Chapter 37: The After-Party

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Translator: Soafp

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Of course, Sugawara-senpai, along with Nodoka and I, immediately got into a taxi and headed to the Sugawara residence.

Several fire trucks had already arrived and were working to put out the fire.

Black smoke poured out from between the roof tiles, and bright red flames crawled up the old wooden walls before spreading into the sky with terrifying intensity.

“Is… is my house going to be okay…?”

Nodoka, who lived next door, shifted nervously beside me.

If this was exactly like the arson incident I saw in that “nightmare,” then this fire had to have been started with gasoline.

There was more than enough risk that it could spread to the Komori household.

“Are you two sure no one's inside?”

“No one. I tried contacting Anna on the way here—she's at school. Mom and Dad are both at work too.”

“No one's at my house either. My grandmother passed away a long time ago, and my father is… well, currently in detention.”

At the very least, we confirmed that the people close to us were safe.

That alone meant we had avoided the worst possible future—where Sugawara-senpai suffered severe burns on her face and fell into despair.

Now, all we could do was pray that the fire wouldn't grow any larger.

As I let out a deep sigh of relief, Sugawara-senpai widened her eyes slightly.

Then she stretched a bit and brought her lips close to my ear.

“You saved me, didn't you, Ren-kun?”

I instinctively held my breath.

I had warned Nodoka directly, but I hadn't told Sugawara-senpai anything.

And yet… she had figured it out.

“Thank you.”

She gently clung to my arm, rubbing her cheek against me as if seeking comfort.

“If you hadn't been there, Ren-kun… I don't think I would've had the will to keep living.”

“…I didn't really do anything special. I just gave you some money.”

“You gave me more than just money.”

She smiled softly and looked up at me.

“You gave me a new way to live.”

How much meaning was packed into those words—I chose not to ask.

I simply returned a small smile and looked together with her at the burning Sugawara house.

She murmured quietly.

“Somehow… it feels like a campfire at a school festival's after-party, doesn't it?”

“…Senpai, that's still your house, you know.”

“This house doesn't hold any good memories. Only painful ones.”

It was a place she had moved into reluctantly after her family's downfall.

So maybe, to her, this was actually a relief.

But in that case…

(For the time being, she'll have no choice but to stay at my place.)

I wondered if I'd be able to maintain a peaceful daily life.

I felt a bit uneasy.

---

Fortunately, thanks to the firefighters' efforts, the flames didn't spread to the Komori house.

Later, after a police investigation, it turned out just like the “nightmare”—the culprit was a debt collector.

However, one new fact came to light.

(So it was actually a suicide by burning…)

Whether that was because I changed the future, or whether it had always been that way even in the “nightmare,” I didn't know.

In the dream, I had been so focused on Sugawara-senpai's burns that I never even considered what happened to the arsonist.

After that, Sugawara-senpai was extremely busy for a while dealing with the aftermath.

Even so, she still tried to continue monitoring my U.S. stock investments somehow.

Time flew by, and before I knew it, it was already mid-July.

“It seems that arsonist acted out of spite.”

She summarized what she'd heard from the police.

Apparently, the debt collector learned from local media about Hideki's arrest and realized there was no way to recover the money anymore—so he committed the crime.

(So that's why, in the ‘nightmare,' he even poured gasoline on an unrelated daughter…)

In any case, that debt collector had also been deceived by Hideki.

I could understand his anger.

Even his desire for revenge wasn't entirely unreasonable.

But the fact that he tried to harm Senpai—who was essentially another victim—was something I just couldn't forgive.

“By the way, Ren-kun.”

The person in question didn't seem particularly interested in that topic.

It felt more like she only told me because I asked.

“You'll keep your promise, right? I really worked hard on my final exams this time.”

She had been constantly busy with part-time jobs, to the point where even first-year material was shaky.

Because of that, I ended up helping her study—and I also set up a little reward for her.

“Got it. From now on, I'll call you Airi-senpai.”

“No ‘senpai,' no polite speech. Treat me like you do Nodoka.”

“But you're older…”

“It's just one year. Honestly, I resent being born a year earlier.”

She exaggeratedly frowned in mock frustration.

Honestly, people at school might give us weird looks, but it couldn't be helped.

She really had worked incredibly hard for this reward.

“Alright. No—got it, Airi. Is that better?”

“Yeah, that's good. Then next, I'll switch to polite speech—”

“No, please don't.”

Has she still not given up on that “slave heroine” thing?

Or is it just because everything with her father hasn't been fully resolved yet…?

For now, I could only hope so.

“But you know, Airi.”

