V2Ch26: Blue, white and rainbow closet

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Translator: Soafp

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Once again, I was faced with a harsh reality and ended up with deep wounds.

Kuromine no longer remembered the old me. I was shocked once again by how much she had despised me, to the point of erasing my existence.

However, it turned out that, while she hated the old me, she now had positive feelings for the current me. From her words, I sensed something like trust. There was no sign of another man, so it seemed undeniable that she had feelings for me.

What is going on here?

I wanted to gather my thoughts. For now, I needed to get out of the closet.

“….”

Just as I tried to move, the door to the room quietly opened.

It was Kuromine.

She entered alone, bowed, and then approached the bookshelf cautiously, staring at the books lined up there.

The bookshelf only contained manga and light novels. There was nothing that would embarrass me if she saw it. Although, I didn't want her picking up any light novels with covers featuring beautiful girls.

After looking at the bookshelf for a while, Kuromine stood in the middle of the room and glanced around.

…Is she curious about a guy's room?

I thought that might be it, but apparently, she wasn't interested in that. Her expression was constantly clouded. She seemed like a completely different person from when she was talking to Shirase. The face she wore, one filled with anxiety and loneliness, reminded me of the time I met her in the library back in middle school.

“…”

In the end, Kuromine didn't do anything.

With a somber expression, she left the room. What stood out was how deeply she bowed when leaving. It wasn't a formality; it felt more like she was apologizing or expressing gratitude to someone.

…Was it a thank you for showing me the room?

I couldn't understand the meaning of her actions at all. I thought about it for a while but couldn't come to any conclusion.

Well, whatever.

After confirming that Kuromine was completely gone, I—

“Alright, it's time to go—”

Just as I was about to stretch out my hand, a certain possibility crossed my mind. It felt like déjà vu, or maybe just a bad feeling.

And sure enough, my hunch was right.

Before long, a knock echoed through the room. With a vague sense of what was going to happen next, I held my breath once again inside the closet.

---

Shirase entered the room, followed by Aoyama.

Aoyama's face was clearly displeased. It was obvious she had reluctantly followed. I only get to see her like this when she’s with the goddess.

However, her expression quickly changed.

“…So this is Nijitani's room?”

Aoyama muttered as she half-opened his mouth, looking around the room.

After glancing at various places, Aoyama's gaze stopped on the desk where my computer was placed. The area around the computer was clean, so it wasn't a problem if she saw it, but if she tried to start it up without permission, I'd have to stop her with force.

Thankfully, nothing like that happened, and the two of them sat down in the center of the room.

“So, what did you need? I'm busy, you know.”

“Oh, are you in a hurry?”

“I don't want to say it, but I'm not good at cooking. I have no idea how to make things, so I have to check the recipes as I go.”

This was just as I expected.

I didn't imagine Aoyama was someone who enjoyed cooking. She probably accepted the challenge out of stubbornness. Honestly, I didn't expect much from her in terms of cooking.

“Is that why you were staring at your phone?”

“Shut up. If you have something to say, hurry up.”

“I understand. Then, let's get straight to the point. It's about your friend, Shota Mukawa.”

It was the same old style of attacking from the very start. Couldn’t she have been a little more subtle about it?

Now, how is Aoyama going to —

“I-I don’t know anyone like that!”

She was clearly flustered.

“Don't you remember him?”

“Y-yeah! I don't remember him at all!”

“…Is that really true?”

“It's true!”

I didn't think, “Not again.”

Because I knew. Aoyama was lying.

She couldn't have forgotten. During a strategy meeting for a tournament at a family restaurant, she had talked about her old friend and me. Also, she had apologized profusely on Discord. Even now, I sometimes see her checking her old account and sending messages to Shota Mukawa.

Shirase didn't know about this.

I didn't understand why Aoyama was lying, but leaving now wouldn't be a good idea. I decided to silently watch the situation unfold.

As expected, Shirase didn't show any signs of being unsettled and moved on to the next question.

“So, what do you think of Nijitani?”

“What do you mean?”

“I've heard you play games together. I'd like to know how you feel about him.”

When asked, Aoyama gave a somewhat smug expression.

“Nijitani is fun and a good guy. He's easy to get along with, and even though he says a lot of things, I know he's kind at heart. But the time when he really shines is when we're playing games. When we're gaming together, it's so much fun I lose track of time. When I follow him and charge in, it's like we're invincible—like I can't lose to anyone. Well, Nijitani is weak, so he gets knocked out pretty quickly.”

That's none of your business.

“…Do you like Nijitani?”

“Eh!?”

Aoyama stood up and blinked rapidly at the question.

“‘Like'?”

“Of course, I mean romantically.”

“…I've never thought about it that way. I'm not sure if I can call him a friend, but he's more like a comrade.”

It was the same reaction I had when I first thought about Aoyama.

At first, I'd mistaken her for a guy, or maybe it was because I had feelings for Akazawa, but I never considered her romantically.

“A comrade?”

“Yeah, a buddy!”

Aoyama continued.

“When I talk to him, I feel good. We just click better than anyone else. It's stronger than romantic feelings, actually. Among all my friends, he's the most special one.”

Aoyama nodded, satisfied with her own words.

Satisfied with the answer, Shirose changed the subject.

“I see. I understand now. But there's another question. Could you tell me why you suddenly became so confrontational with me?”

She got straight to the second major question.

“…What's up with that?”

“I've been wondering. Aoyama-san is known as the energetic type at the Academy, very sociable. Yet, with me, you've acted as though I'm your enemy. If I've done something to upset you, I'd like to apologize now.”

“No need.”

“Then, why did you suddenly get so hostile?”

“That's—”

Aoyama looked away awkwardly before replying.

“Well, I dunno, just because!”

That's definitely a lie too.

I knew her personality well. There was definitely a reason behind it. But she probably didn't want to tell Shirase the real reason.

“If there are no lingering issues, then let's try to get along from now on.”

“Uh, um…”

“Is that not okay?”

Shirose stared at her, and Aoyama finally gave in.

“Alright, I'm sorry for being confrontational.”

“Let's build a good relationship from now on.”

“Y-yeah.”

Aoyama, though reluctant, seemed to ease up a bit, and the tension between the two of them relaxed.

Shirase seemed relieved, having reconciled with everyone, but I, on the other hand, wasn't relieved at all. In fact, I almost wished she hadn't asked the question in the first place.

Akazawa and Kuromine hated the old me to the point of erasing my existence. And Aoyama, who remembered the old me, had lied.

Yet all three of them held the current me in extremely high regard. Sure, I had been meddlesome at times, but nothing had happened that should have made them think this highly of me.

“…I don't get it.”

I groaned alone in the closet, waiting for the food to be finished.