"But he is so cute!" Rachel pouts. "Surely I'm not the only one who thinks that?"
"That much is correct." Laura bluntly responds. "But you shouldn't be hogging him all for yourself all the time. That's not fair. Kurokawa, aren't you going to say something, too?"
Seriously! You girls are making me blush... My body is boiling because of these sudden compliments... I bet if someone were to put an ice cube on my face, it would melt in less than a second.
"Kurokawa?" Hoping for an ally, Laura turns toward the bookworm.
"Ah? Hm? Sorry, I was thinking of something else. Why did you call me?" Kuro returns from looking outside the windows, where a few dust clouds can be seen. There is a clear sign of distress on her face.
"Kurokawa, what's wrong?" I stand up from the chair and approach the bookworm, extending my hand to her. "You don't look so good? Do you need my help?"
Kurokawa quickly grabs my hand. I can feel her shaking: "Dear... I'm okay. I'm just worried about why Mother did not return home last night. That's all... Thank you for worrying about me, though." Even though she tells me that it is okay and nothing wrong is going on, I can not help but notice how cold her hand is. Compared to when I held her hand yesterday, it was the same kind of cold.
Without thinking what, how, why, and who, I sit next to Kuro: "I'm here. I'm right here, besides you. Don't worry anymore."
"C..." Kurokawa, ignoring the glares of the other girls, lets go of my hand and buries her head into my chest, trembling. I feel like I am being hugged by a small animal who got lost.
"I won't force you to say anything. It's up to you whether or not you want to share what you're feeling." As I pat Kurokawa on the back, I only hope my words can help her.
"Thank you. Please, give me a couple more minutes in your embrace like this." The bookworm's muffled voice sounds so faint, and the clutches from her hands are ever so tight. She is not just scared. She is terrified.
"Take all the time you need."
Laura, Rachel, you will not condemn me for helping Kuro, will you?
After a couple minutes of complete silence, except for the neverending sounds coming from the movement of the sky train, Kurokawa is finally back to normal.
"Once again, thank you, dear C." Kuro looks at me with her glistening emerald eyes. "Laura, Rachel, and Han, too. I needed a moment with my thoughts."
"Why did you thank me? I didn't even do anything?" Han answers with a flabbergasted face. He does not know not doing anything is what we need in times like these.
"It's fine. I know it's tough." Laura, sitting across the carriage, bobs her head. Her voice is soothing, as though trying to appease Kurokawa as well. "If you need my help, although I cannot promise a permanent solution, I can always lend you an ear."
"Me, too, Wawa! Me, too! I can even offer you some muscle power!" Sitting on the opposite side of Laura, Rachel raises her hand like a studious student.
"Well, I will take up your offer." Kurokawa smiles softly. There is still a hint of unease on her face. In addition, her hands never stop shaking. "Han." She suddenly calls out to the protagonist. "Do you remember what your best friend said yesterday?"
"About his sister? What about her?" Han is stunned. I bet the guy never thought the conversation would circle around him out of everyone staying inside the carriage.
"Can you tell me everything you know about her?"
Huh? What is she doing? Why is Kurokawa asking that question? And not just me, but Laura and Rachel are frowning their eyebrows, too. It makes no sense for the bookworm to ask about Han's next member in the harem.
"Um... I don't understand why you need that?"
"Han, please!" Unlike Han's attitude, Kurokawa is determined to not let go, which only makes me feel even more perplexed.
"O-okay..." Han, under immense pressure from Kuro, starts to break. "I don't know too much about her, though..."
Chronologically speaking, the game starts with Rachel's flirtatious nature, followed by the straightforward Laura and the intricately complex Kurokawa. Once Kuro's dramatic event with her mother has concluded, the next heroine to appear would be An, Classmate A's dearest sister. Coincidentally, the guy was talking about her yesterday morning after learning that Rachel was no longer after our dick head Han. Han's best friend even sounded relieved, which never happened.
Actually, you know what? I am not going to repeat the 'never happened' part ever again. Shit has gone to distant lands, and frankly, it is getting on my nerves that I have to say things did or did not happen. We are all good, love? Can I do that? You know no is not an answer I will accept.
Okay? Okay. Carry on.
An stood out amongst the heroines as a lively girl, though her energy can be overwhelming. Scratch that! Her energy could be super overwhelming at times, jumping from one person to another to create what she called the perfect world for her master. We all now know about the trio's characters. The housewife is like a succubus who always wants to eat my bones. Or boners. The class rep is straightforward and determined to make things right, and the bookworm is timid but stands her ground with all she has. An, the story's tiny devil, and I mean that in a literal way since she worshipped Han like a god, was supposed to be quite chaotic.
Unlike the other girls, who would usually tend to themselves since, you know, yanderes, An was a peculiar yandere who wanted to create a cult that worshipped the brother figure as her God. And thanks to that lunatic characteristic, she was among the rare occasions where there could be more than just her next to Han. Do you still remember the shrine I told you about An had in her room?
"The train is approaching H High station. Passengers, please head to your nearest exits. The train is approaching H High station..."
Honestly, I used to be genuinely worried about her devotion when the matter involved Han since her yandere nature was the worshipping type. And maybe a bit terrified of her, too, if only we were talking about her scariness versus that of Laura or Kurokawa. Brushing all the other contestants behind her back, Rachel still reigns supreme, holding the top position while not letting out a single droplet of sweat. Of course, everything has been tipped over like the infamous Gigantic ship and imploded like its similarly-named submarine, so there is a high chance I will get attacked instead of that poor Han. Fingers crossed for real, no cap on God, for that not to happen.
According to the settings, she is supposed to be your run-of-the-mill little sister character who gets spoiled more often than comfort for both the protagonist and her brother, Classmate A. She also should not be inside the game until Han is at his best friend's house, which is an event days later. After all, everyone needed some time in between for build-ups and sex scenes. This means we have a few days to rest, relax, and prepare for what is coming next.
The door of our carriage opens up.
"C!" A high-pitched voice, a childish voice.
An's voice.