♤♤♤

　…Sunday finally rolled around.

　Wait, saying it “rolled around” like that makes it sound like I didn’t want it to come or something.

　I’m basically going on a date with Sei-chan, so of course I’m freaking thrilled.

　Yuuichi and I crashed in my room together and woke up totally refreshed.

　Obviously I took the bed while he spread a futon on the floor… but the guy on the bed—me—barely slept a wink, while the futon guy snoozed like a log.

　Well, duh, who could sleep?

　I’m heading to an amusement park with Sei-chan, the character I’ve adored since I was reading the manga.

　If someone could actually sleep before that, they either don’t really love the character… or they’re built like Yuuichi with nerves of steel.

　Or maybe their nerves are just dead.

　This guy’s planning to confess to Fujise today, right?

　So how the heck can he conk out like a baby the night before?

　Calling it steel nerves feels too generous—more like the nerves are straight-up deceased.

　”Haaah… slept like a rock. Alright, let’s crush it today!”

　”Even your wake-up game’s strong, huh.”

　”Hm? Oh, you’re up early too.”

　”Didn’t mention it yet, but Shimada and I decided to meet up earlier than you guys.”

　”No way! Seriously, thanks a ton—for both of us!”

　”…Yeah, whatever, don’t sweat it.”

　I was about to grumble at the dude who got a full eight hours while I tossed and turned, but that bright grin wiped any complaint right off my tongue.

　Man, having a good face is straight-up cheating.

　I’d woken up before Yuuichi and was already dressed to go.

　”Hey, anything off about my outfit?”

　”Hm? Looks fine to me. Suits you just right.”

　”Fine’s not gonna cut it! My date’s Sei-chan… I mean Shimada! I’ll already look second-rate next to her, but at least let me scrape by as ‘barely acceptable’ standing beside her!”

　”Whoa, what’s with the panic attack?! You’re totally fine—Tsukasa, you’re plenty handsome.”

　”Plenty handsome still ain’t enough!”

　”What a pain!”

　Even though I’ve become Hisamura Tsukasa in this world, my face and body are still the ones from my old life.

　I can’t explain how that works, but compared to being inside the manga world, it’s not worth stressing over.

　My face… is average. Not ugly, at least in my own opinion.

　If we’re ranking facial levels, I’d say upper-middle… definitely above the center line, or so I like to think.

　Problem is, every character in this manga is on a whole different tier of good-looking.

　Starting with the protagonist Shigemoto Yuuichi, then the heroines Toujouin Kaori, Fujise Shiho, and of course Sei-chan.

　Every single one of them could be idols or models—no idea why they aren’t.

　Sei-chan? From my perspective, she’s literally an angel.

　Idols and models are way too small a box for her.

　Anyway, nothing I can do about the face, so at least let my outfit be good enough to stand next to Sei-chan without embarrassing myself.

　”By the way, isn’t prepping this early kinda overkill? What time’s your meet-up?”

　Yuuichi asks while changing out of pajamas into casual clothes.

　Gah, this guy… simple outfit, yet his face and build make it look annoyingly perfect!

　”You guys set eleven, so we’re doing ten-thirty.”

　”It’s only nine right now.”

　”I’m meeting Shimada. Arriving an hour early is basic etiquette.”

　”Whose etiquette is that?!”

　No way am I making Sei-chan wait even a second.

　She’s surprisingly scatterbrained, so she might leave home early and already be at the spot.

　I absolutely have to get there first.

　Plus, if Sei-chan’s waiting alone, some creep might try picking her up.

　If I walked in on that, who knows what I’d do to the guy.

　”You can’t keep Fujise waiting either, right?”

　”Sure, a guy should always arrive first… but fifteen minutes tops, yeah?”

　”Pathetic. You’ll never reach my level.”

　”Don’t wanna.”

　I’m gonna make Sei-chan the happiest girl alive, so something like this is child’s play.

　Honestly, it’s not even hard.

　Waiting a whole hour for Sei-chan to show up? That’s practically a reward.

　”When’re you heading out, Yuuichi?”

　”I figured fifteen before eleven was plenty, but… maybe I should copy you and aim for thirty?”

　”Heh, think that’ll let you catch up to me?”

　”I’m not trying to, so we’re good.”

　Hmph, weakling.

　”I’m leaving first, but is it cool if you chill here a bit longer?”

　”Guess so, since it’s you. Just don’t lay a finger on my little sister Rie or I’ll kill you with everything I’ve got.”

　”That’s terrifying! Your pupils are fully dilated!”

　Gotta protect my adorable little sister—pupils can dilate all they want.

　”You’ve been kinda scary lately, y’know?”

　”This is normal. I’ll give Rie a heads-up about you, so stay put till you leave and you’ll be fine.”

　”Got it. Thanks, man.”

　Truth is, there’s not much point in him heading to the date spot from my place anymore.

　Toujouin-san already knows he’s leaving from here.

　Going home first sounds like a hassle for him anyway, so whatever.

　”Alright, I’m off.”

　”For real? You’re actually showing up an hour early?”

　”Obviously. Crash in my room or whatever.”

　”Sweet, don’t mind if I do.”

　I leave Yuuichi in my room and head downstairs.

　The layout means I have to pass through the living room to reach the front door, so I open the door.

　Rie’s already there, eating the breakfast she made.

　”Morning, Rie.”

　”Nnh… morning. Huh, Onii-chan, heading out already? What about breakfast?”

　On the seat across from her—my usual spot—breakfast is already set out.

　Crap, forgot to tell Rie I didn’t need any. Feel bad now.

　”Sorry, I’m in a rush so I’ll skip. Don’t need lunch either. Give that breakfast to Yuuichi upstairs.”

　”Huh? You’re not leaving together?”

　Hearing “Yuuichi-san” from Rie’s mouth feels brand-new and unfamiliar.

　In the original, she always called him “Shigemoto-senpai” or just “senpai.”

　Hmm, feels both closer and farther somehow.

　I remember a lot of fans thought the “senpai” thing was cute.

　Eh, whatever.

　”We’ve both got separate meet-ups. He’ll head out later—probably about an hour after me. Should stay in my room, so you’re good, right?”

　”U-um, got it… but Onii-chan, where’re you rushing off to?”

　”Just making sure I don’t keep someone waiting—heading to the meet-up spot a bit early.”

　Yup, just a little early—one full hour before the actual time.

　”Huh… w-wait, are you going out with a girl?”

　”Pretty much.”

　With my absolute favorite Sei-chan… ugh, just thinking about it again is making me super nervous.

　I cut through the living room and slip on my shoes at the entrance.

　Then Rie, who was eating breakfast, follows me all the way to the door.

　No way—did she really pause her meal just to see Onii-chan off with an “itterasshai”?

　What an impossibly cute little sister…!

　”H-huh… Onii-chan, you’re going on a date today?”

　”A date… well, it’s not quite that, but yeah, going out alone with a girl is pretty spot-on.”

　”N-no way…”

　”It’s not a lie, c’mon. I wouldn’t tell a sad lie like that.”

　I’m sitting facing the door, putting on my shoes, so I can’t see Rie’s face behind me.

　But from the sound of her voice, she seems a little down…

　Thinking that, I finish slipping on my outdoor shoes, stand up, and turn toward Rie.

　”Alright, I’m heading out. Sorry for making breakfast—I’m sure Yuuichi will love it. If he doesn’t, you have my permission to deck him.”

　”…O-okay, got it.”

　”Hm? What’s wrong, you seem kinda down…”

　”No, I’m fine… have a good day.”

　”Yeah, see ya.”

　Having my cute little sister say “have a good day” really does make me happy.

　Even though I’m a bit puzzled by Rie’s dazed expression, I open the front door and step outside.

　The first thing I do once I’m out is… look around.

　I don’t usually do this, but today I have to.

　Why, you ask… oh, could that be it?

　Right outside my house, a black car is parked.

　It’s not as flashy as a limousine, but up close it’s clearly a luxury model.

　A car like that in a quiet residential street this early in the morning is pretty suspicious.

　If it belonged to someone in the neighborhood, it’d be in their garage or something.

　Which means… that’s probably Toujouin-san’s car.

　I pretend not to notice and walk past it, heading toward the meeting spot.

　On the way, I type a RINE message and send it to Yuuichi and Sei-chan.

　Telling them there’s a high chance she’ll tail us all the way to the date location.

　Yuuichi replies instantly.

　‘For real… sorry, but I’m counting on you to stop Kaori’

　‘Roger that’

　Then another RINE from Sei-chan comes right away.

　‘I see. In that case, we need to keep a close eye on Shiho and Shigemoto’s date and make sure it doesn’t get interrupted. By the way, has Hisamura already left the house? There’s still quite a bit of time before the meet-up’

　Ah, crap—if she finds out I’m outside this early, she’ll know.

　‘Nah, not yet. I just glanced out the window and spotted a suspicious luxury car’

　‘Got it, that’s fine then’

　Phew, close one—if she knew I was so excited I left an hour early and was already heading to the meeting spot, I’d die of embarrassment.

　Plus it might make Sei-chan worry unnecessarily.

　Hm? Sei-chan’s sending follow-ups…

　‘It’s been a while since I’ve gone to an amusement park, so I’m really looking forward to it’

　”…She’s too cute…!”

　Sei-chan must be trying to stop my heart before we even meet up.

　It hurts how cute she is—my heart literally aches…

　The gap between her usual cool demeanor and sending a message like this is so adorable it obliterates my vocabulary.

　‘I’m super excited to go to the amusement park with you too, Sei-chan’

　I send my honest feelings and board the train in high spirits, heading for the meeting spot.

　　

　◇　◇　◇

　　

　After Hisamura Tsukasa left the house, his sister Rie stood frozen in place for a while.

　A few dozen seconds later, she snapped out of it and returned to the living room.

　She sat down and absentmindedly ate the leftover breakfast while lost in thought.

　”…Onii-chan’s on a date…”

　The words she’d been mulling over in her head slipped out without thinking.

　Rie hadn’t expected to feel so shaken by her brother Tsukasa going on a date.

　(No, Onii-chan’s a second-year in high school… he’s at the age where going on dates with girls is normal…)

　By the time she finished that train of thought, her plate was empty.

　Noticing, she carried her dish to the kitchen and casually soaked it in water.

　As Tsukasa had mentioned earlier, she’d have his friend Shigemoto Yuuichi eat his breakfast.

　Rie went upstairs and knocked on her brother’s room door.

　The door opened immediately, and Yuuichi peeked out with a puzzled look.

　”Hm? What’s up, Rie-chan?”

　”I made breakfast—would you like some?”

　”Huh, for me?”

　”I made it for Onii-chan, but he left without eating.”

　”Ah, gotcha. Then I’ll gladly take it.”

　”I’ll bring it down now.”

　”Oh, in that case I’ll head to the living room—wait, no, he told me not to leave the room.”

　”…It’s probably fine? I think he was just joking.”

　”You sure? Then can I eat in the living room?”

　”Yes, that’s okay.”

　And so Rie and Yuuichi went to the living room together.

　Yuuichi sat down and started eating the breakfast Rie had made.

　”Mmm! This is delicious, Rie-chan!”

　”…Thank you.”

　Rie gave a half-hearted thanks while washing her own plate.

　”…Rie-chan, you seem kinda down?”

　”Huh…?”

　Yuuichi, watching her while eating breakfast, asked.

　”You okay? You’ve been spacing out.”

　”No… um. Do you know who Onii-chan is going out with, Yuuichi-san?”

　”Yeah, I do. A girl from our class named Shimada Sei.”

　”Shimada Sei…”

　So Onii-chan really is on a date with a girl.

　”Is Onii-chan… dating her?”

　Rie hesitated and felt incredibly nervous asking, but the words came out anyway.

　”Nah, I don’t think they’re dating yet.”

　”R-really… huh? Yet?”

　She’d started to feel relieved hearing they weren’t dating… but the “yet” made her heart race all over again.

　”Yeah, Tsukasa apparently confessed to her.”

　”C-…!?”

　Rie’s eyes widened at that.

　”C-confessed… for real?”

　”Yep, Tsukasa said it himself, so I’m pretty sure.”

　”I… I see…”

　She never imagined her own brother, Tsukasa, would confess to a girl.

　”Thanks for the meal. It was delicious, Rie-chan. Thank you.”

　”Ah… you’re welcome. The plate goes over here.”

　”I’ll wash the dishes. Rie-chan, you’ve been spacing out—you might drop one.”

　”…Thank you.”

　Yuuichi stood in front of the kitchen sink in Rie’s place and started washing her dishes too.

　”I’ve got this, so feel free to rest in your room, Rie-chan.”

　”…Alright, I’ll take you up on that. When you’re done, just wipe them with the towel and leave them around there.”

　”Got it.”

　Hisamura Rie said that and left the living room, heading up to the second floor.

　”…She seems pretty down, huh, hearing that Tsukasa has someone he likes. Looks like it’s not just Tsukasa—Rie-chan’s got a serious case of brocon too.”

　Shigemoto Yuuichi muttered that to himself while washing the dishes.

　Meanwhile, Hisamura Rie, back in her room, collapsed face-down onto her bed like she was melting into it.

　Her face was turned sideways, staring toward the wall… in the direction of Tsukasa’s room.

　”…Onii-chan, you idiot.”

　—Even though you said I was cute.

　Hisamura Rie buried her face in her pillow and groaned, “Ughhh~!”

　　

　◇　◇　◇

　　

　I arrived at the meeting spot.

　It’s in front of a cafe near the amusement park where we’re supposed to wait.

　The time’s just a bit past nine-thirty.

　There’s still almost an hour until the agreed time.

