Illustrations

Prologue

If there’s an end to the pain this love has caused, that would be great.

If only I could be honest to my feelings, it would have been great.

If only it was that easy. The courage to confess my feelings, I really wish I
had it.

Only if that person feels the same way as me.

Because I understand these feelings painfully well…

There’s something only I am capable of.

That’s why I have become it– the cupid of love.

…No, that was an exaggeration.

This might be a bit of a letdown, but it isn’t something that grand, just the
sort of relationship advice you’d see everywhere.

Yeah, that was what I thought. At first, that is—.

 Chapter 1.1

Chapter 1: When the secret was found out

Work mode: on.

Voice changer: on, camera: off. Call quality: good.

Consultant, Makino Kousuke. Second year, class seven. Consultation

period: four months.

In the dark room, I said into the microphone in front of the PC screen after
clearing my throat.

“Well, It’s time.”

My voice would be replaced by an artificial one, my gender unidentifiable.

So no matter with how much authority I speak, the other side would only
hear an idiotic monotone.
–“U-Uh, you know…” said the other side of the phone after a pause. The
voice was unaltered Makino’s, he had no need for a voice changer any way.

Yeah, I know. You were unsure about this. Good grief.

“Yeah?”

–”A-after all, isn’t that impossible…”

“You’re still not confident?”

–“I mean… Me, with that Yuzuki-san?”

Urgh–, really? What a wuss.

Well, I do understand how that feels. Painfully well.

But if you stop now, it would be all for nothing. I’m sure that was not what
you wanted either.
“You two had no zero contact in the first place, but now you have come to
be able to talk to her regularly. I’m sure it’ll be fine,” I used a soothing tone,
knowing it would be pointless anyway.

–“B-But…”

Shallow relationship with target: resolved. Low self-confidence:

unresolved.

The problem was, changing someone’s fundamental personality is never

easy.

Just once. Just for one day, just a leap of faith, then all would end well.

–“Besides… Didn’t Yuzuki-san turn down every confession? She must have
had a boyfriend or someone she likes. If that’s so, wouldn’t that mean
trouble?”

Justification for stalling. Subconscious self-preservation. Why must I look

after every single one of them?

Didn’t you already know that giving up is unacceptable.

“So if she already has someone she likes, then you would give up?” I
pressed.

–“T-that’s…”

“If you want to give up, then there’s nothing I can do. If not, don’t you
remember how hard you have worked? I’m sure it will turn out fine.”

–“But…”

“…”

No good. He’s totally freaked out.

In this situation, being forceful is counterproductive.

I guess I’ll just have to do “that”…

“Understood. Can you give me some time, then?”

–“Eh? W-what are you doing?”

“I’ll find out whether Yuzuki has a boyfriend or someone she likes, and also
why she rejected every confession so far, if possible.”

–“Really?! You can?”

Hey, hey. Why are you cheery all of the sudden? Just how greedy could you
be?

“Just don’t get your hopes up. There’s a limit to my investigations, just so
you know.”

–“Oh, of course! I’m sorry that you have to do this for me…”

“Nah, I already knew it would come to this since the start. It’s part of the
job.”

Besides, you wouldn’t step up to the plate if I don’t destroy your escape
route like this. That, I didn’t say.

–“…Hey.”
“Hm?”

–“After all, why don’t you tell me your identity? You’re a student here,
aren’t you?”

I involuntarily narrowed my eyes. Well, there was nothing wrong with that.
It’s natural to be curious.

But that’s against the rules, Makino.

“If it’s by absolute necessity, I would. But now’s not the time. Please
understand.”

–“B-but! You have helped me out so much, I just want to thank you
personally.”

“Makino”

–“Y-yeah?”

“Your confession, hope it turns out well.”

–“Yeah”

“That’s it for today. I’ll call you again when I know something.”

–“‘Kay… Thanks, Angel.”

At that, I hung up, then removed my earphones. After confirming Makino’s

disconnected, I logged out of the chat room as well.

“There’s a limit to my investigations,” I had said.

But to me, that was different. For me, there is no such limit.

I took a sip of the cold cola, crossed my arms, then closed my eyes.

Well then, let’s go through the plan one more time.

 Chapter 1.2

At Kuzeyama High School, there is an angel who will lead your way to
love. It has been about a year since such a rumor started to circulate at the
school I, Akashi Io, attend.

Here’s the gist of it.

One day, a person troubled by love suddenly received a letter from the
Cupid of love. The Cupid has a supernatural power, if the person followed
the Cupid’s words, then their love would bear fruit.

An utter nonsense. This unrealistic story should be no more than a made up

story. It is natural to think so.

To begin with, this kind of urban legend was long out of fashion.

With the development of the internet and science, these kinds of stories are
extinct. Ghost stories, the Seven wonders, psychic powers and so on. Those
were all bullshit, no one takes them seriously.
In other words, Probatio Diabolica. You can’t prove something that’s
impossible, that in itself, is also impossible. Although there are some people
who muse the idea “It would be interesting if it exists,” despite everything.
But just that.

[TN: Just google Probatio Diabolica, I don’t think I’m capable of a

brief explanation]

That’s why Angel doesn’t exist, letters won’t come. There is no such thing
as mysterious power. It’s only natural.

–But if that’s the case, then why has this rumor survived an entire year?

Was it because Kuze High students were a bunch of dreamy kids?

No, high school students nowadays are not that stupid.

On top of that, Kuzeyama High School is one of the top preparatory schools
of Shiga Prefecture. Students here are realistic and mature.

Then, why?

The answer is quite simple.

After school, the students were dispersed into two main groups, one going
to their respective club and the other heading home.

I unceremoniously grabbed my bag and quickly left the classroom.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, I don’t have that many friends to stop

me. I’m not unimpressive nor shadowy, but neither do I stand out in a
crowd.

And such a position is convenient for me in many ways.

Reaching the front gate, adjacent to the shoe box, I fiddled with my phone
while waiting for the moment to come. Just like a police on a stakeout.

Here and there, students from the go home club came and went, only
stopping to change their shoes here. I kept my face down, searching for the
“target” with only my eyes.

…No

“Well… how could I miss.” Seeing her, I couldn’t help but shudder in
admiration.
Yuzuki Minato is a beautiful girl. Damn beautiful.

She has deep, glossy, straight hair, and as black as the night sky itself. Her
eyes are as sharp as an icicle. In combo with her voluminous eyelashes, her
eyes have an exquisite charm. Her eyes, her proud yet delicate nose, and her
small pink lips are in perfect harmony.

To add, she is tall for a girl, maybe ten centimeters shorter than me. Despite
her height, she has well-defined curves throughout her body. Especially the
convexity of her chest.

And lastly, her piece de resistance, her otherworldly elegance.

How she carried her back high, her skin a white crystal. And her forever
melancholy, mature expression. Even in an ordinary school uniform, she
reminded me of a high-born lady.
I might have praised her too much. What a creep, Io. But Yuzuki’s
appearance is just perfect. I could imagine the smug look on the face of the
god who created her.

What an unfair god. Thank you very much.

But still, her grades were top of the class, that was truly amazing.
Naturally, she is also very popular with men. She is also one of the “Kuze
High’s Top Three”, the official ranking by the student body. Just imagine,
“Kuze High’s Top Three”. You know?

Then she walked her way to me– more precisely, towards her shoe box,
which is right next to me.

No time to gawk. Let’s get to work.

Yuzuki came close, almost shoulder to shoulder with me. Clack, her shoe
hit the floor. The moment she bent down to change her shoes, I lowered my
arm.

The power to know who the target likes by touching their cheeks, that’s the
power I, the Angel of Kuze High, possesses.

With this power, I lead my consultant’s love towards a surer and more
successful conclusion.

Why did the Kuze High students believe this ridiculous rumor?

Well, because it is actually happening.

No matter how unrealistic, the Angel does indeed exist.

That’s why the rumor stuck around. It’s that simple.

Timing perfect, my hand brushed Yuzuki’s cheek, just for a moment, but
that was enough.

Just according to the plan.

I felt a soft touch on the back of my left hand. Contact initiated. The contact
was no more than an unintentional brush, unaccountable for sexual
harassment.

Can’t you believe me? It is unavoidable, since it was the trigger condition
of my power, so I’m innocent, you know.

If the target likes someone, then I will see their face in my mind, like a
flashback. I won’t get tired nor be in pain. But I’m only nervous from time
to time. It’s something I have gotten used to.

“Ugeh?!”

I’m terribly dizzy.

It was as if the world suddenly turned upside down, then back to normal
again. At the same time, a torrent of flashbacks hit me. What should
normally be a single image, a few at most, floated in and out of view.
Dazzling, too many, like a climatic firework display.

Familiar faces, unfamiliar ones. Total of twenty…? No, even more.

What’s this? What the hell?!–

“Urgh…”

It was like expecting a ping pong ball, but only found a bowling ball thrown
at my face instead. My head buckled, my body shook, I felt like throwing
up.

Wait, calm down. Get a grip.

The plan was now completely awry. I was to apologize, and be on my way.
Just a normal accident where my hand happened to graze her cheek, nothing
out of the ordinary.

That was the plan…

While trying to stand upright, I forced myself to sort out the situation.
However, it seems that I don’t have that luxury.

“W-what?”

Besides me, Yuzuki asked, her face suspicious. Well, it is only natural, I
suddenly screamed and staggered, after all. That irregularity is something I
should be concerned about, but right now, getting no unwanted attention
from Yuzuki is top priority.

How to cover this up? For now, I need to run.

“Ah… Well, I suddenly have a stomach pain… Ahaha…”

I glanced at her face. I had expected a dumbfounded look, troubled look, or

even a boubtful look, anything but–

“Eh?–”

Somehow, her eyes suddenly widened in surprise. As if she had

unexpectedly found something she had lost, her face was like that, a
mixture of surprise and relief.
Why would she make that kind of expression…?

But that too, I have no time to find out.

I shoved my feet into my shoes and hurried out the front gate. Like that, I
ran to the station and hopped on the Keihan Line train.

Yeah, I had slipped up. The other passengers eyed me warily.

“If I had a stomach ache, it would be more natural to go back to the school
building, you idiot.”

Apparently, my head wasn’t working at all.

“Hahh…” Just what exactly is going on.

I recalled what happened while trying to calm myself down with the rhythm
of the train.
 Chapter 1.3

The class on the following day was harder to get my head around than
usual. Listening to the Japanese history teacher’s chant-like voice, I ran
through my thoughts.

There are two questions.

One, was of course, there were too many people who appeared. Normally,
there’s one. Even the irregularities have two to three, that’s it.

Yet, that twenty people… to be exact, more than that. I don’t want to
criticize other people’s romantic preference, but isn’t that too much?

No, Maybe I should question my power first. Maybe something resembling

a bug happened. Is that possible? Given that loss of smell during a cold is
possible, perhaps…?

“Nope”
Unfortunately, from birth until now, there has never been something like
this. I couldn’t guess in the slightest. Even when I tested with some people
in the class, nothing unusual happened.

In short, nothing was wrong with my power.

“But…”

Mentioned in the conversation with Makino two days before, Yuzuki has
turned down every confession until now. In fact, it was this rigid wall that
had doubled her popularity.

For her to like that many people…

The strangest was one of the faces I saw.

Almost all of those faces were gone before I could memorize. It was
unexpected, to begin with. But I recognized one of them: Matsumoto from
class five.

Some time ago, he confessed to Yuzuki, and she rejected his confession.
That means Yuzuki rejected Matsumoto even though they both have
feelings for each other. Of course, there’s a possibility that she started to
like him after rejecting… But that doesn’t seem to add up.

[TN: I’m sorry for this interruption, but please read this at Travis
translations to support me, the translator. Other sites are aggressor sites]

“Hmm… What a mystery.”

Is this what you call mysterious beauty? As expected from that level of
beauty… Wait, no.

The saving grace was that this mystery has nothing to do with me. It’s her
romantic preferences, not my business.

The only problem is how to tell Makino about this. That’s the only question.

But yet…

“That’s all for today. Class rep., bowing ritual.”

At the teacher’s words, the chime rang, marking the end of the school day.
After bowing, the class was over.
I quickly left the class, continuing my thoughts.

There’s still one more question:

That is, the look on her face yesterday.

Neither confunfused nor bewildered, just excitement and relief.

Let’s not talk about how that face was also beautiful…

–Why did she make that expression?

“Akashi Io-kun.” My name was suddenly called from the corner of the
school gate. The voice was clear and cold, but stringed with amusement.

Before me, Yuzuki stood.

“I finally found you, the Angel of Kuze High,” she declared.

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

The reply was immediate.

I was taken by surprise, no doubt.

But I have already rehearsed what to do in this kind of situation a thousand

times over. As long as my identity remains a secret, I can deny it reflexively
and naturally.

I don’t know why I was suspected or why I was approached. From where to
when, since yesterday, nothing makes sense. Whatever, I’m starting to get
tired of this. But I needed to get out of here without an incident first.

Keep your head cool and get through this, Io.

“Stop coming for me with that weird reason, will you? I have something I
need to get done, bye.”

“By touching my face, what do you know?”

Silence.

This time, I was completely at loss.

Farewell, my calm self. Even I can see the grimace on my face.

“Wh- what? Don’t–”

“The people I like.”

“–––!”

Cold sweat broke.

“You can tell that by touching?”

…Give me a break.

[TN:Yeah, give this poor man a break]

“I want to ask you something,” said Yuzuki, as if dealing the finishing blow.
She turned and walked away briskly.

I gave up and silently followed her.

A short walk East from Kuze High leads to a large park. The park surrounds
ruins of a castle, along the promenade lined with cherry blossoms, painting
the scene with diluted red.

With Yuzuki on the lead, we walked past a space with large playground
equipment. At last, we reached the largest lake in Japan, Lake Biwa. We
walked to the grassy knoll by the lake and sat down on a nice boulder we
found.

I could see the little kids playing and the old couple on the bench looking at
us.

“So… here? We stand out here, really?”

It was a funky sight, with me and Yuzuki facing each other. But despite that,
against the dusk sky and the glittering lake, Yuzuki was otherworldly.

“The concern is about anyone listening to our conversation, which these

waves had already taken care of.”

“I see…” Yup, her logic did make sense. In the worst possible case, there
might be a rumor that I tried to confess to her and got rejected. Which is
unrelated to the Angel, so whatever.
“If it starts to get out of control, I’ll take care of it. How about that?” she
continued

“Yeah… Well, okay.” I nodded. There’s no need for that, but if she insists.
I’ll just nod along here. I’m in a weaker position. No use in worsening.

“Thank you.”

However, the atmosphere is somewhat different from what I thought. I had

expected blackmail, but…

“That you came here with me, I take it that you have already accepted it?”
Yuzuki was unexpectedly nervous, her expression rather tense.

Hmm, so straight to the point.

Coming to think of it, this is the first time I’m talking to her. She appeared
calm and collected, with an air of intellectualism about her. As expected
from a top student. Well, she is beauti–, (redacted)

“No, not like that. I’m here for what you have to say, so I can clear your
misunderstanding,” I denied.
Half lie, half truth.

That I’m the Angel, and even about my power, I can’t just let her go.
Somehow, I need to convince her. But the situation was undeniably
unfavorable. You could say that she has a hold on me.

Despite her advantage, she was quite reserved… that’s strange.

“October, last year,” she began.

She said like a detective unveiling the truth behind a horror mystery. No,
seriously, it’s too scary.

“Nagao-kun from the ping-pong club confessed to Yamabuki. He was

rejected. Remember?” At her words, those days started playing at the back
of my mind. Yeah, that rejection was Angel’s– my fault. “Nagao-kun wasn’t
into the careful type, nor the flamboyant type of girl. He set his sights on
the fashionable, popular Yamabuki. They don’t match in the slightest. She
would surely reject him. A daredevil. When someone heard the rumors,
these were their thoughts, is that right?”

“Uh-huh.”

Yeah, she’s right.

But Nagao did his best. He believed in my words, and he had the courage to
tell Yamabuki how he felt. Being rejected is just the result.

But why this story now?

“‘Only if he believed in the Angel’s word,’ some people joked. ‘If he did
that, it would have gone well, what a reckless fellow.’. But I thought–” She
looked at me “–That Nagao-kun was able to confess, that was because of
the Angel, wasn’t it?”

A chill ran down my spine. How do I refute her?

“From then, I observed Nagao-kun’s surroundings for a while. Were there

any changes? How did he contact the Angel? I needed to find out.”

As if someone was tightening their hand around my heart, my breath

became shallow, my face a painful grimace.

So this is how culprits in mysteries felt…

Yet her expression doesn’t look like a detective who had cornered the
criminal.
“That day, Nagao-kun walked past a boy in the hallway. That boy was in a
different class, and with no apparent relationship with him. That person
patted Nagao, as if to console him. That person was—”

That was me. Nagao was one of the few people who I, the angel of Kuze
High School, exposed my identity to. There was a necessity during the
consultation process.

So…I was too relaxed?

No, if there weren’t any suspicions in the first place, that should be seen as
a simple joke among the boys, no matter how you look at it.

Besides, he was doing his best.

But anyway, that action caught the eye of Yuzuki, who was looking for the
Angel.
 Chapter 1.4

“So I shift my attention to you,” she continued, “There were other suspects,
but you are the most likely. I gathered every rumor when someone had
confessed to someone, then compared them to your behavior, for half a
year.”

“Half a year…” I repeated.

Her suspicion was more deliberate than I thought. This is not some fluke
guess but a more elaborate scheme of unmasking me.

I kept my gaze on the tuft of grass at my foot, but she just continued.

“I noticed a particular pattern in your behavior, that is, touching other

people’s faces. Practically all of them are involved in the confessions, one
way or another.”

Hey, hey. Isn’t that too much? Are you insane? What is this beauty trying–
“Sometimes accidentally, some by lending an earphone, the rarer one being
wiping smudge on the face. Maybe I was just imagining things, but it was
still too often.”

She even noticed my special technique? How perceptive can she be?

The smudge wiping was the best method in my arsenal. But due to the
suspicion it raised, I haven’t been using it much.

“And if the rumors were true, then the Angel of Kuze High would have a
mysterious power. Normally, I wouldn’t believe that kind of nonsense. I
can’t fully believe something like that…”

My eyes fixed on the grass.

“But, if there’s no fire, then there won’t be any smoke. It’s worth a try.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Yeah, I’m ridiculous. That’s why I can just joke it off if I’m wrong,”
despite her statement, she has no slightest shadow of a doubt.
What she had said was an investigation based on a rather unreasonable
theory.

But to think that someone would carry it out… There’s no way I can see
this coming.

“But what happens when you touch someone’s face? Observation alone
wasn’t enough. Information transmission? Knowing something about them?
That, I didn’t know. Until yesterday, when you touched my face.”

The identity of the Angel being known was still manageable, something I
had prepared countermeasures for already. But my power, it was unrealistic
anyway, no one would believe it, was what I thought.

That was what I believed. And I don’t think I was that laxed. It was strange
to assume that someone would come at me with that persistence and
outlandish reasoning in the first place.

And at the school gate, she said, “I finally found you.”

Why would she go that far to get me, no, the Angel to…

She ignored my troubled expression and continued yet again.

“You seemed to be fine, but yesterday, you were shaken all of a sudden. In
short, I am different from other people, majorly different, from your
reaction.”

Yeah, you’re different, completely different.

Yeah, I was shaken.

“My hypothesis is that, ‘Akashi Io can tell who the person likes, down to
the number of the people they like, by touching their faces.’ The difference
between me and other people is there.” Yuzuki huffed out a heavy breath.
Her brows furrowed, her eyes grim.

Is this woman even aware of what she’s doing?

But for the final blow to be dealt like this…

Honestly, I should just come clean. There was no point in trying to hide it
anymore.

I have thought a little of what I should do when I come to this. But still, the
fact that this is the worst possible situation is still the same.
But there’s still one thing I don’t understand. To make sure of that, I asked.

“If that’s the case, what are you going to do?”

“If that’s the case, I think you already know it,” she parroted back.

But yeah, I kind of understand what she meant.

That Yuzuki was able to arrive at this conclusion was because of her precise
deduction, but above all, because of her unusual obsession with the Angel.

Moreover, she was aware that she likes several people.

For someone like that to come to me and say, “I finally found you.”, that
means–

“I want you to cure me from this cruel Falling-in-love Peculiarity.” Her

determined face and her hopeful request no longer surprises me.

In short, this girl was also after Angel’s love advice. That was why she was
so desperate.
With that in mind, her cautiousness makes sense.

“I see… I have a rough idea of your situation.”

“S-so… you are the Angel, after all,” she gulped.

“Yeah. And your hypothesis is correct; I have that absurd power you
mentioned. I use it for my Angel activities. And the one who started the
rumor about the Angel was me.”

“Is that so…” Yuzuki seemed to be shocked.

Well, of course, when someone in front of you admitted that they have a
supernatural power, that would be the normal reaction. Rather, she took it in
quite promptly.

I now understand her situation, her purpose. My true identity was also
unveiled.

But I’m sorry, Yuzuki Minato.

“As the Angel of Kuze High, I decline this request.”

This is the final verdict.

“Ha? What? Why?!” She stood up, her face anxious.

That face was so painful that my resolve wavered. Can you stop that…? I’m
really sorry about this.

“I help my clients in taking the plunge so that they can confess their
feelings. That’s the only thing I can do. That’s all I want to do. Who will be
my consultant, I decide that by myself. I can’t help you.”

“But…”

“Besides, that kind of thing, it’s better to consult with your friends than a
complete stranger like me. I’m sorry, but I can’t take on this.” To make my
decision clear, I repeated it one more time.

I can’t do everything related to love. I have my own specialty, and I am not

going to get involved in something other than that.

“What if…” Yuzuki whispered.

I tilted my head.

“What if I tell everyone your little secret? About your power, about the
Angel. Does that sit well with you?”

“Ugh…!”

Being hit where it hurts, I leaked out a pitiful voice. Damn, I was cool just a
moment before…

So you’re using that to the fullest in this negotiation, huh?

She’s surprisingly devious…

“If you do that, then I’ll too. I will reveal who your crushes are. All of
them.” I punctuated. “Does that sit well with you? If not, I beg you, turn
back now.”

“Then we are going down together. I don’t really care. If you don’t accept,
then I’ll do that for real.”

Hey, hey. Do you really know the consequences of your actions?

No, she was just that desperate…

Our eyes locked on each other for a while. Her lips were pressed thin, and
were quivering a little.

Her will was too firm. That glimmer in her eyes was enough to tell me that
she was serious.

Mutual destruction, the most foolhardy option. No gain for anyone.

This is legit blackmail, she had thought this through. Is every top student
this scary?

But… Yuzuki.

“Okey-dokey. Got it.”

[TN:What a con man]

“T-then I…”
“Yup, do whatever you want. I won’t help you anyway.” I shrugged.

“Eh?”

Yuzuki’s eyes widened in disbelief. I guess my response was the exact

opposite of what she had expected

But yeah, seems like none of us can back down.

“I can’t take on a request with an ambivalent mind. Especially with how

serious you are,” I explained.

“But… Wouldn’t it mean trouble for you if your identity is revealed?”

“Yep, troubling. Disastrous, even. Do you know how much effort

establishing the rumors about the Angel took? And for it to take root?”

A feat of extreme prudence where you couldn’t be wary enough.

No, this conversation is for later.

“But yeah. If it comes to that, then I’ll be skipping school for a while. When
I’m gone, people won’t be interested anymore. And I don’t really have to
go to school to continue working as the Angel. This is an online era now,
you know?”

Chat rooms, voice change, and all that civilized stuff.

[TN: Change the title to Online Angel please]

 Chapter 1.5

“Of course. I can’t keep a secret half-heartedly, not me. Troubles of love are
not something to be taken lightly. And the Angel, that’s something I can’t
compromise.”

It was her turn to be silent.

I don’t expect her to understand my commitment to be the Angel.

Understand or not, my answer to her plea remains the same.

“Be assured. Do whatever you want, I won’t tell your secret. I’m going to
prepare for the shut-in, bye.”

She remained silent.

“And don’t go around blackmailing others, okay? It’s effective, but so is its
risk. And that… that Falling-in-love Peculiarity? Hope you get well soon.”
With a heave, I stood up.
Perhaps it was because I could finally get over this, my tension began to
dissipate. It was a nice feeling when you could finally decide on what to do.

[TN: I’m sorry for this interruption, but please read at Travis translations to
support me, the translator. Other sites are aggressor sites]

At any rate, I should go home then review my Angel consultation

schedule…

“Wait!”

“Hm?”

Her sharp voice made me turn back.

Yuzuki casted her eyes downward, her lowered hands clasped tightly.

The rippling, glistening surface of the lake, the swaying trees, the setting
sun. In front of it all, she looked more an angel than I could ever be.

I guess I am a disgrace to my alias.

“Is there anything you want to say?”

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry that it seemed like a threat. I didn’t mean it. I just…
I just really want your help.”

“Enough with that…” Don’t speak in that quivering voice of yours.

“I understand that it’s not your specialty. I understand that it goes against
your principles… But I have no one else…”

She walked over, then slowly looked up.

I could see my pitiful, troubled face inside her tear-stained eyes.

Hey, hey, don’t give in. You’re the Angel of Kuze High, remember?

“No, but…”

“Akashi-kun, look at me?”

Yuzuki suddenly took my right hand. Her hand that touched mine was soft
yet terribly cold. She pulled my hand towards her face, then brought it to
her cheek.
I was taken by surprise. I could only watch as the scene in front of me
unfolded.

My power activates.

“Ha? Hey!”

But I had already braced myself for the impact, so it wasn’t as bad as the
first time.

But what happened was the same. Faces flickered in and out, in a moment,
it was over.

“How many did you see?” she laughed derisively, “don’t you despise me?
Do you think I can tell my friends about this?” Her voice rose into a shrill,
her face a mess of tears.

She wasn’t asking me. It was Yuzuki that despised herself.

There’s nothing wrong with being in love with multiple people. But she
sure has too many of them.
She hates that, she hates herself, more than anything, that’s why she–

“I want to be cured. I’ll do anything. So, please,” she sobbed. Tears flowed
down, then stopped as they reached my hand.

The way she held herself, even though crying, she looked strong.

“I said no blackmail, but tears are just as foul…” Moreover, tears of a

beauty like her…

Troubles of love are not something to be taken lightly, I said that… myself?

…Hahh. What a stupid Angel. Damn.

“Got it.”

“R-really?” Her eyes flew wide.

“Yeah. You’re a special case, really,” I sighed

Yuzuki wrapped her hands around mine. Then lowered her head to her
hand, as if praying, her damp breath moisturizing our clasped hands.

“I can’t promise anything though. It’s still not my expertise. No slightest

experience in that area, even. Are you understood?”

“Um, yep. I understand. Got it,” she sputtered.

“But I’ll do anything in my power. And the ‘I’ll do anything’ earlier, don’t
forget that,” I reminded her.

“Yep, yes! Of course. Thank you… really.” Relief swept over her.

Now that I have taken on this, I’ll just have to do whatever I can.

Just so you know, I wasn’t baited by a beautiful girl’s “I’ll do anything”,

just so you know.

Well, I wasn’t baited by that, but I’m gonna use it anyway.

“Well, the first of that ‘anything’, here’s my first instruction.”

“Eh?…A-already?”

“You said that yourself. Going to break your promise right off the bat?”

“G-got it… So what do you want me to do?” said Yuzuki anxiously, her
cheeks flushed red. Her arms crossed as if hugging herself as she watched
me. Her tear-stained eyes were incredibly amorous.

And with that expression that seemed to say, “I’m ready,” stop it, will you?

Don’t be so suggestive. Don’t do that to high school boys, please.

“Ah, but… Let’s go somewhere inconspicuous… Here is…yeah?” she

stammered.

“What are you thinking, idiot. I was talking about the Angel’s identity and
my power. Those are to remain a secret. That’s all.”

“Ah. Yup… got it.”

Good grief. I can’t wait to see where this goes.

 Chapter 2.1

Chapter 2: The embarrassment goes both ways

“So, what am I supposed to do?”

“Eh?’

What’s that “Eh?” for…

After school the next day, at a cafe called “Cafe Proof”. Yuzuki Minato,
who sat across from me, tilted her head in confusion. It’s shockingly cute.

But whatever with that. It doesn’t matter, Io. Focus.

“You must have some theories you wanted to test with my powers right?
That’s why you came for me,” I elaborated.
“N-no. You see… I’m not sure about your ability, what could you do with
it. I can’t fully grasp that.” Her voice gradually became muffled.

So it seems that she plans to leave that to me.

In short, no slightest clue. Yesterday’s hunch is now confirmed to be true.

How fast.

I chose this place for the consultation because the manager of this cafe is
my cousin. It’s a good distance from school, ideal for secret sessions. I also
use this place occasionally in my normal Angel activity. That the said
cousin likes to get involved was a fly in the ointment.

“If that’s the case, your consultant doesn’t have to be me in the first place,”
I noted.

“That’s not true. You can do things other people can’t. Besides, the Angel
takes their consultant’s concerns seriously. That’s what the rumors say.”

“Yeah, but I’m the one who let out that rumor. It’s a stunt, a stunt.”

“Ugh… B-but! I already believe it so…”

“Is that so?” Well, now’s too late to back out. And I’m a bit glad that you
trusted me. “Then, let’s get to it”

“Y-yup!” she nodded nervously, but her eyes were determined.

Okay, this is not my speciality, but that doesn’t mean compromise is

acceptable. If you’re doing this, then be serious, Io. Compromise is
unacceptable.

“First, I’ll explain what I can do.”

Across me Yuzuki gulped. I took a sip of the cider. The sweetness and the
prickling acidity cleared my thoughts. When I’m using my head, this must
be the best way to go.

“It’s simple, almost the same as your hypothesis yesterday: Touch a

person’s face and I’ll see who they like. If multiple, then I see all of them.”

Clink, the cider’s ice rings.

“By ‘like’, I mean romantic feelings. It doesn’t work for respect,

admiration, familial love, nor does frienship,” I went on.
“That’s quite amazing, hearing it all again.”

“To tell you the truth, not really. I can only see their mental image of that
person, no profile, no age, no name, only their face. Identifying is possible
only because we’re in the limited space of school.”

She only raised her beautiful arching eyebrows at that.

Well, “not really” was an overstatement. Even with these limitations, it’s
still a supernatural ability. I have had this power since birth, so I might have
taken it for granted.

“And if the target doesn’t like anyone, then nothing will happen. ‘There’s
none’ or some notification like that would be better. It’s a bit of a hassle in
these cases.”

Even if I add a negative feature, Yuzuki was still silent.

But yeah, discerning between that I had failed to touch them and that they
like no one is a pain.

“And what about the power, what’s it even? How did you get it?” she
suddenly asked.
“Is that necessary? Knowing what I can and what I can’t should be
enough.”

When I answered, she looked away awkwardly. “Y-yeah… But…”

It seems that my voice had inadvertently turned cold.

