasus and Noel figured it wouldn't be polite to join them and barge in on their dates, and given that they no longer had the common goal of "supporting their best friend's love", they no longer had a reason to see each other.

Pegasus' relationship with Hayato didn't change much afterwards, although their trips to the baths together after school became much more infrequent.

☺

Then one day, about two months later, as Pegasus was on his way back from handling some business with his father at St. Chronica Academy,

"Long time no see, Kashiwazaki!"

He ran into Noel near the academy's gates.

After exchanging a quick greeting and seeing what each other had been up to lately, Noel asked, "Hey, it's pretty cold out here. Wanna go warm up in my room?"

Much like Uguisuyama high school, St. Chronica Academy also forbid its students from stopping at restaurants and the like on the way home from school—— That was the excuse she used for inviting him, a rule that their two friends were constantly breaking.

Only relatives of students and school faculty were allowed into the dorms, however using his status as "the next chairman" Pegasus boldly entered Noel's room, acting as though he had only the purest of intentions.

Noel's room was one she'd obtained as a perk for being the Student Council President, and it was rather large and well-made for such an old dorm, with a fairly high quality desk, chairs, bed, and other furnishings.

The two of them sat down on a cushion on the floor, drinking tea Noel had brewed while enjoying small talk that neither in particular had initiated.

Their main topic of discussion was Hayato and Airi, complaining about how the newly formed couple would always brag about each other to them at school.

They also talked a bit about their life at school, dreams for the future, and such.

Pegasus was going to succeed his father as chairman of St. Chronica Academy after graduating from college. He would also likely be married to his fiancée whom he'd yet to meet by then as well.

Noel was going to attend a college back home in England, and said her dream was to become a diplomat.

"I haven't even told Airi this, actually," she added with an embarrassed smile.

"What kind of school are you gonna turn St. Chronica into Pegasus?"

The answer to that question was not one Pegasus had on hand.

His future of succeeding his father's place had been prepared since his birth, and he did not think there was any room for his own will to interfere with said future.

In short, he'd never thought about what kind of school he wanted to make.

"...What kind of school would you make?"

Pegasus asked back, to which Noel replied after a brief contemplation,

"...A fun school, I guess. Ah, that's not to say I'm not having fun now, because I am. I've got Airi, and I got to know you and Hayato, too. I enjoy doing the Student Council President work too. But it'd be nice, if like... it was the kind of school where every single student attending it was able to live out a wonderful youth."

"A fun school, huh..."

Her words would one day become a great guiding light for Pegasus.

It was unclear which of them began the kiss they shared.

The mood simply took them there, as they both leaned in towards each other and pressed their lips together.

They then continued—— as the mood led to them sharing their bodies with one another.

Come to think of it, apparently Hayato and Airi held hands for the first time just the other day.

That bit of trivia ran through Pegasus' mind as he felt the warmth coming from Noel with his whole body.

From that day on, Pegasus and Noel would occasionally meet up and go on secret dates.

Their secret relationship, hidden from even their best friends, continued for the next three months until the end of Noel's exchange student program, after which she returned home to England.

In the end, neither of them ever clearly stated they liked or loved the other.

Thus ended Pegasus' love with Noel Redfield—— the only person besides his parents who he allowed to call him "Pegasus".

☺

Though he may have parted ways with Noel, many turbulent stories continued to fill Pegasus Kashiwazaki's life.

It was a very strange thing for him, especially considering that he'd always thought his life was one meant to be walked on a path already laid out for him.

One time, he helped Hayato and Airi make up after a big fight.

Another time, a large uproar that shook the entire school occurred after the school discovered Hayato and Airi were dating, which Pegasus solved with his authority far beyond any normal high schooler's.

Hayato likely wouldn't have been able to graduate from high school were it not for Pegasus. It may have be around this time that Hayato and Pegasus became true best friends for life.

After the incident had been handled, Hayato made an embarrassing confession.

"...Last year, the reason I got so close to you when we ended up in the same class... It was because I thought it'd benefit me to be friends with you, since you were an honor student with the best grades in school and the only son of a rich family."

In response, Pegasus simply wryly smiled and said,

"In that case, I'd have to say you made the right decision back then. You wouldn't have been able to stay at this school if it weren't for me."

"Yeah, you're right. ...But you know, I kinda regret it now. I'd rather have become friends with you the normal way, no strings attached."

Pegasus thought to himself—— Hayato Hasegawa hides a certain slyness behind his carefree attitude, and yet is still pure and a bit of a coward at heart. He's usually bold, but oddly sensitive at times too, and it's all those traits of his that make me like him so much.

"Who cares how or why we got to know each other? Or what, is that still the only reason you're friends with me?"

