Seishun Buta Yarou Series - Volume 10 - Chapter Ep

Last Chapter - Congratulations

The sky soared far above.

The air was as clear as could be.

Lighter than blue, but too vivid to call pale.

The moon hung there, shaped like a rugby ball.

Sakuta was gazing up at it, laughing. It looked so fake.

He was on the road between Kanazawa-hakkei and the main gates of campus.

Patches of other students were all around.

The day after the outdoor concert, which had been plagued by rain and technical issues.

Since that had been a Sunday, today was inevitably Monday. And of course, classes were held like normal.

No matter what happened off campus, the college grind went on.

He passed through the gate, stifling a yawn.

The student in front of him didn’t even bother.

This was pre–first period, so everyone was headed farther in. It wasn’t even nine yet. No one had reason to be leaving campus.

And yet, when Sakuta looked down the ginkgo path, he saw someone walking his way.

A friend of his.

Uzuki.

She spotted him and came over.

When they met, they stopped in the middle of the path, the athletic field to one side.

“Zukki, you leaving already?”

First period hadn’t even begun. Why had she even shown up?

“I stopped by the student affairs office and dropped off my withdrawal.”

“……”

That was sudden. He wasn’t sure what to say.

It took his brain a moment process what withdrawal even meant here.

“…You don’t waste time.”

That felt in line with her character, though. And he could guess why.

At the end of the previous day’s concert, Uzuki had made two announcements, both to the fans and to the members of Sweet Bullet.

First, that the rumors were true—she’d been offered a solo career and accepted it. But she wasn’t leaving Sweet Bullet. She was gonna do both.

And second…

“I’m gonna take everyone to the Budokan!”

An even bolder claim.

“So all of our fans! Nodoka, Yae, Ranko, and Hotaru! Everyone, do your part! Take me to the Budokan!”

Not the most orthodox way to wrap things up.

But hearing it made everyone in Sweet Bullet come in for a group hug, and the crowd went wild.

Not reading the room at all, Uzuki called for an encore, and the other girls gaped at her, but someone on staff took pity on them and started another song, so the five of them got to perform one final number together.

The concert wound up being a big success.

The a cappella third number during the power outage particularly made waves. Recordings of it were up on the Internet, and Uzuki’s dramatic entrance had earned them a whole slew of new fans. Kaede had been watching it on a loop since she got home.

“No lingering attachments here?”

“You asked me once.”

“Mm?”

“Why I chose statistical science.”

“Oh, yeah. I did.”

During their jaunt round Misakiguchi.

“As a gift to the departed, I’ll let you know.”

“I think you mean parting gift.”

He had not yet shuffled off this mortal coil.

“I thought I might figure it out if I came here.”

“Figure what out?”

“Who ‘everyone’ is.”

“……”

He reacted with silence, but he’d been thinking the same thing.

“And I thought knowing that would help me understand the girls better.”

She grinned sheepishly. And that proved she meant it. She’d never been able to read the room and never quite fit in, even in Sweet Bullet. They’d accepted her despite that. But she wanted to understand them better, if she could. To really get what Nodoka and the other girls were going through. She’d known her happiness wasn’t something “everyone” decided, but something she made for herself…but that just made her want to know how the other members defined it. Naturally, it was all tied up in the hope that understanding better would make them even closer.

And as a means to that end, Uzuki had tried to learn more about everyone. To become part of that crowd.

And her goals had aligned with those who resented her for being somebody and wanted to make her just another college girl.

The result? Uzuki had started to share their sensibilities, dress like they did. Have fun talking about the same things. She’d begun reading the room.

To Sakuta’s mind, that was the true nature of the Adolescence Syndrome here. Rio might have found a better way to explain it, but this was good enough for him. He didn’t need to tackle the ongoing phenomenon—only his friend Uzuki Hirokawa.

“I bet you had a similar reason.”

“Mm?”

“For picking statistical science. You knew what I meant, but you’re playing dumb.”

Uzuki grinned, reading him well.

“Like I said, I just picked the major that seemed the easiest to get into.”

“Well, I decided to let you study for both of us. If you figure anything out, lemme know.”

“Did you even listen to me?”

“I ignored it on purpose.”

She flashed him a broad grin, then got serious.

“I’m glad I got to talk to you one last time, Sakuta.”

“Witty repartee is always fun.”

“Exactly!”

Uzuki glanced down at her phone. She was probably keeping an eye on the time.

“You got work?”

“Yeah, I gotta run.”

She held out her hand.

“Oh, Zukki,” he said, taking her hand.

A parting handshake.

“……?”

She smiled, waiting for him to finish.

He didn’t have the rest ready. He’d only just learned she was leaving school. But his feelings took shape all on their own and spilled right on out.

“Congrats on graduating.”

If college was time spent prepping for life in the world at large, then Uzuki was ready to go on her way.

A little faster than the rest, but embarking on a path she’d chosen.

For a moment, she just blinked at him. Then she giggled and looked pleased.

Her hand gripped his. She smiled once more, then said, “I really gotta go,” and raced off toward the gate.

The students flooding in saw her going out. They were all dressed like typical college kids again today. Same hair, same backpacks, same makeup, same purses. Talking about the same things, checking the same sites on their phones, listening to the same music on their earphones. Uzuki could drop out, but that wouldn’t change. This was their normal.

And Uzuki saw them looking at her.

She saw and didn’t let it bother her.

She just kept going full tilt out the gates.

A few steps off campus, she suddenly hit the brakes, like she’d remembered something.

She spun back to look at Sakuta.

“Bye-bye, Sakuta!” she cried, jumping up and down and waving both hands.

This Uzuki couldn’t read the room.

But this wasn’t a regression. She was undeniably different from her old self.

She’d learned how things went. She knew that people laughed at her. She discovered a part of herself that was willing to laugh at others.

But she would no longer pick up on that in real time.

She didn’t notice the students passing her and laughing. Didn’t hear them scoffing “So cringe” or “It’s too early.”

She just kept waving, happily waiting for Sakuta to respond.

So he waved back, just as dramatically.

That earned him some appalled looks, but he didn’t care.

Uzuki yelled, “Bye-bye!” again, with a thoroughly satisfied grin. That smile mattered far more to him.

She ran off toward the station, no longer lost.

He watched her go.

Not taking a step until she was out of sight.

It took all of three seconds.

And when the fourth second rolled around, a girl’s voice came from his side.

“Aww, such a shame. And after I let her read the room.”

There was a woman standing next to him. She looked to be around twenty.

She wore red. But not your typical red. She was dressed like Santa Claus. A miniskirt version, with black tights beneath.

“……”

Sakuta blinked at her a few times, and she caught him looking. She scanned their surroundings, like she was checking something. Sakuta followed her gaze.

“I’m impressed,” she said, putting her hand to her lips. A phony gesture. “You can see me.”

A cute face. Cutesy body language.

The clock showed eight forty-five AM. Five minutes till first period began. The students headed down the grove were in a hurry.

There must have been fifty or sixty around, but none of them showed any interest in the mystery Santa. That miniskirt should’ve been impossible to miss. It didn’t seem like they were pretending not to notice, either.

They couldn’t see her at all.

“I thought you might, Azusagawa.”

“…Who are you again?”

He didn’t know any Santas.

“Don’t worry, this is the first time we’ve met.”

“I have only worries.”

She clearly knew him, but if only he could see her…how was he supposed to relax?

“But you do know about me.”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“Oh?”

The miniskirt Santa’s grin got downright mean.

“I’m Touko Kirishima,” she said.

He did know that name.