Volume 2 - CH 5

Posted on April 22, 2022by Soafp

Translator: Soafp

“……I knew this was the one.”

I was sitting down in the hole of the floatation ring I rented at the center and am rocked by the waves.

I have always loved this feeling of being somewhat suspended. Drifting along, I feel as if I were a jellyfish.

It is not that I dislike water slides. I also like playing with a ball. However, I would like to personally suggest that the most enjoyable way to spend time in the pool is to float around on a float like this.

The sun shining, the water temperature just right, and the moderate bouncing, neither too big nor too small, seem to purify my mind.

At the moment, I’m alone.

I am not being bullied. Those four headed for the waterslide. Kanon ran out in high spirits, and the other three followed her.

I was worried about their balance, but since Yakumo-kun was following them, it would not be a problem. It might look like a harem of good-looking woman around him. It is unlikely that any man would pick up a girl while Yakumo-kun is nearby.

What surprised me was Kuromine and Shirase. I didn’t think they would be hanging out together. It’s no secret that they don’t get along, so I thought they would be going their separate ways, but they walked side by side. I hope they are not fighting over there.

What bothered me more than that was Shirase’s behavior.

She invited us to the pool on her own initiative, but her tension was low and she was acting strangely today, too.

There are many things about Shirase that I don’t understand. She acts and talks out of the blue, and I have no idea what she’s thinking.

As I was pacing and racking my brain, the shaking suddenly stopped.

“……?”

My float was being held by someone’s hand.

The unscrupulous person who had grabbed it was Shirase. Before I knew it, Shirase was behind me, reaching out from inside the pool and firmly holding my float.

“May I have a word with you?”

“…… Uhm, I thought you were headed for the waterslide.”

“I slipped out.”

“Did you slip out all the way to talk to me?”

Shirase nodded stiffly.

I have something important to discuss with you, Nijitani-san.”

What shall I do? I had a very bad feeling.

We got out of the pool and moved to a less crowded place.

Shirase attracted a lot of stares while we were moving. She is a goddess of the pool.

Seeing her like this, Shirase also showed a good amount of skin. She seems to be the type of person who wears thin clothes. She has a young face and petite physique, but her bosom has a sense of presence. The imbalance of her body gives off an immoral atmosphere.

“….And what do you want to talk about?”

“As you’ve probably already noticed, it’s about Yakumo.”

As I thought. I can imagine the story.

The fact that he had no idea that Kanon had an older brother existed, about me as a person. In other words, Shirase had lied to me on our first semester date.

It is not impossible that Yakumo-kun lied to me, but he has a liking for Kanon no matter how I look at it. He would not want to make a bad impression on me, her brother. To begin with, he doesn’t seem to be good at lying.

“I guess you haven’t talked to Yakumo-kun about it.”

” …… Yes. What I told you at the time was half a lie.”

“Half?”

“The conflict with my parents is true. The fact is that I left home because of a fight with my father is true. It is also true that Yakumo is trying to bring me back home. But I have not told Yakumo about us.”

So that’s half of it.

“Why did you date me?”

“Because Kuromine-san was interested in you. I heard rumors about your relationship with her and was curious to see what the only boy at the school I could talk to would be like.”

So you wanted to see who the man-hating goddess was interested in.

It’s the same goddess, and I guess she was also interested in me. The logic made sense to me. I was convinced, but then came the problem. I don’t understand why she would say she was my friend and get actively involved with me.

“I’ll be honest and confess. The reason I kept Nijitani-san around was for insurance.”

“Insurance?”

“I thought I would ask you to pretend to be my lover in case of emergency. It is also true that my father has been talking to me about my engagement, and if he used forceful means, I was going to introduce Nijitani-san to him as I had already made up my mind about.”

So you started saying we were friends or something.

“Why me?”

Use your own fans. It’s like there’s a faction or something. It could have been a student from another school.

Shirase stiffened at my question.

“T-There are several reasons. You’re a student at Tenkain Academy and have a promising future, you have a good-natured personality and were likely to cooperate with me, your looks were above a certain level, and you made a good impression on me when we actually went out on a date.”

It’s like being praised or disgraced. I mean, if that’s the right condition, there are likely other people.

