Chapter 41: Volume 4 - CH 4

“Stupid chicken, why are you tilting your head like this?”

During breakfast, in the large banquet hall, Masamune asked me these words.

“Well, I can’t remember much from last night, you know.” I picked up some cooked salmon with my chopsticks as I responded.

I remember that I took a bath last night, and happened to run into Konoe. We had to somehow deceive the old man that we weren’t bathing together, and managed to make it through that battlefield, but…I can’t seem to remember what happened after that. When I realized it, I woke up in the open-air bath.

“Konoe, do you know something?”

“No idea. I don’t know anything.” Konoe just averted her gaze.

Hmm, maybe I just fell asleep because I was so tired.

“Urk…” The old man was rubbing his cheek in pain, as she munched on his breakfast (yet again cold fast food).

Apparently he was missing some memories as well. Not to mention that he forgot everything even right upon entering the bath. Just what happened at that open-air bath…

“Huh? Konoe-senpai, what’s wrong? You’re lacking a bit of your usual energy, right.”

“Hmmm, Subaru-sama, you should eat some more…”

Kureha and Nakuru gave Konoe concerned voices.

“I’m fine, thanks.” Konoe answered, and put down her chopsticks.

However, she really looked like she was devoid of her usual energy. Eating only one bowl of rice in the morning is not normal for her. Normally she’d be a small glutton despite her body. Not to mention that she still hasn’t answered my question from yesterday. Why did you not tell me the real goal of this trip? Even when I asked her this morning, she just avoided me…Hmm, something’s weird.

“…Hey, Suzutsuki, the goal of this trip was to visit the grave of Konoe’s mother, right?” I whispered towards Suzutsuki, who sat next to me.

She put down the rolled omelette she had between her chopsticks, and gently smiled.

“So you knew? Ah, you must have heard about it from Nagare, correct? Really, he doesn’t understand a girl’s feelings at all. Even though Subaru tried so hard to hide it from you.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” I returned the question, to which Suzutsuki put her index finger on her lips.

“That’s a secret.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t think it would be fair if I told you. Not to mention that it’s her problem. Even I know when to be quiet.” She explained with vague words.

What is this…Are you telling me to take care of it myself? That rich lady is as strict as always.

“The day of the death anniversary is tomorrow, so you still have time. Once we’re done with breakfast today, we’ll go back to the sea again, and there’s the summer festival tonight. Do your best, Jirou-kun.” Suzutsuki said, and drank up some soup with a dignified gesture.

Do your best, huh…

“…Even if you say that.”

What can I even do about this?

×

Just as Suzutsuki said, we moved to the sea right after breakfast. Naturally that wouldn’t end calmly either, and for some reason we started a boys vs girls beach volleyball match. The teams were Konoe and I versus Suzutsuki, Masamune, Nakuru, and Kureha. No chance to win that, both in numbers and talent alone. Eh? The old man? Nah, he’s the judge. I genuinely feel bad for him now, seeing him left out like that.

Mid-way, Konoe was forced to drop out because she wasn’t feeling well, and Takanashi Punyuru switched in. It seems like Suzutsuki really wanted her own butler to become a girl again. In the end, I was completely bashed since I was playing alone, but Konoe seemed to be having fun, so it was all alright in the end.

By the way, both Kureha and Nakuru had no doubts about Punyuru at all. Masamune let out a bothered ‘How much does he like crossdressing…’, getting somewhat of a shock. Eh? The old man? He was punched upon clinging to his daughter wearing a swimsuit. It took a solid two hours until he was freed from being tied up.

However, as before, Punyuru…No, Konoe would not answer my question. Because of what Suzutsuki told me, I tried to be reasonable with her, but the more I asked her, the less energy she seemed to have, which is why I was forced to give up. And, without being able to achieve anything, the horizon started to turn orange, and our beach trip ended.

Without much time to rest, the summer festival began. We planned to visit it since it was near the inn we were staying at, but…

“To think…they’d even prepare these yukata for us.”

The festival area was lit up beneath the night sky. I was simply enjoying the sight in front of me, all the girls wearing beautiful yukatas we borrowed from the inn, customized to fit the summer festival theme.

“Ehehe, what do you think, Nii-san.” Kureha twirled on the spot, showing off her dashingly pink yukata.

It seems like she was forced to wear a child’s size yukata in order for it to fit her. She doesn’t seem to mind since it’s cute though.

“Ugh, it’s a bit tight…” Nakuru said, while putting two hands on her chest.

