Chapter 176
The atmosphere inside the auditorium suddenly became extremely awkward.
Hanayo and Rin looked at the girls with anxious feelings.
Honoka's trio stood on one side without speaking.
Meanwhile, Eli and Maki stared at Mineo coldly.
Nozomi's gaze moved from person to person, finally landing on Mineo.
At that moment, Nozomi suddenly showed a smile like a little fox, as if she had realized something very interesting.
Mineo finally felt what it was like to be in a hell-tier Shuraba.
Being stared down by a group of girls while waiting for an answer was enough to make anyone's head spin.
He looked at Eli, then at Maki.
With a massive headache, Mineo said, "Well, everyone has had a long day in class, so it must be quite exhausting for them."
"Especially Honoka—you three haven't eaten yet, right?"
"How about we find a place and I treat everyone to a big meal?"
"I know a restaurant that tastes pretty good... we can go try it out."
"You bastard, how can you ignore me entirely!"
Seeing that Mineo wasn't even looking at her, Nico exploded in anger.
"Don't change the subject! Answer me quickly, why do you know Eli and the others...?"
"And didn't you say you came to Tokyo to visit me? Why did you show up here to give encouragement to these three second-years!"
That one sentence from Nico reignited the flames in the girls' hearts.
Eli bit her thin lip, and a second later, she showed a self-mocking smile.
"So that's how it is."
"The reason Mineo-kun came to Tokyo was still related to Yazawa-san."
"It seems I really have been experiencing a one-sided love all this time."
Nishikino Maki stared at Mineo coldly before shifting her gaze toward Minami Kotori and the others.
"Now I finally understand why you, Mineo, were always speaking so highly of them."
"It turns out that from start to finish, I was kept in the dark by you."
Seeing Maki's cold gaze, Kotori and Umi felt the hair on their necks stand up.
Kotori tried to force a smile, her voice sounding gentle as she said, "Um, has everyone misunderstood something?"
"Mineo-oniichan, he..."
"Mineo-oniichan?"
"What an intimate way to call him."
Eli cut off Minami Kotori's words, staring at Mineo with a cold smile.
"Things have come this far. Does Mineo-kun still feel there is a need for an explanation?"
"Um... could everyone listen to me for a moment?"
Before Mineo could offer any response, Tojo Nozomi stood up.
Seeing everyone's attention focused on her, Nozomi smiled softly and said, "This is the school auditorium, not the right place to discuss matters."
"I see that everyone has questions they want to ask Mineo-kun. It would be better to follow Mineo-kun's wish and find a suitable place to chat."
"We should all go together. It's the perfect chance for us to get to know each other properly."
"Eli-chi, and Kousaka-san as well, you don't mind, right?"
"I..."
Honoka looked at the group, then nodded with a bit of a dazed expression.
As for Eli, she shifted her gaze elsewhere, seemingly giving her silent approval to Tojo Nozomi's suggestion.
Maki didn't raise any objections, which meant she didn't have a problem with it.
Even though Hanayo and Rin were currently just background characters, Tojo Nozomi still extended an invitation to them with a smile.
"You two should come along as well."
"To be able to meet like this, fate must have brought us together."
Seeing everyone's eyes on them, Hanayo and Rin hugged each other nervously.
"I... I understand-nya!"
In a crisis, Nozomi really was reliable!
Mineo gave Nozomi a thumbs-up, and as if they shared a telepathic bond, Nozomi returned the gesture with a sweet smile.
Having agreed to find a quiet place to talk properly, they left the auditorium under Nozomi's lead and arrived at a high-end restaurant.
After booking a large private room, everyone sat around a circular table.
At that moment, a waiter opened the door and entered.
"Um, what would the guests like to or—ah..."
The waiter had come in to ask for their order, but he was suddenly hit by the cold glares of several girls.
The waves of chill caused the waiter to feel a bit terrified.
What was going on? Why was the atmosphere in this room so strange?
At this point, Tojo Nozomi stood up and spoke to the waiter.
"Give us each a glass of juice first. We will contact you for the rest later."
"Each... a glass of juice, right? I... I understand!"
The waiter immediately shut the door and left without looking back.
After he departed, the large room fell into an instant silence.
No one took the initiative to break the awkwardness, yet the gazes of Eli and the others remained fixed on Mineo.
At that moment, Nico spoke in a fierce tone.
"Now everything can be said!"
"Confess and be shown leniency, resist and be punished!"
"Why did you, Mineo, show up at our academy? Was your purpose in coming to Tokyo really to encourage those three?"
"Correct, that was indeed the primary reason I came here!"
Since he had already stepped into the Shuraba, Mineo wasn't about to back down.
A real man has to face it head-on!
They were just a group of girls—what was there to be afraid of!?
It wasn't like they could eat him, right?
Mineo looked around, then spoke slowly.
"Since everyone is sitting together, I will tell you everything."
"Aside from Honoka, Umi, and Kotori—Eli, Nico, Maki, and Nozomi-chan are all dear friends that I treasure in my heart."
"Actually, I didn't think this through before..."
"But since Kotori and the others told me your school was facing a crisis, that's when I thought about acting as a bridge, bringing you all together to unite."
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