Chapter 2: That Woman is Too Cute
1 ─side Kurono Shia
That night, the headquarters of the largest drug cartel in Brazil was obliterated.
In the depths of the jungle, at a drug manufacturing facility, armed workers lay scattered, collapsed everywhere.
Without exception, in an instant, soundless and decisive strikes, they were all pinned into walls or the ground.
What had happened? The answer, of course, lies with only one person.
"Answer my question."
Kurono Shia, it was because of her.
The girl cornered a large, dark-skinned man who appeared to be the cartel’s boss against the wall, and asked in English.
"Y-you bastard, how dare you destroy my organization—"
The boss drew a handgun. A .45 caliber round fired without hesitation.
At the same time, time froze.
Kurono stopped the bullet mid-air, swatting it down like a fly, then seized the gun from the boss’s hand and shoved it into his mouth before resuming time.
"!? M-mmmmph, mmphhh!!!"
"Who told you to resist in vain? Just answer the question. I'm in a hurry."
The boss, startled and tearful, nodded frantically as the gun barrel pressed into his mouth.
Kuro-no slightly pulled back the gun.
"So, you're a power user. What’s your goal? Money, drugs, or my life?"
The trembling boss was met with Kurono's completely serious tone as she replied,
"Today's lucky item for Leo."
"Huh?"
2 ─side Kurono Shia─
A day earlier, based on Japan Standard Time.
In the archery dojo after school, the echoes of respectful calls and disciplinary teachings reverberated.
"The book says: 'Iron and stone clash, fire bursts instantly.' In other words, the body of gold, the color white, the position of the half-western moon."
"Today's practice is finished. Thank you very much!"
"Ah, finally done! I'm so tired..."
The club members who had been sitting began to stand up one by one.
Among them, Kurono called out to a young man who was tidying up the archery equipment near the wall.
"Kai-kun."
She was about to suggest leaving together when suddenly a girl in training attire shot past him.
"Kai-kun~~! Wait a minute! Don't go home yet, please!"
"Uwoh!? …Eh, Amafuro?"
The girl had bright pink twintails tied back for practice.
With a loud, childish voice, she clung to Kai and begged him.
Her name was Amafuro Tete. A second-year student and a member of the archery club.
"Kai-kun! Please! Come practice with me today!"
She had a small frame with a big chest, always smiling sweetly, and was very popular among the boys.
However, when it came to archery... she was terrible. Kurono had never seen her hit the target.
Suppressing the murderous urge that arose, Kurono unconsciously intervened.
"Wait a second."
"...Ah, Kurono-san is still here. What's up?"
"Why are you asking Kai? If you need extra practice, wouldn't it make more sense to ask the teacher who supervises?"
"U-Um, that's because... how should I put it... I'm, well, too cute, to be honest. If I'm alone with a male teacher, people might misunderstand."
"...Huh?"
Kurono couldn’t believe what she had just heard. What was this girl talking about?
Well, if it was about feeling uncomfortable being alone with a young teacher, that could be somewhat understandable.
But why choose Kai?
(Depending on the reason, this could be your last will.)
"Um, it’s because Kai-kun is quiet, he doesn’t really come across as super manly, so I feel safe. Besides... Kai-kun has a girlfriend, right? I don’t think he’d betray someone he likes."
A bolt of lightning struck Kurono’s head.
"...Huh? A girlfriend? W-Who’s his girlfriend?"
Amafuro looked at her as if to say "Huh? What are you talking about?", then pointed at Kurono.
"Eh? Aren’t you two dating...?"
Next to them, Kai smiled awkwardly.
"No, it’s not like that."
"S-Seriously!? I’ve seen you two walking home together a few times..."
"We just happen to live close to each other."
"B-But the only person who can talk normally to Kurono-san... is Kai-kun, right?"
(Hmm? Just now... did she indirectly insult me?)
Anyway, Kai clarified that they weren’t dating, and Kurono agreed with him.
"So, you’re not dating... Sorry, I misunderstood."
"But, for example, if Kai and I were really dating like you said, don’t you think I’d feel uncomfortable if you were alone with him?"
Amafuro’s eyes widened as if she had just realized something.
"Y-You’re right... If my boyfriend were with a super cute girl like me, I’d definitely be worried and wouldn’t like it. I-I’m sorry."
"...Alright, I forgive you."
"No, that's why we're not dating.” Kurono whispered quietly, almost inaudible.
