Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 23 - Chapter 4

Episode 4: Behind the School Excursion

When considering Satomi Koutarou as boyfriend material, he had two primary flaws. But those two faults were enough to make him unpopular with the girls in his class. While they didn’t despise him, he wasn’t exactly someone they were interested in dating.

The first flaw was largely a superficial problem. Though Koutarou had the soul of a gentleman, he didn’t act like it around his close friends. They’d have stupid conversations and were prone to roughhousing. And when it came to his best friend, Kenji, they’d even fight from time to time. The other boys didn’t have too much trouble relating, but the girls saw it quite differently. He just came off as aggressive to them. His large build only enhanced that impression. When a girl considered his dating potential, that was ultimately enough to give her pause. In other words, he seemed too scary to be a good boyfriend.

His second flaw only became apparent after getting past the first. There were a few girls that had been in school with Koutarou long enough to realize that he wasn’t really a scary guy, but they started to notice something else. Koutarou seemed to instinctively push people away and avoid getting close with others. It was a pretty thick line in the sand as far as relationships were concerned. And that impression was only exacerbated when people learned about his family situation.

And so Koutarou was unpopular with his classmates of the female persuasion who were scared of him on the surface, or thought that he would reject them deep down. However, right now, that situation was changing. Starting this year, Koutarou’s vibe was a little different. Unlike before, he was starting to show an inclination to accept others.

The girls who liked Koutarou believed it was because of the plays he had been in. Surely after getting involved with so many people, his heart must have opened up a little bit. In reality, it was because of the invasion of room 106, but they weren’t too far off base. And on top of that, with the recognition he received over the plays, the amount of girls interested in Koutarou had dramatically increased.

In short, Koutarou’s circumstances had begun to change him, both inside and out. While the few girls that had noticed this thought it was their big chance, it brought about a whole new set of worries. What if someone else confessed to him first?

However, these girls would need courage to confess their feelings to Koutarou themselves. And they would need the right opportunity to do it. A special occasion, something out of the ordinary, would be ideal.

At Kisshouharukaze High School, the second-year students had a school excursion in the fall semester. It was a two day, three night sightseeing trip. Of course, as it was a school organized event, half of that would be sightseeing spots related to their studies. But even then, the students were happy to go on an outing without their parents.

“Sensei, do bananas count as snacks?”

“No, they don’t... That said, you’re high school students now, so there’s no limit on your snack budget. Bring as much as you’d like!”

“Okay, sensei!”

After explaining what to watch out for during homeroom, the back and forth between the teacher in charge and a student sent the classroom into a laughing fit. Even normally unfunny jokes made the class laugh today. They were in high spirits now that the school excursion was close. They would be leaving tomorrow, and student excitement was reaching its peak.

“Satomi-san, Satomi-san.”

Yurika, sitting next to Koutarou, tugged on the sleeve of his uniform as he was laughing together with his classmates. When he turned her way, she was looking at him with a very serious expression.

She leaned over, still quite serious, and whispered in his ear, “Do bananas count as snacks?”

“Sensei already said they don’t.”

When it came to snacks, Kisshouharukaze High School had no limit on how much students could bring. However, Yurika had a personal limit. She would get 500 yen a day, for a total of 1,500 yen during their three day stay.

“Then how about banana chips?”

“Banana chips are...”

“If bananas are fine, they should be too.”

“No, they would count as snacks.”

Unfortunately for Yurika, the school trip was coming up at about the same time she’d used up her money. Even though she’d known about it in advance, she wasn’t able to keep herself from buying limited edition comics and related merchandise. As a result, Yurika would be reliant on Koutarou for her funds on the excursion. And he had a strict handle over how that money was used. He wouldn’t let any of it go to waste.

“Why not?! Banana chips are perfectly good bananas!”

“If I accept banana chips, you’re going to ask about chocolate bananas, aren’t you? I’m onto you.”

“Aww...”

But Yurika wouldn’t relent. In an attempt to escape Koutarou’s watchful eyes, she racked her brain for another loophole. As of right now, however, it was to no avail.

Kenji was watching Koutarou and Yurika’s back and forth from some distance away. While he couldn’t hear what they were saying, he could tell how close they were. And knowing what kind of person Koutarou was, Kenji felt that was a good sign.

“Hey, Matsudaira-kun,” someone called out to him.

“Hmm?”

“...Are those two going out?”

The voice belonged to the girl who sat at the desk next to his. Her name was Kashiwagi Shiori. If Kenji remembered correctly, they had gone to the same middle school, but he wasn’t sure if they had gone to the same elementary school or not. She was a bright, cheerful, and cute girl, so she had left an impression on him.

“It doesn’t really look like it,” Kenji replied.

“Really? They sure look like it to me when they act like that...”

Shiori had her doubts about the distance between Koutarou and Yurika. They were sharing secrets and bumping shoulders, but the looks on their faces, the banter, and the physical contact did make them look much closer than just classmates. To Shiori they looked more like childhood friends, or, if she were to be extra bold, boyfriend and girlfriend.

“If you ask me, I’d suspect Theia-chan more than anyone.”

“Yeah, I’d noticed that too.”

Both of them looked over at Theia. She had been stealing peeks at Koutarou and Yurika from her seat for a while now. It was clear that it was bothering her. Unlike Koutarou and Yurika, Koutarou and Theia would practically fight every day. The fact that their relationship wasn’t getting any worse seemed to be reason enough to be suspicious.

“But it’s not like he’s skilled enough to go out with two girls at the same time, you know,” said Kenji.

“Yeah... I think that to myself frequently,” Shiori replied.

When Shiori was done talking with Kenji, she looked down and seemed to get lost in thought. After watching her for a while, Kenji reached a conclusion of his own.

It looks like Kashiwagi-san likes Kou... and not just on a superficial level...

Compared to last year, Koutarou was certainly getting more attention from the girls. The biggest reason for that was his part as the Blue Knight during last year’s plays. However, Kenji didn’t get the sense that Shiori’s feelings were that shallow. Her feelings had most likely budded after learning about Koutarou’s childhood and why he had turned out the way he did. Since Shiori had been with them since middle school, Kenji believed that was probably the real reason.

You know, Kou, this is all because you’re so slow to decide. Everyone else is in a rush. At this rate, you’re only gonna make it hard on yourself...

Kenji knew what Koutarou was feeling for a certain set of girls, which included Yurika and Theia. And that he couldn’t make up his mind. Because of that, he was surprisingly close with all of them... To the point that girls outside of that circle began to get suspicious. Kenji was worried what would happen if Koutarou continued to ignore that. But Koutarou, who was currently in the middle of lecturing Yurika, didn’t seem to have even realized what was happening.

With the school excursion just around the corner, they needed to buy necessities for the trip, so Koutarou and the others visited the familiar mall on their way back home.

“Koutarou, Koutarou, give me my allowance!” Sanae practically shouted.

She held her hands out in front of Koutarou with a wide smile. She was still getting an allowance from Koutarou, something that had carried over from when she was a ghost. While it wasn’t that much money, she made good use of it by saving it for important times like these.

“Hang on. Let’s see...”

Koutarou looked at the notes he had on his cellphone. There were plenty of files, one of which was titled ‘Sanae.’ Koutarou fiddled with his phone to bring it up.

“There’s the remainder of last month’s... and adding this month’s allowance on to that is... 3,420 yen.”

“Come on, come on!” Sanae impatiently moved her hands to rush Koutarou.

“Okay, okay. Well, here’s 3,000 yen to start.”

“All right! Then I’m off!”

After Koutarou placed the money in her hands, Sanae snatched it up and ran off. She looked just like a child.

“Be careful, okay?”

“Okay!”

And it was exactly because Sanae was like this that he couldn’t stop giving her an allowance. Sanae had returned to being human, and she also got an allowance from her parents. But Koutarou wanted to keep giving her some money for a while longer if it meant that he got to see such an innocent and adorable sight.

In the end, I’m just like Theia...

That was the same reason why Theia continued to pay Koutarou a salary. She loved the relationship that gesture created. As Koutarou realized that, he smiled wryly to himself.

“...”

Maki had been watching Koutarou and Sanae. When Sanae disappeared around a corner at the mall, she looked down at her own palms. After staring at them for a while, she looked up at Koutarou’s face.

“What’s the matter, Aika-san?”

Noticing her behavior, Koutarou asked her what was on her mind. In response, Maki’s face turned red and she held her now tightly gripped hands in front of her chest.

“Ah, u-um...”

“Yeah?”

“...W-Well...”

With her face still red, Maki looked down at the ground, presented her hands to Koutarou, and slowly opened them.

“Um...”

Maki embarrassedly waved her hands. Watching her, Koutarou recalled Sanae from just a few moments ago.

Now that I think about it, I did make a promise with Aika-san...

In honor of Maki’s position as the treasurer of Satomi’s band of knights, she was supposed to receive a salary. But Maki strove to live a normal life and instead kept her salary as a credit. Whenever she needed something, she would just ask Koutarou for money, withdrawing against her balance. And right now, Maki was mimicking Sanae and requesting her allowance.

“How much?”

“Um, the same as Sanae-san.”

“You can take more, you know?”

Maki’s circumstances were different from Sanae, who purely received an allowance. She had the right to get a few digits higher.

“Just the same, please...”

But Maki didn’t want that. The truth was that she wanted a pure allowance too, but knew saying that might trouble Koutarou. That’s why she went about it in a roundabout way and just asked for the same amount as Sanae.

“I see. Then... Here.”

“Thank you, Satomi-kun. I’ll use it with care.”

Getting 3,000 yen from Koutarou, Maki flashed a truly happy smile. However, she didn’t seem to show any interest in going off shopping. She simply put the money in her wallet and stayed by Koutarou’s side, smiling.

What can I say? She’s almost there. Just a little bit more...

Maki had a serious personality to begin with, but perhaps because of her guilt over her past, she found herself unable to take the last step to do what she really wanted. Because of that, she was still often reserved and couldn’t bring herself to fully rely on other people.

“You don’t have to use it with care.”

“Satomi-kun?”

So in order to get her to take that last step, Koutarou reached out to her. People didn’t change that easily. Koutarou knew that well from personal experience. That’s why it fell on friends to help out. Koutarou grabbed ahold of Maki’s hand and began running.

“Let’s go waste some money too!”

“Oh... Y-Yeah!”

Being pulled along by Koutarou, Maki started running as well. She sped up so she wouldn’t fall behind him, even though she was faintly aware that she should be the one running in front of him. It didn’t look like she’d be able to do that anytime soon, but squeezing Koutarou’s hand now seemed like a good start.

“Heehee, this is worth a lot of points, Satomi-kun!”

Shizuka saw off Koutarou and Maki in high spirits and spryly followed after the two of them. Since she worried for Maki on a daily basis, she was happy with this outcome.

“And would those be Maki’s points, or yours?” asked Kiriha as she walked up next to Shizuka.

Her expression was just as bright, and she too had a spring in her step.

“Both!”

“Heh, I know how you feel.”

Both Shizuka and Kiriha were constantly concerned about the problems Maki was keeping to herself. Because of that, despite the boy they liked getting along well with someone else, they were both in a good mood.

As the next day dawned, it was finally time for the school excursion. Koutarou and the girls of room 106 were getting ready to depart, but not all of them would be going. Specifically Harumi, who wasn’t a second-year, and Clan, who wasn’t even enrolled at their school.

“You’re telling me to stay behind while everyone else goes out to have fun?” Clan demanded.

“What do you want me to do? It’s a school event,” Koutarou replied.

“Clan, if you’re lonely, just say so,” Theia snarked.

“Theiamillis-san, I am not lonely! I am just frustrated at a knight who would leave a princess behind to go play!”

“So Clan, what kind of souvenir would you like?” Koutarou asked, changing the subject.

“Nothing, thank you!”

At every mention of the trip, Clan’s mood got worse and worse. She was already lonely knowing she’d have to wait for their return all alone. She was also unhappy that everyone was getting all fired up without her. The fact that Koutarou, the man she considered her partner, was in such high spirits only spurred her feelings further. The best way to describe it was perhaps a little sister getting jealous over her siblings’ school trip.

“Please calm down, Clan-san. I’m going to stay behind too,” urged Harumi.

Right now, she was Clan’s only ally. As a third-year, she wouldn’t be going on the excursion either. That’s why she was left behind alongside Clan, and she was planning on using the time to get a checkup.

