Chapter 5: Apparently, Towa is not well-liked by Shu’s family.

On the way home with Ayana, I received a message on my phone from my mother.
The message said that the food in the fridge was running low and she wanted me to buy some.

I naturally had no excuse to say no to my mother, who cooks for me every day in the absence of my father.
I was going to head out on my own, but Ayana was right there with me.

[I’ll help.
Actually, let me help… That’s just the pretext though, truthfully I just want to spend a bit more time with you.
Is that….
not okay?]

As she spoke with upturned eyes, I immediately nodded in agreement.
As we began walking towards the shopping district, Ayana naturally linked her arm with mine.

Despite the fact that there were a lot of people around, and even though there were no other students from our school in sight, Ayana didn’t leave my side.
From time to time, she would look up at me and smile happily when our eyes met.
I couldn’t bring myself to tell her to go away.

When we arrived at the store, Ayana selected ingredients while staring at them intently.

“I think these sweet potatoes would be good.
And some cabbage and Chinese cabbage… and some meat…”

As I watched Ayana deftly place the ingredients into the basket I was holding, I couldn’t help but have a vague impression that she would make a good wife.

The current situation was a bit suspicious, but if I did nothing, Ayana might end up with Shu.
The tragedy that had occurred in the game would be averted, and Shu would end up with his first love, leading to a happy ending.

…But, I found myself thinking that it was not interesting.

“Damn it…”

My irritation inadvertently showed on my face.

Ever since I had become Towa Yukishiro, there were times when I felt an inexplicable attraction to Ayana.
At first, I didn’t think anything of it, but being near her was comfortable, and I found myself wanting her to be with me all the time.
It wasn’t just my heart, but my body as well that desired Ayana.

Words like “I won’t give Ayana to anyone, not even Shu” repeated over and over in my head.
I didn’t know if this was my own will or Towa Yukishiro will, but I couldn’t deny this feeling.

“Fufu, we look like a married couple, don’t we? With me as the bride and you, Towa-kun, as the husband.”

Ayana looked so beautiful in profile as she said that, a little embarrassed.
I was so taken by her face that I suddenly came to my senses and decided that I had done what I needed to do and headed back home.

　The sun had set and it was dark on the road, and Ayana and I were the only two people walking alongside each other.

After walking for a while, I saw Ayana’s house and Shu’s house on the other side of the street.
This is where we parted ways for the day.

“Thank you, Ayana.
You’ve been a big help.”

“No problem.
It was my idea, and it’s okay.
Besides, I’ve been with Towa-kun for a long time, so it’s a win-win situation.”

“…..I see.”

　What is this strange feeling of regret?

Just as I was about to take the shopping bag that Ayana had in her hand, which seemed to be a way to suppress my feelings—- my body suddenly lost control and naturally hugged her.

“Kya_……Towa-kun?”

Without thinking about what I was doing, all I could feel were the warmth and sensation of Ayana’s body as I instinctively hugged her while reaching for the shopping bag she was holding, separate from mine.
Ayana seemed surprised at first, but soon wrapped her arms around my back and hugged me back.

“Calm down… let’s stay like this for a little while.”

“It’s okay to stay like this forever.
Or maybe even like this…”

As Ayana said that, she lifted her face and leaned in, pouting her lips as if she was about to kiss me – but just before our lips touched, another voice echoed in the space where we were alone.

“Ayana-neechan?”

“!?”

As soon as we heard the voice, we quickly separated.
The source of the familiar voice was none other than someone I knew.

“…Kotone-chan.”

Ayana spoke the name Kotone, whose full name was Kotone Sasaki and was Shu’s younger sister.
She had a black bob cut and her uniform was slightly disheveled, and to be honest, she was quite small in stature.
Ayana didn’t seem to have any problems with her, but for me, meeting Kotone was something I wanted to avoid if possible.

“What are you doing in front of our house?””

　She took her eyes off Ayana, looked at me and said coldly.
I have not seen her that much since I became this body, but it seems that Kotone does not like Towa.
The reason has not been made clear, but it is easy to imagine that she has bad feelings towards Towa from her words, actions and attitude.

　And she is also one of the heroines.

(Kotone Sasaki, the cuckold heroine in the younger sister bracket)

Kotone is a bro-con and loves Shu very much.
Shu also loves Kotone very much, and the relationship between the two siblings is so good that it is almost sickening.
However, since she is a heroine, she too is destined to be a cuckold who disappears from Shu’s life.
Kotone, as I recall, is–.

