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14.63% Roshidere : Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian / Chapter 12: Do you get it now?

Chapter 12: Do you get it now?

"Ahhh! What is wrong with me?"

A high school student was mumbling to himself as he strolled down a road lit by

streetlights. He wasn't anyone suspicious, though. It was Masachika Kuze on his way back

after walking Alisa home.

"'I will be by your side.' 'Just take my hand.' Who do I think I am? Somebody kill me.

Ugh. I'm going to be cringing in the shower for years now… And talking to myself like this

only makes me look even more pathetic."

He vented his frustration and self-loathing aloud into the night air. Masachika had just

shown Alisa that he was a real man for a change, yet he couldn't help but dwell on his

mortifying actions. The words he had said to Alisa played on an endless loop in his mind,

and he was on the verge of dying of embarrassment and regret. Furthermore…

"Alisa said she was in love with me…didn't she?"

…the smile she had shown him as they walked down the boulevard was like a flower in

full bloom. The vivid memory of the soft touch of her lips on his cheek when they said good

night made Masachika jittery. Until now, he'd thought Alisa's Russian whispers of sweet

nothings were merely a game to feel the thrill of being caught since she believed he didn't

understand a word. However, her behavior in front of her apartment obviously went beyond

what could be considered a game. It was almost as if that was how she really felt…

"Nah…"

Masachika hastily shot down the idea forming in the back of his mind.

She was just in a heightened state of emotion like me. I bet she's already returned to her

senses and is cringing at the thought of it, too. Yeah… I'm sure that's what's happening.

But even after persuading himself of that, what Alisa had said and done still made his

heart race…

"I thought I couldn't fall in love anymore, but…"

Ever since that girl disappeared, Masachika had never felt romantically interested in

anyone. He would still think some girls were cute or pretty, but that was pretty much it. He

even felt lust from time to time, like anybody his age would, but he never felt love for anyone,

and they'd never made his heart race like this, either.

Besides, I doubt any girl would fall in love with trash like me anyway.

Masachika despised himself most of all, so it was hard for him to imagine someone

falling in love with him. Moreover, he didn't trust the whole concept to begin with. He

believed that most romantic feelings were temporary states of delusion that would fade away

once certain conditions were met. He especially didn't trust his own romantic feelings.

I can't even remember that girl's name or face…so there's no way I could ever seriously

fall in love with someone else, right?

Dating in high school was nothing more than a game to kill time. It was rare for high

school sweethearts to ever go on and get married after graduation. The only time that ever

happened wasin fiction. Real high school couples were unstable, and the smallest thing could

bring them together or break them apart. Even if Alisa really did have feelingsfor Masachika,

she would most likely break up with him once she took a real hard look at him up close and

spotted all his faults.

And the couples who do get married after dating in high school sometimes get divorced

eventually as well.

He imagined his own parents, then smirked cynically before ultimately letting out a deep

sigh.

"This is annoying…"

Those words fell unbidden off his tongue.

Getting worked up over something as uncertain as love was ridiculous. It was annoying.

It wasn't like he wanted a girlfriend, and it wasn't like Alisa had asked him out, either. So

why could he not stop thinking about it?

Mmm… I'm going to be single for the rest of my life with this mindset.

When he realized that he had become a heretic, he became even more depressed. But

whenever he was feeling down, he would watch anime to feel better, so he picked up the

pace and hurried home. Just when he was ready to escape from reality, he opened the door

to his place…and noticed there was a pair of shoes there that weren't his. Masachika froze.

"What happened to having 'plans'?" he muttered. "Wait. I guess it's not that weird."

If today's events were all part of some plot to get him to join the student council, then of

course Yuki would have been involved. In fact, she might have been behind the whole thing.

"Tsk… I fell right into her trap…or I guess I should say she dragged me out of hiding

and pushed me into the trap."

He sighed deeply while sliding open the door to the bathroom when…

"Huh…?"

"Uh…?"

…their eyes met. Yuki was drying her hair with a towel…completely nude. With her

eyes opened wide and an expression overcome with surprise, she promptly used the towel

to cover her front, but…

"Eeeeeek! My brother's a Peeping Tom!"

"Yeah, yeah. You were waiting for me to open the door so I would see you like this."

"Was it that obvious?"

"You rushed out of the bath the moment I closed the front door."

Masachika glared at Yuki reproachfully as she grinned, revealing no signs of guilt.

"You went way too far this time."

He rolled his eyes and turned to leave the bathroom when…

"Hey, not so fast. Aren't you curious as to why I did all that?"

"Yeah, I'm curious, but put on some clothes first, okay?"

"Hold on, Masachika. I just realized something extremely troubling."

"…Something extremely troubling?" repeated Masachika with a hand on the door he

was facing, even though he knew it wasn't going to be anything worth hearing.

"Hmph." Yuki smugly smirked and covered the right side of her face with her right hand

as if she were an overdramatic emo teen detective who had just solved a mystery. It didn't

help that her towel had come undone, baring all. One could only describe the sight as surreal,

and yet Yuki showed absolutely no concern as she sternly opened her partially hidden eye

wide and shouted:

"We've lived under the same roof for so long, but we still haven't had the scene where

you walk in on me changing!"

