C³ Vol 11 Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Spring Scene / Overhead View Above the Shrine Maidens / "Welcome, cherry-blossom utopia" Part 1

After ending the first day of cla.s.ses upon promoting to Year 2, Kirika returned to her apartment, put down her schoolbag and went into her room, intending to get changed. Just as her bed entered into view, she was attacked by a sudden impulse. Unable to resist the impulse, she pounced on the bed directly without changing out of her uniform.

"Gu, oh, guohhhhhh...! U-Unmistakable...!"

Kirika buried her face in her pillow, smacking her palm repeatedly against the mattress like an attorney protesting against an excessively inhumane verdict. In actual fact, there was plenty she wanted to protest about. Judge, what the heck is going on!? Judge, why could something so outrageous happen?

For a full month after February 14, her heart was about to explode out of her chest. After the ominous premonition left behind on White Day, the depressing rolling around of spring break, plus today's reaction, everything was confirmed.

That boy... That boy! Unmistakable!

"H-He must have gotten the mistaken idea that it's something like friends.h.i.+p chocolate... H-How absolutely ridiculous...!"

Wrong. Although I said it wasn't courtesy chocolate, you reached the wrong conclusion. Interpret my message more directly! Besides, wasn't friends.h.i.+p chocolate meant to be given between girls? He should have considered that I'm giving him chocolate with deeper significance than courtesy, right? In fact, that was precisely the truth, so why did he stop at "friends.h.i.+p"? Why didn't he think deeper about the meaning? All things considered, I can only conclude that inside that guy's mind, the concept of putting me under "that category" doesn't exist perhaps—

"Ooh, oohhh..."

She knew very well, but his density had far surpa.s.sed her expectation. Since "her heart's desire" was a possible interpretation, why couldn't he pay her more attention? With that, she could use this as the impetus to take further action...!

Then should she spell it out to him one more time? Spell out for him the chocolate's significance? Absolutely ridiculous. She had already missed her chance too long. In that case, it was probably better to confess to him again. But even if she planned to do so, judging from the current situation, it would only put him in confusion. She did not think she would get a satisfactory response.

"...Because I have already decided to fight..."

Even if defeat was the end result, even if the chances of defeat were very high...

As long as there was a one in ten thousand chance of victory—She wanted to take a gamble. She was going to do everything she could to increase her odds of winning, biding her time, making the most of her paltry strength, then enter the stage to partic.i.p.ate in battle. If she did not do that, this would not be a fight but merely a throwaway match.

Presumably thanks to rolling and twisting on the bed for a while, her feelings gradually calmed down.

Kirika suddenly got up and took a deep breath.

Forget about Valentine's chocolate.

That was originally a ritual for settling the hesitation in her heart. It was merely a kind of personal declaration of war. Besides—Even if she failed to elicit an obvious reaction, no matter how small, she still believed she had caused some ripples in his heart.

This was the first step in her offensive. All she had to do was act with greater initiative from now on.

"By the way... I never expected all of us to be in the same cla.s.s. In other words, the playing field is level..."

Kirika recalled her cla.s.smates in Year 2 Cla.s.s 1. Those girls who were both friends and rivals. Oh right, during homeroom, the quick vote had decided her as the cla.s.s representative.

"It's Kana and others' fault for nominating me without thought... Seriously. But if no one else wanted to do it, I guess I have to. Anyway, being the cla.s.s rep allows me to help him, and refusing would leave a bad impression... Hmm...?"

Staring up at the ceiling and murmuring to herself, she suddenly found a question surfacing in her mind.

—Supposing, hypothetically, if I'm no longer the cla.s.s rep...

How will he address me?

"! ...Ooh, ah..."

She was shocked by her imagination.

Back when Year 1 cla.s.s 1 started, he was probably intending to call her "Cla.s.s Rep Ueno," right? But because he got tongue-tied, it became "Cla.s.s Rep." Taizou even teased him about it but he smiled and defended himself, saying it was too difficult to say. Ever since, he had called her cla.s.s rep, but—

This had a possibility of changing, right?

If she were not the cla.s.s rep, perhaps he would change his manner of address. Then what would he call her? Ueno-san? That would be too formal. Fear and the girls were like family to him and therefore exceptions, but take Kana for example, he also called her Kana directly. Judging along these lines, then she would be—

"K-Kirika... or something like that?"

"Ooh, uwahhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhh!"

The temperature of her cheeks instantly rose to boiling point. Suddenly, heat gushed out from the depths of her body, incinerating her brain to mush. She collapsed on the bed again, turning her face and burying it into the pillow while attacking the blanket with karate chops nonstop.

S-So there existed a future where he would call her name directly? Had she failed? No, things were not set yet, but since she had already accepted the position of cla.s.s rep again, after all, there was no way to refuse by this point. That said, supposing... Only hypothetically—

"...Kirika... Ooh, fufu, ufufufu!"

Oh no. No good. This was no good.

Simply imagining it was already making her this weird.

If he really called her that, she had no completely idea how she would react.

So... Definitely... This was fine—At least for now.

However, she wished for one day...

Eventually—

 

Kirika kept her face buried in the pillow for a very long time.

Hence, only the pillow could witness the expression on her face while she indulged in her blissful ecstasy.

Part 2

The next day, normal cla.s.ses resumed. Of course, lessons themselves could not possibly get interesting all of a sudden just because they were promoted to Year 2, but due to changes in the cla.s.s list and the teachers delivering the subjects, it did feel new and refres.h.i.+ng.

Then the lunch break came. Haruaki could see s.h.i.+raho resting her face on one hand, elbow against the desk, eating bread. Her gaze was directed out the window but her head occasionally nodded as though concurring. The girl sitting opposite her was Soras.h.i.+ro Hinata whom Haruaki met once at the cultural festival last year. She was energetically making conversation with s.h.i.+raho. Haruaki had imagined s.h.i.+raho to go rus.h.i.+ng to the superintendent's office every day with her bread, but apparently due to Sovereignty insisting "at least have some more contact with your cla.s.smates at lunch!", this situation had started during Year 1.

Feeling someone looking at him, Haruaki looked back and met gazes with a girl who was sitting nearby.

"Say... Why don't you come over here as well? You've been staring at us all the time, it's quite annoying."

"What are you talking about? I inquire with this kind of inquiry. Please don't mind me, munch munch... I am fine like this, my completely genuine suggestion... Munch munch munch..."

