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After I took a picture with Amasagi-san, I released my transformation where no one was looking, and managed to get to school without being late. However, the moment I saw Shin’s face at school, I remembered Karen and Midori and began sulking in melancholy as usual.

I fell onto my seat loudly.

As my heart grew heavy, I couldn’t focus on the class.

The classes returned to their normal length today. I took notes carefully, but my brain absorbed none of it. I was merely writing things down mechanically.

“Haa…”

I sighed involuntarily.

“I feel bad putting this on you when you’re depressed, but let’s go to Midori’s.”

Shin walked to my desk while I was lost in thought. I looked around properly, and everyone was either taking out their lunch boxes or standing up and leaving the classroom.

I hadn’t noticed. It was already noon recess.

“Sorry. Let’s go.”
“Ou.”

I stood up too, and we walked together to Midori’s classroom. Midori was in a different class.

We stepped into the corridor and headed to Midori’s classroom.

Along the way, a female student squealed when she saw Shin. He waved his hand amicably at the female student. He usually did things like that during his hero activities too.

“You’re popular.”
“Right?”

Even when teased, he replied nonchalantly.

“Well, you aren’t any less popular than me.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Not impossible. It’s the truth. Make sure to actually look yourself up this time.”
“That would be embarrassing.”

Aside from feeling embarrassed, I also felt scared. The idea of encountering any hate speech against me was frightening.

“Now then, we are here, but…”

During our chat, we reached Midori’s classroom. I peered through the door’s window and found the person we were looking for. The person we sought was Asami Midori, a childhood friend of mine and Shin’s. We used to hang out together in elementary school.

She stood out at 175 cm, quite tall for a girl, but she had a fair face and innocent expression that made her approachable, in contrast to Shin’s intimidating handsomeness. By comparison, I felt like just a hanger-on to these two. No one had told me this, but I sensed it was the general perception.

In any case, she was easy to spot in a crowd.

“Alright, let’s go.”
“N, nn…”

I nodded and entered the classroom, clutching Shin’s sleeve tightly.

“…oi, what’s your hand doing?”
“S, sorry. I’m just a little nervous…”
“I’m sure even Midori wouldn’t do anything drastic with potential witnesses around.”

I hoped that was true, although I wasn’t sure if Midori had the heart to care about the ethics or public opinions. However, I needed to move forward with my problem.

“Alright, let’s go.”
“I feel bad telling you to buck up, but you’re not making a better impression by clutching my sleeve tighter.”
“Shut up. I’m okay with it, so just go.”
“You sure need a lot of maintenance.”

As Shin threw out that comment, he opened the door and entered nonchalantly. I followed close behind, almost hiding.

“Hey there, Midori~”
Shin called out to Midori without hesitation.

“Oo, if it isn’t Shin. How are you?”
“Oh, it’s all okay with me. It’s him.”

I timidly showed my face from behind Shin.

“H, hey, Midori.”
“Kuu-chan!!”
“Hi!”

The moment she saw my face, she vigorously stood from her desk and approached us with terrifying speed. The moment I wanted to gain some distance, I was already too late. Midori had already caught up to me.

“Kuu-chan, you’re here too? Do you need anything from me? Just ask for anything, I will help, okay?” She hugged me tightly, pulled me, sat down, and forcibly put me on her lap. “Ah, could it be, did you come here to be my wife? Aah~! You’re making me too happy!”

Midori hugged me tighter.

“Wait, Midori, isn’t he pitiable? How about letting him go?”
“And what do you mean ‘wife’? A husband would fit him more, wouldn’t it?”

The friends Midori had been eating with laughed as they said that, perhaps as a joke. However, I, Shin, and also Karen knew this. Midori wouldn’t make any such remark as a joke.

Midori remained cheerful, although her eyes betrayed that expression. They were the eyes of a hunting predator. She then removed those eyes and stared at me fixatingly.

“Kuhuhu, Kuu-chan is best as a wife! He is so cute, he can’t be anything but a wife!”

