Chapter 3 – The Unforgettable Taste

Amamiya Haruka was the vice president of the girl’s volleyball club.

Being the complete opposite of the strict and serious president, she was the one who was entrusted to coach the younger members of the club while keeping the atmosphere of the club amiable.

“Don’t just follow the ball aimlessly! Plan your movement properly as you do it!”

“““Yes!”””

Her recent sickness didn’t stop her from fulfilling that duty. As soon as she felt that her body had recovered, she went to the field to coach the first years.

Inside the gym, after school. Even though summer hadn’t arrived yet, the atmosphere inside was hot. They opened the window to let the hot air out, but it didn’t work. The amount of hot air they generated was simply too much. As time went by, the temperature was getting hotter.

Even so, Haruka’s expression didn’t relax. She took a step forward, bracing her pretty face and called out to the first-year students.

“Your movement is too slow! Don’t be afraid of the ball, it won’t hurt you! Do your best to receive it properly!”

“““Y-Yes…”””

“I can’t hear your answer!”

“““Yes!”””

Hearing her angry voice, the first years replied in a panic.

“That’s it, keep that up. We won’t finish this session until everyone can receive the ball properly.”

Looking at the clumsy movements of the first years, Haruka sighed quietly. ‘I guess we won’t make it to the regionals after the third years retired.’ She thought.

Their high school wasn’t well-known for its volleyball team. They simply didn’t have a good enough environment to practice seriously. Their advisor didn’t know anything about volleyball and no one was good enough to teach everybody. The second years only joined in for fun, so after the third years retired, it was doubtful that they would take practice seriously anymore.

Not to mention that due to the strict president, people were put off from joining, so the club didn’t have many members to begin with. Haruka wished that they could get someone who was experienced to join this year, but seeing the scene in front of her, it was clear that none of the first years even knew the basics.

However, she couldn’t just forcefully make them learn from the basics. She was the one who mediated the conflict between the strict third years and the easygoing second years, she knew that if they were to be strict with those new members, they’d just leave the club entirely.

That was why she let them use the court even though they weren’t good enough to use it. Also, she coached them so that they’d feel motivated during the practice. Her presence as the vice president and her popularity could serve as a good motivation for the new first years.

“Alright, that’s all for today! First years, tidy everything up before you leave! Mop the floor and put the balls away!”

“““Yes!”””

After receiving Haruka’s instruction, the first years responded energetically and began to move.

Before Haruka started to coach them, they felt frustrated because their seniors didn’t let them play on the court and made them do basic training over and over again. Now, those frustrations seem to be long gone. Not only that, Haruka also chatted with the first years and bought them sports drinks to win their heart.

“Sorry, Haruka. Dealing with the first year must be tough.”

Haruka was wiping her sweat off her face when the president of the volleyball club called out to her.

“Don’t worry about it, this is part of my duty. Besides, I just recovered, so I should coach them instead of practicing like usual.”

“Who was it that ran the fastest during the warm-up again? You can’t fool me, I know you’ve been itching to move your body around.”

“Aw, you got me~”

The president was a head taller than Haruka. To describe her, she was like a lump of muscle born to play volleyball. She was skilled, her strong body and spikes were the force behind her team’s victory and her enemies’ demise.

“The regional prelim is next month. Honestly, the first years should just focus on practicing the basics properly.”

Despite her talent though, she was the kind of person who’d think that if she was able to do something, then it was a given that others would be able to do it too. That was the reason why the practice was usually so unfun and hard. If it was her and not Haruka who coached the first years, they would probably resign from the club in a heartbeat.

“Well, don’t be like that. You should be lenient with them once in a while. Besides, it’s hard for everyone to match your standards, you know?”

“…Sorry, Haruka. You have to go through this because of me… Wait, could it be the reason why you were sick was because of the mental exhaustion that I caused?”

“No, no, of course not. Seriously, stop overthinking things, Prez!”

However, her tough body and personality didn’t mean that she was invincible. The president was quick to fall into depression and needed to be consoled from time to time. That was why she was distraught when they fell out with the second years. She was also concerned about Haruka, who had a serious stalker problem.

“Thank you for your concern though. That made me feel better.”

“…Jeez, Haruka~”

Because of that though, it was easy for Haruka to understand her. In turn, that made it easier for Haruka to support her as the vice president.

For Haruka, her role as a supportive vice president was easy role for her to play.

* * *

Amamiya Haruka was always trying to live up to the expectations of everyone around her.

Her parents, who were busy at work, always expected her to be obedient. Due to her looks, her friends expected her to be cool and reliable.

After all, to Haruka, if she were able to fulfill everyone’s expectations, everything would be fine. Even though in truth, she was pathetic, dumb and a massive disappointment as a human being, as long as she could stick to her role and fulfill everyone’s expectations, everything would be fine.

That was why she should never, ever expose her true self.

There was a case when she was younger. Someone that she thought of as a little sister confessed her love to her, but she stayed true to her feelings and decided to reject her. Immediately after that, she had to suffer from everyone’s disdain and disappointment toward her. Thankfully, that case was resolved by now and she got along really well with that girl who confessed to her, but when the case was still happening, she was under a lot of pressure and stress.

But that wasn’t the only case where exposing her true feelings brought disaster to her. Last year, she decided to help a kouhai from being bullied. The result? That same kouhai was stalking her.

Then there was the most recent case where she tried to enact justice against someone that hurt the girl she thought of as a little sister. Turned out it was her own misunderstanding and she ended up falling into the fountain because of it. On top of that, her chest was groped by the very same person she tried to attack.

The list went on. Thanks to this, Haruka concluded that unless she was trying to meet someone’s expectations, she was bound to make irreversible mistakes.

This was why Haruka placed her complete trust in everyone who accepted her as the pathetic person she was.

[Tomorrow evening at 6.30! After I go home, I’ll dress up in my best clothes and meet you there!]

[Yes, yes.]

Even if that person was someone that she never met before, a friend from the internet.

* * *

As far as Aoi was concerned, her cousin, Amamiya Haruka, was a cool woman.

It wasn’t referring to Haruka’s appearance, well, truth to be told, Haruka’s appearance was cool, but that wasn’t what Aoi was thinking about. Aoi appreciated her cool personality more than her appearance.

Haruka dared to do the things that she thought were right. For example, back when she rejected young Aoi’s confession. The strong will to not be carried away by the people around her was the cool part of her that Aoi appreciated. Well, sometimes, she made a mistake because of that, but to Aoi, it was a part of her charm. Even though she scolded Haruka whenever she made that kind of mistake, that didn’t mean she hated her for doing it.

To summarize, Aoi thought that Haruka was a cool and brave woman.

“U-Um… Aoi? D-Do you think this looks good on me?”

And that same cool and brave woman was dressing up cutely in front of her.

“I-I used a fashion magazine as a reference, b-but I-I don’t know… W-What do you think?”

In front of her was a beautiful maiden with flaxen hair.

A white dress with frills, decorated by cute accessories here and there. Shoes with a design that prioritized cuteness rather than speed. Her attire made Haruka look especially pretty to the point that the passersby couldn’t take their eyes off her.

“Of course you look good. Honestly, you look so pretty right now– Wait, are you sure you’re just meeting an acquaintance today? It’s not a date, right? If it’s a date, I’m going home.”

“I-It’s not a date! I-I told you that my acquaintance can help me solve my stalker case! I-I just want to leave a good impression on them…”

“I see. I thought your brain got messed up when you caught a cold the other day.”

“Why are you so mean to me?!”

Haruka let out a wry smile.

Seeing Haruka like this, Aoi sighed, “Whatever.”

A few days after Aoi’s visit to Takayuki’s place, Haruka asked her to accompany her to meet up with a ‘reliable person’ that she found on the internet. Aoi told her that if she really wanted help, it was better to ask Takayuki for help instead of some random guy on the internet, but Haruka insisted that she wanted to ask for their help.

“Anyway, can you even trust that person? What made you think that the person isn’t a creepy old man trying to hook up with a high school girl? You didn’t send them your selfies or anything, right?”

“Don’t worry, they’re trustworthy! Actually, whenever I brought up the topic of meeting them in real life or exchanging selfies, they would lecture me for hours before letting me go. They only agreed to meet up today because I told them I have a stalking problem.”

“Do you know the term ‘internet privacy?’”

Both of them were walking to a restaurant where they were supposed to meet Haruka’s acquaintance.

The presence of the two beauties naturally attracted all the people around them, but they were so pretty that no one managed to gather the courage to talk to them, so nothing happened along the way. Most of the people only stared at them for a few seconds before turning their heads away.

“Uh, Aoi? I know about internet privacy, you know? That person is a special case! I won’t just give any other person the same offer as I did with them!”

“That’s literally what everyone who fell for internet scams said. In any case, it won’t hurt to prepare ourselves for the worst. Give me a rundown on what kind of person we’re going to meet. If it comes down to it, we can call the police on them.”

“Ah, well, that person told me that as well. Make enough preparation so that I can call a cop immediately and bring someone trustworthy with me. Preferably someone that looks mature…”

“I see, so that’s why you didn’t ask my sister to come with you. Well, I can see that the person cared about you, but we still shouldn’t let our guard down.”

As they walked, Aoi glanced sideways at Haruka’s figure. Instead of the cool expression that made her kouhais fall in love with her one after another, Haruka was currently wearing the face of a maiden in love.

“So, what kind of person are they? From your words, I could tell that they’re a worrywart, but I don’t know much else…”

“Glad that you asked! That person is—”

Haruka’s cheeks loosened as she started to talk about her friend.

As much as Aoi wanted to support Haruka’s love life, the description that came out of her mouth was just, outrageous to say the least.

According to Haruka, that person was a good-natured tsundere. They always made the time to listen to all her troubles without many complaints. It was borderline delusional to think that someone like that existed in real life.

“Uh, Haru-kun? I’m surprised that you have the willpower to exchange texts with this person all day, but more than that, I’m surprised that there’s someone who actually could stand all that.”

“Ehehe~”

“Don’t laugh, that was sarcasm.”

Aoi showed her dismay, but at the same time, she began profiling what kind of person Haruka’s friend was.

“So, Haru-kun, you told me that you first contacted this person back when you were in your third year of middle school, right? You got to know each other because of a manga and started to befriend each other after that?”

“Yes. When I asked them about various things, they would always say, ‘I don’t know anything about this,’ or ‘You’re so persistent,’ but even though they said that they’d always help me in the end!”

“Have you ever considered that this person isn’t being tsun? They just straight up hate you?”

“But they always treat me so well! We’re besties!”

From Haruka’s cheerful tone, Aoi speculated that the person was a patient, hard-working person and someone who wouldn’t easily give up. After all, only a very good-natured person would go out of their way to help out someone on the internet that they’ve never even met before. Even going as far as to meet them directly to help.

“That person is probably an older woman in college. But, every time I told them this guess, they always said that they’re a man.”

“Sure, sure. Anyway, how are we supposed to meet them?”

