During the next break, the following conversation took place.

“Oh my, Takanashi-san. Your eye’s not its usual gold today?”

“Oof. Mori-sama. That’s none of your business, Mori-sama.”

 has nothing to do with you, Mori-sama.”

“My name’s not Mori-sama. None of my business, huh? But Togashi-kun seemed very worried about it?”

“Ugh… That’s, err…”

“What’s wrong? Did something happen? Would you like to consult me about it?”

“W-well, um…”

“It’ll be fine. I’ll hear you out no matter what it is. Moreover, it’s me, the person whose synomous with the term ‘love consultation expert’, the one and only Nibutani Shinka. My consultation satisfaction’s 95% and the first consultation is free.”

“T-this is some new sort of scam, isn’t it…! There’s probably some sort of super large contingency fee or something!”

  “Ahaha, there’s no way I’d do something like that. After all, it’s not like I particularly – no, to tell you the truth, I am a bit worried about you. I mean, anyone would be worried if something that used to always be gold turned black all of a sudden, right?”

“…A-are they even edible once it turns black?”

“You’re talking about bananas! Why are you bringing up bananas!? Did your brain turn weird too, Takanashi-san!? …That wasn’t what I meant to say. Let me try that again.  Isn’t it a bit scary when something changes all of a sudden?”

“Something changing all of a sudden – scary, yes. …Certainly, it can be terrifying when a banana suddenly turns black.”

“Like I previously asked, why are you bringing up bananas!? …Whatever. Regardless, it seems that Togashi-kun too is quite concerned about you given the sudden change to your eye colour. And, well, even if you don’t want to think of it as a love consultation, I’m still willing to lend you my ear if you’d like. If you let me hear you out, I may even be able to give you some advice.”

“…R-right. What you’re saying does make some sense, I guess. Then… For, for just a little while – could you please hear me out?”

“Of course! Well, that’s decided then. And since you probably don’t want too many people overhearing, how about we have the consultation in your clubroom? No one would be there.”

“Mm, understood. That’s fine with me.”

“Good. Well then, how about we meet there during lunch?”

“Roger.”

“…How she’s behaving does feel really out of place.”  

“Hm?”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing, it’s nothing. Well, see you then.”

Even accounting for the fact that the topic was extremely unnatural, it was still a very awkward conversation.

The sense of awkwardness I felt was mainly from Nibutani. The Nibutani that I knew wasn’t the sort of person who would say something like ‘oh my’. This time, everyone’s established character traits was rapidly collapsing.

Then again, I haven’t really seen Rikka and Nibutani talk one-on-one with each other much. They were quite the unusual pairing.

Most of the time when the two were together, either Shichimiya, Kazari-chan, or one of the Summers would be present as well. That was probably why it felt a bit off when it was just the two of them.

Well, it wasn’t like the two of them were on bad terms with each other. They just didn’t have much to talk about when it was just the two of them.

Rikka was a chuunibyou patient. Nibutani was part of the chuunibyou rehabilitation faction.

After parting ways with Rikka, Nibutani came over to where Miyoshi-san and I had been eavesdropping on their conversation. The first thing that came out of Nibutani’s mouth –

“No, wait a second. That person just now, who was that? That was horrifying. I’m even starting to think that I need to reconsider my own beliefs about rehabilitating all chuunibyou patients.”

– was that.

Rikka’s transformation made Nibutani tremble in fear.

This reaction was fresh. While I was shocked by Rikka and how she had changed, I wasn’t horrified by the change. The other club members, while worried, were not scared of Rikka and how she had changed either.

Well, if Nibutani were to suddenly start behaving in a chuunibyou-ish manner tomorrow, I’d probably be fearful of her as well.

“For the time being, I’ve successfully carried out what you’ve told me to do.  Still, why are we meeting up in that gloomy clubroom? Any empty classroom would have worked, right?”

“Ah, well, that’s, err, ah yes, because Rikka would probably feel at ease being there.”

I muddled my words as I tried to evade her question.

As I glanced to my side to check my response with Miyoshi-san, I could see a wide grin on her face.

