Back in the classroom, Hinami returned to her seat.
The boy she had just rejected hadn't come back to class. Even though the next period was only a few minutes away, he had probably been so heartbroken that he'd skipped class entirely.
The overly kind-hearted Hinami even felt a bit guilty about it.
When she returned to her seat, the girls around her immediately started chattering again.
"How did it go? Judging by this, Hinami rejected him again, right?"
"Obviously! Not just any boy is worthy of our adorable little Hinami~"
"Speaking of which, Hinami mentioned before that she already has someone she likes. Is that true? Or is it just an excuse to reject those boys?"
"..."
Suddenly, everyone got caught up in the gossip.
Most of the girls thought it was probably just an excuse. After all, they'd never seen Hinami particularly close to any boy, nor had they heard Hinami mention who this person she liked might be...
"Of course it's true..."
Hinami smiled awkwardly.
But thinking about it, this seemed like a good opportunity to avoid future troubles.
"The person I like... is actually Byakuya-niichan..."
Hinami said shyly, speaking the truth.
"...Byakuya-niichan? Hinami actually does have someone she likes? But who is Byakuya-niichan...?"
"Could it be Amaha Byakuya? The famous alumnus of our school—the one the principal always mentions in his speeches!"
"If it really is him... I heard he's not only a graduate student at our school but also the Director General of the Tokyo Security Bureau. That basically makes him a first-generation political elite!"
"..."
From the girls' discussion, it was clear that the CCG had been renamed—from the Commission of Counter Ghoul to the "Tokyo Security Bureau."
After all, ghouls no longer existed. Continuing to "counter ghouls" would be rather odd, so they had changed to the more accurate Tokyo Security Bureau.
"Yes, it's the Amaha Byakuya you're talking about."
Hinami nodded.
"It really is him? And Hinami just called him 'Byakuya-niichan'? Does that mean you've known him for a long time?"
One of the girls asked curiously.
"Yes, we've known each other for about four or five years now..."
Hinami replied.
"That's amazing! It sounds so romantic!"
"You've known each other that long? Hinami must have still been in middle school back then, right?"
"Wait, does that mean Hinami has been... since four or five years ago...?"
"..."
The girls around her discussed even more excitedly.
Many boys in the classroom had also overheard.
Some of them had still been harboring a sliver of hope, but now all their fantasies were shattered...
Not only did Hinami actually have someone she liked, but it was someone like Amaha Byakuya...
Byakuya was already extremely popular at Kamii University—even the principal and professors mentioned him constantly.
Moreover, Byakuya was the Director General of the Tokyo Security Bureau, with a position that exceeded even the Prime Minister's. Calling him Japan's true ruler wouldn't be an exaggeration...
"More or less..."
Regarding the question of whether she had feelings for him "since four or five years ago," Hinami responded this way.
"But I was too young back then, so it wasn't appropriate. Now it's about the right time."
As she spoke, the faint blush on Hinami's face deepened a few shades.