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OreShura: Volume 6 Chapter 5

2022-04-08T13:23:19Z

240B:C011:411:36FD:9D16:428C:7547:9315: removing weird name missing in JP original

==#5: Eighth-Grade Syndrome VS. Disciplinary Committee President Mayhem==
[[File:Oreshura_v06_103.jpg|thumb]]

During lunch break.

Without even eating, I went to Class 3 to apologize to Fuyuumi and explain to her the events of this morning.

"I see now, it was all for Himecchi."

In the beginning, Fuyuumi's mouth was shaped like a ｢ヘ｣, but after I finished explaining everything, it straightened out.

Of course, Fuyuumi and I had already changed into our uniforms. There was no way we were going to wear this morning's outfits all day.

"But, couldn't you have told me this from the beginning?! When I was dressed up like that—it was seriously too embarrassing!"

"S-Sorry…"

This was probably the first time in Hane High history that a student wore burial clothes to school. Next year, there'll probably be a line in the student manual that will clearly indicate: ｢Wearing white burial clothes or the equivalent to school is prohibited｣ or ｢Bowing prostrate at the school gates is prohibited｣.

"I didn't realize you cared for Hime that much. I'm sorry."

"Well that's obvious, because I'm her master."

Fuyuumi snorted and tilted her chin to the side. Her defiant expression was seriously cute, and I couldn't stop myself from being engrossed with it.

"You're a woman with strong feelings, Ai-chan."

"Even if you say that, it's not going to make me happy!"

"Then what am I supposed to say?"

Fuyuumi heard this and then shot a glance at me from the side.

Then, she extended her hand under the table—from this corner of the classroom, her classmates who were eating lunch wouldn't be able to see anything—and so, she grabbed my hand.

I couldn't help but glance all around us:

"Y-You shouldn't do this! In this sort of place, if someone saw us—"

"I want you to say I'm ｢very cute｣."

"......?"

"Please say, ｢Ai-chan is very cute｣, okay? I only want Ta-kun to say this one sentence."

Fuyuumi gently twined her fingers and lifted her head to look at me with teary eyes.

"I-I can't, because I have a girlfriend. Also, you're a disciplinary committee member who's supposed to be upholding proper moral conduct…"

"I know that already…"

As she said this, her fingers started wrapping around me tighter and tighter.

"If you don't say I'm cute, then I'm not letting go. You can just have your afternoon classes right here."

"D-Don't say such disturbing things!"

A girl who was eating sandwiches two seats away glanced at us. Thankfully she didn't notice the mayhem that was happening under the table, but I was restless nonetheless.

……I guess I didn't have a choice.

I brought my mouth close to Fuyuumi's ears while she fidgeted like a child. Then, I whispered softly.

"Ai-chan's very cute. I love how you're so considerate to your friends."

The moment Fuyuumi heard this, her cheeks caught a rose-red color and her expression instantly became cheerful and overwhelmingly bright. Underneath the table, she vigorously shook my hand. Oww, it hurts, it hurts. It hurts when you bang my hand against the corner of the table.

"Ai-chan going outside to swing on the high bar——!" <ref>High bar is the single bar in gymnastics.</ref>

"A new version!?"

I tightly grabbed onto the table to prevent Fuyuumi from running away. How dangerous. I was nearly yanked away to the athletics fields.

Fuyuumi sat down again and drew her shoulders closer:

"Ta-kun, um that…"

"What? Is there something else?"

The girl from earlier looked at us again, but this time she definitely thought something was suspicious about us. She started whispering to the girl who was eating a bento across from her.

Fuyuumi should have been aware of this, but she kept bringing her shoulders closer and closer.

"Wearing that outfit next to Ta-kun really made my heart pound."

"Yeah, it really made me sweat."

Now that I mention it, it was the same now.

"It was just like a wedding. It made me so happy."

".....huh?"

"Remember? I said it before. Didn't I say I wanted to get married at a shrine?"

"So what about it?"

"The burial outfit is white, right? Your clothes were black, Ta-kun."

At this point, I finally understood what she was talking about.

She was referring to how the bride in a traditional japanese-style wedding would wear a spotless white kimono. Similarly, the groom commonly wears a black patterned hakama. The Holy Dragon Knight of Dawn outfit was also black.

"Only you would make that kind of association just from the color! Besides, the only thing similar is the color!"

How obnoxious. So very obnoxious.

Basically it was a wedding between a chuunibyou groom and a bride wearing burial clothes!

"I'll bear with the embarrassment from this morning and consider it a dummy run for our wedding ♪."

"No, I can't take any more."

It looked the students from Class 3 were starting to notice that we were flirting instead of eating. I heard things like, ｢Isn't that guy Kidou?｣｢Hey, what's he doing? He has a girlfriend already｣. Not good. If this became a rumor and my ｢girlfriend｣ or childhood friend heard about it, I'd be murdered.

As I was trying to come up with a plan to free my hand and escape, a familiar-looking girl with glasses ran into the classroom. I recognized her as the second-year in the disciplinary committee who stood next to ponytail-senpai at the school gates.

"Ah, Yukinohara-senpai, what's up?"

As her senpai approached us, Fuyuumi reluctantly gripped my hand tightly for a moment, and finally released it.

"Fuyuumi-san, come to the disciplinary committee room immediately."

"Huh?"

Glasses-senpai shot a glance at me:

"Akishino Himeka-san was brought to the president."

<center>♦</center>

We walked behind glasses-senpai in the hallway during lunch break. I whispered to Fuyuumi beside me:

"The president is that antenna hair-senpai<ref>Ishige-senpai's name is a pun</ref>, right?"

"Not antenna hair! It's Ishige! Ishige Mari-senpai!"

I recalled the the beautiful third-year girl who suffered acute love poisoning from earlier this summer. On the surface she seemed morally strict and proper, but when she went out of control, she was an indescribable person.

As soon as we entered the disciplinary committee room, we found a platoon of disciplinary committee members lined up. The fifteen of them all seemed like totally serious girls, and they had a very overwhelming aura.

Hime was sitting in a chair and surrounded by disciplinary committee members. Although her expression was like usual, I could tell that her knees were trembling ever so slightly. The fishing rod had been propped up on the wall behind her.

Ishige-senpai looked at me with cold eyes.

"This is the disciplinary committee's territory. I don't remember allowing you to come in."

"Since you called Hime here, this is also my problem, because we're companions."

Even if I was actually very afraid, I still stood straight with my chest up. I couldn't let Hime feel uneasy.

"How praiseworthy of you to care so much for your comrade. However, this is a problem for the disciplinary committee of this school, so I hope you won't butt in."

Senpai's antenna hair stood up with a snap. It looked like she was an exceptionally good mood today.

"Himecchi's acted like that for our school's anniversary festival performance, so if you're going to punish her, I think you should include me along with all of the members of the Maiden's Club in this."

Fuyuumi bravely interrupted, but—

"Even so, why was Akishino-san dressed like this yesterday morning? There are eyewitnesses who testified that Fuyuumi-san also seemed very surprised."

We were easily struck back, and I was at a loss of words. It looked like the president was equally merciless with her own members.

Ishige-senpai turned around and faced Hime.

"I wanted to ask you something. Why did you bring that fishing rod to school?"

"If I'm to say it in a way that people from this era can understand, it's to prevent the imminent giant wyvern impact (WYVERN IMPACT)."

Even if it was the same every time, it made no sense at all.

