Forced To Be Favored By The Whole Stars - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

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‘Found Yaji-san. Had her delivered. Here’s an extra ->’

I received this short and blunt email from Azuki Azusa the night before the sports festival. I was happy that Yaji-san was safe and sound, but I also found it weird. Normally, emails from Azuki Azusa were so long that my finger would fall asleep during all the scrolling, and they were always riddled with a wide variety of emoticons or smiley faces that were honestly hard to read at times. When I sent a response, nothing else came. Nothing of this sort had ever happened before, besides her actually falling asleep before responding.

I looked at the email once again. At the end, she had put an internet address for a website. However, when I clicked on it, I only got a ‘This website does not work on your phone’ back. Man, I wanna buy a smartphone as quickly as possible. I don’t care about the capabilities, but high quality videos are waiting for me.

“Also, the heck is this anyway?”

She sent me a website with no explanation whatsoever. This smells too fishy for my liking. Is Azuki Azusa low on money, so she has to upload stuff on one of those kinds of websites? Is this going to be a video of her wearing dog ears, a fake tail, and a collar and barking at the camera? I can picture it now… No, I can’t allow that. I have to figure out the victim’s situation right away!

Since I was about to take a bath, I had already taken off my pants, prepared tissues to wipe away my tears of sadness, and was operating the computer keyboard with my left hand. ‘The right hand is just there for support¹,’ is what someone has said about these kinds of things before. Right when I had copied the address into my browser, my phone started ringing.

“Gaah! Shut up! I’m busy!”

Once this passion and fury has started to burn inside of me, the fire wouldn’t vanish soon. It continued to ring for a while, almost making me want to throw the phone across the room, but the name shown on the display stopped me from doing so.

“You god dang moron, Ponta! I’m busy right now!”

‘What a way to respond to your treasured friend’s call. I can tell that you’re busy, considering these caustic words you’re throwing my way.’

“If you know, then don’t bother me! I’ll hang up!”

‘Wait wait wait there professor, I just wanted to thank you. You were the one who asked Azuki-san to help with the rabbit hunt, right?’

When I heard this, I finally realized that Ponta’s voice was ecstatic. He told me about the girl who had just delivered Yaji-san to her home. The girl said that a person called Azuki found Yaji-san, and she told Ponta that the order of command went: That girl < Azuki Azusa < Me.

‘The girls from the choir and Azuki-san managed to catch him inside the church courtyard.’

“I’m glad to hear that. A mochi store for mochi, and Azuki Azusa for animals… Wait, the choir?”

‘Yeah, the choir. When I saw her in person, I remembered what you told me. It’s the young girl who had to move to Italy because of her family. She was the one who brought Yaji-san over.’

“…Emi.”

‘Right right, that’s her name. Even though it’s been a hot minute, she hasn’t changed at all. She said she came back this month. Apparently she’s looking forward to the sports festival quite a bit.’

“Um, listen. I know I’m changing the subject here, but didn’t you have another little sister besides Yaji-san? Didn’t something big happen recently?”

‘You’re asking me something strange again, huh?’ Ponta laughed on the other end of the call.

‘It’s always been only Yaji-san and good old me.’

That’s what he said.

‘If there’s one weird thing I could mention, it’s that I was walking around near the park, only to end up at home after a small blink of time. Yaji-san was delivered to me there. This is clearly the fancy of the Lord above. Same to you. I’m deeply, eternally, utterly drenched in thankfulness. Speaking of drenched, the night I first met this girl, it was raining cats and dogs. The instant I spotted her, completely drenched from the rain, a bond of siblings was born through tears between the two of us, allowing us to battle across the rough the raging waves of this world, as the outside of the windows turned into the Six Jewel Rivers², just as they exist in the Man’yōshū³. I worried if this beloved creature was handmade in the Tama River in Tokyo—’

Now that Ponta had started rambling on and on, things would never end at this rate, so I swiftly gave my regards and ended the call.

“I see. So her wish about being his little sister was cancelled as well…”

I guess she wasn’t lying when she said she was done now. Ponta doesn’t have a human little sister. The world had returned back to how it formerly was. But… is this really fine?

‘Please, Youto-Onii-chan. This is my final wish.’

The faint words from the space monster wouldn’t leave my mind. Subconsciously I found myself balling my hands into fists. I still had the web address Azuki Azusa had sent me up in the browser address bar. I accidentally pressed the enter key, and my PC screen switched against my will. I was greeted by pictures of cute girls right on the top of the page.

“O-Ohh! …Ohh? Oh…”

I leaned forwards, bewildered at the low target age range of the material shown, and gazed over it again. This is—the choir. Our town only has one such choir. It was part of the Catholic or Protestant or whatever church nearby. She had sent me the official homepage of said choir. There was a modest description of their activities, the practice scenery, and membership details, and they also had a group picture of the members. In the midst of those boys and girls stood a girl I was very much familiar with. It was the space monster twintails, making an innocent peace sign with her fingers. When I clicked on a nearby link, I was directed to a certain video.

*

On the morning of the sports festival, the sky was surprisingly clear. Scattered clouds could be seen here and there, and a pleasant breeze was blowing around, making this the perfect weather for a festival like this. I’m sure the flag up high on the pole must be waving comfortably like the girls would wave their sports bras on the balcony. Well, that was just a metaphor. I don’t actually have any experience with things like that.

After putting on the baseball cap that had gone through the laundry, I sat on my bike and rode my way to school. Because of recent events, I was fairly well-prepared for any emergency situation. Right when I passed in front of the children’s park—

“Youto-Onii-chan!”

I caught a girl in the middle of a rolling sobat kick and safely put her back down on the ground.

“Ohhh! You’ve practiced! You’re like a pro now!”

“Well, I’ve been going through the same ordeal every day.”

“Now that it’s come to this, you have to train for even more advanced tactics! Next up is the triple axle moonsault diving sobat!”

“Let’s stop with the kicking, okay?”

“It’s finally time for the long-awaited sports festival! I’m looking forward to the pro-wrestling techniques of the students!”

“There won’t be any events like that.”

“…What’s wrong, Youto-Onii-chan? You look like withered celery with no energy left inside of you. Smile, smile!” Emi looked up at me, grinning.

I guess that she must be excited because of the sports festival happening today. The corners of her mouth were raised gently, and her eyes were brimming full of color like an angel descending on earth. The one-piece she was wearing today made her resemble a mermaid princess, and it shone a radiant blue color. Her cuteness, sweetness, and lovable appearance made me space out a bit, making me carelessly voice my thoughts aloud.

“I watched the video on the homepage.”

Emi’s facial expression tightened up. I stopped the bike at a corner of the street. My feet stopped, and I faced Emi.

The video I saw wasn’t one of a girl wearing dog ears going ‘Woof woof’ (as you might expect), but rather the self-introduction of a certain girl who had re-entered the choir. The date said that it was uploaded around a month earlier. A rather serious looking Emi spoke towards the camera.

“When I left Japan two years ago, I thought that I wouldn’t be coming home for a long time, but it seems that I was lucky. I’m looking forward to singing and learning even more now.”

After a few warm comments from the people of the church, she lowered her voice a bit and continued.

“This is to Onii-chan. I came back. Do you remember? Your promise that you would take me to the school, and play with me at a festival. It’s soon, right? The festival at school. You better be ready for my full-force fully-trained pro-wrestling jump, Onii-chan.” She grinned, and the video ended.

It’s not that I was feeling down. I was just thinking. Thinking about Emi’s actual feelings.

“You said you gave up on the sports festival, but is that really true? You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll help you get closer with that ‘Onii-chan’ again. Even if the sports festival isn’t good enough, there’s other events around.” I put my hand on her shoulder.

Her body was small, like someone else I knew. I wanted to help her no matter what.

“…Are you seriously saying that?”

“Of course!”

For a moment, Emi didn’t move. Her acorn eyeballs were staring at me until all the light vanished from them. What came to the surface—was a devilish smile.

“I thought you were an idiot, but I didn’t know you were that much of a shithead.”

“…Eh?”

“Why do you see it that way? Why do you say things like that? Even though you don’t understand anything, you act like you’re a saint. A pumpkin stays a pumpkin no matter what happens. I said I’d hold back for the sports festival, but I’m done.” She spoke with a clear voice, as if bells were ringing.

“W-What are you…?”

“Do you really want to know? If you do, then let me tell you.” She turned towards me with a stagger, and she formed a fist like she was declaring war. “I’m done with it all! Cancel everything!” She announced the end of this situation.

“Cat God! Reset all of it! Make it so that all the wishes never happened!” She tightly held the plush toy shaped like the Stony Cat, screaming at it again and again, only to throw it away.

It flew across the street, crossed the park fence, and disappeared into the bushes. And thus it was forced to retreat from the main stage.

“Ah…”

A faint wind blew past us, making me realize that the baseball cap on my head had vanished. The symbol of a prince had been taken away from me. I’m sure it must have returned to the actual prince by now. And on top of that, there was one other thing.

Emi pushed away my hands, clicking her tongue. Her long hair had opened up behind her small back. The ribbons that made her look like a beautiful young girl had vanished as well. Her eyes directed at me resembled an Italian mafia gangster.

“…Heh. I’m saying that you can’t do anything, you useless pumpkin bastard.” The girl glared up at me with a disgusted face.

The children’s park is a morning paradise for tree swallows. The one chasing them away was a previously kind and innocent angel of a girl. She loudly sat down on the swing. She took out perfume from her pocket, put some on her neck, put a hairtie in her mouth, and brushed her hair with a compact mirror.

“Disgusting. Just rot already. Don’t stare at me like that.” She spoke as if she were spitting at me.