“You’re being too sensible, Harumi!”

“But if you’re not a good girl, you won’t get any souvenirs.”

“So you’ve already been bribed, huh?”

“Satomi-kun, I want a chocolate cake as a souvenir.”

“Sakuraba-senpai wants chocolate cake. Got it. And you, Clan?”

“I said nothing, thank you! Hmph!”

Stubborn as she was, Clan was unable to accept Koutarou’s goodwill and turned away from him. As she did, she looked at the window and the sun shining through it. It was giving off a soft, autumn light, but that beautiful light didn’t reach Clan’s gloomy heart. She just stood there with her cheeks puffed up in dissatisfaction.

After seeing off Koutarou and the others, the two remaining girls moved to the Hazy Moon, Clan’s spaceship that was in orbit around Earth. They were using the onboard medical checkup device. As Clan had calibrated it herself, its performance was guaranteed.

“Thank you as always, Clan-san.”

Harumi was very grateful for Clan. Because of her, Harumi was receiving treatment far more advanced than what was available on Earth. That was especially reassuring to Harumi with her weak constitution. From inside the checkup device, she smiled appreciatively at Clan, who was standing next to it.

“I’m sorry, Harumi. I’m sure this could save a lot of people.”

Despite Harumi’s gratitude, Clan was apologizing. With her technology, she was surely capable of saving lives. For example, all of the children Harumi knew in the hospital. But as Forthorthe and Earth had no official diplomatic relations, Clan had to be extra careful in how she used her technology. Of course, she wished she could save everyone, but she didn’t have the power or time for that.

In a situation where there were no clear rules about who to save and who not to save, it was very difficult to draw the line. That’s why Clan made her own guidelines on how the technology should be used. She decided to use the same strictures she had set forth in the past world. She could save someone she happened to meet, but she couldn’t actively look for people to save.

Under those principles, Clan could help Harumi. Harumi just so happened to come into her life. However, she couldn’t intentionally go to the hospital to help the children. That was the rule she’d resorted to. She wasn’t some omnipotent goddess with infinite resources and unlimited time. By following her guidelines, Clan made sure she wasn’t valuing certain lives over others.

“Nobody can blame you, Clan-san. I could use magic to save those children too, but I’m not. I’m the same as you.”

Even Harumi could cure the children of their illnesses with Signaltin’s powers, but she didn’t for the same reason Clan didn’t. It was something very similar to Rainbow Heart’s commandments. She couldn’t just use her powers freely, even if it was to save people. With great power comes great responsibility.

“All we can do is pray that we run into the children in a way that makes it possible to save them.”

“You’re right... Those are our limits as humans...”

If the children’s suffering directly involved Clan or Harumi, they could step in and save them. But all they could do now was hope that the children were that lucky.

Beep!

“The diagnosis is complete. Enough with the gloomy thoughts for now.”

“Well, that might be the start of another gloomy set of thought altogether...”

“Ahaha, it’s okay. It’s all green this time.”

Harumi’s checkup had two stages. The first was a scan with the checkup device. Depending on the results, they’d move on to stage two: more specific, thorough tests. From time to time, Harumi would get a yellow light—a caution—and move on to the second phase. However, the lights were all green this time, meaning that there were no abnormalities.

Meanwhile, Koutarou and the others had come to a science museum built on reclaimed land. To get all the way there from Kisshouharukaze City, they had gone from bus to plane to bus again. As the airport was also built on reclaimed land, it wasn’t that far from the museum and they arrived early in the afternoon.

Grrrowl...

Shortly after getting off the bus on the museum grounds, Koutarou’s stomach rumbled. Ruth, who happened to be next to him, giggled.

“Is your stomach empty already, Satomi-sama?”

When around classmates, Ruth couldn’t call Koutarou her master, so how she addressed him was situational.

“Looks like the in-flight meal wasn’t enough.”

Koutarou rubbed his stomach while smiling half-heartedly. To keep on schedule, lunch had been served on the plane. However, the simple meal didn’t seem to be enough for Koutarou, who was still a growing boy. His stomach demanded more fuel.

“Then have this.”

Ruth reached into her purse and pulled out a plastic bag with a slice of baumkuchen inside.

“Yeah, thanks.”

Koutarou accepted with a smile. It looked like the perfect snack.

“But if you’re going to eat, please hurry. Food and drink are prohibited inside the building.”

“All right. Thank you for the food!”

After gauging the distance to the building, Koutarou opened the bag and threw pieces of cake in his mouth, one after another. Ruth watched over him with a smile. What would have taken her several minutes to eat, Koutarou wolfed down in a flash.

“Have this too, Satomi-sama.”

Waiting for Koutarou to finish eating, Ruth followed up by handing him a small water bottle.

“Thank you.”

The baumkuchen had left his mouth quite dry, so water was exactly what he wanted now. He took the bottle without hesitation and guzzled it down.

“That was delicious.”

“Please leave the bag and bottle to me.”

Ruth reached her hands out to Koutarou. She was going to take the trash and dispose of it later, but that kind of babying made even Koutarou a little uneasy.

“I can throw them away myself.”

He was fine with accepting a snack and some water, but letting Ruth take care of the trash would feel weird. She wasn’t his servant.

“If I let my master hold the trash, it will ruin the image of the knights. If you care about me, please hand them over.”

“Ugh...”

With a smile, Ruth hit Koutarou where it hurt and blocked off any escape. He knew very well how much Ruth cared for the knights and her concept of knighthood. If she resorted to using that against him, he had no other choice.

“...Thank you.”

“Of course. Please leave it to me.”

Ruth accepted the trash from Koutarou and tucked it in her purse. For some reason, she looked rather happy. As someone who did housework as a hobby, she didn’t hate this kind of thing. But there was another reason she was enjoying herself.

I am sorry for lying, Master. The truth is that I just want to do everything for the man I love...

What she said about the image of the knights was just an excuse. Ruth simply wanted to be of use and take care of the man she had feelings for. But admitting to that would only trouble Koutarou. On the other hand, if she said nothing at all, she’d look like a servant. That’s why she’d brought up the knights and forced his hand by claiming to protect his honor. She was acting on her own desires, but also out of consideration.

“Ruth-san, you...”

“Yes?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“Is that so?”

Koutarou didn’t understand Ruth’s feelings. He simply wondered why she would enjoy doing something like that.

“Oh, Ruth-san, let’s stock back up on the snacks I ate or something at this stall later.”

“I still have plenty more, so it’s okay.”

“Come on, it’ll be fine.”

“...Satomi-sama?”

However, while Koutarou didn’t quite get it, he knew that it wasn’t something he could take for granted and decided to show his gratitude in his own way.

The science museum that Koutarou and the others had come to was composed of a permanent exhibit and a project exhibit. The permanent exhibit was a display on the development of science alongside the history of man, serving as an overall commentary on the progress of science.

The project exhibit, on the other hand, had more detailed content. It was an in depth display on a specific topic, such as space, ships, or the like. Of course, as the name might imply, the project on display was temporary and changed every few months. Visitors could enjoy something different every time they came. The current exhibit was on the history of games. It was a fun display that even teenagers like Koutarou and the others could enjoy.

“Mackenzie, how do you play with this?” Koutarou asked.

“Um, you move up, down, left, and right with these four buttons. And use this button to fire missiles.”

“What a pain. Just make it a single controller...”

“Apparently the D-pad wasn’t invented until twenty years later.”

“So the people of the past were satisfied with this annoying way of playing?”

Unlike modern, integrated game consoles, the games of the past required their own unique hardware. Because of that, the consoles were all completely different depending on the game. The exhibit even included an oscilloscope, a device used to pattern electrical signals. It was covered in buttons. These specialized games and devices fell out of favor as technology continued to advance, but their wide variety in the early years of gaming was a huge draw for the exhibit.

“Boys sure are interested in this kind of stuff...”

Shizuka was happily watching over Koutarou and Kenji, glued to one of the game consoles. As part of a newer generation of girls, Shizuka didn’t hate games either. But these consoles were strangely mechanical and utterly lacking any cuteness factor. The screens were also simple, and just like the design of the consoles, lacking in cuteness. As a result, there wasn’t a whole lot of girly appeal. That was the reason why Shizuka wasn’t actively participating.

“And Theia-dono too,” Kiriha added.

“She’s a special exception.” Shizuka shrugged at Kiriha’s remark.

But Kiriha was right. The boys weren’t the only ones hovering over the consoles. Theia was right there with them, currently in the middle of making a huge commotion.

“Bwahahaha! Koutarou, you’re a hundred years too primitive to beat me in games!”

“Damn you! I’ll teach you that hand-eye coordination isn’t all there is to games! Mackenzie!”

“Yeah!”

“That’s dirty, Koutarou! Your partner is too strong!”

“Wahahaha! Behold the power of charisma!”

“I don’t think that’s it, Kou...”

At a Forthorthian university, Theia had majored in computer history, or more specifically, the history of games. While they came from different planets, Theia was really in her element at this exhibit. She was attached to all of the games, and her hatred of losing only spurred her competitive streak. Theia was, without a doubt, the one enjoying the project display the most.

“Theia, do you want me to join you?” Sanae offered.

“Please do! I need your strength!”

“Aye aye, captain!”

“Hey, that’s dirty! Calling in Sanae like that!” Koutarou booed.

“Heh heh... Behold the power of charisma!” Theia mocked.

“Kou, is Higashihongan-san good at games too?”

“She’s not good at games in particular, but she’s special. If we let our guard down, she’ll blow right past us! Why don’t you play seriously for once, Mackenzie?!”

“You got it! This is starting to get interesting!”

They were all acting like friends who had gone out to play together. They weren’t worried about the time or anything else, and everyone was thoroughly enjoying being on a trip away from home. Because of that, Koutarou and the others playing games looked like they were having more fun than usual. Or, at least, they looked more childish than usual. It was only natural for the girls watching over them to find it endearing.

Having finished the examination sooner than expected, Harumi and Clan were enjoying teatime in the luxurious lounge of Clan’s Hazy Moon. Clan had been conducting Harumi’s checkups for a while now, and this post-examination teatime had become something of a routine.

“By the way, Harumi, what exactly is a school excursion?”

And after all the time they’d spent together, Clan considered Harumi a good friend. Excluding Koutarou and Kiriha, Harumi was the one she was closest to. Thanks to that, Clan could ask Harumi things she had trouble asking others.

“Did you not have them in Forthorthe?”

“We might have had them, but I never went to school.”

“So that’s the kind of thing that happens when you’re too smart... Whoops.”

Pondering how to answer Clan’s question, Harumi crossed her arms and began thinking. She’d never really thought of how to try and explain a school excursion to someone before, so she had to organize her thoughts.

“Um... A school excursion is a school event where you travel to a place for an educational and social experience.”

“Educational and social experience?”

Something about Harumi’s answer was clearly lost on Clan. She tilted her head in confusion.

“Like appreciating the opera or visiting a candy factory. Something like that.”

“I see, so it’s not somewhere you go just to play around.”

“Well, for us students, I think it is just like going on any other trip.”

“Could it be that the educational part is just a front?”

“I suppose that’s true for most of the students. Heehee...”

Harumi cheerfully laughed as she took a sip of her tea. She’d made it herself, and was quite satisfied with it.

“By the way, what kind of excursion did you go on, Harumi?”

Having formed a rough idea of what a school excursion was, Clan wanted a concrete example. Of course, what she was really interested in was Koutarou and the others who had already left on their trip.

“When my class went, we focused on shrines and temples. You could have called it a tour of the old capital.”

“How refined.”

“It was so refined that there were plenty of students who were unhappy about it. But on the second day we went to a big amusement park, so it all worked out in the end.”

“Hmm...”

Clan listened to Harumi while sipping her drink. The tea was superb, but Clan didn’t seem to register that.

“And... when everyone goes on a trip, the mood is a little different... And, um, well...”

Harumi, who had been speaking without any trouble thus far, suddenly stammered as if she was at a loss for words. She looked down and blushed.

“Th-There are more people who confess to the person they like than usual.”

When Harumi squeezed those words out with a whisper, Clan’s eyes shot open wide.

“C-Confess?!”

“Um, yes...”

“Oh, um...”

