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Would You Be Able To Love A Pervert If They’re Handsome?
This happened on the following afternoon after the graduation ceremony, March 11th, which was a Sunday. In a cafe near the train station, two beautiful women entered the cafe.
“Ah, there he is! Kei-kun!”
“Hello there, Kei-chan.”
While waving their hands, the Akiyama sisters approached Keiki. The one wearing casual pants with short hair was the older sister Akiyama Asahi, whereas the pure-looking girl with long hair and a skirt was Akiyama Yuuhi. Despite having the same face, they acted completely differently as they sat down in front of Keiki. After the waitress arrived, they ordered a soda and a cafe au lait respectively. Once their drinks arrived, Keiki spoke up.
“I’m sorry for calling you over during a weekend like this.”
“It’s totally fine. Both Yuuhi-chan and I had time.”
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
“Actually, I wanted to ask something of you two mature ladies.”
That’s right, Keiki called them here because he wanted advice on something. The reason he relied on the two sisters instead of Shouma or Koharu is that this was a topic he was rather uncomfortable with.
“Please teach me adult techniques that will make a girl fall head over heels for me!”
““Adult techniques?!””
“I want to make my girlfriend happy!”
““Your girlfriend happy?!””
The sisters blushed. The part about wanting to make her happy sounded a bit dubious, but it was most likely just their imagination.
“To be perfectly honest, I’d been practicing already before going out with her, so I’ve got some experience.”
“H-Huh… So Kei-kun did a lot even before dating her…”
“Kei-chan is actually quite the player?”
“Player? Well, we went to the movies, the shopping mall, and stuff like that, but I don’t want to go to standard places. I’d rather go on a more mature date!”
After hearing that exclamation from Keiki, Asahi and Yuuhi blinked at the same time.
“Huh? You’re asking for dating advice?”
“I thought this was about advice for nightly activities…”
“Huh? Nightly activities?”
“Ah, sorry, don’t pay it any mind, Kei-kun.”
“Yeah, we just got the wrong idea for a moment, so don’t worry about it.”
The two sisters showed awkward smiles and quickly hid their mistake. Keiki was confused, but as it was a problem between the two of them, he didn’t comment on it.
“But that makes sense. We might be able to help you with that.”
“You’re right, we know how to get a good mood going.”
“Ohh, as expected of university girls! So reliable!”
To the point they looked like goddesses.
“Ehehe, now I feel motivated!”
“We gotta show off our skills now! We’ll make sure to come up with the best possible date plan so that your girlfriend will be head over heels for you!”
They seemed happy to be relied upon, and they declared this with a smile.
““Just leave it to us!””
*
March 14th was White Day. Since he had received lots of chocolate, Keiki was busy bringing around cookies to his friends. The first one was for his classmate Nanjou Mao, who said she would eat them during her break from working on the manuscript. She seemed happy. Next up was Fujimoto Ayano, who he encountered in the hallways. She indulged in Keiki’s scent leftover on the bag, and evidently seemed happy. Finally was the third person. To avoid the prying eyes of other people, he called Airi to a passageway to hand her the plastic bag with cookies.
“Thanks a lot for the chocolate. It was delicious.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Airi accepted the bag, showing a gentle smile. “Ah, I really like these. I’ll eat them after I get home.”
“Yeah, feel free…”
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
“I was just thinking that you’ve sure opened up a lot lately.”
“Huh? W-Where did that come from?”
“I mean, you just accepted my present pretty easily. Before, you would never even bother with a guy like me because of your distaste for men, so I thought this was great progress.”
“Ah…” Airi said like she had realized what he meant, and smiled. “If so, then that must be because of your special training, Kiryuu-senpai.”
Just where did the cold and distanced man-hating Airi wander off to? Her smile was charming to the point that it utterly entranced Keiki, and if he managed to assist in such a positive change, then he felt honored.
“So, I’d like to repay Yuika-chan for her chocolate…”
“I believe she was eating lunch in her classroom, and then wandered off somewhere.”
“I see…”
“Can’t you just contact her?”
“I did, but recently she hasn’t been answering my calls…”
As the exact opposite of Airi, now Yuika was distancing herself from Keiki. However, Keiki had a feeling he knew the reason for that. Most likely, Yuika still wasn’t over the scene of Keiki putting on Mizuha’s panties for her in the library room. Additionally, the fact that Mizuha told the girls about her first time with Keiki probably didn’t help. Realizing that Keiki was in fact a healthy high school boy must have been a huge shock for Yuika, which led to this mess.
“Did you have a fight with Yuika?”
“Not exactly…”
“I wonder. You tend to do things that aren’t exactly ethical, Kiryuu-senpai.”
“Do I really?”
“Have you forgotten that bunny girl incident? And you’ve even seen my panties before…”
“The perpetrator of the bunny girl incident was Sayuki-senpai, and the panties incident was an accident.”
