Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 17 - Chapter 3

The Secret Agreement at the Amusement Park

Monday, August 23rd

Unlike the girls of room 106 who were enjoying their summer vacation, Koutarou was busy with his part-time job. With the salary he received from Theia, there was actually no need for him to work at all. Tallying everything he’d received from her so far, he had funds enough to buy a small house.

But Koutarou had no intention of using that money for himself. He was saving it up to use for everyone when they went out together. In a way, he had trouble thinking of the money Theia gave him as actual money. It would feel weird to convert it into instant noodles and toilet paper. But he had no resistance to the idea of spending it so everyone could have fun. To him, it only seemed reasonable that the money he got from his relationship from Theia be spent on furthering his relationship with her and everyone else.

As such, Koutarou continued his part-time job despite having a vast fortune for a high school student. The girls laughed at him for being so earnest and awkward, but in truth, they loved that earnest and awkward side of his. They knew that his insisting on keeping his part-time job was ultimately a roundabout way of him caring for them. So they didn’t try and stop him, but rather watched over him warmly.

“Koutarou, it’s your turn.”

“Okay.”

Koutarou reached his hand out and threw the die before moving his own piece the number of spaces he’d rolled. He was currently playing a board game with Sanae, Yurika, Kiriha, and the two haniwas. Things had already wrapped up for the day and they were currently killing time before bed by playing a game.

“It says to draw an event card.”

The objective of this particular board game was to escape from an old European manor. What happened inside the manor was determined by random event cards, and the space Koutarou had landed on said to draw one.

“Here you are.”

“Thanks.”

Koutarou drew a card from the pile of cards that Kiriha presented to him.

“What did you get?”

“Um... ‘You break down a wall and are attacked by a zombie. You can fend it off by discarding a weapon card. If you don’t discard, or can’t discard, you are chased around by the zombie and lose a turn.’”

“What will you do, ho?”

“Zombies are scary, ho!”

“I don’t have any weapon cards. Guess I’m sitting out a turn. Haaahh...”

Koutarou glanced at his hand and shook his head before letting out a loud yawn. It was getting late and he was exhausted from work, both of which were taking a toll on him.

“Karama-chan is next.”

“Brother, the die, ho!”

“Be careful, ho! There are monsters everywhere in this manor, ho!”

“Ho, ho!”

“The haniwas are really into this.”

“They’re probably happy because they usually only get to watch.”

After Koutarou’s turn, play passed from the haniwas to Yurika, to Kiriha, and then to Sanae before returning to him. But since he was losing a turn, he’d have to wait another whole round before play actually came back to him. And by the time his next turn actually rolled around...

“...”

“Hey, Koutarou.”

“Looks like he’s fallen asleep.”

“While exploring the manor, Koutarou lost to drowsiness, ho!”

“Not a bad way to go, ho!”

“I’m sure he’s tired. He’s working his part-time job and still playing with us.”

During the round he’d been forced to sit out, Koutarou had fallen asleep. Waking him up once he was out was no easy task, and the girls knew good and well why he’d passed out in the first place. That’s why no one in the room tried to rouse him.

“All right, Koutarou’s asleep, but let’s continue!”

“That’s more like it, ho!”

“This adventure isn’t over yet, ho!”

“With Satomi-san dropping out, last place automatically goes to him. Now I really want to keep going!”

The game continued then as if nothing happened. With Koutarou in such a deep sleep, waking him up would be hard work. That worked in their favor in that there was no fear of accidentally disturbing him by being noisy if they kept playing.

“You guys keep going. I’ll properly put Koutarou to bed.”

“Okay! That means it’s Karama-chan’s turn again.”

“Ohoho, I will now show you my extraordinary luck, ho!”

“Karama, you’re extraordinarily lucky, ho?”

“It’s more exciting if I say I am, ho.”

“Then show them your luck Karama, ho!”

“The haniwas are getting more and more influenced by the manga and anime of the surface.”

Leaving the game to the haniwas, Sanae, and Yurika, Kiriha began tending to Koutarou. After laying down a futon by the wall, she dragged him over to it. He was out cold and offering no resistance, so it was easy enough to drag him along the grain of the tatami.

