If Her Flag Breaks Volume 1 Chapter 2: Difference between revisions

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Created page with "==Flag 2: The Indomitable Magician Quietly Approaches== The day after Souta transferred. The excitement of the previous day was like a dream. Other than Kikuno, the only per..."
 
 
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The day after Souta transferred.
The day after Souta transferred.


The excitement of the previous day was like a dream. Other than Kikuno, the only person who would actively seek him out to talk, Souta didn’t have anybody around him after class ended.
The excitement of the previous day was like a dream. Other than Kikuno, the only person who would actively seek him out to talk, people stopped approaching Souta after class.


In the noisy classroom, with the continuous passage of time, only one word described a certain Souta sitting at his seat - lonely.
As the daylight waned in the noisy classroom, only one word described Souta sitting at his seat lonely.


His image evoked loneliness.
His figure evoked loneliness.


“They don’t so much as glance at him, yet this is really reality… Has everybody already lost interest in the transfer student?”
“They don’t so much as glance at him, is this reality… Has everyone already lost interest in the transfer student?”


Nanami sat sideways on her chair, expressing her opinion of Souta without any bad intentions.
Nanami sat sideways on her chair, expressing her honest opinion of Souta.


However, the atmosphere in the classroom was not so much negligent disregard as… the students feeling that the transfer student seemed to prefer being alone and that he appeared bad at dealing with others, so they deliberately avoided him.
However, the classroom atmosphere was less that of ostracism so much as… that feeling of ‘the new transfer student seems to like being alone and doesn’t want to interact, so let’s just let him be.


Souta didn’t seem to care at all. “Oh, that’s because…” he replied:
Souta didn’t seem to care at all. “Oh, that’s because…” he replied:


“After the flag breaks, it won’t reappear so easily. If something special happens, the flag could reappear or a ‘Flag Resurrection’ flag might appear…”
“After a flag breaks, it won’t reappear that easily. If something special happens, the flag could reappear or a ‘Flag Recovery’ flag might appear…”


“This mechanism is annoying…”
“This mechanism is quite annoying…”


Human relations might be like this, it’s just that this flag thing is too exaggerated -- Nanami inexplicably understood this. As the bell rang, she turned and faced forward.
Human relationships might indeed be like this, it’s just that this flag thing is too exaggerated Nanami understood this implicitly. As the bell rang, she turned to face forward.


However… there was a pair of eyes secretly staring at them.
However… there was a pair of eyes secretly staring at them.


The owner of the eyes looked at Souta, who had not left his seat, almost breathlessly the entire class, and seemed to nod with determination…  
The eyes’ owner looked breathlessly at Souta, who hadn’t left his seat, for the entire class and seemed to nod with determination…  


Lunch break.
Lunch break.


The students either started eating lunch with three to five friends around the table or went to the student cafeteria together, and the lively atmosphere they exuded filled the classroom.
The students either started eating lunch with three to five friends around a desk or went to the cafeteria together. A lively atmosphere filled the classroom.


In contrast, Nanami and Souta were too calm, staring at their respective desks and quietly nibbling on the salty bread they bought that morning.
In contrast, Nanami and Souta were too quiet, staring at their respective desks and quietly nibbling on the salty bread they bought that morning.


The loneliness was so strong that people couldn’t come near them, adding more loneliness and falling into an endless negative spiral. As an aside, it’s not that the word spiral is so cool that I want to say it. Spiral.
Their loneliness was so strong that people couldn’t approach them, adding even more loneliness and falling into an endless negative spiral. FYI, the word spiral definitely wasn’t used because it’s a cool word. Spiral.


If Kikuno was there, based on her excessively protective mentality, it would be impossible to leave Souta in the loneliness spiral, and they would definitely be eating lunch together. Unfortunately, Kikuno, in order to give advice to those who volunteered to study abroad, was attending a lunch gathering hosted by the Student Council, so she wasn’t in the classroom.
Based on her excessively protective mentality, if Kikuno was there it would be impossible for Souta to stay in that loneliness spiral, and they would definitely be eating lunch together. Unfortunately, in order to give advice to those who volunteered to study abroad, Kikuno was attending a lunch gathering hosted by the Student Council and wasn’t in the classroom.


Suddenly, a shadow appeared in this unique space.
Suddenly, a shadow approached this singular space.


It was an approachable girl who could be called a beautiful girl next door, the type that each grade usually had.
It was an approachable girl, a beautiful girl-next-door type person. Each grade generally has one of those.


If Nanami had a beautiful appearance like a rose, she would be a cherry blossom with an aura that moved people to want to protect it.
If Nanami’s beauty was like a rose, hers would be a cherry blossom that rouses people’s protective instincts.


She had medium-length hair reaching her shoulders with big bows swaying on both sides, setting off her cuteness.
She had shoulder-length hair with big bows swaying on both sides highlighting her cuteness.


“Hi, my name is Mahougasawa Akane.”
“Hi, my name is Mahougasawa Akane.<ref> Akane’s last name includes the characters for ‘magician’, hence the title of this chapter.</ref>


The girl smiled an easy smile… Akane suddenly brought her face closer - close enough to feel the other person’s breath - and surprised Souta, who stiffened.
The girl… Akane smiled gently and suddenly brought her face closer close enough to feel her breath and surprised Souta, who stiffened.


The thing that made Souta’s expression most tense was that…
The thing that made Souta’s expression most tense was that…


“The flag… It’s actually raised…”
''The flag… It’s been raised…''


A friendship flag flapped on Akane’s head.
A friendship flag flapped on Akane’s head.


“Ah, I hope you don’t feel repulsed! I’m not a suspicious character, I’m a mysterious<ref> The phrase used also has a divine-ish connotation</ref>classmate, right?”
“Ah, I hope you don’t feel repulsed! I’m not a suspicious person, I’m a mysterious classmate, okay?”


“You’re mysterious?!”
“You’re mysterious?!”
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So suspicious it might explode.
So suspicious it might explode.


“Excuse me… what’s a mysterious classmate finding me for?”
“Excuse me… what does this mysterious classmate want from me?”


“My name’s Akane, though?”
“I’m Akane-chan, though?”


“... Mahougasawa-san, why--”
“... Mahougasawa-san, what do—”


“I’m Akane, though?”
“I’m Akane-chan, though?”


Souta was interrupted by Akane halfway through his sentence.
Souta was interrupted by Akane halfway through his sentence.


“... Akane, what did you come here for?”
“... Akane, what do you want from me?”


“Oh! It’s the first time a boy used my first name directly.”
“Oh! It’s the first time a boy used my first name directly.”


Souta glanced at the friendship flag, his face slightly pink.
Souta glanced at the friendship flag, which had been splashed with a hint of pink.


Akane also blushed pink, matching the flag. She didn’t seem to notice the subtle redirection of his eyes. She asked generously:
Akane also blushed pink, matching the flag. She didn’t seem to notice the subtle movements of his eyes. She asked generously:


“Can we eat lunch together.
“Can we eat a bento together?


Honestly, Souta didn’t really want to interact with people, and most importantly, he felt much more reluctant than happy regarding the situation of having lunch face-to-face with two girls in the classroom. After all, he was a sensitive boy in his teenage years, so this was an expected reaction.
Honestly, Souta didn’t really want to interact with people, and most importantly, he was more apprehensive than happy at the thought of having lunch with two girls in the classroom. After all, he was a sensitive boy in his teenage years, so this was an expected reaction.


“... It’s bothersome.”
“... It’s bothersome.”


“I’m thought of as bothersome!!”
“He thinks I’m a bother!!”


Akane’s friendship flag broke, and Souta was relieved.
Akane’s friendship flag broke, and Souta was relieved.


Nanami was peeking at them through the corner of her eyes while drinking milk from her milk carton. At this time, she leaned over beside Souta’s ear and asked:
Nanami was already peeking at them through the corner of her eyes while drinking from her milk carton. At this time, she leaned over beside Souta’s ear and asked:


“Souta, was the flag raised?”
“Souta, was the flag raised?”
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“Pretty much…”
“Pretty much…”


“Oh.” Despite her disinterested expression, Nanami looked into Souta’s eyes, which were filled with self-contempt and self-pity. The guy was torturing himself.
“Oh.” Despite her disinterested expression, Nanami looked into Souta’s eyes, which were filled with self-contempt and self-pity. This guy was torturing himself.


“I won’t bother you, so can we eat lunch together?”
“I won’t be a bother, so can we eat lunch together?”


“Huh?!”
“Huh?!”


Now that Akane’s flag had been broken, she should have left already, but she stubbornly stayed and continued trying. This was a big surprise to Souta.
Since Akane’s flag had been broken, Souta thought she should have left already. Yet she stubbornly stayed and continued trying. Souta was absolutely flabbergasted.


“Isn’t it broken?”
“Did it not break?”


Nanami murmured, letting go of the straw in the carton.
Nanami murmured, letting go of the straw in the carton.


“How can this be…”
“How can this be possible…”


Souta was sure that the flag had been broken and looked above Akane’s head… but --
Souta was sure that the flag had been broken and looked above Akane’s head… but


“It-it rose again…!”
“It-it rose again…!”


He saw the friendship flag raise again.
He saw the friendship flag rise again.


Souta, who had broken countless flags, had never seen a flag resurrect so quickly.
Having broken countless flags, Souta had never seen a flag recover so quickly.


Seeing Souta speechless, Akane had a question mark above her head. <ref> Obviously not literally, it’s like having a question mark above someone in a manga.</ref>
Seeing Souta speechless, Akane tilted her head in confusion.


“Is that okay?”
“Can we?”


“God…!”
“Holy…!”


It’s unknown whether she thought that Souta’s silence expressed agreement, but Akane relaxed and brought an empty seat next to Souta’s desk.
Maybe thinking that Souta’s silence indicated permission, Akane relaxed and brought an empty seat next to Souta’s desk.


Unconsciously almost going with it, Souta bent down slightly and hurriedly tried to break the friendship flag again when he saw Akane place the chair.
Nearly going with the flow, Souta frantically tried to break the flag again as Akane put down the chair.


“N-no, how should I say this… After all… I’ll be teased if I have lunch with girls… you know?”
“N-no, how should I say this… After all… I’ll be teased if I have lunch with girls… you know what I mean?”


“... That makes sense, sorry.”
“... That makes sense, sorry.”
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Seeing the friendship flag break and disappear again, Souta sighed in relief.
Seeing the friendship flag break and disappear again, Souta sighed in relief.


