Chapter 545

Miyuki wore a deep pout as she walked out the main gate.

The thought of heading home alone without Matsuda after school left her feeling lonely and irritable.

Her irritation didn't just stem from loneliness—she was worried he might meet another girl.

While Matsuda wasn't the type to associate with just anyone, his friend was the real problem.

Watanabe Takashi. Searching her memories, she recalled rumors that he enjoyed a rather promiscuous lifestyle.

What if he tempted Matsuda to go out partying with him?

"Ugh..."

Just imagining it pissed her off.

Should she just tail him?

She could pretend to bump into him wherever he went and smoothly coax him into coming along with her...

Just as the thought crossed her mind, she spotted Matsuda talking with Watanabe Takashi near the main gate.

Her heels immediately lifted off the ground, and her hand flew to cover her mouth.

Muffling her footsteps, Miyuki pressed her back flush against the Academy wall and inched toward the gate.

"Yeah. See you."

"Ahn."

"Stop making weird moaning sounds and just get lost."

"How is that a moan? You wound this poor maiden's heart."

"You little shit... Want me to beat your ass before you leave?"

"No. I'm leaving."

"Yeah."

Their conversation ended—Watanabe Takashi acting slick and Matsuda clearly annoyed—and the main gate fell quiet.

Miyuki glanced around, noticed a few students staring at her as they left the gate, and quickly straightened her posture.

Deciding she should leave before she drew any more attention, she looked ahead and saw Matsuda's retreating back already quite a distance away.

It had been a long time since she had seen him walking instead of taking a car.

Seeing his broad back again made her body flush with heat.

She trotted over to him. Sensing her approach, Matsuda glanced over his shoulder, and Miyuki quickly managed her expression, raising a hand in greeting.

"Hey."

"What? You again?"

Hurt by the blatant apathy in his tone, Miyuki spoke up.

"Are you annoyed with me?"

"Not exactly... but aren't you the one annoyed with me?"

"Who knows? Anyway, where are you going?"

"Home."

"Not hanging out with your friends?"

"I just want to rest today."

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why do you want to rest?"

"How am I supposed to answer that? Because I'm tired?"

"So you're tired."

"No, I wasn't actually answering..."

"Then you'd better go straight home and get some good rest, right?"

"I told you, that wasn't my answer. It was just an example."

"Are you sleepy?"

Matsuda's face twisted into an expression of sheer bafflement.

Her bizarre insistence on him being tired left him utterly speechless.

Suppressing a bright smile, Miyuki quickly schooled her features and pressed on.

"Have a safe trip back. See you tomorrow."

"What?"

"Didn't hear me? Lean in a bit. I'll say it again."

"Are you trying to... Never mind. Forget it."

Matsuda let out a dry chuckle and waved a hand, shooing her away.

He had probably been about to ask if she was flirting with him, but thought better of it and swallowed the words.

He always knew how to keep his boundaries at times like this.

Normally, he'd cop a feel of a butt or breast without hesitation, or just strip a girl outright if he felt like it.

But she liked this side of him—the way he respected the line with someone who wasn't truly "his."

Taking a step forward, Matsuda cast a brief glance back at Miyuki and shook his head.

He seemed completely bewildered by the entire exchange.

Giggling softly at his reaction, Miyuki set off with a spring in her step.

She knew exactly what the next event involving Matsuda would be.

Two days from now, he would be strong-armed by a beggar, end up carrying the man on his back, and stumble into an alleyway lined with fancy shops.

He would cause a commotion there, and Miyuki would stumble across the scene—that was Scenario 2.

Thinking like this made it really feel like she was playing a game.

And honestly? It was kind of fun.

Pretending not to be interested in Matsuda was absolute torture.

Her eyes drifted toward him during class, between periods, and at lunch. If this kept up, she felt like she might suffer actual withdrawal and accidentally pounce on him.

That feeling didn't fade even after the school day ended.

It drove her crazy with irritation just knowing he wasn't walking home with her.

She was a nervous wreck. Did Matsuda have any idea how much she was burning for him?

Staring at him with those complicated feelings, Miyuki let out a heavy internal sigh as she watched him sleep with his face buried in his desk.

He looked like he didn't have a single care in the world.

‘Ugh...’

She hadn't expected him to immediately recognize her feelings, but seeing him sleeping so peacefully made her want to force him to wake up and study.

Matsuda arriving with the beggar. She just needed to get through this event, rapidly close the distance between them, and then she could start meddling in his life all she wanted.

Resolving herself over and over, Miyuki stood up to lead the class greeting as the teacher walked into the room.

After pushing through the days by sneaking constant glances at Matsuda, Miyuki finally hit a snag on the evening the event was supposed to take place.

'Why isn't he here...?'

She had been pacing the alleyways, wandering past all the fancy shops while waiting for Matsuda, but there was absolutely no sign of him.

Growing anxious, Miyuki chewed on her thumbnail and checked the time.

He should have arrived a long time ago.

By now, he was supposed to have dropped the beggar off, gotten into an argument, handed over some cash, and sent the man on his way.

