“Ha…ha-ha… Are you sure you’ll be okay without Kuze’s help?”
Alisa implied that they both relied on his help, but Yuki didn’t even blink.
“Of course I’m sure. At any rate, I hope you work as good alone as your title suggests, Solitary Princess.”
“…! I’m not going to lose to you!”
Although Alisa was essentially baring her fangs, Yuki confidently cackled back.
“I am looking forward to tomorrow.”
And just like that, out of nowhere, the two beautiful princesses were going to battle it out face-to-face the following day. Soon after that, Alisa began to prepare for their fight. She checked the questions from other students in the suggestion box and imagined which contribution would be brought up during the radio show. Even while taking care of Masachika, she tried to remember as many of Yuki’s radio show announcements as she could and simulated likely topics and responses in her mind as well. And then…after school the next day, she headed to the broadcasting room, having done everything she could to prepare in such a short time.
“Are you here?”
She knocked on the door before stepping into the room, where Yuki was already waiting for her.
“Good afternoon, Alya. You’re here early.”
“…Yeah. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Me too.”
Alisa raised an eyebrow at the fact that Yuki was back to calling her by her nickname again, but she sat next to her friend and rival, still ready for battle. That is, until something completely unexpected took her by surprise.
“We still have time before the announcement starts, so… Alya?”
“What?”
“I’m sorry.”
Yuki suddenly turned to Alisa and bowed deeply, shocking her.
“Wh-what are you apologizing for?”
“For the way I acted yesterday.”
Her voice was heavy with regret, her head still deeply bowed.
“It pains me to challenge you like this out of nowhere, especially since you are such a wonderful friend. I had to act overly aggressive so I wouldn’t hesitate and change my mind, but after going home last night and reflecting, I realized what I did was wrong.”
“…”
“I know it is selfish of me to say this, but I do not want to lose you as a friend, so…do you think you could forgive me?”
“I-it doesn’t matter anymore. Please lift your head,” replied Alisa, uncomfortable. Yuki then looked up and glanced at Alisa’s expression.
“Does that mean…you forgive me?”
“Y-yeah… It’s fine. You’re really serious about this. That’s all, right?”
“Thank you so much! Oh, thank goodness.”
Alisa was honestly not completely satisfied with Yuki’s selfish apology, but when she saw the smile on Yuki’s face…she didn’t have it in her to complain anymore. Yuki’s look of relief, as if a weight had been removed from her shoulders, made Alisa smile softly as well.
“I am truly sorry. I know I am making excuses, but there is a reason I have to become the student council president, no matter what,” confessed Yuki with a grave expression, tightly clenching her fists in front of her chest. Alisa, who had an idea what that reason was, slightly sympathized with her and almost reflexively asked:
“Did your family tell you to become the student council president?”
The reason she asked went back to when she first joined the student council and Yuki opened up to her. She didn’t think much of it at the time. She thought, Well, everyone’s family is different and It must be rough being constantly pressured by your family like that, but…
“Well, that is part of the reason.”
Yuki’s eyes wandered as if she didn’t know how to say what she wanted to say, but after some hesitation, she gazed right at Alisa and revealed:
“I had an older brother.”
“What?”
Alisa was caught off guard by the unexpected confession, since she had always heard that Yuki was an only child. Yuki looked away from Alisa’s wide eyes, stared off into the distance, and eloquently continued:
“My brother was always much more talented than me, so my parents and grandfather expected so much from him. They believed he would make a wonderful heir to take over the Suou family one day…and I looked up to him very much as well.”
Her gentle expression almost appeared to be reflecting the memories of a past dear to her when all emotion suddenly faded from her face.
“But now he’s gone.”
“…!”
Yuki’s tone suddenly changed. What she was saying… Alisa was at a loss for words. He was gone? Did that mean…?
“Therefore, losing isn’t an option for me,” she uttered, gazing right into Alisa’s eyes, inevitably piercing her heart.
“I have to live up to my family’s expectations in his place. That is the responsibility he left with me.”
“…”
A strong sense of duty and a firm will could be sensed from her bold declaration…but she suddenly smiled.