… But before that breath was even expelled, a new friendship flag had already popped up.
… But before the sigh even came out, a new friendship flag had already popped up.


“I’ll wait to eat after Souta-kun has finished eating, so can we sit together?”
“I’ll eat after Souta-kun has finished eating, so can we sit together?”


“You don’t understand what I’m saying at all?!”
“You don’t understand what I’m saying at all?!”
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“?”
“?”


Souta was pretty much scared to death, and Akane tilted her head confusedly with a gentle smile.
Souta was scared silly, and Akane tilted her head in confusion, smiling gently.


“But-but, I feel a little rude to eat first, too?”
“But-but, it feels a little rude to eat first, though?”


“...”
“...”


Souta didn’t think that the other person could understand him at all. This situation was desperate, almost like fighting a pull chain<ref> That thing that you pull to turn on some types of lights.</ref> in the middle of a room.
Souta didn’t think that she could understand him at all. This kind of situation was desperate, almost like fighting a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pull_switch pull chain] in the middle of a room.


“Can’t I?”
“Can’t I?”


“I don’t mean that… You can’t… No, I’m just saying…”
“I’m not saying that… You can’t… No, I’m just saying…”


Seeing that they didn’t know what was so noisy around the transfer student, even the classmates who had their flags broken started peeping at Souta with interest.
Attracted by the ruckus, even the classmates who had their flags broken started glancing towards Souta with interest.


“You see, everyone’s looking…”
“See, everyone’s looking…”


Souta lowered his head with an extremely distressed expression, and Akane, who was half crying, looked around at her classmates.
Souta lowered his head, looking extremely distressed. Akane, almost crying, looked around at her classmates.


The class crossed their arms around their chests in unison, thinking about the best solution at this time. After a while, they all looked to the center of the classroom together.
The spectators crossed their arms in unison, thinking about the best solution for this situation. After contemplating a while, they all looked to the center of the classroom together.


They looked at the wisest person in the class - the elder who was known as the academy’s living dictionary, Ryuukishibara Tsumugi, who was nibbling a rice ball.
They looked at the wisest person in the class the academy’s Living Dictionary, the sage Ryuukishibara Tsumugi. Currently, she was nibbling a rice ball.


Her appearance and body, even if you relaxed the standard, was at most just at the level of a middle schooler… No, this statement is still wrong. It can be said she looked completely childish, just like a little girl.
Her face and body, even if you relaxed the standard, was at most just at the level of a middle schooler… No, this description is still wrong. She looked completely childish, just like a little girl.


Despite her immature appearance, it was rumored that she had lived here even before the founding of the school. How she repeated school for so long was a complete mystery. It was one of the seven wonders of the school.
Despite her immature appearance, there were rumors that she had been living here even before the academy was founded. How many years she had repeated was a complete mystery. It was one of the seven wonders of the school.


There were other mysteries about her, too. For example, she only wore a uniform shirt and coat with a belted kimono - this dress always surprised people passing by.
There were other mysteries about her, too. For example, she only wore school uniform’s shirt and coat over a belted kimono this outfit would surprise every passerby.


If someone asked her about this, she would sigh: “Don’t you even know how to wear a kimono? The poison that is Western tea has made you forget…”
If someone asked her about this, she would sigh: “You don’t even know how to wear a kimono? Western tea has poisoned you to forget…”


However, she still wore a large lace hair ornament on her head. In this regard, it shows that her love of beauty in her heart does not distinguish between Eastern and Western.
However, she still wore large lace hair accessories. In this regard, her appreciation of beauty did not distinguish between East and West.


Under the gaze of the whole class, Tsumugi, understanding the situation, thought quickly and immediately stood up.
Under the gaze of the whole class, Tsumugi understood the situation, thought quickly, and immediately stood up.


“Listen, everybody!! The weather today is good!! It’s warm and sunny, so go out and eat!”
“Everybody listen up!! The weather today is great!! It’s warm and sunny, so go out and eat!”


Tsumugi chewed on her rice ball, put on her geta <ref> The traditional Japanese wooden footwear</ref>, and walked, geta clicking against the floor, out of the classroom.
Tsumugi chewed on her rice ball and put on her [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geta_(footwear) ''geta''.] She walked out of the classroom, geta clicking on the floor.


“Oh, befitting the title of ‘baba-sama’<ref> Grandma.</ref>! Great idea!”
“Oh, how befitting her title of Grandmother! Great idea!”


“Bento needs to be eaten outside!”
“Of course Bento needs to be eaten outside!”


“The atrium, let’s go to the atrium!”
“The courtyard, let’s go to the courtyard!”


Then, everyone started talking again and went out of the classroom. When they realized it, only Souta, Akane, and the Nanami who couldn’t bear the atmosphere were left in the classroom.
Then, everyone started talking again and left the classroom single file. When they realized it, only Souta, Akane, and Nanami, unable to bear the atmosphere, were left in the classroom.


“... Nobody saw it?”
“... Nobody’s looking anymore?”


“Those guys’s solution is completely fine…”
“Something’s wrong with those guys’s problem-solving methods…”


Akane successfully caught Souta’s attention and smiled at him; Nanami looked at the empty classroom with cold sweat.
Akane successfully caught Souta’s attention and smiled at him; Nanami scanned the empty classroom in cold sweat.


“Can we eat lunch together?”
“Can we eat bento together?”


“... Yes.”
“... Yes.”


It had already gotten to this point, so Souta lost the courage to refuse.
Since it had already gotten to this point, Souta lost the courage to refuse.


The friendship flag, which had been broken more than once, was once again up, and had broken Souta’s heart to the point of collapse.
The friendship flag, which had been broken more than once, was raised once again, and broke Souta’s heart to the brink of collapse.


When Akane excitedly sat in the newly arranged chair, Nanami also turned her chair 180 degrees.
As Akane excitedly sat down on the newly-arranged chair, Nanami also turned her chair 180 degrees.


“Nanami-chan, do you want to join us?”
“Nanami-san, do you want to join us?”


“In this situation, if I was the only one facing forward to eat, would I not be the only one without friends?”
“In this situation, if We were the only one facing forward to eat, wouldn’t We be the only one without friends?”


Nanami behaved unexpectedly in such a situation, acting very cute.
Nanami acted unexpectedly cute in this situation.


“Wow! I’m so happy!! Actually, I’ve always wanted to find a chance to get along with Nanami-chan. But I couldn’t find a chance… Ah! Souta-kun, you have many weaknesses… It could be said your whole body is covered with them!”
“Wow! I’m so happy!! Actually, I’ve always wanted to find a chance to get along with Nanami-san. But I couldn’t find a chance… Ah! Souta-kun, you have many weaknesses… you could even say that your whole body is covered with them!”


“... Is it really?”
“... Is it really?”


Akane’s carefree act of saying a person has weaknesses… Souta’s mouth twitched slightly, and he asked Nanami:
Akane’s carefree words… The aggrieved Souta’s mouth twitched and he asked Nanami:


“... I’m asking you, Nanami, is Akane this type of ‘jerk’?”
“... Hey Nanami, is Akane this kind of ‘jerk’?”


“This girl is a super rich girl.”<ref> 千金小姐, literally ‘the young lady with a thousand gold’. It’s a little more respectful than its translation makes it seem. I’ll just be using ‘rich girl’ or ‘rich lady’ from here on out.</ref>
“This airhead is a super rich heiress, hmph.”


Nanami replied in an imperial way, implying that Souta was wasting her breath, making Souta want to punch her.
Nanami replied imperiously, implying that Souta was wasting her breath. Souta wanted to punch her.


“Oh, what is it? Are you investigating me? How am I a rich girl… It’s just that my grandfather happens to be the president of the financial consortium, that’s all.”
“Oh, what’s wrong? Are you investigating me? How am I a rich heiress… my grandfather just happens to be the president of a consortium, that’s all.”


“Financial consortium?!”
“Consortium?!”


“Isn’t the Mahougasawa Group quite famous? You don’t know?”
“Isn’t the Mahougasawa Group quite famous? You don’t know?”


“... I’m not familiar with the financial consortium industry.”
“... I’m not familiar with the consortium industry.”


The consortium industry… What the hell is a consortium industry…? Nanami looked at Souta strangely, but Akane smiled.
Consortium industry… What the hell is a consortium industry…? Nanami gave Souta a strange look, but Akane smiled.


“My business isn’t important. Speaking of which, Nanami is a princess.”
“My business isn’t important. Speaking of which, Nanami is a princess.”
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“A princess?!”
“A princess?!”


“You also aren’t familiar with the princess industry?”
“You aren’t familiar with the princess industry either?”


Where did this industry come from…? Nanami looked at Akane strangely this time, but Akane still smiled.
Where did this industry come from…? Nanami gave Akane a strange look this time, but Akane kept beaming.


“Nanami is actually the thirteenth princess of the Principality of Bladefield!”
“Nanami’s actually the thirteenth princess of the Principality of Bladefield!”


“Huh?! That wasn’t a metaphor, she’s a real princess?!Souta’s eyes widened, causing Nanami to show a very loathful expression.
''Huh?! That wasn’t a metaphor, she’s a real princess?!'' Souta’s eyes widened, causing Nanami to look resentful.


“To put it bluntly, it is a small, poor country in the European countryside. And there are ten princes and fourteen princesses. I rank second to last. If I stayed there, I would just be an eyesore, so I was sent to this type of Far East island country. I am only a princess in name.”
“To put it simply, it’s just a small country in the European countryside. And there are ten princes and fourteen princesses. We rank second-to-last. If We had stayed home, We would just be an eyesore. So We were sent to this Far East island country. We are only a princess in name.”


“......”
“......”


“So, so what…?”
“S-so what…?” Seeing Souta staring blankly at her,  Nanami retreated slightly and asked.


Seeing Souta blankly staring at her,  Nanami recoiled slightly and asked.
“I don’t have any money though?!”


“Sorry, I don’t have any money.
“We are not running a royal scam on thou!!


“Who would bully you using the royal family?!”
The ‘royal scam’ refers to the crime of posing as a royal and using fake connections to scam people.


This so-called using the royal family to bully referred to the crime of posing as a royal and using high connections to bully.
“If Nanami wants money, I have some, okay?”


“If Nanami wants any money, I have some, though?
“Don’t need it!


“Don’t want it!”
Souta saw the rare sight of a princess refusing a donation from a rich girl.


Souta saw the rare scene of a princess refusing an investment from the rich girl.
“You’re right. There’s something more important than money. And that’s friendth— Ow!”
 
“You’re right. There is something more important than money. And that is friendthip-- Ow!”


