Today is the first consultation of the Love Consultation Club after the new school term has begin. Once again, Nitta is here with the rest of us.

   ‘Are you sure you can hang out with us like this?’ Nagano is the one to ask the question this time.

   ‘No need to worry. I’ve gotten permission from Shishido-senpai. After all, I’m going to be the next vice president. I won’t be able to spent time with all of you after I took over the position from Nishiyama-kun.’

   I would be spitting out my tea if I was drinking any.

   ‘Wait a second. You’re going to be the new vice president? You?’ I ask her like I couldn’t believe what I just heard.

   ‘Do you have to be that surprised?’

   ‘I mean, it’s you.’

   ‘I’ll just pretend that you didn’t try to sound derogatory.’

   ‘If you’re the vice president, is Takayu the next president?’ Suzu asks next.

   ‘Sure is.’

   ‘Aww~. I guess she won’t have the time to play video games with Takkun and I then.’

   ‘I’m pretty sure Yuka-chan can do something about it. After all, she’s extremely efficient when she’s serious.’

   ‘Hold on, what about Nishiyama-kun?’ Nagano asks.

   ‘Oh him? He got fired.’ Nitta answers in a bored voice. ‘Yuka-chan was against it, heavens know why, but it was her and Nishiyama versus myself, Shishido-senpai and Itoh-senpai. Obviously, democracy wins here.’

   ‘At least that’s one good news.’ I mumble. ‘What are you going to do about the new treasurer and manager of General Affairs?’

   ‘We’re still deciding on the candidates. And I’m talking to one of them right now.’

   ‘Hold on. Are you talking about…’

   I point an index finger to myself.

   ‘Yup. Both Yuka-chan and I think you’re up to the task.’

   ‘Oh no. No way.’

   ‘Exactly! He belongs to the Love Consultation Club!’ Nagano raises up her objection.

   ‘Hey.’

   ‘Yeah, we thought you might say that too. We wanted to recruit Yoshinaga-san as well, but you won’t do it too, right?’ Nitta continues.

   ‘Nope. I prefer to laze around~.’ Suzu confirms.

   ‘Yup. Thought so too. Do you guys have anyone to recommend?’

   I immediately thought of telling Nitta about Amano since she might be an excellent treasurer, but I remembered her social awkwardness in the last second. In the end, I just kept quiet.

   We chat for a bit more before our client of the day finally arrives.

   ‘Kaneshiro Natsu from Class 2-4.’ he introduces himself soon after he sits down.

   ‘What kind of love problem are you getting, Kaneshiro-kun?’ Nagano asks him.

   ‘You see, I broke up with my girlfriend last week. I was the one who asked for the break up. Now, I’m not really sure whether I did the right thing.’

   ‘Why did you break up with her in the first place?’

   He suddenly looks a bit embarrassed.

   ‘Well, I’m a huge anime fan. I love to collect figurines for my favourite characters. My girlfriend didn’t like that and was constantly telling me to grow up. The last straw was when she destroyed the figurine I spent three months of salary that I got from my part-time job.’

   ‘You did the right thing for getting her out of your life. Don’t even bother to talk to her anymore.’ I tell him immediately.

   ‘Isn’t that a bit too overboard, Bandou-kun?’ Nagano asks me.

   ‘The hell I am. I don’t care how perfect a girl is. If she dares to mess with my collection, she’s getting the boot. By the way, which figurine did she wreck?’

   ‘A figurine of the limited edition Mahou Shoujo Dark Tears.’

   I gasp in absolute horror.

   ‘She did not! You should get a lawyer and sue her to oblivion for that blasphemy!’

   For those of you who are wondering why am I getting so upset, that’s because Mahou Shoujo Dark Tears, whose name is the same as the title of the anime, is in my opinion one of the best Mahou Shoujo ever. Contrary to the old-school Mahou Shoujos who won’t shut up about the power of love and friendship, Mahou Shoujo Dark Tears involves lots of brutal death and broken mind. It’s for all the messed-up people out there.

   ‘Can you tell us about that girlfriend of yours?’ Nitta asks him.

