Volume 8 - CH 4(2/3)
“I figured that today would be a great opportunity to work on your gynophobia. By going on a date with a girl, you’ll surely get used to them, right?”
“Well, you’re probably not wrong in that, but..”
“I really don’t want you to become a lolicon, or tread the path of BL. You want to fix your gynophobia..and experience love with girls, right? That’s why I’ll help you. Since we’re friends.”
“What you’re saying isn’t wrong, but why did you force me to pay for the ice cream?”
“It’s a date, so the man is supposed to pay, right?” Masamune said, and got another taste of the ice cream.
It was pretty expensive, okay? Not to mention that vanilla ice cream sounds great right now..Ahh, I should have bought some myself.
“You better be ready, I’ll have you repay me for that.”
“Eh? W-With..my body?”
“No.”
“E-Even if my body is filled with cream right now, saying ‘Eat me~’ is too much..”
“Is the inside of your head filled with a wedding cake!?”
“..What do you mean by that?”
“It’s something worth celebrating!”
“Don’t use an example that’s hard to understand!” Masamune was fuming in anger. “Also, I wouldn’t be able to do this if Suzutsuki Kanade was here..”
“Why?”
“Isn’t that obvious? There’s no way she would give the okay to the two of us going on a date.”
“Ahhhh..”
I get what she’s on about. I’m not too sure if I can even say that, but the Suzutsuki right now—Derechuki-san is practically glued to me. Even if this is to fix my gynophobia, she most likely wouldn’t give the green light for us to go on a date like this.
“Not to mention..I was looking forward to this.”
“What?”
“B-Because..I’ve been waiting for this day to come..This is my first time coming to an amusement park.”
Normally you’d go at least once with your family..Well, I guess not. Masamune’s been plagued with family-related problems for a long time. Because of her harsh attitude and cold voice, she doesn’t have any friends either. That’s why it makes sense that this is her first actual visit to an amusement park.
“But, why was there such a need to move separately from Konoe and the others?”
“B-Because..”
“?”
“Enjoying the amusement park too much..would make me seem like a child, and it’s embarrassing..” Masamune muttered with a flustered voice that was about to vanish into thin air.
....Well, whatever. I’m sure that it’ll still take a bit longer until Konoe and the others leave the haunted house. I can also understand Masamune’s sentiments, but even more than that..
“Alright, I got it, so don’t look like you’re about to break out in tears.”
“W-Who’s about to cry!?” Masamune averted her face with a pout.
She probably was worried if I was going to agree or not. That’s why, it’s probably my best bet to just simply agree, and—
“!?”
Immediately after, I started thinking that maybe my choice was wrong after all. At a moment’s notice, Masamune wrapped her arms around mine.
“U-Um, Masamune-san?”
“No complaining. This is to fix your gynophobia.” She threw these words at me, but her tone of voice almost made it sound like she was enjoying this.
Waaah, this nasty rabbit, did she awaken to her sadistic side now? Or, is she just enjoying the amusement park that much? Whichever it may be, I wasn’t given much time to think about it, as my gynophobia symptoms were flaring up. Not to mention..
“..!”
Her chest..because she’s pressing her body against mine, her breasts were directly touching my elbow, and gyaaaaa! What is this sensation! This is much more terrifying than any thrill ride!
“Hey, stupid chicken.”
“W-What do you want?”
“There’s two more things I want to ask you, can I?”
“W-Why do I have to answer your questions?”
“You don’t need to answer me, you know? I have my own way of getting that out of you.” She muttered with a teasing tone of voice, as she pressed her chest onto me even further.
T-This woman, she’s clearly trying to make things worse. I’m at my limit now, my nose is burning up.
“A-Alright, ask me anything.”
“Fufu, very well.”
The promise was formed. I-I’m saved..But, I wonder what she wants to ask?
“First..about Suzutsuki Kanade.” She started talking. “You’re hiding something in regards to Suzutsuki Kanade, right?”
“Urk.”
“Seems like I hit the jackpot. I thought something was off. After all, you were so focused on playing with her all the time, simply because of her order. That must have had some special reason, right?”
“T-That’s..”
“Just be honest with me. If not..”
“..! O-Okay, I’ll say it! So please, stop clinging to my arm like that!”
