I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Qingdeng is not my property, so what right do I have to force him to associate with certain people or not?

And so... after this self-consolation, Kinoshita Mai reconciled with Aoto, and all the unpleasantness of that night was forgotten by her.

His feelings for Qingdeng outweighed his dissatisfaction with Qingdeng.

Looking at Souji, who had just collapsed onto Aoto's shoulder from drunkenness, Kinoshita Mai felt a pang of envy, but at the same time, a bold idea popped into her mind...

Kinoshita Mai let out a "Ha!" and took a deep breath.

Then, she carefully scanned her surroundings to make sure that Kiryu and Komaki had not returned, then picked up the drink beside her knees and drank it all in one gulp!

The liquor that Kinoshita Mai drank was quite strong, equivalent to about 20 degrees in modern units—a very strong liquor for Kinoshita Mai, who doesn't drink often.

Kiryu strictly controlled Kinoshita Mai's alcohol consumption, citing her young age. She was only allowed to drink a little alcohol at certain events and occasions.

She felt like she had swallowed a ball of fire; her face flushed red from the alcohol, and her head was buzzing with vibrations.

"Mmm...mmm..." Kinoshita Mai put down her wine glass and swayed half-realistically.

In a moment, she closed her eyes, tilted her head, and her delicate body fell towards Qingdeng as if pulled by her head.

She had already calculated it! As long as she tilted at this angle, her head would rest perfectly on Qing Deng's right shoulder, just like Souji had done earlier!

Kinoshita Mai is full of anticipation.

As a result... just as Kinoshita Mai's head was about to touch Aoto's shoulder, her fall suddenly stopped.

Someone reached out and caught Kinoshita Mai.

Huh? Did Qingdeng hug me...?

Kinoshita Mai felt somewhat disappointed... She wanted to rest her head on Aoto's shoulder, just like Souji had done earlier.

However, Kinoshita Mai quickly found a way to cheer herself up.

Never mind... being held by Qingdeng is fine too~~

With a serene smile playing on her lips, Kinoshita Mai gently swayed her body a few times, wanting Aoto to hold her tighter.

But just then, Kinoshita Mai suddenly realized something was wrong...

Ok?

Kinoshita Mai sniffed hard.

Why does it feel like... Qingdeng smells sweet?

Just as Kinoshita Mai was pondering this question—

"Ms. Kinoshita, since you are not good at drinking, please be more moderate."

Upon hearing this sound, Kinoshita Mai immediately opened her eyes as if she had been scalded by boiling water.

The moment she opened her eyes, she saw a cold, beautiful face looking down at her expressionlessly.

Sanako straightened Kinoshita Mai's body and then withdrew her hands that had been holding her.

……

"Fine, what does it matter to me what Tachibana-kun's private life is like?" — Sanako said to herself on the night the fireworks festival ended.

Like Kinoshita Mai, Sanako also felt an urge to punch Aoto after learning that he had had such a busy and colorful three-day fireworks festival.

But Sanako regained her composure that very night.

Hmph! Why would I be angry?

Qingdeng isn't anyone to me. Regardless of how he views me, I've always considered him simply a friend with whom I have a fairly good relationship.

Qingdeng took me sightseeing and to watch fireworks to comfort me, who was feeling disappointed because I knew my future martial arts achievements were limited.

It's perfectly reasonable for friends to go on trips together.

To busybodies and uninformed outsiders, my behavior of coming to the fireworks festival alone with Qingdeng might seem rather ambiguous... Let those idle people talk.

I just need to know what I'm doing.

What Qing Deng's private life is like, who he's close to... has absolutely nothing to do with me!

After making this kind of self-adjustment, Sanako, who repeatedly told herself "Aoto and I are just friends", adjusted her mindset and stopped dwelling on the unpleasant things that night.

However—although Sanako no longer dwells on the unpleasant events of that night, there is one thing that still bothers her…

That's Mai Kinoshita!

Sanako couldn't explain why... perhaps it was what they called "incompatible fates." From the first time she met Kinoshita Mai, Sanako felt an inexplicable... aversion towards her.

It's not that I dislike or hate her, it's just that I feel like we don't get along.

That feeling of rejection suddenly intensified that night... the night I learned that Kinoshita Mai and Aoto were strolling together on the Ryogoku Bridge illuminated by fireworks!

Sanako couldn't figure out the exact reason either. It was probably just that their compatibility was inherently bad!

In short, from then on, Sanako couldn't stand Kinoshita Mai no matter what she did.

