Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! - LightNovelsOnl.com
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Yuuta, your transformation catchphrase is 'brave up'!
A certain Magical Demon d.u.c.h.ess is going to appear in 1 chapter. Chapter 3: The Distinctively Strange and Unique Uppercla.s.sman It wasn't fine. Obviously. After all - "Ah, opps! Since I was preparing to battle against Arc-san's aura, my powers have been exhausted…! The newly acquired 'Deadline Present' cannot be used! It's a disaster!!" - Rikka's new skill exhibition ended like that. In the end, since two people coming late at the same time was worse than two people coming late one at a time, we decided to have each of us come in late at different times. Rikka went to the opening ceremony, since the person who came in late first wouldn't be scolded as harshly, while I headed for our cla.s.sroom to put away Rikka's luggage, the present, before coming in late for the opening ceremony. Naturally, our homeroom teacher, Tsuk.u.mo Nanase (nicknamed Nana-chan), was really angry with me. My excuses were useless (I had answered honestly that a certain uppercla.s.sman had held us up), with Nana-chan who truly seemed angry saying: "Is Yuuta-kun part of the faction who thinks it's alright to skip the opening ceremony? Sensei doesn't even know, and it makes her sad…" It felt like a 'sob story'. On the other hand, she didn't seem to get angry at all with Rikka. It seemed that Rikka somehow managed to arrive to the opening ceremony on time. Although I was the only one who got scolded, I won't complain about being sacrificed, since Rikka didn't end up being scolded. Afterwards. After all that, Amaniji-senpai didn't come to find us again. Since we didn't finish our conversation, we were prepared for her to come find us right away, but we haven't heard from her since. Because there was no guarantee that Amaniji-senpai would come find us again, we decided to head home. That's why, during the school's half-holiday (it's a dead phrase), I escorted Rikka home first as per usual before going home myself, under the scorching sun. On our way home, we talked a lot about the cultural festival issue, but we didn't reach a conclusion and hence the matter was put on hold. And then, at home. After finis.h.i.+ng my lunch at home alone, I moved to my room. Since it was so hot, I turned on the air-conditioner and, because I had nothing better to do, I rolled around on my bed while thinking back on what happened this morning. …… …That really was the greatest crisis of my life. I'm the sc.u.mbag who made his uppercla.s.sman prostrate before him in front of the school gates… though that's not what happened. Regardless, I hope there'll be no rumours about it tomorrow. Ugh, I'm worried… Speaking about worries, wasn't there also the cultural festival matter? That also made me think about when Amaniji-senpai asked us to perform in the play. It was her absolute last chance - that's what she said. I didn't know what kind of circ.u.mstances she was in, but I could tell that it was really troubling her. While she did prostrate herself before me many times over, it was still impossible to guess her situation from how she was appealing to me. That's to be expected after all - those were my thoughts upon reminiscing about it. If there's something that I could do to help her out, I'd also be willing to help her out. Still, Rikka's role in our cla.s.s dance is a huge issue. Since Rikka's one of our cla.s.s' key dancers, I'm not sure if she has time to practice for a play on top of the dance. However, Rikka herself did say that "I'm already able to perform the dance". On top of that, she said that if I wasn't part of the play then she wouldn't be either. That means… it's becoming my problem…? This morning, that uppercla.s.sman had absolutely no interest in me at all. Rather, if anything, she was treating me a bit too coldly. Even if I do offer to take part in the play, it seems likely she'll reject my help, saying something along the lines of 'I don't want Normal-chan'. Besides, even before that, I'm doubtful that I'm even able to take part in something like a play. ………… …That's not true. While it may seem a bit arrogant of me to say this, but I may have the ability to act. To tell you the truth, I used to suffer from chuunibyou. When I was ill, everything was play-like, and I created and played the role of a me who wasn't me, the 'Dark Flame Master'. I shouted embarra.s.sing lines without feeling any shame at all. This lack of shame wasn't just limited to speech - I even pretended to pull off impossible actions. It seems that the past has made me strong. But, well, it is an embarra.s.sing past though. "Oh, looks like it really was Onii-chan who came home! You're early today~! Welcome home, and I'm home!" "Hm? Oh, you're home. I'm home early since today was the opening ceremony." While I was slowly pondered over what happened this morning, it seemed that before I knew it, Yumeha, the Togas.h.i.+ family's second daughter and my little sister, had returned home from the nursery. I got off the bed and checked the clock. It seems like I had idled on my bed for an hour… wow. s.h.i.+fting my attention to Yumeha, it seems like she came to my room as soon as she got home, as she still hasn't finished changing her clothes yet. She was wearing her gym uniform, which looked easy to move in. Why was coming to my room the first thing you did? "Hey! Onii-chan, listen, listen! Just then I saw an amazing person! Super amazing! Their hair was so amazing that it seemed like they had an ability!" "…An ability?" Looks like Yumeha's steadily being influenced by Rikka… Or it might be my influence, I'm not sure. Also, hair…? "I'm sure that she knows Rikka! She could probably even transform like Rikka! A PrettyCure transformation!" "Wait, since when could Rikka transform like PrettyCure?" "She can't? What about transforming like Ojamajo?" "How do you know about Ojamajo…?" I thought that people at Yumeha's age didn't know what Ojamajo Doremi was. Maybe there was a rerun. "Well, whatever! That's all! Now then, Yumeha's going out to play by herself for a bit!" "Oh, okay. Please be careful." "Kay!" And with a smile on her face, Yumeha bounced out of my room. Well. Full of energy like always. I really wonder who she takes after since she grew up to be such a sweet child. Both mum and dad were, well, natural airheads. In any case - an amazing person, huh. Weird, I wonder why I have this really bad premonition. It feels like this premonition was saying 'Yumeha might get hurt'. I didn't have any sort of ability to detect bad premonitions, but I'll check on her just in case. I'll go ask Yumeha where she's going to go play as soon as I get up. Knock, knock, knock, knock. There was a m.u.f.fled sound coming from my room's gla.s.s door. And if you turned around. There was an amazing person. Or you could say, there was a dangerous person. "No no no no no no" An amazing and dangerous person - Amaniji-senpai was there. Looking at her, she was still in uniform. It's been quite some time since the opening ceremony ended, but it looks like that Amaniji-senpai went directly to my house instead of going home? More importantly, why is she here… or rather, or rather! What are you doing on someone else's veranda! By the way, the Togas.h.i.