Extra 6: Blue Determination

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Translator: Soafp

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“See you in the next stream!”

As usual, I said my farewell and ended the stream.

Today was perfect, even by my standards. My aim was sharp, and my coordination with the VTubers I befriended was flawless. Thanks to that, we won several times.

Lately, everything has been going great for me.

Compared to the start of the second semester, life now feels so enjoyable, it’s hard to believe it was ever different. In-game, I kept winning, and my body felt as light as if wings had sprouted. I felt like I could succeed at anything right now.

“…A lot has happened, but I've finally made it to the starting line.”

I took a deep breath and reflected on the days since summer break ended.

Right after the second semester began, I charged straight to Shota. I had heard the unbelievable news that he joined White faction.

I couldn't make sense of it. I thought Shirase had threatened him.

So, I rushed to confront Shota, but he told me he wasn't being threatened. At that moment, I thought he was lying. I couldn't have imagined him making up with Shirase.

When I pressed him further, Shota told me to demonstrate that I had more appeal than Shirase.

At that time, I was doing everything I could to pry Shota away from Shirase. The only place I could show my strengths was at the sports festival.

Finally, the day of the sports festival arrived.

As the leader of the blue team, I gave it my all. I performed well individually, and I put my energy into boosting the morale of the blue team. Thanks to that, we managed to maintain a high ranking.

When the final event, the relay race, was approaching, I walked around the school building to calm my nerves. I wasn't comfortable just sitting still, so I wandered without any particular reason.

That's when I ran into her by chance.

There's only one person at Tenka Academy who I'd say I'm really bad at dealing with. If we’re talking about people I hate, that would be the demons, but being bad with someone and hating them are different things.

Her name is Momoka Akazawa.

She's the younger sister of Yuuhi Akazawa, who I absolutely despise, but I don't hate Momoka. In fact, I've always found her to be adorable and honest.

My relationship with Momoka goes back to when we were in elementary school. I used to hang out with her and Shota a few times. Since she was frail, we couldn't do anything too active, but we played hide-and-seek or video games.

We had a good relationship back then.

But things are different now. She knows what I did. In middle school, when Momoka got healthier, she was saddened by Shota's disappearance. She came to me, wanting to know what happened. I told her everything without holding anything back.

Since she was always attached to Shota, it was only natural that our relationship soured.

“Umi-san, may I speak with you for a moment?”

It was the first time we'd spoken face-to-face since entering high school. I knew she enrolled in Tenka Academy, but I had been avoiding her like a coward.

The girl I saw after all this time was completely different from how she used to be.

She had grown physically, and her face had matured. She still looked a bit younger compared to Yuuhi, but her features were idol-like. What stood out the most were her eyes. They were so clear and powerful that it felt like you could get lost in them if you stared too long.

“I-It's been a while. What's up?”

“Yes. I thought this would be a good opportunity to declare war.”

“Declaring war? That sounds dangerous.”

“I'm going to become the Goddess this year!”

Her words were direct.

Momoka's voice, face, and name were all cute, but there was a certain weight and strength behind what she said.

“When Shota nii-san returns someday, I want to greet him as the Goddess. If the current Goddesses are still in place, Shota nii-san will feel uncomfortable.”

Honestly, I couldn't argue with that.

Shota had already returned, so I didn't know what to say, but I fully agreed with her sentiment. In fact, I'm sure Shota hated being called a ‘Goddess' by all of us.

“I've always admired you, Umi-san. To someone like me, who was weak, you seemed incredible, keeping up with the boys and never losing. But things are different now. No matter the situation, I will always be on Shota nii-san's side, even if the entire school becomes our enemy!”

“…”

I couldn't say anything, just swallowing my saliva.

“Shota nii-san was always there for me, cheering me up. I want to repay him for that kindness. That's why I'll become the Goddess and make this academy a place where Shota nii-san can feel comfortable. The current Goddesses, including my sister, just won't do.”

It was a strange feeling.

Even though she was speaking ill of me, I couldn't help but feel that Momoka was a truly admirable and wonderful person.

I'm sure that if it were her, she wouldn't have run away like I did when I tried to protect myself. She would have supported Shota, and maybe the situation would have turned out differently.

“…I see.”

That was all I could say.

After the conversation stalled, Momoka suddenly leaned in close to me.

“May I ask you one question? I've always wanted to know. Since there's no one else around, I'll be bold and ask.”

“W-What is it?”

“Umi-san, have you ever had romantic feelings for Shota-nii-san?”

“Eh?”

“You were so close with him. Did you ever have romantic feelings for him?”

“Um, well—”

“You didn't date him or anything, right?”

I was taken aback as Momoka pressed me with her questions. I backed away, feeling overwhelmed by an indescribable pressure.

I never answered her questions.

As I was stepping back, Inuyama arrived. It seemed he was worried about how long Momoka had been gone and came looking for her.

That's when I noticed something.

Normally, Inuyama would glare at me, but this time he didn't. The sharpness in his gaze was gone, and he seemed to exude a gentler aura. At first, I thought it was because he was in front of Momoka, but I had a feeling it was something else.

