Stop Fighting, You Two!

Perhaps wishing Sirius a happy birthday had brought us a little closer. At least we no longer fought in class or reported each other when we ran into each other on our nighttime outings. James was delighted and often said it was the result of his "wise leadership."

Even Remus laughed when he heard that.

Our days spent in the library hadn't been wasted, though. James had finally found a name for our little group that matched what he had in mind: the "Marauders." Excitedly, he held up the book and pointed to the word "Maraudeurs." "In French, it means 'someone who roams around a place,' or someone who 'often causes trouble or plays pranks.' Don't you think it's perfect?"

"I agree." I poked my head out from behind my book and gave him an appreciative look. "James, you actually realize you're someone who often causes trouble and likes playing pranks. There's an old saying in China: 'Self-awareness is a virtue.' It looks like you're finally starting to resemble a human being."

Sirius laughed with delight. He put down his book and gave me an approving look. "Where do you even come up with so many insults?"

"Practice is the path to true knowledge," I said.

Sirius mulled over my words for a moment, then gave me [Sirius's affection -1]. The guy really was quick on the uptake.

And so the name Marauders was settled. On the very day we agreed on it, James and Sirius went out with their arms around each other's shoulders, shouting the name everywhere. That kind of behavior was just right for elementary school students and university students, but someone like me, stuck between the two, really couldn't get used to it. I was so embarrassed that I put on my hat and pretended to be a passerby.

"The Quidditch Match starts tomorrow!"

After we returned to the common room that evening, James dragged us into an alcove for a meeting in the name of the "Marauders' first meeting," then brought up Quidditch again. "Let's all go watch this time!"

I was just about to refuse when James looked over at me. "You'll have time, won't you, Merlin."

He didn't even put a question mark on it.

Under the circumstances, I really couldn't find an excuse to refuse, so I could only go with them to watch the Quidditch Match the next day.

I had quite liked Quidditch at first, but after I developed a fear of heights, I could only watch it from afar. Then, whenever I watched, I kept wondering things like, Doesn't sitting on a broom hurt? It looks like it would dig into your crotch. Riding that hard all day would definitely make walking uncomfortable. After a while, I stopped going to watch very often.

Seeing me walking along with my head down, deep in thought, James casually asked what I was thinking about, so I told him. He fell silent after hearing it. Just as I was starting to regret possibly shattering a young man's beautiful dreams of Quidditch, he put on an expression too profound for his age and said thoughtfully, "Love can stop the pain."

Honestly, I didn't particularly want to hear that kind of joke here.

It was already very cold outside today, but this was the first Quidditch Match of the new term, and a Gryffindor versus Slytherin match at that. By the time we arrived, the stands were packed. Lily and I sat toward the back, while James and the others squeezed in at the front-though I didn't think that little difference in distance would let them see much more.

Though we were sitting at the back, Lily's eyes remained fixed on the Bludger on the field. She looked so excited that her cheeks had turned red, and I couldn't resist reaching out to cup her face. So cold! I knew she hadn't put on an extra layer before going out!

"Lily, it's November already. You can't go around wearing just a shirt and a coat." I fussed at her as I pulled a scarf from my pocket and wrapped it around her neck. "Even if you were in a hurry to watch the Quidditch Match, you shouldn't have rushed like that."

"It's not like I like Quidditch." Lily tore her gaze away and tried to look indifferent. As it happened, Gryffindor scored just then, and thunderous cheers erupted around us. She wanted to watch but couldn't turn her head, which made her look quite anxious.

It was rare to see Lily being so unwilling to admit how she felt, and I had to try very hard not to laugh. Lily had always liked Quidditch, but since it was James's favorite sport, she always resisted showing that she liked it.

"A bunch of fools chasing a ball around. Don't you think it's stupid?"

An aisle away from us, Snape stood with his arms crossed, looking thoroughly displeased. He seemed to detest the lively atmosphere, though of course it might also have been because he was wearing even less than Lily, and his face had turned a little blue from the cold.

Can't they put on more clothes before going out? I felt deeply worried.

"Well, look who finally decided to slither out of the sewer."

Sirius, who was standing in front, had heard Snape. He glanced sideways and scrutinized Snape's shabby clothes with an extremely critical eye. "I heard someone fell off his broom in his very first Flying Class... Who was it again?"

It definitely wasn't me, because I hadn't gone at all. But hadn't Sirius missed it too?

"Still better than someone who didn't even go to class."

Sure enough, Snape attacked him on that point!

I silently pulled Lily two seats over. I'd meant to avoid the battlefield, but to my surprise, that one move instantly turned me into a live target. Sirius frowned, and his gaze shot out two bolts of lightning like that game with the girl who shoots lightning from her eyes, locking precisely onto me.

[Sirius's affection -5]

"Why are you running?" He looked at me the way a homeroom teacher would after catching me playing on my phone. "Or do you not want to listen?"

Honestly, I had no idea what he meant.

"Are you speaking a human language, sir?" I tactfully expressed my confusion.

[Sirius's affection -1]

Maybe I wasn't as tactful as I thought.

"I forgot, you can't get off the ground either." For some reason, Sirius suddenly turned on me. "It's only natural you'd feel that way."

Now I was a little annoyed. I hadn't offended him, so why was he suddenly acting crazy for no reason? Just as I was preparing to let loose, the system options slammed into my face.

[Sirius & Snape romance event triggered. Normal options temporarily hidden.]

[Sirius seems to have gotten into an argument with me because of Snape...]

[1. Reproach Sirius]

[2. Reproach Snape]

I'd forgotten Snape was one of the romance options in this game too...

"The esteemed Young Master Black really is exceptionally gifted. He could fly right away." I pointed at Sirius as I spoke. "He even had to carefully straighten his robes before getting on his broom. I never would have guessed you cared so much about your appearance." At the end, I imitated his smile. "Or were you trying to maintain your young master's dignity?"

I'd expected Sirius to dock me a huge amount of affection on the spot, but instead, he stared at me blankly for a moment, then turned around without a word and went back to watching Quidditch. He didn't even deduct any affection!

"Black has always been like that." Snape gave me an appreciative look. "I didn't expect you, a Mud..." Before Lily could look over, he changed his words as quickly as he could. "...someone who spends most of the time hanging around with them, to think that way."

"Severus, you weren't about to say a certain extremely rude word just now, were you?" Although he'd changed his words quickly, the word was uncommon enough that Lily had noticed. Her expression cooled, and her grip on my hand tightened a little.

"I..."

Before Snape could get his words out, the field erupted.

"Two hundred and ninety to two hundred and twenty! Slytherin wins!"

Snape was cut off and sat back down.

"They can't even win at such a stupid sport. I thought Gryffindors were all muscle and no brains, but it turns out they don't even have muscles anymore."

Sometimes I really admired Snape. Really.

How did he dare say something like that when we were surrounded by Gryffindor students? I couldn't understand it at all. Maybe geniuses just always thought a little differently from normal people.

In the end, the day concluded with Lily, Professor McGonagall, and me working together to rescue Snape from the crowd. At the same time, the whole of Gryffindor had fifty points deducted.

[Author's note]

★Hint★

Without making a payment, you cannot see exact affection values or receive notifications when affection increases. If someone's affection has already fallen below 100 but continues to decrease, it means their affection has actually increased a great deal without notification.

★Side quest reminder★

*Congratulations on joining the main storyline-[Marauders]

After joining the [Marauders] team, certain special events will trigger options to invite the entire team to participate.

*[Hidden route value] +1