"You never cease to surprise me with the garbage that comes out of your mouth!"

"All brothers walk in on their sisters changing at one point! It's inevitable!"

"Yeah, in fiction! You nerd!"

"Takes one to know one!"

"Dammit! That actually hurts more today than it usually would!"

Masachika had been wondering only a few hours earlier if he was about to have an

indirect kissing scene with his beautiful older schoolmate, like he was playing a visual novel.

That's why being called a nerd right now was like having habanero sauce poured into a

wound.

"Gnnng!"

He naturally clutched his chest and groaned, but in spite of his agony, Yuki was already

striking a troubling pose and facing the complete opposite way of him.

"Anyway, I know deep down inside you want to see it, so here I go. Eek! Stop staring

at me like that! ♡"

"Who are you talking to?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm talking to the camera that's invisible to idiots."

"More like a camera that only delusional nerds can see!"

"I guess that means you can see it, too, huh?"

"Yeah, I can see it. I can see it clearly. Cheese."

Masachika made a peace sign while facing the same direction as Yuki. Perhaps they'd

both been dropped on their heads as babies.

"Wow! Look at this picture! It's surreal!" exclaimed Yuki with a straight face.

"Yeah, thanks to you!" Masachika immediately added.

Yuki then dropped the act and cheerfully smiled.

"Anyway, this is the least I can do to make it up to you."

"Showing me your naked body isn't making it up to me at all."

"Excuse me? I saw ya checkin' me out with your eyes."

"Yuki, I'm going to be straight with you just this once."

"Oh? What is it, bro? Lookin' a little smug today, aren't we?"

"Showing everything…is kind of a turnoff. It's the brief glimpses from time to time that

we men live for."

"I see… I didn't even consider that."

They smugly conversed forsome reason until they sensed an understanding mysteriously

pass between them. After grinning with evidentsatisfaction, Masachika slowly turned around

and tried to leave again when…

"Stop right there. Did ya really think you could just waltz outta here like that as if I

didn't notice? Ya looked, didn't ya? Your eyes wandered from my head all the way to my

feet, didn't they?"

"I only looked at your chest."

"So you admit it, you boob-loving pervert!"

"Shut up, you voyeuristic creep."

"Hey?! I'd prefer it if you'd just call me a dirty slut!"

"That's where you draw the line?! Anyway, just put on some clothes already!"

Masachika shouted, slamming the door before heading to the living room. After cleaning

himself up a bit, he swiftly returned to his room.

"Whew…"

As he sighed deeply, he tossed his school bag onto the floor and started to feel ridiculous

for worrying so much. He then took off his blazer and collared shirt, leaving him in only a

tank top and pants. But when he reached for his belt buckle_____

"Gotcha!"

"What the…?!"

_____the door flew open with a roar, revealing Yuki, still with wet hair, in only her panties

and a T-shirt. She had once again kicked open the door. The unexpected event caused

Masachika to instantly lose his balance, and with his pants wrapped around his ankles, he

collapsed onto the bed. Yuki slowly traced him with her eyes, and a sleazy smile curled her

lips.

"Heh-heh-heh… Nice body, bro."

"You almost gave me a heart attack! What is wrong with you?!"

"I figured I'd use this opportunity to watch you change, too. Might as well get it out of

the way. Know what I mean?"

"What's so fun about seeing your own brother in his underwear?"

"Your underwear? I'm more interested in…," Yuki started as she lowered her gaze

toward Masachika's nether regions, and her face was suddenly overcome with disgust.

"Oh my gosh… Seriously? You just saw your little sister naked, and you felt nothing?

What is wrong with you?"

"The reason my body didn't react is because there is nothing wrong with me. Who would

even want a brother who gets turned on when he sees his sister naked?"

"Seeing you naked could turn me on!"

"Yeah, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."

"Seeing you naked could turn me on! Boi-oi-oing."

"Don't repeat yourself! And what kind of sound effect was that?!"

"Just thinking about what that big, manly student council president would do with your

body…"

"That's what would turn you on?! Since when did you get into Boys Love manga?!"

Masachika hurriedly pulled his pants back up, and Yuki stared into the distance with a

partially sorrowful gaze.

"I was completely against the concept at first, but I thought it wasn't right to knock

something before I tried it…and when I finally tried it, I kind of liked it."

"Great. And now you're obsessed. I don't remember you having any BL books in your

room, though?"

Yuki had her own room here at the Kuze residence as well. It was essentially nothing

more than a hobby room filled with anime merchandise and a bed, though. Masachika often

borrowed light novels and comics from there, which was why he knew exactly what she had,

and to his knowledge, she didn't have a single book from that genre. Yuki nodded at his

dubious gaze as if she completely understood his doubt.

"That's because I keep them in Dad's study."

"What the…?! Seriously?!"

"I've already gotten Dad's permission, just to let you know. He said I could use the free

space on his bookshelves in the study if I ran out of room."

"I'm sure he never expected you to keep smut like that on his bookshelves, though!"

"He said, 'Well, everyone has different tastes…,' and left it at that."

"That's it?! Your daughter is being corrupted, old man!"

"Yeah, when Isaw his exhausted smile and receding hairline, I thought, Maybe I've been

stressing him out? And I felt a little guilty."

