Chapitre 16: The bigger the better.
"Whew! It's finally lunchtime! Masachika, Hikaru, what's the plan? I bought lunch on
my way to school today."
"Huh. Well, that's a first."
"The school lunches get boring after a while, you know?"
"I brought lunch with me today, too," Masachika announced.
"Oh, really? I suppose I'll go pick something up at the co-op, then."
"I need to grab a drink."
After leaving the classroom, Masachika strolled over to the vending machine on the
first floor while Hikaru headed toward the co-op in the opposite direction. However, once
Masachika started descending the stairs, a voice suddenly called out to him from close behind.
"Masachika."
He jumped, but he immediately recognized who it was and turned around with an air
of nonchalance.
"Ayano… Need something?"
It was Ayano Kimishima, who had just joined the student council the previous day. She
was not only Yuki's maid, but also someone Masachika could truly call a childhood friend.
"I apologize for the bother, but could you spare me a few minutes?" Ayano gracefully
bowed as she stared quietly at Masachika with a blank expression.
"…All right. Should we go somewhere we can be alone?"
"Thank you very much. This way, please."
Ayano swiftly stepped in front of Masachika and began guiding him as though she
already had a location in mind.
She never changes. She's just like a ninja.
Masachika thought that as he stared at her firm, straight back. Despite being extremely
good-looking by public standards, she surprisingly had almost no presence at all…to the
point where you wouldn't even realize she was there until she was so close, you could clearly
hear her soft voice.
…On second thought, saying she didn't have much of a presence was far too ambiguous.
But she made almost no noise no matter what she did, and she would try to stay out of others'
sight, so you wouldn't notice her coming unless you were really looking for her. She would
disappear before you realized it, then, out of nowhere, be right next to you once again.
I mean, it's not like she's doing it maliciously, so I'm not trying to insult her or anything,
but…
It wasn't as if she behaved like this because she was trying to scare people. This was just
who she was: silent in every way whether it be her speaking, movement, or expression. She
hardly ever initiated conversation as well, so of course, she wouldn't go out of her way to
surprise others. It wasn't often she willingly struck up conversation with Masachika, either,
despite knowing him for so long.
"This way, please," Ayano suggested while swiftly yet quietly opening a door (it was
anyone's guess as to how she could do that with a sliding door) to an empty classroom. After
Masachika stepped inside, Ayano closed the door, again without making a sound, and turned
on the lights. She then stepped in front of him and bowed once more.
"I know your time is valuable, so first, allow me to thank you for—"
"Yeah, yeah. Just get to the point."
"My apologies."
She lifted her head and stared right at him, but her eyes were somewhat sharp in spite
of her blank expression.
"Yuki told me that you would be running with Kujou in the election. Is that correct?"
"…Yep," Masachika admitted with a nod. After Ayano briefly lowered her gaze, she
looked back up with a cold, distant light in her eyes.
"You have disgusted the head of the family with your decision."
"…!"
Masachika was astounded. The head of the family she spoke of was his and Yuki's
maternal grandfather. In other words, the current head of the Suou household.
"He appeared to be extremely angry with your decision to get in Yuki's way, especially
after abandoning the Suou household."
"…"
Masachika wasn't surprised. Of course, his grandfather, who valued the Suou
household's reputation over everything, would not be happy with his decision. There was no
way he would ever allow Masachika to obstruct Yuki's path to success. She was going to
take over for the Suou household one day, after all.
This was obviously going to happen, and yet why didn't it even cross my mind? That
old sack of crap…
He griped about the grandfather in his memories. Incidentally, it was his grandfather
who insisted that Yuki and Masachika claim they were only childhood friends when they
were outside the house. Masachika thought it wasridiculous, but from his grandfather's point
of view, having the future head of the household, Masachika, abandon them was apparently a
scandal he wanted to avoid. Therefore, he made Masachika promise not to tell anyone he was
related to them if he wanted to cut ties with the family. That was his one condition. Masachika
wasn't obligated to keep his promise, but if he did anything to upset his grandfather, his little
sister, who stayed in the Suou household, would be the one subjected to his wrath. It was
Masachika's love for his sister that made him keep his promise and obey his grandfather.
"So? He told you to ask me if it was true?"
"…No. I needed to hear it for myself."
"…?"
He raised an eyebrow, his face overcome with surprise, since he fully assumed that his
grandfather had sent her here.