As the temporary student council member that Keiki was at the time, he helped Airi with her work, when she slipped from the ladder and revealed her pure white panties.
Though not many of those things happened with Nagase-san…
At least compared to the overwhelming amount with Yuika. When it comes to lucky pervert moments, she probably held the top spot. Touching her breasts on accident, burying his face in her butt, having her panties stuffed into his mouth (there he was the victim at least)… Just remembering all of these seemed crazy to Keiki.
Now that I think about it, I haven’t talked with Yuika-chan much since Mizuha and I started dating…
Although they would regularly run into each other because of club activities or committee work, the rumor related to Mizuha made everything a bit complicated and left Keiki busy.
“Should I look for Yuika?” Airi asked.
“Thanks, but I’ll go have a look some more.”
“Right, I’m sure that would make her happier as well.”
That aside, Keiki wanted to talk with Yuika directly.
“Oh yeah, how are things with you and Rintarou lately?”
“Ah, him…” Airi’s expression immediately changed to disgust. “He’s been proposing to me almost daily now…”
“Oh my…”
Quite a passionate approach from a playboy like Rintarou. Then again, he was always the type to act first and think later.
“But since he’s not giving up after being rejected once, he might actually be serious for a change.”
“I wonder about that. I’m sure he’ll give up soon enough. Not to mention that I don’t have any intentions of going out with him, and he only likes girls with big breasts. He must be out of his mind after getting rejected over and over.”
As if to show that she was done talking about that, Airi’s expression changed back into a smile.
“What about you, Kiryuu-senpai? How are things with Mizuha-senpai lately?”
“It’s working out just fine.”
“I doubt you and Mizuha-senpai would fight much.”
“Well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her angry, yeah.”
Instead, Mizuha was quick to sulk whenever Keiki was getting along with another girl, which led to her going full commando as a way of relieving stress, so she was at least emotional to a certain degree.
“Since today’s White Day, why not invite her out on a date?”
“We actually already have plans for this afternoon.”
“How passionate.”
“I’m doing my best.”
“You’d best treasure her, okay?”
“She’s totally wasted on me, to be honest.”
“I personally think you two are a good match. Whenever I’ve seen you recently, you’ve looked like a wonderful couple.”
“Oh, really? That makes me happy, at least.” Keiki grinned.
At least when it came to that, Airi wasn’t joking around, so Keiki believed her.
“More importantly, shouldn’t you be looking for Yuika now? Lunch break will end at this rate.”
“Ah, I almost forgot.”
Since Keiki had plans during the afternoon, he really wanted to talk with Yuika during lunch break.
“I’ve gotta get going then.”
“Yes… And thank you very much for the cookies.” Airi said, gently waving her hand in front of her chest.
Sent off by his gentle junior’s smile, Keiki walked down the hallway.
“Mmm… I really thought Yuika-chan would be here…”
After separating with Airi, Keiki immediately moved to the library room. It must have been because the seniors all graduated, but not a single soul was present. Temporarily, this place was famous for the rumor ‘The Blonde Angel’s Library Room’, which referred to Koga Yuika, but looking around now, there was nobody to be seen. Keiki turned around, thinking of looking somewhere else, when he remembered one place.
“Don’t tell me…”
He trusted his intuition and moved towards the back of the library room. It was a quiet storage room usually not touched by anybody except the library committee members. Keiki slowly opened the door. Moving through the bookshelves, he spotted Yuika sitting on the ground, with her back to the wall below the window, reading a book. Her golden hair looked like it was sparkling even amidst the dimly-lit room. Her green eyes were fixated on the pages, creating a perfect scene.
“Found you, Yuika-chan.”
“Huh? …K-Keiki-senpai?!”
When Keiki called out to her, Yuika’s body twitched and she stood up in shock.
“W-Why are you here…?”
“Because I was searching for you. Knowing how much of a bookworm you are, I figured you’d be in the library room. Though I didn’t expect you to move to the back storage.” He explained while approaching her, offering her a plastic bag.
“Here, this is thanks for your Valentine’s chocolate.”
“Ah… thank you…” Yuika reluctantly accepted the present.
However, she immediately took her distance from him.
Yep. She’s still as distant as before…
It felt like she was being cautious of Keiki. Most likely after what had happened between him and Mizuha.
Soon enough, this’ll impact our work at the club, so I really should try to make up with her, but…
Because of a single difference in mindset, it could bring the whole club down.
“Then Yuika will leave now!”
“Ah, wait, I’m not done—”
At this rate, she would run away once more, so Keiki panicked and closed the distance between them… However.
“…Huh?”
His foot slipped on a piece of paper lying on the floor.
“Waaaah!?”
He lost his balance, unable to get back on his feet, opening his arms wide as he fell forward.
“Ouch… Wait, what is this?”
