“A fight broke out late last night at a high-end residential area on the outskirts of the city. Six teens and three men in their twenties were arrested. They all had various injuries, including broken arms and legs, and they made incomprehensible statements such as: ‘It’s all that couple’s fault!’ and ‘We were attacked by that kung-fu couple!’ The men belonged to gangs based in urban areas, and police are currently investigating the possibility that the incident was some sort of gang war.”
The sound of a news report playing on WayTube floated into Shiika’s room.
I was sitting on the floor when Shiika, who had been staring at her phone while lying on the floor, rolled around to look at me.
“Did you do it again, Gak?” she muttered.
“Whatever could you be referring to?”
“A couple… So who were you with?”
“These days robbery play, gang play, it’s popular, right? Though it’s not the kind of world someone like me with zero girl experience would know about, huh?”
I laughed it off as Shiika glared at me.
“More importantly, Shiika, how are you doing?”
“Mmn. Yeah. I feel better now.”
“Well, that’s good. But don’t let your guard down.”
I was in Shiika’s room to monitor her for signs of ongoing mental instability.
But it seemed like I wouldn’t have to constantly keep watch over her soon. The thought of that made this older brother feel a little sad.
“Still… Although the symptoms seemed mild this time, it lasted longer than I thought it would. After the manic period passed, you couldn’t get out of bed for days.”
“…No, that’s not right.”
“Huh?”
“My mental faculties came back right away.”
“Seriously? Then these past few days you’ve just been slobbing around for the fun of it?”
“It wasn’t that.”
Shiika shook her head, her face solemn.
“…I was half-dead from muscle pains.”
“Ah.”
That made sense.
“I was somehow able to dance well, but… My body was left in shambles.”
“That’s because you’re a recluse who doesn’t get enough exercise.”
“Hmph.”
Shiika, lying around as limp as a housecat with heatstroke, had none of the charisma she showed in the dance video.
But I still found the sight of her adorable, and I couldn’t help reaching out to caress her head.
Shiika sighed happily, as if she was enjoying the sensation.
I was just enjoying the soothing nature of her reaction when the doorbell rang.
Ah, she’s here.
I’d already gotten a message saying that she was coming to our place.
I heard the front door being opened, then loud, clumping footsteps. And Shiika’s door was thrown open.
“Shi, are you feeling better? I bought a melon. Let’s eat it together.”
Tatsuki Ootsuka leaped into the room. Today, she didn’t have on a hat, and her long hair was down. She wore her usual outfit that exposed her shoulders and midriff, with an extremely short miniskirt.
Her dance video, the one Shiika had composed the song for, was a great success, and her spot on the Ryouran Summer Festival special stage was all but assured. She’d come to the Music Department to express her thanks, but when she found out that Shiika was absent, sick at home, she’d texted me right away to say that she’d come and visit.
Looking at the melon in her hand, I sighed and clutched my head.
“Ootsuka… Don’t bring a melon to someone’s house.”
“Huh? Was that wrong? I thought it was standard to bring fruit when someone’s sick! What is it, an allergy or something?”
“No, it’s just that cutting it up is such a pain. I’d rather you bring that sort of thing when Akiba’s here.”
“Oh, whoops. Okay!”
Ootsuka agreed with me, without making any kind of retort or counterargument. She’s always so nice and straightforward.
“Well, let’s just keep it here. We can eat it the next time Akiba’s around.”
“Yeah! Let’s do that.”
Pressing the heavy melon into my hands, Ootsuka looked back at Shiika.
“Shi! I did it! Thanks to you, I got more likes and views than ever before! I feel like I’ve finally got my breakout! I love you! I love you so much! Hey, hey, can I kiss you?”
“Th-thanks… But before that, I need a bath…”
Shiika weakly pushed away Ootsuka, who was trying to kiss her.
Shiika shakily got to her feet and stumbled out of the room.
Ootsuka watched her go, then looked at me. She puffed her cheeks out in disappointment.
“Oh, why does she have to take a bath while I’m here?”
“Because you’re too touchy-feely. You tend to get overly close to people. So Shiika’s worried if she doesn’t take a bath, you’ll notice her smell.”
“Oh, but Shi wasn’t like this before…”
“I mean, she was in a state of emotional disturbance then. It’s hard to tell from the outside, but it’s the small things like this that show the difference.”
“Hmm. I see, I see.”
