Chapter 15: Countermeasures, Cultural Festival! (Part 2)

At long last—finally—I made my way back to the outside world: the courtyard. The sunlight was so bright that I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut. A moment later, Yuno-chan crawled out after me with a rustle. She narrowed her eyes briefly as well—but then they suddenly flew wide open.

…What’s wrong?

"Y-Yozakura-senpai! Your skirt is completely flipped up! Y-your underwear—it’s showing!"

I desperately reached behind me, but I couldn’t quite tell what state my skirt was in. It did feel like it had gotten caught up somehow, but… uh… wait… what?

After watching me struggle for a bit, Yuno-chan seemed to take pity on me and moved behind me. I obediently closed my eyes and let her handle it.

"Geez… it’s because you were rubbing against everything in such a tight space… um… okay, it’s fixed now."

I turned around to thank her, but for some reason, she was staring behind me again with wide eyes.

…Huh? Again? Can skirts really flip up that easily?

I fumbled around behind me once more, but this time my skirt definitely seemed to be in the right position. Then why…?

Following Yuno-chan’s gaze, I quickly found the cause. Kaimori-chan was standing there, her face bright red, covering it with both hands. I had no idea why she was so flustered.

"Y-Yuno is flipping up Shione-senpai’s skirt…"

…No, I got it. And at the same time, I realized we’d been seen in a very troublesome situation. Yuno-chan must have thought the same, because she hurriedly spoke up.

"Wait, Ayumi-chan! I-it’s not like that!"

"It wasn’t just flipping it up… you completely pulled it up… out in the open…"

"Yuno-chan was fixing my skirt for me."

Since this was clearly a misunderstanding, I corrected it. Kaimori-chan still looked suspicious of Yuno-chan’s explanation, but she seemed willing to at least listen to mine and asked hesitantly:

"B-but… can it really get flipped up that much…? Your whole backside was totally exposed…"

That much? Well, if you’re wriggling around in such a cramped space, it could happen to anyone. …Ah, but I can’t exactly explain that without revealing the secret base. Uh…

As I stood there flustered, unsure how to respond, Kaimori-chan apparently concluded that we’d been doing something indecent. Her expression stiffened, and without another word, she spun around and bolted off at incredible speed.

"Ayumi-chan! W-wait, just a second!"

Yuno-chan chased after her even faster and soon disappeared from sight as well. I thought she didn’t have much stamina, though. That left me standing there all alone.

W-well, whatever. At least I managed to secure a promise from Yuno-chan for the school festival. Still, that makes three successful recruitments in a row—the protagonist, Takamiyagi-senpai, and Yuno-chan. Three wins, zero losses. I kind of want to experience defeat for once. Which leaves Kaimori-chan…

Normally, she’d be the easiest to convince, but right now might not be the best timing… Well, no point overthinking it. Besides, Kaimori-chan is basically my right-hand girl. Yeah.

So, during the very next break, I headed to her classroom to recruit her. From the hallway, I quietly peeked into the first-year classroom, where a low buzz of chatter filled the air.

And right then, I saw Yuno-chan briskly making her way toward Kaimori-chan’s desk.

…Oh? Could this be a historic reconciliation moment? Like a handshake followed by a cheerful hug?

Contrary to my expectations, however, the moment Kaimori-chan noticed Yuno-chan, her eyes sharpened into a glare.

…Oh? Isn’t the atmosphere already getting weird? It’s like a wild animal spotting a natural enemy invading its territory.

It seemed my instincts were right. Looking agitated, Kaimori-chan rapidly fired off her words at the approaching Yuno-chan.

"What are you here for, Yuno? And what was that earlier? You pervert! Exhibitionist! Pervert!"

"H-hey! Don’t say things that make it sound worse than it is! And besides, the one exposing anything wasn’t me—it was Yozakura-senpai!"

"…Then I’ll take back the ‘exhibitionist’ part."

"Then the ‘pervert’ part doesn’t apply to me either, right?! Take that back too!"

Hey, don’t just casually accept that I’m the exhibitionist here. Also, Yuno-chan, the way you said that makes it sound like I’m the pervert too, doesn’t it? Maybe it’s just my imagination…

"The fact that you helped with the exposure makes you a pervert too! You totally pulled it all the way up! And not in a fitting room—in the courtyard! No matter how many times I think about it, it makes no sense!"

Bang! Kaimori-chan slammed her hand on the desk and loudly declared, in front of the entire class, just how indecent I’d apparently looked earlier. Also—does she think flipping up someone’s skirt is okay as long as it’s inside a fitting room? I’m starting to worry about her sense of ethics.

Meanwhile, though slightly overwhelmed by Kaimori-chan’s intensity, Yuno-chan still tried to object.

"Calling me an accomplice… I was just trying to help…"

"Shione-senpai is small, so it made the whole thing look even worse! How does that even happen?!"

"I mean… when I saw her, it was already like that…"

"That’s not something that just happens…! …That’s not… something…"

Kaimori-chan suddenly trailed off mid-sentence, her expression turning uncertain.

"Well… if it’s Shione-senpai… maybe it could happen… Maybe she was flustered from being confessed to…?"

What kind of person does that make me? Someone who flips up their skirt when they’re flustered? That’s just an exhibitionist.

Apparently, the others around her had the same thought. One of the onlookers, who had been watching from a distance, cautiously spoke up.

"W-what kind of person is she…? That senpai, I mean."

