Chapter 768 - While Haru is Away
“—Hey, Sora-chan. Are you, by any chance, the type of lady who doesn’t get jealous?”
“Pardon?”
“What are you talking about?”
This happened during the get-together that had continued since morning. We’d just taken a break at the hot springs, and it was a few minutes after Haru, who’d been looking restless for some reason, had wandered out of the room.
The timing was perfect—right after we’d seen Kaede leave the room a short while later. As I was getting thoroughly trounced in backgammon, Shoko’s sudden question made the ‘lady’ in question tilt her head, completely baffled as to what she was being asked.
And for good reason. Toshiki’s follow-up jab said it all.
“Well, you know? A little while ago it was me, and now it’s Kaede. Technically, it’s a situation where a pretty older girl is all alone with your partner-kun.”
But this embodiment of curiosity wasn't about to stop.
“I just thought it was weird you didn’t seem to mind at all.”
After the break, this girl had also been acting a little glitchy. In other words, there was no doubt some kind of ‘event’ had occurred.
It’s wonderful that they’re getting along so well.
And yet, right after something that should have made them more conscious of each other, the man she had feelings for was now alone with another woman, but she didn’t show the slightest sign of concern.
With her sharp intuition, she sensed it was something positive. And with her innate curiosity, she couldn't ignore the conviction that this would lead to a fun conversation.
Thus, the nineteen-year-old girl, blessed with the rare talent of not being disliked by others, followed her desires and dove right in.
Then…
“Um, tha—”
“Oh, she gets veeeeeeeeeeeery, very jealous, you know? This one.”
“Wha—hey…?!”
This was an unexpected reinforcement. The older sister figure smiling next to Sora—or rather, Miss Natsume Yo—spoke up, cutting off the girl who had been about to answer.
“When Haru-san was spending time with the other two, she would get so visibly fidgety. It was just the most adora—”
“This is what we do with chatty mouths…!”
The younger sister counterattacked. She grabbed her sister’s cheeks with both hands as she was about to spill more details, glaring at her with a half-lidded gaze, ready to deliver a lecture.
The three university students watched in admiration. At what, you ask? At the fact that, from an outsider’s perspective, her angry face wasn’t scary at all—just adorable.
It was exactly as her partner had described—but that aside.
“……W-well… everyone is a friend, you know. Haru’s friend.”
“That’s true.”
“Yeah.”
“The goal is to be best friends!”
She seemed to think that since she’d already been embarrassed, trying to gloss over it now was pointless, so she might as well express her true feelings.
To her ‘friends’ who each gave their own response, she said…
“This might sound strange… but I’m… happy, I suppose.”
With an expression that seemed far too mature for her age, the fifteen-year-old girl let a smile slip.
“It’s the same in the virtual world, but I love seeing Haru have fun with his friends. …After… hearing all sorts of things, I’ve come to love it even more.”
The words she strung together were from her honest heart.
“My happiness and delight just seem to win out… Of course, depending on the person, I’m ashamed to say that, well, you know…”
Though her cheeks slowly reddened, she spoke earnestly, as if to say there was no need to be embarrassed about this.
“……S-so, that’s how it is—checkmate.”
And with that, she finished her story while delivering the final blow to her opponent.
Putting aside her sister, who was beaming from ear to ear, the other three were subjected to the words of a ‘lady’ who, far from cowering from the teasing, had met it head-on…
“……Is she his sister?”
“More like his mother…?”
“At this point, isn’t she basically his wife?”
It was no longer a matter of whether they understood or not.
Led by Shoko, who had been magnificently routed by the girl’s story—delivered with a face that held a love unbecoming of her age, a mix of affection and something more…
They could only shudder, each of them engraving the assessment, This girl is strong, into their hearts.
For the record, she never once said she wasn't jealous.
I cut it at a good spot, so it ended up a bit short. The travel arc is scheduled to end with the next installment.