Butterfly Dream — Epilogue 2

[gyaxa]

Tsukasa: ……

(... Mmnh. Ah, I must’ve fallen asleep.)

(That was quite a nostalgic dream.)

(Back then, Sena-senpai never smiled in front of me—not even once.)

(Though he could pull off a most perfect smile for the fans when we were performing—)

(Perhaps it was because he thought nothing more of me than a burdensome newbie. I was always just one step behind everyone else…)

(I had no chance of ever catching a glimpse of such a sight.)

(That’s why today, when Sena-senpai started laughing in such an undignified manner…)

(I realized that now, I can laugh together with him—cry with him. It feels like I’m dreaming… it makes me overjoyed.)

(He still hasn’t changed his teasing ways, and pronounces my name wrong on purpose.)

(But despite being so harsh with his words, he never once tried to selfishly drive me out.)

(He always accepted me in the end, after I grit my teeth and stuck it out.)

(The sight of his back, always so elegant, proud, and forthright… That figure, so strong, kind, and beautiful, like that of a picture-perfect knight—I always looked up to it.)

(And that’s why… it never sat well with me how strange he’d start to act around Yuuki-senpai.)

(I’m sure he needed something to help him relax sometimes, like how I am with my favorite sweets…)

(And that “something” was Yuuki-senpai, although I’m sure it brought him no end of trouble.)

(I must thank you, Yuuki-senpai. Even if it was just one fleeting moment, a mere act, by standing in your shoes, I finally realized…)

(Even if I haven't been treated as outwardly affectionately as I may have hoped, I’ve been blessed with quite a lovely situation myself.)

(I was forced to put in my utmost effort first, rather than having everything handed to me on a golden platter.)

(No, I was blessed enough just being able to undertake what I wanted to.)

(We can’t help wishing for things we don’t have… but we learn to persevere through that and grasp them with our own two hands.)

(That must be what it means to become an adult.)

(I can’t remain a pitiable caterpillar forever. I can’t remain a chrysalis locked within a sturdy suit of armor.)

(A day will come when I emerge as a most beautiful butterfly, taking nobly to the sky as I please.)
 

Izumi: … Yuu~kun, you up?

Tsukasa: Gwah?! Um, I’m Tsukasa Suou! I’ve returned to my own body after using the pillow with Yuuki-senpai, just as planned!

Izumi: That so? Then I guess there’s no need to be so nice to you anymore…

Can you move already? You've been sleeping by Yuu-kun’s side forever, that’s my spot!

Tsukasa: Nngh… It’s even more startling how unfair you act now. It’s quite aggravating, you know!

Makoto: Mmnh…?

Izumi: Hey now. If you kick up a fuss, Yuu-kun’ll wake up.

I’m sure he’s dead tired from being worked to the bone in preparation for the SS, so let him get some rest, ‘kay?

It’s your day off too, y’know. Maybe it’d be good for you to sleep some more?

Sleep’s good for your skin. Here, just look… Kuma-kun’s skin’s as soft as a baby’s ♪

Ritsu: Snnnzz…♪

Tsukasa: Hm? Why’s Ritsu-senpai sleeping as well?

Izumi: He said that you guys looked so comfy that he couldn’t resist his sleepiness~ or something.

He was sooo annoying about it too, trying to use my lap as a pillow ‘cause you guys stole his favorite pillow. Well, I kicked him off, though.

Tsukasa: Hehe. I’m sure it couldn’t hurt to be a little more compassionate toward your closest companions, at least. That part of you is why people misunderstand and lose all affection for you, is it not?

Izumi: Hmph. If that’s all the rude awakening they needed, then they didn’t love me in the first place…

I’ve parted ways with people so many times. And it only hits harder when you both cared for each other.

I was trying to protect myself, so the grief wouldn’t crush me as hard.

But it didn’t work… ‘cause no matter how cruel I was to you guys, you’ve never left.

I wonder if I should’ve stopped fixating on when we’d eventually have to say farewell, and gotten myself together so we could deal with all this earlier…

You only realize how important something is once it’s gone for good, huh?

Tsukasa: … But you haven’t lost us yet. We have yet to bid our farewells. And even once all of you graduate—I will protect Knights in your stead.

So please don’t fret, Senpai. I want you to smile. There’s nothing for us to be sad about, after all.

Izumi: Haha, you’re still as cheeky as ever. Just who do you think you’re talking to?

Well, I don’t mind that much. … Kasa-kun, sometime soon, we’re gonna let you in on a few secrets we’ve been keeping.

We’ve been acting tough and hiding all those disgraceful parts of ourselves, but—you deserve to know.

Real soon, Knights will belong to the three of you. And like Kuma-kun said, I don’t wanna be left with any regrets.

But that’s all a story for another day… Right now, just doze off like an idiot without a care in the world.

Soon, you’ll become a second year, so you’ll be a senior, right?

Be a kid while you still can… Keep kicking up a fuss like you always do, and let us protect you.

And once you grow up, you can start talking all self-important like I do.

We were kids too once—always screwing up and bawling our eyes out. So just stubbornly hide those parts of your past.

Put on a brave face. And make a little fun of the stupid brat who totally fell for it and idolizes you instead.

You’ll find yourself having so much fun, you can’t help but laugh…

So fall asleep for now dreaming of that day, and grow up quickly—Tsukasa Suou-kun.

 

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