Hurriedly running to the cafeteria, my joy simply couldn’t be contained. It ends up seeping through my face.
“AHAHAHA! This works! I’ve solved the problem! AHAHAHAA!!!”
Up the stairs, through the hallways, through the cssrooms, I feel like I’ve been struck with an unhealthy dose of euphoria. Letting my legs take me to their destination, only in few minutes time, I’m suddenly standing before them.
Huff. Puff.
“Hey…,” huff, “guys…”
“Woah, what’s going on, Kibe? You almost look like you ran around the whole school,” Katsuro comments.
“Y-You’re grinning like crazy, Kibe… something good happen?” Madoka asks.
“I’ve got it guys! I know of a surefire way to win!”
Surprised by my announcement, their eyes grow rge and they scooch closer to get a better range.
“R-Really?! Are you sure that this pn is guaranteed for us to win?!” Masaru responds hastily.
“Yes. It is undeniable.”
“YES!” he cheers.
“However!” I slip in, “It comes at a hefty price.”
Takashi brings out his wallet and shows me a plentiful 50000￥.
“Will this cover it?” he queries.
“Way to go, Takashi!” Katsuro cheers.
“Now we’re sure to win!” Madoka joins in.
These guys…
“Stop taking things literally!” I reprimand.
Clearing my throat, they behave.
“The price doesn’t come with money… it comes with dignity.”
Saying it with a straight face, they sense the magnitude of the situation.
“D-Dignity?” Katsuro wonders.
“Can you perhaps eborate?” Madoka responds.
“Fine, I’ll get straight to the point. We’re gonna have to cross-dress.”
They all stare at me in silence. After a good second, they look into each other’s’ eyes and ugh their guts out.
“AHAHAHAH! CROSS-DRESS HE SAID! AHAHAHA!” Madoka utters.
“BAHAHAHAHA! WHAT ON EARTH?! AHAHAHA!” Katsuro bursts.
“Hahahahaha,” Takashi with the weird dull way he ughs.
“AAHAHAHAHA! CROSS-DRESS?! You’re ridiculous, Kibe, but enough with the jokes. What’s the true way?” Masaru queries.
I heave a great sigh.
“I’m not joking.”
“What?” Masaru replies.
I shoot them a straight face.
“Y-You’re joking…” Madoka stutters.
“Uhhh…” Takashi shivers.
“K-Kibe?” Katsuro ponders.
Masaru remains silent.
Okay, I probably need to expin why we need to cross-dress. So, there’s a funny thing in the realm of anime, manga, and the like to have a certain character. This certain character acts and behaves like a girl, simply the peak of femininity. Then boom! The author reveals they’re a boy all along! This is what the English community has termed, the ‘trap’. The trap garners a lot of attention due to the fact that they’re… well, a guy, instead of a girl. This alerts young men to force themselves to shut down all affection for said character. However, the appeal of young anime girls are simply too powerful, and imagine that power transferred over to a guy, except, he’s biologically a guy. So, sometimes people end up not caring anymore and would smash said trap. It’s simply the excitement that he is more feminine than the average woman that allures the young average viewer, and the feeling of wrong love! This elevates the attention to traps as they are constantly memed around the community. One could even say that making someone a trap is bound to conjure some interest in a character regardless of personality. Simply because they have the gimmick of being a trap! Or uh, the viewer is just ft-out gay, or if the viewer is a girl and is into that, I don’t know, I don’t fall for traps.
Note: Not falling for traps he says… Pfft! Remember that one time that you accompanied Kazuhi-
FUCK OFF! NOT NOW. Urgh… anyways, as much as I’d like to expin this logic, this is certainly hard to buy. This is anime logic at its finest… they don’t have self-awareness to take this in at face value.
To summarize, the concept of victory I visualize relies on the audience’s favor. After all, audience matters in the grand scheme of a narrative.
Katsuro goes close to my face and grabs my uniform.
“H-HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WIN THE HEART OF MY IDOL LIKE THIS?! IF WORD GETS OUT OF WHAT WE’RE GOING TO DO, MY CHANCES ARE GONE!”
“Your idol?”
“How could you forget?! You promised that you’d help me win Yokoyama Maruhi’s heart!”
“Hm, I’m sorry in advance for what I’m going to ask, but who is that person?”
“KIBE!!!”
Masaru answers for him.
“It’s the idol who transferred over recently, though I barely see her in css probably due to an upcoming performance soon.”
