V3Ch12: After the Colorless Reunion

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Translator: Soafp

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“This isn’t just a troublesome issue; we need to approach it step by step.”

It took Renji several seconds to regain his composure after panicking and burying his face in his hands. It was refreshing to see an expression he rarely showed.

“First, about the affection. Can you be more specific?”

I exchanged a glance with Shirase.

“I’ll explain.”

Said Shirase, understanding my signal, began to speak in detail.

I remained silent about the time I hid in the closet. Even Shirase didn’t know about that.

Renji, who had been listening quietly, looked even more astonished.

“Aoyama, I can understand, but the fact that Yuuhi and Kuromine have feelings for you is surprising.”

“Oh? Are you surprised about Akazawa as well?”

“She has many friends, but she's never been in a romantic relationship. People who’ve tried to make advances were all skillfully dodged. There have never been any rumors about her being involved in romance.”

That was news to me.

“I can confidently say that Akazawa has definite romantic feelings for him.”

I had heard it with my own ears.

“As for Kuromine, she's an outlier. She doesn’t even talk to guys. The fact that she talks to you shows she has a strong liking.”

“I agree.”

“But there's another problem.”

“…There’s more?”

“While these girls have feelings for Shota Nijitani, they seem to have forgotten about Shota Mukawa. It's like they erased him from their memories.”

“What?”

Renji blinked in disbelief, then shook his head as if he had realized something.

“That’s not possible.”

“N-No, they definitely—”

“Yuuhi absolutely remembers Shota, even now.”

The way he said it sounded confident.

“What do you mean, Renji? Do you know something?”

“She apparently keeps a photo of Shota in her room. Momoka confirmed this, so it's true.”

Seriously?

A photo of me… like from a group picture or something?

That detail wasn’t really the issue, though. The point was that Shirase had either been lied to or misled. But why?

“Actually, I have information about Aoyama too.”

I explained my past online exchanges with Aoyama. She was still sending messages to my old account, which meant there was no way she had forgotten about me.

“I see. So, it looks like there's a reason behind all this.”

“Do you think Kuromine is the same?”

“Logically, yes. To erase someone from existence out of hatred… no, they would be the ones to be hated.”

Now that he mentioned it, that was true.

Looking back, there wasn't much reason for Kuromine to hate me. Back in middle school, she used me to integrate herself into social circles, but before that, we had normal conversations. Thinking about our relationship from the beginning, it didn't seem like there was any reason for her to despise me enough to erase me from her mind.

“Then why did they lie to Shirase?”

“I don't know, but it's probably because we're missing some crucial information. Either that, or we've misunderstood something fundamental.”

Missing information, huh.

Whatever it is, I have no idea what it could be right now.

“…Honestly, we could just expose their misdeeds to the entire school.”

“No!”

I immediately rejected the idea.

If Shion learned about the things I went through, she’d feel heartbroken. My relationship with Kuromine would also drastically change. Not only that, Shion might even start to resent me, seeing me as a pathetic older brother.

And I have no idea how the goddesses would react. There's a good chance they'd lose control and do something extreme.

After explaining all that, I added:

“…And besides…”

“Besides?”

“Right now, they’re acting decently. They’re admired by the other students at the school, and honestly, I don't want to ruin that.”

They might have reformed. Even though I hadn’t forgotten about what happened back then, I felt reluctant to destroy the current situation.

“You haven't changed, have you, Shota-kun?”

“That's what makes him who he is. Though, sometimes it makes me want to smack him for being too soft.”

Renji muttered.

I wasn't sure if they were praising me or criticizing me.

Just then, I noticed that the voices from the sports clubs outside, which had faintly reached us through the open window, had disappeared. When I looked outside, it was already dark, and it seemed like it was time to go home.

Before I knew it, quite a bit of time had passed.

“It's about time, huh?”

“…Looks like it.”

“I've got the gist of the situation. Let's come up with a simple plan moving forward. The most important thing is gathering information. We need to find out why they lied to Shirase and claimed not to know Shota. If we can, we should also try to figure out what parts of the current Shota they're attracted to.”

