Yutori Natsu said that the possibility of a butterfly’s flutter causing a typhoon is approaching zero.
But.
“Sniff, sob… I-Ibuki did something wrong, right…?”
“Uh, um??? So, I mean…”
“Uuuh, Yoshimi is trash.”
“No, no! I didn’t do it on purpose…!!!”
The insensitivity of Ibaraki Yoshimi had a surprisingly straightforward potential to make Ibuki cry. Truly a shocking occurrence.
“You really think your bad habit of grabbing what others have been saving to eat at the end is something you’ll be punished for today?”
“What? Now you’re accusing me of fabricating this?! Hey, you’ve missed far more than what I did!”
“Uuu… sniff, it’s all my fault, I’m sorry…”
“A-aaaaah! That’s not it! Stop! I’m the one who messed up badly! You should apologize quickly too!”
“Why should I… I’m sorry, Ibuki.”
“I-I’ll order you a new one…!”
Ibuki tried to salvage the situation after Yoshimi brutally murdered the chocolate pudding left for her. If time flowed peacefully from here, she might have succeeded in recovery.
“…What’s going on right now?”
The fact that the world was not as simple as it seemed was an unchanging truth.
At exactly the moment Ibuki burst into tears, Makoto stepped into the café, looking coldly at the pandemonium. Those who were trying to comfort Ibuki were utterly unprepared for the calamity that bore the name Makoto.
“Uuuh… Senpai Makoto…? Sob.”
“…Ah, yes. Ibuki, I’m here. First, over here—”
“Haha, Makoto-chan was the first to arrive? Hi☆”
“Ugh… Of all people, why did the one I least wanted to see come first? This is the worst situation.”
“Ako-chan, even if the first one wasn’t here, we would still end up meeting, right?”
“In that case, I’d just say the one I least wanted to see was late, wouldn’t I? Why even ask such an obvious thing?”
If there was a silver lining in this misfortune, it would be that the firefighter arrived just in time.
With a cheerful smile, Mika approached the table and glanced sideways. Between the two rivals from the academy, it seemed like sparks could fly at any moment.
The ominous atmosphere that had been flowing in silence…
“So, could someone explain the situation? Why on earth is our Ibuki-chan crying?”
“Sniff… Mika-neesama…!”
Suddenly, the situation began to unfold in an unexpected direction due to Ibuki.
*
Walking around Trinity downtown with Ako was almost a first. While they frequently hung out back in Gehenna, the change in location and relationships made it feel completely different.
It seemed like Ako shared a similar sentiment, as she kept looking around while walking. Could she at least glance my way? This is just too cruel.
“…Wait a second. That person over there. Isn’t that…?”
“What, who… Ah?”
“It’s that raccoon! Ugh, how can my luck be this terrible…?”
Ignoring Ako’s disgusted reaction, I looked in the direction she was pointing, and to my surprise, it indeed was Makoto. Standing in front of a store, she lifted her head to check the sign before stepping in confidently.
“Oh my, that’s the café Atsuko-chan told me about…”
Hmm. Since Makoto is technically Ibuki’s guardian, it makes sense that she’d know where she went.
…It wouldn’t be a problem to let Makoto take care of Ibuki, but for now, I decided to follow her into the café.
“What, we should just leave Ibuki to her and go back, right?”
“No? That’s absolutely out of the question. Nope, never.”
Ako, who was linked arm in arm with me, timidly protested, but we still needed to check it out. I had to try persuading Atsuko too, and more than anything, it was just unreasonable to pass by without acknowledging Ibuki.
How could the Onsen Development Department ignore undeveloped hot springs?
…Of course, those guys wouldn’t just leave undeveloped springs alone; they’d probably dive into development even in the middle of the wasteland the moment they heard the word “hot spring.”
Anyway, since Ibuki was inside, I had a duty to go in there.
I needed to pet Ibuki about a hundred times, give her a good hug for at least five minutes, and rub her cheeks a few times…
Ah, just thinking about it heals me. Did Manma Battle really hoard this for themselves? They’re unforgivable for being so outrageously disgusting.
“Okay then, let’s go receive some energy from Ibuki-chan… huh?”
But what’s this?
As I opened the store door and stepped in, the atmosphere felt a little off.
There was Ibuki, sniffling, and the pandemonium seemed uncertain. And Makoto had a frown on her face.
Ah, if I mess this up, things could get really out of hand, so I decided I needed to intervene quickly.
However, one thing I didn’t expect…
“Sniff… Mika-neesama…!”
That was probably because Ibuki, with teary eyes, ran to hug me instead of Makoto.
“Wha-what…?”
“Oh… it’s a bit sad, isn’t it, considering this is so unlike you.”