"Why do you have to stop it? What will happen if you don't?"

"The world will change. As the children of Adam and Eve, humanity will be exiled and replaced with Wyvernians that will inherit the genes of the the wyverns. They will be the new rulers of the world."

"Will we be killed? Will all of us be killed?"

Ishige-senpai's antenna hair twitched slightly.

I didn't know when senpai was going to shout, ｢Stop joking around!｣. I felt like I was watching a timebomb ticking down. Fuyuumi also seemed to think similarly, and she seemed to be at her wits end as she approached my shoulder… don't you dare take advantage of the situation and hold my hand!

"I need to be at the center of the wyvern impact in order to save this world. This is the only way to to prevent the Wyvernian invasion. Thus, I must use the holy power (KAMUY) of ｢Raijin Slayer｣ to seal the dimensional gate (GATE) of this school."

"So that's why you brought it from home."

"Affirmative."

"Even if you're breaking the school rules, you have to bring it? At the worst, you could be suspended from school."

".....A-Affirmative."

Senpai fired question after question at Hime who had a rather fearful expression.

"Do you have a conscience as a student of Hane High? Do you have any remorse for violating the school rules?"

"A high school student is my false identity. All along, my true identity has been the ｢Holy Dragon Princess of Dawn｣. Even if I'm alienated or hated by the people of this world, I must carry out my destiny."

Hime faced the sharp glare of Senpai and responded squarely, even if she was shaking a little.

During the summer, I saw a similar scene.

When her sister, Yuuhana-san, rejected her interests and talked crap about her friend, Mana, Hime forthrightly spoke out with her thoughts.

However, this time when she seemed to stand up for herself—to me, it looked like it was ｢stubbornness｣ as opposed to ｢forthrightness｣. It was the kind of stubbornness where she wouldn't change the way she thought no matter what they told her.

It was like she needed to affirm her identity as the ｢Holy Dragon Princess of Dawn｣ through external words to convince herself.

When Masuzu said, ｢It's like she's confined herself within her own circle｣, is this what she meant?

"—Do you really intend to continue to insist that you're right?"*

Senpai's antenna hair didn't move at all.

Just like the calm before a storm, Senpai stood with her hands on her elbows as she silently concentrated her stares at Hime. Was she finally angry because of the denpa radiation from this bad student?

I desperately turned my thoughts as I tried to think of something to say in defense. What if I exploded in Chuuniybou like the time I helped Chiwa in front of the station or when I drove away Mana from the clubroom? No, the situation is different than it was then. This wasn't an opponent that I could deal with merely by being energetic.

What should I do—?

"How… How amazing!"

In an instant, Ishige's face blossomed into a flowering smile as she fervently grasped Hime's hand.

"I never knew there was such a serious and just warrior who fought evil right beside me! You protect the world just like we protect justice, right? As the president of the disciplinary committee, I've never had such an honor."

Hime didn't affirm it or deny it, and she stared at Senpai as if she completely forgot what to say. She was completely frozen.

Also, I was thinking, ｢What the hell is going on?｣. Fuyuumi was taking advantage of the confusion and hugging me. Whatever, she can do what she wants.

The ponytail-senpai who was at the school gates this morning gave a dry cough:

"But, President, if you let her boldly carry that kind of rule-breaking item around, it'll be a bad example for the other students."

She was referring to the fishing rod that was leaning against the wall.

"That's true…"

Senpai's hair antenna wound in circles as she contemplated a little:

"Akishino-san. Can you leave that Raijin Slayer in the committee room for now? If we go with you say, this school is the dimensional gate that the Wyvernians are going to enter through, right? If that's the case, I think it'd be safer if we protected it here rather than you carrying the sword with you everywhere."

"...N-no objections…"

Confronted with Ishige-senpai's easily fabricated ｢setting｣, Hime's stiff shoulders drooped. It looked like she completely lost her will to resist.

And just like this, Hime was excused of any guilt.

Furthermore, she had willingly put down that fishing rod while maintaining her delusional chuunibyou state.

Towards this, Hime was probably the one who was the most surprised.

<center>♦</center>

After Hime was led out of the room by Fuuyumi, I boldly inquired:

"Hey, Ishige-senpai. Did you really believe what Hime said?"

Senpai looked back at me.

"ARCANA DRAGONS—"

"!"

Senpai had a smile like a mischievous child who succeeded at a prank when she saw my astonished expression.

"That girl was talking about the plot in ｢Holy Dragon｣ right? I've also read the volumes my little brother bought, and it's a very fascinating manga."

"H-How unexpected."

Then, just based on this point, she most likely didn't believe in Hime's delusions.

"Kidou-kun, you've misunderstood us from the disciplinary committee."

Senpai looked around at everybody surrounding her as if she intended to address everyone:

"When one uses force to suppress others and make them follow the rules—this kind of practice is extremely strict, because people do not obey so easily. If we do things to that extent, then there's no reason to give students any autonomy; we'd leave it to the teachers to do the disciplining. If we want others to comply with discipline, we must first respect the ｢freedom of their heart｣. That's the best method. Don't you think so?"


"...Yes, I suppose that's right."

Honestly speaking, I had misunderstood this girl.

Ishige Mari-senpai was truly a ｢disciplinary committee president｣ worthy of Fuyuumi's respect. Her tolerance was so was great, she was nothing like the other disciplinary committee members.

''You'll have to work hard to become like that, Ai-chan.''

"Oh right, Kidou-kun."

"Yes?"

"What's your relationship with Akishino-san? I heard that she was a member of your harem, but what's the real story?"

Her interest was overbearing and her eyes sparkled as she spoke. Uh—basically, she was the love-struck type. Seeing how love was her favorite topic, she really is Fuyuumi's senpai.

Well, if it's her, then I guess I could tell her the truth.

"Akishino Himeka is my ex-girlfriend."

".......Huh?"

How incredible. Her hair antenna became a question mark. What was her hair made out of?

"She had a lovers relationship with me in a past life, so that's why she's my ex-girlfriend. She's also a companion who fought the Wyvernians with me. I think we had five children, but because my annual income was so low I couldn't put anything in the bank. My life was filled with lots of twists and turns, hahaha."

The question mark shaped hair antenna straightened out.

Senpai pointed with needle-like fingers as if to jab at at my sides.

"Don't joke around you shameless person! Girls, take this boy to the disciplinary room!"

"Why are you doing this to only me?!"

It looked like the only people who could be forgiven for their chuunibyou are ｢beautiful girls｣.

I-It's not fair!

<center>♦</center>

In the disciplinary room, I was very brutally reprimanded by Ms. Ponytail and Ms. Glasses.

Lunch break wasn't even enough for them. After school, I was taken away and severely reprimanded again. In the end, they gave me three 400-word sheets of paper and forced me to write my repentance until the boxes on each page were crammed full.<ref>In Japan, lined paper actually occurs in boxes like this: http://cdn.printablepaper.net/samples/genkouyoushi.png</ref>

"C-Can I go home now?"

"Fine, and don't come back."

I was basically dying as I wobbled and left my seat. It was already five o'clock. Was there still anyone left in the clubroom? I guess I should go show my face.

"—If that Natsukawa Masuzu had never set up your club, I would never have been as severe as this."

I heard this quiet complaint from behind my back as I was about to leave the room.

"What does that mean? What's wrong with Masuzu?"