I had also been curious about how unusually cheerful Shota had been. That's when I realized—Shota and Inuyama must have reunited.

… Now everything should be fine.

I felt relieved knowing that someone far more trustworthy than me was nearby. If Inuyama was there, everything would be okay, no matter what the demons might try to pull.

At the same time, I regretted the past six months.

I had been wrong from the start.

When Shota first transferred, I thought, “I’ll wait until he’s ready to tell me the truth himself.” I even thought about becoming friends under those circumstances—an absurd idea, looking back.

But that wasn’t it at all.

Spending time with Shota was fun, but it wasn’t like it used to be. Of course not. You can’t even start at the same place without settling the past first. It took me six months to finally realize that.

As I walked along, I spotted Shota.

“N-Nijitani!?”

“O-Oh, yeah, that’s you, Aoyama, isn’t it? What a coincidence.”

I almost burst out laughing at how poorly Shota was trying to cover it up. He must’ve seen the earlier interaction, though I had no idea why.

We talked briefly.

“So… what if you knew you did something wrong?”

“Then you just have to apologize. That’s the only option.”

I asked a question with an obvious answer because I wanted Shota to give that response. In that moment, I resolved to tell Shota everything.

Returning to the field, I ran with all my might in the final relay. In the end, we pulled off a come-from-behind victory. The crowd erupted over what they called a miraculous comeback.

The morning after the victory, I went to the staff room and requested to withdraw from the upcoming contest. That evening, after playing games together, I sent Shota a message.

And so, Shota and I met face to face for the first time in years.

I apologized profusely for what had happened back then. I knew that apologizing wouldn’t change the past, but I had to do it anyway.

Shota forgave me.

“That said, I haven’t forgiven everything, and I won’t forget what happened. We haven’t really ‘made up’ in the full sense. So we can’t go back to how things used to be. If someone asked if we were friends, honestly, I’d have to say no.”

I had been forgiven. But I was only forgiven, nothing more.

We weren’t back to being friends like before. And that’s only natural. Expecting to be friends again so quickly would be presumptuous.

Still, it marked a turning point for me. It felt like the weight that had been on my chest was finally lifted.

It was complete self-satisfaction, I knew that. But finally putting an end to the past made me feel free.

As midterm exams approached, the divine council was convened.

Kuromine proposed a competition, but I didn’t participate. Even if I won, it would just earn me a bit of attention in the school. I had no intention of becoming a goddess again, and I planned to support the person I thought was most worthy of the title.

I didn't study at all, so my results were terrible.

What really surprised me was Kuromine. She scored a perfect score and beat Inuyama, taking the top spot in the grade. It’s a score I could never hope to achieve. Her determination for this test was on a whole different level. What drove Kuromine that far?

What surprised me even more was that afterward, both Kuromine and Inuyama withdrew from the contest for some reason.

I have no clue what’s going on with Kuromine.

As for Inuyama, I had a feeling it was probably Kuromine's command. Apparently, they had made a personal bet during the test. She probably made him honor it.

Does that really benefit her, though?

“…Well, it's got nothing to do with me.”

The whole school was in an uproar, but it had nothing to do with me. It didn't seem to involve Shota, either.

On my way home that day, I unexpectedly ran into Momoka.

I had heard about her from Shota. I could have revealed my identity to her, but Inuyama had stopped me, saying it was to help her grow.

Unlike before, this time I approached her. When I greeted her with a smile, she looked surprised.

“You've got a good look on your face. Is it related to your withdrawal from the contest?”

She's sharp.

I hesitated whether to tell her about my reunion with Shota, but that wasn't my place.

“When I can talk about it, I will. But for now, I'll answer that question you asked back then.”

“An answer?”

“To me, Shota is a friend.”

“Huh?”

No matter how many times I thought about it, my answer never changed.

To me, Shota is a friend. That's all there is to it. At least for now, there's nothing more to it. No matter how much I think about it, the answer stays the same.

“Let me be clear. I don't have romantic feelings for Shota. I never have, and I don't think I ever will. And for the record, we've never dated, so you don't need to worry about that.”

“…!”

“So, I'll just do my best to be able to call him a friend again—proudly, like I used to.”

I thought it was a pretty good line, but Momoka just gave me a skeptical look.

“You can say that, but you betrayed that friend, didn't you?”

“ugh, right where it hurts!”

She was right, though.

“Well, whatever. I'll keep doing my best. If that's all, I'll be on my way.”

As she turned to leave, I called out to her, “Wait.” She turned back with a puzzled expression.

“Good luck with the Tenka Contest.”

“Wha?”

“I'm rooting for you.”

“I don't need your support to become a goddess!”

“Yeah, yeah. I'll cheer for you whether you want it or not.”

As I watched Momoka's retreating figure, I renewed my resolve. This time, I definitely wouldn't betray anyone.

Standing up, I opened the closed window.

“It's such a beautiful day.”

Through the open window, I gazed at the endlessly clear blue sky.