Even Ako looked at Makoto with pity in the absurd situation, while Yoshimi got down on her knees on her own.
Then, Kazusa, who had been watching closely, suddenly knelt beside her.
…Accomplices?
No, since Yoshimi looked surprised too, it didn’t seem like that. Could this be a bond of loyalty between best friends?
Separately, Makoto looked stunned, mouth agape in shock. I decided to comfort the Ibuki that was snugly tucked in my arms first.
“Okay, okay, Ibuki-chan, sniff. What’s going on? Did the sisters bully you?”
Shaking her head.
Ibuki shook her head while leaving tear traces on my clothes. When I gently patted her back and asked again, she looked up at me.
“Uuuh. It’s not the sisters’ fault… It’s because Ibuki is bad, it’s Ibuki’s fault… sob.”
Wow. Looking up at me with watery eyes is outright unfair, really…
“Hey, what do you mean by that! There’s no way there’s another child as good as Ibuki-chan in this world!”
“Isn’t it my fault…?”
“Of course not! No way in hell.”
After saying this, I lifted Ibuki with one hand, and she buried her face into my shoulder.
While patting her back, I turned my gaze toward the culprit.
“Yoshimi-chan.”
“Uh, y-yes, senpai… Ah, no! That’s not it. Yes, Ibaraki Yoshimi at your service!”
“…What’s with that awkward honorific? You can just speak casually like before.”
“B-but, back then… I didn’t even know who you were.”
“If I say it’s fine, then it’s fine, okay.”
Originally, I intended to surprise the Bondee with a dramatic revelation, like, “I’m actually the T-party host…!”
But then, that precious moment I had with Nagisa during that party got broadcasted live, throwing my plans out the window…
But that’s that. The awkwardness in relationships because of my temporary position, which will disappear upon graduation, really isn’t cool.
“So, Yoshimi-chan. And your friend next to you.”
“…Kyouyama Kazusa.”
“Oh, I know that one already☆ Your track record isn’t just ordinary, huh?”
“…Ugh.”
“Whatever, I don’t really care about that. It’s cool. Just speak comfortably.”
Kazusa is one of the few students I can act familiar with even though we’ve never met before. After all, she was a legendary delinquent known during middle school days. As someone with the authority to handle student admissions and withdrawals, not knowing her would be more of a problem.
“Anyways! Please explain why our Ibuki-chan ended up crying. You know the basics, right?”
“So, it’s just that I ate the chocolate pudding Ibuki had saved to eat later. I swear to the primal divine being that I definitely didn’t do it on purpose! I was going to buy her another one…!”
“…Ah-ha.”
Though she didn’t adhere to the basics, I got all the necessary information.
“So, Kazusa-chan?”
“…I committed the sin of not stopping that fool.”
“Not a fool… ugh.”
Yoshimi immediately tried to retort but then, upon noticing Ibuki’s gaze, frantically raised her hand to cover her mouth.
Was she looking at my eyes, or was she looking at Ibuki’s? Or maybe both?
Heh… Anyway, this is a pretty cool situation here. A friendship filled with loyalty and romance. Honestly, I’m a bit envious.
“That’s what she said. Ibuki-chan, I’ll buy you enough pudding to burst your stomach, so can we please ease your feelings?”
“…Okay.”
I hugged the nodding Ibuki tightly. It seemed like a small commotion happened, but in the end, it wasn’t a big deal. That means I can finally enjoy my happy Ibuki time——
“Misono Mika, you little… I will NEVER forgive you!!!”
“Huh?”
“Ugh… now that I see it, this exchange student program was all a sinister scheme to transfer Ibuki to Trinity, wasn’t it…? I cannot forgive this…!”
Wha-what? Is there a wicked Trinity blood flowing through me?!
“Um, Makoto-chan… I had never met Ibuki-chan before I pushed this initiative——”
“I won’t listen to excuses! From this moment today, Gehenna declares war on Trinity. I will burn this den of snakes to the ground and hold Ibuki in my arms once again in that very moment…”
Makoto’s madness, consumed by the situation, surged forth. Honestly, it doesn’t seem like a situation I need to worry too much about…
However, how on earth do I resolve the misunderstanding blooming in that idiot’s head? Just as I was in deep thought to figure it out, Ibuki, snug in my arms, started to whimper again.
“Senpai Makoto… are you going to fight? Because of… me…?”
“W-what? Ibuki, it’s not like that… this is for you…!”
“Sob… I’m sorry, Ibuki…”
“I-Ibuki!!! I’m not trying to fight, so please, this foolish idiot… sniff. Please forgive me, Ibuki!!!!!”
…This is driving me absolutely crazy. I’m done with this, I just need to quiet down and pet Ibuki.