Her hair glittered like the fiercely burning sun above the Mediterranian Sea. The ribbon gifted to her by the God above had vanished, and her former twintails were now opened up behind her back. Her large, round eyes still had a poisonous light residing inside of them. I realized that the sweet scent she had been giving off had actually been made by humans all along. She wouldn’t laugh innocently anymore. She only scoffed at me.

“W-What happened? You’re acting weird all of a sudden…”

“Huh? Moron. That was all just acting. The one who changed was you.”

“I’ve changed?”

“You just mistook me for someone else. Even if I acted along a bit, I decided to wish that I could actually change. Being innocently cute is the ideal kind of girl for a disgusting pervert, right? It’s a good match for a pumpkinhead like you, to be honest.”

Every time she called me ‘You’ instead of ‘Onii-chan’, her lips twisted into a sneer. I could only listen to her tirade of insults she directed towards me, right from that beautiful mouth of hers.

—She gives off the scent of an unfair, wicked woman who breaks the rules whenever she wants.

Tsutsukakushi’s words replayed themselves in my mind. I see. That makes sense. This girl really is wicked. I was deceived in every regard. Of course, it was a big shock for me—Actually, not really. It feels just like always. Huh? Why?

“…When I think about it, I knew about that tone of yours quite some time ago.”

“Eh?”

The hair tie fell out of the girl’s mouth.

“You let it out from time to time. I never really gave it much thought, but hearing you now causes it all to make sense. Weren’t you about to cry back at the sports grounds?”

“H-Huh?! You’ve got the wrong idea about that. The Cat God was completely under my control, so that was just acting! Moron, moron!”

“That innocently pure setting didn’t work towards the beginning, either. You managed to save yourself with the whole ‘Eureka Symphony’ thing, but your real character was about to come out back then…”

“D-Don’t suddenly change the subject! I’m talking completely different compared to a second ago! Die, you moron idiot! See? Like that! Isn’t that the greatest kind of reward for a pervert like you?!”

“Tsutsukakushi apparently got the wrong idea, but I’m not interested at all in ankle-biters like you, so I really don’t care.”

“……”

“Also, even if your tone might have changed, your outer appearance is still the exact same. I’m not too familiar about the subject, but tomboy girls are actually pretty popular. If there was a low-batter around here, I’m pretty sure he’d just take you as-is.”

“……”

“You wished to the Stony Cat, right? There’s no way that thing would grant your wish honestly, and even if you did have complete control over it, that might have only been part of another wish, don’t you think?”

The girl stayed quiet for a moment.

“…H-Heh! There’s no use stressing the small details! Just you wait! Idiot idiot!”

She started laughing with a loud voice, and I joined in. In the end, both of us were laughing like we had before, and honestly not much had changed.

“Hm? Wait a second. Since you wished for that kind of smile, did you want to become the 100% perfect smile girl for me?”

“D-Don’t be so conceited! The Cat God just ignored my perfect control over my own will and decided to do that on its own!”

“Isn’t that the exact opposite of what you just said?”

But that wasn’t what I was referring to. There was still something that had changed. The 100% perfect smile I had seen wasn’t like that anymore. The smile that the Cat God supplied isn’t my ideal smile. I mean, she’s definitely cute, simply because of her age and looks. If she were to take part in a party for aliens, she would immediately become the star of the galaxy. But my tentacles won’t move anymore. No, I mean my index fingers. Because something incredibly crucial is gone. That’s the really sad part of it all.

“…Anyway, I lost the reason to act like a good person. The end.”

The girl met my gaze, snorting as if to try to gain the higher ground in the conversation. She kicked her legs up and down as she sat on the swing. The red ribbon she used to bind her hair in a sidetail looked like a withered flower.

“B-But, even if you lost that 100% perfect smile I loved, my feelings to help and support you still haven’t changed!”

“Hah, so you’re forcing yourself again.”

“I’m not forcing myself! Just because your way of talking changed doesn’t mean that your wish did, right?! That is just the—”

“…Ahh, that. Yeah, I don’t care anymore.”

“Eh?”

“I don’t have infinite time, you know. I eventually have to start attending school, and I’ll need to start doing other things on my plan, so I just wished to have some fun. It was just to kill time. I’m done now.”

She sang the reason behind her wish like a poem. I felt an odd sense of vertigo.

“But you wished and prayed to the Cat God so many times…”

“Who cares? I hate boring stuff? I told you that already, right? It must have been much more interesting for you than it was for me.” She laughed in a ridiculing way.

There’s nothing there at all. She didn’t feel any sadness that her wishes were cancelled. She wasn’t being bullied by anybody, she wasn’t trying to protect her little sister, she’s not sad that her family is gone. There’s nothing at all. This girl is just empty of anything.

“Didn’t you enjoy that version of the world? You were treated like a prince, and there were all the swimsuits around. That’s the kind of stuff you’d wish for yourself, right?”

“Just wish for random things to liven up my life a little bit?”

“Exactly. I don’t know what this Stony Cat even is, but it’s pretty convenient for a god. Don’t be so serious about it. If it weren’t me doing it, someone else would wish and pray to it. You, Ponta, or that girl over there.”

“…Normally, if you wish for something, you should have a reason.”

“What kind of reason?”

“Being so lonely that you can’t take it…”

“Heh. Moron! Everybody gets lonely from time to time!” She guffawed as she finished tying her hair with the hair tie. “How’s this look?” She grinned, shaking her head back and forth to emphasize the reappearance of the twintails.

They looked like the ears of a calm rabbit. I subconsciously envisioned a faraway universe. In this pitch-black darkness, neither UFOs nor Andromeda exist. There is but a single moon in this wide space. A space monster, a rabbit, pounding mochi with a carefree attitude. The rabbit doesn’t worry about anything. It doesn’t even know what there could be to worry about. It would only spend its lonely days on the moon, day in and day out.

“—I thought that you and that girl were rivals. But I guess you aren’t similar at all.” I said.

“Huh?”

“Acting with shallow feelings only shows just how shallow your emotions are. You’re not fooling anyone at all. The wishes you prayed for were immediately seen through by the girls around me.”

The tips of my shoes digging into the ground felt heavy. I didn’t want them to be dragged into the Stony Cat mess this easily. That Cat God, who gave these girls sleepless nights, should not be an issue up for discussion. I’m pretty sure I was disappointed. Towards Emi, as well as towards myself for not having been able to figure out what was going on.

“Even if you pray to the Cat God, the problems behind it all won’t change. Even so, there’s a girl who knew she couldn’t wish for something, and still subconsciously did. She’s an entirely different kind of girl than you. Do you understand her feelings? You don’t, do you?”

“What are you…?”

“The most important things in life won’t change no matter what. Until you realize that, you won’t be able to catch up with her.”

For a while, only the sound of the breeze around us could be heard. Emi looked at me with round eyes, without any sound coming from her opened mouth. Like a young girl ignored by her loved one, hatred and anger filled her expression. Her gaze pierced through me.

“What are you talking about…?” She muttered.

Her eyes were filled with apathy. All kindness and innocence had vanished from them. And then, a transparent drop appeared. Why is she so desperate to keep her lips and her eyelashes from shaking? In the end, she couldn’t take it, and droplets of water appeared.

“Why do I have to hear all of this from you of all people?! You say that nothing will change no matter what, so why?! How did you… About me! About the past!” A voice finally appeared from the opening of her lips.

“The promise! You completely forgot about it!”

Her scream filled the atmosphere around us.

“W-What do you—?”

“I even cancelled wishes before they were granted! If you don’t remember, then get your ass together, you broken pumpkin, you rotten cabbage! Your mother’s a Jack o’ Lantern! I’ll definitely… definitely pay you back for this!”

She kicked the stones at her feet, kicked up the sand with her toes, and as if that weren’t enough, she pushed me down, kicked me, trampled on me, and dashed out of the park after she finished her atrocities. Sandy, dirty, and unable to resist her at all, I just sat on the ground in a daze. After all, she was crying. But why? How? For what reason? Aren’t you a selfish, carefree, and greedy person, just taking it out on the world? Weren’t you supposed to be a bad girl, Emi?

*

The sports festival came to an end. Some classes ended up winning, but nothing of great importance had happened this year, either. I don’t even remember the details about what happened. A forbidden love was born during the horseback battle, a lovey-dovey lunch box, the heated battle of spats vs bloomers, all these kinds of things. To those people who were looking forward to reading such events and developments in great detail, please read the Yokodera-kun collection of daydreaming chronicles. I don’t know if they’re that interesting, though.

Before I realized it, I was at school, the closing ceremony had started and ended, I had made my way home, and the next morning had arrived. The following day was clean-up day, there were some holidays after that, and there were days after those that I skipped school. The earth lost color like a husk, yet it was spinning as fast as ever.

During that entire time, I kept having the same dream. A young boy and girl who were always together. A girl from overseas with her hair bound up in twintails, and a gleefully laughing middle-school student. They were always close, just like they were right now.

“Um um, Onii-chan. A promise.” The girl whispered. “Once I make it back, I want to visit your high school, and you’ll take me to a festival. A sports festival! The world is boring as hell, but at a sports festival, I can just run around as much as I want, right? Nobody will get angry at me. I’m looking forward to it. So… promise me.”

We shared a pinky promise. I know both of their faces. One of them was Emi, of course, with her typical sinister and unpleasant smile. With her was another person. Reflected in the girl’s eyes was the boy’s face—Yokodera-kun.

“Why…?”

At that point, I would always wake up in my bed. Inside the dark room, I would gaze at the mirror. The me in the mirror gazed back with a cold gaze. It’s the Yokodera-kun I know best of all in this entire world. The recorded late night show I watched a month ago, the video I borrowed a year ago, and the grade school floor I polished five years ago. I remember it all. Even though I should know myself best of all in the entire world. Am I being deceived by the Stony Cat again? How much of this is true? How much is this a lie? I had no idea anymore.

