Prologue: GL and BL
"Sibling reunions are amazing, no matter how they are done! Of course, I absolutely
adore heartwarming reunions where they share their everlasting love for each other as much
as the next person, but I also have a weakness for reunions where they're currently in
opposing positions and are enemies!"
"I know exactly what you mean. After all, simply being blood-related siblings is already
going to create exciting drama for their relationship."
After discovering that Masachika and Yuki were actually siblings, Sayaka began gushing
about her love for stories with long-lost siblings to Yuki at the amusement-park food court.
They passionately shared their nerdy hobbies, unconcerned that Ayano was quietly
nibbling on a churro next to them. Only after a great deal of discussion and time had gone
by was Sayaka finally able to calm down and snap out of her trance.
"Oh… Sorry about rambling like that. It's just… I've never had anyone I could talk to
about things like this before, so…"
Sayaka was struck with embarrassment from unloading years' worth of pent-up
excitement, as she'd been hiding the fact that she was genuinely an otaku. She shyly pushed
up her glasses, bit her lip, and hunched her shoulders. It was an unfamiliar sight for Yuki,
seeing as Sayaka almost always maintained a serious, stiff demeanor.
Tsk! Just how adorable can one girl be?
But Yuki, smiling sweetly, didn't breathe a word of this to Sayaka.
"Don't worry about it. I understand exactly how you feel."
"…Really? I appreciate it," thanked Sayaka with a somewhat awkward smile, and yet
she couldn't help but think, What have I done? Iseriously embarrassed myself. Most closeted
nerds made sure to keep their interests a secret at all costs. Even if they discovered that
the person they were talking to was a like-minded enthusiast, they would still be convinced
that their hobbies were unacceptable, abnormal abominations. There was always the nagging
feeling that they were too interested compared with the average nerd, and this obsessive
thought controlled their lives. To make matters worse, they were afraid that other geeks would
figure out that they were hiding how ashamed they were, since that sense of embarrassment
in itself was insulting to people with the same interests who may not be so ashamed.
This belief was shared by both Sayaka—who had worked hard to hide her interests from
everyone over the years—and Yuki, which would only lead to one thing.
"..."
"..."
They had to feel each other out and see just how much of a nerd the other was. They
silently exchanged glances with faint smirks on their lips…all the while Ayano quietly
munched on her churro like a rabbit. Tension began to rise between them until Sayaka
eventually spoke up.
"By the way, Yuki, what anime are you watching this season?"
She swiftly made the first move to ensure her victory. Although she passed it off assmall
talk, what she was actually doing was far more sinister. It was her way of gauging how much
of a degenerate Yuki actually was. The number of anime she was watching would give an
idea of how much of a nerd she was, while the content of the anime would allow Sayaka
to analyze Yuki's interests. Did she like fantasy? Rom-coms? Slice-of-life? Or perhaps she
liked violent, lewd shows that were barely acceptable to even air on TV?
That nonchalant question alone would give Sayaka valuable information without any risk
at all. That was the kind of person Sayaka Taniyama was. This was the talent she possessed
that allowed her to crush countless rivals during debates. She appeared confident, while
Yuki's expression made it impossible to know how she was feeling. Ayano was folding the
recently departed churro's wrapper.
"Oh… This season? Well…" Yuki started to respond to Sayaka's opening move. Of
course, Sayaka wasn't expecting to win with one simple trick. In fact,she figured Yuki would
just give her a few safe picks, then ask what Sayaka liked. But even that wouldn't be an issue,
for Sayaka was prepared to use the ultimate counterattack by saying, "Oh, wow. Me too. It
appears we're watching the exact same shows this season."
The safest position to be in is right behind your opponent, since you can simply copy
their answers. The moment I made the first move was the moment I won.
Completely confident in her victory, Sayaka leisurely waited for Yuki's reply.
