ANIMT - Episode 54

ANIMT - Chapter 54. Pinky Swear

I Got An Extra Six Months of Life Expectancy, And Now It’s My Time

Thanks to the energy I received from spending time with Umetaro-san the day before yesterday, I was able to complete my will after many rewrites.

Still, the content of these letters did not improve much from my first attempt…

As soon as the lunch break began, I went to the chemistry room and left my letters with Pochitaro, making sure to avoid Kusaka-sensei.

“Wafu? Wah-wah-wah!” I leave my parting words with you, Pochitaro.

After that, I walked down the chilly hallway, headed for an empty classroom for my lunch date with Kokomi.

“Hey, it’s Mitsu!”

Matsuri-senpai appeared with a cheerful voice and flagged me down. Accompanying her were the male members of the student council.

I really wanted to leave as soon as possible, since Kokomi was waiting for me, but the conversation somehow ended up turning towards the Magic Mock Battle Tournament. Matsuri-senpai said, “Aaah! Since we’re all here, I’m reminded of that embarrassing incident after the first mock battle.”

The incident in question could only be that one… After my first magic mock battle, the student president saw my terrible record and laughed at me along with Matsuri’s brother, the student council secretary. It was a truly infuriating and sad moment for me.

I didn’t care as much about it now, since it was in the distant past, but Matsuri-senpai had forced me to remember it.

“Apologize to her right now! Stupid president and stupid brother! Quick now!”

Like a force of nature, Matsuri forced them to bow to me apologetically.

Matsuri-senpai, she’s so strong…

Still feeling impressed by her, I noticed her subtly looking out the window and muttering, “Yuki-chan, are you doing okay?”

Today, light snow fell from the sky. The light dusting of snow must have made her think of the missing vice-president.

The face reflected in the window looked sad and I hesitated to speak up. But it seemed I was the only one who heard the muttering because Akito, the other Matsuri twin, suddenly exclaimed, “We should have a snowball fight!”

The president fired up too, vowing to win at all costs.

Are they elementary school kids?

Incidentally, I was also invited to the snowball fight. If you can believe it, they said they were going to do it now. I declined and managed to extricate myself, and after separating from the student council members, I hurried over to Kokomi.

I had made Kokomi wait for so long already… and while she probably wouldn’t get angry at me, I felt compelled to run as fast as I could. As I was leaving, the president said, “Here, I truly am sorry for before.” and tossed me a cream bun.

I’m more of a red bean bun person, but when I found out that this was a limited batch item that would immediately sell out every day, I decided to forgive him.

President, just know that this result was only because of the sweet gift and Matsuri-senpai’s earnestness!

* * * *

“… and so, at last, the final volume of ~The Story of Ascendance in a Pure All-Girls School~ (The Golden Maiden and Peach Maiden Meet) will be released this spring. There’s going to be an event during spring break to celebrate the release, and I am prepared to participate in it with all my might!”

It was lunchtime in an empty classroom. The two of us sat at the same desk. We were the only ones in the classroom, and Kokomi, sitting in front of me, was talking manically with all the gesturing and posturing she could muster.

I spread out my boxed lunch, which had gotten all mixed up because I had come running at full sprint. As I poked at the side dishes with my chopsticks, I chuckled and said, “Kokomi is so heated when it’s about that series. It probably doesn’t even need to be asked, but you’re going to get the limited edition, right?”

“Yes, of course! The first installment is as gorgeous as it used to be. As it is the last volume, it seems to be a book with a lot of energy and care. I’m so excited I can’t sleep at night before I even pick it up! I can’t wait to read the final volume that the author and everyone involved put their heart and soul into… !”

“Soul… ”

While I listened to Kokomi’s heated story, I was distracted by that word.

“… I guess I’m nearing the end of my life,” I thought to myself. I’ve been paying more attention to spiritual things that I usually don’t notice, like the afterlife and what happens to people after they die. But lately, I’ve caught myself in a daze contemplating them.

As I recall, when I was given an extra six months to live, Shiratama said something like, “Immediately after death, the connection between your body and soul has been temporarily strengthened by my angelic power.”

It was thanks to this temporary measure that I had an extra lease on life that took me up to today.

