Volume 2 - CH 4.1

If I Bring the Glass Closer

Translated by 64990022

Chapter 4: If I Bring the Glass Closer

Part 1

The plan itself went well.

Thanks to Minato’s diversionary efforts, my deliberate stumble was not seen. Although it didn’t matter much since no one would really think I would have superhuman abilities.

The concern was whether I could touch her face or not.

“I… don’t know anymore,” I mumbled.

Minato who sat across from me raised her eyebrows quizzically and stirred her lemon tea. Since I called her over, it was on my tab.

“Minato, can I try it on you?”

“Pfheh! W-why! No, certainly not!”

“Ah, I see…”

Of course, our consultation was done, why would she let me?

It was highly unlikely that my power malfunctioned. It has been working fine ever since. Last time I doubted my own power was back with Minato, too many faces. And now Mikage, none at all.

“Soo…?”

“Then it means Mikage doesn’t like anyone.”

“What are you going to do next?”

“Figuring that out.” I sighed. “I’ll list some random ideas I have.”

Minato nodded.

“She’s bored after a week of dating.”

“That’s… not impossible.”

“Aah, yup, it’s hard to rule out this one. But I think the second one is more likely: she doesn’t like anyone from the start.”

Maybe she had reached the same conclusion; Minato didn’t look surprised at all.

She frowned. “What do you think?”

“None of them are better than the other. But if I’m to choose, the latter.”

“Oh…”

Her frown deepened as she drank the tea. The clinking of the ice filled the silence.

“And it made sense.”

“Mm?”

I could still remember my sessions with her. The nagging feeling at every turn of conversations. There were no feelings when she talked about Hibiki.

“She was calm, too calm. She lacked the normal reaction of Angel’s clients… She was too cool about everything.”

“Isn’t that just her character? She really is like that all the time…”

“That might be, but it adds up to the theory perfectly.”

Everything was consistent, no contradictions at all.

“Hmm.”

“But this is nothing but a guess…”

Although it was the most solid guess.

“Then why go to such lengths? To date someone she doesn’t like?”

“Pseudo couple? That sounds like a rom-com plot, though.”

She nodded thoughtfully.

“Maybe for relations? He’s a model… Well there’s not much to say until we know who Hibiki is…” I babbled. “Their family might be pestering them to date someone… There’s too much we don’t know…” 

“Or to reassure her family? It’s Mikage-san, afterall.”

“That too.”

No, no, this isn’t a rom-com. We can spend all day speculating and get to nothing.

[TN: In fact, this is a rom-com…]

“Hm, but why would she go all the way to find me? Why bother with the Angel?”

“She might want some advice from you? Or she wasn’t confident it would work? Your reputation precedes you…?”

“Normally, a pseudo couple should have talked that out already? Like, ‘I need to pretend I’m dating, could you help me?’ And that should be the end of the line.”

“W-well, she might want to start from fake to real love…” That was probably the Shojo manga enthusiast speaking, not the usual logical Minato.

“She went all the way to you to get to me. That is certainly strange.”

It was odd. There was no proof, but I am certain.

“Hm… change of plans. Thanks for today, Minato.”

“And you?”

“We’re going in circles at this rate. In fact, there’s even more mystery. So I think that instead…” damn it, the bad feeling I had when I accepted Mikage’s consultation was right on the spot. “Seems like I have another excuse to talk to Mikage again.”

◆　◆　◆

At night.

I emailed the address she had given in the letter and she immediately popped up in the chat room.

[I’ll call] she wrote.

Not waiting for my reply, she called me.

I checked the voice changer and changed my posture. Time for more work.

–“Yo, Angel.”

Aah, it wouldn’t be a peaceful call today.

“Thanks for the fast reply.”

–“Pfft. How convenient of you. What was it?” A few clicks “Ahem, ‘If you’re available, come to this chat room, I’ll wait.’ If I don’t ask you when, you’d probably wait all night, no?”

“I wrote that?” I played dumb.

She sighed in return.

The truth was, I deliberately wrote like that. If not, she’d have ignored me.

–“Let’s not waste time. What is it that you want to know? I’d prefer pleasant questions, though.”

“I hope it’d be a pleasant question too. Alas… That you said you like Hibiki, that’s a lie.”

What kind of expression would she have right now, I wondered.

–“It wasn’t.” After a considerable pause, she answered. “ I love him so much that I ask for your help.”

“…”

–“Is that all?”

“You aren’t curious why I come to such conclusions?”

At this point, there weren’t any spare cards left to play. The only way to avoid stalemate was to hit her with the truth and watch her reaction.

I had prepared a response and probing for all denial situations. To think that she would answer head-on and prematurely end the conversation…

–“I’m not curious. I see why you’d think so, but I assure you, you’re reading too much into it. Does my answer satisfy you?”

“You…”

–“You don’t have to trust me. Although that doesn’t mean I wanted to be doubted. This is the truth, Angel, whether you’d trust me or not.”

“And why were you so calm during the past month? You were going to confess to your longtime crush?” 

–“Huh? I was pretty desperate?”

“And then you suddenly find the courage and confess?”

–“It was your words and the momentum of the moment. Didn’t I tell you?”

To the very end, you’re going to stick with that guise, huh?

If she was more roundabout in her refutation, I would have pinned her down. As things were, she made it solely the issue of trust, and I’m stuck here.

–“What I couldn’t really understand is why are you so confident in your reasoning? Trepidation before confession should be relative, what made you doubt me this much.”

“That’s…”

I can’t talk about my power here, can I? Tch! There was no remedy for my stance here…

–“Well. I’m not interested. If that’s all then, if you would excuse me.”

“W-wait!”

There goes my pointless bid for time.

She must have known it, but she hadn’t left the call yet. Unlike face-to-face, you can hang up unilaterally at any time in a call.

But she didn’t.

Then I might have some hope.

Learn more

Pause

Unmute

“I wasn’t trying to blame you. I just wanted to know why you would confess to him even though you have no feelings for him.”

–“Firstly, why are you speaking on the basis that I don’t like Hibiki-kun? What lies do you want me to confess when I had spoken none.” A note of irritation crept into her voice.

Ahh, now she’s annoyed at me.

In other cases, in a world where superpower doesn’t exist, I wouldn’t have pushed further, it is your liberty to say who you like or not. But no, Mikage, I know.

You liked no one. I saw nothing.

And there was someone who wanted to tell you his feelings.

“Say, Mikage”

Silence, but she was still there on the other side.

Now, I play my last card.

“Can I have your time?”

–“Why—”

“Let’s talk… in person.”