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"What are you hiding here for?"
"WAAAAAH!!!"
Alya jumped in fright, seeing Hirano Satoshi walk over, looking at her speechlessly.
"Y-you! Why are you here?! Weren't you on a date!"
"...Her? She had something come up and doesn't know when she'll be back, so I came to take a look." Hirano scanned the exquisitely dressed Alya and clicked his tongue inwardly. They say the field of love is a battlefield, and in a short time, she had dressed herself like a fully armed general. With this figure and face, she was practically an "unrivaled flying general" destined for victory. "And you—you took my tip and snuck over here, ignoring calls and texts, just leaving me hanging, right?"
"This..." Alya stuttered, unusually humbled. "I, it's not..."
"Fine, fine, I'll be the tool. Let's go. Since you're here, why hesitate? If you're going to snatch a man, do it cleanly. Don't be sneaky; they noticed you long ago. Cowering like this just makes you a laughingstock."
"Ah? Impossible! I was so careful!"
Hirano was speechless, gesturing with his thumb toward the passersby who were frequently turning back to admire the silver-haired beauty.
"It's one thing to follow someone while dressed this beautifully, but did you think silver-haired half-Japanese girls were common in Japan? At least wear a hat to cover up."
Alya ducked her head, covering the top of her hair. "...Ah!"
"Sigh, women in love really do lose their IQ," Hirano shook his head, turned Alya around, gave her rounded butt a firm squeeze, and pushed her out with force. "The 'mistress' is right there. If you want to show your authority as the main wife, be generous and puff out your chest! What are you afraid of? You're way more 'well-endowed' than her! Go!"
"You bastard...!"
Before Alya could curse him, she nearly collided with the approaching Suou Yuki. The latter was startled, smoothed her hair, and flashed that composed smile that made Alya's teeth itch.
"What a coincidence. You're here too, Alya-san."
"Alya, why are you here?" Behind her, Masachika's handsome face turned toward her, causing Alya's heart rate to jump by several percentage points. "What a coincidence. Are you shopping too?"
"Gu... I, well..."
Steadying her nerves and unwilling to lose, Alya imitated Yuki and put on her usual cold expression. However, her fingers hurriedly smoothed the hair by her ear in a forced display of composure.
"It is indeed quite a coincidence, Kuze-kun. I didn't expect to run into you and Suou-san here."
Slap! From a corner where he had snuck off to, Hirano watched this scene and slapped his own forehead, utterly speechless at Alya's feigned composure.
I told you, Kuze and Suou already noticed you following them the whole way. Why bother faking a "chance encounter"? This girl is hopeless...
The sweating Alya had no time to notice the fat bastard hiding near a milk tea shop, slurping his drink while mocking her. Just seeing Masachika walk over made her involuntarily flustered, even though she didn't know why she felt like she had been caught in an affair.
That's right, like Hirano said, why am I being a coward? Ugh, that fat bastard, why did he have to hit so hard...
The buttock hidden beneath her skirt was stinging. After hitting her, he had even had the nerve to give it a hard squeeze. The hot, tingling sensation from her private area seemed to flush all the way to her face. Alya fanned herself inconspicuously and said with feigned casualness:
"Actually, I just saw you and hadn't found the right time to say hello. I didn't expect you and Suou-san to walk over first..."
You probably didn't "just" see us, right?
Yuki and Masachika maintained their smiling expressions, both thinking the exact same thing behind their similar faces. Seeing the two of them so perfectly in sync—that "silent understanding" between them—made a nameless fire of jealousy burn in Alya's heart.
The sensitive girl immediately realized that whether it was the natural ease of their conversation, the casual intimacy of their physical contact, or their little inside jokes, these two were incredibly well-practiced. They had a chemistry built over years, an understanding that required only a look. They had constructed a space exclusive to them, making any outsider feel out of place.
Alya clenched her fists.
Yes, this is it. It feels like I'm the outsider, and Suou and him are the real...
"Alya, have you eaten?" Masachika, completely oblivious, thought Alya's silence was due to the embarrassment of having her clumsy lie exposed. To ease the tension, he laughed it off. "Yuki... I mean, Suou and I haven't eaten yet. Want to join us? Since we're all here, let's look around together. Right, Suou?"
"...Since Kuze put it that way, I have no objection."
Seeing Yuki pause before answering, Alya's suspicious gaze darted between them before finally settling on Masachika's face.
Is it my imagination? Are they actually not dating in private? Is this really just a casual shopping trip? Hiss—after all, it's that Suou Yuki. She's the honor student who has rejected even more suitors than Masha, who is kind to everyone but has never been "won" by anyone. She has a good upbringing and a clean reputation; I've never heard of her being close to any other boy. Being able to go on a shopping date with a beauty of this caliber... the meaning is obvious. Any man would be overjoyed and come running.
Alya looked at the elegant, composed black-haired beauty and then at the tall, handsome Masachika, and suddenly she couldn't make up her mind.
No, but you know him, right? That's Kuze Masachika. The dense guy who has been liked by me for so long without realizing a thing. If it were anyone else, sure—but if you tell me this block of wood has finally bloomed, I'd rather believe he's just here to shop!
"Alright, let's look around together." After hesitating for a long time, Alya nodded and accepted the invitation. She wanted to see exactly how these two "shopped."