Chapter 11

After school, Ryuichi went home for a bit, and once it got dark, he headed over toward Shizuna’s neighborhood.

“Ah, Shishido-kun!”
“Did you really wait around on purpose?”
“Yeah. I feel a little excited, somehow.”

The place they were about to head to was far too inappropriate for high school students. Much less a serious girl like Shizuna. Even though they had made it this far, Ryuichi tried to call it off after all. But Shizuna stared straight into his eyes. Her gaze told him she absolutely wouldn’t take no for an answer and was coming along no matter what.

“…Hah.”
“Fufu♪ Just give up, Shishido-kun.”

Who do you think is to blame for this? Ryuichi shot her a look that said as much, but to Shizuna, it was like water off a duck’s back.

“…?”

Right then, Shizuna picked up her smartphone.

“Souhei-kun?”
“Your childhood friend?”
“Yeah, I’ll reply to him once I get back home. Let’s go, Shishido-kun.”
“O-Oh…”

Ryuichi found it a bit surprising that she didn’t seem to care much, considering it was a message from her precious childhood friend. In the first place, the manga only depicted them after they started dating, so the exact events leading up to Shizuna and Souhei getting together were only ever mentioned in fragments.

(…Besides, it’s impossible for me to be getting along with Rindo like this in the first place.)

The ones who steal and the ones who are stolen from—that was the original worldline.
He had no intention of pulling some threat starting with physical intimacy anyway; more than that, this world actually functioned like a real society. Setting aside the threats, the moment he committed rape, Ryuichi would be sent straight to the slammer.

“I definitely don’t want to get arrested.”
“Eh? Did you do something bad?”

Shizuna stared at him with wide eyes.
He obviously couldn’t tell her that there was a world where he might just do that soon. Well, as he’d thought over and over, that was impossible now, but even so, she probably couldn’t imagine herself being at the center of it.

“Hey, Rindo.”
“What?”
“What would you do if someone attacked you?”
“Eh? I’d contact the police right away, of course.”
“…True. That’s normal, what a good girl.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”

It was no wonder Ryuichi said that. In the first place, in manga of that genre, both protagonists and heroines almost always fell into complete brain-dead panic and never consulted anyone until the very end. Reporting to the police was common sense, and Ryuichi nodded along in a sort of admiration for Shizuna having that baseline.

“…Hey, Shishido-kun.”
“Hm?”

It was right when Ryuichi was nodding like that.
Shizuna, staring intently at him, continued with these words.

“If I ever get attacked by someone… will you save me then?”
“……………”

The one who’s supposed to attack you is actually me, though. Ryuichi still couldn’t say that out loud.
Even if he gave a vague, brush-off answer because it was troublesome, Shizuna would probably just laugh it over. However, seeing her look at him with a glimmer of hope reflected in her eyes… Ryuichi gave a wry smile, figuring that dodging the question awkwardly here would mean completely failing to read the room.

“Well, if you call me, I’ll save you.”

That was probably the safest answer.
Before she could even wait for a response, Ryuichi started walking, but Shizuna quickly stepped up beside him, wearing a bright smile that could rival any he had ever seen before.

“Un. Thank you, Shishido-kun♪”

Ryuichi gave a small, thin smile in return.
From there, the two of them walked through the city streets, and their destination bar was just ahead.

“…So this is it.”
“Yeah, it looks shady, but pretty much all bars are like this.”

It was already dark out, and solicitors could be seen clearly here and there. Among them were naturally some of Ryuichi’s acquaintances; some gave him knowing looks while others waved. There were men dressed in suits, women wearing revealing clothes, and all sorts of others.

“Come on, let’s go.”
“Y-Yeah…”

She seemed a little intimidated, but realizing Ryuichi was right beside her seemed to chase away her fear, and Shizuna resumed walking right up against his side.
As they descended the stairs as if heading into the basement, a single door came into view. Beyond this lay the entrance to a nocturnal paradise—a place familiar to Ryuichi, but entirely new to Shizuna.

“Guess there are still a decent number of people around.”
“…So this is what it’s like inside.”

Stepping inside, a modest buzz of activity greeted the two of them.
Naturally, almost everyone inside was an adult, and there were zero signs of high schoolers like them. Several grown men cast curious glances at Shizuna when she appeared, but just a slight glare from Ryuichi caused them to quickly avert their eyes.

