Following Fujiwara Chika’s shout, the surrounding gazes that had been focused on Shinomiya Kaguya shifted in unison toward her and Ayanokoji.
Ayanokoji felt somewhat helpless at her usual atmosphere-blind antics, and deep down he briefly considered putting some distance between himself and this nonsensical girl.
“Would that Ice Princess Kaguya really come over just because you called her like that?” Ayanokoji asked casually.
“Hehe, I bet you didn’t know this, Ayanokoji-kun.” Fujiwara Chika puffed out her chest proudly.
“Kaguya-san and I have been very close friends ever since we entered the junior high division two years ago!”
Could this be another relationship like his own, where he had been unilaterally and forcibly bound together?
Ayanokoji couldn’t help making a reasonable guess in his heart.
However, to his surprise, after hearing the shout and turning her head, Shinomiya Kaguya slightly knitted her brows but still casually grabbed a towel to dry her hair.
Then, she actually walked toward the shallow end where they were.
“Is there something you need, Fujiwara-san?”
Shinomiya Kaguya asked, standing at the edge of the pool.
Because Fujiwara Chika never gossiped about her in front of anyone, although it wasn’t obvious on the surface, Shinomiya Kaguya had actually always valued their relationship.
They really did know each other.
Ayanokoji observed without changing expression, not feeling surprised at all by Kaguya’s reaction of only talking to Fujiwara Chika and treating him completely like air.
“Of course it’s because I haven’t seen what Kaguya-san looks like in a swimsuit for a long time, so I wanted to call you over to appreciate it up close!”
Fujiwara Chika said with a giggle, then suddenly grabbed Ayanokoji’s arm and asked:
“How about it, Ayanokoji-kun? As a boy, don’t you also think Kaguya-san’s swimsuit is extremely pleasing to the eye?”
“This is a golden opportunity to appreciate it up close fair and square. Don’t be shy.”
The result was that Shinomiya Kaguya took a guarded step back, instinctively crossing her hands in front of her chest.
“Stop saying such easily misunderstood things.”
Ayanokoji raised his hand expressionlessly and gave Fujiwara Chika a light chop on the head, causing her to cover her head, exaggerate an “ouch,” and tear up.
“So you’re here too, Ayanokoji-kun. I didn’t notice you just now.”
Shinomiya Kaguya’s gaze finally fell on Ayanokoji, her chin slightly lifted, her tone as cold as ever, with a hint of provocation hidden between the lines.
As a young lady as well, compared to her, Togawa was simply the exact opposite extreme.
The figure of that blue-haired noble girl flashed briefly through his mind, but Ayanokoji Kiyotaka’s expression remained unchanged as he replied in a flat tone:
“Shinomiya-san seems quite confident. Are you already prepared to break the record in the upcoming test?”
Kaguya raised her hand to gracefully wipe away the water droplets dripping from the corner of her hair.
“Whether I can break the record or not, I don’t know. But on the results roster, my name will be printed at the very top—that is a predetermined outcome.”
“See you later, Fujiwara-san.”
Seeing that the free time was almost over and having no desire to continue communicating with Ayanokoji, Shinomiya Kaguya nodded to Chika and then turned around to walk toward the gathering point.
“Ayanokoji-kun, Ayanokoji-kun.”
Once Shinomiya Kaguya had walked far away, Fujiwara Chika immediately sidled up like a thief, bent her fingers toward Ayanokoji, and motioned for him to come closer.
Ayanokoji leaned over slightly, and Chika leaned directly against his ear, whispering:
“By the way, do you and Kaguya-san have some kind of grudge? How come it felt like her tone was ice-cold when she was talking to you just now?”
Although he was somewhat bothered by her over-developed curves and the fact that they were pressing against his arm due to the distance and angle, Ayanokoji’s attention was still focused on the part of Chika’s words that begged to be retorted:
“She seems to use this tone with everyone she gets along with. There’s no difference at all, right?”
Even with you, her self-proclaimed best friend, she wasn’t particularly enthusiastic when talking to you just now.
Ayanokoji silently swallowed the second half of his retort.
However, Fujiwara’s words also corroborated the results of his previous probing actions.
Although Shinomiya Kaguya didn’t say anything out loud, she had already begun to develop some emotions toward him internally.
The fact that even Fujiwara Chika could see it meant it was already obvious enough.
Therefore, listening to the gathering whistle blown by the PE teacher, a plan quickly formed in Ayanokoji’s mind.
He called out to Fujiwara Chika, who was just about to get up and head ashore.
“Fujiwara, could you please help me do something in a bit?”
Hearing that Ayanokoji actually needed a favor from her, Fujiwara Chika’s eyes instantly lit up. This story is hosted at g.com.
“Leave it to me! As long as it’s—”
Halfway through her chest-pumping guarantee, her arm paused mid-air due to a soft bounce, and then she narrowed her eyes, staring at Ayanokoji with an all-seeing gaze:
“Wait, Ayanokoji-kun, you wouldn’t be asking me to take advantage of the teacher’s inattention to steal the scoring notebook and secretly alter your test scores, would you?”
Fujiwara Chika crossed her arms in front of her chest and made a big “X”:
“Chika has principles and is an emissary of justice who will never break the rules! Therefore, please spare me such cheating requests!”
“…It’s not anything like that.”
Ayanokoji was left somewhat speechless by her wildly imaginative and bizarre thought process.
The trajectory of the words and actions of the girl in front of him was even harder to understand and predict than Takamatsu Tomori.
“What I’m asking you to do is…”
“Hmm, eh… eh?!”
As Ayanokoji whispered close to her ear, Fujiwara Chika’s mouth slowly opened wider, and her eyes grew rounder and rounder.
After listening, she drew in a sharp breath.
Then she reached out and placed the back of her hand against Ayanokoji’s forehead.
After confirming his temperature was normal and he wasn’t running a fever, she looked at him with a compassionate, benevolent, and pitying gaze.
“Erm… Ayanokoji-kun.”
Chika patted Ayanokoji’s shoulder.
“If you encounter any difficulties in life, just talk to me anytime.”
A rare trace of confusion flashed across Ayanokoji’s poker face.
“Why are you suddenly saying that?”
“Otherwise…”
Fujiwara Chika’s emotions suddenly spiked, and with a splash, she stood up from the pool and shouted loudly:
“————Otherwise, why would you make such an outrageous request that brings humiliation upon yourself?!”