V6Ch2: A Dream part 1

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Translator: Soafp

---

A tense, suffocating atmosphere gripped me. My throat felt unbearably dry.

The day I had been dreading had finally come. I hadn't been trying to put it off, but maybe I was unconsciously avoiding it. Faced with this sudden encounter, I had no choice but to steel myself.

I wondered how long it had been since I last experienced such a tense moment—and then I remembered.

It was just recently, when I was fed up with the sunlight streaming through the curtains and realized Japan was turning into a subtropical zone. I accidentally said in front of Yuri-san, “My room is in the sister region, though,” an unnecessary remark. It was just recently. After all, it was hot and sticky, and everyone was sweating and sticking to each other, making it feel like a never-ending sticky situation.

“Anyway, don't you have something to say to me?”

A woman's voice came from the adjacent seat, separated by a partition. I gulped down some cold water at once.

Sitting at the counter, I slurped noodles. The rich tonkotsu ramen had a deep flavor.

Slurp, slurp, slurp, slurp, slurp, slurp.

I searched for an answer to the question posed. If something important needed to be said, I had to speak it aloud.

What important thing had I forgotten to say?

In this world, the most important thing is none other than ‘risk management.'

“Stay safe today as well.”

“It's past noon, though…”

Damn, that was a greeting usually said at morning meetings on construction sites. We were in a ramen shop, not a worksite, and not wearing work clothes. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't find an answer.

“You always look beautiful. You look like you're in your twenties.”

“Here's a good tip for you. A thirty-something who looks like they're in their twenties is still a thirty-something, and a forty-something who looks like they're in their thirties is still just a forty-something. Profiles don't lie. Don't mistake mere flattery.”

That was Akane-san, knowledgeable as ever. Her intense expression (though unseen) spoke of reality.

As I was nervously walking, worrying about people noticing me as usual, I happened to run into Akane-san. She is the mother of Hinagi and Hiori-chan.

I was basically dragged along and here we were, secretly meeting over ramen.

“The only other thing is that flea market apps cause a lot of trouble, or something like that…”

“You should protest to the operators. No, what I mean is, Hinagi has somehow started writing novels, and it's going to be published. I was so surprised when I heard.”

“Ah, that matter!”

If it was just a hobby, there'd be no problem, but when it comes to publishing, Hinagi, as a minor, can't handle it alone. Consultation with both parents is necessary. Since they said it was a celebrated event, I wasn't worried.

“My husband is so excited that once the official release is decided, he plans to spread the word at his company. He's even threatening legal action against haters.”

“I wonder about that…”

Akane-san also couldn't hide her excitement. Even Hiori-chan was amazed, saying “Wow!”

The sisters' relationship had been a bit strained for a while but had since improved and healed.

“…I read it too. Honestly, I thought it was amazing. Because that's something I could never do. I didn't know she had that kind of talent. Yukito-kun, did you notice?”

“No, not at all.”

“Really?”

Akane-san was probably wide-eyed in surprise. She's not some cleric from an isekai anime granting blessings to kids reaching a certain age, so there's no way she could tell about talent.

“I think Hinagi worked really hard.”

It felt disrespectful to just label it as ‘talent.' Of course, there will come a time when talent matters. She might face setbacks. But that's a story for later.

She was lucky. And she was able to seize that luck because her hard work bore fruit.

“Akane-san, have you ever read Hinagi's book reports?”

“No… wait, maybe when she was in lower grades.”

“I haven't seen any either. That's just how it is. No one can truly know.”

No one knows what they are capable of. Not even themselves.

“Hinagi found possibilities because she challenged herself. So maybe there's something else even better suited for her. Something she truly wants to do.”

You never find that by standing still. Infinite branches. The path only exists after taking a brave first step. Hinagi showed strength by getting hurt but still standing up.

“For a while, she was really depressed and I was worried. I thought she was still just a child, but no… she was still a child, but after meeting you again, that girl—”

Akane-san worried. I could tell she truly cared as a mother.

Though I couldn't see her face beyond the thin partition, she was probably looking sad.

