Foolish Couple / How to Tactfully Say I Want to Go to Your Room

"Send it to the next morning? The weather should be fine now."

"I'm going to eat breakfast with Arisu."

"... Sorry, we've never encountered this situation before, and we're afraid we can't help you with that."

Watching Ken Sudō and the others, who were displaying perfectly synchronized expressions of "Heh, so complicated, too bad I don't understand love" in front of him, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't help but chuckle. After all, he hadn't yet mentioned that he still had to support Shiina Hiyori and feed her regularly every day.

"By the way, speaking of Horikita, has anyone noticed that she's changed a bit lately?"

While waiting for the food to be served, Miyake Akito also took the initiative to talk about Horikita Suzune.

"Horikita? I don't know. My impression is that she's always busy with Student Council matters. She basically goes there every day after school. It seems like she's still working overtime to handle things even during the holidays. She looks exhausted."

Ken Sudō gulped down the hot water that had been brought in advance and casually remarked on what most of the students in Class A thought about Horikita Suzune.

That's why I didn't join any clubs.

Yamada Albert nodded in agreement and briefly expressed his opinion in Japanese, which was much more fluent than when school started. In fact, given his physical qualities and abilities, almost every sports club in ANHS would have been open to him unconditionally. However, he had never been interested in club activities, so he hadn't joined any of them.

"That's what they say, but I ran into Horikita on the street yesterday when I went out. She was actually talking to Sato from our class! Do you guys think something like that would have happened before?"

"Is that so? I remember Horikita only talked to you, Kitagawa, in class; she didn't really talk to the other boys and girls."

"Um, I need to correct something here. Although I often tease Suzune for being completely unsocial, her personality and interpersonal skills are actually quite good."

Upon hearing this, Kitagawa Ryo raised his hand to defend his own Suzune.

Actually, compared to the original version of Suzune, Kitagawa Ryo thinks that the current Suzune is definitely not the kind of person who is difficult to get along with. However, she does have a naturally Aloof face and a rather dignified temperament. In addition, she is indeed busy with Student Council work, so it is not surprising that she leaves such a general impression on her classmates.

"He's a gentle guy who will instinctively speak up for his girlfriend even when she's not around."

"Where did they learn such strange talk? I'm speechless."

Kitagawa Ryo gave Miyake Akito a slightly amused glare, then picked up his water glass and took a sip.

Through a few conversations with Sudo and the other two, he once again confirmed that in terms of popularity within the class, Suzune's base of support was significantly smaller than that of Sakayanagi Arisu- Arisu fan like Matsushita Chiaki to cheer her on, while Suzune, although she had begun to campaign for herself in a premeditated manner, had actually started much slower.

Before long, the dishes that each person had ordered were brought over by the waiter. The four boys were all big eaters, and they had been tired all morning, so they quickly finished their first serving.

Aside from Kitagawa Ryo, who needed to save room for her stomach, the three of them, still not satisfied, continued to place orders without stopping. Watching them earnestly studying the menu and enthusiastically recommending things to each other, Kitagawa Ryo relaxed and leaned back on the cushion behind her, stretching comfortably and preparing to close her eyes for a short rest.

But then, he felt a slight vibration coming from the glass next to him. The person standing there gently tapping on the glass window was none other than Horikita Suzune, whom he had just mentioned.

The other person was standing there straight, wearing a beige scarf that was made by the same person as his and naturally had the same style. When Kitagawa Ryo opened his eyes and noticed him, he subconsciously spoke up, but the glass in the restaurant was quite soundproof, so Kitagawa Ryo couldn't hear what the other person was saying at all.

But soon, Horikita Suzune came up with a solution.

She crouched down slightly, aligning her gaze with that of Kitagawa Ryo sitting inside. Then, she gently breathed in his direction, her warm breath quickly condensing into a layer of water vapor on the cool glass, blurring Kitagawa Ryo's vision inside the shop.

