Chapter 4 – The Passing November, and—

Second week of November. The Sports Festival ended with the Red Team’s victory, and the Aitan Festival Committee were getting even busier than ever.

“Kureha-san, a moment, please. I’d like to borrow the computer room, where should I admit the application?”

“Ah, Kureha-senpai, perfect timing! So, about the performance at two—”

“Vice-President, about the committee’s budget, we don’t have enough money to make a stand for the keychains we’ll distribute! We need 6,000 yen more!”

After school. As I walked around, a girl would come to me, stop me, talk to me and scurry off. This repeated for a few times.

I only wanted to go to the toilet…when would this end…? I barely even passed one classroom…at this rate, it’d take me another three hours before I could reach the toilet.

“No matter how popular I am, there’s a limit to this—!”

The festival preparation process as a whole was fun. After all, I didn’t mind people coming to me and asking for my help, but even that has a limit!

Lately, I haven’t been able to flirt much with Rui because we were too busy! Sure, we had more time to see each other, but we couldn’t do anything else other than working! There were only three weeks left before the voting for the Belle Fleur started, the atmosphere at the school had started to become more tense.

“Ah, Kureha-san, have you seen Mareshino-san?”

“Sorry, I haven’t.”

“I see. Where could she be, hm?”

A group of girls I wasn’t even familiar with walked down the hallway. It seemed like Rui was even busier than me. Her stamina was worse than mine, would she be okay…?

“Oh, there you are, Kureha-san!”

After I got away from the previous group, another student called out to me. At this point, I already gave up. I turned around to see Gojou Mayuko, the president of the Fashion Club. When she caught up to me, she showed me what was in her sketchbook.

“So, which one of these do you like more, Sara-san? I’m having trouble deciding, so I figured that I should just ask you, one of the candidates, myself.”

Just by looking at the sketches, I could already tell that both of these dresses were great. Honestly, I was a complete amateur at this, so I was a little hesitant to give out my opinion, but since she asked for it, guess I had no choice, huh? If I had to choose, then, I guess it should be this dress on the right.

“Well, personally, I like this one more, but I don’t know if Mareshino-san shares the same opinion as me or not.”

“Ah, don’t worry about that! These dresses are specifically for you, Sara-san! As for Mareshino-san, I’ve already designed a perfect dress for her!”

“My, you already have one for her but not for me? What, are you doubting that I’ll win the vote?”

“Ngg…rather, I’m having trouble deciding between both of you. Can’t you two just share the title? Won’t that be more exciting? No, it definitely will be more exciting! Having the two of you standing on the stage would be awesome!”

Mayuko-san said that cheerfully.

The Fashion Club had one of the biggest responsibilities for the Aitan Festival; Designing and tailoring the dress that would be worn by the Belle Fleur during the D-Day. Well, they’d still need to hire professionals for the finishing touch, but that was that. Anyway, the festival was something that Mayuko-san was really looking up to.

“Yes, yes, whatever you say, Mayuko-san. Anyway, thank you for your hard work. Let’s do our best together.”

We parted ways with smiles on our faces. After that, I immediately went to the toilet in the Cultural Affairs Building so that I could take a breather for a few minutes. There were barely any other people here, after all…

As I finished my business, washing my hand and wiping it, the door to the toilet suddenly opened.

“Oh my, Kureha-san.”

It was Rui. Glad to see her face here. She was as pretty as always.

At first, there was a distant look on her face. When she noticed that there was no one around, she didn’t even hesitate as she pulled my hand. Huh? W-Wait, wait!

She dragged me to one of the stalls, locked the door from inside and kissed me without saying anything.

“…This is so sudden. What’s wrong?”

“I’m just…tired…”

What? Was she trying to treat me like a power source or something? Well, I understood how she felt. She was even busier than me. It was to the point that I actually worried that she’d die from overworking.

Anyway, we proceeded to lock our lips without making snide remarks to each other. We’ve both been busy lately, so this was our first kiss ever since the Sports Festival.

Her tongue knocked on my lips, so I opened them slightly to welcome it in. It felt hotter, but more delectable than usual.

