CH 4

Gathering of the Individualities

“And with this begins the 49th Cultural Festival of our Private Kouetsu High School—Brand New World ~Onwards to a new genesis~!”

This voice came from the specifically created stage located in the gym hall. Standing atop there was the president of the cultural festival executive committee Hasegawa-senpai, holding a microphone as she declared this for all of the students and visitors present. Not like it matters much, but seeing a diligent girl with glasses be all happy like that really makes you think “Ah, cute,” doesn’t it? Especially since her loud voice is a lot more adorable than I assumed.

As the theme of this year’s festival focuses mainly on progress and new innovations, we’ve got a lot of attractions offered to visitors. Our class with its Riddle Tournament is using these self-made buttons that need to be pressed when you want the answer, and we even made these silk hats that blow off when you answer (but aren’t going to be used in the main event). The third-years have a lot of classic stuff, whereas the second-years took it one step further than us. Though I don’t know how much you can qualify a mini four-wheel drive event as futuristic.

Ironically enough, the procedures of the executive committee during the preparation practically smelled like “Tradition over everything,” but once everything got started, it went a lot smoother. I guess I’ve still got a bit of attachment to the committee in a different way from Natsukawa. I’ll just cross my arms and appreciate their growth. The opening program finally ended, with the orchestra and wind instrument club doing a collaboration concert. From here on out, students and visitors will be moving independently. If you stay here, you can watch some more of the concert, with a performance from the light music club right after. Since I’ve got my shift right away, I gotta step out, though.

*

“Next question! Which animal can you find in a bath?!”

“Here it is! A capybara!”

“No.”

“Ahn, so cold!”

The grade school student next to me started laughing. And so did the parents standing in the back of the classroom. I bet it’s a pretty funny sight to see someone with a dog costume and hood over his head get rejected like this. I know I shouldn’t be saying this, but our class’s riddle tournament is messed up. Points are only given to the person answering the question, and my job as the seat filler isn’t any special, I just have to act like an idiot without guessing the right answer. And the girl acting as the host then will make fun of me. The main goal is simply to give the participants and viewers a good laugh. Though I don’t know why Iihoshi-san chose me as the only seat filler like this.

“Congratulations! Here’s your price.”

“Yaaaay!”

Dressing as a witch, Shirai-san handed a young boy a plastic bag with a Halloween design, which was filled with snacks. He then returned to his mother with a bright smile. Heh, what a child he is. If it was me, I’d take Shirai-san over the snacks. For the event itself, you’ve got five people participating, including me. The person who presses the button first and delivers the correct answer then gets a prize, and the next group of people moves up on stage. This allows for a larger number of people to participate, making it more worthwhile to stick around a bit. And as far as I’ve heard, buying all the snacks was the most expensive part of all of this.

“Here you go, Yamazaki. And don’t accidentally guess the right answer, okay?”

“How do you even achieve that? No way I’m guessing it correctly in the first place.”

“And I’m scared of that.”

Moving through the curtain, I reached the backside of the classroom, where I met up with Yamazaki, who wore a wolf costume, giving him a bit of confidence. I don’t think he’d be able to answer correctly, but I’m scared he might start some weird competition with the children and just blurt out the correct answer. Well, that actually doesn’t sound as bad. I can already see him being turned into minced meat by the host.

“Sorry, Sajou-kun. I couldn’t come up with a better way to make fun of you…”

“Um, it’s fine. I wasn’t getting any kicks out of this, anyway.”

Iihoshi-san seemed a bit dejected as she approached me with this apology. I mean, her simple “Wrong” sure was lacking punch, but…we’re not some comedy show here. No use apologizing about that. How high was she aiming for this, anyway? Then again, apologizing even for this is just like her when she does work as the class rep. And after the preparations for this event started, I could clearly see that a switch was flipped within the girls. And I don’t know why she’d think I’m the best guy for this kind of jester mood.

Once all of the seat fillers of the morning were done, namely me, Yamazaki, Nakazato, and Iwata, we’d have a new group of people taking up the mantle during the afternoon. I think it’s just my imagination here, but it seems like they’re upping the visuals quite a lot compared to the morning, especially after the third pair of host and seat filler. Maybe I’m just seeing things.