Un Izoey was eating a meat bun with great enjoyment while holding a pencil like a child and writing in the notebook hanging on her neck. Then she nodded with satisfaction and happily took out the next meat bun from the drawer in her desk. Haruaki gave up on saying more to her and turned back to the ma.s.sive gathering of desks in front of him.

"Ehehe~ I'm so happy that we can all eat lunch together from now on."

"M-M-Me too, I'm so happy! This must be G.o.d listening to my pleas! Yahoo~! Who knows when food exchange events might happen, oh mommy, I want the curry lunchbox sealed away forever—!"

Konoha had joined the usual lunch group. Apparently a Konoha fan, Taizou became greatly emotional and almost made the scene a little weird, but he was probably going to get used to it... Haruaki hoped so.

"Hey Taizou, you're especially noisy today—Hmm?"

Fear suddenly turned her head. Haruaki followed her gaze to see several unfamiliar students at the cla.s.sroom's doorway. They were frequently glancing towards them, laughing to one another, then left soon after. Although Haruaki was completely baffled, at least there was no malice in their laughter.

"Hmm... This also happened many times during break. What's going on?"

"They look like they're probably first-year students. It feels like they came running to have a look out of curiosity after hearing about the foreigner girl and uppercla.s.sman in Year 2."

"It's not like I'm an object for display. Whatever, I'll treat this as the beginning rumors of the 'super beauty.' In that case, it can't be helped. Hohoho."

Amidst a brand new lunch landscape, there were scenes identical to back in Year 1, namely—

"Gah! Why is the flavor so concentrated? What kind of secret recipe did you use...!?"

"Nyahaha~ Even after promoting to Year 2, the positions of the reigning champ and the challenger still hasn't changed~ However, I, Kana, can a.s.sert that your cooking is very yummy too, Kirika-chan."

"Absolutely ridiculous. If that comment could satisfy me, I would have given up a long time ago...!"

Even with new members in the lunch group, the lunch duel still took place as usual, along with the usual result at the same time. That said, Haruaki felt a bit apologetic towards Kirika.

"I even lost the first battle in Year 2... What an unfavorable start. But no, I won't give up. I will surely avenge my loss."

"P-Please be merciful. But anyway... I really think the difference is only just a little bit."

"The question is what exactly is that little bit."

"Oh dear~ I guess we might be influenced by preconceptions. After all, with the contest persisting over an entire year, perhaps our brains have already been indoctrinated by the idea that 'Akki's cooking seems to taste better,' so our taste buds make the correction on their own."

"Then in other words, as judges, your tongues have already subconsciously filtered the results. In that case... Right, perhaps it's time for a change of environment. We keep having the duel in the cla.s.sroom, so maybe a s.h.i.+ft in battlefield is all that's needed to precipitate other changes."

"A s.h.i.+ft in battlefield... Like eating lunch on the roof?"

At this moment, Kirika widened her eyes as though recalling something. Then blinking repeatedly, her gaze wandered and after glancing frequently at Haruaki, she spoke:

"No... Umm... Yachi, given the rare opportunity... How about a flower viewing? I just happened to think of it, after all, the season is just right, perhaps we could use it as a chance to hold a lunch duel with a different atmosphere than the cla.s.sroom."

"Really? It's already the flower viewing season this year? It seems to get earlier every year."

Haruaki was a little surprised. How rare for Kirika to be inviting a gathering on her own initiative.

Kirika waited for his answer with slightly blus.h.i.+ng cheeks, exuding an air that felt different from the past.

"A flower viewing? I've heard of that, it's having alcoholic beverages and eating stuff while admiring cherry blossoms, right!? Hmm... Eating rice crackers under the cherry blossom trees, that feels like it'll be especially tasty. Yes, let's go! When are we going flower viewing? Today or tomorrow? Leave it to me, I'll text Kuroe right now!"

"Haha, that's way too rushed... But if we don't hurry up, the cherry blossoms will all wilt. How about we decide on this coming Sunday?"

"Nyah~ Going flower viewing together, that sounds like great fun... But unfortunately, I can't go. I've got something on Sunday."

"Oooooh, me too. There are club activities on Sunday. Normally, I could go after noon... But just this week, there's other stuff to do after the usual club activities! G.o.d is so cruel!"

"I knew it, the baseball club too~? Same here same here, we've got to prepare for the welcoming festival~"

Kana and Taizou nodded at each other with great disappointment.

"Welcoming festival? I'm hearing about that kind of event for the first time."

"Right, Fear-chan only transferred here in the second term."

"The welcoming festival is short for the new student welcoming festival~ If the cultural festival is the autumn festival, then this would be the spring festival! The uppercla.s.smen will welcome and treat the new first-year students and tell them how great this school is! That's one of the event's main goals. For students who have already joined clubs, this is also an important opportunity to recruit new members!"

Of course, Haruaki had experienced this even last year. Simply stated, it was like a great recruiting party held by the clubs together as a union. The drama club had activities in the gym, the dance club offered performances outside, the cooking club had a stall set up to sell crepes, and for some reason, the cheerleading club only competed by putting out a fried noodle stall exclusively manned by male staff. Ultimately, the main goal was to exhibit themselves as much as possible, to let new students know of their clubs' existence, thereby attracting their interest.

Fear had her head tilted as though unable to comprehend, so Haruaki explained further.

"Unlike the cultural festival which is based on homeroom cla.s.ses as individual units, the stalls in the welcoming festival are pretty much based on clubs. I've heard that if you like, you can even make your own group to partic.i.p.ate as long as you apply. Also, I don't know why, but the finale is a School MissCon involving the entire student body. This seems to be a kind of tradition."

"This is also the first I've heard of the term school MissCon."

"Uh, it's basically short for School Beauty Contest to Name Miss Taishyuu High... Yeah, it's like a beauty pageant."

"So they're holding that kind of event too, but it's got nothing to do with clubs recruiting members."

"Not necessarily. Although it's only limited to girls, if contestants wear their club uniforms, it serves as final publicity to recruit members. However, anyone can partic.i.p.ate in the School MissCon, whether self-nominated or nominated by others, no matter if you're in a club or not."

According to Haruaki's own irresponsible speculation, the person who first organized this event simply did a half-a.s.sed job—"A final event to wrap things up... Can't think of one! But since there's a festival already, anything will do as long as it makes the mood lively. Then let's hold a school beauty pageant!" But for sure, that person never dreamt it would become a tradition.

"So that's why on Sunday, the clubs need to prepare for the welcoming festival~ But if you miss the chance, the cherry blossoms might end up all wilting. Besides, the clubs will definitely be organizing flower viewings together... So don't mind us two, you guys just go ahead!"

