V4Ch15: White Defeat

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Translator: Soafp

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“Thank you for looking after Shota Nii-san.”

…What is she suddenly saying?

Momoka said it with a smile, but her eyes weren't smiling at all. In fact, they were almost cold, giving the impression that she was glaring at Shirase.

I quickly turned around.

At a distance, Shion and Yakumo-kun were chatting happily. Well, not exactly. Shion was smiling and talking, but Yakumo-kun seemed flustered while responding.

I felt a bit relieved. It seemed they hadn't heard the previous comment.

“I-I'm the one who should be thanking you.”

Shirase said, trying to recover from the sudden shock, though her voice trembled slightly, revealing that she wasn't fully composed yet.

Then, Shirase and Momoka silently locked eyes.

I didn't quite understand the meaning of this exchange, but the atmosphere felt tense. Honestly, I didn't want them to start fighting over me.

“—Hey, is something going on?”

The tension in the air was broken by Shion, who had somehow come closer.

…If Shion gets involved here, things are going to get complicated.

I didn't want my past with Momoka to be known, so I couldn't explain our relationship. That's why I didn't want her to say “Shota Nii-san” a clear indication that we knew each other.

What should I do?

While I was thinking, Momoka stood up.

“Sorry, Nijitani-san. I just got a little excited because it's a chance to talk to Shirase-senpai.”

“I understand. It's not every day you get to chat with a goddess.”

“Yeah, it's the first time meeting Shirase-senpai.”

“You know, when you're in front of a goddess, you get this strange feeling, like meeting a celebrity. It's the same way I felt.”

Shion nodded her head.

The goddess at school was the object of everyone's admiration. It's natural for a student to want to talk to her if they have the chance.

“Since this is a rare opportunity, why don't you talk to Shirase-senpai slowly?”

“Eh, is that okay?”

“Well, you can always talk to Shion since you’re in the same grade, right?”

“…Sorry, I invited you to talk, but—”

“It's fine, really. But in return, if you ever get a chance to befriend Akazawa-senpai, could you help me out? She's really the idol of the school, always surrounded by people. I'd like to get closer to her.”

“Y-Yeah… I'll help.”

Momoka's expression was completely stiff, but she said nothing more.

Then, Shion turned her gaze to me.

“What's your plan, Onii-chan?”

“I'll stay here.”

“Eh… Is that not a problem?”

I thought it would be dangerous to leave Shirase and Momoka alone together.

“It's fine, really! Shota-san should join us too!”

Shirase said, assisting me.

I expected this, but Shirase probably also thought it would be bad for her to be alone with Momoka.

“Well then, I go ahead and have fun chatting with Yakumo-kun.”

“…If that's the case, I understand.”

I glanced toward Yakumo-kun, who gave me a cheerful bow. It seemed he thought I was helping to set up a situation where the two of them could be alone together.

It was a complete misunderstanding, but if it improved my standing, that's fine. I wasn't going to correct him, so I just went with it.

The two of them started talking a little further away.

“…”

“…”

In contrast to their cheerful and lively conversation, the air on our side was still heavy with tension.

Momoka was glaring coldly at Shirase. It was clear that her earlier words had been a lie, and there wasn't the slightest hint of respect or admiration in her eyes.

…Now that I think about it, Shirase does know a little about Momoka.

She was present during a previous conversation with Renji, where I believe she heard some things about Momoka. I don't think she knows anything beyond that, though, since at that time, she didn't even know who Momoka was.

I can understand why Shirase's expression was stiff.

In that discussion, Momoka's goal was to “kick out the current goddess and become the new goddess.” It's clear that she dislikes the goddess.

“Shota Nii-san. Can I talk to Shirase-senpai for a moment?”

“Yeah. I'll just stay here quietly.”

“Thank you.”

I became a statue.

After a while, the silence became unbearable for Shirase, and she finally spoke.

“By the way, you call Shota-san ‘Nii-san,' don't you?”

“…Yes.”

“Can I ask about your relationship with him?”

