"Soyo-chan?"
Perhaps because Soyo's reaction was too obvious, a classmate noticed her gaze and came closer.
"Do you also like Kamijou-kun?"
"Eh?"
Hearing this, Soyo—who had still been tangled in her thoughts—instantly blushed.
"H-How could that be?!"
The girl stammered.
"W-Who would like that guy?!"
She only saw Kamijou Mutsuki as a tool to win Sakiko back—how could she possibly actually like him?
Soyo could swear—if she ever liked Kamijou Mutsuki, then she'd be a clown!
"Mm-hmm, romance is so nice… I also want to date such a handsome boy~"
However, the girl completely ignored Soyo's denial, sighing dreamily while swaying her head, an aunt-like smile unconsciously appearing on her face.
With that kind of reaction, who would believe Soyo had no feelings for Kamijou Mutsuki?
Moreover, as a naturally beautiful girl, Soyo rarely wore makeup. Even when she did, it was just light makeup.
But look at her today—so carefully dressed up, almost dazzling. Could it really be just for the school festival?
Looking at the boy walking together with Mutsumi, it was obvious who Soyo had dressed up for.
"What? Soyo actually has someone she likes—and it's a boy?"
"What? Soyo actually likes boys?"
Wait—what's so strange about me liking boys?!
Even though Soyo believed she had no feelings for Kamijou Mutsuki, hearing her classmates' reactions still left her speechless.
Just what kind of image did she have in their minds?!
"What? Soyo has someone she likes—then what about the ship I support?"
"What? Soyo likes boys—doesn't that mean I don't stand a chance?"
"Soyo-chan, you have to be happy!"
"But it seems like Mutsumi also likes that boy, right?"
"The two people I ship actually like the same guy? This is so exciting!"
"Why not just let the three of them be together? That way Soyo-chan and Mutsumi can stay together forever!"
As for Soyo's love life, after the initial shock, most of her classmates didn't have any overly extreme reactions.
After all, although they happily shipped pairings normally, they could still distinguish reality.
Aside from a small number of girls who genuinely had designs on Soyo, most of them simply held a supportive attitude toward her feelings.
The only problem was—Mutsumi also seemed to like Kamijou Mutsuki.
Both sides were dear to them, and they didn't know who to support.
"Soyo-chan, if you like him, then you have to seize the chance—don't leave yourself with regrets!"
In the end, one of Soyo's dedicated supporters stepped forward to encourage her.
She had only just arrived and didn't know about the relationship between Mutsumi and Kamijou Mutsuki.
She simply didn't want Soyo to give up before even starting. Even if Mutsumi currently had a slight advantage, as long as Soyo caught up, the final outcome was still uncertain.
After all, with Soyo's looks and figure, she wouldn't so easily end up as the losing heroine, right?
"…A beauty belongs only to the strong!"
The girl met Soyo's eyes and said this as encouragement.
Although Soyo felt that her feelings toward Kamijou Mutsuki were being misunderstood, she was indeed somewhat moved.
With such a perfect plan to "capture" Kamijou Mutsuki, and with all the careful preparation she had made—was it really all just to make a wedding dress for Mutsumi?
Was she truly willing to accept that?
The answer was obvious.
"Sorry, I'll excuse myself first!"
If she didn't move now, Kamijou Mutsuki and Mutsumi would be too far away.
"I already had plans with Mutsuki-kun—it's not like I like him or anything…"
"…Definitely not!"
Seeing Soyo still stubbornly denying it before leaving, the girls couldn't help but laugh.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Kamijou Mutsuki—who was chatting with Mutsumi—suddenly thought of a certain "Lady Oosuna."
Speaking of which, she was the one who invited him—so where was she now?
"Mutsuki-kun, Mutsumi-chan,"
Just as Kamijou Mutsuki thought of Soyo, the girl came running up to them, slightly out of breath.
She first called out to Kamijou Mutsuki, then nodded to Mutsumi beside him, before turning her gaze back to him.
"Mutsuki-kun, you came quite early today. Were you really looking forward to the school festival?"
After saying that, she looked at Mutsumi again.
"Since it's a rare school festival, I thought I'd invite Mutsuki-kun to come take a look. You told Mutsumi about it already, right?"
"..."
For some reason, Mutsumi felt that Soyo seemed a bit strange today.
And her outfit today was also…
"Mutsuki told me yesterday,"
Keeping a mental note, Mutsumi gently shook her head.
"I'm really looking forward to walking around the school festival with Mutsuki today."
As she said this, she even thanked the girl in front of her.
"Thank you, Soyo."
"..."
Faced with Mutsumi's sincere gratitude, the smile on Soyo's face stiffened slightly.
"Mutsumi-chan, even if you're his fiancée, being too clingy might trouble Mutsuki-kun, you know~"
In the end, she could only force a dry laugh and say this.
"I don't feel troubled at all…"
And then Kamijou Mutsuki noticed that the smile on Soyo's face suddenly became much more "gentle."
"Speaking of which, Soyo, your outfit today…"
"…How is it?"
Hearing this, Soyo immediately straightened her expression, pretending to be indifferent as she asked.
However, deep down, she felt an inexplicable mix of nervousness and anticipation.
"…Do you have a drama club performance today?"
This was the first time Kamijou Mutsuki had seen Soyo dressed like this.
"..."
Hearing this, the girl—who had been feeling a bit expectant—instantly darkened her expression.
If you don't know how to talk, maybe don't!
"…Do you think it looks bad, Mutsuki-kun?"
Soyo asked with a smile.
She clearly thought she looked great, and her classmates' reactions had proven it.
It had to be that this guy simply had no taste!
Someone with such poor taste was bound to live a rather unsuccessful life.
"That's not it…"
If anything, that kind of evaluation should be applied to himself.
There were many things one could mock about Soyo—but her looks were absolutely not one of them.
Although Kamijou Mutsuki personally preferred a natural look, he had to admit that with makeup, Soyo's mature yet slightly alluring appearance was truly captivating, bringing out a refined, almost dangerously charming aura.
Of course, what drew the most attention was…
Kamijou Mutsuki's gaze subtly swept over a certain more prominent part of the girl.
Since it was the school festival, Soyo wasn't wearing her uniform, but a long dress that wasn't revealing, yet perfectly accentuated her figure.
The charm she displayed was such that even Kamijou Mutsuki couldn't help but have his gaze drawn for a brief moment.
Newton truly did not deceive me!
"…You really do look beautiful."
.......................