Harumi wasn’t the only one looking down and blushing now. They were both extremely sensitive when it came to talk of love, and they both had someone they wanted to confess to. It was no surprise that they were imagining the same dreamy, hopeful thing. And as a result, both Clan and Harumi fell silent for a long minute.

“Th-Then...”

The one to break the silence was Clan. After collecting herself some, her desire to know what it meant to confess during a school excursion temporarily surpassed her embarrassment.

“Did you... confess or get confessed to too, Harumi?”

With her face still turned down, Clan peered up out of the corner of her eye at Harumi. As if trying to escape that glance, Harumi turned her head to the side a little.

“The person I, um... wanted to c-confess to... didn’t come to the trip, so I...”

“Ah, I see.”

“But I was confessed to... twice.”

“Wh-What did you do?”

“Um... I politely turned them down. Because, um...”

“Ah, r-right! Ahahaha!”

“Heeheehee...”

The two girls began laughing. However, it wasn’t because they were happy. Rather, it was simply a desire to clear away the heavy, looming cloud that had gathered over them. But curiosity won out. When the laughter died down, Clan opened her mouth again.

“Then, around now... they’re...?”

“Timing and atmosphere play a big part, so it’s usually after something fun happens, or in the evening...”

“Kii and Theiamillis-san will probably be taken by surprise.”

“I think so.”

Kiriha and Theia were very popular, even with people outside of their class. And it wasn’t just with the boys, either. There were likely many students who would use this chance to confess.

“Then... Veltlion too?”

“Um...”

That was the question that interested Clan the most. The same was true for Harumi, and she instinctively held her breath.

“S-Satomi-kun has gotten... popular since the plays... so that might happen, yeah...”

“Th-That’s...”

Harumi and Clan were reduced to whispers again. Just imagining that Koutarou was being confessed to somewhere without their knowledge made both Harumi and Clan feel incredibly uneasy. Based on Koutarou’s personality and upbringing, the chances of him receiving a confession were pretty low, but they couldn’t let their guard down.

“To think the school excursion is really such a shameless event...”

“That’s not all there is to it. Some people just take heart on a trip like that...”

“I mean, it’s not like I don’t understand that feeling.”

“Same...”

The two girls fell silent again. They both knew what it felt like to fall in love... and how painful it was to not be brave enough to confess. They could understand why you’d make the move when emotions were running high. And that sentiment was exactly why they felt so uneasy now.

“Harumi, how about we go all out... and secretly check in on things?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, rather than just patiently waiting here, feeling so...”

Unable to bear the anxiety, Clan wanted to take action. Now that she had learned the reality of the school excursion, she couldn’t possibly sit still any longer. However, she was too shy to go alone, so she wanted Harumi to come with her. She was proposing that they cross this precarious bridge together.

“That might be true, but...” Harumi hesitated.

“It’s a holiday for you too,” Clan tried to persuade her.

“But...”

Clan’s proposal was actually very attractive to Harumi. The only problem was the moral quandary of peeping. Harumi wanted to believe that a good woman would just have faith and wait patiently.

“Harumi, nothing will come of just waiting around. Sometimes you have to be the one to take action.”

But Clan’s words helped her make up her mind. Harumi had really always thought of herself as too passive, so she couldn’t ignore what Clan was saying. Harumi nodded to her.

“I understand. Let’s just take a little look.”

“That’s right. Just a little, teensy-weensy look.”

And so Clan and Harumi decided to follow after Koutarou and the others. While it was quite obvious that this would be more than just “a little look,” repeating those magical words seemed to alleviate some of their guilt.

To a girl in love, the school excursion was a gold mine of opportunity. There would be no shortage of situations and excuses to casually strike up a conversation with someone outside of her normal social circle. And talking to someone she ordinarily never did was a relatively low risk endeavor, considering that they didn’t usually see each other during their daily school lives.

That’s why to Kashiwagi Shiori, this school excursion was her big chance. Koutarou, the boy she was interested in, barely acknowledged her existence. He only thought of her as a classmate. The school trip would help her overcome that hurdle. She would finally be able to break the ice with him.

“I have to talk to Satomi-kun this time...”

Unfortunately, things hadn’t gone as she’d hoped so far. She’d had a perfectly good opening to talk to Koutarou while the class was looking at the permanent exhibit, but she just couldn’t muster enough courage in time. Before she knew it, everyone was moving on to the project exhibit. And that was bad.

Almost everyone, including Koutarou, was looking forward to the exhibit on the history of video games. Because of that, Koutarou and the others were so focused on the games that it was next to impossible to talk to him. If they were on friendlier terms, Shiori could have just joined in with them, but that was difficult for her.

“At the next museum then...”

And so Shiori decided to wait for the next chance. They would stay at the science museum for most of the afternoon, and then move on to a museum on the history of Edo that evening. Surely Koutarou wouldn’t be as engrossed by Japanese history as he was by video games.

“Mackenzie, why are they making such a fuss?”

“Are you really that out of the loop, Kou? Historical stuff has really been booming for a while now. Games and anime with beautified generals are all the rage.”

“Hmm... Why not, I guess?”

“I mean, even if the real deal was some bald guy, he’ll still be popular as long as the pictures are good. It’s like a form of fantasy.”

“Yeah, but that’s been the case with portraits for ages. Isn’t it just that the quality of the pictures that has changed with the passing of eras?”

“That’s awfully perceptive for you, Kou. I’ve never thought of it that way.”

Shiori’s hunch was spot on. Koutarou and the other boys all seemed to calm down as they entered the next museum. If anything, it was the girls who were getting excited this time. Thanks to the recent explosion of historical fiction, squealing girls flooded each exhibit. It was exactly the kind of situation Shiori was waiting for. Now, with the other girls in the class distracted, all that was left was waiting for Koutarou to be alone.

“So according to what you’re saying, all that’s really changed are aesthetics and what girls like?” Kenji asked.

“Yeah, see, in the past, these portraits were the beautified version.”

“So if Yamaoka-sensei went back in time to the Warring States period, he’d be super popular, huh?”

“...What was that about me?”

“Oh crap!”

“Why don’t you come over here, Matsudaira? This is a good opportunity, so let’s have a little chat!”

“W-Wait!”

“That’s all on you. Have fun!” Koutarou waved.

“You’re heartless!”

“You reap what you sow, man.”

Fortunately, Shiori didn’t have to wait long. Kenji, who had been walking around with Koutarou, managed to enrage a teacher and was pulled aside. It didn’t look like he’d be back any time soon either. However, she couldn’t let her guard down yet. It wasn’t just Kenji she had to worry about. Koutarou was constantly surrounded by people these days. If she left him be, someone else would show up. Shiori needed to act quickly.

“I have be courageous! This is the first step! I’ll never get anywhere if I don’t take it!”

Whap whap whap.

Shiori slapped her cheeks to pump herself up. While Koutarou had never noticed, Shiori had been watching him since elementary school. Like the other girls who misunderstood him, she kept her distance from him when they were younger. It wasn’t until middle school that she had fallen for him, but even then, that meant she’d had her eye on him for years. And if she didn’t do anything now, watching him was all she’d ever be able to do. In order to avoid that, she had to take action.

I have to tell him! Today! No matter what!

Shiori took a step towards Koutarou. Even though that was all, it was proof she was desperate. A girl confessing to the boy she liked required a great deal of determination. And Shiori was determined.

Each time she took a step closer to Koutarou, her heart beat a little faster. Her now pounding pulse made it difficult to think clearly, but doubts and fears plagued her mind. Her anxiety was severe, but she didn’t stop. In fact, it was knowing that she couldn’t go on like this that steadily drove her forward. Before long, Shiori had reached Koutarou.

And with a trembling voice, she asked, “U-Um, Satomi-kun, do you have a minute?”

They were words she had wanted to say for years but had never been able to. In the heat of the moment, they came to her so naturally because she had practiced them over and over, time and time again.

And it just so happened that Harumi and Clan caught up to Koutarou as Shiori approached him. Neither of them knew what was going on, but since a girl they didn’t know was talking to Koutarou, they decided not to call out to him. Not to mention that they were scared of being scolded by Koutarou for showing up.

“What is it, Kashiwagi?”

“So you do know my name...”

“Well, we’re in the same class.”

“R-Right...”

“So what is it?”

“Ah, well...”

Harumi and Clan approached carefully so that Koutarou wouldn’t notice them. They didn’t want to interrupt Koutarou and Shiori, after all.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” Clan wondered out loud.

“There’s no way we could hear them from here,” Harumi answered.

“Then let’s listen in with this.”

Clan pulled some kind of a device out from her bag and pointed it towards Koutarou and Shiori. It was a parabolic microphone, which allowed the user to pick up sounds from a distance. Having guessed its function from its shape, Harumi furrowed her brow.

“Are we going to eavesdrop with that? I feel sorry for Satomi-kun...”

“Why are we here, Harumi?”

“That’s... Phew... Okay, let’s do it.”

Harumi and Clan had come because they were worried that someone might confess to Koutarou, or worse, that such a confession might move his heart. In order to alleviate that worry, they were going to have to spy on him. Harumi was normally adamantly against behaving in such a way, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

“Satomi-kun, can we take a look at the exhibit together?” Shiori asked.

“You don’t need my permission for that. It’s not like this is my house.”

“That’s... If you’re really fine with it, then it’s...”

“Of course I’m fine with it.”

“Does this mean... that girl...” Harumi muttered, almost at a loss for words.

“Looks like our hunch was spot on,” said Clan.

Using the parabolic microphone, they could clearly hear Koutarou and Shiori’s discussion. It was obvious that Shiori was trying her best to get close to Koutarou, but nevertheless, he was completely oblivious. The meaning of her words and what she was really asking were lost on Koutarou, but not on Clan and Harumi.

“What do we do, Clan-san? At this rate, Satomi-kun will...”

“Veltlion and that girl? Th-That couldn’t... B-But...”

The vague unease they had felt before now felt more like a lead weight in their stomachs―heavy and oppressive. They were both well aware that Koutarou’s problem couldn’t be so easily overcome, but who was to say that the girl who stood before him now wouldn’t be the one to do it? Even if nothing happened this time, what would happen if it was resolved later? There was a possible future where Koutarou was no longer part of their lives. Once they realized that, dread and panic fell upon Clan and Harumi like nothing they had ever felt before. However...

“Hello, Layou― I mean Koutarou-sama.”

“Huh?! Elle, why the hell are you here?!”

“What a coincidence, meeting you here...”

“Don’t lie to me!”

“Do you know each other, Satomi-kun?” Shiori asked.

“Yeah, this is Theia’s―”

“Older sister. Thank you for always looking out for Theia.”

Elfaria appeared out of nowhere and interrupted Koutarou and Shiori before anything decisive happened.

“Th-Thank god...” Harumi stammered.

“I have to thank you this time, Elfaria-san...” Clan sighed in relief.

Both girls sat down on the spot as they felt the strength drain from their legs. With Elfaria’s appearance, their ruin―or at least their perceived ruin―had been thwarted. Normally Elfaria only brought trouble with her, but this time Clan practically felt like hugging and thanking her.

“What happened?” Kiriha suddenly asked.

“Well, Satomi-kun― Huh?!”

“K-Kii! Why are you here?!”

“Well, I’m in the middle of looking at this display, of course.”

Now that Kiriha had met up with Harumi and Clan, Shiori’s chances of being alone with Koutarou would drop considerably for a while. However, Harumi and Clan had a difference of opinion in how they felt about that.

In the end, Harumi and Clan decided to join up with Koutarou and the others. They could both use their powers to disguise themselves or turn invisible and fly away if they got caught sneaking around with the class. But as long as they were wearing uniforms, it would be easy to blend in. Granted, that wasn’t the case for a certain someone.

“...So there you have it. Hurry up and go home, Elle.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Do you even know who you are?!”

“I am Theia-chan’s older sister, Elle-chama!”

“Stop playing around! If something were to happen to you, your billions of citizens would be at a loss!”

Elfaria was the empress of the Holy Forthorthe Galactic Empire. In order for her to sightsee freely, she needed Koutarou and the rest to guard her. As she only had a vague grasp of Japanese traffic rules, she might even get in an accident. Such a beautiful woman was also at risk of inviting danger just by walking around the city. Mere muggers were scary, let alone the assassins her political adversaries might send after her. Being the head of an empire that controlled half a galaxy meant that absolutely no harm could befall her.

“Then what about Theia and Clan-san? They’re in the same position.”