I surrendered quickly in order for me to not pass out..It can’t be helped. I kept quiet about the DVD, but I think it’s about time I told her.
“The thing is..”
From there on out, I revealed everything. The fact that Konoe and I saw that DVD, that Suzutsuki herself chose to become a young girl, and that we tried our hardest to satisfy Suzutsuki so that she returned back to normal.
“Hmm, I see.” After hearing everything, Masamune let out a sigh. “So she chose to become an 8-year old girl, huh. And now, she can’t turn back. In order to fix her, you want to satisfy her.”
“That’s about it.”
However, there’s one thing I didn’t tell Masamune about. Namely, the reason why Suzutsuki chose this method. I mean, what good would telling her do? If I confessed the real reason, these two would only hate each other more. Well, it’s already pretty bad. They’re rich lady and commoner, they live in different worlds.
“But..it makes sense that you would quickly want to fix that.”
“Eh?”
To my surprise, Masamune sounded oddly worried about her natural enemy Suzutsuki.
“D-Don’t get the wrong idea. This is for my sake. I’m not good at dealing with children. When Suzutsuki’s like this, I can never get angry at her.”
“Masamune..”
That damn tsundere. She’s probably exhausted from always being considerate of young Suzutsuki. I get her. Having to deal with this innocent attitude all the time can be troublesome.
“Not to mention..I can’t stand her always clinging to you..”
“Agreed. Any more than this, and people will see me as a lolicon.”
“Y-Yeah, that’s what I meant.” Masamune bit her lip, sounding like there was something else she wanted to say.
And now, it was our turn in line. Around ten people can ride this water coaster at the same time. You ride as pairs, in five lines.
“..First row, huh.”
Masamune’s and my seats were at the very front of the coaster. It had to be these seats, huh. We’ll probably end up drenched thanks to that.
“Stupid chicken, I got this from an employee, we’re supposed to put these on our heads.” Masamune handed me what looked like a small vinyl sheet.
I see, I’m using this as a guard, huh.
‘The coaster ride will now depart!’
After we sat down on our seats and put down the safety bar, the ride started moving up the lane. Hmm, this is pretty high. I haven’t ridden this kind of attraction in a while, so my heart is racing in excitement.
“Hey, what about that other question you had?” I asked, remembering our previous conversation.
“..Yeah.”
However, only silence followed, and the mere sound of metallic rattling could be heard. Finally, she opened her mouth, and..
“Did something happen between you and Subaru-sama?” She asked.
“What do you..”
“I mean, recently you don’t seem that close anymore, right? Or rather than that, things feel awkward between the two of you.”
“....”
“Did you..have a fight?” Her eyes looked at me in uncertainty.
Being met with such an honest gaze, I could only answer with a faint ‘..Yeah’. And then, another silence ensued. We were still going up the rails. Despite the metallic sound still filling our ears, this silence felt longer than before.
“......”
I wouldn’t even know how much time has passed. With a bit more, we would reach the summit.
“—It’s fine.” Masamune said.
“Eh?”
“Like I said, it’ll be fine. I’ll help you out. Luckily, we’re at an amusement park today, so this is your perfect chance to make up, right.”
“......”
“You were really close with Subaru-sama, right? Since you’re friends, you naturally would want to make up.”
“..Yeah, thanks.” I gave my honest gratitude.
I guess it’s true that all you need in life are friends. To think that Masamune herself would offer to help me.
“Not to mention..Subaru-sama is a boy, so there’s no problem even if you’re close..”
“Eh?”
“N-Nothing. But, no setting foot onto the path of BL, okay! No matter how close you may be! Ah, right, I’ll help you cure Suzutsuki’s problem while I’m at it as well.”
That one’s just the added bonus!? — I really wanted to retort, but just getting help from Masamune in regards to Suzutsuki is something I should be thankful for. Yeah, all you need is a good friend..
“Masamune.”
“Hm? What?”
“I mean, this is going to sound a bit cheesy, but..I’m glad that you and I are friends.”
I got swept along with the mood, and uttered something awfully embarrassing.
“Eh—”
I felt my body floating, and the wind blew past me at higher speeds than before. Following that, a great amount of screams rang out—We were descending down the coaster. We reached the summit without me even realizing, and now we were nearing the water—directly hitting it. Water splashed up around us everywhere. After that, it started raining down on us.
