When I opened my eyes, a pink round game character1 was reflected in my hazy field of vision.
“Hey!! Can you stop doing ‘Up-B’?! I will be very upset if I lose to something like that, you know?!”
“I refuse2. Because I know that if I keep using ‘Up-B’, the other person will get irritated.”
These guys… why…?
“This white-haired maid-san is really strong in another sense~! She really understands the annoyingness of ‘Up-B’ Kirby.”
Why the heck these guys are playing friggin’ Super Smash Bros beside a person who almost died from magic power exhaustion…?
And if I look closely, I can see the scene clearly. The scene of 12 elves playing Super Smash Bros in the hall. Moreover, our white-haired maid (Who I have finally known as Snow) also participated with them, making it a 13-person tournament…
“….”
Next to me, who was sleeping after almost dying due to magic power exhaustion.
『Gegegegegegekko Gegegegekko gekkoga…』
“….”
『Gegegegegekko Gegekko–』
“Like I said, can you stop repeatedly hitting B and A on the character selection screen and continuously triggering the character’s voice!!”
“I refuse. Because I know that the other party will be irritated by the triggering character’s voice repeatedly.”
Next to the maid, who is launching a nasty mental attack to her opponent, I completely came to consciousness because of a youthful game voice, saying 『Gegegegegekko gegegegekko gekko ga…』.
“Onii-sama…. I’m glad…”
Perhaps because she was taking care of me all this time without sleeping, Rei’s eyes were slightly swollen, as she smiled while holding my hand.
When I first met her, her eyes that were looking at me were as cold as absolute zero, but… her eyes now are looking at me with a warmth like sunlight in the spring.
She is truly fit to be called a Yamato Nadeshiko with long black hair and a drop-dead gorgeous face. And such a girl was staring at me with her moist eyes.
In the game, Sanjou Rei had the impression of being aloof until she was defeated, but it seems in front of her brother who is on the verge of dying, she became really meek.
*Suuuu, Suuuu*
Meanwhile, while breathing gently, Lapis was sleeping at my feet. No split ends can be seen from her golden hair that spreads on the futon, it could even make people see them like a golden carpet.
The lovely girl who mumbled in her sleep while using my feet as her pillow can probably even be displayed in the museum just like that. And Rei can stand beside such a Lapis without feeling inferior. It made me think once again, as expected of a heroine.
“About the Sanjou Family… I’m very sorry…. I never intend to have Onii-sama get involved….”
Rei intermittently said.
Looks like several parts of my body were actually grazed by the slashes. With bandages on my hand and feet, I tried to lift my whole body, which was as heavy as lead– until Rei supported me in a hurry.
“You did that to protect me, right?”
Rei lifted her face in surprise.
Resigned, she nodded.
“This isn’t the first time they had that dinner, right? It probably has been held many times since Snow started watching me. And the purpose of that dinner is to discuss 『How to get rid of Sanjou Hiiro in the academy.』… Am I right?”
“…Yes.”
To put it simply, they have to discuss about Hiiro as soon as possible because the day of admission is imminent. That’s the gist of it, I guess.
Even if they wanted to send an assassin to kill me in a perfect place called academy, the approval of the next head of the family, Rei, is still required. Because if they killed me without Rei’s permission, they would be blamed for making a decision as they please, which worsens their position in the Sanjou Family.
In other words, it’s all about how much ‘Money’ and ‘Power’ of the Sanjou Family they can obtain… Because even the branch families are in conflict with each other in order to increase their distribution even a little. No one wants to get their hands dirty, after all.
That’s probably why they are planning to kill me with the approval of Rei, who is still young. If those yakuza-like old hags rushed to Rei saying, 『Kill your brother』, of course she would cry. Because even in the game, Rei was trying to protect her bastard brother… Hiiro.
At the end of Rei’s route, the rampaging Hiiro turned everyone into his enemy. And Rei made a strategy to put Hiiro out of the misery, so her brother could at least die as a human being.
Even after that, Rei regretted what she had done and cried, until the protagonist gently hugged her.
Ah really, what a sad story… and so wholesome.