“I know I should be happy. She grew a lot through pain. Because she had no choice. She wanted to be by your side. Yukito-kun, do you understand your strictness?”

Her voice carried an overwhelming intensity, revealing possibilities I didn't know—my possibilities.

“If I'm not strong, I can't keep up with you. Because you just keep moving ahead alone. I'm frustrated watching your back all the time—”

With a heavy sigh, Akane-san exhaled deeply. A clinking sound. She had finished eating.

“It's not that. That's not what I meant.”

When Akane-san stood up from her seat, she came around to face me and grabbed my shoulders.

“—You have no attachment.”

She whispered, but her words carried a heat that could burn everything away.

“To life, to money, even to people's feelings. Why can't you see how disrespectful that is? You remain hollow and want nothing. That might be fine for you. But not for everyone else around you.”

Attachment. That word brought back the memory of when I fended off a stalker during my hospital stay.

The stalker had been obsessed with Kurogane-san. He persistently approached her, was rejected, and his feelings spiraled out of control—leading to that incident. It wasn't something that could be excused.

And yet, the fact that he had loved Kurogane-san that intensely was also true.

Being able to love someone that strongly… I found myself a little envious.

“Akane-san?”

The grip on my shoulder tightened. Her slender fingers dug into me and trembled faintly.

“…I wanted to let Hinagi grow up at her own pace, like any girl her age.”

“I'm sorry.”

All I could do was apologize. We're still just first-year high school students—far too young to be called adults.

I had forced Hinagi to grow up. She paid the price for it. We rushed to a place we were meant to reach naturally over time. And unknowingly, I was the reason for that.

Hinagi should've had more time. She could've stayed an innocent, carefree child for longer.

I even stole that from Akane-san—the time she was supposed to walk alongside her daughter.

“I want you to wait for her. Until she catches up. —And maybe Hiori too.”

“That's… kind of pushing it.”

Saying it like it's a value combo… Is that really okay, Hiori-chan!?

“It's the adults' job to protect the children. Don't go thinking you can protect everything by yourself.”

In searching for how to live alone, I had explored every possibility. And the more capable I became, the less I needed others. It was the path to becoming a superhuman—and now that path had reached a turning point.

We're childhood friends. Trying to change that vague relationship… but unable to make it happen, we're left hanging in midair.

But if I stop moving forward, I can't do anything. I can't bear that powerlessness myself. Stopping would be the same as defeat. I don't have time to give in to fate.

“Is it really okay if I can't cook?”

“Let Hinagi handle all the housework.”

That was such an outdated, terrifyingly patriarchal take.

“What if I can't study?”

“Look where all those elites got us—forty years of economic stagnation. Says enough, doesn't it?”

A harsh truth. While the public suffers under rising costs, taxes keep skyrocketing like there's no tomorrow.

“What if I can't play sports?”

“If everyone goes to the majors that easily, Japanese baseball's going to dry up.”

Akane-san kept affirming my shortcomings. One by one, it felt like my feathers were being plucked.

It was a strange, disorienting sensation—like all the experience points and levels I'd built up were crumbling away.

“…Is it okay if I'm powerless?”

“If that happens, someone who loves you very much will help you. You're allowed to lean on others more.”

Even though she once said she hated me. The kindness at the core of Akane-san had never changed.

“You've always tried too hard. Hinagi didn't fall for you because you could do everything. She loves you because you're you, Yukito-kun. Don't forget that—at least not that part.”

“…Okay.”

I could only nod. There was no way I could brush off a request from Akane-san.

Someone like me had always drawn wary glances from the neighborhood wives, whispered about at street corners: “Don't let your kids play with that boy.” A child to be avoided. And yet, Akane-san had accepted me.

The only reason I'd been able to become childhood friends with Hinagi in the first place was thanks to Akane-san's open heart.

I'd always been grateful. Because that had been the first true connection I'd ever built with someone outside of my family.

That's why I wanted to protect it. That's why I wanted to help her. That's why I wanted to move forward. And in doing so—I had lost something.

Feelings I had once held without a doubt. Something precious. Something I had longed for so deeply.

“Let's go get parfaits. I think you need some time to relax.”

