Because I Was Excluded Out of the Class Transfer, I Decided to Steal My Classmate's Lover

Chapter 85: Tiger Agent

The eyes of the whole class once more on Ran.

This is not the same as the previous gaze that converged just a few moments ago, where Ran could not feel the temperature or emotion. The confrontation between Ran Kirishima and Niigaki Takeo. The students are curious about what will happen next.

He’s a troubled boy who used his vicious skills to take control of most of the girls, and now that he’s lost Torao, he’s the most qualified of the remaining boys to lead the class.

The class is full of students who don’t want to be directly involved in the incident - so to speak, they are more like bystanders. The boys did not interfere or yell at each other, but quietly watched what would happen to the two.

Ran could feel a cold sweat dripping down his brow at the touch of danger.

Ran’s fears had come true.

It is possible that after a night’s sleep, they have come to the conclusion that they can’t accept a villain like Ran Kirishima.

Yesterday, Ran was able to push his way through with a lot of bluffing and outrageous arguments full of holes. If the debate were to start again here, as it did last night, Ran would lose momentum and be pushed back and rounded up.

Although he shudders at the hostility radiating from Niigaki Takeo, Ran does his best to remain calm.

If Ran show’s a chance to be taken advantage of, his position would be quickly shattered.

”We are only equals” - Ran can never be seen to be in a weaker position than Niigaki.

“I can feel Aya’s body heat on my back. That’s right, that night - didn’t I swear to Aya?”

Ran said that he was gathering his lovers and his friends in order to resist to the best of his ability the majority opinion, which he could never overturn alone.

As a result, even if Ran goes on a journey to overthrow the Demon King, it’s not because he’s being used as a convenient asset in the jaws of war.

It’s not a matter of getting his classmates to march with him. It’s by his own will to lend his strength to defeat the demon king.

“-There’s no need to go my dear,I don’t know what you’re planning to do in private, but dueling is a crime.”

Reika Queengaoka dismisses Niigaki’s offer.

Niigaki glanced at it as if it were something trivial as signed, Niigaki scratched his hair in a troublesome manner and muttered, “Don’t be like that.”

“I’m sure you have your own thoughts about Kirishima, but I’m not thinking of beating him up in a public place or threatening him with violence to make sure he doesn’t do it again. No.”

“How can I believe you? If you want to talk, you can do it here, you don’t have to call me somewhere else, do you?”

Wiping her mouth of the sauce, Aya stood up quickly and stood in front of Niigaki as if to protect Ran.

A delinquent honor student with long blond hair and a fake delinquent girl with long brown hair are facing each other. From a bird’s eye view, it is clearly a dangerous scene.

The air is stagnant as sparks fly between the two of them. In reality, both Aya Mikoshiba and Niigaki Takeo are perfectly healthy students who have never disobeyed the law, but the image that comes with their appearance is something that cannot be wiped out, and no one remembers such a natural fact.

All around Ran, he can hear the murmur of people talking to each other.

Even if each individual is talking in a low voice, if it comes from all directions, it will be quite loud.

Niigaki and Aya stared at their classmates in disgust at the attention they were receiving in a bad way.

At the sight of their powerful gaze, the buzzing stops. After looking around the quiet cafeteria, Niigaki turns his gaze once more to Ran.

When Ran sees his twin eyes, he is confused by the look of calm that colours Niigaki’s eyes.

With Aya between them, Ran and Niigaki stared at each other.After a while, Ran seemed to have had enough with the situation and stood up.

“…… Mr. Kirishima-san?”

“All right, you want to talk to me?”

“Kirishima!”

Aya turns around and shouts, Ran shakes his head to indicate his intentions.

“Aya, Hibiki. You’re in charge here.”

“……, chupa. Have a good day, Kirishima.”

“What about Sakuya? Don’t you wanna ask Sakuya to do anything?”

In a very natural manner, he looked at Hibiki, who was licking the fork-like utensils that Ran had used earlier, and then he and Aragaki left the dining room.

Sakuya was complaining until Ran left, but he didn’t have the presence of mind to give her a thoughtful reply. Ran left it to Aya and Hibiki to follow up on Sakuya, who was in a bad mood.

After leaving the cafeteria, Niigaki walked down the corridor without saying a word.

