This wasn't even a matter of bad acting anymore—more like no acting whatsoever. It looked suspicious no matter how you sliced it.
And yet, the other two didn't show any particular surprise.
Asato Hitomi kept her usual pleasant smile, while Shirai Shiori glanced at her best friend and nodded casually. "Mm, go ahead. Take your time. Don't trip."
"Mm, mm!"
After Aizono Moe shuffled out of the activity room with stiff, robotic steps, Kuroha Akira slowly stood up, bracing himself on the table with both hands.
"Well then… I'm gonna hit the bathroom too—"
Thump.
Both hands clamped down on his shoulders simultaneously—Asato Hitomi on the left, Shirai Shiori on the right.
"Hold on, Akira-kun. No need to rush out just yet."
"What Hitomi said. We still have something to tell you."
Kuroha Akira rolled his eyes.
Yep. These two saw right through everything. They knew perfectly well but didn't call it out!
After being pressed back into his chair, Asato Hitomi and Shirai Shiori sat down on either side of him like a pair of guards escorting a prisoner.
But their intention this time wasn't to "interrogate" him. Rather, they wanted to pass along some important intel.
"Moe Moe is sometimes adorably naive. She actually thought she could sneak off for a private meeting without us noticing…"
The class rep said with a helpless smile, unable to resist roasting Aizono Moe's terrible acting skills.
"That's just how Moe Moe is. She's probably out there catching her breath right now, celebrating her 'success'…"
Shirai Shiori's guess was spot on. At that very moment, Aizono Moe was indeed outside the activity room, clutching her chest—certified as the largest cup size in the Literature Club—with both hands, pumping her fists in quiet triumph.
"Anyway, she probably doesn't realize that we already know she wants to talk to you alone. So it's fine to let her wait outside for a bit."
Shirai Shiori affectionately analyzed her best friend's cute psychology, then quickly got to the point.
"Still, if we keep you too long, even Moe Moe will start finding it strange and come back. So let's keep this short. The reason we held you back, Akira-kun, is to give you a heads-up—so you don't speak too bluntly and end up making Moe Moe cry from being 'bullied.'"
"Oh!"
So it wasn't about catching them in the act? Then it was fine!
It wasn't like they were sneaking around having an affair anyway. Kuroha Akira was just responding to Aizono Moe's invitation—and it was still in the unfulfilled, attempted stage. There was no legitimate reason for them to detain him!
Besides, from the looks of it, they were actually here to help. Providing him with more detailed intel to better "persuade" Aizono Moe later.
It felt like transitioning from undercover work to officially sanctioned operations. Kuroha Akira's back straightened immediately.
"Then spill it. I'm listening."
Asato Hitomi immediately punished his cocky attitude by slipping off her shoe and pressing her foot down on his instep.
"Akira-kun, please be serious."
Truth be told, for Kuroha Akira, this was more like a reward. But he still bared his teeth and put on a pained expression anyway.
"Look, Shirai and I both trust your way with words. But you don't know Moe Moe's history yet, do you? So you might accidentally say something hurtful. And Moe Moe is the extra-sensitive type inside. So we hope you'll be careful."
"Meaning you're going to warn me in advance about the sensitive topics I should avoid when talking to Moe-chan later, right?"
"Exactly. So, Akira-kun… do you know why Moe Moe turned out this way?"
"This…"
Kuroha Akira raised an eyebrow and glanced at Shirai Shiori sitting on his right.
Isn't it partly because a certain strong-willed literary girl was overly protective of her best friend?
Shirai Shiori nudged Kuroha Akira's arm with her elbow in mild annoyance, but she also admitted, "Part of the reason is because of me. But I want to protect Moe Moe because I can't stand seeing anyone take advantage of her again!"
Kuroha Akira's expression didn't change. Never mind that he was also taking advantage of Aizono Moe—at this moment, he mentally detached himself like it had nothing to do with him.
"Oh? So someone did take advantage of Moe-chan before?"
"Yes. Moe Moe joined the Manga Research Club in middle school. During that time, she got used by the other club members. Those scumbags who called themselves 'senpai' tricked her into drawing tons of R18 doujinshi under the guise of club activities. Then they sold those doujinshi for money. Not only did they not share any of the profits with Moe Moe, but when the school found out later, they threw Moe Moe under the bus. She nearly got suspended…"
Yikes. Aizono Moe got a preview of what it felt like to be a disposable low-level employee at a black-hearted company.
"Moe Moe is way too nice. Nice like a big idiot. She just got bossed around without complaint—she even collapsed at school from exhaustion once… So I have to protect her! Because she can't protect herself!"
Talking about this past, Shirai Shiori's face turned dark, and her eyes glinted with a cold light, like two sharp blades. She probably wanted to personally eliminate those scumbag seniors for daring to bully her best friend like that.
"Back then, Hitomi—as the Student Council President—stepped in to help Moe Moe. She also stopped me from going through with my more extreme revenge plans. That's how our friendship started."
"I see… So something like that happened."
So the three of them came together because of Aizono Moe.
Asato Hitomi nodded and warned Kuroha Akira, "Yeah. So, Akira-kun, you'd better not bring up anything related to drawing manga or doujinshi with Moe Moe. I think she's still troubled by that sad, dark history of being used by the seniors she respected…"
"Got it. Manga creation is an NG topic. Noted."
She continued, "Also, Moe Moe probably feels like she owes us way too much kindness. That's why she never pushes back against our opinions and always hides her true thoughts. But that's actually not a very healthy dynamic…"
Asato Hitomi said worriedly, cupping her cheek. "So here's my suggestion, Akira-kun: don't spoil Moe Moe too much. Don't let her feel too indebted to you, or she'll become super indecisive around you… Although asking her to draw illustrations for you has probably already been filed away in her mind as a major act of kindness."
Shirai Shiori nodded in agreement and elaborated on Asato Hitomi's point. "Honestly, just say whatever you want to say. Akira-kun, you were holding back earlier because Moe Moe's coloring wasn't great, weren't you?"
"Uh, not 'not great'—just… not quite meeting my expectations…"
"Alright, no need to sugarcoat it. I know you're being considerate of her feelings, which is why you didn't speak bluntly. But if you don't say it, and she sees you holding back for her sake, she'll feel even worse. Why else do you think she specifically asked you to step outside? She wants a space where you can speak freely."
"I see… So Moe-chan actually wants me to be more direct?"
"Yes. Just like when you commented on my novel that day…"
Bringing that up made Shirai Shiori blush slightly—her exhibitionist tendencies twitching—but she understood that her best friend wanted the same kind of "most genuine feedback."
"So you might as well criticize her directly. Even scold her harshly—that's fine. That way, Moe Moe will actually feel better inside, and she'll be more motivated to improve."
"Understood. So you want me to turn up the sharp-tongued factor?"
Kuroha Akira mentally noted these two key pieces of intel.
One: Don't bring up manga creation—it'll trigger her PTSD.
Two: Don't worry about her feelings. Scold her if necessary.
Devil mom touch sis… Why does it feel like I'm about to train a masochistic female pig…?
Aizono Moe… is she secretly an M-type girl after all?