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Chiaki had informed Seiji prior to the meeting about her ex-girlfriend.
But since they had never contacted each other since breaking up, Chiaki didn’t know which school Haruka Shimizu was currently studying at.
That was why Seiji received such an unexpected shock.
But it actually wasn’t that important.
Both Haruka Shimizu and Tetsuo Sakaki didn’t have any apparent reaction upon seeing Seiji, which meant that they didn’t even recognize Seiji as the depraved otaku that used to attend their school.
Perhaps neither of them knew the original Seiji, or perhaps they were unable to recognize the current Seiji. He didn’t know which it was.
The original Seiji didn’t know either of these two people, but due to his infamous reputation at Koaki, there were plenty of students that knew him but not vice versa.
It didn’t matter.
It didn’t matter at all.
Even if they recognized him, Seiji felt like nothing of significance would follow. It wasn’t like either of these two were his family members who he wronged to such a great degree; they were only strangers that had nothing to do with the original Seiji.
Haruka Shimizu’s sharp senses perceived that the boy across from her had been slightly shaken.
Was his discomfort related to the fact that she’d introduced herself as a student from Koaki High School?
Koaki High School was a famous school in this district. Many of its students hailed from rich, governmental, or powerful families. The other students all specialized in various fields and were among the top scoring students in the country. It was definitely a modern-day school for nobles.
Normal schools couldn’t even compare to Koaki High School, and while Genhana High School was above average, they simply weren’t on the same level.
Seigo Harano probably knew of Koaki High School’s illustrious reputation and had received a shock upon hearing that she and Tetsuo studied there. That was what Haruka believed.
The handsome boy’s shock instantly disappeared without a trace after a brief moment, but Haruka was already certain that he wasn’t as calm as he appeared.
Was he only… a decorative but empty-headed person?
A sudden impulse from somewhere almost made Haruka want to classify him as such, but her logical reasoning told her that it wasn’t wise to judge others so hastily.
“Genhana High School… that’s a decent school, and I’ve heard that the clubs there have lively atmospheres.” She started a topic of conversation. “Chiaki, what club are you currently in?”
“Drama club.” Chiaki had already recovered her composure as she answered lightly.
“Not a sports club?” Haruka blinked in confusion. “I thought that you’d be more like when you were at Yoshimizu Middle School… but drama club is nice, too. You seem suited for acting.”
“Yeah, whenever I’m acting on stage, I can temporarily forget myself… I forget my real identity, and what I’ve experienced; it’s much more comfortable to act as characters other than myself.” Chiaki rested her chin on her hands as she made a subtle, cold statement.
Haruka’s expression froze over.
‘…How scary.’ Seiji could only inwardly sigh at the grudge Chiaki evidently bore.
So this was probably the true reason that Chiaki joined the drama club… She wanted to mitigate her own painful feelings after being dumped.
Saying it so straightforwardly to her ex-girlfriend was akin to a direct attack.
“Hmph.”
A cold snort sounded out from Tetsuo Sakaki, the arrogant youth seated beside Haruka.
His eyes were filled with condescension as he looked at Chiaki.
Seiji frowned. “Did you make a sound just now?” he asked Tetsuo without any hesitation.
Tetsuo Sakaki turned to face him, the same condescending look still in his eyes.
“What if…”
“Tetsuo,” Haruka’s voice interrupted him mid-speech, “don’t be rude.” She glanced over at her companion as she reprimanded him.
“…I didn’t say anything.” The brown-haired boy extended his hands in a gesture of innocence as he shrugged and slightly restrained the condescension in his eyes.
His attitude, however, displayed his true thoughts clearly.
“It’s obvious that you have something you want to say.” A calm-sounding voice echoed out. It belonged to Chiaki. “Your name is Tetsuo Sakaki, right? Why don’t you just say whatever you were thinking it out loud?”