"Wow, daughter of the year here. Just don't tell him he's balding, okay? He's genuinely

concerned about losing his hair," pleaded Masachika.

Yuki cackled on her way out of the room, only to return with a hair dryer and brush.

"By the way, my dear brother…," Yuki loudly began as she carefully dried her long

hair, talking over the noise.

"Yeah?"

"…did you finally decide to join the student council after talking to the president and

Masha?"

"About that…"

"Hmm?"

At Masachika's uncomfortable hedging, Yuki turned off the hair dryer and lifted her

head to look at him. Masachika gazed right back into his sister's eyes and firmly continued:

"…I've decided to help Alya become the next president of the student council."

"…"

Yuki's eyes opened wide. She froze. She was, of course, taken aback. Helping Alisa

become the next president meant that he was going to be Yuki's rival, since she was going

to run for president as well. What he was doing could objectively be seen as betrayal.

"My…"

"Your…?"

Masachika was prepared to hear her express her disgust when Yuki all of a sudden dived

onto his bed, shoved her face into his pillow, and screamed:

"My brother cuckolded me with Alyaaaaaa!"

"I'm not sure that means what you think it does."

Yuki looked up in surprise, then grabbed her breasts with each hand.

"Dammit! You boob-loving monster! My C-cup breasts weren't enough for ya, huh?! I

can't believe how easily you were brainwashed by Alya's most likely E-cup tits!"

"Stop being so descriptive about everyone's cup size!"

"Come to your senses, brother! Having C-cup breasts that you can play with are way

better than E-cup ones that you can't even touch!"

"Pretty sure I can't touch anyone's!"

"What?! You want me to throw in Ayano's D-cup titties to sweeten the deal?! You want

a harem?! I had no idea you were a closet pervert!"

"I'm seriously gonna squeeze yours if you don't stop this!"

"Bring it oooooon! But please be gentle!"

"Seriously?!"

Yuki kneeled on Masachika's bed, then suddenly wrapped her arms around herself and

began to squirm.

"So? Are you going to be my first groper?"

"I'd prefer not to be a groper. More importantly, what's up with the weird jokes today?

You sound like a teenage boy."

"I'm kidding. Besides, this wouldn't be my first time anyway. Because you already

touched my boobs in elementary school. ♪"

"I definitely do not remember ever doing that!"

Yuki's annoyingly smug smirk suddenly transformed into a bewildered gaze, causing

Masachika to inwardly panic, worried that he actually had done that.

"Masachika… Did you forget? It was when I was in second grade…"

"Uh…?"

"We were playing hide-and-seek when you suddenly ran right into me. You dove into

my crotch face-first and clutched on to my right boob!"

"That doesn't even sound possible! Stop making up stories that make me sound like the

protagonist of some pervy harem anime! Besides, your asthma in second grade was so bad

that you hardly went outside!"

"And look at the healthy young girl I grew up to be! I haven't caught a cold since middle

school!"

Yuki, still kneeling, proudly puffed out her chest, but Masachika just rolled his eyes

exhaustedly.

"If only you could have grown up to be a little better behaved."

"I am well-behaved! At home, at school, almost everywhere!"

"…Sorry."

"You don't need to apologize! You need to treat me like a princess!" she shouted. She

huffed while holding out her brush and hair dryer to Masachika. He approached her with a

half smile, then took the hair dryer and brush out of her hands as if he knew exactly what

she wanted.

"Heh. Thanks!"

Yuki happily positioned herself on the bed with her back to Masachika.

"Don't expect me to be good at this, okay?" Masachika cautioned before he turned on

the hair dryer and gently brushed her long, black hair. They didn't say anything for a while

after that until he finally pressed the cooling button on the hair dryer.

"So you're going to run with Alya for student council…" Yuki brought it back up.

"Yeah… Sorry about that."

"Hmm? It's nothing to apologize for, though? If anything, it's exciting. I love a classic

sibling-rivalry story."

"Ha-ha-ha…" Masachika laughed bitterly, since his sister was still thinking like a true

anime nerd, even in this situation. "Just in case it isn't obvious, I'm not doing this because

I dislike you or anything."

"I know. Because you love me sooo much, right?"

"…Yeah, I guess."

"Hee-hee. You're blushing."

"Shut up."

Yuki wiggled her body as if she was being tickled, then giggled. Then once she got the

laughter out of her system, she shook her head and stood swiftly.

"Okay. That's enough."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

After he handed her the hair dryer and brush, Yuki started to head toward the door.

"Well, it looks like we're rivals now… Oh yeah."

"Hmm?"

"I'm very lenient, so I can forgive a little cheating. So you're free to come back to me

whenever you get bored with Alya."

"I'm not cheating on anyone, and I'm not going to 'get bored with Alya.'"

"Yeah, yeah. You'll come crawling back to me eventually."

"You must have a really high opinion of yourself."

"Ha-ha-ha! Farewell, my dear brother!" Yuki cackled as she waved good-bye and left

the room. The moment she closed the door, she whispered in a voice so soft, her brother

couldn't hear.

"You finally found someone who motivates you…"

She looked back and faced the door between her and Masachika.