Ponytail-senpai realized she made a slip of a tongue, and she looked as if she was cursing herself. However, she decided to explain it to me in the end, perhaps because she realized there was no way she could cover it up.

"It's because Natsukawa Masuzu has all sorts of problems."

"Well… you're right about that."

I did think that Masuzu's flaw was that she wouldn't allow other students to understand her.


However, hasn't Masuzu always been playing dirty from behind the scenes? She was always the one to make the plans from behind other's backs.

Just like Chiwa'a ｢Dorara Performance Event｣ and my fight in front of the train station, she absolutely would never show her face in public.

The incident in front of the school gates today was a big exception.

"President doesn't want me to talk about this, and Fuyuumi doesn't know. That's why I hope you won't tell others….."

"I won't say anything. I'm Masuzu's boyfriend."

''Ahh, right'', Ponytail-senpai nodded. I never expected that my status as the fake boyfriend would actually come into use in this sort of situation.

"Natsukawa Masuzu's guardian is an extremely troublesome person. He doesn't act with the appropriate approaches, and he's interfered with our school quite a number of times.

"Doesn't act with the appropriate approaches?"

"He utilizes his status as a politician in the Hanenoyama city periphery—Masuzu's father seems to be a very influential person."

I remembered something.

Around the beginning of July, Masuzu's little sister, Mana, said something similar: ｢He should know what Suzu's like in school based on the politicians from this area｣.

"Previously, the fight that broke out on campus which was related to her was suppressed down into the dark. No matter what we said, the teachers and administrative staff didn't do anything."

Ponytail-senpai gave a sigh.

She was referring to the incident when Mana charged into the ｢Jien-Otsu｣ clubroom. Indeed, we never received any discipline from any teacher even though it was such a huge uproar.

It was most likely because Masuzu's father stifled it all into the dark...

"President Ishige is a very generous person, so she didn't cling so rigidly to this point, but I personally can't accept it. If something like this happens again, even if someone wants to interfere, I will definitely protect the discipline—please tell that to your girlfriend."

"I refuse."

"What?"

"Because this is a problem between Masuzu and her father, so others shouldn't butt in."

"......I see."

Senpai didn't say anything after that.

I could only speculate—but I felt that there was an entanglement between Masuzu and her father that outsiders couldn't penetrate. It wasn't just about her parents. I knew absolutely nothing about Masuzu's private life.

I could only wait for Masuzu to tell me of her own accord.

<div style="background-color:#EEEEEE;border:solid 2px grey;padding:15px;width:70%;">

《Pachi Lemon》October · Special Autumn Love Horoscope

When a couple is together during the long nights of autumn…..♥ Cute-Popular Love Test!

Penname, ｢Holy Dragon Princess of Dawn｣'s response:

'''Q1: The art of autumn! What would you draw on a blank canvas?"

A1: Evil demon summoning incantation

'''Q2: The exercise of autumn! What kind of exercise would you do with your boyfriend?'''

A2: HYPER OLYMPIC. No using measuring tape. *

'''Q3: The appetite of autumn! Which restaurants do you want to go with your boyfriend?'''

A3: Hunting on the spot. Then eat on the spot. This is the rule of the battlefield…..

'''Q4: Reading in autumn! What books do you recommend to your boyfriend?'''

A4: 《Hell's History》

'''Q5: Romantic in autumn! When you kiss, will you close your eyes?'''

A5: I will open my third eye…...

'''Your autumn fortune is: Your chuunibyou will increase!?'''

Pachi Lemon's Editorial Department's recommendation: If a chuunibyou wants to have love, first get some common sense!

*In a certain Olympics video game, as long as one uses measuring tape to hold down the joystick and then flick at it, one can achieve such high speeds and performance records that it's practically breaking the rules.
</div>
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==Translator notes and reference==
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| Back to [[OreShura: Volume 6 Chapter 4|#4]]
| Return to [[Ore_no_Kanojo_to_Osananajimi_ga_Shuraba_Sugiru|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[OreShura: Volume 6 Chapter 6|#6]]
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</noinclude>

OreShura: Volume 5 Chapter 5

2022-04-08T13:21:15Z

240B:C011:411:36FD:9D16:428C:7547:9315: grammar fix

==#5: When Eita isn't Here, The Love Battle==
[[File:Oreshura v05 222.jpg|thumbnail]]
[[File:Oreshura v05 223.jpg|thumbnail]]

When Eita isn't at the club room, the girls reveal their true colors—

It was August 31st, in the afternoon.

The weather forecast finally predicted rain. For several consecutive days, the sky had been clear; but dark looming clouds finally approached from the horizon.

Today was also the last day of summer vacation, so the next school semester would go into session tomorrow. On this specific day, the ｢Society for Bringing Out Your Maiden Self｣ had assembled.

Harusaki Chiwa.

Natsukawa Masuzu.

Akishino Himeka.

Fuyuumi Ai.

Four glasses of barley tea rested on the surface of the table.

There was no glass for Kidou Eita.

He hadn't been told about today.

He hadn't been told about this meeting being held.

"Now that I think of it, it's very rare for just us to gather together."

In this atmosphere that was certainly different than the usual, Chiwa's cheerful voice seemed out-of-place.

Himeka also nodded her head.

"I think this is what's called ｢girls-only｣, according to 《Pachi Lemon》.<ref>The kanji is 女子会 , meaning "girls only gathering"</ref>

"That's weird, since when has Himecchi started reading 『PachiLe』?

"I started this month to exercise my Maiden's PowerPure Force. It has some very interesting content."

Like this, Himeka wasn't that much different than unusual—no, actually, she was happier than normal.

Her feelings about this meeting were in the tone of ｢it's been a while since everyone had the opportunity to talk｣.

In contrast to these two cheerful individuals, Masuzu's expression was in low spirits. Normally she would have taken the lead as president and started all sorts of things by herself, but today she kept her silence and quietly read a novel. It wasn't that she was in a bad mood. Rather, she looked like she didn't have her usual energy.

Ai, on the other hand, wasn't even sitting. She stood by the window and gazed out towards the overcast skies.

She seemed to be deep in thought as she let out a ｢Fiu｣ from time to time, combing her long hair upwards.

"What are you doing, Ai? Why don't you sit?"

Ai smiled and responded to Chiwa with a ｢Eeh?｣ as she nodded.

She suddenly mumbled,

"...How pitiable. These girls were all dumped by Ta-kun in the end."

"Eh? What did you say?"

"Nothing at all."

Ai sat down, and her graceful posture seemed steeped with the easygoing confidence of a winner.

"Anyway Chiwa, why did you call us all out here?"

"Well, before the next semester starts, there's something I have to tell everyone."

One by one, Chiwa looked at Ai, Himeka, and then even Masuzu who still had her eyes fixed on her novel. Then she spoke,

"To be honest, I… confessed to Ei-kun."

"Ehh!?"

The surprised exclamation belonged to Himeka and Ai.

"What's the meaning of this? Chihuahua also likes Eita?"

"Hah, that was obvious from long ago! Is it really true that you confessed to him? No, instead tell us when you did it?"

"The last day of the club trip."

Slam.

That was the sound of the novel being snapped shut. Masuzu spoke soon afterwards.

"I, happened to be present at the time."

Masuzu's and Chiwa's gazes collided over the table.

Ai and Himeka unconsciously held their breath. Although they've seen these two fight many times, today the aura was clearly different from the usual — intimidating. It gave out a dreadful feeling.