“How do you plan to do that?”

“Leave that to me. I've had a few things I've wanted to say to Yuuhi for a while now.”

He’s a reliable guy.

Even though he said he didn't want to get involved with the goddesses, he's still willing to take action for my sake. I'm grateful all over again.

“Also, we should keep the fact that we’re in contact a secret. Let’s not mention that I spoke with Shirase either. On the surface, I’ll act like I hate all the goddesses, and even if we cross paths, I’ll treat you like a stranger.”

“…It sucks, but that’s the only way.”

“I understand.”

If Renji and I were seen together, even those oblivious goddesses would notice something.

Pretending that we've just become friends would be too dangerous. As frustrating as it is, we'll have to keep things as they are for now.

“But, it’s not like we can’t meet outside of school.”

“Yeah, we can hang out. Oh, should we exchange contacts?”

“…Shota with a smartphone, huh? You really have changed.”

With a surprised expression, Renji and I exchanged contact details.

“Until we know more about the situation, try to manage your relationship with them carefully.”

“I get it. I'll keep a safe distance.”

We decided on our next steps.

For now, the plan is to maintain the current situation.

However, this “maintaining” is completely different from before. The fact that I've reunited with my best friend has significantly lightened my heart.

While I was happily packing my things to leave…

“Oh, right. Shota, are you interested in becoming a male god?”

“Where's this coming from?”

“If you’re not interested, that’s fine.”

“It's so sudden, I don't even know what you’re talking about.”

With a slightly pained expression, Renji continued.

“I've skipped the god meetings multiple times. Just earlier, I got into it with the teacher over that. I never really wanted to attend those meetings, and I’d rather avoid being forced into another one.”

Apparently, he's been skipping the god meetings due to his relationship with the goddesses.

The school must want him to fulfill his role properly, so it's no wonder there's friction.

“There’s more to it. Let's say one of the current goddesses continues into next year. That would mean I'd have to face them again. That's not something I'm looking forward to.”

It sounded like he was sure he'd continue as a god, which honestly wasn't surprising given the vibe.

But I get it. If one of the current Four-Colored Goddesses were to continue, Renji would indeed have to face them again next year. I can see why he’d want to avoid that.

It made sense.

“Are you planning to quit?”

“Just thinking about the possibility.”

“…I wouldn’t want that responsibility. I mean, wouldn’t it be better to stay under the radar?”

“I see. Well, if you change your mind, let me know. I could trust you with the role.”

While we were discussing that, Shirase, who had been silent, chimed in.

“Why not? I think Shota would make a great male god!”

“Shirase?”

“Let's become gods together! You as the male god and me as the goddess!”

It seemed like Shirase still aimed to become the goddess this year.

“By the way, does this mean you wouldn't step aside for Momoka?”

“Not something I could step aside from.”

That was true. Even if Shirase withdrew, there was no guarantee that Momoka would be chosen.

“If Shota aims to become the male god, I'll do my very best!”

I told you, I'm not aiming for it.

Though I had no such intention, Shirase's energy kept rising.

“Speaking of which, Renji, you’re supporting Momoka, right?”

“Yeah. I understand Shirase now, and since Shota’s forgiven her, I have no issue. But Momoka's like a cute little sister to me, so I want to cheer her on.”

That's exactly what I expected Renji to say.

“What about you, Shota?”

“I’m still undecided, but for now, I’m leaning towards voting for Shion. Suddenly switching to Momoka would be too obvious, and she'd catch on right away.”

“…Yeah, that would be too noticeable. Voting for your adopted sister sounds safe.”

“But if Shion ends up becoming the goddess, that could also be a bit of a hassle. It'd be awkward if she didn't want the position.”

I should probably have a proper talk with her about it too. I'd like to hear how she feels.

“Well, let’s talk more once we get home. Message me as soon as you arrive.”

“Will do.”

With that, my reunion with my best friend came to a close.

And the first major event of the second semester, the sports festival, was fast approaching—