The classroom was probably hosting a fight.
Kurashiki Rena's reputation at Shirahama High was legendary.
"Rich girl," "princess syndrome," even "queenly aura" or "sadistic streak"—all fit the gyaru perfectly. Getting on her bad side rarely ended well.
So, most assumed Class F was witnessing a bullying session, pitying Satoru's fate.
Of course, plenty of pervy gentlemen envied him, dreaming of being stepped on by Rena's dainty, sparkling feet.
"What's going on?"
As the crowd fixated on the classroom, a gentle, polite voice sounded behind them. They turned.
Miyajima Sakura.
She'd just arrived, missing the earlier chaos.
"Why's everyone gathered?" Sakura asked a girl softly. "Are you from Class F?"
"Y-Yes, Miyajima-senpai!" the girl replied, nearly bowing.
"Do you know if Kobayashi-kun's left? Oh, Kobayashi Satoru-kun," Sakura clarified, in case the name was unfamiliar.
The girl glanced nervously at the classroom, shaking her head. "H-He's still inside."
"Great," Sakura sighed in relief, murmuring, "I got held up with committee stuff and forgot to ask Kobayashi-kun if he's coming to the club today… Is he still in there?"
"Yes," the girl nodded.
"Thank you."
Sakura headed for the classroom door. Through the hallway window, she spotted Satoru… and two girls.
One was Kurashiki Rena, whom she didn't know well.
Unworldly and uninterested in gossip, Sakura still knew Rena's name from classmates and club members.
What's Kobayashi-kun talking about with her?
Curious, under everyone's stares, Sakura pushed open the door.
"…A guy like you will never get a girl's…" Rena was mid-sentence, her venomous words cut off by the door's creak.
She turned to snap at the intruder but froze, meeting a Yamato Nadeshiko smile.
Not aimed at her.
At Satoru.
"I'm here to pick you up, Kobayashi-kun," Sakura said with a radiant smile. "What are you doing?"
Satoru scratched his cheek shyly. "Just… a friendly chat."
"Did I interrupt?" Sakura asked.
"Nope, just wrapped up," Satoru said. "Let's go."
"Okay." Sakura tilted her head, eyeing Rena's conflicted expression and Arisa's stunned one. Puzzled but polite, she gave a slight bow. "Excuse us, we'll be going."
"W-Wait," Rena called out instinctively.
Miyajima Sakura…
That Miyajima Sakura?!
Rena knew her, of course. Sakura was a goddess at Shirahama High. Guys revered her, not lusted after her—a rarity for hormone-driven Japanese high school boys stuffed with yellow-tinted dreams and world-saving fantasies.
And… this approachable yet aloof senpai, never linked closely with any guy, just said, "I'm here to pick you up" to Satoru.
Mind-boggling. Rena's brain short-circuited.
It wasn't just Sakura's behavior. How was Satoru this chummy with a high-peak flower like her? From Sakura's tone, she was the one cozying up to him.
Something's off… right?
"What's up?" Sakura turned back.
Rena opened her mouth but couldn't speak. "…Nothing."
Arisa was even more floored.
Her shock surpassed Rena's.
If Shirahama High had a social hierarchy, Sakura and Rena sat at the top. Satoru, to Arisa, was a bottom-tier amoeba. Arisa saw herself as upper-mid-tier, boosted by clinging to Rena, giving her free rein to mock and curse Satoru without restraint.
Sakura's arrival shattered that balance.
Satoru's earlier aloofness, which Arisa took as cowardly posturing to save face, now had context.
If Sakura was fawning over him, Satoru's social stock soared above Arisa's. Her earlier taunts? Clown behavior.
The clown… was me?
"M-Miyajima-senpai?" Arisa stammered.
She tried rationalizing—maybe it's just the kendo club. Right, Satoru's carrying a bokken, so they're just captain and member…
Arisa forgot: Sakura fetching a mere club member was already suspicious.
"What's wrong?" Sakura replied patiently.
Arisa swallowed, then blurted, "What's your deal with… this guy?"
Her trembling finger pointed at Satoru.
"'This guy' is quite rude," Sakura said, still smiling. "I hope you won't address Kobayashi-kun like that again."
Arisa felt an overwhelming pressure, nearly barking "Yes!" like a soldier.
Sakura paused, choosing her words. Satoru scratched his head, thinking, Really, you're answering her? He opened his mouth to stop her.
But Sakura found her answer, lips parting. "I'm licking Kobayashi-kun."
"Pfft!!" Satoru choked, staring at her in disbelief.
Sakura's smile remained dazzling.
Ayaka once said club members "lick" her, so Sakura figured her feelings for Satoru were the same.
No mistake there, right?
The bombshell left Rena and Arisa speechless.
…
…