After I Picked up a Notebook Filled With Intense Emotions, the Girls Started Acting Strange - SS4 Award Commemoration

I had expected this.

Ever since Mizuki and Setsuna appeared by chance, I had a feeling something like this would happen.

“Rei…”

“What’s wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost.”

“No… It’s just a coincidence.”

“Yeah. A coincidence.”

She smiled mysteriously.

The sunset reflected off her beautiful silver hair, and it was like a dream to put it simply.

She wore a light off-white knit, a faded gray flare skirt, and a light gray short trench coat over it.

Her outfit was perfect in every way.

Her fearless smile made her look even more mysterious.

“What are you doing here?”

“Hehe. No need to rush. I just happened to see Yuu-chan. I happened to see you leave the house early this morning. I happened to see you meet Sena-san and go to a café. I happened to see you go to the arcade with Orihara-san. That’s all.”

…Where’s the coincidence?

She was there from the start.

“Then, you know about that letter, too? Of course. I wrote it myself.”

“…You’re confessing that pretty easily.”

“Hehe. There’s no point in hiding something like this. Now, let’s go.”

“Go where?”

“Since we’re at it. The night is just getting started.”

“…Alright.”

There was no stopping her now.

I had no choice but to follow her.

◆

Click, I heard only the sound of her unlocking the door.

Then she slowly turned the doorknob, and through the darkness, I could just make out the streetlights outside.

“…Why do you even have the key to this place?”

“…? Is that a problem?”

It’s full of problems.

As usual, Rei had that innocent look like she hadn’t said anything strange at all.

“Hehe. I’ve always wanted to sneak into the school on a weekend night.”

“Is that so…”

The place she brought me to was our school.

Some parts of the school were still open at this hour because of club activities.

I could sense people moving around the gym and the field.

But inside the main building, most of the lights were off, and no one was there.

By the time we got here, the sun had already set, and walking through the quiet hallways to the rooftop gave the place a really special atmosphere.

“Come on, over here. Look.”

She urged me forward. I followed her to the rooftop fence.

From the top of the long, gentle slope that led here, I could see the whole city from the rooftop.

The lights I had glimpsed from inside the door earlier looked even clearer and more beautiful from up here.

This rooftop is usually locked, and students aren’t allowed in.

I don’t know how she got the key (I try not to think about it), but maybe Rei wanted to show me this view.

Could this be the “place” the letter was talking about?

“I never thought the view from here would be so beautiful…”

“Yeah. I wanted you to see it.”

─Click.

“…Huh?”

Click?

I heard a voice from somewhere far off, and at almost the same time, a sound of something closing.

When I looked back, Rei was near the entrance, and she was slowly walking toward me.

“…Why did you lock it?”

“I don’t want anyone to bother us.”

I-I see?

I don’t think anyone would come here anyway… but Rei has become harder to read than she used to be.

“And so you can’t run away.”

“!?”

Me!?

I started feeling like my life might be in danger. No, I don’t think she’s actually going to kill me.

…But I’m not totally sure.

“Hehe.”

Rei walked past me and looked out over the city lights from the fence.

The view looked completely different from how it did in the daytime.

She smiled quietly as she stared at it.

…What on earth is she thinking? I nervously stood next to her and finally spoke.

“You can see everything from here, right?”

“…That’s right.”

“It’s like we’re the only two people in the world. Don’t you feel that way?”

It was a kind of poetic way to put it. Maybe that’s just Rei, she’s always loved books and has that kind of sense.

“Today, were you happy… being with the others?”

After a moment of silence, she asked quietly.

…Another hard question to answer.

I knew her feelings were for me.

And that they were a little intense.

But she was asking after seeing everything. She probably knew exactly what I was thinking.

“…Yeah. I had fun.”

“Hehe, then that’s good.”

“!?”

I was surprised by her reaction. I thought she might snap at me a little.

No, it’s not like I did anything wrong. Really.

“Lately, a lot has happened around you.”

She meant Shindou. Or rather, mostly the two of them were involved.

“That’s why I wanted you to have at least a little fun.”

“…So you were thinking about me.”

“That’s right.”

I was a little surprised. I thought Rei would show more jealousy and possessiveness like Mizuki and Setsuna… but maybe I was wrong?

“Then, why the letter?”

“It’s more fun if there’s a little excitement, don’t you think?”

“…”

That felt so like Rei.

Her idea of fun completely messed with me.

Well… about thinking she might try to hurt me… looking back, that was a big overreaction on my part.

After that, Rei and I sat together on the rooftop and looked at the stars.

The air was clear tonight, and the stars shone brightly. It was a different kind of beauty than the city lights below.

“But compared to the other two, we didn’t get to spend much time together. Was that okay?”

“It doesn’t matter. Right now and this moment, it’s just you and me.”

“…”

A sweet scent came from next to me.

With the magical starry sky in front of us, hearing words like that from her made my heart race uncontrollably.

I tried to look slightly away while pretending not to blush.

But Rei moved closer as she pressed her face toward mine.

I wanted to step back and away from her perfect face bathed in moonlight, but she wouldn’t let me.

“Rei!?”

One more step, and our lips could touch.

We were that close.

“What do you expect me to do? Do you know how much my feelings for you have grown? Once we’re alone, I can’t hold back.”

Even her soft breath felt like a kind of spell, and that took over my brain.

If she came any closer, I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist.

This is bad.

I knew it, yet my heart pounded loudly and my face burned without me controlling it.

─Click. Squeeeak.

“…Huh?”

“It seems it’s game over.”

I turned to the sound, and there she was─.

“It was Kuroe-san just as I thought.”

Mizuki was standing there after I’d just seen her this morning.

◇◇◇

Afterword

This is the SS4 chapter.

It’s the date with Rei.

That said, it didn’t feel much like a normal date with her, and it ended up a bit short…

The next one will be the last SS chapter.

Please enjoy it until the very end.