V4C1 Part2

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*****

“Morning,

Rena-chan. You sure are early today,” Ajisai greeted me with a smile as she

entered the classroom.

I ended up arriving

too early today only because I couldn't think about anything since this

morning…

Because I already

determined that I would act cheerful as usual in front of Ajisai-san, I waved

my hand and gave her a bright smile.

“Mo...r,

ni...ng...uu…”

“Rena-chan?! Eh, your eyes are swollen. What happened?!”

It didn’t go as

well as I wanted though. What a huge failure.

“Y’see, um...n-no,

it’s alright, I’m alright. I’m perfectly...alright, and full-spirited...sob.”

While I tried to

tell her it was nothing, I ended up crying again. Still carrying her bag on her

shoulder, Ajisai-san sat down while looking at me with worry…

“Rena-chan...somehow,

you seem troubled by a lot of things lately…”

So she figured it

out...?

Indeed, a while

back, I became so depressed that I skipped school. After that was my fistfight

with Kaho-chan...and then the finishing blow was the tragedy this morning.

I was supposed to

recover my lost MP, but forget about that—it kept decreasing each day. Where

did my peaceful days go…

“I’m here if you

want to talk, okay…?”

“No, it isn’t a big deal, really… My console broke and it no longer works...”

When I spelled it

out like this, everything sounded so trivial. You cried because your console

broke? What are you? An elementary school brat? And to think that this was the

thing that shocked you the most...it was kind of suspenseful and thrilling.

When I prepared

my heart for the incoming scorn from Ajisai-san, something like “Eh? For real? Lol. Are you an idiot or what?

Pfft.”

“I see...you must

have it rough…”

Turned out that

she also became dejected, the same as me... Uuuh,

sorry for making you feel like that… I slumped my shoulders, getting more

depressed. At that moment—

Swish. Ajisai-san’s hand moved.

She placed her

hand on my head, and then caressed it.

“Eh…?!”

“Ah, aaah, err.”

Seeing my immediate

response, Ajisai-san instinctively pulled her hand back in a swift motion and

looked away. Her ears turned red.

“I, I’m sorry. It

just happened…”

“Y-yeah…”

To think that she’d

patted me in the middle of the classroom… Nah, but trying to cheer up a friend

by patting their head wasn’t really something weird, right…?

No! Ajisai-san

liked me after all! If so, then what she did was out of her goodwill…

L-like…? Ajisai-san liked me…?

Crap, what should I do? My head was in chaos. Without a word, I hung my head in

shame.

“If you’re okay

with this...wanna come over again?”

“Eh, th-that’s.”

Ajisai-san’s

cheeks instantly turned red as she fiddled with her fingers in front of her

chest.

“Ah, no, not in a

weird way...it’s just, you know, you can bring over your game and play it at my

house? And so.”

“Ah, so that’s it...but considering it would take hours to clear the game, I

would definitely bother your family and I feel sorry for that…”

“Ah, I see. Of course. It would also trouble you since you need to commute

anyway. S-sorry.”

“N-no, it’s alright...I don’t really mind.”

In fact,

considering I had a justifiable reason to keep going over, things would get

risky. I mean, I would frequent her house, which would make it look like we

were dating, right!

“Rather, I’m

really thankful for your offer...since I also want to go to your house again…”

Those were my honest

feelings. Appearing a bit bashful, Ajisai-san averted her gaze and answered

shortly, “Yeah…”

...wh-what was

this sensation? For some reason, the inside of my mouth had a strange taste, like,

bittersweet…!

Looking slightly absent-minded

in front of me, Ajisai-san opened her mouth.

“But

well...somehow I feel glad.”

“Glad?”

“Ah, no, of course I feel bad since your console broke...but that’s not it.”

She shook her

hands, flustered, and then intertwined them before her chest.

“Since Rena-chan,

you kept pushing yourself to appear cheerful before me...that’s why, I kind of

feel relieved when we can talk like usual right now.”

“That’s…” I mumbled.

Ajisai-san really

saw through me.

I should admit

that I really pushed myself since I didn’t want Ajisai-san to become

disillusioned after she saw that side of me. I had overdone it since I had

really tried to cover up my pathetic self.

Even though I

always thought that I did well, so that wasn’t the case…?

If so, from her

point of view, I simply looked so pitiful, then...

“...I don’t have

any other choice, I’ll go die…”

“Eh?!”

Ajisai-san’s

expression changed in an instant. Ha, did I say it out loud? N-no, no, that’s a

misunderstanding, I’ll live!

“Umm, well! M-my

behavior, d-did I really behave that unusually...?”

“N-not really. It was just my own thought since you looked like you did your

best. It was, completely, not weird at all!”

Ajisai-san shook

her head swiftly. Right now, even though I had zero skill to perceive others’

feelings, I was a woman who (groundlessly) interpreted the hidden meaning

behind her words.

Did your best =

pushing myself without acknowledging my own limit

Just my own thought = everyone also figured it out

Not weird at all = it was so weird, practically bizarre

I felt miserable.

While I tried my

best to keep the pain in my stomach in check, I peeked at Ajisai-san’s

expression.

“Umm...Ajisai-san,

between the me from before and the me right now...which one do you prefer?”

“Eh? That’s, well, I like both sides of you. I think becoming the one you want

to be is the best thing to do, and...probably, the one who made you act like that

was me after all.”

Saying that,

Ajisai-san let out a self-deprecating smile.

That was...as

expected, I couldn’t find room for an excuse. I wasn't able to say anything.

“Sorry for

suddenly saying something like that. Of course you’re startled, hearing

something like that out of the blue.”