“Sajou-kun…”

“Ah, Master. Good work with the riddles.”

“I-I’m no master…”

Ichinose-san was one of the people preparing these riddles. The majority of the girls just looked them up online or asked for suggestions on social networks, but Ichinose-san came up with roughly thirty original ones, which created a legend of its own. I personally know Ichinose-san quite well, so it’s not that much of a surprise, but the other folks from our class only saw her up recently, which created this “Oh, isn’t Ichinose-san pretty amazing?” kind of mood, and started calling her Master.

“I’d prefer…if you keep it like before.”

“Ah, right. Sorry, Ichinose-san.”

Seeing her reject me this swiftly had me flustered. I was thinking that maybe she was a bit clingy when it came to me but after that whole “Sajocchi Lap” incident, I feel like she’s keeping a bit of space between us…? I previously sent her a message completely ignoring what had happened to avoid any awkward tension between us, but it feels like she built up a small wall between us…

“Sasaki-san’s coming in the afternoon, right? After eating lunch?”

“……”

“…Um, Ichinose-san?”

She seemed bashful at me calling her Master, not even directly looking at me. Did she really hate it that much? Personally, I’d love to keep calling her that. But if she’s that angry…

“…Cute.”

“Huh?”

“…Doggie.”

You’re the cute one, dangit. Ah, that was close. I almost reflexively hit on her. I’m utterly incorrigible, huh? My old habits just won’t die, no matter what I do. At the same time, Ichinose-san stretched out her arm and gently caressed my costume. Even her melted smile is adorable. Better be careful, or I’ll cup a feel of you, Ichinose-san……Man, I’m so gross.

“Are you gonna keep wearing this?”

“N-No, I don’t think I will…”

I’m nearly not cute enough to be walking around looking like this, either. Ichinose-san seems to like it, but Ashida just laughed at me. I’d much rather prefer it if Ichinose-san wore it. Ask a hundred people, they would all agree with me.

“Nuh-uh, don’t take it off. You gotta walk around while wearing it.”

“Huh?”

Right as I was about to take off the costume, my former partner and host Iihoshi-san stopped me. And I feel like I just said something outrageous, but that was just my imagination, right?

“Sajou-kun, you’re walking around the festival with Mina-chan and that junior, right? Then keep that costume on and advertise our class. It’s even got 1-C written on the back.”

“Huh? Shouldn’t I give this to the next seat filler?”

“We got two more costumes, so taking away one should be fine. Just make sure to get us more people.”

“Ah, hey…!”

She closed all the buttons I had just opened, pushed my back, and forced me out of the classroom. All of this happened way too fast, my head couldn’t keep up. Excuse me, but…what face should I even make when walking past people?

“Um, Sajou-kun…”

“Ichinose-san, perfect timing…!”

“Eeek…?!”

I didn’t hesitate to grab Ichinose-san’s arm and pull her closer to me. Standing around all alone while looking like this is way too painful…! I just need her by my side, no ulterior motives involved!

“Let’s…get showered with gazes together!”

“Ahhhhh…!” Ichinose-san’s eyes started spinning.

I can tell she doesn’t know how to handle the situation. However, I have no intention of letting her escape. We’d planned to walk around together as the three of us once we meet up with Sasaki-san anyway, so it should be fine, right? Right?

“Oh yeah, talking about Sasaki-san.”

Time to pick her up. That’ll balance the gazes directed at us a bit more. After all, Sasaki-san is a middle school student cosplaying as a middle school student. Everyone’s gazes will be glued to her. I will look for sure. And speaking of the devil, Ichinose-san’s smartphone rang.

“Ah, Fuuka-chan.”

“She sent you a message?”

“Yeah…She seems to be here already, looking for us.”

“Seriously? I would’ve gone to the front gate to pick her up. Where is she right now—Huh?”

Right as I asked that question, I felt somebody touch my shoulder. This is…this youthful gesture…and the modest act of not calling out to me…There’s no mistaking it, it must be Sasaki-san who just found—”

“—Where’s Onii-chan?”

Wrong Sasaki…! On the outside, she looked like your average girl, but I can see the abyss deep inside her eyes. I was afraid she might just suck me up with her deep gaze. And the Eye of the Evil Dragon belonged to today’s special guest, the one and only brocon—Sasaki Yuki-chan. A pleasure to have you here.

