Read Daily Updated Light Novel, Web Novel, Chinese Novel, Japanese And Korean Novel Online.
Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? (Light Novel) - Volume 20, Chapter 1: Nijino Says She's Quitting as a Magical Girl
Volume 20, Chapter 1: Nijino Says She's Quitting as a Magical Girl
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
Part 1
As the culture festival gets closer, clubs and societies started getting more lively. This of course included the cosplay society. In their case, as they believed in rules and manner, there were few chances for them to cosplay at school. And because of that they were even more passionate about the festival. On top of that, the cosclub's president recently passed on the torch. The former vice president was getting really enthusiastic to carry out her first big event.
“I'd like to renew Yurika-chan's outfit... it's been used for quite a while now”
“President, even if you say that―”
“Hey, you're the president now”
”R-Right. Anyways, senpai. In Nijino-san's case, her feelings for magical girls are extremely strong. So we can't just haphazardly change her outfit”
”You're right... I'd like to learn from those feelings of hers, but they're a problem at times like these”
The cosplay society's program for the culture festival will be an exhibition of photographs and actual cosplay. In regards to the exhibition, it also served as a report of their activities so it wouldn't just include pictures of cosplay, but of their preparations as well. Moreover, the cosplaying isn't just for the sake of cosplaying, but to walk around the school grounds in an outfit, participating in events and hopefully getting more members. Because of the few chances the cosclub had to appeal within school grounds, they put extra energy into the culture festival.
Because of that, wearing the same cosplay as on the exhibition would lower the impact. If they were seen wearing the same outfits, people would assume that they weren't very active. Because of that, new outfits were required, but in this scenario, Yurika was the biggest problem. Her feelings for magical girls was strong and she rarely wore other outfits. Whenever there was something, she would almost always dress up as a magical girl. Calling her devoted sounded nice, but she could also be interpreted as a one-trick pony.
“That's right, senpai. How about we give her outfit an upgrade then? Even if Nijino-san uses that outfit, if we change that, then there's no problems are there?”
”I see, that's something we could do! As expected from the new president I chose, you're brilliant!”
“... It doesn't feel like you're praising me for some reason...”
”That's not true! I am praising you! Now let's get to work on a design! Gather pictures of Yurika”
”I already have them here.”
“It's because of this part of you that I pushed for you to become the new president”
”It only turned out this way because you never did anything, senpai”
“Things are going to get busy!”
”... She's not even listening...”
The former and new presidents worked together on a new design on Yurika's outfit. The teamwork they cultivated last year was still present and their work was progressing smoothly. Seeing those two, the rest of the girls in the cosclub began narrowing down the direction of their own cosplay.
“What if we focus around magical girls and their enemies?”
“That might be good. In the future Nijino-san will be the center with her passion for cosplay, right?”
”Alright, then I'll be an evil leader”
”Ah, unfair! You're always taking the good parts!”
“Hehehe, the early bird gets the worm!”
The motif for this year's culture festival's cosplay was starting to settle on magical girls. Leaving their real leader aside, this was a long-term strategy to let Yurika, who you could call their ideological leader, devote herself to cosplay. The cosclub members had accepted Yurika.
However, immediately after this, an emergency that would wipe away the excitement from the cosclub occurred.
The report was brought in by one of the members that joined in spring this year. She was an energetic girl that would even get confused with boys, but her expression at this time was a lot less lively than usual. She burst into the cosclub's clubroom with an expression as if she had seen the depths of hell, and spoke in a voice filled with profound despair.
“Nijino says she's quitting as a magical girl!”
That alone was enough to send all of the cosclub into panic.
Part 2
The girl known as Nijino Yurika had taken a long time to become a complete magical girl. By obtaining love and courage, caring for bonds and friends, and doing good and correcting evil, she had become a true magical girl. By maturing to the point where she could suitably name herself as a magical girl, her surroundings underwent a rapid change. The residents of room 106 would now believe anything Yurika said while being serious, even if that was something completely wild. Magical girl, Rainbow Yurika, was someone worthy of belief.
“Really!? Then let's go right now! Taiyaki! Taiyaki~!”
“No”
“Satomi-san, why are you being so mean!?”