Behind him, Ran follows. It would have been better to look a little guilty, but Ran didn’t want to walk behind Niigaki looking scared so he decided to walk at least with confidence.

Niigaki went to a corner of the corridor, a short distance from the dining room - a deserted, unpopular place.

It was a small room with no partition. The windows are large, so there is plenty of sunlight. In the original world, Ran thought, there would undoubtedly be vending machines, ashtrays and chairs installed somewhere within the room.

Niigaki, with his back to Ran, gazed quietly towards the window.

Perhaps because of the backlighting, his back is painted black, giving him a melancholy air.

“So what is it that you don’t want Aya and her friends to hear about?”

He turned his head and ran out of the window, blending in with the sunlight, and suddenly thrust his fist at Ran.

Ran, who had been preparing for the possibility of violence, was not intimidated by the suddenness of the action and caught Niigaki’s fist in the palm of his hand with his fighting spirit.

Fortunately, Niigaki didn’t try to hit Ran with all his might, and he was able to catch his attack without being pushed away.

A stalemate prevailed for a while.

Eventually, Niigaki released his fist from Ran’s palm and let out a dry laugh of self-mockery.

“…… Don’t be so frightened. I’m not trying to kill you or scare you or anything.”

“Aa, ok.”

“Then don’t hit me, even if you’re joking. I don;t have the presence of mind to be familiar with you.”

“But that doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you.I’ve got a future I want to seize.And for that, I need you and Inugami. Don’t get that wrong.”

It’s the kind of confession that would normally be made by a character who is actually a gentle delinquent showing clumsy receptiveness. In the light of what Ran has done so far, it is unlikely to be such a simple word.

This is not a kindness that hides its true intentions but it’s the true intentions of Niigaki.

If Niigaki were to use a battle manga villain as a metaphor, He’d say that Ran is difficult and troublesome to deal with, but he’s necessary for their future operations, so they are forced to follow him.

If Niigaki assumes that Ran is in that position, then… The only thing he can see is that somewhere down the line, Ran will reveal his true nature, go out of control, and end up destroying himself.

With sharp eyes, Niigaki looks at Ran. He doesn’t take his eyes off of Ran and continues to inch closer and closer.

Niigaki approach causes Ran to back away involuntarily. As soon as Ran realizes that his shoulder has hit the wall, Niigaki thrusts one arm forward again.

Ran reflexively prepares himself, but it’s not him that Niigaki hits, it’s the wall next to him. In other words, Niigaki called Ran to an unpopulated place and tried to wallop him.

“Is it my imagination, or does it seem as if a rose-coloured background ran through the air for a moment?”

“What are you embarrassed about? you idiot!”

Perhaps misunderstanding Ran’s reaction to him, Niigaki awkwardly looked away and backed away, while hugging his own body.

Somehow, Ran felt that the impression he had of Niigaki was crumbling.

“You don’t actually think you can do both, do you?”

“I’m sorry, but the [Underling Training-Sexual Lunatic] only works on women. So don’t worry about it?”

“That’s not an answer!”

Shouting, Niigaki held his mouth in a huff and looked around impatiently. Fortunately, it seems that the voice did not cause anyone to come to the scene.

The pace of the game was disrupted - in large part by the fact that he blew himself up halfway through the game - and Niigaki looked confused. In the face of this unsettling gesture, Ran smiles wickedly in his heart. He could feel the energy slowly filling his fearful heart.

“…… There’s a lot I want to say, and if I could, I’d like to punch you a few times so hard you couldn’t stand up, but I’m not going to do that right now. There’s no need to create unnecessary disturbance and lower morale.”

“You can write me off if you want.”

“You’re a real prick aren’t you? I think I’m starting to understand why you’ve been isolating yourself since the first day of class……”

From Niigaki, his high spirits have faded and Ran shrugs and smiles.

“I’m surprised at myself. Really.”

“I don’t want to be mad at you for having different values.”

Ran showed no sign of being displeased with the situation.Niigaki sighs, exhausted beyond dismay.

“……Well, let’s leave it at that for now, shall we? -So…Let’s cut to the chase. The reason I called you all the way out here is…It’s about someone, I do’t Mikoshiba or anyone including the people in the palace to hear. Because it’s a hassle if I tried to talk to the people in the royal palace.”

“So it was.”

Ran has been aware of this since he noticed that Niigaki’s gaze was not on the girls in his class, but on the senior servants in the cafeteria.

