Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko:Volume6 Chapter2

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Chapter 2 - At the End of Star Dust

“Well then, it’s almost noon.”

“Wow, transfer student. You just muttered that, and it’s really lunchtime! Amazing! Are you a wizard or something?”

“…What’s with that awkward, monotone mumbling that is trying to pass off as a compliment?”

Maekawa-san saw me off as she moved her pen, working on a piece for a guest who came to the art club specifically to see her (imaginary) boyfriend. It was time to meet Ryuushi-san, so I finished helping out at the art club and heading to the shoe lockers. Ouch, my butt and back hurt from helping out too much. I’ve been sitting there for about two hours, either chatting with Maekawa-san or just staring blankly out the window. “… This isn’t good, not good at all.”

Maybe I should have joined a sports club or something in spite of being a transfer student. There was a certain kind of quality to adolescence that came from belonging to a group. As an outsider, I couldn’t be at the centre of things like school performances.

“Transfer student, you forgot something.”

Maekawa-san turned around and pointed to the drawing paper that was on the chair.

“Woups. Ah, but… walking around school with a picture of my ideal lover in my hand? Hmm.”

The girlfriend that Maekawa-san drew for me earlier was lying there. By the way, my ideal girlfriend was apparently a tall girl with a baby face and slightly curly light blue hair. I couldn’t help but feel like it was just a mix of all the main people I knew in town. I was a little relieved that she didn’t add elements taken from Hoshinaka (obviously).

“If you don’t want to take it, I’ll just put it up outside the art room. I’ll use it to attract guests.”

“If it can really help attracting guests, then I guess it’s fine. I said I’d help you, but in the end I haven’t done anything, so I want to contribute in some way.”

Upon hearing this, Maekawa-san put her hand to her chin and made a complicated expression, saying, “Hmm.”

“If you take it with you, everyone you meet will ask ‘What’s that?’, and it might actually be good publicity.”

“Oh, that’s fine too, I guess?”

“Don’t worry, I’m just kidding. It would be a problem if someone like Ryuushi started picking fights with the people in the drawing, wouldn’t it?”

Ha ha ha, we laughed together. In her case, she wouldn’t mind walking around with her drawings plastered all over her body, over her clothes. She might not even think of her ideal lover, fluttering about, as if it were anything more than fish scales.

Ah, and Maekawa-san decided to continue calling me “transfer student”. Her reason was:

“I decided against it after all. I’m not cut out to follow the same path as Ryuushi. And also…”

“Also?”

“…Wouldn’t it be boring, transfer student, if our playful banter became awkward?”

That’s what she said. Well, to be honest, I would feel uneasy if Maekawa-san didn’t call me “transfer student”, so I was grateful for her since it felt more natural. It was hard to get used to changing relationships and how people addressed one another.

“By the way, you’re not going to do some cosplay today?”

After moving to the area near the entrance of the art room, I tried to bring up Maekawa-san’s real identity (maybe I was being over the top?). Maekawa-san pinched the hem of her skirt with her fingers and gave me a defiant smile in return.

“Fufufu, you should look forward to what Maekawa-san will do this afternoon.”

“Well, I personally think you’re the most wonderful just the way you are.” As always.

“Geh.”

Maekawa-san was choking and slapping her thighs repeatedly, bam bam bam, but she insisted she was fine, so we parted ways, and I left the art room. The population density in the hallway had increased from almost zero to about three.

I could see no boys or girls so far with their little fingers tied together with a string. There were no boy-boy or girl-girl pairings either. As I walked down the corridor, the only people I passed by were a group of three boys who didn’t seem very enthusiastic about the school festival, a teacher with his sleeves rolled up, bustling around, and a boy walking alone with his head down, looking rather listless.

Erio’s father… I think his name was Eliott? There was no sign left of him, and even his particles had dispersed. Leaving Erio aside, if I ran into Meme-san, should I tell her that I crossed paths with him on the campus?

Why was he even at the school festival in the first place? From what I heard, he jumped town without any warning.

Did he return without any warning, and from tomorrow will Erio’s father live with the Touwa household?… Hmm, how awkward. The sight of the four of them gathered around the dinner table just didn’t fit with the Touwa family’s background. It was just impossible.

“How troublesome.”

For some reason, it appeared that I got quite used to the three of us living together in the Touwa household. Even that was complicated.

“…Huh?”

The door to the art preparation room next door was wide open. It had been closed when I came to the art room this morning. I peeked inside as I passed by, and it was empty. The air was dusty just like in the art room.

It definitely looked like someone was using it, since there were two bags placed close together and playing cards scattered on the table. Maybe some unenthusiastic people were killing time playing cards, but well, it didn’t really matter. Let’s hurry on.

The hallway was enveloped in an uncomfortable loneliness due to the presence of people, and it felt heavier than before. I hurried through it and stepped onto the stairs. Even though I had some worries, I shouldn’t forget that I wanted to enjoy the school festival to the fullest. Ryuushi-san was waiting for me in front of the shoe lockers.

What if the thread on Ryushi-san’s little finger was really the same as mine? What would happen then?

Would Attraction be that easy to understand and really lift my spirits today?

I descended the stairs one step at a time, matching the rhythm of my pulse behind my ears, which were starting to quicken slightly.

“There, I’ve finished drawing.”

I wasn’t sure if I had captured the ideal man that had been requested, but I removed the drawing from my sketchbook. I handed it to the guest in front of me, and he examined the drawing as if he were devouring it with his eyes. I felt a little nervous.

But his next reaction was a smile and a positive response, so I relaxed my shoulders. He handed me a two hundred-yen coin and stood up with a satisfied expression. Apparently, as he passed by the art room, he spontaneously decided to show it to a girl and confess his feelings, asking, “What do you think of this?” He’s got some courage.

“Thanks for coming!”

I waved the guest goodbye. If my painting were going to be used for a confession, I would inevitably feel some responsibility if it ended in failure. So I hoped things would work out for them.

Still, everyone seemed to love romance. It’s as if it were guiding their actions.

“…………”

I, Maekawa-san, have lived a fairly long life, and I experienced several years of glamorous schoolgirl days. But during that time, and I’m not boasting about it, I never received a single love letter from a boy. No boy I knew ever tried to woo me either. It wasn’t a matter of modesty: there were simply no boys in my class who were the subject of rumours.

I had a pretty good idea of ​​the reason. I was aware that it was probably because of my appearance and height.

I glanced at the other female art club member who was in charge of illustrations and was attending to a guest, then I got up. I sat down in the chair where the transfer student had been sitting just moments ago and propped my chin on my hand by the window.

The chair the transfer student had been sitting on was still warm from where his buttocks were… Not that it mattered, though.

Like a broadcast advertising a morning play, the speaker excitedly announced the details and location of the afternoon events. A target practice competition hosted by the baseball team, starting at 12:30 on the field? I chuckled wryly as I listened, as I thought it had nothing to do with me.

…Oh, isn’t that Touwa? She had a pamphlet stuck to her face and was running haphazardly between the school buildings. Her vision was obstructed, so she couldn’t weave through the crowd of people and kept bumping into them.

With her back looking so lonely and vulnerable, if the transfer student saw her like that, he would definitely run over to protect her. Despite grumbling about everything, the transfer student was very good at looking after Touwa. They were like parent and child.

“…That’s quite a problem.”

Should I let the transfer student know where Touwa was? If so, who does the transfer student prioritise meeting up with? Ryuushi or Touwa? I was curious to see how both the transfer student and Ryuushi would react.

The transfer student and Ryuushi were fun to tease. Although my motivations for doing so were quite different.

I strained my eyes to see if the transfer student and Ryuushi were walking downstairs. My eyesight was getting worse every year, so even if they were walking by, I might not be able to tell them apart. It’s not that I particularly wanted to see them together, but there was this contradictory feeling of curiosity inside me. Sometimes it even became a source of irritation.

I was aware that what I felt towards Mifune Ryuushi was more jealousy than envy. What’s with that round and gentle face of hers? I was made up of straight lines, while Ryuushi was made up of curves. I envy that difference. It was like how artificial things yearned for something natural. I was jealous of that classmate. Touwa was on a completely different level, so I didn’t know what to think about her. It was hard to tell what she was thinking about, though.

I didn’t aspire to be like Ryushi, but lately I’ve been thinking that maybe I should do a little more research on how to make my height seem more appealing. I can’t keep looking down on the transfer student forever.

Though, I doubt they’ve ever paid that much attention to me. Both Ryushi and the transfer student.

Ryuushi’s rival was Touwa, and the transfer student had the best of both worlds.

I still lacked the curves necessary to become a flower. I creaked and groaned whenever I moved.

“……Aah.”

If the transfer student had been a good-natured person, I think he would have helped me in the afternoon too if I had asked him a little more forcefully. But when faced with that vague sense of regret that I couldn’t quite pinpoint, my face turned sombre. Well, you know.

There was nothing more uncomfortable than basking in someone’s goodwill.

“Excuse meee, one picture, pleeeease.”

A girl burst into the art room, cheerfully placing her order. She was wearing an unfamiliar uniform from another school. But somehow she seemed familiar, or rather, she gave me a feeling of déjà vu… Had I met her somewhere before?