“Chiaki…”
“Haruka, since the beginning, this ‘boyfriend’ of yours has carried a scornful attitude, yet he won’t voice his thoughts… It’s like he isn’t even a man.” Chiaki arced her mouth upwards in a taunting smile. “He’s a petty gossiper who enjoys talking about people behind their backs… Disgusting.”
A sudden chill swept through the room!
‘What the hell, Wakaba-sensei! You’re really challenging them now!?’ Seiji felt the urge to clutch his head.
“What did you just say!?”
As expected, Tetsuo Sakaki was furious.
Not many boys would be able to withstand a taunt like that, and this brown-haired boy definitely wasn’t the type who had a good temper. Besides, in his heart he truly looked down on Chiaki and Seiji to begin with, so he was unable to bear any disrespect from those he deemed unworthy.
“Tetsuo!” Haruka raised her voice.
“They were the ones being rude first; you heard it too! Haruka…”
Sakaki glanced at his female companion before viciously focusing on the pair in front of him again.
“Sorry, my girlfriend has a straightforward personality; she voices whatever’s on her mind.” Seiji smiled as he tried to alleviate the tension in the air. “Chiaki, you went overboard with what you said just now; hurry up and apologize.”
“Mm… Fine. Since Seigo says so.” Chiaki smiled at him in response as she straightened her back, sitting more formally. “My sincere apologies. I was too direct.”
The two of them smiled the same way, and even their attitudes and tones almost completely matched. They were saying sorry, but it sounded completely insincere.
“You guys…” Tetsuo Sakaki’s face started twitching.
‘In his perspective, he probably thinks we’re a couple of bastards that love to make fun of others,’ Seiji thought in his mind. ‘My bad, it’s your own fault for being such an easy target! You’re too easy to read, young man.’
It was obvious that Chiaki wasn’t in a good mood right now, and Seiji could understand her feelings. Seiji was resolutely on Chiaki’s side, so unfortunately for Tetsuo Sakaki, he was doomed to become the target of their mockery.
“Tetsuo, they apologized already.” Haruka sighed.
“They’re not sincerely apologizing at all!” Tetsuo stated a fact.
“What?”
This time it was Seiji who intentionally raised his voice by a dozen decibels.
Seiji’s gaze sharpened as he stared directly into the brown-haired boy’s eyes.
“What did you say? Sakaki…-san. My girlfriend’s apology has been quite clear! Just what do you mean by saying we’re not apologetic? You think it’s not enough? Could it be that… you think that only something like kneeling to you is ‘enough’ of an apology!?”
He even added a hint of anger to his last sentence. Of course, it was faked.
It was sufficient enough to suppress Tetsuo, however.
“Er…” Tetsuo Sakaki was slightly shaken and shocked at Seiji’s sudden imposing manner.
He’d never expected the boy who he looked down on just a few seconds ago would suddenly become so intimidating.
Seiji’s sharp gaze seemed like it could pierce right through Tetsuo!
A momentary silence filled the room.
Haruka was also astonished at how powerfully spirited the boy in front of her seemed to be. Was it that he hadn’t been shaken earlier at all? But why did it seem like he had been shaken at the mention of Koaki High School?
She didn’t understand.
“My apologies, my boyfriend’s rather impulsive, honestly. He just can’t bear to see me wronged~” Chiaki said in a soft voice. She then looked towards Seiji and said, “Hey, he seems to frightened! Hurry up and apologize!”
“Mmm… Okay, since Chiaki says so.” Seiji relaxed his facial expression in order to appear calmer and sat up more formally.
“My apologies, my words just now were in the heat of the moment; please don’t mind them.”
Heh heh.
Chiaki and Seiji wore matching smiles on their faces and bore the exact same attitude from earlier, but reversed. Their synchronization rate was one hundred percent perfect.
Tetsuo Sakaki was rendered speechless. His face reddened with an anger that could only tumultuously toss and turn inside his chest without being let out.
It was as if he could hear them taunting him beneath the thin veneer of their polite words—”Hey, little boy, we’re just toying with you!”