Category: natsuki

E-Book Bonus: Original Short Story
 

 
[The Fifth One]
 
I couldn’t react immediately. I had to admit that much.
 
To the underclassman girl in front of me—Tsuchikura, as far as she was concerned—I must’ve seemed awfully suspicious.
 
“Senpai?”
 
Tilting her head slightly, she peered up at me from below,
 
her large, curious eyes silently demanding an explanation for my silence.
 
“Sorry. It’s nothing, Tsuchikura.”
 
“You can just call me by my name, y’know?… Read more

 
“Sorry. I’m kinda… 20% lost.”
 
“Getting lost on your own school grounds? That’s a new one.”
 
“Right!? But honestly, I could use some help!”
 
She was awfully forward for a junior.
 
Expressive, fearless, and cheerful—hard not to like.
 
“Can’t you rely on the other 80% to get back?”
 
“Ahah—well, 80% of that 80% is me relying on you right now.”
 
“……Doesn’t that mean you’re 36% lost?”
 
“Whoa, quick math!… Read more

“Ah, Kageyuki! How’d it go?”
 
When I arrived at the usual cabin, Shiranui’s face lit up as she ran over to me.
 
For some reason, the mental image of a puppy wagging its tail popped into my head—way too rude to say out loud. Instead, I just raised a hand in greeting.
 
“Hey, Shiranui. You alone?”
 
“Y-Yeah. For now. Isago-san and Minase-san were here earlier.”
 
“Ah, I just saw them. So they came here too, huh?”… Read more

Epilogue
 

 
0 / C
 

I don’t even want to remember the details, but…
 
Back in middle school, there was a time when a semi-delinquent (or whatever they’re called) crime group became a hot topic in my hometown. Call them whatever—they were just a bunch of people running scams and fraud in groups.
 
The real problem was that several kids from my class got roped into working for them under the guise of “part-time jobs.”… Read more

“…And what is that?”
 
Kimiya’s quiet question was like an arrow aiming straight at me.
 
No—maybe that question wasn’t coming from the girl in front of me, but from my past self.
 
Can I be proud of who I am now?
 
It was a question thrown at the old me, who just wanted to be “a good guy” without thinking.
 
So I answered.
 
“──Shiranui’s a bit like how I used to be.”… Read more

“Oh, about the favor I mentioned earlier? The truth is—”
 
After some small talk, Isago finally got to the real reason she was here: distribute the tickets.
 
Judging by the excited reactions of the upperclassmen around her, it looked like she’d have no trouble.
 
“She’s the type… other girls probably hate, huh. Isago.”
 
“Nah, not really.”
 
“Seriously?”
 
“Well, if she acted like that all the time, then yeah, people would probably hate her.… Read more

5
 

Calculations matter. Especially when it’s part of the job.
 
Well, this time it’s not exactly work, but given that there’s a task to complete, the basic approach remains the same. Results should always be presented as clear, tangible numbers.
 
—After all, our opponent is Kimiya Natsuki.
 
I don’t know anyone else as skilled at being liked by others as he is.
 
Ask anyone, and you won’t find a single person who speaks ill of Kimiya.… Read more

[“Even if they disappear… to me, they were still friends.”]
 
Shiranui’s words from earlier echoed in my mind.
 
……Honestly, that stung.
 
I knew better than anyone what it was like to be that idiot—the one who kept believing in people, only to be used over and over. But now that idiot had learned his lesson. He’d traded idealism for pragmatism.
 
Being honest, awkward, and blindly trusting others wasn’t justice.
 
If that path eventually led to ruin, I’d already learned it the hard way.… Read more

---

Only now did it really hit me—the girl standing in front of me was so stunning it was almost blinding.
 
“—Hmm.”
 
A voice came from behind me immediately after.
 
The moment I turned around, Shiranui shrieked, “Wha—WHAA!?”
 
“This is the first time I’ve seen something like this.”
 
“WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT OUT LOUD, MINA!?”
 
Through the window, I could see two figures having that exact exchange.
 
“…So you were eavesdropping.”
 
I muttered under my breath.… Read more

That didn’t sound nice at all. They weren’t real friends.
 
My face twisted in displeasure, but Shiranui shook her head lightly.
 
“Even so, I was happy. Even if I knew they were just using me, to me, they were still friends. …That’s the kind of story this is.”
 
“…………”
 
“There were kids like that at this school too. Probably not good people, but I didn’t care. Just having friends was enough for me.”
 
—I couldn’t claim to understand her feelings,
 
but I had memories of feeling something similar.… Read more