Karuizawa Kei

!!!!

Karuizawa's expression changed in an instant. She stood up abruptly, shaking her head and waving her hands, appearing to have fallen into a state of extreme panic:

"No, no, no... you, you, you, what kind of joke are you making? How could I possibly..."

Shintō Katsuya didn't speak; he just watched Karuizawa, her reaction even more intense than he had imagined.

The entire room fell into an inexplicable silence. Perhaps unable to bear the immense psychological pressure any longer, Karuizawa said goodbye and, like a student rushing to the cafeteria the moment the bell rang, bolted toward the door.

"Well, I just thought you might have played some prank on a classmate before... My apologies."

"Eh? Me?"

Karuizawa's footsteps came to a sudden halt. She turned around slowly, discovering that Shintō seemed to be bowing in apology, genuinely believing he had misunderstood her.

"Actually... you don't need to apologize... I was the one who asked a strange question. Um, sorry about that. It's getting late, I should go."

"But that won't do. After all, I was the one who spoke out of turn. How about this..."

Shintō scanned his prizes several times before finally settling on the caramel pudding intended as an appetizer, thrusting it into Karuizawa's hands.

"Consider this my apology gift. It's not worth much, but I really do think it's a treasure. I was too abrupt, sorry."

Looking at the pudding in her hand, Karuizawa froze for a moment, then snapped out of her panicked state and scratched her cheek in embarrassment:

"Well, alright then. In the future, you aren't allowed to make jokes like that, okay? Goodbye..."

"Oh, see you tomorrow."

"Mm, see you tomorrow."

With that, Karuizawa waved her hand and said goodbye to Shintō.

"Although it stings a bit to give it up, I suppose I've obtained an incredible secret... Let it be, she's a beautiful girl, after all."

Sweets = Work (Reward) > Secrets > Less important sweets > Trouble > Beautiful girls.

This was Shintō Katsuya's consistent code of conduct.

Since Karuizawa wasn't the one doing the bullying, she must be the one being bullied.

"Come to think of it, school bullying... it's a disgusting phenomenon all over the world. Guys who draw their blades against the weak just to please themselves, yet don't dare to breathe a word when they encounter the strong—truly despicable..."

On the other side, having returned to her dormitory, Karuizawa placed the pudding on her nightstand and stared at it for a long time...

No one knew what she was actually thinking.

In the half-month that followed, the topics of conversation between Karuizawa and Shintō became much more frequent. Because the latter possessed an innate talent for listening, any topic could be kept going smoothly.

This allowed them to tease and joke with each other at any time, to the point where Karuizawa would even take the initiative to invite Shintō to eat at the cafeteria together.

"Hey, Megumi. Have you been hiding something from us lately?"

Karuizawa had integrated well with the gyaru group in class, and her closest friends were two girls named Matsushita and Satō.

"Ah? What could I possibly be hiding from you guys?"

Regarding her best friend's question, Karuizawa appeared somewhat bewildered; she didn't know what she had done.

Satō let out a huff of annoyance:

"Hmph, don't play dumb. Do you still consider us your best friends?!"

Matsushita, standing to the side, was also staring straight at her, as if she were about to swallow her whole.

This gave Karuizawa a massive shock. She did indeed have a secret, but how could she possibly tell them that?!

"You... what are you talking about?"

"Still playing dumb? Have you been having a falling out with Hirata-kun lately?"

"Hirata? Why is his name being brought up here?"

Karuizawa was startled at first, then shifted into confusion.

She had considered asking Hirata to be her fake boyfriend, intending to rely on his class status to protect herself.

After all, she was just a parasite who couldn't survive without relying on others, and since Hirata was so gentle and held such a high position in class, he naturally became her first choice.

However, she hadn't taken any action yet. She and Hirata Yōsuke could be called good friends, but that was as far as it went.

"Heh, you've rarely been interacting with Hirata-kun lately, have you? Instead, you're all smiles with Shintō-kun... Megumi, don't tell me, have you had a change of heart?!"

The girls of Sakurajima had a habit, or perhaps a tradition.

They would declare to their best friends who they intended to pursue, and if such a declaration was made, no one else was allowed to pursue that person.

Otherwise, they would be viewed as a traitor who betrayed the friendship!

Therefore, in order to find a host, Karuizawa had indeed told her best friends that she intended to pursue Hirata Yōsuke.

"Ah? This..."

Karuizawa cursed inwardly; if not for Satō's reminder, she would have almost forgotten about this matter entirely.

For some reason, she always felt that Hirata Yōsuke couldn't provide her with enough protection, even though he held a high status within the class.

On the contrary, Shintō Katsuya, while keeping a low profile in class, seemed gentle and shared a similar fate to her. Plus, his physical fitness appeared quite impressive—after all, he could hold his own against Kōenji.

And so... in an instant, what was originally a single-choice question had turned into a dilemma between two options.

Perhaps noticing that her close friend was feeling conflicted, Matsushita, who had been silent until now, gently patted Karuizawa on the shoulder.

"So, between Hirata-kun and Shintō-kun, which one is more to your taste?"

"I..."

After exchanging a glance, Matsushita and Satō both sighed.

"Forget it, we're just looking out for you. Since you haven't made up your mind yet, you should think it over properly. Just... if you like someone, be brave about it, okay?"

"You, you, you... what are you talking about... brave or not..."

Generally speaking, Karuizawa's outward persona (let's call her "Surface Karuizawa") was that of a gal, so theoretically, it would be normal for her to have had many boyfriends.

But in reality, the "Inner Karuizawa" was a pure-hearted girl who had suffered through bullying, so she had never even touched the concept of romance.

"Alright, Megumi, no matter who you decide to pursue, we'll support you!"

"Who said I liked him?! We're just friends, that's all!"

"Friends... sure, 'good' friends..."

"You guys!! I'm not talking to you anymore!!!"

Although Karuizawa acted quite tough, both Satō and Matsushita knew very well that she was clearly the type who was all bark and no bite.

Therefore, teasing her had become one of the great joys of their lives.

The two girls looked at each other and simultaneously broke into mischievous, knowing grins.