Chapter 39: The TS Girl Finishes the Event

Right in front of us lay a Deep Calamity, split cleanly in two—and Hokā had collapsed on the ground beside it.

Everyone else looked completely exhausted as well.

We somehow managed to defeat the boss!

This is probably that same boss from the swimsuit event.

So… I guess it’s about time to withdraw.

I barely used any skills myself, and didn’t really contribute much, though.

Something lightly brushed against the back of my neck. It tickled.

At the same time, a soft warmth pressed against my back, and a pair of arms wrapped around me from behind.

"Mm, I didn’t get to do much this time."

"Hey, Kisa. Why are you hugging me?"

"I got tired."

"I see."

Lately, I feel like Kisa’s been hugging me a lot more. Like she’s caught a small animal or something… it leaves me feeling a bit conflicted.

Well, it is comforting, though.

"You guys sure are clingy. Isn’t it hot?"

Hokā muttered in exasperation, clearly worn out.

"Are you one to talk? You were getting pretty heated yourself, weren’t you? You tried to kiss Shinozaki-kun, didn’t you?"

"Wha—!? What are you even saying!?"

Her face, which had been drained of color from exhaustion, instantly flushed bright red.

…Didn’t she just say something kind of wild?

"I mean, I only saw you grab his face with both hands like this. I figured you were about to kiss him."

"I wasn’t! He said he didn’t know where to look and turned away, which annoyed me, so I just forced him to face me."

"Hokā, that’s something Reina would do."

"Why have you already done something like that!? …And just so you know, I have no intention of stealing your Shinozaki Nagisa, so relax."

She poked my cheek. Hey, don’t just touch me like that.

Seriously, aren’t there a lot of people who like showing off their bodies?

Well… Hokā’s probably the popular type, so maybe it’s a pride thing. If that’s the case, maybe Reina’s the same…?

More importantly—

"Everyone always jumps to linking me with Nagisa-kun."

"Well… judging by how you act, Sora-chan, it’s kind of unavoidable."

"Yeah, that’s on you, Akegami."

"Akegami Sora, with how you behave, it’s only natural."

"Huh? W-wait, Sora-chan is like that?"

Now Mahiro and Reina have joined in too.

That’s practically unanimous. And Nagisa-kun is right over there.

Ah—he’s making a call. Responsible, as expected.

…But honestly, I’m getting tired of hearing this over and over.

As a small act of protest, I slipped out of Kisa’s embrace.

Are they going to keep saying this forever?

Then maybe…

"Hey, Nagisa-kun."

He seemed to have just finished his call. When I called out, he noticed and walked over.

"What is it, Sora-san?"

"You know, everyone keeps saying I like you, Nagisa-kun."

"Oh—uh… really?"

"So, why don’t we just go out?"

"—"

Everything went silent. Nagisa-kun froze, as if he couldn’t process what I’d just said.

He looks so stiff—it’s kind of funny.

Everyone else froze too, completely motionless.

"Just kidding."

I let out a soft chuckle and smiled mischievously. That seemed to snap him out of it, and he let out a sigh of relief.

You guys are way too easy to shock.

"Sora-san… you shouldn’t say things like that so casually."

"What, so it’s fine if I’m not being casual?"

"No, that’s… what do you mean?"

"What if I’m, like, half serious?"

"Uh, well…"

Fragments of the old Akegami Yuri I’d built up since starting high school began to surface again.

I mean, the way he reacts—it’s like he’s genuinely affected by what I say. It makes me think he might actually be a little interested.

And then I can’t help teasing him… because seeing Nagisa-kun flustered like this is just too amusing.

The corners of my mouth lift. A natural smile spreads across my face.

Maybe I really do like this kind of thing.

"How long are you two going to flirt?"

"Ow!"

Flick. Reina’s finger struck my forehead. That hurt.

We’re not flirting. I just suggested we go out.

Then again… pretending like that might actually make things easier.

And I’m kind of curious how everyone would react if it really happened.

Tap, tap—someone poked my shoulder.

"Hm? What is it, Nagisa-kun?"

I turned around, and he was right there, looking at me with serious eyes.

"If you keep teasing me like that… I don’t know what I might do."

"…Huh?"

A dumbfounded sound slipped out of my mouth.

The atmosphere overwhelmed me, and my body froze.

Then Nagisa-kun walked away.

"Everyone, the school just contacted me. We can stay the night and head back tomorrow."

He relayed the message to everyone, leaving me behind—but I couldn’t move. It felt like all my strength had drained away.

"Let’s leave that idiot who just got hit with a counterattack alone and take a break. I’m exhausted."

"Yeah, same here. Getting kicked actually hurt a bit."

"Sigh… I’m tired too. Seeing those beast-type Deep Calamities isn’t exactly pleasant."

"W-wait, wait… Sora-chan and Shinozaki Nagisa as a couple…?"

They’re all saying whatever they want.

…Wait, hold on—didn’t he just say he doesn’t know what he’d do?

Huh… a serious Nagisa-kun. Was that a joke? Maybe.

Grr… I was just planning to say it like, “Let’s fake-date or something!” casually.

Before I realized it, my heart was racing. And somehow, my face felt warm too.

…Oh well.

This chaotic time at the beach is almost over anyway.

Might as well rest.

"Wait—really!?"

Inside one of the school’s team rooms, a small girl raised her voice in surprise.

She wore an eyepatch, with bandages on her cheek and left hand, and her right arm immobilized in a cast.

She was speaking to someone over her smartphone.

Her name was Iijima Kanon.

One of the Curse Seekers who hadn’t stood out much until now.

"Whoa—my skill works that well against beast-type Deep Calamities? Huh… no wonder Mahiro was interested!"

Within the training institution, skills are registered and tested to a certain degree.

Based on those results, information about compatibility with Deep Calamities had been sent to her.

Kanon tilted her head slightly, pondering.

Iijima Kanon was a fairly easygoing girl.

She had become a Curse Seeker on a whim, vaguely thinking that protecting people sounded nice.

Ending the call, she leaned back in her chair and idly swung her legs.

"Am I actually kind of amazing?"

She murmured to herself in the empty room.

"But still… I wish I could’ve gone on the beach mission…"

The girl remained surprisingly optimistic.