“They know enough about Earth, and they can protect themselves! They don’t need strict guarding like you do!”

“But I’ll never get used to Earth too if you keep turning me away, Layous-sama.”

“Show some respect for the situation you’re in! Don’t you know you’re an empress in danger? Once everything is over, I’ll let you goof off as much as you like!”

“You won’t go back on that, will you, Layous-sama?”

Elfaria, who had been putting up a fight, backed down for some reason. But her expression was strangely happy. It made Koutarou a little nervous, but he decided that getting Elfaria to return home was more important.

“I won’t.”

“You can’t, okay?”

“I get it, so just go home.”

“You’ll regret it if you’re lying. You hear me?”

“Just go home!”

“Okaaay! Farewell!”

Elfaria turned her back to Koutarou as if running away. As she left, she glanced at Yurika. The truth was that it wasn’t a coincidence Elfaria had shown up. In exchange for two boxes of noodle cups, Yurika had given Elfaria their schedule and promised to contact her if anything interesting happened. In other words, Elfaria was only leaving because she was sure that she wouldn’t miss out on any of the fun. Once she got back, Elfaria would probably happily be changing the position of the transfer gate.

“What an ill omen...” said Clan.

“It does seem like she’s up to no good...” said Harumi.

Koutarou was suspicious too, but upon hearing their whispers, he gave Clan and Harumi a stern look.

“You two are the ones up to no good. Think about what you’ve done.”

“I-I’m sorry, Satomi-kun.”

“My bad! G-Getting left behind just got a little lonely! That’s all!”

Neither of them confessed the truth. Instead of telling him that they had come because they were worried that some other girl might confess to him, they told him they had come because they felt lonely at home without everyone else. It wasn’t exactly something they could admit.

“Well, as long as you realize what you did...”

Harumi laughed nervously.

“W-We’re sorry!” Clan assured him.

Fortunately, Koutarou didn’t push the matter any further. The truth was that he’d felt guilty about leaving just the two of them behind in the first place. He wouldn’t admonish them any more than he had to. Instead of being genuinely mad, he was actually a little relieved.

“Phew... At least we have a little room to breathe now.”

Having escaped any further interrogation, Clan let out a sigh. Harumi, on the other hand, was smiling.

“Isn’t this great, Clan-san?”

“You are awfully happy for someone who just got scolded.”

It was true. Harumi looked particularly cheerful despite their situation. Clan tilted her head in confusion. As she did, Harumi revealed her reason.

“This is actually the first time that Satomi-kun has gotten angry at me like this.”

Harumi was his senior, and normally very well behaved. She hardly ever did anything that would make Koutarou mad. She had broken the rules this time out of worry for Koutarou, but it had inadvertently granted a long-held wish of hers.

“That’s a strange thing to be happy about.”

“Clan-san, doing bad things is fun, isn’t it?”

“You know, I think I’m done with it...”

Harumi was enjoying herself, but Clan just shrugged her shoulders in awe. Although they had opposite reactions to the situation they found themselves in, they’d successfully managed to blend in with the school excursion.

The museum was open until 8 PM, but the school group left at 7 in order to stay on schedule. The hotel where they would be staying was near the coast, which meant getting back on the bus and taking the freeway for a while. As it was already autumn, the air by the beach in the evening was chilly. Winter was slowly approaching.

“Mackenzie, look at this! I got a bunch of meat!”

“Roast beef is something you’re supposed to enjoy in thin slices, you know?”

Dinner was served in the form of a buffet at the hotel once they arrived. The students could have as much as they wanted of whatever they wanted. Koutarou, of course, had piled his plate high with the roast beef the hotel was known for. And despite how long he’d known Koutarou, Kenji was still flabbergasted.

“It don’t care what you think. I just want to eat meat to my heart’s content.”

“That’s right. Meat is life,” added Yurika, who’d taken a seat next to Koutarou.

She was just like him. Except, instead of just getting roast beef, she had picked up all kinds of meat.

“Eat some vegetables too,” Koutarou said.

“Whaaat?! Why?! We’re on the same team!”

“Look, I got some vegetables. We’re not on the same team when you only got meat.”

“But I don’t want to. Not when we’ve come to an expensive looking hotel!”

“Expensive or not, eat your vegetables.”

While Koutarou didn’t mind eating in massive quantities, he wouldn’t allow an unbalanced diet. He pushed half of his salad onto Yurika’s plate.

“B-B-B-But... Auuugh...”

With her dinner now covered in salad, Yurika begrudgingly began eating with tears in her eyes. She knew that there was no point in resisting when Koutarou was like this.

“Stupid. You should put a little more thought into how you go about doing things,” interjected Sanae.

Seated across from Yurika, Sanae was smiling wryly at her. Unlike Koutarou and Yurika, Sanae had a plate full of cake and was happily eating away.

“You’re one to talk, Sanae. You should― Ah, I see. That should be fine. Good girl, Sanae.”

“Heeheehee!”

Koutarou was about to scold Sanae, but he’d ended up praising her instead. That was because he’d realized that while she was only eating cakes, she was drinking a vegetable smoothie with them. And because she was getting her vegetables one way or another, Koutarou had nothing to complain about.

That was ultimately thanks to Sanae-san inside of her. Sanae-chan only wanted to eat cake, but Sanae-san had warned her about that. The vegetable smoothie was a compromise of sorts. Looking at it from an overall perspective, Sanae had matured.

“Hey, Kou.”

Eating his own roast beef, Kenji called out to Koutarou after watching him interacting with the girls.

“Hmm?”

Having just taken a bite himself, Koutarou looked up at Kenji as he continued to chew.

“I’m always thinking this, but... you act like a mom.”

“Yhou think sho?” Koutarou asked, his mouth still full.

“You’re always taking care of Nijino-san and Higashihongan-san. It’s funny to me every time.”

“This is no laughing mhatter. Theesh two whould be up to no goohd in no time if I left them to their ohwn devhices.”

“I guess it’s a good thing, so keep taking care of them.”

“Mmhmm, as longh as they shtand out like they do.”

As their conversation reached a lull, Koutarou returned to eating. Watching over him, Kenji couldn’t help thinking about how much Koutarou had changed over the last year. But it was a good thing. Having friends and actively being involved with other people was a huge step forward. Kenji smiled to himself as he began eating again as well. It was a great dinner.

After everyone had eaten, it was time for baths and then bed. But as Kisshouharukaze High School valued independence in its students, “lights out” wasn’t strictly enforced. There was a line for the large baths, so being stringent about bedtime would only make things more difficult.

By the time Koutarou and Kenji headed to the bath, it was already 1 AM. At this hour, they practically had the place to themselves.

“The bath sure feels great after playing around all day.”

After getting in, Koutarou stretched himself out to soak. Both he and Kenji were tired after their long day of playing cards, table tennis, and other games, not mention various events as part of the school excursion. This was their chance to take a break and really relax.

“You sure are tough, Kou. How do you still have any energy?”

Kenji looked at Koutarou as he wiped away the fog that had formed on his glasses. With his glasses off, he couldn’t see Koutarou’s face, but he could easily imagine the kind of expression he’d be making at a time like this.

“Why are you talking like some old man?”

“It’s been a while since we were last in a sports club. You’re the strange one for still being so energetic,” Kenji laughed.

After starting high school and moving out on his own, Koutarou had stopped seriously playing baseball. Kenji had been recruited into the drama club because of his good looks as a first-year too. One would think that these two boys who used to boast about their muscles and their stamina didn’t have much left to brag about. However, Koutarou was still keeping up his strength. None the wiser, it was only natural for Kenji to laugh.

“It’s because I’m still working out while you’re doing all that pansy stuff,” Koutarou teased.

He was sparring regularly with Ruth and Clan. Thanks to that, he was able to maintain his physique. Of course, his baseballs skills were definitely rusty.

“Are you saying acting is for pansies?”

“Acting is fine. I know the pain of trying to get into a role.”

“Yeah, that was awful...”

“The problem is your private life.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know― Wait, Kou...” Kenji looked up at Koutarou in the middle of his sentence like he’d just noticed something. “What’s up with those scars?”

Really, Kenji had spotted the scars all over Koutarou’s body. Koutarou was always a rough boy and had his fair share of scars to show for it, but he had collected quite a few more after everything that had happened since starting high school. Kenji had never seen them before.

Ah crap, I let my guard down...

In order not to stand out during pool sessions in gym class, Koutarou usually used magic to hide his scars. He just hadn’t made the preparations this time. Really, he’d forgotten that bathing while on the school trip would basically be the same thing.

“Haha... I mean, I’ve always looked like this, right?”

“No, I don’t think you’ve always had that many scars.”

Koutarou tried to play it off, but Kenji wouldn’t be fooled that easily. Koutarou didn’t have much of a choice other than to be honest.

“I don’t think there are really that many new ones, but you know...”

“Did something happen?”

“Yeah. Just some stuff after getting involved with them.”

“Did you have to put your body on the line for something?”

“Something like that. Don’t ask too many questions, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I won’t ask about anything stupid.”

“When it comes to women, you sure act smart.”

“That’s going too far, Kou.”

“Hahaha, sorry.”

Revealing some of the truth seemed to do the trick. Kenji didn’t press Koutarou for any more details. Knowing how Koutarou used to be, Kenji didn’t want to focus on the past too much. Instead, his thoughts turned to the future.

“But honestly, Kou, it’s about time to choose.”

“Hmm? Choose what?”

“Don’t act stupid. I’m talking about which one of those girls you’re gonna go out with. Surely you’ve made up your mind by now, right?”

Before Kenji knew it, there were nine girls hanging around Koutarou. Kenji believed that Koutarou would put his body on the line for some of them, but that also indicated that those girls had feelings for Koutarou too. Kenji was of the opinion that Koutarou should commit to one of the girls and make that relationship clear, for everyone’s sake.

“No, not yet. They’re all such good girls, it’s hard to choose.” Koutarou shook his head.

Kenji was sloppy when it came to relationships, but he was the man Koutarou could count on the most when it mattered. That’s why he didn’t feel the need to hide anything from him when it came to his feelings.

“Okay, let’s try it this way. Who are you the most fine without? Work backwards one girl at a time, and then just go with who’s left.”

If choosing outright was too hard, it made sense to use the process of elimination. By discounting the girls he cared the least about, the last girl standing had to be the one who was most important to him.

“That’s...”

But this was the first time Koutarou had ever tried to think about his relationships in terms of necessity. He was unable to hide how stunned he was at Kenji’s question.

Someone I don’t need...?

Koutarou recalled the faces of the nine girls. Each face came with many memories. And all of those memories were priceless to him.

“...I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it like that.”

In the end, Koutarou couldn’t come to a conclusion. Or, rather, he came to the conclusion that there wasn’t a single one of them that he didn’t need. To Koutarou, the thought of parting with any of those nine girls was just too saddening. And so the method of elimination proved ineffective for Koutarou.

“You’re really going to have a hard time ahead of you at this rate, Kou.”

Kenji had always worried for Koutarou, and that included worrying about his love life. But now that the problem was starting to affect people even outside of Koutarou’s social circle, Kenji was more worried than ever. He felt badly for the girls Koutarou was troubling and didn’t even realize, and he was concerned that it might come back to Koutarou and the people he was close with in a bad way. Kenji wanted Koutarou to understand what he was potentially risking.

“They really are all great people. They’ve been through a lot, but they’re all still standing on their own two feet and smiling. There’s not a single one of them that I don’t need. They need each other, too.”

“Kou, I get how you feel, but even so...”

“I’m not arrogant enough to think that they have to be with me just because I can’t choose. But any future where they do stay with me is fine by me!”

Koutarou was well aware that if he didn’t make a move, it put the nine girls in a sticky situation. He even knew that he was risking losing them to someone else by doing that. It would be conceited to expect someone to stay in love with him when he didn’t reciprocate those feelings. But despite knowing that, Koutarou still couldn’t decide. It was too late for that. They were all already deeply embedded in his daily life. He had been completely invaded by these girls. Trying to cut one of them out of his life would jeopardize his sense of normalcy, and Koutarou didn’t have the courage to do that himself.

Meanwhile, a similar discussion was taking place in the women’s bath. As the girls of Corona House were surrounded by their classmates, they weren’t talking about the details of their love lives, but the other girls were all talking about their crushes.

