CHAPTER 81: CHAPTER 80 AYATSUKI AYAKA SOLD ANXIETIES_1

「A few more days went by.」

May 13th, Saturday.

Public schools were off for the entire day on Saturdays, but private schools still held classes in the morning.

"Sigh."

Ayatsuki Ayaka let out a long sigh as she sat on the bench in the courtyard, holding a thermos cup filled with vegetable juice.

She wouldn’t be able to bring Aozawa vegetable juice since tomorrow was a holiday.

Ayaka never imagined she would actually look forward to school not having holidays.

As long as there were no holidays, she could bring Aozawa vegetable juice every day.

The walk from the club building to the academic building, and then to the classroom, was the only time all day she could interact with Aozawa.

During breaks, lunchtime, and after school, she would be with Takahashi Saeko and the others.

This was mainly because, during those other times, she had no reason to seek out Aozawa and also feared being too obvious.

According to what Takahashi Saeko had said before, in love, the one who confesses first often ends up in a weaker position.

To gain the upper hand, one must try every means to get the other person to confess first.

Additionally, if a girl was too clingy, it could easily make the other party feel repelled. It was necessary to maintain personal space for both sides.

Chasing a boy is really hard.

Ayaka looked up at the azure sky, noticing a cloud that looked a lot like cotton candy.

It would definitely be delicious to eat.

She reached out with her right hand. The cotton candy cloud seemed close, but it was actually far away, completely out of reach to taste.

She could only fantasize about the flavor of the cloud in her mind.

Her mind drifted.

A timid voice floated over from the side, "Ms. Ayatsuki, good morning!"

Ayaka’s gaze shifted from the clouds to look at the girl who had greeted her.

Two large black braids rested on her shoulders, and her bangs covered her eyebrows. She wore rather unflattering glasses.

The girl was somewhat stooped and seemed socially anxious.

"Good morning, Classmate Arakawa. Is there something you need?"

"Um..." Arakawa Reina pushed her glasses up slightly. Her eyes swept to the ground, not daring to meet Ayaka’s gaze as she asked, "Are you and Aozawa... um, dating recently?"

Ayaka’s wheat-colored cheeks instantly flushed red, and she quickly waved her hands. "No! We’re not dating!"

Upon hearing this, Reina’s eyes stopped darting around and fixed on Ayaka’s cheeks.

Ayaka quickly suppressed her surprise and blush. She leaned back, crossed her legs, and said, "Boyfriends? I have several. But Aozawa isn’t my boyfriend; he’s just a normal friend."

After explaining this, a hint of doubt flashed in Ayaka’s eyes. "Class President," she asked, "why are you asking this?"

"I just noticed that you and Aozawa always leave through the back door, so I thought you two were dating."

Reina explained with a laugh, her eyes becoming evasive again as she glanced at the ground to either side.

Her reason for asking Ayaka was to find out if Aozawa was really a playboy—one who was holding her secret while simultaneously being friendly with other girls.

Reina could understand the dynamic with Phoenix Academy Maggie; they were merely deskmates.

But getting close to Ayaka was a different matter.

Reina was very concerned.

If they weren’t dating yet, and Aozawa thought he could manipulate her with that weakness to play the field...She could already imagine the dreariness of her married life.

The one-sided exploitation wouldn’t just be a figment of her imagination; it would become a near-future reality.

Therefore, Reina had to muster the courage to find out if things were as she had imagined.

Luckily, Ayaka and Aozawa were not in a relationship yet.

Arakawa Reina breathed a sigh of relief, but then it occurred to her that "we’re just friends" is a classic line used by playboys and playgirls alike.

Ayatsuki Ayaka was a good girl, willing to help her classmates, but she was quite fickle in matters of romance.

She could casually talk about dating several boyfriends at once, not to mention an unknown number of exes.

Perhaps the "friendship" she mentioned could actually be genuine.

A series of speculations flashed through Arakawa Reina’s mind, and her body trembled slightly.

If Aozawa got tired of Ayaka, would he then use that secret to threaten her?

Forcing her to submit, little by little.

In the gym storage room, on the rooftop, in deserted classrooms, on the curtained beds of the infirmary...

Arakawa Reina imagined such a future, and her face turned pale.

No, she absolutely couldn’t let Aozawa keep threatening her! She had to rebel against his tyranny!

Ayatsuki Ayaka noticed the Class President wasn’t acting normally; her eyes darted left and right, avoiding direct eye contact.

That’s the look of someone who’s lying.

"Class President, you’re lying, aren’t you?"

"Ms. Ayatsuki, I’m not lying. I was just a bit curious. I mean, think about it, Aozawa is supposedly very close to Phoenix Academy Maggie."

Arakawa Reina instinctively searched for a reason to defend herself.

The tiny spark of the detective that had just ignited in Ayaka’s heart was instantly extinguished.

Regarding the relationship between Aozawa and Phoenix Academy, she’d told Saeko and the others she wasn’t worried.

But in reality, she was incredibly worried!

Fearing that one day, the two would suddenly announce they were dating.

Then she would face her first heartbreak.

The thought alone terrified her, and she lost any inclination to figure out if Arakawa Reina was lying.

"I heard Aozawa say that he and Phoenix Academy Maggie are just ordinary friends, not like the rumors our classmates are spreading."

"You have a point. My apologies, I have other matters to attend to, so please excuse me."

Arakawa Reina bowed, ended the conversation, and ran towards the classroom building.

Ayatsuki Ayaka didn’t stop her. Her hands clenched around the thermos as she muttered softly, It’s okay, I still have a chance!

As long as she could establish a relationship with Aozawa before Phoenix Academy did, there wouldn’t be a problem.

As class time approached, Ayatsuki Ayaka waited outside the club building. When she saw Aozawa appear at the entrance, she raised her hand and greeted him, "Good morning, Aozawa."

"Good morning, Ayaka."

"Here, this is today’s vegetable juice."

Ayatsuki Ayaka handed over the thermos. The nails on her right hand were beautifully manicured and sparkled with a pale red light in the sun.

Aozawa smiled. "Thanks. Sorry to trouble you with making a trip for this every day."

Ayatsuki Ayaka replied nonchalantly, "It’s fine. I absolutely can’t stand drinking two bottles of vegetable juice; I truly can’t handle the taste."

She stuck out her tongue, making a face as if she couldn’t bear the thought.

"Really? I feel like I could drink several bottles without any problem."

Aozawa unscrewed the lid and took a big gulp.

Ayatsuki Ayaka watched his neck tilt back. The way his Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed the vegetable juice looked so tempting.

She swallowed, then, feeling a pang of guilt, quickly averted her gaze and glanced around.

At this time of day, there were no other students outside the classroom building.

It was so quiet it felt as if they were the only two people at school.

Ayatsuki Ayaka looked at their two shadows on the ground, cast so close together, and couldn’t help but sneak a smile.

Hehe, we look like a couple.