CH 90

It Wasn't a Light Joke After All

Translated by Green Cake

Edited by

It was after school and I hadn’t talked to Takanashi-san once.

“Did something happen between Amane-chan and Takanashi-san?”

“They haven’t talked once today, have they?”

“Ena-chan only talked to Amane-chan in the morning and stayed in her seat.”

“Did they have a fight?”

The girls in the class are starting to get suspicious because the members of the class who are always close to each other are keeping their distance.

“But Kuu-chan just goes back and forth between the three of them.”

“Hmm, I don’t know.”

The girls seemed to think that something had happened between us, but they were mystified because Yanomiya-san was moving back and forth between the three of us like a libero.

“R-Rin, are you leaving?”

Yanomiya-san, who was by Takanashi-san’s side, looked up at Takanashi-san as she stood up and ask.

“Kuu-chan, why don’t you stay and talk with me?”

Kiniwa-san, who raise from her seat, quickly said.

“Okay!”

Yanomiya-san, who looked at Kiniwa-san and replied, waved to Takanashi-san and ran up to Kiniwa-san.

Takanashi-san, who was watching her, smiled thinly and walked out of the classroom.

She must have headed for the pavilion in the courtyard.

After taking a deep breath, I stood up and looked at Kiniwa-san.

She was patting Yanomiya-san’s head, but when she noticed my gaze, she smiled and gave a small wave.

I bowed my head lightly and followed Takanashi-san out of the classroom.

◆

I think about it as I walk down the corridor.

Yanomiya-san, who had been coming and going between the three of us all day today.

Even though Takanashi-san, Kiniwa-san-san, and I were clearly acting strangely, Yanomiya-san didn’t mention it at all, just the usual Yanomiya-san.

The girls in the class had started to make a fuss because of our strange behavior, but they couldn’t make enough fuss because Yanomiya-san is acting normally.

She looks, acts, and behaves like a child, but her grades are among the best in the school.

If you look at her grades alone, she’s even better than the brilliant Kiniwa-san.

There’s no way she hasn’t noticed something wrong with us.

But she didn’t ask any questions and behave like usual.

“Maybe Kuu-chan is the strongest…”

I muttered as I walked down the hallway.

It’s hard not to ask anything when the three of us who are always together are acting strange.

She might feel as if she was the only one being left out.

Even so, Yanomiya-san, who can act as usual without asking any questions, may be a stronger girl than I thought.

But that doesn’t mean that I can’t continue to take advantage of her.

When the problem is solved, I have to explain it to her, apologize, and thank her.

◆

I saw the pavilion in my field of vision, and my heartbeat spiked.

I stopped, put my hand on my left chest, and took a deep breath.

Takanashi-san is not angry, Kiniwa-san said.

But my actions were indeed selfish.

I had to tell her that I was sorry about that and apologize to her.

And then――.

I still want Takanashi-san to be the student council president.

I will do my best to persuade her to do so.

“Okay!”

I slapped my cheeks with both hands to get my energy up, and started walking towards the pavilion.

◆

The pavilion had no walls, so I could see inside.

Takanashi-san was sitting where she always sits when she eats her lunch.

“Amane…”

As I walked into the pavilion, Takanashi-san stood up and muttered.

“I’m sorry for the whole day. I’ve been ignoring you…”

Takanashi-san then bowed her head towards me.

I’m the one who has to apologize, but I can’t believe she’s apologizing to me instead.

“I-I’m sorry too!”

I apologized with all my might, lowering my head impatiently.

I didn’t think she is the first to apologize.

It’s really pathetic.

“I heard from Ena. You’re planning to make me the student council president.”

The voice I heard made me nervous.

I kept my head down and clasped my hands together.

I need to apologize more. I need to tell her that I’m really sorry.

“Amane, I want to talk to you. So, please? Can you please sit next to me?”

When I looked up at the voice I heard, Takanashi-san was smiling.

At Takanashi-san’s words, the two of us sat down side by side.

Again, she took the lead.

I felt so pathetic that I started to cry.

“Hey, look. My hands are shaking all the time.”

Takanashi-san showed me her hands as she said this.

Her hands were shaking in small increments, just as Takanashi-san had said.