“We have a secret code~ We’ll bring a manga and read it inside the restaurant. We agreed on a lesser-known title so we won’t mistake each other! When we get to the restaurant, we’ll just call out to the person who’s reading said manga!”

Haruka then took a romance manga out of her bag. The cover looked pretty, but Aoi didn’t recognize it at all. As Haruka said, it was a lesser-known title.

“Hehehe, I’m looking forward to discussing this manga with her…”

With her red cheeks, Haruka’s smile was the brightest that Aoi had ever seen.

“I hope that this person is a decent person.”

“That goes without saying!”

Aoi wished Haruka good luck.

* * *

““…””

Haruka managed to meet up with her acquaintance without incident.

Fortunately or not, the restaurant where they were supposed to meet was pretty much empty. Rather, only one person was sitting inside. Unless some weird coincidence happened, since the person was reading the same manga Haruka brought with her, that person should be the one that she was supposed to meet.

“…Are you Sunny?”

“…Yes. Are you Baku-san?”

“Yes.”

““…””

After several years of interacting with each other on the internet, this was the first time the two of them met in real life.

Sunny, or Haruka, dressed in a way that made her look like a princess from a modern empire.

Baku, or Takayuki, dressed like a mafia executive who was about to go out for blood.

“Uh… I guess you could call this fate, huh?”

Surprised by the scene in front of her, Aoi muttered. Because she was a totally unrelated party, she managed to recover from the shock quickly.

“In any case, we should sit down first, Haru-kun.”

“???”

“Ah, she’s gone. Alright, I’ll be talking on her behalf until her mind finds its way back to her body, Satou-kun.”

“…Sure.”

With a reluctant look on his face, Takayuki nodded. Aoi then pushed the frozen Haruka to a nearby seat.

“First thing first, a confirmation, Satou-kun. You’re Sunny’s– Haru-kun’s internet friend, correct? And you want to help her out with her problem?”

“Yes, me and that idiot— I mean, Sunny, have the same preference in manga and we have been interacting for a while on social media. This time, she seems to have a serious problem on her hands, that’s why I decided to help her out directly in real life.”

“I see. Now everything comes together. So, the other day, when you said that you have a prior appointment with a friend, you were talking about this appointment?”

“…Yeah.”

“I see.”

Once again, Aoi took a closer look at Takayuki’s appearance.

The first thing that caught her attention was his black-rimmed glasses. The glasses made him look less irreverent than usual and they gave him a more mature look. His clothes made him look older than his age, no one would doubt him if he were to introduce himself as a college student. While his combination of clothes looked like something that would be displayed by a mannequin, Aoi could tell that he put a lot of effort into this.

Realizing this, a slight irritation rose in Aoi’s heart, but she covered it with her usual smile. Not like she had a choice. She didn’t even know why she felt this way, so instead of making a fuss about it, she decided to hide it.

“Anyway, with this, I guess you can take on our request with no worries.”

“No. Sorry, I have to refuse that request. I’m helping out a friend, I don’t need to be paid for it.”

Takayuki denied Aoi’s words calmly without any hesitation. The words came out of his mouth naturally and his serious face expressed his sincereness clearly.

“I understand your feeling, but let me say this to you. You’re such an idiot, you know that?”

“I’m aware. But I only do this because she’s my friend. If it was any other person, I’d expect to be paid handsomely for my service.”

“Sure, sure, whatever, you say. Seriously… So, Haru-kun, what do you think? …Come to your senses already!”

“Hii!”

After Aoi poked her on her side, Haruka finally regained her senses. Then, she immediately sent a sharp glare toward Takayuki, who sat in front of her.

“No way! There’s no way that you’re Baku-san! Where did you keep her?! Release her!”

“Ah, saying that kind of idiotic nonsense without thinking is such a Sunny thing to do.”

“U-uu… S-Stop it! Stop acting like Baku-san! Baku-san is a dependable older woman!”

“I’ve told you countless times that I’m a man. It was you who refused to listen to me. Also, stop shouting. Sure, this place is empty, but that’s impolite and rude to other people that might come here..”

“See? Baku-san is polite! There’s no way that Baku-san will give me such a rough order!”

“Sunny, be quiet.”

“Yes.”

Aoi felt amusement from seeing her cousin slowly turning into an adorable creature.

“Ughh… The more you talk, the more I could see the resemblance between you and Baku-san…”

“We’re literally the same person.”

“D-Did Baku-san, your sister, tell you to come here to replace her for this meeting?”

“Haru-kun, he’s an only child.”

“Ugh! …F-Fine, I can admit that he is Baku-san logically speaking, but my heart refuses to admit it!”

As Haruka spouted those childish words, her face turned red.

Takayuki was amazed by this action and it was clear that he was troubled by it from his expression. But, there was a reason why Haruka’s heart refused to admit the truth that was laid down in front of her.

“If you’re really Baku-san, then convince me! Convince me sincerely like Baku-san always did!”

Haruka pointed her finger at Takayuki’s face. Even Aoi felt that her cousin’s demeanor was pathetic, but for Takayuki, who was used to dealing with this troublesome girl, this order that came from her mouth was nothing worth fussing about.

“Alright. Miyama, can you cover your ears? This is a little embarrassing, you see…”

“Just pretend that I’m not here.”

“Ugh, that smug face of yours… Whatever…”

Seeing Takayuki turning to face Haruka with a determined look, Aoi let out a smirk.

“Sunny, even if you can’t trust me, I don’t care. I’ll still help you.”

And so, Takayuki laid his feelings bare. Using the tone that ‘Baku’ always used. As if she was struck by lightning, Haruka’s body stiffened. After a while, she let out a deep sigh, her face was filled with emotions.

“That tsun tone… You’re really Baku-san… I… I’ve always wanted to meet you!”

“Only Sunny would act this stupidly honest to me…”

The wave of emotions coming from Haruka stunned Takayuki, but he didn’t reject her.

“…”

But inside the room, there was someone who was completely unamused by this scene. Normally, watching this kind of interaction would amuse her, but Aoi couldn’t feel anything resembling that emotion at all.

For some reason, Aoi just couldn’t bring herself to feel happy toward the both of them.

* * *

After Haruka decided to rely on Takayuki, things progressed quickly.

“So, you managed to get ahold of a bunch of cryptic letters as evidence. What about the missing items list? Have you compiled them, Senpai?”

“Ah, yes, here’s the image of the cryptic letters and the missing items list.”

Because he had consulted with Haruka prior to this appointment, Takayuki moved quickly. He made no awkward movements, looking completely comfortable as if doing this was a part of his daily routine.

“…Okay, I memorized everything. Also, I know you feel bad about this, but please keep the evidence in a safe place. If things were to spiral out of our control, we can just use this to rope the police in.”

“O-Okay… B-But, Baku-sa— I mean, Kouhai-kun, I, um…”

Haruka took a glance at the image of the letters before turning her gaze to Takayuki.

“I know what you’re thinking about. We’ll try our best to not involve the police for the time being. I know you have your reason. Even so, we still have to gather as much information as possible about the culprit and the reason behind her actions. So, Senpai, can you tell me who you think is the culprit? And why is she stalking you?”

“Eh? B-But, we talked about this already in our chat…”

“Yes, but Miyama is here to help us out now, so we need to share everything with her. We don’t want any discrepancies in our information. Also, she might be able to point out something that we missed or bring up a new perspective on the case. That’s why, Miyama, no matter how trivial it is, please share your opinion with us.”

“Ah, yeah, sure, but… Satou-kun, you’re getting worked up.”

“My friend is in trouble, it would be weird if I’m not worked up.”

There was no speck of hesitation in Takayuki’s reply to Aoi’s words.

Seeing his attitude, Haruka’s tense expression started to relax as she began to speak.

“Um… I have a suspicion that my stalker is one of the second years, a member of the literature club… Her handwriting looks similar to one of the letters that I received. Also, my friend said that she saw that girl carrying similar things as my stolen belongings… I don’t want to suspect her, but you know…”

“I’ll look at her handwriting later. Do you have her picture?”

“Yes. In this group photo…”

Takayuki looked at Haruka’s phone screen. After a moment, his expression froze.

“This girl, the one with the long bangs. Her name was—”

“…Kageyama Misato.”

Before Haruka could say her name, Takayuki managed to mumble it out first.

He didn’t even need to look at the picture closely. It was as if he was familiar with the girl in question.

“Yes, that’s her name… Huh, wait… You know her, Kouhai-kun?”

“I won’t say that I know her personally, but I’m acquainted with her sister. Her sister is working as an office lady in the next town over. She has been telling me various things about her even though I told her to stop, seriously…”

“You know Misato’s sister?”

“Yeah, but I won’t get into details since it’s completely unrelated to our case. We’re close enough that I can contact her right away if needed, though.”

After letting out a big sigh, Takayuki tightened his expression and said,

“Seriously, I don’t know if this will help me or trouble me even more… In any case, I really can’t just let this matter slide now.”

His eyes were filled with willpower.

This appearance of him was the side that Aoi admired. The appearance of a hero. Someone who wouldn’t falter in the face of evil and wouldn’t be blinded by his own righteousness. The kind of person who’d shine whenever he was helping someone.

Of course, Aoi knew that glorifying Takayuki like this wasn’t the right thing to do. Nevertheless, she felt happy to see him acting like this. Well, she was supposed to be happy, but for some reason, a feeling of dissatisfaction rose in her heart.

“For the time being, we should focus on protecting Senpai. Yes, it’s important to solve the problem as soon as possible, but if Senpai were to get hurt because we were too focused on solving the problem, that would be counterproductive. We need to straighten our priorities.”

“…Right. I guess we should take turns on the guarding duty then, Satou-kun.”

Aoi was deep in thought when Takayuki threw those words at her. Luckily, she was used to this, so she managed to respond properly with a smile, despite her inner thoughts in turmoil.

“No. Miyama, if you make a move, it will attract too much attention. You should focus on helping out from behind the scenes to eliminate any uncertainties that might provoke the stalker.”

“I guess so, huh? It’ll be difficult for me to move out in the open…”

“Mhm. So, I’ll be the one in charge of guarding her. Of course, it’s impossible for me to be with her 24/7, so Senpai, whenever you go out without me, try to go out in a group of three. You can’t let your guard down, okay?”

“G-Got it…”

At Takayuki’s words, Haruka nodded solemnly. Gone was the hostile look she gave to him just a few days ago.

“Anyway, for now, before we’re doing anything big, we should try to ascertain the identity of the culprit first. No need to be hasty though, just take it slow, we’ll get them eventually. And, Senpai, if you need my help, make sure to contact me as soon as possible. Whether it’s in the middle of the night or early in the morning, I’ll go to your side as soon as I can.”

“…Okay.”

Normally, in situations like this, Haruka would don her ‘tough’ mask and act like a strong person. But, this time, she just nodded meekly at Takayuki’s words. From the reddish hue of her cheeks, it was clear how important an existence was ‘Baku’ to her.

“…”

Seeing this, Aoi felt restless. The turmoil in her heart grew bigger, though she was still able to hide it with her iconic smile.