I had snapped out of my flustered state. As usual, the kisses with her felt good. Honestly, I should consider doing this to relieve my stress…

As we kept our lips locked while embracing each other, Rui suddenly slipped her hand under my skirt. I immediately pressed my forehead against her, scolding her in a hushed voice.

“Wait! Didn’t I tell you to stop doing this at school…?”

“…What? It isn’t like we’re seeing each other outside of school.”

Um…yeah, she had a point, but still…did she really need to glare at me like that…?

“Also, back when we did it in my house, I couldn’t even do anything…”

“Still, what are we going to do if someone sees us doing it here?”

“No one will. Even if there is someone, they won’t see you in a bad light, Sara-san.”

The lust in her eyes were clearly visible even to me. I guess it was true that when one got really exhausted, they’d lose all rationality. Well, who was I to speak? I wasn’t any better than her…

Rui’s supple fingertips caressed my body. Being on the receiving end didn’t feel bad, but part of me felt some aversion about it. Meanwhile, Rui seemed to be completely enjoying this whole thing. Seriously, this girl…

Ever since our rather intimate action back in her house, we became more comfortable with touching each other. Our relationship definitely had changed that day.

It was an irreversible change, and it strengthened our bond.

But, it wasn’t all good.

As I let Rui do whatever she wanted to me, I could feel the lower part of my body starting to feel numb. Oh, no. This was the school, you know—?!

“…I’m not here as an outlet for you to release your lust, you know…?”

“Obviously. You’re the only one who’s thinking that way, Sara-san. I’m doing this solely so that I could become the Belle Fleur.”

“…Stop— Lying…ngg…ah!”

My voice leaked out. I couldn’t escape from her embrace. Her soft and warm body was all over mine. Despite where we were at, I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all due to her sweet scent completely overwhelming my sense of smell. I held on to her, burying my face to her soft, silky hair.

At that moment, the door to the toilet was opened.

“Huh, really?” An excited voice could be heard from behind the stall door. Both of us immediately came to our senses while still embracing each other. Um, they wouldn’t find us, right…?

“So, what happened with Kureha-senpai?”

The mention of my name made my heart beat faster. I knew that I was popular enough for everyone to mention my name, but I didn’t expect that they’d talk about me in this kind of situation!

“Um…she treated me kindly, but she still rejected me…she said that she wanted to focus on the Aitan Festival before anything else…”

Ah, I recognized this voice.

This was the fourth year girl who confessed to me the other day.

Ow! Suddenly, Rui pinched my thigh. She was staring at me with eyes full of jealousy before mouthing the words, ‘Must be nice to be popular, hm?’

Uh, about that…

‘I didn’t lay my hands on her! There’s no way I’d ignore you and go for her instead!’ I whispered to Rui.

‘Oh wait, are you jealous? Is that it? You’re jealous because of how popular I am, hm? What a cute girl.’ I said as I gave her cheek a quick peck.

“What about you, Megumi? Didn’t you confess to Mareshino-senpai?”

“Mhm…well, I received pretty much the same reaction. She told me that she isn’t interested in dating anyone right now. Well, at least she gave me a proper response…”

Now it was my turn to send Rui a cold look. She desperately tried to avert her gaze away from me.

‘Now, do you have an excuse for yourself, woman?’ I asked her.

‘U-Um, y-you see…’ She whispered as she was trying to come up with an excuse.

I see…now I understand how it felt to have a popular girl as a lover. The depressing side of it, to be exact.

“But, from the way she talked to me…I have the feeling that Mareshino-senpai already has someone that she likes…”

“Huh, really?!” One of them let out a loud voice. Wait, was she really?

I could see Rui’s lips starting to tremble as her face got redder and redder.

“I wonder who it is?”

“Someone who’s a perfect match for Mareshino-senpai…there’s only one person that comes to mind!”

“Could it be? Kureha-senpai?!”

Inside the toilet stall, I could hear those two girls’ excited voices all while looking at the expression Rui was making. At this point, she was practically clinging to me, but she refused to meet my gaze.

What? What was wrong with her?

After continuing for five more minutes, the girls left the toilet. It was about time that people would start looking for us. Well, it would be one thing if one of us was out there, but if both of us disappeared at the same time, people would be bound to be suspicious.

