Bab 35: Uh, are you pulling my leg?
"Too…hot…"
The sizzling sun's rays beat down on Masachika as he walked, a gym bag hanging over
hisshoulder. Despite only being eight in the morning, the cruel Augustsun was already raring
to go. The walking part was fine. It was stopping at the crosswalk and having sweat drip
down his body that aggravated him.
"I guess this will make the water at the beach feel even better, though."
He had to tell himself that, or he wasn't going to make it. Yes, today was the day the
student council was going on the beach trip Touya had planned and invited them to before
summer break. They were meeting at the station closest to school at eight thirty. From there,
they would take the train for a while before getting on a bus to the Kenzaki household's
vacation home. Masachika, who was more of a homebody, was feeling a bit restless because
he was excited to swim in the ocean for the first time in a long while. However, the moment
the station came into view…he instinctively froze.
"Too hot…"
He wasn't talking about the temperature…at least, the outside temperature. There was
another reason: Touya and Chisaki were already waiting up ahead, and Masachika could tell
from afar how hot and heavy things were between those two. They were clearly blushing
in anticipation as any young couple in love would before going on vacation together. They
were facing each other, gazing into the other's eyes and holding hands, for crying out loud.
Not just one hand. Both hands. Fingers interlocked.
"I can't go over there now…"
Maybe waiting at a distance would be for the best…but the moment that thought came
to mind, Chisaki looked back, and they made eye contact.
…Wait. Could she feel that she was being watched? From this far away?
"…Looks like I have to go over there now."
After mustering up the courage, he unenthusiastically waved to them as he approached.
That was when a familiar, luxury foreign car passed by him and stopped at the terminal in
front of the station, where two passengers got out from the back seat, grabbed their suitcases
out from the trunk, and joined Touya and Chisaki. It was Yuki and Ayano, of course.
Good timing, Yuki. Now I don't have to feel awkward walking into the middle of whatever
that was.
He imagined himself raising his hands in victory as he joined the four in front of the
station.
"Hey, guys."
"Morning, Kuze."
"Morniiing."
"Good morning, Masachika."
"Good day to you, Mr. Masachika."
After everyone exchanged greetings, they briefly discussed the plan for the day until the
final two members showed up—ten minutes before the meeting time.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting."
"You have our deepest apologies."
The older sister was waving with the most cheerful of smiles, while the younger sister
simply bowed her head in a very serious manner as she approached. The contrast between
the Kujou sisters' personalities was like day and night.
I feel like a fish out of water here!
That was the first thought that came to Masachika's mind when he took another look at
all the girls, who were not in their school uniforms for a change.
Every single one of them looks incredible!
He knew that Alisa, Yuki, and Ayano wore very fashionable clothing on non-school
days, but Chisaki and Maria were extremely stylish as well. He could already feel people
staring at them. You could even hear people say, "Are they doing a photo shoot here?" and
"Are they famous?" if you strained your ears.
We're just your average student council… It really does look like we're about to do a
behind-the-scenes photo shoot for some pop group, though.
Their style was starting to make Masachika feel self-conscious about his off-brand shirt
and pants.
"Good morning to you, too, Masachika," Alisa said emphatically as she turned to face
him.
"…Yeah, hey."
She most likely called him by hisfirst name on purpose and greeted him like that because
the others were there…and of course, Yuki took the bait.
"Oh my. Alya, you started calling Masachika by his first name?" Yuki asked, hiding a
vulgar smirk behind her ladylike smile.
"Yes," Alisa replied, showing not even a hint of hesitation. "After thinking about it, I
thought it seemed a little standoffish to address my running mate so formally when he uses
my nickname. Especially since I call you, my rival, by your first name. So I decided it would
be best to call him by his first name as well."
Alisa smoothly explained her reasoning. There was no doubt that she'd planned this
answer in response because she expected someone to bring it up.
"Is that so?"