In her case, it was too tight around her chest area, which made it problematic compared to Kureha’s but in a different way. Her yukata was a bright yellow color. I just hope she holds back on being a pervert tonight.

“Huh, this is a pretty big festival.” Masamune looked at the stalls in excitement.

She wore a purple yukata, fitting her the best out of everyone. At least if you disregard her going through her wallet, counting what should afford with ‘Shaved ice, crepe, sweet apples…’ and so on.

“Fufu, seems like things will get exciting.” Suzutsuki was as calm as always, as she gazed at the festival scenery. She wore a black yukata, fitting her hair, and also her body physique, emphasizing what was important. She really doesn’t feel like a high school student compared to Kureha.

“…Hmpf.” There grumbled Konoe in her glasses style, meaning she’s acting as Takanashi Punyuru.

She wore an orange yukata. Maybe she really enjoys cute yukata like this? And even so, she seems a bit lackluster in energy. Happiness fits her much better.

“Now, let’s go.”

As I was thinking that, Suzutsuki suddenly lined up next to me, and…Waaaah, why are you taking my hand so nonchalantly! Why are we holding hands!?

“What are you so surprised about? This is all to fix your gynophobia.”

“F-Fix…”

She’s planning on walking around the festival like this? I mean, it might help for sure, but isn’t that a bit too bold? Kureha and Nakuru are around as well, what if they get the wrong idea…

“H-Hey, what are you two doing!”

Together with a sharp voice, Usami Masamune forcefully broke between me and Suzutsuki.

“My, what’s wrong, Usami-san? Why are you panicking like this?” Suzutsuki just calmly responded.

“Wha…” Masamune swallowed her breath. “I-I’m not panicking at all! Why are you just holding the stupid chicken’s hand like that!?”

“Is it that weird? He is my fiancee after all.”

“Lies! You’re making up stuff again!” Masamune bit her lip.

Seeing this, Suzutsuki let out a sigh.

“Can’t be helped then, so let me teach you about the truth.”

“The truth?” Masamune returned the question, to which Suzutsuki started whispering.

“He suffers from gynophobia.”

“Wha…how do you know about that…”

“…Hmm, judging from that reaction, you knew. That just now is meant as treatment.”

“Treatment?”

“That’s right. I’m trying to fix his gynophobia by holding hands. Because of certain circumstances, I want to help with this problem.”

“…! Why would you…”

“I mean…I’m an honor student and a noble lady, right?”

“You say that yourself!?”

“Seeing how pathetic of a chicken he was, I just can’t ignore him.”

“Nonsense! You’re not that kind of a person!”

“But, it’s true that I want to help him. You should be able to tell.”

“Urk…Y-You’re right, but…” That nasty rabbit grit her teeth.

Konoe and the other two were completely entranced by the festival stalls, not realizing the small bout going on right now.

“That’s why there’s no problem if I were to hold Jirou-kun’s hand like this.” Suzutsuki once again reached for my hand.

However, with a fierce ‘N-No!’ Masamune grabbed her wrist, and would not let go, like she was glued to it.

“That hurts, Usami-san. You don’t need to grab my wrist like that. Also, I need to help fix Jirou-kun’s gynophobia, unlike you.”

“I-I have to do it as well! I have the duty of helping him fix that stupid problem!”

“…? Why is that?”

“B-Because…we promised! I said that I’d help with the stupid chicken’s gynophobia because we’re friends!”

“…Hmmm.”

For some reason Masamune started blushing while explaining herself, receiving a somewhat cold gaze from Suzutsuki…….Um, is this some battlefield? Why are they fighting for the right to fix my gynophobia? If you’re on bad terms, you don’t have to work so hard. And don’t wrap me up in this mess.

“Hey, Jirou-kun, how about we go to the target shooting?” Suzutsuki suddenly spoke out to me.

Her gaze was drifting towards a stall at the festival grounds. It was a shooting range where you could win toys and the like.

“Would you like to join us, Usami-san?”

“Hm, sounds fine to me.”

The two headed towards that stall in a straight line…Hm? Why are they going together? Did they suddenly end up like good friends or something?

“This is a duel, Suzutsuki Kanade. We’re aiming for the big prize, alright.”

“Ahaha, what are you talking about? I’m not going to shoot at your head.”

“Fufu, right. Good for you, I might have had to defend myself otherwise.”

As they walked on ahead, Suzutsuki and Masamune smiled at each other. Oh crap, their relationship is getting even worse. We have a rich lady and a commoner, the rift between them is as profound as it could get. If I fall in there, I won’t be able to get out.

