Chapter 71: The New Queen in the Court

The aftermath of the Comic Fest is a strange and wonderful thing. Haruka Ito, the vanquished ice queen, has been unofficially absorbed into our chaotic circle. The truce forged in her moment of crisis has held, leading to the single most baffling social shift our school has ever witnessed.

When the six of us- me, Rina, Kenji, Miki, Hana, and now Haruka- walk into school together on Monday morning, it causes a literal shockwave. Conversations stop. People stare. The collective sound of a hundred brains short-circuiting is almost audible. It is the social equivalent of a lion lying down with a lamb, if the lamb was constantly trying to flirt with the lion's brother.

"I still cannot believe this," Kenji whispers to me, his eyes wide with awe. "It is like the end of a massive story arc, where the main villain joins the hero's party. We are unstoppable now!"

Haruka, for her part, is trying to navigate her new role with a tsundere grace that is both awkward and hilarious. She walks with Miki and Hana, engaged in a low, technical conversation about wig maintenance, but her eyes keep flicking over to me.

Rina, of course, notices this. Her possessiveness, which had been in a state of peaceful hibernation, reawakens with a vengeance.

"Good morning, Onii-chan!" she chirps, pointedly ignoring Haruka and linking her arm through mine with a grip that could crack stone.

"Morning, Rui-kun," Haruka says at the exact same time, attempting to link her arm through my other one.

I am suddenly the rope in a tug-of-war between a sun goddess and an ice queen. My arms are pulled in two different directions.

"He needs his arm to carry his books, Ito-san," Rina says, her smile sweet but her eyes throwing daggers.

"I am just being friendly to my new friend, Hinamata-san," Haruka retorts, her own smile just as sharp.

I manage to yank my arms free from both of them, my face burning. "I can walk on my own, thank you," I grumble, walking ahead and leaving them to glare at each other.

This new dynamic becomes a source of endless gossip for the entire school. My reputation undergoes a bizarre transformation. I am no longer just "Rina's brother" or "Ectiqa's handler." I am now "that guy that Hime-Hime is obsessed with."

"Dude, you are a legend," a boy from my class says, his voice full of a jealous awe. "How did you manage to tame the ice queen? Everyone knows she has never looked at a guy twice."

"I did not tame her," I sigh. "I am her designated emotional support chew toy."

The fact that Hime-Hime, a nationally famous cosplayer, is now part of our group elevates our social standing to a weird, nerdy Olympus. But all it means for me is that my life is now twice as complicated. Rina is on high alert, her flirtatious teasing now a defensive strategy to mark her territory. And Haruka, having decided that I am a dependable and therefore desirable person, has started a new, clumsy campaign to win my affection, a campaign that Rina is determined to sabotage at every turn.