Extra 1: The Impact of White

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Translator: Soafp

Author changed Kanon’s name to Shion.

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[Shirase Pov]

“It was quite an eventful summer vacation.”

This summer vacation became a turning point in my life.

Just like the first day of summer vacation, I was staring at a certain house. However, the emotions behind my gaze were completely different from back then.

I let out a big sigh and recalled the series of shocking events that had occurred over the summer.

The first major development happened early on in the vacation.

That day, I was shopping at the mall when I spotted some familiar faces. The siblings stood out immensely.

—The Nijitani siblings.

The way they were shopping together so affectionately, they looked more like a high school couple than siblings. What caught people's attention was that both of them were quite good-looking. Beautiful people always attract attention, but the two of them didn't seem to notice the stares at all.

At that time, I had no idea that they were step-siblings.

I didn't approach them or anything; I simply continued my shopping.

However, the next time I saw them, the situation had changed.

Shion-san was chatting happily with Kuromine-san. It's rare to see the usually stoic Kuromine-san having a pleasant conversation with someone, so it was quite a sight to behold. Nijitani-san stood nearby, watching the two with a somewhat complicated expression.

I had a certain thought and decided to approach them.

“—Ara, what a coincidence.”

When I greeted him, Nijitani-san seemed confused.

It was as if he didn't really want to see me. It was a reaction I hadn't experienced much in my life, so it felt fresh. Now, of course, I can understand why he reacted that way.

I then suggested we all go to the pool together.

My goal was to get Nijitani-san and Kuromine-san closer to each other.

However, my plan went awry when Yakumo showed up. The unexpected turn of events made my face freeze in shock.

“…That was a complete miscalculation.”

In the end, we all ended up going to the pool, including Yakumo. The pool itself was a lot of fun, but because of the pool event, Yakumo and Shion-san's relationship deepened.

After that, I spent my days in a state of dissatisfaction.

I argued with my father when he called me in, I felt lonely and cried due to the unfamiliarity of living on my own, and I failed when I tried to cook. Those were restless days.

Things started to change around the middle of the summer vacation.

Yakumo mentioned that he was going to the summer festival with some classmates. Naturally, Shion-san was part of the group.

I couldn't tell him not to go to the summer festival. As an upperclassman, it would've been strange for me to suggest tagging along, so all I could do was send him off with a smile, saying, “Have fun.”

A boring, uneventful summer vacation.

A summer vacation like any other.

That's what I thought as the vacation neared its end.

Then, a shocking event occurred.

Yakumo was going on a date with Shion-san. When he sent me a selfie of himself, asking me to check his outfit, I was so surprised that I dropped my phone.

With the pool and summer festival, I had a feeling that their relationship might develop further. I had a feeling, but when it actually happened, the shock was immense.

Losing my composure, I rushed over to Nijitani-san. In hindsight, it was a strange thing to do, but I guess I wanted to complain to him as Shion's brother.

And then, I was hit by an even bigger shock.

[It can’t be… Shota-san?]

I realized that Nijitani-san was none other than that Shota Mukawa.

I had no idea. His appearance was different, and the gloomy atmosphere that surrounded him when I first met him was completely gone. It was impossible to recognize him as the same person. He was like a completely different person.

His presence had remained like a thorn in my heart all this time.

I sincerely apologized for my past actions. Even though I hadn't known the state of his mind back then, what I had done was something to reflect upon.

Honestly, I didn't expect him to forgive me.

[I understand. I accept your apology.]

Shota-san forgave me easily.

No, it wasn’t that easy. He probably had no choice but to do it for Shion-san’s sake. In reality, he may have wanted to yell at me or hit me.

Forgiving me, whom he should despise, for his sister's sake.

Even though it should have been something unforgivable, he accepted the unreasonable for Shion-san's sake. That figure of him was so dazzling, and he looked so admirable.

“…He is truly a wonderful brother who cares deeply for his sister. Unlike me, the useless older sister.”

It was at that moment that my feelings changed.

I began to feel respect for Shota, the admirable older brother. Of course, I also felt a strong desire to apologize for my past actions. Those two feelings intertwined, and I made a firm decision to protect Shota's peaceful life at all costs.

The problem lies with the goddesses.

That's obvious. They are my natural enemies, after all.

However, with such drastic changes, the goddesses probably haven't noticed his true identity. If they had, they would have taken some kind of action by now. Since there has been nothing, they likely remain unaware for the time being.

But I realized it would be difficult to stay uninvolved with them in the future.

The reason being, the goddesses were clearly aware of Shota. Unfortunately, I don't have enough life experience to determine if their feelings toward him were romantic or something else.

So, I decided to ask them directly.

I organized a cooking contest and tried to get them to reveal their thoughts, but…

‘That was shocking as well. Though I had some predictions, it was far beyond my expectations.’

To my surprise, they had completely erased the existence of a man named Shota Mukawa.

I couldn't believe it. Had they forgotten the furious expression of his best friend, Renji Inuyama, when he got angry on his behalf? Those goddesses are truly heartless.

I look down on them from the depths of my heart.

I do despise them, but the fact remains that they are popular at school. If I make an enemy of them, it could become troublesome. To protect Shota's peaceful life, it's better to stay on good terms with them.

Honestly, I can't read their behavior.

Worst of all, they all held Shota in high regard. If they were to find out that Shota Mukawa is actually Shota Nijitani, who knows what they might do.

I aimed to mend my relationship with the goddesses.

After all, why did they see me as their enemy in the first place? I had been wanting to know the answer for so long.

For reference, I clashed with them initially because I thought they might harm Yakumo.

When I asked each of them individually, the cause turned out to be unrelated to Shota.

Akaizawa seemed to be attached to the title of ‘goddess.’ Because she was so fixated on maintaining her position, she acted harshly toward me.

Kuromine didn't have a particular reason. She simply disliked me for no apparent reason, but after I persisted, she softened up.

As for Aoyama, she simply said ‘for no reason.’ She seemed a bit flustered, but if that's what she says, I'll take her word for it.

Thus, I managed to restore my relationship with the goddesses.

However, since they all seemed to have feelings for the current Shota, they would continue interacting with him in the future. That's why I hoped Shota would join my faction, supporting me. If he openly supported me, the goddesses wouldn't be able to approach him forcefully.

And if they still tried to come after him?

In that case, I would deal with them firmly.

The summer vacation, full of surprises, didn't end there.

The biggest shock came at the very end.

‘Since it's your birthday… here's a present. Happy birthday.'

On the way home from the cooking contest, Shota handed me a small bag with a slight blush on his face. Inside was an adorable pouch.

“…It's the first time I've received a present from a guy other than Yakumo.”

My mind went blank.

What words could describe my feelings at that moment?

I felt guilty for receiving a birthday present after everything I had done to him, but even more than that, I was overwhelmed with joy. The thoughtfulness of him remembering my birthday and giving me a present made my heart flutter.

Ever since then, I've been looking at that pouch every single day.

“…I really wouldn't mind if he supported me, though.”

I'm actually looking forward to the second semester now.