Chapter 13 - Innocent Maiden
“Sorry, huh? For having you walk me home.”
“No, it’s getting late.”
Our conversation about the student council elections came to a close, and I was walking home with Aoi.
It’s a bit of a detour, but it’s dangerous for a woman to walk alone at this time.
“Hehe… If Akane-chan saw you being so considerate, she might get jealous.”
“I don’t think so. If anything, I would feel the weight of those kinds of gazes. Aoi-san, you’re beautiful.”
As evidence, passersby have been glancing at us since a while ago.
Well, they’re looking at Aoi-san, not me.
And the puzzled looks they give me are a bit painful.
“Hehe. Really?”
As we walk, attracting the attention of the people around us, Aoi-san keeps glancing at me.
She probably has something she wants to say but can’t bring herself to do so.
…They really are sisters in that aspect.
“What’s up?”
“Oh, no, um… Itsuki-kun, you used to be Sato in kindergarten, right? But in middle school, you were Kando… and now you’re Sato again.”
Ah… I see. She’s curious about why I changed from Sato to Kando and then back to Sato.
It’s true that it’s a matter of concern, and it’s hard to ask about.
“Well… To put it simply, my dad, who disappeared from my mom’s life, suddenly appeared… and we ended up living together.”
“Eh, isn’t that a bit too dramatic? But I see. That’s why you moved suddenly back then.”
“Yes, at that time, my last name changed to Kando, but after a while, I had a kind of argument with my dad and changed it back to Sato.”
Well, it wasn’t even an argument, really.
“Eh? Why did you fight?”
“Um… A difference in values, maybe?”
“Sorry, is it about the reason for a band’s breakup or something?”
Well, this is a rough explanation, I guess.
It’s far from a sufficient explanation, but Aoi-san seems to understand a lot and doesn’t ask any further questions.
“But you know, it’s surprising that you’re not found out as Kando Itsuki.”
Aoi-san speaks with a puzzled tone as the topic changes.
“Yes… I think I haven’t been found out, but people do say things like I look familiar, or I look like him, or have we met before?”
Oda-kun and Nakano in my class are good examples of this. The reason I haven’t been found out is probably that my last name is Sato. The strong belief that we’re different people because our last names are different might be at work.
Also,
“Maybe it’s because my appearance has changed?”
I used to pay attention to my appearance as the eldest son of the Kando family when I was in middle school, so my appearance should be a little different now… I think.
“Ah, I see. Just changing your hairstyle can change your appearance quite a bit… Is it that different?”
“Do you want to see a photo?”
“Eh!? I want to see, I want to see!!!”
“Um… I’m sure… I have a photo on my smartphone… Ah, here it is.”
Aoi-san looked at my smartphone with sparkling eyes.
“Eh!? Who’s this handsome guy!?”
“That’s me…”
“No way!? Eh!?”
She stared in astonishment as she compared my face now with the photo on my smartphone.
No, no, it’s just that my hair is styled differently, and I’m standing straight instead of slouching, and my eyes are sharper instead of looking dead. There’s not that much of a difference, right?
“It’s like… the freshness of a curse being lifted or something…”
“Eh? Are you saying that I look cursed now?”
“Eh, no… Ahaha…”
No, deny it! Hey!
“Well, that’s true. With this… it’s understandable.”
Aoi-san nodded with a satisfied look.
Looking at Aoi-san now, I thought that maybe only the student council members from middle school would realize that I’m Kando Itsuki.
…Is it really that different?
“By the way, what’s the concerning factor in this student council election?”
“Right. I should tell you since you’re helping. It hasn’t been announced yet, but this election, the Holy Lady… Hiyo-chan Furuhashi is running for student council president.”
Hiyori Furuhashi.
A first-year student who served as the student council president of the 103rd class at Seiryu Academy’s middle school and has maintained top grades. She comes from a prestigious family and is a genuine young lady.
Her beauty and achievements in middle school have earned her the title of one of the Seiryu Academy’s Five Great Beauties, just like Akane.
She is called the Holy Lady of Seiryu Academy for her compassionate appearance, always smiling gently at anyone who speaks to her.
Incidentally, Akane is known as the Princess of Seiryu Academy, and Aoi-san is called the Empress of Seiryu Academy.
I can understand Aoi-san being called the Empress since she’s the student council president, but Akane being called the Princess… isn’t that just a spoiled girl?
“I think she’ll definitely secure the support of the first-years. And then it’s about the support of the third-years…”
Seiryu Academy is a prestigious school originally established as an educational institution for the top aristocrats and samurai in Japan. Therefore, many of the students are from wealthy families, former aristocrats, samurai, and the elite of various industries.
The Shinjo sisters are among the minority of ordinary families within the school. There is a certain number of people who do not accept an ordinary student becoming the student council president.
However, Hiyori Furuhashi can definitely win them over. And her achievements are greater than Akane’s. In that case, there is a possibility that not only the third-years but also the second-years will have their votes taken away.
Considering that, she’s quite a troublesome opponent.
“I think it’s rare for a first-year to become a student council president, but I think Hiyori-chan has the ability and support to become one. Like you were in middle school… right?”
I looked away at those words.
“Thanks for walking me home. Oh, would you like to come in?”
“No, I’ll pass. It would definitely lead to some trouble.”
“That’s a shame. Oh, wait a sec.”
Saying that, Aoi-san took out her smartphone from her pocket.
“Let’s exchange contact information. If you do it now, you’ll get Akane-chan’s too, what a deal~?”
“Yay. I’m so happy.”
I obediently exchanged contact information, thinking it would be more trouble to refuse.
“Then, I’m counting on you starting tomorrow♪ Goodnight, Itsuki-kun.”
After confirming that Aoi-san had entered her house, I began walking back to my apartment.
Hiyori Furuhashi… huh. I’ve seen her from afar before.
She was a beautiful and lovely girl, fitting for the nickname of the Holy Lady. Her posture and behavior were quiet and elegant, possessing a charm that made you want to keep staring at her.
As if to prove it, there were many people around her, and she was the center of attention.
Well, at least for now, I don’t have any opportunities to talk to her, and she’s a distant existence that I’m not involved with.
While thinking about such things, the elevator stopped at the floor where I live. I got off and began walking down the hallway to my room, only to freeze shortly after.
“Where… did I put… my key…”
In front of her room door, Hiyori Furuhashi was standing with her silky straight hair flowing, a troubled expression on her face as she placed her shopping bags on either side and searched for something in her bag.
The distant existence I thought Hiyori Furuhashi was turned out to be a very close one, living right next to me.