Although the school festival of Sobu High often attracted many students from nearby schools to visit, in Shinra's impression, Futaba Rio didn't seem like the type of person who liked to join the crowd.
For Futaba Rio, compared to participating in activities like school festivals where people were everywhere, she would most likely prefer to stay at home alone and read.
From this point of view, maybe she and Yukino would have a lot of common language?
Although Futaba Rio reads science books, while Yukino reads literature books.
However, since she had already sent a message, as the host, Shinra naturally couldn't pretend not to see it. After thinking about it, he replied: [Where are you?]
Fortunately, it was Futaba instead of Mai; otherwise, Shinra would really have to start time management.
At this time, Mai should be shooting a cosmetics advertisement in Kyoto. Because she had just made a comeback not long ago, her work could be said to be quite busy and tight, and she also had to balance her studies. Basically, she had no free time, but it should get better after this busy period.
After receiving Shinra's reply, Futaba Rio looked up at the nearby signs, then typed: [Special Activity Building, there is a vending machine nearby]
Shinra quickly arrived at the location described by Futaba Rio. Upon seeing her, a trace of astonishment flashed clearly in his eyes.
The girl was wearing a beige high-necked woolen sweater, the hem naturally tucked into a camel-colored high-waisted skirt, with a khaki thin coat over it, and clean black short boots on her feet.
Her shoulder-length hair was tied into a high ponytail, and the glasses on the bridge of her nose were replaced by contact lenses. Her cherry-like small mouth was embellished with pale pink lip glaze. Overall, she looked pure and lovely. Paired with her impressive figure, she could be described as both innocent and alluring, making it hard to look away.
It could be said that the current Futaba Rio and the one met during the summer vacation were completely two different people!
Even when Shinra found her, he saw Futaba Rio politely rejecting a classmate's attempt to hit on her.
It's only been less than two months; how could such a big change happen?
Could it be some Adolescence Syndrome playing tricks again?
Shinra muttered in his heart while looking at the wish-power exclamation mark changing colors constantly above her head.
"You're here?" Upon seeing Shinra, Futaba Rio greeted him generously.
Then, seeing the astonishment revealed in his eyes, not only was the girl not timid, but she stood there letting him size her up.
Such performance was completely unimaginable on the previous Futaba Rio.
After all, the previous Futaba Rio had always been very distressed about her figure. Let alone being stared at like this, even if occasionally glanced at, she would wrap her clothes tightly like a frightened deer, wishing to hide herself immediately.
"You..."
Because the change was too big, Shinra didn't know how to start.
"Mai-senpai helped me pick it out. Does it look good?" Futaba Rio seemed to guess what Shinra wanted to ask and explained proactively.
"It suits you very well. Just why did you suddenly think of dressing up?"
Shinra praised first, then raised his doubt.
The smile at the corner of Futaba Rio's mouth slightly faded, as if offended, and her tone became much flatter. She said: "Isn't it normal for girls to think about dressing up?"
Mm, this flat tone, that's the flavor.
Sure enough, the kuudere attribute suits Futaba Rio better. Her previous performance was a bit too cheerful, making Shinra suspect she was a different person.
"Is this the so-called 'a girl changes eighteen times as she grows'?" Shinra thought thoughtfully.
The corner of Futaba Rio's mouth raised slightly, finally giving a somewhat plausible explanation: "Just thought it was time to make some changes."
But your change is too big.
Shinra said this sentence in his heart. Of course, there was nothing wrong with making changes, but the problem was Futaba Rio changed too much, almost like a different person.
It must be known that previously, even if Futaba Rio wanted to come to their school's festival, she most likely wouldn't trouble him but would come secretly alone and leave secretly without letting anyone discover.
But now, she not only notified him but even generously displayed her outfit after meeting and asked for his impression.
This couldn't be explained by just a sentence of wanting to make some changes.
"Where do you want to visit? There's a performance going on in the gymnasium right now; the programs are quite good." Shinra stopped dwelling on the changes in Futaba Rio and asked instead.
"Is it convenient?" Futaba Rio didn't agree immediately but asked a somewhat baffling question.
"If we go now, there should be no seats, but there is a dedicated standing area, so we should be able to stand. Mainly to experience the atmosphere on the scene. The standing area is relatively close to the exit. If you don't want to watch anymore, you can leave directly. It should be considered relatively convenient." Shinra replied.
Futaba Rio stared at Shinra for a while. Finding that he really seemed to think she asked if it was convenient to watch the performance rather than anything else, she responded faintly: "Okay."
In fact, Futaba Rio didn't just arrive at Sobu High in the afternoon but was among the first batch to arrive in the morning. It could almost be said she had toured the entire Sobu High. During this period, she saw Shinra from afar several times, but she didn't go up to say hello.
Precisely because of the long distance, heavy crowd flow, and Futaba Rio's dress-up that was like a different person, Shinra didn't discover her presence.
Originally, in Futaba Rio's plan, she didn't intend to meet Shinra. Coming over this time, she just wanted to see Shinra's school environment and didn't mean to disturb him.
During this period, Futaba Rio also saw many beautiful girls with different styles greeting Shinra. They looked like his friends. Futaba couldn't help sighing that his luck with women was really good; no wonder he could find a girlfriend like Mai-senpai.
But when she saw a fashionable big sister holding Shinra very intimately, Futaba Rio fell silent. That big sister was not inferior to Sakurajima Mai in either appearance or temperament. Even just looking from afar, Futaba Rio could feel the aura of a strong person at the top of the social circle from her.
At that time, the first thought that popped into Futaba Rio's mind was:
—Did I encounter a cheating incident?
Then she quickly denied this guess.
Maybe just a good relationship? Maybe she is Shinra's blood-related sister or something?
