V3Ch11: A Colorless Best Friend and Pink Circumstances

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Translator: Soafp

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“Got it. I’ll tell my side too.”

With that, Renji began to speak.

“After you disappeared, Shota, your mom gave me a letter. When I read it, there was no way I could stay calm. I wasn’t just mad at those girls, but at myself too. I didn't realize my best friend was that cornered. It sounds like an excuse, but back then, I was busy and didn't have the bandwidth. There were some family issues going on too.”

I hadn't spoken much to Renji in the time leading up to my departure.

I had been avoiding him, but Renji was also busy as the student council president back then. This was the first I'd heard about his family troubles, but it was probably related to his current move.

“After the shock hit me, the entire school fell into chaos.”

I had heard about that middle school falling apart.

Especially about Kuromine's rampage—it was well known.

“I wanted to lash out too, but back in middle school, I held it in. I followed what was written in that letter. Well, I couldn’t fully stick to it, though.”

Renji said this with a bitter smile.

Apparently, he couldn't hold back his frustration when he ran into Kuromine by chance. Kuromine's assault incident happened not long after that.

Renji said he wasn't sure if there was any connection between the two events.

“Yuuhi tried desperately to dispel rumors about Shota, Aoyama broke a bone, and Kuromine’s transformation… it was a mess. Seeing all that chaos made me calm down. It all seemed so foolish, so I threw myself into studying for exams.”

“…You would've been fine without studying, Renji.”

“My grades were a mess because I'd lost my cool—thanks to a certain best friend.”

I can’t help but feel guilty about that.

“After graduation, I enrolled at Tenka Academy. Like you, Shota, it was the perfect fit in terms of academics and location. But then something unexpected happened. Those demons enrolled here too. And for some reason, the ‘White Demon’ you mentioned in your letter was here as well.”

Renji glanced at Shirase, who had an indescribable look on her face.

Since Shirase had attended Himegu Academy, Renji had been quite surprised. Himegu Academy was known for being a middle and high school, so most students continued on to the high school section.

“You didn't know Akazawa and the others were enrolling here?”

“No. After reading that letter, I stopped talking to Yuuhi, and I never had any contact with the other goddesses. The only interaction I had was that incident with Kuromine, and we were in different classes, so we barely spoke.”

“…A string of coincidences, huh?”

“Seems like it.”

So Renji didn't know either.

“My anger flared up again when I found myself at the same high school as them. But I held it in. My breaking point came after the Tenka Contest. I just couldn’t stand them being called ‘goddesses.’ And that led to that meeting.”

Renji took a deep breath as he finished.

He had done his best to hold it in, but the idea of them being referred to as goddesses was unbearable. If I were in his shoes, I'd feel the same. Having someone who hurt Renji be praised as a goddess and adored by many students would make anyone furious.

“…Inuyama-san was really intimidating back then.”

“Of course. He'd been holding it in for years.”

What happened after that was history.

Renji, driven by anger, exposed everything, and the gods turned against each other. Then, I transferred into the school.

Hearing it all laid out like this made me realize just how much trouble I had caused Renji.

“Next, I'll talk about Momoka-chan.”

“Wait a moment.”

Before Renji could continue, Shirase interrupted.

“…Who is this person you’ve been mentioning?”

“She’s Akazawa’s little sister.”

When I explained, Shirase’s eyes widened in surprise.

“I didn't know she had a sister.”

“She's quite well-known, actually. She’s even considered a candidate for the next goddess.”

“…This is the first I'm hearing of it. Perhaps it’s because I never saw her with Akazawa-san.”

Shirase mumbled as she tried to recall.

“That girl was like a little sister to Renji and me. She was always sickly and often missed school. Even so, she was so sweet and kind that we couldn't leave her alone.”

The last time I saw her was when she was lying in bed as an elementary school student.

I had no idea what had happened to her since then. I grew distant from Akazawa and moved away without seeing Momoka again.

“Momoka-chan started to get better around the time you disappeared, Shota. According to her, she tried a lot of things. She changed her diet, strengthened her body, relied on herbal medicine, and tried anything she could. It's unclear which one was the key factor, but her frailty gradually improved, and she began attending school.”

Hearing this made me feel relieved.

