"Kiyoko... Oh, it's just you..."
A small wave of disappointment washed over her. Aina Yoshiwara didn't quite understand why she felt frustrated, but the current situation seemed a bit precarious.
If it had been Kanako instead of Kiyoko, she might have been able to brush off the fact that she'd blurted out the wrong name in a panic. But Kiyoko was stubborn; she would definitely dig until she hit bedrock.
More importantly, despite her ultra-feminine "gyaru" appearance, Kiyoko actually possessed the "middle-aged man" persona of someone who lived for the gossip of her friends' love lives. If she found out Aina was fretting over a man, she'd be teased for an eternity!
"Um, so... was there something you needed?"
Determined not to let Kiyoko in on her troubles, Aina managed a forced smile, trying to wrap up the business quickly so she could shoo her away.
After all, Kohei was due to arrive any minute. If the two parties collided here, she'd be the one paying the price!
"Emmm... let's see~ was there something?"
Resting her chin on her hand, Kiyoko Kamio had actually just been passing by and thought she'd return a book.
But "Panicked Little Aina" was such a delicacy—one simply had to savor it!
"I'm returning the book you lent me. I'm impressed you managed to collect so many 'breast enhancement secrets'~ Did you find a boyfriend?"
"Ahaha, as if!"
Snatching the bag from Kiyoko's hand with a snap, Aina gave a series of rapid headshakes at a speed that would make a neck-injury patient weep, all while wearing a fake smile.
To Kiyoko, however, these denials were no different than someone covering their head at high noon and insisting it was pitch black outside!
On the contrary, this frantic attitude only made her more certain: something was definitely up with Aina!
"Really?"
"Really, really! Thanks for dropping it off, Kiyoko..."
Her scalp tingling under Kiyoko's suspicious gaze, Aina's palm grew clammy against the doorknob. In her desperation, she tried to slam the door shut, attempting a physical barrier against the suspicion.
However, just as the door was halfway closed, a leather shoe wedged itself into the crack, stopping it dead.
A slender, pale hand then reached through the gap, and with muscles powered by the sheer force of gossip, she pried the door back open in a tug-of-war that nearly moved Aina to tears.
"Hey now, Aina!"
With eyes flashing a predatory red, Kiyoko poked her head through the doorway. Her smirk was pulled to its highest possible arc, impossible to suppress.
"Don't be in such a rush! I never said I wasn't coming in for a seat. Surely Aina isn't making me feel unwelcome?"
"No... it's just, it's getting late. If you don't head home soon, you'll miss the train!"
"I don't believe you for a second!"
Catching Aina in a playful naked chokehold and pulling her into her embrace, Kiyoko closed her eyes and pressed her nose against Aina's trembling neck, taking a light sniff.
But that wasn't enough! She extended her pink tongue and left a damp trail on Aina's neck, arching her eyebrows as she savored the taste for two seconds before delivering her diagnostic report—
"Salty!"
"Kiyoko! I haven't showered yet!"
Of course it was salty. Aina's small face turned beet red as she struggled, but no matter what she did, she couldn't break free from the perverted Kiyoko's grip.
At this moment, she felt like a skirt-clad JK being targeted on a train; against the greasy harassment of a "middle-aged man," both resistance and crying for help felt utterly futile!
"It's fine~ I don't mind at all!"
Rubbing her face against Aina's warm cheek, Kiyoko wagged a finger in front of her. "Aina, do you know what the saltiness represents?"
"W-what?"
"The taste of a lie, of course! Because people who lie can't help but sweat!"
"I'm not! I didn't do anything! I'm definitely not lying!"
She could guarantee that 100% of the sweat on her body came from her daily activities, but Aina knew that nothing she said mattered now.
Her private sanctuary had been invaded by Kiyoko, which meant the woman would never leave until she got the truth she craved!
"Waaaaah... Please, come in!"
"Yoshi~ Then I shall humbly accept your invitation!"
Knowing Aina was a sucker for her antics, Kiyoko strode into Aina's private space with a victorious smile, as if she were returning to her own home...
Then she froze in place, her expression becoming quite spectacular as she spotted Yuu Miyazawa already seated at the table, his drink half-finished.
"Um... Good evening? How's it going?"
