Chapter 174: Like a Battlefield—They Finally Meet 

A single chocolate banana was priced at 500 yen.

Yet—

Minami Shouji had doubled the price out of nowhere!

That wasn't just random inflation—this was daylight robbery!

Witnessing Minami's blatant price gouging,

Youko Morishita—who just moments ago had thought, "Minami-kun is so kind and gentle",

—was now re-evaluating the man before her.

But after carefully observing him,

She still couldn't hold back and gently tugged his sleeve.

"Minami-kun… no matter what, isn't this a bit too much…? How could anyone possibly buy—"

"I'll buy them."

"—Huh?"

The calm, immediate response from the customer froze Youko in place.

Wait.

Someone is actually paying 5,000 yen for five chocolate bananas?!

Who in the world would be this much of a sucker?

And just as she was thinking this,

Minami let out a small sigh and spoke.

"Ryo, didn't I tell you not to come and make trouble?"

—Oh.

So this was someone Minami knew.

No wonder he had joked about the price like that.

"I'm just here to buy chocolate bananas, I'm not making trouble, Minami."

"Then why are you buying five? Kessoku Band only has four people. Even if you're trying to treat me, I'm not eating one."

Minami's voice was flat and direct.

"What are you talking about?"

The blue-haired girl blinked her amber eyes and replied matter-of-factly:

"Obviously, I'm eating two myself."

"..." Minami.

Fine. He didn't particularly want one anyway.

But still—this woman really didn't have the word "polite" in her vocabulary, huh?

Her straightforwardness was on another level.

Minami simply shook his head at her response.

Meanwhile, Yamada Ryo didn't seem to notice or care.

Instead, after firmly making her point,

She puffed up her chest slightly, then turned to Youko, frowning.

"So, what's your relationship with Minami?"

"And why were you saying he was being unfair?"

"1,000 yen per banana is pretty cheap, actually."

"Also—just so you know, the only person allowed to call Minami out is me."

From the moment she arrived, she had already noticed the quiet girl standing beside Minami.

And now that she had the chance—of course she was going to ask.

"Ah! Sorry, sorry! This idiot was just joking! Please don't take anything she says seriously!"

Before Ryo could even finish her interrogation,

A golden-haired girl suddenly grabbed her by the collar and dragged her away with an apologetic smile.

"Ahhh—!!!"

Ryo let out a series of incomprehensible noises as she was pulled away.

"..."

Youko stared at the chaotic scene in front of her.

She opened her mouth but—

She had no idea what to say.

Mainly because—

She never expected the normally quiet and distant Minami Shouji to have such gorgeous acquaintances.

Not just the blue-haired girl—

But also the golden-haired one with the side ponytail was adorably stunning.

Bright, crimson eyes that radiated energy and warmth.

A bouncy twin ponytail that swayed with each movement,

Paired with a big ribbon at her chest—

Adding to her irresistible charm.

Even as a fellow girl, Youko couldn't help but admire her for a moment.

Then, shaking herself out of it, she cautiously turned to Minami.

"U-Um… about the payment…?"

"Just charge it as 2,500 yen."

Minami replied casually.

"She can give me the money later. Besides, my shift is almost over anyway."

"—Huh?"

Youko blinked in shock.

Minami tilted his head slightly.

"What's wrong?"

"Ah… nothing… it's just… this shift ended so fast."

Without thinking, Youko Morishita voiced her thoughts aloud.

She had expected that working alongside Minami Shouji for an hour would be absolute torture—

Yet somehow, the time had flown by in an instant.

There was a strange sense of comfort when working with him,

To the point where she even felt a little reluctant for it to be over.

Of course, she didn't say that aloud.

Instead, she silently counted out 7,500 yen from the cash register and handed it to Minami.

He took the change and placed the five chocolate bananas into a paper bag.

After checking the time, he swapped shifts with a classmate who had just arrived.

—Not that there was much left to do.

The bananas were almost gone.

The chocolate was nearly finished.

At this point, all his replacement had to do was clean up the stall.

And Minami wanted no part in that.

With his shift officially over,

He walked straight toward Yamada Ryo and Ijichi Nijika, who were waiting on the sidelines.

"Just the two of you?"

Minami handed the change and the bag of chocolate bananas to Ryo before casually asking Nijika.

"Yeah! Kita-chan and Bocchi-chan are still busy… Also, this is delicious!"

Nijika's bright red eyes sparkled as she took a bite of the banana.

"No matter when I eat Minami's cooking, it's always so good!"

"Mm. Minami's banana… tastes amazing."

Ryo licked the chocolate off her lips and gave a slow, approving nod.

But—

"…Don't say it like that."

Minami lightly knocked her on the head.

What the hell did she mean by "his banana"?!

Just the wording alone was completely wrong.

But of course, Ryo didn't care.

She simply rubbed her head, finished off the last of her two bananas in a matter of seconds,

Then turned her gaze toward the remaining ones in the bag—

Bocchi and Kita's share.

And then—

The paper bag was swiftly snatched away by Nijika.

"Nope."

Nijika's voice was firm.

"Eh—? But I paid for them."

"Doesn't matter. No means no."

"..."

Blocked by Nijika, Ryo simply turned her amber eyes to Minami and stared.

But before she could say anything—

"Don't look at me."

Minami shut her down immediately.

"We're sold out. No more bananas, no more chocolate. You were just lucky you bought the last batch."

