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Consciousness
Inside the office of the Nanjou Family’s head, Sai. Kisa was sitting across her grandmother, who was working just fine with her proud 99 years. That being said, neither the office of her grandmother, nor the woman herself really stayed in Kisa’s gaze. After what happened the night prior, she found herself unable to catch a wink of sleep, watching this footage of Mikado’s confession, severely lacking sleep. Even now, she was running the footage through her head.
“…Kisa…Kisa…Hey, Kisa!”
“Y-Yes! What is it?!”
Waking up at her grandmother’s repeated calls, Kisa’s body stiffened up as she responded.
“You were spacing out. That’s not like you.”
“U-Um…Apologies, I was thinking about something.”
“What were you thinking about?”
“Haaa…Happiness…”
Immediately after making it back to reality, Kisa once again was wrapped up in her feeling of bliss. There was even drool dripping down from the corner of her mouth.
“Kisa!!”
“Yes?! What happened?!” Kisa’s shoulders jolted up.
Sai sighed. Her index finger on her cheek was tapping in anger.
“Pull yourself together. You’re the next head of the Nanjou Family. I have high expectations for you.”
“My apologies…” Kisa bowed to Sai.
People who angered sigh had no hope of surviving in this world. Though she held back since Kisa was her precious granddaughter, angering her any further, even Kisa wouldn’t know what she would do.
“And? How is the love game progressing? You didn’t finish him yet?” Sai raised her eyebrow as she asked, clearly expecting a positive response.
“Not yet…However, I have managed to gather material that will definitely corner MIkado.”
“Oh? And what is that?”
“…Please look forward to it.”
“Hm. Seems like you’re pretty confident.”
“Fuhehehe…”
Kisa had tried her hardest to give a serious answer, but it didn’t take long before she once again drifted off.
“…This one’s done for.” Sai shook her head in disbelief.
Mikado was pondering if he should take the day off school.
It was the following day after he managed to get the proof of Kisa’s affection for him. He didn’t know what kind of face to make once he ran into her. After all, through the analysis of the footage, he found out that Kisa definitely liked him. Possibly, the love game wasn’t just a means of defeating the Kitamikado Family, but purely to gain Mikado for the rest of her life. If that was the case, then she was nothing more but a cute maiden in love.
At the same time, Kisa should be aware of Mikado’s feelings for her. Knowing her, she already finished validating the footage, arriving at this conclusion. What would happen now, after they both became aware of each other’s feelings? Mikado, who didn’t feel fear at the sight of a wild bear in the mountains, found himself on unsteady feet on his way to school.
Having arrived at Sousei Academy, Mikado entered the front entrance, and used a different route from usual in order to get to his classroom. He was hoping to not run into Kisa right away first thing in the morning. That being said, the two were that good of a fit, that they were even thinking the same.
“Wha…”
“Ah…”
The two ran into each other at the back of the stairs, staring at each other in disbelief. With no other people around, there was no other place to hide either.
“Mor—”
Mikado tried forcing out an awkward greeting, but Kisa suddenly closed her eyes, screaming.
“You’re wrong! That wasn’t it! That wasn’t it at all!!!”
“What exactly is wrong?!”
“What happened yesterday was just a dream! Right! A dream! Believe me! All things in creation will eventually pass away with time! The four seasons are Japan’s true treasure!”
“What are you talking about?!”
Mikado was left in confusion, as Kisa panicked.
“C-Calling me with ‘You’…like a married couple…”
“Eh…N-No, I didn’t mean it like that…”
“We’re not even married yet! We didn’t have sex yet, nro did we kiss before, so don’t call me with such a familiar name, it’s unfair! You are the greatest coward in the entire world! I’ll kill you!”
“C-Calm down, calm down okay!”
Or so he said, but Mikado found himself unable to calm down, as they both panicked even further. They couldn’t even look each other in the eye.
“S-See you! Don’t show your face in front of me for a wh—Ahhh?!”
“…!”
Kisa took a step back in order to run away from Mikado, but lost her footing on the stairs in the process. Her student bag fell out of her hand, as her body staggered. Mikado moved quickly to catch her mid-air, immediately assaulted by her soft sensation, and sweet scent. On top of that, her two well-endowed bulges were pressing right on his chest. On top of that, her aace burning bright with embarrassment and love. Having the girl’s facial features right in front of him like this, Mikado found his breathing come to a halt. Kisa looked up at him, her eyes melting.
“S-So cool…”
“Cool?!”
Hearing words you would never expect from Kisa, even Mikado grew a bit worried. But, Kisa immediately grasped herself, pushing away Mikado.
“Y-You’re wrong! That wasn’t…!! I didn’t mean to say that! My real feelings just leaked out! Ah, wait, not my real feelings, but just…Ahhh…?!” Kisa hid her face behind her two hands.
She looked close to breaking down fully. Even her beautiful earlobes were burning in a strong red from the bashfulness. Even Mikado was at his limit, just listening to it. The second they met, his heart was about to burst, and now being called ‘Cool’ by the person he loved, he might as well have passed on.
Kisa on her hand understood that she had made a big mistake there, but Mikado wasn’t in the condition to focus on the love game.
“U-Um…For now, how about we pick up all your stuff?”
“…! ……!!” Her face still beet red, Kisa nodded frantically.
She truly was a maiden in love. This was more proof than any evidence could have delivered. Mikado and her both crouched down on the floor, picking up the workbooks and notes that had previously fallen out of Kisa’s student bag. Embarrassed to the fullest, Kisa bit her lip. Finally, Mikado wanted to reach out for the pencil case, Kisa did the same.
Their hands overlapped. Mikado felt the softness of her skin, and his heart stabbed by a sharp pain. Kisa’s eyes started turning, as she muttered.
“I can’t…anymore…”
“Wah, Kisa?! Kisa?! Pull yourself together?!”
Mikado called out to Kisa, who collapsed on the ground.
For the young man of the Kitamikado Family, an educational institution was a holy place. Naturally, not only to gather a certain level of knowledge to allow him in dealing with the political world’s problems. By leaving behind grades on the top level of the school, the children of the Kitamikado Family’s supporters, or opponents even, will learn that they cannot go against a Kitamikado. If Mikado’s grades were in the lower end, nobody would take him seriously as the future guidesman of Japan.
Even if the curriculum felt slow for Mikado, already having achieved a higher level, he should not be spacing out during classes, because there was always something new to learn…However, that just didn’t work out right now. All his attention was sucked up by Kisa, in the seat next to him. Naturally, he was always conscious of her, but today it was exceptionally worse.
Kisa on her hand was equally unable to calm down, as she fidgeted with various parts of her body. From time to time, their eyes would meet, to what Kisa quickly averted her gaze again, giving Mikado half of a heart attack. Her dark aura dwelling behind her had vanished always, as she emitted a pink cloud.
Once break time arrived, Kisa immediately stormed out of the classroom. Her eyes giving Mikado a short backwards glance were burning with passion. Instead of preparing for the next lesson, like he always would, Mikado instead spaced out on his seat.
“Um…Mikado-kun? You’ve been acting weird for a while now, did something happen?” Kokage asked him in a worried tone.
“…Eh? A-Ah…Acting weird? Who is?”
“You are! I just talked about it!”
Mikado answered in a daze.
“I don’t really get it, but he should be fine. He doesn’t seem weird to me at all, so no problems. None at all, indeed.”
