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The Whereabouts Of Carnage
“Machi..., this time I'm on Coach's side.”
In the midst of the tumultuous scene where Serai-san was angry and Ruu shook her shoulders while sobbing, for some reason, Nina-san suddenly declared her support for me.
'Wait... Shizu, why...?'
Naturally suspicious of her actions, Serai-san asked Nina-san the reason.
“Well, of course, right? Machi, before getting angry here, wouldn't it be better to apologize for what you did? And besides, hearing accusations from a friend is not pleasant...”
Surprisingly, Nina-san laid out her reasoning and skillfully refuted Serai-san. It seemed she was angry with Serai-san.
Thus, the situation shifted from a 1:3 confrontation to a 2:2 standoff.
“First, apologize for not responding to me! You can ask questions later... Machi.”
Oh, Nina-san said sharply to Serai-san. It was reassuring to have such a strong ally.
“Uh... Ezuki-san. I'm sorry for not responding...”
Sniffle, snivel (nodding)
Serai-san, surprised by Nina-san's turnaround, was on her knees, hands on the table.
In that stiff posture, as she bowed to apologize, a man who seemed to be another customer suddenly lowered his head in apology with his hands on the table. Ruu continued to sob, covering her face with her hands, [Peck, peck].
'Understood. I'll accept that apology...”
If someone were to say, "No, I won't forgive you!" it wouldn't lead to any progress, so the apology got accepted.
“But why didn't you respond? Tell me the reason.”
Yeah, this was important. It was because of this that I lost my left leg, falling into a dark dungeon.
“T-That's because of Ruu...”
Sniffle, sob [Peko, peko]
When Serai-san asked for the reason, she looked troubled and turned her gaze to Ruu, who, in turn, shook her head and cried even more.
(Huh, what on earth is going on...?)
"(Well, you see... Ruu-chan didn't want to be thought of as having bad breath by you. Did she eat pasta with lots of garlic for lunch?)"
(Oh? Is that it?)
Nina-san, placing her hand on my thigh, leaned in to tell me the reason in a whisper. I see. That makes sense. But that was the reason for refusing a kiss, not for being unable to contact her after our date the next day.
“And... why are you in such a state? You really look like a woman... (Jii)”
Uh, Nina-san tilted her head and peered into my face. That was a sidelong glance. And a very sweet and pleasant fragrance. Damn, that attack was effective.
(Ha... I see!!)
I got it. Nina-san pretended to betray me to become a spy on the enemy side. Using seduction, she was trying to extract information from me. I won't be deceived any longer!
'This is confidential information. (Firmly)'
Even to myself, my voice sounded colder than I had thought.
The apology was accepted. However, I still haven't been told the clear reason for the rejection without a response. Although I initially thought of cutting ties, after discussing it with the three of them, they might have reevaluated and intended to use me again.
I need to be cautious about how I interact with them in the future.
“Yeah, that's right, that was the agreement. But is it really bad? (Jii)”
“Yes, it's a secret. If you still want to know, you need to show your determination to keep our secrets!”
'Um... What are you going to do?'
(Huh, why is Nina-san persistently pursuing this? What's with this persistence? Well then, let it be!)
“I want you to be the experimental subject for a skill. The name of that skill is [Charm]. It's a terrifying skill that manipulates the mind, making you fall deeply in love with someone you don't even like. You wouldn't want to become a guinea pig for such a thing, right? So...”
“Nah... I'm fine.”
“Huh?!”
Once again, the surprised voices of both of me and Serai-san harmonized. Why did Nina-san casually agree to that?
“But... Before that, can you listen to my secret a bit...?”
What? While Nina-san was stroking my thigh, she said something strange. In the dimming room where the evening darkness approached, making her expression difficult to read, she began to speak quietly.
“I... have never fallen in love with a man...”
(Lie...? What's this, I'm really interested!)
“Hey... Shizu?”
“Machi, and also Ruu-chan. It's an important secret of mine, so I want you to listen carefully. Is that okay with both of you?”
“Uh, yeah...”
Sniffle, snivel ('Cough, cough...')
'Once you hear the way I talk, you'll understand. I was born in a small downtown area in Kansai. My family runs a small shopping street with a tiny Chinese restaurant. My parents manage the store by themselves, and they were so busy that I was often left alone...'
Nina-san's secret story began with her upbringing. However, her skillful storytelling painted a sepia-toned scene in my mind.
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