Chapter 312: The Real Culprit

"Momo-senpai, there's something I'm not sure whether I should ask..."

"Ask."

"I want to borrow your school uniform."

"...What do you plan to do with it?"

"Wear it."

"..."

On the rooftop, Ryuju Momo stared at Rinji like he was some kind of rare creature.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Momo-senpai?"

"How should I put this... I always had a feeling this day would come when I looked at your face, but now that it's actually here, I'm still a little surprised."

"I should explain. This was a decision made by the sports festival cheer squad. I got trapped by a classmate and walked straight into it."

Rinji clenched his teeth again at the thought.

"She said the same thing my dad used to say. Thinking back, falling into that trap was a huge disgrace."

"You know, you could still say no if you really don't want to."

"No. I've decided to accept the challenge."

Rinji's eyes sharpened.

"Growth means overcoming your immature past. Unlike my dad, who tries to run from his dark history, I will prove through my actions that I've left those shadows behind. I'll show the world that even if my appearance changes, a real man remains a real man."

"...Alright then. Good luck."

"After all that, will you lend me your uniform?"

"Sure."

"That's great!" Rinji grinned.

"You're not going to do anything weird with it, right?" Momo suddenly asked.

"Are you questioning my character? I'd never do such a thing!" Rinji said righteously. "Besides, I already have a girlfriend."

"Okay, then I won't lend it to you."

"Huh?"

...

For some reason, Momo didn't lend Rinji the uniform in the end.

But it wasn't a big deal. Rinji had other ways to make one himself.

As he walked through the school hallway, heading toward the student council office, he planned to find some fabric to use.

"Rinji."

"Hm?"

Just as he exited the school building, a voice called out to him.

It was Hayasaka Ai.

She walked up to Rinji, then stood with her hands behind her back.

"I've heard about the cheer squad situation."

"...Even you?"

Rinji blushed slightly.

Knowing that Hayasaka was aware he might be wearing a girls' uniform for the sports festival made him feel a little ashamed.

"Yes, Kaguya-sama told me."

"...You're not here just to verify the info, are you?"

"You could say that." Hayasaka smiled. "I heard cheer members need to borrow uniforms from other girls. I happen to have a spare you can use."

"Ah, that would be—"

Rinji was about to accept when he suddenly froze.

His eyes drifted toward Hayasaka's skirt.

She was dressed in full gal-style—nails done, necklace, sweater tied around her waist—and her school uniform had clearly been modified.

Shuchiin Academy was a prestigious school with a strict dress code. The girls' skirts were supposed to fall about ten centimeters below the knee.

Hayasaka Ai's skirt, however... was about ten centimeters above the knee.

"Isn't... the skirt a bit too short?"

"Oh, that?"

Understanding his concern, Hayasaka gave her skirt a slight tug.

In an instant, her short skirt extended into a mid-length one.

"Relax. I only folded it up. Didn't cut it. Gotta pass the disciplinary committee checks, after all."

"I used to be part of the disciplinary committee, you know."

Hayasaka smiled and held out her wrists.

"Want to arrest me?"

"Forget it. I'm ex-committee anyway." Rinji chuckled.

Hayasaka laughed too, then suddenly grabbed Rinji's hand.

"Come with me."

"Huh? Where?"

"Student council office. You need to try it on."

"Huh?"

"And get your makeup done."

As she spoke, Hayasaka somehow produced a full set of makeup and a wig from nowhere.

"...You're way too prepared."

---

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Miss Sagara Kaname?"

"Mrs. Takamine? Ah, it's been quite a while since we last talked."

"Yes, my husband was hiding in Japan for a while. It's only thanks to Rinji's help that I finally got him back here."

In the faculty office, Sagara Kaname was sitting at her desk, talking on the phone.

The voice from the other end was clearly that of an elderly woman, but her tone was still quite lively.

"That's why I hadn't contacted you for so long, Sagara Kaname. Or should I call you Teacher Sagara now?"

"Just call me Kaname, that's fine," Sagara Yao said with a smile.

"So how's Rinji doing over there? Is he studying properly? Has he caused any trouble?"

"Honestly, he's stirred up quite a few incidents, but compared to his father, he's far less of a headache."

"Oh, that's a relief."

"By the way, have you heard that Rinji has a girlfriend now?"

"I have! She's a very pretty girl. I was in such a good mood when I heard about it, I even postponed my husband's punishment~" the elderly woman laughed.

"Uh..."

Sagara didn't know how to respond to that.

The caller was Rinji's grandmother, checking in to ask how he was doing at school.

Sagara always found dealing with that family a bit troublesome.

"Say, Kaname, do you have any recent pictures of Rinji? I want to see how cute he is now. I bought a bunch of outfits for him~"

The old woman sounded delighted.

"I know a bit about his childhood. I heard you used to dress him up in all sorts of girls' clothes, right?" Sagara said helplessly. "He's in high school now. Shouldn't you stop with these weird hobbies?"

"But... but this is my only joy in life."

"I really don't see what's joyful about it."

"You just don't get it. Actually, I have a photo of him when he was ten—super adorable~ Want me to send it to you? He's wearing all kinds of outfits."

"Send it to my email. Ah no... wait. That's probably not appropriate. Rinji would be upset."

"Rinji is very obedient. He's never been angry with me," his grandmother chuckled. "And you know, when he puts on girls' clothes, he undergoes a strange transformation~"

"Huh?"