However…
"Of course, I'm watching Brain Hazard and Dream. Those are mandatory, and that's
not up for debate. There was a lot of hype for Brain Hazard, and people are saying it's the
best anime this season, but Dream has been flawless ever since the first episode, so it might
end up being the biggest hit. Rental School and Tunnel from Another World are both solid
as well. Personally, I think Hamezon is the dark horse of the season. I was worried if they'd
be able to do the graphic nature of the comic justice, but it turned out better than I expected.
The second season of Ganbaruon is just as good as the first, and…"
"…?!"
Yuki went straight into battle with her guard down while completely ignoring the
unwritten rule. She passionately revealed her love for fantasy, rom-coms, touching stories,
mecha, and even lewd, violent dark fantasies. The information being disclosed to Sayaka
came as a tidal wave, nearly making her eyes roll back in her head. She was dazed and
confused; Yuki, on the other hand, was smothering her laugh with her shirtsleeve.
…Meanwhile, Ayano left to go buy her third churro.
"So? What about you, Sayaka?"
"Uh…"
It was a question Sayaka was expecting, but everything else that happened was so
unexpected that she didn't know how to respond. She couldn't even use her secret weapon
anymore—"Oh, wow. Me too. It appears we're watching the exact same shows this
season"—since there were a few shows that Yuki mentioned that Sayaka hadn't seen yet.
However, would it be okay to say that? Or would that sound like she was criticizing Yuki's
interests in some roundabout way? Although taken aback, she racked her brain for an answer
until Yuki, who was struggling to suppress her laughter, suddenly muttered:
"Number Zero."
At first, Sayaka had no idea what Yuki was saying. It sounded like random gibberish,
and yet…there was something about the words that drew her in, and she jumped a bit in her
seat. Yuki, however, didn't stop there and came in with a follow-up attack.
"White darkness…"
"…!"
"The price for power…"
"…!!"
Seeing Sayaka's body naturally react to the wonderful string of words elicited a small
smile from Yuki.
"You are in the early stages of cringelord disease. I advise you get treated for it as soon
as possible," joked Yuki.
"Excuse me…?!"
Sayaka reflexively began to argue that she wasn't a so-called cringelord, which was
an insult fellow anime fans her age avoided, but she couldn't deny that she was somewhat
excited by what Yuki said, so she helplessly fell silent…which only made Yuki's smirk
broaden.
"How about we drop this silly charade already? I'm sure you've noticed, but I'm far
nerdier than you are. It's not even up for discussion, so you can quit the act. You don't need
to hide your true self from me anymore."
"…!"
Yuki completely revealed just how much of a nerd she was while simultaneously
demanding that Sayaka rid herself of shame or reservations. The proposal was better than
what Sayaka could have ever wished for, and yet…it only made her feel more competitive,
not relieved.
"Heh… I wouldn't be so sure about that. Although I may have seen fewer series overall,
my love for each show is not to be underestimated."
Sayaka boldly smirked and slowly pushed up her glasses. Yuki returned the look with
a competitive expression of her own. That was the start of their debate, and there was no
going back now.
"The voice actor's delivery during the end of last week's episode of Brain Hazard was
god-tier, wasn't it? He was also really good in Gun Derro as…"
"I actually prefer the antagonist's voice acting when…"
"Oh, hey. Did you notice they changed the ending credits of last, last week's episode of
Dream? There was a new scene halfway through that seemed very important, and…"
"Of course I saw it. Do I look like some sort of unrefined brute who skips the opening
and ending credits? Anyway, I think that scene…"
The situation made a complete one-eighty, and both girls were now competing to prove
who was more of an anime nerd. Their usual composed attitudes, which they were known for
atschool, were nowhere to be found. The only two people there in that moment were a couple
of anime fanatics playing a game of verbal tug-of-war to prove who was more passionate
about the medium…until Yuki suddenly stopped talking.
"Excuse me for a moment," she requested simply, sliding her smartphone out of her
pocket, but when she looked at the vibrating screen, one eyebrow twitched.
"I apologize, but I need to excuse myself for a moment."
Yuki then got up from her seat, placed the phone to her ear, and walked away. It seemed
to be urgent, whatever it was.
"..."
"..."
