Arc 1 – Episode 7: “The Academy’s Princess as a Friend – Part 2”

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During the lunch break on a weekday, I was hanging out with Itou-san and the others as usual, getting ready for the next class.

“Huh? Kakyoin-san hasn't come back yet,” Kobayashi-san murmured, suddenly noticing.

“Now that you mention it…” Itou-san agreed, and Suzuki-san turned to me. “Do you know anything, Kuzuha?”

Why are they asking me? Maybe it's because Aria-san's been hanging around me a lot recently.

“I have no idea. I think she went to the student council room, but who knows what happened there?”

I honestly didn't know, so I just shook my head, and they didn't press further.

Right as the lunch bell rang, Aria-san returned to the classroom.

The heavy footsteps leading up to the door, her shoulders heaving… it was obvious she'd been running.

Aria-san, who usually followed the rules to the letter, surprised everyone with this uncharacteristic entrance.

“…My apologies,” she said quickly, then made her way to her seat, just as our fifth-period class began.

During the next break, some classmates gathered around her, curious about her late return from lunch.

“Kakyoin-san, you were a bit late coming back. Did something happen?”

“Oh, I just dozed off for a bit. Thank you for your concern.”

Aria-san answered calmly, but from our previous interactions, I could tell she was covering something up.

Well, it wasn't my place to pry. Just then, my phone vibrated.

It was a message from Ichigo.

“Seems Aria-chan made a mistake with some student council work. If she had time, she could fix it, but it needs to be corrected by tomorrow's meeting. The problem is, she also has a recital today, so her time's tight. Can you lend her a hand, Kyo-kun?”

I had no idea how Ichigo knew something that Aria-san was clearly trying to keep to herself, but I figured someone must've filled her in.

I wasn't exactly thrilled, but if Ichigo was asking, I had to help.

When the final bell rang…

“Excuse me!”

Aria-san dashed out of the classroom, clearly not wanting to waste a second fixing her mistake.

I gathered my things and followed her.

“Kuzuha-kun, got plans for today?”

Itou-san called out from behind.

“Yeah, just something I have to take care of.”

“Oh, are you going to see Kakyoin-san?” Suzuki-san teased. “Steamy! We'll be cheering you on from the sidelines!”

“Not like that,”

Brushing off her insinuation, then headed down the now-familiar path to the student council room.

When I entered, Aria-san was alone, typing frantically on a laptop.

I noticed a USB drive plugged into the laptop—she must have been copying data to take home.

“Kyoichi-san? I didn't ask for help today…”

“Yeah, but I heard you were in a pinch. I thought I'd lend a hand.”

“Where did you… No, thank you, but this was my error. I couldn't ask you to trouble yourself over it.”

“Cleaning up mistakes is part of the grunt work. Don't worry about it.”

She hesitated, staring at the screen before finally looking back at me.

“…Thank you. I appreciate it.”

After explaining the situation, she mentioned that she'd found several data input errors, which were linked to other files, meaning she'd have to cross-check past data as well.

She needed it for tomorrow's student council meeting but had a recital that evening, so her time was limited, just as Ichigo had described.

“Thank you again.”

She gave me a quick nod and hurried out of the room, clearly pressed for time.

“Well, let's get to it.”

I muttered to myself, diving into the work.

It took longer than expected, and by the time I finished, it was already dark outside.

As I was shutting down the laptop, the door suddenly opened.

“Kyoichi-san, you're still here?”

Aria-san entered, no longer in her school uniform but in a dress, with makeup and styled hair, clearly straight from her recital. She looked stunning, but I didn't comment on it.

“I just wrapped up. A senior stopped by to help, but the work didn't really go faster with more people, so I just took the key. Anyway, why did you come back?”

“Oh, I noticed you hadn't read my messages, and I was a bit worried…”

I checked my phone, and sure enough, there were messages from her about the work progress and that her recital had finished.

“Sorry, I got caught up and didn't check.”

“I can see that now,” she replied.

“I've double-checked everything, though there might still be something I missed. If so, consider it my fault.”

I didn't have time for a triple-check, so I'd just have to deal with it if I'd overlooked anything.

“No, it's fine… you did this for me.”

She mumbled something under her breath, which I chose to ignore.

“Well, I'm heading home then.”

“Actually, my family's car is waiting outside. Since it's so late, I can give you a ride home.”

I recalled that Aria-san came to school by car, but if she knew where I lived, she'd realize Ichigo lives next door. If she found out, it'd expose the true nature of my relationship with Ichigo, so I decided to keep it hidden for now.

“That's alright. I've got some errands to run on the way. Just return the key for me, would you?”

I handed her the student council room key and left without looking back.

From that point on, Aria-san started seeking me out more frequently at school.

She'd often interrupt conversations with Itou-san and the others, saying things like, “Kyoichi-san, could I borrow you for a moment? I need to discuss committee matters…”

After a while, it made things uncomfortable. Itou-san and the others started keeping their distance, and I couldn't talk freely with my classmates, especially those interested in chatting with Aria-san. The atmosphere in the class became tense.

Today, I'd made plans to go to karaoke with Itou-san and the others after school, as a way to break free from all this.

“Kyoichi-san, can you help with the student council again today?”

“Sorry, but I already have plans with Itou-san and the others.”

Once again, she'd tried to pull me away, but this time, I stood my ground.

She glared at Itou-san and the others, perhaps expecting them to back down like before.

Could the usually strait-laced Aria-san really be this possessive?

“Sorry, Kakyoin-san, but it's been a while since we got to hang out with Kuzuha-kun, and we're not giving him up this time,”

Itou-san said, standing firm.

“Yeah, and he's treating us~!” Suzuki-san added.

Aria-san finally relented, realizing they weren't going to budge.

“I apologize for intruding. I'll be on my way then…”

Aria-san bowing slightly before leaving.

On the way to karaoke, Itou-san turned to me.

“Is it just me, or is Kakyoin-san getting bolder lately?”

“I thought so too!”

“Are you going to go out with her? If so, you better keep hanging out with us.”

Kobayashi-san joked.

I felt like this had gone beyond just my imagination. But that didn't mean I'd go for her.

“No, I'm not interested. Even if she confessed, I'd turn her down.”

“Seriously? Why?”

“Well… there's someone else I've got my eye on.”

I'm actually waiting for Ichigo's confession.

“Who? Someone we know?”

“Maybe one of us?”

They looked at me expectantly.

“Sorry, it's not any of you. I don't think you'd know her.”

They don't know Ichigo, though technically, she is a classmate of theirs. I kept it vague to avoid giving them any clues.

“Oh, alright then! Let's get going!”

Itou-san exclaimed.

“Kuzuha-kun's treating!”

Suzuki-san cheered.

I couldn't help but feel a bit more comfortable around these girls than around Aria-san.

…And I started to feel a pang of guilt, realizing I'd grown used to these small acts of betrayal.