She might gripe; she might roll her eyes.
But deep down, she was sincerely happy for Nodoka.
The air was rich with the toasty smell of bread and the syrupy sweetness of maple,
and carried a faint, elusive freshness that belonged to freedom.
The afternoon sun spread a gentle warmth across Shuchiin Academy's wide athletic field.
The rubberized track gave off a soft sheen.
From a distance came the shouts of club activities and the thump of balls colliding.
A silver-haired girlKei Shiroganewandered aimlessly along the edge of the track.
A breeze lifted her silvery hair;
a few strands, impish, clung to her slightly furrowed brows.
Her thoughts fluttered like springtime willow catkinsdrifting, messy, heavy.
"How long has it been since I last saw Rei Ao-senpai?"
Her last clear memory was a fleeting glimpse from about two weeks ago.
He'd been sitting by the window,
sunlight tracing the line of his focused profile.
She'd only dared to steal a few glances from afar, heart pounding, without the courage to go up and say hello.
After that, it was as if he'd sunk without a trace.
No more lazy silhouette sauntering down the hallway.
No sign of him leaning on the rooftop railing to watch the clouds.
Even the usual "storm center" around himUtaha Kasumigaoka, Eriri Spencer Sawamura, and the restseemed oddly quiet.
Had he already forgotten this unremarkable kouhai?
Did he think that brief exchange was nothing more than a trivial footnote in his endless daily anecdotes?
Or was he simply surrounded by too much brilliance
the cool, moon-bright Yukinoshita-senpai,
the starry radiance of Sakurajima-senpai
so that her tiny firefly glow had long since been swallowed by the vast river of stars?
The more she thought, the tighter her chest felt.
Kei Shirogane nudged a pebble with her toe without thinking.
Head down,
her blurred gaze fixed on the tips of her shoes.
Even the clamor around her seemed muffled, as if heard through a veil of water.
"Thud!"
Her forehead suddenly bumped into a firm chest, warm and faintly damp with post-exercise sweat.
"Ah! S-sorry! I'm so, so sorry!"
Kei jolted back to herself,
springing away like a startled rabbit and bowing deeply in a rush to apologize for spacing out.
Her silver hair fell like a waterfall, hiding her suddenly flushed cheeks and flustered eyes.
Great, just great!
Walking without looking and crashing into someone!
How rude can you get!
"Kei?"
A low, familiar voice sounded above her headso familiar it made her heart quiverlaced with a hint of helpless amusement.
Kei snapped her head up.
She fell into eyes deep as a night sky.
Sunlight outlined his clean jawline.
Sweat slid along his temples, dampening the few strands of black hair across his forehead.
He wore a dark tracksuit that showed off a tall, lean frame,
and he was looking at her now with one brow slightly raised, a teasing glint in his gaze.
"R-Rei Ao-senpai?!"
Her voice trembled with disbelief.
Her eyes flew wide, as if she were seeing an impossible mirage.
"It's me."
The corner of Rei Ao's mouth lifted in a faint arc.
He reached out, as naturally as anything, to brush aside a stray strand of silver hair stuck to her forehead.
His fingertip grazed her smooth skin, leaving a tiny, tingling spark.
"Daydreaming while you walk? That's dangerous on the track. What if someone else ran into you?"
There was a trace of scolding in his tone, but even more concern.
The spot he'd touched felt like it had caught fire, heat racing up to her ears.
Kei's heart hammered so hard it was about to leap out of her throat.
Her mind went blank
all that remained was his face so close and that low, pleasant voice echoing in her ears.
He he was still here!
He hadn't vanished!
A flood of joy crashed through and swept away all her gloom and spiraling thoughts.
Kei parted her lips.
She wanted to explain why she'd been spacing out.
She wanted to ask where he'd been these days.
She wanted to tell him that she'd missed him.
But a thousand words jammed in her throat
and finally came out as a mosquito-sized, "S-sorry"
Rei Ao looked at herso nervous she didn't know what to do with her hands, face burningand the smile in his eyes deepened.
He couldn't help wanting to tease her.
He straightened his face on purpose and leaned in a little closer.
"What, a short time apart and you don't recognize your senpai anymore?"
"No!"
Kei yelped like a cat whose tail had been stepped on,
shaking her head so hard her silver hair swished.
She rushed to explain.
"II just"
"Pfft"
Rei Ao laughed, amused by her over-the-top reaction.
His big hand landed on her soft crown, warm and affectionate, and he rubbed,
ruffling her neatly combed silver hair into a cute mess.
"Just messing with you. Look how adorable you get when you're nervous."