But look at the street right now. It was completely dead.

There was absolutely no sign of Matsuda and a beggar shouting at each other.

Had the scenario changed just because she canceled her plans with her friends to see him alone?

Was this some kind of butterfly effect?

When she thought about it that way, this situation wasn't so strange after all.

Her anxiety spiking, Miyuki quickly scoured every corner of the alleyways. When she still couldn't find Matsuda or the beggar, she headed out to the main street.

'There are too many people...!'

The street was packed with a dense crowd.

Finding Matsuda here would literally be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Should she just head back and hope he eventually showed up?

Just as that thought crossed her mind...

"Hey! Spare some change for a poor beggar, why don't you?"

The voice of someone begging cut through the noisy chatter of the crowd.

Miyuki's eyes lit up at the sound.

'That has to be...'

It had been a long time, so her memory was a bit fuzzy, but judging by the aggressive tone and his words, that had to be the beggar from Matsuda's event.

Sure, there might be other beggars in the area, but her gut told her this was the one she was looking for.

But if Matsuda hadn't even met the beggar yet, wouldn't asking him be pointless?

Was there any reason to talk to him?

No. It was much better than not asking at all.

Even if he wasn't the right beggar, someone who spent his time wandering the streets begging might have spotted Matsuda.

Even if he had just walked past, Matsuda's tall stature and distinct, handsome features made him stand out. He would be easy to remember.

Having made up her mind, Miyuki hurried over. Seeing the beggar clicking his tongue at passersby who ignored him, she cautiously called out to him.

"Excuse me... hello, Mister."

"Huh? Well, aren't you a fine young lady?"

"Ah... thank you. I actually had a question. Do you have a moment?"

"Oh? A question, you say?"

"Yes. I'm looking for someone. He's over 185 centimeters tall, has a slight tan, and is very ruggedly handsome. He has a bit of a fierce vibe, and his hair color and length are..."

She was still rattling off Matsuda's description when the beggar suddenly thrust an empty tin can toward her.

A clear demand to pay up first.

Thinking the gleam of interest in the beggar's eyes was incredibly suspicious, Miyuki pulled a few coins from her rabbit-patterned coin purse and dropped them into the can.

Clink—!

The cheerful clatter of one 500-yen coin and five 100-yen coins tumbling together.

The beggar peered into the can, his mouth dropping wide open in shock.

"You're giving me all this?"

'Oops.'

She had thought she was dropping in six 100-yen coins, but a 500-yen coin must have slipped in.

It wouldn't be a waste if the beggar had actually seen Matsuda, but if he hadn't, she was going to feel thoroughly scammed.

"I'd love to give you more, but this is all I have on me..."

"I can still hear jingling from that purse, though?"

"Ah, those are just two 10-yen coins."

"Then you'd better drop those in too, eh?"

What a remarkably greedy man.

His high-handed attitude made her not want to give him a single yen, but she decided to just write it off as a good deed.

Now fully understanding why the beggar's can had been totally empty, Miyuki watched him chuckle giddily at the cash and started to worry.

What if he told her he hadn't seen anyone?

What if he refused to speak until she gave him more money?

Just as the fear took root, the beggar pointed a finger toward a small footbridge spanning a stream in the distance.

"A handsome young man over 185 centimeters tall, looking fierce and slightly tanned? I saw a guy like that heading that way."

"Ah, really?"

"Yep."

"How long ago?"

"Not too long. Maybe five minutes ago?"

She had been waiting in the alleyway for well over five minutes. Something in the timeline had definitely gotten twisted.

"That's pretty far away. How could you tell he went that way?"

"He looked a lot like I did in my younger days, so I followed him to ask for some change."

Matsuda looked like this beggar did in his youth?

Even putting it as politely as possible, the gap between them was like the gap between heaven... no, the edges of the universe and the earth!

Even if this man scrubbed himself clean and got a clean shave, his looks wouldn't even match a clipping of Matsuda's toenail. What an absolutely ridiculous bluff...

"I don't like that look in your eyes."

The beggar's pointed remark made it seem as if he had read her mind.

Miyuki's shoulders gave a guilty twitch, and she hurriedly apologized.

"I-I'm sorry..."

"Normally, I'd give you a stern scolding for that. But since you've generously funded my next meal, I'll let it slide out of the goodness of my heart."

"I-is that so?"

"Indeed. Besides, it's nice to see someone trying so hard."

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind. Weren't you in a rush to find him? Aren't you going to get going?"

"Huh? Oh... right. Thank you so much...!"

Miyuki gave him a quick bow and bolted toward the bridge.

Honestly, it wasn't the most reliable intelligence.

Even though she had given him a physical description, the beggar was hardly trustworthy, and he could have just pointed at the bridge at random.

And yet, Miyuki felt an inexplicable certainty that she would find Matsuda if she just went that way.

She didn't know why. She just knew it in her bones.

Drip.

A light drizzle was just beginning to fall, cementing that certainty even further.

Because rain always brought her good luck.