As Aimi Izumi quietly muttered her doubts to herself, she looked at Iroha Isshiki with a gaze that seemed to suspect something.
Faced with Aimi Izumi's suspicious stare, Iroha Isshiki could not help wanting to avert her eyes. She thought Aimi had discovered her feelings for Kotomi, making her feel guilty without even realizing it.
"Iroha, tell me..." Aimi Izumi slowly began.
A drop of cold sweat slid down Iroha Isshiki's cheek. Just as she prepared to confess to Aimi, I'm sorry, but the girl I like is your Onee-chan!
Aimi suddenly continued the sentence she had left unfinished:
"Do you think that excuse about mistaking a blush for the glow of the sunset might be a line from some anime or television drama?"
"Huh?"
Iroha Isshiki, who had been preparing to confess, looked at Aimi in astonishment. The confession that had nearly left her lips was swallowed back down at that moment.
While feeling astonished, Iroha Isshiki also could not help breathing a sigh of relief. No matter how Aimi had interpreted things, at least she had not discovered that Iroha liked Kotomi.
"Think about it. Onee-chan says it all the time, and the girl you like says it all the time too. It can't possibly be because she happens to know Onee-chan and just happened to hear Onee-chan say it before, right?
"How could there possibly be such a coincidence in this world?
"So that excuse about mistaking a blush for the sunset probably came from some anime or television drama! Then both of them happened to watch it, happened to love that line, and both turned it into their catchphrase whenever they felt embarrassed."
Aimi confidently explained her reasoning. At the end, she even let out a smug little chuckle.
"Hehe, I'm so smart!"
Iroha Isshiki: "..."
Aimi Izumi looked triumphantly at Iroha Isshiki. I just presented such a logically rigorous deduction, so why am I not getting any applause? Iroha must be so stunned by my reasoning that she still hasn't recovered!
At that thought, Aimi kindly reminded Iroha:
"Iroha, what do you think? Doesn't my reasoning make perfect sense?"
"Ah... Yes. It makes... perfect sense. Haha."
Iroha Isshiki gave several awkward, hollow laughs. She knew Aimi could be a little silly, but she had never expected her to be this silly. Aimi had been one step away from discovering the truth, only to slam on the brakes at the edge of the cliff and charge in the opposite direction, reaching a remarkably foolish conclusion.
Yet Aimi herself remained smugly convinced that this foolish conclusion was the entire truth.
Iroha Isshiki wanted to make a sarcastic remark, but after thinking it over, she decided against it. Although Aimi's conclusion was rather silly, it had conveniently prevented her from discovering that the person Iroha liked was her Onee-chan.
At that thought, Iroha Isshiki unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief and silently told Aimi in her heart:
I'm sorry, Aimi. Let me keep this from you a little longer. Once Senpai and I officially start dating, I'll definitely tell you immediately! At that time, even if you're furious enough to curse at me or hit me, I'll accept all of it!
Aimi Izumi did not notice the awkward laughter in Iroha Isshiki's voice. She merely took it as a response given while Iroha was still stunned and continued smugly:
"Right, right~ Onee-chan sometimes calls me stupid too. Hmph, I'm obviously not stupid at all, okay? What a shame. I wanted Onee-chan to hear my reasoning, but she's outside answering a call right now. No, when she comes back, I absolutely have to ask her who called her!"
Toward the end, Aimi's voice became almost gritted with irritation because a possibility had occurred to her—it might have been Megumi Kato calling!
If it really was Megumi Kato calling... then she's absolutely hateful! She just had to call Onee-chan at the exact moment I wanted to act spoiled with her the most. She really is impossible to get rid of! Ultimately, Onee-chan is only answering because she's too kind. Even if she directly hung up on Megumi Kato, Megumi wouldn't say anything. Onee-chan could just call her back later and brush her off, couldn't she?
The thought that Megumi Kato might have called made Aimi extremely unhappy. She decided that after Iroha left and she was alone with Kotomi, she would properly question Kotomi about who had called her.
If it really had been Megumi Kato, then the next time Aimi saw her, she absolutely would not treat her pleasantly!
