Chapter 67: Esper Is Not Afraid of a Shurafield Situation
(Note: Shurafield = a situation of intense conflict or chaos, often involving multiple people vying for the affections of one person.)
"Hey, classmate! Did you hear me clearly?"
(｡•̀ ⤙ •́ ｡ꐦ) !!!
Iino Miko, inside the Disciplinary Committee's office, spoke up to Hayasaka Ai.
Why didn't the other party show even the slightest hint of embarrassment? That kind of shameless attitude was exactly like the Hayasaka-senpai she often ran into in the hallway during lunch breaks.
Really, they were so alike! Extremely alike! If the two didn't look different and didn't have different hair colors, Iino Miko would have suspected whether they were somehow related by blood.
"Understood." Right now, Hayasaka Ai just wanted to slip out of here as soon as possible.
As long as she admitted her fault, she could leave, right?
Unfortunately, things weren't that simple. Iino Miko turned to Osaragi Kobachi beside her and said, "Bring me a self-criticism form. A male student sneaking into the girls' changing room, I'm reporting this to the student council, and then the president will bring it up to the principal."
Then she turned back to Hayasaka Ai and said, "Classmate, please tell me your name and class."
Ai-chan felt the situation was getting a bit dangerous.
She hurriedly grabbed Miko's hand, "Please, let me explain a little."
(つ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )つ
She hadn't planned to reveal her identity at first, but in this current situation, if she didn't tell the truth that she was a girl, things would be beyond saving.
Two faces suddenly leaned close together.
"W-what are you doing?" Iino Miko looked at the soft face suddenly approaching; even though it wasn't her type, her heart still beat faster, "We don't take bribes here!"
( ˶o˶˶o˶) !!
"This matter is actually quite complicated, but in fact…"
Hayasaka Ai's voice carried a choked sob, "Actually, I'm a girl."
"Then why did you…" Iino Miko didn't immediately refute.
She had never been one to make final judgments easily.
If there was a misunderstanding, it just needed to be explained clearly.
"My family has really heavy gender prejudice, the so-called valuing boys over girls. Any girl born into my family is raised as a boy." Hayasaka Ai let go of her hand, wiping at the corner of her eyes.
Of course, those tears were fake — Hayasaka Ai was a girl who could control her own tear glands.
As the strongest weapon of a woman, mastering it was an essential skill for anyone in intelligence work!
"I really wish I could live as a girl, but my father won't allow it." Hayasaka Ai covered her face, crying, "Since I was born, I've never even been inside the girls' changing room."
.·°՞(っ-ᯅ-ς)՞°·.
Miko-chan, being gullible, was completely drawn in.
Beside her, Osaragi Kobachi lightly pushed up her glasses.
(⌐⎚-⎚)✧
This story obviously screamed bullshit, how could Miko possibly believe it?
...This was a wrong judgment!
Iino Miko, this innocent girl, completely failed to see through the natural deception of the hundred faces maid!
Miko-chan had been fully convinced by her!
"How pitiful!" Miko-chan analyzed: "So that's why you only went into the changing room when no one was around."
Beneath the face covered by her crying hands, Hayasaka Ai revealed an expression of "Keikaku doori~ muahahahaha." She continued sobbing: "Y-yeah."
Osaragi Kobachi spoke up: "Then normally, you change clothes in the boys' changing room?"
Hayasaka Ai's body trembled slightly from the fake crying, then after a few seconds' pause, she softly replied: "Umu."
This woman's acting was god-tier!
Hayasaka: ( • ̀ω•́ )✧
"What kind of parents are like that! That's so shitty!" A surge of righteousness welled up in Iino Miko's heart.
Right now, she just wanted to rush straight to Hayasaka Ai's house and have a proper talk with her parents!
What era was this, the reign name had already changed to Reiwa.
And yet there were still families that valued sons over daughters like this! Unforgivable!
"You must have suffered a lot growing up." Miko-chan stepped forward and hugged Hayasaka Ai tightly.
The two weren't the same height, so Hayasaka Ai very cooperatively bent down.
"Uuuu~ there were times I even thought maybe I should just die! I also want to wear cute clothes, I also want to go shopping with friends as a girl, but my parents would never allow that."
"If my true identity is exposed, my parents will scold me, please don't tell anyone..."
"..." Miko-chan patted her back.
( っ´ `)っ(╥﹏╥)
Comforting: "If you're treated unfairly at school, just tell me, okay? And about your true identity, I'll help keep it secret too. I'll always be your best friend!"
