After Sumitomo's group finally departed, Kuroha Akira pointed at Shinomiya with his chopsticks and casually asked, "By the way, Shion, your father mentioned that if you wanted to continue school, your uncle could handle all the paperwork and whatnot. So technically, you could go back anytime, right?"
He was testing whether her earlier words to Saionji had been genuine.
Unlike the icy indifference she'd shown Saionji Mako, Shinomiya's response to this casual inquiry came wrapped in hopeful uncertainty.
"Does Akira-kun... want me to go back to school?"
"Uh—well, from my perspective, I'd rather you focus on going pro. Academics aren't really the priority here."
"Then I won't go." Her answer came swift and absolute. "I'll follow your arrangements, Akira-kun. We agreed—my life is in your hands now."
Tashiro Kurenai's eyes went wide at the almost-confession wrapped in those bold words. She whipped her head toward Kuroha with an accusing stare.
Akira-kun! What exactly did you say to this girl?! If you dropped something that heavy on Shion-chan, of course you'd steal her heart!
Kuroha scratched his head awkwardly. Back then, he'd been desperate not to let a 3S-class super-genius like Shinomiya slip through his fingers. He'd meant every word with deadly seriousness—he just hadn't expected her to take it this seriously, holding it close to her heart and bringing it up at every opportunity.
"I just don't want you to have regrets later. School days only happen once, you know? Youth doesn't come back around."
"I understand what you're saying, Akira-kun. But I'm genuinely not forcing myself. I truly believe this is better for me."
There are regrets, certainly—but not about missing school. The real regret is not being able to attend school with Akira-kun.
Truth be told, mornings were a struggle for Shinomiya. Her low blood pressure made waking up torture. Yet every day she dragged herself out of bed at six, matching Kuroha's schedule, just to squeeze every possible moment with him.
Watching him head out each morning felt like being a wife sending her husband off to work—full of worry and anticipation.
But deep down, she longed to go with him. To walk shoulder-to-shoulder on the way to school, chatting about nothing in particular. Maybe hold hands. Maybe loop her arm through his.
Once there, sitting beside him as desk-mates would be perfect—she could turn during class just to watch him, pass notes secretly, "accidentally" drop her eraser so he'd pick it up and she could reward him...
Or perhaps sitting behind him would be even better. She could watch him all day long, draw little doodles on his back, blow air on his neck, stretch her feet forward to tease him, give him shoulder massages, play with his hair...
Lunch together, naturally. Maybe she could feed him... Akira-kun, say ah~
Her imagination spiraled out of control. She pictured herself holding food to his lips, watching him chew contentedly, then casually using the same chopsticks—the ones that had just been in his mouth—on herself. Tasting him indirectly. Running her tongue along the tips...
Shinomiya realized she was unconsciously sucking on her own chopsticks. She swallowed hard against the saliva pooling under her tongue.
More than food, I want to taste what's in his mouth. I want his saliva. All of it.
Just as she'd once craved being held in his arms, she now craved his lips. If she ever caught him sleeping, she knew she wouldn't be able to resist kissing him. The longing was overwhelming.
But that "ordinary" student life remained forever out of reach.
Yet now, that ache was being overshadowed by a sharper fear: the possibility of losing what she couldn't have to another woman.
That "Hitomi" girl required immediate vigilance. From what Sumitomo had said, she and Kuroha were close at school.
"By the way, Akira-kun." She tried to sound casual. "That Hitomi girl—are you two close?"
Kuroha didn't react much, but Tashiro Kurenai's ears perked up immediately.
Shion-chan's gathering intel on the enemy!
And frankly, Tashiro was curious too. Just how many girls had this kid entangled at school?
"Hitomi? Oh, you mean the class president."
Shinomiya noted the title—class president, not Hitomi. That small formality implied a certain distance. If they were truly close, he'd use her given name, the way Shinomiya addressed him.
Advantage: me.
"We get along well enough. I'd say we're good friends."
"Good friends..." Her heart clenched. "Is she pretty?"
"Pretty, yeah."
Plummet.
"But not as pretty as you."
That insufferable pause!
But it was undeniably true.
To date, no one could rival Shinomiya's beauty. She stood utterly alone at the top.
Her mood skyrocketed. For the first time, she felt genuinely grateful for her appearance—almost proud of it.
She wanted the person she loved to love her back. To love her face, her body, everything about her...
This feeling, this love, had severed the knot of self-loathing she'd carried for so long. The sheer force of her feelings had cut through it cleanly.
"That said, the class president's one of those rare people who truly values friendship. Being considered her friend is honestly lucky for me... though sometimes it comes with pressure."
He'd felt Hitomi's "gravity" more than once and couldn't help complaining about it now.
"I see..."
So they're just friends. For now.
But friendships that were too close could always develop into something more.
Shinomiya's emotional barometer swung wildly, affecting her entire demeanor.
"School friendships don't always last, you know?" Tashiro Kurenai interjected smoothly, deliberately emphasizing "friendship" to soothe Shinomiya's turmoil. "Akira-kun, you should cherish this while it lasts."
From her perspective, "family" still took priority.
"Obviously. I'm doing that already. It's not like I have tons of friends at school."
...
Friends. They're just friends.
She and Akira-kun are also friends.
Technically, everyone's still at the starting line.
But Shinomiya believed she had a home-field advantage: she lived with Kuroha Akira. Slept in the same room.
Pushing for more—like attending school together—would only lower his affection. The risks outweighed any potential gains.
School territory was forfeit. Home was her main battlefield.
Anyway, Akira-kun would eventually graduate. But she could live with him forever.
Wait.
After her debut, their time together would shrink dramatically...
So before that happens, I need to raise his affection as high as possible. Make him unable to leave me.
Even if it's just physically!
Asato Hitomi's existence has triggered Shinomiya's crisis mode. From now on, she won't wait passively—she'll attack proactively.
"Well, we're done eating. Let's head back, Akira-kun." She paused, letting the words settle. "Back to our home."
"Yeah, time to go."
Tashiro Kurenai watched with a wry smile. Shion-chan seemedto have completely forgotten she existed.
At least Kuroha still had a conscience. He patted his stomach gratefully.
"Thanks for the meal, Kurenai-san. I ate well—I'll remember this."
"No need to be so formal. It wasn't anything fancy. I'm just glad you enjoyed it."
Tashiro Kurenai smiled, watching the two vibrant young people. Silently, she asked her heart.
Hey. What do you think?
They're both wonderful kids, aren't they?
Are you interested in being part of their lives?
Akira-kun's suggestion—becoming Shion-chan's manager...
If you say yes, you could start a completely different life.
Think carefully, Tashiro Kurenai. This is your life we're talking about.