"Saori's leaving now. Seiya, aren't you going to cheer her on?"
On Saturday morning, the girl with a bamboo sword strapped to her back stood on the platform, gazing up at Shiratori Seiya with hopeful eyes. Her expression was pure pleading—like a puppy begging its owner for a treat.
Looking at her delicate appearance, Seiya felt nothing special. On one hand, he'd seen this look way too many times lately. On the other hand, he knew exactly how strong she really was.
Not only was he not worried—he actually felt a strange sense of disconnect.
During their last encounter (even if it was a misunderstanding), he'd been completely helpless against her. Like a lamb waiting for slaughter.
When a lion fights a fawn, nobody cheers for the lion, right?
Most people would probably feel bad for the fawn.
"I'll cheer when I get there."
Shiratori Seiya reached out and patted her head, comforting her like a well-trained protagonist.
"Okay~ Saori will wait for you!"
"…"
Seiya watched Saori board the train, and only after the last carriage disappeared from sight did he finally head toward the university.
He still had a third-period class today. In theory, he could find somewhere to crash or start self-studying.
But after thinking it over and checking the time, he changed direction and walked toward the classroom where Mio had her lecture.
It had been over a day since he last saw Mio. He wondered how well she'd pulled herself together.
She was only nineteen, after all. If she hadn't sorted out her feelings after more than a day… well, then it'd be his turn to play emotional support.
When he reached the classroom, there were still about three to five minutes before the bell.
It was a tiered lecture hall. Shiratori Seiya slipped in through the back door.
The moment he entered, he spotted Mio sitting in the front row, her books already laid out on the desk. She was laughing and chatting with the girl next to her like nothing had happened.
There were plenty of empty seats up front. He was about to walk forward when he noticed a bunch of people staring in his direction.
The chatter in the classroom immediately died down by a good few decibels.
As if receiving some secret signal, the girl next to Mio glanced his way. After a moment of surprise, she reached over and patted Mio's shoulder, jerking her chin backward.
Shiratori Seiya stood still. Their eyes met across an unknown number of classmates.
"…"
A few seconds later, Takahashi Mio snapped out of it. She turned her head, smiled, and said something to her friend, then picked up her books and backpack and walked toward him.
Clatter.
Mio set her books down in the third row from the back, by the window.
Her slender, pale hand patted the desk, signaling Seiya to come over.
She leaned against the window frame. This seat was five or six rows away from the podium. Even though it was a tiered classroom, the heads of the people in front only blocked about two rows of view. There were also some students behind, so chatting or scrolling on a phone wouldn't be too obvious.
Shiratori Seiya sat down next to her and turned to look at her profile.
Fragmented light from the treetops and window fell on the girl's shoulder. Her dark long hair had a coffee-like sheen—soft and smooth. Just looking at it made you want to reach out and touch it.
He pulled his gaze away and said softly:
"You picked a good spot."
"Obviously."
Hearing that, Takahashi Mio smiled proudly. Her soft waist arched slightly, revealing a graceful curve of her spine. She crossed her arms, rested her chest on the desk, squinted her eyes, and tilted her head to look at Seiya.
"This is the most comfortable sleeping spot. Last semester, I always sat in a place like this. The teacher couldn't do a thing about me~"
"But it still seems pretty noticeable."
Hearing that, Mio blinked and noticed the surrounding gazes subtly drifting their way. She responded with a half-smile, half-teasing tone:
"Well, isn't that because someone is way too conspicuous?"
Shiratori Seiya realized she had a point.
Japanese universities don't have fixed classes, but this was a core course for Mio. There were only about thirty people in this class. With half the semester already over, even if they weren't as close as in high school, most of them recognized each other's faces.
But Takahashi Mio clearly meant something else. She glanced at Seiya and continued:
"Someone here has two girlfriends. It caused quite a stir on the school forum back then. Someone even filmed a video…"
"But seeing photos online is never as good as seeing the real thing in person, right?"
"…"
Hearing the thick jealousy dripping from the girl's voice, Shiratori Seiya pulled a bottle of mineral water from his bag, took a swig, and stayed silent.
After receiving the Affection -1 notification, Mio's teasing voice came again:
"But… you still care about that, don't you?"
"Once I know the reason, there's nothing to care about."
Takahashi Mio nodded thoughtfully.
"Oh. Then… are you happy?"
"Why would I be happy?"
"Huh? Not happy? You've got two girlfriends! You have no idea—people are insanely jealous. Isn't this the kind of thing you guys use to flex?"
She paused, then a mischievous smile curled on Mio's lips.
"If they found out that a super-popular idol singer is also your girlfriend, and she's willing to risk her whole career for you… they'd probably be so mad they'd jump off the school roof."
Hearing that, Shiratori Seiya frowned.
Noticing his expression, Takahashi Mio's pupils shrank. She cleared her throat lightly.
"Cough, don't worry. I won't tell anyone."
"…"
Shiratori Seiya turned his head and stared seriously into her eyes.
"I've never felt happy about things like that."
Seeing his serious face, Mio's heart stirred. Her temper immediately softened, and her rosy lips curled upward.
"Oh."
She responded dryly, then continued talking to herself:
"Anyway, if it were me, with so many people revolving around me, I'd probably be over the moon…"
She paused, then sighed dramatically.
"Unlike now. I'm just a nominal girlfriend, and I have to face life-threatening danger every single day."
Ding-a-ling~
Just as she finished, the classroom bell rang.
Not wanting to dwell too much on this topic—and having more important things to ask Mio today—Shiratori Seiya lowered his voice and changed the subject.
"You seem to be in a good mood? Thought of a strategy to deal with everything?"
Hearing that, the smile on Takahashi Mio's face froze.
A few seconds later, she lowered her eyes, let out a small heh, propped her cheek with her hand, and stared at the desk.
"I've pretty much figured it out."
"How?"
"When you come home with me, just tell Dad that I owe you one billion yen. So I have to go act to earn money."
"…"
"What kind of terrible idea is that? How would you owe one billion yen? What if your dad asks for proof?"
"Then I'll write you an IOU right now."
Takahashi Mio said it, then suddenly burst out laughing.
She looked almost drunk. A blush spread across her pretty face, and her eyes shimmered with a hazy, damp gleam as she gazed at Shiratori.
She extended her slender, pale index finger and lightly tapped his chin with her pink fingertip.
"Anyway… you're not heartless."
"Hōjō doing all that made it so you couldn't let go. So if I do this… will you always remember me too?"