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After barely managing to smooth things over, Blake watched Sagiri head upstairs to her room before finally letting out a long breath. Then he turned and went into the bathroom to wash up.
He finished his shower quickly, tossed his clothes into the washing machine, and returned to his room, ready to grind his skills again.
But once he sat down, he couldn't quite settle his mind.
"A black cat that can turn into a catgirl, an invisible fairy next door, an angel who can stop time… and Sagiri suddenly acting like a completely different person…"
He spun a pencil between his fingers.
"…my life's seriously starting to feel off."
The night passed without incident.
The next morning.
Blake got up on time, washed up, prepared breakfast for both of them, grabbed his bag, and headed out to school.
Honestly, he'd thought about taking a leave of absence so he could focus all his time on leveling up his skills. Unfortunately, his aunt, acting as his temporary guardian, flat-out refused. So school it was, every single day.
At the train station, a petite girl with waist-length flaxen hair came into view.
She stood quietly in a corner, holding her school bag with both hands. Even so, she drew attention like she had her own spotlight. Whether boys or girls, people couldn't help sneaking glances at her.
"Wow, that girl's so cute."
"Her skin is insanely pale."
"Her hair looks so smooth, she must take really good care of it."
"She feels super gentle… wonder if she's dating anyone."
"If I could date her, I'd be fine driving luxury cars and living in a mansion for the rest of my life."
"… "
Mahiru Shiina stared straight ahead, expression calm, clearly used to the stares and whispers. Only when Blake appeared did her bright eyes shift toward him.
Their gazes met briefly in midair.
Neither of them made a move to greet the other.
Blake didn't like drawing attention. If he greeted her, people would start gossiping. Better to just lower his head and scroll his phone.
A moment later, the train rattled in.
He put his phone away, boarded with the line, and found a quiet corner to stand.
Before long, a small figure was carried along by the crowd. After a brief hesitation, she stopped beside him.
Mahiru Shiina.
Blake glanced at her. At the same time, Mahiru lifted her eyes. Their gazes met again, then both quietly looked away, as if by unspoken agreement.
Still no words.
The train slowly pulled forward.
At the next stop, a few passengers got off, but even more squeezed in.
Blake had been watching the scenery outside, but in the reflection on the window, he noticed Mahiru lightly biting her lower lip, her delicate brows drawn together in discomfort.
"What's wrong?"
He looked at her, questioning.
"Nothing…"
Mahiru held her breath slightly as she replied in a soft voice.
She said it was nothing, but her expression didn't ease at all.
Blake's gaze shifted, quickly landing on the passenger beside her.
A middle-aged man in a wrinkled suit, unshaven, looking like he'd just woken up from a hangover. One of the people who'd boarded at the last stop.
…A train creep?
Blake frowned slightly and lowered his voice.
"Mahiru, let's switch places."
Since he'd noticed, there was no way he'd just ignore it.
"No need…"
Mahiru shook her head instinctively, clearly the type who hated troubling others.
Blake didn't argue. He simply reached out, grabbed her wrist, and switched places with her.
The next second, a strange smell hit him straight in the face. His eye twitched slightly. The stench of alcohol mixed with stale cigarette smoke made it hard to breathe.
So it wasn't a pervert.
It was a biological weapon attack.
"Blake… we can switch back, okay?"
Mahiru tugged lightly at his sleeve, looking up at him, clearly not wanting him to suffer in her place.
"Don't talk on the train," Blake said flatly. "Just stand still."
"…Thank you."
Her long lashes trembled slightly, casting soft shadows across her pretty face as she pressed her lips together and whispered her thanks.
The rest of the ride passed in silence.
Finally, the train arrived at the school station.
"Phew…"
Blake stepped off quickly and took a deep breath of fresh air.
"Sorry for causing you trouble, Blake."
Mahiru followed behind him and apologized again softly.
"I'll accept your apology." Blake waved it off. "Let's head to class."
"Okay."
They walked side by side into school, then naturally split up at the entrance.
Blake entered the classroom. He had just sat down when a hand suddenly tapped his shoulder from behind.
Smack.
He turned his head.
A blue-haired girl had appeared behind him at some point.
Anna Yanami, the gluttonous girl.
Strangely, her usual bright, cheerful smile was nowhere to be seen today. Instead, her cheeks were puffed up like a squirrel that had its food stash stolen.
"Blake, you're the worst!"
"…Huh?" Blake looked at her, confused. "What did I do?"
Yanami planted her hands on her hips, sounding aggrieved.
"Last night, you did all sorts of terrible things to me! I told you to stop, but you wouldn't!"
Hey, don't just make stuff up! I didn't even see you after school yesterday!
Blake replied expressionlessly, "I stayed home all night. Slandering someone is illegal, you know."
"I mean in a dream! In a dream!" Yanami rested her chin in her hands, her blue eyes shimmering. "Anyway, you were super rough in my dream, so I'm not happy. That's why I'm coming over this weekend to freeload a meal!"
"… "
Freeloading a meal was just an excuse.
Scouting the competition was the real goal.
This morning, after waking up and lying in bed for a while, Anna Yanami sat up. Ignoring her messy pajamas, she immediately pulled out the "Losing Heroine Diary" from under her pillow.
Just as she'd expected, the diary had updated.
Well, it was a diary. One entry per day made sense.
But the content made her very unhappy.
[By the time you read this, your weight has already reached 100 kilograms…]
[XX Year XX Month XX Day]
[Cloudy]
[You arrive at school happily, ready to share gossip with Blake. You see a boy confessing to a girl under the cherry blossom tree, and you feel envious.]
[You want to confess too, but every time you try, you lose your courage.]
[Three years of high school pass. With Blake's help, you successfully get into the University of Tokyo. You're overjoyed and celebrate by binge eating for half a month. You gain 2.5 kilograms.]
[During college, you still never confess.]
[After graduation, Blake marries Yamada Elf and Sagiri Izumi. The three of them live happily together.]
[On the wedding day, you get completely drunk.]
[A week later, you drown your sorrows in alcohol and binge eating.]
[Half a year later, you're still binge eating.]
[Your weight skyrockets. In the end, you spend your life alone.]
"…I weigh 100 kilos in the future?"
"No way!"
"Absolutely impossible!"
"I'm blessed with a body that never gets fat no matter how much I eat!"
Yanami had been furious when she read the diary.
But aside from the weight, something else bothered her even more.
"Blake… married Sagiri?"
"If I remember right, Sagiri's his little sister, isn't she?"
"Even if they're not blood-related, you can't just marry your little sister… and with three people at that…!"
"Why are there more and more homewrecking cats popping up?!"
"....."