Miyoshi-san – she somehow seemed to know that it was possible for us to peep into the principal’s office. She probably caught sight of one of Dekomori’s bodyguards and inferred that we could.

As for why I checked my response with Miyoshi-san – it was because I was terrified of her.

Since I too wanted to peep, she used that information to coerce me into agreeing with her strategy. And thus, that is how Miyoshi-san was able to get Nibutani to carry out the strategy that she had nonchalantly came up with.

“The principal’s office – is that not a good location? I personally thought that it was a perfect location for you, Mori-sama. The most! Prestigious! Place! Of! A! School! Is where?”

“…I guess you’re right. It certainly is a fine location, isn’t it?”

Miyoshi-san too skilled at manipulating others through flattery! And Mori-sama’s too simple!

❖

And so.

In the present.

It was now lunch time.

In the waiting room adjacent to the principal’s office. In front of the monitor.

I was alone with Miyoshi-san. Unusual pairing number 2. I was really nervous. I’d likely be less nervous if Sasa was here with us (I again affirmed just how highly I depended on Sasa); unfortunately, however, it seemed that Sasa was at lunch with some other girls.

 It appears that the three of them were not always together for everything.

“Nastuno’s quite the good girl, isn’t she? Even if she knew this was how things things were going to turn, she would probably say ‘Ah~ This isn’t really my sort of thing~’ and not come along, right?”

“…In that case, are you saying that you’re a bad girl, Chi-sama? Are you the devil?”

“I’m not a bad girl. What makes you think that I’m the devil?”

“…I mean, a good girl wouldn’t make Mori-sama dress like that, would they?”

“Ahaha, that’s right.”

‘Dress like that’ – Nibutani was presently waiting in the principal’s office dressed in a mysterious angel costume.

‘Rikka-chan seems to like this sort of thing, and so wearing something like this may get her to open her heart out to you. Right, Archangel Mori-sama!’ With those words, Chi-sama, the devil, once again talked Nibutani into agreeing with her. Thus, Nibutani became a cosplayer.

The idea at the core of her plan was the same as what we at the club had came up with.

Nibutani was, as expected, initially against the idea of wearing the mysterious angel costume.

“No no, isn’t that costume a bit too much!?”

The devil, however, was able to persuade her.

“No, not at all. This is the costume that the dance club is planning on using next. Even though it’s the costume that the club will be using next, is the candidate for the club’s next president too shy to wear it?”

And thus (there was no hole at all in her plans!), Nibutani reluctantly agreed to becoming an archangel.

“Well, at any rate, that outfit suits Mori-sama. It looks great on her. Ahahahaha!”

“That’s true!”

Archangel Mori-sama – seriously, it fits her so well to the point where it’s funny how well it fits her. It felt in the same vein as the ‘person composed of light’ evaluation that Rikka had of Nibutani a while back.

And the exact opposite of an archangel, the devil Chi-sama – with how delighted she had been about how things had turned out, it seemed that her moniker fit her well too.

While the two of us were focused on how Nibutani was presently dressed, it appeared that Rikka had arrived at the club room.

“I’m here… What is up with your attire, Mori-sama!?”

“You’re the last person that I wanted to be surprised by my attire!”

“I think it suits you! You should wear it all the time!”

“I’d rather die than do that!”

The two looked quite close in that interaction just now.

Completely unlike the awkward conversation they earlier, the two of them were frank with one another.

Did the devil anticipate that the archangel costume would help break the ice between the two? Was this why she had incorporated the archangel costume into her strategy? If she had, she’s amazing. However, given the wide grin plastered on her face, I had my doubts.

“I believe that the best of Mori-sama comes out when she is toyed with. That is why I need to toy with her more.”

Miyoshi-san looked at me and narrowed her eyes even further as she said that.

She was terrifyingly convincing.

“Ah, I sort of get what you mean. And yet, the person herself doesn’t seem like she’s aware of it at all.”

“Able to be toyed with is a beloved trait, right? Regardless of the group, having one member who is easily toyed with makes a huge difference, doesn’t it? And when you’re together with us, Togayu, that’s an extra person that I get to toy with, causing things to be suuuper fun for me.”

