Tokyo Soft Rice King.

"I see."

As expected of a school for young ladies, they even have high-class activities like ballroom dancing. But I think Hachiman's school also held similar events; it's probably one of the common activities in Japanese high schools.

"Wait a minute, Saionji-san, didn't you go to an all-girls school? How can you dance ballroom dances without boys?"

At this point, Makoto Hikawa interjected with an explanation.

"Many ballroom dance pairs are two girls dancing together because girls have better coordination and cooperation. Also, the children's group in competitions is not gender-restricted, so you often see pairs of two girls."

"Indeed, and girls develop earlier and are often taller than boys of the same age, which gives them an advantage in dancing."

"That's right, but to participate in the official adult competition, you have to be in a male-female pair. But for school activities, it doesn't matter... In short, ballroom dancing is no longer an aristocratic sport. Anyone can dance as long as they have hands and feet. It's just that compared to clubbing, you have to follow certain rules and steps."

"You really know a lot about this, Bingchuan."

"Hmph...it's just that I skipped a period of time before."

As expected, Kuroba Akira guessed that the person she danced with was most likely Saionji Mato.

The two sisters must have participated in ballroom dance competitions together as a duo before.

After all, she was someone who lived in the same circle as Anri's large family, so she must have been either rich or noble, and it's not surprising that she started learning to dance from a young age.

"Hehe, that's right. Our school is all-girls, but it would be very inconvenient if both sides wore formal dresses, so we draw lots to select the girl who 'plays the male side'."

"I see, you can even dance ballroom dances, that's amazing."

"where……"

Saionji Makoto glanced at Hikawa Makoto, then gave a subtle smile and said.

"I'm still a long way off."

This exchange of glances further convinced Akira Kuroba that his guess was correct.

"Hey Bingchuan, aren't you going to help your sister pick out some shoes?"

Kuroba Akira originally intended to use this opportunity to reconcile the two sisters who didn't seem to get along, but Hikawa Makoto didn't give her any face at all and once again showed an impatient expression.

"Tsk...troublesome..."

Saionji Makoto bit her lower lip and forced a smile as she spoke.

"Kuroba-san, there's no need to trouble Makoto with such a small matter. I can manage on my own..."

Suddenly, Makoto Hikawa interrupted her.

"If you can do it yourself, I won't find it troublesome. Tell me honestly, how many pairs were you trying on just now?"

"Hmm... the seventh pair..."

Kuroba Akira then noticed that there were several shoe boxes piled up next to the sofa where Saionji Machi had been sitting. It seemed that Saionji Machi had been trying on shoes in the store for a while before meeting Kuroba Akira and the others.

"I knew it! Ha... You're still the same as before... You don't even know what you like..."

Hikawa Makoto sighed and beckoned to Kuroba Akira with her finger.

"Hey, Kuroba Akira, why don't you help her choose?"

"Huh? Should I do it? But I don't know much about dance shoes."

"Just pick a pair that you think looks good, and we'll customize the dress based on the shoes you choose."

"Uh……"

Choose the shoes first, then decide on the dress?

What kind of shoes are so expensive... Cinderella's glass slippers?

However, having already been chosen, Kuroba Akira had no choice but to bite the bullet and pick.

Kuroba Akira, with his straight-male aesthetic, naturally didn't know anything about matching. He originally wanted to continue playing with the name joke, since it was a real orange, he would choose orange... but there were no orange ones.

Continuing to expand his thinking, the glass slipper obviously doesn't exist, but Kuroba Akira thought of the silver shoes Dorothy wore in The Wizard of Oz that could take her home.

Among the shoes that Saionji Makoto tried on, there was a pair of silver ballet shoes with laces at the ankle, so Kuroba Akira decided to choose those.

"Then let's go with these. You can laugh at my taste all you want, Bingchuan."

"Why would I laugh at you? These shoes are quite nice... um..."

Hikawa Makoto pinched her chin, looked back and forth between the shoes and Saionji Makoto for a while, and then said the combination she had in mind.

"Then a light pink dress with one-shoulder sleeves would be fine, preferably with a sequined design on the skirt, and the hem should be slightly voluminous... Hey, are you even listening?"

"Ah...! I'll write it down right away!"

Hikawa Makoto called out to Saionji Makoto, who then snapped out of her daze and hurriedly took out her phone to jot down the design details.

It turns out that Makoto Hikawa asked Akira Kuroba to choose a pair of shoes so that she could have a 'starting point' and then use the shoes as a starting point to develop the overall design.

Kuroba Akira still didn't understand why he had to choose; wouldn't it be the same if she chose herself? Was it because she didn't want to interfere with her sister's choice?

However, Saionji Mato seems to be very bad at making choices, so he let Kuroba Akira choose... or something like that, a very roundabout way of doing things.