"Mm"
The warmth on her headand that word "adorable"turned Kei into a steaming kettle.
Her cheeks flushed so red they were about to drip;
even the tip of her small nose went pink.
She instinctively hunched her shoulders,
yet she couldn't help savoring the heat of his palm,
so she simply ducked her head, letting him muss her hair as little animal-like whimpers slipped out.
The shy, sweet sight put Rei Ao in a great mood.
He drew his hand back,
and, looking at the cute little ahoge he'd created atop her head, suddenly remembered something.
"Rightdidn't I say I'd invite you over sometime?"
Kei's heart skipped a beat.
Her head snapped up,
amethyst eyes wide with shock and a touch of incredulous hope.
"How about after school today? Are you free?"
The invitation left him as naturally as breathing.
"Eh?! T-to your place?!"
Her voice shot up an octave in sheer disbelief.
The jolt wiped her thoughts clean.
Her head buzzed, and the only words left flashing across her mind were: "go to senpai's place"!
I-Isn't this moving way too fast?!
I'm not ready yet!
~~~
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Chapter 884: Going Home with Four Beauties...
Watching Kei Shirogane freeze up at the invitationlike she'd turned to stoneRei Ao rubbed his chin.
He deliberately pulled a face that was part sudden realization, part mock "oh no."
"Hmm a grown guy suddenly inviting a junior over to his placekinda sketchy, isn't it?"
He stroked his chin and looked at Kei with a teasing glint.
"Kei, you don't think I'm some shady 'creepy uncle,' do you?"
That self-deprecating joke washed through the mush in Kei's head like a splash of cold water.
Seeing him pretend to be troubled, a sudden, inexplicable courageand a mischievous streakbubbled up in her. Before she could think, she blurted:
"Haha, you do kinda look a teeny bit like a creepy uncle!"
The moment the words left her mouth, she stared at the exaggerated look of shock he put onand froze too.
Then a tidal wave of mortification slammed into her.
Oh no!
What am I saying?!
Did I just call Rei Ao-senpai a creepy uncle?!
I'm done for!
Her brain blanked again. The secondhand embarrassment was so intense she wanted to flee on the spot.
Kei's cheeks went as red as ripe tomatoes. She didn't even dare look at Rei Ao's face. She bowed hard and babbled in a rush: "II'm going to class!"
"S-see you after school, Senpai!"
Then she bolted like a startled fawn.
Her silver hair drew a frantic arc behind her and, in a blink, she vanished into the stream of students heading for the classroom building.
Rei Ao stayed where he was, watching the girl's retreating figure with an expanding, amused smile.
Creepy uncle?
Heh the kid's getting bold.
The final bell rang at last like a gospel of salvation.
But for Kei, gripping the straps of her bag in front of the shoe lockers, it sounded more like a bugle calling her to the execution ground.
Her heart pounded like a drum, palms slick with sweat.
She drew a deep breath, trying to steady her too-rapid breathing,
and headed, as promised, toward the unmistakable figure at the school gate.
However
when she saw what was around Rei Ao, her steps halted on the spot.
She froze as if struck by a binding spell.
He was still in that eye-catching tracksuit, lounging with lazy ease against the stone pillar by the gate.
But he wasn't alone like she'd imagined.
Cool as the moon and poised as ever, Yukinoshita Yukino stood a bit behind his left shoulder, arms folded. Her ice-blue eyes swept the area, trailing a natural chill.
Kasumigaoka Utahasultry and statuesquehad claimed the closest spot.
Wine-red eyes curved with a languid smile; her red lips moved as if she were saying something to Rei Ao. She covered her mouth to chuckle now and then, sending ripples of allure with each glance.
On the other side stood Sawamura Spencer Eriri, blond twin-tails and doll-like features. Hands on hips, cheeks puffed, she looked like she was in the middle of a spat with Utaha. Her blue eyes kept darting daggered looks at Rei Ao, as if lodging a complaint.
And what truly took Kei's breath away
even the dazzling, idol-like Mai Sakurajima-senpai was there.
She stood slightly behind Rei Ao on the right, graceful and composed, wearing a perfectly measured, spring-breeze smile.
W-what what is happening?!
Kei's mind blue-screened.
She'd imagined countless versions of walking home alone with Rei Ao-senpainervous, shy, hopeful
Just not this onehim like prey ringed by apex predators (or more like a sun encircled by stars).
How was a plain little underclassman like her supposed to fit into this "beauties all around" tableau?
