Chapter 2: Contact with the Enemy, Protagonist / Encounter with Kaimori-chan (Part 2)

After school finally arrived, the three of us gathered by the shoe lockers, ready to head out into town—when suddenly, that idiot Takahiro said, "I just remembered I have something to do, so I can’t come."

…What is wrong with this guy? In the game, you were always free, weren’t you? Actually—wait—this suddenly reminds me of something. Back when I invited Satō-san, a classmate I used to like, he said almost the exact same thing. Every time I invite someone, an infinite number of “things to do” mysteriously appear. Damn it.

For now, I folded my arms and considered Takahiro’s fate. Despite being a game character, he’d committed the grave sin of adding plans that weren’t in the scenario. Should I throw him out the window like Kaimori-chan’s pendant… or forgive him? After weighing the two options, I decided to let it slide this time—first offense and all.

"Sorry! I’ll definitely keep tomorrow open!"

Yeah, don’t forget those words. Alright, you’re dismissed for today!

After watching Takahiro run off, Kaimori-chan suddenly raised her hand with a bright smile.

"Shione-senpai, me! I’m—get this—free! We were going to the shopping street, right?"

Oh, that enthusiasm… I won’t name names, but I’d love for a certain Takahiro to learn from it. Still, Kaimori-chan doesn’t seem even a little sad that her potential love interest can’t make it… And the shopping street, huh…

"…But I’d rather go when Takahiro-kun’s there…"

After all, we’re not just going out for a stroll—we’re trying to set Takahiro up with a heroine. Without the main character, there’s no point.

While I was deep in thought, Kaimori-chan suddenly grabbed my arm and started tugging hard. Before I could protest, she dragged me along—half pulling, half hauling me—to a secluded spot behind the school building.

It seemed there was quite a gap in strength between Shione-chan and Kaimori-chan. I tried to resist a little, but her grip didn’t budge. Once we reached the back, she glanced around nervously, carefully checking if anyone was nearby.

What’s gotten into her all of a sudden…? And why are we hiding…?

…W-wait. Don’t tell me—m-mugging…? I mean, I did just say I like seeing new sides of characters, but that’s definitely not one I want to see.

But contrary to my fears, Kaimori-chan leaned in close and whispered something unbelievable.

"Um, I’m not sure if I should ask this, but… Shione-senpai, you and Ryuzouji-senpai… are you two dating…? Because if you are, then maybe I’d just be in the way…"

"That is NOT happening! Absolutely impossible!! Kaimori-chan… could you drop that topic immediately? Just imagining it gives me goosebumps. Look—see?"

I impulsively rolled up my sleeve to show her, and she flinched, stepping back half a step.

"…S-sorry… you seemed so close, I just assumed… I mean, I didn’t think it was that bad…"

"If that ever happened, I’d commit seppuku. Clean and honorable."

"That far?!"

…Crap. That probably lowered his stock in her mind. But there’s no way I could say I want to date him. Still, I should at least say something nice… uh…

"He’s not my type… but I think the people who like him would really like him."

In the end, I quoted the exact rejection line Satō-san once used on me when I confessed to her. If I’m going to relive that trauma, I might as well go all the way. Thanks, Satō-san. Your words are definitely helping me out here in this game world.

Kaimori-chan and I eventually decided to head home instead of going to the shopping street. I mean, if she went home, she’d be alone, right? Sending her back like that after hearing everything just didn’t sit right with me. Well, Takahiro went straight home for his “errand,” though.

…But seriously, is he really the protagonist of this game? Can he actually reach the true ending like that? Depending on your choices, he dies pretty often. Actually, dying in a dating sim is already weird enough. The real danger’s probably going to come from the main heroine who’ll transfer in later. Is Takahiro going to be okay? Can he even survive?

As I walked along, staring at the ground and pondering the protagonist’s uncertain future, Kaimori-chan suddenly peeked up at my face. She had a mischievous grin.

"Ah, you’re thinking about Ryuzouji-senpai again, aren’t you?"

"…Yeah."

"You really do like him, don’t you… So what were you thinking about?"

"Whether he’ll be able to survive from here on."

"What are you even thinking about?!"

"I don’t understand, Shione-senpai…" she muttered, looking up at the sky. But soon enough, she seemed to recover and continued cheerfully.

"By the way… did you find the coins you dropped?"

"Coins…?"

"…Never mind. Hmm… I still don’t quite get it, Shione-senpai."

"Oh, you mean the ones that scattered? Of course I picked them all up. Even one yen matters, you know. I once tried to buy rice crackers at a convenience store and came up short by just one yen."