“Hello? Can you hear me? Where’s Onii-chan?”

“Oh, Yuki-chan. Haven’t seen you since I went to your place to play games with Sasaki. How you doin’?”

“Where’s Onii-chan?”

I tried to at least greet her properly, but Yuki-chan is still the same Yuki-chan as I remember her. I guess she doesn’t even care about me, or anybody but her brother for that matter. Not to mention that her bright brown hair was ruffled up through a faint breeze coming from somewhere, which made it look like a beagle’s ears moving up and down, trying to rush me further. And yet her bangs weren’t swaying at all. Just what kind of method was she using? Now I’m curious about the abilities and techniques here in Japan. Oh well…

“…Sasaki’s walking around with people from his soccer club.”

“Huh? Why did you sigh just now? Makes no sense.”

“At least greet your fellow humans, okay?”

Miss Yuki-chan didn’t even bother hiding her annoyance as she sent me a sharp, displeased gaze. So far, around 80% of the conversation has just been “Onii-chan.” It’s honestly terrifying. Even Ichinose-san managed to hold a better conversation with her customers when she just started working. And today’s TED talk is this: How To Stop A Brocon. I have no idea or proof that my hypothesis will work.

“Um…”

“Ah, Ichinose-san, let me introduce you. This is Yuki-chan. Remember Sasaki from our class? She’s that guy’s sister and a genuine brocon.”

“…Brocon…”

“Ah…”

Hearing my introduction, Ichinose-san awkwardly averted her gaze. This reaction made me realize…that she’s actually a brocon, too. They were just far too different, I completely forgot about it. Then again, Ichinose-san doesn’t leave the territory of being siblings. She’s the type of brocon I can appreciate.

“That guy? How dare you address Onii-chan this lightly.”

“He’s my classmate, remember? In fact, I think I’m spending more time with him than you do, Yuki-chan.”

“Huuuh? Are you picking a fight with me?”

“I don’t mind. But Sasaki’s gonna be the one to pay for it.”

“Grrr…”

“Don’t growl at me.”

She seems utterly furious. It might be fine since it’s me, but if this was Ichinose-san, things would definitely go in all the wrong directions. Seems at least fine as long as it’s a guy teasing her…Right? She at least looked awfully furious, as she stomped on the ground several times. I’d very much appreciate it if she stopped hurting this school and my holy place of learning. Hey, stop making that face! You look like some evil NPC straight out of the Yakuza series! That’s not the sorta face a middle school girl like you should be showing in public. After she glared at me for a moment, her face now moved over to look at Ichinose-san, her expression growing even more aggressive.

“And she? Is she my enemy?”

The fact I even understand what she even means by “enemy” is honestly terrifying to me. What if I agreed…? I’m a bit curious, but I can already see Ichinose-san crying as a result of that, so I decided against it.

“She’s not…Geez.”

“Again. You sighed again. Do you have a grudge when it comes to me, Sajou-san? I won’t ever talk to you again, okay? Do you want your messages blocked?”

“Oh, you really said that? I don’t have to tell you what Sasaki is doing at school anymore?! Hell yeah!”

“Ah, wait. I’m just kidding. Why are you so happy? Shouldn’t you beg me to not block you with tears in your eyes? Aren’t you a bit too impudent?”

“The impudent one is you!”

“Gyah?! Stop ruffling through my hair!”

I fully ran out of patience…or maybe at least a little bit, so I stopped trying to be nice to that girl who has about zero respect for her elders. Be it brocon or yandere, I shall show no mercy and punish her with a hair-ruffling attack.

“You…What if Onii-chan sees me with my messy hair?!”

“You can have him fix it for you!”

“Ha…! I didn’t even think about that!”

Despite her having a gloomy look as default, she’s got such a wide range of expressions. Well, her face and words just don’t match up. She’s like Conan dancing. And I feel like she might actually start dancing if Sasaki ordered her to.

“Um, Sajou-kun, we really should…”

“Right. Gotta pick up Sasaki-san. Don’t have time with the lesser Sasaki.”

“Huh? Did you just treat me and Onii-chan as second-class citizens?”

