The Gal Game Heroines Who Were Supposed to Die Somehow Learned My Secret ～By the Way, Where Did My [Diary] Go?～ - SS 3: The Black-and-White Duo

SS 03: The Black-and-White Duo

“Phew… I ended up running a little late.”

As she walked, people on the street turned their heads. Her silky black hair swayed in the autumn breeze, like strands cut straight from the night sky. Hooking a finger over her ear, Shino brushed her hair aside, her ruby eyes lowering with a thoughtful, almost melancholic glimmer.

She wore a black leather jacket with wide yellow pants, a black bag slung diagonally across her shoulder. The look was casual yet sharp—showing off her own distinctive style.

“Now then… where’s Reine-san?”

Their meeting spot was the lottery booth in front of the station.

But what Shino found there was far from ordinary.

A massive line stretched far beyond the booth. At first, she thought it was just a crowd chasing dreams of fortune… but at the very front of the line stood a single silver-haired girl.

Her long silver hair was tied into twin side-ups. Blue eyes, faintly downcast, stared gloomily at her phone.

She wore a light gray cardigan over a white top, paired with a long dark-gray pleated skirt that gave her an elegant air. A small white handbag dangled from her left hand. She looked like a doll quietly waiting for someone.

At last, Reine raised her head, her lips pushing into a slight pout.

“…You’re late.”

“My lecture ran long.”

More importantly—

“What is with this ridiculous line?”

At Shino’s question, the people around them clasped their hands together as if praying to Reine. Without a word, Reine casually brushed her bangs aside.

“Probably praying to me. Happens all the time.”

“Ah, I see… that explains it.”

Once Shino understood Reine’s words, her interest vanished in an instant. Shino herself drew people in a completely different way, so odd scenes like this had long since become routine for her.

“Excuse me—would either of you be interested in modeling?”

“Bothersome.”

Reine’s reply came sharp and immediate. It wasn’t a refusal—it was a flat dismissal.

“With the two of you, I’m certain you’d rise straight to the top of the modeling world!”

The man in a crisp business suit beamed with confidence, but behind that smile burned the hungry gleam of someone who had just spotted a golden goose. Both girls picked up on it and let out a sigh in unison.

Shino calmly drew a business card from her bag and handed it over with a lofty, almost disdainful grace.

“We’re on a date right now. If it’s important, contact me later at this address.”

“Y-Yes! My apologies!”

Sensing nothing from Reine but catching a faint spark of possibility from Shino, the scoutman scurried off with a spring in his step.

“…Was that alright?”

Reine asked as if to confirm.

“No problem. Those cards are just filters for people who try to approach me.”

Shino’s voice was flat, matter-of-fact. Behind her words loomed the vast shadow of the Shinonome family.

Reine only snorted, exasperated.

“Shino, you really do have a nasty personality.”

“Fufu, compared to you, Reine-san, I’m practically an angel.”

Their smiles carried nothing but sarcasm.

“Well then—your hand, princess.”

Shino extended her pale hand. Reine blinked in surprise for a moment, then broke into a bold, fearless grin. Instead of taking her hand, she slipped in close and wrapped herself around Shino’s arm.

The sudden closeness made Shino’s shoulder twitch, her ruby eyes widening for just an instant.

Noticing, Reine leaned in and whispered with a teasing lilt.

“That little habit of yours—watching people’s reactions just for fun… you should really break it.”

“…In that case, you might want to break your habit of acting on impulse without thinking ahead.”

Shino’s calm retort made Reine huff and avert her eyes.

“…I-I’m not embarrassed.”

She turned away with a pout. 

Shino already knew Reine’s weakness—she was terrible at counterattacks. Still, her unpredictability was also her greatest weapon. That natural, spur-of-the-moment boldness often caught Shino completely off guard.

“B-Besides, this much is normal between friends, right?”

“…If it embarrasses you that much, why bother doing it at all?”

“That’s not it… I’m not embarrassed at all.”

Her cheeks puffed up in childish protest. Any more teasing and she really would sulk like a child. With a small sigh of surrender, Shino gently rested her hand on Reine’s head.

“Exactly. Because we’re friends.”

“Fufun, as long as you understand.”

Reine puffed out her chest proudly, like a spoiled youngest daughter basking in attention. Shino had no idea what kind of life this pure, straightforward girl had led up until now. But for some reason, admitting defeat now and then—and protecting Reine’s smile—never felt unpleasant to her.

At the station plaza, two goddesses appeared—one clad in black, the other in white. Walking side by side, teasing and laughing like playmates, they drew every eye around them. Not a soul could look away, not even from their smallest gestures.

◇

“Here we are!”