When he raised his head, he felt like his hands were holding onto something. It felt familiar to him, with silky smooth fabric…
Ah, it’s Yuika-chan’s skirt, all right.
He seemed to have toppled forwards and pulled down Yuika’s skirt as he fell. In other words, he succeeded in a beautiful diving catch.
So that means…
Keiki carefully raised his head, only to find Yuika’s panties smiling back down at him.
“Oh lord help me…”
He saw his own death approaching, his face as pale as grey ash. The girl whose panties were revealed was shaking violently.
“Heh…”
“Y-Yuika-chan…?”
“Hehehehehehe…”
“You’re scaring me!”
She sounded like a broken radio.
“Every single time with your lucky pervert nonsense… Do you want to be punished by Yuika that badly?”
“Not at all!”
Being sincere with girls was Kiryuu Keiki’s mentality. He would never do such a thing as sexualy harassing them on purpose. However, that kind of excuse most certainly did not work with his sadistic junior. She pulled up her skirt, opened the zipper, and took off her panties, opening them up right in front of Keiki’s eyes.
“If you like Yuika’s panties that much, she might as well stuff them into your mouth again.”
“Please no mooooooooooooooooore!”
Like this, Keiki was punished—or rather lectured by the fiendish enraged Queen once more.
A few minutes later, Keiki was groveling on the floor of the storage room, wearing his junior’s panties on his head. If somebody saw him like this, his life would be over in an instant. However, the great Yuika-sama ordered him to remain in this pathetic position. This very Yuika-sama now stood in front of Keiki, with crossed arms like a king giving out orders. Her presence was unimaginable from a girl wearing no panties, her expression still riddled with fury.
“For crying out loud, you are just…”
“I have no excuses…”
“You really shouldn’t do this sort of stuff with Mizuha-senpai.”
“If anything, she’d probably be happy about it.”
“Yuika would have loved to disagree with that, but she just remembered that Mizuha-senpai is a pervert as well. It’s easy to forget, really.”
“Normally, she’s just a normal girl.”
“Yuika is the same, remember? She may enjoy bullying men, but she usually puts on a mask and acts innocent.”
“The instant you act innocent, you’re definitely not normal.”
“Yuika doesn’t want to hear that from the person who is wearing panties on his head.”
“You made me wear them, no?!”
Since she forced him into this, she most definitely was the pervert into the situation. However, Yuika knew that he had no way of complaining now, so she flashed him a fiendish grin.
“You have guts talking back to Yuika in such a situation. Why don’t we take some pictures?”
“Please, I beg you…”
“Huuuh? If Yuika had a picture of this scene, she could threaten you for all eternity.”
“That’s why I don’t want you to take one!”
“Ahaha, forcing you to wear Yuika’s panties to the point you dislike it this much… The sight of you makes Yuika shiver in pleasure~”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen sadist mode Yuika-chan…”
Keiki felt like a fish on land. It was like an undying mummy was coming to chase after him. Yuika seemed to be satisfied, though. She pulled the panties off Keiki’s head and put them back on herself. Now that he was forgiven, Keiki finally stood up.
“But Yuika is relieved.”
“Relieved about what?”
“Since you started going out with Mizuha-senpai, it felt like you suddenly went somewhere far away.” Her green eyes were directed at Keiki as she confessed her feelings. “Surely, Yuika must have been scared… realizing that Keiki-senpai became an adult… and that you become someone else’s. Someone who isn’t Yuika.”
“So that’s why you were avoiding me…”
Since the girl was actually very emotional and clingy at times, she probably couldn’t keep up with the sudden change in their relationships.
“Of course, Yuika doesn’t enjoy the idea of the boy she likes going around flirting with another girl.”
“R-Right…”
“The second you started dating, you immediately offered her the virginity you treasured so much, no?”
“I wasn’t actively treasuring it, okay?”
“Well, Yuika was a bit worried because of that, but… in the end, you haven’t changed at all, and stayed the same Senpai who enjoyed pulling down Yuika’s skirt.”
“Is that the image you have of me?”
“Have you forgotten all the times you’ve practically sexually assaulted Yuika?”
“I am terribly sorry for everything.”
Keiki instantaneously apologized for his crimes. Fondling her chest, pushing his face into her behind… all of these things had actually happened, so Keiki had no room to argue.
“Hehe, Keiki-senpai really is an honest pig.”
“Can you not say that with a smile?”
What a horrible impact to experience. Hearing the word ‘Pig’ from such an adorable junior was surreal, to say the least.
“The lewd pervert Keiki-senpai made a beautiful dive to pull down Yuika’s skirt all to see her underwear, no?”
“Again, it was just an accident.”
“If everything was seen as an accident, we wouldn’t need any police officers.”
“………”
That argument left Keiki speechless. Thinking about it, it may have been an accident, but he still pulled down a girl’s skirt. Being let off by only wearing her panties might have been an easy punishment.
