A Princess and a God

"Nonoa! Do my hair for me!"

"Hmm?"

One day during summer break, Nonoa was relaxing in her room when the door suddenly

flew open. A seemingly strong-willed, adorable girl with dark-brown hair and slightly

almond-shaped eyessprang into the room. Nonoa'ssister—Lea Miyamae, who wastwo years

her junior and had just barged in without knocking—was met with Nonoa's glare.

"Lea, you should knock—"

"Who cares about knocking?! Now, come on! Please?" Lea begged and posed cutely

with both hands on her cheeks.

"…Yeah, yeah."

Nonoa casually rolled out of bed, sat her sister in front of the dresser, and plugged in

the hair straightener.

"…So? What do you want me to do with it today?"

"Like… I want it like you did yours last week during your photo shoot!"

"Got it."

She began brushing her sister's hair while thinking back to what style she wore the other

day. All of a sudden, a mischievous-looking teenage boy poked his head into the room.

"Hey, hurry up. We're gonna be late."

"Shut up! Never rush a lady. No wonder you're not popular."

"What? Girls love me," Lea's twin brother, Leo Miyamae, replied with irritation and a

raised eyebrow. Although most people would get laughed at for claiming they were popular

with the opposite sex, Leo had good looks that backed up his claim. In fact, these twins,

who shared similar good-looking features, modeled together from time to time, and Leo was

extremely popular. All three siblings had that in common.

"You hanging out with your model friends today?"

"Yeah, we're gonna meet up with some people from the last photo shoot… Oh, hey!

You wanna come?"

"Hmm? Oh, I can't. Already have plans."

"Awww.More boys for me, then, I guess," said Lea with a cheeky smile as Nonoa

continued styling her hair. But after seeing her expression in the mirror on the dresser, Leo,

who was leaning against the doorframe, blatantly frowned.

"You're such a ho."

"Yeah, says the guy with a new girl every week."

"Unlike you, I don't flirt with and try to seduce every girl I see, though. It's not my fault

they're all attracted to me."

The twins began hurling insults while glaring at each other in the mirror. Nonoa looked

at her siblings and said, as if she couldn't care less:

"Don't go too crazy, guys. Mom already told you not to—"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Don't worry. I never go all the way. Besides, I don't like 'goodlooking guys.' Like, I'm totally sick of how overconfident they all are."

"Then stop trying to seduce every last one of them."

"That's a different issue entirely. I love the attention good-looking guys give me."

"Tsk."

Leo clicked his tongue in disgust, but when he saw Nonoa looking at him in the mirror,

he felt guilty and averted his gaze.

"I'll be waiting at the front door."

After pushing off from the doorframe, Leo began to turn on his heel when Nonoa

suddenly asked, "Do you have a handkerchief and some tissues?"

"Tsk. Shut up. Of course I do. Stop treating me like a kid."

"…? I'm not treating you like a kid. I'm treating you like a little brother."

"Whatever," he hissed before immediately leaving the room.

"…Is he going through his rebellious phase or something?"

"Probably. He's so immature. Kids, am I right?" Lea snorted, despite being exactly the

same age as Leo. Nonoa, however, didn't bother bringing it up but instead placed the hair

straightener down, took a step back, and checked how Lea's hair had turned out.

"What do you think?"

"Looks good. Thanks! Anyway, see you when I get back."

"Later."

After watching her sister walk out of the room with a coquettish grin, Nonoa glanced

at the clock on the wall.

"…I should probably get ready to leave, too," she muttered. She took a seat in the chair

Lea had been sitting in, straightened her own hair, and braided it so that it hung over her

shoulder. After that, she opened her walk-in closet, revealing countless designer outfits that

cost who knows how much. Yet she didn't glance in their direction but instead pulled a bland

blouse and skirt out of one of the stacked plastic wardrobe shelves on the floor. She then

grabbed a plain bag and hat off another shelf, picked up her black-framed glasses, and put

them all on.

"…All right, that should do it."

She looked like a celebrity wearing a disguise to go into town. She managed to conceal

some of her usual glamorousfeatures and even appeared sophisticated in a way. After doublechecking herself in the mirror, Nonoa briefly practiced a few expressions, then promptly

walked out the front door. She was heading to a karaoke spot at the end of an alleyway behind

the train station. It honestly wasn't the cleanest place, and it reeked of cigarettes, but there

were no security cameras, and the workers hardly patrolled the area. As a result, it was often

used as a hangout spot for delinquents and couples who were short on cash.

"Ngh… Sniffle…"

"…?"

