Volume 8 - CH 4(3/3)
“..? What do you mean by that?”
“......” Suzutsuki stayed quiet for a while, only to continue. “I’ll teach you about that another time. For now, we need to have you and Subaru make up, right?”
“Y-Yeah, you’re right.”
Now that Suzutsuki’s case was resolved, the bigger problem is how I can make up with Konoe. That being said, with Suzutsuki Kanade, I have a strong ally at my side. She’ll surely lend me her knowledge. We just promised that after all..Well, everything feels a bit awkward now because of that kiss. However, now that Suzutsuki returned to normal—
“Hm?”
..Wait, what is this sensation? It feels like something doesn’t sit right with me. Like something doesn’t add up. Hmm..I can’t seem to remember. Well, I will probably remember it eventually.
“Then, first we should tell Konoe that you’re back to normal.”
That should be our first step. I’m sure that both Konoe and Kureha would be happy to hear that. No clue about Masamune though. Either way, now that that’s decided..
“You can’t do that, Jirou-kun.”
However, Suzutsuki immediately denied my suggestion. She flashed a mature smile, almost like Derechuki-san never existed.
“There’s no need to tell Subaru and the others just yet. After all—that makes things much more interesting.”
“....”
Ahh, I miss Derechuki-san after all. That’s what I thought while seeing her smile. At the same time, the gondola shook a bit, and the door was opened from the outside. Our jolly Ferris Wheel ride ended, and we reached the goal. It’s been a clean 19 minutes, and the ultimate length of my short date with Suzutsuki.
×
After getting off the Ferris Wheel, the sun had already started to set, with the night quickly approaching. It was the final day of Musashino Land. Since the renovation will start tomorrow, they even had some event planned for tonight. Looking at the pamphlet, it was planned as a small parade, which allowed visitors to participate, and fireworks to finish it off.
“Jirou-kun, you understand our plan, right?” Suzutsuki was back to her usual self, and went through everything with me. “I will keep acting like Derechuki-san, and make it so that you and Subaru can be alone for a bit.”
“Huh!? J-Just the two of us..I didn’t hear about that!”
“How much of a chicken bastard are you? You’re the one at fault for kissing Subaru like that. You have to be the one to resolve things. I’ll set up everything, but that’s about it.”
“Urk..”
Damn it, she’s not wrong, and I hate it. Although it was to protect Konoe’s secret, I still forced myself onto her. If so, then I have to be the one to resolve things. There’s also the misunderstanding regarding Masamune now that I think about it..
“Come on, Subaru and the others are coming down, you best pull this off.”
“Y-Yeah.”
Our first strategy meeting ended, and the gondola reached the ground at a similar time. Seems like the three got off at the same time, and they all came storming outside once the door opened.
“Young lady! Why did you leave us behind like that!?”
“S-Sorry, Subaru, I just wanted to play a prank on Onii-chan.” She spoke with a childish voice.
..Amazing, it’s perfect acting. I wouldn’t be able to tell that she’s back to normal. That’s Suzutsuki Kanade for you. She definitely should start working for some scam company.
“No more pranks, okay?” Konoe scolded Suzutsuki, but still sighed in relief.
It seems like she hasn’t realized that Suzutsuki has returned to her usual self. At the same time, I’m betting on the fact that she didn’t see what happened inside the gondola, so the fact that Suzutsuki kissed me should be safe.
“Oh yeah, there’s going to be a parade soon, right.”
“Yup, I’m looking forward to it, Kureha-chan.”
Kureha stood behind Konoe, smiling. Alright, she’s in the dark as well. So far, everything is going according to our plan. This only leaves..Usami Masamune. She’s the only one who can see through Suzutsuki’s acting.
“Ah, Usamiiin, come with me for a second~” Suzutsuki beckoned Masamune over.
Immediately after that, Masamune’s expression froze up in shock. As I guessed, she saw through Suzutsuki immediately.