Not that she had ever treated Megumi Kato pleasantly in the first place...
Faced with the smug Aimi, Iroha Isshiki could only nod helplessly while inwardly breathing a sigh of relief. Aimi had nearly discovered that the person she liked was Aimi's Onee-chan, Kotomi Izumi.
After Aimi finally finished basking in her own brilliance, she continued:
"Based on this analysis, the girl you like definitely likes you too. She just refuses to admit it because she's a little tsundere."
"Then what should I do?" Iroha Isshiki asked expectantly.
"At the right moment, launch an even more aggressive offensive against her. Even if she acts tsundere and says she doesn't like you after your first attack, don't lose heart, and definitely don't give up. Strike while the iron is hot and continue telling her how you feel. You have to make her understand exactly how much you love her! If she still says one thing while feeling another, then force a kiss on her. After a continuous critical-hit combo like that, even if she were a block of wood, she'd still feel your sincerity!"
Aimi Izumi confidently offered her guidance. Although she had never been in a romantic relationship before, and every method she had mentioned came from gal games, she still spoke with absolute confidence.
Iroha Isshiki listened with complete seriousness.
One dared to teach, and the other dared to believe.
Of course, the final method—a forced kiss.
Aimi had not learned that method from a gal game. Instead, she remembered that when she had first revealed her feelings to Kotomi, she had used a forced kiss. Therefore, she treated it as personal experience and shared it with Iroha Isshiki, hoping it would help her.
After hearing Aimi say she should force a kiss if all else failed, Iroha Isshiki immediately imagined herself kissing Kotomi...
Iroha Isshiki's cheeks flushed. At the thought of using her own first kiss to steal Kotomi's first kiss, even the mischievous little devil revealed a shy side. With a red face, she asked uncertainly in a quiet voice:
"A forced kiss... Would that method really work? Wouldn't it make her angry?"
"If she likes you, she'll definitely be overjoyed inside."
Aimi Izumi waved her small hand and said with great confidence:
"Don't worry. You can't go wrong listening to me. I can unlock the true endings of two romance gal games in a single day!"
"Wait. Everything you just told me... Don't tell me you learned it all from gal games?" Iroha Isshiki suddenly realized something was wrong.
"More or less. Although I haven't been playing gal games for very long, I've already played quite a few of them. There shouldn't be much of a problem with using them for a little inspiration.
"Gal games may be fictional, but the writers who create their scripts are real, living people. Art comes from life, so by rounding things off, using a confession method from a gal game to confess to someone you like is perfectly reasonable, isn't it?"
Aimi spoke with complete candor and even wanted to take out several physical copies of gal games from her collection to give Iroha Isshiki.
Faced with Aimi Izumi's reasoning, Iroha Isshiki thought it over and realized it really did sound reasonable. Therefore, she nodded and said:
"That's true. Art comes from life. Taking inspiration from confession scenes in gal games might even produce miraculous results."
"Exactly! That's the confidence you need! Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough..."
Seeing that her best friend had finally made up her mind, Aimi became excited. However, because she had not fully recovered from her cold, the moment her voice grew animated, her throat began to feel uncomfortable, and she immediately coughed several times.
"Aimi, are you all right? Where did you put your cough medicine?" Seeing this, Iroha Isshiki hurriedly stood up in concern.
"I'm fine, I'm fine... Cough, cough, cough... I just got anxious and spoke too quickly, so my throat feels a little itchy. I'll be fine after eating a throat lozenge later."
Aimi shook her head, indicating that she was all right. Then she patted Iroha Isshiki on the shoulder and encouraged her:
"Look, I've coughed so many times just to cheer you on and help you come up with a strategy. Now I'll have to eat several more throat lozenges later, and mint-flavored throat lozenges taste terrible! I've already sacrificed so much, so the rest is up to you. Do your best and win her over in one decisive strike. Make her your girlfriend! I'm already waiting to drink at your wedding banquet!"
At this point, Aimi Izumi could not help teasing her with a smile:
"Remember to treat me to a meal on the day you officially start dating her. I've spent so long helping you plan, after all. While we're at it, let me see what the girl who has you so completely captivated actually looks like. Besides, you're my best friend in this entire lifetime. If that girl isn't reliable, I won't hand you over to her!"