I was about to think about what would happen to her when I felt a sharp pain in my head.
I involuntarily clenched my temples, and Ayana, who was standing beside me, looked at me worriedly to see what was wrong, but the pain quickly subsided and I told her I was fine.

“Ayana just took me shopping, that’s all.
I’m really grateful for her help.
See you later.”

　I knew that if I stayed here and created an atmosphere of disgust between me and Kotone, it would only be bad for Ayana.
When I was about to walk past Kotone after receiving the bag from Ayana, she opened her mouth in a voice that even I could hear.

“Ayana, it must have been a disaster for you.
I’m sure you were forced to do it, right? He is a womanizer, you should stay away from him.”

…… I can’t say anything back because I feel like it’s kind of a good argument.

　But, I wonder why Towa and Kotone are so bad friends when Towa and Shu are best friends.
Come to think of it, there was never any depiction of Towa going to Shu’s house to hang out with him in the game either, although there was the opposite.
I wonder if there is something that is not depicted in the game that is the reason why Towa doesn’t go to Shu’s house.

“I have no idea.
……”

　No matter how much I thought about it, I could not come up with an answer.
I felt bad about making my mother wait too long, so I hurried home as quickly as I could.

[Ayana Side]

　A girl was sitting on her bed in her room, humming a song.
In the clean room, the girl — Ayana Otonashi – thinks back on the events that happened before she went home.

“I can’t forget the warmth and smell of Towa-kun,…… I love you,…… I love you, Towa-kun.”

Ayana hugged the large stuffed animal, burying her face in it with all her might and letting the scene burn itself into her mind over and over again.
It had been a while recently, but for Ayana, just being hugged by Towa was enough to make her happy.
And even though she was so close, so close that she could have even kissed him,……, Ayana’s heart was filled with rage at the thought of it.

“If only that b*tch hadn’t come along, we could have kissed …… and maybe even beyond that ……!　Damn it!”

She roughly tossed the stuffed animal she was holding in her arms, revealing a rage that had nowhere else to go.
It would have been fine if she had only interfered with the kiss.
But Kotone had made a remark that insulted Towa.
Although she was able to put up with it at the time, her anger has remained smoldering ever since she separated from Kotone.
Thinking back on what had happened with Towa calmed her down, but even so, her anger toward Kotone had finally exploded here.

“Towa-kun didn’t say anything, so I can endure it too… but… but!! AAAAHHHHH!!!”

Ayana’s usual appearance is unthinkable, but in a way, this is also the face she has.
She was about to get up to give the stuffed animal a kick when she received a message on her phone.
Her head was boiling, but her anger was quickly suppressed when she saw the sender on the screen.

“Ah, Towa-kun!”

She hurriedly looked at the message.

[I am so thankful for today.
As I thought, Ayana is very dependable.
How about we go out somewhere together on our next holiday?]

　Ayana’s heart was filled with joy when she saw the message.
She typed her reply with blinding speed, confirmed that it had been sent, and then let out a sigh.
Clutching her phone to her chest, Ayana thinks back to Towa’s figure, his smile, his smell, his warmth, and everything else she associates with him.

　But at the same time, she thinks about Towa’s recent condition.

“After all, Towa has changed a little recently, no? Well, I love you no matter what kind of Towa-kun you are.”

Ayana had been watching every move that Towa made.
As a result, she had noticed some slight changes in him.
However, for Ayana, those were just small issues.
Towa was there.
He called out to her.
He hugged her.
He cared for her.
He looked at her.
Just those things were enough to fulfill Ayana.
As long as she stood beside him while he was there, she was content.
She didn’t need anything else.

Ayana gets up and goes to the desk in her room.
On the desk are a number of photos of her and Towa from when they were children up to the present.

“….Towa-kun”

　Ayana gazes at them in fascination.
However, there is one distorted part in this picture.
The photo is not of the two of them, but of one other person.
Some of the traces are very obvious: the other person, who is not Towa and Ayana, is blacked out with a magic marker, while others look as if only the upper part of his body has been cut out with scissors.
It is as if the artist has a great dislike for the person in question.

“…..I’m disgusted to be childhood friends with a guy like him.
And his sister, and that mother!　I’m definitely going to mess them up one day.”

　The words spewed out with tremendous hatred disappear into the void.

Her mind, disturbed once more, was now at peace with the return of the reply she had just sent.

“I love you, Towa-kun.
Good night.”

　Ayana gently mutters this and ends her day.

The joy of seeing Towa again tomorrow is in her heart.