+ residence is a normal two-storey house. And my room is on the second floor. It's amazing, it's dangerous. A lap around's unbelievable! How did you get up onto the veranda of the second floor! She's not normal! When Amaniji-senpai saw me, she tightened her innocent expression into a daring smile similar to the one she wore this morning. She was looking directly at me. Her gaze seemed to be telling me to let her in. No, but well… Still, I couldn't just abandon her, so I had no choice but to open the gla.s.s door. It was still hot, and a mild summer breeze blew into the room. At the same time, Amaniji-senpai took off her shoes and she entered my room. Then, looking up at me delightfully, with a sweet smile: "Pardon my intrusion! Hehehe, it's strange to meet in a place like this!" …It's strange in every single way! I was on the verge of voicing my retort like I usually would, but I ended up stopping myself. Retorting this uppercla.s.sman, evident by what happened this morning, only derails the conversation. It's not a hobby of mine to stop myself from talking. Furthermore, while Amaniji-senpai did say that she was willing to do anything for her mysterious play, I thought she that didn't want 'normal'. …But she's trespa.s.sed into my room. "Umm, why are you here?" "Eh, because entering through the front door's normal." "That's not what I was asking about!" In the end, I still retorted. A salute to my straight man spirit! No, what did I just do! I mean, I can't believe that I'm retorting even in my own house! "Ah, my house is on the third floor, but since I've been reported to the police many times now, I have had to restrain myself. Sorry, and I don't mind if you also speak ill of how miserable it is to yield to the power of the state!" "Please don't answer as if you've seen through me! …So, how did you make it up here…? "With effort? There were quite a few footholds, so I managed." "………" I went to the veranda to check her claim. Hmm. Certainly, if she used her feet to hang onto the piping, it's possible. But it's not a method that you'll normally think of. How do I put it - it's making me worried about the security side of things. A normal girl like this could - wait, a girl who climbs up the piping of a house wouldn't be normal. Hmm? Right, you wouldn't normally be climbing up the piping… Especially in broad daylight. This abnormal person is making me lose my sense of normality. It's so abnormal that it was becoming too bothersome to tell her off about trespa.s.sing. I was troubled for a moment about how I should report this to the power of the state - err, I mean, the police -, but I'll just let this incident go. I guess you could say that an incident like this was so shocking to the point that it was impossible to describe. However, this person… why did it feel like she's been looking at me with a smile the entire time… I'm scared… "More importantly, how did you know where my house was?" "I found it on Facebook!" "I haven't posted those details on there, you're really scaring me!" I'll never place my personal information on the net that easily! "Ahaha, looks like you couldn't tell that I was joking!" "No… I knew that you were joking…" "Besides, I dislike using stuff like Facebook since everyone uses it. I mean, I'm still looking for penpals in the reader's corner of magazines." "How are people like you still around!" "Well, spoiler - if you try your hardest to find out such things at school you'll eventually find it. Even without using something like Facebook, it's easy to get personal information!" "And that's extremely scary… but if that's the case wouldn't it been better if you checked out where Rikka's house was…?" "Of course, that was the first thing I searched. However, her current address seems to be different from the address I found at school." Amaniji-senpai looked a bit puzzled when she replied. I too was also puzzled by that information. Taking into consideration Rikka's current situation, it didn't make any sense… Well, there's no point thinking about it deeply for now. Right now, I need to figure out how to deal with this uppercla.s.sman. "So, what are you doing at my house again…?" "Because it seemed interesting." It seemed interesting… "Is that so… Umm, since my room's empty and is more or less clean, please feel free to take a seat." Accepting that it can't be helped, I returned to my room from my veranda, closing the gla.s.s door after I suggested to Amaniji-senpai to take a seat. However, Amaniji-senpai didn't sit down; she looked around my room as if she was evaluating it, and after a small nod she looked at me with what seemed to be a disappointed expression. "Hmm, unfortunately your room looks normal?" "Then what was the kind of room senpai was expecting…?" "Let's see, a boy's room would be more, I imagined that it'd be a room that was reflective of what you were influenced by. It would be decorated with stuff like golden dragons and dubious posters. Still, this room's so unusually clean that it's to the point where it's sort of suspicious." 'It's a room that houses an abnormal secret,' she softly added. …She had a keen eye. This room does house an abnormal secret. There shouldn't be anyone else apart from Rikka who would come to my room, but it seems like it's necessary to rearrange my room so that people won't get suspicious. I'm not sure if Amaniji-senpai has a liking for narrow s.p.a.ces or not, but during the time when her expectations were pleasantly shocked, she went and sat in the corner of my room. I mean, I did tell her to take a seat, so it wasn't a problem. "By the way, Amaniji-senpai, because of you I was late today…" "Ah, sorry! If they talk to you about that matter again then you can blame me for it. Say that there was a strange incident with a strange uppercla.s.sman." "Eh… you're actually aware of it?" I'm speechless. This uppercla.s.sman's too strange. "Well, whatever, don't worry about - senpai, where did you end up going? Also, on that note, isn't it bad to be doing stuff like playing truant?" "Rude. I wasn't playing truant I simply entered from the back and listened to the ceremony from behind the stage. Well, I also ended up kind of late too." "……" She was serious. It was definitely not a normal thing to do… well, if I care too much about what this uppercla.s.sman does, then it'll only tire me out… "Err… about why you're here - it's about this morning's request, right?" "'Wrong!' is what I want to say, but you're right. As usual please forgive me. I'm the worst, aren't I…. truly, I'm really sorry." Isn't she apologising too much? This person, what kind of person is she really… "We-well, let's not fuss over strange things like that as well… For some reason this conversation feels like it's going to take a while, so I'll go bring in some tea…" "Oh? A neglect play[1]! Doing something like abandoning your partner in the room as if it were natural, that's definitely not something a normal person can do! Not bad! My opinion of you is a little better! Please feel free to do a neglect play!" "But that wasn't my intention at all!? You're seriously sticking with the impression that this is a strange place; looks like I can't leave someone like you in the corner…" "That's right, so let me sit in the centre!" …It was a leading question!?" It felt like that magnificent exchange just now was completely calculated. Perhaps sitting in that corner and repeatedly putting words in my mouth was all for setting me up to say 'I can't leave someone like you in the corner… I couldn't guess what the point of it was, or more precisely, what her intentions were, but was that mentalism just then? Wow, I'm impressed. But it was still exhausting. "Well then… umm, I'll be doing the neglect play, so please wait a bit for me." "Please do not worry. I'll be diligently waiting in the centre!" "Haa… thanks for your patience," I said as I left the room. Hmm, I'm pretty sure that she's not going to go vandalise my room, so it should be fine to head out to the living room for some tea. I went to the kitchen and took two cups out of the cupboard. I also took out some rice crackers from the cupboard and barley tea from the fridge, before heading straight back to my room. The moment when I got back to my room - "…What the heck is it that you came here to doooo!?" - I raised my voice. Just like she said, Amaniji-senpai was quietly waiting for me in the centre of my room in a seiza. She was diligently waiting for me, but her clothes - she somehow managed to change from her uniform. It looked like she was wearing a Gachapin[2] onesie. "Heh heh heh, I've come to win you over, as a monster!!!" "……………" I'm just going to completely ignore Amaniji-senpai's extremely satisfied smile. Sitting face-to-face, I gently placed the tea and rice crackers that I had prepared right in front of her. "Umm… it's tea. Here you go." "Oof, so we're going to keep continuing the neglect play. You're expecting me to play along now, right?" Amaniji-senpai's cheeks were a little red, and her hands were in front of her chest squirming. It made me happy since it felt like a small victory. "Even though I only changed my clothes in a hurry for this… maybe it would be better to take this off. Hmm…" "Wa-wait a minute… underneath, your uniform's underneath, right?" "Naturally! It's