Only Four

Did Hachinoya-san do all of this?

It couldn’t have been anyone else.

This…must be a goodbye from him.

It smells super good in here. Smells like a fairytale!

What was he thinking…? I didn’t even repay him for helping me with my roses yet…

The flowers…are all…so pretty…

…What’s the chief gonna do now?

Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll work out. You can always rely on our chief, after all.

Yes, precisely.

……

……

Uhhh, so… I think I got what happened. Nagi left, yeah?

Yes.

This is all my fault.

I relied on Aa-chama’s power and made Nagi unhappy when I could’ve avoided it.

It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I was an asshole to him yesterday.

I would argue that it’s my fault. I made him angry.

…Y’know that this is an emergency, yeah? Why’re you just sittin’ there and readin’ a book?

What to Do When You’re Done With Interpersonal Relationships, Detested Courage, and Introduction to the Psychology of Love: Complete Edition… You have quite a stack there.

I fully think with my brain and not with my heart. I lacked the appropriate knowledge. Clearly, I must build an understanding of the logic behind the human heart.

(And of the concept of “loneliness”…)

It’s nobody’s fault. That’s what Nagi-kun said yesterday. He said it was just a personal issue.

But…

It’s a waste of time to try and guess what the guy was thinkin’ when he’s not even here. We should talk about our future plans instead.

You’re right. Should we postpone our upcoming tour?

Ah… I still want to do it. Even if it’s just with the four of you.

Are you for real?!

I think it’d be harder for Nagi-kun to come back to us if we decided to postpone or even cancel it.

He might come back before the tour. It’s not impossible…!

It is also not impossible that he might never return.

The choice is between him and God.

Ah…! I can…!

You don’t gotta predict it for us, Toi. You didn’t do anythin’ wrong, and you shouldn’t have to use their power.

Ah, okay…

At any rate, there’s no change in what we have to do. We’ll keep working towards the tour, and if Nagi comes back, we’ll welcome him. If he doesn’t, we’ll do the tour with only the four of us.

Even after the tour’s over, we should stick to the concept that he created for us, so it’ll be easy for him to come back at any time.

(Thank you, Yodaka-san…)

Right. As a company, we’re very sorry to ask this of you, but could you please lend us your strength, for Nagi-kun’s sake?

Of course!

Tch… Fine.

I can increase our numbers from four to 100, if you would like.

Haha, thank you! We’ll be counting on you too, Daniel-san.

Yeesh. Things get hairy real quick when you got a subordinate who’s passionate about their job.

What should we do with the team leader and Ward 16 mayor duties now that Nagi’s not here?

I can try and handle them.

I trust you, but it won’t end well if you overwork yourself. I propose we appoint a temporary leader for now.

Right, Ryui?

Huh?

You’re quite vulgar, but at your heart, you’re a very kind and loving older brother. Once you get close to someone, you always stay by their side.

Wha…

And you’re surprisingly sensible. Surprisingly kinda smart too. And you’re real responsible. Surprisingly.

The hell does “surprisingly” mean here…?!

Above all else…

You can make up for your wrongdoings, so you’re able to proudly welcome Nagi back when he returns.

……

(Ah, I see…! If Ryui-kun gets appointed as our temporary leader, it might help repair the bond between him and Nagi-kun…)

It’ll really help me out if you become the temporary leader, Ryui-kun. Would you please…?

……

…Fine. I’ll do it. But only ‘til he comes back.

Brother Dearest!

So cool!

Tch… He better come back fast, or else…

……

(Nagi-kun said that he wasn’t cut out to be the team leader, but the members seem to think otherwise.)

(I’ll make sure to let him know that when he comes back.)

Okay, that’s it for our emergency meeting. Thanks, everyone!

(I gotta go to the office and report to Kafka…)

(Hm? Is that…Yodaka-san and Yunyun-san?)

Here, I brought about a week’s worth for you.

Thank you. I’m sorry that you had to come all this way to drop them off.

You alright? You look super pale. You’re not overworking yourself, aren’t you?

I’m alright. It’s not as bad as it seems.

…Yodaka-san, you said that you’re the happiest when you get to relax and hang out in Yumejuya with me, didn’t you?

If you keep doing this mayor stuff, I dunno if you’ll find the time to relax anymore.

…You were against me becoming a mayor from the very beginning, weren’t you?

Well, duh! Why do you get to leave me behind to live in a fancy sharehouse and have a good time laughing it up with all of your new friends? Not fair!

Haha. Well, we can have a chat about that soon.

Okaaay. Alright, make sure to take your meds.

Of course. Thank you for the concern.

(Medication…? Is that what Yunyun san just gave to Yodaka-san?)

……