278: The Obvious Choice

After coming out of the haunted house, Chisato offered his farewell for the second time.

This time, Iroha didn't say anything and simply nodded in response.

The atmosphere between them grew silent due to the shift in one person's mood.

They walked to the station together, waved goodbye before parting ways, and boarded different trains.

It was past seven o'clock when Iroha returned home.

When she opened the door, it made a slight "squeak," just like it always had.

Mrs. Isshiki, who was in the living room, heard the sound and quickly got up to greet her at the entrance.

Although her daughter wasn't home particularly late today and had informed her in advance, Mrs. Isshiki still couldn't help but worry.

After all, Iroha's unusual behavior of taking leave from school and locking herself in her room some time ago had been concerning.

"You're back, Iroha. Your father will be home later tonight, as usual. I've prepared dinner, so go ahead and eat first."

"No need, Mom. I already ate outside."

Iroha's response was soft and obedient, more well-behaved than usual—like a perfectly dutiful child.

She knew that her strange behavior some time ago had worried her family, so she deliberately acted obediently now to keep them from worrying any further.

"Do you want me to set some food aside for you? If you get hungry later, you can just heat it in the microwave."

"No need. After leaving the library with my friend, I ate takoyaki and oden. My stomach is so full, I'm not hungry at all."

After casually making up this reassuring after-school activity, Iroha took off her brown leather shoes and neatly placed them in the shoe cabinet. 

Then, after changing into her fluffy pink slippers, she picked up her schoolbag from the floor.

"I don't think I did well on this exam. Let's talk about it later. I'm going upstairs to study now."

"Alright."

After dealing with her mother, Iroha returned to her room on the second floor, and her cheerful expression instantly collapsed.

"Haaa—"

With an exhausted sigh, she let out a sound of utter resignation.

She casually tossed her schoolbag aside and fell onto the soft bed, landing on her back.

After lying there silently for a while, she slowly turned her head toward the bedside and pulled a large plush doll into her arms.

"Damn guy…"

"How could someone like that exist…"

"This is completely unreasonable…"

Iroha murmured under her breath, angrily pulling at the doll's ears.

Clearly, she was treating the doll as if it were a certain someone, venting her frustration in a self-soothing manner.

That's right.

Even though Iroha was extremely dissatisfied with Chisato today, what truly irritated her was his reaction in the haunted house.

She had been genuinely terrified, almost to the point of tears. 

And what did he do?

Instead of comforting her or at least handing her a tissue, he simply stood there as if he were an amused spectator, spouting a bunch of irrelevant analysis.

"Ugh…! Damn it! Jerk! Bastard!"

Iroha sat up abruptly and straddled the plush doll, pounding its soft body with her tiny fists. She clenched her hands and shook its head back and forth, as if trying to strangle it in frustration.

Her thoughts were utterly conflicted.

On one hand, she wanted Chisato to be exactly as she expected—just another calculating playboy—so she could justify her desire to "save" the girls he deceived.

But on the other hand, when he treated her so indifferently, it made her grind her teeth in frustration.

I'm a girl!

You've had that dream too!

I'm still your little sister and… ugh!

How could you be so annoyingly cold and indifferent?!

After venting in this ridiculous manner for a while, Iroha eventually calmed down and lay back on the bed.

Her breathing was a little uneven, but she still clung tightly to the plush doll.

After a moment, she exhaled slowly, hooked her foot around her schoolbag beside the bed, leaned over, and pulled out her phone.

She opened her photo album and found a picture she had taken with everyone from the soccer club.

Tapping on the image, she zoomed in on a specific section with her fingers.

Finally, the screen was filled with the image of a smiling boy with golden-blond hair.

That was the secret crush Iroha had confessed to Chisato about this afternoon—Hayama Hayato.

Blond, cheerful, an excellent student, tall, physically fit, and a favorite among teachers.

Most importantly, he was incredibly handsome—so handsome that even when surrounded by a group of male students, he still stood out. 

His gentle smile drew people in, making it impossible to look away.

Much of what Iroha had told Chisato earlier today was exaggerated, but not all of it had been a lie.

For instance, when she first entered high school, she had indeed been drawn to Hayama Hayato and joined the soccer club because of him.

Before experiencing that bizarre dream and meeting Chisato, she had admired Hayato immensely and had been ready to take action in pursuing him.

But everything changed after that dream—after getting to know Chisato.

Originally, Iroha had paid close attention to everything about Hayato. She followed his posts, his shared moods, his interactions with others.

Among them, the person she had cared about the most was a senior named Miura Yumiko. 

She had secretly viewed Yumiko as a major obstacle in her pursuit of love, certain that she would have to compete with her sooner or later.

But now, as she stared at Hayato's photo for a long time, she felt none of the familiar excitement or heart-pounding nervousness.

It didn't seem to matter what Hayato did. Even Miura Yumiko, who clearly had feelings for him, no longer made her feel uneasy.

Because her mind was now completely occupied by Chisato.

That annoying, overly perceptive, inexplicably infuriating guy who made her want to get revenge out of sheer frustration.

Compared to Hayato-senpai, he was just a little taller, had slightly better features, more expressive eyes, and a more refined demeanor…

These were just insignificant advantages.

In terms of social skills, interpersonal relationships, and emotional intelligence, Hayama Hayato would surpass him in an instant.

Thinking this way, the answer should have been obvious.

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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta

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