The reason for telling Ran such an important story didn’t quite make sense to him.

“Who’s that guy from yesterday?”

“Yesterday’s ……?”

“I didn’t like the way he was talking to you, that fucking minister.”

The minister who was talking to Ran in a friendly way. Ran can only think of one person.

“You mean Walkins?”

“I don’t know his name, but he’s got a sticky, unpleasant way of speaking.”

“Hmm. The queen’s knights must have received a very foolish education. It’s a pity.”

“Yeah,Yea. That’s the guy.”

At the imitation of Ran’s voice, Niigaki claps his palm.

Then again, there is no doubt that it is Walkins that Niigaki wants to know the details of.

“Why are you asking me that?”

“It’s none of your business. I’m waiting for you to explode with emotion, so at least answer me.”

Ran is annoyed by the high-handed and self-centered tone of voice, but Kirishima Ran, who is as open-minded as the sea and as kind and good-natured as anyone in the world, would never get angry over something as trivial as this.

Trying his best to remain calm, Ran gave a gentle smile and came up with the answer he needed to spin.

“He’s the brother of the first concubine.”

“Pearl’s brother?”

“I didn’t know the name, but that was the first concubine with that name?”

“Yeah, I’m sure all the Saints who’ve spent time over here know that. It is said that he is a member of a nearly extinct race of people, the Snow People, who are like the Snow Women of the original world. It seems that he was born and raised in this country - not in this continent. That’s why they say the climate isn’t right and they rarely leave their rooms.”

Would that make Walkins a member of the Snow People?

“I don’t think so”, was Ran’s opinion.

“Well, if you’re one of Pearl’s relatives, it’s not unnatural that you’ve never met her……”

“Niigaki?”

“I mean, I can’t say it out loud, but……If the current queen’s son, Alec, loses his right to the throne, this Walkins guy may become the next king’s uncle.”

Niigaki strokes his chin thoughtfully.

“This is the reason why they are tolerated - or rather, neglected - after having such an uncontrolled attitude. In addition to that, I somehow sensed a dangerous atmosphere from him. There is something fearless about it, as if I am face to face with something unpredictable. ……”

“Niigaki”

“The reason why, despite his power and position, he has never been summoned to meet them. To use his words, the ‘Queen’s side’ didn’t want us to meet with Walkins. ……With those on the first side of the family, who don’t know anything about politics or common sense in this country. The military weapon of the saints, the one who has only power.”

Muttering in his mouth, Niigaki Takeo fished the edges of his mouth in self-mockery.

“I didn’t know that this Walkins was hiding you. The queen’s people must have been very surprised.”

“What do you mean?”

“……No, not really. All I know is…It just means that the people in this country think we’re a convenient and ignorant military weapon.”

With a meaningful expression on his face, which suggests he is hiding something, Niigaki puts his distorted mouth back together.

The look on his face, as if he were the only one who knew what he was talking about, annoyed Ran.

Perhaps reading Ran’s mind, Niigaki put his hand on Ran’s shoulder with a serious look in his eyes.

“Don’t worry. I’m going to need your help to get to the end that I want, and I’m not going to change my mind. It’s not quite the same thing as a win-win. You don’t want to be an enemy until you’ve defeated the Demon King and returned to the world, right?”

“Well, sure…”

“-Oh, I forgot to tell you something. Torao. He’s still my best friend. Don’t do anything to provoke him too much, we can’t just send him back to the world in a state of madness. I’ll do my best to get him back on track somehow.”

Ran nodded his head, raising his hand in a cumbersome manner in response to Niigaki’s concern for his best friend.

That was all Niigaki needed to hear, and he turned on his heel and walked off down the corridor.

In the end, Ran didn’t know why he had taken the trouble to call him to such a remote place.

◇◇◇

After the encounter with Ran Kirishima, Takeo Niigaki returned to the dining room ahead of Ran and sat quietly next to his best friend, who still had not regained his strength.

There is little to be gained from the dialogue with Ran.

Perhaps it is a good thing that Niigaki has discovered the true identity of Walkins, the minister whose arrogance and impudence he had to tolerate yesterday.

“I’m ready to accept that bastard as a force to be reckoned with, but I still can’t trust him with my heart.”

Originally, Niigaki was going to tell Ran Kirishima about his doubts and suspicions about people on the queen’s side.

