Chapter 106: Changes in each

Translator: Soafp

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Thoughts of Lightning

[Moegi PoV]

A massive chasm opened up in the world. It had happened multiple times before, and each time, we had dealt with it. The world’s peace was entrusted to us.

Yes, it was entrusted to us.

Large black wings and white wings. The presence of the abnormal, known as Fallen Angels, was palpable. Their eyes were filled with malice… Suddenly, attacks from the girls were unleashed. Attacks of light, fire, and water all dealt significant damage to the Fallen Angels.

Normally, you’d expect some sort of introduction or waiting for the opponent’s move in a situation like this, but lately, the girls’ actions had become unusually swift, perhaps influenced by him.

If he weren’t here, I’d definitely have asked, “Who are you?” or “What’s your goal?”

The Fallen Angel showed signs of great pain from the heavy damage, especially her eyes, which harbored intense madness.

Those eyes… they resemble… I don’t want to remember. Those were days of suffering. Even now, the fear occasionally crosses my mind, though it’s faded. With my current power, I could easily defeat someone like that, with just a pinky.

But… that fear still lingers, albeit faintly. My legs momentarily froze. For a regular human or a common monster, this degree of vulnerability wouldn’t matter. However, this time, we were facing what could be considered a higher being.

As a result, seven beams of light were released from that Fallen Angel. Thin streaks of light expanded in an instant and came rushing towards us.

Only Kohaku-chan, Karen-chan, and Aoi-chan were able to react.

Aoi-chan swung her short sword, releasing a flow of water with fourteen streams. She nullified the light and, with the remaining seven streams, created openings in the enemy’s wings.

Clear Flowing Water Sword: Dragon Aqua… her new power. Mel-chan had analyzed that it was triggered by her acknowledging her love for him and conveying it without reservation.

I can’t help but think that the naming sense of the short sword is a bit off, but that’s not important right now. She has become incredibly strong.

Manipulating water, creating water, her defense and offense are incredibly versatile. It flows smoothly, is fast, sharp, and hard to predict.

“Water is my friend …… and you can’t beat me …….”

Dressed in a combination of traditional Japanese and Western-style attire, with her shoulders exposed and a hint of allure, she controls water like a lake fairy.

Undoubtedly, lake fairies are going to be a trend.

After that, Karen-chan and Kohaku-chan blow the enemy away with their explosive power.

I wonder if I’m even needed? I can’t help but think I might not be. That Fallen Angel was definitely supposed to be a formidable opponent.

They defeated it easily in front of me, but that’s because the girls had the power. Without them, I think I would have died for sure. It’s because of the bonds, love, and efforts he has built up until now. We were able to overcome it. It might seem simple, but behind it lies his feelings, efforts, and struggles without a doubt.

The girls understand that, and that’s why they’re working so hard to stand by his side.

This sometimes leads to conflicts, but our distance is definitely closing. Surely, more than ever before… I don’t want to be left behind. That feeling is returning, the sense of alienation as an individual. Even my height is still a complex…

I’m slowly being left behind… I don’t want that. I don’t want to lose the place I’ve finally found. I won’t show it on my face, but my heart is starting to stir.

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[Izayoi PoV]

Being captivated by such an impressive scene right before my eyes, especially the absolute figures of my beloved girls, it’s hard not to get excited.

My ancient blood isn’t stirring or anything like that… Putting that aside…

To defeat a Fallen Angel so easily… In truth, Moegi should have awakened and triumphed, defeating it the day after Christmas. This happened last time too… Typically, the main characters who power up in the middle appear before the enemies who should come after their power-up. Everything seems to be happening in reverse.

Well, in the case of Gindou Kohaku, she did power up quite easily in the middle… She should have been the last to power up… The order of things seems to be changing rapidly.

If this continues, will even the strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings Angels be defeated easily…?

And what will happen with Moegi’s power-up? It’s supposed to strengthen her bonds with her friends by spending Christmas together. Will things go as planned? I’m worried, but if not, then I’ll have to make Christmas a grand celebration.

Maybe we should order some delicious things from another world.

In the end, if all the girls awaken and power up, things should work out. If that’s the case, I’ve decided to make the Christmas party a success.

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[Gindou PoV]

My name is Gindou Kohaku. I’m just an ordinary high school girl. I’d say I’m on the attractive side, capable of handling household chores, and have an outstanding figure. I’m reluctant to praise myself, but you could say I’s like a good wife heroine, as Karen-senpai would put it.

So, I pay attention to my appearance every day and put extra effort into cooking when it’s my turn. I never skip any opportunities to make myself appealing. I don’t mind having an incredibly high favorability rating—100? 200? No, I want it to be 1000.