“She bit her tongue!”
“She bit her tongue!”


“And it was at the most important part when she bit her tongue!!”
“She bit her tongue at the most important part!!”


Since Akane, who bit her tongue, had an expression like she was about to cry, Nanami and Souta ran around and said randomly: “Friendship is great!” “Long live friendship!” only to make Akane break into happy tears.
Akane, who bit her tongue, was about to cry. So Nanami and Souta ran around babbling: “Friendship is great!” “Long live friendship!” to make Akane’s tears give way to a smile.


“Yes! This type of attitude of mutual protection is friendship! It’s a shiny gem!”
“Absolutely! This spirit of mutual protection is friendship! It’s a shining gem!”


Akane happily held Nanami and Souta’s hands and turned toward Nanami and Souta. Although Akane’s sappy lines made the two quite uncomfortable, they forced a smile. If she really cried, she would cause a headache.
Akane happily held Nanami and Souta’s hands and turned towards them. Although Akane’s sappy lines made the two rather uneasy, they forced a shaky smile. They’d have a headache if she really cried.


Then, in the case of overlapping hands with a rich girl, Souta wanted to secretly withdraw his hand before the she thought that ‘Boys’ hands are thick and hard, it’s so disgusting~, but Akane coldly faced him and said:
Then, in the predicament of holding hands with a rich heiress, Souta wanted to secretly withdraw his hand before she thought, ''Boys’ hands are thick and hard, it’s so disgusting~''. Suddenly, Akane faced him and said:


“A boy’s hand…”
“A boy’s hand…”


Akane’s face stiffened slightly and she paused a bit. Souta unconsciously thought that this was to be expected with a bitter face. The bitterness level was about as bitter as 99% pure chocolate.<ref> If you didn’t know, the cacao nuts that chocolate is made of are actually super bitter.</ref>
Akane’s face stiffened slightly and she paused for a moment. Souta couldn’t help but think ‘as expected’ with a pained expression about as bitter as 99% pure chocolate.


“... is really strong! Excluding my father, it’s actually the first time I held hands with a boy.”
“... is really strong! Other than perhaps my father, it’s the first time I held hands with a boy.”


Seeing Akane’s friendship flag flutter more energetically than before, Souta’s expression was so painfully bitter that it became as bitter as 100% pure chocolate. That said, 100% pure chocolate would just be cacao, which is very bitter.
Seeing Akane’s friendship flag flutter more energetically than before, Souta’s expression was so painfully bitter that it became as bitter as 100% pure chocolate. That said, 100% purity wouldn’t be chocolate, it’d just be cocoa.


“Why does Souta-kun have such a tangled expression? Is it because you indirectly held hands with my father?”
“Why does Souta-kun have such a tangled expression? Is it because you indirectly held hands with my father?”


“... That’s not it. But after all, I didn’t think Nanami really was a princess… how do I put this… Although I’ve always thought that Nanami’s speech pattern wasn’t like a normal person’s<ref> Remember that Nanami pretty much uses ‘this queen’ to refer to herself and speaks archaically (Well, she uses archaic pronouns like ‘thou’ and some older phrases)</ref>… but… really? You guys are in fact Her Royal Highness and a Little Miss Rich Girl tycoon… I feel really out of place.”
“... That’s not it. But after all, I didn’t think Nanami really was a princess… how do I put it… Although I’ve always thought that Nanami’s speech pattern was different from a normal person’s… but… really? You guys are actually Her Princess Highness and Miss Heiress of a conglomerate… I feel really out of place.”


“Not a tycoon, it’s a consortium, though?”
“It's not a conglomerate, it’s a consortium, though?”


Akane raised her index finger to correct the mistake, and Souta, not well-versed in the tycoon industry, asked her:
Akane raised her index finger to correct the mistake, and Souta, not well-versed in the conglomerate industry, asked her:


“What’s the difference?”
“What’s the difference?”


“They’re the same.”
“They’re all the same.”


“Did thou not say it was different?! If thou actually thinks they are the same, why did thou just correct it?”
“Didst thou not sayest it was different?! If thou actually thinkest they are the same, why didst thou just correct it?”


“... They’re not the same.”
“...... Then they’re not the same.”


After being found out by Nanami, Akane became upset. Souta smiled wryly and asked her again:
After being exposed by Nanami, Akane became depressed. Souta forced a smile and asked her again:


“So, what’s the difference?”
“So then, what’s the difference?”


“... They’re the same.”
...... They’re all the same.”


“We have hit a wall.”
“We have hit a wall.”


Just stop talking about this, and check it yourself later - Souta thought so, Akane also thought so, and Nanami thought so too. It can be said that young modern people are not concerned about financial news. Similarly, the situation of young people not caring about other young people is also very serious.
''Let’s just stop talking about this, search it up yourself later'' — Souta thought, Akane also thought, and Nanami thought too. Young modern people are probably not concerned about financial news, and that’s a serious problem. At the same time, young people not caring about other young people is also a very serious problem.


“It’s a little late to say this kind of thing now, but is it really okay for me to talk to the Princess and Miss Rich Girl on equal ground…?”
“It’s a little late to say this kind of thing now, but is it really okay for me to talk to the Princess and Miss Heiress on equal ground…?”


Souta distanced himself a little, and Akane shook her head very sadly.
Souta kept his distance a bit, and Akane shook her head very sadly.


“Please don’t use honorifics. Because we are classmates.”
“Please don’t use honorifics. Because we’re classmates.”


“Are not thou using honorifics…”
“Art not thou using honorifics…”


“... Then let’s use honorifics together.”
...... Then let’s use honorifics together.”


Akane hesitantly let out an “Ahh…”, while Nanami caused a stir.
Akane hesitantly let out an “Ahh…”, while Nanami burst out.


“I don’t want to!”
“We will not!”


“Souta-kun, Nanami is a princess, so it’s not her willful rejection, it’s me forcing her to.”
“Souta-kun, Nanami is a princess, so it’s not her selfish refusal, it’s me forcing her to do something she can’t do.”


“I know how to use honorifics! Nobody forced me to say it!”
“We know how to use honorifics! Nobody forced Us to say that!”


Akane made a fool of herself trying to be clever and countering Nanami’s scale. It seems this has been said before. ‘Countering the scale’ would be cute if written in hiragana and katakana.<ref> According to the Chinese TL, ‘countering the scale’ means to irritate elders and people with higher status.</ref>
Akane tried to be too clever and ended up rubbing Nanami the wrong way. Something similar was probably said before. ‘Rubbing the wrong way’ would be cute if written in hiragana and katakana.<ref> According to the Chinese TL, the Japanese version of the idiom ‘to rub the wrong way’ means specifically to irritate elders and people with higher status.</ref>


“So, I hope you try to use it.”
“Then, I hope you try to use them.”


“... Please allow me to refuse.”
“... Please allow Us to refuse.”


““Ooh, a very princess feel.”” <ref> Two people say it together.</ref>
““Ooh, very princess-like.””<ref> They (Souta and Akane) say this at the same time.</ref>


“So, so annoying! There definitely won’t be a next time!”
“Sh-shut up! There definitely won’t be a next time!”


Nanami’s white skin reddened and she shamefully looked away, displeased.
Nanami’s white skin reddened and she looked away in shame and displeasure.


At this point, Akane said she left her tea bottle at her seat and temporarily went to the back of the classroom.
At this point, Akane said she left her tea-filled water bottle at her seat and walked slowly to the back of the classroom.


Souta took this opportunity to whisper to Nanami:
Souta took the opportunity to whisper to Nanami:


“... That girl is a little strange… no, she’s really strange. Though she seems like a good girl.”
“... That girl is a bit strange… no, she’s really strange. Though she seems like a good girl.”


“... Right. Although I am also not very familiar with her, she is cute, gentle, likeable, cheerful, friendly, and always surrounded by friends… It feels like she has everything that thou lacks.”
“... Yeah. Although We are not very familiar with her either, she is cute, gentle, likeable, cheerful, friendly, and always surrounded by friends… It feels like she has everything that thou lacketh.”


Nanami didn’t seem to realize that this sentence applied to herself, too.
Nanami didn’t seem to realize that this sentence applied to herself, too.


“Don’t say it so plainly…”
“Don’t say it out loud…”


Why do that type of people voluntarily come and talk to themselves…? Just as Souta thought this, although she didn’t hear the contents of their whispers, Akane, watching the two people with interest, came back, smiled, and asked shyly:
''Why do those kinds of people voluntarily come and talk about themselves…?'' Just as Souta thought this, Akane came back. She looked at them with interest. Although she didn’t hear what they said, she smiled bashfully and asked:


“Do you have a good relationship with Souta?”
“Souta-kun, do you have a very good relationship with Nanami?”


“Who would have a good relationship with this kind of two-minded indecisive guy?!”
“Who would have a good relationship with this kind of dithering guy?!”


Nanami snarled before Souta had a chance to say anything.
Nanami roared before Souta had a chance to say anything.


“Even maggots are indispensable creatures for the ‘Spaceship Earth’<ref> A concept advocated by architect Buckminster Fuller.</ref> since they clean up animal corpses, right?”
“Even maggots are indispensable creatures for [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceship_Earth Spaceship Earth] since they clean up animal corpses, right?”


“Who said he was a maggot? I would never say such a disgusting word!!”
“Who said he was a maggot? I would never say such a disgusting word!!”


Since both his side and the other’s were constantly on the line between good and evil, Souta gradually wondered what was right and what was wrong.
Since the two were constantly hopping the line between good and evil, Souta couldn’t figure out who was right and who was wrong.


“... Akane, why did you want to talk to me?”
“... Akane, why did you want to talk to me?”


“Yeah. Thou has so many friends and is welcomed everywhere, so why would thou pay attention to this type of person?”
“Right. Thou hast so many friends and art welcomed everywhere, so why would thou payest attention to this kind of person?”


Worried he would continue to be teased, Souta asked Akane with a sense of crisis. Nanami also joined in, seeming to care too.
Worried he would continue to be teased, Souta felt a sense of crisis and asked Akane. Nanami also joined in, also interested.


With such straightforward questions, Akane’s expression was a bit troubled and she twirled her fork. “Uhhh…” After thinking for a while, she put down her fork and said:
Faced with such blunt questions, Akane twirled her fork, her expression a bit troubled. “Ummm…” After thinking for a while, she put down her fork and said:


“... Uhhh-- I saw a lonely person, like a puppy drenched in rain or a kitten mewling in sorrow, so I couldn’t ignore them.”
“... Ummm—I saw a lonely person, like a puppy drenched in rain or a kitten mewling in pain, so I couldn’t ignore them.”


