The July campus was already getting hot, and the blazing midday sun was enough to make anyone want to flee.
It was another weekend. Inside one of the small KTV rooms, Tennoji Kaede was enjoying the air conditioning.
"Ibuki, pour me a glass of iced cola... And turn the air conditioning down a little more. It's hot outside, and she'll be able to cool off when she gets here."
"Are you disabled?" Ibuki Mio filled her own glass and silently took a sip.
Sigh. Kaede shook his head. He really didn't have the makings of a boss like Ryuen...
Shiina Hiyori, sitting on his right, had already gotten up and started unscrewing the bottle cap.
"Uh, I'll do it, I'll do it! It's just pouring a drink. How could I trouble you with something so small, Hiyori~"
Ibuki snorted and turned away. Hiyori smiled and sat back down, watching Kaede fill all three glasses.
"What's the deal with that girl from Class D?"
Kaede took a refreshing gulp of his cold drink and closed his eyes, savoring the chill before replying, "She's Sakura Airi from Class D. At least remember her name."
"She accidentally stumbled on my meeting with Ryuen last weekend. Fortunately, I stepped in, or it could've turned into a big mess."
Ibuki's expression darkened. It seemed she still had a major grudge against Ryuen.
"So?" Hiyori asked. "You didn't ask us here today just to change clothes, did you?"
Hiyori was sharp, there was no denying it.
The moment Tennoji Kaede took out Sakura's damaged uniform, she'd realized it belonged to a girl.
"I'm thinking of inviting her to join the Tennoji Group... Hear me out first. Of course, this is completely different from the situation with our classmates."
Hiyori and Mio both gave him skeptical looks. Kaede's explanation was hard to understand.
"What exactly are you planning, Kaede?" Hiyori wondered. Romance is out of the question. Is he trying to plant a spy in Class D? That doesn't seem right, either...
"Don't overthink it. Just do as I say later, and gradually build a genuine friendship with Sakura."
The KTV room door opened, and Sakura Airi slipped inside, still wearing her red-framed glasses and carrying a small bag.
"Um, hello, Shiina from Class C, Ibuki, and Tennoji."
Sakura was so stiff and nervous, anyone who didn't know better would have thought she was there for a job interview.
"Don't be so formal. It's really hot outside, so I'm sorry to make you come all this way. Please, have a seat," Kaede said politely.
"O-okay... Um, I took Tennoji Kaede's jacket to the dry cleaner."
"I haven't touched it since that day! Here it is. Thank you, Tennoji."
Sakura held up the jacket she'd taken out of her bag with both hands. It was neatly folded inside a garment bag.
Ibuki and Hiyori exchanged a silent glance. Sakura really did seem terrified whenever there were strangers around.
Ibuki even thought of a girl in Class C who was a lot like Sakura: Morofuji Rika, who was also timid around other people.
But according to Tennoji, Sakura had a completely different side to her?
After seeing her in person, Ibuki had become genuinely curious about Airi.
Kaede calmly took his jacket and smiled. "Thanks. You could've just returned it as it was."
He then took out a new jacket in Sakura's size, which he'd had Hiyori buy for her with points. He was returning the favor, in a way.
"Uh, this is a brand-new uniform, isn't it? Isn't this too much, Tennoji? I'll pay you back for that 10,000 points from before..."
Kaede hurriedly cut her off. "You can keep those points, Sakura. No need to bring up paying me back. Besides, Shiina used her points to buy this uniform for you. If you want to thank anyone, thank her."
Of course, he'd actually paid for it himself. A whole uniform only cost 10,000 points, and this was just a jacket.
"I see..." Sakura stole a few glances at Shiina's white hair and violet eyes, and felt an almost holy radiance emanating from her. She stood up and bowed. "Thank you so much, Shiina."
Hiyori stood and returned her bow, then sat back down. "Just call me Hiyori. I'll call you by your first name, too. Is it all right if I call you Airi?"
"Ah, sure... Hiyori."
As Sakura said Shiina's first name, she felt a strange emotion welling up inside her, something between happiness and excitement.
After all, this was the first time since enrolling that she'd used the first name of another girl her age. It meant their relationship might be able to grow closer.
Hiyori gave her a sweet smile, and Kaede made a subtle gesture.
"Airi, there's something embarrassing I want to ask you... It might be an invasion of your privacy, but I really want to know the answer. Would you mind if I asked you something?"
Hiyori's eyes sparkled, as if she were looking at someone she admired.
Little Hiyori... This doesn't look like an act!
Kaede wondered if things were really going according to their agreed-upon plan... He decided to wait and see.
"Huh? Oh? Sure... What do you want to ask, Hiyori?"
Sakura seemed completely overwhelmed by Hiyori's sudden enthusiasm.
Actually, even Kaede had never seen her like this.
"Then I'll ask... I'm a fan of Little Airi! Can I call you Little Shizuku?"
The ultimate fan confession!
Kaede couldn't help wanting to applaud. He'd never seen Hiyori like this before!
"Ehhh~~~!!!"
Sakura Airi let out the most agonized scream she'd made since arriving at this school!
Little Shizuku? Was she talking about the "Little Shizuku" Sakura knew?
Her body trembled now and then as she looked toward Tennoji Kaede.
Could it be... Tennoji, who's seen every photo on my camera, figured out who I really am?
When Sakura met Kaede's eyes, she dismissed the possibility from the bottom of her heart.
He looked completely clueless!
At some point, Hiyori had moved to Airi's side. While Airi was still stunned, Hiyori clasped both hands around her left hand.
Her eyes shone with radiant light, and her face was full of delight. "Did I get it wrong? Is Sakura not the famous gravure model, Little Shizuku?"
"N-no, I am—No, no, I'm not Little Shizuku, but Little Shizuku isn't me either..." Sakura Airi fell into a muddle.
Ibuki finally jumped in, reading her line in a flat voice. "Oh, right, I remember now~ Airi, you're the 'Little Shizuku' from that fashion magazine the school sold last week, aren't you?"
Sakura Airi: "Huh?"
"I bought that magazine to use as a makeup reference~"
Ibuki stepped forward too, and Sakura Airi found herself caught between the two of them.
Ibuki's acting was pretty terrible, but she wasn't making things up. She really did have a habit of buying magazines.
She only looked at them, though. The makeup part was total bluff. It was way too difficult for her, and she couldn't understand it.
Ibuki and Hiyori, one on either side of her, soon led the three girls over to the other side of the room.
Now it was up to their social skills...
While they were distracted, Kaede quietly slipped out of the room.
After taking care of one small matter, Kaede urgently needed to find another shady spot to cool off.
He arrived at a wooded park, where he witnessed an astonishing sight.
A stoic girl with neat purple-blue twin tails and a refined, gentle face.
At that moment, she was holding a slowly melting cone of ice cream in each hand, standing perfectly still beneath the shade of a large tree.
Hm?
Was she... meditating with her eyes closed?
Before you continue