It’s my fault. It’s my fault, I’ve cornered Takanashi-san.

“I-I’m really sorry――”

“In extreme cases, anyone can become student body president if Amane supports them.”

Takanashi-san raised her voice to interrupt my words.

“That’s how great Amane’s influence is.”

She said this while squeezing her hands that were trembling slightly.

I hurriedly turned my body around and looked straight at Takanashi-san.

“Why me? Amane, I’m not far behind you. And yet, why?”

Takanashi-san’s black jewel-like eyes, which are staring straight at me, are shaking.

It is not anger that I feel in her eyes, but confusion.

“The first time I saw you were by the school gate.”

Closing her eyes, Takanashi-san speaks slowly, reminiscing.

“During the entrance ceremony, I saw an amazingly cute girl by the school gate. She had blond hair, blue eyes, and was as pretty as a doll. But it wasn’t that girl that I was attracted to.”

With that, Takanashi slowly opened her eyes.

“I was glued to you as you were fixing Alice’s ribbon. I knew right away that you were her sister, even though you don’t look anything alike. The way you looked at her, the way you smiled at her, you seemed so kind. I’m sorry for Alice, but I’m so attached to you that she disappears from my sight.”

Takanashi-san stared straight at me and spoke. I felt my face heat up at her words.

“Alice is a beautiful girl that everyone recognizes. She’s been called one of the two most beautiful girls in the world. The other one is that one, though.”

That other one is… 

Well, that was definitely that.

“Unlike her sister Alice, you were a normal girl. However, it’s only your appearance that’s normal.”

“Eh?”

“You sisters are opposites, you know. Alice, who looks unusual but is normal on the inside, and Amane, who looks normal but is not normal on the inside. You’re really interesting sisters.”

I’m not normal inside? I doubt that. I think I’m normal both outside and inside.

“Normally, I would want to have a cute little sister like Alice, but looking at you sisters, I feel like I wanted an older sister like Amane.”

Takanashi-san chuckled as she said this.

“Before I became friends with Amane, I was jealous of Alice.”

“Eh?”

Jealousy? Takanashi-san is jealous of Alice?

“Recently, Alice has been chasing after Yurizono-san, but when you first entered the school, she came to see Amane every break, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

I nodded at Takanashi-san’s words and thought that it was true.

When I was a man, Alice never once came to see me.

“Every time the class was over, she would come running into the classroom and spoiled by Amane as much as she could.  After break, she walked out of the classroom with a look on her face like the world had ended.

“Ah, haha…”

I can’t remember, so I have to fake it by laughing.

“I’m really jealous of her, the way Amanne looked with those eyes, smiled like that, and stroked her head so gently. Looking at her, I felt that she must be spoiled at home too. I’m sure Amane is still Amane at home. I want to be pampered too…”

Then Takanashi-san, her cheeks dyed, looked at me with her special upturned eyes.

I’m weak against that upturned eyes.

“It wasn’t just me. I’m sure everyone thought that. We all thought about how happy and fun it would be to have an older sister like her. And before I knew it, everyone was crazy about Amane.”

My face grew hotter and hotter at the words of Takanashi-san.

I know that I’m very popular among women, but when she says it to me face to face, I feel so embarrassed.

“It was Sora who first attacked Amane…”

Takanashi-san muttered nostalgically.

The first person to contact me as a woman, other than Alice, is Yanomiya-san.

I don’t remember, but I can easily imagine.

“You know, when I first started high school, I was afraid to make friends because I was still reeling from middle school. The only person I could talk to was Ena. I was relieved to be in the same class as Ena. Then Sora came barging in and forcibly brought Amane to me. She brought Amane, who I’ve always wanted to talk to. I can’t tell you how much I owe Sora…”

Takanashi-san, who had been looking nostalgic, now looked as if she was about to start crying, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. Then she smiled to herself and scooped up the tears from the corners of her eyes with her fingers.

『Kuu-chan is invincible, and I can rely on you.』

As I listened to Takanashi-san’s story, Kiniwa-san words passed through my mind.

I thought those words had no deep meaning, but I was wrong.

Yanomiya-san, who first contacted me as a woman, brought me together with Takanashi-san and Kiniwa-san. And this time, too, she mediated between us without asking any questions.