　It’s not like I got here way too early… or rather, in my book, this is actually pretty normal.

　”Phew…”

　I take a deep breath to calm myself down.

　So from here on out, I’m gonna be on an amusement park date alone with Sei-chan…?

　…Is this for real? I’m starting to doubt it even now.

　Am I seriously about to go on a date with Shimada Sei, the heroine from that Ojojama manga—my top fave character?

　If I think about it calmly, it’s straight-up unbelievable.

　But even calling it a date, the goal’s a little different.

　After all, Sei-chan and I are just teaming up to make sure Yuuichi and Fujise’s date goes off without a hitch by stopping Toujouin-san from interfering.

　Plus, in that RINE from earlier, it said, ‘It’s been a while since I’ve gone to an amusement park, so I’m really looking forward to it’

　Sei-chan’s actually looking forward to this amusement park date with me.

　Seriously, my heart’s barely holding on as it is.

　I’m impressed my heart hasn’t stopped yet, honestly.

　If this were the manga world for real, it’d probably legit stop.

　Still, an amusement park date, huh… What kinda stuff should I do to make sure Sei-chan has fun?

　I haven’t been to an amusement park myself since elementary school, I think.

　So yeah, I’m excited, but I’m worried if I can properly escort Sei-chan.

　Well, it’s an amusement park, so probably just riding the attractions normally should be fine.

　But is it okay for Sei-chan and me to ride attractions?

　While we’re off having fun on them, Toujouin-san might crash Yuuichi and Fujise’s date.

　If that happens, it’d defeat the whole purpose.

　Well, no matter how hard Sei-chan and I try, if Toujouin-san gets serious about interfering, there’s no way we’d stop her.

　Someone like her could probably shut down the whole amusement park if she wanted.

　If that happened, there’s nothing we could do.

　Well, if we can’t stop her, we can’t—I’m fine with that.

　But Sei-chan would absolutely want to stop it, so I’d cooperate and give it my all to block her.

　Glancing at my watch since time’s on my mind, it’s already around ten.

　Thirty minutes until the meetup… nah, knowing Sei-chan’s personality, she’ll probably show up early—figure about twenty minutes or so.

　Whoa, I’m seriously getting nervous now.

　Oh, wait, I just realized—I’m gonna see Sei-chan’s casual clothes in person for the first time!

　Yikes, Sei-chan in casual outfits? That’s nothing but exciting.

　Well, I’ve seen Sei-chan’s casual looks a ton in the manga.

　She’s often out playing with Fujise, so she’ll probably show up in something like that.

　She’s gotta be cute—there’s no way she wouldn’t be…

　”H-Hisamura…”

　”…Huh?”

　Suddenly called from behind, I jump in surprise.

　That voice… Sei-chan?

　No way, there’s still almost thirty minutes until the meetup… but there’s no mistaking Sei-chan’s voice.

　Thinking that, I turn around, and the moment I catch Sei-chan in my sight—.

　”…”

　I forget to breathe.

　First thing that grabs my eyes is the jacket. A black blouson, hem a bit short up to around the waist, and the way she’s wearing it loose looks super cool.

　Below that, light-colored denim pants, showing off Sei-chan’s long, beautiful legs to the max—it’s stunning.

　A red shoulder bag slung over her shoulder, and that looks totally stylish too.

　And… the thing that draws my eyes the most is the T-shirt she’s wearing under the black blouson.

　It’s a simple white shirt… but the length is short.

　Of course, it’s not like it doesn’t fit—it’s probably designed that way.

　Because of that, Sei-chan’s navel and her gorgeous waist are totally exposed.

　”Th-the meetup’s thirty minutes from now… Seriously, how long have you been here?”

　Sei-chan’s saying something to me, but it’s not really registering.

　I never expected her to show up in casual clothes like this—my brain’s still catching up.

　Hold on a sec, for real…

　”…D-don’t stare like that.”

　Sei-chan says that and uses both hands to cover the exposed part of her stomach.

　That shy gesture is, well, yeah—it stabs right through my heart again.

　”S-sorry… I was mesmerized…”

　”…”

　When I say that honestly, Sei-chan blushes even harder and looks away.

　Actually, saying “was mesmerized” makes it sound past tense, but I’m still mesmerized right now.

　”Sei-chan, um, you’re insanely cute. Seriously, you blew me away.”

　”I-is that so? Thanks…”

　”No, I always thought you were cute, but today’s outfit is straight-up dangerous.”

　”S-stop already! You don’t have to keep complimenting me!”

　Sei-chan says that with her face bright red, but for me, I haven’t complimented nearly enough.

　I could probably go on for another ten minutes.

　I’d wanna keep complimenting forever, but in the face of Sei-chan’s beauty, my vocabulary dries up—I’d just end up saying “dangerous” or “precious” over and over.

　”A-anyway, there’s still time before Fujise and Shigemoto get here! Let’s wait in the cafe!”

　Sei-chan says that like she’s trying to hide her embarrassment and starts walking toward the cafe.

　”Y-yeah, got it.”

　I’m still a bit dazed but follow after Sei-chan.

　…Her back view is way too beautiful—words fail me.

　I’m glad to be alive…

　　

　We go into the cafe—I order coffee, Sei-chan gets an iced cocoa, and we sit down.

　When we sit, I can’t help glancing at Sei-chan’s outfit again, especially the exposed stomach part.

　Never thought Sei-chan would wear something like that, so right from the start of the date, I feel like I’ve been knocked out.

　Sei-chan sits across from me… but she’s way too cute—I can’t even look.

　I end up covering my face with both hands and letting out a sigh.

　”What’s wrong?”

　”Nah, it’s just Sei-chan’s so cute I keep staring, so I’m physically blocking my line of sight.”

　”Wha…!?”

　I can’t see Sei-chan’s face, but she sounds surprised and lets out a yelp.

　”Seriously, this is bad… I didn’t expect you to wear something like that, so it caught me off guard.”

　”You’re just gonna keep talking like that… Well, yeah, I don’t wear stuff like this much… especially this shirt, yeah.”

　Sei-chan must not be used to it—she grabs the hem of the T-shirt and pulls it down, trying to hide even a little more of her stomach.

　But by doing that, Sei-chan’s voluptuous chest ended up getting even more emphasized instead…

　”Y-you’re totally peeking through the gaps between your fingers, aren’t you?”

　”Ah…”

　I said I couldn’t look because she was too cute, but I was staring hard the whole time.

　No, but I really can’t blame her for this one. She’s just that cute.

　”S-so… does it not suit me?”

　”No way, it suits you way too much. You’re so cute—just seeing Sei-chan dressed like that makes me wanna thank God for letting me be born.”

　”Th-that’s way over the top…!”

　Sei-chan looked embarrassed as she said that, but I swear I wasn’t exaggerating at all.

　Thank you, God, for bringing me into this manga world…

　”It’s my first time seeing Hisamura in casual clothes too… and, well, you look really cool.”

　”For real? Thanks—that makes me happy even if it’s just flattery.”

　My outfit’s way simpler than Sei-chan’s.

　Black skinny pants, a white long-sleeve T-shirt, and a denim jacket on top.

　It’s kinda like Sei-chan and I swapped pants and outerwear colors, except my denim jacket’s a darker shade.

　I’ve got a black shoulder bag too, keeping things light so I can move easily.

　”It’s not flattery. I don’t say stuff like that unless I mean it.”

　Sei-chan gave a little smile as she said that.

　”…R-right. Thanks.”

　This time it was my turn to get all flustered by Sei-chan.

　Damn… Sei-chan’s so cool and handsome in moments like these…

　Haa… that’s exactly the kind of thing I love about her.

　”So, Hisamura, what time did you get here?”

　”Hm? Oh—I got here right before Sei-chan did.”

　”…The truth?”

　”Guh… 9:30.”

　”That’s a whole hour before we were supposed to meet…”

　Sei-chan gave me that half-lidded stare, and I ended up confessing honestly.

　But even Sei-chan’s deadpan glare is cute, so I’ll count that as a win.

　”So when I got that RINE saying Toujouin’s car was parked in front of your house, you’d already left.”

　”Yes…”

　”Haa… why so early…?”

　”Because there was no way I could let Sei-chan arrive first and have to wait for me.”

　”I appreciate the sentiment, but there’s such a thing as too early.”

　”Also… I was just way too excited for our d— I mean, for today with Sei-chan.”

　”Ngh… I-it’s not a date, okay?! This is strictly to keep an eye on Shiho and Shigemoto’s date and stop Toujouin from interfering. Don’t you forget that.”

　”Of course.”

　But… Sei-chan really doesn’t think of this as a date…? That kinda stings.

　”W-well… it’s my first date too, and it’s been forever since I went to an amusement park, so… I was looking forward to it.”

　”Kh…”

　”…S-say something, this is embarrassing!”

　”No, I’m just… genuinely really happy… that Sei-chan thinks of this as a date too…”

　”Wha— I-I mean… the goal is different, but if we’re talking about the shape of it, yeah, it’s basically an amusement park date…”

　And just now, Sei-chan said… “It’s my first date.”

　I can’t believe I, of all people, get to be Sei-chan’s first date…!

　”I’m definitely gonna make Sei-chan’s first date the best…!”

　”Y-yeah, I’ll be counting on you.”

　”…Though I gotta admit it’s my first date too, so please keep your expectations nice and low.”

　I bowed my head while still sitting, and Sei-chan’s eyes went perfectly round before she broke into a huge grin.

　”Pfft… alright then. First time for both of us—let’s have fun.”

　”Haha, yeah.”

　We looked at each other and laughed.

　Haa… somehow moments like this feel the most couple-like and make me the happiest.

　After that we chatted lightly until it was time for Yuuichi and Fujise to meet up.

　I came super early to wait for Sei-chan alone, but she must’ve thought I might’ve come early too—she showed up thirty minutes ahead of time.

　Thanks to that, we got to talk and have fun like this. Coming early was definitely the right call.

　　

　Then, about ten minutes before Yuuichi and Fujise were supposed to meet at eleven,

　Sei-chan and I were hiding in the shadows near their meeting spot, lying in wait.

　Yuuichi was already standing there alone at the meeting point.

　”As expected of Shigemoto—he’s here with plenty of time to spare.”

　”Because I set a great example for him.”

　”By arriving a whole hour early? I’m not sure that’s the best example.”

　”If the person you like shows up early too, you get to spend even more time with them—that’s the ultimate win, right?”

　”…Y-yeah, I guess.”

　Sei-chan got all embarrassed the moment I said “the person you like” and “more time together.”

　She already knows how I feel since I confessed, yet hearing it out loud still makes her blush—she’s too cute.

　”…You just thought something rude, didn’t you?”

　”Nope, nothing at all. If anything, I was just thinking you’re cute.”

　”…Feels like you’re dodging the question, but whatever.”

　While we bantered like that, we kept our eyes on Yuuichi.

　And not just on him—we were scanning the whole area around him too.

　Because Toujouin-san could show up to interfere any second now.

　”What kind of car was the one near Hisamura’s house again?”

　”From far away it looked like a normal black car, but up close it screamed luxury.”

　”…Hm. There were tons of black cars in the amusement park parking lot.”

　”Right? Can’t tell from that alone, so we should assume she’s here.”

　”Yeah.”

　Knowing Toujouin-san, she’s definitely here.

　She showed up in the original story too. Though in the original, she hadn’t interfered yet at this point.

　If I remember right… she was still waiting inside the car?

　At this stage, Toujouin-san thought Yuuichi might just be coming to the park with friends.

　That’s why she stayed in the car, watching. Only after seeing him meet Fujise and head inside together did she decide to interfere.

　If everything follows the original story, she shouldn’t show up to mess things up here.

　That’s why I wasn’t super on guard while looking around—

　”Hey, Hisamura. You’re actually keeping watch, right?”

　”Hm? Yeah, yeah, I’m watching.”

　”If Toujouin suddenly interferes here, Shiho will be heartbroken. We absolutely have to stop her.”

　”…Right.”

　I’m almost 100% sure she won’t come at this point, so I can’t get too into it.

　But since Sei-chan doesn’t know that, she’s dead serious about watching from the rendezvous stage.

　I can’t exactly tell her “Toujouin-san won’t come here,” so I just keep watch with her.

　Even so, the fact she’s this serious for her best friend Fujise really shows just how much Sei-chan cares about the people close to her.

　That’s our Sei-chan for you.

　And just like in the original story, Toujouin-san didn’t appear here…

　”Ah, Shiho’s here!”

　”You’re right.”

　Fujise arrived about five minutes early and joined Shigemoto.

　They’re pretty far away so we can’t hear what they’re saying, but the two of them immediately started smiling and chatting, looking like they’re having fun.

　”Phew, looks like they managed to meet up safely for now.”

　”Yeah, you’re right.”

　When I glance over at Sei-chan, she’s watching the two of them with a gentle smile on her face.

　But… I wonder what Sei-chan’s real feelings are right now.

　Doesn’t she still have feelings for Yuuichi?

　In the original story, around this time she only saw Yuuichi as “a guy she’s a little interested in,” but she still felt a tiny bit irritated watching the two of them go off on their date.

　So what about now? How does she really feel about Yuuichi?

　”Sei-chan… when you look at Yuuichi and Fujise together, you think they make a good couple, right?”

　”Hm? Ah, yeah. Shiho’s obviously a really great girl, and after everything that’s happened with Shigemoto, well… I’ve come to realize he’s actually a pretty decent guy who can match her.”

　”…This might sound weird coming from me, but… you used to like Yuuichi, didn’t you?”

　”…Well, he was just a guy I found a little interesting, that’s all.”