“Why are you making it sound like we’re talking about someone else! Something is definitely off with you! You even talk differently from usual?!”
“That is certainly not the case, no.”
“It clearly is! Don’t tell me, Mikado-kun…you were invaded by the Macrophage people?!”
Kokage leaned forward over the desk, pulling on Mikado’s eyelid to get a closer look at his pupil. Even though she did it at such momentum she could have ripped them off, Mikado showed no signs of being bothered in the slightest. He had lost himself in this feeling of bliss, as any stimulus from the outside didn’t bother him.
“If you had been influenced by the Macrophage, then you would have a cross inside your pupils, but you don’t…”
“Yep, you’re right.”
Or so he agreed, but his head was busy projecting the evidence of Kisa’s feelings still.
“If it’s not the Macrophage…then what is this illness…Do you have any idea what might have caused this?”
“Yep, you’re right.”
“That doesn’t count as an answer! Properly talk to me!”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t give me some half-minded response! That sounds like dad when he doesn’t want to mom…Mikado-kun, are you just spacing out?”
“Yeah.”
Mikado was torn between where to hold the marriage. Overseas, or here in Japan? The Caribbean seas didn’t sound too bad either, but London had a nice atmosphere to it. They might just rent the cathedral while they were at it. That being said, enjoying the marriage inside the snowy scenery of Kyoto he couldn’t ignore. Either way, Kisa in a wedding dress would be the highlight of it all, or so Mikado kept thinking.
Kokage saw Mikado like this, and muttered.
“This is a chance…Now that Mikado-kun’s IQ had dropped drastically, I can ask him whatever I want…right?”
“Yep, you’re right.”
“I thought so!” Kokage clapped her hands together.
She gulped in tension, and leaned forward over to Mikado.
“W-Would you maybe go out with me soon?! NASA is going to publish their previously kept secret photographs!”
“Yeah.”
“Really?! Then then, I’d like to take lots of pictures of you as well!”
“Yeah.”
Kokage’s words entered his ears, but they didn’t make it up to the brain. There, Mikado was thinking about the necessity of sealing the wedding pictures with Kisa into a crystal case, preserving them for all eternity.
“Mikado-kun has zero defences today!? T-Then…c-could I possibly…t-take a nude picture of you?!”
“Yeah.”
“To think this day would come…” Blood started running down Kokage’s nose. “Could we arrange it so that we could both do a nude picture together, in each other’s arms—”
“Will you give it a rest already!”
Rinka gave Kokage a clean karate chop on the head. Although she was officially a civilized young lady, she still possessed quite the strength if need be. Receiving this strike, Kokage crouched down with tears in her eyes.
“R-Rinka-chan…What are you doing…Mikado-kun gave his OK, didn’t he…”
“The current Mikado-sama has no full accountability! He clearly is out of his mind right now!”
“That’s why this is a chance! The current Mikado-kun would buy a great amount of land from the planet Centaurus!”
“That’s just fraud, nothing more!” Rinka burned with rage.
“It’s not fraud! An organization exists which gets the permission of the residents to buy land on planet Centaurus!”
“Then this entire organization is a fraud!”
“If you keep talking badly about them, the evil god Blood Boroboro will come curse you!”
“Now it’s a cult as well!”
“You should have Mikado-kun promise lots now that you have the chance! You might even be able to get him to act as a model for a life-sized figurine of him!”
“Eh…” Rinka blinked.
“So, basically…that figurine will be the exact same as Mikado-sama himself…?”
“…Yes.” Kokage nodded.
“So…even his lower half will be fully realistic from his actual state?! EverytimeI go to taste the figurine, it would be like I was tasting the real Mikado-sama?!”
“Y-Yes…” Kokage realized her mistake.
Rinka was losing herself. She jumped at Mikado, taking his with both her hands.
“Mikado-sama! Let us go to a figurine factory right now! I need a figurine of you in my room!!!”
“Yeah.”
Mikado agreed, whilst not listening at all.
Inside the secret room, wrapped in darkness, three shadows wearing hoods. They each carried a burning candle. Through the opening of their hoods, their narrowed eyes shone. Finally, one participant spoke up.
“…We’ve arrived at a grave situation.”
“Yes.”
“A grave situation…”
The other participants nodded along.
“I see…a grave situation…What should we do about this…Ah, hey, hey, is this ‘grave’ in a grave situation the same ‘grave’ as in where you put dead people?”
“It is not!”
“Don’t use words you don’t even understand!”
“It’s fine, once in a while!”
“It certainly isn’t once in a while with you.”
“Also, why are we wearing these clothes! It’s way too hot!”
One of the participants, Mizuki, pulled off the hood, throwing it away. The other two participants, Kokage and Rinka, followed suit, as pearls of sweat ran down their cheeks. Their serious atmosphere from before had vanished, as they started gasping for air.
“Weren’t you the one who said to wear hoods to meet the atmosphere, Mizuki-chan?”
“Really? I don’t remember that at all~ As long as it’s more than five minutes ago, I don’t remember~”
“I advise you to see a doctor with that condition of yours!”
“Doc…tor? What is that?”
“Don’t even forget about that!”
Mizuki was about to take off her uniform while she was at it, only to be stopped by a desperate Rinka. Although it was just the three girls in the room, the chances of a boy entering the room wasn’t zero. Forced to give up on her nude trip, Mizuki cleared her throat.
“Well, something troublesome has happened. Onee-chan and Mikado-kun have finally realized…that they have mutual feelings for each other.”
“Wha?!”
“Is that true?!”
Kokage and Rinka both showed shocked reactions.
“It’s true~ I don’t really know what happened, but they received weird footage of them both accepting they had feelings for the other…Was that you, Kokage-chan?”
“Kawaraya-san?!” Rinka glared at Kokage with eyes that could kill.
“Eek?! I-I didn’t do anything! I tend to take secret videos or pictures, but it wasn’t me!”
“…Then, who would?”
Mizuki shrugged her shoulders.
“It’s not important who did it, but rather what we do now~ Onee-chan and Mikado-kun are too conscious of each other, they’re getting crazy.”
“It’s true that Mikado-sama had been acting weirdly this entire morning…I had assumed he just wasn’t feeling well, but to think something like this happened.” Rinka sighed.
“If Onee-chan and Mikado-kun are left alone right now, who knows how far they would go.”
“H-How far are we talking about?” Kokage swallowed her breath.
“Having sex!”
“That far?!”
“Their mood has gone up after all! Onee-chan has spent the entire night kissing a video of Mikado-kun!”
“E-Even I…I lick a picture of Mikado-sama every night before going to bed! I will not lose when it comes to my feelings for Mikado-sama!” Rinka argued.
She decided that licking was more impactful than kissing.
“I-I also…won’t lose if it comes to the amount of secret pictures I have of Mikado-kun…just kidding…” Kokage tried to join in, but failed.
Mizuki took out her smartphone, and looked at the screen.
“I talk with Mikado-kun every night on a phone call! A while ago, I even fell asleep during that!”
“That’s not fair, Mizuki-san!” “That’s unfair, Mizuki-chan!”
An overwhelming difference in strength had Rinka and Kokage left in defeat.
“I told Onee-chan I won’t be trying to break between the two, but maybe I should just a bit…No, maybe I should go full throttle~!”
“Naturally! I feel bad for Mikado-sama, but we cannot allow them to end up in mutual love!”
