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Back at his seat, Ren approached him apologetically.
“Um, Harutaki—”
Of course. As class president, Ren would have been informed of the arrangements beforehand.
“You should think about yourself a bit more, Ren. Giving endlessly doesn’t always mean you’ll get what you deserve.”
“Well, I am the class rep. Stuff like this should be my responsibility…”
“Honestly, I’d rather go to another class than deal with taking care of Haruto and Tazaki~”
He joked lightly to ease the mood.
Tazaki, having caught part of the conversation—and being fairly good at reading the room—quickly pieced things together.
“Harutaki-sama should stay with everyone… I—I don’t mind.”
“Oh, come on. You want to go embarrass Class 3 in Class 1 or something?”
Harutaki patted his slightly thinner shoulder, stopping him from making decisions on his own.
“I was planning to use this chance to meet some cute girls from other classes. Don’t even think about stopping me.”
“Oh? The infamous playboy of Nichiya High is making his move again? Which poor girl is it this time?”
Once he relaxed, Ren grinned and nudged Harutaki with his elbow.
“Last time it was Shirasagi-senpai. So who’s the target now?”
This guy actually remembered that joke from back then.
Harutaki felt a flicker of surprise… but more than that, a quiet warmth.
He slung an arm around Ren’s neck, lowering his voice like a spy exchanging secrets.
“The famous beauties of Class 1… the Asano sisters.”
“Uh… H-Harutaki-sama… um, if it’s that Asano girl, you might not want to get your hopes up…”
Tazaki cut in hesitantly, as if he knew something interesting.
Ren, still shoulder-to-shoulder with Harutaki, followed up with what he knew.
“I’ve heard the student council president, that Asano girl isn't exactly easy to get along with… People say she’s got a pretty bad personality.”
“A bad personality? Worse than Nogami-san?”
The moment Harutaki said that, Ren burst out laughing.
“Cough—Nogami… Nogami-san’s a special case…” His expression turned a little complicated before he continued, “Anyway, just be careful. She is the student council president, after all.”
“Relax, I’ve got it~”
After seeing Ren and Tazaki off, Harutaki deliberately lingered for a bit, planning to head to Class 1 later—
He wanted to confirm whether the third-year assigned to guide Nogami and the others was a guy or a girl.
If it was a girl, fine.
If it was a guy…
He trusted Nogami and Chouko, of course. But that was different from someone deliberately causing trouble.
That would be a direct slap in the face to his title as “Nichiya High’s number one scumbag.”
However—
“H-hey… hey?”
“…Why is it you?”
Short orange hair cut close to the scalp, about ten centimeters shorter than him, and a voice lacking confidence—
Looking at the boy who had arrived early at the entrance of Class 2-3, Harutaki let out a helpless sigh.
“…Sato-senpai.”
“Don’t look so surprised… or disappointed…”
Sato scratched the back of his head awkwardly, smiling.
“I may not be in the top ten, but I’m still one of the third-years who has a shot at getting into Todai.”
Ever since he had come to terms with his position and let go of the burden called “expectation and admiration” that he once carried for Chouko, his whole demeanor had lightened.
For once, he even joked.
“Don’t underestimate bookworms~”
Then, suddenly turning serious, he straightened his posture and bowed deeply.
“I didn’t get the chance before, but now I can finally thank you in person, Hoshikawa-kun…”
He bowed again, even more earnestly.
“…Thank you for helping Chouko, for letting her pursue the life she truly wants…”
Pretending to just be passing by, he cautiously peeked into the classroom. Seeing Chouko chatting happily with Nogami, Sae, and Sanada, a gentle, content smile spread across his face.
“Protecting that happiness… that smile of hers… that’s probably my lifelong wish as her older brother.”
With that, he turned back around.
“If there’s anything you need my help with, just say the word.”
“That’s not really necessary—”
Harutaki was about to thank him when something suddenly came to mind.
The person he wanted to see… should be in the same class as Sato-senpai.
So he immediately changed his question.
“Um, Sato-senpai… do you know where Miyabi—Shirasagi-senpai—is? I heard she’s one of the third-years helping with the guidance session.”
“Shirasagi-san?”
Sato looked slightly puzzled, but considering the bold promise he’d just made, it didn’t feel right to press further. After thinking for a moment, he answered directly.
“Now that you mention it… after Asama-sensei finished explaining the guidance details last period, I haven’t seen her at all. That’s strange… Normally, as the top student in our class, Shirasagi-san should be leading everyone here.”
Following Sato’s gaze, Harutaki saw several unfamiliar seniors gradually arriving nearby—
But that lone, cool and distant figure of Miyabi-senpai was nowhere to be seen.
“Anyway, I’ll leave things here to you, Sato-senpai. Don’t let any suspicious guys get close to Chouko.”
The current “Onii” Sato had grown a bit more dependable. With him keeping watch, Harutaki felt relatively at ease.
Besides, with Nogami’s infamous reputation, aside from someone like Sato—who would do anything for his little sister—most people probably wouldn’t dare approach.
“Leave it to me! If I can’t beat them even with everything I’ve got, I’ll contact you immediately, Hoshikawa-kun!”
“Please just call the police or a teacher. And no one’s stupid enough to start a fight at Nichiya High…”
Faced with Sato suddenly burning with determination for no reason, Harutaki had no idea where to even begin his retort.