However, in terms of her normal life, Yurika's position hadn't improved at all. Her slack-off personality was still the same. As of late she had gotten confident and was improving, but from time to time her bad habit would come out. And like before, she was still careless. As a result, Koutarou and the others had little trust for her, outside of emergencies.
“You still haven't finished your career report, have you?”
“Ugh”
“We'll get taiyaki after you've finished writing that”
“But this is a reward for getting good grades on the last test, so can't we save that for later!?”
“No can do. You need to value your own future more. Don't just look at all the fun stuff right before you”
Yurika and Koutarou's studying was finally showing off progress as Yurika didn't get a single failing score on the tests the other day. Having scored almost nothing but failing marks in the past, this was remarkable progress for her. That's why Koutarou had decided to take Yurika out to buy some taiyaki as a reward. However, with her deadline near, Yurika still hadn't filled out her career report, so Koutarou wanted her to do that first. He didn't believe in Yurika's 'I'll do it later'. Because of that, Yurika had a sullen look on her face.
“Sakuraba-senpai, say something to Satomi-san”
So Yurika relied on Harumi, who was sitting next to her. The weather was good today, so the knitting society was holding their activities outside. The place that had been chosen was the bench that got the most sunshine in the school. Koutarou and the others were lined up on the bench, knitting. Having been asked by Yurika, Harumi stopped her knitting and smiled at Koutarou.
“Satomi-kun, you're trying to make Yurika-san's future turn out the way you want it”
“That's right. This is tyranny”
Yurika latched on to Harumi's words and puffed up her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
“You'll definitely end up living a worthless life if I leave you be”
“That's why I'm envious of Yurika-san”
However, Harumi's words differed from what Yurika had wanted half ways through. Yurika wanted her to criticize Koutarou with him, but Harumi's conclusion landed elsewhere.
“You don't have to be envious!! He bullies you with taiyaki as bait you know!?”
Yurika tried her best to appeal to Harumi to get her to change opinion. Without Harumi's support, her taiyaki was fading away.
“Fufu, Yurika-san, Satomi-kun is interested in taking responsibility for your future. That's why he's so harsh on you”
Harumi showed a gentle smile. The truth was that Harumi wasn't on any side. That's why she easily exposed Koutarou's real intentions. This surprised both Yurika and Koutarou.
“Eh...”
“S-Sakuraba-senpai!?”
There was no doubt that Yurika would lead a poor life if left alone. Not wanting that, Koutarou was constantly butting in on her future. And since he was butting in, some degree of resolve was required. As a result, one could say that Koutarou was resolved to take responsibility for Yurika's life. Rather than let letting Yurika's life fall to pieces, he would rather keep her close to keep an eye on her.
“I had to join a band of knights to get Satomi-kun to think that way of me. But Yurika-san doesn't have to. You should take some time to think about that”
“Satomi-san is...”
Seeing Harumi smiling, Yurika glanced at Koutarou from the corner of her eye. What she saw was a Koutarou flinching at Harumi's word. When she saw his expression, her own gradually changed.
Could it be that Satomi-san is really treasuring me right now...?
Her dissatisfaction and surprise softened, and was being replaced with something more pleading. Her cheeks that had been somewhat red turned even redder. She had realized that Koutarou's words weren't because he was trying to be mean.
“U-Uhm, Satomi-san, I... t-that's right, I have to write my career report!”
Yurika awkwardly pulled out a sheet of paper from her bag. This paper was her career report, where she wrote what she hoped to do after graduating high school.
“Name! I have to write my name first! A-And then...”
With blood rushing to her head, Yurika was blanking out, holding her pen the wrong way, forgetting to write her name and so on.
“After graduating I want to, m-marry― I mean, go to a university. I want to go to Kitsushouharukaze University!”
Yurika was desperately struggling to find answers to easy questions. She already had a clear plan for her life in her head, but she couldn't write that down directly. First she'd need to go to Kitsushouharukaze University. Yurika tried her hardest to remember how to write while she filled in the answers.
“Satomi-kun, you have a lot of responsibility to take”
Seeing Yurika like that, Harumi had a cheerful look as she spoke to Koutarou.
Her eyes seemed to be asking him 'What will you do now?'.
“... Sakuraba-senpai, you really understand Yurika, don't you?”
