The master nearly teared up at her growth. The timid girl he once knew was gone.
(Heh. Hard to believe I’m the same man who abandoned his family for work. Guess I’ve mellowed…)
Normally, meddling in someone’s love life was unforgivable. Especially when the target was a girl young enough to be his granddaughter. His soul was definitely hell-bound.
But even so—!
For Hitomi, whom he trusted like family…
For her fleeting love, which reminded him so much of the daughter his ex-wife took away—He swore he’d make it happen.
“Alright. When that temptress shows up… I’ll distract Izumi-kun.”
“M-Master…!”
“That’s your chance. Strike.”
“…!
They clasped hands in a firm pact.
Even if one of them had to die for this—
Their resolve was absolute.
And that moment… came sooner than expected.
The shop door swung open, the bell chiming.
“Izumi-kuuun~! I’m here! ♪”
“Huh? You came again today?”
“Yep! I just wanted to see you~”
“S-Stop saying stuff like that so casually…!”
Of course, it was Nanase Nanao.
Still in her school uniform after club activities.
By now, she visited almost weekly—teasing Izumi before being led to her usual window seat.
The master greeted her warmly while scanning the area.
After the last incident… if that other H-class girl was here too, even Hitomi might be in danger.
But this time, Nanao was alone.
(—No sign of the other one. Now’s our chance!)
He signaled Hitomi with a glance.
A silent nod passed between them. Meanwhile, Izumi—oblivious—tried to relay Nanao’s order.
“Uh, she wants a café latte…”
And Nanao, idly scrolling on her phone!
—Now, the battlefield of love gained one more contender!
But then—
“Pardon me. Might I have a moment?”
A voice interrupted their resolve.
It was Shiragiku Hakua.
Seated elegantly at a corner table, sipping coffee. Caught off guard, the two scrambled to switch to customer-service mode—
“W-Wait, Hakua-neesan!? Since when were you there!?”
Izumi’s reaction confirmed she was an acquaintance.
Hakua smiled serenely.
“Fufu. My, Izumi-kun, what a strange thing to say. I’ve been here the whole time.”
“S-Sorry, I didn’t notice…”
No wonder.
When she entered, Izumi had been busy with other customers, and Hitomi had served her. Worse—Hakua had been stealthily admiring Izumi in his waiter uniform (Squee~! Izumi-kun looks so dashing in that outfit!), silently fangirling the entire time.
Only now did she reveal herself—
for one reason:
“You didn’t notice me… Big sister was so lonely~.”
“……!?”
Pouting, she tugged his sleeve playfully.
Izumi’s face turned crimson instantly. Pathetic.
“S-Hakua-neesan, I’m working right now—”
“Ufufu. Is Nanao-san allowed, but I’m not?”
“N-No, that’s not what I—”
The atmosphere grew increasingly heated.
The atmosphere was familiar to the two of them.
A new rival had appeared.
Hitomi and the master recognized this vibe.
(This is bad!)
Thirty years of intuition screamed at him.
Hakua’s entrance—her effortless control of the room—was too swift.
And the timing of her interruption, just as they were about to strike…
She, too, was a rival for Izumi’s heart.
The next move was obvious.
The master quickly scanned the room.
Nanao hadn’t noticed yet—she was texting a friend. There was still time. Still—
“Iketeru-kun, hurry—”
Too late.
Another shadow loomed behind them.
“Kufufu~. Adults shouldn’t meddle in young love, you know?”
The Master recognized that girl.She was the same girl who had come with Nanao the other day to pick up Izumi.
In other words, Akeboshi meina.
When did she… No, there was no point in asking anymore. Come to think of it, the number of customers today had been strange.
It was already well past noon, even if it was a weekend. And yet, the café was packed with young women. Normally, the place would be filled with regulars, but today, there were an unusual number of first-time visitors.
What if… this situation had been orchestrated from the very beginning?
It felt like he had suddenly realized he was inside the belly of a giant monster.
A bead of sweat rolled down the Master’s forehead. Gulping hard, he watched as Meina handed him a piece of paper. The moment his eyes scanned it, his expression changed drastically.
“Th-This is…!”
It was a sponsorship offer from Shiragiku Confectionery.
Meina smiled sweetly.