"d.a.m.n it, I really mind, but I dunno how my seniors in the club would punish me if I skipped out on activities. Although I'm promoted to Year 2, it's still a middle management position after all. The days of flagrantly abusing my position are still far away...!"

Thus, Kana and Taizou were regretfully unable to attend. Haruaki felt bad for them, but due to club activities, they could not be forced.

"So sorry, I only invited you guys on a sudden whim."

"No no no, Kirika-chan, I said it already, don't mind us~ Oh right, have you decided where you're going for the flower viewing? Territorial battles on Sunday for prime flower viewing will definitely be intense."

"Hmm, now that you mention it, there is indeed the issue of location. Since it's not often we go flower viewing, I'd really like to visit somewhere pretty. But the better the location, the more people there'd be... What should I do?"

Kirika tilted her head with a solemn expression. Haruaki also searched his memories but could not come up with a good location. If only the trees planted in the Yachi residence's garden or backyard were cherry blossom trees, then there would be no problem at all.

Konoha also tilted her head, apparently pondering the same problem. Same with Fear—But since she was not that familiar with the town, she was probably just doing it for appearance's sake. As though saying "I can't lose to Cow t.i.ts," she hastily crossed her arms and closed her eyes in deep thought. While she was whimpering "mumumu" and shaking her head from side to side—

In that very instant, something unexpected happened.

"Kyoeee! Truly so explosively peerlessly cute that I can't help but cry out crudely! Although it's very sudden, I can't bear it anymore! Love you!"

"Dwahhhhhhhh!"

Sitting on her chair, Fear was suddenly hugged from behind by someone. Grinning from ear to ear, rubbing her face against Fear's silver hair nonstop—A girl they had never met before.

Despite the girl bowing down to hug Fear tightly, it was obvious from one glance that she was very tall. Her face was filled with an innocent and radiant smile, carrying no malice at all. Her hair was shoulder length overall but the lock of hair hanging from her temples was longer on one side.

"What's going on, what on earth happened? What are you doing!?"

"Huohhhhhhh! I'm so grateful, anyway, I am truly grateful—!"

"W-Wait a sec——! You're charging ahead way too quickly!"

The group heard another voice and turned to look. This time, a familiar first-year student rushed into the cla.s.sroom. Namely, Chihaya. She originally rushed over in great strides but stopped halfway.

"Oh! s.h.i.+raho...-san. H-h.e.l.lo...!"

"A rare visitor indeed. What's the matter? This is a second-year cla.s.sroom, you know?"

"Huff... U-Umm... Right. Because I still haven't thanked you properly for your help back in January, I wanted to come over and say—"

"To be honest, it's no longer necessary by this juncture. Besides, I didn't do much either. You have no reason to thank me."

"Uh... Yes. Sorry for disturbing you, I'm so sorry..."

"You're not disturbing me. After all, I'm currently very free."

"Is this someone you know? What's your relations.h.i.+p?" Hinata inquisitively asked s.h.i.+raho, but s.h.i.+raho could not be bothered to explain, so she continued to lean her face on her hand against the desk, simply murmuring: "Just an undercla.s.sman I've met before."

"Putting that aside... What is going on there?"

s.h.i.+raho turned her gaze with exasperation. Naturally, it was directed towards—

"Hey, let go of me now! How much longer are you going to touch me as you please!?"

"So soft~ So small~ Such smooth skin~! It's just as expected yet beyond expectation!"

"...I'm sorry. She's my cla.s.smate, anyway... She's been pestering me to introduce her to that girl. I was thinking it'd be okay to let her tag along while I came here to thank you, s.h.i.+raho-san, but it ended up—"

"Like this huh... How numerous in this world, the ranks of the mentally ill."

s.h.i.+raho sighed as well. This time, Chihaya finally seemed to remember her own responsibilities.

"Hey, it's about time you restrain yourself! Let go of her now!"

"Abya!? A completely merciless chop to the back of the head, seamlessly flowing into a pinch of the face—Hayahaya, you're very used to this, right? Very used to this type of violent taming? What a scary kid...!"

Chihaya resorted to violence to pull the mysterious girl away from Fear. Although the girl was doing nothing more than rubbing her cheek, Fear still acted like a wary cat, hiding behind the back of her chair to serve as a s.h.i.+eld.

"Ooh, what's with this girl? What's your goal...?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm too slow in introducing myself! I am Hiwatari Yume! Pleased to meet you!"

The girl saluted in one clean motion, with an extremely radiant smile on her face while saying a strange greeting.

"Let me state for the record, don't ask me any questions since I don't know how I'm supposed to answer. That's because I only met this girl yesterday. By the way, I didn't even want to know her in the first place."

"Hayahaya, you're so cold~ Oh, Hayahaya is short for Hayakawa Chihaya! I made this nickname up, but please go ahead and use it if you want, everyone!"

"Stop promoting it! By the way, I find it embarra.s.sing enough already simply with one person using it, so stop it! Ugh, you're super annoying as expected... You're also unnecessarily big."

"But this nickname is clearly so cute~ And Hayahaya, I can't believe you called me annoying, I'm so shocked! In this kind of moment, I wish you'd add a word or two to turn it into one of the latest concepts, 'annoyingly cute'!"

"Gah! I can't believe you can say completely unabashed, that's even more annoying...!"

"But speaking of cute, the person who best embodies that concept is right here before my eyes. Muhu!"

The girl—Yume—began to hyperventilate slightly. Fear backed away again in terror.

"I-I get it. This girl turns out to be a deviant! Put bluntly, she's just a deviant!"

"I think that term suits her quite well for the most part. More accurately, she's an annoying deviant."

"Of course not~! I've simply fallen in love at first sight with Fear-san here... Oh of course, I don't mean s.e.xually! It simply means I want to give you a good loving!"

...Wha? Fear's mouth gaped in shock. Yume coughed lightly once.

"After seeing you yesterday, Fear-san, I was struck by an explosively powerful impact. I never thought someone in this world could be so cute, so I've been publicizing all around. Among the first-year new students, there's no one who hasn't heard of you, Fear-san... Probably, but I guess there could be a few I missed."

Haruaki recalled what happened just now. The groups of undercla.s.smen who peeked into the cla.s.sroom from the corridor. So that was because they were thinking: "Let's check out the Fear-san whose cuteness everyone has been talking about and see what she actually looks like." The mystery was apparently solved.

"But I don't think that's enough! I want everyone to see more of Fear-san's cute side, so in order to let everyone admire, savor and share—I've decided!"