“E-Ehh? What are you going to do…?”
Kokage felt a bit lost, seeing how determined Mizuki and Rinka were.
“I’d say we assassinate Onee-chan!”
“That’s going too far!”
“Really? Then, how about we put a really small bomb into Onee-chan’s lunch…”
“That’s even worse!”
“Ehh? Are there any other methods to assassinate her?”
“Killing in general is a no-go!”
“That’s right, I wouldn’t want Onee-chan to die…not her, at least.”
“Why are you looking at me now?!” Kokage shivered in fear, as she hid her face with the hood.
Rinka narrowed her beautiful eyebrows, giving an idea of her own.
“For starters, I believe it would be best to make sure Mikado-sama and Kisa-san don’t meet and end up alone. That way, we can avoid them going all the way.”
“What will the last person do?” Kokage tilted her head.
“Hmm…What about digging a hole, only to fill it up again?”
“That’s just torture, isn’t it?!
“It’s not torture~ It’s education for the people locked up on our prison island!”
“So it’s pure torture!”
Even the Kawaraya Family can’t fully grasp the darkness of the Nanjou Family.
“Alright, then let’s decide with rock-paper-scissors! The winner will take care of Mikado-kun, the second place will take care of Onee-chan, and the loser will be the digger to bury themselves!”
“It’s gotten even worse!”
Sparks flew between the girls, as a harsh rock-paper-scissors battle ensued.
Lunch break.
Normally, they would be eating lunch together as a group, consisting of Mikado himself, Kisa, Mizuki, and Rinka. However, with what happened today, Mikado was slightly confused on what he should do. Spending lunch in a situation equal to what happened at the stairs wouldn’t be a fulfilling meal for neither Mikado nor Kisa, and depending on it, the food could get stuck in their throats.
Kisa had grabbed her lunch to immediately dash out of the classroom the second fourth period ended, and Mikado was wondering if she made her way to the rooftop, or rather ran away to some underground shelter. There, Mizuki arrived again, completely disregarding the fact that she didn’t belong here.
“Mikado-kun!~ Let’s go to Mexico!”
“Where did that come from?!”
This was the first time for Mikado to be invited out on eating lunch together, in a different country. Mizuki slapped the palm of her hand on the desk.
“No buts! It’s Mexico time! I want to eat tacos! That’s why we’re going there with my private jet right this instant, I just have to call them!”
“Don’t call them! It’ll create a ruckus!”
“Then maybe if I call them to the teacher’s office?”
“That’ll destroy their room! Also, it would take us more than 14 hours to get to Mexico from here, so we wouldn’t even make it home before 5th period started.”
Mikado tried to reason with Mizuki, but naturally that didn’t work at all with the girl who even won against the Empress of Darkness in terms of being selfish.
“Don’t wanna! I want to eat tacos right now! I wanna feed Mikado-kun with the 2500° burning hot tacos!”
“That’s not tacos, that’s lava!”
“Anyway, come with me! If not, I’ll write the fact that you’re going on a date with a middle school girl, that you’re a lolicon on the homepage of every government office of the entire country! I’ll definitely do that!”
“Wah?!”
Although she was only three years apart from Mikado, Mizuki stomped on the floor like a small child. Following that, she threw herself on the floor, clinging to his leg. Even if he didn’t want this, he gathered attention from his classmates.
“Kitamikado was a lolicon…?”
“I was wondering if that wasn’t the case!”
“He’s got both Nanjou sisters for him…?!”
“I had you in the wrong light, Kitamikado-kun!”
“That means that even a baby-face like me has a chance!”
“Wait hold on, he’s a lolicon, not a shotacon!”
The classroom was wrapped up in a storm. Because of Mizuki’s sight, they started running the wildest assumptions. Some of them even took out smartphones to report Mikado, or gather evidence. Mikado felt a cold sweat run down his back, and called out to Mizuki.
“…I will hear you out. What is it that you want?”
“Just come with me, that’s all~”
Mizuki immediately jumped up in joy, clinging to his arm, as she pulled him out of the classroom. The rule of not running in the hallways probably didn’t exist in her books. Naturally, seeing Mikado pulled along by a beauty able to rival Kisa, the classmates were building opinions on their own, as they gazed at him.
“Hey, where are we going?!”
“A small, dark, and safe place! I’ll just lock up…No, seal up…No, secure you!”
“Even if you fix your words, I can still feel nothing good from this!”
“It’s fine! I’ll lock myself up with you!”
Mizuki entered a nearby classroom, entered a locker with cleaning utensils, and pulled Mikado after her, closing the door after. Though Mikado was contemplating about the safety, Mizuki wasn’t lying when she said that the place was small and dark. If not for the small amount of light entering through the opening in the door, he wouldn’t even be able to see his own two feet.
That being said, the amount of space given was nowhere near enough for the two, so Mizuki’s body was forcefully pressed against Mikado’s. From her adolescent neck, a sweet scent drifted up, directly assaulting Mikado through his nostrils.
“Why was there a need to hide here…?”
“An enemy is going to attack! You’re going to get eaten, Mikado-kun!”
“A wild beast? Then, we have to evacuate the students, or else…”
Mikado was about to leave the locker, only to be embraced by Mizuki.
“No! You won’t be able to win against that thing! The enemy is a black hole after all! You’ll get eaten in a fragment of a second!”
“What are we talking about?!”
Mikado yet again tried reaching for the door, only to have his finger bitten by Mizuki. As he tried reaching out with his other hand, this time he was stopped by a soft sensation.
“Hyan! Mikado, you pervert!”
“Sorry!” Mikado quickly pulled back his hand.
He didn’t even have to guess where he just touched her—probably her chest, and it even felt awfully direct, as if she wasn’t even wearing a bra—the second Mikado arrived at that thought, his body burned up.
“Really, attacking me as soon as it’s just the two of us, you sure can’t win against your desires~!”
“I didn’t attack you! That just now was an accident!”
“Yes yes, I’ll just let it slip as one.”
“It really was an accident…!”
Mikado tried to argue back, but Mizuki didn’t listen, just running her lips up at his jaw.
“It’s fine, Mikado-kun. We’re inside this narrow place, so even if you were to touch me, it’d all be an accident…right?”
Her breath as sweet as milk reached Mikado’s lips. Even in this darkness, her eyes were radiating with charm. Her seductive techniques were too strong. If things went on for too long, Mikado might break.
“I won’t play along with this. I’m leaving!”
Mikado tried to forcefully leave the locker, but Mizuki stepped in yet again.
“I won’t let you! Not after doing this and that to me here!”
“I didn’t do anything yet!”
“Waah! So you’re going to do something now?!”
“As if I would!”
“You will, Mikado-kun! Because you’re always telling me to send you pictures of me in underwear!”
“You’re just sending them without my permission, Mizuki!”
“Kyaa~ You didn’t even put me in your family register, and yet you’re calling me by first name…”
“I’ve been calling you like that this entire time, so what’s the heat now?!”
As the two of them were fighting, the situation outside the locker changed. Kisa entered the classroom, asking a female student around.
“Did Mikado come here? My little sister should have been with him.”
“I didn’t see Kitamikado-san.” The female student answered.
“Really? If you’re hiding anything, I’ll go click on your entire family.”
“I’m not hiding anything! Also, what does that sound mean?!”
“That depends on your actions from here on out…”
“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek?!”