Good thing I covered my body with the vinyl a split-second before that. I almost forgot that I was given that thing, but I’m glad I remembered it in time. Now I got away without being drench..
“—Um, Masamune?”
What are you doing—I wanted to complain, but I lost all my words.?She was drenched. Water was dripping off her clothes. It’s like she was training under a waterfall..
“You..”
Did she forget to put on the vinyl guard?
“Wha..wha..wha..!?”
However, Masamune was blushing furiously, without even realizing that she ended up like that. She completely forgot herself.
“Y-You, what embarrassing nonsense are you saying!”
“Wha?”
“You said something weird like that, surprising me!”
“Surprising you..”
Was it that weird? I don’t think you need to freeze up like that. I do agree that it was mighty embarrassing though.
“Don’t get the wrong idea, okay! It’s not..like I was happy or anything!”
Upon reaching the end of the ride, even after we walked away from our seats, Masamune was still rambling on and on..I mean, that’s fine and all, but..
“..Um, Masamune-san.”
“What do you want!?”
“Well, your clothes..”
“..Eh?”
As friends, I thought of informing Masamune of her current appearance, to which she blushed even more aggressively. The one-piece she was wearing was utterly drenched, which led the fabric to stick to her skin, revealing her slender and feminine lines, as well as emphasizing her underwear..
“Stop looking, stupid chicken!”
“Guha!?”
Immediately after, Masamune’s crescent kick slammed right into my flank. T-This damn nasty rabbit, she never holds back, huh..!
“Idiot! Dummy! Big big dummy! You’re the worst! Why did things have to end up this way!?”
“You got splashed by water, right?”
“It’s your fault because you said something embarrassing like that!”
“You still didn’t have to kick me like that!” I screamed while dodging another incoming kick.
Think about the other people watching us!
“What is that? A fight?”
“It’s nice being young.”
“You’re flirting way too much, alright.”
These and many other words could be heard, all of them misunderstanding the situation.
“Geez, you dummy..” Masamune said, but still accepted the towel from the employee, and dried herself.
I’m glad it’s a considerate employee helping us. It is a clear day today, but having it dry naturally would take too long. However, that still hasn’t cleared up all my problems. I definitely made Masamune angry. Maybe she’ll reconsider helping me now..
“..You don’t have to be so worried, okay.” There, right after we stepped out of the attraction, Masamune opened her mouth after getting a good look at my face. “Whether it’s you getting along with Subaru-sama, or turning Suzutsuki back to normal, I’ll help you. Because..we’re friends, right?”
“..Yeah, thanks.”
She did sound a bit embarrassed, but I still gave her my gratitude..Yeah, no matter what she may say or do—Masamune is a great person.
“..Jirou, what are you doing here with Usami?”
Right there, I heard an awfully displeased alto voice. When I turned towards the source of that voice, I spotted Konoe Subaru. She gave me and Masamune a harsh glare.
“..Ah.”
Crap, I totally forgot. It was around time that these guys got out of the haunted house, yeah. But then, why is it just Konoe here?
“Right after we left the haunted house, we split up to look for you and Usami..but to think you two were enjoying yourselves like this.” Her voice was shaking in anger.
Crap, I need to quickly explain everything. After all, Masamune is now going to help us with Suzutsuki, so—
“Gohu!?”
Right as I tried to make up excuses, a butler knuckle rammed right into my solar plexus.
“I thought you were better than this..” Konoe spoke with watery eyes.
She looked like a child that was about to break out in tears.
“We planned to work hard for the young lady’s sake today, and yet you left her alone to have fun with Usami instead..”
“..! Wait, Konoe! I need to tell you about what Masamune and I talked—”
“Shut up! Like I’d listen to your excuses now!” Konoe averted her face, and walked away.
She’s probably going back to where Suzutsuki and Kureha are waiting.
“S-Stupid chicken..Um, sorry about that. I might have just made things worse..”
“..No, it’s fine. I’m partially to blame as well.” I cheered up the apologizing Masamune.
In fact, it’s not her fault. However, after that kiss incident before, I feel like our relationship moved into the opposite direction. It was almost noon now, with a clear blue sky above us, and yet my heart was clouded with fear about where this would go.