“So then what? You confessed, right?” Theia asked.

“I was about to... but then a junior in the girls’ soccer club walked by,” said Irie.

“So what? You couldn’t confess?” Sanae asked.

“Sanae-chan, you could be a little more gentle...” said Shizuka.

“Thank you, Shizuka. But she’s right. I was unable confess after all and went home. I lost heart and couldn’t go through with it.”

The current center of attention was a member of the soccer club with a short haircut. She was a lively girl, but her normally energetic attitude took a back seat as she reported on the outcome in embarrassment.

“I know how you feel. When you steel yourself to start your homework and get interrupted partway through, it takes a lot of courage to start again,” Yurika offered.

“I’d feel bad about comparing love and homework.”

“But both love and homework are important. You’re too stiff, Maki-chan!”

The close-knit, friendly atmosphere had inspired a good round of girl talk in the women’s bath. After one of the girls divulged her story, the others would talk about it and share their opinions. The girl from the soccer team was the fourth one to go so far.

“So... what do you want to do now, Irie-san?” Harumi asked.

“That’s right. Making that clear first will lead to solving the problem,” Clan added.

After joining in at the museum, Harumi and Clan had spent the rest of the days as stowaways with the class. They’d used a little magic to disguise themselves, so both girls had a different hair color and style than usual. They weren’t impressive disguises, but in the large bath with so many other students, they were able to blend in without trouble.

“I want to confess... but I’m worried I’ll lose my nerve again,” Irie admitted.

“Do you want me to tell him for you?” Shizuka offered.

“Shizuka-sama, confessing for others is not an effective method. I believe it would be best to confess on your own,” Ruth interjected.

“I see... This stuff is pretty hard.”

“What do you think I should do, Kurano-san?”

Kiriha had a reputation for being the go-to person with difficult problems like this. As someone who understood the subtleties of the heart, she had presented adequate solutions to most of the other girls’ dilemmas already.

“If you’re worried about losing your nerve while you’re confessing, why not break it up into several parts?”

Kiriha hid her true self and acted like an honor student around her classmates. That was the mask she wore when giving advice like this.

“Split it into several parts?”

“Yes. First you write a love letter. By doing that, he already knows how you feel and you only need to be courageous for a moment.”

“I see! That’s Kurano-san for you! I’ll go with that!”

“But you should stay away confessing via text message.”

“Hmm, why is that?”

“A text message will come across as impersonal. And if you use emojis to try to alleviate that, it will just make it seem as though you’re not serious.”

“Ah... That’s true.”

“And the most important thing is that you deliver the letter in person. You have to think about how he feels too. If you mail it or leave it in his locker, it doesn’t have the same effect. He might even think it’s a prank.”

“So my confession might seem half-hearted?”

“Yes. Earnestly handing over the letter will tell him what you mean for sure.”

“So in the end, how I say it is important too... Okay, I’ll personally write and deliver a letter.”

“I will pray for your success.”

“Yay! Thank you, Kurano-san!”

Irie grasped Kiriha’s hand as she thanked her. There were tears in her eyes. A confession really was an important event, and the girls were all taking each other’s stories to heart. Most of the girls were hoping to confess to someone or another, and Kiriha had offered to pray for each of them so far.

The next girl would change that.

“Um, can I go next?”

Timidly raising her hand was a classmate by the name of Kashiwagi Shiori. Shiori speaking up put Clan and Harumi immediately on tenterhooks.

“Harumi, that girl is...”

“Yes, she was trying to confess to...”

They remembered Shiori’s face. She was the girl that was with Koutarou when they caught up to him at the museum. She hadn’t actually confessed to him, but it was obvious that she was trying her best to get close to him. That meant the crush she was about to bring up had to be Koutarou. Clan and Harumi feared what might come out of her mouth next.

“I... have had someone I’ve liked for a long time...”

Shiori shyly began talking about her crush, but she didn’t name the boy she was interested in. She was going to ask for advice without revealing his identity. Clan and Harumi were on the edge of their seats as they listened.

“But at first, I hated him.”

“Why?” Yurika innocently asked.

She had no idea who Shiori was talking about, so she was just treating this like any other case that had been brought to the love jury.

“He was violent and unsociable... He was scary.”

“Then you should have just left him be,” Sanae chimed in.

Sanae was the same. She could feel love emanating from Shiori, but she didn’t know who it was directed towards. And so she didn’t react any differently than normal.

“That’s what I thought too... so I didn’t talk to him for the first few years.”

“Which means you’ve known this person for quite a while then?” Ruth asked.

Ruth was starting to realize how deep Shiori’s feelings must run to have cared for the same person for that long, but she had no idea who the object of her affection was either.

“We’ve been in the same class since elementary school, but I’m sure he doesn’t remember me.”

Shiori laughed bitterly at herself. She knew she should have acted sooner, and that feeling now distilled into potent regret.

“I think the turning point was when he started playing baseball.”

At the mention of baseball, Kiriha suddenly looked up with a startled expression and stared at Shiori.

It couldn’t be...

“People said something had happened with his family and that’s why he pushed people away... but after picking up baseball, he seemed to find a way to connect with others. From there, he changed little by little. Now he’s quite popular and has a best friend he’s close with...”

At this point in her explanation, each of the Corona House girls had realized who Shiori was talking about. They were all rendered speechless by the surprise.

“Because I was always nearby, watching, I fell in love with him before I knew it... Then I started to think that I actually might be able to help him, but I haven’t been able to do anything because I didn’t have the courage...”

“Sh-Shiori, is the person you’re talking about...”

As expected, the first one who couldn’t stay quiet any longer was Theia. As impatient as she was, she wanted a clear answer. And even though she was the first to speak up, there were another eight girls anxiously awaiting the same answer.

“Koutarou?”

“Yeah. So you guys knew about his past too? Actually, I suspected that might be the case...”

Shiori’s eyes opened wide for a moment, but she soon blushed and nodded. She knew that Theia and some of the other girls had gotten close to Koutarou lately. That’s why she figured it wasn’t all that strange for them to know.

“Just so we’re clear... is Satomi-kun going out with anyone?”

This was really what Shiori had wanted to ask about. She knew that Koutarou got along well with Theia and the others, but she didn’t know if any of them had taken the next step with him. She had to know for sure.

“He... shouldn’t be going out with anyone...”

Anxiety washed over Theia and the eight other girls, but there was no denying the truth. Koutarou didn’t have a girlfriend.

“I see... All right!” Shiori sighed with relief and flashed a look of renewed determination.

“Wh-What?” Yurika sheepishly stammered after seeing her reaction.

“I’m going to confess to Satomi-kun during this field trip!” she answered boldly.

If Theia and the others who were currently the closest to Koutarou didn’t know about one, there was no way that Koutarou actually had a girlfriend. And that meant that nobody would get their feelings hurt if she confessed. Shiori no longer had any reason to hesitate.

“Whaaaaaaaat?!”

Up until now, the invaders had never really considered that anyone apart from them would fall in love with Koutarou. There may be a fleeting crush here and there, sure. Koutarou had definitely gotten some fans because of the plays. But they hadn’t expected that someone who had truly fallen for Koutarou might enter the picture. Shiori’s sudden declaration shook the invaders to their cores.

On the second day of the school excursion, the class would be going to a famous amusement park. Since the trip wasn’t entirely about learning and yesterday had been educational, the teachers had scheduled an entire day for something fun. And now the students were all packed back into the bus, ready for a memorable day at the park.

“...What will happen if Satomi-kun accepts that girl’s confession?” Maki muttered to herself in the back of the bus.

Her voice was quiet, but it reached the other invaders who were sitting nearby. Hearing those words, they all fell silent with serious expressions. While everyone else around them was in high spirits eagerly anticipating getting to the amusement park, the same couldn’t be said for the Corona House girls. With the sudden appearance of Shiori and her shocking declaration, the girls were in no state to enjoy the park.

“Th-That won’t happen! This is Koutarou we’re talking about! He wouldn’t fall for a girl that easily!” Sanae practically shouted.

She desperately tried to break through the heavy and oppressive atmosphere that had crept over them all. However, even she didn’t fully believe what she was saying herself. It was clear that Shiori understood Koutarou pretty well from their talk last night. And with her psychic powers, Sanae knew that the feelings Shiori had for Koutarou were genuine. Denying that she might be able to move his heart would mean denying that any of them might be able to. And so despite Sanae’s insistence, her words sounded hollow.

“I want to believe that... but Kashiwagi-san knows about a side of Satomi-kun that we don’t. Who knows what kind of effect that will have?” Shizuka pointed out what the girls feared the most.

The invaders had already been with Koutarou for over a year, and they prided themselves on knowing Koutarou better than anyone else. The only exception was Kenji. And even though the girls could get a little jealous of him, they never considered him a threat.

But now Shiori had appeared. She wasn’t as close with Koutarou as the girls from room 106 were, but she had known him for far longer. She’d been watching over him since elementary school. In that sense, she was the girl who knew Koutarou best. That made the other girls all the more anxious.

“But isn’t it hard to believe that Veltlion would accept a girl that he barely knows?”

The girls knew that Koutarou still tried to keep his distance from other people. Clan believed that meant that they didn’t have anything to worry about for the foreseeable future. At least, that’s what she wanted to believe.

“So if it isn’t sudden, does that mean Satomi-sama might accept? There’s still over a year until we graduate.”

Ruth had no objections with Clan’s conclusion, but saw a potential problem. Even if Shiori and Koutarou only became friends now, that might blossom into something over the coming year.

“In that time, Koutarou and Shiori might even become close enough to brawl... Without that, it’s hard to tell...” Theia muttered and clenched her fist.

The fact that they still had over a year of high school left only made them worry more. After all, their relationship with Koutarou had formed over the course of a year.

“I never even imagined this could happen... That some other girl might sweep in while we’re at a standstill...” Harumi whispered.

Her words pointed out the essence of the girls’ problem. They had only been focusing on themselves and Koutarou. They figured everything would turn out fine as long as they spent their time and energy on helping Koutarou heal. Shiori seemed to appear out of nowhere because the girls were suffering from a form of tunnel vision. A bolt from the blue, so to speak.

“But, Sakuraba-senpai, in this case aren’t we the ones who swept in on her...?”

Excluding time travel and other caveats, Shiori was the one who fell in love with Koutarou first, just as Yurika said. Even from Koutarou’s perspective, the invaders had all appeared long after Shiori was already a part of his life.

“Logically speaking, that would be the case. We only met Koutarou last year, and each one of us has fallen in love since. And now that we’ve realized that we’re not the only girls in his life, we’re panicking and―” Kiriha attempted to summarize what Harumi and Yurika had said, but she suddenly stopped in the middle of it.

Wait... Why am I getting the feeling that something’s not right?

As Kiriha spoke, she felt a sense of incongruity. Logically, she understood what they were saying. In fact, she felt the same way. But as she looked at the bigger picture, she felt like something was amiss. However, unable to put her finger on it, she was just left feeling confused. How could there be anything wrong with such rational statements?

“What’s the matter, Kiriha?”

Finding it strange for Kiriha to stop so suddenly, Theia looked at her scrutinizingly. Seeing that, Kiriha put the thought out of her mind and flashed a small smile.

“Oh, nothing. It was probably just my imagination.”

She still couldn’t identify the source of this strange feeling, but continuing to puzzle over it now wouldn’t guarantee an answer. And so Kiriha decided to put her mind to the problem in front of them instead.

“Anyway, now that we know we aren’t the only girls interested in Koutarou, it would be foolish not to do anything,” Kiriha said, getting the discussion back on track.

“So what do we do then?”

“It’s unlikely we’ll need to act immediately. Let’s see what Shiori does next.”

There girls didn’t need to worry about Koutarou being moved by Shiori’s sudden attack. The trials and tribulations of room 106 were proof of that. Taking their time to study their opponent’s moves seemed the most strategically sound tactic for now. So the girls decided to observe Shiori, their first ever rival for Koutarou’s heart.

The amusement park wasn’t too far from the hotel, but the congestion around such a popular destination meant they got held up in traffic for half an hour or so. Fortunately, the teachers had taken that possibility into account, and the class arrived about ten minutes before the park opened.

“This place really is top-notch. They’re setting up the perfect atmosphere even before we get in.”

“Kou, even if that’s how you feel, you shouldn’t really say it out loud.”

“Why not?”