Katsuro stiffens and releases his grip.
“Performance?!”
“Okay, okay, let’s talk about that ter,” I insist.
He faces me yet again with an unsatisfied expression.
“Why do we have to cross-dress? There has to be an appropriate reason for this!”
“Hm, it’s not something I can expin.”
“HUH?! Then I’m not wearing a girl’s clothes!”
“Me neither!” Madoka responds.
“I don’t wanna be a girl…” Takashi compins.
“Oh, come on! Please! I need your cooperation on this one!”
It’s annoying, but it’s not like I don’t see where they’re getting at. From a logical standpoint, I’m ordering something ludricous.
I look at Masaru. He was staring at me intently.
“Kibe. Is there a good reason why you can’t tell us the reason?”
“It’s not like I don’t wanna say it, it’s more that you guys wouldn’t be able to comprehend it.”
“Come on, Masaru! Don’t tell me you’re actually willing to go all through this?!” Katsuro grunts.
“You’ve always been the sensible one, right Masaru?” Madoka confirms.
Takashi assumes a neutral stance.
Closing his eyes for a quick second, his mouth blurts out his thoughts.
“…I only have one question.”
“Be my guest.”
“Is this for the sake of the ceiling, no jokes or pranks of any sort?”
“None, I’ll be joining you guys after all. This is something I just simply have to ask you guys to comply with. Please.”
”Hmm… Okay, we’ll go through Kibe’s pn, whatever reasons there are.”
“Really?!”
“MASARU?!” Katsuro and Madoka excim.
“This is the way Kibe thought that we could win. If he had any other better alternatives, he would have proposed them already.”
I nod in agreement.
“B-But-” Madoka compins.
“Kibe knows something we don’t. That’s probably why we wouldn’t understand even if he tried to expin it.”
Wow, Masaru’s doing a lot of the work for me… Thanks, Masaru! I do wonder if this is the effect of Character Development.
He continues.
“As his friends, we need to put our faith in him.”
“Uh…” Madoka is aghast.
“Okay,” Takashi speaks up, “If this is truly what is needed, then I will help.”
Katsuro and Madoka remain reluctant to the idea. However, Katsuro closes his eyes, scratches his head, and sms the table hard.
“GRAGH!!! Fine! Have it your way, Kibe! I’m not smart at all, so I can’t make a pn even if I wanted to. But! You better make sure to help me win her heart, okay?!”
“Of course.”
“N-Not you too, Katsuro,” Madoka comments.
We all peer toward him.
“Wh-What?”
“Only you’re left, Madoka,” Masaru expins.
“U-Uhh…,” he folds his arms and turns around, “No way! I’m not wearing girl’s clothes!”
“Madoka~” I tease.
“No!”
“Madoka,” Masaru seriously calls him out.
“Never!”
“Do we bckmail this guy?” I ask them.
“I give you permission,” Masaru replies.
“H-HEY!”
He hurriedly faces us.
“You freaks are supposed to be my friends?! You backstabbers!”
Whistling like we said nothing sketchy, he grows furious.
“Fine! I’m in, alright! Happy?”
I sigh.
“Phew, we can finally get things going.”
“Though, I do have to ask Kibe, who’s going to do dress us up?”
“Haven’t quite considered that.”
Mieko? No, she’s only specialized in the technological field. Arisu? I doubt that that witch has the tact to consider fashion, when she only ever wears is a b coat.
“You guys know anyone who’s fashionable?”
They shake their heads one by one.
“Does Yokoyama Maruhi count?” Katsuro asks.
“Uh, I’m not quite sure if she’d be willing to take the hassle of dressing us up, make-up and all.”
This is exactly why I need to build more connections. Should I ask Nakatani? There’s a good chance that she knows someone fashionable.
I announce the new current predicament.
“Unfortunately, as of this moment, I have no current people who are able to dress us up.”
“Can’t we just do it ourselves?” Madoka asks.
“No, bad idea. Any one of you how to do it?”
Expectedly, no one raises their hand.
The cross-dress can’t be half-assed. That only deters the audience’s eyes and would put our pn straight into the grave. It has to be done professionally.
Thinking carefully, more people pop into my head.
Kazuhiko was initially a male like us, so there has to have been someone fashionable to dress them up… but is asking them really a good idea? On one hand, it isn’t a breach of rules, then again, we’re dealing with a tool that the Author used to trick me. I have trust issues with this one, so I’ll pass.