Much to Masachika's surprise, Yuki seemed to be convinced rather easily by Alisa's
confident explanation and smug smirk. Yuki then appeared solemn and continued:
"Perhaps it was insensitive of me to continue being so friendly with Masachika even
after I declared I was running for student council president…"
"Huh?! N-not at all. I don't mind. Y-you two have been friends ever since you were
little. It's only natural that you two get along so well."
"But I should have considered your feelings, too. I did something very callous…"
"I honestly don't mind!"
Masachika got a bad feeling in his gut for some reason as he watched Alisa frantically
respond to Yuki's unexpected apology.
"…Are you sure it doesn't bother you?"
"I'm positive. I—I don't plan on getting in the way of your friendship…"
"Really? Thank goodness!" Yuki responded happily, her face glowing as she took
Alisa's hand with a beaming smile.
"We may be rivals after the same position in the student council, but let us put all that
behind us for now and enjoy our vacation. Truce?"
"Oh, uh…sure. Let's do that," agreed Alisa, albeit somewhat hesitantly. However,
Masachika could see the sinister grin lurking behind Yuki's smile. It was as if her expression
were saying, "You agreed! No take-backs!" You're the one always starting fights, Masachika
thought, but he kept his mouth shut because he didn't want to ruin the mood.
"All right, guys. Everyone ready? Let's get moving," Touya encouraged while he began
walking toward the station entrance.
"Come on, Masachika! Let's go!" cheered Yuki as she spun around, seemingly in the
best of moods. She skipped over to him and tried to grab his hand, but he swiftly pulled
it away, avoiding her grip as if he had predicted her attempt. Yuki, however, showed no
concern at all and leaped forward with her arms open wide to wrap them around his, when…
"Come on, Yuki. Ready to go?"
"Huh? Masha?"
…Masha, who had stealthily snuck up on Yuki from the other side, quickly wrapped
her arm around Yuki's.
"Wh-why are we locking arms?"
"Because Alya won't lock arms with me," pouted Maria. Masachika and Yuki thought
thatstill didn't explain why she'd gone for Yuki instead. Yuki, however,swallowed her doubt
the instant Maria's body wrapped tightly around her slender arm. Her eyes briefly narrowed
like a creepy old man's while she stared at Maria's breasts pressed up against her. Of course,
Masachika noticed Yuki's reaction as well. He could even clearly read her mind: "Whoa!
These things are incredible!"
"Giggle! I'm so excited. ♪ Hey, Yuki? Do you like octopus ink?"
"Huh…? Octopus…ink…? On food? Wait. Have you had it before?"
"Nope. ♪"
"O-oh… Okay…?"
For a few seconds, Masachika watched Maria guide Yuki to the station by the arm before
he turned to Ayano and Alisa.
"Ready to go?"
"Yes."
"Yeah, let's go."
They followed closely behind the others with only a single shared thought in mind:
Masha's tough.
Around two hours had passed by the time they transferred to the region's local
train line.
"Wow, check out the inside of thistrain. Lookslike something you'd see in an old movie.
'Booth seats'? I think that's what they're called? Anyway, the seats are facing each other,
which is interesting."
"Agreed. I don't think I've seen anything like this in the city except for a few express
trains."
"Oh, hey! Look! The doors don't automatically open! You have to press a button to
open them!"
"Oh my. You're right. ♪ I wonder what would happen if you pressed them while the
train was moving?"
"Although I doubt the doors would even open, I still better not catch you pushing any
buttons, Masha."
"Hey, I want to take a picture. Ayano, go stand next to Alya for a second."
"Like this?"
Their eyes curiously darted around the old-fashioned train as if they had stumbled upon
romantic ruins. Each member posed in their own way for Yuki, who was in charge of taking
pictures during their trip with the student council's digital press camera, when they suddenly
noticed an old lady who appeared to be a localsmiling in their direction. Touya lightly cleared
his throat.
"Mmm… Well, now that we have taken a picture, I think we should split up into two
groups: a group of three and a group of four to give everyone a chance to speak with people
they don't usually get to spend time with. It will allow usto bond as a student council as well."