"It is my duty as a retainer to clear the way for my master, and as Lady Yuki's retainer,
I need to uncover the intentions of those who oppose her."
"What loyalty. What are you, a samurai?"
Though he may have been teasing her, there was no contempt in his voice. Masachika
stood upright, for while he felt she was overblowing the whole thing, he knew that she meant
every word of it.
Why did I even…?
Masachika reflected on his actions once more. He was going to run with Alisa in the
election, which meant he was running against Yuki. Masachika Kuze would never decide
to do something like this when you really thought about it. Upsetting his grandfather and
running against his little sister, whom he loved? What was he hoping to gain from this? The
honor of becoming vice president? He had no interest in that. He simply…couldn't abandon
Alisa. In the end, that was all this was.
"I trusted you."
She turned an accusatory gaze at him in the midst of his reflecting.
"I trusted that you would never do anything to hurt Lady Yuki… Was I mistaken?"
"…"
Her anguished voice broke Masachika's heart. She was playing the bad guy—a thankless
role for the one she served, whom she loved and respected, and she was miserable. While she
may appear to be emotionless at first glance, Masachika knew she was actually as loving,
affectionate, and sweet as Yuki. She was not someone who had it in her to criticize or blame
others, and attacking someone like this saddened her as well. She was a terribly kind girl.
And she was in pain. She had to convey ill will when in reality, she was heartbroken. But
what hurt Masachika most of all was the fact that he was to blame for this grief.
I should have done something sooner…
His expression changed as he reflected on hisregrets, then he faced Ayano with sincerity.
He gazed right into her eyes, conveying his genuine feelings from the heart.
"I didn't decide to run so I could get in Yuki's way. I decided to run in the election for
Alya's sake…and as a result, I became one of Yuki's opponents. That's all."
"But…"
Ayano wavered as she looked into that sure gaze, but then her eyes almost immediately
sharpened once again.
"Regardless of how you got to this point, you are still running against her. Is teaming up
with Kujou that important to you? Is it worth betraying and hurting Lady Yuki?"
"…Yes."
She was taken aback by his firm reply, especially after being so aggressive, and her eyes
fell in sorrow and bewilderment.
"I don't know why I'm doing this…but I'm still going to do it. I'm going to do whatever
it takes to make Alya the next president of the student council. That's what I promised her
I'd do," Masachika earnestly added.
"Is that because you have feelings for her? Do you li—?"
"No."
He was able to clearly answer that. He wasn't helping Alisa because he was in love
with her. But then why was he helping her? He didn't really understand the reason. He was
determined even without knowing the motive.
"I alone made this decision. Yuki has nothing to do with this, and I'm not even thinking
about the Suou household."
"…"
"So tell the old man he better not blame Yuki for this. If he has a problem, then he knows
where to find me."
Ayano's eyes widened in shock, and she shuddered.
"…Very well."
She bowed deeply. Then with her head still lowered, she asked:
"Please tell me one last thing before you go. Do you still feel the same about Lady Yuki
now? How do you feel about her?"
"Yuki'sthe most important person in the world to me. Nothing has changed," Masachika
promptly replied. "So please be there for her, okay? I know I'm in no position to be asking
you that, but please."
"…Very well. I am truly happy you feel that way, Masachika," she replied as her long
bangs hid her expression. She then turned around and walked over to the door behind her.
"Thank you very much for your time today. See you around."
She bowed once more in front of the door before retiring from the room…although
normally, she'd have waited for Masachika to leave first.
"I wonder if I let her down…," he muttered to himself, feeling as if the door left open
was symbolic for how she felt inside.
I guess, without context, the whole conversation made me look like a scumbag who just
cheated on his girlfriend. You know, the kind of guy who says stuff like, "Alya needs me. But
you? You'll be fine without me." …I mean, I am a scumbag, but still.
After some inner self-mockery, he ran his hands through his hair.
"I knew this would happen, but…it still hurts."
The hostile eyes of his childhood friend tore at his heart even more than he imagined.
The undeniable fact that his actions hurt the two closest people to him was gut-wrenching.
Nevertheless, he oddly didn't regret what he did. He still felt his decision to stand by Alisa's
side was the right thing to do. That didn't mean it lessened the pain at all, though.
"Sigh…"
He hung his head low and sighed as he plodded wearily back to the classroom,
completely forgetting the reason he had left the classroom in the first place.
"Oh, hey. About time you got back… Where's your drink?"