Kisa threatened the girl, as she softly lifted up her chin with her fingers. At the same time, Mikado inside the locker felt a shiver as well. Mizuki’s assault inside the locker had him want to run away, but the outside was just as dangerous. Because Kisa would question him as to why he was in that locker with her own little sister. In rage, she might do something irreversible to her little sister, and it might lower her affection towards Mikado. He would like to avoid that, after finally finding out that she had this affection for him.
In order to stay unnoticed from Kisa, Mikado silenced his own breathing. Yet, probably not catching on—or maybe even because she knew—Mizuki flashed a teasing smile.
“Since I don’t want you taken, I’ll spit on you first.”
“Spit…?”
Mikado wasn’t even given the time to ready himself, as Mizuki’s hands already reached out for his head. Her beautiful face was approaching him. From her dampened lips, her small, red tongue came out, running over Mikado’s lips.
“?! ?! …?!?!”
With the sudden incident, Mikado felt this sensation continue for a few moments. His lips were being licked by Mizuki. Though it wasn’t a kiss, it was something awfully close to it, and more stimulating than a kiss depending on it.
“W-What are you…”
“Fufu, Mikado-kun is delicious!”
Mizuki licked her own lips after in satisfaction, approaching Mikado’s neck with her mouth this time, sending a shiver down his spine. The wet sensation remaining on his lips made his body burn up. Mizuki looked up at Mikado, whispering softly.
“Oh? Mikado-kun, are you being flustered?”
“Everybody would get flustered at something like this!”
“You can run away if you want to~ Because I won’t stop anymore~” She said, clearly provoking him.
“How could I run in a situation like this…”
“Then I’m going to lick you some more~”
“…!!”
Mizuki’s hot tongue ran along Mikado’s neck, reaching up to his ears. Her slender body clung to Mikado, entangling her legs. He was slowly being pulled in by this scent, similar, yet also different to her older sister’s.
“…Leave it at that.” Mikado sighed.
He embraced her small body.
“M-Mikado-kun…?”
Mizuki was left bewildered, pulled tightly to Mikado’s chest. She acted like a cat, suddenly picked up by its owner. As he started gently stroking the girl’s hair, she stopped resisting fully.
“To me, you are my precious ‘Little sister’, Mizuki.”
“I’m not…your little sister…”
“Yes you are. You are cute, honest, innocent, and just fun to have around, comforting me in hard times. I like the time we spend together.”
Mizuki blushed at Mikado’s words. Even though she would always be on the teasing and, this time she was hit by Mikado’s surprise attack. With her slender fingers, she grabbed the shirt of Mikado.
“R-Right? That’s why, just choose me instead of Onee-chan.”
“That being said, Kisa is the one I devoted my heart to. All these things like charm, cuteness, fun, it doesn’t matter anymore. I am Kitamikado Mikado, a man who follows through with his emotions.” Mikado announced confidently.
“…Uncool.” Mizuki muttered.
She pouted with her lips, as she sulked, rubbing her head on Mikado’s chest.
“You’re not cool at all, Mikado-kun. Rejecting my first love in such fashion.”
“I don’t care if I’m not cool.”
“Then again…this is the Mikado-kun I fell in love with…so I guess we’re both the same.”
Rinka found herself in mental anguish. Having lost in the match of rock-paper-scissors against Mizuki, she had to unwillingly hand over the job of taking care of Mikado, now tasked with keeping Kisa away from him. Though this might be better than being forced to dig a hole and fill it again, like Kokage was doing right this moment, the person Rinka had to deal with was the successor of the Nanjou Family.
For the Shizukawa Family, who worked in the light of Japan, their values were just too different. Rinka felt like dealing with Mizuki would have been easier, as she followed Kisa around. Kisa on her part went into another class’ classroom, asking the female students if they knew about Mikado’s whereabouts. Though she didn’t know where Mikado had, Rinka couldn’t allow the two to meet each other.
“Um…Kisa-san? If you’re looking for Mikado-sama, I think he will make his way to the rooftop eventually.”
“Eh, Mikado?! Why would you just bring up Kitamikado-san like that?! I-I wasn’t looking for him or anything! Yes, not at all!” Kisa crossed her arms.
“You were clearly looking for him. You don’t have to panic like that…”
“I-I’m not panicking at all! I am always calm, cool, and collected, with a calm presence of mind, because that is my value as the ones calling themselves Empress of Darkness! I am acting like I always would! I don’t care about Kitamikado-san! Nothing happened between us!” Kisa kept rambling.
“The way you talk is off already! You’re suddenly calling him ‘Kitamikado-san’ again!”
“My way of talking is not weird at &%@J$#~+N%A!”
“You’re not even speaking English anymore!” Rinka was at a loss.
Even before the problems of her being a Nanjou Family member, she found trouble building a normal conversation. With her face beet red, her hair standing straight, Kisa looked more like a stray cat. She took steps back from Rinka, losing her step on the ground, and sunk on the floor with tears in her eyes. Even though she was a fellow girl, Rinka felt like she was about to die from the cuteness. It made sense that she had stolen Mikado’s heart.
“For now, how about we go up to the rooftop? Everyone else might already be present.” Rinka reached out for Kisa with her hand.
“Y-Yes…”
Unexpectedly honest, Kisa took Rinka’s hand, and stood up. She just blindly followed Rinka, who walked down the hallway with the lunch box in her hand. She had her face cast downward, with her cheeks red, almost like a different person.
—What is she planning?!
Rinka was highly dubious at first, imagining Kisa to attack her with a hidden weapon, aiming to get control over the school, or similar things, but none of that came. It really was an irregularity. Normally, swinging around a weapon at school would be the irregularity, but for Kisa, the opposite counted.
Rinka and Kisa arrived at the rooftop. A soft breeze blew past them beneath the blue sky, as the scent of flowers reached them. No other students were present on the rooftop. Mizuki should be busy with Mikado right now, and Kokage was…also doing something important. At the same time, this meant that Rinka had to spend the lunch break with her rival here. In other words, it was awfully awkward. Next to Rinka was Kisa, who put her hand on the fence, admiring the scenery.
“All these flowers…so beautiful.”
“Who are you?!”
Left with shock, Rinka took her distance from Kisa.
“I am Nanjou Kisa. The future wife of Kitamikado Mikado.”
“Wife…?!”
“And, I will be the mother two a hundred children…”
“That’s way too many! You can’t be Kisa-san! She would never dare speak out such embarrassing things! She is the type of person to burn down the flowers because they rival her in beauty!”
Kisa’s eyes opened wide.
“Oh my. There is no person so cruel in this world these flowsies.”
“Flowsies?!”
Kisa put the palm of her hand on her chest, smiling kindly.
“Yes, the flowsies. They must be congratulating the love that Kitamikado-san and I had found. The squirrels, mice, sheep, all living beings’ happiness is my happiness.”
“You really are a different person! The Nanjou Kisa-san I know would not hold such kindness in her heart! She is the devil reincarnated!”
Then again, Rinka was torn between her desire to have Kisa stay this way, and to have her return. If Kisa had stayed this way, the world might become a better place.
“Um…Rinka-san.”
Kisa took a step forward, calmly, leaving Rinka in shock. She assumed that Kisa would finally be acting, fearing that she might be killed now. But, even after she closed her eyes, bracing herself, nothing happened. Slowly opening her eyes, Kisa had lowered her head.
“W-What…?” Rinka was bewildered.
