The Goddess of Victory.

“Hmm… it’s harder than I expected.”

“It’s not hitting right at all~”

“Ugh… why, why won’t it connect?!”

Just as I’d predicted, the three of them were struggling right from the start.

Well, for the same reason Sara-san and the others had earlier—so it was only natural.

For now, though, let’s table Hanako-san’s suspiciously anime-like line delivery.

“Only two shots left~ Do your best!”

Hanako-san and the others had already used three shots between them, and the three of them together still had zero prizes to show for it.

Even as their unofficial assistant, I at least wanted them to snag the main target—the snowman mascot—but…

The aiming was entirely up to Hanako-san, and with this irregular shooting game, just how accurately could she pull it off?

Completely unknown territory. Honestly, I had no idea.

“Kazunari, this time I’ll hit it for sure.”

“Hanako-san, let’s stay calm, okay?”

One thing bothered me: the fact that I was helping seemed to be putting extra pressure on Hanako-san instead. She looked completely over-tense.

She’d lost her usual composure. It might be better to ease her nerves a little.

“But… you’re helping me, Kazunari…”

“That’s fine. Just relax, o-onee-chan.”

Uhhhh… saying it in a moment like this is seriously embarrassing…

But I couldn’t think of any other effective way to calm her down.

Everyone around us already seemed to think we were real siblings anyway (even though I still can’t accept it), so at this point I decided to stop caring.

“………”

“Ha-Hanako-san?”

Hanako-san stared at me blankly, as though she couldn’t process what I’d just said… Please, anything but zero reaction.

“Kazunari…”

…Or so I thought—then she murmured my name…

“Onee-chan’s gonna do her best!”

And she said it with overwhelming, radiant joy.

The smile she gave me was so dazzling I almost forgot to breathe.

“………”

“…I’m in love.”

“…Me too…”

“…Little angel… peak…”

“Okay! Next one, here we go!”

“U-un!”

“Kazunari!”

“Alright, let’s do this!”

The anxiety and tension that had been clouding Hanako-san’s face moments ago were gone. She looked filled with nothing but pure determination and excitement.

This should be fine now.

“Alright…”

Hanako-san set the gun in place, leaned over the counter just like before, and I supported her from the side.

She began adjusting her aim.

“A little more… just a bit… there.”

Following her instructions, I fine-tuned the gun’s position and locked the angle.

Holding it myself was one thing, but this subtle adjustment work was surprisingly taxing.

“Here we go~”

“““Ready—!!”””

Bang!! Bang!!

The fourth cork bullet flew—and—

“!? Did it… graze?”

At Hanako-san’s surprised voice, I looked—and sure enough, one of the prizes on the shelf had shifted slightly.

Not just a graze; it had actually struck close enough to knock it off-balance.

If Hanako-san could lock in that feeling… there was still hope with the last shot.

“Yaaay! Bullseye!!”

“Congratulations, Youko!”

At Tachikawa-san’s excited shout, I glanced over—sure enough, one doll on the shelf had toppled cleanly.

At last… the stalemate was broken.

“Hanako-san.”

“It’s okay. I’m not panicking. Next one, I’ll take it down for sure.”

True to her word, she looked remarkably calm and composed.

Maybe I’d been worrying too much.

“Don’t worry. Leave it to onee-chan.”

And now she was the one reassuring me…

It seemed she’d read me perfectly again—even in a situation like this.

As expected of onee-chan.

“Alright, last shot! Give it everything~”

“Yes! Marina, Hanako-san, here we gooo!”

Cheered on by the booth attendant, Tachikawa-san began final preparations.

Following suit, Toudou-san loaded her bullet… and Hanako-san started setting up her own gun on the counter.

This was it—the final round.

“Alright! I’m getting another one, no matter what!”

“This time for sure!!”

“Aim for the target and…”

“Hanako-san, that one’s no good.”

I had no idea why, but once again an inexplicable sense of duty surged up—I had to stop her line.

The world really is full of mysteries… yeah.

“Just kidding. This time I’ll nail it.”

If she could crack a joke like that, she had enough composure to shoot calmly.

I focused on supporting her.

“Kazunari, a little more.”

“How’s this?”

“Mm… stop right there.”

At last, everything was perfectly set.