×
As expected, Konoe would not forgive me no matter what I said. Or rather, she wouldn’t even hear me out. Immediately after that, we grouped up with Suzutsuki and the others, so I tried to immediately explain myself, but I couldn’t even properly talk with her. Although I was clearly to blame, that still didn’t sit right with me. I mean, not even responding to me? Masamune and I merely rode an attraction together, why is there a need to be this angry?
But, if I retaliated now, it would break out into a real fight. That’s why I held my tongue for now. I know how stubborn Subaru-sama can be, but with time, her anger should subside. So, after we finished lunch, we went to adventure the amusement park again. Biking, a free-fall, a roller coaster, a mirror house, one-person bungee jumping that I was forced into by the young lady, and right after the hero show, we moved to a game center. There was countless playing, and even more playing. In the meantime, the time of day moved to evening.
“..Phew.” I let out a sigh.
It’s no use, I’m not seeing any progress at all. And no, I’m not talking about Suzutsuki. Derechuki-san was thoroughly enjoying the amusement park, and looked happy as could be. I feel like we got a lot of points in regards to satisfying her.
The real problem is Konoe Subaru. She wouldn’t even let me talk to her, and just averted her gaze.
“Stupid chicken, what do you plan on doing?”
Masamune must have felt guilty, because she called out to me with an anxious voice. Even if you ask me that..I should be able to clear up the misunderstanding regarding Masamune. The problem is what comes after—Namely, the kiss. That’s the main reason things turned awkward between the two of us. Without clearing that up, we won’t improve our relationship. So in order to put an end to this—
“Onii-chan.”
As I was lost in thought, Suzutsuki pulled on my costume.
“What’s up?”
“Um, I want to ride that thing next.” She smiled, and pointed towards a single spot.
As it turns out—she wanted to ride the Ferris Wheel, yet another template attraction you would find at an amusement park. Looking at the pamphlet, this Ferris Wheel was at least 100m tall, and one ride could take 19 minutes.
“Hey, Onii-chan.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Yaaay! Ferris Wheel!” Derechuki-san jumped in joy.
Judging from that, she seems satisfied alright.
“The gondola seems big enough for all of us to fit as well.” Masamune commented after looking at the billboard next to the line.
I bet the sight must be great, yeah. With these thoughts, we lined up, and it took us around ten minutes when it was our turn.
“Then, you hop on first, Onii-chan.”
“Hm? Y-Yeah.”
Urged by Suzutsuki, I stepped onto the gondola. Oh, it’s shaking a bit. Now that I think about it, this is my first time taking a ride on a Ferris Wheel.
“Next it’s me. Onii-chan, lend me your hand.”
“Yeah yeah, I understand, young lady.” I stuck out one hand from the Ferris Wheel, and grabbed Suzutsuki’s hand.
For just a bit, it should be fine even with my gynophobia.
“Fufu, thank you.” She showed a teasing smile, and hopped on the gondola.
Immediately after—
“..Eh?”
A?clicking?sound rang out, and the door of the gondola closed. Of course, the Ferris Wheel did not stop to wait for us. While leaving behind Kureha, Masamune, and even Konoe, we moved forward. They definitely can’t join our gondola anymore.
“Onii-chan.” Her voice sounded seductive for some reason.
After the door closed, Derechuki-san sat down next to me, and smiled.
“S-Suzutsuki, what are you..”
“I’m sorry, I just wanted to enjoy a brief date with Onii-chan, that’s all.”
“A date..”
“Come on, sit down. We’ll talk a bit during this ride, what do you think?”
“....”
Seeing no other option, I sat down facing Suzutsuki..She set me up. She probably suggested the Ferris Wheel with that exact plot in mind. That’s Suzutsuki Kanade for you, she’s still a young child, but she knows how to use her surroundings. But..what is this? What does she want to talk about with me?
“First, let me ask something.”
As the Ferris Wheel continued to turn, we were looking outside. It would take 19 minutes until we’re back on the ground. In the midst of this date that was far too short, Suzutsuki began the questioning.
“Why did you play this much with me for the past two weeks?”
“W-Why..? Because I’m your servant.”
“Nonsense, I see. You were weird this entire time. And to be perfectly honest, the same goes for Subaru. You were almost desperate when it came to playing with me, weren’t you. Before, you would be very hesitant when I invited you. Tell me, why?” Suzutsuki tilted her head.