"I'm happy for you," she softly whispered. Her eyes were filled with kindness and

compassion, and her voice was swelling with boundless love. After gazing gently at the

closed door for a few long moments, Yuki turned on her heel and headed for her own room.

"Sigh… I guess I wasn't good enough, huh?" she muttered in a self-deprecating manner

while opening the door to her room and stepping inside. After closing the door, she leaned

against it with her head down for a few moments, then suddenly lifted her chin.

"But…"

There was no longer any compassion or self-deprecation in her eyes. Her expression

was frighteningly serious.

"…I'm not going to lose."

Her determined expression was breathtaking…and it was the exact same expression

Masachika had made when he decided to finally get serious as well.

"Mmm…"

Masachika woke up the following morning to the sound of his alarm blaring. He flailed

around the bed until he managed to turn it off.

"Mmm…"

After sluggishly sitting up, he opened the curtains to welcome in the brilliant morning

sun. He squinted…and then realized that his sister had failed to harass him awake that day.

"…"

Recalling what had happened the night before, he began to think that Yuki had been

acting a little peculiar. Her recent favorite anime aired the previous evening, and usually,

after watching it together, they would excitedly talk about the episode. However, Yuki didn't

say much last night and almost immediately went to bed.

"Sigh…"

Perhaps she'd been in shock because of her brother's betrayal. She'd talked like she

didn't care, but maybe she was actually hurting deep down inside. Masachika ran his hands

through his hair, and his expression darkened as he considered the possibility. Even now,

there was no sign of Yuki coming. In fact, he didn't hear any sounds from outside his room.

Did she leave early because she was too uncomfortable to look at her brother anymore? Or…

while highly unlikely, did she have trouble falling asleep last night and end up oversleeping?

"Sigh…"

He imagined his sister's eyes swollen from crying all night, and although he scoffed that

it wasn't in her nature, he still felt a sharp pain in his heart. Masachika promptly hopped out

of bed. He had to make things right.

And then…

"Eeeeeek?!"

…something suddenly grabbed his ankle, causing him to fall forward as if he was doing

a somersault. He catapulted forward, flying across the room until his hands hit the wall. He

then slowly turned around, his heart hammering against his chest. An arm was dangling out

from underneath the bed…and it was attached to Yuki, who was broadly grinning.

"Mwa-ha-ha-ha! Did you seriously think the scene would end on a serious note?! You

fool! I'm a woman of my word!"

"Tsk…! You little…!"

Yuki's boastful laugh jogged Masachika's memory of what she had said the other day:

"I'll hide under the bed next time so the moment you step out of bed, I can grab your ankles."

That was when he realized what had really happened last night. While she'd made it look

like she was going to sleep, she had actually been preparing this trap. His face turned red

with rage and embarrassment. The fact that he'd been worried only a few seconds ago that he

might have hurt her feelings made it worse. He should have trusted his gut! His sister wasn't

the kind of person who would let something as insignificant as this depress her!

"Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! Ha-ha-haaa! Ha…"

Yuki's triumphant cackling slowed, and the hand protruding out from underneath the

bed suddenly drooped. She feebly moved her hand and smiled hopefully.

"Pull me out."

"Huh?"

"I'm stuck. Don't make me explain. It's embarrassing."

It appeared that while she'd managed to fit herself in between the boxes of clothes and

old textbooks under his bed, it was so narrow that she couldn't pull herself out. She waved

her right hand and continued to smile at the pickle she got herself into. Masachika, however,

smirked evily…then pulled the blanket off the bed and shoved it into her face.

"Pfft?! What are you doing?!"

"I'm burying you, you ungovernable little savage! You're gonna pay!"

"Eeeeeek! Boy cooties! The smell…! I'm gonna get pregnant!"

"Have you been sheltered your whole life?! You're not gonna get pregnant!"

"What if I have?! Is there a problem with that?!"

"If it's shelter you want, then feel free to enjoy the new shelter you have under my bed!

Farewell!"

"Gwah?! Noooooo!!"

There was not even a trace of ill feelings or awkwardness during their battle, which

continued until Yuki's ride arrived.


next chapter

Chapter 13: Balls are the enemy, and that’s final

"Good morning!"

"Hey."

"Did you catch that episode last night?"

"Yeah, it was insane."

As her classmates' merry voices filled the air, Alisa opened her textbook and began

preparing for class like she always did, but her eyes traced the same paragraph over and over,

so she was clearly having trouble focusing. Although a hardworking model student, there

was one thing preventing her from concentrating, and it was something obvious if you paid

close enough attention.

Rattle!

"…!"

Every time the classroom door opened, she would look up in surprise, then glance at

the desk next to hers without fail before returning her gaze to her textbook. It was exactly

what it looked like.

What am I so worried about? He's just going to show up all sleepy like he always does.

Worrying isn't going to change anything.

She twirled her hair around her finger and tried to persuade herself, and she had been

repeating that thought ever since she'd arrived at school that day. She even realized this

herself, so she exhaled slowly to shift emotional gears.

I just need to act how I normally do… Yes… Just act natural.

After finally deciding she wasn't going to care anymore, she turned her attention to her

textbook once more…when she suddenly heard the classroom door opening again. But Alisa

didn't look to see who it was this time because she was concentrating solely on her studies.