Hanako-san’s expression was dead serious—nothing about her looked like someone playing a casual game. Yet… there was the faintest hint of a smile, too.

She probably hadn’t had many chances to play like this with friends… If she was enjoying the moment, that made me happy too.

“Here we go~”

“““Ready—!!”””

Bang!! Bang!!

The short burst echoed through the tense air—and the final shot…

Hanako-san sprang up immediately, so I released my support and looked at the shelf.

The snowman mascot… was gone.

“I did it… I got it… I got it!”

She threw both arms up in a double fist-pump, hopping in place like an overjoyed child.

I’d never seen her this hyped before.

But that just showed how much it meant to her…

“Congratulations, Hanako-san!”

“Mm! Thank you, Kazunari—this is all because of you!”

“No way. You did the hard part.”

I’d only helped with posture.

She chose the target, she aimed—she did everything. I just stabilized her stance.

“Here you go—congratulations!”

The attendant brought over the prizes they’d won.

In Hanako-san’s hands was placed the snowman mascot she’d just knocked down so cleanly.

But… in the end, Toudou-san hadn’t managed one.

“Uuwah… too bad. I’m the only one who didn’t get anything.”

“I only got one too, so it’s really just luck at this point.”

Still, Toudou-san didn’t seem genuinely upset—her smile looked like pure enjoyment.

She’d be fine.

If anything, this gave Hayato even more reason to step up.

“Kazunari, snowman!”

Hanako-san bounced over like an excited kid, thrusting her prize right in front of my face.

The childish gesture was unbearably cute.

“…Wow, that girl is way too adorable.”

“…Right? I kinda want a little sister like that.”

“…But siblings that close are pretty rare, huh.”

“…Wait, are those two actually siblings?”

“…I’m fine going loli now.”

“…You sure? That’s a path of carnage, man.”

“…To shoot the general, first shoot the horse…”

“Good job, Hanako-san.”

“Mm. This, plus the brooch, is my treasure now.”

She cradled the tiny snowman mascot to her chest with both hands, beaming with genuine happiness.

Since I’d helped, it would’ve been awkward if she walked away empty-handed…

In any case—thank goodness.

“Kazunari… I’ll thank you properly later.”

“Huh? No, really—the sentiment’s enough.”

“No. I want you to accept it.”

“…Okay, got it.”

If she insisted that much, there was no reason to refuse.

I could justify it as thanks for the bentos or something… but if it made her happy, I should just accept graciously.

Rejecting someone’s kindness outright is never right.

“Kazunari… thank you.”

Saying that, she gazed fondly at the mascot pressed to her chest once more.

Then she turned to me and gave the brightest, sunniest—truly sunflower-like—smile I’d ever seen.

***

“Alright~ Now it’s the boys’ turn!”

After restocking the diminished prizes, the attendant smiled our way.

The moment had finally arrived.

“Well then…”

I glanced at Yuuji and Hayato—both radiating serious intent.

There wasn’t a trace of “let’s just enjoy the game” left in their expressions.

To put it bluntly… they were dead serious.

“Kazunari, you’re really fired up.”

“Yeah. Haven’t seen that face in a while.”

Even I had never taken a game this seriously before.

Frankly, getting this intense over cork shooting would probably look pathetic from the outside—and I knew it.

But…

“This time I’m winning, Kazunari.”

“Sorry, Yuuji—this round I’m taking it all. Every single shot.”

Invisible sparks flew between our locked gazes—the classic pre-battle stare-down straight out of manga and anime.

“Um… Kazunari, Yuuji, why are you two so…”

Meanwhile, Hayato—who clearly couldn’t keep up with the vibe—looked slightly creeped out.

Of course we’d anticipated that reaction, but this time I didn’t care what anyone thought.

“…Feels like I’m watching a battle manga.”

“…Kazunari’s out for revenge against his wife’s killer. That’s why it’s real.”

“…Well, it’s very High-ashi-like and kinda cute. But… there’s more to it than that, isn’t there?”

“Kazunari-san…”

“Sara-san… please watch. I’m definitely going to win. I’ll win, and I’ll absolutely get that cat plush for you…”

“…Yes. Kazunari-san… your hand.”

Sara-san gently took my right hand.

She lifted it with both of hers until it reached face level.

“…W-wait, what the hell are those two doing…?”

