The school bell rang, signaling the start of class, and the teacher walked into the classroom.
However, Megumi Kato showed no intention of putting Kotomi's phone back. Her usual calm and indifferent gaze flickered for a moment before gradually dimming. She unconsciously leaned forward slightly, as if she had just realized that the precious treasure she held so tightly was being coveted by someone else. Instinctively, her entire being shifted into a state of vigilance.
"Don't overthink it. Maybe… it's just a close friend of Kotomi's who happened to send her a message right now. Yes, that must be it!" Megumi muttered to herself, as if using words to comfort her own heart.
After reassuring herself for a while, Megumi felt mentally prepared. She then tapped on the message that Iroha Isshiki had sent to Kotomi.
Iroha Isshiki: [Waking up to a good morning message from my senpai—what could be more wonderful than this? Last night was really fun, senpai~]
[Senpai, you're so contradictory. You kept saying we shouldn't do this, but still stayed up late playing around with me. Because of you, I could barely get out of bed this morning. I wonder if senpai is just as exhausted as I am~? (lol)]
[Senpai truly lives up to the title! I never noticed before, but last night, I finally got a taste of just how dom-i-nant you can be as a senior~ I really wish time could fast-forward to after my high school entrance exams so I could join Sobu High School right away. Then I'd be in the same school as you! (Hey, senpai, do you think magic that controls time exists?)]
[Last night was wonderful. Tonight, tomorrow night, and every night from now on, I want to be as happy with senpai as I was last night—no, even happier!]
Right after sending the four messages, Iroha Isshiki followed up with a photo.
In the picture, she was making a heart shape with her hands. Though her entire face wasn't visible, her lips curved into a bright, adorable smile—with just a hint of mischievous playfulness.
After the photo, two more messages arrived in quick succession:
[I asked Aimi to take this for me. Pretty good, right?~ Don't worry, Aimi doesn't know this photo was for you. She was super curious about why I suddenly wanted a picture like this—she even thought I was in a relationship!~]
[Even though Aimi kept asking me about it for ages, I didn't tell her about you, senpai!]
[Little Bunny Emoji: Praise me, praise me!]
Megumi Katou sat in her chair, head lowered, gripping Kotomi's phone tightly. Her fingers trembled slightly, and without realizing it, she was squeezing the phone so hard that it seemed like it might crack in her palm at any moment.
She kept biting the fingers of her other hand, concealing her expression from view.
"Last night… tonight? Who is this girl, and why is she sending Kotomi these kinds of messages?! She's Aimi's classmate? That means she's in her third year of middle school… She's supposed to be Aimi's friend—so why is she this close to Kotomi?"
Megumi Katou continued helping Kotomi clear the dungeon in the game. After finishing, she calmly placed the phone back into Kotomi's desk pocket. Slowly, she lifted her head—her gaze dark as chaos itself, her hollow eyes sending chills down one's spine.
"Why does Kotomi always have so many girls around her? I feel just a little bit… unhappy~"
Megumi bit her finger, sinking her teeth in so deeply that she even drew blood. Then, she smiled softly and spoke in a gentle tone.
Her expression was eerily still. Anyone who saw the slight curve of her lips would find not even the faintest trace of warmth in that smile.
Meanwhile, Kotomi followed behind Kisara Tendo, heading toward Class 2-B. As they passed by the entrance of Class 1-B, they once again heard a chorus of wails from inside.
"Lately, I keep hearing some classmates say that being able to advance to second year early is such a blessing.
It seems like something's been going on with Class 1-B this semester—they've been getting an unusual amount of 'attention' from the disciplinary director and the teachers.
Their experiences these past few weeks have been so rough that students from Class 2-B and Class 3-B can't help but feel relieved that they're no longer first-years. Kotomi, any idea why?"
Kisara Tendo was simply looking for a topic to chat about. She had realized that she genuinely enjoyed talking with Kotomi more and more. As for why Class 1-B was going through all this? She had no real interest in finding out.
Maybe it was just that too many students in that class were caught playing on their phones during lessons, and the disciplinary director finally had enough.
"Maybe it's just that the teachers at Sobu High School are always strict."
As someone who never played on her phone during class, Kotomi responded offhandedly. However, in her mind, she was still wondering whether Megumi had managed to clear the dungeon for her.
The distance from Class 1-F to Class 2-B wasn't too long, but because the classrooms were in different parts of the building, they first had to go downstairs to the first floor, then climb another set of stairs on the opposite side.
Kotomi wasn't sure if it was just psychological, but every time she climbed the stairs in school, she would sometimes find herself getting winded.
She hated stairs.
One way or another, they finally arrived at Class 2-B. Even though Kotomi had been here once before, she was fairly certain that if Kisara Tendo weren't leading her, there was an 80% chance she'd struggle to find the classroom on her own.
Before they even reached the classroom door, they spotted Hibiki Naegi waiting for them from a short distance away—looking as if she were a TV drama villain about to say, "I've been expecting you."
"Hello, Hibiki. I've brought Kotomi over, so let's get this discussion started. Or rather, let's be honest—it's just going to be the two of us talking. Kotomi only needs to sit in the middle and watch as we figure out whether she stays in the Art Club or sees the light and joins my Kendo Club instead."
Kisara Tendo truly lived up to her kendo training—even her words carried the sharp, cutting edge of a blade.
Hibiki Naegi gave Kisara Tendo a glance before turning to Kotomi. "Kisara didn't resort to threats, bribery, or blackmail to force you into joining the Kendo Club, did she?"
What kind of person do you think I am…? Kisara Tendo thought to herself.
"No, it's just that Tendo-senpai's offer is so generous that it's hard not to be tempted." Kotomi shook her head and explained.
Hibiki Naegi furrowed her delicate brows slightly. But after hearing Kotomi's words, she gradually relaxed.
Kotomi hadn't tried to cover up her true thoughts with other excuses. She had been completely upfront—she was tempted by Tendo-senpai's offer because it was simply too good!
Such honesty wasn't off-putting at all. Being direct about why she wanted to join the Kendo Club was far better than giving a vague, convoluted explanation that left people confused—or worse, led to misunderstandings.
In this regard, Hibiki Naegi had always admired Kotomi. She felt that Kotomi's way of handling people and situations far surpassed that of her peers. In fact, there were times when Kotomi's words and demeanor didn't feel like those of a high school girl at all, but rather those of a mature, reliable, and socially adept older sister.
Simply put, Kotomi Izumi was very good at dealing with people.
Even so, any change in club membership was not a decision to be taken lightly. As the president of the Art Club, Hibiki Naegi had to give this serious consideration.
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