By the way, regarding the murder of Hiiro by Rei, since it was done like a Pythagoras Switch, it is called 『Tsume Shogi3 Murder』 (sound of seriousness being blown away).
“Sorry, because of me, you…”
“O-Onii-sama is not wrong! I-it’s because I didn’t have the courage… Because I couldn’t stop our grandaunts-sama… that’s why…!”
“Thank you, Rei.”
I smiled at her.
“It’s okay. Leave the rest to me. I will definitely make you happy (the main character will).”
“Onii-sama…!”
With tears flowing from her eyes, she embraces me.
And while smiling, I…. looked at Lapis, who was glaring at me.
“Lapis, why don’t you tell me if you already woke up, come on, change.”
“Ha? Why do I have to hug you?”
“What are you talking about? It’s the opposite! You go hug Rei!! Isn’t that something that you would know after thinking normally?!”
“I-I don’t understand…”
“Good grief…”
With a Naginata in her hand, Master comes in front of me with a smile on her face.
“I never thought I would be called and then be entrusted with the cleaning up. Looks like Hiiro has a tendency to downplay his master.”
Putting her Naginata on the bed, Master, who beautifully sits in seiza4, then gently stroked my head.
“But, well done. I’m proud of you. You have become a little stronger again.”
“No, although it is true that I, who tried to deceive Master by saying 『Let’s eat together!!』 before going to the restaurant is wrong… Isn’t Master, who didn’t help me until the last minute, also terrible?”
“HAHAHA, what are you talking about…”
This woman… even though she was probably excitedly waiting to appear in the coolest scene while thinking, ‘Is it now, is it now?’.
“Besides, Hiiro also used me, right?”
Lapis, who supported her face with her elbows on the futon, said while flapping her legs.
“Isn’t Hiiro trying to let the Sanjou Family know… that Lapis Klue La Lumet is behind you? That’s why you purposely said to me to 『Don’t use your magic device』, and tried to make me appear at the very end without letting me participate in the battle, right? How far ahead did you think at that moment? I really can’t read you.”
“HAHAHA, what are you talking about…”
Master and I then looked at each other and laughed while placing our arms around each other’s shoulder.
“”HAHAHAHAHAHA.””
“This damn master and disciple… But, well.”
Lapis softly murmured.
“Your true intention…. by apologizing to me first… was because you actually don’t want to get me involved, right…?”
“No, I was very much trying to get you involved, though. What the heck are you saying in such a small voice? Come on, say it out loud, with your belly voice!”
“You should have pretended that you didn’t hear it, idiot!!”
Since I planned to kick flags other than Yuri, I refuse (hard will).
“But well, with this, the Sanjou Family shouldn’t be able to do something for a while.”
I gently let go of Rei and smiled.
“Let’s enjoy our school life. Especially love. You don’t have to care about study, just go find your destined person (girl, preferably the protagonist) and go be happy.”
“Ah, y-yes..?”
“Master.”
“Whoa!?”
Suddenly, without making any sound, the maid who stood in front of me… Snow bowed deeply.
“Thank you… very much… truly… thank you…”
I waved my hands to her tearful voice.
“I only moved because there was something I wanted to protect. There is no reason for you to thank me. Before bowing down to me, apologize to your opponent who got irritated by you repeatedly pressing the B and A button on the character selection screen.”
She raised her face and smiled quietly.
“Hiiro-sa~n!! Let’s play smash bros together~!! I was taught a technique to irritate my opponent by repeatedly grabbing the cliff~!!”
Hearing the words said by one of the shadows, I laughed bitterly. Looks like before I realized, I came to be used to this clamor.
After that, some time has passed. Since it took time to recover from the symptoms of magic power exhaustion, my training with Master remained suspended.
And finally, the day of admission has come.
Dressed in my new uniform, I stared at her under the big Sakura tree.
Wrapped in the dancing Sakura petals, she looked back at me for a moment.
And then she and I– the MC and the annoyance, stared at each other.
“This is…”
As if declaring to her, I said.
“This is the start. Right–”
And gently whispered.
“–Tsukiori Sakura (MC)?”
After smiling at me for a little— she turns her back and walks away.
While staring at her as she walked away, I laughed in front of the blessing of Sakura blossoms and the vast magic academy.