Chapter 112: Valentine and Alicia’s Resolve

—Monday, February 13th

“It’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow!”

When Alicia said that, I remembered the day even existed.

Honestly, I’d been too busy trying to figure out how to save Alicia to worry about anything else.

But—

“I’d love to experience one of those classic days from fiction!”

Since that was something Alicia genuinely wished for, I decided to honor it—and ended up experiencing my very first Valentine’s Day from the giving side.

Normally, Alicia would’ve had the day off on Valentine’s Day, but she synced up with me for both today and tomorrow, and instead, took the 15th and 16th off to balance things out.

Since it was the day before Valentine’s, after school we decided to go out into the city—just the club members, minus Souta—to shop for chocolate.

That said, I didn’t have anyone to give a romantic gift to, so all the chocolate I bought was of the obligatory kind.

Just a token for Dad, Souta, Yamazaki-kun, Otonari-kun, and all the boys in our class.

“You really didn’t have to give something to every guy in class,”

Yuuna said with a tired expression. But having once been on the receiving side myself, I figured even a 30-yen ultra-obligatory choco is better than getting nothing at all.

At the very least, it still counts toward the total, right…?

Among our purchases were also ingredients for a chocolate cake.

“I’m planning to make a chocolate cake at home later. If you’d like, why don’t we all make it together?”

That was Suzuka’s suggestion. We took her up on it and headed to her apartment to bake together.

Her butler, Andou-san, was apparently out on an errand, so it was just us—Alicia included—chatting and laughing as we made the cake.

It was my first time ever baking a chocolate cake, but honestly? I think I did pretty well. Alicia said it was sweet and delicious, and she seemed to really enjoy it.

The cake we made was mostly eaten by us. I brought some home for Mom, and Hisui took some for Uncle Mitsuhiro.

Dad’s overseas, so other than Souta, there wasn’t really anyone else we could’ve given it to.

Still, there was this unspoken understanding that Suzuka would be giving her serious chocolate cake to Souta tomorrow.

When I told Suzuka “I hope Souta gives you a good answer,” she gave a faint smile and replied, “I hope so…” in a tone that felt more complicated than hopeful.

—Tuesday, February 14th

Valentine’s Day.

As I handed out obligatory chocolates to the boys in class, they reacted so happily it actually made me feel a little guilty.

Then for some reason, I got chocolates from a bunch of the girls in class too… Uh, were those friend choco, or something?

The fact that I received more chocolate now than I ever did as a guy gave me… mixed feelings.

“The whole atmosphere of both boys and girls getting all antsy—it’s wonderful, isn’t it!”

Since I’d never had any particular event on Valentine’s before, I didn’t really have strong feelings about it.

But thanks to all the romantic stories she’d consumed, Alicia had high expectations—and the students looked radiant through her eyes.

When I thought of her like that, a tight feeling suddenly welled up in my chest. I quickly forced my energy up to match hers so she wouldn’t notice.

Who gave chocolate to whom, who got confessed to, who got rejected—romantic talk was the hot topic among the girls, who already loved that kind of gossip.

Honestly, I wasn’t all that interested, but I joined in the chatter and played along with their excitement.

I spent the whole day riding that high, and after eating so much chocolate, I was starting to feel a bit sick.

Well, as long as Alicia had a good time, that’s all that mattered.

—Wednesday, February 15th

How do I get in touch with Aymok?

The first person who came to mind was Ootori, a second-year who had attacked me before.

But when I went to the second-year classrooms to find him, I learned he hadn’t been to school since the end of last year.

He didn’t have a great reputation, and the girl who told me about him warned me it’d be better to stay away from him.

And just like that, I hit a dead end.

There were other delinquents who’d attacked me, but I didn’t remember their faces or names.

Delinquents, huh… Wait, that’s it!

“…So I’m the one who came to mind, huh?”

Otonari-kun, who I’d been exchanging messages with since the beginning of the year, looked thoroughly exasperated when I called him up to the rooftop after school.

“Sorry, sorry. You just seemed like the kind of guy who knows a lot of people, and I thought maybe you’d have some connections on that side… So, do you know where someone named Aymok might be?”

“I don’t. But I might know someone who might.”

Otonari-kun didn’t seem very enthusiastic about it.

Maybe the person he’s thinking of is someone he’d rather not reach out to.

It’s not like dealing with delinquent groups ever leads to anything good…

“Aymok… you mean the former leader of Ouroboros, right? What exactly are you planning to do once you find him?”

It’s true—he’s not someone an ordinary high school girl would ever have business with.

Otonari-kun’s skepticism was perfectly reasonable.