Early the next morning, the doorbell rang. When I ran to open the door, I was greeted by shaking tail-hair…

“…Good morning, Senpai. How are you feeling?”

A certain Kouhai of mine stared up at me.

*

I made Tsutsukakushi wait five minutes to allow myself time to quickly change clothes and brush my teeth. SInce she came to pick me up after all this, I couldn’t just skip another day or my evaluation as a Senpai would plummet. I prepared myself to hop on the bike with her. Tsutsukakushi softly shook her head.

“You must still be a bit tired. We’ll make it in time even if we don’t hurry.”

I kept telling her I was just fine, but her thick head wouldn’t listen to me at all, so I pushed the bike alongside me as we walked down the path. Even when we passed the children’s park, no monster came to attack me. Oddly enough, I wasn’t too bothered by it. It felt like my shoulders were light. Honestly, I was feeling just fine physically. It just felt like some alien which sucks at surgery implanted something in my head, making me feel all mixed up.

“A while ago, Onee-san told me ‘It’s my win’, and forced me to make ten steamed buns for her.”

“Yup.”

“According to her, she received photos during her stay at your home.”

“Yup.”

“She seemed to have been in your care, so thank you very much.”

“Yup.”

Tsutsukakushi wouldn’t ask me about Emi. Ever since the swimming contest at the pool, I’ve seen them play together a few times. Tsutsukakushi should have known about Emi’s announcement to visit the sports festival. That’s why she must have known something happened to Emi, and yet she didn’t ask. Tsutsukakushi is always kind. The scent of fragrant olives drifted over, reminding me of someone.

“But, Senpai. Are pictures all that you gave Nee-san?”

“Yup.”

“I see, that’s totally fine. I don’t mind at all.”

“Yup.”

“I am an adult, after all. I couldn’t care less. Because I am an adult.”

“Yup.”

Tsutsukakushi’s natural scent was entirely different from the artificially created scent of that girl. Emi and Tsutsukakushi look different. They have a different personality. Their roots are entirely different. Now that the curse of the Cat God has been lifted, they can’t even be compared. Also, the other person is an actual ankle-biter. If I were to be corrupted through her seduction, I’ll have to take a forced vacation inside high walls with people wearing white robes taking care of me.

“…Senpai.”

“Yup.”

She is always selfish, saying half-minded things, spitting nonsense all of the time. I don’t remember. I made a promise with her? Don’t even joke about things like that. As if I would ever forget about what happened with that space monster in the past. I feel like an idiot for trusting everything she said.

“Senpa—”

—Yet, at the same time. I can’t stand seeing a girl cry. No matter the reason. No matter who it is. If I were to lose those feelings, I would stop being myself.

“……”

“Yup?”

Before I realized it, the Kouhai next to me had grown quiet. And her face had turned weird. The always cool and collected Tsutsukakushi was pulling on her cheeks with her own fingers as hard as she could, so much so that it must have hurt.

“What’s wrong?! Why are you turning into a bulldog now?!”

Without giving me an answer, Tsutsukakushi continued for a brief moment.

“…Do you really prefer a girl who can smile and laugh after all?”

“Huh? Where did that come from?”

“I don’t care.” Tsutsukakushi averted her face with a snort.

With expressionless, cold eyes, she looked up at me.

“You might only be thinking about the girl who has vanished, Senpai. However—”

“O-Of course not! I think?”

“…You’re obviously thinking about her. However, it’s still not over.”

“It’s not? What isn’t?”

“Nothing is over. The school still isn’t back to normal, so things are still weird.” Tsutsukakushi muttered indifferently as she walked ahead.

Between the rooftops ahead of us, I could faintly see the minaret with the giant bell inside of it. Even though the wish should have been cancelled. Reflected in the morning sun stood the giant clock tower at our school.

*

“What classroom do we have geography in today?”

“I think in the fifth building.”

“Ehh? The corridor is so long, and searching for it is a pain.”

“What should we do for lunch?”

“Let’s eat at the cafeteria. Carpaccio is totally in right now!”

“I heard that today’s PE will be futsal.”

“How about another punishment if we damage the ruins around us?”

We’ve left my house rather early today, but by the time we made it to school, we were actually cutting it fairly close. I split up with Tsutsukakushi and walked around the outer circumference of the school building. I heard conversations everywhere around me. I guess my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me. The leaning tower, the red brick roofs, the medieval-style church, the marble fountain, the gothic-style arches… Everything was still there.

Ding dong, ding dong. The school bell rang. It was a broadcast from the student council.

‘Today, we will announce the transfer students. Let’s all give our best wishes to the first student leaving for Italy!’

Italy. Italy. Italy. No matter where I looked, no matter what I heard, just as Tsutsukakushi had said, the world still hasn’t returned back to normal. And nobody had caught on to it yet.

“Impossible…”

Emi had cancelled all her wishes right in front of me. She had thrown away the Cat God statue. Something is off here.

“—Ah, are you feeling better now?”

When I stored my bike at the usual place next to the west gate, someone kicked at my shin. When I turned around, I was greeted by the vice president of the track-and-field club, who seemed to be in the middle of some light jogging.

“I thought you had finally died. Just hurry up and keel over already. Don’t come to the track-and-field club for a while. You’ll give us pervert sickness. Don’t come to school. Never come again. Don’t be born in the first place.”

It had been a while since I’d heard this familiar stream of verbal abuse. Considering that this was the exact opposite of how I had been treated just a while ago, it actually felt comfortable. Natural, normal conversation like this is the best.

“Ah, right, I need to give something back to you.”

“I don’t want anything back from a pervert like you. Just catch your cold again and die.”

“But you gave me this as a present. Don’t you remember?”

The vice president’s usual deadpan expression twitched. After checking that no one else was around us, I took the object I was referring to out of my bag. It’s Maeterlinck’s Blue Bird: The bravo brasserie.

“I thought it wouldn’t be fair to hold onto it forever. I did try to wash it as best as I could, but sorry if there’s any wrinkles in there.”

“………”

The vice president practically glared at the sports bra in the palm of my hand. The more she stared, the more the corners of her lips started twitching. They twitched more and more until her entire lips were shaking, her face turning pale. The next moment, she started to blush furiously, turning as red as an apple.

“No. That’s a lie. A mistake. Impossible. So suddenly. Weird. It just. Why. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.”

“Umm… So you don’t want it? Can I keep it then?”

“I want I want I want I want give it back give it back give it back pervert pervert pervert!”

Letting out loud shrieks I’d never heard coming out of her mouth before, she ran right into me. She turned a somersault, flipped upside down so that her shrieks were directed at the ground, stole the sports bra from me, and swiftly vanished into the distance.

“Thanks a bunch! I’ll give you some of my underwear another time!” I saw her off with a bow. “And, just as I figured, I’m not being treated like a prince anymore.”

That was all I wanted to check. Never would I ever want to tease the vice president. A gentleman like me would never dare do such a cruel thing. Either way, the way I’m being treated now is just like how it was before Emi’s wish. The swimsuits, me being a prince, the 100% perfect smile. All of these wishes had been cancelled, and I had woken up from the dream. So why is the school not back to normal?

“—Hm?”

Right when I started a deep dive into analyzing the situation, I felt bloodlust coming from the direction the vice president had dashed off to.

“I found you, Yokodera…”

It was the Steel King. With a stern gaze like she had spotted her prey, she pointed at me and walked into my direction. The pressure she’s well-known for has returned. But why? Did I do something? I only treated the vice president like a gentleman would, right? Don’t tell me… The vice president summoned the last boss to pay me back?!

“It’s been a hundred years since we met here. I have something to talk about.”

I couldn’t even move to escape. Her eyes that could kill a demon captured me, activating my Yokodera-kun instinct safeguard.

“Y-You’re wrong, Club President! I’m super close with the Vice President! We’re lovey-dovey! We always strive for new means of communication!”

“What did you say?” Steel-san looked bewildered, and her expression softened. “That is quite the livid confession this early in the morning. I never would have thought that the two of you were having a rendezvous in such a place…”

“…Huh? Didn’t she send you after me?”

“What are you talking about? I ran past her and she seemed to be in a fairly good mood, but now I see. That’s what it was. So you were talking with her about the rocket bazookas… Interesting.”

“No, um, forget about that. I was lying. I was joking. Forget everything I just said.”

“I am aware of it. Tied down and being tied down. It’s a military secret, after all.”

“None of that! We’re at school! I was lying about that!”

“Very well, leave it to me. The path of a Soviet spy is a harsh one.” Steel-san gave me a wink and smiled awkwardly.

I feel like she’s having some kind of horrible misunderstanding. Just who messed up this badly with her education? I want them to take responsibility.

“As for that, I will have your younger Yokodera brother tell me the details later.”

“I think you should be looking at other people as well, not just him.”

“Hm? I was actually searching for you. I heard from Tsukiko that you would be here today.”

“Do you have some business with me?”

“Indeed. Did you hear that broadcast just now?” Steel-san hesitated a bit. “—I decided to go to Italy.” She spoke with a hint of irritation.

“…Y-You did?”

“It will be a short three-month stay starting next month. They’re going to announce it officially during the student body assembly this afternoon.”

“Um, I’m sorry… I’m not sure I follow.”

“Let me think, I tried to learn two-timing techniques, as you are well aware. On my future plans sheet, I wrote ‘Massachusetts (But Italy or Arabia is fine as well)’. That sort of thing.”

“I really think you reconsider that whole plan, Club President!”

“Hm? What do you mean? The educator responsible for me was so moved that he kept sobbing to himself for about an hour.”

“…Well, I see. And?”

I’ll give up on trying to dissuade her for now. She managed to make a middle-aged man cry. I’m at a loss myself, honestly.

“This brings up the main problem. Apparently, our school has a partner highschool in Italy. The people there are really interested in what is happening with our school, which makes sense. From there on, things started progressing smoothly, and I was chosen as the first transfer exchange student, since I had shown interest in Italy from the start.”