“Huh, so we just have to shoot with this, right.” Suzutsuki stuffed the cork into the gun, as she spoke up.

By the way, the prizes for this shooting fair were plush toys or sweets and the like. Honestly speaking, it’s nothing really worth aiming for.

“As long as the prize has fallen down, I will be able to get anything, I wonder.”

“…Anything…”

Masamune muttered something as she looked at the gun. Her gaze gently turned towards me. Eh, what? Why are you looking like a hunter aiming at a turkey…? And why are you pointing the muzzle towards me…

“Woah!?”

Together with a Pop! sound, something flew towards me.

“You nasty rabbit! What are you doing!?” I somehow managed to evade the cork, and complained loudly.

That was dangerous! It went right past my shoulder! That stuff hurts if you shoot me from close range!

“…Ah, sorry stupid chicken.”

“Don’t give me that! Why would you do that!?”

“Eh!? I-I mean…on a whim…”

“On a whim…!?”

Don’t joke with me. Since when did Japan turn into a gun-based society. Wait, is she threatening me right now? My life isn’t some prize, you know.

“A-Ahaha! It’s fine, I’ll aim properly next time.” Masamune tried to switch the topic, and pointed the gun at the actual prizes now.

In detail, she was aiming for a bear plush toy. That’s unexpectedly girly of her.

“…Phew.”

She must have been attempting to calm her mind, as she took a deep breath, and put her finger on the trigger—

“Usami-san.”

“Kya!?”

Together with a cute shriek, the bullet missed its target. I can’t blame her, Suzutsuki suddenly slapped both her hands on Masamune’s shoulders after all. What a distasteful prank.

“~~~! What are you doing!?”

“I’m sorry, I was just curious.”

“…About what?”

“If rabbit ears would grow out of your head.”

“Are you making fun of me!?” Masamune glared at Suzutsuki with blood-shot eyes, pointing the muzzle at her now.

Waaaah stop it you idiot! Don’t point a gun at people! This isn’t some Western drama. And yet, the old lady at the stall was all ‘Aim for the head! Headshot!’ for some reason. Why are you so excited?

“I’m sorry. As an apology, I’ll get that plush toy for you.”

“Eh?”

As Masamune gave Suzutsuki a dubious gaze, she readied her gun, and got into position. Didn’t expect her to pull it off that smoothly, despite being a rich lady. She’s like a sniper part of the underground mafia.

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“Then, here I go.” She calmly exclaimed, and together with another popping sound, the plush toy fell.

It sure did, but…

“Wha…! What are you doing!”

Hm? What are you talking about?” Suzutsuki seemed confused as she accepted the plush toy from the old lady.

However, what she received wasn’t the bear plush toy Masamune had aimed for, but rather the rabbit plush toy next to it.

“Here, you wanted this right, Usami-san.”

“No! I wanted the bear next to it!”

“Eh? Really? I’m sorry, Usagi-san.”

“~~~! Y-You…!”

“What a shame, just when I went out of my way to kill it for you.”

“You didn’t kill it, you shot it down!”

“Alright, I’ll be taking this rabbit then. I found the perfect way to use it as well.”

“Use it?”

“As a punching bag.”

“What are you thinkiiiiiing! Give me that!” Masamune screamed as she stole back the rabbit from Suzutsuki.

Yeah, I think things are better that way. This is like the cat from Crayon Sh*n-chan. Then again, I think that half of this was simply to tease Masamune.

“Alright, this means I take the lead in this contest.”

“Urk…!” Masamune grit her teeth with a ‘I’m not going to lose!’ and got into position again.

I think you’re just wasting energy and time, I doubt you can win against this rich lady anyway.

“Hey, Suzutsuki, why not give it a rest now?” I whispered in the direction of Suzutsuki so that Masamune couldn’t hear me.

I don’t want Masamune to start crying, you know.

“So you’re taking her side, Jirou-kun.”

“I didn’t say that. I’m just saying you should stop with the teasing, you already did what you set out to do, right?”

Their power relationship had already been established, so anymore needless fighting would just hurt the both of them.

“You’re wrong.”

However, Suzutsuki gave me an unexpected response.

“I told you before, I’m not good at dealing with this girl.”

“Not good…Even though you keep teasing her?”

“Indeed. Honestly speaking, Usami Masamune is my archnemesis. She’s the first person who ever saw through my lies and excuses.”

“Lies and excuses…”

Is she talking about her acting as the honor student at school?

