Little Angel Kikyo-chan

"Come out here, you coward."

"I'm not coming out. If you've got the guts, come hit me, idiot."

"Ayanokoji, move." Suzune glared at the two of them, her expression growing increasingly irritated.

But Ayanokoji didn't move.

He had clearly made his choice.

Go on, Ayanokoji. Show Suzune what you're really capable of.

"Fine, then I'll teach both of you a lesson!"

However, just then, the loudspeaker blared:

"First-year students, sorry for the wait. Next, representatives from the clubs will begin introducing their organizations. I'm Tachibana, the Student Council secretary, and I'll be hosting today's session. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The hall quieted down as well.

Knowing she couldn't cause any more trouble, Suzune glared resentfully at the two of them, then stopped trying to pick a fight.

Next came the introductions to the various clubs.

The clubs at this school were quite professional, and their standards were every bit as high as those of professional organizations.

Some of the more famous clubs had won plenty of national awards.

Most popular clubs were represented, such as kendo, baseball, go, and swimming.

After the clubs finished their introductions, it was the Student Council's turn.

The Student Council president was Suzune's older brother, Horikita Manabu.

He was around 170 centimeters tall, with neat, refreshing black hair and a pair of intellectual-looking black-rimmed glasses. Standing there with a composed air, he had yet to say a word, but Eito could already sense the indescribable power hidden beneath his unassuming exterior.

At this school, the Student Council president was generally someone near the top of the entire year in terms of ability.

And students who graduated from this school after serving as Student Council president went on to have considerable influence in society.

Eito noticed that from the moment Horikita Manabu stepped onto the stage, Suzune had kept her eyes fixed on him.

He had never seen her wear an expression like that before.

With her cold exterior cast aside, Suzune looked more like an ordinary girl as she gazed at him with a mix of anxiety, apprehension, unease, and a hint of hope.

So she had a cute side after all.

Eito liked cute things, so he stopped paying attention to the stage and stared intently at Suzune instead.

He hadn't really taken a close look at her since the start of the school year.

Only now, observing her from such a short distance, did he realize that Suzune truly was beautiful.

Her delicate, shapely nose and reddish-purple eyes stood out against her small, fair face, while her long black hair fell smoothly to her waist like a waterfall.

If she weren't so sharp-tongued, she'd probably be at least as popular in class as Karuizawa.

Of course, she couldn't hold a candle to Kikyo. Kikyo's greatest asset wasn't her appearance, but her thoughtfulness.

Before long, Suzune noticed him staring.

She shot him an angry look, stopped watching Horikita Manabu onstage, and turned to leave, looking a little disappointed.

He went straight after her.

Chapter 10: Little Angel Kikyo-chan

Whether in a game or in real life, tailing someone was a sophisticated and profound art.

A tail had to keep a certain distance—not so close that they'd be discovered, but not so far away that they'd lose track of their target.

Using cover and disguising oneself to avoid standing out were also essential.

As a beginner who had only just entered this line of work, Eito's first trial was tailing the beautiful girl in his class, his sharp-tongued classmate, Horikita Suzune.

It wasn't just a test of his skills; it was also a test of his mental fortitude.

As he watched her graceful figure up ahead and thought about what he was doing, he couldn't help feeling a strange restlessness inside.

With that feeling in his heart, he followed her all the way to his own dormitory.

Then he understood something.

Sometimes, not everything you did had a purpose.

"Yeah, I should head back."

The next morning.

To avoid running into Suzune and getting caught in another awkward situation like yesterday morning, he decided to get up half an hour earlier.

Then, while waiting for the elevator, he saw Suzune standing inside.

"...What a coincidence."

Suzune said, "I suspect you're doing this on purpose."

"How could I..."

"Um, are you coming too, Takeda?"

A soft, pleasant voice roused Eito from his thoughts. He looked toward the other side of the elevator.

"Kushida?"

Yes, the other person in the elevator was none other than the adorable Kushida.

"Um, I'll just—"

"Come with us," Suzune said, staring fixedly at him with a clear note of menace in her eyes.

"All right."

Once the elevator doors closed, Kikyo asked curiously:

"Are you and Horikita close, Takeda?"

"Not at all," Suzune replied firmly.

If they weren't close, why invite him along? Was she out of her mind?

That was what he thought, though he could more or less guess the reason. Maybe she disliked riding with Kikyo even more than she disliked riding with him.

Kikyo nodded, then lightly touched her chin with a finger and continued:

"You seem so close. Is Takeda pursuing you, Horikita?"

"I don't see how that has anything to do with you, Kushida." A hint of anger crept into Suzune's voice.

"Um..." Eito bravely spoke up. "Could you deny that first, before discussing whether it's any of your business? This puts me in an awkward position. People might get the wrong idea."

"Oh?" Suzune gave a mocking laugh. "So you're afraid of that kind of thing. Is it because you like this girl and don't want people to get the wrong idea? Heh."

"Really, Takeda? You like me?" Kikyo's eyes widened slightly as she gazed at him without blinking.

"Uh, I guess I don't dislike you."

"What? You got my hopes up for nothing. But I do like you quite a bit, Takeda."

Suzune sneered. "What's there to like about him? He's useless."

Kikyo said, "Huh? Didn't you know, Horikita? Takeda's pretty popular in our class. From what I've heard, at least two girls already have a crush on him."

"Oh, that's wonderful, Takeda," Suzune said. "Go and satisfy your animal urges already, so I don't have to feel sick looking at you."

"Uh..."

Eito was at a loss for words.

Was this girl crazy? Why did she keep insulting him? He hadn't even done anything.

Besides, something felt off.

Why was the elevator taking so long to arrive?

"Kushida, why aren't you pressing the button?"

"Oh, I forgot. Sorry, sorry~"

Kikyo stuck out her tongue apologetically.

She did that on purpose, didn't she?

The elevator reached the ground floor in no time.

Suzune didn't even glance at them. She simply left.

"Well, I'll be going too—"

"Wait."

Kikyo took hold of his arm and pleaded in a slightly fragile voice:

"Could you stay? If both of you abandon me, I think I'll..."

"...All right."

"Mm-hmm, thank you. Let's go~"

Kikyo skipped lightly out of the elevator, then turned back and smiled at him.

"Okay."

He followed her.

Even though he was wary of Kikyo, at that moment he could feel the girl's joy.

Perhaps that feeling was as fleeting as a white horse flashing past a gap in the wall, too elusive to grasp.

But perhaps it was precisely because it was so rare that it seemed all the more precious.

When he arrived at school that morning, he heard some people discussing something.

Besides the trio of idiots, their little group included a chubby boy.

He remembered the boy's name was Sotoyama Hideo, and his nickname was Professor.

Though he looked like an overweight shut-in, he was actually an expert in computer technology.

Eito only made out what they were talking about once he got closer.

They had swimming class that day, and Yamauchi and the others had asked Professor to rank the girls in their class by bust size.

Now they were taking bets on the rankings.

Each bet was worth a thousand points.

Hasebe currently had the highest odds at 1.8.

"Takeda, want to join in?" Yamauchi called to him cheerfully.

"...I think I'll pass."

When he realized it was swimming class that day, he suddenly thought of something that might happen.

The only girls he could ask for help were Kikyo and Sato.

Seeing that Sato's seat was empty, he secretly sent her a text.

Then, before long, it was time for swimming class.

After changing in the locker room, he headed toward the pool with Ayanokoji.

On the way, Ayanokoji said:

"You seem to be in pretty good shape... Have you been working out?"

"I'm not going to be happy hearing that from another guy."