—————''This is serious.''

Himeka fled the mat as if running away and she promptly hid herself behind the curtains.

Ai glanced back and forth between these two girls who were glaring at each other. She wondered if she should interfere as a disciplinary committee member.

However—

"But you can relax, you know?"

Chiwa spoke candidly, practically destroying the tension in the air.

"I was rejected."

"Eeh?"

"I was rejected by Ei-kun. He said he couldn't see me as anything beyond a childhood friend."

Only then did Masuzu's expression change significantly.

Her sour expression became cheerful in an instant, and she immediately pressed her now ｢out of strength｣ cheek against the table.

<big>"Uaaaaan, that's a relieeef<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>n!"</big>

It was something completely unthinkable for the 'cool Masuzu', as she let out a rather lazy voice.

From the top of the table a ｢monyomonyo｣ rubbing sound could be felt.

"B-But of course. Yes, that's natural. Because I'm already Eita-kun's girlfriend. Even if Harusaki-san confesses to him, of course he wouldn't be touched so simply. That's right, that's exactlytrulynaturally. Aa. Aaaaa… Of course I totally knew it. Aaa"<ref>yes, she fumbles her sentences</ref>

"..."

''Was President possessed by evil spirits?'' —Himeka was frightened.

''Natsukawa-san is such a mysterious person'' —Ai was astonished.

But Chiwa was absolutely convinced—

If she was that relieved, then she must have taken a fairly big hit.

Although people frequently labeled Chiwa as ｢empty muscle brain｣, she wasn't a fool at all when it came to battling with others. Due to her kendo experience, she had developed an intuition that could to see through the subtle but true intentions of a dueling blade.

It might be love, but it was also no different from a battle.

Besides, it was a match she definitely could not lose.

Like this, Chiwa had long suspected that ｢Eita and Masuzu's relationship was not normal｣. Of course she didn't have any proof, and it was just ｢wild intuition｣, but ever since the time Eita's aunt Saeko-san called them ｢fake｣, she was certain that this was the case.

But because of the confession on top of that stage, she lost the strongest piece of evidence that she could investigate further into. However, Chiwa had not given up.

————''Because those two are definitely hiding something from me!''

[[File:Oreshura v05 229.jpg|thumbnail]]

Masuzu had no idea about what Chiwa was thinking, and she giddily continued,

"Ah, I feel like I'm so hungry now that I've relaxed! Let's take out the osenbe<ref>a type of rice crackers</ref>, let's take out the cookies, and let's take out the POCKY as well ♪ Since it's so hot, perhaps they're a little bit melted?. Akishino-san, can I trouble you to take them out?"

"A- Acknowledged."

Still quite afraid of the Masuzu who was practically about to jump up from the table, Hime took out their pre-purchased snacks from the pantry and spread them over the table. With so many refreshments, the club room felt a bit like a party. It really did have the atmosphere of a ｢Girls-only｣ meeting.

But of course the current situation wasn't so cordial.

Chiwa revealed a chuckling smile.

"I've always wanted to ask, what does everyone like about Ei-kun?"

Masuzu, who had contentedly been drinking barley tea, suddenly became a bit more alert.

"Why are you asking that now?"

"Well, since I was rejected, it feels a little easier to ask now, right? Since I'm ''just'' Ei-kun's ｢childhood friend｣."

Chiwa had to subtly force herself when she said the words, ｢childhood friend｣.

She was emphasizing—even though she was rejected, that didn't mean her bond with him was completely cut off.

Furthermore, that line could be interpreted to imply, ｢as the childhood friend, I intend to continue intervening with you｣. Basically, they were words that established her own uncooperative stance.

"I like it when he is cool!"<ref>the answer is literally more in the "where he is cool", as a directed answer to "what you like". For translation purposes, it was phrased differently</ref>

The person who energetically replied was Himeka.

"When Eita fought in front of the train station to save Chihuahua, it was seriously way too cool. It made me realize our destiny. Even now, when I remember his face from then, my heart starts to pound…"

Himeka's cheeks reddened to the color of apples, and she closed her eyes as if drunk.

She was so lovely, cute, and innocent—the remaining three of them were fascinated. Perhaps Himeka was actually the most ｢maiden-like｣ of all the girls in the club.

"Then, Natsukawa?"

"I… well."

Masuzu's gaze was indecisive and couldn't stay fixated in one place.

"When he is gentle, can I say it like that?"<ref>In lieu to the previous note, this is also "where he is gentle", following her nature Masuzu didn't use words related to love</ref>

"Hm? —What is that gentleness like?"

"I refuse to speak about it."

There was a reason Masuzu gave that type of answer.

After being treated so gently by Eita in so many ways, ｢fear｣ surged within herself when she thought about speaking about it. Because if she shared it with others, wouldn't those unknown but warm feelings that she kept hidden inside her heart evaporate like smoke? She was held back by this bizarre premonition.

But Chiwa didn't know about those reasons, and she only interpreted Masuzu's reaction as ｢very suspicious｣.

"Why don't you want to say it?"

"Because there is no need to tell it to Ms. Childhood Friend."

"...Hm-ph…"

While the atmosphere feebly started to twist askew between these two girls that glared at each other—

Ai was completely oblivious to the situation as she giggled with a brilliant voice.

"Yeah yeah! As long as it's Ta-kun, Ai-chan loves ev~rrrything about him! There's nothing I hate ♪"<ref>naturally, she used her trademark child tone here</ref>

The club room suddenly went silent.

Three of them were flabbergasted,

"What's with Fuuyumii?"

"Why is that, Fuyuumi-san?"

"Why Master?"

The three of them tilted their heads at practically the same angle.

"W-Why can't I? What's so wrong if I say it too?!"

"But Master already has Michel."

Himeka was referring to the name of the fake boyfriend that Ai had made up.

But she had already set up her engagement with Eita (or so she thought), so as matters stood, there was no reason to continue on with that awkward lie. But at this point it was rather difficult to come clean about it.

Ai's expression shifted swiftly as she spoke,

"U-Uhh—um, even so, I've felt rather distant from Michel lately. To be honest, I think our feelings have become dull? Or like that."

"Ara but what is that? If it's a long distance relationship, weren't you basking in so much mutual love earlier? Doesn't he send you a pile of emoticons through text messages every day, morning and night?"

"No, even if that's the case, I feel like our feelings have become more and more heavy… the city's definitely changed him! Or something."

Ai tried to defend herself incoherently, but Himeka tightly clasped Ai's hand.

"Don't worry about it. I believe in Master's Maiden's PowerPure Force, and you'll definitely overcome this crisis."

"Exactly, I'm sure you two will make up. Why are you reworking the setting again? That type of hand won't work anymore."

"Truly—! Aaaaah— I still really envy you for being so lovey dovey with your boyfriend".

"G, Gughhh…"

After being retorted like that, Ai could only bite her lip silently.

"Well, next up is me."

Himeka's eyes started to shine.

"How much does everyone like Eita? I like him this much!"

Himeka stretched her arms as wide as she could to express how much her love was. Although she was making a ruckus like a child, she was unbelievably happy to talk about ｢Love Stories｣.

Everyone else slowly got caught up in the spirit.

"You're too naive, Himecchi! As for me, I love him from here to there!"

Chiwa ran from one end of the clubroom to the wall on the other end. Her smile seemed to say, ｢Take this!｣; she was similarly childish.

"That's too naive."