my underwear!" "Underwear!? Please don't strip! That's right, that appearance, it's extremely dangerous and is unbelievably out of place here!" "Ah, really? Great. Yeah, that's right, it is sort of normal to be naked in your house!" I was saying that it wasn't normal, but if I actually clarified what I said then I'd be in trouble, so I killed those words just before they left my mouth. That was really dangerous. "Ah, right. I thought that it wouldn't be good if Normal-chan came back when I was still changing my clothes, so I borrowed your closet for a bit. It's an ex post facto report, sorry." "Not good huh…well, it is true that you wouldn't want to be seen while you are in the middle of changing your clothes. I don't really mind so it's fine." "That's wrong, there's no reluctance about being seen changing clothes. Just that, it's a bit normal, isn't it? I mean, it's a manga trope." "Such a trope doesn't exist in this world!" What kind of trope is that. I've never experienced it before. "Hahaha, but more importantly! I've gotten a bit more interested in Normal-chan." "Hu-huh?" "Weeell, that set of complete female clothing you own is on a whole another level! It's not normal at all! Even I was surprised!" "Gaaaaaaaaaah!" Th-that, that was… Although Rikka went through great lengths to get me to accept those magical girl transformation goods, since I didn't know what my family would say if they found out, I was keeping it sealed in my closet. This is… even more damaging than the time Rikka found my dark notebook. It's a new genre - to be exposed as a crossdresser! It's no longer normal to something like finding the dark notebook! Ugh… "Ahaha, don't make such a miserable face. Don't worry, if you change into those clothes right now then I won't tell anyone!" "Is that unconditional!?" I immediately fell into that sweet trap. That's not right, actually - this is a strategy of mine where I quickly take countermeasures before being threatened. It's definitely going to be a big problem if rumours of me being a crossdresser were to spread. That's what I'm convincing myself…! "Yeah yeah, trust me! It's because I want to have a special relations.h.i.+p with you where we share a secret like that!" "Please don't phrase it like that! Moreover, I don't have a habit of cross-dressing, all right…?" While giving an explanation like that, I tottered towards the front of my closet to unleash my sealed treasure - err, I mean, the magical girl transformation goods. Because it's a precious present from Rikka, I need to be delicate and careful with it. "This was called, ah, having 'a special fetish', Normal-chan! A special fetish, I like the sound of that!" "Isn't that something that a pervert would say!?" "What? Do you think that I'm a pervert?" "Don't try to win!" This person, does she think self-contempt is fun!? That's definitely some kind of special fetis.h.!.+ "Ah, it seems that Normal-chan is normal, and doesn't have a special fetish like being watched as he changes? Sorry sorry, I didn't notice. I've turned around so go change!" "Eh? You're not going to leave the room!?" "I love hearing the rustling sound when someone's changing their clothes." "Your special fetishhh!" Seemingly ignoring my words, Amaniji-senpai was in the centre of my room with her back facing towards me. Her leaving - looks like that's not going to happen. However, changing clothes right behind a girl's back… gah. Still, this situation, it's strange. It's not like the words of Amaniji-senpai weren't strange, but isn't the troupe normally the other way around? Well, it's not like the reverse was normal either. But, it seems, today isn't going to be 'normal' at all. And, while cursing that fact in my heart, I threw away my reluctance and got changed quickly. Into the magical girl outfit that I've gotten used to by now. "…Um, it's okay to turn around now." "Yeah, the sound of your clothes rustling was great!" Turning around, Amaniji-senpai looked in my direction. A boy cosplaying as a magical girl was face to face with a girl in a monster onesie - it was an extremely surreal sight. "Ahaha! It's great, it's great! Abnormality suits us!" "You're not going to say that normal suits me!?" "Well, I mean, I only meant for it to be a joke but you really went and did it! Just admit it - Normal-chan isn't normal! My impression of you is rapidly improving!" "It was a joke!?" Furthermore, her impression of me was rapidly improving. I'm not very happy about that… "Hmm. I'm the one at fault here since I found and opened it without permission. Still, me acting freely made things proceed in an interesting direction, so I'm completely satisfied! Come now, let's talk about this morning's tale, Yuu-chan!" "You're getting too overfamiliar!" "Hehe, Yuu-chan. How nice, calling you Yuu-chan feels even more special than calling you Normal-chan. Since that's the case, I'll call you Yuu-chan from now on!" "…………" Looks like my nickname's ranked up. Together with my current appearance, and with a name like that, I didn't know if I had sublimated this situation and was feeling happy or if this situation was making me sad. I mean, to be honest, being called Yuu-chan unexpectedly moved me since I've never had such a cute nickname before. My usual nicknames were names like 'Yuusha' or 'Geruzoni'… All of my usual nicknames were strange… let's not tell Amaniji-senpai about them. "Now then." Amaniji-senpai carried on with a smile. "About this morning's tale - well? What's DevTru Rikka-chan saying? "No - especially since we stopped in the middle of the tale." "Really." Amaniji-senpai didn't look anxious at all. I was a little confused, since she seemed completely different from this morning, where she was extremely pa.s.sionate about her request. This uppercla.s.sman has given up on her request - such an unlikely scenario's probably not the case, but even so I'm doubtful that there's another explanation. Even though I only got acquainted with Amaniji-senpai today, but so far, I couldn't help but think that she really wasn't an ordinary person. "Guess there's no choice: I'll go prostrate myself to Yuu-chan again tomorrow." "Don't!" As expected, Amaniji-senpai tilted her head in response to my reply. Seeing her tilt her composed face cursiously made me feel relieved. Although I haven't known her for very long, it was strange that improbable responses like that felt Amaniji-senpai-like… "Really? But I was resolving to prostrate myself to you every day." "A resolution like that should make you waver!" It's a terrible resolution. It's too M. "Understood; if that's what Yuu-chan says, then it can't be helped. I'll say that prostrating was too normal and no longer interesting, and stop doing it." "You thought it was interesting…" It's only interesting if you say it's interesting… a person like that isn't normal. "Well then, tell me what it is that you wanted me to do for you! I'll do anything!" "Your intentions haven't changed….?" "That's not it! Since I'm renting Yuu-chan's beloved girlfriend, I have to do what I can to make it up to you!" "…Oh, then, could you please be normal for the time being?" "Sorry, no can do!" "Your att.i.tude sure changed quickly!" "Isn't there anything else? As long as it isn't normal I'll do anything!" "……No…there's nothing in particular…" "No way!? That's unusual! Anything at all?" "Anything…huh?" "Yes, anything! Don't normal high school boys say things like 'Yahoo, anything at all! Nevertheless, for now let's begin with baking a naan[3]!' when that's the case?" "Please apologise to all the high school boys around the world!" The heck, that seems to be a boy with a low level of intelligence. He's the opposite of normal. "I see, I see. Yuu-chan's quite idiosyncratic! Well, whatever, you don't need to think of something right away. When you stumble across a strange idea then you could tell me about it. Don't get me wrong when I say won't do anything normal though - it has to be something doable, just not something others would do. Amaniji-senpai said all of that at once, with no hesitation at all in her words. She seriously didn't hesitate at all. "And, because I'm willing to do anything for Yuu-chan, I want Yuu-chan to take part in the play too!" "Take part in the play…?" Ahhh… I see. Win me over. I forgot about those words since