“You’d better reflect on that, okay?”
“Yes, I will be careful from now on.”
“One more thing.”
“There’s still more?!”
“Recently, you’ve been only having eyes for Mizuha-senpai, right?”
“Huh?”
“Flirting all day, just staring at each other in the clubroom… You’re totally head over heels for each other.”
“Were we flirting that much?”
“You weren’t even aware of it? Oh lord…” Yuika looked at Keiki in disbelief. “Well, I get that Mizuha-senpai is first since the two of you are dating, but it wouldn’t hurt to give Yuika some attention now and then, no?”
“Yuika-chan…”
She looked like an abandoned puppy. Realizing that Keiki was at fault for making her feel this way, he felt his chest hurt.
“Well, it’s fine. Yuika got to punish Keiki-senpai a lot today, so Yuika came up with something good.”
“W-What exactly?”
“Just because Yuika’s slave suddenly got a girlfriend doesn’t mean that Yuika has to hold herself back.”
“…Come again?”
“It doesn’t matter if Senpai has a girlfriend. A dog faithful to its owner just needs to be punished until he’s colored by none other than Yuika only.”
“Yuika-chan?! That sounds mighty violent if you ask me!”
“Ahaha. Yuika will make sure to train Keiki-senpai plenty so that you’ll swear allegiance to Yuika!” She declared like the sadist that she was and clung to Keiki’s arm.
A sweet scent drifted up his nose, and the softness pressed against him made his heart race.
“Y-Yuika-chan…? Um, I have a girlfriend now.”
“So? This much should be fine. Yuika is just a clingy and adorable junior.”
“No, but…”
“Or, are you so much of a pervert that you’ll start feeling weird just because Yuika is clinging to you like this?”
“Urk…”
Keiki was weak against that argument. Rejecting her too strongly would mean that he was conscious of her. In the end, he would play right into her hand no matter what he did.
Also, Yuika-chan’s gotten better at finding the weakness of other people…
There’s no way any boy would not be conscious of Yuika in this situation. In fact, this kind of sweet skinship had almost won Keiki over many times.
“Keiki-senpai, you need to spoil Yuika some more in the future, okay?”
“…In the sense of a relationship between senior and junior, yeah.”
Today, it was Keiki’s complete loss. Because of the girl’s smile, he was unable to return anything.
That smile definitely fits Yuika-chan better.
She had an arrogant smile on her face, and it was cute to the point Keiki couldn’t fight against it. Although the incident with the skirt may have happened, Keiki was glad that she was happy again.
*
During the evening on White Day, Keiki took Mizuha to a nighttime pool in the neighboring town. It was located on the highest floor of a large hotel close to the train station, and since the walls and ceiling were built out of glass, you could easily see outside, which made it a popular dating spot. By the time they went into their respective changing rooms, the sun had begun to set, the sky was colored a deep orange, which created the perfect stage and atmosphere for nighttime swimming.
“This is amazing. It feels like we’re actually outside.” Mizuha raised a voice of excitement after setting foot towards the poolside.
“I’m glad we got clear weather today. And a clear moon to boot.”
“Yep. Thanks for bringing me here.”
“It’s my White Day present after all.”
“By the way, why are you holding your head like that, Nii-san?”
“My girlfriend looks so adorable in her swimsuit that I’m in pain over here.”
Mizuha was always cute no matter what she wore, but tonight was just on an entirely different level. With her snow-white bikini, she looked like an angel that had descended upon this pool. Along with her beautiful facial features, she had the right proportions where it mattered despite her slim waist, and her skin looked so white that it was almost transparent. All of these factors combined to the point that his beloved girlfriend’s beauty blinded Keiki, and he wanted all of her to himself.
“Why are white bikinis such a piece of art?”
“Nii-san, your eyes are doing lewd stuff.”
“Oops, excuse me.” Keiki had gotten a bit too heated. “Your swimsuit looks great on you.”
“This is my first time showing you, right? I bought a new one just for today.”
She was absolutely adorable. Almost to the point Keiki didn’t want any other men to see her, but since the pool was currently filled with several couples and office lady-type women, he didn’t have to worry too much. And with all that out of the way, the two of them immediately checked out the pool.
“It feels so weird going to the pool in March.”
“You’re not cold, right?”
“I’m fine. The temperature is perfect in here.”
Although they still had to wear their coats outside, at least the indoor pool was comfortably warm.
“This is the first time I’ve been to a pool at night, but this is pretty fun.”
“Same here. It’s a lot calmer than I anticipated.”
Probably because most of the people present were actually adults. Nobody would play pranks or cause a ruckus at a public pool. They were simply enjoying each other’s company, conversing about this and that. Others were relaxing on the poolside chairs. Rather than coming to an amusement facility, it felt like they had walked into a cafe to drink tea.
