Nino’s Invitation

The next day, the weather was nice.

Haruto and Sora entered Sobu High School together and then parted ways.

At Sobu High, not many people knew that Sora was his younger sister.

This led to some male students, unaware of the truth, harboring thoughts about her before they could muster the courage to confess.

Of course, there were always the persistent ones.

Like right now.

Haruto stopped and turned around, seeing Sora being approached by a male student. It was the classic confession scene, with the boy handing her a pink love letter with both hands.

But Sora didn't even look at him, ignored him, and walked away!

Haruto sighed and turned his head.

Since Sora had been coming to Sobu High with him recently, the girl who usually went unnoticed was starting to gain popularity.

But that was normal.

After all, Sora was very dignified and beautiful. Her slender figure could easily trigger the protective instincts of boys, and paired with her silver twintails, she stood out even more.

Entering class, some girls from the same class began to greet him.

"Good morning, Kuromori-kun~"

"Morning~"

"Good morning, Kuromori-san~"

"Morning~"

Haruto didn't pretend to be aloof but responded to the greetings.

Sora's rising popularity seemed to have an effect on him too.

The clearest sign was that the girls in class were no longer afraid of him; instead, they all started greeting him!

As a result, it attracted more attention.

Because whenever he spoke, the girls around would perk up their ears, looking at him with excitement and gossip in their eyes.

It was just a casual greeting.

What's with those suspicious, gossiping expressions?

The first class today was supposed to be Japanese with Hiratsuka Shizuka, but instead, Kirisu Mafuyu walked in.

"Hiratsuka-sensei isn't feeling well today, so she's taken a leave of absence. I'll be teaching today's class."

Mafuyu's teaching skills were excellent, so despite it being a Japanese lesson, there were no problems at all.

"Is Hiratsuka-sensei really sick?"

"It's hard to believe that Hiratsuka-sensei, who's always so cool and heroic, could get sick."

"Why is she sick? Maybe she's busy with a matchmaking event?"

"Eh? That's quite possible!"

"Quiet!"

Mafuyu lightly knocked on the table, her beautiful eyes sweeping across the class, and everyone immediately fell silent.

At Sobu High, Mafuyu's popularity was not much less than Hiratsuka's. Her old nickname from the city, like the Siberian Ice Queen, still resonated here.

After class ended, Mafuyu glanced at Haruto before walking out of the classroom.

Haruto immediately understood and followed her.

On the way to the office, Haruto knocked on the door.

Mafuyu pursed her lips. "Come in."

Seeing him enter, her eyes flickered slightly, but she didn't say anything, only she knew what she was thinking.

The feeling was unexpectedly nice.

Mafuyu pushed aside her thoughts and asked, "Haruto-kun, did Shizuka get too drunk again? Is she alright?"

Haruto pulled out a chair and sat down. "Don't worry, she's fine."

Not only fine, but her mental state today might actually be better than usual!

After all, though the conditioning was simple, the effect was very good.

Mafuyu sighed and rubbed her temples, a slightly worried expression on her face. "Shizuka has been working really hard lately."

Despite everything, Hiratsuka still made many girls jealous and admired for her beauty and wealthy background. Haruto didn't say much, knowing well why she had taken the day off.

Besides being embarrassed to face people, what else could it be?

But Hiratsuka was Hiratsuka, so she should quickly adjust her mood and get back to work.

"Haruto-kun, I'm going to check on Shizuka today, so I won't be back until later."

"Alright, I'll come pick you up."

"Would it be too much trouble?"

"It won't."

The corner of Mafuyu's lips lifted slightly, and then she looked away for a moment. "Haruto-kun, I'm fine, you can go now."

Haruto took a sip of water and waited until another teacher arrived before turning and leaving.

The morning passed quickly.

❀❀❀

Lunch break.

Itsuki greeted him and left first. After all, she was always the most energetic during the day.

Haruto waited for a while, and once most people had left, he stood up and slowly left the classroom.

He wasn't planning to go to the cafeteria today either.

Since Yukino had been preparing lunchboxes for him, Haruto was planning to head to the rooftop.

After all, while Yukino's cooking wasn't as good as Nino's, it was still decent, and it tasted fine.

Maybe it would taste better if it wasn't cold.

As soon as he left the classroom, Haruto saw Nino leaning against the corridor wall, clearly waiting for someone.

Was she waiting for something to happen?

When Nino saw Haruto, she stood upright, placed her hands behind her back, and looked at him with bright eyes. "What, aren't you happy to see me?"

Haruto immediately said, "I'm very happy!"

"Hmph~"

'Even though I know he's just being casual, it's okay. After all, I wasn't that nice to him initially, but that's fine. As long as I work hard to improve our relationship, it'll be okay.'

Nino placed her hands on her hips, a sweet smile on her face.

"Kuromori, are you going to the cafeteria today?"

Haruto felt awkward but still told the truth. "I'm not going to the cafeteria today."

A small tiger-like grin appeared at the corner of Nino's lips. "Then let's go together. I made lunch~"

As she said this, Nino took out her hands from behind her back and proudly presented a lunchbox.

At this moment, the proud smile on the girl's face was also very cute, making anyone's heart skip a beat.

Unfortunately, Haruto had already promised Yukino.

Haruto thought for a moment. "Nino, thank you for your hard work, but I have something to do this afternoon, so I'm sorry."

Nino took a breath, then calmly said, "Since something came up, there's nothing we can do. Just wait, I'll give you the lunchbox. After you're done eating, just give it to Itsuki. I'll wash it myself when I get back."

This change in Nino's attitude was truly remarkable.

Moreover, Haruto wasn't even allowed to wash the lunchbox, as Nino insisted on doing it herself. Nino's words made Haruto feel as if his heart had been struck by something.