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✦ Endo & Kobayashi ✦

Chapter 4

“Huh… Doesn’t the save file look weird?”

As I was absent-mindedly reminiscing about how on earth we had ended up providing live commentary in the guises of gods on the struggles of Liselotte, a tsundere villainess in an otome game, I heard Kobayashi’s voice in my ear. Looking at the game screen displayed on the TV, the save file definitely was weird, as she’d said.

Usually, the save data tab would display the route name, the game’s data, the location of the main character, Finné, as well as the time the save file was last opened. But for some reason, the route name and part of the location looked garbled or corrupted.

The save file should have displayed that it was April 18th, not long after Finné was admitted to the Academy. Prior to this, we had only just chosen to go to the courtyard to increase our favorability with the capture target we were after.

By the way, the common route runs from spring to autumn, and should you have raised enough flags as well as your favorability rating with one of the five capture targets, you’ll be confessed to during a dance at the Autumn Festival and enter their route. In the reverse harem route, because all the men were holding each other back, Liselotte was the one who danced with Finné instead.

“Huh…? I can’t even copy over the save…?”

Kobayashi bobbed her head back and forth as she fiddled around with the save file.

“Actually, Finné’s levels as well… Aren’t they all maxed out…?”

When she looked at the status screen of the save file from the menu, she looked amazed. Because there is also an RPG element to MagiKoi, you can also raise Finné’s levels. Though typically higher than Finné’s, the levels of the capture targets are usually hidden, but it seems like their strength depends on their favorability rating.

There’s also a bad end if you get defeated by monsters or other enemies in battle. It’s important to raise flags for capture targets in the after-school events, but you won’t get very far if you don’t raise Finné’s level and she’s too weak for battle. She might be the heroine, but she can still die.

This game really is way too deadly for its characters.

“This is a high enough level to solo clear, isn’t it? Scary…”

I had said that without meaning to. If you decide to focus completely on training Finné, apparently you can even beat an event that you’re intended to lose in late autumn after Liselotte is possessed by the Witch. This is the secret solo clear route.

To get onto the solo clear route, you don’t have any time to raise your favorability with the capture targets, so you never become more than acquaintances. Liselotte dies together with the Witch, and Baldur still dies a pointless death in the battle.

It really is a completely meaningless route. There aren’t even any unique CGs for it.

The battle you’re intended to lose takes place after the Autumn Festival’s dance. Liselotte, who was treated coldly by Siegward, ran away to her room in tears while Finné chased her. When Baldur, who was assigned to guard the two girls, catches up with them in the garden, the event begins. Liselotte is possessed by the Witch then and there and fights Finné, who loses. Baldur is also killed in the struggle.

Finné is saved when the partner she had danced with at the festival hears the commotion and comes to her aid. Together with Finné, who awakened her true power due to the death of her friend, they manage to fight off the possessed Liselotte and escape.

By the way, when it comes to Baldur’s route, Finné becomes awakened when Baldur is wounded rather than killed. But, with maxed levels like this, it was possible to overcome the game’s scripting and beat a supposedly unbeatable fight on your own. In other words, right now Finné is as strong as a gorilla.

Rather, she is a gorilla. Scary.

“Ugh… I give up, I don’t get it!”

Kobayashi, who had run out of ideas, threw down the controller in frustration.

“Oh, did you give up? There are only two minutes left, so we should go back to the broadcasting room anyway.”

It was almost time for an after-school broadcast that I thought I might have to do on my own. I called out to her while holding open the heavy, soundproof door to the broadcasting room, and after an annoyed sigh, Kobayashi entered.

~*~

“I still don’t get it at all…”

After finishing our after-school broadcasting duty, we were on our way back home. Since I rode to class on a bike in the same direction that Kobayashi walked from, I decided to walk home alongside her as I wheeled my bike. The very instant I retrieved my bike from the rack and met Kobayashi at the gate, she couldn’t stop herself from going on about the mysterious phenomenon we had encountered.

“Well, I don’t really get it, and it is sort of eerie, but since it’s all playing out on the other side of the screen, we should still just be able to enjoy it?”

As I said that, walking slightly behind her, I watched that straight black ponytail of hers sway back and forth with her steps. She slowed down a little bit as I caught up to her, deep in thought. When I walked side by side with her like this, it made me keenly aware of just how petite and delicate Kobayashi really seemed. Usually, she was so loud and full of energy, so it was rare for me to see this side of her.

“Yeah, I don’t really get it and all, but if we can see the greatest happy ending, then maybe it wouldn’t be too bad… But, I dunno, it’s kind of scary, isn’t it?”

As she said that, she looked slightly uneasy as she turned to look at me, the setting sun stretching out our shadows.

“Then, should we stop?”

Tomorrow was the last day before summer holidays anyways, but even though she still looked troubled, she shook her head.

“…I won’t stop. Because, after all, I really do want to see Lize be happy. I did get you involved in it all though, Endo…”

Our play-by-play calls and color commentary analysis would guide Siegward not to misunderstand Liselotte to achieve the greatest happy ending. That is what the two of us had decided back when they were playing the game before. That determined look she had on her face when we were playing before seems to have come back as well.

“I’m fine with it. It should be fun, right?”

If Kobayashi was having fun, then so was I. That was what I wanted to say. Honestly, if going along with this meant I could see her laugh and smile more like that, I’d say yes a thousand times.

“Kobayashi, you really are a Liselotte enthusiast, aren’t you?”