[I'll always be your best friend!]That line was so cool! Miko-chan had long wanted a chance to say something like that!
Miko: ( • ̀ω•́ )✧
Hayasaka: ∘ ∘ ∘ (っ º - º ς) ?
Suddenly, Ai-chan felt a bit scared.
If her true identity was exposed later, would Miko-chan come chasing after her with a knife?
"Thank you." Hayasaka Ai said gently.
"You're really such a good person."
Osaragi Kobachi watched the two of them, feeling that Miko had been fooled again.
However, Osaragi also hadn't discovered Hayasaka Ai's true identity; it was just that after carefully observing her figure, she confirmed that what Hayasaka Ai said wasn't a lie. Regardless of family background, the fact that she was female was indeed true.
As a master of disguise, Osaragi Kobachi had very sharp eyes when it came to hiding oneself. In fact, she was quite pretty herself — it was just that she always wore the glasses called "Beauty Concealing Glasses," so she appeared plain.
If she simply took off her glasses, she'd transform into a bishoujo — that was roughly Osaragi Kobachi's setup.
Kobachi: (⌐⎚-⎚)✧ ==> (*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ*.ﾟ
Hayasaka Ai and Iino Miko hugged for nearly half a minute.
Ai-chan let her go and cautiously asked, "So… can I go now?"
Iino Miko tilted her head: "Even though I won't report this to the school, classmate, you still have to write a self-criticism."
After all, this kind of behavior easily caused disturbances. Luckily, it was her who saw it — if it had been other girls, it might've caused an even bigger fuss.
Just giving a verbal warning wouldn't leave much impression; better to leave some kind of handwritten record.
"Here." Osaragi Kobachi pulled out a stack of self-criticism forms from the cabinet next to her, handing the top sheet to Hayasaka Ai.
Hayasaka Ai sighed, sat down on a nearby chair, and started writing the self-criticism.
...
...
"Isn't Hayasaka-san usually pretty close with Sakurai-san?" Shinomiya Kaguya, completely unaware that Hayasaka Ai was currently being made to write a self-criticism, was still leading the conversation along her intended script.
"If she gets close to another boy, wouldn't you feel bothered?"
Shirogane Miyuki silently took a sip of coffee upon hearing that.
Shinomiya, you sure are blunt!
Wasn't this basically forcing someone to show their stance?
[If you don't like her, then it shouldn't matter if she's with another man, right? But if it bothers you, doesn't that mean you like her?]That was roughly Shinomiya's implication.
Shirogane Miyuki felt that, even if she wanted to play matchmaker, don't go about it this way — this just made people uncomfortable.
And most importantly…
There was another girl here who was very close to Sakurai Saki.
That was none other than Secretary Fujiwara!
Chika: (≖ᴗ≖ ✿)
'Shurafield… I didn't expect to see this kind of scene in real life.' Ishigami Yuu, while holding a handheld game console, had already stopped paying attention to the screen; the racing car in his game had gone off the track and was smashing into a wall.
Ishigami Yuu perked up his ears, waiting for the next lines.
"During lunch break, I overheard where the confession was happening — probably next to the gym. Sakurai-san, if you go now, you might still make it." Kaguya said.
Fujiwara Chika turned to look at Sakurai Saki, "Saki-kun~ do you want to go check it out?"
Ishigami Yuu & Shirogane Miyuki: 'Yabe, Sakurai/Sakurai-senpai, this is a trap!'
Both of them felt the air around them suddenly freeze!
How were you supposed to answer a question like this!?
Say you don't want to go? Then if Hayasaka-senpai actually accepted the confession, would Sakurai-senpai regret it?
But if you say you want to go, wouldn't that be directly showing in front of another girl that you care about that other girl!?
'No solution.' Shirogane Miyuki anxiously glanced at Sakurai Saki, who was holding an empty coffee cup.
'Will this battle ultimately end in Fujiwara-senpai's victory?' Ishigami Yuu's racing car was still crashing into the wall.
At this moment, the one at the center of the storm — Sakurai Saki, was incredibly calm.
Funny enough, he couldn't even see Ai-chan anywhere.
She hadn't even prepared to accept a confession — was he supposed to be scared?
Using his X-ray vision ability to scan once around the gym, confirming there was no suspicious target, Sakurai Saki remained completely unpanicked.
"Not going."
He'd already seen everything — what was the point of going?
Sorry, muggles, but someone with superpowers doesn't fear a shurafield!
( •᷄ᴗ•́)