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Melancholy seems to follow me..., all throughout the day, as I shake our sun-dried clothes free of sand, making carefully sure they're safe for the washing machine.

Then, when the afternoon sun starts to really shine, and with nothing else to do and nobody around to witness, I decide I'll splash around in the swimming pool. -- Quickly changing into my swimsuit, I emerge boldly with childish glee upon the balcony deck.... only to find Sasha already there.

Quietly enjoying himself by just sitting at the clear waters' edge, Sasha has on his brown swimming shorts and a pair of old-fashioned sunglasses, politely relaxing and acting cool, while Hitomi's pool toys float by all around him.

Awww... I guess I'll have to “act cool in the pool” then.

Simply walking around in the pool and playing with Hitomi's inflated toys and balls... I soon get a little impatient with being “cool”, and start acting like a puffed-up Kaiju, coming up from the deep and intending to make landfall. -- Rawr. Rharr. Kha-kah-ka. I push huge waves at the air-filled battleships and cute little destroyers idly floating up my way, convincing them all to retreat. And in my great glee, I accidentally send the Kobayashi Maru softly bumping into Sasha... oops.

Raising his eyebrows and taking off his sunglasses, Sasha looks at me curiously with his suave smile, ..while I blush... and lower my head...

What entails next is.. rather unexpected.

Without a word, we start pushing the toys back and forth in the pool, spontaneously agreeing to play a little game between us. And without any real rules nor goals, nor any reason for having them, we go on playing and splashing away the day, smiling brightly in joy.

As the afternoon sun smiles on...

Sasha and I decide to take a seat on the balcony's white stone bench, relaxing and taking a break from splashing around in the pool.

Slightly weary from having too much fun, we don't do much, we just.. sit close to each other, enjoying the beautiful summer day.

Feeling so comfortable and at ease, I dreamily reach for Sasha.., gently holding onto his arm and resting my head on his shoulder.

I guess I'm a lot tired than I... I softly yawn, I'm very very tired, and fall into Sasha's lap, letting my weary eyes wander into sleep.

“Iwanako? ..Poor girl, you.”

Sasha's suave smile and voice whispers by... out of sight, out of reach from my sleeping mind.....

“You know, if you're tired, you could have just said so.”

I feel a gentle, loving stroking on my cheek... of someone tenderly brushing my hair...

“..., I suppose Shizuo finally presented his card...”

“And.., you were there.. weren't you? Iwanako?”

I smile in brightness as a kiss softly touches me..... delighting my heart with a sincere blessing of love...

“Now..., I suppose there is nothing left to keep me beside him.....”

“You know... I love him, Iwanako. I love Shizuo...”

“I love him dearly, and with all my heart.”

“To me... he is the most beautiful being in this world...”

“Did he tell you? About how he.. became who he is?

He was a singer before, an innocent boy with a voice so pure...

Entire orchestras couldn't compare to Shizuo's grace, the power he evoked as the light of heaven touched upon his face.

Winning so many prestigious honours and praise, there was simply no emotion buried so deep that he could not raise.

He was the embodiment of God.., Shizuo is an angel, brought to this wretched world, blessing it and all its wandering souls.

But one dreadful day, in a bitter argument with his mother, Shizuo stood up shouting as loud as he could, and broke his voice forever...

It was a precious gift that... he could not regain, no matter how much talent he had, or how hard he struggled to sing again.

Even as painful tears and woeful friends came and went, even after he was forgotten and left out of events...

Still he tried... and tried.. and tried to sing, and every time until he stopped trying, his mother was there applauding, praising his singing, proudly standing and loudly cheering.

I suppose.. 'love' is still the most beautiful song anyone can sing.

But the despair reached so deep... that he withered and whittled unable to eat or sleep.

Desperately drowning in grief, Shizuo deafened himself trying to breathe.

The accident broke him once more, and hurt her mother evermore.

Visiting him in the hospital one day, a curious person named Lionel lost his way.

He wandered around on his own, and happened upon Shizuo crying alone.

It was a strange meeting, Lionel had a noisy lightsabre toy in place of a cane, and tried to ask for directions in vain.

Shizuo pulled him by the hand, taking him to where he thought he wanted to go, but somehow, the two of them wound up in a scuffle.

After learning that they're really cousins, the two of them stopped scowling and.. immediately made peace in silence.

They shared the few days they had with each other, building an unspoken bond and weaving understanding for one another.

On the last day, Lionel tried sign language with Shizuo as he learned, and Shizuo wanted to leave with Lionel and live in Scotland.

Shizuo refused to let go at the moment of their parting, but Lionel dissuaded him by gifting his lightsabre... In return, Shizuo gave him his glasses for keeping, both of them wordlessly promising to remember the other.

