COPYRIGHT

Translation by Matthew Rutsohn

Cover art by Momoco
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are
used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
TOKIDOKI BOSOTTO ROSHIAGO DE DERERU TONARI NO ARYA SAN Vol.4.5 SUMMER STORIES
©Sunsunsun, Momoco 2022
First published in Japan in 2022 by KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo.
English translation rights arranged with KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo, through TUTTLE-MORI AGENCY, INC., Tokyo.
English translation © 2024 by Yen Press, LLC
Yen Press, LLC supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Sunsunsun, author. | Momoco, illustrator. | Rutsohn, Matthew, translator.
Title: Alya sometimes hides her feelings in Russian / Sunsunsun ; illustration by Momoco ; translation by Matthew
Rutsohn.
Other titles: Tokidoki bosotto roshiago de dereru tonari no Arya san. English
Description: First Yen On edition. | New York, NY : Yen On, 2022-
Identifiers: LCCN 2022029973 | ISBN 9781975347840 (v. 1 ; trade paperback) | ISBN 9781975347864 (v. 2 ; trade
paperback) | ISBN 9781975367572 (v. 3 ; trade paperback) | ISBN 9781975367596 (v. 4 ; trade paperback) | ISBN
9781975367619 (v. 4.5 ; trade paperback)
Subjects: CYAC: Language and languages—Fiction. | Friendship—Fiction. | Schools—Fiction. | LCGFT: Humorous
fiction. | School fiction. | Light novels.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.S8676 Ar 2022 | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022029973
ISBNs: 978-1-97536761-9 (paperback)
978-1-9753-6762-6 (ebook)
 Contents
Cover

Insert

Title Page

Copyright

Chapter 1 GL and BL

Chapter 2 A Princess and a God

Chapter 3 Atmosphere and Appetite

Chapter 4 Brother Complex, Sister Complex

Chapter 5 Ideals and Reality

Chapter 6 A Storeroom and a Locked Room

Chapter 7 Stargazing and a Scolding

Chapter 8 Beauty and the Bonehead

Chapter 9 Adoration and Arrogance

Chapter 10 A Ditz and a Pro

Chapter 11 A Meal and a Mystery

Chapter 12 My Love, My Lord

Chapter 13 Masachika and Alya

Afterword
Yen Newsletter
CHAPTER 1
GL and BL

“Sibling reunions are amazing, no matter how they are done! Of course, I
absolutely adore heartwarming reunions where they share their everlasting
love for each other as much as the next person, but I also have a weakness for
reunions where they’re currently in opposing positions and are enemies!”
“I know exactly what you mean. After all, simply being blood-related siblings
is already going to create exciting drama for their relationship.”
After discovering that Masachika and Yuki were actually siblings, Sayaka
began gushing about her love for stories with long-lost siblings to Yuki at the
amusement-park food court.
They passionately shared their nerdy hobbies, unconcerned that Ayano was
quietly nibbling on a churro next to them. Only after a great deal of discussion
and time had gone by was Sayaka finally able to calm down and snap out of her
trance.
“Oh… Sorry about rambling like that. It’s just… I’ve never had anyone I could
talk to about things like this before, so…”
Sayaka was struck with embarrassment from unloading years’ worth of pent-
up excitement, as she’d been hiding the fact that she was genuinely an otaku.
She shyly pushed up her glasses, bit her lip, and hunched her shoulders. It was
an unfamiliar sight for Yuki, seeing as Sayaka almost always maintained a
serious, stiff demeanor.
Tsk! Just how adorable can one girl be?
But Yuki, smiling sweetly, didn’t breathe a word of this to Sayaka.
“Don’t worry about it. I understand exactly how you feel.”
“…Really? I appreciate it,” thanked Sayaka with a somewhat awkward smile,
and yet she couldn’t help but think, What have I done? I seriously embarrassed
myself. Most closeted nerds made sure to keep their interests a secret at all
costs. Even if they discovered that the person they were talking to was a like-
minded enthusiast, they would still be convinced that their hobbies were
unacceptable, abnormal abominations. There was always the nagging feeling
that they were too interested compared with the average nerd, and this
obsessive thought controlled their lives. To make matters worse, they were
afraid that other geeks would figure out that they were hiding how ashamed
they were, since that sense of embarrassment in itself was insulting to people
with the same interests who may not be so ashamed.
This belief was shared by both Sayaka—who had worked hard to hide her
interests from everyone over the years—and Yuki, which would only lead to
one thing.
“……”
“……”
They had to feel each other out and see just how much of a nerd the other
was. They silently exchanged glances with faint smirks on their lips…all the
while Ayano quietly munched on her churro like a rabbit. Tension began to rise
between them until Sayaka eventually spoke up.
“By the way, Yuki, what anime are you watching this season?”
She swiftly made the first move to ensure her victory. Although she passed it
off as small talk, what she was actually doing was far more sinister. It was her
way of gauging how much of a degenerate Yuki actually was. The number of
anime she was watching would give an idea of how much of a nerd she was,
while the content of the anime would allow Sayaka to analyze Yuki’s interests.
Did she like fantasy? Rom-coms? Slice-of-life? Or perhaps she liked violent, lewd
shows that were barely acceptable to even air on TV?
That nonchalant question alone would give Sayaka valuable information
without any risk at all. That was the kind of person Sayaka Taniyama was. This
was the talent she possessed that allowed her to crush countless rivals during
debates. She appeared confident, while Yuki’s expression made it impossible to
know how she was feeling. Ayano was folding the recently departed churro’s
wrapper.
“Oh… This season? Well…” Yuki started to respond to Sayaka’s opening move.
Of course, Sayaka wasn’t expecting to win with one simple trick. In fact, she
figured Yuki would just give her a few safe picks, then ask what Sayaka liked.
But even that wouldn’t be an issue, for Sayaka was prepared to use the ultimate
counterattack by saying, “Oh, wow. Me too. It appears we’re watching the
exact same shows this season.”
The safest position to be in is right behind your opponent, since you can simply
copy their answers. The moment I made the first move was the moment I won.
Completely confident in her victory, Sayaka leisurely waited for Yuki’s reply.
However…
“Of course, I’m watching Brain Hazard and Dream. Those are mandatory, and
that’s not up for debate. There was a lot of hype for Brain Hazard, and people
are saying it’s the best anime this season, but Dream has been flawless ever
since the first episode, so it might end up being the biggest hit. Rental School
and Tunnel from Another World are both solid as well. Personally, I think
Hamezon is the dark horse of the season. I was worried if they’d be able to do
the graphic nature of the comic justice, but it turned out better than I expected.
The second season of Ganbaruon is just as good as the first, and…”
“…?!”
Yuki went straight into battle with her guard down while completely ignoring
the unwritten rule. She passionately revealed her love for fantasy, rom-coms,
touching stories, mecha, and even lewd, violent dark fantasies. The information
being disclosed to Sayaka came as a tidal wave, nearly making her eyes roll back
in her head. She was dazed and confused; Yuki, on the other hand, was
smothering her laugh with her shirtsleeve.
…Meanwhile, Ayano left to go buy her third churro.
“So? What about you, Sayaka?”
“Uh…”
It was a question Sayaka was expecting, but everything else that happened
was so unexpected that she didn’t know how to respond. She couldn’t even use
her secret weapon anymore—“Oh, wow. Me too. It appears we’re watching the
exact same shows this season”—since there were a few shows that Yuki
mentioned that Sayaka hadn’t seen yet. However, would it be okay to say that?
Or would that sound like she was criticizing Yuki’s interests in some roundabout
way? Although taken aback, she racked her brain for an answer until Yuki, who
was struggling to suppress her laughter, suddenly muttered:
“Number Zero.”
At first, Sayaka had no idea what Yuki was saying. It sounded like random
gibberish, and yet…there was something about the words that drew her in, and
she jumped a bit in her seat. Yuki, however, didn’t stop there and came in with
a follow-up attack.
“White darkness…”
“…!”
“The price for power…”
“…!!”
Seeing Sayaka’s body naturally react to the wonderful string of words elicited
a small smile from Yuki.
“You are in the early stages of cringelord disease. I advise you get treated for
it as soon as possible,” joked Yuki.
“Excuse me…?!”
Sayaka reflexively began to argue that she wasn’t a so-called cringelord,
which was an insult fellow anime fans her age avoided, but she couldn’t deny
that she was somewhat excited by what Yuki said, so she helplessly fell silent…
which only made Yuki’s smirk broaden.
“How about we drop this silly charade already? I’m sure you’ve noticed, but
I’m far nerdier than you are. It’s not even up for discussion, so you can quit the
act. You don’t need to hide your true self from me anymore.”
“…!”
Yuki completely revealed just how much of a nerd she was while
simultaneously demanding that Sayaka rid herself of shame or reservations. The
proposal was better than what Sayaka could have ever wished for, and yet…it
only made her feel more competitive, not relieved.
“Heh… I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Although I may have seen fewer
series overall, my love for each show is not to be underestimated.”
Sayaka boldly smirked and slowly pushed up her glasses. Yuki returned the
look with a competitive expression of her own. That was the start of their
debate, and there was no going back now.
“The voice actor’s delivery during the end of last week’s episode of Brain
Hazard was god-tier, wasn’t it? He was also really good in Gun Derro as…”
“I actually prefer the antagonist’s voice acting when…”
“Oh, hey. Did you notice they changed the ending credits of last, last week’s
episode of Dream? There was a new scene halfway through that seemed very
important, and…”
“Of course I saw it. Do I look like some sort of unrefined brute who skips the
opening and ending credits? Anyway, I think that scene…”
The situation made a complete one-eighty, and both girls were now
competing to prove who was more of an anime nerd. Their usual composed
attitudes, which they were known for at school, were nowhere to be found. The
only two people there in that moment were a couple of anime fanatics playing a
game of verbal tug-of-war to prove who was more passionate about the
medium…until Yuki suddenly stopped talking.
“Excuse me for a moment,” she requested simply, sliding her smartphone out
of her pocket, but when she looked at the vibrating screen, one eyebrow
twitched.
“I apologize, but I need to excuse myself for a moment.”
Yuki then got up from her seat, placed the phone to her ear, and walked
away. It seemed to be urgent, whatever it was.
“……”
“……”
Only Sayaka and Ayano remained at the table. Sayaka silently shifted her gaze
to Ayano, who immediately began devouring her fourth churro like a rabbit
rapidly nibbling on a carrot; she stared right back at Sayaka.
“Hey, uh… You don’t need to rush.”
But Sayaka’s attempt to be nice was in vain, because Ayano refused to take
the churro out of her mouth, as if a curse would instantly kill her if she did,
stuffing the rest of it into her mouth at once. After adding some moisture via
milk tea, she swallowed the entire churro whole.
“…! …”
Ayano sat up straight and looked into Sayaka’s eyes as if nothing had
happened. After wincing a bit, Sayaka softly cleared her throat and sat up
straight as well.
“Allow me to introduce myself again. I’m Sayaka Taniyama. I know we’re
classmates, but we haven’t really gotten the chance to talk much before, have
we?”
“Yes, this may be the first time we’ve ever faced each other and exchanged
words.”
“Yes… So… I hear that you’re Yuki’s attendant…?”
“‘Attendant’? …Yes. Ah!”
Ayano looked up as if she had suddenly remembered something, and she
slowly got out of her chair. She then covered half her face with her right hand
while crossing her arms as if she was striking a pose—like someone who’d lost
their mind. Sayaka blinked in mute disbelief for a few moments.
“I am the childhood friend. I am battle-maid Ayano Kimishima,” she revealed
with a smug (emotionless) expression. It was glorious. She pulled it off
perfectly. In fact, her introduction was so incredible that Sayaka simply froze
with her mouth agape, an unusual look for her. Ayano, still with a blank
expression, struck yet another pose and continued in a monotonic voice:
“However, being childhood friends is only the mask we show the world. In
truth, we subheroines are actually Mr. Masachika’s protectors.”
After smoothly striking a pose with the summer sun shining in the
background, Ayano dropped back into her seat as if she had done something
phenomenal and her work there was done. She then lowered her head and
bowed to Sayaka.
“…I apologize for the inconvenience. Usually, Ms. Yuki goes first and says, ‘I
am the childhood friend. I am the blood-related sister Yuki Suou!’”
“…What? Wait. Does she really do that? That Yuki Suou?!”
“…? Of course. She told me this was the proper way to reveal our true
identities.”
“……”
Sayaka was quietly disturbed by the fact that Ayano was neither skeptical of
Yuki’s claim nor ashamed. Even Sayaka, someone in the early stages of
cringelord disease, could not see a future where she would be able to compete
at this level.
Wh-what an aggressive first move… She starts by throwing me off my game,
then she completely takes control of the conversation.
Sayaka clutched her dully aching chest, suffering from a sudden attack of the
disease, and tightly clenched her teeth. She then faced Ayano, who was calmly
observing Sayaka and waiting for her next move (at least, in Sayaka’s mind she
was), and asked in challenge:
“Since you’re Yuki’s attendant—maid, I was wondering if you could tell me
more about Yuki and Masachika’s relationship. How do they usually act around
each other?”
“……”
Ayano stared hard at Sayaka as if she was trying to scrutinize the real meaning
behind her question. She was probably thinking about how to answer while
taking into account that Sayaka could still potentially be Yuki’s rival during the
election. In fact, her efforts were unnecessary because Sayaka’s question had
absolutely nothing to do with the election. This was simply a personal interest
of hers.
Masachika and Yuki used to be the perfect rivals for Sayaka. Now there were
no hard feelings among the three of them. Just a sense of trust born from their
respect for one another. However, after losing the election to them, Sayaka’s
respect grew immensely and transformed into something purer. Put simply, she
had become a fan. And in her mind, they became the ideal pair. Hurry up and
get married already. Wait. You can take as much time as you want, but please
get happily married in the end, okay? Those were the thoughts that had crossed
her mind from time to time, and on behalf of their fans, she decided that she
would eliminate anyone who threatened their relationship in any way, no
matter the cost. So when she heard that they were actually siblings and
couldn’t get married, her first thought was…
Nice. If anything, that just makes it better.
Which was why…
I want to hear more about their lives as loving siblings!
As a fan, Sayaka couldn’t allow this chance to slip by, but Ayano wasn’t the
kind of person who would thoughtlessly leak information to a potential enemy.
“…As a humble servant, I cannot allow myself to recklessly reveal such
personal details.”
This reaction was completely reasonable, regardless of Sayaka’s intentions.
Nevertheless, Sayaka expected something like this to happen.
“Oh, really? Then I suppose I will ask someone else instead.”
“…‘Someone else’?”
As Ayano curiously tilted her head, Sayaka took a few sips of her drink, then
continued in a matter-of-fact tone:
“I have to ask someone else if you won’t tell me, right? Surely, there are a few
people close with Masachika and Yuki who know they’re siblings. Like…Alisa
Kujou, for instance. I could just ask her.”
This was also a roundabout way of threatening that she was going to tell Alisa
Kujou or whomever else that Masachika and Yuki were actually siblings if Ayano
didn’t give her what she wanted, but Ayano was far too innocent to realize.
“That…would be bad.”
 And that was why she replied honestly, not knowing that she was supplying
Sayaka with information.
Interesting. So nobody else knows that they’re siblings, not even Alisa.
Yuki and Masachika were too sharp to ever give up anything so easily and
would probably have been able to avoid the question entirely—or at the very
least, threaten Sayaka to stop her. Ayano’s reply, on the other hand, basically
revealed their Achilles’ heel.
She caught me off guard at first, but she’s actually pretty easy to manipulate
as long as you don’t lose control of the conversation.
Sayaka went for the kill after reaching this conclusion. However, she was only
doing this as a fan. She was simply craving the nectar of sibling love…as a fan, of
course. It would seem she was somewhat of an idol otaku in a way.
“Then can you share more about their relationship? I have no interest in
telling others about their private lives. I’m just curious about how they usually
act around each other,” asked Sayaka calmly, despite mentally having a paper
fan for cheering in each hand with Masachika’s and Yuki’s names on them while
her eyes eagerly sparkled.
“……”
But Ayano remained silent, so she decided to soften her tone even more.
“How about you just tell me about today? What were they doing before we
ran into one another?”
“……”
Ayano’s gaze wandered as she considered the compromise. Her mouth
opened and closed numerous times before she lowered her gaze as if she had
given up. Sayaka, confident of her win, curled her lips upward; she inwardly got
into position to cheer with her paper fans, and—
“Ms. Yuki was stuck under the bed…so Mr. Masachika had to pull her out.”
“What?”
Her expression faded, but internally, her jaw dropped in disbelief. She
reflexively asked Ayano to repeat herself, then began trying to process what
was said once more amid her confusion.
Under the bed? How did she end up there? That’s… That’s not really what I
wanted to know… Wait. Is she feeding me misinformation to confuse me?
Once Sayaka reached that conclusion, she pulled herself together and tried to
rethink how she was going to go about this while taking back what she thought
earlier about Ayano being easy to manipulate. She turned in her chair, facing
Ayano once more—
“Ms. Yuki had basically turned into a bagworm, so it was a very difficult
morning for us all.”
“What are you even talking about?!”
Sayaka imagined Yuki as a bagworm, which was almost immediately
overshadowed by a giant question mark.
“Ayano? You’ve had your fun, so can you stop teasing Sayaka? And, Sayaka,
could you please not pick on Ayano anymore?”
Yuki had returned, and although she hadn’t heard their conversation, she
promptly reprimanded Sayaka as if she had heard it all. Nevertheless, Sayaka
smiled back at her like she had no idea what Yuki was talking about.
“Oh? We were just chitchatting. That’s all. I might have gotten a little too
excited, but nothing more.”
“Oh, really? It is not like you to get overly excited. You are usually so
levelheaded. Whatever were you two talking about?”
“I was simply trying to make sure you and Masachika really were siblings. It’s
still a little hard for me to believe, to be honest.”
“Is that so? Well, you are free not to believe it if you wish. Either way, in
public, we are still going to pretend like we are nothing more than childhood
friends.”
Perhaps it was because Sayaka and Yuki used to be rivals during the election…
or maybe they were just not compatible. Whatever the case, the two girls
continued to feel each other out every time they opened their mouths. They
spoke in roundabout manners to hide their real intentions while trying to draw
information out of the other. However, all it took was one question from Yuki to
put an end to this charade.
“By the way, Sayaka, do you like BL?”
The sudden change of topic made Sayaka swiftly arch an eyebrow. Her back
straightened, and she slowly pushed up her glasses.
“Dear Yuki… There are only two types of women in this world.”
“…? And they are…?”
Light glinted mysteriously off the lenses of her glasses as she declared:
“Those who like BL and those who still don’t know what BL is.”
“Wiser words have never been spoken.”
The two girls exchanged fearless gazes. Ayano, who still didn’t know what BL
was, curiously blinked as she watched their odd interaction for a few moments,
but she soon got up without a care in the world and left to buy her fifth churro.
Ignoring her departure, Sayaka shamelessly placed a hand on her chin as if she
were a scholar and continued:
“By the way, remember how Kite turned down Nakuusha during last week’s
episode of Brain Hazard?”
“Yes?”
“I bet it’s because he’s actually seeing Gelgar.”
“Interesting…”
Most Brain Hazard viewers would tell Sayaka that she was out of her mind for
her groundless theory, but somehow, it made sense to these two. Sayaka then
gave evidence to support her case as though she was ecstatic to have someone
finally agree with her.
“I became sure of it during the beginning of episode two, when Gelgar was
affectionately watching over Kite.”
It was nothing but wicked conjecture.
“I mean, the fact that both their weapons were made from the same dragon
is more than enough to make anyone suspicious.”
 Groundless, despicable speculation.
“You know when they were fighting together in the desert? And he was like,
‘Watch my back!’? That was totally just him proposing in an indirect way,
wasn’t it?!”
There was wild imaginings, and then there was this.
“…I never thought of it like that!”
Even Yuki had no choice but to agree. Although she may have enjoyed BL
from time to time, Yuki never imagined scenarios like this, so she was having a
really hard time keeping up. In fact, she was actually just messing with Sayaka at
first and pretending to be a BL enthusiast, while in reality, she preferred GL to
BL. At any rate, there was no stopping Sayaka now.
“My favorite trope is the jealous childhood friend who is unable to control his
rage. The admirable best friend has been hiding his true feelings for all these
years until his uncontrollable envy gets the better of him, and he aggressively
takes the protagonist in his arms and— Ah, just thinking about it makes my
heart race.”
It was hard to believe that these were the words of the student in charge of
discipline at school. Yuki began to stare off into space—far, far into space…until
she suddenly spotted Masachika and Nonoa in the distance heading their way,
which immediately dragged her back to reality.
Noooooo!
Sayaka had her mask off, revealing the degenerate she truly was, which was
obviously not something she wanted others to know, since she had been clearly
working hard to make sure nobody ever found out.
“But after impulsively making a move, he finds no reason to continue hiding
his obsession, and— It’s odd. Something like this would be disgusting if it was a
man and a woman, but for some reason, it feels okay since they’re both men.”
“Y-yes, I know what you mean. If this was a comic where the male childhood
friend aggressively forced himself on the female protagonist, it would be over
between them…”
 Yuki promptly began adjusting the course of the conversation, since Sayaka
was essentially in a trance, and immediately, Sayaka’s expression clouded with
despair.
“Exactly… And usually, it’s only after they push the protagonist down onto the
bed and see the frightened look in their eyes that they come to their senses and
quickly step back… Everyone is far too nice! They were in love with the
protagonist for years, and yet they back off because they want the protagonist
to be happy. But what about you, then? What about your happiness?!”
“…Yes, they usually end up saying something like, ‘Your happiness is my
happiness.’”
“And that’s only because they don’t have any other choice! But they’re just
lying to themselves! And what’s wrong with the protagonist? Why would you
take some good-looking yet broken pain-in-the-ass man over your childhood
friend, who would cherish you for the rest of your life? Because he’d obviously
make the protagonist way happier than anyone else could!” argued Sayaka
fervently, her hands tightly clenching over the table.
“Why can’t the people I ship ever be together? Why do these authors keep
doing this to me? Do you know what I mean?!” she shouted, straining her voice.
“Y-yes, I suppose it would be like that for people who ship childhood
friends…”
“Why is everyone so obsessed with some random transfer student or some
classmate they just met?! Why choose some stranger you know nothing about
over the childhood friend who was always there for you?! I want them to be
happy, too, for a change!”
“Ha…ha-ha…”
Yuki laughed dryly, and sweat poured down her back as she looked at
Masachika, who was staring at Sayaka with an indescribable expression.
Oh my god! That was a close one!
She inwardly sighed, relieved that she’d managed to maneuver the topic to
something somewhat safer. Then guessing what he was thinking, she promptly
joked with her brother, who was staring off into space. This let Sayaka know
that Masachika and Nonoa had returned.
“How dare you say such a thing, my dear brother.”
“Stop reading my mind.”
The “my dear brother” part repeated in the back of Sayaka’s mind like a
recording.
“Brother!” yelled Yuki, a small child in a field of white clover with a flower
crown in hand before her brother.
“Brotherrr,” cried a young Yuki with tears in her eyes and a stuffed animal
clutched to her chest as thunder shook the house.
“Brother! Seriously?” complained an older Yuki in a slightly reprimanding tone
while she fixed her brother’s tie.
Every possible beautiful scene between these two siblings instantly played in
Sayaka’s head like a movie thanks to her well-trained imagination.
“Ngh!”
She immediately grabbed her nose in a panic before any of the precious
nectar of sibling love escaped.
“Sh-she called him her dear brother… How adorable…”
Witnessing the siblings’ sudden intimate exchange seemed to be too much for
Sayaka, and those words just slipped off her tongue.
“…You really are a nerd, aren’t you?” Masachika’s annoyed tone suddenly
dragged Sayaka back to reality, forcing her to realize that she had screwed up
yet again. Nevertheless, despite it being far too late to do anything about it
now, she put on a serious expression and stood from her seat as if nothing had
happened.
“My apologies for taking up so much of your time.”
“Not at all. I had a lot of fun.”
“Really…? Then…I’m glad. Masachika, I would like to apologize for lashing out
at you earlier as well.”
“Oh, no. It’s cool. Besides, you helped me realize how careless we were
being… Anyway, do you think…?” Masachika hesitated, and he looked
indecisive. Sayaka, however, knew exactly what he wanted to say and agreed.
“Your secret is safe with us. Right, Nonoa?”
“Hmm? Yeah, sure. Whatever.”
“Anyway, enjoy the rest of your outing together, you two. See you at school.”
“Yeah, thanks. See you around.”
“I had a lot of fun. I hope you both enjoy the rest of your summer break.”
“You too.”
“Later.”
After saying their good-byes, Sayaka and Nonoa hastily walked away, but
once they were completely out of Masachika’s and Yuki’s sight, Sayaka
immediately covered her face with both hands and squatted until her rear was
barely hovering over ground.
“I’m so embarrassed…”
“Oh…? Something happen, Sayaka? You okay?”
“I’m not okay. I was so happy that Yuki was a fellow enthusiast that I cut loose
a little too much…”
But even though her voice was dripping with regret, she couldn’t help but
smile as she thought back to their exchange.
“But it was an invaluable experience…”
“Uh-huh… Okay.”
“Thank you so much, Yuki… I can go another month thanks to your
contribution.”
“How so?” asked Nonoa, not really knowing how to react to her friend
suddenly squatting with eyes wide and hands clasped together as if in prayer.
“Moe adds color to our daily lives, and the precious nectar we occasionally
find gives us the energy we need to live!”
“…Word,” replied Nonoa in a monotonic voice, but Sayaka expressed no
concern toward her obvious indifference and stared off into the distance.
“There are some kinds of nectar that can only be obtained through seeing
close, loving siblings who are blood-related.”
“Yeah, totally,” replied Nonoa, messing around on her smartphone… Then she
realized something and looked up.
“…Wait. Is that why you always want to come over to my house?”
“Er…”
Sayaka promptly averted her gaze, and Nonoa narrowed her eyes at the back
of her friend’s head. Around ten seconds of silence followed before Sayaka
eventually muttered awkwardly:
“…It’s really heartwarming seeing just how close Lea and Leo are, isn’t it?”
“…? Are they, though?”
“Just being twins makes them precious! They must be protected at all costs!”
Sayaka declared firmly, making Nonoa recoil a little.
“If you say so.”
She instinctively knew it would be in her best interest to agree.
“Even when they quarrel, you can tell that they still love and trust each other
very much, and that’s what makes them so precious…”
“Uh-huh… Anyway, maybe it’s time you stand back up so we can get going.
People are starting to stare.”
“Huh…? Ah!”
That was when Sayaka finally realized that countless strangers’ eyes were
locked on her, so she immediately stood and cleared her throat.
“Hey, uh… Just in case there’s a misunderstanding, I want you to know that I
don’t go over to your house simply because I want to see Leo and Lea.”
“I know. You want to see Lea and me getting along and having fun, right?”
“N-no, that’s not what I meant… You’re messing with me, aren’t you?”
Nonoa proudly grinned back at Sayaka’s annoyed gaze.
 “Dunno. Am I? Why don’t you tell me?”
“This isn’t a game! Stop!” demanded Sayaka, turning her head away from
Nonoa before briskly striding off, leaving her friend behind. But after walking a
few steps ahead of her motionless, grinning companion, she looked back and
peevishly cried, “Nonoa, come on! Stop messing around already!”
“Ha-ha! My bad.”
Nonoa laughed and immediately ran over to Sayaka, slipping her arms around
hers, then asking in a serious voice:
“But are you sure you’re cool with saying good-bye to Kuze and the others like
that? We could have totally hung out with them longer if you wanted to.”
After briefly glancing in Nonoa’s direction, Sayaka faced forward once more
and calmly replied, “I didn’t want to bother them. Besides, it’s not like we’re
good friends with them, right?”
“Yeah, but, like…this would have been the perfect chance to get to know
them better and become good friends with them. Am I wrong? It’s not like
we’re rivals any longer.”
“…Still, it wouldn’t be right. Even though we aren’t rival candidates anymore,
it’s not like our relationship is any different from before.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Sayaka had done a complete reversal. She was speaking with a flat tone,
unlike earlier when she was passionately rambling like a rabid fangirl. In other
words, she had returned to her normal self: an intellectual who didn’t let her
emotions get in the way…unless she was talking about her nerdy interests or
she had lost her temper.
“Besides, I don’t want to be friends with either of them.”
“Wait. Seriously?”
“Of course. All I want to do is watch their precious exchanges from afar as a
single spectator. Nothing more.”
…She was an intellectual. This was a fact. Nonoa might have been narrowing
her eyes at Sayaka’s serious expression as if to say, “What is wrong with her?”
but she really was an intellectual. Really.
“Besides, I came here today to hang out with you, Nonoa, and nobody else,”
Sayaka added casually with a shrug. Nonoa’s eyes widened…and she grinned.
“Wow. You love me sooo much, Saya, huh?”
“Of course. You’re my best friend.”
“I love you, too, Saya. ♪” Nonoa grinned goofily and leaned into Sayaka.
Although Sayaka continued to look annoyed, she didn’t push her friend away.
After that, they kept walking side by side for a while, until Sayaka suddenly
exhaled deeply as if to collect herself and began looking around.
“So… What next? Do—?”
That was when she heard them.
“Giggle. That was so scary, wasn’t it?”
“You didn’t look scared to me. Hell, you looked like you were having the time
of your life.”
“Not at all. I don’t know what I would have done if I did not have my dear
brother’s arm to hold on to.”
Masachika glared at Yuki reproachfully as she held on to her brother’s arm
like a young noblewoman. Ayano was there, too. The three of them had just
come out of the haunted house when they ran into Sayaka and Nonoa again,
and they simultaneously froze. There was no proper word to describe the
mood.
“Don’t mind me. Please continue.”
That was the only thing Sayaka said as she slowly pushed her glasses up by
the bridge with the expression of an intellectual, precious nectar (read: blood)
slowly trickling out of her nose.
CHAPTER 2
A Princess and a God

“Nonoa! Do my hair for me!”

“Hmm?”
One day during summer break, Nonoa was relaxing in her room when the
door suddenly flew open. A seemingly strong-willed, adorable girl with dark-
brown hair and slightly almond-shaped eyes sprang into the room. Nonoa’s
sister—Lea Miyamae, who was two years her junior and had just barged in
without knocking—was met with Nonoa’s glare.
“Lea, you should knock—”
“Who cares about knocking?! Now, come on! Please?” Lea begged and posed
cutely with both hands on her cheeks.
“…Yeah, yeah.”
Nonoa casually rolled out of bed, sat her sister in front of the dresser, and
plugged in the hair straightener.
“…So? What do you want me to do with it today?”
“Like… I want it like you did yours last week during your photo shoot!”
“Got it.”
She began brushing her sister’s hair while thinking back to what style she
wore the other day. All of a sudden, a mischievous-looking teenage boy poked
his head into the room.
“Hey, hurry up. We’re gonna be late.”
“Shut up! Never rush a lady. No wonder you’re not popular.”
“What? Girls love me,” Lea’s twin brother, Leo Miyamae, replied with
irritation and a raised eyebrow. Although most people would get laughed at for
claiming they were popular with the opposite sex, Leo had good looks that
backed up his claim. In fact, these twins, who shared similar good-looking
features, modeled together from time to time, and Leo was extremely popular.
All three siblings had that in common.
“You hanging out with your model friends today?”
“Yeah, we’re gonna meet up with some people from the last photo shoot…
Oh, hey! You wanna come?”
“Hmm? Oh, I can’t. Already have plans.”
“Awww.More boys for me, then, I guess,” said Lea with a cheeky smile as
Nonoa continued styling her hair. But after seeing her expression in the mirror
on the dresser, Leo, who was leaning against the doorframe, blatantly frowned.
“You’re such a ho.”
“Yeah, says the guy with a new girl every week.”
“Unlike you, I don’t flirt with and try to seduce every girl I see, though. It’s not
my fault they’re all attracted to me.”
The twins began hurling insults while glaring at each other in the mirror.
Nonoa looked at her siblings and said, as if she couldn’t care less:
“Don’t go too crazy, guys. Mom already told you not to—”
“Yeah, yeah. I know. Don’t worry. I never go all the way. Besides, I don’t like
‘good-looking guys.’ Like, I’m totally sick of how overconfident they all are.”
“Then stop trying to seduce every last one of them.”
“That’s a different issue entirely. I love the attention good-looking guys give
me.”
“Tsk.”
Leo clicked his tongue in disgust, but when he saw Nonoa looking at him in
the mirror, he felt guilty and averted his gaze.
“I’ll be waiting at the front door.”
After pushing off from the doorframe, Leo began to turn on his heel when
Nonoa suddenly asked, “Do you have a handkerchief and some tissues?”
“Tsk. Shut up. Of course I do. Stop treating me like a kid.”
“…? I’m not treating you like a kid. I’m treating you like a little brother.”
“Whatever,” he hissed before immediately leaving the room.
“…Is he going through his rebellious phase or something?”
“Probably. He’s so immature. Kids, am I right?” Lea snorted, despite being
exactly the same age as Leo. Nonoa, however, didn’t bother bringing it up but
instead placed the hair straightener down, took a step back, and checked how
Lea’s hair had turned out.
“What do you think?”
“Looks good. Thanks! Anyway, see you when I get back.”
“Later.”
After watching her sister walk out of the room with a coquettish grin, Nonoa
glanced at the clock on the wall.
“…I should probably get ready to leave, too,” she muttered. She took a seat in
the chair Lea had been sitting in, straightened her own hair, and braided it so
that it hung over her shoulder. After that, she opened her walk-in closet,
revealing countless designer outfits that cost who knows how much. Yet she
didn’t glance in their direction but instead pulled a bland blouse and skirt out of
one of the stacked plastic wardrobe shelves on the floor. She then grabbed a
plain bag and hat off another shelf, picked up her black-framed glasses, and put
them all on.
“…All right, that should do it.”
She looked like a celebrity wearing a disguise to go into town. She managed to
conceal some of her usual glamorous features and even appeared sophisticated
in a way. After double-checking herself in the mirror, Nonoa briefly practiced a
few expressions, then promptly walked out the front door. She was heading to
a karaoke spot at the end of an alleyway behind the train station. It honestly
wasn’t the cleanest place, and it reeked of cigarettes, but there were no
security cameras, and the workers hardly patrolled the area. As a result, it was
often used as a hangout spot for delinquents and couples who were short on
cash.
“Ngh… Sniffle…”
“…?”
The moment Nonoa stepped into the alley, she heard someone softly sobbing
and began to look around. A few moments went by, and then a little boy
around five or six years old came walking around the corner. His face was
scrunched up and wet with tears, as though he was lost and aimlessly
wandering the streets.
“Hff… Mmm… Sniffle…”
“……”
A little boy was lost and crying in what you could say was not exactly the
safest place in the city. Nonoa glanced at the kid…and then ignored him as if she
didn’t particularly care. She wasn’t in a hurry, but she didn’t see the point in
helping the child. She understood that the societal standard was that you
should be nice to small children, and she probably would have done something
to help the kid if there were people she knew nearby watching. But none of
Nonoa’s acquaintances were anywhere in sight. Plus, although her parents told
her to be nice to her younger brother and sister, they never told her to be nice
to other kids. Put simply, she had no reason to help this lost child. Maybe some
would claim that having a conscience would urge her to do the right thing, but
she didn’t have one.
She arrived at the karaoke box and told the apathetic employee that she was
joining a group that was already there.
“Welcome. How many people are in your party?”
“Oh, I’m meeting someone here. Uh… They’re in room number…”
Nonoa looked through her smartphone to check the room number, then went
up to the third floor.
“Oh, Nonoa! About time you showed up!”
When she walked into the karaoke room, a young girl immediately ran over,
and Nonoa smiled brightly.
“I’m really sorry about that. So, uh… Am I the last to arrive?” replied Nonoa in
a very sweet tone for a change. She then looked around and saw three guys
sitting on the sofa; they all affectionately smiled back at her.
“Don’t worry about it. We’re the ones who asked you to come all the way out
here,” replied one of the boys.
“Yeah, if anything, we should be apologizing for having you meet us here
during your summer break.”
“We had something we just had to tell you, though… Anyway, have a seat,”
requested one of the guys, pointing to the empty spot next to him.
Immediately, the other two boys’ eyes began to burn red.
“Wow. Real sly subtly offering the seat next to you, bro.”
“You really can’t let your guard down around this guy.”
“Okay, guys. That’s enough fighting. Nonoa, you can sit here with me.”
After giving the three boys a cold, piercing glare, the girl faced Nonoa once
more with a brilliant smile and gestured to the seat beside her. Now it was the
three boys staring at her coldly for using the fact that she was the same gender
as Nonoa to her advantage. She picked up the control tablet as if she didn’t
even notice and handed it to Nonoa.
“Come on. Let’s sing a couple of songs first. I want to hear you sing, Nonoa.”
“Oh, good idea.”
“Yeah, I want to hear her sing, too.”
“Sing us a song, Nonoa.”
“U-uh…? …All right. But we should probably order some drinks—”
“Okay, I’ll go grab us some drinks. What do you want?”
All four of them immediately began to move the moment Nonoa seemed like
she needed something, and once she began to sing, each of them was having
the time of their life, as if they were at a live concert. At first glance, there was
nothing out of the ordinary when compared to how they always acted around
Nonoa at school, but there were a few minute differences: namely, Nonoa’s
behavior and how everyone was reacting. If Nonoa was their queen and they
were her followers at school, then Nonoa right now was their dear princess, and
they were her servants who catered to her every need.
“Phew…”
The moment Nonoa finished her ballad, the small crowd erupted into
applause. None of them cared that it was a mellow, sentimental song, which
people usually wouldn’t get this excited for at karaoke, but these four would
probably react the same way even if Nonoa had sung a heavy metal or anime
song. She could be tone-deaf and the worst singer in the world, and they would
still probably clap and cheer from the bottom of their hearts in the same way.
“G-guys, come on. That’s enough…,” Nonoa said bashfully as she fanned her
face, appearing embarrassed by their excessive applause. Immediately, their
clapping stopped, and their expressions lit up as if they had been blessed by an
actual goddess.
“Wow, I was so nervous. Singing in front of others is so scary. Know what I
mean?”
Nonoa smiled self-consciously before their affectionate gazes. Her smile,
perhaps also due to the fact that she was dressed more modestly than usual,
evoked a strong desire in them to protect her. In fact, the four lackeys were
instantly won over, their passionate gazes locking on Nonoa in unison, and she
began to fidget as if she felt embarrassed by it.
“Ngh… C-come on, guys. Sing something. This is embarrassing…”
Nonoa looked away to escape their stares and gestured that the other four
should choose songs.
“O-oh, uh… All right.”
“Uh… Should I put in the usual rock medley?”
“Oh yeah. Good idea. Let’s all take turns doing that, then.”
“I’ll go grab a tambourine. ♪”
They immediately began picking songs and acting like they were having fun. It
was like four servants going overboard to entertain their princess while
observing every little move she made in order to please her, and it was only
natural they acted this way. Because these four grunts were thinking, Nonoa
only worked as a model because her parents told her to, and although she hangs
out with all the cool kids at school, she’s really just a shy little girl deep down
inside, unsure of herself and sick of this person she has to pretend to be. Of
course, this contradicted reality. Being timid and unsure of herself was merely a
story Nonoa came up with to gain sympathy from these four. In fact, it was
these four who were sick of caring about appearances, how they had to act at
school, and how they had to pretend to be people they were not. Nonoa knew
this, which was why she had approached them and used it to her advantage,
claiming she was no different.
And that was how she got together people at the bottom and in the middle of
the school-caste system to form this five-person group. These depressed
individuals were extremely quick to fall for Nonoa, the only person who could
understand them and the first true friend they had ever had.
We’re the only ones who know the real Nonoa.
The popular kids who crowd around Nonoa aren’t her real friends. We’re her
real friends.
This secret (fantasy) gave them an ever so sweet sense of superiority, and the
kindness and trust that Nonoa showed them was like a high… And that was how
Nonoa became a god to them.
“Wow, that was sooo good. You guys are such great singers!”
Nonoa laughed mirthfully while giving each guy a high five after they had
finished singing, making every boy grin widely. After all, special treatment like
this was reserved for when they were out together, which made it even more
special. Nevertheless, the group of four didn’t simply ask Nonoa to come just to
sing. Once the mood eventually became more relaxed, the four exchanged
glances and nodded.
“So… Nonoa… We actually invited you here today because there was
something we wanted to talk about,” explained one of the guys on behalf of the
others.
 “Really?”
“Like… You remember when you introduced us to Kinjou from Class F and told
us to be friends with him?”
“Oh yeah. Kinjou, right? So…? Are you all getting along? Kinjou seems to be a
very lonely person, just like us…so I would really appreciate it if you could be
good friends with him, too.”
“Yeah, uh… About that…”
In the face of Nonoa’s affectionate smile, everyone just pressed their lips
together awkwardly until the girl sitting next to Nonoa bravely spoke up.
“Hey… Kinjou is…”

