Of course, someone as thick-skinned as Kuroba Akira wasn't about to honestly accept defeat and fulfill his bet like Shiroi Shiori would. Not a chance.
Adults are just sneakier—face isn't as important as personal gain.
So Akira dodged the topic and said,
"Let's not talk about the bet for now. Class Rep, don't you think I did pretty well this time?"
Anri Hitomi played along, praising him,
"That's true, you handled things beautifully—not only did you completely change Shiroi's opinion of you, you even brought her into the light novel project. Thanks to that, Momo and Shiroi now share a common interest, and you resolved their 'hedgehog effect' too."
"Mhm! What a great summary!"
"If it were me, I probably couldn't have managed it so perfectly. I'm seriously impressed, Kuroba-kun—so how about I give you a head-pat as a reward?"
With a smile, Anri Hitomi reached out her hand. Akira immediately dropped to one knee like a loyal retainer receiving a boon, lowering his head in anticipation.
"At your service."
"Hehe, Kuroba-kun, you really love being spoiled, huh? Want another peek under my skirt?"
"That's really not what I was going for…"
It was only then that Akira realized: kneeling like this, his line of sight was exactly level with Class Rep's skirt.
But honestly, this was just him clowning around with her—he really didn't have any ulterior motives.
"All right, all right, I get it. I'll give you your reward."
But Anri Hitomi gave him a look like, I know exactly what you're up to, and walked right up to him—so close his nose was almost brushing the fabric of her skirt.
And then—she spread her feet, stepping right into his kneeling zone.
"Now, Kuroba-kun, watch carefully—it's time for your reward."
"Huh?"
Akira felt a sudden updraft, a flash of pink and white—and then his entire head was enveloped.
Class Rep was actually using her skirt like a sack!
In that moment, Akira was like some mysterious creature from a meme, head plunged into utter darkness.
"…"
He couldn't see a thing!
With his head trapped under her skirt, and it already getting dark outside, the inside of her skirt was pitch-black—like setting the game brightness to minimum at the start.
So close to the good stuff, and yet can't see a damn thing…!
There's a whole universe under a girl's skirt… Is this the darkness of the cosmos?!
It's way too dark!
But wow, so there really is such a thing as 'skirt darkness' to prevent any accidental peeking… Akira couldn't help but feel a weird respect.
They say the most dangerous place is the safest place. What a genius move.
But, Class Rep, you missed one thing.
You can't see anything… but at this distance, you can still smell it!
Thinking back to when he'd gotten her panties before, and hadn't even had a chance to sniff them before Shiginomiya took them and put them on—now was the perfect chance to make up for that regret.
So, not proud of it but unable to resist, Akira took a deep breath, inhaling the secret scent of a beautiful girl.
"Hehe, that tickles! Don't sniff around like that, Kuroba-kun—you're just like a big, pervy dog…"
"…"
If I really were a dog, maybe I'd be sticking my tongue out by now… Akira actually poked his tongue out, but in the end, didn't dare actually make contact with any forbidden territory.
Anri Hitomi, with his head under her skirt, started stroking his hair.
"Good boy, good boy~ Don't move, okay? If you do, reward time ends early."
"Class Rep… this really isn't a normal kind of 'friend' reward…"
"It's payment. Back when I gave you a lap pillow in the nurse's office, I asked you not to bully Shiroi too much—and you really did keep your promise."
"Oh…"
If it's payment, then… it's probably fine? …Still kind of ambiguous, though.
"As long as you do a good job, I'll always pay you… and the same goes for bets—if it's time to pay, you'd better not be late, or there'll be extra 'penalties.'"
"Uh…"
So that's it—first the candy, then the stick… Class Rep's debt collecting methods really were unique.
With his head trapped under her skirt, Akira felt weirdly like a kidnapping victim. Her hand on his head started to feel more like the muzzle of a gun pressed to his skull, and he got nervous enough to start making excuses.
"Wait! Class Rep! If we're being strict about it, I don't think I actually lost! Sure, I did say Shiroi would end up hating me, but your bet was that she'd worship me, and you can't really prove she worships me now! See, Shiroi doesn't have any hostility towards me now, but we're just light novel co-authors—at most, it's respect, nothing more…"
"Hm…"
"So, I mean, technically I lost, but you didn't actually win either!"
Thank goodness he'd made Shiroi stop calling him 'Mister Akira' yesterday—otherwise he'd have no way to wriggle out of this.
Even Akira thought his argument was a stretch, but if Class Rep didn't buy it, he was sunk.
But the 'kind' Class Rep actually accepted it.
"In that case… let's just call it a draw?"
"Huh? Then what about the bet? Just cancel it?"
"Hehe, isn't win-win better? So, I'll extend how long I make bentos for you, and I'll give you lap pillow privileges anytime you want. And in return, I get to call you by your given name and never get ignored by you. Isn't that perfect?"
That… honestly sounded pretty good?
No, actually—he was coming out ahead!
The thought of getting bentos for longer made Akira instantly agreeable.
"Deal! I'm all for it!"
"Hehe, and now… Akira, I can call you that from now on, right?"
Akira—Anri Hitomi had rehearsed that name in her heart countless times.
To others, using first names might seem trivial—people with an outgoing personality might even do it right away.
But for Anri Hitomi, this was a tiny victory all her own.
She could feel the distance between herself and Akira shrinking.
"Of course, your humble servant is always at Class Rep's command."
"Then, Akira—shouldn't you use my name too?"
From under the skirt, Akira couldn't see Class Rep's face, but her voice sounded a little plaintive, as if to say: If I'm calling you by name, you should call me by mine too, right?
"Hitomi… I mean, I could, but 'Class Rep' just feels more natural."
Hitomi was pronounced "Hitomi," but because of Akira's own habits, he kept thinking of it as "Tong" in his head.
Single-character names always felt awkward on their own; people usually said them with the family name. Names like Shion or Shiori were fine, since they had two syllables.
So even now, Akira hadn't really gotten used to his own name here—he always felt like he should be called "Yu Ming," not just "Akira."
"If that's what feels right to you, I won't force you. I can't make you change how you call me."
"If something really important comes up, I'll use your name directly. Since it sounds formal, you know?"
"I see… Something important, huh? I'll remember that."
"Could be something like borrowing money, you know?"
"Then I'd better save up, so no matter how much you want to borrow, I'll have enough."
"You'd actually lend me money?"
"Because I trust you, Akira."
"Then I can't let Class Rep down… but don't worry, I won't borrow from you. I hate owing people."
"Hehe, I know—because you're the type to always pay kindness back."
Anri leaned forward, pressing Akira's forehead against her own absolute territory—then gently stroked his hair and finally freed him from under her skirt.
"Akira…"
That last time she called his name, Anri Hitomi didn't say it out loud—so Akira didn't hear. If he had, he would have been truly shocked.
Because what Anri said wasn't "Akira-kun," but "Ming-jun."
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T/N: that whole exchange gets a bit lost in translation so here if you want to know more about it
明 = Akira (JP) / Ming (CN).
He's Chinese inside, so he feels like Ming, not "Akira."
瞳 = Hitomi (JP) / Tong (CN).
He knows it's Hitomi, but his kanji-brain goes "tong."
That last "Ming-jun" line:
In-world = her silently calling him Akira-kun by his given name.
For Chinese readers = presented as Ming-jun, to underline:
his Chinese-origin identity,
her deep, personal attachment to his kanji name 明君.