"Kogoro's a bit dense, but not a toddler," Hayashi Shuichi defended his friend, seeing Hii Eri's skeptical expression.
Noticing her disbelief, he took her right hand, placing it on his neck's pulse. "What I did this morning was for you. I didn't mean to hide it—just didn't want you upset."
Eri held her breath, studying his pupils and feeling his pulse—a lie-detection trick he'd taught her.
Liars' pulses quicken, pupils dilate, eyes dart.
Hayashi Shuichi hadn't expected it'd be used on him first.
"Well? I'm not lying, right?"
"…It's your method. Who knows if you've got a counter?" Eri's tone softened, though her face stayed stern.
She wasn't wrong—such tricks worked on amateurs, not trained individuals.
When Hayashi Shuichi first transmigrated, paranoid about being discovered, he'd practiced countering lie detection in front of a mirror.
But his words were true. He'd gone to lengths to fake being home to spare Eri's feelings.
"If you really cared about me, you wouldn't have skipped school with that curly-haired vixen!" Eri glared.
"It was Yukiko's first audition, her step into acting," Hayashi Shuichi explained. "She was nervous and asked for my help. As a classmate and friend, I couldn't abandon her."
"Classmate and friend?" Eri narrowed her eyes. "Nothing else?"
"What else could there be?" Hayashi Shuichi chuckled. "I told you, no dating in high school."
"I admit, I felt a spark for her, but in high school, we're just classmates and friends."
Eri scrutinized him. No dilated pupils, no guilty look, pulse steady.
Was he really telling the truth? Just friends?
After pondering, she still wasn't sure of his intentions.
"Even if that's your stance, what about Curly Vixen?" Eri bit her lip. "She's not so simple, is she? And you said you felt a spark!"
"I can only control myself, not others," Hayashi Shuichi said sincerely. "As for the spark, she's gorgeous. If I didn't feel anything, would I even be a guy?"
Eri huffed, annoyed, but her heart tilted toward believing him.
He admitted the spark—his other words must be true, right?
"That's your problem," Eri pulled her hand back. "I don't care."
"…You're not mad anymore?" Hayashi Shuichi asked cautiously.
"Why would I have the right to be?" Eri said coldly. "You're smitten with Curly Vixen. Go worry about her."
Her words dripped with jealousy, nearly making Hayashi Shuichi laugh.
Eri shot him an embarrassed glare, turning to leave.
He grabbed her arm. "Let's head to the izakaya. You control the finances—without you, it can't run."
"What about Curly Vixen?" Eri crossed her arms, voice sharp. "Since you're smitten, let her be the boss lady! I'm just a classmate who grew up with you!"
"Feeling a spark is just a guy's reaction to a pretty girl," Hayashi Shuichi patted his chest. "If the izakaya has a boss lady, it's you. Yukiko? At best, a cook."
"…That's more like it," Eri muttered, grabbing her book to leave, but he still held her arm.
Seeing he wouldn't let go, she huffed. "Fine, let's go to the izakaya."
Hearing this, Hayashi Shuichi finally relaxed.
They left the library, Eri asking curiously, "How was Curly Vixen's audition? Did she pass?"
"Results come in a few days," Hayashi Shuichi replied. "But normally, she should be fine."
"If she joins the cast, she won't come to school during filming, right?"
"Obviously. Acting and studies don't mix easily."
Curly Vixen, you'd better pass!
Eri muttered internally, then spotted their homeroom teacher, Murakami Yui, approaching.
"Trouble!" Eri's face paled. "If Murakami-sensei sees you skipped, your overseas qualification test…"
Panicking, wanting to protect Hayashi Shuichi, she pulled him into the nearby public restroom without thinking.
As a girl, she instinctively dragged him into the women's restroom.
Caught off guard, Hayashi Shuichi's heart sank.
If Murakami saw him, it'd be skipping school. But the women's restroom? He'd be labeled a pervert!
Eri realized her mistake and tried to push him out.
But at the door, they saw Murakami heading toward the restroom.
No way out now.
Hayashi Shuichi pulled Eri deeper inside.
Luckily, the women's restroom had stalls, and it was empty.
He opened a stall door, and they ducked in.
The stall was cramped with a toilet, barely fitting two.
Hayashi Shuichi sat on the toilet, pulling Eri onto his lap.
"Why do I have to hide?" Eri realized, whispering.
"Shh!" Hayashi Shuichi hushed her.
Footsteps entered the restroom.
Murakami was relieving herself, the trickling sound making Hayashi Shuichi awkward.
Eri quickly covered her childhood friend's ears.
Don't listen!
(Chapter End)
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