Yume clenched her fist forcefully while her eyes glimmered brightly without a shred of impurity.

Then she made a vigorous declaration:

"—I want to establish a fan club for Fear-san! So that's why I came to make a request of you today! I want to organize lots and lots of activities, like a club magazine, a hobby group revolving around Fear-san and a photo shoot contest where people bring the outfits they like. Also there's—"

"S-Stop it right there! Stop! Shut up! Don't wanna! I refuse! I refuse resolutely! Although I'm still quite lost, I don't like being treated by others as some kind of exotic animal, go find someone else!"

Fear roared while waving her arms forcefully in a threatening manner, causing Yume to tilt her head and smile:

"Awww, you don't need to be so modest~ ...What an easily shy person you are!"

"Of course not~! You girl, listen properly to others!"

How to handle this girl? —Just as Fear was glaring unhappily at Yume, the reminder bell rang in the cla.s.sroom to signal the imminent end of the lunch break. Chihaya approached Yume as though going "Perfect timing!"

"I. Said. Already. —I'd take you to the cla.s.sroom, but things won't necessarily go your way. She already said no, so don't force the issue. Okay, let's go back!"

"That's so unreasonable~ Ah, ouch ouch!"

Chihaya chopped the back of Yume's head repeatedly with her hand then grabbed the back of her collar.

"Basically, I've already shown you the way, so remember to stick to that promise... Uh, that's it."

"It must be tough for you. Hurry and get back to your cla.s.sroom—If you find the load too much of a ha.s.sle, just chuck it by the side of the road along the way."

"I'd really like to do that too. So... We'll be heading off now."

Chihaya bowed her head politely towards s.h.i.+raho then dragged Yume out the cla.s.sroom directly.

"What does she mean by load? Say, getting dragged like this by you, Hayahaya, is a bit embarra.s.sing, but it relieves me from walking, how relaxing~ Thank you for your efforts until we reach the cla.s.sroom—Guha! You threw me aside so quickly after it was mentioned! Like casting off a load!"

For quite some time, noisy chattering came incessantly from the corridor, but silence soon returned. Finally back to peace and quiet, the members of Haruaki's group looked at one another.

"Umumumu, I actually agree with what she said. If a fan club really gets established, I, Kana, will join, no problem at all, but this sort of thing needs the consent of the idol in question after all~"

"Certain people do exist in this world with quite extreme tastes. Oh well, in any case, let her do as she wishes, I'd say."

"Nuu, you're all talking like it doesn't matter just because it's not about you...! d.a.m.n Cow t.i.ts, you'd better get caught by that kind of illogical girl as well and get rubbed and mushed randomly. Although I love hugging soft and furry things, I don't like being touched randomly by others!"

"Finally you get a chance to understand how those poor little cats and dogs feel, isn't that nice?"

"How troubling, what an absolutely ridiculous commotion. However—"

"Oh, Cla.s.s Rep, you realized too? In that regard, perhaps it can be considered perfect timing."

Haruaki and Kirika nodded at each other. Fear pouted unhappily and said:

"What do you mean, perfect timing!? Getting ha.s.sled by an illogical girl is total misfortune no matter how I look at it!"

"Basically the matter we were talking about before those two arrived. Okay, let's ask her after school."

Due to the ma.s.sive shock caused by the new student called Yume, the matter had probably vanished without a trace from Fear's mind. "...?" She simply c.o.c.ked her pet.i.te head in puzzlement.

 

Hence, after school—

"In other words, I wanna ask if there's a private flower viewing spot at your family's shrine that doesn't need any competing with crowds for territory! If there is, I want you to tell us!"

"Kyah! Wait... Stop scaring me!"

Appearing at the school entrance, Chihaya was so frightened that she kept retreating. This was because Fear suddenly yelled out to her while hidden completely behind the shoe locker. When Chihaya first appeared, Fear maintained her posture as though sneaking behind enemy lines, remaining hidden behind the shoe locker, cautiously looking this way and that.

"Oh... Are you watching out for that girl?"

"Looks like it. But I don't think you need to be that afraid."

"I agree. What does it matter? It's just a little hugging and touching."

"I-I'm not afraid, okay! I'll curse you! That's right, of course I'm not afraid—How should I put this? It's because it's too incomprehensible so I'm at a total loss, not knowing how to react, so it makes me uncomfortable all over—Anyway, I'm not good at handling her. If possible, I don't wanna run into her."

"She went home for the day already. So, what were you guys talking about? A flower viewing spot...?"

After hearing that Yume was gone, Fear exhaled in relief. Haruaki glanced at her from the side while explaining to Chihaya. In other words, they intended to have a flower viewing this coming Sunday and were searching for a location.

"Of course, to express our grat.i.tude, since the location is near your home, we also plan on inviting you, Isuzu and the whole lot to join us. As for lunch, allow us to make the most of our skills to produce superb delicacies—"

"—Let me ask a question first. Who will be coming for the flower viewing?"

This could very well be an excellent chance. Everyone knew about Chihaya's weakness. Konoha gave Haruaki a look that seemed to be saying "Hurry and bring up the sure-win words!" Haruaki replied with an acknowledging gaze.

"Oh... Yes, basically everyone who was there for New Year's. Of course we will also invite s.h.i.+raho—"

"Inviting me is your freedom, but please do not decide my answer without consent, human. I have no interest in joining a pest party organized by a pest. When a pest is filled to the very bones with perverted l.u.s.t of pitch black, the sight of cherry blossoms will surely provoke his desires to rape, violate and corrupt that which is pure and untainted, then undoubtedly proceeding to act upon them. Dear undercla.s.sman over there, please call the police now while you still can."

s.h.i.+raho happened to pa.s.s by and left without looking back, leaving behind words of stinging barbs as usual. She was probably off to pick up Sovereignty. What unfavorable timing.

However, that did not change the overall situation. Since they were planning on inviting Sovereignty, once she accepted, s.h.i.+raho would still end up coming along despite what she said. Just as Haruaki was about to speak—

"...No problem. I'll explain to you. But let me confirm first, it's the coming Sunday, right? If it's any other day, I'm sorry I'll have to refuse."

Chihaya was very upfront. The group found it a little unexpected.

"Yes, we plan to go this coming Sunday, but... Chihaya-kun, is it really okay?"

Seeing Chihaya agree so readily, even Kirika was quite surprised, blinking while asking.

"No problem. But I have condition. On that day, you guys need to come early in the morning, because there are many preparations."

"Preparations?"