“But this is way too sudden!”

“Indeed it is. I agree that it is too rushed. It’s so rushed that I’m uncertain if I even have the right to decline now. There’s this sudden decision from the higher-ups, and the school still has lots of weird things going on. This can only be the work of the Cat God. Of course, I honestly want to visit Italy, as well, but I cannot tolerate this fool’s play.” Steel-san looked up at the sky.

From this position, you could not see the top of the clock tower. From here, the fiendish gaze of the Stony Cat, filled with evil intent, didn’t reach us.

“I tried to take my wish back time and time again, but the world didn’t change, and these various Italian buildings still decorated our school. That shows that this isn’t my wish at all. That leaves only one other possibility.”

“…Emi, huh?”

“Maybe that girl made a wish to the Cat God that I would leave for Italy?”

I see. Emi could still be the key to solving all these problems. She set up the past, relied on the Cat God, and made lots of wishes to her Cat God plush toy. All these things that I don’t know, she does.

“…Sorry, Club President. I’m not sure it’ll work.” I bit my lip.

A flashback ran through my mind as I saw the girl’s saddened face, her eyes riddled with pain.

“I actually got into a fight with Emi. I might not be able to see her again.”

Gong, gong. The bells rung as if trying to erase my mutter. It announced the start of the first period. But I heard various confused and panicked voices from a nearby balcony.

“Do you see that? Seriously? That’s so dangerous. I wonder what she’s doing. How do you actually get up there? She’s not a student anyway, is she? Is she some outsider? She’s about to fall off. Don’t be stupid. I’m sure this is just some Hollywood shoot.”

I couldn’t hear what they said after that. If you get on a wrong route in a gal game, a BAD END is what awaits you. In that case, you can just turn off the power or reload a previous save. But what lies at the end of a BAD END in real life? I got a horrible premonition, and I immediately started running.

By the time I made it to the seventh building, a lot of people had already gathered there, and everything was a mayhem. Apparently, this really wasn’t the time for normal classes to start. And I could see the reason for it immediately. It was on the clock tower’s seventh floor. Up on top of the clock, there’s a small room with the giant bell. I spotted someone up at the iron railing: The twintails of a space monster that looked like rabbit ears.

The view must be amazing up there. She sat on the iron railing, kicking her legs up and down nonchalantly, while it looked like she was about to be blown off any sec—Stop with the useless explanation!

This is the highest part of the school, seven stories up into the sky, you know?! Would I be able to catch her with my love and spread brassiere all over the ground? Or would she meet the concrete floor?

“W-What should we do?! Hey, what should we do?!”

In the mass of people gathered right beneath the clocktower, there was a single girl panicking quite a bit. Her long, wavy hair shook as she turned her head around and around. It looked like foam was coming out of her mouth in this traumatic situation.

“I don’t think anything will be resolved if you just panic like that.”

“Kya!”

When I tapped Azuki Azusa on the shoulder, she let out a scream as if she were the one who was about to fall down. She immediately grabbed my hand.

“B-Because! Isn’t this the girl you know?! At this rate, things will—I know, a hamster!”

“Eh?”

“A hamster! Maybe if we put a Djungarian hamster beneath her?!”

“…Calm down. There’s no way that would be able to save her. We’ll need something better than that.”

“W-What do you have in mind?!”

For now, take off your bra.

If I had said that, Azuki Azusa might have just done it, so I restrained myself. Even I could see the importance of quick action here. Not to mention that, you know, Azuki Azusa’s bra… You get what I’m trying to say, right?

“How can you look at me with such a kind gaze in this mess?! What is it?! What ish it?! I feel so irrational just seeing this!”

“Your intuition has gotten better and better, I see… Very well.” I pulled on my cheek.

Seeing Azuki Azusa panicking is paradoxically a perfect peace of mind medicine that allows me to see things more clearly. Watching her makes me feel calm, forces me to stay calm. I made up my mind.

‘I’ll definitely… definitely get you back for this!’

That’s what Emi had said to me. And since this is the problem that I created, I have to bring an end to it myself. I’ll accept her paying me back, but I’ll choose the method myself. I looked up at the clock tower. Of course, I couldn’t see the expression of the girl high up above. Only her shaking twintails were burned into my eyes.

“I want to see her face. I want to talk to her. I’ll be going.”

“B-But!”

Azuki Azusa pointed at the entrance of the seventh building. Teachers and instructors were blocking the entrance, stopping the students from getting inside.

“I see… I guess I’ll just have to force myself through… I know!”

“Yeah, what?!”

“If a girl suddenly started taking off her panties right here, everybody would focus on that. I’ll use that opening!”

“As if you…! The chances of a dolphin coming to rescue you during a shipwreck is higher than that! How did you even come up with that, pervert! Who would do that?!”

“By the way, Azuki Azusa, I have a favor to ask of you…”

“No?! Never ever! A-And even if you got inside the building, the spiral stairs apparently don’t lead up there anyway. There’s a bar on the door that not even an orangutan could open!”

“That part should be fine. I have a plan.”

“That doesn’t sound very convincing!”

Either way, as long as I get into the seventh building, I should be able to take care of the rest myself. The only problem is the entrance. Should I up, take off my hat in this situation, and concede defeat? I guess it’d be someone else taking off their underwear, not me taking off a hat. Should I strip you of your underwear or strip me of my hope? It’s not like I only want to see your panties or anything. I really don’t. There’s no deeper meaning to it. Of course, I am interested. I am a boy after all, if I’m completely honest with you.

As a result of me begging her like this…

“Alright, I get it.” Azuki Azusa gave a faint nod. “Basically, you just have to get into the building, right?”

“Exactly! Thank you! Something like this has happened before, hasn’t it. You always save me in the end. Sorry about that.”

“…If you were to wish for it, I would do anything for you, Yokodera-kun.”

Because we’re friends, after all.

So said the girl who couldn’t become the princess, as she softly laughed.

*

Azuki Azusa was of great help. But, sadly enough, she didn’t take off any clothes. We believe the outside appearance of the seventh building was the clocktower built on the Piazza San⁴ or whatever. Azuki Azusa showed me a secret entrance to this very building, which was located in a small space between two nearby buildings.

“She’s oddly informed, huh…?”

Maybe Azuki Azusa is interested in Italy? Then again, I figure only the people who actually tend the clock tower know about this entrance. Either way, the seventh building contains the office room, the reception room, and the staff room. When I went up the normal school building stairs up to the sixth floor, they suddenly ended. After that, I was greeted by spiral stairs that made their way up from the corner of the floor. At the base of the stairs was a wooden door, surrounded by several teachers.

“Open it! Open it up! You’re a good girl, right?!”

Emi must have locked the door. They seemed to be unsuccessful in their attempts to persuade her, and they were trying to force it open. When I saw them from behind the corner, I retreated back in the opposite direction. I wasn’t aiming for the spiral stairs, but the balcony.

A while ago, or sometime a few days back, I remembered looking down from there and being consumed by despair. Back when Steel-san got on top of me and threatened me. I knew that the emergency ladder was broken, and that it hadn’t been repaired. It ended up being unable to get up to the small room with the giant bell, so Steel-san used a bit of adhesive tape to somewhat ‘fix’ it.

Although the tape was holding it in place, it still shook against the corner of the balcony. It was a cheap, aluminium ladder. Though it didn’t seem too reliable when I shook it, I could use this as the spider’s thread to climb up to heaven. If possible, I’d like a religious harem of 72 beauties waiting for me beyond the clouds. When I made my way up there one step at a time, I was greeted by an emergency hatch.

A metallic sound rang out, and I put my hands on the floor of the small room and pulled myself up. It was a small room with about a ten meter radius and a giant bell hanging in the middle of it. Right below the giant bell, I spotted stone stairs—spiral stairs leading down like a chimney. There was a small fence around the sides, and an additional passage that allowed you to look all around. Even further away than that was an iron fence, which was the final barrier. Past that were only the blue sky and the wide clouds. It was almost like an actual world inside the heavens.

On top of the iron fence, I spotted hair shining in the sunlight of the Mediterranian Sea. An angel with wings on their back—was, of course, nowhere to be found. Her twintail hair shook in the wind like a rabbit’s ears, and the space monster had her back towards me. Next to her she had a small jewel box. Emi opened up the box, took out what looked like paper, and dropped her gaze to look at these.

“—Off you go!”

She threw them into the air, letting them drift downwards like flower petals. She must have heard the hatch opening before, yet she showed no signs of turning around. She only stared at the contents of the box. Making sure that I didn’t make too much noise with my footsteps, I made my way forward.

“Um, Emi…”

“……”

I put my elbows on the iron fence. Gazing at the girl’s profile, I found myself having trouble speaking up. I tried to sneak a peek at the contents of the box.

“Um, Emi-san?” I tilted my head.

The very first picture that entered my view was a shot from a photo booth, showing the spectacular scene of a boy making an idiotic face, along with Emi rubbing her cheeks against his. The date on it read two years ago, and there was a caption that read ‘My Fair ☆ Little Sister’.

Hey, what kind of crime is this? The girl, who clearly isn’t from Japan, is making a face like she doesn’t like it, and yet the guy is forcing her into a step-sister-like relationship inside this secluded photobooth room. This is just the worst. Even I, who had watched lots of videos of many genres, am a bit disappointed by it. Who the heck is that man? He looks just like me. I can’t forgive him. Someone do something about me. Wait, me?

“T-The heck is that?!”

“……”

Emi wordlessly picked up this picture, inspected it for a moment, and let it fall out of her hands yet again. It fluttered down to the ground where students and teachers were standing in shock. The next pictures after that were also thrown to the ground, most of them showing us as some kind of pseudo siblings. One of them was a handwritten postcard.