“…Like I thought, you’re just having fun with the situation.”

The devil Chi-sama appeared to be enjoying herself quite a lot.

I do wish that you could put yourself in my shoes and understand how it feels like to be toyed with, however.

“Still, Mori-sama is in love with you, Togayu. Honest.”

“…Yeah, sure.”

“Haven’t you noticed? It’s the truth that she barely talks to any other boys, right? Oh? The ever-popular Mori-sama only chats with Togayu? What could this mean?”

“I mean, well… Doesn’t she only chat with me because it’s easy for her to do so? Nibutani just toys with me and enjoys herself in the same way that you do, Chi-sama.”

“But just the other day, ‘If he hadn’t been dating Takanashi-san, I would have confessed to Yuutan my love for him’ slipped from Mori-sama’s mouth.”

“Eh!? That’s a lie, right!?”

“Heh heh heh, that’s right, it was all a lie. Still, your face has turned bright red. Did you believe me?”

The devil cackled as she spoke.

I’m being completely toyed with… played with… messed with…

She managed to have fun at my expense three consecutive times…

“Still, Togayu, supposing that you broke up with Rikka-chan, I think that rather than Shichimiya-san or Rainbow-haired-senpai, you’d end up dating Mori-sama. It’s my woman’s intuition.”

“Sorry, but the very premise that Rikka and I would break up is an impossibility.”

“Heh heh, that’s true, isn’t it? Poor Mori-sama, you’re completely unaware that you’ve just been rejected – heh, this perfectly fits the character archtype I use to mess with her. Anyway, now that I’ve had my fun, let’s go back to commentating on what’s actually happening.”

‘Come on now’, Miyoshi-san gestured as she turned around to gaze at the monitor.

‘Commentating on what is actually happening’…

Without raising a retort, I too returned my attention to the monitor.

In the clubroom, as if the two were having a formal interview, Rikka and Nibutani sat facing each other in a very prim manner. The two of them looked as if they were having a serious consultation. One person’s outfit, however, did look quite out-of-place.

“So – although you’re not sure why, you’re presently in a situation where you don’t have any powers. Is that correct, Takanashi-san?”

“Yes…”

 It appeared that a status report on Rikka’s present situation had just been completed.  Nibutani nodded solemnly as Rikka gave her a somewhat sad nod.

“I see. Still, it’s not like losing your powers is a bad thing, right?”

“It’s not a bad thing?”

“Well, even if you don’t have any powers – it doesn’t change a thing, does it?”

“Y-yeah. That’s true… But–”

Rikka seemed to hesitate for a moment.

However, she pressed on with her words.

“I need to change a little, don’t I? That’s why… Because you seem to be an expert in the field of love… I’m asking for advice. What do you think, Mori-sama…?”

I was stunned by Rikka’s words.

She had never mentioned anything along those lines to me before.

Rikka thinks that she needs to change…?

“Is your relationship with Togashi-kun becoming stale?”

“Nope. We’re still head-over-heels in love.”

“I’m pissed! What were you being all somber for!”

Nibutani got mad and struck the table in front of her. However, after seeing how shocked Rikka was, Nibutani apologised for her actions, cleared her throat, and returned to the prim way that she had been sitting before.  

 Well, haha, it is true that the two of use were still quite lovey-dovery with each other.

“…At any rate, it’s good that your relationship is going well. So then, what makes you think that you need to change, Takanashi-san?”

“That’s –“

“This is completely off-topic, but can you believe that Mori-sama is calling herself a relationship expert even though she’s never been in a relationship herself? Ahaha, this is just too amusing. I definitely have to tease her about it next time.”

“Did you really have to bring that up now!”

Miyoshi-san interrupted with a comment that had nothing to do with the matter at hand!

Then again, given the number of times that it had happened, it could be that she was doing it on purpose.

Regardless, it appeared that Rikka was, unfortunately enough, at a loss for words again. While it was good that I didn’t miss anything she said, it still meant that I had no idea about the true meaning behind her words.

“I just do. Or, well…”

“You just do, huh?”

After hearing Rikka’s answer, Nibutani rested her chin on her hands as she mulled over a response.