“I sure as hell didn’t!”

“Seriously…If he’s not in his classroom and not with you either, I can only give him a call.”

“I swear…he’s got it rough, huh?”

Now I genuinely feel bad for brother Sasaki. I decided to ignore these siblings however and looked at my phone. There was still no new message from Sasaki-san. When I think of her walking around the school while searching for us, I can feel my chest tighten. I shouldn’t waste my time on this yandere of a brocon. Yuki-chan was currently busy looking at her phone screen after putting it to her ear, so I gave her a few final words.

“Anyway, we gotta go now. I think his group was pretty large in comparison, so he should be somewhere out in the open. Good luck searching for him.”

“Wait a second.”

“Agh!”

Right as I turned my back towards her, a small hand appeared at my side, latching onto my solar plexus which sucked all the air out of my lungs. Why did she have to stop me like that? It felt like she had my life in the palm of her hand. Is this some sort of martial art? If we were the opposite sex, she would be fondling my boobs right now. Can I call this sexual harassment?

“What now? If you got serious, I’m sure you could sniff out Sasaki no problem, right?”

“What do you even think of me? I can’t do that in such a crowded place.”

I guess even an ultra brocon like Yuki-chan doesn’t have the ability to sniff out—Hold on. Pause. So she could do that if there weren’t as many people around? Since I can figure out Natsukawa’s location in a 50-meter radius, it sure as hell doesn’t sound impossible now.

“Okay, okay. What do you want now?”

“Onii-chan doesn’t answer my calls. What is going on?”

“Why are you asking me that? Maybe he’s too busy with his soccer club friends?”

“No, I’m sure he’s walking around the festival with some random woman. Unlike you, he’s very handsome, after all. There’s no way he wouldn’t be with a girl if you can even score, Sajou-san.”

“Why are you comparing yet at the same time insulting me to him? Do you even have any fiber of humanity left in you that isn’t directed at your brother? Why am I not allowed to spend my time with a girl when he isn’t? Also, why don’t you have a bit more confidence in your brother if you like him this much?”

“Could you please not generalize my love for Onii-chan into some lexical term? Not even the gods can give this feeling a name.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not into your weird religious nonsense. Let’s go, Ichinose-san.”

“Y-Yes…Ah.”

“Huh?”

Guess all I can do is break free from this by force. But right as I made that decision, I heard Ichinose-san let out a faint gasp as she looked straight ahead. I followed along when I spotted a certain university girl walking toward us while looking around…Oh, she found us first, huh?

“Um…Ah! Sajou-senpai, Mina-senpai!”

“Sasaki-san……Wait, Senpai?”

The second our eyes met, her face lit up with a dazzling smile. I was gonna respond in fashion, but the way she addressed me had me stuttering. Did she always call me Senpai? I mean, she would do it from time to time to tease me, but this officially…

“She always calls you that way when we talk during work, you know…?”

“Oh, really?”

Ichinose-san must have guessed what I was thinking and delivered an explanation. We have been texting since then, but we didn’t have many chances to actually meet up lately…I guess she just changed her way of addressing me while talking to Ichinose-san. She’s doing the same for her, after all…Hold on. When they talk during work? So they talk about me when I’m not around? Man, now I’m curious.

“It’s been a while, Sajou-senpai!”

“Tell me about it. You’re looking even more mature than last time I saw you.”

“Hehe, Mom and I prepared these clothes just for today!”

“You look like a genuine high school student now.”

Sasaki-san wasn’t wearing her uniform from Mishirohama Middle School, but a casual outfit fitting the season. I really don’t think you’d see a middle school student wearing that, but if her mother coordinated that outfit, then it makes a lot more sense.

“And Mina-senpai, too! You’ve got such a gentle air to you!”

“G-Gentle…?”

“Your bangs! Normally you’ve kept them opened up!”

“Ah, um…”

“Waaah! Mina-senpai being flustered is so adorable!”