"J-Just take my word, preparations are preparations. Got that? I'll tell you guys the precise location once you arrive. So, I'll be going now."

Chihaya ended the conversation, speaking inexplicably fast, swiftly changed her shoes and walked out the gates.

"She wants us to get there early to prepare—meaning stuff like sweeping and cleaning up? Maybe the place is full of weeds right now and there's no place to sit."

"If it's a private viewing spot, that's very probably. In any case, the important thing is that the location has been set. After that, what remains is... Honing my cooking skills for that day...!"

"Nuu, I can feel some intense vigor there, Kirika. Do your best, I will support you! By the way, if you're willing to prepare special handmade rice crackers, I'll unconditionally give you my vote!"

"Hold on, speaking of which, the usual judges Taizou and Kana won't be there. Earlier, we were talking about how Fear and the others might not be fair judges due to being used to eating Yachi's cooking, which is why those two were asked... This is a dilemma now."

"...About that, I was thinking it'll be fine if we asked other people who don't usually eat my cooking. That's why I've been holding back until now, but finally I have to speak out—What are you doing?"

Haruaki turned to ask the person with striking characteristics who had actually been staying in the corner of his eye even before they came to the shoe lockers—in other words, the dark-skinned girl who was standing motionlessly while facing the notice board. When Haruaki spoke to her, the girl pretended to finally notice them and turned around.

"Oh my, what a coincidence. I greet with this kind of greeting."

"Are you playing dumb? Anyway, I'm quite impressed with your bold lack of shame. Clearly you've perking your ears to eavesdrop."

"My answer: asking what are you talking about. Uh... This poster says: 'Come! Youngsters! Recruiting talent to establish the oil wrestling club! Let us get all oiled up together!' Because the content is very unknown, I am just very curious, I stand by this kind of stance. Especially the last sentence is too unknown, it makes me want to experience for myself—Let us get all oiled up together! Like that."

"What the heck kind of club is that? I don't really get it but hearing it from you, I just find it very shameless."

"You're already caught red-handed, so there's no need to try so hard in covering up... By the way, since you already heard the conversation just now, you must be planning on secretly observing us on Sunday for research, right? While viewing the flowers, it'd be totally uncomfortable if someone kept staring at us intently while hiding behind the cherry blossom trees. Since the more the merrier, and this is a rare chance, why don't you join us?"

Haruaki's impromptu question caused Un Izoey to blink her eyes that showed no signs of emotional fluctuation.

"My question... Permission given? Confirming."

"Yeah, because if we leave you alone, you might end up climbing the sacred cherry blossom trees and breaking branches. In that case, having you somewhere within our sight is less worrying."

"Cla.s.s Rep, are you okay with that?"

Kirika frowned and stared at Un Izoey for a long while, finally exhaling deeply.

"...Can't be helped. I coincidentally have something to talk to this girl about. It happens to be a good opportunity."

"Then it's decided. Country girl, be very grateful to us!"

In this manner—within less than a day after Kirika suggested a flower viewing, they quickly settled the location and partic.i.p.ants for the most part.

Part 3

In one car of the bullet train, one quarter of the pa.s.sengers were currently foreigners. Sharing few similarities in physical characteristics, they were also dressed quite differently. If a point of commonality had to be stated, they each kept a staff ID from the same company in their pocket. The group consisted of staff from a sales management company of antique art, headquartered abroad, currently in j.a.pan on a company retreat—At least on the surface.

Lilyhowell Kilmister was dressed in a formal women's business suit for a number of reasons. First of all, dressing in a suit made it easier to fit in with the surrounding environment in this country, according to her judgment. Also, there was personal laziness for she could not be bothered to come up with another set of plain clothing. As for the second reason, as the leader of this team, she believed she had to dress more formally than the others in order to maintain her sense of authority.

Maintaining authority through formal attire, perhaps this notion itself was completely pointless—She turned her gaze lightly. The man sitting next to her soon noticed with his observant eyes and cheerfully made small talk with her—To be honest, it was already a miracle that he was able to shut up temporarily for the past few minutes.

"Heehaw! I know, I know, I know—! You're look at this, right? You wanna ask me what kinda f.u.c.king music I'm listening on these headphones, right? This bro sees through everything! Heehaw~ Haha~"

If anything, the question surfacing in her mind was: How does he actually wash those dreadlocks of his? Don't they itch? But sort of misunderstanding did not matter to her at all. Feeling there was no necessity in clear up this misconception and for the sake of establis.h.i.+ng an amicable working relations.h.i.+p, she said:

"Yes Neto, what music are you listening to?"

"Oh, that's f.u.c.king great. I'll make myself clear. Other people often judge me casually just because of the way I look. Prejudice is bad, really bad. Truly f.u.c.king a.s.sholes. Those who think I only listen to hip hop just because I'm a black guy with dreadlocks, where have their brains gone missing? Honestly, I don't even know what reggae means. Capoeira? I don't dance that, sheesh."

"What a compelling argument. Judging someone's interests and tastes purely by their appearance is a very serious problem. So, what song are you listening to?"

Neto grinned to reveal a set of sparkling white teeth, smiling radiantly. Taking off his headphones, he pressed it lightly against her ear. From there, she heard—

"—Is it this country's traditional music? The distinctive manner of vocalization and p.r.o.nunciation is truly interesting."

"This is j.a.panese enka singing! I love oriental stuff. Sus.h.i.+, karate, ninjas... But no, someone always asks a f.u.c.king question at this time. Basically, why don't I put my hair in a samurai topknot? Those guys are just super a.s.shole morons! No matter how much I love oriental stuff, once I put on a kimono, the image is a total fail. Learn how to read the mood, f.u.c.kers!"

"Truly an excellent mindset you have there."

Lilyhowell used a fingertip to gently lift the spectacles she only wore when reading. Pulling her gaze back, she settled on a small but thick booklet that had been kept on her lap all along, thereby conveying the message that the conversation was over. The dialogue just now was carried out in English, neither was it terribly important, but it would be prudent to avoid any leak in information. Minimizing pointless talking would be best. However—

"Heehaw. Hey hey, I've wanted to ask you for a while, is that book a good read?"

"Not bad."

"No, but... That's just a cellphone manual, right?"

"Precisely. Be that as it may, this manual is able to satisfy my desire for knowledge. I find it quite excellent that all the information is recorded in there in such detail. Surprisingly, the type of book that limits information to only the essentials does not exist. Added to this is the fact that this country's cellphones are very high-performance and equipped with many functions, which makes the manual quite an interesting read."

