Love Cells (1)
"That was incredible, Fujiwara-senpai. You predicted the target's pattern and fired, didn't you? I saw it. You pulled the trigger before the sound even went off."
"It was nothing."
Chise said as much, but she walked along with her hands folded together, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.
"Nothing? I never thought you'd be faster than Minamoto-senpai. I figured that was the human limit."
Yuria's score had been lower than either of theirs, but she didn't particularly mind. She was a year below them, for one thing — and beating those stuck-up Saints Academy heirs had been far more satisfying anyway.
She had placed third in Class A. Sakura had heaped praise on her for it, so she was in an excellent mood. And when Yuria felt good, she had a habit of handing out compliments to everyone around her.
"Minamoto-senpai was amazing too. I don't think I could hit the zero range if I tried a hundred times over... Come to think of it, you're a pretty good shot, aren't you? Maybe we should hit the range together some— Minamoto-senpai?"
Noah's mind had completely checked out. Yuria hastily snatched her fleeing soul and stuffed it back into her body.
"A-are you okay?"
"Ah. Yeah."
Chise chuckled and brushed her fingers down Noah's cheek.
"You don't need to worry yet, Noah. We'll take care of it later. At the dorm."
Yuria blinked — then went scarlet.
"T-take care of what, exactly?!"
"Oh my. I think it's a little early for Ichinose to know about that."
Chise clasped her hands behind her back, stepped in close, and tipped her head.
"Want me to tell you?"
"N-n-no! That won't be necessary!"
Apparently Yuria's reaction was entertaining, because Chise covered her mouth and laughed. Noah stared at her as if she had just seen a ghost.
What the hell is she going to ask for...?
Honestly... she was terrified. Judging by the way Chise had been carrying herself lately, she looked ready to go all the way.
Anything but that...
Her entire sense of self would collapse. Noah bit her nail, grimly certain she could not let that happen.
I have to dodge this.
The only way out was to get rid of the wish. But Minamoto Noah — a walking bundle of contradictions in every other respect — was consistent about exactly one thing: her identity.
She wore a yukata. She sat formally on her knees. She happily indulged in sweet desserts. And she did not do unmanly things.
Take, for example, her policy of crushing the strong and yielding to the weak. She showed no mercy to anyone she recognized as socially powerful — and she was endlessly soft on the weak. That was why she could smack Yuria in the gut without a second thought, yet couldn't lift a finger against Chise.
Break a promise with Chise? That was something Noah simply could not do.
"What are you thinking about?"
"...Nothing. You?"
Noah decided to probe, her eyes uneasy. Chise toyed with her own lip as she answered.
"Dinner, I guess?"
Noah's face went white.
Don't tell me dinner is... me?
She swallowed hard and frantically spun her mental gears.
No... I can't be the one on the menu...
Maybe I should try steak tonight...
Of course, Chise was genuinely just thinking about dinner.
"Saints really is huge, though. This is university-sized, isn't it?"
"It is. If you include Saints Middle, the grounds are bigger than most college campuses."
Yuria kept whipping her head around to look at everything. She came and went often enough for Public Morals Committee business, but she had never once wandered off the path.
"I can't believe the next class is this far. I feel like we ought to be riding bikes."
Chise nodded.
"People do. Class A just happens to sit where all the infrastructure is concentrated, so we don't really need them."
They were heading for the soccer field. Next period was free-choice PE — baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, whatever you wanted, in a loose, easy atmosphere. Soccer had been Chise's pick. Noah's brain had, as established, vacated the premises, so Chise had chosen for her. The way Noah had handled a ball that morning had looked cool.
"Heeh. The tuition suddenly makes a lot more sense."
"Come to think of it, you're enrolling next year too, right, Ichinose?"
"Of course. I'm aiming for a scholarship. With a résumé like mine, a scholarship is as good as—"
Then Yuria realized she had forgotten the most important part.
Saints selected its special scholarship students on three criteria: grades, character, and activities.
Yuria's grades were second in her year — more than enough to get in. Character was judged by peer relationships, and she was a pretty, adorable underclassman, so she had no doubt Minamoto-senpai and Fujiwara-senpai would write her glowing remarks.
The problem was activities.
She had been with the Public Morals Committee steadily since last year, and her visible results were exactly zero. She could still get in like this — but the full ride she was aiming for would be hanging by a thread.
There was a reason she wouldn't stop singing about results.
"Sempai!"
"Wh-where'd all this energy come from?"
"This is no time to be strolling around! We have to build a record!"
Noah slapped her palm and her eyes went wide. A brilliant way to cancel Chise's wish had just occurred to her.
I just have to bet a wish of my own, don't I?
A clean offset. There was a chance Chise wouldn't take the wager — but if that happened, she could always go, So you get a wish and I don't? What kind of garbage is that, dummy Chise. Wish is void.
Noah smirked.
"Chise. Let's make a bet."
"That's not the point right now!"
To Noah, this was more important than her life. She turned a murderous look on Yuria.
"Wanna die?"
"Ah-ah. I told you not to use ugly words."
Noah hmph'd and turned her head.
"Just gimme a candy."
Chise obediently popped one into her mouth. Yuria, watching this in utter disbelief, pressed her case even harder.
"The Public Morals Committee has the authority to skip class. This is not the time to be playing PE. We need to take a request, or find a case and solve it!"
"Don't wanna, Icchi. I wanna play soccer. Ask again and I'll hit you."
