Roshidere V3 C5

In many ways, it’s fascinating

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TL: NaCl

Note: Our FanTLs for V3 to V5 were done a year prior to V6 and onwards, and are of lower quality. We recommend buying the official translation and reading those volumes there when it comes out.

“I never thought that everyone would gather here…”

Chisaki looked around the Student Council room with a wry smile. At the end of the table was Touya, the Student Council President. To the right were Maria, Alisa, and Masachika. On the left side were Chisaki, Yuki, and Ayano. All the Student Council members for this year were gathered in one room. What they were doing in the Student Council room after school, of course, was not related to Student Council activities. Instead, they were waiting for their turn for the parent-teacher meetings.

After receiving their exam sheets back in the morning, they were now waiting for the start of the parent-teacher meetings in their respective classes.

The meetings were held in each classroom in 30-minute increments, and depending on the number of students, the meetings could start right after the lunch break or even in the afternoon. Therefore, many students used their club rooms or the library to pass the time until their turn came. However… it seemed that all the Student Council members for this year coincidentally gathered in the Student Council room, even though it wasn’t planned.

“Well, come to think of it, this year’s Student Council members coincidentally have surnames that start with similar letters… Starting from ‘Ki’mishima, ‘Ku’jou, ‘Ku’ze, ‘Ke’nzaki, ‘Sa’rashina, and ‘Su’ou… Unexpectedly, members with surnames from ‘Ki’ to ‘Su’ are all here.”

“That’s right. It’s quite a coincidence,” Yuki replied to Touya’s words with a wry smile, similar to Chisaki’s.

“But well… Ayano already finished her meeting yesterday.” 

Upon hearing that, Chisaki suddenly blinked and looked at Ayano who was sitting next to her.

“Eh? Really? Then Ayano-chan can go home early.”

“I already told her that. Well, since we’re on the topic of Ayano—”

“Wherever Yuki-sama is, that’s where I should be.”

While smiling faintly at Ayano, who said it as if it were the most natural thing, Yuki shrugged her shoulders, as if to say, “That’s how it is.” The others smiled in the same way, and Maria clapped her hands together and spoke up.

“Then, while everyone is here, should I make some tea for you guys?”

“Yes, please~”

Chisaki happily pleaded with Maria, who was standing. Maria turned her body upon seeing Chisaki’s smile and said without looking at Ayano.

“Ah, Ayano-chan, you can just sit down, okay?”

“!?”

Upon hearing those words, Ayano, who was about to stand up without making a sound or attracting attention, widened her eyes in surprise. Ayano looked at Maria with a shocked expression, silently asking, “Wh-What…!?” Yuki, who was sitting next to her, lightly pulled her arm to make her sit back down.

“Ayano, let’s follow Masha-senpai’s words.”

“Yuki-sama… Yes, I understand.”

After seeing Ayano take her seat again, Maria headed to the cupboard where the teacups were stored.

“Kuze-kun? What’s wrong?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

Masachika looked at Maria’s back, and Alisa, who was sitting next to him, tilted her head and asked. Masachika shook his head and turned his gaze forward, but suddenly remembered the question he wanted to ask Touya.

“By the way, President, I briefly discussed it with Alya yesterday, but how did the discussion about changing the summer uniforms go? Is it possible that the new uniforms will be implemented next year?”

Masachika asked casually, but Touya’s reaction was more than he expected. Upon hearing Masachika’s question, Touya smiled, almost grinning, and without hesitation, he opened his mouth as if to say, “I’m glad you asked.”

“Oh, about that… It’s still a secret, but I think we can introduce the new uniforms after the summer vacation at the earliest.”

“Eh! Really!?”

“Yes, I’m planning to make a surprise announcement at the closing ceremony later… Well, it’s almost a sure thing.”

“Wow, that’s really good news. I like this uniform too, but wearing it at this time of year makes it way too hot.”

Yuki clapped her hands together happily in response to Touya’s words. After smiling happily at the reaction of a junior, Touya lowered his eyebrows slightly, looking slightly apologetic.

“But well, there’s still a lot of work to be done… I might need all of you to help out a little during the summer break.”

“Just that much is fine. The President has already taken care of the important parts, so we’ll help as much as we can.”

“Thank you… but yeah, the reason this plan is possible is thanks to Chisaki, you know?”

Everyone’s attention turned to Chisaki upon hearing Touya’s confession. However, Chisaki looked at Touya with a wry smile.

“That’s not true. It’s all thanks to Touya’s persistent negotiations.”

“That’s because Chisaki always supports me. I feel really fortunate to have you as my partner.”

“Touya…”

“Chisaki…”

“How naturally they create their own world.”

Masachika observed the couple, who began gazing at each other with tender eyes, and turned to Yuki, shrugging his shoulders as if to say, “Here they go again.” However, Yuki turned to Ayano and started gazing at her with an intense gaze.

“Ayano…”

“Yuki…”

“Uh, what’s going on here?”

Masachika blinked as a yuri atmosphere suddenly enveloped them. But when Yuki glanced at him as if trying to convey a message, Masachika decided to go along with the atmosphere. He scratched his head, took a deep breath to calm himself, and turned to Alisa with the sweetest expression he could muster.

“Alya…”

“What? I won’t fall for that.”

“Buzzkill!!!”

As soon as Masachika turned to Alisa with a gentle expression, Alisa immediately rejected him, and Masachika was taken aback, collapsing on the table with a cry of “Guha!”