“I see. I'm glad she got better.”

“Yeah, me too. But when she found out you were gone, she was really sad. She'd been working hard, hoping to surprise you with how much better she was.”

“…”

“Don’t make that face. She’s healthy now, running around full of energy. She’s not the same as she was back then. If you want to see her, you can anytime.”

Not the same as before, huh.

That's true. I've changed so much too. It wouldn't be strange if Momoka had also undergone a big transformation. Since she's attending this academy, I should be able to see her whenever I want.

“After graduating from middle school, Momoka-chan enrolled at Tenka. The reason was—”

Renji paused.

“To overthrow the current goddesses, the ‘Four-Colored Goddesses’.”

“…”

I had heard about this before, so it wasn’t that shocking, but hearing it again had an impact. To think that the once-weak Momoka would have such thoughts.

Shirase, hearing this for the first time, seemed taken aback, frozen with her mouth half-open.

“Hey, why does Momoka want to become a goddess?”

“It’s for Shota. She thought that when you come back, seeing those demons being called goddesses would make you sad. So she decided to become a goddess herself.”

So that's what the conversation between Renji and Momoka back then was about.

“…So, does that mean Momoka knows about my situation?”

“She knows. But I wasn't the one who told her.”

“Who did, then?”

“Apparently, she heard rumors about Shota and Yuuhi and sensed something was off. She started asking her mother questions and eventually uncovered the truth. You know how Shota's mother and Momoka's mother are close, right? That's how she found out everything.”

The rumor must have been about me stalking Akazawa.

So she pieced it together from that. Now that I think about it, I might have mentioned to Momoka, while lying in bed, that I was asked by my parents to walk Akazawa to school.

“To Momoka, Shota is like a beloved older brother. She couldn't forgive what Yuuhi did, and that led to the sisterly fight.”

I had already heard about the fight from Akazawa.

“…They used to be such close sisters.”

“Hey, don't sweat it. Yuuhi's completely in the wrong. It's not Shota's fault.”

“I know.”

Renji nodded in satisfaction at my response.

“So, after hearing everything from Momoka, I've been helping her. Helping her become the next goddess. That's what led to today.”

Now I understood Renji and Momoka's situation.

“Alright, that's the end of the story.”

“Thanks, I understand everything now. Seems like I've caused quite a bit of trouble.”

“Don't worry about it. The fact that you came back safely is what matters most. We've both been through a lot, but we've managed to reunite safely.”

That's really true.

I allowed myself to savor the joy of our reunion once more.

“As for what's next, I should probably let Momoka know that I'm back, right?”

“Actually, I'm sorry, but could you wait a little longer?”

I was surprised that Renji stopped me.

“Momoka is working hard with the goal of defeating the ‘Four-Colored Goddesses’. If you tell her now that you're back, it might undermine all of her efforts. She doesn't want you to see the goddesses still reigning.”

“…Ah, I see.”

She's trying to become a goddess for my sake, but if we meet now, it could render all her efforts pointless.

“But if word gets out that I transferred in this semester, wouldn't that defeat the purpose?”

“It still matters. It's a matter of feelings, you know? What's important is to acknowledge Momoka's hard work.”

Hmm, that's certainly a valid point.

“And besides, that girl, who used to be so frail, is trying to accomplish something now. It makes me want to watch over her progress.”

“…You're like a real older brother.”

“Shut up.”

With Renji looking embarrassed, the conversation reached a stopping point.

After that, we chatted about trivial things. Since we had talked about Momoka, we ended up reminiscing a bit about her.

After a while, Renji suddenly remembered something.

“By the way, what was the consultation about?”

“Eh—”

“Don’t ‘eh’ me. You mentioned earlier that you were in a tricky situation and wanted my help.”

“Ah, right.”

“…Get it together.”

I had been so caught up in old memories that I'd forgotten. Time to focus again.

I started explaining the current situation I was in.

From the cooking contest incident, to how, for some reason, the goddesses seemed to be interested in me, to how I joined the White faction to protect Shion. Then how I've been receiving invitations from other factions, and how the goddesses seem to be competing to win me over.

“…Oi oi, this isn't just tricky; this is a full-blown disaster.”

Renji buried his face in his hands in disbelief.