Years after their childhood meeting, Shizuo and Lionel both gained acceptance into Yamaku, and with an incredible stroke of luck, became hall-neighbours, along with me and Hanzou.

In our first year, Shizuo, Lionel and I were the first iteration of the “Three Musketeers Trio”, an unofficial club that really wasn't interested in anything, other than reading books by Alexandre Dumas, Braille or audio book, and play chess and various board games, just to have fun and a reason to smile.

Only after Hanzou became the fourth member, and took the name officially with Lionel and Kaori, that all of us became part of the new student council. Which is rather ineffective in most regards, since all we really do is still pick up books or play chess and various board games. Still having fun with each other but always finding reasons for fellow students to smile for themselves.

Students like.. Rai, who became more or less a fellow member, when he visited us for a replacement student ID and stayed for the coffee and Kaori. -- I thought I could ask him to join, he could be my right-hand man in class representative duties, but Lionel warned him off, telling him “it's not worth it, save yourself! Get out while you still can!”

Whether Hanzou's personality was a deterrent to new members or not, we sure did have a good two and a half years of school life, feeling better each time we gave someone a helping hand, or did something generous that inspired others to be a little more selfless. Overall, me, Shizuo, Hanzou, Lionel and Kaori all found family in each other, our blessings and burdens shared with each other, while we opened our hearts to anyone who needed a friend.

I myself felt what it was like, to be found looking down over the roof, thinking the unthinkable. But Shizuo took my hand, pulling me away from the snare of unhappy memories, and took me to his dandelion hill, a hidden sanctuary behind the school, painting colours into my heart and wishing the tears away...

It was the greatest lesson that a friend, ...that my love, Shizuo, ever taught me: how to love myself.


I'll miss you... I'll miss all of my friends, ...after we part and graduate.

As the day softens into night...

After helping ourselves to the scrumptious spaghetti in tomato sauce dinner that Shizuo and his mother cooked, together with Iwanako. Hanzou seems the most happy about the pasta, while Rai, Acair and Lionel finally start to reveal the prize tickets they won, after Kaori's constant dogging on whether there were any “Love Tickets” for her to “blast into a million pieces” with her furious powers of feminism.

She could potentially sell the maid-dating-tickets at an incredibly high price, to any borderline-stalker character so interested, and I dare say she would have, if it weren't for the insane ideals of feminism that she champions.

In a flourish of drama, Rai slowly reveals that he won... lemon meringue pie. -- Actually, Acair won that, but after careful considerations and deliberations, they say they decided to exchange their tickets, and it actually took them barely a moment.

Turns out Acair now has that hot springs event that Yuki wanted, and she gives him a long loving kiss in unrestrained appreciation. ..Lionel's spirits seem to feel a touch of wistfulness, as Yuki and Acair embrace, while Rai makes sure to point out that he won that ticket in the first place. Yuki smiles sincerely and gives him a loving pat on the head, disappointing Rai a little. -- Did he secretly wish for a loving kiss from Yuki?

Kaori starts to belittle them all, declaring that she won ten times the number of tickets they won, prompting Rai to hint at what Lionel won, smugly declaring that true winners value 'quality over quantity'.

When pressured with threats to his life by Kaori, Lionel finally and reluctantly shows off his prize: A date with ALL of the Shanghai maid-girls.

Though fuming with anger, it seems Kaori wouldn't destroy Lionel's ticket, no matter how much she might want to, since it's Lionel's. Acair obviously can't use that ticket, Rai wants to act virtuous and innocent in front of Iwanako, Shizuo doesn't want it, and neither Hanzou nor I really want to take up the girls' time. So Lionel is the only one not above using his ticket, much to Kaori's resentment, though she seems to hate the ticket itself, and doesn't really mind her boyfriend spending time with so many women.

I find her love and trust in him rather admirable. Although, the ticket does state very clearly that the maid-girls will not tolerate any bodily contact beyond handshakes. And they will only accompany the ticket-holder in public areas. Attempting any indecencies may result in a lawsuit.

That definitely means the incredibly-cute Sheepgirl maid will forever be out of Acair's reach..... except for a handshake.

It's ironic really, how Kaori couldn't win one single date-ticket, no matter how much she tried for an entire day, while Lionel won his “harem ending” completely by chance.

Immaturely accusing Lionel of having inexplicable superpowers, Kaori loudly condemns the harem ending three times, before sitting down at the TV and starts to flip channels at random, mumbling to herself in frustration.

With a quiet smile, Lionel tears up his harem ending without hesitation, happily relinquishing his chances with the Sheepgirl maid, and all the other Shanghai girls. Then with a smile and a warm kiss, Lionel joins Kaori at the TV, and faithfully stays by her side.