“We're childhood friends.”

“If you're Akazawa-san's younger sister, then that makes sense.”

Shirase said, asking about something she already knew.

She was probably trying to start a conversation, using this as a way to begin a back-and-forth. Given that the situation was unclear, this seemed like a good strategy.

However, Momoka wasn't interested in a conversation.

“I don't have much time, so I'll get straight to the point.”

“Straight to the point?”

“I have something I want to ask Shirase-senpai.”

“…What is it?”

“I want to know what Shirase-senpai thinks of Shota Nii-san.”

“Eh――”

Oi oi.

It's a bad idea to ask that question when the person in question is right here.

“Well… I think he’s a wonderful person!”

Immediately after hearing the answer, Momoka’s gaze became sharp.

“Of course. Shota Nii-san has always been an amazing person. He’s kinder than anyone, good-looking, has great athletic ability, and he’s always there to help when you’re in trouble. He’s like a prince. It’s obvious he’s wonderful, I don’t need to say it again.”

A prince? Who is she talking about?

“I-I also think so.”

“…I see. So, White Senpai hurt such a wonderful person, huh?”

“!”

“I know everything that you did to Shota Nii-san. I heard that you apologized and made up afterward.”

With that, Momoka shook her head.

“Honestly, I have some thoughts about this. But I’ll swallow them. It's Shota Nii-san’s decision. However—”

She paused, collecting her words.

“Personally, I think that's the limit. I think it’s fine to be friends, but anything beyond that just doesn't seem possible. You pushed him into transferring schools, yet now you want a special relationship? That’s shameless, or perhaps even brazen. If I were in that position, I wouldn’t have any special feelings. Or rather, I couldn’t have them.”

“…”

“Well, I can't imagine someone who's called a ‘goddess' having such shameless thoughts. After all, you are the school's pride and joy, the goddess.”

She said this with a sweet smile, but there were so many thorns in her words.

Shirase's face showed confusion, and a few other emotions appeared to rise as well.

“You… speak very strongly.”

“Of course, because the person I like is too kind.”

“…If you’re saying it that way, it sounds like you're confessing your feelings to Shota-san.”

“I've already told him how I feel.”

“Eh!?”

White Senpai looked at me. I nodded slightly.

“Y-You confessed?”

“Yes, I did.”

“U-Um, what was the result?”

“He's thinking about it positively. Very positively.”

There was a bit of fabrication in that, but I'll leave it at that.

“By the way, when did you confess? I didn't hear that you and Shota-san had any kind of connection. At least, when I knew, you weren't in a situation where confessing would make sense.”

She doesn't know that I met Momoka again. Back then, we agreed not to tell her about it.

“It was yesterday. The day we reunited.”

“Y-You confessed on that day—”

Shirase was clearly flustered.

“Is there a problem with that?”

“No, it's just… isn’t that a bit too fast?”

Momoka snorted.

“Excuse me, but Shirase-Senpai, I don’t think you've ever been in real love, have you?”

“…”

“When I was a child, I was weak and often sick. When I finally got healthy, Shota Nii-san had transferred. That's when I realized. You can't miss the timing to tell someone you love them. So, when the next chance came, I made up my mind that I would confess. And the chance came. I didn't hesitate.”

Having said that, Momoka turned to me with a smile.

I looked away, feeling a little embarrassed.

“Yes, I confess that it was a bit fast. But I didn't want anyone else to take him. If you truly love someone, I think it's natural to feel possessive.”

“…”

Shirase remained silent, completely speechless.

“Ah, lunch break is almost over.”

Looking at the clock, I realized that lunch break was about to end. I hadn't noticed, but quite a bit of time had passed.

“Thank you for talking with me, even though it was so sudden, Shirase-Senpai.”

“Y-Yeah.”

“Shota Nii-san, let's talk again sometime.”

After saying that, Momoka left. Her expression was bright as though she had completed a task.

On the other hand, Shirase's expression was dark, looking like a defeated athlete after losing a match.