Prove Your Eternal Love. There Shall Be No Heroine Correction. - Side Story

A record-breaking heavy snowfall on a day during the winter vacation turned the whole town into a magnificent white by the next morning. On such a cold day, I decided to stay home and study. Just when I thought so.

“Let’s have a snowball fight. How about we play as a team and the loser buys ice cream?”

It was Tokiwa Minagi who the message to the group chat “Don’t Allow Remember Rally”. Ice cream in this cold weather? An hour after everyone should have thought so, six players gathered on the pure white ground of Fuyo High School. There were a couple of other students, but I guess we’ll be fine.

“I don’t know if I should say this, but I’m amazed we all showed up.”

“Well, because when it piles up like this, it’s a loss if you don’t play.”

Kuroiwa was the most enthusiastic among them. The most unenthusiastic was Yuuhi, who has put on all kinds of clothes to the limit of his body saying, “I hate the cold…” Children are children of the wind.

“Hey, who says I’m a child?”

Yuuhi’s hostile eyes looked at me. I cowered my shoulders and countered, “I haven’t told you yet.”

“Suguru-senpai, let’s do our best!”

Nagisa, on the other hand, began to do her preparatory exercises in the style of a child of the wind, without even a scarf. She was full of enthusiasm.

“Don’t be too excited and catch a cold. I’ve made reservations for tomorrow’s movie.”

“Honestly, though, it would be more appealing to catch a cold and be nursed at Suguru-senpai’s house!

“Why my house? Rather, I would go to your house—Ouch!”

For some reason, a snowball hit the side of my head. When I turned around, Aogashima-san, the current culprit, said with stern eyes, “Stop flirting.”

“Yeah, yeah. It looks like everyone is ready, so let’s get started.”

Minagi clapped her hands smilingly and was in a good mood. Then the rules were explained. Actually, there were official rules for snowball fights, but unfortunately, no one knew them, so Minagi’s original rules were applied. 10 minutes for preparation. During this time, we make a wall to hide ourselves and snowballs as weapons. It was forbidden to make new walls and snowballs during the game. After the game starts, if a player is hit by a snowball, he or she is eliminated from the game. If the opposing team is annihilated, they win.

“Nagisa, Kuroiwa. Let’s decide on a strategy to some extent. First, let’s decide on the formation.”

I called out to the two behind me, who were diligently making the snowballs, as I gathered up the snow to form a large wall. They were my teammates, who had been chosen at once by the random division.

“—That’s why. Today is the day we beat Minagi.”

I was so serious today that I was thinking of proposing a rematch with Minagi if we were on the same team. We have been getting together and playing together sometimes, but no one has been able to stop Minagi’s winning streak yet.

“I want to beat my sister, too,”

“Whoa, you two have good eyes.”

“Okay, Suguru, you’re ready, aren’t you? Then start!”

With Minagi’s signal, we each scattered to the other side of the wall. The opposing team was one person on each of the three walls, and this side was divided into two walls. First of all, the game was stalemated with a wait-and-see. I asked Kuroiwa, who was standing next to me, while rolling a snowball on the inside of the wall between the crack

“Kuroiwa, by the way, how are you and Aogashima-san doing lately?”

“Hah? What’s that question?”

“You two have become closer than before. But then, nothing, in particular, seems to be happening. …Nothing, if Kuroiwa don’t want to talk about it.”

“Hmm. So you’re worried about me? Hmmm, well, there hasn’t been any progress, that’s for sure. But I’m okay with that for now. It is what it is. Ah, but after graduation, I’m going to move in with Yuno.”

“…eh?”

Didn’t she just say something outrageous?

As I was staring in wonder, three snowballs fell behind us. It was dangerous

I peeked out from the snow wall and saw Aogashima-san approaching. Nagisa, on the left side, was staring at Yuuhi and was stuck in the middle.

“Actually, Yuno and I have the same first choice. Isn’t that a miracle? Right, Yuno?”

Aogashima-san, who was holding a snowball, nodded her head. Kuroiwa took advantage of this opportunity to unleash an attack, but Aogashima-san easily avoided it.

“Local, college. So, if we both get accepted…we’ll live together. I have anxiety.”

I understand. She was about living with Kuroiwa, who clearly doesn’t have the ability to make a living.

“It’s fine. If it’s for Yuno’s sake, I can be reborn for better.”

“If you are not reborn now, you are not convincing.”

Aogashima-san turned her harsh words to Kuroiwa, and then…A snowball hit Aogashima’s shoulder.

“Hmph, Yuno-senpai, you mustn’t look away from me!”

It was probably the result of my advice at the Fuyo Festival. Nagisa finished Aogashima-san with one brilliant shot.

But I see…they both have decided which school they wanted to go to.

I have to make a proper decision soon too. Or else I would be a ronin as Nagisa wishes…no, not happening.

But that doesn’t mean I have a particular college I want to go to. So, what I think about is what I want to study. And if that is the case, then a university in a rural area may be an option…

As I was thinking about it, the situation changed drastically when Aogashima-san dropped out of the race. Yuuhi and Kuroiwa glared at each other, and Minagi was throwing balls at me from afar. But I took no heed of the danger and hid to jump into the wall on Nagisa’s side.

“Whoa, what’s going on, Suguru-senpai?”

“You know, Nagisa, if I told you that I wanted to go to a university far away from here, what would you think?”

“Umm, is that something you want to talk about right now?”

Even as we do this, snowballs were flying relentlessly. If it were a question of whether or not this was the right time to talk about it, it would definitely not be the right time. Still, I wanted to ask Nagisa at this moment when I thought of it. So I nodded strongly, “Yeah.”

