CH 34

Everyone was glaring furiously for some reason. The upperclassmen who were part of the Konoe family monryuu looked especially scary. Everyone else looked like they were slightly surprised or that they saw something unbelievable. I didn’t understand why everyone looked like that. What happened…

“W-Wait! Everyone, calm down! There’s a reason for this!”

…Enju?

Enju was blocking the Five Norths Association members’ path. It was rare to see the “Snow White Prince” Enju this rattled. What had happened?

“What on earth has happened?”

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“Kujou-san… you really don’t know?”

I had asked a question from behind Enju, and he replied, sounding slightly surprised. What had happened anyway?

“Perhaps everyone has come because they are worried about Azami-chan?”

R nswze wdelapvyde vbyv. Yyucl lhlausdl oyp osaakle ycswv bla pkdnl pbl bye clld pldv qzukdt. Fbl oyp y tkaz, yqvla yzz. Rv’e cl bsaakczl kq pbl tsv pnayvnble.

“Bx, usw jdso… lhlausdl pyo vbyv usw jdsnjle Rcwjk swv, Iwfsw-pyd…”

“Ebyv?”

R elqkdkvlzu bye bkv Rcwjk yde qzkdt bkx vs vbl qzssa, cwv… bydt sd, oyjl wr yzalyeu, Rcwjk. Elal usw rzyddkdt vs pvyu vblal qsalhla?

“Isdsl-pyxy, yal usw rzyddkdt vs zkl sd vbl qzssa qsalhla? Eswze kv dsv cl vbl vkxl vs tkhl wr sd vbkp qyanl yde pvyde?”

R pyke vbyv, vbld zssjle shla yv Rcwjk…

“P-Pke… bl ekl!?”

Rcwjk’p lulp olal aszzle cynj yde bl’e ekle… Ebs nswze’hl xyel bkx zkjl vbkp? Tl zssjle bsaakczl. Sktbv! Fsxlsdl vbyv cawvyz oswzed’v cl zlyhkdt Ggyxk-nbyd yzsdl. Rq ol eked’v tlv yoyu qasx blal iwknjzu…

“No, he didn’t die! Don’t just say that someone killed him!? Speaking of that, you were the one who did this, right, Kujou-san!?”

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“Huh… I did not do something this horrible?”

I just hit him and threw him over my shoulder with my thin arms. Both attacks wouldn’t be fatal. You would say “Ouch” and immediately get back up. Someone had definitely finished Ibuki off after I threw him to the floor.

“That couldn’t have happened, right!? Everyone saw? That Kujou-san had knocked Ibuki out!?”

“I was merely protecting myself from the ruffian who jumped on Azami-chan and ensnared me in a bear hug. Additionally, he would have not turned out like this after a few light taps from a girl and being thrown over said girl’s shoulder, correct?”

Master always said “You couldn’t kill a single baby with those hits!” when I trained with him. Even my serious hits were completely ineffective. Master had reached a good age, but he still got up quickly whenever I flung him. Therefore, the “Arrogant Prince” Ibuki who’d crushed even gang leaders one-handedly should’ve been able to take this much damage.

I’d also gotten more roughed up when I trained with Master. The power and number of the punches I’d been hit with was a hundred times more and I’d received them to my vitals, but I still got up. So this should’ve been nothing for Ibuki.

“Just a few light taps! Kujou-san, you consider this light!? So then who are you saying did this to IbukiI!?”

“Who knows? Was it not a ruffian who came to finish Ibuki off after I had thrown him?”

“That’s way too impossible!? No matter how you look at it, you did it, Kujou-san!?”

Hmm… was that so? That was alright, but Enju was being pretty noisy. It was completely different from his image in the game as the “Snow White Prince”. Since the game had become reality, maybe he was acting like that, but… no, it was something like… everyday life wasn’t portrayed in the game, but now I could observe it quite well. You got pretty disillusioned once you saw the everyday life of any beauty.

“What are you both whispering about!? Doing such things to Konoe-sama… do you think I will let this slide, Kujou Sakuya!”