Ajisai-san

blushed adorably in the almost empty classroom.

She didn’t need

to point out what ‘something like that’ referred to. Even this dense me,

someone as thick-skinned as a hippopotamus, could figure it out.

It was about her

confession.

I shook my head.

“N, no it’s

alright...in fact, I was happy...y’know?”

“Fufu, thank you. I really tried to be brave after all. I'd be content if you

said so.”

“...Um, hey.”

I threw her a

sidelong glance and asked her, “Why me?”

“Eh?”

“Nah, because...I’m, well, it’s me, after all.”

I casted down my

eyes.

I had

intentionally asked her something like this since I wanted to hear her

feelings, since I didn’t have the confidence. Even though I knew that hearing

it wouldn’t change anything. I really loathed this particular side of me.

Nevertheless,

Ajisai-san earnestly tried to come up with an answer.

“I always think

that people’s personality is like a Lego brick.”

“Mm, mmm…?”

With both of her

index fingers, Ajisai-san drew an imaginary rectangle in the air.

“Lego bricks have

a lot of shape, right? Whether they’re shapes that could complement other

shapes, or the opposite. Perhaps, my shape—personality—is the type that could

complement a lot of other shapes, but in the end those shapes would only become

something ordinary.”

I diligently listened

to Ajisai-san’s difficult words.

“Rena-chan’s

shape is a bit irregular. It doesn’t seem to complement a lot of other shapes,

but for me, connecting my shape and Rena-chan’s shape is the one I like the

most.”

“In short that is...something like compatibility?”

“Yup. That's why, there’s nothing like above and below. Since I like

Rena-chan’s shape.”

I mumbled in

silence.

For Ajisai-san,

that might be the truth. But for me, something like above and below was a norm.

Actually, if by any

chance I didn’t change and kept being my recluse self, I might not have met her.

Ajisai-san was someone above me, while I definitely would’ve been in the

bottom. It would be visible to anyone who saw it.

Which was why it wouldn’t

do if I didn’t match her.

Ah, I couldn’t do

this. My head was in a jumble again.

“You see,

Ajisai-san.”

“Yes?”

For me...I don’t want to

disappoint you, that was why I want us to stay as friends.

In the end, I

couldn’t say the words that were stuck in my throat. For once, I thought it was

for the best.

Since if I said

it out loud, I would hurt her by denying her words.

“...thank you.”

“Yup, you’re welcome.”

I half-heartedly expressed

my words of gratitude, and Ajisai-san answered me with a lovely smile resembling

a blooming flower.

As I thought, I

really did like her after all.

Unlike the past,

ever since I heard her feelings, I couldn’t irresponsibly say something like,

“Waah, I like you!” or “My idol!” easily like that...But of course, liking

someone like Ajisai-san who was gentle and passionate was a given.

Even so.

I also liked Mai,

and I also liked Satsuki-san. Of course, It was the same for Kaho-chan.

Kaho-chan too…? Well, yeah, Kaho-chan too.

Was there a

difference between those feelings? I still hadn’t figured it out.

Even though I hadn’t

figured it out, I should choose between Mai or Ajisai-san, and then—the one who

would get hurt by that outcome.

Surely, no one

was in the wrong, but why had things become like this?

“Rena-chan…”

Ajisai-san looked

at me as I said nothing and lowered my eyes. Once again, I was going to make

her worry for me at this rate. This made it clear that whatever happened I

should push myself to appear cheerful in front of her. Aah, what a vicious

cycle.

After that, as

expected, I really couldn’t control my feelings and appeared unstable. Even so,

Ajisai-san pretended to see nothing while she talked to me. To think that I’d

burdened her with something like this, I really was pathetic…

***

After school,

when we were preparing to go home, a few male students approached our desks.

Shocking! Male students! Nah, this school was a co-ed school, what were you

saying, me…

“Heya, Sena,

Amaori.”

“Can we talk a bit?”

The ones who came

were the popular Shimizu-kun and Fujimura-kun. Ah, it was the male language…!

“Un, what is it?”

Like an

interpreter, Ajisai-san answered them. She naturally saved me with her action.

I was really thankful…

“Nah

y’see...actually, ah yeah, as expected, it’s hard saying something like this.”

“Ditto…”

“What is it, what is it?”

The boys traded a

look, and then—

“Where should I

start...ah right. Shimizu and I have been playing soccer since we were young

and we know this Kaidou guy in our club.. He's a tough defender, a strong

player. So I'm kind of in a rivalry relationship with that guy, and one day

during our ski training camp, we ended up stranded together in the snow, in a

life-or-death situation. That was when—”

“This guy from another school asked us to introduce him to you.”

“Eh, is that so?”

Ajisai-san placed

her hand over her mouth. As for me, I was personally curious about the things

that had happened when they were stranded…

“There was one

time when we took pictures together and I put them on Insta, right? He saw that

and it caught his interest. That’s why he suggested that we should hang out

together, and that’s why we came to ask you.”

“Hmm…”

Normally, as long

as Ajisai-san was free and didn’t have any family errands to do, she wouldn’t

turn any invitation down. The probability that this invitation was also extended

to me didn’t enter my head.

Speaking of

which, if you asked me whether I found it annoying when I thought of Ajisai-san

walking around with another guy from another school or not, the answer was

definitely no. That was a given. Ajisai-san was a blessing from heaven, a

treasure given to the earth. In contrast, if I was the one who walked next to

her, it would be a huge loss for her.

Ajisai-san placed

her finger on her chin, and then joined her palms in the form of an apology.

“Right now is a

bit...since I’m not in the mood for that kind of thing.”

