Chapter 62: From Today, You and I Are Friends

Today was the closing ceremony.

The first semester was ending, and the summer vacation was about to begin.

It felt both long and short…

The first semester, which had felt like a torrential storm, finally drew to a close.

Too much had happened this semester.

It was completely different from the life she had envisioned, and it seemed entirely different from the Love 100% she knew.

Initially, she had thought that perhaps it was because the story of the first grade wasn’t detailed in the game, but now she understood that this world had absolutely diverged from the game Love 100%.

Whether it was Lady Yuka, Marina, Shoko and her small group, or Hiroki and Masahira…

And even characters who never appeared in the game, like her brother Yota, Inadera Taichi, and Kohara Yuko…

Everything around her was starkly different from the settings in Love 100%.

She guessed that the general direction of the future might still follow the trajectory of Love 100%, but if she didn’t treat this as an entirely new world, she would very likely stumble in unexpected places.

Furthermore, Love 100% was fundamentally a world extremely cruel to Yuka.

She couldn’t be too careful.

“Well then, Big Sister Yuka, goodbye.”

“Have a pleasant vacation, Shoko.”

After the closing ceremony ended, the students began to leave the school in groups of threes and fives.

Many people weren’t going to the Salon today.

Since they were dismissed after the closing ceremony, everyone likely wanted to go home early to attend to their own affairs.

Yuka herself didn’t plan on going to the Salon either; she was merely delaying her departure to avoid the peak rush hour, planning to head home immediately once the crowd thinned out.

She watched her classmates leave one after another…

Until almost only she remained in the classroom…

“Ishikawa-san, can we talk for a moment?”

“Kurohara-senpai?”

Masahira came to the Class 3 classroom and called out to her.

She didn’t know what it was about.

Nothing good ever came when Masahira sought her out…

But she had no reason to refuse, and she wouldn’t know anything if she didn’t listen to what he had to say.

“I want to have a proper talk with you. Is it okay if we change locations?”

“Eh? Sure…”

Masahira began walking, and Yuka followed.

The number of people in the hallway had decreased significantly, but a few students were still scattered about.

They might have wanted to avoid the crowd like her, or perhaps because school ended early, they wanted to chat more with friends before the summer vacation.

Perhaps because she was walking with Masahira, glances were occasionally cast their way, but no one came up to talk or follow them.

Logically, the Ōka Association and the Upper Five should be awe-inspiring existences in this Academy…

She wondered if that sense of awe was so faint because she put on so few airs…

“Hmm… this place should be fine. Sorry for calling you to a place like this.”

“It’s fine…”

Arriving at the familiar balcony, Masahira turned and spoke.

This balcony was indeed a place full of memories for her, although none of them seemed to be pleasant.

Coming from the first-grade classrooms, this was definitely the most suitable place to find somewhere uncrowded and hard to eavesdrop on.

Of course, if there were people downstairs, they might still be eavesdropped on, but if she was going to be that particular, there was simply no place to discuss secrets in this Academy.

The doors, windows, and walls of the Salon were thick, but it was likely crowded with people today.

Masahira must have thought so too, which was why he avoided the Salon.

The courtyard had many blind spots, and students were still lingering there.

This school building didn’t have a rooftop garden; the annex across the way did, but the roof of this building wasn’t flat.

Because it was a Western-style structure with a gabled roof, there was no rooftop garden at all.

If one truly wanted to speak in absolute secrecy, they should go to an empty classroom in the annex, lock the door, and talk, but since it wasn’t that confidential and they just didn’t want to be overheard casually, this balcony was the best choice.

“Ishikawa-san, do you…”

“Hmm?”

Masahira hesitated, and Yuka listened attentively.

“Do you hate Hiroki?”

“Pfft!?”

Those words nearly made her spit out whatever was in her mouth…

“Ah… as I thought…”

“No… um…”

She hadn’t even said anything yet.

She hadn’t uttered a single word about hating Hiroki, not wanting him near, or not wanting anything to do with him.