“Y-You..” Her mouth opened and closed in confusion.
Ah, this is bad. She’s going to spill the beans about Suzutsuki.
“Quiet, Usami-san.” Suzutsuki whispered into Masamune’s ear, using a voice where the others couldn’t hear her.
“S-Suzutsuki Kanade, so you are back!”
“Indeed. Amazing, to think you could see through me this quickly.”
“Your nonsense and lies aren’t going to deceive me!” Masamune was a bit flustered, but continued her conversation with Suzutsuki. “It must have happened during your Ferris Wheel ride, right!? During that time, you turned back to normal!”
“Yes, I somehow managed to return.”
“So, why do you still continue to act like a child!?”
“Calm down, Usami-san. This is all to help Jirou-kun.”
“For his sake..? Do you mean..” Masamune thought for a second.
Alright, great progress. Just now, Masamune said that she’d help me to make up with Konoe, so at this rate, she’ll become my ally.
“Did..he ask you to keep acting like a child? Something like ‘Please continue to call me Onii-chan’, maybe?”
“......”
Hey now, won’t you have a bit more trust in me, Masamune-san? I don’t have any interest in forcing my classmate into such a messed up roleplay, okay?
“That would be just fine for me, but that sadly isn’t the case. There’s something he needs to do.”
“..What are you plotting?”
“I’m glad you caught on. I’m trying to help Jirou-kun and Subaru make up again.”
“Those two? Oh yeah, I heard they were having a fight, but..”
“As their master, I don’t want my servants to fight. That’s why, won’t you help me out?”
“I-I was planning on helping him from the very beginning!”
“Oh, really? Quite convenient, then. You help with our plan. I need to make sure that Jirou-kun and Subaru can be alone together. So, don’t tell the others that I’ve already returned to being normal.”
“Why?”
“As a child, I have more options.”
“..You really have a nasty personality. Well, it’s for the stupid chicken’s sake, and since we’re friends, I’ll help you out..” Masamune nodded.
Alright, that’s another hurdle cleared. With this, I have Masamune as another ally. I wonder what kind of plan Suzutsuki came up with..
“Usami, what are you and the young lady whispering about?”
“..!? S-Subaru-sama..” Masamune twitched in shock.
The person in question, Konoe Subaru, was glaring at Masamune with a dubious look in his eyes. I guess their strategy meeting was a bit too long after all.
“I-I wasn’t ..!”
“Really?”
“Urk..” Masamune grew silent in the face of Konoe emitting so much pressure.
Woah, this ain’t a joke. Unlike Suzutsuki, Masamune isn’t good at lying. At this rate, Konoe might catch on that the usual Suzutsuki is back, and our plan will be ruined.
“Subaru, it can’t be helped that Usamin feels embarrassed.” Suzutsuki showed a wry smile, and supported Masamune. “After all, she gave me a very delicate question just now.”
“M-Meaning?”
“Namely, she wants her breasts to grow, and she wondered what she could do.”
“Huuuuh!?” Masamune screamed in shock at this sudden revelation.
Suzutsuki however ignored her, and continued making up excuses.
“So, I offered to give Usamin a breast massage.”
“I-I did hear that a girl’s breasts can grow with a massage, but..why would the young lady have to..”
“It’s fine, Subaru. This is for Usamin’s sake. As her master, I want to resolve whatever she may be worried about, as that is my duty.”
“Young lady..” Konoe felt her heart broken at her master’s devotion, and nodded in consent.
“Usami, be thankful for the young lady’s kindness.”
“H-Hold on! Just wait a moment, Subaru-sama! Don’t listen to Suzutsuki Kanade’s non—”
“Come on, don’t be so embarrassed. Just leave everything to me~”
“No!? Stop! What are you..No..Wha..Not this forcefully..”
“Did that hurt? Then, I’ll be a bit more gentle.”
“Fuwah!? N-No..not there..Mmm..!”