The moment Nonoa stepped into the alley, she heard someone softly sobbing and began

to look around. A few moments went by, and then a little boy around five or six years old

came walking around the corner. His face was scrunched up and wet with tears, as though

he was lost and aimlessly wandering the streets.

"Hff… Mmm… Sniffle…"

"..."

A little boy was lost and crying in what you could say was not exactly the safest place in

the city. Nonoa glanced at the kid…and then ignored him as if she didn't particularly care.

She wasn't in a hurry, but she didn't see the point in helping the child. She understood that

the societal standard was that you should be nice to small children, and she probably would

have done something to help the kid if there were people she knew nearby watching. But

none of Nonoa's acquaintances were anywhere in sight. Plus, although her parents told her

to be nice to her younger brother and sister, they never told her to be nice to other kids. Put

simply, she had no reason to help this lost child. Maybe some would claim that having a

conscience would urge her to do the right thing, but she didn't have one.

She arrived at the karaoke box and told the apathetic employee that she was joining a

group that was already there.

"Welcome. How many people are in your party?"

"Oh, I'm meeting someone here. Uh… They're in room number…"

Nonoa looked through her smartphone to check the room number, then went up to the

third floor.

"Oh, Nonoa! About time you showed up!"

When she walked into the karaoke room, a young girl immediately ran over, and Nonoa

smiled brightly.

"I'm really sorry about that. So, uh… Am I the last to arrive?" replied Nonoa in a very

sweet tone for a change. She then looked around and saw three guys sitting on the sofa; they

all affectionately smiled back at her.

"Don't worry about it. We're the ones who asked you to come all the way out here,"

replied one of the boys.

"Yeah, if anything, we should be apologizing for having you meet us here during your

summer break."

"We had something we just had to tell you, though… Anyway, have a seat," requested

one of the guys, pointing to the empty spot next to him. Immediately, the other two boys'

eyes began to burn red.

"Wow. Real sly subtly offering the seat next to you, bro."

"You really can't let your guard down around this guy."

"Okay, guys. That's enough fighting. Nonoa, you can sit here with me."

After giving the three boys a cold, piercing glare, the girl faced Nonoa once more with

a brilliant smile and gestured to the seat beside her. Now it was the three boys staring at her

coldly for using the fact that she was the same gender as Nonoa to her advantage. She picked

up the control tablet as if she didn't even notice and handed it to Nonoa.

"Come on. Let's sing a couple of songs first. I want to hear you sing, Nonoa."

"Oh, good idea."

"Yeah, I want to hear her sing, too."

"Sing us a song, Nonoa."

"U-uh…? …All right. But we should probably order some drinks—"

"Okay, I'll go grab us some drinks. What do you want?"

All four of them immediately began to move the moment Nonoa seemed like she needed

something, and once she began to sing, each of them was having the time of their life, as

if they were at a live concert. At first glance, there was nothing out of the ordinary when

compared to how they always acted around Nonoa at school, but there were a few minute

differences: namely, Nonoa's behavior and how everyone was reacting. If Nonoa was their

queen and they were her followers at school, then Nonoa right now was their dear princess,

and they were her servants who catered to her every need.

"Phew…"

The moment Nonoa finished her ballad, the small crowd erupted into applause. None of

them cared that it was a mellow, sentimental song, which people usually wouldn't get this

excited for at karaoke, but these four would probably react the same way even if Nonoa had

sung a heavy metal or anime song. She could be tone-deaf and the worst singer in the world,

and they would still probably clap and cheer from the bottom of their hearts in the same way.

"G-guys, come on. That's enough…," Nonoa said bashfully as she fanned her face,

appearing embarrassed by their excessive applause. Immediately, their clapping stopped, and

their expressions lit up as if they had been blessed by an actual goddess.

"Wow, I was so nervous. Singing in front of others is so scary. Know what I mean?"

Nonoa smiled self-consciously before their affectionate gazes. Her smile, perhaps also

due to the fact that she was dressed more modestly than usual, evoked a strong desire in

them to protect her. In fact, the four lackeys were instantly won over, their passionate gazes

locking on Nonoa in unison, and she began to fidget as if she felt embarrassed by it.

"Ngh… C-come on, guys. Sing something. This is embarrassing…"

Nonoa looked away to escape their stares and gestured that the other four should choose

songs.

"O-oh, uh… All right."

"Uh… Should I put in the usual rock medley?"

"Oh yeah. Good idea. Let's all take turns doing that, then."

