"If it's something you can't discuss here, I suggest you leave."
After the pleasantries, Yukino opened her lunchbox and looked at them both attentively. "Before that, let me ask one more thing... Your mission is going very smoothly, isn't it?"
"Yes, indeed. As expected from members led by President Yukinoshita." Masuzu praised insincerely, then looked at Yuu and said cheerfully, "Since I started dating him, no shameless people have come to confess to me anymore. He's also quietly resolved many of my problems... Coming to the Service Club was the best decision I've ever made in my life!"
"You're exaggerating, Natsukawa-san." Yukino didn't look pleased at all. Instead, she rubbed her temple as if it ached and sighed. "I don't intend to take all the credit for the mission's success. I only care because it's my duty as president... So, have you considered when you'll end this fake relationship? The timing of your breakup is also important, and we should plan its resolution."
"End it?" Masuzu blinked, as if she'd never considered the issue, her expression slightly confused.
Yukino frowned slightly, looking at her in confusion. "You haven't thought about how to conclude it? You can't just wait for everyone to slowly forget, can you?"
"...Of course, I'll think it over carefully."
Coming to her senses, Masuzu smiled casually and replied calmly. "Thank you for the reminder, Yukinoshita-san. But we've only just started dating. It might take a few months for this issue to fully spread. It's probably too early to think about breaking up now... For now, we'll improvise."
Yukino tapped her fingers on the table, glancing at Yuu watching from the side as if pondering something, but then gave up and shrugged.
"If you both agree, fine. After all, the Service Club has never taken on a mission like this before, and I'm not sure what advice would benefit you... But please, don't involve others."
After saying this, her gaze turned slightly sharp, implying a warning.
"Others? ...Ah, do you mean Dango-chan?"
Masuzu realized and immediately shook her head while laughing. "Are there rumors about her? That has nothing to do with me. If she hadn't approached us that day, school rumors might still be about Yukinoshita and Tenkuji dating, or Natsukawa and Yukinoshita becoming love rivals... I don't intend to involve anyone besides Yuu."
"..."
Yukino's expression shifted slightly, and she fell silent for a moment.
Since Yuu had reminded her that day, she'd paid slight attention to her surroundings and discovered that there truly were many people discussing rumors about her and that man—even major news like the U.S. presidential election and shifts in international situations were overshadowed by their rumors. Nothing was more annoying and disruptive than this.
And from this perspective, external rumors indeed had nothing to do with the people involved. Rather, she had been reckless.
Without detailed understanding, Yukino had warned Masuzu based on vague rumors. One could say she'd unintentionally become just like those foolish classmates.
"...I apologize for the misunderstanding. I was just slightly concerned about Yuigahama-san. I didn't mean to accuse you." Realizing her mistake, Yukino immediately apologized, looking at Masuzu honestly.
"But I won't take back that statement."
"Ms. Natsukawa's friend, from the Service Club president's standpoint, I hope you can properly understand the nature of this mission, including Tenkuji's rights—no matter how terrible he is, he is a club member recognized by the school and all members."
"If he gets involved in trouble because of you, as his superior and leader, unless he quits the club on the spot, I'll likely have to resolve the issue."
"To prevent that, please seriously consider this fake relationship—both privately and publicly..."
She began lecturing her with a firm attitude.
Masuzu's eyebrows twitched slightly, her expression stiffening. She glanced secretly at Yuu and mouthed silently:
Yuu put down his chopsticks, carefully observing her soft, pink lips, trying to decipher the words she wanted to convey.
"..."
Masuzu sighed inwardly. Too lazy to be a well-behaved student, she immediately stopped Yukino's long lecture with her hand.
"Yes, yes, yes, I understand. You don't need to worry, Madam President~ So, may I take this perverted man who's peeking at my thighs and thinking dirty thoughts?"
Yukino covered her mouth, instinctively placing her hand on her skirt, then stared at Yuu with a look of disgust.
"Please, it'd be better if he never came back."
"It depends on his own will." Masuzu smiled casually. "After all, he's a well-behaved student who changes after being lectured~"
Yukino: "..."
She felt there was sarcasm behind her words. Was it just her imagination?
Masuzu turned her gaze to Yuu.
"Yuu, want to come with me for a moment? ...You can leave your lunch here. I have business later, so you can return to eat afterward."
