That was quite the tragedy, wasn’t it?

"Are you okay, Alya?"

"…"

Masachika timidly called out to Alisa as she limply sank onto a bench in the park near

the ramen shop, but she didn't reply. She didn't even have the energy to pretend like she

was okay anymore as she slowly passed into the next world. She sat with her elbows on her

knees and her forehead resting in both hands in silence, as if she were a philosopher deep

in thought. Masachika scratched his head, pondering what he could do, but before he could

figure anything out, she gradually lifted her head and sluggishly searched the park with her

vacant eyes.

"…Where's Yuki?"

"Oh, she said she had to pick up something at the store, so she left. She'll meet up with

us when she's done."

"…Oh."

And by "store," he meant the anime store. She decided to go empty out her wallet while

Alisa was in a daze. Even though they were friends in the student council, Yuki seemed to

want to keep her nerdy hobbies a secret.

"Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"What? Uh…"

It seemed Alisa still didn't want to admit defeat, despite not being able to stand. She

technically didn't lose, since she stubbornly forced herself to eat every last bite, but…but

that begged the question: What was she even fighting against?

"So, uh…want some ice cream?" asked Masachika after darting his eyes around the park

and spotting an ice-cream truck.

"…Yes."

Alisa was unusually honest about what she wanted for a change, so they got some ice

cream and returned to their bench when…

"…"

Masachika licked his chocolate chip ice cream while staring hard at the ice cream in

Alisa's hand. Unlike Masachika, who went for the cone, she went for the cup and decided on

chocolate, vanilla, cheesecake, and cookies-and-cream ice cream—all the sweetest flavors.

"Green tea? Chocolate mint? Ice cream wasn't supposed to be bitter or refreshing! Cones

were a waste of stomach room, too!" That was what her bold choices said for her. Even the

guy making her ice cream was a little surprised.

"…It's only because I just ate something spicy," argued Alisa, bashfully looking away

from him as if she'd noticed his half-surprised, half-amazed stare.

"Okay."

It was still overly sweet and excessive, thought Masachika. For some reason, Alisa was

hiding her love of sweets. Maybe she felt that it didn't fit her image.

The fact that she drinks red-bean soup like water and claims her brain needs the sugar

and she needs the energy makes it kind of pointless to hide it, though.

Nevertheless, Masachika never attempted to call her out, since she clearly wanted to

keep it a secret. He believed that no matter how obvious it might be, you should respect

others trying to be the person they wanted to be.

Could she have had a more difficult personality?

How stubborn and vain could one person be? Alisa had worked on herself over the years

to become her ideal self, and Masachika respected that. Watching her work so hard even

brought a smile to his face, which was why he naturally wanted to help her. He wanted to

make sure her hard work paid off. Whether that was some overwhelming desire to protect

others or merely something he did to make amends for his father's and his past was a mystery

to even Masachika himself.

It's a crappy reason to do something, regardless.

But while he was mocking his reasoning, he suddenly found himself curious about

something else.

"Hey, Alya."

"Yes?"

"Why do you want to be the president of the student council?"

"Because I do. I'm aiming for the top. Do I need any more of a reason than that?"

It would be hard to explain that her extremely bare response was a satisfying answer to

his question, but Masachika realized that was how she actually felt. Perhaps Alisa herself

didn't know exactly why she wanted to do it. She simply had to run, no matter what.

Whenever she found a mountain, she had to climb it. That was just who Alisa Mikhailovna

Kujou was.

I'm jealous. She's incredible.

And he genuinely felt that way. He was impressed by the beauty of someone pursuing

their ideals and continuously working hard toward their goals. There was something noble

about people who continued to push forward on their own two feet without relying on others.

Only people who took pride in what they did and fully committed themselves to their

lives had souls that gave off a brilliant glow, and Masachika could clearly see that in Alisa.

Yuki and Touya had that same glow, but what Alisa had was even brighter yet also somehow

uncertain.

"If you're going to run for president, then does that mean you have a vice president

already lined up to run with you?"

After Alisa's eyes briefly wavered, she faced Masachika with a bold expression, as if

she was embarrassed for getting flustered.

