Kagura Hikaru quickly caught up with Ai Cheng Hua Lian in the stairwell, and the two descended side by side, each immersed in their own thoughts.
For a moment, the stairwell seemed to have turned into a secret chamber.
Outside the chamber, the sounds of students playing around could be heard.
Inside, only the echo of their footsteps resonated.
In a shoujo manga, this would be the benefit time the author gifts to the male and female protagonists after their crisis drama, wouldn't it?
Ai Cheng Hua Lian thought so.
Her steps gradually slowed until she stopped on the stairs.
"Mr. Kagura." Ai Cheng Hua Lian muttered, her expression somewhat downcast, even carrying a hint of questioning, "So you and President Hina used to date?"
Kagura Hikaru froze.
A momentary shake almost caused him to miss a step.
With his hand on the stair railing, Kagura Hikaru felt his heartbeat accelerating.
Did she notice it herself?
Or did Hina tell her?
"I really am an idiot, thinking something serious happened, but I almost messed up your plans." Ai Cheng Hua Lian feigned ease with a silly smile, her hand supporting the back of her head, "Sorry, ha."
"..... No, it's nothing....."
"Oh my, to think that even our Student Council President has been won over by you."
Ai Cheng Hua Lian cheered up and started walking again, speaking as she walked: "And now your target is President Ayakoji, Mr. Kagura, you sure set your sights high, both targets are quite challenging, huh!"
"..."
Did Hina tell her everything about Chiyoko as well, what exactly is she planning.....
Kagura Hikaru remained silent, adopting an attitude of tacit agreement.
"I'll cheer for you, Mr. Kagura!" Ai Cheng Hua Lian exclaimed, patting her chest, "If you need any advice or strategies, just come to me! Don't be fooled by my appearance, I was actually called a 'Love Advisor' in junior high."
"Can you be an advisor without having been in love?"
To lighten the mood, Kagura Hikaru made a joke without a trace of expression on his face.
Ai Cheng Hua Lian was taken aback, stepping back, "Ah? Mr. Kagura, how did you know I've never been in a relationship??"
"I know now." Kagura Hikaru gave her a sidelong glance.
"Uh... It's not that I... Ei, I want a boyfriend too..."
Ai Cheng Hua Lian mumbled something to herself in the back.
"By the way." Suddenly, Ai Cheng Hua Lian raised her head, "Mr. Kagura, do you want to go to the live house with me after school today? The other members of our band want to see you again."
"Sorry, I have an appointment after school," said Kagura Hikaru.
"Oh, is that so... By the way, I ran into President Ayakoji this morning, and she asked me about the bullying situation. I didn't confess."
"Is that so, thanks."
"Not at all, I already know President Kiryu isn't a bad person, I won't let her face slander."
The two chatted sporadically, quickly reaching the second-year floor, where they parted ways.
However, Kagura Hikaru and Ai Cheng Hua Lian did not notice that, as they waved goodbye to each other by the corridor windows, a gaze was fixed on them from a higher position.
On a higher floor by the window, a tall figure stood motionless, looking down through the glass.
Her head was adorned with a smooth single ponytail that reached her waist, and she wore a red 'Discipline' armband on her right arm, her presence sharp and her face expressionless like eternal ice.
Ayakoji Chiyoko watched intently as her informer, Kagura Hikaru, waved goodbye to Ai Cheng Hua Lian, the second-year student whom she had visited not long ago.
Her eyes narrowed involuntarily.
Have these two ever had any interaction until now?
Suddenly, she recalled a sentence Ai Cheng Hua Lian had said to her.
["I took the rumors outside seriously and boasted to a friend about witnessing the incident, not realizing it would carelessly spread.... I'm truly sorry, President Ayakoji!"]
'I took the rumors outside seriously.'
This sentence could be understood to mean that Ai Cheng Hua Lian believed the bullying incident was real, so she could fabricate a lie about being a witness without any reservations.
But there might be another interpretation as well.
When 'I' say I took the rumors outside seriously, it could also mean that 'I' already knew the rumors outside were fake, 'I' knew the truth.
Ayakoji Chiyoko narrowed her eyes, filled with suspicion.
But what was the truth? The traces of bullying on Kagura Hikaru were real, so if it was an act, what would be Kiryu Hina's reason to go along with it, and what would their motive be for doing this?
It was not clear, perhaps she was overthinking it.
"President, regarding the patrol after school, should we include those two new members who joined this week? If so, I can take them to familiarize themselves with the route," the Gorilla Vice President of the Discipline Committee approached from behind, wearing a sycophantic expression, but his coarse face, resembling that of a flying brute, made such an expression seem only more bizarre.
"Hmm, let them join," Ayakoji Chiyoko said indifferently, "I'll be leaving school early today, the patrol is under your care."
"Eh? Does the President have something at home?"
the Gorilla Vice President asked in surprise.
It was quite rare for Ayakoji Chiyoko to leave school directly after classes. Usually, she would either patrol the school or practice Sword Dao in the club's practice room.
Driven by curiosity, the Vice President even blurted out the question involuntarily.
He had already prepared himself for his question to be ignored, but unexpectedly, Ayakoji Chiyoko revealed an intriguing smile and said:
"I have an appointment today."
"An, an appointment?! Could it be with a man..."
Ayakoji Chiyoko's expression grew cold again: "You ask too many questions, is it because you're not training enough?"
"Yes!! I'll go do two hundred push-ups right now!!!"
"Five hundred, get lost."
.............
At four-thirty in the afternoon, Tokyo's Shibuya District.
Kagura Hikaru arrived at the livehouse door dressed in black casual clothes, frowning as he looked around.
He didn't see Ayakoji Chiyoko.
Was she late?
The livehouse was located underground in a pedestrian street in Shibuya, in a good location surrounded by a busy shopping area with a high flow of people, where trendy and fashionable stores could be seen everywhere.
With a guitar bag on his back and hands in his pockets, Kagura Hikaru stood at the entrance, his demeanor and attire completely that of a young artist.
With his good looks naturally attracting a lot of attention, even two bold female college students ran over to ask him for his contact information.
Kagura Hikaru tactfully told them he was underage, which only excited them more...
At that moment, from the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw Ayakoji Chiyoko coming out of an elegant little coffee shop diagonally across, approaching leisurely, even carrying a school shoulder bag, wearing Yuqiu High School's long-sleeved uniform.
She totally ignored the two female college students' hostile glances and said to Kagura Hikaru, "I've arrived, where to now?"
"This way, follow me."
Kagura Hikaru led her down a staircase, which led to the entrance of the livehouse.
The female college students watched them in astonishment. Seeing the two enter the livehouse, a place that required tickets, they hesitated for a moment before deciding not to follow.
The appearance of that livehouse was probably one of the reasons they stayed away.
A sign with a black background and white letters, adorned with purple patterns and a swallowtail guitar inserted into a skull, boldly wrote the word 'Makyo' in slanted letters across the middle.
Noises and screams could faintly be heard behind the basement door.
At first glance, it was a particularly hardcore place, where the average person wouldn't even think of trying to enter.
However, Ayakoji Chiyoko was clearly not an average person, and as Kagura Hikaru held the door open for her, she walked in unflinchingly, leading the way.