V4Ch11: Pink Confession

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Translator: Soafp

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“…Was I a bit too forceful?”

Momoka asked anxiously.

After leaving the classroom, we had headed to the back of the school building.

It was the same place where I had once seen Renji and Momoka talking. Apparently, they'd been using this spot for discussions and meetings. Since Renji was popular and had a lot of fans, he'd looked for a place where no one would see them and settled on this spot.

“Nah, you really saved me back there. Thanks.”

Akazawa's behavior was incomprehensible, and my sister had been unstable. Who knows what might've happened if I had stayed.

…But man, women are scary when they snap.

The atmosphere back there had been intense.

They were both usually so mild-mannered. That made it even scarier. I'd never seen Akazawa make a face like that before, and it was also the first time I'd seen Nee-san glare at someone like that.

“I left them in the classroom… Think they'll be okay?”

“They should be. Probably.”

Probably, huh.

“Onee-chan's a hopeless idiot, but she doesn't do things without reason. Plus, after what you said to her, she must've been pretty shocked. I'm sure she left that room and is walking home with her tail between her legs by now.”

That was harsh. A far cry from the days when they were known in the neighborhood as close sisters.

“Uh, can I ask why Akazawa suddenly started acting like that?”

“I don't really know either. It started last night. She suddenly said she was going to see you, and her energy got all weird.”

That's… not helpful at all.

“So then why were you chasing after Akazawa?”

“Because of that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Not just last night—she was acting the same way this morning, too. When she said she'd see you, I couldn't stay calm either. I tried questioning her to find out why. Unfortunately, it wasn't much of a conversation.”

Momoka paused for a moment and looked at me.

“What surprised me the most was what happened after that. While I was chasing her, I actually found you.”

So that's how we reunited.

I don't know what exactly happened, but something must've clued Akazawa in to my presence. Either that, or she already knew and only now found a way to approach me.

Still, there’s no point overthinking it—I wouldn't figure it out anyway.

“But she's such a mystery. After all that hatred, suddenly she's calling me ‘Sho-chan’ like the old days.”

“That's—”

Momoka started to say something, then shook her head.

“No… That's not for me to say. I'm sure she'll try to talk to you again. When she does, you should hear it from her.”

“…”

Honestly, I really don't want to.

It's one thing when you're surrounded by other people in a classroom—but being alone with her somewhere secluded? That's terrifying. After what just happened, anything could happen.

“Isn't there some way to avoid it?”

“Nothing I say will help. It has to come from you, Shota Nii-san. When the time comes, you'll have to deliver the final blow.”

That sounded pretty ominous. And “final blow”? She's assuming I'll have to finish things.

Well, there's no running from it. We're in the same class, and now that she knows who I am, I won't be able to avoid her if she asks to talk.

As the conversation paused, Momoka suddenly smiled.

“But still, I do feel grateful to Onee-chan.”

“Grateful?”

“Because she was such an idiot, I got a chance. And I got to reunite with you like this.”

She smiled happily, then her expression turned a little sad.

“Still, it's a bit disappointing. Ideally, I wanted to become a ‘goddess' before meeting you again.”

“…”

“You were surprised to hear people calling them goddesses, weren't you?”

“Yeah.”

When I first transferred, I was absolutely horrified. I wanted to shout, ‘Who the hell calls these four the Four-Colored Goddesses?!'

We're on better terms now, but back then, it was nothing but a headache.

“I was surprised too. I'd heard about the Four-Colored Goddesses back in middle school. I was honestly appalled by how poor the students’ judgment was at this academy. So I made a vow—to knock those girls off their pedestals and take the goddess title for myself.”

So that's why Momoka enrolled in Tenka Academy.

That made me feel kind of guilty. Like her life choices had been based on my situation. But if that's what she decided for herself, all I can do is respect that.

“Did you meet Renji right away?”

“Yes, almost immediately after enrolling.”

She then told me about her relationship with Renji.

Apparently, they hadn't been in touch at all before she entered the academy.