Even if her eyes weren’t smiling, she still kept up appearances. Midori’s tone and gesture remained normal.

“Oi, Midori, please let him go. Kurona is suffocating.”
“Ah, you’re right.”

Shin finally threw me a lifeline.

Midori had always looked at me with those eyes ever since we were young. Despite that, she never looked at anyone else like that other than me, so I had developed some kind of trauma.

When she showed me those eyes, we were just in elementary school.

Once, when I visited her home to hang out, Midori told me, “I will never let you leave, so stay.” I thought that was just a joke, so I innocently answered “alright.” That was a foolish response.

As a result, I couldn’t get home until one week later.

Midori was serious back then. She seriously had no intention of letting me go.

The police were involved, and my parents were very angry. The incident was processed as pranks by us kids. However, me, Shin, and Karen knew that she was serious then.

Because of that matter, I was awkward with her. However, it was impossible for me to hate her. The normal Midori was the Midori that’s kind and thoughtful. Not to mention, she didn’t let me go back then, but she never did anything cruel to me either.

However, I’m still awkward when she sometimes looks at me with those eyes. Those eyes that don’t reflect light.

She always looked at me with those eyes during that one week when I couldn’t go home. Obviously, I would get traumatized.

“Ooi, Kuu-chan. Are you okay?”

A voice reverberated from above me, and the face peered into mine.
It was the unchanging kind eyes that Midori usually had.
Phew, it’s Midori’s usual eyes…

“I, I’m okay. Rather than that, can I get off now? It’s hard to talk like this.”
“No can do. I will let you sit on me until lunchtime is over. Kuhuhu.”

Midori smiled from the bottom of her heart, while Shin shrugged, signaling that it was hopeless.

“Haa… you seem won’t budge on that, so let’s continue as is. Anyway, Midori, we, and I mean Kurona, want to borrow your strength.”
“Okay. What do I need to do?”
“She replied immediately…”
“Midori, you’re completely charmed~.”
“Also called heads over heels in love.”

The two friends interjected, interrupting Midori.

“I’m so charmed that I’m head over heels in love with him! I can’t think of anything else other than Kuu-chan!”
“Alright, alright, let’s get back to the topic. Ah, can you two also stay here? The more opinions there are, the better.”

Shin naturally corrected the direction of the conversation and casually included Midori’s two friends into the conversation.

“Sure. Sounds interesting.”
“I’m okay too~.”
“Thanks. By the way, we haven’t introduced ourselves. My name is Izumi Shin. Nice to meet you.”
“We know~ you’re really famous!”
“You’re the world’s only Crimson Flare after all~”

Both of them lightly laughed. Shin’s face remained exposed even after transformation, so he was found out immediately. That’s why people flock over to him just by seeing him.

That’s why, to be honest, their responses were odd. Most people would try to approach Shin, but they maintained their distance.
They were unusual, I was a little interested.

“Ah, by the way, I’m Miki.”
“I’m Saki.”
“Noted. Miki-san, and Saki-san, right. Aah, by the way, the one that’s being hugged by Midori is Kisaragi Kurona. Despite his appearance, he is a male.”
“No matter how you see me, I’m a male!”

I couldn’t overlook some of his statements, so I rebuked them just for the record.

“Nice to meet you, Kuu-tan.”
“Nice to meet you~, Kuutaso~.”
“Ni, nice to meet you…”

I replied while being perplexed with the nicknames.

“So, what do you want to talk about? Money problems? Or, you want to monopolize a girl for a whole day? Or, or, are you looking for a wedding hall?”

“You’re off the mark at every guess, and you missed by a few miles too. I will omit the details, but Kurona is currently fighting with his sister. From my point of view, neither of them did anything wrong, but… anyway, I will omit the reasons and details, he wants to soothe Karen-chan’s temper. What should he do?”

Shin explained the abridged version in my stead.

“Before that, who’s Karen-chan? What’s your relationship with her?”
“She’s Kurona’s little sister.”
“I see~.”
“In other words, he wants to curry favor with his little sister, doesn’t he?”
“It’s as you said.”
“Is there anything I can do?”

