Chapter 987 - side.girls: Nia / Iris
To be honest, I was terrified.
Going to the home of the person I like, even though we're not dating, and meeting his parents. And not just me—every single one of my best friends and romantic rivals was coming along too.
What is this? What is even happening? Even after more than two weeks of mentally preparing myself, including tearfully confiding in my dearest friend who's practically family, I was still dragging my confusion and nervousness with me on the day of.
That's how I was. How I felt. In the past tense.
Now, after just half a day, Nia thinks to herself.
"Yeah, that looks good. You're doing a great job."
"..., ..."
"You're practicing your cooking, was it? Your movements already look quite experienced."
"...!"
"Haha. Ah, well, Nozomi is a great cook, after all. It's good to have high aspirations."
What is with the Kasuga family? It's almost too comfortable here.
It's been a little while since I started helping his father make sweets. My cooking skills are still the height of clumsiness compared to the Princess, not to mention Sora or the man I love, who all started at the same time but are now miles ahead. Still, when it comes to baking, as long as I don't mess up the measurements or the steps, I can be of some help.
With that in mind, I impulsively raised my hand and joined the fray in the kitchen... and it makes me think once again.
These are the people who raised the person I fell in love with.
"Lilia-san—"
His father talks to me a lot.
And what's more, he's incredibly good at reading me.
While cooking, it's rare to have both hands free. As a result, Nia, unable to use her "voice," can barely reply, managing only gestures. ...And yet,
"Is that so? Hmm... How should I put it? You have a very Japanese-like modesty about you."
We're having a conversation. No, he's letting us have a conversation. He naturally chooses his words so that my reactions are limited to 'Yes' or 'No', and it doesn't feel strange at all.
If you were to close your eyes and just listen, it would sound like his father was simply talking to himself.
But if you opened your eyes and watched, it would be obvious that he was in conversation with Nia.
I can feel it.
"Ah, okay. Then next, let's do this one..."
I can feel the person I love in him, so strongly.
His choice of words here and there, the way he pauses, the way he talks and interacts with people—aside from the color of individuality that exists even between parent and child, they're two peas in a pod... no, including his mother, they're three of a kind.
His looks, he probably got from his mother.
His smile, he definitely got from his father.
And his personality, from both of them.
He usually acts so confident... or rather, nonchalant, yet sometimes he shows a hopelessly fragile and timid face. The way he can run wild with childlike innocence, and the way he can calmly stand by someone like an adult—it all, all of it, makes perfect sense.
And the reason for that understanding sweeps my nervousness away.
It can't be helped. The resemblance between him and the person who made Nia fall head over heels into the waterfall of love is just too strong.
It was inevitable that I would grow to like him so quickly.
...In the end, the fact remains that this situation is extraordinarily unusual, but if I've come to terms with it like this, there's only one course of action.
"Alright... time to strain the pumpkin... but that's hardly a job to ask a girl to do, is it?"
"...!"
"Eh? Uhm... You may not look it, but you're strong?"
"!"
"Haha... Well then, I'd be honored to see what you can do."
Be bold and enterprising.
Getting attached to people I like has been my specialty since I was little, after all.
◇◆◇◆◇
Clack clack clack.
"Right, I've got the gist of it. I'll organize it in my head."
Clack clack, clack.
"—, ———"
Clack clack clack clack clack, clack clack, clack clack clack clack clack clack.
"Yes, by tomorrow night."
Clack clack clack, clack, clack clack clack clack.
"———, —, ——————"
Clack clack clack clack clack clack clack clack clack clack clack clack clack clack clack clack.
"Understood. I'll be counting on you."
Clack.
Phone in one hand, keyboard in the other. After finishing both the call and the reply she was handling in parallel, Iris let out a single, quiet breath.
With that final sound, she closed the laptop she'd brought on the trip, dropped her phone onto her lap... and for just a moment, a brief instant, she hesitated, wondering what to do next.
"...Hmph."
With a soft thud, she unceremoniously fell back onto the folded futon and lay down.
The four presences she could sense were still downstairs, split into two groups, amiably milling about. With no fear of being seen, even the invincible, perfect Princess known for getting everything she wants could be allowed to let her guard down.
"...................."
Though the futon, seemingly new, only smelled of newness, the house itself held something. The lingering presence of the "prince" before he met Iris, a sign that he had certainly lived here.
She wasn't so peculiar as to get excited by such a thing, but...
"......................................................Haaah."
It's... calming. To that extent, the 'Princess' hailed by the world is, in fact, a perfectly normal human being.
And so, she slowly closes her eyes.
It's fine. Her abilities, which from a general perspective are by no means those of a 'normal human', will alert her to anyone's approach, so long as she sets up a mental sensor beforehand.
So, Iris closes her eyes... and not as the 'banner' that others rally behind, but as a single, free-spirited 'individual', she begins to leisurely spin slow thoughts just for herself.
Sora and Nia seem to be getting along well with Haru's parents, which is a relief, she thought.
And Haru, what on earth is he plotting all by himself, she wondered.
His mother seems like she'd be very popular with women, she mused.
His father is good at hiding his nervousness, she noted.
Things like that, the way they resemble each other even in aspects that might not be entirely positive, makes them seem all the more like a family, and it's endearing—she thought, and so on, and so on.
...She had put up a pretense of a strategy meeting and lined up all sorts of excuses, but...
I don't need to force myself to stand out during this particular visit home.
In truth, Iris had already come to this conclusion on her own. And with that clear reason for her 'composure', a secret she kept from both Sora and Nia... —
"...Yawn."
Another yawn.
Praying for the success of her best friends and romantic rivals, she surrendered herself to the gentle warmth of the sun streaming through the window and began to let out faint breaths of sleep that no one could hear.
Sora-san, who takes on what's in front of her with grace and as her true self, while also keeping a bird's-eye view.
Nia-chan, who is desperately focused on what's in front of her, straightforward in her love.
Ashe, who is invincible, the strongest, perfect, composed, and walks in the present while reflecting on the past and foreseeing the future.
What is with that final boss?
By the way, the protagonist has a habit of saying 'Okay' (オーケー). I think other characters tend to say 'Okkay' (オッケー), but the protagonist is basically consistent in saying 'Okay'.