Neto shrugged silently. Lilyhowell then recalled the person who had prepared this cellphone, saying it was for "facilitating communications," currently not on the bullet train but supposed to be working at the scene already.

"Right, has there been any communications from her? As I recall, her name is... Laurica Shoegazer?"

"Just call her trash. Laurica 'Trash' Shoegazer! My most beloved 'Trash'! She still hasn't contacted me, possibly malfunctioning like trash. Heehaw!"

"That girl is the key to the current operation. I do not believe it is quite appropriate to excessively abuse her with malicious insults."

"Calling her the key is such an exaggeration that it'll make her vain and carried away. After all, what she's doing is no different from a collection of petty tricks. She's just a girl who can become nothing more than useless trash after all. Know that she's a m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.t, so laying on the verbal abuse will actually make her happier. Heehaw!"

It was Lilyhowell's turn to shrug this time.

This was because despite calling someone else a m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.t, Neto's peculiar fetish was even worse. A fact that was already public knowledge.

Part 4

On the morning of the Sunday dedicated to flower viewing, Haruaki's friends showed up at the grounds of the Hayakawa shrine. Fortunately, the sky was cloudless as far as the eye could see, exhibiting perfect weather for having a flower viewing. The shrine's grounds were lined with cherry blossom trees and the gra.s.s was already covered entirely with tarps. Some people had already started banquets. Had Chihaya not been willing to tell them about a private flower viewing spot, surely they would have needed to fight a tough battle to secure a location.

Walking at the site, apart from the quartet of Haruaki, Fear, Konoha and Kirika who planned this flower viewing, there was Kuroe who had signed up as expected, saying "Everyone is going flower viewing together!? This is clearly no time for working, of course I must go with the flow!", as well as Sovereignty who had accepted the invitation instantly as soon as she received Fear's text message. Also as expected, it was impossible for s.h.i.+raho to refuse Sovereignty's invitation. Finally, there was Un Izoey, wearing her navel-baring lab coat as always.

"But... It's really bustling even when it's still early in the morning."

"Also, the vendor stalls really make this feel like a festival. Are Sundays always like this here...?"

The group chatted while making their way around the main shrine building. Instead of the shrine's confines, they were heading towards a j.a.panese-style residence deep in the grounds, in other words, the building where Chihaya and her family normally lived.

Reaching the entrance whose antique airs rivaled that of the Yachi home, they pressed the door bell.

"Coming~ Oh my oh my, welcome, everyone~"

A shrine maiden came out to welcome them, apparently Isuzu, back in her basic role. Accompanied by heavy footsteps, Chihaya emerged from the house. Seeing her appearance, Haruaki was a little shocked. For some unknown reason, Chihaya was dressed in her work clothes, or in other words, the shrine maiden outfit with the two ma.s.sive slits on the side of the thighs.

"Since you guys are here, let's start immediately... Misuzu, Toohisuzu, just grab a few random sets."

After Chihaya issued orders towards the depths of the hallway, two pleasantly smiling shrine maidens approached, carrying what looked like piles of fabric then putting them down at the entrance. Chihaya threw a glance then said:

"So, I guess I'll explain a bit. I am asking you to work for the next bit. Today, the shrine is holding a 'Flower Festival'—anyway, something like a spring festival."

"...Eh?"

Smiling and lightly tilting her head, Isuzu said:

"Due to a lack of manpower, Chihaya-sama's father had asked Chihaya-sama, hoping she could invite as many interested students from school as possible~ Although she was able to find one person, the more the better. As though on cue, you then made your request. We couldn't actually welcome it more~"

"I could have ignored you guys' request, you know, but since it makes us even and having people working for us for free would save some costs, allowing this run-down old shrine to earn a bit of money, indirectly a.s.suring my own pocket money, hence that is why very reluctantly, helping you guys was not completely out of the question—Hold it right there——!"

"Gwah! What's wrong?"

Chihaya grabbed Haruaki's collar without warning. From point-blank range, she looked up at Haruaki with eyes filled with rage and panic, then whispered in his ear:

"D-Didn't she say she wasn't coming...!? Why is she here!?"

"You only noticed now!? Uh, even if she said she wasn't, it ends up depending on Sovereignty's wishes. It doesn't really matter to us, but isn't it better for you if she came? Don't you want to talk to her more?"

"Yeah... True... But not right now! I was only able to con you guys to do free work without any guilt because she wasn't coming! What am I to do? Now this is making me end up deceiving her!"

"To put it bluntly, you're simply reaping what you sow!"

In any case, Konoha was the first to murmur: "After all, we were the ones who asked her for a favor first, so this can't be helped." As for the matter of helping out itself, Fear and the others did not seem to have any objections.

"Ohoh~ Shrine maiden outfits! There are sizes that fit me?"

"Please allow me to say in fear and trepidation, of course! Because we've held events where children dressed up as shrine maidens~"

"So cute! Can I wear one! Wow, actually I've always wanted to try wearing one!"

What Misuzu and Toohisuzu had brought to the entrance were several shrine maiden outfits. In contrast to Sovereignty who was picking up one of them in great interest, s.h.i.+raho showed eyes of exhaustion.

"After being dragged out to this kind of place early in the morning, now I have to work while wearing this sort of getup?"

"Ah... Uh, umm... s.h.i.+raho-san, if it's you, uh..."

Just as Chihaya stuttered, trying to offer s.h.i.+raho a personal exemption—

"What does it matter!? I so wanna see s.h.i.+raho dressed up as a shrine maiden! It'll be so cute! It's not every day that we get to dress up as shrine maidens together, of course you need to try it! Hey s.h.i.+raho... Please?"

Hugging a shrine maiden outfit, Sovereignty tilted her dainty face and looked up at s.h.i.+raho. It was as though a "kyuun" sound effect could be heard. s.h.i.+raho staggered then turned her gaze away.

"I-If you say so... It can't be helped. I am simply going to wear it. Don't expect me to help."

"Yes! s.h.i.+raho, thank you! Conversely, I will work hard to help! A professional maid's skills should be possible to apply towards a shrine maiden's job since both are service-oriented! Probably!"

"Ah... Umm... Sorry, uh... I am really sorry."

In response to Chihaya who was apologizing in trepidation, her head bowed low, s.h.i.+raho slumped her shoulders and said helplessly:

"Okay, it's fine. After all, this is wholly the fault of the human who planned this occasion and brought us here. I really wish for him to die an unsightly death, leaving a tale of mockery for future generations to circulate widely. For example, choking and suffocating to death from trying to eat a red hakama because of an obsessive fetish for shrine maidens."