After thinking for a few seconds, Nibutani –

“Well, this is what I think.  I don’t believe that humans change suddenly. I believe that a lack of change is what makes humans human. If humans did change, things like wars would not exist –”

“……!”

Rikka listened to the enigmatic speech that Nibutani gave out of the blue in earnest. Over where Miyoshi-san and I were, however, the speech had caused a burst of laughter.

 “Ahaha, this, this! This is what I wanted to see! Mori-sama was bound to suddenly say something cringeworthy… Ah, my stomach…”

“Yes, it was bound to happen, wasn’t it?”

The incident where Nibutani said ‘eternal connections’ came to mind.

Well, it wasn’t like I thought worse of her for it. It was part of what made Nibutani Nibutani. Then again, maybe I only think that way since there was a part of me that sympathised with that side of her.

“Even during club activities, she would sometimes say things such as ‘Dance is sort of like the map illustrating the future of life, right?’ Jeez, I’m already having a hard enough time holding back my laughter even without you saying such things. Well, since Natsuno usually says something like ‘Ooh~! What a wise saying~’, I’m able to just barely hold my laughter in.”

“Your club activities sound like a lot of fun.”

It seems that each of the Summers keeps the other in check.

If any of them were missing or if there was another person added in the mix, it wouldn’t be the Summers anymore. What a beautiful friendship they had. It’s wonderful, the friendship girls had with one another.

“However, I still don’t get why you feel like you need to change, Takanshi-san.”

Nibutani continued with her words.

I have to concentrate on what was on the screen.

“‘Everyone around me seems to be moving forward. As for me – huh? I haven’t grown at all.’ That’s the sort of feeling you have, right?”

“Yes, that’s it.”

Rikka nodded strongly to Nibutani’s words.

It seemed that there was some part of her that resonated with what Nibutani had said.

“But you know, from what I can see, that isn’t the case at all. From my point of view, you have grown a lot, Takanashi-san. On the contrary, have there been any meaningful changes in my life since I became a high school student? No, I haven’t made any progress on that front at all. Maturing from how I was as a middle school student – I haven’t been able to do it.”

“……”

“Still, at the end of the day, change isn’t something that happens abruptly. People don’t suddenly mature. That’s why – I think it’s best if people grow and change at the pace and direction that they want. I too plan on doing just that.”

“…Right.”

As if to signal her agreement, Rikka gave a deep nod.

“W-well. For the time being, Takanshi-san, you should start by regaining your powers. Togashi-kun would likely be worried otherwise. It’s the classic example of being worried by a sudden change.”

Suddenly becoming self-conscious over what she had said, Nibutani quickly jabbered those words out and sat down in a hurry.

That was very innocent and cute of her.

What’s more, it matched her angel costume.

 “Yeah, I’ll also –“

Right then.

The very moment when Rikka was about to reply to Nibutani –

“De-de-deko-deko-deko!?”

A voice burst into the room.

An unknown person’s silhouette was displayed on the monitor – well, although I say unknown, I know of only one person that would that sort of happy-luck-go tune while making an entrance.

It appears that Dekomori had come to the clubroom at a time where no one was meant to be present.

With Dekomori’s appearance, the clubroom devolved into chaos.

“M-master!? What are you doing-death!? And who is this-death!”

“E-e-e-ehhhhh!? Me!?”

The person most shaken by this turn of events was Nibutani.

An unknown underclassman had entered the clubroom that had been chosen as the meeting spot on the premise that it should have been devoid of people, not to mention the archangel costume that she was presently wearing.

It was only a matter of course that she was embarrassed.

“Ah, um, Dekomori, this is –”

“An enemy who is trying to seduce Master-death!?”

Without listening to Rikka’s explanation, Dekomori rushed in front of Rikka as if to defend her.

Dekomori was face-to-face with Nibutani.

“Bastard – who are you-death!”

Not knowing who Nibutani (archangel costumed) was, Dekomori pointed her finger at her. What a foolhardy thing to do. I could never see myself doing such a thing.

As for Nibutani, who appeared to be unable to contain how flustered she was, she –

“Heh, heh heh, I am an archangel.”