Based on this incident, it seems in a spiritual sense, the concept of a soul must exist after all…

I wonder what will happen to my soul when the countdown on my hand reaches zero?

Maybe it evaporates and disappears. Or maybe there really is a heaven or hell and I will be sent to one or the other. I don’t like thinking about such unanswerable questions, as it makes my head spin. But nowadays, I have started having such thoughts in my mind at the drop of a hat.

And then, in a moment of laxness, I accidentally voiced the first question that popped into my head.

“… Hey, Kokomi, you know. What do you think happens to a person’s soul when they die?”

“What? Their soul?”

After dropping such a bombshell, I suddenly returned to my senses and hurried to fix my mistake.

“… Oh, I’m sorry! Now… now… just… so… uh… !”

I got lost in my own world and slipped up without taking into account the place and situation. It was only natural that Kokomi was stunned. Because, from her point of view, there was no context and it didn’t make any sense. I cringed so hard inside.

“Nah, it’s nothing, just forget it… ! Sorry to interrupt! Let’s get back to books… Oh, I know, I read a book yesterday and I just thought about it now. That question just came out of my mouth without thinking… !”

“A book?”

“Yes, yes! I read a lot, too, though not as much as you. I read books about the world of the dead, spirits, and other such subjects!”

As I made a painfully vague explanation, Kokomi’s face remained inquisitive, but eventually she put it aside with, “I’d like to read some of the books you like. Please lend me one.”

Dangerous… dangerous… dangerous…

It’s definitely not easy to share any of my secrets, but I almost made Kokomi worry unnecessarily. I have to refrain from lowering my guard.

I’m not sure what she would think of me if I were to find such a book and have her read it.

“Back to the topic, let’s see. So… the event to celebrate the release of the last volume, right? What’s it going to be like? What do you do there?”

“Are you interested in joining me, onee-sama?

Changing the subject, Kokomi ate up her food with gusto, her purple eyes blazing.

“The event will include an autograph session as well as a talk panel with the author! Speaking of spring break, do you have any plans already?”

“Yeah… ”

“As I recall, onee-sama’s birthday is at the end of March, isn’t it? You came to visit me at my villa during the summer break, and this time I’d like to take you to my parents’ place for spring vacation. We can have a big celebration! I’d love to bring onee-sama to some of the local attractions.”

“Where in particular?”

“There is a large forest park relatively close to my house where there are clover fields all over the place! It is a place where I remember looking for four-leaf clovers with my family in the past, and I would like to visit there with onee-sama on a sunny day. We can invite Umetaro-san, Pochitaro-san, and Futaki-san to join us for a picnic. And everyone can stay at my house, how about that? Don’t you like the sound of that, onee-sama?”

My chopsticks halted part way to my mouth as I searched for a suitable response to this wonderful suggestion this adorable girl made with such a beaming smile.

As Kokomi said, I’d love to do fun things with my closest friends. If I brought Pochitaro, Kusaka-sensei would probably join us too, and if Umetaro-san came, there was a small chance that even the headmaster might show up. The very thought excited me. We could even look for four-leaf clovers together; Kitora, Kokomi, and I.

This was a very exciting idea that hit all the right notes for me.

But no…

I won’t be around when spring comes around.

I would normally reply cheerfully with a, “I’m looking forward to it,” and act as naturally as possible until the situation passed.

Maybe I should do the same this time.

I glanced at Kokomi and tried to open my mouth with a smile.

But before I could, Kokomi, who had seen the turmoil in my heart, batted her long eyelashes and said with a mysterious look on her face, “… I knew it. Today, onee-sama is looking a little off.”

“I’ve always been aware that you were carrying a heavy burden. I thought it must be a difficult problem that you couldn’t easily talk about, so I kept quiet about it. Recently, today especially, you’ve been looking sadder and sadder. Even if you are not aware of it yourself, I can see it plain as day.”

“Well… ”

“If you don’t mind, could you please confide in me? I would like to be of some help to you, onee-sama.”

With a strong will burning in her big eyes, Kokomi gave it to me straight. Her plea was hard to ignore.

The fact that she had been thinking about this for a long time, and having this pointed out to me was both surprising and heartbreaking, and for a moment, my heart was shaken to the core.