“The girls are here for the full experience. Pointing things out like that is a little immersion-breaking.”

“Okay, um... As expected from the land of dreams!”

“That’s more like it.”

Koutarou and Kenji stood next to each other, looking up at the main gate to the amusement park. The brick structure was a grand sight in and of itself, setting the stage for the rest of the park. Even the train that circled the edge of the park looked like something out of a fantasy. It was like they had entered a dream world the moment they stepped off the bus.

“So what’s it going to be today, Mackenzie?”

They’d spent most of yesterday walking around together, so Koutarou decided he’d ask Kenji if he wanted to tag along today too―even though he already had an idea of the answer he’d get.

“I have something to do today.”

“Figured as much.”

As expected, Kenji had other plans. He’d promised some girl he’d walk around the park with her, leaving Koutarou all alone in the fantastical kingdom of dreams.

“This is a good opportunity, so why don’t you find a date too?”

“Easier said than done...”

The first ones to come to mind were the girls of room 106, but there would be trouble if he only invited one of them to go with him. Unable to choose between them, Koutarou was left with a dilemma.

“Then why don’t we go together, Satomi-kun?”

When Koutarou turned to see who had called out to him, he saw Shiori, the girl he’d talked with a little the day before. She was standing with a few other boys―more of their classmates.

This might work...

If he couldn’t choose one of the girls from room 106, bonding with his classmates didn’t seem like a bad idea. After all, the school excursion would feel a little incomplete if he didn’t make memories with any of his peers.

“Thanks, Kashiwagi. I think I’ll do just that.”

“Yeah! Let’s enjoy ourselves today!”

And so Koutarou decided to go around the amusement park with his classmates. That choice came naturally to him, but Kenji―who was watching from nearby―started to wonder what else it might mean.

Kashiwagi-san might unexpectedly win over Kou...

Koutarou did indeed treasure the nine girls he’d gotten so close with. But because he treasured them so, he couldn’t choose between them. With Kashiwagi Shiori stepping in at just the right time, Koutarou might reflexively choose her instead. Kenji had plenty of romantic experience, and he’d seen stranger scenarios develop into relationships. He believed that it was certainly possible that Koutarou and Shiori might end up together.

But even more worried than Kenji were the girls of room 106, who were currently sneaking after Koutarou and Shiori. They hid in the shadows, sometimes using advanced technology or magic to follow several dozen meters behind Koutarou. At that distance, Clan’s parabolic microphone could easily pick up what Koutarou and Shiori were talking about.

“So next is that roller coaster one.”

“You’re fine with heights, right, Satomi-kun?”

“Yeah... but how do you know that?”

“Because you were at the top of the pyramid during the sports festival in middle school.”

“Huh, were we in the same class back then?”

“That’s awful! We’ve always been in the same class!”

“Oh.”

“Jeez, how rude...”

“Sorry, sorry.”

Koutarou and Shiori had a playful banter going on between them and seemed to be enjoying themselves. They might even come off as more than just classmates to someone who didn’t know better. Shiori’s desire to get closer to Koutarou was pushing their interactions in that direction.

“It looks like they’re getting along really well.”

In the shoujo manga that Yurika liked to read, the kind of back and forth that Koutarou and Shiori were having was a sign that their relationship was progressing. It made Yurika even more nervous.

“I think so too. Shiori is sending out love rays, and Koutarou is doing his best to be friendly with her.”

Sanae backed up Yurika’s observation. With her spirit sight, she could see that Shiori was ardently pouring her heart into her feelings for Koutarou. She’d caught a glimpse of it before, but this proved how serious she was about him. It didn’t seem like Koutarou had any feelings for her beyond being a classmate, but he was trying to be nice to her since she’d invited him along. There was no doubt that he wanted to get along with her.

“If Shiori-sama continues to appeal to him this, then maybe Satomi-sama will...”

“I don’t really want to think about it... What do you think, Kiriha?” Theia said, interrupting Ruth.

“Shiori declared that she would confess during the school excursion. I think it’s a little too soon for that... but I can’t imagine how Koutarou will react either. Moreover, the confession will likely change the future course of their relationship.”

The girls believed they had a strong bond with Koutarou, so they didn’t think it would be easy for Shiori to steal his heart. Nevertheless, they were also aware that they were currently at a standstill. They couldn’t deny the possibility that Shiori might bond with Koutarou, given her confession and a little time.

“If Satomi-kun really does go out with Kashiwagi-san... What exactly would happen...?”

Up until now, Shizuka had been able to vaguely imagine her future. She believed that no matter who Koutarou chose, everyone would continue to live their happy, boisterous lives together. But the Shiori dilemma had shaken her. Shizuka couldn’t even imagine what the future would look like if Koutarou chose Shiori. The same was more or less true for the other girls as well.

“If Satomi-kun says that he won’t choose us, then I will probably...”

If Koutarou chose Shiori, Maki might be the most troubled one of all. She had no place to call home. But they say home is where the heart is, and Maki’s heart was with Koutarou. She felt like it was being crushed just imagining Koutarou choosing Shiori.

“That said, it’s not like we can get in the way of Veltlion’s relationship with that girl... Something that cruel would be unforgivable...”

The girls had followed Shiori in order to figure out their next move, but they were stumped for the moment. As Clan implied, Koutarou and Shiori’s relationship was ultimately between them. How it panned out would be up to them, not Clan and the others. If the girls tried to interfere, it would be spiteful and unfair. They couldn’t allow that.

“I guess all we can do is wait and believe...” Harumi said, letting out a heavy sigh.

Since they couldn’t try and stop Shiori, all they could do was pray that Koutarou would choose them. They all slowly came to that realization for themselves.

“If you girls just roll over like that, that girl is going to steal Layous-sama from you.”

“Mother?!”

Elfaria, who had come out of concern for the girls, had a very different take on the situation. According to her, there was still a lot they needed to do.

Last night, Elfaria had heard all about Shiori from her informant, Yurika. She had explained that the girls of room 106 were pondering what to do about their new rival. Worried, Elfaria had come to check on them.

“But mother, there’s nothing we can do in this situation!”

“That might be true in this case. All you can do is watch over them for the time being.”

Elfaria agreed with the girls about not interfering, especially if Shiori was serious. She didn’t want them doing anything they’d regret. The plan Elfaria had come up with was for after they left this place.

“But what you need to do from now on is display your feelings even more than ever. Just like what the girl is desperately doing right now.”

Even if Shiori opened up to Koutarou on this trip, considering his personality, it was unlike that Koutarou would make any sort of rash decision. Shiori still had plenty of time to catch up to the girls of room 106. But if Shiori was chasing after them, they only needed to run faster in order to stay ahead of her. While they couldn’t do anything to trip her up, nothing stopped them from using her techniques to get ahead.

“But, Your Majesty, even if we do that, there’s still the problem of how Satomi-kun feels. I wouldn’t want to do something too unreasonable,” said Harumi.

If possible, she wanted to do as Elfaria said. But considering Koutarou still couldn’t fully believe in people deep down inside, emphasizing her feelings might end up driving him into a corner instead. Harumi wanted to avoid that. So did the other girls.

“You really are such gentle girls. And you really treasure Layous-sama.”

Elfaria gently smiled at the eighteen eyes looking at her―nine pairs, each just the way hers used to look. They were bright yet wistful.

“I understand very well how you feel. He needs happiness more than anyone else.”

“Then―”

“But, Harumi, you girls are mistaken about one thing.”

Elfaria just shook her head when Harumi attempted to push the matter further. All nine pairs of eyes opened wide.

“Mistaken? About what?”

“Basically, you’re underestimating his progress. It’s probably because you’re too close to Layous-sama to appreciate it.”

The difference between yesterday and today was subtle. And the girls spent so much time with Koutarou, they might not have even noticed him changing at all. But Elfaria was different. She could clearly see how different Koutarou was from when she first met him in Forthorthe twenty years in the past. And in the few months she had been here, she only saw Koutarou from time to time. Each time, something was a little different. She had a different perspective from everyone else. The same was true for Shiori.

“The current Layous-sama isn’t trying to push you away as much as you think,” Elfaria assured them.

The ones who had caused that change in him were, without a doubt, the nine girls standing before her. They were slowly healing his heart and brining him out of his shell.

“So believe in him and take the plunge. You’re more important to Layous-sama than you realize. He needs you...”

And that’s why Elfaria believed that if the girls wanted a stronger bond with Koutarou, he wouldn’t reject them. They were special to him.

The amusement park that Koutarou and the others were visiting spanned an area vast enough to include a large artificial lake, as well as a ferry ride. The boat looked grand and luxurious, but it wasn’t really all that big. It was no different from your typical sightseeing ferry. And while it didn’t take very long to circle the lake, it was an incredibly relaxed experience compared to the other rides, so it was popular with people who wanted a change of pace or to take it easy. It was exactly what Shiori was hoping for—somewhere quiet where she wouldn’t be interrupted.

“Huh, where’d everyone go?”

As Koutarou reached the ferry’s upper deck, he only saw Shiori. There were other passengers, but she was the only classmate he recognized.

“They’re all on the rear deck. Look over there.”

Shiori pointed out the rest of their group. As Koutarou looked over, he spotted their classmates on the deck below them.

“Ah, there they are. Let’s go, Kashiwagi.”

Koutarou figured there had just been some sort of misunderstanding, so he immediately turned away from Shiori and started heading for everyone else.

“Wait, Satomi-kun.”

However, Shiori stopped him by grabbing his right hand and pulling him towards her.

“Hmm? What is it?”

Koutarou turned around and looked at Shiori. As he did, she clasped both of her hands around his.

“Everyone moved to the other deck because I asked them to.”

“What do you mean?”

“Actually... there is something I want to talk to you about...”

Shiori lightly closed her eyes. Her flush cheeks and the way she was firmly grasping her hands close to her chest allowed Koutarou to vaguely guess what she wanted to say. It made him feel stiff and tense.

“Um... I...”

Shiori shyly opened her eyes and meekly started speaking. These were the words she’d wanted to say for years, but was never been able to bring herself to speak.

“You might not remember, but... we’ve been in the same class since elementary school... and I’ve always been watching you.”

“...I see.”

Sadly, the only memories of Shiori in Koutarou’s mind were from middle and high school. He couldn’t remember anything earlier than that, but he chose not to say so. He knew it would sound cold.

“That’s how I know about your mom, and that a lot happened with your dad... And I understand that you don’t want to get close to anyone.”

Shiori had learned a lot about Koutarou’s rough life through watching him and listening to people talk. She surmised that, deep down, he couldn’t fully place his trust in people.

“Once I realized that you were struggling to be kind to others, I couldn’t take my eyes off of you... But I didn’t know how I should talk to you. I didn’t have the courage...”

While it was true that Koutarou couldn’t completely put his faith in other people, he continued to try to accept them. After butting heads, he was finally able to accept Kenji. It was that solemn determination that attracted Shiori.

“But we’re soon going to be third-years... We probably won’t see each other after graduation... so I decided to tell you, even if it’s selfish of me. I didn’t want to regret not doing anything!”

Bwooooomp!

The ship’s horn blared. It was the signal that the ferry had reached the halfway point of its journey. Shiori didn’t have much time left. Spurred on by the boat horn, she revealed the feelings she kept inside.

“I’ve always liked you! Please go out with me!”

“Kashiwagi...”

She’d finally been able to say it. She told Koutarou how she really felt. It wasn’t just a passing crush; she truly and deeply cared for him. Shiori knew about his circumstances, but she still reached out to him. She had the determination to overcome any problems together. Those were the feelings in her heart as she confessed. It wasn’t something Koutarou could take lightly.

“Thank you, Kashiwagi. I’m happy that you feel that way.”

“Satomi-kun!”

“But... I can’t go out with you. I’m sorry.”

It was honestly painful for Koutarou to reject Shiori’s serious and earnest feelings. But it was what he had to do. Just casually agreeing to date her would only end with her getting hurt.

“Why... Why not?”

Hearing Koutarou’s answer, tears started streaming down Shiori’s cheeks. Her voice was hoarse like she was doing her best to keep herself from crying, which was only natural. She was very serious about this. And so Koutarou confessed how he truly felt too.

“There are already some girls that I’m interested in.”

“Interested in...?”

“Yeah. I only met them after starting high school, but... they’ve made me who I am now. I still don’t clearly understand it all, but I think the person most important to me is probably one of them. That’s why I can’t go out with you.”