As expected of the top-hit date spot Asahi-san and Yuuhi-san told me about.
Keiki mentally thanked the two women for giving him this great piece of information.
“But why a night swim for our date?”
“Yeah, I guess it’s not typical for high school students to go on a night swimming date.”
“You’re right, I didn’t expect it at least.”
“You know, I wanted to go on a normal date with you. But watching a movie or going to the shopping mall are things we could even do as siblings, so I wanted something a bit more high-class, something you would only do as a couple, so I chose a special date spot.”
“Which is here?”
“Yep. Here, nobody would think of us as siblings, right?”
“Ah…”
This was a date spot for mature and experienced couples and adults. Following that logic in reverse, nobody here would think that the two of them were siblings. Instead, they looked like a normal couple to everyone.
“I feel like… I’m being treated like a girl right now…”
“Do you like it?”
“Yeah! I’m really happy about this date.” Mizuha stood inside the pool, showing the smile of a blooming flower.
Despite this being the way Keiki was trying to repay her, he felt like he’d gotten an additional reward instead.
“I knew it when you gave me the ring, but you can be pretty romantic, Nii-san.”
“You’re just too easy, really. You can feel free to be a bit more selfish at times.”
“I like both watching movies and window shopping. Just watching a movie at home is fun for me.”
“I mean, that’s just like you, all right.”
Keiki felt a bit worried at how easy to please Mizuha was. At least in front of her boyfriend, she could ask for something more.
“And I always get to enjoy the feeling of being special.”
“Meaning?”
“Being able to be with my beloved Nii-san makes me feel very special. I would probably get punished if I asked for anything more than this.”
“Mizuha…” He gently smiled.
Keiki’s girlfriend was far too gentle and lovable. It made him want to embrace her—Or rather, he already had started to.
“N-Nii-san…?” From between Keiki’s arms, Mizuha showed an oddly flustered reaction.
After that, her cheeks turned red, and she seemed a bit anxious.
“We can’t do that here… not with other people around…”
“The lights aren’t as bright here, so nobody will see us.”
“But—”
Before the girl could say anything else, Keiki pressed his lips onto hers. Because Keiki was a lot taller than Mizuha, he covered her whole body so the people on the poolside probably had no idea what they were doing. Keiki made these excuses to himself and continued to rain sweet kisses onto his girlfriend.
“…Nii-san… No…”
Keiki felt his body being pushed away. He worried that he might have actually angered Mizuha, but he quickly realized that wasn’t it. Rather than rejection, the emotion residing in her eyes was—
“You can’t… If you keep kissing me here, I won’t be able to hold back anymore…”
“Huh…?”
Behind this sweet proclamation, her eyes were dampened with desire, entrapping her older brother so that he would never be able to escape. It appeared as if the abundant amount of kissing had flipped her switch, making it look like she has heart symbols for pupils.
“The rest… we’ll do after we get home, okay?”
That was the sweet invitation Keiki’s blushing girlfriend uttered.
*
The day after the wonderful pool date with his girlfriend, right after the final homeroom ended, Keiki was walking through the clubroom building.
“Ah, Keiki-senpai, good work today.”
“Oh, Yuika-chan, same to you.”
“By the way, I wonder why we greet each other like that every day after school?”
“Maybe to say that we worked hard during classes?”
Keiki happened to run into Yuika on the way to the clubroom building, discussing whatever came to their mind, when—
“Kiryuu…!”
“Woah?!”
Along with a shriek, Keiki felt an impact hitting his back. The problem was what happened after that. Keiki turned around, only to find a teary-eyed Mao clinging to him.
“N-Nanjou…?”
This wasn’t something the always-calm Mao would usually do. From her attitude alone, Keiki realized that something was going on.
“What’s wrong?”
He asked with as kind of a voice as possible, and Mao looked up at him.
“…Um.”
“Y-Yeah…?”
“It… it happened.”
“…Huh?”
“Because you worked so hard… and did so much for me… It finally happened!”
“Now hold on?!” Keiki doubted his ears.
“Keiki-senpai?”
“Ah?!”
Hearing a cold voice nearby, Keiki spotted Yuika’s pale expression.
“You have Mizuha-senpai, and yet you…”
“No no no no, nothing happened! I’ve only got eyes for Mizuha! I’m not going to cheat on her!”
He swore to never do that. So to clear his name, he asked the person in question.
“Nanjou! Yuika-chan has an awful misunderstanding right now, so please explain what’s going on!”
“…Okay.” Mao seemed to have calmed down, and she moved away from Keiki.
She wiped the tears from her face and began explaining.
“I just got a call from my editor…”
“Your editor?”
“Yeah, my editor. They had a serialization meeting today… and they said that they would put my manga into a serialization slot.”
“Whoa, a serialization?”
“Mao-senpai’s manga is getting serialized?”