Still… I can’t say anything…

While I’m alive, I can’t reveal that I am living on borrowed time. It was a secret that I could not share with anyone, even my dear friend Kokomi. No matter how much I have to hide, no matter how much pain, endurance, and heartache I feel, this is the only thing I can do.

“Am I not able to help you at all, onee-sama?”

I was not able to do it again, because I had to laugh at the situation, and I could not do it in front of Kokomi, who was desperately trying to appeal to me.

The little Kokomi that sat across from me at this desk, clenched her tiny fists tightly and shook ever so slightly. I gently put the chopsticks down and turned to face her firmly. It seems like I would have to give her a sincere answer.

“Oh, Kokomi. You’re right that I have a secret that I can’t tell anyone. I can’t share it with anyone, even you. At least not right now… ”

“Onee-sama… ”

“But you know what? I’m sure the day will come when you’ll understand everything.”

I know it’s not my place to say this, but if my parting words are delivered properly, then maybe…

“It’s difficult now, but I’ll definitely tell you. Besides, just the fact that you worry about me like that is enough to give me strength and energy. You are really the most reliable friend I have ever had since entering high school.”

“Hoh, really? I am the best? Fuhaha, does onee-sama rely on me more than Futaki-san?”

“You don’t have to compare yourself with Kitora!”

I like their skirmishes, they really make the ordinary days more interesting.

The air in the classroom was tense, and the temperature was cold, but after our earnest discussion, I felt warm.

“I was suddenly driven by a strange sense of agitation and tried to get you to tell me what was troubling you. I am sorry if that made you feel uncomfortable. But promise me one thing. When you decide to share your secret, you must tell me before you tell Futaki-san… This one thing is non-negotiable!”

“Uh-huh. Okay, I promise.”

Then I’ll have to see Pochitaro again later and tell him about the change in the order of delivering my letters. He’s a smart dog, so I’m sure he can handle it.

And then I suddenly thought, ‘If I’m making a promise, then I should make it seriously,’ and I leaned over the desk so that I wouldn’t bump my lunch box.

“This is a little old-fashioned, isn’t it? But let’s make a pinky promise. I know it’s not something you do nowadays, but just in case.”

“Pinky… promise?”

“What, you don’t know about it?”

Her genuine curiosity surprised me. Surely she has to know what a pinky promise is… right?

“When you make a promise to a friend, it’s an act of swearing to keep it. In this case, it’s to make sure that I don’t break my promise. It’s like a simple spell.”

“Really? I had few friends, and we never did this… What do I have to do?”

“We intertwine our pinky fingers and wave them up and down and sing, ‘Pinky promise, hope to die, swallow a thousand needles if you lie. Pinky cut!’”

“A thousand needles… That’s quite a heavy punishment. If onee-sama somehow makes a mistake, do you still have to carry out the sentence?”

“… Ya, uh. Let’s take it easy! Hey!”

With a fearful expression, Kokomi-san took the ritual seriously.

I really have to tell Pochitaro to deliver in the proper order, or I’ll become a liar after I die and she’ll hate me.

Anyway, I hooked my pinky finger with Kokomi’s and quickly performed the pinky promise.

This was nostalgic. I used to do it with Kaede every once in a while.

After a brief pause, I said, “Pinky swear!” and let go. With a smile on my face, I told Komomi that the promise was sealed.

“If you ever have another serious promise with someone, give it a try. Well, I think it’s time for me to eat my lunch and head off to… ”

As I sat back in my chair I was astonished to see the clock out of the corner of my eyes. The lunch break had almost ended!

“K-Kokomi! We have to eat quickly! It’s time… it’s time… !”

“What? Oh, my God! I was asked to be the teacher’s assistant for the next hour in a practical magic lesson”

“What? That means we can’t afford to waste any more time!”

We shoveled rice into our mouths and made a mad dash for class. I managed to get into the classroom just in time for the start, but I didn’t expect it to be a self-study session.

I was even a little embarrassed when Yamadori-kun and Uminari-kun laughed at my sweaty, frantic appearance.

----Another day had passed.

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TL Note: Mald Frogs Club tries to capture the intent of the author when translating these chapters. This is not a literal translation and we can not guarantee the accuracy of it. We re-structure sentences to improve the flow and if we spot what appears to be an obvious error, we fix it as we go.