"N-no! 'Course it's not! ...Man, you know, you're pretty indifferent about this kinda stuff."

"I-indifferent...!? No I'm not, I'm just big-hearted!"

"Yeah yeah, fine. You're as big as they come, big shot Pegasus."

"Do not call me by that name!!"

They then graduated high school, having lived a rowdy youth.

Upon first meeting his fiancée, Pegasus swore to himself that he must not ever let her find out about Noel. She'd probably kill him if he did.

One time he got caught up in a big uproar about Hayato and Airi getting married while still in school, causing Pegasus to end up getting married sooner than he'd planned as well.

He then had a child at the same time as Hayato, almost as if it were a competition.

Hayato's son's name was Kodaka.

Pegasus' daughter's name was Sena—— Pegasus thought it was a fine name she would never have to be embarrassed about, if he did say so himself. He got into a big fight with his father as a result of it though.

Another time, he set up an arranged marriage between Kodaka and Sena.

Pegasus was well aware that the existence of a fiancée could become a shackle in one's youth, and yet he still arranged their marriage anyway—— hoping that one day he could be not just best friends, but real family with Hayato and Airi.

Besides, Kodaka and Sena didn't live far away with no chances to meet each other like Pegasus and his wife did before. Pegasus and Hayato eventually became busier and had less chances to meet, but they still lived in the same town. On top of that, they were their children, he was sure they would get along fine.

Of course, he wouldn't force the two of them to marry or anything like that. If they weren't interested in each other, they could just ignore the whole thing entirely.

It truly was meant to be a small promise... A small promise on the level of a pinky promise between two children.

Pegasus never imagined this small promise would one day deeply wound a young girl's heart.

Time passed, and Pegasus became chairman of St. Chronica Academy.

Soon after his appointment as chairman, he began a large change that would turn St. Chronica into a co-ed school.

He had but a single goal:

Please, let all students who enroll at this school live out a splendid youth.

He enacted many daring changes that were close to acts of tyranny, such as greatly loosening the famously strict school rules, and allowing many more students from other schools apply to the high school division. This revolution, however, did not produce any significant changes in the short term.

St. Chronica's reputation as a "100-year-old missionary school, and one of the best college-prep schools in the prefecture", was firmly entrenched and would not be moved so easily.

Still, thanks to those changes, the story of a boy reuniting with a girl he was friends with in his childhood was able to begin 14 years later.

And then—— the worst day of Pegasus' life came.

Hayato Hasegawa's beloved wife and a dear friend Pegasus had spent his youth with,

Airi Hasegawa, died.

Her body was so beautiful it was impossible to believe she'd been in an accident as she lay there surrounded by flowers, almost as if she were sleeping, and upon seeing her body, Pegasus began crying and screaming, ignoring the people around him.

Hayato, who stood next to him, bit into his lip without shedding a single tear.

"...Don't yell so loud, Zaki. You're gonna wake up Kobato."

In Hayato's arms lay his daughter, still just a young baby.

"...Aren't you... going to cry?"

Pegasus asked, unable to hold himself back.

"...I don't have time to cry. I've gotta protect... what she left behind."

A strong determination rested within Hayato's eyes.

Beside him was a young child curiously looking up at Pegasus—— that child was Kodaka.

"...Let me know if there's anything I can do."

Hayato looked at Pegasus and made a tiny smile.

"Sorry for all the trouble, Zaki."

"...Don't be such a stranger with me."

Pegasus forced his disheveled teary-eyed face into a smile, and said,

"We're friends for crying out loud. All three of us."

☺

A lot happened after that day.

Then one night, after 15 years of time had passed since parting ways with Noel, a visitor came.

As Pegasus was busy working in his mansion's study, an old stewardess with a bewildered expression told Pegasus that there was a girl here asking to see him.

"A girl...? At this time of night? Who is it?"

"I don't know... All she would tell me is that 'telling my name to anyone else would cause problems for your boss'..."

"Huh? What's that about...?"

It's probably a student from the academy, Pegasus guessed, as he opened the door to greet the girl.

She was a beautiful girl with blond hair and blue eyes wearing a coat and carrying a small travel bag likely filled with only the bare essentials.

Based on her appearances—— she was probably about 14 years old.

Her face still gave an innocent appearance, but she was rather expressionless, and had a very cold pair of eyes.

Her hair, eyes, and the color of her skin came from "her".

Her dignified looks—— especially the area around her eyes, seemed to resemble both his and "hers".

The quality of her voice resembled "hers", but the tone of voice she produced was a mechanical one he had not once heard from "her".

"My name is Stella Redfield. It's nice to meet you, Dad."

Back to Riddle

Return to Main Page

Forward to Two Stars