29 Proof of Suspicion
“Now then, Hinase-san. I’d like to hear your answer. Will you correct your uniform to comply with the school rules?”
Kanaori Reika is the student council president.
In other words, the student council president heroine.
Her appearance, as in the original story, began with a conflict with Hinase Riri.
“I keep telling you, even the teachers haven’t said anything, so why should I listen to another student? It doesn’t make sense.”
“It doesn’t matter who points it out, these are the rules. As long as you’re enrolled at Seiran Academy, you have an obligation to follow them.”
Kanaori-san is right about this.
She’s just pointing it out according to the rules.
Riri-chan’s argument doesn’t hold water.
“…Can’t you speak normally? It’s tiring talking to you, like you’re a robot.”
But, as expected of Riri-chan.
She completely ignored the question and changed the subject entirely.
The student council president and a gal have fundamentally different ways of thinking.
Just look. Kanaori-san’s face twitched at Riri-chan’s attitude.
“You should be the one listening to what others are saying! I don’t understand why you dress so indecently every single day.”
“You should be the one to stop making a fuss about rules no one cares about!”
Oh… they’re talking, but they’re not communicating at all.
Can they really be this incompatible?
“This conversation is going nowhere. I’ll deal with you later. I have other business to attend to.”
“Just get out.”
“I am attending to it in this classroom.”
…Wait.
Hold on a minute.
There’s another character in this scene in the original story.
Shindo Minato.
In the original story, Kanaori Reika appears while Hinase Riri is trying to get Shindo Minato to eat her bento.
A similar exchange occurs, and Kanaori-san’s attention shifts to Shindo Minato.
“Shindo-san, excessive contact with the opposite sex on school grounds is a violation of school rules. Since I’ll be providing you with direct guidance, please come to the student council room immediately after school.”
Shindo Minato, surrounded by his childhood friend, his little sister, and a gal, ends up attracting the attention of the student council president.
But what about now?
Shindo Minato, of all people, gave up his seat to Hinase Riri and left the classroom.
In other words, he skipped the event with Kanaori Reika.
“Th-This is bad…”
I felt a cold sweat running down my back.
He skipped the encounter entirely.
There’s no way to manage the routes.
What’s going to happen now?
With Shindo Minato gone, who will Kanaori Reika reprimand?
“You’re Amatsuki Suzuna-san, correct?”
“…Uh, y-yes.”
Kanaori-san looked at me with a forced smile.
What is this?
I’m wearing my uniform properly, and I’m not wearing any makeup.
I shouldn’t have broken any rules.
“I’ve noticed you’ve been spending a lot of time with Hinase-san after school recently.”
“Well, yeah…”
How does Kanaori-san know that?
…She was probably observing Riri-chan, her target, and I happened to be with her.
That must be it.
“Amatsuki Suzuna-san, loitering after school is a violation of school rules—”
Wait a minute.
This phrasing sounds incredibly familiar.
That’s… the line she’s supposed to say to the protagonist, isn’t it?
I must be imagining things.
“—Since I’ll be providing you with direct guidance, please come to the student council room immediately after school.”
It’s over.
That line is for Shindo Minato.
Why is she saying it to me?
What’s happening with this game?
“I didn’t hear a response, Amatsuki-san.”
“…Yes.”
My vision darkened.
“W-Wait, Suzuna?! Your face is pale! What’s wrong?!”
“I-It’s nothing…”
“Hey, Kanaori, what did you do to Suzuna?! She’s sensitive, so be more careful with your words!!”
“Eh?! I didn’t think I said anything that bad…”
This is no good.
It’s over before I even encountered the heroine.
This is the worst possible development.
And I’m going to be scolded by Kanaori-san.
One bad thing after another, my heart was completely clouded over.
◇◇◇
After school, I had to go to the student council room.
But that’s not supposed to be my role.
“Alright, let’s go home, Suzuna.”
…This carefree protagonist, Shindo Minato, who keeps inviting me even after being repeatedly rejected, was supposed to go.
I wondered what to do, and then it hit me.
“Yeah, okay.”
“Oh, it’s been a while. The loser of rock-paper-scissors carries the bags.”
…Is he serious?
“No, before that, let’s go to the student council room.”
“Eh, why?”
That’s right.
If he won’t go, then I’ll go.
I’ll bring Shindo Minato and Kanaori Reika together and advance their relationship.
That will solve everything!
“I was called by Kanaori-san.”
“Ugh. Kanaori-san is beautiful, but she’s also known for being strict… I think they call her ‘Ice Queen Kanaori’ or something.”
…I think I’ve heard that nickname before… or maybe not.
