V3Ch26: After the Clash of the Gods

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Translator: Soafp

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Tenka Academy was shaken to its core.

The undefeated male god had lost again, not only in the sports festival but now also in the midterm exam. That alone was big, shocking news, but on top of that, both he and Kuromine, one of the “Four Color Goddesses,” had withdrawn from the contest.

There was no way this wouldn't cause a stir.

I was just as shaken.

After school on the day the test results were posted, I contacted Renji and met up with him. I didn't want to meet on campus since there was a high risk of being seen, but this wasn't the time to worry about that.

I wanted to ask what had happened, but—

“Still alive?”

“…Barely.”

Renji was clearly down in the dumps.

There was no energy in his voice.

I could understand why he was in shock. It was his first defeat. And it wasn't just Kuromine he lost to—he'd lost to Akazawa as well.

Seeing him like a boxer who had burned out, I hesitated to press him further.

“Sorry, I lost pathetically.”

“Well, I don't really mind that.”

I was shocked, though.

But it wasn't something to apologize for. I wasn't even involved in this battle. His apology didn't change anything for me.

“But the problem isn't that you lost. Is it true you withdrew from the contest?”

“Yeah, it's true.”

Renji confirmed it.

“Kuromine, right?”

“…”

“She told you to step down as the male god after losing in a one-on-one match, didn't she?”

After hearing about his withdrawal, I formed a hypothesis.

The reason Renji wasn't participating in the next contest had to be Kuromine. Renji and Kuromine had made a bet during the midterm exam. The condition was that the loser would have to obey one request from the winner.

I figured Kuromine must've ordered Renji not to participate in the next contest.

Or so I thought.

“No, not at all.”

“Huh?”

“The reason is something else. I withdrew because of Yuuhi.”

What does Akazawa have to do with this?

He didn't bet with her. I couldn't make sense of it, so I tilted my head in confusion.

“…I mean, it's Yuuhi we're talking about.”

“Huh?”

“I, of all people, lost to Yuuhi. I can't be the male god anymore after that!”

What kind of reason is that?

I had been sure he was ordered by Kuromine to step down, so this explanation threw me off.

But when I thought about it, there was no reason for Kuromine to order Renji to withdraw from the contest. It wouldn't benefit her in any way.

When you think about it rationally, it makes sense.

“I thought for sure Kuromine had told you to give up your title as the male god.”

“I stepped down voluntarily. I was just too pathetic.”

“Uh, okay.”

“I wouldn't have minded losing to Kuromine. She's good at studying, and ever since we entered school, our test scores have always been close. So I could accept losing to her. But losing to Yuuhi? I can't be the male god if I'm going to lose to someone like that.”

If that's the case, no one could be the male god.

Renji still had the highest ranking among the boys. If he lost, no one could take the title of male god, at least among our year.

“I'd been wanting to quit for a while, and this was a good opportunity.”

“Opportunity or not, you just quit on your own, didn't you?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

The reason he decided to withdraw was incomprehensible, but I decided to accept it.

From the look on Renji's face, it seemed he had no attachment or interest in the title of male god. He was just frustrated about losing to Akazawa.

The competition for the male god title was about to get more intense.

Personally, I'd like to push for Yakumo-kun, but who knows how this will turn out.

“Back to what we were talking about, the reason I apologized is because it's related to you, Shota.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Kuromine. She contacted me right after the bet. Since she won, she gave me an order. Or rather, I guess it's more of a request.”

Renji seemed a bit reluctant to say it.

“She's definitely figured out who you are, Shota.”

“!”

“She wants the three of us—you, me, and her—to meet in a place where no one else is around and talk. Her ‘order’ was for me to pass that on to you. You can accept or refuse, it's up to you.”

What the hell?

Why am I suddenly involved?

“She made sure to win and gave me this ‘order,’ so I'd say she's aware of who you are. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense to want the three of us to meet. And she couldn't have known about our connection unless she knew.”

“…What's Kuromine's aim?”

“No idea. You'll have to ask her yourself.”

I couldn't make sense of her motives.

“I'll say this now—I think you should meet with her.”

“Wait—”

“I get that you don't want to meet her, but if she's figured out who you are, that's a different story. Not meeting her would be a bigger problem. You wouldn't be able to gather any information, either.”

That's true.

If my identity hadn't been discovered, it'd be one thing, but now that there's a good chance it has, not meeting her could work against me later.

“From what I gathered, it didn't seem like she meant you any harm. Besides, if she knew who you were and wasn't doing anything about it, she might not have any ill intentions.”

“Yeah… that's true.”

“Plus, aren't you curious? Don't you want to know what she's up to?”

I was curious.

What was Kuromine's goal? What did she want to talk about?

“If she'd asked to meet with just you and her, I would've refused even if it meant disobeying her order. But since she included me in the conversation, she probably did it to make it harder for you to say no.”

“…”

“Well, the only way to know more is to hear it from her directly.”

That's the only way.

I organized my thoughts and slowly nodded.

“Alright. Tell Kuromine that I'll meet her.”

That was completely unexpected. I didn't think this would be Kuromine's command after winning.

…Meeting in a place where no one else is, huh?

She must be pretty certain that Renji and I are connected. I should assume my identity has been discovered.

“I have a favor to ask of you too, Shota.”

“A favor?”

“I want you to become the next male god.”

“…”

“I think you’re the best choice. You beat me at the sports festival, right? And you scored high on the recent test. With that kind of excellence, no one would have any complaints.”

Why me?

I was about to say that, but Renji continued.

“There's a reason why I'm proposing this. It's not just about what Aoyama said, but I think you'd do fine, Shota. Kuromine doesn't seem to harbor much malice, and the only one who could pose a problem is Yuuhi. But you have us backing you up.”

“…Even if Akazawa tries something, we can fight back?”

“That's right. I understand you don't want to stand out, but as far as I'm concerned, I'd rather it be you than some other guy.”

Why, though? I don't understand why he's picking me.

“If the next person in line is a loser or a jerk, it doesn't feel right. It's like having a useless underclassman or something, or worse, a trashy guy succeeding me. It'd make me look bad too.”

“…”

Aoyama had said something similar before. She mentioned wanting her successor to do their best. It felt like how you'd want a club junior to perform well, or maybe like taking on an apprentice.

“I see… But, I—”

I was about to answer when—

This was an after-school classroom. Even though it was after school, someone could still walk in.

We were so caught up in talking that we didn't notice the sound of footsteps. The moment we realized was when the classroom door opened.

Standing in the doorway was Yuuhi Akazawa.

“…”

“…”

Our eyes met.

This is bad. She saw me and Renji together. And not just by chance—we were sitting down, chatting happily.

We froze, caught off guard.

Akazawa also froze, her eyes moving between me and Renji.

A heavy silence filled the room. In that silence, footsteps echoed. The source of those footsteps passed by Akazawa from behind.

At that moment, my eyes met with a female student who happened to walk by.

“…I'm glad I found you.”

The girl stopped, walked past the frozen Akazawa, and approached us.

I recognized her.

She had changed a lot since those days.

But no matter how much her appearance had changed, there was no way I could mistake her. She was the person who had supported me during the hardest time of my life.

“—It's been a while, Sho-chan.”

The woman I admired like an older sister smiled kindly, just like she had back then.