There’s still so much about Shiika that Ootsuka didn’t know. Right. They haven’t even known each other for long. And Shiika and I, we don’t know everything about Ootsuka yet, either.
“How was Gokokuji after that?”
“Hee-hee. We made up. She apologized for being so cold lately.”
“I see. Good for you.”
“Yeah! And apparently, she decided to break up with Ry-Ry. Although he got arrested before she could bring it up.”
“Just saw that online. They didn’t include any names in the report, but when I heard the words gang war, I immediately thought of Sengoku’s group.”
“I see. Well, I really wish he could have gone straight before something like this happened. Luckily, it did before he made a name for himself as a performer, though. At least this way hip-hop’s image won’t be damaged. It’s still a shame I wasn’t able to do anything to help him.”
“Don’t worry about it too much. Life is long and filled with new encounters and final partings. Just cherish the friends you have right now. There’s nothing more you can do.”
“Gakkun…”
I suddenly sounded all philosophical. Ootsuka gazed at me with her big eyes, and I felt a little embarrassed. Maybe I tried to act a little too cool there. Ugh, the shame. Negative thoughts began to swirl in my mind. What right did I, an ex-recluse, have to talk all big like that?
Suddenly, she grabbed my face and placed her forehead against mine.
“Huh?”
So warm, so soft… And a little damp from sweat. And she smelled…like a girl. Her long lashes, so close to mine… They made my heart beat faster… No, no, this didn’t make any sense. We were close enough to kiss. Why was she suddenly this close? I mean, I knew she was usually touchy-feely and had no sense of distance, but it was never to this extent!
“Hey, what are you doing?!”
“You’ve got a nice face, Gakkun.”
“Wh-what? Somehow that rings hollow, coming from a genuine beauty like you.”
“Ha-ha, I don’t know much about beauty, but I know the face of a man with depth when I see it.”
Ootsuka laughed, then moved her face away. I was relieved, yes, but the loss of her scent made me feel a little melancholy. Wait, what was I getting so disappointed for?
“Shi, Eripon, ManaMana, Nokki… Everyone in the Shibuya Gang has an amazing face. I just know everyone’s going to go on to do great things… I’m suuuper envious!”
Expressing her emotions through her whole body, Ootsuka lowered her eyes as she gently toyed with the red highlights in her black hair. Then she mumbled and stumbled over her words, as if she was having trouble introducing some sort of difficult topic.
“Um, you know… There’s something I wanted to ask of you, Gakkun…”
“What?”
“Could you… Could you let me join the Shibuya Gang?”
She blushed like a little kid as she spoke.
To be honest, I had kinda predicted this.
The collab between Shiika and Ootsuka had greatly helped them both in terms of viewers.
There was a lot of buzz and expectations for the future and for future collabs.
Although they’d gotten amazing results in the final exam and secured spots on the Ryouran Summer Festival’s stage, that was just a waypoint on the road to stardom for Shiika and the others.
To make a name for themselves, and eventually emerge into the spotlight as first-class entertainers and stun the world.
To get close to that lofty goal, you needed as many talented friends as you could get.
“Actually, I’ve already consulted with them.”
“Huh? Whaaat? But I’ve never mentioned this before now!”
“To be precise, I asked if you could be welcomed into the fold. And it was a unanimous yes.”
“…! Well, Gakkun… I…”
“Right. Let’s continue working together, Ootsuka. That cool with you, Shiika?” I called out toward the hallway.
Shiika nodded. She had opened the door halfway and was peeking through the gap. Her pale shoulders were visible. I assumed after she got undressed, she’d grown curious about my conversation with Ootsuka and sneaked back to listen. But without going out into the hallway, I couldn’t tell if she was naked.
Shiika, presumably naked, spoke up in a soft voice.
“I’m happy, too. Glad to have you, Tatsu.”
“Oh, Shi! Thank you! Can I hug you? Hug!”
“No, don’t…”
“Hey, you fool, don’t try to open the door! Can’t you see she’s naked?!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine! We’re all friends here! In fact, why don’t we have a bath together?”
“Even friends don’t do that! Hey! DON’T OPEN THAT DOOR!”
“G-Gak. I’m gonna run. Restrain Tatsu.”
“Wait. Shi!”
I tried to restrain Ootsuka, who, in her innocence, was about to get a full-frontal view. Shiika fled to the bathroom. Although I was already growing a little tired of dealing with a hard-core partier like Ootsuka, who had no sense of boundaries, I also found myself grinning and thinking about how fun this all was.