“…No way… it’s gotta be a misunderstanding, right?”

“…I refuse to believe it. No way!”

“…Hey, hey, those two…”

“…D-do you think it’s really…?”

“…But that’s Satsukawa-san! She’s holding a guy’s hand!”

“Sara-san?”

“Fufu… this is my good-luck charm.”

So saying, she brought my hand close to her face, closed her eyes…

“Kazunari-san… do your best…”

Chu…

…and pressed the softest, gentlest kiss to the back of my hand.

Then she smiled, light as a feather.

“““Whaaaaaaaaaat?!?!?!”””

“S-Sara-san…”

“Please don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”

“…Yes.”

Sorry, Sara-san—but that’s impossible.

Right now my motivation is maxed out. I’m going all-in.

Even if I have to use a loophole (not technically cheating)…

“…Whoa! Satsukawa-san’s going for it!”

“…I-I’m shocked… Satsukawa-san actually…”

“…S-so the rumors were true?!”

“…Yeah. And the guys are literally speechless lol.”

“…Haa… those two did it again.”

“…………”

“…Nishikawa-san?”

“…No response. Just a corpse…”

Sara-san slowly released my hand while gazing straight into my eyes.

With my most beloved person cheering me on like that, there was no way I could lose.

Losing wasn’t even an option anymore.

“Yuuji, you understand, right?”

“I’ll give it everything…”

“Your spirit’s lacking. If you lose, there will be real punishment.”

“…Yes.”

Ah, so that’s why Yuuji was so fired up.

His words were subdued, but the look in his eyes as he stared at me was pure, unfiltered seriousness. This was the real deal.

“Um… Kazunari, Yuuji—don’t tell me you two are actually good at this?”

“Well… I’ve got a bit of confidence, yeah?”

“Same here.”

The “bit” was, of course, humble understatement.

The truth was, Yuuji and I had a certain reason for being unusually confident in cork shooting.

It dated back to elementary and middle school…

One of our close friends at the time had parents who ran a shooting stall at festivals. His dad taught us all kinds of things.

In their garage sat old shooting equipment and leftover prizes. When his dad was around, he’d set it up so we could play.

We’d line up unused prizes and treat it like the real thing; when his dad was home he’d share tips… and yeah, some behind-the-scenes stuff I probably wasn’t supposed to hear.

But at the same time, he taught me the tricks too.

All that experience was the foundation of my confidence today—I knew I had a real shot.

Of course, even with practice and tricks, festival shooting booths are rigged so only certain prizes can actually be won… but for various reasons, let’s not dwell on that.

The point is: I’d already confirmed that my knowledge and technique would work perfectly in this setup.

I hadn’t spent all this time staring at the prize shelf for nothing.

“Hmm… that face screams confidence. I’m probably not even in the running, so maybe I should forfeit from the start? Honestly, getting just one would be plenty for me.”

“Got it. Then it’s a one-on-one between me and Yuuji.”

Putting Hayato on the same level as us would basically be breaking the rules.

And since all he needed was a present for Toudou-san…

…Wait, when you put it like that, isn’t that all I need too?

“This time I’m winning, Kazunari.”

“No chance. I can’t afford to lose today.”

…Well, whatever.

Sometimes the vibe matters more than logic.

Like Yuuji said “this time,” our current record was about 7–3 in my favor. But that was then—this is now.

All that matters is giving this match everything.

***

“Three bullets each. Do your best~”

“Eh!?”

“Wait—what!?”

“Um… isn’t it five?”

We doubted our ears at the attendant’s announcement—but sure enough, the small plate brought over held exactly three corks.

Why?!

“Well~ from listening to you all talk, you sound like pros. If you take too many prizes, we’ll be in trouble over here.”

“Ah…”

“Right…”

We couldn’t help but nod in understanding.

From their perspective, this was just a customer-attraction service—they couldn’t let us walk away with the whole shelf.

Maybe we got a little carried away talking…

“Then how about this: no matter how many we knock down, we can only take one prize each?”

Hayato came up with the perfect compromise.

With that rule, we could go all-out without guilt.

All I needed was one prize for Sara-san anyway—one would be enough.

“Fine by me.”

“Same here.”

Yuuji probably felt the same—enough for a present for Natsumi-senpai, and he’d be satisfied.