Just for a moment, let me enjoy this atmosphere.
Anyway, a few minutes later, permission for extra practice was easily granted by the club’s supervising teacher, Kuregatani.
Actually, practicing without supervision was forbidden, but he simply said,
"You’ll be fine."
How relaxed he is, Kurono thought, but in the end, he decided to stay.
Of course, the reason was that she didn’t want to leave those two alone together.
──Thirty minutes passed.
Amafuro set up her bow and shot. Every time, Kai gave her advice.
"Uuuh~... No matter how many times I try, my arrows always fall to the ground... What should I do, Kai-kun sensei?"
"Okay, okay. Hmm, the push from your bow hand is too weak. So first, when you're in the 'Daisan' position, focus on making sure you don’t lose the push—"
Kurono tried to ignore them and concentrate on her own practice.
Archery was perfect for situations like this. By repeating a set movement, her mind could calm down—
"Ah! Sorry, Kai-kun, my chest guard shifted again... Can you fix it?"
"Eh!? U-Umm... If your hands are busy, I can hold your bow, so Amafuro, just fix it yourself."
(What should I do? To be honest— I want to kill her.)
Thwack!
The vengeful arrow from Kurono pierced straight into the center of the target.
Honestly, she wanted to stop time immediately and throw that girl into the Aokigahara Forest.
As she released her dark thoughts with the final exhale of her bow stance, a soft voice suddenly sounded.
"…Kurono-san, you're handsome."
When Kurono slowly turned, somehow, Amafuro had already sat behind her.
"Is your practice finished?"
"Not yet, it’ll take a while. But my arm’s tired, so I’m resting! Kurono-san, you're really amazing! Hey, show me again, okay?"
Kurono set the bow again, raised it, took the 'Daisan' position, drew it, held it, then released.
The sharp sound of the shot hitting the target followed.
"Wow! Amazing! …Umm, is there a quick trick for this?"
"There isn't. You just need to do the set movement correctly."
"I see... Hey, show me again."
Amafuro stared at Kurono with sparkling eyes.
Kurono hesitated for a moment, then, as if pushing open a heavy door, she opened her mouth.
"…Archery isn’t about arm strength."
Amafuro looked at her, confused.
Kurono continued in a flat tone.
"You’re moving your arms too much. Focus on moving from your shoulder blades in your back."
"Ah, thank you, Kurono-san! I’ll try it!"
If Amafuro became skilled quickly, it meant less time for her and Kai to practice together.
That was the only reason Kurono agreed to teach her.
However, strangely enough, when the girl thanked her, Kurono didn’t feel bad about it.
After all, she did seem to be serious in her practice.
(...Maybe I can save her from the forest punishment.)
Another thirty minutes passed.
The sharp sound of an arrow hitting the target echoed through the dojo, which was starting to grow dark.
Amafuro's arrow finally hit the target.
"Yay! This is the first time I’ve succeeded! You saw that, right?"
"Good job! Congratulations, Amafuro!"
(Finally, it’s over...)
Kurono, who had been sitting and observing, let out a relieved sigh.
But just then—
"Thank you, Rou-kun!"
(T/N; I translated Kai as Kairo before, however, it's Kai Rou.)
(────Huh? She just called Kai by his first name!?!?)
She still has to die.
The Aokigahara Forest? No, that’s too soft. Straight to the crater of Mount Fuji.
"Ah, sorry, Kai-kun. I suddenly called you by your first name... Actually, in my heart, I call everyone by their first name, so it just slipped out."
"Ah, it’s fine. Call me whatever you want. Anyway, congratulations."
(It’s fine!? This is definitely not okay! K-Kai-kun, w-why are you so casual with a girl like that...!?!?)
Kurono stood stiffly with a blank expression, but inside, her heart was filled with burning jealousy.
Then, Amafuro approached with light steps and bowed deeply.
"And Kurono-san as well, thank you so much!"
"…Huh?"
"Your advice really helped me! Also, your posture when shooting is so inspiring… Anyway, I’m really grateful!!"
Kurono was surprised by the sudden thanks.
"...No, I didn’t do anything."
That was the only response she could give.
With a wide smile, Amafuro expressed her gratitude.
For some reason, Kurono couldn’t understand why it didn’t make her angry.
Still feeling unsatisfied, Kurono looked away, while Kai began quickly packing up the equipment.
