“So? How’s work been since then?”
“Hm, well… I guess I’d say it’s going smoothly… for now.”
“That’s a pretty vague way to put it. Not that I blame you.”
Kimiya gave a faint, wry smile as she spoke.
“You think?”
“Yeah. I mean, everyone involved is… difficult, after all.”
“Ah… Yeah, that’s definitely true.”
Whether it was Isago, Minase, or Shiranui—
each of them was undeniably the troublesome type.
“But… I can’t help feeling a little jealous,”
Kimiya suddenly said.
“Huh?”
She continued, seeing my puzzled look.
“I mean, I was the first one to get close to you, Sou. And all three of them are cute, aren’t they? If you didn’t pay attention to me once in a while, I might’ve started sulking.”
“……That would’ve been bad.”
“Exactly. Though, Sou san… I’m starting to wonder if that kind of girl might actually be your type?”
“I don’t have the energy to think about that… Just getting along with them is hard enough.”
“——You did get along with them?”
Kimiya tilted her head in surprise. I nodded.
“With everyone except Shiranui, yeah, kinda. Isago was even happy, saying I was her first guy friend. Minase… I still don’t really get what’s going on in her head, though.”
“…Eh?”
Kimiya’s eyes widened.
Apparently, that was a more shocking statement than I thought.
“…You actually got close to them?”
“‘Actually’…?”
“Ah, no, sorry. That was rude of me. ——But really? With Isago and the others?”
“Was what I said that surprising?”
“I wouldn’t go that far, but… those two aren’t exactly the type to make friends easily.”
“Huh… Is that so?”
I hadn’t gotten that impression, but I guess they were a bit unusual.
Personally, I found them interesting to talk to and even kinda likable. Just… a little scary.
“The real problem’s the last one, though…”
“Shiranui?”
“Yeah. First impressions went bad, so she kinda hates me. I’ve got no idea how to——……”
My words trailed off.
Because at the edge of my vision, the very person we were talking about had appeared.
“Nngh…?”
This café had three floors, and we were on the second.
Shiranui was descending the stairs from the floor above.
Her eyes darted around, scanning her surroundings—until her gaze locked onto us.
“……! ……——!”
She seemed to have something she desperately wanted to say, flustered and fidgeting.
Then, after a moment, she gave up and walked over.
“Why is Kageyuki here? And with Kimiya?”
Shiranui said.
Not that it was weird for Seishinkan students to be here, but whatever.
“—Good afternoon, Shiranui-san.”
Kimiya’s voice was low, different from usual. An unexpectedly cold reaction.
I’d sensed some tension between them,
but for Kimiya to be this openly hostile was… unlike her.
“Kimiya… What, is this a date?”
Shiranui, meanwhile, sounded almost taunting.
“Friendly” was the last word I’d use to describe this. I could feel the awkwardness pressing in.
“Yes. It is.”
“S-Seriously!? You’re actually serious…!?”
While Kimiya remained unshaken, Shiranui’s face turned red.
Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Somehow, Kimiya seemed to have the upper hand here.
“So, unless you want to be kicked by a horse, I’d appreciate it if you minded your manners.”
“Ugh, shut up! Like I care about you anyway!”
“Your language is unbecoming. This isn’t school. At least try to act like a proper Seishinkan student.”
“Says the one sneaking around with guys…!”
“My, what an imagination. Then again, I’d expect nothing less from a former child prodigy.”
“—You tryin’ to pick a fight?”
In an instant, the air around Shiranui turned icy.
Her tone hadn’t changed much, but the shift in atmosphere was unmistakable.
Even I was taken aback. There was something… otherworldly about how she conveyed emotion.
“Hah. Whatever.”
But just as quickly, she snapped back to normal.
“Not like you’d care, though. With that perfect-girl act, tricking one clueless transfer student’s probably child’s play for you.”
“————————”
This time, it was Kimiya’s presence that grew heavy.
No mistaking it—she was pissed. The kind of anger even a stranger could feel.
“What exactly are you implying, Shiranui?”