Yuki, with a slightly provocative smile, turned to Alisa.

“Oh my, it seems that the bond between the couple over there isn’t that strong, huh.”

“!”

“The cooperation between candidate pairs is the most important thing in an election campaign… Under such circumstances, can you really defeat us? Right, Ayano?”

While saying that, Yuki smiled mysteriously, rubbing her finger against Ayano’s cheek. Ayano closed one eye and shivered slightly, perhaps finding it amusing. Lily flowers seemed to bloom behind the two of them, and Masachika couldn’t help but be intrigued.

“Kuze-kun…”

“You’re so easily provoked, huh.”

Masachika gave Alisa a surprised look as she stared at him challengingly, without a hint of sweetness. However, Alisa didn’t avert her gaze, and somehow, they ended up locked in eye contact.

While looking at Alisa’s face up close in the bright room… Masachika was once again amazed by her beauty.

(When I see her from this close… she really doesn’t look human. It’s hard to believe that we belong to the same species… Her eyelashes are so long! Her gaze is so captivating… And her skin is incredibly smooth. This is what it means to have flawless, clear skin. I mean, where are her pores? Does she really not wear any makeup?… Huh? Why does her skin look slightly flushed… Eh, is she getting closer?)

As Masachika’s slightly numbed brain started feeling a sense of discomfort, Maria’s voice quickly brought him back to reality.

“Alright~, sorry for the wait~… Huh, what’s going on? A staring contest?”

Upon seeing Maria tilting her head and making a random comment, Alisa quickly averted her gaze. Masachika blinked and turned to Maria. She hesitated for a moment when she saw Masachika’s gaze, but then immediately started serving tea to everyone as if nothing had happened.

“I finished the snacks for the tea the other day, so today we only have tea.”

“Uh, really?”

“Yes. Since summer vacation is starting soon, I took the liberty of finishing off everything~”

“Oh, I see… since we can’t keep it all during the summer vacation. But yeah, because Masha’s tea tastes good, so this is just enough.”

“Fufu, thank you~”

While smiling at Chisaki’s words, Maria also served tea to Alisa and Masachika.

“Here, please.”

“Thank you.”

“T-Thank you very much”

However, while doing so, Maria seemed to slightly avoid the gaze of Masachika’s. When he saw Maria go to serve tea to Yuki and Ayano, Masachika was even more convinced that it was not his imagination.

(As expected, she’s avoiding me a bit… Was the hypnosis incident last time still affecting her?)

After the hypnosis incident the week before, Masachika immediately apologized to Alisa again the next day and was immediately forgiven. Alisa had many things to say, but she couldn’t do anything about it because the cause was her own sister. Instead, Masachika was told to erase what he had seen from his memory as soon as possible, but of course, how can Masachika forget what he had seen?

While he was able to gain Alisa’s forgiveness the next day, today was the first time Masachika had seen Maria since that incident. And apparently, Maria still cared about that incident.

(Well… It’s better if I apologize to her once again)

Masachika felt uneasy about going into the summer vacation when things were still like this, so Masachika decided to talk to Maria somewhere.

While Masachika was quietly making up his mind, Touya, who had seen Maria already sitting in her seat again, began to open his mouth.

“Ah~ By the way, what are your plans for the summer vacation? If you don’t mind, I’d like to organize a training camp to deepen the bond between the Student Council members.”

“A boot camp?”

Aside from club activities, Masachika had never heard of a boot camp and had never experienced one back in middle school. As if sensing the atmosphere of the first-years who did not quite understand, Touya added with a laugh, as if implying that they had nothing to worry about.

“Although I said training camp, it’s actually similar to sightseeing. As I’ve said before, I may need to call you guys for Student Council duty during the summer vacation. It feels like a consolation prize? Something similar like that.”

“That’s great! It sounds like fun!”

“Hmm~ I think it’s great too.”

As Chisaki and Maria showed interest, the first-year students also began to respond positively.

“That’s right… I think I can clear my schedule if I can decide on the date early. Fufufu~ I’ve never done a training camp with fellow Student Council members, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

“If Yuki-sama says so, I don’t mind either.”

“Then me too…”

“Well, since I don’t have any plans, I also agree. At most about two nights and three days, right? What about the location?”

“We’ll have to discuss the date first because we need to adjust everyone’s schedules too. As for the venue, if you don’t mind, I was thinking of proposing my family’s villa…”

“Eh? A villa?”

When the other Student Council members in the room, including Masachika, blinked their eyes at the unexpected word, Touya grinned slightly.

“Yes, a villa located in a seaside tourist spot… with a private beach, you know? Also, there’s an annual festival held near the villa.”

“Seriously!? Um, eh? Is the President’s family that rich? I apologize if my words were a little rude, but the President doesn’t have that kind of image…”

“Oh… it’s true that my parents are not company CEOs, but my grandfather seems to be a very successful investor… and my family has a lot of assets.”

“Hahaa, so that’s what it looks like…”

“Well, that’s just one of the options. If anyone wants to go somewhere else, I don’t mind either.”

As Touya said that and looked around at everyone, Chisaki opened her mouth in thought.

“Although this isn’t a villa…since my relatives have a mountain, if there is anyone who would rather go to the mountain than the sea, I guess I can help, huh?”

“Sarashina-senpai’s relatives have a mountain! That’s just awesome!”