“Tsk! Both Suou and Kujou aren’t on social media… Figures. Probably trying to
act like they don’t care about fame or attention, since they’re running for
student council president. Pathetic. Pisses me off,” grumbled a teenage boy,
alone in his room in a luxury apartment. This was Kinjou from Class F, a student
at Seirei Academy and the student whom Nonoa had been talking about. He
was…honestly what most people would classify as ugly. In addition, what he
lacked in height, he unfortunately made up in width. Pimples covered his round
cheeks like freckles, and his nostrils were large like a pig’s. These features alone
would make most harmless-looking kids targeted by bullies, but the mean glint
in his eyes left a completely different impression on most people. He was far
less like a harmless little piglet and more like a sly snake. By regarding others as
inferior and treating them poorly, he relieved some of the pressure from his
own inferiority complex. Whether online or in real life, he lived to spread
rumors about and criticize those “better” than him.
“Pfft. What? Look at this asshole vacationing in Guam. Getting a little too
cocky lately, huh? Let’s check this punk’s post history and see if he has said
anything slightly offensive before… Pfft! Ha-ha! What’s this? Pissed off because
someone pointed out the obvious? Yeah, sorry you had to edit your photos to
make yourself look halfway decent. Freaking uggo.”
 Day in and day out, he wandered through various social media pages of his
schoolmates and famous people to troll and roast…but today, his smartphone
suddenly began to vibrate on his desk.
“Huh…? Oh!”
When Kinjou saw the name on the screen, he answered the phone, his plump
cheeks soon curling into a smile.
“Heh. Karaoke, huh? Fiiine. I guess I can do that.”
Contrary to his complaint, he hopped out of his seat in excitement and
immediately got ready to go out. Not even five minutes had gone by, and he
was already outside and heading toward the karaoke place. Obviously, he was
loathed by everyone at school as well due to his awful personality, which was
why he didn’t have a single friend. In fact, he had never had a friend. That is,
until Nonoa talked to him at school only a month ago.
“Kinjou, I heard you’re always being compared with your talented brother. Is
that true? ’Cause I am, too…”
Nonoa spoke to him that day while showing him a different side to her than
she ever showed at school. That was when she told him “everything.” She told
him that she was only pretending to be a bubbly, cheerful girl because that was
what her parents wanted. She told him that she was really an introvert, that she
was not as good as her siblings, that she felt ashamed whenever she was home,
that she couldn’t be the real her at school and that it was killing her.
“I feel like you and I aren’t so different, Kinjou…,” admitted Nonoa uneasily,
looking up at him through her eyelashes and stealing his heart. Kinjou also
opened up to her after that. He told her how his father and stepmother always
doted on his younger half brother. He explained how everyone was always
going on about how talented his brother was, but if his parents gave him the
same opportunities to learn, study, and take part in extracurricular activities,
then he would be able to do everything his little brother could do and better.
And yet nobody—not his parents, not his teachers, not anyone around him—
realized just how talented he was. Nonoa smiled and nodded while Kinjou
dumped every bit of baggage that he had, and she agreed with him. She
accepted him as he was. It wasn’t long after that until she eventually introduced
him to her four minions, who were all in similar situations, and they almost
immediately hit it off.
“Yo, Kinjou. I heard you really dissed Kujou good at the debate the other day.”
“I know how ya feel, man. We’re a traditional school, so we should be
represented by a real Japanese.”
“We’re really happy to have someone who finally agrees with us. The other
idiots at school look at her and think she’s a princess just because she’s a little
cute.”
What brought them together was a mutual dislike for none other than Alisa.
At times, sharing a dislike for something forged stronger bonds than sharing a
like for something, and that was especially true when it came to Kinjou.
Those idiots at school are such posers. They only care about looks. Scumbags.
But these people were different, and they lauded Kinjou for his bravery for
standing up all by himself against the students who were at the top of the caste
system. They were eager to hear tales of his heroic exploits, and their eyes lit up
with joy after each story he told. For someone like Kinjou, who raised his self-
esteem solely by putting others down, being praised by others was unbelievably
euphoric. He was unconsciously opening up to them, despite being a person
who usually didn’t trust anyone.
“Heh. I don’t really do karaoke, but I guess I can grace them with my
presence, since they invited me,” he arrogantly muttered to himself, and yet he
couldn’t keep himself from gleefully grinning all the way to the karaoke box.
After making his way up to the third floor, he walked over to the room number
he was given and stood in front of the door.
Hmm? It’s strangely quiet…
Although he briefly found it curious, he wasn’t too concerned, and he
promptly opened the door before strutting inside like he was the coolest kid in
school.
“Yooo! What’s with the random karaoke invite? Lucky for you guys I just
happened to be free,” he claimed, looking around the room, then suddenly
realized something was off. The air was tense. The only other female member
of the group aside from Nonoa had her arm wrapped around Nonoa’s shoulder
as Nonoa stared at the floor. Never in a million years had Kinjou been expecting
to see everyone so joyless. Although taken aback, he forced himself to smile.
“Guys, come on. What’s with the gloomy mood? Wait. Nonoa, are you crying?
Guys, what did you—?”
“Kinjou, shut up,” snapped one of the guys, cutting him off. Kinjou clicked his
tongue with clear irritation and looked over…where he found everyone glaring
at him, eyes burning with animosity, and he unconsciously winced.
“Kinjou…,” muttered Nonoa, slowly lifting her head.
“Y-yeah? What’s wrong, Nonoa?”
He took a half step back the moment he saw the look on her face—the
expression of a woman who felt betrayed by someone she trusted.
“Kinjou… Six months ago, someone harassed Mimiko online until she quit
modeling. Was that you?”
“Huh? O-oh, uh… Well…”
Even Kinjou understood that nothing good was going to come from admitting
it, but Nonoa’s four friends were glaring at him as if to say, “You told us you did
it the other day,” which meant there was no way he could lie his way out of
this.
“Yeah, I guess…I might have done that?”
Which led him to give this noncommittal answer. Nonoa bit her lip,
scrunching up her tearstained face.
“H-hey, what’s wrong? Seriously, like, what are we talking—?”
“Kinjou… Mimiko was my friend. A very close friend…,” cried Nonoa, fighting
through her tears.
“…?!”
Kinjou was rendered speechless.
“Mimiko was a really good person who accepted me for who I really was…but
she fell into a deep depression after she was harassed online, and now she
won’t even talk to m-me anymore…!” she wailed, her voice trembling until she
couldn’t take it anymore. She pushed Kinjou out of the way and ran out of the
room.
“Ah…”
He reached out to her in mute disbelief as she disappeared around the
corner…when a large hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder tightly from behind.
Naturally, he looked back…and found that four students with wicked grins were
staring down at him.
“Well, Kinjou. That’s how it is. The girl you destroyed just for laughs was one
of Nonoa’s best friends.”
“Huh? Wait. No. I didn’t know she—”
Kinjou retreated a few steps while trying to pathetically make excuses, but he
soon found his back up against a wall of the small room, and the other four
immediately cornered him.
“You can’t just say you didn’t know and expect to be forgiven. Besides, that
model’s not the only one you hurt. You were bragging for hours the other day
about how many people you destroyed.”
“Oh, by the way, we recorded the entire conversation and looked into these
people you mentioned that night. And wow… You’ve slandered a ton of
celebrities and kids at school. Now…what do you think would happen if we
exposed you and told everyone online who you were?”
“Wh-why would you do that? The other day, you guys were praising me for
everything I did…,” stammered Kinjou, not able to process what was going on as
he was pierced by their disdainful glares.
“We were only pretending to be interested, dumbass. What kind of person
brags about stuff like that? There’s something seriously wrong with you.”
“Oh, and by the way, we were totally willing to accept you if you were a good
person deep down inside like Nonoa thought you were. Too bad you ended up
being trash inside and out.”
“That’s why we had to tell Nonoa what kind of person you really were.”
 “Yeah, she’s too pure and sweet. ♪ We have to protect her from trash like
you.”
Their loving gazes as they thought about Nonoa instantly sharpened into
sinister grins. The contrast was mind-boggling. Hints of fanaticism could be seen
in their eyes, making Kinjou sink to the floor. He understood instinctively…that
these four didn’t consider him to be human. They didn’t care about his feelings.
They didn’t respect him. They weren’t taking his life into account. If needed,
they wouldn’t hesitate to stomp on him until he drew his very last breath.
“A-ah…”
It was genuine, undiluted cruelty—something he had never been faced with
once in his life. It was unmitigated rejection that went beyond bitterness or
hate, and it shook him to his core as warmth slowly spread throughout his
underwear.
“P-please don’t…”
The words escaped his hoarse throat as he acted purely on instinct.
Meanwhile, the other four’s eyes brightly burned as their lips curled
maliciously.
“Ha-ha-ha! What the hell, man? You make it seem like we’re trying to make
you ‘disappear.’”
“Don’t worry. We wouldn’t do anything like that…as long as you make sure
you don’t show your face around Nonoa again. Got it?”
“Of course, you can ignore our warning, but then we’re gonna expose you
online, and then it’s not gonna only be about you anymore. Your entire family is
gonna be publicly shamed and shunned for the rest of their lives. I’ll make sure
of it.”
“You’ve ruined plenty of lives up until now, so I’m sure you’re prepared to
face the consequences, right?”
“A-ah…”
A young teenage boy’s voice trembled with fear in that karaoke box that day,
but his cries went unheard.
 “Sigh… Trying to make myself cry is hard,” muttered Nonoa while messing
around on her phone in the restroom stall. Not even a hint of the intense grief
she expressed a few moments ago remained, but that was no surprise. It was
merely an act, after all. Nonoa didn’t have anything against Kinjou. Truthfully,
she wasn’t really that close to Mimiko, and the only reason she fed him to the
lions like this was to pay back Masachika and Alisa.
Dad always told me that you have to pay back the people who help you.
That reason alone was enough for Nonoa to tear down a fellow human being,
and yet she felt neither guilt nor a sense of accomplishment. It wasn’t anything
new for her, so she felt nothing. She had been manipulating her four puppets
countless times already to dispose of people who got in her way:
upperclassmen who were jealous of her and harassed her, the guidance
counselor who held a grudge against her, Sayaka’s rival candidates during the
election who spread nasty rumors about her… Nonoa never once gave direct
orders to do any harm to these people. She simply provided information and
triggered her minions’ desire to protect her. Doing that was more than enough
to motivate her four goons to dispose of anyone who got in her way, and it
made sense. She chose them because she knew what kind of people they were
and what they were capable of.
“Things should be wrapping up right about…now.”
After Nonoa walked out of the stall, she stood in front of the mirror, worked
on her expression, then left the restroom.
“Nonoa!”
Just as she expected, the four members of her group were heading her way.
She greeted them with a brave yet feeble smile.
“Guys… I’m so sorry about that. I’m fine now, though…”
“Nonoa… Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry for getting upset like that. I ran off without even hearing
Kinjou’s side of the story… I’m sure he had his reasons for doing what he did,
right? I should probably talk to him…”
But the three male members of the group stood in Nonoa’s way when she
began walking back to their room, each of them wearing a somewhat cruel grin.
“Oh, Kinjou already went home.”
“He seems to feel super bad about what he did… Said he was too
embarrassed to even face you.”
“He said he was gonna have to rethink life and stuff, so don’t worry about
him, okay?”
“…Really? Well, if you say so…”
They gently watched over her as if they were knights protecting their
innocent princess, but to Nonoa, they looked like rabid fanatics idolizing her as
their goddess.
It’s so funny how people can just assume and believe things with no evidence.
There were no deep emotions connected to that thought. Only cold
observation.
“Well, I guess we will just have to wait until Kinjou turns over a new leaf and
comes back better than ever.”
Nonoa’s smile was that of an angel: infinitely pure and innocent.
CHAPTER 3
Atmosphere and Appetite

One day, Alisa was standing in front of a certain ramen shop. Ominously
written in red on the wooden sign were the words The Cauldron of Hell, and it
was the same ramen shop she had eaten at with Masachika and Yuki a while
back. She vividly recalled that the shop lived up to its name by serving only the
spiciest ramen, sending her straight to hell and back, and yet for some reason,
she was about to waltz into the lion’s den once more. Why? Because when she
and Masachika went on a da—a…pretend practice date the other day so she
could teach the clueless teenager about women, he’d told her he liked spicy
food.
It’s not like I’m trying to understand what kind of food he likes, though!
She was making excuses to herself. There had to be some reason why
someone would love spicy food that much, and she wanted to know why. That
was all. This was nothing other than her trying to expand her culinary palate. If
she managed to like not only sweets but spicy food as well, then she would be
able to enjoy eating twice as much. This challenge was based on that simple
thought process. And maybe it would have some side benefits, too? Like maybe
she was hoping that she could enjoy eating out with her friend more? Of
course, she was obviously referring to Yuki and not Masachika when she came
to that conclusion.
“All right.”
After making every excuse she could think of and preparing herself for what
was about to come, she opened the sliding door to the restaurant—
“…!”
—and immediately, the spices in the air burned her eyes and the back of her
nasal cavity. Even though she was somewhat prepared for this, she reflexively
narrowed her eyes and winced.
“Welcome to The Cauldron of Hell!”
She blinked for a few moments at the chef’s high-spirited voice, then shifted
her gaze to the hostess…where she saw a familiar face out of the corner of her
eye and did a double take.
“Uh…? Ayano?”
“…? Oh.”
Ayano, who was sitting at a table for two near the entrance, lifted her head
from the book she was reading, and her eyes widened slightly in surprise. After
seeing them greeting each other, the hostess approached and timidly asked:
“Uh… Will you two be eating together?”
“Oh, uh… Er… Yes,” Alisa responded awkwardly, thanks to her absolute lack of
life experience in this regard. The embarrassment she felt was almost physically
painful, but there was no way she could back down now after she claimed that
they would be eating together.
“Hey, uh… Do you mind?” she asked Ayano apprehensively.
“Be my guest.”
She then took a seat across from Ayano, who tucked her book away in her
bag.
“……”
“……”
And then there was silence. Two beautiful women staring at each other.
Saying nothing.
Uh…
The indescribable awkward silence became too much for Alisa as she closed
her half-open mouth, unable to find the right words to say. She didn’t have
much experience initiating small talk, and her relationship with Ayano…was still
extremely uncertain.
Are we even friends…? We’re not, are we? After all, we’ve hardly ever talked
to each other, especially not like this, and we’ve only spent time together as
members of the student council. To make matters worse, we’re going to be
running on opposing sides during the election cycle, so while we’re working
together in the student council now, we’re also enemies. Wait. But…Yuki and I
are friends, so…
Alisa was having difficulty putting her relationship with Ayano into words, but
how she was going to start the conversation depended on what kind of
relationship they had. Of course, she was not against the idea of being friends
with Ayano, but Ayano had never asked to be her friend, and she wasn’t
confident enough to claim they were friends without any confirmation, either.
It was a very common conundrum for people who were socially awkward or
shy. She even started hoping that Ayano would be the one to initiate
conversation…but she gave up the moment she looked into Ayano’s eyes. Her
eyes were unclouded without a hint of embarrassment. Clearly, she wasn’t
feeling awkward as she sat straight up with her hands in her lap as if to say, “Go
ahead. I am ready to listen to whatever it is you have to say.”
“Hello, I brought you some water. Please let me know when you’re ready to
order.”
Their bizarre staring contest paused when the waitress came back with some
water. Alisa’s eyes naturally shifted away from Ayano as she picked up the
menu and perused the disturbing names of the food with a bitter expression on
her face. She then looked back at Ayano and asked:
“What did you get?”
It took quite a bit of courage for Alisa to ask that.
“I got—”
But right as Ayano was about to reply, the waitress returned with a bowl of
ramen on a tray.
“Here you go. Spike Mountain Hell ramen. Enjoy your meal.”
Inside the dark-red soup…were countless spikelike fine strips of long onion
stacked to make a small mountain. It was the second thing from the top on the
menu, and one stage hotter than the Blood Pond Hell ramen, which Alisa ate
last time.
“…This.”
“Oh…”
Alisa thought carefully for a few seconds after seeing the ramen the hostess
brought. She was originally planning on getting Blood Pond Hell again, but after
seeing Ayano’s spicier choice, she suddenly began to doubt that getting the
same thing would help her progress. Plus, ordering the least spicy item on the
menu would make her kind of feel like a loser. She obviously knew this wasn’t a
competition, but…
“Excuse me, waitress? I’ll have the same thing,” she ordered, stopping the
waitress on her way back to the kitchen. She then faced Ayano once more.
“Oh, you don’t need to wait for me. Go ahead,” she urged.
“Thank you,” replied Ayano before grabbing her chopsticks, submerging the
mountain of long onion into the soup, and pulling the chopsticks back out with
some ramen. She then began slurping her noodles in silence.
“…!
“…?
“……”
After freezing for a moment, Ayano slowly slurped until the noodles were
completely in her mouth. She wiped her lips with a napkin, then began to
chew…and her expression didn’t change in the slightest.
I-incredible! She’s eating what looks like super-spicy ramen without even
raising an eyebrow… Ayano must love spicy food, too…
Alisa’s fear was accompanied by admiration and a faint sense of urgency. She
could still clearly remember how devastatingly hot the ramen she ordered last
time was, and this was going to be spicier. Would she really be able to eat it?
I-I’ll be fine! They say you just have to get used to spicy food, and I had so
much trouble finishing last time because I ended up adding seasoning to make it
spicier!
 While trying to fire herself up, she glanced at one of the table corners and
noticed the seasoning the restaurant offered: soy sauce, pepper…and a
suspicious-looking small earthenware jar that stood out more than the rest. On
the jar was the name Demon Tears—an unbelievably spicy seasoning.
I’ll be okay as long as I don’t put any of that in my ramen… At least, I should
be okay!
She said that to herself in an attempt to summon up enough courage to eat.
Meanwhile, Ayano continued to chew on the noodles of the second hottest
ramen in the shop as she thought:
It’s spicy… So spicy…
Ayano was mentally on the verge of tears because she couldn’t actually
handle spicy foods that well, either. There was a reason she went there alone
that day, and it was because she wanted to train herself to be able to eat spicy
food, since the two people she adored the most loved it. Unknown to anyone
around her, she had been painstakingly training at restaurants that specialized
in spicy cuisine whenever she had a day off or some spare time. Thanks to that,
she had built quite a tolerance for spicy food compared with when she first
started training two years ago…but even then, this spicy ramen was hard to
handle.
It’s hot and spicy… My mouth feels like it’s on fire…
The spiciness only got worse after the first bite, as if little bits of the spicy
elements remained in her mouth, ignited by the boiling-hot noodles before
exploding like dynamite. It got to the point where Ayano could no longer tell if
the ramen was burning hot or if it was just really spicy.
Ngh… Too…hot…
She honestly wanted to open her mouth wide to breathe and get some
ventilation going, but she was a proud maid, and that was bad manners. If she
was alone, then maybe, but Alisa was sitting right in front of her. She couldn’t
allow herself to show such shameful behavior in front of Yuki’s beautiful rival
and schoolmate.
“…! Hff.”
 After managing to swallow the food in her mouth while keeping a straight
face, she let out a brief sigh. Of course, her instincts were telling her to guzzle as
much water as she could, but she knew through experience that doing so
wasn’t that effective, especially since it added pressure on the stomach, so she
decided to simply bear the pain. Instead, she chose to use the long onion
shavings, which were relatively safe, to escape from the heat.
There was less soup on the long onions compared with the noodles…which
should give her some time to breathe and relax.
That was her hypothesis when she shoveled some long onion shavings into
her mouth…and then immediately regretted it. Once she started chewing, the
onions’ own unique flavor made it feel like her tongue was being pierced by
spikes.
“…?!”
Ayano’s eyes rolled back due to how surprisingly spicy these long onion
shavings were. It was clear there was something different about them. The heat
was nothing like hot peppers. Instead, it felt like she was being stabbed. In basic
chemical terms, it wasn’t like the spiciness of capsaicin. It was aniline that
contributed to the onions’ piercingly burning sensation. If these types of
spiciness were magic types, then they would be fire and wind. They were
completely different magic types, exploding in her mouth and causing so much
pain that she almost wanted to cry.
I-interesting… So this is the Spike Mountain part of hell…
The conflicting types of spicy flavors didn’t cancel each other out. Instead,
they came after her and attacked from both sides. That was the moment she
realized that this double whammy was the core of the dish. She closed her eyes,
tightly squeezing her tear glands to shut off the impending waterworks while
nodding a few times as if she was actually enjoying the flavor. After eventually
swallowing, she slowly reached for her cup, took a big sip of water, and exhaled,
feeling instant relief from having her mouth cleaned out.
“It’s really good. The exquisite savory flavors of the vegetables and ground
beef stand out thanks to the spiciness of the soup.”
Incidentally, Ayano wasn’t telling a fib. She could taste the umami that went
beyond the spiciness of the dish thanks to her years of hard training, so she
wasn’t lying. She simply didn’t disclose the fact that she had no time to enjoy
these flavors because of how spicy the ramen was. Nevertheless, Alisa was
oblivious to how Ayano was feeling.
“Oh… Really? I can’t wait,” said Alisa with an awkward smile as she felt a
shiver go down her spine.
H-how can she continue eating that like it’s nothing? Ayano must love spicy
food…
Alisa was gradually becoming more worried as she watched Ayano quietly
resume eating. She thought that maybe they could bond over a common enemy
like spicy ramen, saying things like “Mmph… This is hot” and “Yeah, it is,” but
this glimmer of hope she once had swiftly came crumbling down like a house
made of straw in the wind. Ayano was a seasoned warrior who had no need for
a comrade in arms. The only rookie soldier there was Alisa.
Ngh…
She started to regret sitting with Ayano, although it was already far too late
for that. Crying now about how spicy the ramen was would only make a veteran
like Ayano glare at her as if to say, “Why are you even here, then?” The best-
case scenario would be Alisa’s order arriving at the table after Ayano had
finished eating and left…but of course, life was never that easy.
“Sorry for the wait. Spike Mountain Hell ramen. Enjoy.”
Ayano had finished about half her ramen when Alisa’s food arrived. There was
no way for Alisa to run away now, so she steeled herself for battle while
grabbing her disposable chopsticks like a soldier heading into war with a rifle in
hand.
“Oh, great. It’s finally here.”
Her first contact with the ramen was going to be crucial, and this first bite was
going to let her know that—
“…?! Gfff?!”
The instant she slurped up the noodles, her throat was doused with capsaicin,
and she began to violently cough. While she managed to keep the food down,
albeit barely, she couldn’t stop coughing.
“…! Mn! Gff!”
The coughs were relentless, and having food in her mouth made it worse.
Once Alisa finally managed to stop coughing, she carefully used her chopsticks
to get the rest of the noodles in her mouth…where she was in unbelievable
pain. Although she kept quiet, it felt as if the inside of her mouth was on fire.
Mngh…?!
It was spicy and boiling hot, and her mouth hurt. What kind of fools made this
monstrosity? And how dumb did you have to be to order it?
I guess that means…I’m dumb…too…!
It was so spicy that she could hardly even think straight as she furiously began
wiping her lips with a napkin. At any rate, first contact with the ramen…went
poorly.
Th-there’s no way I’m going to be able to eat all this…
Overcome with utter despair, Alisa swallowed her first bite as Ayano watched.
“Are you okay? You were coughing quite a bit a second ago…,” asked Ayano
with worry.
“I-I’m fine.” Alisa reflexively retorted to feign strength. “Some of the soup
went down the wrong pipe. That’s all. I guess I was a little too aggressive with
my slurping.”
“Oh, I know what you mean. That happens a lot to me if I’m not careful.”
Ayano nodded as if she could relate. Alisa responded to the admission with an
awkward smile, then looked down at her bowl of ramen…and felt almost
hopeless. The road to finishing the entire bowl of ramen was a long one and a
task so daunting that the hand holding her chopsticks was frozen. Ayano, on the
other hand, seemed to have a good appetite.
I—I guess I’ll try eating the long onions in between…
Alisa’s thought process led her to the same conclusion Ayano had reached. In
other words, she fell for the same exact trap. A-ack! Th-that’s hot! Hot, hot,
hot! Hff!
Alisa may have had a poker face, but she was struggling due to the spiciness
of the onions directly attacking her tear ducts. It was sheer willpower alone that
allowed her to maintain her dignified expression, but she soon realized that the
more she chewed, the spicier it got. After doing the minimum amount of
chewing necessary, she forced the food down with some water. But for some
reason, mixing the cold water with the piercing spiciness of the onion made her
mouth feel oddly refreshed.
I don’t have any other choice…!
She knew that this refreshing feeling was a sham, but even if it was all in her
head, there was no way she was going to be able to finish her ramen otherwise.
Once she came to this conclusion, Alisa started to blow on the hot noodles to
cool them down while removing as much of the soup as she could. She ate as
quickly as she could. The goal was to defeat as much of her foe as possible
before her deceitful powers of invincibility wore off.
Ayano’s eyes widened slightly as she watched Alisa’s chopsticks move
diligently.
H-how can she continue eating like that? Incredible… Alisa must really love
spicy food.
It was a mutual misunderstanding born from two people who couldn’t be
honest with each other.
I can’t let her show me up…!
Seeing the way her schoolmate ate ended up motivating Ayano, and her
chopsticks began moving tirelessly, as if she was trying not to be outdone. And
once Alisa saw this…
She’s shoving down all that ramen like it’s nothing… I have to work even
harder!
It was a scene from hell. Since each of them believed the other wasn’t having
any trouble, the idea of giving up wasn’t an option for them anymore. All they
could do now was move forward through pure stubbornness and pride until
they could escape this torment. And before long…
 “…! Phew… That was good.”
Ayano had finally conquered the Spike Mountain Hell. The sense of
accomplishment was so great that she almost wanted to raise a flag to
celebrate as she gulped down her glass of ice water and basked in victory.
Ayano looks…really satisfied for some reason. D-did she like it that much? I
don’t get it…but I’ve only got a few more bites to go!
Seeing Ayano’s victory encouraged Alisa to make the final push, sticking her
chopsticks into the small clump of remaining noodles, when—
Crunch.
The ominous sensation made Alisa freeze in place. It was a classic beginner’s
mistake. While eating, she hadn’t stirred her ramen even once, so all the hot
peppers and minced meat had sunk and gathered at the bottom of the bowl.
…? What’s this?
And since she was but an amateur, she made another grave mistake. She
curiously moved the noodles out of the way and peeked into the depths of hell.
Wh-what…?! What is that?!
The lump of spiciness, which had hardened a bit after sinking to the bottom of
the bowl, began to crumble, and the horde of demons who had been sealed
away in the deepest pit of hell were freed. The lack of soup itself further
contributed to the high concentration of spiciness, making the dish become
something far more sinister than when she started. Alisa tried to pull up the
noodles in a fluster, but it was already too late. The noodles were covered with
flakes of red-hot pepper and black specks to the point that no amount of
blowing or shaking could get enough off.
…! Am I really going to eat this?
Alisa felt as if she were standing right before the crater of a volcano in the
middle of an eruption, but she couldn’t keep staring at her food all day. The
finish line was right in front of her, and Ayano was already waiting for her at the
summit.
I won’t lose. I will finish every last bite. I will finish…every last bite…
 She glared at the noodles with an almost ghastly expression as she tried to
drum up courage for battle. Giving up now would mean that she went through
hell for nothing. And for what? Why was she even doing this in the first place?
Because of some sort of rivalry with Ayano? Because she was stubborn? No…
I want to be able to enjoy eating out with Masachika!
In the deepest pit of the netherworld, Alisa admitted her true feelings, and
with that determination in her heart, she brought the ramen to her lips, and—

“…! …?”
When she opened her eyes, she was sitting on a vaguely familiar park bench.
She blinked repeatedly, looking around, and noticed that Ayano was sitting right
next to her, appearing worried.
“…Are you okay?”
“Huh? Uh… I…”
She began tracing her memories to uncover the mystery of how she’d gotten
there, but her head was so foggy that she couldn’t remember a thing. While she
knitted her brow and curiously tilted her head, Ayano timidly explained:
“Ahem… The moment you finished your ramen…it was like your soul had left
your body…”
“What? O-oh…”
Overcome with embarrassment, she leaned forward, head hanging under the
pressure of the indescribable awkwardness in the air, then looked back up at
Ayano.
“Hey, uh… Thank you. You brought me here, right…? Ah! I didn’t pay! I still
haven’t paid for my—”
“Oh, I…I paid for you…”
“I’m so sorry! Let me pay you back! How much was it?”
They continued to chat as Alisa got her money together… Ayano hesitantly
asked:
“Hey, uh… You don’t really like spicy food, do you?”
“Er…”
Despite wanting to immediately deny it, Alisa had no way to pretend to be
tough after essentially losing consciousness. Her eyes wandered for a while
until she finally decided to admit it.
“I’m…not really a big fan of spicy food…”
“Oh…”
Alisa hung her head low and waited to be asked why she would even go to
such a restaurant, but what she heard next was something she never expected
to hear in a million years.
“I actually don’t like spicy food, either.”
“Huh…?”
“I’ve been trying to build a tolerance so that I can eat spicy food with Ms. Yuki
and M—ahem—maybe enjoy myself more when we eat out…but I still can’t get
used to it.”
Ayano revealed that they shared the exact same motive and opinion, which
made Alisa instantly feel a connection between them. She felt as if she had
been walking through the depths of the underworld, where only demons
gleefully played, and had finally found another living, breathing human.
“I—I was actually doing it for the very same reason. I wanted to build a
tolerance to spicy food so I could enjoy the same foods as Yuki…”
“Really?”
Ayano’s eyes glowed with delight. They were the eyes of a lone warrior on the
battlefield who had finally found an ally. After all that, it appeared that honesty
really was the best policy when it came to building a relationship.
“Then if you want…maybe we could start training and eating spicy food
together from now on?”
“Huh…?”
 Alisa froze the instant she heard the suggestion, since she was genuinely in no
condition to be thinking about what she was going to do next.
“Like… I feel like it would be a lot less intimidating if we did it together, and
we could really help each other as well…”
But there was no way she could say no after seeing Ayano timidly lower her
gaze and speak so hesitantly.
It looks like I might have made a new friend…
She might have had a tiny ulterior motive as well.
“Yes, sure. Let’s train together. I’m really looking forward to it, Ayano.”
“…! Me too!”
Alisa agreed to the proposal without really giving it much thought. It was the
beginning of a long, agonizing journey that neither girl was even remotely
prepared for…but that was another story.
CHAPTER 4
Brother Complex, Sister Complex

“Phew… I’m finally back…”

A man wearing a polo shirt was standing in front of a traditional Japanese-
style house. He was a tall, moderately muscular man who stood with his back
straight. Behind the silver-framed glasses of this middle-aged intellectual were
the gentle eyes of someone who might not have been the most handsome
person in the world but was someone who would make you feel safe and
relaxed… His hairline, on the other hand, was clearly in danger, and he was
sensitive about it, so nobody ever brought it up. This man—Kyoutarou Kuze—
was Masachika and Yuki’s father, who had taken some time off work for the
first time in ages and just arrived in Japan.
“It feels like it has been forever…,” muttered Kyoutarou emotionally as he
lifted his head, which felt a bit heavy due to jet lag. He was standing in front of
his parents’ home after having not been back for an entire year. After opening
the gate and stepping inside, a big white dog that was sleeping under the eaves
of the roof sluggishly lifted his head.
“Rir, long time no see. Do you remember me?”
The dog called Rir slothfully and unenthusiastically plodded over to
Kyoutarou, gave him a few sniffs, and then barked.
“Yep. That’s a good doggy.”
He petted the dog’s head with a wry smile and added:
“Are you really gonna be able to guard the house like that?”
This dog was originally a stray that Masachika and Yuki rescued three years
ago. More specifically, it was Yuki who found a puppy with an injured hind leg
and said they should save it, which Masachika quickly agreed to, so they
brought the dog back with them to their grandparents’ house. That said, the
story wasn’t as heartwarming and inspiring as it may have sounded…because
Yuki also exclaimed:
“It’s an injured white puppy… I bet it’s a juvenile Fenrir! Let’s take it home and
make it our familiar!”
Her intentions…were not the purest. Regardless, they ended up taking the
dog home and naming it Rir at the request of Yuki…who expected far too much
from an injured puppy. Three years had gone by since then, and while Rir grew
quite a bit, there was nothing divine about this beast. If anything, the canine
only became more sluggish by the day. The excessive pressure may have
stunted its growth. Rir wouldn’t survive a single day alone in the wild.
“Sigh… I wonder who he gets that from,” muttered Kyoutarou in a fed-up
manner as he watched Rir lazily return to his spot under the eaves. After
collecting himself, he walked over to the front door, opened it, and yelled down
the hallway:
“I’m home!”
Immediately, the sliding door on the left side of the hallway flew open, and
Yuki poked out her head.
“Oh, Dad! You’re back. Welcome home. ♪”
Her lips curled into a beaming smile as she ran down the hall and threw her
arms around her father. Kyoutarou closed his eyes and tilted his head back,
touched by his daughter’s undying love.
I have the cutest daughter in the entire world!
There was a decent number of fathers in the world who were unfortunately
despised by their daughters around this age, but there was not a hint of dislike
in Yuki’s heart. Although he may have been a little concerned by the fact that
she’d never had a rebellious phase, it quickly became nothing more than a
trivial issue when faced with such love. Kyoutarou gently smiled and hugged his
beloved daughter.
“It’s good to be home. You’ve gotten…so big, Yuki.”
 “Hmm? Why did you pause for a second there?”
Yuki smiled knowingly at her father’s slight hesitation as he calmly checked to
see how tall she had gotten.
“Because, uh… You haven’t really gotten much taller, have you?”
“Because I’m already the perfect size! I fit perfectly in your arms! I mean,
what’s cuter than that?!” argued Yuki like a thug, making it clear she wasn’t
insecure about any part of her body. Kyoutarou, who was a tad worried about
his daughter’s development, had no choice but to agree with her clear,
enthusiastic remark.
“Yeah… Of course? You are the cutest, Yuki.”
“Right?”
Her smile became smug, and she placed a proud hand on her chest. That was
when both Masachika and Tomohisa looked out into the hallway as well.
“Oh. Hey, Dad.”
“You’re finally home, Kyoutarou!”
“Hey. It feels good to be home.”
After a brief greeting, Masachika immediately returned to the room he’d
been in. It was an extremely cold welcome compared with his sister’s.
Yep… My son hasn’t changed a bit. Still as cold as ever.
Though he was somewhat depressed by his son’s unfriendly welcome despite
them not having seen each other for so long, he figured all kids were like that
while going through puberty and left it at that.
On the other hand…
“How was England? Were there a lot of pretty ladies everywhere? Hmm?”
“…I see you’re as restless as always, Dad.”
Unamused, Kyoutarou narrowed his eyes as his father approached him with a
pervy smirk. It was hard to believe this was normal behavior for a senior citizen.
“Honey. You haven’t seen your son in who knows how long. Is that really the
first thing you should be asking him? Welcome home, Kyoutarou.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
Kyoutarou’s mother, Asae, emerged from a room in the back of the house
with the same fed-up expression as her son. But neither of their narrowed gazes
seemed to have fazed Tomohisa at all.
“Of course it is! What is wrong with you? The first thing a real man does
abroad is taste their best booze and their best women!”
“Dad, you don’t even drink…”
Kyoutarou’s exhausted gaze narrowed further, but it was his mother’s
exasperated look transforming into something far more terrifying that finally
shut Tomohisa up.
“Honey…?”
“…!”
“Why does it sound like you speak from experience?”
“I-it’s just talk. Th-that’s all. You’re the only one for me, Asae…”
“But, Grandpa, you told me a while back that Westerners had great butts
because their pelvises were shaped differently.”
“…?! No, uh… That was because I was watching this Western movie, and…
uh…”
“Oh my. Honey, you said that to Yuki? My, my, my…”
“Wait. Asae, no. Asae?”
With an ominous smirk, Asae disappeared back into the room; Tomohisa
chased after her in a panic. Kyoutarou watched his parents’ usual exchange
with a half-relieved, half-jaded expression until Yuki suddenly spun around with
the brightest of smiles.
“So? How was it, really? Were there any beautiful blond women with
incredible bodies?”
“Yuki, you too? Really? …At least let me put my suitcase down.”
 He stepped inside with a troubled grin, then joined his son in the Japanese-
style room on the left and placed his suitcase and belongings down in a corner…
all while Yuki followed closely behind him, begging him to talk about beautiful
British women.
“Oh, hey. Did you see any maids? England’s the birthplace of maids and maid
culture, right? Did you take pictures of any real maids?”
“I saw some…but none of them were young, you know? They were less
maids…and more like housekeepers, I guess you could say…”
“Whaaat? There weren’t any cute blond maids with huge racks and tiny
waists?”
“Not that I saw…”
“Whaaat? Boooring,” she complained before throwing herself in her brother’s
lap.
“Ouch! What the hell?” replied Masachika, who was sitting in a legless floor
chair and playing on his phone.
“Dad’s home, so it’s time to stop playing on your damn phone.”
Yuki rapidly punched Masachika’s stomach while he glared down at her,
holding his smartphone at a safe distance in the air.
They really get along so well.
Kyoutarou watched over them with warmth in his heart. There were
countless siblings in the world who lived together but didn’t talk, let alone even
make eye contact, and yet there were no signs of these two ever not getting
along. In fact, they essentially acted like best friends whenever they were
together. Perhaps it helped that they lived separately, though, for the most
part.
“Tsk.”
Masachika scowled and grumbled, grabbed Yuki’s fist to stop her, and placed
his phone down. Immediately, she swiped his phone, reclined across his lap,
and began scrolling.
“Oh, you’re already at chapter five? Impressive for a free-to-play player.”
 “That’s not your phone. Stop. Seriously, though… Did you already forget what
you just said a few seconds ago?”
“Huh? You mean how Westerners have different-size pelvises, so they have
really nice butts?”
“What the…?! The hell are you talking about?!”
“Ah…! Does that mean Alya and Masha, too…? I’m going to have to check
when we go to the beach!”
“You better not. Anyway, give me back my phone already.”
“Ahn. ♡”
After Masachika nabbed the phone out of Yuki’s hand, she turned ninety
degrees, facing his stomach while still using his lap as a pillow.
“Come on, you can’t tell me you’re not looking forward to seeing Alya and
Masha…in their swimsuits. ♡”
“Stop drawing boobs on my thigh.”
“They’re eyes!”
“I don’t care!”
“Yeah, yeah. That’s what they all say. Don’t try to pretend you’re tough. I bet
you’re imagining them in their swimsuits right now.”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I—… I know it’s hard for you to understand this,
but I’m not looking forward to it that much.”
“Speaking of ‘hard,’ there’s an easy way we can check to see how excited you
— Bfft?!”
Yuki’s temple was suddenly met with an iron elbow, sending her to the
tatami-mat floor as she writhed and groaned in agony.
Maybe they’re a little…too close?
That was the first thought that came to mind as Kyoutarou watched their
exchange from where he was sitting at the low table. They looked more like a
stupid couple than best friends—to the point that you’d almost want to jokingly
ask, “Wait. Are you two dating?”
 No. No way. This isn’t a comic book. There’s no way they’d be…
There was no way his children would ever do anything like that. After he
furiously shook his head, he casually spoke up as if to dispel any fears he had
and asked:
“By the way, you two dating anyone right now?”
Masachika shot his father a questioning gaze while Yuki looked up as well,
albeit still clutching her head.
“I already told you that I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Me neither. I’m not really interested in dating, though.”
Hmm…?
It was something he had expected, since they had told him in e-mails before
that they weren’t dating anyone. But what concerned him was how Yuki said
she wasn’t interested in dating at all.
I heard it’s normal for even middle schoolers to have boyfriends and girlfriends
these days, and Yuki is really cute, so surely, tons of guys have tried to ask her
out, right? Of course, I don’t want her to date just anyone, but…!
While Kyoutarou was analyzing the situation, the revived sister swiftly
crawled over to her father’s side, then looked up at him with a sleazy smile
similar to her grandfather’s.
“So? Are you going to tell me or what, Dad?”
“Tell you what?”
“About England! Did you meet any beautiful blond women or not? You had to
have been invited to tons of parties as a diplomat, right? Did no politician ever
introduce you to a nice, young lady?”
“Oh, that? …Yeah, I guess there were some beautiful women, now that you
mention it.”
He did attend parties with a female companion from time to time due to the
nature of his work, and occasionally, he would ask his single female coworker to
go with him, but he usually went by himself. Sometimes, people would ask him
if he was interested in dating their daughter when they found out he was single,
but he never really gave it much thought, since he figured they were joking
around or just trying to be polite. However, when he explained that to Yuki, she
seemed to express some skepticism.
“Are you sure they were just trying to be polite?”
“They were obviously joking around. One man’s daughter, for example, was
still in her midtwenties.”
Things did get a little…interesting between Kyoutarou and this man’s
daughter when she had a little too much to drink, though, but he figured that it
was some kind of honey trap, since there was an important international
conference coming up. Thankfully, the female coworker he always asked to join
him at these parties happened to see him and came running over to save the
day before anything serious occurred. She continued to reprimand him after
that as well.
“You know you can’t hold your liquor, Mr. Kuze! You need to be more careful
around people like that!” she’d yelled. From that day on, she became his self-
proclaimed “honey-trap lookout” and started to attend more and more parties
with him…but if anything, Kyoutarou was worried that perhaps this young,
beautiful coworker of his was the honey trap.
She’s very mature, independent, and never asks about any classified
information, though…
But after giving it some thought, he realized this was nothing he should tell his
daughter about, so he simply added:
“Nobody’s interested in a divorced, middle-aged Japanese man with kids.”
He did actually feel that way, and even if some wonderful woman ever did
show interest in him, Kyoutarou had no intention of getting remarried…
Nevertheless, Yuki relentlessly continued to press the issue, showing no signs of
giving up.
“Then how about a sexy, middle-aged widow? Were there really no youthful
older women with kids you could talk to and make a connection with?”
“Huh? Oh, uh… There is a French diplomat I met during a conference who fits
that description…”
“Seriously?!”
“A beautiful French lady!”
Masachika’s disbelief and Yuki’s amusement clashed as they shouted over
each other.
“I mean, she has a daughter who lives in France while she works abroad, so
we kind of hit it off. That’s all,” he mentioned as if to calm Yuki’s expectations,
but his comment only made her further narrow her gaze.
“But, Dad, you said there is a French diplomat, not was. It sure sounds like
you two are still keeping in touch, if you ask me.”
“…?! No, uh…”
Kyoutarou was essentially struck speechless by her sharp observation, but it
didn’t end there, for his son followed up with yet another piercing attack.
“Wait. Is that who I was sending that anime merchandise to around six or so
months ago?”
“…?! Y-yeah, could have been.”
“Hmm? Ohhh! Now I remember! The letter!”
Their father averted his gaze for no apparent reason, but apparently, that
French diplomat’s daughter was a fan of Japanese subculture, so she tried to
use her mother’s connections to see if she could somehow get her some
merchandise of a certain show she liked.
She ended up sending Kyoutarou a letter that clearly showed a lot of effort
and passion, since she tried to write in Japanese, despite being far from a native
speaker, so there was no way he could refuse. Therefore, he’d asked if
Masachika could pick up the goods and send it to her. Everything she wanted
was relatively easy to get in Japan, so Masachika took on the job to help his
father out. The daughter promptly wrote a heartfelt message to express her
gratitude, which Kyoutarou had forwarded to Masachika, and both Masachika
and Yuki could still vividly remember it.
“Giggle. Oh, Dad. You should never tell a fib. It sounds like you have a close,
personal relationship to me.”
“No, not at all. She took me out for a light lunch to thank me, but that’s it. As
two people who represent different countries, deep down inside, we are always
trying to read each other and are suspicious of each other to an extent, so…”
Yuki’s lips only curled upward the more he tried to explain.
“A forbidden love between two diplomats from different countries… You
should follow your heart, no matter what others say.”
“Actually, there’s nothing forbidden about it…”
“Follow your heart. Get married to that beautiful, blond woman and, while
you’re at it, send her beautiful daughter to Japan. Can you imagine it? One day,
she suddenly rings the doorbell, introduces herself as Masachika’s new
stepsister, and three seconds later, they’re now living together. Doesn’t that
sound wonderful?”
“No, it doesn’t, actually! What kind of filthy smut are you reading lately?!”
complained Masachika, standing behind his sister, whose brain was in full-
degenerate mode.
Nevertheless, Yuki ignored her brother and continued: “By the way, how old
is this daughter of hers?”
“Uh… I think she was around fourteen or fifteen years old?”
“Oh? So she would be Masachika’s new younger sister! We’d probably have
to fight for the position!”
“Yeah, right. You two would be best friends.”
“Could this be the start of a rom-com-like war between a blond stepsister and
a silver-haired schoolmate for Masachika’s love?!”
“No.”
“Hmm? ‘Silver-haired schoolmate’? Oh, is that the girl I heard about the other
day? Uh…”
Kyoutarou paused while he tried to think back… All of a sudden, the sliding
door flew open with a thud. Everyone’s eyes were naturally drawn to the
doorway, where they found Tomohisa with a radiant smile.
“Alisa Kujou! Right?! Did something happen? Are you two dating?!”
He came rushing into the room noisily, knowing exactly who they were talking
about.
“Sorry to disappoint you, Grandpa, but nothing happened. There’s nothing
going on between us.” Masachika frowned as he looked away from his father’s
and grandfather’s curious gazes. Of course, Yuki wasn’t going to let him off that
easily.
“She and Masachika have apparently been doing their summer homework
together. Alone at home! Just the two of them! And they have been doing this a
lot!”
“Oooh?!”
“Heh. That’s my boy.”
“No, we’ve just been doing homework together. That’s all…,” Masachika
explained desperately, clearly even more annoyed by how excited all of them
were getting. Regardless, Yuki wasn’t a quitter.
“The defendant claims that he’s innocent, but when I was in his room the
other day…”
“Who are you calling a defendant?”
Ignoring her brother, Yuki cupped the side of her mouth as if she was about to
reveal a secret. After both Kyoutarou and Tomohisa leaned forward, eyes
sparkling with curiosity, she grinned and continued:
“I found Alya’s silver hair in Masachika’s bed! Oh my gosh! I wonder what
they were doing, right?! Wink, wink! Maybe they were just practicing what they
learned in health class?!”
“Unbelievable. So? Did you learn anything? Did you get enough credits to
finally graduate?”
“No! Now stop playing detective and making up weird scenarios, especially
when it involves Alya! It’s rude!” Masachika replied angrily to Tomohisa’s crude
remark.
 With a soft smile, Yuki placed a hand on her brother’s shoulder. “I know.
You’re a spineless virgin with no balls, so there’s no way you would ever try
anything with Alya. Yep. Everyone knows that.”
“Excuse me? Are you looking for a fight? Because—”
“Of course not. I’m on your side. That’s why I plan on helping you during our
upcoming student council get-together. Alya’s going to be all over you before
you know it.”
“I’d rather you not.”
“Which do you prefer: Alya’s swimsuit coming off and floating away, or being
stuck on an uninhabited island together with—?”
“What is wrong with you? Are you stupid or something? I can’t choose just
one.”
“All right, I’ll make sure Alya’s bikini top falls off after you and Touya are
banished to an uninhabited island together.”
“Wait. No. Being stuck on an island with Touya sounds like hell. You said
together—”
“You interrupted me before I finished my sentence. What I was about to say
was ‘together with Touya.’”
“Tsk…! I can’t believe I fell for such a simple trap… Who would even want to
see something like that?”
“A fujoshi would. Plus, there are guys who like watching cute girls in bikinis
but don’t like it when there are other guys in the scene.”
“Oh, like me, huh?”
“Exactly. So you should probably start working on turning yourself into a girl
first if you want to join us.”
“‘First’? Great. There’s more.”
“Don’t worry. Ordinary guys turn into beautiful women when they switch
sexes. It’s just one of those unwritten rules of the world.”
“Even if I could do something like that, how am I supposed to explain it to the
others in the student council?”
“Huh? Obviously, we’d introduce you to them as your cousin, Chika
Kuzemasa.”
“Wow, great name. That’ll fool ’em.”
“Don’t worry! I’ll call you Big Sis Chika!”
Seeing Yuki joking around and try to help Masachika with his love life erased
any concern that Kyoutarou may have had.
Oh, thank goodness… It looks like I was just overthinking things. Yeah, what
was I thinking?
These two siblings would never do something so taboo. Entertaining the idea
at all was absurd, and Kyoutarou was embarrassed that the thought ever
crossed his mind.
They’re just close. Yeah… And that’s a good thing.
Once he came to that conclusion, Kyoutarou warmly watched over his
children with Tomohisa… Yuki suddenly wrapped her arms around Masachika
from behind, then followed up by tightly wrapping her legs around him as well.
“Is something the matter?”
“Oh, no… I just gave Dad a hug earlier, so I thought I’d give you one, too.”
“This isn’t really a hug. It’s more like a piggyback ride…and you’re heavy.”
“Excuse me? Did you just tell a young lady she was heavy?”
“Yeah?”
“How dare you!” shouted Yuki, baring her fangs as they drew closer to his
neck, until…
“Nom, nom, nom.”
“Stop biting me.”
“Hmm… I’d say that’s A2-grade meat right there.”
“Hmph! Cut me some slack. I’m at least F1 grade.”
“There is no F1 grade. We’re not talking about cars.”
 “Yeah, I get that, but it’s usually an F in these kinds of situations.”
“You mean like My Little Sister Called Me F1-Grade Meat, So I Became the
Best in the School Cafeteria?”
“Yeah, something like— Wait. Did you just say ‘school cafeteria’?”
“Yeah, but that was just the subtitle. The main title is That Time I Got
Reincarnated as Beef.”
“The hell?! What kind of title is that?! I’m going to get eaten?!”
“The protagonist is reborn in another world as a Minotaur and starts working
as a chef at a depraved, cuisine-ignorant school cafeteria where he cooks his
own flesh, and whenever the heroines eat his cooking, they yell, ‘Yummy!’ while
their clothes explode off their bodies.”
“You can’t trick people into reading this just because you stripped a few cute
girls naked.”
“Oh, by the way, all the heroines are literal trolls.”
“Goddammit. Gross.”
“How can you say that? This is a story about different creatures and races
finding common ground and sharing joy through food. It’s a really touching
story.”
“Minus the cannibalism, maybe.”
“And at the very end, when the protagonist lets the school director’s
granddaughter eat his remaining right arm, his lips curl into a bittersweet smile,
and he says, ‘Well, it looks like I won’t be able to cook anymore.’ Heartbreaking,
huh?”
“You’d have to be legally insane to want to read that.”
“The story ends with the protagonist getting back at his sister, who made fun
of him, by making the most incredible cuisine with his heart.”
“That’s the worst revenge story I’ve ever heard! Disgusting!”
“But, well, his sister’s a Minotaur, too, and a vegetarian, so she didn’t eat it.”
“That ending really left a bad taste in my mouth. Ruined the whole thing.”
 “Other than the ending, though, what do you think?”
“I think you’re sick.”
As Yuki cackled, violently shaking Masachika, Kyoutarou continued to smile.
He slightly averted his gaze and thought:
Yeah, maybe they are a little too close.
CHAPTER 5
Ideals and Reality

