Volume 2 Chapter 3 – Round Table

| Sannomiya Hijiri

“Good morniiiing, Hijirin! I’ve told everyone!”

“Good morning, Ruri. I’ve sent it too.”

Yesterday, after school.

The story of the prince and the princess came to a sudden end due to the princess’s betrayal. We’ll be using that public opinion to our advantage. This is our turn now.

Ah, it’s been a long time coming.

Both Ruri and I, Sannomiya Hijiri, entered Kyowa High School chasing after Kyousuke-kun. Unfortunately, we ended up in Class 1-B. Well, looking back, it might have been a good thing.

“How did Kinu-chan respond?”

“I’m not really sure. She said she wants to show it directly.”

“Then, after school, huh?”

“Do you have any plans?”

“Nope, I’m good! I quit the photography club first thing in the morning!”

“Wow, that was bold… Well, it’s not a bad choice.”

“Where?”

“The usual place. Kinuko seems to have something to announce.”

I replied while touching the key with the matching angel charm.

Shutou Kinuko. A friend from elementary school and the Round Table’s intelligence agent. In other words, Kyousuke-kun’s stalker.

This time, the primary information came from Kinuko.

Since the Bloody Valentine’s Day incident, she’s been the most dedicated among all of us who swore an oath together. She’s been active (stalking) while attending a correspondence high school. All of this is for the sake of everyone in the Round Table.

During our fifth year of elementary school, on Valentine’s Day…

A one-month-long chocolate war ensued, all centered around Kyousuke-kun, and continued until White Day. In the end, it escalated into a full-blown brawl, and someone started calling it “Bloody Valentine’s Day.” It’s infuriating.

Those memories were bitter. We all got our hearts broken. We all cried together. The only one who won was Aika. But we couldn’t give up.

That’s when we joined forces, like the protagonists of a shonen manga, and formed a united front against Aika. Eventually, someone came up with the name “Round Table” for our group of twelve who couldn’t let go.

“By the way, I’m not worried at all, but how do you see it?”

“That he got punched? He’ll be fine. Kyousuke-kun’s tough. He might have some bruises, but he won’t go down from just that.”

“Right, right. Maybe Naru-chan and Mihane-chan are too close to know, but for us, it’s common sense. And Kinu-chan didn’t even call for help.”

“Yeah. I bet they’re all panicking right now. Hehe. Serves them right.”

Kyousuke-kun despises showing violence. He only despises it, though—he’s not hesitant to use it.

But he never once showed it in front of Aika. He probably didn’t want to scare her. It makes me mad. Still, most of us in the Round Table have been saved by his violence.

“That’s such a bad expression—just like in the old days. …Do you think everyone will act?”

“Who knows… It’s been quite a while… Sagawa-san and Asagi-san will definitely move. Especially Sagawa-san—she’s cunning.”

“Asa-chan’s sly too, isn’t she?”

Sagawa Kyouko and Asagi Yuma. Friends from the same elementary and junior high school, they were quiet and reserved, and weren’t involved in the Bloody Valentine’s Day incident. They started blossoming after Kyousuke-kun gained a stepsister in junior high.

They’ve visited Kyousuke-kun’s house through his stepsister numerous times. It infuriates me.

“Yeah. But there’s no doubt they’re feeling down. This opportunity might last a while.”

“Ah, I shouldn’t have spread it.”

“No, it’s better not to keep it a secret. We don’t want to be blamed for it.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want Towa-chan to get mad—she’s so persistent. I wonder what she’s doing now. But, is it really okay?”

“I’m a believer in sharing. I can get along with anyone as long as it’s not Aika, Mihane-san, or Towa.”

“Haha. You, who used to be the embodiment of possessiveness! Now you’re the saint of the Round Table, huh?”

“Stop it. I’ve turned over a new leaf. Besides, even I can’t take on those psychopaths by myself.”

Yes, I can’t win alone.

That’s why we joined forces. I won’t betray them again.

Sweet and sour youth, heart-throbbing moments—we share them all in the Round Table.

“But seriously, Naru-chan really messed up. I’m actually grateful.”

“The people from our elementary school must be shocked. Aika probably thinks we’ve already given up.”

“Yeah, ever since then, we kept our distance. And we were so blatantly jealous of his little sister. Haha, there’s no way we would ever give up.”

