What resolve do you have to say such a thing?

Watching her two good companions leave successfully, Karuizawa Kei felt a slight surge of joy in her heart.

She secretly sighed to herself that the plan was going quite smoothly.

But thinking of the next steps, Karuizawa Kei couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

If she were to tell Chihaya Rei directly right now that she had something important to ask for his help with, it would make him feel like her motives were too transparent.

Therefore, Karuizawa Kei decided it would be better to sing a couple more songs to set the stage...

She tried to put on a cute smile: "Chihaya-kun, let's keep singing then."

"Wait a second."

Chihaya Rei suddenly raised a hand to stop her.

"What's wrong?"

Karuizawa Kei blinked in confusion.

"You must have something you want to talk to me about, right? Just say it directly."

A slight arc appeared at the corners of Chihaya Rei's lips as he pointed it out bluntly.

Since the two irrelevant parties had already left.

And the singing had been enjoyed to the fullest.

Chihaya Rei felt there was no need to let Karuizawa Kei keep stalling.

Although he wasn't the type to prioritize efficiency above all else, he had always preferred to address issues in the most direct manner possible.

It was definitely not because he couldn't wait to find an opportunity to grill Karuizawa Kei!

"That... Chihaya-kun, you could tell?"

Hearing this, Karuizawa Kei's hand holding the microphone stiffened slightly, and as she looked up at Chihaya Rei, her voice carried a hint of involuntary embarrassment.

However, upon noticing that Chihaya Rei's expression remained calm and didn't look like he was angry.

Karuizawa Kei quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"I could tell."

Chihaya Rei gave a slight nod, twirling the microphone a few times with one hand, and said with a calm expression:

"Next time you all have a similar operation, you should rehearse a few more times in advance."

"When the actual operation takes place, don't exchange more than one glance or other small gestures between each other."

"Also, for the excuse to leave suddenly, arranging for a phone call to come in beforehand would be more effective."

He offered a very sincere critique of the three's minor flaws just now, then proceeded to give his own advice.

After all, their acting skills were far too amateurish in his eyes.

"..."

Karuizawa Kei blinked, feeling somewhat dazed.

He sounds so professional? Has Chihaya-kun undergone some kind of secret agent training?

"O-okay."

She nodded stiffly.

Perhaps because she and Chihaya Rei were the only ones left in the dim private room.

The frivolous, overbearing persona Karuizawa Kei usually displayed in class began to crumble, and her voice involuntarily grew a few decibels softer.

The air stagnated for a few seconds.

Seeing this, Chihaya Rei continued with a calm expression: "Don't worry, you invited me to the KTV, and I had quite a good time; that's the truth."

"I'm also curious about the topic you want to discuss."

"I will listen patiently."

Hearing this, Karuizawa Kei took a deep breath, as if she had finally made up her mind.

Chihaya-kun really is a good person, and someone with a lot of patience and a sense of justice, right?

Ever since the self-introductions on the first day of school, Karuizawa Kei had been paying attention to Chihaya Rei, and she had been secretly observing him throughout this past week.

Back when Sudo suddenly lashed out at Hirata with harsh words and the rest of the class remained silent.

Chihaya Rei had dared to stand up and confront Sudo, who looked like someone not to be trifled with.

This had left a very deep impression on Karuizawa Kei.

Hirata and Kushida often sought out Chihaya Rei to talk.

Even that cold-faced Horikita Suzune had interactions with him.

These facts indicated that Chihaya Rei held a high status in the class, and it stood to reason that he was a very easy person to get along with.

He was also very good-looking, which could be said to meet her criteria for a partner.

He had even played in a band and knew how to play various instruments.

Her figure was tall and well-proportioned. When she had leaned in close to Chihaya Rei while singing earlier, she could feel the powerful muscle definition hidden beneath his clothes; he must be incredibly strong in a fight.

If she were to become his girlfriend, and she ran into trouble...

Karuizawa Kei felt that Chihaya Rei was definitely the type of person who would be the first to stand up and unconditionally choose to help her.

He wasn't the type of pushover who would try to smooth things over for both sides.

Karuizawa Kei had also learned from the internet that people who played in bands almost always had messy relationships, meaning they were very open-minded.

Therefore, she judged that Chihaya Rei must also be interested in romance.

Although it was a bit narcissistic to evaluate herself this way, her external features were quite good: a pretty and cute face, a slender waist, and a great figure...

So, to Chihaya Rei, she should be attractive, right?

Karuizawa Kei clenched the fist resting on her thigh, bit her lip lightly, and finally spoke.

"Okay, then I'll say it."

"Mm."

Chihaya Rei gave a simple response.

"After I entered middle school, because of my appearance and my grades, I became a target for bullying by the people in my class..."

"I tried hard to resist at first, but it was completely useless..."

"They did many excessive things to me, I even suffered very serious injuries, and later I had to take a long leave of absence from school..."

Unconsciously, images of the various ways her classmates had bullied her in the past flooded Karuizawa Kei's mind.

This caused her voice to tremble slightly as she spoke of these things.

Chihaya Rei listened very intently.

Since Karuizawa Kei had chosen to tell him about her past.

Although he had already guessed that her purpose in doing so was to seek his help—or perhaps "protection" was a more fitting term.

Chihaya Rei felt that speaking about being bullied aloud took a great deal of courage.

In this regard, he admired her.

A moment later, Karuizawa Kei looked at Chihaya Rei with eyes slightly glistening with tears, her voice filled with pleading.

"So please, Chihaya-kun, could you pretend to be my boyfriend and protect me?"

"I won't cause you any trouble, and I'll listen to you in everything."

Karuizawa Kei leaned forward toward Chihaya Rei, her hands unconsciously gripping one of his wrists resting on his knee with force.

"Without you, if I don't become a parasite, I won't be able to survive in this school!"

"As long as you agree, I will do any—"

However, before Karuizawa Kei could finish that last sentence, she felt the gaze of Chihaya Rei, whose eyes were locked with hers, undergo a change.

Just as she paused slightly, Chihaya Rei interrupted her.

"As long as I agree, you will do anything, is that right?"

"Mm..."

Karuizawa Kei nodded subconsciously.

Yet, the next second, Chihaya Rei's voice grew a few degrees colder.

"What kind of resolve are you holding when you say things like that?"

Chihaya Rei's eyes narrowed slightly as the overhead neon lights swept across his face.

They illuminated his somewhat frigid expression, his gaze piercing into Karuizawa Kei's eyes from above, filled with a sense of scrutiny.

"You want to become my parasite to survive?"

"Karuizawa Kei, someone who devalues herself like this really makes me feel bored!"

Karuizawa Kei was stunned.

From Chihaya Rei's words, she could not feel much sympathy; instead, there was a deep sense of criticism toward her.

These merciless words reached Karuizawa Kei's ears.

It was as if a Sword of Damocles had descended heavily to pass judgment upon her.

It made it impossible for Karuizawa Kei to maintain her expression; her indigo pupils, once filled with hope, could not stop dilating, shifting into fear.

Her dry lips parted, but she could not utter a single syllable.

It's over.

A terrible thought surfaced in Karuizawa Kei's mind.

Her judgment of Chihaya Rei... had been wrong?