Yuasegawa Aoi stood frozen on the spot, her hands still pressed tightly at her sides as if she were still being punished to stand, but at the moment, her mind was a blank, empty confusion.
Jingu Tenon… Shiina Chisa… Suzuki Yuu… These names spun and crashed madly in her mind, finally tangling into a hopeless mess.
What does “together” mean? Yuasegawa Aoi didn’t understand.
Suddenly, she remembered that afternoon when Suzuki Yuu had come to her, saying he wanted to quit the club.
Could it have started back then?
Then why did he still stay with her in the Music Club, play games together, go out with her, even let her teach him the piano?
Was all this Jingu’s doing?
She didn’t know. The more she thought, the more chaotic her mind became, until finally she could only look at Suzuki with a pitiful expression, ask her questions, and wait for his answers.
The boy in front of her thought for a long while, then sighed and began to explain everything to her.
He told her about the agreement, about pursuing Shiina Chisa in his first year, about being locked up, about using Jingu Tenon’s name to escape, and finally about signing the agreement with her.
“So, out of curiosity about why Shiina Chisa would have feelings for me, she also signed an agreement with me. I was honestly pretty helpless at the time—didn’t want to get locked up again, so I had no choice.”
Suzuki Yuu explained everything, hiding only the existence of the system.
Yuasegawa Aoi gazed at him with her big, watery eyes for a long time.
She found Suzuki’s experiences incredible, but she still understood his predicament.
After all, this really was something Jingu Tenon would do.
And Suzuki Yuu… Hmph, he’s a scumbag!
“Why would such a cute girl like Shiina Chisa fall for you?” Yuasegawa Aoi complained, still sounding a bit disgruntled.
“That’s a bit harsh, you know! I’m not that bad. Besides, I have no idea why Chisa would fall for me—I’ve always just followed the agreement.”
Suzuki Yuu scratched his head and voiced his own confusion.
Yuasegawa Aoi sneaked a glance at him, then turned away and muttered with a huff:
“Hmph, scumbag!”
“Hey, hey, hey! I’ve never done anything to hurt her. On the contrary, I was the one tied up and almost lost my innocence!”
“You deserved it!”
Yuasegawa Aoi started being unreasonable again, but then her voice suddenly softened, and she asked:
“Did Jingu… do anything to you?”
“How could she? What would make me worthy of catching the President’s eye? Besides, I always felt like she never looked at me directly.”
“Hard to say. After all, her family…” Yuasegawa Aoi stopped halfway through her sentence.
“Don’t worry. I think President Jingu is a bit special, and if she really was interested in me, she wouldn’t have needed any agreement. I wouldn’t even have the chance to play games with you here.”
“Mm… that’s true.”
After listening to Suzuki Yuu’s explanation, Yuasegawa Aoi returned to normal.
But why had she just been so shocked, and why did it feel like her heart had been stabbed?
She didn’t know. Maybe it was just because the news was too unreasonable.
Yuasegawa Aoi decided not to think about it anymore. She sat down and picked up the controller again:
“We haven’t finished the game yet. Let’s keep playing!”
“Aren’t you afraid Ms. Kobayashi will double back and catch us?”
“What’s to be afraid of? I was just confused earlier. I should’ve pushed you forward on the spot and said you were the one leading me astray!”
“How do you make such a shameless act sound so justified…”
Suzuki Yuu complained, then sat down as well, just about ready to continue.
At that moment, the door was knocked again.
Yuasegawa Aoi was so startled she threw away the controller and hid the books on the sofa.
But the person who came in wasn’t Kobayashi Keiko, but rather a member of the Student Council:
“Excuse me, is President Yuase here? For Friday’s showcase event, we need to take a promotional photo.”
A promotional photo?
Suzuki Yuu and Yuasegawa Aoi looked at each other, both seeing the word “trouble” in the other’s eyes.
“Um… is it really necessary to take one?” Yuasegawa Aoi asked cautiously, instinctively tidying up her messy clothes, “We… aren’t really ready yet.”
“Sorry, President Yuase, these are President Jingu’s orders.” The Student Council member’s tone was respectful, but left no room for argument. “President said this showcase is very important, and the publicity must be done right.”
No doubt, Jingu Tenon was trying to provoke Yuase again.
Suzuki Yuu glanced at the girl beside him and noticed her shoulders slump, as if she didn’t even have the will to resist.
After thinking for a moment, he said:
“There’s no need for you to take the photos. We’ll take them ourselves and send them to you. As for the promotional work, we’ll handle it ourselves. All you need to do is make sure the venue is ready.”
Hearing this, the Student Council members exchanged glances, seemingly troubled.
“Don’t worry, I’ll talk to Senpai Jingu about it. Just focus on your own work.”
Suzuki Yuu added, finally putting them at ease, and they turned and left.
Yuasegawa Aoi watched all this, surprised. She looked at Suzuki Yuu and asked:
“Aren’t you afraid of that Jingu girl doing this?”
“Terrified, honestly. With all the rumors about her at school, who wouldn’t be? But what does it matter? I’m at the Student Council every day anyway, one more problem won’t make much difference.”
Suzuki Yuu spoke, then glanced at Yuasegawa Aoi, smiling as he added,
“Besides, taking these photos ourselves is much more fun. What’s the point in letting someone else arrange everything?”
Yuasegawa Aoi was stunned.
She stared blankly at Suzuki Yuu, at that naturally sunny smile on his face.
She felt a strange, long-lost warmth rising from deep in her heart.
But she quickly pushed it down and asked:
“So have you thought about how we’ll take the photos?”
“Nope, I only know a little bit about photography.”
“Then what were you saying earlier?!”
Yuasegawa Aoi was both annoyed and amused. She didn’t understand why Suzuki Yuu always agreed before even knowing what to do.
“Senpai, you’ve been on stage a lot since middle school, right? You must have some experience. Just follow the usual routine.”
“So it’s still me doing all the work in the end! What will you do?”
“I’ll just sit back and enjoy the results.”
“You…! I’ll fight you for real!”
The activity room grew lively again, but soon, they focused their attention on the task at hand.
Suzuki Yuu went to borrow a camera from a classmate, and Yuase asked her family to bring a set of clothes.
The outfit was an elegant, knee-length dark blue concert dress.
When Yuasegawa Aoi finished changing in the activity room’s storage area and came out, Suzuki Yuu nearly dropped the camera in his hand.
The dress was simple yet dignified, its tailored fit outlining her delicate figure—a world of difference from her usual baggy hoodies.
Her hair was neatly styled, her makeup applied—at that moment, she truly looked like a professional performer.
“What… What are you staring at?!” Flustered by Suzuki Yuu’s direct gaze, Yuasegawa Aoi’s cheeks flushed as she awkwardly straightened the bow at her collar. “Hurry up and take the pictures so I can change back. I haven’t worn this dress in ages, it feels weird.”
“That’s the outfit you used to wear for performances in middle school, right?”
“Yeah, it cost a lot back then.”
“Looks like you haven’t grown at all since middle school, Senpai.”
As Suzuki Yuu finished speaking, a fresh bite mark appeared on his arm.
After the lively fuss died down, they finally started the shoot.
Suzuki Yuu told her to imagine the feeling of performing in a concert hall, and after thinking for a moment, Yuasegawa Aoi did just that.
She closed her eyes as he asked, gently tucked the violin between her chin and shoulder, as if returning to that world that belonged only to her and music.
The afternoon sun shone gently through the windows, bathing her in soft light, the corners of her mouth lifting in a small smile.
The entire activity room fell silent, save for the soft “click” of the camera shutter.
“Three, two, one, cheese!”