"I'll go grab a tambourine. ♪"

They immediately began picking songs and acting like they were having fun. It was like

four servants going overboard to entertain their princess while observing every little move

she made in order to please her, and it was only natural they acted this way. Because these

four grunts were thinking, Nonoa only worked as a model because her parents told her to,

and although she hangs out with all the cool kids at school, she's really just a shy little girl

deep down inside, unsure of herself and sick of this person she hasto pretend to be. Of course,

this contradicted reality. Being timid and unsure of herself was merely a story Nonoa came

up with to gain sympathy from these four. In fact, it was these four who were sick of caring

about appearances, how they had to act at school, and how they had to pretend to be people

they were not. Nonoa knew this, which was why she had approached them and used it to her

advantage, claiming she was no different.

And that was how she got together people at the bottom and in the middle of the schoolcaste system to form this five-person group. These depressed individuals were extremely

quick to fall for Nonoa, the only person who could understand them and the first true friend

they had ever had.

We're the only ones who know the real Nonoa.

The popular kids who crowd around Nonoa aren't her real friends. We're her real

friends.

This secret (fantasy) gave them an ever so sweet sense of superiority, and the kindness

and trust that Nonoa showed them was like a high… And that was how Nonoa became a

god to them.

"Wow, that was sooo good. You guys are such great singers!"

Nonoa laughed mirthfully while giving each guy a high five after they had finished

singing, making every boy grin widely. After all, special treatment like this was reserved for

when they were out together, which made it even more special. Nevertheless, the group of

four didn't simply ask Nonoa to come just to sing. Once the mood eventually became more

relaxed, the four exchanged glances and nodded.

"So… Nonoa… We actually invited you here today because there was something we

wanted to talk about," explained one of the guys on behalf of the others.

"Really?"

"Like… You remember when you introduced us to Kinjou from Class F and told us to

be friends with him?"

"Oh yeah. Kinjou, right? So…? Are you all getting along? Kinjou seems to be a very

lonely person, just like us…so I would really appreciate it if you could be good friends with

him, too."

"Yeah, uh… About that…"

In the face of Nonoa's affectionate smile, everyone just pressed their lips together

awkwardly until the girl sitting next to Nonoa bravely spoke up.

"Hey… Kinjou is…"

"Tsk! Both Suou and Kujou aren't on social media… Figures. Probably trying to act like

they don't care about fame or attention, since they're running for student council president.

Pathetic. Pisses me off," grumbled a teenage boy, alone in his room in a luxury apartment.

This was Kinjou from Class F, a student at Seirei Academy and the student whom Nonoa had

been talking about. He was…honestly what most people would classify as ugly. In addition,

what he lacked in height, he unfortunately made up in width. Pimples covered his round

cheeks like freckles, and his nostrils were large like a pig's. These features alone would

make most harmless-looking kids targeted by bullies, but the mean glint in his eyes left a

completely different impression on most people. He was far less like a harmless little piglet

and more like a sly snake. By regarding others asinferior and treating them poorly, he relieved

some of the pressure from his own inferiority complex. Whether online or in real life, he

lived to spread rumors about and criticize those "better" than him.

"Pfft. What? Look at this asshole vacationing in Guam. Getting a little too cocky lately,

huh? Let's check this punk's post history and see if he has said anything slightly offensive

before… Pfft! Ha-ha! What's this? Pissed off because someone pointed out the obvious?

Yeah, sorry you had to edit your photos to make yourself look halfway decent. Freaking

uggo."

Day in and day out, he wandered through various social media pages of his schoolmates

and famous people to troll and roast…but today, his smartphone suddenly began to vibrate

on his desk.

"Huh…? Oh!"

When Kinjou saw the name on the screen, he answered the phone, his plump cheeks

soon curling into a smile.

"Heh. Karaoke, huh? Fiiine. I guess I can do that."

Contrary to his complaint, he hopped out of his seat in excitement and immediately got

ready to go out. Not even five minutes had gone by, and he was already outside and heading

toward the karaoke place. Obviously, he was loathed by everyone at school as well due to

his awful personality, which was why he didn't have a single friend. In fact, he had never

had a friend. That is, until Nonoa talked to him at school only a month ago.

"Kinjou, I heard you're always being compared with your talented brother. Is that true?

'Cause I am, too…"

Nonoa spoke to him that day while showing him a different side to her than she ever

showed at school. That was when she told him "everything." She told him that she was only

pretending to be a bubbly, cheerful girl because that was what her parents wanted. She told

him that she was really an introvert, that she was not as good as her siblings, that she felt

ashamed whenever she was home, that she couldn't be the real her at school and that it was

killing her.

"I feel like you and I aren't so different, Kinjou…," admitted Nonoa uneasily, looking

up at him through her eyelashes and stealing his heart. Kinjou also opened up to her after

that. He told her how his father and stepmother always doted on his younger half brother.