“In a way, bringing you here is pretty much on me. Well, stay close and you’ll be fine. I doubt anything crazy will happen, but no matter what, I’m right here.”
“Ah… un.”

Shizuna lowered her gaze at Ryuichi’s words.
Ryuichi couldn’t tell what she was thinking behind that expressionless look. Even so, she timidly clutched at the hem of Ryuichi’s clothes and didn’t let go for a single second.
The two of them headed straight for the counter. Then, a man with a stern, rugged face turned his gaze toward Ryuichi and Shizuna.

“Yo, Manager. Long time no see.”

Yes, this person was none other than the manager who ran this bar.
He wore a displeased look at the sight of Ryuichi, but that too was practically part of the routine. Then he looked over at Shizuna, speaking much like he had before.

“Kid, I won’t tell you anything good, so go on home right now. I’m guessing you know what kind of guy this is?”
“I know, but it’s fine. I came with Shishido-kun of my own accord.”
“Hoh~? Suit yourself then. The back room’s open, so use it as you like if you want.”

As if we’re gonna use it, Ryuichi said as he took a seat.
He told the manager they hadn’t come for anything like that today, and that they had just come to grab a bite to eat together, causing the manager to blink in surprise.

“…Did you change or something, kid?”
“Even the manager says that.”
“Feels like your old delinquent streak has calmed down a bit… Well, whatever. If you came as customers, I’ll treat you right. You hang tight too, kid.”
“Yes, please.”

Well, it was true that the place gave off a shady vibe, but at its core, it was no different from any ordinary restaurant. The fact that there were rooms in the back meant for secret rendezvous was something only a limited few like Ryuichi even knew about.

“…I gotta say, you can really feel the adult atmosphere here, and it seems cozy enough.”
“Oh, if you can appreciate that, you’ve got the talent for being a bad kid, Rindo.”
“What are you saying? Sitting right here already makes me a bad kid, tagging along with Shishido-kun and all.”

That’s true too, Ryuichi laughed.
Soon after, dishes meticulously prepared by the manager’s own hands were served. The presentation leaned slightly toward high-end dining, so Shizuna, experiencing it for the first time, was a little overwhelmed, but she quickly seemed to fall captive to how delicious it was.

“Good, right? Especially this meunière.”
“It really is. This soup is super delicious too.”
“Haha, the kid’s got an eye for this stuff. Even so, how’d a good girl like this end up making someone like Ryuichi her boyfriend?”

At that single remark from the manager, Shizuna choked violently.

“Is that wrong?”
“No way in hell. We’re just classmates.”

Just classmates—when he said that, Shizuna looked a little miffed, but for now, she prioritized clearing her throat first. Once Shizuna calmed down, she corrected him with a bright red face.

“Just like he said. We are not… in a relationship like that.”
“Hoh? Fair enough.”

The manager let out a chuckle, though what was going through his mind was anyone’s guess—neither Ryuichi nor Shizuna had a clue.

“You okay? You don’t have any rice coming out of your nose, do you?”
“I do not!!”

It would be a disaster if a maiden of proper age exposed such a sight. The title of maiden would likely be stripped from her on the spot. Anyway, while the two of them were eating like that, a certain woman appeared as a customer.

“Oh, long time no see, you.”
“Ah. It’s been a while, Manager.”

Both Ryuichi and Shizuna stopped moving at the sound of that woman’s voice.

“Huh?”
“Eh…”

They both turned looks of utter disbelief toward the woman, and naturally, she noticed their gazes and turned to look back at them as well.

“…Eh?”

Looking back and forth between Ryuichi and Shizuna, the woman’s eyes opened wide.

“M-Mom…?”
“…Shizuna? Why are you here… and besides…”

The woman who had appeared was not an unfamiliar figure to Shizuna, nor was she to Ryuichi. She was none other than Shizuna’s mother—Sakie, the very woman Ryuichi had spent the night with not long ago.

“…Mom!?”

Naturally, it was only natural for Ryuichi to be shocked.
And at the exact same time, his brain instantly arrived at a conclusion—this situation… isn’t this the absolute worst, most screwed-up situation possible?

God really was cruel after all.

[Afterword]

I chuckled seeing the comment section completely buried in “mother-daughter combo bowls,” probably because a lot of you read the beautiful sisters stories.

Though surely nothing like that would happen, lol.