Although she has no experience of intimate contact with men who are not relatives, Sanako considers herself not to be emotionally insensitive.

From Kinoshita Mai's every word and action, she could tell that Kinoshita Mai had a strong liking for Aoto.

Therefore, Sanako strongly suspects that Kinoshita Mai's "choking on her tea" was completely faked! It was all to interrupt her conversation with Aoto!

Jealous of Qingdeng's ability to chat with her, she decided to pretend to choke on her water to interrupt her conversation with Qingdeng.

When she took out a tissue to wipe her mouth, she pretended to make the movements light, slow, and elegant... Was she trying to attract Tachibana's attention?

Ah!

This little girl is really interesting.

Although she is young, she has a lot on her mind!

Because of her inexplicable aversion to Kinoshita Mai, Sanako finds everything Kinoshita Mai does annoying and wants to oppose her.

Therefore, when she saw the "drunk" Kinoshita Mai about to fall onto Aoto's shoulder, Sanako immediately used her martial arts skills to quickly reach out and support her...

……

"Th-thank you..."

Kinoshita Mai thanked Sanako, who had caught her as she nearly "fell," in a stiff tone, while glancing at Sanako, who had already sat back down in her seat with a cold expression.

In an instant, a look of resentment at having her good deed ruined and a sense of tension as if she had encountered her nemesis rose between Kinoshita Mai's brows.

Kinoshita Mai wasn't someone who cared much about her appearance before.

But after meeting Qingdeng, she began to pay attention to the new products in the clothing store and became interested in makeup and dressing.

Although she didn't want to admit it... she envied Sanako's more beautiful face, more alluring figure, and more charming and elegant temperament.

This feeling of envy has led Kinoshita Mai to unconsciously imitate Sanako's movements and gestures lately.

The reason I suddenly switched to a gentle and elegant motion when I was taking out tissues to wipe my mouth was because of this urge to imitate and learn from Sanako.

Because of Sanako's excellence, he felt admiration and envy for her.

He also harbored strong hostility towards Sanako because of her good relationship with Aoto.

What is this woman trying to do? Is she kindly helping me up because she saw I was about to "collapse"? Or is it...?

Just as Kinoshita Mai was intensely brainstorming—

"Ah Wu, are you drunk?"

Qingdeng's concerned voice came from beside me.

“Ah…” Kinoshita Mai paused for a moment, then turned to look at Aoto.

Kinoshita Mai, who is not good at drinking, had a flushed face and looked like she was drunk.

Seeing the worried look in Qing Deng's eyes, Kinoshita Mai's blush deepened. She immediately lowered her gaze, looking at her fingertips, and said shyly:

"I'm... I'm fine... I just accidentally drank too much..."

As soon as Kinoshita Mai finished speaking—

"It seems that you are not good at drinking, Ms. Kinoshita. You are already drunk without even smelling of alcohol on you."

Sanako's indifferent words drew a wary look from Kinoshita Mai.

Sanako pretended not to notice Kinoshita Mai's gaze and silently lowered her head to eat her food.

—Gulp…! This woman… she really is trying to oppose me!

—Do you really not want to see me interact with Qingdeng...?

—Could it be… that she also likes Qingdeng…?

In an instant, a sense of crisis rapidly swelled in Kinoshita Mai's heart.

After being repeatedly thwarted by Sanako, even the good-natured Kinoshita Mai couldn't help but feel frustrated.

The sense of crisis that was rapidly growing in Kinoshita Mai's heart at this moment fueled this feeling of frustration.

Kinoshita Mai's face was tense as she secretly glared at Sanako across from her, racking her brains for a strategy to counter her.

However... Kinoshita Mai, being a naive and inexperienced young girl, had no experience in this kind of struggle.

At that moment, Sanako noticed the glare that Kinoshita Mai was giving her.

Sanako glanced at Kinoshita Mai without making a sound... then calmly continued eating and picking at her food.

As he silently chewed his food, a subtle, teasing smile curved his lips.

Just as the two women were contemplating how to retaliate, the other side fearlessly adopted a "bring it on" stance—

"Hmm... Have you eaten...?"

Souji, who had been sleeping, suddenly woke up.

She straightened up like a corpse, looking around blankly... Finally, her gaze settled on Qingdeng.

"Ah, Tachibana-kun~ You have sauce on your face~~"

After saying that, the grinning Souji propped himself up and leaned against Qing Deng's left side, licking away the sauce that was stuck to Qing Deng's neck like a cat.

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