“I’m sorry. I troubled you a lot.”
“Eh……”
“Although it was all for my goal to be together with Kitamikado-san, I made you go through various scary memories. I know you might not be able to forgive me, but still…I’m sorry.”
“…!” Rinka felt an odd sense of rage starting to dwell up inside of her.
She didn’t know why she felt this anger, even though she was just apologized to. Maybe because this was like saying that she had already lost.
“It really is too late! You hijack the plane on the way to our pre-honeymoon, lock us up in some foreign country, and have the military chase us for several days!”
“I understand…No, I actually don’t. Because this is normal in the world I come from. But, I know that I made you suffer.”
“That’s right! That’s why, even if you apologize now…”
There is no way I can forgive you, Rinka wanted to say, but Kisa spoke up yet again.
“I was panicking. Afraid that you might take away Kitamikado-san. Your body and heart are both much more beautiful than mine, both families had accepted you as his fiance, so it would make sense that you would be the winner in the end.”
“W-What are you…talking about?” Rinka was scared.
Hearing Kisa praise somebody else like this. She judged that she probably didn’t mean what she said, so she waved her hands.
“Also, being his fiance is just a name. Naturally I was happy about it, but it was nothing more than a bother for Mikado-sama…You always had the upper hand, Kisa-san.”
“No, the wall between Kitamikado and Nanjou isn’t that easy to break. I was unbearably jealous of you. The times I wished to be you, I lost count. Because I like Mikado. I love him so much it’s making me crazy.”
Kisa looked straight at Rinka, her eyes showing no hesitation. No fraud or lie either, Kisa just told her rival in love about her feelings.
“Not fair…saying all of this…” Rinka muttered.
The person she assumed to be the devil reincarnated, luring Mikado into the darkness, was just another girl in love. Just as Rinka herself, Kisa held pure feelings for Mikado. Now that she knew of this, she understood Kisa a bit more, and why she would go so far as she had.
“Kisa-san, say…What part of Mikado-sama do you like?”
She knew she shouldn’t be asking this, and yet the words came out of her mouth oh so naturally.
“…Everything.” Kisa showed the kind smile of a goddess, as she embraced her body with both her arms.
After classes came to an end, when his other classmates had already made their way home, Mikado stayed inside his classroom. He wouldn’t be able to take another night in anguish at this rate. He wanted to bring the love game to a conclusion as quickly as possible. But, even more than that, he wanted to talk to Kisa. Affirming her feelings. He knew she would be feeling the same way. That’s why there was no need to call her here.
Just as expected, she arrived. Her hair had been beautifully arranged the same way she had come to school that morning, with sparkling lip gloss, meaning that she was ready for the final showdown. Yet, her knees were shaking ever so slightly.
“…I thought you’d be here.”
“…I knew you’d come.”
Even though they tried to act cool, both their voices were clearly husky. Just as Mikado’s heartbeat was racing faster and faster, Kisa herself probably wasn’t too different. Kisa gulped once with her white throat, and entered the classroom. She closed the door behind her, and together with the sound of the door being locked, they were now isolated, signalizing the start of the last game.
Kisa slowly walked towards Mikado.
“I analyzed the evidence. As a result, the video turned out to be the real deal. You love me. That means that this game is my win.”
“Sorry to ruin your mood, but it’s not. Because I did the same with the footage I got, and this showed that you love me. Meaning that it’s a draw.”
The two glared at each other, sparks flying. It was an irregularly stiff atmosphere, even though they had basically confessed to each other. Now that the proof for their feelings was out, they had to decide on who was the one to first admit their feelings.
“Even if you say that it wasn’t fake, there’s no outside view on this. It’s lacking credibility.”
“That’s the same for you, isn’t it.”
“Then, what should we do? At this rate, we’ll never get a winner.” Kisa raised her chin in provocation.
“But, you were awfully passionate to get this footage on my smartphone. You had your private squad move in, setting up relentless attacks, and even tried to destroy the phone down in the sewers. That desperate attitude showed more than anything that the footage was real.”
“Weren’t you just as desperate? You wouldn’t let go of your smartphone for a second, protecting it with your life. That proved that the evidence you held was the real deal!”
“Protecting it with my own life is a bit of an old saying…But, this still doesn’t mean anything.”
“And why is that?”
Mikado shrugged.
“What kind of human is there who wouldn’t protect his smartphone? Especially me, as I have the numbers and mail addresses of Japan’s most important people on there, as well as some secure data. If I had that stolen by the enemy, things could end horribly. That’s why I deemed it necessary to run away with it.”
Kisa threw in a rebuttal.
“I-I was after that data! That’s why me being desperate doesn’t account as proof for the evidence being real!”
“No, it does. There should have been countless times where you had the chance to steal my smartphone. So why go all out yesterday? That’s because there was now data more valuable than ever. In other words, the video footage and evidence of your feelings for me. It’s clear you were aiming for that.”
Mikado stabbed right into Kisa’s defence with irrefutable logic. Yet, the inside of him turned into a storm just by stating Kisa’s feelings for him. That being said, in order to obtain the future he wanted, he had to pull through with it right now.
“Ugh…” Kisa took a step back.
The passion she had showed the day prior now turned into poison. Mikado knew this, and aimed for that weakness.
“Fufu…fufufufufu…”
Kisa had her expression cast downward, tightly gripping her phone, laughing maliciously. Even though she should be the one cornered, she looked awfully confident. Reflected in her gemstone-like eyes was…hope. And overflowing confidence.
“Stop grumbling about something trivial like that, and admit that you like me!”
Kisa pressed a button on her smartphone, as alarm sounds started buzzing up everywhere. Shutters came down at the door, and in front of the various windows. A locking sound arrived at Mikado’s ears, as the shutters had giant locks on them, sealing off any possible escape.
—I’m being locked in?!
Mikado was frightened. He didn’t expect Kisa to pull a move at such a time. He hadn’t picked up at all on her rearrangement of the classroom. Following that, the tabletops of the desks turned sideways, forming screens. Something like a planetarium ball came down from the ceiling, illuminating the desks.
“You have loved Kisa-san this entire time. I am well aware of that.”
“Yeah. That’s why, I can’t…”
“You have loved Kisa-san this entire time. I am well aware of that.”
“Yeah. That’s why, I can’t…”
“You have loved Kisa-san this entire time. I am well aware of that.”
“Yeah. That’s why, I can’t…”
Shown hundreds of times was the confession of Mikado’s affection. He was forced to watch this embarrassing moment over and over, as the recordings overlapped.
“S-Stooooooooooop!?”
Mikado panicked, reaching for the smartphone in Kisa’s hand, but she swiftly hid it in the pocket of her skirt. She apparently had learned properly from the lesson yesterday, where she had lied about the smartphone being in her chest. Even Mikado couldn’t be so cold-hearted as to put his hands in there. Because that would make him an assailant. Said Kisa now moved towards Mikado, lifting his chin with her index finger.
“Your heart must be in tatters at this point, am I right? Just admit it, and kneel down in front of me. If so, I will bring an end to this hell…okay?”
“As if I’d let it end here!”
“Kya?!”
Albeit being driven into a corner, Mikado reacted quickly, reaching out for the back of Kisa’s knees with one hand, lifting her up. A perfect display of a princess carry. Mikado heard that girls admired this kind of position. Though he was unsure if something of this level would work against Kisa, he had no other means of fighting back right now. With Kisa in his arms, Mikado brought his face closer to her cheek, softly whispering.