　”And that feeling… hasn’t changed even now?”

　”…You’re really gonna make me say it?”

　”Huh?”

　When I let out a confused sound and turn toward her, Sei-chan—who’s shorter than me—looks up at me with slightly upturned eyes.

　”…Right now, I don’t feel anything about Shigemoto anymore. More than that… n-no! Never mind!”

　”W-What? You can’t just stop there—tell me!”

　”I-I’m not telling you yet! L-Look, Shigemoto and Shiho are heading inside the amusement park!”

　Just like she said, the two of them disappear through the gates.

　”We’ll lose them if we don’t hurry—let’s go!”

　”W-Whoa, okay!”

　Sei-chan starts walking quickly ahead, so I hurry to keep up.

　It’s so obviously her trying to hide her embarrassment that I really want to press her more, but we’ll be together the rest of the day—I can’t risk making her mad.

　Wait… are we seriously going on an amusement park date together…!?

　The nerves are hitting me all over again.

　　

　◇　◇　◇

　　

　Shigemoto and Shiho, along with Sei and Hisamura, successfully entered the amusement park.

　This place is huge, packed with all kinds of attractions.

　There’s no way anyone could ride everything in a single day.

　Sei and Hisamura trail the two from a safe distance.

　They stay far enough back that they won’t be noticed even if the two turn around—but never losing sight of them.

　They maintain that perfect distance while following, though Sei’s mind is a little stormy right now.

　(M-Maybe I really shouldn’t have worn this outfit after all…!)

　The thing bothering her most is her clothes.

　She agonized over it until the very last second before bed last night, then again all morning after waking up, and was still hesitating right until she walked out the door.

　In the end, she went with the cropped T-shirt that Shiho had originally suggested—and that Sei had immediately shot down.

　It took a lot of courage for Sei to actually wear it.

　(It’s embarrassing, but Hisamura seemed really happy about it… n-no, wait! It’s not like I wore it to make Hisamura happy or anything…!)

　She tried to make excuses in her head, but immediately took it back.

　(N-No, I can’t lie to myself. Of course part of me wanted Hisamura to think I looked even a little cute… but his reaction was way bigger than I expected, and now I’m the one who’s embarrassed…!)

　Still, it was way better than no reaction at all or some lukewarm one.

　But getting that strong of a reaction… and even now—

　”…Hisamura, your staring is starting to hurt.”

　”Guh… sorry.”

　Even while supposedly keeping an eye on Shiho and Shigemoto, Hisamura has been sneaking glances at Sei on his right this whole time.

　Honestly, he’s probably spent more time looking at her than at them.

　”I-I mean, when you stare that much even I get embarrassed…”

　”Sorry, really sorry. But I think it’s Sei-chan’s fault for being way too cute.”

　Hisamura covers his face with his right hand, as if trying not to look.

　”W-What kind of nonsense blame-shifting is that!?”

　”But the fact that I can’t stop looking because Sei-chan’s outfit is too cute is just the truth.”

　”Khh… A-Aren’t you embarrassed saying that so bluntly!?”

　”A little, but I’m just stating facts.”

　When he says it that confidently, Sei ends up being the one who gets more embarrassed.

　She knows she should probably just own it and act cool like him… but that’s still too hard for her.

　”A-Anyway, it’s fine if you look, but don’t forget to watch Shiho and Shigemoto too!”

　”Roger that. So… it’s okay for me to look at Sei-chan, huh?”

　”T-That’s because I steeled myself and wore this outfit knowing I’d be seen…”

　”…Aren’t you just too cute?”

　”S-Shut up!”

　Sei speeds up in embarrassment, walking ahead while Hisamura follows with a grin.

　A few minutes later, the first attraction Shiho and Shigemoto choose is…

　”A roller coaster, huh… they went straight for something intense.”

　”Well, these popular ones get crazy lines in the afternoon.”

　”Makes sense.”

　The line isn’t too long yet—probably only ten or twenty minutes.

　In the afternoon, an hour wait wouldn’t be unusual, so getting on early is smart.

　”Shiho actually really likes this kind of thing, surprisingly. What about Shigemoto?”

　”Never really asked, but Yuuichi doesn’t seem like the type to get scared of these, right?”

　”True.”

　Watching the two in line, both of them are smiling and chatting—clearly excited for the ride.

　They look like they’re having a lot of fun.

　”Alright, should we line up too?”

　”Huh, we’re riding? Won’t we lose them if we do?”

　”…Ah, y-you’re right.”

　If Sei and Hisamura ride too, the other two will already be done by the time they get off.

　That would make it way too easy to lose track of them.

　Sei loves scream machines just as much as Shiho and Shigemoto, so she really wanted to ride… but she’ll have to hold back.

　”…Well, we can still get in line.”

　”Eh? But if we ride—”

　”Even if we lose them for a bit, I can just RINE Yuuichi and ask where they are. It’ll be fine.”

　”…Oh yeah, that’s true.”

　Yuuichi knows Sei and Hisamura are here and that they’re on lookout duty—he’d tell them right away.

　”But what if Toujouin shows up and interferes while we’re on the ride? That would defeat the whole purpose.”

　”Ah—true. But it’ll be fine for now. They literally just got here; no way she’d crash the date this early.”

　”How can you be so sure?”

　”…My gut feeling?”

　”That’s so irresponsibly vague…”

　”Besides, just tailing them the whole time would be boring when we’ve come all this way. If we’re too uptight from the start, we’ll burn out. Gotta loosen up a bit.”

　”That’s… also true, I guess…”

　They have to watch over Shiho and Shigemoto’s date from now until evening—maybe even night.

　If they’re on edge from morning, they might not have the energy when it really matters.

　”Come on, let’s just line up.”

　”Ah…”

　Sei is still hesitating, but Hisamura grabs her hand and pulls her into the roller coaster line.

　”We came all this way—we gotta have fun too.”

　He flashes her a big grin, and the corners of Sei’s mouth lift without her meaning to.

　”Haa… If Toujouin does show up and ruins things while we’re riding, you’re taking full responsibility.”

　”Eh, wouldn’t it already be too late if she interferes?”

　”If Toujouin tries anything, worst case—we’ll just have to physically drag her away.”

　”You’re really going that far?”

　”Yeah. I won’t let anyone interfere with Shiho.”

　”…Pfft, that’s our Sei-chan for you.”

　”What’s that supposed to mean?”

　”It means you’re super loyal to your friends, you’ve got insane drive, and you’re just plain cool, y’know?”

　”Ngh… That so.”

　Sei turned her face away again, suddenly embarrassed.

　After Shiho and the others finished the roller coaster, Sei and Hisamura ended up riding it right after.

　Before getting on, she’d been a little worried someone might still try to butt in, but once the ride started, she just had fun.

　It hit her that they’d come all the way to an amusement park—if she didn’t enjoy herself like this, she’d totally regret it.

　However…

　”Hisamura, if you’re bad with roller coasters, you could’ve said something before we got on…”

　”S-sorry… I got hyped up and kinda forgot.”

　Turns out Hisamura’s inner ear is surprisingly weak; he ended up looking a bit green.

　Right after getting off, the two of them collapsed onto a nearby bench to rest.

　Hisamura leaned against the backrest, trying his best to recover.

　”Sorry, I’ll be fine in a sec…”

　”So even you have a weakness like that. Good to know.”

　Sei had been teased nonstop this whole time, so finally discovering Hisamura’s weak spot felt like sweet revenge.

　Though, in a way… Sei herself might already be Hisamura’s biggest weakness.

　”As long as you had fun, that’s what matters… but please don’t tease me about it.”

　”Fair enough. How about the teacups next, then?”

　”You’re seriously trying to make me hurl again…”

　”Fufu, just kidding.”

　They rested there until Hisamura got a RINE from Shigemoto telling them where he was.

　　

　◇　◇　◇

　　

　Man, that was a total screw-up earlier.

　Sei-chan looked like she really wanted to ride, so I went on the roller coaster with her, but I completely forgot I’m terrible with those things.

　I ended up showing her the lamest side of me… Worst feeling ever.

　Still, Sei-chan looked like she was having a blast, so that part was good.

　She actually seemed happy watching me suffer, which makes me feel complicated, but it’s way better than disappointing her.

　Anyway, after resting a bit I felt fine again, so we headed to the spot Shigemoto told us about via RINE.

　Right now, Shigemoto and Fujise are eating lunch they bought from the food stalls, sitting somewhere with tables.

　Sei-chan and I headed that way too, stopping at a stall on the way to grab our own food.

　I just got a random hot dog, but Sei-chan—of all things—only bought a crêpe.

　”Sei-chan, that gonna be enough?”

　”Yeah, I’ve always been a light eater. And this thing’s actually pretty big.”

　”Okay, if you say so.”

　Nutritionally speaking, a single crêpe for lunch is questionable, but whatever.

　It’s a special amusement-park date, and I only got a hot dog myself, so I can’t really talk.

　These days high schoolers are fine with just a tapioca milk tea for lunch anyway. …Or maybe not.

　Sei-chan and I headed toward where the two of them were, spotting them from a distance.

　We sat in the same eating area but pretty far away, digging into our own food.

　Sei-chan right in front of me, opening wide and chowing down on her crêpe.

　She actually loves sweets quite a bit—there’s this cute gap since she’s usually so cool.

　I was staring at her while thinking that, and of course she noticed.

　”W-what? Why’re you staring so much?”

　”Hm? Oh, nothing.”

　”Don’t tell me… you want some of my crêpe?”

　”Huh?”

　She apparently thought the reason I was staring was because I wanted her crêpe.

　”Th-there’s no way we’re sharing food yet…!”

　”No, that’s not—”

　”I-it’d be an indirect kiss…!”

　”Nngh!”

　Sei-chan’s face turned bright red as she said that, and she was so cute I ended up letting out an embarrassed groan.

　”Sei-chan, I didn’t want the crêpe.”

　”Huh… R-really?”

　”Yeah. I was just thinking how cute you look eating it so happily.”

　”…Either way, you’re just making me embarrassed!”

　”Ahaha, sorry, sorry.”

　Guess this was payback for how she teased me on the roller coaster earlier.

　”…Nn!”

　”Hm? Wh-what’s up? Why’re you suddenly holding the crêpe out toward me?”

　”Y-you eat some too! I don’t like being the only one embarrassed!”

　”Huh? Wait… is that really okay?”

　”J-just do it!”

　I never thought Sei-chan would actually offer it to me, fully prepared for the indirect kiss.

　And she’s holding it while I eat—talk about maximum embarrassment.

　Damn… she went for the self-destruct option.

　For me, getting an indirect kiss with Sei-chan is pure bliss, but yeah, still insanely embarrassing.

　But when she’s holding it out like “ahh~” for me, there’s no way I can refuse.

　”O-okay then… itadakimasu.”

　”P-please enjoy your food.”

　Swallowing my embarrassment, I leaned forward, opened my mouth, and took a bite of the offered crêpe.

　I tried to aim for a part she hadn’t eaten yet, but she’d already eaten most of it, so no luck.

　It was supposed to be loaded with chocolate and whipped cream, but I was so flustered I barely tasted anything.

　”H-how is it? Good?”

　”Y-yeah, delicious.”

　”I-I see…”

　Then Sei-chan hesitated for just a second… before chomping down right where I’d bitten.

　”Nn… yep, sweet.”

　”Y-yeah, pretty sweet.”

　I don’t really remember how sweet the crêpe was, but the vibe between us right now feels way sweeter…

　I’ve read about moments like this in manga, but actually experiencing it myself is… ridiculously embarrassing.

　Sei-chan’s face was bright red too, so she’s probably thinking the same thing.

　We both snuck glances at each other at the exact same moment, and somehow the whole situation cracked us up—we burst out laughing together.

　”Ahaha, I never thought Sei-chan would do something that embarrassing.”

　”Fufu, says the guy who was blushing just as hard.”

　Man, spending time like this with Sei-chan… I could die happy right now.

　Right as we finished eating, we saw Shigemoto and Fujise get up and start moving.

　They’d started eating before us, but they’d bought a ton of food.

　”I knew Shigemoto could pack it away, but Fujise eats a surprising amount too.”

　”True. Shiho worries about it a little, but since Shigemoto eats just as much, they match perfectly in that too.”

　The original Ojojama manga never showed Fujise eating that much, so this was news to me.

　Honestly, My Childhood-Friend Ojou-sama Keeps Getting in the Way, So I Can’t Have a Normal Rom-Com is popular, but it’s not a super long-running series yet.

　Less than ten volumes out, so there’s probably still a lot of unrevealed info about the characters.

　After that, we kept casually tailing Shigemoto and Fujise around the park, riding the same attractions they did when we felt like it.

　Of course we didn’t ride everything—our main job was still keeping an eye on them.

　It’s been about two hours since lunch, and so far everything’s still going exactly like the original story—Toujouin-san hasn’t shown up to interfere yet.

　Alright, the next place those two are headed… yeah, probably there.

　The attraction they went to in the manga was… yep, just as I thought.

　”The haunted house, huh.”

　Classic rom-com amusement park date trope: the haunted house episode.

　The heroine’s scared of ghosts, goes “Kyaa~!” and clings to the guy, leading to a little lucky pervert moment—that kind of thing.

　Yuuichi and Fujise go in together, but this manga deviates from the usual formula… because, get this, Yuuichi is the one who’s absolutely terrified of haunted houses.

　That’s why right now, from where Sei-chan and I are watching, Yuuichi is desperately trying to talk Fujise out of it.

　”H-hey, Fujise, how about we skip this one? Y’know, these places are mostly just kiddie scams, and we’re high schoolers now—it’s not really our thing, right?”

