"Yeah, I'll do it."
Katsuragi-kun said that, but I feel really bad about it.
But when it comes to romance, I really can't do anything. I have no choice but to rely on Katsuragi-kun.
...Maybe I should think about what more I can do to support them.
...But I feel like I'm forgetting something...
[♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪♪～♪～♪～♪～]
Oh, it's the phone.
"Yes, hello"
"Kanon! Where have you been wandering off to?!"
I was told they'd be late, but I never heard anything about them being this late!
Come back right away!!
Snap
...I completely forgot.
"Sorry, Katsuragi-kun, Elsie-san! I have to hurry because I have work to do! Bye!!"
"Hey, wait, you should have Elsie take you there."
"M-Me?!"
"I was attacked so suddenly just now, it shortened my lifespan... but if I had known about it beforehand, it wouldn't have been a problem."
"If we fly, we should get there much faster than by car."
"Y-Yeah, that's right. Thank you."
"After..."
Keima took the PFP out of his pocket and activated it.
"Do you have a private email address?"
If you have any, please tell me, even if it's just verbally. It's good to have a way to contact you."
"Oh, yeah. Um..."
I don't memorize my work email address, but for my personal one, I use a random string of symbols to prevent spam, so I don't bother memorizing it.
So, I open my phone screen and show it to them.
"...Okay, I've sent it."
[Prrrrr prrrrr]
Wait, now that I think about it, this is the first time I've exchanged contact information with a classmate.
Okay, what should I send in my first email?! I have to start thinking about it now!!
"Okay, looks like it arrived."
So, I'll have Elsie give me a ride... what happened?
"Oh, yeah, it's nothing!!"
"I see. Well, I'll leave it to you then."
"Yes! I will take full responsibility and carry the princess myself!!"
"...Please be sure not to get into an accident, okay?"
"Of course!! Even if we hit the ground, we'll be fine because we've deployed an anti-physical barrier!!"
"That's not the point!!"
...I'm a little, no, quite worried...
"Nakagawa, should we take a taxi or something?"
"So, the faster the better, but, hmm..."
"...Well, see you tomorrow."
"Okay. See you later."
In the end, Elsie gave me a ride home.
The ground in front of the TV station was badly gouged out, but... let's just pretend we didn't see that.
...that night...
Oh no, what should I do? My first email to a classmate!
For now, something like "Looking forward to continuing our friendship!" would be fine, right?
Or would it be better to write something like, "Dear Mr. Keima Katsuragi, Regarding this matter..."?
Since I'm relying on Katsuragi-kun for everything, maybe a lighthearted approach wouldn't work?
So, um, to convey the depth of my gratitude, maybe I could string together the phrase "Yoroshikune" (thank you in advance) about 100 times.
Or...
...Several hours later...
I was so preoccupied with agonizing over this and that that dawn broke...
Ugh... I'll rest for a little while before going to school...
If we consider the day Elsie fell from the sky as day one of our conquest, then today is day two.
I have nothing to do until after school, so I'll play some games.
There are so many new games lately. I'm happy about it, but there's never enough time.
Just as we were about to start the game, Nakagawa came into the classroom.
"good morning..."
With a very sleepy look on his face.
Did something happen to him? Could it possibly be related to Elsie?
If that's the case, it might not be something I can just ignore... I guess I have no choice, it's a hassle, but I'll listen to what they have to say.
It would be awkward to contact you directly, so I'll send you an email.
"You look really sleepy, is something wrong?"
Sending.
Nakagawa's phone rang, and he frantically opened it.
And I replied immediately.
"It's nothing. I'm just a little sleep-deprived."
The moment the email arrived, Nakagawa made a face that said, "Oh no!", but I ignored it because it was too much trouble and just sent a safe, inoffensive reply.
"I see. Get plenty of rest."
Lack of sleep, huh? Is it stress from the fact that your life is about to be taken by some hellish contract?
Oh well. Nakagawa isn't a target for romance, so there's nothing to worry about.
It wasn't exactly the after-school time I'd been looking forward to.
It's sunny today, so the track and field club will have practice as usual.
Before we start cheering loudly, we'll hold a meeting in the shadows of the school building.
"Okay then, Elsie, are you ready?"
"Yes, God!"
"Nakagawa, you still look sleepy, are you okay?"
"Yeah...it's okay."
"There's not much more you can do from here on out. If you want to go to work, that's fine."
"It's okay. I've already contacted them to let them know I'll be a little late again."
Besides, if I leave now, it'll feel like I'm dumping everything on Katsuragi-kun, and I don't want that."
"...Okay then, Elsie, once the banner is set up, turn invisible with Nakagawa and watch from nearby. It probably won't be very interesting, though."
