Nibutani flinched as the club room door slammed shut. That hadn't gone well at all, and Nibutani felt guilty that she let her stubbornness take over the conversation. She knew that she should have heard Dekomori out, but what the younger girl was suggesting was far too ridiculous for her to want to take seriously.
She glanced over at the others, who were shifting uncomfortably in their seats. Arguing with Dekomori in front of them was embarrassing for her and undoubtedly awkward for them. It wasn't often that she fought with Dekomori, with legitimate anger coming from both sides, so it would make sense if they were taken by surprise.
Nibutani sighed and ran her hands through her hair. She looked over at Kumin, who was staring at her, a slightly concerned look in her eyes. The third year girl always valued the "peace" that came with the group's everyday activities, so the sudden explosive argument probably worried her. Nibutani wouldn't be surprised if Kumin tried to step in and help them out.
Yuuta cleared his throat, "Is everything okay?" he asked carefully. His voice was hushed making it obvious that he was unsure if he should speak up about the fight or not.
"Yeah," Nibutani replied. "It's okay." She walked over to the table where the rest of the group was seated and sat down with them. She placed her elbows down on the surface of the table and buried her head in her hands. She could feel a headache coming on.
Nibutani felt a hand on her back and looked up. To her surprise, Rikka had moved from her spot next to Yuuta, and was now sitting next to her. Rikka placed her arm around Nibutani's shoulders, a clear gesture of comfort, and smiled slightly. Nibutani remembered the many times she helped Rikka with her emotional turmoil, so the small gesture was appreciated.
"Dekomori is driven by the words of Mori Summer, the words that you wrote before your memory was lost," Rikka said. "This development is unsurprising. She believes in the purity of the heart, and as Mitsuki's master, she'll use all of her power to set her servant on the right path." Nibutani sighed. It was times like this when she really regretted starting her Mori Summer website back in middle school.
A large part of her wanted to continue to believe in the ideals she had as Mori Summer. What she wrote on the website was a description of what her ideal world would be like, and there were times when she thought it was possible. It was a romanticized view of the world, and she grew to learn that it would never be the way Mori Summer described it. That's what frustrated her about Dekomori. The younger girl took all of that to heart. It was naive.
Dekomori wouldn't be able to "save" Mitsuki no matter how much she wanted to. Mitsuki's situation didn't put her in a position where she could be saved. Whatever improvements Dekomori thought she could make probably wouldn't make much of an impact. If Mitsuki wanted to change, she had to do it herself, and it didn't seem like the purple haired girl cared about changing her behavior.
"Dekomori had a strong sense of justice as well," Rikka continued. "You may believe that she has taken her servant's side over yours, but you are mistaken. Dekomori will not overlook what her servant has done in the past, but she will not abandon her either."
With every interaction she had with the younger girl, Nibutani noticed that Dekomori was a lot more complicated than one might think. At first glance, the twin tailed girl seemed to have a one track mind. Chuunibyou was always at the forefront of the tiny girl's activities, and it often felt like that was all that mattered to her. Judging by what Rikka told her and her own experiences with the first year, that couldn't be further from the truth.
"I shouldn't have snapped at her like I did..." Nibutani groaned. She leaned on her elbow and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"What happened between you and Mitsuki that has gotten you so riled up?" Yuuta asked. Nibutani had momentarily forgotten that most of their fighting had been done away from the curious eyes of her friends. They were almost as clueless about her situation as a random stranger in a crowd.
"A lot has happened that I've been keeping from you all," Nibutani replied, her voice betraying her frustration and exhaustion. They deserved to know and there was no better time than now to reveal everything she knew.
She recounted every experience she had with Mitsuki. She described the first year's increasing hostility towards her and how they grew to have a mutual distrust of one another. She told Aya's story in explicit detail. The more she talked, the wider her friend's eyes got. They seemed as shocked as she was when she had initially learned about everything.
"Well that's definitely surprising to hear," Yuuta commented when she finished. "I can understand your...hesitance when it comes to dealing with her. This is a tough situation to be in." Nibutani nodded. She was glad that he understood where she was coming from.
"Indeed," Rikka agreed. "You are facing a very worthy opponent. I will gladly offer my skills and join you in battle if you need my assistance." Rikka placed her fingers by her eye patch, preparing to tear it off if she really needed to.
"She doesn't need that kind of help from you," Yuuta retorted. Nibutani smiled slightly. She wasn't sure if her friends would be able to help her, but their willingness to give their support made her feel better, even if it was only a little bit.
Nibutani glanced over at Kumin, who had been silent for almost the entire conversation. The normally relaxed third year was leaning back, her arms supporting her weight, and was staring into nothingness. It was apparent that she was absorbed in deep thought.
"You need to figure out what you're going to do about all of this," Yuuta said, pulling Nibutani's focus back to him. "Based on what I've heard, you've been idle for far too long. I think you should do something about it. Don't let Dekomori handle it herself." Rikka nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, you're right," Nibutani responded. "If I leave Dekomori to deal with it herself, Mitsuki will just wrap her finger around her even more than she already has. I can't let that happen. I need to-"
"Will she, though?" Kumin interrupted. "You've said it yourself, Mitsuki cares about Deko a lot, so would she really try to manipulate her like you think she will?" Nibutani looked over at her, surprised by the sudden outburst.
"She's already tried!" Nibutani answered. "She tried to convince Dekomori that I was bad for her!" In Nibutani's mind, Mitsuki clearly had the intention to give Dekomori false ideas about her. That seemed like manipulation to her.
"But was that manipulation or legitimate concern?" Kumin asked. Nibutani paused. She was so certain that Mitsuki was up to no good, but that simple question made her reevaluate her suspicions. What if she was wrong?
