The Goddess’s Blessing.

Now then…

The biggest question was which target to choose for the final shot.

In this situation, going for a guaranteed hit held no meaning anymore. Both Yuuji and I were already operating on the premise of taking calculated risks—so aiming for something small here would guarantee a loss on size alone.

But that didn’t mean blindly targeting an obviously impossible big prize was anything but suicide… and Yuuji would naturally think the same.

That left me with exactly three realistic options.

The first: aim for something I could just barely knock down. High risk, but if I judged it accurately, it shouldn’t be impossibly difficult.

The second: go for something roughly the same difficulty as my previous successful shots—ones I felt confident I could topple.

But that leaned heavily on hoping Yuuji would miss, which felt far too passive… Honestly, I didn’t want to choose it.

My gut told me that path would end in defeat.

Normally, one of those two would be the play—and in that case, the first option would win out.

Both of us aiming for the razor’s edge; whoever landed the narrower shot would take it. Simple, tense, and—since there were no other real choices—the only logical path.

But…

Today, I had one more option. A third.

When I called Sara-san my goddess of victory earlier, it was mostly because she was the one absolute existence who gave me the power to believe I could win.

But that wasn’t the only reason.

She had also granted me this “third option.”

That was why I was convinced—beyond any doubt—that she truly was my goddess of victory.

I’d actually noticed it the moment I spotted that cat plush—the one my instincts told me would make Sara-san happy.

The prize sat in Hayato’s shooting zone. If I aimed for it, I’d interfere with him. It was positioned a little farther away, quite large, and the shot would come in at an angle.

Normally, I’d have written it off immediately.

Yuuji would too. Anyone would.

Except… from my current position…

…the tail supporting the plush was just barely visible (lol).

It wasn’t some deliberate sabotage to keep it upright; more likely, the tail was necessary for balance.

Meaning the whole thing was precariously unstable.

Honestly, I impressed myself for even noticing such a tiny detail. But I never would have—if I hadn’t been thinking about Sara-san the whole time.

So yes—this too was thanks to her.

And because Hayato had stepped out early, I could now aim for it without hesitation.

In other words… luck had taken my side as well.

With everything laid out so perfectly, there was no room left to doubt: Sara-san was undeniably my goddess of victory.

And with her blessing, I could absolutely hit that tail from this distance… No—I would hit it.

“Here we go.”

“Yeah.”

Hearing Yuuji this fired up was rare. He was clearly going all-out… but even so—I!

I watched him climb onto the counter and began setting my own stance.

I stretched my right arm to its absolute limit… It was farther than I’d thought. And the target itself was painfully thin.

Normally I’d shift my whole body closer, but unfortunately only this angle gave me the shot. I’d never take such a high-risk target under ordinary circumstances… but.

“…Um, isn’t the prize Takanishi-kun’s aiming for kind of impossible…?”

“…Yeah, I gave up on that one.”

“…Right. I tried it first, but even when I hit it, it didn’t budge at all.”

“Takanishi-kun’s really going for broke, huh. But why from so far? He could just get closer.”

“No. If Kazunari-san is choosing that, there’s definitely a reason. So it will be fine—absolutely.”

“Kazunari… do your best!”

It’s okay. I can definitely do this.

If spotting that weakness was Sara-san’s blessing, then there’s no reason not to aim for it.

““Ready—!!””

Our voices overlapped perfectly.

And then…

Sara-san’s smile from moments ago floated vividly in my mind’s eye.

—Now!!

Bang!! Bang!!

Two sharp pops rang through the room. Yuuji had probably fired first.

The cork from my gun, propelled by perfectly compressed air, flew exactly where I’d aimed… or so it felt.

In the sudden hush that fell over the classroom—over everyone inside and out watching—the prizes on the shelf…

…two of them…

…quietly…

…toppled.

“…I did it…”

“…Amazing… When I hit it, it didn’t move at all…”

“…Yeah. H-how did he even knock it down?”

“…Ahhh, so that’s what he went for.”

“…Vice President really hit that thing…”

“…What the hell? How’d the vice president manage that?”

“…Dunno. Looked like his aim was slightly off, though.”

“…Tch. Vice President wins, huh.”

“…Hey, Satsukawa-san’s gonna yell at us again.”

Yuuji’s prize was a mascot slightly larger than my second one—probably about the same size as the one I’d considered for my first risky shot.

Without a direct comparison it was hard to tell, but there was a chance I could’ve lost on size… That had been close.

“…Kazunari, you really took that one down, huh?”

“Honestly, it was razor-thin. I hit the weak point.”

“So that’s it. Well… no excuses this time. I’m completely defeated. When the gap’s this big, ‘frustrating’ doesn’t even cover it.”

