Chapter 45: Must make Marina become…

“Ah! The tea ceremony finally ended smoothly!”

“Mother even gave it a passing grade now it all depends on everyone else’s reaction.”

After the tea ceremony ended yesterday, Ishikawa Yuka finally breathed a sigh of relief and had a good night’s sleep.

She had been preoccupied with worries lately and hadn’t slept very soundly.

But now that the event had concluded successfully, she could finally rest easy.

The problem was today—she had to go to school and observe everyone’s reactions, otherwise she couldn’t be completely at peace.

Matsuyama Shoko had been so stiff with nerves back then that Yuka felt she herself had made a few small blunders in hosting.

While they weren’t major mistakes, it certainly wasn’t perfect for a Main Guest.

In Yuka’s eyes, it had actually been quite cute, but she didn’t know if Shoko or those around them would mind.

She was even more worried about Fujiwara Keiko.

Keiko had appeared completely at ease throughout the ceremony and the subsequent procedures, clearly confident in her Chado.

To someone like Keiko, yesterday’s tea ceremony might have felt a bit underwhelming.

After all, it was positioned as a first attempt for beginners; for those expecting a formal performance, it might have been unsatisfying.

Keiko had been enthusiastic from the start and displayed a considerable level of skill during the ceremony.

If the tea ceremony she had looked forward to was only at that level, she might feel disappointed.

But honestly, demanding Yuka to do better was simply asking too much.

Although she had learned a bit of Chado at the Toraiwa Style, it wasn’t her major focus, and the number of lessons and time spent were pitifully few—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she was practically a layman.

Doing any better was simply impossible.

Yesterday’s performance was the result of her desperately covering up and barely managing to hold the scene together.

Yet even so, an expert like Keiko likely saw right through her.

Though she glossed it over with the title of ‘a gathering for beginners,’ did Keiko truly accept that explanation…

****

“Ah, Marina, good day.”

“Good day.”

When she walked into the classroom, Anmiya Marina had already arrived, as was her habit.

Although a few other students were scattered about the room, just how early did Marina get here?

Yuka came in the same car as her brother, and the family ate breakfast together, so it was impossible for her to arrive any earlier than this.

It seemed she would never be able to reach the classroom before Marina.

Yuka sat in her seat and set down her things as more students began to trickle in.

Everyone was greeting one another, but still, no one came to say hello to Yuka.

Although the rumors about her had likely subsided quite a bit, everyone still seemed to be watching her from a distance.

‘Hmm… actually, everyone was keeping their distance even before the rumors spread, so I suppose things have just reverted to the status quo.’

‘It feels less like they’ve stopped believing the rumors and more like they just got bored of talking about the same topic for so long.’

In short, her situation hadn’t improved much.

“Good morning!”

“Good morning, Shoko-sama!”

“Good day, Shoko-sama!”

“Good morning, Shoko!”

Just as Yuka was lost in thought, Matsuyama Shoko pushed open the classroom door and walked in with high energy.

The moment Shoko offered a greeting, the entire classroom erupted with responses.

‘Ugh… although I think this often, I’m really not envious! Truly!’

“Good morning, Yuka-sama!”

“Good day, Shoko.”

Standing before Yuka, Shoko completed the greeting that had recently become a routine.

While she was occasionally low on energy, she was exceptionally radiant today; it seemed she didn’t mind her blunders from yesterday much.

In fact, she was a bit too energetic—had something good happened?

“Shoko, you’re in a very good mood today. Did something good happen?”

“Yes! Because I saw Yuka-sama’s beautiful figure yesterday, I can eat three extra bowls of rice just by remembering it!”

“…Eh?”

“Ah…”

‘Three bowls of rice?’

‘I think I heard Shoko say that… must have misheard.’

‘There’s no way… how could a young lady like Shoko, born and raised in high society, use such an expression?’

‘I definitely misheard.’

“I-I have to get ready for class! Please excuse me!”

“Ah…”

Before Yuka could say anything more, Shoko hurried toward her own seat.

Since there was nothing specific to discuss and the other party had given a reason, there was no need to stop her.

They would talk again during the breaks or lunch hour anyway.

She decided to subtly ask everyone for their thoughts on yesterday during lunch…

****

During lunch break, Yuka intended to naturally bring up yesterday’s topic once everyone gathered, but it turned out she didn’t need to take the initiative.

After finishing their meal, the girls started talking about yesterday’s tea ceremony on their own.

“Yesterday’s tea ceremony was truly wonderful!”

“Ah, thank you for the compliment?”

The first to speak was Fujiwara Keiko.

Yuka’s original prediction—or rather, the most likely scenario—was that Keiko would be dissatisfied with the level of yesterday’s ceremony…

It seemed she was being considerate of Yuka’s feelings.

Keiko had been looking forward to the ceremony from the start and had performed her own roles perfectly.

To her, yesterday’s tea ceremony probably felt like a teacher warmly watching over students as they fumbled through their mistakes.

“It might not have been high-class enough for you, Keiko…”

“Not at all! Not in the least! it was a magnificent tea ceremony! Please, you must come to my house as a guest next time!”

Keiko interrupted Yuka, standing up to grab her hands tightly—very, very tightly—as she pleaded.

‘But please, spare me; I’m truly bad at etiquette and Chado…’

‘I understand Shoko and Tachiki’s feelings perfectly now… I really don’t want to go through that a second time.’

“I’ll consider it if there’s an opportunity…”

She tactfully declined Keiko’s invitation.

The thought of having to endure that kind of torture again was unbearable.