But then, he saw Suzune extend her right hand, place her slender index finger there, and begin to draw clear lines on the white mist with her fingertip until the clear characters appeared completely before Kitagawa Ryo's eyes:

"Come out."

The girl's purplish-red eyes were clear and bright in each stroke of the brush. Her long, flowing hair was lightly tied around her neck with a scarf, the front of which was slightly curved near her profile. Combined with the fluffy bangs on her forehead, the soft curves seemed to complement and support her delicate face.

Kitagawa Ryo felt his heart race involuntarily.

He once again deeply understood why the fireflies chose winter as the season for their Suzune.

Chapter 389: Silly Couple

"What a coincidence, what are you doing here today, Suzune?"

After greeting Ken Sudō and the others and explaining the situation, Kitagawa Ryo also left the restaurant and sat down side by side with Horikita Suzune on a bench next to the shop's passageway. In this shopping area, you could find such an area every few steps where customers could rest temporarily. Because it was winter, the school had specially installed soft cotton cushions and backrests, making it quite comfortable.

"I came here to buy some things, but I didn't expect to see that it was cold."

Horikita Suzune pointed to the shopping bag placed at her feet, which seemed to contain some ingredients or seasonings.

"Actually, I also bought two jackets, but it was too inconvenient to carry them around, so I asked the store to have them delivered to my dorm room."

As one of the top high schools in the country, Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, situated on an entire artificial island overseas, is larger than many universities in terms of area. To ensure students' quality of life and shopping experience, almost all shops in the Keyaki Mall offer home delivery services, so Kitagawa Ryo didn't pay much attention to it.

"Actually, there's no need to go to so much trouble. Just call me over. I'm strong enough to carry two bags for you, Suzune."

Upon hearing Kitagawa Ryo's unwavering response, Horikita Suzune's face revealed a satisfied smile, but she still unconsciously uttered a haughty remark:

"After all, Liang has felt like she's never had any time since winter break started. Before, I could spend time with Liang at lunchtime and when I went grocery shopping in the afternoon, but now she's nowhere to be seen... Hmm, is Liang eating the food I cook properly?"

"Well, I still managed to finish it all."

Faced with Horikita Suzune's 'accusation', Kitagawa Ryo himself was somewhat helpless. Even though he was a seasoned Time Management Master, there were still 24 hours in a day, and he couldn't conjure up one or two extra hours every day. Sometimes it was indeed difficult to take everyone's feelings into consideration.

"It's the same today. I was still thinking about this while I was eating with Sudo and the others inside, so I deliberately didn't order a second serving with them."

After Kitagawa Ryo gave her a brief explanation, Horikita Suzune's initial resentment dissipated considerably, and she readily and decisively apologized as well.

"... Well, I've been pretty busy lately too, so you can't entirely blame Liang."

As she spoke, Horikita Suzune reached out and touched the scarf Kitagawa Ryo was wearing around his neck:

"Because it was rushed out at the last minute, there wasn't much time to put much thought into the style and patterns, but it should be practical. What do you think, Liang?"

"It's so warm, I feel like I can't live without it all winter."

"Okay, that's good."

After receiving a satisfactory reply, Horikita Suzune breathed a sigh of relief.

"And it's even a matching pair with Suzune's."

After glancing at the scarf that Horikita Suzune was wearing, which was exactly the same style as hers, Kitagawa Ryo added this comment.

"Can this really be considered a couple's outfit? They're just the most basic styles, and the colors are so plain."

Horikita Suzune seemed to have some difficulty understanding this kind of knowledge. She looked down at her scarf with a puzzled expression, her tone somewhat doubtful.

"The so-called 'couple' outfits' are just clothes that make it obvious to everyone that the two people are a couple. And the fact that Suzune and I are dating is known to at least 70 or 80 percent of the students in the whole school. So, in reverse, no matter what style of clothes Suzune and I wear, it can be said to be a couple's outfit."