That was unusual.

The boys who got

turned down clearly showed their disappointment, nodding. “Right, I see.”

“We will turn down

his suggestion then. Sorry for saying something like that so suddenly.”

“No, it’s okay, me too, I'm sorry for that.”

“Don’t mind it. Kaidou isn’t just strong physically, he also has a strong

mentality.”

After saying

that, both of them walked away. It seemed like Kaidou-kun was really an

excellent player.

Ajisai-san who

waved her hand took a breath. Fuu.

“I turned them

down.”

“Y-yeah.”

Seeing me who had

become timid since I thought about that

possibility, Ajisai-san laughed.

“Ah, I didn’t do

that for Rena-chan’s sake. Right now, I also want to challenge a lot of things.

You see, these days I started to think that I want to do things I usually think

I’d better not.”

“I-is that so.”

“Yup.”

Ajisai-san, who had

said it with a smile, was extremely adorable, but as expected, it was too

bright for me.

The way the

differences between us slowly became more and more clear was starting to bother

me.

That was why I,

well, after all, it kind of made me uncomfortable.

“Ah.”

That moment, a

girl who left the classroom entered my vision.

I picked up my

bag and then stood up.

“Sorry,

Ajisai-san. I should get going now. See you tomorrow.”

“Ah, yeah. See you, Rena-chan.”

I said my

farewell and left the classroom. I trotted along the corridor, catching up with

that girl.

That girl I could

talk to freely without having to fear anything among the Quintet members tilted

her head when she saw me approach and walk next to her.

“What is it,

Amaori?”

“Ah, no... I wonder if we could go home together.”

“I don’t really mind.”

After she said

that, she brought her gaze back to the front, appearing uninterested.

“I didn’t like you, nor hate you, since I

didn’t really think of anything about you from the beginning.”

I remembered

Satsuki-san’s words. Now if I thought about it, those words were something that

reverberated inside me the most, since I was someone who didn’t want to get

hated by others. That was why being with Satsuki-san like this calmed me the

most.

In a way,

Satsuki-san, who treated everyone coldly, was the opposite side of Ajisai-san

who treated everyone gently.

Since I

understood that she would treat me indifferently, I didn’t get my hopes up.

With that, we could always be friends in our unchanging relationship.

Oddly, seeing

Satsuki-san’s attitude that regarded me like I was some sort of weed was so

reassuring…

“Are things

alright with Sena?”

“Ugh.”

Forget feeling

reassured, I was instantly struck by a headshot.

“H-how much do

you know, Satsuki-san…?”

“Not a lot. I don’t really care anyway. It’s just, no matter how I look at it,

you really are a helpless being who acted so shady I couldn’t help but catch onto

what was happening.”

“Even though I’m just doing my best to survive…?”

“It can’t be helped. Since good-for-nothings who trouble their surroundings simply

by existing are everywhere.”

“Those kinds of people really exist, huh?! Unforgivable!”

Satsuki-san showered

me with a gaze of contempt when she saw my resentment. How painful.

We exited the

school’s gate and walked toward the station. My shoulders slumped..

“Umm...what do

you think I should do, from here on…?”

“As if I know...but, let’s see.”

Her face really

looked like she honestly didn’t care about my problem at all. Even so, she was

still here. The action felt so Satsuki-san-like. As expected from my friend…

“It would be

alright as long as you do what you want, right? Either way, no matter which one

you choose, or even if you don’t choose anyone, in the end someone would be

hurt anyway.”

“...guu.”

I was also

thinking the same thing but...when she made it clear like that, it really

sounded like the definite truth.

“I can’t

guarantee anything though, since I don’t know what kind of circumstances you

have with Sena…. Good grief, why does everyone treat me like I’m some sort of

support service even though I’m not?”

Satsuki-san’s

eyes didn’t waver. Scary.

“But you’re

right... Things turned out like this because I didn’t think thoroughly…”

“That’s true. But well, if from the beginning you chose Mai, Sena wouldn’t

express her feelings and things would be different. Something that others

regard as the true choice might mean someone else’s misfortune after all. It’s like

the result of our battle—your victory meant my, as well as Mai’s, defeat.”

“W-well, that’s, if that time I hadn’t won, around now, I would also face

another kind of gravely difficult situation, you know?!”

“And if by any chance that time I won, right now you wouldn't be in anguish,

huh.”

“Eh?!”

Hearing her

nonchalant words, my heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.

If that time

Satsuki-san had won, on top of going out with her, we would also set on the

path of getting married.

Getting up each

morning with her wake-up calls, studying before our tests and letting her teach

me, having baths together at night, I bet we would also wash each other’s body

indecently… What an outrageous thing to do…

She made sense. If

that had happened, I wouldn’t have had to choose between Mai or Ajisai-san,

but…

“Even so, that

would also become another kind of sorrow, I think…”

“You’re right. That’s how it is.”

Satsuki-san brushed

back her hair elegantly.

“Being alive

means making decisions. We’re not God, so we would never know what the future

holds. Even so, we should keep choosing and advancing through our choices. Even

though we know it might bring us tons of regrets.”

Hearing the

significance behind her words, my bag felt heavier than before.

“...Satsuki-san

really is mature after all…”

“Not really. I am no different than you. I live my life shrouded in regrets.

For example, even though I knew that I would definitely regret it, I still

chose to go to the same school as Mai like I had no other choice…”

When I saw the glimmer

of malice in her eyes, I decided not to pry further. The first thing to do was

to decide my first step.

“Human

relationships are so complicated…”

Satsuki-san

opened her bag and brought out her stationery.

