Maeda Shinji.
I’ll take care of you myself when the time comes.
Damn host jerk.
I thought that while gritting my teeth.
My hands trembled.
[Partner, why are you so angry?]
Hearing the Black Prince’s words calmed my excitement.
Right, this isn’t the important part right now.
“So we need to pick the cultural festival executive committee members from our class! If anyone wants to volunteer, please raise your hand!”
The executive committee position is important.
To protect Aris, I have to seize that position.
Fortunately, in the original story, the committee members were so buried in paperwork for the student council that they couldn’t enjoy the festival and were treated like office workers, so no one volunteered.
That’s why the protagonist, Kurosawa Yuji, was forced to take the position.
But here, it’s different.
“I’ll do it.”
Because I’m going to be the executive committee member.
“Kim-kun! Great! Are there no other volunteers?”
The classroom, which felt like cold water had been thrown on it, was silent.
No one objected.
Seeing that reaction, Teacher Mayuzumi smiled.
“Then this year, Kim-kun will be in charge of our A-class cultural festival committee! Kim-kun! Good luck with the committee work!”
Hearing Teacher Mayuzumi’s words, a smile crept onto my face.
It’s time to start preparing for the cultural festival in earnest.
*
On the first day of the second semester.
After class, in the Cooking Club Room.
Unlike the usual fun club activities, a heavy tension filled the room.
The room was dark, covered by blackout curtains like night.
The eerie atmosphere of the lone light from the overhead lamp illuminated the table, where Olivia, Rin, Kasumi, Makoto, and Eri sat.
[The 1st Kurosawa Haru Countermeasure Strategy Meeting]
A banner was hung on the wall of the room, crookedly written with crayons.
The table was piled high with snacks and drinks, but no one touched them.
“Alright, it seems like everyone is here, so I’ll start the 1st Kurosawa Haru Countermeasure Strategy Meeting!”
With Eri’s cheerful voice, yet another meeting of heroines began.
This meeting was held to strategize against the strong competitor and public enemy, Kurosawa Haru.
The 1st Kurosawa Haru Countermeasure Strategy Meeting.
Eri spoke in the brightest voice she could muster to lighten the mood, but the heavy atmosphere did not improve at all.
Kurosawa Haru.
She was a completely different character from the rivals and lovesick adversaries that had appeared so far.
Her unique position as the only younger one, her boldness to engage in physical contact without hesitation, and her skillful ability to dig into the opponent’s weaknesses from the first encounter all made her a formidable presence that left even the previously impenetrable Kim Deok-Sung baffled with her offensive capability.
It was only natural that the existing heroines would feel threatened by Haru’s well-rounded abilities.
“Ugh…”
Especially Makoto, who already had an unstable standing, felt the most threatened.
With timid gestures, she nervously picked at the snacks on the table.
“Makopi, what’s wrong? Is it because of what Haru said earlier?”
Seeing Makoto’s state, Eri grabbed her hand.
“Eri-chan…”
Makoto lowered her head.
“Defeated heroine… A defeated heroine, huh…? Am I really that bland of a person?”
Makoto’s face darkens.
She already thought she lacked charm compared to other girls.
So she tried growing her hair long, practiced cooking, and worked hard not to fall behind in any aspect.
She was determined to win her master’s heart and even received encouragement from Eri.
However, upon hearing today’s comment from Haru about being a defeated heroine, Makoto felt dizzy.
Makoto’s cheeks tremble.
“Come here.”
Eri hugs Makoto tightly.
“No way, Makopi! You’re cuter than Eri-ling!”
“Really…? Eri-chan, am I cute?”
“Yup. Makopi, you’re cute. Plus, you have bigger boobs than Eri-ling, right? Like a cow.”
Eri’s hands slide down.
“Yikes! Eri!”
“Hey! With that shameless chunk of fat you’re carrying, saying you’re bland is just rude. Makopi!”
“Stop… Stop touching me… Hah…”
Makoto’s face turns beet red.
As the embarrassing scene unfolds right before them, Olivia grows red in the face while Kasumi hides behind a book.
Rin clears her throat and speaks up.
“Ahem. Lay off torturing Kamiya. Washboard.”
“That’s lewd! So shameless!”
Olivia follows suit, blushing as she shouts.
“Nishizawa… This is so awkward…”
Kasumi, who is hiding behind her book, mutters in a low voice.
“Torturing? What do you mean? Cow. This is a symbol of friendship. Maybe you don’t know because you’re a friendless cow. But Makopi likes this. Right, Makopi?”
Eri narrows her eyes.
Her orange gaze turns to Rin.
With a flushed face, Makoto pouts.
