Episode 304: The Goddess’s Protection

Now then.

The biggest problem is which target to pick for my last shot.

In this situation, there’s no point in aiming for a safe prize. Both Yuji and I are picking based on taking a risk, so if I go for something small here, I’ll definitely lose on the size difference.

But that doesn’t mean aiming for a big one that’s clearly impossible is a good idea. That’d just be a suicide mission. Yuji’s obviously thinking the same thing.

So… I’ve got three options left.

First is aiming for a prize that’s just barely possible to knock down. The risk is pretty high, but if I judge it right, it shouldn’t be that hard.

Second is aiming for a prize about the same size as the last one, something I’m sure I can hit.

But that basically relies on Yuji messing up, so it’s a really passive plan. Honestly, I don’t want to pick it.

Plus, my gut’s telling me I’ll lose if I go that way.

Normally, you’d pick between those two, and the first plan is the obvious choice.

We both aim for the edge of what’s possible, and whoever pulls it off better wins. It’s simple and high-tension, and there aren’t any other options anyway.

But…

Today, I have another one… a third option.

The reason I thought of Sara-san as my Goddess of Victory earlier is mostly because she’s the absolute presence who gives me the power to win.

But it’s not just that.

She’s the one who gave me this「third option.」

That’s why I’m certain she’s my Goddess of Victory.

I noticed it when I saw that cat plushie I instinctively felt Sara-san would like.

It’s in Hayato’s zone, so if I aimed for it, I’d be in his way. Plus, it’s a bit far. Size-wise it’s tough, and the angle from here would be diagonal on top of that.

So it’s a shame, but I should probably give up on it.

Yuji’d think the same. Normally, anyway.

But from where I am…

I can see just a bit of the tail supporting the plushie, haha.

It’s not like it’s a trick to keep it from falling, I think it just can’t stand up without using the tail for balance.

In other words, it’s a prize with really bad balance.

Honestly, I’m impressed I noticed that tiny bit of tail. But I never would’ve seen it if I wasn’t thinking about Sara-san.

So I’m counting this as Sara-san’s doing too.

And since Hayato dropped out early, I can aim for it without worrying. Luck’s on my side.

With everything lined up like this, I don’t have a single doubt that Sara-san is my Goddess of Victory.

And with her protection, I can definitely hit that tail, even from this distance. No, I’ll definitely hit it!

「Here I go.」

「Yeah.」

It’s been a long time since I heard Yuji sound this fired up. I guess he’s really going all out. But still!

I watched Yuji lean over the counter and started taking my own stance.

I stretched my right arm out as far as it’d go. This might be further than I thought. Plus, the target is really narrow.

Usually, I’d get my whole body closer, but I can only hit this angle from here. Normally, I’d never go for such a high-risk target… but.

「…Um, isn’t that prize Takanashi-kun’s aiming for kind of impossible…?」

「…Yeah, I couldn’t have done it.」

「…True, I aimed for that first too, but it didn’t budge even when I hit it, so I gave up.」

「Takanashi-kun’s taking a big gamble. But why’s he staying so far back? He should get closer.」

「No. If Kazunari-san is doing that, he has a reason. It’ll be fine.」

「Kazunari… go for it!」

It’s fine, I can do this.

If finding that was Sara-san’s protection, there’s no reason not to go for it.

「「 Ready… set!! 」」

My voice and Yuji’s overlapped perfectly.

And then…

Sara-san’s smile from a moment ago flashed vividly in my mind.

Hah!!

Now!!

Bang!! Bang!!

Two popping sounds echoed through the room. Yuji probably fired first.

The cork bullet from my gun caught the full air pressure I’d carefully set and flew right where I aimed… I hope.

While the classroom fell silent, two prizes on the shelf… right in front of us and everyone watching.

They quietly… fell over.

「…I did it…」

「…Amazing… It didn’t move at all when I shot it…」

「…Yeah. H-How’d he knock it down?」

「…Aw man, he actually went for that.」

「…The Vice President actually hit it…」

「…What? How’d the Vice President do that?」

「…I don’t know. It looked like he barely missed.」

「…Tch, did the Vice President really win?」

「…Hey, watch it or Satsukawa-san’s gonna bark at you.」

The prize Yuji knocked down was a mascot slightly bigger than the second one. It was probably about the same size as the one I was going to pick for my first plan.

I’d have to compare them to be sure, but I might’ve lost otherwise. That was close.

「…Kazunari, how’d you knock that thing over?」

「Honestly, it was close. I just hit the weak spot.」

「So that was it. Anyway, this is a total defeat. The gap’s so big I’m not even frustrated anymore.」

「I didn’t do it alone, though.」

I’m not joking or being humble. It really wasn’t just me. I noticed the weakness because of Sara-san, and I had the confidence to shoot because of her. That was the win.