“I’m well aware of your feelings already. Just give in, and become mine.” Mikado felt embarrassed saying this.
He was putting on airs at a level where he wanted to dig a hole and hide himself. However, Kisa just looked up at him in a daze.
“S-So cool…”
“You’re fine with everything as long as it’s me, huh?!”
“O-Of course not! You were just a tiny bit cool right there! It made my heart skip a beat! That’s not fair, Mikado!” Kisa started hammering her tiny hands on his chest.
“Ugh…”
The force of her relentless attack was awfully weak—but maybe because of that, Mikado received even more damage. Knowing that he had made her heart skip, his heart couldn’t stay calm. Kisa saw this as a chance. She rubbed her head on Mikado’s chest, looking up at him like a puppy.
“Hey…Mikado? Do you…like me? Can you say that you like me? I want to hear it from your mouth…”
“Guha?!”
Mikado spit up blood. The damage meter had crossed the limit, reaching dangerous levels.
“With just one sentence, I’ll be yours. I’ll become your wife, and offer my everything to you. I’ll definitely make you happy, and bear as many children as you want.”
“Ugh…Gahh…”
Mikado tried clenching his fist in pain to suppress the damage hitting him. That marked the moment he had mustered up the most strength in his life so far. And Kisa wasn’t done yet.
“Mi-ka-do. Please, nya~”
“I would never give in to an attack of this leve—!!!”
Mikado fell unconscious whilst standing. The cuteness meter had reached its limit, giving him the final blow. That being said, the automatic ‘Kitamikado Protocol’ booted up—which had been hammered into him as a defensive measure to quickly recover from a fatal blow—as he bit his lip, regaining consciousness shortly after. The pain helped Mikado in regaining a cool head, as his rational thinking gained the upper hand over his feelings.
Mikado put down Kisa onto the teacher’s desk, embracing her head, as he softly whispered into her ear.
“Kisa. I want to hear it from you. With this world’s cutest voice that you possess, tell me that you like me.”
“C-Cute…I’m not…” Kisa started blushing furiously.
“You are cute. Your voice is cuter than anybody else’s…Cute…so cute…”
“S-Stop…please…”
Mikado kept repeating his words as he put his lips on her ears, which led Kisa to lose all strength in her body. Right as she was about to fall off the teacher’ desk, Mikado embraced her. By doing so, he gave her a chance to bite into his ear instead.
“H-Hey?! Kisa?!”
“You dare do that to me! Hurry up and say it! Hurry up! If not, I’ll continue to bite your ear for the rest of our lives! I won’t ever let go!”
She called it biting, but it felt more like a gentle caress instead. Mikado couldn’t stand against the pressure, falling back to the ground, as the girl’s hair tickled his cheek. Whilst being attacked by Kisa in such fashion, Mikado started calculating the next attack.
Around one hour had passed since this strategic warfare started.
“Huff…huff…”
“Haa…phew…”
Both Mikado and Kisa laid collapsed on the floor, gasping for air. Both of them had received damage beyond the reasonable margin, down on the count. Yet, neither of them confessed. They fought worthy (?) of being the successors of Japan’s light and shadow. Kisa slammed her hand on the floor, glaring at Mikado.
“Really, why won’t you say it, Mikado…so obstinate…”
“Right back at you…”
Only a bit more, and he could have taken her hand. This was the first time Mikado had spoken his heart this much, and the embarrassment had vanished now. If possible, he would have loved to make this the last game, but…
“Can’t help it. We’ll continue this another time.” Mikado sighed as he got up.
If he continued to suffer from Kisa’s relentless attacks anymore, he would probably lose himself.
“M-My, so you’re scared of my unbeatable cuteness?” Kisa spoke in a provocative manner.
“That’s right, you are just too cute.”
“…!”
Hearing Mikado’s straight response, her ears started to turn red.
“That’s why, let me go home for the day.”
“O-Okay…”
She took out the smartphone from her pocket, pressing a button on the screen. Following that, the shutters everywhere went up, and the classroom returned back to normal.
“Then, see you tomorrow.”
“Wait!”
Mikado was about to escape onto the hallway, when Kisa suddenly grabbed her shirt.
“…You still wanna go?”
“No…that’s…not it.” Kisa started fidgeting nervously.
“What’s wrong?”
“U-Um…I didn’t call a car for me yet…so…you know?” Kisa gazed up at Mikado.
Seeing his, Mikado felt his breathing come to a halt. He didn’t think she’d try an honest approach like this. If it wasn’t for the rift between their families, a normal youth with his beloved Kisa might have been possible. The girl would just invite the boy after school, as they go their way, taking detours to enjoy themselves.
“Then…should we go home together?”
Even though Mikado mustered up all his courage, Kisa ruined this as she giggled.
“My my, you want to go home with me that badly? We spend time together at school, and yet that’s not enough? How pitiful…you really must love me.”
“Wah…you…” Mikado blushed furiously.
“I’m joking. Let’s go home together.”
Having his wrist taken along by Kisa, her innocent and blissful smile made Mikado feel like he could forgive his girl for just everything. It had been like this since forever. There was the side of her, as the successor of the Empress of Darkness, and the normal girl Kisa, smiling blissfully.
Mikado and Kisa walked down the hallway. Kisa probably wasn’t used to his action, and felt anxious at it, as she tightly gripped her student bag. Mikado saw this, and yet was unable to do anything about it. Which leg would he have to move first? The left, or the right? Where should he put his gaze?
“What…are you gazing around for? …Did you not want to go home with me after all?” Kisa asked anxiously.
“Of course I did. I always…wanted to do something like this.”
“I-I see…M-Me too…”
Since she whispered the later part, Mikado had to ask what she said, just to make sure.
“What was that? Could you say that again?”
“S-Something like this…has been a dream of mine…”
“A-A dream? That much…?”
“S-Something wrong with that?!” Kisa blushed furiously, casting her face downward.
—Wasn’t that just like a confession?
For some reason, Mikado felt an odd sense of pain in his chest. The two had been unaware of each other’s feelings, just continuing to be shackled by their families. How long had this time passed on? Maybe Mikado felt glad now that this would come to an end. Yet, an odd sense of distance was built, as the two left the entrance.
Normally he’d be taking his car home now, so walking down the courtyard next to Kisa felt a bit surreal. Not to mention that Mikado never had returned by foot ever since he started attending school. It was like they had stopped the successors of Japan’s two most influential families, just two normal citizens.
—Now, what to do about this.
Walking alongside the bus road, Mikado started thinking. A Y street was approaching them. Going right on the national highway, they would arrive at the shortest route to their respective homes. A great portion of students would frequent the train station there, so that would be the part where Kisa and Mikado would separate.
Choosing the left way, they could walk through the shopping street. But, this would also turn into a great detour, which might result in Kisa asking him such things as ‘You wanted to go on a date with me that badly?’
—What will Kisa do?
Mikado went to check Kisa’s actions. As for her, she made her way straight to the national highway. However, that was just how it looked on the outside. Her eyes often wandered over to the shopping district, as well as checking how Mikado reacted.
“…Kisa. Let me ask one thing. Do you have any urgent business today?”
Kisa heard Mikado’s words, answering with slight hesitation.
“Eh? L-Let me see…If I had to name something, I am probably busy crashing the share prices to deliver despair to the citizens?”
