“Kageyuki-san, you’re not mad?”
“Huh? Me?”
“Yeah.”
“No, I’m not mad, but…”
“…I see…”
She gave a small nod, like something clicked for her. Then—
“Well, I look forward to working with you.”
“Wait—now you say that!? After all this!?”
It kinda sounded like she wanted to keep using me for story material.
I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. I might need some time to think it over.
I couldn’t help but make a sour face.
Maybe she found that funny—because for the first time, Minase let her expression soften just a little.
“…Heh.”
A faint smile appeared on her face.
So she can smile like that, huh. For some reason, that made me feel like I’d won something.
“Nice one, Kageyuki-san. One bonus point.”
“What kind of point is that?”
“Hmm… a kindness point?”
“I see? Well, thanks, I guess.”
“Or, to put it another way, a sexual charm point.”
“I’d prefer you didn’t put it that way.”
“A lewdness (yarashisa) point.”
“That’s just one sound off from kindness (yasashisa), but it makes a huge difference.”
“Well, it means I found you attractive as a guy.”
“If you’d said that from the start, I might’ve been a little happier about it.”
“With that, I feel like I could make story even better than before.”
“No need. I believe there are times when suppressing speech is perfectly acceptable.”
“Ever heard of freedom of expression?”
“I’m more familiar with invasion of privacy.”
“Well then, it can’t be helped. Let’s settle this with a legal battle using our respective decks.”
“I really don’t want that kind of awful battle…”
“…Hehe.”
I was gradually beginning to read the subtle shifts in Minase’s usually unreadable expressions.
It didn’t feel bad. She’s still an odd one, but I found myself unexpectedly enjoying our conversation.
“So, is this what the literature club does?”
As our small talk continued, I asked her that. In response, Minase tilted her head in confusion.
“What is?”
“That story you wrote earlier. I didn’t expect to be the topic of it.”
“…?”
Minase tilted her head again, looking genuinely puzzled by my words.
But eventually, as if understanding clicked into place, she nodded in realization.
“That’s not it. I’m not even in the literature club to begin with.”
“Huh. …Wait, really?”
“I just drop by to poke around. The only actual member of the second literature club is Isa.”
“I see…”
Her unexpected answer surprised me, but now that I thought about it, it was true—only Isa had introduced herself as a member.
Since Minase was in the clubroom, I’d just assumed she was one too. If anything, based on her vibe, she seemed more like a literary type than Isa.
“But still, you wrote pretty well. You seemed kinda used to it.”
At the very least, it didn’t feel like it was your first time writing something.
When I said that, Minase, who had already returned to her usual blank expression, simply replied:
“Maybe.”
At that point, I couldn’t tell what she was thinking anymore.
“More importantly, Kageyuki-san—why are you here anyway?”
“Hmm? Ah… it’s not like I had anything in particular to do.”
“…………”
“I just came to hang out a bit. Let’s say I’m spending time with you.”
“I see.”
Minase gave a small nod at my explanation.
Then—this time with a slightly mischievous smile—she said:
“Well then, would you like to write something too, Kageyuki-san?”
I hesitated for a second before answering.
“…Nah, I’ll pass. I actually have plans after this, so I don’t have much time.”
“I see. That’s a shame.”
“Personally, I’d rather read something you wrote than write something myself.”
————
For several seconds, Minase didn’t respond. She froze up, like her system crashed.
As I tilted my head at her reaction, she eventually started moving again, like she’d rebooted.
“…In that case, should I write a continuation of the earlier piece?”
“…By the way, how does it go from here?”
“Fleshy Banquet.”
“Okay, got it. Please never release the sequel to that story.”
“I suppose I can do as you ask, Kageyuki-san.”
“Thanks… I guess.”
“But in exchange…”
Minase tilted her head slightly,
as if it was nothing at all, and said in a small voice:
“Come again sometime.”
“…Yeah. I’ll stop by again when I have the time.”
When I said that, Minase narrowed her eyes just a little—looking, perhaps, a tiny bit happy.
“Mm. I’ll reluctantly welcome you back.”
It seemed like we’d grown a little closer.