Nothing could distract her whenever she decided to fully focus her mind on something.

"Oh, Masachika. Hi."

"Hey."

"…?!"

Or at least, that was what she believed until a voice grabbed her attention. She jumped

in her seat, and not subtly, either. Still, she continued to turn the page of her textbook as if

nothing had happened…even though the next page was completely unrelated to what they

were going to study in class that day.

"Hey, Alya."

"Oh. Good morning, Kuze."

Masachika was the one who initiated the conversation. Alisa looked up like she hadn't

noticed him come in and put on a bold face as if to say, "Yesterday? Did something happen?"

Masachika, on the other hand…

"Oh, preparing for class?"

"Y-yes…"

He was wearing a brilliant smile.

Huh? Wait. Hold on. Why is he smiling like that?

She was perplexed, having never seen him so open with his emotions.

"…Is something the matter?"

"Huh? No."

"If you say so."

Masachika didn't pry but instead began to talk to Hikaru, who was in the seat in front

of him. Alisa continued to glance at him out of the corner of her eye while pretending to

prepare for class.

Kuze seems…down, for some reason.

That was the impression she got watching them chat.

They were talking about the same stuff as usual, and yet he seemed kind of sullen that

day. She couldn't help but wonder what was wrong…and why he looked so handsome

today…

What am I thinking?!

Alisa suddenly had a flashback to what had happened the night before and frantically

tried to clear her mind.

It's nothing…! Yeah. He probably just didn't get much sleep. That's all.

He's only a little down because he was sleep-deprived. That's how Alisa pacified herself

until class eventually began.

He's not sleeping…

Not only that, but Masachika also didn't yawn. He was actually paying attention in class

for a change. He didn't forget to bring anything today, and he wasn't rushing to finish his

homework in between periods, either. Alisa, on the other hand, was caught off guard. She'd

totally thought that Masachika was going to come in today and act like his characteristic

unmotivated self, so seeing him taking school so seriously reminded her about what had

happened the previous day.

"You won't be alone anymore. From now on, I will be by your side to support you."

Alisa could feel her cheeks burning as she thought back to the look on his face when

he said those words to her.

Is he seriously trying to change himself…for me?

As the thought popped into her mind, Alisa promptly shook her head in embarrassment.

"Kujou? Is everything okay?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. I'm fine."

It was now fourth period—time for gym class.

One of her classmates was looking at her dubiously. They were in the middle of a

volleyball match, so Alisa shook her head to clear her thoughts and viciously spiked the

incoming ball into their opponent's court to avoid being stared at any longer. Volleyball was

easy for someone as tall and athletic as Alisa. Although some of her opponents were on the

volleyball team, she could easily hold her own against them. If anything, they were having a

hard time keeping up with her. And yet despite demonstrating impressive skills on the court,

her head wasn't in the game. Before she realized it, she was suddenly staring in Masachika's

direction, where the boys were having their own match on the other side of the court.

I wonder if Kuze's okay…

Alisa was still worried about him because he had seemed off since that morning. There

was a large net hanging from the ceiling that split the gym in half, separating the boys and

girls. While she may have had 20/15 vision, it was impossible to tell who was who on the

other side of the small-holed net from such a great distance…or at least, there usually would

be no way. Alisa, however, somehow was able to easily pick out Masachika from the bunch.

The reason was extremely simple, but Alisa didn't seem to realize it herself, at the very least.

"Ah…!"

All of a sudden, one of Masachika's teammates served the volleyball directly into the

back of Masachika's head, who then staggered before ultimately collapsing. The boy who

had hit the ball rushed over in concern.

"Alisa!"

"…!"

A voice called out to Alisa from behind, bringing her back to her senses right as her

teammate's toss was rising overhead. She unconsciously squatted in preparation to hit the

ball into their opponent's court when she noticed someone on the other team simultaneously

leaping into the air to block, so she hastily changed plans. She gently bounced the descending

ball back into the air, creating a slight arch that went over her jumping opponent's hands

before falling into their court. Her teammates erupted into cheers, and the teacher, who was

the referee that day, blew his whistle.

"Game, set, match! Team B wins!"

After Alisa briefly thanked the teammates surrounding her, they cleared the court to let

the next two groups play. But only after moving over to stand by the wall did Alisa realize

that Masachika was gone. He had apparently left the gym.

"Is everybody ready? Great! Let the game begin!"

The teacher blew his whistle, and the next match started, drawing everyone's attention.

"…"

Alisa debated the idea for a few moments…then snuck out of the gymnasium as well.

"'The ball is your friend,' my ass," muttered Masachika, sitting on the stairs outside the

gymnasium while rubbing the back of his head. Although he was surprisingly athletic, he had

never been good with ball sports. Put simply, Masachika and balls didn't get along. It always

felt as if he had killed the balls' parents, and they were trying to exact revenge on him. If it

was baseball, he'd get hit by a pitch. Playing basketball meant unavoidable jammed fingers.

And dodgeball? The balls would home in on his face in groups of five, once resulting in the

first doctor stoppage in dodgeball history and making him a legend. He was essentially a

ball magnet, which made him the perfect soccer goalkeeper, but he was never thrilled about

feeling pain every time the other team tried to score.

