"I'm fine. Thank you, Arthur."
Hearing his worried tone, Kotegawa Yui met Arthur's eyes. Her gaze flickered slightly before she smiled and shook her head gently.
"As long as you're okay."
Arthur let out a quiet sigh of relief, a warm smile spreading across his face.
So handsome!!!
Staring at that smile, Kotegawa froze for a second. The thought appeared in her mind before she could stop it.
She wasn't the type to swoon over boys.
But faced with Arthur's smile just now, she couldn't help but go a little dazed.
The soft glow of the golden-red sunset spilled across his figure; his blue eyes were bright and deep, his gaze gentle like spring water—
So tender it could make even a dog feel loved.
The breeze brushed his bangs,
highlighting the defined yet delicate lines of his face. His lips curved slightly upward, his smile dazzling and sunny.
Looking at him, Kotegawa found herself spacing out.
Unknowingly, a tiny seed quietly took root in her heart—
though she hadn't realized it yet.
"Hey, Kotegawa?"
Arthur's voice pulled her back. He noticed the faint blush on her cheeks and the faraway look in her eyes as she stared at him.
"Huh? What is it?"
Kotegawa blinked and quickly snapped back to her senses.
The realization that she'd just been openly staring at Arthur made her heart skip in embarrassment.
Her pulse quickened; her cheeks grew warm.
A shy glimmer flashed through her eyes, her gaze darting away.
Seeing this, Arthur's eyes softened, the corner of his lips lifting slightly higher.
He chuckled and said, "So, Kotegawa, you live in Toshima Ward, right? That's pretty close. I'm in Nerima, near Shakujii Park."
"Really…"
Kotegawa blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected them to live so close.
Arthur smiled again. "Come on, I'll walk you home."
"Huh? No, that's fine, really. I don't want to trouble you, Arthur."
"It's no trouble at all."
He smiled gently. "After what just happened, I'd feel better making sure you get home safely."
He winked. "Just think of me as your temporary knight in shining armor."
"Eh—knight?!"
Kotegawa froze for a second, eyes widening as another blush bloomed across her cheeks.
Her heart thumped wildly.
Then Arthur added with an easy smile, "Actually, there's something I wanted to ask you, too."
"Something to ask me?"
Kotegawa blinked, curiosity sparking in her tone.
"Let's talk as we walk," Arthur said.
"Okay."
She nodded slightly, accepting his offer, and began walking ahead to lead the way.
They strolled side by side, their steps slow and unhurried.
Kotegawa stole a glance at Arthur's perfect side profile, her eyes flickering before she quickly looked away. "So… what did you want to ask me?"
Arthur smiled. "Would you like to join the Student Council, Kotegawa?"
"The Student Council?!"
Kotegawa paused mid-step, taken aback.
Arthur nodded. "I'm actually the Student Council President. Right now, we're still short one Disciplinary Committee Member."
"So I wanted to see if you might be interested."
"You're the president?"
Kotegawa stared at him in mild disbelief.
If she remembered correctly, the position of Student Council President at Private Unified High School Academy usually went to the top student of the entrance exams—
the freshman representative.
Which should be Shinomiya Kaguya.
Not him.
Seeing her confusion, Arthur briefly explained the situation, then smiled again. "So, what do you say, Kotegawa?"
"…All right."
After a brief pause, Kotegawa smiled softly and nodded.
"Excellent! Welcome to the Student Council."
Arthur grinned and extended his right hand toward her.
Kotegawa hesitated for a moment, her cheeks flushing again. Then she reached out her own hand.
Arthur clasped just the tips of her fingers, giving two light shakes before letting go.
Something stirred in her chest.
When she looked at him again, something subtle had changed in her gaze—
and a faint smile curved her lips.
They continued walking together.
"Oh, by the way," Arthur said with a grin, "besides me, there are three other members in the Student Council: Kaguya Shinomiya from Class 1-A, Chika Fujiwara from Class 1-G, and Manabe Nagisa from Class 1-H."
"I'll introduce you to everyone tomorrow."
"Okay." Kotegawa nodded.
About five minutes later, they arrived outside a detached single-family house.
The nameplate by the gate read "Kotegawa."
Kotegawa turned to Arthur. "Thank you, Arthur."
"You're welcome."
He smiled. "Now that you're home, I'll get going. See you tomorrow."
"Mm. See you tomorrow."
Her pretty face tinged pink as she smiled back.
"Bye."
With that, Arthur turned and walked away.
"B… bye…"
Kotegawa's lips parted slightly, her reply barely audible as she watched his retreating back until he disappeared from view.
Only then did she turn toward the house.
The moment she stepped inside, she found her mother staring at her with a teasing, curious grin.
"What?"
Kotegawa looked puzzled.
Her mother chuckled. "That tall, handsome boy who just walked you home—your boyfriend?"
"W-What? Of course not!"
Kotegawa's face turned scarlet as she glared at her gossip-loving mom. "We just happened to run into each other on the way home. We're just classmates, nothing more."
She handed over the bottle she'd been holding. "Here, the soy sauce you wanted."
"Really?"
Her mother clearly didn't buy it.
Just happened to meet?
He walked her all the way to the front door!
And she'd even seen her daughter gazing dreamily after him through the window just moments ago.
"Of course it's true," Kotegawa muttered, rolling her eyes before heading to her room.
Her mother called after her, laughing. "Yui, if you like that boy, you'd better make a move soon—someone else might snatch him up!"
"I told you, we're just classmates!"
Kotegawa sighed helplessly as she shut her bedroom door.
Lying down on her bed, she hugged her favorite cat plushie to her chest and stared blankly at the familiar ceiling.
Memories from earlier played back in her mind—
Arthur appeared out of nowhere, stepping in to protect her from those delinquents.
Tall, handsome, his smile bright and gentle—
He made her feel safe.
Her mother's teasing voice echoed again:
"Boyfriend…"
A blush crept across her porcelain face as Arthur's figure surfaced in her thoughts.
She pictured him wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her close, leaning down—
"W–Wait, what am I thinking?!"
Kotegawa shot upright, her face bright red, eyes wide with panic.
Her heart pounded furiously as shame washed over her.
That's way too indecent!
…
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