Only Sayaka and Ayano remained at the table. Sayaka silently shifted her gaze to Ayano,
who immediately began devouring her fourth churro like a rabbit rapidly nibbling on a carrot;
she stared right back at Sayaka.
"Hey, uh… You don't need to rush."
But Sayaka's attempt to be nice was in vain, because Ayano refused to take the churro
out of her mouth, as if a curse would instantly kill her if she did, stuffing the rest of it into
her mouth at once. After adding some moisture via milk tea, she swallowed the entire churro
whole.
"…! …"
Ayano sat up straight and looked into Sayaka's eyes as if nothing had happened. After
wincing a bit, Sayaka softly cleared her throat and sat up straight as well.
"Allow me to introduce myself again. I'm Sayaka Taniyama. I know we're classmates,
but we haven't really gotten the chance to talk much before, have we?"
"Yes, this may be the first time we've ever faced each other and exchanged words."
"Yes… So… I hear that you're Yuki's attendant…?"
"'Attendant'? …Yes. Ah!"
Ayano looked up as if she had suddenly remembered something, and she slowly got
out of her chair. She then covered half her face with her right hand while crossing her arms
as if she was striking a pose—like someone who'd lost their mind. Sayaka blinked in mute
disbelief for a few moments.
"I am the childhood friend. I am battle-maid Ayano Kimishima," she revealed with a
smug (emotionless) expression. It was glorious. She pulled it off perfectly. In fact, her
introduction was so incredible that Sayaka simply froze with her mouth agape, an unusual
look for her. Ayano, still with a blank expression, struck yet another pose and continued in
a monotonic voice:
"However, being childhood friends is only the mask we show the world. In truth, we
subheroines are actually Mr. Masachika's protectors."
After smoothly striking a pose with the summer sun shining in the background, Ayano
dropped back into her seat as if she had done something phenomenal and her work there was
done. She then lowered her head and bowed to Sayaka.
"…I apologize for the inconvenience. Usually, Ms. Yuki goes first and says, 'I am the
childhood friend. I am the blood-related sister Yuki Suou!'"
"…What? Wait. Does she really do that? That Yuki Suou?!"
"…? Of course. She told me this was the proper way to reveal our true identities."
"..."
Sayaka was quietly disturbed by the fact that Ayano was neither skeptical of Yuki's
claim nor ashamed. Even Sayaka, someone in the early stages of cringelord disease, could
not see a future where she would be able to compete at this level.
Wh-what an aggressive first move… She starts by throwing me off my game, then she
completely takes control of the conversation.
Sayaka clutched her dully aching chest, suffering from a sudden attack of the disease,
and tightly clenched her teeth. She then faced Ayano, who was calmly observing Sayaka and
waiting for her next move (at least, in Sayaka's mind she was), and asked in challenge:
"Since you're Yuki's attendant—maid, I was wondering if you could tell me more about
Yuki and Masachika's relationship. How do they usually act around each other?"
"..."
Ayano stared hard at Sayaka as if she was trying to scrutinize the real meaning behind
her question. She was probably thinking about how to answer while taking into account that
Sayaka could still potentially be Yuki's rival during the election. In fact, her efforts were
unnecessary because Sayaka's question had absolutely nothing to do with the election. This
was simply a personal interest of hers.
Masachika and Yuki used to be the perfect rivals for Sayaka. Now there were no hard
feelings among the three of them. Just a sense of trust born from their respect for one another.
However, after losing the election to them, Sayaka's respect grew immensely and
transformed into something purer. Put simply, she had become a fan. And in her mind, they
became the ideal pair. Hurry up and get married already. Wait. You can take as much time as
you want, but please get happily married in the end, okay? Those were the thoughts that had
crossed her mind from time to time, and on behalf of their fans, she decided that she would
eliminate anyone who threatened their relationship in any way, no matter the cost. So when
she heard that they were actually siblings and couldn't get married, her first thought was…
Nice. If anything, that just makes it better.
Which was why…
I want to hear more about their lives as loving siblings!
