"Just try," I told him.

Siro winced, and I felt like punching his face.

"Why the hell will he do that, gaijin? Let's go," said one of his friends. However, Siro himself was silent. He was not moving at all.

Hey, maybe it will actually work. He was talking as if he knew a lot about Kendo. Maybe he actually had been going to join the club before my appearance.

"You will feel sorry for missing this chance…"

I smiled:

"Or are you just afraid that you won't be able to pass the test? After I did…"

"You…"

Siro ground his teeth. Then, hesitation appeared on his face. He remained silent for a moment before at last, he walked toward the tree.

The friends of Siro looked at him, confused.

"I will be back soon," he told them,

"You can go."

He took the sword from my hands. I walked into the crowd. Takeshi was looking a bit lost at the moment. At last, he picked up the Application list...

"Shirogane Toshihiro, you can write it right now," said Siro.

Takeshi nodded his head and started searching for the pen.

"Wait," suddenly, Siro frowned.

"Do it after I will pass the test," he added and smashed at the tree.

…

For the duration of the following few minutes, I was watching him trying to catch the falling leaves.

Other people were slowly leaving. And for a good reason. Why would you watch the same show for the second time in a row? Friends of Siro had also left. He did not pay them attention.

I was still standing.

Fifteen minutes went by. I myself have passed the exam quicker than that, probably because of my talent.

Shirogane was getting angry. He was stealing glances at me from time to time, fueling his anger. Soon, however, he forced himself to calm down. He even listened to Takeshi's advice. After half an hour, he caught the second leaf. Soon after that, he caught the third. His following attempt was going very well. He caught four leaves and was about to catch the fifth one, when suddenly…

A basketball smashed against Siro's face and forced him to crash against the tree. Leaves started falling around him.

I opened my eyes wide and looked to the side from which the ball came.

"Ouch," said Murakami, who appeared there out of nowhere.

"My mistake…"

She made a wry smile.

…

…

…

I had been in a good mood for the first half of our walk back to the dorm; then, once again, I heard the rustle of the leaves above my head. I suddenly felt tired while listening to that sound. I was so exhausted by the time I came back to my room, that once I went in, I just crashed on the futon...

I had been lying like that for a minute or so, listening to the sound of the wind behind the window; then, I put out the magazine.

First, I checked my profile:

[Main Character:

Name: Kyle (Kiryu) Reed

Age: 15

Str: E

End: E-

Int: B+

Special abilities: Kendo: E]

Before passing the exam, I had [Kendo: E-]. Now there was no minus anymore. Though I wonder, why my initial grade was E- instead of F.

There must be some explanation.

I don't have, though.

As for everything else…

[RomCom

Genre Score: 16/16]

…

[SpoCon

Genre Score: 9/9]

And overall…

[Score: 18P]

I guess I can buy some stuff in the SHOP. However, maybe it will be better to preserve my points until I will really need them.

Almost all the missions I had in the Mission Bar were green, or Accomplished. There was only one yet to be done.

[Become friends with the Heroine-type character]

What about my relationship with Murakami, by the way? I checked and saw that the number had grown once again, and now it was 79. What was the reason for the sudden increase this time, I wonder…

I just don't know.

Anyway, even a number this high was only in the (Great affection) category. I wasn't sure what exactly I should do for us to become friends.

I thought some more, shook my head, and asked the clown:

"So, I should be free for this month?"

"Not exactly," he answered.

"Every month not only do you have to accumulate the required score, but you also have to do at least Two ARKS."

"Arks?"

"Yes, like story arks. It is a set of missions tied by the singular main objective. Just now you had "Introductory" or One-shot Arks. There can be other types of arks. A tournament ark, for example. Or "First Date" ark."

"I see…"

Seems like I was yet to be free.

I sighed and opened the window, letting the wind into the room.

At least the most urgent task has been dealt with, so now I have some time to think about this entire situation.

Up until now, I have been doing everything just like the clown told me to. I was as obedient as a toy is.

Yet I was paying attention to every word of the clown.

There were nine lines in the Table of Content of the magazine. Maybe I need to fill them all to regain my freedom. In addition, there was that one very last page that the clown was so acting so mysterious about…

For now, at least, I had no other way but to go with the flow.

I lay for some more time, and then I heard a beeping sound. That was my phone. It was about to run out of power. I remembered that I had left the charging device with my other stuff in the hotel.

Guess I have to go there to take my things…

Even though I don't really want to go anywhere now.

I winced and walked outside. There, I felt a light wind. It was pleasant, and yet it made me feel hungry again. I wasn't sure that I will be able to get to the bus stop in my current condition…

"Going somewhere?" suddenly asked Murakami. The girl was standing on the sandy road holding her red bicycle.

"I have to get something from the hotel… And you?"

"Nowhere in particular. I just wanted to have a ride… By the way…"

She made an awkward smile:

"Shall I give you a lift? Neighbors ought to help each other!"

"They do, but…"

I was about to say no, but I forced myself to stay silent. It was a good proposal, after all. To become friendlier with that girl I had to spend more time with her…

I signed and said:

"Sure, let's go."

"Good!"

I approached the bike. Then, I sat down on the back seat. I had to keep my hands on it so I won't fall. That was far from comfortable.

"You need to hold on to the driver, you know," said Murakami.

"That's good enough," I answered.

"Hmm…"

Murakami nodded her head and started driving. We went through the forest path, first, then through the yard. There was no one there anymore, only a pleasant desolation. At last, we stopped just in front of the steep road down the mountain.

I felt sick just looking at it.

To tell you the truth, I cannot drive a bike.

"That's gonna be exciting," said Murakami.

"Hold tight."

Wait, are you going to…

I widened my eyes. I was about to say that maybe we better walk the mountain down on foot, but Murakami was pedaling already.

"Here we go!"

…The bike sprinted forward. I felt my body become light. For an instant, I felt like I was flying. White hair scattered on my face. I was about to fall. I had no choice and I gripped the waist of Murakami with all my might…