“Thanks for gathering here today, everyone. I know this isn’t what you
wanted to do during your summer break.”
The people sitting in the student council room during summer break shook
their heads to tell Touya not to worry about it.
“No, it’s fine, but…is this about changing the school uniform?” Masachika
spoke up on behalf of the others.
“Hmm? Oh, no. This has nothing to do with the uniforms. Chisaki and I are
making progress regarding that issue, though.”
“Are you sure you don’t need our help?”
“I appreciate it, but you don’t have to worry about it. There’s actually
something else I need help with instead.”
“What’s that?”
Touya’s eyes slowly swept the room as he looked at every member besides
Chisaki.
“…Have any of you heard the rumors about the seven school mysteries?” he
asked with a grim expression on his face.
“Seven school mysteries? You mean…like Hanako of the Toilet, or anatomical
models moving on their own?”
“Exactly. The mysteries at our school aren’t what you’d expect, though.”
Masachika shifted his gaze to Alisa, since he hadn’t heard any rumors. But
there was no way she would know if he didn’t, owing to the fact that she had a
far smaller circle of friends than he did, so all they could do was share puzzled
glances.
 “I have heard a few rumors before. I believe the ones I know of were the
Shadowy Figure on the Roof, the Turning Statue, and the Red Schoolgirl,” Yuki
suddenly piped up. She was sitting across the table from them.
“Yeah, you remembered correctly. Those are three of the seven.”
“Hmm… These aren’t really names you hear about often, huh?”
“They aren’t. You usually expect these to be like finding Hanako in the
bathroom, or the school piano randomly playing at night, or a staircase that
leads to a floor that’s not supposed to exist.”
“I know, right? I guess it’d be kind of weird for high schoolers to be spreading
rumors about really cliché ghost stories like that, though… By the way, what are
those three rumors about?” asked Masachika with a smirk, making Yuki’s lips
curl suggestively.
“Are you sure you want to hear? Some of these stories are pretty scary.”
“Wait. Really? How scary?”
“As scary as finding a tiny screw near the microwave.”
“That’s terrifying! …But isn’t that a different kind of scary?”
“Giggle. I’m kidding.”
After laughing softly, Yuki began to explain what she had heard about the
mysterious seven school wonders.
The Shadowy Figure on the Roof… Students had supposedly seen a shadowy
figure from time to time standing on the rooftop of the school building, which
no one was allowed access to. Although the shadowy figure appeared blurry for
some reason, making it impossible to even guess the gender, every student who
saw it said that they could feel an extremely strong, piercing gaze watching
them.
The Turning Statue… There was apparently a plaster bust in the art room that
would flip horizontally in the middle of the night. Although that was the only
thing it did, there were multiple eyewitness accounts in the art club of the
phenomenon, and there were supposedly pictures of it as well.
The Red Schoolgirl… Students claimed to have run into a seemingly injured
female student after school somewhere on school grounds. Nobody who had
seen her could remember what she looked like, but after a few days had gone
by, they all had an injury in the same spot that she’d had.
“Hmm…,” mumbled Masachika apathetically after hearing the rumors.
“You seem rather uninterested in the rumors,” replied Yuki.
“I mean, they’re just rumors, right? You can claim to have pictures as
evidence, but anyone can edit pictures nowadays.”
“Yes, I suppose.” She nodded, seeming to agree with Masachika. They both
slightly shrugged in unison. Yuki probably never believed any of the rumors
from the start, and these two weren’t the only ones. All the others in the room
were either grinning or their faces were blank with indifference. There was one
exception, though.
“Ngh… How am I supposed to walk alone after school hours now…?”
“Huh? Masha…?”
Maria lowered her head, wrapping her arms around herself. Her usual smile
was nowhere to be found, and the fact that she was nervously looking around
the room made it clear that she was seriously frightened. Worried by her close
friend’s overreaction, Chisaki, who was sitting across from Maria, immediately
tried to soothe her.
“No, Masha. These are just rumors. You don’t need to be scared…”
“Mmm… But you know what they say: There are dead folk where there’s a
vampire, right?”
“You mean, ‘Where there’s smoke, there’s fire’?”
“Ha-ha! Wow. I guess it basically means the same thing, but the way you said
it made it way more complicated.”
“Huh?”
“Masha! Seriously?!” shouted Alisa in embarrassment; her sister simply
blinked in a puzzled manner.
“Anyway, I’m surprised. I thought you’d be more scared of ghost stories,
Chisaki,” commented Masachika as he watched the sisters’ exchange out of the
corner of his eye.
“Huh? No way. Why would you think that?”
“I don’t know. I just thought you’d be afraid of ghosts, since you can’t punch
them.”
It was a common trope among meatheads in comics and anime, so of course
it was the first thing to pop into Masachika’s head, but Chisaki looked back at
him, tilting her head as if she couldn’t comprehend what he was trying to say.
“What are you talking about? You can punch ghosts.”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
“““Huh?”””
The other five members of the student council immediately spun in their
chairs and stared at Chisaki, causing her to recoil as if she had no idea why
everyone was looking at her. And because she didn’t seem to be joking in the
slightest…
“So, President, what are the other four mysteries about?”
“Oh, I was actually curious as well.”
“Oh, right. Uh…”
…the rest of the student council simply decided to pretend like they hadn’t
heard anything. After all, asking her to expand on it would be like opening
Pandora’s box and would perhaps lead to consequences far more terrifying
than the school’s seven mysteries. What she’d punched was definitely not a
ghost—it was something else. That was the story everyone decided to tell
themselves.
“The stories I heard…”
Touya proceeded to explain the other four rumors.
The Weeping Clubhouse… There were claims that you could hear a woman
crying in the school clubhouse, but nobody could figure out where the sobbing
was coming from.
The Luck Staircase… You apparently had a high chance of pulling an SSR in any
mobile game while on the staircase to the rooftop.
“Sorry, I need to go to the bathroom.”
“You are free to go to the bathroom, but we need you to leave your phone
here.”
“Never mind, then.”
“Hmph. Not even trying to hide it, huh, Kuze?”
The Invisible Cat… People had been hearing a cat meowing from time to time
in the gymnasium’s storeroom to the side of the schoolyard, but not one person
had ever seen the cat.
The Blooming Cherry Blossom… There was a cherry blossom tree behind the
schoolhouse that would sometimes bloom out of season at night. Those who
were graced with white flower petals were blessed with good luck, while those
who saw crimson petals were struck by bad luck.
“And…that about does it for the seven mysteries of our school,” concluded
Touya.
“Uh… I know this isn’t your fault…but a lot of those stories were ridiculous. I
mean, the mobile game one just sounds like something that someone hastily
made up so there would be seven wonders, right?” replied Masachika with a
finger on his forehead as if he had a headache.
“Yeah, I…I guess so.”
“The crying woman is obviously the building settling or noise being carried by
the wind. I mean, the fact that she’s weeping is a little concerning, but still. And
that cat meowing? A cat probably just wandered into the storehouse. Nothing
more, nothing less.”
“Yeah, those would be the most obvious reasons.”
“And that cherry blossom blooming out of season. The flowers on our school’s
trees are all white, and the petals’ color depends on the type of cherry blossom,
so there’s no way anything other than white flowers are going to bloom.”
 “Sure…but isn’t that what makes this a mystery?”
“Hmm… I feel like it just depends on who you ask. It’s at night, right? Some
people might think the petals look white, while others see them as pink…”
Only after being this much of a contrarian did Masachika realize that his
opinions were starting to sound like complaints, and he shrugged.
“Sorry for being so negative about everything.”
“Oh, no. We need critical feedback, so don’t worry about it.”
“Thanks. Anyway, why did you want to talk about these seven school
mysteries?”
Touya frowned and crossed his arms.
“So…there have apparently been a lot of students sneaking into school after
hours lately because of these seven mysteries.”
“Uh…”
“It’s not really a problem if they wander around a bit before going to their
clubroom, but some people are trying to break into the school rooftop area,
and a handful of others are even sneaking into the school in the middle of the
night.”
“O-oh my. Actual high schoolers are doing this?”
Yuki expressed doubt as well, as if to agree with Masachika, who was clearly
puzzled that high schoolers were still up to such shenanigans.
“So these students sneaking into school at night… That sounds like trespassing
to me. Is it not? I’m pretty sure our school wouldn’t tolerate something like
that. Where did you hear all this?”
“There’s a video that was uploaded online to a private account of some
students sneaking in, from what I hear. One of the students who saw the video
informed us the day before yesterday.”
“Wow… How stupid can you be? The world’s full of idiots like that, though,
huh?”
Depending on the circumstances, that video could get leaked to the public.
The backlash would be brutal, and once people on the internet figured out who
posted the video, everyone involved—or even somewhat related—could
essentially be doxed. Not only Masachika but also Alisa and Chisaki frowned at
the thought. There seemed to be some clowns at this prestigious school who
were completely oblivious to how the real world worked and had little to no
personal risk management.
“But, well, we did contact the student who uploaded the video, in private,
and gave them a strong warning, so the video has apparently been deleted. But
while the imminent crisis has been averted, this doesn’t mean there won’t be
other students who’ll do the same thing. The student in question this time got
lucky because no school staff found out, but if one of the teachers heard what
happened, then they would have been severely punished without question.”
“Yes, we are very lucky that everything went smoothly this time,” agreed Yuki.
“That’s why I would like for the student council to investigate these seven
school mysteries. To put a stop to these rumors and prevent people from doing
anything illegal. What do you all say?” continued Touya, slightly raising the tone
of his voice.
“By ‘investigate,’ do you mean you want us to find the cause of these rumors?
In other words, to make the students lose interest, you want us to get the word
out that all these mysteries have simple explanations, right?”
“Exactly, Yuki. To be honest, I don’t even care if you fabricate the evidence.
Like if you found a cat somewhere and took a picture with them, then you could
claim this was the same cat that people had heard meowing in the gymnasium
storeroom. Your goal is less about discovering the actual causes behind these
rumors and more about making it seem like you discovered the actual causes.
At any rate, I want to put an end to these rumors as quickly as possible.”
“Honestly, I heard some members in the kendo club talking about the rumors,
too. I doubt any of them would actually trespass, but it is a little concerning…,”
added Chisaki.
Uh… That probably has something to do with you telling them ghosts are real,
thought Masachika, but he kept that to himself and replied:
“All right. I mean, this is a student issue, so it is the student council’s job to do
something about it.”
The other members individually agreed with Masachika’s point of view, and
none of them seemed reluctant, bringing a smile of relief to Touya’s face.
“Thanks, everyone. I want to get started right away…but Chisaki and I have a
meeting about the school uniform that we must attend, so we probably won’t
be able to help. I know I’m the one who suggested investigating these rumors,
so I’m sorry…”
“Yeah, we’re really sorry. The meeting’s probably going to last the rest of the
day, so I doubt we’ll be able to help at all.”
Both Touya and Chisaki looked apologetic, but the other five members didn’t
seem to care.
“No, don’t worry about it. If anything, you’re doing us a favor handling the
most difficult task. Plus, you’re letting us stay at your family’s house when we
go to the beach, so this is the least we can do.”
“Exactly. Five people is more than enough. Let us handle this.”
“Yes, there is nothing you two need to worry about.”
“I agree with the others. Good luck.”
“Yeah… Good luck… I—I can’t say I’m not scared, but I won’t let you down!”
Touya and Chisaki gently smiled, relieved.
The group continued to discuss the plan in detail for a while after that until
they came up with enough concrete ideas.
“All right, so let’s split up and start investigating. We’re gonna need to wait
until night to look into about half of these, though.”
“Yes… But unfortunately, Ayano and I have a curfew, so…”
“It’s not your fault, so don’t worry about it. Alya, Masha, and I can take care
of all the night ones. Sound good, you two?”
“I’m fine with that.”
“Y-yeah, sure.”
 “Again, thanks, everyone. And sorry to leave you three with the night shift. I’ll
make sure to tell the teachers what we’re up to just in case. Of course, I won’t
tell them about the trespassing. I’ll tell them that there are many students
who’ve been feeling uncomfortable lately because of these seven mysteries.”
“Sounds good. Thanks.”
They decided to take a short break after the meeting before starting the
actual investigation.
“Oh, Kuze. Hold on.”
“Yeah?”
Each member went off on their own during the break, with some going to buy
a drink and others going to the bathroom. Masachika did the latter, but on his
way to the bathroom, Chisaki suddenly called out to him from behind. When he
turned around, she took something out of her bag and tried to hand it to him.
“Here, you can borrow this.”
“Is this…?”
What Chisaki was handing him…was a Buddhist rosary, and one with
beautifully polished obsidian prayer beads at that. It was strangely authentic-
looking.
What is she trying to give me this for?!
Masachika froze, unable to process why an upperclassman was trying to lend
him prayer beads.
“You know, just in case you run into a real one, you can use this,” added
Chisaki as if she’d picked up on how bewildered he was.
“Oh… Uh… A real one? You don’t mean a ghost, right? And how am I
supposed to even use this…?”
Was he supposed to sandwich it between his hands and roll the beads while
reciting some sort of Buddhist prayer? He began to daydream about comic
books where priests did that to exorcise ghosts.
“‘How’…?”
 On the other hand, Chisaki seemed somewhat puzzled by his question, but
she soon began weaving the prayer beads under and over her fingers…as if she
was wearing brass knuckles.
“First, you do this.”
“…Uh-huh.”
She squeezed the beads wrapped around her fingers tightly and formed a fist
before throwing a fierce straight right.
“And then this!”
“Got it.”
Put simply, punch them. Don’t waste your time chanting some Buddhist
prayer. Punch them. It appeared violence really did solve all problems.
“Oh, but if you’re having trouble getting close enough to strike, I recommend
taking the beads off and flicking them at your opponent.”
“You make it sound like everyone can do that. I mean, I’m a professional nerd,
so of course I can do it.”
“Oh, perfect. Then here. Take the Renyouhou Renheki Gaiju and protect the
girls for me, okay?”
“That’s clearly an item you’re supposed to get in the last dungeon. Are we
sure that I can even equip it at my level?”
“Don’t worry. You can still equip it even if you don’t have enough strength.
It’ll just absorb some of your life force instead.”
“Oh, that’s it? Well, gee! I’m relieved to hear that!” he exclaimed sarcastically,
then carefully accepted the prayer beads.
…How in the world does she have such a nice smile?
Masachika still had no idea how much of what she said was a joke, but he
made a promise to himself that he would never wear these beads, no matter
what happened.
 “All right, then. Let’s start the investigation.”
“What are you talking about? We already finished investigating the first case.”
As Alisa’s fed-up voice echoed down the staircase leading to the rooftop,
Masachika’s pupils widened, and he smiled shakily as he turned around.
“Ha-ha-ha. What are you talking about? We’re just getting started…right?”
“No. Just now, we’ve been standing on these stairs—”
“And nothing happened. Nothing at all. The five thousand gems I’ve been
diligently saving after watching ad after ad every single day did not disappear,
right? That was just my imagination.”
“Sigh…”
Yuki was wearing an eerie grin next to her brother, who still couldn’t accept
reality.
“Ha…ha-ha…! We still need to try a few more times before we can be sure the
rumors were false. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“You mustn’t, Ms. Yuki. You would only be digging yourself into a deeper
hole.”
Yuki, who had the same bothered expression as Masachika, was about to
move out of free-to-play territory until she was stopped by Ayano, her very
rational maid. The siblings were crushed. Not only did they not get any SSR
draws, but they also didn’t even pull a single SR. A complete failure. If anything,
it seemed like they were getting worse draws than usual. The investigation had
just started, and they were already losing their sanity, but not because of any
ghost. Meanwhile, Maria, who never played mobile games, smiled nervously as
she observed their despair.
“Um… Are you two okay? Do you need me to pat you on the head?”
“He doesn’t need any consoling.”
“Yes, please.”
“Unbelievable!”
A few minutes went by before Masachika finally recovered mentally and was
able to ignore Alisa’s disgusted “I hope I never end up like him” gaze as he
swiftly pointed up the staircase.
“To the rooftop! Come on!”
“Why are you suddenly so excited to go to the rooftop…?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? Aren’t school rooftops magical?”
“How are they magical?”
Although Alisa furrowed her brow skeptically, Maria was firmly nodding.
“I know what you mean. ♪ It always feels like something wonderful is going to
happen on school rooftops.”
“Giggle. Yes, the protagonists in young adult novels always gather on the
school rooftop, and something wonderful usually happens to them.” Yuki added
to Maria’s excitement by smiling elegantly and agreeing. Ayano was air.
“You hear that, Alya? Plus, the fact that the door to the rooftop is normally
locked makes this even more exciting. We’re about to have our own secret
base,” Masachika said enthusiastically.
“Uh-huh.” Alisa sighed as if she couldn’t keep up with Masachika as he
weirdly and passionately looked up at the door to the rooftop.
“You’re free to feel however you want, but don’t forget we have a job to do.”
“Yeah, yeah…”
After giving Alisa a half-hearted reply, Masachika climbed the stairs, then
began scrutinizing the door to the rooftop area.
“Hmm… The door seems to be installed correctly. The doorknob and keyhole
don’t seem to be broken, either, which means there’s no way anyone forced
their way through…right?”
“Yeah, it doesn’t look like any students broke into the rooftop area.”
After thoroughly examining the door, they concluded that there was no way
anyone got onto the rooftop without a key.
“All right, then! Let’s do this!”
 “Okay. ♪ Allow me to unlock it.”
The door to the rooftop area was finally opened with the key Maria had
borrowed from the faculty room.
“Whoa…,” muttered Masachika, his voice brimming with excitement as the
door to a new world opened before his eyes. He squinted in the bright light of
the sun but then—
“It’s filthy! What the hell?!”
He frowned at how not magical the dirty sight was. Of course, he wasn’t
expecting it to be spotless, since nobody ever cleaned it, but this was on
another level. The entire rooftop area was covered in something black, bird
droppings were scattered about, and green moss was sluggishly growing under
the fence.
“Wow…”
“…This is something else.”
“This is… This is awful…”
The three who were expecting the rooftop to be a magical place of fantasy
were met with crushing disappointment and brutally shattered dreams. Alisa
rolled her eyes at her particularly depressed sister and decided to remind
everyone what they had come to do.
“So what do you want to do? I believe the easiest option would be to explain
to everyone that the mysterious shadowy figure appearing here was just an
ordinary person, but what do you all think?”
“I agree… Perhaps we could leave some footprints near the fence facing the
schoolyard and then take a picture of them? After that, we could simply spread
a rumor that a maintenance worker or someone had been fixing something on
the rooftop. After all, nobody can disprove it, since we now know that there
have not been any students sneaking onto the rooftop,” suggested Yuki.
“Yeah, that sounds reasonable… In fact, that might be our only option,”
agreed Masachika, then he suddenly realized that all of them were staring right
at him.
 “…Wait. Me?”
“Your shoe size would be the most believable, yes?”
“And your weight should make it easier for you to leave footprints.
Congratulations. You always wanted to hang out on the school rooftop, right?”
The two candidates for the next student council president were perfectly in
sync while clinching the argument. Although what they were saying was
perfectly reasonable, it was painfully obvious that they just didn’t want to step
foot onto the filthy rooftop.
“Whaaat? Seriously? In my shoes?”
But Masachika was no different. In fact, nobody wanted to step onto the filth.
He shifted his gaze to Maria in hopes that there had to be some other way,
but…
“Sniffle… Playing with sparklers on the rooftop… Having lunch on a picnic
blanket… Secretly smoking between classes…”
She appeared to still be chasing a dream…which smoking definitely shouldn’t
have ever been part of. Therefore, Masachika had no choice but to turn to
Ayano for help.
“Uh… I could do it if you would like me to?” she replied, giving him no choice.
“No, I’ll do it…”
After returning to the first floor and grabbing his shoes, he stepped onto the
rooftop area and began making footsteps while sweating under the burning
summer sun.
I have to wonder if there has ever been a student council job this miserable
before…
When he looked down at the schoolyard, countless students in sports clubs
were working up a sweat with their friends, living their teenage years to the
fullest. When he looked up, birds were freely soaring in the sky. Ah, how
wonderful it must be, Masachika thought. I’ll never forgive those damn birds for
covering the entire rooftop in crap, though. Never.
“Masachika? You stopped moving. Is everything okay?”
 (Caw! And I’ll never forgive you, either, you asshat. Caw! Whose idea do you
think this was?)
Tsk… Whatever.
The frustration only continued to build. First, his dreams were crushed by the
filthy reality of this rooftop, then he was made to do this miserable job… It was
all too much for him. Unable to control his urges any longer, he impulsively
executed his eleventh-most “thing he wanted to do on the school building’s
rooftop.” After taking in a deep breath, he ran over to the fence and yelled at
the schoolyard:
“Where is my youth, dammit?! Where is my adventure?! You’re all a bunch of
idiots!”
“You’re the only idiot here.”
And he was immediately shot down by Alisa’s sharp tongue.
CHAPTER 6
A Storeroom and a Locked Room

“Sigh. That was so embarrassing.”

