When faced with the suns.h.i.+ne after leaving the student council room, Seiji suddenly felt as if he had returned to reality after a trip to fantasy land.

Of course, that was wholly due to the nature of the topic he had just been discussing.

According to his system, the idea and a.s.sistance he provided to Natsuya and Hitaka had apparently increased their favorability ratings towards him. Even Hitaka, who carried such a cold att.i.tude towards him, now viewed him more favorably.

As for Rana Kirin, that cat girl had a super high favorability rating towards him since the beginning, but as for why? That was a mystery.

Well, there was no need to think too much into it.

Seiji took out his cell phone and made a call.

"Hey, it's me. I've confirmed I can tell you what you wanted to know. Ok, let's do that then."

After finis.h.i.+ng his side of the conversation in a natural tone of voice, he hung up the call normally.

n.o.body would have guessed that he just called a mafia boss and arranged another meeting with him. The casual way he carried it out sounded much like the way a normal high school student would call his friends to hang out and have some fun.

Only after putting away his cell phone did Seiji realize that he'd casually acted unbelievably cool a few seconds ago…

Well, forget about it.

For the current him, the most important thing was rus.h.i.+ng back and eating lunch together with his friends.

He gained another 7 points from his [gifts] option today.

He obtained 2 points from two love letters and 5 points from Mika Uehara's handmade lunchbox!

The amount of points that a personally handmade lunchbox gave was even higher than a normal day's [work], which showed the full extent of the feelings imbued into the lunchbox.

Seiji gratefully enjoyed the lunchbox and made sure not to leave even a morsel of leftovers.

This made Mika feel delighted inside.

As usual, Chiaki watched over the duo, smiling both outwardly on her face and inwardly in her heart.

After they finished their lunches, there were still a few minutes before lunch break was over, so the three of them just relaxed lazily.

Suddenly, Chiaki's cell phone started ringing.

When Chiaki took out her cell phone and saw who the caller was, her expression instantly changed.

"Oh, Chiaki, what's the matter?"

Noticing that Chiaki had a strange expression as she looked at her cell phone, Mika couldn't help but question her

Chiaki returned to her senses and forced a thin smile.

"Nothing… I need to go take a phone call."

After speaking, she hurriedly walked off.

Mika widened her eyes in surprise, and Seiji also noticed something seemed peculiar.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know…" Mika paused before continuing, "I've never seen Chiaki… have such a forced smile before!"

The pigtailed beauty's face was filled with concern for her friend. They'd been best friends for all this time, but she'd never seen such an expression on Chiaki's face before, so she noticed it all the more clearly.

Judging from Mika's tone and expression, Seiji realized that the situation was probably quite serious.

"It has something to do with that phone call… Who could it be?"

The two of them could only silently watch the tomboy's back as she walked off into the distance while talking to someone on her cell phone.

During afternoon cla.s.ses.

Chiaki seemed to be paying zero attention. Even an idiot could tell that her mind wasn't on the lesson, which naturally meant that the teacher also noticed.

The teacher called on her to read a pa.s.sage from the textbook, but Chiaki attempted to read the textbook while holding it upside-down, eliciting an outburst of uproarious laughter from the other students.

Seiji and Mika didn't join in the laughter; instead, they exchanged glances filled with concern for their friend.

The last cla.s.s of the day was P.E. cla.s.s, and the topic of the cla.s.s happened to be volleyball.

*Smack!* The ball crashed into Chiaki's right cheek.

*Smack!* The ball crashed into Chiaki's left cheek.

*Smack!* The ball smashed directly into Chiaki's face.

"Chiaki Wakaba, get off the playing field!''

The P.E. teacher Oosuke Sasaki's (27 years old, unmarried, with the nickname of 'Orange Orangutan') roaring resounded throughout the entire field.

Seiji could only shake his head wordlessly. Mika hurriedly helped her friend Chiaki to sit down outside the playing field, and Chiaki immediately sat down in a contemplative pose, her chin resting against her fist.

If it wasn't for the fact that Chiaki's sudden nosebleed ruined the image, it would have been a pretty scene to look at.

"Chiaki!?"

"Wakaba-san is having a nosebleed!"

"Medic! Er… Take her to the infirmary!"