“Sorry, It’s not a pleasant topic. If there’s a need then I’ll tell you then.”

“No, I asked too much… Sorry.”

Awkward… No, this is my fault.

It’s natural to be curious about such a kitschy superpower. In fact, I should

be grateful that she’s this reserved.

I closed my eyes for a moment, let out a long breath, and said, “I’m really
sorry. I’m not used to having people knowing about my power. There’s
many things I don’t want to say, but you can ask me anything, I’ll answer
whatever I can.”

“Okay, got it. I’ll be careful,” she nodded slowly a few times.
She’s reasonable, and probably able to put herself in other people’s shoes
too. That’s what I learned about her character. Our conversation at Lake
Biwa yesterday too, was like that.

If that’s the case, I shouldn’t be too uptight either.

To make the consultation more effective, gaining the other side’s trust is a
must. And to achieve that, it’s important for me to trust them first.

“Anyway, that’s all about my power. Next up is about your situation…”

Yuzuki’s shoulders jerked up at my words. Her expression stiffened. She

was extremely agitated.

“Umm…”

“Hm?”

“Don’t get grossed out, okay?” she muttered, her slight blush hard to notice
in the shadow of her downward glance.
I have heard that a beautiful girl’s upturned eyes are destructive.

But this, this is more than I imagined.

“…I won’t gross out.”

“Y-you were hesitating! Is that a lie?!”

“N-no. I mean, I already know most of it, so I was wondering what’s left…”

I was gawking, I can’t just admit that.

Rocking her body, she protested. To evade her blame, I returned my

attention to the cider. Save me, cider-chan.

“…It was from the very beginning,” Yuzuki saaid in a whispery, feeble
voice.

“The very beginning?”

“Since elementary school, during that time when you start having crushes.
My Falling-in-love Peculiarity has been since then… My first crush was
five people at the same time…”

“I see. So from the very beginning…”

“I-isn’t that strange? I can’t be earnest…insincere…” Yuzuki cowered in

embarrassment and guilt.

It was easy to reassure her, but she surely doesn’t want that.

She must have told herself that everything’s fine, that she isn’t wrong.

But words alone aren’t convincing enough. So she hates herself.

I think I could understand that feeling.

She was desperate to an extent that she chose to hunt down the Angel from
baseless rumors, six month spent at that. Her anguish isn’t anything that
can be alleviated by words.

“Since then until now?”

“Yup, and… Perhaps…It’s getting worse.”

“And any idea of what caused it?”

“…No. I have thought about it a lot, but I can’t figure it out,” she agonized
bitterly.

And when all seemed hopeless, she heard the Angel’s rumors, it seems.

So all’s on my shoulders, huh? I’m the one who decides her fate…?

“Then, we need to find out the cause first,” To boost our morale, I denoted
firmly.

“Yeah. Right…”

“And in order to achieve that, I need an assessment of your current

situation.”

There’s a cause to every problem. To solve it, you need to deal with the
cause.
But to understand the cause, having a good grasp at the problem is
necessary.

“With that, here.” I offered my right hand.

“What?” She eyed my hand suspiciously

What are you “what?” about? You’re unexpectedly dull for a top student.

“Let me touch one more time”

“Hii?!” Like before, she pulled back and hugged herself tightly.

This girl… Is she really determined?

“Idiot, I want to see who your crushes are, so I can investigate who they
are.”

“I-if that’s so then say it clearly! You surprised me, you know!”
“Got it, got it. I’m sorry. Then, come on.” I waved my hand, beckoning her.

Of course, I don’t just touch her face, I’m a sensible man, you know?

She kept silent.

“Come on, hurry up.”

“I-I mean, it’s not necessary, right? I know who my crushes are, so…”

How sugarcoated. Didn’t I say a good grasp. Precision is important, you

know!

“Can you guarantee that you are aware of all of them?”

“Eh?”

“Isn’t falling in love without noticing one of the most common aspects of
love?”

And thanks to this damn aspect, Angel’s work is harder than it should be.
“But! We’re in a cafe…” she fretted.

“It’s fine, my cousin knows about my power. And this table is separated
from the rest. We’re all set here.”

“But–” she moaned.

“‘I’ll do anything!’” I reminded her.

“Nghh”
 Chapter 2.2

At my trump card, Yuzuki shrank, eyes downcast.

Having that commitment sure is convenient, good thing she said that
yesterday.

She was the one who said that, so not my fault.

By the way, making a beauty like her blush is a guilty pleasure.

“Pervert.”

“Hey, don’t be rude to the Angel.”

“Perverted Angel!”

“You’re saying Hentai Shinshi?”

[TN: HENTAI SHINSHI CLUB, a Japanese trio formed in 2017.]

[TN: The pun was about the similarity between Tenshi (angel) and
Shinshi]

“…What is that even?”

“Ah, nothing.” I looked away.

So that doesn’t get through, huh? Well, okay, noted.

She put her hand on her chest and let out a long breath of resignation. Then
she brought my right hand to her face timidly.

I too leaned forward and braced for my power to activate.

My hand slowly touches her face.

It’s a bliss to be able to touch a beautiful girl’s soft skin, but for me, my
hand felt nothing while my power worked. I only felt a soft sensation the
first millisecond, with the rest blank. Yeah, my disappointment is
immeasurable. Once again, for the record, I am not a pervert.
But the lips of her pouting profile were damn sexy.

“Well?”

“Ah, yup… Nothing out of the ordinary, I can see them just fine.”

“I see.”

Why do we look like a couple who just started dating…

For a moment, I almost forgot the faces. Shoot, what are you doin, Io!

“T-then what’s next?”

“Well, just wait,” I said while taking out a notebook and a pencil case from
my bag. “I’ll note those who I know, and I’m going to draw a portrait for
the rest. Then you tell me their names,” I explained.

“You can draw?”

“Of course?”
Although I said that, I don’t think being able to draw was something that
normal. All is the result of practice.

To make the most use of this power, being able to draw is crucial. I could
only see their faces for a second, and it’s not like I can take pictures. It’s
better to fill in as much information while I still remember them.

I quickly jotted down sixteen faces whose names I knew, and got on
drawing portraits for the rest.

“Ah, no good, I forgot.”

I knew it, I can’t finish in one go.

Well, I can just take another look. Target knowing about my power sure has
its perks. Usually it was one chance.

I offered my hand again.

But Yuzuki didn’t grab my hand. Instead, she just rolls her eyes and looks at
me blankly.
“Hey!”

“Eh? What?”

“What? There’s a lot left, one more time.”

“Ehh?!”

Yuzuki pulled back in an exaggerated manner, shaking the table with a

clatter.

What a lively fellow.

“Don’t tell me you expected me to finish it in one go…”

“Of course! Why again…”

“Too many faces. To be precise twenty-three people. Most are boys from
school, but I want to confirm, there might be some from other places.”

She looked away.

“‘Anything’”

The code phrase made her shoulders slump as if she had given up. Her
grudging glare was a perfect balance of cute and mature. You’re making me
giddy, you know.

And you’re not the only one embarrassed. Ugh…

From then, I repeated the process.

But Yuzuki insisted on being uncooperative, so I had to touch her cheek

myself. Time-efficient.

“Just so you know, I’m not enjoying this.” I mean, I need to clarify.

“I already know!”

“Then please stop glaring.”

“Still!”
But honestly, her cheeks are pleasant to the touch. Hella smooth.
Sometimes I even got to feel her smooth silky hair.

But it was a separate matter. This is a necessity. Really, I’m speaking the
truth, you know.

It took us an hour to identify all of them at last. By then, we were both

exhausted and decided to call it a day.

The cafe was located near the second station from Kuze high, along the
Keihan Ishiyama Sakamoto Line. This station is also near the JR Zeze
Station. Yuzuki seems to use that one.

Heading to the station lies the Tokimeki hill, a narrow, bustling inclined
street with stores flanking both sides.

“Ah, I forgot to mention.” I broke the silence.

Yuzuki, who had been looking around with interest, suddenly turned to me.

“There’s a possibility that my cousin from the store or the Angel’s

associates might know your situation. Do you still wish to proceed?”
“Umm…”

Her expression became strained. I could read anxiety, fear, and a hint of
curiosity from her

“All of them are tight-lipped. They won’t just let out other people’s info just
for the fun of it. Of course I’ll leave your name out. Is that okay?” I added.

“…Got it. If you deem it necessary then do it… If you trust them then it’s
fine.”

“Okay. Thank you.” I nodded.

If I don’t get their consent from the start, it could jeopardize my credibility
later. Just the same as in normal Angel’s work.

Ahead of us, a truck came slowly. I pulled Yuzuki to the side and shielded
her.

Tokimeki hill could be a bit dangerous if you’re not used to it.

“T-thanks.”

“Um.”

Her meek reaction is so cute, this girl… She usually looks calm and
collected, what a splendid gap. If she showed this side of hers, her
popularity would be unprecedented.

“By the way, why did you turn down Matsumoto?” I suddenly remembered.

Matsumoto had confessed to Yuzuki sometime ago, but was turned down.
However, he showed up in one of the faces I saw.

“I mean, didn’t you two have feelings for each other? Besides, you turned
down every confession. Pardon my way of putting it, but have you ever
tried dating them?”

She went silent for a while.

Then, self-deprecatingly, she forced herself, “Of course I tried,” her voice
quivered, “Maybe I could finally be faithful if I dated someone, I wished.
Back in middle school. But…” she grimaced. “But it didn’t get better. No
matter who I date, I keep falling in love with other people… and it keeps
growing…”
“I see…”

“Isn’t that rude? I’m the worst. Maybe I can hide that fact and continue
dating, but I just can’t forgive myself. Five times I tried, none worked out. I
won’t date anyone until I am cured. I’ve made up my mind.”

“And those five?”

“I apologized to them properly. I broke up soon after dating, I’m sure they
were troubled. Of course. They weren’t wrong in the slightest, but I took
advantage of them just because of my situation…”

“I’m really the worst,” she finished.

Her hand that gripped the hem of her skirt shook.

So turning down their confessions is her own style of showing her

sincerity…

“In short, I’m a selfish JK, the very opposite of being faithful. Aren’t you
disgusted?… What an idiot.”
[TN: JK business, the practice of compensated dating with adolescent
girls. Jk is the abbreviation of Joshi Kousei, or high school girls]

‘I understand’, the word stopped on the tip of my tongue. But her feelings, I
could somewhat understand.

How frustrated she is, I could understand from her disgusted voice and her
pained expression. Yeah, I understand it painfully well.

But she doesn’t know.

About me, about herself. And about love.

“Am I supposed to be disgusted? With that?”

“Eh?” She looked at me in surprise.

Before I knew it, we reached the railway crossing in front of the station,
with the boom gate descending in front of us.

Deafening clanking of machines rang. A train approached us, followed by a

clamor. The sound of rushing wind swallowed us whole.
But I could only hear her voice. And surely the same for her.

“Love is not something you can control. Even if you don’t want to, you fell
in love. It’s not your fault.” I searched her eyes. “And from our interaction
until now, I’m sure you’re a good person. I don’t regret accepting your
request. I will help you, just hang in there.”

“…Yeah”

Her short reply made me uncontrollably embarrassed. I shook my head to

cool down.

Ah, there’s no voice change nor closed camera here… I can’t just go around
saying corny things…

The train in front of us slowly departed. The warning whirring stopped and
the boom gate lifted slowly.

“See you later.”

I walked her to the JR ticket gate and said goodbye. But she stood there,
fidgeting.
What?

“Um… Akashi-kun.”

“Y-yeah?”

“It’s not because of what you’ve just said earlier…!”

Her eyes still downward, she continued.

Through the gaps in her beautiful black hair, I could see her cheeks. It was
as red as cherry fruit.

“I…um…”

“…”

“I think I might… I think I like you too…”

“Eh?”
[TN: Actually, it was this illust that made me “Alright, Imma buy this
book”]

“I think I should apologize now… Sorry.”

“No…umm…Well, it’s fine…”

She then turned away. Her hair and her skirt swayed.

I stared absented-mindly even after her back disappeared behind the ticket
gate.

“…How troubling.” I muttered.

Still absent-minded, I made my way to a bench and waited for my train.

 Chapter 2.3

Work mode: on.

Voice changer: on, camera: off. Call quality: decent.

“Yuzuki isn’t dating anyone right now. I’ve been searching around, I’m
pretty certain,” I announced.

–“Really!” On the other side of the call, I could hear Makino sigh in relief.

But not just pure relief, impatience, nervousness, and foreboding mixed, I
suspected.

Well, of course, this means that he has no excuse left.

“But whether she likes anyone…” The events of the last few days played at
the back of my mind. “I couldn’t tell. Sorry”
–“Uu…I see…” Makino grunted, but didn’t say anything else.

He’s probably waiting for my response, undecided, stuck in the pre-

confession predicament. The most common prelude to a confession.

That’s where the Angel brings them to resolution.

“Makino”

–“Hm?”

“I’ve said this before. No matter how Yuzuki is, you should confess. Even if
it doesn’t seem to go well,” I concluded.

–“It’s not that… easy.”

“It’s not that easy. No one wants to be rejected. That’s natural. I know
exactly how you feel.”

–“I-if that’s so!”

“Even so, telling her how you feel is the right call. Definitely.” I said firmly.

On the other side, Makino inhaled sharply.

The Angel’s words were probably more forceful than ever.

“Being rejected is painful. Being told that they don’t share your feelings by
someone you like is scary. But if you don’t, you will regret it for the rest of
your life. ‘If only I confessed back then’ the possibility that would never
come true will haunt you forever.”

Just like how it haunted me.

–“Uu…”

“But that doesn’t mean I want you to just charge in and get rejected. To
minimize the possibility of that, you have done your best until now. That, I
(Ore) know the best.”

[TN: Io slipped a Ore, manly version of “I”, while until now Io used
“Watashi”, gender neutral “I” (Although a bit inclined to femaline)
when being the Angel]

–“sh…hss” Soft static voices accompanied his silence.

“But there’s no such confession that guarantees success in this world. No
matter how confident you are, no matter how promising things seem, the
possibility of being rejected is still there. That’s why you need to overcome
that fear in the end. That’s what confession is all about.”

–“Angel…”

“I’m not saying that we need to do this right away. Let’s conquer your fear
slowly, until then, I’ll accompany you.”

–“Yeah…Yeah.”

“And in some cases, getting rejected isn’t the end of the line, you know?
You can confess again. There’s a limit to that, of course.”

–“Haha. Yeah… You’re right. Yeah.” His voice had brightened up

completely.

I let out a long breath and tried to relax.

My heart was thumping, my throat was parched. Before I knew it, I got too
intense. From my trusty cup, I drank the coke. Prickling pain and chilling
cold made my calmness resurface.
–“Thanks, Angel. Somehow… I feel better.”

“No, sorry I rattled on.”

–“It’s nothing. But, that. After all, Angel’s a man,” beamed Makino.

“Eh?”

What was that now?

And why did he know?

–“Just a moment ago, you called yourself ‘Ore’. Usually It would be

‘Watashi’”

[TN: The previously stated Ore, manly version of “I”, and “Watashi”,
gender neutral “I”]

[TN: Yeah, it sounds strange, but there’s no equivalent in English. Well,

not that I know of. If you have any idea just comment and I’ll fix]

“Is that so…”

Aah, what an idiot!

It’s been one year already, arghh…

“Please forget that…”

–“Ahaha. Your identity is a secret and all, I know. But I’m happy I know
something more about you, I know practically nothing about you before.”
He laughed innocently.

“…I’m hanging up”

–“Oh. Then, I’m in your care.”

“Aah. If there’s anything I’ll call you.” With that, I ended the call myself.

Rousing consultant is good, but don’t ever lose your cool, Akashi Io.

You’re the Angel, don’t forget that.

“…”

I lied to Makino about one thing.

Yuzuki likes someone, a lot of them. And one of them is Makino, I

confirmed that from the session at the café today.

But I won’t stop his confession. Even though I know full well she can’t
return his feelings.

“Forgive me, Makino…”

From now on too, forgive me, Yuzuki.

But a feeling that should be kept in, there’s no such thing.

“Ayaha…”

A name I unintentionally whispered.

Her face came to my mind.

Forcing myself to choke those memories down, I sloshed down the now
fizzless cola.
 Chapter 2.4

“Hey…”

“…”

The next day, Yuzuki and I met up at my cousin’s café to decide our next
action. At the usual seat, after picking up the drinks we ordered, I touched
her cheek again.

“…Isn’t this more than last time?”

“…”

At my interrogation, she looked away embarrassedly, her cheeks flushed

pink.

Seems that she is self aware. So this is why she looked unusually nervous
when I was about to touch her cheek today.
But still, she’s really easy to fall in love…

“N-no, it’s… that… Sorry.”

“Nah, you don’t have too. Just tell me the reason. That guy’s Aoki, right?” I
questioned.

The latest member of the “Crush List”, Aoki, is of class eight like me.
Pardon my way of putting it, but he isn’t the most memorable guy around.

But if I recall, he’s one of the Yuzuki fan club.

“Why… I don’t know either.” She frowned.

“Don’t know? Something that you’re attracted to, anything?” I continued

probing.

Her frown deepened, “…He picked up my handkerchief for me in the

hallway. We chatted a bit then, nothing in particular before that.”

“His appearance is your type?”

The probability is low, but I asked anyway. And it’s to protect what’s left of
Aoki’s honor.

“I don’t think so… Among people I’ve come to like, their appearance
varied, so…”

“I see…” I noted.

That was true. From the twenty three… No, from the twenty four people in
this list, none of them have something in common in terms of appearance.
Some good-looking, some plain. Some burly, some lanky. In terms of height
or body types, the deviation is also high.

“So is it okay to assume that appearance has no influence? For all of them, I
mean.”

“Perhaps… I think so. But if not then what? Why have I come to like them?
I don’t have the answer…”

“…So you know nothing.”

“Yeah…”
“Hoh…” I let out a breath.

This is going to be more troublesome than I imagined.

“I-I mean… There’s too many of them… And there’s no definite pattern to
liking someone. Besides, the reason I’m asking for your help is precisely
because of this.”

“Well… I suppose that’s true.”

Moreover, I did say it myself that romantic feelings aren’t something you
can control.

She had a point. But just that, the fact that there’s too little data is still there.

“Even if there’s no pattern, surely there must be a reason why you like
them. Like in this case, being treated kindly.”

“I have considered that. But if that’s the reason, then I think the number
would be absurd. Besides…”
“Besides?” I repeated.

“If that’s so, then there’s no way that I wouldn’t… like… you.” Her voice
faded away steadily.

[TN: It’s a bit confusing here, in the later chapters, Io said that didn’t
see himself when he touched Yuzuki, contrary to Yuzuki’s declaration
at the end of chapter 1]

Silence.

“W-well…” I cleared my throat.

“I–o—!” At that moment, a chipper voice suddenly came from beside our
table.

I turned and saw my jolly cousin. An apron over his shirt and denim, his
exuberant grin annoys me to no end.

And he dared show up when it’s the embarrassing moment.

“What do you want?”

“Hey, hey. I’m providing the venue for you. Be nice, will you?”

“Isn’t this a café? We even ordered.”

“Hmmm. Are you sure about saying that? I did look out for that seat?” He
pouted.

“Ah–, I’m sorry. I’m forever grateful–” I pulled my hands up in surrender.

This guy…I did owe him a favor, but he’s always messing around with me.

“So, what are you after?”

“Nahh–, I saw you talking with a girl, so I thought I’d join in,” he chortled.

“What about going back to work? Work?”

“It’s okay, it’s not that busy now.”

Don’t “It’s okay”, your part timers are complaining…

“Ah, um, I’m sorry we stayed here for a long time…” Yuzuki bowed her
head.

She’s thorough when it comes to this, huh? As expected.

“Nope, it’s totally fine, totally fine. This happens all the time, thanks to Io.
Besides, having a cute girl like you like here makes the store seem stylish.”

“Ah, no. Not that much…”

[TN: In Japan, it is a normal practice to deny the praise in order to

show humility]

“Oh! I almost forgot to introduce myself. I’m Akashi Yukito, Io’s cousin
and CEO of this Café Proof.” He flashed another grin.

“You’re just a manager,” I reminded him.

“I had already checked the definition of CEO, I meet qualifications.”

How convenient of you. You just like how that sounds, don’t you.
Yukito is seven years older than me, a cousin from my father’s side. He
knew about my activities as the Angel and was willing to lend me his place
when I needed it, just like now. To be honest, he helped me out a lot.

But it would be great if he stopped these annoying interruptions.

“I’m Yuzuki Minato. I’m Akashi’s friend from school,” she introduced
herself.

“Friends. Hmm, friends, huh?” Yukito put his hand on his chin and bobbed
his head.

“Yukito-san?”

“Whoa. Stop that ‘Yukito-san’, it’s kind of embarrassing.”

“Ah, but…”

“Just call by the first name, Yuzuki–”

“Don’t be silly,” I cut in.

Considering that our surname is the same, the logic’s kinda understandable,
though.

“And if you’re going to call by first name, do it with Io. Ah, and Io too, call
Yuzuki-san by her first name. What a perfect timing.”

“Eehhh?!”

“Hey, Yukito…”

That’s unnecessary…

“‘Io’ is just two letters. Besides, there’d be many more occasions to call
him, so that makes sense, right? And girls can’t call the guy’s first name
one-sidedly.” argued Yukito with the smirkiest grin of the day.

[TN: Description for this is quite lengthy, you can look up here
https://cotoacademy.com/san-sama-kun-and-chan/ if you’re curious]

This is what makes this guy so annoying. He looks like he’s joking around,
but he’s awfully good at logically validating his pranks.

Really…
“There’s no way… We need to talk at school too.”

“It’s not that rare nowadays, right? You always call people by their names,
you don’t like it when it’s your turn?”

[TN: If you pay attention, Io never uses honorifics.]

“Urgh…” I groaned.

“Listen to what your patron says, Io. I’ll be back to check on you, just so
you know.”

“Ha? Oi!”

At that, Yukito went back to work. From the counter, he sent us a jovial
wink.

That guy…I’ll remember this!

“S-so what next?” she asked, baffled. A normal reaction.

“It’s a pain… But Yukito’s serious at times like this. Better follow what he
says, better than listen to his complaints…I guess.”
He’s good at poking at people’s weak points, and even more at getting
people to follow his suggestions. With that in mind, listening to what he
says without resistance is the best solution.

The part timers here too must be troubled. I can imagine their daily
struggles.

“But, I think he’d be satisfied with making fun of me. Earlier, you were just
used by him in order to achieve that. That’s why it’ll be fine if you let me
call me by your first name, you don’t have to call mine.”

He probably won’t corner Yuzuki like he did with me. He tends to keep his
outward appearance good, after all.

“But still, if it’s only you it would be strange, right?” she noted.

“Hm? Nah… Well, it might sound unbalanced, but that’s it. You don’t need
to worry about that,” I refuted

Even though I said that, Yuzuki was deep in thought.

She’s serious, no… upright in a weird way.

“Um, yup. After all, I’ll call you too… by your first name,” she insisted

“U-um, okay…”

“…”

Her face flushed red.

I don’t want to stop her as she says so, but isn’t that pushing herself too
hard?

“Then, what about calling that only when we’re here? Sorry, Minato.”

[TN: Minato is Yuzuki’s first name]

“Hya!…Umm. Uhhh…I-Io!”

Just like how people make contracts in anime, we called each other’s names
once.
Well, it shouldn’t be a big deal. Just change the way we call each other,
that’s it. But the thing is, Yuzuki– Minato– looked squirmy, her cheeks even
redder than before.

“You don’t have to, you know?”

“N-no. It’s okay…! It’s just… I’ve never called a boy by the first name…”
she mumbled in a muffled, fading voice.

That reaction, if you can, stop please…

◆ ◆ ◆

“What are you after?” While wiping the dishes at the counter, I glared at
Yukito who was closing the register.

After that, we discussed our course of action quickly and adjourned. Minato
went home, while I went straight to help out the store until the café closed.

This was one of the conditions for renting the place.

While I do get paid, I was basically called in to fill in shifts as Yukito

wanted.
“Nothing–. I was just trying to support my cute cousin in befriending a
beautiful girl,” he replied.

“What support? Adults don’t play around with high school students. It’s
gross.”

“I’m still young, just twenty three. Unfortunately.” His voice was somber,
his usual glee was nowhere to be found.

Whatever meaning lies in those words, that was for later.

Yukito’s behavior was worse than usual today.

“You’re always helping other people’s love, what about yours? I just want
to shine light into Io’s lonely youth, what’s wrong with that?”

“Yep, totally wrong. You already know that I have yet–”

“Io.” Interrupting my argument, Yukito stared at me.

With his soft smile still on his face, he continued in an admonishing tone.
“You too, wouldn’t it be better if you stop giving that girl special
treatment?”

“…”

“Something painful, you’d be better off if you forget it, you know? You still
have to live on.”

“…Shut up.”

Just shut up, Yukito.

I know. I know this the best.

 Chapter 2.5

Ayaha Interlude

“Say, Io-kun.”

In my memory, that lass said merrily.

Just like the sky and the clouds seen from the rooftop, she was like the
breeze.

“If, hypothetically, okay? If you had some special power, what would you
do?” she asked.

“What’s with that, out of the blue…”

Just like usual, we talked about a lot of things and nothing in particular, just
idle chit-chats.
But to me, the time spent on this rooftop was more important than
everything else.

“The drama I saw the other day was about that. I just wondered what Io-kun
would do,” she elaborated.

“Isn’t that fiction? It’s impossible anyway.”

The topic for today, however, was a bit unsettling.

Because I was the only one who knew that it wasn’t impossible.

“Didn’t I just say so–? I did say ‘if’. Then, what would you do?”

“You mean magic?”

“Um, yep! And supernatural powers! Esper! Psychic!”

“Childish.”

“Hey! I’m older here?!”

“The point is, you’re older but more childish.”

“Hmm? Even though I can make you this excited?”

“Na! Oi!”

I was suddenly pulled by the arms, my heart skipped a beat at the soft
sensation and the sweet smell.

Even though I struggled desperately, she seemed to be enjoying herself.

“Don’t cling to me! You idiot! Hey!”

“Ahaha. You’re so cute, Io-kun. Good boy, good boy.”

“…Damn it.”

Even though she was my Senpai, she was an idiot.

But her appearance was mature, her voice high-pitched yet profound, I
hopelessly fell for her.

“Back to topic, what would you do? Esper Io.”

“Sounds awfully like Esper Ito.”

[TN: Esper Ito, Japanese comedian.]

[TN: Ahahaaa, I’m wheezing. What’s with Io and his obscure

references.]

“Old! Gosh, how old! Io-kun, are you really younger than me?”

“Although you did get it. Besides, it’s just one character difference,” I
pouted.

“Ahh, forget it, forget it. What would you do?”

“So… Supernatural power, for example?”

“Hmm. Well, reading people’s minds , for example!”

“Eh…”

My heart skipped another beat.

But that lass–Ayaha didn’t notice my trepidation as she fixed her gaze on
me, on her face her usual grin.
 Chapter 3.1

Chapter 3: This is not a date

School rooftops are, in most cases, restricted. Both in middle school and
high school.

Kuze High is no exception, usually, students can’t enter. That’s the trick,
usually.

“Heave-ho!”

The girl in front of me exclaimed as she unlocked the key.

Clang. The door swung open easily. The scenery in front of me spread,
dazzling blue sky and the shining sun. The dry wind felt good, and with it,
my weariness from classes dissipated.

[TN: sorry for the interruption, but it seems that my chapters are stolen
again. To support me, please read on Travis Translation.]
“As spacious as ever–” she stretched.

“All thanks to the secret key. Could you return it now?”

“Yup, yup.”

Click. The key clinked as the short-haired girl, Aki Hiura, tossed the key
without turning back to me. I caught it carefully and tucked it into my
pocket.

[TN: The green themed girl in the introduction illust.]

“Hey, be more careful. If it got lost and someone found it, we’d be in
trouble,” I chided

“Nah, you don’t need to worry,” Hiura assured nonchalantly.

She checked around a bit before she sat down. The way she crossed her legs
made her short skirt dangerously almost visible.

“Don’t look.” She frowned.

“Then don’t let me see.”

“Sexy, aren’t I?”

“More of sensitive”

[TN: transliteration of “sensitive” is used in the raw. If I’m to guess,

this “sensitive” means to be easily embarrassed.]

“Here, a peek.”

“Stop!”

Good grief.

If I were to give a short description of my number one friend, Aki Hiura, it

would be “Free spirited manly girl”.

To make it easier to understand, the exact opposite of Yuzuki, no Minato.

Outspoken and frank, I respected how her attitude remains the same, no
matter who she’s talking to. However, she is also like this in front of
teachers and seniors, many were also displeased with her.
In short, troublesome. Well there’s nothing left to say unless I repeat again,
so that’s it. I’ll try emphasizing her strong points.

“But anyway, you’re not going around doing that right?” I asked her back.

“Nothing to worry about, I have leggings. Here.” Her hands reached for her
skirt.

“Didn’t I just say stop?!”

For a healthy high school boy, just a pair of leggings and thighs are enough!
And I’m not saying what’s enough!

Normally, she’s a helpful person… But actually, besides her personality,

Hiura is quite awesome for a highschool girl.

After all, she is extremely athletic. Despite the dainty image, she is the top
of the female physical education in the school year. She was the only girl to
participate in the boy’s relay race at last year’s sports festival.

No, it was her fault the “Male Class Representative’s Serious Relay”
changed its name to “Male and Female Indiscriminate Class
Representative’s Serious Relay”.

[TN:I did my best to translate the name;-;]

Based on her running speed, she is inferior to that of the boys, but her baton
pass was another level. In fact, seven men plus Hiura is faster than eight
men.

“The name says ‘Serious’ but doesn’t let someone like me play? How is
that serious?”, the legendary words of wisdom that Hiura uttered at that
time are still passed down until today. In addition to her physical abilities,
she possesses outstanding athletic skills. That was Aki Hiura.

And also, being even more skilled than third year students, she’s the
reigning ace of the tennis club. Since the first year, she even won first place
in a tournament among tennis club members.

She was demanded by many clubs. But, as expected of a free spirit, she
brushed them off with a single word, “Troublesome.”.

As a man, I can’t help but admire her swagger.

In addition, she has a pretty figure, girlish eyes and nose, things that didn’t
match her personality at all. In short, another beauty. Other than her
crudeness, she has no notable flaw. And maybe that’s why she was easily
antagonized.

From the bag she was carrying, she took out yakisoba bread, cream buns,
and strawberry au lait.
I followed her suit, arranging my own lunch on the floor.

“So, what’s your intel? Anything useful?” I asked.

“Nahh, nothing,” she shrugged.

“Hey! I paid in advance!”

“Ahh, how annoying,” She rolled her eyes. “I’m joking. Who do you think I
am?”

“I’m worried because it’s you.”

