A line had formed in front of Class 2-1, Iori’s classroom. Several students holding placards were busily guiding guests.

“Wow, what a line. Iori-chan’s really popular, huh?”

Mom proudly patted my back. I’d already told her we were keeping our relationship a secret, so she wouldn’t say anything careless—but if she slipped up even a little, it’d be over. And with Momiji here, who knew what she might blurt out? Imagining the worst-case scenario, my body instinctively stiffened.

“Iori really is amazing. She is the ‘Prince of Suzakura,’ after all.”

I muttered it low enough that only Mom could hear. It didn’t surprise me at all that the entire line was made up of girls. For some reason, I was weirdly confident that Iori would attract this kind of attention.

“——But in front of me, she’s just a little kitten.”
“Wha—!? D-Don’t say weird stuff like that!”

Momiji blurted out something outrageous, and I immediately glanced around. Fortunately, the surrounding noise drowned out our conversation—if anyone had heard, I wouldn’t be standing here unharmed right now.

“What are you trying to do to my daughter, Momiji-san…?”
“I only wish for Iori’s happiness. That’s what a mother does.”
“Mhm, mhm, exactly! I pray for Natsuki’s happiness too.”
“Uh… well, thanks…?”

Having something like that said to my face was embarrassing, so I turned away from Mom. My chest felt itchy, and I couldn’t get comfortable. As I pouted, Momiji glanced at me and smiled.

“Ah, youth is so wonderful.”

Feeling like she’d seen right through me, I stepped forward as if to hide my face. Just then, one of the students holding a placard approached us.

“Are you here for the 12 o’clock session?”
“Ah, yes. There are three of us.”

At my words, the girl quickly glanced behind me—at Mom, who looked completely ordinary, and Momiji, who stood out like a sore thumb in her kimono. And then there was me, a high school boy. It wouldn’t be strange if she found our group suspicious.

“O-Oh, I see! Three people, right? We’ll be ready to seat the 12 o’clock group soon, so please wait in line at the back.”

Following her directions, we moved to the end of the line. I couldn’t tell what was happening inside the classroom, but the line seemed to be moving at a decent pace. At this rate, it’d probably take about twenty more minutes for our turn.

More and more people lined up behind us. By chance, I overheard a conversation between two Suzakura High students standing right behind us.

“What do I do, what do I do!? What should I have her wear!?”
“Honestly, I might be taking this too seriously, but… I’m kinda thinking the school uniform?”
“Wait, seriously? I was thinking the same thing! I’d never dare talk to her normally, so today’s literally my only chance!”

From the way they talked, they seemed to be first-years. And apparently, they already knew what Iori was doing inside. “What should I have her wear”—so it was some kind of costume-based event? The fact that they were considering the uniform suggested there was more to it than just putting it on. After all, they must’ve already seen Iori in her uniform plenty of times.

“Iori-sama, we have a group of three entering now.”

Before I could figure it out, our turn arrived. A girl standing at the entrance energetically slid open the classroom door. Just what awaited us inside?

As we stepped in, I heard the door close behind us. The classroom was divided in half by a white curtain, and standing at the front, near the blackboard, was Iori—dressed in her school uniform.

“Hey, welcome—……Eh?”

Iori’s eyes widened as she saw me—or more accurately, the two people behind me.

“U-Um, sorry, Iori… Everyone kinda tagged along.”
“Well, we were going to introduce everyone before the wedding anyway. Think of this as a rehearsal.”
“Sorry, Iori-chan. We just happened to run into each other.”

All three of us apologized to Iori. Her stunned expression slowly turned red.

“……This is… a problem…… No, I knew this day would come eventually. I just didn’t expect it to be now.”

Iori stepped down from the podium and walked toward us. I still had no idea what this event was supposed to be. The entire classroom was draped in white fabric, with several lights set up around the room.

“Hey, Natsuki. You surprised me—so what’s next? You’re not gonna make me do a vow kiss in front of everyone, are you?”