Macho Man Doesn't want a Slice-of-Life

Awkward.

Unbearably awkward.

When Hayasaka last met Rinji, he said his girlfriend was still away on a trip. She hadn't expected to run into her here.

Right in front of his home.

After the initial shock, Hayasaka began to calm down.

'Stay calm. She shouldn't know who I really am. If I leave now—'

"You're Hayasaka Ai, right?" Karura smiled. "Rinji told me about you."

"..."

Well, so much for that.

Hayasaka felt a tangle of emotions. Running into Rinji's current girlfriend unexpectedly had her wishing she could disappear. And the fact that Karura knew her name meant she probably also knew what had happened between them.

Karura was from the Kure Clan. Don't let her cute appearance fool you—they were all killers. If she got angry and lashed out, Hayasaka might very well die on the spot.

"Oh~ so you're the girlfriend Rinji posted about? I've heard of you."

Hayasaka Ai instantly switched into her bubbly JK gyaru schoolgirl persona.

"I see. Nice to meet you, Ai~" Karura greeted her with a light smile.

From the get-go, calling her by such a familiar nickname left Hayasaka feeling a bit unsure about this girl. Still, she decided to retreat for now and revisit this later if the chance came up.

"You're here for Rinji, right? I won't get in the way then~"

Smiling, Hayasaka waved and tried to walk past Karura to head down the elevator.

Click.

Just before she could press the button, Karura suddenly reached out and grabbed Hayasaka's wrist.

"You're here for Rinji too, aren't you?"

"!?"

Hayasaka's eyes flicked away guiltily.

"Um…"

"Let's go in together~"

Without giving Hayasaka a chance to respond, Karura took her by the arm and pressed the doorbell to Rinji's room.

Ding-dong~

Hayasaka: "Wait—"

Click.

The door opened, and there stood Rinji in an apron. He saw Karura holding onto Hayasaka's arm.

"Oh, Karura, you're here. And Ai too? Did you run into each other outside?"

"Yeah, kind of…"

"Rinji!"

Before Hayasaka could finish her sentence, Karura let go of her and dove into Rinji's arms, hugging him tightly.

Hayasaka looked at the two embracing, and her emotions grew complicated.

If only she had been a little braver back then—trusted Rinji just a little more—would things have turned out differently? At the very least, the one in his arms might have been her.

After a short embrace, Karura hopped back and grabbed Hayasaka's hand, pulling her into the room.

"Come on in."

"Uh… sure."

Hayasaka knew this girl was Rinji's current girlfriend, and she shouldn't have anything against her—but Karura's cheerful demeanor made it impossible to dislike her.

It was hard to imagine that this kind of girl came from an organization that trained assassins.

"You two came at the right time. I just finished cooking."

Rinji led them to the dining table, which was laid out with a variety of delicious-looking dishes.

As the somewhat awkward Hayasaka sat down, Fusui, who had been hiding in the room earlier, finally walked out.

"Oh, Karura, you're here. Finally, we can eat."

Hayasaka: "…"

Who's this now?

She ran through her mental data: Rinji's girlfriend was Karura. Then who was this older woman, clearly a few years older to Karura? The black sclera meant she was also from the Kure Clan. Was she a relative of Karura's?

Also, Karura only just arrived today, which meant this woman had been living here before. Was Karura really okay with her boyfriend living with another woman?

With those questions swirling in her mind, Hayasaka turned to look at Karura.

"Here, Rinji. Aa~"

"Aa~"

Karura was feeding Rinji with her chopsticks.

'Forget it. I'm not watching anymore.'

Though Hayasaka didn't resent Karura, being lured in and then watching this kind of scene gave her a headache.

"Um… Miss Kure."

"Just call me Karura." Karura smiled. "Fusui also has the surname Kure. Using surnames will just confuse things."

"Okay… Karura."

Hayasaka asked, "Are you also studying in Tokyo?"

"Yup. I go to high school in Shibuya."

"Shibuya, huh…"

Shibuya was right next to Minato Ward, where Shuchiin Academy was. Not exactly walking distance, but closer than Setagaya, where Miyuki Shirogane lived.

That meant Karura and Rinji could only meet on holidays or weekends.

Realistically, Hayasaka didn't have much of a chance to use that separation to her advantage. Even though they both attended Shuchiin, Hayasaka was in second year and Rinji was in first year—they were in different buildings. It wasn't like they could bump into each other at any time.

Even Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane, who were in the same grade, usually only met in the student council room. Ryuju Momo could use club activities as an excuse to spend time with Rinji, but Hayasaka…

She didn't really have a way in.

She had already pushed herself to the limit with the few invitations she'd extended. Hayasaka wasn't the kind of girl who easily invited others out.

Watching Rinji and Karura laugh and chat so happily, Hayasaka lowered her head.

Maybe this was one of those "one wrong step ruins everything" situations.

---

Dinner didn't last long. After everyone finished eating, Rinji went to the kitchen to wash the dishes—and dragged the lazy Fusui in with him.

Hayasaka sat on the sofa in a daze. Despite feeling a bit depressed during the meal, she hadn't stopped thinking.

'I used to think Rinji's girlfriend was just a scammer, but now… Karura doesn't seem like someone who'd lie to him.'

She could tell clearly—being someone skilled at wearing masks herself.

'Is it really possible… to win Rinji back?'

She didn't want to use dirty tricks. At least not on Rinji.

While she was thinking, Karura suddenly came over and sat beside her.

"Ai, you've been on guard against me since earlier, haven't you?"

"!!?"

Hayasaka was startled by the sudden comment and instinctively put on her act.

"What are you talking about~? You're so cute, Karura. Why would I be on guard against you?"

"Because of my work, I'm very sensitive to people's negative emotions."

"…"

"Ai, you… like Rinji too, don't you?"

"…"

Realizing she couldn't pretend anymore, Hayasaka dropped the act and gave Karura a sharp look.

"Yes. I like Rinji."

"Well, that's strange."

Karura tilted her head in confusion.

"I like Rinji, you like Rinji—shouldn't we be friends with the same interest? Why be on guard?"

"…"

Hayasaka was at a loss for words.