“Okay, so I have no one in mind at the moment, so the current agenda is to search for someone who is capable of dressing us up.”
They all nod in response.
“It’s not like we’re in a hurry, now that cooperation is on the table.”
“Shouldn’t we actually we make it earlier though? In case of things going south or the repercussions, we could never be too sure,” Masaru asks.
“If we fail now, we won’t succeed ever,” I boldly decre.
I firmly believe that. It all comes down to this.
“I see…” he replies with a solemn tone.
“For now, the meeting is adjourned. After school, all of us will find people who are willing to do the job, is that clear?” I ask.
They nod once more.
“Good. Dismissed.”
I leave at once to start searching right away.
Right now is the best time, where students from all years flock to the cafeteria to get food. I find it more likely to see someone fashionable in this school.
Almost immediately, someone catches my eye and to get a closer look, I approach her. Once I was at an appropriate distance, I smile. The girl that I spotted… was a gyaru! With the blonde hair, long colored nails, make-up, it’s undeniable!
Gyarus are so perfect!
As I was about to open my mouth, I hesitate.
Aren’t they usually aggressive? Wouldn’t they mock me?
“I have to show her that I’m a respectable individual.”
Right foot in, here we go.
“Hello there, excuse me.”
Noticing my call, she gazes at me.
“Mm? What is it? I’m like, gonna go eat.”
“My name is Takayuki Kibe, a third year.”
“Tagawa Miku, also a third year. Can you make it fast please?”
“I’ll go straight to the point.”
Bowing at immense speed, I state my reason.
“I have a favor to ask of you, Tagawa-san!”
“Mhm?”
“I have a group of boys, in total, we’re 5! I was going to ask you if you could dress us up as girls!”
“Huh?”
I know this is a ndmine! But I have to take my shots! It’s now or never!
“まじで?” (Seriously?)
“I am 100 serious!”
Here comes pound town! I am ready for life-scarring verbal abuse! I can take it!
However, as I wait for the punishment, I hear nothing. I pnned on keeping my back lowered, but I was starting to feel fatigue so I stand upright. There, I spot that the gyaru, with her hand on her mouth, stopping herself from bursting into ughter. Eventually, it does break out.
“あははははは！これバリウケル！！！” (AHAHAHAHAHA! THIS IS SO HILARIOUS!”
I figured.
“S-So?”
“I’ll do it.”
“Wait, r-really?”
“I totes have to post this on my social media account. I can only imagine the fame!”
“What do we have to do in return?” I ask worriedly.
“Let me post you guys on my account. That’s all. I enjoy dressing people up! Even if they’re boys.”
“Okay, that’s granted.”
“超かっこいい！” (Super cool!)
“Should we exchange contacts?”
“Mm, okay~ When are we going to do it though?”
“What time do you go to school?”
“I dunno, 9, I guess?”
She’s te.
“Tomorrow, before lunch, is that good?” I ask her.
“オッケー。” (Okay.)
After that, we briefly exchange contacts on LINE. Right on spot, I see her profile picture as herself with a few filters.
Yeah, she’s totes a gyaru…
“バイチー！” (Bye-bye, cheers!)
She leaves and heads to the cafeteria.
Well, that was fast. Convenient.
“I’ll just tell them through text. Lunch will probably end abruptly soon.”
…
..
.
Back in css, I immediately inform my group. We proceed to chat online.
“That fast?!” Masaru messages.
I type.
“Tomorrow, before lunch, we will have her do her thing. So what we need to accomplish right now, is that we’re ready to take the challenge.”
“So who’s going to initiate?” Madoka asks.
I see someone typing, but it was only Takashi showing a picture of his hands doing a peace sign.
Takashi, do you by chance, have a problem with the head?
Obviously, my ethics prevented me from typing that out loud.
“I’ll do it.” Masaru volunteers.
…
..
.
With that we wait until the end of the css. I watch Masaru approach the Mari.
“H-Hello there.”
“Hm? Going to cry over your loss?” she teases with a bright smug face.
“No! Though I came here for a simir reason.”
“Hmm… I’m listening…”
“We’re ready.”
“For the challenge?”
As usual, since the boys were the st to decre the challenge, this time it was the girls.
“You have a reason why you’re telling it to me instead of Ran?”
“Erm, I’m not so sure I have the guts to face such a bright girl.”
“Ah. I can kinda see where you’re getting at…”
“Oh, but can I have a slight request?”