　”Ehh, I actually kinda like them, though? And even if it’s for kids, that’s fine, isn’t it? We came to an amusement park, so we should get that childhood feeling back. …Wait, Shigemoto-kun, are you scared?”

　”Th-there’s no way! Alright, let’s go!”

　”Fufu, that’s the spirit.”

　Yep, exactly like the original.

　Fujise already figured out from his reaction that Yuuichi’s terrified, and that’s precisely why she wanted to go in together.

　She’s secretly kinda sadistic, that Fujise.

　Well, a lot of fans loved her for it, saying “That’s what makes her great!” Yuuichi probably likes that side of her too… though if I say it like that, it makes him sound like he’s got some weird fetish.

　Wait… maybe he does? Gotta ask him sometime.

　”Looks like they’re going in. Guess we should—”

　”N-no, we really don’t have to, do we?”

　”…Huh?”

　Sei-chan’s words made me blurt that out in surprise.

　”I-I mean, it’s super dark in there, and Toujouin probably won’t barge in anyway. Yeah, that place is safe. We don’t need to go inside.”

　We haven’t followed them into every single ride so far, but the way Sei-chan’s refusing right now is super obvious…

　”…Wait, Sei-chan, are you bad with haunted houses?”

　”N-not really! I just think there’s no point going to something that’s obviously made for little kids.”

　Dude, that’s literally the exact same excuse Yuuichi just used.

　Never thought Sei-chan would be scared of stuff like this… I don’t think that ever came up in the original story.

　Then again, most normal girls are scared of them.

　Fujise cheerfully dragging him in is actually the rare one.

　But this… suddenly I really, really want to go inside.

　”I actually like them a lot. Doesn’t it sound fun to let your inner child out for a bit?”

　”Ugh…”

　”C’mon, let’s give it a try?”

　”…I’m bad with them.”

　”Huh?”

　”I’m bad with them! To be totally honest, haunted houses and stuff like that…!”

　Whoa, full confession out of nowhere.

　Yeah, makes sense. No need to force herself and act tough like Yuuichi did.

　”Ah, gotcha.”

　”…Does that make you lose respect for me?”

　”Nah, being scared of haunted houses isn’t gonna disappoint me. If anything, I’m scared of roller coasters myself.”

　”R-really? That’s a relief…”

　”But… sorry, I really, really wanna go into the haunted house with you, Sei-chan.”

　”Wh-why!? I just told you I’m scared!”

　”That’s exactly why—I’m one hundred percent sure a scared Sei-chan would be insanely cute.”

　”Y-you’ve got a terrible personality!”

　”Hey, Fujise is the same way.”

　I’m just being honest, but Fujise is only enjoying it in her head right now.

　Actually, I think Sei-chan’s best friend is the bigger sadist here.

　”I won’t force you. But don’t you think your fear of haunted houses might just be leftover trauma from when you were a kid?”

　”W-well… maybe…”

　”So there’s a chance that now that you’re in high school, you’ve unknowingly gotten over it and might actually have fun?”

　”That… could be true…”

　”Though my real wish is that you’re still terrified and show me the cutest reactions possible.”

　”Oi, that’s the lowest of the low.”

　”Call it being true to myself.”

　No, seriously, dead serious.

　I said it twice because I’m that serious.

　I’d kill to see Sei-chan scared of ghosts.

　”Haunted houses are all about getting scared, so people who get scared actually enjoy them more, right? Even if you haven’t gotten over it, that just means you’ll have the most fun.”

　”…Just how badly do you want to go in there?”

　”Bad enough that it instantly became my number-one must-do attraction in the whole park.”

　”Y-you want it that much…?”

　I’m personally neutral on scary stuff, but seeing Sei-chan frightened? I want that more than anything.

　”…F-fine, I get it. If you’re gonna beg that much, let’s go.”

　”Whoa, for real?”

　”Yeah. I’ve actually been wanting to get over this fear for a while. Haven’t been in one since elementary school, so maybe I’ll be fine now.”

　Whoa, she’s actually agreeing. Awesome.

　”And if it’s too much, we can always bail halfway. There’s usually an emergency exit.”

　”Once I go in, I’m seeing it through to the end.”

　And just like that, Sei-chan and I followed Yuuichi and Fujise into the haunted house.

　　

　Looks like the theme here is an abandoned hospital. Inside the pitch-black haunted house, we started off walking side by side.

　Sei-chan was walking… well, less “light on her feet” and more like she was speed-walking to get the heck out as fast as possible.

　”Sei-chan, slow down or you’re gonna trip.”

　”I-I’m not rushing!”

　She’s trying to act tough, but her voice is definitely shaking more than usual.

　So far no ghosts have popped out, so she’s barely managing to keep it together.

　But the next second, a zombie nurse lunged out from the shadows on Sei-chan’s right.

　”Hyah!?”

　Sei-chan let out a scream several octaves higher than her normal voice and stumbled back—straight into me.

　Wait, the ghosts here are played by real people?

　Not robots or dummies, which makes it way scarier. Even I jumped a little…

　But Sei-chan was on another level—she clung to my left arm like I was her shield.

　…Let me say that again: the one and only Shimada Sei was clinging to my left arm for dear life.

　”Wai—!?”

　”Q-quick, move! We have to run…!”

　The nurse zombie was still right there, so Sei-chan grabbed my arm, hugging it tight to her chest as she bolted forward.

　I got dragged along behind her, but my brain was too busy short-circuiting to care.

　I-I never expected her to hug my arm like that.

　I mean, I kinda hoped it might happen, but not this fast—my heart wasn’t ready!

　”D-did we lose it?”

　”Y-yeah, we’re safe now…”

　Sei-chan turned back with slightly teary eyes and let out a huge sigh of relief.

　The moment she faced forward again, another loud clatter came from the shadows on her side, and another figure burst out.

　”Kyaaa!?”

　”…!?”

　This time she was already clinging to me, so she threw her full weight against me.

　Which meant… Sei-chan’s soft, abundant… ch-chest was now pressed firmly against my left arm…!

　Sei-chan didn’t seem to notice at all, eyes squeezed shut in terror.

　”W-We gotta get outta here, fast…!” 

　”Y-Yeah, r-right…!” 

　Both Sei-chan and I stammer out the words as we hurry forward. 

　Even in the safe stretches with no ghosts, Sei-chan refuses to let go of my left arm. 

　”S-Sei-chan, maybe it’s time to let go…?” 

　”N-No way… It’s too scary, I don’t wanna let go…!” 

　Guhf…! 

　Damn it, even in the dark I can feel it—nosebleed activated. 

　It was already on the verge, but that last line completely shattered my defenses. 

　I quickly cover my nose with my free right hand and pinch lightly. 

　Thankfully, it’s not spraying everywhere like yesterday. 

　For real, I never thought I’d get manga-style nosebleeds two days in a row. 

　Actually, forget that—the real problem is the situation right now. 

　Sei-chan is still hugging my left arm tight, actually gripping even harder than before. 

　My upper arm is now fully wedged right between her boobs. 

　To think I’d get this kind of fanservice accident before the actual protagonist Yuuichi ever does… 

　And since Sei-chan’s wearing such thin clothes, the softness and warmth are hitting me way too directly. 

　Every nerve in my left arm has gone into ultra-HD pervert mode. 

　My upper arm is sandwiched between her chest… and the back of my hand is pressed flat against her bare stomach. 

　She probably hasn’t noticed, but her skin is so stupidly smooth it’s seriously dangerous…! 

　Bad, bad, bad—if I think about it any more, the nosebleed’s gonna level up! 

　”S-Sei-chan, you okay? We can still bail if you want…?” 

　”N-No, I don’t wanna quit… We’ve come this far, the exit’s probably close, right…?” 

　She says that, but I’m pretty sure we’re not even halfway yet. 

　Still, Sei-chan hates losing, so quitting is apparently not an option. 

　Never thought I’d be the one wanting to tap out. 

　And of course it’s not because of the ghosts—it’s because Sei-chan might literally stop my heart. 

　Right now my heartbeat is so loud I can hear it in my own ears. 

　I’ve never heard it pound this hard and fast in my life. 

　I might actually die here. Like, for real. Though dying like this would be a pretty sweet way to go.

　”Y-You okay, Hisamura…?” 

　”Y-Yeah… I’m good.” 

　Sei-chan looks up at me with teary, glistening eyes, face full of worry despite being terrified herself. 

　That expression is lethal. Absolutely lethal. Words failing me—only “danger” repeats in my brain. 

　If we don’t get out of this haunted house soon, Sei-chan is gonna straight-up kill me. 

　For her sake (so she doesn’t become a murderer), I have to survive and escape this place. 

　”Let’s go, Sei-chan. We’ll power through and get outta here together.” 

　”O-Okay… I’ll try…” 

　Even the way she says it is cute!! 

　Stop it! Hisamura Tsukasa’s HP hit zero a long time ago!! 

　That line popped into my head, but no way in hell am I saying it out loud to her. 

　After that, the two of us half-jog deeper into the haunted house, desperate to clear it. 

　Every time a ghost jumps out, Sei-chan lets out the cutest little screams, and my heart screams even louder. 

　By the time we finally stumbled out, both our HP gauges were deep in the red… 

　Honestly, the fact I’m still alive is a miracle. Good job hanging in there, my heart. 

　Sei-chan and I collapse onto the nearest bench to catch our breath. 

　This time it’s not just me—Sei-chan is properly exhausted too, just like after a roller coaster. 

　”…That was terrifying.” 

　”Yeah… figures.” 

　Sei-chan glares at me like it’s somehow my fault, but I’m a little too dead inside to care right now. 

　”I thought I was gonna die…” 

　”Isn’t that my line?! Why are you the one who looks half-dead? You weren’t even scared of the ghosts!” 

　”Dude, I just tasted heaven and hell at the exact same time.” 

　”What the heck does that mean…?” 

　Heaven was like 99% of it, though.

　If I called that hell, every guy on the planet would stab me in the back, but yeah… it was also kinda hell. 

　I was literally one step away from cardiac arrest. 

　In real life I’d never die from something like this, but this is technically a manga world. 

　Nosebleeds just from perverted thoughts are canon here—if that kept up the whole time, a stopped heart wouldn’t even be surprising. 

　That was close… but also the greatest experience of my life. 

　Past me from a few minutes ago, nice job talking Sei-chan into the haunted house. 

　But future me is about to suffer heaven-and-hell combo attacks, so brace yourself. 

　”We gotta catch up to Shiho and Shigemoto soon…” 

　”Yeah… but give me a few more minutes.” 

　”Got it. Also—why did you get a nosebleed back there? Did you bump into something?” 

　”Hmm, more like I got caught… or sandwiched…” 

　”Huh? What does that mean?” 

　”N-Nothing!” 

　No amount of courage in the universe would let me explain that to her. 

　Sei-chan still hasn’t fully recovered either, so we rest a bit longer before chasing after the other two. 

　　 

　After escaping the haunted house, we catch up to them and resume stalker-date mode. 

　Toujouin-san doesn’t interfere again for the rest of the day, so Yuuichi and Fujise’s date continues peacefully. 

　Sei-chan and I sneak onto a few rides ourselves while tailing them, and before we know it, it’s already evening. 

　…It’s almost time. 

　In the original story, this is when Toujouin-san finally shows up to crash their date. 

　Their next stop is the biggest souvenir shop in the entire park. 

　It’s less of a food court and more of a massive gift shop. 

　While the two of them are picking out souvenirs, Toujouin-san appears and ruins everything. 

　Yuuichi was planning to confess under the night illuminations later, but her interference completely derails that. 

　If we’re going to stop her, it’ll have to be inside that shop. 

　…No plan yet, though. 

　And honestly? I’m still torn about whether we should even stop her. 

　If I’m being totally selfish, I don’t want to. 

　I don’t want this story to end here. 

　But when I think about Sei-chan’s feelings… part of me knows stopping it is the right thing to do. 

　What the hell should I do…? 

　Still agonizing over it, I watch Yuuichi and Fujise walk into the shop exactly like in the manga. 

　Sei-chan and I follow, slipping inside and hiding among the shelves. 

　The place is huge, so as long as we keep our distance, there’s no way they’ll spot us. 

　”Hm, so this is the kind of stuff they sell here…” 

　Sei-chan’s already distracted, browsing the merchandise. 

　Toujouin-san still hasn’t shown up even though it’s this late, so Sei-chan’s tension has dropped a lot. 

　Can’t blame her—we’ve been tailing them since before noon, and we’ve been having our own fun along the way. 

　If Toujouin-san suddenly pops up now, we probably won’t react in time… but honestly? I’m kinda hoping that happens. 

　They also sell souvenirs and sweets here, but what really catches the eye are the huge plushies and those headpiece mascot things you wear.

　Yeah, the kind where you buy one at the entrance, put it on, and take pictures all over the park like an idiot.

　You get all hyped up at the amusement park and impulse-buy it, but the second you wear that thing anywhere else you instantly become that cringe guy, so it just sits in your room gathering dust until you’re too annoyed to even look at it and chuck it in the trash.

　…Pretty much just my personal bias talking, though.

　There are bear ears, bunny ears, all sorts of colors and styles lined up. 

　”Hmm~ It’s cute, I guess, but not cute enough to buy as a souvenir.”

　Oh, wait! I do have an adorably cute little sister at home—Rie!

　This bunny-ear hood has these super fluffy parts that hang all the way down to your chest, and if you squeeze the fluffy bits, the bunny ears go boing and jump up.

　Just imagining Rie wearing it, looking all embarrassed while making the ears twitch going pyoko-pyoko…

　Yeah, that works. I’m buying it. No, wait—calm down, me.