Masuzu pointed out the window,

"Mine is from that end of the athletics field to the opposite boundary—there's probably more than a hundred meters there. My feelings for Eita-kun are around that level."

She straightened her chest with a completely serious face.

Chiwa pursed her eyebrows.

"Wait a second, aren't you cheating?"

"Cheating?"

"Because I ran from one end of the wall to the other! Since that's the case, you should run from one end of the athletics field to the other, Natsukawa-san! You should move that tongue less and work on your body."

Masuzu pouted for a moment before the corners of her mouth curled up.

"Oh dear, but does strength really scale with love? If that were the case, a certain empty brained Chihuahua-san would be the number one, isn't that so?"

Chiwa was the one who frowned this time.

"Well, if you're going to play that way! My love for Eita goes from Hanenoyama Town all the way to New York!"

"Then, my love starts from the atmosphere and flies straight until the dark side of the moon."

"Huh, really, that's interesting. In that case, go, but don't come back to Earth after that!"

Chiwa and Masuzu glared at each other while only separated by the table. Meanwhile, Hime very happily chimed in,

"In that case, mine goes from the ground all the way to the last Hell, Judecca!" <ref>This could be a reference to Super Robot Wars Original Generations (wouldn't be the first ref from the volume), which in turned pulled the reference from Dante's Inferno. The attack itself has a robot, Judecca; "pulling down" the enemy through several layers of different hells, stopping in the last hell, also named Judecca. </ref> However, she was beautifully ignored.

Ai used an excessive amount of force to bang on the table as she stood up.

"Fufufun! You guys are way too naive if you think you can with at that level! As for me, mine is...! The entire universe! Boundless ♪ My love to Ta-kun is INFUINITE!<ref>Typo intentional</ref> Meters and light years can't measure the dimensions of my love! If it were possible, I'd go outside and run to the boundaries of the universe—♪"

The club room fell to complete silence again.

The two girls who had been arguing earlier stared at Ai with stunned looks. Then, they changed their postures as if to say ｢Oh dearYareYare｣ nearly simultaneously.

"That's why, isn't Ai-chan in love with Michel?"

"E-"

"Why don't you text that ardent confession to Daigoro right now? No, you can call him this instant and tell him that. He'd definitely fly back to Tokyo right away."

"Ee-?"

Ai was at a complete loss for words, and Himeka gently put her hand against her forehead.

"Master, you've been exceedingly strange today. Could you be sick? Do you have a fever?"

Since even her pupil mentioned it, it really did look like she had lost her footing.

"Huuuuuuuuuun! Ai-chan messed up! Michel's an idiot! Idiot! Daigoro!"

Ai unsteadily walked to the window and wrapped herself in the curtains to hide. She looked like a teru teru bozu<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teru_teru_bozu</ref>, except there were soft sobbing sounds that came from her like rain.

Masuzu stared at Ai with an expression that seemed to say, ｢Oh myAraAra｣, but she was actually laughing deep down in her heart.

———There's nothing to fear from the devil disciplinary committee member!

All along, Masuzu had known that Ai had fabricated Murata • Michel • Daigoro's existence and that she actually liked Eita. But for now, Michel was an effective trump card for blocking Ai, so Masuzu had no intention of exposing her.

On the other hand, Chiwa felt ｢it was a bit strange｣, but she thought, ｢oh well｣. She didn't think too much of Ai's dispute with Michel and ignored it. As for Himeka, she didn't have any doubts at all. ｢Master's amazing! Master is so cute and popular!｣.

Because of the way these three thought, Ai's ｢imaginary boyfriend｣ was not exposed… though it probably would have been better for her if it had been uncovered.

"In any event—"

Masuzu once again returned her gaze to everyone.

"In short, apart from Fuyuumi-san, this club is made of people who all love Eita-kun. It's very troublesome that this is the case."

"But, because of that I'm pretty happy!"

Himeka's voice was very energetic,

"Since the three of us like Eita, we're all comrades!"

"Comrades is it?"

"So, comrades…"

Masuzu and Chiwa had a subtle expression.

On this point, normally one would call it ｢rivalry in love｣, but Himeka apparently didn't see it that way. That was because although she loved Eita, she's never thought of monopolizing him.

At that point, Ai slightly poked her head out from the curtains.

"C-Can you let me join as a comrade with you guys?!"

"But Master already has Michel."

"Don't say such cold things! As an outstanding maiden, isn't it a great thing to have comrades who are working so hard towards a goal?! There's no reason to fight!"

Ai's sob-mingled words suddenly reminded Masuzu and Chiwa of something.

The words that Eita said on the last day of the club trip flashed through their heads.

''『At that time, they had made me suffer a lot. My parents had kept blaming each other for adultery and fought with each other, it had been carnage.』''

''『Cursing, blaming, and criticizing each other— These kinds of people don't posses any appeal at all!』''

Chiwa was very familiar with Eita's family situation. Masuzu also harbored complicated family problems, so she was very familiar with this sensation of anger that Eita expressed towards his parents.

If they continued fighting like this in front of Eita, maybe they might even become hated.

Maybe they might even bring suffering to Eita.

Neither Masuzu nor Chiwa wanted that kind of thing to happen. Absolutely not.

"...That's true."

Masuzu nodded, throwing away her hesitation.

"We are companions and comrades who've gathered together as the ｢Maiden's Club｣. ''But only in front of Eita-kun''."

Chiwa also nodded.

"Since we're comrades, we have to be very friendly to each other. I don't want to let anyone see us fighting, ''Ei-kun at least''."

"President and Chihuahua both understand?!"

Himeka blossomed with a smile as she clapped her hands together. Of course, she didn't notice the true things they meant to say.

After some hesitation, Ai also came out from the curtains.

"Mmmn, it's best when everyone's on good terms with each other. Long live the peace! ''…if not, I won't be comfortable inviting you guys to the wedding.''"

She added those last words while whispering, and no one else heard her.

And just like that, the ｢Society for Bringing Out Your Maiden Self｣ returned to a truce.

Or at least, on the surface.

<center>♦</center>

As they changed their shoes to leave the building, little black dots started to speckle the asphalt.

Although it was just three o'clock, the sky was already dark. The odor damp air could be smelled in the air.

"It looks like it just started raining. The weather forecast really was accurate."

"My prophecy has also reached the same conclusion. These are the tears that the water goddess Aquarius is currently shedding."

Ai and Himeka opened their umbrellas and walked out into the rain.

Just when Masuzu was about to open her umbrella, Chiwa called out to her from behind.

"I want to fight Natsukawa fair and square, so will you answer me honestly?"

"What's this? That's sudden."

"Natsukawa, what are you hiding from me?"

By instinct, Masuzu's heart skipped a beat.

Naturally that wasn't due to affection.

She feigned her calm and produced an elegant smile.

"No? There isn't anything I'm hiding from you."

"Ah, really…"

Chiwa did not respond like she was convinced at all.

Masuzu then turned the tables and went for an attack,

"Even if there's something I'm hiding, there's no reason for me to tell you, is there? To someone who was already rejected."

Chiwa's fists clenched and stiffened.

She just barely restrained herself from showing her feelings.

"Although I said Ei-kun rejected me, I never said I was going to give up."

"Ee…………?"

This time, Masuzu let one slip.

She couldn't keep her right temple from twitching.

"What's with you, childhood friend? Are you perhaps just bad at giving up?"