“You think because we’re friends now, you can take advantage of me? HAH! Sorry, but I’m aloof if it’s for my fellow girls.”
“It’s not anything demanding, I promise.”
“M-Maybe if it’s not too demanding.”
Feeling pity over our consecutive losses, she thankfully hears us out.
“Can we hold it during lunch?”
“Not after css?”
“Yeah, the reasons are kinda personal.”
“Hmm, it is pretty light as you say…”
Masaru’s face lightens up. He grasps both of Mari’s hands which results in her blushing and shakes her uncontrolbly.
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
Urgently, he lets her go and starts to head back.
“Thank you so much, Mari! I’ll make it up to you!”
Still red, she forces herself to blurt out a response.
“H-Hey! There are no promises!”
…
..
.
May 27, 20XX
The time of reckoning has come. This competition has gone on for too long. It’s time to bring an end to it now.
I texted Miku Tagawa ahead of time and get confirmation of our deal.
We fast-forward to us, the boys leaving css a bit before lunch.
The rendezvous point was at an unused club room. There, she freely puts on make-up as she pleases. She even provided the sailor uniforms.
Few minutes of dress-up ter, we were finished.
“This is totes fun!” Miku cheers as she pulls out a rge rectangur mirror, enough to reflect our transformed selves.
“No way,” Madoka utters as he touches his face.
“My dignity as a man is dead…” Katsuro compins as he grows limp and dies.
“Urgh, never expected to become a girl myself. Somewhat…” Masaru comments.
I step closer and get a better look at myself.
“Is this… me?”
I look like a genuine girl!
“We should go to the Comiket next time! We’ll go famous!” Miku suggests with sparkling eyes.
SFX: キラキラ (kirakira)
But I shut her idea down.
“No, we’re never doing this again.”
“Aw, what a shame~”
“Okay guys, move out!”
“Kibe, will this really work?” Katsuro asks with doubting eyes.
“We’re too far in to go back now. March onwards!”
Slightly hesitant, they eventually follow and go outside. I voluntarily go st.
Urgh… this is so embarrassing.
“Kibe!”
I look around.
“That’s your st name, right?” she asks.
“No. It’s my st name.”
“H-Huh? Then-“
“Yeah, what you’re thinking is exactly right.”
“I know there are names that work both as a first name and surname, but isn’t your name just kind of… “
“Backwards. Yeah, I don’t know why that is, either.”
It’s a mockery of me.
“Anyways, you wanted to say something?”
With a great smug, befitting of a gyaru, she tells me:
“Let’s hang out sometime, Kibe~ You’re a funny guy. I’ll invite my friends too.”
“Uh, yeah, sure thing.”
We might never meet again though.
I head out bravely. Over a distance, I can see students with their phones out, they take pictures and videos pf my partners-in-crime.
“Argh! They’re looking at me!” Katsuro shrieks.
“Delete those photos now!” Madoka yells.
Takashi stays quiet while Masaru is simply running for his life. For that, I simply follow Masaru.
The faster we get this over with, the faster we can take off this suits.
…
..
.
“Where are the boys?” Ran wonders.
“Mari, do you have any idea where they went?” Rin asks Mari.
“Not at all!”
“I-I hope they’re alright…” Yuka mutters.
Then from a door, a bunch of girls arrive. Specifically, cross-dressers – us!
Everyone in the surroundings stare at us in disbelief.
Mari breams down and ughs in an instant.
“BWAHAHAHA! MASARU, IS THAT YOU?! WHAT’S UP WITH THAT GET-UP? AHAHAHHAA!”
He blushes and hides himself behind us.
“Enough chit-chat!”
I step forward.
“Let’s get this thing started! Where’s our referree?”
“Hey, hey, is that even allowed?!” Ran points out.
“It is allowed!”
A voice interjects. The person stands up and goes in front of the css. It was Kazuhiko Arita.
“A little change in outfit changes nothing, so I see no problem,” she decres.
“But-“
“No more hold-ups! Let’s get this thing going!”
Finally having things go our way once, I get smug.
…
..
.
Rin expins the rules.
“Sex appeal is the name of the game. We’ll each do whatever it takes to reach the apex of our appeal. You must use whatever at your disposal and inclusion of any other participating members in the contest is not allowed. Rating will be from 1 to 10. Got it? It’s a pretty simple game.”
“Yeah, we got it,” I speak on behalf of my group.
