Utaha makes her move

The next day, Monday.

At the subway entrance.

Luo Shu carried a plastic bag as he followed Utaha Kasumigaoka, holding the ticket she had just bought him and a 220-yen rice ball from the convenience store.

Incidentally, the bag contained a 1,080-yen pork cutlet bento, two bottles of fresh milk at 170 yen each, and a 220-yen tuna salad, though the salad and one of the bottles of milk were actually Utaha Kasumigaoka's lunch.

"I was far too naive to expect homemade breakfast and lunch bentos."

Hearing Luo Shu's words, Utaha Kasumigaoka, who was walking ahead, turned her head slightly and said with a smile:

"Please don't have unreasonable expectations of modern Japanese women's cooking skills."

"But doesn't your school have home economics classes?" Luo Shu offered a feeble protest.

Utaha Kasumigaoka turned away from Luo Shu, her schoolbag swinging behind her:

"Skipping class is an honor student's privilege, Luo Shu."

"..." Hearing that, Luo Shu felt keenly that this island nation's education system had failed, then followed Utaha Kasumigaoka into the subway.

Their destination was Toyogasaki Academy, a renowned private high school in Chiyoda Ward. The subway ride took half an hour, followed by a fifteen-minute walk. Thanks to classes in Japan starting at eight thirty, leaving at seven gave them plenty of time.

Before boarding, however, Luo Shu looked through the train windows at the nearly packed carriage and marveled at the Eastern Capital's bustle. Then he stepped past Utaha Kasumigaoka and moved ahead of her.

His sudden move in front of her puzzled Utaha Kasumigaoka, but once Luo Shu squeezed out enough standing room for one person beside the window, she understood.

"Protecting a girl you met less than twenty-four hours ago... there really is something wrong with you, isn't there?"

Looking at Utaha Kasumigaoka facing him with her back against the carriage wall and amusement in her eyes, Luo Shu couldn't help sighing. He understood that she was getting back at him for saying last night that she trusted people too easily.

"If you want some creep to grope you, just say so."

Hearing Luo Shu's complaint, Utaha Kasumigaoka curled her lips and teased:

"Compared to those men who can hardly wait to put both hands on the straps, I think you're rather more dangerous."

At that, Luo Shu instinctively turned to look, only to discover that every man in the carriage had both hands raised to grip the overhead straps. He even saw quite a few balding middle-aged men holding their briefcases between their teeth just to keep both hands on the straps, while doing everything they could to avoid the girls in the carriage.

"This..." Luo Shu was a little stunned. What happened to all those Japanese train gropers I'd heard about? Something wasn't right here.

Just then, Utaha Kasumigaoka said softly, "If a girl cries sexual harassment in a train carriage, the police assume the man is guilty, you know."

As she spoke, Utaha Kasumigaoka slid a finger across Luo Shu's wrist.

At that unexpected touch, Luo Shu's expression slowly went blank.

Before Luo Shu's mood could sour, however, Utaha Kasumigaoka suddenly said, "Want my phone?"

Luo Shu paused at those words, looking in confusion at Utaha Kasumigaoka as she offered him her phone.

Then Utaha Kasumigaoka suddenly said, "If you change my contact name for you on Line to something more intimate, you'll have an excuse even if the police take you away."

"Huh?" Luo Shu froze, looking awkwardly at the phone screen she held out. Seeing "Luo Shu" at the very top of the interface, he asked in disbelief:

"Miss Utaha, you didn't hit your head when you got up this morning, did you?"

"No, I just wanted to remind you to look to the right side of the carriage," Utaha Kasumigaoka said casually.

Luo Shu turned to look and discovered a girl in a Toyogasaki Academy uniform in the right side of the carriage, holding up her phone and pointing it at them.

As Luo Shu looked over, he happened to catch the white light flashing by the phone's camera.

In Japan, phones were set to flash whenever they took pictures... Remembering that, Luo Shu couldn't help frowning.

Just then, Utaha Kasumigaoka said calmly, "That girl is thinking, Now I've got something to talk about with my friends today."

Hearing that, Luo Shu raised his eyebrows. "You used the Mind Reading ability you awakened?"

"Yes." Utaha Kasumigaoka raised a hand and rubbed between her eyebrows, then said with a hint of frustration, "I just tested Mind Reading."

"Judging by what I've seen so far, I can keep Mind Reading active for about three minutes. While using it, I involuntarily pick up the thoughts of people around me. If I want to focus on a target, I need to 'lock on' visually."

At that point, Utaha Kasumigaoka paused and glanced at Luo Shu. "Incidentally, Mind Reading doesn't work on you, so there's no need to worry."

Luo Shu felt relieved at those words, but also remarked, "Still, is it really okay to let a girl from your school secretly take pictures of us like that?"

"It's nothing more than a little gossip. At worst, rumors will spread at school that we're dating."

Utaha Kasumigaoka closed her eyes and leaned against the wall to ease her mental strain, while also reminding him:

"Of course, if you don't mind being bothered by complete strangers, I wouldn't mind pretending to be your girlfriend."

"It's only been a day..."

Luo Shu muttered those words, then took Utaha Kasumigaoka's phone and added a

heart symbol to his contact name. Then he handed the phone back and asked:

"Speaking of which, how are you planning to get Eriri Sawamura to meet us?"

"I'm preparing for that. And since Sawamura often arrives just before class starts, I think this should be enough." Utaha Kasumigaoka smiled, opened her schoolbag, and took out a white envelope.

Seeing the letter, Luo Shu's expression turned strange.

The first floor of the classroom building at the private Toyogasaki Academy.

After pedaling frantically to finally reach school, Eriri Sawamura parked her bicycle and immediately rushed into the classroom building with bread between her teeth and her schoolbag in hand, heading over to the lockers where students kept their indoor shoes.

With a clack, Eriri opened her shoe locker, reached in to take out her shoes, and was about to turn away.

Just then, however, Eriri stared blankly at the white envelope that had come out with her shoes, her expression instantly turning resigned.

"Another love letter..."