Arc 1 – Episode 9: [Behind the Scenes] “The Academy’s Princess as a ‘Friend'(LOL) – Part 2”

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It was a weekday after the weekend.

The empty classroom.

“Aria-chan, are you trying to get in my way? Did you betray me?”

I pretended to be an angry, love-obsessed girl, cornering Aria-chan with my words.

In reality, though, I wasn't mad at all. In fact, I was in a great mood because everything was going according to plan.

“I'm sorry. I was just curious. I never meant to get in your way,” Aria-chan apologized, bowing her head deeply, looking genuinely remorseful.

“…Alright, I'll believe you.”

After all, I was the one who made sure she found us and led her right into this.

“But next time, make sure to help me, okay?”

“Of course. Next time, I'll properly help with Kyoichi-san and Ichigo-san's date.”

Aria-chan never once suggested that I could just ask Kyo to go on a date myself without needing her help, even though I'd been pestering her for assistance over and over again.

In her mind, it's become natural for me to rely on her to get closer to Kyo-kun. And she's scared of changing that dynamic.

In fact, she's so used to us being a trio—me, Kyo, and her—that she fears being excluded from it.

I can read Aria-chan like an open book. I know exactly how her feelings will evolve.

Right now, she's torn between the friendship we've built while helping me with my love life and the fear of being left out of that circle.

She's also starting to mistake her loneliness for something more—confusing it with a crush on Kyo-kun, thinking it's just a moment of weakness.

After all, Kyo-kun is attractive, and it's natural to feel something for him when you spend so much time together, right?

All I need to do is tip the scales a bit more.

Aria-chan grew up in a privileged environment, and she's smart—smart enough to tie with me for the top spot in the entrance exams.

But growing up rich, she's fine with gaining new things. It's losing things that she can't handle. Deep down, she's just like anyone else.

She doesn't realize that, though. She's misunderstood the real reason she hates the thought of losing something, and she's convincing herself it's something else entirely.

---

The next day during lunch break, Aria-chan dropped by the student council office and came back running just in time for the start of fifth period.

“…Sorry for the delay,” she said, taking her seat with a calm expression, though her unusual behavior shocked everyone.

But I knew the reason behind it.

Aria-chan had made a mistake while working for the student council. She had entered some incorrect data and now had to recheck all the past records, which was going to take ages.

She had stayed in the office until the very last minute of the break and then sprinted back.

How did I know this? Because it was my doing.

Aria-chan hadn't actually made any mistake. I had hacked into the student council's computer and tampered with the data.

But a small data entry error? That's a common enough mistake. No one would suspect hacking right away.

And here's the kicker for Aria-chan.

While staying behind to fix the mistake would only take a day, she had an important recital for one of her extracurricular activities that she couldn't miss tonight.

Now she's caught between the student council and her recital, with both sides on the verge of falling apart no matter which one she chooses.

For Aria-chan, this is her first major crisis in high school.

Kyo-kun should've swooped in and helped her out at this point… but instead, he just sat there, acting like it had nothing to do with him.

It's a prime opportunity to earn some points with her, you know?

I had no choice but to send him a message.

“Aria-chan made a mistake with the student council work, and it's become a bit of a problem. She can fix it if she takes the time, but it needs to be done before tomorrow's meeting. On top of that, she has a recital tonight, so she's really in a bind. Could you go and help her out?”

Upon reading my message, Kyo-kun headed to the student council room just as I had asked and offered to help.

At first, Aria-chan refused, but since he'd helped her with work before, and accepting his help would make things so much easier while keeping her pride intact, she gave in.

After the recital, she rushed back to school and was greeted by a completely exhausted Kyo-kun, who had finished the work for her.

He's someone she's always had a fondness for—a bit more than just as a friend—and now that he's helped her out in her moment of crisis, those feelings of confusion have melted into gratitude, and finally, sweet, sweet love. Clap clap.

---

Since then, Aria-chan has changed.

During class, she no longer listens to the teachers. Instead, she spends her time sneaking glances at Kyo-kun.

“Kakyoin-san? Would you mind focusing on the problem at hand…”

(Glares.)

“S-Sorry! Y-Yamazaki-san, why don't you give it a try…”

When a teacher notices her zoning out and tries to gently scold her, she just silences them with a look.

And during breaks, if Kyo-kun starts chatting with other girls, she interrupts with some pointless request.

“Kyoichi-san, could you help with the committee work again?”

“Sorry, but I already promised to hang out with Itou-san and the others today.”

“…”

She even tries to mess up his plans after school, subtly demanding his attention without saying a word.

Aria-chan, you're in full-on defensive mode now.

“Sorry, Kakyoin-san. It's been a while since I've gone out with Kuzuha-kun, so I'm not backing down today,” said the other girl, finally standing her ground after being interrupted too many times.

But so far, Aria-chan hasn't directly interfered with my time with Kyo-kun.

After all, she knows I told her I liked Kyo-kun first, and she'd said she'd support me. She can't just flip her feelings that easily.

But the internal battle between friendship and love is so obvious.

What are you going to choose, Aria-chan? It's clear as day that you're watching me like a hawk, waiting for a moment to strike.

If you want Kyo-kun, go ahead and take him from me. Then maybe I'll let you borrow him for a while.