To Koutarou, the girls of room 106 really were special. They had helped him get to where he was today. They were practically part of his identity. Because of that, he couldn’t choose a different girl. Koutarou’s special someone had to be among those nine.

“I think... I can love myself the way I am now. Forgetting the girls who made me feel that way would be too hard.”

“You mean Theia-chan and the others, right?”

Shiori had a hunch about who Koutarou was talking about. She’d been keeping a close eye on him since they entered high school, and there weren’t many people who fit the bill. Logically speaking, it had to be Theia and the others who were always around him.

“That’s right. A lot has happened with them.” Koutarou firmly nodded. He couldn’t lie to Shiori when she was being so honest. “I don’t think I could choose anyone apart from them. Then again, chances are good that I’ll be rejected or they’ll give up on me...”

The nine girls had all shown affection for Koutarou in their own ways. But there was no guarantee their feelings would remain unchanged until Koutarou discovered his own feelings. Koutarou was prepared for that as well.

“If you were me, would you give up?”

“...No. That’s why I will stay here.”

“I’m really sorry, Kashiwagi. It’s not that I dislike you.”

“I know... I understand...”

Shiori understood how Koutarou felt. She understood that it took time to uncover your own feelings, and that it was impossible to give up even when it got hard. That was how Shiori had made her way here. It was also why she had no choice but to accept what he was saying. She nodded as large tears tumbled off her cheeks, falling to the ground.

Theia and the others were by the ferry terminal, waiting for Koutarou and Shiori to get back. They weren’t spying on them right now. When Shiori began her confession, they turned off the microphone and camera on the reconnaissance craft they had been using to observe the boat. They all agreed that eavesdropping on her confession would be in poor taste.

“I wonder how it went...” Yurika muttered.

Really, she was just saying what was on everyone else’s minds. The last ten minutes without the camera feed had been grueling. All they could do now was anxiously await the outcome. It felt like waiting for their hearts to be ripped out.

“Do you think they’ll be boyfriend/girlfriend, start with being friends, or just end it with an ‘I’m sorry.’ How they handle this will change everything...” Shizuka wondered out loud as she leaned on the hedge surrounding the lake and let out a small sigh.

The girls of Corona House believed that Koutarou cherished them and that nothing would change in the near future, regardless of how Koutarou answered Shiori. However, she was still a mysterious threat. She knew a side of Koutarou that they didn’t. Chances were high that from today on, they’d have to keep their guards up. Worry met apprehension, and their unease and impatience only grew stronger.

“But regardless of the outcome, it doesn’t change what we’re going to do with Veltlion,” said Clan. Wanting to clear the air of the negative feelings that were building up, she spoke like she was trying to encourage herself and the other girls.

After being admonished by Elfaria, the girls had already decided on their next move. They were going to take her advice and wear their hearts on their sleeves from now on. Regardless of what happened between Koutarou and Shiori, that policy would stay in place. After all, if someone was chasing them, they had to keep pace or run even faster. They would have to push forwards with their own feelings. There was no time to be discouraged.

Bwooooomp!

The ferry’s horn rang out as it approached. The girls all turned to watch as the boat came in to dock. Koutarou and Shiori would be getting off any minute now. The girls all waited in silence, patiently watching for them.

“Look, there’s Koutarou!” Sanae called.

She was the first one to spot Koutarou and Shiori. In terms of eyesight, Theia’s vision was much sharper, but when it came to finding people, Sanae’s ability to see auras gave her an advantage. She pointed Koutarou out to the other girls and they all continued to watch from a distance.

“Shiori-sama seems to be with him. The reconnaisance craft is picking them up again.”

“Ruth, we don’t need the reconnaisance craft anymore. No more tricks from this point on.”

Koutarou and Shiori stepped off the boat and walked down the pier together. After getting past the terminal gate, they stopped.

“It looks like they’re talking about something... Ah...” There was a hint of surprise in Maki’s voice.

Shiori bowed deeply to Koutarou, then turned her back to him and ran off. Koutarou stood there, watching her go.

“Looks like it was no good, Shiori-san...” Harumi sighed sadly. She had realized what had happened just from watching them now.

The other girls felt badly for her as well. They had considered Shiori a threat, but they still couldn’t rejoice over her getting her heart broken. They knew how sad it must be. In fact, they had thought of her as a threat because it was that sadness they were all afraid of.

“Did Koutarou choose us... or did he...” Kiriha mumbled.

The danger had passed for now, but Kiriha was not necessarily optimistic. While it looked like Shiori had been rejected, they still didn’t know why.

No, wait... I see. So this is why something felt amiss...

Seeing what had happened, Kiriha finally realized what was causing the sense of incongruity she felt before. It was the way she and the other girls had gone about things in the first place. It was their way of thinking.

Why did we feel threatened by Shiori? It’s as if the only ones who have feelings for Koutarou are us and Shiori...

Each of the nine girls here loved Koutarou. Which meant that, as with Shiori, they were all rivals in love. But it didn’t feel like it. A clear line had been drawn.

Why do we think that way? Because we’re best friends who have spent so much time together? That is probably part of it. With the fierce battles we’ve survived, being comrades-in-arms is probably also part of it. But is that really all?

It was a strange situation. The girls of room 106 didn’t feel threatened by each other like they did by Shiori. There was no doubt that they had developed a strong bond over the time they spent together, but Kiriha felt reluctant to accept that that was what created the clear division between the girls of room 106 and Shiori.

Isn’t there some other reason? A special reason that would allow us accept each other...

All nine girls loved Koutarou, and they all had accepted one another. Just based on probability, this was an extremely unlikely situation. And yet, despite all odds, here they were. Kiriha began suspecting that there must be a reason for it.

“...riha. Kiriha, why did you fall silent all of a sudden?”

Kiriha snapped out of it as someone started shaking her shoulders. She looked up, and a confused Sanae stared right back at her.

“...Oh, nothing. It was probably just my imagination.”

In the end, Kiriha abandoned her train of thought.

I must just be overthinking it. In fact, it was probably impossible to try and decipher how we ended up in this situation in the first place. Considering that even a time slip is part of our relationship, it’s inevitable that probability has been biased in our favor. So this is either truly a coincidence, or perhaps even fate...

Searching for reason in a string of coincidences was one of mankind’s bad habits. Anything could happen in spite of statistical odds. Let’s say a rabbit being chased by a fox bumps into a stump and falls over dead. If that happened a second time, it would be a mistake to assume that the stump had the power to attract and kill rabbits. No matter how long the fox waited around the stump, a third rabbit would never come.

“Hmm, okay. Whatever you say. But more importantly, Koutarou is coming this way!”

“Sanae, let’s go greet him!”

“Yeah! ...But he might be angry.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

“Okay!”

There was also another reason Kiriha abandoned her line of questioning. She didn’t want to believe that her meeting Sanae, who she was now holding hands with, or any of the other seven girls was due to anything short of fate.

Day three of the school excursion, the final day, was planned for a trip to a local ranch atop a plateau. The ranch was maintained as a sightseeing spot, so it was more like a park than an actual ranch. There were animals to see, stalls set up for visitors to get a glimpse of ranch life and experience it for themselves, a factory to tour, and even a restaurant and souvenir shop to visit. There were all kinds of things to see and do that interested Koutarou and the others.

“Koutarou, isn’t there somewhere you can try hunting sheep?”

“There’s nothing violent like that here!”

Only one person, Theia, was unengaged. Leaning on the wooden fence surrounding the sheep pastures, she puffed up her cheeks in dissatisfaction. The place was interesting in its own right, but it was too dull and peaceful for Theia. It was a poor match for her energetic and gung-ho personality.

“Eating the sheep you capture yourself would be more fun though.”

“Look at this heavenly place! Do you really want to turn these pastures into some hellscape?”

“Yeah!”

“Even if you ask all cutesy-like, there’s nothing like that here!”

“I guess I don’t have a choice... In that case, Koutarou, you may accompany me for something more violent later on.”

“Fine, fine... Just hold it in for now.”

“Okay!”

But in reality, Theia wasn’t as unhappy as she seemed, and she wasn’t serious about hunting sheep. She just knew that Koutarou would cater to her that way. After getting a promise out of him, Theia was quite satisfied for the moment.

“Master. Your Highness. So this is where you were...”

“Koutarou! Theia! Let’s go over there next! There’s ice cream!”

Just as Theia’s mood had improved, Ruth and Sanae appeared. After scuttling over to Koutarou, Sanae spread out a pamphlet to show him.

“It says you can try making ice cream by hand! Let’s all go together!”

“I made reservations a little while ago and just got word that it’s our turn.”

There was a station set up on the grounds where visitors could make ice cream using milk from the ranch cows. It seemed like the girl who loved cooking and the girl who loves sweets just couldn’t help themselves.

“With everyone?”

“Yeah! It’s more fun that way!”

“I made a reservation for ten.”

“Won’t we end up with way too much ice cream?”

“Even better! We’ll just have to eat it all!”

“If we can’t finish it all, we can just store it on the Blue Knight.”

“I guess that works. All right, let’s go.”

Since there didn’t seem to be any problems, Koutarou decided to join and make ice cream too. Sanae, who had been smiling all along, moved closer to him.

“Koutarou, Koutarou!”

“Yeah, yeah...”

She climbed up on Koutarou’s back in the usual fashion, as if claiming her territory.

“It’s over there.”

“Got it.”

With Sanae on his back, Koutarou began walking in the direction she pointed. Theia and Ruth followed not too far behind.

Ruth smiled as she glanced at the two of them. She leaned over and whispered into Theia’s ear, “It looks like we’re off to a late start.”

“That’s fine. He made a promise to play with me later.”

“Splendid.”

As Ruth and Theia smiled to each other, Koutarou and Sanae met up with the other girls. They were all waiting at the booth.

“You’re late, Satomi-kun. We were about to start without you.”

Shizuka welcomed them with a smile. She may have been targeting Koutarou, but it was just an opportunity to start up a conversation. Knowing that, he responded lightheartedly.

“I’m sorry, Landlord-san. Sanae was heavier than I thought.”

“You liar. You were happy to carry me.”

“Now I’m jealous. Satomi-kun, give me a piggyback ride sometime too.”

“Only on a day when you’re light.”

“That’s terrible! I’ve been nothing but light lately!”

“That’s a lie. You were crying in the bathroom yesterday because you gained half a kilogram,” Sanae squealed.

“Ugh, Sanae-chan! Jeez...”

“Heeheehee!”

Sanae got off Koutarou’s back and began chatting with Shizuka. He watched them for a while, but couldn’t help noticing the strange face Yurika was making.

“What is it, Yurika?”

“Um, Satomi-san, how much ice cream do you have to eat for it to count as a meal?”

“Don’t skimp on your food budget by replacing dinner with ice cream.”

“But there’s no expiration date on ice cream, right? I should make the most of it!”

Yurika was always thinking about food and money. She was planning on making a meal out of the ice cream she was going to make. It seemed like the prudent, economical thing to do. Who knows what tomorrow might bring? It might be poverty and hunger. Yurika made it a point to always be prepared.

“Wait, Yurika! Even if you suddenly end up penniless tomorrow, I’ll cover your food expenses equivalent to the ice cream you make here. So don’t you dare waste a fun event like this on miserable thoughts like starving!”

To Koutarou, Yurika’s way of thinking was too pessimistic and sad.

Yurika might be the same as me. She can’t fully trust others when it comes to things like this...

If he left her be, Yurika would go in a bad direction. Koutarou couldn’t just overlook that. He was ready to put an end to it.

“Really?!”

Yurika’s eyes lit up at his offer. She folded her hands in front of her chest like she was praying and sidled up next to Koutarou.

“I’ve loved you since we first met, Satomi-san!”

She grabbed his hand and shook it up and down. She looked like she’d just found her savior.

“By the way, Yurika, just because I promised to help you out, don’t even think of trying to save your ice cream for later, okay?”

“Whaaat?! I can’t?!” Yurika froze on the spot.

“Of course you can’t! If you leave any behind, I’m going to eat all of it!”

“That’s just too cruel! Please show some mercy, Satomi-saaaaan!”

Yurika clung to Koutarou and begged, but he thoroughly refused her. Really, it was a sign that he would always be willing to help her out, but Yurika didn’t seem to realize that.

