Houtarou received a message from Kikyō.
During lunch break, before he even had a chance to eat, he was invited to the usual meeting place of the three.
From a distance, he could see a golden-haired little angel sitting there somewhat nervously.
Today, Kikyō was dressed like Arisu, wearing white knee-high socks that revealed a beautiful section of her calves.
Upon seeing him, she quickly composed herself and jogged lightly toward him. With her natural cuteness and nice figure, it felt awkward to watch her running.
Although they were quite familiar with each other by now, Houtarou still gentlemanly averted his gaze.
"What's going on?"
Kikyō hurriedly said, "Suzune has already started addressing the rumors today, but she still thinks I'm the mastermind behind it all. It's terrifying! As soon as she arrived at school, she pulled out a voice recorder right in front of me."
Oh. So you're intimidated by just a voice recorder?
"Has Horikita not arrived yet?" Houtarou asked.
"No." Kikyō said, "I invited her, but she said she'd come after lunch."
"I see, then we'll wait." Houtarou said, "We could get something to eat in the meantime."
Kikyō: "..."
"That's not the issue. The incriminating recording is in her hands, and I feel anxious until it's resolved. I can't eat a thing."
She even emphasized the last part.
But that just shows how easily she can be manipulated.
"Do you think Horikita is the type of person who would release your recording publicly?" Houtarou asked.
"Huh?"
"You don't understand her well enough yet. When she first got that recording, she made an agreement with you, so she won't use it for anything else. At most, she's just intimidating you. You can't deny that she has strong principles in certain areas.
Besides, I switched out her voice recorder last night. She's not the type who pays close attention to her personal items. So don't worry about her rashly releasing your recording."
Oh, I see. That's reassuring…
Wait a minute… You switched her recorder last night? So you were in her room?
Kikyō: "..."
"Then why didn't she notify me in advance about clearing her name? Why exclude me?"
Unlike her usual approach, Kikyō didn't put on a pitiful expression or grab his hands with both of hers while saying this.
Her mood was terrible, and she suspected Houtarou had built up resistance to such tactics, making them less effective.
Additionally, though this place was secluded, it wasn't completely private, preventing her from employing more dramatic methods.
"Do you still intend to target her?" Houtarou asked.
He hadn't told Kikyō because Suzune had just regained her composure, and facing this challenge would help her build confidence.
He had simply used this little devil as a tool.
But that was too harsh to say aloud, so Houtarou phrased it differently, expressing concern that Kikyō might target Suzune again.
"No way." Kikyō said, "She's the Student Council President's sister. I'm not bored enough to go after her again."
Since Houtarou had already seen through this, she didn't mind admitting it, despite the embarrassment.
She had backed down after learning Suzune was the Student Council President's sister. She had no desire to challenge Manabu.
"But Horikita-senpai will graduate this semester. You could still target her after that, couldn't you?" Houtarou said.
Kikyō: "..."
Indeed, having Suzune as the Student Council President's sister was intimidating.
But Manabu was a third-year senior who would be leaving soon — in just three or four months. He would graduate with the other third-years.
Then Suzune would be alone at school, without her brother's protection.
"So you're trying to warn and train me not to target Suzune through this method? I don't like it, but I won't target her again." Kikyō said, "Besides, what's dangerous for me now are the freshmen entering next year."
Did she interpret this situation as a test and training for her?
That's not it. But it's fine if she understands it that way. The truth would be too harsh.
Wait...
"I see." Houtarou suddenly said, interrupting her thoughts.
"Hmm?" Kikyō looked at him in confusion.
"I think I understand why the mastermind behind these rumors did this." Houtarou said.
"Mastermind?"
"You don't need to know about that." Houtarou said, "Let's go eat."
Kikyō: "... Alright."
She felt somewhat relieved knowing her recording wasn't in Suzune's possession, ready to be played at any moment.
This confirmed that Suzune's character was indeed trustworthy and reliable. Even in this situation, she hadn't considered making the recording public.
But it also showed that Suzune was too upright. This made Kikyō both envious and admiring. It was something she could never achieve herself.
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In the cafeteria.
Probably feeling grateful that Houtarou had protected her by switching Suzune's recorder, Kikyō went to get food for him.
A girl with purple hair and slender legs stared at Kikyō for several moments.
Then Masumi finished getting her food and returned to Arisu's booth. Since everyone had come to accept the practice of reserving seats, this booth was always kept available.
The little princess was sitting there.
"I ran into Oreki while getting food. He was with Kushida." Masumi reported, "And she was getting food for him."
"Oh…" Arisu maintained her sweet, cute demeanor, "As for Kushida, there's no need to worry. No matter how much she fawns over him, she's just a mistress. Nothing to be concerned about."
'Oh.' Masumi nodded slightly.
Since when did you become so magnanimous?
You were in such a bad mood when you heard about Houtarou dating Suzune. You even gave up sleeping in.
So, is this the kind of relationship Kikyō actually has with Houtarou?
I always thought Kikyō got his photos from Airi, but it seems she can get them herself in real life.
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After lunch, they returned to their usual spot.
This time, Houtarou arrived early.
"Regarding the rumors, Kushida is innocent." Houtarou said.
"Why?" Suzune asked, confused, "Didn't you say she was the mastermind?"
You just believed what he said?
This reasoning is actually quite touching. Although Suzune was undeniably straightforward in some ways, she sometimes said surprisingly romantic things.
Houtarou didn't want the relationship between these two to deteriorate further, so he helped Kikyō clear her name.
"Do you think you were in a state to think clearly at that time? I had to first reduce the difficulty of the problem — find someone to take the blame. Then let you calm down. But unfortunately, even after identifying Kushida as the mastermind, you still couldn't handle the situation in class properly."
"...Uh." Suzune couldn't respond.
Her performance during that period was indeed terrible.
In front of Suzune, Kikyō maintained her cute facade. Though she had appeared fearful and timid when alone with Houtarou, she kept her dignity intact when facing Suzune.
"Besides, I sent information to Oreki about you being targeted from the beginning. How else do you think he could have come to the classroom during lunch break?" Kikyō showed her phone messages to Suzune.
The chat timestamps and tip-offs were indeed from three days ago.
These messages proved she had kept the promise she made when caught at the Sports Festival. She had been assisting Suzune.
"But if you truly wanted to help me from the start, couldn't you have used your connections to stop those people from spreading rumors? That would have prevented this situation entirely." Suzune said.
"..." Kikyō couldn't deny this.
Because she had indeed harbored ulterior motives at the time.
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