"That's a great idea! How about we split the first-year partners from one another?"
The student council would spend the next forty minutes on the train interacting in two
twenty-minute sessions at the suggestion of the student council president and vice president.
They were split up into two groups that sat on opposite sides of the aisle.
"Really looking forward to getting to know you."
"Me too."
"What is this? A marriage interview?"
Yuki sat next to Masachika, while Chisaki and Touya sat across from them during the
first twenty-minute session.
I thought we were supposed to split everyone up so we could talk to people we don't
normally get a chance to hang out with…so why are the president and vice president still
together? …Whatever. I shouldn't say anything.
Chisaki, who was sitting right across from him, was giving off this vibe that was saying,
"Touya and I are a package deal," so Masachika decided to swallow his annoyance. He was
but a simple worker in the student council. There was no way he would be able to survive
the vice president's iron fist…which was both metaphoric and literal.
"So, uh…what are your hobbies?" asked Masachika, starting the conversation, since
Yuki wasn't saying anything.
"Now this really sounds like a marriage interview." Touya smirked wryly while
Masachika's shoulders jokingly drooped.
"Yeah, you're right… Hmm… Then when did you two first fall in love?"
"Now we're doing a press conference to announce our engagement?"
"W-wait. Do you really want to know?" Chisaki smiled bashfully with both hands
covering her blushing cheeks.
"Hmm? Wow, I wasn't expecting the enthusiasm," Touya said, raising an eyebrow at
his girlfriend, but her eyes were already dazed as she retraced her memories.
"I first noticed I was interested in Touya when… Hmm… Before I tell you that, I need
to tell you a little about my childhood."
"Awesome. I'm all ears."
As Masachika leaned forward in his chair with deep interest, Chisaki grinned. She gazed
at the scenery out the window and began to speak with a note of nostalgia in her voice:
"It all started when I was just a timid, little girl who didn't even have it in her to kill
a bug…"
"Wait. Who's the story about again?" Masachika instinctively joked with a straight face,
taken aback by her unexpected reveal. However, Chisaki showed no concern regarding his
rude remark and continued:
"I know this isn't something people should say about themselves, but I was a really good
girl and super cute, to boot. Just like a little kitten."
"Yeah, bloodthirsty lions are pretty cute when they're kittens."
"I was always very skittish. I spoke in a small voice and was timid…so of course, all
the attention-seeking boys at school bullied me. Whenever I went somewhere alone in town,
weird old men would always start trying to talk to me. People would stalk me and try to
kidnap me… I stopped going to school after a while because I was so afraid of people and
distrusting of men."
"…Wait. Really?"
Masachika immediately stopped joking around, although he remained somewhat
skeptical of the serious story. He swiftly shot a glance at her boyfriend, who looked back at
him grimly. It seemed like Chisaki wasn't making up the story.
"My mom always protected me, and I never had any terribly traumatic experiences,
either, but…it was enough for me not to want to go outside anymore and stay locked away
in my bedroom."
"…"
"Then one day… Maybe you know it? There was an anime called Flame Sword."
"Huh? Oh yeah. I know it. It's pretty famous, so I watched it online."
Flame Sword was an original anime that came out a few years ago. The fate of the world
was in the hands of a young heroine known as the Spiritualist. After she was kidnapped by
an enemy nation as a young girl, the hero, a young man, set out on an adventure to save
her. He met countless friends and defeated terrible foes during his journey before eventually
reaching the truth of their world and its secrets, which only the heroine knew. Put simply,
it was a traditional fantasy tale.
"I watched it when it was first airing on TV…and I was blown away. You know the
scene when the heroine talks to the last boss, the emperor, after the battle by the fortress?"
"The scene in the throne room, right?"
"Yeah, that one."
"Yep, that's a really famous scene."