It was true that Mitsuki cared about Dekomori a lot, so it would make sense for her to be concerned about her wellbeing. Even after taking that into account, Mitsuki's actions seemed far too malicious for her to be driven solely by concern for her friend.
"I won't deny that Mitsuki has done some unpleasant things," Kumin continued. "But I think you're looking for foul behavior where there is none. I don't think Deko is the one who's wrapped around her finger." Nibutani blinked. She took a moment to allow her brain to fully register Kumin's point.
Sudden realization hit Nibutani. She pointed to herself and asked, "Me?"
Kumin nodded, "You've seemed so focused on this fear that Mitsuki will do something bad to Dekomori that you've allowed yourself to become vulnerable. I'm sure Mitsuki has noticed that as well, and she's probably taken advantage of that. You're the one she wants to mess with, not Dekomori."
Nibutani found herself agreeing with Kumin, at least on the last bit. She had told herself multiple times that it was probable that Dekomori was in the safest position out of all of them, but she still let the worry eat at her.
"That does make a lot of sense now that I think about it," Yuuta agreed. "It's clever of her, actually." Nibutani did agree that she was the one who was being toyed with, but that still didn't change the fact that her intentions seemed to be malicious.
"What about all those subtle threats regarding Dekomori?" Nibutani asked. "I was almost certain that Mitsuki would try to manipulate Dekomori into abandoning her chuunibyou. She's also apparently been giving Dekomori relationship advice, but she wouldn't tell me what she said. That seems like sneaky behavior to me."
"It's possible that she just hinted at those ideas because she knew it would rile you up. She hasn't necessarily acted on them," Kumin replied. "Dekomori hasn't had the same experiences with Mitsuki that you have. That explains the differentiating perspectives that you two have. The only way to really understand is to talk to her about it."
Yuuta nodded, "I agree. According to what Aya said, Mitsuki is very wary of people, but that doesn't mean that she's aggressive to everyone she meets. It would make sense if she was acting this way towards you because she felt like you wronged her, even if that feeling isn't justified. It's also possible that she feels like you wronged Dekomori."
As much as Nibutani hated to admit it, what they were saying did make some sense. She was the target. In Mitsuki's eyes, she was the new Aya and that was bad news for Dekomori. Her protectiveness over Dekomori could be the cause of her hostile behavior. It was a possibility, but Nibutani wasn't completely sold on that idea. She would need to hear it straight from the horse's mouth.
"What should I do? Nibutani asked, her voice barely a whisper. Her voice was so quiet that that rest of the group had to lean in close to catch what she was saying.
"I think you should find Deko and listen to whatever she has to say," Kumin suggested. "You and Deko need to speak to Mitsuki together as well. It's the only way you can truly understand what's happening."
"Fake Mori Summer," Rikka said. Nibutani looked at her in confusion. Rikka never called her by that name.
"Remember the fake Mori Summer?" Rikka asked. "You challenged her to battle to prove yourself worthy to Dekomori. I think you should do the same with Mitsuki. Dekomori was my servant once, so I know her very well. You will be able to get through to her through battle." Nibutani grimaced. She didn't like the idea of having to don her old Mori Summer attire.
"I think that's a good plan. Think of it as a final boss battle. Once you get past this, it's over," Kumin smiled. Rikka nodded enthusiastically.
Nibutani sighed. At the end of the day, it always came back around to chuunibyou. It was a major part of her life whether she liked it or not. But if it was the only way to get past all of this, then she would gladly do it.
Nibutani stood up, "Okay, I can do this. I just need some time to gather my old Mori Summer stuff. Kumin, can you find out exactly where this plan of Dekomori's is going to take place?"
"No problem," Kumin replied, smiling. Nibutani thanked her and then left the club room. She would need to devote the night to preparing for her chuunibyou battle. Since she didn't involve herself in the club's chuunibyou adventures, she was pretty rusty. It would undoubtedly be another awkward experience.
With these thoughts in mind, Nibutani headed home for the day.
"Deko said she's meeting Mitsuki up on the roof. Classes have already ended, so they should be there now." Nibutani put her phone back in her pocket. Kumin had kept true to her word and found out the location of Dekomori's plan.
Nibutani stood at the bottom of the staircase that led up to the roof. In her left hand she held a bag that contained everything that she would need for this battle. She brought Mori Summer's trademark veil, hand accessory, and hair clip as well as a copy of the Mabinogion that Dekomori had hidden in the club room.
She felt prepared. She slowly began to make her way up the stairs. She took it one step at a time, using these final moments to run through her plan in her head. When she reached the door to the roof, she paused and placed her bag down on the ground. She reached over and pulled the contents out of the bag.
It took her a few minutes to get everything completely ready. It felt strange wearing her Mori Summer outfit again. It had been a while since she last wore it. With the Mabinogion tucked underneath her right arm, she flung the door open and stepped past the threshold.
Brown eyes clashed with purple almost immediately, and Nibutani felt a shiver run down her spine. She looked past Mitsuki at Dekomori, who seemed surprised by her sudden appearance. That look disappeared quickly as the younger girl pursed her lips and crossed her arms. Nibutani sighed. Dekomori was still mad.
Nibutani hoped that this plan of hers would work. She had spent all night planning out what she was going to do. Today marked the second time she pushed aside her pride for the sake of the twin tailed girl.
Nibutani clenched her left hand, making doubly sure that she had put on the hand accessory. She felt its hold on her hand and let out a sigh of relief. A light breeze made her veil sway, reminding her of its presence as well. Feeling more confident, Nibutani took a deep breath and walked towards the waiting girls.
A/N: I blame my late update on the love live rhythm game that came out recently. Next chapter should be the final one.