[135] Gathering of the Elite Young Ladies

Chapter 135: Gathering of the Elite Young Ladies

"Hey, Fujiwara-san, long time no see," Shunsuke greeted with a bright smile. "Any recommendations on what to eat?"

Fujiwara Chika pretended not to know him and continued eating.

Shunsuke tapped her on the shoulder. "Fujiwara-san?"

"If you already have a girlfriend, you shouldn't be touching other girls so casually!" Chika grumbled unhappily. "I was pretending not to know you, so why did you have to come over?"

Shunsuke sighed melodramatically. "At such a grand banquet, not a single person is paying attention to me. Don't you think I'm pitiful, Fujiwara-san? I finally mustered the courage to overcome my embarrassment and approach you, only to be treated like this by a friend."

"Then go find your girlfriend."

"I don't want to hang around those old men. The air feels tainted just being near them. Besides, they wouldn't want to see me either."

"But your sister-in-law is still here, and there are plenty of people from the Momobami branch families. Why come to me?"

Shunsuke shrugged. "Fujiwara-san, haven't you noticed? Ririka isn't exactly pleased with me."

"Ririka... Hmph, whatever. Just don't bother me. Getting involved with you is too much trouble. I still want to enjoy this feast."

"Is the feast more important than a friend?"

"Of course it is."

"...All you do is eat, eat, eat. You're going to get fat. You must already weigh 60 kilograms, right?"

Glancing at Chika's plump figure, Shunsuke deliberately teased her.

Chika was furious. "How rude! Fujii, what kind of thing is that to say to a lady? I'm not that heavy!"

"No, no, no. Anyone who's seen you eating ramen would never mistake you for a lady."

"What's wrong with ramen? Koizumi eats even more than I do!"

"Koizumi isn't as unrestrained as you are."

"That's because you're not around to see how she acts when you're not here!"

Huh?

Suspicious element detected!

Shunsuke instantly became alert.

"Good evening, Mr. Fujii."

At that moment, Shinomiya Kaguya approached, lifting the hem of her dress slightly and giving a graceful curtsy. Of course, she was still in her icy "Ice Kaguya" state, expressionless as ever. Hayasaka Ai followed closely behind her.

While Sayaka was restricted to the side hall, Hayasaka Ai, nominally Kaguya's maid, was allowed into the main hall due to the Hayasaka family's considerable influence.

Many students from Shuchi'in Academy were present in the main hall, and though Kaguya had initially wanted to keep her relationship with Hayasaka under wraps, Shunsuke's current status forced her hand.

Shunsuke nodded. "Good evening, Miss Shinomiya."

He then glanced curiously at Hayasaka Ai behind Kaguya. "And this is... Miss Hayasaka?"

Hayasaka gave a slight bow. "It's been a while, Mr. Fujii."

Kaguya interjected, "Hayasaka is my maid. I must apologize for the rudeness of our last encounter. I had no idea you were Momobami-sama's boyfriend."

—If you're really sorry, show me some cleavage.

As he stared at Kaguya's utterly cold expression, Shunsuke couldn't help but laugh in his mind.

---Honestly, compared to Ice Kaguya, the goofy version is way more fun.

But in truth, Kaguya hadn't really done anything wrong during that incident, and Shunsuke hadn't taken it to heart. He quickly assured her that he held no grudge.

Kaguya bowed once more. "Thank you very much."

Chika, seeing how "cheerfully" Shunsuke was chatting with both her and Kaguya, quickly leaned in. "Kaguya-chan, do you know Fujii too?"

"Fujiwara-senpai, are you close with Mr. Fujii?"

"Yeah, we've been good friends since childhood."

"?"

Kaguya was puzzled. I've known you since we were kids—how come I've never heard of this friend?*l

Shunsuke was equally confused. Didn't we meet while eating ramen?

"Wait, didn't we meet while eating ramen?"

Yep, he said it out loud.

Chika stared at Shunsuke in disbelief, then suddenly threw herself at Kaguya, wailing and rubbing her face against her. "Kaguya-chan, someone's bullying me! You have to stand up for me!"

"Fujiwara-senpai, your dress is about to slip."

"Ah!" Fujiwara quickly stepped back. "Huh? No, it's not... Besides, if dresses slipped off that easily, the store would've gone out of business by now."

"Perhaps it's just that Fujiwara-senpai's figure is too... scandalous."

Kaguya's eyes seemed to burn with fury. What exactly are you rubbing against me? Death penalty!

"So, Miss Shinomiya, you must be the childhood best friend Fujiwara-san always talks about. Your bond seems really strong."

Kaguya remained icy and expressionless, while Chika spun around to glare at Shunsuke. "You shut up! Right now, Kaguya-chan is my favorite person in the world."

Meanwhile, Hayasaka Ai mumble internally: While it's true that Fujiwara-senpai is obsessed with Kaguya-sama, where exactly did you get the idea that their relationship is 'strong'?

Shunsuke felt like he might have overlooked something.

...

In the distance, a beautiful woman with short hair poked her younger sister, who had been staring intently across the room. "Yukino-chan, is that Fujii-kun? It's been so many years since we last saw him. He's even more handsome now. Aren't you going to go say hello?"

Yukino remained expressionless. "Why should I go greet him?"

"Eh? But Yukino-chan, didn't you used to care a lot about Fujii-kun?"

"Big sister, stop joking around." Yukino shot Haruno a glance that could freeze water at twenty degrees below zero. "He's Momobami-sama's boyfriend. What does that have to do with me?"

Haruno smirked mischievously. "Ara ara, so that's what's bothering Yukino-chan. Don't worry, Fujii-kun is just a decoy. In other words, he's a fake boyfriend. They'll probably break up soon."

"A fake boyfriend? How can you tell?!"

"Hehe, that's the experience of an adult, Yukino-chan. You still have a lot to learn." Haruno puffed out her chest proudly. "So hurry up and come with me to say hello. Otherwise, Fujii-kun might get snatched away by the Fujiwara family's young lady. After all, the gap between you and her is just too big."

"What gap are you talking abou—"

Yukino's voice trailed off as she caught sight of Chika's unstoppable frontal armor, accentuated by her evening gown. She fell silent, allowing her sister to drag her over.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the room, Eriri was biting her handkerchief in frustration.

If Mrs. Sayuri had been there, she would undoubtedly have urged her daughter to take the initiative.

Unfortunately, she wasn't, so Eriri could only sit there gnawing on her handkerchief, radiating the aura of a scorned woman lamenting, "I was here first!" Her intense energy kept everyone at a distance.

"Eriri-nee, what are you doing?"

Dekomori Sanae, her usual twin-tailed hammer-like hairstyle replaced with a more elegant, flowing look, approached Eriri with a puzzled expression. Dressed as a refined young lady, she exuded grace and poise.

"Sanae!"

Eriri jumped in surprise.

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