"And they're not just ordinary manga and light novel creators, you know.
Eriri draws incredibly beautiful girls—even if it's just a quiet scene, you can still feel the beauty of femininity radiating from her illustrations.
And Utaha? Her novels are romantic comedies," Yamauchi Sakura whispered with a grin.
"I saw the piece Eriri submitted and won an award for at that last convention," Megumi said. "It really was as dazzling as she is herself. But…"
She paused mid-sentence.
Kasumigaoka-senpai—that Kasumigaoka Utaha, the one who could reduce boys to tears just by rejecting their confessions—she wrote romcom light novels?
Yeah… ever since she met Hojou, the world had only gotten weirder and weirder.
After that emotional shock settled, Megumi finally remembered the other reason she'd come looking for Hojou Kyousuke.
"These are some magazines and forum threads I usually check," she said, pulling out two magazines from a white canvas tote printed with a simple blue smiley face.
"I figured no one here would really be into this kind of stuff, so I thought I'd bring them to share."
Each magazine had a soft green bookmark tab inserted. Sakura grabbed one casually—and then froze.
On the cover was Hojou Kyousuke, dressed in a crisp black suit, radiating poise and confidence.
His long, well-defined right hand was tugging at his collar as if about to loosen his shirt, the exposed cuff gleaming with polished silver cufflinks.
A chiseled Adam's apple, a long elegant neck, a razor-sharp jawline, eyes brimming with self-assurance—his masculine charm practically exploded off the cover.
Surrounding him in bold, hollow Gothic-style lettering:
————————————————————————
"Sixteen and boyishly charming?
Twenty-five and bursting with energy and confidence?
Thirty-five and the embodiment of success?
Hojou Kyousuke: The Man Who Transcends Time!"
————————————————————————
Only after this bold headline did the title of the magazine appear: donmem—a general-interest fashion magazine targeting a wide readership.
"Wow! Kyousuke looks amazing! Naoka, Naoka, isn't this the magazine you mentioned before?" Sakura called out excitedly, waving the issue in the air as Mikiko leaned over to take a look.
"What's the big deal? Didn't we already know this?" Ueno Naoka strolled over, wearing a blue T-shirt tucked into her tiny white shorts.
She bent forward, hands on her knees, joining Mikiko to peer at the magazine.
"Huh?" Megumi blinked in confusion.
"All of Kyousuke's suits for public appearances are custom-made by Naoka, you know~" Mitsuha added cheerfully.
"Wha—!?"
Megumi let out another surprised squeak.
She flipped to the bookmarked page, which detailed the suit's design concept and fabric choice.
At the end was the logo and name of the designer's private studio: Aoso—a blue stalk with golden wheat growing from it.
"That's…amazing" Megumi breathed in awe.
But her dark eyes were shimmering with a very complicated mix of emotions.
Someone who never overlooked her, who always considered what she wanted to eat even in a crowd of brilliant girls, someone who made her feel more seen and cherished than even her own parents…
Now appeared on the cover of a fashion magazine she'd bought faithfully for years.
And that striking two-page spread about his suit?
The designer was standing right beside her now—crouched like a cat waiting to be petted, her head nudging into Aunt Mikiko's palm with a blissful expression.
Everything just felt surreal.
"Eh, it's nothing special~ Kyousuke's the one who makes the clothes look good," Naoka said modestly.
Megumi gave a quiet nod. True enough.
"But Naoka," Mikiko asked, "why didn't you just put your name on it? Wouldn't that help your reputation?"
"Oh, well~ I've got my reasons."
Naoka giggled and brushed it off.
What fun was there in having Ueno Naoka as the credited designer?
What she really wanted… was to be remembered as Hojou Kyousuke's personal designer.
As long as he was in the spotlight, people would notice the suit first—and when they did, they'd be seeing her work.
If they thought "Wow, he looks good," they'd immediately think of Ueno Naoka!
"Actually, what I really wanted you all to see was this one…"
Megumi handed over the second magazine.
"Whoa! You read gossip magazines too?" Sakura squealed.
"It's just a totally normal magazine that most high school girls read," Megumi replied innocently, blinking.
"I'm not calling you 'Megumi' anymore—I'm calling you Mischief Queen," Sakura pouted, scrunching her nose.
"Huh? What's the big deal?" Megumi asked, tilting her head.
"I'm just a clueless country girl who doesn't read magazines. How would I know what's going on?"
"I was only explaining normally~"
"Ohhhh!"
Sakura gave a random dramatic reply as she flipped to the bookmarked page Megumi had marked.
The main headline read:
————————————————————————
[Heisei Flair: The Spirit of Traditional Japanese Men Lives on in Hojou Kyousuke!]
————————————————————————
The four kanji for Heisei Flair were ornate and dramatic.
The subheadline underneath was:
————————————————————————
"A Breakdown of the Gorgeous Women Who Appeared at Hojou Kyousuke's Awards Ceremony!"
————————————————————————
And below that… a string of photos.
The first picture showed Amamiya Miki, the event host, standing very close to Kyousuke—so close that his arm holding the trophy was practically pressed into her chest.