“Oh? Wanna fight?” Hiura showed her yaeba teeth as she balled her fists.

Since I usually lose anyway, I don’t like where this is going. I’m, after all,
against violence.

Hiura is one of the few people who knows that I am the Angel of Kuze
High. Not only that, she also assists me by providing information through
her wide network of connections.
Except for my power, I’m an ordinary person, there’s a limit to workload I
can handle and time I have. Thus, collaborators are essential to the Angel’s
activities.

However, the condition was that I buy her an au lait as a payment. She
seems to like it a lot.

“No extra random gossip today. Forgive me for that,” she began her report.

“Ah. And what about the person I asked?”

Hiura would usually investigate love affairs of the entire school. Since she
has a diverse circle of acquaintances, her gathering capability is quite
impressive.

But today was different, I asked her to focus on a single person. I want to
respect her privacy, but there are things that you can’t glean from the person
herself.

“Yuzuki Minato, second year, class seven, go-home club. In the latest
examination ranked fourth in overall grades, A in physical education,” she
listed.
“Haa… I kinda expected that, but she sure is high spec.”

“Times she had been confessed too: twelve confirmed. Boyfriend during
highschool: zero. Very popular, she assumed the title of ‘Kuze High’s Top
Three’ this year. Her cup size–”

“Stop!”

“E”

“Don’t!… Really?”

“Yep, serious.”

I see… So she’s packing… No, stop it, Io. Don’t touch this topic any
further.

But still, for Hiura to know about such things…

By the way, the “Kuze High’s Top Three” is just what the name implies, a
title for the top three popular girls among the boys, regardless of school
year.
For some reason, Kuze High has a reputation for having a high percentage
of beautiful girls. And those girls are real beauty, no joke.

The members are not decided by anyone, and they are referred to in
common parlance. Although there are rumors about the rank authorizing
body being secretly run by a group of students.

Along with the Angel of Kuze High, some students call this “The two urban
legends of Kuze High”. They are my rivals. Hm… maybe not.

[TN:What’s with this school and rumors? And that naming too, lol]

“Her closest friend: Fumiya Shiho…No, she’s the only one she has a proper
relationship with. The rest are more or less shallow, she can talk with them,
that’s it. Fujimiya also went to the same middle school, but—” she frowned.

“But?”

“They’re from another prefecture. I heard that they went to a middle school
in Kyoto. But I haven’t been able to find any more information on this.”

“Kyoto…How strange. We are a public school here right?”

“Wanna dig further?”

“Hmm…No. I’ll ask you to if necessary, but until then.”

It should have nothing to do with this case. Besides, she herself doesn’t
seem to be fond of that time. If possible, I wanted to avoid this.

As if remembering something, she added, “and about the ‘Kuze High’s Top
Three’, she was disliked by a group of people.”

“Hm? Why is that?”

From what I know of her, she didn’t seem like the kind of guy to be
disliked. Although I did get why she has a few friends.

“First is plain envy, and the latter grudges. Grudge against Yuzuki for
stealing their crushes. These are from the girl’s side.”

“Oh, I see…”

“For the guys it’s a bit stupid. They think–”

“Yuzuki-chan was leading them on.” From behind, a voice interrupted
Hiura.

When I turned around, my number two friend, Reiji Miwa, walked in with
his hands clasped behind his head.
 Chapter 3.2

Reiji sat down and pulled out a curry bun from his bag. His brown two
block cut hair and his flashy, well-groomed hace was attention grabbing
again today. His earrings reflected light at his ear. Since Kuze High is quite
liberal, piercings are not prohibited, and thus Reiji’s not a delinquent.
Although he’s quite an idiot.

By the way, Reji knows the Angel’s true identity, just like Hiura. Though
Reiji isn’t a collaborator, he is knowledgeable in love affairs and human
relations, so he is of help sometimes.

However, I hadn’t told them about my power. If there’s no necessity, then

let’s keep things that way.

“You finished your business?” I asked.

“Yeah. We’re dating.”

“As always…”
He was late today because a junior called him out. And as usual, he was
confessed, then accepted easily, everything was over in an impossible
speed.

Well, it doesn’t matter. There’s no point in being judgemental, and I’m not
planning to. He’ll probably break up soon, again. It was hopeless the
moment I heard the girl’s name.

[TN: sorry for the interruption, but my chapters are still stolen, again. To
support me, please read on Travis Translation.]

“So, ‘leading them on’?” I brought the topic back.

For some reason, it sounded like it had more meaning to it.

“Well, Yuzuki-chan’s quite cold, right? Or maybe calm and collected?

Anyway, you can’t read her feelings and she seems smart.”

“Hmm…Yeah.”

Her first impression was indeed like that. But now that I know her more,
getting immediately flustered or embarrassed like that, she’s quite
emotionally expressive.
“But when you get to know her, she’s a real dere,” Reiji went on.

[TN: Dere as in deredere]

“D-dere?”

What’s with that rom-com vocab…

“To put it simply, she gives them hope. She’s usually cool, but she would
start blushing when talking with them. That gives the boys ‘Maybe she likes
me?’ moment”

“Hm…”

Somehow, I could see it happening. That’s an understandable situation…

from both Minato’s perspective and the guy’s.

“But when it comes to confession, it was a straight no. That, in one move,
made them antagonistic. Just like what Hiura said.”

“A bunch of nonsense, you stupid men. Pushed your own luck and then
came back lamenting.” Hiura added before chugging her strawberry au lait.

“Ahaha,” Reiji laughed in response.

Yeah, a bunch of nonsense.

But in that regard, Minato herself must have liked them. She just couldn’t
hide her feelings well, which leads to this.

Coming to that conclusion, I did feel sympathetic for those boys.

“Hm. You’re strangely knowledgeable about this, Reiji,” I commented.

“Don’t tell me Miwa’s one of those simpletons?”

“Nah–smart girls are not my type. But I do understand their feelings. With
their cheap pride trampled, they become antagonistic. This is the problem
with the unpopular guys.”

He shook his head as if to say “good grief”, then proceeded to chomp down
the remaining curry bun.

Hiura changed her posture from cross-legged and said, “Well, that’s all
about Yuzuki. Both famous and infamous, if the balance tipped, she might
fall back to Plus Four.”

Please stop that, I could almost see again.

“Is that so…”

“Plus Four”, additional ranking of the four most popular girls after Kuze’s
Top Three. Just like the Kuze’s Top Three, a common name by the students.

And by the way, aren’t you enjoying this too much, Kuze High students?
What is this even? Backlash against intense study?

[TN:I’m glad someone pointed this out]

“Whoah. Then isn’t this interesting? Our Hiura might finally rank up.”
After swallowing his bread, Reiji mentioned playfully.

Nothing to hide, Aki Hiura here is also one of the Flus Four. She’s not in
the same league as Minato, but she’s another high-spec beauty nonetheless.

“Over my dead body. Don’t.” She rolled her eyes.

“Want it or not, it’s the end of the line if you’re selected, right?”

“Yep, yep. You can’t escape your destiny,” assented Reiji.

“It’s annoying just as it is. Make me a Top Three, I’ll track down that
authorizing body and make them pay.” Death reflected in her eyes.

Kuzu’s Top Three, Plus Four… titles of honor, longed by boys and girls
alike… and whatsoever.

Well, titles like these are many things, including a pain.

I’m not sure whether you exist or not, but I won’t recommend offending
Princess Hiura, authorizing body or not.

“Anyway, thanks, Hiura. You helped me out. If you found out something
new, please let me know.”

“Hey, hey.”

I had just finished eating my bread and was collecting Hiura’s and Reiji’s
trash into a bag.

I did gain more information on her, but still no clue about the cause of the
Falling-in-love Peculiarity. So I need to make some assumptions along the
way, huh?
“By the way, Io. Why– are you looking into Yuzuki-chan? Hm?” Reiji said
with a sly grin.

This guy…despite already knowing the answer…

“It’s my work. Just like always.”

“Nah–. You might be making it seem like that, but actually trying to get her
yourself. That’s a power abuse, you know?”

“Reiji.” I pronounced.

“Oops. Don’t get angry. If it’s not then just say so.”

“Then it’s not.”

“Hm. How boring.”

Good grief, this guy…

Reiji, as if he had lost interest, lied down. Hiura was already fiddling with
her phone while yawning in a surprisingly cute manner.
“There’s one thing, of different matter, I wanted to ask.” I stressed the
“different”. They just directed their eyes at me. “Falling in love with
multiple people. What do you think it’s about?”

“Multiple?” Reji immediately asked.

“Well… Ten to twenty. Unusual number of that magnitude.”

“Bitch. If male then an ape.” That was Hiura. The way she talked was no
longer girly. Maybe now is too late to expect that.

“I mean, isn’t it simple? I mean, it’s just a matter of that guy’s style?”

“Dunno. Not something a virgin like me would know.” Hiura shook her
head in resignation.

“Wait! You! Idiot! A girl shouldn’t talk like that!”

“Heh? Hiura, you’re a virgin?”

“Yup”
“Oi! Don’t ask! And don’t just answer!”

Even though I yelled at them, they were deft to my scolding.

Gosh…It’s as if I’m the crazy one here…

“So…Your opinion? Reiji.”

“What’s there to it? That guy’s easy to fall in love, just that.”

“Well…Maybe you’re right. But why is it happening?”

“That kind of thing is happening?” he returned a question, a dangerous one,

that.

“Ah, no… Hypothetical.”

“Hypothetical, huh?”

[TN: Give my man a peace of mind. Io’s stress this week increased
exponentially, lol]
Reiji contemplated the idea a bit more, before shrugging. Dunno, the
gesture reminded me of that word.

So Reiji too… Well, another thing to add to the list of don’t-knows.

Well…I guess it can’t be helped.

“But there are so many cute girls out there, to choose one out of them, that’s
just impossible~. It’s not a bad thing, as long as it’s not an affair.”

“So that’s the only thing that concerns you… Hahh.”

“I’m serious about everything~”

After that, our conversation turned to the afternoon classes.

 Chapter 3.3

After school, we met up again at Yukito’s café.

However, the café was filled to the brim with customers that day, so I was
called in by Yukito to help until the flood of customers calmed. After an
hour of serving and taking orders, I returned to our usual table, Minato was
waiting there.

“Sorry, but you could have gone home today. I must have wasted your time
sitting here.” I sat down.

“No, I came all the way here. Actually, I’m a bit guilty about using your
table the whole time…”

“It’s nothing, the people today wasn’t that much. There was no waiting line,
so nothing to worry about.”

“Oh, really?”
When I nodded, Minato let out a small breath of relief. As upright as ever.

“You were studying?”

English textbooks and notes sprawled on the table. Both had a lot of writing
on it and pages were worn.

“I heard that your grades are good, you’re studying properly after all.”

“It’s nothing, I’m not a genius. Besides, everyone at Kuze’s smart.” Minato
replied somewhat uncomfortably.

I suppose that’s true. However, not everyone has the will to work hard to go
to the next level. There are many temptations in life, especially in high
school.

“Akashi… Io, how are yours?”

“Well then, let’s start today’s session”

“Somehow… I got the picture.”

She saw right through me. It’s okay, getting into Kuze high is good enough
for me.

By the way, she still continues to call me by my name. As expected, it was

still embarrassing.

Then, just like before, I touched her cheek once to discern any changes.
There were no additions this time, but I did discover a new trend.

“It decreased.”

“Eh?… R-really?” She said with mixed feelings painted on her face.

I checked again, but the result was the same. Comparing the faces to the
note, I found the missing one. Matsumoto who was rejected a while before.

“Umm… Farewell, Matsumoto. We won’t forget you.” I crossed his name

out.

“W-when…?”

“You’re not even aware of this?”

“Y-yeah…Until now, the number decreases now and then when I’m not
paying attention…”

“Hmm”

Well, it’s not like it could increase endlessly.

Besides, pinpointing when affection recedes or disappears, it’s not

something a normal person could do too.

“Of course, just in case, any idea of what causes it?”

“Um… No.”

Of course– You don’t even know why you like them in the first place. What
am I expecting? In short, no progress.

[TN: The “Of course–” is sassier in the raws]

“So that means we don’t know the reason, and even preference in liking
someone.”

“So… What next?”

“I need more data,” I decided.

She tilted her head anxiously.

“Data…?”

“Yesterday, Aoki’s handkerchief incident told us that the length of the

relationship doesn’t matter. You haven’t talked to him before, right?” I
asked to make sure.

“Y-yup” she nodded.

“Then, when you like more people, we can narrow down the criteria a little
more. These samples will lead us the way.”

It was now difficult to obtain any accurate information from the people she
had already liked. With that, this option was the best. This is a game of
numbers.

“W-wait! That means you want me to increase the number?” She fretted in
alarm.

“Yeah”
“B-but! Isn’t that a complete turnaround?!” She protested, her glare on me.

But I quickly cut her off.

“No, your logic is the turnaround.”

Her eyes widened.

“Your goal is not to reduce the number, but to cure the Falling-in-love
Peculiarity itself,” I state calmly.

“That’s…”

“Of course, I know it’s hard to be positive. Falling in love isn’t that
convenient. But to move forward, we must make mistakes. But those
mistakes are meaningful.”

Minato seemed troubled, her eyes casted down, her mouth pressed thin.

She must have understood what I meant. Even so, she still couldn’t make up
her mind. That’s the stage she’s in.
“And I do believe that those mistakes are worth it. If you really don’t want
to, then it’s your choice. But I’m sure you want to be cured.”

Silence.

Maybe I could have used the “I’ll do anything”.

But that was something that ties to her feelings directly. If possible, I want
her to make her own decision. Otherwise, she might get lost in the process
and end up regretting it.

I kept quiet and waited for her reply. Around me, I could hear the clattering
of dishes and the faint murmurs of the other customers.

When the jazz track Yukito put on ended, she finally answered.

“Got it… I’ll do as you said.”

“Okay…”

She nodded slowly.

Having them decide for themselves, that’s the best.

“Um… I’m wondering…”

“Hm?”

“You’re always like this?”

“Always?”

Always? What?

“You see… During Angel’s consultations.”

“Oh…”

So that was what she meant.

“Somehow, you’re desperate… no, serious. It’s not even your problem.”
“Of course. If I’m not, I won’t go as far as playing up the rumors. Romantic
feelings aren’t something to be taken lightly. I don’t want to take on
something like this with half-hearted determination.”

“Oh…”

She replied curtly then huffed and turned away. I stared at her profile as she
looked around the cafe and blinked two, three times.

The conversation took an awkward turn. The itch to cover up the earlier
statement was unbearable, so I added, “Well, I usually hide my gender, use
voice change, and a tad bit flowery lingo. Respectful and authoritative,
that’s what I aim for. And I use gender neutral “Watashi” as the first person
too.”

[TN: The aforementioned different versions of “I”]

“Duh… I can’t care more…”

“Oi, take that back. And don’t sigh.”

“Huh… Is that so, hahh…”

“Hey. Don’t talk between sighs.”

My gibe got a quick smirk out of her as she shrugged innocently.
 Chapter 3.4

The next morning, we got to work right away.

“Yo, Machida.”

“Woah, Akashi. What’s up?”

First of all, Minato is now trying to approach the boys more actively. Of
course, it was to make her like more people. But since she seemed like she
could freeze up any moment, and that was even before she began talking, I
told her to relax. But I just can’t let her be, so…

“Well, there’s a thing–”

“What? What a weird guy.”

In contrast to her task, mine was simple. In short, to monitor her as she
carries out the plan.
That was why I’m here, second year class seven, Minato’s class, standing
by. Incidentally, this Machida is a fellow who was in the same class with me
last year. This time, I intended to use him as a placeholder during the
operation. I’m from another class, afterall.

“Ah! You’re here for Yuzuki? How cute–.” His dubious face broke into a
grin.

“Ah, nope. Well, the truth is… I’m kinda curious.”

He probably meant it as a joke, but that’s exactly what I’m waiting for.

He exclaimed in surprise, his eyes shooting sparks all over. “Eeh?! Really?
You’re not the type to take interest in a girl. I’m shocked.”

“I’m interested–, a lot, at that. Besides, she’s different.”

“Well, I can see why. Hmm… got it, got it.” He crossed his arms, satisfied.

I’m grateful he believed that, but sometimes, he could be a bit too much.
But it’s all thanks to you that I can come here without being suspicious.
Sorry for taking advantage of you, Machida
“She’s here, Yuzuki. Look, there,” he called.

When I followed his finger, Minato was already at her seat, radiating her
sparkling aura as ever.

Wait, why are you there…

Then, she slowly turned this way. When our eyes met, her head quickly
lurched back to its original position. Compared to a second before, her
expression stiffened visibly.

“Whoa? Did she just look this way? You might have a chance after all?”

“Dunno.”

Nope, she just noticed my presence, then panicked, now that there’s no way
back for her now.

I scanned people around Minato absentmindedly, while grunting a few

responses to Machida’s questions.
A few boys looked at her from afar. There were also a few girls too. All the
expressions and looks on their faces varied.

This might be a bit too hard for her… So this is the normal atmosphere for
her, huh? Having good looks could be a bit of a bother.

Suddenly, she stood up, then awkwardly approached a group of boys and
girls mixed nearby. Both Minato and the group seemed nervous. But after a
while, the conversation flowed normally and the atmosphere relaxed.

A wave of relief washed over me as I sighed.

Why do I feel like a parent watching their kid on their first day of school…

“Huh? Yuzuki-san, that’s unusual. She’s usually with Fujimiya-san.”

“Fujimiya?”

That said, I already knew her from Hiura yesterday. Fujimiya Shiho,
Minato’s best friend.

“Ah, she’s here.”

Following Machida’s gaze, I looked at the entrance.

Chestnut-colored medium hair curled loosely inward, under her neatly

trimmed bangs, round red-rimmed glasses. Behind them her bright slanted
eyes scanned the room quickly. Her round outline and her short height
contributed to her cute appearance. She had the impression of a quiet yet
gorgeous girl.

She was a friend of Minato’s so she was quite noticeable. No, that has
nothing to do with this.

She dropped her bag at her seat and immediately joined Minato. Like
Minato, she joined the conversation.

Perhaps because of her arrival, Minato became more relaxed.

“Fujimiya-san is kinda cute too–. Actually, she’s more of my type,”

daydreamed Machida.

“She’s pretty. And she seems to be strong-willed too.”

She’s calm and serene, but somehow I feel that way. The quiet fervor type?
“That’s the best part〜. That plainess was exquisite, ahhh. She’s always
next to Yuzuki-san, so she doesn’t stand out, but I think she could rise to
Plus Four if she wants to.”

“Hmm. Flus Four, huh.”

Well, by popularity, she seems to fare better than Hiura. But if it’s just looks
then they’re a good match.

“Ahhh. I want to get the Angel’s letter too–. And then, you know, with
Fijimiya-san–” his daydream continued.

“Machida… do you believe in those rumors?”

“Well, isn’t it interesting! Besides, it seems authentic. By my feeling, that

is.”

“Hmph. That’s unexpected.”

Thanks, Machida. But well, I don’t plan to send a letter to you. For various
reasons.
“Hehh–. You’re those unbelievers?”

“I’m with those uninterested guys.”

“The most boring of all choices–”

I’m sorry for being boring. But I’m safest with this stance, as the Angel
himself.

After that, nothing of note happened and the first period came around.

For today, no, for a while, I will continue this kind of monitoring.

Heavy footed, I left class seven. Before I duck out, I glanced at Minato.
Secretly, we nodded encouragingly to each other.

◆ ◆ ◆

The same day, I left my class and visited her during lunch break. While
making random responses to Machida’s prattling, I watched her.
She was probably aware of me and she was properly interacting with a
variety of people. As serious as ever.

“Yuzuki-san doesn’t belong to any club, right? So what are you doing at
home?” One of the boys asked with keen interest.

A group of three boys, five including Minato and Fujimiya, were engaging
in a small talk.

“U-umm… Well, the usual. Reading books, watching TV shows, and so

on.”

“Hm? Watching TV shows? That’s unexpected,”

“R-really?”

“Yup, Yup. You look like the type to only read books–” Another guy
agreed.

Yeah, I think the same thing too. And she’s probably studying too, but she’s
not saying it.
“But, you go out with me often, don’t you?” This time, it was Fujimiya.
Hugging Minato’s arm, she joined the conversation with a smile on her
face.

“By the way, you two get along well. You were in the same class last year?”

“Yup. Minato here doesn’t have many friends, so I’m quite worried about
not being together.”

“Hey, stop it, Shiho!”

 Chapter 3.5

At her sheepish reaction, everyone laughed.

Just according to the intel from Machida, Fujimiya was always at Minato’s
side, just like now. But it wasn’t that one of them was following the other
around, their hearts seemed to connect, their bond was that deep.

Whatever she was doing, whoever she talked to, Minato and Fujimiya came
in a set.

“Eh? Then, let’s be friends, Yuzuki-chan! Tell me your LINE! LINE!”

[TN: LINE, a popular messaging app in Asia]

“Me too, me too–”

“Um… ‘Kay. Then… here.”

She hesitated a bit before handing her phone to them. Her commitment sees
no end.

But of course, this is not something bad. Expanding her connection and
getting to know more people would surely increase the number of people
she likes. That’s her–our– current goal.

By the way, the boys whooped and were waving their phones around
excitedly. The hollering got the attention of the other guys around.

It’s purely my own personal judgment, but this seems to be going well.

“Damn, they got it before you.” From the side, Machida said with a
knowing grin.

Too bad, that wasn’t the case. We already had each other’s LINE since the
day she discovered me. No, I’m not showing off.

“But Yuzuki-san, what’s wrong with her? She hadn’t talked to anyone until
now.”

“That kind of small talk should be normal?” Yes, this is a feigned

ignorance.
“Unn–, Maybe–”

He cocked his head curiously while looking at Minato.

From the situation, she had probably refrained from interactions with other
people to decrease the number. However, her action, and also motive, was
the complete opposite from before. So it was inevitable that people would
suspect something. In fact, Machida already had.

I know you’re not eager to do this, but please, Minato.

“Well–, compared to the unapproachable version, now’s way better. At least

I think so.” He threw his body back against the chair.

“Aren’t you a Fujimiya Fan?”

“If I have to choose, that is! But cute girls are still cute at the end of the
day!”

“Understood,” I replied dryly.

“Ah! But I’m not going to be your rival, so rest assured, Akashi–” That
knowing grin again.
Even though it’s for the sake of the operation, he’s getting more annoying
by the day…

◆ ◆ ◆

I called her to the cafe after school and checked once. This was to evaluate
today’s operation.

If there was someone, then we would get to identifying. After that, we

would list that guy’s interaction with her. She might have slipped
something, so that will be where my observation came in.

“S-so?”

She kept her head down all the while I compared the list.

“Oh, there’s one.”

“I knew it…”

So she’s aware of it.

“Hahh,” she sighed.

“It’s that guy. The guy that asked you what you usually do at home.”

“So it’s Inada-kun… Nghh…” She groaned as she plopped down on the
table.

This was our objective, so this is a complete success. Although I understand

how she couldn’t feel happy about it.

“At any rate, good job on the first one, Minato.”

“I’m tired… Really…”

“Actually, you’re more compliant than I thought. I’m surprised. And you’re
getting results too.”

“I mean…It’s my problem. So it’s my duty to…” Her head was still

plopped down. She really seemed worn out.
I wish I could ease things up a little, but until a satisfactory result comes
out, we’re stuck with this.

“So you don’t understand the reason for this time too?” I asked, just in case.

“Yup… But we only talked, something must have happened there…”

“Even though you said that, it was just a normal conversation.”

“We exchanged contacts…” From the gap of her arms peeked at the phone
on the table.

“So you liked him because he asked you LINE?”

“W-wait!” she shouted, but then stammered, “I’m not so sure either… But I
don’t think so…”

Hmm. Well, if that’s the case, then it would probably be too much, wouldn’t
it? But we can’t just disregard the idea too. For now, note that down, just in
case.

“By the way, have you chatted?”

“Uh, yeah… A little.” Her face turned red again.

Despite that, her lips curled into a smile. I don’t mean to put it this way, but
that was certainly an expression of a maiden in love, the only difference
being the number of people she fell in love with.

“And? What have you talked about?”

“He invited me to hang out sometime…”

Whoah. That’s a fastball.

They seemed to be normies too, being proactive was probably in their

nature. That’s a good thing.

“Just the two of you?”

“N-no! Several of us, a get-together.”

Hmm, a get-together. Definitely sus.

Well considering the time of the year, it wasn’t absurd.

“So, Io… How should I respond?” She said meekly.

“Hm? A bit hard for an observation here. So operation-wise I don’t advise

you to. Of course, that’s just advice. If it’s really a get-together, then you
should go, they’re your classmates.”

“Is that so…” She was deep in thought, putting her hand to her well-shaped
chin.

“Well, I’ll leave it to you. Do whatever you want.”

“Y-yup, got it. I’ll give it a thought”

Minato opened her phone and started typing. With her eyes on her phone,
her expression was quite hard to read.

But, hmm, a get-together…

◆ ◆ ◆
The next day too, she carried out the plan dutifully. She went on talking
with different people, even those who she wasn’t particularly friendly with.
That must have been exhausting, since she sometimes returned to slump at
her seat.

I already know she’s like this, but this is more stoic than I thought. Given
my previous consultations, most of them are pretty stubborn. They lacked
the courage, froze up from time to time.

I really wanted them to learn from her.

Needless to say, to make the most of her efforts, I went to class seven as
much as allowed. Listened to Machida’s prattle, observed Minato’s
surroundings, and memorized events.

I couldn’t just slack off, just so you know.

“You come here pretty often–. To do this much, quite dedicated you are.”

“Maybe. I’m head over heels for her.”

At lunch, while munching on the bread I bought, I watched her.

Minato and Fujimiya, along with a group of boys and girls, were enjoying
their own lunch. Her popularity really shows in times like this, she was
welcomed no matter which group she visited.

But there was one thing that piques my interest.

“Y-Yuzuki-san, have you finished the fifth period’s math assignment?” One
of the boys asked.

He was my consultant, Makino Kousuke.

“Yeah. The two pages exercise, right?”

“Yup, that one. Um… I have something I don’t understand, mind

explaining?”

“Eh? Ok. But I’m not really confident myself…”

“Really? Thanks!”
And their conversation came to an end. They were both conspicuously
blushing.

“Ah, that Makino guy there, he’s usually mature and quiet, but he’s like that
only when he talks with Yuzuki-san.” In front of me, Machida whispered.

“Hmph…”

“From my reading, he likes her. And quite serious, by that, you know? Isn’t
he your rival?”

“Maybe”

I haven’t talked to him much lately, but he’s working hard too, it seems.
Besides, he’s on the list too. Strange as it may sound, their affection was
mutual.

As expected… I can’t just choose one of them.

After that, they brought out their books and exchanged notes. No doubt,
Makino, and then unexpectedly, Minato too, were bashful. They were on
cloud nine, bringing their faces closer and closer.
Just like what Reiji said, she was “leading them on”.

Well, there’s no helping that. But she had no bad intentions, she really felt
the same way as them, she was just bad at hiding it.

“Hahh… First of all, this is troubling”

My sigh was too quiet for even Machida to hear.

 Chapter 3.6

One thing came to mind.

[Are you free this Sunday?]

The moment I sent the message, the “read” quickly popped up. Her reply
was also fast.

[I’m free. But why?]

[Wanna go out somewhere together?]

The read receipt was there, however, no reply came. Hahh, she’s probably
misunderstood. I can’t just leave out the explanation because it’s long,
right?

[I’ll call you]

After sending the message, I called her. The call reang for three–four times.
Didn’t she just chat with me? What’s taking her so long?

–“Hello?”

“Mornin’”

–“All of the sudden… Two of us? Why…?”

“Something crossed my mind. If we limit the scale to just school, the data
would be unbalanced.”

–“Eh?”

Here’s what I mean. If we limit it to the boys at school, there might be some
elements missing.

An experiment that satisfies the conditions of her having a brief contact

with a variety of people and within my monitoring range. My wording
might be rude, but to do so, we needed to go out somewhere.

“How is it? What a brilliant idea, isn’t it?”

By the way, I got the keyword from Inada’s “get-together”. Going out might
even give us some clue.

–“I-in theory, I kinda understand…”

“And?”

“But that’s a… da–”

“Hn? … Yup, well, by definition, a date.”

–“Fueh?!”

[TN:Smoothest date invite ever.]

What kind of voice is she making?

“Wait, just by definition? If our intention isn’t like that, it shouldn’t be any
problem, right? We are gathering data for your case.”
It’s not that I wasn’t bothered. But that doesn’t change anything, we’ve got
work to do.

–“G-Got it! But…um…”

“Yeah?”

–“It’s my first, so I don’t know how it should go…”

“I told you it’s not a date! Don’t think anything and just come!”

Good grief… I was trying to not be conscious about it, why won’t you
cooperate… I’m nervous too, you know.

◆ ◆ ◆

And then the day came.

We met up in front of the central ticket gate of JR Kyoto station, the exit
with the Kyoto Tower on the side.
As I fiddled with my phone, a voice called, “Sorry for the wait”

“Um, hi.”

I intentionally moved up one stop and arrived a little earlier than Minato.
By the way, it took me only ten minutes from my house to here. Twenty
from Kuze High via the Keihan Line. The Kyoto station was just that close
to Shiga Prefecture.

[TN: I have never been there myself, and using Google Maps didn’t
help, so there might be some errors in directories]

Shiga Prefecture was secretly amazing. The distance from Kyoto secured its
position as a B-class city. It’s a different story if you go to the other side of
Lake Biwa though.

No, this is not the time.

“I’ve already finished my lunch, is that okay?” She asked.

“Oh, yep, I don’t mind.”

How do I explain Minato in casual clothes? Well, firstly, beautiful.

Gorgeous white blouse with wide cuffs and a large bow at her collar. The
long pale green split skirt that gave an occasional glimpse of her calves was
dazzling. The black bag across her shoulder also added accent to her overall
look. Although simple, her outfit catches people’s attention without being
obnoxious.

In addition, to avoid being recognized by any familiar faces, she wore a

pink mask and stylish glasses. Even with half of her face obscured, she had
an overwhelming presence.

Indeed, an appearance worthy of Kuze High’s Top Three.

By the way, I wore a black mask too. But there was nothing interesting
about me, so I’ll leave it at that.

“Let’s go”

“Yeah…”

Somewhat awkward, we started walking side by side. Along the main road,
we headed north along the main street toward our first destination.

“So, nothing to focus in particular, right?”

“Yup,” I replied, “Go shopping normally and go home. The number of
people you like, increase or not, it will be a hint anyway. We’re eliminating
possibilities one by one here.”

Yes, the purpose of going out today was to get hints for the Falling-in-love
Peculiarity. This isn’t a date. But despite that, we couldn’t just walk around,
that would be a waste of time. That was why we decided to accompany
each other as we went shopping.

First was my turn. My target was earphones.