“I’m glad we’ve been keeping a low profile until now.”

“We definitely weren’t even on her radar.”

After we enrolled, a certain truth came to light: Kyousuke-kun and Aika had broken up. I saw it as proof that she never considered us a threat. It made me furious.

For these past three months, I’ve been feeling impatient. But I kept telling myself, “Not yet, not yet.”

That’s right. I was waiting for Aika to make a more critical mistake. Aika is a greedy psychopath, so it was inevitable that there would be a rift between her and Kyousuke-kun. That’s what I believed in when I entered this school.

I was prepared for the possibility of a gray high school life, constantly forced to watch their lovey-dovey scenes and feeling like I was choking on sugar. But I carried the hopes of the other Round Table members with me when I enrolled.

Despite being so cute in elementary and junior high school, no guy ever made a move on Aika. Everyone believed Kyousuke-kun was unbeatable, and Aika’s feelings for him were deeply rooted.

But now, in high school, it’s become a matter that involves the student body’s public opinion.

In our elementary and junior high days, everyone was her enemy. There’s no way anyone would support Aika now. People would move to tear them apart at this moment of opportunity.

“Well, if anyone has romanticized memories of Kyousuke-kun and has gotten themselves a boyfriend, they’ll need to withdraw. Yup, they’ll need to declare their purity.”

“Sharing increases the risk of diseases, right? Ah, maybe we should accept medical certificates for proof.”

The members of the Round Table are all cute. They’ve polished themselves up using their heartbreaks as motivation. But it’s been only three months since we entered high school, so there could be some uncertainties.

“Well, for now, only the two of us have any real means of communication, so they’ll listen to what we say.”

“I’m so glad—we’ve got such a great position. Sports festivals, cultural festivals, school trips, off-campus activities, class changes, exam prep… Et cetera, et cetera… Ah, I’m getting excited.”

“Stop that. But honestly, I never expected it to happen so soon after entering school.”

I never imagined I’d have a full three years. It’s like a dream. Some of the others are planning longer-term strategies, like aiming for college, the working world, or even post-marriage abductions.

Well, Kyousuke-kun and Aika seemed like such an unbreakable duo.

I wonder if everyone else still hasn’t gotten over it? We haven’t, which is why we worked so hard to come to this school.

“Ruri, we’ll make it happen.”

“Yeah, I’ll definitely make him fall.”

◆

“What’s up, Sannomiya-san? What are you two talking about?”

“Good morning, Iizuka-san. Just some reunion planning.”

“Yeah, just the two of us, Hijirin and I, from the same elementary school.”

“Good morning! Oh, really? You’re planning a reunion now?”

“Summer vacation is just around the corner, so there are some people coming back to town. We’re just thinking of gathering with close friends. Don’t you know the actress Nanana? She went to our elementary school too.”

“She used to be such a crybaby, you know—Crybaby Nanana.”

“No way! She’s famous!”

“Yeah, she’s actually pretty bad at talking. We really notice the awkwardness when we see her on TV.”

“Please don’t spread that around, okay?”

“Oh, really? She looked pretty natural, though.”

“She worked hard to change herself, saying she wanted to reinvent who she was. And her school’s in the city, so we’re cheering her on.”

“Yeah, especially since we knew her old character, we get this kind of parental instinct and feel so nervous watching her.”

“Oh, and there are the voice actress twins, Lili Rara.”

“Oh, and the center of World Mine went to the same elementary school too.”

“Wow, there are so many famous people!”

“Well, after that heartbreak in elementary school, everyone put in some effort to improve themselves in some way.”

“Unlike us, right?”

“You guys are so popular too, aren’t you? Both Sannomiya-san and Niitsu-san are in the top 10 of the school’s popularity rankings. There must be tons of people after you.”

“But starting today, won’t the rankings change? I heard the princess in Class A caused some trouble.”

“Naruse-san?”

“Naru-chan?”

Iizuka-san probably wants to talk about that. But I’ll keep pretending I don’t know. Princess, huh? That’s what she was until now.

Even the cute girls of the Round Table, who were always called adorable, had to acknowledge her beauty. It infuriates me.

But not anymore.

She’s a princess now tainted by ugliness.

A condemned princess.

A banished princess.

A discarded princess.

A princess who was stolen from.

A princess whose engagement was broken—a pitiful princess. Hehe.