There were only three people on the rooftop at this moment: Shiraishi Shin, Shiina Mahiru, and Alya.
Alya took a step forward, still feeling hostile toward the earlier Tsugumi Seishirou. She looked at Shiraishi Shin and asked,
"What was with that person just now? Calling her 'Miss Kirisaki'... and why did you two end up fighting?"
Beside her, Shiina Mahiru remained silent, but she was equally curious.
Shiraishi Shin explained,
"That Tsugumi Seishirou looks like a guy, but she's actually a girl. She's Chitoge Kirisaki's bodyguard and quite skilled. She probably mistook me for an enemy getting too close to her Ojou-sama."
Alya was greatly surprised and said unexpectedly,
"She's a girl? Shiina-san, did you notice?"
"No, I thought she was a boy too. After all, the name Seishirou is quite masculine, and even the school uniform she wears is the male version."
Shiina Mahiru hadn't suspected Tsugumi Seishirou's gender either. The clothing, the name, and the short hair were simply too deceptive. However, thinking back now, Seishirou's face was indeed quite different from a man's.
Alya speculated,
"Speaking of which, is the Kirisaki Family some high-ranking official family or the daughter of a financial conglomerate? To be able to raise a bodyguard of the same age since childhood—and a girl at that—it definitely can't be simple."
Shiina Mahiru said,
"She hasn't mentioned anything about that. She probably doesn't want to say it so she can make friends like an ordinary girl. Otherwise, with a difference in status, it would be hard to blend into the class."
"Her identity is indeed not simple, but that's her business. Although I know, it's not right for me to gossip without Chitoge's consent."
Shiraishi Shin didn't say much more. This was a secret that allowed Chitoge Kirisaki to make friends. If people knew she was the daughter of a mafia boss, they might fear her or look at her through colored glasses. Moreover, if it were exposed, rival organizations might lie in wait to kidnap her, just like last time.
Shiina Mahiru said understandingly,
"It's fine. Anyway, when we make friends with Chitoge, we value her as a person, not her status."
Alya leaned against the railing with her arms crossed and said,
"Yeah, whatever her status is has nothing to do with us. I'm not curious either."
Shiraishi Shin stretched and said,
"Then let's go, let's head back to the classroom."
Seeing Alya take two steps forward, Shiina Mahiru stepped up and grabbed her wrist, then said to Shiraishi Shin,
"Wait, Shin-nii, you go ahead first. I have some things I want to say to Kujou-san privately."
"You guys..."
Shiraishi Shin looked at the two of them, somewhat puzzled about what Mahiru wanted to say to Alya.
Alya herself was a bit dazed, and an unbidden nervousness rose in her heart. Could it be that Shiina Mahiru had noticed her feelings for Shiraishi Shin and wanted to talk to her alone to ask her to give up?
Shiina Mahiru smiled and said,
"Shin-nii, hurry along. If we don't have enough time to talk before class starts, it'll be your fault."
Shiraishi Shin glanced at Alya. Although Alya was a bit flustered, she wasn't a coward. Happiness is something you fight for yourself, not something you give up just because someone else asks. She nodded at Shiraishi Shin, signaling for him to leave.
"Alright then, I'll head off first."
Shiraishi Shin wondered to himself if Shiina Mahiru was trying to help him out and secure Alya.
But since they didn't want him to know right now, he decided to be sensible and leave first.
After Shiraishi Shin returned to the classroom, Chitoge Kirisaki came up again to apologize.
Shiraishi Shin waved his hand and said,
"I'm also partly responsible. I patted your shoulder just now, which is why Tsugumi-san became so hostile."
Chitoge Kirisaki, fearing this would create distance between her and Shiraishi Shin, hurriedly said,
"It's okay. She already knows you're not an enemy; in fact, she's very grateful to you. Right, Tsugumi?"
Tsugumi Seishirou stood to the side, awkwardly scratching the back of her head, and nodded.
"Yes, that's right."
Shiraishi Shin said,
"Alright, let's just drop it. There's no need to mention the misunderstanding again."
Chitoge Kirisaki breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Shiraishi Shin didn't distance himself from her, it was fine.
She then asked,
"Okay, I won't mention it. Huh, where are Mahiru and Kujou-san? Didn't they come back with you?"
Shiraishi Shin said,
"They had something to talk about, so I came back first."
"I see."
A few minutes later, the class bell rang, and Shiina Mahiru and Alya finally returned to the classroom.
Shiraishi Shin observed their expressions. They looked very harmonious and didn't seem to have had any unpleasantness; in fact, they seemed closer. He felt relieved, though he was still curious about what they had discussed. However, given Shiina Mahiru's gentleness and intelligence, she surely knew how to handle things properly.
After the two returned to the classroom, Shiina Mahiru glanced at Shiraishi Shin behind her before sitting back in her seat.
"What did you guys talk about just now?"
Shiraishi Shin couldn't help but ask Alya, who was sitting to his left.
Alya looked at Shiraishi Shin, her face uncontrollably flushing and her heart racing. She replied,
"Nothing much, just chatting with Mahiru about daily life."
"Ma... hiru?"
Hearing Alya no longer call her Shiina-san but the more intimate Mahiru, even if they didn't say anything, Shiraishi Shin had some guesses in his heart.
At noon, seeing Alya get up to leave, Shiraishi Shin called out to her,
"Alya, you're going to the cafeteria, right? Mahiru and I are also going to the cafeteria today. Let's go together?"
Alya was stunned for a moment and asked,
"You guys didn't bring bentos today?"
"No."
"Alright then, let's go together."
Alya nodded and agreed.
"You guys didn't bring bentos today, Shin? Then I'll go eat at the cafeteria too."
Chitoge Kirisaki, who was nearby, heard this and put back the bento box she had just taken out, stating she also wanted to go to the cafeteria.
Shiraishi Shin naturally had no objection, but he still gave her a heads-up, saying,
"Just to be clear, the cafeteria food isn't as good as your bento. Don't go vomiting when the time comes."
Chitoge Kirisaki put her hands on her hips and said,
"Haha, then you're underestimating me. I'm not some sheltered young mistress who never leaves the house. Why would I vomit? Besides, I want to taste the food in the cafeteria too."
Shiina Mahiru urged,
"Shin-nii, Alya, Chitoge, let's hurry. If there are too many people later, we'll have to queue for a long time."
"True enough."
Shiraishi Shin was the first to walk out of the classroom door, and the other girls followed.
"Ojou-sama, I'm coming too."
As Chitoge Kirisaki's bodyguard and protector, Tsugumi Seishirou naturally followed along as well.
On the way to the cafeteria, the group of five high-visual individuals inevitably drew the gazes of countless students.
None of the five cared. After all, their good looks weren't a recent development; they had been attractive since childhood and were long accustomed to the stares of the crowd.
"Wow, there are so many people."
Chitoge Kirisaki looked at the lively scene and the large number of students, finding it quite noisy.
Alya said as if it were the norm,
"Eighty percent of the students choose to eat at the cafeteria, so naturally, there are many people."
The other twenty percent of students either brought their own bentos or went to the school convenience store to buy instant noodles, yakisoba bread, milk, and other food to eat.