Prologue: The Midsummer Winds Attract Worrisome Dreams

Prologue

 

The Midsummer Winds

Attract Worrisome Dreams

 

Thump, thump, thump, thump…

Nagisa’s heart fluttered anxiously. The fingers of her tightly clenched fists pressed together as a light breeze slid across her stomach. It felt as if something precious was slipping through her pale, dry fingertips like sand, and she gripped her hand even tighter.

Oh gosh…Am I…Am I doing something completely outrageous…?

Nagisa grew nervous, picking up her pace as she cut through Maiden Park toward the Strawberry Dorms.

I never left class early, or the school, for that matter. I also never felt this anxious until today. It’s so nerve-wracking…

No, it’s different.

It wasn’t nervousness that tormented Nagisa, but pain, sorrow, and uncertainty. Frustration.

No, I’ve made up my mind…I made my decision the moment I declared my withdrawal from the competition. And I don’t want to admit that I regret it already. There was nothing else I could do. It couldn’t be helped.

Nagisa shuffled faster. Her confusion was so great that she couldn’t think of anything else to do but stare blankly at a small point of empty air ahead of her while she continued her steps along the slightly overgrown path. She pushed through the wind, defying its resistance, and forged ahead. The dark green cuffs of her Miator uniform fluttered violently.

This turbulence describes my feelings perfectly, Nagisa thought with a wry smile, but when she looked at the sky, like a daydream, she was called back into that memory.

 

It had been a windy day, like today, and the wind scattered the cherry blossoms across Astream Hill. Nagisa was lost, and suddenly a goddess appeared, standing proud—she was so beautiful and divine. The goddess seemed fearless and untouchable.

Back then, I didn’t know who she was—it was our first encounter. I asked her for directions. The first time I laid eyes on her, from that moment on… I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Yes, ever since then a part of my heart has belonged to her.

I wonder: why was I so obsessed with Shizuma-oneesama? It wasn’t a matter of whether I liked her or not, I was just captivated by her beauty. The first time I saw her, I was in awe. I gasped because I never imagined that a girl could be so beautiful.

And on top of that, I couldn’t believe such a beautiful girl paid attention to me. Hard to believe now, but it’s true.

Nagisa shook her head, pushing the memories away. I was being toyed with, but I couldn’t resist. I was at her mercy. And before I knew it, I did something I shouldn’t have done.

I got so scared that I let go.

Nagisa stopped and looked at her hands. Her palms were coated in sweat. She had been lost in her thoughts and walking at such a heavy pace that she had run out of breath and was sweating profusely.

Finally she saw the front gate of the Strawberry Dorms. It was unusually quiet and vacant. Nagisa had it all to herself. She was half-relieved Shizuma wasn’t there, especially since Nagisa had withdrawn from the competition, but also half-disappointed as well. That was the story of their relationship. She always wanted to be with Shizuma, yet at the same time didn’t want to be with her. Because she liked Shizuma, and at the same time was afraid of her. No, that wasn’t it. Nagisa liked Shizuma so much that she was afraid to be with her—a feeling she had never felt before.

She didn’t even recognize the feeling…it was love.

With mixed emotions, she clutched her traditional Miator leather school bag—a little heavy for a young girl—and entered the gate. For a brief moment, the memory of Shizuma guiding her to this dorm on her first day of school flashed through her mind. The memory was enchanting, like a magic spell.

And like a curse, it would not let her go.