At times like these, nobody could stand up to Harumi. Koutarou raised a white flag and smiled wryly as he dropped his shoulders. Him treasuring Yurika was an unmistakable fact.
“I'm a girl too you know? Besides, my hopes for the future are the same as Yurika's so I know”
Next year, Harumi would graduate and attend Kitsushouharukaze University a year earlier than Koutarou and the others. However the future Harumi was talking about wasn't in regards to this. This was about something much later on.
“I... might not be able to choose the kind of future you wish for, Sakuraba-senpai”
Koutarou realized that many girls had feelings for him, and he too treasured them. Koutarou couldn't pretend not to notice any more. But that was why he couldn't show any ingratitude. He had to make a correct choice that adhered to reason. That choice might hurt Harumi or the others.
“You're too naïve, Satomi-kun”
However, Harumi didn't flinch in the slightest. She extended her slender finger and poked Koutarou's nose, and with eyes full of kindness and determination, she stared into Koutarou's eyes.
“I― no, we, we will probably do the same regardless of what future you choose, Satomi-kun. Thinking that your choice alone can make us move the way you wish is far too conceited”
Harumi had decided that she would stay by Koutarou's side regardless of what he chose to do. And the other girls surely thought the same way. Moreover, the girls' relationships weren't just centered around Koutarou. Firm bonds existed between the girls themselves. That was something that Koutarou's decision alone couldn't change. If Harumi were to say it, their future was already determined.
“... I feel like my responsibilities are getting heavier by the minute”
”Aha, that might be true. But... you won't be able to throw them away”
”Geez, give me a break please, Sakuraba-senpai”
“Fufu, then let's leave it at this for today”
Koutarou had an embarrassed wry smile, while Harumi had a smile full of kindness and love. If someone were to glance at them and wonder who was correct, they wouldn't even need to take a second look. Koutarou was starting to feel the same way. However, accepting that right now was hard. That's why Harumi let Koutarou go. Him not being able to accept things now was yet another choice for the future. That's why Harumi acted the same even here.
During her conversation with Koutarou, a word came up that made Harumi remember a certain problem. It was an urgent problem that needed to be resolved immediately. So as she was already changing the topic, she decided to ask Koutarou about it.
“That's right, Satomi-kun, speaking of the future, there is something we have to decide on”
”Something we have to decide on?”
”I'm talking about the next president of the knitting society”
Currently, Harumi was the president of the knitting society, but she was already in her third year and would graduate soon. That's why she had to decide on the next president before graduation. Hearing that, Yurika who was filling in her paper looked up.
“Satomi-san will be the next president, right?”
As some time passed, Yurika had returned to her normal self. Apart from Harumi, only Koutarou and Yurika were part of the knitting society. In that case, Yurika believed that Koutarou would become the next president. She was confident that she was too unreliable.
“I think so at least”
“Hmm...”
Yurika and Harumi agreed that Koutarou should be the next president. However, Koutarou himself didn't seem to be into it as he folded his arms and started thinking.
“You don't want to do it?”
That was how Harumi interpreted Koutarou's reaction. It wasn't that strange for him to feel that way, but since they had held their activities together for over a year and a half Harumi felt a little sad as well. But that wasn't the reason for Koutarou's reaction and he quickly shook his head.
“That's not what I meant... Sakuraba-senpai, being honest, do you think anyone would join the knitting society with me as the president?”
“Eh? I would gladly join...”
Harumi slightly tilted her head with a confused look on her face. In her mind, there was no reason why anyone wouldn't join with Koutarou as the president.
“That's because you know me personally, right?”
“The new students don't know Satomi-san, right?”
“That's why I'm sure they'll think this is some suspicious society and will avoid joining”
Koutarou's worries were about his gender and appearance. Compared to the gentleness that the name of knitting society carried, Koutarou was tall and well built, quite different from one would imagine from a member of the society. That's why Koutarou believed that new students wouldn’t join with him as the president.
“... I'm reluctant to admit that as a girl”
Harumi loved Koutarou, so she didn't want to admit that new students might be afraid of Koutarou. But then again, the chances of that were high. Koutarou's intentions aside, his appearance would invite misunderstanding.