“It wasn’t just me.”

Not humility, not a joke—simple fact.

I noticed the weakness because of Sara-san. I had the confidence to shoot because of Sara-san. That was the decisive factor.

And landing that perfect hit on the tail… was because Sara-san had smiled at me.

“You’re gonna say it was all thanks to Satsukawa-san anyway, right?”

“Of course. Because it’s true.”

“Pfft… hahaha!”

When I answered without hesitation, Hayato gave a wry grin before bursting into laughter.

It really was the truth…

“Ahh man… now I’m definitely getting lectured by Natsumi-san. The dread is real.”

“You say that like you’re not secretly thrilled.”

I knew perfectly well that Yuuji enjoyed being scolded and dragged around by Natsumi-senpai… It was obvious to anyone watching.

“Here you go, you two—your prizes.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Thank you. And sorry… we ended up taking such big ones even though this was just a service game…”

We’d gotten way too into it, but snagging prizes this size from what was supposed to be a friendly booth might’ve been excessive.

Realizing that now was too late, but maybe I should’ve held back a little?

“It’s fine, it’s fine! We’ve still got plenty left, and all the commotion actually drew in regular customers. See?”

I followed the senpai’s pointing finger—and there was suddenly a line!?

“While you boys were having your intense showdown, more and more people gathered. So honestly, we should be thanking you. Don’t worry about it.”

“…Understood. Then we’ll gratefully accept.”

Yuuji and I took our prizes and bowed in thanks.

We’d accomplished the original goal of drawing a crowd, so there was no reason to refuse.

Still… being told we’d put on a “hot battle” in a game made me belatedly realize how embarrassingly intense we must’ve looked from the outside…

…Well, it was fun, so whatever.

Prizes in hand, we each headed back to where we belonged.

“Kazunari-san…”

Sara-san greeted me—not with wild waving or excited bouncing, but with a quiet, gentle smile.

Of course she looked happy… but more than that.

“Sara-san, I won.”

“Yes. I watched every moment.”

“I know. That’s why I won. I could win. All because of you.”

I doubted anyone else would understand what I truly meant.

But Sara-san… surely…

“No, that’s not right. This victory belongs entirely to your own skill, Kazunari-san. There’s no room for me in—”

“That’s not true, Sara-san.”

“Eh…?”

Because I knew she would try to lift me up like this.

That’s why I could say what I really felt.

“I only noticed the chance to take that one because I was thinking about you. I thought… if I got the cat plush, maybe Sara-san would be happy. That’s when I spotted its weakness.”

Yuuji looked stunned. Normally—even I—would never risk something like that. If it hadn’t been a cat, I wouldn’t have glanced at it twice.

And if I hadn’t, I never would’ve seen the weakness at all…

“And… right at the last second, your smile appeared so clearly in my mind. Because you smiled at me just before… that exact moment was the perfect timing to pull the trigger.”

At that distance, even the tiniest deviation would change where it hit. And I had to nail that thin tail precisely… A fraction of a second off, and it might not have even grazed.

But miraculously, the instant your smile filled my vision was exactly the right moment.

“So yes—without any doubt, I won because of you. This isn’t humility. It’s the plain truth.”

Sara-san listened with faintly flushed cheeks, then gave me that same soft smile once again.

“Fufu… thank you. If I was truly able to help you, nothing could make me happier. But… it’s a little embarrassing.”

“Sorry—I might’ve gotten a bit dramatic… Ah, here. Please take this.”

The slightly comical-looking cat plush I’d won after that fierce (?) battle.

Probably an old UFO catcher prize originally. I offered it to her gently.

“…Yes. I’ll gladly accept Kazunari-san’s feelings.”

She accepted it with polite words—but without unnecessary modesty.

Of course—if she’d tried to refuse at this point, I’d have been the one troubled… and she knew that perfectly well.

“Fufu… so cute♪”

“Yeah. It’s got a really charming face. But…”

But to me… the one holding and adoring that plush was far more…

“But… what is it?”

“No… it’s nothing.”

“Kazunari-san… please tell me.”

That slightly forlorn look—she already half-knew what I wanted to say, yet she was pleading with her eyes for me to say it clearly anyway.

“Kazunari-san…”

And then Sara-san lowered her gaze just a little sadly… ugh, Sara-san, that’s unfair.

“That… um… Sara-san… you’re… more than anything, more than anyone… cute…”

It—it’s brutal. This is brutal.

No matter how unintentional on her part, this was nothing short of a shame play.

“Kazunari-san… I’m so happy…”

Whether she knew my inner turmoil or not, Sara-san smiled with pure, radiant joy.

That smile was so unbearably cute that I only fell deeper…

“…Hey, what is this… syrup-drenched sugar hell?”