“…But everyone has their own problems and their own reasons for doing something, so I don’t know why I am saying all this. I apologize.” Yuki smiled, looking apologetic, as she bowed again.
“H-huh? No, it’s fine,” replied Alisa, trembling. Yuki lifted her head and revealed a vacant, forced smile as she announced with a mood-lightening sparkle in her voice:
“Oh! Look at the time. The show is about to begin. Are you ready, Alya?”
“…I’m ready.”
“Ready”? Alisa wasn’t mentally prepared to do anything. She even forgot what she was doing there in the first place, and she turned to face the microphone almost unconsciously.
“What about you, Alya?” asked Yuki, getting Alisa’s attention.
“Huh?”
“Why do you want to become the student council president?”
The words pierced Alisa’s already anxious heart, and her mind went blank. When Masachika asked her the same question long ago, she was able to answer immediately. She told him it was because she wanted to be the student council president. That was it. But after hearing about Yuki’s situation, Alisa suddenly began to feel her reason was far too insignificant.
“Oh, we really are out of time. Shall we begin, Alya?”
“Huh? O-oh, yes. Let’s.”
Even after reflexively replying, there was a part of Alisa still vaguely trying to remember what she was about to do, but by the time she did, it was far too late. The microphones were already turned on, and the program had already started.
“Hello, everyone. This is your biweekly student council announcement with me, Yuki Suou, student council publicist, here to update everyone on what the student council has been doing these past two weeks. And guess what? I have a very special guest with me today, since this is the last announcement for the semester. Say hello.”
Alisa found herself lost in Yuki’s well-flowing, eloquent voice until it was her turn to speak. Yuki shifted her gaze to Alisa, who nervously faced her microphone…but she had completely forgotten what she’d planned on saying.
“Oh, Alisa Kujou here. Ah! I’m the student council accountant… Uh… I’m happy to be here with you today.”
Her stiff and awkward introduction embarrassed her to the point that she could feel her back get warmer.
“Oh my. Alya seems to be a little nervous today. But there is nothing to worry about! I doubt there are that many people listening to this announcement today! I know that isn’t something I should admit, though,” Yuki promptly chimed in, but Alisa could feel that even her cheeks were getting hotter now.
Pull yourself together! You have to beat Yuki! And how are you going to do that if you need her to hold your hand and help you like this?!
She tried scolding herself, but it wasn’t only that. Up until a few minutes ago, she was driven to defeat Yuki, but that drive had almost completely faded.
Why do I want to win, though? If anything, I…
There had to be a reason she wanted to win. A reason that was hers and hers alone. A reason to become the student council president.
No…! I can think about that later. I need to focus on this announcement right now. Uh…
Alisa understood just how important this announcement was, and yet Yuki’s question was all she could think about. Why did she want to become the student council president? She would surely not be able to defeat Yuki if she couldn’t answer with her chest puffed out proudly, but it was like an obsession slowly pushing Alisa into a corner.
“…I suppose that would be the gist of it. What do you think, Alya?”
“Huh? O-oh, uh…”
But the broadcast didn’t stop, and the more Alisa panicked, the more difficulty she had trying to think, which consequentially caused her to trip over her words as well.
“What happened after that was…more of the same. I couldn’t gather my thoughts, and I didn’t get a chance to recover mentally, either, as she toyed with me. Yuki essentially had to dig me out of each hole I made for myself after everything I said…which wasn’t much, since I was having trouble conveying anything,” she admitted, her voice tainted with bitterness and self-scorn. She ground her pearl-white teeth.
That’s cruel…
That was the first thought that popped into Masachika’s mind as he quietly watched over Alisa, frowning uncomfortably at how diabolical Yuki’s psychological warfare was. First, she took on the role of a sinister villain, challenging and taunting Alisa to fire her up. Then, on the day of the challenge, she did a one-eighty and tried to elicit sympathy right before the announcement, shattering Alisa’s will to fight. And as if that wasn’t enough, she also told Alisa that she was fighting to become the president to live up to her family’s expectations, since her beloved older brother was now gone, then almost immediately switched to asking Alisa what she was fighting for. And because Alisa was a serious and sincere person, she fell right into Yuki’s trap. Perhaps the silver lining here was that Alisa was so sincere that she had no idea Yuki was trying to make her doubt herself. If Alisa, who didn’t have many friends to begin with, ever knew these were calculated moves Yuki used to defeat her, she probably would stop trusting people, at least somewhat. Perhaps that, too, was part of Yuki’s plan.
