V4Ch13: White Consultation

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Translator: Soafp

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Looking back on it, it was truly a hectic Monday.

While I was hearing the truth about the rumors from Kikka Nee-san, the Akazawa sisters suddenly barged in. Kikka Nee-san and Akazawa had a clash, and in the end, I was confessed to by Momoka—there was just so much information.

When I got home, I tried to process all of this massive amount of information, but I was so tired that I quickly fell asleep.

And so came Tuesday.

I had been bracing myself since the morning, expecting something to happen, but nothing notable occurred, and lunch break arrived without incident.

There was no movement from Akazawa, who had been my biggest worry. However, I did receive a message from her last night.

[Sorry for what happened today. I was so happy to meet you again, Sho-chan, that I lost my composure. I'd like to talk more slowly this weekend, so if you have some time, I'd appreciate it. Looking forward to it.]

Since I hadn't been able to reply last night, I responded after waking up.

She replied immediately, and we had a quick exchange, which led to us deciding to meet on Saturday.

Though I ended up with an unpleasant schedule for the weekend, on the bright side, it meant I could relax until then. It’s a problem that needs to be dealt with eventually, so for now, I decided to just be happy that the date and time were set.

Perhaps because of the upcoming promise, Akazawa was in a good mood since the morning. She was acting like the idol of the school.

I also received a message from Kikka Nee-san apologizing for her blunder yesterday. I told her not to worry about it.

I haven’t told anyone about yesterday’s events.

Even though Renji is my best friend, I can't just tell him that I was confessed to. It would be like leaking personal information, and I can't just trample on Momoka's courage.

Moreover, Momoka had said, “I'll tell Renji Nii-san myself. I'll also tell him how he kept quiet about Shota Nii-san. I'll give him a piece of my mind,” and she was breathing heavily with determination, so I left it all to her.

“—It's been a while since we've talked face-to-face like this.”

I decided to stop reminiscing about yesterday and focused on the present.

It was lunch break. A rare person was in front of me.

“Indeed, it has been a while, Yakumo-kun.”

“Thank you for making time for me, Shota-senpai.”

It was Yakumo Shirase, the younger brother of the White Goddess, Mayuki Shirase.

He's someone I would consider one of my most cherished juniors.

Whenever we cross paths, he always greets me cheerfully, and he's always so refreshing to look at, it lifts my spirits.

He's one of those people who is like a healing presence, alongside Shion.

“It's no trouble. So, what's the talk about?”

The situation was simple. I had passed by him while buying bread in the school store. At that time, he asked if he could talk to me.

So, we ended up entering an empty classroom nearby.

“Actually, I have something to consult you about.”

“You want to consult me?”

“Yes. It's about Nijitani-san.”

“…Shion?”

Yakumo-kun is in love with Shion.

It's so obvious that anyone can see it. He always follows her with his gaze, and whenever Shion is around, he becomes so nervous, it's clear how deeply he cares for her.

“Is something going on?”

“Well, actually, Nijitani-san has become really motivated.”

“Motivated?”

“It's about the Goddess stuff. To explain in detail—”

Yakumo-kun explained.

Apparently, Shion had previously been indifferent to anything related to the Goddess competition. She didn't seem too interested, and it was more like Yakumo-kun and the people around her were putting in the effort.

However, since this week, everything had changed.

She suddenly became motivated and publicly declared her intent to aim for the Goddess title. This drastic change shocked Yakumo-kun, which is why he came to ask me, her brother, about the situation.

“…I see.”

“Do you know anything about it?”

“Yeah, I do.”

This was something I could talk about without any issue.

“You know that Shion has been following Kuromine around, right?”

“Of course.”

“Well, Kuromine dropped out of the Tenka Contest. And Kuromine personally asked her to be the next Goddess. In other words, the baton was handed to her.”

“The baton?”

“Kuromine asked her directly to become the next Goddess. So, she's basically been entrusted with the baton.”

Shion was asked by her admired Kuromine to become the next Goddess and agreed to it.

I don't know all the details because we're in different grades, but it seems she's seriously aiming for the title. Now that she's publicly declared it, I'm sure she'll put all her effort into it from here on out.

As an older brother, I really want to support my sister's determination. I may be a little biased, but I truly believe Shion is worthy of being called the best female student in the school.

“…So that's the situation.”

Yakumo-kun sighed in relief.

“I was worried because she suddenly got so motivated.”

“Don't worry. Right now, Shion is just giving her all for Kuromine.”

I could understand Yakumo-kun's concerns.

Shion had never shown interest in the Goddess title before, and then suddenly she declared she would aim for it. He might have feared that she had someone she wanted to impress by becoming the Goddess.

“By the way, there's one more thing.”

“One more?”

“This isn't a consultation, but something I want to ask you.”

“Anything's fine.”

“…It's about the Male God.”

Yakumo-kun took a small breath before continuing.

“I've decided to seriously aim for becoming the Male God!”

“Well, that's good.”

Renji, who was an absolute candidate, dropped out.

This created an opportunity for many students to aim for the Male God title. Yakumo-kun, who was in front of me, is a handsome guy and also a strong candidate for Male God.

I could understand his reasoning. The Goddess is the best female student in the school. To match that, he likely wants to be the best male student.

“So, Shota-senpai, you're also a candidate for Male God, right?”

“…”

“Are you aiming for it?”

I couldn't answer immediately.

To be honest, I'm conflicted.

I ended up aiming for Male God by circumstance, but I honestly don't have any interest in it. I don't want to, and I'm not motivated.

I promised Shion I'd give my best, so normally I'd put in my effort, but—

[I love you, Shota Nii-san.]

If I accept Momoka's confession, I won't aim for Male God.

In fact, I don't think I could. Just like with the Goddess title, being in a relationship would be a negative factor for becoming Male God. I don't want to be unfair to anyone either.

In the end, the question is how to respond to that confession.

It's embarrassing, but I'm still struggling with it. I don't think I'll have an answer anytime soon.

“U-uh, Shota-senpai?”

“Ah, it's nothing. For now, I'll just leave it to fate, and at this point, I'm not aiming for it seriously. So I don't plan on doing anything special for it.”

“…I see.”

While we were talking about the Gods, I suddenly remembered something important.

“What's wrong?”

“I just remembered that I have to tell Shirase about something.”

“About your sister?”

“Actually, I'm thinking of leaving the White faction. Like I said, Shion is seriously aiming for the Goddess title now. Before, I didn't really understand her feelings, so I was hesitant, but if she's serious about it, I have to support her too.”

“…”

Yakumo-kun blinked, looking confused.

That's right. I hadn't told him the real reason I joined the White faction. I couldn't explain it before when I was recruited, but now that things have changed, it seems like I can tell him.

I explained that I had joined the White faction to prevent other goddesses from recruiting me.

“…I see.”

“I’m sorry. It feels like I’m using Shirase.”

“No, it’s fine. It seems like it was Nee-chan’s idea in the first place, so I don’t mind. Actually, this works out perfectly. Let’s call my sister here as well.”

With that, Yakumo took out his smartphone.