It was a speculative theory that would be laughed at by anyone who heard it as an improbable fantasy. But Niigaki really suspected that it must be the truth.

“-I guess the king can’t be saved anymore.”

Niigaki heard that Alec, the son of Queen Rebecca, the most promising candidate to become the next king, is studying hard to become the king.

It’s not unusual for a prince to learn about imperial studies from an early age.

But recently, they have been promoting Alec’s education even more enthusiastically. -It’s as if he’s in a hurry to live. The queen herself has not yet been able to take care of them.

The queen herself did not seem to approve of these things yet, but the ministers and servants are already looking forward to the next king, Prince Alec.

But then the question arises.

It’s a question of whether the saints will be able to defeat the demon king.

There is no doubt that the curse of the demon king is something that is passed down from parent to child from generation to generation. It could be simply because of the queen’s ego - she wants to avenge the king, or at the very least break the curse and then rest in peace.

However, it is clear that there is an unusual difference between the queen herself and the ministers on her side in their enthusiasm for overthrowing the demon king and training the saints.

It’s hard to believe that the people on the queen’s side are acting according to her own will.

There was so much more Niigaki wanted to ask.

Why was Ran picked up by the first chamberlain’s side? Why did the queen’s side falsely claim to have gotten rid of Ran?

And most of all - did the Queen herself really know that Ran had been ostracized?

“…… Hey Tarao. Are you still eating?”

“Yeah, I’m not feeling very hungry. If you’d like, I’d be happy to give you some.”

Torao mutters under his breath in a voice that sounds like it is coming out of a shell - empty and devoid of contents. On the plate in front of him, a chunk of meat, the main dish, was left untouched.

It’s a shame to leave it behind, so Niigaki pulls the whole plate in front of him and munches his way through the second main course.

Tarao smiles helplessly as he watches the scene.

It’s not just the fact that he’s lost his girlfriend and his friend that has made him this way.

The only person who has expressed his heartbreak so blatantly may be Shigenobu Toranou. In fact, there are a number of students in the class who, like him, have been secretly pushing themselves to the limit and nearly breaking their hearts.

The most obvious of these was probably Hirokatsu Yamashiro.

Although usually hidden by the sleeves and collar of his uniform, his wrists and neck were covered with faint lacerations and abrasions caused by strings or something.

Prior to his transition - Niigaki had never heard of him complaining of any symptoms of psychotic menopause.

He was a rather healthy and wholesome student and did not seem to have a habit of self-harm.

Niigaki was sure Hirokatsu couldn’t stand this degrading prison life. He may have been tempted to hurt himself.

Sayaka Sadogashima, the woman who almost raped her classmate. It really looked like Hirokatsu was about to do it.

Speaking of Sayaka, so did Haruto Tanaka.

He never did anything to harm himself or others like Yamashiro did, but he did make a move on one of the maids who was looking after him and they became man and wife.

It is unlikely that he would so readily give himself up to a woman of whom he knows nothing.

Niigaki doesn’t know all the details, but he was sure that when Haruto was heartbroken.

“I guess they just wanted each other and did it.”

The infatuation he has for Nyanya, or some other maid, is now so swollen that he is almost dependent on her. It is doubtful that Haruto will be able to keep his composure after losing her.

On a similar note, the same can be said of Kiryuin Subaru.

He seems to have changed very little since his transition, but like Haruto, he has a very dangerous balance when it comes to his mental health.

Niigaki can’t even imagine how he will change when he loses Reika, who is everything to him.

“There’s no need to stir up unnecessary anxiety by speculating……”

The speculation he was about to share with Ran is something he should have shared with his saint classmates who have spent more time with him than he has with Ran.

But to do so was not possible for Niigaki.

Niigaki can’t afford to put any more strain on Torao.

Subaru is…well…being Subaru, he seems to be a worthy and reliable student but he shows almost no interest in anything that has nothing to do with Reika, and Niigaki doesn’t think he can help him.

Yamashiro, who had seemed so reliable, was not as mentally strong as Niigaki had thought.

Although compared to Yamashiro, Tanaka Haruto can be considered to be still calm. In the event that Nyanya is an assassin prepared by the kingdom to investigate the movements of the saints - in other words, a honey trap. All the suspicions that Niigaki harbours will be exposed to the people of the Royal Court.