You’re completely defenseless right now... We’re invaders, you know? Aren’t you worried we’ll do something terrible?

Kiriha pulled a blanket over Koutarou and quietly watched his sleeping face. He looked totally relaxed and unwary. Seeing that, Kiriha smiled and gently stroked his cheek. She could feel his warmth through her palm. The sensation made her happy, and she continued stroking his cheek over and over.

What would you do if I were to kiss you while you slept? I’m one thing, but Kii doesn’t have that kind of restraint... Teehee...

While Koutarou was totally unguarded around the invaders, the invaders were deeply in love with him. Both sides were strange. Kiriha couldn’t help continuing to smile.

After putting Koutarou to bed, Kiriha returned to the tea table and rejoined the others. They then played out their game to its conclusion. First place was Sanae, second was Karama, third was Kiriha, fourth was Korama, fifth was Yurika, and sixth was Koutarou. Although, really, since Koutarou had ended up falling asleep and forfeiting by default, Yurika was actually the one who’d come in last place.

“Aww yeah! I’ll be sleeping great tonight!”

But despite her placement, Yurika was in a great mood. She was cheerily humming to herself as she opened the wardrobe and climbed up to her bed in the upper half. As it turned out, she’d had a good deal of fun with the night’s game. With Koutarou retiring, she’d been able to enjoy playing without worrying about getting last place. It was the ideal scenario for her.

“Nighty-night, everyone!”

And the cheerful Yurika was turning in early. Since she was the victim of unexpected misfortune on a daily basis, she’d started going to bed early whenever something good happened. That had become her life philosophy.

“Goodnight.”

But on the other hand, Sanae looked rather dissatisfied as she watched Yurika retire. Just looking at the two of them, anyone would have thought Sanae was the one who’d come in last place.

“What is it, Sanae?”

After Yurika closed the sliding door of the wardrobe, Kiriha called out to Sanae. She naturally grew concerned when the normally cheerful and innocent Sanae was making such a sour face.

“I was wondering how I should punish Koutarou for falling asleep and forgetting about me, the psychic beauty Sanae-chan.”

As it turned out, Sanae was unhappy about Koutarou. As far as she was concerned, it was his job to praise her whenever she got first place. Neglecting that obligation was no small offense in her mind.

“So, did you decide on what to do?”

“Yeah, I’ve decided to think about it tomorrow.”

“That’s not deciding on anything. You’re just putting off for later.”

“But it’s boring to decide on something when Koutarou’s sleeping.”

Really, Sanae just wanted Koutarou to dote on her. But he’d passed out, meaning that he wouldn’t pay attention to her now no matter what she did.

“Well, it’s not like I don’t understand how you feel.”

Kiriha had a mischievous side to her, and she also found it dull that Koutarou had gone to sleep. But unlike Sanae, it was because she wanted to dote on Koutarou rather than the other way around.

“Well then, I’m going to turn in as well.”

“Okay. Goodnight, then.”

“Goodnight.”

After telling Kiriha goodnight, Sanae put on her favorite nightcap. Its design wasn’t dissimilar from a Santa hat, and it fit the innocent and bright Sanae perfectly.

“Jeez, that Koutarou...”

Sanae continued to mutter complaints as she walked over to Koutarou, who was currently sleeping on his side.

“And... there we go.”

Sanae laid down in front of Koutarou, nestled her back up against his chest, and then pulled his arm his arm over her.

“That should do it.”

After settling in, she nodded with satisfaction and closed her eyes. She wanted to sleep with Koutarou hugging her from behind. She used to sleep inside of him as a ghost, so this kind of intimate position felt natural to her now.

“I sometimes get envious of that innocent boldness of yours...”

“Did you say something?”

“No, nothing. Goodnight, Sanae.”

“Goodnight.”

Kiriha watched the two of them as she lifted up the tatami mat nearest the kitchen, and wondered how she might be able to do the same thing with Koutarou as she disappeared into the underground tunnel below.

The next morning, Ruth couldn’t help smiling when she arrived in room 106. The reason for it was because she’d stumbled upon both Koutarou and Sanae sleeping sprawled out on the floor with their legs and arms in all directions. The two of them sleeping in the exact same position was quite humorous, but to Ruth, this was like a perfect mirror of their relationship.

