Chapter 179: Shinomiya Kaguya's Residence
Having bought two yukata, Eriri chose the light purple one today. Wearing it gave her an air of maturity, and she hadn't changed her hairstyle, keeping her signature twin tails.
Kushieda Minori, standing nearby, wore a red yukata. Her figure, which was better than Eriri's due to regular practice in the Softball Club, was showcased, and the color of the yukata perfectly complemented her lively personality.
As for Oosaka Taiga, the last one... well, no matter how you looked at her, she just looked like a child.
Realizing that the four boys opposite her were all looking at her with dead fish eyes, Oosaka Taiga immediately flared up, stomping her foot and declaring, "What kind of looks are those, you guys? Are you trying to die?"
The four of them heard this and simultaneously turned their heads away.
Although she was cute, she was still just a child.
Fortunately, Kushieda Minori was there to calm her down, otherwise Oosaka Taiga definitely would have rushed over to fight them, disregarding the hem of her yukata entirely.
It was also fortunate that Oosaka Taiga hadn't brought her beloved wooden sword today, or she would have been even more aggressive.
Preparations complete, it was time to go out for dinner.
Walking down the street, they occasionally saw men and women dressed in yukata, just like Kaede and his group. It seemed the fireworks festival tonight was destined to be very lively.
Linking her arm through Kaede's, Eriri said with some regret, "It's such a pity. Mizuki's whole family went traveling and won't be back until the day after tomorrow. Otherwise, we could have gone to the fireworks festival together."
As her closest classmate in class, Eriri naturally contacted Usami about the fireworks festival, but when she called, the other girl was traveling with her family in Okinawa and having too much fun to possibly return.
As for the President, she was lazy enough that when asked, she refused without even thinking about it.
As for Uchimaki Subaru, he had absolutely no interest in the fireworks festival; after watching it in previous years, he had no desire to come again.
Kaede smiled and said, "That makes sense. Given Uchimaki and the President's personalities, it's unlikely they would attend such a rowdy fireworks festival. If it were the old me, I probably wouldn't have come either."
"Don't you like lively events, Kaede-kun?"
Kaede shook his head. "It's not that I dislike them, but liveliness depends on when and who you are with. I don't mind going out in a group like this today. In the past, like during middle school, I didn't have many close friends, and going out to activities with them would only make me uncomfortable."
Eriri listened and asked curiously, "Really? Did Kaede-kun truly not have any close friends during middle school?"
"Of course. Haven't I told you that before? If I had, there's no way I wouldn't mention it," Kaede said with a chuckle. "Simply put, we just didn't click. Even the games we played weren't the same type, not to mention that back then, besides games, I spent most of my time reading various books."
Takasu Ryuji, standing nearby, looked depressed after hearing Kaede's words and said, "I'm the opposite of you. I want to make friends, but everyone ends up calling me 'Big Brother' out of fear. It's despairing."
Kitamura Yusaku happily patted him on the shoulder: "Hahaha, from a certain perspective, that's a talent others can't learn."
"I really don't want this kind of talent..."
Ishigami Yuu looked at Takasu Ryuji's appearance and said with surprise in his tone, "When I first saw Takasu, I immediately thought of the President. Although both of you have somewhat fierce eyes, the President's are caused by long-term lack of sleep and dark circles, while Takasu's are natural. But I have to say, that's quite a coincidence."
"Speaking of that," Oosaka Taiga chimed in, "Shirogane Miyuki, with those dark circles all the time, is he really not going to drop dead one day?"
Although the statement was a bit exaggerated, Shirogane Miyuki's dark circles really did look quite dangerous.
Shaking his head, Ishigami Yuu said, "I mentioned it to the President, but he told me not to worry, saying he was already used to it. Then Shinomiya-senpai also told me that she would keep a close eye on the President's health. Thinking back on it now, Shinomiya-senpai's intentions were traceable."
Many things had happened during his time in the Student Council, some of which left Ishigami Yuu terrified yet puzzled. Now, looking back, if you just add the premise that Shirogane Miyuki and Shinomiya Kaguya have feelings for each other, coupled with Shirogane Miyuki's previous theories, everything makes sense.
Of course, this only means Ishigami Yuu understood, but his fear of Shinomiya Kaguya still hadn't disappeared. Or rather, it had become an instinct that couldn't be eliminated.
Chatting, everyone arrived at the location for tonight's dinner: a yakiniku restaurant. This type of restaurant is one of the most suitable for group meals.
After choosing two adjacent tables and sitting down, they ordered a large amount of food and began their lively dinner.
At the same time, at Shinomiya Kaguya's residence.
Shinomiya Kaguya doesn't live in the main family home but resides alone in an outlying mansion. Besides Shinomiya Kaguya and her personal maid, Hayasaka Ai, there are other retainers from the Shinomiya Family, ranging from maids to drivers and chefs, all fully equipped.
Today, after returning, in addition to these usual staff, several female bodyguards in black suits and sunglasses also returned with them. These were the personnel arranged by Shinomiya Kaguya's father to place her under house arrest.
Inside her room, a bodyguard stood guard outside the door, so Shinomiya Kaguya could only stay in her room alone and couldn't go anywhere.
Holding her phone and watching time tick by, as the fireworks festival drew near, Shinomiya Kaguya's mood grew increasingly despondent.
"I'm sorry, everyone..."
Just then, outside the mansion, a car sped towards them.
After stopping, Fujiwara Chika, with a smiling face, got out of the car. Her older sister, Fujiwara Toyomi, had also come along.
A few minutes later, Shinomiya Kaguya's bedroom door was knocked. Hayasaka Ai pushed the door open, holding a yukata in her hand, and walked in with a gentle smile.
"Young Lady Kaguya, it's time to change."
"Huh?"
Shinomiya Kaguya turned around, looking at Hayasaka Ai in confusion: "What are you bringing that over for? Didn't you say..."
Then, she saw someone who shouldn't have been there pop out from the doorway.
"Kaguya-san!!!"
..."Eh? Fujiwara-san?! Why are you here?"
"It's not just this Fujiwara, there's also a Fujiwara-senpai!" Fujiwara Toyomi also emerged from the doorway, saying with a beaming smile, "Little Kaguya, long time no see!"
"Miss Toyomi? What... what exactly is going on?"
Not only were there two people who shouldn't be here, but where was that bodyguard at the door? Why was she gone too?