I still couldn’t remember Hanazawa’s real name, so my memory was surprisingly vague. But there was no doubt that the girl in front of me had a cute appearance, unlike mine.

“Club leader, take care of that guest.”

A nominal male receptionist, who was just sitting there moving his mouth, called out to me. “Yes, yes,” I said, pushing my chair forward with my palm as I stood up. I ran my fingers through my hair, confirming that it was hot and damp from absorbing the sunlight, and returned to the chair where my sketchbook was placed. Almost simultaneously, the girl from another school sat down in the chair opposite me. Every movement of hers was so gentle.

“Huh? You look like the person in the picture hanging outside. Are you a model?”

“Outside?” She was probably talking about the picture depicting the transfer student’s ideal lover. “Is it just a coincidence?”

The fact that someone pointed it out felt a little embarrassing. It made it sound like I thought I should be the transfer student’s ideal girlfriend. But all I did was draw my own face because I was the most familiar with it and was easier that way. Oh no, was a strange thing to say.

“So, what kind of person is your ideal lover?”

“Huh? It’s embarrassing to be asked something like that.”

“Yay, yay!” the girl squirmed playfully. I ignored her with a smile and looked down at my sketchbook. A passive approach just wouldn’t do. I needed to create the ideal image for my guest without making her do anything. The customer is God.

…Although, this was a mindset that an establishment should hold and not something customers should flaunt. At the izakaya run by my parents, there were occasionally customers who forgot about it and behaved accordingly once they got drunk.

“Agyah. Hey, you know…”

“Yes, I’m currently working hard to create this drawing to completely change your ideal vision. So please wait.”

“No, that’s not it. Isn’t that thread you’re wearing the same as mine?”

“…… Huh?”

I looked up from my sketchbook to see a girl leaning forward with the backs of both her hands facing me, her eyes fixed on my little finger. I nodded as I compared my hand to hers.

White with green speckles. Both were definitely threads I had created.

It felt like a “…boom” sound effect was about to come from somewhere. Or maybe a “zuuun”?

The girl was also looking at me with a confused expression. It wasn’t like I was in control. The threads between the girl and me swayed precariously. A thin barrier formed between us and the other female club members, isolating us from the commotion, and we simply laughed. Even our laughter was the same strained and twitchy laugh.

“What shall we do, Onee-sama?”

“Who are you calling Onee-sama, I told ya?”

Wait, was that an affirmation? Ryuushi was really hard to understand in every way.

…Oh dear.

What should I make about the fact that the person I’m attracted to was a girl? Did it mean I was that person Attraction-wise?

I jumped down the last three steps of the stairs and landed in the hallway. Then I jogged lightly towards the shoe rack and found Ryuushi-san was already there. She was leaning against the wall with his back to it, his hands clasped together behind his head.

She was swinging her legs back and forth, her lips slightly pursed, towards the entrance. As if she were kicking something. But swinging her legs so carelessly up to a 45-degree angle while wearing a skirt made her seem somewhat vulnerable. Since we weren’t of the same sex, it was hard to tell her anything, and I didn’t know where to look.

Perhaps reacting to the sound of my footsteps, Ryuushi-san noticed me immediately. She stopped flailing her legs and let out a deep sigh. Huh? My wonderful classmate, who usually greeted me with a smile, was looking visibly dejected.

“Nyowa-kun, hey there!”

“Why do you feel down when you have to meet someone with an odd name?”

I told ya, I’m Niwa-kun. I muttered to myself as I walked over to Ryuushi-san. After staring intently at my face, Ryuushi-san let out a big sigh. For some reason, it seemed like she was disappointed in me, the one she was waiting for, and I wasn’t feeling very calm. I braced myself, expecting her to start criticising me at any moment.

“Ryuuko-san is feeling a little guilty right now.”

She explained her condition. So it wasn’t that she was trying to criticise me, but that she was feeling guilt? I frowned at her words, which seemed out of place with Ryuushi-san’s gentle features.

“Did something happen? Did your fruitarian side kick in and you’ve removed all the octopus from the takoyaki?”

“It’s related to Touwa-san, and it’s mumble-mumble.”

Her legs swayed back and forth, one after the other. I was oddly impressed that this was the first time I’d encountered someone who actually said mumble-mumble, rather than simply being hard to understand.

“Erio? Did you see her at school?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm, so Erio came after all.”

I had given her a ticket, though. She was usually as innocent and childlike as a little girl, but she lacked straightforwardness in the strangest ways… Aah, rather, that’s what makes her childish. Thinking back of my primary school days, I could remember being a little like that myself.

Was Erio with Meme-san?… No, she was probably alone. It seems like we all left the Touwa house separately this morning.

“Nyoaaaaaaaaaaaa” Ryuushi-san cried out, clutching her head and arching her upper body against the wall in agony. She probably didn’t intend it, but that posture, along with her uniform, strongly emphasised her chest. I felt sorry for Ryuushi-san’s internal struggle with her guilt, but no healthy high school boy would take that for granted.

But no matter how many vulnerabilities there were, I didn’t think I should openly admire it head-on. As a youthful man, that was a line I shouldn’t cross. If I crossed it, I would instantly transform into a pervert.

While it was essential having at least one of those types in a classroom, I was probably not suited for it considering how much trouble I had just to buy one porn magazine. So I had no choice but to keep it within the realm of youth and limit myself to just a quick glance.

She held the back of her head with her hand, maintaining a slightly bowed posture, and glanced sideways. She was sturdy. No, that was a rather inappropriate way to describe her. I was jealous. Whether it was appropriate was another ambiguous way of putting it.

“Hi everyone, I’m a member of the broadcasting club! Actually, I’m the head of the cultural festival committee! Did you enjoy the play this morning? I went to see it too, and well, it was such a weird play! What did you think of that guest joining in unexpectedly? Well, he was a hottie, so it’s okay! The stage instantly became more vibrant! Was it supposed to be dawn? It was somewhere between the bright sun and the horizon! The newspaper club members chased him around because he’d make such a good picture and then brought him along to participate! And now, another announcement! At 12:30 p.m., the baseball club will be hosting a target practice competition! It will be held on the field! If you have some excess energy to spare, how about a golden course of donating blood → target practice! The blood you take will be replenished with your hot blood! Yup, efficient, isn’t it?! The concert will be this year’s cultural festival highlight! I’m sure many of you think this, but you should all eat fish! Leave only the bones! Everyone who has that kind of spirit, we look forward to your participatiooooon!”

The overly talkative girl’s rambling echoed through the school through cheap, distorted speakers. Target practice, huh? I didn’t go to see the play, but it seemed like everyone was really excited. How was my current distance from that affecting my Youth Points? I find myself agonising over that, just like Ryuushi-san. And was the concert really the main event? From a societal perspective?

As soon as the broadcast ended, Ryuushi-san’s backbend stopped abruptly. What a pity.

“Did you have a fight with Erio or something?”

Were they pulling each other’s cheeks again, boing-boing… but there’s no way something like that would make her feel down.

“Well, actually…”

Such and such. Ryuushi-san was making lots of gestures and movements.

“……I see.”

She said that she was messing around with Erio, who was at the school festival, when his club friend Mickey saw them and gave her a cold stare. After that, when she went back to the club’s stall, Mickey gave her a good dressing down.

The gist of it all was that if Ryuushi-san got involved with Erio too openly, she would be ostracised. Mickey was right, and Ryuushi-san could only take an ambiguous stance.

“But Mickey is a really nice kid, you know. Don’t get that wrong, Niwa-kun.”

“I get it, but…”

I’ve talked to her before, and my first impression of her when I saw her in the gym during summer vacation wasn’t bad either. Besides, if Mickey were a bad person, she and Ryuushi-san probably wouldn’t get along.

“When Mickey saw me playing with Towa-san, she made a slightly scary noise.”

After saying that much, Ryuushi-san lifted both her legs at the same time. Naturally, this meant Ryuushi-san lost her support. Forming an L shape with her whole body, Ryuushi-san fell to the floor.

There was a loud boom as her buttocks hit the hard floor. The girls who were taking off their shoes in the shoe locker area reacted to that sound and looked at Ryuushi-san, who was frowning. Ryuushi-san looked up at me with the same expression and opened her mouth.

“I let my guard down; I feel kind of annoyed with myself for thinking that for a second.”

“…………”

“What should I have done right?”

It was a vague mumble, and I wasn’t sure if it was directed at me. I hesitated for a moment, but then I replied:

“Ryuushi-san, whether you were right depends on which has a higher priority for you between Mickey and Erio.”

Ryuushi-san didn’t answer directly, instead staring at the wall on the other side.

“Niwa-kun, what would you have done?”

“Well”, I scratched my neck. “I guess I would choose Erio. I’m not really close to Mickey.”

To be with such a superstar like her was too much to ask for…no, that’s not what I meant. Well, that’s how it goes. Ryuushi-san stood up, stroked her butt, and peered at my face from a diagonal angle below.

“What if I had been the one to say it instead of Mickey?”

“Ryuushi-san, you wouldn’t say something like that.”

“Gruabow”

“Wow, Ryuushi-san, you just sounded like a strangled pigeon.”

