CH 95

(**Kirara’s POV**)

Back to the night when Kaito went on his rampage―.

“Hey, stop crying already…”

When we arrived at Alice’s villa, I called out to Momoi, who had been dragged by my hand to bring her here.

This girl has been crying ever since Alice made her cry in the mountains.

I wonder who can picture this situation, that the most popular and coldest girl in school looks like this now.

At least I can’t.

This is the second time I’ve seen Momoi break down in tears…

I don’t think I’ll ever forget the first time she cried.

Because that’s how much the scene is burned into my brain.

…I guess that’s part of it.　

When I see Momoi crying, it reminds me of the time when I set her up.

Maybe that’s why I’m hoping Momoi will stop crying soon.

“But that’s because…”

Momoi opened her mouth for the first time since she arrived here.

She didn’t say a word back when I talked to her while we were moving from the mountain.

I was curious about what she was going to say, so I listened carefully to her words.

Then Momoi said something that I couldn’t believe my ears.

“That’s because… Umi-kun was taken away from me…!” [TLN: I tried to put netorare in the sentence but it was hard for me to come up with kek.]

“Gu―! Wha!? What did you just say!?”

Hey!

What did she just say?

Did I just mishear that?

I heard the words that Momoi is unlikely to ever say in her life, and I couldn’t help but ask the crying Momoi back.

“That blonde-haired girl stole Umi-kun from me…! Uwaaahhhh!”

Momoi said, and started crying again.

“No, no, no wait, hold up now! Why!? What makes you think so!? He’s not taken away at all though!? Or rather, you knew that word!?”

I was so confused that I asked Momoi all sorts of questions.

But, I can’t help it!

I was curious as to how it came to be that Kaito was taken away, moreover, I was even more surprised that Momoi knew the word “netorare” in the first place! [TLN: the raws say『寝取られ』]

“B-But, that blonde girl took Kaito~!”

“How is that even connected to netorare!?”

“She was in Umi’s room before… and she was giving him a lap pillow…!　She’s definitely targeting him!”

“Hee~…?”

When I heard from Momoi that Kaito was given a lap pillow by Alice, I was overcome by an emotion that came from the bottom of my stomach.

So, Alice huh, that person was giving Kaito a lap pillow without my knowledge.

I thought Alice would be fine, so I entrusted her with Kaito, but she took him for herself.

But it’s too late to say anything about that now, and I can’t leave Momoi alone.

For now, let’s question Momoi after she snaps back to reality.

―Kaito.

Well, not only Kaito, but Sakura and Shirousagi are there now, so I don’t think Alice will try to hug Kaito.  [EDN: WeirdChamp little did they know.]

So, for now, I have to think about Momoi.

“It’s just probably your paranoia, but let’s go inside for now, okay? Hey?”

When I said that, Momoi nodded her head.

I don’t know how she could have followed me without complaining.

I thought for sure she wouldn’t like it because it’s a house I invited her to… Maybe it’s because Momoi is so depressed.

Well, I didn’t think it was going to be straightforward to begin with, so it’s not a problem.

Anyway, I’ll just try my best to cheer her up.

Part 2

“What’s this…?”

Momoi was puzzled when she walked into the house and saw the decorations that had been prepared for Kaito’s birthday party.

“Ah, you see, it’s that?”

If I told Momoi that I was here to prepare for Kaito’s birthday party, she would declare that I was planning to interrupt her and Kaito’s alone time, so I wondered how I should explain this.

But I couldn’t think of a good reason to have a party like this.

Then Momoi spoke up before I could.

“I thought rich people were strange, but… they’ve changed so much now huh…”

I don’t know how Momoi took it, but she was taken aback.

“No, that’s not it! It’s not like all rich people do this!”

“Is that so…?”

When I denied it, Momoi tilted her head and looked at me curiously.

I’m not sure why she’s wondering about this.

Or rather, if you look at it intently, you would know that it is a party venue…

I was about to say something like that, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it to Momoi, who was in a heartbroken state.

So I managed to swallow my words.

Instead, I asked her about something else.

“Why don’t we have dinner for now? I’ll make it for you, but if you have any requests, just let me know.”

When I said this with a smile, Momoi looked puzzled.

Maybe it’s because she’s recovered a little, or maybe it’s because she’s remembering things from before and feels awkward being alone with me.

Well, even though she’s recovered for a bit, she’s barely able to talk, and she’s still depressed…

It’s going to be hard from now on…

But I think that’s why I can make amends.

I’ll do my best for Momoi, no matter how hard it is.

That’s my punishment― And also, my promise to Kaito.