Just like that, before he realized it, Suzuki Yuu found himself once again in the Jinguu family’s car.
When he heard the other party say they were going to her house, his first instinct was to refuse, but he was immediately shut down by things like “contract” and “student council duties.”
Suzuki Yuu understood that once she said those words, it basically meant one thing was decided.
Even if he wanted to weasel out of it, there was no way.
He could only force a smile and try to find some enjoyment in his predicament.
He didn’t know what Jinguu Amane was up to this time—maybe another of her odd tests, or perhaps she was annoyed with how he’d kept going against her wishes lately.
Either way, nothing good ever came from going to this girl’s house.
But he had no choice but to accept it.
After getting out of the car, Jinguu Amane said something that instantly turned him to stone where he stood:
“There’ll probably be quite a few people at tonight’s banquet, Suzuki. Make sure you behave yourself, all right?”
“What? Banquet?”
Suzuki Yuu was full of confusion.
What’s with the tricks now? Weren’t they supposed to meet the professor? How did it turn into a banquet?
He just knew it wouldn’t be that simple.
At that moment, Jinguu Amane didn’t answer his question, only stood there smiling.
Seeing this, Suzuki Yuu let out a deep sigh:
“President, shouldn’t you at least give me a heads-up about things like this?”
“If I told you in advance, you’d come prepared, wouldn’t you?”
“For the sake of your client’s reputation, I think it’s better if I just don’t go in at all.”
Hearing her words, Suzuki Yuu felt a headache coming on and started to resist.
But Jinguu Amane didn’t seem to care about his reasoning at all. Instead, a puzzled look appeared on her face.
Then, her eyes showed a hint of pity as she signaled the driver inside the car. The driver handed over a small mirror.
She then gave the mirror to Suzuki.
“What’s this supposed to mean?” Suzuki Yuu took the mirror in confusion and looked at it.
“Suzuki-kun, none of us can choose our origins, but that doesn’t mean we should feel inferior.” She spoke, her tone taking on a touch of sympathy. “Just look at your face, your figure, and think about your abilities. With those conditions, why would I need to worry about my reputation?”
“Uh…” For a moment, Suzuki Yuu didn’t know what to say. He felt like this girl was leading his thoughts astray.
Of course he wouldn’t feel inferior over something like this, or he wouldn’t have approached Shiina Chisa before.
But isn’t she worried at all about having nothing prepared?
“All right, don’t just stand there in a daze. Let’s head inside quickly.”
Jinguu Amane spoke again, reaching out as if to take his hand.
Suzuki Yuu hurriedly took a few steps back and said:
“Wait, the clothes I’m wearing aren’t really appropriate for a banquet. Maybe I should just sit this one out.”
As he spoke, he pointed to his casual outfit.
However, before he could even finish, Jinguu Amane looked to the driver, who made a call. Soon, a group of people appeared before him, holding an exquisite set of formalwear.
“It’s fine, Suzuki-kun. I’ve had these prepared for you a long time ago. Go inside and change.”
“No, this is too expensive…”
“It might be for you, but for me, it’s not even a tenth of my allowance.”
Suzuki Yuu held his forehead—her words had both cut off his excuse and stabbed him in the heart.
“No, no, if I go in now, President, your parents…”
He tried to make a last-ditch effort.
“Don’t worry. Mom’s gone traveling with Dad lately. Only the maids are home. There won’t be any issues.”
That’s a huge issue, isn’t it?
A beautiful girl brings a male guest to her house and says her parents aren’t home. Doesn’t that usually lead to something weird?
Although Suzuki Yuu was sure Jinguu Amane didn’t mean it that way, it still didn’t bode well for him.
He backed away a few steps, but at Jinguu Amane’s next words, he had to come back:
“Suzuki-kun, you know you’ll have to return to school later, right? If you run away now, there’s no telling what I might do~”
Hearing that, Suzuki Yuu gulped, sighed helplessly, and followed her and the maids inside.
Before long, he was half-forced into a suit and had his appearance carefully groomed.
When he looked in the mirror, the person staring back at him was so unfamiliar it left him a bit dazed.
“I look like I could debut as an idol,” he muttered to himself.
“Want to put that into practice?”
At that moment, Jinguu Amane walked over. She looked him up and down, clearly satisfied with his transformation.
“I could arrange a talent agency for you.”
“…President, please don’t joke about that,” Suzuki Yuu said with a hand to his forehead, knowing full well that she’d actually do it if she said she would.
She didn’t respond to that, only smiled faintly.
“All right, go get familiar with the hall. You might have to greet some of the guests later.”
“That’s a lot of pressure for me, you know.”
“You could just tell them you’re ‘Jinguu Amane’s boyfriend’—that’ll make things easier.”
“No… Just saying that would be the opposite of relaxing.”
Suzuki Yuu followed her into the banquet hall. At this moment, the grand crystal chandelier illuminated the entire hall as if it were daylight. Gentle classical music drifted through the air, giving the place a heady atmosphere.
The dining tables were piled high with all sorts of exquisite food and glasses of wine. It looked like everything was already prepared.
For a scene like this, the only thing Suzuki Yuu cared about was the food—he couldn’t be bothered about anything else.
He preferred simpler things.
Just then, Jinguu Amane handed him a guest list:
“These are tonight’s guests. You can take a look.”
“No need, I probably don’t know any of them.” Suzuki Yuu picked up the list, skimmed it, then handed it back. “I’m only here tonight to look for that professor.”
“Are you sure?” Jinguu Amane asked, confirming again.
“Yeah, I’ll just go up and say hi at most. Of course, if anyone gives you trouble, just call me.”
“You think something like that will happen~?”
“No idea. Can’t say.”
“I’m starting to look forward to your performance,” Jinguu Amane said with a subtle, meaningful smile.
Just then, the first chime of the doorbell rang from the entrance.
The playful look on Jinguu Amane’s face vanished, replaced by a flawless host’s smile.
Seeing how quickly she shifted gears, Suzuki Yuu couldn’t help but admire her acting skills.
But before he could think more, someone called his name.
“Suzuki?”
He turned around, then froze completely…
Standing before him was the head of the Shiina family—Shiina Chisa’s father, Shiina Kazuma.
And Chisa stood quietly at her father’s side, gazing at him with deep, unreadable eyes.