“I’m going all out today, just wait for me, earphones.”

“You’re an earphone geek?” Did I sound that eager?

“Kinda, well, mostly it’s for work.”

As the Yodobashi Camera’s escalator carried us up, she asked.

[TN:I think this should be it:

https://images.app.goo.gl/ULNjYpsbGTzeg5J68]

“‘Work’? You mean as the Angel?”

“Yup. Specifically, it’s one of the excuses for touching the target’s face
naturally.”

When we reached the wireless section, I quickly ran my eyes over the
displayed earphones. The types of earphone was its own mystery, but I have
my own way of choosing.

“The expensive and rare ones are easier to lend.” I said as I inspected one of
them.

“Aah, so that’s what you meant.”

“Yup. I brought up the topic about earphones and steered my way to it.
‘Wanna try?’, and then when they are satisfied, I reach to take it off. If my
hand could graze the slightest of their faces, it’s mission complete.”

“That’s some creativity…”

“Trial and error. Pretending to brush something from their hair’s convenient
too, but that would raise suspicion.”

Excuses for touching the target’s face, the more the better. I’m carrying a lot
of risks here.
Well, that Minato found out, that’s a special case.

“Bone conduction or noise canceling types are the best. Most people
wanted to try them. They’re expensive, though. Thanks to that, whatever’s
left of my already little part time wages are gone too.”

“Eh? You’re…spending all your money on these?”

“Strictly speaking, not all. But a good chunk of it, though. Investment in my
work isn’t something I’d regret… Damn, this one’s two thousand yen !”

“Um…Why do you go to such lengths?”

I was gawking at the price tag when she asked.

“To such lengths?” I repeated.

“I think I had asked once before too. How you spend your money, how
serious you are. You’re strangely earnest. I’m curious about that…”

“…”
I suppose that would be a normal response to my attitude.

Well then, how do I answer?

“I honestly didn’t expect you to be this serious when I asked for your help.
Although I did have high hopes for the Angel and that rumored power.”

“I’m happy you think like that. But, well, how do I explain… It’s my
policy. Obsession, maybe. No, you just ask why am I so obsessed…”

“Is this… one of the things you don’t want to say?”

“Well, something like that. I think this is not the place to talk about such
things. Please just forget it.”

That wasn’t even an excuse, just plain refusal to talk. But I think this is
better than beating around the bush stubbornly.

Besides, if it’s Minato…

“Got it. Sorry I asked you something unnecessary.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m the one keeping things from you, sorry.”

Asking about the other side while keeping yours secret. I usually do this in
normal cases, but being face to face like this only made it worse.

But she didn’t seem to mind at all. Instead, she was studying one of the
high-quality earphones in the showcase. Her face was unconcerned, as if
she had forgotten about the earlier conversation.

I’m grateful for your attitude, Minato.

 Chapter 3.7

“Hmm, my earphones are the one that came with my phone, should I buy a
new one?” She picked up one of them.

“If there’s no problem then you don’t have to. Do you listen to a lot of
music or videos?”

“No. Maybe some music once in a while, but the cords tend to tangle in my
hair, so I usually don’t.”

“Hn? So there’s such a disadvantage to long black hair every man yearns
for.”

“Maybe not for everyone with long hair, but at least for me.” She then tried
on one of the samples. “And what’s that ‘every man yearns for’” she added.
The dark red of the earphones suits her well. Although she did seem to have
trouble putting it on.

“How about I give you one? I have one left.”

“Eh?” She turned this way sharply.

“I have an out of use wireless earphone. It’s quite cheap, so don’t think
much about it.”

“Is that okay? Really?”

“Yup. I brought it online, but they don’t quite fit my ears. They’re wireless,
so it might be easier to put on.”

“‘Kay… Thanks, I’ll take it.”

Minato nodded, her eyes narrowed a litte. I couldn’t see her mouth because
of the mask, but she was probably smiling. Somehow, I felt worse.

Sorry for not telling you, hope this could make up for that, sorry, Minato.

In the end, I brought the new JBL noise canceling waterproof earphones. It
cost me 15,000 yen, my first splurge in a long while. I needed to fill in more
shifts again, it seemed.
Then we took the elevator to Ogaki Bookstore on the sixth floor. This time,
it was her turn. I was glad she chose here, since I have some purchase in
mind too.

“Ah, by the way, Minato.”

“Hn?” She tilted her head questioningly.

There were only the two of us in the elevator.

“I don’t have time. Sorry.”

“Heh? Wait?! Hya!”

My hand quickly touched the cheek peeking from her mask. She might have
killed me if I were to say “You’re wide open” or some shojo pickup lines,
so I kept silent.

Then the door opened and people entered. We acted like nothing happened
and went up silently.

She pulled me aside as soon as we left the elevator. “Hey, Io! Stop that!
You’re scaring me!” She hissed. With her cheeks puffed, she scowled. I
wanna see her face under the mask.

[TN: Me too, bud, me too.]

“Well– I apologized. I want to see if there’s any change from the station
until now. What’s wrong with that?”

“Even so, tell me before you do it!. Pervert!”

“I know, I know… The door’s opening, and it’s not like we could do it out
here. That’s the only private space around here.” Of course, I need to make
my defenses clear.

“S-still! I… I’m not used to it yet. I want you to care about me more-”

“C-care…?”

Uhhh… I mean, I understand what she wanted to say.

But that was starting to sound like an argument between couples…

“And? The result?” She crossed her arms.

“Ah, um. No, it’s still the same.”

“Oh… but it’s a good thing, right?”

“Yup. But, I want to know who it is immediately if you happened to like

someone. It would be untraceable if time passes.”

“Um, ‘kay… Then, we need to check occasionally… And if I notice, I’ll

tell you…” She bent sideways coyly.

Duh, don’t she know?

In the meantime, we arrived at Ogaki Bookstore. Incidentally, there were

two other Ogaki Bookstores, one in the center of Kyoto Station, and the
other at the Aeon Mall on the opposite side.

[TN: So three Ogakis in total in that area]

Even Though the company’s headquarter was in Kyoto, this should be an

overpopulation. There’s only one in Shiga. Give us some. I love Ogaki.

“So, which do you have your eyes on?”

“There.”

She replied curtly and strode to the manga section, I followed at her heels.

“So the new volume you said was a manga?”

“Y-yeah… I’m fine on my own, you don’t have to follow me. I have already
decided what to buy anyway.”

“Nah, I’ll follow. It would be a big deal if anything were to happen when
we part ways.”

“Oh…”

Her response felt…forced?

But the reason became clear the next moment.

A pink clad cover. With a group of flashy men and beautiful girls
illustrated. The colors were glamorous too.
“Hoh? Shoujo manga? That’s unexpected.”

[TN: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Djo_manga ]

“W-what’s wrong?! It’s fun! Also e-exciting too. The girls are cute.”

[TN: Why does the back cover looks like Gagaga Bunko’s light novel
instead of a manga…]

Minato glared at me angrily, and somewhere, impishly.

I see, so she didn’t want me to see her buying shoujo manga. Hmm,
considering her image at school… Understandable.

But I’m sorry, Minato. Your concern was misplaced.

“Hm? Shoujo manga is the best. I usually read it too.”

“Eh?” Her eyes widened, her mouth agape under the mask, probably.

“It’s exciting, makes your heart wring. The plot is compelling too. Besides,
I’m the Angel of Kuze High, remember? These are the sacred textbooks of
love.”

Besides, love advice requires understanding of both male and female mind.
Although it was fiction, there’s an inextricable structure.

“I-is that so…”

“And also novels and movies too. I like what I like, there’s no helping it.
The leftover part-time money from earphones is spent on this.” I picked one
up myself.
Minato joined me as we let out a troubled “Hmm” while studying the
manga.

“Even if it looks interesting, buying the first volume is always a hurdle.”

“Yup, me too. Can’t really bring myself to buy if I don’t know if it’s well-
received or not, or if there’d be a continuation.”

“Yeah, yeah– But if I buy it later and it’s fun, then I’d feel like ‘Why
haven’t I supported it since the first volume!’. Yeah?”

“Yup! I’d feel so guilty. Why didn’t I choose better, like that.”

“Really, just like that–”

While having such otaku talk, we browsed the shelves and secured some
mangas. With that, we went on to the literacy zone.

“Actually, this is the one I had my eyes on for today.”

“I’ll take a look too.”

When two otaku get together, the purse strings loosen, a saying I just came
up with. Should be apt, when you get into a heated conversation, you can’t
help but pick more and more items. There was nothing much on my hands
right now, maybe that’s a good thing.

By the way, Minato had said in one of the conversations that she usually
reads at home. So that wasn’t a lie to cover up for shoujo manga, she was
really into reading in general, it seems.

After notifying Minato, who stopped at a shelf of paperbacks, I went to the

hardcover section. The book I was looking for wasn’t hard to find. It was
grandly displayed in one corner.

“There it is, this time too…”

“So this is what you’re after?”

She caught up and stood at my side. New and crisp binding, I took the blue
book and looked at it curiously.

“Hmm, I haven’t brought one of these before. I usually go with

paperbacks.” She said, running her fingers on the hardcover.

“I’m not a frequent buyer either. I only buy this author’s.”

“Konomi? How do you read the kanji?”

[TN: Kanji has many different pronunciations, and it could get a bit
messy when it comes to kanji for names.]

“It’s ‘Kuchiru’. Konomi Kuchiru. All of his are romances, every one of
them is legit good. I can’t wait for the paperback release, so here I am.”

“Hnn… Never heard of him.”

“His debut was last year. Heard it’s going to get a paperback soon. Try it, it
will rock ya.”

“Rock? How?”

“Um, nothing.”

Yup, just remembered that these kinds of things didn’t get through to her.
No matter how much she likes subcultures, there are just simply too much
of them.
 Chapter 3.8

“In Konomi’s work, the mc usually has some strange power.”

“By that… Like yours?”

“Yup, and then, if the power really exists, what would they do with it? I
think I like his work because he really explores all the probabilities.”

“Relatable?”

“You could say that. Well, those in the books are teleports, time-leap, and
whatnots. Unlike mine, useful.”

The kind that could wreak havoc if it falls into wrong hands. Completely
different from mine.

“But, those are made-up stories, right? Yours are real.” She trifled through
the pages.
“How can you be sure?”

“Eh…” Her head snapped this way.

My hands still on the book, I continued, “I’m hiding mine from everyone
but my family, Yukito, and you. There is no knowing whether other powers
exist or not. Maybe we just don’t know about them.”

She looked thoughtful.

“Of course, there might not. But when I watch supernatural phenomena or
unsolved crimes on television, I can’t help but wonder, no, suspect. ‘What if
those are the work of someone with power?’”

“Oh…Um… Yeah. With you having one, that sounds more plausible.”

I grunted, “Well, it’s not like I have met one.”

The conversation cut off there as we paid for our purchases.

After this, the plan was to loiter around the Aeon Mall.
To gather as much data, changing the location as we go should yield more
results.

We returned to Kyoto Station and proceeded down one of the grand

staircases. In the shadow of a pillar, I took a quick swipe of her cheek. Still
the same.

When we were past the west ticket gate, from the side, Minato asked. “Do
you want to meet them? People with powers.”

“Hmm… I’ve mixed feelings.”

“Oh…”

“Well, I might ask them how they regard their power, how they lived their
life…questions like that.”

But just ask, I have no idea about anything else. Neither any idea about how
to deal with the answers.

Besides, I don’t want them to return the question.

“But, they might be bad guys. Those who use their power for their own
gain.”

“Hm.”

What would I do, huh?

“If… If everyone is good like you, wouldn’t it be great.”

Me? “Uh, I’m not necessarily a good guy either.”

She didn’t reply to my response.

After that, we went to the various stores in the mall and chilled out.
Midway through, we took a rest on the gigantic cushions at Muji and took
another touch of her cheek in the shadowy corner.

[TN: Muji, Japanese retail shop]

Around six, we ended up at Capricciosa. We had pasta and a drink there.

In the end, the number of people she likes remained the same.
Since there was one person immediately after we started our operation as
school, it should be safe to cross out the probability of her falling in love
with someone along the road.

Minato herself did say that she had never experienced that kind of love at
first sight, so this might be enough of a verification to completely disregard
the idea.

That’s enough progress for one day.

“Figure out anything?”

“No, I see no pattern from the current data. But we’ll recommence the
operation tomorrow. Maybe it would give us something of insight. We’ll
understand one day anyway.”

I hold the straw to my mouth. It has been some time since I last drank
ginger ale, but it’s as good as ever.

“So, this is all for today?”

“Yup. And I want to check once before we part. Or, I’m fine with now too.”
“I don’t want to.”

Minato purred cutely and turned away.

She was usually calm and collected, but at times like this, her emotions
were all written on her face. Teasing her was unexpectedly fun.

But that was what made her seem “leading on”…

“Umm… I’ve always been wondering.”

“Uh-huh”

“Back then, at the shoe locker why did you touch my face?”

Back then, at the shoe locker…

That was the first time I had touched her face. To force Makino out, I went
on an investigation about Minato.
And that was the starting point of…

“I’ve been wondering when you’d ask,” I admitted.

“Is that so…”

We were both desperate back then, there was no time to think. But now, it
wasn’t strange she noticed that.

In the first place, she was the one who sniffed me out. Her suspicion and
deduction was on mark.

It would be normal that she would connect the dots and arrive at the
conclusion that I was doing that for a confession.

“That’s not… coincidence, right?”

“Sorry… I can’t say more. Urgh, why’s there so many things I can’t say…”

I slapped my hands together in apology. This was the second time for today
alone.
[TN: Japanese people often put their hands together (sometimes with a
bow) when they apologize to their friends.]

However, I feel no regret. It was either betray Makino or keep silent to

Minato. But I do feel sorry. If our positions are switched, I would probably
be frustrated as well.

However, Minato didn’t seem to mind.

“It’s okay. I have my guesses. I just want to let you know. I can’t pretend to
know nothing, that’s all.”

“Okay… Thanks.”

“No, I’m asking for your help here. Besides there are things that you don’t
want to say and things you can’t say. I understand how that feels.” She
regarded the café au lait curiously before sipping it.

It’s true, I guess. Our positions were quite familiar in this regard.

That is why we can keep our secrets from each other without unnecessary
inquiry.
When she knew about my future, I was worried. But maybe I could say that
I’m lucky it was her.

“What if I tell you more about what I do as the Angel in compensation? If

you’re interested, of course.” I offered.

“Hn? For example?”

She was surprisingly interested in the topic. I couldn’t help but feel proud.

“Rumor has it that there would be a letter, no?”

“Yep. When you’re anxious about love, an invitation letter would appear.
The Angle chooses the students, not the other way around.”

“Then, in reality, it’s not a letter, but this.” I pulled out my phone, and
logged in. Her eyes opened wide when she saw the screen.

“Twitter?”

“Yup. And sometimes Instagram. From a private account, I send them a

chat room link via direct message. ‘Access the link if you want a
consultation.’”
“Hmm, digitally…”

“Told you. Everything’s online nowadays. You have to adapt to the times.”

Although I said letters in the rumors. For urban legends, vibe and ambience
is the key.
 Chapter 3.9

“But…Is that really okay? The link might spread, or someone other than the
invited person might join?”

“Concerning that, I have already checked the personality of the consultant, I

have countermeasures ready. And then, I change accounts and addresses
every time. Also diversions when I see fit. With this, the secret will never
leak. For extreme cases, I have blackmail materials prepared.”

[TN: So basically, account spammer, internet bully, blackmail…]

“Scary… Aren’t you a demon rather than an angel?” She pulled away.

“That’s rude. But, originally, Cupid isn’t exactly an angel.”

The images were similar, but angels are servants of God, while Cupid is the
god of love himself. Well, not like most people would care.

“Then, why ‘Angel’?”

“Euphony. There’s nothing to call me besides the name. It would be lengthy
if it’s Cupid, no?”

“This is unexpectedly complicated…” she groaned.

Ah, I’ve been called complicated. And she did have a point. It boils down to
my personality, those kinds of things are.

“Ah…”

“Hn? What’s wrong?”

“Sorry… I just realized. What should I do in return for the consultation?”

“Ahh, you’re worried about that.”

Yeah, we hadn’t really settled this properly. Well, it has been like
“Anything” was our condition, so I completely forgot about it.

“Like when or what for the compensation? A gift, money, or…”

“Stupid. If there’s something like that, I’d have told you from the start.”

“Eh? Then…?”

Then, of all things, she embraced herself coyly. The same as last time, her
body pulled back, cheeks dyed red.

Please, stop that thinking already.

“I don’t need anything. Normal consultations are like this too.”

“O-oh? But, why?” She looked at me questioningly. “Even though it should

be a lot of trouble…”

“It’s a bunch of trouble, yes. But I’m doing this because I want to. Besides,
not asking for anything in return is actually convenient, all things
considered.”

“How?”

“If I got something in return, we’re even, right? But if I got nothing, then
the party will forever be indebted to the Angel. At the very least, they
would think twice about telling others about the Angel. If I’m in deep water,
I can ask for their help too.”

For example, if my identity is on the line, or when I need something sorted

out.

“And hence, people who are indebted to the Angel are quite considerable.
The more people the more reassuring, yeah?”

“Afterall, you’re the devil.” She shook her head as if to say “good grief”.
How insolent.

“Well then, are we leaving yet?” She asked after we had checked once more
time in the Purikura machine.

[TN: Purikura, Japanese-styled photo booth]

She bickered a bit, but I’ll leave out the details. The result was the same.

“Yup, you’re free to go. I still have something to do here, but you can leave
here.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yeah, I’m watching a movie.”

“Hmm… A movie.”

The evening slot of the film I wanted to watch was about to start soon.
There was no point in making her wait, so I let her go home first.

“Well then, thanks for today. Have a safe trip back.” I waved.

But she didn’t budge. “Hey…”

“Hm?”

“Can’t I… go with you?”

She looked at me with pleading upturned eyes.

Like before, the destructiveness was interminable. Worse, it was with

glasses version.

“By that you mean… to the movie?” I repeated.

“Y-yeah I’ve been all the way here… I haven’t been to a theater for quite
some time.”

“It’s romance…”

“I thought the same… Yup, I want to.”

“It’ll be late. You don’t have a curfew?”

“I’m fine, I don’t have one anyway.”

“Okay…”

That was surprisingly lax. MInato herself was so upright I thought it was
because of her family…

And with that, the two of us rode the elevator to the floor with the cinema.

We got seats next to each other, and watched the previews and
advertisements in a daze.
“I don’t know if it’s good or not, just so you know.”

“I don’t mind.”

“And then, there’s probably those scenes.” It’s probably too late, but better
warn her.

“Ngu! W-whatever. I can’t refund now anyway…”

“‘Kay”

“But… don’t look this way, will you?”

“Should I?”

“No! Never! Understood?!”

“Got it. Got it.” She’s fun to tease as ever.

“Hmph…” She turned away.

In the end, this is just like any date.

◆ ◆ ◆

On the station platform.

“That was quite good.”

“Yeah,” she agreed.

“You cried,” I noted.

“Na?! I told you not to look!”

“I didn’t, but I can hear you sniffling.”

“Don’t listen too!”

Is that possible…
“By the way, I was thinking…”

“What!” she interjected.

“Have you fallen in love with actors and celebrities?”

“Eh… Umm. No, I suppose… Yeah, no.”

Hmm… This might be another important hint.

Well, falling in love with someone on TV, that should be too peculiar, even
for her.

“Tomorrow, let’s give it our all.”

“Yeah.”

But, her tone as she replied was somehow gloomy.

 Chapter 3.10

Ayaha Interlude

[TN: Every Ayaha Interlude is a continuation of the one before, and

took place on the same day]

“‘Reading people’s minds’… in what condition?” I masked my panic with

an expression of uninterest.

“Hmm” She thought out loud for a while.

The wind blew and her shiny black semi-long hair fluttered and caught
light.

That and her serious-looking profile had me ogling before I knew it.

“Well, knowing what your target is thinking! What they like, what they
don’t, are they enjoying themselves, or in grief. Or what would they like to
have for dinner, everything!”
“What’s that about…” Isn’t that too much?

“Isn’t it amazing? I mean, it’s a superpower–!”

In reality, there’s no such thing as that.

I remembered thinking that well. But because of it, I felt a lot less nervous.

[TN: The narrative is quite messy here, not sure if he’s speaking from
the present or it’s still in the flashback]

“So… What next?”

“Will you use it for good? Or for yourself?” She queried.

“Of course, well, I would use it for good, I think.”

I thought so. And surely, the majority of people would.

However,
“However… can I do that or not, that’s until the power is in my hand that I
understand. I’m not a saint.”

A good guy… I’m not.

Had I shown too much emotion for a hypothetical talk, I wondered.

Realizing this, I took a peek at her. She was unexpectedly serious too.

“Hmmmm… I see.”

“What?”

“Nothing. You’ve just said the same thing as the main character in a drama,
that’s all. Why don’t you apply for a job as a scriptwriter? It’s your time to
shine.”

“I won’t. And that’s just stupid.” I flatly rejected.

“Oh… I want to see it anyway, the story you wrote.”

She leaned in and laughed mirthfully.

That made me both happy and embarrassed, I couldn’t help but look away.

Looking back, what a waste.

I should have looked at her to my heart’s content when I still can.

“And you?”

“Hn?”

“What would you do? If you have such powers.”

Coming to think of it, it was some heavily drama-influenced answer. Was

it?

But still, I was glad I had asked her properly.

Say, Ayaha–.
 Chapter 4.1

Chapter 4: Yamabuki Karen and Fujinami Shiho

New week began and I was back to observing Minato at school.

If she likes someone, I would write down their interaction and the
surrounding at that time, as detailed as possible. All the while trying to
deduce the hypothesis by recording her feelings at the time.

Slow but sure-fire process. Little by little, we uncovered the Falling-in-love

Peculiarity.

Or that was the plan.

“I’m out of ideas”

“…”
We came to a complete standstill.

At the usual café, with her facing me across the table. Around ten days had
passed since the start of the operation. The catch was more than I had
imagined, an astonishing speed.

But I’ve got no clue from them.

“Sorry..”

“No, you did a good job. Rather, sorry…” I ruffled my hair in frustration.

As if synchronized, we both shook our heads and sighed.

Honestly, I thought it was going to be easier than this. Or at the very least,
hore hint would come to the surface. Unfortunately, the more data there
was, the farther we were from the answer.

There was nothing resembling consistency in the data.

Instead of falling for ikemen whom she talked with several times a day, she
would fall for a plain guy she hadn’t even talked to. And yet, she never fell
in love at first sight, or that was supposed to be, until she fell for a boy from
another school who walked past her on her way to the café.

It was like I was thrown into the air. The earth was blue, the expanse
beyond black.

[TN: My poor man’s delusive now…]

“There’s no helping, I’ll preserve and keep going. In the meantime, I’ll try
poking at other possibilities.” I leaned back.

“Y-yup… yeah, I’ll do something.”

The atmosphere was heavy. But there’s no helping with that either.

Both talking to people she wasn’t familiar with and visiting another class to
make observations every break were onerous tasks. And despite the effort,
the absence of results could be discouraging.

“By the way, how’s Fujimiya taking it?”

“Hmm, yeah… She noticed something was off, but nothing yet,” she
answered, lacking her usual confidence.
According to her, a few days ago, her best friend, Fujimiya Shiho, noticed
her unusual behavior. Well, given the length of their friendship, that was to
be expected.

“You two are sure close,” I mused.

“Yup…She’s, that girl’s important to me. I don’t want to hide anything from
her but…” She screwed her face a little.

From her point of view, coming clear of her situation– the Peculiarity, the
consultation– wasn’t a choice for her either.

After that, I sent her back by herself and helped out at the cafe.

Wait and see, that was the conclusion we had reached. However, the ideal
scenario and reality are different, there was no luxury for such things, it
appeared.

That was, she would get involved in an incident some time later.

◆ ◆ ◆

Phweee!!
The shrill wail of the whistle signaled the end of the match. Students
shuffled in and out of the courts as they swapped places. Each of the courts
now hosted two students facing each other.

The afternoon class was gender-segregated badminton. Two classes were

combined then divided into several groups for the matches. This was one of
the lighter classes.

And class seven and eight were paired in this joint class. Thankfully, the
courts we were using were right next to each other. Thanks to this, the
observation was way easier.

The whistle blew again and the next match started. I, who just switched out,
looked sideways at Minato’s court.

Minato was dressed in a simple navy blue jersey with her hair in a ponytail.
The contrast between her white nape and black hair was dazzling. Even in a
plain outfit, she clearly stood out from the rest with her elegant glamor.

“I– o—”

Reiji’s calling pulled me out of my stupor. As he sat down beside me, I

noted the missing earrings. With that out of the way, his well-shaped face
made him look like a proper sportsman.
By the way, he was in the basketball club, though not in a good standing
due to his tendency to slack off.

“Yuzuki-chan again?” He nudged his head her way.

“What’s with that ‘again’?”

“Oi, oi, don’t think you can get away this time. You’re always looking at
her lately. No, more of going to see her.” He grinned his sly smile.

Well… As expected, Reiji can’t be fooled.

“Work, like usual. Take a hint,” I scowled.

“‘Like usual’, huh? You’re cute, Io.”

He smirked and asked nothing more, probably because he knew he would

get nothing if it’s about the Angel.

Then, a sharp cracking sound came from nearby.

In succession, the “Oohh”s came from the surrounding area.

Minato had just released a smash that grazed the corner of the court.

“Oooh, nice shot. She’s like someone from the badminton club,”
commented Reiji.

“That court’s getting a lot of attention,” I observed.

“Well, it’s the matchmaking,” he shrugged, “the other side’s Yamabuki.”

The other side, Yamabuki Karen, was just as attention grabbing as Minato.
Short explanation: She’s one of the Plus Four, another beauty.

Her eyes were large and almond-shaped, her outline shapely, and her lips
thin. Her atmosphere resembled Minato’s a little, they must be in the same
lineage. But she didn’t stop there, she armed herself to the fullest with
makeup. In terms of image, she was no different from that of idols.

In addition, her semi-long hair was around dark blond to light brown, and
unlike Reiji, she kept her red earrings on. Combined with her pink jersey on
top and bottom, she was a true gal. Her popularity among the boys was
different from Minato’s but she was quite popular.
Last year, I had a consultant who wished to confess to her. And that was
what made Minato hone on me

[TN: Callback from Ch1 P3]

Yamabuki deftly scooped up the shuttlecock with her racket and glared at
Minato at her opposite. Her mouth mounted something. Probably “Sod off”.

From her serve, the shuttle soared high. Minato also returned with the same
ferocity, trying to pin Yamabuki. However, Yamabuki stepped back and
jumped, smashing the shuttle back.

Bending at almost an impossible angle, Minato barely managed to return.

From there, Yamabuki took offense and scored a point. The glee in her eyes
was as if to say that this was payback.

The other side was also a fine opponent, it seemed.

When Minato reached down to grab the shuttle, Yamabuki looked down at
her. Her mouth moved again. Maybe “Yuck” this time. On the other hand,
Minato retained her cool expression as she prepared for the next round.

Uhh, what’s with this tension in the air?

“Ooh, she’s crackling. Well, she doesn’t want to lose to Yuzuki-chan and
all.”

“What do you mean?”

When I asked, Reiji only laughed amusedly. It was as if everything was fun
and games to this guy.

“That girl, she hates Minato. She usually faults her, gossiping behind her
back. Well, Yuzuki-chan seems unaffected.”

“And the reason for it?” I urged for more.

“Dunno. Maye jealousy. She’s Plus Four, Minato’s Kuze’s Top Three. That
doesn’t sit well with the princess-type Yamabuki.”

“So, she hates her because M–Yuzuki’s more popular ?”

“Yup, and better in terms of grades and sports despite Yamabuki being in
the sports club. She loses to her all round, so to say.”

“I see…”
So, one-sided jealousy from Yamabuki. You sure had it tough, Minato.

“Oh, match point.”

The match was eleven points to win, and before long, the scores were
already ten to nine, with Minato leading and one minute left.

With the same composure, Minato hit a long serve. Yamabuki, who was
pitching forward, was caught by surprise and her return ball was
weak.Minato smashed the shuttle that came to her fore side but Yamabuki
returned with tenacity.

Minato caught up just in time and raised a lob to buy time. Good strategy.

But, Yamabuki jumped, reached out and forced a smash.

The sharp strike went straight for her face.

“Uwah, body!”
Too late. I thought so. However, Minato changed her stance, leaped and
redirected the shuttle. It was as if she could see it coming

The shuttle landed with a thud, even before Yamabuki reached the ground.

Just then, the whistle signaled the end of the match. The matches that were
still going on were forced to stop and swap places with the rest.

With one fluid movement, she left the court quietly. Signaling to Fujimiya,
she sat down on the bench.

But the Yamabuki on the other side was still glaring at Minato,
unbeknownst to the surroundings.

Some time later, the chime for the end of the school day rang, students lined
up and bowed. At Kuze High, homerooms were held after lunch break, so
students were free to go.
 Chapter 4.2

The students listlessly put away the nets and rackets, and the number
gradually dwindled.

Me too, when I had finished cleaning up, I decided to leave quickly.

“You’re a freak, seriously.”

As I headed for the corridor, someone said that.

The voice was heavy with overbearing and malice, a provocation that
instantly made me stop in my tracks.

When I registered what happened, I quickly searched for the voice.

Around the corner, three girls, Yamabuki included, were facing Minato. I
hate it when my foreboding comes true.
“Stop with that clout chasing, will you? Don’t push your luck just because
your face is nice.”

I hid in one of the shadows within earshot.

Yamabuki’s eyes were like that of a snake, the other two were just as bad,
their spiteful grin made my skin crawl.

Minato just stared at them in disappointment and quickly switched to

resignation. However, she didn’t seem to stand tall like usual.

To be honest, I’m not sure that the appropriate action was either. I’m the
third party here, and I’m not sure I can deal with these three.

Unfortunately, highschool feuds were not that simple.

But pretending nothing happened was out of the choice.

“Really, emo queen, it’s so obvious you look down on everyone. What a
psycho.”
“I mean, it’s psychologically impossible–. I can see why she has no
friends–.” The two cronies closed in on Minato from the side.

The crude rant made my head hurt. But the outright hostility was enough to
hurt the other party. Put it simply, totally infuriating.

Ugh… I could barely stop myself from jumping in.

“Do you realize you’re hated? Not just us, everyone else too,” The
ringleader Yamabuki snarled.

But Minato didn’t flinch. Rather, she let out a mournful sigh. “Are you
done?” she asked softly.

“Hah?” Dumbfounded faces.

“Is that all you’ve got to say? I’ll be on my way then.”

Yamabuki’s expression darken that instant.

“You! You want a fight?!!” Her bark went over the corridor. Instead of
Minato, the two cronies flinched back instead. A few remaining students
came scurrying after the voice.
This couldn’t be good…

“I see through you! Going around seducing boys!” The snide appeared to
hit home, Minato paled. It was as if she could burst into tears right away.