“Rui.”

“Y-Yes?”

She was still clinging to me. Did she think that if she were to do this I would give up on questioning her?

“Do you like someone else already?”

“Y-You didn’t beat around the bush at all, did you? D-Did you not think of the possibility that I’m doing it to keep them away from me…?”

Well, it could be.

But, knowing her, there was no way that she’d do that to a girl who confessed to her earnestly like that. I tilted my head at her.

“Rui—” I tried to call out to her, but she immediately let me go and stormed out of the toilet while saying, “I’m going ahead first!”

I could only scratch my head in confusion. Now that it came to this, she’d definitely try to run away from me all day long…whatever…

Of course, I could just LINE her after we got back home, but there was the committee meeting tomorrow. Guess I could just ask her body directly then.

* * *

Next day, the day of the committee meeting. After the meeting was done, no one lingered around the meeting room as they quietly left. The Mizugahara Academy’s students were this well-behaved to begin with, so this wasn’t anything strange.

“Thanks for your hard work…” Rui said naturally as she tried to blend in among the other girls who were trying to leave the room. Of course I didn’t let her off easily. “Mareshino-san, there’s something I need to talk to you about,” I called out to her, sealing her escape route. Due to how she usually conducted herself she couldn’t just run away and ignore me. A half-hearted excuse or straight up lies wouldn’t work here either, I’d just see through them and she wasn’t the kind of person who’d lie to begin with. I only knew her for a short time, but I already knew this much about her.

Unable to run away, she ended up having to sit together with me here. Now, she was taking a sip of tea that she poured from her thermos. According to her, the tea was from a famed brand called Mariage Freres, and it was their Bolero Tea. The tea had a strong aroma and fruity flavor.

“When you visited my house a while ago Sara-san, the tea we served to you was Marco Polo. It suited everyone’s palate easily and I highly recommend you to try getting some of them yourself…”

“I see.”

Well, I was more of a coffee person, but all the teas she served me tasted pretty refreshing and tasty.

“Anyway, Rui.”

My plan was obviously to ask her about yesterday’s matter, but first…

“Y-Yes?”

“Sorry.”

“…Um?”

I took out a book from my bag. It was my grade school album.

“The other day, I looked at your album without permission, didn’t I? I couldn’t find a good chance to make amends for it ever since, but I figured that today’s the perfect chance for it since we’ll be together by ourselves for a good while. You can look through it if you like to, I’ll put it away if you don’t.”

Rui shot me a confused look.

“Huh…? You’ve been thinking about that out of all things…? Are you really the same Sara-san I know…?”

“I’ll ignore what you said at the end there. Anyway, you seemed really disturbed by it last time, so I thought that you might have really hated what I had done back then.”

“Um, not really…it’s just…seriously what’s going on, Sara-san? Oh, I get it. You’re trying to fake your goodwill to me again, aren’t you?”

Seeing her acting like a bitter stray cat who hated to receive food from people, I let out a wry smile.

“…Normally if I did something like this, I’d immediately apologize to the other person, but…I don’t know why, I became more stubborn than usual when it comes to dealing with you. Well, that’s what I feel, anyway…”

Hearing my words, she finally accepted my apology, but she still had a confused expression on her face.

“…I really didn’t mind it that much, but fine, I’ll accept your apology. Also, thank you for offering me this. I won’t hold myself back then.”

“Sure, feel free.”

She proceeded to open the album. Back when I was a kid, I wasn’t as graceful as I was, so showing that side of me to her felt a little embarrassing, but as long as she was happy with it, it should be fine.

“‘Ask and it will be given to you¹She’s quoting Matthew 7:7, to give a little context..’ I’ve always wanted to be on the giving side for my whole life. Because if I keep on ‘giving,’ more people will be bound to surround me and love me compared to if I were to live a normal life.”

When I told her about my life motto, Rui looked up and sent me a kind smile.

“…I genuinely think that’s a noble way to live.”

“Even though I wish for something in return?”