Wait… Maybe Yuki knew that Alya wouldn’t notice. Maybe that was part of her plan.
She maintained her friendship with Alisa, helping her every time she tripped over her words while simultaneously trying to throw Alisa off her game. My sister meticulously planned this terrifying attack, thought Masachika.
“It’s so frustrating.”
When he returned his focus to the strained, weak voice in front of him, Alisa was still frowning and clenching her teeth, her fists trembling.
“I can’t believe how easily I let myself get worked up like that… I was so confident when I took her up on her challenge, but in the end, I couldn’t do anything—”
“Okay, that’s enough. You’re moving in the wrong direction with your thinking,” observed Masachika, and he clapped his hands to snap her out of it. Alisa lifted her head to look at him.
“…The ‘wrong direction’?”
“You’re doing exactly what Yuki wants. So you weren’t able to say the things you wanted during the announcement that Yuki hosted. That’s it? Since when did that become a ‘challenge’?”
“What do you mean?”
“Yuki said she was challenging you, or at the very least, she made it seem like it was a match. That’s why you thought it was a competition. Am I wrong?”
Alisa blinked for a few moments with her head bent forward before slowly leaning her upper body back. After making sure she pulled herself together, Masachika continued in a matter-of-fact tone:
“Wanting to win is important, but you can’t let that obsession take you prisoner. It’ll give you tunnel vision, and you’ll miss important details, so be careful.”
“‘Important details’?”
“Yep. Like…what’s the headliner?”
After she shot him a puzzled look, he shrugged and continued:
“Fighting head-to-head in these sudden death matches is not what you do. You’re the kind of person who puts everything she has into fighting with everything she has, regardless of who her opponent is. You analyze your rival until you are satisfied and ready, and the results simply follow. Right?”
“I suppose…”
“Thinking about your opponents and their problems is a distraction for people like you. Of course, the existence of an adversary could give you motivation, but you don’t need motivation. You can keep motivated all by yourself. In other words, worrying too much about your competition for whatever reason only gets in your way and keeps you from giving one hundred percent to whatever you’re doing.”
“…”
“I get it, though. This is the first time you’ve gotten so worked up that you completely lost your sense of composure, right?”
“Yes… I suppose I did get worked up now that you mention it…”
Alisa appeared to be deep in thought, as if she had an idea of what he was getting at.
“Listen. Change your mindset. Yuki wasn’t trying to use today’s broadcast to achieve dominance over you. She was trying to distract you so you wouldn’t be able to give it your all at the closing ceremony when you give your speech,” suggested Masachika, purposely taking an assertive tone.
“…!”
“Am I wrong? Today was a half day, so there were hardly any students who stuck around to listen to the announcement during lunch. If she wanted to get the upper hand during one of these announcements, she would’ve done so when the whole school was around to hear.”
“But…didn’t she decide to do this because you were sick, and you weren’t coming to school today?”
“That’s part of it, but you would have accepted a challenge from her to fight one-on-one even if I hadn’t been absent, right?”
“…”
“So I know I’m repeating myself, but change your mindset. There’s no need for you to do things her way. Something this insignificant wouldn’t even count as a preliminary skirmish compared to the closing ceremony speech. You were a guest during today’s announcement, and you weren’t the best talker in the world. That’s all. No big deal. None of our schoolmates even knew you two were duking it out, and there weren’t that many students who heard the announcement. Plus, nobody’s going to care about, let alone remember, what happened today if you put on a good show at the closing ceremony in two days.”