Yuria fought back the tears welling in her eyes and looked at Chise.
"Fujiwara-senpai... please help me."
Chise was in a bind. This had been her chance to freely fangirl over Noah. But Yuria looked too pitiful to ignore.
...Guess I don't have a choice. I'll take Ichinose's side.
"Come to think of it, we founded the Public Morals Committee and we still don't have a single result to show for it. How about we spend today building a record, like Ichinose said?"
Noah's voice turned sharp.
"Is that a wish?"
Chise, who tossed the word wish around all the time, was about to answer without thinking—
"...As if?"
She could not throw away an opportunity this precious. She smiled.
"Then I won't."
Say wish. Say it. Say it. Say it.
Noah chanted it desperately inside her head.
Not a chance.
Chise kept the smile in place.
"Oh well."
"Fine."
Tch.
Noah clicked her tongue in disappointment. Yuria jumped in, frantic.
"That's so mean! It might not matter to you two, but this is important to me!"
"?"
"Mm..."
Noah's face went flat. Chise looked awkward.
"So what do you want me to do about it."
"Nngh...!"
Yuria snapped, furious.
"You can't even squeak in front of Fujiwara-senpai...!"
"Wh-what? Since when!"
"It's true, isn't it? You turn into a helpless little pretty girl in front of her!"
"I do not!"
"Yes you do! I have eyes, you know!"
"That's never happened!"
"Hah? Says the girl who lets Fujiwara-senpai touch her but dodges whenever I do? Anyone can see you're just scared of her!"
"Th-that's—"
The tangled web of interests between the Fujiwara and the Minamoto. She couldn't dump that on a civilian like Yuria — and even if she did, Yuria probably wouldn't understand it.
Noah narrowed her eyes and stepped in.
"Th-there she goes again, r-resorting to violence because talking won't—"
Noah raised her hand high. Yuria squeezed her eyes shut and trembled.
Pof.
"...!"
"...!"
Chise startled. Yuria startled. Looking thoroughly displeased, Noah took Yuria's hand and set it on top of her own head. Yuria, as if possessed, began to stroke it — slowly.
"...Happy now?"
"Ah. Yes..."
"I don't particularly care who pets me or whatever."
Yuria thought, dazed.
...It's so soft.
The hair under her fingertips was unbelievably soft. And Noah's face — lips pursed, a little embarrassed by what she herself had just done — was adorable.
...Is this what Fujiwara-senpai always gets to feel?
It was something. It was really something. Like stroking a prickly cat. And knowing just how strong Noah actually was while doing this — the sense of conquest was considerable.
Yuria swallowed dryly. If even petting her felt this good, what would more than that be like? An arm around her waist. Or, say, a kiss...
"...How long are you planning to keep petting me?"
Yuria snapped out of it.
"Ah — s-sorry."
"Forget it. Let's go."
Chise stared at Yuria with dead eyes. Yuria was still fidgeting with her own hand, as if she couldn't quite believe what had just happened.
And here I thought she was a good underclassman.
The technical term for it was NTR. That was the emotion currently occupying Chise Fujiwara.
Too bad, Miss Ichinose. As of today, you're dead to me.
A death sentence. Chise could not forgive her.
The only people on Earth allowed to stroke Noah's hair were herself and Lady Kako. If she was being extremely generous, Uncle Genji. Anyone else was unacceptable.
And Noah — cheating right in front of me, no less. You've got some nerve.
That icy gaze turned on Noah as well. She had been planning to go easy on the wish, too.
Tonight, she was going to burn into Noah exactly who she belonged to.
Down to the bone.
"For real?"
"Yeah. Some C-class girl wants to join our crew, apparently."
"Ugh, that's so gross."
"What's she look like? Is she cute? I don't even wanna meet her if she's not cute."
A cluster of gyaru gossiping behind the warehouse. Lately they were the hottest clique in Class A — looks and money, not a single weak point between them, and every student at Saints envied them for it.
"What do you think, Nachitsu?"
Four pairs of eyes swung toward one girl. A brown-haired girl leaning against the wall, buried in her phone — the real power in the group. She opened her eyes wide.
"For real, I could not care less?"
"R-right? A girl like that would just tank our level. Right?"
"Facts, facts."
She kept fussing with her hair, eyes on her phone screen.
My makeup's sitting really well today. Should I go try to snag that drop-dead gorgeous senpai?
She had a serious problem on her hands lately. She had taken a liking to one of the Black Society executives. She wanted to get closer — but the chance never seemed to come. She didn't have that much gyaru XP either, so making an open move felt like a lot.
Mm. Maybe I should get some advice...
She was still wrestling with it when one of the group waved down a passing student.
"Hey, you. C'mere a sec."
"Aww, she's cute~"
"A middle schooler?"
"Wait — that's the Public Morals Committee."
"For real?"
"Ah, whatever. Doesn't even matter. This year's committee is a bunch of weaklings anyway."
The girl who had looked completely checked out the entire time lifted her head. Familiar faces — and, just maybe, someone who could solve her problem. She waved, bright as anything.
"Ohhh, Mitchan!"
"Huh? You know them?"
"Mhm, mhm."
Her name was Tanaka Natsumi. Barely two weeks ago, she had come in for counseling because she had no friends. Suzuki had shaken her so badly at the time that she had immediately changed her hairstyle and her makeup.
...And become a thriving gyaru.