Episode 23 – Last Chance

“.. This sucks.”

I was thrown out in front of Yomi-san’s mansion, looking up at the sky as the rain began to fall before I knew it.

What the hell am I doing here?

I had assumed that she would lend me a helping hand just because we had known each other for a long time.

This was the result of my naivety.

I’m not even going to laugh at the fact that this is the result of me telling Nekoto-chan to get her hopes up like that.

I really don’t know what I’m doing, …….

I was just so angry at myself for being so worthless.

The rain had cooled my body, but it had not cooled my inner feelings.

In the end, I had no choice but to stand there.

–I wondered how long it had been since then.

After a few hours, my head finally cooled down and I slowly opened my eyes.

“I can’t help but be angry about my failure and my inadequacy. …… For now, I need to figure out what to do about Nekoto-chan. ……”

I remind myself by putting into words what I need to do now.

I was able to organize my feelings in this way.

“Let’s see if I can find someone else to help first–that’s a no huh”

–It’s not a bad idea.

My dad has a lot of contacts, so asking him is one way, or even asking Yomi-san’s father is another.

However, with other people, everything would be left up to them.

It would be very difficult to get them to be flexible even if something inconvenient happens to Nekoto-chan.

In this regard, Yomi-san had the advantage of listening to my opinions as well.

Above all, I had the assurance that she would never treat Nekoto-chan and the others unkindly and would take good care of them.

That’s why I don’t want to leave this role to anyone other than her.

–And it’s not like my hopes have been dashed yet.

Just as the other side knows so much about me, I know so much about her.

If Yomi-san didn’t want to talk to me anymore, she would have deported me to my house.

But the fact that she took the trouble to just throw me out in front of the mansion means that there is still a chance.

Perhaps she wanted me to give her the answer she wanted within this time.

The hint for the answer must have already been given in the previous exchange.

So what I need to do now is to find out the answer that Yomi-san wants.

….. On the other hand, if I can’t get an answer before Yomi-san shows up next time, I won’t have a second chance.

I closed my eyes again and slowly recalled my interaction with Yomi-san today.

I wondered if there was anything that might give me a clue – what was it that Yomi-san was so concerned about?

She took the trouble to make this time for me, so I’m sure she would have given me an easy-to-understand hint.

That’s what I was thinking as I recalled today’s exchange. …… I couldn’t find anything that could have been a clue.

I’m not sure how many times I’ve thought about it, but there’s no indication that Yomi-san was asking for anything from me.

Could it be that I’m imagining things this time? ……?

Maybe the reason why I am thinking that there is still a chance is,  it is my desire for it to be so?

I couldn’t find any clues, and I was worried that I might be reading it wrong.

I had already made a mistake, and thinking about it made me lose confidence.

So I decided I needed to take action, and turned to face Yomi-san’s mansion.

“Your stubbornness couldn’t be fixed in about a year, could it?”

— Before I knew it, a girl with a fantastical atmosphere was standing in front of me by herself.

She is staring at me with a dazed – and nostalgic – expression on her face.

“Yomi-san……”

I can’t say I was expecting her, but I was relieved when she showed up.

Apparently, I hadn’t misread her this time.

“Is Nekoto so important to you that you would go that far?”

Yomi-san asked me with a slightly dissatisfied look on her face.

It was obvious that she didn’t like Nekoto-chan.

“Of course she’s important, but …… more than that, I want to fulfill the promise I’ve made”

It’s an unforgivable act to fail to fulfill a promise that you made yourself.

I’m sure the gentle Nekoto-chan will forgive me for not being able to help it, but I couldn’t forgive myself.

So I can’t give up so easily.

“Then what will you do?　The things you prepared beforehand will not be enough to get Yomi’s approval. Have you come up with anything else?”

“………….”

All I could do was keep quiet as Yomi-san looked at me as if she was testing me.

　

I still don’t know the answer that Yomi-san is looking for, so I can’t answer her even if I wanted to.

I’m not sure what answer she’s looking for, so I can’t give her one.

What exactly is this person looking for ……?

I kept quiet and watched her closely.

Then, I suddenly noticed something strange.

Eh……?

Yomi-san, why is she alone?

I’m sure she always has someone with her to protect her from danger.

This is true even if it is on the premises.

That’s why it’s impossible for her to come out of the mansion alone, but for some reason, she was alone right now.

It’s an unusual act for a highly cautious girl, and if she tried to go out alone, there would definitely be someone in the house to stop her.

And yet, the fact that she went out of her way to come out alone, is this some kind of message?

I stared at Yomi-san and let my brain work as hard as it could.

Then, I was able to draw a conclusion based on our conversation today.

Could it be that what Yomi-san is asking for – no, no, is it possible for it to be that……?

Because, you know, it’s that Yomi-san, right?

Normally, that wouldn’t be possible. ……

However, even with the answer, I had come up with, I wasn’t sure I had the right answer because of the content.

　

It was an answer that honestly made me wonder if this was egotism.

However…

---

TN: ooh, development..Feel like MC is little too desperate and totally at this girl’s mercy. where did our cool MC go..

IMPATIENT MTL READER

---

Previous | TOC | Next