“Is it okay to eat that much before dinner?”

“Dessert goes in a separate stomach.”

“But we just had tonkotsu ramen…”

“Greasy food also has its own stomach.”

“How many stomachs do you even have…?”

So nostalgic. We used to go on dessert hunts together all the time.

We left the restaurant. The sunlight was so bright, I almost closed my eyes.

“W-What are you doing, Mom!?”

That very Hinagi-esque voice made me turn around—and of course, it was Hinagi standing right there.

“Oh? What brings you here?” Akane-san looked just as surprised by the sudden appearance of her beloved daughter.

“That's what I want to ask you…”

“I was just out on a date with Yukito-kun. Right?”

Hinagi-chan looked absolutely stunned. Akane-san could be a handful. And for the record, this was not a date.

“She said she wants to spoil me a bit. Kinda like a sugar mama thing.”

“That's even worse! —Wait, ugh. You smell like tonkotsu!?”

---

A wave of exhaustion washed over me. Maybe I was feeling mentally drained for once.

Alone in the private room, I quietly recalled Akane-san's words. Heavy words that couldn't be ignored.

Being told I didn't have to do anything left me confused. I was like a tuna constantly swimming. If a tuna stops moving, it dies. Just like that, if I'm not moving forward, I feel like I'll die. It's a compulsive mindset etched into me.

Doing nothing suffocates me. To breathe, to stay alive, I have to keep moving—forcefully if I must. I live by something like a Ramjet water replacement method.

But maybe that constant motion had become a burden—not for me, but for the people around me.

Even my maid-mother was like that. More than doing things herself, she was happier when I didn't do them.

She'd rather wake me up than have me wake up by myself. Rather cook for me than have me cook. The more I tried to be self-reliant, the more things she took away. Eventually, I had nothing to do at home. I just drifted aimlessly.

All the things I'd learned to become independent—invalidated and undone.

If I tried not to cause trouble, people felt sad. If I did cause trouble, they were glad. A complete reversal of values.

At some point, I stopped knowing how to behave. I had no place.

The complete version of me wasn't wanted. People wished for me to be incomplete.

That meant rejecting the path I had walked until now. If I were told that it was okay to be powerless, could I still be myself?
“Do you desire power?”
“No, I'm good, thanks.”

I keep accumulating things I can't do. Maybe that's what it means to be “normal.”

I've always admired that—being normal. But that path is filled with hardship.

The refreshing handsome guy was rapidly improving at basketball. Someday, he'll surpass me. I'll never catch up again. I never had a chance of beating the all-around sports prince in pure ability.

I just had a head start. Sorry—maybe just a one-minute head start. That gap is shrinking by the day, and once he passes me, it'll only grow wider.

But I don't feel frustrated. If anything, that's how it should be.

And when that happens, I'll probably be useless to him.

—That's what I would've thought before. But maybe I was wrong.

To Kouki Mihou, the refreshing handsome guy, what matters most… isn't that.

“How are you feeling? You look like you're having a rough time.”

Yuri-san opened the door and stepped in. In that dreamy moment, her divine aura took my breath away.

Come to think of it, she always looked annoyed when I did things myself.

I didn't want to see her like that. I didn't want to make her feel that way. And yet, the harder I tried, the more her face darkened. Her graceful smile vanished.

I didn't know what to do. All I'd done was keep making her sad.

“Akane-san scolded me.”

“After relying on you so much, how ungrateful of them!”

Yuri-san's usually composed face twisted with rage. Crap. I shouldn't have told her!?

“It was just a bit of life advice! Please calm down!”

“Wait right here. I'll go consult someone about burying those people.”

“I love you, Yuri-san!”

“Guh!”

That made her swoon, thankfully averting a disaster. I may have just quietly saved the Suzurikawa household from a crisis. Secret hero status: unlocked. Self-praise: maximum, self-destruction: imminent.

Yuri-san is absurdly overprotective, so I need to be careful what I say. Got it?

Just curious, I asked her a question. About the future she saw in her eyes.

“Yuri-san, do you have a dream or anything like that?”