“What?”

“…Could you go back to your room for a bit? I want to change.”

“You can just change here. Or better yet, want me to help you change?”

“What is this, some royalty from a fantasy world?”

“Then how about we undress each other?”

“That's not even changing anymore.”

She chuckled and left my room.

“I'll be changing too, so feel free to peek as much as you like.”

“I won't peek.”

“You can attack me if you want.”

“I won't attack you.”

Until Sugawara-senpai finds a new home, it looks like I'll be in a constant battle with my self-control.

---

Two days later, in the morning.

Today, instead of the usual classroom, I was sitting on a tourist bus.

Nodoka, in the seat next to me, let out a big sigh.

“Ugh… I don't want to go to this forest camp…”

“Why not?”

“It's physically exhausting, it's tiring having to stick with people I'm not close to, and honestly, I don't even like being outdoors that much…”

Despite her appearance, she was still completely indoorsy as ever.

Well, same as the sports festival, I wasn't exactly a fan of these camps either.

“But this time, I'm here, so it should be fine, right?”

“Huh? Ah, y-yeah!”

I meant it as a friend, but Nodoka suddenly blushed.

She placed her hands on her knees and fidgeted, rubbing her legs together.

“If I'm with you, Ren, anything is fun…”

“Ah, yeah, I see. I'm honored.”

“D-don't get the wrong idea! I mean… j-just don't get the wrong idea!”

Wrong idea about what?

Her tsundere act had completely lost its target, and I couldn't help but laugh.

“Oh right, thanks for taking care of Anna.”

“No problem. It's really my mom and Airi who'll be looking after her anyway.”

This school trip lasts three days and two nights.

So she needed someone to take care of her little sister while she was away.

Anna already came over to my place often, so it made sense she'd be comfortable staying there.

…My mom was unusually happy about it.

“By the way, you've started calling Senpai by her first name pretty naturally. And casually too.”

Nodoka puffed her cheeks slightly in annoyance.

“Well, it kind of became her reward for the final exams.”

“Wait, you helped her study?”

“A bit. Not like I fully understand second-year material, but Airi didn't even get the first-year stuff.”

“That's not fair! Why didn't you help me!?”

Was that something to be jealous about?

I blinked in confusion.

“You never asked. Airi did.”

…I didn't mention that she offered her body as a reward.

“R-really!? Then if I ask, you'll help me too!?”

“Yeah, sure. Though it'd probably turn into a group study session with Airi included.”

“A group study session! That's on my bucket list!”

Her eyes sparkled.

How many things were on that bucket list, anyway?

Though honestly, group study sessions usually turn into chatting instead of studying…

“Want to do one for the next midterms?”

“Y-yeah! Y-you should feel honored! I'm giving you my first time!”

“Don't phrase ‘study session' like that.”

That makes it sound weird.

---

In the afternoon, we arrived at our destination and got off the bus in a line.

After a short orientation, the teacher shouted:

“Alright! Form groups of six!”

Why doesn't this school just assign groups beforehand?

This is exactly the kind of thing our school would do.

Nodoka tugged on my sleeve.

“We're in the same group, right…?”

“Of course. I don't have many friends either.”

“R-right!? Thank goodness…”

She let out a long sigh of genuine relief.

Did she really think I'd ditch her and join someone else?

I joked lightly.

“You're glad you got to be in my group, right?”

“N-not really! If anything, you should be the one who's glad!”

“Oh? Am I a burden? Should I join another group?”

“S-sorry! I went too far! Stay with me! Please!!”

She grabbed my hand with both of hers, clinging to me desperately.

Wow… I didn't expect that strong of a reaction.

I'd only been teasing her a little.

I placed my hand on her head and gently patted it.

“Don't cry. I'm not going anywhere.”

“I-I'm not crying!”

Then what's with the sniffling?

Her adorable stubbornness made me smile—

“Yo, got room?”

Takagi approached us.

“Actually, we just filled up.”

“Liar!”

Of course, I was planning to let him join.

But since Nodoka wasn't that close with him, I glanced at her to check.

“…”

As expected, she had frozen up.

Like a small child, she clung to my arm and stepped back.

“She says it's fine.”

“Dude, she clearly looks terrified of me!?”

“Think of it as Nodoka-language.”

“She's developed her own language system!?”

Maybe this was a good chance for her to practice talking to other guys besides me.

Takagi was basically an extrovert, good at reading the room, and considerate of others.

“Um…”

At that moment—

With the sound of approaching footsteps, a familiar voice cut in.

“Can I… join too?”

It was Yuzuki.