V4Ch25: The Rainbow-Colored Answer

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

---

“That should do it.”

I carried the unconscious Akazawa into her room and let out a sigh of relief.

It looked like she had only passed out—nothing serious. If things had turned out worse, it would have left a bad aftertaste. I wasn't hoping for anything that extreme.

…It’s been a while since I last came to this room.

After laying her down, I glanced around. My eyes stopped on a photo displayed on the wall—it had me in it.

There were photos from elementary school, middle school, and even ones taken after I came back here. Just to be clear, none of them were taken secretly. The recent ones were from a summer festival I attended with classmates.

“Really, she’s such an idiot.”

Momoka muttered as she looked at the pictures.

“She talks to your photos every day—apologizing, confessing her feelings. She’s done that for years.”

She really did love me, huh?

If only she hadn't done what she did—

I shook my head before the thought could finish. She talked about her “kinks” so openly; it was probably beyond help. Still, I do hope Yuuhi Akazawa finds someone whose preferences match hers. Maybe I'm being soft, but as a childhood friend, that much I can wish for.

“I hope she finds someone who suits her.”

Momoka echoed.

I looked at her face.

“Surprised?”

“Yeah. I thought you’d hate her more.”

“She’s still my sister, even if she’s an idiot.”

“…You two used to be close.”

“If she could just give up on you and move forward, I think we could go back to being close again. Her preferences are… deeply twisted, but aside from that, she’s a sister I’m proud of.”

Momoka gazed at the unconscious Akazawa as she continued.

“My sister is amazing. She’s cuter than anyone, great at socializing, smart, athletic—the complete opposite of me. I really did look up to her. If it weren't for that one kink, she'd still be someone I admire.”

Her words might lack persuasion given what we just witnessed, but I could tell she was being sincere.

There's no doubt that Akazawa is the school's idol.

It's not just her looks. She's great at talking to people, her grades are top-tier, and she's athletic. I remember how she used to read to Momoka when she was sickly—she's always been caring like that.

She wasn't born perfect. She used to be a gloomy kid and wasn't good at sports. She must've worked really hard to get where she is now. For Momoka, who watched that transformation up close, that shocking confession probably hit harder than it did for me.

…If I didn't exist, would they be the ideal sisters?

Well, I'll let myself off the hook. That kink of hers would've come out eventually.

“Come on, let's get going.”

“Yeah.”

It's not good to stay in someone's room too long. We left Akazawa's room.

A major bomb had dropped at the end, but the conversation was over.

Our long and tangled history with the “Four Goddesses” had finally reached a pause. I didn't feel a sense of achievement or anything, but it did feel like a thorn had been pulled from my chest. Well, another thorn got jabbed in from a different angle, so it's not like I felt completely refreshed.

As I soaked in the moment, Momoka, still facing away as she closed the door behind us, spoke up.

“Um, Shouta Nii-san.”

“What is it?”

“There's something I need to say about earlier.”

Earlier?

“About our relationship.”

“Oh, you mean how we said we're dating?”

I didn't regret going along with that.

As Momoka said, if we hadn't, Akazawa might've gone off the rails. I didn't want her clinging to me anymore. It was a lie, sure, but one I thought was necessary.

“My sister has a strong attachment and doesn't give up easily. Even in a situation where anyone else would back off, she'll keep trying as long as there's a chance. If she starts doubting our relationship, she'll definitely come after you again.”

“…Probably.”

I couldn't say that for sure, but if her own sister was saying it, then she must be right.

Momoka turned to face me. A mischievous smile played on her lips.

“Let's talk hypothetically. What do you think would happen if my sister saw that you and I weren't acting close?”

“What do I think—”

Well, she'd definitely start having doubts. Akazawa probably knows her little sister better than anyone. She'd pick up on the distance and get suspicious.

Wait, hold on.

“You realized it, didn't you? The moment you went along with the story, you committed to acting like my boyfriend. If you slack off, my sister might come at you again.”

“…!”

She planned this far ahead?

I thought she was just throwing me a lifeline out of kindness. I didn't expect she had an ulterior motive. This girl's grown up scary sharp.

“I'm not as twisted as my sister, but I'm confident that my attachment and feelings are even stronger.”

Momoka started walking.