"Woooow~" gasped Sakura and the girls crowding behind her—Yukino, Miki, and the others.
"Wow, what an angle. Gossip magazines really do go all out," someone muttered.
You couldn't not notice.
The first thing anyone would see in that photo were Miki's generous curves—and Hojou's arm.
The next photo was of Kasumigaoka Utaha, dressed in an elegant black gown, standing onstage and gazing at Kyousuke with undeniable affection.
"Eh? That actually happened? I don't remember seeing that…" Mikiko murmured, puzzled.
The rest of the girls let out another chorus of gasps, clearly impressed by the photographer's timing.
Even Nishimiya Yuzuru's eyes were gleaming with admiration.
"Hey! Why am I blurred out!?" Sakura huffed in protest.
It wasn't just her—almost all the photos had blurred-out faces.
Only those two pictures were left untouched.
Yet underneath each blurred shot were lavish descriptions praising the "goddesses" who came to watch Kyousuke receive his award.
The editor even swore on the lives of the magazine's entire editorial team that these girls were the kind of beauties who'd get scouted on the street.
Not that they needed to say it—Megumi already knew it was true.
"That's for your own protection," Aunt Mikiko said with a laugh. "If they'd actually printed your photos, never mind Kyousuke—I'd send Ichirou to sue them into prison myself."
Sakura stuck her tongue out, but still pouted.
"What's the big deal? Kyousuke is me, and I am Kyousuke. If he ever gets arrested for illegal assembly, I'd be the one bailing him out! I don't care what page of the paper we end up on—we'll be on it together!"
"Don't say such nonsense! Think about the others too, will you?" Mikiko scolded gently, tapping her on the head.
"Hehe~ But I'm sure everyone else feels the same way, right? Right, Shouko? Mitsuha? Yukino? Miki? Naoka?"
With a smirk that said she had no regrets, Yamauchi Sakura called out names one by one—but her sharp golden gaze lingered on the only girl she didn't call: Katou Megumi.
'….Why are you looking at me like that? I don't have the money for bail, you know...'
The bob-haired girl flinched slightly under that bright yellow stare.
Her mind instantly leapt back to Sakura's earlier comment—and she couldn't help imagining herself as the one in trouble.
But then she came to her senses.
'Wait a sec... I wasn't even in that magazine article!'
Remaining calm, she quietly turned her gaze to Hojou Kasuko, who was happily sitting on the floor, play-boxing with Momotarou.
Everyone whose name had been called couldn't help but wonder inwardly—'Could I ever go as far as Yamauchi Sakura?'
And the answer, of course, was…
"I feel like if it ever came down to Hojou doing something like that… you'd probably beat him to the punch, Sakura," said Mitsuha Miyamizu, eyes narrowing meaningfully.
Her words were easy enough for everyone to understand—but only Sakura would catch the deeper meaning.
"Oooh~ That's scary. Spare me, Mitsuha~" Sakura grinned playfully. "I already heard from Eriri about what happened to Utaha yesterday. Even if I wanted to get ahead of Kyousuke, I doubt you'd let me."
She dropped the stare she had on Kato and joined the others in animatedly discussing the magazine's commentary.
Katou blinked in surprise.
Not a single person seemed to care that they were being subtly labeled as Hojou Kyousuke's "girlfriends."
"…Actually, the online buzz is even bigger."
Katou took out her phone and opened up Tokyo Yahoo.
"Whaaat?! You haven't even checked the internet today? Shame on you! Are you even a modern human?!"
Sakura gasped dramatically.
They'd been going nonstop all day—breakfast, tea parties, events—there hadn't been a single boring moment where she felt like pulling out her phone.
Everyone pulled out their phones in near-perfect unison, though each opened a different app—Yahoo, Twitter, Instagram, even Shizuka's LINE account.
Sakura herself was browsing a poll on the hpol forums—the very place Kisaki Tetta had once flooded with bots to promote Hojou Kyousuke's debut manga, which had crowned Hikigaya Hachiman as the "Hero of the Split Nose."
The site was notorious for its bizarre polls:
————————————————————————
"Which area has the whitest teeth?"
"Which school has the most dateable girls?"
————————————————————————
All in pursuit of data that pushed limits, the site had racked up massive traffic.
Even politicians used it to rally votes—though they were often viciously flamed by users.
Today's poll?
————————————————————————
"Who is Hojou Kyousuke's actual girlfriend (彼女)?"
————————————————————————
Looking closely, the poll had been created by the same account responsible for that tabloid Katou had shown earlier.
Even the photos were lifted straight from the magazine—complete with mosaics.
"Guys, check this out!" Sakura called out excitedly.
"What the heck? How is she in first place?!" Naoka muttered under her breath.
"Well, Utaha is the only one whose face wasn't blurred out," Yukino Yukari said with a smile, pulling up the same poll on her phone.
Without hesitation, she cast her vote—for herself.
Yes, sitting proudly at the top of the list was Kasumigaoka Utaha.
Her full profile was there too—her works, her publishing company, all of it.
Meanwhile, another girl whose face was only partially visible—a hostess MC—was ranked dead last.