Kasumigaoka Utaha seemed to notice Kei, who was frozen not far away. Her red lips curved in a meaningful arc, and in a voice pitched just right for Kei to hear, she said to Rei Ao:
"My my, looks like our little bunny kouhai is here. Rei Ao-kun, you're so popularyou won't even spare such a cute kid?"
Eriri followed her gaze. Seeing how obviously spooked Kei looked, she huffed in displeasure.
"Hey! You! Even a tiny kouhai like this"
"Eriri. Utaha."
Rei Ao cut her off mildly. He turned his eyes to Kei and beckoned. "Kei, over here."
The sound of her name made Kei jolt.
Under a flurry of gazesYukinoshita's cool scrutiny, Utaha's playful amusement, Eriri's simmering annoyance, and Mai's warm, inquisitive smile
she forced her leaden legs to move, inch by inch.
Every step felt like treading on cotton or red-hot coals.
"S-senpai"
Her voice was barely a mosquito's hum, her head nearly buried in her chest.
"Mm. Let's go."
Rei Ao took her hand lightly and turned, setting off at an easy pace.
The others traded glances, half-exasperated.
So Rei Ao really does like this kouhai.
Yukinoshita Yukino and Mai Sakurajima fell in behind them. Kasumigaoka Utaha and Sawamura Spencer Eriri shot each other a glare, then followed as well.
And so, in the after-school crowd, an odd and eye-catching scene unfolded:
a boy in a tracksuit walking in front, hand-in-hand with a girl,
and half a step behind, four stunning girls with wildly different vibes.
All the way, Keibrain at processing capacity zerofelt like she was being roasted alive.
The barrage of looks from classmatesshock, envy, jealousy, curiositystabbed at her like needles, making her want to crawl out of her own skin.
Utaha's occasional mischievous glances, Eriri's periodic huffs, Yukinoshita's faintly frosty aura, and Mai's warm, all-seeing smile every bit of it set her on edge.
Halfway there, Utaha and Eriri seemed to reignite a mini "war" over something about "bust sizes" and "manga paneling," each tugging on Rei Ao to arbitrate.
At a fork in the road, the two apparently reached a "truce."
With matching snortsdisdain for each other and "displeasure" at Rei Ao in towthey stomped off together in another direction.
The group instantly shrank by half.
Only Rei Ao, Yukinoshita Yukino, Mai Sakurajima, and Keistill halfway out of her bodyremained.
Chapter 885: Drop Dead Gorgeous Girls One after Another...
Kei Shirogane quietly let out a breath.
But seeing Yukino and Sakurajima Mai still walking side by side up ahead, her heart shot back into her throat.
These two senpais their aura was overwhelming.
She felt like an extra little tail tagging along.
The group walked in silence (mostly because Kei didn't dare say a word) until they reached what looked like a pretty upscale apartment building.
They took the elevator up.
When they stepped out, Yukinoshita Yukino stopped in front of two neighboring doors.
She turned around.
Those black eyes skimmed over Kei like a high-precision scanner, pausing for two secondsso sharp it felt like they could pierce a soul.
Kei tensed up without thinking.
Then Yukino looked at Rei Ao.
Her voice was cool and even, impossible to read. "See you tomorrow."
She pulled out a key, opened the door in front of her, and went in.
The door clicked shut,
leaving behind nothing but a crisp, decisive silhouette.
Kei: "???"
SSee you tomorrow?
Yukinoshita-senpai lives next door to Rei Ao-senpai?!
Before Kei could recover from that bombshell,
Rei Ao had already pulled out a key and opened the other door.
"Welcome. This is my place."
He stepped aside.
Sakurajima Mai gave him a small, familiar smile and slipped in first like it was second nature.
Then
Rei Ao's gaze fell on Keicompletely petrified, mouth slightly open, eyes vacant.
He smiled. "Kei, come on in."
Kei shuffled through the doorway like a marionette, arms and legs moving in the same stiff rhythm.
Her brain was static and TV snow, with one giant question mark flashing like crazy.
"Is is something very wrong here?!"
But the moment Kei actually stepped into the apartment and saw past the entryway,
her worldview took a total, all-direction, nuke-level hit.
The messy, minimal, slightly lonely bachelor pad she'd pictured?
Nope.
Instead, a rich, mouthwatering smell of food hit her, mixed with a faint, girlish fragrance.
Under warm, bright lights stretched a spacious open kitchen and dining area.
And right now it looked like a battle royale of gorgeous girl chefs.
A blonde girl in a maid outfit with a ponytail and two adorable ahoge (dragon horns?)Tohruwas wielding a giant spatula,
