Chapter 13: The Sudden Arrival of Yuno-chan

"Hello! May I sit next to you?"

Lost in thought, I was pulled back to reality by a sudden voice. It was sweet, with a slightly nasal tone.

When I turned around, she was already right beside me—a delicate girl, slender from her hands to her feet, her entire frame graceful. She laid down a handkerchief before gently sitting on the bench. Even that simple motion felt elegant.

For some reason, though, she seemed slightly out of breath, softly panting.

"Hehe, you looked so adorable, I just had to come say hello."

…

She’s here. The last remaining heroine—Yuno-chan—came to me on her own.

…But seriously, why does she look so exhausted? She’s in the handicrafts club like Kaimori-chan, but do they secretly run ten laps around the schoolyard every morning or something?

Still, this might be perfect timing. She’s the smartest of all the heroines*1. Maybe I should try asking her for advice—just hypothetically.

I turned toward Yuno-chan beside me and spoke.

"This is just a hypothetical, but—"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Let’s say someone from another world entered your body."

"…………Huh? I-I see…?"

"Where do you think you would go?"

"I-I’m not really sure… I’ve never thought about something like that before…"

"Yeah… figures."

We sat side by side, gazing up at the sky.

Well… at least we learned she doesn’t know either. That’s about it. Nothing’s been solved.

…

Yuno-chan seemed to feel the same, glancing at me repeatedly from the corner of her eye. Eventually, she gave me a slightly stiff smile.

"A-Anyway, would you like some sweets?"

"Oh, sure. Thanks."

I took a cookie from the neatly wrapped bag she offered and popped it into my mouth.

…Oh, that’s good. Light and crispy, with a rich buttery flavor spreading across my tongue.

"Hehe. I’m glad you enjoyed it."

"But I probably shouldn’t. Kaimori-chan would get mad at me for accepting sweets from strangers."

I mean, I do know her. But if I keep talking like this, I might accidentally say her name, so… I’d really appreciate it if she introduced herself soon.

Yuno-chan lightly covered her mouth and let out a soft giggle. But I didn’t miss the faint twitch at her temple.

…Wait, just mentioning Kaimori-chan made her react like that? Aren’t they in the same class? Does she flinch like this every time Kaimori-chan gets called on? That’s… kind of concerning.

"I’m Kurami Yuno. Hehe, now I’m no longer a stranger, am I?"

"Hmm… I guess not. In that case, I’m Yozakura Shione."

"May I call you ‘Senpai’?"

There it is—Yuno-chan’s hunting instinct kicking in already.

Unfortunately, the only one allowed to call me “Senpai” is Kaimori-chan in her route. But isn’t she targeting the wrong person? That move is supposed to be used on the protagonist in her route, right?

"You don’t mind, do you?"

"Actually, please call me Yozakura-senpai!"

"…………Why is that?"

Because, Yuno-chan, your intentions aren’t exactly pure.

I don’t mind being called “Senpai,” but not when it comes with ulterior motives.

"Yuno-chan—ah, sorry, can I call you that? Yuno-chan, I’d like you to call me this instead. No one else calls me that, so… you know, it’s special."

"…………Understood."

Smiling sweetly, Yuno-chan nodded.

She’s definitely thinking “tch” inside. She just wants to monopolize how I’m addressed before Kaimori-chan does. The reason she turned out like this traces back to a certain incident during her first year…

Still, if I take advantage of Yuno-chan’s tendencies, setting up a culture festival date would be easy. Just tell her, “Kaimori-chan is really looking forward to going around the festival with Takahiro-kun.”

…

Though, come to think of it, a festival date isn’t exactly the end goal. Even Yuno-chan wouldn’t jump straight to marriage over something like that.

Wait, this is bad. I’ve got a perfect opportunity here, but Takahiro isn’t around. Can my telepathy reach him right now? If you truly love me, you’ll hear this! Get over here, now!

Just as I looked up toward my classroom on the second floor, trying to focus—

Tap, tap, tap—light footsteps approached.

…Oh! Did it actually work!? As expected of the protagonist!

"Ah, I knew you’d be here… Shione-senpai, this—…ugh…"

It wasn’t Takahiro.

It was Kaimori-chan, arriving with perfect timing.

…That last groan wasn’t directed at me, right? That’d be pretty harsh. I’m trusting you here.

When she reached the bench, Kaimori-chan said nothing. She simply stared at Yuno-chan and me with the gaze of someone catching a cheating couple.

…Wait, me too?

Meanwhile, Yuno-chan returned the stare with a smile.

As I watched the two of them, I could almost see the silhouettes of a snake and a mongoose rising behind them, rumbling ominously.

…Takahiro, why aren’t you here? I’ve ended up like a referee. If I say “Fight!” this is definitely going to start.

"Oh my, Ayumi-chan. What’s wrong? You look quite upset this morning."

"…Why are you here, Yuno?"

Oh, so it starts even without my signal. Both of them are completely ready.

Takahiro, hurry up! At this rate, you might lose one of your potential brides today!

"Am I not allowed to be here? Oh, I just happened to run into this person, and we got along. Right, Yozakura-senpai?"

"I know. Of course I know."

"I see. What a coincidence."

"A coincidence…? …Wait… that…?"

Kaimori-chan’s gaze dropped to the cookie in my hand.

Then—grrk—she ground her teeth hard enough for me to hear it.

…Isn’t it bad if your teeth grinding is audible from that far away? She really needs to be kinder to her teeth. You know permanent teeth don’t grow back, right?