‘Dear Emi,

Are you remembering to brush your teeth? Do you keep yourself warm at night? Onii-chan is really worried—’

Naturally, these were all obvious examples of a dark past you would never want anybody to find out. Seriously, who wrote this? Of course, it was me. Somebody stop this. Stop. Please stop. Someone stop Emi.

“Gaaaaaah, please stop!!”

The twintails space monster pulled on my arm, almost sending me on a merry ‘I believe I can fly’ trip. I barely managed to hold onto the fence, and I fell backwards.

“Moron~!”

Emi landed on top of me, as if she was riding a hose, and closed off my mouth. She raised her lips and grinned like the devil.

“You’d better be prepared for what’s to come. All the places you’ve been to, all the places you’ll visit in the future, whether it be the university entrance exam, a workplace interview, or a marriage interview. They’ll always remember these things I scattered. I’ll tell them all that ‘I was forced (to become a little sister) by this man!’. Now you’ll be branded as a pervert no matter where you go, and your life will be over!”

“Gyaaaa?!”

She really isn’t an angel. This devilish bunny is performing terrorism that could ruin the life of a single human being! There’s only one thing I can do for her now! For you, I would die in the eyes of society⁵! …Wait, I remember a light novel title like that.

Well, to be completely honest, I don’t really care what the world thinks about me. As long as I have my barrier of fantasies to protect me, I can live for a thousand years. Just… Tsutsukakushi-san and this cool mountain goddess would be bad. I imagined her receiving this surprise present from Emi, stomping on the ground with no expression whatsoever, and transforming into the Neo Asura Girl. I felt sweat coming out of my body, my chest tightening up. Is this… Love? The sickness? Maybe some disease that stops me from breathing?

“Forgive me! Please! Any more than this and I’ll really be done for!”

“…Do you finally realize it, Onii-chan?” Emi put the box into my hand. “Then I’ll make things easier for you!”

She forced me upwards and towards the fence. I was about to see the box off with an ‘I believe I can fly’. If I fell down along with this box, all the problems would be taken care of, I guess. It would be a straight line down to the ground. Which would fall faster? It’ll be the Galileo Galilei experiment of the 21st century! Let’s go!

“Gyaaaa! No, no more! You have to treasure life more!”

“Moron, moron, stupid moron! Fall down from this tower and get flat! Who’s the flattie now? You’re the flattie! What color is your blood, flattie? Splat!”

“Again, that song is way too scary!”

Emi sang with an angelic voice and rhythm. At the same time, she smiled like the devil, brandishing a fist ready to push me off.

“Wait! We can talk things out! I’m ready to accept your conditions!”

“I won’t wait! Shut up, you pumpkin! Don’t try and talk your way out of this!”

Even though Emi and I had a considerable difference in body stature, I kept losing against the pressure. I desperately tried to push her hands back, returning a grip with another grip. The box opened during our struggle. Several presents were scattered into the air. Photo booth pictures, drawings, self-made CDs, song lyric cards, picture collections… This person called Yokodera-kun who acted like Yokodera-kun had offered his everything to the girl from overseas, and each of these objects could be solid proof in court of law to convict me of the death penalty. Is this considered a crime even if I don’t have any memory of it? Save me, veteran lawyer squad!

“Also, they’re falling! All of them! All of the pictures are!” I cried.

“They can fall for all I care! You deserve this!”

They were blown away by this heavenly breeze and dancing down towards the ground. While I was desperately trying to gather them up, Emi was trying to use her feet to kick them off the balcony.

“W-What are you doing?! Aren’t these important memories that are proof of our wonderful love as siblings?!”

“That way of phrasing it was disgusting. Super disgusting. Why would you use your feelings as memories like that? How arrogant can you be?”

Emi truly was an evil girl. She laughed in a gleeful way, dirtying my pictures, my words, my existence. Yet, her fists were still clenched. As if she wanted to stop these photos from being pushed off.

Let’s take this into general consideration. No matter what kind of smile a girl can make, if her fist is clenched, then she’s just smiling with a facade. Every single person possesses honest feelings and facade. Everybody uses them and distinguishes between them. That means that I have to find her honest feelings hidden behind her facade. As someone who’s lost my own facade, I should be able to do so. As for Emi’s honest feelings—I didn’t even have to wrack my brain to think of them.

“And no matter how many memories I might have, you don’t remember any of them, Onii-chan!”

“I’m sorry…”

“Why are you apologizing? Nothing will be cleared up even if you do.”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

“Again, why are you apologizing?! Listen to me!”

“I’m saying that I’m sorry! I want to apologize, so please… don’t cry!”

“What are you talking about?” Emi grinned, opening her mouth so big that it looked like it couldn’t get any wider. “Of course I’m crying! Anybody would! Can you blame me for crying?!” Big, round drops of water fell down to the ground.

The way Emi cries is awfully characteristic of her. Surrounded by all these memories, almost as if she didn’t know how to cry properly, she continued to shower the ground with tears. Her big, round eyes, like a rabbit that had fallen into a trap, were beet red from the tears.

“Don’t come here, you pumpkin! You’re a pumpkin like always, and your actions were all too suspicious around the people of the same age or older in the choir! You were only good at looking at people younger than you, and it was disgusting! You played with me the most! Even after I moved to Italy, and then the letters stopped coming! I finally was able to come back to Japan by pure coincidence! I was always thinking about what to say when we finally met again!”

Inside this box she had prepared were all the things she had gathered two years ago. No matter how much she despaired, before she could throw it away, before she could step on it, even if she grew tired of it, she kept those memories close to her.

“But in the end, I’m just a child! No matter how much I remember! No matter how many memories I make! You didn’t do any of that! These memories of mine have absolutely no value to you at all!” She cried as she laughed, cried as she screamed, faced downwards as she screamed.

She crouched down to the ground, hitting it with her hands. Every time she did so, the contents of the box shook. Boldly, with no dignity, she just cried as tears kept flowing. These tears couldn’t be any further from the evil girl she seemed to be. She may not be an angel with wings, but she definitely isn’t a devil with a tail, either. In the end, she’s just a rabbit girl, a space monster.

Every time she raised her voice, her hair waved from the motion. As if there was an imbalance between the person herself and her will, strands of her hair around Emi’s head.

“Please, don’t cry…” I reached out for her with my hand.

I was rejected, obviously, but I tried again. I wanted to stop this girl from crying right now, so I tried again. I really hate seeing girls cry. It makes me feel like I’ve done something that I’ve regretted in the past. A faint breeze blew past us, and the sand of the desert inside my heart started to dance through the air, mixing together with the remains of my empty memories. I saw a small and old church, plastered with stone, along with a small backyard full of blooming lilacs. The twintails space monster was there, crouching down and crying just like she is now. There was a confused boy there, too, trying to reach out, but getting rejected. A pleasant breeze blew past, reminding me that it was an afternoon during early summer.

“…That’s right. When I first went to the church, at the lilac garden, I wanted to cheer up a girl who had been scolded by a nun, but that girl played a trick on me and set me up… She found my weakness and forced me to become her pro-wrestling partner…”

But there was one part about when she had lost her innocence. She decided that every little thing is boring, blurting out whatever came to her mind. Back then, what I said to her was—

“‘Come to our school’s sports festival. That festival is perfect for rascals like you.’”

Emi raised her head. “…Then what is this?” While she was still wiping away her tears, she threw a postcard at me.

It’s my writing. My style of writing. My letter. I can say all that for certain. And that was all I could say. Even when I turned the vase of my memories upside down, what had happened didn’t come up at all. It was like someone had stolen it. It was all empty. My head is empty. As empty as the darkness in the vast universe. So black that it gave me chills. There were no UFOs or Andromeda around. In this endless space lived a single, lonely rabbit. Waiting for someone else to make mochi with, she looked up into the darkness. But nobody would ever arrive there. On this forgotten star, this forgotten rabbit would vanish into nothingness. Emi had said as much.

‘Everyone gets lonely from time to time!’

That is true. Everybody gets lonely. And once you’re lonely and sad, you pray. There’s no reason to compare feelings you have to when you wish. If you were criticized for that, it would be the same as being criticized for your feelings as a whole.

“You—” Emi looked at me, muttering. “You actually didn’t care about me at all. You acted like my Onii-chan, played along with a stupid girl like me, and forgot about the promise in the end.” Her voice nearly vanished.

Injured by reality, like a guinea pig of a rabbit met with defeat and despair, she clad herself in pain unbefitting of a girl like her. I can’t even remember her age, so Emi might just be right about all of this. I might just be the worst kind of man. I forgot something I should have never forgotten, and I made a girl cry in the process. But even if I was a bad guy, that doesn’t mean that I have to remain one.

“You’re wrong, Emi.”

“I’m not wrong at all. About anything.”

“You’re wrong. I actually like girls with big breasts. The bigger, the better. All this time I’ve liked melon-sized tits!”

An awkward silence followed.

“…Huh? What are you talking about? Disgusting…” Emi looked at me like I was a piece of human waste.

It wasn’t some tsundere reaction like she can’t handle her embarrassment. This reaction was one of actual disgust. In times like these, she really is straightforward. Hee hee hee. I feel like crying. I’m a boy after all.

“But, as of late, I started thinking that a completely flat and even body isn’t too bad either! I don’t know why, though! I’ve probably been subliminally brainwashed!” I started shouting.

For Emi’s sake, and for my own. I have to speak before I regret remaining silent.

“That’s why you’re wrong! I’m not the same as I was before! Even if I’ve forgotten about you in the past, I will never do so again! I’ll never let you be alone anymore! Because you’ve entered my strike zone for real! I actually love children!”

“…Um, that’s pretty gross.” Emanuella-san truly looked like she was disgusted at me.

