Knowing everything is so much worse than knowing nothing. The next day at school is a masterclass in psychological torture, all of which is self-inflicted. Every interaction with Aiwa Matsuki is now loaded with the weight of three different identities and a decade-old marriage proposal.
She walks into class and gives me her usual shy, sweet "Good morning, Hinamata-kun."
My brain goes into overdrive. 'It is her! The girl! The one who promised to marry you! She is also LUNA! Act normal! What is normal?! Just say good morning back, you idiot!'
"Morn-good-ing!" I stammer out, a horrifying hybrid of words that makes no sense.
She just blinks at me, a confused but gentle smile on her face. "Are you okay, Hinamata-kun? You seem a little flustered."
"Flustered? Me? No! I am the opposite of flustered! I am… flust-less! Perfectly calm!" I give her a thumbs-up that is so stiff and awkward it looks painful.
My attempt to act normal has made me look like a malfunctioning robot. She just giggles, a sound that is both adorable and terrifying, and sits down at her desk.
This sets the tone for the entire day. Every time she speaks to me, my internal monologue is a frantic, screaming mess.
Aiwa: Can I borrow a pencil?My brain: SHE WANTS A PENCIL! THE SYMBOL OF MY DISCOVERY! IS IT A TEST?! ACT NORMAL!Me: (Shoving five pencils at her) TAKE THEM! TAKE ALL OF THEM!
Aiwa: Did you understand that last math problem?My brain: SHE IS TESTING MY INTELLIGENCE! A WORTHY PARTNER FOR HER FUTURE HUSBAND! DO NOT MESS THIS UP!Me: (Sweating profusely) TRIANGLES!
I am a complete and utter disaster. My awkwardness is so profound, so palpable, that everyone notices.
Kenji is the first to comment. "Dude, what is your problem?" he whispers during a lecture. "You are acting weirder than usual around Matsuki-san. Do you… like her?" He says the last part with a dramatic, horrified gasp.
"No! Of course not!" I hiss back.
But Rina and Haruka, who are now professional Rui-watchers, see my strange behavior and come to the exact same, completely wrong conclusion.
"He totally likes her," Haruka mutters to Rina as they are "casually" walking past my classroom for the sixth time that day.
"He does not," Rina says, her voice a low growl. "He is just being… polite. And weird. But he is mine."
That evening, the inevitable confrontation happens. Rina corners me in the kitchen. "Why were you acting so weird with Matsuki-san today?" she demands, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"I was not weird! I was normal!"
"You offered her your entire pencil case and then started sweating when she asked you about math! That is not normal, Rui! That is crush-level weirdness!" she accuses. "You like her, do you not?! After everything we have been through, you are falling for the new girl!"
"That is not it!" I protest, but I cannot tell her the real reason. I cannot say, 'Actually, she is a secret cosplay goddess who I promised to marry when I was seven, and I am currently having a prolonged mental breakdown about it.'
My frantic, unconvincing denials only serve to confirm her suspicions. "I see how it is," she says, her voice full of a tragic, heartbroken drama. "My own Onii-chan, my knight… his head has been turned by a new princess."
She storms off to her room, leaving me alone in the kitchen. My attempt to hide my secret has only succeeded in pouring gasoline on the already raging fire of my sister's jealousy. My life is a runaway train, and I am tied to the tracks.