As a fan, Sayaka couldn't allow this chance to slip by, but Ayano wasn't the kind of
person who would thoughtlessly leak information to a potential enemy.
"…As a humble servant, I cannot allow myself to recklessly reveal such personal
details."
This reaction was completely reasonable, regardless of Sayaka's intentions.
Nevertheless, Sayaka expected something like this to happen.
"Oh, really? Then I suppose I will ask someone else instead."
"…'Someone else'?"
As Ayano curiously tilted her head, Sayaka took a few sips of her drink, then continued
in a matter-of-fact tone:
"I have to ask someone else if you won't tell me, right? Surely, there are a few people
close with Masachika and Yuki who know they're siblings. Like…Alisa Kujou, for instance.
I could just ask her."
This was also a roundabout way of threatening that she was going to tell Alisa Kujou
or whomever else that Masachika and Yuki were actually siblings if Ayano didn't give her
what she wanted, but Ayano was far too innocent to realize.
"That…would be bad."
And that was why she replied honestly, not knowing that she was supplying Sayaka with
information.
Interesting. So nobody else knows that they're siblings, not even Alisa.
Yuki and Masachika were too sharp to ever give up anything so easily and would
probably have been able to avoid the question entirely—or at the very least, threaten Sayaka
to stop her. Ayano's reply, on the other hand, basically revealed their Achilles' heel.
She caught me off guard at first, but she's actually pretty easy to manipulate as long as
you don't lose control of the conversation.
Sayaka went for the kill after reaching this conclusion. However, she was only doing
this as a fan. She was simply craving the nectar of sibling love…as a fan, of course. It would
seem she was somewhat of an idol otaku in a way.
"Then can you share more about their relationship? I have no interest in telling others
about their private lives. I'm just curious about how they usually act around each other,"
asked Sayaka calmly, despite mentally having a paper fan for cheering in each hand with
Masachika's and Yuki's names on them while her eyes eagerly sparkled.
"..."
But Ayano remained silent, so she decided to soften her tone even more.
"How about you just tell me about today? What were they doing before we ran into one
another?"
"..."
Ayano's gaze wandered as she considered the compromise. Her mouth opened and
closed numerous times before she lowered her gaze as if she had given up. Sayaka, confident
of her win, curled her lips upward; she inwardly got into position to cheer with her paper
fans, and—
"Ms. Yuki was stuck under the bed…so Mr. Masachika had to pull her out."
"What?"
Her expression faded, but internally, her jaw dropped in disbelief. She reflexively asked
Ayano to repeat herself, then began trying to process what was said once more amid her
confusion.
Under the bed? How did she end up there? That's… That's not really what I wanted to
know… Wait. Is she feeding me misinformation to confuse me?
Once Sayaka reached that conclusion, she pulled herself together and tried to rethink
how she was going to go about this while taking back what she thought earlier about Ayano
being easy to manipulate. She turned in her chair, facing Ayano once more—
"Ms. Yuki had basically turned into a bagworm, so it was a very difficult morning for
us all."
"What are you even talking about?!"
Sayaka imagined Yuki as a bagworm, which was almost immediately overshadowed by
a giant question mark.
"Ayano? You've had your fun, so can you stop teasing Sayaka? And, Sayaka, could you
please not pick on Ayano anymore?"
Yuki had returned, and although she hadn't heard their conversation, she promptly
reprimanded Sayaka as if she had heard it all. Nevertheless, Sayaka smiled back at her like
she had no idea what Yuki was talking about.
"Oh? We were just chitchatting. That's all. I might have gotten a little too excited, but
nothing more."
"Oh, really? It is not like you to get overly excited. You are usually so levelheaded.
Whatever were you two talking about?"
"I was simply trying to make sure you and Masachika really were siblings. It's still a
little hard for me to believe, to be honest."
"Is that so? Well, you are free not to believe it if you wish. Either way, in public, we are
still going to pretend like we are nothing more than childhood friends."
