Vol 1 Chapter 5 (2/2)
Realizing it herself, she quickly covered her mouth.
Then, she gave me a detestable stare—
“Idiot commoner!”
She was angry at me even though I was the one that should have been indignant.
“The only idiot here is you!”
“What did you say?!”
“Say what you like, it’s not normal to believe in something like that. And worse, you even tried to do it!”
“I-It was just by chance!”
“If I told you that the condition for getting your wish fulfilled wasn’t to ‘Kiss a commoner,’ but rather ‘spin around three times while barking,’ would you still do that?”
“There’s no way I’d do that! …………”
She sunk into silence all of a sudden.
“………………That’s not true, right?”
Oi.
At Aika-san’s excessive pureness (a roundabout expression), I said,
“Truth is, it’s totally right.”
“Eh?! No way!”
“But there’s only a 50% chance things will turn out well.”
“…N-No way… That’s a lie, right? ………………Is it really true?”
“It’s common knowledge among commoners.”
“!! I-I didn’t know—— I KNEW THAT, OKAY?!”
Huh, what’s with that bluff at the end?
She stood up with vigor and checked her footing.
Wait, did she believe that for real…?
When she was really about to spin—
“Wait.”
I stopped her immediately and——
“You’ve got to put your hands up like this.”
I gave her a bit of ch.o.r.eography guidance.
“L-Like this?”
With not a sliver of doubt, she brought both of her fists in front of her and a.s.sumed a puppy stance.
“L-Like this, right? If I remember correctly, it’s like this.”
“Yeah. I thought you’d knew already, but just in case. My bad.”
“Hmph, can’t be helped.”
I was able to read this girl slowly but surely.
Even though she’s odd, at the end of the day she’s still an earnest, sheltered ojou-sama. She also feels a bit different for some other reason, but let’s try things out for now.
“And when you’re spinning, you have to look absolutely innocent like a puppy.”
“Puppy?”
“Hopping while wagging your tail, that sorta thing.”
“L-Like this?”
“No, more like…”
While she shook her b.u.t.t, she started hopping as if her owner was waving a toy above her.
“Like this?”
“That’s good! Really good!”
Aika-san seemed totally happy.
“Alright, go for it!”
“Right! With this, my dream will come true!!”
Aika-san said with a gleaming expression as she began to spin gaily. While shaking her b.u.t.tocks, she hopped charmingly, spinning thrice with a smile from ear-to-ear——
“Woof!”
It echoed throughout the courtyard.
“…………”
As I watched the girl maintaining her puppy pose, it got me thinking.
What should I? Now that it’s come to this, I can’t back out of this safely anymore.
For the time being, I should tell her the truth and—— get ready for a beating.
“Ah, here he is!”
When I turned towards the voice, I saw Arisugawa-san and company enter the courtyard in succession.
“Please forgive us, Kimito-sama.”
Arisugawa-san bowed in embarra.s.sment.
“We were surely worried and looking for you.”
A lovely wind started to blow.
“Unexpectedly, you are accompanied by someone else.”
“How surprising.”
The ojou-samas said unanimously. It became lively in the courtyard, as if a dozen flowers started to bloom.
“So, what were you two doing here?”
Arisugawa-san asked.
“Eh? Ehm…”
I looked for Aika-san and——
Before I knew it, she was on the other side of the courtyard.
She was standing in a spot far from the circle of ojou-samas and was silently casting her eyes downward.
Arisugawa-san followed my gaze,
“Aika-sama…”
It was clear that her shoulders were shaking.
With her head hung, she threw glances towards Arisugawa-san and the others repeatedly. A completely different person from only a moment ago.
Just when it seemed like her lips moved awkwardly to make something like a smile, she tightly squeezed her eyes shut instead and——
Ran for it.
With her ribbons swaying, she gained distanced and disappeared around the corner.
“She’s taken her leave…”
One of them murmured.
Her tone implied that it was the same as always. The other girls had a similar reaction.
“Aika-sama doesn’t talk to us much…”
Arisugawa-san looked at me and explained.
“We do have some shortcomings, I suppose.”
She brought her hand up to her cheek in unease.
In this really curious situation, I didn’t feel like it was bullying.
But then, what was it…?
Translator notes and references
None.
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