Reine’s voice rang with childlike excitement. She led Shino to a quiet corner of the city, where an old building stood. Its outer walls were darkened with age, its wooden window frames long stripped of their shine, and the whole place looked ready to collapse if an earthquake struck. Books spilled out to the storefront, stacked in cardboard boxes that had clearly been left out in the rain. To any passerby, it would seem like nothing but sheer neglect on the owner’s part.

When they pushed the door open, a dull metal bell gave a faint ring. The grumpy-looking shopkeeper at the counter pushed up his round glasses with a finger, gave the girls a glance, then immediately lost interest and looked away. Shino thought she caught a hoarse “Welcome…” but Reine acted as though she hadn’t heard a thing, striding straight toward the shelves.

“If you want old books, I can always have them delivered to my family estate.”

Shino suggested it as if it were the most natural solution.

“You just don’t get it, Shino.”

With a flourish, Reine snapped her fingers, then clicked her tongue lightly, her lips curling into a smug grin.

“The feel of worn-out paper, the way faded ink looks rubbed thin, the shop clerk who clearly doesn’t care, the old wooden shelves heavy with years of use… and the odd little dolls or wooden bears perched on top of them. All of that together—that’s what makes a secondhand bookstore complete. You get it? This is culture.”

“…Hooh.”

Shino let her gaze drift slowly around the store. The scent of old paper tickled her nose, and the bustle of the city outside felt sealed away behind a thin invisible wall. Just like Reine said, this place really did feel like a hidden world, quietly breathing within the city.

“Fufu, I’ll admit it—you got me this time. I’ll have to revise my understanding.”

When Shino offered that honest praise, Reine nodded proudly.

“Right? …Though, you know—”

“Hm?”

“…I like you, Shino, because you understand things like this.”

Reine ducked her face behind a paperback, but the tips of her ears burned faint red.

“…Guess I’ll pick something out too.”

Shino turned her eyes toward the shelves and stepped forward. The rows of spines stretched endlessly before her, like a labyrinth packed with infinite possibilities. Even a single lap around only made the choices multiply.

“In times like this—it’s fate.”

“Fate?”

“Yes. Books hold infinite possibilities. So whichever one you pick, that’s destiny guiding you. That’s how I choose mine too.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course. You never know which book will truly resonate with you. Sometimes, the one you grudgingly start ends up becoming a masterpiece in your eyes.”

“I see…”

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Following Reine’s advice, Shino reached out without overthinking and pulled a book from the lower-right section of the shelf.

“Now then…”

The title read Cao Cao’s Free Love. Definitely not the kind of book Shino would normally pick up.

The summary hinted at a romantic tale featuring the Chinese warlord Cao Cao… but what really stood out was the bold catchphrase splashed across the cover: “Go kill yourself.”

“…Well, I suppose this too is fate.”

Shino smiled faintly, brushing her hand over the cover.

Beside her, Reine hugged a small stack of books to her chest, stealing a glance at Shino.

“Did you decide, Shino?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s go.”

◇

“Thanks for coming along with me today…”

On the way home, Reine snuggled against Shino’s arm again, glancing up with a soft smile. Her voice had changed—gentler now, quieter, carrying a warmth that hadn’t been there earlier.

“Fufu, think nothing of it. I should be thanking you instead.”

Shino returned her usual composed smile. She hadn’t cared much for secondhand bookstores at first, but after today she genuinely felt glad she’d come—because she’d found a new way of seeing things.

“You really try to enjoy yourself when you’re with me, Shino… It makes inviting you worth it.”

“Does it, now?”

Shino rarely suggested plans herself, so hearing that surprised her a little—and stirred a faint, unfamiliar warmth in her chest.

“Satsuki wouldn’t set foot in a bookstore even if you begged her, and Shuna… well, leave her alone for two minutes and who knows what chaos she’d cause.”

“…That’s true.”

The image came to both of them at once, and they let out small, knowing laughs.

“What about Satoshi-san?”

“Of course he’d have fun.”

Reine answered without hesitation, voice steady and certain.

“But out of the four of us, it’s easiest being with you, Shino… Because no matter how small a thing it is, you always try to understand me.”

“…T-That’s an honor.”

Without thinking, Shino lifted her collar to hide her mouth. Reine’s straightforward words carried a weight that even Shino—who had survived countless games of wit in high society—found impossible to brush aside.

“Are you blushing?”

“…I could throw that question right back at you.”

They traded light jabs, yet their joined hands never parted. The warmth between them burned steadier than any streetlight overhead.

“You’ll come with me again… right?”

Reine’s quiet question drifted softly into the night air.

“Of course… always.”

As those words left her lips, the glow of billboards and neon lights wrapped the two of them in vibrant color.

Black and white.

Two goddesses in contrast, sharing quiet smiles as they melted into the crowd at the station plaza.