“Honestly, we got lucky Meina-chan wasn’t serious.”
“Oh? You handled the young mistress and Amane-san just fine, though.”
“Because if Meina-chan had been serious, I kinda felt like I wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“Kufufu. How flattering~”
A beautiful flower of peaceful female friendship bloomed between them.
Thus, women bound by the same man form deep connections—
“Ah, not that I’ve given up on Izumi sama, by the way?”
“…Huh?”
—The nearly-tied bond seemed to slip loose in an instant.
Nanao kept her serene smile as she tilted her head slightly.
“What do you mean by that?”
Meina had already reverted to her usual fox-like grin. Calmly, she replied:
“Because I’m the type who’s fine with being second place~”
Nanao’s lips twitched. Noticing this, Meina’s smile deepened.
“If Izumi sama reconciles with the young mistress, he’d naturally become my master too~. That’d make me practically his property~. Love takes as many forms as there are stars, as they say…”
She shaped her right hand into a fox and playfully chirped: “Kon♪”
“I’d even be fine with just an H-relationship~♡”
“…………”
A tiny spark crackled between them.
Like a sparkler, it grew—pachi, pachipachi—until…
—Bachibachibachi! A storm of sparks erupted between the two smiling girls.
“Ahaha. Scary, Meina-chan~♪”
“Kufufu. You’re the one still hiding your cards, Nanao-san~♪”
The heroine race—
A battlefield like an endless corridor, with no single straight path.
Different starting points inevitably lead to different finishes.
Just as the flames of this brutal war were about to ignite—
“Pathetic as ever, Shiragiku’s vixen.”
A blade-sharp voice sliced through the air.
Nanao turned in surprise first.
Seirin Girls’ Academy.
The prestigious high school uniform,
worn only by elite young ladies even in this day and age.
(…Well, mostly elites—there’s the occasional troublemaker like Satou, but it’s still a top-tier institution.)
The black-haired girl glared at them with piercing eyes, her glossy hair swaying. Her refined features vaguely resembled someone…
Meina, utterly unfazed—as if she’d anticipated this—smiled brightly.
“My~ I never expected you to grace us with your presence~♪”
The girl swept her hair back.
“I came to investigate your scheming… What was that farce just now?”
“Shocking, right~? Even I didn’t expect things to go that way~♪”
“Spare me. Our alliance with Shiragiku was terminated. What are you plotting?”
She clicked her tongue, hostility undisguised.
“Seeking war with the Sumie family?”
“Not at all~ Just happened to be supporting my lady’s love life~♪”
—A prickling tension charged the air.
The girl spat her words:
“A warning. Don’t play with fire.”
“Kufufu. How merciful of you to let me off~♪”
As the two locked stares like old rivals,
Nanao—left out—whispered to Meina:
“Who’s this?”
“Ah~ Well~…”
Meina stood and gestured grandly toward the girl.
“This is Sumie Kasumi-sama—heir to the [SUMIE GROUP]~”
Nanao’s eyes widened.
Now she knew who the resemblance was to.
Sumie Kasumi retrieved a fan from her breast pocket and snapped it open with a flourish.
Gilded with the words [Loyalty for Life], she flicked it smugly.
“Kneel, commoners.”
She said with a provocative smile.
Nanao, however—
Eyes sparkling, she bounced up and hugged Kasumi!
“Wow~! You’re Izumi-kun’s little sister? You’re as cute as your brother~! I’m Nanase Nanao, his friend~”
“Wha—Unhand me! Who touches a stranger’s hair?!”
Kasumi flailed as Nanao ruffled her locks wildly.
“Hey, vixen! What kind of upbringing did this brute have?!”
“Kufufu. Nanao-san is a beast of instinct~”
“That explains nothing! Who hugs strangers in this day and age?!”
Yet here one stood—
a girl who’d charge at gods without fear.
Nanao suddenly paused, then whispered breathily:
“Fufu. I’m your future sister-in-law, you know~?”
“STOP WHISPERING IN MY EAR—?!”
Kasumi’s face burned red as she scrambled back, fan flailing. Gasping for air, she glared while Nanao beamed.
“You react just like Izumi-kun~”
“Right~? Even the way she’s trying so hard to look taller is identical~”
“You dare mock me?!”
Kasumi snarled, clicking her tongue again.
“Tch. Nanase Nanao. So you’re the girl from the reports…”
“Huh? You know about me?”
“Naturally. The [SUMIE GROUP] monitors all potential threats.”
Her fan pointed sharply at Meina.
“Including that vixen.”
Nanao tilted her head.
“Meina-chan, are you…disliked by any chance?”
