「Hinami! Hinami!」

The following Monday morning. I excitedly rushed over to Hinami, who had reached the second Sewing Room first.

「……Can you stop that? You're acting like a gross dog.」

「No no, there wasn't any need for gross in that comparison. It's subjective!」

「Just what is going on? Such a cheerful tsukkomi this early in the morning.」

I then made a grand declaration.

「The first 『Small goal』, I might have already cleared it!」

When I said this, Hinami's eyes lit up.

「Eh, really!? Was it your family? They said something to you?」

Her eyes were clearly s.h.i.+ning. That kind of made me happy too.

「Yeah, it was my sister! Listen to this, will you! And then tell me if it meets the clear condition or not!」

「Sure, alright. It definitely wasn't a misunderstanding, right?」

「Yeah! Probably!」

「So, what did she say?」

「About that……」

I was in the right mood for a drum-roll.

「『……Onii-chan……did you perhaps……. ……This, this kind of change definitely wouldn't be possible with Onii-chan's sense of clothing alone, right? ……Huh? Could it be, out of awareness for females, you read an Escape Otaku-ism book or something?』, like that!」

Hinami made a face that was kind of one of bewilderment and kind of like a wry smile, as she tried to find the right words.

「……Yes, that does count as a clear, but…… To think that you could get this delighted from a remark like that…… you know?」

「Be quiet! A clear is a clear!」

「Well, whatever. Congratulations on achieving the first goal. Quite admirable.」

「T, thanks.」I said in confusion.

「──You might be thinking something like, I haven't done anything myself, though, but that's not the case. It's true that your clothes were just copied from the mannequin and your hairstyle was decided by the barber. However, motivating yourself to do things, having a cooperative mindset when going along with me, and working hard every day to improve your facial expression and posture, all of those things are showing considerable results. Even though it wasn't only through your abilities alone, however, this is definitely a result that you, by yourself, with your own hands, grabbed hold of.」

While looking straight into my eyes, Hinami easily put into words the slight sense of incongruity I felt deep inside my heart.

「Because of that, I'll say it again. ── Congratulations.」

「……Ah, thanks.」

Having having heard all that, the second time I said thanks, I was able to say it a little more sincerely. I see, so I, in this game called life, have accomplished one of the goals, huh.

「Well then.」Without any regard for my lingering thoughts, Hinami smoothly transitioned to the next topic of discussion.「I'll reveal the next small goal.」

「Uh, that was quick.」

「Of course. In order to get results, it's important to keep doing something every day. There's no way other than to steadily move forward.」

「Well, I know that, but…」

「Then, I'll be telling you what it is now. The next goal, it's also very simple.」

I hadn't even been granted enough time to gulp down my saliva.

「『With a girl in our school who is not me, you are to go hang out somewhere, just the two of you.』」

「Wait a second!」

I instinctively reached a hand out to stop her.

「……What now? Another irrelevant argument that brings up how unpopular and uncool you are?」

「It's not that! I mean, it's strange, isn't it, that goal!」

「Which part?」

「I mean, look, a boy going out alone with a girl, doesn't that mean that they're pretty much dating each other!?」

Full of confidence, I shouted out a sound argument, but for some reason, Hinami gave me a look that implied she was exasperated from the bottom of her heart, or rather, it went past that, as if she was even pitying me out of kindness.

「Haah…… You know, I'd already made the a.s.sumption that you wouldn't have any love experience, but haven't you at least read any manga or watched any dramas with romantic elements?」

「……Uh, I have.」

「Then you should understand, right? A boy going out somewhere with a girl means they're dating, that's not something even a middle schooler would say, you know?」

「……I-is that so?」I felt uneasy after having heard that.

「Yes it is. Well, it's true that in a lot of cases, people go out together as boy and girl to check if they're compatible enough to date or not, so by going out together, the possibility of dating more or less enters the picture.」

「T-then…!」I hung onto the dangling thread of spider silk.

「You still have more to say?」

She was looking at me very, very sadly, and I was rapidly getting smaller and smaller.

「O, ou……well, it's……just as you said……I guess?」

「Yes. Anyway, I'll have you work towards that goal. Well now, are you ready? For what I'm going to have you do for today.」

Upon which, Hinami, in a way that made it seem only natural, continued with this.

「It's to start up a conversation with Izumi two or more times.」

「Wait a second!」

This time I've definitely got her! [1] - with that kind of confidence, I stopped Hinami in her tracks.

「Could you please stop cutting in every single time?」

「No no no! This time it's definitely strange. Yesterday, didn't you just say that the target heroine would be Kikuchi Fuuka? Which means if I were to start a conversation, then it'd be Kikuchi Fuuka, not Izumi Yuzu, right!」I pointed this out vigorously, then quickly calmed down.「……Well, actually, I guess it was just a slip of the tongue.」

I became embarra.s.sed at so triumphantly raising a big fuss over a small slip of the tongue. Maybe it was me trying to get even with her for my everyday decapitations…… just as I was thinking this, Hinami said something unexpected.

「What are you saying? Isn't it more suitable for the one you approach to be not Kikuchi Fuuka, but Izumi Yuzu?」

「Hah? ……No way, stop being so stubborn, it was a slip of the tongue, right?」

「……Excuse me, you do know that I'm Hinami Aoi, right? Do you really think I would make something like a『slip of the tongue』?」

「Wait, so you never say something wrong by mistake?」

「Listen well. It's certainly true that the target heroine is Kikuchi Fuuka. But you know, the romance system in the game called Life differs from the normal dating sims.」

「……What do you mean by that?」

With a「You see…」, Hinami began her speech.

