"..."
Kaguya, standing at the shed's threshold, was still in her school uniform, but her snow-white skin was flushed a faint crimson. Beads of sweat were clearly visible on her forehead. In the oppressive silence, Izuru—standing a few paces back—could even hear the ragged, heavy rhythm of her breathing.
It was obvious: Kaguya had just engaged in intense physical exertion without a moment's rest. Given she wasn't in her gym clothes but her standard uniform, the implication was clear.
For some reason, Kaguya had still been on campus, and the moment she received Izuru's SOS, she had sprinted toward him with everything she had. Yet, after that desperate dash, the sight that greeted her in the dim shed was Izuru pinned to the floor by Yotsuba in a hopelessly compromising position.
Izuru didn't know exactly what was racing through Kaguya's mind, but he knew one thing for certain: her mood was catastrophic.
Kaguya didn't utter a single word. Her expression, which had initially flickered with a hint of relief, instantly calcified into a mask of icy, emotionless detachment. Worst of all was her gaze—the look she leveled at Izuru and Yotsuba was one usually reserved for the world's most repulsive cockroach, amplified by the dark, swirling aura manifesting behind her.
This sent a pang through Izuru's heart. Despite being a master of "seeking death" who usually feared nothing, he felt his resolve shatter. A chill crept up his spine, turning his very blood to ice.
Kaguya remained silent, but her beautiful crimson eyes seemed to lose their focus, turning hollow. After staring coldly at them in a suffocating stillness, she suddenly began to mutter to herself with a chilling, fractured laugh.
"Wonderful, President... Hehehe... To think you'd bring a girl with a body like that to a shed... Hehehe... No, it's the fault of that shameless vixen, using her physique to seduce people... Hehehe... Just take her head... Hehehe..."
Seeing Kaguya "blackened" to such an extent made Izuru's heart nearly skip a beat. Cold sweat poured down his face. Maintaining a rigid, forced smile that looked more like a grimace, he managed to stammer:
"Um, Yashoku, this isn't what you think!"
Meanwhile, Yotsuba—who was still draped over Izuru—didn't move immediately. She looked up at Kaguya with a cheerful, albeit slightly awkward smile. Scratching the back of her head as if feeling bashful, she chirped:
"Um, please don't misunderstand. The President and I aren't doing anything untoward in here. Our relationship is a very... sacred bond between a man and a woman..."
Upon hearing that, Izuru felt like he was about to vomit blood on the spot. Kaguya's beautiful face twitched violently, and the dark aura behind her thickened to a pitch-black fog. But right at that critical moment, the phone in her hand suddenly began to ring. Someone was calling. Though clearly displeased by the interruption, Kaguya answered with an expression of forced, weary resignation.
"Kaguya-sama, it is time to return home. Where are you? Why did you suddenly run off? The driver has been waiting quite a while!"
Kaguya fell silent for a moment. She stared at Izuru and Yotsuba long enough to make their skin crawl, then let out a sharp, cold huff. She turned on her heel and departed with brisk, echoing strides.
The second she was gone, Izuru and Yotsuba exhaled in unison, as if the weight of the entire world had been lifted from their shoulders!
A moment later, Yotsuba seemed to finally realize how ambiguous their position was. Her cute, pale face instantly flushed a deep beet-red. She scrambled off Izuru in a panic, waving her hands frantically.
"Um, President... that was... an accident! Please don't get the wrong idea!"
Feeling that warm, soft weight vanish, Izuru felt a fleeting pang of disappointment. But the memory of Kaguya's expression acted like a bucket of ice water. He bolted upright like a "salted fish" leaping back to life and said:
"It's fine, I know. Now that the door is open, let's get out of here fast."
"Ehm."
Yotsuba nodded. Shaken by being caught in such a pose by Kaguya, she seemed overwhelmed by embarrassment. For the first time, she kept her head down, her face crimson, and walked out of the shed in total silence.
Izuru felt a wave of relief. He followed suit, remaining quiet as he walked behind her. Once they were out and he was certain there was no sign of Kaguya or anyone else, he let out a weary sigh and turned to Yotsuba.
"Yotsuba, want me to walk you home?"
The question broke the heavy silence between them. Yotsuba looked at him shyly and shook her head.
"No, thank you for the offer, President. I'll be fine on my own."
"Is that so?"
Izuru frowned slightly but then understood. He nodded and said, "In that case, I'll at least walk you to the school gate."
"Ehm, thank you, President..."
The two lapsed back into silence, walking side-by-side toward the entrance.
Suddenly, Yotsuba's voice reached his ears again: "President, was that girl your girlfriend?"
{Girlfriend? Yashoku?}
Izuru's eyebrows shot up, and he replied casually, "Not a girlfriend. For now, we're just... female friends. But her personality is hard to read, and she often has these strange, unusual reactions. Don't take what happened to heart."
{Though, all those strange reactions are centered on me,} Izuru keeping the sentiment to himself. It was unnecessary, far too narcissistic, and he knew better than to talk about one woman in front of another.
"A female friend, huh?"
Yotsuba seemed to let out a breath of relief. With a more relaxed smile, she said, "I see. But you really should explain things properly to her later, President. You wouldn't want her to have a misunderstanding about you. Of course, I'm happy to help you explain as well..."
Izuru felt a surge of genuine touched. Truly, Yotsuba was a little angel—so incredibly considerate!
"Ehm, I'll do that."
Just then, they reached the school gates.
"I'll head off first. Get home safe." Izuru waved and walked briskly toward his destination.
Because of his haste, Izuru didn't see what happened next. Once he was safely out of sight, Yotsuba casually pulled her phone from her pocket. The screen lit up, showing a battery life of exactly 90 percent...
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