The Neighborhood High School Girl, Miss Isezaki, Is the Great Saintess Returned from Another World~ And I, Suddenly Awakened as Her Exclusive Mana Supply Uncle, Travel Between Earth and Another World with Time-Space Magic~ - 178. Aihara Riori and Isezaki Seina

178. 178. 178. 178. Aihara Riori and Isezaki Seina

“Riori-san. I… I like Sir. I love him. I admire Sir as a man, and I hold deep affection for him.”

“Huh!? Um, ah, really!? Wow! Oh! Huh! Hoho!”

In response to Seina-chan’s sudden confession, I let out incomprehensible noises.

But what can I do!? If the ultra-high-spec Seina-chan likes Senpai, right after I faintly pondered about it, a preemptive punch came at me!

What should I do about this? I just want to forget everything and go home right now!

“So, what about you, Riori-san?”

But Seina-chan pressed on further. In this situation, I had no choice but to respond.

“Huh, me? Um, I think Senpai is a good person, but that’s it, you know? I don’t have any feelings like that, okay?”

“Huh, is that so…?”

“Yes! That’s right!”

“…I see, understood.”

Seina-chan lowered her gaze in what seemed like sadness, then immediately looked at me with eyes devoid of emotion. Maybe because her face is too perfect, but her serious expression is a bit scary.

“…So, I think you understand, but—”

“Uh, yeah. Of course, I won’t tell Senpai about this? They say you’ll be kicked to death by a Love Interference Monster or something! So rest assured! Well, there’s an age difference, but if you maintain decorum, shouldn’t it be okay to not worry about it? Hang in there, Seina-chan!”

“Thank you… Um, Riori-san, it was a rock-paper-scissors game, right? I haven’t played it yet, and I’m interested. Shall we go?”

Seina-chan, who had just been serious, suddenly smiled softly. It’s like the earlier conversation never happened.

…No, maybe it’s already over for Seina-chan. She turned away from me and started walking towards the rock-paper-scissors game as if nothing happened.

“Sigh…”

As I watched Seina-chan’s retreating figure, I suddenly felt a tightness in my chest, and I let out a deep, deep sigh that surprised even myself.

Huh? It feels like tears are about to fall?

What is this feeling? For some reason, Seina-chan’s departure seems to parallel Senpai’s departure. It’s really sad and the pain is so intense.

At that moment, my phone vibrated. It seems like it’s from LANE.

I want to distract myself, so I checked it right away. It seems to be from Senpai.

In there—

“Sorry, the toilet might take a bit longer. Sorry, but can you cover it up with Isezaki-san?”

I burst out laughing unintentionally.

No, no, covering up like that is impossible, right? Even though I want to cover it up for Seina-chan, is it okay to tell me straight like this? Does this person even know the word “tact”?

But… I see. That’s right, this person will reveal everything to me.

Certainly, Senpai acts like a good older brother in front of Seina-chan, but he also has lazy and troublesome aspects.

Ah, but I can’t help but feel a little excited about Senpai’s behavior like this. I really like Senpai too much.

Wait, now that I think about it, I already lost just by not being able to confess to Seina-chan, right? To be honest, that’s pretty lame, considering it’s Seina-chan. Even if I say I could confess to Senpai right away, if I can’t confess to Seina-chan, confessing to Senpai would be forever impossible.

Ah, what was I so scared of? Did I get caught up in the atmosphere or something?

Wait, could this be Seina-chan’s strategy? If that’s the case, Seina-chan is quite cunning, isn’t she?

Anyway, enough about that. There was no need to worry about it now, right? So there was only one thing to do.

I immediately started running and called out to Seina-chan, who had stopped in front of the rock-paper-scissors game to decide on a coin.

“Seina-chan!”

“Yes?”

With a puzzled expression, Seina-chan stopped her hand and I declared,

“The thing from earlier is a no-go after all! I’m in too! I like Senpai too!”

Yeehaw! I did it! I said it! That’s a declaration of war for you!

And upon hearing that, Seina-chan—

***

—Aihara Riori-san.

She was a junior at the company where Sir worked and a close acquaintance of Sir. I don’t know of any other woman with whom Sir is so relaxed.

Riori-san said she wanted to meet me. Unable to miss such a golden opportunity, I effortlessly gained the chance to interact with Riori-san.