Sure, if this was just about looks, she'd probably beat the mosaicked faces, but thanks to that tabloid's over-the-top promise that "the girls behind the mosaics are just as pretty as Utako-sensei," the votes had become a wild mess.
The comment section was even more chaotic. And when everyone scrolled down—they were startled to recognize some familiar usernames among the top-rated comments.
————————————————————————
[SpicyTeacher]: 'It's gotta be Mosaic #3! You guys don't understand.
That girl swings a single strike and everyone in the room hits their knees.
Having a girlfriend like that? That's literally the dream!
Although Kasumi Utako-sensei is terrifying too—she's like a boss-level threat. Offend either one and it's basically a nightmare." — Upvotes: 2,690
[Kyoko]: 'Nonsense! It's obviously Mosaic #1!
Ever heard of childhood friends?! If you saw how they act around each other, you wouldn't say something that stupid, you lonely loser!' — Upvotes: 3,301
[XXXX]: '…I don't really have a right to say this, but the phantom pain that still hits me sometimes tells me—no one beats up someone else that badly unless it's for love.
I voted for Mosaic #4.' — Upvotes: 4,031
[Never Going Back to Bunkyo Ward]: 'You ever try sprinting through the streets completely naked at 4AM, dodging patrol whistles while your body's screaming in pain?
Trust me—if you go to Bunkyo Ward and try to rob Hojou Kyousuke while he's out shopping with his girlfriend, you'll find out. I voted for #6.
All you people? You're just talking nonsense. Better watch out—you'll get punched!' — Upvotes: 5,002
[Hiratsuka Shizuka]: 'SHOW ME YOUR REAL NAMES.
I'm going to ask Hojou Kyousuke personally if he knows any of you.
I voted with both my accounts—#6 and #7!' — Upvotes: 6,666
[100 Pushups a Day]: 'You people seriously don't know about EGOISTIC LILY?!
Go watch One Punch Man, seriously!
Hojou-sensei already gave us all the answers!' — Upvotes: 5,656
[Shadow Emperor]: 'I know. But I can't say it. If you know, you know. If you don't, then even if I told you, you wouldn't get it.
Mosaic #1, hands down.' — Upvotes: 7**
————————————————————————
...
Some comments stood out for their heartbreaking stories or sheer word count.
Others gained traction by subtly revealing a close personal connection to the man in question.
And then there were those that won the crowd over with the sheer audacity of using real names.
More and more comments kept popping up.
But whether it was out of loyalty to their friends or sheer fear of Hojou Kyousuke, no one dared to drop any actual names.
Sure, the law might not be able to punish online loudmouths—but the top comments made one thing very clear: crossing Kyousuke came with consequences.
Every few seconds, someone would gasp or chuckle as they scrolled.
"…That idiot Onizuka…"
Mitsuha Miyamizu let out a soft laugh and casually cast a vote—for herself
'Well, I did make Kyousuke put in all those extra training sessions for you.'
'You've turned out to be a proper little henchman, huh?'
"Oh wow, it's Kyoko! That takes me back... I should totally go see her after school tomorrow. Hey, Shou-chan, wanna come with?"
Sakura's face lit up when she spotted a familiar name in the comment section:
Kyoko Takimoto, her childhood friend from elementary school.
They'd drifted apart after she moved to Tokyo for middle school.
Who would've thought she'd run into her again—here, of all places?
"Mm~ I'd love to~"
Shouko smiled softly as she read an anonymous comment.
Her mind drifted to that moment—how Kyousuke had pulled her out of harm's way and, with a single kick, sent the attacker flying.
Her heart swelled with quiet happiness. With gentle fingers, she tapped her vote in: Mosaic #1.
'Yeah… Sakura really is the best match for Kyousuke.'
There was no jealousy in her heart.
Just genuine, wholehearted support.
"Shizuka, you little…" Yukino Yukari sighed, her smile tinged with exasperation.
Next to her, Okudera Miki smacked her forehead.
"That idiot! Seriously—wasting her day off on this nonsense? If she's got that much energy, she should be out dating someone! Unbelievable!"
Grumbling, Miki stormed off—and moments later, the sound of a phone call rang out.
With her sharp hearing, Katou Megumi caught the conversation.
On the other end was the very same "Shizuka" from the top comment—the one signed Hiratsuka Shizuka—still full of fighting spirit, passionately campaigning for Yukino Yukari and Okudera Miki across every major social platform.
'But… weren't girlfriends supposed to be exclusive? Just one per guy?'
Megumi blinked, puzzled.
The thought made her head tilt slightly in confusion.
"And what about you, Megumi? Who'd you vote for?"
Sakura had already finished texting Kyoko and turned to face her again, a mischievous glint in her eye.
Her golden irises were hidden under her half-lowered lids, a playful smile curling on her lips.
"Or is it that… none of the options on there are good enough for you?"
Her voice was sweet—but unmistakably teasing.
Mikiko Hojou and Shouko Nishimiya had also turned to look at Kato, their eyes full of curiosity as the girl sat there, completely blank-faced.
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