Hence, things were decided. At Chihaya's behest, the group started helping with the spring festival. However, there was one fact they had failed to catch, rather unfortunate for Fear, mainly. Essentially, they failed to notice what Isuzu said about inviting "as many interested students from school as possible" and Chihaya being "able to find one person."

In any case, in order to change into the work clothes, Fear's group was just about to enter the Hayakawa home when—

The entrance opened suddenly and another shrine maiden appeared.

"I have returned~! I just met your dad at the shrine's main building, Hayahaya, and he asked me to pa.s.s you a message that it's almost time to head over—Awawawawoohoo! Woohoo! My emotions are surging madly and rapidly from this unbelievable encounter, finally turning into a weird dance while I'm approaching!"

"Eek, she appeared—!"

Hugging a shrine maiden outfit, Fear escaped towards the corridor with great alarm. Bearing a wide grin (also twisting her arms in a weird manner), the person chasing after Fear was—

Of course, it was precisely the one with the tall figure and charming face, the (self-styled) annoyingly cute undercla.s.sman.

 

The spring festival's main tent was set up in the shrine's confines and in the very center of the main cherry blossoms path where the flower viewing crowd was gathered. Haruaki's group was working industriously in the tent's surroundings on their various a.s.signed jobs.

"...So it goes like this. Because Hayahaya took me to Fear-san's cla.s.sroom, that counts as a favor which I need to return~ We also invited another friend of ours, a girl called Himenon, but she couldn't come because she's busy and I was thinking I'd be so lonely. I didn't even know that Fear-san was coming, so this is really an explosively peerless happy surprise, fefefe!"

"You're really laughing like an evil weirdo. Anyway, Chihaya first asked you to work... Hmm, so that means it didn't matter to Chihaya whether or not you ran into Fear."

Haruaki and Yume were holding bamboo brooms to sweep the ground near the tent. Of course, Yume was dressed in a borrowed shrine maiden outfit. Making unnecessary movements seemed to be a habit of hers. Haruaki watched as she alternated between swinging her broom strenuously and wiping her drool. At least, she was certainly a lively and cheerful child. As for being annoying or annoyingly cute, Haruaki decided not to comment.

As a side note, Haruaki was currently wearing a s.h.i.+nto priest's white outfit that was lent to him. He did not know if the look suited him, but in any case, Fear reacted with loud laughter, Kuroe took out her camera without saying a word, Kirika clumsily averted her gaze, whereas Konoha made a terrifying, ecstatic smile while staring intently at him, saying: "A different Haruaki-kun from usual... Awesome...!" After seeing everyone's reactions, Haruaki still had no idea whether it looked good on him or not.

"h.e.l.lo and welcome. You would like two of this merchandise? Understood."

Konoha was at the vending tent, serving as a cas.h.i.+er. Of course, she was dressed in shrine maiden outfit as well. The image of purity, with the colors white and red, suited Konoha's quiet demeanor superbly. However, due to the white top's plain design, it also plainly emphasized the curves of her figure. Ahhh, seriously, compared to western attire, that vivid and solid sense of weight, wobbling and quivering—

No good no good, Haruaki turned his awareness away from Konoha's bosom. Sitting in the tent, recording sales was Kirika. Since there was no cash register, she was apparently confirming sold merchandise one by one.

Kirika was also dressed as a shrine maiden, a perfect match for her straitlaced, n.o.ble-minded and clean image. She lifted her hair lightly, presumably finding it in the way when looking down at the account book. Then appearing to be performing calculations in her mind, she went "hmm~" while pressing her pencil above her lip and tilting her head. This action caused her black hair to slide down her neck—A sight that caused Haruaki's heart to race inexplicably. Despite the only difference being a departure from her usual attire, Haruaki found her image quite refres.h.i.+ng for some reason.

Sitting next to Kirika was s.h.i.+raho. Elbow on the able, face resting on her hand in boredom, she looked beautiful as a G.o.ddess, like a shrine maiden possessed by divinity. Her gaze was forever focused on the airheaded shrine maiden, running about the place, carrying trays of amazake, a sweet low-alcohol drink made from fermented rice. Although there were many a precarious situation, Kuroe would always extend a helping hand in time, dressed in a child-sized shrine maiden outfit. Kuroe was currently handing out amazake together with Sovereignty. Due to her looking like a kid helping out, all the visitors were smiling sweetly while receiving the amazake from her hand. "How amazing." Some of the elderly even went as far as to stroke her head. It was quite a refres.h.i.+ng sight.

The amazake supply came from a large, cylindrical iron pot. A foreign shrine maiden with gray hair and dark skin was currently stirring the amazake in the pot with a ladle. Whether due to tribal rules or insistence, she still bared her navel even when wearing a shrine maiden outfit. Un Izoey had forcibly pulled out the hem of the white kimono jacket and tied a knot on the side of her waist. Consequently, this produced the same situation as Chihaya, problematically, the side slits of the hakama offered direct glimpses to the bare skin of her thighs, due to the white garment being withdrawn from the hakama. As a side note, due to her adamant refusal to wear j.a.panese socks, she was only wearing geta clogs directly on her bare feet after they convinced to compromise after great difficulty.

(Appearance aside... At least she seems to be working seriously. That's the most important thing.)

Just at this moment, Haruaki suddenly noticed a shrine maiden kneeling down behind the tent.

"Mumu! Hohou... I see... Understood~"

That particular shrine maiden was holding her hands against the back of her ears, apparently communicating telepathically with her comrades. It was probably an inexplicable sight for bystanders and one could almost hear sound effects like that of radio waves and static. Soon after, presumably having ended the conversation, the shrine maiden, one of the kagura bells, stood up abruptly and approached.

"Ah! Although I can't tell from appearance whether you're the silent one or the one who talked to me before, but anyway, let me say hi first! Chief Shrine Maiden, thank you for your efforts! I've been working hard too!"

Noticing the shrine maiden approach, Yume was saluting energetically. Haruaki had no idea which bell she was, but the shrine maiden was apparently the one in current possession of the voice. She giggled lightly and said:

"That is truly wonderful~ Well then, Yume-sama, please allow me to say in fear in trepidation, my sister at the main shrine building has discovered a lost child~ Could you go over and help out~?"

"Of course! In other words, you want me to erase that kid's worries as a subst.i.tute mother! You want to rely on my womanly side! Normally, people only ask me for favors in changing light bulbs... Hohoho, looks like the meaning of my existence is not limited to height alone! The understanding people really do understand!"