I want him to hold me close. He seems to have a habit of holding back, perhaps fearing that he might be disliked or not initiating contact himself. While I can sense his affection, he doesn’t approach easily. That’s what makes him a gentleman… in other words, it increases my favorability rating. But I wish there were more moments where he’d hug me from behind while I’m cooking.

Well, reality doesn’t always work out so smoothly. I’m still here, hoping that someday I can be in a relationship with him. And to make things more complicated, I’m trying to juggle two relationships at once.

Amidst all this, I hear a mysterious voice. It feels like things are accelerating too quickly, but I have to keep up my appeal.

“Nya nya… What if I turn you into a cat…”

“Eh?”

Once again, I hear the strange voice. Lately, these kinds of things have been happening too often. But in the next moment, I had turned into a cat.

“Eeeeehhhh!!”

“Nya nya”

My artificial cat voice resonates. I look in the direction of the voice and see a cat, a rather unusual-looking one, floating and giggling.

“Sometimes nya, I feel like doing that game where I turn humans into cats… It’s amusing to watch them panic…”

“Wait a minute! Change me back! I have to prepare dinner!”

“I’ll change you back in a little while, nya…”

With that, the cat disappeared. This is definitely not something normal. Are they some kind of demon race or something? Oh, come to think of it, this might be the same thing Izayoi-kun mentioned when he turned into a cat. I should ask Mel-san for more details.

Crap, my speech pattern is starting to change. I need to be careful…

What should I do? Turning into a cat with my clothes still on inside the house… That’s quite a predicament.

“I’ve finished cleaning the bath!”

[Karen-senpai!]

As Karen-senpai entered the living room, she’s sure to notice. The scattered clothes and underwear, and a cat right there. She’ll definitely notice.

“Huh? Is no one here… Wasn’t Kohaku supposed to be preparing dinner? Clothes and underwear… Kohaku has a sloppy side, it seems.”

[No, that’s not it!]

“Hmm? Little cat, what’s wrong? Did you get lost? What happened, little cat? Ah, I love cats so much… If only Papa didn’t have a cat allergy, I’d definitely want to be with you…”

[Hey, stop it, it tickles!]

“There there, is this spot okay nya?”

She touched my ears, tail, and various other places, and my cheeks loosened. This person is quite skilled… Mm, ah, hmm…

She was fiddling with my whole body. She attaches “nya” to the end of her sentences, probably because she thinks no one is watching. I know the feeling; I was embarrassed when I yawned once, thinking Izayoi-kun wasn’t around. When people think they’re not being observed, they tend to relax. She must feel the same way.

Because… she’s like this…

“Where did you come from, little kitty nya?”

She’s acting all fluffy and playful. By mimicking a cat, she’s probably trying to establish camaraderie and convey that she’s not an enemy. But even if she shows me this, I’m not sure how I should react.

And then, the door to the room opened. Someone walked in, and in an instant, she changed her expression to a composed one, as if nothing had happened.

“Ah, Izayoi, there’s a cat in the house.”

Well, her change of demeanor was a tad too quick. She was just saying “nyan nyan” a moment ago, and now she’s all business-like. She’s an interesting person.

“Eh? A cat?”

“Yes, this one.”

“Heh… Could it be…”

[Of course, Izayoi-kun. You noticed right away!]

Izayoi-kun was quick to see through it. Just as Izayoi-kun was about to say something, Karen-senpai gestured for him to sit on the sofa.

“Izayoi, is it okay if we sit here? I have something I’d like to talk to you about…”

“Eh? Ah, sure… This cat…”

Izayoi-kun succumbed to Karen-senpai’s atmosphere and sat on the sofa. It seemed he couldn’t bring himself to talk about me.

“Well, since we have a moment alone… I wanted to talk to you…”

[Shaa!]

“Eh?! What’s with this cat? Suddenly, it’s so scary!”

[won’t let you run away with it!]

“Wait, what is this cat…”

“Um, this cat is probably…”

Izayoi-kun explained various things. Karen-senpai was astonished, remembered her actions from earlier, and scolded herself multiple times for not saying anything to me. And then, after Izayoi-kun finished preparing me to return to my original form, nothing happened…

But what was it that Karen-senpai wanted to talk to him about when they were alone together? I can’t help but doubt, even though I know there’s nothing. What did they plan to do while I wasn’t there? I’m feeling uneasy. What if Karen-senpai had taken advantage of the situation and spirited Izayoi-kun away? What would happen to me?