Then, Amafuro said,
"Thank you so much, both of you! For staying with me this late..."
"It’s no problem. But, Amafuro, it’s already late. Aren’t you supposed to be home by curfew?"
"It’s fine, I got permission from home—"
Guuuuu~
Amafuro's stomach growled loudly. She laughed awkwardly and said,
"Eh-hehe... Umm, would you like to have dinner together? As a thank you, I’ll treat you!"
3─side Kurono Shia
So, Kurono finally went with them to the nearby family restaurant from the school.
Inside the restaurant, which had only a few customers at 9 PM, cheerful pop music played, and the sound of the food delivery robot working could be heard.
"Just order whatever you like. My allowance from Papa is still quite a lot... Oh, and just to clarify, I mean Papa who is actually related by blood, okay?"
While spreading out the menu on the table, Amafuro spoke casually.
"You guys can choose first. I’ll decide later."
Kai received water and wet tissues from the food delivery robot’s belly, then handed them out.
"Please relax, nya! When your order is ready, call me again, nya!"
After leaving a mechanical voice meant to sound cute, the robot left.
"Kyaahh! Did you see that? The cat robot delivery here is super cute, right? Well, I’m cute too, but forget about that! Its shape makes you want to pet it, even though we know it’s not a living thing! I seriously want to take one home! Kurono-san agrees, right? Right!?"
"…Umm, yeah, I guess so?"
Kurono nodded absently. For her, not only was this a family restaurant, but even eating out was a first-time experience.
(Honestly, I don’t care about the food or the robot… But if I’m with Kai-kun, everything feels enjoyable.)
In that regard, Kurono felt she could be thankful to Amafuro.
They sat at a table with sofas facing each other for four people. Since Amafuro and Kai had already sat facing each other, Kurono hesitated for a moment, but eventually chose to sit next to Kai.
They sat next to each other.
Of course, this made Kurono’s head feel like it was boiling.
(Waaahh~! S-So close! Because of this sofa, the distance is much shorter than in the classroom... O-Our hands might touch...! O-Or worse, what if I smell like sweat!?!?)
While Kurono was busy with her thoughts, Amafuro pressed the call button and said,
"I’ve decided! Kurono-san, what about you?"
"…Umm, sorry, I haven’t yet."
Kurono looked back at the menu.
Although she initially wanted to choose something randomly, the menu options were more than she had expected.
"I get it, Kurono-san! It’s normal to be confused, right? Since we’re girls, we’re probably thinking about calories! But we’ve done a lot of exercise today, so anything we eat will be forgiven!"
"It’s not that. Anyway, the calories will be burned soon enough, so I don’t care."
"Huh? Eh, wait a minute, Kurono-san. What do you mean by 'burned soon'? S-So you never control your calories, even with a body like that?"
"That’s right. I never think about it."
Just using her time-stop ability alone consumed a large amount of energy. If calculated as basal metabolism, it was quite significant, so there was no reason for her to cut back on her meals.
However, as Kurono said this, she noticed something fundamental vanish from Amafuro’s cheerful expression.
"Could it be, your smooth skin too? You don’t do any special skincare?"
"I just use moisturizer."
"So, you don’t actually do anything at all. Okay, I get it... Then, what about your almost invisible thin makeup?"
"I just use foundation and lipstick."
"A natural beauty monster...!?"
Amafuro suddenly let out a sound as if she were dying, then leaned back on the sofa with a resigned expression.
"Umm... Did I say something wrong?"
"Ah, no. Don’t worry about it, Kurono-san. That’s just how you are."
Finally, Kurono made her order randomly.
Not long after that, Kai nodded.
"I’ve decided too."
"Okay! I’ll order then!"
About ten minutes later, the food delivery robot arrived with their orders.
"Thank you for waiting, nya! This food is hot, nya! Be careful, nya!"
Kurono ordered a summer vegetable doria, Kai chose a hamburger set, while Amafuro ordered a mixed steak and a strawberry parfait.
"Enjoy your meal~"
Amafuro clapped her hands together in a cute manner. Kai and Kurono followed suit.
Amafuro began eating small pieces of her steak, occasionally taking a spoonful of parfait served alongside it.
"Fufufu! I, the cute one, thought this through! If I cut down on the rice for a low-carb diet, then ordering a parfait isn’t a problem!"
"Amafuro, isn’t that still basically the same?"