“Yes. No matter what the intentions behind your actions are, people around you will be happy because of it. It’s impossible for anyone to give up their greed, Sara-san, if you can do it, then you aren’t a normal human, but a saint. This is even more so for someone with insatiable lust like you, Sara-san.”

“That’s a lot of big words just for throwing shades at me.”

Immediately, both of us burst out laughing. Shortly after that, Rui let out an astonished sound as she looked at the album. There was a picture of the younger me, looking cute while dressed up.

“Ah, that was me when I became a ‘Tsubomi’ for the Belle Fleur.”

During the Aitan Festival, it was a tradition for the Belle Fleur to wear a dress. She’d be accompanied by two little girls, the ‘Tsubomi’ as we called them, taking a similar position to bridesmaids or something of that sort.

“The dress was so cute that I chose to wear it again at a school play after that. How nostalgic…”

“I see…you did look cute in the dress, Sara-san…”

“Hehe, thank you.”

“…You’re really cute Sara-san, I’m genuinely praising you, but still…”

She was looking at my old pictures intently. It was so intense that I thought she was a lolicon for a second there. Well, if she really was one…even I couldn’t do anything about it…

As I saw her happily flipping through the album pages, I was attacked by the sudden urge to embrace her, but I controlled myself. But…it should be fine, right…?

“Rui, come here.”

I patted a part of my skirt, gesturing to her to come over. She flinched when she saw it, but she obediently came and sat down on my lap.

“Um…am I not…heavy?”

“No, you’re even lighter than my grandma’s cat.”

“There’s no way that’s true!”

She blushed furiously, but she still settled down on my lap.

Inside the room, only the sound of her flipping through the album echoed. I tightly embraced her body from behind, keeping it so close to me that I could feel her heartbeat. She called out to me in a soft voice.

“…If you find me too heavy, please tell me right away, I’ll come down immediately.”

“Sure, sure.”

I nodded half-heartedly as I reached out to my bag, taking out a choker that I’ve prepared for her and wrapped it around her neck.

“How is it? Is it too tight?”

“No, but…what is this?”

“With this, it’s perfect.”

I ignored her and brought out a brightly colored nekomimi. With that, Catgirl Rui, who didn’t get attached to people easily, was born.

When I showed her what she currently looked like with a hand mirror, she made a reluctant face.

“It’s supposed to be my turn in the offensive today…”

“But, you’re already doing it. You’re looking through my embarrassing past, aren’t you?”

“Well, there are a lot of cute pictures of you, Sara-san…I can see your point, I guess…”

In the album, there was a picture of me, smiling foolishly with two girls standing on both my sides. Oh no, I brought the album here because I thought there wouldn’t be anything for her to see, but I forgot to check out its content beforehand! Ugh, that was a really embarrassing one too…

Why did you make that kind of face, younger me?!

“You’ve been popular since you were a kid, huh, Sara-san?”

From the tone of her voice, it was clear that she was mocking me, not praising me. Ugh, seriously…

“What a naughty kitty…”

I embraced her even tighter before putting both my hands below her skirts to fully enjoy the sensation of her thighs. She complained with a “Jeez…” pouting her lips as she turned her face towards mine.

“Since you’ve become a cat and all, why don’t you end your sentences with a ‘nyaa’ from now on, Rui?”

“I’m the best student in our year, you know…?”

Woah, she really hated that idea, huh?

“Also, you were the one who put this nekomimi on me, Sara-san. I’ve never consented to this at all…”

“You don’t even want to fulfill your lover’s small request, Rui…?”

“Ugh…”

Then I tried to persuade her by throwing words such as; “Please,” “Just for a while,” “It’ll be really cute if you were to do it,” and even guilt tripped her by saying, “I even went out of my way to buy this nekomimi…” I tried every possible means to persuade her.

She tried her best to resist, but in the end she gave in. Such was the power of love, everyone, it would prevail against anything no matter what it was.

After looking at me for a while, she opened her mouth in resignation.

“…Just for a little while…nyaa…”

After saying that, her face instantly turned red. She let out a miserable groan before covering her face with her hands.

“Ah, so embarrassing…”

Somehow she looked even more embarrassed than the time when I saw her naked.

