After casually placing the documents on the table, Chika Fujiwara, having sensed something amiss, hurried over to Kaguya's side. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Kaguya-chan, your face looks so weird! What's going on?"
Chika tilted her head, brimming with inquisitive energy.
Shinomiya Kaguya swiftly composed her expression, reverting to her usual cool demeanor.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking about Student Council business."
"No way!"
Chika bluntly exposed the lie:
"Your expression just now was totally like…like…"
She made an exaggerated gesture:
"…like you just bit into a sour lemon!"
Kaguya's brow creased slightly.
"Fujiwara-san, please don't use such an odd comparison."
But Chika had already dragged a chair right next to Kaguya and sat down, her eyes shining like those of a detective on the hunt.
"Spill it, spill it! What's making our dear Council President so troubled?"
"Is it the upcoming tests? Some family issue? Or is it—"
She suddenly lowered her voice:
"A love problem?"
Kaguya's fingertips jerked slightly on the table.
That tiny movement did not escape Chika's noticing.
Love-radar: Activated!
"Ah-ha! It is about love, right?!"
Chika Fujiwara clapped her hands in excitement.
"Who is it? Who is it? C'mon, tell me, Kaguya-chan~"
"It's nothing like that!"
Kaguya's tone rose an octave higher than usual. Realizing she'd lost her composure, she cleared her throat softly.
"I only meant… a friend of mine is dealing with something."
Chika's eyes narrowed, a triumphant smile on her face.
"Oooh, a friend, is it? So, what kind of trouble is your friend facing?"
Kaguya turned her gaze away from Chika's inquisitive stare, letting her eyes rest on the cherry tree outside the window.
"She… She's quite concerned about a certain boy. But that boy is doing things that break school rules, and she isn't sure what to do."
"Breaking school rules, you say? Like what, specifically?"
Chika had gotten serious now, thinking there must be a juicy development.
"Well…"
Kaguya dropped her voice to a near whisper:
"…like how he has multiple…girlfriends."
"Huh?"
Chika's mouth fell open.
"He's some two-timing playboy? A scumbag?"
"Fu—Fujia—Chika…! That's—"
At Chika's blunt words, Kaguya's face flickered with alarm.
"But, well… she doesn't know why, yet whenever she sees that guy with other girls, she…feels uncomfortable."
Kaguya forced out those words, her ears already flushing red.
Chika's detective-like stare shifted to a calmer one. She gently took hold of Kaguya's hand.
"So your friend basically finds her heart stirred every time she spots this boy, yeah?"
"She can't help fixating on what he's doing, right?"
"And when she sees him getting close to other girls, she gets upset or even jealous?"
Kaguya froze.
Those questions struck her heart with pinpoint accuracy.
"I—I…like I said, it's my friend—"
She tried to clarify, but her voice faltered.
Then Chika's expression turned uncharacteristically solemn. She placed her hands firmly on Kaguya's shoulders.
"Kaguya-chan, from my expert analysis, there's only one explanation—"
Kaguya unknowingly held her breath.
"Your friend has fallen for that guy!"
Those words thundered through Kaguya's mind like a sudden lightning bolt.
She sprang to her feet, her chair scraping loudly across the floor.
"That's impossible!"
She practically shouted.
"My—my friend couldn't possibly love someone as frivolous as Rei Ao!"
Chika's face lit up in triumph.
"Aha! I didn't even mention who it was, but you just said Rei Ao's name yourself, Kaguya-chan~"
Kaguya's cheeks flared bright red. She frantically waved her hands.
"I—That's just—just an example—!"
"Kaguya-chan,"
Chika said gently but firmly,
"Admit it. Your friend is attracted to Rei Ao."
"All the symptoms match: heart pounding equals excitement, constant focus means she cares, being unsettled seeing him with other girls is jealousy."
"That is love!"
Kaguya felt faint. She had to grip the desk to stay upright.
Love…for Rei Ao?
That mysterious, yet shockingly womanizing Rei Ao?
"What do I do now…?"
She murmured, forgetting even to add "my friend" as a cover story.
Chika responded with a bright, encouraging smile.
"Obviously, you make Rei Ao see the error of his ways and come back from being such a playboy!"
"Bring back…?"
Kaguya repeated blankly, clearly confused.
Chika sighed, showing a rare glimpse of maturity.
"I never expected from what you said that Rei Ao might have so many girlfriends. But maybe it's not as bad as it looks."
"Anyway…"
She suddenly produced a hat, a pair of glasses, and a toy pipe from who-knew-where, arranging them as if playing the role of Sherlock Holmes.
"Kaguya-chan, let me, Detective Chika Fujiwara, investigate the truth about this suspect, Rei Ao!"
"Wait—Chika—!"
Before Kaguya could stop her, Chika had dashed out of the Student Council office, hollering:
"Kaguya-chan, leave your happiness to me!"
"Eh?"
Kaguya made to call her back, but it was already too late.
She'd wanted to say she already knew quite a bit about Rei Ao's reality, especially with the group chat's secrets, which Chika couldn't possibly uncover. But that unstoppable pink whirlwind had already gone, leaving the office door swinging in her wake.
~~~
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