"I didn’t hear that! I didn’t hear those mean words!"
Meanwhile, Kai casually ate his hamburger, followed by rice, salad, and soup.
On the other hand, Kurono remained expressionless as she ate her hot doria without blowing on it first, as if it were just yogurt.
"Kurono-san, isn’t it hot?"
"No. I’ve been trained… I mean, taught to eat anything without any problem."
"...Your parents raised you in a strange way, huh."
By the time Kurono had finished half of her doria, Amafuro suddenly said,
"Or is it just me... Rou-kun?"
"What?"
"Food that other people are eating always looks tastier."
"Yeah, I can understand that."
"Then, how about we swap one bite?"
"I don’t mind."
Amafuro cut a piece of chicken steak and placed it on Kai’s plate.
Kai also tried to place a piece of hamburger on Amafuro’s plate, but—
"Hmm... It’s not as exciting, huh... Oh, Rou-kun! While we’re at it, feed me, please!"
"Eh? ...Ah, well, okay then."
"Thank you~♡"
(Huh?)
While Kurono remained silent in shock, Kai skewered the hamburger with his fork and offered it to Amafuro, who opened her mouth like a baby bird.
"Hmm~! It’s even better when I’m fed!"
(Congratulations. By the way, will that be your last meal?)
Without a sound, the spoon in Kurono’s hand snapped.
"Oh, right, Rou-kun! How about you do the same for Kurono-san?"
"Eh?"
Both people whose names were mentioned were surprised at the same time. Kurono subconsciously exchanged glances with Kai.
Kai looked a little confused before asking,
"Amafuro did say that, but Kurono-san probably wouldn’t want it, right?"
"......No."
Fueled by the competition with Amafuro, Kurono forced her courage to surface.
"I don’t mind. ...I want to eat the hamburger, so please feed me too."
"R-Really... Okay then..."
Kai took a new fork, speared a piece of hamburger, and offered it in front of Kurono.
The girl opened her mouth slightly like a squirrel, then carefully bit into it.
(M-More... more embarrassing than I imagined...!)
Although her tongue didn’t feel the heat, there was something warmer than the food that enveloped her heart.
If only this moment could stop forever—
Then, she truly stopped it.
The music in the restaurant froze.
Amafuro, sitting across from her, stopped moving.
In a world where only the two of them remained, Kurono stared at Kai, who stood still.
"Ah... Kai-kun, you have a stain on your lip. Hehe, it’s unavoidable, huh."
She took a napkin and gently wiped Kai's lips.
The tip of her finger lightly touched the corner of his mouth.
That alone, and yet, her entire body seemed to burn with the embarrassment that enveloped her.
And it was then that Kurono realized something.
"......"
She slowly took the fork in Kai’s hand, then replaced it with the one she had used earlier.
Kai, though merely a projection frozen in time, was still a polite person. He had even switched to a new fork before feeding him.
However, Kurono didn’t want that.
"I-I’m fine with this... Y-Yeah, I-I accept it!"
She moved Kai’s unconscious arm, speared a smaller piece of hamburger on the fork, then offered it back to himself.
A kiss, indirect.
More embarrassing than before.
More exhilarating than before.
Kurono chewed, then hugged her own face.
"Delicious...nyamm... Kyaaaaaaaahhh!!! I-It’s not proper, Kai-kun! We’re not even married, but this... this is too lewd! But... aaaaaah, this is amazing!"
She repeated it three times, dancing in joy in the world that had stopped.
After that, she drank a glass of cold water in one gulp to calm himself.
Then, Kurono returned time to its normal state.
Amafuro, now moving again, looked back and forth between Kurono and Kai, then said,
"Heii~ You two... Umm... Seriously, you’re not dating?"
"…Yeah."
Kurono answered Amafuro’s question in a voice that, for some reason, sounded tired.
Of course, it was impossible for Amafuro to realize that time had stopped, but still, it felt like being stabbed in a painful place.
Then, Kai casually answered,
"Well, I’m pretty close to Kurono-san, but... we’re not dating."
"Why not?"
"Because it wouldn’t be fair, right? Me and Kurono-san."
"Eh? Really? I don’t feel that way."
The words thrown casually on the table somehow felt like cold water pouring over Kurono.
(I should be the one saying that.)
She had no expression, couldn’t speak well, and even now, still didn’t truly understand what ‘normal’ was.
