V3Ch7: After the Four-Colored Recruitment

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Translator: Soafp

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“I’m exhausted…”

After school, I found myself leaning against the wall behind the school building.

Yesterday was tough, but today was even worse.

It all started with Akazawa’s recruitment attempts, then Shirase seriously asked me to support her. To top it off, Yakumo’s suggestion was so shocking that my mind has been in chaos since the morning. I couldn't focus on any of my classes at all.

“But… do I really want to make Shion the goddess?”

I had told Yakumo to let me think about it and postponed my decision.

I joined the White faction to avoid dragging Shion into this mess, yet here I am, discovering that there’s a group actively plotting to make her the goddess.

Honestly, I can understand why.

Shion is an amazing person.

Despite her somewhat gyaru-like appearance, she’s beautiful, bright like the sun, a fantastic cook, and skilled at both studying and sports. She doesn't seem to have any real weaknesses. The fact that someone as handsome as Yakumo has a crush on her says a lot about how exceptional she is.

I had planned to vote for Shion myself, but—

I never intended for her to become the goddess. My vote was simply meant to avoid making waves, without any deeper intentions.

“…But does Shion even want to become the goddess?”

From her personality, I don’t think she does, but from her past actions, it’s clear that she holds a certain admiration for the goddess role.

The key here is Kuromine, the current goddess.

Normally, only one person can become the goddess, and last year's exception was just that—an exception. Would Shion be willing to dethrone Kuromine, someone she respects like an older sister, just to take the title of goddess for herself?

Then again, you could also argue that precisely because Shion respects Kuromine, she might want to stand in the same position as her.

What if Shion decides to aim for the title of goddess? Should I support her?

But if that happens, what was the point of me joining the White faction in the first place? My actions would start making no sense at all.

As I groaned in frustration over this sudden dilemma…

“—How are things going?”

I suddenly heard a man's voice.

The voice wasn't directed at me. It came from a short distance away.

It's unusual to hear voices behind the school after classes. No one practices their club activities around here.

Normally, I wouldn’t have paid attention, but the voice sounded familiar.

“!”

I quickly ducked out of sight as I turned to look in the direction of the voice.

Standing there was none other than my old friend—Renji Inuyama.

I haven't spoken to Renji since he transferred. In fact, I haven't even seen him.

Though we're in the same grade, we're in different classes, and his class is on a different floor from mine. Since there haven't been many school-wide events, I haven't had a chance to run into him.

Renji doesn't know that I've returned.

Back then, I didn't have a smartphone, so we never exchanged contact information, and since my mom moved to a different house, she hasn't run into him either.

The only person who knows my true identity from back then is Shirase. Renji hates the goddesses, so there's no chance they would have talked about me.

“…Happened”

“…..”

Renji was talking to someone.

From my vantage point, I couldn't see the other person's face, but judging from the uniform, it was a girl.

Renji seemed to be talking to her in a very friendly manner, which surprised me. I hadn't expected Renji to be close to any girls. Back in the day, he wasn't the type to chat with girls casually.

Could she be his girlfriend?

…No, probably not.

Even Renji would struggle to keep being the male god if he had a girlfriend. Though he might still get chosen, it would likely become a more contested race. Since he’s still considered a shoo-in for this year's male god, it's unlikely he has a girlfriend.

Curious, I carefully and silently moved closer.

“Sorry for the trouble.”

“Not at all… thanks to your help… everything’s going smoothly…”

I could hear Renji's voice clearly, but the girl's voice was faint.

“How are things going?”

“…It's fine. With this, everything should go smoothly.”

I'm curious. I'm really curious about which girl is so close to Renji.

But I stopped myself there.

Any further would be too much. Eavesdropping is bad, no matter how close you are. Even friends have boundaries. I should leave before I get caught.

“I broke my promise to Shota. I broke one of the things written in that letter—’don't blow things out of proportion’ and ‘don't seek revenge.’ I told those demons everything. It turned into a big deal because of that.”

Huh?

I was about to walk away, but I froze.

I had already heard from Shirase that Renji lost his temper during last year's God Council. So, that didn't surprise me. The real issue was that he was telling this story to the girl in front of him.

Renji hates the Four-Color Goddesses. I know that for sure because he got angry for my sake. So, the person he's talking to can't be one of them.

“I can't betray my friend any further. That's why I couldn't get revenge. But because of that, those people are still out there, unpunished. I didn't realize what those demons did back in middle school… I can't even face Shota anymore.”

Don't be stupid.

You've never betrayed me, not once. If anything, I should be the one apologizing for causing trouble because of that letter.

I took a step forward, ready to tell him that directly—

“That's not true!”

The girl's voice rang out, stopping me in my tracks.

“Renji-nii hasn't betrayed anyone. The only ones at fault are those Four-Color Demons.”

“……”

“It's alright. I'll definitely take those demons down!”

Her voice grew louder, probably because she was so worked up.

“Shota-nii is coming back someday, right?”

“…Yeah. The last time I met with Shota's mom, she said so. She didn't know when, but she said he would definitely come to see me. I don't know if it'll happen while we're still in high school, though.”

Hearing that, the girl nodded resolutely.

“When he comes back, he'll definitely be shocked by how those demons are being called goddesses now. That's why I'll make sure to drag them down from their pedestal during this year's Tenka Contest. I can't let those foolish sisters, those despicable Four-Color Demons, continue running amok any longer!”

“I agree.”

…You've got to be kidding me.

There's only one person in the world who would refer to Renji and me that way.

She's the younger sister of my first love, and I always adored her like she was my own sister—

The girl stepped forward, and I finally saw her face.

Her whole demeanor had changed drastically from back then. The frail girl who was always bedridden was nowhere to be found. Instead, standing there was a beautiful girl, as cute as her older sister.

“I'll support you as much as I can, but if I get too involved, it might backfire.”

“I understand. If you, Renji-nii, as the male god, openly support me, it could cause a backlash from the other girls. You've already done more than enough by helping me this far. Thank you for assisting me in building my faction.”

Hearing that, Renji smiled—a gentle, affectionate smile, the kind you'd give to a beloved little sister.

“Alright then, I'll leave the rest to you.”

“Yes, don't worry. Leave everything to me, Momoka Akazawa!”

The girl with pink hair declared confidently.