at that time I was completely ignoring her, but it seems like they were Amaniji-senpai's original intention for coming to my house. In that sense the conversation's been progressing extremely smoothly. After all, Rikka did say that she wouldn't take part in the play if I wasn't in it. "Umm… do you not want to?" "It's not that that I don't want to, but… Amaniji-senpai, wasn't your aim to have only Rikka take part in the play?" "To be frank, that was my plan at first. Winning you over was solely for the sake of having DevTru Rikka-chan, but… but now, I really want Yuu-chan to take part as well! Yuu-chan was more eccentric than I imagined! As expected of DevTru Rikka-chan's boyfriend! You look great in female clothes!" "Ugh…!" I couldn't say anything in response to that. My face turned completely red, and I was at a complete loss at what to do. "Ahaha, looks like praising you so much like that made you embarra.s.sed about being embarra.s.sed!" "Wrong, also it didn't feel like you were praising me at all!?" "You're embarra.s.sed again! Yeah, without a doubt, I definitely want Yuu-chan to take part too." "…Um, although I'm a bit late in saying this, but wouldn't it be better to ask people like your friends instead of Rikka and I -" "Nope, that's impossible." Amaniji-senpai spoke over me, with "impossible" being said in a flat tone. I didn't mean to say something like 'it would be better to ask your friends' without any qualms. I was feeling remorseful for saying something unpleasant like that, but Amaniji-senpai didn't look unhappy at all. Her facial expression was the same as before - no, her facial expression was much brighter than before. "See, it's because of my selfishness. Since I'm a part of the 'Eccentric Drama Club'. If I had to do something with others, I'd prefer to do it with other eccentric people. That's why it has to be DevTru Rikka-chan and Yuu-chan!" And just like that, smiling as she talked, she changed the subject to something lighter. I felt a little relieved about the situation. However - "Ha… but seriously, why Rikka? It doesn't seem like the two of you have talked with each other before, and to say that she'll also talk strangely too based on looks alone is…" I've been curious about this for a long time now. I think I've been curious ever since Amaniji-senpai said 'it has to be Rikka'. Even though she did say, during this morning's incident, that she decided on Rikka based on her unique appearance, nevertheless that still didn't feel like a reason to stick with Rikka. "…Yuu-chan, DevTru Rikka-chan - what do you think of Rikka chan? "Eh?" "And, not from the viewpoint of a boyfriend - I'm asking how Yuu-chan sees DevTru Rikka-chan." "…Err, umm, she's a little peculiar -" "Yeah, that!", Amaniji-senpai said while pointing at me. And smiling. "Yes, anyone who saw her would think that she's extremely eccentric. I used my rule of thumb, 'cannot do normal', to tell that she wasn't normal." "………" "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean that in a bad way. Rather, I meant for it as a very great compliment. And that's exactly why I wanted grow closer to DevTru Rikka-chan. I also have ulterior motives too." "… I absolutely won't hand Rikka over." "Aha, AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" "Ugh… you're laughing too much…" "Ahaha, no, ah, sorry sorry. Hehe, still, Yuu-chan said that pretty cutely. Normally you don't say something like that to a woman with ulterior motives, it's too strange!" …Hmm, now that you mention it that might be true. But to be fair, there has been some charming people around me lately. As a result, I may have unconsciously responded a little too sensitively. "Well, that's why it would be no good if it wasn't DevTru Rikka-chan. In that sense, if you get what I mean, I was pleased about being out of luck." "Yeah, I can vaguely understand what Amaniji-senpai's trying to say." Certainly, Rikka may be 'abnormal'. At the very beginning, I too was also charmed by that kind of atmosphere. She was different from others - that is, she was a chuunibyou patient. "By out of luck, I mean that there were no interesting people around me. I mean, that's the reason why our club has so few members." "…Is that so?" Well, if there was a person who wanted to join the same club that Amaniji-senpai is in, they'd probably have quite the personality. I was wondering if such a person could even exist, but then I remembered that I've already been told that there was another member. I'm a bit interested about the type of person they were. I'm certain, however, that they were a person similar to Amaniji-senpai. "So, how about it? Can the two of you take part together?" "…Hmm." I didn't have a reason to refuse. However, I didn't have an obligation to help either. Regardless, at any rate, right before my eyes was a troubled person, and if I can help - and I think my poor abilities are sufficient enough to help - then I should help. However, if I go help Amaniji-senpai, then Rikka would likely come help with the play too. After all, Rikka did say something along those lines this morning. Since that's the case, then there still was the issue of Rikka's Cultural Festival workload to consider. It felt too early to give an answer right now. "Um, I don't have a problem in helping - Rikka might though, do you mind if I double-check with her about this?" "Really? You're helping!?" "Well, I still haven't decided yet… I should be able to give you an answer, but…" "Yeah! That's fine, thanks! Yuu-chan, you're a lifesaver! Then tomorrow, come to the club room!" Extremely moved, Amaniji-senpai used both hands to take my right hand, grasping my hand tightly. I could tell that she definitely wasn't feeling a 'normal' type of joy, but since she was so happy it seems that some of that happiness pa.s.sed onto me. My face broke into a smile by itself. "It's still a bit early to say, but for time the being looks like the play's going to happen. To be completely honest, I really want another person for the play, but oh well. Guess it can't be helped." "One more?" "Yeah, since it's meant to be a play staring five people. However, although it's difficult, it's possible to perform the play with three people. That's why, at the very least, I needed to have three actors." Another person - huh? Another interesting person - another eccentric person. Although Amaniji-senpai thinks that there isn't anyone else who would qualify as interesting, there's one person that comes to my mind that she'll certainly be satisfied with. It feels like I can even hear her voice going 'nyahahahaha'. Anyway, it seems that Amaniji-senpai hasn't noticed her yet. If she had, she definitely would have approached her already. She had a presence that was even more overwhelming than Rikka's. "Um, if we are looking for one more person to help - I know someone who you would find interesting… do you want me to ask?" "Eh, really? There's another person? My observation was lacking?" "Yes, it's someone who had just transferred recently, but I can guarantee that it's someone you'll find interesting. I'm not sure if they'll be willing to help, but if Amaniji-senpai's good with it then I'll talk to them about it." My chest puffed out a little as I answered with confidence. Agreeing with what I said, Amaniji-senpai nodded vigorously, bashfully showing a look of relief. "Hmm. If it's someone that Yuu-chan recommends, they'll surely be great! However, if they fail to match my expectations on the day we meet, I'd reject them on the spot. Is that okay with you? "Yeah, that's fine. I'm certain that they'll be able to match your expectations." "By the way, is that person a girl?" "Eh? Oh, yes, that person's a girl." "………" It became silent again. Suddenly, the atmosphere felt tense. Did I say something bad…? While I was feeling unnerved by an atmosphere like that, Amaniji-senpai said something to me with a playful expression. As if it was something that really amusing to make fun of. Something grand to make fun of. "Hasn't it been a while since you started dating? There's another girl in the picture, it's making my heart throb. A special fetish? Am I not right? Most couples are highly likely to break up after being together for around three to six months!" [1] BDSM, where you neglect your partner. [2] The mascot of a popular children's program Hirake! Ponkiki. [3] Oven-baked flatbread, originated from Asia.