Instead of heading downstairs to the living room, she led us to her own room on the second floor. I followed her. It had been years since I'd last stepped inside Momoka's room.

“Come in.”

“Uh… Thanks.”

The room had changed drastically from before.

It used to be cold and plain, almost sterile. Now, it was filled with cute accessories, stuffed animals, and had an overall pink, girly vibe.

“…”

My eyes were drawn to one spot.

On the desk was a large corkboard—completely covered in photos of me.

To be exact, photos of me. There were even more than in Akazawa's room.

“These are my treasures. Sadly, I don't have any recent photos.”

“…”

“My sister keeping your return a secret was really unfair. When I saw that summer festival photo earlier, I got kinda mad. I remember thinking she seemed unusually cheerful that day—so that's why.”

Pouting slightly, Momoka opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a small treasure box, as if she'd remembered something.

“I have other treasures too. This is an eraser you gave me when we were little. This marble is from a bottle of soda you drank. And this one is—”

One by one, she pulled out items I had apparently given her when we were kids. I didn't remember any of them. Probably things I gave away randomly because I didn't need them.

As she smiled and explained each item with pride, I grew more and more uneasy.

“What's wrong?”

“Well, uh… I'm just kinda overwhelmed.”

Momoka chuckled.

“Yeah, it is a lot all of a sudden. I just figured, since we're done with my sister's drama, and you're finally at our house, I should take the opportunity to make my feelings clear.”

“Your feelings?”

“Yes. We've only just reunited, and I know you don't have much to base a decision on yet. That's why I wanted to show you how I feel—give you something to consider.”

Now that she mentioned it, we really hadn't spent much time together since reuniting.

When we first met again, Akazawa and Kikka were already in conflict, so we barely had time to talk. We exchanged contact info, but my mind had been too preoccupied with the confrontation with Akazawa to make small talk.

“And more than anything… I'm just happy.”

“Happy?”

Happy about what?

“When I was holding on to these keepsakes, I truly believed the day I could confess my feelings would never come. Because… I already knew everything.”

“…You knew?”

“About your feelings, Shouta Nii-san. You were always head over heels for my sister, weren't you? I realized you coming to visit me when I was sick was just an excuse to see her. It hurt a little, but… even as an afterthought, I was still happy.”

It was the truth, so I didn't deny it.

Back then, I was just a stubborn kid who couldn't be honest. I wanted to hang out with Akazawa, who I liked, but instead I made excuses, like “I'm here to visit Momoka,” just to have a reason to come to this house.

“If you and my sister had grown closer and started dating, I would have buried my feelings and genuinely given you my blessing.”

Momoka paused for a moment before continuing.

“But my sister self-destructed. I'm not going to let this chance slip away. More than anything, I can't stand the thought of some random girl swooping in and taking you from me. That Shirase-san, who tried to lay claim on you, is still dangerous, and Amatsuka-senpai needs watching too. Even Kuromine-senpai, who I thought was safe, is starting to give off a suspicious vibe.”

When it came to Shirase, Momoka's concern was spot on. She'd confessed to having feelings for me. As for Kikka-nee… I figured it was just a temporary lapse in judgment.

And Kuromine—I hadn't seen any signs from her… or so I thought.

“…That look on your face says you have an idea who I mean, huh?”

Momoka narrowed her eyes and gave me a suspicious glare.

“W–what? No! Not really!”

“Well, maybe not right now. But who knows what'll happen down the line? Sometimes people just suddenly find motivation for no reason. Except for Amatsuka-senpai, everyone else has hurt you in the past, so I cannot afford to lose to them!”

After that, Momoka spent a long time explaining just how deeply she cared about me.

Partway through, the conversation shifted into reminiscing, and the two of us really got into it. Maybe now that everything with Akazawa had been settled, I felt lighter, and I could finally enjoy talking again.

Before I knew it, quite a bit of time had passed.

“It's getting late. I should head back.”

“Okay. I'll wait for your answer until a week before the school festival.”

“Now that the thing with Akazawa is over, I can give it some serious thought. I understand how you feel now. Thanks for telling me.”

A few days later, I gave her my answer.

I know myself well, so I figured I'd drag things out.

But unexpectedly, the answer came easily and without much struggle.

---

TL: I bet he said no.