"Oh, it's Yuu-kun. I'm doing great, of course! By the way!"
Quietly taking a seat opposite Yuu, Kiyoko suddenly clasped her hands and rested her chin on them. Her expression shifted from casual to dead serious— "Yuu-kun, so you're actually the type who prefers 'the bigger the better'?"
"While that's technically true, I have to ask: does that question have some specific hidden meaning, Kiyoko?"
Gyaru... I really am not good at dealing with this type.
Facing Kiyoko, whose topics of conversation drifted into the stratosphere within three sentences, Yuu massaged his brow with a headache, constantly reminding himself not to waste brainpower on idiots or he'd shorten his lifespan!
"Haaa~ It's nothing..."
"If it's really nothing, then put the phone behind your back down right now!"
Aina performed a sneak attack from behind, snatching away the phone Kiyoko was blind-typing on. Looking at the message that had just been sent to Kanako, Aina felt a surge of tragic indignation, wanting nothing more than to take Kiyoko down with her!
However, before she could try to freeze Kiyoko to death with a cold drink, the door was pounded on just five minutes later. Kanako Iida and Keiko Suzuki burst in, tears streaming down their faces.
"Aina! You can't! You absolutely cannot two-time!"
"Exactly! We know you're under a lot of pressure, but you have to keep things in moderation. You can't let yourself fall and become a bad woman!"
"What are you guys even talking about!!!"
Exasperated, Aina pushed away her "bastard" best friends who were wailing and hugging her. She curled into the corner of her bed, shouting her innocence. "It's not like that! Yuu is just a consultant I invited over!"
"Eh! That's so suspicious! To think you'd invite a boy for help when you have great friends like us!"
"Exactly!"
"It's exactly because you guys are like this that I didn't want to bother you!"
Loudly condemning her friends for their lack of "martial honor" in spying on her privacy, Aina hugged her legs to her chest and faced the wall in self-pity.
If Kiyoko and the others were even slightly reliable, she wouldn't have run to Grand Blue for outside help. Ultimately, the fault didn't lie with her, but with this cruel world that only chased after entertainment!
"That's so hurtful, especially since we love Aina so much~"
Winking one eye, Kanako Iida just loved seeing Aina's embarrassed reactions. Perhaps it was human nature; when you see something cute, you just can't help but tease it!
Aina's unparalleled innocence was undoubtedly the best target for teasing. Every time she got flustered, it gave Kanako such a massive sense of achievement!
"So, what exactly happened? Your sisters will definitely give you some expert advice!"
"Ugh..."
Reluctantly turning halfway around, Aina was unhappy, but adhering to the logic that "more people mean more ideas," she was about to...
"Wait! Don't let Aina speak. Yuu-kun, tell us what happened. Is it something super fun?"
"This is too much!"
Aina felt her heart stop. Looking at her "dear sisters" surrounding Yuu with expectant faces, waiting for "the tea," she felt like she wasn't seeking help, but actively seeking to be bullied!
These women simply didn't treat her as a human being. Was it really that satisfying to repeatedly grind her fragile maiden heart into the dirt?!
"Ah~ it really is a bit much..."
One had to admit, birds of a feather flock together. Yuu Miyazawa had only one assessment for the girls looking at him with eyes full of anticipation—
Their level of eccentricity was no less than Aina's—and specifically, the original "Make-up Corpse Beast" version of Aina!
But since they were her best friends, letting them in on a few of Aina's little secrets should help her romance develop healthily, right? It definitely wasn't because he felt like sharing!
"Let me tell you guys..."
"Mm-hmm!"
"To think such a thing happened! Subarashii!"
Shwish—!
They turned their heads in perfect unison. However, in Aina's eyes, her three friends' faces were so black their features were invisible; only blood-red, lion-like glints of bloodlust shone through the deep darkness, looking exceptionally terrifying.
"Wh-what are you going to do?"
She warily tightened her pajamas. She remembered the last time this group went wild; she hadn't even been able to protect her own panties.
With an outsider present this time, Kiyoko and the others surely wouldn't go too far... right?
"Listen to me, whatever Yuu told you is a lie! Kohei and I are NOT dating!"
"Is that so~? But we haven't said a single word yet!"
"Don't worry~ we'll take 'good care' of Kohei-kun for you!"