Chapter 126: Meaningless Things

Shinomiya Kaguya was at her mansion.

Her bedroom alone was more than double the size of the entire Shirogane household.

Sitting on her oversized bed, her cheeks were slightly red as she looked at a text message from Shirogane Miyuki.

It was from over a month ago—before the school prepared gifts for the French exchange students. The message was a simple greeting, reminding her to keep warm.

It was both the first and only text Shirogane had ever sent her.

She looked at it nearly every day.

"Staring at it won't make more messages appear."

"!"

Kaguya jumped. She turned to find Hayasaka Ai, dressed in a maid uniform, staring at her.

"Sh-shut up…"

"My, you even put it under message protection."

"Ugh…"

Kaguya pouted and hid her phone.

"I know. The president's first message made you really happy. You wanted to preserve that joy and savor it again and again—"

"That's enough! I didn't think anything like that! Stop reading into people's minds!"

Flustered and red-faced, Kaguya jumped to her feet. Her reaction made it clear Hayasaka was right on the mark.

"If you're so bored this summer, why not just ask the president out?"

"No way! If I send a message, it'll make it look like I want to go out with him!"

"…Don't you?"

"Of course not!"

Kaguya huffed and glared at Hayasaka, cheeks still pink.

"Then what about you? Why haven't you invited Takamine Rinji out to play this summer?"

"…"

Hayasaka Ai's eyes glanced to the side.

"Hm?"

"I just… haven't figured out how to face him yet."

"I see. Better be careful, or it might be too late. You remember what happened before summer break, right?"

"You mean that duet between Rinji and secretary Fujiwara in the music room?"

"You sure keep yourself well informed."

"I've always been keeping tabs on Rinji," Hayasaka said. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Aren't you afraid someone might steal your precious Rinji away?"

"I am. But if you're referring to the secretary, I don't think either of them has romantic feelings for each other… and rushing won't help. I still have trouble even facing him right now."

She was planning to observe for now and wait until the time was right.

"Forget it."

Shinomiya Kaguya walked to the door and picked up her school uniform.

"Are you going out, Kaguya-sama?"

"Heading to school. The student council still has some matters to attend to."

"Those can wait until next term… ah, I get it."

Hayasaka understood. She walked over and tied up Kaguya's hair with a ribbon.

"Might as well look nice. Who knows—you might just run into someone."

"Stop saying that…"

Kaguya covered her flushed face.

"Hayasaka, worry about yourself too. For all you know, some girl he's close with might already be visiting Takamine Rinji at his house."

Hayasaka's hands paused briefly—then resumed as if nothing had happened.

"That… probably won't happen."

---

"Kei, the apple pie's ready. Let it cool for a bit before eating."

"Kei, I've got ice cream in the fridge. Want me to bring some out?"

"Don't be so stiff. Just treat this like your own home," Rinji said with a chuckle as he looked at Kei, sitting prim and proper on the couch. "You can relax however you like."

"…Thanks."

He was doting on her completely.

Though Rinji's place wasn't exactly large, it was still much bigger than the Shirogane household, and the décor was cozy. Plus, he had the air conditioning running.

Eating fruit and snacks while watching TV, Kei honestly felt more comfortable here than at home.

"Rinji-nii, you're amazing. You cook, you take care of people..."

She really did enjoy this feeling.

Unlike her strict older brother, Kei felt utterly at ease and safe under Rinji's attentive care.

"Hahaha, it's all thanks to what I learned back then," Rinji said with a smile.

His expression grew a little wistful.

Cooking, baking, taking care of others… he learned all of that four years ago.

Before that, he knew nothing but how to fight.

He picked up all those skills because of Hayasaka.

Back then, to become the perfect boyfriend for the blonde girl he liked, Rinji had pushed himself to master all the things he wasn't good at.

Until she turned him down.

He never got to be her boyfriend, perfect or not.

But looking back, those things he learned weren't a waste. If anything, Hayasaka Ai was the reason he became who he is today.

Kei nervously rubbed her hands together and asked, cheeks slightly red, "Rinji-nii… you're good at everything. You must be really popular with girls at school, right?"

"Nope. Most girls probably avoid me. I rarely talk to them anyway," Rinji replied with a smile. "I got suspended once for a violent incident. Ever since then, classmates don't really talk to me much."

"I see…"

Kei had heard a bit about that from her brother, who always said it wasn't really Rinji's fault.

But hearing that he rarely interacted with girls made Kei secretly happy.

"By the way, Kei," Rinji suddenly asked, "Where's the president? Is he home too?"

"Nope. He left before me. Said he was heading to the student council room."

"The student council? That could've waited until next term… ah, I get it."

Even without Shirogane present, Rinji could guess what he was thinking.

"Do you have anything going on later, Kei?"

"Huh? No."

"I'll head out for a bit. Be back in around half an hour," Rinji said with a smile at the entryway. "If you think of anything you want to eat, let me know and I'll grab it on the way back."

"Oh, okay. You go ahead, Rinji-nii."

---

Shirogane Miyuki arrived at Shuchiin Academy, gasping for breath.

He'd pedaled non-stop for an hour under the scorching sun, completely drenched in sweat—but he made it.

"Hm? President?"

A few students in sportswear looked at him curiously.

"You here for club activities?"

"No, just some student council stuff to deal with."

Only the students involved in athletic clubs were still around. Everyone else was off enjoying their summer vacation.

Shirogane parked his bike and ran toward the student council office.

He was holding on to a slim hope—

Maybe…

Kaguya might also have found summer boring and come here.

He knew he was being unrealistic. But as long as there was even a tiny chance, he wanted to try.

When he opened the student council room door, he sighed in relief.

It was empty.

"What… am I even doing?"

Leaning against the window, Shirogane looked down at the few scattered students and smiled bitterly.

He had done something utterly pointless.

"Of course Shinomiya wouldn't come here… What was I even hoping for?"

Suddenly, something cold touched his face.

He turned around and saw Takamine Rinji pressing a cold bottle of cola to his cheek.

"Rinji…"

"Riding your bike here in this heat for an hour? That's some dedication," Rinji said with a grin.

"…Yeah, I don't even know what I was thinking."

Shirogane let out a few laughs, took the cola from Rinji, and gulped it down.

"But since you're here, Rinji, I guess it wasn't meaningless after all."