“N-Nothing? Not like I got anything to say to you! …Well, maybe Sou should hear about your real self.”
“……If this is about the past, your grudge is misplaced. Sou has nothing to do with it.”
“Who said you get to decide that!?”
“Enough.”
“That’s my line!”
“Actually, it’s mine,”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
I wanted to say—if I had the guts. But the tension was suffocating.
Having a sister had made me hyper-sensitive to this kind of atmosphere. Any instinct to argue with an angry woman had been beaten out of me long before I could even form memories.
Not that I could’ve argued anyway. The sheer pressure from these two was unreal.
The air was dead. Even the other customers had gone silent, despite the lack of shouting.
I had to say something.
I hated this kind of tension. I scrambled for words, anything to break it.
“Uh… Shiranui?”
“—What?”
Her sharp glare pinned me in place.
Nothing like how she’d acted yesterday. The faint warmth I’d seen beneath her anger was gone, replaced by a pressure that made her seem like a completely different person.
Still, I had to try.
“So, uh… Didn’t you leave school early today?”
“Ah.”
Just like that, the hostility around her dissolved.
Okay, good. No idea why that worked, but I’ll take it.
“H-How’d you know that!?”
Her tone was back to normal. Seizing the chance, I pressed on.
“I, uh, kinda went looking for you today. Heard that when I checked your class.”
“M-Me!? Why!?”
“Had something to talk about. ……Anyway, what’re you doing here?”
“Uh, well…”
She floundered, eyes darting around for an answer.
Finally, as if deflating, Kimiya let out a sigh.
“—Skipping again?”
“Hah!? Kimiya!”
“Acting tough doesn’t suit you.”
“Ugh, shut up! Like you get to—”
“Pushing your luck will only make Oshimi-senpai sad. Not that I care, but… do you?”
“……!”
“My apologies, Sou. I ruined the mood.”
With that, Kimiya picked up her bag and stood.
Her cup was already empty—she must’ve finished it at some point.
“Thanks for the meal.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah… Sure.”
“I’ll take my leave now. If you’d still be willing to invite me again… I’d like that.”
“……Y-Yeah…”
That was all I could muster.
Stopping her felt wrong, somehow.
So, in an absurd turn of events, Shiranui and I ended up watching Kimiya leave together.
Shiranui looked just as stunned as I was, but eventually snapped out of it.
“I-I’m leaving too!”
And with that, she bolted from the café.
For about thirty seconds, I just sat there, dumbfounded.
I picked up my coffee. Still warm. Kimiya had downed hers in record time—impressive dedication. But to just leave me like this…
“……Not the time to space out.”
I shook my head. This was unexpected, but I couldn’t waste the opportunity.
Chugging the rest of my drink, I quickly cleaned up and rushed out.
“Shiranui went toward the school, right…?”
Recalling what I’d seen from the second-floor window, I headed back in that direction.
After running for a while, I realized she wasn’t on the main path. She couldn’t have gone far, so she must’ve taken a detour.
I turned down a side street—
and there she was.
At the edge of the road, tucked away from sight, was a girl crouched with her head in her hands.
“Aghhh, I did it again, I did it again…!”
No need to guess—it was Shiranui Natsuki.
This was probably her real self.
“Why do I always snap back like that…! Not that Kimiya was any better! Ugh, and it wasn’t even a real date!”
“…………”
“She’s terrifying… Those eyes… Is she even acting anymore? I’ve never seen a real actor with that much presence…”
“…………”
“Ugh, he definitely thinks I’m weird now…! He barely knew me, and now this is his first impression…! What do I even do…!?”
“Eh, I don’t really care.”
“GYAAAAH—!?”
Shiranui let out a bizarre shriek and jumped.
Honestly, out of everything so far, this was probably the side of her she least wanted others to see.
“Wha—wh-wh-whaaa—WHY is Kageyuki here!?”
“Uh… just passing by?”
“Don’t ‘pass by’ me!!”
“I wasn’t clinging to you—”
“You were!!”
“Is this seriously the same person from earlier?”
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