It was jealousy. Takayuki and Aoi made a pledge to be partners, yet she was unable to communicate with Takayuki as well as Haruka did. However, Aoi failed to recognize these feelings.

“Alright, Miyama. I’m going to ask you to play a very important role. Are you willing to?”

When Takayuki asked that question, her mood immediately improved. The poor girl didn’t even know the reason for her mood swings.

“Of course. Who do you think I am?”

She responded to Takayuki while wearing her usual smile.

“Thank you, glad to hear that.”

“Well, it’s our problem to begin with, so it’s a given that I’d offer my help. It’s for Haru-kun’s sake too. Anyway, what do I need to do?”

“Mm, okay, so, what I need you to do is observe us from a distance. If you feel that something went wrong, immediately contact me. You have good eyes, the job suits you. I can’t entrust this job to anyone else because there’s a chance that things will turn messy if they let their guard down even a little.”

“Leave it to me. I got your back.”

“I’m counting on you. Also, there’s something else. It’s a low priority on the list, but if you can afford to do it, please do it for me.”

“Hm?”

Aoi tilted her head cutely. Then, Takayuki made a fearless grin and said,

“Make up a plausible reason for me and Senpai to walk to school together every day. Just in case, you know? I don’t want to die early, you see?”

Despite the fearless grin, there was a bead of sweat running down his cheeks. It was clear that he was trying to put up a strong face.

* * *

‘If only I didn’t pick up that keychain, I wouldn’t be in this situation.’

These days, that was the only thing that Kageyama Misato could think of. A few months ago, she found her adored senpai’s keychain sitting on the ground. It was shaped after a deformed baku. ‘If only I didn’t pick it up,’ she thought. ‘I would never turn out to be like this.’

But then, a voice rose from deep within her heart.

‘Or probably not.’ The voice scoffed at her weak thoughts.

* * *

Kageyama Misato knew that she was a useless person.

She struggled in doing things that everybody else could do with ease. Aside from having problems with her studies and athletic prowess, she was also unable to socialize well. Those problems, coupled with her mentality that refused to rely on others made her struggle even more in her daily life.

Misato thought that exchanging words with others felt suffocating and painful. So, she always tried to keep her head down and not to get involved with anyone as much as possible.

The reason why she was still able to go to school despite this was largely due to her older sister. She was a special existence to Misato. Sociable, cheerful, capable and kind, she was a goddess-like existence to her.

“Mi~ Sa~ To~! I got dumped again! Waaah!”

However, even the goddess-like sister had a weakness she couldn’t overcome. Her luck regarding her love life was awful. She was capable, but when it came to love, her bad luck was unmatched.

Most of the people she fell in love with either already had a partner of their own or rejected her advances even before she started. Thanks to this, Misato found the purpose of her existence. To comfort her sister, who seemed to be hated by Aphrodite herself.

“Hehe, Misato, recently I found a really good love counselor! Now I can finally keep my dignity around you! I won’t trouble you with my love life anymore!”

But even that purpose was lost a few years ago. At first, she treated her words as a joke and ignored them. It was only when she realized that her sister stopped clinging to her that she understood, her sister wasn’t joking. After that, came the realization that she had lost her purpose in life.

However, even when she lost her purpose, Misato’s life didn’t change drastically. She isolated herself from her surroundings in the first place, so it didn’t really affect her life that much. As usual, she kept her head down, trying to stay out of trouble. Whenever someone forced her to do trivial chores, she’d accept it without complaining. People started talking behind her back, but she ignored them completely. She was bullied, but luckily for her, her bullies were sensible as their bullying never went too far. Most of her time in school was spent listlessly staring at space, hoping that time would pass quickly.

“You guys! Aren’t you ashamed of what you guys are currently doing?!”

As she passed her mundane school days, without any warning, a special someone reached her hands out to her.

That person shone brighter than anyone else. Her name was Amamiya Haruka, an upperclassman of hers, a popular person that was adored by everyone.

In a matter of minutes, she solved Misato’s bullying problems. Ever since then, no one tried to force her to do their chores or harassed her anymore. But, instead of being thankful, a dark sense of resignation and a wave of envy rose up from the depths of Misato’s heart.

Surely, Haruka only saved her because she found her pitiful. As soon as she managed to satisfy her daily dose of hypocrisy, she’d forget that Misato ever existed.

And so, Misato gathered her courage and confronted Haruka. But the words that came out of Haruka’s mouth were incomprehensible to her.

Up until the end, she didn’t understand the words that Haruka said to her back then. What she understood though, being with Haruka filled her heart with warmth. For the first time in her life, she felt like a proper human being.

“Congratulations, you can walk on your own now, Misato! I believe that you can befriend everyone you like on your own now!”

But, her dream ended when she was finally able to socialize properly with her surroundings. As Haruka handed over a cheesy-looking certificate with a big smile on her face, Misato became aware that everything would come to an end.

It was during that time that Misato realized how important was Haruka’s existence to her. Sadly for her, her feelings weren’t reciprocal.

After that day, they no longer ate lunch together. Even when Haruka invited her, she’d always find an excuse to refuse it. Seeing Haruka surrounded by her friends pained Misato. To Haruka, Misato’s existence wasn’t any different from the other girls around her.

But, that was just her assumption. In fact, Haruka often tried to invite Misato to hang out with her, even after she handed out the certificate. Never once did Haruka try to abandon her as Misato assumed.

All along, all the negativity came from Misato’s own heart.

“…Ah, this…”

And then, it happened. That day, Misato was on her way to meet with Haruka. In the hallway, she found a keychain on the floor. Misato knew that the keychain was Haruka’s. Not only that she often saw it hanging on Haruka’s school bag, Haruka also told her many times about how much she adored the keychain.

The first thing that came to her mind was to give it back to Haruka, but then she heard a whisper from the depths of her heart.

‘If I keep this to myself, what kind of face will Haruka-senpai make?’

That day, Kageyama Misato turned into a stalker.

* * *

Back to the present, Misato was enjoying the fruits of her work.

“Clubtime is over, Senpai! Let’s go home already! Seriously, I really can’t take my eyes off you for a second, you immediately slack off when I do.”

“I’m not?! I’m just talking with my clubmates!”

“Your clubmates were the ones who begged me to help you with your studies! You know that if you get a red mark this time, they’ll forbid you from entering the tournament, right? I really should just tell Renge-san to teach you.”

“Not Renge-san, please!”

From the shadows, Misato was watching a certain pair making a fuss in the corridor between the gym and the school building. Burning the scene into her eyes, she clenched her fists so tightly that her fingernails dug deeply into her palms.

“F-Fine, I get it! J-Just don’t get too close to me! I’m all sweaty right now!”

Haruka made an embarrassed face as she was being pulled along by a familiar looking boy.

She was showing an expression she had never made before. The expression of a maiden in love.

“Who cares, everyone who’s passing here is at least as sweaty as you.”

“I do!”

Misato stared at the boy who was talking to Haruka with a blunt tone, Takayuki. For the past few days, he had been hanging around Haruka. Due to his reputation as a delinquent, Misato thought that he was there to flirt with Haruka, but according to the ongoing rumors among the first years, it didn’t seem to be the case.

Apparently, Takayuki and Haruka were relatives and they were quite close. The rumors said that Haruka’s parents asked Takayuki to monitor Haruka’s studies since the latter had bad grades. Her grades were so bad that the school almost forbade her from participating in the upcoming tournament.

Some people, including Misato, had suspicions about the rumors, but after seeing their interaction at school, they had no choice but to believe them.

Of course, the rumors weren’t true. It was just something that Aoi deliberately spread.

“Kouhai-kun, Kouhai-kun, do you know? Exercise consumes your energy, so I need to replenish it first before I can study properly.”

“I’ll give you ten minutes of break.”

“That’s not enough time to play a single game at an arcade!”

“Then, don’t go there.”

Haruka eventually resigned to her fate and let herself be dragged away by Takayuki. Seeing this scene, a sense of disgust and discomfort rose up from Misato’s heart.

If this was anyone else, Misato wouldn’t feel this way. Even when she saw the freshmen trying to flirt with Haruka, she would only feel a little ache in her heart.

But the scene that she was seeing felt different. Normally, Haruka would just brush anyone who tried to flirt with her off with composure, but with Takayuki, none of that was happening. It was clear that Takayuki was a special existence to Haruka.

“Kouhai-kun, do you know that there’s a new crepe shop a block away from the station? Why don’t we go there first?”

“As far as I’m aware, going there will take more than ten minutes.”

As if it was the most natural thing to do, Misato decided to tail them.

Misato didn’t have much presence in the first place and she was aware of this fact. That was why she was confident that even if she were to follow them, they wouldn’t notice her. It wasn’t a baseless confidence too, as she had been stalking Haruka for a while now and the latter never noticed her. She thought that as long as she was quieter than usual, things would be alright.

“What about croquettes, Kouhai-kun? You’ll be surprised to find out how good freshly fried croquettes taste!”

“Huh? You were just talking about crepes, I thought you’re craving for something sweet right now…”

“I don’t know, I just feel like eating both, I guess?”

“You’ll get fat.”

“I’ll burn the calories away anyway!”

Except that she failed to take into account the emotional damage that she would receive for tailing those two. And thanks to her clenching her fists tightly, her nails dug into her palms deeply, resulting in her receiving a physical damage on top of the emotional one.

The sight of Takayuki and Haruka walking side by side while talking would make anyone who saw them think that they were a perfect pair of couples. Even Misato shared that opinion.

To Misato, Haruka was a dependable senpai.

To her clubmates, Haruka was a reliable vice president.

Misato was aware that Haruka believed that her purpose in life was to fulfill the expectations of everyone around her. But, she made a genuine smile in front of Takayuki, a smile that she never showed even to Misato.

“Yes, this is the thing! The cold evening makes the steamed buns taste better!”

“Eat slowly, you’ll choke yourself.”

“I know! Nom nom… By the way, Kouhai-kun.”

“What? We are going straight home after this, no more side tracking.”

“Isn’t the new issue for ‘The Harem King’s Shuraba’ out today? You love that one, right, Kouhai-kun?”

“…Going to the bookstore before going home doesn’t seem bad, huh?”

“That’s what I’m talking about!”

Every time Haruka showed her smile to Takayuki, dark emotions rose in Misato’s heart.

They were the same feelings that she felt back when she first stole Haruka’s belongings. Back when she decided to keep Haruka’s keychain to herself for no particular reason.

‘Hurt him.’ Whispered the dark emotion. The words echoed in her brain endlessly.

Misato knew that she ended up in this state because she couldn’t resist those whispers. She knew that if she were to follow those whispers, Haruka would show her a pained look, a look that would pain her to the point that she’d want to kill herself.

That pain was the reason why she’d send cryptic letters like ‘Please punish me’ or ‘Don’t forgive me’ to Haruka. Little did she know that those letters would be the beginning of her own downfall.