Obediently, Yuu placed his lunchbox—already one-third eaten while watching the drama—and followed Masuzu to the corridor outside the Service Club.
Autumn wind blew the girl's skirt, revealing her firm, milk-white thighs.
Even now, Yuu was still pondering one question:
(Back then, was she wearing it or not?)
(If she was wearing it, but her skirt lifted that high, I didn't see any straps or fabric that should've been there.)
(If she wasn't wearing it, but from my observation of Masuzu these past few days, I don't think she's a pervert who likes to flash—she's just a regular pervert who enjoys JOJO jokes.)
(Schrödinger's underwear, huh...)
"Just now I was joking. I didn't expect, when we're alone, you'd show your perverted side."
Turning to face him, Masuzu touched her skirt with her small hand, sighing resignedly. "Do you want to see it?"
"Not really." Yuu answered honestly. "I'm just curious."
"...Curious whether I'm wearing it or not?" Masuzu was surprised, quickly realizing it.
Yuu nodded, speaking seriously: "Don't worry. It's basic human curiosity, not because I desire your body."
Being curious about this wasn't perverted.
It was a research-driven question about an unknown area—just like everyone is curious about how to prove that all non-trivial zeros of the Dirichlet L-function lie on the line Re(s)=1/2 in the complex plane, yet they wouldn't stick out their tongue to lick the beautiful series formula.
Unfortunately, human understanding differed. Masuzu only felt this man was getting worse and worse—yesterday he kissed her, today he wanted to see her underwear.
Tomorrow? Would he even want to lick it?
Her pale face unconsciously reddened slightly. Masuzu took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing the strange thoughts in her mind. She crossed her arms at her waist, speaking with resigned annoyance: "Nonsense stories and idle talk—we'll discuss after school. I have important business, which is why I came to the Service Club to find you."
"What important business?" Yuu frowned slightly.
"Didn't your homeroom teacher call you to talk?" Seeing his clueless expression, Masuzu was instead confused. "Last night, my father sent the CCTV footage of our kiss in front of the apartment to the school. Though expulsion isn't on the table, a verbal warning and apology letter are guaranteed. It's truly annoying... Haven't you received any notice?"
Yuu nodded, slightly thoughtful.
He recalled Hiratsuka's meaningful gaze she'd given him during morning homeroom.
So that was the meaning...
He shifted his slightly serious gaze toward Masuzu. "So, the changed group rules for this picnic—are they because of us?"
Masuzu looked confused instead.
"Hah? Changed group rules? Was there something like that?"
"..."
Alright, the breakup of couples was Hiratsuka's unilateral decision, unrelated to them.
"Why would your father do something like tattling? Doesn't he have work?"
Yuu shifted to asking this question.
"How would I know? Though he doesn't care about family at all, he still has time for things like this."
Masuzu clicked her tongue loudly, not hiding her disgust. "Mana and that bald bodyguard must've told him everything. He probably wants me to behave, using this as a warning. To him, it's just a phone call—he can easily bother me. How convenient."
Her mocking tone made the cool air in the corridor turn cold. The girl unconsciously bit her lip, her hands nervously clenching.
Yuu thought for a moment, comforting her calmly: "But judging by the outcome, what he did is just futile... As long as we restrain ourselves slightly outside school and don't give outsiders reasons to exaggerate the issue, inside school we can still do as we please. Basically, we don't need to worry about school punishment."
After all, that was Sobu High's ethos—as long as grades weren't affected, dating was student freedom.
Besides, as the all-rounder genius who stood out in front of everyone at the Autumn Club Fair with two awards, unless there was truly no other choice, upper management definitely wouldn't let him feel uncomfortable and consider transferring schools.
As Masuzu said, this was just a warning—no real danger, but deeply annoying.
Yuu himself didn't care much, but Masuzu looked deeply disgusted, as if she'd just vomited after being forced to eat a kilogram of dog food.
"I understand. If he truly wanted me back, he wouldn't use such childish methods. He'd attack my apartment directly... From the current situation, for now, it's still safe."
But Masuzu didn't know how long this sense of safety would last...