“Isn’t the level of your harassment toward me increased exponentially from last time, Sara-san…?”

“What harassment? We’ve agreed to not go too far at school, so I’m keeping everything on a reasonable level, you know? This kind of play²As in sexual play. is still reasonable.”

“…Did you just say play?”

“Hm? Why is a catgirl speaking a human’s language?”

I said those words in an exaggerated manner before poking her cheek with my finger. Disgruntled, she looked at me with eyes full of resentment before letting out a “Nyaa…” in a weak voice. She reminded me of a cat refusing to take a bath.

“Mhm, cute~ My catgirl Rui is so cute~”

“Your praise didn’t make me feel happy at all nyaa…”

“The gap between your usual serious self and your current self is amazing.”

“I swear if anyone sees me like this, my social life will be over nyaa…”

“Don’t worry about that~ Who’s the good girl~?”

I stroked her neck gently as she let out another “Nyaa.” in response. Then, she leaned down closer to me, shifted her head in an angle before bringing it closer to mine. With that, she gave me a light kiss.

“Good girl, good girl. My Rui is not only kind, she’s also hardworking and friendly to humans~”

“…No, I am not nyaa…”

I returned her kiss, touching the tip of her tongue with mine.

“Nyaa…”

“Good girl.”

When I patted her head, she squinted her eyes, just like a real cat.

“I knew it, you’re cute as a cat, Rui.”

“…Should I be happy to hear that…nyaa…?”

“Of course~”

I then buried my face in her chest. When I breathed in, I could smell her scent closely. She proceeded to gently kiss my hair.

It felt strange. Where did the feeling come from, I wonder? Was it her soft chest? Or was it the way she comfortably settled in my embrace? Nevertheless, I knew that I’d cherish these kinds of moments with her.

At first, I only felt attracted by her looks, and took this opportunity so that I could mess around with her.

But at one point, I noticed all kinds of different sides of hers. And at one point, I found everything about her cute.

I knew that this was inevitable, I was the one who tried my best to close the gap between our hearts, after all. However, at times, I felt a sudden sadness in my heart over the current situation. Why? Was I not prepared for this?

The Belle Fleur would be decided soon, and that would mark the end of my relationship with her.

My thoughts wandered to the underclassmen who confessed to her the other day. Maybe one day she’d become someone else’s lover. She’d no longer be mine.

…And I…would hate that outcome…

“Rui.”

“Yes, nyaa?”

Both of us were still embracing each other.

“Do you…like me…?”

“N-Nyaa?”

Like a little girl who was asked about her crush, she let out a cute voice.

“…You’re a bully, Sara-san, but…I don’t hate you…nyaa…”

“I see.”

…Whatever.

That answer didn’t satisfy me, but I’ll let her off for today.

She was a bitter stray cat now, I couldn’t expect her to give me a straight answer.

“By the way, what would you do if I were to tell you that I’ve been recording all your cat talk?”

“Nyaa?!”

Rui jumped in surprise.

Without hesitation, she grabbed the nekomimi and removed it with trembling hands. Tears welled up in her eyes as her real ears reddened in embarrassment.

I smiled at her.

“Sorry, that was a lie.”

Hearing my words, she pointed her finger at me, while yelling to the top of her lungs.

“You bully!”

That night, I went to sleep thinking of something silly, ‘Rui would be really cute as the Belle Fleur, wouldn’t she?’

* * *

Thursday morning, third week of November. The weather was nice today, but you still couldn’t just go around without a scarf at least. I was on the train when Rui suddenly texted me.

By the way, the school prohibited us from using our phones in the school grounds, so I could only use it whenever I was commuting or on the way home. So, uh, what did she say again…?

‘Can you spare some of your time after school today?’ Hm…

Lately, it was getting harder for us to spend some time at school together. Even after the committee meeting, it was doubtful that we could spare some time anymore. After that, she sent a follow up text, ‘We can do it on another day if you’re busy.’ By the way, was she texting me from her car or what?

I didn’t need to think much to answer her. Just needed to type ‘Sure,’ and there, all good and done.

After receiving her word of thanks, I wondered what exactly she was up to this time.