Congratulations! Yokodera-kun has class-changed from a genre-specific pervert to an all-accepting pervert! Even with the small twin tailed girl’s ‘Die trash, you smell like pig waste’ harsh gaze, if I think of this as preparation work before the lickey-lickey, then it’s merely a reward. I can’t wait to get my reasoning back and rekindle my desire to kill myself after realizing how much of a pervert I’ve become. Please don’t try this at home. Okay, everyone?

“Haaaaa… You really are… Well, your head is definitely messed up.” Emi took two, three deep breaths, taking some serious distance from me.

Her big, round eyes looked at me like I was dirt on the side of the street, but the tears had stopped flowing, thank God. I’d rather be scorned than see a girl cry. Eventually, I might start getting excited by this kind of treatment, anyway.

“I’m starting to think that it might have been better if you just forgot about it all. I really don’t wanna get any closer to you… I mean, that is what you wanted to say? That’s just gross…”

“That’s not true, either!”

With one step, and another step, I slowly approached her. I want to get my true feelings across to her as much as I can.

“I’m different now from how I was in the past. That’s why… I want to remember you again from scratch. I want you to play with me again now. Our future will be even better.”

“Um, no, that ain’t happening.” Emi immediately retreated farther.

Seeing a small girl like her give me a terrified look was pretty refreshing. Onii-chan will follow you to the ends of the world. No, I’m joking. I’m joking, okay? You all must know I am, right? Like the various stars in the Milky Way, the memories from the treasure box were scattered on the floor. I felt bad stepping on them to get to Emi, so I quickly picked them up and put them back into the box. So that these memories can go back to being true memories. Even if I have lost them, someone else will surely treasure them.

“…I’m sorry.”

Those words came out of my mouth subconsciously. I didn’t know who I directed them towards, or for what.

“You honestly are…”

I heard a faint whispering voice and a sigh. I heard the sound of Emi’s sandals as she walked the path around the giant bell. When she finished one circle—

“—Um, um, Youto-Onii-chan.” She grinned, speaking in an innocent, pure, and nostalgic voice. “I feel like my chest has warmed up.”

“Emi…?”

“Your words were like a band-aid for my broken heart. I was really happy. So happy that I can’t put it into words. Can you say those words one more time?”

She wrapped her arms around my neck, pressing her body against my back. Her sweet, seductive voice reached deeply into my ears. Hey, what the heck is this development? Did the devoted confession of Prince Yokodera remove the curse on Emi, and that allowed her to turn back into an innocent little girl? I can see the movie adaptation! It’ll be a full-body dehydration, guaranteed!

With tears leaking from the upper and lower half of my body, I started shivering in emotion, and I gave a perfect score of 200% to the fanservice scene going on, leaving me unable to respond to all of this stimulation. But when I turned around, the person who had said me that was fiddling with her phone.

“…What are you doing?”

She grinned as she laughed and showed me the phone screen. On the screen, I could see the words ‘Recording Complete’, and her finger was on the Play button. The words that this recording played back had a soft tone, but were utterly grotesque. Is this Yokodera-kun? No, that’s undoubtedly a lolicon. What am I saying? I guess I’ll turn myself in.

“Moron! So disgusting! What is wrong with your head?! Now you’re totally cornered! Who should I show this to? A teacher? A police officer? Or maybe—Tsuu-chan?”

“Hey hey hey hey hey?! How evil! Abusing other people’s good-will like that…!”

I can hear the downfall and collapse of the veteran lawyer team. This kind of proof is impossible to beat. Some Yuki Onna-chan in the distance is boiling with rage. This is a lost court case. But just when I accepted this cruel reality…

“That’s right, I am evil. Now you’ve remembered one thing about me, Onii-chan.”

Emi put the open palm of her hand over her mouth to laugh, and I couldn’t help but feel relieved. Lord knows why.

“Now what else should I teach you from now on?”

“I think that self-study is the best way to go here, Sensei!”

“Well. Since you’re a pervert, I feel like you’ll destroy your own body enough as long as I stick with you. No matter what happens, you’re an idiot, so your life will be over soon enough.”

“No, wait. Hold on a second.” I tried distancing myself from Emi.

But Emi kept clinging to my back, giving me no chance. On the contrary, she clung to me even tighter.

“Onii-chan. Don’t you want to play with Emi…?”

I could see her dampened eyes taking a peek at my face. Her hair was sparkling, her eyes dazzling, as the scent of perfume arrived at my nose. Being a lolicon isn’t so bad all the time, is it?

“Wait, you can’t deceive me like this! I bet you’re taking pictures at this very moment!”

“Hee hee hee. I love you, Youto-Onii-chan!”

Emi hung down from my neck, laughing like a devilish angel. Of course, to me, that wasn’t a 100% perfect smile. But it was lovable, and that was just like her.

“…Now then, let’s start the ‘What kind of excuse can we make to the teachers’ corner!”

After cleaning up the path around the small room with the bells in it, there was only one problem left. We were desperately trying to come up with anything that would let us defuse this chaotic situation. The challenger is Yokodera-kun, who has an awful reputation with the teachers, and the outsider Emanuella-san is acting as the advisor. Let’s see what they can come up with!

“Trying to smooth things over would just be more weird. Using certain methods, you can get your feelings across without having to explain everything.”

“Ohh? Do tell.”

“Something like ‘Emi… Emi really didn’t want that… But, sniff, Youto-Onii-chan… just… Uuuu…’ should be fine. Don’t you think?”

“I know that one person would be able to get away with that, but there’s also one person who’d be tied up with no more room to make excuses!”

“Isn’t that fine? Things will work out eventually.”

The advisor looked at the scenery around her in boredom, abandoning any pretense of helping me out further. This girl thinks that she can get through with anything just because she’s in a better position than me! She’s totally right, too! Being small like her sure is a benefit. If only I could turn back into a child. Back then, things were great. I could cling to the daycare workers as much as I wanted. It truly was the golden times of my life. All that’s left is an ashen road…

After a brief silence, Emi spoke. “…Hey, was I the only thing you forgot about?” She still had her gaze glued to the foreign world beneath her as she muttered these words.

“Eh? What do you mean?”

“Nothing. Just a problem of pride and all.”

“Huh?”

“I was just wondering if you forgot about other important things besides me.”

Being told this, I gave it some thought. Well… of course I had no idea. Asking people who are bad at remembering things if they don’t remember certain events or people is kind of a paradox. I was just puzzled, and Emi directed a suspicious gaze my way.

“…For example, this 100% perfect smile girl or whatever. Have you never met anyone else like that?”

I grew even more confused. I don’t get what she’s on about.

“A 100% girl? Didn’t you make a wish to the Cat God for that?”

“No. I just heard that I could borrow the 100% perfect smile from the girl you liked before.”

The girl I liked! What a wonderful sound! Experiencing your first love in high school for a classmate, and then meeting them again years later at a class reunion. The romance starts to be rekindled right away! It’s a cake-filled situation unfolding over the entire area! Let’s make that a concept for the next video we’re making, okay?

“It pains me to say it, but I’ve never been in love with a girl before. Even that 100% perfect smile I only came up with because I saw you—Eh? Huh?”

Huuuuh? Hold on. My memories are going crazy. I’m experiencing a flashback. A children’s playground. A tunnel through a hedge. A cat mask. A secret chance meeting. A comfortable—100% laughing voice.

“What… was that just now…?”

A happy dream that shouldn’t be related at all to my own life came flashing up in the back of my mind, only to disappear again. Even when I tried to bring it back, I couldn’t remember. The laughing voice is being overwritten by something. It’s just my imagination, right? I mean, I definitely don’t have any memories like that. My head started to hurt, and I leaned against the fence.

“Onii-chan…?” Emi muttered in concern.

Don’t look at me like that. I’m sure you must be getting the wrong idea about something.

“Also, where did you even hear about this? About the girl I liked or borrowing her smile. Who did you hear that from?”

“Why would you even have to ask?” Emi blinked in confusion and answered with a tone like I had asked where the sun rises from. “From the Cat God, of course.”

“Th-The Cat God?! That thing can speak?!” My soul nearly jumped out of my chest from shock.

Emi can communicate with the Cat God? How? Shouldn’t that be something reserved for the Tsutsukakushi Family?

“…Onii-chan, are you really okay? What are you talking about? How would I know about the Cat God’s rules if it couldn’t speak?”

“I see… No, wait, that isn’t really the problem here…”

“Right when I came back to this town, the Cat God got into contact with me and forced that plush toy onto me. ‘I’ll grant you whatever wish you might have, and I’ll start with his 100% perfect smile’—and all that.”

“Eh, really?”

“It told me that I could just wish for whatever I wanted if I wasn’t happy. I didn’t think I’d need it, but when I met you, I just…”

“So that thing did this…”

This Cat God seems to have quite a lot of character customization at its disposal. Is it really that bored?

“Didn’t you talk to the Cat God yourself, Onii-chan?”

“Eh?”

“Weren’t you the one looking for Yaji-san? The Cat God told me, so I obeyed its orders and delivered the rabbit to Ponta’s house.”

…Wait. Wait a second. What are you talking about? It’s true that I was looking for Yaji-san, and Emi delivered her to Ponta. But, the one I asked to find Yaji-san was—

Thud. I heard a dull sound beneath us. The wooden, thick as an orangutan’s arm, bolt had been taken off, and the door opened. After that, I heard soft footsteps approaching us coming up the stone spiral stairs. Step step. Step step. Step step. They created a comfortable rhythm as they approached us. The wind that had previously ruled this world above the skies suddenly died down. Aside from the calm sound of footsteps, everything else was wrapped in silence. One bird was chirping near us, but nothing else was to be heard. When did the voices beneath us disappear? Where did the teachers go?

Emi’s face tightened up. “It’s the Cat God,” she muttered. She hid behind me, tightly holding onto my sleeve. Finally, the person came in sight. The first thing I saw was chestnut-colored, wavy hair. After that, her well-formed eyelashes, her gemstone-like eyes, and her pink cheeks—

“Did you manage to successfully bring things to an end again, Yokodera-kun? Thanks to me. Again?”

