“…You knew?”

That was unexpected. I had assumed Tachibana Iori had no interest in such trivial gossip.

“The students at Suzakura always say this— I don’t care about Aotaka at all. As long as Iori-sama is there, that’s all that matters.“

“Ah… So it really is like that.”

After this past week, I had come to understand the atmosphere at Suzakura all too well. And I had also grasped the charm of the person causing it—Tachibana Iori. Frankly speaking, even if you gathered all the male students at Aotaka, none of them could rival Tachibana Iori’s allure.

“Could it be that, because of me, Aotaka students are living a lonely school life?”

“…I don’t know if it’s because of you, but there’s definitely been fewer couples this year.”

Fewer? No, zero.

As we approached the station, the number of pedestrians increased. Businessmen and students passing by all turned their heads in surprise at Tachibana Iori. That was understandable—she was quite tall for a high school girl, and above all, her features were far too perfect. Some gave me questioning looks as if to ask, Is she your girlfriend?

Relax, people. We’re just coworkers at our part-time job.

“I see. But I won’t apologize. That would be disrespectful to their feelings.”

“Yeah. You haven’t done anything wrong. It’s just that Aotaka students lack charm, that’s all.”

That should have been the end of the conversation—if only I hadn’t been forced into an unreasonable request.

“…Actually, next month, there’s an event called the Aotaka Festival.”

“Aotaka Festival?”

“In short, it’s a sports festival. Every year, tons of Suzakura students come to watch, and it gets really lively. They even say that most Suzakura-Aotaka couples form at the festival.”

For the record, last year was already devoid of any female presence. Which meant that within just a month of enrolling, Tachibana Iori had already captivated the entire Suzakura student body.

“I see. So if things continue as they are, the Aotaka Festival won’t be exciting.”

Tachibana Iori nodded in understanding.

“Pathetic, right? …To make matters worse, Aotaka students found out that you and I work at the same part-time job. So now, they’re begging me to do something about it.”

Honestly, who do they think they are? I’d only known Tachibana Iori for less than two weeks—we weren’t even friends.

“It’s a weird request, and I’m sorry to ask, but… do you think you could do something about this?”

Even as I said it, I felt ridiculous. But with the entire student body pleading with me, I couldn’t just ignore it. If she refused, I’d simply report back that it didn’t work out.

…She’d probably refuse anyway. There was no reason for her to help.

“Hmm… let’s see…”

Tachibana Iori placed a hand on her chin in thought. The station was right in front of us now. I wasn’t sure which train line she took, but we’d likely part ways at the ticket gates. Even inside the station, people couldn’t help but glance her way.

Despite it being nearly 10PM, a crowd of people loitered near the gates—mostly businessmen in suits, with a few high school students mixed in. Two Suzakura students noticed Tachibana Iori, pointed in our direction, and then looked at me with expressions that were… hard to describe. Like they had just spotted their sworn enemy.

“What about you, Natsuki? What do you think?”

“Huh?”

Tachibana Iori suddenly spoke. A nearby businessman, who had been fiddling with his smartphone, had obviously started eavesdropping—his hand was frozen mid-motion.

“You said everyone asked you to do this. But I want to know what you think. Would you be happy if Suzakura students attended the Aotaka Festival?”

Tachibana Iori’s gaze locked onto mine. Her sharp, beautiful eyes held me in place—I couldn’t move.

“…Yeah. I think that would make it easier to put in the effort.”

I managed to squeeze out the words, and for some reason, Tachibana Iori nodded in satisfaction.

“I see. Then I’ll take care of it.”

“Wait, really?”

I was stunned. I never thought she’d actually agree.

“Sure. But on one condition.”

“A condition?”

What could she possibly want from me? I couldn’t think of anything.

Tachibana Iori raised a single finger and brought it to her lips.

“—At the Aotaka Festival, show me your coolest side. I’ll be expecting great things from you.”

She winked at me before disappearing beyond the ticket gates.

From start to finish, she was the kind of person who belonged in a picture.