““Like a cat or dog?!””
““Treated like cats and dogs?!””


Nanami and Souta said, shocked.
Nanami and Souta blurted, shocked.


At the same time, there was a dark thought in Souta’s heart.
At the same time, Souta soon began to think dark thoughts.


“That means that Miss Rich Girl helps poor cats and dogs from her high standing, right?”
“That means that Miss Heiress helps hapless cats and dogs from her high standing above, right?”




After Souta mumbled this a little too disdainfully, he wanted to abandon his immature self. It’s shameful to let out anger like this.
Upon mumbling this disdainfully, Souta hated his own immaturity. Letting out his anger like this was shameful.


However, the hell that destroys a person’s lively and cheerful spirit… He who falls into such a human purgatory often feels that the goodwill of others is a burden for him.
However, when one enters hell, torn to pieces by lively optimism… He who falls into the earthly abyss often feels that goodwill is a burden.


Well, what was mentioned is just like someone who has experienced the lowest point of life venting their emotions at the time… No, maybe they are still crawling the depths of hell.
Well, what was just said is just like someone who had hit rock bottom venting their remaining emotions from that time… No, perhaps they’re still crawling the depths of hell.


Akane thought that Souta, who would not want to say nor let people see this type of thing, would inevitably want to alienate himself.
Souta didn’t want to say that kind of thing but also didn’t want others to notice, so he inevitably tried to alienate himself. At least, that’s what Akane thought.


She thought about it, but…  
She pondered it, but…  


“That’s too lonely. Too sad… Too hopeless, isn’t it?she decided.
''That’s too lonely. Too sad… Too hopeless, isn’t it?'' she decided.


“No! It’s not like that!”
“No! It’s not like that!”


Akane didn’t care about being misunderstood. She couldn’t stand Souta’s distrust of others and him continuously tormenting himself with loneliness - she hated it.
Akane didn’t care about being misunderstood. She just couldn’t stand Souta’s attitude — how Souta couldn’t bear to trust other people, so he kept tormenting himself with loneliness


Akane shook her head desperately and repeatedly stressed:
Akane shook her head desperately and repeatedly stressed:


“N-no, no! Souta-kun… how do I put this, barks and meows do you justice, you’re even more pitiful!”
“N-no, no! Souta-kun… how do I put this, barks and purrs cannot be mentioned in the same breath as you, I just think it’s really tragic!”


““Less than a cat or dog?!””
““Not even considered the same level as cats and dogs?!””


Souta, feeling overwhelmingly wretched, slumped his shoulders, and Nanami put her hand on Souta’s shoulder, telling him not to think about it.
Souta, slumped his shoulders, feeling exceedingly miserable. Nanami put her hand on Souta’s shoulder, telling him not to take it to heart.


“Isn’t this great? A gloomy child like thou needs this type of friend. Get along well with her, okay?”
“Isn’t this a good thing? A gloomy child like thee needs this kind of friend. Get along with her, okay?”


“Really? As long as Souta doesn’t dislike it, can we be friends?”
“Really? Souta-kun, as long as you don’t–don’t dislike it, do you want to be friends?”


“I don’t need…”
“I don’t need…”
Line 424: Line 422:
Hearing the normally timid Souta say this, Akane was hit hard.
Hearing the normally timid Souta say this, Akane was hit hard.


At the same time, Akane’s friendship flag broke with a cute sound… but just like before, a new friendship flag immediately popped up.
At the same time, Akane’s friendship flag broke with an adorable noise… but just like before, a new friendship flag immediately popped up.


“Why? My mother said that friends are the treasures of a lifetime. Uh, uh… So… treasures are important… I’m just saying that… that… if treasures didn’t exist, it would no longer be shiny, no longer beautiful and clean… So, if you sweep it away… after it’s sweeped into the basket, you wouldn’t have anywhere to throw it.”
“Why? My mother said that friends are the life’s treasures. U-uh… so… treasures are important… I’m just saying that… that… if treasures didn’t exist, they would no longer be shiny, no longer beautiful and polished… So, if you have to clean it up… after you sweep it into the dustpan, there wouldn’t be anywhere to throw it.”


“How did the conversation turn to trash cans?!”
“How did the conversation turn to trash cans?!”


Akane tried too hard to persuade them, so much so that she seemed unable to find what to say to make the other person understand.
Akane struggled too hard to persuade them, so much so that she eventually could not find a way to make them understand.


“In short, in Akane’s mind, friends are like trash cans, so it fits Souta just right.”
“Basically, in Akane’s mind, friends are like trash cans, so it fits Souta perfectly.”


“Nanami, what do you mean?!”
“Nanami, what do you mean by that?!”


“Nothing, nothing. Souta is not so much a trash can, he’s more like a bento box!”
“Nothing like that, nothing like that. Souta isn’t so much a trash can as a bento box!”


“So I’m a box, huh…”
“So I’m a box, huh…”


It was hard to tell whether Akane’s consolation counted as consolation or not.
Souta isn’t a flower to be sheltered in a box.<ref> The Japanese idiom for being sheltered involves a box</ref> It was hard to tell whether Akane’s consolation counted as consolation or not.


“In short, I… don’t want to cause trouble for others. It doesn’t matter if it’s Akane or anyone else.”
“Anyways, I… don’t want to bother others. Whether it’s Akane or anyone else.”


“I want to give Souta-kun more trouble!”
“I want to bother Souta-kun!”


“You…”
“You…”


Hearing Akane’s unreasonable, pain-imposing outcry, Souta was about to reproach her but was cut off by Akane.
Hearing Akane’s unreasonable outburst about inducing more suffering, Souta was about to reproach her. But Akane continued, cutting him off.


“Also, I also want to be troubled by Souta-kun! That is what friends are! And… I can’t ignore the lonely Souta!”
“Also, I want to be bothered by Souta-kun! That’s what friends do! And… I just can’t ignore the lonely person in front of my eyes!”


Akane’s additional words made Souta give up on a rebuke, and he turned away to escape Akane’s straight gaze.
Akane’s addendum made Souta give up on his retort, and he turned away to escape Akane’s unwavering gaze.


“I just said not to worry about me…”
“Just don’t worry about me…”


“Wait, Souta!”
“Hold on, Souta!”


Seeing Souta about to say something she couldn’t ignore, Nanami pulled his ear.
Seeing that Souta was about to say something she couldn’t ignore, Nanami pulled on his ear.


“Wh-what do you want…?”
“Wh-what do you want…?”


“Someone rarely wants to be thy friend, I will not allow thou to break her flag!”
“It’s rare for someone to want to be thy friend. Thou art not permitted to break her flag!”


“But…”
“But…”


“Does thou want to hurt a girl?”
“Dost thou want to humiliate girls?”


“Where is the problem…?”
“Where’s the problem…?”


Seeing Nanami and Souta pretty much arguing, Akane sadly held the tip of her fork in her mouth.
Seeing Nanami and Souta pretty much arguing, Akane sadly held the tip of her fork in her mouth.


“It’s not okay to be your friend?”
“Is it not okay to be your friend?”


“I don’t think friendship between males and females should be established…”
“I believe a friendship between males and females is impossible…”




Line 481: Line 479:
“I just said not to break it!!”
“I just said not to break it!!”


Souta was hit behind the head with an unopened packet of Klim Puri bread. <ref> Klim Puri is a type of persian flatbread, and this flatbread was later eaten by Nanami with gusto.</ref>
Souta was hit behind the head with an unopened package of Klim [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puri_(food) Puri]. (Note: Nanami later ate it with great relish)


“Even if you say that…”
“Even if you say that…”


Having said that, it was too late. The friendship flag on Akane’s head had snapped, and Akane’s eyes filled with tears.
Alas, it was too late. The friendship flag on Akane’s head had snapped, and Akane’s eyes filled with tears.


“Sure enough, it broke, right, Souta?”
“Sure enough, it broke, right, Souta?”
Line 492: Line 490:
“Pretty much…”
“Pretty much…”


Souta thought it wouldn’t resurrect this time and was relieved. Unexpectedly, Akane regrouped and said without giving anyone else time to breathe:
Souta was relieved, thinking it wouldn’t recover this time. Against all odds, Akane regrouped and, without giving anyone else time to breathe, said:


“Ah, b-b-b-b-b-but, we can start from a failed attempt at becoming friends, what do you think?”
“Ah, b-b-b-b-b-but, we can begin with an attempted friendship, what do you think?”


“Not satisfied…? Isn’t it the same as a failed attempt at murder…”
“She’s still not yet satisfied…? Isn’t that wording just like ‘attempted murder’…”<ref> Damn, these are some Cultivation Chat Group-level tangents lol</ref>


“Right.” Akane nodded, in deep agreement with Nanami. Souta looked at Akane’s head in disbelief.
“Indeed.” Akane nodded in deep agreement. Souta looked above Akane’s head in disbelief.


“It obviously broke several times… It still stands up, though…”
“It clearly broke several times… But it still stands…”


He saw the freshly broken flag give way to yet another new flag.
He saw the freshly broken flag give way to yet another new flag.


“This unexpectedly persistent fellow, Mahougasawa Akane… Isn’t she perfect for thou…? No matter how many times her flag breaks, it quickly revives. Even if she is hurt slightly, she will still face thou with an unyielding fighting spirit.”
“This Mahougasawa Akane chick is unexpectedly persistent… Isn’t she perfect for thee…? No matter how many times her flag breaks, it quickly recovers. Even if thou hurtest her heart, she will still face thee with an unyielding spirit.”


“Hmph… I still think it’s very terrifying…”
“Huh… I feel like that’s pretty terrifying…”


“Thou, who can see flags and decide their fate, is pretty terrifying, alright?”
“Thou, who can see flags and decide their fate, art the one who is terrifying, alright?”


These words were really excellent.
Well said.


Nanami and Souta quietly held a meeting among friends as usual, and Akane ignored the two people, quietly worrying on the side.
Nanami and Souta quietly held a council. Akane ignored the two, quietly worrying to the side.


“Failed friends are also not okay…? Hmm… Since it’s like this, then the step before failed friends… acquaintances… nodding acquaintances… hmm… more one-sided… stalker? Would stalker be okay?”
“Attempted friendship isn’t okay either…? Hmm… In this case, then the step before attempted friendship… acquaintances… a nodding acquaintance… hmmmmm… more one-sided… stalker? Is stalker okay?”