"Huh? Oh…"
Only when Takeshi pointed it out did he finally remember why he left, but he wasn't in
the mood to go get a drink anymore. In fact, he had lost his appetite altogether.
"I can just drink the water I have."
"…? Oh."
Takeshi felt like something wasn't right when Masachika shook the water bottle he had
brought from home, but he didn't pry. Before another second went by, Hikaru came back
with some savory bread and turned his desk around to put it together with Masachika's.
"…Alya's not here. Why not just take herseat?" Masachika commented to Takeshi, who
had brought his chair all the way over from his desk.
"Honestly, I'd love to sit in Princess Alya's chair, but I'd rather not be killed today."
Takeshi bitterly laughed after glancing at the empty seat at the end of the row by the window.
"Oh, come on. Does she really scare you that much?"
"Not her. I'm talking about our classmates."
"Makes sense."
Even if the guys didn't kill him, they'd still probably rough him up a bit due to her
status as an idol. It didn't help that the students' nameplates were on the right corners of their
desks, so it was painfully obvious which desk belonged to who. The school believed that the
students would naturally start taking better care of the school's equipment if they continued
using the same desk throughout the entire year, but that also made it harder for students to
borrow their peers' desks—without permission, at the very least.
Plus, seeing a girl's name on the desk out of the corner of your eye is unsettling as well.
Masachika opened his lunch box.
"What's that?"
"Today's special: yesterday's leftovers."
"Yeah, I figured that much out myself."
On the top layer of the two-layer lunch box was hamburger meat, which had been
scattered about, and crammed into the bottom layer was white rice. Brown on the top and
white on the bottom. At least there was a little broccoli to add a touch of color to the
hamburger meat…if you could ignore its moderately wilted appearance.
"Well, at least it looks good."
"Definitely looks like something a guy would throw together, though."
"Because a guy did throw it together." Masachika shrugged as histwo best friendssmiled
crookedly. They knew that he lived alone with his father, so Masachika wasn't especially
bothered by their teasing. He placed his hands together.
"Anyway, let's eat."
"Let's."
"About time!"
They started their meal, but Masachika wasn't really digging into hisfood like the others.
He was still reflecting on what had happened a few minutes ago. He robotically carried his
chopsticks from his lunch box to his mouth. That was when Takeshi suddenly reached into
his plastic bag, which he'd brought his lunch in from the convenience store, and dragged out
a comic magazine, perhaps having felt something gloomy about Masachika's behavior.
"Hey, check out this week's models, Blooming. They got them all together for a photo
shoot."
Takeshi pointed at the twenty-person idol group who had been exploding in popularity
as of late. Even Hikaru, who usually showed zero interest in topics like this, jumped in, as
he too had noticed something weird with Masachika.
"They have been on TV a lot lately, haven't they? I thought they were going for a more
innocent image, but it looks like they're doing swimsuit modeling in magazines now, too."
"This is apparently the first photo shoot with all of them together, too… Whoa.
Seriously? I wasn't expecting this girl to be so stacked." Takeshi smirked as he stared at one
of the models in a bikini.
"What about you, Masachika? Do you have a favorite?"
"I honestly don't know a thing about idols or singers or whatever. I've heard of them
before, but I don't know any of their names."
"Come on. Way to sound like an old man. There has to be an actress or singer you're
interested in."
"No, seriously… I've never been a fan of any specific actress, either. There are some
comedians who are cool, though."
"Bro, for real? What about voice actresses? Any you like?"
"I'm not really interested in voice actors…"
"You've gotta be kidding me. What about you, Hikaru?"
"Do you really think I would be into those high-maintenance, flashy girls on TV?"
Hikaru replied with a dark grin. Those words alone said all that needed to be known about
how he felt about people on TV.
"What is wrong with you guys?! Are you men or not?! There hasto be at least one actress
you think is hot!" Takeshi shouted, annoyed that they couldn't see eye to eye with him.
"How could you crush on someone you'd never be able to go out with?"
"Then what about 2D girls?"
"Yeah, but you can at least date them vicariously through the protagonist's eyes."
"What if the girl you like isn't one of the main heroines, so the protagonist never goes
out with her?"
"Takeshi… Are you familiar with fanfics? You'd be surprised what kind of things some
people write…"
"You're only sixteen years old, you know?"
"I never said I wastalking about erotic fan fiction," Masachika replied with a completely
innocent look on his face.
"I agree. Girls in fiction would never betray you…," Hikaru said with his dark grin.