   ‘Her name is Otonari Maki.’

   ‘Ah, her. We were classmates during our first year. Not to be cruel, but I’m siding with Bandou-kun here.’

   ‘You too, Nitta-san?’ Nagano asks in dismay.

   ‘That’s because she was frequently dissing otakus on broad daylight. One thing I can’t stand is someone making fun of others’ hobbies, no matter how childish it is.’

   ‘Well, there you have it. You don’t have to feel bad at all.’ I tell Kaneshiro.

   ‘We can’t just decide that! We have to find out why she hates otaku stuff in the first place!’ Nagano insists.

   I look at her dejectedly. ‘Do we really have to?’

   ‘Of course we do! What if it was just a misunderstanding?’

   ‘Pretty sure the state of his destroyed figurine can give you all the evidence you need in regards to that statement.’ I murmur.

   ‘What exactly are you guys going to do?’ Kaneshiro asks.

   ‘For starters, we’ll try to talk to her.’ Nagano tells him.

   ‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Maki has a very sharp tongue and can be very difficult to talk to.’ he warns.

   ‘Don’t worry. We have someone with an even sharper tongue here.’ Nagano assures him while gesturing towards me.

   ‘Hey!’ I protest.

   ‘Even so, I doubt Maki will just tell you everything.’

   I shrug. ‘Suzu can do a background check on her.’

   ‘Sure~, I can do that~.’ Suzu agrees.

   ‘Please be patient until she finds out something.’ Nagano tells Kaneshiro.

   He nods. ‘Got it.’

   Before he leaves, we made sure to ask for his phone nmber so that we can contact him.

   On the next day, Suzu gave us her report during lunch time. Instead of our usual spot, we’re having our meal at the club room.

   ‘Otonari Maki secretly works as a voice actress~.’ Suzu tells us.

   That left me dumbfounded for a few seconds.

   ‘Hold on. Please don’t tell me she’s the voice actress for Mahou Shoujo Dark Tears.’ I plead.

   ‘Bingo~! That’s right~!’

   ‘What? Seriously? Then why did she destroy the merchandise for the character she voiced for?’

   ‘Beat me~. The only thing I know is that she’s keeping it a secret from everyone, including her parents.’

   ‘I guess we have to ask the person to find out.’ Nitta says.

   ‘Do you think we should tell Kaneshiro-kun about his ex-girlfriend’s profession?’ Nagano asks me.

   I think about it for a while. Then I shake my head.

   ‘It’s better if we meet Otonari in secret first, just in case she has a very good reason for hiding the fact that she’s a voice actress.’

   ‘How are we going to meet her?’ Nitta asks. ‘The two of them are in the same class, you know.’

   ‘Wait, how do you know that?’

   ‘As the manager of General Affairs, I’ve already memorized the names of all the students in this school, not to mention the class they’re in.’

   ‘Wow, you must be very bored.’

   ‘You’re supposed to be impressed here!’

   ‘Nope. Couldn’t care less. Now back to Otonari. We could have someone pass a note to her or something.’

   I decide to ask Miiko for help by texting her. Before she arrives, I hastily write up a note.

   ‘To Otonari Maki: We know your secret. Come to the Love Consultation Club right now if you know what’s good for you.’ the note reads.

   After Miiko is here, I hand her the note.

   ‘Can you be a dear and give this note to Otonari Maki from Class 2-4?’ I request.

   ‘Of course.’

   Ah, my cousin is the best. She’s probably having tons of questions right now, but she’s not even asking one of them.

   ‘Now we wait.’ I say once Miiko has left.

   ‘Do you think she’s going to tell us her full story honestly?’ Nitta ask me.

   ‘It’s either that or we tell the whole world that she’s a voice actress. Her choice.’

   ‘No need to worry Nitta-san. If there’s one thing he’s good at, it’s blackmailing people.’ Nagano informs Nitta.

   ‘You said it like it’s a bad thing.’

   ‘Remind me not to spill my secret to you.’

   Around ten minutes later, a female student comes barging in without knocking first. Tsk tsk. The young people these days are so rude.

   ‘What’s this about you people knowing my secret?’ she demands from us.