Ichinose-san seemed embarrassed that Sasaki-san saw her with her bangs down, as she hid her face. Can’t blame Sasaki-san for being all excited. I can’t process all of this…! First, Ichinose-san! I agree that her hiding herself is absolutely adorable! Next, Sasaki-san! Being so excited you jump in joy makes you look like a middle school student, so stop it! We’ve got young children here watching you…Oh wait, she’s actually in middle school. The way her body moves when she jumps up and down is way too stimulating. Up…down…up…Okay, stop. We’re gonna be walking around the school together from now on, I can’t be feeling this way.

And as if that wasn’t enough, the two were now playing a game of catch with me as the pillar in the middle. Whenever they accidentally bumped into me, I felt a rush of joy filling me up. Yeah, I should just accept this and be happy about it. As an adolescent boy, it would be rude to turn my eyes away from this. One more round, please?

“Geez! You don’t have to run away from me like—Huh?”

“…Wha?”

Right as I fully accepted that Sasaki-san was a middle school student, which completely awakened my slumbering father tendencies, she suddenly came to a halt as she clung to my left arm. Are you really gonna stop there? I can’t move, you know? Any slight movement would just be rude.

“Wait, are you…Yuki-chan?”

“Huh? Fuuka-chan?”

Hold on, these two know each other? Yuki-chan and Sasaki-san looked at each other, seemingly confused and surprised. Well, they’re around the same age, so it wouldn’t be weird for them to have met before. Especially since their family name is the same.

“Is that really you, Yuki-chan?”

“Fuuka-chan…? Why are you looking like that…”

“R-Right back at you…You seem so different…”

…Hm? Something doesn’t feel so right, here. They don’t seem too happy they ran into each other. Looking like that…Seeming different? Is there anything weird about them? They’re both the golden standard in my eyes.

“Ichinose-san, do you know anything?”

“…”

Ichinose-san observed the two from behind my back, shaking her head horizontally. She seems to feel like something isn’t quite right and is worried. Aw man, I wanna protect her so bad. My father tendencies are gonna explode. I wanna give her a snack.

“Do you two know each other?”

“Huh…?! Y-Yes! We’re both from the same middle school, and we were even in the same class last year.”

“Wha…Yuki-chan, you’re from Mishirohama?”

“Why do you sound so shocked? That’s a bit rude, isn’t it? Do you have a problem with me being from there? I’m Onii-chan’s younger sister, remember? You should have expected that.” Yuki-chan gave me a sharp glare as she looked up at me.

I’m scared. I’m really scared, help me…She looks like she’s gonna take a stun gun out of her bag simply for self-protection means. Or maybe an anti-crime bell. If she pulled that off here, I’d get kicked out of school in an instant. Also…she actually is from the same school? That…aw man, that just completely ruined my image of that school. I thought it was a school full of princesses like Sasaki-san. Yet when I look at this yandere brocon beauty, I suddenly lose all respect.

“Oh…wow…Yuki-chan is talking so much.”

“Wha, Fuuka-chan…!”

Right as my world was shaken, Yuki-chan started to panic as well. It’s rare to see her this emotional. It felt like all the darkness in her eyes was dispelled, I almost doubted my eyes.

“Hold on, so Yuki-chan doesn’t talk much at school?”

“Yes! She’s like a kuudere, silent and beautiful!”

“Kuudere.”

“Fuuka-chan…?!”

I did not expect that word to come out of Sasaki-san’s mouth. I suddenly don’t feel like living in this world anymore. Also, Yuki-chan as a kuudere? Not a yandere? What coolness does she have to make the cool in kuudere? Right now, all I can see is her as the cheeky little sister of a romcom protagonist.

“Are you putting up an act or something?”

“N-Not at all! I just don’t have any interest in anybody but Onii-chan!”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t scream that out loud in a public place like this.”

All the people around us suddenly looked in our direction. Young, old, man, woman, it didn’t matter. Can you stop trying to become a yandere-type little sister? I feel like jamming devices for wiretaps are gonna be selling like hot potatoes in a few years. I feel like security companies are gonna choose her as their next ambassador. Maybe a plush toy that sits in the corner of the room, which can suddenly fire beams from its eyes.

Though, it kinda makes sense. Since it’s a girls’ middle school, she’s got no way to be with Sasaki. That would explain why she’s not going full nutjob at school. And if you take away her brocon tendencies, then she’s just like any other cheeky girl who has no interest in others.