Even I, too, lost my cool.

What… are you… talking about… My teeth were gritting before I knew it.

“Smashing around, no cap, disgusting! You wanna be an emoqueen that

much?”

She was visibly shaking, her face pale, her eyes downward.

Yamabuki, who had gotten the response she wanted, continued with glee.
“Enough with that pretty face! You bitch! I can see through your thinking!”

[TN:My hands hurt from typing this]

Something snapped. Cold rage took over me

No, I can’t let this go on. No, never.

What do you even understand about her, Yamabuki?

“Oi” I found myself stepping in.

No, I had no plan, just this boiling, seething anger in my chest.

The cronies quickly looked away uncomfortably. Minato looked at me in

surprise.

With her body still facing Minato, Yamabuki turned only her face to me.
“What’s your deal?” she demanded.

“None with you. Yuzuki, let’s go.”

[TN: Oohh, the burn]

I took her hand and pulled her. Minato followed with powerless, wobbly
steps. However, Yamabuki sidestepped, blocking our way.

“What are you doing? I don’t have anything to do with you,” she
demanded.
“I’ve got a headache listening to your whining. Keep your nonsense to
yourself, will you?”

“Ha? By the way, what? Tryin’ to be cool?”

Even though I tower over her by ten centimeters, her demeanor remained
the same. Appearance and physical power did not determine the ranking in
society, it seemed.

Whatever, If she wanted to look down on me then she can do it however she
likes, just don’t get in my way, it’s a pain.

“You’d be better off without butting in, whoever you are.”

“You…”

“Hey–, Akashi–”

Then, from behind Yamabuki, the corner from which I came, a girl
appeared out of nowhere.
Short, refreshing hair. Large, slanted eyes. Slightly disheveled green jersey.
Her yaeba teeth flashing, Aki Hiura made her entrance.

“What are you doing–. Let’s get back to class–” she said casually like
nothing was happening the moment before. And unlike against me,
Yamabuki thought twice before speaking.

“Hiura… You’re butting in too?”

“Hn? What? I’m just picking up this idiot and Yuzuki. They say they’re
gonna treat me to ice cream.”

When did that happen…

But thanks to her, things seemed to settle down. That was getting quite
dangerous even for me…

“Whatever with that dumb guy, but we’re talking, Yuzuki and I,” claimed
Yamabuki.

“That was a talk? I thought you’re barking by yourself.” Hiura shook her
head.
An awkward triangle formed as Hiura took both our hands.

“Don’t make yourself my enemy. Do you know the consequences?”

“If there’s any consequence, it’d be your side. In the first place, assaulting
people because you lost a tennis match to them, what are you, a
neighborhood brat? That’s precisely why you stop at Plus Four.”

“Huh!? I-if that’s so then you too!!”

“I’m not trying to anyway. Why would I have any interest in a fancy title
that can’t buy me lunch?”

“…!” Yamabuki finally backed down.

We quickly left the place and broke up. Hiura asked me nothing, “Give me
ice cream tomorrow–”, and she was gone. Looking at her slender back, I
realized how dependable she was.

I can’t just go off without treating her one now.

[TN: There’s no redemption for Yamabuki, so feel free to hate her]

[TN: btw, “Karen” is a Japanese name with slightly different from
western one, and I’m not sure if her name’s a reference of her attitude
or not]
 Chapter 4.3

“The other times aren’t rowdy like that, right?”

Just to be sure, we left the school separately before meeting up at Cafe

Proof.

The topic was, undoubtedly, the ruckus earlier. Minato seemed to have
calmed down and began explaining the situation.

“Except for the occasional glare, there’s nothing like this…” her tone was
matter-of-fact.

“In short, the confrontation today was because of the operation, with the
tennis match as the trigger.”

“Yeah, that’s my guess.”

We both sipped our drinks there. Mine was cider, Minato’s lemon tea.
“Sorry about that.”

“Uh…”

It wasn’t like this was out of my expectation.

The act of widening her human relation to attain more crushes, the
surrounding wasn’t aware of that. It wouldn’t be strange if that caused
unease to some people.

And with the whole Kuze’s Top Three thing to consider…

“That things turn out like this, it’s totally my fault. And earlier, I just
jumped in without thinking…”

She shook her head weakly. “N-no, we decided to do that together. And for
jumping in… you saved me, so thanks.”

And if the aggression continues, I need to prepare some backup plans for
them too. My hands were full as it was, I couldn’t let this spiral out of
control.
Most importantly, she was already shaken as it was.

“I’m just making sure this doesn’t weigh on you.”

“Hn?” She tilted her head slightly in response.

I wasn’t sure that she would still hold on to it or not, but better get it out the
way.

“You’re not a bitch”

Her eyes widened for a moment, then she muttered, “Yeah…”

“It’s not like you’re going around and making people fall for you, it’s the
opposite, you’re the one falling for them. You’re just getting to know other
people as your classmate, if they’ve come to like you, that’s just the result.
No matter what, you’ve got no ill will, you’re not in the wrong.”

“Yeah… I know. Understood.” As if to convince herself, she nodded several

times.

She might understand that by logic, she wasn’t wrong, but being
condemned like that would make anyone uncomfortable. I couldn’t just turn
a blind eye to it, taking responsibility was the least I could do.

“I’m fine, really. I’ve made up my mind, it’s okay. Just…”

A deep, and a bit painful, breath.

“Just, it hurted more than I thought. Nothing serious though.” She gave me
a wry smile.

“If you say so. Okay.”

No point in pushing the matter. Besides, she’s strong. Up until now, she had
followed my instructions on her own accord.

Only if other consultants could be as compliant as her.

“And then, being in the Top Three must be a lot of trouble.”

“Oh, that…” She screwed her face. “Yeah, nothing but a nuisance. I’m not
proud of the title, with those demerits, I’d be better off without. That’s not
including what happened today.”
“I heard Hiura saying the same thing,” I recalled, “Annoying nuisance or
something. And that’s just Plus Four alone.”

“Coming to school one day and finding out about the entitlement. No
chance to refuse, nowhere to resign, just like a cursed item.”

Hoh, that’s an unusual analogy for a top student. By any chance, she’s a
gamer?

Then again, Kuze’s Top Three and Plus Four are more troublesome than it
seemed. It was a kind of a proof of popularity, and quite prestigious at that,
so I thought most of the girls probably longed for it.

“By the way, Hiura-san, why did she help us? A friend of yours?”

“Hn? Yup.”

Ah, I forgot to mention that. Yeah, this is a good opportunity to tell her.

“She knows I’m the Angel. She must have guessed that you’re my
consultant.”

“Eh? Okay…” Her face flashed with anxiety, and a little of surprise.
From then, I explained that she was one of the collaborators and had helped
in this case too.

Hiura probably thought of Minato as my consultant’s target, but now she

must have noticed that Minato herself was the consultant. And hence she
came all the way to help us, I suppose.

“Also Miwa Reiji from the same class, I ask for his help sometimes. I’m not
sure how much he knows about your case, though.”

“Miwa-kun…” She muttered and threw her eyes upward, trying to

remember.

He was quite popular, so his name might have ring some bells.

“Why did you tell them? About the Angel thing.”

“Hmm… I’ve been friends with Reiji for a long time, so hiding things from
him isn’t an easy task.”

He might have looked like he was fooling around, but his guesses were spot
on. Better tell him the whole thing than waiting for him to find out.
“And Hiura-san?”

“Hiura? Well… A lot happened. Nothing confidential, just a long story, so

next time.”

“Okay… Somehow, you and Hiura-san make quite a strange combo.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

At first glance, we seemed like the type to live in different worlds.

“Ah! Almost forgot. Let’s check today’s catch.”

“A… Unn. ‘Kay…”

Seeing that she nodded, I offered my right hand. After a deep breath, she
took it to her face.

How many times had my palm touched her face, I wondered.

And from now, how many more.

Distracted by these thoughts, I missed most of the faces I had seen

 Chapter 4.4

Let’s drop the pace, I came to that conclusion, until the tension from the
Yamabuki incident cooled down, but she refused, “Then we’ll never get
anywhere”

Thus, I continued to observe her. If that was what she wanted, then I won’t
stop her.

She had something to do after school today, so the meeting would be a short
one on the rooftop. The door clicked effortlessly and Minato pulled me out,
the rest was as usual. The number remained the same today. Finishing the
business, we headed back down.

“Hahh…”

She went down first while I hung around. After a good time had passed, I
exited the school.

Hmm, unlike at the cafe, touching her face inside school was somewhat
agitating…
“Akashi-kun, right?”

From the school gate, the corner of the first block heading to the station,
someone called my name.

What is this called?

Ah, yup, yup.

“Dejavu” I sighed.

“We need to talk. Important one.” Soft, yet carried through clearly and
confidently.

The owner of the voice, Minato’s friend. The red rimmed Fujinami Shiho
was scowling with her lovely face.

Don’t waste your cute face with me, and, that’s scary, stop please!

I managed to ask, “What would it be…”

“You knew. Minato,” she pronounced.

Of course, damn it…

Her eyes darted around cautiously before beckoning me to follow into an

alley. Fortunately, it had been a while since school ended, so no students
were around.

But it also meant that she had gone all the way to wait for me.

I took a final glance at the outside world. “So… What’s with Yuzuki?”

“‘Yuzuki’? How cold. You were calling her Minato earlier, no?”

I breathed in sharply.

She heard?

And by “earlier”, when?

“Rooftop. I saw you went in. You called her ‘Minato’ then”

“Why are you even there? I don’t think you’d happen to be there.” There
goes my pitiful attempt at parrying.

“That girl, she was acting strange, so I’ve been keeping an eye. Besides, the
same goes for you, what are you doing there?”

“I see…”

In short, she was keeping watch. And she probably kept her suspicions to
herself, since Minato appeared to know nothing.

But I hadn’t expected her to go this far. Moreover, I thought she would try
to glean from Minato, not from a complete stranger like me. Speaking of
thinking outside the box…

“I’ve seen what you were doing. Sorry, but I can’t help it.”

“Ngh!”

My heart tightened, just like last time. A wave of nausea hit me, I slowly
moved to lean onto the wall.
Hahhhh… How far had the Angel fallen?

Too much confidential intel leaked. I couldn’t care less about the Angel
now, that was my problem alone.

My concern was Minato’s situation.

“Rest assured, I heard nothing after that.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you two were quite far from the door, and I didn’t intend to listen
anyway. But I saw you touching Minaot’s cheek good and clear.”

“Ugh…”

Loud and clear…

She wouldn’t think that I was activating a superpower, right?

Fijimiya’s expression was grim. On the bright side, she didn’t look like she
was angry. Although it wouldn’t be strange if she told me to stay away from
Minato, given what she had seen. Rather, I was pretty sure that this was the
purpose of this meeting.

“Lately, you’ve been to our class on a daily basis,” she observed, “And you
were looking at Minato. That itself was normal, but your gaze was different
from others, you have no feelings for her.”

“You sure care about her a lot. I don’t think a normal friend would go that
far.”

“Not normal ones,” she agreed, “But I’m her best friend, I’ll go that far for
her.”

She faced me, unfazed. HEr eyes were menacing, as if to assimilate me.

I’d really like to avoid making this girl my enemy, but I just can’t explain
everything…

Swoop in and help me, Minato-san…

[TN: The “san” here made the tone very pleading]

“I haven’t done any of the things you might be thinking about. I would
never put her in any danger. So, for the time being–”

“Can I trust you?”

“Eh…”

What was that about?

When I remained silent, she looked at me contemplatively, then continued.

“You’re not harassing her. She doesn’t mind you touching her cheek, I can
see it.”

“…”

“If she doesn’t tell me, then it must be something that she doesn’t want
anyone to know. I respect her decision, I won’t ask her nor you.”

“If that’s so, then why come for me.”

“But if you hurt her in any way, I won’t let you off the hook. Even if she’s
okay with it, I’m not. Don’t expect mercy from me… I’m here only to say
that.” It was meant to be a warning, but I could only hear pleading in her
voice.

And was that frustration?

I clenched my fists. She came all the way here just for that? For the sake of
her friend. Fijimiya was probably worried about Minato, yet still trusted
her. And so she called me out to ascertain a liability like me.

I could finally begin to understand why they get along so well.

“That’s all I have to say. Really, please. Support her in my stead…”

“I’m afraid I can’t.” I shook my head.

“Eh?”

“I will assist her, but that’s all I can. But you, you can support her feelings.
You are her friend. And a good person. So, help her. If she were to act
strange, or someone like me poking their nose around her, do like what you
have done before, be her friend.”
She took in the words.

I only had this useless power, persistence, and experience. Angel was, in the
end, a relationship advice, not the relationship itself. The one who could
actually help Minato was Fujinami, not me.

Now that I have seen what kind of person Fujinami was, perhaps I could
worry less about Minato.

“Yesterday, at the gym.”

“Yup”

“You were the one who jumped in, right?”

I shook my head. “Strictly speaking, I did jump in, but the one who got us
out wasn’t me.”

Did Minato tell her? I couldn’t be sure. She had some idea of what
happened, not the whole story, so Minato didn’t?

“Thank you. And then, sorry for this visit.”

“Nah, it’s nothing. Sorry that I have to keep secrets from you.”

“No, that’s what Minato decides, I’ll respect that.”

Now that I think about it, she sure has guts, ambushing me all by herself.

“I’ll have to get going now, see you.”

“Ah, Akashi-kun.”

“Yeah?” I turned. Fijinami stood with her hands to her hips, her legs apart.

That pose didn’t suit her at all. But somehow, she looked reliable, and a bit
funny too.

[TN: Yeah, I want an illust of this ]

“I’ll take care of tha I can! The rest I’ll leave it to you!”

“Hoh…”
She gave me a thumbs up with a goofy grin. Well, I suppose the
negotiations were successful.

Also, her character was a bit different from her image…

“There’s more, things happened here’s a secret to Minato, ‘kay?”

“Eh? But, really?”

“Yup, better for her this way. Besides, she’s hiding something from me too,
this is only fair–” She puffed her cheeks.

“Well… whatever. Okay, got it.”

People are full of secrets. Although I’m not any better myself, so I’ll stop
here.

“Ah! And about that, I don’t really understand tho!”

“Yeah?” What now…

“I won’t let you touch somewhere other than her cheeks, be warned, got it?”

Well, about that… “I won’t”

“At times like this, answer immediately, will you?” Seeing my reaction, she
then giggled and waved her hand to indicate that that was a joke.

In the end, she doesn’t trust me…

I probably won’t anyway.

“Ah…”

But if it was hands, we’re holding that quite often.

 Chapter 5.1

Chapter 5: Yuzuki Minato won’t turn back

“Oi–, the literature lad over there.”

Konomi Kujiru’s book disappeared, and reappeared in Yukito’s hand. He

then began turning the pages.

“Hey, give it back.”

“Just the usual romane story, huh” he sighed.

“What’s wrong? Romance is superb.”

“I’m more into real life romance though–”

He conceded the book. I did put a bookmark on the page, but it was still
annoying.
“And? Don’t tell me you’re interrupting your customer without a proper
reason.” I waved him away.

“Uhh, the shop’s closed. Help me clean up or go home, choose one.”

“Ehh? Aah…” I switched the phone open and checked the time. It was
indeed past the closing time. It seemed that I was completely immersed, as
expected of Kujiru’s work.

I decided to help with the closing work, partly because of the guilty
conscience of staying too long.

I cleaned the floor and was now putting the dishes back on the shelves.

“Hii” I heard the door open and a chirpy voice.

The one who enters despite the “close” sign could be no one but the inner
circle.

Yukito perked from the counter. “Oh, Aki-chan, it’s been a while. Back
from club?”
“Just finished my dinner, have nothing to do, and then here. It’s hot
outside.”

Aki Hiura in her green jersey made her way into the cafe. With a thump, she
sat down unceremoniously on a nearby chair.

Her house was nearby, so it was probably true.

“Hey, I just cleaned it. Stop where you are.”

“Duhh, I cleaned my shoes already.” Why was she the one who was
exasperated? Why did everyone insist on annoying me lately?

Hiura is acquainted with Yukito and visits the store from time to time.
Although this was the first time she barged in despite the close sign.

As usual, the way she spoke was the same, as if Yukito was her friend.

[TN: Japaneses are strict about social hierarchy, so this is quite rude]

Even though she said she came here for free air conditioning, she did her
share of work. She was crass and sometimes hostile, but this side of her
balanced it out.
Yukito and Hiura, what a strange combo. They both knew that I was the
Angel…

I stood. “Can I ask you two something?”

“Don’t slack off–”

“Well…”

As long as I was getting paid, complaining was a no-go. Although Hiura

wasn’t getting any pay.

“Making someone fall for you despite having no intention of going out… Is
that bad?” My voice made its way through the deserted cafe.

[TN: Remember that TN long ago? Well, it’s here now. Minato said she
likes Io since the end of the first chapter, but he never saw his own face
when he checked, probably some plot point in later vol.]

[TN: The author plans the series to be 10+ vol, so it might be a while
before this got mention again]

The two of them continued working in silence.

“I don’t even know the context. You expect an answer from just that?”
Hiura was the first to say something.

Well, I suppose she had her point.

“Umm… Like, to do it for other purposes. Even if I’m successful in doing

so, I would never accept the other side’s feelings.”

“Normally, that’s bad. Maybe more on the creepy side.” Simple and
concise, that’s Hiura for you.

In contrast, Yukito kept his pleasant smile. He was not in the mood to talk?

“I thought as much…”

“You already know that, but still asked anyway. The situation isn’t
‘normal’, yeah?”

“You never fail my expectations.”

“Hmph.” She snorted.

Another one who was sharp despite their fooling around. That was why she
was both reliable and scary.

She moved to wipe the counter. “Tell me what you can. Else, it’d be just a
waste of time.”

Fortunately, I had already informed Minato of this possibility. This was all
for her sake.

I filtered through things, omitted the names, and tried my best at explaining
the current situation. By the time I was done, the cleaning process was
already done. We were slumping at different corners by that time.

“I had a pretty good idea of who that playgirl is”

“She’s not a playgirl.”

Well, without a name to refer to her by, I guess it was unavoidable.

But it wasn’t like they had no idea who that was…

“So, how does she has anything to do with ‘making her fall’”
“Well, essentially, to cure her of the ailment, getting her to fall for someone
who has no intention of dating her. Was that justified?”

“Stop those unnecessary complications. Who’s making who fall for them?”
She gestured exasperatedly.

I was at a loss for words. Like she said, that was complicating things.

But… I just can’t…

“‘Make her fall for you’, right?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Hmm, tell me more.”

Hahh, she’s sharp.

“If she likes me, it’d be the best sample,” I conceded.

“I see,” she said flatly.

“We could narrow down things, it’d be better that way. She doesn’t like me
yet, so when she does, it would narrow down the margin significantly.”

“And you think that is your best chance? But the earlier question, you’re
unsure, no?”

“Yeah, something like that.” I let out a long sigh.

This was the conclusion I had come to over the last few days. If we were
willing to give it our all, then this was irrefutable option. In fact, I should
have thought of this earlier.

And maybe, Minato too…

Hiura suddenly stood. “Well, back to your supposition earlier.”

Yukito retained his cool smile.

“So, you won’t accept her feelings even if that playgirl likes you.”
“Yeah.”

“Absolutely?”

“Yeah, I can’t”

“Hmm” Her look was half-frown, half-scowl. “But ‘like’ and ‘wanting to
date’ can be separate things?”

“Well… yes, but that’s not the point. Is it really okay to do so?” I get what
she was getting to, but this was about feelings, not reason. You don’t use
reason with romantic feelings.

I probably wanted an affirmation.

Because I couldn’t be confident about the results.

“Your events are a mess, so I’ll keep it simple.”

“Please do…”
She deliberately walked this way, then sat down on the opposite seat. She
rested her chin on one hand, the other’s pinky to her eye.

“As far as I’m concerned, your plan sucks,” she booed.

“Eh? Why?”

I spent days thinking, you know?

“Is there any pattern when you like someone in the first place? You must
have seen people doing 180° flips when it comes to love more than I do.”

“You have a point…”

But hearing it from her was quite unexpected.

“So even if she likes you, it doesn’t mean anything, or it could mean
something. What if you’re a special case? It would only mess up your data
even more. You can’t describe irregularity with regularity.”

“I-I see…”
She was frank, but that was logical. She was harsh, but that was what I
needed.

“Then, what would you do?”

“If it’s me, I’d start by setting high probability hypotheses, and then verify
them. Although slightest miss might be fatal… Well, it’s not like I have
done this before.”

“Oh… You’re a genius, Hiura.”

“No, you’re the one whose thinking is too narrow. Like this,”
 Chapter 5.2

Hmm… She had a point.

Maybe my thinking became constricted by being with her.

“And if that’s the case, how do I set hypotheses? If I might be an

irregularity, then so are the others. In the end, is there anything reliable?”

“I thought it was obvious. I mean, your logic until now makes no sense.”

“Eh… Really?”

I had thought that in order to understand her ailment, crossing out

possibilities was the way…

“What if the condition was not in others, but herself? Bitches are bitches,
the reason isn’t the environment, but themselves. What you should do is to
find out more about her, not something else.”
“O-oh… Hiura-sensei”

What a revolutionary statement!

But, according to her theory, I was completely wrong. Until now, I had
never doubted my own method. I had said that this wasn’t my specialty, but
how could I be so confident in my ways?

What am I doing?

“Thanks, Hiura. Give me time to rethink a bit.”

“You haven’t treated me ice cream yet–” She recalled in annoyance.

“‘Kay, ‘kay. I’ll buy you two 31 scoops.”

[TN: short for Baskin Robbins 31]

She gave me a dazed, happy smile.

Even though it was by conscience, I was glad she came here today. And I
should tell Minato to meet tomorrow, things were about to change.

“You’re an idiot, so I’ll say the obvious one more time in case you haven’t
figured it out yet.”

“Hn? There’s one more holy revelation for me?”

She was usually uninterested in the Angel, I wonder why she went to such
lengths today.

“There’s still one thing that isn’t quite right.”

“One thing?”

“That playgirl, why hasn’t she fallen for you yet?”

“Eh…”

…
“Well, it shouldn’t be strange, people have types–”

“Stop that futile argument. Given her tendency, you know better than that.
Or she was hiding it from you, that is.”

No, she couldn’t. There was nothing to hide, my power told me she doesn’t
like me romantically.

She couldn’t be.

“You helped her?” She went on.

“With everything I can.”

“To do so, how many times have you met?”

“Um, uhh…” I had lost count.

“Then why hasn’t she falled for you yet? You’re a considerably good guy,
why wouldn’t she?”

“Eh…”
Heh?

“H-Hiura-san? Um…”

“Huh? You really think that I would hang out with some lousy guy? Heck,
no.”

“31… I’ll buy three scoops.”

“Nah, two scoops, waffle cone.”

I bowed “Order received.”

Hiura… You might not be one of Kuze’s Top Three, but you’re my
goddess…

“In short, Yuzuki– oops, the reason why that girl hasn’t fallen for you yet is
the key. That’s the best route in my opinion.”

“Hey… W-well, I see… I’ll try asking, that certain someone.”

“Yeah, yeah. That certain someone.”

[TN: Lmao]

◆ ◆ ◆

A while later, on my way home. I walked to the station with Yukito.

In the end, he said nothing throughout the session.

I won’t force him to if he doesn’t want to. But the fact that Yukito, of all
people, decided to sit out something like this, bothered me.

“It’s as if she’s your opposite,” he said out of the blue.

“Eh?”

“That certain someone, she’s your opposite.”

“‘Opposite’?”
“You who can’t bring himself to like anyone since then, and the girl who
falls in love with anyone and everyone. Ironic.” A pause. “No, you’re the
same,” he decided.

I didn’t understand what he meant.

After he cleared his throat, he went on, “Nothing. If you want to help her
then do it. If you need my help just say so.”

“Uh… I ask for your advice today. How did that turn out?”

“Aki-chan was there. By the way, she’s popular, right?”

“Hmm, about that. She’s unrefined, that girl.”

It had been by habit by now, I hid the fact that she was Plus Four, lest he
had any weird interest again.

“Liar. I’d definitely hit on her if I were you. She seems compatible.”

“Hey, that sounds illegal.”

“I’m jealous of your legality to do so~”

He laughed jokingly and we continued the rest of the way in silence.

◆ ◆ ◆
 Chapter 5.3

After school, the day after receiving Hiura’s supreme advice.

“So, that’s why… Uh–, in short.”

I called Minato to the school roof.

I hadn’t called her to the café solely because I hated the prospect of Yukito
hearing this. Now that he knew the gravity of the situation, he probably
won’t tease me, but still.

“The reason you haven’t liked me yet… Can I find out why?”

I had told her briefly about what Hiura suspected. The process was more
embarrassing than I thought.

She crossed her arms. “Hmm”

The distant calls of the track and field club echoed from below. When
mingled with the music club’s music, a lonely background music drifted
through the rooftop.

“Hey! Don’t just leave off with ‘Hmm’!” I tried so hard to say that out loud,
you know!

“I-I mean! I… It’s embarrassing…”

“Ah, well. Yeah… I kinda understand.”

Silence.

Her face was tinged red. A gust of wind swept by and carenessed her hair,
sending black hair sifting from white skin.

White, black, red. At that moment, this combination seemed to be the most
beautiful thing in the world. She was that beautiful.

“But… I myself don’t know either.”

“Hm…”
“Yeah… But you might have forgotten, I have told you before that… that I
might have liked you.”

How could I forget? I will never forget that heart pounding event.

That was the first time we went to Yukito’s cafe.

“So… it would be strange if I haven’t yet.”

That’s a lot of damage!

“Ah! I mean, not like that! But that’s what I think.”

“I’m fine, I’m… fine…” Only me…? “Ahh, I feel like crying.”

“I said I’m sorry! Don’t overreact…”

“Like, ‘I’m terribly sorry, I don’t like you’, that’s too pitiful!”

“Io! Sorry! Yeah?”

“Ahh, I’m not manly enough…”

“That’s not it! … Maybe”

“But you still don’t like me…”

“Hey! That’s enough!”

“Nah, I’m joking. I don’t really care.”

I was starting to feel bad for her, so let’s leave jokes here. I’m not sulking,
really, I’m not.

“It’s not like I want you to like me or the other way around. Actually, this
helps a lot”

“But… we still don’t know the cause, even though we could have…”

“Well, indeed—”
That was— Hmm, I think this might be a breakthrough.

“Okay, one last time, you have absolutely no idea of why you started liking
multiple people, yeah?”

There was a slight pause. “Yup”

That pause… It could be from her feeling of helplessness, but what was that
wavering in her eyes?

“You really think so? No slightest idea?”

To recite Hiura, bitches are bitches, the reason was with themselves. What I
should do now was not to compare samples and data, but to dig deeper into
Minato herself.

She kept her gaze downward. Behind the curtains of her hair, her expression
was… dark.

“No, I don’t. I told you, right? Can you please understand that?”

“…Yeah, sorry.”
“It’s fine.” she muttered and she shook her head weakly.

I wanted to push further, but seeing her like this…

Hmph, another deadend.

Nah, it’s not like everything would align miraculously by just changing the
perspective.

“Minato, can I have some time?”

“Eh?”

“I need time to think more about this. Maybe I could see some patterns after
clearing my head. That’s the best I can do right now.”

“Yeah, go ahead. Should I do anything in the meantime? Like the

operation?”

“No, thanks. Take a break. But notify me if anything changes.”

“Yeah, sure. Thanks.”

The conversation came to an end, I stretched my arms. Hearing a satisfying

pop, my head became lighter.

“Io”

“Hm?”

“I’m sorry. And I want you to know that I appreciate what you did for me.”

“Hm? It’s nothing. Besides, thanks like this are saved for the end, no?”

“Well… Yeah, silly me.”

“Is there…” anything? I stopped myself before completing the sentence.

Maybe this was not the time to ask, she must have felt conflicted.
Especially after telling her that what we did was for naught.

–and,
“See you”

She turned her heels and walked off. After watching her disappear from the
rooftop, I sat down on the spot.

Blew by the winds, the cloud moved and revealed the sun.

Ow! Too bright

A while passed, but I couldn’t bring myself up again.

That was— wasn’t. It wasn’t that she wanted to say something.

“She didn’t want to say something, huh…” Somehow, the sky above
compelled me to say it out loud.

I never knew that things would get harder one sidedly like this.

◆ ◆ ◆
A week passed without meeting Minato.

During that time, I made some progress with my Angel work after a long
absence. I steered Makino closer to confession and also reached out to
another second-year girl.

Compared to Minato’s, what I needed to do for them was simple. Not that it
was easy though, but I knew what I was doing.

But after meeting Minato, everyone seemed like slackers.

Well, if it was that simple then the Angel wouldn’t be needed in the first
place.

“Yeahhh, spare!”

My head snapped up at the loud strike.

Reiji returned from his bowl with a smug look on his face. We high-fived as
I switched in.

Reiji invited me out for bowling today. I had no plans and was in need of a
change of pace.
The bowling alley was near Hamaotsu Station on the Keihan Ishiyama
Sakamoto line. This was the only Round One in the prefecture.

As one would expect from Shiga prefecture, only one Round One, the
ultimate indicator of rurality. There was a saying that Shiga has only Lake
Biwa. Which was true, in fact, Lake Biwa accounted for around one-sixth
of the total area. For some reason, Shiga residents were proud of this.

And since the establishment was far from Kuze High, most of the people
here were from nearby schools. Furthermore, it was still time for club
activities, so only people free at this time were the go-home club members.

“Wow, what a beautiful split. My victory’s sealed,” Reiji jeered.

“I’ll definitely take them down. And you will miss the next round.” No, this
was a hollow bluff, I’ll lose for sure.

“Hoh–, I’ll make sure I get to record this beautiful throw.”

“Hey, trying a psychological attack? Not fair!”

I heard a mechanical sound from behind, probably Reiji recording.

I shook off all my thoughts, with a mind as clear as the water surface of a
zen garden pond, I let go.

Hmph, I’ll show you, Reiji.

“Damn…”

The ball slipped past the pins without a hitch. With a buzz, the ceiling
monitor reaffirmed my pathetic performance.

Ahh, I lost. Well, there was still some hope, but better give up now.

“I’ll send the video to Hiura.”

“Stop!”

“Well then, I’ll send it in class LINE”

[TN: Class LINE, a chat room for everyone in the class, a place where
everyone reveals other’s humiliation. A place wilder than the Wild
West.]
“That’s more of a reason to stop! And it would definitely become one of
those ‘read, no reply messages’! And what’s the point since Hiura would
see anyway!”

Defeated, I sat down with a thud. In response, Reiji stood and went to the
lane.

The loser buys a juice, just the right amount of student-like wager.
However, considering how good he was, this didn’t seem fair.

He’s milking me dry.