This tomboy was quite popular with both boys and girls in cla.s.s, so her sudden nosebleed caused a small commotion.

A girl brought out some tissues which Mika accepted and used to staunch the bleeding as she slowly supported Chiaki, helping her to the nurse's office.

"Harano-san, what's going on with Wakaba-san?" The cla.s.s representative Koji Hos.h.i.+hara approached Seiji and inquired about the situation.

Seiji could only shake his head since he, too, was ignorant of what had previously transpired.

Who was that call from, and what did that person say to Chiaki? With their words they had managed to turn the heartless Chiaki… er, no, the lively and direct Chiaki Wakaba into a melancholy girl…

Seiji was quite curious.

After school.

All the other students had already left.

Chiaki remained in the cla.s.sroom. She had even skipped drama club, and now sat listlessly in a daze, with her chin resting on her fist, gazing at something outside the window.

There was nothing outside but milky-white clouds in a blue sky… Could it have triggered some sort of memory within her?

It was truly a striking scene.

Seiji took out his cell phone and silently took a picture.

"You're taking a picture!?" Mika scolded him.

"Because I've never seen her like this. It's quite rare… Would you like a copy?"

"No! Stop joking!" Mika was getting angry.

"But she's not telling us anything, so there's nothing we can do." Seiji sighed before speaking: "She's not even responding to jokes—how about trying a perverted joke instead?"

"Don't do that!" Mika seemed slightly embarra.s.sed.

"Sigh…" Chiaki finally moved, and she sighed while letting her head collapse onto her desk.

"Chiaki…" Mika went over to her out of concern.

"Oh, Mika, Seigo… you guys still haven't left?"

"Seeing the way you are, how could we possibly leave you!?"

"I… I'm fine. I was just thinking about some things." Chiaki smiled wryly.

"It was a phone call from your debtor, but you have no money, so that's why you must now escape, and you were wondering about whether or not to run away tonight… Something like that?" Seiji expressionlessly blurted out a long sentence without any pauses.

"That's way too long! And so cliché!" Chiaki retorted reflexively.

"Then are you considering about what s.e.x position to debut with for your first p.o.r.nography video?"

"What a terrible lame excuse of a joke!"

Mika was rendered speechless upon hearing this exchange.

Seiji and Chiaki exchanged a glance before they both burst out into laughter.

"If you still have enough energy to comment about lame jokes, then it means it's not something as terrible as the world is ending, so I can relax," Seiji remarked.

Chiaki sighed before speaking, "Even though I want you guys to stop worrying about me, but to stop so suddenly… it makes me feel a little sad as well…"

"My concern for others shuts down at 3:30 in the afternoon," Seiji retorted.

"Don't talk about emotions like it's a part-time job!" Chiaki rebuked.

Seiji snorted disdainfully. "How bothersome… I'll just have to trouble myself to worry about you a little longer."

He then slapped the desk while exaggeratedly tilting his head 45 degrees: "Now hurry up and tell me, or you won't have a chance anymore! Just who was it that was calling you!?"

"Don't pretend that this is a police interrogation!" Chiaki responded forcefully.

She then followed up her words with a sigh.

"Man, my girlish heart which rarely appears was ruined by you, Seigo."

"You have such a thing?"

"I'm gonna get mad!"

*Smack!* Chiaki punched Seiji lightly.

"Hmph, your combat ability is a paltry five points." He pretended to adjust some fictional gla.s.ses as he spoke condescendingly.

"Are you ever going to stop!?" Chiaki and Mika shouted in unison.

Seiji finally stopped acting like a clown.

*Cough cough.*

Now that her friends seemed ready to listen to her seriously, Chiaki broke out into a coughing fit. After she finished, she turned her gaze towards the two of them.

"Um… actually… I…" She scratched her face awkwardly.

"Now that I have to say it… I'm feeling embarra.s.sed, hehe…" The tomboy acted bashfully.

Mika and Seiji were lost for words.

What the h.e.l.l!!

Just as Mika's eyes were turning hollow and Seiji's cheek was beginning to twitch, Chiaki scratched her hair forcefully.

"Fine, I'll say it! I'll talk! Actually, that phone call… was from… my ex-girlfriend!"

Oh, so that was how it was.

Hm? Wait, something seemed a little… ex-girlfriend?

Ex-girlfriend!?