In a shocking admission, Masachika inwardly shouted “As I knew it, this school’s students are indeed on a different level!” but… Chisaki’s words after that made his facial expression stiffen.

“Well, the building itself looks more like a villa… Or is it more like a training camp? Or maybe a dojo? Although there’s no beach, there’s a graveyard nearby so you can do a trial of courage and there’s a festival held every year too, you know? Although it’s a martial arts festival, anyway.”

“The contrast between heaven and hell. There are no beaches, but there is a graveyard. Hmm, wait a minute? In that cemetery… don’t tell me that it’s the graves of the people who died at the martial arts festival, right?”

“Ahaha, about that~.”

“T-That’s right, isn’t it”

“Some might be, but most of the graves are of those who died while practicing.”

“President! I’d rather go to your family villa!”

“I also prefer to go to the sea.”

“If Yuki-sama says so, I agree with her.”

Following Masachika who raised his hand with a bright smile, was Yuki and Ayano who also wanted to go to the sea, and Alisa and Maria were also looking at Touya without any objections. Touya nodded while smiling wryly at the gazes directed at him and said to Chisaki.

“Well, I’m also a little interested in the dojo Chisaki mentioned, but… it doesn’t seem like it’s too suitable for this Student Council activity, so let’s do that next time.”

“Really? Then… if it’s not a Student Council activity, when do we go? I mean, just us two.”

“Eh?”

Touya’s expression instantly froze as Chisaki said that with a slightly blushing face. However, when his girlfriend glanced at him shyly, Touya forced himself to smile.

“Ah~… that’s right. Yeah… If Chisaki wants to go there, maybe I’ll tag along?”

“Yay! I’ll introduce you to my Master over there!”

“Master…”

After hearing such innocent words, Touya’s brain naturally imagined what would happen next [Being introduced to the Master who trained Chisaki] → [He would immediately check out the man who had dared to date his favorite student!] → [Death].

Touya’s gaze became a little hollow in the easily imagined future. However, Chisaki didn’t seem to notice this and continued on happily.

“That’s right, while you’re there, why don’t you participate in the martial arts festival?”

“Eh~”

[Participate in the martial arts festival] → [Death]. The light disappeared from Touya’s eyes as his girlfriend continuously triggered the death flag without any bad intentions.

“Don’t worry! There’s even an amateur division! Besides… I want to see the cool side of Touya, please?”

“Uhh…”

However, Touya soon eventually succumbed to Chisaki’s cute expression…

“Just leave it to me. I’ll do whatever I can!”

“Really!? I’m so happy! Uwaahh~ I’m really looking forward to it!”

“Haha, ha…”

She nodded forcefully and laughed dryly. Seeing Touya’s figure like that, Masachika inwardly admired him as she said

“What a role model of a man…” and put his hands together in admiration. For now, Masachika was determined to accept him as he was, even though there would be a second form of Touya after the summer vacation. 

After that, the chatter continued for a while. While sipping their cups of tea brewed by Maria, they talked about Student Council, school, and summer vacation. About 30 minutes later, Touya suddenly took out his smartphone, checked the screen, and then stood up.

“Hmm… time passed by so quickly.”

“Ah, goodbye~”

“Do your best~… uh, but it’s weird to say that, huh.”

Touya left the student council room while smiling wryly at Chisaki’s cheers. Soon after, Maria stood up and started cleaning everyone’s cups and everyone’s small plates.

“Well then, since my turn is approaching, I’ll clean it up first.”

“Ah, let me help.”

Now! With that thought, Masachika immediately stood up and picked up Ayano’s cup in front of her and Alisa’s cup next to it. While gesturing to Ayano and Yuki with his gaze, Masachika piled up small plates in his hands. Then, while turning his head towards Maria with the pile of plates, Maria, who was holding a tray in her hands, turned her gaze away for a moment and then smiled.

“Yes? Then, will you please?”

“Yes, leave it to me.”

Masachika placed the plate on the tray Maria was holding and took the tray from her. Then, the two of them left the student council room together.

The student council room had an electric kettle and a small refrigerator, but unfortunately there was no sink there. Therefore, when they wanted to wash the dishes, they had to borrow a sink from another club room, even though it was a little inconvenient. Usually they’d borrow it from the culinary club room, but sometimes they’d also borrow it from the science club room.

However, since the sinks in the science club room were less hygienic, it was a last resort. Fortunately, the culinary club room was empty today, so they decided to borrow the sink there.

As the two of them washed dishes side by side, Masachika secretly glanced at Maria. At first glance Maria was still acting as usual, but on closer inspection, she looked a bit awkward.

(So… that’s what happened)

Masachika let out a small sigh in his heart, and while he was about to turn away from her, his hand accidentally nudged Maria’s hand.

“!!!”

Maria quickly withdrew her hand as if it was kicked, and the plate she was holding made a clattering sound.

“Ah, sorry.”

“U, Umm? It’s okay, really. I’m the one who should be sorry… Was it because of… static electricity?”

I don’t think it’s possible that static electricity could occur while washing dishes in the summer… but Masachika didn’t argue and said, “It could be” while nodding.

Then, when he quietly looked at Maria again… Maria’s ears slightly reddened, and put a smile on her face, as if she was trying to cover up something.

“…Masha-san.”

“Hmm? What?”

“…That cup, I washed it already, didn’t I?”

“Ara? Really?”

Then Maria looked at the cup in her hand. While doing tsukkomi in his head “No, you wouldn’t know even if you saw it…”, Masachika tilted his head and wondered if this was her natural reaction or if she was feeling nervous.

