Now, I don’t think I need to tell you this, but my childhood friend was very unpredictable.

She would suddenly say something incomprehensible with a face as if it were natural.

It was the same now.
On the other side of the wall, Iori’s graduation performance was about to begin.
The situation was so critical that if the Kisaragi family’s family tradition was invoked, Iori might end up becoming a daddy.

…If you think about it, words like “graduation performance” and “family art” are being thrown around like they’re commonplace, but please bear with me. If I were to calm down, my head would start to hurt a little. If I think about it anymore, I’m defeated.

At any rate, I can assure you of this.
Now, in the next room, Iori was trying to do something erotic with Aoi-chan. This was an unshakable fact. It was an unshakeable fact. I’ve said it twice because it was so important.

In such a situation, my childhood friend suddenly said something incomprehensible as if it were a matter of course. She said.

“You have to confess to me right now!”
“What do you mean!?”

There was so little context that all I could do was roll my tongue at her.
Yuika said, keeping her finger jabbed at me.

“We don’t have much time left! That’s why Souta is going to go out with me! And then you can tell Iori and Aoi-chan on the other side of the wall that we have an exemplary attitude with a sense of ‘we will have a clean relationship’!”
“—Hah!? I see, that’s the way!”

“Right? If we get together, we will immediately start our study date at the library, okay? Okay, then confess your feelings to me! It was a passionate and touching confession, with the cuteness of a virgin, and the dependability of a boy, but with a sense that I can take the initiative. Here, start!”

“Okay, I got it! It’s a beautiful day today and—I’m going to confess!”

Yuika pulled her cheeks together at my words.

“Eh? Souta’s confession started like a town hall greeting…? No, don’t do that. It’s traumatizing…”
“I’m just using a serious voice!? Now that was just a moment where I was about to get on and my brain broke and a funny statement popped out! And there’s so much more to your statement than that! I can’t handle it!”

First of all, the bar was set too high for passion, touching and poignant. What kind of bargain-like confession could possibly exist in this world?

Secondly, she was a recluse, so we wouldn’t have a study date at the library, would we? If we do, I’ll take Iori and Aoi-chan to the library with us right now.

Then again, we shouldn’t be dating. It would blow up all the assumptions. It’s just too dynamite to say.

“…I don’t know why I’m the one who has to confess. It doesn’t matter if it was from Yuika.”
“Hoho? Did you not want to say it then?”
“…Oh no.”

Yuika’s eyebrows shot up.
She made face as if to say, “Shouldn’t we settle our long-standing grudge?” and grazed my cheek with her finger.

“I was, once, rejected by Mikami, so? I’ve been rejected a lot of times, right? You tell me, why don’t you confess, I wonder what you are trying to do? Hmm?”

“No, think of it the other way around, Yuika. It’s okay if I confess instead. …Why is that?”
“Ho-ho? Can you say that again? Can you say it again, clearly, with a face imitation, a voice imitation, a standing imitation, and a thud sound effect? After that, I’ll turn into a vampire and suck your blood.”

“Nuh-uh…”

I tried to mix it up with a joke, but it just added fuel to the fire.
I’m scared of my childhood friend’s smile. She’s smiling, but her eyes aren’t smiling at all!

Of course, she has been rejected before, but!　
She has already convinced herself that it was an inevitable turn of events.

…If I say it out loud, it would be a dynamite explosion. It was not about logic, it was about feelings, right. Yeah, Mikami knew that much, too.

“So it’s a punishment game. Or divine punishment. Yes, Souta. Confess your feelings to me.”
“What? N-No, no, no matter how, that surely doesn’t sound good right..? You see, my soul’s vow is that until you graduate from being a recluse, I will…”

“I’ll do it properly. One time is one time. Come on. Come on.
“What’s the logic behind that…?”
“Of course, it should be passionate and touching, with the cuteness of a virgin, and the dependability of a boy, but I should be able to take the initiative.”
“The hurdle is as high as Mount Everest…”

…Alright, just once.

It’s not that I don’t want to say “I love you” to Yuika. In fact, I want to say it. I want to say it so badly. I want to say it every day. I want to whisper in her ear and make her soar. In more ways than one, of course.

It was not just the erotic stuff, but also the “I love you” stuff that I’ve been kept waiting for. In fact, since I can’t say “I love you,” I call her “cute” instead.

“…You’re going to do it?”
“—! I-I-I’ll be back in a second! I-It’s a waste of seconds, so I’ll chew on it for a few minutes and then I’ll do it!”

As soon as she saw that I was willing to do so, her excitement rose. If it were a kitten, even its ears would be standing on end.

“Well…”

I cleared my throat lightly and straightened up my appearance.
I thought about the wording for a bit and was about to open my mouth when I realized I had been struck by lightning.
Yuika’s eyes glittered with the color of intrigue!

—She almost got me!?

What a schemer. She was able to use her brother’s pinch to her advantage!
Sure, she’s trying to help Iori, but she’s also trying to take advantage of him. Kisaragi Yuika, is an undeniable schemer!

Oh no. My throat was already trying to make a sound.
A few tenths of a second later, I will have said the words to confess.
But I can’t go out with Yuika at this point.
Above all, for the sake of Yuika, the woman I love!

I put the brakes on my brain. I don’t care if some crazy phrase pops out. Preparing myself, I unleashed the words instead. With all the love I can muster…!

 

“‘Get naked right now and pee in a kitten pose—!’”

 

It was a passionate and touching confession that exuded the cuteness of a virgin, while also showing the dependability of a boy, but with the feeling that Yuika was about to take the initiative.

She had a red face and was puckering her mouth.
Then, with teary eyes and a plump face, she began to work on the buttons of her pajamas.

“…I-I don’t know much about kitten poses and such, so please teach me properly…”
“Dah!? I knew you would, but why would you accept it?”

I hurriedly grabbed her wrist to stop her.
I’m sure my voice echoed in the next room as well. Haha, I think I might have been disliked by Aoi-chan, who I haven’t even met yet…

As I was doing this, I suddenly heard a voice from next door.
It was Iori’s voice. They seem to be arguing about something.

“‘Then! I’ll dress up as a girl, and Aoi-chan can have s*x as a boy!’”

I turned my head to the wall.
Eh? What? What did he just say?
Hey, hey, hey, no matter if it is the first time, isn’t that a little too hard!? Iori, what the heck is going on over there?