Chapter 46: How to Play with a Sixth-Grade Girl?

Although she had made up her mind to get closer to Marina, Ishikawa Yuka had no idea how to go about it.

Just as it had been with Shoko, her knowledge of the game and its plot points provided limited reference in this world that had become reality.

Moreover, the original work never delved deep into the past interactions between Lady Yuka and her lackeys.

She had a faint feeling… that even now, her relationship with Shoko had deviated from the settings in Love 100%.

Or rather, thinking about it calmly, the position Shoko held when she first appeared was clearly the one Lady Yuka was supposed to have in the original game.

Yuka had been pondering this for a while.

Because Shoko’s situation was so vastly different compared to the game.

Why was it different? What was the cause? She kept thinking about it.

She wasn’t someone who lived aimlessly; she truly put serious thought into it.

Her theory was… the seat Shoko currently occupied was meant for Lady Yuka.

Shoko had ended up taking it instead.

Nowadays, Shoko was the central figure of the class, surrounded by lackeys and drawing the Academy’s attention.

Furthermore, when she first appeared, she was rumored to be Nogami Hiroki’s fiancé candidate.

Although Shoko later showed absolutely no interest in Hiroki, making people nearly forget about it, those rumors were everywhere when they first met.

But wasn’t that exactly Lady Yuka’s role in the game?

In the game, Lady Yuka always traveled with a group of lackeys, and while she made many secret enemies, everyone feared her on the surface, making her the core figure of her class and the Academy.

She also clung to Hiroki as his primary fiancé candidate.

It was identical to Shoko’s initial state.

No, it should be put the other way around—Shoko was living the life of the game’s Lady Yuka.

So why was she herself a loner now, while Shoko held the position meant for Lady Yuka?

It was likely her own fault.

And the logic should be reversed.

Children of high society make their debut and enter social circles at various banquets before they even start elementary school.

Thus, most children already know one another.

Shoko and her lackeys had known each other before entering the Ōka Academy Elementary Division.

No, more than just knowing each other, they were her lackeys from the very start.

So where did they meet and form such relationships?

It went without saying—they met at various banquets after their social debuts and were recruited as followers.

Then, why did the Lady Yuka in the game have lackeys and commanded fear and respect, while she had no friends and was only watched from afar?

The answer was that she had rejected all social activities, including her own social debut.

In the game, Lady Yuka likely had her debut at the proper age like any other child, attended banquets, met various peers, made enemies, and gathered subordinates.

But she hadn’t done that.

She had avoided her social debut and never showed her face at a single banquet.

Naturally, it was impossible to know anyone.

Because she had never been to those places… she failed to become close to the children she was meant to meet, become friends with, or take on as subordinates.

It was a logical outcome.

And then…

‘Because she didn’t occupy Lady Yuka’s position, the world made adjustments.’

The actions Lady Yuka should have taken after her debut, the people she should have become close to, the status she should have attained, the reputation she should have had… all of it became a blank space.

That blank space didn’t lead the story in a different direction; instead, another person was slotted into that position.

It was only natural for Shoko to be treated by her lackeys the way they treated Lady Yuka in the game.

Because she had been arranged to take Lady Yuka’s place… to be recognized, feared, and respected by those around her, and to be listed as Hiroki’s fiancé candidate.

All of these were spots meant for Lady Yuka.

Because of her evasion, all those consequences were transferred to Shoko.

She had made Shoko shoulder everything she was supposed to carry.

Even if she told Shoko this, the girl probably wouldn’t get angry, let alone understand.

It was inevitable for Shoko to become this way in this world.

She didn’t realize she was a replacement, and if Yuka actually said it, it might just make her angry.

The Shoko of this world lived according to her own choices.

She took the initiative to associate with those around her and built those relationships herself.

To say something like “you’re sitting in this seat as my substitute” would be to deny Shoko’s relationships and friendships with those girls.

Saying that would definitely make the other person angry.

However, for Yuka, who knew the game Love 100%, it was because she had run away that Shoko had to bear it all.

She didn’t exactly regret it, nor did she feel a sense of responsibility or a need to do something.

It was just that the world had turned out this way.

She didn’t want to judge if it was good or bad or discuss responsibility.

It was simply that the “Lady Yuka” who was supposed to attend banquets, recruit followers, and become a focus of attention after her debut had vanished.

Her strange relationship with Shoko and those lackey girls was a result of that as well.

So… what about her relationship with Marina?

Shoko and Marina initially had a very poor relationship.

Yuka didn’t know what their initial meeting and relationship were like in Love 100%.

She only knew that by the time the game started at the point of entering the High School Division, they were already best friends.

What would have happened to Shoko and Marina if Lady Yuka had a normal social debut?

If she had acted like the game’s Lady Yuka, would she have had a bad relationship with Marina upon entering the Academy, just like Shoko and Marina did in this world?

Or did the game’s Lady Yuka take them both in as inner-circle lackeys from the very beginning?

No… there’s no point in thinking about this now.

It provided no reference, nor was there any way to know.

And even knowing wouldn’t help.

It was just her own idle curiosity.

What she needed to consider now was how to get along with Marina from now on.

She and Shoko had already become friends.