"Then after arriving there, please let the child ride on your shoulders and wait at the same spot~ This is to allow his family to locate him easier~ In this regard, that is the great responsibility that only you can shoulder~"

"In the end, it's still my height that's being relied on—!"

Thus, the kagura bell (in the end, Haruaki still had no idea which one she was) led the depressed Yume towards the main shrine building. In any case, Haruaki hoped for a speedy reunion for the lost child and his family.

Everyone is working hard, so I must work as well—Just as Haruaki raised his broom again—

"Nuu, nice timing. Saves me time for waiting for that girl to leave."

Dressed as a shrine maiden, Fear looked warily in the direction that Yume had left and moved opposite to it, approaching Haruaki. Her s.h.i.+ny head of silver hair was surprisingly a good complement for the red and white outfit, resulting in a wonderful fusion of eastern and western elements.

"Chihaya wanted to move something and needs a boy to help, so she asked me to call you."

"I see. Helping is fine, of course, show me the way now."

Fear reached a spot behind the shrine, in front of a building that looked like an old warehouse. The latch was already lifted and the warehouse's door was wide open. Cras.h.i.+ng sounds of things b.u.mping could be heard coming from inside.

"Hey~ I've brought the shameless brat."

"Then hurry and come in. Jeez, because it was randomly thrown in here earlier, I can't take it out now...!"

Exchanging glances, Haruaki and Fear entered the warehouse together. Probably because it was seldom opened, the interior was filled with damp dust and a musty smell. There also seemed to be no lighting available so it was quite dark inside with only the faint external light s.h.i.+ning in from the door.

Chihaya was in front of a rack in the depths of the warehouse. Bending forward slightly, she was moving things off the rack and dumping them on the side. Her bottom, clad in that daring shrine maiden outfit, was thrust towards Haruaki and Fear. With her body leaning forward, the hakama was scrunched slightly at the sides, offering tantalizing glimpses through the slit that almost reached the depths between her legs. Too dangerous. Were it not for this darkness, it might very well be visible.

"You've arrived. I wanted to ask you guys to move what's on this rack, but there's a whole bunch of stuff in the way that needs to be moved away first—"

"Wait."

The one who spoke was not Haruaki but Fear. Due to the darkness, Haruaki could not see clearly but Fear's face had gone pale without warning and her body seemed to be trembling.

"A-Ahhhh— I-I've really... come to quite a treacherous place. This is bad, really bad... I was too careless. That presence. No mistake, that type of presence is here!"

"Hmm? Right, Fear, you—"

Completely stiff with tension, Fear slowly backed away.

"L-Leave the talking for later. This is place is totally under their sphere of influence. They have been the actual rulers for many years. They could launch an attack any time, stepping in here was foolishness itself. I must escape without delay or else my life will be in danger..."

Scurry... Thud.

"Hwah! Hahaha! Houhyowahhhhhhhhh!?"

"Kyah! W-Why did you suddenly yell so loud!? Are you just happy or trying to be funny?"

"Uh, sorry. She's definitely just confused. Actually, she really hates spiders. I almost forgot until just now."

"Huhohee~! J-Just now... A thud... Could it be... Uhaaa, there's something moving on the back of my neck—!"

"Oh, figures. I was wondering just now why something seemed to fall from the ceiling. I get it now."

"Now is not the time to be saying something like that calmly... H-Hurry and get it off... Hurry... Eeeeeek, it's moving! Is it trying to spit silk at me or making a nest? Ahhhhhhhhh!"

Fear kept jumping up and down, turning vigorously left and right, arching herself backwards and screaming severely.

"Hey, you're getting too worked up. It's just a spider. I'll get it off for you, just settle down—Ah, hey!"

Exasperated, Chihaya walked toward Fear but Fear was still in a state of turmoil. Probably focused on trying to get rid of the spider that had scurried under her clothing, Fear had pulled open the collar of her shrine maiden outfit. The overlapping part of the outfit in front of her chest was completely pulled apart, and due to her excessive force, even the hakama's sash was untied. As a result, Fear stumbled, tripping over her own hakama. The approaching Chihaya hastily caught Fear in her arms but could not withstand Fear's weight. Frantically, Haruaki also reached out to stop the two girls from falling but failed, ending up falling over himself.

Crash—Entangled with one another, the trio fell on the floor. A large amount of dust flew up and filled the air.

"Oww... Is it gone? Where has it run off to? Is it dead? No longer here? Hey Haruaki, help me look and check, please. Where is it, is it no longer there?"

Right in Haruaki's view were Fear's tearful eyes. Haruaki nearly stopped breathing.

(E-Even if you ask me to check, this is way too hard!)

Given the current circ.u.mstances, it was totally impossible to check—Fear's shoulder was bare, the shrine maiden outfit was barely hanging on her body, the hakama had almost slid off, and even her pale white thighs were wrapped around Haruaki's body.

"Hey... You... b.a.s.t.a.r.d..."

For some reason, Haruaki's hand had pa.s.sed under Fear's arm and was clutching Chihaya's breast firmly. His other hand had slid through the open slit in Chihaya's hakama and his fingertips could feel the sensation of her thigh.

A half-naked shrine maiden was pleading to him, her mind still in chaos. Chihaya was trembling all over, scolding him.

"H-Hey, how is it? How is it? Haruaki, look carefully!"

"You... How dare you...!?"

"J-Just wait, you two. Anyway, calm down first. Listen carefully, this is just a series of unfortunate accidents. Let's all calm down then solve the problem. First, I'll move this hand away... Hmm, Fear's body is in the way too much, it's almost impossible to move away! No wait, I can force it to the side like this. Hmm? I seem to have gotten caught on something."

"W-What are you doing!? If you move to that side, the hakama... will be... stripped off...! You're not satisfied with stuffing your hand into the hakama alone!?"

"Wait, you're mistaken! Because we're entangled together in this weird manner, it's like untying knots right now! First, Fear, you should get up first, no no, that's very bad if you got up like this, put on your clothes first... Wait, you can't straighten your clothes like this, get up first—"

Just at this moment, a person's presence appeared at the warehouse entrance. Haruaki turned to see a shrine maiden standing there.

Haruaki's brain was instantly s.h.i.+vering in terror. No, this was an accident. But even as an accident, if Konoha saw it, she might possibly slay him in one slice. Were it Kirika, who knew what consequences there would be. As for Kuroe, she would probably just snap photos like mad.

However, the one standing there was not any of these girls.