He spoke earnestly, his eyes boring into hers. However, even Masachika himself knew that everything he said wasn’t completely factual. It was most likely that there had been a shift in the balance of power between Yuki and Alisa after today’s announcement. This was their first time publicly clashing, after all, and Masachika had naturally assumed their first altercation, which would draw a lot of attention, would be the closing ceremony. However, Yuki’s surprise attack proved him wrong. Right as people were starting to find themselves impressed with Princess Alya after the debate, this happened. She got us, thought Masachika, who’d wanted to go into the closing ceremony with Alisa’s popularity still on the rise from the debate. Nevertheless, having Alisa change her mindset was what was most important right now. Because he believed taking care of this was imperative after unintentionally learning that her mental state greatly affected how much of her true potential she could tap into.
“So the headliner would be the closing ceremony? And the announcement was more like an opening performance? Is that what you mean?”
“Basically. It looks like she wanted to throw you off your game…but things probably didn’t go exactly how she planned.”
“…?”
Alisa blinked.
“She was probably expecting you to be depressed because you couldn’t perform how you wanted to during the announcement, and she wanted you to stay depressed during the closing ceremony. But you’re frustrated, not depressed. Which means everything’s going to be okay. We can simply use that frustration as motivation. So stop letting it bother you,” he commanded with a confident grin. He quietly looked her in the eye, and as if his will were conveyed to her, she suddenly closed her eyes and exhaled deeply before collecting herself and facing him once more.
“…You’re right. Thank you.”
“…Oh, one more thing. While it’s fine to be frustrated, don’t let the rivalry get the best of you. She wants you to become overcompetitive and obsessed.”
“In other words, I need to forget about what happened for now and focus on giving the closing ceremony everything I’ve got, right?”
“Yep, sounds about right.”
“Okay. I’ll make sure to change my mindset… And I’m sorry. I’m sorry for running into battle all by myself like that.”
Alisa lowered her head, and Masachika grew unbelievably restless because it was extremely rare for Alisa to ever bow.
“No, uh… I mean… It’s my fault, too, for getting sick during such an important time. I’m sorry.”
“It isn’t your fault you got sick.”
“But this never would have happened if I didn’t let my guard down. I failed to predict that Yuki would ambush us like this. I was being naive thinking she wouldn’t go all out before the closing ceremony. I thought it wasn’t going to be that big of a deal, since it’s just the closing ceremony. I got too comfortable, and I hate myself for that.”
“I didn’t see it coming, either. Besides, I should have gone to you first, instead of letting my pride take over like that.”
“You were only looking out for me because I was sick and—… Let’s just do better next time, okay?” suggested Masachika, aggressively scratching his head. Although clearly not 100 percent happy with his conclusion, Alisa nodded in agreement. A slightly awkward air filled the space between them for a few seconds until he cleared his throat and added:
“Anyway, depending on how you look at it, I guess you could say this is a good chance to show everyone what a hard worker you are, just like we discussed at the restaurant that day. The protagonist shines the brightest during adverse circumstances, after all. Besides, at the very least, we learned firsthand that Yuki is better at this type of warfare, and it’s important to have a good idea of your opponent’s skill set.”
“…Yeah, I never expected Yuki to attack from the rear like this, so I suppose I could consider this a good learning experience, since I won’t be making the same mistake twice,” she said as though she was trying to persuade herself of that as well.
“…Are you disappointed?” asked Masachika in a somewhat worried manner.
“Huh?”
“Are you disillusioned with Yuki after learning these are the kinds of things she does?”
Alisa slowly blinked for a few moments before shaking her head.
“No, I’m not disillusioned. While it was a surprise attack, Yuki challenged me head-on. I don’t have the right to blame her when I only have myself to blame for losing.”
“…All right. I’m glad to hear that.”
He let out a sigh of relief after learning that Alisa and Yuki were still friends, but at the very same time…
Yeah… It looks like she still hasn’t realized that Yuki basically used psychological warfare against her.
Alisa seemed to truly believe Yuki only acted overly aggressive so Alisa wouldn’t change her mind, and she seemed to not realize that even that was all part of Yuki’s plan to throw her off her game. In actuality, it was all a well-calculated act, but in Alisa’s mind, Yuki’s behavior and question messing her up was purely coincidental.