Iroha Isshiki nodded while thinking, Don't worry, Aimi. The girl I like will definitely put your mind at ease and give you a wonderful surprise, because she's your Onee-chan!
As Aimi spoke, she stretched lazily.
"I don't know whether it's because I'm so happy for my best friend, but I feel like my cold has completely disappeared."
"No. You still need to rest properly for a few more days. Don't assume your cold is gone and start staying up all night playing gal games again," Iroha Isshiki warned uneasily.
"Hehehe, I know~"
Aimi Izumi giggled, then gently patted Iroha Isshiki's small hand and said with emotion:
"Once everything goes smoothly between the two of you, you have to tell me first when you decide to get married. I'll be your bridesmaid!
"I want to witness the beautiful sight of my best friend, Iroha Isshiki, and the girl she loves wearing gorgeous snow-white wedding dresses and walking into the wedding hall together!
"If I can witness that beautiful moment with my own eyes, I'll never forget it for the rest of my life!"
"Aimi..."
Iroha Isshiki looked at Aimi Izumi with a smile. Her gaze became slightly blurred, and her voice choked with emotion. Her best friend's sincere blessing was like a beam of warm afternoon sunlight shining into her heart.
"When I get married, I'll only invite one girl to be my bridesmaid, and that girl will be you!"
Iroha Isshiki smiled as she spoke earnestly to Aimi, her beautiful eyes overflowing with emotion.
"It's a promise~" Aimi Izumi said with a smile.
"Mm, it's a promise! When the time comes, you absolutely must be my bridesmaid!"
"Don't worry. I, Aimi Izumi, will never break my word! You're my best friend. When you marry the girl you love, of course I'll attend your wedding as your bridesmaid and offer both of you my most sincere blessings!"
After some time, Kotomi Izumi finished her call, pushed open the door, and returned to the bedroom. She saw Aimi Izumi and Iroha Isshiki chatting and laughing together.
"What are you two talking about?" Kotomi Izumi asked while plugging in her phone to charge.
"Hehehe, we were just talking about the Seven Wonders rumored around the school. Still, it's really strange. I've been hearing about the Seven Wonders ever since I entered my first year of middle school, but now I'm almost graduating, and I still haven't discovered any supernatural phenomena at school."
Aimi Izumi explained. If she truthfully admitted that she had been discussing how Iroha Isshiki should confess to the person she liked, Iroha would surely feel very embarrassed.
After hearing this, Kotomi Izumi burst out laughing and casually said:
"Pfft... The Seven Wonders of Chiba Private Middle School? I already heard those seven strange stories when I was in my first year of middle school. Don't take them seriously. Don't take them seriously. They're nothing more than stories bored students invented for fun.
"If I remember correctly, the president of Chiba Private Middle School's Occult Club created them more than ten years ago, and the other members of the club added a few details afterward. They were passed down from one class to the next. Several of the locations where those mysterious incidents supposedly occurred even disappeared when the school building was renovated a few years ago.
"The fact that those Seven Wonders are still being passed around today is a miracle in itself. Personally, I don't find them scary at all. They frightened me when I first heard them, but after listening to them from my first year of middle school until graduation, I got sick of them long ago."
"Senpai, does Sobu High School have Seven Wonders too?" Iroha Isshiki asked curiously.
Kotomi Izumi thought for a moment, then replied:
"I think so. Whether it's middle school or high school, Seven Wonders have practically become standard equipment. As the saying goes, a Japanese school cannot exist without Seven Wonders, just as the West cannot exist without Jerusalem."
Kotomi Izumi deliberately made a joke and successfully made both Aimi and Iroha laugh.
However, the mention of Sobu High School's Seven Wonders suddenly reminded Kotomi Izumi of something strange.
"Come to think of it, Sobu High School's Seven Wonders really are a little strange. According to the rumors, more than ten years ago, when Sobu High School's main building was still the old schoolhouse, there weren't Seven Wonders at all. There were only Six Wonders."
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