Chiwa's temples also started to tremble.

"What's with you, girlfriend? I wonder if there's a single thing that can be praised about you?"

Lightning flashed, and the deep rumble of thunder came from the dark skies.

A frightened cry could be heard near the school gates: ｢I-I-I-I-I hate thunder! Damn it! My belly button's going to be taken away!｣<ref>The Chinese TL explained that this is a popular folk tradition in Japan… You frighten little kids by telling them that...</ref>. There was also a noisy shout that accompanied it: ｢Gu! I'll quiet my right hand! You can stop this violent thunderbolt!｣.

Meanwhile, the flash of lightning illuminated these two as the downpour of rain drenched them. However, they only glared at each other silently.

Not long afterwards, the thunder clouds spent all their energy—

"Let's stop this, Harusaki-san."

Masuzu took out her cellphone and hung the 「乙」strap in front of Chiwa's eyes.

"Aren't we comrades in the same club?"

Chiwa also displayed the same cellphone strap in front of Masuzu.

"Yeah, we're good friends."

Then, the two of them smiled practically simultaneously.

They simply didn't notice Himeka's and Ai's shouts of ｢What's going on—?｣ from the school gates as they smiled.

"Ufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufu."

"Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."

As the sounds of their laughter overlapped, it practically masked the sound of the rain.

Only the two swaying cell phone straps knew the true feelings of these two girls.

<noinclude>

==Translator notes and references==
<references/>

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| Back to [[OreShura: Volume 5 Chapter 4|#4]]
| Return to [[Ore_no_Kanojo_to_Osananajimi_ga_Shuraba_Sugiru|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[OreShura: Volume 5 Chapter 6|#6]]
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</noinclude>

OreShura: Volume 4 Chapter 2

2022-04-08T13:19:24Z

240B:C011:411:36FD:9D16:428C:7547:9315: grammar fix: a even -> an even

==#2: Love Test is Mayhem==

[[File:Oreshura_v04_047.jpg|thumb]]

Onigiri<ref>'''Onigiri''': Can be seen [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onigiri here].</ref>, sausages, fried eggs.

Once I placed these dishes on the table, they quickly disappeared from the edge of it and went straight into Saeko-san's stomach. And as usual, she didn't chew properly.

As I continued to cook another leek and some miso soup, I said:

"If you were that hungry, couldn't you have eaten some fast food to sustain yourself?"

"But I rarely see Eita at home, and I want to eat your hand-made dishes~"

Seeing Saeko-san's smile with grains of rice stuck on her cheek, I felt quite happy. Learning about cooking really had been a worthwhile choice.

I invited Masuzu and the rest of them to sit on the sofa in the living room, but because it could only accommodate three people, Chiwa kneeled on a cushion by the carpet.

Apart from Chiwa, the remaining three girls were all stunned by Saeko-san's eating manners. Well, it would scare the average person, since her speed at rice devouring easily surpassed Chiwa's.

Saeko-san drank the miso soup like water, and gave a huge sigh, 'Buuhaaa~'.

"Well, that's all… Good night!"

"Good night."

Saeko-san laid her head down on the table and began to snore loudly. Her irrational ability to fall asleep anywhere never changed.

Masuzu's eyes were round and wide as she asked:

"Has she fallen asleep?"

"Yeah, she's always like this after eating."

I took an unbuttoned cardigan sweater from the living room wall and draped it over Saeko-san's shoulder.

"She says that sleeping on the table is the best, especially for short-term elimination of sleepiness."

'This is an occupational disease<ref>'''Occupational Disease''': See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupational_disease here].</ref>—', Saeko-san would always smile as she said so.

Hime tilted her head.

"Should we move somewhere else?"

"Don't worry about it. She'll wake up in about thirty minutes anyway."

"But I want to see Eita's room."

"Not happening."

I refused flat-out.

''Because you'd definitely rummage through someone else's house! You'd try to find porn magazines!''

Ever since earlier, Fuyuumi had also been looking around the living room with her hands on her knees, sometimes clenching into a fist and sometimes relaxing. She was completely restless.

Then it dawned on me.

"Let me say it first, this room doesn't have any official seals<ref>'''Official Seals''': Equal a signature.</ref>. Understood?"

"A-Are you picking a fight? Why would I want that kind of thing?"

''Naturally, you'd take it and stamp the marriage registration form, isn't that right?''

When the dialogue was about to digress, Masuzu cleared her throat.

"It's about time we started the meeting. After all, we came here for a reason."

"Hey, wait a minute."

Thus, Chiwa started.

"What's with this? Aren't you already sick and tired of seeing my room?"

"Not that! Before we start, I want to clarify one thing."

Chiwa turned her gaze directly at Masuzu:

"Earlier, what did Saeko-san mean when she was talking about 'fake'?"

''Guh!''

''…As expected, we ''have'' to continue with that topic, of course.''

"I'm also interested. What's the deal with the president being 'fake'?"

"Either Impostor or Imitation<ref>She's translating the English "fake" into its Japanese equivalents.</ref>, does it have to do with something like that?"

Even Hime and Fuyuumi voiced their doubts.

Masuzu gave a big sigh.

"If it's about that, I would also like to know about it. Even though it's clearly our first meeting, she just said something like that. I'm very troubled."

Chiwa glared at me and spoke:

"But Ei-kun also seems rather nervous?"

"W-What are you talking about?"

I originally wanted to play dumb, but my pitch went unnaturally high.

But...

Recently Chiwa really had been quite sharp. At least with issues regarding Masuzu and me.

But as Chiwa was unable to find any more evidence, she had to drop the subject for the time being.

"So, we have to discuss how to manage the budget for the summer training camp."

"Right, is there any way we can quickly amass money?"

Hime raised her hand in response to Masuzu's question and said:

"And if everyone gets a Palt Daime?"

"…You surely mean Part Time, right?"

"Correct."

When Hime said 'Part Time', it sounded like the name of some spell or weapon. It really was unfathomable.

"We won't have time. In order to work, we need to get the school's permission first."

Fuyuumi said, very straitlaced.

"Eeh— no one actually follows that rule, right?"

"That won't do! Since I'm a club member now, I won't let you break the school rules."

'Phuu—', Chiwa stretched out her face.

"Besides, we won't make it 'til next week. There aren't that many offers for high school girls to look for part time jobs."

Chiwa shook her head and said, 'That's not the case at all'.

"A few days ago I saw an advertisement. It said that all you have to do is eat snacks and listen to an old man whine, and the salary is thirty thousand yen. I don't know what type of snacks are included, though."

"…Chiwa, please absolutely ''do not'' go to that place, okay?"

I firmly and unyieldingly urged her. This girl could really make people worry.

"Since it has come to this."

Masuzu's eyes shifted towards me.

"I guess I can only ask Eita-kun to put his body in use."

"Hm? What would be good about this at this time?"

"Everyone has two kidneys, and losing one is no big deal after all."

"You expect me to sell it?!"

This clearly was not me putting my body to good use. Rather, it would be my internal organs.

Why did I have to take this kind of risk for the sake of a summer training camp...

"You guys have been saying whatever you please from the beginning! Can you only come up with this kind of dangerous ideas? There's plenty more simple solutions!"

"Oh, like what?"

"Just have the training camp someplace nearby."

"Nearby?"

"How about the family restaurant in front of the station?"