“That’s right. For

now, why don’t we try to draw the current situation that you created?.”

“Draw?!”

Satsuki-san moved

her pen skillfully. At one point, she furrowed her eyebrows, appearing puzzled.

“What is this,

this Four-kun.”

“That guy is the one who has always supported me, but he’s broken right now

though…”

“I see…”

Satsuki-san

didn’t probe further. It might also be a form of her kindness.

“Ah, you made a

mistake right here. Satsuki-san’s feelings for me are ‘mutually treat each

other as the most precious best friend’ right?”

“What I feel right now is deep agony since I figured out you couldn’t show that

extremely thick-skinned side of yours in front of others.”

Pat. Satsuki-san closed her

notebook.

“I’m not going to

ask you to hurry and come up with an answer right now. In the first place I

don’t really care whether you come up with an answer or not...but well, if you

think that you can’t come up with anything quickly, what if you think about it slowly

and take a detour?”

“Detour.”

“In survival mode, the most important thing to keep alive is to gather the

necessary weapons, right? At first glance, it seemed like you did it in a

roundabout way, but in a way, that tactic is also the most efficient thing to

do.”

“Satsuki-san is explaining everything in game terms so I can understand

better…! How awesome. Right now I can feel an overflowing friendship between

us! How thrilling! You’re right about everything! Right now, I really want to

level up! So I can face the incoming difficulty! So I can protect you!”

“Rather than me, you have other things to protect, right? Like social norms or

morals.”

I felt better now

after receiving Satsuki-san’s encouragement.

But taking a

detour, huh. What kind of thing should I do then? Go to the mountain and meditate

under a waterfall? Challenge a new type of makeup to level up my girl power…?

This me?

“And so, since I

already listened to your problems.”

“He?”

Satsuki-san

pointed her finger in the direction of a girl who was waiting in front of the

station.

“Ooo~i!”

It was Kaho-chan.

Wait—eh?!

“Well then. I’ll

leave the rest to you, Kaho.”

“Leave it to me! Alright, let’s go, Rena-chin!”

“What is the meaning of this?! Satsuki-san, did you sell me?! Satsuki-san,

despite the fact that we are bound eternally by the oath of friendship!

Eternal! Satsuki-san?!”

Without bothering

to glance back, Satsuki-san left us and quickly disappeared from my sight.

Kaho-chan snagged my arm and dragged me away. Satsuki-san, you idiot!

Next to me,

Kaho-chan had a huge smile plastered on her face.

“This kind of

forceful method…”

“Thank you for giving me your time, Rena-chin!”

“Nah...since I also need money right now…”

Everything that

happened was because Four-kun had broken after all…!

It seemed like I

didn't have any other choice than sending Four-kun to a repair service after

all. When I searched up whether I should exchange the components or change the

circuit board, every option cost quite a lot. No matter how, my allowance

wouldn’t make it…

That was why I

wanted money...money...uuu…

This couldn’t be.

What if Kaho-chan was the one who crushed Four-kun when I was asleep…?! Like

using something like psychokinesis of sorts…!

“In the first

place, what’s happening between you and Satsuki-san? To think that the two of

you schemed something like this to trick me… What kind of relationship do you two

have…?”

“Eeeh, are you curious? But well, I really get along with Saa-chan anyway.”

Kaho-chan placed

her palm over her mouth and stared at me while giggling playfully. Clink. Something clicked inside me when

I saw her putting on an airy kind of gesture.

“I-it tickles my

curiosity, indeed…”

Because,

Satsuki-san was my precious friend after all…! That’s, well, I knew that

Kaho-chan was also someone who—more or less—got along with Satsuki-san, but...!

“It can’t be

helped, meow. Well then, should I let

you in on a secret then, meow?”

Kaho-chan opened

her mouth again.

“Saa-chan is

helping out with my side job. At first I reached out to her without expecting

anything since I had nothing to lose anyway. But well, since she said she

wanted to make money, we entered a win-win situation.”

I see. In short,

these two were involved in a business relationship. I had nothing to worry

about then. Me and Satsuki-san got along so well we’d entered the same bath and

kissed a few times after all. No, wait. Everything that happened had been

inevitable though!

But, I see, so I

would help out with her side job, huh.

“I was under the

impression that this was some kind of fishy job, but alright, since Satsuki-san

did it, well, I’m kinda relieved…”

“She looked like that, but Saa-chan is quite a pushover, y’see.”

“That’s...well, probably…?”

Satsuki-san was

really good at taking care of people around her. I believed that she would help

others if they asked her.

“So you took

advantage of that side of hers…”

“The way you phrased it is a bit mean, don’t you think?! I just begged her

sincerely, you know! She turned me down around one hundred times in the process

though.”

“Freaking diamond-level mental toughness right there, huh.”

Somehow, my

language was kinda becoming rougher whenever I spoke with Kaho-chan… It was

possible that I had lost all of my restraint for her since we already fought

before.

Wait, this was

something that took Satsuki-san to turn her down a hundred times before she

accepted, right…? Why would I agree to it from the first try?

“Saa-chan is

crazily gorgeous after all. She has great looks, is sharp-witted, and has a nice

body. She’s practically a goddess. My idol!”

“I-I really agree with you but...aren’t you a Mai stan, Kaho-chan?”

“Fufun. It’s not like I’m switching

since it looks like you will snatch her, okay? I’ve felt this way since back

then.”

Hearing the cause

of our fight casually come out of her mouth made me nervous. But with a face

like she had already forgotten the stuff that had happened that day, she

pointed at her black high-neck.

