Chapter 154: That Man—Is Mine!

Sitting in the event classroom, Rikka Takarada, with her beautiful black hair and sapphire-blue eyes, felt a creeping sense of unease.

And, in truth—

She wasn't the only one feeling this way.

Seated beside her, Yuta Hibiki and Sho Utsumi, whom she had invited along, were experiencing the exact same thing.

There was no helping it.

After all, right in front of them—

Were none other than Shouji Minami, the infamous "Demon King of Shuka High" and Shinjo Akane, the school's top two students, both currently eyeing them up and down.

These two had held the top two ranks in Shuka High for a long time.

The sheer weight of their gazes alone carried a pressure unlike that of any ordinary student.

And if Rikka had to say it—

Shouji Minami wasn't even the worst one.

He had simply pushed open the door, taken one glance at them, lazily introduced himself—

And then collapsed onto a desk and instantly fell asleep.

But Shinjo Akane—

Was completely different.

Her gaze was intensely focused as she observed the three of them.

Her crimson eyes scanned them from head to toe—

As if she refused to miss even the smallest detail about their entire existence.

The sheer aggressiveness of her stare made Rikka so uncomfortable that she finally had to speak up.

"Uh… do I have something on my face, Akane?"

She couldn't hold it in anymore.

"No… nothing at all."

Realizing she might've been a bit too obvious, Akane put on a polite smile and spoke in a soft voice.

"Can I ask the names of the two boys behind you, Rikka?"

"…Didn't we already introduce ourselves earlier…?"

Sho Utsumi muttered under his breath.

As mentioned before—

The moment they had entered the room, they had already introduced themselves to Minami.

"Apologies, I just wanted to confirm something, so I need to ask more clearly."

Akane glanced at Minami, making sure he was still asleep, before adding that statement.

"I'm Sho Utsumi—like Utsumi Nariaki from Kamen Rider Build—Sho as in Sho."

Even though he had no clue what Akane was trying to figure out,

Looking at her adorably pretty face, Sho Utsumi still decided to answer patiently.

After all—

A cute girl deserved a few privileges.

Then, he casually gestured toward Yuta Hibiki beside him.

"And this guy is Yuta Hibiki, my best friend."

"Ohh, so Utsumi-kun and Yuta-kun…"

Akane nodded with a bright, cheerful smile—

And then said nothing more.

On the surface—

It looked as if she had merely been asking their names.

But in reality—

It really was them! Sho Utsumi and Yuta Hibiki!

Where they couldn't see, Akane's fists clenched tightly, and inside her mind—

Her inner self was celebrating wildly.

Yet another piece matched the fragments of memories in her head!

In other words—

As long as everything followed the script—

Shouji Minami would inevitably fall in love with her!

Perfect!

Absolutely perfect!

Akane forced herself to maintain her usual graceful smile.

Don't laugh too obviously!

Akane!

No matter how perfectly things are falling into place, if Yuta Hibiki and Sho Utsumi notice something strange—

If the future where you and Minami fall in love changes—

That would be absolutely unacceptable!

Yes.

After all the inner struggles she had gone through before, Akane had finally made up her mind.

She was done with making excuses to herself.

She was done with denying her feelings for Minami.

Now, she could fully admit the truth—

She liked him.

But now came the real question—

What does one do when they like someone?

She didn't even need to think about it.

The answer came instantly.

And that answer was—

Grab onto the person she liked with everything she had—

And never let go!

Akane had thought everything through.

No matter what methods she had to use,

No matter what tricks she had to play,

She would make sure that Minami fell for her.

This—was her ultimate goal.

And to achieve that—confirming whether the fragments of her memories were accurate was only the first step.

After all, memories could be unreliable.

What truly mattered—

Was the two-day-long Shuka Festival.

That would be her battlefield!

That would be her chance to make her move!

With this thought, Akane turned her head to look at Minami, who was still sleeping on his desk.

Her soft, pink lips curved into a small, sweet smile.

It wasn't just about matching the memories in her head.

She needed to confirm their relationship in reality as well.

That—

That was what truly mattered.

And for that—

Shinjo Akane turned toward Rikka Takarada, Yuta Hibiki, and Sho Utsumi.

With a pleasant smile, she spoke up.

"Since you're Rikka's friends, and you were kind enough to make time during the busy festival preparations to help out, of course, you're more than welcome here. This is the script for The Monster in the Human Heart. Utsumi-kun, Yuta-kun, and Rikka, feel free to take a look."

She handed them three neatly copied scripts.

Once they had skimmed through them, she continued—

"So, if there are no issues with the script, let's wrap up for today. Starting tomorrow, we'll meet here in this room for daily rehearsal sessions. How does that sound?"