The only one who seems to be sane is Sho Shiratori, but with two of his closest friends in this state, he can’t afford to talk too much.

The otaku had the worst impression of Niigaki before the transition, so there is nothing to foster a relationship with him. It’s impossible to discuss on the same footing.

On the other hand, if he were to talk about Kirishima to some girl he trusted, it would probably be a girl in his class - our friend. He’s not from the palace.”

On the other hand, if he were to tell a woman he trusted…

“On the other hand, if it were Kirishima, if he were to blab to someone he trusted, it would probably be a girl in our class, which means-our friend. “

Niigaki doesn’t know whether Ran is tight-lipped or not. If information is to be passed on from Ran, it will have to be from reliable female students such as Kanami Inugami and Aya Mikoshiba.

Anyway-

“How much faith does he have in this ‘Walkins’? Until I know that, I can’t give him any more information than he already has.”

As far as Niigaki could see last night, Walkins and the Queen’s side were incompatible - although it seemed to him that there was a deep gulf between them that would never be bridged.

Even though he is the brother of the first concubine, Walkins is also a member of the royal court.

Niigaki doesn’t think Walkins would be willing to accept the fact that as an outsider, is harboring unnecessary doubts.

The possibility that Ran is indebted to Walkins can’t be ruled out.

“In order to do that, I need to repair my relationship with Kirishima little by little. He has to trust my word, no, he must trust me. If he doubts me and goes to the people from the palace for advice, he’ll be blind.”

Until then, Niigaki alone will have to deal with these circumstances.

The woman he loves has been taken from him, and he spends his time taking care of his best friend and being wary of the people in the royal court - a very hard life in another world.

Niigaki slaps his cheek and says, “I have to make sure I don’t become the second Shigenobu Torao.”

The only boy who seemed trustworthy was a lunatic sexual predator.

He looked down at his empty plate and meditated wearily, wondering what the future held.

◇◇◇

“I was just saying…”

While playing with the ends of her twin-tailed hair, Fujiyoshi Yuri opened her mouth.

Before Ran and Kanami came to the cafeteria, Yuri had intended to mention the advice Sayaka had given her.

It seems that Emi and Sayaka misunderstood that she was trying to rehash a different topic, and the moment Yuri said that, Emi, who was sipping her soup, blew it out loud.

“Fu,fu,fu,Fujiyoshi-san?”

Fortunately, she held the bowl to her mouth, so the food in her mouth didn’t splatter. Emi, who is both ladylike and well-behaved, did not want to do anything vulgar like blowing up during a meal, even if it was a cartoonish over-reaction.

It doesn’t matter if it splashes or not. It’s not a good idea to take food out of your mouth in the first place. You can’t do that, even if you’re joking - and in public.

Wiping her mouth with the cloth on the table, Emi coughed cutely.

And then she leaned forward and grabbed Yuri’s twin-tails, who was tilting her head with a puzzled look on her face and pulled them outward with a tight squeeze.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, Emilin! I’m not talking about a girl and her balls!Even I’m not surprised.We’re eating a meal and the boys are taking a bite out of a nice, tough piece of meat. Don’t talk about Kin X Ma. Aaahhhh!”

There was no sign of remorse from Yuri, who shouted the slang term for testicles in a screaming voice.

Yuri once jokingly said, “When a quiet girl like Emirin gets angry, she might be scarier than others.”

Yuri was convinced that this was indeed the case.

“I’m sorry, I really misunderstood. What I was trying to tell you was about…… Sayan’s story yesterday”

Finally freed from the twin-tailed torment, Yuri’s mouth agape with tears in the corners of her eyes.

Emi looks a little apologetic, but still in a slightly bad mood,begins to eat her meat in silence.

Yuri could somehow understand why Emi’s boiling point had dropped. But Yuri was not lacking in common sense, so she tried not to mention the reason.

“…… So this was before Kirishima-kun came to the cafeteria.”

“Yes, I know I was wrong. I’m sorry that I brought up about balls as a spur of the moment change of subject, but I won’t do it again.”

When she saw Emi stab her fork into the meat, Yuri apologized without pause. Yuri sticks out her tongue, thinking that it’s her bad habit to joke around when she’s talking about something serious.

Then, as with Emi, gave a small coughing sound to break the ice, put her face close to the table and began to speak in a different tone to her usual high-pitched, clear voice - low and hard to hear.