Once the group actually got to making ice cream, the ones who were good at cooking practically ran the show. Fortunately, making ice cream was a relatively simple process and there was very little chance of failing. By having those who were good at it pair up with those who weren’t, everyone’s ice cream gradually approached completion.

“Satomi-kun.”

“Here.”

Koutarou and Maki were working together. Koutarou’s culinary skills were strictly mediocre, so he was paired up with Maki, who was a decent cook.

“All that’s left is―”

“Leave it to me. I’m good with heavy labor.”

Koutarou and Maki cooking was a strange sight. They exchanged very few words. As they often seemed to think alike, they were strangely able to intuit what the other might need or want. As a result, things were proceeding quite smoothly. It was a stark contrast to Sanae and Theia, who were currently making a big fuss. But with their teamwork and skill, Koutarou and Maki were the first ones to move on to the final stage of stirring the ingredients while they were still cold.

“By the way, do you like chocolate, Aika-san?”

From this point on was just stirring, so Koutarou began talking to Maki as he moved the mixer around.

“...Why do you ask?” Maki looked back at him in confusion.

“Well, this is chocolate ice cream. You went for this right away. You gave me chocolate for Valentine’s too, right? So I was wondering if you like chocolate.”

“That’s...” Maki blushed and cast her eyes down, then timidly answered him. “It’s not that I like it... But I learned you do... So I...”

“Me?”

“Yes... I wanted you to eat it...”

During Valentine’s day, Maki learned that Koutarou liked chocolate. That’s why she didn’t hesitate to pick it when it came to flavoring the ice cream.

“We’re making it together, so I’d eat any flavor.”

“Us making it together was only an afterthought...”

“Well, yeah. I guess we’ll just have to do our best together anyway.”

“...Please.”

Koutarou now silently stirred the mixture. What Maki had said was equivalent to a confession. Even Koutarou realized that. And now that they were both embarrassed, they needed a little breather.

The ice cream each of the five pairs made was delicious, but the best of the bunch had to be the yogurt flavor Harumi and Clan made.

“I have a bad feeling just hearing that Clan made it,” said Koutarou.

“You won’t be able to say that once you taste it.”

Normally, Koutarou teasing Clan like this would enrage her, but not this time. She was confident in her ice cream and wore a fearless smile.

“I know.”

“Huh...?”

But when Koutarou casually agreed with her, she suddenly blushed and lost her composure. She could feel her heart beating faster.

“You made it with Sakuraba-senpai, so of course it’ll be good.”

“Tch! J-Just shut up and eat it!”

“Mmm...”

Getting upset in the end, Clan shoved the ice cream cone in her hand straight into his mouth. But not even that was enough to make her feel better.

“Why is this man always only mean to me? Jeez!”

Clan stomped her feet in frustration. The tears in her eyes indicated how mortified she really was. Harumi couldn’t help noticing.

“Satomi-kun likes you, Clan-san. And he believes that you’ll forgive him no matter what he says. If not, he wouldn’t be so mean all the time.”

Bullying was a sign of affection. And Koutarou was teasing Clan because she didn’t understand that. Just the same as he wasn’t teasing Harumi because she did. Harumi had seen right through Koutarou.

“That’s not true! He’s just being rude!”

But even with Harumi reassuring her, Clan wasn’t calming down. As someone who really knew how to hold a grudge, her anger was just beginning to smolder.

“Heehee... Satomi-kun is greedy, so you smiling isn’t enough for him. He wants to see all of your adorable sides. Right, Satomi-kun?”

“Waugh?!”

Koutarou nearly choked on the ice cream he was eating when he heard what Harumi said. His reaction told Clan there was some truth to Harumi’s words.

He tried to respond, but all he could do was cough.

“...I-I’ll have you report on the taste later!”

But if what Harumi said was true, that meant Clan had another problem on her hands. Her entire face flushed red and she turned to leave as if she was running away. She left behind Koutarou, who was beating his chest, and Harumi, who was smiling.

“Ack, ugh... Ahem... Please give me a break, Sakuraba-senpai.”

After safely swallowing the ice cream, Koutarou slumped his shoulders. Harumi was more or less telling the truth, but it was a very painful truth for Koutarou.

“Teehee, I’m an aspiring bad girl after all.”

Having successfully teased Koutarou, Harumi was quite content. She was bad at teasing people, so explaining why Koutarou was mean to Clan was her only chance to give him a hard time.

“I need to have a word with Kiriha-san later...”

Koutarou looked disgruntled. He’d realized who the mastermind was.

“Oh, did you figure it out already?”

“Of course!”

An Aikido-style bad girl act, using the other party’s bullying against them. It was hard to think Harumi would come up with something like that on her own. It seemed far more likely that Kiriha had taught her.

With everyone’s ice cream finished, they were planning on having a communal taste test. There was a high chance that Koutarou would tease Clan. It would give Harumi the chance to expose Koutarou’s true intentions, meaning that she could play the bad girl without feeling guilty, as well as soothe Clan’s anger.

“...And so you’ve come to me.”

As Kiriha spoke, she presented some of the ice cream she had made to Koutarou. He wordlessly ate it. It was vanilla flavored. Since Yurika was Kiriha’s partner, it wasn’t the best ice cream, but it was still rather good.

“I surrender.”

“Very good.”

Koutarou gave in, both to Kiriha’s ice cream and her plan. She had him wrapped around her finger, so he had no choice but to raise the white flag.

“So this’ll be the third time we’ve ridden the ferris wheel together, huh?”

Since he knew why Kiriha had summoned him, he couldn’t get angry. He was powerless against the smiling Kiriha, standing eagerly before the ferris wheel.

“There’s no roller coaster here, so I have to settle for second best.”

Koutarou and the others split up into pairs to ride the ferris wheel, so Koutarou and Kiriha had a gondola to themselves. Because of everything she had wanted to ride together with Koutarou eleven years ago, she had come up with all kinds of plans.

“So you can read me like a book, huh? I’m no match for you, Kiriha-san.”

“That’s not true. There are times when even I’m uncertain.”

“Are you talking about Kashiwagi?”

“Kashiwagi? Did something happen between you two?”

“...No, never mind.”

“I see.”

Koutarou figured that Kiriha’s uncertainty was referring to the situation with Kashiwagi Shiori. Pretending like she didn’t know what he was talking about was just her way of being considerate. Koutarou didn’t really think that Kiriha hadn’t noticed. But either way, there wasn’t a need to dwell on Shiori. Koutarou was confident that he had dealt with the situation properly and that he didn’t need to tell Kiriha about it. It would be better to shift the conversation towards something Kiriha actually wanted to talk about.

“By the way, Kiriha-san, where should we go next?”

“What’s the matter, Koutarou? You’re being awfully kind today.” Kiriha smiled happily. She was glad to hear Koutarou’s gentle words. “Could it be that you did something bad? Are you trying to make up for it?”

“Ahaha, almost the opposite. It’s what I don’t do that bothers me. I’ve realized that I haven’t done enough with all of you. I want to do more.”

She was sensitive and perceptive, so Kiriha would find out sooner or later even if he didn’t tell her. That’s why he honestly revealed his feelings.

“Even though I was hesitating, I should have at least made my feelings a little more clear.”

Even if he couldn’t choose one of the nine girls, he should at least show them his sincerity. He should show them how special they were to him. That way, they wouldn’t ever have to feel uneasy. That was what Shiori’s confession had made Koutarou realize.

As he stared at the blue sky through the window, Koutarou recalled the sight of Shiori desperately trying to earn his affection. Even if he could only muster a fraction of her sincerity and determination, that would be enough. He just wanted to be able to show the girls how he felt too.

“...”

But Kiriha was strangely silent at his remark. Curious, Koutarou turned to look at her. She was crying, but he couldn’t figure out the reason from looking at her. All he could tell was that they didn’t seem to be tears of sadness.

“Why are you crying?”

“...Forgive me. I’m... not sure myself. It’s just... my heart is overflowing with emotions, but... there’s no clear answer...”

“But it’s not because you’re sad?”

“That’s right. But that’s all I’m sure of...”

“I see. Then I’m relieved.”

“Hnngh... I can’t control my feelings. Is it okay if I just cry like this for a moment?”

Kiriha clasped her left hand to her chest and silently wept. It was rare to see Kiriha display this much emotion. But there was no need to worry. Kiriha wasn’t hurt or sad.

“Do what you need to. I’ll be right here, eating ice cream.”

Koutarou took the ice cream out of Kiriha’s right hand. With Kiriha crying, she wasn’t in any state to eat it. And at this rate, it would all melt. That would be a waste, and Koutarou had nothing better to do.

“Koutarou...”

“Yeah?”

“We all love you.”

“I see. Actually, it’s mutual.”

“Mm...”

After that, Kiriha cried for a while. As Koutarou watched over her, he wondered if the other eight girls would cry too if he said the same thing to them. He hoped they would, because the truth was that he wanted to cry himself. It was just that his pride as a man didn’t allow it. Kiriha would just have to cry on her own. But even after Koutarou polished off the ice cream and was eating the cone, she still hadn’t stopped.

Kenji happened to pass by the ferris wheel just as Koutarou and Kiriha got out of the gondola. After coming through the gate, Koutarou and the others seemed to be making a fuss for some reason. While he was too far away to hear what it was about, he could tell that it was something big from how they were acting.

“Koutarou, tell me that you love me to my face too!” Sanae shouted.

“What?! Right now?!”

“We were eavesdropping!”

“What?! Did you set me up, Kiriha-san?!”

“No, it was all me! I set this up of my own accord! Serves you right! Ohohoho!” Clan laughed.

“Damn you, Clan! Don’t get full of yourself!”

“I listened in as well, Layous-sama.”

“Elle?! Why the hell are you here?!”

Kenji could see them scuffling and hear them shouting, but it didn’t seem too serious. For causing such a commotion, there was a bright, playful atmosphere to it all. For better or worse, Kenji didn’t feel like he could butt in on that.

“It really is hard to get in there, isn’t it?”

As Kenji was watching Koutarou and the others, he heard someone else say almost exactly what he was thinking. Surprised, he turned to look and see where the voice had come from. It was Shiori. Like Kenji, she’d just happened to be passing by at the right time.

“Kashiwagi-san, do you mean you confessed to Kou, knowing what would happen?”

Koutarou had told Kenji about Shiori. That’s why he’d picked up on the hidden meaning behind her words. He was surprised that she was still able to confess knowing that she’d get shot down.

“Yeah. I didn’t want to give up without trying.”

Having watched Koutarou for years, Shiori knew what the outcome would be. Koutarou’s heart belonged to those nine girls from the very beginning. But even so, she was unable to hide her feelings any longer. She decided to confess because she felt like she would always regret it if she didn’t.

“I think I just got off to a late start,” Shiori laughed self-mockingly. She knew everything—including the reason why things turned out the way they did. “I should have done something before Satomi-kun started changing, just as we entered high school. I should have been the one to change him. The cowardice that kept me from doing that is where I went wrong.”

After the opening ceremony, things got more lively around Koutarou with the appearance of Theia and the other girls. Rather than being frightened, Shiori should have taken action right then. It was because she hadn’t that her feelings never reached Koutarou. That was all.

“But if those girls weren’t around, you might have been able to save Kou.”

If Theia and the others hadn’t transferred to their school, Shiori would have eventually taken action. Maybe then would she have been able to help Koutarou. That was how Kenji saw it.

“Heh, it’s almost like you’re Satomi-kun’s mom, Matsudaira-kun.”

“Give me a break. That’s disgusting...”

“Ahahaha!”

Shiori’s laughter was unexpectedly bright. She had spilled her heart to Koutarou, been turned down, and spent the night crying. Perhaps because things had been so straightforward, she was able to recover quite quickly. Sensing that, a certain bad habit of Kenji’s kicked in.

“More importantly, why don’t you go out with me?”

“Is that really something you should say to a girl who just got her heart broken?”

Shiori gave Kenji a cold glance as if to say she was disappointed. But Kenji was used to that. Unfazed, he just shrugged.

“I guess the girls who fall for Kou are all good girls.”

“Jeez, you’re terrible, Matsudaira-kun. Heehee...”

Shiori had a refreshing smile. It was truly beautiful. A little captivated by it, Kenji began seriously plotting how to get her to go out with him... All the while thinking that he had finally met his ideal woman.