"Hikaru, what's wrong? Or am I talking to Shadow Hikaru?"
"Hikaru… I hate to break it to you, but cuckold comics do exist, too."
"Masachika, stop!" Takeshi cried out.
"I knew it… All women are evil!" Hikaru grumbled.
"You make it sound like they killed your parents."
"And whose fault is that?" Takeshi asked him critically.
He stared at Masachika with a reproachful gaze, making Masachika realize that he had
gone too far, so he enthusiastically commented:
"Anyway, I guess I get it. It's every man's dream to secretly date a popular idol."
"R-right?!"
"She's everyone's idol…is what everyone thinks, but she's actually all mine."
"I know exactly what you mean! It makes you feel superior to everyone else."
They chattered on about fantasies none of them even had, but it seemed to put Takeshi
in a good mood as he opened the comic magazine one more time and handed it to Masachika.
"So? Who do you like? Don't think about it. Just pick whoever you think looks cutest."
"Hmm…"
Masachika flipped through the pages. Perhaps it was because he was a man. Or maybe
it was his instincts as a boob-lover? Whatever the case, he couldn't help but appreciate how
well some of them filled out their bikinis. Takeshi grinned, seemingly aware of this.
"So you like the older women with the hourglass figures, huh? I'm a big fan of the
younger girls—who are our age, too—but when you put them in bikinis… Know what I
mean?"
"There isn't a man in the world who could resist a body like hers."
"Right? Boobs are filled with our hopes and dreams, after all!"
"They're lumps of fat."
"Could you please be quiet, Shadow Hikaru?"
Masachika grinned wryly at their exchange and turned the magazine in Takeshi's
direction.
"I guess if I had to choose someone, I'd go with this girl…"
He pointed to one of the models and looked up at his friends…who had expressions of
surprise on their faces. Immediately, a chill ran down his spine as if a cold wind was blowing
against his back. Masachika, instantly recognizing the situation, kept facing forward and
started to desperately fight for his life using the only method he could think of: flattery.
"…if there wasn't an extremely beautiful girl always sitting by my side! Because the
girl in this magazine doesn't hold a candle to her!"
"I'll be confiscating that."
"What the…?!"
A hand reached out from behind and grabbed the magazine. Masachika shrieked, his
eyes following the magazine until they met Alisa's glacial gaze looking down at him. Her
eyes then fixed on the magazine, glowing with contempt.
"<Disgusting.>"
"Y-yeah, uh… I don't understand Russian, but I can tell she's revolted."
"What a coincidence, Takeshi. Me too."
"Ha-ha-ha…"
Takeshi and Masachika smiled awkwardly while Hikaru laughed as if this had nothing
to do with him, but when Alisa glared down at Takeshi and Hikaru intensely, they swiftly
looked away and flinched back.
"Kuze… Did you seriously think it was okay for you, especially now that you are a
member of the student council, to sneak smut like this into our school?"
"No, uh… Technically, Takeshi brought it with him."
"Then you should have given him a warning."
"Yes, ma'am."
Masachika recoiled, frightened by her eerily cold voice. After glowering in contempt at
the three pathetic students for a good while, Alisa let out a deep sigh and placed the magazine
down on their desk.
"Uh… Are you giving this back to us?"
"Don't get the wrong idea. I simply don't want to hold on to smut like that all day."
"Wait a second. The cover may be a little lewd, and there are pictures of models on the
first few pages, but overall, the magazine is filled with pure, wholesome material."
"Says the little boy who was squealing over the perverse pictures with his friends."
"Mmm… You got me there," Masachika said with a groan, knowing she was completely
right.
"You're an idiot." Alisa huffed one last time as she rolled her eyes and took a seat back
at her desk.
"Hurry up and put that thing away before Alya changes her mind," Masachika whispered
angrily.
"All right… Wait. When did you join the student council?"
"Oh, right. The day before yesterday."
"Why didn't you tell me? What happened?"
"It's a long story…"
The three male students moved over fearfully while whispering to one another. Alisa
glanced at them in frustration, then rested her chin on her palm with her elbow on the desk
and looked out the window. She thought back to what Masachika had been yelling a minute
or so before. Despite knowing he was only trying to flatter her so she wouldn't confiscate
their magazine, she could feel her skin flush.
"<He really is an idiot.>"
She quietly whispered as if to distract herself from how hot she was feeling, but to
Masachika, her harsh words really calmed the air, and he inwardly sighed in relief.