“Huh… me?”

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I got entangled in something… Maybe Enju was setting me up as the criminal, so that the Five Norths Association members would think it was my fault… why’d this happen…

“Sakuya-sama did nothing wrong! Konoe-sama suddenly sent me flying, so Sakuya-sama was merely protecting me!”

“Azami-chan…”

I felt like… the Azami-chan in-game… had appeared. It was different from the cold Azami-chan around Lady Sakuya, or the Azami-chan with her close followers, but instead… this Azami-chan was definitely the in-game Azami-chan.

Azami-chan looked so cool when she stuck to her opinion and didn’t let the Five Norths Association members take a single step forward. Even I fell for Azami-chan. Why was the trash Lady Sakuya a rival, and not this girl… That was clearly a mistake from the developers.

“T-Tokudaiji-san? What on earth has happened? Has Kujou Sakuya also hurt you? Oh! Perhaps… is she threatening you? That’s what happened, right? That must be it! How cowardly, Kujou Sakuya!”

The upperclassmen were flustered and said such strange things. Why would I need to threaten Azami-chan? I wanted to ask them how they saw that in this scene, and what train of thought allowed them to arrive at that conclusion.

“Anyway, please calm down for a moment, everyone!”

Enju desperately tried to stop both parties, but he didn’t hold enough swaying power. He held too little power to stop the excited Five Norths Association members. As I was watching everyone, wondering how long they were going to keep at it on this wind-swept balcony, I saw someone start to move.

“Umm… what happened to…”

This was the worst. This was probably the worst timing. Ibuki had come back to life. He could’ve stayed dead, but… I thought Ibuki might say something to me in this situation, which’d make it more complicated. I’d be condemned as a villain no matter what.

…wait, hold on? Maybe this was another one of Ibuki and Enju’s schemes?

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If this was an event involving painting me as the villain in front of all the Five Norths Association members… it all fit!

I see… that was what happened. Ibuki planned to kill me by throwing me off the balcony. But, when that failed and I turned the tables on him, he would try to make everyone blame me as the villain. No wonder he pretended to faint at something so insignificant. He was planning to make it all turn out like this.

“You’ve woken up, Ibuki! Stop everyone! At this rate, Kujou-san will become the villain!”

“Hmm…”

Ibuki still pretended to be unsteady and shakingly stood up. Then…

“Kujou Sakuya didn’t do anything wrong! All the rumours were lies! I won’t forgive anyone who criticises her for what happened in the past and spreads false rumours! Remember that if you want to make an enemy of the Konoe and Kujou families!”

Ibuki declared that with a bang as he pointed at the Five Norths Association members.

…no, wait! Don’t just involve the Kujou family! What was with him declaring without hesitation “make an enemy of the Konoe and Kujou families”!? The Kujou family wasn’t involved, you know! If you wanna do that, just mention the Konoe family! Don’t get my family mixed up in this!

“U-Umm… Konoe-sama…? About the rumours… at the very least, the fact that you have been hit and thrown into the ground by Kujou Sakuya is…?”

“Huh? …speaking of that, why was I sleeping there? Hmm…”

Ibuki crossed his arms, placed his hand on his chin, and tilted his head in puzzlement. It looked like after I hit and threw him, someone really did attack him and he lost his memories. How sad… who had done something so terrible… I didn’t want to think that there was someone so dangerous in this school, but… he was the “Arrogant Prince” who people easily begrudged, so maybe someone who hated him had done that.

“Ibuki received a blow from Kujou Sakuya, then she flung him away…”

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Enju casually said unnecessary things. My fist had definitely met his face and I had flung him, but I didn’t plan to actually kill him or hit him seriously. I took care not to break his neck or hit his vitals, and I also withdrew the moment he had fallen to the floor. Well, Ibuki himself didn’t go on the defence, so he still received some damage. His back was the only part of his body that took impact, though, so it should’ve been something he’d immediately recover from.

“Sakuya did that to me? Enju… don’t be stupid. This clumsy lady couldn’t have done anything to me, right?”