"I don't, but that isn't going to be a problem because I don't need a vice president."

"Uh… You have to run together as a team. That's the rule."

"I only need a vice president in name only. I'm sure I'll be able to find someone who'd

like the title."

Masachika was suddenly overcome with loneliness. This was it. This was why Alisa's

glow looked so uncertain. She didn't consider going to others for help, and she didn't expect

anything from others. She wasn't interested in acceptance or praise. What drove Alisa for

results were her ideals and her ideals alone…or perhapsit wasfor her own satisfaction, which

was why she believed she couldn't rely on others. Be that as it may, Masachika couldn't just

leave her like this, because he knew there was only so much one person could do, and he

knew how depressing, painful, and empty it felt when hard work didn't pay off.

Hard work should be rewarded. People who actually put in the effort deserve their

desired results.

Those beliefs were part of why he always wanted to help Alisa. He would get those

around her more involved so she would have no choice but to work together with them, and

he took the initiative to call her by her nickname. Why? Because he wanted to make her more

approachable. Though, it didn't seem to be working that well by the look of things.

"…Huh."

"…"

Alisa didn't say another word, nor did she show anything that would resemble an

emotion. As she silently ate her ice cream, Masachika felt as if her silence was a plea, but

perhaps that was merely his ego making him believe that. What was it that Alisa was going

to tell him the previous day before she stepped into her apartment? But she confirmed his

suspicions right after she finished eating her ice cream.

"<If we were together…>"

However, she fell silent before finishing her sentence, as if she was afraid of what he

might think, despite the fact that she was speaking in Russian. But for Masachika, that was

more than enough.

But I…

He didn't have the glow that Alisa, Yuki, and Touya possessed. He didn't have the

passion to continuously work hard toward a certain goal that he himself had come up with.

He always let others decide the goal for him, and how passionate he was depended on the

other person. He'd always been this way, even during the period of hislife in which he shined

the most.

His mother and his grandfather had given him the goal to become someone worthy of

taking over the Suou household, but his enthusiasm toward this goal depended only on his

mother and that girl. Masachika wasn't passionate about the idea itself. He only worked hard

because he desired his mother's praise along with the praise of that young girl. All he did

was run on the fuel given to him on the path laid out for him. But now that they were both

gone, he couldn't go anywhere. He was stuck in place.

I'm not good enough.

Masachika was grateful that she had said that in Russian, because if it had been in

Japanese, he would have probably chosen cowardly silence as his reply.

"Kuze, do you have any other plans today?"

"Hmm? Oh, not really."

"What about Yuki?"

"Oh… She'll probably call whenever she's done."

"Then help me finish my shopping."

"Didn't you say you were shopping for new clothes?"

"Yes. And…?"

"It's just… I thought there had to be a certain amount of intimacy between a guy and a

girl before he got to help her pick out her new clothes."

"Really?"

Masachika's eyes opened wide in surprise when he saw the puzzled look on Alisa's face.

Ohhh… Alisa's never had any friends she can go shopping with, so it's hard for her to

pick up on subtle things like this… Sniffle!

The pity he felt caused the inner corners of his eyes to burn as he tightly clenched his

teeth, but his expression was brimming with compassion.

"Yeah…I'll help you. Let's go."

Alisa knit her brow at how understanding he'd suddenly become.

"Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Uh… Because we're friends, of course. Yep."

"I find it hard to believe that's why."

"Don't worry about it," joked Masachika, evading her question. After that, they returned

to the shopping center they met at before lunch, went to the floor with all the clothing shops,

and began their exploration. But the entire time, Alisa couldn't help but wonder why he was

acting so nice all of a sudden, and her curiosity slowly transformed into misunderstanding.

Wait… Does he think I'm going to lose the race for student council president? Is that

why he's being nice all of a sudden? Tsk! How dare he look down on me like this?!

She was mentally clenching her teeth because Masachika was treating her like a parent

trying to cheer up his child. The way he was always seemed to think he was above others had

always bothered her, but arguing with him and trying to rebel was something only a child

would do.

I…I can't just let him treat me like this. I have to get back at him! I'm going to knock

that smug look right off his face!