I remembered how she once said she was going to study abroad. At the time, it was just a way to put distance between us, but now I wondered what she really wanted to aim for. Beautiful, intelligent, flawless—she was a gifted woman with limitless potential. She could reach the top of any field.

“A dream? I've never really thought about it—I've been too busy just keeping up… But let's see…”

She put a hand to her chin, thinking. Then, after a few seconds, she looked up.

“A full-time housewife.”

“Oh yeah? Huh. That's kind of unexpected.”

It's a loss for humanity, sure, but if that's what Yuri-san truly wants, then that wish should come first.

Talent and personality don't always align. Even if she had amazing skills, whether she realized it or used them was another story. She's a little awkward, but I'm sure she'd make a great housewife.

“—I’ll take care of you.”

“I'm the househusband!?”

Looks like I'm going to be support my big sister.

“Because you're more efficient and better at housework than I am. It's just putting the right person in the right role.”

“So you're aware of it.”

Calm and composed. With the insight to objectively observe and judge herself—Yuri-san really is a genius.

“…To be honest, I couldn't think of anything. I just can't imagine a future where Yukito isn't by my side. No, I don't want to imagine it. Because I love you.”

She held her head, then gently embraced me. Yuri-san's scent filled my nose.

“But someday—”

The moment she was about to say that the time would come for us to part, her words were cut off.

“My hobby is my little brother. I'll give everything I have to Yukito. If I ever find something I'm more obsessed with than you, I'll think about it then. —But I really don't think that day will ever come.”

The strength of her embrace tightened. Yuri-san wouldn't allow me to be alone.

“You and everyone around you are trying too hard. You're always looking ahead. But you know what? That can wait. There's no point in living in fear of the Nankai Trough earthquake. Yukito isn't alive in the future—he's alive now, right? So take it easy.”

She was supposed to be angry at Akane-san, yet Yuri-san had reached the same conclusion.

“There's no need to rush. You don't have to carry everything on your own. If you do, it'll make me and Mom lonely.
I'll carry half the burden. You just need to stay carefree.”

The unimaginable resolve Yuri-san had reached. After accumulating regrets, repeating trial and error, what she arrived at was the decision to not think. A great older sister. A little brother who doesn't understand his sister's heart.

“Just knowing that you enjoy being s*xually harassed every day heals my heart.”

“So you thought I enjoyed that!?”

Our perspectives had reached a point of irreconcilable misunderstanding. I see… I get it now.

“That's why you walked into the bathroom without a care in the world!”

I'm in the bathroom. Sitting on the toilet. While being hugged by Yuri-san.

“Because… you looked like you were having a hard time…”

Yuri-san stood tall, full of dignity, showing not even a hint of guilt.

“Ugh, you…”

“You need to poop? Is your stomach hurting after all?”

Yuri-san's grandeur instantly vanished as she flustered and began worrying.

“You should be more embarrassed!? Your fans might be totally disillusioned!”

Yuri-san blurted out something outrageous. That word's definitely a no-go!?

“Let them think what they want. I make gross sounds and go all brr brr too. Even if the surface looks pretty, the underside is filthy, and the inside is ugly. It makes you hate yourself, doesn't it? But that's what it means to be human.”

How do I shut her up? A kiss? Is a kiss the only way…?

“But you, you only have a front. You turn all the filth and ugliness pure white. When I'm next to you, Yukito, I can almost fool myself into feeling clean too. —Even if that's just an illusion.”

Yuri-san murmured with a trace of self-mockery. But she's wrong. I'm scheming behind the scenes about things I can't even say aloud.

“Am I really that easy to read?”

“Everything you're thinking shows up on your face.”

I had no idea. I'm supposedly expressionless enough to beat facial recognition five hundred times in a row.

“Then… can you tell what I'm thinking right now too?”

“Mimi-nashi Hōichi.”

So now I'm a biwa priest scribbling sutras all over my face to escape vengeful spirits—just like the bald guy with Sanskrit tattoos…

“Ha!?”

“I told you, it shows on your face.”

Bullseye. I really can't hide anything anymore! What am I supposed to do!?

