Shidou Itsuka had vaguely realized it.
Or rather, after replenishing the brain cells he’d burned out during that galgame hell-training, he finally noticed.
If playing dozens of dating sims could actually improve real-life social skills, there wouldn’t be so many shut-in loners out there.
The reason his special training had taken that form, the reason he’d confessed to his homeroom teacher Tamae Okamine Tamami to “prove” the results, the reason he’d asked Origami out…
Everything pointed to an answer Shidou really didn’t want to admit too seriously:
【Spirits】 might all be 【super cute girls】.
When he’d confessed to his teacher, he’d suspected Commander-mode Kotori was just messing with him, but the possibility of legal lolis among spirits couldn’t be ruled out either.
…That thought had only occasionally crossed Shidou’s mind before.
Yearning for the opposite sex and dreaming of a fateful encounter was perfectly normal at his age.
Even Shidou, whom Tonomachi’s so-called “ascetic pretty boy,” wasn’t immune.
But right now, Shidou desperately wished that setting didn’t exist.
Because…
“ITSUKA!! You really betrayed me!!!”
His best friend Tonomachi Hiroto was pointing at him with the most heartbroken expression he’d ever worn.
“I didn’t betray anyone…”
Shidou didn’t even bother counting how many times he’d sighed today.
He wanted to facepalm from the headache, but the dolphin plushie Kyoumi had tossed into his arms was huge; doing so would only look like he was showing it off, so he gave up.
“I swear it’s not what you think” had already left Shidou’s mouth twice today.
To be fair, if he were in Tonomachi’s shoes and saw his best bro surrounded by gorgeous girls, he’d give a thumbs-up and cheer him on.
If the friend then said “It’s a misunderstanding” or “It’s not like that,” Shidou would ignore it completely and tease him mercilessly instead.
But knowing Tonomachi the way he did…
The guy was genuinely jealous.
Everyone’s eyes were on them, flicking between the girl and Shidou.
Shidou wasn’t that dense, and the onlookers weren’t even trying to hide their stares or whispers.
“Hey, isn’t that super cute girl with the rumored Itsuka?!”
“Who’s that insanely adorable chick?!”
“Did Itsuka betray his love with Tonomachi?!”
“I was totally shipping those two!!!”
“I can’t believe this!!!”
…Rumored… shipping those two…
Black lines of speechless despair crawled down Shidou’s forehead as he remembered what happened at the start of second year, when Tonomachi had excitedly told him:
“You and I are ranked second on the【Fujoshi-voted Best School Couples】list!!”
Who cares about that list! It’s all nonsense! Slander! What the hell is wrong with fujoshis…
A storm of thoughts raged inside, but on the surface Shidou stiffly raised a hand and greeted the girl.
His reputation as “Itsuka-kun” had already taken multiple critical hits.
It was only going to get worse from now on, at least until the misunderstanding with Origami was cleared up.
But that was a problem for future Shidou.
Unlike some of his peers, Shidou had never been in a rush to fall in love during high school.
When Tonomachi enthusiastically showed him the “Top Girls I Wanna Date” ranking, Shidou’s mind had been on grocery lists and household expenses.
Now that a real spirit had appeared before him as promised, Shidou had no intention of letting the chance slip away.
Compared to saving someone, compared to letting a spirit live normally among humans, a little high school reputation damage was nothing.
After all, he’d never had particularly high hopes for romance anyway.
That’s probably why people called him “seems uninterested in girls” or “looks kinda gay.”
“Mm~ So you’re the Tonomachi-kun Shidou always talks about?”
Shidou, already bracing himself for an even more awkward situation, heard the girl’s voice.
“Thank you for always taking care of this child~”
She leaned forward with a smile, performing an exaggerated theatrical curtsy that would only feel natural in an opera.
As expected, somehow Kyoumi pulling off that over-the-top greetings didn’t feel out of place at all.
“Unfortunately I didn’t bring enough gifts this time. Shidou never told me he was walking home with little Tonomachi-kun~”
“?”
What the heck? That tone sounds exactly like a mom picking up her kid!
And how do you even know Tonomachi’s family name!!!
“Eh…?”
Completely unprepared for this attitude, Tonomachi blinked rapidly.
“Um… who might you be…?”
“Didn’t Shidou tell you? I’m his older sister~ Well, cousin, technically~”
The girl who looked about fourteen introduced herself with perfect composure, yet every gesture radiated a maturity far beyond her apparent age… though her eccentric outfit and peculiar speech pattern completely undermined any sense of normalcy.
From a common-sense standpoint, Tonomachi probably shouldn’t have believed her, but whether it was trust in Shidou’s “ascetic” image or the memory of their almost-thirty homeroom teacher Tama-chan also looking fourteen and legal, the boy’s expression quickly solidified with conviction.
“Ahahaha!! Yeah, this guy’s always relying on me!”
Just moments ago he’d been acting like “Our fragile friendship ends here,” but now he enthusiastically slung an arm around Shidou’s shoulders like the best of bros.
“…Oi, since when do you have such a hot older sister, man?!”
He hissed rapidly into Shidou’s ear.
“…Uh… well…”
Because I didn’t know either!!!
Unable to expose the girl’s lie right there, Shidou forced an awkward laugh to brush it off while shooting Kyoumi a faintly resentful glare.
“I haven’t seen Shidou in so long, so I thought I’d surprise him after school. Sorry for interrupting your time together~?”
Completely ignoring the boy’s look, Kyoumi tilted her head cutely.
The orca plushie in her arms tilted its head in perfect sync.
“N-No no no, not at all! Itsuka, go home with your sister!!”
Whether he wanted to leave a good impression or simply needed time to process his bro’s social circle, Tonomachi gave Shidou two solid pats on the back, shot him a “You’re explaining everything later!” glare, and dashed off through the school gate.
Once they learned she was family, the surrounding stares dispersed with mild disappointment.
Some students had even decided to try befriending Shidou now.
“I don’t remember gaining a cousin…”
Shidou sighed, tucked the dolphin plushie Kyoumi had thrown him under one arm, and scratched his head with his free hand.
“…This should improve your school life a little, right?”
Her previously gentle demeanor turned into smug self-satisfaction.
Her gaze flicked briefly to Shidou’s now-empty hand.
“Besides, meeting me once is the honor of his lifetime. Any consequences are yours to deal with, Shidou.”
A tiny cut opened on the boy’s fingertip, a bead of red welling up.
He didn’t notice at all.
“Looks like I’ll be busy a little longer…”