Still on the same day as our fight with the chameleon monster, while waiting for dinner, Carol and I went back to the pool area. Narumi tagged along, and since we weren’t planning anything obscene this time, we didn’t say anything.

  “It’s a shame that we ended up making such a big mess. The pool might be out of commission for tomorrow.” There wasn’t any structural damage to the ship. Just wooden pieces of chairs and tables all over the floor and water. Will we be able to relax?

  “Excuse me? ‘We’? I don’t remember any of us breaking anything. If you wanna accuse anyone of making a mess, accuse that dumb lizard.” Carol crossed her arms.

  “Right… It’s still a shame, though. The ship’s big enough, so I’m sure we’ll find something else to do tomorrow. But it would have been nice to play in the pool again.”

  “You’re worrying too much, Iroha. This place is big! There are many pools here.” Narumi pointed towards the back of the pool park. “The ones at the back are probably fine. I’ll go take a look!”

  “I completely overlooked that… You’re a genius, Narumi!” Kinda ironic to say that… Given that she was speaking in her usual ditzy tone and how free-spirited she was acting. She’s probably in brain-off mode right now.

  Narumi ran off, so Carol used the opportunity to ask a question important to her. “Hey, Iroha… A- are you planning on exploring the ship again today? It’s not really dangerous anymore, but I don’t really mind keeping you company again.”

  “Ah… Well… Sorry…” She was blushing so adorably that it broke my heart to say no. “I wasn’t really planning on it today…” Narumi returned before Carol could let out a disappointed sigh.

  “Hey, hey, that lizard was crazy strong, wasn’t it? Do you think the monsters are training just like us?”

  “N- no? I don’t think that’s how it works…” Unless we’re talking about monster-raising games, I’ve never heard of any monsters hitting the gym.

  “Really? Whatever… I’m just glad the monster disappeared instead of dying. Should be a lot less painful.” Narumi had a serious look on her face before she remembered her original goal. “Oh! The pools at the back are clean by the way.”

  “Even that reptilian freak makes you think things like that…?” Carol muttered mostly to herself and shook her head. “The way the monster dissolved was really strange. Did it actually turn into the mirror? You’ve been doing this longer than me, Narumi. Have you ever seen this happen before?”

  “No… I don’t really think about monsters after they’re defeated… Katja said it was new to her, didn’t she? This might be the first time it ever happened.”

  “Either that or yet another well-kept secret…” Carol muttered. “We should probably head back now. Hecate should be done by now.” And so, we went back to our makeshift dining room.

  After what Miyuki said about the portals, it almost seemed like we were close to solving all the mysteries. So what’s with this mirror business? It seemed like a completely ordinary mirror. Just like that, we’ve found yet another mystery…

  …

  The reason I wasn’t going to see more of the ship today is because I wanted to talk with Hecate. After we ate dinner together, I went to my room while waiting for her to return. Life is nice inside these warm, luxurious rooms. It’s a shame we’ll have to go back tomorrow.

  Hecate didn’t really say it, but she’s suspicious of me. I think she can tell that I see the others as more than just friends. At this rate, she’s gonna start seeing me as a romantic rival sooner or later. I have to stop that before it’s too late. This is one of those moments where I can’t hesitate.

  I need to find a way to make sure Hecate doesn’t see me as a threat, and I have an idea. But it won’t be easy. If she ends up steering the conversation, I might say something out of order and ruin everything. How can I take the lead this time?

  “Oh, you’re here early, Iroha.” Hecate’s swimsuit had a fabric that looked like a skirt. Even now she looks as elegant as always. She placed her fashion umbrella in the corner of the room as she entered. “Aren’t you going out tonight? With the monster gone, now would be the perfect time to explore.”

  “I’m not really planning on it today. I actually had something I wanted to talk about with you.” I stood up to better face Hecate.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “Is that so? You look like you’re about to confess to a crime. How amusing.” With a light tone, she closed the door behind her.

  “It’s not that… It’s about what you said yesterday. I also have something I have to confess to you. Just like you, I also have someone I’m interested in.”

  Hecate’s face didn’t change, and she didn’t immediately reply. She moved past me and sat down on her bed. “Well… No surprises there.”

  “So you knew?” Did I actually underestimate how much she figured out?

  “Of course. Your reaction yesterday gave you away. What I told you yesterday was something that a normal person would find unusual, isn’t it? A normal person would have laughed in disbelief or at least been a little astonished. But you did none of that. That meant it was either something you were familiar with or that it posed a problem for you somehow. Am I wrong?”

  “No…”

  “Finally, the fact that you decided you had to tell me about it means the person you’re interested in is one of the other three.”

  “That’s righ-” I nodded, but Hecate didn’t even give me time to finish.

  “Who is it? That’s the one thing I haven’t been able to figure out. At first glance, Carol seems like the most obvious answer given how close you’ve grown. But it’s hard to know for sure. The way you go after Katja and Narumi—the way you look at them—is too strange. Are you just nice to everyone? Is that what’s going on here? Or are you befriending them in order to get closer to someone is particular?” Hecate leaned forward.

  “It’s a bit complicate-”

  “It’s alright. You’re my teammate. I’m not gonna do anything to you. You’re the one who brought it up, so you should speak up.”

  “Yeah, I’ll tell you, so listen up.” I gathered my resolve and sat across from her. “You got one thing wrong. You can’t figure it out because you’re overlooking a possibility. You said you liked all of them at the same time, so why wouldn’t you consider it’s the same for me? I like all the girls from the House. That’s why I’m nice to everyone.”