“That would really help us out. But still only three shots, okay?”

“U-understood.”

“Got it.”

“Yes.”

Well… when they put it that way, there was no arguing.

Three-shot showdown it was.

Still—the stakes hadn’t changed, and neither had the rules.

Whoever knocked down more won. Tie went to the bigger prize.

“Alright, good luck!”

We all nodded at the attendant’s encouragement and immediately began preparations.

But first—I checked the gun’s condition.

Dry-fired it once to feel the trigger and hear the click. Still new, no wear.

Next, inspected the corks.

By the way…

The easiest and most important check was the corks themselves.

Since they’re cork, they could chip or crack over use—and sometimes you’d get handed a damaged one. That was the real danger.

Cork guns worked on air pressure. Any chip or crack meant pressure leaked—and power dropped.

I checked each one carefully… all good.

After finishing inspection, I pulled the lever firmly and loaded the bullet tight.

I wasn’t planning to use tricks at a school festival anyway—so straight fight!

“Alright…”

I leaned as far over the counter as possible, holding the gun one-handed. One foot stayed planted; I stretched the muzzle as close to the prizes as I could reach.

“Yokokawa-kun, do your best~~!!”

“Kyaa! Yokokawa-kun is so cool!!”

“Fight, Yokokawa-kun!”

Suddenly, high-pitched cheers erupted from inside and outside the classroom—none of which had been there before.

But considering Hayato’s popularity, it wasn’t strange. If anything, the absence would’ve been weirder.

“Yokokawa, you better win!”

“Yeah! Don’t go easy on that other guy!”

“Don’t lose to the vice president!!”

And then came the guys’… questionable encouragement?

Wait—am I being hated on pretty hard here?

I don’t remember doing anything especially bad…

“Yokokawa, you can do it!”

“Yeah! Beat the vice president for sure—”

“Shut up!! If you open those filthy mouths again, I’ll personally throw every single one of you out!!!”

“““!?!”””

Sara-san’s ferocious, blazing anger—never once directed at me—slammed down like a guillotine, silencing the hecklers completely.

And it didn’t stop there—the cheerful cheers aimed at Hayato got swept up in the fallout too… dead silence.

Once again, the noisy space plunged into unnatural quiet.

I pulled back from my stance to look at Sara-san—there she stood, glaring daggers at the guys with raw fury… and Hanako-san?

“Look me in the eye and finish that sentence.”

Hanako-san advanced on one boy, radiating lethal menace. Her icy gaze pierced straight through him as she spoke something quietly dangerous…

The targeted boy visibly panicked, averting his eyes in a hurry.

“If you can’t keep quiet and watch, then leave right now.”

Sara-san’s voice was so coldly detached it sent chills down my spine—even though it wasn’t aimed at me. The guys who’d been making noise now listened in awkward silence.

“I will never forgive anyone who speaks ill of Kazunari-san—no exceptions. Next time, you’re out without question. Remember that!!”

With that final, razor-sharp warning, Sara-san turned back to me as though the matter was closed.

Our eyes met. Her fierce expression softened slightly, and she gave a small, firm nod.

…Thank you, Sara-san.

“Anyone who insults my little brother… I will crush them—no matter who they are.”

Hanako-san left her own terrifying parting shot, then turned to me.

For some reason, she gave me a dead-serious thumbs-up.

It felt a little over-the-top… but if the roles were reversed, I’d have snapped just as hard.

So—thank you, both of you.

“…Wow, that’s basically confirmed now.”

“…Yeah. Satsukawa-san and the vice president… this is gonna be huge.”

“…But the guys are screwed. If they vent on the vice president out of frustration, Satsukawa-san will mark them as enemies instead.”

“…No one at this school is dumb enough to make an enemy of Satsukawa-san.”

“Shall we continue?”

Hayato cut through the awkward atmosphere with an especially bright, refreshing tone—perfect timing to restart.

Yeah, better to just dive in.

I took one deep breath to refocus, disengaged the gun, reloaded, leaned far over the counter again, stretched my right arm to its limit, and brought the muzzle as close as possible to the prizes…

My first target: that one.

The small cat mascot Sara-san had been eyeing the whole time.

“Here we go.”

I didn’t really need to announce it, but it added to the atmosphere.

