V4Ch10: Red and Yellow Clash

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Translator: Soafp

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“You’re Akazawa-chan, the school goddess, right? You’re Sho-chan's childhood friend?”

Kikka Nee-san asked with sharp eyes.

Akazawa was being glared at with clear hostility, but she didn't seem fazed at all. On the contrary, she looked rather annoyed.

“That's right. Goddess Amatsuka-senpai.”

“…”

“Oh—sorry, former goddess, wasn't it?”

Akazawa deliberately “messed up,” her eyes colder than Kikka Nee-san’s.

Their eyes clashed.

Nothing actually happened, but it felt like you could hear crackling sparks between them. After a tense staring contest, Akazawa gave a triumphant smirk.

“Yes, Sho-chan and I are childhood friends. We were together since we were little—same kindergarten, same elementary school, always playing together. It was such a fun time. Thinking back on it now, it feels like we were in a dream.”

Nee-san looked at me after hearing that.

Understanding what she meant, I gave a small nod.

Akazawa wasn't lying. We did go to the same kindergarten and elementary school. We were always together, playing every day. Those days really were fun. I had a crush on her back then, so just being near her made me happy.

She wasn't wrong—but it still didn't sit right with me.

Because the one who destroyed that fun life was none other than Akazawa herself, standing right in front of me.

“And you, Amatsuka-senpai—what exactly are you to Sho-chan?”

“Eh? You were there when I reunited with him, weren't you? Didn't you hear?”

“At that time, I was a bit…”

Akazawa frowned. Apparently, she hadn't heard the conversation from back then.

She was dragged away by Renji midway, but I thought she would've caught the earlier part.

“Well, I'm like his older sister.”

“Older sister?”

“One day, Sho-chan moved into the neighborhood. He was so cute I couldn't help but dote on him—and before I knew it, he started calling me ‘nee-san’. Since then, he's been like a little brother to me.”

Akazawa looked my way.

I understood and gave a small nod.

That's right—it was me who started calling her “nee-san.” I'm not really sure why. Maybe because I had some trauma around girls my age back then, so I unconsciously labeled her as something non-threatening—as a form of self-protection.

Kikka Nee-san seemed to enjoy being treated like an older sister. She would often act the part with pride. As an only child, she probably liked the feeling of having a little brother.

“Anyway, Akazawa-chan, you're the one who hurt Sho-chan, aren't you?”

“…!”

“I heard the reason he moved away. That there was a terrible girl back in his hometown who treated him cruelly. Just seeing how he reacted, it's obvious that girl was you. How could you do something like that to your childhood friend—someone you played with every day?”

“That's…”

Strictly speaking, Akazawa wasn't the only one who broke me—but I've already made peace with the other three involved. So I didn't bother denying it.

And besides, she was the one who started the rumors in the first place. She was the root cause.

“I just can't believe it. To treat someone as kind as Sho-chan so horribly… I don't care what your ‘circumstances’ were—it's messed up.”

“…”

“And someone who bullied their childhood friend becoming the school idol? That's just disappointing.”

Those words struck a nerve in Akazawa.

She, who had looked indifferent just moments ago, suddenly changed expression. Being mocked as the “school idol” must've really pissed her off.

“Look who's talking. Didn't you try to make a move on Sho-chan just because you were heartbroken and feeling all sentimental? And now you're playing the big sister card like nothing happened?”

“…!”

How does she know about that?

“Eavesdropping is such a disgusting habit—oh, sorry, current goddess.”

“You two were talking so loud like idiots anyone could hear it from the hallway, former goddess.”

So she had heard everything earlier.

Now it made sense—why she showed up right when she did and slapped her hand away. She'd been listening.

“Got rejected by the older brother, so now you're going after the younger one? You're pathetic.”

“Th-that was—”

“Spare me the excuses. That look in your eyes said everything. You said you treated him like a little brother, and now you're trying to make a move on him? That's messed up.”

“…”

“Maybe that's why you got dumped in the first place—because you're a pathetic woman like that.”

Akazawa spat the words out with a sneer.

The jab landed hard—Kikka Nee-san's expression completely changed.

This is bad.

The tension had escalated to a boiling point. It wouldn't have been surprising if a full-blown catfight broke out right here and now. Both of them had expressions more intense than I'd ever seen before. The air was frozen and on the verge of shattering.

“—Enough!“

I had to step in. This was getting out of control.

Turning my back on Kikka Nee-san, I stood between her and Akazawa.

“Sho-chan?”

“Akazawa, to me, Nee-san is a savior.”

“A savior…?”

“When I ran away from everything, she was the one who helped me heal. If it weren't for her, I never would've gotten back on my feet. So if you ever hurt her—I won't forgive you.”

“…!”

It was true that Nee-san was in a fragile state right now.

The person she had loved had gotten married, and just talking about it had shaken her emotionally.

The unpleasant feeling I got when she reached out to me came from sensing her as a “woman.” I'd never felt that kind of emotion from her before, so it caught me off guard.

Still, that didn't change the fact that she was my savior. It was thanks to her kindness that I was able to recover. That was undeniable.

If I had to choose sides in this moment, there was no hesitation.

“Too bad, Shota is mine.”

“…!”

“If you're upset, then try taking him back.”

Saying that, she reached out her hand toward my head again. She still seemed unstable, and the feeling was unpleasant, but I didn't move.

Just as her hand was about to touch me—

Smack!

“…!”

For the third time today, a sharp sound echoed through the classroom.

A hand came out from a blind spot and slapped hers away. The scene felt familiar—but this time, it wasn't Akazawa who did it.

“…Momoka?”

The one who acted was Momoka, who had been silently observing until now.

She stepped forward and slipped between me and my sister.

“After hearing everything, I want to say this: Amatsuka-senpai, thank you so much. I truly appreciate you for helping Shota-nii. And… I'm sorry for my idiotic sister. Her stupidity frustrates even me.”

After saying that, she bowed politely.

“But even if you are Shota-nii's savior, please don't treat someone important to me like an object!”

“…!”

Her forceful presence made my sister take a step back.

“Let's go outside. The air in here is too toxic.”

Then, Momoka grabbed my arm.

“W-Wait, Momo—”

“Shut up!”

She snapped at Akazawa, who had started to speak, and pulled me along.

“There's a lot I want to ask you, and a lot I want to say. But it looks like we can't even have a normal conversation here. So let's change places.”

“Y-Yeah…”

“So, may I take Shota-nii and leave the room?”

My sister, still surprised from Momoka's actions, simply nodded.

“I've got Amatsuka-senpai's permission. Alright, let's go.”

“…Okay.”

I didn't resist. Honestly, I wanted to get out of there.

Momoka pulled me along and led me out of the classroom.

The way she confidently walked, tugging me with her, bore no trace of the sickly girl she once was. To my eyes, she overlapped with the original version of Kikka Nee-san.