Despite the guilt and the pain, Misato still couldn’t stop stalking Haruka. The act didn’t only bring her pain, after all. At times, she’d feel an immense amount of twisted pleasure and satisfaction comparable to scratching out the dry scabs off your skin.

With a hint of self-deprecation and malice, Misato unknowingly let out a smile.

‘Hey you, are you okay?’

However, right before she was about to be swallowed by those dark emotions, a certain memory flashed through Misato’s mind.

A memory from around a month ago. After the entrance ceremony, back when a group of boys, Haruka’s classmates to be exact, witnessed her trying to steal one of Haruka’s belongings. From a third party’s perspective, the scene might seem like the boys were bullying Misato.

Despite that, someone was actually crazy enough to barge into that scene to defend her. Granted, he was among the people who didn’t know what was going on, but the fact that someone would even attempt to do it baffled Misato.

At that time, she couldn’t say anything to the boy. Even though it was her fault that the boy ended up getting into trouble afterwards. Still, thinking back to that scene, Misato felt a sense of shame. It was because the boy who saved her back then was the same boy who was walking side by side with Haruka, Takayuki.

How shameful of a human being was she? He was her savior, yet instead of being thankful to him, she directed her jealousy toward him instead. Such thoughts began to appear in her mind.

“Satou… Takayuki… Are you a ‘special existence’ too? …Is that why you are able to stand side by side with her?”

Her words served as both a question and an answer to convince herself of the reality that was happening in front of her eyes.

Haruka was a special existence, so if Takayuki was also one of them, it would be natural for them to be attracted to each other. The strange one here was Misato herself for feeling jealous about it.

“…Huh?”

Misato tried to look toward their direction again and noticed that they had disappeared from her sight.

She tried to look around to no avail. Thinking that they might be going to a certain corner in the shopping district, Misato went there, but they were still nowhere to be seen. They might be in a store somewhere in the district, but the only stores in the vicinity were izakayas¹Izakaya is a kind of Japanese bar. and small restaurants that would be only open at night. Flustered, she tried to poke around the area, attracting stares from the passersby.

After a while, she let out a defeated sigh.

“Just where—”

“Yo, Kageyama-senpai.”

The moment Misato gave up looking for them, one of the people she was looking for came forward to meet her.

“Are you looking for us, by any chance?”

Like they were longtime friends, he embraced her shoulder from behind.

“…Hii!”

The gesture scared her. Who could blame her, though, as Takayuki suddenly appeared like a ghost and before she could react, he already restrained her movements.

There was nothing she could do to escape his grasp. Despite her being a girl, Takayuki didn’t hold back his strength, evidenced by the fact that Misato could barely move. She tried to scream, but before a sound could escape from her mouth, Takayuki spoke up.

“Actually, we’re looking for you too. We need to have a few words with you, you see? Could you come with me? Well, you could try to run and I won’t stop you from doing so, but if you were to do that, then we’ll have to report all your deeds to the school. You don’t want that to happen, do you?”

The threat was delivered perfectly with his alluring voice and smile. Misato found her heart tightened.

“I’ll ask once again. Could you come with me, Kageyama-senpai?”

“…Yes.”

At his oddly gentle tone, Misato could only nod her head while trembling.

* * *

The more someone was used to tail another, the less they’d expect to be tailed by others.

Aoi once read such a sentence in a manga, but never did she expect that she would witness the actual scene happening in real life.

“Seriously, look at him. With all the bad rumors surrounding him, you’d expect him to do things in moderation, but he just went ahead and acted like a thug in broad daylight. I know that this is better than doing nothing, but still…”

To summarize what just happened.

Just as Takayuki and Haruka were being tailed by Misato, Aoi was tailing Misato. She put on some light disguise for safe measure, but the person she tailed didn’t even notice her, so there really was no need for her to go that far. In the end, Misato was caught in the trap that they had set. All Aoi needed to do was to contact Takayuki at the perfect moment and so that he could catch her during the act.

“We can finally start…”

Aoi followed Takayuki and Misato to a closed restaurant. The door was unlocked, so they could freely enter the place.

Thanks to Takayuki’s connection, they were able to rent the space. Their plan was to let Takayuki and Haruka hide inside the restaurant to make Misato lower her guard down. Since the place was supposed to be closed, there was no way that Misato would expect that they were hiding inside. After that, Takayuki would sneak up on her and drag her to the restaurant with him.

“Ah, there you are, Miyama. Good work.”

When Aoi entered the restaurant, Takayuki greeted her with his usual irreverent look. Next to him was a girl with a gloomy expression. At first glance, she looked like a normal high school student, save from her unusually long bangs despite her having shoulder-length hair. From behind her bangs, her eyes constantly wander around in confusion. With her appearance, it was obvious that she was not a model or something like that. Her presence gave people who saw her a sense of unease. The girl was Kageyama Misato, the culprit of the stalking incident.

Both Takayuki and Misato were sitting at the furthest table from the entrance. He was keeping a close eye on her, preventing her from escaping.

“I need more than praise from you. Buy me something to eat later. Seeing you two flirting around without a care in the world was painful.”

With a firm tone, Aoi responded to Takayuki’s praise.

“I knew you would say so, that’s why I bought you some steamed buns! Here you go~”

“…Thank you, Haru-kun.”

Haruka handed a plastic bag filled with steamed buns to Aoi. She was seated near the entrance, far away from where Takayuki and Misato were seated.

This distance was the only compromise Takayuki was willing to make for their willingness to participate in this plan. Originally, he wanted both of them to stay out of it since they might be exposed to danger, but both of them insisted on accompanying him.

Back then, Aoi was still able to smirk, thinking that Takayuki was just being a worrywart like usual. But when the culprit was right in front of her like this, she became less talkative out of nervousness. Meanwhile the victim, Haruka, was still able to smile, but it was clear that she was forcing herself to.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m okay… I’m okay…”

Seeing Haruka’s response made Aoi realize how amazing of a person Takayuki was. Even in this situation, he didn’t seem to falter.

“Now that we’re all here, let’s get started.”

Noticing Haruka’s state, Takayuki quickly cut their conversation short.

“First thing first, Kageyama-senpai, we know that you’re the one who’s stalking Haruka-senpai. I got enough evidence to prove that. By the way, the evidence isn’t a video or anything. It’s the things that you stole from her. We procured it out of your room. All of them.”

“…Eh? Ah? H-How?…”

To Misato who asked that question with a trembling voice, Takayuki answered her question casually.

“I know your sister. When I explained the situation to her, she was more than willing to cooperate. In exchange, she begged me to not bring this case to the police. She even got on her knees for you.”

“U-Uu…”

Hearing that, Misato turned her head down as her bangs fell down like a curtain.

Takayuki wasn’t lying. By strange coincidence, Misato’s sister was one of Takayuki’s regulars. The office lady who went to a hotel with him the other day.

Therefore, it was easy for him to get ahold of the stolen things. Of course, at first her sister rejected his request. She didn’t want to intrude on her little sister’s private life. But soon enough, she realized that if she didn’t cooperate, worse things could happen to her little sister, so she changed her mind. The result of that was this, they found the evidence that Misato was truly the culprit.

“Kageyama-senpai, if I want to persecute you because of your crime, I’d already report you to the school, hell I’d even report you to the police. The reason why I haven’t done so already is because of your sister and most importantly, this is the victim’s request. Do you understand the situation now, Kageyama-senpai?”

“Eh?… H-Haruka-senpai? W-Why?…”

“I’ll repeat my question. Do you understand your situation?”

“H-Hii! Y-Yes!”

Misato was about to turn her gaze toward Haruka, but before she was able to, Takayuki restrained her action with his words. He didn’t raise his voice, but the change in his tone intimidated her.

“Good. Then, let’s get to business, shall we?”

Seeing Takayuki still acting nonchalantly made a shiver run down Aoi’s spine.

Normally, Takayuki was a mild-mannered and silly boy, but in this situation, he was even more intimidating than his looks suggested.

“So, Kageyama-senpai. Why did you steal Haruka-senpai’s belongings? Why did you send all those cryptic letters to her and stalked her? Didn’t she help you out when you were in trouble? Why are you doing something like this to her? No sensible person would do this to her savior, do you know that? Oh, by the way, I’m not trying to threaten you or anything, I’m just asking you to find out about your motive. We need to find out the root of the cause so that this wouldn’t happen again in the future, after all. That’s why, I hope that you would be willing to cooperate with me.”

“…”

“Cat got your tongue? Where’s my answer?”

His amiable smile was gone, the tone of his voice was cold.

Even Aoi and Haruka were trembling after seeing this side of him, let alone Misato. In fact, Misato was already tearing up.

“B-Because… I-I’m not… S-Special…”

Her confession was accompanied by tears.

“H-Haruka-senpai is cool… Amazing… E-Everyone adores her… S-She has a lot of friends… M-Meanwhile, I… I…”

Her eyes were hidden by her bangs, so Takayuki couldn’t see them.

But he could see her self-deprecating smile.

“I-I don’t know… I don’t know! I didn’t even want to hurt her! At first, I just picked up the keychain that she dropped, but when I was thinking of giving it back to her, something inside me was telling me not to do it. When I saw her pained look, my heart ached and I regretted my actions, but I… I felt… Relieved…”

Her words were shaky like her wobbling body. What she said didn’t make any sense, it was obvious that she harbored a certain dark emotion.

“I didn’t want to do this, but I was afraid that if I didn’t do something, Haruka-senpai would abandon me! Unlike her, I’m not a special existence! I was afraid that she’d grow to be disappointed in me, leave me and eventually forget about me! But I realized that it’s inevitable. It’s natural that she’d leave my side. That’s why, if I do this… Even though she’ll end up disappointed in me all the same, at least she won’t forget about me. I know that it’s stupid, the more I do this, the more my heart aches… But I did it anyway, because I love her… I love her, I love her… Why do I hurt the person I love? I don’t know, but I love her…”

Her words were more than enough to get on Aoi’s nerves. Meanwhile, Haruka stared at Misato with a blank expression, but her complexion looked pale. She was in a state of shock after hearing her kouhai’s confession.

“Ahahaha… I’m stupid, I know… But, you know what? I’m glad that it turned out this way. Yes, I’m hurting. Yes, I feel sad about it. But who cares? With this, Haruka-senpai will remember someone like me… She’ll never forget me… Ahaha!”

Aoi could hear something within her snap. Misato’s selfish words made her lose her mind.

She could tolerate Misato no more. Aoi forcefully stood up from where she sat.

“Stop messing around.”

But before she could do anything, a quiet, angry voice echoed through the room.

“What the hell are you even on about?”

It was Takayuki’s voice. It was clear from his expression that he was angry, but at the same time, there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. While still wearing that expression, he grabbed Misato’s arms and helped her to her feet.

“H-Hii! S-Sorry!—”

“Look at her closely. Do you think that she’s some kind of special existence?”

Ignoring her cowering body, Misato moved her gaze toward Haruka.

“Swipe that depressing bang away and look closely at her face. Does that seem like the face of someone who’d abandon her friends without feeling any remorse to you?”

