With that out of the way, I've arrived at the park where I'm supposed to meet Olympia. But I don't see her anywhere.
I pull out my phone and call her.
After a few rings, she picks up: "Kiyomi! Where are you!? I've been waiting for you for over an hour!"
"Wait, were we supposed to meet earlier? I thought we said—"
"Oh, no. You're right on time. I just chose to get here early so I wouldn't leave you waiting. Well, I got here early, so I can make you feel bad for making me wait. Anyway, the area of the park I'm at right now is a little hard to find. You're standing right in front of the entrance where the sign is, right? Let me send you directions on how to get to where I'm at. I'd say it out loud, but we both know you'll forget them and somehow get lost."
She sends the directions, which honestly seem complicated. I wonder if I'm going to find her.
"Well, I'll see you soon. I have an award for you if you can find me within thirty minutes. Ciao ciao."
She hangs up. I didn't get to say goodbye.
As I follow the instructions sent by Olympia, I feel as if she sent me on a wild goose chase. But walking around the areas of the park I'm not accustomed to is oddly relaxing. For some reason, there's no one here, so all I hear is the sound of nature: birds chirping, squirrels racing around, and soothing water from the nearby pond.
As I get closer to where Olympia has been waiting (needlessly, might I add), I come across a familiar face.
One that I unexpectedly expected to see.
Not Kagami.
But Kumiko.
Kumiko Kikunaga.
I've had plenty of one-on-one chats with everyone else, but I can't recall if I've spent alone time with just Kumiko.
Hmm, every time I've called out to her in a certain way, she tends to look annoyed. Well, this is the first time I'll meet the Kumiko of this world, so let's try to make a good first impression.
"Hey, you're Kumiko, right?"
"..."
She ignored me. I would, too, if I were her, though. It's best not to talk to strangers. Especially when you're alone with them.
"I ran into your aunt a while ago. I don't think I know her real name, but she goes by Emanon, right?"
Her eyebrows raised. Gotcha. Wait, thinking that makes me feel like a creep…
"Who…are you?" she mutters under her breath.
"Kiyomi. Kiyomi Otonashi. We go to the same school. I doubt you know much about me, but I know quite a bit about you."
"Like what?"
"I know that your best friend is Olympia Ventura, the most popular person in our school."
She glares at me. I guess she didn't like that. I'm not sure how I should proceed.
"Is…is there anything else you know about me?"
"Hmm, I know that one person tends to call you Kumi. I wonder who, though…"
She laughs, very briefly, though. I guess even in this world, she wants to hide her true emotions.
I know that she tries to seem coarse, but deep down, she's a soft person. Has she always been like this? I hardly know anything about her. I'll take this opportunity to grow closer to her. I already considered her a friend in the previous world, so I'd like to be friends with her in this world, too.
"Would you mind if I ask you some questions? You know, to get to know you. I came here so I could spend some time with Olympia," I request from Kumiko.
For a brief moment, I saw rage in her eyes as I said that.
"...Whatever," she says. Always trying to seem rough in any world, huh?
"What types of guys are you into?" I ask.
"... "
"..."
Maybe I shouldn't have started with that…
"I'm… not that into guys…"
It takes me a second to comprehend the gravity of what she just said.
And once it hits, my eyes widen as much as they can.
She puts her hand on my chin and closes my mouth for me.
"S-Sorry for that reaction. I-I didn't know," I frantically spit out of my mouth.
"How could you have known? I don't recall ever speaking with you before today."
"Y-Yeah, you're right. Let me change my question: what type of girls are you into?" I know I shouldn't ask this, but I didn't know how to continue this conversation. Hopefully, I didn't make things even more awkward.
"I like girls with nice breasts—"
"Pfft." Shit, I should've kept that in. That wasn't a laugh because I think less of her; I just felt so awkward that she revealed such a thing to me. It's not a bad thing! Of course, it isn't! I'll stop rambling.
She gives me an annoyed look but proceeds. "I like girls who aren't afraid to be open with others. Someone who doesn't make others feel like they're being a burden when they're opening up. Someone who accepts you for who you are, but at the same time, wants to change parts of you that can be better. Someone who doesn't want to make me an entirely different person, but someone who will be there to help me become a better person. Someone who'll push me to be better. Someone who'll pick me up when I'm down. Another thing that I'd like in a girl, and don't judge me for this, is if they remind me that it's okay for me to be me and for me to be here. Sometimes I forget that, but she's always there to remind me."
She's always there.
Oh.
Now I get it.
She was speaking of a specific person all along.
She was speaking of—
"Olympia. I explained broadly what types of girls I'm into, but honestly, the only person who has had my heart, and still does, is Olympia Ventura. She's lifted me when I couldn't get up by myself, time and time again. Olympia has always been there for me, reminding me that it's okay for me to be here and it's okay for me to be me. While simultaneously pushing me to become a better person. In other words:
"I love her.
She said it.
She shared with me something that isn't easy to share.
As coarse as she may portray herself, deep down, she's a soft person.
She's more honest than me.
"I appreciate you sharing this with me," I say. "I have another question I'd like to ask."
She snorts before she responds, "Okay, shoot."
"Would you mind not killing me?"