Alisa groaned to herself as she racked her brain…when she suddenly remembered what

happened one morning the other day.

I'm going to put on the best fashion show he has ever seen until he starts getting hot

and bothered!

There was a clothing store Alisa had been wanting to check out, and the moment she

stepped inside, her outlandish decision, which had been born from an absurd

misunderstanding, sent her straight to the changing room with a handful of various styles

of clothing.

"I want to hear your opinion after I finish changing, okay?"

"Sure thing."

After closing the curtain between her and Masachika, she quickly began to examine the

clothing.

I suppose I'll go with this one first…

The first article of clothing Alisa immediately reached for out of the bunch was a

summery pure-white dress.

There's no way this isn't going to work! Masha even told me that all guys loved dresses

like this!

Contrary to her competitive determination, Alisa decided to play itsafe, perhaps unaware

of her own competitive streak. She trusted the possibly unreliable information from hersister,

who learned everything she knew from comic books. But when it was time to finally put on

the dress and she reached for the button on her blouse, her hand froze.

Hold on… He can't hear me getting undressed, right?

There was only a thin piece of cloth separating her and Masachika. To make matters

worse, the curtain didn't go all the way to the floor, so there was a slight gap. Alisa was

suddenly overcome with embarrassment.

"Kuze! Stand a little farther away!" shouted Alisa from the other side of the curtain,

unable to take it any longer.

"All right," lazily replied the voice, and the sound of footsteps slowly retreated into the

distance. While she was somewhat relieved, she also began to panic because she could hear

the footsteps far more clearly than she imagined she would.

Hmm? If I can hear his footsteps from here…does that mean he really can hear me

undressing, too?

Alisa was no longer able to relax after realizing that she was doing something so

embarrassing, and she felt that she finally understood what Masachika meant when he said

he thought there had to be a certain amount of intimacy between a guy and a girl before he

got to help her pick out her new clothes.

No, it's okay. There's music playing in the store, so he's probably not even going to be

able to hear me at all…I hope.

Alisa wasso embarrassed that she wanted to run away, but her pride wouldn't allow that.

She swallowed her shame and finally began undressing. After she got changed as quickly

and quietly as possible without thinking about the boy on the other side of the curtain, she

strained her ears to see if she could hear Masachika, all while knowing it was pointless.

It looks like I'm okay…

She was satisfied when he didn't react, so she turned around and faced the mirror once

more. Masachika, on the other hand, was busy trying to remain expressionless while the older

women around him glanced warmly in his direction. "Oh my. Do you think he's waiting for

his girlfriend? To be in high school and in love again… How cute," they said with their eyes.

This is just like a rom-com, thought Masachika as he tried to escape reality. Listening

to her change didn't even cross his mind, nor did he even notice. Alisa's worries were all

in her head. She would probably be pretty disappointed if she ever found out he was more

concerned about the other women glancing at him than her getting changed, though.

Heh. Nice. I look really good, if I do say so myself.

She posed in front of the mirror while singing her own praises. She was sure of her

victory (it was anyone's guess as to when this had become a contest) and began to reach for

the curtain when she was suddenly struck with anxiety. What if he didn't react? What if he

just said "Yeah, you look nice" while not paying attention and looking at his phone? …It

might make her cry. The thought alone was causing Alisa's heart to beat like a drum.

H-hmph! I'd slap the hell out of him if he did that!

Alisa swiftly flung open the curtain after pumping herself up and wrestling her anxiety

to the ground.

"What do you think?"

She leaned into one leg with a hand on her hip, as if she was posing like a model, as she

shot an instigating look at Masachika. She genuinely looked incredible thanksto her amazing

body and good looks. Immediately, all the women throughout the store directed their gazes

at her and gasped in admiration. Masachika was no exception.

Who doesn't love it when girls dress like this?!

Masachika powerfully shouted that in his heart while he slammed his fist onto an

imaginary table. It looked like Ask Masha was right for a change. Nevertheless, Masachika

knew that Alisa wanted him to drool over her. Whoever blushed first, lost. That was why he

decided to not even attempt to evade but attack instead!

"You look incredible. The pure-white dress looks especially good on you, since you

have such nice milky-white skin. It seriously emphasizes your clean, feminine look. I didn't

think you could get any cuter, but here we are."

"…?! O-oh… Really…?"

Masachika's counterattack staggered her, and she started to feel jittery after being

complimented in such a straightforward manner.

"Okay, let's try the next outfit…," muttered Alisa unintelligibly as she closed the curtain

as if to run away, and they simultaneously crouched in a fluster the instant they could no

longer see each other.

Wait, wait, wait, thought Alisa. Hold on. What? He just showered me with compliments!

Oh god! I'm so embarrassed! I can't believe I said all that without laughing! Masachika

wasreeling. Holy crap. Saying thatright to herface wasso embarrassing! How isshe always

able to say stuff like that with a straight face?! I mean, she's doing it in Russian and thinks

I don't understand, so I guess that makes sense, but still!

Masachika clutched his head, fighting through the embarrassment with so much focus

that he didn't have the energy to care about the surrounding women's heartwarming stares.

Little did he know that Alisa was covering her cheeks while fighting through her

embarrassment as well.

Wait. C-cute? D-do I look that cute? Wait, wait, wait! M-me? Did he say I was cute?

Ahhh!

But she couldn't deal with the embarrassment and smacked the floor a few times…until

she realized the noise she was making and stopped in a panic. After needlessly clearing her

throat, she faced forward and gazed into the mirror…but when she noticed she was grinning

from ear to ear, she instinctively bumped her forehead lightly against it. She rubbed her

forehead against it, using the pain and chilling sensation to pull herself together.

Phew… I'm okay. Now that I think about it, he wasn't saying anything out of character.

Of course he'd say something like that. Kuze's the kind of person who would compliment a

girl. Very commendable of him, if I might add.

But when she threw her hair back while arrogantly judging him for some strange reason,

she suddenly got the impression that he seemed very skilled.

Skilled at what, though?

But she didn't even have to think about it for more than a second. Masachika seemed

like he was used to complimenting girls. But who had he been complimenting so much that

made him get used to it? There was only one person who came to mind.

Yuki…?

The thought immediately cleared her head. She thought back to how they were having

the time of their lives window-shopping together a few hours ago, and uneasiness spread

through her heart.

"…"

After pulling herself away from the mirror, she looked down at the clothes and picked

out a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt with some English written on it before changing once

more. Perhaps Alisa had an idea why she went with a boyish outfit deep down inside but

chose not to acknowledge it. If she said she selected the clothes for no particular reason, then

that was that.

"So? How do I look?"

Alisa opened the curtain with an expression brimming with confidence as if to say, "I

have nothing to hide." But Masachika wasn't so dense that he couldn't notice why she may

have chosen such an outfit. He had enough tact (or perhaps brains) to not voice this out loud,

though.

"You look really stylish in this outfit. You're more beautiful than cute if that makes any

sense, so that outfit really looks good on you, too. Jeans seriously emphasize how nice your

body is, unlike skirts."

"O-oh? I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

Alisa accepted the excessive compliments this time without allowing herself to get

flustered and thanked him with a smile, unusually enough.

"Let's move on to the next outfit, then."

"All right."

It wasn't long before Alisa had long forgotten her goal to make Masachika feel hot and

bothered as she started to genuinely grow fond of the fashion show for what it was. She

switched outfits and posed in front of the mirror before showing Masachika, who praised

her by using every compliment he had ever learned from comics, video games, and anime.

His sense of shame slowly dulled while Alisa slowly began to enjoy herself. It was just as

Masachika expected. She didn't have any friends to go shopping with, and whenever she

went shopping with her sister, Maria would simply say, "Oh, you look so cute," no matter

what Alisa wore, so this was the first time she ever had someone compliment her in such

detail like this.

What should I choose next? Decisions ♪, decisions. ♪

She was in such a good mood now that she was even humming to herself in her head

while she picked out her clothes. If Yuki were there, she would laugh at Alisa for being

so easily charmed, but Alisa herself was not self-aware enough to realize this. Instead, she

mirthfully reached out for outfits that she usually would not wear "just in case."