“The voices in my head got the best of me…”
After finishing their work on the rooftop, Alisa and Masachika began heading
toward the schoolyard to check out the gymnasium storeroom. Out of the
remaining rumors, the two that they could investigate during the day were the
Invisible Cat and the Weeping Clubhouse, so they decided to split up into two
groups. The running partners for the upcoming election were grouped together,
save for Maria, who was sent to the clubhouse with Yuki and Ayano due to its
size.
“Who impulsively screams like that? You looked insane.”
“But…I made sure to keep my voice down so that nobody in the schoolyard
could hear me…”
Alisa and Masachika’s exchange continued like this until they reached the
storeroom. Once they opened the heavy metal door, they were hit with a blast
of hot, dusty air, and they reflexively grimaced. Countless particles of dust
illuminated by the sunlight danced in the air, making it seem as if stepping even
one foot inside was a health risk.
“Wow… Are we really gonna go in there?”
“…Complaining isn’t going to help anything. Let’s just get this over with.”
Soon after coming to terms with reality, they stepped inside and began to
listen carefully to see if they could hear any cats meowing.
“……”
“……”
 “————ow.”
“…! I heard something!”
“Seriously? Where was it coming from?”
“Shhh!”
Masachika walked over to Alisa’s side, strained his ears, and heard…
“Nice! Let’s go for another!”
“We’ve got this!”
“““Yeah!”””
“Ugh! Masachika, go shut the door! I can’t hear anything with all that noise!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He closed the heavy door just as his irritated running mate commanded,
immediately preventing the wind from passing through any longer, which made
the already blistering storeroom feel hotter. Nevertheless, they decided to
continue listening for a cat while they told themselves it wouldn’t be for long.
“……”
“……”
But even after twenty seconds of complete silence and concentration, all they
could hear were the voices of the students playing sports outside. It wasn’t long
before Alisa muttered in annoyance:
“I can’t hear it anymore. Sigh… I could hear something up until a few seconds
ago, but…”
“Hey, it’s not a big deal. Here, let me open the door. It’s getting hot, and it’s
really dark in here,” suggested Masachika, trying to calm her. He reached for
the door, and—thud!
“Hmm?”
The door wouldn’t open. He could almost crack it slightly open but not all the
way, as if it was getting stuck on something.
“…? What’s wrong?”
 “Oh, it’s just this door. It’s…”
Fearing the worst, he grabbed the handle with both hands and began to pull
as hard as he could, but it still wouldn’t budge.
“What? C-can you really not get it open?”
“…It’s stuck.”
Alisa’s expression was a mix of panic and skepticism as she approached him,
so he stepped aside and let her have a go, but the door still couldn’t be opened.
That was when Masachika’s phone began to softly vibrate. When he slipped it
out of his pocket, he noticed he’d received a message from Yuki:
> Hey, it’s your understanding, genius sister, Yuki.
He already wanted to throw his phone at the wall, but he decided to painfully
wait for her next message instead. Thankfully, not even a minute went by
before he received it:
> I decided to create a wonderful situation for my good-for-nothing
brother, who brought Alya back to his place multiple times and still didn’t
have the courage to do anything.
…They actually went on what was essentially a date the other day, but since
Yuki didn’t know that, he couldn’t say anything. It didn’t help that he couldn’t
remember what happened during the second half of the date, either.
> Just so you know, I basically combined a good old rom-com cliché with
something that’s been popular lately among a few communities. It’s
called The Only Way Out of the Storeroom Is by Having Sex and—
“The hell?!”
Unable to take it any longer, Masachika immediately threw his phone into the
giant blue high-jump mat, where it sank as if it were being absorbed into the
abyss. Meanwhile, Alisa jumped, startled by his sudden screaming, and turned
around.
“Wh-what’s wrong?”
“…No, it’s nothing. I was just a little irritated since I couldn’t get in touch with
Yuki.”
 It was actually the opposite, but contacting the person behind this and asking
her to save them surely wasn’t going to work. Furthermore, Masachika found
himself now skeptical of the meowing Alisa had heard earlier as well. It
probably wouldn’t be that much of a stretch to assume that Yuki was playing
videos of cats meowing on her phone to trick them, and it was all so she could
lock Masachika and Alisa in this storeroom from the outside.
Yukiiiiiiiii!!
He clenched his teeth so that he wouldn’t yell; meanwhile, he inwardly
screamed her name… Then another message appeared on his phone screen:
> Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to unlock the door a little later so you two
don’t get heatstroke.
Oh, gee! Thanks!
> So you better squeeze a boob or two before then. In fact, if you do
decide to go all the way, I’m fine with that, too.
She can’t honestly believe we’d really do anything like that, right?!
As he retrieved his phone, he was so angry, he could practically feel the fumes
of rage escaping between his clenched teeth.
“…I can’t get in touch with Masha, either,” Alisa suddenly said, shaking her
head.
“…Oh. All right.”
That was something Masachika was already expecting, since Yuki was
obviously going to consider that before even doing all this. It wouldn’t surprise
him if she had told the people playing sports outside not to worry if they heard
any noise coming from the storeroom.
…Which was why Masachika came to a single conclusion.
“Well, I sent a message to the student council group chat, and I’m sure one of
them will come to check on us after they finish their side of the investigation, so
the only thing we can do is wait.”
He didn’t have much of a choice.
 “All we can do is wait? Why not yell for help? Surely, someone out there will
hear us.”
“Don’t even try. They wouldn’t be able to hear you. Trust me. All that would
do is make you hot and thirsty.”
“Hmph…”
Alisa didn’t argue, since they didn’t have any water. Instead, she thought for
around ten seconds of other ways they could escape, but absolutely nothing
came to mind.
“…How about we search for the cat until someone comes to help?” She
shrugged.
“Wow, look at you. You’re really serious about this, huh?”
“What’s wrong with that? That’s the whole reason we came here in the first
place, and I actually heard a cat meowing, too.”
“Mm… Yeah, that’s… Yep.” Masachika nodded and hummed noncommittally.
In his mind, it was highly likely that sound was also Yuki’s doing, but he couldn’t
tell Alisa that, since he didn’t have any evidence, and there was no way he could
tell her why he believed Yuki was behind this. Alisa, perhaps seeing his response
as agreement, decided to turn on the lights first, and flipped the switch by the
door.
“Uh…?”
“Oh, right. That reminds me… The lights don’t work in here.”
There were two fluorescent lights on the ceiling, with one being completely
burned out and the other only emitting a faint orange light that was hardly
useful at all. Furthermore, now that the door was closed, the only half-decent
source of light was a tiny window high on one wall and close to the ceiling.
Unfortunately, most of it was blocked by various pieces of equipment and
supplies, so while Alisa and Masachika could see each other, most of whatever
was by the walls was shrouded in darkness.
“…Well, we’re not going to find anything when it’s this dark, so let’s just wait
for someone to come help us.”
 “We can use the flashlights on our phones. Come on. Let’s keep looking.”
“Seriously…?”
Masachika failed to persuade Alisa, who was determined to track down the
cat, as one might expect from a straight A student like her, so he decided to
help, albeit reluctantly. They split up to search for clues, each taking one side of
the storeroom, until around five minutes went by.
“It’s too freakin’ hot!”
They still hadn’t found any cat, let alone heard one, and the humid heat of the
storeroom was getting so bad that Masachika had to take off his uniform jacket.
After undoing his tie as well, he hung them on the side of a basket for balls
nearby, then began flapping his shirt collar to cool his sweaty chest.
“Sigh… I hope Touya gets the summer uniform changed fast. I can’t take this
anymore…”
“…Yeah, it really is hot.”
He hadn’t been expecting an answer, so when he heard Alisa agree, his eyes
were naturally drawn in her direction…where he saw her also taking off her
school jacket. She undid the ribbon around her neck as well, then proceeded to
pull her jumper’s straps off her shoulders, leaving it on only to cover her lower
body. Alisa softly exhaled while she fanned herself with both hands.
Mmm…
Seeing her like this inevitably reminded him of what had happened over a
month ago in the student council room when she was hypnotized, immediately
making him feel uncomfortable in a way no word could describe. That was
when Alisa suddenly looked over in his direction as if she could feel him staring
at her, and the moment their eyes met, she knit her brow and swiftly turned
her back to him, covering herself.
“What do you think you’re looking at?”
“O-oh, sorry…”
It wasn’t like she was scantily dressed. If anything, it looked like a school
uniform worn by students at any other school during the summer. All she did
was lightly undress a little, so why did it look so strangely suggestive?
Ugh… The only way I can stop thinking about it is if I focus on finding that cat.
After coming to that conclusion, Masachika began his search for the cat once
more, but…
“…Nothing. Not a single clue.”
He tried opening and moving boxes and equipment, but there was no sign of
a cat ever being there. Then again, the name of the mystery was the Invisible
Cat, so not seeing the cat made sense.
“If the cat’s not down here, then maybe they’re up there?”
Masachika shifted his gaze toward a shelf around head-high and frowned.
Sitting on the shelf were small cones, a line marker with bent wheels, a
cardboard box with who knows what inside—countless items usually not used
were scattered about, and even trying to take one thing off the shelf seemed
like it would be a real pain in the ass.
…I mean, if we’re going to be investigating tonight as well, then maybe we
should wait to do this until we have Masha’s help?
There’s no reason for us to aimlessly search in this heat when we can do this
at night, thought Masachika, so he looked over at Alisa to ask her what she
thought.
“Hey, Al—”
His breath caught in his throat…because Alisa was on all fours under the
hurdles stacked by the wall as if she was looking for something in the very back.
Her rear shook side to side while the hurdles rattled, bumping into one another.
Sst! Sst! The hem of her skirt danced to the beat, entering dangerous territory,
perhaps due to her keeping her upper body low so that she wouldn’t hit her
back on the bars. Since Masachika was standing, he couldn’t see anything, but
he would probably have a clear view of her underwear if he squatted.
…Seriously?
One corner of his lips curled at the unexpected chance to see up Alisa’s skirt.
It was as if her gently rocking butt was inviting him. There was something
undeniably seductive about seeing her perfectly plump, milky-white thighs, only
barely visible in the darkness, with sweat dripping down them. Ah, where is that
sweat coming from? How I wish I could check with my own two eyes—
“Mmph!” grunted Masachika as if he was violently coughing, and he drove his
fist into his temple to rid his mind of these lewd thoughts. He then exhaled
deeply to cool his overheated brain, since it seemed the humidity was doing
something to him.
Relax, Masachika… Randomly catching a glimpse of panties is what makes it
so incredible. It’s something you have to be lucky to see. Purposely looking up
someone’s skirt is peeping! It’s not even close to being the same thing!
Masachika scolded himself, although perhaps not for the reason most people
would, and he continued to twist his fist into his temple while glaring at Alisa’s
skirt.
It doesn’t matter how wide-open she’s making herself right now. Using that to
my advantage to take a peek is something only a monster would do! It would
betray her trust…and that’s why I’m not going to peek, no matter what! No
matter what… She has really nice legs, though.
Her legs were mysteriously alluring—tightly wrapped in knee-high socks with
only the top of her thighs spilling out as they squished against each other.
Masachika’s eyes were naturally drawn to every move they made.
Yeah… This isn’t peeping. So…I’m okay, right?
Grinding his fist into his temple, Masachika gazed intently at Alisa’s legs in a
daze as if he was delirious with a fever… All of a sudden, the phone in his hand
started to vibrate. He jumped in a panic, as if he had fallen asleep in class and
someone had poked him to wake him up. His eyes pointlessly wandered to each
side before he looked at the screen and noticed it was another message from
Yuki:
> It must be so hard seeing Alya on all fours with her beautiful hips
facing you. It must be sooo hard—
Although he was midsentence, Masachika promptly turned off the display in
silence and was immediately overcome with unbelievable embarrassment and
discomfort. His eyes darted around the storeroom in search of the eyes
watching them, when—
“E-eek!”
He reflexively turned in the direction of the shriek, only to find Alisa recklessly
trying to crawl backward out from under the hurdles as they banged and
clanked together. And seeing her desperately try to escape with no regard to
appearances or modesty—
“…?!”
—Masachika promptly looked up and away before he actually did see her
panties. Alisa, on the other hand, immediately ran over to his side as if that was
the last thing on her mind, and she threw both her arms around him with a
tense, twitching expression.
“Wh-what’s wrong?!”
“Th-th-there’s a rat…!”
“Huh? A rat…?”
Knitting his brow, he lowered his gaze as Alisa looked up, and their eyes met.
That was the moment that she apparently realized she was wrapping her arms
around him, and she promptly looked down at her arms in disbelief and let go
in a panic. Immediately, she wrapped her arms around herself as if to suppress
goose bumps, then set her eyes on the darkness beyond the hurdles, her
expression twisting in fear and disgust.
“I…I found a dead rat…behind those hurdles…”
“…Gross. Seriously?”
Masachika grimaced as well at the sound of those unfortunate yet disgusting
words… He noticed Alisa was now staring at him again as if to say, “Go see for
yourself just in case,” so he reluctantly held up his phone and walked over to
the hurdles.
“All right, then…”
After getting on all fours, he slipped under the bars, then timidly held his
smartphone’s flashlight up and illuminated the area around the wall.
 “Guh…!” He grunted with disgust the instant he found the rat to his right,
hidden in the shadow of a giant rope used for tug-of-war. He scooted back out
from under the hurdles in a fluster and returned to Alisa’s side.
“…Did you see it?”
“Yep. Blech. That was disgusting!”
He had actually never seen a rat up close before, which was why he only had
a vague image of them being unsanitary creatures…but all he felt from seeing
its decomposed body was disgust.
“Hmm… But isn’t this kind of proof that there was a cat? I think I saw teeth
marks in it…”
“Y-yeah… But it’s not like we can take a picture of that and use it as proof,
right?”
“Yeah, of course not. Even if we blurred the picture, people would be crying
and vomiting and whatnot. It’d be hell. Everyone would probably start avoiding
this area like the plague if we did that.”
Both Masachika and Alisa rubbed their arms while trembling. They had
experienced fear unlike anything these seven school wonders could have ever
given them. An eerie chill ran down Masachika’s spine as a clammy sweat began
to drench his body, so he promptly walked briskly over to where he had hung
his jacket and began undoing the buttons on his collared shirt.
“Ugh… Man, that was gross! I feel disgusting!”
With only an undershirt covering his upper body, he pulled a handkerchief out
of his pocket and began wiping the sweat off his neck and chest.
“H-hey?! What do you think you’re doing, getting undressed in front of me?!”
muttered Alisa with panic in her voice.
“Huh?” Masachika turned around as he wiped the sweat off his body. He
noticed that Alisa’s eyes were restlessly wandering in the darkness.
“I’m not getting any more undressed than this, you know. Besides, you can
hardly see me, right?”
“True…but that’s not the issue here.”
 “Really? But you’re going to see me in a swimsuit at the beach, which means
I’m not going to be wearing a shirt, so…”
“L-listen. Any girl would be worried if she was locked in a small room with a
guy and he started stripping, okay?!”
Masachika was at a loss for words. After all, it was obvious that some girls
might feel threatened in a situation like this, even if it was someone they knew.
“…You’re right. That was insensitive of me.”
“O-oh, uh… I mean, it’s not that big of a deal…,” Alisa replied awkwardly as
Masachika sincerely bowed.
“<You’re making my heart race… That’s all…,>” she added softly in Russian.
Because you’re wary of what I might do…right?
Masachika immediately came up with that self-serving interpretation and
ignored what she was saying. Awkward silence followed for the next few
seconds until Masachika suddenly smirked to clear the mood and joked:
“But, well, I guess I’d feel worse if I was talking to some weak little girl, but
you? I don’t know.”
“Wh-what’s that supposed to mean?!”
“I vaguely remember you smacking the crap out of a guy when you two were
alone in a small room together not too long ago.”
“Th-that was… That’s because…”
Alisa stammered as she thought back to what happened in Masachika’s room
a few days ago. Her eyes began to wander even more restlessly than a few
minutes ago until she suddenly shot Masachika with a piercing glare.
“That’s because you completely ruined the mood!”
 “Huh…? Did I…?”
“Yes!” she snapped before looking the other way as if to say that this
conversation was over.
“If you say so.” He wryly smirked back.
“<If you actually tried, then I would have…>”
His smirk froze the moment he heard her whispers in Russian.
Uh… What could she mean by that?
She would have…what? What would have happened if the mood wasn’t
ruined…? Alisa’s expression was hardly visible in the darkness, but she was
fidgeting with the ends of her hair like she usually did. Alisa must feel—
“Meow.”
““?!””
Their hearts skipped a beat, and they immediately looked up to see where the
sudden meow came from…and on top of a cardboard box on the shelf was a
black cat.
““……””
“……”
Masachika and Alisa silently observed the cat after their unexpected
encounter…while the cat, just as surprised, stared hard back down at them as if
to say, “What are these two creatures doing here?!” Their quiet staring contest
went on for a few more seconds after that until Masachika came to his senses.
But the moment he pulled out his phone to get a picture, the cat slouched,
ready for battle. Masachika froze for not even half a second, but that was still
more than enough time for the cat to turn around and disappear into the
shadows of the cardboard boxes.
“Ah…!” he grunted, overcome with surprise, and immediately began to chase
after the cat in a panic. But when he quickly moved the cardboard box that the
cat was hiding behind, his eyes were met with by the blinding rays of the sun,
and he squinted.
 “…? What the…?”
Facing him in the wall was a square hole…and beyond that hole was what
appeared to be some sort of rain cover with its opening facing down. Masachika
lightly jumped and looked down the hole, discovering that he could see the
ground outside.
“Hmm…? Did there used to be an exhaust fan here or something?”
That was the feeling he got, and after examining the edges of the hole, he
noticed that there were marks from something having been installed there.
“Is this how the cat is getting inside?” wondered Alisa after coming over to
see what he was looking at.
“Yeah, sure seems that way.”
He casually glanced in her direction…and froze for a few seconds before
quietly facing forward once more.
It’s basically see-through. Ha-ha.
Put simply, the light peeking inside from the hole was illuminating Alisa’s
upper body. Clearly visible under her collared shirt, which was soaked from
sweat due to the heat and fear, was a lacy yellow bra, and to make matters
worse, it was tightly sticking to her skin. The curves…were incredible, and far
too stimulating for a boy in the middle of puberty.
That Time I Avoided Seeing Panties and Ended Up Seeing a Bra Through Her
See-Through Shirt.
The unexpected twist caused Masachika’s brain to short-circuit and inwardly
perform terrible monologues, but Alisa didn’t even seem to notice as she faced
the wind coming in through the hole and exhaled with relief.
“Finally, some cool air,” she muttered. But Masachika, if anything, was feeling
hotter than before, and his brain felt like it was going to explode thanks to this
unexpected gift from the gods. Nevertheless, he quietly moved the cardboard
box back to where it had been in order to keep himself from staring into the
gates to heaven any longer. He then began moving things back into place while
pretending not to notice Alisa’s annoyed gaze. It was as if her eyes were saying,
“Why did you move the box back after I just told you how good the air felt?”
“…Well, we found the cat, and if we cover that hole, then we won’t have to
worry about them sneaking in here any longer.”
“…? Yeah…”
Although confused by Masachika’s sudden gloomy tone, Alisa began to clean
up as well. It took only a few minutes until everything was back to where it
was… Just then, they could hear Yuki’s voice coming from outside the
storeroom.
“Masachika? Alya? Oh my. Whyever is the door locked?”
After what Masachika considered a shameless remark, the door handle began
to rattle and click as if it was being unlocked.
“About time.” He shrugged…when it suddenly hit him.
Hold up… I can’t let Alya go outside looking like that!
Although there was most likely nobody around, it would be a complete
disaster if a guy saw her like this. Even Yuki wasn’t going to let something like
this slip by without saying something, which was already bad enough. There
was a 100 percent chance she would call Masachika later to mess with him,
saying something like, “So? How was it? It looks like you made Alya sweat until
you could see her underwear. It must have been fun.”
Wh-wh-what should I do?! I have to do something to cover Alya, but what?
Just pointing it out might not be a good idea, but if I don’t say something, then
there’s no way I can get her to do anything about it, so— Ahhh! There’s no time!
He desperately racked his brain for a solution for those two seconds, then
Masachika grabbed his jacket, which was hanging on the basket nearby, and
gently draped it over her shoulders from behind.
“…? What are you doing?”
Alisa turned around with a skeptical glare and was greeted with a gentle,
confident grin. His eyes brimming with compassion made her jump in surprise.
They gazed into each other’s eyes as they stood so close that they could almost
feel the other breathe. It was like a romantic scene from a movie where a guy
put his jacket over the girl’s shoulders under the eaves of a building after her
clothes got soaked in the rain. Alisa almost felt as if she was being held tightly in
his arms from behind. It wouldn’t be odd if she felt like she was in danger, and
yet she didn’t move. She simply squeezed his jacket tightly in her hands with
her eyes still opened wide. Masachika’s gaze affectionately narrowed even
more as he softly added:
“Madam, I can see your bra right through your— Bfft?!”
His speech was interrupted by a powerful slap, knocking him flying back.
“Y-y-you should have said something sooner, you jerk!” yelled Alisa in almost
a shriek as the door to the storeroom opened, revealing Yuki. But when she
stepped inside, all she saw was Masachika buried in the mat used for the high
jump, and she blinked in a daze.
“Um… What is going—?”
“Hmph!” snorted Alisa, cutting off Yuki as if to clear up any doubt, and she
immediately stomped her way over to the door. Yuki moved out of the way in a
fluster, and just like that, Alisa stormed off into the distance.
“Oh, you must have been able to see her bra through her shirt,” she muttered
with evident satisfaction a few seconds later.
“How the hell did you figure that out just from that?”
“Hmph! I have rom-com radar, so I can easily detect the waves.”
“Wow… I bet that’s really useful…,” muttered Masachika wearily as he slowly
sat up on the mat.
“We found the cat and found out how it was sneaking into the storeroom.”
He decided to make the first move after seeing his sister’s gleeful expression.
“…Seriously? Show me.”
Masachika escorted his seemingly curious sister outside and around to the
back of the detached storeroom.
“See that? At first glance, it looks like nothing more than a hole for
ventilation, but there isn’t actually an exhaust fan installed anymore, so it’s
basically a tiny door to the storeroom,” he revealed, pointing at the rain cover
hanging over the wall.
“Oh…? Hmm…”
Yuki thoughtfully surveyed the area…until she suddenly came to some sort of
realization and stopped.
“…? What’s wrong?”
“…Hey, did you actually see the cat using this hole to go inside?”
“Hmm? I mean, I didn’t actually see the cat walk through it, but I followed it
to the hole in the wall when it disappeared, so it’s safe to assume this is how it’s
getting inside, especially since there didn’t seem to be any other way in.”
Yuki slowly lifted her head and argued with a serious expression:
“How would the cat get inside from here?”
“Huh?”
“How could the cat use this hole to get inside?”
Only after she mentioned it did he finally realize it. The area behind the
storeroom was almost completely flat, and there was nothing the cat could use
to climb their way up. Although cats in general could jump high, this cat would
have had to jump around a meter and a half to reach the ventilation hole.
“Good…point…”
A chill instantly ran down Masachika’s spine. This is one of those stories that
gets scarier the more you think about it, he thought. Then a faint sound could
be heard coming from the slope to their left, getting their immediate attention.
“…!”
Standing in the grassy slope was the black cat from the storeroom, looking at
them as if to say, “What’s your problem?” They stared at each other for a few
seconds until Masachika finally came to his senses and swiftly pulled out his
phone to take a video. But the instant he hit the record button, the cat glanced
over at the storeroom, then took off like a cheetah chasing a jackal before
leaping high into the air and effortlessly climbing up the concrete-block
storeroom’s wall like a ninja.
““That was…insane…!!””
The video Masachika took was posted online later and went viral.
CHAPTER 7
Stargazing and a Scolding

“So, uh… Ready to do this?”

It was seven at night, and all club activities had finished for the day. After
eating an early dinner of convenience-store meals in the student council room,
Masachika hesitantly looked side to side at the two girls with him.
“L-let’s do this…,” cheered Maria, her voice trembling as she raised a fist in
the air, clearly terrified.
“Let’s get this over with.”
Meanwhile, Alisa was wearing a straight face as if this wasn’t a big deal, but
she was restlessly tapping her finger with her arms crossed… Masachika was
genuinely worried already, and they hadn’t even started.
“Uh… Masha? Are you okay? Because you don’t look okay at all.”
“Wh-what? Of course I’m okay. I… I’ll do my best!”
Though her eyes were twitching, she set her lips in a straight line and held up
her clenched fists, showing that she was more than determined to do this. Her
display of strong will was something that would naturally bring a smile to
anyone’s face, but…
“Saying you’ll ‘do your best’ means you’re obviously not okay.”
Because that meant she was scared. Her anxiety forewarned of the difficulties
that lay ahead, and yet Masachika simply added:
“Just don’t force yourself to do anything you don’t want to do, okay?”
He then shifted his gaze to his other side.
“What about you, Alya? Are you okay?”
 “…? Yes? Why wouldn’t I be? I’m not a scaredy-cat like Masha.”
Alisa lifted an eyebrow skeptically at Maria as if she wanted to roll her eyes,
so maybe it was only Masachika’s imagination that she was pretending to be
okay. Regardless, bringing that doubt up wouldn’t lead to anything good, so
Masachika simply sighed and opened the door to the student council room.
Immediately, the motion-sensor lights illuminated the hallway.
“See, Masha? The lights still turn on. Besides, it’s not even dark outside yet, so
there’s nothing to be afraid of.” Masachika shrugged, looking back.
“Yeah…,” Maria agreed with a nod as she timidly stepped out into the
hallway, followed by Alisa, who looked kind of annoyed as she closed the door.
“So… How about we start with the art room, then check out the area behind
the school building? …After that, we look for the Red Schoolgirl while making
our way back around the building.”
“O-okay.”
“Sure, that works.”
After receiving their consent, he took a step forward—
“Wait!”
—when all of a sudden, Maria grabbed his right hand from behind. He
promptly turned around to find her on the verge of tears and glancing at the
window.
“Don’t go too far ahead! I’m scaaared.”
“…You can stay in the student council room and wait for us, you know.”
“I’ll be attacked the moment I’m alone!”
“By what?! None of the school’s ghost stories were about monsters or killers,
you know!”
He couldn’t help pointing out the obvious, since Maria was
uncharacteristically jabbering with terror as if she were being chased by a
stalker like in a horror movie. Nevertheless, she continued to anxiously glance
at the window, and her delicate hands, holding Masachika’s right, were
trembling with fear.
“It always happens like this… You think everything’s okay one second, and
then the next, bam—something comes flying in through the window, right?”
“None of the ghost stories we talked about had anything flying through the
window or attacking anyone. Is this better?”
Masachika sighed and moved to Maria’s side to shield her from anything that
might break in through the window. Meanwhile, Alisa sighed as well and took
Maria’s other side just in case.
“…There. Now you should be okay if anyone suddenly comes out of one of the
classrooms, too, right? That’s not going to happen, but you get my point.”
“Y-yeah… Thanks, Alya.” She nodded awkwardly, wrapping her hand around
Alisa’s left hand. Immediately, Alisa’s eyebrows rose sharply, but she noticed
Masachika’s gaze on the other side of Maria, stopped herself, and shrugged.
Masachika and Alisa were now indirectly connected through his right hand and
her left via Maria, and because Maria was a head shorter than them, she looked
like a child going on a walk with her parents…despite the fact that she was the
oldest among them.
“This in itself is a trope in horror movies, though. One second, you’re holding
hands like this, and the next thing you know, the person you were holding
hands with is now something else, and—… Sorry.”
Masachika immediately apologized when he saw the look in Maria’s eyes.
They were the eyes of someone who couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
However, she almost immediately gasped, turned to Alisa, and timidly asked:
“Alya…? You’re the real Alya, right?”
“Yes, so stop taking Masachika’s jokes so seriously.”
She was mentally slamming her head against a wall.
“<Then where is my biggest mole?>” Maria asked suddenly in Russian.
“<…What kind of question is that?>”
“<Don’t worry about it. It’s not like Kuze understands us.>”
 He understood. Painfully so. But after Alisa glanced in his direction, she
almost immediately looked away and muttered:
“<…On the inner side of your right thigh.>”
Oof…
It was not like he could do anything with that information, though. Maybe he
could wonder if Alisa had a mole, too? Regardless, he couldn’t help but glance
at her thighs hidden under her skirt while he simultaneously thought back to
what happened today at the gymnasium’s detached storeroom. Now, then…
Did she have a mole on her thigh? wondered Masachika as his mind explored
the possibility.
“Yep! You are the real Alya!”
However, Maria immediately glanced back in Masachika’s direction, causing
him to look away in a fluster. He wasn’t confident that he managed to avert his
gaze in time…but Maria didn’t seem to be concerned in the slightest, curiously
tilting her head and grumbling in thought.
“Now, then… Kuze… You…”
After racking her brain for another few seconds, she placed a hand over her
mouth as if she was in complete shock.
“Wh-what are we going to do?! I can’t think of a question I could ask him to
prove he’s the real Kuze!”
“Oh… Yeah.”
“Alya? Can you think of any good questions?!”
“Huh…?”
Alisa frowned in annoyance, but after seeing how desperate Maria was, she
began to think, allowing her eyes to wander. A few moments went by before
her lips unexpectedly curled into a malicious grin, as if she was struck by the
most sinister of ideas.
“All right… Tell me exactly what you said to me when you offered to run with
me for student council president.”
 “Wh-what kind of question is that?”
“What’s wrong? The real Masachika would know the answer to that.”
His lips pulled back in a grimace, and his expression tensed at her obvious
bait.
Yeah, I remember… I remember the extremely embarrassing thing I said! And
you want me to relive that moment right here, right now?!
It was as if she was using this for some sort of humiliation fetish, but right
when Masachika was about to demand that she change the question, Maria
gently stepped away from him with tears welling in her eyes. It was as if her
pleading gaze was saying, “What? No! This can’t be happening. Tell me this isn’t
happening,” which was something he couldn’t ignore.
Sigh… Tsk! Looks like I’ve got no choice.
Acting embarrassed meant losing. In fact, if he was bold about it and
reenacted the dialogue with pride, then it would end up embarrassing Alisa
instead.
It’s your fault for making me do this, Alya. You’ve got no one to blame but
yourself. Take this!
After mustering up the courage, Masachika cleared his throat and put on the
most serious expression he could, then faced Alisa, gazed into her eyes, and
recited:
“‘You’re not alone. From now on, I’ll be there for you and support you.’ That
sound about right?”
“…It was, ‘You won’t be alone anymore. From now on, I will be by your side to
support you,’ but you were close,” corrected Alisa in a strangely discontented
tone, wiping the smug grin right off Masachika’s face.
“Huh? Oh, right.”
Not even another second went by before he was overwhelmed with
unbearable embarrassment, and his face gradually turned red.
Huh…? Seriously? Wait. The hell is she doing memorizing what I said word for
word? This goes way beyond just being embarrassing!
 The fact that she accurately memorized a quote from an embarrassing
moment for Masachika—the fact that Alisa etched those words forever in her
mind as if this was a cherished memory for her—made Masachika mentally
writhe in agony.
“Wh-what are you blushing for?” sassed Alisa with a piercing glare…right as
her cheeks began to flush as though she was suddenly overcome with
embarrassment as well. She immediately averted her gaze, perhaps realizing
this herself, and faced Maria as if to play it off while hoping Masachika didn’t
notice.
“See? He’s the real Masachika…so come on. Let’s go,” she dryly demanded
with a straight face. However, Maria seemed like a completely different person
from a few minutes ago. She was smiling warmly with her head tilted.
“You’re so cute, Alya.”
“Wh-what? Where did that come from?”
“Ah, to be young… Oh, hey. I know. How about we do this?” said Maria. She
pulled Masachika’s and Alisa’s hands together and essentially made them hold
hands.
“There. I figured you two should be holding hands, since you’re so close.”
“What?! Why?!”
“I feel like we’re talking about something completely different now.”
Alisa and Masachika immediately let go of each other’s hands, which made
Maria raise an eyebrow as she lovingly smiled.
“Oh, come on, you two. You’re both so shy.”
“I have no idea what you’re even talking about.”
“Weren’t we holding hands because you were scared, Masha?”
“Yep. ♪ That’s why I want you two to hold hands, okay?”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not sure how that’d help you.”
“Masha, at least make sense.”
They sharply pointed out the obvious to Maria, who somehow perfectly left
out any reason why that would make any sense…which, for some reason, made
her pout with displeasure, slide over to the opposite side of Masachika, and
hold his left hand.
“Fine. I’ll just hold hands with Kuze if you’re going to be like that.”
“I still have no idea what’s going on?!”
“M-my poor sister has lost her mind…”
Masachika shrieked hysterically while Alisa placed a hand on her forehead as
if she had a headache, but when they saw how strangely smug Maria was
holding his hand, they promptly gave up trying to understand her. After
exchanging tired glances, Masachika and Alisa joined hands once more, and the
sight instantly made Maria smile in satisfaction.
“Good. Now let’s move out. ♪”
She mirthfully pointed forward…still holding Masachika’s hand with her right
hand.
“……”
Alisa glared at her sister like some low-level thug, with one eye wide open and
the other one closed as if to say, “The hell?! I thought you’d let go of him if I
held his hand! Tsk!” Nevertheless, she almost immediately realized that she
would be wasting her time arguing, so she let out a brief sigh and faced
forward.
“Shall we get going? Let’s just get this over with.”
“…Yeah, let’s do this.”
Masachika, who was also in a state of resignation, stared into the distance as
he began to walk. In his right hand was Alisa’s slightly cold, slender hand, and in
his left was Maria’s warm, soft hand.
Hmm? Is this a harem? Hooray… A beautiful woman on each side… I’m
peaking in high school…
Despite the stupid things he was thinking, he was actually very nervous.
Although he had held hands with Alisa a few times before, he was far from used
to it, and this was the first time he was holding hands with Maria. The fact that
these two things were happening at the same time fried his brain to the point
that he didn’t know what to do. Should he swing his arms? Were his hands
getting sweaty? Was he walking too fast? Too slow? More important, was he
even holding their hands the right way? Countless questions crossed his mind;
there were so many that he was having trouble containing himself any longer.
Th-this is… Yeah… I need to solve these mysteries as soon as I can and end this.
Sandwiched between a strangely mirthful older sister and a somewhat
annoyed little sister, Masachika decided that he needed to put an end to this
investigation as soon as possible. Therefore—
“Nothing unusual about the art room! Next!”
“Nothing unusual about the cherry blossoms behind the school! Not blooming
yet! Next!”
“We barely looked around?!” complained Alisa, since Masachika was
spending only around ten seconds on each mystery. And yet he shrugged with
an air of nonchalance, as if he wasn’t concerned in the slightest.
“The whole point of our investigation was to prove that these mysteries were
baseless rumors, right? So what’s the big deal? I made sure to take
photographic evidence, too.”
“Sure, but…”
Being a serious person by nature, Alisa seemed bothered by their process, but
when she glanced over Masachika’s shoulder and saw her sister, her discontent
was replaced with a sigh.
“Masha… Stop being scared already,” she requested unreasonably.
“…?! I-it isn’t a switch I can just flip on and off,” Maria replied pathetically as
she slouched over. The night had finally begun to swallow their surroundings in
darkness. Her eyes darted around fearfully while she gently leaned into
Masachika.
…Alisa frowned and huffed.
“Plus, the next mystery we’re about to investigate—… It sounds so scary. I
mean, there’s no way I cannot be scared.”
 Maria appeared to be avoiding talking about the next mystery at all, and she
leaned into Masachika more…until she was essentially clinging to him. With her
right hand still latched on to his left, she wrapped her left arm around his
forearm. Their arms were wrapped around each other’s. It wasn’t long before
his elbow disappeared into the mounds of her chest, his expression
disappeared, and Alisa’s patience…disappeared.
“…Let’s hurry up and get this over with,” she hissed with irritation as she
strode off, jerking Masachika along by the hand. But even then, Maria
continued to cling tightly to his right arm, and Alisa’s knit brow only continued
to furrow when she saw that. After stomping her way back to the school, Alisa
began to rush down the hallway.
“H-hey, maybe we could slow down a little…?”
“Why? We still need to circle the entire school building, right? So the faster
we finish, the better.”
“Yeah, I guess…”
And yet he felt like something was off with her being in such a hurry, so he
timidly asked:
“…You okay? You’re not pushing yourself too hard, right?”
“……”
Alisa’s hand, which was wrapped around his, twitched, but even then, she still
didn’t look back at him.
“Alya doesn’t like to show weakness,” whispered Maria.
“Wait. What? Alya, are you scared?”
“…No,” she replied like this was no big deal, but she still didn’t look back.
Luckily, she started to gradually slow down, which allowed Masachika to catch
up with her, but she promptly looked away as if to hide her face.
“…Are you afraid of ghosts or something? You seemed completely fine last
year when everyone was telling ghost stories and playing scary games while
preparing for the school festival.”
“I told you already. I’m not scared,” claimed Alisa stubbornly, still facing the
other direction.
“Yelling ‘boo!’ and trying to scare Alya doesn’t really work, but she doesn’t
like scary stories,” explained Maria.
“Oh, I can see that. She lets her imagination run wild and ends up scaring
herself, huh?”
There was a sense of understanding in his voice, but Alisa still shot Maria a
piercing glare before immediately looking away once more. She couldn’t have
made how she felt more obvious.
“Well, I guess there’s nothing you can do about that,” he said with an
awkward smile. After all, the Red Schoolgirl was much closer to a real ghost
story than the others, and there were about as many detailed witness accounts
of this mystery as there were of more famous ghost stories like the Slit-
Mouthed Woman and Teke Teke.
They said that a schoolgirl would appear somewhere inside the main building
after school, wearing Seirei Academy’s school uniform with a green ribbon. Her
long black hair extended to her waist, and she would always be bleeding
whenever she appeared, which was how she got the name the Red Schoolgirl.
Seeing someone hurt would make most people worry for them, but you must
never talk to her or help her, no matter what. In addition, even if you did
happen to check on her, she would simply say, “Thanks. I’m fine now, though,”
before walking away. However, within a few days, those who spoke to her
would find themselves wounded in the exact same spot she had been. It was as
if the Red Schoolgirl were transferring her injury—her pain—to others…
But it’s not like a little cut’s gonna kill you or anything. There’s something
strangely realistic about this story… The fact that it happens within a few days
increases the amount of uncertainty, too.
Whether this story was true was unclear, but there was a way to deal with
this schoolgirl if they ever ran into her. First, they couldn’t approach her.
Instead, they were to leave the school building as quickly as possible. They
should be able to tell her apart from the other students, since they knew what
she looked and dressed like. Plus, the motion-sensor lights shouldn’t turn on if
she were a ghost, so if they saw a girl standing all alone in a dark hallway…then
they needed to proceed with caution.
Honestly, a lot of that feels like it was made up after the rumors started
coming out…but there have been victims, apparently.
According to Touya, there were two incidents of students getting hurt. The
first incident happened last year in November. A male student in the track-and-
field club ran into the Red Schoolgirl, who had hurt her right leg. Three days
later, he tore his Achilles tendon. The second incident happened this year in
June. The vice manager of the brass band club happened to run into the Red
Schoolgirl, whose shirt was soaked in blood around the stomach area. Five days
later, that same vice manager was in the hospital for appendicitis. The rumors
after that spread like wildfire due to the popularity and personal magnetism of
this brass band student, and it was unintentionally what would spark this entire
“seven wonders of Seirei Academy” craze.
In other words, this Red Schoolgirl was the alpha and the omega of these
seven mysteries. Huh, it sounds kind of cool when you put it that way.
Masachika smiled softly as his wild, nerdy imagination took off. He was very
confident going into this compared with the Kujou sisters, but that was simply
because he didn’t believe anything about this ghost story. It wasn’t that unusual
for someone in track and field to tear their Achilles tendon, and the whole
appendicitis thing was a bit of a stretch. The student didn’t bleed from their
stomach, so it was kind of hard to believe that this was some sort of injury
transferred from the Red Schoolgirl.
It’d be far more believable if that kid got stabbed in the stomach or
something.
After giving them a brief summary of his observations, he shrugged and
looked over at Maria.
“Besides, the other mysteries up until now have been completely bogus. I
mean, you never heard any woman weeping in the clubhouse, right?”
“Y-yeah… I guess you’re right.”
After all, Maria, Yuki, and Ayano patrolled the Weeping Clubhouse earlier that
day for almost an hour, and they didn’t hear even a single sniffle. When they
eventually cracked open a window, they concluded that the howling wind was
the culprit…or at least, that was the story they went with. Out of the six
mysteries so far, they only actually solved the one about the cat in the
storeroom. The rest were all fakes, according to their investigation. Therefore, it
was highly likely that this last ghost story was some student’s work of fiction as
well.
“This is how all ghost stories are. Whenever something kind of weird happens
to a student, they embellish the story when they tell it to their friends, and then
the rumors start, and the story gradually transforms into something completely
different,” stated Masachika, showing no signs of fear. If anything, he was kind
of making fun of the entire situation, which seemed to help ease the other two
girls’ fear. Maria was finally able to slightly loosen her grip around him, and she
slowly nodded.
“Yeah… It makes sense when you put it that way…”
“Right? Plus, making it a schoolgirl is way too cliché. Wouldn’t you agree? So
many of these ghost stories and urban legends use young women for some
reason. You have Hanako, the Slit-Mouthed Woman, Teke Teke, Lady
Hasshaku… I mean, these stories would be way more believable if you told me
some greasy, fat, balding middle-aged man was randomly appearing in the
school building at night. At least, that’d be original,” argued Masachika with a
completely straight face.
“That’d also be something you’d call the police for,” joked Alisa.
“True that.”
The three laughed. Even Maria’s expression relaxed, and she seemed to
ponder for a moment.
“Wait. Isn’t there an evil spirit that looks like an old man, though? The, uh…
The sly baby geezer?”
“Is he supposed to be a baby or a geezer? Or a newborn old man? Anyway,
it’s crybaby geezer.”
“I’d rather run into a greasy middle-aged man than whatever that is…”
The tension in the air almost completely disappeared thanks to Maria’s
ridiculous comment. Before they realized it, the investigation they started on
the first floor had already made its way to the hallway on the third floor. They
continued to casually peek into each classroom. Eventually…
“…Hmm?”
Once Masachika approached the last classroom at the end of the hall, he
experienced a faint warmth in his pants pocket. It felt like having a hand
warmer in there, despite it being the middle of summer.
“What’s wrong?”
“Not sure…,” he replied vaguely to Alisa’s skeptical gaze. He promptly shoved
his hand in his pocket until his fingers were touching the source of the heat.
“Oh my. What’s that?”
“Chisaki lent it to me…and it’s getting hot for some reason…”
In his hand were the black prayer beads. It was the rosary with the strong-
sounding name that he had been given just in case, and for some reason, it was
burning warmly in his hand…as if it were trying to tell him something.
“Tsk. Quit trying to scare us. Get a hobby.”
“Huh? No, I’m not trying to scare anyone… But if this were a horror movie,
the most common trope would be that these had been possessed by an evil
spirit…,” joked Masachika, trying to explain things to his frowning election
partner… Suddenly, a hand appeared from around the corner of the hallway a
few meters ahead.
“…?!”
It was an eerily white hand clutching the wall while slithering around the
corner.
“““……”””
Each of their eyes were drawn to the hand. They watched in absolute silence
as the fingers gripped into the wall. It was at this moment that Masachika’s gut
was telling him that something horrifying was about to emerge from the
darkness, and his survival instincts were violently ringing an alarm, telling him
to get out of there as soon as possible. And yet, despite that, his legs wouldn’t
move. Both Alisa and Maria seemed no different. They, consciously or
unconsciously, clung tightly to his arms without taking a single step away.
Before long, the hand grabbing the wall pulled a body around the corner,
revealing it: a Seirei Academy uniform and a green ribbon, long black hair, and,
peeking out from under those bangs, the bloody face of a woman.
“Eek!”
“N-no…!”
Maria and Alisa each tensely shrieked. Even Masachika genuinely wanted to
scream, but their trembling warmth pressing against his arms temporarily
diluted his fear. He was surprised by how calm he felt as he rapidly racked his
brain for ways to get them out of there.
Maybe we should run…but Alya might not be able to, and Masha definitely
won’t be able to. If she did, she’d probably collapse in fear. I mean, this entire
situation must be very traumatic for her… Then that leaves me with…!!
After making the split-second decision, he threw their arms off him, put on a
half smirk, and began to run…forward…heading right for the blood-covered
female student.
“Come on, seriously?! This is way too creepy! I didn’t tell you to take it this
far!” Masachika scolded, his voice trembling. His bright tone was flat, unfitting
for such a tense moment, but he felt as if it helped free the two behind him
from fear, even if only temporarily.
His decision was to make them think that the Red Schoolgirl was a prank that
he was in on, so he was sprinting toward the girl while making it humorously
seem like he felt she had gone too far. However, he was tightly squeezing the
prayer beads that Chisaki lent him, and though he was acting like he was joking
around, he planned on taking this very seriously. What Masachika needed to
prepare himself for was the potential of getting injured, and he couldn’t
hesitate to resort to violence if necessary. He purposely rid himself of every
other emotion and thought:
Wow… I’m probably gonna die tonight.
The thought popped into the back of his mind as if it had nothing to do with
him. At the very least, he knew he wasn’t going to get out of this unscathed
because he instinctively knew this was real, and all he had were some beads
that he didn’t know would work on it. The odds were against him, but there was
no other way out of this. To make matters worse, this mysterious girl’s face was
bloodied and injured, so if the ghost story was true, then that would mean
Alisa’s and Maria’s faces were in danger. And as their friend—as a man—he
wasn’t going to allow that.
First, I’ll push her back around the corner, then punch her with these prayer
beads… Even if that doesn’t work, the Red Schoolgirl’s curse only hurts whoever
she first talks to. Plus, the effects should appear within a few days, so I should be
fine, since it’s still summer break.
He probably wouldn’t be able to go to the beach with the others, but at the
very least, he would be able to protect Maria and Alisa both mentally and
physically.
So bring it on!
Once he got into range, he quickly eyeballed the girl in search of the best
place to strike… Then he realized something rather peculiar.
Huh? She’s bleeding from her side, too… Wait. Her legs and right arm are
bloodied up…
She has way too many injuries, right? That was the first seed of doubt that
was planted in his mind, when suddenly, another hand reached out from
around the corner and grabbed the schoolgirl’s neck from behind.
“I’ve got you now… Oh? Kuze?” uttered the owner of said hand as she
emerged from around the corner, looking pained.
“What the…?”
It was their student council vice president, who wasn’t supposed to be there,
making Masachika unconsciously freeze.
“Oh! Masha, Alya, hey.”
“Huh? Oh. Hey?”
“Good evening?”
 The Kujou sisters replied awkwardly, taken aback by the unexpected twist.
Chisaki, on the other hand, was acting no different than usual and continued:
“The meeting ended early, and I was a little worried, so I came… Anyway, is it
okay if I handle this?” Then to the mysterious female student, she said: “I’m not
going to let you get away this time,” Chisaki barked, glaring hard and making
her jump. She immediately turned to Masachika with her blood-filled eyes and
reached out to him.
“H-help…,” she cried in a hoarse voice before being helplessly dragged away
by Chisaki, disappearing around the corner, never to be seen again.
“D-don’t come down too hard on her, okay?” Masachika requested (for some
reason) as he tilted his head curiously.
Uh… What? What was that? That wasn’t a real ghost…right? Which means
that was just someone trespassing who Chisaki beat up? I guess that is a lot
more plausible…setting aside the fact that it’s strange she’d beat up a weak,
little girl.
Or perhaps it was some sort of prank that Masachika had no knowledge of
and nothing to do with. The girl could have been an ass who liked scaring
people, and if that was the case, then the so-called blood smeared all over her
face might have been something she did partially to conceal her identity.
Yeah, that sounds about right. Wow, I guess I shouldn’t jump to conclusions,
huh? I can’t believe how serious I got… How embarrassing! Ha-ha-ha!
Masachika desperately did everything in his power to forget the fact that
Chisaki had sacred paper talismans wrapped around her left hand like a
makeshift boxing glove. He continued to scratch his head to hide his
embarrassment… Two hands tightly clenched his shoulders from behind.
“Masachika… What’s the meaning of this?”
“Kuze? Do you think you could explain yourself?”
After hearing those two bone-chilling voices coming from behind, he turned
his head stiffly like a rusty gear and checked over his shoulder. Alisa looked like
she was smiling, but her eyes definitely weren’t, and Maria’s lips were blissfully
curling so much that it seemed unnatural. They were genuinely even more
terrifying than the bloody girl from a few moments ago…to Masachika, at least.
“No, uh… W-we, uh… It was a prank. She just went a little overboard, so
Chisaki had to…go have a talk with her…or something?”
Words once spoken could not be taken back…which meant Masachika had to
try to make his story consistent, but it was all in vain. Alisa’s eyes immediately
creased, while Maria’s smile deepened. Both of their fingers slowly tightened,
burying themselves into his shoulders.
“No, I… I was the one trying to tell Chisaki that she had gone too far, so…”
But their grips didn’t loosen. Instead, they ended up lecturing him for a while
after that, despite the fact that he was completely innocent.
Heh. Whatever. I’m a man… I don’t do the things I do in hope for something in
return…
Sitting on his knees in front of the two girls, he let his eyes idly drift in a daze
toward the heavens outside the window. The stars forming the constellations in
the Summer Triangle sparkled brightly in the night sky. Being a knight that night
was such a wonderful feeling, and to be able to see these beautiful stars with
two beautiful sisters was like a dream come true. Today was—
“Masachika! Are you listening?!”
“Kuze, you need to reflect on what you’ve done!”
“…Yes, ma’am.”
—his unlucky day, apparently. One shouldn’t run from their problems.
A few days later, the student council used its connections to inform the
masses of what they found during their investigation of the seven school
mysteries, and thus, it put out the fire before the week even ended. Although
the students half joked about Vice President Chisaki defeating the Red
Schoolgirl, the members of the student council accepted it without question.
“Is it just me, or is this way more mysterious?”
“You can say that again.”
A certain pair of siblings were still discussing the seven school mysteries after
all was said and done.
CHAPTER 8
Beauty and the Bonehead

“I-I-I-I’m in love with you! P-p-p-please go out with me!”