The four of them booed when they heard this. ''What? Are you guys that dissatisfied with the family restaurant business? They are facilities with fine air-conditioning, an unlimited supply of drinks for one hundred eighty yen, and it's also within a day's trip.''

"A family restaurant is of course out of question. When we're talking about a summer training camp, then of course it has to be the sea."

Masuzu asserted, and just when the discussion was about to hit the rocks—

"—Fine then. ''I'' will take all of you there then."

Saeko-san suddenly stood up.

Her eyes that were shut to narrow strings before, were now open perfectly wide. It seemed after that short sleep, she switched to awaken mode.

Masuzu, Hime, and Fuyuumi stared blankly, unable to be anything but stunned.

Saeko-san lazily brushed her hair up:

"What's wrong? Didn't you all want to go to the beach? My company has a health resort facility at Funase Beach. You can use it for two or three nights without a problem."

Fuyuumi leaned close to my ear and whispered:

"Err, that's really your oba-sama<ref>'''Oba-sama''': Respectful for "aunt".</ref>, right? Doesn't she look like a completely different person?"

"Yeah. Earlier, she was just in her 'sleep mode' after staying up all night."

The first time Chiwa and I had met Saeko-san, we were also astounded like this. Both her atmosphere and way of speaking changed like she was different person. Saeko-san in 'awaken mode' could be considered quite a beautiful woman. One would never think that this was a person capable of saying 'Kyun-Kyun' like she did before.

Masuzu had a stiff and wary expression.

"May I ask if you are implying that you will provide free accommodation for us?"

"That's not what I'm saying. You will need to provide an equivalent compensation."

Saeko-san looked at Masuzu's sharp eyes, smiled and said:

"Hey, Chihuahua, what do I do for a job?"

The sudden change of topic took Chiwa by surprise and she responded in a daze:

"A game creator, right?"

"No, I don't if you put it in such a formidable way."

Saeko-san banged on the table.

"I am— someone who makes lots of cute girls and hot boys appear in games, so they make people 'squuueeeeeaaaal!', that's the type of game I'm after!"

"[...]"

Even though there wasn't any need to say it in a formidable manner, there also was no need to say it so vulgarly… right?

"That would be gal-games<ref>'''Gal-Game''': See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl_game here].</ref> and otome-games<ref>'''Otome-Game''': See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otome_game here].</ref>?"

"Ah, the pony-tailed girl over there seems to get it."

After being praised, Hime blushed somewhat happily. After all, she liked video games. Maybe she even played a game that Saeko-san had worked on.

On the other hand, the stiff disciplinary committee member only furrowed her eyebrows.

"I heard these kinds of works had a lot of shameless content. Could this be related to X-rated games?"

"My current project is rated 'appropriate for all ages'. Is the tsundere over there very familiar with those kinds of games?"

"O-O-Of course I'm not familiar with them! I only know about them due to my duties as a disciplinary committee member!"

Fuyuumi denied vehemently. But that being said, you should have protested about that 'tsundere' part.

With her eyes still probing, Masuzu asked:

"May I ask how gal-games are related to the offer of our accommodation?"

"Well, in short I'll let you take a look at this..."

Saeko-san took a flyer out of her bag, and we all leaned forward to take a look.

'''★ Use your 'Love Points' to Cool the Summer ❤ 'OreDere' Beauty Pageant ★ '''

'''Organizer: SoftDunk (Inc.) '''

'''Venue: Funase Second Beach'''

'''Date: X/X/XX at X o'clock. Registration begins at X o'clock rain or shine. '''

'''Eligibility: a dere-dere girl between 10~20 years old'''

"Right now my company is making a new game called 'My Girlfriend Loves me Too Much!' or 'OreDere' for short. The purpose of this event is to draw interest and get some publicity."

"OreDere."

''This abbreviation doesn't seem to reflect the existence of a 'girlfriend', but rather it seems to suggest 'I'm' dere<ref>OreDere is very similar to the abbreviations "OreShura" and "OreImo". In each case, "Ore" means "I/me/my". The original name is "Ore no kanojo ga deredere sugiru".</ref>. But then again it's fine either way.''

"If you're willing to participate in this competition, then I'll offer the accommodations I mentioned earlier."

Chiwa looked up at Saeko-san's face:

"What does the 'dere-dere girl' in the competition eligibility mean?"

"The competitors have to be on the stage and demonstrate 'how ''dere'' they are'. That's the main feature of this competition. That's why this competition is restricted to 'girls who feel dere to someone' as in 'girls who are in the middle of experiencing love'. Unfortunately, not many people have registered so it's a little bit of a problem—"

Saeko-san looked at Chiwa, Hime, and Fuyuumi, one by one.

"You three have all fallen for Eita, am I right?"

"——?!"

The three of them didn't make any noise, but there was an obvious change of atmosphere in the living room.

Chiwa's expression suddenly became very serious.

Hime blushed and lowered her head.

Fuyumi however… covered her face with her hands and started to pound on the ground wildly with her feet, causing the floor to shake. A-chan, please stop. Do you want to destroy my house?

"Fufu, you're very maidenly. Looks like you all satisfy the competition requirement."

Saeko-san very happily nodded her head in the direction of those three.

"Please wait."

Masuzu let out a firm voice.

"As I said before, ''I'' am Eita-kun's girlfriend. Why am I the only one you are excluding?"

"It's not due to reason, but rather due to intuition."

"Intuition, is it...?"

"Don't try to fool my intuition. I've created a massive number of all sorts of character types, and the story of how all these characters fell in love. All of this was made by me. In my shoes, it's not hard at all to understand how you guys rank in a 'dere scale'."

Masuzu frowned, unconvinced.

"However that's merely talk about a game, isn't it? It's just a fake reality, right?"

"It's exactly ''because'' it's fake."

Saeko-san's words were full of enthusiasm.

"In order to make the fake look real, you need to 'make the fake look more real than the real thing'. This is the most important detail in the game industry. As a result, I am very sensitive to whether the Romantic FeelingDere is authentic or not."

Masuzu's expression had originally been very stern, but it suddenly looked like it realized something.

At nearly the same time, I also realized it.

About this 'making the fake look more real than the real thing' earlier— Wasn't that more or less the same thing Masuzu had said to me a few times before?

"How about we run a little test?"

Saeko-san thus said.

"This is a simple psychological test that will measure your love points. It's a rare opportunity, so are Chihuahua and company up for it?"

The four of them looked at each other in confusion.

Not caring about their reactions, Saeko-san took her smart phone out again and began to read the questions aloud to herself.

'''Q:'''

'''There is a boy here that you hold very dear and think of very well.'''

'''Let's name him 'A'-ta— ...-kun.'''

"THAT'S NOT AN ALIAS!"

I said with a hoarse voice.

''I wished that it could have been changed to 'B'-ta or 'C'-ta at least…!''

'''Then 'A'-ta-kun says: 'This manga here is really interesting and totally awesome! This is the thing! Read it, read it!'— Suppose that he just won't shut up about it.'''

'''How would you react?'''

"So, let's start with Chihuahua."

Saeko-san completely ignored my protests and continued with the subject.

Chiwa's worried, 'um~', about ten seconds later came:

"Ei-kun's manga interests and mine don't really match."

"No, it's not about me. Remember that the topic is about 'A-ta-kun', all right?"

Chiwa responded, 'Oh, right', and nodded her head.

"Well, then I guess I'd give a try reading it? But if it's really boring, I'd just tell him so."

It was a very ordinary response.