It wasn’t a coincidence, though. She knew that would happen, which is why she did it. But I’m not sure if I should tell Alya that…
On one hand, if he decided to be completely honest with her, it would most likely destroy their friendship. But on the other hand, he would need to explain to her what happened to make sure she wouldn’t make the same mistake again. Masachika began to inwardly debate with himself when…
“Kuze? What’s wrong?”
“Oh… It’s nothing.”
He saw the innocent look on her face and decided to keep quiet. Besides, strategizing was his specialty. All he had to do was handle the things Alisa wasn’t good at for her.
“If it’s nothing, then why are you smiling?”
“Huh?”
Masachika blinked in wonder, and only after touching his face did he realize that he actually was smiling.
“Wow, you’re right. Good question.”
“‘Good question’?”
He thought about it before her perplexed gaze…until it finally hit him.
Am I excited? Am I having fun…because Yuki and Ayano got one up on me?
Yuki once expressed her love for sibling rivalries and how excited she was to fight him, but it seemed that Masachika was no different.
“Interesting… Ha-ha! She really got us this time. That’s all.”
The instant he realized the reason he was smiling, his smirk twisted into something sinister.
“It’s strange. I’m even a little surprised myself how excited all this has made me.”
Neither Yuki nor Ayano had acted that differently the previous day, but they actually had been hiding daggers behind their backs, eagerly waiting for an opening to strike, and they managed to beautifully unsheathe said daggers without Masachika noticing. The fact that they pulled it off so well was surprisingly amusing to him. While undoubtedly an arrogant feeling, what he felt was similar to the joy a parent would feel when they saw just how much their child had grown up. His usually unmotivated demeanor was nowhere to be found, and his lips were curled in exhilaration as if he was about to lick them any moment now. Alisa gazed in wonder…then softly placed a hand over her mouth and looked away.
“<Wow… I could get used to seeing him like this…>”
Masachika curiously blinked at her because he genuinely couldn’t hear what she whispered into her hand.
“Did you say something?”
“I just said that look on your face was creeping me out. You looked like some bad guy scheming something.”
“…Did I really look that bad?”
“…Yes.”
Although she nodded, her hand couldn’t cover her faintly blushing cheeks, and the contrast between what she said and her expression sent him into a tunnel of confusion.
Huh? Why? Wait… Does she like bad boys? Is this one of those “good girls like bad boys” kinds of things?
He suddenly imagined Alisa being tricked by some scumbag, which made him frustrated, since he knew how bad boys were portrayed as a virtue in comics written for women.
“Alya…”
“What?”
“Young, handsome yakuza bosses only exist in comics. Don’t even think about trying to get involved with people like that in real life.”
“…You sometimes say the most wild, random things, you know that? What are you talking about?”
“What? You’re blushing, so…I thought you liked bad boys or something.”
“What the…? No way. And I’m not blushing, either… I was just thinking about how that bad-boy grin on your face didn’t suit you. That’s all.”
“Rude.”
Now that she mentioned it, it did look like she was covering her mouth in an attempt to keep herself from laughing.
Hold on. The fact that she whispered something in Russian is proof that she said something incredibly embarrassing.
Regardless of whether she meant what she said, she was clearly blushing because of it.
Eh, whatever. I highly doubt Alya would ever let some thug trick her anyway.
That was when Masachika was hit with what seemed like a divine revelation. He seemingly randomly recalled an event that took place at his house earlier today when Ayano’s eyes were sparkling because he said he’d ridicule her.
Wait… Don’t tell me that Alya’s also…?!
Did she blush when she saw that sinister look on his face…because of something like that?! The thought naturally crossed his mind, but he almost immediately ruled out the possibility.
No, no, no… Alya’s a sadist, if anything. She always looks at me like I’m trash.
Although satisfied with his terribly rude conclusion, another nerdy cliché trope popped into his mind.
Hold on! Girls who are obviously aggressive sadists most of the time usually turn into submissive masochists in front of the people they like! Hhhnnng?!
But right after he reached that conclusion, he immediately imagined himself punching himself in his stupid face.
Dammit… What is wrong with me? Cocky much? I’m disgusted at myself for letting my imagination run wild like that. All right, I’m just going to stop thinking about it.
With that decision in mind, he fixed his expression and faced Alisa to—
“<I thought it was attractive because it’s you.>”
“Hnnng?!”
“Kuze?!”
Masachika suddenly smacked himself on the head (he dropped a fist on it, to be precise), and Alisa’s face filled with disbelief.
“Wh-what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“…Hmm? Why wouldn’t I be?”
“What? Because—… Sigh. Now your forehead is turning red.”
She leaned forward with a worried gaze and smoothly ran a finger across his forehead. Perhaps she was fine with touching him now after taking care of him the day before, but the nerve-racking sensation in addition to her being so close made Masachika lean away.
“A-are you okay? You still look a little gloomy,” he promptly exclaimed. Although he was mainly trying to change the subject, Alisa instantly froze.
“…”
Alisa slowly sat back down in her chair.
“What’s up? Is there still something bothering you?”
After a few moments of silence, she quietly muttered:
“…I didn’t have an answer.”
“For what?”
“Yuki asked me why I wanted to become the student council president…and I didn’t have an answer for her.”
She hung her head low, clenched her fists tightly over her skirt, and bitterly explained:
“Yuki is running in the election for her family’s sake… She is determined to do it for them… But… But I… I am doing all this for myself, and I started to think that maybe that wasn’t a good enough reason… I didn’t know what to say to her! I didn’t have any answer for her!”
Alisa raised her fists before her chest, enduring the pain in her heart.
“I embarrassed myself in front of Yuki, and I’m frustrated that I wasn’t confident enough to give her an answer…”
Masachika fell silent when he saw her bite her lip with a lowered gaze…because he, too, once felt the very same way about his reason for joining student council. He decided to help her run for student council president because he’d felt guilty about tossing his responsibilities to Yuki, and he became the vice president by kicking each and every one of his opponents down. And that was why he had suffered for so long…and that was why he was painfully aware of how Alisa felt.
But…
But he had someone who laughed away all his pain. He had someone who believed in him and was kind to him.
“Alya…”
And now it was his turn to give back. Just like those kind people who were there for him, it was now his turn to be there for Alisa. He was going to keep the promise he made her that time when he said he would be there for her and support her dream.
“Keep your chin up, face forward, and look at me!”
Alisa jumped when he shouted and looked up, pressing her lips together tightly as Masachika stared right into her eyes.
“So your reason for becoming student council president isn’t as good as Yuki’s? Who cares? Did you forget? I know why Yuki wants to become the president, and I know why you want to as well. And guess what? I chose you.”
Alisa looked as though she’d been completely caught off guard.
“I told you already. You’re already someone people want to cheer for and support. I know your beauty—how passionately devoted you are and how you always put a hundred percent of yourself into everything you do. I know how you live true to your heart. You deserve to be rewarded more. You deserve to be cheered on by your peers and loved.”
He could feel his body flush as he spoke, but he ignored it because he knew he had to speak from his heart if he ever wished to reach Alisa’s. Moreover, his gut was telling him that he had to tell her how he really felt right now or bear the consequences.
“That’s why…you need to keep your chin up. You need to face forward, puff out your chest proudly, and be yourself. You don’t have to worry about a thing. You are every bit as charming and attractive as Yuki. Trust me.”
It was at this moment he realized his back was sweating profusely. The urge to writhe in agony and slam his head into his desk was strong, but he fought through the impulse and continued to look her in the eyes. After appearing stunned for a few moments…she placed a hand over her mouth and started to laugh.
“Pfft… Ha-ha…! That sounded like you were confessing your love to me, you know.”
“Oh, shut up! And just so you know, I’m never going to say anything like that ever again! Got it?!” he instinctively shouted, mainly because she pointed out something he had already somewhat realized himself.
“Ugh! My entire body’s burning up now! My fever must be back. This is what I get for doing something I’m not used to doing while I have a cold!”