When they bumped into each other after she enrolled, they talked. At that time, Renji already despised the goddesses. When Momoka said she aimed to take their place, he agreed to support her completely.

“But still, Renji Nii-san was awful. He could've at least told me you were back.”

“I felt the same way, but to be fair, he did have his reasons.”

“Reasons?”

“He wanted you to grow stronger.”

I told her about the conversation I had with Renji.

At first, she seemed interested, but her expression gradually turned into one of exasperation.

“…So, he was planning to tell me as a surprise after I became a goddess?”

“Seems like it.”

“Even knowing that, I still feel angry. Honestly, what mattered most to me was knowing that you were safe, Shota Nii-san. He completely misunderstood that. Next time I see him, I'm definitely going to give him a piece of my mind.”

Momoka puffed out her cheeks, though she didn't really seem all that angry.

Still, she apparently had plenty to gripe about when it came to Renji. She began voicing various complaints about how overprotective he was.

I had thought he'd become a good older brother, but maybe he was actually too overprotective and not such a great one after all.

“I'd like to talk with you a bit longer, Shota Nii-san, but time is limited. Let's get to the main point.”

Right—she did say there was something she wanted to ask, and something she wanted to tell me.

“First, what I want to say: it's a word of thanks.”

“Thanks?”

Momoka gave me a deep bow.

“Thanks to you, I was able to recover and become strong. Thank you so much.”

“Nah, I didn't do anything. You're the one who worked hard, along with your family who supported you.”

I really hadn't done anything.

Sure, I remembered playing with her, but not for long stretches since her body was weak. Other than that, I'd just talked to her while she lay in bed.

“That's just it. You were always encouraging me, remember?”

“…”

“I remember everything. The way you held my hand and told me to hang in there. I can still feel the warmth of your hand.”

That really was all I'd been able to do back then.

I didn't know anything about medicine, and I was just a kid. I couldn't do anything except show up and try to cheer her up.

“Are you all better now?”

“Thanks to you, I'm perfectly healthy.”

“…That's good to hear.”

I looked at Momoka closely.

She'd grown up so much in just a few years.

The girl I remembered was a frail child lying in a hospital bed. Back then, she was just a grade schooler, and her face looked completely different from now.

But it wasn't just her appearance that seemed more mature. The way she had pulled me away earlier reminded me of my sister.

“Your support meant more to me than anything else. Thank you, Shota Nii-san.”

“…”

Being thanked so sincerely stirred up a small sense of guilt.

Back then, I was in love with Yuuhi Akazawa, and visiting Momoka was partly just an excuse to see her. I had doted on Momoka, even thought she might become my little sister one day—but my feelings weren't as pure as she thought.

Ah…

So that's what Kikka nee-san meant by me being “half right.”

She remembered it as a kindness, but for me, there had been ulterior motives. No wonder my sister had seemed a little conflicted. It really was complicated.

“Next, there's something I want to ask.”

“Sure, ask me anything.”

“Or rather, this is also connected to something I want to say.”

That was an odd way to put it.

As I was thinking that, Momoka's breathing grew slightly uneven—nervous, perhaps. Her cheeks looked faintly flushed.

“I didn't expect to say this today. I hadn't planned on it at all. I know it's probably too soon to say.”

“…Momoka?”

“But I decided long ago that the next time I saw you, I'd definitely tell you. The fear and anxiety I felt when you suddenly disappeared from my life were overwhelming. I couldn't do anything back then. I never want to feel that way again. So please, hear the feelings I've kept hidden inside me.”

Momoka looked straight into my eyes.

“I'm grateful to you, Shota Nii-san.”

“A-ah, yeah… I already accepted your thanks.”

“But my feelings aren't just gratitude.”

“…?”

“You were my first love. I thought for sure that this love would never be returned, but it hasn't faded. Seeing you again made me realize something. I have no intention of giving up on this love, and I won't let anyone else have you.”

With a strong, clear voice, she said the words she had been holding back:

“I love you, Shota Nii-san.”