“S-So what about you, Fuuka-chan?! What are those clothes…When did you start wearing these kinds of mature outfits? Last time we met, you wore something even a grade school student would—”

“Waaaaaah! Stop! Stop stop stop!” Sasaki-san panicked and covered Yuki-chan’s mouth with her hands.

Now of all times, she suddenly looked like a university student to me, which made the whole scene look much more dangerous. Following that, Sasaki-san glanced over at Ichinose-san. The reason she doesn’t bother much with my reaction is probably that I already knew about that fact. She said it when we went to that shop last summer break. That being said, since I actually have never seen her wearing those types of clothes, I can’t help but feel frustrated. If I was all alone, I would have stomped on the ground in anger.

“Um…” Ichinose-san looked at me like she didn’t know what to do.

It seems like this situation was too much for her to handle. Especially since this is her first time meeting Yuki-chan. It’s like the friend of a friend you don’t know suddenly appeared. And knowing Ichinose-san, that’s probably the type she can’t deal with the most.

“It seems they’re both just confused at seeing a completely new side they hadn’t witnessed before.”

“……”

Ichinose-san seemed to agree with my evaluation as she looked at the two. Then again, I’m not much better, since I only know Yuki-chan as the yandere brocon. I had no idea her pupils could even hold this much light in them…The way I see it, and the way they address each other, it seems like they at least aren’t close enough to spend every day together. Maybe on the level of being seat neighbors? If we took Yuki-chan with us from here on out, it might force Sasaki-san to step into the background. As a common friend, it’s my duty to handle this.

“Anyway, now that Sasaki-san found us, we should probably head off.”

“Huh?”

“Good luck finding your brother, Yuki-chan. If you get hit on, make sure to use your hidden blade or stun gun or chains to protect yourself.”

Sasaki-san simply looked at me in shock. It’s fine, she can make it on her own. Knowing her, she’ll do everything in her power, even if it means crossing the law and the morals of society. This is where our adventure truly starts…!

“Now wait a second. I’m not letting you escape.”

“Whyyy?!”

She grabbed my arm, not letting go. Normally, I’d be grinning to myself at such excessive physical contact, but all I could feel right now was terror and dread with a mixture of annoyance. The last part is giving me shivers. I feel like as long as radio waves are able to reach me, there’s no escaping her. My luck ran out the second I exchanged numbers with her. Any resistance was futile. If I attempt anything, I’ll have handcuffs on my wrists before I can blink.

“You seriously plan on leaving a middle school girl all alone in a crowd of people like this? Onii-chan would never do such a thing. Also, it’d be much more effective for me to tag along with you instead of wildly running around to search for Onii-chan, which is why I won’t let you go without me.”

“Th-That’s right! Sajou-senpai, we can’t leave her alone…”

“Huh? Didn’t you study the entire map to figure out where Sasaki could be going?”

“He doesn’t have that many possibilities, so there’s no need.”

So even Yuki-chan couldn’t memorize the entire layout of this festival. Well, that makes sense…Depending on the character you use in Resident Evil, the map layout could be entirely different, so I get it.

“…”

“Sajou-senpai, you don’t need to make such a bothered face…”

“This person is quite annoying…”

With how much Yuki-chan prioritizes her brother, I can already see myself getting wrapped up in all sorts of trouble. I was really looking forward to enjoying the fluffy, happy-go-lucky mood given to me by walking around the school with Ichinose-san and Sasaki-san, so I can’t really hide my disappointment. And the second we ran into Yuki-chan, I feel like she’s been starting to steal the leader position from me…Hold on, does she think I’m another of those sheep that need guidance?! Well, I don’t mind if it’s her, tehe~

“…Well, you can tag along while we show you around, Sasaki-san, I guess. We’ll find your brother at some point, and then he can pick you up, no biggie.”

“Pick me up? He’s going to free me from your devilish hands, of course.”

“All right, maybe I’ll just leave you here instead…”

“Now, now…” Sasaki-san whispered into my ear to pacify me.

She’s treating me like a horse…Not bad. I bet she’d look great as a jockey. I’ve had plenty of experience with Airi-chan, so I think I wouldn’t mind having her hop on my back as I waltz along…And she’ll slap me with her whip? O-Oh…? GULP