LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 304
Before we begin.
Although the side story is titled “If,” this episode contains elements that are completely unrelated to the main story or mixed with the fantasy genre.
The episodes titled “If Side Story” are in no way related to the main story.
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“…What is this?”
When I woke up, there was something strange in my view.
[Favorability]
Looking around at the incomprehensible situation, I saw nothing but the usual scenery of my room.
Only the strange button labeled [Favorability] kept floating right in front of my eyes, refusing to disappear no matter how I turned my head.
So I decided to lightly press the [Favorability] button with my finger, and with a pop!, a new window appeared.
[Koha Suzuha (Komachi Yuyika) : 0]
[Utsumi Ayaka (Utaka Ren) : 0]
[Akabane Yukari (Akasaki Sakura) : 0]
[Aki Nekoto (Hagiwara Ruka) : 0]
[Natsune Nanase (HatsuYuki Yoru) : 0]
[Kurokami Hikari (Shirazaki Shiro) : 0]
…
[Suzumichi Sakuya (Yuuki Miyako) : 0]
[Hatakawa Kaede (Shiina Momiji) : 0]
The newly opened window listed the names of the Star’s Flow members.
To be precise, it listed from Natsune to the third generation.
The names of the fourth and fifth generations, whom I hadn’t even collaborated with yet, weren’t there.
Does this mean that this number represents their favorability toward me…?
No. It just doesn’t make sense.
How can their favorability be zero if the members like me?
It must be a dream….
After closing the window by pressing the X in the upper right corner, I tried to go back to sleep, but it was already 6:30 AM.
After falling asleep early the night before, there was no way I could fall back asleep now.
…Well, it’s not like there’s anything uncomfortable about moving, so maybe it’s better to think of it as some sort of lucid dream?
In the end, I got out of bed and headed to the living room.
Then, I heard a clatter, clatter sound coming from the kitchen.
Drawn by the sound, I walked over to find Suzuha cooking.
“Ah, you’re here…?”
“Yeah. I came early since I have plans today.”
“I see….”
I usually don’t eat breakfast, but since I woke up and Suzuha is cooking, I guess it’s a good idea to eat.
The best time to eat a dish is right after it’s cooked.
“Almost done, are you going to eat breakfast?”
“Yes… Since you’ve gone through the trouble of making it, I thought it would be best to eat it right away….”
“Really? Hearing that makes me happy.”
After this small talk, I sat down at the table, and Suzuha quickly finished cooking and placed rice and side dishes on the dining table.
“Suzuha, how about you…?”
“Yeah. I had an apple before coming here.”
Suzuha says she usually just eats one or two pieces of fruit in the morning.
It’s a habit she formed when she was young.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“Yeah.”
In response to my greeting, Suzuha nodded and rested her chin on her hand, looking at me.
Honestly, being stared at like this while eating feels a bit burdensome, but since Suzuha made the food, I couldn’t say a word.
Today’s breakfast was rolled eggs, miso soup, and sautéed sausages.
Naturally, these dishes suited my taste perfectly and made me smile.
“Is it good?”
“Yes…!”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“It’s so delicious that I think I’d want to eat it every day….”
“Wow… Really that much?”
“Yup. Yes….”
I nodded eagerly at Suzuha’s words.
It’s not a lie.
Being able to eat dishes of this quality every day is like living in paradise.
As I nodded, the [Favorability] button caught my eye again.
“Oh, Suzuha. Can you see anything strange here…?”
“Huh? What is it?”
“This weird button here….”
When I pointed to the [Favorability] button with my finger, Suzuha tilted her head.
“I don’t see anything.”
…Well. I guess it’s natural since it’s a dream?
But those dishes and everything else feel too realistic to be a dream….
This isn’t some status window or something.
“So? What did you mean by that?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just a joke….”
“Oh really? Such a silly joke. Izumi is still a kid.”
“I’m a full-fledged adult, you know….”