Takayuki then swiped Misato’s bang away, forcing her to see what was happening in front of her.

“…Ah.”

With a clear vision, Misato was finally able to get a good look at Haruka’s face.

She looked pale, weak and there was sadness in her face. Even so, her expression seemed to indicate that she hadn’t given up on Misato yet. Misato could see Haruka’s fingers trembling, but the latter’s gaze never left Misato’s face.

“She’s just a normal girl.”

Takayuki said, after seeing Misato’s wide-eyed face.

“That person is an idiot who’s too embarrassed to wear the clothes that she bought herself. She’s the kind of idiot who stayed up late on the night of an exam talking about manga with someone on the internet and ended up being scolded by her parents. The idiot who tried to save a bullied kouhai just because she felt that they were the same kind of person.”

“…A-Ah… T-That’s…”

“She was proud that the kouhai she saved grew to be able to talk to other people normally, to the point that she made that cheesy, stupid-looking certificate to celebrate the occasion. Even when everything backfired on her, she still believed in her kouhai like the idiot she was. Tell me, Kageyama-senpai. Do you really think that she is a special existence or whatnot?”

In a quiet tone, Takayuki tried to passionately convey his words to Misato. Her expression became distorted. Not because she disagreed with his words, but because of the self-loathing she felt after hearing his words. Her regret made her sneer look ugly as her tears slowly trickled down on the floor.

“Uuu… W-Waah… S-Sorry… I… I…”

“…Misato.”

At the sight of Misato kneeling while apologizing, Haruka let out a sigh of relief.

It would be nice if things could end just like this, but this was the real life not fantasy.

“I-I! I probably will repeat this again, even if you forgive me… Hic… E-Even if I feel sorry today, that dark emotion will come back again one day… H-Haruka-senpai, I love you and I want to keep you to myself… But I don’t want to hurt you anymore…”

Even if one could accept everything logically, the human’s heart worked differently than the mind. The mind would want to do good, but the heart could corrupt that intention and turn it into a dark and twisted one.

Aoi knew this as she had experienced the same thing in the past.

“That’s why from now on, I’ll disappear from your life, Haruka-senpai! I’ll go to somewhere you can’t reach, it’s the only way—”

“It’s not the only way.”

But there was one thing that could change the current situation.

“Kageyama-senpai— No, Kageyama Misato. If you wish, I can save you in exchange for something that’s dear to you, your feelings. You have to keep this in mind though. If you agree to this, something within you will change. For better or worse, we wouldn’t know, but a change will definitely occur.”

Takayuki laughed scornfully as he reached out to Misato, who was kneeling on the floor.

“…Eh? What are you?”

Being told something like that so suddenly, obviously Misato would feel confused. Puzzled by Takayuki’s words, she looked up to him, trying to find out what he was talking about.

To Aoi, this scene brought her a sense of deja vu. In this room, she was probably the only person who understood what he was trying to do.

“Whether you want to believe me or not, it’s up to you. I still want you to choose, though. If there’s a way for you to get out of this situation without having to disappear from Haruka-senpai’s life, will you take it no matter the price? If so, take my hand.”

Staring at his hand dumbfoundedly, Misato pondered. Not long after that, she erased the tears from her face with the cuffs of her uniform. Brushing her bangs, she took Takayuki’s hand and looked up at him.

“As long as Haruka-senpai doesn’t get hurt by my decision, I’m willing to pay anything.”

“I see. I’ll do my best to fulfill your wish.”

Takayuki supported Misato to stand with her own legs. Then, he guided her to sit down at a nearby chair, making her body lean toward the table.

“Make yourself comfortable here. You can keep your eyes open, but make sure to put your weight on the table… Yeah, just like that. Perfect.”

“…This feels scary somehow. What are you trying to do to me? This is even scarier than getting a needle shot!”

“Hahaha what are you talking about, Kageyama-senpai? I won’t do anything scary like that.”

Even though she was frightened, Misato still obeyed Takayuki’s instructions.

“…Um, Aoi, what is he doing?”

Watching the scene unfold before her, Haruka asked Aoi what was going on.

“Just watch, Haru-kun. Don’t worry, he won’t be doing anything dangerous.”

To the worried looking Haruka, Aoi assured her that Takayuki wouldn’t be doing anything outrageous.

After all, Aoi knew. The anguish and pain that Misato felt and inflicted would turn into memories eventually. Takayuki’s ability would just speed up the process.

“Don’t worry. This will be over soon. It’s as easy as taking candy from a baby.”

Aoi’s gaze caught the sight of Takayuki touching Misato’s head with his fingertips. This was the second time she saw him doing this. Her attention was focused on the beautiful sight in front of her, the sight when Takayuki invoked his power.

Thanks to that, Aoi failed to notice Haruka’s state. Her previously pale face had turned bright red.

* * *

“Phew… It tastes so disgusting. How do I describe this? It’s like drinking coffee milk with frozen charred coffee beans. It’s the taste of self-hatred and anguish. It’s been a while since I tasted something this vile…”

Takayuki managed to flawlessly invoke his ability, but soon afterwards, his face turned really ugly. It seemed like Misato’s love tasted as bad as he described.

“Hahaha, good job, Satou-kun.”

However, Aoi didn’t find his attitude to be uncool. She felt relieved after seeing the familiar expression on his face.

“We’re all done then?”

“For the time being, yes. If she really were stalking senpai out of love, she’d stop doing it from now on.”

“Well, you’ve already done your best. Honestly, the fact that you are able to erase the pain of her broken heart is good enough already… By the way, does love really taste that bad?”

“Broken heart tastes bad, yes. There are different kinds of ‘bad’ for the taste, though. It’s the first time in a while that it tastes so bad that I almost fainted from eating it.”

“Huh, I see… By the way, what did mine taste like?”

“So bad I almost fainted.”

“…”

“Stop! Stop shaking me, idiot! You won’t get your love out of my stomach, you’ll just make me vomit out the inside of my stomach if you do this!”

As Takayuki and Aoi were making a fuss, Misato, who passed out beside them, began to move her body. Slowly, she got up and looked around her surroundings with a sleepy gaze. It seemed like the girl was a light sleeper. After hearing someone making some noises beside her, she immediately woke up.

“Ah, she’s up.”

“Right… How do you feel, Kageyama-senpai?”

Hearing Takayuki’s voice, Misato blinked her eyes.

“…Huh? Eh? …I-I? Huh?”

She tilted her head, placing her hands in her chest before opening her eyes wide.

“It’s gone…”

Again and again, Misato grasped her chest, trying to confirm her own words before she nodded. Her expression changed from confused to relieved in a few seconds.

“Hahaha, finally… Finally I’m free from that disgusting emotion… Ahaha… Thank you… You saved me… Thank you…”

Seeing the change in Misato’s emotions made Takayuki bewildered. With eyes filled with tears, she held his hands tightly.

“S-Sure… S-So, did you feel anything different?”

“I feel exhilarated! It feels like I’ve been reborn! Ah, of course, I’ll atone for my sins to Haruka-senpai and everyone that I had been troubling so far… I promise…”

Misato who had her love eaten away was like a whole different person. Her smile was so bright, it was as if all the dark emotions inside her had been completely purged.

Meanwhile Takayuki was having trouble dealing with the now energetic senpai of his.

“Of course I won’t ever forget this favor. You’ve saved me. I’ll dedicate my whole life to you to repay you.”

“No, don’t do that, please…”

Through her bangs, Misato’s eyes were glittering. She held Takayuki’s hands tightly. But suddenly, she moved away from him. No, she didn’t do it because she felt intimidated by Aoi’s smile.

“Anyway, first thing first.”

Misato spun her body around and bowed toward Haruka.

“Forgive me, Haruka-senpai. I know I have no right to beg for forgiveness from you, but I’ll do my best to atone for my sins…”

Seeing this, Haruka shook her head. There was a gentle smile on her face.

“…Idiot, it’s fine, Misato. Don’t be too hard on yourself, okay? I’m fine.”

“No. Your kindness is a part of your charm, Haruka-senpai, but please don’t go easy on me. Of course if you feel troubled, I can just disappear. I don’t want my atonement to make you feel burdened.”

“Oh jeez, don’t be like this, Misato!”

Seeing Misato’s conduct, all tension left Haruka’s body as she began to show a more relaxed smile. The tone that she used to address Misato was a gentle one, the tone that she normally used toward her friends.

“If you say so… But, can I say something to you, Haruka-senpai? I know I’m meddling in your private affairs, but you know…”

“Huh?”

“If you want to say it to him, the sooner you do it the better.”

Misato said that in a teasing tone. Rather than meddling, it was more like she was giving a small push for her friend.

For a while, Haruka failed to understand what she was trying to say. But, when Misato nudged her chin in Takayuki’s direction, Haruka’s cheeks turned bright red.

“E-Eh? W-Why?! H-How?!”

“It’s very obvious. It’s actually harder to not notice it. In any case, do your best, Senpai.”

“…Ugh.”

When Misato urged her with a smile, Haruka couldn’t say anything back to her. After a while, she faced Takayuki with a determined look.

“K-Kouhai-kun!”

“Yeah? What is it, Haruka-senpai?”

In contrast to Haruka’s tense gait, Takayuki had a relaxed one. He didn’t know anything about Haruka’s feelings. Though, Aoi, who was standing next to him, started to feel nervous after seeing this scene.

“First of all, thank you for everything. Thanks to you we managed to reach a satisfying conclusion safely… Honestly, I can’t thank you enough…”

“You’re welcome. Well, toward the end, I actually kinda casted a spell on Kageyama-senpai—”

“I know, I can see it. There was something that looked like a mist that came out from Misato’s body and it went inside your mouth. After that, she suddenly became cheerful like this. I assume that it was her bad feelings and you ate them all, am I right?”

“Eh?”

“Hehehe, strange isn’t it? I saw an amazing sight in front of me, but I didn’t freak out somehow. Normally, I’d probably pounce on you and ask you various questions, but I don’t even feel the urge to do so right now. But, Kouhai-kun, that isn’t important right now.”

“Huh? S-Senpai?”

“I have something to tell you, Kouhai-kun.”

Seeing Takayuki all flustered made Aoi react the same way. Actually, she was even more flustered than him. It was to the point that she wasn’t able to say anything. After all, if what Haruka was saying was true, that meant Aoi wasn’t a unique being to Takayuki. She always thought that she was the only one who had the privilege to stand by his side. Never did she expect that it was just her wishful thinking.

“Please listen to me properly…”

Aoi could only watch this scene in silence.

Her cheeks upturned, her eyes were moist. Aoi witnessed Haruka desperately trying to convey her feelings.

“Y-You see, Satou Takayuki… I-I… I love you! I love you romantically!”

“…What?”

When Haruka finally confessed her feelings, Aoi couldn’t do anything anymore.

“U-Uwaah! I-I said it!”

“Uh, w-wait! Haruka-senpai!”

Before Takayuki could give her an answer, though, Haruka had already fled the scene out of embarrassment.