Both Keiki and Yuika couldn’t hide their surprise. Mao began tearing up again like she still couldn’t believe it.
“What should I do…? Kiryuu, I actually managed to debut…!”
So what had finally happened was her debut. Keiki would have preferred for Mao to not mix things up with poor phrasing like that, but he still was happy for her. And from that day onward, Minami Mao-sensei’s shoujo manga ‘Would You Be Able To Love A Pervert If They’re Handsome?’ was greenlit for serialization.
The following day, inside the Kiryuu Household’s living room, the usual club members sat around a low table, enjoying a banquet of food. The ones who had gathered were the four from the calligraphy club, sans Sayuki however, but plus Shouma and Koharu. Starting with Keiki and proceeding clockwise sat Mizuha, Yuika, Koharu, Shouma, and Mao. The two couples were seated together, with Yuika and Mao between the two of them. Despite it being a weekday, they all were wearing casual clothes. The reason for this was because the food had to be prepared, so they went home separately and then grouped up again.
“Now then, to Nanjou’s serialization in the monthly magazine—Cheers!”
“““““Cheers!!”””””
Keiki acted as the representative for the group, starting up the party with a brief introduction. After that, the other couple and Yuika gave their blessings.
“Nanjou-san, congratulations on the serialization.”
“Congrats, Mao-chan.”
“Yuika will definitely buy the manga volume if it comes out.”
“Thank you.” Mao bashfully conveyed her gratitude, and then dropped her gaze down to the table. “So… who’s going to eat all of this?”
“Mizuha really got into it, huh?”
“I was just so happy for Mao-chan that I couldn’t help myself.”
That being said, just as Mao had stated, it was dubious whether or not they could eat all of this food. Roasted chicken, naporitan, hamburger steak, and fried potatoes… When they told Mizuha about the serialization, she was so excited that she came up with the idea of throwing a party to celebrate.
“It’s a shame that Sayuki-senpai couldn’t come, though.”
“She had other plans already, right? Couldn’t be helped.”
Since Sayuki was a passionate fan of Mao’s doujinshi, even owning physical copies of all her works, she naturally was very delighted to hear about the serialization. But at the same time, she was frustrated that she couldn’t be there for the party.
“Still, that sure surprised me yesterday. I’ve rarely seen you that flustered, Nanjou.”
“S-Shut up…”
“I’m not teasing you, I was just reminded of how happy you were.”
“Of course. This is what I’ve always been working towards.”
“I’m glad you managed to achieve your dream.”
“…Yeah.” Mao nodded and took a sip from the cup of orange juice.
“This really is amazing. Yuika knows this magazine.”
“Yeah, the reception on my second one-shot was pretty good, so during a survey, there were a lot of people who wanted to read a continuation.”
“I’ve read it myself, but it was very entertaining.”
“I really put my all into it. But I didn’t make it in time for my manuscript last month, and I even hurt my hand… It’s thanks to Kiryuu gathering helpers that I managed to pull it off.”
“So that’s why you said that Keiki-senpai worked really hard for you.”
“I introduced some friends to her. They’re the people from the manga research club, so I didn’t do much.”
Keiki had only thought of somebody who could help, so he introduced them. In the end, the best he could do was provide energy drinks until they were done.
“But now you’ll have to finish a chapter every month, right?”
“That’s what it boils down to.”
“Will you be fine doing that on your own? I’d imagine the workload will be pretty extreme.”
“No worries. The people from the manga research club are part of the team. Inooka-senpai also offered to help despite having graduated.”
“That’s a relief, then.”
The people from the manga research club were the fresh graduate Inooka-senpai, the glasses-wearing boy Shikagawa-kun, and the shy Chouno. When Mao ended up injuring her hand, they joined her on the battlefield. They’ll surely be a great help for the upcoming serialization.
“Since the manuscript will be done digitally, all of us can work on it at home. Since it’s a proper job, I plan on paying them, and Inooka-senpai was happy that he had found himself a part-time job. He wants to buy anime goods or blu-rays with his share.”
“He’s got his money management down.”
“If it becomes popular and gets turned into an anime, make sure to invite us out onto some yakiniku.” Yuika said.
“It’s a bit early to think about that. It’s not quite that simple.”
With that conversation going on in the background, the party continued. Mizuha’s cooking was as delicious as always, and since almost all the club members were present, they never ran out of topics to talk about, making for an enjoyable time. What felt the most impactful was that the usually cool Mao even joined in with smiles of her own. Since Keiki was always close by, he knew how hard she had worked. Now that her hard work had started to pay off, he felt as happy as if it had happened to him. At the same time, he felt thankful to his little sister for coming up with the idea of the party. He was glad that they had decided to do this.
Two hours of joy and fun passed. Most of the food vanished into the participating members’ bellies, and as it had started to get late, they decided to disband for the day.
“It’s gotten pretty dark outside, so I’ll see you off, Koga-san.”