Hearing that, Ryo smacked her lips a few times, as if still savoring the flavor.

Then, after tilting her head in thought, she spoke again—

"Then—"

"If you want more, go buy the ingredients yourself."

Minami cut her off before she could finish.

Ryo fell silent.

She simply stared at Minami for a long moment.

Then, finally—

"Alright."

—She agreed.

Minami was already used to this kind of exchange with her.

But today—

Nijika suddenly blinked her bright red eyes and looked at Ryo with a hint of realization.

Among the Kessoku Band members,

She had known Ryo the longest.

And as the one who understood her best,

She immediately noticed something different.

Ryo had always been this blunt, this lazy, this carefree.

But—

She had never spoken to anyone with this kind of tone before.

This—

This was almost like—

Flirting.

The old Yamada Ryo never asked for things like this.

The old Yamada Ryo never softened her gaze like that.

She had always been a prideful, distant person—someone who exuded an almost untouchable air.

But now—

"Ryo… has really changed."

Yes.

Nijika could see it clearly.

Ever since Minami entered their lives,

Ryo had visibly changed.

Before, she never relied on others.

Before, she never acted like this—never used such an obvious "I'm totally spoiled" kind of tone.

Even her usual indifferent, half-lidded gaze softened whenever she looked at Minami.

And it wasn't just Ryo.

Bocchi had changed too.

She used to be terrified of people.

She used to be too afraid to make eye contact.

But now—

She was trying.

She was fighting her crippling anxiety.

She was slowly learning to look people in the eye.

And that—

That was because of Minami.

Nijika had no idea if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

Love was complicated.

And all she could do—

Was watch over them.

As a friend.

"Anyway, we still haven't seen Bocchi-chan and Kita-chan's maid outfits. I'm really curious!"

Nijika suddenly spoke up with a bright smile.

"Oh—"

Ryo perked up in interest.

Aside from eating, drinking, and lazing around,

Her favorite pastime was teasing her bandmates.

Seeing them flustered was one of the greatest joys in her life.

"Want to go check it out?"

Minami, on the other hand, was unmoved.

"I'll take you there. They should still be on shift."

Since Bocchi had taken time to bring Futari back to her parents,

Her shift should've been extended to make up for it.

And Kita was always hovering around Bocchi,

So she probably stayed behind too.

The three of them quickly made their decision and headed toward Class 1-2.

Down the stairs.

Turn right.

And straight to the first-year maid café.

"Welcome to Class 1-2's Maid and Butler Café! We sincerely we—eh?! Minami-senpai?!"

Two welcoming maids struck a cute pose at the entrance—

But immediately broke character upon seeing Minami.

Their eyes widened in shock.

Their voices even stretched out from disbelief.

Because of all people—

Minami Shouji had walked into their café?!

Wasn't he already here earlier?!

Wasn't he looking for Bocchi before?!

They looked utterly confused.

Meanwhile—

Nijika simply glanced at Minami, looking a bit envious.

"Wow, Minami-kun, you're really famous at Shuka High."

If only Kessoku Band had this kind of popularity.

Then maybe their first concert wouldn't have had so few attendees.

"It's nothing."

Minami just waved it off, completely unfazed.

"You guys go chat with Bocchi. I'll be—"

Snap.

"Minami, what are you talking about? You're coming in with us."

Crap.

His plan to sneak away unnoticed—failed.

Minami glanced down at his wrist,

Which was now firmly in Ryo's grip.

…This was bad.

Considering the timing—

Akane was probably done talking to his sisters.

Chisato and Takina were probably done dealing with Mizuki and Kurumi.

In other words—

All of them were heading his way.

If he stayed here,

Things were going to get messy.

And just as Minami expected—

Nijika, who had been deep in thought, suddenly snapped to realization.

"'Monster of the Human Heart'…? Oh! Now that you mention it, Minami-kun… I did see it on the schedule."

"Yeah. Since it's a tokusatsu stage play, I need to go meet with the other event planner to discuss the details. I won't be able to stay with you guys for now."

—That was the truth.

It was already past 1 PM, and the performance was scheduled to start at 3 PM in the gymnasium.

Preparation had to start early.

There wasn't a single lie in his words.

…He just conveniently left out the part about Shinjou Akane.

And with such a reasonable excuse—

Even someone as strong-willed and free-spirited as Yamada Ryo simply rubbed her chin and gave a slight nod.

"Hmm, got it."

She let go of his wrist.

Then, in her usual calm, lazy tone, she added—

"If that's the case, go take care of it. I'll call you later."

—She didn't try to stop him.

And Minami, finally free, let out a tiny sigh of relief.

Good!

Very good!

Now, all he had to do was go find Akane…

The tokusatsu rehearsal was about to start…

"Huh? Minami-kun? Your sisters and I were just about to go find you… What are you doing here? And… who's that next to you?"

A soft, surprised voice called out.

From the corner ahead,

Shinjou Akane appeared—curiously eyeing the scene before her.

And before Minami could even process her arrival—

Another cheerful, playful voice chimed in from behind.

"Minami-kun~! Hm? Who are these ladies with you?"

…Yeah.

At this point, Minami didn't even need to turn around.

Just from the voice alone,

He already knew.

100% guaranteed—

Chisato and Takina had finished dealing with Mizuki and Kurumi and had come looking for him.

Hhh…

…Yeah.

Minami's headache officially began.

Because with these three forces suddenly converging—

The situation had now become officially troublesome.