"It's a tie!"

The crowd of kids clapped for the two presenters that were there on that day. For the last while, Takebayashi and Miku had been squaring off in their best attempts to impress the children with their knowledge in history. The match was set up as a voting system. After each presenter went up and explained a certain portion of history to the best of their ability, the kids would vote which one was the most interesting. The first round, Takebayashi came out swinging, but Miku was the one to take top spot. The second round, Takebayashi changed her approach and went for something the kids enjoyed more of, war. This combined with her better knowledge of history outside of Japan let her take the top spot for the second round. The final round, Takebayashi employed the same strategy, but Miku fired back harder than ever, and combined with the more familiar subject and themes, was able to fight back on equal ground. This resulted in a tie. With that, they could no longer do anymore as the kids needed to go home. It was getting late. Takebayashi and Miku said their goodbyes to the kids and walked off together. The tension was back. It was previously gone thanks to Miku's love for the subject, almost making her forget what the point of this was.

Miku:"..." [Well, this is awkward...I just realized I completely left everyone behind as well. Dad and Nino no doubt are going to blame Fuutarou for that. In regards to her...maybe she really just wanted me to help her with those kids, but she didn't seem to have any fun. Maybe that's just how she looks? I barely know her, maybe she's one of those people that look like they're in horrible pain while having fun...Right!]

Miku walked a little faster to get in front of her.

Miku:"You know, I didn't get to present it, but the Siege of Odawara was one I really wanted to-"

Takebayashi:"Do you believe in true love?"

Miku:"...Eh?"

Miku wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. She thought back to when she asked him about her relationship to Fuutarou.

Miku:[It's been way too long, she couldn't actually like him, right?...But if she was here often, there's no doubt Fuutarou's charm got to her. Gah! Why is Fuutarou such a magnet to women? But her question...If I had to answer honestly…] "Of course I do. Whether it's family or lover, it will always have true love as a base."

Takebayashi:"Family, huh? So, when'd you start dating Fuutarou?"

Miku:"Uh, well...If I do the math...Like an hour ago."

Takebayashi stopped, clearly taken aback by the answer. Before suddenly bursting into laughter.

Miku:"What's so funny?"

Takebayashi:"I've had a boyfriend for more than a year and I can barely muster up that love. How can you come to me with your 60 minute relationship and try to preach how love works?"

Miku:"...I don't know your circumstances, but we didn't start dating to find love. We began dating because we found love."

Takebayashi:"Tch."

Miku:"Hit the nail on the head?"

Takebayashi:"Whatever. I'm sure he'll just fall in love with someone else."

Miku:"You really have no faith in him, huh?"

Takebayashi:"Is it a requirement for this perfect view of love you have?"

Miku:"It differs, I'm sure, but I trust Fuutarou with everything I have."

Takebayashi:"That sort of idealist bullshit will only end up hurting you in the long run."

Miku:"Maybe so, but the two of us have already suffered through that. No matter what, we'll do our best to make sure we don't repeat the same mistakes as those before us."

Takebayashi:"...We're here."

Miku stopped to see a stall.

Miku:"...This stall looks familiar."

Takebayashi:"This is the magic stall, but modified. We pulled strings to let it stay open for longer. We were going to celebrate here once we beat your asses."

Miku:"We?"

Takebayashi then began setting something up.

Takebayashi:"I saw you occasionally in a stall. Looked like you were preparing something."

Miku:"Yeah, we were the pancake stall."

Takebayashi:"You think your skills are good?"

Miku:"Not as good as my sister, but I don't put anyone in a coma anymore."

Takebayashi:"Sister, huh? Then round 2. Your cooking against mine."

Miku:"...Very well." [This girl. There's clearly something bothering her. If this will somehow do something for her…] "I accept your challenge." [I'm going to give her the best food I've ever made."

…

…

Takebayashi was born to a normal family, with a father, a mother and a baby sister. In this normal family, she would spend her days talking about what happened in school. Her mother would worry about the kids who could influence her, while her dad would laugh at how the kids acted while her baby sister ate. Her sister would cry a lot, leading Takebayashi to hug her almost everyday. Feeling this heat is certainly normal. Her mother would go into her room and not come out for many hours. Takebayashi was sure it was something simple, and normal. She didn't know what her father did for a living, but she was sure it was a normal job. She would hear her parents yell at each other, but she was sure they were just passionate about their normal conversation. Eventually, her father stopped living with them, maybe it was a normal trip.

…

Takebayashi:"Hey, where's my sister?"

"Huh? Oh, I abandoned her. Left her on the street, she's not my problem anymore."

Takebayashi:"...Eh?"

"Piss me off and you're next. Consider yourself lucky your father is still sending money."

Maybe it's normal to be tired of a baby's screams and abandon them.

…

Takebayashi:"Well, I'll be going now. I'll be going to Kyoto for a full week."

"Yeah, yeah. Have fun, I guess."

Takebayashi:"At least Sanada will be there…"

…

"Your dad wants to talk to you."

Takebayashi:"Ah, a normal conversation!"

Takebayashi picked up the phone. Her father had a request for her. It seems that her father had to move somewhere else for the time being.

Takebayashi:"If I do it, will you live with us again?"

"...Yes, of course. We'll all be living in luxury. You, me, your mother, your sister-"

Takebayashi:"My sister isn't here anymore, she was abandoned."

"Ah, well. That happens."

Takebayashi:"It's...normal?"

"Very."

…

Fuutarou:"Yeah, sometimes I have to take care of Raiha alone. My father turned into a useless idiot after mom died."

"Does your dad still work?"

Fuutarou:"Who knows, he barely feeds us anyway. I do think he gets small jobs from time to time. At least he still cares for Raiha. What I'm more interested in is that the police are still after those guys that ripped off my parents. His name was Mr….Uh Arnadue, I think."

Takebayashi:"Oh?"

Takebayashi sat down next to Fuutarou, much to Fuutarou's surprise. He blushed a bit.

Fuutarou:"What's up? What do you want?"

{"Takebayashi, I want you to speak with a boy in your class called Uesugi about Mr. Arnadue}

Takebayashi:"Oh, I was just interested about what the police were doing in order to find that man."

End of Chapter 117