“You're fine the way you are. You don't need to change. Stay just like that. The ones who need to change are those of us who are drawn to people like you. We're the ones who need to wish for change. We were drawn to you because you're Yukito.”

Her warm palm gently stroked my head.

“I…”

The courage to fall. I don't have to keep swimming. Even if I stop, no one will blame me.

“It's okay. Even if you take a little break, no one's going to catch up to you.”

The story of the tortoise and the hare. No matter how far ahead the hare runs, he's fated to lose.

I was planning to sprint to the finish line. But no one really knows where that finish line is. I just kept running.

But maybe… maybe I don't need to anymore.

“Okay.”

Without thinking, I nodded at Yuri-san's words.

Because maybe… that's the right answer.

---

“Yukito-kun, are you ready?”

“Anytime, boss lady!”

At Hikari-san's signal, I lowered my stance and readied the camera with perfect form.

“…Yukito, being a lowly underling really suits you.”

“Well, there are three of us.”

“Wait, me too?”

“Hold on. ‘Underling' doesn't refer to the number of people, does it?”

The confused Takahashi-nii was quickly corrected by the sparklingly radiant handsome guy glittering under the sunlight.

Such a proper guy. But for now, I had to stay focused on the shoot. Failure wasn't an option.

“Kou, get in position too. You're always trying to get flirty with Yukito-kun.”

“W-We're not like that!”

Flustered, the terrace-faced guy fixed the reflector in place to keep it from moving.

What was with that reaction!? Hikari-san, catching on to the suspicious vibe, muttered, “Wait, is this actually for real?”

“Kazu-kun, make sure not to slip, okay? If you fall, it's gonna be a disaster.”

“Roger.”

Takahashi-nii gave a short, determined reply. Honestly, he was playing one of the most important roles.

“Alright! Here we go—there!”

Hikari-san kicked the surface of the river hard with her right foot.

Water sprayed up, catching the light and scattering in a glittering arc as it fell.

I clicked the shutter, trying not to miss the miraculous moment. The subject's movements, the landscape, the spray of water—everything was constantly shifting. I had to capture that shimmering, fleeting change as a single image.

As Hikari-san lost balance and nearly fell, Takahashi-nii quickly caught her. It looked like it went well.

“How's it look, Yukito-kun?”

I checked the photos. Perfect. No doubt she'd be pleased with this.

It looked like an anime character had jumped straight out of the screen—otherworldly, dreamlike. It was a scene from another world entirely, not this one.

“We did it, boss lady.”

“Yes! Huge success~!”

With the shoot done, we headed toward the riverbank. The water was colder than I expected.

It was our day off. We were helping out Hikari-san, the sister of refreshingly handsome guy.

If the brother is good-looking, then of course the sister is beautiful too—that's just how the world works.
According to Mineda, Hikari-san is a well-known cosplayer. Her cosplay name is simply “HIKARI.”

She asked for help with a new photo book shoot, but it turned out to be way more professional and elaborate than I'd imagined.

We were deep in a forest dyed orange with a mix of red and green leaves.

After about two hours of shooting in the forest, we moved into the river.

“Shoots like this are pretty tough, huh?”

“Right? Behind every perfect shot are untold tears and effort!”

“I see…”

I waded out of the river, wiping my wet feet with a towel. That was seriously rough.

We'd already had to twist into all kinds of weird poses in the forest, but shooting in the river was on another level.

We couldn't afford to get the costumes wet, and the camera had to stay dry too. The footing was slippery and unstable.

Trying to capture a dynamic pose meant a real risk of falling.

If it had just been me and the handsome guy, we probably wouldn't have made it. Takahashi-nii really saved us.

“Thanks, Takahashi-nii.”

“I mean, I had fun, so it's all good, but when you said it was a part-time job, I had no idea what I was getting into…”

“Would you have preferred to be on the grilling squad?”

“That sounds shady as hell! Right!?”

Takahashi-nii flinched for some reason. I don't know why he's scared—this was a Hikari job, not some shady gig.

“Still, this feels pretty nice. Being out in nature like this once in a while isn't so bad.”

The solar-powered handsome guy stretched out on the gravel riverbank.

