Ch.237Epilogue. The Festival (3)

And our group ran into the Sasaki siblings as if by some strange coincidence.

…Well, actually, it wasn’t that surprising. This was a festival, but it was still being held at school. No matter how wealthy or spacious the school might be, there’s only so much area to walk around in.

Besides, Souta is in my class, and we talk quite frequently.

We’re well past the age where we’d be too shy to talk to each other just because I’m a girl and he’s a boy, and above all, this is a co-ed school. With boys and girls mixed in the same class, there are plenty of opportunities to talk, and it’s not particularly awkward.

Souta has many friends, and Nanami, who’s always by his side, has many friends too. At first, the boys who were jealous of Souta’s popularity with girls realized that being around him gave them more chances to talk with girls, and their hostility largely disappeared.

I think a few couples have actually formed because of this.

…Though ironically, Souta and Nanami, who are always together, still aren’t a couple. Is it because of Hagiwara?

“Hi, Kotone.”

Souta greeted me first.

“Hi.”

As I returned Souta’s greeting, I felt my face grow hot and turned to see Kagami staring at me with wide eyes.

…Why?

“Hello.”

“Oh, hello.”

With Nanami and Shii on either side… no, that’s not quite fair to Souta. The two of them were just standing with Souta in the middle.

Besides, Shii is Souta’s younger sister.

In light novels, unless the author is truly into incest and decides to go all-in, a sister character can at best be an emotional rival, nothing more.

Maybe if she were a step-sister, but if she’s a blood-related sister, many readers would be uncomfortable with “incest.”

…Or am I wrong? I think there were some cases in “New Chronicles” where they just went for it directly. Though even then, the sister rarely ended up being the final heroine.

Anyway, that’s how I saw it, but my “mother” Kagami didn’t seem to see it that way.

Even without Shii, there was still Nanami. While Shii was just standing next to Souta, Nanami was pressed quite close to him, just short of linking arms or holding hands. It was almost miraculous how their shoulders weren’t touching in that position.

By all appearances, they looked like a couple or something very close to it. That’s probably what Nanami was aiming for.

Normally, I wouldn’t care, and neither would Yuka or Koko. Why should I care whether Souta has a girlfriend or not?

The problem was…

“I see you two have started calling each other by first names.”

I had a somewhat obsessive mother beside me who wanted to know everything about my situation.

I don’t have a boyfriend, and honestly, I probably won’t ever have one, but no matter how much I explain that, Kagami won’t even pretend to listen.

“Ah, yes, we know each other quite well.”

“…”

Hearing that, I looked at Kagami again. Her eyes had narrowed. They were already narrow to begin with, but now they were as narrow as when Kagami first spoke to me.

“We went through various things together last year.”

I seriously considered whether I should shake my head or not, then decided to just stand there without thinking about anything.

“Is that so? Certainly, Kotone is on a first-name basis with everyone around her.”

Strictly speaking, there’s Tsuneda, but he’s still a bit shy around me. It’s probably because I look exactly like Koko but have a completely different personality.

…Maybe I should start calling Tsuneda by his first name soon. He’ll probably become the club president next year.

“A boy who calls you by your first name— Kuh!?”

When I poked Kagami in the side, she let out a small yelp.

I looked up at her incredulously as she rubbed where I had poked her.

“You were about to say something weird.”

“Something weird?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Souta, who was strangely oblivious to these things, tilted his head in confusion, so I brushed it off. He could probably figure out the situation by looking at Nanami’s stiff face right beside him.

Although I cut Kagami off before she could say anything strange, she was now looking at me suspiciously.

Even though I have no intention of getting a boyfriend, isn’t it normal for a high school girl to have one? Does she seriously believe those doujinshi where a girl gets NTR’d at a college MT?

It was a bit funny that I couldn’t completely deny that. Kagami might seem sharp at first glance, but she learned about human relationships more from media than from actual interactions with people. Having lived her life in constant suspicion, she usually seems to have a screw loose, but then suddenly gets serious about the strangest things.

And usually, those “strange things” were related to my personal life.

As I was briefly considering how to defuse this situation, I glanced behind me.

There was Tsuneda, fidgeting and looking at me with an expression oddly similar to Kagami’s.

“…”

So he was suspicious too.

After a moment’s thought, I grabbed Tsuneda’s wrist.

“Huh? Senpai?”

Then I pulled him forward and placed him in front of the Sasaki siblings.

“Souta.”

“Yes?”

When I pushed Tsuneda forward by the shoulders, Souta blinked.

“Show him around the school.”

“S-Senpai…!?”

“Kotone!?”

When I blatantly pawned Tsuneda off on Souta, both Tsuneda and Nanami spoke simultaneously. Even Nanami, who hadn’t been making the same expression as Kagami, couldn’t help but react strongly to my words.

“Uh…”

Souta wore an expression that said he didn’t know how to respond to my request.

Well, that makes sense.

Souta and Nanami are “technically” members of the Literature Club. I made them join after summer vacation ended.

Of course, the club structure remains mostly the same. The members who’ve been there since the beginning of the year handle most of the work, while Nanami and Souta are more like late-joining guests.

To be honest, it was partly a gift for Tsuneda, so I didn’t really force them to participate in club activities.

Nanami is scheduled to play the role of a maid tomorrow, but Souta doesn’t have much to do besides helping fill the anthology and moving things around.

I understand. No matter how you look at it, if you’re the only male member in the club, it can be a bit uncomfortable even if you’re somewhat friendly with the other members. They say it’s sometimes easier to have friends of the opposite sex, but that’s only when you meet occasionally for conversation—being surrounded is a different story.

Still, I think it’s good that Tsuneda and Souta will have more opportunities to talk.

“Shii.”

In that brief moment, I managed to think of another reason.

“Yes?”

Shii, who had been blankly watching the sudden development, responded in a slightly dazed voice.

“Are you planning to join the club when you enroll next year?”

“Ah, yes!”

Shii immediately answered my question.

“This is the child who will become the club president next year.”

“What?!”

Tsuneda was shocked.

But Shii didn’t seem particularly surprised. Of course. Next year, I’ll be a third-year student.

I’ll have to step down as club president, and right now, Tsuneda is the only second-year in our club. After we all graduate, the club will probably return to being a small group for a while.

“So, Tsuneda, show Shii around. And while you’re at it, get some help from her brother Souta.”

“Ah.”

After I explained it that way, Souta seemed to understand.

“I see. That makes sense. Shii will be attending here next year too.”

“Yes, it’s only for one year, but I look forward to it!”

When she smiles that brightly and happily, I’ll have to make sure to play with her between study sessions.

I patted Tsuneda’s back and said, “Help make sure the Literature Club continues even after we graduate.”

“Ah, yes…!”

Tsuneda made a slightly emotional expression at my words.

Good.

I avoided being dragged into an unwanted mess by offering a different sacrifice.

Nanami was staring at me with her mouth wide open in disbelief, but what could I do? I don’t want to be her rival.

It’s fortunate that Hagiwara isn’t here.

…Where is she anyway? Come to think of it, I haven’t seen her once. She wouldn’t have transferred or quit school.

Well, I’ll probably see her at some point while walking around.

“So… are you heading to the club area?”

“Yeah. I heard there are things I need to help with.”

The heavy lifting will probably happen when we finish for the day. The café will be open tomorrow too, but we still need to wrap up each day.

“See you then.”

When I waved, Souta waved back.

Tsuneda, with stiff shoulders, walked away with Souta’s group, his face shining with a sense of duty.

Then I looked up at Kagami.

See?

Kagami, who had seen me throw Tsuneda at Souta, had a slightly dumbfounded expression.

Then, seeing my expression, she smiled brightly again.

…Did she think I would leave if I got a boyfriend?

Certainly, in manga and such, men and women often marry quite early. I’m not sure what the actual statistics are, though.

But even so, I have no plans to move out right after graduating high school.

I’m planning to go to college, you know.

I let out a long sigh as my shoulders drooped, lamenting inwardly.