After smiling at them for a moment, Ruth headed for the kitchen and began preparing breakfast. Shortly after, Sanae, who was sensitive to the presence of others, woke up. She sleepily rubbed her eyes and wandered into the kitchen.

“Good morning...”

“Good morning to you too.”

Figuring she was still sleepy on a midsummer morning like this, Ruth gave Sanae a glass of cold water as she greeted her.

“Here. For you, Sanae-sama.”

“Thank you, Ruth.”

“I see you stayed over last night.”

“Yeah. You know Koutarou― Ah, that’s right!”

Sanae hurriedly drank down her water and ran back into the inner room. Her goal was to wake up Koutarou and give him a piece of her mind about last night.

“My...”

Surprised by the complete one-eighty in Sanae’s attitude, Ruth stood there with a blank look on her face for a moment before giggling and returning to her work. The breakfast menu for today was ham, eggs, salad, miso soup, and rice.

Upon being roughly woken up by Sanae, Koutarou wasn’t quite sure why she was angry at him. He had to listen to her for a bit before he realized what she was going on about.

“I’m sorry for falling asleep halfway through.”

“That’s not the point! I’m more concerned about you neglecting your most important job, which is praising me when I win!”

“That’s your problem?!”

“What other problems could there be?”

“Normally, falling asleep in the middle of a game would be the real issue.”

“But you’ve been tired lately, right? I’d just be being mean if I said you couldn’t sleep.”

“Then I can just praise you after the fact too, right?”

“No way! You spoiling me was a mission bestowed upon you by the heavens!”

“I don’t really follow, but... congratulations on your victory. That’s just what I’d expect from the beautiful and adorable Sanae-chan.”

“Hmph, very well.”

As he praised Sanae, Koutarou reached out to pat her on the head. Anticipating this, she leaned forward to make her head easier to reach. She loved their back and forth before getting pat on the head. It was her favorite game.

“Now, as an extra reward, you’ll be taking me to the amusement park, you bastard!”

“Can’t you ask normally?”

“I’m bored, so let’s go play at the amusement park!”

“Just say that from the start, jeez. You really are a handful.”

“Eeheehee!”

Sanae looked up at Koutarou with an embarrassed giggle and expectant eyes. It was one of Koutarou’s weaknesses. He just couldn’t refuse when she looked at him like that.

“Okay, okay. Let’s go to the amusement park.”

“Really?! Yeah! Thank you, Koutarou!”

“When do you want to go?”

“Today!”

“That’s awfully sudden. Everyone might be busy.”

“That’s fine. We can just go again when everyone has time. It’s not like it’s the kind of place where one day is really enough, anyway.”

“That’s an optimistic outlook.”

“It’s Sanae-chan’s motto to do fun things as many times as possible.”

“Ha, okay. I can buy into that.”

And so Koutarou agreed to take Sanae to the amusement park. They’d also invite anyone else who was free to come along that day.

“Koutarou, Sanae, may I join you?”

Kiriha, who was sitting nearby, expressed her interest in going. The rollercoaster she so loved was at the amusement park. She loved nothing more than to ride it whenever she had the chance, so she wouldn’t pass up this opportunity.

“Yeah, let’s go together! It’s more fun with more people! The haniwas should come too!”

“We’ll come, ho! We’d be happy to, ho!”

“We don’t have to hide there, so we love it, ho!”

Sanae heartily welcomed them all. While it might have been fun to go with just Koutarou, she wanted to have fun with as many people as possible. With Kiriha and the haniwas in tow, they’d have at least a party of five.

And as it turned out, Kiriha was the only other person who could go. Theia and Ruth were busy, Yurika had already been abducted by the cosclub for the day, Shizuka and Maki had made plans to hang out with some classmates, and Clan had scheduled a checkup for Harumi. So in the end, it was just Koutarou, Sanae, Kiriha, and the haniwas after all.

“Since it’s just us, I’ve decided to pad out the numbers.”

“Sanae-chan, one of us is enough.”

After leaving the apartment, Sanae-chan left her body and was floating in the air alongside the haniwas. It was her way of being considerate, but it was a trial for the poor, shy Sanae-san.

“You need to get used to this already.”

“That’s impossible... You’re always taking the courage with you, Sanae-chan.”

“Well, that’s because it’s mine. You need to muster up your own. Stop relying on me.”

“But...”

Having only known Koutarou and the others for a short while, Sanae-san still wasn’t sure how to act around them. On top of that, Sanae-chan’s extroverted personality was usually the dominant one. Even with her memories as a reference, the introverted Sanae-san hardly knew what to do with them. She was still getting a feel for things.

“Koutarou, how about you hold Sanae-san’s hand?”

“That’s it! Thank you, Kiriha! We should just force her to get used to it!”

“Whaaat?!”

The Sanaes were split on Kiriha’s proposal. Sanae-chan was all for it, but Sanae-san was against it. The difference in their personalities was showing.

“So... what should I do?”

This, of course, troubled Koutarou. While he had no objections to holding Sanae’s hand, he didn’t just want to ignore how Sanae-san felt.

“Koutarou, Koutarou! It’s not like she doesn’t like you! She’s me, after all!”

“Eeeeek! Stop it, Sanae-chan!”

“She likes you so she’s just embarrassed to hold hands. Isn’t she childish?”

“You look more like the child to me though...”

Since they were two halves of the same whole, Sanae-chan and Sanae-san shared their senses, memories, and basic personality traits. That’s why both of them liked Koutarou. But in the time they’d spent apart, they’d gradually developed different ways of expressing those things.

“So there you have it! Just grab her hand!”

“N-No way!”

“Do you hate Koutarou, Sanae-san?”

“That’s not it, but... it’s still too early! We’ve only known each other for a few months!”

“You’re so immature... Jeez...”

Their temperaments were so different that Sanae was amazed by herself.

“I’ve come up with a good idea, Sanae.”

“What?”

“How about you hold Karama and Korama’s hands first? I’m sure that’ll be a lot easier than starting off with the person you love the most.”

“We’ll cooperate, ho!”

“But don’t fall for us, ho!”

Karama and Korama spun around Sanae-san. Since they adored Sanae, they were happy to help her.

“I-In that case, I might manage somehow...”

“Fine, so be it... Please lend us a hand, haniwas.”

“Leave it to us, ho!”

“We’re full of love, ho!”

Karama and Korama each floated over to grab one of Sanae-san’s hands. They then concealed themselves using their built-in cloaking, but Sanae-san could still feel their tiny hands in hers.

“All right, I’ll do my best...”

If she kept being so withdrawn, she would never be able to leave Sanae-chan’s shadow. That would become an obstacle if the two of them were to completely merge, so Sanae-san decided to try her hardest today.

Koutarou and the others took the train to their destination for the day. As they approached the ocean, the first thing they could see along the coastline was the ferris wheel. The biggest attraction of them all of course stood out the most. But next after that, they spied the rollercoaster Kiriha was so particularly fond of.

“That reminds me, Koutarou. We made a promise to ride the rollercoaster after the commotion underground settled down.”

Spotting the rollercoaster through the train window, Kiriha smiled at Koutarou. Just before the decisive battle with the radical faction, Koutarou had promised the nervous Kiriha that they would ride the rollercoaster when everything was all over. Those words had supported Kiriha during the fight. She’d held on to them all this time, and she wasn’t planning on leaving the amusement park today without getting to ride the coaster.

“I remember. That’s what I was thinking about the moment the amusement park came up.”

Of course Koutarou hadn’t forgotten. He was a knight of his word. Especially when it came to those who were special to him, like the girls of room 106.

“Koutarou, real men always keep their promises.”

Sanae who had listened in on the conversation poked Koutarou with her elbow, with a mannerism as if to say that those who don’t fulfill their promises are the worst.

“Trust me. I’m there.”

“All right! Karama-chan, Korama-chan, we’re going to ride the rollercoaster!”

“I can’t wait, ho!”

“I love going up and down and round and round, ho!”

“You’re more interested in riding it yourself than in me keeping my promise...”

Sanae and the cloaked haniwas rejoiced. It might have been a strange sight to anyone else, but not to Koutarou and Kiriha. Sanae and the haniwas began then discussing the attractions as they stared out the window, and Kiriha turned back to Koutarou.

“By the way, Koutarou...”

Since she only wanted Koutarou to hear what she was about to say, she spoke in a quiet, almost whispering voice.

“Hmm?”

“When we went there last year... Do you remember the other promise we made?”

“Last year? What was it again?”

“Heh, you really are unconcerned with promises others make...”

Koutarou always tried to make good on his promises, but he didn’t demand the same from others. The girls had helped him realize that was because he didn’t expect things from others, but that was a habit he was trying to break.

“I’m trying to be careful, but it’s not that easy.”

“Back then, I promised you that in return for helping me find my first love, I would introduce you to a cute underground girl.”

“Ah, that’s right. I do remember you saying something like that.”

Koutarou recalled coming out to the park with Kiriha last year. He’d struck a deal with her to help cheer her up. Kiriha had agreed, and a promise was made. But since Koutarou had only done it to help Kiriha, he’d quickly forgotten about the rest.

“Now is the time to fulfill that promise.”

“What? But I don’t really―”

“Need that” is what Koutarou was about to say. He already had Kiriha, Sanae, and several other girls precious to him. There was no need to introduce him to someone else. But before he could finish saying that, Kiriha placed her slender finger on his lips, preventing him from continuing

“I’ll be introducing you to the daughter of the Kurano family. Since the Kurano family is a distinguished family with over a thousand-year history, she should be perfect for you.”

“Hey, isn’t that―”

Koutarou’s eyes opened wide. The Kurano family only had one daughter, and that was Kiriha herself. Now, after she’d found her first love and the chaos underground had been settled, she’d decided to introduce herself.

“Her name is Kurano Kiriha. She’s seventeen years old, just like you. Even if it’s just as friends, I hope the two of you live happily ever after.”

Kiriha smiled innocently. It was as if she really was introducing him to a friend.

“Kiriha-san...”

“Yes?”

Kiriha slightly inclined her head, resting it on Koutarou’s shoulder. The gesture was incredibly natural, as if it was something she’d been doing for years. Seeing her like that, Koutarou swallowed his own words.

“It’s nothing... I was just thinking that since you’ve introduced us, I should get along well with her.”

“I’d be happy if you do. It’ll mean going to the trouble of introducing you two was worth it.”

“You would... go that far for me, huh?”

“I love you, after all. Or is that not reason enough?”

“...No, it’s probably my own fault I’m confused.”

Koutarou still didn’t fully understand his own heart. It was no longer a question that the girls of room 106 were precious to him, but his wounded heart was fighting him at every step. He was so deeply cut off from his feelings that he was still denying them at times like this.

“That’s enough with the serious talk, Koutarou. Today we should play to our hearts’ content before we go home.”

“Yeah, let’s!”

Yet slowly and surely, those wounds were beginning to heal. He was happy just knowing there were people who would go out of their way for him.

Upon arriving at the amusement park, Koutarou and the girls chose one end to start at and made their way to the other, riding every single ride they came across along the way. Since there was no reason to rush through the entire park in one day, they took their time and rode everything. There were only two attractions they were dead set on getting to: the rollercoaster they’d all talked about before, and the Kabutonga feature they’d never be able to visit with Ruth around.

“Neo Scarab King sure was strong. But there’s no way my Kabutonga would lose.”

“It’s our and Sanae-chan’s victory, ho!”

“Friendship comes out victorious, ho!”

“Well done, Hercules, Atlas!”

“Ho!”

“Ho, ho!”

Koutarou and the others had just finished with the Kabutonga attraction, “Kabutonga: The Ride.” It was an interactive ride where you got in a moving car headed to assault the enemy base, and shot enemies that popped up along the way. It was one of the most popular attractions at the park.

They’d split up into two cars: Kiriha and Koutarou in one and Sanae and the haniwas in another. They’d competed by comparing final scores, and Sanae and the haniwas had stolen the show. Sanae’s psychic powers gave her superhuman reflexes, and the haniwas were able to show off the power of state-of-the-art spiritual energy technology. Working together, they’d easily achieved the day’s high score.

“Looks like we lost, Koutarou.”

“I’m afraid there’s no helping that. In the end, you and I are just ordinary people that can move a little fast.”

While Koutarou and Kiriha had lost, they weren’t unhappy with their results. Sanae had beat them, but they were still the second placing team on the scoreboard. That was a victory in its own right. They’d only fallen behind because they were up against an exceptional opponent.

“I have objections to you calling yourself ordinary.”

“Well, that goes both ways.”

“Our talents couldn’t be fully utilized in a simple firefight.”

“I guess that’s true.”

Kiriha was a tactical genius and Koutarou had some skill with a blade. Neither of them were cut out for gunfights from vehicles. Especially not with the enemy attacking in waves.

“You’ve got it all wrong! We didn’t win because of special powers or skills.”

“We didn’t, ho!”

“You don’t get it, ho!”

“Our victory comes from our hearts filled with justice and the bonds of friendship!”

“Justice, ho!”

“Friendship, ho!”

Sanae and the haniwas were cheerfully walking in front of Koutarou and Kiriha. Their prize for winning was getting to decide what ride everyone went on next, and they were headed straight for the haunted house. It was another ride that would send groups of two through a spooky mansion.

“Sanae, let’s change up the teams again.”

“Okay. You were with Kiriha last time, so I’ll go with her this time.”

“Let’s do our best, Sanae.”

“Yeah!”

“Koutarou, now that it’s come to this, you are our only hope, ho!”

“The monsters at the haunted house don’t show up on our sensors! And they jump out of nowhere, so they’re scary, ho!”

“...That’s a surprising weakness you guys have.”

On attractions where the whole group couldn’t ride together, they’d been splitting up. But having the same partners all day would be boring, so they’d been rotating after each ride. After the Kabutonga attraction and the ride before, it was now Kiriha and Sanae’s turn to pair off, which meant Koutarou was with the haniwas. With that settled, the five of them headed to the haunted house.

Unlike the Kabutonga ride, the haunted mansion was dark. Karama and Korama didn’t need to conceal themselves, so they took up their positions to the left and right of Koutarou.

“Koutarou, there it is, ho!”

“Save us, ho!”

They were clinging to him and trembling. Unlike normal ghosts, they couldn’t sense the animatronic ones that were part of the attraction. Scared, they’d been holding on to Koutarou since the ride started.

“Like I said, that’s not a real ghost.”

“We know that, ho! It’s not about logic, ho!”

“It’s the same as being afraid of heights, ho! You don’t just stop being scared in a high place even if you have a lifeline, ho!”

“I kinda get what you mean... All right, just leave it to me.”

“You’re so reliable, ho!”

“Brother!”

Koutarou and the haniwas had a rather lively ride through the haunted house. In contrast, things with Sanae and Kiriha in the car behind them were quite quiet.

“Say, Kiriha, how is that being projected into the air?”

“It’s probably being displayed on a diagonal, transparent glass panel, and that doll is probably drawn behind it.”

“I see. So with a human shape reflected off of the glass, it looks like a real ghost.”

“Exactly.”

Having been a ghost herself not all that long ago, the prospect of a haunted house didn’t scare Sanae at all. But since she still loved surprises, this kind of attraction was still right up her alley. Moreover, this would serve as good inspirational fuel for pranks she could pull when she left her body. So for those two reasons, Sanae was quite fascinated by the haunted house. Since the beginning of the ride, she’d been asking Kiriha how each of the tricks worked.

“Um, Kiriha...”

But just after they reached the halfway point of the ride, the tone of Sanae’s voice dropped a little. Kiriha could tell from the change that she was about to ask her about something else altogether.

“What is it?”

“Can I ask you about something since it’s just the two of us right now?”

“I don’t mind.”

“Thanks.”

Sanae wore a serious expression quite unlike her usual self. She looked much more like Sanae-san than Sanae-chan right now.

“Um, Kiriha, do you like Koutarou?”

“Yes, I love him.”

In response to Sanae’s reserved question, Kiriha gave a clear answer. She seemed perfectly in her element. If anything at all changed in her expression, it was the hint of gentleness deep within her eyes.

“How much?”

“Most likely as much as you do.”