"No problem."

Both Sho Utsumi and Yuta Hibiki were already huge fans of tokusatsu stage plays.

They had no reason to refuse.

And as for Rikka Takarada—

There was no need to even ask.

Even though she hadn't kept in touch for over half a year, she had always considered Shinjo Akane a true friend.

If Akane needed her help, she would do her best.

But—

Just as Rikka was about to head home and read through the script—

Shinjo Akane suddenly called out—

"Rikka, wait a second."

"Huh?"

Rikka stopped in her tracks, looking at her in confusion.

"There's something else I'd like to ask for your help with."

Shinjo Akane smiled sweetly as she spoke.

Yes.

If she wanted to completely trap Shouji Minami in her grasp,

She had to seek help from others.

And among those fragments of memory—

The one she trusted the most, her best friend, her right-hand woman—

Was none other than Rikka Takarada.

Meanwhile, elsewhere…

"Finally, practice is over!"

Kita Ikuyo stretched her arms, releasing her fingers from the guitar strings as she relaxed her body.

Excitedly, she turned to her bandmate.

"Now, no matter what happens, we'll be perfectly fine when we perform on the Shuka Festival stage! Right, Gotoh-san?"

"Ah… yeah."

Gotoh Hitori—who had also just released her grip from the guitar frets—nodded instinctively at Kita's words.

Thanks to Shouji Minami's advice,

Kessoku Band had been practicing intensely for the past two days.

And today was no different.

She had been practicing with Kita Ikuyo for hours now.

But—

Seeing that there was still some time left,

Gotoh Hitori hesitated for a moment—

Then sat back down, placing her fingers on the guitar strings once again.

"Gotoh-san… you're so dedicated."

Beside her, Kita Ikuyo, her usual bright smile on her face, watched her closely and let out an admiring sigh.

"Eh…? N-No… It's just that… I still want to practice a bit more…"

Flustered by Kita's attention, Hitori lowered her head in embarrassment.

In truth—

She had a personal reason for doing this.

Before the festival, Shouji Minami had sent her a message on LINE.

In that message, he had told her—

"I hope I get to see you shine at the Shuka Festival."

Maybe—

He had just said it casually.

Maybe—

He had already forgotten that he had ever said it.

But—

Even if there was only the smallest chance—

"I want him to see me at my best."

Her grip on the guitar pick tightened slightly.

Yes.

Even if there was only a tiny chance—

Even if it was just for a brief moment—

If, at the Shuka Festival, Shouji Minami could be surprised by her performance—

Then everything she had worked for would be worth it.

And so—

"Um… Sorry, Kita-san."

"Hmm?"

Kita, who had been relaxing her wrists, turned toward her in confusion.

"I know this is supposed to be break time, but… would you mind practicing with me a little longer?"

"…Huh?"

Kita stared at Gotoh Hitori in shock.

The girl, who always hid behind her bangs,

The girl who never made eye contact with anyone,

Was now looking straight at her.

Even though she was nervous,

Even though she was scared,

She had gathered all her courage to ask this request.

Kita was stunned.

But when she saw something else in Gotoh Hitori's eyes—

Something beyond just determination—

She grinned.

"Alright! Let's do this, Gotoh-san!"

Yes—

Let's do this.

Gotoh-san.

At the Shuka Festival—

Let's make sure Minami-senpai is absolutely blown away.

[Her "Inferiority Complex" skill has slightly decreased. Current Level: LV3.]

At that same moment—

Far away, in a completely different location—

Chisato Nishikigi suddenly shivered.

As someone who possessed "Reaction Speed LV5", an ability far beyond normal human limits,

She suddenly felt…

Something.

Something unexplainable.

It was as if—

Something precious to her was being targeted by someone.

And not just by one person—

By multiple people.

"So… it really is that lavender-haired girl, huh?"

Recalling the face of her "rival" from her mysterious memories,

Chisato clenched her small fists.

Memories.

This strange chill running down her spine.

There was no doubt about it.

Shouji Minami only had one of him.

And he was far too exceptional.

Who knew how many other women would try to get close to him during the festival?

With this thought, Chisato's sense of urgency skyrocketed.

And so—

She rushed straight into the dressing room.

"Chisato?! What are you doing?!"

"Plan change, Takina! We're not just picking out a cute outfit for you to wear outside today—we're also picking out a victory lingerie set! The kind that even Minami won't be able to resist!"

"Huh?! Lingerie isn't something you just show people—wait, STOP PULLING ON MY UNDERWEAR!"

A chaotic mess ensued.

And the dressing room fell silent once again.