She even went out of her way to text me about this. Maybe she was trying to get her revenge for the whole Catgirl Rui thing that I did last week? Speaking of, she was so cute back then. I shoulda took pictures of her, ugh…

I let out a sigh as I let my mind wonder.

In the past month I spent with her…

I’ve come to become fond of her…

No, no, it wasn’t love or anything of that sort. It was the strange line between friend and lover.

One thing for sure was that I liked her as a girl, but that wasn’t really something worth noting. I’ve always been attracted to her due to how pretty she was, and now that I knew she was such an attractive girl on the inside as well, there was no reason for me to be less attracted to her.

Also, the voting for the Belle Fleur would start in a week.

I looked out of the window, trying to steel myself for what was about to come.

‘I’ll do my best for today too,’ I hyped myself up.

Immediately after I left the station and entered the school gate, someone already found me and stopped me. It seemed like the vice-president of the committee would be busy today too.

* * *

After another day of hard work, finally after school came. As I’ve predicted, the committee members were too busy with their respective classes’ and clubs’ preparations to even hold a meeting.

It was already five in the evening when I was finished with my errands. If Rui hadn’t contacted me earlier this morning, I woulda gone home.

There was no one else in the meeting room, and the sky had gotten dark. Since Rui wouldn’t just go home without telling me anything, I assumed that she just hadn’t arrived yet. After turning on the light, I sat down on one of the chairs and waited for her.

Ugh, I felt more tired than usual today. It felt like all the energy I had from this morning had run out already. Makes sense since on top of my own errands, I had to help out the Drama Club today. Now I could add nailing props to the list of my skills. Feeling the fatigue washed over me, I leaned on the back of the chair…

And before I knew it, my consciousness left me…

…

After around five minutes, I could feel someone stroking my hair, rousing me awake.

“…Mm…?”

I got up. Something on my shoulders fell off; a blanket. When I looked up, I saw Rui in front of me, letting out a peaceful smile.

“Good morning, Sara-san.”

“…Rui? Ah, sorry, I fell asleep…”

“Don’t be. You didn’t bully me when you were sleeping, so if anything, it was a blessing to me.”

“I just woke up, you know…?”

I picked up the blanket, folded it and placed it neatly on the table. Then, I stood up, leaning my face closer to Rui’s, who was sitting nearby.

“Good job for today, Sara-san, you’ve worked hard. What a good girl. Maybe I should have given you a wake up kiss as a reward, hm? Or do you prefer something else?”

“As long as you’re with me, I don’t care.”

“…Huh?”

Oh, crap, I was still half-asleep, so I ended up answering her question honestly. Now I’ve done it. Ugh, so embarrassing…

“I-I see…”

Rui’s face reddened as she averted her gaze. The atmosphere turned strange, a perfect mix of sweetness and awkwardness, but that didn’t matter! This wasn’t the kind of atmosphere I wanted to experience right now, so I pulled Rui’s hand towards me. As she forcefully stood up, I held her waist, slamming my lips against her, starting the roughest kiss we had yet. While I was doing this, Rui just accepted my kiss without making a lot of fuss, as if it was the most natural thing to do.

“…Mmh…”

“Ahn…”

Our tongues intertwined for a while as we exchanged our saliva. Smacking sounds came out from our lips as we did. Her tongue tasted like the black tea she had once offered to me.

When I finally let her lips go, she stared at me with a dazed look, still basking in the afterglow of that kiss. She moved her hand that had been caressing my back in a gentle manner, as if she was trying to pamper me.

“Sara-san…”

“Yes?”

“Um…there’s something I want to talk about…”

“Wait. Someone’s coming.”

“Ah.”

The sudden shift in atmosphere made even Rui panicked a little. Me too, but I was still composed enough to look around the surroundings. Noticing the nearby locker, I dragged Rui with me and entered the cramped space together. An action that I came to regret immediately. I shoulda stayed there, acting like a dignified young lady like usual.

Was it because I didn’t want anyone to see the faces we made after that kiss? …No, of course not. I was just unable to think clearly at the moment. There was no way I’d be making a big deal out of such a trivial thing. Besides, it wasn’t like we were real lovers or anything like that.