This is a little too…risqué, isn't it? I'm sure Kuze will still compliment me, though.

It was a miniskirt and camisole that was far skimpier than anything else she had worn.

The miniskirt seemed especially short, since Alisa naturally had such long legs, to the point

that describing it as below the crotch would be more fitting than above the knees. It was

something she would normally never wear under any circumstances, and even if she did,

she would never wear it in front of a boy. However, Masachika's constant praise helped her

drown out the faint voice of reason in the back of her head. In fact, she was so excited that

she didn't even realize there were two people on the other side of the curtain now…

"What do you thi—?"

Only after she leaned forward and placed her right index finger on her cheek with a wink

did she notice that Yuki was standing right next to Masachika. The moment their eyes met,

Alisa's winking eye froze shut. Meanwhile, Yuki was blinking at the sight while holding two

paper bags full of anime goods.

"Wooow, Alya. Sexy."

"…Yeah."

Yuki whistled with a natural expression while Masachika averted his gaze with an

indescribable look on his face, instantly dragging Alisa back into reality. The blood drained

from her face before immediately rushing back into her cheeks.

"…Right."

Alisa pulled her crimson, twitching cheeks into a tight smile while swiftly shutting the

curtain and quietly curling up into a ball.

"<I want to disappear…,>" she muttered in a fading voice after looking at herself in the

mirror once more.

"What'd Alya say?"

"She said she wanted to disappear."

"Heh! What an innocent little babyyy. Ha-ha!"

"You're sick."

Even a whisper that soft couldn't escape these two siblings.

After calming down and purchasing two of the outfits she had tried on, Alisa left the

shopping center with Masachika and Yuki, and they started heading home. Alisa's mood,

however, did not get any better even after they got on the train, and Masachika and Yuki

simply played on their phones without chatting asif they were trying not to make the situation

any worse for her.

"Well, see you Monday, Alya."

"I had a lot of fun today. Let's do this again sometime."

"Yeah, see you two Monday."

The train pulled up to Masachika and Yuki's stop. After they got off the train, Alisa

immediately sank into her seat.

"<That didn't just happen…>"

Alisa thought back to how she'd made a fool of herself (by herstandards) earlier, making

her want to fall to the floor and writhe.

"<I bet they think I'm some sort of promiscuous schoolgirl after seeing me in that short< p>

skirt…>"

She buried herself in the paper bag resting in her lap while the shame and regret

consumed her…when she suddenly realized something weird.

"…Hmm?"

It was very weird. Why did they get off at the same station? Their houses were three

stations apart, so it wouldn't make sense for them to get off at the same station.

"What the…?"

There were only a few possible explanations. They were still not planning on going home

yet. Or maybe they were planning on going home together?

"What in the…?"

And her assumption was technically correct. There was no way Yuki could bring her

anime merchandise back home to the Suou household, so she decided to enjoy her spoils of

war at the Kuze residence—circumstances that Alisa was completely unaware of.

"Are those two really…?"

But she managed to stop the seed of doubt from growing any more than that.

Wait. No. They probably just wanted to stop by another shop before heading home.

After persuading herself that it was all in her head, Alisa suddenly remembered

something else and pulled out her phone.

Hold on. What did she call it again? A "boyfriend shirt"?

While relying on her memories, Alisa searched the internet until she found a certain

image, causing her eyes to open wide.

"Huh?!"

The random squeal caught the surrounding passengers' attention, but Alisa was too deep

in thought to care. It was a picture from a comic geared toward young women. A boy and

girl were facing each other while sitting on the bed, but while the girl was wearing a baggy

collared shirt and faintly smiling, the boy…was completely bare from the waist up.

W-w-w-w-wait, wait, wait! What did she mean by that?!

The seed of doubt she was suppressing shot powerfully into the air and pierced the

ceiling.

Wait! What?! Are they…?!

Alisa gazed in wonder at the erotic scene as she replaced the characters with Masachika

and Yuki in her head before erasing the thought in a panic.

What is going on?!

She spent the rest of her time on the train agonizing about what it all meant without ever

finding an answer.