“Satomi-san's always got a scary face, and he's always mean and quick to hit people, so new students would definitely be scared”
But that didn't seem to be the case with Yurika, as she pointed out the faults with Koutarou whilst nodding. Since there were so few occasions where Yurika had a leg up on Koutarou, she wanted to stay on top while she could.
Thud.
“That's because it's you”
“See, he'll get mean! And hit you!”
“I wouldn't do that to any new students”
“I~ do~n't be~lieve you~”
Thud.
“I-I'm shorry, I said too much”
“Very good”
However, Yurika only maintained the upper hand for a few seconds. Koutarou quickly wrestled back the control and returned to the original topic.
“Anyways, I think the next president shouldn't be me”
“But if it's not Satomi-kun, the next president would be―”
“So it would... Yurika, we're counting on you”
“Huh?”
Convinced that Koutarou would become the new president, Yurika was unable to follow the flow of the discussion and her eyes shot wide open as she was asked. She had no idea what was being asked of her.
“Eh, eh... Eeeeeehhhh!? M-Meeee!?”
“Why don't you realize that...”
Apart from Harumi, only Koutarou and Yurika were part of the knitting society. The next president would of course be one of them, and if Koutarou can't, then that only leaves Yurika.
“I-I-I can't! I can't do it! I definitely can't be the next president!!”
Having finally understood the situation, Yurika desperately shook her head. Her twintails swung about with her head. She had never even imagined herself as the president, and she had no confidence that she'd be fit for the job. That was when Koutarou put his hand on Yurika's shoulder. His big arm firmly supported her body.
“Don't worry, it's only on paper”
”Eh? On paper?”
“I'll do all of the actual work. In exchange, you'll have to be the president during club introductions and speeches. That way the impressions of the society should work out better”
However, Koutarou wasn't planning on pushing all of the responsibility on Yurika. Emergencies aside, he knew that Yurika wasn't suited as a leader during peaceful times. That's why he'd take care of most things, while Yurika would act as the president during events. Koutarou's plan was to soften the impression of the society by having them work together.
“I-If that's all then...”
“That said, at least work on your knitting a little. You will be the president after all”
“I'll do my best”
Including the recruitment of new students, Yurika felt like she'd be able to do it if it was just at events. Moreover, Koutarou was saying he'd back her up, so she felt some relief as well. Besides, if they didn't secure any new members next year, the society would end with them. Yurika knew that they'd have to use any means possible.
“But still, becoming the president and participating in school events...”
Yurika heartily muttered.
“What?”
Koutarou glanced at Yurika and saw her smiling.
“I was just thinking that in that case I won't have to dress up as a magical girl”
Until now, Yurika had always participated in school events as a member of the cosclub. But if she were to participate as the knitting society president she wouldn't be able to help the cosclub. Then again, there weren't many events that required Yurika as the president, and the cosclub was mostly active in events outside of the school, so the actual change was small.
She won't dress up as a magical girl!? Are you serious, Nijino!?
That was when the new cosclub member overheard Yurika.
She just happened to be passing behind the bench Yurika and the others were sitting. Seeing as they seemed to be having fun, she was showing some consideration and refrained from calling out to Yurika.
However, just as she was about to leave, she heard Yurika say something she couldn't ignore. Having just heard the final part of what they were talking about, she misunderstood, and assumed that Yurika would stop cosplaying, and she rushed back to the cosclub club room.
Part 3
Having heard that Yurika was going to stop being a magical girl from their new member, the cosclub was shocked, but their first reaction was to deny it.
“That can't be! It's a joke right!?”
Everyone in the cosclub knew how much passion Yurika had for magical girls. That's why Yurika stood out even in the cosclub. They were sure that Yurika would devote her life to magical girl cosplay. That's why the president denied it, and the entire society agreed.
“It's not! I heard it with my own ears!”
Even the new member who had brought in the report doubted her own ears.
“If that's true, then why!?”
“I don't know! Maybe she got a boyfriend!?”
In the 'ten reasons for retiring from cosplay' handed down from generation to generation in the cosclub, the most common reason was ending up in a relationship.
When ending up in a relationship, the personal life was enhanced, lowering the value of cosplaying, and the amount of time that could be spent on cosplay reduced. Once that happened, the passion for cosplay would sharply drop in a vicious spiral. On the other hand, showing off cosplay to the boyfriend was common, but without any new outfits being made, creativity was lost. There were exceptions where the boyfriend was a cosplayer or a photographer, but most of the time getting a boyfriend meant the death of cosplaying.