However…
"Hmm? Hikaru, what's wrong?"
Masachika looked up, wondering what Takeshi was talking about when he noticed
Hikaru staring hard at the cover of the magazine Takeshi was trying to tuck away. Both
Masachika and Takeshi were baffled by his unusual behavior, since he had a strong dislike
toward women. But before long, Hikaru pointed at one of the girls on the cover and noted:
"I was just wondering about the girl Masachika picked. What was her name again?
Anyway, is it just me, or does she kind of look like Maria Kujou?"
Masachika immediately felt a piercing gaze boring a hole through his left cheek. The
fleeting gentle atmosphere plummeted and was now as cold and sharp as an icicle.
Heyyy?! What is wrong with you, Hikaru?!
When he glanced to his side, he could tell Alisa was glaring at him through the reflection
in the window, and a cold sweat began to slide down his back.
"Nah, I don't know about that, man."
He tried to play it off with a tense smirk, but…
"She does kind of look like Maria, now that you mention it."
…Takeshi came in with a follow-up attack after taking a closer look at the cover.
How dense can one guy be?! Takeshi!!
Masachika was screaming at them in his mind, but the chilling blizzard from earlier was
gone, so they seemed to be enjoying themselves without a care in the world. The blizzard,
however, was not gone but had become a single sharp icicle that was stabbing Masachika
right in the back.
"Right? Just look at her haircut and style. Her brown eyes and brown hair look just like
hers as well."
"Plus, she's older than us. Masachika, the hell? I didn't know you were into girls like
Maria."
The more excited they got, the more pain Masachika could feel pierce his cheek…
metaphorically, of course.
O-oh, crap… One wrong word, and I'm dead.
As his survival instincts fiercely rang the alarm in his mind, he awkwardly choked out:
"I never said she was my type… Besides, Masha already has a boyfriend."
"But you'd totally try to hit on her if she didn't, huh?"
"Wait. 'Masha'? Since when did you start calling her by her nickname? When did you
two get so close?"
Why are they ganging up on me like this?! And why right now?!
The reason was because Masachika usually never expressed any interest in the opposite
sex, especially when he treated Alisa and Yuki, perhapsthe two most beautiful girlsin school,
like friends. His male friends even secretly worried that maybe he really was only interested
in 2D girls. So even though this may not have been Masachika admitting he was in love,
his two friends were relieved and somewhat excited to hear about his relationship with a 3D
(real) girl. Masachika, on the other hand, felt like this was none of their business, which was
emphasized by how aggravated he was.
"Guys, it's a coincidence. I've never looked at Masha that—…"
But he couldn't finish his sentence because he unfortunately could recall far too many
times when he'd looked at Maria that way. His conscience naturally stopped him and said,
"What kind of big fat liar are you?"
"I, uh… Yeah, I've never once considered dating her."
Takeshi and Hikaru narrowed their eyes at him, clearly fed up at the fact that he was
obviously trying to weasel his way out of this. Alisa's scornful gaze jumped into the mix as
well. Made sense, though. Who wouldn't be disgusted to learn that someone was looking at
their sister sexually?
"<Pig.>"
The insult whispered in Russian pierced Masachika's heart. He couldn't react, which
meant he couldn't argue, which made it all the worse.
"Then what about Yuki? Are you interested in dating her? Is what they say true about
not being able to date your childhood friend?"
The moment Takeshi uttered Yuki's name with a fed-up look on his face, there was
something about Alisa that undoubtedly changed. Her gaze was piercing in a different way
from a few moments ago as it skewered Masachika's cheek. However, he thought not about
Yuki but Ayano as he replied:
"You can't date childhood friends. In fact, I have not and would not ever even think
of considering such a thing. So just that we're clear: Yuki and I will never be a couple, no
matter what."
"You've said that before, but why?"
Because they were siblings. They were blood-related siblings with the same parents.
That was everything, but it was a secret he couldn't reveal. All he could do was awkwardly
smile at Takeshi, who shook his head as if it didn't make a lick of sense to him.
"I don't get you, man… She's beautiful. She's polite, she has a good personality, and
she's a perfect angel in class, too, which isn't common these days."
"Uh, right…"
Are we talking about the same Yuki? was Masachika's knee-jerk response, but he caught
himself and took a deep breath. It was only natural for everyone to view her as a proper
young lady, since that was the only side of Yuki people saw at school. Little did they know
that she was a total nerd in reality. Masachika couldn't help but wipe the smile off his face,
since he was aware of the real Yuki, but he couldn't tell them the truth, even if they were
his friends. So he ambiguously replied:
"But we're lowly commoners compared with her. Know what I mean?"
