The next day...
“Haaaah.”
In the dazzling party venue, all I could do was yawn. We’d all stayed up really late last night, so coming to this party so early in the morning had me feeling groggy. Today, politicians and businessmen had brought along their children who had yet to enter the wider world. It was only obvious that I’d have to attend. My family was always telling me that this was like our job.
My grandpa, who was supposed to have come with me, was still in the hospital due to his injury. That meant I had to pull his weight too.
“It’s uncouth to yawn so openly, Akira.”
“Oh, Nozomi. Sorry, I’ll be more careful.”
For the next four days, I had to go to these dumb “socialite” parties. But since Nozomi was going to be with me the whole time, things were a little easier.
“Drink this. It will help you wake up.”
Nozomi handed me a glass of iced coffee. I took a sip, but it was awfully bitter. I couldn’t help but frown a little.
“What’s the matter? Are you too tired?”
“Erm, no, I’m fine.”
Last night, after visiting my grandpa, I had ended up gaming way more than I meant to. That was why I was so tired. Wearing a yukata and hopping between stalls at the festival had been fun and all, but something else was weighing heavily on my mind.
Ren and the others were planning to take Shizuku to Aswarth’s Undersea Ruins, along with the Super Special Warp Stone she’d given us. Emily would be with them too, no doubt. She and Ren had looked so friendly with each other in the floating cottage. Maybe that was just how childhood friends were, but it still didn’t feel good.
Afterward, Emily had rushed home and Kotomi and Yuuna had shown up, so we’d all gone to the festival together. I’d kept up a smile all the while, but... if it had ended up being just the three of us, what kind of face would I have made? Even I wasn’t sure.
Seriously, nobody warned me that a childhood friend character would show up at the eleventh hour. That’s not fair! I figured Ren wasn’t showing much interest in her because he was so focused on gaming, but what if I’m wrong, and he really does like Emily?
I shook my head vigorously, chasing the bad thoughts out of my head. Yet no matter how hard I tried to banish it, the mental image kept crawling back. I was seriously starting to lose my mind.
It especially made me wonder if I should really be here attending some stupid party right now. While I didn’t know what I was supposed to be doing, I knew I had to do something.
Suddenly, an ice-cold sensation pricked the back of my neck. It was the drink Nozomi had in her hands.
“Eep!”
“Tell me what happened. I-I am still your, um, friend, after all.”
“Huh? Well, uh, it’s kinda not something I’d enjoy talking about, and I’m not sure how you could—”
“Just hurry up and say it! I want to advise you!” she demanded, her tone desperate.
I wasn’t sure how to fix the problem myself, so maybe talking to her was the best choice after all.
Once I had explained the situation, she remarked, “Oh, a childhood friend. I see. I’m surprised Takashiro has such a friend.”
“Yeah. It bothers me so much. Like, what if they keep getting all cozy with each other while I’m not there? I hate that I feel this way, though.”
“I think it’s natural. Anyone would feel sour if they thought the person they loved was being taken away from them.”
“Yeah, but I shouldn’t bring my dumb feelings into it since he’s just trying to have fun gaming.”
“Oh, what are you talking about, dear? That’s just who you are; you think with your heart rather than your head.”
“What?! N-No, that’s not me at all!”
“Really now? You’re the one who suggested that Takashiro come to Yosei Academy, no? You did that because you wanted him to realize that you were a girl instead of the boy he thought you were. Am I wrong?”
“Not entirely, I guess. But I did want to play games with him more too. I just wanted to have fun living life. I didn’t intend to—”
“That may have been what you thought. But Emily’s appearance has exposed the fact that your conscience perhaps isn’t as clean as you thought.”
“Huh?!”
“If all you wanted was to play games with him, then why should his having a girlfriend affect your enjoyment?”
I swallowed hard. “Yeah, you might be right.”
“Accept the fact that your heart guides your actions. To make any change, it’s vital that you first know yourself.”
“Y-Yes, ma’am.”
Is it true? Am I really like that? I guess it would seem that way to anyone watching. Urgh, but this is way too embarrassing to admit!
“Now, as an initial countermeasure, I will act to ensure that nothing fishy happens between Takashiro and Emily.”
“You’d do that for me?!”
“Yes, of course. You can relax.” Nozomi was unusually confident.
“Um, thank you?”
“Still, I can’t cut the problem off at its root. Only you can do that.”
“Me? But how?”
“That should be obvious. All you need to do is begin a formal relationship with Takashiro. Act based on your emotions, as usual, and confess to him. I’ll back you up as necessary.”
“Huh?! What about all my annoying family stuff, though? I don’t want to bother Ren with all that...”
“None of that matters. What’s important is that you follow your heart. That’s what I learned at Yosei Academy. Too much self-restraint is bad for you, you know.”
“I don’t even know how Ren feels about me!”
“Then you’re okay with him dating Emily?”
“No, I’m not. But I’m fine with the way things are!”
“You may be in a situation where ‘do nothing’ isn’t an option. Your two choices are to push, or pull. Think hard on it.”
I could say nothing in response.