A certain Magical Demon d.u.c.h.ess is going to appear in 1 chapter. Chapter 3: The Distinctively Strange and Unique Uppercla.s.sman It wasn't fine. Obviously. After all - "Ah, opps! Since I was preparing to battle against Arc-san's aura, my powers have been exhausted…! The newly acquired 'Deadline Present' cannot be used! It's a disaster!!" - Rikka's new skill exhibition ended like that. In the end, since two people coming late at the same time was worse than two people coming late one at a time, we decided to have each of us come in late at different times. Rikka went to the opening ceremony, since the person who came in late first wouldn't be scolded as harshly, while I headed for our cla.s.sroom to put away Rikka's luggage, the present, before coming in late for the opening ceremony. Naturally, our homeroom teacher, Tsuk.u.mo Nanase (nicknamed Nana-chan), was really angry with me. My excuses were useless (I had answered honestly that a certain uppercla.s.sman had held us up), with Nana-chan who truly seemed angry saying: "Is Yuuta-kun part of the faction who thinks it's alright to skip the opening ceremony? Sensei doesn't even know, and it makes her sad…" It felt like a 'sob story'. On the other hand, she didn't seem to get angry at all with Rikka. It seemed that Rikka somehow managed to arrive to the opening ceremony on time. Although I was the only one who got scolded, I won't complain about being sacrificed, since Rikka didn't end up being scolded. Afterwards. After all that, Amaniji-senpai didn't come to find us again. Since we didn't finish our conversation, we were prepared for her to come find us right away, but we haven't heard from her since. Because there was no guarantee that Amaniji-senpai would come find us again, we decided to head home. That's why, during the school's half-holiday (it's a dead phrase), I escorted Rikka home first as per usual before going home myself, under the scorching sun. On our way home, we talked a lot about the cultural festival issue, but we didn't reach a conclusion and hence the matter was put on hold. And then, at home. After finis.h.i.+ng my lunch at home alone, I moved to my room. Since it was so hot, I turned on the air-conditioner and, because I had nothing better to do, I rolled around on my bed while thinking back on what happened this morning. …… …That really was the greatest crisis of my life. I'm the sc.u.mbag who made his uppercla.s.sman prostrate before him in front of the school gates… though that's not what happened. Regardless, I hope there'll be no rumours about it tomorrow. Ugh, I'm worried… Speaking about worries, wasn't there also the cultural festival matter? That also made me think about when Amaniji-senpai asked us to perform in the play. It was her absolute last chance - that's what she said. I didn't know what kind of circ.u.mstances she was in, but I could tell that it was really troubling her. While she did prostrate herself before me many times over, it was still impossible to guess her situation from how she was appealing to me. That's to be expected after all - those were my thoughts upon reminiscing about it. If there's something that I could do to help her out, I'd also be willing to help her out. Still, Rikka's role in our cla.s.s dance is a huge issue. Since Rikka's one of our cla.s.s' key dancers, I'm not sure if she has time to practice for a play on top of the dance. However, Rikka herself did say that "I'm already able to perform the dance". On top of that, she said that if I wasn't part of the play then she wouldn't be either. That means… it's becoming my problem…? This morning, that uppercla.s.sman had absolutely no interest in me at all. Rather, if anything, she was treating me a bit too coldly. Even if I do offer to take part in the play, it seems likely she'll reject my help, saying something along the lines of 'I don't want Normal-chan'. Besides, even before that, I'm doubtful that I'm even able to take part in something like a play. ………… …That's not true. While it may seem a bit arrogant of me to say this, but I may have the ability to act. To tell you the truth, I used to suffer from chuunibyou. When I was ill, everything was play-like, and I created and played the role of a me who wasn't me, the 'Dark Flame Master'. I shouted embarra.s.sing lines without feeling any shame at all. This lack of shame wasn't just limited to speech - I even pretended to pull off impossible actions. It seems that the past has made me strong. But, well, it is an embarra.s.sing past though. "Oh, looks like it really was Onii-chan who came home! You're early today~! Welcome home, and I'm home!" "Hm? Oh, you're home. I'm home early since today was the opening ceremony." While I was slowly pondered over what happened this morning, it seemed that before I knew it, Yumeha, the Togas.h.i.+ family's second daughter and my little sister, had returned home from the nursery. I got off the bed and checked the clock. It seems like I had idled on my bed for an hour… wow. s.h.i.+fting my attention to Yumeha, it seems like she came to my room as soon as she got home, as she still hasn't finished changing her clothes yet. She was wearing her gym uniform, which looked easy to move in. Why was coming to my room the first thing you did? "Hey! Onii-chan, listen, listen! Just then I saw an amazing person! Super amazing! Their hair was so amazing that it seemed like they had an ability!" "…An ability?" Looks like Yumeha's steadily being influenced by Rikka… Or it might be my influence, I'm not sure. Also, hair…? "I'm sure that she knows Rikka! She could probably even transform like Rikka! A PrettyCure transformation!" "Wait, since when could Rikka transform like PrettyCure?" "She can't? What about transforming like Ojamajo?" "How do you know about Ojamajo…?" I thought that people at Yumeha's age didn't know what Ojamajo Doremi was. Maybe there was a rerun. "Well, whatever! That's all! Now then, Yumeha's going out to play by herself for a bit!" "Oh, okay. Please be careful." "Kay!" And with a smile on her face, Yumeha bounced out of my room. Well. Full of energy like always. I really wonder who she takes after since she grew up to be such a sweet child. Both mum and dad were, well, natural airheads. In any case - an amazing person, huh. Weird, I wonder why I have this really bad premonition. It feels like this premonition was saying 'Yumeha might get hurt'. I didn't have any sort of ability to detect bad premonitions, but I'll check on her just in case. I'll go ask Yumeha where she's going to go play as soon as I get up. Knock, knock, knock, knock. There was a m.u.f.fled sound coming from my room's gla.s.s door. And if you turned around. There was an amazing person. Or you could say, there was a dangerous person. "No no no no no no" An amazing and dangerous person - Amaniji-senpai was there. Looking at her, she was still in uniform. It's been quite some time since the opening ceremony ended, but it looks like that Amaniji-senpai went directly to my house instead of going home? More importantly, why is she here… or rather, or rather! What are you doing on someone else's veranda! By the way, the Togas.h.i.