In Class 2-C, Sakura Airi, Hasebe Haruka, and a freshly "satisfied" Kato Megumi all stood up in unison. They were joined by Horikita Suzune, who had finally recovered after a night's rest, Kushida Kikyo, who had just formalized her status, and even Wang Meiyu. They were all prepared to storm Ryunosuke's dormitory to demand an explanation.
Karuizawa Kei was about to spring up as well, but her wrist was caught by Matsushita Chiaki.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Huh?" Kei exclaimed, dissatisfied. "Asking for an explanation, obviously! Why is he suddenly dropping out? I'm his girlfriend—don't I have a right to know?!"
Chiaki glanced at the six girls who had already sprinted out the door. In an effort to prevent a massive multi-car pileup of girlfriends, she said with a tone of resignation:
"Akasaka just sent me a quick text..."
Chiaki relayed the "fact" to Kei: Ryunosuke would be coming back later, and he was only leaving temporarily to care for his critically ill mother. Hearing this, Kei let out a long sigh of relief and slumped back into her seat.
"What the... so that's it. Thank goodness."
Seeing her best friend abandon the chase made Chiaki feel relieved for her sake, but on the other hand, she felt a surge of irritation. Ryunosuke had indeed messaged her, specifically crafting a lie to keep Kei at bay and avoid a "collision" between his mistresses. After all, Kei still had no idea that Ryunosuke was currently balancing on fourteen different boats at once.
The more Chiaki thought about it, the more annoyed she became. Her hands, resting on her thighs, clenched into tight fists.
(Why do I have to help that scoundrel hide his secrets? If he gets caught, what does it have to do with me?)
However, seeing her best friend so genuinely in love, Chiaki feared Kei would be devastated. She chose to keep her mouth shut.
Meanwhile, in the same classroom, the Nakano quintuplets reacted as well. Ichika and Itsuki, who hadn't exchanged contacts yet and were in the dark, wanted to follow the others, but they were held back by Nino, Miku, and Yotsuba. Ryunosuke had sent the three of them messages using the same excuse: forbidding them from coming so he wouldn't be exposed.
Over in Class 2-B:
Ichinose Honami panicked the moment she heard the news of Ryunosuke's resignation. She stood up immediately to seek clarity, but her path was blocked by her close friend, Himeno Yuki.
Himeno waved her phone, signaling Honami to calm down. Ryunosuke had just messaged her saying he was leaving temporarily to visit his sick mother. Honami patted her modest chest, exhaled in relief, and sat back down with her usual cheerful smile.
"Thank goodness! I thought something terrible had happened to him."
Himeno gave a soft, bitter huff. "I was actually hoping he'd really gotten into trouble..."
Ryunosuke used the same trick to keep the oblivious Honami away, preventing her from crossing paths with the other girls. As one of Ryunosuke's "partners," Himeno felt obligated to help her man keep his secrets, even if it was becoming mentally exhausting.
Himeno leaned her head on her desk, stretching her legs out listlessly.
(That absolute jerk, just you wait for my revenge! When you get back, you're going to have to compensate me big time!) she promised herself.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Elsewhere, Ryunosuke finally breathed a sigh of relief after finishing his texts to Chiaki, Himeno, Yotsuba, Miku, and Nino. Ever since he nearly "sank" last time, he had been hyper-vigilant about repeating the same mistake.
At least the situation was under control... though he felt a twinge of guilt for using his mother as a human shield for his excuses.
Class 2-A:
There was no overreaction here. As a genius, Sakayanagi Arisu had already received a full explanation from Ryunosuke. However, she still felt a prickle of jealousy. She placed her chess piece down with a sharp clack.
"Going as far as self-sacrifice for Ai-chan's sake, hehe."
Arisu could get jealous too, you know! But regardless, Ryunosuke was her man; she still had to help manage the situation. She commanded a worried-looking Kamuro Masumi and an anxious Yamamura Miki not to interfere.
At that moment, Ryunosuke was packing his things in his dorm. Once the news broke, the girlfriends who hadn't been stopped by text messages stormed his room like a mad swarm.
He looked at his overcrowded room and was forced to explain himself to each one until his throat was dry. The girls were finally relieved, though a sense of envy lingered. Even though Ai was their "eldest sister," they still felt a bit suffocated seeing Ryunosuke willing to leave school just to satisfy Ai's spoiled whims.
Hiyori even turned her head away, pretending not to care about Ryunosuke out of jealousy. The other girls followed suit. Ryunosuke, facing a massive headache, had to coax them one by one.
The School Gate
It was time for Ryunosuke to depart. Amasawa Ichika, driven by some unknown motivation, showed up to see him off.
"By the way, the last time I was at this gate was to see Yagami off," Ichika told Ryunosuke.
Ryunosuke didn't acknowledge the comment, instead asking, "Why are you here? We aren't exactly close, are we?"
Ichika put on a playful act. "Aww~ Akasaka-senpai is so cruel~ We're comrades who've been through life and death together."
"Life and death comrades?" Ryunosuke remembered the uninhabited island exam, where he had indeed been cornered by Ichika and Yagami. Ichika had a point. He also remembered the moment she had pleaded for leniency for them.
"Thanks for that time. Even though you were eventually taken down by Megumi, I still remember you pleading for us."
Ryunosuke placed his hand on Ichika's maroon hair and ruffled it gently. "Don't worry, I promised Yagami I wouldn't let you leave this school."
Ichika brushed his hand away as it started to get too familiar, then tilted her head with a mysterious, sweet smile while hiding her hands behind her back.
"Akasaka-senpai, as long as you aren't in this school, I won't cause any trouble. So, come back as soon as possible to let me bother you again. Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be able to stop myself from attacking someone else."
Facing a threat that was actually a coded message for him to return quickly, Ryunosuke looked deep into Ichika's eyes. Their gazes locked.
Ryunosuke took a deep breath and asked, "Do you like me, Ichika?"
Ichika answered lightly, "Huh? Do you really think that's possible, Akasaka-senpai~?"
Ryunosuke muttered, "Right... I'm just overthinking it."
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