Holding her hands over both cheeks, Ryuushi-san danced back and forth. She twisted her hips wildly with a sense of dynamism. What kind of stimulation would elicit such a reaction from an ordinary person, I wonder?

“Ah, enough! Ryuuko-san can’t be a bad girl anymore!”

“Were you planning to be one?”

“I might have stolen a bicycle and sped off!”

Therefore, considering the licence requirements, the fact that she didn’t choose a motorcycle was proof that she was a good girl.

I vaguely thought that we might meet up and go outside to browse the food stalls, but Ryuushi-san started walking straight down the corridor on the first floor, so I followed her. From her gait and demeanour, I got the feeling she didn’t have any particular destination in mind. She quickly strode away from the shoe lockers as if running away.

Hmm… I should probably look for Erio. But that would be difficult while I am with Ryuushi-san. I hoped Meme-san, who was probably here, had picked her up. “Oh?”

My cell phone vibrated briefly. I had a new email. As I chased after Ryuushi-san, I checked the contents and saw that it had been sent by Maekawa-san. The subject line was “No Subject”, and the body read, “Touwa was spotted on the street across from the school building. But that was about five minutes ago, so there’s a high possibility that she’s moved now.” It was incredibly well-timed information, coming right at the moment when I was debating whether to look for Erio or not. She was as mysterious, or rather, as unfathomable as ever. When it came to reading the atmosphere, “skilled” didn’t even begin to describe her.

“Between the school buildings” meant outside. We were currently trying to move away from there. But she said five minutes ago, so even if I rushed there now, she would probably be gone. How could I catch her successfully?

…I wonder how she’ll react if I tell her her dad is here. And how Meme-san will react too.

“Niwa-kun, you’re such a natural airhead, right?”

When I caught up to her, Ryuushi-san commented in that way in a sulky tone.

“Maekawa-san also told me that. But I don’t think I am.”

“That’s just how it is, I told ya… You were helping out Maekawa-san, right?… How did it go?”

“There was nothing I could help with, so I was incredibly bored. I just spent all my time chatting with Maekawa-san.”

“Grrrrrrr.”

“Why are you groaning?”

“Ah, that’s right, the thread! What colour is yours, Niwa-kun?”

As Ryuushi-san was walking, she clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward. A smile that seemed urgent played on her face, and it was clear she was trying to end her depression. Feeling pleased that we were both returning to our usual pace, I held up the back of my right hand and showed it to her.

As Ryuushi-san was walking, she clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward.

After staring intently at my purple thread with both eyes, she raised her hands in a gesture of helplessness or a victory pose, with a “Mwaa”. Following Ryuushi-san’s right hand raised high, I saw a red mesh-like thread swaying from her little finger.

“Oh dear.”

“Hmm, either Niwa-kun or Attraction are being contrarians.”

“Well, I’m actually a, uh… wait, what was that?”

“Hmm?”

Drawn in by my astonishment, Ryuushi-san also turned towards me. There, in my line of sight, was a hanpen.

A white, hanpen-like thing was sitting in the dimly lit hallway on the first floor. And what’s more, it was talking.

“Want to play some couple’s poker?”

Peeking out from the rectangular hanpen costume (tentative name) was one half of the stupid couple that had appeared at the art club’s event. It was the underclassman girl who looked like an upperclassman.

I felt dizzy. Did being classified as a beautiful girl in this town mean that one had to pose as a food product? A chikuwa wrapped in a futon, a hanpen… Ah, and I was also fighting a kamaboko aunt who was somewhere between an adult and a child. Could it be that the enemy lurking in this town wasn’t aliens but processed fish paste?

“Ah, that’s the legendary unidentified creature, the card costume!”

Ryuushi-san leaned back dramatically in surprise as she pointed at the hanpen. Ah, so it’s a card? Indeed, there was a heart and a number drawn on the corner of the hanpen. What a flashy hanpen.

“Unidentified, but didn’t you just reveal its entire identity?”

“Hmm, my deduction that this mysterious bipedal card contained Maekawa-san was wrong.”

“It seems like they know each other.”

Were they cosplay comrades? Apparently, this costume was also handmade by Maekawa-san… Ah, this card had a face on the back too. The guy of the stupid couple was peeking out, looking embarrassed, and fidgeting a little. So these two were both inside the card costume, back to back. I see, their backsides and butts were a perfect fit for one another.

“I’d like to toss these guys into an oden pot.” Is what the girls’ eyes seemed to say as they looked at us.

“Hey, you couple over there, want to get even more excited with a game of poker?”

“W-We’re not a couple, I told ya!”

“So, a kyapple then?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right!”

For some reason, Ryuushi-san was puffing out her chest. Kyapple kind of sounds like gyorokke or kyaramushi.

Having been turned into a kyapple, we were dragged along by the atmosphere of the moment and ended up sitting at the table and in the chairs placed in front of the card. Could this also be Attraction?

“Ugh, my butt hurts.”

After sitting down in her chair, Ryuushi-san grumbled regretfully. Well, I guess that was understandable.

“Fuffu, welcome to the Couple’s Poker Hall.”

The girl smiled defiantly, but where is that hall she’s talking about? It looked like there was just a deck of cards lying out in the hallway.

“Thanks for earlier,” I said, bowing my head as a formality.

“…Hmm.” The girl tilted her head, apparently not recognising my face. As if she’d given up on trying to remember, she tapped the card twice and flipped over. The boy’s face was revealed.

The boy glanced at my face for a split second, then conspicuously averted his gaze. His face was bright red, even up to his ears.

“That’s the person who was in the art room a little while ago.”

After checking, it flipped over again with a thud. The girl was now face up and narrowed her eyes and moved her head up and down uncomfortably. How creepy! It was as if someone embedded in a wall was moving. No matter how beautiful she may be.

“Hmm, was he there? Sorry, I only had eyes for Kashiwa-kun.”

“Yeah.”

What kind of person apologises while making an offensive remark at the same time? And she seemed completely unaware of it.

“Ah, you messed up.”

Hearing this, the back of the card (the boy’s side) sighed. The front (the girl’s side) tilted her head uncomfortably. Then, with two taps, it flipped over. The boy’s face was still red, and his eyes were still trembling.

“What’s wrong? What’s the matter?”

“I wish I only had eyes for Tamako-san back then. Especially since I can’t even see her right now.”

“…Hmmmm”

Both of them, their cheeks flushed crimson, began to tap. And spinning round and round. Stop dancing.

What was up with these guys? Are they acting like the targets of a punching machine? Alright, let’s give it our all!

“Hmm, Niwa-kun, I feel a different kind of motivation coming up from you.”

Ryuushi-san, sitting next to me, sensed it keenly. Ryuushi-san didn’t seem to be upset with this stupid couple. She was holding her hands to her cheeks and wriggling around. She was muttering something like, “We’re a kyapple, yup,” but what was she trying to convince herself of? What even is a kyapple to begin with?

Kyapple is all the rage among high school girls right now!… Is what a toothless old man would be saying to hype up the situation.

Hmm… but I was not really motivated. I didn’t even know what was going on here, but they said that the best thing about festivals was having fun. Well, I guess one cannot get started unless one participates.

Whether it was the performance or the unusual part about the spinning cards, people passing by in the corridor began to stop. I was getting annoyed that this small group of onlookers was likely to attract a whole crowd.

Thinking about it, there was no price list anywhere, so there probably was no participation fee.

Having finished spinning around to her heart’s content, the girl cleared her throat. Then, she coughed again as the other side choked as well.

“Now, I shall start to explain. First of all, the basis of this game is poker. However, due to special rules, you will need to cooperate with another person.”

“Cooperate, poker?” I doubt that was a local rule from this part of the woods.

“Each couple will take two of the five cards they are dealt. Couples cannot look at their partner’s cards. They can’t tell them either. They then place the remaining card face up on the table. That’s all; you’re all set. It’s all a matter of playing poker. Good luck!”

The explanation of the rules seemed to have finished, and she began dealing the cards. She tilted the deck of cards to the left and handed them to me with her outstretched right hand. Young people sure are really willing to put up with hardships.

I’ll take some time to consider and summarise the game’s content. In short:

“So you want me to deduce what card is on the table and what my partner has in her hand to make a hand?”

“That’s right. Ah, and each player can only change their hand once.”

Added the girl. Then, the fifth card, which had just been dealt, was placed face up on the table for both us and the girl. It looked like she was going to reveal her final hand. The opponent had the 8 of hearts, and we had the 9 of diamonds. I remembered that in an old manga I read a long time ago, there was a trap that resembled that.

Next to me, Ryuushi-san nodded in agreement, saying, “So that’s how it goes?”

“This is a poker game that tests whether a couple can communicate telepathically!”

The girl proudly explained the purpose of the card game. The other side also took two cards, one for the boy and one for the girl. They even rotated… So, these are the people Maekawa-san was talking about before, the card game research club. She had also told me that it wasn’t officially recognised by the school. No wonder. I wouldn’t want to give permission to hanpen.

I sincerely hoped that the teachers would also take on the responsibility for enforcing all other moral standards.

“We’re not a couple, I told ya!”

“Fuffu, a mere kyapple think they stand a chance against us.”