However, judging from the fact that the incident seemed to have been going on for some time, Masachika decided to talk to Maria when they both finished washing the dishes and wiping their hands.

“Um, Masha-san.”

“Yes?”

“Umm… once again, I’m really sorry about the hypnosis incident the other day…”

“Ah, hmm. It’s okay, okay? After all, I was the one who started it first…”

When Masachika lowered his head, Maria looked a little panicked and told him to raise his head. However, once her gaze met Masachika, her cheeks began to blush and she hurriedly averted her gaze.

“Ah, that…well, I didn’t get a chance to ask at the time, but roughly…what did I do… to Kuze-kun when I was hypnotized?”

She then asked while glancing shyly at Masachika’s face. Masachika was subconsciously moved by this unusual attitude of Maria, because it was inversely proportional to her behavior which always exuded an aura of maturity. He subconsciously swallowed his saliva and immediately shifted his attention. And as he recalled the events of that time… Masachika almost squirmed because of the shame that came back to him, but he managed to hold it in and said honestly.

“Umm, Alya and I were cuddled by you… then you started stroking both of our heads.”

Masachika gritted his teeth as he felt embarrassed to tell the truth. However, Maria blinked her eyes slowly and asked with a relieved expression.

“Uh… is that all?”

“Yes, that’s it.”

In reality, his face was half buried in Maria’s plump breasts. But that was only part of the “cuddling.” More precisely, he touched Maria’s smooth thighs which were hidden under her skirt… but on second thought, he felt that his fingers touched a rather awkward place, but that was just part of “what Masachika was doing to Maria”, and not “what Maria was doing to Masachika”. Therefore, he didn’t bother to tell her the truth. Manliness? That word did not exist in the dictionary of Masachika’s life.

“I see… thank goodness then.”

Maria patted her chest with a relieved expression, unaware of Masachika’s devious thoughts. The innocent expression on her face made Masachika’s feelings of guilt increase even more.

“Umm, is that alright?”

“Yes, if it’s just to that extent it’s fine. Ah…”

And then, Maria seemed to think of something and quickly clutched herself as if to protect herself from something.

“Umm, did you… see it?”

“Ehhh, what are you talking about?…”

Inevitably, Masachika turned his gaze to the somewhat angry and accusing expression of Maria. If he had to say whether he saw it or not, he did see it. No, Masachika turned his face away as Maria began to take off her uniform but what Chisaki did was so shocking that he inadvertently followed her movements with his gaze. As a result …well, everything became clearly visible before his eyes. 

Maria’s very sexy figure, with her skirt undone and two buttons exposed. However, because of Alisa, who was almost naked, next to her, his gaze was drawn more to her than Maria… but yeah, he also remembered very well that Maria was also fair-skinned.

Masachika wondered how to explain that fact, but Maria would know if he was lying immediately. Maria’s lips twitched a little angrily and looked at Masachika with a frown.

“Kuze-kun, you pervert.”

“Uh, yes… I’m really sorry. I didn’t see it on purpose, though.”

Masachika bowed obediently, while being surprised inwardly “It turns out that Masha-san can also get angry at this kind of thing…” No, actually, he had thought that Maria would forgive him while smiling gently and saying “It’s just that much~ it’s okay~”. So, it was a little surprising to see her react like a normal girl, and at the same time there was a bit of immoral pleasure at having done something that offended the Madonna of the school…

“Ku. Ze. Ku-un?”

“Uh, ah, yes?”

“Mouuu, are you sure you regret what you did?”

“Yes, I am, I regret it.”

Maria glared at him with raised eyebrows. However, Maria’s, who had a small face did not frighten him at all. Instead…

(Thank you so much for the rare expression, it’s really cute. Masha-san, who usually has the aura of an onee-san, is now actually acting like a high school girl. It’s honestly the best gap moe ever. If she raises her index finger and warns “dame-dame”, I’m sure that I’ll be doing a dogeza while shouting “Thank you very much!!”)

(TN: “Dame-dame” here means “not good”, or in this context “you cannot.” I decided to keep it that way since it sounds better. Dogeza is a pose/traditional etiquette of kneeling/bowing down on the ground to the point where your head is touching the floor.)

“Mouu! You’re not sorry at all, right?!”

As Masachika continued to think of stupid things, Maria puffed up her cheeks and quickly stretched out both her hands on Masachika’s cheeks. She then pinched both of Masachika’s cheeks with her fingers and began tugging him to the side.

“What are you doing?”

“Punishment!”

Maria stared at Masachika while furrowing her brows and pulling Masachika’s cheeks in various directions. But it wasn’t too painful. Compared to Alisa’s relentless slapping, this punishment was very soothing in many ways. In fact, it was more like a reward. Perhaps satisfied, Maria removed her fingers from Masachika’s cheeks and held his face with both hands. Maria turned Masachika’s face towards her and told him closely with a serious expression.

“Listen carefully. Don’t make a girl feel embarrassed, okay? And when others get angry, you should reflect on it carefully.”

Despite being told so, Masachika felt that she wasn’t really angry. Moreover, their position looked like five seconds before a kiss scene. Maria’s onee-san’s like face seen up close was too stimulating for a healthy teenage boy as well, but she didn’t seem to realize that.

(If I denied it more here, would she continue to lecture me in this position?)

