Anime Collector: Starting With the Malevolent Shrine

In the infirmary of Sōbu High School, the members of the girls' track and field club had already left after apologizing.

Miku and Nino sat helplessly by Yotsuba's sickbed.

"Seriously, can't you just refuse those annoying people? Every time someone asks for a little favor, you happily run off to help!" Nino scolded with an exasperated expression as she put away her phone.

Yotsuba, feeling the pressure, scratched her head sheepishly, not daring to speak.

"And what about Ichika and Itsuki? Where on earth have those two gone?"

Since sending messages earlier, the two had seemingly lost contact. Could anything be more important than their sister's injury?

Nino walked out of the infirmary and looked around, but still saw no sign of them. Itsuki's absence was understandable; Miku had asked her to explain the situation to Daiki. But Ichika, being the eldest sister, had simply vanished without a trace.

"Maybe something came up." Miku said softly as she smoothed out the bedsheets.

Nino, fuming, could only sigh and say, "Fine, I'll go buy some meals from the cafeteria. After wasting so much time, Itsuki must be starving."

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As she had predicted, Itsuki was indeed in a panic.

She and Ichika were staring blankly at the empty lunchbox. They had agreed to just have a small taste, but in the end, even the eel sauce had been licked clean.

"How are we going to explain this to Miku?" Ichika asked, her expression stiff as she savored the lingering taste, "Normally, she'd forgive us... right?"

In a moment of distraction, the eel rice had seemingly vanished into thin air. Itsuki felt the most miserable — not only was she still hungry, but she also had to endure the torment of her conscience.

Although tempted to blame Ichika, she knew she was equally responsible. Why couldn't she resist temptation?

Now Miku was the least of their worries; the main issue was explaining this to Daiki-kun. The delicious taste made it clear he had put a lot of effort into the dish. Who could have imagined the lunchbox would be devoured en route?

"Why don't we keep this from Miku for now, wash the lunchbox, and return it?" Ichika suggested.

"And what do we tell Daiki-kun? That we ate Miku's lunch?" Itsuki's beautiful eyes glanced over, and Ichika immediately backed down.

"How about we praise Daiki-kun to boost his favorability with her? That way, the lunchbox won't have been wasted."

After all, the ultimate goal was to increase favorability. When Miku and Daiki-kun got married in the future, who would care about these little things?

Itsuki looked at the lunchbox, struggling for a moment before saying, "Let's wash it clean first and then decide."

The two cleaned the box before heading to the infirmary. By the time they arrived, Nino had already returned with lunch.

"Don't just stand there. I got takeout from the cafeteria." Nino pointed at the food on the chair, gesturing to the two.

Itsuki, famished, immediately grabbed a portion and began eating.

"I'll pass for now. I'm not that hungry. Let Itsuki have it." Ichika said, pushing all the food in front of her towards her sister.

Suddenly, Miku asked, "Is everything okay with Daiki-kun?"

Itsuki's heart skipped a beat, and her eating pace slowed.

Before she could speak, Ichika chimed in, "It's fine, he said he understands. I must say, Daiki-kun is really something. Not only does he consistently rank in the top 30 of our grade, but his personality and temperament are also beyond reproach."

"..."

The excessive praise made Nino raise an eyebrow.

The other four sisters were typically more reserved about Miku's love interest. They wouldn't praise someone so openly. Even Yotsuba in the sickbed seemed to sense something was amiss.

Only Miku, her face flushed, remained oblivious and listened quietly.

Itsuki discreetly tugged at Ichika's clothes, and she finally stopped. Realizing she had been too eager, she decided it was better to proceed slowly.

Meanwhile, the two culprits pondered how to properly handle the lunchbox situation.

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Meanwhile, in Class 1-C of Sōbu High School.

Three lively young girls gathered to chat.

"Iroha, are you okay? You've been distracted for a while now. Is today's food not to your liking?"

Ayase Aragaki looked worriedly at her friend, who was listlessly poking at her lunchbox with her chopsticks, clearly not herself.

"Ah... it's about the same as before. Maybe my taste buds have become more discerning." Iroha chewed her food, feeling that something was missing.

Despite the lunchbox being filled with a variety of dishes, the taste paled in comparison to that day's fried rice.

Kirino Kōsaka stood up and sampled some of the food. Finding no difference from before, she said, "Auntie's cooking skills haven't declined at all. Could it really be that your palate has become more refined?"

Hearing this, Iroha became even more dejected.

She desperately wanted to eat that bowl of fried rice again! But that was impossible.

Daiki-senpai was Miku-senpai's boyfriend from the second year. If he came to cook for her, wouldn't that cause complete chaos? How frustrating! Why did senpai have to have a girlfriend?

If he were single, she could approach him openly. If only...

Iroha quickly shook her head, clearing away the intrusive thoughts. She almost let a bowl of fried rice cloud her judgment.

"Iroha, what do you think about those second-year senpais?" Ayase asked in a hushed voice, "I heard that Hayama-senpai from the second year has a gentle personality and is very handsome! The whole class has been talking about him lately."

"Hmph... The truly attractive senpais have already been snatched up." Iroha said with a hint of resentment.

Her mind was filled with thoughts of that golden bowl of fried rice.

And Daiki-senpai's looks were top-tier too. Of course, what mattered wasn't his appearance, but his cooking... er, his inner qualities!

Sigh! Day one of pining for senpai.

Kirino and Ayase exchanged knowing glances.

"Iroha, it sounds like you know a second-year senpai." Ayase probed gently.

"Well... I do know one, but he has a girlfriend."

"Ah, I see."

Ayase and Kirino nodded, suddenly understanding Iroha's mood.

The three girls moved on to other topics, not lingering on the subject.

As the day progressed, classes at Sōbu High School came to an end.

| Sorry, the chauffeur picked us up today. Miku says she'll accompany Daiki-kun tomorrow. |

Reading Itsuki's message, Daiki wasn't bothered. He pocketed his phone and faced the obstacle before him.

[ UNDER REPAIR, ROAD CLOSED! ]

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T/N: If you want more chapters like this, check out my Patreon! Take a look at my other translations too, you might like them!

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