"Sigh…"

He let out a deep sigh as he lazily hung his head low…when all of a sudden, his stomach

began to roar as well.

"I'm starving…"

Yes, the reason Masachika seemed down all day was because he was hungry, more or

less. Alisa was really worried that something had happened to him, but in reality, it wasn't

a big deal. His exchange with Yuki this morning had exhausted him both mentally and

physically, and not having time to eat breakfast did his body no service, either. Incidentally,

the reason he didn't fall asleep during class today was because he'd gone to bed early, since

he hadn't shared his impressions of last night's episode with anyone, and the reason he didn't

forget to bring anything to classtoday was because Yuki's butler had given him everything he

needed when he came to pick her up. Forsome reason, he knew Masachika's classschedule…

Therefore, most of it was ultimately nothing more than Alisa's imagination. She had no idea

that she was really just overthinking things.

"Are you okay, Kuze?"

"Huh?"

Masachika lifted up his head in surprise when he heard the sudden compassionate voice

and found Alisa's worried gaze looking down at him. Flustered, he immediately sat up

straight.

"Alya? What are you doing out here?"

"I thought you got hurt, so…"

"Oh, you saw that? I didn't get injured or anything. Maybe just a little bump…"

Masachika cringed after realizing how lame he must have looked, but Alisa took a seat

by his side and fussed over him.

"Are you sure you're okay? Want me to take you to the infirmary?"

"I'm fine. Seriously. The gymnasium's really hot today, so I came out here to cool off

for a few minutes."

"…Oh. Hold on a sec."

Alisa suddenly reached toward Masachika'sface,so he reflexively jerked his head away,

but then she pushed back his hair and placed a cool hand on his forehead. Her hand felt good

against his burning head, and his eyes closed in pleasure. Alisa placed her other hand on her

own furrowed brow to compare their temperatures for a few seconds.

"I never really could feel much of a difference just using my hands like this."

"R-really?"

Alisa shrugged, then wrapped her arms around her legs as she sat by his side. She was

being extremely thoughtful today, and yet Masachika…

E cups… Seriously?

His mind was deep in the gutter now. It didn't help that he was staring…at her chest

being squished behind her long, milky-white legs, either. He was reminded of what Yuki had

said the night before. While he had always thought they were big compared with those of

his other classmates, being graphically told exactly how big they were was information far

too stimulating for a boy in puberty.

Hold up… She did say "most likely"…which means they might be even bigger than an

E cup?!

His raging hormone-addled mind broke free from his usual restraint. There was a theory

that appetite and libido were connected,so perhaps his hunger was weakening his composure.

Alisa, oblivious to his thoughts, slowly untied her ponytail, then held the hair tie with her

mouth as she began fixing her ruffled bangs. Masachika caught a glimpse of her bare nape

and then the pale skin of her armpit through the gaping sleeve of her gym shirt.

Wh-what is this?! It's like a nip slip but with her armpit! Is she doing this on purpose?!

Does she want me to look?!

No. Not at all. Alisa probably didn't know that some guys got off on stuff like this, and

Masachika knew that…which was exactly why it was so tantalizing. She was unknowingly

being alluring. He couldn't help taking in a sharp breath as the motion of her tying her hair

back into a ponytail revealed the unexplored frontier between her armpit and chest.

Yuki… This is what I was talking about!

This only further confirmed what Masachika believed: Almost being able to see was

way more exciting than simply seeing a woman completely naked because the brief hints of

skin added an element of mystery. After Alisa finished tying her hair, she lowered her arms

and shook her head.

"…What?"

"Huh? Nothing…"

Alisa had finally realized he wasstaring at her, and she leaned slightly back. Masachika's

eyes wandered as he searched for the right words to say, but Alisa gazed at him dubiously

and said nothing. Instead, she shot up as something occurred to her.

"You should probably drink some water."

"Huh? Oh. Right…"

It's not like I'm dehydrated or having a heatstroke, he thought, but he kept quiet and

followed, racked with guilt, behind his uncharacteristically kind classmate. They walked

around to the other side of the gymnasium, where the handwashing station stood between the

gymnasium and schoolyard. There, he adjusted the faucet until it was facing upward, then

turned the tap on. When Masachika lowered his head toward the arch of flowing water, the

pleasantly cold sensation made him suddenly feel thirsty, and he began to guzzle it down.

His body seemed to have lost far much more water than he'd initially thought.

It looks like Alya made the right call.

After turning off the tap, he wiped his mouth with his arm and casually glanced to the

side.

Oh…

He was struck speechless by the vision of Alisa drinking water as well. However, unlike

Masachika's guzzling, she delicately sipped from the narrow stream with pursed lips. Her

long eyelashes framed her downcast blue eyes. The captivating way she held back her silky

silver hair behind her ears with her fingers and the faint sweat glistening on her milky skin

as she leaned forward, drawing attention to the swell of her breasts—all of it stimulated

Masachika's pubescent impulses. He immediately felt lightheaded but not due to hunger or

the heat.

"Phew…"

After quenching her thirst, turning off the tap, and lifting her head, Alisa heard water

still running and glanced over…

"Wh-what the…?! Kuze?!"