That kind of thought crossed his mind, but he felt that if he went that far, he would really offend this kind Senpai, so Masachika decided to nod his head honestly.

“…Yes, I understand.”

“Hmm good.”

Nodding in satisfaction at Masachika’s answer, Maria moved her hand away from Masachika’s cheek and patted his head lightly as if to say “thank goodness you understand,” and then turned to the sink.

However, as Maria reached out to wipe the washed dishes with a cloth, a faint buzzing sound was heard from inside her pocket.

“Ah… it looks like my mom is here.”

“Oh, then please go ahead. Let me take care of it.”

“Hmm~… I’m sorry, yeah? Then can I leave the rest to you?”

“Yes, goodbye.”

Masachika looked at Maria who was leaving the culinary room with a little regretful expression, and started wiping the dishes. After he finished wiping them, he placed the dishes on the tray and returned to the student council room.

After that, the remaining five people chatted with each other for about 30 minutes, and this time it was Chisaki’s turn to leave the student council room to meet her mother. Alisa happened to have her turn after Maria’s meeting was over, so she stood up as soon as Chisaki left.

“Then, I’ll go first.”

“Oh, goodbye~.”

“Goodbye.”

“Be careful on the road.”

A few seconds after the three of them watched Alisa leave and the door to the student council room was closed. Yuki, who had already switched to her Ojou-sama mode, turned her head towards Masachika and said in a small, mischievous voice.

“It’s finally just the two of us, huh.”

“Then, I guess it’s time to pick up Jii-chan.”

(“Jii-chan” as in his grandfather, short for “ojii-chan” which means grandfather.)

“Wait! Don’t just ignore me~!”

“You yourself are ignoring Ayano’s existence!”

Yuki flung herself onto the table and stretched out her arms to Masachika’s arm tightly. Inevitably Masachika looked at his sister with a look of disgust at her behavior that did not reflect that of a model student.

“Why are you looking at me with that look! Because lately we’ve been quite busy, it’s been a while since we’ve spent time as siblings like this!”

“Ah… come to think of it, is that right?”

After hearing Yuki’s words, Masachika felt that what she was saying was true. And when he thought about it again, he felt that it was very unusual that the two of them had not spent time as siblings for more than ten days.

“Well, since Onii-chan always spends time with Alya-san, you’re probably not bothered by it~?”

“That’s… not true, really?”

Yuki looked at him with a mocking gaze and Masachika averted her gaze awkwardly. Then, Yuki turned her body on the table, put both hands to cover her eyes and started pretending to cry.

“Hic, hic, I feel lonely~.”

“I see, I see, so you feel lonely, huh. I understand, so please get off the table? Okay?”

When Masachika said that, Yuki immediately got off the table. The black hair that had been spread out on the table disappeared to the edge of the table, and fluttered back like wings. After letting her messy hair behind her, Yuki sat back on her chair with a thud. 

She then crossed her legs while leaning on the chair and raised her chin arrogantly.

“That’s why, spoil me.”

“No, what’s with that sudden change in your mood…?”

Masachika was surprised by the drastic change in his  sister’s character, but Yuki didn’t seem to mind and raised her eyebrows dramatically.

“What’s wrong? Hurry up and do it.”

Masachika had no choice but to comply with the attitude of this cruel boss who was placing unreasonable demands on her subordinates. He felt like a bank employee being asked to apologize in public.

Masachika then placed his hands on the table, pursed his lips, and asked a question in a voice that shook with confusion and despair.

“Right here…?”

“That’s right. Right here, I told you to pamper me now, Masachika-kun.”

“But, here is…!”

“What? Can’t do it?”

“…!”

Upon hearing Yuki’s words, Masachika turned around with trembling hands and let out a sound filled with sadness from the back of his throat.

“I… understand…!”

Then, while slowly sitting on his chair, Masachika suddenly looked up and placed his hand on the back of the chair next to him. He then said a few words while trying to make his face as handsome as possible.

“Come on, come here.”

“Pfft—”

“Okay, let’s stop this.”

“Ahhh, I’m kidding, kidding. Onii-chan is really cool, really~.”

As soon as Masachika left his seat, Yuki rushed over to him with a spoiled voice. She sat down next to Masachika, and for the first time in a long time, Yuki was able to spend as much time with her brother as she wanted. Masachika also pampered Yuki while smiling at his sister who was like that. Ayano had long since blended into the air.

Then, about fifteen minutes of Masachika’s efforts to get Yuki in a good mood. Masachika’s smartphone vibrated, announcing the arrival of his grandfather.

“Oh, looks like Jii-chan is here.”

“Alright~ goodbye~.”

“Yeah, I’ll go first… by the way, where did Ayano go?”

Masachika looked around the student council room for his childhood friend who had disappeared without a trace. However, Ayano’s whereabouts could not be found.

“Eh? Maybe because she was sensitive to the atmosphere, she blended into the air and was watching outside the room?”

“You… no, I don’t think I have anything to say since I didn’t even notice it…”

Masachika shook his head and gently opened the door of the student council room. Then, as Yuki said, Ayano was waiting outside as if she was guarding the student council room. No, actually, she was guarding to protect Yuki’s true nature, so perhaps “escort” is the right word.

“…I don’t know why, I’m sorry.”

“What do you mean?”

Masachika was very sorry for forgetting about her existence, even though he himself had said “Don’t ignore Ayano’s existence!” to Yuki. But Ayano didn’t seem to understand Masachika’s feelings and tilted her head with a flat expression. As Masachika patted Ayano’s head as a sign of appreciation and apology, she closed her eyes as if amused.