“You know, yesterday. Sayan said Kirishima-kun…, she’s been in love with him since spring of this year, long before she came to the other world, is that right?”

“…………Yes”

While trying to hide her swollen and puffy eyelids.Sayaka gave a small nod of her head.

The healing magic was deceptive to a certain extent, but anyone who sees her will know. At the time of the KinXMa fiasco earlier, Sayaka couldn’t help hiding her eyelids at Ran’s visit.

“I know it’s unfair to say this.But after being with Kirishima-kun last night,…I knew that if I didn’t do anything about it, it would be painful and difficult for me.”

Sayaka puts her hands on top of each other and covers her left breast. In a voice that i s quivering, Sayaka continues.

“I know how Yuri and Emi feel, and I know that I can’t be the only one who gets special treatment. But I just couldn’t take it anymore……”

“I was also surprised last night when you suddenly started crying. I didn’t think that you were aware of Kirishima-kun as a person of the opposite sex that long ago.”

“I somehow knew that Sadogashima-san was in love with someone, but I had no idea it was Kirishima-kun……”

“I think it was my fault for hiding it. If I had made more of an effort - if I had told her how I felt, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Who would have known that Sayaka’s words of regret were about something so deep and quintessential that it would shake the very foundations of the events surrounding the class.

If only Sayaka had told Ran what she wanted before the transition. The current situation would have been different.

Yuri and Emi, and the other girls, will not fall victim to Kirishima Ran’s skill, and were able to spend a somewhat peaceful life in another world, although it may not be ordinary

If Sayaka had been able to take care of Ran’s emotional needs on her own, she wouldn’t have had to go through this herself.

But Yuri had no way of knowing what was going on behind the scenes.

Thinking that Sayaka’s words of regret were misplaced remorse, Yuri stroked Sayaka’s head and hugged her tightly.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. I can be very possessive too. Sayan isn’t the only one who says strange things, you know?”

“No, no, no, no, Yuri. If I had behaved properly, Yuri wouldn’t have ended up like this……”

Her throat trembled and her voice was scratchy. Sayaka’s whispered words did not reach Yuri’s ears.

Yuri, who seemed to have mistaken the residue of regret for sobs, deliberately tried to make a cheerful voice to comfort Sayaka.

“It’s just that Sayan has a tendency to take a step back. You don’t have to worry about us.Cunningly and cleverly. You’re going to make Kirishima-kun into a body that can only think about you! You should be brazen!”

“Yuri-chan…”

“That’s right! We’ll get through this like we’re seeing a doctor!”

Yuri, who overheard Sayaka’s confession, apparently misunderstood the reason for Sayaka’s inability to take a step forward as the reason for the complex that assaults her heart.

Yuri puts her chest out with a proud expression to emphasize her JK tits wrapped in a pink cardigan. From her reaction, Sayaka could understand that Yuri thought she had said something good, but…

Sayaka looked at Yuri with a puzzled look on her face, not realizing that Yuri’s comment was meant to encourage Sayaka’s poor milk tank.

“……You’ve pulled in some pretty nostalgic material.”

“I guess the spiritual stuff didn’t work for you.”

Looking extremely disappointed, Yuri puts her hand on her forehead and makes a sound like a groan.

Many things have accumulated and made Sayaka depressed. Sayaka could understand that Yuri was trying to encourage her.

“Thank you. Yuri-chan, Emi-chan. I think I’m feeling a little better now.”

Wiping her swollen eyelids, Sayaka smiled like a flower.

◇◇◇

“…… hah, I’ve done it…”

After seeing off Emi and Sayaka, who had gone out to pick flowers, Yuri had been trying to stay awake for a while.

When Yuri saw Ran returning to the cafeteria a little later after Niigaki, she smiled self-deprecatingly at the buzzing in her chest.

‘I’ve always had this bad habit.I feel like dressing up in front of my friends’ -this the bad habit for Yuri, but at the same time her unconscious kindness is probably the charm for Yuri, which attracts others.

“I wonder which one I am now. Am I like a clumsy subheroine who loves the hero but backs down. Or maybe I’m like a caring wife who’s trying to break the ice with a reluctant hero.”

As she watched Ran chatting happily at a table that was opposite the sober girl group to which Yuri belonged, she let out one more small sigh.