And I hit that tail because… Sara-san smiled at me.

「You’re gonna say it’s thanks to Sara-san, right?」

「Of course. It’s the truth.」

「Pfft… hahaha!」

Hayato burst out laughing after I said it flatly.

Seriously, it’s just a fact…

「Ah well, looks like I’m definitely getting a lecture from Natsumi-san now. I’m already terrified.」

「Stop lying, you love it.」

I’ve noticed Yuji actually enjoys being scolded or bossed around by Natsumi-senpai. I mean, it’s obvious just by looking at him.

「You two, come grab your prizes.」

「Thank you.」

「Thanks. And sorry, I know it’s a courtesy, but I took a big one…」

I got caught up in the moment, but taking such a big prize for a courtesy game might’ve been overdoing it.

It’s too late now, but maybe I should’ve held back a bit?

「It’s fine. We’ve still got plenty of prizes, and the crowd you guys drew is bringing in regular customers. See?」

I looked where the senior was pointing and… wait, when did this line form!?

「While you guys were having that intense battle, people just kept showing up. We actually want to thank you, so don’t worry about it.」

「…I see. Then we’ll take them.」

Yuji and I took our prizes and bowed to the senior.

Since we achieved our original goal of helping attract customers, I guess we can take these and feel good about it.

Still… hearing someone call a game an「intense battle」makes me feel like we were doing something pretty embarrassing from an objective standpoint.

…Well, it was fun, so whatever.

We headed back with our prizes in hand.

「Kazunari-san…」

Sara-san didn’t wave her arms or act giddy when she met me. She just stood there with a quiet smile.

I could see she was happy, of course, but more than that.

「Sara-san, I won.」

「Yes. I saw everything.」

「Yeah, I know. So I won. I was able to win. It was all because of you, Sara-san.」

I don’t think anyone else would get what I mean by that.

But Sara-san… I’m sure she does.

「No, that is not true. That was a victory won by your own skill, Kazunari-san. There is no room for me to…」

「That’s not it, Sara-san.」

「Eh…」

I knew she’d try to talk me up like that.

So I told her how I felt.

「I only realized I had a chance because I was thinking about you. I thought you’d be happy if I got the cat plushie… and that’s when I saw its weakness.」

As Yuji’s surprise showed, I’d normally never take the risk of aiming for that. If it hadn’t been a cat, I wouldn’t have even looked at it.

And then, of course, I never would’ve seen the weakness.

「And… in that last second, I could see your smile so clearly. Because you smiled at me right before… the moment I remembered that was the perfect timing to pull the trigger.」

At a distance, even a tiny shake changes where you hit. Especially this time, since I had to hit a narrow spot like the tail. If the timing had been off by even a hair, I wouldn’t have even grazed it.

But miraculously, the moment her smile came to mind was the absolute perfect timing.

「So me winning was definitely because of you, Sara-san. It’s not humility, it’s just the truth.」

Sara-san looked a bit embarrassed as she listened, but she gave me that same soft smile again.

「Fufu… thank you. If I was able to be of help to you, Kazunari-san, I couldn’t be happier. But… it is a bit embarrassing.」

「Sorry, I guess I made it sound a bit dramatic… Oh, here, please take this.」

I gently held out the cat plushie with the comical expression that I’d won after that fierce fight.

It looked like something that used to be a crane game prize or something.

「…Yes. I’ll gladly accept your feelings, Kazunari-san.」

Sara-san spoke formally… but she didn’t hesitate and took it firmly. I mean, it’d be awkward if she held back now anyway. Sara-san obviously understood that.

「Fufu… it’s cute♪」

「Yeah, it’s got a charming face. But…」

But to me, Sara-san doting on that plushie is…

「But… what?」

「No…」

「Kazunari-san… please say it.」

That pained look of hers. She knew exactly what I wanted to say, but she was still pleading for me to say it out loud.

「Kazunari-san…」

And then Sara-san… looked down a bit sadly. Ugh, Sara-san, that’s unfair.

「Um… I think you’re cuter than anything or anyone, Sara-san…」

Ugh, this is rough. This is really rough.

What makes it rough is that even if she doesn’t mean it, this is basically a form of public embarrassment.

「Kazunari-san… I’m so happy…」

Whether she knew my inner turmoil or not, Sara-san broke into a truly joyful smile.