As I said that, my face twisted into a bit of a grin unintentionally, but she quickly looked up at me and closed the distance between us as she poked my chest.

“Well, obviously Endo. I mean you read her diary right?! You cried too, right?!”

“Yep, I read it. I cried.”

Only a little bit, though. I swear, it was just a little bit.

“Then you have to be a Sieg x Lize shipper as well, right? For me, all I want is for Liselotte to find happiness with Sieg, that’s all…”

If Kobayashi looks up at me with a face on the verge of tears like that, then you can bet I’ll be a shipper for her.

Well, there was a part of me that wanted to see more of that cute upset expression of hers…

But I didn’t put that wish into words, I just nodded obediently.

“That’s right, huh?! If Liselotte and Siegward become lovers, or if we can at least clear up the misunderstandings about her, then she won’t ever become the last boss. And also, Finné’s levels are all maxed out too. The route where nobody needs to die… I can see it…!”

“Even though the summer holidays start the day after tomorrow?”

I instantly regretted telling that to Kobayashi, whose dazzling expression suddenly became a mask of shock.

Did she seriously forget that tomorrow was the last day of term? It’s written all over her face.

“Ehh, no way, no way! I want to see Liselotte’s happy ending! I can’t wait a whole month!”

I could barely suppress a laugh as she shook her head from side to side in a little tantrum.

The way she’s always so full of energy is really too cute.

Suddenly, she stopped shaking her head and looked at me with a beaming smile.

“That’s right, Endo, you should come over to my place when we’re both free over summer!”

?!

“It’s hard for me to commentate on my own without your calls, and who knows if it’ll even work if you aren’t there? That’s why we should get together at my house to marathon the game during summer vacation, right?! Okay?!”

Even though Kobayashi said that with such a beautiful smile, I could barely find the words to respond.

“No, I… Uh… At your house…?”

For a high school boy to go to be invited to the home of his unrequited crush, isn’t this jumping ahead quite a few obstacles?

When I tried to make sure of exactly what she just said with a trembling voice, she nodded with a big grin as if she didn’t think anything of it at all.

“Yep, my house! If we don’t do that, you won’t be able to see me until after the summer holidays! Is that what you want?!”

Oh crap!

I quickly clasped my hands together as if in prayer and shook my head quickly to deny it.

“No, I don’t hate meeting up with you at all, Kobayashi! In fact, I’d like to see you every day if I could!”

Ah, crap, now I’ve done it. I said something stupid in my panic.

“Then, it’s decided! Don’t worry about it toooo much. Both of my parents will be out of the house with work, and my sis is a university student, so she’ll probably be playing around, so I’ll have the house to myself other than during Obon!”

With a smile of true joy, Kobayashi said that. She didn’t seem to notice my slip, but there were other problems.

“No, isn’t that actually worse?! Won’t things actually be worse if we’re alone like that?!”

While I was getting flustered about the mere idea of it, Kobayashi just looked confused.

“Then, if that’s no good, why don’t we go to your place, Endo…?”

“That’s, uh, that’s no good either. I don’t have a console, so…”

Not having the console wasn’t the only problem. Being stared at by Kobayashi’s pure and innocent eyes was painfully burning a hole in my indecent heart.

“Then, why not just come to my place after all? I don’t think we can take the console in the broadcasting club to your place since some of the seniors brought it, and I can’t take the one from my place either since it’s my sister’s.”

Saying that as if she was taking my agreement for granted, I could only sigh in response.

“I… I’ll do it. I’m a man, after all.”

As I said that, a little more bashfully than I was hoping, Kobayashi turned around beside me and held out her arm next to mine, as if examining them both in comparison.

“Yep, that’s true. Not just your arms, your height and hands are completely different to mine, huh?”

As she said that with a laugh, I felt a little dizzy staring at her slender pale arm she held out, and her delicate looking hand. She’s right about that. I was always a little tall, and I do try and look after my body by exercising. Kobayashi was so small compared to me.

I could probably scoop her up in my arms easily, huh?

“Ah… Or, are you kind of bored with hearing me talk about an otome game all the time?”

She asked me that completely out of nowhere.

Is that what she thought I was troubled about this whole time?

“No, I don’t mind it at all! Plus, we’ve come this far, right? Besides… If you’re happy, then I’m happy.”

There was a part of me that was a little upset she didn’t catch on before, but if I can spend summer vacation with the girl I love, and help her do something that she loves as well, then I can’t complain. When I gave her my answer with that in mind, Kobayashi gave me a satisfied grin.

“…That said, you’re a cute girl, so don’t invite any guys other than me to your house like this, okay?”

That smile was so cute that I couldn’t help but blurt out a jealous warning like that. Her smile turned into a slightly hurt looking frown.

“I wouldn’t invite any boy other than you to my place anyway. It would be gross, and maybe even dangerous.”

Well, I’m glad she doesn’t think I’m gross, but what does she mean about not finding me dangerous? Hey, what does that mean? Does that mean you trust me or you don’t see me as a man at all?

I wanted to ask her that.

“With that out of the way, let’s make a schedule for our summer plans tomorrow! Later~!”

Before I knew it in my troubled state of mind, we had arrived right in front of Kobayashi’s house and as she waved at me with an innocent smile she left to go inside. My heart skipped a beat as I saw that smile, as I thought to myself that I hoped things might progress a little between us over the summer.

Please let me know if there’s anything inconsistent or that needs further editing/corrections!!

-emrld

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