Hajime’s party noticed that Kaori was walking towards them. Hajime thought she came to see them off, while Yue by his side, “Muh?,” became wary as she frowned. “Arara?,” Shia was looking at Kaori as her interest deepened, and Tio murmured, “Looks like it’ll be a bloodbath huh~.” Because she was apparently not coming to see them off, Hajime was looking at Kaori, frowning due at the ominous feeling.
“Hajime-kun, can I come with you, too? … No, that’s not it, I will absolutely come with you, so please take care of me, okay?”
“… Hah?”
From the first words spoken, with neither preface nor wish-washing, it became a development where everything was decided and made Hajime’s eyes turn into dots. Inadvertently, he leaked such a stupefied voice. In place of Hajime, who could not immediately regain his composure due to being dumbfounded, Yue moved out.
“… You are not qualified for that.”
“What qualification? Is it to always think of Hajime? Then, I won’t lose to anyone, you know?”
Kaori calmly replied Yue’s words. Yue, “Mmhmp,” made her mouth into ^.
Kaori matched her gaze to Yue’s, then she abruptly moved her unshakable gaze towards Hajime. Following that, she united her hand before her chest with blushing cheeks, took a deep breath, then with desperate and trembling voice, she spoke to him… thus she conveyed it.
“I love you.”
“… Shirasaki.”
Kaori’s expression was mix of embarrassment, worrying while she was expecting Hajime’s answer, and happiness coming from being able to convey her feelings to him. Thus, with those mixed feeling, she didn’t back away, displaying her determination.
That gaze, filled with determination and sincerity made Hajime answered her with serious eyes.
“I have a woman I am in love with. So I can’t answer Shirasaki’s feelings. Therefore, I can’t take you with me.”
Hajime’s clear answer made Kaori immediately bite her lip as if she wanted to cry, but in the next moment, power was born inside the eyes that were about to spill tears and she raised her face. Thus she nodded to tell him she understood. Behind Kaori, Kouki and the others were in blank surprise, agape, and in a pandemonium-like situation, but not minding them, Kaori spun her desired words.
“… Un, I know. It’s Yue-san, right?”
“Yeah, that’s why…”
“But, I don’t think that can be a reason for me not to be at Hajime-kun’s side.”
“What?”
“Because, Shia-san and the slightly strange Tio-san are also in love with Hajime-kun, right? Especially Shia-san, I feel she is pretty serious about it.”
“… That’s…”
“Even though Hajime-kun, with you already having your own special person, she still doesn’t give up and wants to be at Hajime-kun’s side, and also, Hajime-kun lets her be so. That’s why, it wouldn’t be a problem if I am there too, right? After all, my feelings for Hajime-kun… won’t lose to anyone.”
Saying so, Kaori turned her blazing, strong gaze towards Yue. What was expressed was, My feelings won’t lose to you! I won’t let you laugh at them!, and Yue could see Kaori’s strong will. That was definitely a declaration of war. It was a declaration that she’d steal the one and only “special seat” from Yue.
Receiving Kaori’s piercing gaze from the front, Yue, unusually, turned her lips in a smile that could be understood by anyone as fearless.
“… I see, then come with us. And there I will teach you. Our differences, that is.”
“Not you, it’s Kaori.”
“… Then, just call me Yue. I accept Kaori’s challange.”
“Fufu, Yue. Don’t cry if you lose, kay?”
“… Fu, fufufufufu.”
“Aha, ahahahahaha.”
Yue and Kaori created a world of their own with a different meaning than the time Yue did it with Hajime. Even though Hajime was the one confessed to, he was being put aside before he was aware of it, and, in such a manner, in the end it was decided Kaori would enter his party making Hajime look into the far distance. Seeing Yue and Kaori who were laughing together, Shia and Myuu by his side were hugging him, trembling.
“Ha-Hajime-san! Is something wrong with my eyes? I can see dark clouds and draconic lightning behind Yue-san!”
“… Isn’t that normal? Even I can see a katana holding Hanya behind Shirasaki.”
“Papaa~! Those Onee-chan are scaryy.”
“Haa haa, thee are somehow… if you turn your gazes to this one… ngh, can’t hold it.”
With Satan? appearing behind each of them, Yue and Kaori laughed with daunting pose. Were you those kinds of characters?, Hajime wanted to retort with that, but he decided to wait for them to stop while soothing Myuu, who was clinging to him, because those words would become a boomerang back at him. He is now the so called good-for-nothing.
But, there was someone who objected towards Kaori’s will… and of course it was the “Hero”, Amanokawa Kouki.
