Chapter 114
Hearing that Ayase Eli-senpai had agreed to process the permit, Honoka and the others were instantly re-energized.
"Thank you, President!"
"In that case... we'll take our leave now!"
"Yes, go ahead."
The moment the trio left the office, Eli and Nozomi stood up simultaneously.
"Eh? Eli, where are you going?"
"I have some private business to attend to. What about you, Nozomi?"
"Oh, what a coincidence! I happen to have some private business of my own to take care of!"
"You too?"
Eli looked at Nozomi, her expression filled with confusion. Nozomi, however, just offered a mischievous, fox-like grin.
"That's right. I just thought of something very interesting that I need to verify. See you later, Eli~"
Stepping out of the office, Eli clutched her phone and walked off toward a quiet area. Watching her go, Nozomi's gaze turned deep and thoughtful. After a few moments, she too gripped her phone and headed in the opposite direction.
A few minutes later, Mineo—who was currently leaning back on a sofa playing a mobile game—suddenly received two messages.
Eli: Mineo-kun, are you there?
Nozomi: Mineo-kun, are you there?
"????"
Looking at the synchronized messages, Mineo felt a wave of confusion.
Why are Eli-senpai and Nozomi-chan messaging me at the exact same time? Could they have figured something out?
Mineo clicked his tongue and decided to reply to Eli first.
"I'm here, Eli. What's up?"
"Mineo-kun, how have you been these past few days? Have you been very busy lately?"
"I'm alright, not too busy... Why the sudden question?"
"I just wanted to ask where you are right now, and if you have any travel plans in the near future."
"..."
Seeing Eli's message, Mineo immediately suspected his cover was blown.
Was it because Kotori just asked for that entry permit? Did Eli put the pieces together?
After pondering for a moment, he replied:
"I actually do have travel plans coming up. I'm planning to head to Tokyo to visit some good friends. Why the sudden interest? Don't tell me... you want to meet up in person?"
"If you want to meet, just give the word. I guarantee I'll hop on a plane and appear before you in a heartbeat."
"I'm still looking forward to seeing Eli perform a dance for me!"
Reading his reply while sitting alone in the dimly lit auditorium, Eli felt a hot flush creep up her neck.
"Why are you so obsessed with my dancing?"
"Even if you come here, I absolutely... absolutely won't perform for a scoundrel like you..."
"Aside from that, I have one more thing—something very important I need to ask you!"
"Mineo-kun, I expect you to answer me honestly... besides me, do you have any other friends who attend our Otonokizaka Academy?"
After hitting send, Eli began to wait for his reply, her heart hammering against her ribs. She didn't even realize how white her knuckles were from gripping her phone so hard.
Soon, Mineo's reply arrived. Looking at the text, Eli felt her heart tighten.
"I do indeed have a few other friends attending Otonokizaka..."
"Who are they? Give me names!"
"Is it Minami Kotori? Is it Kousaka Honoka...?"
"Eh? How did you know? Could it be, Eli... have you been secretly stalking me this whole time?"
"....."
Eli felt like the world was spinning. Her mind went completely blank, and for the first time, she was utterly at a loss for words.
The friend Kotori and the others were talking about... it really was Mineo!
If she connected the dots to previous events, that meant the reason Mineo had pressured her into letting those three girls form an idol group was because he had known them all along, right?
For reasons she couldn't quite name, Eli suddenly felt her heart sink into a chaotic mess. She rested her hands on her knees, feeling completely overwhelmed. Now that she had a definitive answer, she didn't know what to say next.
Just then, her phone lit up again. It was another message from Mineo.
"Eli, are you mad at me right now?"
"Do you feel like I... was hiding things from you?"
Eli took a deep, shaky breath, picked up her phone, and typed back:
"No! I didn't mean it like that!"
"Mineo-kun, don't misunderstand. I just... I just feel a bit like a fool!"
"Even though we're friends, Mineo-kun doesn't have to tell me every little thing about himself!"
"I... I have things to do now. Let's talk some other time..."
Eli placed her phone on the table and stared silently at the empty stage of the auditorium. Even when her phone buzzed with a follow-up message, she didn't pick it up.
Seeing that Eli wasn't replying anymore, Mineo knew she was likely upset.
Is she blaming me for not being transparent from the start?
After a moment of reflection, Mineo switched over to reply to Toujou Nozomi.
"Nozomi-chan, I'm here!"
Sitting alone by the edge of a flower bed, Nozomi saw the reply and immediately began typing with lightning speed.
"I have a question for Mineo-kun!"
"Kousaka Honoka, Sonoda Umi, Minami Kotori! Do you know these three?"
"And... our Student Council President... Ayase Eli... is she a good friend of yours too?"
Nozomi stared at the screen, her breath hitching in anticipation. Not even three seconds had passed before her phone vibrated with a response.
Mineo's reply was short, simple, and honest.
"Yes."
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