  Hecate’s eyes opened wide. “I- is that so? That’s unexpected… I didn’t even consider that possibility… Who would have thought you’d feel the same way as me about them…?” She took a second to compose herself. “I’m surprised you were brave enough to tell me that. You have my respect. But that settles it. We’re rivals from now on. I won’t outright attack you, but I’ll do everything in my power to prevent you from getting any closer with them.”

  “You got it wrong again!” I instantly rejected her rivalry, and time froze for a second. “I don’t want us to be rivals… I’m not planning on us being rivals… I don’t want our relationship to become like that!”

  “Huh…? But if we like the same people, then it’s inevitable for us to be rivals. I’m not about to hand them over to you. In fact, thanks to you, I’ve just now realized I’ve been too passive. I took them for granted… If you don’t want me to see you as a rival, you should give up on dating any of them right away. But I don’t think you’re considering that given you’ve decided to bring this up.”

  “You’re overlooking something again. You’re letting your emotions run wild, and you’re not thinking straight.” Little by little, her hostility is breaking away.

  “Are you saying I’m being emotional?” Hecate paused. “This is an important matter to me… It’s only natural that I’d be feeling something… But to say I’m not thinking straight… Just what are you getting at?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Now for the killing blow. “I said I liked everyone from the House. I love all the girls from the House. That means you’re included, Hecate. I love you too! That’s why I don’t want you to see me as a rival.”

  “…” Hecate was stunned. “Is that some kind of trick? A diversion? You don’t think I’d fall for something like that, do you?”

  “I’m being serious here, Hecate. I wouldn’t lie about something like this… It’s true that I love the others, but I also love you just as much. I’m dead serious.”

  Then she stopped. She looked down, and her expression became hard to read. I waited in silence until she raised her face again. “Is your hair color natural? Do you paint your hair?”

  “…” …

  “Huh?” That was maybe the last question I was expecting. “N- no…? I don’t paint it… Why are you asking that all of a su-” With a serious face, Hecate reached forward with one hand. I flinched.

  I’m gonna get killed, aren’t I? “Ehh? What?” Hecate grabbed a lock of my hair and brought her face extremely close to mine.

  “No way… There’s no way this is true…” She muttered. “This must be a dream… A genuine golden-haired beauty saying she loves me… I can’t believe it.” Her face looked absolutely blissful all of a sudden.

  “He- Hecate?! What are you…? Kyah!” As I leaned back, she leaned forward until I fell onto the bed, and she ended up on top of me.

  “This isn’t a lie, right, Iroha? Do you actually love me?” Hecate asked, cautiously optimistic.

  “Ye- yes… I do.” Hecate closed her eyes and shivered, savoring those words. “What’s going on? Why are you acting like this?” I don’t get it! Is this really happening!? I can feel myself losing the ability to think!

  Still smiling, Hecate put on a more serious expression. “You see, I really love blonde hair like yours. I have no doubt that it’s the most beautiful thing in the whole world. I wish I could just admire it forever.”

  “I- is that so?” Is that so?! Is that it?! That’s all it takes? “Well… If you like it that much, I don’t mind letting you touch it as much as you want to…” I’ve just seen a completely new side of her… Was she always this superficial? It does feel nice…

  She was so entranced by my hair that a full minute must have passed in this awkward position. “Uhmm… What now, Hecate?” I was hoping she’d forget about the rivalry thing if I told her I loved her, and I think that worked, but… What kind of relationship is this? Seriously… What now?

  “Well… There’s no need to complicate it… If you love me, we should become lovers. No, I think we were fated to become lovers.”

  “Do you also love me?”

  “Truth be told, I had resolved myself to see you as a rival, so I haven’t had the time to properly think about it yet. I already know you’re a good and reliable girl, and with this beautiful hair, there’s no way I can resist a confession from you.”

  “I see… That’s good… I’m happy to hear that…” My already red face got even redder. “What about the others? Are you expecting me to give up on them? I still love them, and I’d rather try to convince you to accept it than give up on them.”

  “Mhmm… You’re putting me on the spot here… That is a really complicated question…” Hecate thought it through with a conflicted smile. “I think I can allow it… If you’re my lover, the idea of you dating one of the others doesn’t bother me as much. I’m fine with it, as long as you don’t demand I give up on them either.”

  “…” This is where my choice comes in… In the end, I think I’d rather everyone be happy. “Alright, I agree.” I smiled, and Hecate smiled back.

  “And now, to seal the deal.” Huh? A kiss? She doesn’t waste any time… I followed her lead and closed my eyes. Romantic sounds filled the room, and she pulled back after a few seconds. Guess we’re officially a couple now.

  Hecate pulled me up, and the two of us sat up and stared at each other. Yet another unbelievable turn of events… “I had no idea you were so superficial… Did your feelings change that much just because of my hair?” I guess I’m not a saint either on this front… All the girls I like have wonderful personalities, but their looks are definitely great too… Everyone has their own reasons to fall in love, and not all of them make total sense.

  “Your hair is beautiful, but I wouldn’t date someone just because of that… I’ve seen a few people with perfect hair before who were terrible on the inside. Makes me want to rip it off their head since they clearly don’t deserve such a blessing.” Rip it off?! Is this a bullet dodged, or am I still in danger?

  “Carol’s also blonde, isn’t she? Is that why you like her?”

  “Please… Her hair is ash, ash-yellow at best. It’s pretty, and she knows how to style it, but don’t get me started. She’s not a real blonde. And not even remotely close to the perfect golden that’s epitome of beauty!”

  Ahh… I see… Guess we’re gatekeeping blondness now.