Suzutsuki had wrapped her arms around Masamune from behind her back, now fondling her breasts. Sorry, Masamune, there can be no victory without sacrifices. This is necessary for our plan. Of course, this just looks like Suzutsuki is using this situation to have fun again, but leaving that aside.
“S-Suzutsuki Kanade, you..!”
“What’s wrong? Would you have preferred the longer course?”
“I-I-I’m fine, really! I feel like I’ll just end up completely lost if you keep touching me!”
“Completely lost..in what way?”
“Shut up! Don’t make me say any more, or I’ll kick you for real!” Masamune covered her own chest, and screamed.
Completely lost..how? I really wanted to ask that myself, but stopped myself right before that. I felt like I’d be the one to get kicked if I did. If there is one thing I can state, then it’s the fact that Suzutsuki is absolutely terrifying.
“Hey, Suzutsuki, aren’t you taking things a bit too far now?”
I felt like that went too far, so I threw in a warning. I understand that acting like a girl must be fun, but there’s a line she shouldn’t cross.
“Right, I feel like I went too far a bit. However..”
“What?”
“..No, it’s fine. I just wanted her to use the master ticket she got before, but she really knows how to hold back.”
“Master ticket..”
Oh yeah, the ticket that allows Masamune to give Suzutsuki any kind of order, no matter what it is. Hmmm, maybe Suzutsuki regretted giving her that ticket after all. Well, it was Derechuki-san who gave it out to Masamune.
“For crying out loud, I was such an innocent child. I didn’t think I would make such a thing and give it to her. Well, I don’t think that will get in the way of our plan this time.” She let out a faint sigh, and then flashed an innocent smile again.
I guess she’s back to acting like Derechuki-san now. It’s crazy at the speed she’s doing that. She’d be a great Hollywood actress, seriously.
“Hey, Kureha-chan, they said that visitors can dress up and participate at the parade, right?”
“Eh? Y-Yes. That’s what it said in the pamphlet.”
“Fufu, I see.” Suzutsuki flashed a joyful smile.
And then..she started thinking.
“Hey, Subaru, why don’t you participate in the parade as well?”
“Eh?!”
Met with this sudden order, the butler was left baffled.
“I mean, today is the last day before the renovation, so wouldn’t you want to make some memories?”
“However, young lady..”
“Come on, they offer to dress you up, even.”
“Eh!?”
“Now, let’s go.” Suzutsuki dragged Konoe into a nearby building, which had a big, large billboard in front of it, saying ‘Costume Parade Reception’.
Roughly ten minutes later, after we had been waiting, Suzutsuki and Konoe returned—However.
“..!”
Getting a good look at Konoe after her return, I was flabbergasted. She was wearing a dress. Not to mention one of the princesses you would see in fairy tales. Her dress consisted of a faint green color, covering Konoe’s entire body. We’ve met Konoe Subaru in her princess mode.
“Young lady, this is way too embarrassing..”
“Really? I think it looks great on you. Right, Kureha-chan?”
“Y-Yes, it looks wonderful. I have trouble even seeing you as a boy. Not to mention, are you using pads?”
“O-O-O-Of course, I’m a boy! I have no breasts!”
“R-Right! It just looked so natural..” Kureha was utterly entranced, because it looked too good on Konoe almost.
A green dress..Crap, what is this. She looked like a boy not too long ago, so now the gap is just making her look even more adorable. Not to mention that the dress was very prim and proper. Despite that, her shoulders were in the open, giving her an alluring feeling all the same. She even had a tiara on her head, looking like she was part of some movie screening. Amazing, they might get her for that mouse land park.
“Cute. It’s truly cute, Subaru.”
“T-Thank you very much..”
“But, what are you wearing beneath that dress? You’re not wearing girl’s underwear beneath that, are you?”
“!”
“I’d like to check, so can you let me take a look?”
“!?”
“What’s wrong? You’re a boy, so it shouldn’t be that big of a deal, right? Just lift up your skirt a bit.”