After saying that much, she slowly and sluggishly turned around. The blushing boy then mumbled something.

“Do you think we can win?”

If I lose, it’ll probably be etched into my youth history as “The day I lost to a hanpen.” There were already days when I’d been defeated by an adult-child, scattered like stepping stones, so I wasn’t going to add another day to my history of losing to a group of processed fish products.

I exchanged glances with Ryuushi-san. Being the sports-orientated type, she seemed to get fired up when it came to competitions, and her usually dreamy expression tightened up a little. Ryuushi-san raised her fist, and I responded by lightly smacking it back with my own fist. The me from last year was lying there, neatly crushed between our fists.

“I see, I told ya!”

“Obviously, I told ya.”

“Err, what? It seems like everyone’s more familiar with the nickname “I told ya” than her actual name.”

Well, it was a I told ya special intensive training month after all. A huge success, wasn’t it?

In the school festival, before noon, the corridor was just a place to move around without any particular feeling.

Following my initial encounter with a chikuwa shortly after moving in, the second act of a fish paste product competition in this town was beginning.

“Okay then, let’s meet in front of the gymnasium at 1:30! Maekawa-chan, okay?”

“I consent to it.” I almost asked, “Who is that?”

“You don’t need to be with a boy to get a good seat to listen to music, right?”

The girl with the same thread as mine (I decided to call her Ribon-chan because she had big eyes and a face like something out of a shoujo manga) seemed to be in high spirits because she would be able to attend the concert from arena seats. The green patterned thread swayed in response to her clapping. So that’s what I’m supposed to tie mine to, hmm.

As for me, I occasionally saw the name of the singer Nijou Owari on TV and the internet, but I hardly ever had the chance to actually hear her sing. The only impression I had of her is that she was a dog lover, so to be honest, I didn’t feel particularly grateful for the arena seats at her concert.

But Ribon-chan told me she was a big fan of Nijo Owari, and I didn’t think anything dramatic would happen around me during that time just because I wasn’t participating. So we decided to meet up in front of the entrance to the gymnasium, not the red door.

After sending the transfer student a report about seeing Touwa, I closed my flip phone. But I wondered, would I be allowed into the concert if I went in cosplay? Well, if kids in other schools’ uniforms were allowed in, it should be fine, probably? Since it was autumn, the season for reading, I should be allowed to dress up as a paperback book too.

“Besides, I just got dumped by a boy, so I’m sick and tired of them,” Ribon-chan sighed.

“Heh, really?” So she was clinging to an idealised image in a drawing because she got dumped? I was fine with that.

I once released a fish that I had caught in my net by chance. I don’t think it’ll come back today.

Nearby, two female club members, with nothing to do now that the guests had left were excitedly chattering in high-pitched voices: “…So, a boy collapsed after donating blood and was taken to the infirmary.” “They should have immediately given him his blood back.” “And just earlier, those lights, or rather particles? There was that incredibly good-looking guy walking along that seemed like he was radiating particles. I fell in love at first sight.” “Wasn’t it just dandruff sparkling in the sunlight? And wait, a guy?” “A guy, a guy. Yes, a boy? I couldn’t tell his age, but he was so gorgeous. His hair, for example, I felt like if I touched it, my fingerprints would be all over it, so I couldn’t bring myself to casually talk to him!” “Could he be related to that girl…?”

High school students were really creatures with a strong interest in romance, weren’t they? …Oh my, I shouldn’t say that, you say?

“Yeah?”

I perceived the illusion of the air’s colour subtly changing as a “premonition”.

…Speak of the devil and he will appear, as they say.

As if having overheard the girls’ gossip, a man freely emitting light blue particles poked his head into the art room. All eyes in the art room simultaneously and unanimously focused on him, as if someone had been conducting them with a baton. The man who was scattering light particles as if they were spores seemed accustomed to such scrutiny, and his smile remained unchanged.

I continued on without any particular hurry and sat down in an empty guest seat. The art club member sitting next to me, who would be in charge of that guest, was so captivated that she couldn’t blink, and at the same time, her hands were trembling.

It’s not as if I could make him out clearly, but I found myself staring at him too.

He was dressed in a slightly stiff suit, like a father attending a school parent’s day. The bag he was carrying was a duralumin case, the kind a salesman of yore might have used. His overall appearance was a perfect blend of straight and curved lines, and his face was the paragon of sculptural beauty. His skin was as delicate as snow, so soft it seemed it would melt at the touch.

And then there were his deep light blue eyes and hair, as if he were born at the speed of light separate from humanity.

No matter how one looked at him, he had to be related to Touwa Erio. Her father, perhaps? Surely not her much older brother, considering Meme-san’s age.

If I said that in front of her, she’d probably punch me and yell, “Don’t underestimate Meme-chin!”

“Wooow, he’s a super hottie.”

Ribon-chan, who had been following him with her eyes, gave her honest and unreserved evaluation. Her voice wasn’t quiet, so the guest next to us could hear everything, and he gave a big smile. The way he smiled and scattered particles of light like that was just like Touwa.

“Err…”

I almost blurted out a line of words. But then I stopped myself from doing so. What good would it do for me to confirm his father-daughter relationship with Touwa? Should I even ask? What good would it do for me to know? These questions lined up in a row, swirling around in my head like trains playing a game.

The Particle Man (tentative name) seemed to be waiting for me to finish my sentence, still smiling. That smile seemed capable of instantly drawing people in, and before I could be charmed I felt a sense of dread. At least, that’s how it felt to me.

Just look at the other girls in the club. They all had that classic, heart-fluttering look in their eyes. Ribon-chan, a girl who had been recently dumped, was half-opening her mouth agape and giggling, staring at his hair with curiosity.

“Excuse me, but would you happen to be Touwa Erio’s father?”

The moment that name was mentioned, everyone around froze. Come on, stop staring with hearts in your eyes and notice. Isn’t that hair and aura identical to Touwa Erio’s? With that unique, unsettling aura and the fact that this human emitted light blue particles, there was no way that he wasn’t from the same lineage as Touwa.

Particle Man didn’t behave dramatically, except for a slight upward movement of his eyelids.

“Are you a friend of hers?”

He tried to evade my question by asking me a question in return. Don’t answer a question with another question!

“Something like that. So, are you her father?”

“Hmm, I have no concrete evidence, or rather, no proof about it, but I guess I might be.”

No, that hair. That hair and these eyes. They are perfect evidence.

…But wait. If he was Touwa’s father, how old was he? If he were the same age as Meme-san, he should be around forty this year, but he looked like an older brother, only two or three years older than us.

As Touwa’s father, it wasn’t surprising at all that he was so unconventional, and that was what was strange about it.

Could it be that this father and daughter were really aliens?

“Pardon me for asking, but I heard that Touwa’s father disappeared before she was born.”

“There were various circumstances.”

He ended his sentence with a smile that seemed to say, “I don’t need to tell you that, now, do I?” And indeed, I had no reason to press him further. But surely I could show at least a little interest in the family of an acquaintance?

When I thought about it that way, I tended to act too aggressively.

“But you came back so suddenly? What have you been doing all this time?”

“I used to work for a detective agency, looking for dogs and cats. Ah, it sounds like a lie, but it’s true.”

A detective? The female club members listening to this conversation also seemed suspicious about that word. It was true that with all the unusual traits he exuded, “I’m just an ordinary working adult” wouldn’t suit him, but a detective?

“By the way, I’m sorry, but could I ask you to do the drawing instead of that girl?”

Touwa’s father specifically requested me. And I realised how much of a clear voice this man had. If that sound were to take shape in the air like a staircase, it could probably ascend all the way to outer space.

Like a fabricated stairway to heaven. It gave an impression that made people lower their guard.

“I appreciate your request, but I’m with someone else here right now.”

I shook my head slightly and looked towards Ribon-chan. Then Ribon-chan shook her hands vigorously from side to side.

“Ah, I’m fine. I’ll keep my ideal partner quietly in my heart, and one day I’ll meet him for real.”

So, was there a reason she rushed in here? I tilted my head with a wry smile, and Ribon-chan giggled and scratched the back of her head. Then she jumped up from her chair.

She froze for a moment in her running stance, then turned her head and asked me a question:

“Um, do you know where the brass band’s performance is?”

“The brass band… I think they’re doing something in the music room. It’s on the far end of the second floor of the same building.”

“Thanks! Well then, Onee-sama. See you later!”

“Who are you calling Onee-sama?”

Ignoring my comment, Ribon-chan sprinted off down the corridor. Good grief.

Touwa’s father sat down in the empty chair in front of me. He crossed his legs, rested his elbows on them, and smiled.

His smile was so captivating that the female club members let out deep and soul-dropping sighs. This guy seemed more suited to being a con artist than a detective. He was probably the perfect human being in terms of looks alone.

“So, onee-sama…”

“Please don’t get carried away.”

I gave Touwa’s father a slight glare. Touwa’s father smiled gently, his eyes narrowing into slits. If we stared at each other any longer, I felt like I might develop something like hay fever from all the particles floating around in his eyes. How frightening.

The transfer student might also be affected by Touwa’s particles, having stayed with her for so long.

“Are you going to the concert with that girl from earlier? You had matching strings on your little fingers.”

