So in truth, the Class Rep had seen it all—the hidden danger between Shiroi Shiori and Aizono Momo was something she had noticed long ago.
Looking at it this way, her reason for not stopping yesterday's conflict… was actually to solve a bigger problem.
…Hm?
So I was being used as the Class Rep's tool again?
Wait—why did I just say again…?
After packing up the bento boxes, Anri Hitomi stood, pouting.
"But honestly, for Shiori to think I've gone love-brained… that kind of hurt. I only wanted to make friends who could stay with me for life. I thought Shiori would understand me."
"That starting point is already something most people wouldn't get…"
Akira didn't think Shiroi Shiori valued friendship as much as she claimed—but Aizono Momo, now that girl she treated like a forbidden treasure, one she wouldn't let anyone harm.
And yet, the result was her own words ended up hurting Momo. You could say she'd been provoked by Akira until she lost her senses.
She must hate me to death now.
I wonder if she's even noticed that she hurt her good friend… Hopefully she's not one of those low-EQ little fairy types.
Akira stood and stretched lazily. He already knew what his mission was.
To break up that yuri (fog)!
…Okay, fine. In truth, he'd just be acting as a kind of "insulating panel," giving Shiroi Shiori a chance to reevaluate her relationship with Aizono Momo.
As long as Akira won this publishing duel, Momo would have no choice but to work with him. Shiroi Shiori would be forced to watch her dear friend get enslaved by a loathsome man to churn out beautiful-girl lewd art…
…Why does this suddenly feel like I'm stealing someone's girlfriend?
No, no, no! This is an official mission! The club president herself approved it!
"So, this time… will there be payment?"
"Payment? Didn't you already set that for yourself?"
"Huh?"
"If you beat Shiori, won't Momo be in the palm of your hand?"
"That way of putting it…"
…Made it sound like he was planning to train Aizono Momo into his exclusive plaything. Not that Akira didn't have the idea—just not for her body. What he wanted was her talent.
"I know Momo is important to you. When you read her hand, your eyes were practically glowing."
"Uh… was it that obvious…"
"Kuroba-kun, you really have no self-awareness."
"Haha… my bad, I got carried away."
Akira apologized immediately, but Anri Hitomi had already lifted the bento boxes and walked ahead. Scratching his head, he followed after her.
Was the Class Rep angry? Maybe he really should watch his words and actions from now on. He could banter with her, sure—but with other girls, he should mind his distance. Not everyone could take a joke.
Yes—Anri Hitomi was angry. But not at Akira—at herself.
Yesterday, when she saw Akira being so enthusiastic toward Momo, there had been a little sting in her heart.
It wasn't jealousy. She knew the difference.
In fact, she was happy to see them getting along—but in one dark corner of her mind, a little flame of envy had still been lit.
It came from the frustration of being outclassed.
She didn't know if Akira's so-called "hand reading" was real or not, but his attitude toward her hand and Momo's hand was obviously different.
From her observation, Akira only showed interest in things—or people—that could benefit him. He'd even openly admitted as much.
So she realized: the moment she stood before him, all her accumulated life experience was useless. There was this sense of standing before him completely naked—utterly stripped of armor.
There was nothing about her that could attract Kuroba Akira.
That was her first failure with him—defeated before she'd even begun.
In the end, she could only think of "the thing all men are interested in"—her body, and her underwear.
So when Akira mentioned his impression of the Class Rep, she steered the topic toward the scenery beneath her skirt. Sure enough, Akira took the bait.
…But only halfway.
Because he was even more… materialistic than she thought.
His greed for money outweighed his lust—he actually resisted the urge to look under her skirt. Helpless, she had to pull out her ultimate move: offering her underwear in trade.
But it was too humiliating. Feeling like she'd gone insane, she took it back halfway through.
If even her body couldn't lure him in, she could only ask him directly—and after he read her hand, when he named "making me lunch" as his request, her heart felt a rush of relief.
That was why she was now so enthusiastic about cooking, throwing herself into it with energy. The time she spent planning and making lunch now exceeded the time she spent studying. She was even willing to learn new dishes she'd once thought too troublesome or complicated.
But that was later. At the time, she'd still been angry.
Mainly, after the initial thrill of "finding her own value" wore off, the more she thought about it on the way to the library, the angrier she got.
Her underwear… wasn't worth as much as a lunchbox?
So that meant—between eating her and eating food, he'd pick filling his stomach?
Even if she stripped completely and stood next to a deluxe bento, he'd still choose the bento?
Was she really that unappealing? She was supposed to be the first-year's acknowledged school beauty!
She'd never cared about such a shallow title before—but now she was dragging it out just to boost her own worth.
Still, thanks to her lv1 skill in acting, none of this inner turmoil showed on her face. At the time, she'd even calmly asked if she could read his novel.
But maybe it was humiliation, maybe it was a wounded girl's pride—when she offered him a drink and saw his expression, happier than if he'd gotten her underwear, she finally snapped.
Before she knew it, she'd once again committed the disgraceful act of handing over her panties.
And when she got home, she regretted it instantly—burying her head in a pillow for half an hour, screaming, What am I doing?! I'm insane! This is shameless!
That was Anri Hitomi's second failure.
The moment she, unwilling to admit defeat, handed over her panties a second time—she'd lost completely.
And now…
She'd lost to Aizono Momo again.
Her third failure was to another person—without even the chance to compete.
Because Akira had decided Momo was more valuable than her, and had actively sought her out for cooperation. She had seen it all.
If things kept going like this… she'd lose to countless others in the future.
He'd find more and more valuable people to approach, gaining benefits from them.
And every time that happened, Anri Hitomi would realize just how incompetent she was.
Ah…
So this… was competitiveness.
Anri Hitomi had never placed lower than first on a test before—and now she was discovering that she had such a strong competitive streak.
Thanks to her kind, generous father, the Anri family had never set a life plan for her. Her mother's original "good wife" training plan had been crushed by her father's scolding and shelved indefinitely.
Anri Hitomi herself had never had anything that could be called a dream or a goal.
But now she did.
The key, she realized, lay in earning power.
Aizono Momo could draw, and that was why Akira wanted to use her talent to publish a light novel—to make big royalty money. His intention was obvious.
Which meant—if she could make a lot of money, an enormous amount of money, enough to leave Akira utterly speechless…
He would become much more interested in her.
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