Chapter 163: Minami Shouji Cannot Be Tempted by Anyone! 

At precisely 5:50 AM, Minami woke up.

After a quick glance at the time, he yawned, got up, and went for a morning run.

At this hour in autumn, Tokyo was still shrouded in darkness.

Minami enjoyed the rare tranquility as he jogged along the streets.

[Your stamina has improved. Current stat: 7.]

"Nice."

Seeing the notification about his stamina increase, Minami nodded in satisfaction.

He had been jogging consistently for the past two months.

Although his stats didn't seem to show much improvement,

He could feel the difference in his endurance compared to before.

"Considering I always used to be the first to die in simulations… Either from exhaustion or just having a weak body. Now? I can actually outlast some of the simulation targets."

That alone was proof his body had improved.

As he gulped down some milk, Minami glanced at the clock.

"Almost time."

After checking the time one last time, he grabbed his wallet and headed to STARRY's venue to help out Kita and Ryo.

But as he rushed toward STARRY, Minami completely failed to notice—

In the shadows of the street corner, two figures were stealthily peeking out.

"Where's he going?"

A short-haired woman with a baby face narrowed her eyes at Minami's disappearing figure.

"Naomi, that's not the direction of Shuka High, right? And it's only 6:15 AM..."

"I'm not sure either..."

Beside her, a long-haired woman also seemed puzzled.

"...You don't think he's heading to school with his girlfriend, do you?"

Shouji Yuko voiced her suspicion first.

"No way... Our Minami is such a well-behaved, smart boy..."

Shouji Naomi frowned anxiously.

And it had only been a year...

Yeah.

It had only been a year.

Last winter break, Minami hadn't mentioned anything about having a girlfriend.

So how could he have one all of a sudden?

To Naomi Shouji, who had a rather conservative mindset,

The thought of her little brother already dating left her with mixed feelings.

On one hand, she was glad that he had managed to find someone in Tokyo.

On the other hand, she worried that his quiet and reserved personality

Might one day be rejected by a flashy, pink-haired city girl.

"It's Tokyo,"

Yuko shrugged.

Unlike Naomi, she had a more open-minded view.

She loved watching Tokyo romance dramas.

So, to her, if her little brother had actually managed to steal someone's heart,

Her only reaction was—

"Damn. This kid's got some skills."

After a brief discussion, the two of them exchanged glances and quietly followed after Minami.

Meanwhile—

"Wait, so Kita already called her friends, and they've already moved all the equipment?"

Minami raised an eyebrow at Hitori Gotoh.

"Y-Yeah, Kita-san asked some of her friends to help. They got everything moved super fast..."

"I see..."

Minami glanced at Hitori, who was staring down at the floor, her bangs covering most of her face.

If Kita had suddenly decided to call for help—

Wouldn't she have just told him not to come this early?

Something felt off. Like it was intentional.

But Minami didn't press further.

Instead, he looked at Hitori and casually asked—

"Well, since you're already out, want to walk to school together?"

Going back home now was pointless.

Might as well head to school together.

Hearing his suggestion, Hitori—

Secretly thanked Kita in her heart.

Kita-sama... I won't waste this opportunity!

She pressed her hands together in silent gratitude and, without hesitation, nodded.

"Y-Yeah! Let's walk together... um... Minami."

She mustered up her courage—

And called him by his first name, something she only dared to do when they were alone.

In response, Minami chuckled, reaching out to pat her head.

"Alright. Let's go, Hitori."

Leaving STARRY together in the early morning,

Hitori Gotoh stole occasional glances at Minami's side profile,

Listening to him casually crack jokes,

And doing her best to keep up with his conversation.

Just walking like this—

Was already enough to make her happy.

Minami noticed too.

Today, Hitori seemed...

A little more proactive than usual.

Still awkward and hesitant, but trying hard to engage with him.

Her words were still a little shaky, but her tone was much clearer.

As Minami Shouji walked ahead, Hitori Gotoh timidly reached out and pinched the corner of his sleeve.

If this had been in the past—

Minami probably would have wondered if she was possessed or something.

But now…

"So this is how much lowering her self-doubt actually changes things?"

He glanced at Hitori, whose face was flushed bright red.

Though slightly surprised, Minami didn't call attention to it—

This was a courage she had barely managed to summon, as fragile as a candle's flame.

One small disturbance, and it might flicker out entirely.

So, he decided to simply watch.

To see if this tiny ember… could grow brighter.

Completely focused on Hitori, Minami failed to notice—

Not far from them, hiding behind a utility pole, two pairs of eyes were staring intently at the scene unfolding before them.

"...Minami actually..."

Shouji Yuko murmured in disbelief.

Her eyes locked onto the long-haired, pink-haired girl walking beside Minami, clinging shyly to his sleeve.

Minami actually…

Just like Naomi had suspected—

Had gotten himself a girlfriend?!

The distance was a bit far, and the girl's bangs were too long to clearly see her face.

But as a fellow woman, Yuko could tell immediately—

The girl under those bangs was definitely not unattractive.

