But honestly, this was a place students frequently visited, so running into an acquaintance wasn't particularly strange.
This girl had a slender, low ponytail, and on either side of her face, two thin locks of hair fell gracefully past her chest, making it look like she had three ponytails altogether.
Her delicate, melon-seed-shaped face was very attractive—easily scoring a solid 90 points—and notably, she exuded an air of impeccable, exemplary student character.
Since she was one of Sumitomo Ryouta's childhood friends, she had to be one of the Four Heavenly Kings from Class Rep's childhood, probably the girl who went off to the girls' school.
Frankly speaking, she felt more like a class rep than the actual Class Rep did.
Unlike Anri Hitomi, who always wore a gentle smile, this girl had a far more serious expression—strict, disciplined… or rather, righteous?
Perhaps it was because of her neatly worn uniform and impeccably tidy appearance.
Even if she wasn't a class rep, she had to at least be something like a disciplinary committee member.
Although, when it came to chest size, she and Shiginomiya were basically in the same league—both solidly medium-sized.
What piqued Akira's interest most was her attitude. Clearly, she and Shiginomiya weren't just casual acquaintances, otherwise, she wouldn't have shown such astonishment upon seeing her.
But they probably weren't friends either, because friends wouldn't address each other by full name right away—doing that here was considered rude.
Realizing she'd inadvertently acted impolitely by calling Shiginomiya's full name directly, the girl quickly adjusted herself, lowered her head to apologize, and greeted again politely:
"My apologies… I was rude just now. Shiginomiya-san, it's been quite a while."
Shiginomiya also gave a small nod back.
"…Yes, it's been a long time, Saionji-san."
So, her surname's Saionji?
That surname alone immediately reminded Akira of a certain girl wielding a kitchen knife—the beginning and end of Makoto-kun's tragedy.
Right then, Sumitomo Ryouta took over smoothly, flexing his social skills by casually introducing this overly-serious childhood friend of his.
"Oh? You two already know each other? Wow, that's such a coincidence—we actually bumped into friends from the same school… Akira, let me introduce her, she's—"
Before Ryouta could finish, Saionji-san interrupted him calmly.
"Ryouta, let me introduce myself."
"Ah, y-yes, please…"
Ryouta instantly hunched down, respectfully gesturing to her with an obedient posture.
He seemed genuinely afraid of this Saionji-san.
Gently placing a hand over her chest, the girl introduced herself clearly:
"I am the current Student Council President of Shirayuri Girls' High School, Saionji Mao. Pleased to meet you."
So, the Student Council President—that fit her perfectly.
Shirayuri Girls' High was a prestigious all-girls school in the Chiyoda area with a famously high academic level, not far from Akira's own Hibiya High School. Male students in his class often joked around, openly fantasizing about dating girls from Shirayuri or even sneaking into the girls' bathrooms—typical outrageous teenage talk.
For teenage boys, girls-only schools were fantasy-filled places, especially with a suggestive name like "Shirayuri"—literally, "white lily," inevitably provoking imaginative daydreams.
After Saionji Mao's self-introduction, everyone else naturally introduced themselves as well.
"I'm Shiginomiya Shion."
"Hehe, I'm Tashiro Benika—your lovely older sister."
"Domo, Kuroba Akira desu."
When Ryouta heard the two girls accompanying Akira had different family names, his expression turned slightly anxious.
If she wasn't Akira's sister, could they be distant relatives? Please, let that be the case…
Because if not, Anri Hitomi's position could become really dangerous. This Shiginomiya-san was too powerful a threat.
Precisely because he himself had suffered a broken heart, Ryouta genuinely wished for the happiness of the girl he'd liked. He firmly believed Akira was the most suitable match for Hitomi, considering he'd never before seen Hitomi open her heart to a boy to this degree.
Sumitomo Ryouta had officially joined Team Akira x Hitomi.
But tragically, the crucial player—Hitomi herself—wasn't here right now… With that thought, Ryouta decided to step up as Akira's wingman and provide some support from the sidelines.
"Oh, right! Akira's actually really good friends with Hitomi now—he even joined her Literature Club! He's the only guy in that club, you know?"
You idiot, why'd you have to bring that up now?!
Akira rolled his eyes, itching to put Ryouta in a chokehold.
He'd purposely avoided mentioning school matters at home, mostly out of consideration for Shiginomiya's feelings. After all, she had sacrificed her student life and youthful freedom to follow her career path.
If hearing about school life stirred up her longing to return, it could severely delay or even completely ruin his entire plan.
Ryouta's casually dropped topic was like tossing a heavy stone into a calm lake, creating wave after wave of chaos beneath the surface.
Shiginomiya quickly picked up on the critical information, her mind immediately buzzing with questions:
Akira-kun joined the Literature Club?
Ah… So that's why he started writing novels—it was for club activities.
But most importantly—Hitomi.
That sounded like a girl's name. Apparently, she was a close friend of Akira-kun's.
This Sumitomo-san just said Akira was the only boy in the club… that meant Hitomi was definitely a girl.
Of course, it wasn't strange at all for Akira-kun to have female friends at school. Someone as talented as Akira-kun surely had lots of friends.
But… a close female friend… could easily become a lover, couldn't she?
Unlike her own relationship with Akira, there probably wasn't a monetary agreement between him and this other girl, so there wouldn't be any hesitation about dating.
…No!
I hate it—I hate it so much…!
I don't want Akira-kun dating anyone else… I don't ever want to see that…!
She'd just come to terms with how difficult her own romantic prospects were, and now this "bad news" sent her mood crashing even further, a hot jealousy rising from her stomach and burning through her chest. She suddenly felt tightness and discomfort.
"Oh? Kuroba-san, you're friends with Hitomi?"
Saionji Mao was slightly surprised as well, but even more shocking to her was the fact that Sumitomo Ryouta had openly shared this information.
She knew Ryouta had been secretly in love with Hitomi since childhood, and that Hitomi's departure had impacted him deeply—it was from that point on that Ryouta dyed his hair blond.
Knowing his personality, if Ryouta had confessed successfully and begun dating Hitomi, he surely would've proudly bragged to his childhood friends during this reunion, and tried repairing their bonds. Yet, he hadn't even mentioned Hitomi until now. That meant he hadn't confessed yet—or had confessed and been rejected.
Now, for him to casually reveal that Akira and Hitomi were good friends, and even subtly encourage their relationship…
Ryouta had clearly given up on Hitomi, and was instead rooting for Kuroba-san.
Precisely because she was a childhood friend, Saionji Mao understood Ryouta's mindset perfectly from just this small detail—and concluded Akira was someone trustworthy.
Smiling warmly, Saionji Mao extended her hand to Akira.
"Kuroba-san, thank you for becoming Hitomi's friend. Even though Hitomi chose to distance herself from us, I'm sure she had her reasons. For a gentle person like her, leaving her friends must've been painful. It's wonderful that she has a new friend like you."
"I didn't really do anything… but yes, Class Rep certainly has her own circumstances. I'm also grateful you still trust her."
Since it would be rude to leave her hand hanging, Akira politely shook it.
Shiginomiya stared intently at their joined hands, tightly pressing her lips together.
Only Tashiro Benika noticed her quietly simmering displeasure.
My, my… What strong vinegar this is—such a pungent smell of jealousy.
Akira-kun… Looks like your romantic luck is pretty strong this lifetime, huh?
But do be careful—don't let good luck turn into misfortune, alright?
---
T/N: its already over LMAOOO, shion is already turning crazy
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