I pouted in dissatisfaction as Suzuha giggled and patted my head.
Of course, it’s true that I’m younger than Suzuha, and I know I always get consideration from everyone, but I’m not just a kid.
More than anything, if we’re just judging by looks, Suzuha is even more…
“Huh?”
Please stop reading my thoughts so naturally.
It’s really scary.
“Izumi, you’re just too obvious.”
“Geez….”
So, what the heck is this?
I popped a rolled egg into my mouth and casually pressed the [Favorability] button again.
With a pop!, the window I saw earlier appeared again.
And…
“…Huh?”
[Koha Suzuha (Komachi Yuyika) : 51]
The number next to Suzuha’s name at the top had gone up.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, um, that’s….”
What should I say this?
For now, I closed the window so that Suzuha wouldn’t be suspicious….
[Koha Suzuha (Komachi Yuyika) : 51
]
“…Eh.”
After closing the window, Suzuha’s name and the number I just saw appeared above her head.
And next to it was a heart emoji.
“What is it, Izumi?”
“Hmm. Uh….”
I truly didn’t know how to respond.
There’s something strange hovering above Suzuha’s head?
But Suzuha couldn’t see the [Favorability] button I mentioned or the giant window that appeared earlier, so could she actually see that?
What should I say…?
“Uh, Suzuha….”
“Yeah?”
“Do you… like me?”
“…Huh?”
…What on earth did I just say?
Does the rising favorability number mean that she likes me?
What kind of foolish question is that?
There’s no way Suzuha would dislike me.
She’s the first friend I’ve ever made in this life.
It’s only natural for friends to like each other.
“…What are you hoping to hear?”
“Um….”
“Or is it that you dislike me?”
“Not that….”
“Or…?”
“I do like you….”
[Koha Suzuha (Komachi Yuyika) : 67]
And it went up again.
What the heck is this?
“I like you too, Izumi. Is that answer enough?”
“…Yes.”
“How cute.”
With that answer, Suzuha said it was time to go and got up from her seat.
In the end, I still couldn’t figure out what that number meant.
★
Today was a day I had to go to the studio for a company agenda.
And I heard that Kurokami-senpai also had an agenda today and offered to drive me to my house.
Of course, Yuto-ojisan was driving.
[Kurokami Hikari (Shirazaki Shiro) : 0]
…This time, I hadn’t done anything, yet a heart and number were already hovering above senpai’s head.
“Mina-chan.”
“Hello, Shiro-senpai.”
The only relief was that the number was 0….
[Kurokami Hikari (Shirazaki Shiro) : 6]
…What on earth is going on?
I casually asked Kurokami-senpai about it, just in case, but naturally, the only answer I got was that she couldn’t see anything.
So after arriving at the studio and finishing the agenda, on my way home.
I accepted the proposal to have dinner together, and I headed to Kurokami-senpai’s house.
[Kurokami Hikari (Shirazaki Shiro) : 48]
As soon as I accepted that proposal, the number unexpectedly rose significantly.
★
“Are you going to stay over tonight?”
After finishing the meal, Kurokami-senpai made that proposal.
“Uh… I have a broadcast planned for the evening…”
“I think it would be nice to do a surprise collaboration with ‘Faction’ after a long time….”
…That might be true.
It’s been about three months since I collaborated with Kurokami-senpai.
If we do an off-collaboration, everyone would probably be pleasantly surprised as she said.
“…Alright then.”
“Hehe….”
[Kurokami Hikari (Shirazaki Shiro) : 76]
What on earth is the law behind that number rising…?
“What time is the broadcast?”
“It was 9:30.”
“There’s still about two hours left. Then let’s wash up first, shall we?”
As I nodded, senpai briefly touched her lips and tilted her head to ask me.
“Shall we… wash together, Izumi-chan?”
“…Huh?”
As I was about to ask what she meant by that….
Time froze.
This wasn’t a joke.
My arms. Legs. Hands. Face. Eyes couldn’t move.