Though she knew it was impossible to avoid it entirely in this life…

Wait?

‘That’s true.’

‘Since we’ve decided to live our lives as ojousamas from now on, we can’t run away forever.’

‘There will certainly be occasions in the future where we must attend.’

‘Rather than making a fool of ourselves then, wouldn’t it be better to… slowly get used to it now, while everyone is still unskilled?’

“Yuka-sama’s movements… were very graceful…”

“Indeed… just like a teacher’s demonstration.”

Just as Yuka was thinking, Shoko suddenly spoke up.

Immediately after, the others began to shower Yuka with praise one after another.

‘Waaaahhh~! Stop it! You’re definitely making fun of me!’

‘I know they’re comforting me out of noble politeness, but it sounds exactly like sarcasm!’

‘I don’t think these children are doing it on purpose, but their well-meaning comfort is making me feel even worse!’

She was constantly being scolded by her Master and her mother, often told she was “completely hopeless.”

She only managed to get by this time because the ceremony was aimed at beginners; if it were a formal tea ceremony or ritual, she wouldn’t even be able to step on stage.

Being “comforted” like this only made her more ashamed!

“Yuka did a very good job!”

“Ah, thank you…”

Kitagawa Asami spoke to her with a smile devoid of any shadows… Ugh!

At this moment, Asami’s smile felt like a sting to Yuka.

Asami had always been the friendly—or rather, less formal—type toward her.

She was the one who always called Shoko just “Shoko.”

Since she was so casual even with the faction leader Shoko, she naturally had no barriers with Yuka.

She had a bright personality and was easy to talk to, but sometimes that innocent smile could become a weapon.

People like Shoko and Yuka, who were prone to small mistakes, often embarrassed themselves in front of everyone.

And Asami happened to be the type who wouldn’t hesitate to point things out directly.

Although she meant no harm, it was actually quite hurtful to the listener.

However, it wasn’t right to blame Asami; after all, she was the one who made the mistake, and even if it was pointed out bluntly, the responsibility didn’t lie with Asami.

Besides, she said it with such a pure, malice-free smile that even Shoko didn’t seem able to get truly angry.

“Yes… if it’s a tea ceremony of that level, I’d like to participate again.”

“I don’t have much confidence in formal Chado either… thank you very much for your thoughtful arrangement, Yuka-sama.”

“I’m glad everyone could enjoy it.”

The one speaking now was Musha Toyama Kazuha, her tone carrying a sense of reserve.

She felt even more withdrawn than the polite Keiko.

Keiko was just well-mannered, and they had felt a bit more familiar lately, but Kazuha always left one with a sense of distance…

Shoko, Tachiki, Keiko, Asami, and Kazuha—these five made up Shoko’s small group.

Although there were other girls who followed Shoko, these were the five who gathered frequently.

In the game Love 100%, these five were Lady Yuka’s lackeys.

Perhaps Marina should be included, making it six?

Marina surely had close friends or intelligence personnel acting behind the scenes too… but the game never explicitly stated it.

Yuka felt she had become quite close with Shoko’s group, but she still felt some distance from Tachiki and Kazuha…

By contrast, she felt a sudden surge in closeness with Keiko.

Or rather, she was too close… for some reason, Keiko was sitting right next to her today.

Usually, Yuka and Shoko sat on one side with the other four opposite them, but today it was Yuka and Shoko side-by-side, with Keiko sitting directly across.

Furthermore, she felt as if she were being stared at intently; the gaze was so strong it made her very uncomfortable…

Come to think of it… how was Marina doing…?

So much time had passed, yet it felt like her relationship with Marina hadn’t progressed at all.

Was it really okay to leave it like this?

In the game Love 100%, the process of Lady Yuka and Marina getting to know each other was never clearly explained.

The impression was that she served as an aide from the very beginning.

The setting materials and developer interviews never explicitly stated when the two met or how they became close.

She knew roughly when… the game clearly stated that all of Lady Yuka’s inner circle had known each other since their time in the Ōka Academy Elementary Division.

So it could be inferred that Marina was the same.

Even so, not everyone had a clearly defined time or process; it was just a general “known each other since Elementary Division.”

From the developers’ perspective, Lady Yuka was just one of many characters, and a villainous supporting one at that.

They likely hadn’t detailed the life history of every supporting character; it was probably just created with the impression of ‘This is what a villainess is like, right?’

But… this was reality, and they weren’t game characters.

They weren’t programs running according to a set script, but flesh and blood living their lives every day.

Was it really okay to keep going like this?

If it were a game, following the script would inevitably lead to a certain ending.

According to the setting, these six would appear as Lady Yuka’s lackeys and aides after entering the High School Division.

But what about in this world that had become reality?

It had already been proven that the actions she took and the choices she made changed the future.

In fact, her current mother was clearly not the same person as Lady Yuka’s mother in the game.

The various conflicts, her current self, and Yuka’s reputation were all vastly different from the game era.

This was clearly because she had made choices that deviated from the script of Love 100%, causing the world to change.

So… if she kept doing nothing, she might never become close with Marina.

It was foolish to stay stagnant just because the game was set up that way.

If… by some chance… she never became good friends with Marina…

“!”

No! She absolutely didn’t want that!

She couldn’t even imagine a Lady Yuka without Marina by her side!

She had been a bit too dazed lately.

While she had become quite close with Shoko’s group, she had neglected Marina far too much in exchange.

She only realized this now.

She wanted… no matter what, she wanted to become closer to Marina.

It couldn’t stay like this, where they only exchanged greetings when they met!

She definitely… she definitely had to make Marina become…..