“Don’t go there!!”
“Don’t go there!!”
Line 520: Line 518:
“......”
“......”


Although Nanami recommended that the two be friends, she immediately doubted whether this person was the correct choice.
Nanami was the one who initially recommended that the two be friends, but she soon began to doubt whether she made the correct choice.


“Since you hate stalkers, how about being friends?”
“Since you don’t like stalkers, how about being friends?”


“... Whatever you want.”
“... Do whatever you want.”


“Hooray!”
“Hooray!”


This was almost threatening.
That’s pretty much a threat.


Watching Akane softly raise her arms and shout hooray with a smile, he inexplicably felt his mood gradually improve.
Watching Akane softly raise her arms and shout hooray with a smile, he felt his mood gradually improve for some reason.


This may be attributed to Akane’s personality traits.
This may be Akane’s unique characteristic.


Nonetheless, this must be…
Nonetheless, this must be…


This must be a momentary whim of Miss Rich Girl, thinking that he is fun.
This must be a temporary whim of Miss Heiress, thinking that he’s interesting.


After the novelty of it subsides, she would definitely immediately lose interest - that was what Souta thought.
''After the novelty subsides, she would definitely lose interest immediately'' — that was what Souta thought.


Although he would soon realize that thinking this was a huge mistake.
Though he’d soon realize that this train of thought was a huge mistake.


“But, Souta-kun is willing to tell me not-so-pleasant things, so I am a bit happy.”
“But I’m kind of happy that Souta-kun’s willing to say such not-so-pleasant things to me.”


“... What?”
“... What?”


“When I feel sad, it doesn’t matter when other people spoil me. But when the one spoiling others is me, there’s always this warm fuzzy feeling in my heart.”
“I think that when I’m sad, it doesn’t matter if other people pamper me. But when I’m the one doing the pampering, there’s always this warm fuzzy feeling in my heart.”


“Akane, is it really okay even if you are hurt?”
“Akane, is it really okay even if you get hurt?”


“Souta-kun thinks I might be hurt and worries about me. This makes me really happy.”
“Souta-kun thinks I might get hurt and is worrying about me. That makes me really happy.”


Seeing Akane smile bashfully, Souta frowned.
Seeing Akane smile bashfully, Souta frowned.


“... You really are a strange fellow.”
“... You really are a strange chick.”


Souta’s tone was no longer hostile nor malicious, and Akane looked full of joy.
Souta’s tone was no longer hostile nor malicious, and Akane looked jubilant.


“But, even if you are friends with someone like me, you still can’t be happy, right…”
“But even if you’re friends with someone like me, you still wouldn’t be happy, right…”


Souta’s expression darkened like before and he lowered his head slightly, full of worry-- But, he also seemed kind of happy.
Souta’s expression darkened like before and he lowered his head slightly, worried — but he also seemed kind of happy.


“Are thou stupid? Souta. That kind of thing is decided by the other person. Is it ‘‘really’’ decided by whatever thou says?
“Art thou an idiot? Souta. That kind of thing is for them to decide. How can it depend on what thou sayest?


Nanami snorted and nibbled at her Klim Puri flatbread.
Nanami snorted and chewed her Klim Puri flatbread.


Akane nodded greatly, agreeing with Nanami.
Akane nodded enthusiastically, agreeing with Nanami.


“Yeah! Nanami said it really well. I’m really happy to just talk with Souta-kun! I might be a little self-conscious saying this, but… There are many people close to me, so when I meet someone alienated from me, it makes me feel fresh… This is something that I have not seen around me so far, you could say it’s an unknown type of person… an unidentified creature… Yes, it is an unidentified life form.”
“Yeah! Nanami said it really well. Just talking to Souta-kun makes me really happy! I might feel a bit self-conscious saying this, but… there are many people close to me, so when I meet someone more distant, it’s a new experience… This is someone that I haven't seen around me so far, an unfamiliar kind of person… an unidentified creature… Yes, an unidentified life form.”


““A UMA?!””<ref> Short for Unidentified Mysterious Animal.</ref>
““A UFAO?!””<ref> Unidentified, unFamiliar Animated Object. Just roll with it. I tried. If any of you come up with something better, I welcome you to edit it.</ref>


A chupacabra appeared in Nanami’s and Souta’s minds at the same time. Do you want to suck blood? <ref> A chupacabra is a mythical South American creature that sucks blood. ‘Do you want to suck blood?’ is apparently a quote from Japanese comedian Kanpei Hazama.</ref>
A chupacabra appeared in Nanami’s and Souta’s minds at the same time. Wanna suck blood?<ref> ‘Do you want to suck blood?’ is apparently a quote from Japanese comedian Kanpei Hazama. Relevant because chupacabras suck blood. </ref>


“Souta-kun, Nanami, you guys are really in sync. Are you guys really close?”
“Souta-kun, Nanami, you guys are really in sync. You’re actually quite close, right?”


“We’re not close! It’s better to say that our relationship is extremely bad. Our relationship is so bad that, given the opportunity, I would steal this guy’s leftover bread in exchange for the not-very-tasty bread I am eating right now.”
“We’re not close! Rather, our relationship is really bad. So bad that, given the opportunity, We would steal this guy’s leftover bread in exchange for the not-very-tasty bread We are eating right now.”


“My leftover bread is Klim Puri, the very thing Nanami is eating right now, though?”
“My leftover bread is Klim Puri, the very thing Nanami’s eating right now, though?”


Souta, originally looking forward to the bread that he had saved for last, grieved a little when he heard this bad news.
Having saved the bread for last, Souta was looking forward to eating it. He grieved a little when he heard this bad news.


“You guys are really alike. That’s great, I’m so jealous--”
“You guys are really similar. That’s great, I’m so jealous--”


“......”
“......”


Nanami stared at the wriggling Akane with eyes full of detest.
Nanami stared hatefully at Akane wiggling.


Wasn’t it true that friendship could still be established despite vastly different values? Nanami and Akane were polar opposites, making Souta gradually feel that Nanami and Akane may yet be a good pair.
Wasn’t it true that friendship can still be established in spite of very different values? Nanami and Akane were polar opposites, and Souta started to feel that Nanami and Akane may yet make a good pair.


The evidence was…  
The evidence was…  


“... In just a bit, thou shall become alike and be the envy of everybody else!”
“... Before, ye shall become two peas in a pod and become the envy of everybody else!”


“In fact, I’ve always wanted to be closer to Nanami.”
“Actually, I’ve always wanted to become closer with Nanami.”


Hearing Nanami’s slightly lonesome words, Akane held Nanami’s hands tightly with a smile. Unconsciously, her name had changed from ‘Nanami-san’ to ‘Nanami’.
Hearing Nanami’s slightly lonely words, Akane held Nanami’s hands tightly and smiled. At some point, ‘Nanami-san’ had become ‘Nanami’.


“Wh-why me?!”
“Wh-why me?!”


“... When I see a lonely person, or a puppy drenched in rain, or a kitten mewling in sorrow, I just can’t ignore them!”
“... Whenever I see a lonely person, or a puppy drenched in rain, or a kitten mewling in pain, I just can’t ignore them!”


“Like Souta?!”
“Treated like Souta?!”


Nanami was even more shocked than Souta was when he was just compared to a cat and dog.
Nanami was even more shocked at this than Souta was when he was just compared to a cat and dog.


“Nanami feels like a regrettably arrogant yet gentle person, which has always made me care about her.”
“Nanami regrettably feels like a person of spoiled arrogance, which has always made me interested in her.”


“What does thou mean by ‘regrettably arrogant’?”
“What dost thou mean by ‘regrettably’?”


“It’s just that, in the scale of arrogance and gentleness, the arrogance is relatively higher than the gentleness!”
“Just that, in the phrase ‘spoiled arrogance’, the ‘spoiled’ part outweighs the ‘arrogant’ part!”


“Stop being so annoying!!”
“Shut up!!”


Souta looked at the arguing girls with a wonderful smile neither wry nor a smirk, and said:
Souta looked at the arguing girls with an magnificent smile, neither forced nor a smirk, and said:


“I think that Nanami and Akane can become very good friends.”
“I for one think that Nanami and Akane can become very good friends.”


“What?! This troublemaker also has a flag for me?”
“What?! This troublemaker also has a flag for Us?”


Nanami pulled Souta’s ears again, screaming quietly.
Nanami pulled on Souta’s ears again, quietly roaring.


“I don’t know… I basically only see my-- I should say flags that have to do with me…”
“I don’t know… I basically only see my own— or rather, I should say, flags that have to do with me…”


Meaning that he can only see flags involving him, like how that morning’s accident involved him-- Understanding it this way, Nanami thought, “This ability seems convenient but isn’t convenient; it makes people feel like it’s convenient, but that’s not entirely true…”
That is to say, Souta was only able to see the flag for that morning’s accident because it also involved him — with this understanding, Nanami thought: ''This ability seems convenient but isn’t really convenient; it seems to be a convenience, but that’s not entirely the case…''


“Just like that! That’s what makes people think you two are close! Physical contact is proof of a good relationship! Can I pull Souta-kun’s ears, too?”
“Just like that! That’s what makes people think you two are close! Physical contact is proof of a good relationship! Can I pull on Souta-kun’s ears, too?”


“Sure?”
“Sure?”


“Don’t pull ears for no reason!”
“Don’t pull on people’s ears for no reason!”


“So it’s allowed if there is a reason?”
“So it’s allowed if there is a reason?”
Line 636: Line 634:
“Sure?”
“Sure?”


“Nanami, don’t rationalize it by finding joy in others’ sorrow! Getting back to the point, what’s the point of pulling ears…?”
“Nanami, no stop seeking schadenfreude! Anyways, what’s so fun about pulling on ears…?”


“Seeking trouble… That kind of point, right?”
“Causing mischief… That kind of fun, probably?”


“Our relationship is really bad!!”
“What a terrible relationship!!”


“No it isn’t, no it isn't! The relationship of ‘even if you’re finding trouble for the other person, the other person would just smile and forgive you’ is definitely good proof.”
“No it’s not, no it’s not! That feeling of ‘even if you cause them mischief, they’ll still laugh and forgive you’ is definitely proof of a good relationship.”


Oh, it’s like that, that really makes sense-- Souta smiled slightly in approval, and Akane’s cheeks went slightly red. There was joy in the depths of her heart, making her smile unconsciously.
Oh, that’s how it is, that does make sense— Souta smiled faintly in agreement, and Akane’s cheeks went slightly red. Joy emanated from the depths of her heart, and she couldn’t help but smile.