“If you agree to our conditions, Shiragiku Confectionery promises to invest in your café~. Oh, and we could also provide prototypes of our new sweets that are currently in development~.”
“……!?”
The Master was shaken.
Shiragiku Confectionery —
a world-famous sweets company, known for a wide range of activities beyond just candies sold in convenience stores and supermarkets. They also supplied professional-grade products to restaurants and other businesses.
It was common knowledge that all of their products were highly praised.
And now, they were offering prototypes of their latest sweets?
That meant the café could serve the newest treats from Shiragiku Confectionery before anyone else.
(C-Could something this unbelievable really happen…?)
The Master had always taken pride in his coffee skills.
But when it came to sweets, it was a different story. For decades, he had searched for desserts that would perfectly complement his coffee, but he had never found the right balance between quality and cost.
Clutching the document, he asked in a hesitant voice:
“S-So… what are the conditions?”
──The prey had been caught.
Meina answered with a gentle smile:
“All you have to do… is not get too close to Izumi-sama~.”
“…………”
The Master let out a long sigh.
He turned toward the girl he adored like his own daughter, the girl he wished would find happiness in love no matter the cost.
“Iketeru-kun… I’m sorry…”
“Master!”
“But please forgive a papa who must put his work first!”
“Master!?”
Hitomi was stunned by the sudden ‘papa declaration’ and lost all will to fight!
While this strange little rebellion fizzled out,
at the tables nearby, a lively conversation was unfolding —now with Nanao finally noticing what was going on.
“Oh, Hakua-san, you’re here too~?”
“I came to check on how Izumi-kun is doing with his part-time job.”
“Come on, Hakua-nee-san… that’s so embarrassing…”
Hakua smiled warmly… but didn’t bother to hide the sharp hostility glinting deep in her eyes. Nanao simply smiled back.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Ufufu. I hope you won’t regret making me get serious, okay?”
Leaving the shrinking Izumi behind, sparks flew between the two girls.
──Let me repeat:
This is not the story of a “heroine race.”
This is not just Nanase Nanao dominating everything—…No!
No — this is the story of one girl’s counterattack!
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
Afterword
This is Nana Nanana.
In the last volume, I signed off saying, “If we’re lucky, let’s meet here again.”
And now, with the second volume being released, it looks like luck was indeed on our side. Thank you so much.
Last time, I spoke a bit about how I’m actually a very kind-hearted author.
Honestly, it was a little embarrassing to brag about myself like that, but thankfully, it seems many of you agreed. So for this volume, I thought maybe it’s time to teach you a bit about how harsh life can be. That’s why I had Chihiro-sensei, the illustrator, enhance Meina’s bust size.
Fufufu. To all of you who love Amane and Haru, I’m sure you were thrown into the depths of despair. The hierarchy that you can see with your eyes is, in the end, meaningless in the face of overwhelming power. Before that selfishness, everything can flip upside down in an instant.
But this strategy…It wasn’t without casualties on the production side either. Even though we had previously declared Hakua to have the heaviest weight class, this rebellion happened anyway. I can only imagine the price Chihiro-sensei had to pay. Thinking about it hurts my heart, but thanks to it, Meina got really big. There won’t be any more growth beyond this. Seriously. Ah, just to be safe, I’ll add “as of January 2025” to this statement. If anyone needs a citation, this is your official source!
And now, finally, it’s time for the little sister everyone has been curious about to make her debut!
She’s a real powerhouse—the kind that even my editor said was “five billion times scarier than I imagined.” I think this is probably what everyone’s most interested in.
Is she a [real sister] or a [stepsister]!?
The truth will be revealed in Volume 3! And whether that third volume gets published depends on how well this second volume sells!! This [#Chansuki] stance will probably continue for a little while longer. …I’m really sorry… Nanana… I’m still not a strong enough author that just my name alone can make the editorial and sales teams bow down before me…
So once again, if we’re lucky, let’s meet here.
☆★Special Thanks☆★
To Chihiro Ayaka-sensei for the illustrations, To Editor I, To everyone involved in production and sales, Thank you so much for your hard work. I hope we can work together again for the next volume too.
And to all the readers, I look forward to the day we meet again.
January 2025 , Nana Nanana
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