And even though she was wearing an oversized pink tracksuit,

It was still possible to make out the curves of her body.

She didn't even need to think twice—

Once she fully matured, this girl would be an undeniable beauty.

The only issue was—she was way too shy.

Several times, Yuko saw Hitori hesitantly reach out towards Minami's hand—

Only to flinch back like she'd been shocked.

It was… kind of adorable.

So much so that Yuko found herself getting anxious on the girl's behalf.

"...Damn, this kid's got game."

As a woman herself, Shouji Naomi couldn't take her eyes off the scene either.

Especially seeing how soft and delicate this girl looked—like someone who could be easily bullied.

It made her really want to protect her.

She couldn't help but mutter—

"It's barely been a year, and he's already bagged himself a Tokyo girlfriend. If we give him a little more time..."

"If we give him more time...?"

Yuko shot her a wary glance.

"Heh… Maybe the brat will end up with two, three, four, five girlfriends."

Naomi smirked.

"That's impossible!"

Yuko frowned.

"Naomi, you really need to stop watching those ridiculous romance dramas. One girlfriend is already unrealistic enough—much less three, four, five!"

As she spoke,

Even saying "one, two, three" made her normally strong-willed face flush with embarrassment.

It was just too much for her conservative mindset to handle.

"Aww, I was just joking. Don't take it so seriously, Sis."

Naomi knew this was pure drama-fantasy nonsense.

She was just messing around.

The two of them continued whispering to each other,

Before realizing Minami was getting farther away.

Hurrying to keep up, they followed after him.

7:00 AM — Shuka High School Front Gate

Due to the festival, the entrance was already bustling with activity.

Student council members were setting up decorations.

Others were checking their phones, coordinating deliveries.

Groups of students were chatting with friends.

Even this early in the morning,

Shuka High was already loud.

Since Hitori Gotoh was chosen to participate in her class's maid café,

As soon as they arrived, she was immediately pulled away by her classmates.

Before she left, she hurriedly handed Minami a handwritten omurice coupon.

A little bonus for the students working as maids.

After all—

Who would willingly dress up in cosplay and serve customers for free?

"Hitori... in a maid outfit?"

Minami glanced at the ticket, raising an eyebrow.

Honestly, he had only ever seen her in her usual tracksuit.

He was a little curious to see what she'd look like in a maid outfit.

"Probably pretty cute."

Slipping the coupon into his wallet,

Minami checked the time.

7:13 AM.

He still had nearly 50 minutes before he was supposed to help Shinjo Akane move stage equipment.

"Technically, it's a bit early… but better to start setting things up sooner rather than later."

Pocketing his phone, Minami made his way inside the school.

Shuka High — Club Building, 3rd Floor

The walk from the main building to the club rooms only took about five to six minutes.

But—

"...You already moved all the stage equipment?"

Minami frowned at Akane.

"Yep."

She blinked at his early arrival but quickly put on her usual bright, sunny smile.

"Seems like Rikka, Hibiki, and Utsumi called in some extra help last night. They already moved everything to the gym."

"...Huh?"

"You also had friends move things ahead of schedule?"

Minami squinted at her.

This situation felt way too familiar.

"Also?"

Akane tilted her head curiously.

"I was just thinking out loud."

Minami brushed it off and got straight to the point.

"If you already had it handled, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Hmm..."

Akane playfully hummed, deep in fake thought.

In reality—she was desperately trying to salvage the situation.

Yes.

She and Rikka had planned this out perfectly.

The idea was simple—

She'd tell Minami to come at exactly 8:00 AM, right when the festival started.

Then, she'd reveal that the equipment was already moved.

And from there…

It would naturally lead into spending the day together,

Creating a sweet, romantic festival memory just for the two of them.

Minami, like a clueless prey, was supposed to step right into her trap.

But instead—

This stubborn man had arrived 40 minutes early!

Forty minutes!

There were still forty whole minutes before the festival even began!

Akane stole a glance at Minami.

This man…

Was impossible to predict.

Couldn't he just follow her plan, become her boyfriend, and make things easier for both of them?

Though frustrated, she maintained her perfect outward smile.

"You had already gone home yesterday, so I figured calling you late at night would be too sudden. I was planning to tell you today—but I didn't expect you to show up this early."

"Uh-huh."

Minami gave her a suspicious look.

The excuse made sense,

But he couldn't shake the feeling that Akane—

Just like Hitori this morning—

Was up to something.

Actually…

It wasn't just Akane.

Minami had a strong feeling that Chisato and the others were scheming something too.

There was no way this was just his imagination.

Minami mentally braced himself.

From this moment on—

He would ignore every single attempt at temptation.

It was the only way to survive.

Resolving himself, he was just about to leave when—

"Oh, by the way, Minami-kun~"

Akane suddenly chimed in.

"I haven't had breakfast yet. On the way here, I noticed that Class 1-A's yakisoba stand is already open. My treat. Wanna grab something to eat?"

"...Sure."