Is this guy okay? That was the first thought that came to Chisaki’s mind when
she heard this boy’s unrestrained, stuttered confession.
“……”
It all started in Seirei Academy’s disciplinary committee room. Chisaki was
sitting in a chair, leaning back with her arms crossed, staring hard at the boy in
front of her. At a glance, he seemed to be your run-of-the-mill otaku. He was
big both in height and width and would probably move like a sloth. His hair was
wild and unkempt, and he had the face of a middle-aged man, save for the
plethora of pimples. His eyes behind black-framed glasses were restlessly
darting in every direction. That, in addition to his hunched shoulders, made him
look extremely sheepish.
I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before…but we’ve never talked.
The color of his tie made it clear they were in the same grade, and she could
vaguely remember seeing him in middle school as well, but they had never had
class together, let alone a conversation. So why would he randomly stop by the
disciplinary committee room today to confess his feelings like this?
Did he lose a bet or something? Is this some form of bullying?
The school year had just started a month ago, so students were being
grouped together, and the classroom hierarchy was beginning to take form.
Therefore…although it may be rude to admit it, it would be no surprise if
obviously low-caste students were being bullied and made to confess their
feelings to the most coldhearted member of the student disciplinary
committee.
 Bullying… When will it ever end? I thought I put a stop to it in middle school.
But there were new students who transferred to Seirei Academy from
different schools, so maybe that had something to do with it. Chisaki
considered the possibility and asked directly, “Are you being forced to do this?
If you’re being bullied, I can help you.”
“Huh…?”
The student stared in bewilderment for a moment, his mouth agape, then
promptly shook his head wildly.
“N-n-no, I’m not being bullied! Th-that’s not it… I’m seriously…”
“…What?”
Chisaki squinted, having absolutely no idea what he was trying to say. Of
course, she knew what most guys at school thought about her. She heard the
rumors. Some said she was like a coldhearted drill sergeant, while others called
her Donna, as if she were some sort of mafia leader. At any rate, Chisaki struck
fear in the hearts of most boys at school, and she liked it that way. After all, it
was far better to be feared than underestimated and looked down upon, and
that was why she couldn’t comprehend the fact that this boy liked her. It would
make more sense to her if he had transferred from a different school, since
even she knew that she was extremely attractive. It would be no surprise if a
guy or two asked her out just because she was pretty. However, the student in
front of her had known of her since at least middle school.
“So… What’s your name?”
“Huh? Oh, uh. Kenzaki. Touya Kenzaki.”
“Okay then, Kenzaki. What is it about me that you like?” she asked with a cold
stare.
“Oh, uh…”
He ducked his head and rounded his shoulders, seeming to shrink in on
himself further.
“You’re strong and brave and so cool…but you still have very feminine
qualities as well. I fell in love with how honest and true to yourself you are.”
 “…! O-oh. Uh…!”
Chisaki was caught off guard by how direct and honest he was with his
feelings. After all, this was the first time someone of the opposite sex had ever
been so straightforward about their love for her before. It wasn’t that nobody
had ever confessed their feelings to her, but most of them were cocky, like “Oh,
you don’t have a boyfriend? Well, today’s your lucky day. I’ll be your boyfriend”
or “I like strong-willed girls. Be mine.” They were all just trying to control her. Of
course, she put each of these pieces of trash in their place before separating
them by burnable and nonburnable and throwing them out, but that was a
different story altogether. At any rate, Chisaki was shaken by the unexpected,
genuine display of affection.
“Ahem!!”
She cleared her throat as if to persuade herself she wasn’t bothered, then put
on a confident, indifferent grin.
“Okay, I appreciate it and all…but I have no idea who you even are.”
“Oh! O-of course. That’s why…maybe we could be friends first…?”
His voice gradually trailed off until it was almost inaudible, and Touya
continued to hunch forward as if he wished he were invisible. There was
something about his pathetic, timid behavior that reminded Chisaki of her old
self—which annoyed her—and she callously replied, “I hate guys who don’t say
what they want.”
“…! Oh…”
“And I hate indecisive guys, too. Wishy-washy, weak guys are a no go as well.
On second thought, I basically hate all men, so there’s no way I’m ever going to
date one.”
“D-do you think you could make an exception…?”
He persisted (meekly) despite her purposely being extra harsh to get him to
leave. Chisaki was genuinely taken aback, finding herself once again shaken by
his unclouded eyes, so she promptly looked away to make sure he wouldn’t
notice, then dismissively waved him off.
 “Then do you think you could become at least a little bit cooler? Hmm… Like
becoming the student council president? Yeah, how about this: I will consider
dating you if you become the student council president.”
“Th-the student council president?!”
“What? You can’t even do that?” taunted Chisaki, though she was well aware
that it was a completely unreasonable demand. Student council president was a
surprisingly valuable position at this school, which was why student council
students were always after it. There was absolutely no way for your average,
inexperienced student to become the student council president, let alone make
it to the election. They would be squished like a bug long before that.
Nevertheless, that was far from a problem. Chisaki simply said the first thing
that came to mind, and it would make this easier for him to give up and leave
her alone. However…
“…All right.”
“…What?”
“I’ll be back when I become president.”
It was the first clear, confident thing he had said to her. He then swiftly
bowed and exited the room, leaving Chisaki to stare in a daze with her mouth
agape in mute amazement…
“…Wait. Is he being serious?” she muttered almost unconsciously, before
shaking her head and adding:
“No, there’s no way.”
He probably realized I wasn’t planning on giving in, so he just said that so he
could leave with some dignity.
She continuously told herself that while trying to erase that intruder from her
memory. Little did she know that having to consciously force herself to forget
about him meant that she was at least somewhat interested in him.
 Around a month had gone by since that day.
I haven’t heard from him since… Hmph. And he said he was in love with me…
Not like I care or anything!
Although she wouldn’t admit it, Chisaki was slightly disappointed while she
patrolled the school… She suddenly heard the suppressed giggling of a boy and
girl coming from the art room. She softly sighed. There were tons of kids like
this, even at a school with a relatively high number of wealthy students. Once
school was out, couples would secretly meet in clubrooms—or any empty
room, for that matter—for some fun. But unfortunately for them, illicit sexual
relations were prohibited on school grounds. Even a kiss was a major issue if a
teacher caught them.
Tsk! School is not a place for flirting and fooling around!
When she swung her bamboo sword, a piercing whiplike sound echoed down
the hall, causing the giggling students in the art room to instantly cease.
“The gate’s about to be closed and locked!” she yelled before promptly
walking away. Normally, the disciplinary committee would handle indecent acts
like this, but Chisaki wasn’t the kind of person who would walk inside and
reprimand them. As long as they went home, she was happy, and if they stayed,
then whatever happened to them was their own fault. If a teacher caught these
students in the act, it was none of her concern.
“Tsk. Ridiculous.”
There were countless graduates from this school and parents of students who
were politicians and businessmen—important representatives of Japan, and
they took notice of what happened at the school, so if someone were
suspended, then there was no hope for them after they graduated. All that
awaited was darkness. Their paths to any of the top companies in Japan would
be permanently blocked, and that was not hyperbole.
Was a temporary feeling of intense passion worth the risk? It didn’t make any
sense to Chisaki. Perhaps love fried the brain to the point that it made people
stupid. With that thought in mind, she casually shifted her gaze to the world
outside the window…
 “Hmm…? Is that…?”
She narrowed her eyes at two students wearing their gym clothes, standing
near the school gate. She leaned closer to the window and observed them for
another few seconds until she was sure that it was the student council
president and vice president.
“…? What in the world are they doing?”
They were standing side by side right outside the school gate, facing Chisaki’s
left, and looked to be waving and talking to someone. There was nothing
unusual about student council members staying after school, but there was
something odd about them wearing gym clothes in front of the school gate.
Chisaki watched, puzzled, until the person talking to them suddenly came into
view.
“…?!”
Running over to greet the two student council members was the guy she had
just been thinking about a few moments ago, and even from a distance, she
could tell how utterly exhausted he was. Although his silhouette seemed to be a
bit slimmer, his massive body and rounded shoulders left no doubt as to who he
was. With both hands on his knees, he breathed heavily, trying to catch his
breath, as the student council president and vice president warmly patted him
on the back.
“……”
Why was he with two student council members? The answer was obvious.
Because he was also a member of the student council…which meant…
“Is he really serious about doing this…?”
Those were the words that slipped off her tongue before she immediately
shook her head. Even if he is serious, so what? she thought. Surely, there had to
be something wrong with him for taking her suggestion seriously, since it was
merely something she came up with on the spot to turn him down.
I said that to break it to him gently, so there’s something really wrong with
him for taking me seriously… I didn’t do anything wrong.
 I didn’t do anything wrong, and none of this is my fault…but I guess I could
throw him a bone, thought Chisaki with a faint sense of guilt. After descending
the stairs to the first floor, she bought a sports drink at the vending machine
and waited for Touya in front of the school building’s entrance, but…
“You’ve really improved your endurance, Kenzaki.”
“Yeah, for real. I’m guessing you don’t really feel that sore after your
workouts anymore, huh?”
“Yeah, I guess I have improved…compared with a month ago, at least.”
When Chisaki heard their voices getting closer, she quickly hid behind one of
the shoe lockers. After giving it some thought, she immediately realized that
there was no need for her to hide…but after declaring that she hated men, she
was too embarrassed to actually be seen talking to one. Plus, simply explaining
what she was doing there was a daunting task.
I don’t have any other choice now.
After going back and forth between ideas, Chisaki placed her bamboo sword
and sports drink down, waited for the student council president and vice
president to change into their indoor shoes, then attacked them the instant
they stepped into the hallway.
“Huh—?”
“Wha—?”
Once the surprise attack knocked them both unconscious, she gently leaned
them against the shoe lockers.
“Hmm? Guys? Is—?”
Chisaki instantly turned around when she heard Touya’s voice, and their eyes
met.
“Hmm? Chisaki? What are you—? What the…?! What happened to them?!”
His eyes opened wide in astonishment the instant he saw their limp bodies
lying against the shoe lockers, but Chisaki couldn’t focus on that right now. She
stood up with a calm expression and grabbed the sports drink.
 “Long time no see,” she commented as she tried to act normal.
“Huh? Oh yeah. Long time no see. So about the student council president and
vice president…”
“You decided to join the student council? Just assuming since you were with
these two.”
“Y-yeah, but, uh… They—”
“Wow. You’re a member of the student council now.”
“Wh-what unwavering resolution and strength… I’m so in love with you.”
“Wh-what?!” she goofily shrieked.
“Oh, sorry. It just came out.”
Flustered, Touya began to dart his gaze around, so there was no way for
Chisaki to pretend to be mad and yell at him for teasing her. Instead, she
narrowed her eyes, smugly lifted her chin, and roared:
“Don’t tell me you took what I said that day seriously? I’m going to be honest
with you. I only said that to get rid of you, so if you’re foolishly thinking about
becoming the student council president or something, then stop.”
She was trying to be as clear and arrogant as possible to make sure he
understood…but what she got in return completely took her by surprise.
“O-oh yeah… I mean, I figured as much…,” replied Touya uncomfortably as he
scratched his cheek.
“…?!”
While she stood in mute amazement, Touya stared off into space and calmly
continued, “I mean, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t doing this to get your attention
at least a little…but even without that, I figured this would be a good
opportunity to change…to change myself.”
“…To change yourself?”
“Y-yeah, I realize I’m not that attractive…and I wanted to change that.”
“…And yet you still confessed your feelings to me? Wow.”
 “Er…! That’s, uh… I heard that you should tell women how you feel as soon as
possible, so…I did.”
“…Wouldn’t that usually be after you have some sort of relationship?”
“Y-yeah, I had a feeling that was the case…,” he admitted, meekly rounding
his shoulders…before immediately straightening his back and standing tall. His
eyes faintly trembling, he gazed right into hers, and he clearly stated with a
somewhat quavering voice: “But I don’t regret a thing. I got the chance to
improve as a person thanks to you! So there’s nothing you need to worry
about…”
His voice suddenly lowered into almost a whisper as he trailed off, and he
averted his gaze. However, Chisaki’s eyes opened wide as if he had read her
mind.
“E-excuse me?! I’m not worried about a thing! I just thought I’d make sure
you didn’t take what I said seriously!”
“Hmm? Doesn’t that mean you were worried—?”
“What?! Don’t get cocky! I would never concern myself over a man! Anyway,
here! We had extra, and I don’t want it, so you can have it! Bye!” she sputtered
in almost one rambling breath before pushing the sports drink into Touya’s
hand, grabbing her bamboo sword, and running away.
“Oh, uh… What about these two? Did—? …She’s fast.”
Before he could finish his sentence, she was gone, harboring a heart confused
like never before.
Me? Worried? Pfft! Not in the slightest! If you’re going to be like that, then I’m
going to intentionally make sure I don’t care, even if it’s the last thing I do! From
now on, I’m not going to care what you do or where you do it, no matter what!
Like a stubborn child, Chisaki made this vow to herself. Regardless, she stuck
to it and worked hard to make sure she didn’t have any contact with Touya
after that.
“Chisaki! We’ll patrol the school building this week, so—”
“I’ll handle things inside the school building.”
 “Why…?”
Touya was always jogging after school around the schoolyard, so she needed
to make sure there was no way she would accidentally run into him.
“Chisaki, you have a minute?”
“What?”
“I wanted to talk to you about putting up flyers for the exercise—”
“Please ask someone else to do it.”
“…! Oh… Okay…?”
The leader of the disciplinary committee seemed taken aback by Chisaki’s
harsh, point-blank refusal, but Chisaki didn’t have a choice…because the school
newspaper had plastered the bulletin board with a special article about Touya.
She did everything she could to keep him out of her sight, but some things
simply weren’t avoidable.
“Now, a word from the student body treasurer, Touya Kenzaki.”
Each student council member spoke at the closing ceremony for the first
semester. Chisaki tried to look away from the stage when she heard the familiar
name, but when she accidentally caught sight of the man in the wings, her eyes
naturally opened wide.
“Good morning, everyone. I am the student body treasurer, Touya Kenzaki.”
So this was what it felt like to hardly recognize someone. His body had clearly
changed over the past month and a half, and while he was still somewhat
chubby, he didn’t look like a lazy sloth anymore. He even looked dignified, with
his back straight as he stood tall and proud. Chisaki forgot to look away as she
gazed intently at him onstage, and Touya immediately looked back at her,
straight in the eyes. It wasn’t merely her imagination, and it was Touya’s words
that would prove it.
“I plan on running for student council president next year, but I still do not
have a running mate. There is someone I have in mind, though. In fact, I don’t
plan on running for president with anyone but her!”
Chisaki’s heart began to race violently when she heard the declaration.
Meanwhile, the surrounding students, mainly the boys, began to show
excitement.
“And I will do whatever it takes to make her my partner!”
What is he doing? wondered Chisaki in somewhat of a daze; all the students
around her erupted into applause. It even made her clap two—three times as
well…before she lowered her hands in a fluster, feeling her cheeks getting
warm. Was it because she’d reflexively started clapping? Or was there another
reason why she was blushing? It was still far too early for Chisaki to know why.

The day after the new semester began post-summer break, Touya stopped by
the disciplinary committee’s room just like he had some time before, taking
Chisaki completely by surprise.
“Chisaki! Please run alongside me for student council president as my vice
president!”
The man bowing his head right now was a completely different person from
the boy who had stood there over four months ago. The fat he had all over his
body had vanished and was replaced with ripped muscles. His hair was trimmed
nicely and combed, and his eyes were brimming with confidence as he gazed
straight into hers.
“…!”
His transformation struck Chisaki silent for a moment, but after she cleared
her throat, she looked him back in the eyes.
“…Why? I told you to become the student council president before I would
even consider anything else, but if I run with you, that would mean I’d be
helping you.”
“I understand that, but I cannot imagine having a running partner other than
you!”
“Er…”
She looked away because he was being so direct, but he continued, “Of
course, if I am elected with your help, I’m not going to use that to pressure you
into dating me. But…I’m no longer that indecisive, weak boy anymore, and I
plan on continuing to grow into a man you can respect! I want you to be there
by my side to see for yourself, so will you do me the honor? I beg you!”
“U-uh…”
Despite it being a very selfish request, Chisaki couldn’t immediately turn him
down when he was being so straightforward and genuine, and before she
realized it, her mouth was moving on its own.
“You claim you’re not weak anymore, but maybe you only look strong? I’d
have to see it for myself to believe it. Hmm… How about this: You beat me in a
kendo match, and I’ll consider your proposal.”
What am I saying? thought Chisaki the moment the words came out of her
mouth. If she didn’t want to do it, then she could have just told him so without
setting any conditions.
“…All right, I’ll meet you in the second kendo training hall after school.”
Unsurprisingly, Touya made this declaration after only a two-second pause.
Chisaki agonized over why she couldn’t just turn him down as she watched him
bow and leave the room.

“You are the scoundrel who has been trying to woo my lady, aren’t you?!”
“…! Uh…”
Touya was taken by surprise the instant he stepped inside the kendo training
hall after school. And who could blame him? Some random girl wearing a kendo
gi, her hair in two spiral-curled pigtails like an aristocrat in the 1800s, suddenly
started to verbally attack him. Moreover, she was accompanied by three girls
who somehow looked very natural standing there (positioned asymmetrically
for some reason), as if they had been lying in wait for him.
“Wh-who is ‘my lady’?”
“Why must you waste my time asking questions you already know the answer
to? Who else could it be other than the noblest lady of them all: Chisaki!”
“O-oh…” Touya nodded, overwhelmed by the noblewoman’s presence.
“I know why you came. You irreverently wish to challenge my lady to a duel,
yes?” the noblewoman claimed, flipping her hair (one large curl) back.
“Know your place!”
“It’s troubling, isn’t it? How arrogant can one man be?”
“You are in for a rude awakening if you think you can beat her that easily just
because you are a man.”
“I don’t think that at all… Anyway, why are you all standing kind of sideways
like that?”
“That is none of your concern! If you wish to challenge my lady…”
The noblewoman paused, then snapped her fingers.
“Ayame Shinbashi!” On the right, an energetic girl with simpler pigtails
announced her name with her head held high.
“Kikyou Oomori,” stated the tomboy to her right with a hand over one eye.
“Kurasawa Hiiragi,” stated the girl standing on the opposite side, pushing her
glasses up the bridge of her nose. Only after the three footmen introduced
themselves did the noblewoman in the middle with spiral curls speak up.
“I am Sumire Kiryuuin, and if you wish to fight my lady, you will have to get
past us first!” she proclaimed loudly, flipping her hair back again. It was a
declaration of war so explosive that nobody would be surprised if something
actually exploded in the background. It was as if Touya had just met the four
generals of the demon lord’s army. He took a step back…and shifted his gaze
toward Chisaki, who was holding her head behind them as if she had a
headache.
“Hey, uh… Chisaki? Who are these…pleasant individuals?”
“…They were my kendo team’s senpou, jihou, chuuken, and fukushou in
middle school.”
“…And you have them call you ‘my lady’?”
 “No, never. I’m not their boss or a noblewoman or anything like that. If
anything, I should be calling Sumire ‘my lady,’ since she’s older than me. And
you know she only calls herself Sumire to fit in. Her real name is Viol—”
“How dare you speak to my lady and ignore me!” shouted Viol—Sumire as
she leaned toward Touya and blocked Chisaki from his sight. She then snapped
her fingers once more, and the smallest girl of the bunch, Ayame, took a step
forward.
“If you wish to fight her, then you have to get past me first!”
“U-uh…?” said Touya hesitantly as he looked straight down at the little girl in
front of him. There was a thirty-centimeter height difference at the very least,
so it was hard to believe she would even stand a chance, regardless of Touya’s
sex.
“Uh… I mean, if I have to…”
Touya decided to accept her challenge, seeing as there didn’t seem to be any
other way around this…
“Hmph! Absolutely pathetic!”
“Heh! He lost the very first match…”
“What a letdown.”
“Oh my. How embarrassing.”
The match was over in the blink of an eye. The moment they were given the
signal to fight, she vanished right before his eyes, only to reappear with her
bamboo sword already thrusting into his throat.
“Cough! Hack! Hack!”
“A-are you o—?”
“My lady! He does not deserve your concern!”
“But he’s seriously—”
Chisaki tried to run over and check on Touya, who was crouching and
coughing violently, but Sumire promptly stood in her way, looked Chisaki right
in the eye, and whispered, “Your sympathy would only hurt a man with such
resolve. He would feel like you aren’t taking him seriously.”
“…!”
Chisaki froze, and after a few more seconds went by, Touya managed to stand
up on his own and got back into stance with his bamboo sword.
“Cough…! I would like to request a rematch!”
“Oh? Still haven’t had enough, huh? All right, I’ll beat you up as many times as
you’d like!”
And just as Ayame claimed, she made Touya kiss the floor multiple times over
the next two hours, but even then, he didn’t give up. He started practicing
kendo at the dojo after that day and continued to challenge the four demon
generals—the four kendo “sisters”—to matches until he eventually managed to
beat every single one of them once.
“Chisaki, I’ve finally made it.”
It was October by the time Touya was finally able to challenge Chisaki to a
match…but that obviously still wasn’t enough reason to go easy on him.
“…I will train hard, and I will be back.”
Though he had somewhat improved through his matches against the four
kendo (unrelated) sisters, Chisaki was a whole different beast. Match after
match, he went home battered and bruised, hardly exchanging a word with her
as she quietly continued to accept each of his challenges. She kept her heart
buried deep inside her because if she didn’t, she wouldn’t be able to keep her
inconvenient emotions from bursting out.
But one day, out of the blue…
Wait. Aiming for his hand before exams would be… He said he was studying
hard, too…
Touya was putting all his muscle into his next swing as he aimed for the face,
so Chisaki was just about to capitalize on this opening and strike his hand…
when that thought suddenly crossed her mind. That second of hesitation alone
led her aim astray, and she missed. So by the time she realized what was
happening, Touya’s bamboo sword was right before her eyes.
 Whack.
The soft impact shook her head, but it was soft—far too soft for a bamboo
sword.
“…Huh?”
He’d gone easy on her. The moment Chisaki’s brain recognized this, countless
pent-up emotions were suddenly freed.
“Seriously?!” she yelled, her voice a mix of humiliation and rage. She then
grabbed the bamboo sword touching her head, ripped it out of his hands, and
threw it at him.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
She glared at Touya through her mask, making her anger no secret.
“Oh, uh…! I’m sorry! I know it’s rude to hold back, but when I realized I was
about to hit the girl I’m in love with, my body just tensed,” he exclaimed in a
fluster, cradling the bamboo sword he’d caught in his arms.
“What…?!”
She was speechless for a few moments after that, angrily grinding her teeth,
until she eventually shouted furiously, “Ugh! Whatever! Fine! You win by
default! The upcoming election?! Sure, fine! I’ll be your running mate!”
“…?! Y-yesss!!”
Although it took him a split second to process it all, Touya was now raising his
arms into the air and cheering like a child. Chisaki huffed and puffed while she
glared at him.
“Are you sure, my lady?” Sumire, who had been acting as the referee, asked
suddenly.
“…Yeah, why not?” replied Chisaki, looking away with a pout, despite her face
not being visible behind the mask.
“Besides, all we’re doing is running for student council president and vice
president together. It’s not like this means we’re going to be dating,” she
quickly added, but she realized that it sounded like an excuse.
 “Yesssssssss!!”
Still dressed in his kendo gear, Touya was aggressively posing with his hands
in the air as if he had just won gold at the Olympics. While she watched him out
of the corner of her eye, Chisaki started to get the feeling that one day soon,
she was going to start genuinely wanting him to win the election…

“And after that, Touya got even cooler…”

“U-uh… That’s nice…”
Chisaki was sitting in one of the spectator seats at her family-owned dojo’s
arena as she bragged about her boyfriend to her cousin whom she had not seen
in ages. However, this younger, female cousin couldn’t help but grimace…
“Hey, uh… Chisaki? That cool boyfriend of yours is about to get himself killed,
like…right now.”
“Oh, come on. Touya beat me. There’s no way he’s gonna lose to anyone
here.”
“He won by default, though, right? Plus, this isn’t kendo. It’s hand-to-hand
combat.”
Her cousin’s worried gaze shifted toward Touya, who was grimacing in the
center of the arena. Looking down at him with bloodthirsty eyes was a man
even larger and more muscular.
“His opponent’s the disciple you relentlessly turned down when he asked you
out, right? I mean, he looks pissed. Like he wants to kill Touya.”
“What? I honestly don’t remember that,” commented Chisaki flippantly,
which made it crueler.
“Touya, you can do it!” she then cheered innocently. Touya raised his right
arm and smiled, which only made his opponent more enraged.
“I—I get this is an amateur match, but maybe letting an actual amateur
participate in the martial arts festival wasn’t a good idea… H-hey, we can still
throw in the towel, you know? It’s still not too late to give up.”
“What? But Touya looks really pumped for this.”
“Only because he has to act tough when his girlfriend is yelling and cheering
for him like this!”
“Right? He’s so manly and cool.”
“You are being overly optimistic! Open your eyes!”
But the worried cousin’s cries were in vain as the referee swung his arm,
starting the match. It was only a matter of seconds before the match ended…
with Touya face-first on the mat. So being a good sport, Chisaki personally
made sure to run down and greet the opponent…with her fist…before burying
him in the corner of the arena.
CHAPTER 9
Adoration and Arrogance

One day during summer break…

“I wonder if my dear brother can be hypnotized, too?” Yuki muttered, sitting
on the bed in her room with a book on hypnosis in hand. The book was titled
Hypnosis for Idiots: Welcome to the Hypnotist Club, and it had an interesting
history. Namely, it had been used that fateful day in the student council room,
which had ended in tragedy. Despite promising her brother that they would seal
this book away so that nobody would ever get hurt again, Yuki couldn’t give up
something so fascinating simply because they had failed once. She had
purchased this book with her own money, and ever since then, she had been
testing various types of hypnosis on her guinea pig, Ayano. Nevertheless, the
samples proved to be far from adequate, since Ayano’s “Loyalty” was already at
max level, and she would submit to and serve Yuki, regardless of what she was
ordered to do. I really want to try this out on someone, but if I tried it on a
friend, and it didn’t work, then…, she thought. Suddenly, it hit her: Masachika.
“What do you think?”
“Meow?”
Ayano, who was snuggled up with her head in Yuki’s lap, looked up at her
with eyes full of wonder, then sat up and began brushing her bangs to the side
with her right hand curled into a ball.
“Oh…,” Yuki muttered. She then raised both hands to clap…but froze. Her
eyes were locked on Ayano, who was sitting femininely on her knees with her
legs somewhat spread open, and she suddenly got the urge to reach out and
massage the maid’s chest.
“Hmm…? Have you gotten a little bigger since I last checked?”
 She tilted her head to the side, ignoring Ayano’s curious gaze, and rubbed her
maid’s chest with a serious expression.
“O-oh? Oooh! They’re so big, you can lift them…,” murmured Yuki with
admiration as she lifted Ayano’s chest. She continued to enjoy her maid’s
bosom for a few more minutes after that before finally clapping with clear
satisfaction. Immediately, Ayano froze in place, slowly blinked a few times, then
curiously tilted her head.
“…Did it work?”
“Yep. Mission Kitty-Cat was a success… Do you think it will work on
Masachika, though?”
“Sir Masachika? …I believe it would be difficult.”
Ayano tilted her head to the other side, seemingly unconcerned with the fact
that she had been hypnotized to act like a cat.
“Yeah, they say the hypnotists are resistant to hypnosis, too.” Yuki shrugged.
“Oh, look at the time. I have to get ready for violin practice.”
After Yuki stood up from her bed and began getting ready, Ayano
immediately went to her aid, pressing her lips tightly together as if she had
formed some sort of resolution.

A few days later, when Yuki was getting ready to go to the Kuze residence to
hang out, Ayano suddenly approached her.
“Lady Yuki.”
“Hmm?”
“It’s about the hypnosis… I prepared a few things that may help you.”
“Huh? Hypnosis…? Ohhh, right! I was going to hypnotize my brother! You
went out of your way to prepare something for me?”
“It was my pleasure. I figured that you would need some sort of tool to aid
you if you wished to hypnotize Sir Masachika.”
 “Oh? An enhancement item? I could definitely use one of those.”
“I did a lot of research…and came up with this,” revealed Ayano, pulling a
dark-pink candle out of her maid uniform’s pocket. “It’s a scented candle that
apparently helps relax the body and thus makes it easier to hypnotize people.”
“It’s just like those erotic fan comics.”
“In addition…I prepared this.”
Ayano went through her cell phone for a few seconds, then handed it to Yuki.
Displayed on the screen was a questionable picture of two giant eyes with
squiggly waves radiating from them.
“…What’s this?”
“It’s apparently a hypnosis app.”
“It’s just like those erotic fan comics!” Yuki repeated jokingly, but the next
thing Ayano took out of her pocket…was a massive, rugged collar.
“…What’s that?”
“A collar that apparently forces the wearer to obey every command.”
“It’s just like the ones you see in those another-world fantasy shows! …Wait!
Don’t tell me you plan on having Masachika wear that?!”
“No. I thought you could make me wear it…”
“That’d be pointless.”
“Oh…”
“Why do you look depressed?!”
Yuki turned toward the strangely well-built collar with a hand on her forehead
as if she had a headache. What appeared to be numerous power stones of all
colors decorated the collar, giving it an unusually strong presence, which made
it hard to believe this was a gag gift.
“Where did you even get that sketchy collar?”
“So…when I went shopping the other day, a street vendor wearing a hood
called out to me… And despite not telling them what I was looking for, they
gave me this and told me I didn’t need to pay anything for it…”
“Whoa. Sounds less like an another-world fantasy and more like a this-world
secret occult society. You better not even think about using that, okay? I’ve
seen this before. Whoever uses that will become a shell of their former self, and
then that street vendor’s going to be like, ‘Humans are so foolish,’ and laugh.”
“Oh…?”
“Wait. Hold up. Don’t tell me you got the scented candle from this person,
too?”
“I got this at the hundred-yen store.”
“Seriously? You really can get anything there.”
“It was two hundred yen, though…”
“The hell? That’s way too expensive. Lying dirtbag store,” joked Yuki. Then
she suddenly noticed that Ayano seemed somewhat depressed.
Oops… Maybe I went a little too far. She went through all that trouble to find
this stuff for me…
After reflecting on her behavior, Yuki softly cleared her throat, shifted her
focus back to the candle, and suggested: “But, well…why don’t we give it a try?
The candle and app could work…”
“…! Yes, I completely agree!”
“Thanks for finding this for me, by the way.”
“It was nothing.”
We’d probably have a better chance of hypnotizing him with a five-yen coin
tied to a string, thought Yuki cynically as she grinned at her attendant’s instantly
improved mood.

“There was a time when I used to truly believe that, too,” muttered Yuki with
her eyes on her brother, who was sitting on the side of the bed with a vacant
stare. Last night, she handed Masachika the scented candle and claimed that it
improved sleep; she had him bask in the smoke for the entire night, then used
the hypnosis app when he had just woken up and was still half asleep…and it
actually worked.
“Seriously?”
“Congratulations. It worked.”
“Yeah, uh… So… How about we get some fresh air in here and crack open the
window?”
“As you wish.”
After maid-mode Ayano did that, she opened the door that led to the living
room to air out the bedroom, allowing the hot air from outside to pass through
while simultaneously diluting the strangely sweet fragrance lingering in the air.
And yet Masachika still showed no signs of returning to normal—he stared idly
at the floor with a vacant expression.
“…What should I do now?”
Never in a million years did Yuki think her brother would actually get
hypnotized, so she hadn’t considered what she would do if it worked. On top of
that, she didn’t have the heart to say, “Well, at least we know it works, so let’s
call it a day,” after all the effort Ayano put into this, either.
“Hmm…”
Yuki racked her brain for a few moments until she was struck with an
epiphany, and she began looking through her phone. Once she opened the
hypnosis app, she pointed the screen at Masachika and suggested: “You will
become a cool, doting guy who cannot hold back his love any longer.”
When she tapped the screen, her phone began to ring eerily, causing
Masachika’s body to twitch. His pupils gradually began to focus…until out of
nowhere, he looked at Yuki and smiled sweetly.
“Hey, Yuki… Cute as always, I see.”
“Ew! Blech! Gross!” bitterly hissed Yuki, not even pausing between each
word, but Masachika simply shifted his gaze to Ayano without a care in the
world.
 “You’re really cute, too, Ayano.”
“Th-thank you?”
“Heh! What’s wrong? You look puzzled… Oh?”
He stood from the bed as if he noticed something and gently reached out to
touch Ayano’s black hair.
“You have some lint in your hair.”
“Ah! P-please accept my sincerest apologies! I’m so embarrassed…”
While the corners of her eyes began to burn and she lowered her head in
shame, Masachika gently placed his right hand on her cheek, kindly lifted her
chin, and smiled the most loving of smiles.
“There’s nothing for you to apologize about. This is just proof of how hard you
work. You should relax more, if anything.”
“N-no, I couldn’t…”
“Really? You’re such a hard worker. Thank you for always helping out… I love
you,” he declared as he affectionately caressed her cheek, causing Ayano’s eyes
to immediately open wide in shock…
“Fshhh…”
“A-Ayano…!!”
“Uh-oh. ♪”
Ayano’s eyes spun, and her knees gave out, but before she hit the ground,
Masachika swiftly grabbed her in his arms, picked her up like a princess, and
gently laid her on the bed before tenderly rubbing her head.
“Ha-ha. You’re so cute, Ayano.”
He looked back at Yuki as if he was seeking approval, but she immediately got
into a defensive stance and lowered her posture, causing his lips to curl sweetly
as he approached her.
“Wh-what? You want some of this? I hope you don’t think you can scare me
just by telling me you love me, because it’s not happening. It takes a lot more
than that to scare me. Unlike Ayano, I— Ah! Hey?!”
——Five minutes later.
“I love you. I love you more than anyone else, Yuki.”
 “Oh-hyo, oh-hyo, oh-hyooo! What is this?! It’s…! I’m going to squeal!”
Yuki was sitting in Masachika’s lap while he embraced her from behind,
whispering sweet nothings into her ear. Sitting cross-legged, he gently rubbed
her head and cheeks, causing her to shriek and squirm, unable to take it
anymore.
At first, something felt wrong about Masachika acting so loving and cool, but
seeing him so confident and unashamed strangely made her more than just
okay with it. Once you start feeling embarrassed, you’ve already lost the game
—there seemed to be some truth to that saying.
“What’s wrong? What are you thrashing about like that for? Aren’t you the
shy one this morning?”
“Hff! H-hey, uh… Do you think you could stop whispering into my ear? You’re
giving me goose bumps…”
“Really? All right… Then look at me. I want to see that cute face of yours when
we talk.”
“No, no, no! No way! I probably look so weird right now!”
Yuki stretched her arms and legs and began flailing them about, but that
wasn’t going to help her escape Masachika’s grasp. Although his touch was
gentle, his grip around her was surprisingly strong, making apparent his
unwavering will to never let her go.
“Heh… Ha-ha…! I’m impressed. It takes a lot to make me blush…”
“Heh! It does, huh? You’re so cute when you blush, you know? I’ll honestly
tell you how much I love you as much as it takes if it means I get to see you like
this some more…because I love you more than anything in the world.”
Her lips audaciously curled broadly into a smirk as she crossed her arms over
her chest within her brother’s embrace.
“All right, bro! You’ve asked for it! An eye for an eye! A tooth for a tooth!
Hypnosis for hypnosis! I hope you’re ready for this brand-new, new move I
learned the other day!”
The redundancy of that sentence was only further proof of how uneasy Yuki
felt, but that didn’t stop her from curling into a ball as if she were increasing her
chi, until all of a sudden, she swiftly thrust her right fist straight into the air and
shouted, “Let’s do this! Angel mode activ—”
“You don’t have to do that, Yuki. You’re already an angel in my eyes.”
“Blarghffaaa.”
Against all odds, Masachika promptly put a stop to her secret transformation.
The doting brother did not even consider waiting for her to finish, and all the chi
she had built up dispersed in vain as she froze. Masachika lovingly tightened his
arms around her and placed his chin on her shoulder.
“My sweet angel who loves her family more than anything else and is always
doing whatever she can for her family… I’m so happy to have a sister like you.”
“U-uh-huh…”
Yuki was feeling genuinely bashful—far too embarrassed to joke anymore
after such a relentlessly sweet compliment. But as her face slowly got redder, a
faint voice suddenly started to groan behind her.
“M-mmm…”
“A-Ayano! You’re awake?! Help!” cried Yuki. She looked over her brother’s
shoulder and realized Ayano was sitting up in the bed. However, the moment
Masachika laid eyes on Ayano, she averted her gaze.
“O-oh, right. I just remembered that I was in the middle of preparing
breakfast…,” she sputtered before promptly leaving the room and leaving her
master behind as well.
“A-Ayano! You traitor!!”
“Hey, now. Don’t say that. We’re family, right?”
“Stop whispering into my ear!”
She thrashed about like an unruly kitten until she looked like she was struck
with an epiphany.
“Oh! B-bathroom! I need to go to the bathroom!” she claimed out of
desperation.
 “Hmm? Really? All right. Off you go.”
And Masachika simply let her go. After immediately hopping to her feet, she
rushed to the bathroom, slammed the door, and began doing everything she
could to catch her breath.
“Oh god… That was intense… Huff… Huff…”
Even Yuki couldn’t hide how flustered she was after experiencing her
brother’s shameless, sweet love. It wasn’t like those videos that talent agencies
put out to introduce their models, where the handsome guy just whispers
something sweet into the camera. Because what Masachika did was…real.
Furthermore, Yuki knew that he spoke from the heart because she herself had
hypnotized him so that he wouldn’t be able to control the boundless love inside
him any longer.
“W-wow… Seriously? My brother loves me waaay too much,” she joked,
covering both her cheeks and twisting her body back and forth…because if she
didn’t do that, the embarrassment was going to light her on fire as the
butterflies burst out of her stomach.
“Dammit… Damn it all… My brother is too damn cute.”
After squirming in the bathroom for a good bit until somewhat calming down,
Yuki returned to the living room… She returned…to the living room…and…
“I love watching you cook, Ayano. Your skills are captivating.”
“Ahn…”
“What is this?! Some kind of newlywed role-play?!” jeered Yuki the moment
she saw that her brother was holding Ayano from behind in the kitchen as he
whispered sweet nothings into her ear. Nevertheless, the moment she realized
that her brother might target her again, she lost the courage to take another
step forward into the kitchen, grinding her teeth where she stood in the
doorway. Meanwhile, Ayano, who was in the middle of being showered in
Masachika’s love, was completely frozen in place with an uncracked egg in
hand. Hints of crimson began to illuminate her cheeks, and her eyes spun on
her blank face.
“A-ahhhhhh…”
 Her voice trembled like never before, and the egg shook in her violently
trembling hand.
“S-S-Sir Masachika! You mustn’t! The egg…! The egg…!!” she suddenly
shrieked off-key, her voice unbelievably shaky, as if she was worried the egg
was about to fall straight onto the floor.
“Hmm? Oh, we can’t have that. Here, you need to be careful when you hold
eggs.”
With his left hand still wrapped around Ayano’s stomach from behind, he
gently cupped his right hand around the hand Ayano was using to hold the egg,
immediately causing her to jump, and her body began to tremble even more
intensely.
“We mustn’t! The egg…! My eggs—!!”
“Stop trying to get my brother to fertilize them!”
Unable to take it anymore, Yuki rushed into the kitchen and ripped Ayano out
of Masachika’s arms.
“Masachika, go watch TV or something and stop bothering Ayano! She needs
to cook!”
After forcing her brother out of the kitchen, she turned around and faced
Ayano, who was crouched in place with only her egg-holding hand on the
kitchen table.
“…So? Do you have the energy to cook still?”
“Y-yes, of course…”
“Stop rubbing your stomach like there’s a baby in there,” snapped Yuki,
glaring reproachfully at Ayano, who was rubbing her abdomen and blushing.