Masachika looked the other way, tugging at his uniform’s collar and fanning himself.
“Giggle. Oh, really? Well, I suppose you can’t be blamed for how it sounded. You do have a fever, after all.”
She smiled, sliding closer to him before placing a hand on his cheek, guiding his face forward toward hers. His eyes opened wide in astonishment as she touched her forehead to his.
“…You really do feel a little warm.”
“…?!”
Her eyes were closed, and their noses were only a hair’s breadth apart. The situation was like a romantic kissing scene, which rendered him speechless and dumbstruck. Each second felt like an eternity in which he hesitated to breathe, but before long, Alisa leaned back in her chair and gently smiled at him.
“Thank you. I’ve found my answer thanks to you. I can move forward now.”
“…Oh, awesome,” replied Masachika briefly, unable to maintain eye contact. Alisa cracked a smile once more after seeing him like that and said in a voice filled with relief:
“You’re right. I shouldn’t compare myself with others. Whatever I do, that’s my decision, and that’s all that matters.”
“Exactly… Yuki is Yuki, and you are you.”
“When you’re right, you’re right.”
Masachika let out a sigh of relief to see his partner back to her old self.
“Yuki may be fulfilling her late brother’s wish, but I’m still not going to let that get in my way.”
…Hmm? Masachika froze after hearing something he simply could not ignore. Late…to what? Hold on?! Like late-late?! Like…dead?!
Yukiiiiiiiii!! Why is your brother dead?!?! Who killed me?!?!
He screamed in his mind at his sister, who was winking at him with her tongue out, and his entire body began to sweat for an entirely different reason from a moment ago.
Wh-wh-what should I do?! Alisa thinks Yuki has this really dark and depressing past… Should I correct her, since I am supposed to be Yuki’s childhood friend? But that might damage their friendship… But still…this is far too…
The unexpected dilemma distressed him, but after worrying about it for a few seconds, he hesitantly opened his mouth and stammered:
“H-hey, Alya—”
But the door to the room suddenly opened, drawing their eyes toward it.
“Knock, knock.”
The apathetic voice was followed by the door rattling open, revealing Nonoa, who barged into the room with Sayaka, who politely bowed once, behind her. Both Alisa and Masachika were surprised by the unexpected visit.
“Oh, I knew you’d still be here… Wait. Kuze? I thought you didn’t come to school today.”
“I actually just got here…”
“Oh? Anyway, good timing,” replied Nonoa, unfazed by their reactions, and she plopped herself down in Hikaru’s seat…straddling it in front of Masachika.
“Nonoa, that’s bad manners.”
“Eh, who cares? It’s just us in here.”
Nonoa ignored Sayaka’s scolding and rested her elbow on the back of the chair before cradling her chin in her palm. Her eyes were half-open with her usual unmotivated expression, and her legs were spread wide open…right in front of Masachika.
…And this is probably why she never became one of the school’s so-called princesses, for better or for worse.
From Masachika’s point of view, Nonoa was popular enough and obviously good-looking enough to be counted as one of the princesses of his grade, and the only reason she probably wasn’t included with the likes of Alisa and Yuki was because she felt far more obtainable than them. If Alisa and Yuki were like stars in the sky, then Nonoa would be more like a flower beautifully blooming from the earth.
…She’d definitely be one of those carnivorous plants, though.
He added that one last zinger before slightly raising his guard and asking:
“So… Need something?”
“Hmm? I don’t need anything. Saya’s the one who wanted to talk to you.”
“Oh…”
Masachika shifted his gaze to Sayaka, who was standing behind Nonoa. After her eyebrow briefly twitched, she let out a deep breath, then gathered her resolve and straightened.
“I know this is late, but…I wanted to apologize to you two…for not only the debate but for being rude as well. You have my sincerest apologies.”
Nonoa watched Sayaka bow deeply to them before slightly lowering her own head, albeit while still sitting.
“I’m sorry, too. Like, it was totally my responsibility to stop Saya. I knew she stepped out of line, and I did nothing. I know it’s a little late for begging, but do you think you have it in your hearts to forgive us? We’ll make it up to you, of course.”