“I didn’t say any—”

“It’s fine. Given your position, Ishikawa-san, you can’t exactly say ‘I hate Hiroki’ directly, can you?”

Was Masahira really just a first-grade elementary student?

His ability to read the room didn’t seem like a first-grader at all.

“Um… although it might not be appropriate coming from me…”

“Could you… give Hiroki another chance?”

“I’m not asking you to fall in love with him.”

“Just… as friends, could you give each other a chance to understand one another?”

“……”

…Masahira truly was a good person.

Of course, he might have his own calculations as well.

But if she and Hiroki, the Ishikawa and Noyama families, were at odds, it would cause many problems.

If her relationship with Hiroki was bad, the relationship between their respective factions would also deteriorate.

Things were fine for now.

Her brother Yota was there to unify the Ishikawa faction, so they could maintain a superficial peace with the Nogami and Kurohara factions.

But after her brother graduated next year, she would have to unify the Ishikawa faction herself.

Whether she wanted to or not, this was an inevitability.

Whether those within the faction were willing to submit to her, whether she herself wanted to lead others… she would have to shoulder this responsibility.

This was the responsibility of being born into a high-ranking family.

The secular world might believe that being born into a wealthy and powerful family meant a lifetime of ease and stability, making one a winner in life.

She had thought the same in her past life.

But only after truly being born into such a family did she realize that it didn’t mean one could live a carefree and leisurely life as a winner.

“Noblesse oblige”… it might seem outdated to mention this in the current era.

But in reality, noblesse oblige still exists in modern society.

Nowadays, there are more and more presidents and directors who only think about making money without taking responsibility.

But business operators should be responsible to their employees, clients, and ultimately to all stakeholders.

The attitude of “make as much money as possible when times are good, and it’s not my problem if the company goes under” simply does not work.

Was she born into the Ishikawa family just to be held in the palm of the Ishikawa faction and worshipped?

That was not the case.

She had to be responsible to every family within the faction.

Externally, she had the responsibility of directing the actions of the entire faction; internally, she had to protect the families within it.

If she acted like she did before… running away from all responsibilities just because she didn’t want to repeat Lady Yuka’s mistakes, then she had no right to stand here.

If she truly wanted to escape responsibility, she should leave the Ishikawa family and live on her own.

If she couldn’t do that, she had to fulfill her responsibilities as a member of the Ishikawa family.

This was her obligation, having been born into the Ishikawa family.

And this wasn’t just a problem for her alone.

Hiroki, Masahira, Shoko, Marina… everyone was living in this environment.

Though the burdens they carried were different, they were all fulfilling their respective responsibilities.

Among them, she was the only one for whom running away from responsibility was absolutely unacceptable.

“Are you asking me to… properly integrate the Ishikawa faction before my brother graduates, avoid unnecessary conflicts with the Nogami and Kurohara factions, and manage things appropriately? Is that what you mean?”

“Eh!”

“Huh?”

When she confirmed this with Masahira, he showed a surprised expression.

She tilted her head in confusion.

Wasn’t he asking her to integrate early because he was worried that if she, who currently had a bad relationship with Hiroki, became the next leader of the Ishikawa faction, problems would arise?

“Um… Ishikawa-san?”

“Yes?”

She responded to Masahira, who was holding his forehead.

“I have no idea how the topic drifted to that… but I just want Ishikawa-san and Hiroki… to at least be friends, that’s all?”

“Huh?”

Her and Hiroki becoming friends… was this hinting that she should bow her head to the Nogami faction?

Something like “bosom buddies,” or “what’s yours is mine”?

“You seem to be thinking about something complicated again… I just want you and Hiroki to be friends.”

“Is that so hard to understand?”

“Uh…”

Her and Hiroki being friends… why?

On what grounds did she have to be friends with Hiroki?

Hiroki was the demon who would eventually betray, belittle, and push Lady Yuka into hell.

What was the point of being friends with a Hiroki like that?