Only Azuki Azusa’s mouth smiled as she came up the stairs.

*

“I read ‘The Happy Prince’,” is what Azuki Azusa had told me.

It’s a children’s tale written by my respected Oscar Wilde. I lent the book to both Azuki Azusa and Tsutsukakushi. It’s a precious yet painful story. So much so that even Tsutsukakushi got engrossed in it and created her own song about it. Two individuals appear in this story: The statue of the prince and a small swallow. The beautiful statue, adorned with jewels and gemstones, wants to give these ornaments to the poor. The swallow helps him in doing so. Without any restraint on time or day, the swallow would help. The season changed to winter, and the swallow couldn’t migrate to the south, so it died. At the same time, the prince’s statue, since it was now gemstone-less, was taken down and burned. The heart of the statue and the remains of the swallow were taken up to heaven by God.

“What a happy story, right? I’m sure the prince must have been satisfied.” Azuki Azusa gave a faint smile.

In this world, this heaven, she watched the birds flying through the blue sky before turning around towards me.

“But what about the swallow? It was devoted to the noble, ideal, yet foolish prince. The swallow who didn’t have her wish granted—was she truly happy?”

“…What are you trying to say by that?”

“You don’t know? Well, I figured as much. You would never understand. And that is why I am here.” Azuki Azusa gave a faint smile.

Her gemstone-like eyes were narrowed, and they trapped me. They trapped us.

“It’s always like this. Always. Always. Always always always always. The swallow always draws the joker. The saved Prince is happy. The people who were saved are happy as well. But what about the swallow? Why would nobody come save the swallow? Even though she saved the Prince the most, why won’t anyone care about her? Hey, tell me!” Azuki Azusa gave a faint smile.

Her lips took the form of something inhuman, her cheeks softened up in an inhuman way, and her face contorted into some kind of imitation of what could be called a smile.

“Who… are you?”

“How cruel. You can’t even tell with the person right in front of you? It’s Azuki Azusa. Your—Friend, right?”

“The Azuki Azusa I know would never make a face like that. She doesn’t talk that way, either. Who are you?!”

“…Seen through already, huh?” With these words, Azuki Azusa covered her face with the palms of her hands.

Treating her face like a potter would his artwork, she moved her hands around her face, pulling on it, pressing down on it, and finally removed her hands.

“Fufufu. I was just joking.” Azuki Azusa wasn’t smiling anymore.

It was as if she had been wearing a mask this entire time. Neither her lips nor her cheeks were moving. No part of her face was moving at all.

“I just felt like exchanging a bit of banter. Ever since I entered this girl, the color of the world has changed drastically for me, giving me the urge to jest. I hope you forgive my impoliteness. This is our first meeting, isn’t it? Or do you count what happened last month? What happened at the storehouse must have been a catastrophe for you, as well.”

With Azuki Azusa’s face, Azuki Azusa’s voice, and Azuki Azusa’s body, the Cat God inside her gave a brief greeting. It was very talkative. As if It felt relieved that It could speak the truth, It kept talking on and on with an unchanging expression, like water gushing out of Its mouth. It reached out Its hand like It was going to make a toast at a party for the upper caste, only to clap Its hands together at the sight of me staying reluctant.

“I know your tastes. I’m the Cat God. Meow, treat me well, Master, nya… Would that have been better? Sadly, I⁶ am a being that has existed since old times, so you could say that I’m a bit behind with these trends. Eventually, I’ll face this challenge as well, so rest assured.” It spoke nonchalantly.

“You… Why are you…?”

If I didn’t intervene, I felt like It might have continued talking forever.

“Why are you in there?!”

“You ask the weirdest things, I see. Because the girl asked for this, of course. She wished for a new self. That’s why I entered her. To fill the void of her new self.” It answered like the answer to the question was obvious.

That’s right, this thing always fulfills any wish brought to It. And always in a way the person didn’t wish for.

“There’s no need to worry. I’m still the Cat God from the Tsutsukakushi Lineage. The greater half. I could just warmly watch over this girl all I wanted. It’s just like she wished for. If there’s something that she can’t bear herself, I just jump in as her new self. The one who contacted you during the incident with the rabbit was me, and the one who made you catch on to the feeling of discomfort related to the swimsuits was also me. Indeed, I even read the letter for her.” Azuki Cat slowly narrowed Its eyes, holding Its palm up into the air.

Immediately, the envelope appeared right in Its hand. The one with the shiba inu seal, with the writing paper inside. It’s the letter I put into Azuki Azusa’s shoe locker. The object that was supposed to clear up the misunderstandings she had about Steel-san and I.

“‘At the end of it all, I still want to stay the same as we were before. Yours truly.’—Fufu, this really does sound like you. Your untainted honest feelings come right across, and every time I read it, it pains my heart… to see you act like a fool.” Azuki Cat ripped the letter into shreds.

First into two pieces. Then four, then eight.

“Let’s stay the same as always. If there is no change, then there is no future. That is just how you feel. I see, and then? The girl must have known that for a long time. What kind of salvation is supposed to be for her in that message?”

Eventually, the letter had turned into paper waste, and vanished from Azuki Cat’s hands. There was no ill will, no goodwill, no malice, no affection. There was only the calm will of the Cat God, devoid of any emotion.

“Listen up. The girl didn’t want to hear your honest feelings. She wanted your feelings to change. You surely aren’t conceited enough to think that everything would be fine as long as you voiced your honest feelings, right? I’m shocked to see you still haven’t understood the proper use of facade and honest feelings.”

“You don’t have any right to say that…”

“In all fairness, you can’t say that no blame lies with the girl, either. After all, she’s never been able to speak up about what lies at the center of it. She hints at the importance of things when talking with other people, then throws up her hands and gives up. She has quite the tendency to fall into self-contradiction.”

“…So that’s what you used to control Azuki Azusa?”

“Now now. I’m here to help her, you know? It’s true that I ended up possessing her in the process of solving this little problem, but you all were the ones who made the wishes to me. And so did she. She came into my storehouse, never considering the consequences. If she were to wish for me to cancel her prayer, that would indeed revert everything back to normal. You should be thankful to me. Don’t be ridiculous and criticize me for it.”

“……” I opened my mouth, but closed it again right away.

As long as I can’t find the right words, I’ll just be acting absurd, like I have a thick head. Seeing the girl I knew using an unfamiliar manner of speaking, unfamiliar gestures, and unfamiliar expressions all were scary enough to make me want to shake in fear. The Cat God which always had us wrapped around its finger was now right in front of me. And yet I felt like the distance between us was unbearably far. I felt the urge to step back even further, but I realized that I couldn’t.

Because behind me was a small girl. She had the face of an angel, with apathetic eyes, and her twintails shook like a rabbit’s ears.

“…That’s a lie.” Emi said boldly.

Hiding behind my back, but without taking a step back herself, she clung to my waist, trying to withstand this situation.

“Oh? And what exactly are you trying to say? I tried my best to keep things as frank and as straightforward as possible, but if there’s been any error, then feel free to point it out right away.”

“You—The Cat God being fair is an absolute lie! There’s an exception! This scenery is the very proof of that! I cancelled all my wishes, and yet the school isn’t back to normal!”

“I see, I see…”

“Also, and I’ve told you this before, but the way I was talking before was super annoying! Moron! Idiot! Good-for-nothing! Your Dad has pumpkin underwear!”

That being said, I’m not so sure about letting her rub her cheek against my back as she keeps that verbal abuse train going. It makes me feel like I’m the bad guy saying all this to Azuki Azusa, so I’d kind of appreciate it if she just stopped. Emi most likely only knows the Cat God, but not Azuki Azusa. That’s why when she sees her like this, she still only can respond with awe and disgust. Unlike me, she doesn’t step on the brakes when it comes to this disgust. She says everything she wants.

“Fufufu. Not mincing one’s words is the special right of youngsters. Naturally, I won’t blame you for lack of thought.” Azuki Neko laughed with a stony face. “As I’ve told you, there is no exception. Everything that has been decided is not an exception. The ones who bring exceptions to the table are you. This wish concerning Italy has a two-step structure to it. It is your wish, and at the same time it isn’t. Basically, in order to grant the wish of the person at the root of it all, I brought you here, and then used you to bring Italy here.”

“I-I just came here of my own free will—”

“You just think that you actually prayed to me. You were but a mere tool, a part of the relay in the path towards the goal. Even if the pen is moved by malice, that doesn’t mean that the words written down change in any way, does it? The successor of the Tsutsukakushi Family leaving Japan is something that is wished for still, unrelated to your own will. Even if you try to cancel the wish, the root of it is not influenced in the slightest.” Azuki Cat put one hand into the air and summoned a pen, just like It used in the metaphor.

It held it in her hand, only to shake it for the pen to vanish. As if explaining the workings of the world to a student, Azuki Cat spoke with utmost courtesy.

“Idiot, I say. I… There’s no way…!”

I grabbed Emi’s hand. The hand that clung to my waist, shaking. It felt soft and gave off the warmth of a human being, so I tightly grasped it and grit my teeth. I faced the Cat God.

“No, you are a liar after all. You said that it’s ‘being wished for still’, right?”

“Fufu, I did say that indeed. And what about it?”

“Steel-san—Tsutsukakushi Tsukushi has tried to cancel her wish countless times! She doesn’t want to go to Italy! Doesn’t this mean you’re just playing around with her wish?!”

“…Now that I can’t let slide. If that were true, then that means the person who wished for it wasn’t the successor after all. And if so, what is the other possibility here?” Azuki Cat put Its hand to Its forehead, shaking Its head in disbelief, only for It to raise that very hand and hold it out.

