Chapter 123: The Idol in the Alley

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Translator: Soafp

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After arriving home, I went grocery shopping with Yui.

The moment we stepped out of the apartment building, a cheerful voice I’d become very familiar with called out to us.

“Oh, are you heading to the supermarket?”

It was Kokoa, still in her sailor-style school uniform.

I’d gotten pretty used to seeing her dressed like this.

Smiling, I nodded.

“Yeah. Want to come with us?”

“Absolutely!”

Kokoa seemed even more cheerful today than she had been yesterday.

She was far livelier than when I’d first met her, and every time I saw her like this, it made all the effort I’d gone through feel worthwhile.

“Aya-chan suddenly called me today.”

“Huh? Really?”

For a moment, I wondered if this had something to do with the yakuza.

The thought made my body tense ever so slightly.

“She apologized to me out of nowhere!”

“She… apologized?”

“Yep! She said, ‘I’m sorry for getting jealous and bullying you all this time.'”

Apparently, it wasn’t about the yakuza after all.

Besides, if something truly dangerous were approaching, I would’ve already had another nightmare.

I’d heard that the manager had sat down and talked things through with Ayano, and it seemed she’d managed to resolve things.

“Ren-sama, let’s duck into an alley for a moment!”

“Huh? Wait, what do you—”

Before I could finish speaking, Kokoa firmly grabbed my hand and pulled me along.

She confidently led me through a maze of narrow back alleys I’d never seen before.

Yui hurried after us in small, panicked steps.

Eventually, we reached a dim little corner where there wasn’t another person in sight, and even the sunlight barely reached.

“Hehe. I know most of the alleys around here for moments just like this.”

“…”

Why?

Honestly… this place was kind of scary.

The very next moment, Kokoa suddenly threw her arms around me.

“Huh? K-Kokoa?”

“If we’d done this back on the main street, it would’ve definitely become a scandal, don’t you think?”

“Well… yeah.”

“My idol career is for your sake now too, Ren-sama. So I figured I should be even more careful than before.”

So… before now, she hadn’t really been that careful?

…Come to think of it, that sounded about right.

Looking back, maybe she’d grown so fed up with being an idol that she’d welcomed little acts of rebellion as a way to let off steam.

Kokoa turned her head.

“Yuzu-san, why don’t you join us too?”

“Huh?”

“I can tell just by looking at your face. You want to join in too, don’t you?”

“I-I do, but…”

Yui kept nervously glancing at me.

Ever since learning about my trauma, she’d been careful not to initiate physical contact with me.

And whenever she saw me being affectionate with Nodoka or Airi, she’d always watched with a look of quiet envy.

Kokoa leaned close to my ear and whispered,

“We’ll keep it a secret from Nodo-san and the secretary. Besides, it’s just the three of us here.”

“That sounds like the devil tempting me.”

“Well, I am a mischievous little devil, aren’t I?”

Could those two things really go together?

I looked quietly into Yui’s eyes.

What kind of relationship did I really want with her?

If her emotional instability completely disappeared… would I truly be okay letting her go?

If she told me she’d found someone honest and sincere to date—someone completely unlike Nagasawa-senpai—would I honestly be able to congratulate her?

Perhaps sensing the turmoil in my thoughts, Yui lowered her gaze.

“O-On second thought… it’s okay. Just being allowed to stay by Master’s side is enough for me…”

“Aww, don’t say that. Ren-sama, how about thinking of it this way? Yuzu-san works so hard for you all the time, right? Consider it a little thank-you.”

It was true.

Lately, I’d been receiving far more from Yui than I’d been giving back.

But was it really right to treat this like some kind of transaction?

“Ren-sama, you’re overthinking again! Yuzu-san, would you be happy or unhappy if Ren-sama hugged you as a thank-you? Be honest!”

“O-Of course I’d be happy…”

“Then it’s settled!”

Half by force, Kokoa took Yui’s hand and pulled her beside her.

Yui’s eyes darted around nervously, her face turning bright red.

“Come on, Ren-sama! When someone’s working hard to change, you should reward them and praise them properly, shouldn’t you?”

Kokoa smiled brightly.

It was obvious she was trying to lighten the burden I’d been carrying.

To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure why she cared so much about Yui…

“Yui.”

“Y-Yes.”

“Thank you for everything you’ve been doing for me.”

I gently wrapped one arm around Yui’s shoulders.

“Woohoo!”

Kokoa immediately cried out and clung tightly to me.

“Hug me too! It’s not fair if only Yuzu-san gets one!”

“…Were you aiming for this all along?”

“Ehh? I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

The moment she’d dragged me into the alley, I’d already lost.

Kokoa was surprisingly forceful… and pretty crafty, too.

In the end, I laughed quietly and wrapped my other arm around Kokoa as well, pulling both of them into the same embrace.

…I really did feel like I was cheating.

Resting her face against my chest, Kokoa spoke softly.

“Thank you, Ren-sama.”

“No… it’s nothing that special.”

“I’m not stupid, you know. After this many times, anyone would figure it out.”

She looked up and met my eyes.

“Thinking back on it, it’s always been the same. Every time I was in danger, you saved me. During the lightning strike… on the train… and this time with the drugs.”

“Huh? How do you even know about the drugs?”

“Aya-chan told me. She said that now that I’m becoming more famous, the people who got Aya-chan hooked on drugs have started targeting me instead.”

Apparently Ayano had honestly told Kokoa everything that had happened.

I’d figured it would be impossible to keep it secret forever, but I hadn’t expected Kokoa to learn the truth this soon.

“I don’t know all the details. But… you know about the future where I’m in danger, don’t you?”

“I…”

“Even if you deny it, I’ll still believe it! No… you’ve made it impossible for me not to believe.”

After saving her three separate times…

I couldn’t exactly write it off as coincidence anymore.

“…Fine. I’ll tell you everything. As long as you promise to keep it secret.”

“Of course I will! Then it really was you who saved me, wasn’t it?”

“Honestly… I wasn’t doing it just for your sake. I was protecting myself too.”

“I don’t care about that at all! What matters is that you saved me. Three times!”

There was an unmistakable excitement in Kokoa’s voice.

Considering things finally seemed to be improving within her idol group, that wasn’t surprising.

Then again…

Should I tell her what the detective had reported today?

If I did, I might end up taking away the happiness she’d only just regained.

That thought crossed my mind.

“Ah, Ren-sama, you’re making that serious face again. There’s something you want to tell me, isn’t there? But you’re hesitating.”

“…Are you psychic?”

“Of course not! If I were, I would’ve figured out your mysterious ability from the very beginning.”

Fair point.

“Come on, Ren-sama! You’re a man, so stop brooding and just say it!”

Kokoa puffed out her chest dramatically and tapped it with her fist.

Whether it was because she was an idol or simply an innate talent, she had an incredible gift for making people’s hearts feel lighter.

“All right… then I won’t hold back.”

“Okay!”

I took out my phone and showed her the screen.

“I found a way for you to meet Yuna—and only Yuna.”