"Heyy!!"
While I was walking to the classroom, someone bumped onto me.
I knew who it was the moment I felt them grabbing my hand.
"Hey Alice."
I Stated, giving a smile to her.
"You sure are late today!"
"I was kind of busy, sorry for making you wait!"
"Since you are already here, it's fine... shall we go to the class?"
"Mhm!"
This is usually our morning routine.
If one of us comes late, the other one shows up near the school gate to receive them.
To make our relationship seem real.
"So what were you doing? For you to be late. It's usually me who's late."
"Aah... I was studying an important topic, so I didn't wanna leave halfway."
I Stated while scratching the back of my head.
"Wait... was there an exam today? I don't remember!"
"No there isn't."
"So why were you studying so early in the morning? Isn't that what lovers do on the day of exam?"
Alice that's a very controversial thing to say, please apologise.
"I'm preparing for an exam after high-school, so for that reason I always study extra hard to make sure I Don't make the same mistake I made in my past-..."
"I see... good luck with that than!"
She stated, giving me a genuine smile.
She doesn't care does she? Why do I always rumble on and on unnecessarily.
I need to have my emotions in check if I wanna work where I wanna work.
"What about you? Do you have any plans for the future?"
I asked, trying to make idle conversation.
"That's a very personal question don't you think?"
She asked me.
"Haha... ofcourse, forget I asked."
I always end up getting reality checks from her like this.
Making it pretty obvious that she doesn't have any feelings for me whatsoever.
It stings whenever she draws the line on things that even friends ask each other about.
But, well... that is our relationship.
Everything about us is fake and it won't last any longer than whenever Frey gives up on her.
"By the way-"
"My father was a military officer... he died 5 years ago in service... I want to follow in his footsteps."
My heart ached when she said that...
"Sorry for your loss."
I Stated, patting her in her head.
"It's fine... it still hurts but I can push through."
"It's good, you are realy strong. Unlike me, I can't get over the fact that my mother left us for another man."
I remembered my mother from my childhood, who I have 0 memories with right now.
We have been completely cut off.
Suddenly I felt a warmth in my hand.
"If you become sad now, I might just end up crying."
Water droplets almost trickled down my eyes but I held it in.
I continued taking her hand as we walked all the way to the classroom together.
Memories of my mother kept coming in my mind as I repeatedly tried to hold back my tears.
Strangely, she too seemed to be doing the same thing.
Was she remembering her late father?
I held her hand tightly.
She looked at me in surprise, to which I just smiled kindly.
She too smiled at me.
And like that we reached the classroom.
I didn't know how my smile was but her smile made my heart pound so loudly she could probably hear it.
I could see her smirk but but I didn't know if it was because of my heartbeat or some other reason.
We parted ways, I sat at the back of the 2nd row while she was at the front of it.
Behind her was Rose and next to Rose was Frey.
So... how long has it been since we have started (fake) dating?
1 month?
Has it already been that long?
The entire class went upside down the day we announced our relationship.
Ofcourse, I Confessed to her.
There's no doubt that we have grown closer together.
Far closer than Rose and I ever were.
But we'll... who'd have expected.
We have the same dream.
That we follow the same ambition.
She carries it from her mother while I carry it from the regrets of my past life.
...
I don't really have any memories of my past life or who or what I was back than.
But, there's just 1 thing I do know and that was the regret of me not becoming a Militery officer.
I was a bit of a bum, I believe I had no memories of mu studies in lower classes because I never paid any real attention.
So when it was time to study fir the exam I could never really understand a lot of topics since I never read the basics or heard any real classes as a child.
So the curriculum was insanely difficult for me to read through and in the end I had to give up my dream because I ran out of time.
I ended up finding a normal job luckily and that's about all I remember.
My regret for not studying in class and my regret of not having enough knowledge to take the exam.
Now tho!
Now I do, I have so much knowledge on everything, it's almost scary.
But, we'll that's the dedication I put into studying.
From elementary to high school.
I did everything I possibly could to rectify my mistakes and here I am now.
*RING RING*
"Well that will be it for today's class."
2 more years to go and than, I'll ace the exam than show my absolute confidence in the interview and come out on top.
Becoming an Armed officer.
"Hey! What are you day dreaming so much about?"
Someone slammed me in the back as they asked me this question.
I didn't have to look back to know who it was.
Ofcoursez it was Alice.
"Nothing really, I was just dreaming of my future."
I stated.
"You shouldn't be day dreaming right in between class or you won't have a future to dream about."
She stated, while laughing a bit.
"What about you? Why are you staring at me when you should be listening to classes? Did I finally catch your eye?"
I asked her with a smug look.
"Ohhoho, aren't you quite confident? And? So what if I did? Aren't we already boyfriend and girlfriend or did you already forget that?"
My heart skipped a bit when she said that and for a second I thought of us as actual couple.
But... that was too far fetched so I calmed myself down.
"What's up with the sudden pause?"
She asked me.
"You just look really beautiful today."
"Buhu! W-wha- where did that come from???"
"What's with that Virgin like reaction?"
I blurted out, unaware that she'd react that way.
"You... suddenly complimenting a women like that, where do you even get all that confidence from."
What Am I not supposed to have confidence because I look ugly?
"I'm the kind of guy who'd confidently write the wrong answer and think it's 100% right. Me trying to build confidence has only backfired.. but we'll after doing various things to gain my confidence back, I atleast Don't stutter like a closer in front of you. That'd be embarrassing. Stuttering in front of such a beautiful women? I'd rather not."
I blurted out whatever came to my mind and than abruptly stopped myself.
I looked at her and... she was beet red.
"Why?"
I unknowingly blurted out the Japanese word for 'why'.
"Don't tell me... do you secretly like me or something?"
I asked her as I got closer to her ear.
"W-What the h-he'll are you even saying? O-ofcourse not!!"
"Yaa makes sense."
Afterall... she probably glanced at me while talking to Rose and Frey.
She probably actually never willingly looked my way.
Maybe she felt pity for me because most of the people went and sat with their friends while I was alone and it was lunch break right now.
So that's probably why she came here.
"Well it's lunch time so shall we go?"
I asked her.
"You go on ahead... I'll just skip this one."
"Are you perhaps going with the 2?"
I asked her, half hopeful that she doesn't and half hopeful that she doesn't.
Damn... what do I even want?
"Nope, I'm not feeling well so I'll just skip lunch today."
"Even if I bought you a delicious handmade lunch box?"
I asked her.
"What?"
"Mhm! Unlike you who can make only 3 portions at once, I've mastered the art of cooking. I can make even a 100 portions at once."
"But... aren't you just wasting money like this?"
"Nope, it's my reserves Anyway. I really don't mind feeding my beautiful girlfriend."
I Stated for everyone to hear.
I could feel jealous murmurs coming from everywhere but that's what I wanted.
"Are you sure? We aren't even a real couple..."
She stated that in my ear so nobody would hear.
I could hear people grinding their teeth filled with jealousy but.. it stung when she stated it with her own mouth that we weren't a couple.
"We may not be a couple but you are still an important person in my life. And, I never let important people in my life starve. It'd be against my moto as a future Armed officer."
"Huh?"
"Hmm... is something wrong?"
"You... what did you say?"
Is she that surprised that I called her a precious friend?
Well... that might have been interpreted in a different way couldn't it.
"Aah... I'm sorry if that made you uncomfortable... I meant as a friend, you are a important person in my life as a friend... I mean, It's more than just a friend but still... just for names-"
"No, not that... At the end, what did you say at the end?"
"What... did I say something at the end... It was against my motto as an ARMED OFFICER... FUC*"
"You... have the same dream as me?"