“Izumi-chan, you can’t just stand still. It’s dangerous, you know?”
“Ugh?!”
I was deceived.
I was tricked by Kurokami-senpai.
No, I might have been misunderstanding everything up until now.
Kurokami-senpai being “Ponko-tsu” was just an act… and her true nature is this cruel and wicked.
She was literally the villainous noble all along…
“Hang in there, Izumi!”
“Uuhh…”
But to think even Natsune would betray me…
★
After quickly leaving school, I arrived at Kurokami-senpai’s house, but Yuto Uncle was not there.
He was the one who always came out to greet me whenever I visited senpai’s house, so I naturally thought he would be here.
“Yuto Uncle isn’t here today?”
“Oh… Yuto Uncle has been really busy lately.”
Kurokami-senpai responded with a gentle smile to my question.
When I previously asked Yuto Uncle, he said his most important job was to protect Kurokami-senpai, so him not being here means he’s working for her, right?
Kurokami-senpai’s household is of a level that transcends my understanding, making it hard to imagine anything properly.
“Well then, let’s go inside.”
“Um, what about Natsune…?”
“Natsune will arrive soon, so you can go in and wait for her.”
I quietly nodded at Kurokami-senpai’s kind explanation.
By the way, a board game, huh.
Since it’s a board game for three people, the best choice would probably be The Game of Life, right?
But if we’re playing a board game, how will the broadcast work?
If it’s online, then I wouldn’t have needed to come all the way to senpai’s house…
Many questions arose, but believing that there was no problem, I followed senpai.
While sitting in Kurokami-senpai’s room and chatting as we waited, the door opened, and Natsune entered with a bright smile.
“Shiro, hello! Izumi, hello!”
“Come in, Yoru.”
“Oh, hello!”
“It feels like it’s been a while since we did a Hinami collaboration!”
Thinking about it, Natsune was right.
The three of us had collaborated about three times.
The combination named “Hinami,” made from the first letters of our names, received a great response, but our schedules rarely aligned, so we couldn’t all gather together often.
“Ah, um, about the collaboration teaser…”
“Well, isn’t it nice to have surprise off-collaborations sometimes?”
“Yeah! It’s been a while since the three of us got together, so everyone will surely enjoy it.”
That’s true, but… I had a nagging feeling of unease.
It felt like Natsune and Kurokami-senpai were hiding something from me.
Even though Natsune came as Kurokami-senpai said she would, this anxiety didn’t seem to fade.
“Uh, today’s collaboration content is… w-we’re really doing a board game, right?”
“Yes. We’re planning to play a board game together.”
“I’m looking forward to it!”
…Right. I’m probably just overthinking it.
Even if Natsune and Kurokami-senpai tried to deceive me, they wouldn’t gain anything from it.
★
[【Hinami Off Collaboration】We are back together after a long time with these three! Let’s show my fear again today! #KurokamiHikari#NatsuneNanase#KainohIzumi#StarsFlow]
– For the young lady!
– ─(≧▽≦)>Zumi Zumi!
– For the young lady!
– (☆≧▽^))☆☆
After we had dinner together, we finally began preparing for the broadcast.
And since it was Kurokami-senpai’s house, the collaboration was naturally going to be on her channel.
…But why?
“What board game are we playing, exactly…?”
Why wouldn’t Natsune or Kurokami-senpai tell me what game we were playing?
Looking around, I could only see the familiar scenery of Kurokami-senpai’s room.
There were obviously no board games here that the three of us could enjoy.
“Ah, don’t worry, Izumi-chan. It’s a board game we can play on the computer.”
“But there’s only one computer right now…”
“Hehe, I’ve thought of that too!”
“Don’t worry, Izumi. It’s not like we’re going to eat you or anything!”
My anxiety intensified.
Why?
Why won’t they even tell me the name of the board game?
Of course, maybe I was just overreacting… but Satoru Uncle always said to trust my instincts in times like this.
“K-Kurokami-senpai… I-I have an urgent matter at home…”
Saying that, I slowly stood up from my seat and reached for the closed door.
Fortunately, it seemed my ridiculous excuse was believed by Natsune and Kurokami-senpai, as they smiled gently and didn’t say anything.
But that only amplified my anxiety, and I immediately turned around to try to open the door…
“Ah?”
The door wouldn’t open.
“Oh my, Izumi-chan. Where do you think you’re going? It’s time to start the broadcast now…”
“Let’s start preparing, Izumi.”
“Ugh?!”
And then, I heard the ominous voices of Natsune and Kurokami-senpai from behind.
I was scared. Scared. Scared…
Before I knew it, my legs lost strength and I slumped down.
“C-Can someone open the door, please…?!”
I let out a pitiful scream for help, but the door didn’t budge.
