Chapter 19 – I’m Not Gonna Lose!!

“I see, so you managed to talk it out without any issues.”

“Yeah, it’s been a really long time since I had such a long mother-daughter talk with my mom.”

In the classroom the next day, Miina dutifully reported what happened after she went home. Shinta had been worried that things might get even more complicated. Knowing she had safely reconciled with her mother took a load off his chest.

“This is all thanks to you, Shinta. Really, thank you.”

“I didn’t really do anything like that. I just gave you some advice, that’s all.”

“Seriously, you’re way too humble, Shinta. But… that casual consideration of yours is also what makes you so wonderful♡”

“Hm?”

Shinta noticed that something was off about Miina’s behavior. At first glance, she was treating him just like normal. However, he felt a certain heat lingering in the gaze she directed at him. Well… he figured he was probably just overthinking it.

The dense Shinta brushed it off as his imagination. Miina’s current state of mind, however, was like this.

(Ah, this is bad, this is bad, this is so bad♡ Unlike before, I can’t help but be super conscious of Shinta just from talking to him♡ He’s so cool he’s practically sparkling~♡)

On the surface, Miina was attempting to act like her usual self. She couldn’t completely control the romantic feelings that had caught fire, though. She was camouflaging it well, but even Shinta was starting to pick up on a slight sense of incongruity compared to her normal behavior.

After the two chatted pleasantly for a while, Ichizu arrived at school and entered the classroom. Spotting the two of them, she immediately approached and greeted them.

“Good morning, Shinta-kun, Miina-san.”

“Ah, mornin’, Ichizu.”

“Morning. How was your grandma doing yesterday?”

“She seemed fine without any particular issues. I’m planning to go check on her again soon.”

“I see. Let me tag along next time. It’s been a while since spring break, and I’d like to show my face again.”

When he asked to accompany her on the next visit, Ichizu happily agreed. It seemed her grandmother had also been saying she wanted to talk to him again. From there, the three of them continued chatting until morning homeroom. At this point, Ichizu noticed the change in Miina.

(It’s not… just my imagination, right? Somehow, I feel like the distance between Miina-san and Shinta-kun has shrunk…)

The dense party in question, Shinta, hadn’t noticed. Ichizu’s maiden sensors, however, had acutely picked up on it. Compared to yesterday, the eyes Miina used to look at Shinta had clearly undergone a change. Until now, her eyes had strictly viewed him as a friend. The way she looked at him now was much deeper than just a friend. Above all else, taking one look at her face made it plainly obvious.

Right now, Miina was showing the face of a maiden in love, exactly like herself.

(Don’t tell me there was some kind of progress after school yesterday? Could they already be going out!?)

As her thoughts raced that far, the anxiety swelled inside her. Unable to stay quiet, she couldn’t help but pry into the two of them.

“H-Hey, you two. Did something happen when you went out to hang out after school yesterday?”

“Whoa, what’s with the sudden question?”

“No, um, it’s just that I thought maybe Shinta-kun and Miina-san’s distance had gotten closer~, so…”

Unable to fully hide the impatience in her chest, she asked the question while looking slightly flustered. When Shinta made a somewhat grim face in response, Ichizu’s anxiety ballooned even further. The actual reason he grimaced was because he couldn’t exactly go around talking about Miina’s family circumstances. To Ichizu, who didn’t know the situation, she ended up reading way too deeply into it in a completely different way. While Shinta was struggling with how to answer, Miina cut in.

“Ah—sorry Shinta, could you let me talk to Ichizu alone for a sec?”

“Eh, w-wait, Miina-san?”

Grabbing Ichizu’s arm, she semi-forcefully dragged her out of the classroom and into the hallway. Then, stepping into Shinta’s blind spot and confirming there were no other students around, she intentionally hit her with a question with an obvious answer.

“Ichizu, you like Shinta, right?”

“Uee!? W-What are you suddenly saying, Miina-san!?”

Ichizu’s voice involuntarily cracked at the unexpected, dead-center question. The very next line Miina uttered froze her solid.

“I… ended up falling for Shinta.”

“Eh…”

With Miina confessing it without hiding a single thing, Ichizu’s thoughts reflexively seized up. While time had stopped for her, Miina continued to press on. She honestly poured out the feelings she harbored for Shinta.

“I fell in love with Shinta. Not as a friend, I really love him as a man♡ If you only see Shinta as a friend, Ichizu, will you cheer on my romance?”

“Ab-so-lutely not!!!”

Driven by reflex and emotion, Ichizu rejected the idea with everything she had.

“I won’t hand him over! I’m the one who fell in love with Shinta-kun first! I’m not giving up this love to anyone!!”

Obliterating any trace of the timid persona she had shown up until now, Ichizu slammed her true feelings right back with pure intensity.

“Fufu, that’s more like it♪”

Faced with Ichizu responding to her declaration of war with full power, Miina flashed a challenging smile. She already knew that Ichizu harbored special feelings for Shinta. That was exactly why Miina intentionally confessed her true feelings as well. Even though she had originally planned to cheer on Ichizu’s romance, she had ended up falling for Shinta herself. She wanted to wipe away that guilt and fight fair and square.

“Just so you know, I am dead serious. I fully intend to win the spot as his number one.”

“I won’t lose either. I’m going to become more special to Shinta-kun than anyone else.”

Clashing with their unyielding convictions, the two maidens shot challenging smiles at one another.