+ residence is a normal two-storey house. And my room is on the second floor. It's amazing, it's dangerous. A lap around's unbelievable! How did you get up onto the veranda of the second floor! She's not normal! When Amaniji-senpai saw me, she tightened her innocent expression into a daring smile similar to the one she wore this morning. She was looking directly at me. Her gaze seemed to be telling me to let her in. No, but well… Still, I couldn't just abandon her, so I had no choice but to open the gla.s.s door. It was still hot, and a mild summer breeze blew into the room. At the same time, Amaniji-senpai took off her shoes and she entered my room. Then, looking up at me delightfully, with a sweet smile: "Pardon my intrusion! Hehehe, it's strange to meet in a place like this!" …It's strange in every single way! I was on the verge of voicing my retort like I usually would, but I ended up stopping myself. Retorting this uppercla.s.sman, evident by what happened this morning, only derails the conversation. It's not a hobby of mine to stop myself from talking. Furthermore, while Amaniji-senpai did say that she was willing to do anything for her mysterious play, I thought she that didn't want 'normal'. …But she's trespa.s.sed into my room. "Umm, why are you here?" "Eh, because entering through the front door's normal." "That's not what I was asking about!" In the end, I still retorted. A salute to my straight man spirit! No, what did I just do! I mean, I can't believe that I'm retorting even in my own house! "Ah, my house is on the third floor, but since I've been reported to the police many times now, I have had to restrain myself. Sorry, and I don't mind if you also speak ill of how miserable it is to yield to the power of the state!" "Please don't answer as if you've seen through me! …So, how did you make it up here…? "With effort? There were quite a few footholds, so I managed." "………" I went to the veranda to check her claim. Hmm. Certainly, if she used her feet to hang onto the piping, it's possible. But it's not a method that you'll normally think of. How do I put it - it's making me worried about the security side of things. A normal girl like this could - wait, a girl who climbs up the piping of a house wouldn't be normal. Hmm? Right, you wouldn't normally be climbing up the piping… Especially in broad daylight. This abnormal person is making me lose my sense of normality. It's so abnormal that it was becoming too bothersome to tell her off about trespa.s.sing. I was troubled for a moment about how I should report this to the power of the state - err, I mean, the police -, but I'll just let this incident go. I guess you could say that an incident like this was so shocking to the point that it was impossible to describe. However, this person… why did it feel like she's been looking at me with a smile the entire time… I'm scared… "More importantly, how did you know where my house was?" "I found it on Facebook!" "I haven't posted those details on there, you're really scaring me!" I'll never place my personal information on the net that easily! "Ahaha, looks like you couldn't tell that I was joking!" "No… I knew that you were joking…" "Besides, I dislike using stuff like Facebook since everyone uses it. I mean, I'm still looking for penpals in the reader's corner of magazines." "How are people like you still around!" "Well, spoiler - if you try your hardest to find out such things at school you'll eventually find it. Even without using something like Facebook, it's easy to get personal information!" "And that's extremely scary… but if that's the case wouldn't it been better if you checked out where Rikka's house was…?" "Of course, that was the first thing I searched. However, her current address seems to be different from the address I found at school." Amaniji-senpai looked a bit puzzled when she replied. I too was also puzzled by that information. Taking into consideration Rikka's current situation, it didn't make any sense… Well, there's no point thinking about it deeply for now. Right now, I need to figure out how to deal with this uppercla.s.sman. "So, what are you doing at my house again…?" "Because it seemed interesting." It seemed interesting… "Is that so… Umm, since my room's empty and is more or less clean, please feel free to take a seat." Accepting that it can't be helped, I returned to my room from my veranda, closing the gla.s.s door after I suggested to Amaniji-senpai to take a seat. However, Amaniji-senpai didn't sit down; she looked around my room as if she was evaluating it, and after a small nod she looked at me with what seemed to be a disappointed expression. "Hmm, unfortunately your room looks normal?" "Then what was the kind of room senpai was expecting…?" "Let's see, a boy's room would be more, I imagined that it'd be a room that was reflective of what you were influenced by. It would be decorated with stuff like golden dragons and dubious posters. Still, this room's so unusually clean that it's to the point where it's sort of suspicious." 'It's a room that houses an abnormal secret,' she softly added. …She had a keen eye. This room does house an abnormal secret. There shouldn't be anyone else apart from Rikka who would come to my room, but it seems like it's necessary to rearrange my room so that people won't get suspicious. I'm not sure if Amaniji-senpai has a liking for narrow s.p.a.ces or not, but during the time when her expectations were pleasantly shocked, she went and sat in the corner of my room. I mean, I did tell her to take a seat, so it wasn't a problem. "By the way, Amaniji-senpai, because of you I was late today…" "Ah, sorry! If they talk to you about that matter again then you can blame me for it. Say that there was a strange incident with a strange uppercla.s.sman." "Eh… you're actually aware of it?" I'm speechless. This uppercla.s.sman's too strange. "Well, whatever, don't worry about - senpai, where did you end up going? Also, on that note, isn't it bad to be doing stuff like playing truant?" "Rude. I wasn't playing truant I simply entered from the back and listened to the ceremony from behind the stage. Well, I also ended up kind of late too." "……" She was serious. It was definitely not a normal thing to do… well, if I care too much about what this uppercla.s.sman does, then it'll only tire me out… "Err… about why you're here - it's about this morning's request, right?" "'Wrong!' is what I want to say, but you're right. As usual please forgive me. I'm the worst, aren't I…. truly, I'm really sorry." Isn't she apologising too much? This person, what kind of person is she really… "We-well, let's not fuss over strange things like that as well… For some reason this conversation feels like it's going to take a while, so I'll go bring in some tea…" "Oh? A neglect play[1]! Doing something like abandoning your partner in the room as if it were natural, that's definitely not something a normal person can do! Not bad! My opinion of you is a little better! Please feel free to do a neglect play!" "But that wasn't my intention at all!? You're seriously sticking with the impression that this is a strange place; looks like I can't leave someone like you in the corner…" "That's right, so let me sit in the centre!" …It was a leading question!?" It felt like that magnificent exchange just now was completely calculated. Perhaps sitting in that corner and repeatedly putting words in my mouth was all for setting me up to say 'I can't leave someone like you in the corner… I couldn't guess what the point of it was, or more precisely, what her intentions were, but was that mentalism just then? Wow, I'm impressed. But it was still exhausting. "Well then… umm, I'll be doing the neglect play, so please wait a bit for me." "Please do not worry. I'll be diligently waiting in the centre!" "Haa… thanks for your patience," I said as I left the room. Hmm, I'm pretty sure that she's not going to go vandalise my room, so it should be fine to head out to the living room for some tea. I went to the kitchen and took two cups out of the cupboard. I also took out some rice crackers from the cupboard and barley tea from the fridge, before heading straight back to my room. The moment when I got back to my room - "…What the heck is it that you came here to doooo!?" - I raised my voice. Just like she said, Amaniji-senpai was quietly waiting for me in the centre of my room in a seiza. She was diligently waiting for me, but her clothes - she somehow managed to change from her uniform. It looked like she was wearing a Gachapin[2] onesie. "Heh heh heh, I've come to win you over, as a monster!!!" "……………" I'm just going to completely ignore Amaniji-senpai's extremely satisfied smile. Sitting face-to-face, I gently placed the tea and rice crackers that I had prepared right in front of her. "Umm… it's tea. Here you go." "Oof, so we're going to keep continuing the neglect play. You're expecting me to play along now, right?" Amaniji-senpai's cheeks were a little red, and her hands were in front of her chest squirming. It made me happy since it felt like a small victory. "Even though I only changed my clothes in a hurry for this… maybe it would be better to take this off. Hmm…" "Wa-wait a minute… underneath, your uniform's underneath, right?" "Naturally! It's my underwear!" "Underwear!? Please don't strip! That's right, that