The direct approach beats a tsundere

Juuzou Suzuya and the other two boys had to return to the Academy dorms, while Amahane Byakuya and the Yasuhisa sisters were heading home.

They therefore took different subway trains.

Amahane Byakuya was now on the same train as Kurona Yasuhisa and Nashiro Yasuhisa.

The three sat in the same row, with Nashiro Yasuhisa at the far left, followed by Kurona Yasuhisa and then Amahane Byakuya.

Since it was the evening rush hour, the train was packed, and the three of them had to squeeze together.

Amahane Byakuya was sitting right up against Kurona Yasuhisa, but he also shielded her and Nashiro Yasuhisa from the strangers on his other side.

Feeling her shoulder pressed against Amahane Byakuya's, Kurona Yasuhisa tensed slightly.

Still, something else was weighing on her mind: Hajime Iba.

But with Nashiro right beside her, she felt too embarrassed to bring it up with Amahane Byakuya.

If Kurona Yasuhisa had known that Hajime Iba was actually a boy, she probably would not have been so troubled.

A little while later, however, Kurona Yasuhisa got her chance.

Apparently tired after several hours of field training in the 24th Ward, Nashiro Yasuhisa leaned against Kurona Yasuhisa's shoulder and gradually fell asleep.

Once Kurona Yasuhisa was sure Nashiro was fast asleep, she asked Amahane Byakuya, "Speaking of which, you seem pretty close to that little kid named Hajime, don't you? You haven't even known him for a day, and you're already calling him by his first name."

At that, Amahane Byakuya immediately turned to look at Kurona Yasuhisa.

Seeing how bothered she looked, Amahane Byakuya seemed to understand something.

This... was obviously a little jealousy, wasn't it?

At the same time, the system suddenly stirred.

[Ding! The host has triggered a mission. God-Tier Choice activated!]

[Option one: Tell Kurona Yasuhisa that Hajime Iba is actually a boy, and do nothing else. Reward: 1 Fusion Point!]

[Option two: A new low in emotional intelligence-mock Kurona Yasuhisa for being unable to tell boys from girls. Reward: 10 Fusion Points!]

[Option three: Ask Kurona Yasuhisa directly whether she is jealous. Reward: 20 Fusion Points!]

Naturally, Amahane Byakuya had no reason to hesitate over these three options.

Instead of explaining Hajime Iba's actual gender first, he asked Kurona Yasuhisa directly, "Could it be... you're jealous?"

[Ding! The host has completed option three and received a reward: 20 Fusion Points!]

"Ah..."

Kurona Yasuhisa froze for a moment before abruptly snapping out of it. "Th-that's impossible!"

Her flustered denial and the faint blush on her face all but gave her away.

Still, she remained stubborn. She quickly calmed down and even took a jab at Amahane Byakuya. "I never realized you were so full of yourself."

Having seen through everything, Amahane Byakuya merely smiled. He had no intention of calling Kurona Yasuhisa out just yet.

"Actually, you've had one thing wrong from the start. That kid named Hajime Iba isn't a girl. He's a boy."

Only then did Amahane Byakuya point out Kurona Yasuhisa's misunderstanding.

"Huh? You're saying... wait, he's a boy?"

Kurona Yasuhisa sounded startled.

"Yes. He really does look like a cute girl, but he's actually a boy."

Amahane Byakuya repeated his explanation.

"...All right."

Kurona Yasuhisa truly had not expected someone with those looks to be a boy.

Still, she immediately felt much more at ease and stopped worrying about Hajime Iba's relationship with Amahane Byakuya.

"But if you'd like me to call you by your first name too, I'd be happy to."

Amahane Byakuya continued.

"Who said I wanted that? Rather, if you wanted to, I suppose I could reluctantly agree."

Kurona Yasuhisa immediately shot back.

"Great. Since you've agreed, I'll call you Kurona from now on."

Amahane Byakuya smiled and said plainly, "That'll also make it easier to distinguish you from the other Yasuhisa."

By "the other Yasuhisa," he naturally meant Nashiro Yasuhisa.

As the saying went, the direct approach beat a tsundere. Amahane Byakuya's straightforward words settled the match outright.

Kurona Yasuhisa froze, her face instantly flushing red.

"O-okay..."

Of course, Kurona Yasuhisa did not dislike Amahane Byakuya calling her by her first name, so she nodded in acceptance despite her embarrassment.

By then, Kurona Yasuhisa and Nashiro Yasuhisa were almost at their stop.

Nashiro Yasuhisa happened to wake up on her own, rubbing her eyes and realizing they were nearly there.

"This is our stop. We'll be going now."

When the train stopped and the doors opened, Kurona Yasuhisa said that to Amahane Byakuya before leaving.

"Sure. Bye, Kurona. Bye to you too, Yasuhisa."

Without Nashiro Yasuhisa's permission, Amahane Byakuya naturally would not call her by her first name.

"Bye!"

Kurona Yasuhisa immediately took Nashiro's hand and hurried away without looking back.

Having Amahane Byakuya call her by her first name in front of Nashiro was already awkward and embarrassing enough.

If he said anything more, she would not be able to take it.

Still groggy from waking up, Nashiro Yasuhisa had not yet registered how Amahane Byakuya had addressed her and Kurona.

Only when the train pulled away did Nashiro Yasuhisa suddenly realize something seemed off.

"Kurona, did he just call you 'Kurona'?"

Nashiro Yasuhisa immediately asked.

"Mm..."

Unable to deny it, Kurona Yasuhisa nodded.

She did not deliberately offer any explanation, either. Explaining too much could easily make Nashiro mistakenly believe that Amahane Byakuya really was that full of himself.

"It looks like you didn't mind, Kurona?"

Nashiro Yasuhisa was a little surprised.

He had called Kurona by her first name. Normally, she should have pushed back, yet she had shown no resistance at all.

What was going on with Kurona?

She felt as though her sister had become someone she barely recognized.

"I-it's fine, I guess. He did save me, after all."

Kurona Yasuhisa had already used that excuse twice.

"Kurona... I really feel like you've been acting a little strange today. Can you tell me what's going on?"

Nashiro Yasuhisa sounded worried.

Hearing that, Kurona Yasuhisa's eyes immediately filled with conflict.

She hesitated over whether to tell Nashiro about those things. After all, saying them aloud would be terribly embarrassing.

After thinking it over at length, she finally made up her mind.

"Nashiro, I think... I might have feelings for him..."