　Do I actually need this? More importantly… would Rie even put it on?

　Knowing her, she’d totally go, “Are you an idiot?” and refuse to wear it even once.

　…But if I begged her, maybe she’d do it just this once?

　…Guess I’ll at least ask.

　I pull out my phone, open RINE, and start typing to Rie.

　It’d be easier to understand if I sent a photo, right?

　Thinking that, I switch to the camera and pick up the bunny hood.

　”Wait—Hisamura, you’re seriously thinking of buying that?”

　”Kinda on the fence.”

　”N-no way… I didn’t know you were into that kind of thing…”

　”It’s not for me! I was thinking for my little sister.”

　”Your sister? How old is she?”

　”One year below me.”

　”You’re gonna give this to a first-year high school girl?”

　Sei-chan picked up the bunny hood in the same way and tilted her head as she asked that.

　It looks like she thinks I’m the kind of slightly cringe-worthy guy whose little sister would be absolutely thrilled to get something like this as a souvenir.

　”I don’t think she’d be happy about it, but… I’m gonna ask if she’d at least put it on for me when I get home. I’m telling you, Rie wearing this would be insanely cute.”

　”Mrr…”

　A tsundere like Rie with bunny ears? The gap moe would be off the charts. Absolutely lethal cuteness.

　If she wore it even once, I’d want to take a photo and treasure it forever. Worth a shot.

　That’s what I was thinking when—

　”H-Hisamura…”

　”Hm? Wh—!?”

　I turn toward Sei-chan when she calls my name, and… there she is. Bunny-ear Sei-chan.

　No way—she actually put on the bunny hood herself!!

　”S-so… how do I look? Does it… not suit me…?”

　Sei-chan asks with an embarrassed little smile, cheeks pink.

　—click

　”…Huh?”

　”S-sorry, reflex!”

　Before I knew it, I’d snapped a photo of her with the camera app I’d left open.

　”W-what are you doing!?”

　”Sorry, total spinal reflex. My body moved before my brain could stop it.”

　”Stop saying weird stuff! Delete that right now!”

　Sei-chan’s face turns bright red as she yanks off the hood.

　Yeah… that was definitely rude of me.

　I look at the screen to delete it like she asked, but…

　There’s an angel staring back at me.

　”…I don’t wanna delete it. I wanna make it my family heirloom. Print it, frame it, hang it on the wall.”

　”Of course you can’t!!”

　Total honest feelings spilled out.

　Deleting a photo this cute of Sei-chan would be a crime against humanity.

　I want to keep it forever.

　”Are you sure I can’t keep it? It’s insanely cute.”

　”Nngh… N-no way!”

　”Please? I swear I won’t show anyone. Seeing this every morning would give me the strength to get through even the worst days.”

　”E-every morning!? That makes it even worse! It’s way too embarrassing!”

　”…Really, truly no?”

　”…Yeah. No.”

　I tried my best, but looks like it’s hopeless.

　Aaaah… I can’t bring myself to delete this version of Sei-chan.

　”Nngh… Sei-chan, you delete it. I physically can’t.”

　”You’re that attached…?”

　Hands shaking, I hand her my phone.

　She takes it, taps a few times… and the photo is gone.

　”Aaaah… that was a once-in-a-lifetime treasure…”

　”…Th-then… how about we take a photo together instead?”

　”Huh?”

　”Y’know… l-like Shiho and Yuuichi are doing over there.”

　When I slide my gaze toward where Sei-chan’s looking, there’s Fujise and Yuuichi with their faces pretty darn close together, Fujise holding up her phone to take a selfie.

　They’re both wearing matching bear-ear headbands, looking like the ultimate pair of lovey-dovey idiots.

　Those two still aren’t dating, right?

　…Wait, hm? Something about that scene feels off.

　It’s like I’ve seen it somewhere before… or something like that…

　”If we take one together like those two, I… wouldn’t mind.”

　”Wait—so I have to wear the bunny hood too?”

　”Y-yeah.”

　Apparently I have to wear the bunny ears if I want the photo.

　But that means I get Sei-chan in bunny ears in the same shot as me. Together.

　”I’m in. One hundred percent.”

　”Y-you answered instantly…”

　There is literally zero reason to refuse.

　I get to immortalize bunny-ear Sei-chan again, and this time it’s a two-shot with me? I’d pay money for this.

　”Okay, putting mine on too…”

　”Pfft… s-sorry, it just… it really doesn’t suit you at all.”

　”Yeah, I didn’t think it would suit me either, but I didn’t expect you to actually laugh out loud…”

　Still, seeing Sei-chan smile like that makes me weirdly happy.

　She puts the hood back on—yep, still an angel. Perfect. Divine.

　She’s already got my phone camera ready, so we’ll use that.

　”C-come on, get closer.”

　”O-okay…”

　I thought we were already pretty close, but apparently not close enough for her.

　She wants to copy exactly how Fujise and Shigemoto were doing it.

　Those two were practically cheek-to-cheek.

　I can’t go that far, but I scoot a little closer—shoulders touching now.

　”Th-there, perfect…! O-okay, saying cheese…!”

　She taps the screen. Click.

　We both instantly spring apart.

　”G-got it.”

　”G-great…”

　No way my heart could survive getting that close again right now.

　Though in the haunted house earlier we were even closer… but that was different!

　She hands the phone back. I check the photo—both of us have red cheeks and slightly awkward smiles.

　I don’t care how I look. Sei-chan is still ridiculously cute, so this photo is perfect.

　”U-Um… I’ll send you this pic later on RINE, okay?” 

　”Y-Yeah… please do.” 

　This is insanely embarrassing, but… yeah, we should definitely share this one. 

　…Huh? Hold on. That line I just said… why does it feel so familiar? 

　What is this déjà vu I’m getting…? 

　—Oh! I got it…! 

　Wait, no—hold on, why…!? 

　Realizing something, I frantically searched for Yuuichi and Shiho. 

　I found them still casually browsing souvenirs at the gift shop, just like normal. 

　”W-What’s wrong? You suddenly started staring at those two…” 

　”N-No, I just thought I lost sight of them for a second.” 

　”Hm. We’re fine. For now, I don’t see Toujouin anywhere either.” 

　Yeah, Toujouin-san still hasn’t shown up. 

　But that’s exactly what’s weird. 

　In the original story, Toujouin-san should already be interfering by now. 

　That strange feeling from earlier—when Yuuichi and Shiho put on those bear-ear headbands and took a photo together. 

　In the original, right after that, Toujouin-san would slide in from behind with an “My my, you two look like you’re having fun~” and ruin the moment. 

　That’s why, in the original photo, there’s a Toujouin-san with a terrifying smile wedged right between Yuuichi and Shiho. 

　Things get a little chaotic with all three of them there, and that’s when Shiho whispers into Yuuichi’s ear, “I’ll send you this photo later on RINE, okay?” 

　But right now… as you can plainly see, Toujouin-san never came to interfere. 

　Which means… the original story has already started to collapse. 

　Why? Why didn’t Toujouin-san come to mess things up? 

　If this keeps going… those two might actually end up dating for real!? 

　　 

　After that, Yuuichi and Shiho left the gift shop. 

　Toujouin-san never showed up to interfere, not even once. 

　Sei-chan and I followed behind them, but the whole time I couldn’t stop thinking. 

　Why didn’t Toujouin Kaori come to interfere? 

　Could I be remembering wrong? Was the gift-shop interruption not actually in the original? 

　No way—I distinctly remember reading the bear-ear headband photo scene in the original. 

　So the gift shop is definitely where Toujouin-san interfered in the original. 

　Yet she never came. 

　In other words, even Toujouin-san’s actions during this amusement-park date have already deviated from the original story. 

　Why…? 

　The only thing I can think of is that something changed because I became Hisamura Tsukasa in this world, and that change affected Toujouin-san’s behavior. 

　I need to sort out everything that’s different from the original so far. 

　First: in the original, Hisamura Tsukasa never confessed to Shimada Sei. 

　Second: Sei-chan and I tailing them as “supervisors” never happened in the original either. 

　But neither of those things involves Toujouin-san directly, so they probably aren’t the main cause. 

　Then… right, the timing of when Toujouin-san found out about this date changed from today to yesterday. 

　That’s one part that already broke from the original script. 

　But if anything, learning about it earlier should’ve given her more time to interfere, not less. 

　Something else… Yuuichi secretly coming to my house the day before so Toujouin-san wouldn’t find out? 

　But by the time Yuuichi arrived at my place, she’d already known everything. 

　…Wait. Could it be that? 

　When Toujouin-san came to my house, the line Yuuichi said. 

　“Hurry up and go home! It’s getting late—your parents’ll worry!” 

　The moment she heard that, Toujouin-san’s expression changed and she left immediately. 

　Yuuichi didn’t mean any harm—he was genuinely worried about her. 

　But to Toujouin-san, whose mother is dead and who believes her father doesn’t care about her at all… 

　Those words probably stabbed straight into her heart like a knife. 

　Is that why… Toujouin Kaori isn’t coming to interfere? 

　This is all just my guess, but it’s very possible. 

　No—even if I’m wrong about the reason, the fact remains: Toujouin-san is not acting like she did in the original. 

　”The sun’s starting to set, huh.” 

　”Mm? Y-Yeah, looks like it.” 

　It’s already pretty dark around us; the park lights are flickering on one by one. 

　Never thought I’d be deep in totally unrelated thoughts while technically on a date alone with Sei-chan. 

　”…Looks like those two are heading toward that spot soon.” 

　”Huh? That spot?” 

　”You don’t know? At night, this park has a place where the illuminations are absolutely gorgeous. There’s a superstition that if you start dating there… the couple will be bound together forever.” 

　”Ah… I think I’ve heard something like that.” 

　Yeah, I vaguely remember that in the original too—confess under those illuminations and you’re together forever. 

　Of course, in the original Toujouin-san crashed the moment, so the three of them just stood there going “Wow, pretty~” and that was it. 

　I barely remembered because it wasn’t a big scene. 

　But… at this rate, those two are going to confess there and actually start dating. 

　Superstitions in stories like this always come true, don’t they? 

　Meaning… if those two become a couple here, they’ll literally be together forever. 

　”Ah… there they go—heading toward the illuminations.” 

　Just like Sei-chan said, the two of them are walking toward the glowing area. 

　If nothing happens, Yuuichi and Shiho are really going to start dating. 

　Is Toujouin-san seriously not going to interfere? 

　Why… Could it be that in this timeline, she doesn’t even like Yuuichi anymore? 

　No, that can’t be—she personally drove him to my house last night and even offered to give him her nude photobook. 

　Then why—!? 

　While lost in thought and still scanning the area in case Toujouin-san showed up… someone caught my eye. 

　An old man wearing a butler uniform. 

　Old, yes—but his back is ramrod straight, he’s taller than me, has a magnificent white beard, and gives off an overwhelmingly dignified aura. 

　He doesn’t look like an ordinary person at all; he could pass for the owner of the entire park. 

　But I know exactly who he is. 

　That butler in the old-style suit serves Toujouin-san. 

　If I remember right, Toujouin-san calls him “Gramps.” 

　The super handsome grandpa-looking butler who always indulges her every selfish whim. 

　If he’s here, that means Toujouin-san is definitely here too—no question. 

　But then why hasn’t she interfered? 

　…Is she still hung up on what Yuuichi said? 

　For the current Toujouin-san, anything about parents is an incredibly sensitive topic. 

　In the original story, that issue gets brought up later and resolved… but right now, it’s the one thing she absolutely doesn’t want touched. 

　And Yuuichi went and poked that wound without meaning to. Maybe that’s what’s really bothering her. 

　So… is she seriously not going to interfere at all? 

　If so… does that mean she’ll keep living without ever being saved from her family issues? 

　In the original, Yuuichi eventually saves her from that pain. 

　But if he ends up dating Shiho, that whole arc disappears, doesn’t it? 

　Then she’ll just… 

　I look toward Yuuichi and Shiho. 

　The playful atmosphere from earlier has vanished; tension hangs thick between them. 

　They’re both heading to the illumination spot, both clearly planning to confess. 

　Stopping them now might be impossible. 

　Even so… 

　”Hisamura… shall we head to the illumination spot too? I… have something I want to tell you there…” 

　”Sei-chan.”

　”Wh-what is it?”

　”Sorry, something suddenly came up.”

　”…Huh?”

　Without waiting for Sei-chan’s reply, I took off running.

　Sorry, Sei-chan.

　Sei-chan was probably trying to get in the way for Fujise’s sake.

　She’d gone this far hiding so Fujise wouldn’t find out.

　But me… I still don’t want those two to end up together.

　I know someday Yuuichi will have to choose between Fujise and Toujouin-san.

　But at this rate, Yuuichi will pick Fujise without even looking at Toujouin-san.

　That’s absolutely not okay.

　Also… this was kinda hard to say to either Fujise or Sei-chan, but…

　In Ojojama, my second-favorite character is actually Toujouin Kaori.

　With that thought burning in my head, I ran up to the old man dressed in a butler uniform.

　”Excuse me! Can I talk to you for a sec!”

　”…May I ask what business you have with me?”

　The old butler looked at me and spoke in a calm, low voice. 

　It was the first time I’d heard Gramps’s voice, but damn—it was cool and gravelly.

　”Take me to Toujouin-san!”

　”…And who might you be to the Ojou-sama?”

　He narrowed his eyes slightly, peering down at me with faint suspicion.

　Toujouin-san and I aren’t exactly friends.

　So there was only one thing to say.

　”I’m the best friend of the guy Toujouin Kaori likes.”