“Of course I don’t want you to. I’m so lonely if you go that far. It’s absolutely impossible. I don’t even know if my mom and dad will let me leave here if I decide to catch up with you in a year’s time.”

“Well, I guess you’re right.”

“I hate that I won’t be able to see Suguru-senpai anymore, but, but, I would hate it just as much if Suguru-senpai had to give up something because of me. Ah, I’m being very selfish.”

“…No, it’s okay. Because if I were in your shoes, I would think the same thing.”

Nagisa properly told me how she felt. Everything she was thinking. Because that was what we agreed, that was how we should be.

“But even if that happens…But, if it comes to it…I’ll make both wishes come true.”

I don’t have the power to do that yet. There were only small things I could do by myself and with Nagisa. But still.

“Well, I don’t have anything concrete in mind yet.”

“Mou, then why did you ask me!? You made me worried!”

Nagisa’s cheeks, flushed red with cold, puffed up. While I was observing how cute she looked, Kuroiwa’s voice came from the other side of the wall.

Hey, Shirase, this is not the time for hiding. This is…Okay, I just downed Yuuhi! …And wow! What the. I mean, aren’t those balls big now?

“Heh heh, I’ll pay you back someday!”

The audio information was only from the voice, but it seemed that Minagi was the only one left now. This is our chance.

“I’m sorry, Nagisa. Then, please follow the plan.”

“Yes, I’ll leave it to you!”

I patted Nagisa on the head and went out of the wall by myself. Soon Minagi’s snowballs were flying mercilessly at me, but I fought back while avoiding them. I managed to lure Minagi to the point.

“Suguru, you’re in good form today, aren’t you?”

Minagi, who had advanced, was caught in the trap we had set and fell down heavily. The snow was made slippery by the hardened snow that we had set up during the preparation time.

Minagi looked up at me as she fell on her bottom. She seemed to have dropped her snowball when she fell.

“Checkmate, Minagi!”

I quickly took the snowball and tried to throw it to Minagi.

“…Not good enough, Suguru. You’re too naive.”

“Watch out!”

Nagisa’s voice. At the same time, there was the sound of a snowball exploding. I turned around and understood the situation. Yuuhi, smiling belligerently, was rolling the snowball in his palm. It seemed that Nagisa was protecting me when I was about to be shot in the back.

“No, wait, isn’t that a foul, Yuuhi. You were supposed to have been hit by Kuroiwa—”

“Ah, sorry Shirase. I was actually working on the inside with Minagi.”

Kuroiwa, who had stuck her tongue out, was holding a coupon for something in her hand. Minagi has bribed her!

“What? Aika-senpai, that’s terrible!”

Kuroiwa’s betrayal was probably already set up at the time of team division, or even before we gathered here. And they made a false report to me and misled me into believing that Yuuhi had been downed. To create this current situation. This ex-girlfriend is really, really terrifying.

“So that’s how the tables have turned, right, Suguru?”

“…Yeah, you got me, Minagi.”

Niiiice. At that moment, Minagi smiled with her usual relaxed smile.

“Suguru-senpai!”

Nagisa threw my phone over here. Yeah, that’s the plan.

『Suguru! Jump! Keep throwing the snowballs upwards!』

I jumped up as instructed by the speaker. Just at my feet, a snowball that Yuuhi seemed to have thrown hit and bounced off. The ball that I threw right above me was swept away by my poor core and the gust of wind and fell right on Yuuhi’s head.

As expected, it was a perfect calculation.

Minagi’s mouth was gaping open and she looked as if she had no idea what had just happened.

“Eh, what? …What just happened? What was that voice?”

I picked up the snowball that Minagi dropped, and then answered with a tantalizing smile.

“Sasakura Sakuma. My best friend just happened to be in the school building and happened to be watching us with binoculars, and he called me out of the goodness of his heart.”

『What he said. Listen, Suguru, you owe me one for this. Why don’t you invite me out once in a while?』

“Of course. Thanks for your help, Sakuma.”

Well, no one would really think it was a coincidence. Yes, this was my strategy. A special plan that I shared only with Nagisa, just in case something should happen.

“S-Shirase! That man is not a team member!”

“You guys borrowed the power of a non-team member first, didn’t you?”

“…indeed.”

Aogashima-san agreed. They used Kuroiwa, who was supposed to be on my team.

“I knew from the first message I received that it was a team game that Minagi would go this far. So I made a move too. What do you think, Minagi?”

I asked, gently placing the remaining snowball on Minagi’s head. It was refreshing to down her.

“Wow, that’s cold. …Ahaha, I lost, Suguru. Haa, that’s so frustrating.”

Minagi stood up, stretching, and brushed the snow off her body.

“We did it! We did it, Suguru-senpai! We finally beat my sister!”

Nagisa bounced repeatedly on the soft snow like a rabbit.

“…The winner, Suguru’s team, will have to eat a bowl of ice cream in the cold weather.”

“Eh, ah, we eat outside!? That’s practically a punishment game then!”

“Ahaha, you lose the game and win the match.”

Minagi winked at me, pointing her index finger at me. But I knew that such an ending was prepared for me. I knew this was the way she wanted it to end. So I responded with a smile as I accepted this victory.

“The loser buys the ice cream, but she didn’t say that only the winner gets to eat the ice cream. So — we’re all on the same page. What do you think, Nagisa?”

Nagisa caught my gaze and smiled like a flower blooming after the snow melted.

“That’s the best suggestion, Suguru-senpai.”