“Weeeell, probably.”

“I see. Yup, you should definitely go to the concert. Nijou Owari will be there too. Apparently she’s quite famous.”

Towa’s father spoke about the concert with strange ease and enthusiasm. He wasn’t wearing a string. Had he not entered as a guest, or was he simply carrying it without tying it around his finger? As if completely oblivious to my questions, Towa’s father casually clasped his palms together.

“That’s perfect. Here, take this.”

He opened the case that was resting on his lap. The duralumin case, which had shallow and deep scratches all over, reflected the sunlight and blinded me. I frowned, and while I was doing so, Touwa’s father took out what he was looking for and quickly closed the case. Then he looked at my sitting height with interest, nodding and saying, “Hoh, hoh.”

“You’re very tall, so you’ll be perfectly suited. And you’re apparently friends with her.”

“Haah.”

As expected, when someone was in trouble, Maekawa-san was the go-to person. Even by my own standards, the number of times people came asking me for favours was way above average. And since a lot of those favours were related to my height, I was probably serving as a good advertising figurehead or radio tower.

…The right person in the right place, I guess? There were definitely places where my height could be put to good use.

Even if it can’t be put to good use in romantic matters, right? Being Maeemon wasn’t so bad?

“Here you go.”

Even though I never once said I’d be taking on the job, Touwa’s father quickly moved things forward. I reluctantly accepted what was handed to me, tilting my head in confusion. It was just an ordinary envelope.

“Open it when you feel you need to. I’m sure it will work out well.”

“Here goes!”

I opened it right away. Who would want to keep something so mysterious? Inside the envelope was a tightly folded bundle of paper, which, when unfolded, was about the size of a placard.

The top piece of paper had the words “Attraction Romanticist” written in large letters.

The rest of the text was, how should I put it… poetic, maybe? It was prosaic.

“What is this? A poem?”

“Something like that.”

Without showing much embarrassment, Touwa’s father nodded. Judging from his reaction, it didn’t seem to be a poem he had written himself.

I skimmed through it, but there didn’t seem to be any surprise like the location of a treasure being hidden within the text. I wondered what situation this kind of poem would be useful in.

It was hard to believe that Attraction, the main character of today’s story, knew any of that.

As soon as I had grown bored of it, I stuffed the stack of papers into the envelope, and Touwa’s father opened his elegantly shaped lips.

“So, can I ask you to do the drawing then?”

“Very well.”

“Ahem, my ideal lover has slightly dark indigo hair and a youthful face…”

The description of Touwa’s father’s ideal partner that he confided to me with embarrassment was filled with all too familiar characteristics.

Ah, I knew that person very well.

But if I depicted her that young, wouldn’t I get complaints later from various parties claiming it to be a scam?

“I can see it, I can see it. Niwa-kun, I can see your card.”

In time with her unique rhythmic narration, Ryuushi-san’s index finger spun round and round.

Directed at me.

…Well, it could be seen. From the beginning.

“Ryuushi-san, doesn’t that only make sense if I use it on you?”

“I told ya, I’m Ryuuko!”

And while you’re at it, don’t try to plant any suggestions.

“Heh heh, relying on such suggestion in this manner.”

Tap, tap. “Uh, do I have to say something too?” a voice said, and the back of the card turned towards us. A trivial question, but what grade was this boy in? The girl, who was younger than us, should be a first-year, and yet he was speaking to her with polite language. These two were quite mysterious.

“Hmm, let’s see… Do you know of any suggestions for making your lover want to lick your armpits?”

“Huh?” Ryuushi-san and I froze, completely taken aback by the question, which was beyond mysterious.

“That’s not right!” the girl shouted towards the wall, tapping on it. Then she turned around again.

“Now, now, are you calling or dropping? Make it clear!”

The girl, her face flushed crimson like a diamond, her eyes tightly shut, banged on the desk repeatedly.

“No, the card swap isn’t finished yet,” so nothing has started.

By the way, the two cards I had in my hand were the 9 of clubs and the 2 of spades. Combined with the 9 of diamonds on the table, I definitely had a pair, but there was no way to tell that to Ryuushi-san.

“Hmm, I don’t get it at all! Niwa-kun, you are properly sending me your thoughts, right?”

“Hey hey,” Ryushi beckons, as if asking for a basketball. Was that supposed to be a telepathic transmission? Which was more realistic? This, or the awakening of psychic powers through suggestion? Although it was also possible that neither was true.

“Ryuushi-san, are you transmitting something to me?”

“I told ya~”

No, not that. At that point, this isn’t even a name correction anymore. Was that really okay?

“May I ask you something before we make our announcement?”

I raised my hand slightly towards Trump-san. I had a question right from the start of the game.

“Oh, you think you can get me to drop off with a bluff? I wonder if you can pull that off.”

“No, so if we lose this poker game, do we have to pay something? Like money?”

I was influenced by the boy and started using polite language with a younger student. The girl blinked in surprise at the question, her face showing a look of “Huh?” as if she had been caught off guard. Then, their eyes blatantly turned towards the end of the corridor.

“What should we do? We haven’t thought about that at all.”

She muttered in a barely audible voice. Tap, tap. “Huh, me? You’re just leaving it all to me?” The boy appeared.

“Well, it was all Tamako-san’s idea, or rather, I wasn’t told anything until today, so it’s impossible; I can’t do it.”

“Don’t worry, you can do it if you try.”

“In this world people do it because they can, good grief…”

The boy groaned, his eyes darting around.

Before we knew it, the crowd around us had grown denser, forming a wall of people in the hallway. At the very front was a female student taking pictures. It was the blonde girl I had seen near the art room. So we were getting attention too, as those who were playing against the card. Ugh, this was pretty embarrassing.

“Money is a bad idea, isn’t it?” the boy said to the girl on the other side. The card swayed slightly.

“Hmm, wait a minute. This performance isn’t officially sanctioned by the school, so it’s probably not a good idea to bet money on it.”

“Right, so… a punishment game then?”

The moment the boy said that, the shrivelled playing card costume came back to life. It banged vigorously tap, tap. The girl, grinning, turned to face us. She was undoubtedly a beautiful girl, but the card costume ruined it all. As one would expect from a work created with Maekawa-san’s cooperation, it exuded the same feeling of wasted potential.

“That’s a great idea, a punishment game. Couples who lose just don’t communicate well with each other!”

The girl suddenly became more assertive and started to speak. I just gave a half-hearted sigh, not really interested, and then the girl continued to announce the details of the penalty game that she had apparently come up with on the spot.

“So, if you lose, you’ll each get to ask each other any question you like, and you’ll have to honestly confess the answer right here and now!”

“A, a confesshion?!”

Ryuushi-san, having bitten her tongue, continued her astonishment as she winced in pain, letting out an “Aaaaah!” But her astonishment was understandable, because she could ask a brutally honest question about anything she liked! A-a question from Ryuushi-san?… I tried to act nervous to fit the atmosphere, but a question? I didn’t really have one. No, wait, she said I could ask anything… I’m hesitant. A question for a girl, that’s king of a bit too much.

What’s the colour of the underwear you are wearing today? Just kidding, ha ha ha… No, no, that was sexual harassment. This wasn’t youth. But it was something I couldn’t normally ask… No, it was one of the things I couldn’t ask, so it was the worst thing I could ask.

“P-p-punishment p-qsdf p-vdsfqig, I told ya!”

Ryuushi-san seemed to have a mountain of questions, her eyes spinning and her arms twirling around. Hmm, so she had that many things she wanted to ask me. Were we not able to talk openly with each other on a regular basis?

“Answering questions leads to intimacy, a deeper connection, and a richer experience! Plus, it eliminates worries, reduces stress, and is gentle on the skin! Yup, yup, it’s all good!”

It was all good news for you guys, but you would get nothing even if we lose.

“That seems similar in concept to that poker game we played before…” the boy muttered, grumbling about something.

They did this before? What was he talking about? At last year’s school festival?… Well, that was none of my business.

“Don’t worry about the details! I’m not taking my clothes off, so it’s fine. It’s a wholesome day today.”

The card was bouncing up and down. Ryuushi-san was bouncing along in sync with her.

“So so so! So so so we can, right?!”

From her gaze and tone of voice, I could barely understand that she was seeking my agreement. But it appeared that I still had a lot to learn to understand Ryuushi-san without needing to communicate telepathically, so, sorry, but what was she even saying?

“Calm down, Ryuushi-san.”

“So, so, so, okay, okay. I’m stopping. I’m folding! I am!”

“Alright, but…”

I check with the girl. But adding a penalty game belatedly was a pretty terrible idea.

“If we lose, it’s a penalty game… and if we fold?” “Penalty game.” “What if we win?” “The gallery applauds.”

A shout of “Wow!” was heard as an arm, sticking out from behind a card, was casually raised. The surrounding onlookers, though seemingly unenthusiastic, also raised their hands and shouted, “Wow!” The blonde woman continued to furiously take pictures.

In this game of poker, did that mean the challenger could only lose or break even? Like an antlion pit?

“Well then, if you win, I’ll give you this costume.”

“I don’t want it.”

“And the two winners will become the new hosts of couples poker here.”

“I’ll pass on being pressured into buying a curse.”