appearance, it's extremely dangerous and is unbelievably out of place here!" "Ah, really? Great. Yeah, that's right, it is sort of normal to be naked in your house!" I was saying that it wasn't normal, but if I actually clarified what I said then I'd be in trouble, so I killed those words just before they left my mouth. That was really dangerous. "Ah, right. I thought that it wouldn't be good if Normal-chan came back when I was still changing my clothes, so I borrowed your closet for a bit. It's an ex post facto report, sorry." "Not good huh…well, it is true that you wouldn't want to be seen while you are in the middle of changing your clothes. I don't really mind so it's fine." "That's wrong, there's no reluctance about being seen changing clothes. Just that, it's a bit normal, isn't it? I mean, it's a manga trope." "Such a trope doesn't exist in this world!" What kind of trope is that. I've never experienced it before. "Hahaha, but more importantly! I've gotten a bit more interested in Normal-chan." "Hu-huh?" "Weeell, that set of complete female clothing you own is on a whole another level! It's not normal at all! Even I was surprised!" "Gaaaaaaaaaah!" Th-that, that was… Although Rikka went through great lengths to get me to accept those magical girl transformation goods, since I didn't know what my family would say if they found out, I was keeping it sealed in my closet. This is… even more damaging than the time Rikka found my dark notebook. It's a new genre - to be exposed as a crossdresser! It's no longer normal to something like finding the dark notebook! Ugh… "Ahaha, don't make such a miserable face. Don't worry, if you change into those clothes right now then I won't tell anyone!" "Is that unconditional!?" I immediately fell into that sweet trap. That's not right, actually - this is a strategy of mine where I quickly take countermeasures before being threatened. It's definitely going to be a big problem if rumours of me being a crossdresser were to spread. That's what I'm convincing myself…! "Yeah yeah, trust me! It's because I want to have a special relations.h.i.+p with you where we share a secret like that!" "Please don't phrase it like that! Moreover, I don't have a habit of cross-dressing, all right…?" While giving an explanation like that, I tottered towards the front of my closet to unleash my sealed treasure - err, I mean, the magical girl transformation goods. Because it's a precious present from Rikka, I need to be delicate and careful with it. "This was called, ah, having 'a special fetish', Normal-chan! A special fetish, I like the sound of that!" "Isn't that something that a pervert would say!?" "What? Do you think that I'm a pervert?" "Don't try to win!" This person, does she think self-contempt is fun!? That's definitely some kind of special fetis.h.!.+ "Ah, it seems that Normal-chan is normal, and doesn't have a special fetish like being watched as he changes? Sorry sorry, I didn't notice. I've turned around so go change!" "Eh? You're not going to leave the room!?" "I love hearing the rustling sound when someone's changing their clothes." "Your special fetishhh!" Seemingly ignoring my words, Amaniji-senpai was in the centre of my room with her back facing towards me. Her leaving - looks like that's not going to happen. However, changing clothes right behind a girl's back… gah. Still, this situation, it's strange. It's not like the words of Amaniji-senpai weren't strange, but isn't the troupe normally the other way around? Well, it's not like the reverse was normal either. But, it seems, today isn't going to be 'normal' at all. And, while cursing that fact in my heart, I threw away my reluctance and got changed quickly. Into the magical girl outfit that I've gotten used to by now. "…Um, it's okay to turn around now." "Yeah, the sound of your clothes rustling was great!" Turning around, Amaniji-senpai looked in my direction. A boy cosplaying as a magical girl was face to face with a girl in a monster onesie - it was an extremely surreal sight. "Ahaha! It's great, it's great! Abnormality suits us!" "You're not going to say that normal suits me!?" "Well, I mean, I only meant for it to be a joke but you really went and did it! Just admit it - Normal-chan isn't normal! My impression of you is rapidly improving!" "It was a joke!?" Furthermore, her impression of me was rapidly improving. I'm not very happy about that… "Hmm. I'm the one at fault here since I found and opened it without permission. Still, me acting freely made things proceed in an interesting direction, so I'm completely satisfied! Come now, let's talk about this morning's tale, Yuu-chan!" "You're getting too overfamiliar!" "Hehe, Yuu-chan. How nice, calling you Yuu-chan feels even more special than calling you Normal-chan. Since that's the case, I'll call you Yuu-chan from now on!" "…………" Looks like my nickname's ranked up. Together with my current appearance, and with a name like that, I didn't know if I had sublimated this situation and was feeling happy or if this situation was making me sad. I mean, to be honest, being called Yuu-chan unexpectedly moved me since I've never had such a cute nickname before. My usual nicknames were names like 'Yuusha' or 'Geruzoni'… All of my usual nicknames were strange… let's not tell Amaniji-senpai about them. "Now then." Amaniji-senpai carried on with a smile. "About this morning's tale - well? What's DevTru Rikka-chan saying? "No - especially since we stopped in the middle of the tale." "Really." Amaniji-senpai didn't look anxious at all. I was a little confused, since she seemed completely different from this morning, where she was extremely pa.s.sionate about her request. This uppercla.s.sman has given up on her request - such an unlikely scenario's probably not the case, but even so I'm doubtful that there's another explanation. Even though I only got acquainted with Amaniji-senpai today, but so far, I couldn't help but think that she really wasn't an ordinary person. "Guess there's no choice: I'll go prostrate myself to Yuu-chan again tomorrow." "Don't!" As expected, Amaniji-senpai tilted her head in response to my reply. Seeing her tilt her composed face cursiously made me feel relieved. Although I haven't known her for very long, it was strange that improbable responses like that felt Amaniji-senpai-like… "Really? But I was resolving to prostrate myself to you every day." "A resolution like that should make you waver!" It's a terrible resolution. It's too M. "Understood; if that's what Yuu-chan says, then it can't be helped. I'll say that prostrating was too normal and no longer interesting, and stop doing it." "You thought it was interesting…" It's only interesting if you say it's interesting… a person like that isn't normal. "Well then, tell me what it is that you wanted me to do for you! I'll do anything!" "Your intentions haven't changed….?" "That's not it! Since I'm renting Yuu-chan's beloved girlfriend, I have to do what I can to make it up to you!" "…Oh, then, could you please be normal for the time being?" "Sorry, no can do!" "Your att.i.tude sure changed quickly!" "Isn't there anything else? As long as it isn't normal I'll do anything!" "……No…there's nothing in particular…" "No way!? That's unusual! Anything at all?" "Anything…huh?" "Yes, anything! Don't normal high school boys say things like 'Yahoo, anything at all! Nevertheless, for now let's begin with baking a naan[3]!' when that's the case?" "Please apologise to all the high school boys around the world!" The heck, that seems to be a boy with a low level of intelligence. He's the opposite of normal. "I see, I see. Yuu-chan's quite idiosyncratic! Well, whatever, you don't need to think of something right away. When you stumble across a strange idea then you could tell me about it. Don't get me wrong when I say won't do anything normal though - it has to be something doable, just not something others would do. Amaniji-senpai said all of that at once, with no hesitation at all in her words. She seriously didn't hesitate at all. "And, because I'm willing to do anything for Yuu-chan, I want Yuu-chan to take part in the play too!" "Take part in the play…?" Ahhh… I see. Win me over. I forgot about those words since at that time I was completely ignoring her, but it seems like they were Amaniji-senpai's