Romantic Troubles of Duanmu-kun

Class Rep’s expression wavered for just an instant before quickly returning to its calm state.

“…I see. So Liang-kun, you want to follow Nishikawa after school?”

He had originally hoped to see the girl in front of him display an embarrassed expression or a cute reaction after being suddenly ambushed by his words, but she had easily seen through his intentions. Having a mind that worked too fast wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

“…Yes, that’s right,” the Novelist nodded with a somewhat disappointed tone.

Itou Maho noticed this and tilted her head, looking at him with puzzlement.

If she knew his true thoughts, even the good-natured Class Rep would probably get angry… It was better to keep that hidden.

“Doing this… won’t we be discovered?”

Afterward, Itou Maho became concerned about various possibilities.

The act of tailing a high school girl was slightly morally questionable, but that could be ignored for now—she had no moral hang-ups about it.

“But Nishikawa-san is just an ordinary student, right? If we’re careful, it should be fine. Of course, if we do get noticed during the process, we’ll have to rely on you, Class Rep, to explain.”

This was one of the reasons for bringing Class Rep along as an accomplice in the stalking. Otherwise, the moment they were caught, he would be definitively identified as a pervert with incontrovertible evidence. With Class Rep, even in such an awkward situation, she could smile and effortlessly defuse it—that was how much he trusted her.

“I understand,” Itou Maho nodded.

The crisp sound of the bell echoed through the hallway.

“Let’s get ready, Class Rep. Remember not to let others notice your whereabouts after school,” the Novelist reminded her before turning to walk back to the classroom.

“O-okay,” Class Rep hurriedly followed after him before the students and teachers noticed their conversation.

“…As expected, she chose to leave immediately after school.”

The Novelist covered his head with a thick sketchbook, secretly observing Nishikawa Mutsumi’s every move from the shadowy cover.

After the final bell rang and the last teacher left, the atmosphere in the classroom quickly became lively. The young students chatted with each other, gathering in small groups, preparing to head to club activities or to go home.

In a brief few minutes, Nishikawa had already organized her books and bag, silently slipping out through the back door. Perhaps she feared being noticed by her former friends.

The Novelist sent an email to Class Rep using the phone hidden in his desk drawer, then picked up his things, preparing to leave. Unlike Nishikawa, even if he left in this leisurely manner, no one would notice anything unusual. What a convenient life.

…

Since Class Rep was more conspicuous, she had excused herself from the classroom earlier. At the west corridor corner, in the temporarily unused cooking classroom, a girl wearing a baseball cap and changed into an outdoor jacket emerged.

“…Liang-kun, aren’t you going to disguise yourself?”

Upon seeing the Novelist empty-handed and looking no different than usual, Itou Maho’s expression showed surprise.

“No problem! I’m confident that even if I were to encounter a classmate face-to-face on the streets over the weekend, they wouldn’t recognize me, much less greet me!”

“D-don’t say such pitiful things!”

Class Rep couldn’t help but comment before taking out a spare baseball cap and sunglasses.

“At least… try wearing these!”

“I don’t think they’ll help much…”

Besides, wouldn’t such a disguise seem even more suspicious? Even idiotic stalkers in crime dramas wouldn’t dress so obviously.

Despite saying this, the Novelist promptly accepted what Class Rep handed over and frankly expressed his gratitude.

…

The baseball cap duo followed behind Nishikawa to the entrance of Yuihara High School. Across the pedestrian walkway, intersection, and road, under the lush trees, the round-faced girl stood with an anxious expression, as if waiting for something.

“Next, students from Harumida High School will probably come along soon.”

“…Mm.”

The two were crouching in the shrubbery between the school gate and the walkway, with a concrete wall behind them. They peered through the gaps in the dense branches toward the distance. The boy and girl, their shoulders pressed tightly together, could clearly hear each other’s breathing—

Class Rep seemed to feel embarrassed for a moment, unconsciously shifting her body to the side. And then…

“You two, what are you doing here?”

A crisp voice came from above their heads.

It was so sudden that even the Novelist couldn’t help being startled. Beside him, Class Rep froze with an “Eek?!” sound, unable to move like a frog caught in a snake’s gaze.

…However, the voice that reached their ears was quite familiar to both the Novelist and Itou Maho.

“Hmm, what’s going on?”

The culprit who nearly gave them heart attacks seemed completely unaware of this fact.

“Mi-Misao…?”

Class Rep, with a pale face, finally recovered and looked up.

Fujishima Misao was half-crouching on top of the surrounding wall, looking down at them with inquiring eyes. One of the girl’s hands hooked her bag behind her, resting it on her shoulder. Her smooth ponytail was brought from behind to the front, following the contour of her ample, rounded chest, hanging down to one side of her forearm.

Misao’s skirt had been shortened by a few centimeters compared to the regular uniform. Due to her crouching position with legs that couldn’t be kept together, when viewed from below, apart from her bubble socks, black leather shoes, and a section of fair, smooth calf skin, the fabric under her skirt was also faintly visible.

“Y-you come down right away!”

Itou Maho quickly noticed that her best friend’s skirt was freely broadcasting what was underneath, and her attitude inevitably became somewhat urgent, a thin blush appearing on her cheeks.

“Eh~ What does it matter? There’s no one else here…”

Misao responded with a grin.

Despite saying that, she jumped down from the wall anyway. The girl’s steps were as light as a cat’s, as if her weight didn’t exist, landing silently on the soft soil.

The bandages and casts on her limbs had been removed weeks earlier, and Misao had resumed her daily training in the sports club. He had been fortunate enough to witness it several times and had a deep impression of the superhuman strength, flexibility, and agility the girl displayed. They were very similar in this respect—truly mother and daughter.

“What are you two doing?”

Class Rep didn’t conceal anything and told her about Nishikawa and their suspicions.

“Stalking? Sounds interesting—”

Misao’s pupils were gleaming with excitement.

…Would it turn out like this after all?