* * *

Three days after the shocking confession.

“Aaaahh! It’s impossible! I can’t do it anymore! There’s only so much knowledge that my brain can absorb!”

“Stop acting like an idiot and open your textbooks. Think about your club. You don’t want to let them down just because you get bad grades, do you? Think about the mess that would happen if you aren’t there by their side.”

“…Aaa… I-I’ll do my best… For everyone’s sake…”

“Good. Answer these questions first, then I’ll give you a quiz so you can review everything.”

Haruka, who made a full-blown confession just a few days ago, was literally in tears.

Currently, she was being tutored by Renge in Miyama’s residence. While Renge’s explanation was clear and easy to understand, the content of the lesson itself was too hard for Haruka. When Aoi entered the room with food in her hands, Haruka already turned into a living corpse on the tatami mats.

“I can’t… I can’t take this anymore…”

“Good grief. Fine, let’s take a short break. We’ll start the lesson again after your break is over, okay? This is for Satou-kun’s sake too. He went out of his way to exchange his reward for your study sessions with me, you know?”

“Uu… Why is he so mean to me? I thought the studying thing was just something that we made up for the stalking incident…”

Seeing Haruka lying down on the tatami mats, Renge let out a sigh.

“This isn’t him being mean, he just wants the best for you. He holds you dearly in his heart, you know? Do you know that he actually bowed his head, begging for me to take care of you? Don’t waste his kindness. The least thing you can do is to study properly.”

“…Fiiinee.”

“Okay, I’m going to grade this, after that I’ll make a new set of questions for you. Aoi, I’ll leave her to you.”

“Mm, got it.”

Renge showed a beautiful smile. She put away all the textbooks and printouts before going to her room. As soon as Renge disappeared from her sight, Haruka, who had been lying down, immediately rose up and pounced on the cakes that Aoi brought in for her.

“Thank you for the food, Aoi! I swear, my head is about to burst! This will at least ease the pain~”

“Don’t mention it… Anyway, Haru-kun, can I have a word with you?”

“Yes?”

Aoi sat next to Haruka before erasing her affectionate smile. With a serious look, she asked her a question.

“…So, three days ago… Do you still remember what happened with Satou-kun?”

“Kya!”

That question made Haruka’s expression change drastically. Her face turned bright red and she became all flustered in a matter of seconds.

“W-W-What are you talking about, Aoi?! I-I just did that in the heat of the moment! …I-I love him, yes, b-but, y-you know…”

“…Not that, but the other thing. Do you still remember what Satou-kun did to Kageyama-senpai?”

Seeing Haruka like that made Aoi feel a little uncomfortable, but she ignored that feeling and asked another question to her.

“Huh? Ah, the thing when he ate Misato’s bad emotions? Yeah, I remember that. Why do you ask, though? Oh, wait, are you trying to tell me not to spread that around? I guess when you have a super power, you’d want to hide it, huh?”

“Yeah, please keep quiet about it. Satou-kun will appreciate it too.”

“Okay! I mean, I have no intention to spread it around anyway.”

Seeing Haruka cheerfully replying to her made Aoi feel dejected.

Aoi was disappointed over the fact that she wasn’t the only one who remembered about Takayuki’s power. Since she heard that Misato was unable to remember exactly what happened back then, she hoped that it would be the case with Haruka too, but that didn’t seem to be the case. She also felt embarrassed over the fact that she overlooked the possibility that this could ever happen.

Despite that, her expression didn’t change. She proceeded to ask Haruka another question.

“…Haru-kun. Do you really love him?”

The question was a guise to hide her ugly feelings. It was a question that was asked without a single trace of good intention behind it.

“Yes, I love him.”

However, much to Aoi’s dismay, Haruka replied to her question in a straightforward manner.

“I’ve been in love with him for a long time now. I only know his voice and face recently, but I know that I love him. I love him so much that I feel insecure about it sometimes. I mean, is it really possible to love someone this much? I even thought that my mind was playing tricks on me and he didn’t actually exist, he was just a pigment of my imagination to fulfill my twisted wish that yearned for someone to care about me. But that isn’t the case. He exists. He saved me and Misato. He even scolded me out of the kindness of his heart. He accepted my existence, my useless and pathetic existence…”

Aoi felt the urge to cover her ears, but she couldn’t do that. It would be pathetic of her to do so. That was why she decided to hear her out until the end, despite the pain that her words brought to her.

“In any case, I love Kouhai-kun… I love Satou Takayuki…”

“…I thought you hated him for groping your chest.”

“Hehehe…”

While enduring the pain, Aoi muttered her words as a means of resistance. However, that act was futile in front of Haruka.

“Honestly, now I wish that he did more than that…”

Haruka’s answer was accompanied by a teasing smile. Aoi couldn’t say anything to reply to her.

* * *

The next day, after school. Aoi was scheduled to meet up with Takayuki.

There were two topics that they had to discuss; the fact that Haruka managed to remember about Takayuki’s ability and her confession.

At first, Takayuki only wanted to talk about the first topic, but the matter of the confession bugged him so much that Aoi suggested that they should also talk about it too. Normally, Takayuki was strict about this kind of topic since it included someone else’s private matters, but it seemed like he took Aoi and Haruka’s close relationship into consideration and judged that it should be okay to consult her about this.

Knowing that Takayuki was trying to rely on her satisfied Aoi, though she didn’t know why she felt that way. Currently, Aoi was racking her brain, trying to come up with advice that he could use.

Then, came the meeting time, 5 pm.

“What do you mean by that? Are you refusing my invitation? MY INVITATION?”

“I told you earlier, didn’t I? I have a prior appointment with someone, you dumb young lady.”

“Who did you call dumb, you useless high schooler!”

At the park where they were supposed to meet, Takayuki was dealing with a child.

The child was grabbing Takayuki’s uniform. A twin-tailed young girl, aged around 10 to 12, wearing a one piece dress from a famous brand. The girl had a youthful face that befit her age.

But, she and Takayuki weren’t the only people there. If that was the case, the scene that Aoi was seeing would be a heart-warming scene of a little sister asking her big brother to fawn on her. The presence of two huge men wearing black suits made the scene look more ominous than heart-warming.

“Kaiji-san, Mitora-san, please, help me rein in this little runt!”

“Sorry, Satou-san, we can’t help you.”

“Only the members of her family have the right to restrain the young lady’s actions.”

Despite their appearance, the two men could only avert their gazes from the scene that was happening in front of them. Their embarrassed faces looked somewhat pathetic. They could do nothing to stop the ‘young lady.’

“Who are you going to meet? Is it a girl? Is she more important than my invitation?!”

“Well, the meeting is important, yes and she’s a girl. Anyway, I promise I’ll make up to it later, so please?”

“Hmph!”

Annoyed by Takayuki’s words, the so-called ‘young lady’ puffed her cheeks and kicked Takayuki’s leg. Aoi was watching this scene from behind a vending machine in the park. She had no reason to hide like this, but she wasn’t idiotic enough to intrude on the scene.

“…Your connection is amazing as always, Satou-kun.”

Aoi muttered in a small voice.

She never expected that Takayuki would befriend a big shot like the young lady. She felt a little sadness when she found out. Though, it was natural that she didn’t know, as they weren’t even that close yet.

“No, no no! If it’s a girl, then I won’t let you go!”

Seeing the young lady selfishly clinging to Takayuki made Aoi feel irritated. It reminded her of her younger self.

Since there was no one else that could rein the young lady in, she decided to take action, lest the child’s action anger her even more.

“You stupid little sister! What the hell are you doing?!”

“H-Hii?! O-Onee-chan?!”

But, before she could do anything, a girl wearing a high school uniform came running from the entrance of the park and smacked the young lady on her head.

“O-Onee-chan hit me… This is abuse! Domestic violence!”

“Shut up, you idiot! Stop bothering Kaiji-san and Mitora-san! Also, stop troubling Takayuki! Seriously, what are you doing?!”

“B-But, Takayuki said that he’ll take care of me!”

“Only if you were hurt back then! That deal is invalid now! He said that because there was a possibility that you’d be injured and you’re not in that kind of situation anymore! Besides, it was him who was hurt back then! Acting selfish and failing to remember the deal that you made, where’s your dignity as a member of the Takayama Family?!”

“Waah!”

The person who was scolding the young lady looked familiar to Aoi. She was Takayama Yui, one of Aoi’s friends from another class. However, her current behavior was different from the one that Aoi used to. Normally, she’d try to be as inconspicuous as possible, but this time she looked as domineering as a lion.

“You two, take her away while she’s still crying! Get her into the car and take her home, quickly!”

““Y-Yes!””

The charisma she exuded when she commanded the two men felt overwhelming. She seemed like the kind of person who’d be able to make everyone do her bidding by just talking.

“So, Takayuki.”

“Yes!”

Hearing his name being called, Takayuki straightened his posture immediately.

From the way they acted, it seemed like they regularly did this kind of routine.

“I know that you have a soft spot for my sister, so I won’t tell you anything. You can do whatever you want with her, I don’t care. It’s just there’s something I’m curious about, so answer me honestly. Are you involving yourself in something dumb again?”

“…”

“Hm… So, you’re here for someone else, not yourself, I see. And that someone should be… Whatever. Anyway, take care of yourself better. Don’t repeat the stupid things you did back in middle school ever again!”

“Yes… Um, Yui…”

“Don’t call my name casually like that! The walls have ears!”

“Who was it that called me by my name just now?”

“Shut it! I didn’t do it intentionally! Also, when I was running here, I saw someone hiding behind that vending machine…”

Seeing their exchange made Aoi feel a deep sense of loneliness incomparable to anything she ever felt before. Her mind replayed the story that Takayuki had told her previously. The word ‘my dear friend’ that came out from his mouth echoed repeatedly in Aoi’s mind.

She knew nothing about Takayuki. Once again, she had to face that harsh fact. Her chest tightened and she started to have trouble breathing. She didn’t know why it happened, though. All she could do was clutching her chest, while trying to erase her presence.

“Um, are you okay, Miyama-san?”

But her attempt was futile. Takayama was already standing right beside her.

* * *

“Miyama-san, can we talk for a minute? Taka— Satou, you go away until I call you back. Shoo.”

After confirming that Aoi wasn’t sick, Takayama chased Takayuki away from the park.

Aoi thought that the treatment Takayuki received was too harsh, but the boy seemed to be okay with it as he obeyed Takayama’s words with a satisfied look. This fact made her heart ache even more. She tried not to show it in front of Takayama though.

“…Alright. Even that guy wouldn’t be able to hear us from this distance. Sorry for calling you out of the blue like this, Miyama-san.”

“It’s fine. I have a prior appointment with him after this though, so I’d like to keep this conversation brief.”

Right now, Takayama seemed the same as the Takayama that Aoi knew. She didn’t have her previously domineering atmosphere anymore. But, since Aoi didn’t know her true purpose of calling her out, she didn’t let her guard down and used her prior appointment as an excuse to keep Takayama in check.

“Got it. I’ll be blunt with you then. Do you like him, Miyama-san?”