“That’s why I can’t help but take her seriously. But, no matter what I do, she won’t back down, leaving me restless. She keeps facing me no matter how often I strike her down. Well, that’s also why I’m bad with her.” Suzutsuki muttered with a rarely fainthearted expression.

…Is she scared? Scared of Masamune, who can see through her nonsense? That would explain why she’s so desperate. All to hide her own fear.

“Yaho, Nii-san.”

As I was thinking about that, someone called out to me behind my back. Standing there were Kureha and Nakuru. Both of them seemed to be enjoying the festival in their own right, carrying sweets and other objects in their hands.

“Nya? A shooting range? Looks fun!” Kureha smiled innocently, and lined up next to Masamune.

Nakuru stood behind the two, observing the scenery. When I returned my gaze back to Suzutsuki, she held her normal expression again, like she always would at school.

“Jirou-kun, did you know? They planned a performance for today’s festival.”

“…A performance?”

“It’s a special event. It’s something like a beauty contest for women, as well as performance for men, which was suddenly decided.”

“For men…”

What event are we talking about? Some bodybuilding contest? Not really too confident in that.

“Fufu, it’s very interesting.” Nakuru must know the contents of the contest, as she let out a snicker. “…It’s a battle royale.”

“What?”

“It was supposed to stay a secret until the very start, but it’s a pretty large event from what Nakuru heard.” She sounded like she was bragging.

…What is this anxiety filling me? A battle royale? It definitely can’t be anything worthwhile. Maybe I should ask our guardian Old Fart for help…

“Oh yeah, where’s the old man?”

Haven’t seen him since we came here. Maybe he suffered a fatal mental wound at the beach today? After everything he went through, I wouldn’t blame him.

“Yeah, Nakuru had Subaru-sama’s father become a judge in the yukata beauty contest. He’s currently helping with preparations.”

“Huh!? How did that happen!?”

Also, she had him do that? How does she have the right to decide that?

“Well, when we talked about the contest, he asked Nakuru if he could participate. It was very sudden, but with a reward in mind, Nakuru agreed.”

“Reward…”

Something like a copy of one of Konoe’s videos as a child? I bet that the president of the Subaru-sama Fanclub must be willing to pay a fortune for that. Damn it, Subaru-sama when she was a child, I would have loved to see that for myself. Still, why as a judge…and why does Nakuru have the right to decide that…

“…Well, not like racking my brain about it will suddenly produce an answer.”

Since the contest will begin soon, I’ll find out eventually. Still, it sure is lively with so many girls around. The mood is as diverse as pastel colors. All of them have their own knacks, but at least they’re looking cute in their yukata. Makes sense that having four girls around is—

“…Hold on?”

Four? I counted the number of people around me. Sakamachi Kureha, Narumi Nakuru, Usami Masamune, Suzutsuki Kanade…So, where’s Konoe Subaru?

×

“…Jirou? Why are you here?”

A few minutes away from the festival area, standing beneath the August night sky, filled with radiating stars, was Konoe Subaru in her girl mode, wearing a yukata. For some reason, she had taken off her glasses, going away from being Takanashi Punyuru.

“I heard from Suzutsuki, saying that you might be here.”

Well, she said ‘I’ll tell you where she is, so treat me to some food at the stalls’, but that was an easy price to pay. After all, this problem is much more important than money.

“Come on, I came to pick you up. Let’s walk around the festival together. Don’t just stay here all the time.”

—At this graveyard, which was about the size of a small park. Konoe stood in front of a single grave, surrounded by loneliness. Seeing a Japanese yukata with a Western-themed graveyard just created this discomfort within me.

“…Is this your mother’s grave?” Unable to bear with the silence, I spoke up.

“……Yeah.” Konoe faintly nodded. “I just felt like coming here alone. Don’t you think it’s weird? Why would my mother be buried with the Takanashi Family?”

“Well… I was curious.”

It was hard to ask after all, but I could somehow think of a reason. It was probably related to her family…

“—Elopement.”

“Wha?”

“It was an elopement. Mom and Dad…when they got married…apparently a lot happened, and Mom ran away…”

“…Really now.”

Wait, seriously? That old man ran away?

“I don’t know all the details, but…because of that, Mom is sleeping here.”

“……”

So that’s why Konoe’s mother is resting here. Well, no clue what happened in the past, but there is nothing I can do even after knowing. There’s more important things to take care of as well. More precious things to care for.

“Konoe, why did you not tell me about the real goal of this trip. Does it…have something to do with me?” I asked the same question I had attempted all day.

Suzutsuki told me that this was a problem between me and Konoe. In the event that the reason she didn’t tell me, and the reason that she’s lacking energy today…is because I hurt her, then…

“N-No! You didn’t do anything wrong!” Konoe immediately denied my own thoughts.

And then, she fell silent. Despite it being midsummer, the air at this graveyard felt cold, and the silence was painful. I wonder how long this continued. Finally, Konoe slowly opened her mouth, like she had made up her mind.

“…I didn’t want to come here with you, Jirou.” She declared.

“You didn’t want to come here with me…”

“D-Don’t get the wrong idea! It’s not that I hate you or anything like that!” Konoe desperately tried to explain herself. “I thought that if I came here with you…I would definitely start crying again.”

“……”

“…Before Mom died, she was really worried about me. Worried if I could make friends at school. But, just as she was worried about, I was unable to make friends because of my attitude, and because of my fear of getting too close to people.”

“…But that’s…”

That’s nothing you could just change. She’s been hiding the fact that she was a girl at school all this time, and was scared of having someone find out that secret, which is why she never got too close to others. That’s why she was unable to make any friends.

“But, with Jirou, I finally made a friend at school. Not to mention that thanks to you, I managed to make up with the young lady. That made me…really happy.”

“Happy…”

So…why do you look like you’re about to cry?

“But, I thought about it. If I came here with you, I’d probably start crying again. Even though I don’t want to cry in front of Mom, I won’t be able to stop myself…Because…I’d be reminded of Mom again.” Konoe said, trying to hold back the tears. “I-It’s always my fault, because I can’t forget about her, because I can’t get over it…Just when I finally made a friend, I can’t even have Mom meet you…and just thinking about that…”

“……”

“I-I really wanted to introduce Jirou to Mom. Brag about you, how I made a friend. But, when I think about how I can’t do that…when I realize I can’t even introduce the one friend I made…”

“…Konoe, that’s enough.”

“W-Why did she have to die? Why was I unable to do anything? I couldn’t even introduce my first friend…Why did she pass away? All these thoughts fill my head, and even though I know I shouldn’t, I can’t stop the tears…!” There, Konoe grew silent.

She must have been surprised. After all—I suddenly embraced her.

“J-Jirou!?”

“Sorry, I just…couldn’t keep watching you like that.” I answered, while hugging her delicate body.

I know I was being forceful. However, I couldn’t come up with any words to cheer up Konoe. I figured that if she was going through such a rough time, it would be best if she had someone with her. Even if it’s just warmth like this. Thinking about it, ever since I met her, Konoe’s been crying a lot. It happened at least three times in April alone. Each time I think to myself that I don’t want to make her cry, she ends up doing so anyway, and I only make her cry more.

What about that ‘I won’t make her cry anymore’ nonsense. In the end, I’m an all-talk chicken bastard. That’s why, at least for today, I want her tears to stop, as the friend I am.

“I-Idiot! Get away! If you keep this close to me, you will…!”

“I know that. Calm down.”

I knew this would happen. I felt goosebumps on my body, and because I was tightly embracing Konoe, red liquid dripped down from my nose, the blood loss making me feel dizzy—It’s my gynophobia activating. I knew this would happen when I hug a girl. But…

“…So what.”

No matter how weak I may be, no matter how much of a chicken bastard I may be, collapsing by simply hugging a girl. Even I can hold my ground at times. Especially when my friend is sad like this, I need to become more reliable. That’s the least I can do—as friends.

“Urk…!”

My symptoms are getting worse. My consciousness is about to fade out. But, not yet. I can’t collapse just yet. The promise I shared with my old man—Stand By Me—I’ll protect you, so stay with me, Konoe. I’ll become strong enough so you can say these words to me. That’s why…

“——”

I don’t know how much time passed. The graveyard was filled with silence as before. But, Konoe’s weeping stopped.

“…Enough. I’m okay now.” Konoe said so, and forcefully pushed me away.

“Y-Yeah. Sorry to suddenly do this.” I apologized with a faint voice.

However, Konoe just looked at me…

“No, it’s fine. Thanks to you, I’m feeling better now, Jirou.” She smiled.

As if this was enough to erase all tension inside of me, my body collapsed, having crossed my limit long ago. My consciousness started to distance itself from me. Even so, my body did not collapse.

“…Thank you, Jirou.” The dear butler supported my body, and whispered into my ear. “You really are my—”

Her words sounded warm, and reassuring. Maybe they were a declaration for her mother, who was sleeping here. However, before I could hear them until the very end, my consciousness cut out, and I fell asleep inside Konoe’s chest.

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