Too Many Losing Heroines! - Volume 7 - Chapter 4.4

There are four doors along the hallway leading to the banquet hall.

The one at the very end is the bride's waiting room, and the next one is the groom's.

After a moment's hesitation, I decided to turn the doorknob of the door just before the groom's room.

…It's not locked. I quietly pushed the door open.

Bathed in the soft light pouring in through the window stands Riko Shiratama.

Her back is straight, and she holds a bouquet in both hands, standing silently as if waiting for someone.

When she noticed me, her expression wavered slightly, like gentle ripples across a still lake.

"You've changed, Prez. That outfit suits you, too."

I stepped into the room and closed the door behind me.

"More importantly, you need to change quickly. You won't make it to the ceremony in time."

"...Yeah, I really won't make it if I stay here."

Something in her tone made me pause mid-step.

Her eyes, clear and transparent like a mirror, met mine as she began to speak softly.

"I never realized just how bad I am at giving up."

Shiratama-san lowered her gaze as if to avoid my eyes, and the hem of her dress swayed slightly.

"When I have one wish fulfilled, I start wanting another. And if that one comes true, I'll probably want something else again."

She lifted her face, revealing a smile that wasn't self-deprecating but more like a painful, dry laugh that seemed to erode her from the inside.

"Shiratama-san…"

"That's the kind of woman I am. I want to destroy everything and run away, but I'm too cowardly to do it. I'm just a coward, waiting here for time to run out. So-"

She forced the corners of her lips to curl up.

"-Please leave, Prez."

I stood there, rooted to the spot, my chest swirling with emotions.

I'm angry- not just with her, but also with myself.

I should've known this side of her.

Selfish and stubborn.

Clumsy and always making a mess of things.

But in the end- she always thinks about someone else's happiness before her own. Some girls are like that.

And empty platitudes wouldn't reach someone like that.

I locked eyes with her, glaring with resolve.

"…Are you really ready to give up on Tanaka-sensei?"

Shiratama-san seemed ready to reply, but she froze as if something suddenly clicked for her.

"…Are you telling me to take onii-chan away from her?"

"Exactly."

I didn't bother to hide my frustration as I stepped closer to her.

"You hid in the room right next to Tanaka-sensei's without locking the door. Didn't you want someone to find you? Whether by chance or not, you wanted to wreck everything with the help of someone you love, didn't you?"

"You! I just-"

I pressed on before she could say anything.

"Even if you did that, you still wouldn't be able to give up, would you? You've been hiding these feelings for so long. There's no way you're the type of person who'd give up just because he married your sister or because you destroyed everything."

Shiratama-san, who had been glaring at me defiantly, finally lowered her shoulders as if she had been defeated.

"...I don't want to destroy their happiness."

"Then what if they aren't happy anymore?"

"That's…"

Shiratama-san's eyes bulged.

She wanted to retort, but she finally gave in, shaking her head.

"...I didn't know you could be so cruel, Prez."

"Did I disappoint you?"

"No, it was just a little- thrilling."

Despite her brave words, the bouquet slipped from her hands, falling softly to the floor.

"...I'll be waiting."

She said, looking up at me with those eyes that seemed to see right through a man's heart.

"I've kept these feelings hidden for over ten years since I was old enough to understand them. I can keep hiding them for another five, ten years if I have to."

"Then the place you should be right now isn't here. You need to go and properly congratulate them and stay by their side."

"...Yes, Prez."

Returning to her usual tone, Shiratama-san gave me her usual perfect smile.

"You can still make it if you hurry and change-"

"Hngh…!"

Eh? What? Why did she just make that lewd sound?

Shiratama-san fidgeted in front of me, blushing and looking down.

"No, uh, it's not what you think. Asagumo-san gave me this vibrating button earlier, and…I didn't have anywhere else to put it, so I...taped it to my inner thigh."

So that's what it was.

"...Uh, so, why is it vibrating now?"

"Well, Yanami-san has been pressing it...for a while now…"

…For a while? If I remember correctly, one press means 'advance', two mean 'retreat'.

And four or more times means- get the hell out of there.

I immediately rushed to the door and locked it.

The doorknob rattled at the next second.

"Huh? It's locked. Do you have the key, Yamashita-san?"

"Hold on, I think it's here…"

I heard some guys' voices outside the door. The venue staff are trying to enter the room.

There's not even time to exchange glances. With only one door out of the room, the only other exit is-

Without thinking, we threw open the window leading to the balcony and leaped outside, not bothering to check what was on the other side.

Just as we made our escape, the door to the room we had just left creaked open.

...Shiratama-san and I crouched down, holding our breath in a spot where we couldn't be seen from the window.

The voices of the young employees who entered the room carried out to where we were hiding.

"Whose coat and bouquet are these?"

"Maybe the last group left them behind. Let's just hold onto them for now."

A coat? Oh, right, Shiratama-san was wearing a long coat over her wedding dress.

We stayed as quiet as possible as the employee closed the open window, locking it with a click.

Now there's no way to go back into the room.

Are we really going to have to make a run for it in a wedding dress...?

"We've come this far, Prez. Let's just make it through."

Shiratama-san whispered in my ear as if reading my thoughts.

…She's right. There's no turning back now.

The wall on the garden side of the balcony is only waist-high, with decorative gaps that leave us partially visible. Depending on the angle, anyone in the garden could easily spot us, so we couldn't stay here long.

But the biggest issue was time. I checked my smartwatch.

We have 30 minutes until the start of the ceremony.

