Chapter 15

On the way home from school, Ryuichi glanced sideways at Shizuna walking beside him and wondered how things had ended up this way. The destination they were headed toward now was Shizuna’s house… Yes, he had been invited over for dinner.

“I’ll make things like hamburger steak for you!”

The nikujaga she had made previously was genuinely delicious, a fact that still lingered in Ryuichi’s memory. Aside from when someone else cooked for him or when he accidentally made something himself, his daily life consisted entirely of instant foods. That was precisely why Shizuna’s home-cooked meal struck a chord deep within Ryuichi’s heart.

“Fufufun♪ Funfunfun♪”

Ever since they left school and met up along the way, Shizuna had been like this the entire time.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed as she walked along, humming a cheerful tune in high spirits. So much so, in fact, that she was walking on a direct collision course with the utility pole right in front of them.

“Shizuna.”
“Kya!?”

Ryuichi grabbed Shizuna by the shoulder just as she had her focus completely cast off into the clouds. While Shizuna let out a startled sound from being grabbed so abruptly, Ryuichi let out a heavy sigh, thinking that he was the one who should be surprised.

“U-Um… Ryuichi-kun?”

Her cheeks burning even redder than before, Shizuna turned her gaze toward Ryuichi with eyes brimming with anticipation. When Ryuichi wordlessly directed his gaze toward the utility pole, Shizuna tilted her head in confusion, followed his line of sight, and let out an ah of realization.

“S-Sorry…”
“Don’t zone out. It puts me in a bad mood if someone gets hurt right in front of me.”

Shizuna lowered her head at Ryuichi’s words, but when he gave her shoulder a light tap, she broke into a happy smile and resumed walking. Following slightly behind her, Ryuichi watched her back and pondered to himself.

(…I really feel like everything has changed completely.)

He couldn’t even keep track of how many times he had thought this, but Ryuichi and Shizuna were fundamentally people who shouldn’t mix.
Based on current judgments, however, one could say his relationship with Shizuna was remarkably good. Just being invited to her home like this to be treated to a meal was proof enough that genuine changes were taking place.

“You…… are the absolute worst!”
“Heh. I know I’m the worst. From here on out, you’re going to be changed by a guy like that, got it?”
“…Souhei-kun…!“

In the manga, this was the scene from the very first time Ryuichi laid a hand on Shizuna.
Back then, the look Shizuna had directed at Ryuichi was undoubtedly tainted with utter revulsion. For Ryuichi, that gaze had only fueled him further, marking the exact moment he decided to break her completely and make her his.

“Ryuichi-kun? What are you thinking about?”
“…Nah, nothing.”

Naturally, he couldn’t exactly say he was reminiscing about how she was defiled in a completely different world.

“Hey Shizuna, is this really alright?”
“Of course♪”

Shizuna replied with a radiant smile.
Truth be told, he hadn’t seriously considered the idea that going to Shizuna’s house was a bad move. He was happy to get his hands on a good meal, and spending time with two attractive women like Shizuna and Sakie didn’t sound bad at all.

(In the end, I’m still Ryuichi. I don’t have any desire to NTR someone, nor do I intend to rob anyone of what’s precious to them. But… I have to admit, I do have this nagging urge to make a fine woman like Shizuna mine.)

Whether it was Chisa or Sakie, Shizuna stirred something in him that felt entirely different from any woman he had been involved with up until now.

“I didn’t tell Mom, but I’m sure she’ll be happy even if it’s sudden.”
“Talk about a day after yesterday, jeez…”
“Fufu, you might as well resign yourself to it, Ryuichi-kun.”

It seemed Ryuichi had no other path left to take but to give up.
Following behind Shizuna, they finally arrived at her house. Unlike Ryuichi’s modest apartment living, it was an impressive detached home. He had caught brief glimpses of the exterior in the manga, but standing right in front of it in person made it clear just how grand of a house it truly was.

“I came close by last time, but this is my first time actually stepping inside.”
“That’s right. Well, go ahead.”

Urged on by Shizuna, Ryuichi stepped inside the house.
The moment he felt a welcoming warmth radiating even from the entryway, he remembered that descriptions of violating Shizuna existed in almost every corner of this house. Her private room, the living room, the balcony, the restroom, the bathroom, the hallway, and even this very entryway—every single one of those places had been featured in those scenes.

“Ryuichi-kun?”
“…Ah, my bad.”

Whenever he let his thoughts wander into weird territory, Shizuna caught on immediately. It wasn’t as though she could actually see through his thoughts, but her sharp intuition was still not something to be underestimated. They headed into the living room, where Shizuna promptly served him a glass of juice.

“Thanks.”
“Here you go♪”

Picking up the glass, he took a sip of the mandarin orange juice. The cold sensation sliding down his throat was refreshing. Even as he drank, Shizuna kept staring right at him with a beaming smile. Sitting there under that constant gaze started feeling a bit awkward, and right as he was about to point it out—the doorbell rang.

“Must be a visitor… Excuse me for a second, wait here.”
“Sure.”

