After entering the theater, Meari sat with Ayanokouji Kiyohira as she wished, taking the seat to his left.
She should have been happy, but when she turned her head and saw Sado Mikura sitting to Ayanokoji's right, she really couldn't be happy.
She had clearly suggested sitting alone with Ayanokouji Kiyohira first, and Ayanokoji had agreed, but then someone suddenly appeared halfway through and snatched her "victory fruit"...
Mikura was handed over to Ayanokoji for temporary "supervision" by Sachiko Juraku, with a legitimate reason, so she couldn't even say no. She could only watch helplessly as Mikura sat down beside them, turning their date into a "threesome."
She pouted and turned her head unhappily. At this moment, in the center of the audience, Sachiko Juraku was sitting there with her legs crossed.
She occupied the best seat in the audience, with a full view of the entire stage and audience, but within a circular area with her as the center and a radius of three seats, no one dared to sit, leaving a large empty space.
Meari and the others were sitting in the third row, slightly to the left. From Sachiko Juraku's position, she could clearly see Ayanokoji and Meari.
At this moment, she was also sitting with her arms crossed, looking at them with an interested gaze.
Noticing Meari's gaze, her eyes also looked over, and she smiled slightly, waving her hand, which was considered a greeting to Meari.
Meari thought she had always appeared calm, and no one knew who her heart belonged to, but in reality, apart from her own unawareness, everyone else had already seen that the person she liked was Ayanokouji Kiyohira.
Of course, this could not be hidden from Sachiko Juraku.
She also knew that her "pet" also had a good impression of Ayanokoji.
Taking this opportunity to hand Mikura over to Ayanokoji, she naturally didn't intend to bring the two together, but rather to see what interesting reactions would occur when the three of them sat together.
I wonder if Meari will realize that Mikura is also her love rival…
Thinking these thoughts, the smile on Sachiko Juraku's face grew even brighter.
Sachiko Juraku was a very beautiful woman, and her smile was charming, but for some reason, Meari felt a chill when she was watched by her, and she couldn't help but shiver.
She wasn't used to being watched like that, so she quickly avoided Sachiko Juraku's gaze, turned her head, and complained softly: "Ayanokoji, isn't Sachiko Juraku very free? Why did she hand Mikura over to you to look after? Is she that familiar with you…?"
"Hey, Mikura, there are so many empty seats around her; she wouldn't say anything if you sat there, right? Don't you also not want to leave Sachiko Juraku's side? Why don't you just go sit there?"
Meari's latter half of the sentence was directed at Mikura.
Mikura replied in a flat tone: "Every decision Senior Juraku makes has a purpose. Since Senior Juraku said to temporarily hand me over to Ayanokoji for safekeeping, I will sit by his side until the performance ends."
She was expressionless, seemingly having no intention of leaving at all.
Meari looked at Ayanokoji for help, and Ayanokoji also shrugged helplessly: "You look at me, but I can't do anything either. We can't just force Mikura away, can we?"
Meari also understood this point. Since they hadn't left Mikura behind when they entered, it was even less possible now.
This was a public place; it was Mikura's freedom to sit wherever she wanted. Even if she forcibly dragged Ayanokoji to change seats, Mikura might still follow them.
She could only accept this reality… Meari sighed helplessly.
Meari suddenly felt that she was the only one who felt uncomfortable, while Ayanokouji Kiyohira seemed to be enjoying it.
Now, Mikura's chain was still held in Ayanokoji's hand. The two of them were connected by this chain, whispering to each other from time to time, which made Meari suddenly feel that she was more like a "lightbulb," and the two of them were more like a young couple coming to a concert.
"Hey, what are you two discussing?" Meari couldn't help but join in.
"Oh, I was asking Mikura how often she changes the collar on her neck. Doesn't it feel uncomfortable to wear it all the time?"
"I have many collars, and I change them every day. These collars have different styles, designs, and colors, and I change them according to my outfit."
Mikura stroked the collar on her neck and whispered: "Today I'm wearing a red one, and yesterday I wore a black one. These collars are all made of genuine leather and are very breathable, so it doesn't feel uncomfortable even if I wear them to sleep."
"Mikura, you always wear a collar. Don't you feel shy when people look at you?" Meari couldn't help but ask her own question.
She felt a bit uncomfortable when guests stared at her while she wore a maid outfit. Didn't Mikura, wearing such a collar that clearly had "sexual connotations," fear being stared at by others?
"I don't need to care about what strangers think. I only need to care about what Senior Juraku thinks. Senior Juraku likes the way I look with a collar, so I wear a collar. She wants a chain on me, so I wear a chain…
As long as it's Senior Juraku's idea, I won't refuse. I can completely ignore other people's opinions," Mikura stated in a cold tone.
Is this what they call "the master's task"? Aside from the master's thoughts, other people's opinions can be ignored.
Meari clicked her tongue inwardly… Mikura had been quite thoroughly "trained" by Sachiko Juraku. She cared about Sachiko Juraku more than she cared about herself.
She found it somewhat unimaginable that Mikura would leave Sachiko Juraku and instead fall for another boy.
That's right, I can rest assured—Mikura is definitely not my love rival!
Meari had been nervous precisely because she was worried about this. Now that she had confirmed that Mikura was only staying by Ayanokoji's side purely because of "the master's task," she found Mikura much more agreeable when she looked at her again, and she enthusiastically started chatting with her.
"Mikura, you Student Council members must have been very busy preparing for the Ryōran Festival recently, right?"
"That's right. It's all because of the Prime Minister's assassination. The security within the school has been greatly enhanced, requiring all external personnel entering the school to have a pass, which has increased our workload significantly."
Mikura said unreservedly, "The Prime Minister really died at the wrong time. It would have been much better if he had died after the Ryōran Festival. He's added a burden to so many people…"
In Sado Mikura's eyes, the Prime Minister was not nearly as important as Sachiko Juraku. If the Prime Minister hadn't been assassinated, Lady Juraku wouldn't have had so much extra work and been so exhausted this week.
"Hey… Is that something you can say?" Ayanokouji Kiyohira broke into a sweat.
Mikura really dared to say anything.
Although Ayanokouji Kiyohira wasn't fond of this Prime Minister either, he at least maintained verbal respect. In this aristocratic school, it was possible that someone was related to the deceased Prime Minister. If they caught you speaking ill of the Prime Minister and reported you, it would be troublesome.
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