"Oh… Right. I get it."
"But wouldn't that keep you from dating most girls at this school? I can't count how
many times I thought I kind of knew someone, then learned they were actually the daughter
of some major corporation's CEO or whatever."
"Yeah, I guess. Anyway, I'd rather pick someone more on my level if I were going to
date. And that's a big if."
"Dude, we're talking about high school relationships here. Don't you think you're
overthinking things?"
"So when you said you wanted someone more on your level, did you mean someone
from a middle-class family?"
"Yeah, I guess. And, like, someone fun to be around? Someone you could date but still
hang out with as friends…"
He naturally reminisced about that girl while not really thinking about the words that
were coming out of his mouth.
"<S-someone like me?>"
A snowball's chance in hell.
Her Russian slipped into his mind, infiltrating his memories, and he reflexively
responded in his mind like Shadow Hikaru would. His face became dead serious, and he
looked to his side to find Alisa still facing away with her cheek resting on her palm…in an
unusually stiff manner. After looking a little harder, he noticed she was faintly trembling
and mumbling in Russian as if she was humming a song. But when Masachika strained his
ears…his face went pale.
"I can't believe I said it. I can't believe I said it!"? Did she just squeal, too? Tsk. I
can see you grinning in the reflection in the window, you know? Will you ever get tired of
exposing yourself to me? Is this just a difference in culture? I heard that Russians were more
straightforward than the Japanese. Is that it? You just say whatever comes to your mind if
it's in Russian? …Yeah, I know that's not it.
Still resting her chin on her right hand, Alisa poked her cheek, her lips twisting upward.
Did she not realize Masachika was staring at her? Or perhaps she noticed, but her face got
stuck like that? Whatever the case, it was a very unfortunate sight.
"Masachika? You okay?"
"Oh, uh… Also, like…"
Masachika began to reminisce once more after hearing Takeshi's voice, and the first
thing that popped into his mind was that girl's smile. While his memories of what she looked
like were fuzzy, he unconsciously grinned. She had a cute smile that'd make anyone smile
as well.
"I like girls with a cute smile, too."
The instant he said that, the girl's smile in his mind was suddenly replaced by Alisa's
smile from the other day.
What the hell? No.
After promptly shaking the thought out of his mind, he glanced at her out of the corner
of his eye.
"…"
Her backside was stock-still, impressively so. You could almost hear her freezing over,
and her expression reflected in the window was just as magnificent.
"Oh? A girl with a cute smile, huh?"
"Smiles are important, regardless of gender. I find it hard to get along with people whose
eyes don't smile when they laugh and people who barely laugh at all." Hikaru weighed in.
"O-oh…"
Masachika understood exactly where Hikaru was coming from, but he noticed Alisa
jump the moment he said that, making it hard to agree with him.
Please stop, Hikaru… Alya's getting hit by all the stray bullets.
Hikaru meant no harm by what he said, but for the most part, Alisa was objectively
someone whose "eyes didn't smile" when she laughed, which she "barely" did as well.
Masachika, however, knew that she laughed quite a bit when nobody else was around, and
while her eyes didn't scrunch up, they were filled with joy… Alisa herself apparently had
no idea, though.
"B-but, like, when people who don't usually smile do smile, it makes it all the more
attractive. The almost-contradictory behavior is what makes it cute."
""You've got a point there,"" Takeshi and Hikaru both agreed with a nod. Alisa
somewhat straightened her slightly hunched-over back.
"The intimacy is brief, though. You start to feel like strangers again right after they stop
smiling."
"True that. The way people usually act is really important."
But Hikaru and Takeshi had chimed in once more, causing Alisa to hunch over again.
Quit it already! You're making all my effort go to waste! Alya's body can't take any
more blows! She's going down!
Unable to stand it any longer, Masachika leaned in toward them, then gestured at Alisa
with his eyes while whispering:
"Guys, cut it out. You're hurting Alya's feelings."
"Huh? Alisa?"
"Nah, man. Princess Alya doesn't care about stuff like this."
She did. She cared a lot. She was even on the verge of tears. Her reflection in the window
made that much clear. Her lips were twisted, but in a different way from a few moments
before, and it wasn't because she was trying to hold back a smile.