“““Ready—!!”””

Bang!! Bang!!

The familiar pop and light recoil traveled up my arm.

It’d been a while since I felt that.

Right in front of me, a prize took a direct hit and toppled easily.

It was one of the easier ones—no big emotional payoff from “I got it!”—but it was exactly what I needed.

First one down—relief.

I glanced at Yuuji’s side—he’d apparently aimed for something similar.

A small prize lay toppled on his shelf too.

Hayato, unfortunately, missed. But his target looked a bit harder, so maybe unavoidable.

“Whoa, down on the first shot already.”

“Takanishi-kun and Tachibana-kun are seriously good…”

“Indeed. My heart is racing a little.”

I couldn’t help but sneak a peek at Sara-san’s reaction.

There she was—smiling happily, giving me silent air-claps.

Hanako-san noticed me looking and flashed her usual thumbs-up.

I returned their encouragement with a smile. Sara-san gave a small wave…

My motivation skyrocketed!

I turned back to the shelf and immediately began selecting the next target.

Normally you’d play it safe with easy ones—but Yuuji would do the same. To create separation, I needed to take a calculated risk here.

And naturally, Yuuji would think exactly the same…

So the real battle started now.

Target selection would carry huge weight in deciding the winner.

I scanned how each prize sat on the shelf, looking for ones that looked disproportionately easy to topple relative to their size…

Hm? Wait—is that…?

…No—even if it is, that’s a last-resort pick.

It could affect Hayato too. For now—hold off.

Decision made: next target would be that one.

A standing penguin figurine—comparatively easy to knock over if I hit the head properly. A bit bigger, but definitely doable.

“Kazunari, Hayato—ready?”

“All good.”

“Anytime.”

I answered Yuuji while finishing preparations, then climbed the counter again and locked in stance.

The last one had fallen on contact, but this time I needed a precise headshot—so I fixed the position exactly.

Aim… right here.

“““Ready—”””

Bang!! Bang!!

Same pop, same light kick—and the penguin that took the cork to the head wobbled once before toppling with a satisfying pat.

“Yes!”

Phew… that one made me sweat a little.

But now I had two.

How did Yuuji and Hayato do?

“Yes!!”

“Nice!”

Hearing their cheers, I checked the shelf—three prizes down total.

Meaning not just Yuuji—Hayato had landed his too.

He was already waving excitedly at Toudou-san, showing off his prize. She waved back, clearly delighted.

“…Eh? What—what’s with that girl?!”

“…She’s from the student council, right?!”

“…W-wait—how is she connected to Hayato-kun?!”

And from the girls who’d been cheering for Hayato came a massive ripple of murmurs.

“Sorry, Sara—but Yuuji’s taking this.”

“That won’t happen. The current Kazunari-san will not lose to anyone—no exceptions.”

“This match is mine.”

“…Okay, now even I’m getting hyped.”

“…Female friendship is, in the end, just for men…”

“…Nishikawa-san, that look is terrifying. Please stop.”

“Alright, this is the last one~”

So far, our scores were dead even—both in number and size.

I’d half-expected this, but three shots might not settle it.

We’d both already secured what we needed… so was there really any point in getting this heated?

And yet…

Even so…

I couldn’t lose.

Strictly speaking, maybe this wasn’t purely for Sara-san anymore.

But even if that was true—she’d cheered for me. She was watching from behind. That alone was more than enough reason for me to give everything.

That’s why I would win.

I absolutely could not lose.

“Kazunari, Yuuji—I’m bowing out here. I won’t get in the way. Settle it between you two.”

Hayato had achieved his goal and graciously stepped aside—unintentionally turning this into a true one-on-one.

I felt a little bad, but I’d thank him properly later.

Still… that removed the last reason for me to hold back.

“Let’s settle this, Kazunari.”

“Yeah.”

I answered Yuuji—whose expression was unusually grave—and we began final preparations.

Pull the lever, load the bullet…

Then I turned around one last time.

There were Natsumi-senpai and Hanako-san—eyes closed, hands clasped in prayer.

But Sara-san alone stared straight at me.

She was certain of my victory.

No need for prayers.

Her eyes seemed to say exactly that.

And because my personal goddess of victory smiled so gently at me…

This match—I would win.