“Hmm…”
Yuki glanced at her brother, who was casually watching TV after eating
breakfast, and cocked her head in puzzlement.
 “What’s up? Something wrong, Yuki?”
“All right, I’m sick of this,” she replied with a wry grimace to her sweetly
smiling brother, who had his head curiously tilted.
“…?”
At least an hour and a half had gone by since she hypnotized Masachika into
being a cool, doting brother, and she had finally gotten used to it. In fact, she
was genuinely getting annoyed. Even when they were eating, he kept trying to
feed her and wipe her mouth, which was more than enough sweetness for a
lifetime.
The hypnosis isn’t wearing off at all… Maybe I should have done a better job
airing out his room?
Since today was a hot day, Yuki closed all the windows and turned on the air
conditioner after airing out Masachika’s room, but it appeared she wasn’t able
to completely get rid of the scented candle’s hypnotic smell. There was
absolutely no sign of him ever snapping out of it.
“Hmm… It looks like I need to hypnotize him again,” she muttered to herself,
pulling out her smartphone. She then walked around to the other side of the
table and wrapped her arms around him.
“What are you doing? Is this some sort of new game?”
“Yeeeah, exactly. It’s a cool new game. Here, check it out.”
“Hmm? Check…what…out…?”
While Yuki showed him her phone over his shoulder, Masachika’s voice
gradually began to fade as his unblinking eyes locked on the screen. Once he
was ready to be hypnotized again, Yuki commanded:
“You are a cool guy with an attitude. You’re always super confident and as
rude as could be, but it’s okay because everyone around you loves you,” she
almost randomly demanded, without giving it much thought, then tapped her
phone’s screen, causing it to ring eerily. Masachika’s arms began to twitch as his
wavering eyes gradually focused… All of a sudden, he lifted his chin with an
audacious smirk and looked at Yuki.
 “Yo, seriously? You’ve got your arms wrapped around me, but you still can’t
take your eyes off that phone? Bold move…”
“Ew! No,” uttered Yuki sincerely with a straight face. She glared back at her
smug brother. She was fine with the doting brother from earlier, but this was
too much. She couldn’t even force a smile. In fact, just looking at him kind of
irritated her.
“What’s wrong? Are you jealous that I spend so much time with Ayano?”
“Oh god.”
As she held out her phone and began taking a video of her arrogant sibling, he
stood from his chair, turned around, and combed his bangs back while
confidently leaning back.
“Hey, yooo. What’s going on? I get that you want to save every moment you
spend with me, but could you at least wait until I get dressed?”
And yet he undid the top button of his shirt, casually plopped back down in
his seat, and faced the smartphone camera with a saucy, sideways glance.
“Oh god… Is it just me, or is the cocky bro inside my bro having trouble finding
who he wants to be? I wonder how Masachika’s going to feel when he snaps
out of it and sees this.”
Yuki smirked maliciously because the only thing on her mind was getting
revenge for what her “doting” brother did to her earlier, despite Yuki herself
being 100 percent responsible for it. It was unjustified resentment simply
because he made her hot and bothered, but she was able to effortlessly look
away from that inconvenient truth. For the next ten minutes, she continued to
record her brother doing various narcissistic poses that only someone really
good-looking could get away with… Just then, the intercom rang softly. Yuki
looked up and immediately felt as if something was off, since Ayano wasn’t
moving, despite always being quick to act.
“…? Ayano?”
When she glanced to her side, Ayano was sitting at the table in a daze. Yuki
figured the silence was due to Ayano turning into air like she always did, but it
appeared that she still hadn’t recovered from Masachika’s assertiveness in the
kitchen earlier. Therefore, Yuki had no choice but to place her phone down and
answer the intercom herself.
“Yes? Who could it…be…?”
Assuming it was a delivery, she peeked at the intercom camera…and
discovered there was a silver-haired maiden standing outside.
“…What?”
She froze. Masachika never told her that Alisa was coming over. Did he forget
to? That wasn’t like him. Plus, Alisa already came over the day before to study,
and they purposely waited until she went home so that Yuki could come over
unnoticed and stay the night. Therefore, there was no way Masachika would
forget something as important as Alisa visiting two days in a row…which meant
that Alisa came over unannounced—a surprise visit. But that said, it was still ten
thirty in the morning, which was a little too early to be going to a friend’s
house.
…?! Alya? Wh-what is she doing here?
Yuki froze in front of the intercom camera, completely overcome with
surprise… Masachika suddenly popped up behind her, reached out over her
shoulder, and pressed the answer button before Yuki could even process what
was going on.
“Alya? What’s up?”
“Oh, Masachika? Sorry for coming over out of the blue like this. I think I forgot
my phone at your place yesterday…”
It all finally made sense to Yuki… It made sense, but at the very same time…
She’s really dressed-up for someone who just stopped by to grab her phone.
Being a woman herself, she could tell that Alisa clearly came dressed to kill.
Now, if Alisa claimed that she normally dolled up whenever she went out, then
that would be the end of the conversation, but Yuki had a gut feeling that
wasn’t the case.
“No prob. Come on up.”
“…? Okay.”
 “…?!”
While Yuki was busy staring with suspicion at Alisa on the monitor, Masachika
suddenly unlocked the entrance and invited her in. Although puzzled by the way
he was speaking, Alisa didn’t say another word as she stepped inside.
“Oh god. This is bad,” muttered Yuki with a blank face as she began rapidly
racking her brain for a solution. There were multiple things bad about this. First
off, Masachika was still hypnotized. Next, there was the fact that Yuki and
Ayano were hanging out at the Kuze residence this early in the morning. And
last but not least, Ayano was dressed as a maid, while Yuki was wearing
straight-up loungewear.
Yeah! I can’t let her see me dressed like this!
After almost instantaneously coming to that decision, she took a step toward
the bedroom… But she noticed Masachika was already heading toward the
front door, and she froze.
“…! I need to dehypnotize him first!”
Once she came to that split-second decision, Yuki leaped toward her phone.
“Ayano! Slow Masachika down! Wait, no! Hide our shoes!”
“…As you wish.”
Yuki unlocked her phone as Ayano headed toward the front door.
First, I need to make sure our shoes are hidden, and I need to make sure
Masachika is himself when he answers the door, too…
Rapidly mapping out a plan in her head, Yuki opened the hypnosis app… She
opened the hypnosis app… She…
“…Where’s the dehypnotize function?!” she shouted shrilly, unable to find the
one thing she needed. She was left with no other choice. She had to rely on the
only way she knew how to dehypnotize someone…but before she could even
take another step, the doorbell rang, and she froze.
“Yo, you’re here.”
And it was almost immediately followed by the sound of a door opening and
Masachika greeting Alisa. Yuki clenched her teeth tightly, for she was now
facing the worst possible scenario.
I’ve got to change!!
She dashed to her room while undoing her ponytail, then fast-forwarded into
something more formal and appropriate for visitors. After making sure she was
wearing a ladylike smile, she headed to the entrance to greet Alisa…and
completely froze yet again. Because Masachika had one hand against the closed
front door with his other hand lifting Alisa’s chin. Ayano was staring in awe,
putting no effort toward hiding.
“Wait, wait, wait…”
After Yuki passed by Ayano, who was standing upright and stock-still for some
reason, she immediately tried to cut in between Masachika and Alisa… At that
moment, Masachika grinned at Alisa like a savage beast and exclaimed, “I want
you to bear my child.”
“Seriously? You’re just repeating a line you saw in a lewd video game ad
online!”
“…Okay.”
“Bffft?! Am I hearing things?!”
Hearing Alisa agree almost made Yuki lose consciousness. But when she
turned her wide eyes to her schoolmate and noticed the vacant look on her
face, it all made sense.
“Ack! I completely forgot how easily susceptible she is to hypnosis!”
The lingering fragrance of the hypnosis candle must have gotten her the
moment she walked through the door. Yuki found it hard to believe that any of
the candle’s scent made it all the way over there…so Alisa must be more
vulnerable to hypnosis than she thought. Either that, or Alisa had become
addicted to being hypnotized by Masachika.
While Yuki was considering all the possibilities, Masachika wrapped his arm
around Alisa’s waist and began walking toward the living room. Alisa simply
wore a vacant stare and surrendered herself to him.
 “Huh? No, hold up.”
But right as he was passing Yuki, she grabbed his shoulder and stopped him
with a serious expression.
“Yuki, read the room,” he warned with a somewhat bitter smirk, glancing back
at her.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” she shouted in almost a shriek,
then promptly swung her fist in an attempt to knock him unconscious.
However, right as her punch was about to connect, he suddenly grabbed her
wrist and stopped her.
“Whoa. Nobody likes a disobedient brat, ya know?”
“Shut up and get a hold of yourself, ya filthy cheater! Ayano, grab my br—
grab Masachika for me! …Ayano?”
She saw Ayano take a step in front of her brother, so she asked for help… But
she suddenly noticed the look in her maid’s eyes, and it gave her a terrible
sense of foreboding.
“Sir Masachika… Very well. I will bear…your child…”
“You too?!”
Yuki finally understood why Ayano had been idly standing there for so long.
The lingering aroma of the scented candle must have hypnotized her as well,
and there was only one person to blame.
This is all my fault!
Ayano had been used as a guinea pig to practice hypnosis until she became
unbelievably susceptible…by none other than Yuki. Although she was
distressed, she saw Ayano trying to throw herself on Masachika and
immediately gave a flustered command.
“Ayano! Sit!”
“……”
“Dammit! It didn’t work! Is the difference in power between us just that
great?!” she desperately shouted, pulling her wrist free. She then stood before
her brother, blocking his path with her arms spread wide as she bravely looked
up at him; his arms were wrapped around Alisa and Ayano.
“When I touch your shoulders, you will wake up from your trance! Got it?
Three, two, one… Wake up!” she clearly stated, desperately placing both hands
on his shoulders and shaking him. However…
“Yuki, what’s wrong with you today? Are you jealous? Don’t worry. I’ll always
be your bro.”
“It’s not working! Ugh! What should I…?”
Before she could get another word out, Yuki felt her right wrist being
grabbed, and her body suddenly felt like it was floating in the air. But by the
time she finally realized what was happening, she was already staring at the
hallway ceiling.
“…Huh?”
Because she unconsciously broke her own fall and Masachika’s sweep was
gentle, she didn’t really feel any pain, but the fact that she was caught off guard
and didn’t even see it coming horrified her. Nevertheless, the instant she
caught a glimpse of her brother taking two girls into his room, she immediately
got up and desperately went after him in full-panic mode.
“M-Masachika, let’s calm down and think this through! Having your way with
two hypnotized women is something that’s only supposed to happen in fanfics!
Wait… I guess this is kind of unique, since the man’s also hypnotized… Ack!
What am I thinking? Your first time isn’t supposed to be a threesome! That’s
only something you’re supposed to see as a bonus harem ending after clearing
all the routes! So could you at least start with beating the individual routes?!”
She clung to his shoulders from behind, desperately trying to stop him, but
Yuki’s petite body was fruitlessly being dragged across the floor as he walked.
“…! Ugh! That’s it!” she desperately screamed after realizing that they were
now inside the living room, only steps away from his bedroom…
 “Hmm? Huh?! Ow! Ouch! What the…?! Did I sleep wrong? My neck is killing
me,” Masachika grunted painfully as he woke up with an aching neck.
“Damn, that hurts… Hmm?”
He sat up with a hand on his neck, then realized that he had been sleeping not
in his pajamas but in plain, everyday clothes. Masachika curiously began
surveying his room when…
“Why am I—? Whoa?!”
…he spotted Ayano on all fours bowing to him, and he jumped.
“Wh-what’s wrong?”
“I am truly sorry…”
“For what? I have no idea what’s going on.”
“The scented candle I gave you last night…was actually a hypnosis candle…
and thanks to its effects, Lady Yuki had you hypnotized all morning.”
“What? Hypnotized?”
An image of Alisa, half naked in the student council room, suddenly came to
mind…which he quickly tried to erase from his head while simultaneously
remembering that Alisa had no recollection of what had happened that time.
“O-oh, so that’s what happened? I was hypnotized…which is why I don’t
remember anything?”
“Yes… That is most likely what happened.”
“Uh-huh…,” he replied without emotion, genuinely still unable to process
what was going on. There wasn’t much he could do, though, since even if he
had been hypnotized, there was no way he would be able to remember.
“…So why does my neck hurt?”
“That’s… Well… I only remember bits and pieces of what happened as well, so
I am not exactly sure…but I believe Lady Yuki had to choke you out from behind
to stop you.”
“What?”
 Her explanation only made him more confused.
“…Eh. Whatever. Where’s Yuki? And stand up. It’s not your fault. You don’t
need to apologize.”
“I do. I was the one who brought the scented candle and found the hypnosis
app…”
“…The what app?”
“This…”
Displayed on the smartphone in Ayano’s hand was a giant closed eye
accompanied by a faint, fishy vibrating sound.
“…What’s this? And what’s that noise?”
“Oh, this is apparently a sound wave that is supposed to wake you up from
hypnosis. I was playing it for you while you were asleep… Oh! Right, you wanted
to know where Lady Yuki was. Lady Yuki has…already returned to the Suou
residence…”
“Huh? Why?”
“Um… She wanted me to give this to you…”
With extreme reluctance, Ayano slipped a folded piece of loose-leaf paper out
of her pocket, but when he unfolded it, all that was written was “I’m sorry” in
absurdly large letters in Yuki’s handwriting.
“…What’s this all about? …Wait. You said she had to ‘stop’ me? Like, was I
doing something so bad that I needed to be choked out?”
“It’s probably better for you to see for yourself…”
Ayano glanced at Masachika’s smartphone by his bedside. In spite of the bad
feeling in his gut, he turned it on and immediately saw notifications from the
second-year students in the student council.
> Kuze, what’s wrong? If something’s bothering you, let me know.
> Are you okay, Kuze? Were you possessed when investigating the
school’s seven mysteries?
> Well, I think you’re cool. Yep.
 While Touya and Maria seemed concerned about him, Chisaki appeared to be
trying to make him feel better about something. However, all these messages
could be traced to a single source: a video file that Yuki had uploaded.
Masachika tapped the screen, opening the file…
“Hey, yooo. What’s going on? I get that you want to save every moment
you spend with me, but could you at least wait until I get dressed?”
“Huh?!”
Masachika was rendered speechless the moment he witnessed the man in the
video—he was having a hard time believing it was him. The guy in the video was
posing like a narcissist. He promptly locked the screen, unable to take it any
longer, but that didn’t change the fact that the upperclassmen in the student
council had all seen the video. His entire body felt like it was on fire.
“Y-Yukiiiiii! What… What have you done?!”
He clenched his jaw, furiously grinding his teeth as he sat on the bed, and
desperately fought against the overwhelming embarrassment…until it suddenly
hit him. He still hadn’t receive a text from Alisa.
Which means Alya probably hasn’t—… Oh, wait! She left her phone at my
house yesterday, so there’s no way she could have seen it! So if I delete it before
she spots it, then…!
The person he was worried about watching the video most still hadn’t seen it
yet. That sudden glimmer of hope was enough to make him forget that Yuki had
already gone home, and he dashed out of his room.
“Hey! Yuki—”
Right as he rushed into the living room…he discovered Alisa slumped over the
table and faintly trembling, and he froze.
“…! Pfft! Hfff…!”
Alisa had her face buried into her left arm, her back softly bouncing as she
inhaled with each faint laugh, and in her right hand…was her phone, which was
supposed to be on the table in Masachika’s room.
“Hey, when did I tell you to stop shooting? Oh, I get it. You’re tired of
 looking at me from the other side of the lens. You want to see me up
close with your own two eyes. Heh! Fine…”
“…!!”
Masachika heard what was clearly his own voice coming from the phone and
collapsed to his knees.
“Y-Yuki… Yukiiiiiiiii!” he growled from the depths of his heart while on all
fours. “What did I doooooo?!”
“Pfft!! Hff!!”
Alisa’s almost silent cackling as she inhaled with each laugh meshed with the
cries of Masachika’s soul. That was when the phone in his hand began to
vibrate, so he looked down at the screen and saw it was a message from Yuki:
> It’s your fault for being so popular.
CHAPTER 10
A Ditz and a Pro

“Sigh…”
An unbefitting, sorrowful sigh echoed in the cute room decorated with
countless stuffed animals of all sizes. The one sighing was Maria, who was lying
in bed while clutching a cat plushie in one arm and gazing at a picture in a
golden locket she held in her other hand, uncharacteristically listless.
“Sah…”
The name of the man she loved fell from her lips. Her voice, which was usually
brimming with mirth when she uttered his name, was now filled with pain and
sadness.
“Will we never meet again…?” she muttered pessimistically before almost
immediately shaking her head, burying her face in her pillow, and curling into a
ball.
“…Just a little longer. Just until summer break is over…,” Maria repeated to
herself, holding the locket close to her heart, perhaps in hopes that they would
be reunited one day—or perhaps fearing their reunion.
Knock-knock.
After a few minutes went by, Maria heard a knock, so she lifted her face off
the pillow just enough to see the door with one eye, and replied, “Yes?”
“…Masha? Can we talk?”
“…! Alya?!”
Maria jumped up in her bed with so much energy and excitement that the
gloomy mood from earlier seemed like a distant dream. She got over things
quickly, to say the least.
 “Wh-what’s wrong?!”
It was rare for Maria’s distant sister to stop by her room—so rare that it
would only occur once every two weeks at most, which was why she
immediately ran to the door. Although Alisa was somewhat taken aback by how
quickly her sister answered, Maria’s face instantly lit up with a bubbly smile as if
to say, “Alisa’s here! Nothing else matters!”
“…Were you sleeping?”
Alisa seemed a bit worried that she was bothering her sister, after seeing her
disheveled hair, but Maria proudly puffed out her chest and smiled even wider,
dispelling any worries Alisa once had.
“Nope! I was just rolling around in my bed! Anyway, what did you need?”
“Oh…”
Alisa rolled her eyes, since her sister seemed to be overly proud about being a
lazy bum.
“Uh…”
She then paused for a few moments and looked away. She fidgeted with her
hair before hesitantly continuing:
“You know how we’re going to the beach next week…and we need a bathing
suit? Well, I was wondering if you already got yours.”
The last time the Kujou sisters went to the beach was more than four years
ago, and because they hadn’t gone swimming for fun since then, they had far
outgrown their old bathing suits. Of course, they had their school swimsuits,
but even Alisa understood that wearing those outside school was social suicide.
Therefore, she wanted to talk to someone who was in the same predicament as
her. In other words…
“Not yet. I was considering going bathing-suit shopping today or tomorrow,
though,” replied Maria with a brilliant smile, since she had a good idea what
Alisa was going to say next. Lo and behold, Alisa glanced in her sister’s direction
but immediately averted her gaze once more and suggested, “Then…how about
we go together? I’m free right now, so we might as well…”
 Alisa invited Maria on a date! Maria’s IQ decreased by 5!
“Yeah, sure! Let’s go! Giggle! Alya and I are going on a date!”
“It’s not a date.”
“When do you want to go? I’m free all day.”
“Oh, uh… How about in thirty minutes?”
“Okay! I’ll start getting ready right now!”
As excited as a dog with its tail wagging furiously—she looked as if she was
about to start humming gleefully at any moment—Maria closed the door and
started to get changed. It was hard to believe this was the same young woman
who’d been moping in bed only a few minutes before, but once again, Maria
could get over things quickly. After she finished getting ready, the Kujou sisters
departed from their home and started their adventure.
“Vroom, vroom! Let’s go!”
The instant Maria reached out to grab Alisa’s hand, Alisa coldly brushed her
away.
“I’m not going to hold your hand.”
“Aww. ♪” Maria pouted and rushed after her sister, who had begun walking
ahead dismissively.
“Come on, Alyaaa! Wait for meee! You’re walking way too fast!”
“No, you’re walking too slow.”
“You’re just going to feel even hotter in this sun if you walk that quickly.
Come on, let’s take our time and talk.”
“I don’t have anything I want to talk about.”
“Alya! How can you be so cold?!”
They continued this exchange until they reached the closest train station and
headed to the platform, attracting attention all along the way.
“Masha, over here.”
“Whaaat? But we’d be closer to the stairs if we got on over here.”
 “I don’t care. We’re getting on the women-only car.”
“Hmm… Fine. ♪”
Maria reluctantly followed Alisa over to the next train car. Obviously, she
knew what women-only cars were, and she also understood that some
criminals partook in molesting innocent people, but she had never been
touched by a creep before, so the reality still hadn’t sunk in. In other words, she
lacked any sense for danger.
…Technically, she had almost encountered a few train perverts in the past,
but either her menacing little sister would kick the stuffing out of them or the
menacing vice president of the student council would snap their wrists before
they could get their hands on her. So she was never a victim thanks to them,
but conversely, she lacked any awareness.
“You need to take the women-only cars, especially when you get on the train
alone. Got it? And if there aren’t any, you need to be alert at all times. Don’t be
playing on your phone.”
“Yes, ma’am. ♪”
And yet, still following the advice of her concerned sister and friend was
perhaps one of Maria’s virtues. But after she agreed to be careful, a wrinkle
suddenly creased Maria’s brow.
“Alya… Did somebody touch you?”
“Huh? No way. I never let my guard down, unlike you.”
“Hmm… I usually have my guard up, too. Sah’s the only man I’d ever let touch
me!” Maria pouted, puffing out her cheeks and placing both hands on her hips
in an offended manner.
“Yeah… Right…,” Alisa muttered, frustrated, while checking out Maria from
head to toe. It was no surprise she felt skeptical, either, since Maria’s outfit that
day had her shoulders and midriff exposed, which didn’t really come across as
“guarded.” Her smooth, healthy, milky-white skin was attracting an incredible
amount of attention, and yet Maria mirthfully placed a hand on her hat and
casually posed, either unconcerned by or unaware of their gazes.
 “Oh, my outfit? It’s cute, right?”
“…I’ll admit that it’s cute, but I wouldn’t wear it.”
“What? But it’s breathable, so it’ll keep you cool on hot days like this.”
“You’re going to catch a cold,” Alisa replied curtly and glared at the rudely
gawking men around them. After she promptly grabbed Maria and dragged her
onto the train, they rode for around fifteen minutes and got off at a large
station where they usually went to shop for clothes. Then they headed over to
the sizable shopping mall across the street. But once they took the elevator up
to the women’s clothing floor, Maria’s eyes instantly began to sparkle as she
took in the various articles of clothing.
“That outfit is so cute!”
And she immediately stepped into a shop that obviously didn’t sell
swimsuits… Alisa promptly grabbed her by the wrist and stopped her, as if she
had predicted her sister would do this.
“We’re here to buy bathing suits, right? Come on.”
“Whaaat? Wait. I’ll be quick. I just want to look a little. ♪”
But Alisa continued to drag her away as if her sister’s pitiful cries were no
concern of hers. She didn’t hesitate at all, since she was painfully aware of how
her free-spirited sister went wherever there was something that caught her eye
if left to wander of her own accord.
“Ah! That’s the skirt I saw on TV!”
“……”
“Oh, they’re having a going-out-of-business sale! Alya, everything is half
price!”
Even Alisa was genuinely tempted when she heard that, but she had no
intention of joining one of her sister’s never-ending shopping sprees, so she
made sure to keep facing forward and press on. Only when they finally reached
the entrance to the bathing-suit shop did Maria finally begin to calm down.
“Wow! Look at all the cute bathing suits!”
 …Calm as a kid in a candy store for the first time. After a brief sigh, Alisa took
a quick look around, then frowned.
“…? Alya? What’s wrong?”
Alisa took a sweeping glance of the shop once more…then curiously tilted her
head.
“Is it just me, or are all these really revealing?”
“Hmm… I don’t know. They all look like ordinary bathing suits to me.”
Maria pointed at a one-piece swimsuit hanging on a wall.
“If you’re that worried, then you could wear something like that. It—”
“You could see my legs if I wore that.”
“…Your legs?”
Taken aback by her sister’s unexpected remark, Maria turned around and
faced Alisa with a completely serious expression, only to discover Alisa looked
beyond serious as well. She blinked for a few moments.
“Uh… Alya? You can usually see people’s legs when they wear bathing suits.
Like—”
“No. This isn’t the school pool. There will be boys with us at the beach, right?
Your thighs should be covered just like they usually are.”
“Um… So…?”
Maria was officially confused.
“We need a bathing suit that covers our stomach and thighs,” Alisa stated
with a straight face as if this was obvious.
This isn’t good, immediately thought Maria. While she knew her sister never
let her guard down around the opposite sex, Alisa was going to be the proud
new owner of a wet suit as this rate. From Maria’s point of view as a fellow
woman, that was out of the question, and as someone who loved her little
sister, she wanted Alisa to wear something cute. Nevertheless, recommending a
bathing suit to her sister would only have the opposite effect. It was glaringly
obvious Alisa would simply criticize her taste in clothes and ignore anything she
suggested, which Alisa made clear earlier today when she said she would never
wear a shirt that exposed her midriff. Therefore…
“Alya, I think it’s a good thing that you’re modest, but there’s a time and a
place for everything.”
Saying there was a time and a place for something would get the attention of
any decent person—or at least, anyone who was trying to be a decent person,
and Alisa was no exception. Her eyebrows twitched, and she gazed down at
Maria, who was looking straight into her sister’s eyes.
“Although we’re officially going to the beach house for student council
business, it’s really just a social trip to get to know one another better. In other
words, we’re supposed to relax and have fun, so shouldn’t we dress
appropriately for the occasion?” argued Maria sincerely.
“…I get that, but how does showing more skin help anything?”
“Because if you completely cover yourself like you think everyone’s a creep,
then it’s going to look like you’re not even interested in socializing or becoming
friends with anyone. It would kill the mood, at the very least. Besides, you know
how Japan has a culture of ‘naked bonding’ as they call it, right? Like going to
bathhouses and hot springs together, right?”
“Hmm…”
Alisa was at a loss for words, since Maria did have a point, and obviously,
Maria wasn’t going to let this rare opportunity slip by.
“Besides, we’re going to a private beach, so it’s not like a bunch of random
strangers are going to see you in your swimsuit.”
“…Masachika and Touya will be there.”
“Don’t worry about that. Touya only has eyes for Chisaki. And Kuze? I’m sure
he’ll be busy staring at me.”
“Huh?”
Maria boastfully puffed her chest out before her sister, who was raising her
eyebrows in bafflement.
“Kuze is a boy, after all, and you know how they are. They’re obsessed with
girls’ chests. They can’t stop staring. So…when he sees me in my cute bathing
suit, he’s probably not going to be able to look away.”
She bashfully covered her chest with both hands and squirmed a bit, but her
uncharacteristically vain remark made Alisa smile stiffly and lit the flames of
competition in her blue eyes.
“Heh… Aren’t you confident? Are you suggesting that this plump chest of
yours along with that plump stomach makes you better than me?”
Alisa made sure to emphasize the word me as she crossed her arms, leaning
her upper body back as if to show off her figure. She then glanced at Maria’s
exposed midriff with a meaningful gaze and sniffed haughtily, but Maria wasn’t
fazed by such low-level taunting.
“You still have so much to learn, Alya. Boys like girls with a little meat on
them. I think your well-toned body is wonderful, though,” she replied as if to
console her little sister while proudly emphasizing her chest as well. One of
Alisa’s eyes immediately began to twitch in annoyance at her sister’s unusually
bold attitude, since she took a lot of pride in her appearance. She worked far
harder than Maria to maintain her figure, so it was unforgivable to be told that
the fruit of her labor was inferior to what she considered excessive softness due
to a carefree lifestyle; there was no way she would ever acknowledge such as
fact.
“Hmph. Aren’t we full of confidence today? Don’t blame me if you start
feeling embarrassed next to my perfect figure, though.”
“Go ahead. I guess that means you’re going to be getting a bikini?”
“…Hmm?”
“It’d be pointless if you didn’t show off your stomach. ♪ Don’t worry. I’ll wear
a bikini, too. ♪ Oh, hey. This one would look great on you.”
Maria was already picking out swimsuits before Alisa could even process what
had just happened. That was when a sales associate with glasses and hair tightly
pulled back approached them and chimed in.
“Sorry for interrupting, but I believe that swimsuit might be a little too small
for you. I recommend going one size larger,” she suggested, pushing up her
glasses.
“Huh?”
Maria promptly turned around, looked hard at Alisa’s chest, and commented:
“Alya, have they gotten bigger again?”
“L-like you’re one to talk.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right… Do you think it’s Mom’s cooking? They just won’t
stop growing.”
She shifted her gaze away from Alisa, who was twisting her body in odd
positions and looking straight down at her chest in a troubled manner.
“Brace yourself, Alya. Your back isn’t going to be happy.”
“Brace myself for what? …Is this really the appropriate time to be having this
conversation?!”
But right as she was about to snatch the swimsuit out of Maria’s hand, the
sales associate swiftly grabbed one that was a size larger and slid in front of
Alisa.
“How about trying this on?”
“Huh? But…”
“You’ll never know unless you try. First, put this on and see what you think. It
should give you an idea of what kind of swimsuit is best for you. Please follow
me.”
Before Alisa knew what was happening, she was being politely pushed into a
changing room.
“I’m impressed. Thank you,” said Maria, giving the sales associate a thumbs-
up.
“I’m only doing my job.”
“A real professional… By the way, I didn’t catch your name.”
“My apologies. I’m Watanabe, the shop manager.”
She pointed at the name tag on her chest while pushing up her glasses,
causing light to reflect off the professional’s lenses.
“By the way, are you two sisters?”
“Oh, yes. Yes, we are. ♪ I’m the older sister, by the way ♪,” added Maria, since
people always thought she was the younger one due to her being shorter and
having a youthful-looking face. But Watanabe conveyed not even a hint of
surprise, nodding as if she understood completely.
“Yes, I can tell. And you are searching for the perfect bathing suit for your
little sister, yes?”
“Exactly! She’d choose a wet suit if I wasn’t here to stop her… Hold on.”
That was when Maria suddenly realized she didn’t hear a single sound coming
from the changing room, so she cracked the curtain open slightly and poked her
head inside.
“Alya, is everything okay?”
“What the…?! What is wrong with you?!”
Alisa suddenly turned around in utter astonishment, grimacing, with the
bathing suit still in her hand…just as Maria expected.
“Hurry up and get changed. ♪ The shop manager is waiting for you.”
“But… But this…”
It was only natural Alisa would be hesitant, since the bathing suit in her hand
was, in a way, the most bikini of all bikinis in existence. It was solid black with
no ribbon or frills. In fact, there was hardly any bikini. It was thin string with a
little bit of fabric attached to it. That was all. It was like something you’d see a
Western supermodel wear on the runway or in a magazine.
“I can’t do it! I can’t wear this!” she cried, thrusting the bikini forward…
The hero of this tale, Watanabe, suddenly appeared.
“How about this one?”
In the shop manager’s hand was a pink bikini that would clearly cover far
more than the other one. The edges were frilly and cute in a girly way.
“Oh, I guess I could wear this…”
 Were these really the words of a girl who claimed she wasn’t going to expose
her thighs and stomach? Alisa was completely oblivious to the obvious door-in-
the-face technique being used against her as she accepted the bikini being
handed to her. A few minutes went by, and then she emerged from the
changing room in the bikini.
“You look sooo cute. ♪”
“That looks very good on you. That bikini style is extremely popular this year,
but you’re the first person I’ve seen who has managed to look this good in it.”
“R-really?”
She probably would have just brushed it off if it was Maria saying that, but
even Alisa seemed to fall for the professional’s smooth compliment.
“But I feel like pink’s a little too cute for me…”
“I see. Then how about this?”
As Watanabe swiftly extended her arm to her side, another sales associate
suddenly appeared with a new swimsuit. Perhaps all the employees there did
special training for this sort of situation.
“This one is the same style, but as you can see, it has a more elegant look to it
with its flower pattern over blue—”
Alisa continued to try on six bikinis in the end thanks to Watanabe not
exaggerating or overselling any single item.
“Hmm… This one could work.”
At long last, it was when she tried on a sky-blue striped bikini with big frills did
Alisa’s lips finally curl into a pleased smile, and Maria immediately capitalized
on this moment, knowing this would be her only chance.
“Yeah, that bikini is so cute.”
“Y-yeah, but…”
Alisa checked herself in the mirror once more as if the excitement had started
to wear off.
“Maybe it is a little too revealing,” she worried, frowning.
 “Whaaat? That’s nothing compared with what I’m going to be wearing,”
Maria interjected with a mystified expression and held up a white bikini with
only a few pieces of string holding the thing together in the middle. In other
words, her cleavage would be in full view for anyone to see. Being presented
with an even bolder choice started to make Alisa doubt herself.
“But my legs…”
 Even then, she couldn’t help but feel concerned as she looked down at her
exposed thighs. And once again, Watanabe appeared out of nowhere with a
piece of fabric in her hand.
“Then how about wearing this pareu cover-up if you’re worried about
showing too much leg? If you purchase this with your bikini, I could give you a
special discount of…”
It was as if a calculator magically appeared in Watanabe’s hand as she rapidly
punched in a number at the speed of light, then showed it to Alisa.
The words special discount alone had Alisa inclined to accept the offer, and a
few minutes later, she was standing in front of the mirror while wearing the
pareu. She nodded slowly.
“All right, I’ll take it…”
“Thank you very much. I’ll have someone grab you a new bikini and pareu
from the back.”
Once the shop manager, Watanabe, clapped her hands, an employee
immediately disappeared into the back of the store. Although the expeditious
procedure somewhat weirded out Alisa, she and her sister went to the register
together and purchased their swimsuits.
“Thank you very much. Please come again.”
The Kujou sisters left the store together as Watanabe and her extremely well-
trained employees saw them off. Now that Alisa had accomplished her goal, her
mind was already set on going home…but Maria, on the other hand, acted like
she was just getting started; she looked over at her sister with sparkles in her
eyes.
“So what’s next?”
“‘What’s next?’ I figured we’d go home…”
“Whaaat? Come on, let’s look around some more. ♪”
“No way. You take forever.”
“You’re such a meanie.” Maria pouted, but her complaints didn’t slow down
Alisa, who was walking straight toward the elevator. Nevertheless, there was
something about her little sister’s curtness that was making Maria wonder if
there was a specific reason why she wanted to go home.
Hmm… Oh! Maybe she wants to put on a bikini fashion show? I get that!
Buying new clothes is so exciting, after all!
…Maria could be kind of an airhead from time to time, according to her
friends and family, but she was painfully unaware of this trait of hers, and she
would never admit it, either.
She was probably just too shy to really enjoy herself because that shop
manager and I were there. I bet she plans on having her own little fashion show
once we get home. Wow, just thinking about it makes me want to have a
fashion show, too. ♪
Because it all made sense in her head. Everything she said was based on logic
from her point of view. The only problem was that…
“All right, Alya. We can go home, but I want to join you, so can you wait for
me before you start the fashion show?”
“…What are you talking about?”
…Maria always went straight to her conclusion without any buildup, so her so-
called airheaded remarks simply sounded extremely sudden and random to the
listener. Obviously, this was no exception, since Alisa had no idea what she was
talking about and shook her head, giving up trying to understand what Maria
meant. This randomness was nothing new to her.
“Anyway, here. I’ll take your swimsuit back home with me.”
“Really? Thank you so much. ♪”
Alisa took the plastic bag out of Maria’s hand before briskly heading over to
the elevator. After Maria saw her off, she checked her watch, pondered silently
for a few moments, then got on the next elevator and took it to the first floor,
where she left the mall without even checking out another store.
“Hmm… I wonder if I can walk there from here?” Maria muttered to herself
while taking a path with her phone’s map app open. Her destination was a
certain place she would go whenever she had free time, and she had been
doing this ever since she returned to Japan. Although she usually went there by
bicycle, she was going to walk there today. She was going to walk there, and
yet…
“Oh? What’s that shop?”
Maria’s eyes were still drawn to every cute store in sight, and her legs
naturally took her into a little knickknack store on the street to the right as if
she were being slowly sucked inside. After ten minutes of window-shopping,
she departed from the store and took a left without even thinking about it,
despite the fact that she needed to take a right to reach her destination. She
continued walking for a few more minutes when…
“Hmm?”
She suddenly realized that she had strayed extremely far from the path she
was supposed to be taking, so she stopped and checked the map app on her
phone again.
“Hmm… Oh, I think I just need to go this way.”
And once again, she began walking in the complete opposite direction
without a moment of hesitation. If it wasn’t clear…Maria was extremely bad
with directions and got lost easily. She would usually tell her friends and family
that she liked going for walks around town, but in reality, she was merely lost
half the time. Of course, she would never admit that, though, because…
“Oh my. That’s strange… I’m here.”
…no matter how bad she was with directions, she would somehow always
miraculously arrive at her destination. Out of nowhere, she caught a glimpse of
a familiar sight out of the corner of her eye, so she started heading in its
direction in a somewhat bewildered manner. Her destination was the corner of
a large park with tons of equipment for children to play on. Maria resolutely
walked straight down the path until she reached a large dome-shaped piece of
playground equipment with holes of all different sizes. After briefly stopping in
front of it, she climbed up to the top, unfolded a small plastic sheet, and sat on
it before briefly scanning the area as if she was looking for something.
 “…Just as I thought. He didn’t come,” she muttered downheartedly with a
pout, looking up at the sky as if to hide the loneliness in her heart.
“It’s okay, though. I’ll wait. Destiny is something you create for yourself, after
all,” she added as if she was trying to convince even herself of that. She puffed
out her cheeks and began quietly watching the clouds go by. She waited like
this for another twenty minutes in the hot summer sun when…
“Oh, there you are! Hey!”
She jumped, taken aback by the sudden voice, but she almost immediately
realized that it wasn’t his voice, and she lowered her gaze with a hint of
disappointment. Standing at the foot of the dome were seven elementary-
school kids whom she knew.
“Maria!”
“Big Sister Maria’s here!”
“Let’s play!”
As seven smiling boys and girls merrily looked up at her, she cheerfully
grinned back and climbed down the dome.
“Sounds good to me. ♪ What do you want to do today? I’m not going to lose
this time ♪,” she replied brightly, and just like that, she joined the elementary-
school children and began to play her heart out. They played a game of hide-
and-seek where the entire park was fair game, they played games together on
their phone in the shade when they got tired, and Maria even enjoyed girl talk
with the girls in the group. The entertainment continued until the sun began to
set, and the children had to go home.
“Bye, guys. ♪” Maria returned the children’s waves until they disappeared
into the distance. She then looked back at the dome once more and smiled
somewhat sorrowfully. It was as though she could see the endearing young boy
from years ago standing there, and it elicited a sweet heartache.
All of a sudden, a powerful gust of wind blew, forcing Maria to hold her hair
down and look away while closing her eyes. But when she looked back at the
dome, the mirage of the young boy was no longer there.
 “…I’ll come back to see you again soon, Sah.”
Maria left the park with those words, withdrawing from the memorable place
with a slight frown.
CHAPTER 11
A Meal and a Mystery

“Enjoying your summer break?”

“I guess. What about you, President?”
“Yeah, same. I feel like I’m using my time productively, at least.”
Two guys were sitting on their beds and facing each other in the boys’ room
on the second floor of the vacation home. Normally, there would be so much
more two guys could talk about when they were alone like this, but they
weren’t putting any effort into the conversation. As a result, they ended up
basically talking about nothing, even though their mouths were moving. It made
sense, though, since they—Touya, mainly—couldn’t think about anything
except for the kitchen on the first floor.
There was a spacious kitchen on the first floor of the Kenzaki vacation home,
and right now, five girls were in the middle of a battle. Although this may have
sounded like an exaggeration, they were, in fact, having a cook-off. It all started
because of an idea that Yuki came up with on the train there. Yuki suggested
that the girls in the group should all prepare one dish for dinner, but since that
alone wouldn’t be fun, she proposed that they have the two boys taste each
dish and pick which one they liked the best. The only catch was that the girls
wouldn’t tell the boys who made what dish. Although Chisaki seemed to be the
most enthusiastic about it, they all ended up agreeing to go along with the idea
in the end.
As a result, the two boys in the group were forced to wait in their room to
keep things fair while the five girls were cooking. Unfortunately, the spacious
kitchen still wasn’t big enough for five people to cook separate dishes at once,
so they had to take turns cooking, with one group of two and one group of
three. However…
 “Uh… Yep.”
“……”
Touya continued to stare at the door, meaninglessly grunting words and
obviously feeling uneasy. It was understandable, though. Unlike Masachika,
who would be able to rate the food with ease, Touya was only concerned about
which dish was cooked by the girl he loved most. What was important to him
was not the taste. All he cared about was figuring out which dish Chisaki made.
“So, uh… By the way…”
“Hmm?”
“Have you ever eaten Chisaki’s cooking before?”
“…Never.”
“Cool…”
Of course, only one dish could be the most delicious, but it was possible that
they’d be asked what dish was their second favorite, especially if Touya
accidentally didn’t pick Chisaki’s dish on his first try. And if he picked the wrong
dish again—… The thought alone was terrifying. Even Masachika didn’t want to
see their relationship sour. After all, who would want to see such a beautiful
blue sea stained dark red?
“Uh… I don’t mean this in any kind of rude way…but is Chisaki not good at
cooking? Or does she just not like to cook?”
“Good question. She has never really talked about it…so I guess, maybe?”
“And yet she’s seemed really fired up about the cook-off ever since Yuki
brought it up…”
“…Chisaki has developed a Pavlovian response to accepting competitions.
That’s all.”
“Oh…”
Masachika thought back to how riled up Alisa got whenever there was a
competition, and it started to make sense to him. After collecting himself, he
spoke up in a more encouraging manner and claimed: “This might actually be a
good thing, though! All you have to do is choose the dish that looks like it was
obviously made by someone who doesn’t cook!”
“Hmm… I have mixed feelings when you put it that way, but maybe you’re
right.”
Masachika firmly nodded back at the student council president, who had his
head tilted back so he was looking up at the ceiling.
“First off, Ayano can cook. And according to Alya, Masha is good at cooking,
too. Alya isn’t a bad cook, either, and Yuki…doesn’t make bad food, despite
messing up from time to time. Honestly, I’ll probably be able to figure out which
dishes Yuki and Ayano cooked. And…Alya has a habit of cutting vegetables and
whatnot absolutely perfectly, so you should be able to tell just by looking at it
what dish she cooked.”
“O-oh, interesting… Wait. You’ve eaten their cooking before? All three of
them?”
“W-well, I mean, Yuki and Ayano are childhood friends of mine, and I tried a
little of Alya’s cooking the other day…,” Masachika mumbled somewhat
ambiguously before clearing his throat and adding, “Anyway, I’ll give you a sign
if I figure out who cooked what dish. If you know what the other three cooked,
then you’ll have a fifty-fifty chance of picking the right dish. Even if you mess up
at first and choose Masha’s dish, you can still fix things pretty easily, right?”
“W-wow, I really appreciate it, Kuze.”
“…The only thing we need to worry about is Yuki or Ayano trying to be original
and deliberately cooking something they wouldn’t usually.”
Masachika lowered his tone and expressed this concern right as Touya was
beginning to see a ray of hope in the darkness. After all, it was Yuki who’d
proposed this cook-off. It was very possible that she was going to make
something she had never cooked before, since she knew that Masachika would
be able to pick out her dish if she cooked what she usually made. It was also
possible that she ordered Ayano to make something new and unique as well.
“…Are you sure you’re not overthinking things? Would she really go out of her
way to cook something new when she was the one who proposed the cook-off?
It’s too risky.”
“I really hope I’m overthinking things…”
Touya made a very valid point, but Masachika knew his sister. He knew that
she was more interested in making the cook-off “fun” than winning.
“By the way…I heard on TV that Russians love mayonnaise,” Touya
commented, looking up to the side as if he was trying to remember something.
“You what?”
Masachika tilted his head in a puzzled manner.
“A show said that Russians put mayonnaise in basically anything they make,
so I was thinking that maybe this could help us figure out which dishes the
Kujou sisters made.”
“Russians using mayonnaise in most of their cuisine? Not sour cream? I’ve
never heard that before, and my grandfather, who has been to Russia before,
never mentioned anything about mayonnaise, either…”
“Maybe they don’t use it in cuisine they serve to tourists, but they use it at
home when cooking for family?”
“Hmm… I don’t know if we should be putting so much faith in some random
TV show… Besides, Russia’s a big country. Even Japan has vastly different food
culture when you compare Kanto with Kansai, so I imagine a country as massive
as Russia would be far more varied, right?”
“Hmm… I guess you’re right. If someone told me that Japanese people loved
soy sauce, I’d agree, but that doesn’t mean it’s used in every Japanese dish…”
“Right? So I don’t know if we should put too much faith in what you heard on
that show…but if there is a dish completely covered in mayonnaise, then maybe
we should consider the possibility.”
“That just sounds awful,” said Touya grimly, then laughed, which was
followed by a few chuckles from Masachika as well. After that, Masachika
stared at the door to the room in silence for a few moments before glancing at
Touya once more.
“…Want to go see how things are going?”
 “What? But they told us not to step foot in the kitchen or—”
“We’re just going to the bathroom. Hearing them talking might be able to give
us some clues, right?”
“I see. Interesting.”
After exchanging firm nods, they decided to crouch for some reason or
another and left the room. Cautiously descending the stairs, they tried to listen
for any voices coming from the kitchen or living room behind the closed doors,
until they could somewhat hear the faint sounds of people cooking coming from
the kitchen.
The steady rhythm of something thumping against a hard surface must have
been a kitchen knife. The sizzling hinted that something was cooking in a frying
pan. But it was Maria’s sudden voice that made both of them freeze and strain
their ears.
“It smells so good. ♪ The longer you cook vegetables, the better they taste,
don’t they? Maybe I should add some pepper and give it a little kick?”
“I know what you mean,” replied Ayano.
“Add some pepper…and give it a little kick? Interesting…,” muttered Chisaki. A
few heavy thuds and smacks followed their conversation for some reason. Both
Masachika and Touya began to wonder what was causing those mystifying
sounds…when all of a sudden, there was silence. Another brief moment went
by…
Clang…
The gratifying sound of something hitting metal echoed from the kitchen,
followed by silence. After a few seconds went by, the sound of cooking
resumed, like background music slowly fading in.
“…Did Chisaki cut something?” whispered Touya.
“…With what? A katana?” Masachika whispered back.
They stared off into the distance while standing in the middle of the staircase
together until Ayano’s voice finally snapped them out of their daze.
“It’s usually better if you roast them a little.”
 “Really? …You’re pathetic. I’ve never seen weaker vegetables in my life. You
didn’t even put up a fight when I cut you.”
“Chisaki…? Why are you insulting the vegetables?”
…For some reason, chaos could be heard coming from the kitchen, especially
when it came to whatever Chisaki was doing. When Masachika looked back,
Touya was staring into the distance in a daze…which was incredibly
understandable.
…Don’t let it bother you. It’ll be okay.
When Masachika sympathetically placed his hand on the student council
president’s shoulder, Touya looked back up the staircase with a philosophical
gaze, then crouched as low as he could for his massive size and returned to
their room. Meanwhile, Masachika decided to head over to the bathroom to
make their potential excuse more credible, so he stood…and found Alisa glaring
at him with a chilling gaze from the side of the staircase.
“……”
“……”
They exchanged glances for a few seconds until Masachika slowly descended
the stairs, briskly walked straight over to Alisa, and crossed his arms.
“Let’s remain calm,” he whispered in a consoling voice as he guided Alisa
away from the living room. “It’s not what you think,” he claimed with a
pointlessly smug expression.
“What do you mean? It’s exactly how it looks. And who gave you permission
to touch me?”
Wearing a look of disgust, Alisa smacked the wrist holding her bare upper
arm.
“Oops. My bad.”
Didn’t she tell me in Russian the other day that she didn’t mind if I touched
her? he thought in the back of his mind, promptly letting go of her. Alisa then
rubbed her upper arm and grouchily muttered:
“<You need to be gentler.>”
 “I’m really sorry.”
All Masachika could do was genuinely apologize after that, but at the same
time, he couldn’t help but wonder if that meant he could touch her as long as
he was gentle. He bowed, lowering his head…and found himself accidentally
staring at a beautiful mountain range.
Yep. I mean, this is awesome, but when compared with the sensation of
actually touching her…
The thought naturally crossed his mind. Oh, she’s actually wearing a bra this
time, he simultaneously noted as well.
“You creep…”
Alisa’s lips twisted with pure revulsion while she glared at him with a
reproachful gaze as if she could read his mind. She immediately took a step
back, covering her chest.
“Not only were you eavesdropping, but you’re a degenerate as well. There’s
seriously no hope for you,” she hissed, her voice brimming with disgust.
“Hey, come on. I’m not a degenerate or a creep.”
“Hmph! You didn’t deny eavesdropping.”
“Oh, uh… That’s…”
After stammering out a few words, Masachika briefly sighed and decided to
tell her the truth.
“I might not have anything to worry about, but Touya has to say the best-
tasting dish is whatever Chisaki makes, right? So I thought I could do a little
scouting. That’s all.”
“Oh?”
Alisa stopped covering her chest and raised an eyebrow as if she was
somewhat satisfied with his reasoning.
“Anyway, I get it. But I don’t think Chisaki would be happy if she figured out
one of the judges was simply trying to guess which dish is hers. She’s serious
about winning.”
 “Y-yeah, that’s… Yeah…”
“Besides, even if she loses, all she has to do is practice and win next time,
right? Having a judge guess and choose which one is hers without considering
how good the actual dish is robs her of that chance to grow and improve.”
“Er… You have a point.” Masachika groaned because she was absolutely right.
With that being said, nobody wanted to be depressed at the beach, and a
mistake like this could certainly ruin the mood…but Masachika didn’t mutter a
single word of this, and he grinned.
“Anyway, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m going to honestly pick
whichever one I like best. Even if I can guess which dish you made, I’m not going
to let it influence my decision.”
Alisa smirked provocatively back at him.
“Oh, wow. You honestly believe you can figure out which dish I prepared?
Though you’ve only eaten my cooking twice?”
“Yeah, probably. I’ve already picked up on some of your habits.”
“Oh? Have you?”
She smirked while raising an eyebrow as if to say, “I’d like to see you try.”
Nevertheless, Masachika doubled down and smugly smirked back at her. Before
he realized it, he had challenged Alisa to a game where he would have to guess
which dish she made. Regardless, he was already on a mission to figure out
which dish Chisaki made, so adding Alisa to the mix was no big deal to him.
This is getting kind of exciting, though. This is my chance to correctly guess
whose dish is whose and look like a badass.
Although this new challenge may have deviated from the whole purpose of
the cook-off, Masachika was fired up, and Alisa could see that.
“Whatever. If you do figure out which dish is mine, you don’t need to worry
about hurting my feelings, okay?”
“You got it. I’m looking forward to it.”
Masachika then turned his back to Alisa and began walking up the stairs to
the second floor…
 “<Because I’m going to make you choose me.>”
Hnnng?! She’s talking about her dish, right…?
…He was struck from behind by her provocative Russian whispers, causing
him to stumble the entire way.