“Ugh, Kou, you sound like an old man.”

The casual back-and-forth made it clear again that they were siblings. They got along well—honestly, I was a little jealous.

Yuri-san and I are nowhere near that kind of relationship. We're more like an anteater and an ant.

“Hey, Kokonoe. Why'd you pick me? You could've asked someone else…”

Maybe he'd been waiting for the right moment—Takahashi-nii finally asked the question when he caught his breath.

What a weird thing to ask. I couldn't help giving a dry smile with a deadpan face (high-level technique).

“We're friends, aren't we? What other reason do I need?”

The breeze carried a faint scent. Leaves rustled against each other with a dry, whispering sound.

We were short on people and needed help. When that happens, you turn to your friends.

“…Kokonoe.”

Something in my words must've reached him. Takahashi-nii looked touched. And then—

“That sounded fake as heeeeellllll! No way that was real just now!?”

“Yeah.”

“So it was a lie!”

Heh, that's about how much my word is worth.

Speaking of trust—did you know your national credit info gets scored now? Recently, you can even request to view it online for a fee. Be careful—missing your credit card payments will damage your score.

“Natsume was worried about you. Said you seemed down.”

“Natsume…? So there was another reason, huh.”

Takahashi-nii looked a bit confused, not sure how to react.

Yeah, part of the reason I asked him was because Natsume had asked me to.

“Something on your mind?”

Takahashi-nii is in the soccer club and always comes off as cheerful and friendly in class.
He treats everyone equally and reads the room well.

Lately, there's been this weird trend of treating cheerful extroverts like the enemy, but I really don't think that's right.

“You didn't have a fight with your little sister, did you?”

“Of course not! Tachibana's a total sweetheart!”

“Oh, so you're a doting brother, huh…”

My respect for Takahashi-nii just went up.

Tachibana-chan is super cute, after all.

“Sorry to make you worry, but… it's not really about me or anything…”

Still unsure how to start, Takahashi-nii slowly began to speak.

---

—A few days ago—

“Is that so? If that's the case, I feel a little relieved.”

I decided to tell Natsume about the beauty contest info I got from President Kedou.

Eventually, the news would spread anyway, but Natsume was one of the contestants in “Mu-chan's Costume Grand Prix.” Since the nature of the event had changed significantly, it was better for her to know early.

“A beauty contest is way too much for me… I don't think I can win anyway.”

She smiled self-deprecatingly.

That's not true at all. In fact, I thought Natsume had a real shot at winning. She was a glasses-wearing, chubby-type girl — and that's where the opportunity lay.

“Just being pretty probably won't be enough.”

“So don't go making decisions without me. No one's ever called me pretty in my entire life—”

“That's enough! How long are you going to sulk!? If that's how you're going to be, I'll go talk to your parents myself and explain — very politely — that their daughter is extremely pretty!”

“What are you even trying to do!?”

Here was my original plan: I'd put together a slide show with upbeat background music showing Natsume before and after her diet. That way, we could make a strong impression that Class B had a contestant as beautiful as Hinagi or Shiori — enough to win.

In a beauty contest, the front-runners are already well-known in the school. There aren't that many of them. So picking out the top contenders is easy. And according to Yukito's intel, most of them had already decided not to participate.

The president was acting as MC, and there's no way our upper-class Ojou-sama, Tojo-senpai, would do something like that. Among second-years, both Yuri and the “Goddess-senpai” had also declined to participate.

Because of that, the entry criteria had been expanded, and the event had shifted from being just a beauty contest to one that emphasized stage performance as well.

Natsume had strong visual impact — but that alone might not be enough.

“The only thing I'm really good at is… playing with a kendama…”

“That's… incredibly low…”

It's a respectable skill, sure, but would it help her win? Hard to say.

“We'll just have to figure that part out as we go.”

“…You're seriously aiming for first place, aren't you, Kokonoe?”

“Not for me. For Eliza—Sakura—Sakurabes and the rest.”

“I'm starting to feel bad for them.”

This all started with my class pressuring me into action. So in a way, everyone's guilty.

