V3Ch21: Blue Reunion

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Translator: Soafp

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“Oh, so this is the situation.”

Renji was visibly irritated in front of me.

It was the day after I made up with Aoyama.

That day, I had already made plans to hang out with Renji. After winning the sports festival, he promised to treat me to lunch, but—

“This is just a coincidence, I swear.”

“Let me tell you, I'm not paying for your meal.”

“I know. I'll pay for myself, don't worry.”

For some reason, Aoyama was here as well.

This wasn't planned.

The explanation is really simple. I had plans to have lunch and then go hang out, and when I arrived at the family restaurant where I was meeting Renji, Aoyama happened to pass by.

She called out to me, and that led to this situation.

So, I explained what happened yesterday.

Now, Renji was irritated because I had made up with Aoyama on my own.

“Tch, acting on your own like that.”

“I said I'm sorry.”

“You're not sorry at all, are you?”

“But I explained that Aoyama's fine now, didn't I?”

“…Yeah, I get it.”

I had already told him about Aoyama.

“She's been a pologizing for a while now, and it was an accident. Given all that, it's not that strange a development.”

“Fine, I get it.”

Though he seemed reluctant, Renji accepted it.

“So, what's Aoyama going to do from now on? I heard you withdrew from that contest.”

Aoyama nodded when Renji brought it up.

“I'm stepping down as the ‘Goddess.' I don't see any value in that title anymore. From now on, I've decided to quietly support Momoka-chan. If I support her openly, she'd probably rebel against it. So, I'm going to subtly pass on my supporters to her.”

“…Yeah, she'd definitely rebel.”

“That girl really hates me.”

“That's no surprise!”

As we talked, we ordered our food.

…To think there would be a day when we'd all eat together like this.

Renji and Aoyama didn't have a particularly deep relationship, but since we had played together a few times, they weren't complete strangers. After I transferred schools, they had lost contact, though.

We reminisced while eating for a while.

“So, what do you think about Akazawa and Kuromine?”

Renji asked Aoyama.

“Up until recently, I thought they hadn't noticed Shota. But with how Shota and Inuyama have been acting, I started to think they might have caught on.”

“…”

“But as for Yuuhi Akazawa, I have no idea. She knew Shota from back then, so she should have noticed right away. She must have also noticed that Inuyama's been acting strangely. They were pretty close, after all.”

Even I had no idea when it came to her.

“But at this point, I don't think we need to worry about them.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Inuyama and Shirase are on our side now, right? We may not understand how Akazawa and Kuromine think or act, but if they come after Shota, I think we can handle them.”

Using the word ‘handle' might be a bit much, but I understood what she meant.

The ‘Four-Colored Goddesses' who were once my enemies—I’ve already mended relations with half of them. On top of that, Renji, the male god, is on my side.

I don't know if they'll resort to any devilish schemes again, but if they do, we might be able to manage.

“What do you think, Shota?”

Aoyama directed the conversation to me.

“You may be right, but I don't plan to do anything. I'll just maintain the status quo.”

“Why?”

“There are other people from Middle School at Tenka Academy, aren't there?”

“…Now that you mention it, you haven't told Nazuka either, right?”

“I don't think there's any need to. To those who knew me back in middle school, I was always an outcast. I don't want people looking at me weird or spreading unnecessary rumors. I'd rather nothing happen.”

I don't want the relationships I've built to become chaotic.

“And I don't want Shion to find out about my past.”

“You don't want any unnecessary drama, huh?”

That's exactly it.

“And there's another reason I want to maintain the status quo. Unfortunately, a bigger problem has come up. I have to focus all my energy on dealing with that now.”

Renji and Aoyama's expressions changed when I said that.

They both asked in unison, “What's wrong?”

I answered.

“I have to focus on what's right in front of me. Specifically, the upcoming midterm exams.”

The sports festival had just ended, but the midterms were already looming.

“But Shota, you usually get pretty good grades, right? I remember checking during the end-of-term exams, and you were ranked pretty high.”

Apparently, Aoyama had noticed and even checked my grades.

“This time it's different. I've got more motivation to work hard, and I also need to make sure someone else works hard too.”

“What do you mean?”

I recalled last night's conversation.

After Aoyama left, my parents and Shion returned home safely. During dinner, a certain topic came up.

It was about Shion.

Shion, who had debuted in high school, was enjoying her current life. She had settled into high school well and had even started working part-time at a convenience store near the end of summer break. That in itself was great, but—

“The truth is, Shion's grades are in trouble.”

Recently, she had been hanging out with her friends almost every day.

Her activities were innocent—grabbing snacks, going to karaoke, shopping—typical high school girl stuff.

She used to attend the prestigious Himemiya Girls Academy, and without a mother around, she had been doing all the housework until now. She never had time to play, so now, she's making up for all that lost time. It feels like everything she had been suppressing is now bursting out.

Since I help my mother with household chores, her burden has lessened, and since I started a part-time job, money is no longer an issue.

But, because she’s been playing around so much, her grades have plummeted.

This is also one of the reasons I haven't been able to talk with Shion. I wanted to have a discussion about the goddess, but Shion hardly ever comes home. And as her stepbrother, I hesitated to visit her late at night.

“…Well, she's a high schooler in her prime, so I can't blame her for wanting to have fun.”

“Plus, Shion now has a new older brother, Shota. Her high school life has settled down since the second semester, and she's probably having the time of her life.”

Their concerned father asked me to help Shion with her studies.

Given that I value my relationship with my new family, I didn't have the option to refuse. Besides, the most important thing to me right now is Shion. I can't just let her fall into ruin.

“I don't want my cute little sister to become a failure!”

When I declared this, the two people in front of me exchanged glances.

“That's something we can’t get involved in.”

“Yeah, we're total outsiders in this. Besides, we’re not close enough with her to help with her studies.”

“And you're probably hated by Shota's mother, so you can't go to the house.”

“I apologized back in middle school, and she forgave me, but she probably still dislikes me deep down.”

“Of course, she does.”

Listening to their conversation, I let out a deep sigh.

“So, yeah, my top priority right now is this. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to help Shion with her studies. I need to make sure I study properly, too.”

My focus shifted to the upcoming midterms.

“You’ve become a good older brother.”

“You're like a real big brother now, Shota.”

To continue being a good older brother, I can only keep putting in the effort.

After that, we got into some trivial conversations. Being childhood friends, we were able to dig up quite a few old memories.

I parted ways with Aoyama after we left the family restaurant.

“Thanks for the meal. Food tastes best when it’s free.”

“I'll win next time!”

“Challenge me anytime.”

“Then, let's have a contest during the midterms.”

“Isn’t that too favorable for Renji?”

“You can't back out now that you've said it. We're betting on another meal next time.”

We started walking while chatting.

…Huh? Is someone watching me?

I suddenly felt a gaze on me, so I turned around while walking. There, I saw Nekoda, who had just arrived at her part-time job at the family restaurant. Her gaze was firmly fixed on us.