"I understand!"
"Okay, let's start."
They hoisted up banners to an almost excessive degree, and stood defiantly in the center of them.
Don't forget to wear the sash that says "Cheerleading Captain."
Naturally, Ayumi immediately noticed me, her face bright red, and came rushing towards me at incredible speed, kicking me with all her might.
"Gah!"
"What the hell is this Otamega! This embarrassing banner!!"
Apparently, "Otamega" refers to me. It's short for "otaku glasses."
Enduring the pain in my side, I delivered my lines exactly as written in the script.
"Well, the tournament is coming up soon, so, um, I'd like to ask for your support..."
Upon hearing those words, Ayumi looked surprised for a moment, and then...
The next moment, he was being strangled with the torn-up banner.
"What grudge do you have against me?! Don't mess with me!!"
"Gigigigi!!"
"If you do that again, I'll kill you!!"
After saying her point, Ayumi went back to practice.
"Oh, God! Are you still alive!?"
"Pant, pant... I thought I was going to die..."
I expected them to get angry, but they didn't have to go that far!
"Well, at least I succeeded in making a strong impression."
We're heading back today."
"I got it!"
[Day 3]
I'm still going to support Ayumi with a banner today, despite everything.
I'm not reusing any of the wording I used yesterday; everything is completely new.
I think if they noticed that, their opinion of me might improve a little...
"Hey! Why are you here again?! Take down that banner!!"
They didn't notice. I didn't have high expectations anyway.
So, we have to take down the banner... huh. Oh well. I guess we'll take down the banner tomorrow.
[Day 4]
We didn't use any banners today. Ayumi should be happy with this!!
"You idiot!! It's the same with a banner!!"
Well, I guess so.
[Day 5]
I prepared a large number of banners today, but...
"No more bugs, ugh!"
So, I'm finally being ignored.
"Um, God, everything's okay, right...? I feel like I'm just being disliked for no reason..."
"Katsuragi-kun, you're okay, right? I'm sure you'll be alright, right?"
"Ah, yes. No doubt about it. Everything is going smoothly!"
Having said that, I'm starting to feel increasingly anxious.
Damn it, no save/load, no backlog, first playthrough only, what kind of walkthrough is that?!
Oh, my stomach's starting to hurt again.
"I'm just going to the restroom."
"Please take your time."
I was about to head to the nearby restroom when I heard an unfamiliar voice coming from the direction of the sports field.
"Hey Ayumi, why are you running?"
"The second-year students will wait until we third-year students run, right?"
Those guys are third-year seniors, huh?
That's a pretty typical example of bullying a junior colleague.
"Excuse me, but I thought the seniors wouldn't be able to come today."
Besides, the tournament is coming up soon!
"Did you hear that? You're totally acting like a player now."
"Why am I the substitute and you're the representative?! You got cocky just because you happened to get a good time once!"
"Um, if it's punishment, please do it quickly! We really don't have much time before the tournament!!"
"Hmph, the outer perimeter! 30 laps around the outer perimeter!!"
I see, so those are the seniors that Ayumi pushed aside.
"Ugh! What a horrible senior!"
So, there are seniors like that in the human world too!
"Are they in hell too?"
"You really find those kinds of seniors everywhere."
"Sometimes those kinds of seniors are actually tsundere types who care about their juniors... I wonder what those guys are like."
"Huh? Aren't you overthinking it?"
"I wonder..."
[Day 6]
"Katsuragi-kun, aren't you doing anything today?"
"Yesterday I was told 'I'm ignoring it now,' so I thought I'd wait a bit and try again later."
"Hmm."
I hid behind something and observed what was happening on the field.
Ayumi seems to be glancing towards the school building.
"Huh? The guy who cheered us on isn't here today."
"Ayumi was lonely..."
"That's impossible!!"
That was good. If the response had been weak, it would have been quite risky.
"Alright Elsie, I'm counting on you!"
"Yes!"
When Elsie pulled on the edge of her feathered robe, two advertising balloons floated up into the sky.
"W-what is that?!"
"Wow, advertising balloons, how nostalgic!"
The response seems to be very positive.
"I'm sorry, God, but I could only make two robes after leaving the minimum amount needed for invisibility."
"One is enough."
"Tomorrow is the big day of the tournament!"
Let's support Ayumi and get her to first place!
And I want to make those seniors regret it! Really!!"
"Elsie, do you have any unpleasant memories of your senior?"
"If cheering for just a week was enough to win, then the school would probably be more proactive in cheering like we did."
"Hey, God!! So what was the point of this past week!?"
"You don't understand. Our goal isn't to get Ayumi first place..."
Crash, thud
That sound, coming from the field, interrupted my lines.