“Yokodera-kun—You, exactly you, have prayed towards me.”

She pointed right at my face.

“Ah, that’s right. You don’t remember. Nor do you remember the reason why you can’t remember. However, many years ago, you definitely wished for this. You said the words ‘I wish that Tsutsukakushi Tsukushi could go to Italy once she’s all grown up.’ Next month, this very successor will become 18 years old. I had my little relay-point come here in order to have this wish of yours granted.”

“That’s… Why would I…?”

“Do you doubt me? Then there’s one thing you can do to make certain of it. Just say ‘I cancel my wish.’ Then the truth will reveal itself in front of your eyes. However—” Azuki Cat lowered Its finger and pointed at Emi, who was still clinging to my waist. “The tool that had been drawn here as a means to fulfill your wish will be removed from the scene.” It spoke as if It were speaking of documents in an office.

“H-Huh? What are you talking about! There’s no way I’d just…!”

“You should be aware of it as well. There was barely any chance of you ever returning to Japan. Did you never think that it was weird that you were suddenly allowed to return? It was like you were brought back here by a miracle, by strength that humans cannot hope to understand… Did you never once feel that way?”

“…Never! Not once did I ever…!”

“You don’t have to accept it. As soon as Yokodera-kun takes back his wish, you’ll lose any chance to protest, and this chance will remain wasted forever.”

“S-Someone like you…!” Emi’s hand trembled inside my palm.

She was clearly shaking, desperately clinging to my back. And, with a shaky voice, the rabbit spoke.

“Someone like you… Can just go over there, then!”

In that moment I felt the worst possible premonition run through my body.

“—You wished for it, didn’t you? Right in front of me.”

The Cat God covered Azuki Azusa’s face with the palm of her hand, massaging it, and changed her expression. It pulled her lips upwards and made her smile as if It had been waiting for those words all this time.

“Your wish has reached my ears. Naturally, now that you’ve wished for it, I have to grant it. Just as you wished, I will go ‘over there’.”

One step. Azuki Cat moved away from us.

“However, since I live together with this girl inside her body—I will have to go over there in her body, see?”

Another step. Azuki Azusa moved backwards. She moved away from here, over there. Away from the path where we stood towards the fence. Past this fence, over ‘there,’ was nothing. Only a bottomless abyss opening beneath our eyes. If you were to fall down from this heaven, all that would wait for you would be life’s BAD END.

“But Yokodera-kun? Are you really fine with this?”

Another step. There was no more space left. Azuki Cat’s legs were floating as It leaned against the small iron fence.

“The tool that has been teleported here has doomed your friend. Do you not feel anything at all? If you were to remove this bothersome tool, then the wish that she uttered, which is currently threatening the life of your friend, would vanish as well, right?”

“Remove…”

“It’s simple. You just have to cancel your wish, and let me say ‘I’ve heard your prayer’. With that, the wish of going to Italy—as well as the deletion of the tool—will be swiftly undone.”

The final step.

It sat on the iron fence, leaning backwards. Azuki Azusa’s wavy hair, which had such a smooth feel, was waving in the air, fluttering. The only thing that kept her balance on the iron fence was the backs of her knees. The greater half of her body was already in the open air, and one hand had let go of the fence.

“Will you watch over this girl leaving for over there, or will you cancel your own wish and lose the tool? The choice is obvious, right? Since this is all your fault, you have to reflect on your actions, and show your sincerity to the swallow. Sincerity, sincerity, sincerity, sincerity, sincerity, sincerity, sincerity, sincerity, sincerity, sincerity, sincerity, sincerity, sincerity, sincerity, sincerity, sincerity, sincerity, sincerity!”

With Azuki Azusa’s face, with Azuki Azusa’s voice, with Azuki Azusa’s body, with her long eyelashes, with her radiating pink cheeks, with her gemstone-like eyes, with the grace she was blessed with, with her flat bodyline, with the entire shape of Azuki Azusa, the Cat God continued to laugh.

“…Onii-chan!” The rabbit clung to my back. “You can’t…!”

With only these words, as if she was desperately trying to not let me go, she embraced my body. There’s the girl whose body has been invaded by the Cat God, her life in danger, and also the girl who has been used by the Cat God, her true will being denied. When asked who to choose, I—

“…”

I saw small tears in the corners of Azuki Cat’s eyes. It might have just been the light playing tricks on me. Or maybe a bit of dust might have gotten in there. Who really cares? What’s important is that Azuki Azusa is crying. I honestly knew that the day would come when I would have to face the Cat God. But I assumed that it would just be ‘one day’. If I don’t make this ‘one day’ right now, I’ll never be able to move on as a human being.

But how? I don’t have any power. I don’t have any means of rebelling against the Cat God. I’m just a puny human. I can’t summon fire out of my hand like a manga protagonist, nor can I save & load a file like a game protagonist. I’m clearly in the wrong medium here. What I can do is heavily limited. Can I really jump at the Cat God? Even though it’s Azuki Azusa? Should I just cave to Azuki Azusa’s will? Even though it’s the Cat God inside? The Cat God and Azuki Azusa are in the same body. I can’t tell who is who here.

But that’s right. In both cases, Azuki Azusa is at the root of it all. She acts like a rich lady with far too much pride for her own good, she’s often hard to deal with, she’s terribly flat, she’s a total crybaby, she’s crazy flat, she has a bad sleeping posture, she’s horribly unlucky, she’s flat as you can be, yet she’s kind and considerate to her friends, she’s flat as a cutting board, and she’s flat as well, not to mention that she’s really flat. Still, at the end of it all, she’s my precious Azuki Azusa.

Am I scared enough to shake in my boots? Is she so far away that I’m unable to move? As if I care about any of that.

“—Cancel it.” I muttered.

“Very well. That is how things are supposed to be.” Azuki Cat smirked.

Its movement, which could have brought two from one heaven to another, stopped abruptly. The palm of Its hand, which had previously been trying to grasp the blue sky, slowly descended to our level. The round arena, the hill with the ruins, the cathedral, everything started to vanish like an illusion. Even the clocktower at our feet changed its appearance. The world is changing.

“Onii… chan…” A faint voice rang out.

Like a trapped and hurt rabbit, the girl next to me resigned herself and let go of my hand.

“—I told you, right? That I wouldn’t let go of you again.” I gripped her hand one last time with determination and started running.

Inside this world, which was slowly but steadily returning to normality, ordinaryness, and everyday routine, I ran towards the Stony Cat that was grinning at me. I ran down the path surrounding the giant bell.

Sincerity. Just as the Cat God said, that’s what’s important right now.

‘…If you show me proof of your sincerity, I don’t mind.’

‘Sincerity? How?’

‘For example… I know. In the shoujo manga I read a while ago, the evil prince is reformed, and he kindly—’

Those were the words Azuki Azusa had told me before. In the chapel-shaped PE storage shed, or even on the phone last summer. I am Yokodera. Prince Yokodera. Even though I act like a pervert, I can also act like a prince.

“Fufu. You’re not misguided even until the very end. That is very much like you. I can’t wait to see what you show me next. It makes my heart race.”

I pulled Azuki Cat’s arm closer to me, and right before Emi would vanish…

“Then I will cancel your wish regarding Italy. I have heard your pra—”

…I kissed her.

“—Mmgh?!”

It wasn’t a kind kiss for a princess. It was a space docking to rob her of any means of speaking freely. Though this wasn’t the scenario I had been hoping for, the situation didn’t allow me any other option.

“M-Moron! What are you… doing to me… Mmmgh?!”

The Cat God’s words disappeared mid-way, and I tried my best to keep Its mouth shut. Its boasting about there being no exception and all that was ruined by this very moment. My legs shook violently, the surroundings turned pale white, and the restoration of the school froze in place, leaving me unable to even figure out what was going on.

But even if Earth were to explode on this very day, I would not remove my lips from this mouth.

“Sto… No… Don’t… Mmmmm!!”

I’m pretty sure Azuki Cat was crying. Almost like It was a normal bokkuko⁷. Then again, this might just be acting on Its part. And I can’t forgive that. Maybe I should put my tongue in there to make sure? I have no idea, honestly. Complaining in the middle of a kiss is mad manners, anyway. Also, kisses tasting like strawberries is definitely a lie. Lips taste like lips. It tastes like Azuki Azusa. I think it does. Maybe? I really have no idea.

And thinking about it anymore than this will be impossible. Depicting it is already crossing my level of mental fortitude right about now. Between the girls in videos and 3D girls, there’s a trench deeper than the Mariana Trench. For a first-time driver, everything is too erotic for me.

“Uuu… Uuuuu…!”

I don’t even know much time passed. Before I had realized it, all resistance had vanished.

“Eh, eh, eh, why, where, here, eh, Yoko, eh, kiss.”

A more comfortable expression returned to Azuki Azusa’s face, and her eyes looked like they were spinning. I was pretty sure that the threat of the Cat God must have vanished by then. But for some reason, I didn’t feel like separating my lips just yet.

“—Ehehehe.”

Azuki Azusa closed her eyes, wiped her tears away, and smiled happily. In this snow white world, the blessing of heavenly bells rang in the distance.

1 A quote from the protagonist of the manga Slam Dunk, but the right and left hand were changed here.

2 https://www.viewingjapaneseprints.net/texts/topics_faq/mutamagawa.html

3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man%27y%C5%8Dsh%C5%AB

4 St Mark’s clocktower located on the north side of the Piazza San Marco in Venice

5 Shakaiteki ni wa Shindemo Kimi wo! > a rough translation of the title

6 Cat God uses ‘Boku’, which is a pronoun that is used mostly by boys, but we don’t know gender so we’ll keep using ‘It’ for it (this gets highly confusing so please don’t attack with torches and pitchforks if we miss one).

7 A young woman that uses the male ‘Boku’ as a pronoun.

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