She also lacked the courage to express her feelings, instead preferring to stop time just to do embarrassing things.
(Someone like me is actually not worthy of you...)
Sadness enveloped her. Her lowered gaze met the leftover doria on her plate.
"Jiiiii..."
As she placed her spoon on the empty plate, she felt Amafuro’s gaze.
"What’s wrong?"
"S-sorry... Umm, I have something I need to tell you..."
With hesitant tone, Amafuro began to speak.
"Actually... the reason I asked Rou-kun to do extra practice earlier... there’s another reason too..."
I had expected that.
The anger that had almost subsided in Kurono seemed to flare up again, ready to strike.
However, what came out of Amafuro’s mouth was something she had not anticipated.
"──B-Because I want to get closer to Kurono-san..."
"...What?"
Kurono tilted her head in confusion, while Amafuro grew even more nervous.
"Umm, well... ahhh, I can’t say it properly!"
She bit her lip, looking very troubled to express her words, then in a small voice that almost drowned out, she said,
"I... don’t have any friends..."
"Huh?"
"What?"
The two people who heard that were both surprised at once.
"U-umm, because I... am so cute?"
According to Amafuro, back in first year, she had received a confession of love from the boyfriend of one of her close friends. Since then, she had started being called a relationship destroyer, making other girls keep their distance from her.
The same thing happened in the archery club, where she was somewhat isolated from the other female members.
"I want to enjoy my high school life with lots of friends... talking, hanging out together... But because I’m too cute, it ended up like this, and it feels so heavy..."
Amafuro tightly gripped her empty glass and continued.
"But, Kurono-san, it seems like you don’t care about gossip or things like that. You look cool, independent, and so I thought, maybe we could be friends... But I’m afraid to talk to you suddenly, so I wanted to ask Rou-kun first, about what kind of person you are, what your hobbies are, things like that..."
She lowered her head, then spoke softly,
"That’s why I wanted to make sure if you two were dating or not. Because I’m too cute, I’m afraid I might make your relationship awkward, like before... But if you’re really not dating, then it’s okay, right...? Please... Kurono-san... and also, Rou-kun... could we be friends?"
(I don’t want to.)
Kurono almost said it without hesitation.
However, before she could open his mouth, Kai spoke first.
"Alright, Amafuro. Maybe I’m just a 'sidekick' to you, but from now on, let’s be friends."
"Ah, thank you, Rou-kun! In that case, let’s exchange Instagram!"
Amafuro looked like she was about to cry with happiness, then turned her gaze to Kurono.
With a resigned feeling, Kurono finally said,
"...Alright. I understand. Nice to be friends with you. But I don’t have Instagram, so let’s use Line instead."
"Yaaay!! Ah, I mean, thank you, Kuro—eh, Shia-chan! In that case, can I start texting you tonight? Or... should we just call? Let’s stay up all night chatting!"
Kurono could only stare blankly, repeating in her head the nickname she had just heard from someone for the first time.
"Shia...-chan...?"
4─side Kurono Shia
After parting ways with Amafuro at the family restaurant since her house was closer, Kurono walked down the streets at night with Kai.
It was already past ten in the evening. The streetlights were fairly bright, and the safety in this area wasn’t bad, but for two underage teenagers, it was still a time that could cause some worry to be out and about.
"There might be some suspicious people around. Kai-kun, if something happens, hide behind me."
"That’s usually my line… oh well. But if something happens, we’d better run together for our safety."
"True."
They agreed, but behind those words, ever since they left the family restaurant, a dark shadow had enveloped Kurono's heart.
"……"
She glanced at Kai, who was walking beside her, then quickly turned his gaze away.
Deep in her heart, there was a painful feeling, something between jealousy and loneliness that was hard to explain.
(I don’t even know Kai-kun’s Line contact… but why did he just immediately... with Amafuro earlier...)
Inside the restaurant earlier, Kai had easily exchanged contacts with Amafuro, who had said she wanted to be friends with him.
However, even though they were in the same class, the same club, and had been living in the same apartment for over a year, Kurono still didn’t have Kai’s contact information.
The unspoken difference in treatment felt like rejection, and it was painful.
(...No, wait. I don’t have his contact because I never asked for it, right?)
Then, what if she asks for his contact now?
But if she does that, it feels like she's competing with Amafuro.
No, not "feels like", that’s exactly the reason, and it frustrates her.