She’s invincible and dependable.

I’m sure Kiniwa-san really believes that.

“Kuu-chan is amazing.”

When I muttered this, Takanashi-san pouted.

“She looks like a child, she’s a child inside, and she gets better grades than Amane and Ena, so she’s a fraud, right?”

“That’s right.”

I nodded and agreed with Takanashi’s words.

“She doesn’t have very good grades in sports, but she seems to like sports itself, and Sora doesn’t seem to have many weaknesses.”

As Takanashi-san said, Yanomiya-san’s grades in physical education are not very good.

Because of her small size, she is a slow runner. But she seems to like running itself, and she often runs happily.

That’s right. She always seems to be enjoying herself.

“Ena has always been bad at sports. She’s had big breasts, and she says they sway and hurt when she runs. She also doesn’t like it when boys stare at her breasts. She gives off the vibe of a black-hearted schemer, but she’s also quite sensitive.”

Takanashi-san’s words pierced my heart so hard that I almost groaned.

Kiniwa-san, I’m sorry for always staring at you.

But did Kiniwa-san always have large breasts?

Imagine… I shouldn’t, it’s too dangerous.

“I became friends with Amane and started to talk to Alice. I was jealous of her, but when I talked to her, she was surprisingly normal. She loved Amane, and her feelings for her were so pure that my jealousy disappeared. I think it was around that time. That’s when Yurizono-san started getting involved with Alice.”

It was only after I, as a woman, became friends with Takanashi-san and the others that Yurizono-san got involved?

“The popularity of the two of them exploded after Yurizono-san started getting involved with Alice. Until then, Alice was treated as an add-on to Amane, and Yurizono-san was said to be beautiful, but that was all.”

I’ve been told I’m beautiful, but that’s all.

Until she got involved with Alice, Yurizono-san was all alone.

But treated as an extra? That Alice? I’m a woman, and she was treated as an extra?

“No matter how much Yurizono-san provoked you, Alice didn’t try to bother you, right?”

“Ah, um, yeah.”

I wasn’t sure, but I nodded.

“Perhaps knowing that getting involved with Amane would be more effective than provoking Alice, Yurizono-san started to get involved with Amane. That was very strange. Because Yurizono-san was so careful with Amane even though she was involved. Just like everyone else, Yurizono-san must have admired Amane.”

Been careful? That Yurizono-san?

Ah, no, come to think of it, Yurizono-san gave speeches on the roof and distributed boring things by the school gate, but I don’t think she’s been directly involved with me.

It’s more like she was indirectly involved with me and was being beaten up by Alice.

“When Yurizono-san started to get involved with Amane, Alice started to chase after Yurizono-san. Whenever the two of them were bickering, Amane would step in between them. What’s interesting is that both of them stop fighting as soon as Amane tells them to. It’s funny how they both love Amane, and it makes me smile. But they start fighting again. It was like watching a comedy show. I felt bad for Amane who was having a hard time, but I was looking forward to seeing the three of them interacting with each other.”

I guess Takanashi-san is talking about her freshman year.

I only knew her from the middle of her sophomore year, but she must have had the same kind of environment in her first year.

“The best memories I have are of camping and summer festivals. It was fun. I was so happy. Ena was there, Sora was there, the comic duo was there, Iris-san helped us out, and…”

Takanashi-san looked at me straight in the eyes as she spoke nostalgically.

“Amane is there.”

I felt as if my heart had been grabbed by those words, by those eyes.

“When Ena told me about this, the first thing I felt was fear. With Amane’s support, anyone could become student body president. Amane has that much influence. At the same time, it meant that failure would not be tolerated. It’s not acceptable to fail when you have Minazuki Amane support. Success is a must. But I…”

Having said that, Takanashi-san lowered her gaze and looked at her hands, which were clenched.

Her hands shaking slightly.

“That Amane, that Amane recognized me. She bought me. But I’ve failed once. I’ve wasted Ena’s desire that tried so hard to support me. Am I okay with that? There are so many other good people out there, are you okay with me?”

Takanashi-san, who had been looking down at her hands, raised her head and looked at me.

Her black eyes moistened with tears, and her light pink lips trembling.

She looks very fragile, very different from the usual Takanashi-san.