He explained how everyone was always going on about how talented his brother was, but if

his parents gave him the same opportunities to learn, study, and take part in extracurricular

activities, then he would be able to do everything his little brother could do and better. And

yet nobody—not his parents, not his teachers, not anyone around him—realized just how

talented he was. Nonoa smiled and nodded while Kinjou dumped every bit of baggage that

he had, and she agreed with him. She accepted him as he was. It wasn't long after that until

she eventually introduced him to her four minions, who were all in similar situations, and

they almost immediately hit it off.

"Yo, Kinjou. I heard you really dissed Kujou good at the debate the other day."

"I know how ya feel, man. We're a traditional school, so we should be represented by

a real Japanese."

"We're really happy to have someone who finally agrees with us. The other idiots at

school look at her and think she's a princess just because she's a little cute."

What brought them together was a mutual dislike for none other than Alisa. At times,

sharing a dislike for something forged stronger bonds than sharing a like for something, and

that was especially true when it came to Kinjou.

Those idiots at school are such posers. They only care about looks. Scumbags.

But these people were different, and they lauded Kinjou for his bravery for standing up

all by himself against the students who were at the top of the caste system. They were eager

to hear tales of his heroic exploits, and their eyes lit up with joy after each story he told.

For someone like Kinjou, who raised his self-esteem solely by putting others down, being

praised by others was unbelievably euphoric. He was unconsciously opening up to them,

despite being a person who usually didn't trust anyone.

"Heh. I don't really do karaoke, but I guess I can grace them with my presence, since

they invited me," he arrogantly muttered to himself, and yet he couldn't keep himself from

gleefully grinning all the way to the karaoke box. After making his way up to the third floor,

he walked over to the room number he was given and stood in front of the door.

Hmm? It's strangely quiet…

Although he briefly found it curious, he wasn't too concerned, and he promptly opened

the door before strutting inside like he was the coolest kid in school.

"Yooo! What's with the random karaoke invite? Lucky for you guys I just happened to

be free," he claimed, looking around the room, then suddenly realized something was off.

The air was tense. The only other female member of the group aside from Nonoa had her arm

wrapped around Nonoa's shoulder as Nonoa stared at the floor. Never in a million years had

Kinjou been expecting to see everyone so joyless. Although taken aback, he forced himself

to smile.

"Guys, come on. What's with the gloomy mood? Wait. Nonoa, are you crying? Guys,

what did you—?"

"Kinjou, shut up," snapped one of the guys, cutting him off. Kinjou clicked his tongue

with clear irritation and looked over…where he found everyone glaring at him, eyes burning

with animosity, and he unconsciously winced.

"Kinjou…," muttered Nonoa, slowly lifting her head.

"Y-yeah? What's wrong, Nonoa?"

He took a half step back the moment he saw the look on her face—the expression of a

woman who felt betrayed by someone she trusted.

"Kinjou… Six months ago, someone harassed Mimiko online until she quit modeling.

Was that you?"

"Huh? O-oh, uh… Well…"

Even Kinjou understood that nothing good was going to come from admitting it, but

Nonoa's four friends were glaring at him as if to say, "You told us you did it the other day,"

which meant there was no way he could lie his way out of this.

"Yeah, I guess…I might have done that?"

Which led him to give this noncommittal answer. Nonoa bit her lip, scrunching up her

tearstained face.

"H-hey, what's wrong? Seriously, like, what are we talking—?"

"Kinjou… Mimiko was my friend. A very close friend…," cried Nonoa, fighting through

her tears.

"…?!"

Kinjou was rendered speechless.

"Mimiko was a really good person who accepted me for who I really was…but she fell

into a deep depression after she was harassed online, and now she won't even talk to m-me

anymore…!" she wailed, her voice trembling until she couldn't take it anymore. She pushed

Kinjou out of the way and ran out of the room.

"Ah…"

He reached out to her in mute disbelief as she disappeared around the corner…when a

large hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder tightly from behind. Naturally, he looked back…

and found that four students with wicked grins were staring down at him.

"Well, Kinjou. That's how it is. The girl you destroyed just for laughs was one of

Nonoa's best friends."

"Huh? Wait. No. I didn't know she—"

Kinjou retreated a few steps while trying to pathetically make excuses, but he soon found

his back up against a wall of the small room, and the other four immediately cornered him.

"You can't just say you didn't know and expect to be forgiven. Besides, that model's not

the only one you hurt. You were bragging for hours the other day about how many people

you destroyed."

