“Hinata-chan is definitely number one (for Rui).”
“H-Hah…?!”
Huh? Why is she looking at me like I’m insane…?
Nah, no way. Angelic Hinata-chan would never think that.
“It’s always been you, from the start. You don’t need to worry.”
Right now, I just wanted to emphasize how much Rui cherishes her.
I mean, Rui has tried to kill me multiple times.
“Eh… eh…?”
But Hinata-chan still didn’t seem convinced.
“But… what about Kushina-chan…?”
“Kushina? She’s irrelevant here.”
“You’re kidding… You really don’t notice…?”
As far as I know, Kushina and Rui have zero connection… Wait, have they met? I’ll ask later.
“O-Onii-san… are you… a scumbag…?”
Hinata-chan muttered something under her breath.
When she glanced at me hesitantly, I tilted my head with a smile一making her quickly look away.
She still seemed conflicted.
But一that’s exactly why I have to push forward now!
“You and Rui-chan can be happy together!”
“T-Together?!”
“? Yeah.”
Honestly, in Watayume, their relationship felt more like deep friendship than romance.
As an otaku who appreciates both, I’m fine with either.
“O-Onii-san, you’re acting weird today!”
“Eh? Am I?”
I’m always like this, though…
…But if she’s still not convinced, she must really not want to lose Rui.
I respect the yuri energy, but I can’t afford to stall here.
At this point, the only option left is to face it head-on.
There’s no need to hide it.
一I vowed to always support my oshi from the front row.
And I will keep that promise.
Straightening my back, I met Hinata-chan’s gaze firmly.
In response, she flinched一gripping the hem of her skirt tightly.
“Hinata-chan.”
“Wh-what is it…?”
“This is something important to me一so I can keep being by your side from now on.”
Hinata-chan’s eyes widened.
“You’ve probably had an inkling of this already, but my relationship with Utsurugi-san isn’t exactly… good.”
“…………”
“Even so, I want to stay close to you.”
“………!”
Not just as an “oshi” and an otaku.
As someone who’s known her since childhood, like an older brother, I want to be her strength.
“That’s why… I want Utsurugi-san to accept that too.”
“──……!”
Slowly, Hinata-chan’s cheeks flushed red.
…I know full well how embarrassing this sounds, even to me.
But even so一
“I want to be by your side.”
A declaration, almost like a vow一an “oshi-katsu” proclamation.
And as for Hinata-chan’s response一
“Aah, y-yes…!”
She nodded, her face tilted downward.
“Onii-san, you’re being way too sly today… dummy.”
“Ahaha.”
I scratch my cheek, genuinely embarrassed now.
But for the sake of clearing up Rui’s misunderstanding, this much is nothing.
“Things got a little weird, but… let’s keep getting along, Hinata-chan.”
“Yes! Please take care of me, Onii-san!”
Hinata-chan’s face bloomed into a beautifully flushed smile.
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◇◇◇◇◇
“Now then, about Utsurugi-san…”
Hinata-chan was in an oddly cheerful mood, giggling to herself, so I cautiously steered the conversation back to the main topic.
In response, she pouted.
“Onii-san really doesn’t understand mood at all, huh?”
“Huh? Mood…?”
“Well, I’ll forgive you for today.”
“…Thank you?”
“You’re welcome.”
Hinata-chan lifted her chin haughtily.
So cute一 Wait, no, focus!
Just to confirm一in the original Watayume, Hinata-chan and Rui only became close after formally joining [The White Scales Prim-Libra].
There was never any mention of Rui doting on her during their training school days.
Which means一something must have happened there.
I need to get Hinata-chan to tell me about “what happened between them at the training school.”
“You and Utsurugi-san are really close, huh?”
“Yes, we are. I’d even say she’s my… true friend.”
She really emphasized “true friend.”
Guess she’s still a little worried about someone stealing her friend away.
But don’t worry! I’m a disciplined otaku一I have zero intention of getting between a yuri pair!
“It’s great that you’re close. Did something special happen between you two at the training school?”
“With Rui-chan… Well, yes. A lot of things happened.”
“What Onii-san probably wants to know is一”
Hinata-chan’s expression turned serious.
“What I’m about to tell you cannot leave this room. Understood?”
“Yeah.”
She nodded back at me, then took a deep breath.
“Do you know about the internship system at the Winged Guardians Excia’ training school?”
The internship system wasn’t depicted in Watayume一
by the time the main story starts, the training school arc was already over.
But if I had to guess based on real-world internships一
“You mean field training with [The White Scales Prim-Libra]?”
“Yes. Under the guidance of active Winged Guardians Excia, we were paired into two-person cells to learn the work of angels.”
Here, Hinata-chan’s gaze dropped.
“During our internship, we were assigned to apprehend a group of robbers… but due to a misstep, one of the criminals escaped.”
A shadow fell over her eyes, one I couldn’t read.
“I panicked and chased after them alone… and the criminal caught me off guard.”
“Wha一!? Were you hurt!?”
She gave a weak smile.
“I was fine. But in my place… Rui-chan, who tried to protect me一”
Her peach-colored eyes pierced through me.
“一ended up killing the criminal.”
◇◇◇◇◇
Raindrops fell from the gray sky, striking the white porcelain floor.
The rain poured down silently, relentlessly.
Every ripple in the puddles made my vision waver, as if the world itself was trembling.
一I hate the rain.
Below stretched the hazy, cherry-blossom-colored streets of Sakuramachi.
Rui had always liked the view from the balcony on the upper floors of the Tenth Branch.
On clear days, you could even see Mount Fuji in the distance一but on days like this, the city itself was barely visible.
“Utsurugi.”
Only when her name was called did Rui realize she’d been spacing out.
Turning, she saw a woman with silver-white hair.
That woman一Yaotome Rinne一stared at her with crimson eyes and spoke flatly.
“You know why you and Soehi haven’t been allowed to operate as a two-person cell lately, right?”
Under the gaze of the Tenth Branch’s strongest angel, Rui lowered her head.
“…Yes.”
In her rain-soaked vision, Rinne’s black uniform fluttered.
Though [The White Scales Prim-Libra]’s official color was white, Rinne was allowed to wear whatever she wanted一a testament to her exceptional status.
But that wasn’t the only reason Rui deferred to her.
“You two haven’t been in top form lately.”
Rinne’s voice was calm as she laid out the facts.
“To be precise, on the surface, you’re doing fine. You’ve apprehended criminals in ninety percent of your cases. But Soehi keeps letting [Setsuna]’s underlings slip away, and you一who once boasted a one-hundred percent arrest rate一have been letting more and more escape.”
She paused, and Rui glanced up.
Rinne’s expression was unreadable, but her eyes held no accusation一just concern.
“Right now, you two can still recover before you completely break. If there’s anything I can do, tell me.”
Her words carried nothing but genuine worry一
“Even if your former mentor is a little unreliable.”
一and perhaps a hint of self-reproach.
◇◇◇◇◇
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