…Finally staring down this absurd, snowballing disaster of a situation, Rinto had no choice but to steel himself.
It was nearly midnight—around the time when any wandering high-schooler would be politely escorted home by the local police.
For Rinto and Momoka, that wasn't much of a problem. They both looked old enough—well, one was technically a mature-looking seventeen-year-old, but still.
The issue was Shrimp-Celery—ah, no, Iseri Nina.
Despite being the same age as Rinto, Nina stood barely 152 centimeters tall, with her round face and fluffy, mascot-like aura that made her look like she'd walked straight out of a plush toy store.
If a cop saw such a cute little creature wandering around this late, they'd definitely stop her, bring her home, and call her parents.
Besides, Rinto had far too many things he needed to ask her.
He began gently, "Nina, where are you staying tonight?"
"...I have nowhere to stay."
Little Celery—no, Nina—tugged softly at his sleeve with one finger, her voice drenched in helpless sweetness.
"I just got to Tokyo today, but I took the wrong subway and got lost… I went to the rental agency I'd arranged, but it was already closed."
"I didn't get my room key, so I thought I'd spend the night at the station… but then, when I came out, I saw you…"
Guh! Rinto felt like an arrow had gone straight through his chest.
Nina looked up at him with huge, glimmering eyes full of innocent misery, radiating that irresistible please-take-me-home aura.
Who could resist that? Even those twin-tails of hers looked like a Pomeranian's floppy ears, practically begging to be rua'd.
And Rinto, naturally, couldn't resist—so he did exactly that.
He lightly rubbed her soft twin-tails as she let out small protesting noises, and said gently, "Come with me. I'll find you a place to stay."
"I'll get you a hotel room tonight, and tomorrow—wait, no, I have school… Alright, let's exchange numbers; I'll contact you when—"
"I refuse!"
Without even pretending to compromise, Nina threw her arms around his waist again in a full-force hug.
It wasn't like Sakiko's emotional, spur-of-the-moment clinginess. Nina's affection was pure, unrestrained attachment—so overflowing it was almost frightening.
Her words burst out sharp and desperate:
"I want to stay with you! Forever means forever! Even one day, one hour, one minute short doesn't count!"
"Nina…"
Rinto sighed. Truthfully, it was incredibly hard to turn her down.
He wanted to talk to her properly—to hear what had happened in the months since they'd parted, to ask why she still remembered him when no one else did.
But he couldn't just follow his feelings now. He wasn't alone anymore.
"Just bring her home already."
Momoka finally broke her silence, sounding somewhere between tired and resigned.
Carrying her guitar, her long legs in Rinto's favorite black tights kicked idly at the gravel as she said, "Just bring her to our place. It's old and creaky, but big enough. She can stay a night. Or sleep in your room—whatever."
Her gaze slid toward him, eyes half-lidded. "As for which room you're in, that's your problem."
"Let's hurry. If the cops stop us now, we'll look like kidnappers."
Rinto: "Momoka… you really are the best woman in the world. I love you."
"—! (〃▽〃)"
And before Nina could even react, Rinto caught up to Momoka and pulled her into his arms.
Then, right there at Yoshinoya's front door, he kissed her—deeply, unapologetically.
"…Nngh~! …Mmn~! …mmh~♥"
At first, Momoka weakly pounded his chest in mock protest, but against a 180-cm athlete like Rinto, she couldn't move him an inch.
Soon her resistance melted; her arms looped around his neck, and their lips moved in perfect rhythm—sharing oral bacteria like it was their favorite nightly hobby.
"...E-eh? Rinto… and Momoka-san… um?...Ah??"
Nina stood frozen beside them, suitcase once again toppled to the ground, eyes wide in disbelief.
Even the gyaru onee-san and the curly-haired waitress inside Yoshinoya peeked out the window, sighing dreamily at the spectacle. Now this was what they called rock'n'roll romance.
And so, in a weird, tangled silence, one guy and two girls walked home together.
Momoka, freshly kissed into calm, didn't show jealousy—just quietly laced her fingers with Rinto's the whole way back.
On his other side, Nina—witnessing that kind of live-action PDA for the first time—was completely overwhelmed. But her pride wouldn't let her lose.
She clung to his other arm with her whole body, cheeks pink, rubbing against him shyly the entire walk.
By the time they reached their shabby old rental house, everyone was too emotionally fried to speak.
Rinto fetched a futon and blanket, setting up his own room for Nina to use while he slept on the living room sofa.
A small but clear gesture—for both of them.
"…Well then, I'm heading to bed. You two take your time talking."
Momoka loitered a bit, grabbed one of Rinto's homemade yogurts, and ate it slowly—licking the thick, tangy residue from her lips before finally heading upstairs.
Rinto watched her go, silently vowing to repay her kindness one day.
And then—
"…"
"…"
Rinto and Nina sat side by side on the sofa, neither speaking.
Nina still wouldn't let go of his arm, pressing her tiny, perfectly flat chest against him—flat enough that Rinto briefly wondered if it was legally classified as a plain.
Finally, he broke the silence.
"I'm sorry. After rescuing you, I didn't come see you again. I left Kumamoto right away."
"I saw you back at school, talking and laughing with that cute girl in glasses. You looked happy. So I thought I shouldn't interfere anymore, and then…"
Nina: "That girl's name is Hina. Did you think she was cute?"
This girl's focus was completely off—she'd latched onto Rinto's casual description and refused to let go.
Her jealousy was obvious; she squeezed his arm tighter against her chest and huffed,
"Sure, Hina's shorter than me, but her chest is ridiculously big… Short and busty—that's what men call a baby-faced bombshell, right? You perverted creep."