Because of this, the cosclub despised relationships, and when the new member said that she got a boyfriend, the temperature in the room seemingly dropped.
“Now that you mention it, there was a famous lady-killer in Nijino-san's class”
”You mean Mackenzie-senpai? … That can't be, he's going out with someone right now”
”You never know... all men are beasts”
The cosclub girls began gossiping. The target of their gossip was Kenji, as his bad reputation with women had spread across the school.
“Everyone please calm down!”
Seeing her companions shaken up, the former president raised her voice. As she had supported the society for years, the others deeply trusted her, making them stop their gossip and turn towards her.
“Even if Yurika-chan's words are the truth, we still don't know the reason! Before we panic we have to confirm that!”
Even if what Yurika said was the truth, the reason was unclear. If she really was in a relationship that would be a big problem, but it might also be due to family circumstances. Rather than running wild with rumors, confirming the truth came first. Everyone agreed with this, and as a result, the cosclub girls calmed down.
“But senpai, how are we supposed to confirm it?”
The new president continued on. This was also one of the pieces of wisdom passed down within the cosclub, but directly asking if someone was in a relationship never gave an answer. In most cases, it was covered up.
“Fufufu, we are cosplayers. So we only need to investigate Yurika-chan's personal life the way cosplayers do!”
The girls belonged to the cosplay society. Taking full advantage of their abilities, disguising themselves was easy. So it wouldn't be that hard for them to secretly look up Yurika's personal life.
Police, nurse, store clerk, waitress and more. The cosclub's cosplay repertoire included many outfits for normal jobs as well, and many of them were kept in the club room. The girls picked out their outfits and began pursuing Yurika. They would get closer to the truth by peeking at her personal life rather than cross-examining her in person. Since this might be a betrayal by their ideological leader, the girls' morale was high.
Part 4
“Hey, Satomi-san, a bunch of beautiful flowers are blooming”
“So it's already Autumn huh...”
“I wonder if you can eat them”
“Don't just think about eating!! Is that the only thing that's ever on your mind!?”
“But, I never know when I'll return to a poor life”
“You won't be poor any more”
“... Uhm, uhm, i-is that because... you will always support me?”
“...”
“U-Uhm... uhm... ehehehe”
“... Stop asking stupid questions and let's go”
“For taiyaki right? Ehe, ehehehe”
“What part of Sakuraba-senpai's body is so weak anyways?”
“Rather than a specific part, it's all of it. There's no reserve strength for overworking her body.”
“... So that's why she collapses if she's running around...”
“But there's no need to worry anymore”
“Eh?”
“You're always with her so I don't have to worry”
“Satomi-san...”
“Am I wrong? You're best friends right?”
“... N-No, you're not wrong! Nijino Yurika will do her best!”
“Very good”
“Hey, Satomi-san”
“Hm?”
“You're somehow very gentle right now”
“This isn't the kind of topic you can make fun of after all”
“Then, can I hold your hand until Sakuraba-senpai is done with her examination?”
“... Do what you want”
“Okay!”
“Sakuraba-senpai, it's taiyaki! Taiyaki! La la la~♪”
“Yurika-san is in high spirits. Did something happen?”
“Nothing in particular”
“It doesn't look like that though”
”Yurika was worried about your health, so I told her that there's no need to worry because since she's always with you as your best friend. And she's been like that ever since”
“Then say something happened, geez... fufufu”
”... I don't understand the woman's heart”
”Yurika-san loves you because you do what you have to even though you don't understand. If you were someone that calculated his every move, she wouldn't fall in love with you”
”Sakuraba-senpai...”
”Of course, that goes for me too”
”...”
”Come on, Satomi-san! Sakuraba-senpai! Hurry! The signal is going to change”
”Look, Satomi-kun, you're being called for”
“... Yes”
”If we don't hurry the taiyaki will get cold!”
”It won't get cold before we even buy them!”
”Fufufu...”
“Then I'm off to buy them”
”Okay, Satomi-kun”
”Please come back before they get cold okay?”
”They won't get cold right after buying them!”
”You never know, Satomi-san, you always bully me whenever you can”
”You idiot!”