Perhaps it was because Sayaka and Yuki used to be rivals during the election…or maybe
they were just not compatible. Whatever the case, the two girls continued to feel each other
out every time they opened their mouths. They spoke in roundabout manners to hide their
real intentions while trying to draw information out of the other. However, all it took was
one question from Yuki to put an end to this charade.
"By the way, Sayaka, do you like BL?"
The sudden change of topic made Sayaka swiftly arch an eyebrow. Her back
straightened, and she slowly pushed up her glasses.
"Dear Yuki… There are only two types of women in this world."
"…? And they are…?"
Light glinted mysteriously off the lenses of her glasses as she declared:
"Those who like BL and those who still don't know what BL is."
"Wiser words have never been spoken."
The two girls exchanged fearless gazes. Ayano, who still didn't know what BL was,
curiously blinked as she watched their odd interaction for a few moments, but she soon got
up without a care in the world and left to buy her fifth churro. Ignoring her departure, Sayaka
shamelessly placed a hand on her chin as if she were a scholar and continued:
"By the way, remember how Kite turned down Nakuusha during last week's episode
of Brain Hazard?"
"Yes?"
"I bet it's because he's actually seeing Gelgar."
"Interesting…"
Most Brain Hazard viewers would tell Sayaka that she was out of her mind for her
groundless theory, but somehow, it made sense to these two. Sayaka then gave evidence to
support her case as though she was ecstatic to have someone finally agree with her.
"I became sure of it during the beginning of episode two, when Gelgar was affectionately
watching over Kite."
It was nothing but wicked conjecture.
"I mean, the fact that both their weapons were made from the same dragon is more than
enough to make anyone suspicious."
Groundless, despicable speculation.
"You know when they were fighting together in the desert? And he was like, 'Watch my
back!'? That was totally just him proposing in an indirect way, wasn't it?!"
There was wild imaginings, and then there was this.
"…I never thought of it like that!"
Even Yuki had no choice but to agree. Although she may have enjoyed BL from time to
time, Yuki never imagined scenarios like this, so she was having a really hard time keeping
up. In fact, she was actually just messing with Sayaka at first and pretending to be a BL
enthusiast, while in reality,she preferred GL to BL. At any rate, there was no stopping Sayaka
now.
"My favorite trope is the jealous childhood friend who is unable to control his rage.
The admirable best friend has been hiding his true feelings for all these years until his
uncontrollable envy gets the better of him, and he aggressively takes the protagonist in his
arms and— Ah, just thinking about it makes my heart race."
It was hard to believe that these were the words of the student in charge of discipline at
school. Yuki began to stare off into space—far, far into space…until she suddenly spotted
Masachika and Nonoa in the distance heading their way, which immediately dragged her
back to reality.
Noooooo!
Sayaka had her mask off, revealing the degenerate she truly was, which was obviously
not something she wanted others to know, since she had been clearly working hard to make
sure nobody ever found out.
"But after impulsively making a move, he finds no reason to continue hiding his
obsession, and— It's odd. Something like this would be disgusting if it was a man and a
woman, but for some reason, it feels okay since they're both men."
"Y-yes, I know what you mean. If this was a comic where the male childhood friend
aggressively forced himself on the female protagonist, it would be over between them…"
Yuki promptly began adjusting the course of the conversation, since Sayaka was
essentially in a trance, and immediately, Sayaka's expression clouded with despair.
"Exactly… And usually, it's only after they push the protagonist down onto the bed and
see the frightened look in their eyes that they come to their senses and quickly step back…
Everyone is far too nice! They were in love with the protagonist for years, and yet they back
off because they want the protagonist to be happy. But what about you, then? What about
your happiness?!"
"…Yes, they usually end up saying something like, 'Your happiness is my happiness.'"
"And that's only because they don't have any other choice! But they're just lying to
themselves! And what's wrong with the protagonist? Why would you take some goodlooking yet broken pain-in-the-ass man over your childhood friend, who would cherish you
for the rest of your life? Because he'd obviously make the protagonist way happier than
anyone else could!" argued Sayaka fervently, her hands tightly clenching over the table.
