For example, a rainbow in the sky after a rain,

Or a drop of water on a leaf.

Maybe it was because they're something you can't see on a sunny day, or maybe because they would eventually disappear.

They seemed like they were really important.

Ah, the rainbow disappeared.

It's impossible for a rainbow or a drop of water to remain forever.

Really...

Yes.

Hmmm...

But, there's a castle above the clouds. I saw it in a picture book!

It's impossible for a building to be on water vapor.

The Princess and The Desktop Fantasy First Part

Multi-Purpose Room

I feel lazy.

What do we have next?

English.

That teacher sucks at explaining, and it's hard to get.

Yeah.

And that teacher is bad with girls.

Yeah, she doesn't even warn them when they're messing around, and they don't respect her.

She's not teacher-like at all.

But she is beautiful.

I'm gonna cut class.

Ah, ok, me too.

What about you, Miharu?

I'm going to show up.

Alright, cover for us.

Ah, Sensei.

Miharu-kun, class is going to begin soon.

I'm going back right now.

Also, Oogawa, Haga, and Eguchi are all going to be absent for the next class.

Oh, why? Are they feeling ill?

It's because your lessons are hard to understand,

You don't warn the noisy girls enough,

And you don't seem very teacher-like.

Ah, and,

I also think

That you're beautiful.

I thought we said to cover for us!

I couldn't come up with a lie right away.

Hah...

Miharu's honest.

Sorry.

It's all right.

It's really our fault.

Honesty is Miharu's forte.

Forte...

Things like jokes and lies,

I'm terrible at them.

I unthinkingly reply honestly and logically, and ruin the mood.

Forte...

Honesty is my forte.

What a bad forte.

Things that aren't, aren't. Things that are, are.

Things you can see exist. Things you can't see don't.

Therefore...

A, Ah...

...You stepped on it.

Yuzukawa, I'm sorry.

Miharu, you did that on purpose!

Do you normally step on dropped books?

This is a very precious thing.

I don't understand what you mean by purposefully stepping.

I said I'm sorry.

...Did you see inside?

If you're asking if I saw, then I saw a little.

This isn't mine! It's... my younger brother's!

...Ok?

A hero

Who defeats dragons doesn't exist in this world.

The legend of- An evil dragon- A princess-

There aren't any captured princesses either.

Eh, I don't play games or anything.

I don't really know.

I see. Yuzu, you have a younger brother,

So I thought you would know.

Th... That's true. Sometimes, we play together, but that's it.

Like this? A PS... What's it called, that handheld game.

What was it, a DN? Everyone has them.

PSP and DS.

Eh?

Nothing~!

Yuzukawa.

Yuzu

A boy from another class is calling you.

Miharu...

Hey, he has some business with you.

What?

Yesterday, when I stepped on that book, didn't one of the pages tear a little? So I came to apologize...

Ah... It's ok. It was an old book.

It might have already been torn.

Actually, it wasn't that precious?

Such an old... and dirty book.

Yesterday you made a fuss about how it was precious.

What's this?

I told you, an apology.

Apology...

I looked for the title, but I was told they were out of print...?

This... seems to be a new book from the same series.

I'm sorry if your younger brother already has it.

Eh...

That was your younger brother's book, right?

I don't know why you brought it to school,

But tell your brother that I'm sorry.

Ah

Ok...

A world of dreams and hopes

Got it...

To describe him in a single word,

Miharu is honest.

Yuzu, did you fall?

Shut up! I didn't fall!

But your knee is bleeding.

My mom is going to be mad at me.

Why?

I stayed out late playing and got my clothes dirty...

I'll tell her that I forced you to stay.

Eh, but if you do that, then she'll be mad at you.

I'm not scared of her being mad at me.

That was the only time Miharu lied.

In middle school, Miharu started calling me

Yuzukawa-san.

I was a little lonely.

Because Miharu is honest.

What was that about?