original intention for coming to my house. In that sense the conversation's been progressing extremely smoothly. After all, Rikka did say that she wouldn't take part in the play if I wasn't in it. "Umm… do you not want to?" "It's not that that I don't want to, but… Amaniji-senpai, wasn't your aim to have only Rikka take part in the play?" "To be frank, that was my plan at first. Winning you over was solely for the sake of having DevTru Rikka-chan, but… but now, I really want Yuu-chan to take part as well! Yuu-chan was more eccentric than I imagined! As expected of DevTru Rikka-chan's boyfriend! You look great in female clothes!" "Ugh…!" I couldn't say anything in response to that. My face turned completely red, and I was at a complete loss at what to do. "Ahaha, looks like praising you so much like that made you embarra.s.sed about being embarra.s.sed!" "Wrong, also it didn't feel like you were praising me at all!?" "You're embarra.s.sed again! Yeah, without a doubt, I definitely want Yuu-chan to take part too." "…Um, although I'm a bit late in saying this, but wouldn't it be better to ask people like your friends instead of Rikka and I -" "Nope, that's impossible." Amaniji-senpai spoke over me, with "impossible" being said in a flat tone. I didn't mean to say something like 'it would be better to ask your friends' without any qualms. I was feeling remorseful for saying something unpleasant like that, but Amaniji-senpai didn't look unhappy at all. Her facial expression was the same as before - no, her facial expression was much brighter than before. "See, it's because of my selfishness. Since I'm a part of the 'Eccentric Drama Club'. If I had to do something with others, I'd prefer to do it with other eccentric people. That's why it has to be DevTru Rikka-chan and Yuu-chan!" And just like that, smiling as she talked, she changed the subject to something lighter. I felt a little relieved about the situation. However - "Ha… but seriously, why Rikka? It doesn't seem like the two of you have talked with each other before, and to say that she'll also talk strangely too based on looks alone is…" I've been curious about this for a long time now. I think I've been curious ever since Amaniji-senpai said 'it has to be Rikka'. Even though she did say, during this morning's incident, that she decided on Rikka based on her unique appearance, nevertheless that still didn't feel like a reason to stick with Rikka. "…Yuu-chan, DevTru Rikka-chan - what do you think of Rikka chan? "Eh?" "And, not from the viewpoint of a boyfriend - I'm asking how Yuu-chan sees DevTru Rikka-chan." "…Err, umm, she's a little peculiar -" "Yeah, that!", Amaniji-senpai said while pointing at me. And smiling. "Yes, anyone who saw her would think that she's extremely eccentric. I used my rule of thumb, 'cannot do normal', to tell that she wasn't normal." "………" "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean that in a bad way. Rather, I meant for it as a very great compliment. And that's exactly why I wanted grow closer to DevTru Rikka-chan. I also have ulterior motives too." "… I absolutely won't hand Rikka over." "Aha, AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" "Ugh… you're laughing too much…" "Ahaha, no, ah, sorry sorry. Hehe, still, Yuu-chan said that pretty cutely. Normally you don't say something like that to a woman with ulterior motives, it's too strange!" …Hmm, now that you mention it that might be true. But to be fair, there has been some charming people around me lately. As a result, I may have unconsciously responded a little too sensitively. "Well, that's why it would be no good if it wasn't DevTru Rikka-chan. In that sense, if you get what I mean, I was pleased about being out of luck." "Yeah, I can vaguely understand what Amaniji-senpai's trying to say." Certainly, Rikka may be 'abnormal'. At the very beginning, I too was also charmed by that kind of atmosphere. She was different from others - that is, she was a chuunibyou patient. "By out of luck, I mean that there were no interesting people around me. I mean, that's the reason why our club has so few members." "…Is that so?" Well, if there was a person who wanted to join the same club that Amaniji-senpai is in, they'd probably have quite the personality. I was wondering if such a person could even exist, but then I remembered that I've already been told that there was another member. I'm a bit interested about the type of person they were. I'm certain, however, that they were a person similar to Amaniji-senpai. "So, how about it? Can the two of you take part together?" "…Hmm." I didn't have a reason to refuse. However, I didn't have an obligation to help either. Regardless, at any rate, right before my eyes was a troubled person, and if I can help - and I think my poor abilities are sufficient enough to help - then I should help. However, if I go help Amaniji-senpai, then Rikka would likely come help with the play too. After all, Rikka did say something along those lines this morning. Since that's the case, then there still was the issue of Rikka's Cultural Festival workload to consider. It felt too early to give an answer right now. "Um, I don't have a problem in helping - Rikka might though, do you mind if I double-check with her about this?" "Really? You're helping!?" "Well, I still haven't decided yet… I should be able to give you an answer, but…" "Yeah! That's fine, thanks! Yuu-chan, you're a lifesaver! Then tomorrow, come to the club room!" Extremely moved, Amaniji-senpai used both hands to take my right hand, grasping my hand tightly. I could tell that she definitely wasn't feeling a 'normal' type of joy, but since she was so happy it seems that some of that happiness pa.s.sed onto me. My face broke into a smile by itself. "It's still a bit early to say, but for time the being looks like the play's going to happen. To be completely honest, I really want another person for the play, but oh well. Guess it can't be helped." "One more?" "Yeah, since it's meant to be a play staring five people. However, although it's difficult, it's possible to perform the play with three people. That's why, at the very least, I needed to have three actors." Another person - huh? Another interesting person - another eccentric person. Although Amaniji-senpai thinks that there isn't anyone else who would qualify as interesting, there's one person that comes to my mind that she'll certainly be satisfied with. It feels like I can even hear her voice going 'nyahahahaha'. Anyway, it seems that Amaniji-senpai hasn't noticed her yet. If she had, she definitely would have approached her already. She had a presence that was even more overwhelming than Rikka's. "Um, if we are looking for one more person to help - I know someone who you would find interesting… do you want me to ask?" "Eh, really? There's another person? My observation was lacking?" "Yes, it's someone who had just transferred recently, but I can guarantee that it's someone you'll find interesting. I'm not sure if they'll be willing to help, but if Amaniji-senpai's good with it then I'll talk to them about it." My chest puffed out a little as I answered with confidence. Agreeing with what I said, Amaniji-senpai nodded vigorously, bashfully showing a look of relief. "Hmm. If it's someone that Yuu-chan recommends, they'll surely be great! However, if they fail to match my expectations on the day we meet, I'd reject them on the spot. Is that okay with you? "Yeah, that's fine. I'm certain that they'll be able to match your expectations." "By the way, is that person a girl?" "Eh? Oh, yes, that person's a girl." "………" It became silent again. Suddenly, the atmosphere felt tense. Did I say something bad…? While I was feeling unnerved by an atmosphere like that, Amaniji-senpai said something to me with a playful expression. As if it was something that really amusing to make fun of. Something grand to make fun of. "Hasn't it been a while since you started dating? There's another girl in the picture, it's making my heart throb. A special fetish? Am I not right? Most couples are highly likely to break up after being together for around three to six months!" [1] BDSM, where you neglect your partner. [2] The mascot of a popular children's program Hirake! Ponkiki. [3] Oven-baked flatbread, originated from Asia.