Thud.
“Ow!? See!!”
”You brought it on yourself. Well, I'm really going now”
”... Geez... he always turns to violence right away...”
”Fufu”
“It's not something to laugh about”
”But, you love him right?”
”... Uhh... Yes...”
”What part of Satomi-kun do you love, Yurika-san?”
“... Uhm... Satomi-san knows about all of my bad sides, but he still needs me... he doesn't really put it into words though...”
”Satomi-kun is a boy so I'm sure it's hard for him to say it. Besides... don't you think it's value will drop if he puts it into words?”
“Yes... I think so too”
“Ah, Satomi-san, isn't your taiyaki bigger!? Please trade with me!!”
”Of course it's not bigger!! It's been made using the same mold!!”
”Look, it's much thicker!”
”That's because you sucked out the red bean paste in yours!”
”I'll know if I can try yours too. Mmmm~”
“Don't suck on it!!”
Thud.
“Haah... see, yours really is bigger”
“Of course. I'm not going to let you suck all of the bean paste out”
”... Hmm... *munch*!”
“Ah!? Sakuraba-senpai!?”
”*munch* *munch*... Satomi-kun, this place's taiyaki really are delicious”
“... Ah... the tail is gone...”
”Satomi-san, I've changed my mind, I'll eat my own”
”I bet you have!!”
Part 5
However, the cosclub girls' morale was only high at the start. As they observed Yurika's life, their desire to pursue the truth rapidly decreased, and frustration took its place.
Yurika was blessed with a best friend and boyfriend, and was living a happy everyday life. That was the ideal high school life that everyone idolized.
“W-What is this!?”
”This is betrayal, this is a major betrayal towards all cosplayers!!”
“Nijino-san is becoming a degenerate! She sold her soul for love!”
”No wonder she's going to stop cosplaying!! What more could she ask for!?”
”God, please give Yurika-chan your divine punishment!!”
Compared to Yurika, what were they doing? It was only obvious that the cosclub girls' would get even more irritated.
“E-Everyone, calm down, it's still not for certain”
The new president tried to calm down her companions. With her responsibilities as president, she had just barely been able to keep her cool. But her words alone were no longer enough to stop her companions.
“Geez, I can't take it anymoreee!!”
“Ah!? Senpai, you can't!!”
”Uuuooooo!!”
Contrary to the new president, the old president who had been freed from her responsibilities took the lead and began running towards Yurika. She was going to ask her up front. The other cosclub girls' followed, completely ignoring the new president.
“Oooooooooohhh!!”
”Kyaaaa, what!?”
”Yurika!”
Having suddenly been surrounded by a lot of girls, Koutarou instinctively moved Yurika behind his back. Yurika responded by crawling up closer towards Koutarou and clinging onto him. However that action only served to fan the flames of the girls' irritation.
“E-Everyone!? What are you doing!?”
While she had been able to calm down a little after identifying the girls from the cosclub, Yurika was still a little scared because of the strange atmosphere around them.
“Yurika-chan, answer me honestly!”
With her eyes bloodshot and her glasses glaring, the former president approached Yurika one step at a time. At the same time, the other girls gradually closed in, narrowing their encirclement.
“I-I don't mind...?”
Overwhelmed by the pressure, Yurika took a step backwards. But since she was still holding onto Koutarou, he ended up moving back with her. And that ended up rubbing the girls the wrong way even more.
“Is it true that you're going to become the knitting society's president!?”
“Y-Yes, I'm planning to”
The former president's voice sounded like that of a demon out of hell. Yurika's experience told her that she shouldn't cross people like this, so she obediently answered the question and nodded her head.
I see, so they came here because they were worried about that...
Yurika was still scared, but Koutarou's tension lifted. The cosclub girls' weren't planning on doing anything to Yurika, in fact, it was the opposite.
“Yurika, it's okay”
”Satomi-san? … Y-Yes”
Yurika still didn't seem to understand, but when Koutarou gently held her hand, her nervosity vanished. If Koutarou said it was okay, then it was okay. Yurika trusted in his judgment.
“So you're going to be holding club activities with just the two of you!?”
”If we don't find any new members, yes”
Thud.
“What are you being so timid for”
”Ow!? … Do you not want to be alone with me, Satomi-san?”