Unfortunately, there was no progress on Minato’s case. There was no

contact from the other side too, so like ever, it was a complete standstill.

What if she was hiding something from me?

To be honest, that was the only thing I could think of. Even so, that was my
speculation. From her expression and discomfort at times. So I would
assume that it was true and dig for evidence.

But still—
“Yeasss, strike!”

“Hahh…”

Nothing has ever gone my way.

 Chapter 5.4

“Hahh…”

Nothing has ever gone my way.

And even if my intuition was right…

If Minato was hiding something from me…

Then it would be something she didn’t want to discuss.

Unfortunately, I knew that feeling too well. If possible, I wanted her to be

the one who broke it to me.

Maybe it was my lack of forcefulness that blocked the progress.

“What should I do…”

With these brooding thoughts, I ansently tossed the rest of my frames.

◆ ◆ ◆

“Here you go, coffee.”

“Thanksss”

He caught the can I threw deftly. I pulled my own tab and took a sip as I sat
opposite of him.

There was a resting area near the entrance of the buildings. Among the
numerous benches, we sit on the outermost ones.

Above our heads hung numerous balloon-like decorative balls, some big,
some small, some transparent ones with smaller balls inside. It had been
here for as long as the building, but I still couldn’t figure out what it was
supposed to be.

“Still a cola addict,” commented Reiji, his eyes on my can.

“Still delicious.”

“I still don’t get it. I can’t even force it down.”

“My condolences. Unable to savor this pleasure. The fizz and the sugar’s
gonna make you lucid. Soda’s the best.”

“Oh, so that’s why you’re an idiot when not drinking.”

“Give back my coffee.”

“Too late~”

Damn you, stop screwing around for once?

“But,” something flashed in his eyes, “You haven’t drink once during
middle school”

“I have refined my taste buds. I’ve grown up.” I couldn’t help but growl.

“Uh, if I have to choose one, I’d say more childish.”

“…”

“By the way, Io.”

“Yeah?”

“Have you figured it out? The mystery of the playgirl bitch?”

“Stop calling her ‘bitch’, and no, I’m at my wit’s end.”

“Huhhh? Boring.”

And you remembered the details? How is that boring to you?

“I thought there would be something interesting for once–”

“It’s not boring nor interesting. My work as the Angel isn’t some
entertainment.”

“It’s not your problem?”

“Even it’s other’s problem, I care about it as my own”

I looked up at the hanging spheres and sighed loud enough for him to hear.

The smell of baked mund and cheese waffled from Lotteria at the corner.
Strangely enough, I didn’t have the appetite.

“Maybe you should deal with your own problem before helping others,” he
said flatly.

I was about to snap back, but his tone was unexpectedly mellow, so I bit
back my retort.

“There’s nothing I can do with it.”

“There’s nothing you can do with yours, but you think you could do with
hers”

“Ngh…”

Something in his eyes switched that instant. I unconsciously recoiled.

“You’re not the same. You and that girl.”

“…”

“Are you aware of how blind you are to your own shortcomings?”

“Shutup”

He pretended to not notice my snarl. His silver earrings gleamed dully. His
profile was insufferably handsome.

“Speaking of which, what about your side?”

“Hm? What?”

“That kouhai girlfriend.”

I saw her coming to our class once, she was flashy, Reiji’s type.

He threw his head to the side. “Ahh. We broke up.”

“What even happened? It hasn’t been three weeks.”

“Long enough to tell that we don’t fit. Thank heavens.” Reiji guffawed.

Couldn’t expect less from him.

I doubt this will make any difference, but, “If you’re gonna break up like
that, couldn’t you spare a thought before saying yes?”

“Huhh? You never know until you date. Not compatible? Just break up.
That’s the only way to know whether it would work out or not.”

Reiji was… carefree, but that didn’t mean he was messing around. His
arguments were, to an extent, sound.

That didn’t stop the resentment from those he rejected.

“Don’t expect everyone to treat dating as some sacred ritual like you. If you
got confessed, then go along with it, at least that’s how I think.”

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry.”

But, sacred ritual? I’m just another dude, no? I’m normal, right?

“Maybe you might begin liking them back for their affection. Some people
are like that, you know?”

“Hm?”

Liking them back for…their affection?

“Well, in short, Io, no offense, but get over that senpai—”

I sprang up. “I see!!”

My head was working at an unprecedented speed. The more I theorize, the

more it makes sense.

“What? That ecstatic expression…”

“Reiji!” I took him by the shoulders and chook him.

“Quiet…”

“I’ll treat you ice cream too!”

“Eh? Uh, well, if you insist?”

I let him go and raced to the door. I couldn’t slow down and ran all the way
home, the excitement took away my fatigue for this past month.

Finally.

I took my shoes off and steadied my breath.

[The ice cream, one scoop, ‘kay?]

I sent a message to Reiji and threw it onto the sofa. I ignored the muted
vibration of the reply notification and went through the events until now.

I recalled the day we met, and what happened even before that
 Chapter 5.5

That saturday.

Minato promptly responded to my call. As usual, we met at Yukito’s cafe.

She wore a chic black blouse and tight denim jeans. Unlike our previous
outing to Kyoto, her attire was clean and gave the image of maturity. Like
usual, it really suited her.

Unfortunately though, there was no time for that.

“I think I might have figured it out.” I began after taking a sip. The Sprite
did a good job of blowing off the jittery.

“Figured what?”

“The condition of your ailment.”

A flicker. For a second, her eyebrows knitted.

Her reaction made me wavered a little, but there was no turning back now.
“I changed my methods.”

“And?”

“The hint was in the people you liked, just not what I thought to be.”

“There’s a connection?”

“Yes, there was one thing I looked over. Fortunately, I happened to be the
only one who could verify this theory.”

I looked at my palm. She saw the gesture and her eyes widened in
recognition.

“I wasn’t sure at first, but I tried it anyway. There are thirty people you
currently like,” I spoke silently, “I used my powers on them.”

Of course, the process was grueling. But that didn’t matter.

I couldn’t do much in other cases, but I didn’t let any of the Kuze students
slip. Well, I could stop halfway if the tendency suggested otherwise.
However, well…

“Thirty people, I checked on twenty eight. Twenty seven of them–”

Her frown deepened.

“–Likes you”

Aoki, who picked up her handkerchief. That plain boy who had never
talked to her. Third year senpai who talked with her during lunch break.
Angel consultant, Makino.

All of them liked her.

“I also tried on the ikemen that you haven’t fallen for yet.”

“And?”

“It turns out he already has a girlfriend, so he has zero interest in you. I also
tried on the others with conditions similar to his.”
“But there’s a lot of people who don’t like me…”

“And that’s precisely why.”

Her face flickered and she suddenly looked relieved. She brought her hand
to her chest and closed her eyes. I was curious about her reaction, but I need
to conclude first.

“Minato, you’re probably liking people back because they liked you. Or
more precisely, you are reacting to the affection expressed.”

That was my theory.

All thanks to Reiji.

“And that fell in line with the fact that you haven’t fallen for me yet, despite
how much we have talked. I don’t have any romantic feelings for you, so
you, in return, don’t either.”

I drank the rest of the soda in one gulp. Because of how much I had drunk,
the fizzing in my mouth was faintly audible. Although I smarted at the pain
it brought, it did a good job at clearing my head. And I probably couldn’t
stand this silence if I hadn’t drunk.
Minato’s face continued to shadow as the somber atmosphere fell in
between us.

Although this was a big step forward, it was still a long way until we can
cure the Falling-in-love Peculiarity. I had thought that this would be a small
respite for her, but she just looked down painfully.

“And the guy from the neighboring school we walked past, it’s probably
him falling at first sight and you’ve felt it. I can’t be hundred percent sure
yet, and I need some time to test it out under different conditions. Still,
when that is finished, we can move on to–”

“It’s okay, there’s no need to check,” her tone was weak, filled with
resignation.

It was as if she had to force it out.

“Eh? You said you’d definitely have it cured?”

“I said that I’d do anything. And you would reach the same conclusion
anyway. I had suspected the same thing…”

“You have? What…?”

Since when?

And why didn’t she tell me?

“Thank you, Io.”

Pain. Her face contorted in pain.

Crying, but no tears came. Her face was like that. Unfathomably poignant.
“This is where my consultation ends. I’ll take care of myself from now on.”

“Hah? Hey!”

She put down a thousand yen bill and stood.

Before she left, she glanced backward once, telling me not to follow her.

“We might now know the trigger, but the cause is still unknown! Stick it to
the end!”

She ignored me and closed the door, the bell chimed merrily.

My eyes went across the counter and saw Yukito looking

uncharacteristically concerned. Somehow, I was glad he looked that way.

Pathetically, helplessly, I stood there like a fool for a long time.

 Chapter 5.6

Ayaha Interlude

“And you?”

“Hn?”

“What would you do? If you have such powers.”

Coming to think of it, it was some heavily drama-influenced answer. Was it?

But still, I was glad I had asked her properly.

Say, Ayaha–.

[TN:From the last interlude, in case anyone forgot]

If you have the power to read minds, what would you do…
“Hmm–, me? I–…”

If it was me, I’d have still used it for my own gain. Just like how I used my
power until now.

Things like “Use it to contribute something to society!” could only be

spoken by someone who doesn’t have powers. And everyone says that
because they do not.

Coincidentally, I got this unique power. How do I use it? That was a
question I had given up on finding the answer.

So I pretend, pretend nothing’s wrong. Coward.

And when I finally used it–

I don’t know what’s right and what’s wrong. What had I done, I still
wondered.

That’s why I needed to hear her answer.

Ayaha, what would you do?

“Let’s see… hm. Maybe, I might succumb to greed. Ahaha” She smiled
sheepishly.

“Hm?”

She was the most beautiful when smiling. Everything seemed to be at

peace, the gentle slope of her brows, the warmth radiating from her
narrowed eyes.

“Exposing secrets of those who I don’t like, reading everyone’s mind during
tests, any cheating in general too. Ahh, cheating would be ten times easier
like that”

“You’re no good”

“I mean, it’s my ability? Why can’t I use it? Too bad, god gave the power to
the wrong person.”

“God would probably facepalm if he heard that.”

She bursted into another fit of laughter.

Yeah, I’m an idiot, a simpleton.

It was as if she understood me, being on my side. I was genuinely happy.

“Ah! I would try to balance out though”

“Balance?”

“Help people out, well, mostly my family or loved ones. Being able to read
minds opens up a lot of possibilities, imagine what I could do. There might
be something only I could notice, something like that.”

“Hm, for example?”

“Un–, here, if you’re feeling down, I would have noticed and done
something, right?’

My heart skipped a leap.

Even though it was just an assumption, still…

“This older sister could give you a tight hug. Head pats too! You’re like my
dear brother.”

“I’m not interested…”

“Ah, ah. What is that?” she teased, “You’re embarrassed? How cuteee”

“I’m not!”

I was.

My heart was galloping 120 km/h, breathing hurted, this was a torture. But I
was also incredibly happy, blissful, I…

“So, Io-kun.” She smiled again. I hoped she would do that forever. “If
you’re having a hard time, worrying, anxious, just tell me. If you do, I
wouldn’t need any power to help you. Without power, yeah?”

I couldn’t speak, lest these emotions would spill instead.

I won’t forget, never, this memory, her face, her gentle voice.
“You too,” I managed.

You’re always too lovely. Would you mind? If I cling to you a bit.

Was that selfish, I wonder.

“Ayaha, tell me too, yeah?”

Hey, answer me, please, Ayaha, please.

Ayaha.
 Chapter 6.1

Chapter 6: Angel and the girl’s long evening

Work mode: on.

Voice changer: okay, camera: off. Call quality: the worst.

–”You there, Angel?”

It was probably either in Wi-Fi condition or site traffic. The voice froze, but
well, it couldn’t be helped.

“Yeah, I’ll manage. We can switch to chat if it gets worse.”

–“‘Kay”

“So what brings you here?”

Makino was the one who asked to have this call today. He didn’t say what,
but it was probably…

–“Um… I will confess to Yuzuki-san”

“I see… You’ve made up your mind.”

I tried to emanate a light and cheerful tone, but I guess it could get so far.
Good there was voice change, I probably couldn’t do this face to face.

–”It took time, but I finally got the courage to confess. All thanks to you,
Angel”

“No, you worked hard.” I still couldn’t shake off the gloom.

Get it together, Kuze High’s Angel!

–”Is there anything?”

“Nothing. I’m rooting for you, Makino”

I failed to bit back the bitter thought. She was going to reject him.

–”Huzzah! Although I’m not sure how to confess… hehe, sorry for relying
on you ‘till the end…”

“Don’t worry, that’s what my work entails”

–“Hoh? Back to ‘watashi’? I prefer ‘ore’ tho–.”

[TN: Yep, those problematic pronouns again]

“I’ll pass. The more I use it, the more likely I’ll slip again.”

–“Ahaha. I see, that couldn’t be good.”

Hmph, this is no laughing matter. I need to keep my identity a secret here.

Having a gender neutral image serves better in easing up the atmosphere of
consults too.

–”Ahh– How cold. I thought we could have been friends.” His tone
sombered.
Of course, he wouldn’t know that I was in the next class. Or that he just had
a tennis match with the Angel a few days prior.

But sorry, sorry for urging you on a love that would never come true. Alas, I
have no regrets.

“Sorry.” Of course, he won’t know how many things I’m apologizing for.

–”It would hinder your work, right? So not your fault.”

“Yeah… Thanks.”

I thought we could have been friends…

Makino, I’m afraid I don’t have any right to be your friend.

◆ ◆ ◆

The next few days passed in a haze. Went to school, took classes, that was
it.
I hadn’t met Minato ever since. I hadn’t even exchanged a single word with
her.

I also took a break from my Angel work. I had cleared Makino’s

consultation, so what was left was the other new girl, whom I had already
sent an apology to.

Everything fell into a routine, my thoughts too, were in a circle.

Where did it go wrong?

Or was it unavoidable from the start?

I don’t know–couldn’t know. She avoided me at school, and my messages

were left on read. I even tried going straight for her. It ended with her
rebuffing me with the scaries glare I had ever seen. I was rattled. Never
tried that again.

I had done everything I could think of.

“Hahh…”
Just when I thought this might turn out to be okay. I had thought that I
might have a chance. It might not be my speciality, but I had the will and
determination. Heck, I even have this weird power. Surely, something
would work out, or at least, to some acceptable level…

“Hah〜〜”

“Shut up. Your sighs are making my nuggets bland.” From the opposite
seat, Hiura chided.

Afterschool, Hiura skipped her club and dragged me to a McDonalds along

the prefectural road. A bit further west from lake Biwa where I first talked
with Minato.

Also, Shiga people were crazy about McDonalds. Well, we’re in Kansai,
that’s how things work here.

Hiura crossed her legs dangerously on the chair, her hands busy lobbing
nuggets and fries. The last time I reached for one, she quickly slapped my
outreached hand. Now, they were on my knees. I am a man of patience.
Humans are susceptible to pain.

“You’re dying a lot lately.” Bits of…whatever it was, flew from her mouth.

“I want to be reincarnated as a clam.”

“Agreed. You might finally shut up.”

“Hiura〜”

How cold… and how kind. Is this the duality of Hiura? By the way, why
did I feel refreshed when treated this way?

“Well? It’s that certain someone, right? You were rejected?”

Of course, she would know.

“That was on the mark?” she continued when my silence prolonged.

“Of course you’d care about me〜”

“Gross”

Okay, got it! I’m gonna turn into a clam!

“Complain whatever you want, I’ll be the wall.” She waved exasperatedly.

“H-Hiura-sama!!”

“Can you just get done with this quickly?!”

Yup, yup, she was probably a tsundere…

I sorted through my mind, my thoughts a jumble. To admit, I wasn’t sure

where to even start.

“She was… desperate, you know.”

Hiura was silently experimenting with the two sauces, dipping the fires and
tasting.

I don’t reckon any wall doing that, but fine.

“I feel like I need to do something, I can’t leave things like this…the other
times I would respect their choices, but… this time’s different.”
I said I would do anything to help, yet things turned out like this.

“I thought I could build a relationship of trust. I trust her, and I thought the
same goes for her. That was the only thing I thought I got right.
Consultations rely on trust.”

“Nothing can beat barbeque sauce.”

“Even if things are impossible. Even impossible, surely, at least something

will work out. I thought we could at least do that if we’re together… I was
wrong.”

“But mustard once in a while is delicious too…” she muttered.

“I thought too lightly of this,” I concluded.

“Wait wait, what if I mix them?”

“What I do is just lead people to confession. No, all I could do is that. Still,
I want to see this to the end, even if it meant intruding her space…” A
semblance of confidence returned. “There must be something she wanted to
keep hidden… Something that is worth the cost of not curing the
Peculiarity.”

I can’t help her without knowing more about her, and she knew it.
“It’s not something I can just get her to say. And I perfectly understand how
that feels.”

Just like how I got defensive when Reiji or Yukito mentioned Ayaha. She
must have had something like that too.

–There’s nothing you can do with your problem, but you think you could do
with hers?

Yeah, Reiji, you’re right.

–No, you’re the same.

Maybe you were right, Yukito. I can’t do anything.

“Why not ask the person in question?”

“Heh?”

She was looking at the sauce dispenser hungrily, no indication that what she
said was directed to me. Keeping the “wall” act, I suppose.
“Is it your fault? Or just just don’t want to get involved any further?” She
shook her head and used the nuget to wipe her sauce tray. “Thinking would
only get you so far. Just ask her and decide what to do. Disrespect to her
privacy? Hell, you have the right to know, don’t you?”

Somehow, the sound of her slurping the remaining milkshake sounded

lonely. I popped open the lid of my Fanta Grape and swigged the ice, the
soda long gone. I chew with a satisfying crunch, and prickling pain at the
sudden cold.

“Hiura…”

“Yeah?”

I eyed the fries, not daring to reach. “Can I have one?”

She grunted and the red-yellow bag was held out to me.

I took the longest one, glanced up to check her reaction, and stuffed it into
my mouth.

“Sauce too?”
“Mustard.”

“I want barbeque sauce.”

“Mustard”

I coated it with the yellow sauce. A lot of it, just to spite her.

“Delish”

She watched me eat expressionlessly.

“I see… I’ll try asking.”

Her attitude was brash. Yet when it counts, she was unexpectedly helpful.

“Hiura.”

“Hm?” A grunt.
“Thanks”

Another grunt. “Hm.”

 Chapter 6.2

A report came in: Makino had confessed and was rejected.

He was a bit down, but also somewhat relieved. When I apologized, instead
of blaming me, he thanked me over and over.

–Thanks to you, I could finally get over this. Ahh, it’s like I’m freed.

He also said that he would repay me someday.

Like that, our counseling ended. I was relieved, yet frustrated, and most of
all, ashamed.

I steeled my resolve, and,

The chime rang and the school day was over. I immediately rushed to class
seven.
It was time to meet Yuzuki Minato.

I was greeted with the current of leaving students and when the crowd
thinned, I walked in. Minato was still at her seat, looking outside
absentmindedly. In the corner of my vision, I also saw Fujimiya.

Today, I won’t back down–

“Yuzuki,” a snicker, “Hmph, I see that you’re behaving.”

Dyed hair and perfume, Yamabuki Karen stood with her back to me.

“Hm? Finally know your place? So ashamed you’ve kept to yourself? Pfft.”
Her titter still hurted my ear.

A disquieting atmosphere seeped through the classroom. Everyone that

hadn’t left froze momentarily.

Yamabuki sat on the desk next to her. “It’s refreshing. I’m so glad you
stopped that, it’s been an eyesore.”

I gritted my teeth. She was talking about the operation I suggested.

But… So she thought that the incident earlier made Minato stop. Unable to
resist the urge to brag about her presumed success, like this, she pushed her
luck. Oh, Yamabuki, you’ve mistaken.

“But you know, Yuzuki? You’re just a bitch, the fact that you’ve stopped
means nothing? Hope you remember that.”

I can’t watch this. This is so, so childish.

She thought that those hollow insults would get her the upperhand. Her
words, her thoughts, what utter nonsense.

She sighed and shook her head. “You’re just scared of me, I know. Besides,
I know what happened in middle school–”

That’s it. I don’t care about the consequences. Just don’t goddamn mess
with other people’s past.

But before I could move.

Slap!
A sharp crack.

Minato stood, her hair streaming after as her body twisted at an

unbelievable angle. Yamabuki lost balance and fell hard on the floor. The
classroom fell silent.

“Y-you!! What the hell!!”

“That has nothing!! To do with you!!!”

Tears rolled down her cheeks. Her face still in a snarl, Minato left.

I was about to go after her when I noticed a grip on my shoulder.

“Akashi-kun!”

“What,” I said flatly.

Fujimiya looked at me with pleading eyes as she shook her head.

“We need to talk.”

 ◆ ◆ ◆

I led her to Cafe Proof. It appeared that it was the opposite way to her
house, but it was also the only place we could discuss freely. Fujimiya also
agreed to that.

Yukito patted me on the shoulder silently and gave an encouraging smile. I

went for the usual seat, and had Fujimiya sitting at Minato’s seat.

“Actually… I knew.”

“Knew what?”

“What she’s struggling with,” she said, “I haven’t asked her directly, but
I’ve seen enough. And that this time, it was about it too.”

Her voice was…pleading.

“Oh…”
“Yea. but she won’t tell me, so I pretended I didn’t know.” This time, her
voice was sulky.

It was understandable that Minato wouldn’t tell Fujimiya, but from

Fujimiya’s point of view…

“Minato, she’s not well lately.”

“I know.”

“I’m worried. You don’t seem to be in contact anymore. So, something

must have happened between you two, and that’s the cause.” Fujimiya
turned a questioning eye.

Unfortunately, there was nothing to refute. Nor I was planning to.

Noting my dour state, she smiled as if to say she wasn’t blaming me.

“Well?”

“Sorry…”
Then I told her everything. It was easy, since she already knew about the
Peculiarity, there was nothing to hide. I told her how I accepted her
consultation, and how I ended up with the conclusion.
 Chapter 6.3

Then I told Fujimiya everything. It was easy, since she already knew about
the Peculiarity, there was nothing to hide. I told her how I accepted her
consultation, and how I ended up with the conclusion.

I told her of Minato’s ending of the consultation.

I also revealed about the Angel to her. If not, there wouldn’t be a reason for
Minato asking for my help.

By the time I finished, Fujimiya was sobbing while nodding. “I see,” she
said feebly. The fact that Minato went for advice from a stranger insead of
her must have been hard to bear.

Although I did keep the power to myself. There was no reason in telling her
anyway.

“I understand now.” She looked detached, her words came in between

pauses.
“Sorry… I should have done something.”

“It’s not your fault. You told me everything, and by that, I got involved with
your secret. I have no right to put any blame on you.”

She sighed. As if in accordance, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

“She… She must have known the reason she liked them.” She closed her
eyes in concentration. “I think I understand now.”

“But… How do I bring this up? she clearly doesn’t want to talk about it.”

“She may seem so. However, she must have felt it, somewhere inside, the
urge to confide in someone. She wasn’t lying when she said she wanted to
get rid of the Peculiarity, I am sure about this.”

“You don’t need to but…” Her head jerked up, the remaining tear
glimmered. “If… If you haven’t given up on her… Can you please step in?
She might not like it, she might hate you for it, but can you try talking to
her one more time?”

She shakily blinked several times. With her pursed lips, she looked like she
couldn’t stand the frustration any longer.
“If you’re okay with me.” I shrugged ruefully.

She sighed. “If you can’t, then I’m out of the question.”

Her smile then was weak, yet cute and resolute.

“You know her address?” I asked.

“Hm? Ah, yes!”

“‘Kay, I’ll go. Actually, I was going to go to her anyway, the timing was
just bad back there.”

“Akashi-kun…”

“Since it’d be two days wait with the weekend in between, I’ll update via
LINE. You can send her address there too.”

We went to the cashier and paid our bill. The bell rang softly as we left the
cafe and began climbing Tokimeki hill.
“Say,” she began, her tone was light and teasing, in contrast to her dire tone
earlier. “Why did you touch her cheeks?”

“Uh… Nothing, I just want to.”

“You like her? Minato I mean.” She smiled mirthfully.

“No, it’s just…”

“Hehh? I’d recommend you to go for her, you know?”

Of course, anyone would recommend her, she’s the freaking Kuze’s Top
Three. And her good points didn’t just end there.

“She’s cute, stylish, and…” she listed. “Ah! She’s a good girl too, you
know.” Fujimiya whispered collusively.

“I suppose.”

“And you’re barely acceptable to me too, so you’ve at least cleared a level.”

“‘Acceptable’? And what are you, her parents?”

Fujimiya was heading back to school once more, so we parted at the

junction between Keihan Zeze and JR Zeze Station.

When I turned my back to her and walked away, she said, “I’ll let you hug
her for today.”

My feet came to a stop. “I won’t,” I said quickly.

“Ah, there’s a pause,” she noted gleefully.

“Well, take care of her!” she said as she waved.

She turned her back to me, I turned to hers.

◆ ◆ ◆

Minato’s apartment was around South Kusatsu Station, Kusatsu City, the
biggest city in Shiga Prefecture. Although this “Kusatsu” was not the same
as Kusatsu Onsen, the onsen was in Kusatsu Town, Gumna, whilst this was
Kusatsu City, Shiga. There was no onsen, just a cold lake here.
Sigh. Who named these places?

[TN:Agreed]

Also, from here to Kyoto was an eighteen minutes ride. That made this area
a strangely prosperous commuter town. Yep, strangely. This is Shiga
Prefecture, everything defies common sense.

[TN:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commuter_town]

[TN: And no, I don’t get the Shiga joke.]

I got off the train at South Kusatsu, and fiddled with the map application. I
could cut straight through smaller roads, but to be sure, I decided to go
along the national highway as far as I could.

I made my way in silence, all the while making another revision of what I
had thought on the train. I reached a gigantic intersection.

“Ah…”

On the other side of the road, I saw a familiar figure. Even with the
backdrop of a yakiniku place, she was beautiful. She still hadn’t changed
out of school uniform. Her back was carried high with confidence. It would
have been the usual Minato, only if it wasn’t for the dark frown.
“Minato.” Miraculously, my greeting came out fine.

The frown was taken over by surprise. “Io?”

She blinked several times successively and removed white earphones from
her ears. The wireless ones I gave her.

She let out a resigned sigh.

“Shopping.”

I tilted my head questioningly.

“Help me carry. We can talk at home later.”

“Got it.”

◆ ◆ ◆

We traced back to a Seiyu at the station building and shopped together.

Minato picked up vegetables, instant foods and other groceries with
practiced hands. I looked at the basket in my hand, the products here were
what most highschool students would let their parents buy for them.

[TN: Seiyu, Japanese department store. In case anyone wondering,

voice actors are “seiyuu”, extra u there.]

She paid at the self-checkout and I helped her pack the bags. After that, we
went straight to her apartment.

Not a single word passed between us, saved for the “I’m sorry”, when she
noted my initial dumbfounded expression.

Her apartment was the luxurious type. Minato held up her phone and the
auto-lock opened with a mechanical buzz. The IC card key was probably
hidden inside the phone case.

“Wait here.” She took the other bag from my hand and disappeared inside.

A while passed and she returned. “Come in.” Her face flushed a little as she
urged me.

The front door clicked close and I was led inside. We reached a living room
with a low rectangular table with two cushions. There was nothing of note
other than that.
“You live alone?” I broke the silence for the first time.

“No, mother… Mom lives here too. Or at least, in the paper, otherwise I
couldn’t enroll for Kuze High,” she said matter-of-factly.

Kuze was a national highschool, so I suppose stipulation along that line

exists.

However, this is no time for small talk…

“So you came.”

“Yeah, I’m here.” Her face was taunted with anticipation again. “I talked
with Fujimiya.”

“With Shiho?”

“Yep, and also once before that.”

And I went on clarifying about what happened. This week was a week of
explanations. Or rather, there were simply too many secrets between us, the
bill has come due.
Her expression was complicated. From shock, to guilt, to disbelief, her face
was a mess of emotions.

“But I’m not here on her order,” I assured, “I’ll be asking later. What is this
about? What are you hiding from me? Think up your answer by then.”

“Later?”

“You heard right, later. When I finish my story. You don’t need to pay full
attention, just listen.”

She nodded slowly.

Thinking back, this was the first time I had told someone this by myself.

But it was this or give up. How to make other people reveal a secret to you?
You tell them yours. That was the concept of confiding, that was the
concept of trust.

“This is the story of how I decided to become the Angel of Kuze High.”
[TN: I’ll take some time and update a few parts at once, not sure how
long it will take, but I’ll find where I can end without a cliffhanger.]
 Chapter 6.4

[TN: This is a one sided dialogue formatting]

There was a girl named Shiki Ayaha.

She was a year older, a senpai at my middle school. Long hair, she was
mature for her age,and of course, beautiful. Even so, inside, she was very
childish.

I found myself smiling at the memory.

She was strange. Not that I have anything to complain about though.

She was dear to me. Every one would think like that, she just had the
personality that makes you think so.

She was always on the off-limits rooftop. She seemed to take her class
normally, but I have only met her there. Lunch break, afterschool, I always
met her there.
We would talk about whatever crossed our minds. We talked about silly
things, joked around, we even got into fights sometimes.

Hmm. What I did with her is irrelevant to the story, I’ll cut to the important
parts.

Anyway, the thing was, I liked Ayaha. Of course, romantic feelings, nothing
else. Not admiration, familial affection, camaraderie, no. I was hopelessly
in love.

I considered confessing, I planned to. But I wanted it to be a success, I

wanted to move forward in a relationship with a girl I liked. I was a fool,
but that was the only admirable thing about me at that time.

I’d prepared scripts, what was left was to find the courage to confess. Then,
I realized.

What if I was rejected?

Not that I wasn’t confident. Ayaha was certainly enjoying herself when with
me. And the rooftop, I was the only one she let me in.

But, a sliver of doubt remained.

What does the other party think about me? There was no way of knowing
until the confession. No, even if you confess, you might not know their true
feelings. You should understand this the best, Minato.

In short, I was scared.

If I confess, would this blissful everyday disappear? And what if I’m making
her uncomfortable with this unrequited love?

I was afraid of losing the time we shared. I was afraid of what confession
would bring.

So, what did I do?

Did I say I was a fool? Even more of a fool than now. I was short, my voice
was starting to crack, but there was one thing that was the same.

I had this power. Touch someone’s face and I’d know who they liked.

Did it cross your mind when you asked about my power? That this power
would be a cheat item for anyone in that situation.
Even a fool could come to that solution. The fourteen-years-old me thought.
No, I had been thinking since the moment I knew about my power.

Until then, I had never used it on Ayaha. As you would expect, I was lost. Is
that okay? I shouldn’t use my power on someone I cared about, or should I?

Just a swipe, just to be sure before confessing. Or so I convinced myself.

One evening, I managed to use it one her when she was taking a nap. My
power activated and–

No, it should have been activated. I saw no face, none.