…and found Kuze with his head under the faucet, the water running at full force. After

a few seconds went by, he slowly pulled himself out from under the stream, combed his hair

forward from the back, then flicked his head back to dry off.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"Just trying to keep cool…," Masachika replied with an exhausted expression, water

dripping from his chin and the tips of his hair.

"O-oh, okay…"

That was the only way Alisa could respond to such a bizarre situation.

"Oh my. Check out this tall glass of water. What happened, Kuze?"

Masachika's eyes immediately shot toward the sudden yet familiar voice, but he quickly

redirected his gaze up into the sky.

"Hey, Masha. I was just cooling off. That's all."

Maria stood before him in the schoolyard, sporting her gym clothes as well. She wiped

her face with the white towel around her neck and curiously tilted her head at the boy, who

had immediately averted his gaze.

"What's wrong? Is there something in the sky?"

"There are clouds."

"That there are."

"What are you doing?" Alisa barked in frustration, but Masachika still couldn't lower

his head…because the older, mature woman in front of him was…very much matured.

I never realized how much I loved gym clothes until now…

It became evident at that moment why the girls and the boys had separate gym classes.

No healthy young man would be able to concentrate in class otherwise. Masachika considered

this idly and gazed into the vast blue sky.

"You're soaking wet… Do you have a towel?" asked Maria.

"No… I was planning on just letting the sun do its thing…," the brain-dead teenage boy

absentmindedly replied…and because he was so out of it, he was very slow to react.

"Okay, lower your head. ♪"

"Huh? Ah?!"

Before he realized it, Maria was so close that he could almost feel her breath. He

reflexively looked down in surprise at the proximity of her voice, and she immediately threw

a towel over his head, then vigorously rubbed his scalp.

Wh-what's going on?! Nothing like this has ever happened before!

Masachika was utterly confused as he had his hair dried by an older, beautiful maiden.

Never in his wildest dreams had he expected such a thing. Despite his bewilderment, his

instincts were still working as normal. Every time the towel ever so faintly moved, his gaze

would lock right onto Maiden Maria's impressive…maidens.

"All done. ♪"

"Bfft. Th-thanks."

Regardless of whether she noticed, she took the balled-up towel and patted his face dry.

She then nodded as if she was content.

"So? Feel better?"

"Yeah, I guess…I know how dogs feel now."

"Oh my. Are you an Akita?"

"I'm not sure what breed I am… Sorry. It looks like I've been a bad boy."

"…? I think naughty dogs are cute, too."

"Ha-ha-ha…"

Maria's innocent, oblivious response made Masachika feel even guiltier. He felt bad for

wickedly ogling a holy maiden such as Maria and being a creep. Suddenly, someone grabbed

his arm and jerked him away.

"Come on, Kuze. We have to get back. Masha, shouldn't you be heading to class now,

too?" suggested Alisa sharply.

"Whaaat? But I just got here."

"…! Do whatever you want, but we're returning to class."

"Okay. ♪ See you after school! ♪"

"Oh, right. See you later. And thanks for the towel."

Masachika bowed to Maria, who was cheerfully waving him good-bye, as Alisa dragged

him to the gymnasium by the arm.

Sigh… Yep. Here it comes. She's going to call me "gross" and "a creep."

Masachika prepared to suffer Alisa's disdain as he wastugged along. After all, he'd been

looking at Maria's chest like a pervert, so there was no use arguing. Just when they were

about to arrive at the gymnasium, Alisa came to a sudden stop and turned around to face him

as if to confirm his prediction.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Huh?"

"The back of your head where the ball hit you. Are you sure you don't want to ice it?"

"…Ohhh!"

That was when he realized that Alisa thought he had run cold water over his head as

an alternative to icing it.

What the…?! She has no idea what really happened!

While her gaze was somewhat sharp, she was worried about him, so he just felt even

guiltier now. He couldn't look her in the eye.

"Oh, uh… I'm fine now. The ball didn't leave a bump or anything," Masachika assured,

his eyes wandering.

"…Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm positive! Really!" he replied, but when Alisa tried to touch the back of his head

and check, he flinched away with every fiber of his being.

What's going on? Why is she being so nice?! Is she going to be this nice from now on?!

Alisa's perplexingly kind gestures made him think back to her confession (?) to him the

previous day and the kiss (?) on the cheek, but he frantically rid his mind of those images.

No, this is… But… Why don't I just ask her?

He decided to take a risky gamble as he leaned away from the slowly approaching silverhaired girl.

"Hey, Alya? Is it just me, or are you being unusually nice today?"

One of Alisa's eyebrows twitched, and she froze.

Take that! Next, she's going to say, "I'm not. I was just a little worried. That's all," then

she'll turn back to normal! And under no circumstances will she say, "That's because I'm

in **** with you!" …Maybe!

She frowned sourly and looked away.

"I was just a little worried that something was wrong because you seem kind of down

today. That's it," Alisa replied, twirling the ends of her hair around her finger.

"Huh? Oh… Ohhh…"

That was when it finally hit him, and he knew exactly what he had to do now.

"You noticed, huh?"

"Did something happen?"

"Yeah…"

Masachika met her worried gaze with a grave expression on his face, then spoke in a

low tone as if he was about to make an extremely important confession.