“~~~!” Even while being embarrassed, Konoe nodded with a ‘U-Understood’ and started lifting her skirt.
Waaah, what is she doing!?
“Konoe! You don’t have to go that far!”
“B-But, the young lady’s orders are..”
“It’s just a child talking nonsense, don’t take it so seriously!”
“Ehhh, I wanna see some underwear!”
“You be quiet for a second!”
Damn Yamitsuki-san, you’re playing around way too much. She’s using her position as a child way too much.
“Ah, Subaru. The participants of the parade are gathering over there.” Suzutsuki said, and pointed at an open plaza.
Looking over, I saw several people that wore familiar fashion to Konoe. For example, Dracula, Frankenstein, or a werewolf. A lot of horror-themed costumes, huh. Oh yeah, this is the season of Halloween after all. There’s some people who are wearing pumpkin heads.
“Come on, over with you. We’ll be waiting here.”
“Ah..Understood, young lady.” Konoe sounded embarrassed, but still walked towards the plaza.
There, Suzutsuki whispered into my ear.
“Jirou-kun, what are you spacing out for?”
“Eh?”
“I gave you this chance to become alone.”
“But, Konoe will participate in the..”
“Look at yourself, I think you’re plenty equipped for the parade yourself.”
I was confused at first, but I quickly realized what Suzutsuki was talking about. Right now, I’m still wearing the costume. I wouldn’t stick out in the middle of that parade.
“Not to mention, you can just dip out if push comes to shove. Just call for Subaru and skip it.”
“Quite the forceful method, alright.”
“You want to make up with her, right? You might as well kiss her again, you know?”
“Wha..S-Stop joking around! Where did that come from?”
“You forced yourself onto her before, right?”
“That’s the whole reason things ended up as messy as they are now!”
That’s right, I kissed Konoe in that closet. Without that, things would have not ended so miserably.
“..Ah.”
I get it. Now I understand it. This feeling like something didn’t sit right with me, which I felt inside the Ferris Wheel, the reason for that was..
“Hey, Suzutsuki.”
“Hm? You sound awfully serious now.”
“Well, I was just wondering——Why did you turn back to normal after kissing me?” I asked with a quiet voice.
That’s right, why did a kiss with me trigger her return? I’ve been curious about that this entire time. This isn’t some fairy tale with a sleeping princess. Only children believe that a kiss could relieve a curse.
“....”
Silence followed. The young lady was thinking.
“That’s..because I wanted to be spoiled by you, Jirou-kun.”
“Huh?”
“My childish self said it, right? ‘Once I’m satisfied, I can turn back to normal’. If I had to guess, my childish self wanted to get all your attention, and be spoiled..that’s why I returned with a kiss. That’s the ultimate form of being spoiled by someone.”
“Being spoiled..”
“I’ve been rather cold lately, acting as Yamitsuki-san, right? Because of that, my childish self wanted to be with you as much as possible, and enjoy her time. But, things couldn’t always stay like this.”
“....”
“That’s why that was my final piece of being spoiled by you. That kiss acted as the final cut. That’s why I decided to not act that way towards you anymore.”
“Does that mean..you’re going back to Yamitsuki-san?”
“Indeed. That’s what I told you, right? I’ll continue to bully you forever..”
“That’s true, but..”
Why? She wanted to be spoiled. Basically, she wanted us to be good friends, as we’ve been, right? Yet, why is she saying that she’ll become Yamitsuki-san? It doesn’t make any sense. She’s contradicting her words and actions.
“Now, go after Subaru. I’ll explain everything to Kureha-chan.”
“Y-Yeah..”
I was pressed by Suzutsuki’s words, I started running down the same path Konoe took.
“—Farewell, Jirou-kun.”
I felt like I heard Suzutsuki’s voice in the distance. I turned around, but she was already facing the others. However, for a split second, it felt like I saw a saddened expression on her face, right as she turned it away from me.