Ah, he borrowed my notebook.

Yuzu, weren't you in the same elementary school as that guy?

We've been together since kindergarten.... He's a weird guy.

He's the type of guy that fails as a human. He's only logical.

Heh.

You know how during elementary school, everyone told scary stories?

The girls and the guys would get scared over stupid stories and go Kya Kya.

But what do you think that guy said?

Those are fictional stories.

He ruined it! Can't he read the atmosphere?

Didn't he just mean he wasn't scared?

Isn't there anything he's scared of? He touches insects and animals, and is insensitive when it comes to people.

But, back then, at the very end, I think he said something to me.

What was it?

What was it...

Oh!

I like the one playing this role~

It's amazing she can play the role of a student at 20.

As long as she's cute, it's fine.

Miharu, which actress did you like again?

Not actress. Star.

Miharu, don't you have a shoulder fetish?

What's a shoulder fetish?

This. I like thin shoulders.

I don't get it. You mean like skin and bones?

Ah, but I kind of understand what you mean.

Miharu

A girl's looking at you.

Sorry for interrupting just as your indecent conversation was getting to the good part.

No, it was going to get to the indecent part, so I'm safe.

I see...

Did you go all the way outside of the city to buy that book you gave me earlier?

There was... a receipt from a really far bookstore in there.

Eh?

Ah, the receipt... I thought I threw it away.

You... didn't have to go so far...

Though the bookstores around here don't have such an unpopular book...

But that book is enjoyable

Right?

...That's true, but... Ah, I mean my brother, enjoyed it...

What kind of story was it?

Eh?

That old book.

Was it a picture book? A children's book? I don't know.

Umm... I've never actually read it either.

Ah, but this is the story I heard from my brother.

The main character's a hero, see?

And in order to save a princess and the kingdon, he defeats an evil dragon.

Hmmm.

It's the Flower Kingdom!

But the evil dragon hoards all the flowers.

And so, the hero has to retrieve the flower that's the princess' heart!

A flower is her heart? Can't she grow another one?

N-No! It's a special flower.

It's like the princess' heart.

There's no replacement for that flower. So he has to retrieve it!

Otherwise, the princess and the kingdom will be gloomy forever!

There's no other way than the flower?

For example, he can't slap her?

Of course not!

What are you talking about!

The hero loves the princess, so for her sake...

Whatever.

Miharu, you don't have any interest in fictional stories.

Ever since you were a child, you read the newspaper.

Sorry for talking about something stupid.

Yuzukawa.

I only came to thank you for the book.

Thank you for going out of your way, but you really don't need to worry about that.

Miharu's forte is honesty.

So sometimes,

I get hurt like this.

All on my own.

All on my own.

It feels like I, who only dreams, am being criticized.

At times like these, I'll go home by the backroads.

There's an unpaved path that no one uses except for 1 sports club.

I like that path.

There's a small branch of twig poking through a rusty fence.

This will bloom into a pink flower.

It will look just like that flower in the book.

Not yet, huh.

I'm looking forward to it. I guess this is a bud.

Whoa.

Whoa!

I even came this way to avoid you.

Avoid?

It looked like I made you mad.

Ah, yeah.

...Oh, this is...

This tree will bloom with pink flowers.

In the summer...

It won't bloom.

It's true that there's a tree that looks a lot like this one

That will bloom with red-ish pink flowers.

But this is a different tree.

A tree whose flowers won't bloom.

It's easy to get them confused from their appearance.

I...

...See.

Miharu is only telling me what's true.

I'm the one who misunderstood that it would bloom. It's my mistake.

It's always like this.

Rainbows will eventually disappear. Monsters don't exist.

Neither do dragon-killing heroes, princesses with their hearts stolen,

Or rainbow colored castles in the clouds.

But.

Miharu, you're always right.

But.

I'm sorry for being such a boring human.

That's right. It's true.

So why does he sound so lonely?

*thump*