Seeing Horikita Suzune completely bewildered by his sophistry, Kitagawa Ryo smiled and leaned closer to her, whispering in her ear:

"Of course, there are actually better ways to make it immediately obvious that these are matching couple scarves."

"What?"

Horikita Suzune had just subconsciously muttered something under her breath when she immediately felt a lightness around her neck. The scarf that had been tied there had been untied and taken off by Kitagawa Ryo. Before she could even ask him a question, she saw Kitagawa Ryo take off his scarf on his own. Then she felt his hand, which had come around from behind and was resting on her other shoulder, exert a slight pressure, and her entire center of gravity shifted towards him. When she came to her senses, Horikita Suzune was already wrapped in the warmth of the same scarf, her head and face close to Kitagawa Ryo's.

"See, this way, everyone can immediately recognize them as a pair of silly lovers deeply in love."

"... Did you deliberately add the prefix 'idiot' because you already know that you look quite stupid from other people's perspectives?"

"Don't worry about that—come on, Suzune, look at the camera."

Faced with Kitagawa Ryo, who had already taken out his phone from his pocket and opened the camera mode, Horikita Suzune could only awkwardly pull her gaze back from unconsciously shifting away to observe the reactions of the people around them. However, in this close and intimate situation, even such a small movement of turning her face slightly could clearly make her feel the touch of the other's skin. Even without deliberately glancing at the camera screen, just by listening to the whispers of the other students passing by, Horikita Suzune could clearly realize that her face must be flushed.

Having found the right angle and focused, Kitagawa Ryo easily took a pretty perfect headshot of the two of them. Although his presence in daily life is almost zero, he does possess a mysterious 'photographer' talent that seems to belong on the set of <Kaguya-sama: Love Is Confessions>. Taking these kinds of everyday photos is quite easy for him.

"I sent it to Suzune; she can use it as wallpaper or profile picture without any problem."

After the little incident involving the scarf and the photo, the atmosphere between the two warmed up a bit. It's understandable, Suzune's personality is indeed a bit slow to warm up, but teasing her from time to time because of this is one of Kitagawa Ryo's daily pleasures.

It has to be said that standing head to head with your boyfriend in a crowded shopping mall, tying the same scarf like idiots, is quite a test of courage. After a while, Horikita Suzune felt that she could ignore other people's stares and comments. Her brain, which had been a little dizzy from embarrassment, gradually relaxed. She couldn't say anything and just stayed in that position, snuggling with Kitagawa Ryo for quite a while.

"... Does Ryo really think I can beat Arisu?"

A few minutes later, Kitagawa Ryo finally heard Horikita Suzune's question in his ear.

It can only be said that Sakayanagi Arisu had just asked him a similar question a few days ago. However, compared to the confident Arisu, Kitagawa Ryo could clearly feel that Suzune's confidence was slightly lacking. This was not because she was afraid of Sakayanagi Arisu before the battle, but mainly because there was an objective gap that did exist, and these gaps could not be bridged by simple determination and courage.

Therefore, when Horikita Suzune asked him this question, it wasn't like asking someone for courage in past simulations. What she actually wanted to hear was Kitagawa Ryo's opinion on the situation in Class A, from the perspective of an 'outsider' who had already transferred to another class.

However, instead of providing a clear analysis of who had the upper hand and who was at a disadvantage, Kitagawa Ryo gave a rather vague prediction about the future situation of Class A:

"Suzune and Arisu actually had the opportunity to become Leader of Class A, or rather, for a period of time, before both of you had become Leader once, the first so-called nomination was actually meaningless."

Kitagawa Ryo was very clear about Sakayanagi Arisu's personality. Moreover, in Karuizawa Kei's simulation, he had experienced a period of life in the East ANHS that was different from the real world line. In that world line, Arisu was not interfered with by others, but was assigned to Class A, which led to a situation where two factions were opposed in Class 1-A for a long time.