“Alright, that’s a no then. I was just only warming up to Tamako-san’s backside.”

While fidgeting inside the costume, the boy offered a helping hand (?). The girl jut her chin out.

“Are you an idiot?! What are you suddenly talking about?! H-hey, don’t move!”

“That’s not it, Tamako-san; it’s because you weren’t moving…”

“Your Japanese is disintegrating in mid-air!”

Watching the two of them continue their little game of pushing and shoving the card, the temperature around them seemed to drop in inverse proportion. “Hmm, so this stupid couple still has some sense of shame,” I thought coldly. Ryuushi-san, having finished her commotion, was huddled in her seat, holding the edge of the cards between her fingers. “Ah, now would be a good time to quickly check each other’s hands,” I thought, but I didn’t say it out loud.

Because actually, losing seemed more fun! I got the feeling this game has some kind of Youth Points. It was the school festival, so having fun would definitely lead to a real victory. Alright, I renewed my resolve to lose and stared at the cards in my hand.

“N-Niwa-kun, what’s with that bent-over pose?”

“I’m gonna do my best!” I said, bending my arm and flexing my biceps. Though, I didn’t actually have any muscles.

“What?! You’re going to continue?! N-Niwa-kun’s confession… *gulp*”

That last part, if written down, sounded like she was swallowing, but in reality it was the sound of Ryuushi-san’s neck bones cracking as she shook it. Ryuushi’s nose had a weird brightly red colour, and she seemed to be struggling with something, as if worried that blood might gush out. But we’re going into this as if we were going to lose, aren’t we?

“So, let’s resume couples’ poker! I’ll change my cards first!”

As if the pushing and shoving game was over, the card girl shouted. She slammed one card down and drew another from the central pile. The card she discarded was the king of diamonds.

“Hmm…” She stared at the cards, tapping them over and over.

“Please change whichever you prefer.”

The boy prompted us to carry on the game. Ryuushi-san and I exchanged glances, silently consulting with our eyes about who should change their hand first. In the end, Ryuushi-san lowered her chin, so it was my turn.

“What should I do…?”

If I discarded the 9 of clubs here to lose, I would be criticised for giving up a pair. The thought of Ryuushi-san realising that I wanted to lose felt like a defeat in itself. So, what should my move be?

This strategy relied on the assumption that my opponent had at least one pair, but I had no choice but to mislead Ryuushi-san. I needed to make her think I was focused on the suits of the cards rather than the numbers, meaning I was aiming for a flush. That way, even if I kept a pair in my hand, the chances of it improving to two pairs or three of a kind when combined with Ryuushi-san’s cards would be low. That was the best option.

I glanced at Ryuushi-san out of the corner of my eye, and our eyes met. She gave me a thumbs-up, so I returned the gesture.

“Right!” “I told ya!”

Well, now. First, I stared at the king of diamonds that my opponent discarded and made a small gesture of counting on my fingers. I counted on my fingers clearly, as if calculating how many diamonds were left. I quickly pulled my hand under the table, not wanting to overdo it and get scolded by the other guy. But there was no doubt that Ryuushi-san saw my hand just now. If she could just figure out what it meant, I’m sure it would work out well.

“I’ll change one card,” I said, discarding the 2 of spades to the centre. I wanted to throw away the 9 of clubs too, but that would be too obvious. Nobody would discard their entire hand to aim for a flush.

I drew a card from the central pile. If this backfired and I drew the 9 of spades or hearts, it would be game over. I pulled the card in tightly, took a deep breath, and then flipped the deck over.

“……Oh.”

I let out a short sigh. Looking satisfied. Of course, it was all an act. The card I drew was the 3 of hearts. Good.

With this, the hand I could make by combining my hand with the card shown in the centre was a single pair. I’ve given myself as much control as I could, and now it was up to Ryuushi-san and our opponent. The boy I was playing against discarded both of his cards.

“I’ll change two cards.”

He discarded the jack of hearts and the four of spades. He took two cards from the centre. Then, still clutching his hand, he tapped it around a couple of times, handing the playing field to the girl. The girl pulled her right hand back into her costume, hiding her hand. That was the end of our opponent’s change. There was no reason to fold, and there were no chips to bet, so neither of them could declare a call or a drop.

“Kashiwa-kun, did you get a good card?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

The other person spoke these words as if to provoke us. Putting aside the sarcasm that if they could use telepathy, they would understand each other without having to say anything, it was now Ryuushi-san’s turn.

“Hmm, I can’t see Niwa-kun’s card.”

Ryuushi-san stretched her neck towards the desk, her eyes becoming stern.

“Nkay, then I’ll throw one away… there.”

Ryuushi-san drew a card from the centre and nodded in agreement. She gave me a knowing look and smiled slightly.

Looks like she got a diamond card; good, good.

“That’s the end of the change. Now, let’s make the call!”

The girl announced her hand and slammed it onto the table. Then Ryuushi-san and I also threw our cards into the centre.

“Ah, just a moment.”

Tap, tap. The boy also had to turn around to reveal his hand, so it was a double hassle. The moment of resolution was slightly off and anticlimactic. The boy tosses his hand away, and then…

Ryuushi-san and I peered at the desk. Our shadow covered the card.

“Ah!”

Both the winner and the loser thrust their brief reactions into the centre of the table.

We had a pair of nines, and our opponents had a set of three eights.

The defeat I had anticipated had occurred on the table, and I instinctively stomped my foot hard on the floor.

“Hey, hey, did we win?” The girl facing the wall asked about the outcome, shaking her mascot costume.

“Flawless victory.”

“Yay, we won! We won, Kashiwa-kun! We’re amazing!”

“Yes, as expected from you who lick my belly and eyeballs!”

“No need to expose this here!”

The card celebrated its victory with a tapping dance. Meanwhile, we have a debriefing session.

“Niwa-kun, I thought it was a flush!”

Ryuushi-san’s arms shook wildly in frustration. Yup, just as planned.

“Ha ha ha, I’m not going to try for a flush when I don’t have a single diamond in my hand.”

“Y-You were pretending not to know!”

But how did they manage to get three of a kind? The boy had already discarded both of his cards.

…I see, so there was a possibility that the opponent had planned this beforehand. Like, aiming for a pair no matter what hand they had. In that case, I could discard my cards without hesitation.

Well, whatever the truth may be, a loss was a loss. It was a refreshing defeat that left a clear feeling in my heart.

“You’ve lost, and now it’s time for the punishment game. Come on, stupid couple, confess to your heart’s content. When we eventually become a stupid couple ourselves, we’ll be taking your behaviour and words into consideration.”

“Oh, so that’s why you’re playing couples’ poker?”

I suspected the boy saw through the girl’s intentions. The girl smiled warmly and understandingly.

But it seemed unlikely that this message would reach the person standing back-to-back with him in the card costume.

“Well, I guess there might be some truth to that.”

Look, you guys calling us a stupid couple was like a rabbit yelling, “You cowards, running away like frightened rabbits!” Couldn’t you realise that you’ve already been a stupid couple for ages?

I faced Ryuushi-san, scratching my cheek. It was time for the punishment game. Ryuushi-san let out a dry laugh, “Ahh”, and waited to see what I would do. It seemed I was the one who had to make the situation evolve.

This must be quite difficult, especially when surrounded by classmates.

But we’re going to move on. No more sitting still at the school festival. I didn’t know what to expect from doing this, but let’s go with the flow created by the school festival. And let’s go without resisting.

If this is also called Attraction. Then Attraction was not a matter of “chance” but of “inevitability”.

“Okay then, I’ll start with Ryuushi-san.”

“Eh? With me? Okay then, let’s do this! I’ll just rip Niwa-kun’s heart off!”

“I’d rather you didn’t!”

“Ta-Ta-daaan! Please answer this multiple-choice question!”

“Yes?”

“Tadaaan!”

Three fingers poked me between the eyebrows. It looks like tadaaan would attack me until I agreed.

“Okay, so, what’s the three-choice question?”

“Tadaaan! Question: One day, Niwa-kun is asked by a brown person to run an errand.”

Are we really going to start with that problematic part? That restlessness was endearing, and it made me want to tease her. It was like the psychology of a child wanting to bully someone they like. But what’s with the brown person?

“Where are you going to run the errand?”

“Uh, um, a candy store! The Tamura Store!”

“What are you going to buy?”

“I-I don’t like meat… so how about avocado? Avocado hot pot?”

“Why don’t you go to the supermarket?”

I was such an idiot. Besides, I didn’t want to gather around that green pot and have a good time with everyone.

“Anything is fine! So, Niwa-kun walks along to the candy store to buy an avocado.”

Well, I ended up using all of it as is. I guess I was really an idiot.

“On his way to run that errand, Niwa-kun meets a light blue person.”

“Hmm,” Ryuushi-san’s eyebrows furrowed. Now it’s light blue? What language is that?… So, Erio?”

“Niwa-kun had an appointment to play with the light blue person, beep beep! Public order is being disrupted!”

“Teacher, there seems to be some personal bias mixed into the problem.”

“Anything is fine! So, Niwa-kun is a bad boy who tries to play with the light blue person even though he’s supposed to be running an errand for avocados. Seriously!” “Well, it’s like taking out your anger on someone by making easy assumptions about their actions.” “Grrr!” “It’s nothing, sorry.” He apologised so quickly that he even omitted a “su”.