“My confidante! It seems that you understand me! Souta-kun, you’re really, really charming when you smile! As long as you smile like this a lot, the feeling of loneliness will definitely subside!”
“That’s my friend! Looks like you really get me! Souta-kun, you’re really, really charming when you smile! As long as you smile like this a lot, your loneliness will definitely disappear!”


“Ah…”
“Ah…”


Souta was not used to being praised directly in person, so he unconsciously shrugged slightly, and his smile changed into a bitter smile. Seeing this, Akane shouted, “Ah, what a waste of the cool smile just now…” Her hands even started to quiver.
Souta wasn’t used to being praised so directly in person, so he inadvertently shrugged, and his smile became strained. Seeing this, Akane exclaimed, “Ah, what a waste of the cool smile just now…” Her hands even began to quiver.


Having eaten her lunch bread and sucked her milk carton dry, Nanami smiled teasingly and said:
Having eaten her bread and sucked her milk carton dry, Nanami smirked playfully and said:


“But Akane, if the other person isn’t lonely anymore, wouldn’t you lose interest?”
“But Akane, if he wasn’t lonely anymore, wouldn’t you lose interest?”


“In my mind, a laughing Souta is more important than a lonely Souta. This is a historic moment. Even if it is a small step for mankind, it is one and a half small steps for me!”
“In my mind, a laughing Souta is more important than a lonely Souta. This is a historic moment, okay? One small step for mankind, one and a half small steps for me!”


““That’s not much of a difference!!””
““Close enough!!””


“You guys are actually well-coordinated… That’s good, I also want to have someone be in harmony with me.”
“You guys are really in sync… That’s great, I also want someone to be in sync with me.”


“Why do you envy others? Akane, don’t you also have many good points?”
“Why do you need to envy other people? Akane, don’t you also have many strengths?”


Nanami used her weak grip strength to squeeze her empty milk carton, showing an expression of shy admiration, speaking without breaking eye contact. Hearing Nanami’s words, Akane’s smile bloomed.
Nanami lightly squeezed her empty milk carton and broke eye contact, her expression that of shy admiration. Hearing Nanami’s words, Akane’s smile bloomed.


“R-really?! Like-like what?”
“R-really?! Like-like what?”




“... Well… like wanting to eat with me and Souta, isn’t it?”
“... Well… like wanting to eat with me and Souta, right?”


Seeing Nanami laugh at herself, after Akane laughed with an expression of “Isn’t that normal?”, she fell into deep thought with a “Yeah…”
Seeing Nanami laugh with a little self-deprecation, Akane laughed with an expression of “Isn’t that normal?” She then fell into deep thought with an “Eh…”


“Is it better to eat by yourself?”
“Is it better to eat alone?”


““Is this an individual interview?!””
““You had a conversation with yourself?!””


“Only you two keep getting closer and closer, it’s not fair, it’s not fair!”
“Only you two keep getting closer and closer. It’s not fair, it’s not fair!”


However, even if Akane and Souta have eaten half of their lunch, if Akane and Nanami eat the remaining half, anyone would think that the relationship between Souta and Nanami was deteriorating and breaking apart.
However, supposing that Akane and Souta had already eaten half of their lunch, and then Akane and Nanami ate the remaining half, anyone would think that the relationship between Souta and Nanami was deteriorating.


In this way, a group of people was quietly observing the situation outside of the classroom where the three similar people happily ate their lunch.
In this way, the three unexpectedly similar people happily ate their lunch in the classroom. Outside, a group of people quietly observed the situation.


“... In other words, isn’t it almost okay to enter?”
“... So, we can probably go in now?”


The class, who had been driven out of the classroom, pondered the opportunity to go back in.
The rest of the class, who had been driven out of the classroom, searched for an opportunity to go back in.


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| Return to [[Kanojo ga Flag wo Oraretara (If Her Flag Breaks)|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[If Her Flag Breaks Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
| Forward to [[If Her Flag Breaks Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
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Latest revision as of 01:17, 4 January 2025

Flag 2: The Indomitable Magician Quietly Approaches[edit]

The day after Souta transferred.

The excitement of the previous day was like a dream. Other than Kikuno, the only person who would actively seek him out to talk, people stopped approaching Souta after class.

As the daylight waned in the noisy classroom, only one word described Souta sitting at his seat — lonely.

His figure evoked loneliness.

“They don’t so much as glance at him, is this reality… Has everyone already lost interest in the transfer student?”

Nanami sat sideways on her chair, expressing her honest opinion of Souta.

However, the classroom atmosphere was less that of ostracism so much as… that feeling of ‘the new transfer student seems to like being alone and doesn’t want to interact, so let’s just let him be.’

Souta didn’t seem to care at all. “Oh, that’s because…” he replied:

“After a flag breaks, it won’t reappear that easily. If something special happens, the flag could reappear or a ‘Flag Recovery’ flag might appear…”

“This mechanism is quite annoying…”

Human relationships might indeed be like this, it’s just that this flag thing is too exaggerated — Nanami understood this implicitly. As the bell rang, she turned to face forward.

However… there was a pair of eyes secretly staring at them.

The eyes’ owner looked breathlessly at Souta, who hadn’t left his seat, for the entire class and seemed to nod with determination…

Lunch break.

The students either started eating lunch with three to five friends around a desk or went to the cafeteria together. A lively atmosphere filled the classroom.

In contrast, Nanami and Souta were too quiet, staring at their respective desks and quietly nibbling on the salty bread they bought that morning.

Their loneliness was so strong that people couldn’t approach them, adding even more loneliness and falling into an endless negative spiral. FYI, the word spiral definitely wasn’t used because it’s a cool word. Spiral.

Based on her excessively protective mentality, if Kikuno was there it would be impossible for Souta to stay in that loneliness spiral, and they would definitely be eating lunch together. Unfortunately, in order to give advice to those who volunteered to study abroad, Kikuno was attending a lunch gathering hosted by the Student Council and wasn’t in the classroom.

Suddenly, a shadow approached this singular space.

It was an approachable girl, a beautiful girl-next-door type person. Each grade generally has one of those.

If Nanami’s beauty was like a rose, hers would be a cherry blossom that rouses people’s protective instincts.

She had shoulder-length hair with big bows swaying on both sides highlighting her cuteness.

“Hi, my name is Mahougasawa Akane.[1]

The girl… Akane smiled gently and suddenly brought her face closer — close enough to feel her breath — and surprised Souta, who stiffened.

The thing that made Souta’s expression most tense was that…

The flag… It’s been raised…

A friendship flag flapped on Akane’s head.

“Ah, I hope you don’t feel repulsed! I’m not a suspicious person, I’m a mysterious classmate, okay?”

“You’re mysterious?!”

So suspicious it might explode.

“Excuse me… what does this mysterious classmate want from me?”

“I’m Akane-chan, though?”

“... Mahougasawa-san, what do—”

“I’m Akane-chan, though?”

Souta was interrupted by Akane halfway through his sentence.

“... Akane, what do you want from me?”

“Oh! It’s the first time a boy used my first name directly.”

Souta glanced at the friendship flag, which had been splashed with a hint of pink.

Akane also blushed pink, matching the flag. She didn’t seem to notice the subtle movements of his eyes. She asked generously:

“Can we eat a bento together?”

Honestly, Souta didn’t really want to interact with people, and most importantly, he was more apprehensive than happy at the thought of having lunch with two girls in the classroom. After all, he was a sensitive boy in his teenage years, so this was an expected reaction.

“... It’s bothersome.”

“He thinks I’m a bother!!”

Akane’s friendship flag broke, and Souta was relieved.

Nanami was already peeking at them through the corner of her eyes while drinking from her milk carton. At this time, she leaned over beside Souta’s ear and asked:

“Souta, was the flag raised?”

“Yeah…”

“Did you break it?”

“Pretty much…”

“Oh.” Despite her disinterested expression, Nanami looked into Souta’s eyes, which were filled with self-contempt and self-pity. This guy was torturing himself.

“I won’t be a bother, so can we eat lunch together?”

“Huh?!”

Since Akane’s flag had been broken, Souta thought she should have left already. Yet she stubbornly stayed and continued trying. Souta was absolutely flabbergasted.

“Did it not break?”

Nanami murmured, letting go of the straw in the carton.

“How can this be possible…”

Souta was sure that the flag had been broken and looked above Akane’s head… but —

“It-it rose again…!”

He saw the friendship flag rise again.

Having broken countless flags, Souta had never seen a flag recover so quickly.

Seeing Souta speechless, Akane tilted her head in confusion.

“Can we?”

“Holy…!”

Maybe thinking that Souta’s silence indicated permission, Akane relaxed and brought an empty seat next to Souta’s desk.

Nearly going with the flow, Souta frantically tried to break the flag again as Akane put down the chair.

“N-no, how should I say this… After all… I’ll be teased if I have lunch with girls… you know what I mean?”

“... That makes sense, sorry.”

Seeing the friendship flag break and disappear again, Souta sighed in relief.

… But before the sigh even came out, a new friendship flag had already popped up.

“I’ll eat after Souta-kun has finished eating, so can we sit together?”

“You don’t understand what I’m saying at all?!”

“?”

Souta was scared silly, and Akane tilted her head in confusion, smiling gently.

“But-but, it feels a little rude to eat first, though?”

“...”

Souta didn’t think that she could understand him at all. This kind of situation was desperate, almost like fighting a pull chain in the middle of a room.

“Can’t I?”

“I’m not saying that… You can’t… No, I’m just saying…”

Attracted by the ruckus, even the classmates who had their flags broken started glancing towards Souta with interest.

“See, everyone’s looking…”

Souta lowered his head, looking extremely distressed. Akane, almost crying, looked around at her classmates.

The spectators crossed their arms in unison, thinking about the best solution for this situation. After contemplating a while, they all looked to the center of the classroom together.

They looked at the wisest person in the class — the academy’s Living Dictionary, the sage Ryuukishibara Tsumugi. Currently, she was nibbling a rice ball.

Her face and body, even if you relaxed the standard, was at most just at the level of a middle schooler… No, this description is still wrong. She looked completely childish, just like a little girl.

Despite her immature appearance, there were rumors that she had been living here even before the academy was founded. How many years she had repeated was a complete mystery. It was one of the seven wonders of the school.

There were other mysteries about her, too. For example, she only wore school uniform’s shirt and coat over a belted kimono — this outfit would surprise every passerby.

If someone asked her about this, she would sigh: “You don’t even know how to wear a kimono? Western tea has poisoned you to forget…”

However, she still wore large lace hair accessories. In this regard, her appreciation of beauty did not distinguish between East and West.