   ‘I take it that you’re Otonari Maki.’ I say to her.

   ‘Wait a second. You wrote that you know my secret, but you don’t even know what I look like?’

   ‘Oh believe me, we know a lot of things related to you.’

   She scoffs. ‘You’re just bluffing.’

   ‘You’ll find out soon enough about that, Otonari. Or should I say Dreamy Cream Puff.’

   Her face turns whiter than a sheet. She’s also frozen stiff.

   ‘Dreamy Cream Puff?’ Nagano asks me.

   ‘That’s the nickname of the person who voiced Mahou Shoujo Dark Tears.’ I explain.

   Otonari finally snaps out of it.

   ‘How on earth did you find out?’ she asks.

   ‘That’s not important. The important thing is we have some questions for you.’

   She sits down at one of the seats without asking for permission. Goodness. Just how rude can she be?

   ‘...Fine. Out with it.’ she tells me.

   ‘I’m glad that you understand your situation. First off, why did you destroyed Kaneshiro’s figurine? To be more precise, the Mahou Shoujo Dark Tears one.’

   That really got her attention.

   ‘Did Natsu asked you all to investigate me?’ she asks.

   ‘Not at all. He came to us yesterday wondering whether it was the right thing to break up with you.’

   She looks down on the floor guiltily.

   ‘After what I did, even I myself would say that he did the right thing.’

   ‘You’re not answering the question.’

   ‘Yeah yeah, I’m getting to it. It was out of sheer embarrassment. Can you imagine how embarrassing it is for your boyfriend fawning over the figurine of an anime character that you voice-acted?’

   ‘So it was on the spur of a moment.’

   ‘That’s right. Even so, I know what I did was inexcusable and unforgivable.’

   ‘Have you at least apologized to him?’

   She looks even more guilty.

   ‘No. The thing about me is that I always have problems being honest and sincere.’

   ‘Huh. Must had been tough for Kaneshiro to deal with a pain in the behind like you.’

   Otonari looks at Nagano.

   ‘Is he always like this?’

   ‘Oh, you have no idea.’ Nagano murmurs.

   ‘Say, can you tie up your hair at both side of your head?’ I request.

   Otonari glares at me like she’s thinking of murdering me.

   ‘I am not a tsundere!’

   ‘Uh-huh. That’s what every tsundere says.’

   ‘If you’re actually working as a voice actress, why did you diss your main audiences?’ Nitta asks her next.

   Otonari tilts her head. ‘Did I ever do something that?’

   ‘Yes you did. Countless times. You said that they should grow up and get better hobbies.’

   ‘Oh, that. I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I mean, a lot of them are so engrossed in watching animes they end up sacrificing their sleep, money and who knows what else.’

   ‘Still, you sounded a lot like you were dissing them.’

   ‘I probably should have worded my sentence better, but that’s how I felt.’

   ‘I have to ask, how did you end up being a voice actress?’ I ask Otonari.

   She shrugs. ‘It just happened. I needed some money, so I applied for lots of job. Out of all the ones that would accept me, it was either the voice-acting industry or working inside a factory that makes shoes. I wanted to try my luck at being a voice actress, so I went for an audition. And I actually passed.’

   ‘Wow, sounds a lot like my experience.’ Nitta says. ‘Except in my case, I was dead set on being an idol.’

   She then has a depressed look. She’s probably remembering the reason she went for an audition in the first place.

   ‘Anyway, that’s how I started my career as a voice actress.’ Otonari continues. ‘I didn’t want people to know that I work as one, so I requested my company to put a nickname over my real name at the end credits scene.’

   ‘Motivation aside, it’s still incredible that you managed to land a role of voicing Dark Tears when you barely have any experience.’ I tell her. ‘It was like, what, your third job?’

   ‘I’m surprised myself too when my company wanted me to voice act a main character. And I’m even more surprised that my career took off in a major way after taking the role.’

   ‘Well, that anime did get excellent ratings. And the voice of the main character definitely helped a ton.’

   ‘Say, do you enjoy being a voice actress?’ Nitta asks Otonari all of a sudden.