But the manga that I'd recommend would definitely not be boring!

"Then the next, the pony-tailed girl."

"As long as Eita was the one who recommended it, I would read it no matter how boring it is."

Oh dear, Hime was as tender as always.

…But it was saddening that the subject still was on how ''boring'' it'd be.

Saeko-san tapped at the touchscreen as she nodded.

"Next up is the 'tsun' girl."

"Manga is just boring enough. I won't read that kind of thing!"

"Well, and the 'dere' girl."

"The Manga will give me an opportunity to speak more with Ta-kun, I ~ will definitely read it♪———— Wait, WHO'S THE DERE GIRL?!"

It seemed like Fuyuumi-san had developed a habit of being a 'Nori-Tsukkomi<ref>'''Nori-Tsukkomi''': Sometimes plays along with the 'boke', but right after jumping back to 'tsukommi' him.</ref>', ergo there was no place for me to butt in myself.

"Finally, Natsukawa Masuzu."

Masuzu was the only one who she did not call by a nickname, somehow that beat being called out 'wicked tongue girl' in public, I guess.

I casually approached Masuzu from behind, and whispered to her:

—Hey, please give a good answer.

—Who do you think I ''am''? Just leave it to me.

Thus, Masuzu's answer was...

"I would certainly take a look at the manga that 'A-ta-kun' recommended, but I would also lend him a manga that I would recommend."

"Reason being?"

"Even though it's important to understand the preferences of the person you love, it's also important to let him get to know you. I believe that this is most important in the relationship between boyfriend and girlfriend."

Chiwa and the rest of them all exclaimed, 'Wow'. As expected of Masuzu, she always responded with the most proper answer.

Saeko-san nodded and said, 'I see', as her fingers tapped away on the smart phone.

A little curious, I spoke up:

"Um, what have you been doing ever since we started?"

"This is an app game that my company is developing, and I borrowed the question from here. This game already has more than a million users who have responded, all of whom are girls in their teens and twenties."

"Heh…"

Girls certainly seemed to love psychological test problems like this pretty much.

Chiwa's body was shaking from anxiety.

"Then, Saeko-san, how were the results? Who has got the most love?"

"Ah, in first place is... [...] ...tsundere girl."

Fuyuumi's face turned alarmingly red.

"W-W-What is this!? W-W-Why would I be interested in someone li-li-liee Kidou-kun—"

''No, it's A-ta-kun we're talking about, isn't it?''

Saeko-san couldn't help but chuckle:

"When you said, 'an opportunity to speak more with him', isn't it obvious that this point would score rather highly? The innocent and sweet love can even be felt in the air, totally maiden-like."

Fuyuumi shook her head forcefully, her hair disheveled:

"It's absolutely a lie, lie, lie, lie, lie— It's a lie! I definitely don't just like Ta-kun! I la-like ''so'' much!"

The air around the scene instantly froze.

Chiwa's eyes seemed to overflow with the intent to kill, Hime's eyes were puzzled, and Masuzu gave a blank stare.

I was also extremely surprised.

''Hey, you, you forgot about the existence of Michel again…''

"That's what I said, it isn't like thiiiiiiiiiiiiiis! What I just said doesn't cooooouuuunt! Ai-chan is going to run outside!"

A-chan pounded her reddened face with both hands and quickly ran outside. She forgot her bag again, so I'd try to return it the day after in cram school.

"Then, in second place is Chihuahua."

As expected of Saeko-san, she was completely unmoved after the exposure of the tsundere heart.

"As for why you're ranked lower than the tsundere girl, that's because you're too intimate. Even though such sincere words signify that your relationship is very good, if the distance between you two is too close, the other party won't be able to see you in terms of love. You need to pay attention to that stuff."

"Ah-!"

Chiwa sank into silent contemplation, maybe because she felt that what had been said was reasonable.

"In third place is the pony-tailed girl. Your situation is the opposite of Chihuahua's, you should take a step closer to cut down the distance. Don't let your feelings lead everything. You still need to have everyday conversations, so that Eita… No, the point is that you need to get closer to 'A'-ta. This way you'll gradually enter a better relationship."

Hime eyes shined honestly and she nodded repeatedly. This almost felt like it was some kind of life consultation.

Then was— Masuzu.

"I'm in last place, is it?"

Even though her tone was indifferent, one could still see the frustration underneath.

This was maybe the first time I ever saw Masuzu with this expression.

"It's because your answer might be considered the 'exemplar answer'. And since it's ''too'' perfect, there is just no feeling of 'dere'."

"''Too'' perfect?"

"If you were a couple going out for more than a year, then this answer would be absolutely right. However— You've only gone out for three months, right? Moreover, you're 15-year-old first year high school students, and this kind of answer is simply too beautiful."

''I see.''

''There really is no flaw in Masuzu's answer. To try and share our feelings with our partners...''

''But compared to the real couples around us in our environment, it doesn't usually go like that.''

''I occasionally listen to Kaoru talk about the situations of the boys with a relationship that are in our class. The unpredictable highs and lows in their relationship are very intense. The usual case, where the girlfriends are nothing but filled with talks about their boyfriends, and the opposite also happens when the boyfriends do nothing but speak about their girlfriends. They keep doing nothing but 'praising' their loved one. ''

If we wanted to act like a high school couple, then the correct answer would need to leak an even more 'lovestruck mind' than what's normal.

"When one uses a cell phone or smart phone to do this kind of test, it will ask the respondent to provide their age, sex, occupation, and the number of years they've been in a relationship, and questions like that. Thus even if the responses are identical, the score may still vary."

Masuzu stared unwaveringly at Saeko-san's eyes.

"I refuse to accept this. What can this kind of test possibly tell you about us?"

''So, with that attitude it looks like she isn't going to surrender, no matter want.''

"…Hooo? Okay."

Saeko-san contemplated as she stroked her chin.

"If you are willing to say that much, then why don't you, Natsukawa Masuzu, also participate in the competition? After all, I'm the host, so if you can win the championship, then I'll admit that you're his 'girlfriend' or whatever. I'll attest that as Eita's guardian."

"That condition won't be changed in hindsight, right?"

"Of course not."

It seemed like there were invisible sparks scattering between Masuzu and Saeko-san.

Maybe because she was roused, Chiwa also stood up:

"I'm also participating!"

She declared, her eyes re-ignited with that raging fire.

"Even though this time we were a little careless and allowed things to get too intimate, this is an excellent opportunity to settle things with Natsukawa!"

I felt like the situation just kept growing stranger and stranger.

"I also want to participate."

Even Hime raised her hand.

She used her other hand to hold onto my shirt tightly.

"If I win the competition, then will I get a rank upgrade from ex-girlfriend to current girlfriend?"

She radically said. Anyway, was that some kind of confession?

Saeko-san, being very satisfied, nodded repeatedly.

"Let's go with that, the girl that wins the crown in this competition will be recognized as Eita's bride. I'll give my seal of approval as Eita's guardian."

"—Really? So ''you'' will seal it?"

This voice came from the living room door. I turned my head to look, and it was A-chan sweating from head to foot, her shoulders undulating up and down as she panted. It seemed like she noticed that she forgot her bag and thus had turned back.

She pointed straight at us:

"I-It can't be helped! I'll also participate!"

''Haha, things are really heating up here.''

''Things are heating up. ''

''Yeah...''

''I wish I could run away… I really do…''

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==Translator notes and references==
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