　　

　◇　◇　◇

　　

　That day, Kaori had come to the date spot of the person she loved more than anyone—Shigemoto Yuuichi.

　Not to go on a date with Yuuichi herself, of course.

　It was the place where Yuuichi’s crush, Fujise Shiho, was having a date with him.

　At first she had every intention of barging in and ruining it.

　But since Yuuichi himself had invited Fujise, Kaori decided to watch from afar at the beginning.

　Yuuichi was cool. Ever since elementary and middle school, he’d been the object of every girl’s admiration.

　Yet he thought he wasn’t popular at all—and that was entirely because Kaori had shielded him from all those shallow girls.

　This time, though, the tables had turned: it wasn’t girls chasing Yuuichi, it was Yuuichi falling for a girl.

　A pattern she had never experienced before, and it left Kaori completely flustered.

　Still, she had always believed with all her heart: “The only woman truly worthy of Yuuichi is me.”

　To keep every other girl away, she had spread rumors since elementary school that she and Yuuichi had been together forever and were even engaged.

　It was so embarrassing she nearly died, but she saw it through.

　And yet, here Yuuichi was—on a date with Fujise Shiho.

　The old Kaori would have marched right in, declaring, “I love Yuuichi way more than you ever could!”

　But… she remembered what Yuuichi had said to her yesterday.

　“Hurry up and go home! It’s getting late—your parents’ll worry!”

　Those words—he’d said them because he cared about her.

　But… she didn’t have parents who would worry.

　Neither her mother nor her father was ever in that huge, empty mansion.

　Her father was always busy; even when he came home, he locked himself in his study.

　They saw each other’s faces maybe once a year, if that.

　Someone like her—who had never been loved—suddenly felt unsure.

　Was the feeling she held for Yuuichi really love?

　Having grown up without knowing love at all, she no longer understood what her feelings toward Yuuichi truly were.

　While Yuuichi and Fujise Shiho were on their date, they looked so happy the whole time.

　Could she, right now, give Yuuichi that same innocent, adorable smile?

　She didn’t know anymore. And because she didn’t know, she couldn’t bring herself to interfere.

　At this rate, Yuuichi and Fujise Shiho would end up together.

　Even so…

　”…Maybe that’s okay…”

　She whispered it to the empty air, gazing into the distance.

　Gramps had driven her here, and she’d kept him waiting since noon.

　Even now, he was off checking where the two of them were headed next, while Kaori waited in a quiet outdoor seating area where she could eat slowly.

　It was a little dark outside, but the lights and illuminations kept it from being pitch black.

　She sat there alone, waiting for Gramps to return.

　Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned around.

　”Gramps, you sure took your time… Oh. Hisamura-kun.”

　”…Good afternoon, Toujouin-san.”

　She’d thought only Gramps was coming back—she never expected Hisamura Tsukasa to show up too.

　Of course Kaori already knew that Hisamura Tsukasa and Shimada Sei were at the amusement park.

　They were probably here to stop her if she tried to interfere.

　But now… that reason no longer existed.

　”Good afternoon. So, why did you come here with Gramps? Oh—if you’re here to stop me, you don’t have to worry anymore. I have no intention of getting in their way.”

　”…Why aren’t you gonna interfere? I thought you liked Yuuichi.”

　”…I’m not sure anymore.”

　She had definitely liked him.

　But now she wasn’t even sure if that had been real liking.

　Someone who had never received a father’s love—could she really have given Yuuichi proper love?

　”…Why are you giving up? You’ve liked him since you were kids, haven’t you?”

　”Yes, I did… or at least I think I did. But after thinking about a lot of things, I started wondering if maybe it wasn’t that after all.”

　”…I see. So you got scared.”

　”…Maybe.”

　”Why did you get scared? You used to talk nonstop about how much you liked Yuuichi.”

　”…I just cooled off, that’s all. He fell for another girl even though someone like me was right here.”

　”Huh. So you’re admitting you lost to that girl in charm.”

　”…As if you would understand anything.”

　Kaori had been facing away the whole time, but at that moment she finally looked at Hisamura’s face.

　Hisamura was staring straight at her, completely serious, eyes intense.

　”Of course I wouldn’t understand. We were born and raised in totally different worlds, and you’re the precious daughter of a huge corporation. There’s no way I could ever understand how someone like you feels.”

　”…You’re right about that.”

　”But you don’t understand how I feel either, do you?”

　”…What are you trying to say?”

　”People’s feelings—you can’t know them unless they say it out loud. That’s why I tell Sei-chan I like her, and I tell my little sister Rie that I think she’s cute. I say it clearly.”

　”…I really have no idea what you’re talking about.”

　”…Haah. I didn’t plan on saying this much.”

　Hisamura looked away for a second, sighed toward the ground.

　”That’s why you don’t know how your dad feels either, right?”

　”!? How do you know about—”

　She had never told anyone about her and her father.

　Not even Yuuichi.

　”That’s not important right now. The point is—you don’t actually know how your father feels, do you?”

　”…No, I don’t. But some things you can tell from attitude even without words. Father… that man doesn’t love me, and he doesn’t hate me either.”

　”That’s exactly why you got scared. You’ve never been loved, so you started doubting whether what you feel for Yuuichi is real love or not. That’s it, right?”

　”…W-what on earth are you…!”

　”Enough about that already. Why don’t you go ahead and test that ‘fatherly love’ of yours?”

　”Huh…?”

　Test my father’s love?

　I already found that answer years ago, over more than a decade of living it.

　”Just call your dad on your phone and ask him. Ask if he loves you.”

　”…What are you even talking about?”

　”Just do it. That way you’ll know for sure whether you’re actually loved or not.”

　”…Haa. Even if I called him right now, Father would never pick up. This has nothing to do with love; he literally can’t. My father is an incredibly busy man. His schedule is planned down to the minute—no, down to the tens of seconds.”

　The Toujouin Group is a world-class conglomerate.

　Its president, Kaori’s father, is genuinely swamped. There’s no way he’d ever take a sudden personal call.

　Taking even a few unscheduled minutes could delay a multi-billion-yen deal and cause it to collapse.

　”Just try it. What’s the harm? If he doesn’t pick up, you can just say ‘he’s busy with work’ and save face. Perfect excuse for the high-and-mighty Toujouin-san who refuses to admit she lost to Fujise in charm and wants to blame Yuuichi for having no taste.”

　”…Fine. I’ll play along with your little farce.”

　If I refused after being provoked like that, the name Toujouin Kaori would be dragged through the mud.

　I take out my phone and tap the contact labeled simply “Father” among the very few entries in my address book.

　One more tap and the call would go through.

　But is this really okay?

　If he’s in the middle of an important meeting, even the sound of an incoming call would be a huge disturbance.

　Besides, there’s no way he could possibly pick up on such short notice.

　”What’s wrong? Is the great Toujouin Kaori actually chickening out?”

　”…Whether this connects or not, you’re going to regret this. Be ready.”

　With those words, Kaori tapped the screen one more time.

　The electronic dial tone rang out, followed by the ringing sound.

　One ring, two rings—then the call connected.

　”Huh…?”

　Kaori unconsciously let that slip out, wondering if she’d misheard.

　‘Hello? What is it, Kaori?’

　Her father’s voice came through the speaker.

　She hurriedly pressed the phone to her ear and answered.

　”F-Father, I’m terribly sorry for calling so suddenly.”

　‘Ah, you surprised me.’

　”I-is it really all right for you to take my call when you’re so busy…?”

　‘Hm? What kind of father wouldn’t answer his daughter’s call?’

　”——”

　Those words stole her voice.

　His schedule is planned down to tens of seconds; even these few seconds of conversation must be throwing everything off by a huge margin.

　And yet… she had never imagined her father cared about her this much.

　‘So, what did you need?’

　”Ah, well…”

　Right, the reason I called… She glanced at Hisamura for just an instant.

　She never thought the call would actually connect, so she never expected she’d have to ask something this embarrassing.

　Still, she didn’t want to waste her father’s time, so she gathered her courage and asked.

　”I… I wanted to ask if you, Father… love me…”

　‘…That’s all?’

　”…”

　This time, for an entirely opposite reason, she couldn’t speak.

　As I thought, Father doesn’t care about me at all—

　‘Of course I love you.’

　”…Huh?”

　‘Did you not hear me? The signal must be bad. Oi, someone switch the carrier for this building.’

　She could hear him giving orders to the people nearby.

　”N-no, I heard you, very clearly…”

　‘Good, then.’

　”So… you really do love me…?”

　‘It’s only natural for a father to love his daughter.’

　”——!”

　At those words, tears suddenly spilled from her eyes.

　All this time, she had believed she was never loved.

　After all, he had never once shown it, never once said it out loud.

　Was this really her father?

　Was this the real him… and was this love real?

　”F-Father…”

　‘Hm? W-what’s wrong, Kaori? Why are you crying?’

　”Huh, ah, I’m sorry…”

　‘D-did I do something? Or did someone cause you trouble? It’s all right—I’ll come to you right now.’

　”Huh?”

　‘Oi, cancel everything for the rest of the day. Dinner with the U.S. President? Doesn’t matter, postpone it.’

　”W-wait, please wait! Father! I’m fine, really!”

　‘Are you sure? You’re not pushing yourself?’

　”Yes… I’m all right.”

　She had truly never dreamed her father cared for her this deeply.

　All she could remember was his constant indifference.

　But… had she been completely wrong about everything?

　‘…Good. By the way, next Saturday evening—what would you like for dinner?’

　”Ah…”

　She had forgotten—no, deliberately tried to forget. Next Saturday was their once-a-month dinner together.

　They always ate at some high-class restaurant, and every time Gramps or someone else would relay, “The master wishes to know what you would like to eat.”

　Every single time she had answered, “Please tell him anything is fine.”

　Yet this was the first time he had asked her directly.

　”Um… anything is fine, really…?”

　‘Anything at all. There’s nothing in this world I can’t provide.’

　The president of the Toujouin Group—there truly wasn’t a single ingredient on earth he couldn’t obtain.

　Yet… Kaori didn’t want anything extravagant.

　She just wanted… to be treated like a daughter.

　”Um… I’d like… to eat your home cooking, Father.”

　‘…My cooking?’

　”Y-yes.”

　‘Are you sure that’s enough? I can take you to any restaurant you want.’

　”No… I want to eat the food you make, Father.”

　When she was little—she couldn’t even remember how old she was.

　Back when the company wasn’t this huge yet and their house was still modest.

　She vaguely remembered her father cooking for her then.

　She couldn’t recall what dish it was… but she still remembered how delicious it tasted.

　No matter how many luxurious meals she had eaten since, she had never forgotten that flavor.

　She wanted to eat that again.

　But things were different now.

　As he himself said earlier, his schedule was planned down to tens of seconds.

　There was no way a man that busy could find time to cook just for her.

　‘…I see. It’s been a long time, so I’m not sure it’ll turn out well… but I’ll make it myself.’

　”Huh…… is that really okay?”

　‘Of course. Though, well… I do have one small request of my own. Would that be alright?’

　”Y-yes, of course! What is it?”

　A request from Father… I can’t remember the last time he ever asked anything of me.

　I wondered what on earth it could be…

　‘I’d like to try the food that Kaori cooks someday… Would that be alright?’

　”Ah… O-of course! I’d love for you to try it, Father!”

　‘…I see. Thank you. I’m looking forward to it.’

　”Y-yes… me too…”

　‘Sorry, my secretary is glaring at me like she’s about to murder me, so I have to hang up now.’

　”Ah, r-right. I’m sorry for calling so suddenly…”

　‘No, it’s fine.’

　There was one last thing… Kaori wanted to say.

　”Um… Father…”

　‘What is it?’

　”…I love you too, Father.”

　‘…I see. Thank you.’

　”Y-yes… See you at the dinner, then.”

　‘Yeah, I’ll be looking forward to it.’

　And with that, the call ended.

　For a while afterward, I just sat there, completely stunned.

　Was that really… the same Father I just spoke to?

　I had always thought he was indifferent toward me.

　If you only looked at his behavior… yeah, it certainly seemed that way.

　Even during that whole conversation, he was probably expressionless on the other end, not changing his face in the slightest.

　And yet… he had loved me so deeply all this time.

　”So? How’d it go?”

　”…!”

　While I was still dazed, Hisamura suddenly spoke up.

　Right—I only made that call because this guy told me to.

　”…Was I… really loved by Father all along?”

　”Didn’t you just figure that out from the phone call?”

　”…Yes… you’re right. Father… he loved me…!”

　Tears spilled down my cheeks again as I said it.

　All this time I’d been worrying myself sick—I’d been such an idiot.

　All I had to do was ask him once.

　If I had, I would’ve known right away how much he truly loved me.

　”From what I just overheard, it sounds like your old man’s just as bad at showing his feelings as you are. Right, Toujouin Kaori-san—who’s been head-over-heels for Yuuichi this whole time but never managed to get it across?”

　”…Th-that’s only because Yuuichi is way too dense…”

　”Haha, fair. But weren’t you exactly the same? For sixteen whole years you were loved, yet you thought you weren’t—who does that sound like?”

　”…You really do have a nasty personality, don’t you?”

　”I’ll take that as a compliment.”

　The two of us exchanged wicked grins.

　”So what’re you gonna do? Yuuichi and Fujise are already heading to the park’s famous ‘lovers’ vow’ spot.”

　”Isn’t it obvious? I’m going to stop them—no, wait, that’s not it. Just watch. I’ll prove once and for all that I’m the one who deserves to be Shigemoto Yuuichi’s girlfriend.”