Rinto: "Hey, liking that doesn't make someone a pervert, okay? Most guys prefer bigger anyway—wait, no, I don't prefer bigger. I mean, I appreciate both. It's about balance and proportion… Alright, I'll stop talking now."
How did it turn into a conversation about preferences? Rinto seriously needed to refocus.
Because Nina had remembered him, joy welled up inside him—quiet but real—and his mind drifted back to those few strange days they'd shared inside the Palace.
It had been winter break then, and the Palace belonging to that bully had been completely cut off from the outside world.
After forcing his way in, Rinto found himself trapped inside with Nina, since he hadn't yet managed to change the ruler's cognition.
So until school reopened, they'd spent several days relying entirely on each other—talking about everything imaginable, everything except anything physical.
And afterward, he'd assumed she'd forget it all.
He'd expected nothing—only hoped that the stubborn little hedgehog would find happiness and keep living on her own.
"At first, I did forget. I completely forgot," Nina murmured, curling up naturally in his arms on the sofa.
Just like before.
Back in the Palace, she used to press her ear against his chest, letting the steady rhythm of his heartbeat calm her to sleep.
That sound had been her only comfort during those unstable days—her personal ASMR.
Now, her voice trembled with guilt.
"I forgot you completely. After you rescued me, I couldn't remember anything from those days. My dad—no, that bastard—yelled at me nonstop. Said I ran away, said I was rebelling… we almost fought."
"But weirdly, even though I was angry and hurt, I didn't want to die anymore. I just knew I'd forgotten something really important—something that kept me alive, like Momoka-san's songs. I couldn't remember it clearly, but until I did, I refused to die."
Rinto: "I see… Then it means my trip wasn't wasted. Thank you."
Thank you for choosing to live—he didn't say that part aloud.
With this stubborn, sensitive girl, words weren't necessary. Just resting his chin lightly on her head was enough.
Nina continued softly.
"I wanted to remember. I hated myself for forgetting someone I absolutely shouldn't have. I kept thinking and thinking… until I saw her—the other me."
Rinto froze, staring down at her.
"She had golden eyes, like that awful girl in the Palace. She said she didn't want to forget either, that we were the same person."
"And then, it all came back. Listening to music on the rooftop, falling into that disgusting Palace, meeting you—everything. You saved me, we fought together, we defeated that narcissistic witch!"
She flashed a fierce grin, showing her tiny fang in pride.
Hearing that, Rinto couldn't help smiling too. Nina had remembered by reconciling with her Shadow.
It made sense. A Shadow was one's inner self, inseparable from the Persona.
And Nina—stubborn, sensitive, strong enough to survive alone inside a Palace—had little inner conflict to begin with. For her, reconciling was inevitable.
She was another natural genius, like Yoshizawa Kasumi—just one step away from awakening her Persona.
But Nina's mind wasn't on that at all.
Her eyes blazed as she lay on his chest, looking up at him with complete sincerity.
"So here I am! I promised I'd be with you forever! I forgot for a while, and I'm sorry… but I'll make it up to you! I swear to Buddha I'll never forget again!"
Right. Nina's one-of-a-kind hobby—she loved Buddhist statues.
Her social media profile picture was a Buddha. Her pens were temple souvenirs. A true old-soul girl through and through.
Rinto felt deep affection—but he still couldn't give her the answer she wanted.
He stroked her hair gently, his voice soft.
"Nina. I'm really glad you remembered me. Everything I said back then was true—I wanted us to be lifelong friends, very close friends."
"But… that's all. I don't want to derail your life. You even came all the way to Tokyo just to find me? What about school? And, well, you saw tonight—I already have a girlfriend."
Nina puffed her cheeks. "Can't a girlfriend count as a friend too? You're the unreasonable one here—it's ridiculous! ( •̀ω•́ )"
Rinto blinked. "…Who exactly is being unreasonable right now?"
Clearly, she'd expected this.
She climbed right onto his lap, glaring up at him with her adorably round face.
"Hina said it too—there's no such thing as pure friendship between boys and girls! When I told her about you, she said you definitely just wanted to sleep with me!"
"So if lifelong friendship's impossible, then lifelong girlfriend is the only choice! I've got no other option!"
Rinto: "Hah?? Wait, wait—you told your friend about me? Even about the Metaverse—"
Nina cut him off, puffing up like an angry hedgehog.
"My life choices are mine! Coming to Tokyo was my decision!"
Her words tumbled out in a flood.
She'd been holding this in for so long, and now it all burst out at once—rage, frustration, pain.
"My dad—that bastard—said we shouldn't demand an apology from the school! He wanted to 'settle things quietly' so I could still use my college recommendation!"
"Sure, that girl apologized, but so what?! Why should I accept the school's deal? 'It was just a misunderstanding.' 'Don't make trouble for your future.' 'Think about the other students.' They all said the same garbage! Acting like it was my fault for being bullied!"
"But it wasn't my fault! If I was wrong, then what about those days I spent with you? Everything we did together—was that meaningless?! I'll never compromise on this! I'm done with that kind of family—I don't need them! I only need you!"
Her voice trembled; her whole body shook.
The small red hedgehog pressed herself against him, pouring every ounce of warmth she had left into that embrace.
"You're right, Nina—that's exactly who you are."
Rinto wrapped his arms around her, welcoming even the sting of her invisible spikes.
Relief spread through him, and he smiled faintly.
This fierce, unyielding side of her—that refusal to bow even when the world was unfair—was what he loved most.
She was a burst of color in his gray, uncertain life.
Maybe if he'd trusted her more back then… if he'd stayed a little longer in Kumamoto…
He found himself thinking it, just for a moment.
"As long as you want, I'll be by your side," he murmured. "No matter what form it takes."
Could men and women really stay lifelong friends?
Maybe—just maybe—it was worth trying to find out.