However, the words that came out from Takayama’s mouth were equivalent to a killing blow to Aoi.

“…What? Huh?”

“I know I’m speaking out of the line here, but if your love toward him isn’t that deep, I advise you to stay away from him. Don’t even try to ask for a relationship with him, you’ll regret it. But, if you really really like him, then…”

Aoi couldn’t afford to keep her emotions in check anymore. Her attempt on pulling a small trick on Takayama completely backfired on her due to the latter taking their conversation unexpectedly seriously from the beginning.

“Make that big oaf fall in love with you without fail. Who knows his idiocy might be cured if he were to fall in love with someone.”

Takayama said those words in a straight-forward manner before turning around and walking away. Her brisk attitude caught Aoi off guard, but before Takayama left the vicinity, Aoi managed to squeeze a word out of her throat.

“Wait!”

That single word stopped Takayama in her tracks. She didn’t turn around, only standing there calmly while waiting for Aoi to continue. Aoi’s brain tried to come up with a good excuse for her to say, but her mouth already moved before she managed to find it.

“Takayama-san… Why did you lie to me about Satou-kun’s reputation back then?”

Out of curiosity, she asked that question. It was something that she had been wondering about for a while now.

“Hehehe…”

With a giggle, Takayama turned around to face Aoi.

“Gee, I wonder why?”

“…To keep me away from him? That guy is the kind of person who’d do everything to help out someone in need, especially if that person is someone that he knows. You’re probably doing that to keep people away from him so that he wouldn’t get hurt unnecessarily.”

Something came up in Aoi’s mind. Back when she tried to find out what kind of person Takayuki was, some of the girls she asked must have worked for Takayama. Though, that begged the question, ‘How many of them worked for her?’

“Hahaha, you’re saying some interesting things, Miyama-san.”

Even when Aoi confronted her like this, Takayama was still able to laugh carefreely.

She was right in front of her, but Aoi failed to find out what she was thinking or what kind of person she really was.

“Takayama-san, tell me the truth… What do you feel about him?”

Aoi knew that it was useless, but she asked that question anyway. She felt the urgency to know about the nature of the girl in front of her.

“I told you before.”

It was unknown if Takayama knew the intention behind Aoi’s question or not. She just answered it straight-forwardly like she did previously.

“I hate him… I genuinely hate him with all my being.”

Takayama’s expression was indescribable.

Between laughing and crying, the two extreme expressions mixed together into something else entirely.

* * *

“Huh? Takayama isn’t here?”

“After she told me to take care of you, she left.”

“I see… Did she say anything else?”

“Yes. Though, it’s just small talk between us girls.”

“So you don’t want to tell me anything.”

“There’s nothing much to tell anyway.”

After Takayama left the park, Aoi started to exchange words with Takayuki. Her inner feelings were messy, but she tried not to show it in her expression. To divert Takayuki’s attention from Takayama, she brought up her findings about Haruka’s current state.

“I see. Haruka-senpai retains her memories, huh? Well, if that’s the case, we should try to find something common between the two of you, Miyama. Do you have any ideas?”

“I have no idea, I’m afraid.”

Finishing her words, Aoi shrugged her shoulders. A sigh escaped Takayuki’s mouth.

“Oh well… Seriously, that witch… At least give me a hint or two…”

Both of them were sitting at a bench. They were so close to each other that they could hear each other’s sighs whether they liked it or not. Not realizing this, they both continued to talk.

“Thank you for the information, Miyama. I really wish I could meet her in person instead, but it’ll be too awkward…”

“…Satou-kun, um, about Haru-kun’s confession…”

“Yeah, I want to discuss it with you.”

With a calm smile, Takayuki said,

“I need your help. I want to know a way where I could reject her without hurting her, if possible.”

“…Huh?”

Hearing those absurd words coming out of his mouth made Aoi’s brain freeze. She forced her brain to come up with something. ‘What’s the point of us being partners if I can’t even offer a word of help to him?’ Thought Aoi.

“But, can I ask you something first? Why do you want to reject her confession? Is there a problem?”

Her awkward question was answered with a light smile from Takayuki.

“Well, there isn’t any problem. It’s just, I don’t think I have what it takes to be in a serious relationship with someone. Honestly, it’s too heavy for me. Maybe, all those counseling affected my mental state, it made me afraid of being heart broken, you see? Well, I can afford a more casual relationship, though.”

“…Trying to demean yourself again, huh, Satou-kun? What is it you’re trying to hide this time?”

“I’m not trying to—”

“Are you taking me for a fool?”

Aoi’s sharp glare pierced through Takayuki’s deception.

“Can you not try to lie to me with random bulls like this, Satou-kun? I know that I haven’t known you as long as Takayama-san did, but during this short time period, I know that you’re more serious about this matter than anyone else I know of. You’re the kind of person that will respect someone else’s love and accept it properly.”

She continued,

“Satou-kun, I know that you call the people who are dear to you by their first names. You did that to both Takayama-san and Haru-kun. I know that you trust them quite a lot. That’s why I’d understand if you were to tell me that you don’t want to be lovers with Haru-kun, at least I know that you still want to cherish her as a friend.”

“…That’s…”

Seeing Takayuki’s reluctance convinced Aoi that there was something else going on in the matter.

“You don’t want to say it? You could just say that she isn’t attractive enough for you and be done with it, yet you tried to demean yourself instead. Actually, that’s probably your true intention, isn’t it?”

“…”

“Not answering now? That means you’re doing this because of someone. Who is it?”

Takayuki’s expression turned ugly, but he still kept his mouth shut. No, he actually tried to say something, but before anything managed to come out of his mouth, he shut it tightly.

“Why can’t you just answer me? It isn’t like I’ll refuse your reasoning if you were to tell me. I just want to be convinced. I know that this isn’t any of my business, but I’m your partner, Satou-kun. I just want to help you properly.”

Aoi’s voice trembled as she said that. With that, Takayuki finally opened his mouth.

“I’ve never had romantic feelings for anyone ever since I was born.”

He leaned on the bench. While gazing at the sky, he started to talk about himself

“I have feelings, of course. I have things that I like and hate. I can be horny. I understand the concept of romance, that’s why I’m able to help others with their love life to begin with. It’s just when it comes to myself, I can’t feel anything like that. No pleasure nor pain that came with love. No nothing.”

His words were like a confession that was directed toward the sky.

“That’s why I can’t return her feelings. I don’t even know how to love someone to begin with.”

With a wry smile, Takayuki declared his flaws.

“My feelings haven’t changed even once. Back when the girl that I trusted the most confessed her love to me, I couldn’t feel anything toward her. The same thing is happening right now, I can’t feel anything after hearing that confession. Well, actually, I feel happy because there are actually people who fell for someone like me, it’s just that I can’t feel any romantic attraction to them.”

Takayuki then turned his gaze toward Aoi.

“Even my ability confirmed that I haven’t fallen for anyone. I don’t think it’s right for me to accept her confession. I can’t give Haruka-senpai the love that she deserves.”

That was the moment when Aoi finally understood Takayama’s words. She just didn’t want anyone to go through the same pain and regret that she once suffered. But at the same time, she wanted to entrust Takayuki to someone that he could love. Even after all those things that happened to her, that girl still cared so much about him.

“You should understand my feelings too, Miyama. What I’m feeling is the same way as your feelings toward myself. Like, but not love. We can be friends, but there’s no way that we can be lovers. That’s why I can’t accept Haruka-senpai’s feelings. I really have no choice but to reject her.”

Until the end of his words, he didn’t drop his wry smile. Those words served as a way for Takayuki to draw the line between him and Aoi. Their relationship wouldn’t get any further than this.

“But, even so, you still want to fall in love, don’t you?”

Of course, Aoi wouldn’t accept it just like that. Once again, she tried to cross through the line that Takayuki drew.

“Isn’t that why you’ve been filling your bookshelves with romance novels? Researching about love to the point of obsession? I get it now. The reason why you started your love counseling gig is to learn more about love. Am I wrong?”

“That’s…”

She managed to connect the dots, even though the method she used was a bit crude. The conclusion she came to might be wrong, but Aoi didn’t care. The girl didn’t want her hero’s hard work to go unrewarded, she wanted him to be able to fulfill his wishes.

“Satou-kun, Haru-kun is serious about you. She is deeply in love with you. So, please, give her a serious response. Don’t try to shrug her off with a white lie. You don’t need to give her a favorable response, just answer her feelings honestly.”

“…Does it matter, though? Whether I lie to her or not, the fact that her love is unrequited won’t change.”

“It does matter. If you tell her that white lie you mentioned before, Haru-kun won’t give up on you easily. She’ll keep chasing you until you fall in love with her, that’s the kind of person she is.”

“Ugh, I guess there isn’t an easy way out for me.”

To Takayuki who let out a bitter smile, Aoi tried to hammer her point in.

“Well, if you go that route, there’s a possibility that she’ll find out about your real circumstances and back down on her own. But, do you really want that kind of conclusion? You really want to end her love for you with a white lie? Think about her for a second, you’ll just hurt her even more. That’s why, give her a proper answer, Satou Takayuki.”

Those words hit a sore spot for Takayuki. Now that Aoi used Haruka’s happiness as an excuse, he couldn’t proceed with his original plan anymore.

“…Fine, fine. To go this far, seriously, you… Tomorrow, after school, call her to the back of the school building. I’ll properly tell her everything then. I’ll figure the rest out on my own.”

“Good!”

Both of them nodded to each other, one in resignation, one in satisfaction.

The matter of Aoi’s own feelings were still unresolved, but she decided to shove it to the depths of her heart.

“Good luck for tomorrow then, Satou-kun!”

Giving the last push to his back, she decided to part from him so that she could end things on a good note. Hide her feelings behind her dashing looks and walk away before anything bad could happen.

“…”

When she was out of Takayuki’s sight, her smile disappeared. With a straight face, she continued walking as she emptied her thoughts.

Her legs brought her to her bad friend’s room.

“…Yuzu.”

“What?”

“Comfort me.”

“Why?”

“…Never mind. Sorry.”

“Okay.”

However, when she tried to complain to her bad friend like usual, Aoi found herself hesitating. Normally, she’d just shove her face into Yuzu’s belly without asking for the latter’s permission, but right now she was just fiddling with her phone in the corner of the room. The movements that her fingers made were exaggerated though. It was clear that she desperately tried to distract herself from all her bad feelings.

“…Haah… Aoi, come here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, just come here.”

“…Mm.”

Yuzu beckoned Aoi to use her lap as a pillow. Then she patted the latter’s head, though her patting wasn’t something that could be described as gentle.

“Hehe, you’re bad at this as usual, Yuzu. You need to be more gentle. Seriously, you’re ruining my hair.”

“If you don’t like it, I’ll stop.”

“I like it, though.”

“…There’s this new crepe shop. Wanna go there tomorrow?”

“Sure.”

Aoi sunk her head deeper into Yuzu’s lap as she closed her eyes. She could act like her usual self again tomorrow. For now, she just wanted to be spoiled by her friend.