Having calmed down, the atmosphere around Koutarou and Yurika was returning to how it had been before the cosclub girls appeared.
“At this rate, the society will have to shut down”
“Aha, so it's not like you don't want to be alone with me then?”
”L-Leave me be”
“... Please be gentle. Ehehee”
Thud.
“I'm shorry, I went too far...”
”As long as you understand”
Seeing Yurika's and Koutarou's back and forth up close, the cosclub's girls burning fury was swiftly put out.
“You really are such a handful...”
”Satomi-san, could you wipe my runny nose as well as my tears?”
“Geez... raise your head a little”
“Oka~y”
“... Aahh~...”
Passing through surprise, perplexity and strong frustration, the cosclub girls' finally settled in on a certain emotion.
“... How nice...”
“... I wonder if someone like that can appear for me too...”
”... No way, the competition is too fierce...”
”... God is unfair...”
That emotion was an overwhelming sense of defeat. More accurately, they gotten too fired up so they ended up burning out.
Yurika and Koutarou were behaving too much like lovers that the cosclub believed they weren't even noticeable. If they were in Yurika's position, they believe they would be the same.
“... Let's go home...”
”... Yeah...”
“... Aaa~h, we only lost out from coming here...”
Being imprinted with a sense of defeat, the girls began to trudge home. However, Yurika probably wouldn't notice that. The girls knew that much. They couldn't imagine that Yurika living in such a happy environment would notice them leaving.
“You're cute if you just stay proper so take more care of your appearance”
”Eh!? Satomi-san, am I cute!?”
”Uwa!? Well that's... huh, what's with the cosclub?”
”I won't get fooled by that! Tell me properly!”
“I'm not lying. Look”
Crack.
“Kyaaaaa!? Ow ow ow, it hurts!!”
”Ah, sorry”
”Don't give me sorry, geez!”
“But it was true right?”
”Well... it looks like it. It really hurts though”
”Sakuraba-senpai. What happened to the cosclub?
“Uhm... please leave them be for a while”
Harumi simply smiled wryly without answering anything. Having stepped back and seen everything, Harumi could finally understand the cosclub's circumstances. However, she chose not to tell Koutarou and Yurika. Stopping the cosclub now would be like rubbing salt into their wounds.
“Haa”
“Okay”
The two nodded obediently since Harumi said so. Instead, Koutarou and Yurika looked at each other in confusion. They didn't know why the girls from the cosplay society had just shown up all of a sudden and then left just as fast.
“... But still...”
Harumi turned to look towards the girls leaving.
To normal people, our relationship looks like that of lovers...
That was most likely not something limited to just Yurika. To those unrelated, the relationship between Koutarou and the others probably looked like that of lovers. Having confirmed that, Harumi felt sorry for the cosclub girls, but satisfied at the same time.
Part 6
The cosclub girls still hadn't recovered from the shock by the next day. The shock of being shown the ideal high school life was huge, and they couldn't even motivate themselves to make new costumes.
“... I'm sure that's what you call youth...”
”... Probably...”
”... Besides, it's with Blue Knight-sama...”
”... It's like she's being blessed...”
”... It's something you can see in anime and manga from time to time, but seeing it with your own eyes sure is shocking...”
“... And I though youth was just a 2D fantasy...”
“... In the end, cosplaying is compensation for not being able to integrate that fiction...”
”... Yeah, maybe. We've noticed a reality we didn't want to see...”
”... Well... of course you'd choose the 3D youth...”
The cosclub girls were only wasting time, laying down on their desks, not doing any club activities. Having seen Yurika's happy everyday life, they became depressed as they undervalued their own daily lives.
However, that was when something they hadn't expected happened.
“Hello! Let's do our best today!”
The Yurika in question opened the door and entered the club room.
“Could it be!?”
“Yurika-chan!?”
The president and former president stood up in astonishment. They had been the only ones to stand up, but the other members were just as surprised as they were.
“Huh? What's the matter everyone? You're acting strange”
Sensing the strange atmosphere in the clubroom, Yurika blinked her eyes in confusion. Unlike before, she was now able to read the atmosphere a little.
“... U-Uhm, Yurika-chan, why?”
The former president spoke to Yurika as a representative of the others.