What benefit could there be in being friends with someone who framed her?

“It looks like your thoughts are jumping around again…”

“I really just want you to be friends with him.”

“Ah! Then how about this: be friends with me first.”

“Right? Ishikawa-san, from today onward, you and I are friends.”

“Uh…”

What nonsense was he spouting?

Wasn’t Masahira also a brute who drove Lady Yuka into a corner?

Even in unrelated routes, he would bring about Lady Yuka’s ruin as if it were a joke, a mere comedic sketch.

They practically treated it as entertainment.

It was true that this world was different from Love 100%.

The flow of the plot was gradually turning into a different world entirely.

But she had just decided she couldn’t let her guard down.

These people betrayed Lady Yuka as naturally as breathing.

As if they had to do it…

Of course, Love 100% was written and created by a production team.

Hiroki and Masahira in the game were merely acting according to the script.

But truly, without any warning, even in completely unrelated routes, they would bring about Lady Yuka’s ruin as if it were a prank.

Forgive them?

How could she possibly forgive them?

The developers probably just thought it would be funny to have Lady Yuka meet a comical demise at the end and added it on a whim.

But did they understand?

Did they understand the feelings of the person ruined because of it?

Did they understand how much Lady Yuka suffered?

Even if this world was different from the game Love 100%… there was no telling when they would bare their fangs at Lady Yuka.

The malice of the developers might not remain hidden in this world.

And when that malice manifested… there would be nothing she could do.

The malice of the developers, acting like the will of the world, would be an ultimate, undeniable providence for the characters within it.

“…………I think I somewhat understand how much you hate Hiroki, and me too.”

“But… even so! I still beg you!”

“Please give Hiroki a chance!”

“Kurohara-senpai…”

Masahira… bowed deeply to her.

Kurohara Masahira… that Kurohara Masahira actually bowed to Lady Yuka…

What should she do?

What if this was another trap?

Perhaps they had no intention of setting a trap, but the result might still be toyed with by the world’s malice toward Lady Yuka.

But… the other party had gone this far… bowing their head like this… could she ignore it?

And… perhaps truly… she could also become friends with Hiroki and Masahira…

“!”

What… was she thinking just now?

Was she swayed by emotion?

These people approached Lady Yuka with a friendly facade, used her until there was nothing left, and then ruined her like it was a game.

In some endings, Lady Yuka even died for real.

People like that…

She… she…!

“Ah!”

Masahira’s voice came from behind her.

But she ran away without looking back.

Disregarding the rule of “no running in the halls,” she sprinted desperately toward the entrance hall.

Lying on her bed, looking up at the canopy, Yuka was lost in confusion: what on earth should she do?

If this were an ordinary world… she might think, why not try getting close to Hiroki and Masahira?

If it doesn’t work out, they could just drift apart.

Try getting close first, and give up if they really don’t get along.

If they could become friends, it would be lucky—perhaps it would be better to think that way.

But… was it really that simple?

Although this place was different from the game Love 100%, it was essentially a similar parallel world.

If Lady Yuka was also destined for ruin in this world, those two were absolutely indispensable.

If she kept her distance from the start and avoided involvement, perhaps she could avoid the ruin flags.

But if she made contact recklessly, it might invite resentment, or she could be driven into a corner because their relationship deteriorated; that wasn’t impossible either.

Unlike the game, she couldn’t load a save file and try again here.

This was a real life with only one chance.

Every decision she made concerned not only Lady Yuka’s fate but could even determine the future of the Ishikawa family.

Even now, she repeatedly warned her father not to do anything improper.

Her father wasn’t the kind of person who would do such things anyway.

The route of downfall due to the exposure of improper behavior seemed to have been avoided.

But it was still uncertain.

What would happen… and in the game, it wasn’t always due to improper behavior.

Although related descriptions would appear, the direct cause of the ruin was often something else.

“Just what on earth should I do…”

A delicate girl’s voice—sounding as if it didn’t belong to her—echoed in the empty room.