Chapter 549

"This is driving me crazy..."

Matsuda muttered, glancing over his shoulder.

Behind Matsuda—who had already turned to face forward again—Miyuki covered her mouth and smiled quietly as she followed him.

‘He can't go, can he?’

With her tagging along, he'd be reluctant to visit some delinquent hangout where Shimoyama might be.

She had followed him specifically to force this reaction, even making up a fake excuse to do it.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Matsuda asked, stopping dead in his tracks.

Miyuki met his scowling, intense gaze head-on and replied.

"I'm on my way there right now."

"Where."

"I don't think I'm obligated to tell you."

"Yeah? Then go your own way."

"It seems we're heading in the same direction. So far, at least."

"You're just going to keep following me, aren't you?"

"I might, if our paths keep crossing."

"Are you actually out of your mind?"

"Why would you say that? As the class rep, I can't just leave you alone when I see you going down the wrong path, Matsuda-kun."

"So you are following me, then."

"Yes, I am."

"What makes you think I'm going astray when you don't even know where I'm headed?"

"Ah, sorry. I jumped to conclusions... If I'm wrong, I really am sorry."

Matsuda clicked his tongue a few times.

His slightly wavering gaze was proof he couldn't deny her words.

"Well, I mean... I am going somewhere a bit shady."

"Shady? Where exactly? A place with girls?"

"Who knows. I doubt it, but there might be."

Could it be somewhere like a hostess club or a pink salon, where guys drank and messed around with women?

Even if it was, Matsuda wouldn't set foot in a place like that.

He might look like a playboy, but he actually had a surprisingly innocent side.

No, given the ambitions he had revealed to the four of them in the past... wait, the future... maybe that wasn't true either.

Still, he wasn't the type for casual hookups, so she decided to trust him.

"What kind of answer is that?"

"I don't know. Just go home while I'm asking nicely."

"Why?"

"Because it's dangerous. I'm not joking around, so leave."

Matsuda's eyebrows drew together in a hard frown.

That rare expression meant he was being entirely serious. Knowing this, Miyuki momentarily debated whether she really should turn back.

When Matsuda got like this, ignoring him would make him genuinely angry.

He had never lashed out in front of her, but sometimes when Tetsuya or the other classmates crossed a line, he would turn dead serious, and the shift was absolutely terrifying.

The thought of that anger being directed at her was scary. It was a little sad, too.

It was undeniably clear that Matsuda was worried about her.

Because of that, though she had originally planned to ignore him and tag along anyway, the fear that he might get hurt kept her frozen, shifting her weight anxiously.

"Still..."

"If you get involved, this will blow up into a massive problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"Haa..."

Matsuda could only sigh heavily, his brow knit tight.

Miyuki didn't know it, but the moment Samoyama set his sights on her, Matsuda had made up his mind to beat the guy to a pulp.

He had no intention of letting her get dragged into it, of course, which was exactly why he was trying to send her away right now.

"Just go when I tell you to."

"You're not going to fight, right?"

"Fight who? I'm just going because a sunbae called for me."

Matsuda was resolute.

Should she compromise? Given the situation, it seemed better to back off than stubbornly cling to him and lose affection level.

If he came back with even a single scratch on his face, she would report it straight to the Student Council.

She would make sure to thoroughly deal with that student named Samoyama, or whatever his name was, so he could never set foot in the Academy again.

Having made her decision, Miyuki nodded.

"Alright, then."

"Go meet a friend or something."

"I didn't make any plans. I was supposed to study with you today, Matsuda-kun."

"Why are you trying to make me feel guilty?"

"Is it working?"

"Nope."

One corner of Matsuda's mouth curled up in a smirk.

That refreshing smile really had a way of lifting her spirits.

She wished he would only show it to her... but she knew she shouldn't try to control even his smiles.

If she did, Matsuda would only turn it right back around on her.

"I'll go, then."

"Yeah."

"Let's get back to studying when you're done."

"Again?"

"Yes."

"Well... I don't know how long this is going to take."

"Let's do it."

"Do what?"

His expression and tone were clearly teasing.

Seeing his reaction, Miyuki let out a short laugh at his slyness.

At the same time, she felt relieved.

It gave her the certainty that Matsuda was interested in her.

It was a little funny to conclude that based on just one interaction, but that was the feeling she got anyway.

"Study. Don't tell me you were thinking of something weird?"

"Aren't you the one thinking of something weird?"

The old her would have been flustered by that, but not anymore.

Still, she figured it was best to pretend she was, so she played along.

"Are you actually a pervert...?"

"What did I even say to make you call me a pervert?"