That seemed like a fair conclusion.
After chatting with Minase for a few more minutes, I left the second literature clubroom.
In the end, Isago never showed up, but when I asked Minase about it—
“Who knows? Maybe she got tired and fell asleep somewhere.”
—was her answer. That little fairy is unexpectedly frail for her cheeky personality.
After spending time in a clubroom where no actual club members were present, I made my way back to the main school building. There was still plenty of time left, but I wanted to stay ahead of schedule, just in case.
I returned to the entrance of the second club building.
That’s when I ran into her again.
We must have just missed each other—she was entering as I was leaving.
“Ka–Ka–Kageyuki Sou!”
Shouting my full name like she was in a dramatic TV scene, the girl called out to me. The way she suddenly struck a defensive pose reminded me of a tokusatsu superhero transformation.
She was a classmate I’d seen earlier that morning, near the old dorm cabin.
“Shiranui?”
“W-What are you doing here!?”
There’s nothing strange about a student being at the club building,
yet Shiranui seemed to treat me as some kind of suspicious intruder.
“Don’t tell me you were waiting here to ambush me…!”
“Why would I even know you were coming here? I’m just on my way out.”
“Mmm… I guess that makes sense…”
She sure talks with a lot of force, this Shiranui.
Honestly, I don’t think I’ve done anything to deserve this level of suspicion.
“So, are you here for a club? What club are you in?”
“W–Why do I have to tell you that!?”
“Hey, if you don’t want to say, that’s fine.”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t! More importantly—what about you, Kageyuki? Are you in a club?”
“No, I’m not. I was just visiting a friend’s club.”
When I said that, Shiranui made a sour face.
Then after a pause, she muttered reluctantly:
“…Same here. I’m not in any club either.”
“Huh.”
“I was just called over since the clubroom got cleaned up. Got a problem with that?”
“No…”
I didn’t have a problem, but I did have a guess.
Maybe the one who called Shiranui was senpai Oshimi? They seem to know each other.
“Got it. Sorry for keeping you. Later, then.”
Anyway, I was in a hurry now.
I turned to leave, but Shiranui suddenly groaned: “Ugh…”
Her eyes darted around, and then she started mumbling something under her breath.
“…Um, it’s fine, I guess… I mean…”
“What is it?”
“…Nothing! I’m going too. Goodbye!”
With that last bit of defiant-sounding muttering, Shiranui marched past me.
Well then. What a handful.
She really doesn’t suit the whole tough act.
She tries to come off as forceful, but there’s a kind of politeness—maybe even refinement—that seeps into her words. It’s like a serious girl trying to act rebellious, but failing to pull it off convincingly.
“…………”
I still didn’t really get Shiranui.
The girl who seemed so perfectly composed the first time we met is now acting completely different.
Maybe it’s because she overheard my muttering that day? Still, even considering that, something about it feels off.
“…What’s going on with her, really?”
The thing is—aside from that one day, all of Shiranui’s behavior has felt genuine, not calculated.
I wonder what the difference is.
I guess I keep thinking about her because it bothers me.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
6
I arrived at the student council room five minutes early.
In front of me stood a pair of large double doors—heavier and more imposing than any other in the school.
I knocked on them with one hand.
“Excuse me…”
There was no reply from inside, but I opened the doors anyway.
Inside were two students—one male and one female.
The female student, standing by the desk at the front, looked at me and spoke.
“You’re right on time.”
With straight black hair neatly cut to shoulder length, she had a tall, slender frame. A badge on her left arm identified her as the “Vice President.”
She was the very same upperclassman I’d met the week before the entrance ceremony, introduced by Shiranui.
Her name was Suruga Kokono.
“Hello. …It’s been a while.”
I greeted her, and she bowed slightly.
“Likewise. Sorry for calling you here on such short notice.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“The president wants to speak with you. Please, come in.”
Her tone was calm and expressionless, but firm.
Her demeanor reminded me a little of Minase, though Minase felt more relaxed. Suruga had a strict air that went beyond just being an upperclassman.
The formality of the atmosphere made me a bit more tense.
And then—
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