So today, when we headed to the waiting area with Sir, Riori-san was accosted by a pick-up artist there.

Of course, Sir discreetly threw his smartphone with a different dimension wall and easily repelled the pick-up artist—

But when Riori-san said, “For now, I’m his girlfriend! It’s a given,” my face involuntarily stiffened.

I’m glad no one noticed. Indeed, Riori-san is someone you can’t let your guard down around.

Afterward, we reintroduced ourselves at a café, and at my suggestion, we decided to go to a retro game center.

It’s not a lie that I wanted to go there since I heard about it from Senpai from the Retro Game Club’s friend, and I think it’s also perfect for this exchange.

Because I’m good at retro games. Here, I can easily focus on Riori-san and Sir’s conversation even while playing. It wouldn’t be so easy at an unfamiliar theme park.

—After observing for about an hour, I became convinced. Aihara Riori-san has feelings for Sir.

If possible, I’d like to confirm it as well. It would be nice to ask subtly, but I understand that I’m clumsy.

So I decided to boldly ask straight out. However, I received an unexpected response from Riori-san that she doesn’t have romantic feelings for Sir.

Was I too hasty…? Maybe my lack of romantic experience showed here. I should have acquired more knowledge about gal games from Senpai’s friend. I’ll ask her next time.

At any rate, if that’s the case, the conversation is over.

I decided to head to the rock-paper-scissors machine. But then I was approached by Riori-san again—

“The thing from earlier is a no-go after all! I’m in too! I like Senpai too!”

Riori-san blushed and her voice trembled.

Ah, so she does like Sir after all. In that case, Riori-san is still someone I need to be wary of.

—And then I raised my voice according to my emotions.

“Eek! That’s right! That’s what I thought! Hehe, I’m so happy!”

“Huh?”

Riori-san opened her mouth in surprise. But this is no ordinary happiness.

Sir is such a wonderful person. There will be plenty of people who will develop feelings for him in the future.

I want to be the most important person to Sir. But that doesn’t mean I want to exclude other women who approach Sir.

Sir’s position and heart belong to him. Even if pushing away people who have feelings for him benefits me, it doesn’t benefit Sir.

Besides, there are meaningful things for me too. Suppressing my excited feelings, I said to Riori-san,

“Riori-san, how about we talk about love right away? Why don’t we start by discussing the things Sir likes!?”

I’ve always wanted to talk to someone else about the wonderful Sir.

Like talking about common hobbies, the conversation would never end. It should be absolutely enjoyable. My hobbies are “retro games,” “cooking,” and above all, “Sir.”

“Huh, talking about love? Uh, sure…?”

Riori-san raised one eyebrow in confusion. Perhaps she doesn’t usually talk about love. She’s such a wonderful woman.

But after thinking for a while, Riori-san answered with a bit of embarrassment,

“Well… he seems unreliable, but actually, he’s reliable, I guess? But he can be thick-headed.”

“Hehe, that’s a misunderstanding between us then. Sir is a kind person who can consider others’ feelings. I don’t think he’s insensitive.”

“Hmm, now that you put it that way, maybe. But hey, Seina-chan. Aren’t we supposed to be rivals? I thought you’d be more competitive.”

“…Rivals? I’ve never thought of it that way. I just want to love Sir like everyone else who adores him. Because I love Sir the most in this world. With that conviction, it’s inevitable that I’ll be the one next to Sir in the end.”

“Huh, is, is that how you think…? Could it be, Seina-chan, you’re quite dangerous?”

For some reason, Riori-san shivered and took a step back from me. But then she looked at me and smiled defiantly.

“A-anyway, no matter how high-spec you are, I won’t back down just because I’m scared. So be prepared, okay?”

“Of course. Please continue to love Sir as much as you like. If your love exceeds mine, that is.”

“Eek, scary after all. But… yeah, I guess you’re right. There was no need to be competitive. Well then, let’s continue to get along, Seina-chan.”

“Yes, of course. Riori-san.”

We exchanged smiles with each other. And then, at that moment, the most wonderful voice in the world shook my eardrums.

“Sorry, I’m late. I got caught up on the phone for a bit—Wait, huh? What’s going on with you two? You’re both laughing, but did something funny happen?”

“It’s a secret.”

“It’s a secret.”

We both replied to Senpai in unison.

Original Author’s Comment:

—Afterword—

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