A night after the play, day three of the festival arrived. The first two days had been cultural-festival weighted; day three was sports-festival weighted.
After day three’s events ended in the evening, the after-party began. I would have preferred to skip — normie event — but Reona and Riona had locked me in. Escape was not an option.
“Even if I tried to bolt, they’d find me. Resistance: wasted time.”
I don’t know what mechanism it is, but Reona and Riona can locate me instantly. Last time I bolted from the hotel in Kyoto, they had pinpointed me.
”…Is Reona actually going to participate in the confession contest?”
The rumor about Reona was spreading, not fading. I could not stop fixating on it.
The confession contest accepts confessions of any kind, not only romantic — long-held secrets, statements you couldn’t otherwise make, etc.
But 90% of participants do romantic confessions, so if Reona is participating it is probably romantic. I did not want to see Reona confessing to anyone — even knowing we weren’t compatible.
A guy who never gets attention falls in love at the first kindness. I am that guy.
While prepping for school, Reona and Riona arrived in team T-shirts.
“Morning. You’re up?”
“Lately, Ryouya gets up earlier than he used to.”
“Because someone keeps climbing into my bed and waking me up early.”
“Boo — no fun.”
Reona pouted. Be in my shoes. Waking up to a half-dressed classmate next to you is bad for the body in multiple ways.
“I’m ready — let’s eat and head out.”
“Sounds good.”
“Pre-physical-activity nutrition is important.”
We had breakfast. The twins at our breakfast table was normal now. Their absence would be the strange version.
“Today we win the three-legged race and demonstrate me-and-Ryouya’s compatibility to the school.”
“Don’t trip from over-running. I’m in the kill-radius.”
“If I trip, you’ll save me?”
“Best effort.”
I’d answered. Saying yes, I’ll save you directly was embarrassing, hence the indirect phrasing.
“That answer is the most Ryouya-kun.”
“Ryouya’s a tsundere — when it counts, he’d save Nee-chan with everything he’s got.”
“Yes, the personality-test we did at the theme park called you tsundere — so I can fall safely.”
“You cannot fall safely.”
I tossed it in. Reona-and-Riona had tested yandere in that personality quiz, by the way.
Looking at Reona-and-Riona, yandere was not entirely off the mark — concerning. We finished, locked up, headed out.
“Great weather.”
“No rain, good.”
“Yeah, rain pushes the event to a backup day — annoying.”
I want events to end fast, not be delayed.
“Oh — and here I thought you’d want clear weather for the after-party campfire.”
“That is the last thing I would care about. By the way, what happens to the after-party if it rains?”
“It’s pushed with the sports-day events to the backup date.”
So it doesn’t cancel. The energy might deflate during the delay, but plenty of students are looking forward to the after-party, so no cancellation makes sense.