Under the gaze of the whole class, Tsumugi understood the situation, thought quickly, and immediately stood up.

“Everybody listen up!! The weather today is great!! It’s warm and sunny, so go out and eat!”

Tsumugi chewed on her rice ball and put on her geta. She walked out of the classroom, geta clicking on the floor.

“Oh, how befitting her title of Grandmother! Great idea!”

“Of course Bento needs to be eaten outside!”

“The courtyard, let’s go to the courtyard!”

Then, everyone started talking again and left the classroom single file. When they realized it, only Souta, Akane, and Nanami, unable to bear the atmosphere, were left in the classroom.

“... Nobody’s looking anymore?”

“Something’s wrong with those guys’s problem-solving methods…”

Akane successfully caught Souta’s attention and smiled at him; Nanami scanned the empty classroom in cold sweat.

“Can we eat bento together?”

“... Yes.”

Since it had already gotten to this point, Souta lost the courage to refuse.

The friendship flag, which had been broken more than once, was raised once again, and broke Souta’s heart to the brink of collapse.

As Akane excitedly sat down on the newly-arranged chair, Nanami also turned her chair 180 degrees.

“Nanami-san, do you want to join us?”

“In this situation, if We were the only one facing forward to eat, wouldn’t We be the only one without friends?”

Nanami acted unexpectedly cute in this situation.

“Wow! I’m so happy!! Actually, I’ve always wanted to find a chance to get along with Nanami-san. But I couldn’t find a chance… Ah! Souta-kun, you have many weaknesses… you could even say that your whole body is covered with them!”

“... Is it really?”

Akane’s carefree words… The aggrieved Souta’s mouth twitched and he asked Nanami:

“... Hey Nanami, is Akane this kind of ‘jerk’?”

“This airhead is a super rich heiress, hmph.”

Nanami replied imperiously, implying that Souta was wasting her breath. Souta wanted to punch her.

“Oh, what’s wrong? Are you investigating me? How am I a rich heiress… my grandfather just happens to be the president of a consortium, that’s all.”

“Consortium?!”

“Isn’t the Mahougasawa Group quite famous? You don’t know?”

“... I’m not familiar with the consortium industry.”

Consortium industry… What the hell is a consortium industry…? Nanami gave Souta a strange look, but Akane smiled.

“My business isn’t important. Speaking of which, Nanami is a princess.”

“A princess?!”

“You aren’t familiar with the princess industry either?”

Where did this industry come from…? Nanami gave Akane a strange look this time, but Akane kept beaming.

“Nanami’s actually the thirteenth princess of the Principality of Bladefield!”

Huh?! That wasn’t a metaphor, she’s a real princess?! Souta’s eyes widened, causing Nanami to look resentful.

“To put it simply, it’s just a small country in the European countryside. And there are ten princes and fourteen princesses. We rank second-to-last. If We had stayed home, We would just be an eyesore. So We were sent to this Far East island country. We are only a princess in name.”

“......”

“S-so what…?” Seeing Souta staring blankly at her, Nanami retreated slightly and asked.

“I don’t have any money though?!”

“We are not running a royal scam on thou!!”

The ‘royal scam’ refers to the crime of posing as a royal and using fake connections to scam people.

“If Nanami wants money, I have some, okay?”

“Don’t need it!”

Souta saw the rare sight of a princess refusing a donation from a rich girl.

“You’re right. There’s something more important than money. And that’s friendth— Ow!”

“She bit her tongue!”

“She bit her tongue at the most important part!!”

Akane, who bit her tongue, was about to cry. So Nanami and Souta ran around babbling: “Friendship is great!” “Long live friendship!” to make Akane’s tears give way to a smile.

“Absolutely! This spirit of mutual protection is friendship! It’s a shining gem!”

Akane happily held Nanami and Souta’s hands and turned towards them. Although Akane’s sappy lines made the two rather uneasy, they forced a shaky smile. They’d have a headache if she really cried.

Then, in the predicament of holding hands with a rich heiress, Souta wanted to secretly withdraw his hand before she thought, Boys’ hands are thick and hard, it’s so disgusting~. Suddenly, Akane faced him and said:

“A boy’s hand…”

Akane’s face stiffened slightly and she paused for a moment. Souta couldn’t help but think ‘as expected’ with a pained expression about as bitter as 99% pure chocolate.

“... is really strong! Other than perhaps my father, it’s the first time I held hands with a boy.”

Seeing Akane’s friendship flag flutter more energetically than before, Souta’s expression was so painfully bitter that it became as bitter as 100% pure chocolate. That said, 100% purity wouldn’t be chocolate, it’d just be cocoa.

“Why does Souta-kun have such a tangled expression? Is it because you indirectly held hands with my father?”

“... That’s not it. But after all, I didn’t think Nanami really was a princess… how do I put it… Although I’ve always thought that Nanami’s speech pattern was different from a normal person’s… but… really? You guys are actually Her Princess Highness and Miss Heiress of a conglomerate… I feel really out of place.”

“It's not a conglomerate, it’s a consortium, though?”

Akane raised her index finger to correct the mistake, and Souta, not well-versed in the conglomerate industry, asked her:

“What’s the difference?”

“They’re all the same.”

“Didst thou not sayest it was different?! If thou actually thinkest they are the same, why didst thou just correct it?”

“...... Then they’re not the same.”

After being exposed by Nanami, Akane became depressed. Souta forced a smile and asked her again:

“So then, what’s the difference?”

“...... They’re all the same.”

“We have hit a wall.”

Let’s just stop talking about this, search it up yourself later — Souta thought, Akane also thought, and Nanami thought too. Young modern people are probably not concerned about financial news, and that’s a serious problem. At the same time, young people not caring about other young people is also a very serious problem.

“It’s a little late to say this kind of thing now, but is it really okay for me to talk to the Princess and Miss Heiress on equal ground…?”

Souta kept his distance a bit, and Akane shook her head very sadly.

“Please don’t use honorifics. Because we’re classmates.”

“Art not thou using honorifics…”

“...... Then let’s use honorifics together.”

Akane hesitantly let out an “Ahh…”, while Nanami burst out.

“We will not!”

“Souta-kun, Nanami is a princess, so it’s not her selfish refusal, it’s me forcing her to do something she can’t do.”

“We know how to use honorifics! Nobody forced Us to say that!”

Akane tried to be too clever and ended up rubbing Nanami the wrong way. Something similar was probably said before. ‘Rubbing the wrong way’ would be cute if written in hiragana and katakana.[2]

“Then, I hope you try to use them.”

“... Please allow Us to refuse.”

““Ooh, very princess-like.””[3]

“Sh-shut up! There definitely won’t be a next time!”

Nanami’s white skin reddened and she looked away in shame and displeasure.

At this point, Akane said she left her tea-filled water bottle at her seat and walked slowly to the back of the classroom.

Souta took the opportunity to whisper to Nanami:

“... That girl is a bit strange… no, she’s really strange. Though she seems like a good girl.”

“... Yeah. Although We are not very familiar with her either, she is cute, gentle, likeable, cheerful, friendly, and always surrounded by friends… It feels like she has everything that thou lacketh.”

Nanami didn’t seem to realize that this sentence applied to herself, too.

“Don’t say it out loud…”

Why do those kinds of people voluntarily come and talk about themselves…? Just as Souta thought this, Akane came back. She looked at them with interest. Although she didn’t hear what they said, she smiled bashfully and asked:

“Souta-kun, do you have a very good relationship with Nanami?”

“Who would have a good relationship with this kind of dithering guy?!”

Nanami roared before Souta had a chance to say anything.

“Even maggots are indispensable creatures for Spaceship Earth since they clean up animal corpses, right?”

“Who said he was a maggot? I would never say such a disgusting word!!”

Since the two were constantly hopping the line between good and evil, Souta couldn’t figure out who was right and who was wrong.

“... Akane, why did you want to talk to me?”

“Right. Thou hast so many friends and art welcomed everywhere, so why would thou payest attention to this kind of person?”

Worried he would continue to be teased, Souta felt a sense of crisis and asked Akane. Nanami also joined in, also interested.

Faced with such blunt questions, Akane twirled her fork, her expression a bit troubled. “Ummm…” After thinking for a while, she put down her fork and said:

“... Ummm—I saw a lonely person, like a puppy drenched in rain or a kitten mewling in pain, so I couldn’t ignore them.”

““Treated like cats and dogs?!””

Nanami and Souta blurted, shocked.

At the same time, Souta soon began to think dark thoughts.

“That means that Miss Heiress helps hapless cats and dogs from her high standing above, right?”


Upon mumbling this disdainfully, Souta hated his own immaturity. Letting out his anger like this was shameful.

However, when one enters hell, torn to pieces by lively optimism… He who falls into the earthly abyss often feels that goodwill is a burden.

Well, what was just said is just like someone who had hit rock bottom venting their remaining emotions from that time… No, perhaps they’re still crawling the depths of hell.

Souta didn’t want to say that kind of thing but also didn’t want others to notice, so he inevitably tried to alienate himself. At least, that’s what Akane thought.

She pondered it, but…

That’s too lonely. Too sad… Too hopeless, isn’t it? she decided.

“No! It’s not like that!”

Akane didn’t care about being misunderstood. She just couldn’t stand Souta’s attitude — how Souta couldn’t bear to trust other people, so he kept tormenting himself with loneliness

Akane shook her head desperately and repeatedly stressed:

“N-no, no! Souta-kun… how do I put this, barks and purrs cannot be mentioned in the same breath as you, I just think it’s really tragic!”

““Not even considered the same level as cats and dogs?!””

Souta, slumped his shoulders, feeling exceedingly miserable. Nanami put her hand on Souta’s shoulder, telling him not to take it to heart.

“Isn’t this a good thing? A gloomy child like thee needs this kind of friend. Get along with her, okay?”

“Really? Souta-kun, as long as you don’t–don’t dislike it, do you want to be friends?”

“I don’t need…”

“Rejected immediately!!”

Hearing the normally timid Souta say this, Akane was hit hard.

At the same time, Akane’s friendship flag broke with an adorable noise… but just like before, a new friendship flag immediately popped up.

“Why? My mother said that friends are the life’s treasures. U-uh… so… treasures are important… I’m just saying that… that… if treasures didn’t exist, they would no longer be shiny, no longer beautiful and polished… So, if you have to clean it up… after you sweep it into the dustpan, there wouldn’t be anywhere to throw it.”

“How did the conversation turn to trash cans?!”