..Are you serious? To think she realized what we were trying to do. She’s got way too good of an intuition. Damn Devil Suzutsuki, even as a child she doesn’t hold back with her devilish power.
“Onii-chan?”
“..Alright.”
Having come this far, I probably won’t be able to hide it. Once we made it down to the ground, she’ll ask Konoe the same thing, and she won’t be able to go against her master. For now, I decided to explain everything. After hearing out everything—
“Hmm, I see.” Derechuki-san nodded. “Basically, you were constantly playing with me in order to satisfy me, yes?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Ahaha, thank you, Onii-chan. I’m lucky to have such great servants, really. Because of that..I’m thoroughly enjoying myself.”
“Eh..?” I couldn’t hide my shock in the face of these words.
“These past two weeks, you always played with me. You, Subaru, Kureha-chan, even Ichigo-san and Usamin, getting to play and have fun with all of you, how could I not be fulfilled.”
“S-So then..”
Will you turn back to normal? Will you turn back to the high school girl Suzutsuki Kanade.
“But, it’s still not enough.” She smiled. “There’s still something lacking.”
“Lacking?”
“I am satisfied, really. But, that’s just one. Judging from the conclusion I came up with over the past two weeks, there is one more thing left to do. Once you execute that, I should be able to return back to how I previously was.”
“R-Really!?” I jumped up in shock.
“Calm down, Onii-chan. My question comes first.” She said, and looked outside the window.
I followed her gaze, and realized that the gondola reached quite the height. From up here, I could see the orange-colored town. Everywhere I looked, it was illuminated.
“So then, my second question.” Suzutsuki spoke with a somewhat mature tone, and opened her mouth again. “Did something happen between you and Subaru?”
“Wha..”
Now hold on. Why is she asking me that? How is that related to turning her back to normal?
“Ah, before that.” As I was baffled, Suzutsuki grinned. “You know about Subaru’s secret, right?”
“..!?”
I was speechless. Suzutsuki saw my reaction, and let out a snicker.
“You don’t need to hide it. You know that Subaru is a girl. I’ve been with you these two weeks, I know at least that much.”
“..You..”
“Of course, I haven’t told anybody. That would force Subaru to quit as my butler after all. This is just a secret between you and me.” She said, and put her index finger on her lips.
I sighed in relief. Thank god, if Suzutsuki were to tell Ichigo-san about this, things would definitely go south.
“Yes, that confirms everything. Let’s get back on the main topic. Onii-chan, why did things end up like this between you and Subaru?”
“Urk..”
“You had a fight?”
“No, not really..”
“Did you force a kiss on her by any chance?”
“..! N-No! I might have been a bit forceful, but it was an accident!”
—Wait no no! Why does she know that I kissed Konoe?
“I knew it.”
Seeing my reaction, Suzutsuki nodded.
“H-How did you know?”
“Eh? Intuition, of course?”
“Are you an esper!?”
“Fufu, just kidding. I heard it from Subaru’s sleeping talk. I often sleep together with her, right? She suddenly started muttering ‘Kiss with Jirou..’, you know. She’s so cute, I couldn’t hold back my desire to hug her.”
“..’zat so.”
“I also kissed her.”
“Why did you go that far!?”
“Fufu, calm down, Onii-chan, it was just on the cheek.”
“You can’t just assault your servants..”
I mean, Konoe sure is cute, but..this isn’t the time to be thinking about that. Why? How is this kiss important now? Where does this lead to the way of curing Suzutsuki? What does she want me to do? There’s only six minutes left. A bit more, and this stroll through the sky will be over.
“..Onii-chan.”
There, Suzutsuki suddenly called out to me with an oddly serious voice. A bit of silence passed, and she moved her soft lips—
“How..do you feel about Subaru?”
With this question I could never have expected, I was left speechless.
“How..”
“Tell me. If you explain this to me, I’ll teach you the method to turn me back to normal.”
“..!”
“Come on, Onii-chan, we don’t have much time.” She said, and showed me her wristwatch.
Time was moving on rapidly. We’re slowly reaching the ground. But..what should I say here? How do I feel about Konoe? What is she to me? No, that’s obvious. She’s my best friend. That’s what we promised during last summer break. That we’d be best friends. That’s why I want to make up with her again. It’s all so that I don’t have to see her saddened face..that I don’t have to see her tears.