"I'm really hungry…so I don't have any energy today."

"…What was that?"

"I'm really hungry…so I don't have any energy today…!"

Thanks to all the water he had gulped down, his stomach chose that exact moment to

growl loudly. Alisa's dumbfounded expression instantly tensed as her brow narrowed.

Everything that had happened between last night and now flashed through her mind, her face

boiling from rage and embarrassment.

"I was wondering why you were paying attention and taking class seriously for a

change… You were too hungry to sleep, huh?" Alisa replied in a deep voice, feeling ashamed

about thinking even for a moment that he'd been doing it for her. Masachika, however, just

tilted his head with an aggravatingly puzzled expression—a really punchable face.

"No, it's just that I got plenty of sleep last night."

"…Hmph. Oh, you did?"

Interesting. He got plenty of sleep last night, huh? And here I was thinking about what

happened last night so much that I could hardly sleep. But look at this carefree guy. He was

snoring like a bear without a care in the world. Interesting… Interesting, indeed…

Alisa turned purple from anger, her entire body trembling.

"Listen, Alya. You know what the Bible says?" Masachika said smugly.

"What does it say? And you better not say, 'Love thy neighbor.'"

"No. It says, 'If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek

also,'" he replied with a brilliant smile before turning his left cheek to her, and Alisa wasted

no time before raising a right hand. "That's the spirit!"

"Thank you, Kuze!"

While thanking him, she mercilessly slapped him across the face, knocking him down.

"Hmph! Just go back to class already!" Alisa huffed as she turned on her heel, leaving

Masachika on the ground.

What a jerk! Unbelievable! There's absolutely no way I'd ever fall in love with a buffoon

like that!

Deciding that she had just been confused the day before, Alisa headed back to the

gymnasium. Masachika watched her go and slowly stood back up.

Finally, she's back to normal. That's the Alya I know.

He inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alya? Shall we head to the student council room…together?" Masachika hesitantly

asked after school. Alisa shot him a sharp glare but nodded—she still wasn't over what he

had said during fourth period—so she grabbed her bag without saying a word and briskly

walked out the door. Maybe I went a little too far, he mused and followed close behind her

like a loyal servant. The thought continued to plague him until they approached the open

door to the student council room, and a few male students came out.

"""Thank you very much!!""" the students shouted with somewhat trembling voices

as they bowed toward the room and then hastily walked away. After taking a closer look,

Alisa noticed it was the managers and leaders of the baseball and soccer clubs who had

argued the day before. She immediately stopped, and Masachika stood by her side, but they

soon realized that the male students seemed almost scared for some reason. The boys almost

simultaneously noticed them as well, and after looking momentarily surprised, they rushed

over to the pair. Masachika promptly stood in front of Alisa to protect her, but they never

could have imagined what came next.

"""Please accept our apologies!!"""

They bowed to Alisa at a ninety-degree angle, bending at the waist. The powerful gesture

of the sportsmen was admirable, but their overwhelmingly vigorous display was actually

kind of frightening as well.

"Uh… What's going on?"

Masachika turned to his acquaintance, the captain of the baseball team, who then slowly

lifted his head back up and replied:

"Just… Kujou, I apologize. We got too worked up yesterday and said some terrible

things. We should have cooled off before trying to discuss anything. I'm sorry!"

"We should have given some thought to what you said before arguing with you like that.

I'm really sorry," the captain of the soccer team added before they all lowered their heads in

unison once more. Although awkwardly recoiling in shock, Alisa timidly nodded.

"It's fine. Just please stop bowing."

"""Thank you for your kindness!"""

After properly expressing their gratitude, they finally began to march away like a group

of soldiers.

"What was that all about?" Masachika said in bewilderment as he watched them walk

away.

"Hey, uh… Thank you for trying to protect me like that," Alisa mumbled in a small

voice, even though she was still in a bit of a mood.

"Huh? Oh… Don't worry about it."

Although he shrugged it off like it was nothing, he was actually pretty relieved that she

seemed to be in a better mood.

"<…You were really cool.>"

Masachika was taken by surprise! And it was supereffective! Because he had just let

his guard down!

Uh… Yep. Sh-she's definitely back to normal.

He rushed ahead to the student council room so she couldn't see his face. He imagined

blood trickling out the side of his mouth after an attack like that.

"Hey, uh…? What was all that about?" Masachika called into the room as he opened

the door, when all of a sudden…

"Huh?"

…he saw a stereotypical delinquent with an incredibly menacing aura, and he froze.

She had short black hair and intimidating features that were somehow both masculine and

delicate. She had the statuesque figure and gorgeous face of a model, and yet…she looked

like she belonged in a biker gang. There was no other way to put it. Her glare locked onto

Masachika like a starving beast's would when stalking its prey. Her powerful stance revealed

no openings or weaknesses, and the air around her was dark and eerie. What stood out most

of all, however, was the bamboo sword resting over her shoulder.

She's gonna kill me.

Masachika's instincts instantly chose his best course of action for survival. His tense

cheeks reflexively perked up into a smile, showing that he meant no harm. He even spoke in

a gentle voice as if to avoid provoking her in any way.

"My apologies. I must have the wrong room."

And he gently closed the door.


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