“I properly wear

them, see. Saa-chan’s image colour!”

“Eh, that's the reason?! That’s a bit of a stretch, ain’t it?!”

“Since I really like that type of beauty anyway. Nah forget that, I bet that

type is humanity's favorite.”

I nodded in

agreement with Kaho-chan, who was deep in thought, her arms crossed.

“Well, she’s

gorgeous. That's a fact…”

We let out a sigh

of admiration in unison and then nodded at each other like we were experts.

Somehow we had a conversation that was usually between Hasegawa-san and

Hirano-san.

...when we talked

like this, I felt like we went back to the past. That time when we passionately

chatted about our favourite characters in cram school.

When I was

thinking about that, Kaho-chan let out a wide grin.

“Hey, we often

talked like this during our time in cram school, right?”

“Eh? Ah, y-yeah…”

I couldn’t stop

myself from being a bit giddy due to the sudden wave of nostalgic memories.

There had been a

moment where I couldn’t really behave normally in front of Kaho-chan, since she

had really changed into someone so bright and became so cute. But...at this

moment, I felt like I could relax and laugh naturally next to her.

We had bared our

feelings to each other during our last fight, which was why a thought came into

my mind, that it might have been the best thing that happened. With everything

that had occured, I no longer needed to hide this part of me when I was with

her.

I believed that

there was always meaning behind things that happened in life… So I was finally

able to see the negative through positive lenses, huh… The wisdom that came

from a life filled with negatives...

When I thought of

that, everything turned bland...or so I felt.

I asked Kaho-chan

again. “And so, umm, where are we heading now?”

“Nn, my house.”

“Kaho-chan’s house, eh…”

Counting this

one, I had officially conquered the houses of every member of Mai’s group, eh.

The first visit was to Mai’s, then followed by Satsuki-san and Ajisai-san’s

house, and Kaho-chan would be the last.

“Well, I know

that visiting another girl’s house would be very nerve-wracking, but now, now,

don’t be so stiff, alright?”

“Nah, in fact, I really don’t feel anything right now…”

“But why? Be nervous! Ah, well then, let me tell you something, my parents are coming

back late tonight~”

“So I don’t have to greet your parents...that’s a relief…”

“I have a one hundred-headed lion as a pet!”

“That won't make me nervous, but scared instead, though?! That’s practically

death!”

As we bantered,

we arrived at Kaho-chan’s house.

Her house was normal,

just like mine. She had a relatively huge garden, and the first thing that

caught my attention was the big dog house.

“So you have a

dog, Kaho-chan?”

“Yeah, but since it's been hot recently we keep my dog in the house. But well,

since winter is also cold, we basically always keep my dog inside our house.

Ever since Papa got remarried, he kept clinging with my new mother after all,

so Mokeko is my only family.”

“...heavy…”

Since our

household didn’t keep any pets like dogs or cats, I didn’t really understand

others’ pet circumstances anyway. The only pet I’d ever got for myself was a Pocket

Monster, I think? That wasn’t a pet though.

“Umm, err, sorry

for the intrusion.”

“Go ahead, go ahead.”

I took off my

shoes and placed them randomly. Kaho-chan never talked about having siblings,

so I always assumed that she didn’t have one, but it seemed like it wasn’t

true. I wonder if they came from the remarriage.

“This way, this

way.”

Following

Kaho-chan's signal, I put on a pair of doggy slippers and went upstairs. It

really smelled like another person’s house.

Walking along the

corridor, we finally arrived at Kaho-chan’s room.

There was a

sewing machine in the corner of her room, which instantly took my attention. So

Kaho-chan used something like that. When I observed the room more carefully, I

could see a lot of fabric inside boxes and sewing tools on a shelf.

This room really

screamed ‘a girl’s room’ in a certain meaning.

Su su su. Kaho-chan came next ro

me. From below, she stared at me through the corner of her eyes. Her huge eyes

really resembled a cat.

“How's it? It’s

just the two of us, y’see? Are you nervous now?”

Nah, alright,

honestly that gesture really got me. She was adorable after all!

“Why are you so

persistent in making me feel like that since earlier?!”

“If I succeed, it would make my standing higher between the two of us, which

would secure my position.”

“So you really thought it through, huh?! And it’s for a vile reason!”

Kaho-chan

giggled, “Tehepero~”.

Considering her

gesture since earlier truly looked adorable it made me more pissed than ever. But

yeah, she had really come this far from that time, huh. Really, where did she gain

these skills anyway? Did she do some secret training in order to polish her

cuteness in another space where time had stopped?

At that moment,

Kaho-chan suddenly pulled out her phone.

“Ah, my bad. Is

it alright if I respond to these notifications first? If I keep them unread too

much, it would get bothersome later. I have 999 unread notifications after

all.”

“In a day?! That’s too much?!”

Was it really

alright to keep those numbers unread? I personally thought that 10 unreads

already felt so troublesome to check every one of them. It was bothersome to

reply to every one of them.

“I will do this

in a flash, like, uryaryaryarya.”

Kaho-chan moved

her fingers at a high-speed, like some sort of a gamer. Without reading the

content of her messages, I observed her hand’s movement. She really operated at

a different speed compared to mine.

“Alright. Done.”

“Too fast?!”

She threw her

phone onto her bed. Her speed in life was so much different compared to mine. I

bet we were built on different operating machines...If Kaho-chan was a sports

car, I would be ChoroQ…

“Nnn, well.”

After she thought

of it for a while, she swung her index finger. Ckckck.

“It couldn’t be

helped if I just sent them thoughtless replies, since right now, my time is

yours only.”