“Well then… I’ll be going then.”

“Goodbye~”

“Be careful on the road, Masachika-sama.”

In an indescribable mood, Masachika bid them farewell, picked up his luggage, and started walking towards the main gate where his grandfather was waiting. He walked through the school building, changed his shoes in the shoe locker, and stepped out of the school, but Masachika felt a strong urge to turn around. However, before he could do that, he was called from the other side, so he couldn’t help but respond.

“Oh Masachika, you finally came too!”

“Jii-chan…”

There stood a cheerful old grandfather with a shaved bald head. He was Masachika’s paternal grandfather and the one who had shown Masachika the Russian books and movies as a child. He was Tomohisa Kuze. Unlike his maternal grandfather, Gensei Suou, Tomohisa had a very close relationship with Masachika. He came as a guardian for the parent-teacher meeting in place of Masachika’s father, who was busy with work.

He stood up straight, lifted his soft white hat lightly, and smiled happily at the sight of his grandson’s arrival. He looked like a kindly grandfather… but the problem was the way he was dressed.

“Why are you wearing an all-white suit!?”

“Eh? Isn’t it cool?”

“Only narcissists or foreign mafia wear that kind of clothing!”

“Muu… Ah, I see, maybe it’s because I’m not wearing this, huh.”

Masachika exclaimed with prejudice, but Tomohisa put on his hat again as if not understanding what he meant, and as he reached into his inner pocket, Tomohisa took out sunglasses and put them on.

“Look, isn’t it much cooler now?”

“The mafia level has increased! Jii-chan clearly looks like a retired mafia boss! Now, if you wear a coat or a scarf-like cloth around your neck, everything will be even more perfect!”

“Scarf? I have one.”

“Why would you have one!”

This time, Tomohisa took out a folded white cloth from the inner pocket on the other side. Masachika stopped him and quickly hurried him to school before he stood out even more.

“Gosh, why did Jii-chan come here in such embarrassing clothes, anyway?…!”

“I think it’s because it’s more fashionable…”

“It’s also influenced by some kind of movie again, right? I mean, how could Jii-chan have such a thing.”

“I purposely bought it with my pension money just for today, really?”

“Grandma will be angry, you know.”

Masachika rushed to the school building while doing a tsukkomi with a voice that seemed to have killed his anger and embarrassment. To be honest, he didn’t want others to see him with his grandfather. After changing his shoes in the shoe locker and having his grandfather put on slippers for the visitors, Masachika headed straight to his classroom.

“Masachika, it looks like there’s more time, and I’d like to take a look around the school…”

“Firmly rejected.”

“Why? Is being with Jii-chan so embarrassing for you?”

“Yes, embarrassing.”

“Muu… then let me go alone…”

“I have a premonition that Jii-chan will be arrested as a suspicious person, so please stop.”

Masachika tried to calm his grandfather, who was so agitated despite his age of 71 years old, and managed to get him to sit on a chair set up outside the class. Then, the topic of conversation turned to Masachika’s father.

“Fumu… but, is Kyoutarou still busy?”

“Well, I heard that he’ll be working at the embassy in Britain starting this year… so, I’m sure that he’s very busy right now.”

Masachika’s father, Kyoutarou Kuze, was a diplomat who worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until last year, but from this year on, he was assigned to diplomatic missions abroad. His father was often absent from home, but after working abroad, he rarely came home. Even at the parent-teacher meeting, Masachika had asked Tomohisa to come as his guardian.

Tomohisa raised his eyebrows slightly at his grandson’s statement.

“I see… but at least he can make time for the parent-teacher meeting, right?”

“No way. It would take more than half a day just to get here.”

“Is that so? Masachika is such a good kid, huh.”

“Stop it.”

Masachika shyly pushed away Tomohisa’s hand, which was trying to pet his head. The two of them finally showed the grandparent-grandchild relationship that is very common in the world, but… that atmosphere was quickly blown away when the classroom door opened.

“Please excuse me.”

“Thank you very much, Sensei.”

Alisa and the woman who seemed to be her mother exited the classroom. When seeing the two of them… or rather, looking at Alisa, Tomohisa’s eyes instantly opened wide.

(Damn it! Because there were so many things going on, I forgot to tell him!!)

Masachika felt sorry that he should have told Tomohisa about this earlier, but it was too late.

“Ah, Kuze—”

“The wonders of Eastern Europe!”

“Oh my god, please stop that, Jii-chan!”

As Tomohisa stood up and spread his arms wide, as if he was thanking God, Masachika desperately tried to get him to sit back on the chair. He then hurriedly apologized to Alisa, who stepped back in shock.

“I’m really sorry, Alya. This is my grandfather, his admiration for Russia is a bit too strong…”

“Uh, ah, I see…”

“Young lady, what is your name?”

“Oi, seriously, please stop that!”

Tomohisa tried to approach Alisa with seductive expressions and phrases, but Masachika held him back and tried to make him sit down.

“Sorry, I’m really sorry. You don’t have to put up with this.”

“H-He’s a cheerful… grandfather, huh?”

Alisa’s thoughtful words pierced Masachika’s heart. Masachika grabbed Tomohisa’s collar with his left hand and gestured with his right hand for her to leave quickly before his grandfather showed his ugly side again. But then someone who seemed to be Alisa’s mother stepped forward and called out to Masachika.