“Who knows~? We’ve met before, yet she still dislikes me. How mysterious~”
Her utterly un-mystified tone further enraged Kasumi.
She brandished her fan like a weapon.
“Listen here. Cross me, and I’ll show you the consequences.”
A venomous smirk curled her lips.
“I could even have my foolish brother expelled from school. How’d you like that?”
The unexpected threat—
Nanao’s smile faltered for a split second—
“Huh? What do you mean…?”
“By any chance, are you talking about Senpai…?”
The confused voice drew all three gazes.
Kasuga Haru and Domoto Inori.
The academy’s famed angel-devil duo stood awkwardly, having overheard the alarmingly serious exchange.
The “I Can Say ‘I Love You’ Properly” Alliance.
The enigmatic little sister.
The misfit angel-devil pair.
—Thus, the third round of the heroine race began in a three-way deadlock.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
A few days after the sports festival. Weekend.
Izumi, ever the diligent student, worked part-time at a café.
In his waiter’s uniform, he charmed female customers while efficiently clearing tables—earning praise from regulars.
Two pairs of eyes watched him intently.
“M-Master…is it true?”
Iketeru Hitomi asked nervously.
Nicknamed as “The Sheltered Prince” at her university. She is a handsome girl who is popular with girls.
“…Afraid so.”
Café owner and master barista (with five years in Europe)
Itou Yoshihiro sighed grimly.
“I can’t…believe it…”
“Neither can I. I want to think it’s a mistake…”
On this peaceful weekend,
their faces were dark as apocalypse.
The subject of their despair?
“That sweet Izumi-kun…is playing multiple girls at once?!”
“It’s the ugly truth!”
It was an outrageous accusation.
Meanwhile, Izumi—blissfully unaware—flirted harmlessly:
“Welcome back! You’re radiant as ever today~”
“Kyaaa~! Izumi-kun, you flirt~!”
Izumi was casually bantering with the regular customer—a big sister type—in that lighthearted, playful way!
Watching them, Hitomi…
Normally, she lived up to her title of “The Sheltered Prince,” but now her usual melancholic gaze trembled with confusion as she clung to the manager.
“B-But… Izumi-kun is always like that…”
“Yeah. But since he never had any close female friends before, I let my guard down.”
The manager pushed his glasses up with a sharp, deliberate motion.
“But I saw it.—I saw Izumi-kun leaving with two cute girls after his part-time shift!”
This had happened during the recent Pizza Party incident.
Upon hearing this, Hitomi desperately tried to convince herself, her voice trembling.
“B-But… that could’ve just been them hanging out after work…?”
“…………”
Hitomi’s argument was reasonable.
Given they were high schoolers, it was plausible they’d just met up after work to go to a movie or shopping.
Yet the master crushed that hope with a pained expression.
“They went… to Izumi-kun’s place, apparently.”
“……!?”
Hitomi’s knees buckled, and she collapsed on the spot!
(Wait, Izumi-kun said he lives alone because of family circumstances…)
There weren’t many reasons a guy would bring cute girls from school to his place.
Truthfully, Izumi was popular among regulars. Sometimes, he even acted oddly smooth around women. But deep down, she’d believed he was a sincere boy.
And yet—
“Why…? How could Izumi-kun turn out like this…?”
The master’s sharp voice cut through her despair.
“It’s that girl.”
“Huh?”
His gaze was fixed on someone—
A girl who wasn’t here. The only one.
“Ever since she started coming here… Izumi-kun changed.”
“…………”
Coincidentally, the same girl flashed through Hitomi’s mind.
A classmate of Izumi’s who occasionally visited the shop. A girl with a gentle demeanor. At a glance, she seemed ordinary… but she was unlike any other girl Hitomi had ever met.
A true temptress.
A league above the women who flirted with her at university.
Hitomi’s instincts screamed.
That girl was dangerous.
“I’ll do it.”
“Huh?”
The master spun around at Hitomi’s resolute words, eyes wide with shock.
“Y-You serious!?”
“Yeah…”
Her eyes burned with determination.
“Even if she’s a temptress leading him astray… she’s still a girl. I’ll win her heart—make her lose interest in Izumi-kun.”
By nature, Hitomi was timid.
She’d joined a theater troupe to change that, only to accidentally get typecast as a “prince” type—a role that bled into her daily life.
This wasn’t like her at all!
But for the sake of her irreplaceable love—
She vowed to conquer her terror of that unfathomable girl.
The master, who’d known her for so long, understood.
And so, as her senior, he had a duty to help. Eyes blazing, he offered his support.
“Iketeru-kun… If that’s your resolve, I’ll back you up!”
“Master…!”
“But are you sure? This… is the path of hell.”
“…I’ve made my choice.”
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