How cunning…

“I-if you think

by doing those and putting on an adorable act like that you can secure yourself

a higher standing, you’re terribly wrong, okay!”

“Haha~n?”

Hearing my yelp,

Kaho-chan slowly shortened the distance between us.

W-wait a minute.

Moreover, she

kept moving and finally she placed her ear on my chest.

Close! I could

smell her hair! She smelled great!

“W-what is it?!

So suddenly?!”

“Rena-chin...you.”

Kaho-chan stared

at my face while smiling. Her eyes looked like she knew something.

“Your heart is

beating extremely fast, meow.”

“No it’s not! And I did not! Haa?! Every living thing has a heartbeat, though?!

You don’t know that?!”

Even so, a grin

on her face, Kaho-chan kept staring at me.

I averted my eyes

instinctively. Nah, this didn't mean I was nervous. It was just that I had

difficulty seeing other people in the eyes since I had a communication

disorder… Wait, huh? That was too miserable for an excuse!

“Indeed. Rena-chin

is, well, since you are troubled by MaiMai and Aa-chan’s confession, that

means...in short, Rena-chin, you like girls, right?”

“—that’s wrong!”

Every time, every

time, every time, so many times I had already lost count, I dismissed the

claim!

“It’s not like

I’m interested in girls though! Why does no one ever believe me!”

“Since, right at this moment, your heart is beating like crazy.”

“Even you, if Mai chases you, you would become like that, right?!”

“Well, that’s a given since I like MaiMai. I like cute girls after all, that’s

why.”

Kaho-chan poked my

cheek.

“I also like you,

Rena-chin♡”

“Hii.”

Kaho-chan

showered me with her little devil-like smile along with slightly visible canines.

I unconsciously stepped back.

Kaho-chan got

more delighted seeing my reaction.

“I see, nyow...when it comes to Rena-chin,

rather than money, or making use of tears, it’s far more efficient if I seduce

you from the start.”

“Even I’m starting to think how pathetic I am!”

Why did I become

this kind of human…

Everything, Mai

was the beginning of everything that had happened. But considering the chain of

events that kept happening up until now, I started to think that the problem

was me.

Admittedly, the

root cause behind my weakness toward good-looking girls was because I always

admired those kinds of bright figures. If by any chance those people started

paying attention to me, it would impact me on a mind level. Since that was the

case, I really wanted to improve myself to become someone who was acknowledged

both by myself and others. If not, it would become a huge problem for me!

“It’s

understandable if we talked about Mai and Satsuki-san, also Ajisai-san...but

when I think that I also feel the same toward Kaho-chan who I knew since back

then...how frustrating...so vexing…!”

It was plausible

that I didn’t manage to raise my hand against Kaho-chan back then for the same

reason—because I didn’t want to hurt that cute face. If that was true, then

10:0, everything would become my utter defeat from the beginning…

Kaho-chan

snickered as she looked at me. This cunning devil who loved to trample on human

emotions…!

“Just see...I

will definitely pay this back…”

“Unlike Rena-chin, I’m not someone who has the tendency to cheat and always became

stimulated no matter who the other party is as long as they’re cute, y’see~”

“This jeeerk! Even though you said

that you like me! You sly woman!”

“Sly woman...I like how it sounds, meow.”

Kaho-chan laughed

carelessly. This, this was so...so unacceptable. Just see...just see…!

“Well, honestly I

don’t really mind if we keep flirting like this.”

“If you don’t have anything to say, I’m going home now!”

“But this is the right timing to tell you. Let’s talk about the job.”

Kaho-chan left

the room and beckoned to me to follow her to the next room.

“I kinda think everything

will be faster if I just show you the content of this room.”

Numerous signs were

plastered on the door. The things that were written were:

[Room of Taboo] [💀] [Death and Hell] [Absolutely

No Entry]

I yelped. “How

excessive!”

It would have been

faster if she showed me this, she said!

“I’ll release the

seal now.”

Kaho-chan pulled out

a small key and inserted it into the keyhole on the door.

“Now the time

hath come for thy devil that hath been sealed for five hundred million years…”

“What creatures from the Cambrian Period did you seal here...pinnacle of the

living things that are long gone, something like Anomalocaris…?”

Kaho-chan kept

jesting around that I had no choice to play the straight-man role in a comedic

duo.

Dammit, had she

also calculated this?! Was I that easy to predict?! Was it really that fun to

lead me around by the nose, huh?!

I kept barking

inside my mind. When our eyes met, Kaho-chan grinned, laughing at me.

Uuh. I felt like

I would never be able to defeat her, in a different way from what I felt toward

Satsuki-san. Wait, don’t give up, Renako! You stood on the same start line with

her during elementary school, right!

“Well then—open sesame!”

With an

exaggerated flourish, Kaho-chan opened the door. The things that existed inside

the room were—

Of course a

gleaming treasure chest did not exist. Instead, there were numerous clothes

racks laden with costumes.

It was a costume

room. Even if all of these weren’t Kaho-chan’s, it was still awesome. To think she

had this amount of clothes, it was like she was a model or idol.

“These are my

beloved costumes!”

“Huh, this?”

No, I was wrong.

These weren’t mere clothes.

A one-piece type

of clothing with a huge ribbon attached, or these types of goth-loli attire

that looked strange. There were even numerous uniforms that of course weren't

Ashi-High’s uniform. The others were an uncommon version of maid uniform with

cat ears-attached parka, also a lot of wigs in different colours.

These

were...definitely clothes for cosplaying!

“Fufufu, how is

it? It’s awesome, right?”

“A-awesome...eh, handmade?! Extremely awesome!”