Although the relationship felt different from the game, in terms of “becoming close friends,” it should be considered a success.

While she still felt some distance from the lackey girls, they could become closer over time.

She had already seen the signs.

How should she get along with Marina?

Or rather, how does one make friends with a first-grade girl?

As someone who was originally socially inept and a bit of an otaku, how could she possibly know how to make friends with a little girl?

If she did know, that might actually be a problem in itself.

What should she do?

No… thinking about it alone was useless.

It seemed she could only…

“If one wants to become friends with someone, what is the best way to go about it?”

“Hmm…? If you ask me like that, I’m not entirely sure either…”

Yuka decided to seek help from one of her few friends, her dependable senior, Kohara Yuko.

Or rather, lately every time she went to the Salon, Yuko would inevitably sit next to her.

Since she was right there, she might as well try to consult her.

Summer vacation was only a little over a month away.

This was very bad.

According to the social customs of the upper class, it was rare for people to make an appointment today and meet today.

Usually, an appointment was made in advance and preparations were made before meeting; that was common sense.

So, even if she wanted to arrange something with Marina, doing it now would likely mean waiting until summer vacation.

During summer vacation, everyone had their own schedules.

There were trips, as well as many banquets and events to attend.

Trying to meet then would be a hassle and an extra burden for the other person.

Time was running out if she wanted to become close within the first semester.

Of course, it wasn’t a requirement to become friends in the first semester.

Rather than forcing it and adding a burden, it would be better to take things slow and get closer after the second semester started.

However, with summer vacation approaching, she hoped to at least narrow the distance before the break.

Even with people you are close to, a long period of not seeing each other can lead to a sense of estrangement and awkwardness.

If they weren’t well-acquainted to begin with, that distance would surely be more pronounced.

“To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever said anything scripted like ‘please be my friend’…”

“I think usually, after introductions and talking for a while, you just become friends without realizing it…”

“I… see…”

Yuka understood this logic as well.

Even including her past life’s experience, she had never said “let’s be friends.”

Especially for children around the age of primary schoolers, they usually become friends naturally by being in the same class, meeting every day, talking, and playing.

At that age, they don’t specifically say things like “let’s be friends” or “we’re friends, right?”

But with Marina, that alone probably wouldn’t work.

If it would, they would have done so already.

Yet her relationship with Marina hadn’t progressed at all.

They were just acquaintances who greeted each other and exchanged a few words… that was the current state between them.

How could they become close?

When making friends normally, why do people become friends?

But… after all, making friends can’t be done with just one person’s will.

Both parties must want to be friends.

In other words, if only she wanted to be friends with Marina, it would never happen.

Unless Marina also wanted to be friends with her…

“As expected… it’s probably best to do something together, right?”

“………Eh?”

Hearing Yuko’s words, Yuka turned to look, only to see Yuko continuing with a serious expression:

“If you want to become close… you should do something with that person.”

“It could be completing a task together, or simply playing together should work too.”

“In short, I think as long as you do something together with that person, the relationship can be bridged.”

“Do something… together…”

Yuka pondered Yuko’s words.

It was indeed true.

She was currently on quite good terms with Keiko.

That had started after the tea ceremony.

Of course, she felt she had gotten closer to the other girls besides Keiko after that as well.

It could be said that becoming well-acquainted with Shoko was largely due to handling those rumors and doing many things together.

That’s right.

Even just playing together was fine.

If it was something the other person was interested in, even better.

The tea ceremony hit Keiko’s interests perfectly, which was why she could suddenly become close with her.

But even the others had clearly become more harmonious after that.

If one wanted to achieve the goal most efficiently, they should do something the other person was interested in.

But one didn’t need to overthink it; just playing together should be effective enough.

Right!

In other words, becoming friends means getting to know each other!

As long as they stayed together and played together, they would naturally get to know the other person better.

Expecting to become inseparable overnight was asking for too much.

It should be a gradual process of playing together many times, doing various things together, and overcoming difficulties together—that’s how friends are slowly made.

“I think I understand! Thank you, Senior Kohara!”

“Mmhmm. No problem. Just make sure to play with me next time too.”

“……Eh?”

Toward Yuka’s confused reaction, Yuko was still smiling.

‘She’s joking, right?’

“When are you free?”

“……Eh?”

Then, Yuko actually pulled out her planner and began checking.

‘Huh? Is she serious?’

This meant… she had to go out and play with Senior Yuko?

“Tell me your schedule? When can you do it? Hmm?”

“Eek!”

‘How scary!’

Seeing Yuka hesitate to answer, Yuko’s smile gradually became oppressive.

It seemed she wasn’t joking; she truly intended to ask her out.

Something was wrong…

She was clearly thinking about how to get close to Marina, thinking about playing with Marina, so how did it inexplicably turn into playing with Senior Yuko?

Come to think of it, what kind of fun could a sixth-grader and a first-grader have together?

What would they play? Hide and seek? Cat’s cradle?

What on earth do sixth-grade girls play?

She seemed to have heard before that they go see something and then eat and go shopping…

It wouldn’t be another tea ceremony, would it?

She had no experience in “how to play with a sixth-grade girl.”

What on earth should she do?