V3Ch10: Colorless, White and Rainbow

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

---

It was only natural for Renji’s expression to become stern when he saw Shirase Mayuki.

From Renji’s perspective, unaware of the full situation, she likely appeared as nothing more than the “White Devil” who had broken his best friend—me.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

“Just calm down and listen to me.”

While I hesitated about where to start, I decided to explain things in the simplest way possible.

“Well, to put it simply, Shirase and I made up.”

“…You put that way too simply.”

It was a sharp and well-deserved retort.

Renji seemed to relax a bit, as though my words had taken the edge off his vigilance.

“It sounds like there’s a lot to unpack. Tell me everything.”

“I can do that, but where should I even begin?”

“From the start. Judging from the way you’re talking, it seems like you’re okay now. Tell me what happened since the day you vanished from my life.”

“…Alright.”

He’s right. I’m no longer the same as I was back then. I'm strong enough now to talk about the past.

After seating Shirase, I took a deep breath and began.

“Back in middle school, I was a wreck, and I ran off to the countryside where my grandparents lived. It was a wonderful place. Surrounded by nature, quiet, and the people were kind. Especially one woman—an older sister figure who lived nearby. She really took care of me.”

Memories of those days resurfaced.

“Though she lived nearby, in a rural area, that meant her house was still a few minutes away by foot. And while I call her ‘sister,’ she was only a year older than me. But to me at the time, she was a beacon of comfort. I can never thank her enough.”

The warmth of my grandparents and the kindness of that “sister” helped heal me.

She moved away about half a year after she started high school, which was disappointing, but I promised myself I wouldn't let her kindness go to waste, and I worked hard.

Slowly, the wounds on my heart began to heal.

To shake off my past, I worked on my physical fitness, focused on my studies, learned how to dress well, and really put effort into improving myself.

I could feel myself changing, growing stronger each day.

“And then, this spring came. My mom got remarried, and that was my cue to come back here. Changing my surname made me feel like I'd really become a new person. After that, I transferred to Tenka Academy.”

“So that’s how it was.”

Renji nodded as he listened silently.

“But why did you choose Tenka Academy?”

“There were several reasons. My mom recommended it, it matched my academic level, and it was relatively close to home.”

Though my mom had suggested it, I'm pretty sure the real reason was Shion.

Shion might look like a gyaru now, but she was a shy and plain girl in the past. My mom knew her back then. She must have been worried about her since she'd undergone such a dramatic transformation. Well, that's just my guess.

“But I didn't know when I transferred that there'd be devils at this school.”

That was a complete surprise.

“And to make matters worse, one of the devils who caused me the most suffering was in my class.”

“…Come to think of it, Yuuhi is in your class, isn't she?”

“Yeah, I was completely crushed.”

On the first day of my transfer, I felt nothing but despair. When I saw that blazing red hair, my heart almost stopped.

“I braced myself for hell, but it seemed like she didn't recognize me.”

“…”

“So I decided to fully commit to being someone else. I knew I had changed a lot, and I was sure I could keep my identity hidden.”

“Indeed”

Shirase chimed in.

“At least to me, you were completely unrecognizable. You’ve changed so much since back then, and I'm certain none of the other goddesses have noticed either.”

If they had noticed, they would have acted by now, so it’s safe to assume they still don't know.

“And that's how I ended up getting along with the goddesses.”

“…Hold on a second. That part doesn't make any sense at all.”

Renji sharply pointed out.

“Oh, I forgot to mention—my mom's new husband has a daughter. She's my stepsister now, and she's a really good kid. She also attends Tenka Academy. There's no way I could let her get mixed up in the whole goddess situation, so I had to keep up appearances and act like I was getting along with the goddesses.”

When I mentioned Shion, Renji seemed deep in thought.

“Sorry to interrupt, but is your stepsister named Shion Nijitani?”

“…You know her?”

“Yeah… Momoka mentioned her. She said there's a tough rival in the first year, and that votes would be split because of her. So she's your stepsister, huh?”

Renji let out a sigh.

Come to think of it, Renji and Momoka were talking about the Tenka Contest. Shion was a strong contender, and it seemed like they were competing for votes.

“Now it makes sense. So you decided to pretend to be someone else to keep the devils at bay.”

“Yeah. It would've been bad if they found out I was Shota Mukawa. To keep my identity hidden, I acted like a normal transfer student. After all, normal students at this academy don't hold any grudges against the goddesses, right?”

At this school, gods are symbols of popularity, elected through school-wide elections.

It's only natural that a regular student wouldn't immediately harbor any ill feelings toward the goddesses, who are not only popular but also beautiful. And as a transfer student, it was natural for me to try and blend in by getting close to the popular crowd.

In that sense, I was lucky.

Mahiro explained a lot about the goddesses to me, which prevented any unnecessary hostility. His guidance about how to navigate the whole situation was invaluable. Ending up in the same class as Akazawa was unfortunate, but being in the same class as Mahiro was a stroke of luck. Without him, I wouldn't have known how to deal with Akazawa.

“But for some reason, the goddesses kept approaching me.”

“That's still what doesn't make sense.”

“It's a long story, but…”

I began explaining my interactions with Aoyama and Kuromine.

Aoyama had invited me to play a game with her by chance, and Kuromine and I ended up working at the same part-time job. I told Renji that the reason Kuromine's rumors were dispelled was because of what I'd seen while working with her.

“So a series of coincidences, huh? And the biggest problem is—”

Renji turned his gaze toward Shirase.

“—you also somehow got involved with Shirase.”

“I was intrigued by Shota-kun because of the rumors linking with Kuromine-san.”

She said.

“And afterward, on the surface, I maintained a normal friendship with her. But toward the end of summer break, I let my guard down and my true identity was revealed.”

I explained how it had all come to light. After hearing my story, Renji looked at me in exasperation.

“Oi, oi, that was way too clumsy.”

“My bad.”

That was nothing short of a failure. I got carried away during summer break, thinking that since I didn’t get caught during the first semester, everything would be fine. I can’t help but feel ashamed of myself.

“So, did you really make up with her?”

“It just sort of happened that way. Shirase sincerely apologized, saying she regretted what happened back then. I believed her apology was genuine, and given the situation, there wasn’t much else I could do but forgive her.”

“…I see.”

Not making up with Shirase would’ve been more problematic.

If she started spreading rumors about my past, it would be over. The other goddesses would learn about my true identity. I don’t even want to imagine how things would unfold if that happened.

Considering Shion’s life, there was only one choice.

Renji chuckled softly.

“But you forgave her so easily. You’re still as soft as ever.”

“I didn’t have much choice. Now that she knows the truth, I have to get along with her. I don’t want to cause trouble for Shion, and honestly, Shirase’s apology felt genuine.”

I glanced over at Shirase.

“Of course. I deeply regret my actions. Getting scolded by Inuyama-san last year really had an impact on me.”

Hearing that, Renji seemed to swallow something down.

“Fair enough. If Shota has forgiven you, I won’t say anything either. It’d be pointless for me to stay angry if my best friend has already moved on. Plus, given the circumstances, it’s understandable.”

He squeezed the words out.

The atmosphere seemed to lighten after that statement.

“That wraps up my story. I’ll fill you in on the details another time.”

“Thanks for the long explanation. I get the situation now.”

“…Hey, next, why don’t you tell me what’s been going on with you, Renji?”

“With me?”

“I want to know what you’ve been up to. And also about Momoka. If my memory is right, she was sickly and couldn’t come to school, right?”

In response to my question, Renji opened his mouth to speak.