“Umm, excuse me. Is your name… Kuze-kun?”

“Uh, ah, yes. Nice to meet you, my name is Kuze Masachika. Are you Alisa-san’s mother?”

As the older woman spoke to him, Masachika quickly removed his hand from Tomohisa and greeted her according to the etiquette that had been instilled in him since childhood.

Alisa’s eyes widened in surprise, and the woman in front of Masachika also covered her mouth with her hand, impressed by his calm greeting that showed no signs of nervousness.

“Oh my, you’re so polite… It’s nice to meet you. I’m Alisa’s mom, Akemi Kujou. I often hear Kuze-kun’s stories from my daughter.”

“That… haha, I hope you didn’t hear anything bad about me.”

“Fufufu, she talks about you happily, you know?”

“…I see.”

Setting aside the content of the stories, Masachika felt confident that she spoke about him happily. That alone gave him a general idea of the situation.

Then, he observed the woman in front of him once more. She had shoulder-length black hair that was gently wavy, as well as a soft and well-groomed appearance that made it easy to imagine that she must have been very popular in the past. Her body exuded a motherly and sexy aura, clearly showing that Alisa and Maria were born from her. Her face itself… perhaps more similar to Maria?

(If you remove the foreign aspect from Masha-san’s face, she would probably… look like this? No, it’s not her face, but the atmosphere is more similar.)

She exuded a calm and maternal aura, just like a Madonna. If she were a celebrity, she would be a beautiful mature woman who would be very popular among middle-aged and older people.

But even so, the look in her eyes had a certain intelligence, and it could be inferred that she was not just a nice woman.

(What? Is she judging me? Whatever it is, I guess I’d better be careful in answering…)

After observing with a smile and thinking that far in just two seconds, Masachika began to be wary of Akemi. As if realizing Masachika’s vigilance, Akemi’s smile widened even more. Masachika also sensed that she had noticed his cautious attitude and raised his guard even higher. Then, amidst the tension, Akemi slowly opened her mouth, and Masachika braced himself behind her smile…

“By the way, are you good at social dancing, Kuze-kun?”

Akemi asked a completely unexpected question, leaving Masachika stunned for a few moments. She blinked and asked the question again.

“Social dancing…?”

“Yes.”

Masachika was even more confused when Akemi confirmed it in a natural way.

(Social dance… Uh, what does that mean? Is there some kind of implication? What is the meaning behind the question? Useless, I have no idea!)

Should I answer honestly with “I think it’s pretty…?” No, I don’t know if I can give such a perfunctory answer. Before Masachika could give an answer, Alisa interrupted Akemi with annoyance.

“Mom, what’s with that question? Look, Kuze-kun looks troubled.”

“Ehh?”

“Why are you asking about social dancing?”

“Eh~? Because his shoulders are a little tilted?”

Akemi put her hand on her cheek while glancing upwards diagonally and said something that he didn’t understand. It turned out to be nothing. It was just a natural comment. After all, she was Maria’s mother. Masachika felt like an idiot for being cautious, but then Tomohisa quickly approached Alisa and grasped her hand with a very natural gesture.

“Young lady, do you want to be my granddaughter in law?”

“E-Ehh?”

“Oi, Jii-chan!”

Masachika skipped all manners and shouted at his grandfather, who was saying something outrageous as if he was proposing.

“How about it? Are you willing to be Masachika’s wife—”

“Seriously, please shut your mouth!!!”

He covered his grandfather’s mouth with his hand from behind, forcing Tomohisa to shut up, and pulled him away from Alisa with all his strength.

“Then, since it’s my turn now, we’ll excuse ourselves!”

“Ah, yes.”

“Alright. See you again.”

After forcefully ending the conversation, Masachika said goodbye to Alisa and Akemi. Masachika finally let go of Tomohisa’s hand as they both walked away.

“So? What do you think, Masachika? Do you have any intentions of marrying her?”

“I told you to shut up.”

“Then? Does Alya-chan want to be Kuze-kun’s wife?”

“Mom, please be quiet.”

At the same time Masachika was looking at his grandfather, he overheard the conversation between a mother and her daughter from a short distance away, and inwardly sympathized with Alisa as she said,

“We’re both having a hard time, huh…”.

Then, as he regained his composure and turned his gaze towards the classroom… He saw his homeroom teacher smiling stiffly, and Masachika looked up with resignation, knowing that the commotion outside must have been heard…

☆

“Then, if you’ll excuse me….”

“Thank you for your time.”

After that, Masachika and Tomohisa somehow managed to finish the parent-teacher meeting and left the classroom. Maybe it was because they had finished earlier than expected, the next group of parents and students had not yet arrived outside the classroom, so Masachika and Tomohisa headed straight for the stairs.

“So, about that girl named Alisa-san…”

“Let’s not talk about that story anymore.”

Masachika felt relieved that he had successfully finished the parent-teacher meeting while ignoring Tomohisa’s ramblings… and as it turned out, it was a mistake. Originally, Masachika should have been more careful. However, Masachika’s mind was completely messed up after his grandfather’s outburst…. As a result, they ended up bumping into someone he didn’t want to meet in the hallway in front of the entrance.

“!!!”

At the sight of that figure, Masachika felt that the blood in his entire body was drained. The other party also saw Masachika, widened her eyes for a moment, and then quickly looked away.

“Oh, Yumi-san. Long time no see.”