Watching Shizuna head off to answer the door, Ryuichi took another sip of his juice, but because the door was open, the conversation from the entryway drifted right in.

“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, well, just came by to invite you to dinner.”

The person speaking with Shizuna was a guy, and Ryuichi instantly recognized the voice. It belonged to Shizuna’s childhood friend, Souhei. Apparently, he had dropped by to invite Shizuna out for dinner. Since they were childhood friends and lived right next door to each other, a scene like this was probably nothing out of the ordinary since the old days. That said, regarding the timing this time around, one could only call it unfortunate. Though it wasn’t his place to care, Ryuichi already knew that Shizuna would turn him down.

“Sorry. Could you ask me again some other time?”
“Eh? Ah, got it… Is someone over?”
“Why do you ask?”
“The shoes…”

Souhei must have noticed Ryuichi’s shoes sitting there.
Well, since Souhei dropping by like this was completely unexpected, naturally nobody had bothered to hide Ryuichi’s footwear. Shizuna certainly wasn’t going to go out of her way to pull off such a cramped stunt, and Ryuichi didn’t care enough to stress over it either way.

“It’s none of your business, is it? Is that all you needed? See you later.”
“W-Wait a second, Shizuna!”
“What is it?”
“Shizuna, you’ve been acting weird lately! Why… why have you changed so much?!”
“…I haven’t changed at all, though.”

Ryuichi knew exactly what Souhei’s words implied. Lounging lazily on the sofa while sipping his juice, Ryuichi felt like telling him that barging in and raising his voice like that wasn’t going to win Shizuna over, even if it wasn’t strictly his business.

(Well, I suppose I’m the root cause of it, though.)

Just in case, Ryuichi kept himself ready to move at a moment’s notice.
Their conversation didn’t stop there; Souhei’s tone grew even more forceful, aggressively pushing for answers about what was going on and why she was acting this way.

“Hey, Souhei-kun.”
“What…?”
“Why do I have to take lectures like this from you? What are you to me anyway?”
“…Ha?”

Souhei’s utter astonishment seemed to bleed right through the air.
Maintaining a calm, composed, and quiet demeanor, Shizuna continued speaking as if lecturing him.

“Who I spend time with and what kind of relationships I build are things I decide for myself. I have no intention of letting some outsider tell me how to run my life.”
“An outsider…? We’re childhood friends, aren’t we?”
“That’s true. But just because we’re childhood friends doesn’t mean I have to say ‘yes, sir’ to everything you demand. Listen, Souhei-kun, I appreciate that you’re worried about me. But it’s none of your business.”
“Sh-Shizuna!”
“Go home. I’m going to start making dinner now.”

Clank. The sound of the door closing echoed sharply.
Given how harshly she had spoken to him right before the door was shut in his face, Souhei apparently realized he had nothing left to say, as he didn’t attempt to open it again.

“Sorry to keep you waiting… Oh, what’s wrong?”
“…Ah.”

Realizing she had caught him lingering right outside the living room door, Ryuichi scratched his cheek and looked away. Catching onto his intent, Shizuna let out a soft giggle behind her hand, though her expression quickly clouded over with displeasure.

“It’s so frustrating. Talking like that about Ryuichi-kun without knowing a single thing about him.”
“Well, figures since he doesn’t actually know anything.”

Shizuna’s words hadn’t reached Souhei—whether in this world or her original one, the irony of words failing to reach their intended target regardless of her emotional state remained absolute. Seeing Shizuna still standing there with her head bowed, Ryuichi reached out, placed a hand under her chin, and gently forced her gaze upward.

“!? “
“Lift your head. I couldn’t care less about stuff like that. If I say it’s fine, then it’s fine.”
“…Ryuichi-kun.”
“…Good grief.”

Seeing Shizuna still wearing that gloomy expression, Ryuichi wrapped an arm around her back. When he did this with Chisa or Sakie, it usually helped them calm down. He thought about doing the same here, but quickly reconsidered, realizing this situation was different.

Right as he started to pull his hand away, Shizuna leaned forward and buried herself in a tight hug.

“Shizuna?”
“…Hold me. Don’t stop.”

Ryuichi blinked in surprise, but ultimately wrapped his arms around her back to answer her request.
Nestled within his embrace, Shizuna let out a soft sigh, lifted her head, and stared intently up into Ryuichi’s face. Those clear eyes of hers were so limpid they seemed capable of swallowing everything whole.

“Being held like this really is comforting, you know.”
“Well, Chisa and Sakie both said it felt comforting when I did this.”
“…That’s a deduction, Ryuichi-kun.”
“What for?”
“A deduction is a deduction… but I’ll add points instead since this makes me happier.”

With that, Shizuna pressed her face against Ryuichi’s chest. They stayed like that for a little while longer—right up until the moment Sakie returned home shortly after.

(Shizuna, you’ve been acting weird lately! Why… why have you changed so much?!)
(I haven’t changed at all? I just realized how wonderful he is. I’ve been dyed in his colors… Hey, Souhei-kun, you know he’s amazing, right?)

Even with the exact same starting point, the words returned could differ by this much.