"Oh, by the way, we recorded the entire conversation and looked into these people you

mentioned that night. And wow… You've slandered a ton of celebrities and kids at school.

Now…what do you think would happen if we exposed you and told everyone online who

you were?"

"Wh-why would you do that? The other day, you guys were praising me for everything

I did…," stammered Kinjou, not able to process what was going on as he was pierced by

their disdainful glares.

"We were only pretending to be interested, dumbass. What kind of person brags about

stuff like that? There's something seriously wrong with you."

"Oh, and by the way, we were totally willing to accept you if you were a good person

deep down inside like Nonoa thought you were. Too bad you ended up being trash inside

and out."

"That's why we had to tell Nonoa what kind of person you really were."

"Yeah, she's too pure and sweet. ♪ We have to protect her from trash like you."

Their loving gazes as they thought about Nonoa instantly sharpened into sinister grins.

The contrast was mind-boggling. Hints of fanaticism could be seen in their eyes, making

Kinjou sink to the floor. He understood instinctively…that these four didn't consider him to

be human. They didn't care about his feelings. They didn't respect him. They weren't taking

his life into account. If needed, they wouldn't hesitate to stomp on him until he drew his

very last breath.

"A-ah…"

It was genuine, undiluted cruelty—something he had never been faced with once in his

life. It was unmitigated rejection that went beyond bitterness or hate, and it shook him to his

core as warmth slowly spread throughout his underwear.

"P-please don't…"

The words escaped his hoarse throat as he acted purely on instinct. Meanwhile, the other

four's eyes brightly burned as their lips curled maliciously.

"Ha-ha-ha! What the hell, man? You make it seem like we're trying to make you

'disappear.'"

"Don't worry. We wouldn't do anything like that…as long as you make sure you don't

show your face around Nonoa again. Got it?"

"Of course, you can ignore our warning, but then we're gonna expose you online, and

then it's not gonna only be about you anymore. Your entire family is gonna be publicly

shamed and shunned for the rest of their lives. I'll make sure of it."

"You've ruined plenty of lives up until now, so I'm sure you're prepared to face the

consequences, right?"

"A-ah…"

A young teenage boy's voice trembled with fear in that karaoke box that day, but his

cries went unheard.

"Sigh… Trying to make myself cry is hard," muttered Nonoa while messing around on

her phone in the restroom stall. Not even a hint of the intense grief she expressed a few

moments ago remained, but that was no surprise. It was merely an act, after all. Nonoa didn't

have anything against Kinjou. Truthfully, she wasn't really that close to Mimiko, and the

only reason she fed him to the lions like this was to pay back Masachika and Alisa.

Dad always told me that you have to pay back the people who help you.

That reason alone was enough for Nonoa to tear down a fellow human being, and yet

she felt neither guilt nor a sense of accomplishment. It wasn't anything new for her, so she

felt nothing. She had been manipulating her four puppets countless times already to dispose

of people who got in her way: upperclassmen who were jealous of her and harassed her,

the guidance counselor who held a grudge against her, Sayaka's rival candidates during the

election who spread nasty rumors about her… Nonoa never once gave direct orders to do

any harm to these people. She simply provided information and triggered her minions' desire

to protect her. Doing that was more than enough to motivate her four goons to dispose of

anyone who got in her way, and it made sense. She chose them because she knew what kind

of people they were and what they were capable of.

"Things should be wrapping up right about…now."

After Nonoa walked out of the stall, she stood in front of the mirror, worked on her

expression, then left the restroom.

"Nonoa!"

Just as she expected, the four members of her group were heading her way. She greeted

them with a brave yet feeble smile.

"Guys… I'm so sorry about that. I'm fine now, though…"

"Nonoa… Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry for getting upset like that. I ran off without even hearing Kinjou's side

of the story… I'm sure he had his reasons for doing what he did, right? I should probably

talk to him…"

But the three male members of the group stood in Nonoa's way when she began walking

back to their room, each of them wearing a somewhat cruel grin.

"Oh, Kinjou already went home."

"He seems to feel super bad about what he did… Said he was too embarrassed to even

face you."

"He said he was gonna have to rethink life and stuff, so don't worry about him, okay?"

"…Really? Well, if you say so…"

They gently watched over her as if they were knights protecting their innocent princess,

but to Nonoa, they looked like rabid fanatics idolizing her as their goddess.

It's so funny how people can just assume and believe things with no evidence.

There were no deep emotions connected to that thought. Only cold observation.

"Well, I guess we will just have to wait until Kinjou turns over a new leaf and comes

back better than ever."

Nonoa's smile was that of an angel: infinitely pure and innocent.