“Yes, it’s been a long time too… Father-in-law.”

Her hesitance was because she was divorced and hesitant to call him father-in-law, or perhaps she was worried about the relationship between them, who should be strangers to the outside world, or perhaps it was both? Either way, Tomohisa approached her without worry and spoke to Yumi in a friendly manner.

“I’m glad to see you’re doing well. Yuki seems to be doing well too, huh?”

“Yes, Ojii-sama. Ojii-sama himself… for some reason is wearing something extraordinary, huh?”

“Hmm? Very cool, isn’t it?”

“Fufu, that’s right.”

“That’s right, isn’t it! But somehow Masachika doesn’t like this suit!”

He laughed happily at his granddaughter’s high praise, then Tomohisa said while looking at Yuki and Yumi in turn.

“How are you? Are you on good terms with your mother?”

“Yes, of course, aren’t we? Okaa-sama.”

“Y-Yes…”

Yumi smiled a little stiffly at her daughter who was smiling gracefully yet innocently at her. Masachika looked at her figure with cold eyes.

(You liar, your smile looks so fake. If you guys are really intimate, you should be showing off Yuki more.)

She can’t even show her true expression to her daughter herself, what kind of mother is that? Why does Yuki have to deal with this person?..

“…!”

While gritting his teeth, Masachika desperately tried to suppress the feeling of disgust that seemed to want to burn his lungs. However, just seeing his mother alone already made him recall memories of the past that were already locked away in his subconscious, and a sickening mess of emotions rose from the bottom of his stomach. 

Every time he took a breath to calm himself down, he felt a chill run through his body, and on the other hand, he felt the sweat-drenched heat on the surface of his skin. Even so, Masachika did not look away from Yumi, as if looking away would be her defeat. However, Yumi stubbornly refused to look at Masachika. She neither said a word nor looked at the face of her son whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.

(…I knew it.)

At that moment, the fire that had been dwelling inside Masachika and the heat that caressed the surface of his skin disappeared in an instant. Whether it was disappointment or resignation that came over him…

Either way, she no longer had anything to do with Masachika.

“Jii-chan, it’s time for us to go. It’s not good to stop in the middle of the corridor.”

When he said this in an emotionless voice, Tomohisa showed his attention to his surroundings and nodded lightly.

“Oh, I see… I’ll see you again then, you two.”

“Yes, next summer vacation I’ll come visit.”

“…E… Excuse me.”

For a moment, Yumi opened her mouth and tried to say something, but in the end, not a word came out. Yumi lowered her head slightly and walked towards the stairs with Yuki. Without looking over his shoulder, Masachika quickly changed his shoes. Tomohisa also changed from sandals to shoes without saying anything else.

☆

“Hmm~ it feels hot again when it’s outside.”

As they walked out of the front door, Tomohisa’s face twitched under the bright sunlight and Masachika looked at him dumbfounded.

“That’s because Jii-chan is wearing clothes like that.”

“But well, I can’t just come wearing a polo shirt, can I?”

“I would have preferred if you had done that…”

“Why did Yuki say it was cool then?”

“No, she was obviously just trying to be nice.”

He wore a dissatisfied expression when Masachika said that with a dry laugh. Then Tomohisa looked up at the sky and said,

“But, Yuki’s getting more and more like Yumi-san… Although she’s less tall, anyway.”

“…Ah.”

Tomohisa asked with a wry smile as Masachika gave a dazed answer. absentmindedly.

“What? Do you still hate your mother?”

“……”

Masachika responded to Tomohisa’s blunt question with silence.

Tomohisa stroked his chin thoughtfully at his grandson’s obvious response.

“How strange. I thought Yumi-san and Masachika were very similar.”

“Similar? Haah?!”

Masachika lightly laughed it off as an unfunny joke, but Tomohisa nodded without looking upset.

“You both are alike. Your face looks like Kyoutarou when he was young, but on the inside you look a lot like Yumi-san. On the other hand, although Yuki looks like Yumi-san, her character is more like Kyoutarou.”

“…”

“Well, both you and Yuki, it’s just the eyes that don’t look like your parents… who did you inherit those eyes from?…”

“I don’t know.”

Masachika shrugged while touching his eyes, the only part of his body that looked exactly the same as Yuki, and showed that Masachika and Yuki were siblings. Tomohisa also shrugged his shoulders lightly as Masachika maintained his stubborn reaction, and raised his voice to change the mood.

“Ah~ but the temperature is really hot~… How about it? Do you want to go somewhere to eat shaved ice?”

“Shaved ice… it’s not something that can be found easily.”

“Is that so? If you do a quick search…”

As Tomohisa took out his cell phone and began to actually check it, Masachika commented, “Jii-chan is still young in many ways,” with a half-amazed and half-tired tone.

“No, I’m not going out to eat… I’m just going home.”

“Why? Are you feeling tired? By the way, your face also looks a little pale…”

Masachika distanced himself from Tomohisa who was looking at him worriedly, and turned his face forward.

“It must be because the sunlight is too strong so it looks like that, right? I just want to get home and take a shower as soon as possible.”

“What? You’re not a fun grandson at all.”

“If Jii-chan dresses a little more normally, I might come along.”

Masachika turned to Tomohisa who was fanning his face with a fan, which he had no idea where he got it from. At first glance, Masachika looked like he was acting normally… but also he looked rather unreliable, like a child who is tired of crying.

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TOC

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