Her smile was so cute it just made me feel even more…

「…Hey, what is this? This sickly sweet space?」

「…No, I mean… words fail me…」

「…That Satsukawa-san is… all over him…」

「…I can’t believe it. Is that really her?」

「…She’s a completely different person from the one who was just screaming at the guys…」

「…What is this…?」

「…Aaaagh, Satsukawa-san is…」

「…This is too much… this isn’t right…」

「…My goddess… this is a dream… it has to be…」

「…And they’re at it again.」

「…Whoa, they really do this anywhere, don’t they…」

「…It’s like the rest of the world disappears once they enter their own little bubble.」

「……………」

「…Whoa, I told you, Nishikawa-san, that look is dangerous!」

「Kazunari-san…」

Quietly… holding the plushie, Sara-san leaned in close… pressing against my chest.

「「「 WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!? 」」」

With that slightly pained expression still on her face, but looking like she had something to say, Sara-san looked up at me.

Being looked at like that made my heart… pound…

「Kazunari-san… first, a thank you for this little one…」

Still looking up at me, Sara-san reached out her right hand. She touched my face, adjusting the position, then placed that hand on my left shoulder… and stood on her tiptoes.

「Mnh…」

Chu…

「「「 HWA-AAAAAA-AAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAA-AAAAAA-AAAAA-AAAAA!!!!!????? 」」」

I felt the soft, warm sensation of her lips on my left cheek. Sara-san’s kiss was so gentle… so happy.

As she pulled away, looking a bit reluctant to leave… Sara-san looked at my face and gave a soft smile.

「And this is… a reward for your victory, Kazunari-san♪」

Sara-san shifted her body to the right and adjusted my face again. Then she put her hand on my left shoulder, applying a bit of pressure.

It was because she was standing on her tiptoes again… which meant.

「Mnh…」

Chu…

This time on the other side… the soft sensation of her lips on my right cheek.

I felt the full weight of Sara-san’s kindness and feelings in that blissful kiss on my right cheek.

I tried to keep my face from breaking into a grin, but it was probably impossible.

Because her lips and our bodies touching made me way too happy. Nothing could be better than this.

「…………」

「………hah」

「「「 KYAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!! 」」」

「「「 NO WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!! 」」」

What the heck!?

Wait.

Ah… crap…

「…Wait!? What are those two doing!!??」

「…Whoa, Satsukawa-san is way too bold!?」

「…KYAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!」

「…Whoa, whoa, she actually did that!?」

「…WHOAAAAA, WHAT IS THAT!!??」

「…Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, it’s a lie, right!!??」

「…Whoaaa, no wayyyyy!!!!」

「…Satsukawa-san… Satsukawa-san is…!!!?」

The girls were holding hands and jumping around, screaming and making a scene. And while it was the same level of noise, the guys were… the guys were…

「…It’s a lie!!! I won’t believe it!!!」

「…Gaaah, for real… Satsukawa-san is actually with the Vice President…」

「…Damn it, I just made up my mind to confess to her soon…」

「…My… my goddess… my goddess is…」

In that moment, for some reason, the guys looked like they were screaming and crying tears of blood.

No, that’s impossible, obviously, but that’s how it looked.

But I…

Honestly, even seeing this, I don’t feel the same panic I used to.

I feel bad for causing trouble for the seniors in this class, but this is for Sara-san’s sake… no, for our future, a necessary step for people to realize the truth.

That’s what I believe… so if anything, I welcome it.

「Kazunari-san?」

「No, it’s nothing. I won’t let anyone get in our way, after all.」

「Fufu… that’s right. You are wonderful… Kazunari-san♪」

Sara-san leaned her head against my chest, entrusting her weight to me.

The warmth and slight weight I felt, the fact that Sara-san was right here…

「………dam..」

Sara-san was…

「「「 DAAAAAAMN IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!!!! 」」」

Rumble rumble…

A mysterious ground tremor erupted along with the guys’ screams, then faded away with incredible speed.

I remember seeing something similar this morning… where are they all going? The same place?

「…It got pretty quiet…」

「…Well, whatever. Those guys were just making noise anyway, they weren’t gonna buy anything.」

「…True.」

「…Deja vu.」

「…Me too.」

「…Wait, do they really do this all the time!?」

「…Ahaha, Takanashi-kun and Satsukawa-san are just close…」

「…No, if you can call this ‘close,’ then Nishikawa-san wouldn’t be this dark.」

「…………」

「Thank you, Kazunari-san. I’ll treasure this little kitty.」

「…Yeah.」

Holding the plushie with both arms, Sara-san gave it a happy squeeze. With her usual maturity mixed with a girl’s cuteness, she looked like a total angel… no, a goddess!!

Sara-san is just so cute, it’s rough…