“Niwa-kun is indecisive and takes the light-blue person with him and heads back to the place he’s supposed to run an errand for. On the way, he runs into another girl he knows. This time it’s a black person!”

Who could the black person be? Judging from the tendencies of the people who have appeared so far, could it be Maekawa-san?

“Black” might refer to her hair. In that case, the first person with brown hair must be Ryuushi-san.

“The black person asked Niwa-kun to help with household chores, and now he’s in a bit of a pickle!”

“That’s a truly unique way to be in a pickle.”

“Bam! Here’s the question!”

“Oh, we’re finally getting down to business.” I didn’t even mind that he mentioned a “question”!

“Who is your priority? ① the brown person. ② the light blue person. ③ the black person. So, which one is it?!”

Ryuushi-san approached with a grip that looked like she was trying to strangle me. Priority? Well…

“How about we finish Ryuushi-san’s errand, then play with Erio, and finally help Maekawa-san?”

“W-Who are those guys?! This question is a work of fiction with no real-life examples used! And I told ya, I’m Ryuuko!”

Huh, what about me? I wanted to believe that Niwa-kun lived on as a proper noun in non-fiction.

“Besides, I can do without people-pleasers like that! We’re all alive and well at the same time, my friends!”

“If those are the conditions… I guess Ryuushi-san will take priority.”

I was asked to run the errand first, after all. However, I didn’t think I would be able to buy the avocados as requested.

“R-Right, of course! I told ya, I’m Ryuuko!”

Ryuushi-san clapped her hands in applause. This time, there was no correction about it being fiction. I wondered if the line between fiction and nonfiction could blur depending on the time and circumstances.

“Um… so, is this the question you wanted to ask me?”

I didn’t even really understand what they asked me. They didn’t give me the correct answer despite the question being quite challenging.

“Nhuh?”

Ryuushi-san tilted her head. Her head still tilted, she began to groan. While waiting for Ryuushi-san to gather her thoughts, I glanced at the crowd that had probably been watching the whole thing. I wished they wouldn’t eavesdrop or hold their breath and watch like that; it was embarrassing.

Everyone’s head was filled with question marks. Some couldn’t keep up with Ryuushi-san’s questions, and for those who had been expecting candid confessions from the couple, it seemed like a let-down.

“No, no! Not like this! That doesn’t count; let’s do it again!”

Ryuushi-san suddenly shouted and swung her arms wildly, crossing them above her head.

“Okay, you can try again! But just for one reason: you guys aren’t amusing!”

The card girl chimed in. She leaned back with a huff, looking like she was about to fall over backwards. If she did, the boy’s face on the other side would be in a terrible state. No, this pervert might be happy with the thought of, “Yaaaay, I’m being crushed by her back!” I’d welcome it if Ryuushi-san leaned on me too. Maekawa-san would be fine too, Erio… maybe not. There was no one else I’d consider leaning on me. No one at all. The forty-year-old should leave quickly.

“Heh? Is that even possible?”

I decided to rebel for some reason. The mood around me was shifting back to a more subdued one, and it bothered me.

“I am the one who gets to judge about that! So we’re doing a confession retake. However!”

The card was approaching me, stomping around the table. What, what?

“You two will both get into this costume, and then we’ll do the confession again!”

“Ueeeeh!”

Either Ryuushi-san or I let out a startled cry. The base of my jaw suddenly hurts from being too tense, so it must have been me. Ryuushi-san was also shocked, shouting, “Nyu nyu nyu waa chaa!”

Why would we have to do something like that? Their idea was just too unconventional. And their appearance, too.

Meanwhile, the girl in the card and the boy at the reverse lumbered towards the crowd, pleading for it to “unzip us, please”. Couldn’t they open it themselves? How did they fasten it after entering it?

No, that didn’t matter right now. What was important was the fact that I would get into this costume and become a card with Ryuushi-san. If I were to ask someone for advice on what to do, they’d probably think I’m crazy, but I really was at a loss for words and suffering from a fever. My ears were burning.

A blonde girl stepped forward first and unzipped the zipper hidden in the white fabric of the card. Suddenly, as if shedding its skin, the girl and boy emerged from the card.

There was a warm, sticky sound, probably from the sweat that had poured in their costume and clung to their skin.

Both of them slid face down into the corridor. There was a warm, sticky sound, probably from the sweat that had poured in their costume and clung to their skin. A few seconds later, the card costume, now empty of its contents, collapsed into the corridor, its body wrinkled and deflated. The resulting gust of wind blew up trash in the corridor.

People around, especially the boys, gasped in amazement at the beautiful girl who emerged from the card. It wasn’t quite the kind of shock of having particles swirling around when a futon was removed, but their excitement was certainly understandable.

The boy’s appearance was unremarkable, and he didn’t have any particularly striking features. It was surprising how much more normal he seemed compared to his words and actions.

The girl who emerged from the card sighed and wiped the sweat from her forehead. The boy also grabbed the back of his uniform and pulled it, blowing air onto his sweat-soaked back. Am I going to get stuck that close to Ryuushi-san? Yay.

“Alright, come on in.”

The girl pointed to the card costume lying face down and gestured for us to enter. At this rate, we’d really become a card. I exchanged glances with Ryuushi-san. Ah, her neck was bright red. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she looked like a child on the verge of bursting into tears.

“Niwa-kun… what do you think about it?”

Ugh, I’d prefer if we dropped that out of the conversation. I was busy enough trying to give an air of “it can’t be helped”.

“Well, this is what they decided, so there’s nothing we can do about it, I guess.”

I was actually very curious. I wondered how many Youth Points were packed into that card.

“Exactly, it’s a punishment game. I’m sure you kyapple will be fine with this.”

The girl, having finished wiping her sweat with a handkerchief, nodded with a knowing look on her face. Seriously, I know I’m asking this a bit late, but what kind of relationship is a kyapple supposed to represent? It sounds like some kind of musical notation.

“Hey, Kashiwa-kun, give them some encouragement.”

I turned to the boy who was touching her back. The boy scratched his chin and nodded.

“You’ll get addicted to it!”

His way of speaking was so refreshing it almost made my teeth fall out. What was going on in this guy’s head?

What if my brain got adjusted like his by wearing this costume?

“It’s Attraction! Attraction! This card costume is perfect for experiencing Attraction!”

The girl mentioned the theme for this year’s school festival as a justification, as if she had just thought about it.

“Go-in! Go-in!”

The blonde girl was egging us on. The onlookers around us didn’t join in, but they went along with the mood and cast curious glances at us. I inwardly nodded in agreement to this inescapable mood.

I wanted to do it, but I needed to do it. I didn’t want to go in, but I had no choice. That kind of atmosphere was my justification, and it made me want to go in. Well, even if I couldn’t fly, Attraction certainly seemed to be swirling around!

“Well, then, Ryuushi-san, there’s nothing we can do about it, ha ha; this is what they decided.”

“I-I already said that earlier; I told ya. Uh, uhhhhgh.”

With a groaning sound like an object flying low, Ryuushi-san and I approached the card mascot costume. The surrounding noise, which should have been bright like cheers, seemed distant. The thumping sound next to my ears was loud. Ryuushi-san also had her palms pressed flat against her legs, as if holding down the hem of her skirt. We both glanced at each other. Any time to be happy about feeling youth had long since evaporated.

We both made the card costume stand up. We looked at each other again and laughed awkwardly.

“W-Which way do we go in?”

“Go on, go ahead.”

“No, no, Niwa-kun, you go first.”

“Well then, I won’t hesitate.”

“Weeeeh!”

I slipped in while Ryuushi-san was holding the costume up. It was surprisingly comfortable, or rather, the texture was quite nice. As expected of something made by Maekawa-san. My body was swallowed up by the fluffy cotton-like material. I then placed my face in the hole on the back… It was warm around my face. From the boy’s body heat. I’ll keep a secret the fact that I almost regretted not choosing the front. Everything except the surface of my face that was exposed to the wind quickly became hot and humid.

“Ryuushi-san, p-please, go ahead.”

“O-Our backs are sticking together!”

“Do your best, Ryuushi! Do your best! Even if it’s super hard and so on!”

“Hey! Keep that kind of cheer for cooler situations! Here I go!”

Ryuushi-san jumped into the mascot costume as if she made up her mind. She grazed me, scraping my back with the force of her body slam. Our backs rubbed against each other, our elbows bumped. Come to think of it, I often talked with Ryuushi-san, and we even had phone conversations sometimes, but it was very rare for our bodies to touch like this. Maybe the only time was when we slept shoulder to shoulder on the bus on the way back from the town trip?

Even that couldn’t be called authentic. Leaving aside what constitutes authenticity, the real deal has finally arrived! The tiny speck of reason in me thought I was losing my mind, but there was nothing I could do about it. My elbow bumped into Ryushi-san’s. “Ouch,” “Swoosh,” we both thought of it as our way of apologising. As I tried to put my legs through, I bumped into Ryuushi-san’s hipbone. Ouch, my hip and other parts.

“N-Niwa-kun’s legs!”