“W-Why are we hiding, though…?”

Rui whispered in an admonishing tone. Yeah I know, I blundered. Well, it was way too late to do anything about it.

The ones who came into the room were the familiar pair of underclassmen, Ryouko-chan and Rin-chan. I peeked through the gap in the locker to see them glancing around, one of them saying, “Huh? There’s no one here?” as they did. Right, we left the lights on.

“But, Senpai’s bags are still here.”

“Maybe they’re running an errand somewhere else? …Must be tough…”

If they were to find out that the senpais they were referring to were huddling up together inside this locker, there wouldn’t be any candidates for the Belle Fleur anymore.

Suddenly, Rin-chan tugged on Ryouko-chan’s sleeves. The latter gave out a “Yes?” but the face that she wore was different than usual. It was more mature, and there was a hint of mischievousness on it.

It felt off. Normally, it was Rin-chan who was the more mature one among the two, as she was the one who’d acted like a big sister to Ryouko-chan. Meanwhile, the latter was more free-spirited and childish, just like a spirited younger sister. Seeing this discrepancy made me feel a little bit uncomfortable.

But not only that…

I was familiar with this feeling.

Suddenly, Rui grabbed me by the sleeves. She didn’t do it because she had something to tell me, but rather because she was getting swept by the air these two created. And so was I…

Without hesitation, Ryouko-chan gave Rin-chan a kiss.

R-Really…? T-Those two were in that kind of relationship…?

This was the first time I’ve ever witnessed something like this directly, so my heart beat a little faster than usual. Not to mention that one of the people involved was that one underclassman who’d always fawn over me with an innocent face…

As their kisses went deeper, Rin-chan urged for more. Like she was soothing a needy child, Ryouko-chan indulged her partner, showering her with exactly what she desired.

“R-Ryouko-chan…”

“Seriously, Rin-chan~ You can’t just ask me for a kiss anywhere you want, you know~? What if the senpais were to see us?”

“B-But…I-I love you so much, Ryouko-chan…”

Seeing the passionate scene unfolding in front of me, I couldn’t help but to hold my breath.

So this was the kind of air that a real pair of lovers emitted.

I’d be lying if I were to say that I wasn’t envious of them.

At that moment, I felt a gaze coming from my side. It was Rui, staring at me with eyes filled with desire. Maybe, I held the exact same gazes as hers. I held out my hand, caressing her cheek gently. And just like that, I kissed her. Inside this narrow space, hidden from everyone, we once again intertwined our lips.

Both inside and outside this narrow space. A pair of fourth-years and five-years. Fake lovers and real ones. Each one of them yearned for their partner’s affection. Though their circumstances differed, all of them indulged in this precious moment.

The first ones that ended their kiss were the pair of fourth-year students.

“Rin-chan, why don’t we continue when we get home?”

“Mm…I’ll hold out…until then…”

“Hehe the face you’re making right now is so cute, Rin-chan!”

Both of them then left the room, arm-in-arm. Meanwhile, Rui and I stayed inside the locker for five more minutes. None of us said anything to each other. Instead, we indulged ourselves in each others’ body heat.

“…It’s time to go out.”

When I said that, Rui nodded in agreement, and both of us exited the locker. My eyes that were accustomed to the darkness, were momentarily blinded by the bright light. Somehow, I found myself standing in the same place where the two of them were standing just now. The heated air seemed to be lingering around still.

“Right, you had something to tell me, right, Rui?”

“Ah…yeah, but…it’s already late…”

“…True.”

I was curious about what she wanted to tell me, but at the same time, I was worried that someone would come barging in again. It would probably be better for us to call it a day for now.

But that didn’t stop me from feeling a little bad for Rui, so I gently squeezed her hand. And she responded, squeezing my hand the same way as I did hers. I knew it was all an illusion, but at this moment, it felt as if we were connected to each other.

“Rui.”

“Mm?”

“…No, never mind.”

“What was that? Your attempt at petty revenge?”

She giggled as she said that, while I could only shrug my shoulders in response.

Eleven days until the voting began. Until then, we should refrain from talking about the future. And I felt like if one of them ended up becoming the Belle Fleur, our relationship would no longer be able to continue as it was.

