Reina had brought two people with her.
However, none of them were familiar faces.
These past two days, Arisa seemed to be completely focused on her boyfriend, and her communication with this 'Shirakawa High School Young Lady' had become much less frequent.
As Hayato was observing Reina with his peripheral vision, the latter was also watching him.
Aside from the two of them, Akane and Anshi, of course, also saw the Young Lady.
And these two were well aware of the animosity between Hayato and Reina.
In contrast, the two gyaru Reina brought seemed unaware of that past, still stretching and chatting:
"Wow, I didn't expect the weather on the rooftop to be so nice~~"
"Hmm, and it's cleaner than I imagined… There are even flowers and plants growing over there, I wonder which club's masterpiece it is…"
"Haha, there are other people here~ Hello, meow Oh, oh? Are you playing guitar and singing? That's amazing, but don't mind us, meow~~"
And Reina, from beginning to end, said nothing except for one click of her tongue.
One of them found Reina's silence a bit strange, so she asked,
"Hm? What's wrong, Reina-chan?"
Reina then withdrew her gaze from Hayato.
As she withdrew, she intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Akane… Tsk, it was Akane after all.
Although Reina held herself in high regard, she had to admit that compared to Akane, whether in appearance or figure, she didn't gain any advantage… What could surpass her was probably only her more beautiful makeup and prominent family background.
"Let's go sit over there." Reina imperiously pointed to a nearby spot.
She didn't want to be with Hayato… In fact, it would be best not to meet him at all.
But she couldn't leave immediately now; if she were to leave first, she would always have the illusion of losing a competition.
He pursued me unsuccessfully. Reina, while stroking her shoulder-length golden hair, thought to herself, why should I be afraid? Why should I avoid him? It's ridiculous.
Anshi even felt a stomach ache.
Why the hell does he always run into these kinds of situations? First, Ryoka asking about whereabouts, then Akane peeking, and now it's directly Akane and Reina going for a royal battle, winner takes all?
Akane secretly looked at Reina, sighing in her heart… Reina, she truly lives up to her reputation for beauty, and she possesses a unique noble aura.
She nervously rubbed the ends of her hair with her fingers, no wonder he had confessed to her before.
Then she tugged at Hayato's sleeve:
"I'm full, let's go."
She didn't want to stay here anymore; she was a little afraid of Reina.
And she also didn't want Hayato to feel awkward.
Unexpectedly, among the three, the most composed was the very person in question. His hand trembled, and the guitar strings produced a beautiful, wave-like melody.
"You don't want to listen anymore?" he asked.
"N-no, it's just…" Akane quickly glanced at Reina with her peripheral vision.
Hayato smiled and said softly, "Don't be afraid, the rooftop isn't theirs."
Saying that, he gestured for Anshi to carefully observe his posture while holding the guitar, as well as his fingerwork.
His slender fingers moved nimbly twice, and a youthful yet slightly melancholic and poignant melody sounded again, and Hayato began to sing along:
—Unbeknownst to me, spring has already arrived
For me, who has no one to even hold hands and walk with,
That spring breeze is truly sweet.
Everyone else besides me
Is falling in love, singing a spring song~~~
The cool, indifferent tune was truly captivating. Not only Akane, but even Anshi was listening intently.
And after the lyrics reached this point, Anshi almost shed two noodle-wide tears… Hayato, I'm done with you! Are these lyrics you can sing out loud?
Are you perhaps looking down on this old man!?
Just then, a spring breeze blew, carrying a few green leaves and the moist fragrance of soil.
The guitar and singing drifted melodiously with the wind.
Reina glanced sideways.
She saw Akane staring blankly at Hayato's profile.
From her perspective, his eyelashes were long, his nose bridge was high, his dark eyebrows were like swords entering his temples, his thin lips opened and closed, his Adam's apple rolled up and down with them, and his jawline was almost perfect.
Although his complexion was pale, it added a beauty called 'frailty' to him.
The subtle upward curve of his lips gave him a unique youthful spirit.
As the song entered her ears, Reina's heart inexplicably trembled.
"Hey, hey, does our school have such a handsome guy?"
"He sings so well."
"Yeah, yeah, is the person next to him his girlfriend?"
"Probably… Should we go ask later, hehe? If not, how about we try to get a head start?"
"Handsome and talented guys are rare."
As the two gyaru beside her whispered and giggled, one of them nudged Reina's shoulder:
"Reina, why don't you go ask him for his contact information? If you make a move, it'll definitely be a success."
Reina rolled her eyes: "Are you in heat!?"
The gyaru was slightly stunned. She flinched, scared, not knowing why Reina was suddenly so angry…
Her asking that guy for his phone number!? Huh? Would such a ridiculous thing ever happen in the world!? Reina's teeth felt itchy. It's just playing a little guitar and singing a couple of songs, what else can he do besides tricking naive young girls!? The man I'm looking for is much more amazing than him—
But Reina's anger didn't stop the two gyaru from continuing to look over there. Reina, in the middle of the two, could distinctly feel an atmosphere of infatuated pink bubbles rising uncontrollably.
"…Tsk." Reina clicked her tongue again.
She really couldn't sit still anymore and stood up, wanting to leave.
But then she heard that Hayato's song had just ended.
He returned the guitar to Anshi, then stood up and patted his butt: "Alright, I've played and sung, let's go."
Akane was still immersed in it. Upon hearing this, she awoke as if from a dream. She nodded: "Oh…"
Then, as she stood up, she almost sat back down, whether from her legs being numb or something else, but Hayato pulled her up just in time.
"Don't forget your things, and take your trash with you." Hayato instructed, then stuffed the newly opened milk carton plastic bag into his pocket.
The three tidied up a bit and then left the rooftop.
From playing the guitar to tidying up and leaving, Hayato didn't glance at Reina once from beginning to end.
Reina almost crushed the plastic soda bottle because of this.
That bastard didn't care about her at all, and here she was agonizing for so long, what the hell!!
She cursed herself in her heart.