An hour had passed, and Masachika and Touya were now sitting in front of a
table.
“President Touya, Masachika, please enjoy your meal,” requested Yuki on
behalf of all the cooks. Her words, however, were followed by complete silence.
It seemed like the girls were not going to comment or react to anything so as to
not give any hints to the two boys while they ate.
““Thank you all for cooking this wonderful meal.””
Masachika and Touya clasped their hands together to express their
appreciation, then shifted their gazes to the dishes lined up on the table as five
girls across from them stared eerily at them in silence.
Well, there don’t seem to be any dishes covered in mayonnaise.
There wasn’t a single dish that looked like a complete failure, contrary to
what the boys were led to believe when they overheard all those chaotic
noises.
Thank goodness none of the food is so grotesque that it has to be censored
like they do in comic books…
But on the other hand, it wasn’t obvious who made what. From left to right, it
looked like the dishes were fried rice, fried chicken, boiled pot stickers,
hamburg steak, and…a mystery soup.
I wonder what that is?
Not only Masachika, but Touya was also mesmerized by the dish on the far-
right end, where a large bowl was filled to the brim with some sort of dark-red
soup. Seeing as there was sliced French bread lined up by its side, the bread
was probably supposed to be dipped in the soup and eaten. There seemed to
be diced tomatoes in the soup as well, which might be why it was so red…but it
was still a mystery. There were even lemon slices floating on the top…
Is this a cold soup? I mean, there are lemon slices in there… Wait. Is that
steam? More important, how is it not going to be sour with both tomatoes and
lemons in it? …Yeah, I don’t have the courage to dig into that one just yet.
The instant Masachika came to that conclusion, he and Touya exchanged
glances and briefly communicated with their eyes. As if there was some sort of
mutual understanding, Touya pulled the large plate of fried chicken toward
himself and placed a few bite-size pieces on smaller plates for them to share.
They look normal… Looks like…they’re garnished with lettuce and tomato.
Yeah… Traditional Japanese fried chicken like this doesn’t really have anything
that makes it stand out visually.
The fried chicken looked good, but the lack of unique characteristics was
going to make it hard for Masachika to accomplish his goal, which was
discerning which dishes Chisaki and Alisa made.
Well, I guess I’ll just have to try it first…
He decided to take a bite of the fried chicken alone. Rich flavors of soy sauce
and garlic graced his tongue when he bit into the crispy skin, and the savory
chicken itself almost melted in his mouth.
“Mm-hmm… This is good.”
“Yeah, it really is.”
Their impressions naturally rolled off their tongues…while they immediately
glanced at the five girls across from them to see how they’d react. But
unfortunately, not one of them even blinked.
I should have known they wouldn’t give themselves away that easily…
Anyway, this chicken is legitimately good.
Next up was to try it with the onions and lettuce, which also ended up tasting
outstanding together, since the fried chicken was especially rich.
Like, I’m sure the taste is thanks to some store-bought fried chicken mix, but it
isn’t easy deep-frying chicken and getting it to be this perfectly crispy, so
whoever made this has to be pretty good at cooking.
Masachika’s chopsticks naturally reached for a second and third piece of fried
chicken, but he caught himself before things got out of hand and decided to
move on to the next dish. The next large plate that Touya reached for ended up
being the fried rice on the left.
It looks like there’s egg, scallion, cabbage, fish cake… There isn’t any meat?
It’s pretty simple as far as fried rice goes.
On the other hand, whoever made this probably had to be pretty confident to
go with something so basic for a cook-off.
I’m actually looking forward to this one.
With a dash of excitement, Masachika scooped some of the fried rice off his
small plate and into his mouth.
It’s pretty good…but it’s kinda bland…
It was honestly a little bit disappointing. Maybe it tasted so bland because he
ate such rich fried chicken first. You could say it had a very refined taste if you
wanted to look at it positively, but for someone like Masachika, who usually
stuffed his mouth with garlic fried rice when he cooked at home, it was slightly
underwhelming.
Well, I guess it’s good that I can keep eating it without getting sick of it…but
I’d kill for some yellow pickled radish on the side.
Although he personally wasn’t a huge fan, that didn’t mean the fried rice
tasted bad, so he simply reported that it was good and left it at that.
Regardless, none of the girls reacted.
Touya grabbed the plate of boiled pot stickers following the fried rice. These
weren’t particularly garnished. In fact, it was basically nothing more than pot
stickers being around 70 percent submerged in soup. What stood out was the
fact that there weren’t any creases in the edges.
It sounded like Chisaki was using vegetables in her dish when we were
eavesdropping, so this most likely is not hers.
 With that in mind, he brought a single pot sticker to his mouth—
“Mn…?!”
The ingredients inside the pot sticker took him completely by surprise.
Th-this isn’t ground beef… It’s mashed potatoes!
The soup tasting like consommé caught him off guard, but even then, the
flavor of the pot stickers absolutely blew his mind. The sweetness of the soup-
flavored mashed potatoes tickled his meat-expecting taste buds.
What the…? But…this is actually pretty good.
After exchanging stunned glances with Touya, Masachika simply uttered,
“This is good,” which he truly believed, and that was why he also started to
doubt that Chisaki was this dish’s chef. On the other hand, if Chisaki was cutting
and mashing potatoes, it would explain all those mystifying sounds, thuds, and
smashing they heard earlier.
This is bad… This is a lot harder than I thought. If only Alya and Masha went
with something easy to pick out, like Russian cuisine…
That was when Masachika was hit with an epiphany from the heavens.
W-wait…! Is this…? Now it makes sense!
He didn’t pick up on it at first because they genuinely looked like pot stickers,
but he was almost sure of it now. These weren’t pot stickers.
These are pelmeni! These are Russian dumplings!
Pelmeni was a popular Russian dish even in Japan. Although Masachika had
heard of it, he had never eaten it before, but he was able to figure out what it
was due to the thought of Russian cuisine crossing his mind.
I vaguely remember Grandpa mentioning that pelmeni can have various
different ingredients for the filling… So…this…
This meant that there was a high chance of this dish being either Alisa’s or
Maria’s. The taste was nothing like anything Masachika had ever experienced
before, so it would be hard to believe that Yuki or Ayano had anything to do
with it.
 These are…surprisingly really good.
He only grew more excited with the taste of something new on his tongue as
he felt like he was one step closer to finding out which dish Alisa cooked.
However, the instant he saw Touya reaching for the next dish, his burning
excitement was doused with a cold glass of disappointment.
Oh… He’s going for it.
The dish Touya grabbed next…was the mysterious soup on the right. Inside
the soup was tomato, bacon, and finely cut vegetables here and there…
The green powder floating on the top… Is that basil? …I seriously can’t
imagine what this is going to taste like.
After staring hard at the soup in his bowl for a few moments, he decided to
come back to the French bread later and take a sip of the soup first.
“…?!”
Immediately, a chill ran down his spine; Touya’s eyes opened wide in
astonishment as well. That was just how dumbfounded they were. If they could
describe the unexpected taste in one word…
“It’s pizza…”
“Yeah…”
Masachika took another sip…and the rich flavors of pizza…margherita filled
his mouth.
A pizza-flavored soup? …This is seriously puzzling.
But it was good. It was actually good. Masachika took a piece of bread, dipped
it into the soup, and tossed it into his mouth.
“This is good, too…”
Every bite was packed full of soup thanks to how spongy the French bread
was. Although the soup itself was somewhat on the sour side, the sweetness of
the bread really helped bring synergy to the dish.
This is incredible… Hold on. Is this also…?
Another tidbit of knowledge popped into Masachika’s mind. Russians often
had soup and bread for lunch. In fact, he had also heard that there was a lot of
soup in Russian cuisine, so it wouldn’t be a complete surprise if this was one of
their traditional dishes.
But we’re having dinner now, and I think traditionally Russians mainly eat
black bread…
Even if this was Russian cuisine, would Alisa or Maria serve this for dinner? If
anything, it was probably more likely that someone who had little knowledge of
Russian culture simply looked up the recipe and made this dish in order to
throw the judges off…
Hmm… I guess I should reserve my judgment until after finishing the last dish,
though.
After reaching that conclusion, Masachika decided to hold off on a decision
for now and moved on to the next plate. The final dish was a Japanese-style
hamburg steak with grated radish on top, doused in a thick sauce that was
garnished with mushrooms, broccoli, and a variety of colorful bell peppers. A
single hamburg steak was a little too much for one person, so he and Touya
ended up cutting one in half and sharing it.
This is like the fried chicken. There aren’t really any visual characteristics or
clues that make it stand out…
There wasn’t even any cheese inside. It appeared to be an ordinary hamburg
steak, which proved to be just as tasty as it looked.
“I usually have mine with tomatoes and demi-glace, but this is great, too.”
The grated radish, which had absorbed a lot of the thick sauce, was perfectly
sweet and went surprisingly well with the hamburg steak. The steak itself was
decent, as one would expect by how it looked, but Masachika’s tongue was
really enjoying the new combination of flavors.
But if you asked me who made this…
He wasn’t confident, since he had never had something like this before. His
curious mind continued to consider all the possibilities until he finished eating
and placed his chopsticks down.
 “I think it’s time to hear what our judges thought,” Yuki suggested gleefully as
soon as Touya finished eating. The moment of fate was upon them…but
Masachika still hadn’t identified which dish was Chisaki’s.
The only one that was obviously not hers was the pelmeni. That had to be
Masha’s or Alya’s. That mystery soup could have been their creation as well…
but I can’t deny the possibility that Yuki made that to throw me off…
Regardless, Chisaki most likely didn’t cook either of those, which Masachika
let Touya know under the table by using the hand signals they had come up
with. Nevertheless, they still had to worry about the fried chicken, hamburg
steak, and fried rice, which were all dishes that countless young men from all
over the world enjoyed. In addition, there wasn’t really much of a gap in the
level of perfection among the three dishes, even though Masachika personally
wasn’t a huge fan of the fried rice.
Was the fried rice made bland on purpose, or did it just end up bland due to a
lack of skill in the kitchen? Because that would change a lot…
If it was the latter, then it was highly possible that Chisaki made it. However, if
it was the former…
“…All right, I’ve made up my mind,” muttered Touya, catching his fellow judge
off guard. Although Masachika still hadn’t narrowed down his choices, Touya’s
eyes were brimming with confidence and determination as he faced forward
and clearly stated:
“I liked the fried chicken the best.”
A moment of silence swallowed the room. The air was so tense that it felt like
an eternity had gone by, until eventually…
“Yesss!!” cheered Chisaki with an elated note in her voice, jumping out of her
chair while throwing her fist in the air. Despite the other female members’
furrowed brows due to her eliminating one of Masachika’s choices, they still
congratulated her from the bottom of their hearts.
“I’m so happy for you, Chisaki. ♪”
“Congratulations! You two really are meant for each other.”
 “Congratulations.”
“I’m happy for you. Congratulations.”
But amid the applause, Masachika found himself smiling wryly for a different
reason.
Heh. You didn’t need my help, after all. Ha-ha… Unbelievable.
He felt his fellow judge was full of something for being so nervous, and it
wasn’t food.
“Touyaaa, come on. Was it really that good?”
“Yes, it…really…was…delicious.”
“Really? I’m so glad I’ve only been focusing on practicing how to cook fried
chicken.”
“Hmm? ‘Only’?”
“Giggle! If you really liked it that much, then I guess I could make it for you
every so often.”
“O-oh, really? That’d be awesome.”
Chisaki wasn’t even trying to hide how joyful she was as she repeatedly
slapped Touya’s back. On the other hand, Touya seemed to be struggling to talk
as he desperately tried to swallow something back down that he coughed up
due to said slapping. Meanwhile, Masachika bitterly narrowed his eyes at the
happy couple.
Incidentally, Touya’s dietary habits were going to change permanently in the
not-so-distant future, for he was going to be blessed with fried chicken for
lunch almost every day. And in a way, it would be the ultimate fried chicken
lunch box of…only white rice, vegetables, and chicken. But that was another
tale for another time.
“That only leaves you now, Masachika. The floor is yours.”
“Hmm? Oh…”
After Yuki urged him to go on, Masachika faced forward, where he saw Yuki’s
amused, ladylike smile; Ayano’s blank stare; Maria’s bubbly grin; and Alisa’s
serious, smug expression, as if she was trying to make it seem like she wasn’t
interested in what he had to say.
“I liked the soup,” he honestly admitted amid the stares.
“Oh my. ♪ Really? Hooray! ♪” shouted Maria with delight, clasping her hands
together after a moment of disbelief. Immediately, Masachika noticed a crease
appear between Alisa’s eyes…but he didn’t have a choice. Alisa said this was a
serious match, so he treated it as such.
“That was your dish, Masha? It was really good. I’ve never tasted anything like
it. By the way, was it some kind of Russian cuisine?”
“Yep. ♪ It’s called solyanka.”
“Solyanka? I’ve never heard of that.”
“Hmm…”
Maria placed an index finger on her chin as though she was deep in thought
for a few moments before nodding firmly.
“If borscht is the Russian equivalent of miso soup, then solyanka would be
kind of like the Russian equivalent of pork miso soup, I guess?”
“Seriously? This is equivalent to pork miso soup?”
“Come on. It really is similar.” She pouted, shaking her fists up and down in
frustration.
Yuki suddenly asked, “By the way, do you have any idea who made the
remaining three dishes?”
In spite of her ill intent, Masachika’s expression was filled with confidence. He
was always planning on identifying who cooked what, so he became convinced
he had it all figured out after learning who the chefs were behind two of the
dishes.
“Let’s start with the fried rice. You made this, Ayano, didn’t you?”
When he pointed at the fried rice while looking at Ayano, she lowered her
gaze and nodded.
“Yes.”
 “I figured. You purposely made sure it was only lightly seasoned because
everyone else was making something very rich, right?”
“Yes… I figured it would complement the other food better this way.”
“Ha-ha-ha. Even during a cook-off, you prioritized the judges’ enjoyment of
the overall meal. That’s so like you,” said Masachika with a gentle smile, making
Ayano jump slightly in embarrassment. Masachika then pointed at the next
dish. “And Yuki made this hamburg steak.”
“…Yes, you got me. I am impressed.”
“I figured you were serious about winning this time. That much was obvious
when I tasted it. I did notice you used a little camouflage, though.”
The fact that it was a proper, traditional dish made the fact that she seasoned
it differently than she usually would stand out all the more. But even then, Yuki
continued to feign innocence and merely replied:
“I decided to give it a more refreshing taste when I seasoned it. It is summer,
after all.”
As if he had been waiting for this moment his whole life, Masachika put on
the biggest, smuggest grin he could and pointed at the pot stickers.
“And this…was yours, Alya.”
“…Yes,” Alisa replied with a grumble, and yet she seemed somewhat happy
when she nodded. It was a difficult expression to describe, but she was most
likely thrilled that he picked out her dish correctly and, at the same time,
annoyed that he saw right through her.
But, well…it was all thanks to that mystery soup. Solyanka, was it? I was only
able to figure out what Alya made because I realized that was Masha’s dish…
“Incredible. You really have a wonderful talent and exceptional taste buds,”
complimented Ayano genuinely, unaware of how he’d really done it.
“Hmm? Oh, I guess. Alya’s dish was really obvious, though.”
As if Ayano’s sparkling eyes had given him a confidence boost, Masachika
looked smug as he shifted his gaze to Alisa once more.
 “I thought they were pot stickers at first, but when I tried one… Pelmeni,
right?”
He said this while trying to look like the coolest, smartest guy in the room…
but Alisa knit her brow and replied:
“No, it’s varenyky.”
“The hell is that?”
An astonishingly awkward silence followed.
CHAPTER 12
My Love, My Lord

“Shall we begin?!” asked Yuki playfully, on the edge of her bed in pajamas. It
was the first night of the student council social gathering at the Kenzaki family
vacation home. Across from Yuki in the girls’ room for first-year students was
Alisa, who hesitantly replied:
“Are you sure we should really do this? On the bed…?”
She tilted her head as if she was feeling a little guilty, her eyes focused on the
bedside table with drinks and snacks on it. There wasn’t enough space on the
floor for them to sit in a circle, so they decided to sit on the two beds with the
table in the middle to share the goodies…but Alisa was so straitlaced, she was
reluctant to eat on the bed.
“It will be fine. All we have to do is make sure we don’t get any crumbs on the
bed or spill anything,” assured Yuki, who was on the other side of the bedside
table, before she took a bite of a chocolate chip cookie. Ayano, who was sitting
by her side, grabbed one of the individually wrapped miniature doughnuts and
took a small bite as well, making sure not to get any crumbs anywhere. How she
didn’t make a sound when she opened the wrapper was a mystery. Incidentally,
unlike Yuki and Alisa, Ayano was wearing a negligee. Why? The reason was
simple: Because if anything were to happen, she wouldn’t be able to swiftly
unsheathe her weapons in anything other than a skirt. It was unclear when or
why such an emergency would arise, though.
“Hmm… Well, I suppose it’ll be okay if we clean up afterward, right?”
Seeing her two schoolmates start snacking seemed to be too much for Alisa,
so she negotiated with herself. After leaning forward a little, she threw a piece
of chocolate into her mouth and broke into a blissful smile, and seeing Alisa
indulge in the sweets made Yuki smile devilishly.
 “Giggle. Yes, Alya. Just like that. Half the fun of pajama parties is being able to
consume all the snacks and drinks you want before bed without worrying about
the calories!”
Alisa froze when she heard the word calories, but when she saw Ayano
quietly take another bite of her doughnut without a care in the world, her eyes
naturally drifted toward Ayano’s stomach. After a few seconds of
contemplation, she naturally reached for the chocolate once more.
…If she thought about it rationally, Ayano’s stomach didn’t give her enough
information to form a decision. Furthermore, the calories she was eating now
wouldn’t immediately turn into fat in the blink of an eye, but Alisa refused to
face reality.
“…I guess if I considered this dessert after dinner, then it would be okay…
Besides, I swam a lot today.”
She continued to make excuses for herself as she took another bite of
chocolate. Meanwhile, Yuki’s smile only curled more maliciously, like a demon
enjoying watching a human’s life spiral out of control into destruction.
However, that smile immediately vanished the instant Alisa looked up at her.
“Yes, I agree. Unfortunately, we got so into that cook-off that the idea of
making a dessert never even crossed anyone’s mind.”
“Giggle. Maybe we should have a baking contest next, then?”
“That would be so much fun… Oh, I almost forgot.”
Yuki appeared to remember something as she grabbed a cup and lifted it
somewhat high in the air.
“We may have lost to our upperclassmen in the end, but at least we have our
snacks. Let us make a toast to celebrate this moment.”
“Ha-ha. Sure, why not?”
Although she smiled wryly at Yuki’s suggestion, Alisa grabbed a cup as well.
After seeing Ayano quietly pick up a cup, Yuki took the lead and said:
“We may have lost…but at least we are not an idiot like Masachika! Cheers!”
“…?! Pfft! Yeah, what an idiot!”
 “…?! Ch-cheers?”
After a moment of disbelief, Alisa suddenly burst into gleeful laughter. Ayano
hesitantly raised her cup in the air, blinking in surprise. Although it was an
awfully rude thing to say, it really helped Yuki and Alisa relax.
“Sigh… He really is a jerk, isn’t he? Of course, Masha’s dish was delicious, but
would it have killed him to be a little more specific about what he liked about
our dishes?”
“Yeah, and he looked so smug thinking my dish was pelmeni.”
“Yes, that was really embarrassing, wasn’t it?”
They looked at each other and giggled. But though they were all joking, Ayano
was fidgeting uncomfortably, since they were talking poorly about her master.
“Surely, you have something you wish to say about Masachika, too, right,
Ayano?” asked Yuki as if she was trying to drag her into the mud with them.
“Huh?! N-no… He is a very kind, wonderful person…,” she replied, hunched
over.
“…Kind? Wonderful?”
Alisa knit her brow as if she couldn’t comprehend the words she was hearing,
then thought back to how Masachika treated her. Almost every interaction she
could remember was her being teased by him, him poking fun at her, and him
messing around.
“…He’s kind of a jerk,” muttered Alisa, feeling somewhat irritated thinking
about him, but Ayano simply blinked and tilted her head curiously as if she had
no idea what Alisa could mean.
“A jerk? Really?”
“Y-yeah, he’s always teasing me…,” complained Alisa, recoiling slightly due to
Ayano’s innocent, quizzical gaze. But even then, Ayano continued to stare in
wonder at Alisa, so Yuki promptly chimed in to clear the air.
“Giggle. You could insult Ayano directly, and she would look back at you with
a straight face and not even know she was being made fun of. You, though, Alya
—you take things so seriously, and your reactions are always so perfect that he
must have so much fun teasing you.”
“Wait. Really?” Ayano wondered aloud.
“Oh, wow. I’m so happy,” Alisa responded sarcastically.
“You know how people our age are. The more they like someone, the more
they want to tease them.”
“Oh? Hmph.”
Alisa’s eyes widened for a brief moment before she immediately put on a
cool, composed expression.
“Yes… I suppose you’re right. Maybe—,” she said, playing with the ends of her
hair… She imagined herself teasing Masachika.
“No. Absolutely not.”
She immediately took back what she said and stopped messing with her hair
as all emotion vanished from her expression.
“Huh? Is everything okay?”
“Of course? That’s not what this is at all. This is an eye for an eye. Nothing
more, nothing less.”
“…??”
Alisa lightly cleared her throat in the midst of Yuki’s bewilderment.
“Wanting to tease someone you like doesn’t make any sense to me.”
“They want the attention. You know how boys are. They try to flirt with girls
they like and mess with them so that the girl pays attention to them. Surely, this
has happened to you before?”
“Oh… Yeah. I usually ignore them, though. Do they honestly think girls will like
them if they annoy them enough?” Alisa snorted, which made Yuki smirk.
“There are some things that guys never grow out of. They are so immature.”
“They really are. You’d think they’d start calming down in high school, but
they’re always doing something stupid.”
“Giggle. But do you never see them messing around together and think,
‘Wow, that looks like a lot of fun’?”
“Not really. I’m fine with people doing whatever they want as long as they’re
not bothering others, but I don’t think the classroom is the right place to be
reading comic books.”
“Yes, violating school rules is a problem. I feel that comic books are not that
big of a deal, though.”
“If they were normal comic books, then maybe. But these guys are looking at
the ones with models in skimpy bikinis and drooling all over themselves. I really
wish they’d do that at home…”
“Th-that does sound awkward. Speaking of awkward, I never know how to
react when I hear them gossiping about girls. When they are whispering, I can
easily hear them talking about who they think is cute and who has the biggest
chest.”
“I know what you mean… And then you realize they’re talking about 2D girls.
It’s exhausting.”
“…? Yes… I often hear them talking about the latest anime and arguing about
which girl is the best…sometimes.”
“Right? But they’re arguing about people who don’t exist. How can you get so
obsessed with a girl who isn’t real? You see them playing those gacha games,
and they’re either the happiest person in the world or their day is ruined
depending on who they pull…”
“Hmm…? …Maybe it’s easier to become obsessed because these are
unrealistic, ideal partners who are too perfect to actually exist?”
Yuki continued to reply like this as a single suspicion began to grow in the
back of her mind.
Uh… We’re talking about guys in general, right? Is it just my imagination, or is
Alya just talking about my brother?
So she decided to put her hypothesis to the test.
“And you know how some boys never help out when it’s time to clean up?”
“Yeah, they’ll clean only the areas they were assigned, but they won’t lift a
single finger to help anyone else after that.”
This is starting to sound even more like my brother…
“And they always sleep in class right after PE.”
“Exactly. They always look sleepy, though.”
This is definitely my brother, isn’t it?
“Oh, and they’re always playing on their phone at school.”
“I know, right? But they use some twisted logic to argue that it isn’t against
school rules to play before class starts.”
Yep, that’s my brother.
Despite the conversation being about boys in general, Alisa was obviously
only talking about Masachika, and that terrifying realization made Yuki grimace.
Uh…? That’s strange… Is my brother the only guy who exists in Alya’s world? Is
she some kind of princess locked in a tower and cut off from the outside world?
If she was doing this consciously, then hurry up and get married to Masachika
already, and if she was doing this unconsciously, then you would have to
wonder how little of an interest Alisa had in other boys. Whatever the case, it
felt like something Yuki shouldn’t even attempt to address, so she swiftly
shifted her eyes to her side toward her maid.
“By the way, Ayano, is it just me, or have you been quietly eating doughnuts
this entire time?”
“Huh? Oh… Yes, I guess I have.”
Without the others realizing it, Ayano had already opened a fresh bag of
miniature doughnuts and had been transferring each one to a new home in her
stomach. Perhaps the real reason they bought two bags this morning was
because she was planning on consuming a single bag all by herself.
“You really love fried sweets, don’t you? I remember you eating a lot of
churros at the amusement park the other day.”
“Y-yes…,” Ayano replied apologetically with an iron grip locked on the bag of
doughnuts.
 “Oh, Ayano? I’m not scolding you for enjoying something,” Yuki said, smiling
awkwardly, before she directed her gaze back to Alisa.
“What kind of sweets do you like, Alya?”
“Me? Hmm… Well, I like chocolate. I’ll eat almost any kind of sweet, though.”
“Oh, wow. I never knew you had a sweet tooth.”
“I guess…? I like…spicy food, too, though…,” she added hesitantly and shifted
her gaze meaningfully to Ayano, who blinked back in her own meaningful way.
Although Yuki had no idea what their stares meant, she could feel some sort of
bond between them, which definitely made her curious.
Is this…friendship? No, if anything, it’s rivalry… Wait. No. Just what is this?
Yuki decided to bring up something that was bothering her.
“Now that I think about it, you two don’t talk that much to each other.”
“Huh? Oh, I guess…”
“Are you listening, Ayano? You and Alya should talk more.”
“That’s… Yes, of course…”
Yuki watched Alisa and Ayano exchange uncertain gazes and felt like she was
watching two socially awkward people in a stagnant relationship.
These two… Ugh… They can be a real pain in the ass.
But despite thinking that, Yuki slapped her hands together with an innocent
smile.
“We are going to be staying in the same room tonight, so I think we should
stop being so distant and really open up to one another.”
“Huh…? Yeah, of course. I’m fine with that.”
“Yes, I would be fine with that as well, as long as Alisa doesn’t mind…”
Seriously, what an irritating pair.
Alisa and Ayano exchanged glances once more as if to make sure it was really
okay while Yuki glared at them reproachfully.
“Uh… I’m looking forward to getting to know you, Ayano,” uttered Alisa
hesitantly.
“Oh. Yes, me too, Alisa…”
Their exchange is too innocent. Which one of them is going to blush first?
Yuki’s nerdy mind went straight to the gutter after seeing their unexpectedly
homoerotic exchange. It was like something out of a girls’ love comic.
Hmm… Alya × Ayano? Or maybe Ayano × Alya? I could see both working… In
fact, could I join them? Of course, a guy would be killed if he tried to put himself
in the middle of a yuri relationship, but adding another girl to the mix shouldn’t
be a problem, right? I wonder if I could get Masha in on this, too, since I know
how much she loves Alya.
“…? Yuki?”
“Oh! Uh…”
Alisa’s quizzical gaze instantly dragged Yuki back to reality from her girl-on-girl
fantasy, and she asked the first question that came to mind.
“By the way, Alya, why were you so against sleeping in the same room as
Masha?”
It was a random question and an act of desperation in an attempt to change
the subject, but Alisa didn’t seem to find it odd.
“…Because she’d use me as a body pillow.” She frowned.
“Huh?”
“Masha always sleeps with a very big body pillow—well, I guess it’s closer to a
giant stuffed animal? Anyway, sometimes when we go on trips without it, she’ll
be half asleep and grab whatever’s closest to her to use as a body pillow.
Whenever we go on family trips—especially when we stay at traditional inns—
she’ll even sometimes slip into my bed…”
“Oh my. In other words, you’re saying Chisaki could be wrapped in her arms
as we speak,” joked Yuki, but after imagining it for a second, Alisa faintly
smirked with a snort.
“It’s definitely possible. Chisaki should be strong enough to break free,
though.”
“Giggle. Yes, she might even kick Masha out of the bed if she has to.”
“That’d be great. She really needs to learn her lesson and stop using people as
body pillows once and for all.”
I wish Masha would use me as a body pillow, thought Yuki, despite laughing
about it with Alisa. She was already too deep in her fantasy for girl-on-girl
action, and it was going to be a while before she could escape. It didn’t help
that Ayano and Alisa seemed to be a little closer now and were actually
conversing between themselves. They were slowly but surely becoming more
comfortable having girl talk together.
It’s time…
Once they finished discussing the current topic they were on, Yuki placed her
hands together as if she was waiting for this moment.
“Ahem. Shall we begin?”
“Begin what?”
“…?”
“Is it not obvious? This would not be a pajama party if we did not discuss our
love lives!”
“…Seriously?”
Perhaps unexpectedly, Alisa’s reaction was less than stellar despite Yuki’s
enthusiasm. But after noticing Alisa’s lack of interest, Yuki cheerfully exclaimed:
“I have always dreamed of having a pajama party with my friends and talking
about love!”
“…!”
Alisa startled the moment she heard the word friends, and her uninterested
expression vanished. She promptly averted her joyful gaze, then slowly brushed
her hair back over her shoulder.
“O-oh, really? Then I guess…we could talk about love or whatever.”
Yuki suddenly flashed a sinister grin. You could almost hear her inner voice
say, “Heh. She’s so easy to manipulate,” but the smirk disappeared almost
immediately while Alisa was still looking away, so there was no way for her to
have known.
“So… How would you two describe your ideal man? My ideal man is someone
who is understanding and sweet. What about you, Ayano?”
“I… Hmm… I want someone who takes the lead in the relationship, I guess?”
“I understand that. You are not the most assertive or decisive person, after
all. What about you, Alya?”
“Someone serious who is always working hard to improve himself. Someone I
can respect.”
“Interesting…”
Although Yuki was more than a little shocked that Alisa answered so quickly,
there was something about Alisa’s answer that was bugging her.
“…In other words, you want someone like you?”
“I suppose. Having a similar sense of values is important, is it not?”
“It is. However, even if you found someone like that, I feel like you would see
him more as a rival rather than someone you could fall in love with…”
“What?”
“I simply feel like while you may recognize someone’s talent and hard work as
a rival, you would never want to work as a team or as a couple…”
Alisa’s eyes opened wide as if she was genuinely taken aback by Yuki’s
observation. She slowly placed a hand on her chin, ruminated on the possibility
with a serious expression, then deeply nodded.
“That is probably what would happen, now that you mention it. I suppose I
still want someone I can respect but also someone easy to talk with. Hmm…
Maybe someone a little careless from time to time so that I don’t get
competitive would be good—”
That was when Alisa’s eyes went wide again, and she lifted her head up in
utter astonishment…before immediately flicking back her hair and wearing a
smug expression as if to hide her surprise.
“…It doesn’t matter, though. More important, I wanted to ask you something
about your ideal partner, Yuki…”
“Yes?”
“Is there someone…specific you had in mind?”
Alisa was fidgeting with her hair as she glanced at Yuki every few moments,
making it obvious to Yuki what she was getting at.
Ah, she’s curious if I’m going to end up being her “love rival.”
There was no longer any doubt in Yuki’s mind that Alisa had feelings for her
brother, so she understood that Alisa really just wanted to know if she liked
Masachika. After all, Yuki had already admitted to Alisa once that she loved
Masachika, so it would be no surprise if Alisa was using this as an opportunity to
see how Yuki really felt.
It would be easy for me to tell her that I love Masachika like a brother…
because he is my brother, but…
Hearing that would surely put Alisa’s mind at ease, and Yuki would also, in a
way, enjoy seeing the look of relief on Alisa’s face, but…
But that wouldn’t be fun, would it?
She was grinning evilly on the inside while showing Alisa a gentler smile, as if
she was hinting at some deeper meaning.
“Good question.”
“…Are you not going to answer? I thought that was the point of this girl talk?”
“Oh, come on. ♪ This is so embarrassing. ♪”
She squirmed around, putting both hands on her cheeks and wiggling her
body, and yet she didn’t let the serious glow in Alisa’s eyes go unnoticed.
Mwa-ha-ha. She totally thinks I’m madly in love with my brother. But, well, I
guess anyone would think that if they saw how good I was at pretending to be
hesitant to tell her.
Yuki was thrilled that she managed to create such a misunderstanding, and
she did it all to toy with Alisa—er, to help her dear brother find the love of his
life. After all, having a rival always caused relationships to move faster, and Yuki
didn’t hesitate for a single moment to play the role of the rival if it meant
helping Masachika and Alisa be together in the end.
Heh-heh-heh! I can’t wait to see the look on her face after she starts dating
Masachika and I tell her that I’m actually his sister…
Then again, maybe she really was doing this all for her own amusement. Her
inward sinister smile was beyond devilish, but she still maintained her innocent
expression as she tried to fish more information out of Alisa.
“Okay, if you tell me who you like, then I will tell you who I like. Deal?”
“Huh?”
“I want to hear more about your love life, Alya.”
“But…I’ve never fallen in love before.”
“Wait. Are you serious?”
That’s a load of bull, thought Yuki, feigning shock. Alisa, however, pouted in a
somewhat discontented manner at the performance.
“What’s the big deal? There’s nothing wrong with never falling in love
before…”
“Of course. But, Alya, you are really popular, so I figured you had at least a
little experience with boys.”
“None… Besides, having a ton of experience isn’t exactly a good thing, right?
And yet you still get made fun of if you don’t have any experience. It doesn’t
make any sense to me.”
“Y-yes… Hmm… I suppose having a lot of experience does make you seem
attractive as a woman… But I get the sense that a lot of people simply want to
feel superior to others and brag.”
“It sounds like they’re just bragging about having loose morals, if you ask me.”
Alisa snorted, a disappointed expression on her face, as if someone had bragged
to her like this before. Yuki, however, was delighted to hear such a comment,
even though it did feel almost out of place, since they were supposed to be
talking above love.
“Wait… Alya, am I right to assume…that you believe you should save yourself
for marriage?”
“A-are we really going to talk about that, too?”
“Of course. It is part of love, is it not?”
Alisa’s eyes began to tremble as she blushed, taken aback by the unexpected,
sexual topic. Meanwhile, Yuki was smiling innocently and nodding as if it was a
perfectly reasonable question. Although hesitant, Alisa seemed to be
considering answering.
“W-well, I don’t know about waiting all the way until marriage, but…like…it
would have to be someone I’m hoping to spend the rest of my life with…”
The crimson in her cheeks darkened as if uttering the words made her feel all
the more embarrassed. Nevertheless, her eyes sharpened, and she emphasized:
“Isn’t that what all girls dream of? To fall in love for the first time, start dating,
get married, then spend the rest of your lives together…!”
“Uh…”
Yuki hesitated before replying to Alisa’s excited ramblings, although she knew
how her schoolmate felt. You begin dating the love of your life, nobody ever
cheats, and after years of falling even more in love, you get married and live
happily ever after. It was a common theme in comics for girls for a reason. It
was a reflection of what girls all over the world believed to be the ideal
relationship, and Yuki understood that. She got it, but…
There are some girls who want to be popular and pampered by every good-
looking guy they meet because they love the attention. There are some girls who
believe that money, not love, is the most important thing when it comes to
marriage. If anything, it feels like girls who idealize love are the minority lately.
At least, it felt that way to Yuki, since those were the kind of people she was
surrounded by, so she couldn’t help but look at Alisa differently now. Her eyes
were gentle and loving.
“…What are you looking at me like that for?”
 “Oh, uh… You really are a romantic and so pure, Alya.”
“……”
Is she making fun of me? wondered Alisa, frowning at what sounded kind of
like sarcasm to her, but Alisa still wasn’t comfortable enough around Yuki to
ask. Of course, if this was Masachika, she would have immediately snapped at
him. Regardless, Yuki seemed to have picked up on something from Alisa’s
silence, so she immediately turned to Ayano to try to make things better.
“Giggle. That is such a wonderful dream. Wouldn’t you agree, Ayano?”
“…!”
Ayano’s eyes opened wide as if she was caught off guard. She immediately
tried to respond to her master, but she had just filled her mouth with a
doughnut, so speaking now would be terrible manners. Obviously, she could try
to swallow the treat whole, but it would only get stuck in her throat. She didn’t
have enough moisture. She needed something to drink.
In pursuit of liquid, Ayano reached for a cup on the bedside table, but when
she realized it was orange juice, she froze…because mixing sweet doughnuts
with orange juice was a grave sin when it came to her taste buds. And yet her
master was waiting for her, so if you asked her to choose, then she’d have to…!
“…! Mmm…! Bffaaah. Yes, I agree.”
“Ahem. I apologize for that, Ayano.”
Yuki wore a troubled expression with her head tilted, as if she felt bad after
seeing Ayano wash down the food in her mouth in a panic.
“No, there’s nothing for you to apologize for. I completely agree with what
Alisa is saying. Being able to devote every last bit of yourself to the person you
care about most is ideal.”
“…Hmm?”
Yuki lifted her tilted head back up, feeling as if Ayano was talking about
something other than romantic love…but before she could ask her maid to
clarify, Alisa immediately lit up in excitement and replied:
“Right?! Saving yourself for just one person and remaining faithful to them is
ideal. It is something that all proper ladies should strive for!”
“Y—”
Ayano opened her mouth to reply…and froze. Her dark-brown eyes looked up
and to the side, tracing a semicircle in the air, before she eventually tilted her
head.
 “…? Ayano?”
“Oh… There’s no reason to worry yourself about what I think…”
“…!”
Alisa froze as well, as if her expression was screaming, “You traitor!” But it
was what Ayano said next that almost made Alisa’s eyes roll back in her head.
“I don’t see anything wrong with saving yourself for two people…”
“T-two people?”
“Although I may be only one person, I know I could do it if I work hard
enough.”
“At the same time?!”
Alisa imagined Ayano graciously smiling with a man on each side serving her.
Furthermore, she naturally imagined her handling them at the same time…and
her fair complexion turned scarlet. Her eyes swiftly narrowed as she impulsively
yelled: “Y-you can’t! I—I mean, I guess it’s okay if the two people are okay with
it, b-but you mustn’t engage in such immoral acts when you’re still just a
student!”
“…? Is it…immoral?”
“It’s two people at the same time…! It’s…!”
Alisa couldn’t even get another word out because of all the lewd thoughts
clogging her train of thought. Incidentally, the reason all the adult images in her
mind were blurred was not because she purposely censored them but because
she simply lacked knowledge on what stuff like that looked like. After all, the
filthiest thing she had ever seen were two people embracing in a comic book
where only their upper bodies were depicted.
I bet that’s what she’s imagining right now.
Meanwhile, Yuki had been watching Alisa as she imagined Ayano getting into
all different kinds of sticky situations, and she was able to imagine every last
detail clearly. If anything, she probably needed to self-censor some of the smut
her imagination was creating. Of course, she realized this wasn’t what Ayano
was imagining when she spoke up, but…
I’m gonna let this play out some more and see where it goes. This is too fun.
Yuki maliciously chose silence while she watched Alisa and Ayano go back and
forth without them even realizing they weren’t talking about the same thing.
“…? It doesn’t have to be a man, does it?”
“Huh?! Y-you’re fine with it being a girl, then?! D-does that mean—?”
“Of course, that includes you, Alisa.”
“Wh-what?!”
Alisa’s voice cracked into a falsetto as she wrapped both arms around her
body and scooted furiously backward on the bed. Ayano, on the other hand,
simply stared at her in wonder.
…Yeah, she probably means that she’s fine with serving Alya as well if Alya
ends up marrying Masachika. The lack of clarity physically hurts me…
Yuki shook her head at Ayano, but Ayano didn’t notice her master’s stares and
suddenly blinked as if she had remembered something.
“Now that I think about it…I might be serving four people eventually.”
“F-four people?! H-how?!”
It appeared Ayano’s comment went far past what Alisa could comprehend—
to the point that she was genuinely curious as to how she could do that. Despite
being completely red in the face, Alisa furrowed her brow and leaned forward
on the bed. Meanwhile, Ayano wore her usual blank expression, though her
eyes wandered.
“…Well, I suppose I would have to limit it to two people per day.”
“Y-you’re going to alternate between them?!”
“Of course. If we all live together, then I will make sure all four get what they
need.”
“L-living together…with four others… So, like…a giant love nest?”
“Even if it comes to that, I will not cut corners. They will have my
wholehearted devotion, and I will personally make sure they’re satisfied.”
“You’re going to satisfy them…all by yourself…”
“Yes, and I will bend over backward if I have to.”
“W-would that really make it easier to—? Bfffppp!”
Alisa mumbled some gibberish before collapsing onto the bed as if her soul
had left her body. The brain overload had heated her entire body, turning it red
as if she had just been boiled in a pot of hot water.
“…! Alisa! Are you okay? What happened?”
“Pfft! Ha-ha-ha!”
Seeing Alisa lying on the bed with her eyes swirling and Ayano looking down
at her with a blank expression was too much for Yuki, and she burst into
laughter.
“Ha-ha-ha…! It looks like Alya’s a little tired, Ayano. I think your potential
future master needs your help.” Yuki wiped her tears as she laughed at Ayano’s
troubled, wavering gaze.
“How should I help…?”
“Well, you could start by—”
Around ten minutes went by before Alisa regained consciousness, but when
she woke up, she was lying in Ayano’s lap in the bed while being fanned…so she
screamed like a banshee. If only Alisa knew it was all nothing more than an
unfortunate misunderstanding…
CHAPTER 13
Masachika and Alya