"Why can't the people I ship ever be together? Why do these authors keep doing this to
me? Do you know what I mean?!" she shouted, straining her voice.
"Y-yes, I suppose it would be like that for people who ship childhood friends…"
"Why is everyone so obsessed with some random transfer student or some classmate
they just met?! Why choose some stranger you know nothing about over the childhood friend
who was always there for you?! I want them to be happy, too, for a change!"
"Ha…ha-ha…"
Yuki laughed dryly, and sweat poured down her back as she looked at Masachika, who
was staring at Sayaka with an indescribable expression.
Oh my god! That was a close one!
She inwardly sighed, relieved that she'd managed to maneuver the topic to something
somewhat safer. Then guessing what he was thinking, she promptly joked with her brother,
who wasstaring off into space. Thislet Sayaka know that Masachika and Nonoa had returned.
"How dare you say such a thing, my dear brother."
"Stop reading my mind."
The "my dear brother" part repeated in the back of Sayaka's mind like a recording.
"Brother!" yelled Yuki, a small child in a field of white clover with a flower crown in
hand before her brother.
"Brotherrr," cried a young Yuki with tears in her eyes and a stuffed animal clutched to
her chest as thunder shook the house.
"Brother! Seriously?" complained an older Yuki in a slightly reprimanding tone while
she fixed her brother's tie.
Every possible beautiful scene between these two siblings instantly played in Sayaka's
head like a movie thanks to her well-trained imagination.
"Ngh!"
She immediately grabbed her nose in a panic before any of the precious nectar of sibling
love escaped.
"Sh-she called him her dear brother… How adorable…"
Witnessing the siblings' sudden intimate exchange seemed to be too much for Sayaka,
and those words just slipped off her tongue.
"…You really are a nerd, aren't you?" Masachika's annoyed tone suddenly dragged
Sayaka back to reality, forcing her to realize that she had screwed up yet again. Nevertheless,
despite it being far too late to do anything about it now, she put on a serious expression and
stood from her seat as if nothing had happened.
"My apologies for taking up so much of your time."
"Not at all. I had a lot of fun."
"Really…? Then…I'm glad. Masachika, I would like to apologize for lashing out at you
earlier as well."
"Oh, no. It's cool. Besides, you helped me realize how careless we were being…
Anyway, do you think…?" Masachika hesitated, and he looked indecisive. Sayaka, however,
knew exactly what he wanted to say and agreed.
"Your secret is safe with us. Right, Nonoa?"
"Hmm? Yeah, sure. Whatever."
"Anyway, enjoy the rest of your outing together, you two. See you at school."
"Yeah, thanks. See you around."
"I had a lot of fun. I hope you both enjoy the rest of your summer break."
"You too."
"Later."
After saying their good-byes, Sayaka and Nonoa hastily walked away, but once they
were completely out of Masachika's and Yuki's sight, Sayaka immediately covered her face
with both hands and squatted until her rear was barely hovering over ground.
"I'm so embarrassed…"
"Oh…? Something happen, Sayaka? You okay?"
"I'm not okay. I was so happy that Yuki was a fellow enthusiast that I cut loose a little
too much…"
But even though her voice was dripping with regret, she couldn't help but smile as she
thought back to their exchange.
"But it was an invaluable experience…"
"Uh-huh… Okay."
"Thank you so much, Yuki… I can go another month thanks to your contribution."
"How so?" asked Nonoa, not really knowing how to react to her friend suddenly
squatting with eyes wide and hands clasped together as if in prayer.
"Moe adds color to our daily lives, and the precious nectar we occasionally find gives
us the energy we need to live!"
"…Word," replied Nonoa in a monotonic voice, but Sayaka expressed no concern toward
her obvious indifference and stared off into the distance.
"There are some kinds of nectar that can only be obtained through seeing close, loving
siblings who are blood-related."
"Yeah, totally," replied Nonoa, messing around on her smartphone… Then she realized
something and looked up.
"…Wait. Is that why you always want to come over to my house?"