「In dating sims, once you've made up your mind on the target heroine, all that's left is to simply continue picking the choices that would raise that girl's affection points, right until the conquest is complete.」

「Aah, that's true.」

「However, in reality, that won't do. There's no fixed route like that.」

「Well that might be true, but still, why Izumi Yuzu?」

「For example, in shooting games.」she began again.「The situation where you've already used up your lives, and the situation where you have plenty of lives left……in which case would you be able to play better?」

「Eh?」I hesitated for a moment.「Well, I think it also depends on your personality but…… I think that for most people, on having no lives left, they'd feel nervous and be unable to play like normal. I'm also like that.」

「Onitada.」

「There it is.」

「Normally, it's when you have lives left that you are able to play better.」

「……And so, what of it?」

「Haah.」The usual sigh.「I am saying, that love is like that too.」

「Uhh……meaning?」

「Don't you understand? The situation of having only one girl that you might be able to date, such that if you failed to get together with her, you wouldn't have any other candidates, that is what you would call the situation where you don't have any lives left, isn't that right?」

「Guess so.」

「Once you think about it like that, you then have a few girls you might be able to date, such that if you are unable to get together with one girl, then you have a few other candidates. That way, you would have more room to negotiate with your partner, correct?」

「……So it's like that.」I might have understood, but.「Basically this is like keeping her as backup, right? But come on Hinami, we're talking about that Izumi Yuzu, aren't we? That's obviously impossible. It's me, you know?」

In a rare occurance, I made this a.s.sertion full of confidence.

「It's not like this is only about Izumi Yuzu, you know. It's about the fact that by having the mentality that it's better to be in that multiple-candidate situation, you'll be able to move more freely.」

「But…… I mean, even so, isn't that being unfaithful?」

The act of keeping multiple people as backups, that is.

「You know, it's not like I'm telling you to lie to anyone, right? You're only making several female friends who might potentially develop into lovers, in order to create some breathing room for yourself.」

「No, but, I mean, that's not being earnest……」

「Aaah, you're so annoying. You know, religious-like blind belief in words like『faithfulness』or『earnestness』that have no real substance but only focus on outside appearance, it's a predicament that distracts people from truly effective behavior, and it's because of that, that j.a.pan lags behind other countries in international decision making.」

「Somehow, the conversation suddenly reached an international level!?」Then, after a bit of thinking.「But, if by doing that, Kikuchi-san's affection points were to drop, then wouldn't everything be for nothing?」

「It's not like that. Look, it's true that in normal dating sims, if you make choices which increase another girl's affection points, then the main girl's affection points will drop.」

「Right?」

「But you know, reality is different. Instead, in reality it's『If you increase a girl's affection points, then other girls' affection points will also increase.』」

Uh, so in summary…….

「……You improve your reputation among the girls, is that how it is?」

「Well, putting it simply, that's correct. Other than that, you're stimulating the desire to possess, as well as making yourself look more desirable as a man. There's all sorts of benefits.」

「Hmm, is that, so?……. Well, okay.」

Either way, I didn't think that the current me would be able to increase my reputation among the girls, though.

「……Hm? Apart from that, am I not going to do anything with Kikuchi-san? Isn't she the main heroine?」

「Yes. You won't.」Saying only this, Hinami then stopped talking. ……Well, she probably had some kind of plan.

「……Got it. However, I'll do it to an extent that I don't consider being unfaithful.」

「You're free to do so. But having said that, you using some nonsensical reasoning to run away is a different story, alright?」

In truth, I was carelessly thinking something like, But to begin with, situations that can be seen as being unfaithful aren't likely to happen with people who aren't very popular, and because of that, I still can't fathom a situation where it would happen to me, so it's probably fine. But if I were to actually say such a thing, then she would end up giving me another 「Are you motivated to do this or not?」kind of response, so I didn't say it.

「Understood. Thinking that way certainly seems more effective…… besides, if I don't at least act with such things in mind, it'll seem quite far off. ……Accomplis.h.i.+ng the『Medium-sized goal』, I mean.」

Accomplis.h.i.+ng that incredibly unthinkable goal of getting a girlfriend before advancing to third year, I mean.

「That's true.」Hinami nodded.「Properly affirming your goals like that is very important.」

「Okay……I'll try it.」

「Well then, let's talk about how to start up your conversations with her.」

「Ah, well, I've been memorizing the conversation topics and all that……」

When I said that, Hinami was lightly surprised, then smiled happily, saying,「In that case, I'll leave it to you.」.

Starting up a conversation with Izumi Yuzu twice. How should I put it, had it been the me up to now, at that point I would probably have given up, declaring it to be impossible, but, right now I had the feeling that this, If I work hard at it like this, it might be possible thing resembling a tiny bit of self-confidence was sprouting, and that felt kind of strange to me.

「Ah, by the way, it's for『every day』this week.」

「EHH!?」

And then, that tiny bit of self-confidence was immediately s.n.a.t.c.hed away.

Translator Notes:

[1] A literal translation of the original (今度こそ俺は完全にしっぽを捕まえたぞ！) is something like, This time I've definitely caught the tail!, something which probably only makes sense if you think of it as finally catching hold of the tail that elusive animal which keeps disappearing around corners. If that makes sense.