*

Clack, clack, clack, clack, clack. We crept along the balcony to the other side of the building, reaching the large meeting room where I had searched earlier. I slid the window open, and we slipped inside.

We crossed the room quietly, and I pressed my ear against the door.

...No signs of anyone outside. Slowly, I opened the door and led Shiratama-san into the hallway.

The hallway turns left at the end.

Peeking around the corner, I saw a long corridor with a staircase descending a few meters ahead.

Beyond that, further down the hallway, are the waiting rooms from which we have just escaped.

Once we get down the stairs, we will be right near the entrance. If we brace ourselves to be seen, the two of us can make a run for it.

The problem is the group of middle-aged women gathered around Yanami in front of the stairs. And there are more of them now.

"Riko-chan, you've grown so much!"

"You've become so strong, like a completely different person. Your auntie is so relieved."

…It seems like the beans haven't been spilled yet. At that moment, Yanami and I locked eyes.

Yanami's glare was full of silent complaints. Don't look at me like that.

I slowly shook my head and subtly pointed behind myself, indicating she should stay put.

Yanami, who had been about to move toward us, suddenly stopped.

She seemed to understand the situation and tilted her head.

I pointed subtly toward the staircase. Yanami froze.

Then, steeling herself and closing her eyes, Yanami took a deep breath and then opened them with resolve.

"Hey! Since we're here, why don't we go see onee-chan in her wedding dress?"

She said it in her own natural voice, loud and clear.

The women froze for a moment, surprised.

"Ara, Riko-chan, what happened? Your voice just changed all of a sudden…"

"That's right. You should sound a bit more refined now that you're in Tsuwabuki."

"But I do want to see Minori-chan in her dress!"

The group, now lively again, surrounded Yanami and began moving down the hallway, away from the staircase.

The escape route to the stairs- cleared.

I exchanged a nod with Shiratama-san, and we quickly made our way toward the staircase. Yanami, I won't forget your sacrifice.

Fortunately, the stairs are empty. We dashed down them and headed straight for the entrance- only for me to suddenly stop in my tracks. Shiratama-san bumped into my back with a soft thud.

"What's wrong? We should just rush through even if someone sees us."

"I know, but-"

I peeked around the corner cautiously, with Shiratama-san following my lead. She quickly pulled back, her face pale.

"Dad…!"

Indeed, standing near the entrance and engaged in conversation is Shiratama-san's father. We might have walked right into him had I not seen his photo beforehand.

Shiratama-san was so startled that she placed her hand on her chest, taking deep breaths to calm down.

"We definitely can't let him see you. We'll have to wait until he leaves."

"Ah, yes, I understand."

…Wait a second. The person Shiratama-san's father is talking to is the venue manager. I recognized him from the tour.

And if I remember correctly, the bride is supposed to enter the chapel with her father during the ceremony.

There are 25 minutes left until the start of the ceremony.

In other words, Shiratama-san's father's next destination is likely the bride's room on the second floor.

The voices are getting closer to the stairs.

I'm familiar with the voices of the young men. They are the venue staff.

"Prez!"

Shiratama-san, her face pale, grabbed onto my clothes.

…Shit. The only option is to go back upstairs if we want to run, but we'll be trapped with nowhere to go.

I have to find a way to get Shiratama-san out of here, even if it's just her-

A trembling yell roared through the surroundings in the next second.

"E-Excuse me! D-Did someone see a c-cat running in h-here!?"

It's Komari.

Komari's shaky voice drew everyone's attention.

Peeking out to assess the situation, I saw Komari burst into the entrance, ignoring everyone's attempts to stop her and plant herself firmly in front of Shiratama-san's father.

Shiratama-san's father looked puzzled, yet tried to reassure her with a gentle smile.

"Please calm down, lady. Did a cat run in here? I didn't see it, but what does it look like?"

"I-It's a very g-greedy cat! I-It will eat all the f-food in front of it! We need to c-catch it, quick!"

That's just Yanami.

But the Yanacat has made enough of an impact.

The venue manager began calling out to the nearby staff, gathering information about this supposed cat.

"Ah! I-It ran that way! T-To the kitchen! We have t-to catch it!"

"My my, no need to push so hard."

Komari, pushing Shiratama-san's father in the opposite direction from where we were, led him away.

The venue staff, now distracted, started heading toward the kitchen, chasing after the nonexistent cat.

-We have a window for a split second.

Footsteps are closing in from upstairs.

There was no time to hesitate. I grabbed Shiratama-san's hand and bolted for the entrance.

We dashed past guests, bursting out of the building into the open air.

People in the parking lot turned to stare, astonished.

A bride, being dragged along by a man, had just come flying out of the venue.

We are certainly drawing attention, but we can't afford to worry about that.

We headed along the wall, aiming for the gap between the buildings- and then Shiratama-san suddenly pulled my hand.

"Wait, my shoe-"

I turned back to see a lone white shoe lying in front of the venue.

Venue staff came rushing out in the split second I hesitated.

This commotion isn't going unnoticed, after all.

Without thinking, I scooped Shiratama-san up into my arms and took off running.

"Prez!?"

Still carrying her bridal style, I dashed into the narrow space between the buildings.

She's heavier than Kaju, but she feels as light as a feather compared to Yanami.

Without slowing down, I leaped through the gap in the hedge that Asagumo-san had 
coincidentally
 discovered earlier.

"Kya!"

With Shiratama-san's cute scream ringing in my ears, I kept running without stopping-