“That’s right. Come on, let’s go.”
“No way, I’m not going. Why would I go to the student council president when I wasn’t even called?”
“It’s fine because I called you.”
“Sorry, but there’s a huge power difference between you, Suzuna, and Kanaori-san. She’ll just ignore your invitation.”
“No, this is fate.”
“That’s a bit dramatic.”
Agh, seriously!
He won’t come quietly, and he won’t believe me even if I tell him the truth.
What am I supposed to do?
“Anyway, I’m passing this time. Good luck, Suzuna.”
“H-Hey…”
Shindo-kun bolted out of the classroom like a rabbit.
He’s so heartless, even though he’s my childhood friend.
“…Suzuna.”
Then, Riri-chan called out to me.
Is she… going with me?
Riri-chan is kind, so she must be worried about me.
“Riri-chan, I’m going to the student council room now…”
“What was that about just now?”
“Eh?”
Riri-chan’s voice was lower than I expected.
“Why did you invite Shindo?”
“…Uh, th-that’s…”
I can’t say it’s for the Kanaori route.
“You said you and Shindo were over, Suzuna.”
“Ah, of course we are.”
I’ve explained many times that Shindo-kun is in the past.
But Riri-chan was radiating a scary aura.
“Then why did you invite him?”
“Well, it was… just the flow of the conversation…”
“You invite a guy you used to like just because of the ‘flow of the conversation’? That doesn’t make sense.”
“Riri…-chan?”
Riri-chan was trying to suppress something, but it was overflowing.
Something like… dark emotions.
That scares me.
“…Sorry, it’s nothing. I’m going home.”
“Eh…”
Riri-chan, who always invites me, is going home first.
That alone was enough to make me feel a sense of loss.
“W-Wait…”
I chased after Riri-chan, who had already left.
She was fast, and by the time I caught up, she was already going down a deserted staircase.
“Riri-chan, wait!”
I grabbed Riri-chan’s hand from behind.
I finally caught her.
“…What’s wrong? You’re out of breath.”
“Why did you leave without me?”
“It’s fine for me to go home first sometimes. You’re going to the student council room, right, Suzuna?”
“…Yeah, but you’re being cold, Riri-chan.”
“Of course I am. You’re still relying on Shindo more than me, aren’t you, Suzuna?”
“Eh…?”
So that’s how Riri-chan interpreted our earlier exchange.
“That’s why I’m annoyed. If you like Shindo that much, then do whatever you want.”
“…I told you that’s not true.”
“That’s how it looked.”
I admit I wasn’t considerate enough.
But I don’t want Riri-chan to think that way about me.
I thought Riri-chan would understand me.
But I was being arrogant, and I realized that for the first time.
“That’s not true. You’re the only one I rely on, Riri-chan, so don’t say that.”
“You haven’t been acting like it.”
“Then… what do I have to do to make you believe me?”
I can’t tell her everything.
Even if I did, she wouldn’t believe me.
So I don’t know what else to do.
Riri-chan looked directly at me, as if answering my question.
“Then kiss me.”
“…Excuse me?”
Did I… mishear her?
“I’ll believe you if you kiss me.”
I know.
I know that Riri-chan would never say something like that to me, even as a joke.
30 A Kiss for the Heroine
“Riri-chan, what do you mean by that…?”
Riri-chan suddenly started saying strange things out of the blue.
Kissing isn’t something you’d hear in a normal conversation.
“You haven’t done that with Shindo, have you?”
“O-Of course not!”
Naturally, Amatsuki Suzuna, who isn’t on his route, is pure and innocent.
That being said, I, Yukitsuki Mashiro, also have no such experience, so even being asked so suddenly fills me with resistance.
“So we’ll kiss. Then I’ll believe that I’m more important to you than Shindo.”
“But why… k-kiss…?”
Saying the word “kiss” out loud is incredibly embarrassing.
And what’s with Riri-chan saying it with a straight face?
“If we don’t have physical contact, I feel like you’ll just deceive me with convenient words.”
“But even so… isn’t that going too far?”
It feels like we’re getting too close, physically.
I don’t think that’s an appropriate level of intimacy for friends.
“Aren’t you overthinking it? It’s normal for girls to kiss each other.”
“I-Is that so…”
Is it normal? Really?
Am I overthinking it…?
Maybe some girls do casually kiss each other.
As a friendly gesture, without any special meaning.
Maybe Riri-chan is that type of person.
“…But I still don’t think that’s proof of anything.”
I thought about it, but it still felt strange.
I don’t think it explains anything.
“…So you can’t do it. That’s how much I mean to you.”
Riri-chan turned away.