　”Right now Fujise has a massive lead, though?”

　”Like I’d ever lose to some girl who showed up out of nowhere. I’ll overtake her in an instant.”

　”Hah, now that’s the Toujouin Kaori I know.”

　I stood up and broke into a run toward Hisamura Tsukasa.

　The confession spot was in that direction.

　As I passed him…

　”Thanks. I’ll pay you back for this someday.”

　I called over my shoulder as I dashed away.

　”You’re very welcome. I’m looking forward to seeing how the Toujouin family’s precious Ojou-sama plans to repay that debt.”

　His voice reached me even after I’d run past.

　A little farther ahead stood a lone woman.

　When I saw who it was, I couldn’t help but smirk, and as I overtook her I tossed out a single line.

　”Your boyfriend’s a pretty great guy, huh?”

　”Wha—!?”

　She reacted instantly, but I didn’t stop—I kept running.

　”H-he’s not my boyfriend yet!”

　Her flustered shout came from behind me, and the corners of my mouth lifted even higher.

　”Yet,” huh… I wonder how many minutes—or tens of minutes—that “yet” will last?

　Smiling to myself, I sprinted with everything I had toward Yuuichi and Fujise.

　　

　I reached the confession spot and scanned the area.

　There weren’t many people, so I spotted Yuuichi and Fujise right away.

　The two of them were facing each other, looking incredibly nervous as their eyes locked.

　”F-Fujise…! I… I feel about you…”

　”Shigemoto-kun…”

　The instant I heard those words, I shouted.

　”Yuuichi—!”

　”Huh…!? Wha—!? K-Kaori!?”

　My yell made Yuuichi whip around immediately.

　His face practically screamed “Why are you here!?” while Fujise looked just as shocked.

　”Y-you… how did you…!?”

　”Haa, haa… wait just a second… let me catch my breath…”

　I reached Yuuichi’s side, took a few seconds to steady my breathing—then lifted my face and declared,

　”Shigemoto Yuuichi! I have something to tell you!”

　”Wh-what is it!? Seriously, why are you here…!?”

　”I love you!”

　”…Huh?”

　”…Eh?”

　My sudden confession left both Yuuichi and Fujise wide-eyed in shock.

　”I’ve loved you ever since elementary school! I’ve always loved you!”

　”Wha—huh?”

　”Back when everyone kept their distance because I was the rich Ojou-sama and I was all alone, you were the only one who treated me like a normal girl—that kind, gentle Yuuichi is who I fell for! You were my first love! And I still feel exactly the same even now!”

　”W-wait, Kaori, hold on…”

　”Starting in upper elementary, all those girls who suddenly started saying you were cool and getting close to you—I drove them away because I wanted you all to myself! They only cared about your face anyway! Not that your face isn’t insanely handsome and adorable and perfect for hugging like a body pillow until I never want to wake up again!”

　”Kaori, wait, seriously, my brain can’t keep up…!”

　My face was burning crimson as I kept shouting, but Yuuichi’s own face was just as red—if not redder.

　Even Fujise, listening right beside us, had flushed cheeks.

　”I’ve always loved you! No—I don’t just love you anymore, I’m in love with you! From the bottom of my heart, I love you! I want all of you! And I want to give you all of me! Body and soul, everything! I want you to ruin me completely!”

　”W-wait, Kaori, hold it! You’re saying some seriously dangerous stuff right now!”

　I might have let a tiny bit of my kink slip out, but I still wasn’t finished.

　”I absolutely refuse to let anyone else have you! When I think about who I’d marry, there’s no one but you! So Yuuichi—marry me!”

　I declared it with my brightest, fullest smile.

　All three of us present had red faces, though to varying degrees.

　”Choose me, Yuuichi. I want to be happy with you. I want to stay by your side for the rest of my life.”

　”…Kaori…!”

　For the first time, Shigemoto Yuuichi realized just how deeply his childhood friend Kaori had always felt about him.

　To everyone else it had been obvious ages ago, but ultra-dense Yuuichi hadn’t noticed a thing.

　Yet when it was spelled out this clearly, even the biggest idiot would understand.

　That Toujouin Kaori was seriously, truly in love with him.

　That everything she’d done up until now had been the flip side of love—she’d been trying to keep him all to herself.

　He’d always thought of her as the childhood friend he got along great with, someone who’d stay just a friend forever.

　But hearing that she’d cherished him this earnestly all along—what kind of guy could possibly stay unmoved by that?

　”W-wait just a sec…!”

　The one putting everything on hold was Fujise Shiho, the girl he’d just spent the whole day on a date with.

　”I-I… I like you too, Shigemoto-kun!”

　”H-HUHHHH!?”

　Since she hadn’t confessed yet, Yuuichi had no idea how Fujise felt.

　He never dreamed the girl he liked—the one he’d planned to confess to today—would beat him to the punch.

　”We only met when we started high school, so I haven’t known you nearly as long as Toujouin-san…! But you’re my first love, and I really, really like you, Shigemoto-kun!”

　”Wha—hold on—!”

　”First-year high school, same class… You probably don’t remember, but when some guys were hitting on me, you saved me, right?”

　”Huh? When was that…?”

　”Back in middle school. Some creepy adults were harassing me and I was terrified—you came and helped me.”

　”Oh… yeah, something like that rings a bell…”

　”We parted without even exchanging names, and I regretted it so much… but then we met again in high school and I was over the moon!”

　Apparently, without even realizing it, Yuuichi had saved Fujise Shiho back in middle school and planted a flag.

　”Once we started talking in high school, I fell for you harder and harder! You were the first person I ever thought, I want to date someone like him!“

　”F-Fujise…”

　”I love how kind you are! I love how childish you can be! I love how scared you got in the haunted house! I just want to tease the heck out of you, Shigemoto-kun!”

　”Hold up, Fujise—are you saying something kinda intense right now too!?”

　Just like with Kaori, he’d just gotten a tiny peek into Fujise’s… unique tastes.

　”So please… go out with me!”

　Fujise declared it with her whole face bright red.

　”Yuuichi, marry me! I’m absolutely, perfectly suited for you—way more than Fujise-san ever could be!”

　”I-I won’t lose to Toujouin-san either! Choose me, Shigemoto-kun!”

　”W-wait, both of you—!”

　Is there any guy alive who wouldn’t be completely flustered when his super-close childhood friend and the girl he started crushing on in high school both confess at the same time?

　”My breasts are bigger than Fujise-san’s! I have a perfect hourglass figure, and I go to the finest estheticians—my skin feels amazing to touch!”

　”K-Kaori, what are you saying…!?”

　”I-I’m a solid C-cup too! I’m slimmer than Toujouin-san, and I… I think I’d feel really nice to hug…”

　”Fujise, calm down. You’re getting all polite because you’re embarrassed.”

　”Oh, Fujise-san, you really don’t understand. Yuuichi likes curvy girls like me. His phone browser history is nothing but that type!”

　”Wait, hold on!? H-how do you even know—n-no, Fujise, that’s a misunderstanding…!”

　Yuuichi had basically just confessed to it himself, but he still frantically tried to explain it away… even though it wasn’t actually a misunderstanding.

　”Toujouin-san doesn’t get it either. After our date today I’m positive—Shigemoto-kun is totally the type who wants to be bullied. A sadistic girl like me and a masochistic boy like him? Perfect match. Toujouin-san likes being bullied herself, so she’d never be able to satisfy him, right?”

　”Fujise, wait—WHAT are you saying!?”

　Another brutal attack exposing Yuuichi’s fetishes from a completely unexpected angle.

　”Kuuh… I can’t even deny it after seeing Yuuichi’s browser history…!”

　”Hey, deny it, please! If you say it like that, it really makes me sound like a total M!”

　Fujise and Kaori were spilling their own kinks willingly, but poor Yuuichi was getting everything laid bare by the two of them—he was in a tragically pitiful position.

　”Th-that’s why I’m the one who deserves to be Shigemoto-kun’s girlfriend!”

　”No, it’s me! Toujouin Kaori is the only one worthy of being Shigemoto Yuuichi’s girlfriend—and future wife! You’d probably break up after three months anyway, Fujise-san. Better that I date him from the start!”

　”That’s not true at all! If I dated Shigemoto-kun, we’d stay together for years and years and get married!”

　”Seriously, both of you, wait! I’m… I’m not mature enough to be ready for that yet!”

　Fujise and Kaori stood facing each other, arguing fiercely, while Yuuichi tried to stop them from somewhere in the middle.

　Then, at the exact same moment, both girls turned to look at him…

　”Yuuichi! I love you—marry me!”

　”Shigemoto-kun! I-I love you… please go out with me!”

　”Uh… um…”

　There’s no guy on earth who wouldn’t be happy being pressed like this by two beautiful girls.

　But there’s also no guy who wouldn’t be completely lost about what to do.

　One was his childhood friend he’d always gotten along great with—the girl who loved him so much she wanted him all to herself, a little overly intense but incredibly cute.

　The other was the girl he’d fallen for in high school—someone so fun to talk to, so healing to be around, the very definition of his ideal type.

　Both of them were precious to Yuuichi. He didn’t want to hurt either one, but he obviously couldn’t date them both…

　”So which is it, Yuuichi!?”

　”Sh-Shigemoto-kun!”

　”Ummm…!”

　Steam was practically coming out of his ears from thinking so hard—no, there was literally steam rising from his head.

　”…!”

　His brain, overwhelmed by the sudden flood of information, short-circuited and crashed.

　Yuuichi fainted on the spot and collapsed.

　”Yuuichi!?”

　”Shigemoto-kun!? Are you okay!?”

　The two girls caught him as he fell… but it looked like they wouldn’t be getting an answer out of Yuuichi today.

　　

　◇　◇　◇

　”I can’t believe that guy actually passed out… As expected of a rom-com protagonist, huh.”

　I’d been watching the whole three-person disaster unfold.

　They were basically yelling, so even from far away it was easy to hear everything.

　Part of me is jealous of Yuuichi, part of me pities him…

　Getting confessed to by two beautiful girls? Jealousy-inducing. Having your kinks shouted for the world to hear? As a fellow guy, I can only sympathize…

　N-not that I have any weird fetishes myself, okay? Nope, totally normal here.

　Still, I never thought things would turn out like this.

　Of course in the original work, neither of them confessed anywhere near this point.

　Because if they confessed like this, the story would pretty much be heading straight into the finale.

　In the original, Fujise and Yuuichi’s date ended simply because Toujouin-san interfered.

　The story continued on for a long time after that… but thanks to all the stuff I did, both girls have already confessed to Yuuichi.

　Even though in the original they still hadn’t.

　Wait, actually—in the original, Toujouin-san’s feelings were pretty much obvious to Yuuichi already, weren’t they?

　But neither she nor anyone else ever gave him a proper confession.

　Plus, originally Yuuichi was supposed to resolve the grudge between Toujouin-san and her father.

　And I pretty much ended up doing that on pure momentum.

　But if I hadn’t, Toujouin-san probably wouldn’t have moved at all…

　”…Sorry, Sei-chan.”

　I turned to Sei-chan, who was standing beside me watching the chaos with a wry smile, and said that.

　”Hm? For what?”

　”Well… in the end, I was the one who got in the way of Fujise and Yuuichi the most.”

　Sei-chan hadn’t wanted Toujouin-san to ruin Fujise and Yuuichi’s date.

　If I hadn’t done anything, Toujouin-san wouldn’t have interfered, and Fujise and Yuuichi would’ve finished their date normally and probably started going out.

　Because I ended up siding with Toujouin-san…

　”I really am sorry.”

　”…Pfft. So even you can make that kind of face, huh?”

　”Huh?”

　As I hung my head and apologized, Sei-chan gave me the gentlest smile.

　”I’m fine, really. But let me ask you just one thing. Between Shiho and Toujouin, which one do you want Yuuichi to end up with?”

　”…Of course it’s not up to me or Sei-chan to decide that. It’s Yuuichi’s choice.”

　”True. But from what I just saw, it looked like you wanted him to pick Toujouin.”

　”Nah, honestly I don’t care either way. I just want Yuuichi to really look at both of them properly and choose for himself.”

　”…What do you mean?”

　”I already knew Toujouin-san liked Yuuichi, but that idiot never noticed at all. Any normal guy would’ve picked up on it instantly.”

　”Well, yeah. The way she acts, anyone would notice.”

　”Exactly. Anyone would notice—except the one person who should. Poor Toujouin-san, right?”

　”Yeah.”

　Seriously, how does that guy not realize?

　He’s straight out of one of those dense rom-com protagonists.

　”That’s why I thought I’d at least help with that part. Until Toujouin-san’s feelings actually reach him, I wanted to be on her side.”

　”…I see.”

　”So from now on I’m not planning to root for Toujouin-san anymore. Probably the same for Fujise, too.”

　”…Then you never intended to stop those two on their date today either?”

　”Ugh… I’m really sorry. I was super torn about it, but yeah… pretty much…”

　To be accurate, even if Sei-chan and I had tried to interfere, there’s no way we could’ve held back Toujouin Kaori.

　So it’s true that I wasn’t dead-set on stopping it no matter what—not with Sei-chan-level passion, at least.

　”Haa… I get that you did it for Yuuichi’s sake and for Toujouin’s, but if that’s the case, you shouldn’t have come to the amusement park to get in our way in the first place.”

　”That’s true, but… I got lured in by the idea of an amusement-park date with Sei-chan.”

　”Wh—!? I-I see…”

　If it had just been Yuuichi asking, I never would’ve come all the way here.

　The moment I heard Sei-chan was going to the park for Fujise’s sake, I thought, No way I’m letting her do this alone, and tagged along.