And in front of me appeared two windows.
[Sure. Let’s wash together, Kurokami-senpai.]
[We aren’t kids anymore, that seems a bit…]
The options looked like something out of a dating sim… or a visual novel.
What is this?
Kurokami-senpai was gazing at me with a smile, not moving an inch.
No matter how long I counted, senpai didn’t move.
And neither did I.
As if I had to choose one of these options unconditionally.
But if I can’t move, how am I supposed to choose this?
…Could it be I have to choose just by thought?
Arriving at that conclusion, I naturally chose the second option in my mind.
“Um, I think we’re not kids anymore, that seems a bit… inappropriate….”
Then my arms and legs began to move again.
But just one thing.
I couldn’t express my words the way I wanted.
It was as if I had to say all of the words from the option I just chose.
“Is that so…? That’s too bad.”
And…
[Kurokami Hikari (Shirazaki Shiro) : 73]
That number, dropped a little.
★
“Hah….”
The bath in Kurokami-senpai’s house is incredibly spacious.
To the extent that it’s much larger than the living room of an average house.
And the atmosphere is strongly traditional, making me gasp every time I use it.
“Ah, it feels so good….”
After lightly washing myself, I slowly dipped my feet into the bath.
Then a pleasant warmth surged through my body, and my skin turned a cherry blossom color.
It felt like all my worries were drifting away… even though I was unable to fully feel it because of the [Favorability] button appearing in the lower left corner.
What on earth caused this button’s appearance?
What does that number mean?
Yuto-ojisan and the household staff at senpai’s house couldn’t see the numbers.
So far, the only ones who could see the numbers were Suzuha and Kurokami-senpai.
And those two were the people whose names were on the window that appeared when I pressed the favorability button.
Favorability.
It directly signifies the degree of affection.
But all the people listed here are already close with me, people I like!
Do I need to raise their favorability?
Thinking about that makes it strange that the number is 0…
Of course, the fact that this button has suddenly appeared in the first place is equally absurd.
“Hah….”
As I started thinking and raised my head to look at the ceiling, the clouds of steam welcomed me.
As if telling me to stop the pointless worries and just enjoy the bath.
…Right.
What I do won’t change because I worry about it, so there’s no need for me to overthink it.
Of course, those buttons and the numbers above people’s heads are a bit unsettling, but I’ll get used to it.
Having concluded that, I tried to enjoy the bath again.
Creek!
“Izumi-chan?”
The bathroom door opened, and Kurokami-senpai walked in.
[Kurokami Hikari (Shirazaki Shiro) : 73]
Her long black hair shimmered with a blue hue.
Her gentle eyes matched her hazel brown irises.
Her toned and healthy arms and legs showed that she enjoys exercising.
Kurokami-senpai is a pure symbol of Yamato Nadeshiko, who is elegant and graceful.
And now she wasn’t wearing her usual kimono, but instead was wrapped in a single white towel.
“W-Wait, senpai?!”
“I thought it might be nice to sometimes have moments like this.”
What is going on?
What on earth is this?
“Don’t panic. It’s just the two of us, after all….”
Kurokami-senpai smiled as if it were nothing at all.
Of course, that’s true?!
“Eeek….”
Kurokami-senpai chuckled, quickly rinsed herself, and without a thought, submerged herself in the bath beside me.
“I think I’m going to….”
Even so, this just isn’t right—I tried to get up.
“Hey. Wait a moment, Izumi-chan.”
Kurokami-senpai grabbed me and hugged me from behind.
“Eek?!”
“Sometimes, it’s nice to relax and play together, don’t you think?”
The soft sensation of her chest pressed against my back.
I trembled, looking up at senpai’s face.
[Kurokami Hikari (Shirazaki Shiro) : 89]
That number was, of course, rising without hesitation.
Kurokami-senpai’s face had turned red.
Whether it was from the heat of the bath or for another reason, I couldn’t tell.