"<I don't care. I have friends. It doesn't matter.>"
She started putting on a bold front. Masachika did feel a little emotional seeing her like
this. In fact, there might have also been a part of him that thought it was cute seeing her
flustered for a change. But he felt sorry for her most of all. He felt guilty, and it tore at his
heart.
"Just quit it, okay? And follow my lead…unless you want the afternoon classes to all
feel like Antarctica? Because she's going to be ice-cold if we don't fix this."
"Er… Yeah, okay. You win."
"Y-yes, that is a good point…"
After getting them on board, Masachika resettled himself in his seat and opened his
mouth, but before he could get out a word, Takeshi stopped him with his eyes.
Masachika, let me handle this.
Are you sure you can handle it?
Of course. No problem.
…All right. I'm counting on you.
They had an entire conversation with only their eyes before exchanging a slight nod.
Takeshi thereupon boastfully snorted, then exclaimed in a loud voice:
"But I guess none of that matters when you're as good-looking as Princess Alya!"
""You idiot!!""
Masachika and Hikaru simultaneously uttered the exact same words, taken aback by
Takeshi's paralyzing stupidity, but Takeshi himself simply blinked as if he had no idea why
they were upset. If you looked up the word aggravating in the dictionary, it would just be
a picture of his expression. But before Masachika could complain, a colder, more distant
voice spoke up.
"Hmph. So that's how you see me."
"A-Alya…"
Masachika mechanically turned his stiff neck to look back and discovered the teary
expression from a few moments ago had vanished; instead, it had transformed into a
terrifyingly cold glare with absolutely no sign of warmth. Only after being subjected to
Alisa's chilling gaze did Takeshi finally realize what he'd done, and he froze.
"Well, excuse me for not being friendly and lacking charm. Sorry my face is my only
redeeming feature."
"Huh? No. I didn't mean…"
"Maybe I should confiscate that magazine of yours after all."
"What?! No, wait."
"Hand it over."
"…Yes, ma'am."
Takeshi gave in to the pressure and submissively relinquished the comic magazine,
which Alisa swiped out of his hands before storming back to her seat and sitting down. As a
tense atmosphere filled the classroom, both Masachika and Hikaru shot Takeshi a reproachful
glare.
"You make me sick."
"No wonder you don't have a girlfriend."
"Hey?!"
The pathetic cries of the boy who'd shot himself in the foot drowned in the cold air
hanging over the classroom.
Some minutes earlier, Ayano was walking down the hallway on the first floor after
speaking with Masachika. She silently weaved her way among the students coming and going
while staying out of sight as much as possible, like a leaf floating around rocks in the river.
Before long, she arrived at an empty classroom without attracting anyone's attention and
knocked three times.
"Come in."
"As you wish."
Yuki stood waiting for Ayano in the darkness beyond the door.
"Have you finished talking with my brother?"
"Yes."
"Good… Feel better now?"
As Ayano recalled their exchange, a warm light glowed in her eyes.
"Yes… Masachika is still the same man I hold close to my heart."
"I'm glad to hear that."
Yuki was relieved to see the refreshing look in Ayano's eyes, especially since she had
made her distrust of and frustration with Masachika no secret as of late. While Ayano usually
had a blank expression on her face, it was an acquired trait and not a lack of emotions. That
was why Yuki was so relieved that Ayano's misunderstanding about Masachika had been
cleared, because she knew Ayano loved both her and her brother very much.
"It is rather dark in here. Allow me to turn on the lights."
Ayano reached for the light switch by the door at her side, but Yuki immediately stopped
her.
"Oh, don't worry about that."
"…Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I don't want to draw any unnecessary attention. Plus…"
Yuki briefly paused, slightly lowered her gaze, and brushed her bangs back before
posturing smugly.
"…the darkness makes this so much more badass."
"…I apologize, but Istill do not really understand the appeal," Ayano replied with utmost
sincerity to Yuki's attempt at being edgy.
"Don't worry about it. You've got plenty of time to learn."
"Thank you."
Yuki generously nodded back at her.
"Anyway, what did my brother say?"
"He said he still plans on running with Kujou."
"Figured as much. What else?"
"He told me to tell the head of the family, 'Don't blame Yuki for this. If he has a problem,
then he knows where to find me.'"
"Oh my. I see."
Yuki instantly recognized that her brother was looking out for her. Her eyes widened in
surprise for a brief moment before a grin curled her lips.