“I see... Yeah, you would...”

Sanae nodded, seemingly convinced. She’d suspected that was the case. Before she’d realized it, the aura that Kiriha directed towards Koutarou was no longer just the love of a friend. That was proof enough that they shared the same feelings for Koutarou.

“But, Kiriha...”

“Hmm?”

“If that’s true, won’t it become a problem in the future?”

“The possibility for that is quite high.”

In what would likely be the distant future, Koutarou’s wounded heart would eventually heal. When that happened, he would finally be able to love people back. In all likelihood, he would choose someone to be his lover and they would eventually marry. The problem was that he could only choose one person, and there were two girls here that loved him dearly. Sanae and Kiriha both knew that would inevitably spell trouble down the line.

“Do you think you could give up, Kiriha?”

“That would be hard. I probably couldn’t do it. What about you?”

“I don’t think I could either. I don’t want to imagine a future where I’m not with Koutarou...”

Koutarou had already become an important part of both girls’ lives. Having him forcibly torn away from them would be beyond painful. They both wanted to avoid that, but the chance of it happening at some point in the future wasn’t small.

“Then, Kiriha, why don’t we make a promise?”

“A promise?”

“Yeah. That there won’t be any grudges, regardless of whether Koutarou chooses me or you. In exchange, the one not chosen is allowed to have an affair with Koutarou.”

“That’s an interesting proposal...”

What Sanae was suggesting was fairly simple. Kiriha was currently trying to invade Koutarou’s life while taking the utmost care not to destroy anything, and it seemed Sanae had arrived at a similar plan. And since she was trying to make an ideal arrangement for both of them, it was a very interesting proposition to Kiriha.

“Since this is Koutarou we’re talking about, that affair would probably be just as serious.”

“I don’t know about that. He’s an awkward man, after all.”

“So, what do you say, Kiriha? Is it a promise?”

Sanae mustered her courage to quiet her unease and boldly asked Kiriha for an answer. Since this was a question that would greatly affect their futures, she wasn’t asking with her usual cheerful smile. The desperation in her eyes was shining through.

“It’s a promise.”

“Really?!”

“It’s certainly not a bad deal for me.”

“Thank you, Kiriha!”

The moment Kiriha agreed, a smile returned to Sanae’s face as she sighed and relaxed her shoulders. Waiting for an answer had been one of the tensest moments of her life, and she felt overwhelming relief now that it was all over.

“Hahh, thank god... With this, there’s no need to worry about Kiriha for now...”

“We’ll eventually need to bring this up with everyone.”

“Yeah, you’re right. That might be for the best.”

Kiriha and Sanae weren’t the only ones that cared for Koutarou, and the other girls who did were irreplaceable to both Kiriha and Sanae. They wanted to avoid any scenario that would compromise their friendship. And to that end, Sanae’s promise would be a safe bet.

“Perhaps, but I think we should aim for the opposite.”

“The opposite?”

“Rather than facilitating Koutarou choosing someone, I think we make it so he can’t choose anyone.”

“Can’t choose anyone...? What do you mean?”

“It means getting even closer to Koutarou than we are now. If we all do that, it’ll make it impossible for him to choose one of us over the others.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“Normally someone would settle on a partner before things got to that point, but because of Koutarou’s past trauma, he’s deferring that choice. So we should all deepen our relationships with him before the time comes that he’s forced to make it.”

“How should we do that?”

“There’s no special way. We only need to remain our bright and energetic selves. Just by doing that, our invasion will advance to the next stage.”

“Heehee, I’m sure Koutarou’s in for a lot of trouble.”

Sanae flashed a small smile. She normally had no intention of bothering Koutarou, but compromises would have to be made for the sake of everyone’s happiness. She needed him to be troubled over this.

“Indeed, he’s a very serious man. If things go according to plan, he’s in for a world of trouble.”

“But that’s just what we want. I bet everything would be a lot more fun together.”

“Fortunately, we are invaders. It’s been our job to trouble Koutarou since we first arrived.”

“Let’s do our best to invade.”

“Agreed.”

With their secret discussion over, Sanae and Kiriha exchanged smiles. A year and four months had already passed since the girls first began their invasion, and they were finally about to get serious. However, this time, it would be a large-scale joint invasion.