With this thought, Futaba Rio decided to observe more.
So she followed Shinra and that big sister to the gymnasium from a distance, and then met a top-level beautiful girl in all aspects. The other party even possessed the figure she envied very much. Her appearance was somewhat similar to that big sister; sisters perhaps?
Unsurprisingly, the other party also knew Shinra. After chatting a few words, that flat-chested beautiful girl pulled the big sister away from Shinra with a dark face and walked into the backstage changing room.
Because the distance was too far, and the gymnasium was in the preparation stage and not open to the public, she was politely asked to leave the scene after being discovered by the staff on site.
After leaving the venue, Futaba Rio fell into contemplation. Perhaps... Shinra isn't as honest as I thought?
In addition, does Mai-senpai know that Shinra is so popular with women at school?
If she knows, then Senpai is too assured about Shinra.
But if she doesn't know...
Thinking of this, Futaba Rio's eyes flashed. A certain thought buried deep in her heart quietly drilled out. Then, under the action of unknown power, that thought began to spread like vines until it occupied the girl's heart.
Futaba Rio changed her original plan. She opened her phone, found Shinra in the contacts list, and edited a text message.
Then came the opening scene.
Futaba Rio and Shinra walked side by side towards the gymnasium. As the distance shortened, the crowd flow on the road also began to increase significantly. Many heard there was a performance in the gymnasium and ran over to join the fun.
Because of the large number of people, the road became crowded. Futaba Rio, who originally kept some distance from Shinra, was now 'forced' to get closer to him. To avoid being dispersed by the crowd, the girl held onto Shinra's cuff with her hand.
Feeling his cuff tighten, Shinra turned his head to look. He just instructed 'follow closely' and let her be.
Seeing Shinra didn't have any other opinions because of her action, Futaba Rio breathed a sigh of relief. Although the current her had become somewhat 'cheerful', her performance at this moment was just venting the emotions accumulated for a long time. The essence hadn't changed.
Soon the two found a relatively empty corner. The performance on the stage also happened to enter the final stage. In the gap between program connections, Shinra asked: "Why did you suddenly think of visiting our school festival?"
"I happened to see a promotional poster while shopping. After finding out the venue was Sobu High, I thought of coming to have a look." Futaba Rio replied.
She indeed had the idea of going to Sobu High after seeing the poster on the street.
It's just that the time point she saw the promotional poster was last Saturday, not today.
"Then it seems our publicity work is quite in place." Shinra said with a smile.
Futaba Rio took the opportunity to ask: "Are you a school festival executive committee member?"
"No one in the class was willing, so I had to do it. But I'm just making up the numbers in the Executive Committee; I don't manage things much."
Don't manage things much?
Futaba Rio thought of the scene of Shinra giving orders freely at the scene before. If this didn't count as managing things, then what counted?
Not a single word of truth from his mouth!
The guess in her heart that 'Shinra isn't honest' was confirmed a bit more.
Originally thought it was 'person honest / not many words', now it seems it's 'person old (sly) / truth not much'. (Pun on 'honest' and 'truth')
Futaba Rio didn't feel dissatisfied with this. On the contrary, a sense of excitement faintly surged in her at this moment, like uncovering someone's unknown veil...
"Is that so..." The girl pursed her lips but didn't expose Shinra directly, because that would expose herself too.
Inside the venue, Shinra felt the emotions transmitted by Emotion Perception, and a few strange looks inevitably appeared in his eyes.
Something is wrong. Ten, even nine points wrong.
Since meeting, Shinra felt the Futaba Rio in front of him was weird. Until just now when she asked if he was an executive committee member, and he answered 'Yes, but don't manage things much', the emotions transmitted by the other party all revealed that she didn't believe what he said.
But she didn't feel angry about being deceived. Instead, a composite emotion of 'secret delight', 'pleasure', and 'excitement' surged.
What does this mean?
Suspicious, Shinra began to use his brain to think. Combined with the other party's various abnormal performances before, Shinra came up with a guess.
Did this guy bump into something?
Thinking carefully, the meeting place agreed by the other party was near the vending machine under the Special Activity Building. That was actually the hinterland of Sobu High, quite a distance from the campus gate.
This proved the other party didn't just arrive here but had been wandering around for a while.
And just now on the way to the gymnasium, Futaba Rio walked side by side with him all the time.
At first, Shinra didn't think much of it, but recalling it now, she seemed to know the way to the gymnasium long ago. At several corners, before he even started to change direction, she had already turned ahead.
Various signs indicated that this wasn't Futaba Rio's first time going to the gymnasium.
"Has Futaba been to our school before?" Shinra asked.
"Today is my first time here." Futaba replied.
Shinra was thoughtful. Since it wasn't the first time, why was she so familiar with the way to the gymnasium?
It must be known that the gymnasium wasn't open to the public all morning, and there were only staff inside.
Also, how did Futaba know he was an executive committee member? Just now he did say 'our publicity work is quite in place', but the 'our' here would normally be understood as 'school', not 'Executive Committee'.
Unless she had seen him working wearing the executive committee armband.
But that was all in the morning. After returning to the conference room when the camera ran out of battery, Shinra pressed the armband under the charging camera...
Then he followed Haruno to the gymnasium...
He and Haruno...
Wait, could it be...
Thinking of this, Shinra was startled. Did Futaba Rio see the scene of that guy Haruno hugging him?
Associating it with Futaba Rio's relationship with Mai... Shinra admitted, he was a little panicked now.
"Fu..."
Just as Shinra planned to test again whether Futaba Rio really saw some scenes she shouldn't have seen, another familiar voice sounded in his ear.
"Eh? So you ran here!"
Haruno grabbed Shinra's right arm, as if to refine him instantly.