At this point, everyone was going to pitch in. I wasn't going to let them slack off.

“—I'll do it. I'm already signed up anyway, right?”

A strong light sparked in Natsume's eyes. She was tougher than she looked.

“Shiori.”

With a snap of my fingers, Shiori zoomed over like a bullet.

I only did that on instinct, but she'd been reading my moves and waiting for her cue…?

“Let's work hard together, Natsume-chan!”

“Y-Yes! Thank you very much!”

“When it comes to dieting, leave it to personal trainer Shiori.”

Shiori, who had set her sights on becoming a nurse, was currently studying hard. That would seem like a good thing on the surface — but it reminded me of something Akane once said.

I had pushed her into choosing her future too early. Originally, there was no need for Shiori to decide anything so soon. Even if she wanted to become a nurse, it should have been something she discussed with her parents and decided together.

Wandering, detouring, worrying, and carefully thinking things through — all of that builds experience.

Charging straight to your goal without hesitation isn't always the right answer.

I had taken that carefree, innocent time away from both Hinagi and Shiori. I had sped up their clocks, forced them to stop being kids. I'd stolen the chance for them to just enjoy high school.

A usurper.

I had no right to do any of that.

Maybe the reason I wanted to fulfill my classmates' wishes… was because I wanted to atone.

Back in elementary school, I stubbornly ruined a precious year for all my classmates.

Not just Sanjoji-sensei and Himiyama-san. That entire painful time produced nothing but tragedy.

“What's wrong, Yuki?”

“It's nothing. I'm counting on you, Shiori.”

“Yup! Leave it to me!”

I tossed everything to her like she was a capsule monster, and Shiori thumped her chest confidently.

Her chest bounced dramatically.

Her face beamed with joy. And yet, this leap in maturity was pulling Shiori closer to adulthood.

No matter what I do, my sins don't change. I can only accept that reality.

“But Kokonoe-san, do I still need to restrict my diet?”

“Well, see, that's… uh…”

“…Uh?”

Shiori and Natsume looked confused. Man, this is tough.

“Hey Mihou-kun, Mihou-kun. Come here for a sec!”

“What is it?”

“Help translate for Yuki!”

“Translate what exactly…?”

“Aight, so, y'know, dieting's that thing, right? Like, college girls do it and all. But it's about working out, really. You gotta do more of that thing, y'know?”

“Can you not keep saying ‘that thing'!?”

Even as he said that, he still translated everything properly. Looks like this guy is growing day by day.

“Listen, Natsume. Dieting by cutting food is totally out of the question. Rebounding is a real danger. And even without that, you're already charming, cute, and beautiful. Besides — you've got a weapon that even Shiori doesn't have!”

“A weapon…? W-What's with that lecherous look!?”

“Yuki, sexual harassment is a no-no!”

“Ghehehehe.”

“You're the last person I want to hear that from, Kamishiro-san.”

“Ehh!? That's so mean, Natsume-chan!”

“Whose fault do you think that is, huh!?”

Scolded by Natsume, Shiori hung her ponytail low in shame.

“How do you even make a stare that deliberately suggestive? That's some serious skill, Yukito.”

It's public knowledge, but Natsume is famously well-endowed in our class. This was accidentally revealed by Shiori, and she got seriously chewed out by the other girls because of it.

By the way, the guys quietly defended her. Leading that group… was me.

Natsume may be chubby now, but she'll naturally slim down as she grows. Apparently, her eating habits are totally normal. Just a little effort, and slimming down before the beauty contest won't be hard at all.

“But… being photographed like this is really embarrassing…”

“Don't say that. It might be the last time you look like this. Think of it as a keepsake.”

If Natsume loses weight, she'll become stunning. The contrast between her current and future self would have serious impact. That's how we plan to win the contest. For that, we're taking pictures of how she looks now. I'm really looking forward to the big reveal on stage.

“We'll blow their minds!”

“You're… right. I really can become beautiful… Okay, I'll do my best!”

She's a bookworm, but Natsume's got motivation. She's truly a rare talent.

“I always wonder—how is this girl even considered an introvert?”

“Ahaha.”

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