When Minamoto Senya entered the third grade of elementary school, he was eight years old.
It was also around this time that, despite thinking he behaved modestly at school, his actions began to draw attention.
For instance, his interactions with Yukinoshita Yukino—seen from the outside—appeared far too close, too intimate.
By third grade, children had already begun to shed the innocence and naivety of early childhood.Through study, they had learned various facts and bits of common sense, gaining the first inklings of how the world worked.
And with children's natural tendencies toward gossip and showing off, even the smallest detail they observed in daily life was quickly magnified.
So, in the eyes of their classmates, Minamoto Senya and Yukinoshita Yukino were without question treated as a couple. Everyone whispered that the two of them shared a unique, ambiguous relationship.
Perhaps… this was what they called love!
The gossip spread quickly across the entire grade.
The boys envied Senya, while the girls envied Yukino.
Senya naturally knew about the rumors swirling around him.
But he had no intention of clearing them up, nor did he particularly care. If anything, he found them a little funny.
A bunch of brats—half-grown and clueless—what do they know about love?
As for Yukinoshita Yukino, perhaps she was simply used to always being by Senya's side.
Or maybe, spending all her time with someone who looked like a child yet acted like a weary old man, her own heart had started to be influenced.
Either way, she showed no reaction to the rumors.
Day-to-day, the two continued their relationship as usual, unaffected.
When the final class of the morning ended, Senya slowly gathered his books.
Through his "god's-eye view," he saw that Class 1's lesson had finally let out. Once Yukino left her room, he stood up.
The two of them walked together out of the school building and headed toward the shaded trees beside the playground.
It was October, yet the weather was still hot.
Eating in the classroom meant too much noise, and the rooftop, with no cover, was far too warm. Only this spot beneath the trees was truly comfortable for passing lunchtime.
But as they neared their usual place, Senya stopped in his tracks, and Yukino frowned at what she saw.
A boy and a girl sat on a bench, heads bowed.
Several students—likely from the sports club—stood around them, voices loud, their mocking laughter grating.
"Whoa, what's this? Magical Girl Momo-chan! Can't believe someone actually reads this crap at school, hah!"
"I thought only gloomy middle-aged otaku losers liked this kind of thing. Didn't think you two would be into it. Planning to become shut-ins in the future?"
"Gross. Look—when the heroine transforms, she's basically wearing lingerie!"
"That's not lingerie!" the boy suddenly shouted, unable to hold back any longer. "That's the battle armor that manifests during Momo-chan's transformation! She needs it to fight monsters and protect the world without getting hurt!"
The girl beside him lowered her head even further, face hidden.
"Pfft… hahahahaha!"
"Unbelievable! Someone actually said that out loud!"
"Pathetic otaku. Can't you just keep that trash at home?"
"C'mon, let's get out of here. If we stick around, we'll catch their stink and never wash it off!"
Laughing loudly, the group dispersed.
The boy they had mocked bent down with a dark expression, gathering the fallen manga volume and character cards from the ground.
The girl, however, shot up and ran off with her head down.
"Eriri!" the boy called anxiously, but he was a step too late.
Hastily shoving his things into his bag, he chased after her.
Yukino, watching them disappear, turned to Senya."They're in my class. The boy's name is Aki Tomoya, and the girl is Sawamura Spencer Eriri. The two of them both seem to really like manga and anime—ACG stuff in general."
She paused before continuing."They often talk about it in class. Aki-kun sometimes gets overly passionate and noisy, but since it's during breaks, no one said much.
But for some reason, after we entered third grade, the teasing gradually began… though never as harsh as what we just saw."
Her words trailed off, her expression turning suspicious.
"…Are you laughing?" she asked, uncertain.
"Hm?" Senya's face twitched. He quickly suppressed his grin as he stared at the golden exclamation mark hovering in his vision."Of course not. You imagined it."
No wonder he'd lost composure.
Three years!
After Yukinoshita Yukino and Hayasaka Ai, he was finally seeing another colored exclamation mark!
Over the years, he had certainly completed plenty of missions tied to life-and-death situations:
Pulling up a drowning man who had jumped into a river to save a dog.Calling for help to stop a salaryman from jumping in front of a train.Even reporting a burglary in progress.
But every single one of those quests had displayed only white exclamation marks.
Senya had long suspected the reason. Perhaps these recognizable "main characters" of the anime world carried within them some abstract force—the will of the world, the halo of the protagonist.
And so, the quests tied to them manifested with special colors.
Based on his past experiences, one thing was almost certain—colored exclamation marks meant far better rewards.
Senya walked forward and picked up a small anime badge that had been left behind."No matter the time or place, there will always be annoying people like that."
Yukino's little face tightened in anger."To hurt others just to satisfy their shallow emotions… people like that are the worst!"
"…?" Senya blinked.
Careful, Yukino—if you say things like that, how am I supposed to laugh at your blackmail videos in the future?
Yukino took a deep breath, calming herself.
What she had just witnessed stirred up memories of her own similar experiences.
Back then, she had been saved several times by boys stepping in, pulling her from embarrassing situations.
Having lived through it herself, she could truly empathize.
And now, she wanted to do the same—pass along the kindness she had once received from Senya to someone else.
The desire grew stronger and stronger in her heart.
"Are you hungry?" Senya asked suddenly.
"…No," Yukino replied, unsure what he meant.
"Then let's eat later. For now, let's catch up to her—I want to help."
His expression turned curious. "Wait—why are you smiling?"
"Nothing. Let's just go," Yukino said quickly, hurrying toward the direction Aki Tomoya had run.
"Hold on." Senya stopped her, pointing toward the sports equipment shed. "She went that way."
Apparently, Tomoya wasn't very reliable—even in chasing after someone, he'd gotten the direction wrong.
On second thought, it wasn't surprising. Those thick black-rimmed glasses of his weren't helping.
Activating his "god's-eye view," Senya quickly located Sawamura Eriri hiding behind the shed.
She was crouched in a corner, body small and trembling. Her shoulders shook as she sniffled, faint sobs slipping out—soft, fragile, and pitiful.
Seeing this, Yukino's heart ached. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a handkerchief.
But before she could step forward, Senya—who had come prepared—moved first.
He crouched down in front of Eriri and quietly offered her a tissue.