Akane struggled too hard to persuade them, so much so that she eventually could not find a way to make them understand.

“Basically, in Akane’s mind, friends are like trash cans, so it fits Souta perfectly.”

“Nanami, what do you mean by that?!”

“Nothing like that, nothing like that. Souta isn’t so much a trash can as a bento box!”

“So I’m a box, huh…”

Souta isn’t a flower to be sheltered in a box.[4] It was hard to tell whether Akane’s consolation counted as consolation or not.

“Anyways, I… don’t want to bother others. Whether it’s Akane or anyone else.”

“I want to bother Souta-kun!”

“You…”

Hearing Akane’s unreasonable outburst about inducing more suffering, Souta was about to reproach her. But Akane continued, cutting him off.

“Also, I want to be bothered by Souta-kun! That’s what friends do! And… I just can’t ignore the lonely person in front of my eyes!”

Akane’s addendum made Souta give up on his retort, and he turned away to escape Akane’s unwavering gaze.

“Just don’t worry about me…”

“Hold on, Souta!”

Seeing that Souta was about to say something she couldn’t ignore, Nanami pulled on his ear.

“Wh-what do you want…?”

“It’s rare for someone to want to be thy friend. Thou art not permitted to break her flag!”

“But…”

“Dost thou want to humiliate girls?”

“Where’s the problem…?”

Seeing Nanami and Souta pretty much arguing, Akane sadly held the tip of her fork in her mouth.

“Is it not okay to be your friend?”

“I believe a friendship between males and females is impossible…”


“So sad…”

“I just said not to break it!!”

Souta was hit behind the head with an unopened package of Klim Puri. (Note: Nanami later ate it with great relish)

“Even if you say that…”

Alas, it was too late. The friendship flag on Akane’s head had snapped, and Akane’s eyes filled with tears.

“Sure enough, it broke, right, Souta?”


“Pretty much…”

Souta was relieved, thinking it wouldn’t recover this time. Against all odds, Akane regrouped and, without giving anyone else time to breathe, said:

“Ah, b-b-b-b-b-but, we can begin with an attempted friendship, what do you think?”

“She’s still not yet satisfied…? Isn’t that wording just like ‘attempted murder’…”[5]

“Indeed.” Akane nodded in deep agreement. Souta looked above Akane’s head in disbelief.

“It clearly broke several times… But it still stands…”

He saw the freshly broken flag give way to yet another new flag.

“This Mahougasawa Akane chick is unexpectedly persistent… Isn’t she perfect for thee…? No matter how many times her flag breaks, it quickly recovers. Even if thou hurtest her heart, she will still face thee with an unyielding spirit.”

“Huh… I feel like that’s pretty terrifying…”

“Thou, who can see flags and decide their fate, art the one who is terrifying, alright?”

Well said.

Nanami and Souta quietly held a council. Akane ignored the two, quietly worrying to the side.

“Attempted friendship isn’t okay either…? Hmm… In this case, then the step before attempted friendship… acquaintances… a nodding acquaintance… hmmmmm… more one-sided… stalker? Is stalker okay?”

“Don’t go there!!”

“......”

Nanami was the one who initially recommended that the two be friends, but she soon began to doubt whether she made the correct choice.

“Since you don’t like stalkers, how about being friends?”

“... Do whatever you want.”

“Hooray!”

That’s pretty much a threat.

Watching Akane softly raise her arms and shout hooray with a smile, he felt his mood gradually improve for some reason.

This may be Akane’s unique characteristic.

Nonetheless, this must be…

This must be a temporary whim of Miss Heiress, thinking that he’s interesting.

After the novelty subsides, she would definitely lose interest immediately — that was what Souta thought.

Though he’d soon realize that this train of thought was a huge mistake.

“But I’m kind of happy that Souta-kun’s willing to say such not-so-pleasant things to me.”

“... What?”

“I think that when I’m sad, it doesn’t matter if other people pamper me. But when I’m the one doing the pampering, there’s always this warm fuzzy feeling in my heart.”

“Akane, is it really okay even if you get hurt?”

“Souta-kun thinks I might get hurt and is worrying about me. That makes me really happy.”

Seeing Akane smile bashfully, Souta frowned.

“... You really are a strange chick.”

Souta’s tone was no longer hostile nor malicious, and Akane looked jubilant.

“But even if you’re friends with someone like me, you still wouldn’t be happy, right…”

Souta’s expression darkened like before and he lowered his head slightly, worried — but he also seemed kind of happy.

“Art thou an idiot? Souta. That kind of thing is for them to decide. How can it depend on what thou sayest?”

Nanami snorted and chewed her Klim Puri flatbread.

Akane nodded enthusiastically, agreeing with Nanami.

“Yeah! Nanami said it really well. Just talking to Souta-kun makes me really happy! I might feel a bit self-conscious saying this, but… there are many people close to me, so when I meet someone more distant, it’s a new experience… This is someone that I haven't seen around me so far, an unfamiliar kind of person… an unidentified creature… Yes, an unidentified life form.”

““A UFAO?!””[6]

A chupacabra appeared in Nanami’s and Souta’s minds at the same time. Wanna suck blood?[7]

“Souta-kun, Nanami, you guys are really in sync. You’re actually quite close, right?”

“We’re not close! Rather, our relationship is really bad. So bad that, given the opportunity, We would steal this guy’s leftover bread in exchange for the not-very-tasty bread We are eating right now.”

“My leftover bread is Klim Puri, the very thing Nanami’s eating right now, though?”

Having saved the bread for last, Souta was looking forward to eating it. He grieved a little when he heard this bad news.

“You guys are really similar. That’s great, I’m so jealous--”

“......”

Nanami stared hatefully at Akane wiggling.

Wasn’t it true that friendship can still be established in spite of very different values? Nanami and Akane were polar opposites, and Souta started to feel that Nanami and Akane may yet make a good pair.

The evidence was…

“... Before, ye shall become two peas in a pod and become the envy of everybody else!”

“Actually, I’ve always wanted to become closer with Nanami.”

Hearing Nanami’s slightly lonely words, Akane held Nanami’s hands tightly and smiled. At some point, ‘Nanami-san’ had become ‘Nanami’.

“Wh-why me?!”

“... Whenever I see a lonely person, or a puppy drenched in rain, or a kitten mewling in pain, I just can’t ignore them!”

“Treated like Souta?!”

Nanami was even more shocked at this than Souta was when he was just compared to a cat and dog.

“Nanami regrettably feels like a person of spoiled arrogance, which has always made me interested in her.”

“What dost thou mean by ‘regrettably’?”

“Just that, in the phrase ‘spoiled arrogance’, the ‘spoiled’ part outweighs the ‘arrogant’ part!”

“Shut up!!”

Souta looked at the arguing girls with an magnificent smile, neither forced nor a smirk, and said:

“I for one think that Nanami and Akane can become very good friends.”

“What?! This troublemaker also has a flag for Us?”

Nanami pulled on Souta’s ears again, quietly roaring.

“I don’t know… I basically only see my own— or rather, I should say, flags that have to do with me…”

That is to say, Souta was only able to see the flag for that morning’s accident because it also involved him — with this understanding, Nanami thought: This ability seems convenient but isn’t really convenient; it seems to be a convenience, but that’s not entirely the case…

“Just like that! That’s what makes people think you two are close! Physical contact is proof of a good relationship! Can I pull on Souta-kun’s ears, too?”

“Sure?”

“Don’t pull on people’s ears for no reason!”

“So it’s allowed if there is a reason?”

“Sure?”

“Nanami, no stop seeking schadenfreude! Anyways, what’s so fun about pulling on ears…?”

“Causing mischief… That kind of fun, probably?”

“What a terrible relationship!!”

“No it’s not, no it’s not! That feeling of ‘even if you cause them mischief, they’ll still laugh and forgive you’ is definitely proof of a good relationship.”

Oh, that’s how it is, that does make sense— Souta smiled faintly in agreement, and Akane’s cheeks went slightly red. Joy emanated from the depths of her heart, and she couldn’t help but smile.

“That’s my friend! Looks like you really get me! Souta-kun, you’re really, really charming when you smile! As long as you smile like this a lot, your loneliness will definitely disappear!”

“Ah…”

Souta wasn’t used to being praised so directly in person, so he inadvertently shrugged, and his smile became strained. Seeing this, Akane exclaimed, “Ah, what a waste of the cool smile just now…” Her hands even began to quiver.

Having eaten her bread and sucked her milk carton dry, Nanami smirked playfully and said:

“But Akane, if he wasn’t lonely anymore, wouldn’t you lose interest?”

“In my mind, a laughing Souta is more important than a lonely Souta. This is a historic moment, okay? One small step for mankind, one and a half small steps for me!”

““Close enough!!””

“You guys are really in sync… That’s great, I also want someone to be in sync with me.”

“Why do you need to envy other people? Akane, don’t you also have many strengths?”

Nanami lightly squeezed her empty milk carton and broke eye contact, her expression that of shy admiration. Hearing Nanami’s words, Akane’s smile bloomed.

“R-really?! Like-like what?”


“... Well… like wanting to eat with me and Souta, right?”

Seeing Nanami laugh with a little self-deprecation, Akane laughed with an expression of “Isn’t that normal?” She then fell into deep thought with an “Eh…”

“Is it better to eat alone?”

““You had a conversation with yourself?!””

“Only you two keep getting closer and closer. It’s not fair, it’s not fair!”

However, supposing that Akane and Souta had already eaten half of their lunch, and then Akane and Nanami ate the remaining half, anyone would think that the relationship between Souta and Nanami was deteriorating.

In this way, the three unexpectedly similar people happily ate their lunch in the classroom. Outside, a group of people quietly observed the situation.

“... So, we can probably go in now?”

The rest of the class, who had been driven out of the classroom, searched for an opportunity to go back in.


Translator notes and references[edit]

  1. Akane’s last name includes the characters for ‘magician’, hence the title of this chapter.
  2. According to the Chinese TL, the Japanese version of the idiom ‘to rub the wrong way’ means specifically to irritate elders and people with higher status.
  3. They (Souta and Akane) say this at the same time.
  4. The Japanese idiom for being sheltered involves a box
  5. Damn, these are some Cultivation Chat Group-level tangents lol
  6. Unidentified, unFamiliar Animated Object. Just roll with it. I tried. If any of you come up with something better, I welcome you to edit it.
  7. ‘Do you want to suck blood?’ is apparently a quote from Japanese comedian Kanpei Hazama. Relevant because chupacabras suck blood.
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