“Err, going home with a lolicon is a bit…”
Even if Shouma was a nice guy, deep down he was a lolicon, so Yuika had all the reason to be wary, but letting her go home alone wasn’t an option either, so Koharu provided a follow-up.
“It’s fine, I’ll be going with you.”
“Then it should be fine,” Yuika nodded.
“Even without Koharu-chan, I will guarantee your safety. My personal value is ‘Yes Lolita – No Touch’ after all.”
“The second you have to remind yourself of that, you’re definitely a dangerous person. Also Yuika isn’t a loli.” She added.
Yuika and Koharu were left in Shouma’s care, so they should be fine.
“Then Nii-san should send Mao-chan home.”
“You’re right, it’d be safer that way.”
“I’d be fine on my own, though.”
Or so Mao said, but as you would expect…
“No can do. It’s dangerous to let a girl walk home alone this late.”
“That’s right, you never know when a pervert who’s into red-hairs might appear.”
“I highly doubt such a pervert exists…”
That being said, Mao saw no point further arguing against the siblings.
“Then, escort me home…”
“Yup, with pleasure.”
As everything wrapped up, they prepared to head home. Just to make sure, they checked if they had forgotten anything, but once that was done, they each put on their coats and left the house in Mizuha’s care. They walked together until the nearest pedestrian crossing, and then the two groups split up, which left Keiki with just Mao. She was wearing slim denim jeans along with a trendy coat to keep herself warm while also blessing her with a mature look. Once their eyes met, she showed a joyful smile.
“It’s gotten so quiet now, huh?”
“Because we were in a large group up until now.”
“Mizuha’s cooking was as delicious as always, and talking with everyone was fun, but it felt like my last supper. Once I get home, I have to start work on the storyboard, after all.”
“I guess being a mangaka is tough work, huh?”
“I’ll probably be really busy from now on. I have to work on my manuscript every month, while also continuing my shortcake series. It’s made me realize that there are too many things to do and nearly not enough time.”
“Not to mention that you still have to attend school.”
“The struggles of a student, huh?”
Balancing studies and work… Being a student and mangaka at the same time must be hard work.
“But I’ll still show up for my club.”
“You sure? Don’t have to force yourself if you’re that busy.”
“I’m not forcing myself. I want to stay in the calligraphy club.”
“…I see.”
Keiki felt relieved to hear that. He felt the same way when it came to Sayuki, but losing members would be a sad thing to him.
“Change of subject, but are you fine with this?” Mao asked. “You’re seeing a girl off while you have a cute girlfriend waiting at home.”
“Come on, she’s the one who suggested it.”
“But even so, normally she wouldn’t let her boyfriend send home her rival in love.”
“Pffft?!”
Only then did Keiki realize it. Since Mao had confessed to Keiki in the past, it technically made her a rival to Mizuha.
“I would never leave my rival alone with my boyfriend. She must have a lot of trust in you.”
“Trust for what?”
“That you don’t go around playing with another girl while she’s not looking. Seriously, how did you manage to make her fall for you this much? You’re a natural-born player, let me tell you.”
“Even if you say that, I have no recollection of it whatsoever…”
“That’s why I said ‘natural-born’.” Keiki’s classmate’s sharp gaze tore right through him. “Well, after everything you’ve done for Mizuha, I guess that makes sense. To the point I get jealous just watching you two.”
“I was panicking a bit back then, yeah.”
They were talking about the time the rumors went around at school. Back then, all Keiki wanted was for the girl he liked to smile again. In order to resolve that problem, Keiki chose the path of making her his fiancee. It was forceful, and maybe not the best method, but he had no regrets.
“Mizuha’s happy, you know. Every day is like a dream for her. She’s loved by Kiryuu and everyone.”
“She said that?”
“You’re loved, huh?”
“…”
“Oh, Kiryuu’s blushing~!”
“Hey, what even is this?”
Some new type of humiliation? Keiki felt awkward and ticklish all over.
“Well, you just keep going like that. I’ll make sure to observe you two.”
“Huh? Observe? What do you mean?”
“I mean, the model for the heroine in ‘IkeSuki1’ is you, Kiryuu, so if you’re not living out your romcom life, I won’t be getting any material.”
“You… you plan on using me as the basis for your manga?”
“I have high hopes for you~”
“Oh lord…”
“Don’t think the former Prez and Yuika have any intention of giving up on you, so some steamy afternoon drama-style development would probably be the best thing for me.”
“What expectations do you have of me?!”
“Oops, we’re here already.” Mao stopped in her tracks.
They were so lost in conversation that they had arrived at her home in no time.
“Thanks for taking me home.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Oh yeah, one last thing.”
“Hm?”
“Sorry, could you turn around?”
“Huh? Why?”
“Come on, just do it.”
“If you say so…” Keiki reluctantly turned around.