“Wa-Wait! Please wait a sec! I don’t understand this. Kaori likes Nagumo? She wants to follow him? Eh? What does this mean? How, how did it suddenly come to this? Nagumo! You, just what have you done to Kaori.”
“… the heck is with this one.”
Apparently, Kouki could not admit the reality of Kaori falling for Hajime. It was not something that came out of the blue as Kouki was the only one who didn’t notice it, but in Kouki’s eyes, he only saw it as Kaori suddenly doing something strange and the cause being Hajime. Really, Kouki’s mind that only saw things in the way that would be convenient for him made Hajime retort instinctively.
Being completely convinced that Hajime did something to Kaori, Kouki indignantly moved with partly drawn Holy Sword in hand which made Shizuku admonish him, with a gesture was as though she was enduring a headache.
“Kouki. Can’t you see Nagumo-kun didn’t do anything? Please think about it calmly. Though it looks like you didn’t notice it, Kaori has thought of him in that way since long ago. I mean, since the time we were still in Japan. Just try to think about what Kaori always talked about.”
“Shizuku… what are you saying… that’s, that’s because Kaori is kind, so she feels sorry for Hajime who was always alone, right? There’s neither connection nor motive, so there’s no way Kaori would like an otaku like Hajime.”
Hearing Kouki and Shizuku’s conversation, Hajime unexpectedly became agitated as that was said straight to his face, his cheek twitching.
Noticing the commotion from Kouki and the others, Kaori spoke towards Kouki and the classmates behind him to make herself clear.
“Kouki-kun, everyone, I am sorry. I know it is selfish of me… but I, I want to go with Hajime-kun by any means. That’s why, I will leave your party. Truly, I am sorry.”
Kaori said so as she bowed deeply, making Suzu, Eri, Ayako, and Mao, the female circle, yell Kyaa— Kyaa—. Nagayama, Endou, and Nomura, the three who had guessed Kaori’s feelings were waving their hands to tell her not to worry about it with wry smiles.
However, Kouki, of course, could not accept Kaori’s words.
“It’s a lie, right? After all, that’s weird. Kaori has always been by my side… so shouldn’t it be the same from now on too? Kaori is my childhood friend… that’s why… it’s natural for her to be by my side. Isn’t that so, Kaori?”
“Umm… Kouki-kun. It is true that we are childhood friends… but, it doesn’t mean we will be always together, you know? I think this is the natural way…”
“That’s right, Kouki. It’s not like Kaori is yours, and it’s Kaori herself that will choose what she does. So, drop it already.”
Being told so by his two childhood friends, Kouki was dumbfounded. His gaze immediately moved towards Hajime. Hajime was looking in the distance, expressing that this had nothing to do with him. Beside Hajime were a beautiful woman and beautiful girls in attendance. Seeing that spectacle, Kouki’s eyes began to gradually looking up. Inside him, he was thinking about his Kaori, and dark feeling he never felt before sprang up. Thus following his impulse, he fully interpreted things at his own convenience.
“Kaori. You must not go with him. I am saying this for your sake. Just look at that Nagumo. He is attended by several girls, even a small child like that… moreover, he even made a girl from the Rabbitman tribe wear a slave collar. Even that black-haired woman called Hajime “Master” before. Surely, she was compelled to call him that. I am sure Nagumo is collecting women or something along those lines. He is the worst. He easily killed a person and he didn’t want to cooperate with us, his comrades, even though he has those powerful weapons. Kaori, you’ll only be unhappy if you go along with him. That’s why, it is better if you stay here. No, just stay here. Even if you are going to hate me, I am going to stop you for your sake. I will absolutely not let you go with him!”
Kouki’s overly erratic objection made Kaori and the others dumbfounded. However, the heated up Kouki couldn’t be stopped. His gaze which was looking at Kaori to persuade her turned towards Yue and the girls by Hajime’s side as if he thought of something.
“You girls, too. There’s no more need for you to be by that man’s side. Come with me! I welcome people with abilities like you. Let’s save people together. Shia, was it? There’s no need to worry, I will immediately release you from slavery if you come with me. Tio too, it’s okay for you to not call him Master.”
Saying so with a refreshing smile, Kouki outstretched his hand towards Yue and the girls. Shizuku was facepalming and looking at the sky while Kaori was covering her opened mouth.
Yue and the girls who received the invitation along with Kouki’s smile were…
“”” …”””
They were speechless. They averted their gazes from Kouki and rubbed both of their own arms. If one looked carefully, Yue and the girls were having goosebumps. In a way, they received considerable damage. Even Tio said, “Somehow, this feels wrong…,” as she frowned at the cold feeling she felt.
Seeing their ap