"Impressive… Lookslike he'sserious about this." Yuki looked asifshe was happy from
the bottom of her heart and could whistle a tune at any moment.
"Yes, his determination made my uterus tremble," Ayano said, nodding.
"O-oh, uh… 'Tremble,' you say?"
"Yes," Ayano confirmed, as if she'd said nothing to be ashamed of. Yuki grimaced.
"Hey, uh… Just to make sure, you're not in love with my brother…right?"
"If you are referring to being romantically interested in him, then no. I admire him just
as much as I admire and respect you. I have no romantic feelings for him, though."
"Oh… Okay…"
"I would never even imagine doing something as insolent as dating him. Simply being
used as an object is more than enough for me."
"Yeah, that's called BDSM."
Yuki peered at Ayano with scorn for making that insane remark. Regardless, Masachika
wasn't off with his judgment of Ayano; she was a very sweet, incredibly affectionate person
deep down inside. That much was true. But she was also someone whose excessive
admiration for her two masters often mixed with her sexual preferences, making her unique
desires quite apparent. There was always a part of her that felt a twinge of joy whenever
Masachika or Yuki gave her orders. Ayano herself fully believed her loyalty alone was what
brought her this happiness. In fact, she was proud she felt joy. Even now, she had absolutely
no idea why Yuki was glaring at her with disdain, so she curiously tilted her head.
"I apologize for my ignorance, but…what does 'BDSM' mean?"
"Huh? Oh, it stands for Best Damn Suou Maid."
"Thank you very much. It is an honor. While you are already pegged to win the election,
I shall maintain my discipline and always be submissive to you so that you may continue
to dominate."
"Wow, great choice of words," Yuki replied in a monotonous voice.
"Really?" Ayano slowly blinked. "There is one last thing I forgot to tell you," she added.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Masachika told me that nothing has changed—that you are still the most important
person in the world to him."
"O-oh…"
With a serious expression, Yuki suddenly rushed over to the window facing the
schoolyard, yanked the sliding window open with a rattle, then took in a deep breath…and
held it in.
"Yuki? Is something the matter?"
"…"
But Yuki didn't answer. She kept her hands clutched on to the windowsill in silence for
a few moments before swiftly releasing the air in her lungs.
"Phew… That was a close one… I almost screamed my love for my brother to the entire
school."
After wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she closed the window and shook
her head with a deep exhale.
"Sigh… Why does he have to be so cute?" Yuki grinned and leaned against the wall as
if to cool off. She crossed her arms, also pressing the crown of her head back as she gazed
up at the ceiling and reflected.
"But… Huh. Not even Ayano's pushing could make him change his mind…"
"He was worried about you, but he appeared to have made up his mind in regard to the
election."
"Yeah… He's serious about this, huh? …Heh! He really plans on running against me?"
Despite her own brother running against her, Yuki's voice was filled with excitement.
"Now things are getting interesting. Honestly, Alya alone didn't stand a chance against
me."
One might consider that an arrogant thing to say, but even Ayano agreed with her.
"I reached the same conclusion as well. Although I have not finished looking into it,
it appears the majority of the first-year students are predicting that you will win. Kujou, on
the other hand—to be honest, I found what she was doing to be reckless. Being a transfer
student, she has no idea about your reign as the president in middle school."
"Ha-ha-ha! That's harsh. But yes, my supporters are as firm as rocks. Now, my dear
brother…how do you plan on turning things around?"
Her eyes glowed as her lips curled upward into a smile that could only be described as
ferocious.
"You seem happy."
"I am. I get to fight that prodigy—the child prodigy of the Suou household, and he's not
going to be holding back. How could I not be looking forward to this?"
Yuki pushed off the wall and spread her arms out as if to dance.
"I've never beaten my brother in anything before, and now he's got a powerful ally like
Alya? And he's serious about taking me on? My heart is singing. Now this is something
worth doing. Come at me, Masachika! Because I'm going to hit you with everything I've
got!" Yuki declared while clenching her fists. She turned her gaze back to Ayano. "And
you're going to help me, Ayano. Because we're going to make him take this more seriously
than anything he has ever done before."
"Very well. I will do everything in my power to help."
A strong light glowed in Ayano's eyes, causing Yuki to smirk with evident satisfaction
before turning around and exhaling while gazing out the window.
"By the way, Ayano…"
"Yes?"
Yuki looked over her shoulder at Ayano with a confident smirk and asked:
"…is it just me, or did I really sound like the last boss?"
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone