Kei Karuizawa

!!!!

Kei's expression changed in an instant. She shot to her feet, shaking her head and waving her hands, looking utterly flustered.

"N-no, no... Y-you, you, you... what kind of joke is that? How could I possibly..."

Katsuya Shinjo said nothing. He just watched Kei, whose reaction was even more intense than he'd expected.

The room fell into an inexplicable silence. Perhaps unable to take the immense psychological pressure any longer, Kei said goodbye and rushed for the door like a student racing to the cafeteria as soon as the bell rang.

"Well, I thought you might've played some kind of prank on a classmate before... Sorry about that."

"Huh? Me?"

Kei stopped in her tracks. She slowly turned around and saw that Shinjo really did seem to be bowing in apology for misunderstanding her.

"Actually... you don't have to apologize... I'm the one who asked a weird question today. Um, sorry about that. It's getting late, so I should go."

"But I can't just let that go. I was the one who said the wrong thing, after all. Here..."

Shinjo looked over his prizes several times before finally settling on the caramel pudding he'd planned to have as an appetizer. He placed it in Kei's hands.

"Take this as an apology gift. It's not worth much, but I really do think it's a little treasure. I was too forward. Sorry."

Kei stared at the pudding in her hands for a moment. Then, no longer so flustered, she awkwardly scratched her cheek.

"W-well, all right. But don't joke like that again, okay? Goodbye..."

"Oh, see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

With that, Kei waved goodbye to Shinjo.

"It hurts a little to give it up, but I got a pretty incredible secret out of it... That's fine. She is a beautiful girl, after all."

Sweets = work (reward) > secrets > unimportant sweets > trouble > beautiful girls

That was Katsuya Shinjo's usual code of conduct.

Since Kei wasn't the one bullying others, she must have been the one getting bullied.

"Speaking of which, school bullying... It's a disgusting problem all over the world. People who strike at the weak just to amuse themselves, then don't dare make a peep when they run into someone stronger... They're truly despicable."

Meanwhile, back in her dorm room, Kei placed the pudding on her bedside table and stared at it for a long while...

Who knew what she was thinking.

Over the next half month, Kei and Shinjo found more and more to talk about. Thanks to his natural gift for listening, he could keep any conversation going.

They even started joking around with each other whenever they got the chance, and Kei eventually began inviting Shinjo to eat with her in the cafeteria.

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

Kei had gotten along well with the gyaru girls in her class, and the two she was closest to were named Matsushita and Sato.

"Huh? What could I possibly be hiding from you?"

Kei looked a little lost at her close friend's question. She couldn't think of anything she'd done.

Sato gave a displeased snort.

"Hmph. Don't play dumb. Do you even consider us your friends?!"

Matsushita, beside her, stared at Kei as if she were about to devour her whole.

Kei was badly startled. She did have a secret, but there was no way she could tell them about that!

"W-what are you talking about?"

"Still playing dumb? Have you been having problems with Hirata lately?"

"Hirata? Why are you bringing him up?"

Kei was startled at first, then puzzled.

She had considered asking Hirata to pretend to date her, so she could rely on his standing in the class to protect her.

After all, she was a parasite who couldn't survive without relying on someone else. Hirata was so kind, and his standing in the class was so high that he'd naturally become her first choice.

But she hadn't taken any action yet. She and Yosuke Hirata could be called good friends, but nothing more.

"Heh. You've hardly been spending time with Hirata lately, have you? Instead, you're always laughing and chatting with Shinjo. Kei, don't tell me you've changed your mind?!"

The girls of Sakura Island had a habit—or perhaps a tradition.

They would tell their close friends who they planned to pursue. Once someone made that declaration, the others weren't allowed to pursue that person.

Otherwise, they'd be considered traitors who had betrayed their friendship!

So, in order to have someone to rely on, Kei had indeed told her friends she planned to pursue Yosuke Hirata.

"Huh? Well..."

Kei realized she was in trouble. If Sato hadn't reminded her, she might have forgotten about it entirely.

For some reason, she always felt that Yosuke Hirata might not be able to protect her enough, even though his standing in the class was high.

Shinjo Katsuya, on the other hand, didn't stand out in class, but he was kind, and he and Kei had similar fates. He also seemed pretty physically strong, given that he could hold his own against Koenji.

So... what should have been a one-answer question had suddenly become a choice between two.

Perhaps noticing her friend's hesitation, Matsushita, who had been quiet until then, gently patted Kei on the shoulder.

"So, between Hirata and Shinjo, which one's more your type?"

"I..."

Matsushita and Sato exchanged a glance, then both sighed.

"Never mind. We're just worried about you. Since you haven't made up your mind, take some time to think it over. Just... if you like someone, be brave about it~"

"W-what are you two talking about... Be brave or whatever..."

Generally speaking, Kei's outward persona (let's call her Surface Kei) was that of a gyaru, so theoretically she should have had plenty of boyfriends.

But Inner Kei was actually an innocent girl who'd suffered bullying, so she'd never had anything to do with romance.

"Come on, Kei. Whoever you decide to pursue, we'll support you!"

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

"Friends... Right, good friends..."

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

Although Kei acted tough, Sato and Matsushita both knew perfectly well that she was clearly the type who was all bark and no bite.

So teasing her had become one of the great joys of their daily lives.

The two girls looked at each other and, in perfect unison, broke into knowing, gossipy smiles.