And slowly turning around, I saw that Natsune and Kurokami-senpai were still wearing their kind smiles.
That was an unspoken judgment that I could never escape.
★
[Kurokami Hikari☑ @KurokamiHikari · 6 hours ago]
Today at 18:00! It’s been a while since Hinami has all gathered together!
Izumi-chan will be personally leading the Hive broadcast…
Today, as the villain, I’ll make sure to scold both Natsune-chan and Izumi-chan!
https://ontu.be/XXXXXXX
#StarsFlow#KurokamiHikari#NatsuneNanase#KainohIzumi#Hive
★
“Oh ho ho ho! Is everyone doing well? I’m the one in charge of the ‘Hi’ in ‘Hinami,’ the most dignified villainous noble! Kurokami Hikari!”
– Welcome, young lady!
– It’s really been a long time since the Hinami combo!
– I’ve been looking forward to this!
– The moment I saw the announcement teaser at lunch, my heart was racing!
“It’s really been a long time since the three of us got together.”
“U-Um, you just said it was a surprise off-collaboration, but what about the announcement…?”
“Well, even if it’s been a while, my role won’t change at all!”
– Sure enough, the lady’s role is to be teased by the two!
– The villainous noble (goodness) huh…
– I thought I heard someone else’s voice just now…
– It was too quiet to catch it properly.
“Huh? The role of being teased as Ponko-tsu? No way! I’m the one putting the two of you through trials!”
“Uh, Kurokami-senpai? P-Pardon my interruption…”
“Now, let’s continue with the introductions! First, Natsune-chan.”
“Everyone, konhoshi! I’m Natsune, in charge of ‘Na’ in Hinami! Nice to meet you today!”
– Konhoshi!
– Let’s show off the dignity of zero generation, Natsune-chan!
“Finally, Izumi-chan.”
“C-C-Conzumi… I feel like I’m involved in something strange… I’m the atmosphere maker in charge of ‘Mi’ in Hinami. Izumi, please!”
– Hi, Zumi!
– Something strange?
– It’s probably a challenging and weird situation for Mei-chan…
“W-What exactly are we doing?!”
“It’s just a regular board game, a board game.”
– Just regular?
– Is it possible Mei-chan really doesn’t know what’s going on right now?
“Ughhh…”
“Now, as I previously announced during lunch, Izumi-chan will be playing the horror game, Hive!”
“Waaaahhhh!”
“…Huh?”
At that moment, Izumi froze up completely after hearing Hikari’s words.
Hive.
A survival horror game released three years ago.
The goal was to survive and escape to the hideout while avoiding countless bugs and infected humans—a very simple and straightforward game.
The problem is… Izumi has a horror game tolerance of zero.
Of course, Hikari didn’t initially plan it this way.
After a long time of not being able to align schedules with Natsune due to various busy matters, Hikari initially wanted to enjoy a regular board game with Izumi, especially The Game of Life.
But after seeing the message from Izumi in the morning, she changed her mind.
[Kainoh Izumi: If you force me, I won’t collaborate with you for a while, senpai.]
[Kurokami Hikari: …]
[Kurokami Hikari: I understand… So, please bear with it… ( ´•︵•` )]
[Kainoh Izumi: Thank you!]
Seeing the message, where Izumi stood against her manipulation, Hikari decided she must show Izumi her scary side.
Of course, usually, Hikari really liked the distance that allowed her to converse with Izumi like this…
But this time, she felt a little irritated that Izumi didn’t recognize how much she was trying for her, so she chose this revenge.
And when she told Natsune about the revenge, she nodded, saying it would be fun too.
“Hmph. They always see me as Ponko-tsu!”
Of course, Hikari knew that Izumi’s feelings of calling her Ponko-tsu didn’t mean anything negative but was a sign of closeness. Yet, she thought of this as a reason to retaliate.
“Do I really have to…?”
In that moment, looking up with moist eyes, Izumi almost softened Hikari’s heart, but Hikari quickly steadied her resolve and nodded.
“Yes. It was a collaboration from the start.”
“But you said it was just a board game…”
“There are simple board games within the game, too!”
If there was one mistake made by Izumi in this situation…
It was that she had disturbed the mood of Hikari, the noble lady of the Shirazaki clan, which has been around since the Edo period.
[Kainoh Izumi: If you force me, I won’t collaborate with you for a while, senpai.]
She never got mad or sulky about Izumi’s threat to stop collaborating due to not recognizing her efforts.
Not at all…
“Uuhhh…”
“Ugh…”
★
“You said it was just a board game…”
“There are simple board games within the game too?”
That’s a ridiculous argument.
I thought this, but there was nowhere to escape to.
If I ran away now, the broadcast would be in complete shambles.
“Uuhhh…”
In the end, I had no choice but to face the horror game myself.
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