Kaimori-chan tilted her head repeatedly, looking troubled. She must still be thinking about her worries, her heart weighed down. I can’t allow a world where a cute girl like her looks so gloomy…

Alright. Let’s go cheer her up with her favorite food.

"Hey, Kaimori-chan, aren’t you hungry?"

"…Ah, yeah. I guess…?"

"Let’s go grab some miso ramen."

"Right after school?!"

Kaimori-chan may be a high school girl, but she’s enough of a ramen fanatic to visit a ramen shop three times a week. Since we’re here, why not make it a pilgrimage?

There may be countless Kaimori-chan fans in this world—but I bet not many have actually gone to a ramen shop with her.

Honestly, I’m not even hungry, but with enough love, anything’s possible. Sorry, fellow Kaimori-chan fans—I’m getting this experience all to myself. Haha… well then, I’ll enjoy it!

"…Ughhh… nnngh… nghhh…"

I stared down at the bowl in front of me. It was delicious, but… it just wasn’t going down. Every bite filled up my “fullness gauge” way too much. I didn’t realize the specs would differ this much…

I’d ordered a regular portion without thinking, but maybe I should’ve gone with less noodles… Shione-chan is supposed to be a frail character to begin with. Coming to a ramen shop might’ve been reckless.

"I did say maybe we shouldn’t go right after school…"

Kaimori-chan, already finished eating, poked at some dumplings while looking at me with mild exasperation. Wait—those dumplings weren’t on the table earlier, were they? Did she order more? That’s quite the appetite.

"I’ll eat the rest for you. It’s partly my responsibility for coming along."

"That’s not it! I’m the one who ordered it! I won’t let you touch it… nghh…"

"Y-you’re surprisingly manly for how you look… but are you really okay…?"

Several dozen minutes later… after finishing a battle so one-sided it couldn’t even be described as a “struggle,” I turned weakly toward Kaimori-chan. On the table sat a bowl that was barely empty.

…It had been… a brutal fight… But… I won. I definitely won.

"Look, Kaimori-chan… I did it… I won…"

"Um, Shione-senpai, your face looks really bad! Like, gray! …Actually, no—this is a loss!! At best, a draw! And it’s partly my fault for letting you go all the way!! …Uh, can you stand?"

…Let me try putting strength into my legs. They trembled, shaking like they might give out. Sure, I’m lighter now, but whether they can actually support me… that’s questionable. Still, even red pandas can stand, right? There’s no way I—someone who just ate a bit too much—can’t manage it.

"Wait—no way! This is definitely impossible! I’ve been a regular here since I was little, and I know the staff, so sometimes they let me use the back room. Let’s go rest first, okay? Please?"

And just like that, I was escorted to the back by Kaimori-chan. Thankfully, thanks to her careful handling, no tragedy occurred during transport. I should really thank her for that.

In a small six-tatami-mat room in the back, I was laid down as-is. The cool sensation of the tatami seeped gently through my back—it felt nice.

…Yeah… lying down really does make my stomach feel a bit better. When I close my eyes, there’s this faint spinning sensation… and the nostalgic smell of tatami.

Still lying there, I absently reached a hand beside my face—and felt long, soft brown hair brush against my fingers. That’s when I remembered my current form.

…Well, yeah… of course the “capacity” is different… Actually, now that I think about it, isn’t this dream kind of long? And way too realistic? What’s going on here…?

――tap.

As I drifted in and out of sleep, something suddenly touched my forehead—cool and soft. I startled awake. When I reached up, I found a damp towel resting there—Kaimori-chan must have placed it. At some point, a thin blanket had also been draped over me.

Kaimori-chan peered down at me, smiling apologetically.

"Oh, sorry. Did I wake you?"

"…I wasn’t asleep."

"Oh, you totally were. You were out cold—sleeping all peacefully, like a little kid or a puppy. …I get it, though. You get sleepy when you eat too much, right?"

When I glanced toward the window, it was pitch black outside.

…It’s already night.

Did she… wait here this whole time? Isn’t she way too nice?

"Well, yeah! I mean, I’m the one who brought you here!"

But if we’re getting technical, I’m the one who said we should come. And recommending a place doesn’t carry that much responsibility. Besides, it all comes down to this:

"I’m the one who ordered it!"

"Oh, come on, not again… you’re surprisingly stubborn."

"Surprisingly?"

"I mean, compared to your fairy-like appearance."

…Is that a compliment? Well, Shione-chan does look like a fairy. And on the inside, she’s genuinely kind too.

…But sending a girl like that overseas and making her disappear—aren’t the staff kind of messed up? You’d think they’d at least agree on how her story ends. Like, someone seriously said, “Alright, let’s write her off by sending her abroad!”? That coldness is terrifying. I shuddered at the imaginary staff meeting.