But even so, Takanashi-san never once said she didn’t like it.

“Hey, Amane, why me? I want you to tell me that.”

Takanashi-san closes the distance, even though it was close, and looks at me with upturned eyes and asks me pleadingly.

Why… 

There are many reasons.

Takanashi-san is strong, cool, kind, responsible, and cute.

There are many reasons.

But there’s one reason that makes them all fade away.

“Because I love you.”

The words leaked out of my mouth by themselves, and I impatiently held my mouth with my hand.

Why, why did my voice come out?

I didn’t mean to say it.

The beating of my heart increased rapidly, and sweat broke out all over my body.

In my shaky vision, I could see Takanashi-san’s eyes widen.

“A-As your best friend.”

I couldn’t even breathe, but I managed to squeeze out the words.

“Best… friend.”

Takanashi-san mumbled with her eyes wide open, and her face instantly turned red.

“Aah! Aha! Hahaha! Best friends! Best friends! Yeah, yeah! Best friend, best friend!”

Takanashi-san turned red and repeated the same words while laughing.

I wonder if I was able to fake it? Or is she just being considerate?

“We’re best friends! We are!”

“Yeah, yeah! I mean best friend, I love you Rin-chan!”

When Takanashi-san asked me, I nodded loudly and answered with nervousness.

It seems that I was able to fake it, but that makes me a little sad.

As long as I’m a woman, Takanashi-san and I will never be more than best friends.

Well, even if I were a man, I’m not sure if we could be more than friends.

“I see, because you like me. I never thought I’d get an answer like that.”

Takanashi-san, whose face was still red, said and stood up on the spot.

“I can’t run away if the famous Minazuki Amane tells me she likes me, can I?”

Takanashi-san, who stared at the courtyard from the pavilion and muttered, looked at me and smiled.

“We have Ena, we have Sora, and we have the comic duo, so let’s give it a try.”

Takanashi-san said and held out his right hand towards me.

That smile was the usual Takanashi-san.

No, it was even more powerful than usual.

Takanashi-san had responded to my feelings. That’s why――.

“Rin-chan!”

“Y-Yes!”

I stood up vigorously and raised my voice, to which a surprised looking Takanashi-san replied.

I bowed my head to Takanashi-san as much as I could.

“I’m really sorry for being so selfish! I love Rin-chan, and when I imagined her getting applause from everyone, I got carried away! That’s the truth of my feelings, no lie! But that doesn’t mean I can do anything I want! I should have told Rin-chan before anyone else! I’m sorry about that! I’m really sorry!”

I apologized with all my might, keeping my head down.

What Takanashi-san was willing to do and my selfish actions were two different things.

To settle the matter, I have to apologize firmly.

On top of that――.

“Rin-chan can be the best student council president ever! So, please run forward with me!”

I raised my head vigorously and held out my right hand.

“I’m in!”

Takanashi-san answered me in a loud voice and grabbed my right hand tightly.

Her dark eyes with their drooping tendencies certainly had a powerful light in them, and her smile was full of confidence.

I knew that Takanashi-san was the coolest person I’ve ever met.

Just as I was thinking this, I felt her grip on my hand tighten.

Wait, it hurts a little.

It hurts, it hurts, It hurts. Takanashi-san, it hurts.

“R-Rin-chan, it hurts a bit…”

I tried to tell Takanashi-san that my hand was hurting, but she pulled my hand.

I could see Takanashi-san’s face almost touching me, and I tried to back away.

But then she pulled my hand further, and Takanashi-san’s chest hit mine, and I felt like my heart was going to burst.

“Now that we’re done talking, let’s get down to the main topic.”

“M-Main topic?”

She asked me from a distance where our lips were almost touching, and I tilted my head nervously.

What’s the main topic?

“I heard that you and Ena were hugging in the corridor.”

“Eh?”

Takanashi-san’s smile disappeared and his voice rose with a gaze that made me jump.

The rumor has already spread?

“And they said you were in love with her or something. So I’m your best friend and she’s more than a best friend? I’d like you to explain it to me.”

Takanashi-san speaks with fierce eyes.

I’m scared. This is the scariest Takanashi-san I’ve ever seen.

Kiniwa-san, Kiniwa-saーn! It’s not okay after all!