"She’s not normal… I mean, she looks super adorable, but…"

"But…?"

"She’s scary."

"Huh? She seemed harmless and nice, though…"

At that, Kaimori-chan stared at Yuno-chan with a look that clearly said, Are you serious? You don’t get it at all. I could’ve sworn I even heard a faint tsk.

…K-Kaimori-chan? Is it really safe for me to keep watching this? Are we still going to get along after today? I-I’m counting on you…

"That’s why I’m telling you—she’s really scary."

"Just how scared are you of her, Ayumi-chan?"

"Because I’m pretty sure everything we’re saying right now is being overheard anyway."

For a moment, Yuno-chan blinked in confusion—then burst out laughing, waving her hands dismissively.

"No way, that’s impossible. Ayumi-chan, you’re definitely exaggerating."

"No, seriously, it wouldn’t be weird if she were watching from somewhere around there…"

At that exact moment, Kaimori-chan and I—peeking out from behind the door with only our faces showing—locked eyes perfectly. When I gave her a small “ehehe, you caught me” smile, her face stiffened dramatically.

"Ayumi-chan, what’s wrong? …⁉"

Following Kaimori-chan’s frozen gaze, Yuno-chan noticed me as well and froze in the same way. Hmm. For some reason, they both seemed scared of me. I should probably clear that up.

Since I’d already been spotted anyway, I walked over to Kaimori-chan’s desk inside the classroom. Along the way, I could hear whispers from the first-year students.

"So that’s the senpai… the one who’s adorable, an exhibitionist, a pervert, scary, but totally harmless…?"

"Isn’t she like an angel? How is she scary? Is it like… so cute it’s scary?"

"Wait, is it true that she exposed herself in the courtyard? Seriously? Seriously?! No way…! Damn it… damn it…! I wish I’d been born as one of the trees in that courtyard…!"

…That last wish sounds oddly familiar. Naturally, the guy who said it was immediately met with heavy looks of disgust from everyone around him. Right—anyone who makes a wish like that is definitely a pervert. …Anyway.

"Kaimori-chan."

"Y-yes, ma’am…!"

At my playful call, Kaimori-chan sprang to her feet, standing stiffly upright. I gave her a bright smile, hoping to seem more approachable.

"Hehe, you were talking about me, weren’t you? That’s no good, you know? I got curious and had to come over."

"B-but we only just started talking about it…"

"Anyway, about earlier during lunch—Yuno-chan really was helping fix my skirt. That part is true. No spreading false rumors. Now then, how about a handshake apology to Yuno-chan?"

"S-sorry, Yuno."

"I-it’s fine, Ayumi-chan… Wait, a handshake apology…?"

Even so, the two of them firmly shook hands. Considering how poorly they’d gotten along before—like the Genji and Heike clans at the very end—it could be called quite the historic moment.

"Ugh… but I didn’t realize Kaimori-chan was that scared of me… I see… I thought we’d become pretty good friends… maybe I was the only one who thought that…"

Maybe I’d been a bit overconfident. I’d have to work harder to build a better relationship. Hearing my muttering, Kaimori-chan looked a bit apologetic.

"N-no! I do think we’re on good terms! You’ve helped me a lot! It’s just… you’re a little… scary."

"Ehh? What part?"

"Like… the fact that you’re here right now, for example… haha…"

"You mean… you can’t accept the fact that I exist right in front of you? Something like that?"

"Of course not! It’s just that I get scared too easily…"

Japanese is hard. As I furrowed my brow, closed my eyes, and crossed my arms to sort things out, Kaimori-chan suddenly grabbed my shoulder in a panic.

"Wait! It’s not that I dislike you at all…! But… being called scary doesn’t feel good, right? Please say something. I’ll do anything."

"Oh? You’ll do anything? Hmm… then that’s perfect! Hehe, I actually have a favor to ask right away."

"I-I did say that, but… that smile is making me nervous…! W-what is it?"

I had been smiling to reassure her, but apparently that only made things worse. So I dropped the smile and tried going completely expressionless instead, staring at her silently.

This time, Kaimori-chan looked even more frightened.

…No, then what exactly do you want me to do?

"So, um, I want you to go around the school festival with Takahiro-kun. Of course, I’ll be there too."

"Eh? I-I don’t mind… That’s your request? Is something that simple really okay?"

"Of course! So it’s settled—thanks!"

And just like that, Kaimori-chan was successfully recruited. That leaves only Kitatsuji-san…

After school, I stopped by the diner in the shopping district, where Kitatsuji-san immediately caught me and began vigorously petting my head. I’d been here a few times already, and it seemed she really liked having me sit on her lap while she stroked my hair. She kept saying it was because I was like a cute little puppy. I guess… that’s a compliment.

Still, with that reasoning, I can’t help but worry that one day she might say she wants to put a collar on me and take me for a walk…

I turned to look up at Kitatsuji-san, who was grinning brightly while ruffling my hair, and got straight to the point.

"Wow… your hair really is so fluffy…! What shampoo do you use?"

"More importantly, Kitatsuji-san, would you go around the school festival with me…?"

"Hm? Sure, I don’t mind."

"I love you, Kitatsuji-san!"

…That was fast! An instant decision! This is the level of ease I was expecting from everyone from the start. Why did it take so long? Even with the protagonist included.

Anyway, great—now everything should be set…!

All that’s left is to wait for the day of the school festival. Hurry up and get here already!