"Whatever...! Just call me when you're done."

"Were you serious about studying?"

"Of course. You have a long, long way to go, Matsuda-kun... but I plan to make sure you can at least pull your own weight."

"If you say so."

"You're really not going to fight, right?"

"I'm not fighting. Would I do that with the class rep standing right in front of me?"

"I'm going to be on the Student Council, too."

"Good to have big ambitions."

"Which is why I'm telling you not to cause any trouble..."

"Yeah, yeah."

It was incredibly satisfying to hear that half-hearted yet warm response from him again—the one that always slipped out whenever she nagged him.

That alone was enough to fully recharge her energy for the day.

Though, of course, she fully intended to spend more time with him later.

"Alright. I'm leaving, then."

"Yeah. Please just go."

"Saying that makes me not want to go."

"Go."

Watching Matsuda wave his hand dismissively like he was shooing a fly, Miyuki clicked her tongue and finally turned away, just as he wanted.

She headed to a cafe.

She planned to order a coffee nearby and wait for him to contact her, so it made sense to kill time in the area.

"Huh...?"

After picking up her coffee, Miyuki had been killing time at a window seat when her Cell Phone rang, making her eyes widen.

‘What is it...?’

The caller ID said Matsuda.

It hadn't even been thirty minutes since he left, and he was already calling?

Was he calling for help?

Overcome with anxiety, Miyuki hurriedly answered.

"Hello?"

"Where are you?"

"Me? I'm at a nearby cafe... Are you done already?"

"Yeah. Send me the address."

"Ah, okay... Everything's fine, right?"

"It's fine."

"Alright. I'll send it now."

Miyuki hung up and texted him the cafe's location. Less than ten minutes later, Matsuda walked in, looking around the room until she raised a hand.

"Over here...!"

Spotting her, Matsuda navigated through the busy cafe and sat down beside her.

"What were you doing?"

"Me? Just texting some friends..."

"With Miura?"

"No, not Tetsuya-kun. Just some girlfriends."

"Yeah?"

"What about you, Matsuda-kun? What did you do over there?"

"Nothing much."

Matsuda gave a nonchalant reply, pulling out his Cell Phone and staring at the screen.

When he started typing on the keypad, Miyuki couldn't contain her curiosity. She subtly shifted her head and eyes to peek at his Cell Phone.

[Hikarigaoka Park North Entrance, 2:00 PM.]

[Yes.]

A text message and a reply.

It seemed Samoyama had ordered Matsuda to do something.

Miyuki quickly snapped her head back forward before Matsuda could look at her. As soon as he slipped the Cell Phone into his pocket, she spoke up.

"Matsuda-kun, do you have any plans tomorrow by any chance?"

"No."

He didn't? Then what was that address someone had just sent him?

Miyuki swallowed those words and probed into his schedule for tomorrow in a roundabout way.

"Then do you want to study tomorrow, too?"

"Tomorrow, too?"

"Yeah."

"Sure, whatever."

"How about from lunch until evening?"

"Isn't your head going to explode?"

"We can take it easy."

"Alright, then."

It definitely looked like he had plans, but the way he was acting made it seem like he didn't.

Was the text maybe for next weekend instead of tomorrow?

Or was he supposed to ditch class on a weekday to go at 2:00 PM?

She didn't know what it meant, but she was incredibly curious.

If it was something Samoyama, a member of the Superi circle, was making his junior Matsuda do, it had to be something rough...

‘I have to find out.’

She had to clear away anything that might pose a threat to him.

It was only right to prevent things from going wrong beforehand.

She just wanted to enjoy some sweet time with Matsuda, but there were too many obstacles getting in the way.

It wasn't like they had dropped into a thriller or a crime novel...

Who knew it would be this hard to just enjoy a little bit of happiness... It pissed her off.

It was annoying, too.

"What kind of coffee is that?"

Swept up in her spiraling thoughts, Miyuki snapped back to reality when Matsuda pointed at her coffee with his chin and asked.

"This? A condensed milk latte."

"Is it good?"

"Yeah. A little."

"Maybe I'll order one."

So he wasn't going to ask for a sip.

Usually, he would just steal a sip and tease her about it.

She had to understand, considering they weren't that close right now—even if it made holding back that much harder.

"I'll buy it for you. To commemorate your promise to study hard starting tomorrow."

"I never promised anything like that."

"But you will."

"Think whatever you want."

Heading to the counter with Matsuda while they chatted about trivial things, Miyuki thought it was a massive relief that he had returned without any injuries today.

Still, she couldn't let her guard down. After all, the people surrounding him in the present—not the future—were almost all delinquents.