The train was running through the countryside, and along the tracks,
abundant nature spread as far as the eye could see. They were on the way back
from their beach trip, and the first train car was peacefully quiet. Other than
the members of the student council, there was no one there, perhaps because
it was a little past three o’clock in a rural area. Not a word was spoken among
them. Only the clickety-clack of the moving train filled the silence. Eventually,
the soothing rocking of the train put Yuki to sleep, her head tilted to the left so
that it was resting on Masachika’s shoulder. Soon afterward, Ayano, who was
sitting across from them, slowly began rocking back and forth before finally
dozing off as well.
Everyone must be exhausted…
Even Masachika was sitting heavily back in his seat. They had stayed up rather
late the night before due to the festival, and since this was the last day, they’d
gone for an extremely long swim in the ocean that morning. After having lunch,
they cleaned up the vacation house before getting on the train home, so it was
only natural they would be fatigued to the point of dozing off. It was no
surprise… It was no surprise, but…
I know you’re awake, Yuki.
He glared down at his sister’s head and lightly pushed her away with his
elbow, but…
“Mmm…”
…the instant he extended his elbow to the side, Yuki swiftly looped her left
arm around his right and held on tightly. She then carefully readjusted her
head’s position while getting comfortable to fall asleep once more.
 You little…
Masachika frowned at his shameless sister, who was pretending to be asleep.
She seemed to at least be trying to fall asleep, but her intentions were clearly
mischievous.
Only couples would ever even attempt to sleep like this! She’s obviously doing
this to annoy Alya!
As he inwardly screamed his complaints, he glanced to his left, where…
“Masha, come on.”
“Mmm.”
…he saw Maria clinging to Alisa’s arm with her head resting on her shoulder.
It was like looking in a mirror. Masachika was surprised that someone would be
doing the same thing as Yuki.
“Sigh…”
But Alisa eventually exhaled a resigned sigh and stopped trying to resist.
When her eyes wandered over to Masachika, her eyebrows went up, but she
just smiled wryly.
“She can be such a pain.” Alisa gestured to Maria with her eyes.
“Ha-ha…ha-ha…”
Masachika awkwardly laughed, because seeing Maria nuzzle her head on
Alisa’s shoulder started giving him flashbacks to the previous morning.
Y-yeah, Masha can be…really unpredictable when she’s half asleep…
A hint of guilt buried itself in his mind as he thought back to how Maria had
gracefully fallen back asleep on him for the fourth time in a row, and he faced
forward. Ultimately, there was no way he wouldn’t feel a little bit of guilt after
realizing the previous day that Alisa liked him, even if he didn’t mean to “sleep”
with Maria.
I mean, I didn’t do anything wrong, but still…
He continued making excuses to nobody but himself when he suddenly
realized that he was alone with Alisa. Of the five people sitting there, three
were (supposedly) sleeping, so it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch to claim
that they were alone. The president and vice president of the student council?
They were at the very front of the train car, sitting in a two-person seat that
was facing the direction they were heading, and they were currently in their
own little world…which wasn’t a problem, of course.
W-wait. Should I be worried…?
A chill crawled up his spine, making him grimace. After the fireworks show
last night, he and Alisa had met up with the others, and Masachika had
explained that he had to steal Alisa away because of the little game they were
playing. Of course, they didn’t mention one word of the kiss. Masachika and
Alisa never got a chance to be alone again after that, since they were constantly
either being teased by Touya and Chisaki or bombarded with questions from
Yuki. Plus, they had been avoiding being alone with each other all day today,
perhaps worried that it would be awkward for some reason, so this was the first
moment they found themselves alone since the previous day…which was why
the conversation naturally drifted toward—
“The fireworks were really pretty…weren’t they?”
Yep! Of course this is what we’d be talking about!
Masachika felt as if his stomach was turning, despite seeing it coming.
“Oh yeah. They really were.”
But Alisa didn’t say a word about Masachika’s obviously half-hearted reply. Of
course she didn’t. That wasn’t even what she wanted to really talk about
anyway. Masachika knew that, and as a man, he knew that he shouldn’t run
away, but this place—this situation—was far too risky, and there was one
glaring reason why.
There’s no way Yuki’s really sleeping!
There was no way he could talk about that when he knew his sister was
eavesdropping. It was dangerous—far too dangerous. He would rather die than
bring up the kiss. He knew that if there was one thing they shouldn’t talk about,
it was that. It was that, and yet…
“So, like…”
 It’s coming…! She’s already going to bring it up!
Masachika inwardly screamed when he noticed Alisa waver as she searched
for the right words. He only had a split second to react, so he weighed his
options as quickly as he could to come up with an answer. He was going to
pretend to be a guy who couldn’t read the room—someone who couldn’t read
between the lines—someone who was insensitive and brain-dead.
“Speaking of fireworks…! Do you have fireworks during festivals in Russia,
too?”
“Huh? Oh… Yeah, we do.”
“Oh, cool. Is it different from the fireworks in Japan?”
“W-well, I haven’t really thought about it much before…but I think they’re
basically the same?”
“Really? Oh, hey. Do the fireworks have funny names like they do in Japan?”
He had suddenly become unusually talkative. His conversation skills had
always been far better than Alisa’s, so once he got control of the conversation,
it was simple for him to steer it away from topics he wanted to avoid.
“…Hey, are you trying to play dumb?”
But there was not much he could do if she decided to attack head-on,
especially when her eyes were downcast as if her feelings were hurt. Masachika
was at a loss for words.
“It’s obvious you’re trying to avoid talking about it, which is fine. We can just
pretend it didn’t ha—”
“Hold on. Can you give me a second?” he requested, holding up his left hand
as he cut Alisa off.
“…What?”
“Sorry. Hold on.”
After slowly slipping his smartphone out of his pocket, he turned up the
volume and began to play a certain video.
“Hey, yooo. What’s going on? I get that you want to save every moment
 you spend with me, but could you at least wait until I get dressed?”
“…?!”
The voice playing on the phone was from when Masachika was hypnotized
into being an overconfident wannabe player. Despite Alisa’s eyes widening at
the sudden video, Masachika was focused on how the other three were
reacting, but after noticing that nobody was moving, he immediately stopped
the video.
“All right, it looks like everyone’s really sleeping.” He nodded in a satisfied
manner.
“Wh-what kind of way…to check…was that?” asked Alisa, her cheeks
twitching as she desperately tried to hold in her laughter. It was definitely an
expression you wouldn’t see Alisa make often.
“Because there’s no way you could hear this video and not laugh a little
unless you were really sleeping, right? I mean, look at you,” replied Masachika
with a somewhat detached-from-reality gaze.
“I-I’m surprised you would admit that…and I’m even more surprised you still
haven’t deleted that video, too…”
He ended up explaining to the other student council members that Yuki had
hypnotized him and shared that video without his permission, so he got
everyone to delete it from their phone, which was why him playing it now was
completely unexpected.
“I bet you haven’t deleted it, either, right?”
“Wh-what? Of course I deleted it. Rude…,” replied Alisa with clear discontent,
but Masachika noticed. He caught how her voice shook, albeit only for a split
second.
Wow… She seriously didn’t delete it…
Despite being reminded of an embarrassing moment in the past and suffering
mental damage, Masachika still managed to get them back on topic.
“Anyway… Sorry about that. I wasn’t sure everyone was actually asleep, so…
No, I’m done making excuses.”
 Although he was partially worried Yuki was secretly awake, deep down inside,
he didn’t have the courage to face it—to face the feelings that Alisa had for
him. He didn’t have the heart or determination to come to grips with them, so
Alisa was right. He was trying to avoid talking about it.
“Look, I’m sorry. I was trying to avoid talking about it, but I don’t want to
pretend like it never happened, either. I just… I still haven’t processed
everything that happened. I’m still trying to sort out my feelings,” he replied
seriously, looking Alisa straight in the eye. She seemed a little surprised.
“You don’t need to make a big deal out of this…or sort out your feelings. That
was… It was a kiss to congratulate you,” she mumbled.
“…For what?”
“Because you did so much yesterday to make sure Masha and I had a good
time. I know it didn’t go exactly as you planned, and you were a little
disappointed, right? So think of the kiss as a consolation prize…because what
you did really made me happy. Got it?!”
Her speech gradually got faster and louder as she leaned toward Masachika.
“Huh? Oh. Okay.” He nodded as if he felt pressured to do so, though he
honestly didn’t exactly understand what she was trying to say. After all, telling
her he didn’t get it would only upset her, and that was something he wanted to
avoid.
“Well, what an amazing way to be rewarded. Like, that was worth more than
the effort I put in yesterday,” he blurted awkwardly due to the pressure. Even
Masachika didn’t know what he was saying, and he slightly regretted opening
his mouth.
“…Hmph. Of course it was.” She swiftly put her nose in the air, then lowered
only her gaze and sternly added, “Oh, and so you know, I don’t do that for just
anyone. It ended up happening like that yesterday because of Yuki’s order and
because the fireworks were really romantic, too.”
“Yeah, of course,” agreed Masachika, thinking that this was probably the best
Alisa could do. After all, telling him that she wouldn’t kiss just anyone was
perhaps the best way to express how much she liked him, and if anything,
Masachika was relieved, since he now knew how she felt about him.
I don’t know if she hasn’t realized it herself, or if she has realized it and is
pretending not to… She would never admit it, regardless.
He had no idea what Alisa liked about him, but there was no way someone as
proud as her would ever admit that she liked such a laid-back, lazy guy.
Honestly, that works better for me, too…
Because he still wasn’t ready to face how she felt about him, and if she could
at least wait for him to sort out his feelings, then—
“<I wouldn’t do that with anyone else but you.>”
…Yep. I really hope she keeps blurting out those inner thoughts in Russian
only.
He still had no idea if she was merely teasing him or if she was revealing how
she genuinely felt. So…
“What was that?” he asked, as if there was some kind of preestablished
harmony.
“I said I wouldn’t do that with anyone else but you.”
“Oh…?”
Masachika froze, completely taken aback by her unexpected response, and
Alisa immediately tried to hide her embarrassment with a scowl.
“I told you already. I don’t do that for just anyone. And I don’t want you
thinking I’m some girl who is easily swayed by the mood or pressure, so I’m
going to be direct… I felt a little kiss on the cheek as a reward was fine because
it was you,” she insisted almost as if she was complaining.
“O-oh… What an honor?”
“And there was absolutely nothing romantic about it, okay? I trust you to an
extent as my p-partner, and I guess there are some things about you that I
might possibly respect in a way? And most of all, I guess I consider you my best
friend…but that’s all!” claimed Alisa, her cheeks burning red while she glared at
him.
 “O-oh, okay. Thanks,” he awkwardly replied, then softly snorted and faced
forward. He couldn’t help but smile wryly at her clumsy way of expressing how
much he meant to her. Her tone almost made it sound as though she was trying
to pick a fight with him, but this was so like Alisa. This was the kind of person
she was…and that was why it really resonated with Masachika, because he
knew that was how she genuinely felt. Alisa herself probably still hadn’t realized
that she was in love, but even then, she faced her emotions in her own way and
gave him the answer she found in her heart. She was courageous and entirely
sincere.
Who is this cute creature? She’s absolutely adorable.
That thought naturally came to Masachika’s mind as he observed her pouting
with the reddest ears he had ever seen. He almost immediately regretted the
ridiculous thought, though he kept it to himself.
Sigh… This is a really bad habit of mine. I always mess around and crack jokes
to hide how I really feel.
That was Masachika Kuze’s defense mechanism. After losing the love of his
mother, the love of that girl, and the part of himself that he was proud of, he
refused to let himself get close to anyone, and instead, he joked around,
evaded his problems, and played the fool. If he didn’t get attached to anyone,
then he would never have to suffer losing anyone. If he never got close to
anyone…then nobody would have to know the pathetic true nature of
Masachika Kuze. And if nobody else knew, then Masachika wouldn’t have to
face himself—this person whom he hated—either.
But at least, right now…
He couldn’t run away. At the very least, he wanted to be true to this girl in
front of him who had showed him courage and sincerity.
“I…”
His voice was hoarse and trembling. All he was doing was being honest with
himself and with her, and yet it was so hard. One corner of his lips was naturally
trying to curl into a smirk. Smile. Make a joke out of it and run away like you
always do. The inner voices were deafening, and he desperately tried to block
them out as he continued:
 “I wanted to kiss, too…because it was you, Alya.”
Alisa immediately looked back at him, and her eyes opened wide in
astonishment when she saw how unusually desperate he looked.
“If it were anyone else, I would have probably joked around and avoided the
whole thing. But because it was you, Alya…I didn’t. I wanted to kiss you back. I
mean, I wouldn’t have been able to kiss you on the cheek, and if you asked me
why I wanted to kiss you, then I’d have trouble answering, but…maybe I’m just
the kind of guy who gets caught up in the moment?”
In the end, he couldn’t help but kind of joke about it, despite doing his best to
seriously convey how he felt. He never had trouble talking, and yet it was times
like this when he would freeze up. His gaze gradually lowered the more he
spoke, until—
“…Sigh. What are you doing?” muttered Alisa in a fed-up tone, placing her
right hand on his cheek. After gently lifting his chin so that he was facing her,
she gazed right into his eyes and smiled as if she was truly happy from the
bottom of her heart.
“Giggle. I’ve never seen you look this way.”
“…How do I look?”
Probably pathetic, he thought, as he replied in a sulky voice, then almost
immediately felt overwhelmed with embarrassment for acting so childish.
“…!”
As he averted his gaze without saying another word, Alisa’s lips curled almost
mischievously, and she replied:
“If I had to sum up how you look in one word, I’d say…cute.”
“…!”
Being called cute right to his face while she devilishly smiled at him sent a
sweet numbness down his spine, so he immediately furrowed his brow as if he
was in a bad mood to hide how happy it actually made him.
“…Are you making fun of me?” he asked, trying to sound annoyed, but Alisa
didn’t even blink.
 “Of course not. Anyway, I actually was wondering why you went with my hair,
but it looks like you actually were just nervous, after all.”
…Don’t give me that. You noticed the moment I kissed you. You called me a
coward.
“Come on. Of course I was nervous. Plus, I personally felt that it was weird to
kiss your hair…but you don’t want someone to kiss you on the cheek just
because they were ordered to because of some game, right?” he interjected in
an accusatory tone.
“I don’t know,” she replied, raising an eyebrow. She then took her hand off
his cheek, began tapping hers, and said:
 Masachika instantly stopped breathing. His heart felt as if it stopped beating
for a moment.
“Wait. What was that?”
He was worried that this sounded awkward, though he had asked her to
repeat herself like this countless times before.
“I just said I don’t know about that. That’s all.”
But thankfully, Alisa didn’t seem to care, and she lied with a brilliant smile like
she always did…while slipping her right arm around Masachika’s left and resting
her head on his shoulder.
“Oh…”
She transitioned from brazenly taunting him to resting her head on his
shoulder so naturally that his body went stiff. Alisa let out a brief but
exaggerated yawn, perhaps not realizing that Masachika was entirely at her
mercy.
“Yawn… I’m starting to get sleepy… Can you wake me up when we get there?”
“…So basically, I’m not allowed to sleep?”
“Oh my. Are you confident you can sleep with me leaning against you like
this?”
“…Not really.”
Alisa snickered, then closed her eyes, but Masachika wasn’t joking when he
said that. He was genuinely nervous. Only after realizing that she wasn’t going
to “attack” anymore was he finally able to relax his tense body.
Phew… This has to be bad for my heart.
He truly felt that because the gap between this Alisa and the version who was
always curt was too big. Of course, Alisa herself probably just thought she was
teasing him for the most part…but after Masachika realized she had feelings for
him, it was hard to tell how much of this was really her merely teasing him.
Tsk. I wonder how much of what she does is on purpose…
He looked to his side with an exhausted smile and found Alisa already
sleeping peacefully. Her usual overly serious expression was gone, and her
guard was lowered. It was the expression of someone who completely trusted
the person they were with. Masachika’s heart was instantly filled with a warm
yet intense emotion.
I want to protect her. I want to cherish her. I never want to hurt her. Perhaps
these emotions were born of his desire to protect her…or perhaps even from
his love for her.
But…this isn’t a romantic love.
This wasn’t the same feeling he used to feel with that girl…or at least, that
was what he believed. But he could no longer remember exactly what romantic
love itself felt like ever since she abandoned him. Ever since that day— Hmm?
That was when he started to have doubts about his own memories.
Did that girl really abandon me…?
He frowned and tried to remember what happened, but it felt as if there were
a deep mist blurring his memories. Her smile was still hidden on the other side
of the fog. He couldn’t remember, but what he did understand was that his love
for her hadn’t faded.
I still can’t let her go…
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t forget her. He would randomly
remember her…because deep down inside, there was a part of him that didn’t
want to forget…since he had a lingering attachment and love for the girl of his
memories.
“<Masaaachika!>”
He could still hear the weird way she pronounced his name in his head, and
the innocent voice calling out to him from the other side of the mist was tearing
his heart apart.
“Mn…”
But the soft voice coming from his left side dragged him back to reality. He
blinked in wonder as Alisa, stirring in her sleep, tightly squeezed his arm, and
the loving warmth began to soothe his aching heart.
 …I have to find closure and move on.
The decision naturally formed in his mind as he looked at Alisa’s sleeping face.
He had to do it for the girl who fell in love with someone like him. He had to
move on from his first love and free his heart from his memories of her. Surely,
once he did that…
“……”
That was when Yuki slowly lifted her head, and ignoring her brother’s silent
glare, she began staring at Alisa, who was tightly holding Masachika’s other
arm, and she firmly nodded.
“Interesting. So this is what it feels like to be cuckolded.”
“Wanna make your next nap permanent?”
Afterword

Hey, Sunsunsun here. I know, I know. “What? We’re at the afterword

already? But there’s still more than ten pages left.” You must have thought
there was another chapter. You were probably in bed last night thinking, I guess
it’s late, and I’ve got places to be tomorrow. I’ll read the rest on the morning bus
or train, and now you’re annoyed that it was just the afterword. This is you,
right? Well, take a nap. If you even have a minute of free time, you should
sleep. Surely, you’ve already realized this yourself. You “guess it’s late”? Those
are the words of someone who stays up far later than they should. Those are
the words of someone sleep-deprived. Hey! Stop right there! I saw you trying to
pull out your smartphone! Don’t get on social media! Don’t try to collect your
log-in bonus for the day! I don’t want to hear any buts about your favorite
comic updating today, either! If you have time to stare at your phone, use that
time to sleep! You don’t even have to read the afterword! Because even if you
do read it, it’s not like it’s going to benefit you in any way. Just sleep! And don’t
forget to turn your alarm on so you don’t miss your stop! Oh, and don’t do
anything to bother the people sitting next to you! Be respectful when you
sleep! I’d personally be looking at my phone if I had free time, though!
Yes, that was a terrible opening to a long afterword. Honestly, it’s probably
the worst there has ever been. Oh, and you there. Yes, you. You probably think
you’re sooo cool for making it to the afterword instead of going to bed when
you should have. You should honestly just go to bed. I know I sound like a
broken record, but there is really nothing for you to gain from this. Hurry up
and sleep while you’re still basking in the afterglow of the main story. You might
be able to see Alya in your dreams if you’re lucky. I mean, none of the
characters have ever visited me in my dreams, but maybe you’ll be luckier. Ah,
how I wish I could be Masachika, even if only in my dreams. I’m cool with
turning into Yuki, too.
 Oh, hey. It’s somebody thinking, Sorry, but I only read during lunch, so none of
this applies to me. Well, sorry, but you should take a nap, too. You’ve got work
or class after this, right? Even ten-minute power naps can really change your
day. If you have enough time to read at the end of your lunch break, then you
should be using that time to sleep, even if only a little. What? This isn’t your
lunch break? You don’t have to worry about work or school? …Oh, you work
night shifts. My apologies. Wait. If you work the night shift, then what are you
doing awake now?!
And then there’s you. You think you’re the real winner here because you
bought this on Friday, and you’re using your weekend to read. Well,
congratulations. Because you are the real winner here. Feel free to put the book
down to do your own little celebratory dance. In fact, how about you show off
your victory pose? If you can hold it for ten seconds, then you are, without a
doubt, a true warrior.

…………………………………

…………………………………

…Oh, I need a moment to see everyone’s victory pose. And I’m definitely not
trying to reach a word count, so don’t even bring it up. And for all the losers,
put your book down, close your eyes, and take a moment to imagine the true
winners. What kind of person did you imagine? Incidentally, I imagined the
weatherperson I saw on the news this morning. Strange.
Unlike someone like me, whose head is constantly daydreaming about
beautiful women, I’m sure you serious readers actually imagined the winners’
courageous, godlike poses, and I’m sure you must be cringing at the bitter taste
of despair. Aspiration is the first step to achieving your dream. If you were
inspired to improve, then you’re up next. You may have lost this time, but you
will be a true winner next time.
 There is only one thing left for you to do. You need to look up online when the
next volume of Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian is coming out and
buy it on the day it is released. That not only increases the initial sales, but it
would also bring a smile to my face and my editor’s face as well. Yes, the true
winners here were actually my editor and me! …Heh! You look like you’re
confused. Me too. What is this guy saying? Can you believe it? And he hasn’t
even been drinking. Isn’t that scary?

Oh, hey. It looks like the others have returned from their victory dance. The
embarrassment must have been too much, so they had no choice but to return
to this book. But please let me tell you this: Thank you. Thank you for buying
this volume the day it came out, and thank you for reading it as soon as
possible. There is nothing that makes me happier than knowing you were
looking forward to the newest volume that much.
“I didn’t immediately read this volume from cover to cover as soon as it came
out. Is my love not enough?” I’m sure some of you feel that way, but you’re
wrong. The depth of your love doesn’t depend on when you read it. You are
using your valuable time to read this story. That enough is proof of your love.
Huh? You sped through the entire story in five minutes? Yeah, that’s not cool.
Please go back and read it for real this time… If you said, “Sure. I can read
through it again,” then you probably already actually enjoyed your time with
this novel and understood what you were reading, right? So you probably don’t
even need to reread it. You’re probably a fast reader. I wish I had the ability to
speed-read. Give it to me.
To all those who read the afterword first, as you can see, it’s extremely long.
Furthermore, it’s about nothing, as I’m sure you’ve already noticed. There
aren’t any spoilers for the main story, either, so it’s a relatively safe read, but if
you have time to read this garbage, then you should probably just focus on
reading the novel instead. If you’re still wanting to read the afterword first even
after I said that, well, you deserve a pat on the back. I’m not going to stop you,
but I did warn you, okay? I don’t want you coming back yelling and complaining
later that I wasted your time. Oh, and that goes for everyone who’s reading the
afterword, okay?
 To the readers who skipped to the end to see how many pages this novel was
and realized that the afterword was abnormally long, well, I doubt you’re even
reading this, since most people read the afterword after finishing the story.
My condolences to those of you who got a little too excited flipping pages and
saw the last double-page spread before you finished reading the main story.
You should have looked at the book from the side and checked to see where
the illustration was first. Huh? You did check, so you already knew where the
illustration was? Wait. It’s my fault because of how long the afterword is? Oh…
Sorry.

I always apologize when I am at fault. I’m an adult, after all. On the other
hand, I am stubborn, and I will never apologize if it’s not my fault. I’m still a
child, after all. I’m an adult who can’t adult. I’m sure most people who write
light novels are like that. We still have the heart of a child that we refuse to
throw away. With that being said, I only know two other light novel authors, so
maybe you should take what I say with a grain of salt. One is far more mature
than me, and the other is a saint… Wait. Am I the only one who acts like a kid? I
think I owe all light novel authors in the country an apology. I almost damaged
everyone’s reputation just because I’m still mentally a child. I’m very sorry. If
you’re still in middle school or high school, please don’t become someone like
me when you grow up. Really, I mean it.
Now, I would like to say something to the beautiful, wonderful readers who
are cheering, “Whoa! Look how long the afterword is! Sick! This is sooo
awesome!!” …Wait. You don’t exist? Come on, there has to be at least one
person? Is there nobody excited about this? …Oh, there is someone? You?
You’re happy that the afterword is even longer than the main story? Hmm… I
don’t even know what to say, so please return to your seat.
See? Nothing good came from reading all this (serious face). Whichever
reader is complaining about how long this is and skips the afterword to see
Momoco’s illustration in the back, you’re doing the right thing. I’d do the same
thing, too. I can already guess what you’ll be thinking when the next volume
comes out: Now that I think about it, I never read the afterword in the last
volume. Well, I can’t have that. Time to sit down and read it.
Hey, you. The person who read about how long the afterword was on Twitter
beforehand. Thank you for following me. If you’re still not a follower, please
follow me. You won’t lose a thing. You won’t gain anything, either.

Phew… All right, I think I covered every possible type of reader, so it’s time to
get real. I’m sure most of you are wondering why the afterword is so long this
time. The reason…is simple. A few days after I finished writing the main story,
the editor told me that the main story essentially filled up the agreed-upon
number of pages perfectly, so there was probably no room for an afterword for
Sunsunsun or anything for Momoco this time. I was then told that the number
of pages could be increased for an afterword, but it would be an extra sixteen
pages, and all the unused pages would be used for advertisements, which
wouldn’t be cool. I then asked if this book would be more expensive if they
increased the number of pages, because I care about your wallets first and
foremost. I’m a considerate man, after all. I knew that even the smallest price
increase was a big thing, especially for my middle school and high school
readers. That’s why I asked about the price and— Okay, I’m lying. I was actually
just worried that nobody would buy this novel if it was too expensive, especially
when it’s a collection of side stories. It was all about me. I know, I know. I said it
was time to get serious, and barely two hundred or so words later, I’m already
doing this. I’m awful. I know.
Anyway, when I asked if it would cost more if they added a few pages, it
apparently didn’t change the price at all. Why? I have no idea, but I figured
there was no reason for me to hold back on adding more pages if I could.
Honestly, it didn’t really matter to me if we lost my afterword, but it would be a
tremendous loss to the world if we lost Momoco’s illustration on the last page!
I’m sure all you readers would be disappointed as well! I’m sorry! I’m just trying
to look like a good person again, but in reality, I wanted to see Momoco’s
illustration on the last page! I did it all for myself!
 Phew… Getting all worked up is exhausting. I’m usually more laid-back than
this. I’m not a total introvert or anything, but I guess you’d consider me
unsociable. I know my pen name makes me sound like an extrovert, but I’m
more of a Cloudcloudcloud kind of gloomy guy in reality.
It looks like we got off track again, but to sum everything up, we had to add
sixteen pages in order to include Momoco’s illustration at the end of the book.
Then my editor enthusiastically told me I got to write a max of around six
thousand Japanese characters to fill fourteen pages of afterword… That’s about
the size of two short stories you’d usually write for two different shops’
preorder bonuses. But when I was in the middle of writing “Like hell I’m doing
that ♡,” my editor sent me another message saying, “I’ve actually never seen
an afterword that long. It might even be a historic first (lol).” So after reading
that, I felt like I had to do it.
Plus, having the last dozen or so pages filled with ads didn’t sit right with me.
Furthermore, if it means becoming a legend (← nobody said this), then fine. I’ll
write six thousand or so characters. I’ve already written about four thousand (in
Japanese) just talking about this, so I’m more than halfway there. Anyway, let’s
get down to business and discuss our last topic of conversation.

Huh? Don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Is this really
the time to be joking? Come on, you know what I’m talking about, right? Did
you not stop and think why I was releasing short side stories while this deep
into the main story? After how Volume 4 ended, the author would have to be
insane to release side stories instead of continuing the main story. That’s what
you’re thinking, right? I get it. So let me explain! I couldn’t fit all the summer
stories into one volume last time! There was too much I wanted to talk about! I
only had basically a month to work with for each of the first three volumes, so
there’s no way I’d be able to fit every summer story I wanted to talk about in a
single volume! My drawn-out, long-winded sentences take time! If anything,
you should be congratulating me because they’re finally starting the second
semester next volume. What I’m trying to say is…I’m sorry. This is my fault. But I
believe I’ll be able to release the next volume within a reasonable time frame,
so please forgive me. I always apologize when I am at fault. I’m… (The rest has
been omitted for brevity). Heh! Despite having to hit a word count, I’m omitting
stuff! That’s how seriously I’m taking this…and yet I’m getting closer and closer
to that word count as I sit here and brag about that.
The fact that I’m basically writing the first thing that comes to mind shows
how not serious I am. I believe that before writing the afterword, you should
clear your mind and write about things other than the story you just wrote. I
know I got off topic again, so let me tell you one thing about this volume. It’s
important, so listen up…
You honestly won’t be missing out on anything in regard to the main story if
you skip these side stories and go straight to Volume 5. There’s nothing in any
future volumes that you’ll be confused about if you don’t read this volume.
Reading Volume 4.5 will only deepen your understanding of Volume 4, and it
will bring a grin to your face when you see characters introduced in this volume
who show up again in Volume 5 and beyond. What was that? I should have told
you that beforehand? You wouldn’t have bought this volume if you knew that
ahead of time? I’m sure there are people thinking that right now, which is why
I’m hiding this comment in the middle of the afterword. Yes, I play dirty. I have
grown into an awful person. If you asked me if I was a good kid… Just don’t ask.

…All right. You’re getting tired of this. I get it. You’re wondering if it’s really
okay that I submitted this to the great Kadokawa to be published. Well, I don’t
want you thinking that these additional pages would have been better if they
were used for ads, so it’s really time to get serious. I’m not messing around this
time. I need to thank everyone for their help, so it’s honestly time I start taking
this seriously. And if I keep repeating myself, it’s going to sound like I’m doing a
bit again, so that’s enough of this.
First, I’m sure some of you already know, but Alya Sometimes Hides Her
Feelings in Russian is being made into a manga and will be handled by the artist
Saho Tenamachi (aka Tenacitysaho). Please look forward to it. For those of you
who saw the beautiful illustration of Alya on a promotional wraparound band, it
was incredible, right? Looks like something done by an extremely experienced,
popular illustrator, right? So I am extremely grateful that my editor introduced
me to her and that she accepted the project. Furthermore, Saho isn’t simply an
extremely good artist. She excels in reproducing emotional expressions as well,
so her ability to convey not only the romantic-comedy portions of the comics
but also the serious parts of this coming-of-age story is impressive to say the
least. A bitter old man and menace to society like me, who enjoys a glass of
wine while watching young people suffer, is going to have to start looking for a
good wine that pairs well with Masachika’s pain. I’m not really a big fan of
drinking to be honest, though.
Did I mention that Saho is a great person, too? When it was finalized that she
would be handling the comics, she sent me a handwritten letter with an
illustration of Alya to go with it, to boot. Never in my wildest dreams did I
expect to receive a letter, so I was truly touched, and I am truly grateful for
that. I put the letter in an acrylic frame on the wall, and I will treasure it for the
rest of my life.
In other words, I am personally looking forward to her comics for Alya
Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian. I hear she has already started on the
draft, and I just know it’s going to be great, so please start downloading the
Magapoke app. “Magapoke? Isn’t that Kodansha?” You’re sharp. But there are
things sometimes that are better not knowing… This isn’t one of those things,
though. There isn’t any fishy stuff going on behind the scenes. It would just take
a long time to explain, and it’s complicated, so I’m not going to get into that
right now.

Next up, I want to thank two amazing illustrators for their contributions. The
first I want to thank is Yuu Kuroto. There was a certain light novel cover he
illustrated that I saw on his Twitter, and it was so incredible that I had my editor
make him an offer to do an illustration for us. I almost never make such
requests, so I was so happy when he accepted the offer. And the Alya that he
drew for me in a swimsuit…is incredible. How can one make someone look so
angelic? So pure? The water and sunlight were drawn so beautifully that it
really makes it magical. It’s as if she were a summer fairy. And her eyes…wow.
Incredible. He really brought out her tsundere-ness while still making her eyes
seem somewhat alluring as well. And to top it off…depicting her from a low-
angle shot that only further emphasizes her incredible figure! What an amazing
waistline! What thick thighs! Thank you so much! To those who have not seen
the illustration, you can get your hands on it at a certain store as a bonus gift
with the purchase of Volume 4.5, so please do so. Don’t make a fuss about
buying multiple copies. You can keep one as a spare or give one to a friend,
even, which makes the illustration practically free… Of course, only a true nerd
could understand this absurd way of thinking.

Next, I want to thank…the one and only Kina Kazuharu. Thank you very much.
Really. I mean it. You made one of my dreams come true.
Kina Kazuharu is the first illustrator I fell in love with after becoming a nerd.
The only other illustrator I guess I even knew of before then was Noizi, but the
first illustrator’s name that I looked up on my own was Kina Kazuharu’s. The
first art book, calendar, and autographed book I bought were all his works.
When a certain short story that reached first in the rankings on Shosetsuka ni
Naro got made into a light novel with Kina Kazuharu doing the art for the cover,
I was like, “Seriously? That’s the Shosetsuka ni Naro dream!” I couldn’t believe
it at the time, and before I knew it, he drew an illustration to help promote this
series. In other words, when it comes to short stories, I am the Shosetsuka ni
Naro dream. Please feel free to ignore that comment.
You may be wondering who Kina Kazuharu drew. And my answer would be
Aly—Yuki, of course, since he is known for his illustrations of heroines with long
black hair. I know Alya’s the protagonist, but I’m not some fool who’s going to
ask him to draw a silver-haired maiden. Anyway, the illustration he did for me
was absolutely beautiful! It’s unbelievably wholesome and pleasant, like
something you’d see in an advertisement for a refreshing drink! Black hair
blowing in the wind! It’s too beautiful! The black hair Kina Kazuharu draws is
unparalleled!

…It looks like I met my word count while doing all that screaming. In fact, I
went beyond six thousand characters. I think I’m at seven? It looks like there’s
no reason to draw things out any longer. Besides, I’m sure my editor gave me
that word count while knowing I was going to need some leeway, so exceeding
the word count shouldn’t be a problem. And if the afterword now doesn’t fit
the additional pages, I’ll just remove some of the fluff… Hold on. When I put this
all in the proof paper, it ended up being only thirteen pages? I’ve got an extra
page. Should I put in an ad?
…Yessssss!! An extra inning!! I should be able to make sure there’s no room
for an advertisement if I write about seven hundred Japanese characters! Seven
hundred doesn’t sound like much, but that’s about the size of your average
two-page afterword without the special thanks included! I’m adding postscript
during the editing phase. I should really apologize to my editor. I’m really sorry,
and I thank you for your patience and kindness.
Now, for the extra inning… What should I write? Hmm… I’d feel bad if I kept
talking about pointless garbage when I begged my editor to let me do this, so
let’s talk about something with a little substance. How about we discuss the
main story?
There were three Russian dishes mentioned this time: pelmeni, varenyky, and
solyanka, and I actually went to Russian restaurants to experience the taste and
to see what they looked like as well. Surprisingly, solyanka genuinely tasted like
pizza to me, and pelmeni unsurprisingly was just like a boiled pot sticker. The
difference between varenyky and pelmeni was essentially the filling, but they
didn’t seem to be completely different dishes to me. Maybe it’s because I tried
them both at the same restaurant.
Also, I tried some sort of jellied chicken…but, well, that was…incredible. I was
trembling. Not like Ayano, though. If you’re curious, I think you should give it a
try. It’d make a good story, at the very least. I recommend going as a group,
since it’s one of those things that you’ll probably either love or hate. That way,
if you’re unable to eat it, you can force whoever likes it to eat your portion of
jellied chicken as well. This is just a little bit of advice from someone who has
been there before.

I know. The postscript was more afterword-y than the actual afterword. I’ve
already gone way over the word count as well. I think this is around 8,200
Japanese characters? Lengthwise, I basically added an extra chapter to the
story. No joke.
But what’s done is done. Anyway, I want to apologize to my editor, Miyakawa,
since the draft for this novel proceeded at a snail’s pace again. Thank you for all
your help. I would like to thank the illustrator, Momoco, for once again drawing
numerous beautiful works of art, despite being so busy. I was blown away by
the illustration of Masha on the cover, the illustration at the end of Alya in the
bunny costume, and even the bonus illustration of Alya as a succubus. The
illustrations of “nerdy” Sayaka and “cool-guy” Masachika made me laugh out
loud as well. All the illustrations are amazing. And last but not least, I want to
thank you all, the readers, for making this happen. You guys make me so happy,
I could squeal. Thank you so much! I can’t wait to see you all again when
Volume 5 comes out. Until we meet again.
 Thank you for buying this ebook, published by Yen On.

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