In order to save the villainous twin sisters from falling into darkness, the mob character worked hard, and as a result, ended up being doted on by both of them.
“Excuse me, may I join you next door?”
While the three of us were eating, someone called out to us.
I looked up to see a girl with long, straight black hair reaching down to her waist and sharp, dignified eyes looking down at me.
By the way, since Saki Futami and Soyoka Futami were sitting across from me, the seat next to me was empty.
“P-Please… Otowa-san.”
I knew her well—this girl who somehow gave off a cool, detached impression.
Mitsuki Otowa.
One of the heroines of *Kanohana* and the class president.
A top-tier elite student.
“Thank you.”
She sat down on the chair with graceful, efficient movements, holding the hem of her skirt. Her silent, fluid motions were the epitome of elegance, and I couldn’t help but be captivated by her refined demeanor.
(*Wait, why is someone else sitting next to Touko? Soyoka, we deliberately left that seat open for her sake!*)
(*We should’ve filled the seat ourselves, Saki-chan. We wanted to sit there too, you know.*)
Saki and Soyoka were whispering to each other with slightly suspicious tones, but I’d have to ask them to bear with it for now. I couldn’t afford to get on bad terms with *her*.
“Is something the matter?”
Mitsuki Otowa was one of the central figures in our class.
Especially around her, there tended to be a group of calm, talented people. So, there had to be some reason she’d come all the way over here.
“I have something to say to Saki Futami-san and Soyoka-san—”
It seemed her goal wasn’t so much to sit next to me but to face the Futami sisters directly.
And yet, she’d specifically asked me for permission first—likely because she’d anticipated the Futami sisters would refuse her outright. She was clever in how she handled things.
“—I’ll get straight to the point. I’d like you two to show more awareness and courtesy as students of Shizuka Girls’ Academy and improve your attitudes.”
*Crack.*
The air seemed to freeze.
“What’s supposed to be the problem with us?”
“It’s so vague I don’t even get it.”
Mitsuki sighed in exasperation at the Futami sisters’ belligerent responses.
“I can’t overlook the high-handed attitude you showed toward Aizawa-san this morning, especially after you’ve just returned to school.”
So, Mitsuki *had* witnessed that scene from this morning…
As a heroine, Mitsuki Otowa harbored romantic feelings for the protagonist, Tsumugi Aizawa. Because of that, she found the Futami sisters’ harsh treatment of Aizawa intolerable, which often put them at odds.
“That time, we *had* to step in.”
“We didn’t exactly *want* to do it, you know.”
“That doesn’t justify putting Aizawa-san in a bad position.”
Neither side was willing to back down, so the conversation went nowhere.
In the original story, this rift ended up cornering the Futami sisters. Even now, their dynamic hadn’t changed much, but…
“H-Hold on, hold on… Otowa-san, Saki and Soyoka didn’t mean any harm.”
“Shirahane-san, with all due respect, the logic of ‘it’s fine if there’s no ill intent’ doesn’t hold water.”
Mitsuki calmly and logically pressed the Futami sisters to change their behavior.
I understood that her stance made perfect sense from her perspective, but I also thought the two of them had their own side to the story.
“Saki and Soyoka were just worried about me and overreacted a little. So really, I’m the root of it all—if anyone should apologize, it’s me.”
At that, Mitsuki’s expression softened slightly, her eyes widening in surprise.
“The Futami sisters… worried about you, Shirahane-san?”
Her gaze shifted to the sisters, clearly taken aback.
“What? We wouldn’t bother getting involved otherwise.”
“Is it wrong to care about someone?”
Their responses must have caught Mitsuki off guard.
She’d probably assumed it was a one-sided act on their part and hadn’t considered a third party might be involved. Seeing the Futami sisters admit to it might have felt refreshing to her too.
“Now that you mention it, this is the first time I’ve seen the three of you together like this.”
Mitsuki glanced back and forth between me and the Futami sisters, as if noticing something different.
“They’ve been helping me out since I got injured, and thanks to them, I can finally eat properly. Two people capable of that kind of kindness wouldn’t just unfairly target Aizawa-san.”
“True, this is the first time I’ve seen them helping a classmate like this…”
Mitsuki was finally starting to notice the change in them.
She had a proper, objective perspective—if there was a significant enough shift, I’d believed she’d recognize it.
“Just so we’re clear, that’s only for Touko.”
“Touko-chan’s special to us.”
“…”
Both of them?
Was that really necessary?
“What a wonderful friendship, huh?”
“…Uh, ah, haha…”
Mitsuki shot me a wry, teasing look, but all I could do was laugh awkwardly in response.
“…Well, fine.”
Mitsuki stood up.
Her chair didn’t so much as wobble—she seemed detached from any noise or disturbance.
“The ‘only for Shirahane-san’ part bothers me a little, but I understand now that the Futami sisters’ kindness was the reason. I’ll admit I jumped to conclusions too quickly. As long as that kindness doesn’t go overboard, I’ll let this matter slide.”
With that, Mitsuki left the table.
Was this the first time? The Futami sisters and a heroine parting on such peaceful terms?
Could this be a sign that they might actually build a friendly relationship?
“Phew, that’s great, you two! Maybe now you can get along with Otowa-san too!”
My heart lifted at the glimmer of hope.
I wanted to encourage them to build better, more harmonious relationships.
“Huh? Why would we need to get along with anyone besides you, Touko?”
“Yeah, as long as we’ve got Touko-chan, we’re happy—there’s no problem, right?”
“No, I mean, it’s not necessarily that simple…”
It seemed Soyoka felt the same way.
They’d gained enough openness to accept me, but they weren’t quite ready to extend that to others yet.
W-Why, though…?
I was half happy, sure, but still.