She seemed to consider the conversation over and started down the stairs again.
That’s no good.
“Wait, don’t go.”
I grabbed Riri-chan’s arm tightly and stopped her on the landing.
“…Do you know that I would have already left if it wasn’t for you, Suzuna?”
“Either prove it or let go of my hand.”
That’s what Riri-chan wants to say, I think.
Her cold words made my heart freeze, but I know that letting her go now would hurt even more.
So even if it doesn’t make sense to me, I should do it if it will convince Riri-chan.
“Okay, if I do it… you’ll believe me…?”
“Yes, if you’re serious, Suzuna.”
She sounded like she was testing me.
Riri-chan usually takes the lead in everything, but this time, I have to make the first move.
It’s not something I’m used to, but I feel like I can endure it for Riri-chan’s sake.
“I-I’m really… going to do it…?”
My throat was dry.
I was so nervous that I felt like all the moisture in my body had evaporated.
My body felt numb, like it wasn’t mine, as I moved closer to Riri-chan.
“Yeah.”
Riri-chan closed her eyes.
Looking at her face up close like this, she was truly beautiful.
Her eyelashes were long, her nose was well-defined, and her lips were full and rosy.
Her slender neck had fair skin that made me want to… bite it.
I hesitated, wondering if I was even allowed to touch someone so beautiful.
“…Um.”
What am I supposed to do with my hands?
Should I just let them hang, or should I touch her face?
I felt like both were wrong, and in my hesitation, I touched Riri-chan’s shoulder.
“Nn…”
Riri-chan’s body flinched, surprised by my touch.
Her reaction was cuter than I expected, and my nervousness eased slightly.
Riri-chan’s cheeks seemed slightly flushed.
“Riri-chan, are you nervous…?”
“O-Of course I am. This is my first time.”
“…?!”
H-Hey…
Riri-chan, that’s not what you said.
Earlier, you said it was normal for girls to kiss each other.
But it’s different if it’s both of our first times.
It feels like we’ve stepped into forbidden territory.
That brought back my nervousness.
But Riri-chan wanted me to prove it to her this much.
So I want to respond to her feelings.
I moved my face closer.
Close enough that our noses touched, our bodies brushing against each other.
Her warmth seeped into me, making my head spin.
“…Riri-chan.”
“…Suzuna.”
Calling each other’s names was like a signal.
I steeled my resolve and kissed her.
A soft, moist, and supple sensation transmitted through my lips.
It was a new sensation, too stimulating for me to fully process.
I pulled away with a soft, wet sound.
“…Suzuna?”
“I-I did it. So… you believe me now, right?”
I let go of her shoulder and quickly distanced myself.
My gaze was fixed on the floor, unable to look directly at Riri-chan.
I wanted to be praised for staying here after doing something so embarrassing.
I actually wanted to run away right now.
But I want Riri-chan to trust me, so I’m enduring it.
“W-Well, you did it, but…”
“What? Do you have a complaint? You can’t, it’s a kiss, a kiss! The kiss you wanted!”
My racing mind sputtered nonsense.
A mix of nervousness and embarrassment made my body burn.
“That’s true, but… why… my cheek?”
I did kiss her.
On her cheek, though.
“I-It’s fine! A kiss is a kiss. I didn’t say it had to be mouth-to-mouth!”
That would be impossible.
Kissing on the lips is way too much.
If I did that, I’d be so embarrassed that I’d probably melt.
“…Well, whatever. You tried your best, Suzuna.”
Hearing those words, the tension drained from my body.
Good, the gentleness has returned to Riri-chan’s voice.
I think part of my nervousness was the fear of being rejected by Riri-chan.
I’m relieved that things are back to normal.
“Suzuna, aren’t you going to look up?”
“No, I don’t want to right now.”
I don’t know how to face Riri-chan right now.
If I look at her now, I’ll probably explode from embarrassment.
So I want to stay silent.
“I see. Then it’s my turn.”
—Tap
A light footstep, like she was dancing.
Riri-chan’s presence drew closer, and I felt a gentle breeze.
Then, a soft sensation lingered on my cheek.
Along with a faint, sweet fragrance.
“Eh, eh, ehh…?”
Even though it was my first time, I knew immediately what it was.
Because it was exactly what I had just done to Riri-chan.
I looked up reflexively, and Riri-chan, blushing slightly, grinned.
“I can’t let you be the only one to kiss, Suzuna. I have to return the favor.”
Riri-chan put her index finger to her lips and winked.
◇◇◇
Kissing between girls.
It’s just a light greeting, a touch of lips against each other’s cheeks.
But for me, it was the most heart-pounding experience.
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