“..I don’t really know how to say it, but I don’t want her to be sad.” I spoke with a clumsy tone, but with my honest thoughts. “I can’t stand seeing her sad, I can’t stand seeing her cry..and it makes me restless, forcing me to do something. I can’t sit still when she’s suffering.”
Thinking back on it, I’ve been feeling this way ever since the incident at the pool back in April—Stand By Me. The promise I shared with my late old man, asking her to stay with me so that I can protect her. That’s right..I simply wanted to tell her these words, so I..
“..Onii-chan.” Suddenly, Suzutsuki let out an exhausted sigh. “You’re an idiot, right?”
“..What?”
“You’re a moron. A big, big dummy. A mega dummy. You’re a chicken bastard, and a dense dummy. Not even realizing your own feelings like this, you’re history’s greatest mega dummy.”
“W-What do you mean?”
“Hmpf, I’m frustrated, so I won’t tell you. Think about it yourself.” Suzutsuki stuck out her tongue, like a cheeky child. “But, it’s fine. I’ll save you.”
“Wha?”
“I’ll save you. Both you and Subaru. It’s my job as your master to ensure that my servants get along. Don’t you worry, just leave it all to me.”
“L-Leave it to you..”
No, before that, what about turning you back to normal?
“Ah, I forgot. For that, we need to turn me back to normal, right. Ehehe, oopsies~”
“That’s the problem. What idea do you have in mind?”
“Fufu, it’s fine. It’s super simple~ And, time is perfect too.” She said, and looked at her wristwatch.
Three more minutes. We have merely 180 seconds left in this date, so what does she—
“—Onii-chan.”
“What?”
“Um..—I love you!”
There, she declared with a cute voice, and smiled bright like a sunflower. Right after that..
“—!”
With no warning whatsoever, she?pressed her lips on mine.
“Wha—”
I wanted to scream ‘W-W-What are you doing!?’, but by jumping away, I hit my head on the wall behind me. Gaaaah, curse this narrow gondola!
“Are you okay,?Jirou-kun?”
“!?”
Hearing a dignified voice, my body shook. It was the confident and familiar voice of a certain rich lady. Not to mention, calling me ‘Jirou-kun’..
“S-Suzutsuki..”
“Fufu, it’s been a while.” Nonchalantly, acting like nothing had happened, my master—Suzutsuki Kanade smiled.
“....”
You wench, showing such a calm expression. Do you know how worried we were about you? Yet you’re back this easily..
“I’m sorry, I must have caused a lot of trouble for you.”
“..It’s fine. I won’t forgive you this easily, so don’t apologize.”
“Oh my, then what should I do for you to forgive me?”
“Hell do I know.”
“Pay with my body?”
“Where did that choice even come from!”
“Right, if my body is your goal, then you would have already laid your hands on me when we slept in the same bed.”
“Wha..You..”
“Yes, I have all the memories that my younger self acquired over the past two weeks. You were quite attached to the young me, weren’t you.”
“~~~!”
“You lolicon bastard.”
“Shut up! It’s all because..”
“Knowing you, you probably gave me a new nickname as well, right? Something like..Derechuki-san?”
“Gyaaaaaa!”
“Oh my, I was just joking, but it seems like I was right.” Suzutsuki-san let out a snicker.
..Ahh, farewell, Derechuki-san, I won’t ever forget about you. And, welcome back, Yamitsuki-san. I want to forget about you as quickly as possible. However, that probably won’t happen, because you are Devil Suzutsuki. After all, you are like the devil reincarnated.
“Damn it, do you not have any weaknesses? You managed to deceive Masamune, so are you invincible now?” I complained with all my heart.
By using the technique of ‘Lying even to herself’, she managed to deceive Masamune. Now that she’s done it once, it’s over.
“—Not quite.” However, as if she guessed my own thoughts, Suzutsuki let out a dejected sigh. “That method is far too dangerous for me to use. After all, I won’t know when I will return to the real me. That’s why this experiment is a failure, and Usami-san will stay as my mortal enemy.”
“R-Really now.” I was a bit relieved.
Just as Suzutsuki stated, this method had far too many drawbacks to be used accurately.
“And this time, I fully understood everything. What’s important d-->>