Immediately after, he felt a gentle impact hitting his back. By the time he realized that the softness pressing against him were a girl’s breasts, it all came together that Mao was hugging him.
“Hold on, what kind of situation is this?”
It was a gentle hug with her arms wrapped around his waist. It resembled something like a lovers’ hug. Keiki’s only duty was to send off his classmate, and yet this mess of a situation happened. Did Nanjou-san actually plan on this from the very start?
“—Thanks for everything.”
“Huh?”
“Thanks, both for today and everything else so far. You keep saying that you didn’t do much, but the reason I made it this far is because of you.”
“Nanjou…”
From behind his back, Keiki received genuine words of gratitude.
“…Also, Kiryuu?”
“W-What now…?”
“Doing this in front of my home at night makes it feel like you’re cheating, right?”
“Get away from me!”
“Ahaha, Kiryuu got angry at me.” Mao laughed gleefully as she moved away from Keiki.
With her home behind her back, the girl turned around to face Keiki.
“I’m glad I fell in love with you, Kiryuu!”
“Wha?!”
“See you!”
She left behind these bewildering words, turned her back towards him, and started running inside. Once she had completely vanished, Keiki also turned around to walk away.
“…Do your best, Minami-sensei.”
She’ll surely be a great creator some day. Surprising people, moving people, and then becoming a renowned mangaka. As a single fan who had always been by her side, Keiki already looked forward to reading her work.
*
After the end-of-term exams, the end-of-term ceremony arrived, announcing the beginning of spring break. While the school was preparing to welcome the new students, and the current students were taking a break, Keiki was enjoying his time together with Mizuha as always. With no homework to do, they spent the time cleaning the house, watching movies, shopping for new clothes, and thoroughly indulging in their break overall.
Then on an April morning, Mizuha and Keiki put on their cleaned uniforms and made their way to school.
“Spring break passed in the blink of an eye, huh.”
“It was only a week, after all.”
Upon arriving at the school, they first headed for the shoe lockers. With the change of years and the beginning of a new term, what the students were most excited about was the change of classes. Despite the two of them having left the house early, the new class compositions hanging up on a board next to the front entrance were barely visible because of all the people around them.
“I’m in class C. I guess we’re still in different classes this year, Nii-san.”
“Class B here. Well, we’re siblings, so that makes sense.”
Up to this point, Mizuha and Keiki had never been in the same class before. Since their surnames were the same, the school probably didn’t want them to end up in the same class.
“Nii-san, Nii-san, big news.”
“What’s up?”
“Mao-chan and Shouma-kun are in my class.”
“What did you say?!”
Keiki’s gaze reflexively shot towards the list of class C, spotting the names ‘Akiyama Shouma’ and ‘Nanjou Mao’. Realizing that he would be separated from the friends he had been in the same class with for the past two years, a cold sweat ran down his back.
“Don’t tell me… Am I going to end up in a class with nobody I know…?”
As this was the final stretch in his high school life, that would be a fate all too cruel. And to speak of the devil, Shouma and Mao arrived.
“Sup!”
“Hey, you two.”
“Morning, Mao-chan, Shouma-kun.”
“Morning…”
After they finished their greetings, Mao narrowed one eye at Keiki’s listless response.
“Why’re you so down today, Kiryuu?”
“Nii-san is sad that he’s not in the same class as you two.”
“Ohh? Are you that sad to be separated from us, Kiryuu?” Nanjou-san flashed a teasing grin. “Lonely lonely boy.”
At the same time, Shouma tapped Keiki on the shoulder.
“So we’re… finally separated…”
“Hey, stop that. Nanjou’s giving us a rotten gaze already.”
She had taken out her smartphone and had started taking pictures. After that photoshoot was done, she stuffed away her smartphone and started talking to Mizuha like nothing had happened.
“So we’re in the same class this year, huh?”
“Yup, I’m looking forward to it.”
“Oh, even Megumi is in class C.” Mao commented.
“Wha?! So not even Onizuka-san is with me…?”
With this, the former class B friend group had completely fallen apart, signaling the beginning of the ‘Loner Keiki-kun Legend’.
“Damn it… isn’t there anybody I know in there…?” He looked through the name register once more, looking for a comrade with bloodshot eyes.
“Ah…”
Finally, he spotted a familiar name.
“—Kiryuu-kun.”
With that odd timing, Keiki heard his name being called, and when he turned around, he spotted a familiar girl about the same height as Mizuha.
“Fujimoto…san?”
The reason Keiki wasn’t entirely sure was because the girl had changed quite a bit from before. The one eye that was usually hidden by her bangs now directly looked at Keiki like it was no big deal.
“We’re in the same class this year, huh.” She said and smiled.
The girl who had her bangs put up with a hair pin was a new Fujimoto Ayano.
1 Ike from Ikemen = Hottie/Handsome
CClaw Translations 