A room of about 20 square meters—
The window was half-open, letting in a gentle spring breeze tinged with the scent of cherry blossoms. It fluttered through the room like a soft whisper, freshening the air with the promise of new beginnings.
Kasumigaoka Touji placed the express delivery box along with his backpack on the clubroom table.
He gave the room a once-over, noticing that compared to his last visit, the space had become noticeably livelier.
On the rectangular table sat two adorable cactus potted plants. In front of the seats typically occupied by Kumin Tsuyuri and Katou Megumi were exquisite teacups, almost too fancy for a high school club room.
Near the outlet, a low table now stood with a hot water kettle resting atop it. It looked like it had been set there specifically to make room for the new microwave he had brought.
Across from the sofa, against the wall, a rectangular rug had been laid out. On it, a short-haired girl was curled up, lying on her side. She rested her head on a fluffy sheep-shaped pillow labeled "910" and was covered snugly with an equally fluffy blanket, fast asleep.
Several other animal-themed pillows were scattered nearby. Her Toyosaki Private Academy uniform had been neatly folded off to the side.
It looked peaceful. Cozy, even.
Wait, hold up—
You actually took them off? In school?!
Σ(゜△゜|||)
Just how much do you trust me, huh!?
Kasumigaoka Touji blinked, flustered by the situation. His face twitched involuntarily.
Coming in early to drop things off in the clubroom, only to discover a classmate who had taken off her clothes and was sleeping like it was her personal bedroom—
If someone shady had walked in instead of him, this could've easily turned into a scene straight out of an R-rated anime!
"Geez... give a guy some warning," Touji muttered under his breath. Still, he quickly composed himself. Shaking off the awkward thoughts, he took out a key and carefully opened the cardboard box, pulling out the microwave he had ordered online and setting it down on the small table.
He paused, hesitating for a moment. It wasn't exactly early anymore, and he was a little worried she'd end up being late for class.
After all, it was Tsuyuri-chan who had come all the way to school to unlock the door for him. It wouldn't feel right to let her be the one who ended up tardy.
So, Touji walked over to her, squatted down, grabbed a nearby cushion, and gently nudged her cheek with it.
"Tsuyuri, Tsuyuri-chan~. Time to wake up. It's almost time for class, you know."
"Nn..."
Stirred by the soft pokes, Kumin Tsuyuri let out a small, sleepy whimper. Her long lashes fluttered slightly before she slowly opened her eyes.
Her ruby-red irises sparkled drowsily as they met his gaze, still hazy from sleep.
"...Eh?"
"It's almost class time," Touji repeated, setting down the cushion and rising to his feet.
"Ah! Oh—oh!"
As if her brain finally caught up to her surroundings, Tsuyuri abruptly straightened up.
The blanket slipped from her shoulders, revealing a silky pink-and-white nightgown.
...At least it was conservative.
Touji quickly looked away and said, "I'll wait for you outside."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and made a beeline for the door.
On the way out, he picked up his backpack casually from the table.
"Okay~."
A soft, sheep-like voice responded behind him.
About two minutes later, Kumin Tsuyuri reemerged, fully dressed in her school uniform and radiating her usual sleepy charm.
"Sorry to keep you waiting~."
She gave him a cheerful smile and offered a bright "Good morning~" as if nothing had happened. Touji politely returned the greeting.
After locking the clubroom door and tucking away the key, she beamed and said, "Let's go to the classroom!"
As they started walking, Touji couldn't help himself. "By the way… why were you sleeping in the clubroom so early in the morning?"
Tsuyuri-chan tilted her head innocently. "Just catching up on some sleep."
Like it was the most normal thing in the world.
...Excellent. As expected of you.
"That's… such a perfectly reasonable explanation."
Touji could only twitch the corner of his mouth.
He decided to change the topic before she hit him with more unpredictable answers. "I noticed a bunch of new stuff in the clubroom. Did you and Katou-san buy them on Saturday?"
"Yup! We grabbed everything we needed that day."
Tsuyuri's face lit up, obviously pleased. Then, with an exaggerated sigh, she added, "Megumi's presence is ridiculously low. I kept losing her every time I turned around."
Touji chuckled. "That bad, huh?"
"Three times we got separated. Three! It wasn't until we held hands that we finally stopped losing each other."
"Holding hands, huh~? That sounds like something out of a romcom."
Tsuyuri giggled. "I know, right? But seriously, her presence is dangerously low. There was this one time I was chatting with someone, and even though I was paying attention, I didn't notice Megumi until she was suddenly right next to me. I nearly screamed."
Touji laughed, and the two of them continued to chat casually as they approached the school building.
The moment they entered the hallway near their classroom, Touji spotted a small group of boys huddled around the window, peeking inside with awestruck expressions and whispering excitedly.
He sighed internally. "Let me guess... Eriri again."
Indeed, ever since Friday, Eriri Spencer Sawamura had become something of a sensation at Toyosaki Private Academy, courtesy of that loudmouth, Masahei Anjima. Her blonde twintails and tsundere charm had made her the second celebrity of Class 1-G.
Ignoring the commotion, Touji walked into the classroom alongside Tsuyuri. Sure enough, there was Eriri, at the center of a small crowd.
He figured since they were now working together, he should at least greet her.
As he passed, he nodded politely and said, "Good morning, Eriri Spencer Sawamura."
Eriri blinked. "A-Ah... Morning!"
Her reaction was delayed, awkward, and oddly evasive. Her eyes darted away the moment she answered.
Touji raised an eyebrow. That was... suspicious.
What's she so flustered about?
Then it hit him. She was probably worried someone would find out about her secret otaku lifestyle and their collaboration on the manga.
To reassure her, Touji gave her a look—calm, serious, the kind that said, "Relax, I got you."
Unfortunately, his subtle gesture only made her panic more.
Eriri stiffened like a startled cat, and her obvious discomfort didn't go unnoticed by the others.
Girl A turned to glance at Touji, then at Eriri. "Eriri Spencer Sawamura, did something... happen last Friday?"
Eriri froze.
This reaction—this wasn't normal. Her behavior screamed guilt.
The surrounding classmates perked up, now more curious than ever.
"N-Nothing happened! Nothing at all!" Eriri blurted out with the fakest calm in the history of calmness.
Everyone exchanged skeptical looks.
Of course, the school grapevine needed no more fuel. Within hours, a certain scumbag twisted the story into a wild rumor—that Kasumigaoka Touji, unsatisfied with Utaha-senpai, was also chasing after Eriri Spencer Sawamura.
Two-timing. Love triangle. Scandal!
And just like that, the tale spread like wildfire across the entire campus...