Chapter 170
Standing before Mineo, Eli remained silent. Her gaze looked at Mineo coldly. It seemed that within her eyes, a trace of disappointment that was hard to put into words had also surfaced.
Being stared at directly by Eli like that, Mineo also felt that tingling sensation on his scalp again.
"Uhm, Eli... I'm really happy because this is our first official meeting..."
"Really happy?"
Eli gave a cold smile, and then she spoke with a self-deprecating tone:
"I think Mineo-kun shouldn't feel happy at all."
"Is my appearance here disturbing your comfort?"
"After all, in a moment, those beautiful 'good friends' of yours will be performing on stage with all their hearts."
"This time, Mineo-kun came specifically to give them encouragement."
"If it weren't for them, I might not have even been able to meet Mineo-kun in person in the physical world in this lifetime."
"In Mineo-kun's eyes, I'm probably just an insignificant 'ordinary friend,' right?"
The words "beautiful good friends" were emphasized very heavily by Eli. From Eli's attitude, Mineo could feel that she was still angry about the matter even now.
"Eli, you are very important in my heart, how could you be considered just an ordinary friend? Don't be angry, listen to my explanation."
"Is there still a need for an explanation?"
Eli looked at Mineo with a flat expression, then she shifted her gaze elsewhere.
"Being able to travel such a long distance all the way here just to give encouragement for your good friends' first stage performance,"
"I can feel that Mineo-kun truly cherishes Kousaka-san and the others very much."
"That's only natural; whether it's Kousaka-san or Minami-san and their friends, all of them have their own charms and are each very adorable."
"If I were a man, I might also unconsciously fall in love with them and want to support them."
"Therefore, I can fully understand and approve of Mineo-kun's actions. You haven't done anything wrong; there's no need to explain to me."
"Besides, I hope that in the future, Mineo-kun can call me Ayase-senpai. If being called Senpai makes you feel awkward, just call me Eli Ayase directly."
"The name 'Eli' is something I only want to hear from the mouth of someone I acknowledge..."
The colder Eli's expression became and the colder her voice grew, the more Mineo knew that the anger and disappointment in her heart had truly piled up. It was truly difficult to deal with a girl when she was feeling jealous.
Just as Mineo was preparing to put in the effort to coax Eli, a very melodious voice was heard from the direction of the large doors.
"Eli-chi, I've been looking for you for a while!"
"So you were here!"
Hearing that voice, Mineo and Eli instinctively turned toward the main entrance. Nozomi was seen standing by the door with a bright smile.
Then, Nozomi walked over with small, elegant steps. she wore an expression that seemed as if she were confused while looking at Eli:
"Is Eli-chi talking to Mineo-kun?"
"What interesting topic are you two talking about..."
Hearing Nozomi's words, Eli was momentarily stunned. A second later, she asked in a tone of disbelief:
"Nozomi... you... you know Mineo too?"
"I know him!"
Nozomi looked at Mineo while smiling, then spoke in a slightly teasing tone:
"Earlier, so that Kousaka-san and the others would have enough preparation time backstage, I was the one who went out to pick up Mineo-kun and bring him into the school."
"By the way, Eli-chi, I think I heard you use the word 'too' just now. Does that mean you know Mineo-kun?"
"I....."
Seeing Nozomi's clever gaze staring straight at her, Eli's mind instantly became a mess. She hurriedly averted her eyes.
"I... I don't know this scumbag at all... I just saw this person looking around the hall earlier with suspicious movements, so I thought of coming over to scold him."
"I didn't expect that he was actually a guest invited by Kousaka-san and the others."
"Is that really the case?"
Nozomi didn't expose Eli's lie. She looked at Mineo with a smile and said:
"Mineo-kun, this place is an all-girls school. If you look around haphazardly, it's very easy to cause a misunderstanding. After all, you are a man, so sometimes you have to be a bit mindful of that."
"Well, since it's a misunderstanding, Eli-chi shouldn't keep pressuring Mineo-kun. I'll accompany him the whole time later, guaranteeing that he won't do anything impolite."
Right as Nozomi finished saying that sentence, the large hall doors opened once again. A beautiful and adorable girl with red hair entered with a calm facial expression.
Maki Nishikino stepped into the hall and immediately saw Eli and the others. However, because of her nature of not liking to speak with strangers, she didn't approach to greet Eli and the rest.
Instead, Mineo's presence made Maki feel a bit surprised. Why was there a man inside the school hall?
Was he a guest invited by Kousaka-san and her friends?
Maki glanced at Mineo, Eli, and the others for a moment, then she looked for a seat in the side rows to sit down. A second later, two other girls ran in, panting for breath.
"We aren't late, are we!"
"Hah... hah... I feel so tired....."
The two girls who ran into the hall were named Hanayo Koizumi and Rin Hoshizora. Hanayo Koizumi really liked the idol group built by Kotori Minami and her friends, and she desperately wanted to join them.
However, due to her shyness and the belief that she lacked talent, she could only keep those inner desires buried. As for Rin, she had been brought here by Hanayo quite suddenly.
"Hanayo, is the performance being held in this place?"
"Why isn't anyone performing? Is the show already over?"
Rin scanned her surroundings with curiosity. A second later, she spotted Mineo, Eli, and the others.
"Pres... President?"
Rin was shocked after seeing Eli. Meanwhile, Hanayo stared at Mineo with a blank look.
"Why... why is there a man here???"
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