"Er…"
Sayaka promptly averted her gaze, and Nonoa narrowed her eyes at the back of her
friend's head. Around ten seconds of silence followed before Sayaka eventually muttered
awkwardly:
"…It's really heartwarming seeing just how close Lea and Leo are, isn't it?"
"…? Are they, though?"
"Just being twins makes them precious! They must be protected at all costs!" Sayaka
declared firmly, making Nonoa recoil a little.
"If you say so."
She instinctively knew it would be in her best interest to agree.
"Even when they quarrel, you can tell that they still love and trust each other very much,
and that's what makes them so precious…"
"Uh-huh… Anyway, maybe it's time you stand back up so we can get going. People
are starting to stare."
"Huh…? Ah!"
That was when Sayaka finally realized that countless strangers' eyes were locked on her,
so she immediately stood and cleared her throat.
"Hey, uh… Just in case there's a misunderstanding, I want you to know that I don't go
over to your house simply because I want to see Leo and Lea."
"I know. You want to see Lea and me getting along and having fun, right?"
"N-no, that's not what I meant… You're messing with me, aren't you?"
Nonoa proudly grinned back at Sayaka's annoyed gaze.
"Dunno. Am I? Why don't you tell me?"
"This isn't a game! Stop!" demanded Sayaka, turning her head away from Nonoa before
briskly striding off, leaving her friend behind. But after walking a few steps ahead of her
motionless, grinning companion, she looked back and peevishly cried, "Nonoa, come on!
Stop messing around already!"
"Ha-ha! My bad."
Nonoa laughed and immediately ran over to Sayaka, slipping her arms around hers, then
asking in a serious voice:
"But are you sure you're cool with saying good-bye to Kuze and the others like that?
We could have totally hung out with them longer if you wanted to."
After briefly glancing in Nonoa's direction, Sayaka faced forward once more and calmly
replied, "I didn't want to bother them. Besides, it's not like we're good friends with them,
right?"
"Yeah, but, like…this would have been the perfect chance to get to know them better
and become good friends with them. Am I wrong? It's not like we're rivals any longer."
"…Still, it wouldn't be right. Even though we aren't rival candidates anymore, it's not
like our relationship is any different from before."
"Yeah, I guess."
Sayaka had done a complete reversal. She was speaking with a flat tone, unlike earlier
when she was passionately rambling like a rabid fangirl. In other words, she had returned to
her normal self: an intellectual who didn't let her emotions get in the way…unless she was
talking about her nerdy interests or she had lost her temper.
"Besides, I don't want to be friends with either of them."
"Wait. Seriously?"
"Of course. All I want to do is watch their precious exchanges from afar as a single
spectator. Nothing more."
…She was an intellectual. This was a fact. Nonoa might have been narrowing her eyes
at Sayaka's serious expression as if to say, "What is wrong with her?" but she really was
an intellectual. Really.
"Besides, I came here today to hang out with you, Nonoa, and nobody else," Sayaka
added casually with a shrug. Nonoa's eyes widened…and she grinned.
"Wow. You love me sooo much, Saya, huh?"
"Of course. You're my best friend."
"I love you, too, Saya. ♪" Nonoa grinned goofily and leaned into Sayaka. Although
Sayaka continued to look annoyed, she didn't push her friend away. After that, they kept
walking side by side for a while, until Sayaka suddenly exhaled deeply as if to collect herself
and began looking around.
"So… What next? Do—?"
That was when she heard them.
"Giggle. That was so scary, wasn't it?"
"You didn't look scared to me. Hell, you looked like you were having the time of your
life."
"Not at all. I don't know what I would have done if I did not have my dear brother's
arm to hold on to."
Masachika glared at Yuki reproachfully as she held on to her brother's arm like a young
noblewoman. Ayano wasthere, too. The three of them had just come out of the haunted house
when they ran into Sayaka and Nonoa again, and they simultaneously froze. There was no
proper word to describe the mood.
"Don't mind me. Please continue."
That was the only thing Sayaka said as she slowly pushed her glasses up by the bridge
with the expression of an intellectual, precious nectar (read: blood) slowly trickling out of
her nose.