[Warning 15+]
Author's Notes:
Tenbin Volume 5 drops today!
Tenbin Volume 5 drops today!
Part Six
―With the Same Energy as Before, Wearing a Smile
Chapter 208
The Change in Kazuki
―With the Same Energy as Before, Wearing a Smile
Chapter 208
The Change in Kazuki
"Oh, Nikaidō-san is here!"
"Whoa, she looks crazy identical! I mean, it's gotta be the actual person, right?!"
"Hey, hey, this is definitely Nikaidō-san, right?!"
"Mya?!"
The moment she reached the classroom, Haruki was surrounded by girls in the blink of an eye.
Every single one of them had a smartphone in hand, and plenty of them were unfamiliar faces. Looks like students from other classes and kouhai-s had swarmed in too.
Hayato stood there utterly bewildered by the sudden chaos.
Meanwhile, Haruki was getting completely jostled by them, her squeals of "Mya~?!" mixing with their high-pitched "Kya~!" shrieks.
Ema tried her best to back Haruki up, but it was a drop in the bucket. Instead, they hit Ema with, "Wait, Isami-san was there too?!" pullin' her right into the frenzy alongside her.
Blinkin' in disbelief, Hayato set his bag down and turned his gaze toward Iori.
"What on Earth is goin' on...?"
"Y'know how there was that whole commotion with MOMO when we went to buy yukatas the other day?"
"Yeah, that video was floatin' around quite a bit. But wasn't that a while back?"
"Well, recently, people on social media have been blowing up over 'Who's that black-haired girl next to MOMO?!'"
"...So the girls in our school figured out that it might be Haruki, huh?"
"Pretty much."
That whole MOMO incident had been a hot topic before. But that was nearly half a month ago, leavin' Hayato scratchin' his head over why it was blowin' up again now.
Then Iori shrugged and held out his smartphone toward Hayato.
"...This is,"
What showed up on the screen was that video that recently went viral.
Not only was it shot and edited to make Haruki stand out, but the comments were also packed with hyped-up remarks about her, like "Isn't it insane how she sings to highlight MOMO?", "Her choreography and positionin' are straight-up professional," and "Standin' next to MOMO, she doesn't lose out at all—she's super cute!"
Feelin' like there was some ulterior motive behind this, Hayato's brow furrowed. Floatin' into his mind was the handsome guy in his 30s he'd run into a few times—Sakurajima.
Sakurajima definitely had somethin' to do with this.
Judgin' by his reactions so far, there was no doubt Sakurajima knew about Haruki—no, about Takura Mao's daughter.
Besides, given his position, it would be hard for Sakurajima to just pass up on a talent like Haruki's.
Precisely because Hayato had seen that talent up close, he got it. He got it all too well. Before he knew it, he pressed a hand against his unsettlin'ly anxious chest.
"...What's with all the commotion?"
"Kazuki."
Kazuki popped up right then. Fresh off mornin' practice, he was still in his tracksuit. Looks like he wandered over out of curiosity about the noise.
When Iori offered his smartphone with a dry laugh, Kazuki peeped at the screen, lettin' out an indescribable "...Oh."
Then they exchanged looks and shifted their eyes toward Haruki.
The hyped-up girls were crowdin' all over Haruki, lettin' their imaginations run wild with stuff like, "She's definitely gettin' scouted, right?!", "Is Nikaidō-san debutin' in showbiz?!", "Wouldn't it be smart to grab her autograph while we still can?!"
To Haruki, show business—anythin' related to Takura Mao—was basically a forbidden topic. "Th-That, that was, um, because of that," Haruki stammered, her face twitchin' in pure discomfort.
But there was no way those girls would know about Haruki's situation. Obviously.
Hayato narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist tight.
Hayato had to do somethin'.
But how?
As Hayato was helplessly mullin' it over, Kazuki suddenly stood up.
Showin' a split second of hesitation, Kazuki gave a tiny shake of his head and tossed a wink in their direction.
Both Hayato and Iori's eyes widened in sheer shock.
Then Kazuki pulled out his own smartphone and let his clear, boomin' voice echo throughout the classroom.
"Oh yeah, speakin' of MOMO, I've got a picture of that time she fell asleep without dryin' her hair and showed up to school with a full-blown afro, claiming it was the latest perm."
""""What!?""""
Everyone's attention snapped over to Kazuki all at once.
Flashin' his usual naturally charmin' smile, Kazuki casually brushed off their curious stares and waved his smartphone in the air, instantly steerin' their interest away from Haruki.
"Whoa, this messiness is insane! I mean, the fact that it kinda suits MOMO is completely mind-blowin'!"
"Airi poutin' while combin' her hair is freakin' hilarious!"
"Wait, they're both wearin' the same uniform—were they senpai and kouhai?"
"Btw, Kaidou-kun, why do you even have a picture like this?!"
"Oh, well, we actually went to the same middle school. Look, I even have a video of Airi findin' all the lip balms she constantly loses, linin' them up on a desk, and scoldin' MOMO."
""""What!?""""
As expected of MOMO's actual little bro, Kazuki clearly had no shortage of embarrassin' dirt on MOMO. Handlin' the girls like a champ while feedin' them one piece of gossip after another, they got completely hooked on insider info they couldn't get anywhere else. It worked like a charm.
Yet, watchin' Kazuki do this, an undeniable sense of uneasiness settled in. This was so not like him.
Even if it was to throw Haruki a lifeline, this move risked blowin' Kazuki's cover as the family member (little bro) of MOMO (a celebrity).
To begin with, ever since his screw-up in middle school, Kazuki stayed far away from interactin' with girls. He'd practically been avoidin' them.
The usual Kazuki would've never pulled off a risky tightrope stunt like this.
"Kaidō..."
Havin' slipped out of the crowd and walked over to them without anyone noticin', Haruki muttered in a distinctly suspicious tone of voice.
Suddenly, Kazuki's eyes met Haruki's. Kazuki offered Haruki a smile and waved his hand.
Haruki blinked in surprise for a second, but then turned her head away with a sullen look on her face. Then, in a tiny voice meant only for Hayato to hear, she muttered softly.
"Thanks... ...for helpin' me out."
"Tell Kazuki that directly, girl."
"...Hmph!"
"Ow, hey?!"
When Hayato called Haruki out with an exasperated reply, Haruki, her mood ruined, pinched him right in the side.
Author's Notes:
We got a brand new PV made for us too!
You can check it out by followin' the link on the official Twitter (now X) below.
Def go check it out!
Meow~.