“5 minutes of discussion will be allotted for both groups! Arita-san, if you may?”
Speaking vocally she announces, “Discussion will begin… now!”
The timer on her phone begins counting down.
“Kibe… what’s the pn?” Katsuro asks.
“Do whatever. Our poses won’t matter, our get-up will do all the work.”
“If you say so…”
…
..
.
“Okay, so here’s the pn I thought of,” Rin expins, “Each of us will py our specific traits and improve on that.”
I, on the other hand, can’t help, but stare at the boys, notably Masaru. I mean, who couldn’t? They all suddenly dress up as girls! It’s hard for me to contain my ughter.
“Mari.”
Ran calls me out.
“U-Uh yeah.”
“Did you get all that?”
“Sorry, I wasn’t listening…”
“You have to get your head in!”
“It’s hard when their attire is distracting.”
“I think that’s kind of the point. They’re deliberately wearing something awkward to throw us off! They’re being desperate and I have to credit their effort. But luckily for us, we’re better than that!”
“I’ll expin from the top,” Rin says and this time, I finally listen.
“Using the strengths of our own traits, the order will begin from me, then Ran, then Mari, and our showstopper… Yuka!”
“Wh-Why am I st?” Yuka ponders.
“It’s a better feeling if the audience receives a bad start, but a good end, rather than the other way around. Because personally, I don’t think I’d score high. Yuka-chan’s universally loved by everyone, so there’s that.”
“Rin…”
Ran interrupts.
“You all, let’s just do our usual. Rin will be Rin. I’ll be my energetic self. Mari will be a tsundere…”
“Wh-Who are you calling a tsundere?!” I retort.
“Why do I have no unique description…” Rin murmurs.
Yet she continues like nothing anyway.
“…and Yuka will act meekly like an innocent maiden.”
“We’ll recim the roof girls. Let’s give it our all!” Ran screams.
We nod.
We’ll win. I trust in us.
…
..
.
Kazuhiko announces the end of the discussing phase. It’s time for action.
“The girls will go first!” she announces.
We watch earnestly. Rin steps forth. Apparently, she’s first one in line.
All she does is sit down and cross her legs.
I guess she’s going for a mature type.
Kazuhiko comments.
“Mhm, I can see the appeal of this. The posture… the sadistic implications…”
What.
“I personally rate it a 8 out of 10. Next!”
Going off the stage, we have Ran, in line.
“Hello, everyone! It’s me, your everyday superstar, Tanimoto Ran! How’s everyone doing?”
The girls cheer to act as her crowd.
Idol?
“Thank you! For this time, I will be performing a song! Everyone, lend me your ears!”
Thus, began a singing session.
…
..
.
3 minutes ter, she’s done.
Hey, she’s actually pretty good.
“How’d you guys like my song?”
It’s a song from Milly Minty Mew Mew. One of their recent trending ones.
Kazuhiko decres her verdict.
“An idol… imitating one is a bold move since an idol is admired by virtually everyone, but you very much lived up to those expectations. However, because of that high bar, I may or may not have been left wanting more. I say a 9 out of 10. Next!”
“Tanimoto Ran, signing off!”
The show-off gets down from the stage. Next is Mari. Once she was on stage, we watch intently to distract her, yet that was in vain. Now, she speaks her part.
Red cheeks, twin tails, and nervous demeanor, she’s striking a tsundere! In line with her persona.
“I-It’s not like I like you or anything!”
She runs off stage immediately while screaming.
“WAHH! I CAN’T DO THIS!”
Despite being a cheap trick, it was unfathomably cute.
Adorable…
The cssics never miss. Even Kazuhiko agrees with a standing ovation paired with loud cps.
“Amazing dispy of tsundere! Simply perfection! 10 out of 10! Next!”
Finally comes my favorite girl from the group, Yuka. She takes baby steps toward the stage.
“U-Um, h-hello everyone… Uhh, I really don’t know what to say or do… Um…”
I can’t help it.
“WOOHOO! YOU CAN DO IT YUKA-CHAN! WE BELIEVE IN YOU!” I cheer.
Masaru nudges me and whispers, “Kibe, what are you doing?!”
“I’m supporting an innocent girl, that’s what! Go Yuka-chan!”
Startled by my screaming, her attention is drawn to me. Probably because of my odd look, she chuckles and ughs.
We all blush because of her pure innocence. Even Kazuhiko died from a nosebleed.
To express his rating, she takes a sign from behind which says ‘10/10’.