* * *

Even if one isn’t feeling well, one still has to smile beautifully.

Miyama Aoi wouldn’t show her weakness to just anyone. There was a possibility that it would hurt someone who cared about her. That was why even when she felt a moment of weakness, she’d always try to put on a smile.

The next morning, she put even more effort to doll herself up, interacting more with her surroundings and being 30% more energetic than usual. Her gait was lighter than usual, her smile was brighter than usual and she was more empathetic than usual. She believed that with this much effort she put, the day would pass by quicker than usual and she would be able to ignore the pain that was eating her heart out. Or so she thought.

“Aoi, you’ve been acting strange today. Did something happen?”

After school. Her best friend, Tomoe, managed to notice something. With a concerned look, she asked Aoi that question.

“…You noticed? As expected of Tomoe. I didn’t get much sleep last night, so I feel kinda sick. I planned to go home early—”

“Don’t lie. If you really feel that way, you’d leave the school earlier or not come to school at all. But you didn’t do either of those. You seem to be enduring something. Did something happen between you and Satou? I noticed you’ve been trying to avoid him.”

“…You noticed that?”

“Of course. We’re best friends!”

“I’m no match for you, seriously.” Aoi muttered in a small voice. Then she slowly removed her mask.

“Can I vent to you a little, Tomoe?”

Aoi’s weak smile made her look like she could collapse at any moment.

“Of course, you don’t need to hold back!”

“Sorry for troubling you. And for showing you this pathetic side of mine…”

“Don’t worry, I did that to you just the other day, so we’re even!”

With unsteady steps, Aoi moved to an empty classroom with Tomoe. She wasn’t bold or stupid enough to discuss this in her own classroom.

“So, what’s wrong?”

“You see…”

The sun shone through the curtain of the empty classroom. Under the rather dusty air, Aoi explained her situation to Tomoe. Of course, she left out the matter of Takayuki’s ability and Haruka’s stalker issue in her story and focused on the part that was important to her personally.

“In short, you don’t like the idea of someone else staying next to Satou?”

“…How did you come to that conclusion? The story is about me helping my relative solve her love affair…”

“Well, your face told me everything. You made the same face as back when you were in middle school. You know, the time when you were being headstrong and refused to listen to the teacher’s explanation? You made the same doubtful look.”

After Aoi finished her story, Tomoe looked at her in dismay.

“Look here, Aoi. Just because Amamiya-senpai confessed her love, doesn’t mean you have to hold yourself back. It’s fine to act like your usual self. Fight for his love against her fairly!”

“…Not that.”

“What?”

However, after hearing Tomoe’s words, Aoi’s expression didn’t brighten up. Instead, her sorrow intensified.

“…My feelings for him aren’t like that.”

Slowly, she put the feelings that had been bothering her into words.

“I don’t want to kiss him, hug him or having sex with him. I don’t want to do the things that lovers normally do with him. I just want to hang out with him like friends. I want to be his partner, like a sidekick to a hero. I want to enjoy my youth together with him while doing stupid, random things. It’s a childish feeling, I know…”

It would be easier for Aoi if her feelings were love. The fact that this jealousy was something more childish than love was the thing that made it hard for her. Aoi admired Takayuki, but that admiration didn’t turn into love.

“That’s why I can’t just barge into their relationship. I’d rather get kicked by a horse than getting in the way of her love for such a selfish reason.”

After letting everything out, Aoi clutched her chest.

The last part was a reminder to herself that she shouldn’t get in the way of the two people who were serious about their love life.

Her smile when she gave the final push to Takayuki was just bravado, but she thought that was the least thing she could do as a decent person.

“You idiot!”

“Ouch!”

With all her might, Tomoe slapped Aoi’s back.

The impact was powerful enough to make Aoi bend her body. The pain made her unable to stop Tomoe’s next words.

“That isn’t it, Aoi! I know that things won’t turn out well for you! This is literally the same thing that I did with Nao! You’ll just end up hurting yourself more and more as time passes by!”

“Cough! Oww… What’s wrong with you?!”

“Aoi! Miyama Aoi! You aren’t acting like yourself right now!”

Aoi tried to look up only to find Tomoe’s face right in front of hers. The latter then grabbed her shoulders with both hands. With tears, desperation and anger mixed in her eyes, Tomoe continued.

“Just tell them everything! Who cares if you’re being selfish, just do it! Your feelings don’t have to be pretty! It’s okay to be jealous! Even if people call you ugly or shameful, who cares!”

“There’s no way I could do that! I’m already a high school student! I’m not in the age where I can afford to be selfish!”

“Excuses! Is that mouth of yours can only say beautiful things when it comes to other people’s problems?! Why can’t you use it to solve your own problem?! I mean, Aoi…”

Snot filled her face. Grief decorated her pretty face. Pleading, Tomoe continued her words.

“Whenever you’re with him, you always look so happy… Don’t compare your feelings with someone else’s! Just because you don’t love him, doesn’t mean that you can just kill your feelings like that! It’s okay for you to be selfish! My love for you won’t fade, Aoi!”

“Tomoe…”

“That’s why, say it to him properly, Aoi. If he makes fun of you, I’ll scold him really hard! If you’re sad by the outcome, I’ll comfort you until you feel better! So, don’t kill your feelings like this, please…”

“Ugh…”

Tears accompanied Tomoe’s words. But those tears made Aoi’s heart beating wildly once again.

“Sorry… Also, thank you, Tomoe… I have to go now.”

“Yes… Go quickly!”

With a light pat on her back, Aoi ran. She paid no attention to her surroundings and ran. There was no hesitation in her steps.

* * *

‘How unsightly am I looking right now?’ Such thoughts appeared in Aoi’s mind as she moved her legs frantically.

‘Surely I look pathetic.’ Covered in sweat, it was normal that she’d think like that. Desperately, trying to not mind her surroundings, she moved her legs even faster. She was the one who gave Takayuki that final push and thanks to that she was reduced to her current state. It was ironic that someone had to do the same to her before she was able to make a move.

“Haah… Haah…”

Despite that, Aoi kept on running. She knew now that killing her emotion wouldn’t solve anything. It was fine if she was being shameful. That was why she desperately run, toward the place where Takayuki and Haruka met. The back of the school building.

“You’re late, Aoi. It’s all over already.”

What greeted her was Haruka’s soft smile.

She couldn’t muster up a reply to that smile as her rough breathing held her voice back. But, she still hit her chest anyway, trying to regulate her breathing. Sure, everything was over for Haruka, but not for her. Even if Takayuki actually accepted Haruka’s confession and Aoi’s own confession would end up being a nuisance in their relationship, Aoi had already decided that she’d tell them everything.

“He dumped me.”

“…Huh?”

Then Aoi heard those unexpected words. She looked up to see Haruka’s face.

“Seriously, he’s so mean to me. Can you believe him? He ranted about his ability and a lot of other nonsense, what’s wrong with him? Well, it’s convenient that you’re here since you’re related and all… Well, what are you waiting for, Kouhai-kun? Say it properly.”

“Ugh…”

To the stunned Aoi, Haruka sent her an unconcerned gaze. She turned her gaze to Takayuki, trying to force him to say something to Aoi. For a few seconds, Takayuki hesitated, but eventually he made a determined look before opening his mouth.

“Miyama… I have decided. I’ve explained everything to Haruka-senpai. My decision is genuine. I’ve thought this over and over again. I’ve also told everything to Haruka-senpai… You see, right now, I have someone that I cherished even more than her…”

Noticing the flow of the talk, Aoi’s face started to redden. ‘Oh, no…’ She didn’t actually think that, but her body movement said so.

“In any case, that’s the reason why I rejected her. It’s not fair to her if I were to accept her confession at that point…”

“Eh… U-Um… And that person you cherished is?”

“You, Miyama.”

“E-Eh…”

Aoi felt her breathing stopped. Before she managed to cook up an answer, Takayuki revealed another surprising confession.

“To be honest, I was happy when you said that you remembered me. Back when you called me a hero, it felt like all my efforts so far were worth it. Since then, I want to live up to your expectations. I want to reignite my old dream again. To be a hero… A hero that you could admire…”

With a serious expression, Takayuki’s eyes met Aoi’s. It was then when Aoi started to lose her footing. Even though his words were clumsy, it still managed to make her heart racing wildly.

“That’s why, Miyama…”

And so, Takayuki unearthed his true feelings toward Aoi..

“A-Ah… U-Um… B-But, d-didn’t Haru-kun just—”

“Be my partner. Every hero needs a sidekick, does he? I need you to be mine. I don’t think I can be a true hero without you by my side.”

His words sounded sincere. It was obvious that he gave it a lot of thoughts before saying those words.

It was just, Aoi thought that he was making a whole different kind of confession.

“…Eh? Partner?”

“Yeah. I mean, I did a lot of stupid things back in the day. You should be able to guide me to the right path if you are by my side.”

“Ah, I-I see… P-Partner, huh… O-Okay…”

“What’s with that response?! I went out my way to tell you all this! At least be excited about it!”

“Shut it, you idiot!”

“What did you say?!”

Flustered, Aoi immediately sat down on the spot. This outcome was exactly what she wanted, but that didn’t stop her from being embarrassed about it.

“Good, good. That’s my Kouhai-kun. Good job telling her your true feelings!”

“It’s thanks to your encouragement, Haruka-senpai… Even though I rejected you, you still went out of your way to give me the push I needed to do this…”

“Don’t mention it! You two have been helping me a lot, after all!”

Takayuki’s confession toward Aoi left a lot to be desired, but Aoi still felt happy about it.

“With this, I can do this without feeling guilty~”

“Huh?”

Her elation made Aoi let her guard down.

“Mwah.”

Before she realized it, Haruka had moved and stole Takayuki’s lips.

Time stopped. Takayuki opened his eyes wide at Haruka’s bold move. His body froze and he was too surprised to move. Meanwhile Aoi, who had already been in a flustered state to begin with, completely got her mind broken.

“Phew… Hehehe! You let your guard down, Kouhai-kun!”

After that kiss, Haruka’s face turned red. The tension made sweat run down through her neck, but she could still make a triumphant smile. She then pointed at Takayuki before declaring,

“You might have rejected my confession, but you haven’t rejected my love! Since you don’t love anyone else at the moment, I’ll do my best to make you fall in love with me! Just wait, I’ll become your number one! T-That’s why…”

Haruka took a deep breath before turning her gaze to Aoi.

“I don’t want to turn this love into a memory yet. Keep this in mind!”

With a provocative smile and an exaggerated laughter, Haruka fled the scene.

Wearing not the look of a rejected damsel, but a look of a war maiden, ready to set out to the battlefield.

“!”

Aoi racked her brain to try to say something, but she couldn’t in the end. The awkward silence was broken by Takayuki’s awestruck whisper after a while.

“I can’t not keep this in my mind even if I want to… That girl is surprisingly cunning…”

A word of praise. The prove that the love-eating monster had been done in by the maiden-in-love.