In fact, while Katsuragi Kohei was indeed an excellent student in all aspects, he was definitely not as good as Sakayanagi Arisu. However, Arisu was still willing to let him be the nominal Leader of Class A for quite some time, like a cat playing with a mouse, until the other party led Class A to a crushing defeat in the Uninhabited Island Special Exam before he was able to unify the whole situation without bloodshed and become the true Leader of Class A in the real sense.

In other words, Horikita Suzune is now somewhat like standing in the position corresponding to Katsuragi Kohei in that timeline. The outcome of her duel with Arisu can only be truly determined through an experiment called the Special Exam.

After all, the responsibility of a class Leader is to lead the class through Special Exam, earn Class Points, and advance to the next class. Only through this path can all students be truly convinced. Neither Sakayanagi Arisu nor Horikita Suzune would want to accept a class like Class 1-C, which appears calm on the surface but is actually rife with hidden agendas and undercurrents.

After listening to Kitagawa Ryo's somewhat ambiguous words, Horikita Suzune frowned and pondered for a moment before understanding his meaning:

"I see, I understand now."

Then, she spoke to Kitagawa Ryo about something that happened inside the Student Council:

"Next semester, the Student Council will be holding elections for vice president. If I can win, it will make things much easier for both my class activities and Liang's Drama Club."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded in agreement. Considering the timing, the promotion within the Student Council was indeed about to begin. After all, when they enrolled this April, the vice presidents were Miyabi Nagumo and Kiriyama Ikuto, who had just entered their second year. So, before the new students enroll next April, a new batch of vice presidents would indeed need to be selected from among their First Year students.

"Theoretically speaking, Katsuragi Arisu, and Ayanokoji from Class C all have a chance to participate in this vice president election. However, the latter two joined the Student Council too late; they only became Student Council members this October. They are not qualified enough in terms of either seniority or academic performance. Therefore, only Arisu and I should be qualified to compete."

At this point, Horikita Suzune sighed again, somewhat helplessly:

"Actually, based on the situation in previous years, there should be two vice presidents. For example, the vice presidents in the last term were Nagumo and Kiriyama- senpai. Generally speaking, they should be the most disliked competitors. After all, there can only be one president. Whoever wins the election, the other person will either be kicked out of the Student Council as a loser or step down as vice president and become an ordinary member."

"But Liang should be clear about their relationship, so after Nagumo was promoted to Student Council President, Kiriyama's position remained unchanged. This meant that what should have been two vacant vice president positions became one for our year. Otherwise, it would have been better if Arisu filled in together."

"Moreover, unlike the election model for the Student Council President, the appointment of the vice president is basically a direct promotion by the president. To put it more precisely, the president's preferences will have a significant weight in the actual election. Ryo is well aware that President Nagumo has been intentionally trying to curry Arisu for quite some time now."

Horikita Suzune was naturally unaware of the meaning behind Miyabi Nagumo's actions. She assumed it was because her brother, Horikita Manabu, and the other party had never gotten along, but her tone was still somewhat melancholy.

Actually, before Kitagawa Ryo transferred classes, she didn't have any particular opinion about the vice president position. After all, Nagumo was unlikely to promote her, the younger sister of the former Student Council President whose ideals were at odds with hers. Anyway, when the next Student Council President election came a year later, Nagumo's interference would be minimal, and then they could compete fairly.

But plans do not always go as expected. With Kitagawa Ryo and Ichinose Honami transferring to different classes, at this delicate juncture where she has to compete with Sakayanagi Arisu for class Leader, the position of Student Council vice president, which Horikita Suzune originally did not care about, has become a somewhat crucial bargaining chip, and has instead become something she cares about.

"Actually, there's no need to worry too much about this Suzune."

"Hmm? Does Ryo intend to help me?"

"That won't do. My philosophy regarding this showdown between you and Arisu is to remain neutral. However, besides me, there will be others helping you. After all, he doesn't want the scales of victory to tip in one direction too early. Or rather, for him, the longer this division within Class A lasts, the better."