“What do you mean why?”
Yurika blinked again, still not understanding the situation.
“Weren't you going to focus on the knitting society because you're becoming it's president?”
Yurika understood why the cosclub girls were so surprised when she heard what the former president had to say.
“... Ah!”
Yurika realized that they thought that she would retire from the cosclub because she was becoming the knitting society president. She smiled and shook her head.
“Uhm, I'm becoming the president, but Satomi-san will be the real president”
”Satomi-san will?”
This time, the cosclub girls blinked in confusion. Yurika looked at them and continued explaining with a smile.
“He said that a male president wouldn't attract any new members, so I will be the president in certain events”
Yurika finished explaining with a smile. She'd be troubled if she had to be the president alone, but she could kind of look forward to it with Koutarou by her side. Yurika had a dazzling smile.
“S-So that's what it was...”
Yurika's words sank deep into the minds of the cosclub girls. As they did, the girls realized their misunderstanding and cheered up.
“Who was it that said that Nijino-san is quitting as a magical girl!”
”Sorry, it was me...”
”So you jumped to a conclusion again!? Keep it together, geez!!”
“Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean any harm”
To the cosclub girls, Yurika quitting her cosplaying was a huge problem. So when they understood that she wasn't quitting, they returned to their usual cheerful selves.
“Fu fu fu~♪”
Satisfied with the girls reaction, Yurika approached a big cupboard in the corner of the room. The cupboard was filled with shared accessories and the members of the cosplay society were free to use them.
“Oh? That's unusual, Yurika-chan”
Seeing Yurika open the cupboard and peek in, the former president approached her with a smile. As far as she knew, up until now Yurika had been unconcerned with bits and bobs as she had been adamant on her magical girl style. So this was the first time that Yurika had shown interest in accessories.
“Ehehehe... I thought I should make myself a little cuter”
Yurika had a slight blush as she looked through the accessories. She looked herself over in multiple mirrors as she started choosing things that suited her.
“So you're finally going to come up with a new style, Yurika-chan!”
Moved by Yurika's eagerness, the former president's eyes and glasses shone as she lined up next to Yurika. She wanted to help Yurika choose accessories.
“I-It's nothing big like that... it's just, Satomi-san said I was cute, so I wanted to make myself look a little cuter...”
Yurika's face turned red as she spoke in a very embarrassed fashion. Yurika's character wasn't the only thing to have grown, but her feminine side had as well. Feelings like wanting to look cuter for both her and Koutarou's sake had begun to bloom.
“...”
However, when Yurika said that, the atmosphere in the club room froze over. The girls had realized from Yurika's words, that while she wasn't going to stop cosplaying, she lived a far more wonderful daily life than they did.
“Huh? What's the matter everyone? You're acting strange again”
Yurika noticed the strange atmosphere once more, and blinked in confusion again. She didn't have an inkling of a clue that her words had been such a big shock to the girls.
“Damnit!!”
”So elites are always going to be elites huh!!”
”In the end, the difference is still there!!”
”This can't be, it can't beee!! God!!”
The girls began shouting in a strangely excited manner. There were even some slamming their desks. It looked like they were taking out their anger on something, but Yurika didn't know why. Today was full of things she didn't get.
“Yurika, what is it?”
That was when Maki appeared in the club room. Maki had come because she was also a member of the cosplay society, but she seemed perplexed by the strange atmosphere.
“Maki-chan... everyone's been acting strange. I don't really know why”
”Hmm... well, isn't being energetic a good thing?”
“Well that's true... that's right, Maki-chan, why don't you pick out accessories together with me?”
“I'm not―”
“I'm sure Satomi-san will call you cute”
”― not interested. Let's hurry up and start”
”Yes”
Yurika and Maki got to picking out accessories together. A strong bond of friendship could be seen between them. As could their feelings of love for the same man. That too was yet another side of youth. That's why the cosclub girls shouted out.
“”Damnit!! So what about youth!! Damniiit!!””
The cosclub girls began preparing for the culture festival with a terrific momentum. That was because they had, through this affair with Yurika, understood that cosplay was all they had.
“What's with them?”
“I wonder...”
The culture festival was less than a month away. But with this much zeal and cohesion, they would surely succeed. When it came to their club activities the cosclub was doing well.