Remember? The condition for my power, nothing happens meant that the
target liked no one.

Ayaha Shiki had no romantic feelings towards Akashi Io.

I went home right away and bawled my eyes out. I couldn’t confess. But this
affection refused to wane. It was painful.

I took a break, clearing the haze in my mind with a long deep sigh. Minato
was looking blankly at the table, her cheeks resting on her hand. Her lips
protrude a little, but not so much as a pout.

“It’s ending soon, don’t look so bored.”

She pulled herself from the drooping pose. “N-no! I wasn’t! It’s… not like
that.”

“It’s fine. Just a boring tale of a lame middleschooler’s stupid screw-up.”

“T-that’s…”

“Well, here comes the climax.”

She raised her eyebrows.

My heart was thunderous inside my chest.

I can’t let anything other than words spill here.

I took a deep breath and tried to stop the trembling.

“Ayaha died.”
There were no more tears.

Should I be relieved, or should I be disappointed?

The day I knew she didn’t like me, I cried the entire day. And then a week
later, she got into a car accident along with her father. Just like that, she
was gone. I heard that their death was immediate, good for her.

I shivered.

And then, I was a mess. Naturally, I was devastated, I really loved her.

I could no longer see her, her voice now no more than a memory. I couldn’t
accept it. In response, perhaps, I threw up for heavens know how many
times.

I skipped school for a while. Of course, I didn’t dare go to the rooftop.

There were too many things that reminded me of Ayaha. Besides, I might
end up at the wrong side of the fence.

I think we had talked about what we would do if our loved ones died. Now
that I had the experience for real, I just knew how absurd it was. There was
nothing I could do.
I wonder whether I should digest it slowly, taking in her death little by little.
To forget the pain, but keep the memory.

In the end, I did nothing, just…be.

Hey, why are you crying… You still need to explain your side of the story.
Keep it together, please.

…This was a story about why I decided to be an Angel, right? You could say
that this is the Angel’s martyrdoom, I guess.

My grief was not just her death.

Well, not grief, more of regret. The chance to tell her that I loved her was
now gone forever.

Why didn’t I tell her? She didn’t see me that way, but then what? I still liked
her. Scared? Scared of what? Scared of being rejected and losing this
relationship?

We were together practically everyday, why can’t you win her over? Do you
really think she would somehow notice you if you don’t tell her how you
feel?
Because I had this power, because I knew, I should hold the confession off.

I was sure, I was sure that this was the right call. That was what I thought.

But then, what happened?

Ayaha had died.

I laughed, derisively, hysterically. Why am I doing this again? Words just

kept spilling out. There were so many emotions—too many. I can’t think
straight anymore.

Not just the rooftop, I won’t meet her again anywhere.

Like that, she died without knowing that I loved her. I would never see the
look on her face when I tell her my feelings.

She might not see me that way, but I might be able to convince her a little?
“Now that I think of it, he isn’t a bad guy.” or something like that. I could
even ask her for a trial date. “I’ll work hard to be someone reliable, I’ll
show you. I’ll repeat my feelings to you again then.”
I might get that kind of chance.

Say, what would you do now, now that you knew everything.

Being rejected was scary, right? The possibility of being shunned by her
scared you, huh?

You were terrified of that, right? “I never think of you that way. Gross.” You
would be horrified if she said that, no?

But, was that worse than now?

You think anything could be any more painful than this? There was nothing
to be done now. You can’t tell her your feelings, never. You think there would
be anything worse than this??

I burst into another fit of laughter.

Even with the worst of rejections, it wasn’t the end of the line. There was a
whole world of possibilities had I confessed.

Hey, can you forget her? Can you give up on her?

I can’t even properly have my heart broken. There was nothing I could do
now.

Hey, Io, why didn’t you say it? If you know it would turn out like this, would
you confess? If she still lives, would you do the same thing?

No, right?

I should have told her. Should have told her I loved her. “I’ve fallen head
over heels for you,” I should have said that!

No matter the result, I should have confessed! If I had said it, I would have
been able to move on!

Every moment spent might have been the last. That’s the truth that people
never realize until it is too late.

“That’s why I became the Angel.” I managed to hoarsely choke out the last
words.

I should have brought soda from Seiyu.

“‘The angel will help people who were troubling about love’ was what
spread. Words spread and the saying changed to ‘Agnel will make your love
work out’” I licked my dry lips. “I help those who couldn’t take the plunge,
even sometimes a little forcefully, so that they won’t regret it like I did. My
responsibility is not to make sure their love is fulfilled, but accomplishment
of confession. Whether the confession succeeds or fails, whether their love
comes true or not, it doesn’t matter either way to me.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah. But it takes courage to confess. Courage comes from confidence,

confidence needs results. I’m more than happy to help their relationship
progress.”

Afterall, there was no such thing as an absolutely successful confession.

And at the same time, there was no such thing as a romantic feeling that
was better left unspoken.

“I’m being selfish, I know. I understand that there are people with special
circumstances like you. That’s why I let them choose, whether to follow me
or not. And I told them beforehand that I don’t guarantee success. If they
grab my outreached hand, then I will help them to the end, that’s it.” My
limbs were heavy and my heart ached, it was as if I had lost all the strength
I had.

Minato kept her head down and said nothing.

Well, there’s not much to comment on. I get it, it was stupid.

“Thank you for telling me,” she finally said.

“No, rather, I’m sorry for telling you something dark. And it was longer
than expected.” It must have been a while, since my throat was all but
parched. “So… Minato.”

“Yeah”

Trepidation filled the air. The main issue was now here.

“What on earth happened? If you don’t mind, please tell me. Just so you
know, you don’t have to. If you really want things to end this way then I’ll
respect that.”

A nod.

“Well, personally, I don’t like this ending. I know I’m forcing myself on
you but, you know, I’d like to at least end this amicably. I don’t know how
you feel about me, but I think of you as a friend.”

That was all I had to say, the rest was now up to her. Secrets and feelings
are yours and yours alone, Minato.
As if to steel her resolve, she slowly closed her eyes and sighed. With a
nod, she lay her hand over mine. Warm, soft, and trembling hand.

“Mine is dark too, okay?”

“Sure.”

“My climax might be at the start though.” Another sigh. “My parents died
when I was little. Their workplace caught fire.”

“…That’s why you were crying?”

She went on without answering. This time, she wasn’t crying.

I had nowhere else to go, so my aunt took me in. Yes, she’s my “mother”
now. And no, I’m not left alone in this world.

She had a husband and a baby boy. So technically, they’re my father and
brother. I was five then, I had just begun my kindergarten.
My new mother didn’t get along well with my mom. Ah, rest assured, she
didn’t take it out on me. Troubled would be the better word. They can’t
figure out how to interact with me, even until now. Their real child was just
born, so their attention was there, for the most part.

Well, it couldn’t be helped. Babies are hard work. You never knew what
would happen if you took your eyes off them.

I thought I would know my place and behave. I owe them enough for taking
me in, what else could I ask for? Yeah?

Originally, my parents were busy people, the professional type. They were
hardly at home anyway. Even my babysitter was stoic. I am used to being
alone.

It was lonely and… sad. But there was nothing to do about it, so I just gave
up.

Hm? What do you mean by “Since then?”? Yeah, it was since then.

Maybe I was annoying or not cute– no, that are just excuses. It’s not my
fault, it’s not theirs too, it was just how things were. They would fawn over
my brother while letting me be. But how could you blame them? They were
probably celebrating the birth of their baby when I came to their doorstep.
They had no memories with me, no fondness, no affection or whatsoever.
The difference between me and my brother was just so blatant that I can’t
ignore it. So I look after my brother, do anything to erase my existence, so
that they can ignore me, so that they have excuses to ignore me. I can’t
afford them hating me too, so it was the only viable choice back then.

That was probably what I was thinking back then.

Like, what kind of kindergartener thinks like that?

She laughed feebly

But I understood how they felt. I, too, can’t bring myself to love them. But
I’m still grateful for what they did. They took the responsibility to raise me,
the daughter of a sister whom she despised. Raising a child wasn’t an easy
thing.

After a few blunders, I learned to take care of myself, to play alone, and to
prepare meals. Anything that would contribute to the “I’m fine” aura.

On the other hand though, the distance between us widened. Synergistic

effect, so to say.

They were quite wealthy, money was never the problem. They would give me
allowances, and bring me things I needed. Still, there’s nothing I wanted,
and I felt bad wasting it. In the end, most of the money just ends up at the
bank.

I had turned down once, saying I don’t need this much. But they said
“Please keep it”. “Please”, in a plea.

There was no way I could refuse, so I hadn’t tried again since then.

I think it was a way to lessen their guilt, like, “Here’s the money, forgive
us.”

They occasionally ask if I need their help with anything. Sometimes, when I
ask them a favor, they would smile as if relieved and go on with the favor.

Thinking back, it was like a business deal.

We went too deep into the back dealings, and have no choice but to
continue. Instead of fulfilling our obligations, we used our rights and let the
other side do the same. Telling them it’s fine, and being told the same thing.

Ah, sorry, I derailed. Well, the point is, this is how I’m raised.
What you want to know is probably from now. Yes, this is how Falling-in-
love Peculiarity came to be.

I told you that it started during elementary school, that I dated many guys
to find the cause, that I don’t know the cause.

But sorry, the last one was a lie.

I was no longer surprised. She checked my expression once before letting

her eyes fall to the table.

“I knew the trigger pretty early. I know what kind of people I’m attracted
to.” She said, “Yes, the same conclusion as yours. It was around two years
back, so I had thought a lot about it.”

So it was right…

“The cause too, it was easy from that point on. This Peculiarity was
unordinary, then I must be unordinary too. I just need to trace back from
there.”

She shook her head in disgust.

The contempt was directed at herself.

“I wasn’t loved.”

“Ah, that way of speaking might be rude,” she corrected, “I just can’t feel
I’m loved. I’m messed up.”

Her fists began to curl. She began to pull her hands from me, as if she was
afraid of messing me up too. But I didn’t let her, I sought her hand and
gripped.

“So when I feel like I’m liked.” Her eyes still downward, she went on. “I
had to like them too. It just feels like I’m obliged to. I mean, they like me,
they are giving me what I’ve always longed for. Even though it wasn’t
familial love… I still… Still”

[TN: Gratitude, loyalty and faithfulness matters a lot in Japanese

culture, so by Japanese context, liking several men simultaneously,
speaking bad of one parents, and so on are bad. Sorry for not clarifying
this earlier. ]

“Yeah…yeah…”

A droplet spilled from her eye, followed by another, and another. The drops
joined into a stream, rolled down her cheeks and fell, disappearing behind
the table’s shadow.
Before I knew it, my hands intertwined and connected with Minato’s.
Which one of us initiated, I couldn’t know.

She then wiped her wet cheeks with her sleeve.

“But…Is there even a way to know? Something like that,” she sobbed.

“That?” I echoed.

“I might be wrong. I might look over something. It was like blaming my

parents, saying it’s their fault when all they did was take me in. I might just
be me. I don’t want to put the blame on anyone… So I needed someone
who could find the real reason, that way, I might… I might…”

“…”

“So I found you. If it’s the Angel, then surely, the answer! The reason I’m
messed up is me, I want that answer!”

“I see…”

“It’s not their fault! Not Mom, not Dad, not my brother, not anyone’s fault!
It’s mine…It’s mine!”
Her voice cracked and she crumpled, I kicked the table away and caught
her. She clung to me like a child. Her voice rose into a shrill.

“I don’t wanna, hic, be a bother to anyone!” she wailed.

I looped my arms around her, patted her head, trying to anchor her, to stop
the trembling. I failed.

I cried too. Her guilt was immense, it just felt natural to be crying after
seeing her crushed like this. She took the lead and I followed. Her sobs
continued forever. We didn’t talk, what to do next, we had no idea.

I’m sorry, Fujimiya, this is all I could do.

“Minato”

Ah, but… I see.

Hugging her was the right choice.

◆ ◆ ◆
It was already night when the crying stopped. We strolled through the chilly
national highway together. The bobbing lights and the swooshing of the
cars were a lullaby. I rubbed my eyes sleepily.

We veered into a chain ramen shop. The sign in fron read, “Shimoto
Shogun”. The hot bowls of shio ramen were carried, the warm soup roused
me from my daze. The occasional clang and clatter from the kitchen was
nice to the ear.

“If it’s no longer the problem, then there’s no need to care about the reason,
right?” she mumbled, “So it won’t be their fault, I’m not crazy, then… we
could all forget this… and…”

“Yeah.”

“But I can’t do anything, it’s not getting better. If I want it gone, then I
should do fix the source of the problem. But… but I don’t know how…
What should I do, I–”

Seeing her face becoming pale again, I cut in. “Hey, Minato.”

“Can’t you go slower?”

At last, I could find the word I wanted to say.

“Eh?”

“Can’t you take more time? I understand that you are frustrated with how
you can’t be committed, I understand that you don’t want to blame anyone.
I know you want to fix it right away and forget about it. You have been
thinking, suffering, fighting on your own.”

“Io…”

“But can’t you take it slow? Five years, ten years, maybe twenty. But by
then, things might have been alright. You’re not getting better anytime soon
if you keep on like this. Don’t hurry, just little by little, you can change.” I
smiled.

She scrunched her face and immediately set her eyes downcast. Her glossy
bangs fell and closed over her face like a curtain. I heard sniffing and wet
breaths coming in gasps.

“I’ll help. I’ll listen to you anytime, I’ll think with you. And if it helps, then
let me use my power on you.”

“Un…yeah.” she nodded repeatedly.

“I’ll be at your side, so just relax and hang in there.”
 Chapter 6.5

Ayaha Interlude

“Say, Ayaha”

My last memory of her.

“Hmm, What?”

Before we parted for the day, we watched the orange in the sky being
swallowed by the purple of the dusk. We were wrapping up the
conversation about mind-reading power.

“Is it wrong if you don’t use it?”

We were talking about how we would use it until now. But what I had
wanted to ask was this.
“You mean the power?”

“Yeah”

Because I have the power for real. Because I don’t know how to use it. It
was a question with no answer in sight.

“Why not?” She looked at me earnestly.

I had expected her to tease, but she looked serious. And thanks to that, I had
the courage to speak further.

“I can’t see how using it could make you happy. You might know
something you shouldn’t and end up feeling bad.”

Like I did

The words died on my lips though.

But if I don’t use it, then it is just as good as not having one. And I’d be just
another ordinary person.
“Hmm, that’s true. You have a point.” she pondered, “But still, that’s
depending on how you use it, no? It’s all up to skill.”

“Haha…You might manage that.”

“Hmm? I’m not so sure.”

“Well, if it’s like that, then having the power might not be as good. God
must have flunked so badly at the lottery if we happen to get any power.”

And a terrible coincidence at that.

Or perhaps God just couldn’t imagine I would screw up this hard when he
gave me this power.

“But, good or bad, it’s up to you, right?”

“Hm?”

She didn’t look this way. I, too, didn’t look her way. And so, I could never
know what kind of expression she had. She, too, couldn’t see my
expression.
“I mean, the topic just happened to be about supernatural powers, so it
might look dramatic. Actually, wouldn’t it be the same for other things too?
Like how tall you are, how big your chest can grow. Even your gender
when you were born. Everyone is born different.” She spread her arms.
“And that’s what makes us us. How would we perceive ourselves, how
would we act. That’s all according to us. No, others can decide for us, but
I’d hate it if someone did that to me.”

“Yeah.”

“That’s why I just want to like myself no matter what I am. I want to be
someone who can like myself. Everyday’s more fun to me this way.”

“Yeah, you might be right.” Somehow, when she said that, it sounded
convincing.

“Or I might be wrong～”

“Hey, can’t you be sure to the end.” I said despite knowing that it was just
how she was.

“I mean, I don’t know the right answer. Maybe I’d die without knowing it,
the right way of living, I mean.”
“I’d like to know it before I die though.”

“Agreed”

Silence.

“Anyway, if you happen to find it one day, make sure you tell me, ‘kay?”

I nodded.

“Yippee! Well then, I’ll sit back and wait for your answer～”

“You’re the older one here, be a good example.”

We fell into another silence.

Now that I think of it, it was a bit strange , but at the time, I felt like there
was no need to say anything.

“Yay!”
“Pwah!”

Suddenly, something cool was pressed against my neck. I jumped back.

“Ahaha, what was that? ‘Pwah’?”

“Stop it.”

When I turned around, I saw Ayaha smiling happily, holding up a plastic

bottle. She then opened the bottle and proffered.

“Wanna drink? Calpis soda.”

“I don’t like soda”

“Ehh, why not? Try a sip.” She held the bottle closer to my mouth.

I said I don’t like it… By the way, isn’t this indirect–

“It’s newly open, don’t worry.”

“Well, I guess it doesn’t hurt to try.”

“Ah, or you’re disappointed you don’t get an indirect kiss from this mature,
older sister?”

“N-no! You idiot!”

“Ahh, suspicious”

I ignored her banther and quickly gulped down the soda. My hot, blushing
face cooled down. It was much sweeter than I imagined.

She waited for my response. “Hey, it tastes good, doesn’t it?”

“…Not really.”

“Hehh, why not. Hmph, I’ll make you see the greatness of soda.”

“No, thanks.”
Then the chime suddenly rang, signaling the end of the school day. School
closes shortly after this chime, we had to go home.

This was the very last memory I had that day, with her.

“Ayaha.”

“Hmm, what?”

“But… the superpowers we talked about were entirely hypothetical, yeah?”

Enveloped by the ringing chime, lighted by a setting sun, I said, as if to

remind myself.

“Yeah, hypothetical.”

And if.

If she lived,

What would I be doing now?

What would we be doing now?

[TN: I add a few more pages to the previous part too, a short wrap-up
after crying]
 Chapter 7.1

Chapter 7: The Angel’s Wrath

“Good work, Io.”

Saturday, the day after the long talk with Minato. I spent the entire day
working with Yukito at the store.

The influx of customers was more than usual today. But somehow, I
welcomed it, being busy was better than the alternative.

When the day ended, even the veteran Yukito was tired. Now, from the
clinks in the kitchen, he was probably fixing a drink. After a while, he came
carrying a tray.

I unceremoniously picked the melon soda and took a sip. The prickling in
my mouth jolted me awake, and with it, went the fatigue. Soda is supreme.

“It’s your fault we’ve got so many soda menus.”

“Not thanks to me?” I asked.

“There’s no demand, your sodas are guaranteeing a deficit.”

And although he said that, he still made it for me. Well, I probably never
say this out loud, but he was a good guy.

“Also, good work, Io.”

“You already said that.”

“Not about today’s work. Yesterday’s, I mean.”

I grunted in accession.

With her permission, I had told him what happened between me and
Minato, briefly though. I also skipped the, err… emo parts. She probably
won’t frequent here like before, so the explanation was like a courtesy.

“So, you’re pulling back… No, looking at the long term, right.”
“Yeah, it was understandable that she wanted to get over it, however, many
problems are impossible in the short term.”

If the cause of her Falling-in-love Peculiarity was really from how she was
raised, if it was from her past, then there was only one solution. The past
was the past, the only thing that could be done now was what to think about
it, how to face it. And to do that, it would be over a span of a few years, at
least.

“Because that was what you did?”

My heart dropped.

“You’re saying that you need time to forget that senpai?” He stared at me
with a calm stare.

Still the usual meddlesome cousin.

“Going slow is okay, you know. But also, don’t mistake standing still as a
slow progress, you’d only waste your time like that.”

I took a hefty gulp of melon soda, swallowing back down a retort.

Fizz, fuzz, the sorrowful fizzing sounded nostalgic and lovely then.

The sweet scent, the dreamy sweet, the coolness. All brought back Ayaha’s
smile and laughter. Yes, I can’t move on. How can I? Sodas were just so
sweet and endearing.

Yukito lets out a huff. Then he chuckled softly and stretched his arms. “By
the way, if I may be so bold.”

“I told you…” My voice came in a snarl.

“No, no, this is to Minato-san.”

“Yeah?”

“To solve a problem, you have to address its cause. That’s a way of
thinking. The point is, it’s not the only way.” A hint of smugness crept
across his face.

“What do you mean?”

He held up a finger. The motion was pompous, suited him so infuriatingly
well.

“No offense, but liking someone back because they like you, affection like
that are cheap, don’t you think so?”

“Heh?”

Her affection was “cheap”?

“Of course, it’s still real affection, and I’m fully aware that sizing
someone’s feelings like this is presumptuous, so think of it as an anecdote.
She has never fallen head over heels for anyone before.”

“What does that supposed to mean?”

“My solution to her problem.”

His eyes became saturated with childish smugness. Come to think of it.
This might be the first time this guy had ever spoken about Minato’s
problem.
“She just has to be madly in love with someone. The sort of special
someone that you love more than anything in the world. If she could do
that, then the affections to anyone else would be insignificant, like how
stars can’t outshine the sun.”

“‘More than anything in the world’?” I phrased.

“Silly word, eh? But that kind of thing exists, you know? I thought you’d
understand this the best.”

Hmm. That might actually work, then…

“It might not work, of course. You don’t just wake up one morning and
become madly in love with someone, but there’s a possibility, no matter
how slim. So why don’t you tell her that?”

“Yukito…”

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry, you’re a better adult than I imagined.”

“Oi, that didn’t make me happy in the slightest.”

We then lazily did the closing procedures and headed home.

[I found something, let’s talk this monday,] I sent a LINE to Minato before
bed.

◆ ◆ ◆

Unease floated in the air.

Monday morning. The atmosphere in the classroom—in the whole school,

was off.

I could see many students whispering in a low hush. It was as if a dark

shroud of something dominated the school.

I remember this kind of atmosphere well. In elementary school, someone in

my class got into a fight during recess, and without any conclusion, entered
the afternoon classes. Tension, awkwardness, agitation. It was like this, an
atmosphere intense with three equal emotions.

I thought I could finally rest…

I took stock of the entire classroom.

Some clustered together and talked in whispers, some looked as

dumbfounded as I was, and other reactions all over the place, observing
gave away nothing. I racked my brain, coming up with conjectures, but the
more I thought, the more mysterious it was.

In time like this…

“Hiura.”

“Hm?”

I went for my confidant, Aki Hura. She was the only one with any sense of
normalcy.

“Something’s wrong”

She clicked her phone and put it to sleep mode. “Agreed,” she replied
curtly.

“You’ve got any idea? I’m at my wit’s end.”

“More or less.”

“Whoah! Really?

But just when she lit a spark of hope–

“But I won’t tell you.”

“Eeh? Why?”

How cruel!

“I’m verifying the truth. Everything’s a mess, give me until noon. Hold
your tongue, don’t do anything rash.” Hiura then returned to her phone.

“O-oh…”

To be honest, I didn’t understand why I would do anything rash, but if she

said so… It’s frustrating, but for now, I’ll leave it to her. There must have
been a reason for her words.
Still, am I overly reliant on her?

◆ ◆ ◆

The strange atmosphere persisted well throughout the morning classes. In

fact, it was getting worse. Many curious faces changed to that of grimaces
and curiosity. And then–

“Eeh, Yuzuki-san, really?”

That got my attention.

I half listened to that conversation as it went on, but I already knew what to
expect. What Hiura said now made sense.

But I had to agree, there was nothing I could do now. And I had to admit, I
would have been running around, making a fool of myself if she hadn’t said
that.

My anger rose until it was nauseating, my heart raced. Somehow

suppressing it until noon, I went to Hiura.
“Rumor, word of mouth and through LINE.”

“Yeah? Contents?” I demanded.

She raised her eyebrows. “Hey, calm down. And don’t snap at me, ‘kay?”

“Sorry.”

I took a deep breath, the dry rooftop air went in.

Hmph… I got carried away. Focus.

“Sit”

I sat down quietly. We hadn’t brought lunch today.

“You should have noticed by now, it’s about Yuzuki, and it wasn’t good.”

“Tell me about it.”

Hiura nodded, “Yuzuki Minato is a bitch who toyed with several men in
middle school. She came to Shiga to cover it up.” Her mouth twisted in
disapproval at every word.

“I see…”

A jolt of pain, and then a head splitting headache

“Its origin?” I urged.

“Working on it. Won’t take long, tracing’s still easy in early stages.”

“‘Early stages’? So it’s not today?”

“Two days prior, saturday. It blew up just now because today’s the first day
at school, before that just a small circles like clubs and gossip groups”

“I see…” Another throb of pain.

I couldn’t even begin to imagine how she would be. Minato…

“I have a question for you too.”

Question? “Yeah?”

She furrowed her eyebrows. “If you can, tell me, the rumor, is it for real?”

Minato went out with a few boys to learn more about her Peculiarity. In that
sense, “Toyed with several men” was half right.

“No, and she didn’t come here to hide. Although it might seem that way…
that wasn’t the truth.”

She nodded a few times, looked up a little, and rested her chin on her hand.

With creeping dread, I asked, “Minato, how is she doing?”

Only when I finished the sentence did I realize that I called her name. If
Hiura noticed, she didn’t say so.

“Isolated. Everyone kept their distance, even though all they talked about
was about her,” She chev=cked my expression. “Don’t even think of
going.”
“Damit!” Having nowhere else, I let my anger out with the fist that hit my
own lap. It hurted, but that didn’t matter.

“What would you do if you knew the source?”

Why did she have to ask? WHat else would I do? “Make them stop.”

“How? I know you’re blackmailing master and all, but then what? You
know how persistent rumors can be, people will gossip.”

I slammed my fist on the concrete floor hard. “Then what do you want me
to do?!”

She didn’t even flinch. Seeing her like this cooled down my temper. And in
its stead, helplessness washed over me.

Minato is suffering. And if I mess up, there would be no one left to help her.

She sighed. “I’ll pin down the conspirator, or conspirators, by tomorrow.

Remember, don’t. Do. Anything. Rash. If you try to mess this up, I’ll
roundhouse kick your ass.”
“Got it… Thanks, Hiura.” I bowed to her.

If it weren’t for her, I would have stormed Minato’s class and made a fool
of myself, how remiss.

The bell rang and the lunch break was over. Through the afternoon classes,
I didn’t hear a word.

How could I tie this rumor up, how to get rid of a rumor, I racked my brain
thinking. By nature, rumors weren’t spread because it was true, but instead
the pure amusement of the rumor. No matter how hard I tried to deny it, as
long as it was interesting, people would talk. Besides, the Kuze’s Top Three
being a bitch, that was a scoop of a lifetime for Kuze High. The fact that
Minato didn’t have many friends played in the rumor’s favor.

“How…?”

Class ended, but still, nothing came to mind. All I could do was spacing out
alone in the deserted classroom.
 Chapter 7.2

[Can I call you?]

I ended up sending LINE to Minato. I probably couldn’t mess up if it was

through a phone call. Besides, I needed to check on her.

But…

[No.]

The message popped up with a cute, useless, notification sound.

[And don’t LINE me.]

Came another message.

I whipped up a few messages to keep her on the line, but she didn’t read.
“Of course…” I muttered. Of course, she wouldn’t want to talk.

I drained a glass of cola and began thinking. Contacting Fujimiya might be

viable, but that wouldn’t help anything, if she could do anything, she would
have done it by now. We were both stuck, there was nothing to be done…

“Hey, Angel, what are you gonna do…” I lay on my back and spoke to the
ceiling.

Naturally, no answer came.

“Damnit, think! There must be something I can do…”

◆ ◆ ◆

If I were allowed to say anything, the next day was worse.

Gone was the confusion and blank faces. Instead,

“By the way, her reputation wasn’t that good since before.”
“Yup, yup. And that she began talking to other people lately, that must be
her nature leaking out.”

“Exactly, I thought so too. Like, back to men hunting business.”

The whole school was talking about her, labing her as “Bitch” or “Cheater”
without any reservation or decency to use softer words at all. Especially the
“Cheater” one, that was one of the results of the twisted facts. Already, the
rumor got close to saturation.

I left my things at my desk and went for Hiura.

Without looking, she greeted, “Yo.”

“Hiura, I need your help.”

“Yeah?” she finally looked up.

“I’ll go see Minato, come with me, rein me in.”

“Okay,” she promptly replied.

It turned out Hiura took my words literally. With my collar caught by Hiura,
we went to class seven.

There were a lot of people in class seven for early morning, the reason was
obvious enough. No one talked to Minato, but the situation was bizarre on
its own. All they talk was about her from a distance that was clearly apart
from her, yet close enough for her to hear. And her position at the edge of
the class only emphasized the distance.

Minato herself was at her desk, staring out the window. I leaned sideways to
get a better look at her,
Her eyes glistened unshed tears, her lips were pursed into a thin line. The
face of a girl in agony.

“Minato…”

Yeah, bringing Hiura with me was the right choice.

There was nothing to do with this rumor, even if we were to deny the
rumor, it would come to the impasse of credibility. To prove her innocence
in this case meant revealing her aliment, and I doubt that would convince
the curious crowd. So in the end, Minato must have reached the same
conclusion as me and decided to accept the reality.

That couldn’t be easy on her.

Someone sniffled a giggle and then gave up. She burst out laughing as if
there was something hilarious. Minato’s shoulders jumped in fright.

“Ah– what a shock. What a waste of Kuze’s Top Three.”

My shoulders jumped too, when I realized who it was. My feet took a step,
but then Hiura tugged from behind. She yanked my arms firmly and took
hold when I didn’t give up. She was being gentle with me, but she had the
strength of an athlete.
She narrowed her eyes and shook her head.

“Let me.”

“I say no.”

Of course, this is Hiura. “I guess so.”

Getting hold of the situation, we headed back to our class. Before leaving,
my eyes met Fujimiya, she too, was about to cry.

“We found our source.”

As soon as I sat on the concrete floor, Hiura spoke up.

All of the sudden, I felt so, so tired. “Yeah?”

“First year kid, anonymous.”

“And why is that?”

“She was from the same middle school as Yuzuki. She provided
information, not the one who spread it.”

“And you know who?” I asked, but I couldn’t expect someone else.

“Yamabuki Karen”

[TN: Karen to the end.]

“Figures”

I wouldn’t put this past her. More so, Minato just slapped her last week,
right before the rumor.

“The first year was threatened by Yamabuki. I’m not sure that he ‘bitch’
was added by her or just the result of the process”

“I see…”

“There’s no point in finding out how much she exaggerated, people already
did that for her.”
Even the slightest nudge by Yamabuki in the starting stages was enough to
steer the masses in the direction. And the operation a while ago only
worsened the situation.

She did that even though she knew it would turn out like this…?

“And her goal?”

“Simply out of spite. Either that or–”

“The Kuze’s Top Three,” said a voice from my right spat.

Miwa Reiji made his dramatic entrance once again. Although he didn’t look
exactly happy this time. He was unusually serious.

“Explain, Miwa,” urged Hiura.