Inside the room,

there were also props like swords and guns, detached armours, and many others

lined up. I felt like I was visiting a specialty cosplay store.

As a result, when

I saw everything, the deeply buried memories that’d been sealed for the past 500

million years started to resurface. Gogogo….

“Hanya?”

Trembling, I

pointed my finger at Kaho-chan.

“Nagipo@JKLayer!”

“Oh my.”

She rested her

chin on her palm, revealing her true identity.

“So you found it

out, huh? Eeh, when someone says that right before my face it feels a bit

embarrassing, meow. Someone who found

out about this amongst the students from our school, Rena-chin, you’re my—first—time, you know?”

Kaho-chan pressed

her finger against my collarbone. As expected it was ticklish that I yelped at

her to stop.

During the summer

break, I had accidentally stumbled upon Satsuki-san’s cosplay photo. The one

who had uploaded that picture was an account with the name [Nagipo@JKLayer].

Of course, thanks

to the makeup and her transformation, she gave off a very different impression,

but I could figure out the trace of her looks. Moreover, [Koyanagi Kaho] and

[Nagipo]—right, that was obvious.

Discovering that my

friend was a cosplayer should’ve been a very shocking truth, but, well…

How could I

forget about that up until now? Well, of course. Thanks to everything, my

internal storage space only had 0 kilobyte left!

There were also a

lot of bookshelves in the costume room, with many anime Blu-rays and manga. Kaho-chan

picked one of them from the collection and hugged it to her chest.

“For me who

couldn’t draw or write, the only thing I could do to express my love for my

favourite series was this: doing cosplay. After that, I ended up getting really

into it.”

“Hee…”

“Right now, well, I still feel the same, but more than that, I also think it

would be great if I could promote the series I like by doing cosplay. And so, I

couldn’t stop doing it and it turned into this, just like you see.”

Kaho-chan spread

her arms wide to show me her room, and then she rubbed the area below her nose.

“Fuu. Now when I see this, I sure have

come a long way, huh.”

“...somehow, you really are amazing, Kaho-chan.”

I loved gaming,

but I’d never really thought something along the lines of wanting to

participate in a tournament, or promote the greatness of the game I liked so

many people would take interest in it.

Nah, I know that

when the game’s sales were high, the probability for a sequel would be higher.

It was also more fun when a lot of people talked about it. Well, it would’ve been

nice if I had also done the same, but...yeah, it was probably impossible for

me.

That was why I genuinely

thought that Kaho-chan who did it the way she thought was amazing.

“Stop it, you

make me shy.”

“This is the first time I found something to respect from you.”

“Oi, there are lots of other things, right!”

Wham. She swatted me.

Still, a huge

determination and bravery were needed when she decided to come out about her

cosplaying hobby. Though for me, telling people I liked gaming was enough to

make me shiver out of fear.

Well, this could

also be her form of revenge against the things with Mai and Ajisai-san...that

was possible, right…? As I was deep in my own thoughts, Kaho-chan pulled

something from the rack.

“Mmm, mmmm, which

one is okay? I wonder. Nah, as expected it’s definitely this one, right? Yeah,

yeah.”

The one she took

out was a pair of western-styled outfits. It had bunny-ears attached—a bunny

maid costume.

It was a costume

from a popular anime that had launched a while ago, but was still going strong

up until now. I often saw it on my timeline so I easily figured it out. I

wondered if she had also handmade that one. Awesome.

“Eh, could it be

that you’ll show me your cosplay?”

Even I would get

excited about that.

The cute

Kaho-chan with cute costumes. I wondered how far her cuteness would go. I

started to fear it.

But then,

Kaho-chan shook her head.

“Nuh-uh.”

And then, she

grinned.

“This costume

is—they are for you to wear, Rena-chin.”

“He?”

“Eh?!”

Somehow I ended

up in only my underwear.

“Nah, umm, this

is..,”

We were in

Kaho-chan’s room now. I was only in my bra and panties and had become the

object of her focused gaze. When I tried to escape her stare by shielding my

body from her, she—

—Kaho-chan kept

moving around my body, so that I couldn’t hide anything. She stared at me like

she was licking my body with her gaze.

“Haaaa―――your

boobs are so big.”

Along with her

sigh, she shared a frank thought that made my face burn in mere seconds.

“What the heck?!

What are you—?!”

“Nufufufu…”

Kaho-chan took

out a rope-like thing and smacked it against her hand.

“Th-that’s, what

is your intention, to use something like that against me…!”

“Well now, how do you want it to be, meow?”

I stepped back

slowly but she mercilessly inched closer to me.

“S-stop

it...that, only that, please have mercy, don’t come closer…”

“It’s alright, it's alright...kufufu…”

“Noooooo!”

Kaho-chan wrapped

her arms around my waist, and then—

For the next few

seconds, she took measurements of my waist.

“Uuuuuuh…even

though I already said to spare me from this only…”

“Hohou, I see, this is quite...”

“Uuuuuuuuuu……..”

Hearing the things

that came out from her mouth, I felt like crying. To think that a classmate who

was cuter and more slender than me was taking measurements of my body...what

kind of punishment game is this!

While I was

stricken with grief, she proceeded to measure my hip and also bust. Ugh, my

personal information…

“For what purpose

are you doing this…”

“That’s obvious, right? I need your exact measurements so I can adjust the

costume. My clothes would definitely rip apart with these boobs of yours, these

boobs.”

“Can you stop saying boobs,

boobs like that!”

I covered my bra with

my hands.