　…Though when I realized it meant I’d actually get to go on a date with Sei-chan, stopping Toujouin-san kinda became an afterthought.

　”I’m really sorry. Sei-chan was trying so hard for Fujise’s sake…”

　”N-no, it’s fine. I didn’t actually do anything here either. And after hearing that Toujouin and her dad had some kind of grudge earlier… I chose not to interfere too. So we’re even, right?”

　”…Thank you.”

　Sei-chan really is so kind and cool in moments like this. That’s exactly why I love her.

　That phone call earlier probably cleared up almost all of the bad blood between Toujouin-san and her father.

　All thanks to my original-story knowledge, of course.

　Toujouin-san’s dad is genuinely a daughter-loving guy.

　The president of one of the biggest companies in the world, insanely busy, yet he always makes time at least once a month to have a meal with his daughter—no exceptions.

　If he didn’t care about her and only lived for work, he wouldn’t bother carving out that time.

　Plus, whether he’d actually pick up the phone just now was a gamble from my perspective.

　But I figured the odds were in our favor.

　Because Toujouin Kaori’s father has several phones, yet only one is for personal use.

　And that personal phone has exactly two contacts saved.

　His daughter, Toujouin Kaori… and his late wife.

　He carries that phone with only those two numbers on him at all times.

　Meaning whenever that phone rings, it can only be his beloved daughter calling.

　The father I saw in the original story—who loves Kaori from the bottom of his heart—would absolutely pick up. I believed that.

　And the result was literally the best possible outcome.

　When Toujouin-san was talking to her dad, I could hear his voice too… Man, I almost cried.

　I never thought I’d get to witness one of the most emotional scenes from the original story right in front of me.

　I had to fight so hard not to tear up.

　”I wonder which one Yuuichi will choose in the end.”

　”Hm? Who knows. We probably won’t get an answer today, and those two will keep going after him from now on… Can that guy even pick?”

　”Hmm. Personally I’d like my best friend Shiho to win, but… guess we just have to wait and see what Yuuichi decides.”

　”Yeah. They’ll both keep attacking him for a while longer, so it’s basically a race to see who bags him first, huh? They were appealing to him like crazy during that confession earlier.”

　”Y-yeah, you’re right…”

　Huh? Sei-chan suddenly went red and looked embarrassed.

　Why—oh.

　Right, that “appeal” involved a ridiculous amount of kink exposure for all three of them.

　Stuff like who tops and who bottoms… they went hard.

　Well, Yuuichi himself didn’t say a single word, but he’s the one whose kinks got exposed the most. Poor guy.

　Sei-chan has basically zero resistance to dirty talk.

　Though in the original story she didn’t have much tolerance but was secretly curious… Nope, stopping there. Any more and I might actually get a nosebleed again.

　”S-so… what about you?”

　”Hm? Uh, what?”

　”N-no, never mind! Forget I said anything!”

　She clearly wanted to ask something but chickened out.

　I’m curious, but poking the bush might wake the snake, so I’ll let it go.

　”By the way, sorry for cutting you off earlier when I ran toward Toujouin-san. What were you about to say?”

　”Huh? Oh…! I-I was just going to say we should hurry and follow those two.”

　”Gotcha. Still, sorry for ditching you like that.”

　”It’s fine… We ended up here together anyway.”

　Watching those three in their battlefield means, of course, that Sei-chan and I are also standing in this gorgeous illumination spot.

　The lights spread out like a field of flowers—it’s breathtaking.

　”…It’s beautiful.”

　”Yeah, really is.”

　For a little while… the two of us just stood there, entranced by the illuminations.

　Though honestly, I was staring at Sei-chan’s face the whole time instead of the lights.

　Her profile bathed in the glow, her beautiful silver hair shining—she was way more captivating than any illumination in this park. I could’ve looked forever.

　”…Hm? W-what is it, Hisamura? Why are you staring at me like that?”

　Guess I stared too long—she noticed and asked bashfully.

　”Hehe, sorry. I was just mesmerized by you, Sei-chan.”

　”Wha—!? Y-you…!”

　Her face flushed bright red again, but she’s gotten a little used to it; the panic was lighter this time.

　Still, even while trying to look back at the lights, she kept sneaking glances at me. Way too cute.

　”S-so anyway, looks like there’s a Ferris wheel here too.”

　”Yeah.”

　Probably to let people see the illuminations from above—there’s a huge Ferris wheel right nearby.

　”Wanna ride it last, Sei-chan?”

　”Yeah, let’s.”

　”We don’t have to keep watching Yuuichi-tachi anymore, so we can finally enjoy ourselves without holding back.”

　”Hehe, true.”

　And so the two of us headed toward the final attraction—the Ferris wheel.

　　

　Surprisingly, there was almost no line, and we got on right away.

　We sat facing each other; the wheel started turning slowly, and our gondola began to rise.

　The cabin was smaller than expected—our knees were almost touching, and my heart was racing a little.

　Sitting directly across from each other like this is honestly pretty embarrassing.

　Sei-chan must feel the same; her cheeks were slightly pink, and she turned her eyes to the window, brushing her hanging hair behind her ear.

　That gesture was so beautiful and sexy my heart skipped a beat.

　I’m pretty sure today has been the busiest day my heart has ever had in my entire life.

　Good job holding out this long, heart. You’re amazing.

　”W-we’re almost at the top, Hisamura.”

　”…Yeah.”

　The sun has already set outside, but the view from the Ferris wheel is lit up brightly by the illuminations—absolutely gorgeous.

　Colors dancing everywhere, shining on Sei-chan’s profile as she peers down, lighting up her beautiful silver hair.

　Seeing her like that makes my heart start pounding all over again, but even so… I never want to look away.

　Our gondola is almost at the top now.

　…This is it. The perfect moment.

　Heart, I’m about to put you through hell again, so hang in there for me.

　I swear this’ll be the last time.

　”Sei-chan.”

　”Hm? What’s up?”

　Sei-chan had been snapping photos of the view outside with her phone.

　”Can I… say it one more time? Right here, right now?”

　”…W-what exactly?”

　She must’ve sensed something, because she turned to face me, nervous but resolute.

　Her eyes pierce straight through mine.

　My hands are shaking from nerves, my lips trembling too.

　Back then, in the after-school classroom, I confessed to Sei-chan.

　But that was only possible because I thought it was a dream.

　I never imagined I’d actually entered the world of the manga, so I convinced myself it was just a dream and screamed my love for my top fave at the top of my lungs.

　But now… knowing this is real, facing the girl I love more than anything…

　This isn’t the same as just shouting my feelings for a character.

　This isn’t Shimada Sei, the girl from the manga.

　This is me, Hisamura Tsukasa… giving a real, serious confession to Shimada Sei, a living, breathing girl.

　”I love you, Sei-chan.”

　”…!”

　”I love how kind you are—how you hide your own feelings for Fujise’s sake and genuinely cheer her on. But I hate seeing you bottle everything up and suffer alone… so let me be the one to support you. I want to make you happy.”

　It’s insanely embarrassing, but I say it while staring straight into her eyes.

　Sei-chan’s own eyes are glistening as she looks right back at me.

　”I love how cool and composed you always are. I love how shy you get and how fast your face turns red. I love the blissful little smiles you make when you’re eating or drinking something sweet. After that first confession, I got to know you even better… and I fell for you so much harder.”

　”…!”

　”…Sei-chan, I love you. Please go out with me.”

　My heart is hammering so loud I’m worried it’ll leap out of my mouth.

　Sei-chan listened to every word without once breaking eye contact, her cheeks bright red.

　Now… all that’s left is to hear her answer.

　She’d been staring into my eyes the whole time, but for a second she looked away shyly… then locked eyes with me again.

　”…Th-thank you. That made me… really, really happy. Last time you caught me completely off guard, and I think all you saw was how flustered I was… but even then, I was genuinely happy.”

　Come to think of it, she’d been visibly shaken and bolted right after.

　But that was because I’d confessed out of nowhere—and because I (thinking it was a dream) had pressured her for an answer on the spot.

　So she’d been worried about that this whole time?

　”Today, and when we went to that café before… talking with you, getting to know you better… I had so much fun. I did my very first date, and I never knew it could feel this good.”

　Sei-chan says it with the shyest, most adorable expression.

　She keeps looking away, but every time she forces her gaze back to mine and keeps talking.

　”No… it’s not that dates are fun. It’s being with you that’s fun. Going on a date with you was fun.”

　”…!”

　My heart leaps even harder—not just nerves anymore, but hope making it race even faster.

　”There’s still so much we don’t know about each other, and maybe my feelings haven’t caught up to how strongly you feel about me yet… but I do have real feelings for you. That’s the honest truth.”

　”…!”

　”S-so… I’ll do my best to catch up, okay…?”

　She looks up at me with those teary eyes and says,

　”If someone like me is… good enough for you—please take care of me…”

　For a second, I literally couldn’t breathe.

　I-I didn’t just imagine that, right?

　”R-really? You’ll really go out with me?”

　”…Y-yeah. If… if you’re okay with someone like me…”

　”It’s because it’s you, Sei-chan, that I want to go out with you.”

　”…I-I see.”

　”For real…? Sei-chan is gonna be my girlfriend…?”

　”Uuu… d-don’t say it so bluntly…!”

　She squirms, looking down in embarrassment.

　I’m actually dating this impossibly cute girl…

　The Shimada Sei I adored even before coming to this world, the one I’ve fallen for even more since arriving… is my girlfriend…!

　”I’m so happy I could die…!”

　”Khh…! Y-you say stuff like that way too easily!”

　”No, seriously… dating Sei-chan… I could die happy right now…”

　”…!”

　I cover my face with both hands and lean back dramatically—and then I feel a gentle tug-tug on the hem of my jacket.

　When I lower my hands, Sei-chan has scooted even closer and is pinching the fabric with her fingers.

　”D-don’t talk about dying… You said you’d make me happy, remember?”

　”Let’s get married.”

　”Fuehh!?”

　”Ah, I mean—wait, no, I don’t take it back!”

　In my heart, I’m totally serious—I want to marry her someday.

　If I’m bragging about making her happy, I have to be thinking that far ahead, right?

　”Th-that… I can’t answer that yet, but… let’s see how we do from now on, okay…?”

　”…R-roger that…”

　She took my impulsive line so seriously and answered so earnestly that I accidentally slipped into polite speech.

　My girlfriend is so cute it actually hurts…!

　…It’s real. Sei-chan is really my girlfriend now.

　I’m so happy I could die… but no, I’m not dying.

　I’m gonna live and make Sei-chan the happiest girl in the world.

　Also—she’s still clinging to the hem of my jacket and is ridiculously close right now.

　If either of us leans forward just a little more, our faces would bump.

　Sei-chan seems to have missed her chance to scoot back; she keeps looking up at me, meeting my eyes, looking down, looking up again… over and over.

　…She’s way too cute.

　”Um… mind if I sit right next to you?”

　”…S-sure, go ahead…”

　”…Excuse me, then.”

　I stand up slowly and slide in beside her.

　The gondola seat is tiny—when two people sit side by side, our shoulders inevitably touch.

　”Nn…!”

　A tiny squeak escapes Sei-chan the instant our shoulders meet.

　Just shoulder-to-shoulder contact is enough to make my heart explode…!

　The Ferris wheel has passed the top and is slowly descending.

　I seriously wish this moment could last forever.

　I sneak a glance at Sei-chan—and she’s already looking at me. Our eyes meet.

　”Ah…!”

　She lets out a little gasp of surprise, looks away for a split second, then immediately looks back.

　Since I’m taller, she has to tilt her head up a bit.

　Her face is so close I can barely think—my heart is pounding like crazy.

　”…Can I hold your hand?”

　”…G-go ahead.”

　She turns the hand resting on her knee slightly toward me.

　Our trembling fingers overlap, then clasp together.

　It’s so warm. And soft.

　I never want to let go.

　I really wanted to do the lovers’ hold and interlace our fingers, but we’re both way too nervous for that right now.

　Then—Sei-chan leans her head on my shoulder and lets her body rest against mine.

　Before it was just shoulders touching; now the entire right side of my body is pressed against hers.

　”S-Sei-chan-san?”

　I was so shocked I accidentally tacked on an extra honorific.

　”Th-this much should be fine, right? We’re… lovers now…”

　”…!”

　Ah crap… she’s too cute…

　She gathered her courage for this—I’ve gotta be brave too.

　Thinking that, I let go of her hand for a second.

　”Huh…?”

　She lets out a tiny sad sound, but right away I slip my arm around her back, pull her close by the opposite shoulder.

　”A, nn…!”

　A happy little noise, followed by the sweetest voice… I can’t hold back anymore.

　”Sorry, Sei-chan… I just got a nosebleed…”

　”Huh!?”

　I instantly release her, cupping my nose so the blood doesn’t get on her, and lean away.

　Sei-chan jolts back in a panic and digs tissues out of her bag.

　”W-why did you suddenly start bleeding!?”

　”Because you’re too cute…”

　”…! Y-you need to get used to this much or we’ll have problems later… n-no, never mind!”

　”…Are you trying to make me pass out like Yuuichi?”

　”O-of course not!”

　”Anyway, I need more tissues. That last line made it worse.”

　”A-are you actually okay!?”

　”I think so. People have nearly died from nosebleeds before, but mine’s not that bad, so I should be fine.”

　It’s a pretty anticlimactic way to end things, but… that’s how I, Hisamura Tsukasa, officially started dating Sei-chan.

　I’ll say it as many times as it takes—I’m so happy I could die, but I absolutely won’t. I’m going to live and make Sei-chan happier than anyone else in the world.