“Nothing important I see, good!”
“It’s very important! It’s to show the people that they can’t go against me, a very interesting way of passing time!”
“Just leave that aside! The citizens need to live their dreams!!”
“It’s the job of us rulers to dampen their dreams…”
“It’s not our job at all! We have the duty to enable their dreams!”
Reigning over people was not Mikado’s intention. There were more important things at this moment. He had to somehow invite Kisa on this after-school date at any cost.
“W-Well? It’s not like I have to do that today at all costs, so i-if something more urgent came up, I could still make time in my schedule?” Kisa spoke, as she restlessly looked over at the shopping district.
It was quite clear that she also wanted to take a stroll through there. That being said, neither of them could truly ask the other out, as this would lead them to a disadvantage in the battle to come.
…In other words, this was a so-called game of chicken. Normally, such a game consisted of two cars driving towards the other, the one to step on the brakes first crowned the loser. This time, the breakpoint was regarded as the split-up section of the Y street they approached. If neither of them used the brakes, they would soon split up again, spending the rest of their day alone, regretting this. However, stepping on the brakes would be a clear show of affection, hence giving them a disadvantage. A sure-fire way to win was to inflict fear into the other person, showing them that they had to act first, or they would die.
—No other choice but to do it!
Mikado heightened his walking speed. Seeing this, Kisa followed suit. She apparently was willing to jump on the game of chicken.
“H-Hey, why are you in a rush like that!”
“I’m not in a rush…If I had to say it, then I’m living on the fast lane.”
“That doesn’t make any sense!”
“The train is going to be there soon!”
Mikado sped up even further, jogging along the street now. Kisa yet again did the same.
“There’s going to be another train coming soon!”
“Even so! The same train won’t ever come again!”
“It will! That’s how trains work!”
“But, is it really the same train from before?! Isn’t it just a train looking similar?! I will not be deceived!”
“Who cares about something like that!”
The boy and girl were dashing down the street at full speed. With the sounds of their shoes hitting the ground at great momentum, they gathered onlookers everywhere. Neither of them could step down. They both tried to push the other into giving in from the fear.
“Ahhh, just stay still already!”
“…?!”
Something flew from inside Kisa’s sleeve, which Mikado barely managed to avoid. Right as it flew past him, he saw that it was a needle. Instead of him, the needle hit a passing salaryman, rendering him unconscious right away.
Mikado reacted quickly, catching the man, softly lowering him to the ground. Since this was a weapon aimed at Mikado, it shouldn’t have contained any deadly poison. In reality, the salaryman had a blissful expression, as he slept. He had bags beneath his eyes, so a good round of sleep didn’t hurt him.
Yet, in this short time, Kisa had already taken a twenty meters distance from Mikado.
“Fool! As you were held back with sympathy, you ended up losing! You won’t be able to catch up with me anymore!”
“And what good does this for you?!”
Inflicting fear onto her opponent was one thing, but with this much distance, there was nothing gained. Maybe only Mikado had been participating in this game of chicken, and Kisa just wanted to go home. This left Mikado worried.
“Guess…I’ll have to get serious then.”
He kicked the ground, and immediately gained a few meters on Kisa. Rather than running, his action was more defined by ‘Catching’, as his eyes were only focussed on Kisa. After that, it involved even further, into a ‘Flying’ motion. In a mere blink, Mikado caught up with Kisa.
“Aren’t you a bit too serious?!”
“I don’t want to hear that from the person who tried to get me unconscious with a poisoned needle!”
“I just happened to drop it! It was an accident that it hit someone!”
“It sure looked like it was aiming for my neck though!”
Only five meters until the divergence. Kisa showed no signs of heading to the shopping district. Mikado finally managed to line up with her at the one meter mark. At this rate, they might really go home already.
—Are you really fine with that?! Are you satisfied already?!
Kisa was only looking ahead. A drop of sweat ran down her white throat. The precipitous cliff was right in front of them. Mikado’s toes made it past the divergence.
—I can ‘t let it end here!
The following moment, the both of them leaped at the entrance of the shopping street. At the exact same time. Kisa sunk down onto the floor, out of breath.
“W-What are we doing…really…”
“Not a race…?”
In the end, the game of chicken ended up in a draw. Though Mikado felt happy that they had the same desire, and that he avoided the agony of going home alone already, he was tired.
“We’re here already, so why don’t we look around for a bit?”
“I don’t mind! It wouldn’t hurt to study the lives of the citizens I will eventually bring to ruin.”
“Again, no ruining people’s lives.”
Yet, Mikado was relieved at Kisa’s agreement. Since other routes converged here, such as the train station nearby, or Sousei Academy, a great number of people passed through the shopping street. There seemed to have been a sale on western clothes, as a lot of women stood in a crowd. Kisa’s slender body was quickly washed along this mass. Unlike the students of Sousei Academy, they didn’t know who Kisa was, and what she was able to do, showing absolutely no restraint.
“What arrogant fellows! I have to teach them some respect!”
Out of wherever, Kisa pulled out two giant daggers.
“No need for that. Come with me.”
“Ah…”
Mikado took Kisa’s hand, as he started walking. He led her in a way that she wouldn’t bump into other people, protecting her and the others from possible injuries. Naturally, Mikado was aware of his bold actions at this very moment. That being said, something of this level should be forgiven, looking at the current situation. That this shouldn’t have any influence on the love game. But…even more than anything, he probably just wanted to hold hands with Kisa.
At first, Kisa just had Mikado pull her hand, but after a bit of time passed, her hand relaxed, as she returned the grip. That alone was enough to send pins and needles deeply down into Mikado’s being. They would hold hands like this when they were younger, but as time passed, and as they grew up, the distance between them would grow proportionally. That’s why doing something like this was resembling a dream.
—I wonder where I should take Kisa to make her happy.
Mikado started thinking. Although it was on the way home from school, this technically counted as their first date. He didn’t want her to think of him as a boring man. He had to make her enjoy herself, so that she would want to do this again.
That being said, with this sudden impulse of happiness, Mikado couldn’t come up with a proper plan. He didn’t have the time to put in a reservation at a restaurant, not to mention that he probably wouldn’t be able to find a store that could deliver a taste befitting to Kisa’s tongue. Mizuki was the type of fast-food eater, but that wouldn’t work for her older sister. Hence, Mikado just saw his only option in directly asking her.
“What do you want to do, Kisa?”
“Eh? U-Um…let me think…it’s still noon, so staying over somewhere would be a bit too fast, so I’m a bit lost on how to answer that!”
“Nobody mentioned staying over somewhere!”
“We’re going to do it outside?!”
“What are we even talking about?!”
Mikado felt his body burn up. Naturally, he didn’t hate the idea of…doing this with Kisa, but maybe it was his virgin heart that wished for the steps to come a bit slower.
“Um…then, you can decide, Mikado! I’ll follow you wherever you want to go!”
“Wherever I want to go, huh…”
“Y-Yeah.” Kisa muttered as her ears turned red.
This Empress might actually be the type to fully devote herself to Mikado. For Mikado, who had assumed she could only think about destruction and despair, this tickled his chest in a comfortable way.
The two of them walked down the shopping street. Passing by the front of a department store, giving unbelievably cheap shoes on sale a sideways glance, there now stood a tall building in front of them. This seemed to have been a building gathering stores with food and drinks, as the posters and billboards showed menus.