No sooner had Kitagawa Ryo Horikita Suzune astutely guessed the name of the other person he was referring to.

"Ayanokoji?"

"Yes, he Nagumo have been in contact since the first semester. If he can figure out Nagumo's current mindset, he'll have the perfect excuse to use him indirectly."

At this point, Kitagawa Ryo smiled:

"After all, I've already demonstrated it to him once using the Ichika."

Without delving further into the topic, Kitagawa Ryo reached out and untied the scarf that resembled a red thread tied around his and Suzune's necks, gently retying it for them. He then put on his own scarf, took her hand, and stood up from the bench.

"Let's go, help Suzune carry those two coats she bought back."

"Of course, it would be even better if I could take a look in the changing room first."

Chapter 390: On how to politely express that I want to go to your room

A month-long winter vacation may not seem short, but as it goes by, it feels like the days slip through your fingers like sand, one by one. Especially after the new year ends and January begins, time seems to fly by. Looking back in a daze, less than half of the vacation is left.

Taking a sip of his hot drink, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia as he watched the bustling crowds outside the window. He glanced to the side and noticed that Horikita Manabu, the person who had invited him over for a short while, was also intently gazing out the window. The light from his glasses reflected off the windows, making it impossible for Kitagawa to discern what the Leader of Class 3-A and former Student Council President was thinking.

"Heave--all the food has been retrieved."

With two soft sounds, Tachibana Akane and Horikita Suzune, who had brought back their lunch for the four of them from the food counter with their receipts, carefully placed their trays on the table before pulling out chairs and sitting down. They quickly placed the food each person had ordered in front of them, along with the cutlery.

"Thank you, Suzune."

Taking the spoon and chopsticks from Horikita Suzune's hand, Kitagawa Ryo naturally thanked her. His future brother-in-law was indeed quite concerned about the progress of his relationship with Suzune. Almost every time he asked him to come out, he would make sure to bring Suzune along, emphasizing the need to create more time for the two of them to spend together.

However, such experiences will eventually become memories of the past. After all, with the arrival of the new year, the third-year students, including Horikita Manabu, will only have less than three months left at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School. They will officially graduate from here at the end of March, which is just over two months from now.

This was both their first winter and winter break at this school in First Year, and the other's last winter and winter break at this school in third grade.

Thinking about this, Kitagawa Ryo suddenly understood why his sister had said she didn't want to go to ANHS when she left school to celebrate Hotaru's birthday not long ago. After all, ANHS didn't have any rules or regulations related to repeating a year. Enduring two years of separation for a year of reunion was indeed a losing proposition.

"The main reason I invited you here today, Kitagawa, is to ask you about someone."

Perhaps it was because of the family precept of not speaking while eating or sleeping, or perhaps it was just a personal habit, but after finishing this lunch, which in a sense could be considered a family feast, Horikita Manabu took out a tissue to wipe the corner of his mouth and took the initiative to ask Kitagawa Ryo.

"Horikita-senpai is asking about Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, isn't he?"

Even after Kitagawa Ryo blurted out the name he wanted to ask, Horikita Manabu didn't show any surprise, simply nodding to confirm:

"It seems you really know him very well."

As he spoke, Horikita Manabu reached up and adjusted his glasses, which were perched on his nose, his gaze sharpening.

"Starting from winter break, or rather, even earlier, Ayanokoji has been interfering in various matters concerning the third-year students. If it was just minor interference at first, after the Sports Festival, it was as if he had suddenly gained complete control over the three lower-ranked third-year classes."

"Yeah, I don't know what's wrong with them. They seemed like they were going to accept the outcome and just lie low until graduation, but then they suddenly became very active again, constantly causing trouble for our Class A."

As soon as Horikita Manabu finished speaking, Tachibana Akane, who was sitting next to her, added a remark with some dissatisfaction, looking rather troubled.