I’m sorry, I’m a clumsy lady… Lady Sakuya was definitely a clumsy lady. I had become her on the inside, but that basic fact hadn’t changed. Ibuki’s analysis was correct… in the first place, there was no way that the “Arrogant Prince” Ibuki, who shook off a gang leader with one hand, could be knocked out by a girl.

“Anyway! I said that, so it isn’t something for you guys to complain about! Scram! And don’t spread false rumours about Sakuya from now on! You’re completely wrong about everything that happened before!”

“If Konoe-sama says so, then…”

“We did not…”

No… I didn’t agree to this at all. They were clearly glaring at me, and despite what Ibuki said, it felt like no one believed him. Was this… okay? Really? If Ibuki muddied the incident with his heavy hand, wouldn’t something pointlessly troublesome happen afterwards?

If I wasn’t involved, then I wouldn’t care if Ibuki’s relationship with the Five Norths Association broke down or dissolved into chaos, but… if I was, then I wanted them to give me a break. I didn’t want the matter to become any more complicated. I just wanted to sit quietly in the corner. I didn’t want anything pointlessly troublesome, so please leave me alone, guys…

“Sakuya-sama! It is alright! I will definitely protect you, Sakuya-sama!”

“Azami-chan… do not stretch yourself. You are a delicate girl, after all.”

Her words were reliable, but Azami-chan was also in danger. In the game, Azami-chan was a relatively dangerous girl who’d do anything for Lady Sakuya. I felt like signs of that were starting to emerge.

“You are worrying about me! I am very happy, big sister Sakuya!”

“Wait! Azami-chan… everyone’s watching, so…”

Ibuki, Enju, and the Five Norths Association members were still there, but Azami-chan embraced me once again. I was happy, but I thought it was a better idea to do this in a place where no one could see. I was alright, but for Azami-chan – no, the Tokudaiji family – it wouldn’t turn out too well if they were planning for her and Ibuki to marry.

“If you understand, scram! Get out of here!”

“…”

Ibuki said that and the Five Norths Association members exited the balcony in droves. No, they entered the school building, actually. After that, Ibuki and Enju followed, and Azami-chan and I entered the building last. My brother, Yoshizane-kun, glanced at me. I didn’t know how to interpret his expression.

～～～～～～～

Haa… all the things that happened tired me out. And nothing had even been resolved yet. Far from it; I felt like my problems were just increasing.

Well, it was fine… it wasn’t like I was planning to marry Ibuki. I didn’t care about how Ibuki or the others thought of me. Rather, I’d be saved trouble if they hated me and so didn’t talk to me.

I thought that the important thing was to laugh cheerfully and get along with the cute young ladies and girls appearing in “Love Flowers”. The other important thing was not to set up any flags involving Ibuki and Enju, as well as smashing any Kujou family destruction flags. As long as I continued doing those two things, I didn’t care about my fame or reputation.

“Lady Sakuya…”

“Momiji? What is it?”

As I relaxed in my room, Momiji called out to me. Was it her usual confirmation for my last orders?

“How have you tamed the Tokudaiji daughter, Lady Sakuya?”

“…huh?”

…what? Tamed…?

“Momiji… I will not allow you to speak of Azami-chan like that from now on! Understood!”

“——agh! I am very sorry…”

I got mad, and Momiji looked momentarily surprised. But anyone would get mad if someone talked about their friend like that. What was up with Momiji?

“*sigh*… it is fine. Please stand down for today. Many thanks.”

“Then, excuse me.”

But Momiji acted as if nothing had happened. After all, you wouldn’t be too affected if a first grader intimidated you. I didn’t plan to make Momiji mad, so it was a good thing, but…

What happened to Momiji today? The topics she talked about and her way of speech; something seemed different. No… I had been with Momiji for many years, but what did I know about her? Was the current Momiji really acting weird? Maybe the Momiji I saw wasn’t the real Momiji, and this Momiji was…

Or something… What was I even thinking about…? There was no real or false Momiji. Momiji was Momiji.

I flopped down on my bed and thought of those absurd things for a while.