It was the first time the heroine showed she wasn't some powerless damsel in distress
who had to wait for the hero to show up to save her—but instead had a strong will and sense
of justice. She directly challenged the emperor, who was trying to use his power to take over
the world, and shared her vision with him, even though doing so put her life at great risk. And
despite the emperor mocking her ideals, calling them the "naive ramblings of a child," he
started to see the heroine differently. He respected her… Even Masachika squealed in delight
when he saw the scene. "The heroine's sooo freakin' badass!" he yelled that day. It all made
sense now. The heroine's actions changed Chisaki. The instant he came to this conclusion of
his, Chisaki continued speaking with deep feeling as though she were reliving the moment:
"When I saw that scene, it hit me. I was like, 'Oh, power is everything.'"
"Huh?"
"Men don't give you the respect you deserve if you're weak. The heroine would never
have been kidnapped if she had the power to defeat the emperor. I realized at that moment
that if you ever wanted to get anything in this world, you need to be strong enough to shut
up your enemies first."
"Wow… She was actually turned off by the heroine's actions and was influenced by
what the emperor did instead…"
"Right after that, I cut my long hair short and started training myself both mentally and
physically so no guy would ever look down on me again. Took a hard year's worth of training
at my relative's dojo but check me out now."
"And now you're a killing machine… Definitely some extreme modification went on
while you were there…"
Masachika mumbled his honest thoughts while disapprovingly glaring at his sister, who
was nodding as if to say, "I know what you mean, Chisaki. Last bosses like the emperor…
are awesome."
"Would it have killed you to have just said, 'And now you're a better version of
yourself'? Anyway, I was able to get rid of the whole 'feeble, beautiful young girl' image
after that. Now people fear me."
"From man to machine… How tragic… Wait. Comical, perhaps?"
"Anyway, because of that, I really empathized with Touya when I saw how hard he was
working to change himself."
"Oh, are we talking about when you first fell in love? The story's moving so fast that I'm
having a hard time emotionally switching gears." Masachika smiled stiffly, rolling his eyes
at Chisaki, who had suddenly started to glance bashfully at Touya. Yuki cracked a troubled
smile as well. And yet those two began to passionately gaze into each other's eyes as if they
didn't have a care in the world.
"I was still really surprised when he told me he liked me after having only chatted a
few times before."
"Come on, you didn't have to tell them that."
"But because you did that, I realized just how much you had changed."
"Yeah, I got a little too ahead of myself there."
"And you were stuttering, too. Remember?"
"Ahhh! That's enough! Come on!"
Touya sheepishly stared back into Chisaki's smiling eyes, but there was nothing
awkward or unfriendly about their exchange. If anything, the entire mood was very sweet
and affectionate…as Masachika and Yuki kept their eyes on…anything else.
"I can't take any more of this…"
"What should we do? Should we start flirting, too? Should we hug? Big hug?"
"No."
The siblings whispered to each other while still facing forward, but the flirting couple
didn't seem to notice. An entire twenty minutes went by like this until it was time to switch
members. Ayano ended up taking Yuki's spot, and Maria sat in front of Masachika.
"Hey. ♪"
"Good afternoon."
"…Hey."
Maria had her usual bubbly smile; on the other hand, Ayano's expression was as blank
as always before she immediately turned into air.
The conversation was dead on arrival…
Masachika couldn't help but internally joke about the situation, because Maria was
usually the listener, and Ayano was usually air. It was a terrible combination for encouraging
discussion. Masachika glared at Ayano with a slightly reprimanding gaze for trying to
disappear, despite the fact that they were specifically here to converse and get to know one
another.
"Ayano. How about taking the lead and starting the conversation? That is the point of
this whole exercise, after all."
"…! You are right. My apologies."
Ayano's shoulders twitched, and she promptly lowered her head as if she agreed with
Masachika. After lifting her head back up and letting her eyes wander a bit, she faced Maria
with a blank expression and asked:
"What kind of maid uniforms do you like?"
"She had to go for a wild pitch for her first throw…"
"Hmm… If I had to choose, I suppose I would go with something classic? The maid
uniforms with the long skirts are so cute, aren't they?" Maria answered.
"She managed to hit the ball?!"
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. But I think miniskirts are really cute, too. I really like anime music, after all."
Maria continued with her surprisingly earnest reply.
"Hmm? The ball she hit is veering a bit in an unexpected direction."
"Really? I have studied a little about anime music," Ayano responded.
"And then she caught the ball as if this were only natural. I feel like I'm listening to
aliens converse…!"
"You studied anime music? Do you want to be an anime singer and songwriter?"
"No, not at all."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"…"
"..."
"…The game is over if you don't pass the ball back," Masachika pointed out with a fedup look, since Ayano kept giving simple answers and not engaging. Ayano jumped, then
hurriedly began darting her eyes around the inside of the train for inspiration.
"…! O-oh, yes. My mistake. Um…"
"Giggle. There is no need to rush." Maria smiled thoughtfully, since it was obvious
Ayano had no idea what to talk about.
"No, but… I, uh…"
But Ayano shrunk almost as if she was ashamed of herself. She blinked a few times
before finally squeezing another topic out.
"Um…do you like trains?"
"She's literally using the first thing she saw…"
"I don't really use the train that often."
"And then Masha replies without even a second of hesitation. What kind of saint is she?"
"What about you, Ayano?"
"Me neither…"
"Throw the damn ball back… Sigh…"
Masachika patted Ayano on the head to show his appreciation in spite of being annoyed
at how the conversation kept dying so quickly. He then took it upon himself to liven up their
exchange on behalf of his socially inept childhood friend.
"So you usually take your bike or the bus everywhere?" Masachika picked up the
conversation with Maria where Ayano had left off.
"I actually like to walk most places, but…I guess I do take my bike if I'm going
somewhere far."
"Really? I'm kind of surprised. I can't really imagine you tearing through town on a
bicycle, either."
"Oh my. ♪ Really? I'm actually great with walking. I usually walk instead of taking the
train if it's within three stations away, and if it's farther than that, I almost always use my
bike."
"That's incredible. I still think taking the train would be faster, though. Do you have
something against trains, or…?"
"Not at all. I simply enjoy the scenery when I walk. There's always something new you
can find if you walk down streets that you've never been down before, right?"
"Yeah, definitely…" Masachika nodded with a sense of satisfaction, since something
immediately came to mind. When he went on a walk around town to find a good restaurant
to take Alisa for his birthday (?), he realized that there were surprisingly a lot of places he
had never been before in and around town.
"Besides…trains are dangerous, aren't they?" continued Maria, raising an eyebrow
slightly.
"Hmm? How so?"
"You know, like how people injure their wrists while holding the hanging straps."
"The hanging…straps…?"
Masachika shifted his gaze toward Ayano, but she shook her head as if she also had no
idea what Maria was talking about. It made sense, though. She was like Maria, since she
didn't use the train really thanks to having the Suou driver around to take her everywhere.
"People hurt their wrists with the hanging straps? You mean like if the train makes a
sudden stop, and the momentum jerks their arms?"
"That's a good question. I have never hurt my wrist on the train before, and Chisaki said
she hasn't, either, so maybe it only happens to men?"
"Hmm? Chisaki…? …Hmm? It only happens to men…?"
There was something bothering him about what she was saying…and his cheeks tensed
when he suddenly came to a vague realization of what had happened.
"Hey, uh…Masha? Did these people hurt their wrists when you were with Chisaki?"
"Why, yes… It actually happened three or four times when we took the train together
before."
"…Was the train crowded?"
"Hmm… I think I remember the train being crowded enough that there weren't any
hanging straps left to grab on to."
"Were those men standing next to or behind you, Masha?"
"What?! How did you know?!"
"…Yep."
Masachika's eyes were narrowed suspiciously in contrast to Maria's surprised, wideeyed expression. The men who hurt their wrists had most likely been… After thinking about
it some more, he realized that it wasn't a surprise she would be targeted. Alisa always had
her guard up, and she really stood out, for better or for worse, which meant these men would
actually avoid her. In fact, it was to the point that last time they went out together, almost
everyone in their train car was sneaking glances at Alisa, and there weren't a lot of
questionable men among those onlookers. Meanwhile, Maria's hair color and skin tone didn't
stand out as much as Alisa's, and creeps were naturally drawn to her gentle aura.
And once they get too close…their wrists get the chop.
After realizing what was happening, he looked over at Chisaki on the other side of the
aisle with a trembling gaze and asked Maria:
"How did Chisaki react to their injuries?"
"Hmm? Oh… She is amazing. She always takes the initiative and walks the injured men
to the stationmaster's office. I always try to help, but I don't know enough first aid, so I have
no choice but to let Chisaki take care of things."
"…Fascinating."
"…? What do you mean? Did you figure out what was happening?"
"Oh, no…but I think you should make sure to continue bringing Chisaki with you
whenever you take the train from now on as well."
"Wow. Chisaki said the same thing. It's not like I'd ever have a reason to ride the train
alone for the most part, though…"
A random thought suddenly came to mind, and Masachika figured it'd be a good excuse
to change the subject, so he asked:
"What about your boyfriend? You don't take the train when you go out together?"
"Huh? Oh… It's currently a long-distance relationship, so we never really get the chance
to go anywhere together."
"Ohhh. He's Russian, right? At least, that's what I heard through the grapevine."
"Hmm?"
"Wait. He's not?"
"Oh, right… His name."
"…? What was that?"
"Don't worry about it. ♪ What about you two?"
"…?"
"Is there anyone…you like right now?" Maria cheerfully asked, leaning slightly forward
with her hands clasped in front of her chest. Relationships. It was a topic that many young
women enjoyed, but it made both Masachika and Ayano curiously tilt their heads in unison.
"Uh… I'm more into 2D girls myself. Just can't get into 3D."
Ayano suddenly blinked in confusion as if she took what Masachika just said at face
value.
"Are you sure? Because I vaguely remember you having a girlfriend in elementary
school and—"
"No! That… That doesn't count because we were kids. I wasn't an otaku back then,
either."
He frowned a bit, because even though she didn't mean to upset him, it was a past he
had no interest in remembering. He then put Ayano under the spotlight while pretending to
not notice the curiosity brimming in Maria's eyes.
"What about you, Ayano? Is there anyone you like?"
"I have two—too many responsibilities to accept such an offer. My top priority is Lady
Yuki."
"Wait. Has someone asked you out before?"
"Yes, twice in the past."
"…Wow."
Masachika was genuinely taken off guard by the surprising news. There was something
that bothered him about two guys asking his childhood friend out.
"Are you curious about them?"
"Huh? Oh, uh… Yeah, I guess?"
"I could tell you their names if you wished."
"Nah, don't. Take their names with you to the grave."
Masachika stopped Ayano from hurting these two guys any further, then frantically
scratched his head.
"I mean…I am curious, but it's more like…I'm moved that the concept of love isn't
completely foreign to you anymore. I've known you for so long, and before I even realized
it, you were all grown up… What am I saying? I'm not your mom."
"I do not plan on getting myself involved in any sort of romance, though…"
"Yeah, I know… Oh, and watch how you say that. One wrong mistake, and it'll sound
like you're bragging about being really popular."
After another sigh, Masachika faced Maria once more and shrugged.
"Anyway, as you can see, there's absolutely nothing interesting going on in our lives."
"So neither of you plans on ever falling in love?"
"Not really…"
"Never."
"Oh… That's too bad…"
Maria leaned back in her seat and slumped, but Masachika was inwardly relieved…
However, his relief would prove to be short-lived.
"Then how about you tell us about your girlfriend from elementary school, Kuze?"
"Wait. What? Come on, give me a break."
He lowered his head, glancing in Ayano's direction for help. She then firmly gazed back
into his eyes, nodded, and stated:
"I am genuinely curious about her as well."
"Ayano?!" shrieked Masachika, caught off guard by his friend's betrayal. The next ten
minutes were a clash between two women extremely curious about a past relationship and
a man who felt like he was in hell.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone