Tokyo Soft Rice King.

But that's what dating is all about.

Even the aunties and grandmas watching from the sidelines could see that picking out gifts was just an excuse, and of course, Saionji Mato wouldn't believe that explanation.

But she didn't say it directly; instead, she got up and walked over to the two of them.

"Hmm...the two of you smell like barbecue. Did you have lunch together?"

"...!"

Kuroba Akira felt his hair stand on end instantly.

It wasn't that Saionji Mako's words were particularly frightening, but rather that her behavior was just too much like the class president's.

Every time after being intimate with Shion, no matter how clean he washed, the class monitor could always smell the lingering scent. Moreover, she could even smell which parts Shion had paid special attention to, which was terrifying. This made Kuroba Akira somewhat PTSD about the act of scent identification itself.

In fact, Saionji Machi used this method to make it clear that the two of them did not meet in the afternoon, but had already met in the morning, and that they had lunch alone. How could this not be a date? You'd be lying to a ghost.

Hikawa Makoto frowned and said sharply.

"This is none of your business."

Her attitude was terrible; she acted like a younger sister who really disliked her annoying older sister.

So! Where exactly! Is it! Feelings! Thankfully!

Kuroba Akira genuinely felt that the class president had made a mistake, or rather, that the twin sisters might have had a good relationship when they were young, but had become estranged after their parents divorced, which made sense.

Seeing that Hikawa Makoto turned her face away, as if she didn't want to continue talking to her sister at all, Saionji Makoto turned her attention to Kuroba Akira.

"Kuroba-kun, the last time I saw you, Murasaki-no-miya was with you. This time, the person with you has changed again. And you and Hitomi are quite close. Mirai-chan has also become your good friend... It seems you are very popular with women?"

"So-so, it's alright..."

Kuroba Akira was extremely embarrassed. He and Saionji Makoto didn't have much interaction and had only met a handful of times, but those few meetings had left her with the impression of him as a playboy.

And with his current handsome attire, he looks even more like one.

"I asked with a smile that concealed a dagger," said Saionji Makoto.

So who exactly is your 'true love'?

"...!"

Don't suddenly ask such an explosive question!!!

There is no solution! There is absolutely no solution!

Kuroba Akira roared madly in his heart.

However, he also understood why Saionji Mato had to "bring up the very thing that shouldn't be brought up."

Actually, I just wanted to warn my younger sister to see the true colors of the man beside her and not be deceived by this philandering scumbag.

This is probably also a sign of concern for his younger sister.

At the same time, it was also a warning to Kuroba Akira: you can go and harm other women, but if you try to harm my sister, I will never forgive you.

Hikawa Makoto was initially suspicious, because in her mind, Kuroba Akira's girlfriend should be Anri Hitomi, but now she heard Makoto mention other women. She did recognize Takanashi Mirai, but she had never heard of the surname Murasaki no Miyako before.

Then, looking at Kuroba Akira's stiff expression, which was exactly the same as his own just now, he could confirm that what Makoto said was true... It seems that this guy is quite 'mature' when it comes to interacting with women, huh?

However, after finding out, she wasn't very disappointed; instead, she had an indifferent expression.

Ultimately, she didn't care at all who Kuroba Akira was dating. How many girlfriends he had was none of her business, because he was still 'someone else's boyfriend'.

Kuroba Akira coughed twice and changed the subject.

"Ahem... Well, Saionji-kun, actually your sister is right, she really did come to help me pick out a gift, because I don't know much about women's shoes..."

"And then she 'casually' picked out some clothes for you, Kuroba-kun, is that right?"

It's completely sarcastic and sarcastic now.

The men's shopping bag that Akira Kuroba was carrying was direct evidence.

When a woman helps a man choose clothes, it's always an interaction between couples.

Then, Saionji Machen added a meaningful remark.

"I remember Xiaotong has a great sense of style..."

The implication is that the question is, why didn't you go to Xiaotong instead of my sister? Isn't it because you want to 'seduce' my sister?

The 'theory of restraint and balance between purple eyes' was too complicated, and Kuroba Akira didn't want to explain it to 'outsiders', so he simply stated that his relationship with Hikawa Makoto was just a transaction.

"I insisted that Bingchuan help me. Helping me choose clothes was part of the plan, and it was for a fee. In return, I would treat her to a meal and buy her some things."

Hikawa Makoto staggered and complained.

"Hey! If you say that...!"

Doesn't that make it seem like I'm only dating you for the money?

No, it's not a date! Ugh...! So annoying!

An unexpected encounter with a real orange led to a misunderstanding, which only made things worse.

This series of events made Makoto Hikawa extremely irritable, and she was on the verge of an emotional outburst.

What annoyed her the most was that... Hikawa Makoto knew exactly how Saionji Mato would react next.

She will be very worried about herself.

Just as she expected, Saionji Machi asked with a worried expression.

"Makoto... are you short of money?"

Kuroba Akira then noticed that Saionji Maju was also calling her sister by her name. It seemed that this was a customary way of addressing her between the sisters, just like how she would call the class president.

Makoto Hikawa forcefully suppressed her impatience and explained in a formulaic manner.

"...No, it has nothing to do with my family, it's just that I wanted to buy something myself."

"If there's something you want to buy, why didn't you tell me? Why did you do this kind of thing..."

Although Saionji Machi didn't finish her sentence, Kuroba Akira knew what she wanted to say.

I guess I was trying to say why do something that's 'like a father's job'?

Well, now I've really become the villain who paid money to buy her sister.

However, there was no improper transaction involved, not even renting a girlfriend, and Kuroba Akira, who already had two girlfriends, had no need to rent one.

Makoto Hikawa frowned deeply, repeating her meaningless explanation with increasing impatience.

"I've already said, it has nothing to do with whether I get paid or not! I'm just here to help a friend..."

She would be pleased that her withdrawn sister had made friends, but she still disapproved of her having a close relationship with her friend's boyfriend.

"I'm so glad to see you, Makoto, become friends with Kuroba-san, but... do you know what will happen if Hitomi finds out about this?"

Saionji Makoto's reaction, which was exactly what she had expected, made Hikawa Makoto feel nauseous.

It is precisely because she is the 'perfect older sister' who cares too much about her younger sister that she is even more unhappy about it.

This frustration and disgust finally caused her to explode.

"Enough...! In the end, who I'm with and what I do is none of your business!"

"Stop saying these hypocritical things with that face that looks exactly like mine!"

"Don't put on that older sister act in front of me! It's really disgusting!"

Makoto Hikawa's hysterical roar drew the attention of everyone in the store.

It appears the two sisters had a fight over men.

But actually, this argument had nothing to do with Kuroba Akira anymore.

He had no idea why Hikawa Makoto was so angry; she seemed to be reacting with such disgust and repulsion as if she had seen something filthy.

However, he wouldn't stand idly by and watch the sisters' argument escalate.

So just as Saionji Machi was about to speak, Kuroba Akira stepped between the two sisters, forcibly separating them, and said calmly.

Nothing will happen.

"Huh?" "Huh?"

Both the sisters, Makoto and Makoto, were completely baffled by this inexplicable statement.

"I mean, even if the class monitor finds out that I went shopping with Bingchuan, she won't say anything."

When Saionji Machi realized that Kuroba Akira was actually answering the question she had just asked, and that the answer was completely unexpected, she couldn't help but retort.

"No, even if it's Hitomi, seeing her boyfriend on a date with another woman..."

"Who said I'm dating the class monitor?"

"Well……""……"

This rhetorical question left the two of them speechless again.

Kuroba Akira, expressionless, told the lie he had prepared for this moment.

"The class monitor is not my girlfriend."

They are a secret couple, not a public one, a point Anri Hitomi had emphasized to Kuroba Akira before.

Because she had already anticipated that many women would mind and ask about her relationship with Kuroba Akira, she couldn't make it public.

And now this setup comes in handy.

The most shocked was Hikawa Makoto, who exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Wait! You and Xiaotong aren't a couple?! But you didn't deny it when I said she was your girlfriend!"

"Because everyone in the school thinks that way, neither the class monitor nor I bothered to argue with it."

"Since none of you have denied it, then it must be...!"

Just because others think you're a couple doesn't mean you're a couple.

It can't be that casual. At the very least, there should be a confession first!

In other words, is it a relationship that's more than friends but less than lovers...?

Hikawa Makoto felt that something was off, but since he himself was so certain and didn't seem afraid of others verifying it, then at least on the surface, Kuroba Akira and Anri Hitomi were not dating.