Normally, I did

this since I felt something like, “I’m sorry for showing you something so

unsightly like this…” but since she kept behaving like that, I ended up feeling

plainly embarrassed by that. Even me, I was also a girl in puberty, you know.

“Huh, adjust the

costume…”

“Yup, to wear it. Rena-chin will be wearing...this adworable costume.”

“Right…”

Nah, I had

figured it out earlier, since Satsuki Moon-san had her photo with

Nagipo-chan uploaded.

Satsu...Moon-san

wasn’t someone who would be excited to do cosplay. I couldn’t imagine that.

Even though she was someone I hadn’t been acquainted with, I could guarantee

it. If we asked Moon-san, “How deep is your interest in cosplaying?” I was sure

she would answer confidently, “Let’s see, as deep as my interest in cellophane

tape, I think…”

That was why,

Mutsuki-san cosplayed for money, and this time she had other things to do so

that role fell on me.

I was perfectly

aware that there was no way it would be an easy job when it came to 30 thousand

yen...This would be alright, rather than being forced to be a cashier and

talking with strangers. Doing something like this was a hundred million times

better.

“Huh, could it be

that the reason you chose me was because of my chest…?”

If so, Ajisai-san

would be a better choice...nah wait, I wouldn’t let anyone put those kinds of skimpy

clothes on Ajisai-san though!

Hearing my

question, Kaho-chan’s expression turned serious as she shook her head.

“That’s not it. The

reason is that Rena-chin has the same vibe with the characters I had in mind.”

“Characters?”

“Yup. Like a tall girl with long, black hair with a cool personality is very

different from the little devil-like, sly, but adorable type of girl, right?”

Naturally, she took

an example from a certain person from our class, but oh well, she made sense, I

think? And so I nodded along with her.

“Well, of course

it’s better with the boobs. Two dimensional characters basically have it huge

after all, so it would be more charming with that.”

My gaze

impulsively fell on Kaho-chan’s chest. Nothing.

Without any

delay, Kaho-chan looked at me with disdain.

“Rena-chin, you

perv.”

“Even though you kept saying the same thing to me?!”

Dammit, she

really never let go of any chance to strike an attack on me. This jerk…!

“But well, it’s a

problem that can be solved by making it anyway. You just need to put on a nu-bra, wrap it in clothes, or use

silicon. You only need to pile it up or reduce the prop based on your own preferences.

Things like boobs are really trivial in the world of cosplay.”

“Uh-huh…”

“I still envy them on a daily basis though! It must be great, huh, those giant

boobs! This, this little—!”

“Hyaa!”

Kaho-chan placed

her hands on my chest and fondled it roughly. It was so ticklish I unconsciously

let out a very girl-like cry. Well, I’m a girl, though! But this was extremely

embarrassing!

“Geez, cut it

out, won’t you!”

I paid back what

she did to me by putting my hand on her chest.

“Kyaa~ Rena-chin

so scary~”

I pressed on her

chest, and toward Kaho-chan, who sat with her legs folded sideways, my hands

were. My hands were…

“Kuuuh…….”

I drew back my

arms…..

I couldn’t help

it, alright…? I was someone who lived so far away from physical touch between

girls… it only took a tap on my shoulder from Ajisai-san to make my face red

after all. Of course touching someone else’s chest was impossible even as a

joke…

“Eh~? You won’t

do anything, meow?”

“T-today is not a good day for that…”

“.....fufufu, Rena-chin you gutless♡small fry♡lo~ser♡”

Th-this

jerk...one day, just see, one day I will make you understand…!

After a while,

Kaho-chan, finally satisfied with teasing me, stood up, “Here we go. Now then,

once again...do the banzai pose,

please~”

This time, she

became more detailed and measured here and there. Like my upper arm, my thigh…

To think that the slender Kaho-chan did things like this...kuuh.

After that, I

fixed my clothes and sat in Kaho-chan’s room. Nah, she was really giving me a

hard time...

Studying the notes

filled with my private information, Kaho-chan nodded to herself, appearing convinced.

“As expected,

there are a lot of things to fix, meow.

Well, I can probably do it in a week with this much, I wonder?”

The thickness of

the summer uniform on my skin was relieving. Clothes were really awesome after

all… It was the armor that protected my body.

“And so, I just

need to wear those costumes next week, right…?”

“Yup, exactly. Next week, and the week after that. Two times in total. That is

the mission I bestow upon you.”

I thought about

it for a moment.

“...and thirty

thousand for me?”

“Yer right exactly. That’s it~”

Kaho-chan averted

her gaze and started whistling.

“You’re

definitely lying, right?! That reaction of yours basically tells me you’re

lying!”

Kaho-chan shook

her head calmly. She changed her way of speaking, using a tone like she was

persuading a little girl.

“You see,

Rena-chin, listen to this carefully. It’s not like I’m lying, okay? It’s just,

I didn’t tell you about the important thing you’re gonna do.”

“Say it then!”

As if she was

trying to calm my forcefulness, she raised her index finger serenely in front

of her face.

“The things I ask

you to do are very simple. You just need to put on makeup and wear the

costumes. And after that, together with me, okay?”

“Together with you?”

She grinned.

The small and

slender beauty before me laughed.

“Right, a joint

photoshoot!”

And one week

later. I was brought to a photo studio away from Tokyo.

“...................ha?”

Except at that

time, I had yet to realize her deceit went deeper than this.

That for the

second photoshoot—I’d never thought I would have to wear something like this in

front of a crowd.

*****

Translator's Note:

Anyone can join the discord server that made by Eva right

here

For more detailed info about the novel, click

here

Credit:

TL and everything else: Meatbun

Proofread: Lyra