Sakayanagi's Determination

Sakayanagi Arisu did not look pleased.

However, she obediently took the clothes brought by the attendant and went into the fitting room to change.

It was the so-called "Sakura-style maid outfit" that Makoto had picked out for her.

Although no one voiced their thoughts on it.

Neither Honami nor Kamuro could hide the excitement in their eyes.

Sakayanagi in a maid outfit...

It was... such a gap in her usual image!

The charm of that contrast struck deep into everyone's hearts.

A girl who usually appeared haughty and untouchable was now wearing a maid outfit...

Just thinking about it was incredibly exciting, wasn't it!

Makoto was also looking forward to it.

It seemed Sakayanagi had truly thrown caution to the wind.

With a calm expression, she appeared before the three of them wearing clothes she would never normally wear.

"How is it? Does it fit?"

"It... it fits perfectly!"

Kamuro let out an exclamation, and Makoto felt grateful for that.

Thank you, Kamuro! You helped say exactly what he wanted to say.

"What about you, Makoto? This was your recommendation, after all; it wouldn't be right if you didn't share your thoughts."

"Actually, I feel the same way as Kamuro."

"Is that so? Then I'll buy this outfit."

Sakayanagi chuckled softly and promptly paid for it with her private points.

"What do you think, Honami?"

Makoto passed the conversation over to Honami; if she could offer some input, his own pressure would be greatly relieved.

"It's great! As expected of Makoto's suggestion!"

In his memory, they were already that kind of relationship, right? Why did it feel like Honami was getting jealous...

"This is what you call a gap, a gap."

Kamuro interjected on her own accord.

"Seeing Sakayanagi actually wearing that outfit, for some reason, I feel really happy!"

It would probably be better not to say things like that in front of the person involved.

Seeing the murderous intent hidden in Sakayanagi's eyes, Makoto couldn't help but shiver.

Thank you, Kamuro!

You are a good person, and I will remember you forever!

At this moment, Honami whispered something into Kamuro's ear, then pulled Makoto aside.

"Listen here, Karuizawa is one thing, but what the hell is up with Sakayanagi! She has a congenital heart condition, you know."

"This isn't what you said before."

Indeed, Sakayanagi did not need anyone's charity, and she could never become a suitable wife in the future.

Her body simply could not withstand that kind of physical exertion.

"I just thought it would be fun."

Makoto spoke the truth; it was an irrefutable fact.

"I thought as much. Hahahaha..."

She had been holding back her laughter with great difficulty, and now she could finally let it out.

Honami laughed without restraint.

Unlike before, this time she had managed to hold it in while they were still on the scene.

Fortunately, Sakayanagi was not here right now; Kamuro had just taken on the responsibility of drawing the fire.

Respect.

"Classmate Sakayanagi, may I take a photo?"

After hearing Honami's laughter, Makoto returned to the clothing store.

"You dare?"

Sakayanagi still cared about her dignity, after all.

But Makoto's hand seemed to have a mind of its own, and he had already pressed the shutter button.

"Click—"

The sound of the camera shutter was jarringly loud inside the shop, and Sakayanagi cast a dangerous gaze at the phone in Makoto's hand.

"You wouldn't happen to be bullying a frail girl like me, would you?"

Because she couldn't exercise, Sakayanagi was unable to step forward and snatch the phone from Makoto's hand like a normal girl would.

"Not at all, I just want to keep this photo as a lifelong treasure. Is that alright, Classmate Sakayanagi?"

"You are not allowed to show it to anyone else!"

Sakayanagi threatened him fiercely, but she didn't tell Makoto to delete the photo, so it seemed she had tacitly accepted it.

"Definitely. Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know, and they know—no one else will ever find out."

Makoto began to ramble nonsense.

Not many people had seen Sakayanagi in the maid outfit just now, and even if they had, few would have recognized her.

But he feared that some bored person might spread the story, and one day he might hear a conversation like this on the street:

"Did you hear? Someone at the clothing store forced a loli to wear a maid outfit!"

"Really? The version I heard was that someone was harassing a female student there."

"You're both wrong. I was at the scene, and it was clearly someone holding a beauty pageant to pick a concubine. I'm so envious!"

Rumors were the kind of things that gradually became distorted.

Because the vast majority of people didn't know the parties involved at all, they were unable to make a clear judgment.

"It had better be that way."

Sakayanagi spoke softly.

"I have already fulfilled one of your requests; shouldn't you also fulfill our agreement?"

"Did I?"

Makoto tried to play dumb, but after seeing the murderous look in Sakayanagi's eyes, he immediately changed his tune.

"What do you want to know?"

"Do you mind taking a walk with me alone?"

Sakayanagi threw out the invitation, but her eyes were fixed on Honami.

Because she knew that if Honami didn't agree, it wouldn't matter even if Makoto did.

If Makoto knew what Sakayanagi was thinking, he would definitely refute it.

He could be quite firm when he wanted to be, alright?!

"It's no problem if it's Sakayanagi!"

"..."

"Although that is the answer I expected, I still feel quite annoyed. Do you know why?"

Sakayanagi shifted her gaze to Makoto.

"It's just your imagination, haha..."

Makoto laughed it off, deciding to try and muddle through.

"Forget it, follow me."

"Understood."

Makoto nodded obediently and followed Sakayanagi.

"You are quite something. You ran through all the clubs on the very day the opening ceremony ended; you really are diligent."

They arrived at a secluded corner; Makoto wouldn't have been surprised if a confession or something similar happened here.

The moment Sakayanagi spoke, she brought up something from a month ago, and the fact that Makoto had made her run a wasted trip still annoyed her.

Heaven knows how much damage the terrified expressions on those seniors' faces had caused her once they found out she was from Class A.

It was as if they had seen some kind of monster, and they refused to agree to her bet no matter what.

It was only under her persistent questioning that they finally revealed what had happened in the past.

"Because I believe that a moment of diligence can be exchanged for more comfort later."

Not knowing what else to say, Makoto chose this middle-of-the-road answer.

"Is that so? Not only in board games, but you are also a top-tier talent in combat. I can sometimes see you running on the track, so I assume track events are also your forte?"

"Perhaps I'm just a little bit stronger than you imagine?"

Makoto said weakly.

"But at the same time, you seem to be quite incompetent when it comes to girls, don't you? Wouldn't you agree, Makoto~"

Sakayanagi moved in front of Makoto, straining to open her eyes wide as she looked up at him.

Makoto felt awkward and averted his gaze.

"As I thought... I was right."

Sakayanagi increased the distance between them again, nodding as if she were very satisfied with Makoto's reaction just now.

"So, what exactly do you mean by a coincidence of fate?"

Unable to arrive at the answer on her own, she chose to flip the table, asking the question with blunt directness.

"That's a really broad question. Could you be a bit more specific?"

Makoto didn't want to answer such a vague question; it made him feel like a criminal being interrogated.

"The day school started should have been the first time we met, right? I always felt like you already knew me well back then, perfectly avoiding any possibility of me becoming interested in you."

"Subsequent developments have also confirmed my suspicions. From the very beginning, you called me... a 'cocky little brat.' Although I hate to admit it, there was some truth to what you said."

"So, where exactly did you get your information from?"

This was the point that concerned Sakayanagi the most. Information was the most important thing in the world; it was like a strong wind—with it, even a pig could stand upon it and fly.

"Sakayanagi, how would you rate your psychological resilience?"

Faced with Sakayanagi's inquiry, Makoto countered with a question of his own.

"Why are you bringing that into this?"