V4Ch2: Black Visitor

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

---

“A rumor that Amatsuka-senpai has a boyfriend, huh? Yeah, I've heard that one before.”

Renji replied while lying on the bed.

“It seems like no one's sure if the rumor is true or not. Apparently, when people asked her about it, she refused to say anything. I have no idea why she didn't answer.”

“…I see.”

Currently, Renji is in my room.

He’s here to join me in preparing for the big event that’s about to take place—yes, the event where Tsukiyo Kuromine will be visiting.

Renji and Kuromine had made a bet during the midterm exams. The winner would be able to give the loser one order. Kuromine won, and for some reason, her request involved me, even though I had nothing to do with their bet. And Renji was to be included in the conversation as well.

Honestly, I had no idea what it meant.

However, after some advice from Renji, I decided to accept the request. I had been curious as to why she suddenly made such a move anyway.

After adjusting our schedules, we set today as the day for the discussion.

We're currently waiting for Kuromine to arrive, and since we're bored, we've been chatting. By the way, Renji arrived earlier than expected, and just before this, we were playing a fighting game. Lately, I've been really into it and completely crushed him, which led to him sulking and diving into the bed, resulting in the current situation.

“But why did you suddenly bring up rumors about Amatsuka-senpai?”

“I wanted to know what happened after Kikka Nee-san moved here. That's when I heard the rumor that she might have a boyfriend.”

“…Why don't you just ask her directly?”

“That would be best, but we've only just reunited. It feels a bit too soon to bring up something so personal.”

“I get what you're saying. Still, I don't know much about Amatsuka-senpai either.”

For Renji, she's just an upperclassman, so it makes sense that he wouldn't know her well. He said he's had no real interactions with her up until now.

“She's always been really popular since we started school. I heard a lot of people from her grade made moves on her, and last year she was also the top candidate to be the goddess.”

“…I see.”

“My impression is that she has kind of a big sister vibe. She was popular with both the upper and lower grades, and during the sports festivals, she was the type to really take charge. Personality-wise, she's not just goddess material—she's perfect as the school's representative.”

That impression isn't wrong.

She was kind. But a bit forceful too. That forcefulness is what saved me. No matter how many times I rejected her, she kept coming to my house, and in the end, she pulled me out of the isolation I had confined myself in.

“Honestly, I wanted to punch the guy who spread those rumors.”

“Why's that?”

“Because of that, Amatsuka-senpai's popularity dropped, and those other girls became the goddesses. If she had stayed the goddess, my stress would've been a lot less.”

So that's what it was.

Yeah, I get that. If Kikka Nee-san had remained the goddess, Renji wouldn't have had to vent his frustrations as much.

“Never thought the older sister Shota talked about would turn out to be Amatsuka-senpai. The world feels big, but it's actually pretty small.”

“Miracles do happen. To me, she really was a lifesaving goddess.”

“And she literally was a goddess.”

“That's not exactly what I meant… but well, yeah, in that sense too.”

If Kikka Nee-san had still been the goddess when I came back here, I'm sure my mood would've been quite different.

I'd be willing to bet I would've gone straight to greet her with absolute confidence.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“About what?”

“You're going to ask about the rumor after the talk with Kuromine, right? What about after that?”

What comes after?

“You're going to ask her about the boyfriend rumor, right? If it turns out to be true, then what?”

“Of course I'll congratulate her.”

Obviously, I'd just be happy if Nee-san had a boyfriend.

Sure, I might feel a little sad and disappointed, but without a doubt, the first thing that would come out of my mouth would be words of celebration.

Honestly, the feeling of happiness would definitely be stronger.

“Well, yeah, that's how you are, Shota. But what if the rumor turns out to be false?”

“…”

“You don't even have to say it. I can guess from how you've been acting. Are you planning to step up and become her boyfriend?”

“That's… complicated.”

“What do you mean?”

“As long as Nee-san's happy, it doesn't matter if the person by her side isn't me. It feels kind of overwhelming to even consider it. To me, she's a true goddess. It's a complicated situation for me.”

If someone asked me whether I could make that goddess happy, I wouldn't know what to say.

Besides, since I owe her so much from the past, my feelings toward her are more like those for a sister rather than something romantic. If someone asked which feeling is stronger, it'd be hard to answer.

“Well, it'd be insensitive to push that topic any further. Good luck with it.”

I nodded at my friend's words of encouragement.

“But I'm surprised you invited Kuromine over to your house.”

“This is the place where we're least likely to be overheard. You know how it is in the classroom—we don't want another situation like before.”

“When Yuuhi saw us, right? Yeah, compared to that, this is definitely safer.”

Back then, we were saved by Kikka Nee-san showing up, but it would've been bad if no one had intervened.

“So, your mom’s not here, huh?”

“She’s meeting someone.”

“I was hoping to say hi after so long. That’s a shame.”

“There will be other chances. Besides, it’s probably best not to introduce her to Kuromine right now.”

My mother knew about the past events. If things between Kuromine and me went south and Shion found out, it could escalate into a major headache. It’s definitely better if they don’t meet.

“What about the rest of your family?”

“They’re all out. Dad’s meeting some colleagues, and Shion’s out with her friends. They won’t be back for a while.”

“Everything's in place, huh?”

That's exactly why I invited Kuromine today. If my father or Shion knew, they might misunderstand the situation, which would only complicate things.

“…So, what do you think Kuromine wants to talk about?”

I asked, and Renji shook his head with a puzzled expression.

“Beats me. I don’t think it’s anything bad, but I have no clue what it’s about.”

“And why are you so sure it's not something bad?”

“Because of the way she tackled the midterm exams. I mean, she aced them. That takes more than just effort. She must've studied like her life depended on it. After going that far and earning the right to order me around, she chose this. If she had ill intentions, she wouldn't have wanted to connect at all. Plus, like I said before, I got a good impression when we talked briefly.”

His reasoning made sense.

I still had my doubts, of course. But Renji being here with me was reassuring.

“I think we’ll be fine, but don't let your guard down.”

“I know.”

As we continued talking, the doorbell rang. I let out a breath and stood up slowly.

“When we start the discussion, I'll try to stay quiet and just observe.”

“Got it.”

I went down the stairs and opened the front door, where Kuromine stood.

She was dressed casually.

Although I was used to seeing her in casual clothes from her part-time job, today's outfit struck a balance between her usual school attire and her work look. Her hair wasn't styled in the old braids she used to wear at work, but she still had her glasses on.

“……”

“……”

After a brief silence passed between us:

“C-come on in.”

“Thank you. Excuse me.”

I invited Kuromine into the house.

A few months ago, I never would have imagined myself doing this, but now, I wasn't all that nervous or afraid.

When I opened the door to my room, Renji was there, still sprawled on my bed in his relaxed state. It was a mildly irritating sight, but having him here made me feel much more at ease.

Kuromine sat across from me.