– said something stupid with a strained laugh.

She was so caught up in the chaos to the point where you could almost see small birds flying circles around her head.

Because of how utterly idiotic Nibutani’s claim was, the person next to me was besides herself with laughter.

I guess it’s good to see that someone was enjoying how things have turned out.

In response to Nibutani’s idiotic claim, Dekomori narrowed her eyes. It appeared that she very much doubted Nibutani’s words.

“Huh? You’re an archangel-death? With that jet-black-hippopotamus-like face-death!”

“Hah? I’ll kill you.”

“Eek-death! That’s not archangel-like at all-death!”

Nibutani scowled at Dekomori and threatened her. It seems that the blow from her enemy resolved the flustered state she was in.

As expected of someone who had been threatened by Nibutani, Dekomori recoiled from Nibutani in fear.  She was visibly cowering.

But more importantly.

Jet-black-hippopotamus. The number of people who know the context behind that name was way too few.

“Dekomori, that person is not a jet-black-hippopotamus. She is Archangel Mori-sama. Furthermore, she is not a bad person.”

“M-master! No, but, anyone who looks as stupid as that must be a bad guy-death! Master, you’re being deceived-death!”

“Who are you calling stupid! You think I like being dressed like this!”

“If you don’t like it, why are you wearing it-death? Don’t you know-death? ‘A girl who does not like their own appearance is not a girl. The kanji for like would be written differently otherwise, right[1]?’-death!”

“…W-wait a minute. H-how do you know that saying…?”

Nibutani started to act unnerved again.

While trembling all over, Nibutani looked in Dekomori’s direction with anxious eyes.

“Huh? That’s what Dekomori want to ask you-death? Why do you not know of the wise saying written in the Mabinogion-death?”

“Wait, wait… You, why do you know about the Mabinogion?”

“Huh? You’ve been asking nothing but weird things for a while now-death. The Mabinogion – no, Dekomori cannot say anymore than this-death.”

“Speak!”

“In the Mabinogion, it is written, ‘Secrets must be kept. The secret will strengthen you,’-death. That is why Dekomori is unable to say more on this matter-death!”

“Ahhhhhhhh!  The author of that can go dieeee! Jeez, enough already! Hey you, you haven’t shown it to anyone else have you!? No one else knows what’s in there right!? It must be kept secret!”

“Obviously-death. Moreover, it is a family heirloom-death. A family heirloom is not something that is shown off lightly-death. While Dekomori does not show it off, Dekomori does reread it every night before going to sleep-death. The Mabinogion’s creator shares her consciousness with Dekomori, strengthening Dekomori-death. And thus, sooner or later, with the Bible that created the world, Dekomori –”

“Ah, ah, ah, got it! I understand! Let’s stop talking about it. Amazing, amazing, the Mabinogion is amazing! But you must never speak of it to anyone! Swear on the Mabinogion! Well then! It seems that I’m intruding on the two of you so I’m going to take my leave! See you later, Takanshi-san!”

Nibutani-san, whose voice cracked several times while she was talking, looked panicked. The moment she finished saying all that, she left the clubroom in haste.

In case it wasn’t obvious enough by now, Nibutani was the author of the Mabinogion.

Anyone would have realised that much from the suspicious way she had acted up just now.

“Hah. As expected of Dekomori. Dekomori got rid of the bad guy, Master.”

“R-right.”

And yet, sure enough, Dekomori didn’t realise it at all.

Well, I do think that obliviousness of hers is one of Dekomori’s good points though.

Still, Nibutani-san – did you really leave such an embarrassing book behind?

Since she thoroughly ridiculed me about my Dark Notebook back when we were first years, I had not have expected for her to have made a similar blunder herself. Well, then again, everyone’s probably made something like that.

Right – after all, I had one myself too.

That is why I will not comment on it.

That was the conclusion that I had reached.

“That girl’s the heiress to the Dekomori conglomerate, isn’t she? Heh heh, is there a video recording of the footage just now? I’ll need to ask around a little about this next time.”

“……”

As expected, the person next to me truly was the real devil.