“Who says I have no friends? Washboard? I have a friend named Kurosawa Yuji!”
“But you don’t have any female friends.”
“Th-that’s…”
Just then, Rin gets flustered by the remark about having no female friends.
“Enough! You two need to stop that right now! This isn’t the time for this!”
*Thud.*
Olivia slams her hand on the table as she yells.
At her command, Rin shuts her mouth and Eri moves away from Makoto.
“What’s important now is how we deal with that cat burglar, Kurosawa Haru!”
Olivia’s hands tremble.
“The princess is right. Eri-ling. That girl, Kurosawa Haru, gives me the creeps. She overlaps with your character and position. Plus, she has bigger boobs than Eri-ling. And she shamelessly calls you the nickname that only the Master can use. I can’t forgive that Haru girl.”
Eri’s expression grows serious.
She bites her lip.
“I think so too… The junior to the junior is definitely someone we need to watch out for. Just like the juniors said, she’s a dangerous opponent.”
Next to chime in is Kasumi.
Hiding behind her book, she mumbles in a timid voice.
“If this keeps up, I might really become a defeated heroine… Eri, is it wrong to make a ‘jiiiii’ sound?”
Makoto, with a trembling expression, lowers her head and munches on snacks as she speaks.
“Makopi, it’s okay. There’s no way you’ll become a defeated heroine. Eri-ling will help you. You can relax. And your ‘jiii’ is cute! I can guarantee that.”
“Uuuuuu… Eri-chan… Thank you…”
Makoto’s face flushes as she hugs Eri tightly.
Rin clears her throat at the sight.
At that moment.
Eri’s gaze shifts to Rin.
Eri looks at Rin and says,
“Hey, cow. I heard you’re childhood friends with Kurosawa Yuji. Don’t you know anything about Haru?”
All eyes turn to Rin at Eri’s words.
Rin’s eyes tremble.
“Even if we were childhood friends, it was ten years ago from when we were kids, so…”
“Well, that’s better than us knowing nothing. Hurry up and tell us everything you know!”
“Just say it all out!”
Olivia urged as Rin trailed off.
“The day ten years ago…”
Rin searched her memory and continued.
Ten years ago, when the world’s strongest hero, the Sword Saint, and his family, the Kurosawa clan, were still alive and well.
Under the command of Shinozaki Ichiro, head of the Shinozaki clan, Rin had no choice but to frequently interact with the Kurosawa clan.
However, unlike Ichiro, Rin held no ill feelings towards the Kurosawa family.
In fact, she preferred the warm welcome from the Kurosawa clan, who treated her like family, over the neglected Shinozaki family, supported by her childhood friend, Yuji, the Sword Saint.
“I was a kid who loved Gal magazines and my big brother a lot. Even back then, I was quite bold, and I remember clearly how I called you ‘big sister’ and followed you closely even during our first meeting.”
A faint smile crept onto Rin’s lips.
Whenever she went to the Kurosawa Mansion, there was always warm tea, delicious snacks, friends, and a cute little sister. And the kind Sword Saint Uncle was always there.
Ten years ago.
Until that incident turned the mansion into ashes, the Kurosawa Manor was her only sanctuary.
“Not right now, but now… being by Deok-Sung’s side feels better.”
Kim Deok-Sung.
Thinking of him made Rin’s face turn bright red.
The Messiah who saved her from the abuse she suffered in her own family for a decade.
She wanted to be by his side a bit longer.
In Korea, not Japan.
In his house in Seoul, not as Ms. Shinozaki, but as Mrs. Kim.
In her mind, memories of the Kurosawa Mansion had already faded into the past, like a worn-out photograph.
“I want to be his woman.”
With that thought, Rin steadied her racing heart.
“So, was she originally that kind of person?”
Olivia’s words echoed in Rin’s mind.
“If the personality I remember of Haru had developed in a more extreme direction, she might have turned out like she is now,” Rin nodded, making a guess about Haru.
Eri narrowed her eyes.
She glared at Rin with her orange-colored irises and said, “Cow. You’re not seriously thinking about letting that little demon, your childhood friend’s sister, go, are you?”
“No.”
Rin shook her head.
The memories she shared with Haru were precious, but that didn’t mean she could condone Haru’s current behavior.
Above all, the shock from their first meeting was too great.
“There’s absolutely no way I’d let her off, nor do I plan to. Right now, she’s my rival. I’ll crush her in the Shinozaki-style bride training class.”
Rin declared with a serious tone.
The Shinozaki-style bride training class was still ongoing.
Today’s lesson was Shinozaki-style flower arranging.