“It’s your legs that are making that squelching sound, Ryushi-san!”

“Leave the sounds out of your commentary!”

Ryuushi-san’s thighs were pressed tightly against my leg. Even if we both tried to move apart instantly, we could barely create any distance because we were both inside the costume. In fact, if we moved our whole bodies to try and get away, other parts of our bodies end up sticking together as well. To be more specific, our shoulder blades and our buttocks.

Perhaps I should first be grateful that the person I was with in this ambiguous event which was a mix of youthful romance and perversion in close proximity while wearing a costume wasn’t Meme-san. What should I be grateful for?

Well, it must be Attraction. The force of Attraction threw us into this costume.

The zipper on the costumes was fastened up from the outside, leaving us with absolutely no escape. The oppressive heat intensified, making us feel like we were components of a steam engine. Our body temperature soared, and we began to feel dizzy.

The smell. The fragrance. My nose, which should be facing the outside, was filled with Ryuushi-san’s scent. Was it my skin? Was I absorbing what was filling the inside of the costume with my skin? Hooray! Hooray for World Fair costumes!

“Done! Now, go ahead and talk to your heart’s content!”

“Ha ha ha,” the girl who had been in the card costume laughed heartily. There was no way to talk to her, since there was only a wall in front of me. The sound of camera shutters clicking came from my blind spot and annoyed me.

“Niwa-kun, I’m leaving the rest to you. Gufu.”

“No, no, Ryuushi-san, it only turned out this way because you wanted it!”

“I can’t do it! Niwa-kun, just moving a little makes your, uh, waist! It’s sweaty! It’s sticky!”

“But Ryuushi-san, if we don’t do the Q&A, we’ll stay like this forever!”

Well, I was fine with that! It felt like a dream, or rather like a daze!

“Uuuugh, yee! It’s the initial talk corner! Ta-daaa!”

“Bring it on!” I couldn’t keep up with my rising body temperature any longer. I was just desperate.

“Niwa-kun, out of T-san, R-san, and M-san, who do you have the most fun being with?”

“I think it’s R-san!”

I mean, there’s everyone around! They are listening! Ryuushi and Ryuuko both start with an R!

“If you answer immediately, it’s suspicious! I smell a scam!”

“Is this really the time to be worrying?!”

“In that case! Which one do you think is the cutest?”

“On the topic of cuteness, I’d say R-san!”

“The person you send e-mails to the most is—!”

“R-san! I mean, T-san has a signal, but she doesn’t have a phone!”

“Then, who do you talk to the most?”

“If we count the ‘mofumofu’, probably T-san! We live in the same house, after all!”

“Grrr! There are three girls who look like they’re about to fall off a cliff! Who will you save first?!”

“M-san! I mean, she’s the weakest of them all! I wonder if she’d even be able to grab onto a cliff to begin with!”

“Grrrrrrrrrr! Niwa-kun, what do you think is the best thing R-san can do?!”

“Huh?! I guess it’s the calming, soothing aspect of the ‘I told ya’!”

“What the hell is going on? I told ya?!”

“Yeah, that’s exactly it!”

“I don’t get it! What should I do?!”

“I think it’s fine the way it is!”

“Hey!”

“Yes!”

“Niwa-kun! Out of T-san, R-san, and M-san, who would you want to become a card with the most?”

“R-san!”

My scream caused a depletion in energy. Ryuushi-san and I rapidly lost our heat.

Unable to even kneel, I stumbled down the corridor, swaying back and forth along with the card, shaken by the lingering effects of the fever. This was the intoxication of youth. My consciousness was clouded from an excessive intake of Youth Points.

Sweat poured into my eyes and streamed down my cheeks like tears. My nose became damp and snotty, and the discomfort on my face reached its limit. I squinted, trying to force through my blurry vision, and glared at the nearest girl.

“I’m burning; please open the costume.”

“Hmm… well, fine. Everyone, this is how it is, so please feel free to participate too!”

Released from the costume, we rolled on the floor like the two did earlier. But we quickly got up on our knees. Ryuushi-san also stretched her knees, playfully imitating a monkey, shouting, “Ukikiiii!”

Those around joined in the fun and applauded loudly. Not to be modest, but I did absolutely nothing to deserve praise. I was just conducting an experiment to see my sense of shame explode.

I could still feel Ryuushi-san’s warmth on my back and the sensation of her hair against my neck. Even more, I could feel her sweat running down my skin. Yeah, I could tell. I could distinguish between my own sweat and Ryuushi-san’s. I instinctively wiped the sweat with my finger… No, I didn’t lick it, but I did smell it.

“What are you doing, Niwa-kun?”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Liar! Everyone, Niwa-kun is a liar!”

“More importantly, Ryuushi-san, it’s now your turn to confess.”

“Heeey, what are you talking about Niwaiwaiworld!”

“You’ve string so many words together that you make my name sound like WALL-E.’”

“I-I told ya!”

“Don’t be selfish.”

“Tooold ya ya!”

“No, it doesn’t become a reasonable option just by flipping it around.”

“D-Don’t come any closer! If you come any closer, Ryuuko-san will ugh, ugh.”

“You’re going to what?”

“I’m gonna be like that!”

Ryuushi-san ran down the corridor, her face still covered with her hands. I half-heartedly chased after her but gave up and stopped halfway. Now, with my right hand that I missed reaching out with earlier, I was grasping at thin air.

“Aah, Ryuushi-san, where are you going… You’ve managed to escape the punishment game!”

She was slow on her bike but incredibly fast on her feet. And on top of that, there was a blonde girl chasing after her, asking for “An interview, please!” What was up with that girl?

Oh, I remembered being interviewed by that girl last week. She said she was from the school newspaper club. Did it mean that this exchange would end up in the school newspaper? Wait a minute, Ryuushi-san and I will die of anger. And if Ryuushi-san said anything in her current state of shock… I really needed her to get away from that newspaper club somehow. “Hang in there, Ryuushi-san!”

I waved goodbye to Ryuushi-san, who had already disappeared around the corner of the corridor, sending her my best wishes. I listened carefully, but I didn’t hear her ‘I told ya I’m Ryuuko’ reply. She’s gone so far away; I felt lonely.

However, since I had incurred about a hundred debts during the summer festival, I couldn’t force her to return.

As soon as we got up from our seats, the next couple poker challengers appeared, apparently taking our place. The onlookers’ attention also shifted to them, and I was surprised that there were people who watched our game before deciding to join in.

What kind of guys are they? I thought. It turned out to be Nakajima, who wasn’t tanned at all, and Hanazawa-san, who was completely sunburnt.

Moreover, they exchanged grinning glances (Hanazawa-san’s smile was a rare sight), and surprisingly, she seemed quite enthusiastic about receiving the card. Nakajima glanced at me and bowed his head in a polite nod. I returned his smile and distanced myself from the card and Nakajima. I took a breath, having left that stiflingly hot space.

“…I wonder if Nakajima and the others have something they want to ask the other side?”

In the sense that it provides an opportunity to ask questions one has always wondered about but hasn’t been able to ask casually, the presence of those people in the card costume was definitely worthwhile. Although, it doesn’t seem like they had any deep intentions behind it.

Well, it looked fun from the outside, so it was probably good enough as a spectacle.

“Well”, Ryuushi-san, who was supposed to be exploring the school festival with me, has run off in a panic, so what should I do? If I chased after Ryuushi-san… it would probably turn into a game of tag if things stayed the way they were.

In that case, should I look around the school for Erio, or should I go back to the art room where Maekawa-san was?

“…The order of the heart, right?”

If Attraction determined everything, then there was no way rankings could exist.

With such irony in mind, I took a step forward to chase after Ryuushi-san, but the music that had been playing on repeat suddenly stopped. And then.

“We have a call, we have a call. For Niwa Makoto-kun, Niwa Makoto-kun. For the guardian… ah, yes, your newlywed bride who just finished her honeymoon is attempting to make a giant takoyaki, so please come to the front of the stall quickly.”

“…………”

Various cries surfaced, then burst like bubbles.

Hey, this was being broadcast to the whole school! My name was clearly on the air! Show me the faces of those who took that kind of summons seriously! Do whatever you want! That honeymoon part was a trap, right? I had so many thoughts overflowing all at once, pushing against each other and about to break apart and disappear.

I couldn’t say anything; I just stood frozen in the hallway. The piercing stares of the onlookers behind me hurt my back. Nakajima and the others’ voices said, “Newlywed bride?” and “Takoyaki sounds delicious” in the distance. There was a bang as the broadcast cut out, and then the background music resumed as if nothing had happened. My body unconsciously swayed from side to side in time with the chorus. A dry laugh, ah ha ha ha, escaped my lips at the end, and I sighed refreshingly, “Ugh.”

I bet that person finds Attraction a cumbersome and completely irrelevant thing to them.

In a way, it was a person overflowing with refreshingly positive energy and drive.

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• Took on the Kyapple Poker challenge with Ryuushi-san. +2
• Magnificent defeat at poker, confession(?) competition. +1
• In a card costume with Ryushi-san! +3
• The sweat and aroma of her back and the soles of her feet! +3
• Somehow shouting about all kinds of things! +3

Total current Youth Points: +22

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