Tokyo Soft Rice King.

Besides, I doubt anyone would call their girlfriend 'class monitor'; that's a bit too distant a term.

After feeling relieved, she immediately thought of a crucial question.

If Kuroba Akira isn't someone else's boyfriend, but is still single, then going shopping with me would really turn into a date, wouldn't it?

This immediately shattered the psychological defenses that Hikawa Makoto had built up.

This guy is really trying to pick me up!

Then Kuroba Akira hit a strike ball right into Hikawa Makoto's strike zone.

The feelings of excitement that had been suppressed before began to resurface in Makoto Hikawa's heart.

On the other side, Saionji Machi stood there with her mouth half open, looking somewhat bewildered.

Originally, she should have been condemning her sister's indecent behavior, but Kuroba Akira suddenly eliminated the problem at its 'source,' causing her to have a short circuit in her thinking and making it a bit hard for her to come to her senses.

Without a legitimate reason to discipline her younger sister, even as the older sister, she cannot interfere in her sister's interpersonal relationships.

She should have left after figuring out the reason, just like when she met Kuroba Akira at the family restaurant before.

However, this time, the person beside Kuroba Akira was not Shion Murasomiya, but Makoto Hikawa.

This stirred up her emotions, creating a void within her.

"...Too cunning..."

Envy, jealousy, resentment, grief and indignation... a complex mix of emotions poured out from that gap.

Saionji Mato instinctively blurted it out.

"I also want……"

The two of them looked at her together.

Kuroba Akira tilted her head, not knowing what she was referring to, while Hikawa Makoto slowly opened her eyes wide.

She sensed that change was about to occur.

"I want to join you!"

Chapter 294 A Date with Twin Sisters

Uh...you want to join too?

Does it mean joining a shopping group?

Or... a date?

Kuroba Akira's expression became blank, mainly because he really couldn't understand Saionji Makoto's thought process, that is, why she would say something like wanting to join at this critical juncture.

Kuroba Akira envisioned two possible scenarios. First, Saionji Makoto might not believe what he was saying and would likely contact the class president on the spot to verify it. Although this would expose the fact that he and Hikawa Makoto were alone together, Kuroba Akira had previously told the class president that he wanted Hikawa Makoto to join the Literature Club as member number five.

Therefore, the intelligent class president will immediately figure out the reason for the situation, and then cooperate with Kuroba to cover for him, leaving Saionji Majutsu with no choice but to accept and leave.

Afterwards, you might have to compensate the class monitor with some 'reward'. If the class monitor continues to control you for a while, it could trigger a chain reaction of 'pupil purple', but at most you'll just have to sacrifice your own kidneys.

Furthermore, Saionji Makoto, true to her name, is very sincere and believes Kuroba Akira's explanation. Since it wasn't an immoral act of her sister and her friend's boyfriend secretly dating, she didn't continue to criticize them and realized that she was interfering with them, so she would take the initiative to back down.

In short, regardless of how things unfold, Saionji Mato should 'leave the stage'.

You have to understand that Kuroba Akira even said things like "the class president isn't my girlfriend," which would make his conscience prick him. Of course, he was just trying to get rid of the trouble in one go.

As a result, Saionji Machi suddenly seemed to have lost her mind, saying things as capriciously as a child, like, "I want to play with you guys too!"

Seeing that the two people in front of her were stunned by her abrupt remarks, Saionji Machi also came to her senses and realized that what she had blurted out was very off-topic, so she quickly tried to make amends.

"What I mean is, I need to stay by your side and keep an eye on you... no, supervise you! To prevent the two of you from lying to me together, as the older sister, it's my duty to supervise you!"

But it's obvious to everyone that this was just an excuse that Saionji Machi came up with later; she certainly didn't think of these reasons when she said she wanted to join.

And to be honest, this reason is still far-fetched. Kuroba Akira has already stated that he is 'single', so even if he and Hikawa Makoto are really dating, it is a very normal relationship.

Unless the older sister is incapable of getting a boyfriend for her younger sister, or she is dissatisfied with Kuroba Akira or something... but it seems there is no such underlying motive.

Saionji Machi continued to rack her brains, completely losing the composure and ease she had shown when they first met. Now, with their positions reversed, it was as if she were the one being 'tortured'.

Finally, she managed to come up with a plausible explanation, and with her hands on her hips, she retorted.

"Since you're not on a date, you probably wouldn't mind someone following you, right? Or are you actually dating and just don't want anyone to disturb your date? If so, I'll have to..."

What do you want?

Kuroba Akira cast a questioning glance at him.

"I'm going back to tell Dad! I'll tell him Makoto, you have a boyfriend!"

"..."

You're actually telling your parents?! Saionji-kun, your IQ has really regressed to that of a child!

Because telling the teacher won't work, right? High schools in Japan don't prohibit dating, and even the school nurse will lend the infirmary to students for sex... although this is an extremely rare exception.

Generally speaking, schools do not openly allow inappropriate relationships, but many bold couples are still keen to leave behind unique memories for the two of them in various places on campus... Now, Kuroba Akira and the class president have already created quite a few memories at school.

In short, Saionji Makoto even resorted to her ultimate trick of contacting her parents, which shows that she was truly at her wit's end.

To be honest, the twin sisters' parents are divorced. Even if Saionji Makoto told her father, he would at most contact his ex-wife... but probably wouldn't. After all, his daughter is already a high school student and not a child anymore. It's perfectly normal for her to start dating boys.

After uttering those words, Saionji Mako realized that her threat was hardly a threat at all, but she couldn't find any better way to put it. She could only lower her head like a helpless child and wait for the final outcome.

Akira Kuroba turned to look at Makoto Hikawa, who replied expressionlessly.

"...Whatever you want."

She actually agreed.

And his temper wasn't as bad as it had been before.

Shouldn't you be even more annoyed when your annoying older sister insists on following you?

Where is the point where I can calm down?

Akira Kuroba couldn't quite understand Makoto Hikawa's thoughts. On the surface, she seemed to hate her meddlesome older sister, but that didn't seem to be the case.

These sisters really exude an eerie aura.

Upon receiving permission, Saionji Mato immediately beamed with joy, regained his composure, and returned to normal.

"Ahem... So you're helping Kuroba pick out a gift, right? May I ask who it's for?"

"It's a gift for my older sister."

"Sister... so Kuroba-kun has a sister..."

Just as Hikawa Makoto was unusually concerned about the 'younger sister' in Kuroba Akira's light novel, Saionji Maju was also very sensitive to the term 'older sister,' a detail that Kuroba Akira noticed.

"She's not my biological sister, nor my cousin, just a neighbor in my shared apartment."

"I see... So you and this lady are close?"

"Yes, she took a lot of care of me, and then her precious pair of high heels broke, so I thought I'd give her a new pair."

"I see, Kuroba-kun is very thoughtful."

Then, just like when she was choosing clothes before, Hikawa Makoto asked Kuroba Akira if she had any requests, and Kuroba Akira said she wanted red high heels.

"Do you want the red one? Won't it be too flashy?"

"It doesn't necessarily have to be all red, but it would be best if it had some red elements. That lady's name has the word 'red' in it, so it's a kind of symbolism of her name."

The symbolism of a name...

The two sisters seemed thoughtful after listening.

Could this be related to the sisters calling each other by their first names?

"Then I suggest you buy these black high heels with red soles. They look more understated, have a red element, and this classic color scheme goes well with stockings."

Indeed, high heels are synonymous with high-fashion, and the two make a perfect combination that men can't resist.

"Okay, then let's go with black with a red background."

"Okay, next we need to choose the thickness of the heel. Thicker heels are more stable to walk in, while thinner heels look better, but they are also more likely to break. Your dear sister's high heels broke because the heels broke, right?"

"Absolutely right, then we'll choose the thicker heel."

"Well, the last thing is to choose the heel height. If you value comfort, choose 6cm or 8cm. But if you want to look better and make your height and legs look longer, choose 10cm or 12cm. But they are really tiring to wear, and they can easily cause bunions after wearing them for a long time. Anyway, I can't get used to wearing them, and I probably won't wear them in the future."

As always, Hikawa Makoto was very considerate. Knowing that Kuroba Akira didn't understand the differences between high heels, she explained the various distinctions in a simple and easy-to-understand way.

Akira Kuroba also remembered that shoes with heels over 10cm were jokingly called "sky-high heels," and not everyone could handle them. Walking in such shoes was probably as difficult as walking in flowerpot-bottom palace maid shoes.

"I see. Then I'll choose the lowest heel. In short, just like when I choose my clothes, comfort is the most important thing."

"Heh... to be honest, if you only care about comfort, you shouldn't choose high heels."

"Well, high heels have a different meaning for her."

Kuroba Akira vividly remembered the reason why Xiao Hong bought high heels. It was a gift for another version of herself, because Sister Hong was blind before she died and had never worn high heels since she lost her sight. So it was also to make up for her regret.

Only Akira Kuroba, who was also a fellow survivor, could understand the meaning behind it.

The high heels themselves are not important; what matters is that they represent 'saying goodbye to the past and starting anew in a brighter world,' which is a very meaningful gift.

The gifts were chosen so quickly and efficiently, without Saionji Machen even having a chance to say a word.

Looking at the two working together so well, she felt a sense of alienation, as if she were an outsider.

So she already has someone she can be this close to...

Yes, after all, she has her own life, and she'll always make new friends again...

Instead, I'm still living in the past... I can't even catch up with her past...

Saionji Madoka looked even more bewildered. Her 'outer skin' was peeling off continuously, and her decades-long 'soul performance' was starting to falter.

What pulled her out of the abyss was a question from Kuroba Akira.

"By the way, Saionji-kun, are you here to buy shoes too?"

Saionji Makoto reflexively forced a smile; always having a smile on her face had become muscle memory for her.

"Oh, right, I'm here to buy ball shoes for the dance."

Are you going to the ball?

"Yes, our school will be holding a ballroom dancing event at the end of the year, and we need to wear formal attire, so I came to buy suitable shoes."