"Of course I did. That's why I came looking for you, Senpai." Isshiki Iroha showed a cute smile.
"So, what brings my little kouhai here this time?"
Isshiki Iroha glanced into the classroom before saying to Shirai Mio, "I just came to say hello to Senpai, and while I'm here, I wanted to ask if you have time after school this afternoon. Want to go out and have some fun together?"
After thinking for a moment, Shirai Mio said, "Sure."
"Then it's settled."
A brilliant smile appeared on Isshiki Iroha's face. After saying goodbye to Shirai Mio, she turned and left.
Once she reached the turn in the stairwell, the smile on Isshiki Iroha's face disappeared, replaced by confusion.
She had taken a quick look around Shirai Mio's classroom just now and immediately spotted the handsome Hayama Hayato.
If this had been before, she would already have used her connection with Shirai Mio as an opportunity to get acquainted with him.
But now, she found that she did not have much interest in that blond handsome guy. Compared with a handsome boy, Shirai Mio somehow felt more attractive to her.
At that thought, Isshiki Iroha suddenly covered her cheeks. What was wrong with her? How could she possibly find a beautiful girl more attractive than a handsome guy? Could she be gay?
No, no. It had to be because Shirai Mio was just too beautiful.
Isshiki Iroha took several deep breaths before turning and heading downstairs, all while thinking about where she should go with Shirai Mio that afternoon.
She had asked Shirai Mio out purely on impulse, without making any preparations beforehand, so she needed to come up with a suitable plan.
Meanwhile, after returning to her seat in the classroom, Shirai Mio immediately felt Miura Yumiko and Yuigahama Yui looking at her. Neither of them said anything, but their expressions made the question obvious: who was that girl just now?
Shirai Mio coughed twice and said, "The girl who came to see me just now is the acquaintance I mentioned this morning. Her name is Isshiki Iroha."
"So what did that cute little kouhai want with you?" Miura Yumiko asked softly.
"We just haven't seen each other in a while, so she wanted to ask me out for a stroll after school."
"Must be nice. It's the first day for the new students, and you already have a cute little kouhai asking you out. I want a cute little kouhai too~" Kakeru Tobe said with a sigh.
But the moment he finished speaking, he felt two murderous gazes land on him.
Realizing he had said the wrong thing, Kakeru Tobe gave a few dry laughs and immediately lowered his head to focus on his food.
Miura Yumiko was one thing—she had always been a forceful girl—but why did Yuigahama Yui give off such a dangerous feeling too?
He felt that the next time a topic involving Shirai Mio came up, he would be better off keeping his mouth shut.
As for Hayama Hayato, after hearing everyone's conversation, he looked at Shirai Mio with eyes full of confusion.
Even now, he still had not figured out exactly what kind of relationship Shirai Mio and Yukinoshita Haruno had.
If they were a couple, then judging from Shirai Mio's relationship with Miura Yumiko and Yuigahama Yui, with Yukinoshita Haruno's personality, she would definitely have come knocking if she knew about it.
But if they were not a couple, he had seen plenty of photos from the two of them traveling together over spring break.
They could hardly have looked more intimate in those photos.
They did not look like ordinary friends at all.
So what exactly was going on?
Did he still have a chance or not?
Hayama Hayato felt that he needed to ask Yukinoshita Haruno and get a clear answer.
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That afternoon, after school.
Shirai Mio would normally have gone to club activities, but since she had already accepted Isshiki Iroha's invitation, she simply took the day off.
As for Shiina Mashiro, she had already asked Rita to come pick her up.
Once Shirai Mio finished packing her things and stepped out of the classroom, she found Isshiki Iroha already waiting at the door.
Judging from the way she was lightly panting, she had probably run over as soon as class ended.
Seeing that, Shirai Mio chuckled. "You really don't have to rush so much, little kouhai. You can take your time."
"It's not often I get to go out with Senpai, so I got a little excited." As Isshiki Iroha spoke, she moved to Shirai Mio's side and directly linked arms with her.
That was the advantage of going out with another girl. If her companion were a boy, she would never have taken the initiative to this extent.
With Isshiki Iroha clinging to her arm, Shirai Mio suddenly felt something familiar. Wasn't this one of those little habits she herself often had?
Usually, she was the one linking arms with other people. This time, it was Isshiki Iroha linking arms with her instead.
And honestly, it felt pretty nice.
"So, where does little kouhai want to go?"
"I don't know either. How about Senpai decides?"
"If you leave it up to me, I might just take you straight home with me. Are you sure that's okay?"
"I-it's fine. I've never been to Senpai's house before anyway." Isshiki Iroha blinked. Under normal circumstances, wasn't this supposed to be the moment when the other person showed some initiative of her own?
Sure enough, when the target was a girl, the routines she had used in the past did not seem to work very well.
Most importantly, she somehow felt as though she could see a reflection of herself in Shirai Mio.
No, she had barely interacted with Shirai Mio a handful of times. It would be more accurate to say they were simply the same type of person.
While Isshiki Iroha was letting her imagination run wild, Shirai Mio's voice sounded again. "I thought about it seriously. To celebrate you starting school, little kouhai, I'll treat you to something delicious today."
"Yay~"
Walking through school with Isshiki Iroha clinging to her arm did attract just a tiny bit of attention, but Shirai Mio had been an actress before transmigrating. She had seen all kinds of situations, so this level of staring was nothing worth caring about.
It was just that her reputation at school seemed to have shifted slightly before the break.
A rumor had already begun circulating around school: "Shirai Mio is great in every way, except she likes girls."
Actually, that could hardly even be called a rumor anymore. It was probably the truth.
Instead of reducing the swarm of admirers around her, the rumor had only increased their numbers.
There were even girls who came straight out and confessed to her.
Even Shirai Mio felt rather helpless about it.
She had a feeling that after today, an upgraded version of the rumor would probably start circulating—something like her already making a move on a little kouhai who had only just enrolled.
As if she had made a move only after the little kouhai enrolled. She had done that before the girl even started school, thank you very much.
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