Meanwhile, Yuno-chan raised the bag of cookies as if showing them off, wearing a triumphant expression.

"I’m glad Yozakura-senpai said these cookies were delicious. That’s all I need."

"…I see…"

Don’t believe that, Kaimori-chan. That sounds more like something Takamiyagi-senpai would say. I wouldn’t go that far. Try to remember the weak and reasonable version of me you have in your head, okay?

"Oh my, was something wrong?"

"No, it’s not like that—"

"Then I suppose I’ll be going. Ayumi-chan looks a bit scary. Ah, Yozakura-senpai, please keep the cookies. And if you ever have any troubles, feel free to consult me."

With that, Yuno-chan stood up from the bench.

…She says I can consult her if I have problems. If I told her that she is my problem right now, would she give me advice?

After Yuno-chan walked away at her usual leisurely pace, Kaimori-chan lowered her gaze, her expression stiff. She crumpled the paper in her hand, then turned as if to leave.

…Wait, wait—hold on. Don’t leave me alone in this weird situation.

I tried to smack the spot next to me on the bench—hard—but instead of the loud bam bam I expected, it came out as a weak pat pat. And somehow, my hand still hurt.

"Kaimori-chan, just sit down for now. You came to see me, right?"

"…I didn’t."

"If you don’t sit, I’m not standing up either. I haven’t been attending classes much this past week, so at this rate, I might end up in the same grade as you next year."

"What kind of threat is that?"

…

Reluctantly—very reluctantly—Kaimori-chan sat down beside me. Then she tried to hide the crumpled piece of paper she’d been holding.

…Well, now I’m curious. What is that?

N-no way. Could it be… a marriage registration form for Takahiro and Kaimori-chan…?

"Show me that. Come on, show me."

"…You don’t need this anymore."

"I do. To me, that’s something very valuable."

"…Ah, of course. Shione-senpai, you already understand, don’t you…? Fine. Here."

Looking away, she handed me the crumpled paper.

What’s going on with her? Don’t tell me she thinks I’ve teamed up with Yuno or something. That’s a misunderstanding, Kaimori-chan.

…Huh? It’s kind of small…? So maybe not a marriage form. Then what is it?

I opened the memo with growing excitement.

Let’s see… “Mix the butter thoroughly, and beat the eggs well. Next…”

…What is this?

There were also some cute drawings and a list of ingredients.

Wait—this is a recipe? For cookies?

Ah—these are the ones we’re supposed to make together today.

A small burst of excitement bubbled up inside me, and I started swinging my legs as I sat on the bench.

But strangely, Kaimori-chan—who would normally scold me for that—didn’t say a word.

"Thanks for the recipe. Hehe, I’m really looking forward to making cookies today."

"…You already ate some, didn’t you? Isn’t that enough for today? They seemed pretty good."

"Ehh? I’ve been looking forward to your cookies, Kaimori-chan. Let’s make them."

"…"

No response.

She clearly wasn’t into it. Yesterday, she seemed completely normal… so why is she being so negative today? Can someone really start hating cookies overnight? Come on, smile a little. Your smile’s really nice.

…

Ah—wait. Could it be… she’s worried her cookies won’t measure up to Yuno-chan’s?

That would bother anyone, I guess. But with things like this, taste isn’t everything.

"I want to eat your cookies, Kaimori-chan."

"…"

"I’m not leaving this bench until you say you’ll make cookies with me."

"Please stop using the bench as a bargaining tool."

"But I really want to eat them. …Come on, cheer up already."

"…It’s not like I’m in a bad mood…?"

At that, Kaimori-chan raised her head and looked at me, tilting it slightly in confusion.

…Ah.

I feel like this is the first time today we’ve properly made eye contact.

"Do I really look like I’m in a bad mood?"

"Yeah. About as much as Takahiro-kun when someone eats his lunch."

"That’s a bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think?"

"Hahaha, you caught me."

"You—…! …Ah, sorry."

…Yeah, she’s definitely as mad as Takahiro was yesterday. Or maybe that’s just me.

Still seated, Kaimori-chan closed her eyes, placed a hand on her chest, and took a few slow, deep breaths.

When she opened them again, she seemed to have returned to her usual self.

She glanced sadly at the cookie in my hand.

"So… was Yuno’s cookie good?"

"You’re really hung up on that, huh, Kaimori-chan?"

"…So it was good…"

"Yeah, it was. Honestly, that cookie was pretty high-level."

Hey, don’t look at it like that, Kaimori-chan. When you look so down, it makes me feel bad too.

"So let’s aim to beat that today. If we make them together, we’ll manage somehow."

At that, Kaimori-chan froze for a moment. She looked down briefly, then lifted her face again—and finally smiled. A genuinely happy one.

…

After a short while, she stared off into the distance and muttered:

"But why did Yuno even make cookies today…?"

"Because she knows how?"

"That’s not what I mean."

"If you mean how she knew about the cookie plan—well, the courtyard is basically her territory."

"…What do you mean?"

She was probably in our “secret base” in the courtyard during lunch yesterday. Maybe she overheard something. Well, I should explain it without mentioning the secret base.

"Anything said in the courtyard has a high chance of reaching Yuno-chan. She’s good at eavesdropping."

"…Did she plant a bug or something!?"

No, it’s a bit more primitive than that.

Also—“that girl”? “A bug”? You two really don’t get along at all.