V4Ch18: Yellow Summon

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Translator: Soafp

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Time flew by quickly.

It was Thursday, and the weekend was just around the corner.

The Heavenly Blossom Academy, which had been shaken by a series of powerful candidates for the Goddess position withdrawing, had finally calmed down by this point. The voices of pessimism had decreased, and attention had shifted to who would become the next Goddess.

“It feels like everything's back to normal.”

“…Don't talk so casually when you were one of the main reasons things got so chaotic.”

“Well, it can't be helped. I've never really been interested in becoming the Goddess. Besides, I don't really fit the role of the Goddess anyway.”

Umi Aoyama, standing before me, spread her arms wide.

“Besides, the two who caused the bigger commotion later on are more at fault, don't you think? A lot of the female students were upset.”

“…Well, I suppose you have a point.”

“My friends were a mess for a while because of the shock. It really was troublesome. I even got slandered, being accused of setting things in motion just because I withdrew. I've been inconvenienced enough, you know?”

Though Aoyama spoke as if she were unaffected, it was her withdrawal that caused the chaos with Mahiro, and I was troubled by that as well. Since there had never been any withdrawals before, it was true that her actions set the precedent.

That being said, I couldn't really complain.

It wasn't that withdrawing was wrong. The ones who withdrew each had their own reasons, so it couldn't be helped.

Anyway, I had run into Aoyama by chance.

I had been wandering around, looking for the meeting place, when I happened to spot her. She called out to me and suggested we talk, so I decided to chat with her since I had the time.

“Well, I guess I can't blame Kuromine. If the reason I heard earlier is true, then there's no need to stick to being the Goddess. As for Inuyama, though, he's just an idiot.”

“…Yeah, that's true.”

“So that's the real reason behind the incident he caused. I thought he was just a scary and unfriendly guy, but it turns out there's more to him.”

“Well, ‘more' might not be the right way to put it.”

Earlier, we'd talked about the reasons Kuromine and Renji withdrew.

It wasn't a matter I needed to keep secret, and there was no harm in sharing the information.

“As the person involved, it's a bit of a weird feeling.”

“It must be complicated for you, Shota. If you found out that several incidents happened because of you, it would definitely feel strange.”

Aoyama said this, then paused as if remembering something.

“The most surprising one was Momoka. I didn't expect her to confess on the day we met again.”

I hadn't told Aoyama about the confession. It was private, so I kept it to myself, but it seemed she had heard about it from Momoka this morning when we randomly ran into each other.

“I was the most surprised by it.”

“She's always seemed to have a thing for you, so I guess it makes sense that her feelings exploded like that. I shouldn't be the one saying this, but personally, I really want her to do her best.”

“…”

“Momoka really has grown, huh? I'm so happy for her.”

I couldn't understand why Aoyama was acting like a guardian. I'd actually thought that Momoka probably didn't like Aoyama at all.

We talked for a few more minutes, chatting casually.

“Oh, by the way. Can we talk about the game for a bit?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“It's about the GPEX tournament we talked about before. This time, let's really aim for the overall championship. Nazuka seems to be pretty motivated too. And by the way, it looks like the year-end tournament will have an even more impressive lineup than the summer one.”

“Are pro players participating?”

Aoyama smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, the same people from last time will be there. But that's not all. This time, top foreign pros will join as well. They've participated in world tournaments and are really famous. It looks like this tournament is going to attract a lot of attention.”

“Hmm, world tournament-level players, huh? I'd love to fight one of them.”

Just as my excitement for the tournament was growing, my phone in my pocket buzzed.

“Sorry, I need to go now.”

“…Did that hype you up a little?”

“Eh?”

“You seemed kind of down just now, like you were nervous or worried.”

So, that's why she called out to me.

“It's fine. I'm feeling more pumped now.”

“I see. Well, take care, and see you later!”

“Yeah, see you.”

---

After parting ways with Aoyama, I continued on my way to my destination.

I arrived at a classroom I had visited before.

That day, when I was talking to Momoka, I had received two messages. One was from Shirase. And the other one was from—

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Welcome! Not at all—I haven't been waiting long, so don't worry.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I should be the one apologizing for calling you out like this.”

Kikka Nee-san greeted me with a smile.

She had said she wanted to apologize for what happened last time, so I agreed to meet. As soon as we exchanged a light greeting, she put her hands together.

“I’m really sorry about back then. I must've totally lost control of myself!”

Thank goodness. It seems like she's back to her usual self.

Just like Aoyama pointed out, I was a bit worried about what I'd do if she still wasn't quite herself. But from the way she's acting now, I think she's okay.

“It was because I talked about my brother that time—it flipped some weird emotional switch. I really made a mess of myself.”

“…It's understandable. You were in shock, after all.”

“I guess I was more hung up on it than I realized. With how I was acting, of course I couldn't win him over. Honestly, it's pathetic.”

To her, it was like reliving the pain of a lost love. No wonder she couldn't keep her composure.

Speaking of the past, I also felt like I'd been dumped when Akazawa treated me so coldly. I definitely couldn't stay calm back then.

“I'm glad Sho-chan turned out to be such an understanding boy.”

“I've grown up. Plus, I owe it to how you raised me, Nee-san.”

“…Uwa, that's a very mature response. You really have grown a lot.”

She looked surprised.

After that, we made small talk for a while. Nothing deep—just casual stuff like the weather or celebrity gossip.

“Hey, Sho-chan.”

She spoke up when there was a pause in our conversation.

“What is it?”

“Would you tell me more about yourself?”

“Me?”

She nodded.

“Even back then, and even after we met again, I never really asked about the details. I figured things were complicated. But after what I saw the other day… it made me want to understand you better. Especially about the Akazawa sisters. I want to know more.”

“…I don't mind, but it's a long story.”

“Please. I want to hear it.”

With her sincere gaze fixed on me, I decided to tell her everything.

What happened in middle school, how we met, and everything up to the present. Before, I wanted to act cool or didn't want her to know, so I kept it all in.

But now, things are different.

When I finished, she looked at me with sad eyes.

“Don't look like that. I'm okay now. I've made peace with everyone except Akazawa.”

“…You can say that after all that happened? You're really a strong kid.”

“I was able to bounce back thanks to you, Sis.”

When I said that, she gave a soft smile.

“My type used to be reliable older guys, but you know… Sho-chan as you are now? I think I could totally fall for you.”