“I’ll definitely become the top bride and the ideal wife!”
Rin bit her lip, steeling her resolve.
At that moment…
“By the way, isn’t this meeting to deal with Lady Kurosawa? It doesn’t seem like we’re making any progress,” Kasumi said in a quiet voice.
“Ugh…”
Rin bit her lip at Kasumi’s unexpectedly sharp comment.
“…Do any of the juniors have a good idea?” Kasumi looked around.
Eri, Makoto, and Rin kept silent.
No matter how much they thought, they couldn’t come up with a sharp strategy against the unfamiliar type that was Haru.
An awkward silence filled the room.
Just then,
Bang!
Olivia slammed her hand on the table.
She jumped up.
“Honestly, you’re all utterly pathetic!”
Olivia puffed her cheeks.
“Despite gathering here, you can’t even come up with a plan to catch that little thief…”
“So, Bonaparte, do you have a good idea?”
Rin shot a cold glare at Olivia’s comment.
At Rin’s question, a triumphant smile crept onto Olivia’s face.
“Ohohohohoho!”
She covered her mouth with her hand and burst into a lady’s laugh.
“Of course! Unlike you commoners who can’t see even a step ahead, I, Olivia Napoleon Bonaparte, the noble princess of the French Empire, always think ahead and act accordingly!”
Olivia smiles proudly with a beaming face.
Seeing her, Eri asks, “So, what’s the plan, Your Highness? I’m curious!”
“I’m curious too, Miss Bonaparte,” Kasumi adds.
Kasumi’s gaze turns to Olivia, followed silently by Rin and Makoto, who also look at Olivia.
Pat.
Olivia places her hand on her chest.
“That would be making a movie for our class at this cultural festival! A movie about us and that fool!”
Silence falls over the room following Olivia’s sudden announcement.
The atmosphere turns awkward, and despite not receiving the expected cheers, Olivia maintains a confident smile.
“A movie? Out of nowhere? That’s the plan?”
Makoto questions, and Olivia responds with overflowing confidence.
“Yes! Originally, we planned it to counter the ridiculous malicious rumors circulating about that fool, including the Black Beast… but…”
“Heh, Your Highness. No matter what, you really think about our Master, huh?”
Eri interrupts Olivia with a laugh.
Olivia’s face turns red from Eri’s comment.
Her blue eyes tremble.
Pat.
She points her finger at Eri and exclaims, “Only as a loyal maid! Managing that fool’s reputation is important too! If his reputation falls, so does mine as his maid! Plus, I’ve been affected by those… those scoundrel rumors too! That’s all! I have no ulterior motives, so don’t misunderstand!”
Olivia’s heart races like crazy.
Seeing this, Rin shakes her head disapprovingly. “So, you still haven’t explained how this movie relates to Haru.”
“Of course, it’s related! Through the movie, we will show everyone how all of us, including me, are connected to that fool and how deep our relationships are!”
Tap.
Olivia leans on the table with both arms and declares, “We will show that thief Haru the power of our deep connections that he could never even imagine!”
Gasps fill the room in response to Olivia’s words.
“Oh!”
“Your Highness is amazing!”
“That’s a decent idea for a Bonaparte.”
“You’ve thought a lot, Junior.”
Flattered, Olivia’s nose rises in pride.
She shrugs her shoulders and smiles. “Hehe, this is basic knowledge for the Bonaparte royalty! Originally, I was going to focus only on my and his story, but since we’re dealing with that thief, I’ll make a special exception and include your stories as well. Bow down and be grateful for my imperial generosity, alright?”
“But Your Highness, isn’t making a movie a bit difficult? There are a lot of constraints, and we might not have enough time for the cultural festival… I don’t think the Master will cooperate much either.”
“Th-that’s…”
At Eri’s interruption, Olivia appears flustered.
“How about an anime instead of a movie?”
A soft voice breaks through everyone’s ears.
It was the previously silent Kasumi’s voice.
All eyes turn to Kasumi.
With a blush and a shy demeanor, Kasumi responds, “Well… Junior, I like subculture stuff like anime.”
If Kim Deok-Sung had heard that, he might have collapsed, grabbing his neck like a bomb had dropped.
Han Seo-Jin would probably believe it.
Anime? Subculture?
Kasumi’s unexpected statement leaves the room in confusion.
Kim Deok-Sung liking subculture is news to everyone except Kasumi.
“How does Hoshino-senpai know the Master’s preferences?”
Eri breaks the silence.
Her eyes narrow.
Eri’s woman’s intuition warns her.
How could Kasumi know his tastes, which no one else does?
“Senpai is suspicious…”
Eri pouts.