There seemed to be other reasons as well, but Shirase said nothing.

Is this the truth about junior high school too?

In hindsight, it was an abrupt confession at the time. I can see that now, but there was no atmosphere of us being lovers. Shirase had told me that there had been an arranged marriage or engagement in junior high school, and she had tried to dismiss it by saying she was dating me at the time. But before that, the conversation fell through, and she dumped me because I was no longer useful.

That’s very likely.

In short, I was chosen to play the role of a fake lover to avoid an arranged matchmaking from her father, then and now. What a coincidence!

“Yakumo-kun hasn’t been informed of anything, has he?”

“Yes”

At this rate, Yakumo probably didn’t know either when he was in junior high school. He just got caught up in the crossfire.

…… This girl’s got a bad personality afterall.

In short, she kept it just to take advantage of me. And she did it twice, once in middle school and once in high school.

“I’m sorry.”

“……”

This one certainly has a bad character.

But this girl also had a family situation. In that sense, she might be better than the other devils. At least, unlike them, she didn’t target me. I just happened to be there and became the victim. It was just bad luck.

I was more relieved to know the truth than angry.

“I understand your anger, Nijitani-san. Therefore, I will cooperate with you to make up for my sins.”

“…..hmm?　Cooperate?”

Shirase cleared her throat.

“While we’re on the subject, don’t you think Kuromine-san has great style?”

“Eh,…… W-well, I guess.”

What’s up with you all of a sudden?

No need to say anything about Kuromine’s style now.

“I admire Kuromine because I’m underdeveloped. She is tall, with slender arms and legs and a sexy bosom. When I come to the pool like this, I can see the difference even if I don’t like it.”

I know exactly how you feel.

I used to have a short height complex too. As I grew up, I grew a little, but I was still a little below average. I can fully understand the feeling of envy. This is something you can’t get afterwards. That’s why it seems even more valuable.

“Isn’t that wonderful goddess a good match for Nijitani-san?”

“…… What do you mean with match?”

“What I’m trying to say is, Kuromine is a perfect partner for you.”

Shirase came face to face with me with an implied smile.

“Would you be interested in dating Kuromine-san?”

It was a sudden whisper.

I blinked several times, not understanding what it meant.

“She has special feelings for you.”

“Don’t joke about it.”

“I am not joking. You are the only boy she can talk properly to.”

“That’s–“

“Did you see her and Yakumo having a pleasant conversation?

I haven’t seen it.

Kuromine is treating Yakumo-kun’s existence as absent from her sight, or rather, she is treating it as something that is completely absent.

Well, Yakumo-kun is also preoccupied with Kanon, so he doesn’t really look at Kuromine.

She hates men. Even good looking guys are no exception.

The reason she is able to talk to me normally is because we work at the same part-time job, and I’ve been able to dispel the bad rumors. At the school, it is said that it is because of Kanon’s existence.

“Kanon-san’s presence has nothing to do with it. Kuromine-san definitely has a special place in her heart for Nijitani-san.”

“……”

“Allow me to assist you in atoning for my sins.”

“…….I told you I’m not interested in her.”

“I have said it before. You are confused. In fact, I think your troubles may have something to do with the Goddess.”

She’s right.

They’re the only thing that’s been bothering me since I’ve been back here. …… No, that’s not it. I mean them, all the goddesses, including myself. If anything, that’s been my problem since before I transferred.

But wait a minute.

“There were rumors before. Didn’t you say back then that you were glad I wasn’t dating Kuromine?”

“Yes, I did.”

“You called her the devil.”

“Yes. But I changed my mind.”

Out of the blue?

“I found Kuromine to be a wonderful woman after spending some time with her today. She has a model-like style, an actress-like face, and plenty of adult charm. Yes, she can be rough around the edges, but that can be seen as her charm. I know many men like wild women.”

That’s a sudden and glowing compliment.

It’s suspicious. This girl is really suspicious.

I felt an eerie pressure from the smiling Shirase.

I don’t know how she feels, but unfortunately, I don’t have any such feelings for her. I can’t even imagine being in love with her.

The moment I opened my mouth to say no.

“—-Persistent. Get lost.”

I heard an irritated Kuromine’s voice.