Moreover, it feels like she's asking Kai to pay more attention to her.
No, it’s not just "feeling like", that’s really the meaning, and it’s embarrassing.
But if she leaves it like this, she’ll be the only one who doesn’t have a way to stay in touch with Kai, and she don’t like that.
What if she stop time and secretly take his contact?
But that idea was quickly discarded.
That’s not what she wants. She don’t just want Kai’s contact.
What she want is Kai’s heart, consciously wanting to connect with her.
(But… in the end, someone like me...)
At that moment—
"Kurono-san, if you don’t mind… would you like to exchange Line contacts?"
"───Eh."
Suddenly, a glowing phone screen appeared in front of her, displaying a QR code.
Kurono froze.
"I just realized we haven’t exchanged contacts yet. Ah, but if you don’t want to, that’s fine…"
"No, it’s not that. But… why all of a sudden…?"
Kai hesitated a bit before answering.
"Well… actually, I’ve thought about saying it a few times, but… Kurono-san, you didn’t seem to like things like this, and I… was kind of embarrassed."
As he said this, Kai scratched his cheek with a shy expression.
Kurono held back her rapidly beating heart and took out her phone.
"We live in adjacent rooms, so it might not be used often."
"…But if you’re sick or injured, you can contact me, and I’ll come right away."
Kai nodded.
"True."
"But I have a younger sister, so maybe there’s no need to worry."
"You have a sister?"
Kurono had just learned about that.
Perhaps not meaning to say it, Kai quickly added, as if wanting to retract his words.
"Ah… to be honest, she’s kind of weird, so I don’t talk about her much. But yeah, she spends most of her time holed up in her room, so you probably won’t ever meet her. And if you happen to see her, just ignore it."
Anyway, that’s how Kurono ended up getting Kai’s contact.
── When she got home, Kurono took off her uniform and went into the bathroom.
The warm water fell, wetting her closed eyelids.
(I did it…! Finally, finally, I have Kai-kun’s contact!)
Although her expression remained flat, the overflowing happiness made the corners of her mouth tremble slightly.
It felt like their relationship had moved forward.
(By the way… about his sister. Kai-kun said that, but what is she really like?)
Of course, Kai had a family.
Unlike herself, who wasn’t like most people.
But…
(If only I were just a normal high school girl…)
Maybe, it would be easier for them to get closer.
── The next morning, Kurono woke up to a faint vibration at the tip of her finger.
"Uhhm…"
She got up from the thin mattress that was placed directly on the floor.
The blanket covering her body was half thrown off, but since she never slept neatly, it wasn’t a problem for her.
Still wearing the undergarments she usually wore to bed, she stretched without opening the curtains.
Then, in an instant, her mind became fully alert, and she picked up her phone, which was still vibrating nonstop.
On the screen, messages from the same person had been coming in since last night.
“Please reply to my message”
“Are you asleep?”
“I just woke up!”
From Amafuro.
(They say you should choose your friends wisely… and that’s really true.)
Quickly regretting her decision from last night, Kurono opened the chat screen. As she was about to type, it was so noisy. Be quiet, a new message appeared.
“My horoscope for today! Shia-chan, let me know your result too!”
Below the message bubble was a link to a zodiac forecast site.
"…Hah. How far can this girl’s foolishness go?"
This pink-haired twin-tail girl seriously expects me, the strongest agent in the world, to be interested in this nonsensical, unscientific junk?
This is an outrageous insult.
She intended to ignore it, but at that moment, another message came in.
“Ah, I forgot to mention my result. Virgo has the best luck in love today~!♡♡”
As soon as Kurono caught the word "Virgo," her pupils dilated sharply.
A few seconds passed. Her fingers, hovering hesitantly in the air, finally tapped the attached link.
(...No, it's not because I'm curious. I just clicked by mistake.)
Looking for excuses in her mind, she began to read her horoscope result.
Name: Kurono Shia. Age: 16 years old. Zodiac: Leo. Blood type: A.
Love fortune today: The worst.
The atmosphere around her became cold.
Kurono, who usually didn’t show any expression, now became even colder.
For a moment, she seriously considered erasing the website’s main address from the face of the Earth.
However, as she scrolled down the screen, she found an intriguing sentence.
“Take a picture of your lucky item and upload it on social media along with your horoscope result. That way, the cosmic energy will reverse, and your luck will peak!”
She continued reading.
The lucky items for Leo today are:
White powder and mango.