He frowned. “That’s what it’s all about. Plus Four didn’t entertain her, so
she set her eyes on Top Three. Her beauty had already reached its max, so
she just had to pull someone down. The humiliation from the slap didn’t sit
well with her either. On the side note, she was the one who added that
‘bitch’, I checked from her cronies.” he puffed up a grin. “Being handsome
has its merits.”
I wondered how he could look so grim even with a grin. Or perhaps, he was
mirroring my own horrid expression. I couldn’t look good right now.

“That’s it?” What the heck?

Her silent agony I saw this morning. Her crying sobs at her house. Just for
the Kuze’s Top Three? How selfish could you be? Since when have you got
to decide Minato’s fate, Yamabuki? For the sake of a title that she wasn’t
even concerned about. For such a trivial thing?

Yamabuki?!

“Akashi.” A cold voice cut through my thoughts.

“You should go home for today.”

I couldn’t remember what happened well, but I went back home and got in
the tub.

I remembered screaming from the top of my lungs.

◆ ◆ ◆
Before I went to bed, I had a short chat with Fujimiya.

[You free?]

Almost immediately after I sent the message, the read tag popped, and a call
came from her.

–“Akashi-kun…” She was crying.

“Hello.” What should I say… “You’re not well,” I noted.

–“It’s nothing, carry on.”

“You talked with Minato?”

–“By LINE, yes. She told me to stay away from her at school though. She
told me she didn’t want to put me through it too… That’s all she said…”

“I see.”
A few moments of silence.

I sat back, thinking. Fujimiya must have felt the same thing as me, if not ten
times angrier.

–“Akashi-kun…”

“Hm”

–“I… What should I do?” she asked desperately. “How do I help her? How
do you get rid of rumors? And why, why are they so happy talking about
her! They didn’t even give her the benefit of doubt! Why?!”

“Fujimiya…”

–“They don’t even know her! They don’t know what kind of girl Minato is,
what she thinks, or how she was raised! And yet! Hey! Tell me! Why?!”

I ought to lower the volume, but I found that I didn’t care.

–“Akashi-kun… What can I do?”

I couldn’t answer anything. I knew I should say something, I thought I
could think something up during the call. I really am an idiot.

After that, she cried on the phone for a while.

What could I do… Rumors…Angel…

It was a surprise when something actually clicked into place.

“Fujimiya”

–“Yeah?” she sniffled a trembling breath.

“Can you say ‘Take care of her’ again?”

Yeah, I’m an idiot. And this plan is only for an idiot.

 Chapter 7.3

Minato Interlude

My first emotion was desolation. The rumor about me was spread across the
school in the matter of days. It was so absurd I couldn’t believe the person
in question was really me. What have I done to deserve this? Who? Who
did this? I had my doubts and anger.

Every day would be a trial from now on… I noted absently. There was no
getting around this, nothing to stop this terrible rumor.

At least, let me steer my best friend Shiho and Io, who saved me, clear from
this mess. I could never let these two get involved. I limited my contact
with them to bare minimum. I was left alone, but that was for the best.

If I sat at my desk, doing nothing, maybe they would even lose interest in
me. Until then, I just have to endure this until then.

This was nothing, I can get through this—

“–Yuzuki-san, that whole affair was wild”

“Wild. Who would have confessed to a boy and then dumped him right
away?”

“I heard that it was less than a month! And she came up with another man
just as fast. Isn’t that what bitches do?”

It was true. Whatever my moties, it was the truth.

But why?

Why am I grieving so much even though it was the truth? Why did
everyone look so chipper? Why am I being targeted like this?

What have I done to deserve this?!

Before I knew it, I was guilty for something I didn’t remember doing.

“I heard she also have an affair”

“Bleh, how could anyone two-time like that?”

“What a waste of Top Three. I feel betrayed, who chose her? Shouldn’t they
consider personality too?”

How did the Top Three have anything to do with this? When have I ever
betrayed you?

But that was what rumors are.

I had no right to say. No one listened. They believe what they want to,
propagate what they find interesting, disregard me all they want.

I heard gossiping voices everywhere at school. It might seem normal to

other people, but it hurted my ear. I wanted to cover down, close my ears,
but to what end? They won’t stop.

Every time I heard them, it was like small needles picking at my skin, cold,
cruel. Tears welled up, every time I managed to stop them was a miracle.

I thought of things to take my mind off the rumor.

The rest of my highschool life couldn’t be much fun now, let’s look back on
happy memories…

There weren’t many. It hadn’t been three minutes.

Okay then, about Shiho. She was different from me. She could get along
with anyone, yet she still chooses to be there for me, always. When I heard
from Io, I had cleared up with her. She got angry, sulked, and cried in relief
for me. This time too, she listened and kept her distance.

This time, it went on longer. But it still ended.

Io…

The next thing I knew, I was thinking about him. How couldn’t I?

Kind, so kind. Maybe too kind. Even after the loss of the girl he loves, he
didn’t give up–couldn’t give up. How hard must it be for him to be standing
like this. How much strength does it take to help others like me, even if he
himself was in pain like that?

I had lied to him. And yet, he helped me earnestly. He can’t change the past,
Ayaha won’t be back no matter how hard he wept, he had said. My past was
unchangeable. I was already raised this way, what I did in middle school
was already done. The fact that I had dated several boys will never go
away.

Change how you face it. It will take time, but that’s okay, he told me. I was
happy back then, even though nothing was solved, but it did help. He was
right, it’d be okay, everything would turn out fine, in due’s time.

Still, I’m sorry, Io.

“Yuzukii–”

I don’t think anything will turn out fine anymore.

“Can I borrow you for a minute?” Yamabuki called me out at the school
gate.

Oh, it’s her again.

There was a small shrine next to Kuze High, we went to the playground
there. It was surrounded by hedges the height of a grown person. A quick
look around told me no one would interrupt. I didn’t think I was in any
physical danger, even Yamabuki wouldn’t do anything rash, probably.
A part of me didn’t care. What’s worse than this rumor? Perhaps by being
beaten by Yamabuki might get me some sympathy, might make the rumor
stop. A part of me hoped it would happen. There was no end to this, at the
very least, I should get used to it.

Alas, her voice lacked her usual arrogance, she seemed subdued, even.
“You now understand? Now hand me the Top Three.”

“Huh??”

What?!

“It kinda got out of hand. The point is, you see, step down, and I’ll be fine
with it. Hm.”

“What are you talking about…” No guilt, no remorse… this person doesn’t
believe she was wrong…

I would be surprised if it wasn’t her, at this point. But what I couldn’t

accept was her reason behind it.

“I say there’s no hope for you now. I was waiting for you to fall down
naturally, but it seemed that it’d be a hassle that way. See? If you step down,
nice and clean, people might forget you, I’ll take that attention from you.
Win-win?”
What do you mean by “no hope for you”?

What’s nice and clean?

What’s win-win?

What is this person trying to break a deal with me?

“You did all that… Just for this?”

“I said it got out of hand, didn’t I? I get it, I get it, I went a little overboard,
but it’s a mutual thing, half my fault, half yours.”

Wait. Mutual?

“Why?” The audacity! “Just for this?! I…!! Screw you!!!” I screamed until
my throat hurt. A wave of dizziness hit me. I can’t take more of this, it was
nauseating, driving me insane.

All for such a trivial thing.

Because of this person, my past…

“I hate this…”

What should I do? How? What…?

Aah, Io. Io.

“Help me…”

“Yaa, can you hear me? People of Kuze High.”

A shadow against the hedge, moving towards her. A voice I had come to get
used, pitched lower than usual in an over-the-top manner. The voice of the
person I wanted to hear the most, the person I wished he would come.

“Ah…”

Fixing the little microphone on his lapel, he entered the playground.

“You again?” Yamabuki scowled.

Io quickly put his hand over the microphone.

Tch, tch, he clicked his tongue. “Be careful, okay? We’re in the middle of a
live stream, okay? Let’s not mention each other’s name. Well, you can’t
possibly know my name though.”

Yamabuki paused, trying to figure out what he meant. Me too, sagged

against something, but I couldn’t care. I might have caught up to what Io
was up to in normal circumstances, but now I could only be a mere
spectator.

He took his hand off the mic and spread his arms as if giving a speech.

“Nice to meet you, club people of Kuze High, I suppose the go-home club
will have to catch up to this later. No, no, not ‘nice to meet you’– It’s been a
while since I have seen some of you. This is the Angel of Kuze High
speaking. Hm, thinking back, this is my first time speaking in public, so
maybe ‘Nice to meet you’ was proper.”

I looked at the school building peeking from the trees. A moment later, an
echo of his speech reached her ears.
“Either ‘The Angel was real’, or ‘Someone’s faking’, think about this
however you want, but let me say my piece. Let me borrow the broadcast
room for a moment. Sorry for using a voice changer, but it’s my policy.
Also, I am not inside the broadcast room, so there’s no point in going there.
Think of this as listening to a radio and resume your club activities.”

He covered the mic again and took a deep breath, once, twice. Sweat
beaded his forehead and neck, his knee and fingertips were trembling. He
was just as scared.

But if that’s so, why was he doing this?

“Sorry, Minato. I’m late.” He gave me a faint smile.

I should be worrying about him getting caught in this mess too, yet… Yet,
maybe if he was here, then everything might turn out fine.

“And on another record, sorry. I should have asked for your permission, but
it’s now or never. Get mad at me all you want when this is all over.”

He eyed me apologetically before uncovering the mic.

“To the remaining teachers, I apologize. I know it’s your duty to stop this
unauthorized broadcast, but I can’t stop. You might come across Fujimiya
Shiho standing guard, she was there on my order, so please refrain from
harsh punishments.”

Shiho? Even her…? And standing guard?

“Now, let me tell you a story.” It was, by all means, dramatic indeed. He
glanced at me once. “There is a rumor going around Kuze High right now.
Yuzuki Minato, a student in the seventh class of the second year, was a
bitch who switched men in middle school, and to lay low, she came to Kuse
High. I am sure you all have heard that.”

Click. His earlier apology now made sense.

“By my honor as the Angel of Kuze High, I declare the rumor falsehood.”

Yamabuki shifted uncomfortably, but like her, she was lost for words.
Interrupting during this broadcast could have never gone well for her, she
bit back her retort and watched grudgingly.

“No, the truth was according to the rumor, but the context was completely
different. This is what happened: I received a plea from Yuzuki Minato, a
special case. It wasn’t a normal love consultation but about how she…liked
too many people, and had trouble being single-minded.” Through gritted
teeth, he went on, “Of course, it was absurd. ‘Kuze’s Top Three have such
problems?’, I wondered. However, she was truly troubled. That was why
she tried having relationships with men, to find a way of being single-
minded. That was what happened.”
He continued speaking, and with it, more of my secrets came to light. But I
found that I didn’t care. This was way better than this twisted rumor. This
was the only way. And I knew that he did this because he cared for me.

“But there was no cure for Yuzuki’s Falling-in-love Peculiarity, so she

decided to remain single. She decided that as long as she still liked several
people at once, she would never date anyone. That’s the truth behind the
rumor.”

It was as if I had been freed from a chain I never knew existed. Why did I
even keep it a secret? What’s wrong with telling people. Like that, I felt…
free.

“She had repented for her past. She regretted what she had done, she had
called herself ‘the worst’ and ‘selfish JK’. Well, I thought so too.”

[TN: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JK_business ]

Shut up, Io. There’s no need for that.

“But she also said that she will get it fixed. She will do anything, anything,
to become normal.”
I said that…

And you said you would do anything in your power to help me too.

“Wuzuki and I tried everything. We met up and thought about it over and
over. In the end, we got no clue. She even cried when we concluded that
there’s no way.”

Ah, he cooked that part up. Bad guy. Hm, although I did cry.

“In the end, she’s still a ‘selfish JK’. However, she won’t answer to any
confession and won’t date anyone until she gets rid of her condition. Please
understand that she never had the intention to play with anyone’s emotions.
To Yuzuki fans out there, confess to her all you want, but you stand no
chance.” A smile touched his lips as he loosened himself. A bit.

Idiot, that was unnecessary.

“By the way,” his relaxed posture disappeared as fast as it had come. He
eyed Yamabuki dangerously.

“You guys have quite enjoyed that rumor, huh. Have you ever considered
her feelings? I know,” he then said softly, “I knew people love rumors. All
the more if it was in a bad way. How was it? The unseen face of the school
beauty? Hilarious, wasn’t it? Amusing, no? Let’s add some spice, let’s
assume, why not? It was the person in question’s fault, you’re delivering
justice?”
The earlier whisper rose into a crescendo. His cold rage was overwhelming.
How would the students react, I wondered. Even I got goosebumps listening
to him.

“I heard it from someone else, if it’s false then it’s not my fault. If it’s true
then all the more reason to spread the rumor. She can’t resist, so let’s get a
peek. She deserved this, so let her hear when she walked past. It’s fun, isn’t
it? Everyone’s doing this. What a pity, but that’s her problem, I don’t care!”

I had been holding back all along, yet…

I thought I had come to terms with this, yet…

“You have fun? After listening to me, is it still fun? You still dare call her a
bitch? If you still then I won’t say anything, have fun with your club
activities. Do anything you want, I don’t want to waste my time on
creatures like you. But if you have any feeling of guilt befitting a proper
human being, listen…”

When I saw his face. When I heard his indignant cries…

[TN: Pardon the language.]

“Fuck off!!!!!!!!!!”
Tears got the better of me. One… two… then a stream of tears.

“She had struggled, had been tormented!! She had been blaming herself for
who knows how long!!!! She had suffered more than she deserved to, and
when she was about to move on!!!! What was done was done!! There’s a
punishment, but it’s not your fucking role!!!! It should be between her and
those men she dated, not you!!!! Face the truth!! Live with it!! Never say
you didn’t know!! I’ll never let you trample on her feelings ever
again!!!!!!!!”

I gasped and blinked repeatedly.

Against my will, I started whimpering. I can’t stop…

“The past was hers and hers alone!!!! No matter what kind of love it was,
it’s not your plaything!!!! Listen with your damn ears, those shits who
started this rumor-!!!!”

Aah, Io…

You’re… You’re truly…

“Don’t sully people’s past and their love with your filthy hands—!!!!”
I wanted to take a good look at you, yet…

Yet the tears blurred your face…

Io! I wanted to scream.

I wanted to cry out.

I wanted to say thank you.

But I just sat there dazedly.

Not yet, the rational part of me said. The mic was still on. Yamabuki was
still there.

Io cleared his throat once. “Apologize, I went off track. One last thing,” he
inserted quickly, “ if you really wanted a rumor material, then feel free to
use me. The Angel is not an urban legend. I am real, and I have always been
looking over your love. When you’re troubling with your romances, please
expect my helping hand. However, I am not quite good with special cases
like Yuzuki this time, so please be gentle with me. And if possible, I would
appreciate it if you don’t search for my true identity, that should be the best
for both of us.”
Silence. Silence of resignation and determination. It couldn’t be easy for
him to come to light like that, but for my sake…

“And those of you I have met in the past, please take care of the remaining
Yuzuki rumors. With that, I’ll consider what you owe me even. Please, do
me a favor. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

He unceremoniously took off the microphone and shoved it into his pocket.

“Now, Yamabuki,” he said.

She winced. “Heih?!”

“I won’t forgive you, remember that. This isn’t me letting you go–”

“What?! What’s with that cringe speech! Do you even have any proof that I
did?!”

Didn’t you just admit earlier?

She was probab;y rattled by Io, I sighed inwardly.

“Proof? Is there any proof needed? Do you, when you spread this rumor? I
have no intention of listening to your excuses, so shut up.” He took a step
closer. “Apologize to her. Grovel to her feet. If you ever dare do this again,
and I’ll call the mob on you. Wanna headline? ‘Yamabuki, bitch who would
do anything for the limelight’? I’ll show you a hell you can’t even imagine,
and it won’t end. I’ll personally make sure that the label sticks with you
until the day you die.”

Hell…die… I knew it, he’s the devil.

“W-who do you think you are? Whatever with the Angel, but I already
know who you are? I’ll make sure the whole school knows!”

“Ahh, that’s badd, pleasee, don’t!” he burst out laughing.

That’s a waste of time, Yamabuki. I tried that once, didn’t work. Not at all.

He clutched his sides and laughed as if it was the most hilarious joke he had
ever heard. “Ahaha, you can’t even comprehend how much trouble you’re
in if you do that! What an idiot!” Another fit of laughter. He then continued
between wheezes, “Hey, idiot, I don’t care, just apologize, will you?” There
was a cold menace in his words, it was even more disturbing than plain
threats.

“Ugh”
She stared back definitely like a cornered dog, but finally gave in to Io’s
pressuring glare. Yamabuki gritted her teeth audibly before she slowly
bowed.

“Sorry.”

“Do you think I’d forgive you?”

“Sorry… I overdid it, maybe. I won’t do it again.”

I wiped my cheeks, dabbled the corner of my eyes with the blazer’s sleeve.
I leaned closer to yamabuki.

“Da───mn you!!!!”

It seemed that I was another idiot here. But, I see, it felt good, as if a weight
was lifted from my shoulders.

Yamabuki stepped back in surprise and her mouth was half open. She
looked a bit like an idiot, as Io would say.
Io sniffled approvingly and joined, “Well, I have one more bad news for
you.” He sucked in a breath. “Even Minato fell from Kuze’s Top Three, it
won’t be you who got promoted! Please, know your place!! You probably
ranked last in Plus Four!!”

“Ngh!!”

Yamabuki’s mouth worked silently, stunned. Her shoulders shook and her
cheeks turned bright red. Her lips parted and she cried out, “T-tch! I-I am
not! You two…!! You’re the idiot here—!!” Tears and makeup smudged her
face. Seemingly unable to think of a better retort, Yamabuki ran away.

“Remember the headline! Don’t try anything silly!!” Io shouted after her.

“Io…”

“Finally over, I suppose.” he gave me a tired grin.

Seeing his lopsided smile, my heart skipped a beat. When was the last time
I met him? Days? A week? It seemed like ages.

“Otsukare, you did great.”

Yeah, that’s right. I had been holding back ever since then. I…!!

“Waaaaaaaaaaahhhh───── !!!!!!”

Sorry. Thank you, Io. Io. Io. Io!

“Ow! Minato! You’re strangling me! Don’t bury your face in my chest!
Ahh…!!”

“Why did you come here! Why?! Why risk your identity! Why did you use
all the favors for me! Why is Shiho even there! Why?! Why did you go to
such length… for me…!”

“Oi, oi, don’t ask me all at once. Today was a test run, just checking the
broadcasting. Saw you going somewhere with Yamabuki, so I moved up the
schedule. I don’t have the manpower, so I asked Fujimiya.”

“O-oh…”

“Sorry, I told your secret to the entire school. But that’s the only way to
counter the rumors. You weren’t responding to my calls, so I got the ok
from Fujimiya… not that it excuses my actions. You can get angry all you
want now, I’m sorry.”
“I know… but what you did. I can’t blame you. And your secret…?”

“I’m fine. I’ve taken precautions. Even if it manages to slip, then I’ll just
hole up in my house,” he assured, “I have everything planned out.”

“But! You don’t need to…”

“Didn’t I say I’d help you? I’m fine.”

My heart squeezed. Somehow, my arms decided to hold on to him tighter.

“Besides, I need something with as much impact as Kuze’s Top Three. A

speech from Angel was my only card strong enough to counter it. Like it or
not, you’re damn popular.” Ahaha, he laughed smugly. “Actually, the favor
my consultants owe me, I can’t find a better way of using them anyway. I
told you, right? There’s a lot who owed it to me out there,” he said
amusedly.

His secrets, the favors he saved up until now… all for me.

He really is an idiot, huh? And–

“Anyway, this should settle things down. So… cheer up.”

“Yeah… Yep.”

Maybe I might not be able to cheer up now, but at least I felt relieved. I
can’t be sure if anyone would actually listen to him, but as long as he is
here, maybe everything will turn out just fine.

This person–Io, would surely see me to the end.

“Andd… When will you be letting me go?”

“…”

“Hey!”

“I-I’m still crying.”

“I have a handkerchief”

“I don’t want you to see me crying”

“What a pity. I wanted to see a beauty’s crying face again.”

“Idiot.”

“I think both of us overused that word today.”

“Io?”

“Hm?”

“Thank you, really.”

“Yeah.”

He put a hand on my back and began patting. With his motions, more tears
came. I buried deeper into his chest and continued sobbing.

How embarrassing it would have been, if someone saw us like this, I

wondered.

Not that I’d pull away from him. Can I stay like this forever?
“Also, Minato.”

“What?”

“I sent you a message sometime before.”

“The day before the rumor?”

“I’ll talk about it, just listen.”

“Is this really the time?”

“It should be good news to you. I’ve been waiting to tell you.”

“With us still hugging?”

“You’re the one clinging to me,” he sighed exasperatedly.

His hot breath fell on my head, my shoulders jumped.

Since a while ago, my body’s been acting weird.

“I talked with Yukito. He said that there’s another way of fixing the
Peculiarity of yours.”

“???” What?

“Uhh… You just have to be…” An awkward pause, “madly in love… with
someone.”

“Mad in love?”

“Yeah… Someone you really, really like, so much that others seem
insignificant.”

Really, really like…

“Hmph.”

“Just a speculation. Just so you know there might be an alternative. I get it,
being mad in love isn’t something you can do just by thinking. It might be a
while until you find the guy, but… let’s keep trying until then.”

“Hahh…” A sigh escaped my lips.

What is this emotion? Why do I feel so happy yet annoyed…

“Hehh, you don’t look so happy. We got a new theory though?”

“That’s not going to work.”

“But, why? The theory itself makes sense, it’s probability is also high too,
despite the time it might take.”

“It won’t! We’re done with this theory!”

I could sense his quizzical look even without looking up. “Eh… Okay?”

But, sigh, I’m tired.

 Epilogue

[Three days’ suspension!]

Fujimiya sent me the message as if it was something to be celebrated.

Still worried about her, I called. I flopped down on the bed and waited. She
picked up soon after and began her tale grudgingly and happily, if those two
emotions could coexist.

–“Whyyy, why only meee–. There’s a proprietor right there! Ahhh, I was
used, why wouldn’t anyone pity mee.”

I covered the phone’s microphone and sighed, Fujimiya better not hear that.
“You did a good job covering me, thanks…”

–“That was rough too, hmph! The interrogating guidance teacher was real
scary, like, dude.”

“How did you even get away…” Really, this girl amazes me.
–“That’s where I, Fujimiya, the woman of steel, comes in! Besides, the
broadcast got rid of the rumors on their behalf, good for them.” I could feel
her pouting.

“Oh, lucky. God bless their understanding.”

–“I kindly ask you to appreciate my hard work and suspension from school
more.”

“‘Kay, ‘kay. Thanks, Fujimiya.”

In any case, if I got caught too, that would be real pain…

Or it could be all for naught if that bitch Yamabuki tattles. Better hope that
blackmail was enough.

“You talked to Minato?”

–“Already. Another round of crying, ahaha. We’ve made up, maybe?”

“Hm, good for you.”

–“She’s skipping school to play at my place during suspension. Keep an eye
for us, yeah?”

“Yeah,” I said without delay. That way, she could have her long awaited
rest.

–“Thank you, Io”

“You too.”

–“We’re comrade, right? Minato Elite Guard Squadron.”

“When did I sign up?”

–“Address your colonel properly.”

“Will you listen to me…”

◆ ◆ ◆
I went to school the next day. From the lack of attention, my cover was still
up. Hello there, I’m Akashi Io, nobody of import.

The damp, stagnant brooding of the rumor completely vanished. There was
still gossiping, but none about Minato.

“You got to hear the broadcast yesterday? That was crazy!”

I appreciate your sentiment, but, uh, have you been listening to the
contents?

“Never thought it would be real. No, not ‘it’, he, right? I hadn’t imagined
that ore in the end, right? If so, then do you think he’s a student or one of
the staff?”

[TN: Yep, the ore and watashi thingy again]

F… why are you guys so obsessed with pronouns I use… Hmph, I need to
watch my every word, don’t I? Also, didn’t I tell you not to search for my
identity?

“I can’t tell over the voice change, that cracking the static was awful.”

Hm? Sorry for your inconvenience, but I need that voice change precisely
because of people like you.
When I reached the hallway, I noticed another crowd. I stood on my toes
and got a better look. On the bulletin board, several sheets of paper were
pinned. From a distance, it appeared to be similar to club advertisements…

Some strange announcement?

Ah…

[To Angel. We’ve got this!]

[Consider the rumor gone!]

[We’re all at your command, Angel.]

Don’t we all have a secret to keep? Are you guys an idiot…?

Hmph, but thanks anyway. Thank you.

Noticing my own smile, I pressed my lips together and quickly went down
the hall. Can’t afford anyone noticing that…

Ah, I need to apologize to Makino about the doomed confession, don’t I…

◆ ◆ ◆

Three days later, Minato send me this message, [I’m at Akashi-san’s cafe]

I already had a shift today, so I’d have gone there nonetheless though.

I spotted a familiar figure at our usual table, so I headed there first. Minato
was wearing the same clothes as the day we went to Kyoto. Bring back
memories.

“Yo.”

“Hi”

Somehow, I felt like she was avoiding looking this way. The pace at which
she drank her cider was also fast, as if agitated.
Wait, she’s drinking cider?

“I have something to tell you.”

“That is?”

“…”

She cleared her throat and turned to the side. Her mouth was twitching a
little as she forced her eyes to look my way.

She was blushing.

“The Falling-in-love Peculiarity, it’s gone.”

“What…?” Wait, what’s she saying?

“I said! It’s gone! The consultation’s over now!”

“Huh, but, no… Really? That easy? How did you even–”

She cut over me. “Just trust me! It’s my mind, I know it’s really gone!”

“Didn’t I tell you love isn’t about conscious thoughts only… I’ll check,
give me your cheek.”

“N-never!! Don’t you ever!!” She scrambled away from my reaching hand.

“Hey, at least–”

“I said no!! That’s all for today! I’m going! Dummy!”

She drank the remaining cider in one go and hastily paid the bill. The next
moment, she was rushing away from the cafe.
I let my still outreached hand drop “What…”

And what’s with the “dummy” in the end? Is it really gone?

“Io–” Yukito called out to me with his usual smirk.

“Yeah?”

“Your shift, get to work.”

“Got it, got it” I grudgingly stood up.

“And then.” He flashed a knowing smile. “You’ve got to move on yourself

too.”

Just the usual nosy cousin.

“I know…”

I know… But people have their own pace, right? I just have to go slower.
Besides, I’m still busy pushing someone else’s back.

That’s what being the Angel of Kuze High means.

 Afterword

Hello, Maromi Maroyaka who only drinks milk tea when writing.

Nah, I sometimes drink coffee or tea too.

Anyway, nice to meet you. Well, this might not be our first meeting as this
is my second series. But whether you know me before or not, thank you for
picking up this book. It is a pleasure to meet you.

[TN: He had another series, Bishojo to kyori wo oku houhou, TLed by

my fellow Travis slave, axed at vol2 tho.]

First, let me start by how this story came into being. This “Angel Only
Drinks Soda” came from a message, “Maromi, let’s publish a book
(shortened) !”

Yes, Nakajima-kun came to my house, Katsuo-kun’s house.

No, I lied again, my real name’s not Katsuo.

Nonetheless, Nakajima-kun is a real person. My dear editor, Nakajima-san,
thank you for calling out to me back then.

I’ll talk about Nakajima-san.

There are two Nakajimas. Really, no cap. They were my editors assigned to
me for this series. Both of their names are Nakajima.

I was just as surprised when I first knew.

It started with a message like this:

Nakajima : On behalf of Nakajima-san, I will take care of today’s meeting

Of course, several question marks floated in my head. Nakajima-san too

must be like, “Why did the higher ups send us together.”

That was when I began appreciating my pen name. Heavens above, what
would happen if I used Nakajima as my pen name too.

Ah, no, Nakajima is a good name. On the contrary, Maromi’s kanji is a pain
to read.
[TN:”Maromi” kanji has several possible pronunciations]

A few words about my work.

This is a story about a boy who has been through a lot, and a girl who has
been through a lot. The theme is “love counseling,” but the content is a little
different. The main character, Io-kun, is, not by any means, normal.

He loves soda, and is also a psychic. Moreover, he is a bit of a drag. Hmm, I

should stop insulting my own character.

But he’s a wonder to work with, so I decided to go with him.

I like serious people and secrets. Also twisted men like Io or Miwa. But
cool and strong girls are the best. (Hiura stan)

I like quiet places. I like lively places. I like emotional scenes, I like logical
thinking characters. I like soda. I like Shiga, I like Tokyo.

I put all these things I like into this book, hoping that you could enjoy it as
much as I do.
My dear character went through a lot in this volume, and will in the next
volumes too. Youth, love, trouble, to name a few.

Whether or not I will be able to continue the story depends, frankly

speaking, on your response, but I hope to write a lot more.

Last but not least, I would like to give my acknowledgements. Thank you
very much, Nagu-san, for always drawing stylish, cute, and cool
illustrations. I felt like entering Nirvana every time I got to see your
illustrations. You’re my reason for living, Nagu-san, a big fan of yours.

I can’t thank you enough, Editor Nakajima and Editor Nakajima, for finding
me. Thanks to their enthusiastic, sharp, and careful advice, I believe this
work has become way better than I could write alone. Above all, I got to
learn a lot, thank you.

I would like to become a better writer so that one day you can brag about
raising this humble Maromi.

Also to my beloved friend, Mr. N who accompanied Maromi’s machine-gun

idea pitching. I’m counting on you. Thanks.

Finally, to every reader. Thanks to all of you, I am able to do my job as a

writer. Thank you. I love you all. In return for your time and money spent, I
will do my best to write an entertaining story.
I would like to see you all again for a long time to come. So, I hope to see
you again.

January 2022 Maromi Maroyaka

◆ ◆ ◆

[TN:Hmm, I would like to butt in with a thanks of my own too. When I

finished the trial reading, I knew that this book would be good.
Halfway in, I knew I needed to translate this, I need to show the world
this… let’s get rid of the brackets, this should be lengthy.]
Anyway, my passion for translating is for you, readers, to enjoy the story as
much as I do. I know how much fun reading good, quality writing can be.
So, I wanted to share this feeling. I hope I succeed in doing so.

I loathe those incomprehensible MTLs, so I TL mine with the best writing I

could (Although that might account for slow updates, sorry). I’d be really
happy if you’re like, “damn, the writing’s fire”. Well…sorry again for the
eccentric update schedule, hehe.

I get almost zero pay for this (besides from TheHypesReal for continued
support) and actually consider quitting a few times. Well, seeing that I’m
still here, I didn’t. That’s all thanks to short comments here and there saying
that you enjoyed reading. So, please enjoy my works from now on too, my
predicament is in your hands. No, I’m not pressuring at all(?). Anyway, this
is turning into another rant, I’ll stop here.

That’s all, thanks for sticking to the end (of vol 1) with me!

Credits

Translation: Travis Translation

Epub&Pdf: EsNovels