At that moment, a ringtone suddenly rang from inside my bag in the corner of the room. Kaimori-chan brought it over, and I sat up slightly to take out my phone.

…Oh. It says “Mom.” Now then, what does my dear mother want?

"…Hello?"

"Oh, thank goodness. …Where are you right now? You weren’t coming home, so I got worried."

"I’m at a study session with a friend. …There’s something in my math homework I didn’t understand."

"I see… but you should at least let me know. I’m not saying you can’t go out."

"Okaaay. Sorry. I’ll be home in… about an hour."

I glanced at the clock on the wall of the tatami room.

…Seven o’clock at night.

Wait—does that mean Kaimori-chan’s been waiting for like three hours…?

…She really is incredibly kind…

"Sorry," I mouthed again with my eyes. Kaimori-chan silently waved both hands side to side.

So humble. This girl’s basically the reincarnation of a Buddha…

"Oh, right—Takahiro-kun was worried too and came by the house. You should let him know as well."

Yeah, I don’t really care about that side. Though I guess he finished his “errand” already.

…Ah. Perfect timing. There’s something I absolutely have to tell my dear mother.

"Also, I don’t need dinner tonight."

"…What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?"

"I’m full."

"…What did you eat?"

"I got some bread from a friend at lunch and… ended up eating too much. Sorry."

"…Well, alright. I understand. Be home in an hour."

I ended the call safely. Meanwhile, Kaimori-chan—who had been listening beside me—was looking at me with a rather exasperated expression.

"What? Even you, oh reincarnated Buddha, looking exasperated—what happened?"

"Wow… you really just lie so smoothly with a straight face…"

"Lie? That’s a harsh thing to say."

"You didn’t get bread from anyone, and if anything, your lunch got taken, remember?"

"Okay, that part was a lie… but being full is true. So that evens it out."

"It does not even out! Being half a lie is already bad! And the math homework thing was 100% a lie too!"

"I learned that humans have limits. That’s math."

"That’s way too broad! And saying you’re at a study session with a friend—that’s completely a lie too…"

"…Well, the study session might be a lie."

"Might be?"

"But the ‘with a friend’ part isn’t. See? Half and half."

"…Ugh, seriously! I don’t understand you at all!"

Kaimori-chan ruffled her hair in frustration.

Wait, what? What’s wrong all of a sudden? Oh man, your hair’s a mess now…

She kept breathing heavily for a moment, then took a deep breath, placing a hand on her chest. Eventually, she calmed down. Still, what exactly stirred her emotions so much remained a mystery.

"But somehow… I think I understand how Ryuzouji-senpai feels now."

"That sounds really bad… oh—no, I mean, that sounds very lovely."

"Do people really mix those two up?"

"People make mistakes. …But you understand, huh?"

"…Ah, can you get up now?"

With that, Kaimori-chan stood up smoothly. It seemed she had no intention of answering my question.

Well, good for you, Takahiro. I don’t really get it, but it sounds like there’s someone here who understands your feelings. Isn’t that basically confirmed at this point? Congratulations—invite me to the wedding.

By the time we left, it was completely dark. Streetlights faintly illuminated the night road as we walked together. Eventually, we stopped at a fork where our paths split. Kaimori-chan bowed once more.

"Thank you very much. Thanks to you, Shione-senpai… I didn’t feel lonely today."

"Then should we go to the ramen shop every day from now on?"

"That’s absolutely not okay! …Ah—yeah. Let’s… not do that."

She shut that down with a very serious expression.

…I was joking, though.

"Anyway, thanks for showing me such a good ramen place."

"…Was it really that good?"

"The first forty percent of it, yeah."

"Oh wow… well, good job finishing it. …And also, about what I was saying earlier—"

"Earlier…?"

She stared at my face—which probably had a giant “?” written all over it—for a moment, then quietly turned on her heel and started walking away in the opposite direction.

…Oh, earlier—was that about her saying she understands Takahiro’s feelings? That reverse-confession-sounding line? But she said “about that,” and then just left… Well, whatever. Get home safe.

At the very least, I waved widely at her back as she walked away.

After a few steps, Kaimori-chan suddenly stopped. Then, as if remembering something, she turned back once more.

She was smiling—brightly. Even in the dimly lit night, from that distance, her expression seemed to shine.

Then she spoke.

"Shione-senpai… you’re kind of unfair."

"Huh?"

"Well then, see you tomorrow! Goodbye!"

"Ah—yeah. See you tomorrow… Wait, unfair? …Me? Why?"