"Sis... Sister, what are you talking about? When... when did I ever mention him to you?"
Alya was so embarrassed she wanted to crawl into a hole. Her sister was truly something, saying that in front of his actual girlfriend. It was mortifying.
Masha looked helplessly at her sister. It was precisely because she was so unforthcoming that she remained friendless and alone.
She pulled her hand free from her sister's and said, "Alright. Anyway, Shiraishi-kouhai, this isn't the first time I've seen you, you know."
Shiraishi Shin: "Oh?"
Masha narrowed her eyes, took two steps forward, and then explained, "The day before the school held the Queen Contest, you came to the Student Council looking for Alya. I was attending a meeting there at the time."
"So that's how it was."
Shiraishi Shin hadn't paid attention. After all, time was tight then because the Zodiarts might have been targeting Alya, so he hadn't looked closely at the Student Council members.
He never expected Alya's sister to be in the Student Council.
Then, as if realizing something, he said, "Could Masha-senpai be the one in the second year known as the 'Madonna of the Academy'?"
This 'Madonna' nickname didn't refer to excessive kindness, but to her appearance. Because Masha possessed a graceful figure and stunning beauty, she earned the moniker 'Madonna'.
Masha smiled gently and said, "If there isn't a second person named Masha in the academy, then it must be me. But these are just nicknames boys come up with when they're bored; don't take them seriously."
Indeed, it was unclear why boys always gave such fitting titles to beautiful girls, but anyone who earned a title was definitely a beauty.
Shiraishi Shin politely said, "Based on my current impression, I think Masha-senpai is certainly worthy of that title."
Masha smiled. Her impression of Shiraishi Shin was positive—good temperament and high visual appeal.
She glanced at her sister. No wonder Alya frequently talked about Shiraishi Shin at home.
As her older sister, she naturally knew Alya felt favorably toward him, perhaps even loved him.
After all, Shiraishi Shin was the first male Alya had ever discussed with her. She had never seen Alya pay so much attention to any boy before.
Although she superficially complained about him and acted uninterested, the way she spoke about him tirelessly showed she was clearly saying one thing and meaning another.
Immediately afterward, Masha exchanged a few words with everyone before leaving.
Chitoge Kirisaki sighed with emotion, "I never expected Kujou-san to have such a beautiful and gentle older sister. I'm really envious."
Shiina Mahiru also said, "Yes, growing up with a sister must make life much more interesting than being alone. When I was little, I got along very well with a cousin who liked to paint, but she moved to England with her family when she was very young, and we haven't been in touch since."
"Although my sister and I are half-sisters (in the original work they are full sisters, this is a secondary setting), our affection for each other is completely comparable to that of full siblings."
Alya was quite proud of this.
Her sister Masha took great care of her, always accommodating her as the younger sister, and gently counseling her whenever she felt lost or wronged.
Seeing the three girls chatting incessantly, Shiraishi Shin glanced at the setting sun and the students who had mostly left.
He stretched and said, "Alright, we should head back. We have the Dare Night tonight after dinner."
Shiina Mahiru turned to look at him.
"That's right, we have the Test of Courage tonight."
Alya crossed her arms and said, "What Test of Courage? It's just students dressing up as monsters in the woods to scare passing students. Boring."
Shiraishi Shin sounded somewhat expectant.
"Don't say that. It's about participation. Anyway, tomorrow is Monday, and we won't head back until after lunch, so there's no rush to sleep."
Unfortunately, Shiraishi Shin drew the short straw and was chosen to play a monster, crouching in the bushes to scare passersby.
"Snap!"
After Shiraishi Shin had just scared away two students participating in the test, he quickly squatted back into the bushes, swatting a mosquito on his thigh and complaining, "Damn it, I wanted to show off my heroic spirit as Mahiru's boyfriend, but instead, I'm unlucky enough to play a monster and get bitten by mosquitoes."
Every class had to draw four or five people to wear monster costumes and scare people.
Unfortunately, Shiraishi Shin was one of the unlucky ones, and Chitoge Kirisaki was another.
The monster costume Shiraishi Shin was wearing was a Kappa outfit.
Recalling the Kappa legends he had discussed with Alya and the others today, wow, what a coincidence—the monster Kappa turned out to be himself.
"This is so boring. How about we try something more exciting for entertainment?"
Shiraishi Shin checked the time. About every five minutes, two people would walk through his designated "territory."
Just using a costume to play a monster was too dull; he had better ideas for entertainment.
Thinking this, Shiraishi Shin chuckled twice and stood up.
Since the next group was two minutes away, he fastened the buggle driver ii to his waist.
[Kamen Rider Chronicle!]
"Henshin!"
[Ten wo Tsukame Rider! (Wow!) Kizame Chronicle! Ima koso Toki wa Kiwamareri! (Wow!)]
A huge golden clock face lit up behind Kamen Rider Cronus, highlighting his majesty as the God of Time.
"Next, I invite the victims to enter."
Shiraishi Shin squatted down, and the color of his armor allowed him to easily blend into the bushes.
They're here.
Shiraishi Shin didn't even need to look to hear the footsteps.
When a man and a woman approached, Shiraishi Shin realized the man was none other than his Bro, Tabata Hidenori. This was a pleasant surprise.
The girl walking with Tabata Hidenori had a plain appearance.
She cautiously looked around and said, "They won't suddenly jump out here, right? Even though I know it's fake, scaring people can be terrifying."
They had already experienced two scares, so the plain-looking girl was still somewhat frightened.
Tabata Hidenori's lips curled up, and he said confidently, "You yourself said it's fake. Even if they jump right in your face, there's nothing to be afraid of. Look at me, I'm perfectly calm. This kind of childish test of courage is only scary for cowards."
When the two formally passed the bushes in front of Shiraishi Shin, he snapped his fingers, and the Game Domain expanded.
The night, which had been filled with the moon and stars, suddenly became bright daylight, with the sun shining directly overhead.
In that instant, Tabata Hidenori and the plain-looking girl froze, and terror immediately rose in their hearts.
Tabata Hidenori spoke with a slightly trembling voice, "I... I mean, it's seven... seven something in the evening right now, isn't it?"
The plain-looking girl nervously swallowed her saliva.
"Y-yes, right? We just finished the daytime. Why is the sun directly overhead now?"
The two exchanged a stiff glance.
Then, without a word, Tabata Hidenori turned and ran back, and the plain-looking girl stared for a second before hastily following suit.
Tabata Hidenori shouted as he ran, "Oh my god, there's a monster, there's a ghost, help!"
Please forgive Shiraishi Shin for his unkind laughter. Now this was a Test of Courage.
"However, Cronus's abilities are a bit lacking. Let's switch to Eternal."