Nonoa put her hands together in front of her face and winked, and Sayaka continued to bow. Masachika looked over at Alisa.
“I don’t have anything against them, so it’s up to you, Alya.”
“Well…she already apologized for what she said to me, so I don’t care anymore, either. And Miyamae didn’t do anything she needs to apologize for.”
“I’m, like, pretty sure bringing plants to a debate is something to apologize for.”
Nonoa tilted her head inquisitively, but Masachika waved dismissively.
“That’s just strategy. Since when do the losers apologize to the winners anyway? Come on.”
“Ha-ha… Yeah…”
“…You were the ones who forfeited your victory.”
Sayaka lifted her head and stared hard at Masachika. It was clear by the look in her eyes that she figured out he was the one who asked Nonoa to squash the rumors about her.
“It was bothering Alya, so I did what I had to do. That’s all. Besides, it was Nonoa who actually did everything, so don’t blame us for what happened.” He shrugged. He wasn’t going to accept thanks for helping her, and he wasn’t going to take criticism for the hit to Nonoa’s reputation, either. Put simply: “If you have a problem, bring it up with Nonoa, not me.” Sayaka easily picked up on what he was trying to say, but she turned her gaze to Alisa next.
“That still doesn’t change the fact that you two were looking out for me. The fact that you didn’t bring up the debate during the announcements proves that. Am I wrong?”
Alisa stared Sayaka right back in the eye.
“…Who knows who would have won if we had waited for everyone to vote. I didn’t want to declare victory when it wasn’t a hundred percent certain that I earned it. That’s all.”
Sayaka stared hard, observing Alisa as if she were trying to peer into her soul, but she eventually lowered her gaze with a begrudging smile and nodded.
“…I see you are a woman of great pride,” muttered Sayaka before turning on her heel. She walked to the classroom door and went to open it…but stopped.
“…But I am a woman of great pride as well.”
Masachika immediately realized what she was up to.
“Hey, wait. What are you planning?”
Sayaka looked in his direction and replied:
“I will not bend the truth just for the sake of my reputation.”
“So you plan on announcing you lost? During one of the school announcements? Wait… At the closing ceremony?”
She looked away as though she was unable to answer him, so he stood out of his chair.
“I’m sorry, but as a member of the student council, I can’t allow you to waste valuable time at the closing ceremony with something like that. If you want to pay Alya back for her good faith, then there’s another way you could do that, you know.”
“…‘Another way’?”
And after Masachika explained what that way was, not only Sayaka but also Alisa stared in astonishment. Even Nonoa raised an eyebrow.
“…Are you being serious?”
“Completely serious. Are you okay with that, Alya?”
“S-sure…”
“Nonoa, you said you’d make it up to us, right?”
“Uh… Yeah, I guess I did say that.”
After seeing Alisa’s puzzled nod and Nonoa’s half smirk, Sayaka turned to face him.
“It’s not like I’m going to cheer you on or support you,” she argued as if she was suppressing various complex emotions while staring at Masachika and Alisa.
“Yeah, I know.”
“…And I still think you should have run alongside Yuki Suou.”
“Really? But you can at least recognize why I chose Alya, right?”
Alisa and Sayaka stared each other down for a few moments before Sayaka finally closed her eyes.
“…Fine.”
After seeing Sayaka’s slight nod, Nonoa grabbed the back of her chair and leaned way back.
“Whoa. Really? All right, I’m in, I guess.”
She slid back in the chair and casually bobbed her head up and down.
“Thanks. I’m counting on you two.” Masachika firmly nodded in return before facing Alisa, whose eyes were wide in disbelief, and exclaimed:
“See, Alya? This is the effect you have on people. We’re going to beat them now.”
“Huh…? We are? W-wait. I thought we were going for a draw.”
Masachika curled his lips fiercely at his partner, who was still utterly confused by the sudden turn of events.
“We’re not going for a draw anymore. We’re going to finish what they started…and crush them.”
Alisa gasped at his declaration, Sayaka silently resettled her glasses on her nose, and Nonoa smiled gaily.
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