“Koutarou, save us, ho!”

“Waaah! If we’re important to you, do your best to protect us, ho!”

“Calm down already! Nothing bad is actually going to happen!”

“You don’t know that, ho!”

“Don’t be so irresponsible, ho!”

“Ho—waaah!”

And Koutarou was none the wiser. He had no clue of the frightening plans being conspired upon by the invaders in the car behind him. He had no idea that what he was only vaguely starting to realize for himself was about to become full-fledged reality.

When Koutarou and the girls left the haunted house, they were bathed in the red light of the evening sun. It was just about to set, meaning it was time to start thinking about going home.

“Kiriha, the day is almost over,” remarked Sanae.

“Then we should head back soon,” Kiriha replied.

“All right, then let’s hit one last ride before we go.”

“You’re right, let’s do just that.”

“Come on, Koutarou.”

“O-Okay...”

Before Koutarou and the girls left the park, they would enjoy one final attraction. While no one had mentioned its name, they all instinctively began heading for the same place. They already knew exactly where they were going.

“Koutarou, we’ve decided to follow you, ho!”

“Ane-san was right, ho! You’re a really dependable man, ho!”

“Th-Thanks? I’m glad I was of use.”

“What a modest man, ho!”

“As expected of Big Brother, ho!”

“It sounds like Koutarou and the haniwas are getting along better.”

“Something must have happened at the haunted house.”

“Eeheehee, just like it did with us.”

“Heh, looks like it.”

The group of five cheerfully chatted away as they headed for the ride in question. They eventually approached a huge, towering structure. It was a line of metal tracks supported by a strong frame. On top of it were metallic cars that flew along the rails at frightening speeds. It was the ever-popular rollercoaster.

“Kiriha, we should go too.”

“Yes, let’s.”

About a hundred meters away from the rollercoaster terminal, Sanae and Kiriha smiled and nodded at each other before running up to Koutarou.

“Koutarou, Koutarou!”

“Got you!”

They came at him from different sides and each grabbed one of his arms, pressing themselves up against him. Sanae had his right and Kiriha had his left, and they snuggled right up to him like lovers.

“H-Hey...”

Koutarou was confused by the girls’ sudden actions. He stood there wide-eyed and at a loss for words, unsure what to do.

“Aren’t you lucky, Koutarou? You get to have two cute girls with you!”

“Nobody is looking, so you can do as you please, Koutarou.”

“Wow, Kiriha, you’re so bold!”

“You guys... What’s up with you all of a sudden?”

Koutarou couldn’t hide his surprise over Sanae and Kiriha acting like this at the same time. While they had done similar things individually in the past, this was their first ever coordinated attack.

“Nothing’s up at all. Kiriha and I both just love you.”

“This is what’s normal. Or is our relationship so shallow that you can’t accept something like this?”

“Well, that’s not it but...”

Koutarou’s relationship with Sanae and Kiriha was far from shallow. Up until now, the girls had just been holding back for the sake of each other. But with their new promise, there was no longer any need for that. There wasn’t anyone else around right now, so they didn’t need to hide how they felt, either.

Something must’ve happened between them...

That was the conclusion Koutarou came to as he looked at them. They had to have come to some sort of agreement and coordinated this. Before today, they’d always made sure to give each other plenty of room and not step on each other’s toes. As Koutarou was contemplating what might have changed that, the haniwas hugged his head from each side.

“Koutarou, get along better with us too, ho!”

“We don’t want to be left out, ho!”

The haniwas were so noisy that they interrupted his train of thought completely. He wouldn’t get to the bottom of things anytime soon.

“We can’t lose to them, Kiriha!”

“Then how about this, Koutarou?”

“H-Hey! Stop clinging to me!”

“Now, now! We know you’re happy.”

“Koutarou is surprisingly innocent and shy.”

“You’re just playing around!”

“Ah, he’s found us out.”

“As expected of Koutarou.”

“Ho!”

“Ho, ho!”

The noisy group of five continued their back and forth as they disappeared though the gate to the rollercoaster. They still had some time left before the sun set, and they would enjoy every last minute of their day together.