Whether it was fortunate or not, two famous girls from Class J ended up in the same group. But with no other boys joining them, they couldn't experience the joy of polygamy.
Meanwhile, for the average female student who happened to land this seemingly enviable position, being in a group with both of them was incredibly stressful. Far from happy, she now only wanted to escape this painfully tense atmosphere as quickly as possible and let the two of them enjoy themselves in peace.
"They're not this cold in class! Why are they acting like this now..."
"Natsukawa-san, could you please give the best reason to go to the Ferris wheel first?"
Yukino knew that staring each other down wouldn't solve anything. She touched her chin and spoke in a clear voice: "Let's set aside the Ferris wheel, which is the farthest facility from us. I don't think three women need to view the scenery from an enclosed space."
"Do we really need to go to the cat café first?" Masuzu countered with a smile.
"Of course!"
Yukino immediately puffed out her flat chest, as if trying to strengthen her argument. But then she noticed the full, prominent chest of the silver-haired girl in front of her, instantly straightened up, and cleared her throat as if nothing had happened:
"According to research, playing with cats stimulates hormones in the brain, calms the mind, and relieves stress—"
"You just want to pet cats, don't you?" Masuzu didn't listen long. She cut in with a direct, accurate conclusion.
"..."
As if liquid nitrogen had been sprayed on her face, Yukino froze in place for several seconds. Yet, once she thawed, she remained calm. She brushed her long black hair from her shoulder and spoke honestly:
"Fine. I admit I'm fond of feline creatures, so I suggested going to the cat café first... Then again, are you really that interested in the Ferris wheel, Natsukawa-san?"
"Of course~ The moment I saw there was a Ferris wheel here, I couldn't wait to ride it—"
"That's a lie." Just as before, Yukino didn't wait for her to finish. Her verdict rang out.
As if touching a sore spot in her heart, Masuzu's smile slowly faded.
Instead, Yukino crossed her arms over her chest, showing an elegant, cold smile.
"After all, we're both choosing our group's destination to satisfy our own egos. We should resolve this in a fairer, more accurate way, rather than standing here debating until we convince each other... That's inefficient."
"...Fiiine."
With a flick of her silver hair, Masuzu struck a slightly odd pose. Her calm demeanor returned as she spoke confidently: "Then, to meet with my boyfriend, lose gracefully here, Yukinoshita-san."
Yukino raised an eyebrow, smiling even brighter: "Not many people can defeat me, and you're not one of them, Natsukawa-san."
The air subtly shifted. The wind carried invisible dust.
Though they wore simple gym clothes, they resembled two proud, cold female knights standing opposite each other on the battlefield, ready to raise their spears and charge like a storm.
The ordinary female student watching couldn't help but be transfixed. She felt like a spectator, sitting in the audience with popcorn, waiting for them to determine the winner. It was an odd feeling.
She wasn't even worthy of being a referee, nor did she know who to support... In any case, she just hoped they could resolve it peacefully without involving her.
But as she thought that, both of them suddenly turned to her.
"Classmate (name), as you suggested, let's decide the winner with rock-paper-scissors."
"After all, the other classmates have already left. Considering time, rock-paper-scissors is the simplest and best choice."
"Eh?" The ordinary female student looked back and forth between their faces, her shoulders shrinking, slightly confused.
"B-but is it okay? Actually, you two can just decide. I don't mind..."
Yukino immediately frowned, strengthening her tone: "You're also a group member. Of course, you have the right to participate in all group decisions! It doesn't matter if you don't have a place you want to visit—just give your opinion."
Masuzu also smiled slightly, returning to her well-behaved self, speaking gently: "Exactly. Don't be afraid. Even though Yukinoshita-san has a temper that isn't very pleasant, she wouldn't do something terrible like ostracizing a classmate."
"..."
Yukino turned her face away, smirking as if ignoring a crow's caw.
"..."
"I see. I understand."
After carefully confirming their expressions, the ordinary female student nodded. She finally gathered her courage and stood in front of them.
Looking closely at their two incredibly beautiful faces, she snapped out of her slight daze, blinking as if realizing something:
Though their aura and appearance seemed like beings from another dimension, making people feel intimidated and instinctively keep their distance...
But how... when seen up close, weren't they just kind-hearted ordinary girls after all?
As soon as she thought that, she instantly relaxed. She smiled and raised her fist.
"Then, let's play rock-paper-scissors!"
Yukino nodded. "Fine. As a notice, I'll throw rock."
"Eh?"
The ordinary female student wore a confused expression.
Masuzu smiled indifferently. "Do you think I don't know how many times I've heard that Yukinoshita President hates lying? Of course, I'll throw paper."
"Eh?!"
The ordinary female student widened her eyes in shock.
Yukino showed a sweet, charming smile. "Rock-paper-scissors is a game of chance. Winning through deception is part of the rules... Does she think I'm such a rigid person that I can't adapt during a game?"
"Eh?!!"
The ordinary female student opened her mouth, unable to say anything except express shock.
Masuzu's face darkened halfway.
"Sorry, she doesn't actually know you that well."
Yukino slightly narrowed her eyes. Neither would back down.
"I don't want to get too close to her either. By the way, haven't you forgotten your original intention?"
"No need to worry. Everything's going smoothly."
"Good. Seeing your attitude so bad, I thought I might've accidentally disturbed you."
"You call this bad? Do you live in Utopia?"
No one knew where the spark of battle came from, but the sound of clashing swords rang out again. The scent of gunpowder began to fill the air.
"...No, this isn't the time to fight!"
She quickly snapped out of her daze. The ordinary female student ignored everything. She raised her fist and shouted loudly:
"One—scissors, rock..."
Their attention was drawn, and they instinctively swung their hands to follow her motion.
"Paper!"
"..."
The final winner was the ordinary female student.
"Then... can we hike the mountain?"
She clenched her small fist, asking with slight anxiety and nervousness.
"..."
Masuzu and Yukino looked at each other. They simultaneously sighed unwillingly, brushing their hair with blank, lifeless eyes. Yet they still spoke honestly:
"The winner decides..."
"Yey!"
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Unaware of what had happened with the beautiful girls, on Yuu's side—
Since they'd decided their destination early, when they arrived at the monorail station, there weren't many tourists. They didn't even need to queue—immediately boarding the car.
Besides them, there were a few Sobu High students who had moved faster, and some students from other schools on their school picnic.