When I asked, all three of them tilted their heads.
Before long, Miki was the first to straighten her head to normal.

“Kuu-tan, are you in good terms with Karen-chan?”
“It wasn’t bad, I think.”
“Do you go out shopping on the weekends?”
“Sometimes.”
“Okay, I see.”

Miki thought for a few more seconds. Even now, Midori and Saki still had their heads tilted. I was the one who asked for their help, so I couldn’t complain, but their conduct didn’t inspire confidence. In contrast to those two, Miki immediately suggested a solution.

“Kuu-tan, you should go shopping together with her during the weekend.”
“Eh, shopping?”
“Yes, together. If neither did anything wrong, then after you spend time and play together, your relationship would naturally return to normal.”
“I wonder…”

I thought that I had made Karen very angry this time. She always forgave me after a few hours, and at the longest, a whole night. However, this time, a few days had passed by without her forgiving me. Her angry demeanor was different from usual.

“In the first place, would she receive my invitation?”
“You can ask Sakura-chan for that. I have her contact information after all.”
“Since when…”

I was surprised that he had exchanged contact information with Amasaki-san out of nowhere. It must be easy for him with his looks, art of conversing, and ability to form interpersonal relationships that far outstripped mine.

“Who’s Sakura-chan?”
“Karen-chan’s friend.”
“I see… in that case, should we also invite her together with Sakura-chan?”
“Eh?”

Miki smilingly put forward an idea that came into her mind, suggesting it as a good idea.

“If only a pair is not good, then just add more. It would work if Sakura-chan asks both Kuu-tan and Karen-chan to hang out together with her.”
“I see…”
“Ah, then let me join in too!”

Midori lifted her hand, wanting to join the excursion too. She probably hadn’t thought it through.

“No! If you join, then you can split the group into two pairs. If it is a small odd-numbered group of three people, then you can’t split into pairs. That’s why, you can’t add any more people.”
“Ee, no way…”

Midori was disheartened by Miki’s words.

If I understood correctly, if there are four people, then you can split into pairs. However, if it’s three people, then one person would be left out if you try, so naturally, you would move together. Karen and Amasaki-san were kind kids after all, they wouldn’t leave anyone alone.

Besides, it would be awkward if it’s just the two of us, but if it’s three people, it would at least be a little better.

After understanding Miki’s reasoning, I voiced out my astonishment reflexively.

“Miki-san, you’re amazing. You’re very resourceful.”
“Hehe! Are you going to call me the ingenious Miki?”

Miku combed her hair to look cooler. Midori groaned with cringe.

“Down with Miki the Tyrant!”
“What did you say!”

Miki responded to Midori’s words by raising her hands and ruffling Midori’s hair.

“Waa! My hair’s messy!”
“As it should be!”
Those two are making a racket. “Waa!, “Kyaa!”

…I don’t mind, but I, who’s sitting on Midori’s lap, was also dragged into it.
Miku ruffled Midori’s hair with one hand, and mine with the other.
Midori had hugged my hands together with me so I wouldn’t escape, so I couldn’t defend against it either.

Looking at me at her mercy, Shin looked at me with a pained smile.

“You can help, you know?”
“I’m bad at getting into the friendship circle of girls.”
“Oi, I’m a boy!”

I complained at Shin’s implication that I’m also one of the girls. While we had this exchange, my hair was being tousled.

Anyhow, I have decided on a plan, so I just need to execute it. Well, I need Amasaki-san’s cooperation before executing it.

“Would Amasaki-san cooperate?”
“Leave that to me. I have the right bait, so it will be easy to fish for it.”
“The right bait?”
“Yeah, the finest kind.”

Bait. What could it actually be?

As doubt floated inside my head, Shin smiled at me, full of confidence. I don’t know what he meant, but Shin said he would take care of it, so he should be able to handle it finely. I can only believe in him. Just like that, the recess ended.

Furthermore, Saki had fallen asleep before I noticed. I thought, “she’s the kind that marches to her own beat.”