   ‘I do. Even though I only had my eyes on the money at the beginning, it’s really fun. I don’t regret choosing this job.’

   ‘Then you really shouldn’t feel embarrassed about doing it. If you love it, you should take pride in it instead.’

   Otonari becomes quiet for a while.

   ‘Yes, you’re right.’ she finally says. ‘I was wrong all these time. I owe Natsu a huge apology.’

   ‘If you want the apology to be sincere, you could try to find a replacement of the figurine you destroyed.’ I tell her.

   ‘Easy for you to say. It’s a limited edition, you know?’

   ‘Which is why you shouldn’t have destroyed it in the first place.’

   ‘Yes, yes. I know I did a bad thing. Stop reminding me, alright?’

   ‘You should try asking your company whether they can get one for you. That’s one of the special treatment we get for working in the industry.’ Nitta tells her. ‘I mean, I’m always allowed to give out free tickets to some of my friends.’

   ‘They do give me that kind of privilege, but I’m not sure it applies to limited edition goods. I’ll give it a try anyway.’

   She then gives us a grateful smile.

   ‘Thanks. I couldn’t have been honest if it wasn’t for all of you.’

   ‘Don’t thank us yet. You still haven’t apologized to Kaneshiro, after all.’ I tell her. ‘Besides, no need to thank all of us. Nitta did most of the advising. For once, she’s being useful.’

   ‘Hey!’

   ‘Maybe you should replace Aiai as the new president of this club~.’ Suzu adds.

   ‘Hey!’

   Otonari gets up from her seat. ‘Well, I’m off to tell Natsu. Thanks once again.’

   Kaneshiro and Otonari drop by two days later. Apparently, they’re together again.

   ‘Did she got you another figurine?’ I ask Kaneshiro.

   ‘She did, but it’s not the same one that she wrecked. I still appreciate the thoughts, though.’

   I stare at Otonari.

   ‘Hey, don’t give me that look! I tried, okay? I really did! It’s just that it was out of stock!’

   ‘So, did she told you everything?’ I ask Kaneshiro.

   ‘If you’re talking about the part where she’s working as a voice actress, then yes. Now that she did, I feel weird whenever I see the Dark Tears figurine in my room.’

   ‘Don’t you dare to do weird things with it.’ Otonari growls.

   ‘I won’t, okay? I’m not some kind of weirdo.’

   ‘You already are one when you fawn over animated girls. When you already have a real girlfriend.’ Otonari said the last sentence with extra emphasis.

   ‘Sorry, Maki. But I swear, you’re the only one I really look at!’

   Maki blushes like a tomato.

   ‘W-Well, good.’ she stutters.

   ‘Can you lovebirds take your flirting outside? We still have clients to deal with after this.’ I tell them without hiding my disgust.

   ‘Sorry about that. Well, we’ll be seeing you.’

   ‘Thanks again for your help.’

   ‘I’m so glad that they’re together again.’ Nitta says after they left.

   I look at her. She’s having a melancholy expression.

   ‘Do they somehow remind you of yourself and Furuta?’ I ask her.

   According to Nitta, Furuta and her were childhood friends. His used to be an otaku like Kaneshiro, and he was the reason Nitta became an idol. However, Furuta grows up to become a gangster wannabe who’s all bark and no bite.

   ‘Kind of, even though our circumstances are completely different.’

   ‘No worries. You could always find someone else. Pretty sure there are lots of nice guys out there for you.’

   Nagano and Suzu stare at me in disbelief.

   ‘Are you comforting someone, Bandou-kun?’ Nagano says while looking like she jus saw a ghost.

   ‘Takkun, are you okay? Do you need to see a doctor?’ Suzu asks me while getting up from the seat opposite to mine and shaking my shoulders.

   ‘Stop shaking me Suzu! And yes, I’m fine. And for your information, even I can be nice sometimes. Especially when we’re talking about the idol I’m a fan of.’

   ‘Aww, that’s so sweet of you. The thing is, I want to concentrate on making my fan happy for now.’ Nitta says to me.

   I shrug. ‘Not really my problem either way.’