I forced myself to stop thinking about it beyond that point. My thoughts have been turning negative lately…

Faster, faster, I want him so badly… Every time the feeling of anxiety washes over me, I think like this. If I have him, there’s no need to feel anxious. Even if I have to juggle two relationships or anything special, it’s all okay. But still, I can’t help but think that someone might take him away. I shouldn’t think like that, I know that logically. But my heart won’t stop…

Even if I have to do it forcefully…

Lately, I’ve been acting strangely. Let’s hurry up and, without causing any trouble, move forward. I decided that I should go for it, but what if I end up losing him because of it?

Slap, I slapped both my cheeks and switched gears! I’ll follow Izayoi-kun’s lead and energetically charge forward! I started preparing dinner in a hurry.

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[Karen PoV]

On that night, I went to Izayoi’s room. I wanted him to see more of me. I knocked and entered his room. Going to a man’s room after taking a bath might be a bit daunting…

“E-excuse me…”

“N-no, you don’t need to be so formal, it’s okay.”

“I-is it?”

“Yes.”

When I tried to convey my feelings, my face suddenly stiffened, and my thoughts seemed to disappear. Izayoi also seemed to sense something had changed about me, and we both became aware of each other, making the situation tense.

“Um… can we turn off the lights?”

“Eh?! Oh, um, sure…”

With a flick, the room lights went off. Maybe because my eyes weren’t accustomed to the darkness, the tension strangely faded. I’ve recently learned that it’s easier to be a bit bolder in the dark.

The moonlight illuminated the room.

“T-The moon is beautiful tonight, isn’t it?”

“Thank you!”

He bent his waist at a perfect ninety-degree angle to express his gratitude. As expected of Izayoi, he understood my intentions. In typical manga situations, when the heroine says something like this, people just nod in agreement. But Izayoi and the others are a league apart.

“Karen-senpai!”

“Y-Yes?”

“You are more beautiful than the moon tonight!”

“――!!”

Really, what an idiot. I’m over the moon with joy because of this complete fool.

“I-is that so…”

I just dismissed it with a casual remark! No, I shouldn’t. I should be more straightforward, not a tsundere who acts aloof. Wait, what was tsundere again?

“I… I…”

“Yes…”

“I l-l… like you!! Izayoi!”

“A reverse confession! I’m really happy!”

I’m in the zone. I can do anything now. I should confess more. Ah, this feeling, the occasional sensation that I can say anything.

“Um, you know, I like you, Izayoi.”

“Thank you!”

“Probably much more than Izayoi thinks! I can confidently say that I’m the one who loves you the most in the world!”

“… “

Huh? Did I say something too heavy?

Then he suddenly bowed deeply.

“Thank you!”

I sat down facing him. He immediately grasped my intentions. He understands, but not everything. That’s why I want to tell him and make him understand me better.

“You see, I… I like you more than you think.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, probably. I might become a yandere if things go wrong…”

“Eh?!”

“Just so you know, I’m not kidding. I sometimes feel a hint of that in myself.”

“I-is that so?”

“You didn’t know, did you?”

“I didn’t. I remember you joked about it before, but I never thought you had a hint of yandere in you…”

“I am, you know. A yandere candidate, that is. So, I want you to get to know me better. I want you to desire to know more about me, about the person named Hihara Karen… I know it might sound selfish…”

“That’s not selfish at all. I want to know more about you!”

I’m ecstatic. Our conversations align, and we can even discuss somewhat niche topics together. Just the other day…

[Have you noticed any ‘clichés’ while reading light novels, Izayoi?]

[Yeah, like the quick transition from otherworldly to human form.]

[I totally get that.]

And sometimes, he asks about my family, even though it shouldn’t matter to him more than anything about me.

We get along well, exchange messages, and when I told him about the trip we took on our last day off, he was even more delighted than about himself.

His smile, his heart, everything about him—I love it all, and I can’t help falling deeper in love. I’m sure this will continue…

“I see… I can’t possibly know everything.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s just that you always help me realize the most important things!”

“You’re welcome…”

I don’t quite understand, but I’m glad you appreciated it. I don’t really get it, though.

“I want to get to know you more. But how?”

“H-Wow about going on a date?”

“How about taking it a step further and planning a trip?”

“Yes, I want that! I’d love to go on a pilgrimage to sacred places!”

“Alright, let’s plan a trip for when we both have some time off!”

“It’s a promise! I’m absolutely looking forward to it!”

I don’t quite understand, but we’ve made plans for a trip! Even though it’ll probably be a while before we go… But this isn’t the first time for me! It feels like the prelude to a main heroine route!

“Well, then, today is a day off. And, it’s an absolute promise, okay? The trip! I’m looking forward to it!”

“Yes!”

Satisfied with that, I left the room.