Totzuka Yahiko

A classmate nudged Totzuka Yahiko with their elbow.

"Yahiko, a cute girl is looking for you."

Manabe Shiho stood at the doorway, fidgeting.

Totzuka stood up, his face flushing red.

He hadn't expected his spring to arrive, and it was with a very cute girl.

He eagerly walked out of the room, putting on a simple and honest expression.

"Miss, is there something you need from me?"

Manabe Shiho said, her face blushing.

"I have something to tell you. Can you come out with me for a bit?"

Manabe Shiho glanced at the people around them and said coquettishly.

"There are too many people here, I'm shy."

Totzuka Yahiko's cheeks were stained with an unnatural blush, and two wisps of hot air puffed from his nostrils.

"Okay! No problem!"

Totzuka Yahiko strode out of the room.

Many male students cast envious glances.

However, they wouldn't feel envious once they knew what happened later; they'd find it rather amusing.

Manabe Shiho lured him into that familiar Alley again.

The same old recipe, the same old routine.

Albert expertly lifted him up.

Ryuen Kakeru skillfully took his hand again and pressed it onto Manabe's other spare jacket.

Now, both of Manabe Shiho's spare jackets were unusable.

Ryuen Kakeru stated that he would compensate Manabe with two new jackets afterward before he would let it go.

Meanwhile, Akasaka Ryunosuke on the other side.

He was at home watching the contents of the memory card and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Hahahahaha! I never thought, I never thought Ryuen Kakeru, you would resort to such despicable tactics. I really didn't expect it."

Akasaka slammed the table, laughing so hard his stomach hurt.

But he had no intention of stopping this behavior. He already disliked Yamauchi, so this was a good chance to teach him a lesson.

However, he hadn't expected this.

After Sudo dropped out, the change was surprisingly significant.

From outright provocation, it had changed to using a honey trap.

This is truly... future events are becoming increasingly unpredictable.

Never mind, I'm hungry. I should go buy something to eat.

Akasaka stood up, preparing to go out and buy something to eat.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the released Totzuka Yahiko was lying on the ground, whimpering in pain.

It wasn't because he was beaten, but because his fragile ego was damaged...

"You're too shameless! Using a honey trap to frame me!!!"

Manabe, however, curled her lips in disdain.

"If you can fall for such a simple scheme, you're not exactly a good person yourself."

"Manabe-chan!"

"Don't call me that name! It's disgusting!"

Manabe stepped on Totzuka Yahiko's face with one foot, rubbing it forcefully.

Ryuen Kakeru let out a cold, disdainful snort.

"Stop playing around, Manabe. Next, you'll go seduce Akasaka Ryunosuke from Class D. That's the request from the person who provided the intel."

Manabe removed her foot with disgust.

"Why is it always me? Can't you just send Ibuki?"

"Besides, it's always me. It's easy for others to get suspicious, isn't it?"

Ryuen Kakeru thought about it seriously for a moment.

"You have a point. Honestly, you alone are indeed easy to suspect. Fine, let's send Ibuki instead."

"Huh?"

Ibuki Mio pointed to herself.

"You want me to seduce boys? You might as well ask me to go fight; that would be more satisfying."

"Are you going or not?" Ryuen asked impatiently.

"No!"

Ibuki crossed her arms, making her stance clear.

Just as Ryuen was about to force Ibuki to go, Shiina stopped him.

"Let me go."

Everyone was stunned and looked at Shiina with confusion.

A blush spread across Shiina's face, and she insisted, "I'll be careful and know my limits, so you don't have to worry."

The others relented.

Ryuen walked up to her, patted her shoulder, and said in a comforting tone, "Don't force yourself, Shiina."

"You're our strategist. If the situation isn't right, just give up. Don't force yourself to do things you don't want to do."

Shiina clutched the books Akasaka had given her tightly.

"I understand."

Manabe pouted in dissatisfaction. "Talk about favoritism. You've never been this gentle with me."

Manabe kicked the nearby trash can again, a habit everyone was used to.

Shiina shouldered the responsibility, putting herself at risk. She headed to a place Akasaka frequented, preparing to stake out a spot.

Meanwhile, Akasaka had just come out of the supermarket, carrying two plastic bags, clearly having bought a lot of things.

Just as he was about to head back to the dormitory, he saw Shiina waiting on a nearby chair for a long time.

Shiina held the books Akasaka had given her and greeted him with a smile.

"Good day, Akasaka."

I also picked up my plastic bags and walked over.

"Good day, Shiina. What are you doing here?"

Shiina patted the chair beside her. "Won't you sit down and chat with me?"

"Then I'll trouble you..." Akasaka sat down beside Shiina.

Shiina's eyes lit up as she handed the book over.

"I've finished the first and second volumes of 5 Centimeters Per Second that you showed me. When will you release the third volume?"

This was Shiina's true purpose.

As a seasoned bookworm, she couldn't stand a cliffhanger at a crucial moment.

That's why she had eagerly invited him, all for the sake of asking Akasaka for the final volume.

The two had already become fellow book lovers.

Akasaka asked Shiina to check the book's content and see if it was up to par.

If it passed, she would then use her connections to submit it.

After all, her Father owned shares in a publishing house, so it was a connection worth using.

Shiina was also happy to do so.

After all, she could read the book's content in advance.

The two immediately hit it off, forming a friendly relationship as fellow book lovers and a cooperative partnership.

Shiina would check the book's quality, then hand it over to the publishing house under her Father's management for contract submission.

Akasaka could also earn extra income through Shiina's connections. It was a win-win situation, beneficial to both of them.

Shiina fulfilled her desire to read.

Akasaka, on the other hand, could earn extra income.

Ryuen Kakeru and the others, who were secretly watching from the side, felt increasingly uneasy.

Seeing how happy Shiina looked, which didn't seem fake, they also realized the problem.

Ibuki Mio spoke up, looking somewhat suspicious.

"Why do I feel like Shiina seems really happy?"

"Could this person be her old flame?"

Everyone else fell silent, also sensing something was off.

It was obvious that Shiina's relationship with that guy was unusual, otherwise, she wouldn't be chatting and laughing with him so freely.

Ryuen Kakeru's molars were about to shatter.

He had never seen Shiina this happy in front of him before.

Who was that Dick Hair?

Watching Shiina chatting animatedly with the other person, she had completely forgotten the plan Ryuen Kakeru had arranged for her earlier.

Ryuen Kakeru stroked his chin, thinking to himself, [It looks like the plan will need to be revised...]