On what basis in the laws of the universe those two things were chosen, Kurono had no idea.
However, she knew exactly where she could find both of them.
Without hesitation, she immediately called the operator from the international police organization.
"Good morning, Agent Kurono Shia. How can we assist you?"
"Give me all the latest information on the narcotics cartel headquarters in South America."
"Eh? Umm, we can provide that… But there is no mission related to you at the moment…"
"I just want to destroy it as a morning warm-up. Send it to my phone immediately."
"S-sure…!"
Five minutes later.
After changing clothes, Kurono stepped out of her apartment.
Then, she stopped time.
In an instant, she crossed the Pacific Ocean, destroyed his target, and returned.
There was nothing more to report after that.
Except, of course, for one thing.
On social media, a photo of several tons of pure cocaine and a golden-orange mango was uploaded with no caption.
5─side Kurono Shia
In the afternoon, inside the classroom.
Kurono stared at the mango lying on her desk.
(What should I do with this...)
According to the horoscope site, lucky items must be carried throughout the day.
The white powder was obviously nonsensical, but somehow, the mango made its way to school with her.
But now, thinking back—this was just a nuisance.
As she opened her lunchbox, Kai, who was sitting next to her, turned to her.
"...Kai-kun, do you like mangoes?"
"...Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"
"Umm... there's a reason."
At that moment, the classroom door opened, and someone entered.
With striking pink twin-tail hair, Amafuro Tete stepped in.
"Shia-chan! Let's have lunch together! Oh, Rou-kun is sitting next to you! Waaah, yay! We'll eat together, okay?"
Without waiting for an answer, Amafuro placed the bread and milk she had just bought on Kurono's desk.
"Ah, right! Shia-chan! Why didn’t you reply to my message yesterday? I was shaking with fear, and even Dad scolded me! He said I was shaking like a 5.0 earthquake!"
"Sorry, I fell asleep."
"Muu~! From now on, you have to reply!"
"Only if I feel like it."
"That means you won’t reply at all... Alright then! I'll just keep sending messages to Rou-kun!"
"Why did I suddenly become the victim?"
"Because you're responsible for the stability of my friendships and the health of my mental state!"
"I’ll stop being friends with you."
"NO! I’m just kidding! I’m kidding! So don’t do that!"
At that moment, Amafuro's gaze landed on something.
"Eh, what fruit is that?"
"Mango."
Kurono answered without thinking and placed it on Amafuro's head.
"Are you giving this to me? Thank you! Woah, woah—"
Somehow, Amafuro managed to balance the oval fruit on her head without dropping it.
(Annoying.)
However, before Kurono could say anything, voices from the corner of the classroom were heard.
"Why are the three of them suddenly having lunch together?"
"Maybe because they're in the same club?"
"Oh, but isn’t Amafuro from class 5 known as—"
"Hah? So you mean, there’s something between Kurono-san and Kai...!?"
"Seriously!? This is so interesting!"
"Eh, but why is there a mango?"
Like ink stains dripping onto a white sheet of paper, their sarcastic laughter ruined Kurono's mood.
Normally, she wouldn't care.
But for some reason, today felt more irritating than usual.
However, before her right eye had a chance to shine, someone stood up first.
Amafuro.
With a smile still plastered on her face, but with no kindness in it, she walked over to the source of the gossip and spoke.
"Got a problem?"
"Eh...? N-no, it's not like that—"
"Yeah, yeah! We were just talking about how close you two are!"
"I see, huh? That's good then. I was just having lunch with a friend, so if anyone's gossiping about things they don't understand, I don't like it."
After saying that firmly, Amafuro turned and returned to her seat.
"Ugh... There's always people like that everywhere, huh? So annoying."
"Sorry, Amafuro. I made you deal with that."
"It's fine! Rou-kun didn't do anything wrong!"
Kurono looked at Amafuro with a slightly changed expression.
(This girl is stupid... But at least she's better than those useless people.)
Still, the fact that she was so close to Kai was still a major problem.
While Amafuro ate her bread with milk, she said,
"Hey, you two. The cultural festival is next month, right?"
"Ah, that's right."
Usually, the high school cultural festival is held in the fall, but at their school, it's held in July before the summer vacation.
"So, here's the thing..."
Amafuro cleared her throat and then grinned widely.
"Shia-chan, Rou-kun! Let's open a cafe together!"
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