“…I… words fail me…”

“…S-Satsukawa-san is… dere-dere…”

“…No way… is that really her?”

“…She was just yelling at the guys earlier—total personality switch…”

“…Wh-what the hell is this…?”

“…Aaaaaah, S-Satsukawa-saaan!!”

“…This is too much… no way this is real…”

“…My goddess… this has to be a dream… yeah, definitely a dream…”

“…Here we go again.”

“…Wow, they really do this everywhere, huh…”

“…Once those two enter their own world, the rest of us completely vanish.”

“……………”

“…Whoa, Nishikawa-san—those eyes are terrifying, please stop!”

“Kazunari-san…”

Softly… still cradling the plush, Sara-san pressed herself against my chest as though melting into me.

“““Whaaaaaat?!?!”””

Her expression still carried that faint trace of longing, yet she looked up at me through her lashes—as though she wanted to say something.

Being stared at like that… my heart raced…

“Kazunari-san… first, this is thanks for giving me this child…”

Still gazing up at me, she reached out with her right hand, gently touched my cheek to adjust the angle, then placed that same hand on my left shoulder… and rose onto her tiptoes.

“Nn…”

Chu…

“““?!?!?!?!?!”””

The soft, warm sensation of her lips on my left cheek. Sara-san’s kiss was endlessly gentle… endlessly joyful.

As her lips parted from my skin, she looked at my face and smiled lightly once more.

“And this… is your reward for winning, Kazunari-san♪”

She shifted slightly to the right, adjusted my face with the same care, then placed her hand on my right shoulder—adding just a touch of pressure.

Because she was stretching up on her toes… which meant…

“Nn…”

Chu…

Now the opposite side… her soft lips against my right cheek.

I felt her kindness, her feelings, her happiness—flooding every inch of skin they touched.

My face tried to slacken into a stupid grin; I fought to keep it composed… but probably failed.

Because the sensation of Sara-san’s lips, the warmth of our bodies pressed together—it was too blissful. Nothing could feel better than this.

“…………”

“…ki…”

“““Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!”””

“““No waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!!”””

Wh-what the—!?

Ah… crap…

“…Wait!? What are those two doing?!!”

“…Whoa—Satsukawa-san is way too bold!?”

“…Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

“…W-w-w-w-what?! They’re going that far!?”

“…Uooooooooohhh!! What the hell is thaaaaaaaaat?!!”

“…W-wait wait wait—no way no way no waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay?!!”

“…Uwaaaaaah nooooooooo!!!”

“…S-Satsukawa-san… Satsukawa-saaaaaaaaaan?!!”

The girls clutched hands, shrieking and hopping in a frenzy.

And the boys—despite the chaos—were…

“…It’s a lie… I refuse to believe it!!!”

“…Guoooooh… for real…? Satsukawa-san and the vice president are…?”

“…Damn it… I just decided to confess this time…!”

“…My… my goddess… my goddess is…!”

For some reason, I swear I saw the guys weeping tears of blood as they wailed.

Okay, impossible—but that’s how it looked.

Yet strangely…

I didn’t feel the same panic I would have before.

I felt bad for troubling the upperclassmen… but this was for Sara-san—no, for our future together. Spreading awareness—even through chaos—was just a necessary step.

That’s what I believed… so honestly, this was exactly what I wanted.

“Kazunari-san?”

“No… it’s nothing. No one’s allowed to interfere with us.”

“Fufu… that’s right. It’s wonderful… Kazunari-san♪”

She tilted her head against my chest, leaning her weight into me sweetly.

The solid warmth, the slight pressure of her body against mine—proof that Sara-san really was…

“…chi…”

Sara-san really was…

“““Goddammittttttttttttttttttttt!!!”””

DODODODO…

Accompanied by the boys’ collective scream, a mysterious rumble suddenly rose—and for some reason rapidly receded into the distance.

I vaguely remembered seeing something similar this morning… Where exactly were they all running to? The same place?

“…It got really quiet all of a sudden…”

“…Whatever. They were just making noise anyway—not actual customers.”

“…True.”

“…Déjà vu.”

“…Me too.”

“…Wait—do you guys do this kind of thing all the time!?”

“…Ahaha, Takanishi-kun and Satsukawa-senpai are just really close…”

“…If ‘close’ covers this, then Nishikawa-san wouldn’t look that dark right now.”

“…………”

“Kazunari-san, thank you. I’ll treasure this kitty.”

“…Yes.”

Cradling the plush in both arms, Sara-san hugged it tightly with delight.

The blend of her usual maturity and girlish cuteness was nothing short of angelic… no—goddess!!

Sara-san is too cute… it hurts…