After breaking up, my ex asked me to win her back

Arguing and getting physical on the street is a bit too conspicuous, and if passersby stare, even if you have something to say, you can't really say it.

The three of them started moving toward the school, talking as they walked.

"I don't want you to worry about this, President Ayakoji," Kagura Hikaru made Kohinata Suse take a few steps back, giving him and Ayakoji Chiyoko some private space to talk.

The two walked ahead.

"Why?" Ayakoji Chiyoko's expression was cool, "As my vice president, of course, I can deal with your matters."

"But this is my personal issue."

"Fine, I recognize that. But as... as a friend, I am very concerned."

"..."

A friend, huh?

He hadn't expected the plan to bear fruit right here.

He had thought it would take two years, but now it seemed he hadn't even needed half that time.

However, the timing really wasn't good.

Truthfully, Kagura Hikaru didn't have the luxury to progress Ayakoji Chiyoko's friendship at the moment. His big trouble was following right behind him, step by step, like an overt stalker, smiling while looking this way.

Ever since the day he confessed to him, Suse's attitude had taken a nasty turn.

Specifically, he became excessively clingy, to an uncomfortable degree.

And he also showed a strange aggressiveness towards Ayakoji Chiyoko, different from his usual self.

Added to that were the unusual obsessions Suse had seen through mind-reading.

Kagura Hikaru didn't know whether to call this a yandere or something else, but he didn't think it was a good idea to get Ayakoji Chiyoko involved.

"Do you want to exclude me? Even after I've heard about such a terrible thing?" Ayakoji Chiyoko expressed her confusion, her eyes filling with anger, her eyebrows shooting up, "What exactly do you want, tell me your plan now, and if you don't have one, let me step in! I'll help you deal with her."

"...Thank you, but no need."

"So why is that? Is it related to the leverage that is being held against you? Tell me, we can figure it out together!"

"It's unrelated to the leverage. She just offered me a condition that I couldn't refuse."

Kagura Hikaru locked eyes with her, his tone a bit heavier, "I'm dating her voluntarily, do you understand?"

"You...!"

Voluntarily, voluntarily threatened, huh?

Ayakoji Chiyoko cursed under her breath, keeping her composure, as she internally raised the danger level of Kohinata Suse by more than one notch.

To think that Kagura Hikaru would actively say such a thing, it must mean he has been silenced before that.

That woman, she is surely not as harmless as she appears.

The outside is white, but if cut open, it might be black.

"Thanks for your concern, President Ayakoji... no, Ayakoji. But for this period, you should focus your energy on the Student Council elections. The gap between you and Kiryu Hina hasn't widened much, has it?"

"..."

"You two have been talking too much as well. If there's so much to talk about, let me join in," Suse said nonchalantly as he suddenly came in between them, chuckling and squeezed into the middle, not even glancing at Ayakoji Chiyoko, but wrapping his arm around Kagura Hikaru's.

"Kagura, there seems to be a quiz in a few days, and I've just returned to the country, so I'm not very familiar with the coursework here. Could you come to my house after school to tutor me?"

"...Yeah."

"That's great, I'll tell the chef at home to prepare some snacks for the afternoon tea."

Tsk, with such a big sun up in the sky, you don't find it hot?

Ayakoji Chiyoko muttered sourly to herself.

She fell back subtly, watching the despicable and shameless woman from behind, her gaze sharp as countless thoughts spun in her mind.

From stuffing her in concrete and dumping her into Tokyo Bay to reporting their early romance to the head teacher, all sorts of ideas tumbled through her head.

Of course, she had no intention of letting things go so easily.

The person she liked was under threat and control by someone else; if she did nothing, would she still be Ayakoji Chiyoko?

Uphold justice, punish the evil, and protect the weak. These were the things that Kagura Hikaru had taught her.

Back in elementary school, when Ayakoji Chiyoko was being bullied, it was he who stood up and bore the malice behind her.

At that time, he was a true dark hero.

Even now, he remains the idol of Ayakoji Chiyoko.

But now, regardless of right or wrong, Chiyoko wants to get involved in this matter of her own free will.

It's for a very simple reason—she doesn't allow it.

Chiyoko clenched her fists in secret.

The past you protected me; now it's my turn to protect you, Kagura Hikaru.

............

Kiryu Hina was doing her homework.

It was rare for her to bring her homework to school to do.

In Island Nation high schools, the approach to supervising students' studies is generally more relaxed, typically requiring students to self-study.

But that's just a general statement. Discover stories with empire

As a school known for its high university entry rates, Haneoka Private High School cannot afford to be as lenient as the average public school.

There isn't a day when homework isn't assigned.

Normally, Kiryu Hina wouldn't bother with this; she always completed her homework at home in advance, never having left it to do at school before.

After all, it's called homework, and it's usually checked at the beginning of the class.

Rushing to copy others' work at the time of submission is something only poor students would do.

Even if she were busy with her Student Council President duties, Hina should not have let herself slip to this extent.

But the fact was the fact, it happened just like that.

She knew exactly what was going on.

It wasn't that some external force at home had disrupted her, causing her to lose the time to do homework.

No, in a sense, that could be said too, but it was more likely the result of her own self-inflicted troubles.

The source of her troubles was none other than the person who transferred to this school, to this class yesterday.

Her last name was Kohinata, her first name Motoyo.

Not having seen her for a year, she was still the same, showing no weaknesses inside or out, her demeanor exceptional.

It took no time for her classmates to be captivated by her, or rather, won over.

Even the people from Hina's side were no exception.

Maybe it was because Motoyo exuded an aura similar to Hina's, which made them fall even faster.

But they were mistaken about one thing—it wasn't that Motoyo had an aura similar to hers; it was actually the other way around.

She was the imitation, Motoyo the real thing.

The counterfeit cannot hide in front of the genuine article.

The person being mimicked surely knows it best, doesn't she?

The moment Motoyo spoke to her in the classroom, Hina's façade crumbled.

She loathed Kohinata Motoyo.

Yet she yearned for the fact that Motoyo was Kohinata Motoyo.

Counterfeits should not appear in front of real things, or else their outer layers will peel away, exposing their true natures.

Frankly, just the thought of Motoyo possibly sitting behind her and watching made Hina lose her composure. She hadn't absorbed any of the teacher's lectures these past few days and had to self-study after classes.

Therefore, she fell behind on her assignments and ended up having to bring them to school to complete.

While Hina was multitasking, smiling and talking with classmates while pondering over the homework questions.

Suddenly, there was a commotion from the back.

She heard someone mention 'classmate Suse' and turned around reflexively to look.

There she saw Kohinata Motoyo, smiling as she walked into the classroom with Kagura Hikaru.

To be precise, they were walking hand in hand—together.

The moment of their entry, a piercing restlessness crossed her heart.