"I heard that you have a girlfriend, Ishigami-kun."

  Ishigami, who put his gakuran on, stopped for a moment, then looked at Kaguya and nodded with a soft expression. "I do."

  From whom did Kaguya hear that he had a girlfriend?

  There was o ask such a question since he was sure that there was only one person who would tell Kaguya.

  "Did you hear it from Chika-senpai?"

  "You could guess it easily, huh?"

  "I think that there is no ohat will tell you that except for that silly senior."

  "Well, even if you have a girlfriend, you still go on a date with Fujiwara-san, huh? More importantly, did you call her by her first name?"

  "....."

  Ishigami shivered, then gnced behind, watg Kaguya, who had anticipated his gaze. Unlike her previous gentle and mischievous expression, this time, her expression was a little cold.

  "I wao refuse before, but she forced me to go."

  This time, there was no need for him to hesitate and put all the bme on Chika sihis silly girl really caused him trouble everywhere!

  At the same time, he wondered whether Chika had told Kaguya about what he did, asking Chika to date him even if he had a girlfriend. While he was helpless, he khat this was also the sequence of his as for being greedy. In the eyes of others, this might be wrong, but then again, he didn't regret it.

  After all, even if he became the existehat was loathed by the previous Ishigami, this was something that he had chosen, especially when he sought the rewards from the system.

  The rewards were a good thing for him, and while he might be hated, he wao get more.

  His aight hurt many, and he might say that he would pehem in his own way, but then there was no doubt that it might cause rese, and it was impossible for him to stop, so the only way for him to handle all of this, was to go on and take responsibility if they wished to.

  However, if they really couldn't accept it, then even if it was hard, he could only leave siaying with them would bring them torment instead of happiness.

  Still, instead of fag a problem iure, he had to face the problem in the present, or else he would have to leave this try tonight if he made a wrong answer.

  "You really love yirlfriend, huh?"

  'Hmm?'

  As he observed Kaguya's expression, he could see her plicated expression, realizing that Chika didn't say anything to Kaguya, which made him kind of relieved. He thought that with Chika's mouth, nothing could remain hidden, but it seemed she was more reliable than he had thought.

  "...." Chika.

  Still, if Chika didn't even tell her best friend, Kaguya, then how could Ishigami tell her?

  While Ishigami had made up his mind, and this might be a social norm within those people with high positions, he knew well that most people didn't see this a of his in a good light, so to answer Kaguya's question, he could only show a gentle smile without saying anything.

  This answer made Kaguya grieeth tightly, which made Ishigami feel helpless and doubtful.

  'Why did you show me su expression?'

  Had her love really returo Shirogane?

  While this was what he wao believe, he suddenly hesitated, especially when he saw her with su expression, but suddenly, all of that disappeared and became the mischievous smile of his beautiful senior.

  "I see..."

  Kaguya hen asked, "By the way, why did you date her? Your first impression of her wasn't that goht? Why did you date such a girl when Fujiwara-san would have been a better choice for you."

  pared to his current girlfriend, Kaguya felt that Chika was better.

  After all, while Chika might be a silly girl, she wasn't like Onodera, who had mocked him in the beginning, so this fused Kaguya.

  Why did Ishigami choose someone like Onodera?

  If it was someone else, Ishigami would find this question troublesome, but it wasn't the case with Kaguya.

  "I guess... I just want to move on, and she's just happeo be there when I needed someone."

  Hearing that expression as Kaguya stared at his soft expression, she couldn't help but fall into silehinking of their previous exge in the beginning.

  Initially, he often teased her that he liked her and even fessed to her, but Kaguya khat this was his joke.

  Or was it the truth?

  Yet, even if this wasn't a joke, and this was what he truly felt, Kaguya khat it was impossible for him to make a move on her.

  Why?

  Wasn't it obvious?

  Shirogane Miyuki.

  Because of him, Ishigami had hought to get closer to Kaguya more than needed, yet instead of having maintained a retionship between a junior and a senior, the two felt more than that.

  More importantly, from the beginning to the end, Ishigami khat she had fallen for Shirogane, so he had hought that it ossible to make her fall in love, yet, why did everything ge?

  'I wonder when it is...'

  Previously, Kaguya had always thought that everyone had hidden iions whehey approached her. As the daughter of the current head of the Shinomiya Family, many people came to her without good iions, and all of them had a hidden purpose whehey approached her, but everything ged when Chika approached her for the first time, or when Shirogaarted to challenge her to bee the 1st grader in the school.

  For the first time in her life, she khat there was someone roached her just because of who she was instead of her family.

  Still, because of that, she gained a best friend and learo like someone for the first time, even if she couldn't admit it.

  Yet, whehing was moving in a good dire, Ishigami came into her life without hiding his iion, hoping she would help him.

  By then, the two tio i with each other, and the two realized the importance of each other.

  However, instead of pressing forward, hoping she could be his, Ishigami gave her up and just wished for her happiness from the side.

  As he tried to move on a a girlfriend, why couldn't she move on and just return to how it used to be?

  'Ah... why you are like this...'

  If Ishigami was that pathetiior that she always o watch, then would she feel like this?

  If he doesn't work hard and ge, then nothing will ge.

  Unfortunately, he had ged, and this also made her feelings start to ge.

  However, for the happiness of the person who had saved him from his most pathetient, Ishigami decided to move on and give her up since he khat person loved her, yet she—

  "Eh? Is it locked?"

  The two were stunned when they heard the door was about to be opened and the familiar voice of the person who wao open the door.

  "Is there someone inside? Ishigami? Shinomiya? Or it must be yht, Fujiwara-san? Don't py around withiudent cil room!"

  While Shirogaried to scold Chika for making a little prank, Kaguya and Ishigami looked at each other, and their expressions were far from calm.

  Still, Ishigami took a deep breath and calmed himself since he khat he hadn't done anything wrong with Kaguya; so he thought to open the door, but when he was about to reach the door, he suddenly felt the time had stopped.

  No, he didn't gain a superpower, or he was hit by a time-stop hentai-like power, but he was stunned since Kaguya suddenly hugged him tightly.

  Gulp!

  "Senpai?"

  His voice was quiet, so only Kaguya could hear it.

  "Don't say anything. Just stay like this."

  Simirly, Kaguya's voice was also quiet as she tightly g to him from behind.

  The two remained fixed within their position, with Kaguya quietly hugging him from behind.

  ---

  It's been a while.

  Well, I have returned.

  Thank you for waiting!