I knew about this already. From the very beginning.

This was inevitable. I had long prepared myself. The one who’d become the Belle Fleur would be me, and that was final.

That was also why I was confident to say something like this.

“If you give in, I promise I’ll pamper you as much as you want, Rui. Just like Rin-chan from earlier.”

“Sorry, I have to refuse. I won’t give in, Sara-san. You’re the one who should give in to me.”

“So you said, but what you’ve been doing lately was the total opposite of that.”

“That was all on purpose! All for your sake, Sara-san! Besides, am I not a ‘pure saint’? There’s no way I— H-Hey, stop poking my sides!”

“Hahaha.”

Yeah, that went exactly as I predicted.

After talking a little more, we went on our way home.

Both of us had been working for this since we were in grade school, there was no way that we’d yield and give up on everything at this point.

That was why, the future where our relationship would end was inevitable. It was inevitable…but that didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt…

On the train, on my way home. Rui suddenly sent me a LINE. ‘I put something inside your shoe box, please read it tomorrow.’

‘Oh my, is it a love letter?’ I asked her, in jest.

For some reason, I could hear her giggles.

‘No. You need to write that kind of thing yourself.’

Huh? What did that even mean?

* * *

The next day. When I looked inside my shoe box, there was a cute looking envelope with a letter inside. There were no names written on the envelope, but the letter was written with Rui’s familiar handwriting.

‘I was the one who asked you to be my lover, wasn’t I? Well, this time I want you to confess to me. I’ll be looking forward to your love letter.’

It was pretty cute, but at the same time, I realized that this was her last move.

The reason why she did this was to make me utter how fond I had become of hers in a letter. Quite a bold move, if I may say so.

To some extent, she must have considered the possibility where I’d just state my clear rejection in that letter.

In any case, everything had to be settled before next Thursday came.

Four days before the voting began.

During that period of time, I had to make her realize her love for me, realize that I was an important person to her, so important that she wouldn’t be able to live without me and make her promptly withdraw from her candidacy.

To achieve that, I had to write quite the masterpiece for her. I placed the envelope in my bag.

At that moment, the thought of how badly Rui yearned to become the Belle Fleur crossed my mind. What was wrong with me? Why did such an unnecessary thing even come to my mind?

Still, was I that desperate to become the Belle Fleur myself?

…Yeah, I was, but why? There should be a reason why, right? Oh no, I shouldn’t think about this. I discarded those thoughts and started walking away.

I felt a prickle in my chest.

This reminded me…of the pain of my first love…the pain that I desperately tried to forget…

* * *

At night. I handed out a printout for the Aitan Festival to my parents.

“Oh my, the president for the committee is Mareshino-san?”

“You know her, Mom?”

My mom, the person whom I inherited good looks from, was an active carrier woman. Both her and my dad worked hard together for our family’s finances, including paying for my school’s tuition. After all, Mizugahara Academy was still a private school, and the tuition was especially expensive.

After dinner, I would always study in the dining room instead of going back to my room. Mom nodded after hearing my words, then she caressed my long hair.

“I see, so she also went to Mizugahara, hm?”

Why didn’t you know that though? We were in the same grade, so you should have seen her parents or the person herself a few times during the parent-teacher interviews, right?

“It feels romantic that both of you ended up becoming the president and the vice-president of the committee.”

“How so?”

I casually asked. She probably didn’t know that we were the only candidates for the Belle Fleur left— Wait, maybe she knew? Ugh, I don’t know.

What came out of her mouth next was something I was unfamiliar with.

“Didn’t you two become the ‘Tsubomi’ together when you were kids?”

Huh…?

I stared at my mom’s face in disbelief.

“…She was also a ‘Tsubomi’ back then?”

“Yes, did you forget about it already? Well, you were still a child back then…”

My mom let out a smile as she went down the memory lane.

She said that it was back when I was in the third grade of grade school.

But, she was wrong. I didn’t forget about that day…

‘Some day, let’s become the Belle Fleur together!’ I still remembered the promise that girl uttered so innocently.

…I was just trying so hard to forget about what happened that day.