“I can’t tell you the details, but… there’s something I absolutely need to confirm with him. Please—I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

I pressed my palms together and bowed deeply, pleading with Otonari-kun.

Eventually, he let out a long sigh and said:

“Jeez… fine. Give me a little time. But I’m not promising anything, alright?”

“Thank you, Otonari-kun!”

Later that night, I got a message from him.

The message included an address in the city that he’d gotten from one of his contacts. Apparently, someone had spotted a man who looked like Aymok there.

Otonari-kun, seriously—MVP.

If I’d had big boobs, I’d have sent him a sexy selfie as a thank-you without hesitation.

Unfortunately, I didn’t possess the kind of assets he’d probably appreciate… but I’ll find something else to repay him with. Yeah.

When I looked up the place on my phone, it turned out to be some bar where girls drink with customers up close. Otonari-kun had warned me repeatedly not to go alone.

—Thursday, February 16th

After school the next day, I found myself at the place Otonari-kun had told me about—alone.

In other words, I’d gone against his explicit warning.

Worse, I hadn’t told a single person—not even Alicia—that I was coming here. I didn’t want to drag anyone into something dangerous, and if they found out what I was planning to do, I knew they’d try to stop me.

If Aymok knew a way to save Alicia, then no matter what it took, I was going to make him tell me.

But I wasn’t just some stranger to him—we were enemies. Our relationship was in the negatives, and there was no reason at all for him to help me.

Even if I tried to offer something in return, what could I realistically give? I had almost nothing that would make a decent bargaining chip.

…Except, maybe, the one thing he’d hinted at before—my body.

Worst-case scenario, things could end up going full eromanga.

Still… if that’s what it took to save Alicia, I was ready to accept it.

The thought of Alicia’s body being violated by someone else made me sick—but the thing was, this body now felt more and more like my own. That disgust wasn’t as strong as it once was.

And more importantly, my personal feelings didn’t matter compared to saving Alicia.

Even if everyone else would oppose me—I had already made up my mind.

If anyone saw me loitering outside such a shady place, it would definitely look bad.

With that in mind, I hesitated just a moment, then hurried into the multi-tenant building. I stepped into the elevator hidden just beyond the entrance.

After double-checking the name of the place on my phone, I pressed the button for the fourth floor.

The elevator hummed upward with a mechanical whir, then opened.

What greeted me was a dim, narrow entryway, illuminated by indirect lighting against a base of black décor.

I stepped out cautiously—and behind me, the elevator doors slid shut.

Right in front of me stood a heavy iron door, painted black.

I took a deep breath, reached for the doorknob, and turned it.

With a long creak, the door opened—and I peeked into the shop.

“Excuse me…”

The interior was dimly lit.

“…Who’s there?”

A woman’s languid voice echoed from deeper inside, and a moment later, a curvy woman emerged—wearing a glossy, deep purple dress that accentuated her bust.

“…Sorry, but we don’t hire anyone under eighteen.”

The moment she saw me in my school uniform, that was the first thing out of her mouth.

“N-No! It’s not like that! Um, is Aymok-san here by any chance?”

The woman eyed me suspiciously, scrutinizing me from head to toe.

Even the way she brought a finger to her lips oozed sensuality—and the look she gave me, like she could see right through everything, made me flinch.

“…You his girl or something?”

“N-Not at all! It’s not like that, I swear…”

“Hmm… well, whatever. Come on in.”

With just that, the woman turned her back to me and walked deeper into the shop.

“Th-Thank you for having me…”

Flustered, I quickly followed after her.

Obviously, this was my first time stepping into a place like this.

Despite the narrow entrance, the interior was more spacious than I expected. Just like the front, the inside was lit in soft ambient lighting, decorated with black as the base color, accented by red curtains and gold ornaments that gave the place a somewhat luxurious, moody atmosphere.

Unfortunately, the samurai drama blaring on the large TV in the back kind of ruined the vibe.

“Aymok, you’ve got a guest.”

The woman called out to a sofa facing away from the TV. It looked like the man was lying down on it.

“Let me guess—someone else begging me to return as the leader of the group? …I’ve no interest in that anymore. No need to send them in.”

“No, this one’s a cute girl. Did you pick her up somewhere?”

Could she not talk about me like I’m a stray kitten or something?

“A girl…? Oh. Well, well. If it isn’t the Water Priestess.”

The blond man sat up on the sofa, spotted me, and spoke.

“...Yo.”

“You two know each other?”

“Yeah, briefly… Honestly, I thought I’d never see you again.”

“I came because there’s something I need you to tell me.”

At my words, he gave me a puzzled look.

“…You, asking me for something?”

—And just like that, I was face-to-face with Aymok once again.