She bit her lip hard, suppressing the anxiety in her heart with pain. Masuzu calmed her heavy breathing, speaking in a low voice:
"For now, we must be more careful. Once he's busy with overseas business, he won't have time to deal with me."
As she said this, she seemed like a Persian cat crouching, walking cautiously even though the tiger was curled in the corner of the cage.
Her previous arrogance and pride were gone. She no longer dared to be selfish.
"Alright, I'll listen to you."
Yuu looked at her serious expression, hiding his thoughts, not speaking much.
He only smiled reassuringly, raising his hand to stroke her shimmering silver hair. "Don't worry too much. As your partner in crime, if something happens, I'll bear it... You just need to continue your lie."
Masuzu lifted her eyes. Her blue eyes sparkled, and there was a smile in them.
"You have a high sense of sacrifice?"
"I'm a good person."
"Do you act like this toward everyone?"
"I only act like this toward my girlfriend—whether real or fake."
Pulling his hand, Masuzu suddenly leaned against Yuu's chest, gently rubbing against him. "Good... I don't want to leave this school now."
Yuu pressed his chin into her hair, speaking softly. "If you ever want to go, remember to tell me."
"Why?"
"Because I'm your partner in crime—the fake boyfriend ready to live and die with you."
"Hah?"
Masuzu sneered cynically, but couldn't resist inhaling the warmth of his chest. Her arms unconsciously wrapped around his back.
"If you have such determination, how about coming with me to Sweden and saying that classic line?"
"What classic line?"
Yuu froze, recalling the words he'd once said in front of the amusement park.
In front of Mrs. Yukinoshita.
"...From fake boyfriend directly to fake husband?"
Masuzu shook her head, also smiling bitterly.
"That's too exaggerated a joke. Pretend I never said it."
Seemingly fully recharged, she immediately released her embrace and stepped back a few steps nimbly.
After tidying her slightly disheveled hair, the girl lifted her beautiful chin. Her attitude returned to its usual relaxed, arrogant form.
"Alright, important business is done, face-rubbing is enough. Now it's time to settle a few debts!"
The fragility and anxiety she'd shown earlier felt like a lie. Masuzu smiled happily at him.
Still remembering the warmth he'd felt during their embrace, Yuu asked casually, "Debts? What debts?"
"Don't pretend you don't know. Let me tally your crimes!"
In a JOJO pose like Jonathan Joestar, Masuzu pulled out the now-familiar black notebook from her pocket, quickly opened it, and read aloud with feeling.
"September XX, Yuu's farewell voice was too cold..."
"September XX, Yuu has a junior who's close with him..."
"September XX, Yuu teased me by massaging my shoulders and saw me in a bad state..."
"September XX, Yuu's hand massage felt too good. I felt comfortable, but my heart was annoyed..."
"September XX, Yuu forced me to eat, his movements were very rough..."
As her melodious voice continued, Yuu's cheeks twitched more and more.
After Masuzu read each entry, she pulled a pen from behind her skirt and began adding new content.
"September XX, when I was called by Sensei to be scolded, Yuu was having lunch with the beautiful club president. He greedily inhaled her scent and used it as a side dish..."
"Enough!"
Yuu massaged his temple with one hand, the other making a 'stop' gesture. Defeated, he spoke resignedly:
"Just say what you want... In exchange, how about we burn that notebook?"
"No way~ It's a record of beautiful memories between you and me! I'll never burn it, even if I die!"
Hiding the notebook behind her back, Masuzu stuck out her tongue playfully, showing a victorious smile.
Yuu rolled his eyes. "What's beautiful about it? It's full of grudges."
"Even grudges take the form of love. Isn't that romantic?" Masuzu smiled and made a vomiting gesture. "Those sweet words are disgusting~"
"You're the one who said it..."
"As for what a couple alone in a quiet corridor should do... I guess I don't need to say it, right, cruel Yuu?"
With flushed cheeks, her soft, moist lips lifting, Masuzu stepped closer again.
Yuu unconsciously leaned against the wall. From the corner of his eye, he saw her pale, slender arms beside his head. A fresh, summer-like scent reached his nose.
"Could it be... what I'm thinking?"
"Exactly what you're thinking."
"So, which part of JOJO is this?"
"Still part one—take this!"
His nose was touched by her shimmering silver hair.
In this autumn, Yuu tasted the flavor of summer.