“They have a lot of cafes here…A cat cafe, rabbit cafe, an owl cafe even…What do you prefer, Kisa?”
“I’m interested in the Screaming Hell cafe.”
“Let’s hold off of that.”
“Then…the slug cafe?”
“None of that either.”
Mikado was quite interested in these exotic cafes as well, but it didn’t quite feel right for their first date. They could go on an adventure in the future.
“Guess we’ll just go with the safe cat cafe.”
Mikado announced his choice, but Kisa gazed at the poster, slightly worried.
“Will this be fine…I never tried cats before…”
“A cat cafe doesn’t serve cats!”
“They don’t?! What kind of fraud is this?!”
“It’s not fraud. A cat cafe is a place where you can enjoy drinks and some small snacks, while looking at the cats. You can even buy cat food and feed them.”
Mikado explained what he knew, but in reality, he received all this information from a male classmate of his. In terms of knowing about the normal lives of citizens, the Kitamikado Family wasn’t far off from the Nanjou Family.
“Even though we enter the cafe, we pay the food for the staff, the cats?! How…how shameless! I won’t forgive this!”
“Just forgive them. It’s probably like a salary. It must be tough playing along with these crazy cat lovers.”
“I see…so cats are selling themselves in order to survive…”
“You’re not wrong, but that way of phrasing it is awful.”
The two of them headed up the stairs to the third floor. The stairs looked awfully unstable, as well as slim beyond reasonable safety hazards, so Mikado felt worried for Kisa’s well-being. Kisa on her hand pushed down her skirt as well, so that nobody could look beneath that. Finally, they made it up to the third floor, rang the doorbell, and headed inside. The inside was built up with two layers, the first consisting of a small room with the reception, the later a bigger room, inhabiting the cats. You get one drink on the menu, with thirty minutes, with an additional possible ten minutes.
Mikado ordered green tea, whereas Kisa chose black tea, and received the orders of the store. To always wear socks or stockings, don’t forcefully pick up the cats, don’t feed the individual cats more than once or twice, quite in detail. A male classmate of Mikado had given him a crucial advice before:
“Listen, don’t just think of touching the cats carelessly. That is harder than getting a chance at a handshake event with a famous idol. Don’t expect to receive any affection, and just give them all of yours.”
Hearing the instructions, Mikado nodded along.
“I…I lost the confidence to really spoil these cats…” Kisa sighed.
“Well, it should be fine.”
After being forced to the instructions, they finally were allowed to meet the royalty. Right as they took a step in—
“Shaaaaaaaaaaa—!!!”
All the cats in the room jumped up. It wasn’t on the level of not wanting to be touched or spoiled. All of the cats present hid in the shadows, or other objects at full speed. Entering their cat boxes, jumping onto nearby shelves, even beneath the carpet. A female staff nearby was at a loss.
“Eh, everyone?! What happened?!”
The staff tried to carefully pick up a cat from the nearby cat tower, but the cat clung to it as if it’s life depended on it. Mikado immediately understood the reason for that. From Kisa’s body, a passionate, overwhelming aura started leaking.
“Now…be spoiled by me…If not…you know what will happen, right…?” The goddess of darkness grinned.
“Don’t glare at the cats like you’d burn down the world if they didn’t come!”
“I have to show them who’s boss right off the beginning…”
“I’m pretty sure you look like the last boss to them!”
“They aren’t wrong…Either way, I will be the woman to reign over the world…”
It was especially scary because Kisa clearly had the capability to do it. Mikado didn’t expect any other man to be able to hold his ground against her, hence why he had to win this love game no matter what.
But, leaving that aside, he couldn’t keep this situation going. At this point, they were just bothering the cafe, dampening their sales as the cats wouldn’t dare coming out. That’s why Mikado decided to show Kisa how to properly appreciate cats.
“You can’t scare them like that. You get closer to them like this.”
He carefully picked up the cat even the staff couldn’t tear off the cat house, gently running his hand along it’s back. Feeling his palm, the cat slowly calmed down in his hands.
“See?”
“I see you are used to this. Is that how you laid your hands on Shizukawa-san or my little sister? …You player.” Kisa showed Mikado a cold glare.
“Don’t make me sound like some gigolo. I had to use techniques like that when I was battling wild animals in the jungle, like giant snakes. This technique also works for cats.”
“I’d love to ask how you even ended up in a jungle, but…I’m pretty sure snakes and cats are different!”
“They’re the same. They both aim for my life.”
“I’m not all too familiar with cats, but I don’t think cats are capable of killing you!”
“Don’t let down your guard. Having the blood of wild animals in them, at the root of cats lies still a ferocious beast.”
If there was even a 1% chance of being killed, Mikado prepared countermeasures. Even as he was patting the cat, he was always ready to intercept any possible attack. The cat apparently understood this, as it didn’t even dare to pull outs its claws. Rather, it apparently held quite positive affection for him, as it stood up on two legs, kissing Mikado on the cheek.
“Wha…?!” Kisa’s eyes opened wide. “A-A kiss…It kissed…Mikado…”
The cat clung to Mikado, pressing itself against his chest. It had been scared not even a minute ago, and now it reacted like Mikado was it’s mother. Kisa on her hand pouted.
“…I’m going home.”
“Wha?! Is there something you didn’t like here?!”
Mikado panicked. He didn’t want their first date to end this quickly.
“…That cat…is seducing you.”
“Seducing?! Are you jealous of a cat?!”
“I-I’m not jealous or anything! It’s your fault for not staying consistent with your feelings! Pervert! Making girls cry!” Kisa glared at Mikado with tears in her eyes.
—So freaking cute…!
Mikado felt like his heart was tickled by a sweet embrace. He thought of using this to bring out further jealousy from Kisa, but since she was close to breaking out in tears, he gave up on that idea. Instead, he gently put the cat in Kisa’s arms.
“How about you try it as well?”
“Wah, not so sudden…!”
Kisa was now the one to panic. Barely avoiding to drop the cat, she carefully ran her fingers along it’s belly. Maybe because she felt Kisa’s tension, or the danger emitting from her body, the cat froze up, as if it was playing dead.
“It’s not relaxing at all. Maybe it thinks of me as a rival.”
“I don’t think so. If I had to guess, it’s trying not to make you it’s enemy.”
This sight brought a certain memory back to Mikado’s head. Back during the time the two snuck away from parties to play with each other, Mikado spotted a stray dog, and took care of it, but Kisa never tried approaching it once. Mikado just assumed her to be scared of the dog, but in reality, she must have been alienated to the idea of taking care of aliens. Most likely, she was not allowed to take care of any pets in her family.
“Like this…you gently rub it right at its nose.”
“Hya?!”
Mikado carefully took Kisa’s hand to fulfill the motion he spoke off, as Kisa’s ears turned into a faint red. They were at a distance close enough for him to catch a whiff of her scent. Kisa bit her lip in embarrassment, as she left her hand to Mikado. At the same time, the cat started to relax ever so slightly.
“Ah…”
“See? Not that difficult, right?”
“Y-Yes.”
As Mikado removed his hand, Kisa continued as she was taught. She left her hand in that one position, possibly scared of making a mistake otherwise.
“How cute…”
She softly embraced the cat, smiling happily.
Watching this, Mikado thought…
—Just like you.
But, naturally, he couldn’t speak these words out loud.
CClaw Translations 
this is gr8 work
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