Prologue: The "Don't Want to Go Home" Alliance
"Another beautiful night, isn't it?"
Tsukimi-senpai murmured the words as she opened the door to the old, supposedly unused PE warehouse, her gaze turned up toward the cloudless night sky.
Outside, the world was cloaked in darkness, with the warehouse’s single lightbulb serving as our only beacon.
The crisp autumn night air that blew inside felt wonderful against my skin.
"What's on the agenda for tonight?" I asked.
A playful, mischievous grin spread across Tsukimi-senpai’s face.
"Catan, Dominion, Splendor, 6 Nimmt!, Skull... which one sounds good?"
"...Aren't those all board games?"
The time on my phone read 8:30 PM.
All the club activities were long over, so the school grounds were completely deserted.
No one would ever suspect that a group of students was holed up in the old PE warehouse on a school night.
"They're perfect for killing time, aren't they?"
Tsukimi-senpai pouted in mock protest before her expression melted into a childish, impish smile.
"Besides, playing board games with everyone is fun, right?"
"Well... I guess so."
"See! I knew it! Minase-kun, you are truly worthy of being one of our comrades!"
She grabbed my hand, squeezing it tight and shaking it up and down with wild enthusiasm.
"You're as energetic as ever at night, Senpai."
"Of course I am! The night is for freedom! That is the first rule of our Covenant!"
Top grades, amazing athletic ability, and stunning looks—a perfect superhuman who had it all.
She was calm, kind, unshakeable in any situation, and always wore a lovely, gentle smile.
That was Tsukimi Kaede. By no stretch of the imagination was she the type of person to hang out at school late at night.
And yet, it was Tsukimi-senpai who had founded this strange little gathering.
The way her expressions shifted from one moment to the next was a world away from the "perfect" girl she was during the day.
This was the real Tsukimi-senpai, a side of her that only we, the ones who spent the night here with her, knew.
"And you look like you're enjoying yourself too, Minase," Akazawa Yō remarked with a wry smile, watching Tsukimi-senpai pester me.
He was the class mood-maker, our lovable, happy-go-lucky idiot.
Akazawa was always the boisterous center of attention in the classroom, but his current atmosphere was completely different.
As he joined in the conversation while solving a shogi puzzle book, he gave off a calm, intellectual impression.
"Hmph. He's just happy that Kaede-senpai is giving him the time of day. How gross."
Cutting in with an icy tone was Kazemiya Kanon.
Her words were blunt and merciless. She had a caustic personality and was currently glaring daggers at me.
During the day, however, Kazemiya was an idol-like figure, incredibly popular with the boys. Her lovely appearance, coupled with a slightly ditzy personality, made her a magnet for confessions. Her true nature was, as you can see, a whole other story. I found her a little hard to deal with, personally.
"I'll admit this group is fun. Sorry for being so gross," I retorted.
It was true. I—Minase Shuuto—was a gloomy loner who spent his days shrinking in the corner of the classroom.
I didn't have a single friend, so it wasn't uncommon for me to go the entire day without saying a word.
Compared to that boring daytime existence, these nights were fresh and comfortable.
"...The cats are cute again today."
Meanwhile, the one muttering to herself while watching cat videos on her phone was Ogino Misato.
With dyed-blonde hair, piercings, and a necklace resting in the space created by her open collar, her gyaru-like appearance, combined with her natural features, made her just as eye-catching as Tsukimi-senpai or Kazemiya.
Ogino was a moody girl who did things at her own pace, as hard to grasp as a cloud.
Basically, she was an oddball, but during the day, she always seemed to be buried within her clique of fellow gyarus.
Tsukimi Kaede, Akazawa Yō, Kazemiya Kanon, and Ogino Misato.
These four ran in completely different social circles during the day, but they all had one thing in common.
They each had a different face they showed to the world. And, of course, I was no exception.
"Alright, let's begin another night of our Alliance's activities!" Tsukimi-senpai declared to the rest of us settled inside the warehouse.
If any unsuspecting student were to see us now, they'd surely be shocked and wonder, "What is this group?!"
And seeing us act like completely different people from our daytime selves would undoubtedly shock them a second time.
We don't know each other's circumstances. We aren't allowed to know.
It's a superficial, skin-deep relationship. And that's precisely why this place is so comfortable.
Our name: The "Don't Want to Go Home" Alliance.
Our location: The old, abandoned PE warehouse.
Our time: After club activities, at night.
Our purpose: To have fun and pass the night away.
So, how did I end up joining such a bizarre group?
It all started two weeks ago.
Post a Comment