Shiraishi Shin grew interested and asked, "What do you want to bet?"
Chitoge Kirisaki's eyes darted around as she said:
"If I win, come over to my house on my birthday to celebrate, how about it?"
Shiraishi Shin agreed.
"Fine. Then if I win, you'll take over my duties in the breeding area today."
"Then I'll guess first. After all, ladies first."
"Fine, ladies first."
Chitoge Kirisaki thought for a moment.
According to common practice, many transfer students were girls, just like herself.
So she said:
"I guess it's a girl, just like me!"
Since Chitoge Kirisaki went first, Shiraishi Shin had no other choice.
He said:
"Then I'll take the other option."
Beside them, Alya watched their interaction and rolled her eyes, feeling a bit jealous.
She muttered in her native Russian:
"Stinky Shin, you don't even talk to me more. If you asked me to be your 'wing' one more time, I would've said yes. Even if you have a girlfriend, you shouldn't forget about me, honestly."
Alya didn't mind that Shiraishi Shin already had a girlfriend.
After all, an outstanding man like Shiraishi Shin was impossible to find even with a flashlight.
Besides, she had liked him long before he had a girlfriend.
She could have been the first "wing," but she thought Shiraishi Shin might have been joking at the time, and the setting wasn't right, so she wanted to be a bit more reserved.
If she had known, she wouldn't have been so reserved.
Suddenly, Alya thought of something terrifying and whispered to herself:
"Wait, could it be that Shiina Mahiru doesn't allow him to have any more girlfriends?"
"Students, we have another new transfer student joining our class today."
On the podium, Okada Yuriko stood there addressing the students.
Seeing that they didn't look very surprised, she continued:
"It seems you've all heard the news. Come in, Tsugumi-san."
As she finished speaking, a figure entered the classroom.
This person wore a male school uniform, had dark blue medium-short hair, a small face with delicate and well-defined features, dark red eyes, and a mole under the right eye.
At first glance, they looked like a very handsome and heroic young man.
"Hello everyone, my name is Tsugumi Seishiro."
(Image Tsugumi Seishiro)
At the back of the class, Shiraishi Shin said somewhat triumphantly:
"Chitoge, it looks like I win this time."
Tsugumi Seishiro was clearly a male name, and the short hair, though slightly longer than the average boy's, didn't reach the shoulders and was much shorter than a woman's.
Combined with the male uniform, they looked obviously like a boy.
However, Chitoge Kirisaki's eye twitched, as if she had seen something very surprising.
Hearing Shiraishi Shin's words, she said a bit awkwardly:
"That's not necessarily true."
"You mean this new student, Tsugumi Seishiro, is a girl? You know them?"
Shiraishi Shin raised an eyebrow; Chitoge Kirisaki looked as though she knew the person.
(Note: The author has seen the series and recognizes the character, but the protagonist he's writing hasn't seen all the anime featuring the female leads.)
Chitoge Kirisaki didn't keep him in suspense and said directly:
"Yeah, I know her. Although she looks and dresses like a boy without a hint of femininity, and her name is very masculine, she's actually a girl."
Shiraishi Shin said nothing, but stared at the new transfer student.
Looking closely, the facial features were indeed different from a man's masculinity, possessing a feminine softness instead.
There was also no Adam's apple, and the chest was very flat—he couldn't tell if she was just a "washboard" or using a chest binder to hide it.
If one didn't look closely, based on the name and appearance, they really would take her for a boy.
Shiraishi Shin accepted his loss.
"I see, it really is a girl. It seems I celebrated too early. You win the bet. Tell me, when is your birthday and where is the location? I'll definitely be there."
Chitoge Kirisaki smiled.
"Hehe, my birthday is June 7th, and the location is my house. I'll send you a pin later. No need to prepare a gift, just showing up is enough."
Shiraishi Shin nodded.
June 7th, which meant there were about ten days left.
After Tsugumi Seishiro gave a brief introduction, the students didn't realize she was a girl and were still saying things like "so handsome."
Then, Okada Yuriko had her sit in the fourth row, in the seat that originally belonged to Yoshimoto-san.
"Why did Tsugumi come? How did I not know at all?"
Chitoge Kirisaki rested her chin on her right hand, watching Tsugumi Seishiro walk to her seat, feeling confused by her appearance.
The two grew up together, and Tsugumi Seishiro had been picked up by the top executive under Chitoge Kirisaki's father.
She was a top-tier assassin trained from a young age through special training and elite education, possessing high-level combat skills.
Her title in the underworld of the US was "Black Tiger."
She once had a record of wiping out a small-to-medium-sized underworld organization single-handedly.
She usually dressed masculinely to avoid hindering her missions.
Before Chitoge Kirisaki came to Japan, Tsugumi Seishiro was on a mission abroad.
She didn't expect the other girl to come to Japan as well, let alone transfer here.
As Tsugumi Seishiro walked to her seat, she also saw Chitoge Kirisaki.
She gave her a friendly nod but didn't say anything immediately; there was no rush.
Class time passed quickly.
As soon as class ended, Tsugumi Seishiro, the new transfer student, undoubtedly became the focus of many students, mostly girls, who were drawn to her looks that rivaled Shiraishi Shin's handsomeness.
However, the heroic-looking "handsome guy" Tsugumi Seishiro clearly couldn't handle this kind of scene.
After all, she was an assassin trained by the underworld to kill.
She quickly pushed away the students who wanted to get close and talk to her.
She didn't come here to make friends with classmates; she was here with a very important mission:
to act as Chitoge Kirisaki's bodyguard.
Seeing that Tsugumi Seishiro was so dull, the students dispersed, though a few infatuated ones still kept their eyes on her even after returning to their seats.
"Ojou-sama."
When Tsugumi Seishiro walked up to Chitoge Kirisaki, she used the title she had always used for her.
Although they grew up together, she knew her place—she was there to protect Chitoge Kirisaki and complete the missions assigned by Bee Hive.
"Shh."
Chitoge Kirisaki quickly shushed her and then led her out of the classroom to talk.
"Tsugumi, why are you here too?"
Tsugumi Seishiro said as a matter of fact:
"Naturally, I'm here to protect you, Ojou-sama. I was on a mission before, and after completing it, Mr. Claude assigned me to come here and protect you. I heard that a few days ago, Ojou-sama was almost kidnapped by people from another gang. What a bunch of blind, damn fools!"
By the end, Tsugumi Seishiro's expression turned fierce, as if she wanted to drag those who dared to target Chitoge Kirisaki out of their coffins and shoot them again.
As for the Mr. Claude she mentioned, he was the Bee Hive executive who had adopted her when she was a child.