Trying to stand up, she recovered and announces.
“The girls have done their part! It’s time for the boys!”
We held no discussion earlier. I was simply that confident. But someone had to be first, so I push Masaru in front.
He goes in front embarrassed and does this:
“チュー” (Chuu)
A kiss action?!
Kazuhiko screams and yells.
“10 out of 10! Simply beautiful!”
“WHAT?!” Ran, Rin, and Mari said, distraught.
Takashi steps up and performs his act.
“Moe moe kyun~”
Kazuhiko delivers her verdict.
“The artistic creativity is matched! 10 out of 10!”
Next up was Madoka who steps and up and tries to say something.
“A-“
Only to be cut off by an overly enthusiastic Kazuhiko.
“Simply too cute! 10 out of 10!”
Katsuro slips and crashes, but apparently he got a 10 out of 10 too.
Last was me and my step touches the ptform.
Kazuhiko does a standing ovation and cps as loud as she can.
“Bravo! 10 out of 10!”
B-But I haven’t even done anything yet… Oh well, that makes things easier.
The girls only stand there. They couldn’t believe what was unfolding. The tables have turned to our favor!
…
..
.
Kazuhiko announces the results.
“Based on my calcution, the girls scored an average of 9.25 while the boys scored an average of 10! A perfect score! The boys win!”
“YES!” I cheer.
“No! No! This has to be fake! It can’t be!” Mari excims.
“Do you have a problem?”
“You must have bribes the referee or something!”
“I have not been bribed,” Kazuhiko responds.
“If you’re so intent on it, we can prove it with the next challenge. In fact, we can have it right now! A bribe has a limit to how much it can buy you. We’re ready to stake it all! Right here! Right now!”
Ran pushes Mari to calm her down.
“Are you sure you won’t eat those words? We’re ready to take you all on now.”
“Did I ever stutter?”
Gring intensely at each other, it was decided we finally settle the challenges once and for all. Current standing is 1-3.
But do we really have to go into detail as to what happens? We all know what’s in the future, and sure enough that’s what happened.
We recimed 5-3, giving no wins back to the girls.
“You have… to be kidding us,” Mari utters.
“We… lost?” Ran utters.
“We’re roofless!” Yuka cries out.
Rin breams down and cries.
“It’s over! We lost the rooftop! Yo make matters worse, we got off-screened!”
I don’t know how you could possibly know that info.
We all jump in glee and celebrate our hard-earned victory. Basking in glory has never felt so good.
“We did it guys! We did it!” I tell them.
“But at what cost…” Madoka grumbles.
Katsuro cries his own tears.
“Aw, you were too happy, you cried?” I ask.
“No! I’m crying because I’ve been defiled! WAHHH!!!”
Takashi only utters a few words… if it could even be called one.
“ん。”
He gives a thumbs-up.
Masaru was silently staring at Mari.
I knew he had a few words to say to her, but I figured I had to say mine first. I brace myself and go to them.
“Wh-What? I know I talked big… a-are you going to make fun of us?!” Ran aggressively retorts.
“No, I’ve come to strike an agreement.”
“Nuh uh, we’re not hearing it! There’s probably something in exchange!” Rin accuses.
“No, there isn’t. Just hear me out.”
The following actions I’ll do will be integral.
I say my part.
“How about this – Whenever we don’t use the rooftop, you girls can go use it?”
“That’s… convenient. Way too convenient,” Mari says, “ What’s the catch?!”
“None. I just think it’s not fair to hog it all to ourselves when we’re not going to be using it every single time.”
“That sounds too good to be true,” Ran accuses me.
“Well… we’re in priority anyway. It’s not that good, but it’s not that bad either. Look, I just don’t want some bad blood between us.”
I offer my hand.
Ran steps forward and looks around my hand. She even fiddles around.
“What are you doing?” I query.
“N-Nothing!”
“So… do you take the deal?”
They all look at each other and nod. Eventually, she takes my hand and we form an agreement.
Establish diplomatic retions with others. That should pce a feeling of debt and should allow me to expand my connections. Also…
I peer at an overjoyed Yuka.
I couldn’t leave her sad.
At long st, the Slice-of-Life Competition is over! We can finally return to our mundane days.
Note: The Overruling Statement: Slice-of-Life Boys to Slice-of-Life Girls: False.…
..
.
I stare at Mari.
If I want to pursue Mari. I want it to be genuine.
END OF EPISODE 42