In any case, it is certain that Hikawa Makoto knows Saionji Mato very well, to the point of knowing her inside and out.

Then, watching their interaction, Akira Kuroba gradually understood the source of the awkwardness between the two sisters.

He had initially thought that Hikawa Makoto's impatient attitude stemmed from her rebellious nature, but now it seemed more like a mixture of disappointment and resignation.

They are twin sisters... Although they give completely different impressions now, that's because their clothing styles and hairstyles are different. In fact, their facial features are exactly the same.

A bold guess then surfaced in Kuroba Akira's mind.

Could it be...?

Actually, isn't Hikawa Makoto the older sister and Saionji Mato the younger sister?

Chapter 295 In a Three's Company, There Must Be Two Ends

While the two sisters were discussing matters related to custom-made dresses, Akira Kuroba went to settle the bill.

I've heard that men who quietly pay the bill are the most handsome, but this kind of handsomeness usually only lasts for a moment after the bill is paid. Whether or not to pay for such a moment of vanity is up to the individual.

If he had only wanted to show off, Kuroba Akira would definitely have felt that this deal was a huge loss, but he still did it anyway, for three reasons.

Firstly, the two pairs of shoes weren't that expensive, costing around 100,000 yen, which was within his budget. Secondly, he wanted to take the opportunity to do Saionji Makoto a favor. Thirdly, he wanted to observe Hikawa Makoto's reaction.

If you gain something from the latter two options, then the money will have been well spent.

When Akira Kuroba returned to the original place after paying the bill, the sisters' conversation had also ended. Seeing Akira Kuroba return with the receipt, Madoka Saionji immediately realized Akira Kuroba's 'sneak purchase' and anxiously approached her to ask.

"Kuroba-kun, you didn't buy my shoes too, did you?"

"YES!"

Kuroba Akira proudly showed the receipt to Saionji Makoto, while secretly glancing at Hikawa Makoto out of the corner of his eye. He discovered that Hikawa Makoto was also squinting at him, with an expression that said, "I know what you're up to."

After spending these days together, she had come to understand Kuroba Akira's character. He was extremely purposeful in his actions and would never spend money just to show off.

And Kuroba Akira doesn't seem interested in Saionji Makoto... Of course, if he really is interested, Hikawa Makoto might have to start planning to hunt down Kuroba Akira.

But she wouldn't be so unreasonable. Meeting Saionji Mako was just a coincidence. It's possible that he wanted to woo her, but to say that he had feelings for Mako would be really unfair to him.

In short, judging from his style of doing things, he was probably trying to win over Makoto's favor, which would also help him accomplish his task of getting Hitomi and Makoto back together.

Then, it becomes a means to 'kidnap' oneself.

You won't accept the money I give you, but if I spend money on your sister, shouldn't it be attributed to you? Kuroba Akira's act of paying the bill conveyed this meaning.

And Hikawa Makoto did indeed admit it.

Even though Saionji Mato wasn't short of money—her father gave her more pocket money than the Hikawa family's monthly living expenses—Kuroba Akira picked out the shoes at her behest and paid the bill only because of her.

No matter what, she couldn't escape the connection, so Hikawa Makoto sighed and gave Kuroba Akira an 'OK' sign.

This means that she accepted his earlier suggestion to invite Makoto Hikawa to join Shiki Productions.

Oh ho? This is a pleasant surprise. I thought Hikawa Makoto was a stubborn and aloof girl, but it seems that Saionji Makoto is her weakness, and probably her Achilles' heel. Anyway, I should try my best to build a good relationship with her and raise her favorability.

"I can't accept this! I'll go get the money and pay you right away!"

Kuroba Akira quickly grabbed Saionji Machi's wrist, but only stopped her in her tracks before letting go.

"Saionji-kun, you're really taking my good intentions for granted by not appreciating my kindness."

"Well……"

She knew about this kind of 'social intimidation'.

Sometimes her father's friends would come to visit, and occasionally they would bring her some very expensive gifts that she didn't want. However, simply refusing would only make the other person feel unhappy, so she also learned how to 'act happy' when accepting gifts she didn't want.

Kuroba Akira brought her this kind of 'adult pressure'.

The only difference is that she really likes these silver dance shoes this time.

Because Makoto Hikawa specially designed a dress for her that goes perfectly with these shoes, and it would look amazing if she wore the two together.

However, Kuroba Akira was not an 'unobstructable adult' after all, and she didn't need to be a 'good girl' when she was out.

Moreover, given the image she had cultivated over the years, she couldn't simply accept Kuroba Akira's gift without giving it to someone her own age.

Therefore, she needs a legitimate reason that she can accept herself.

"But Kuroba-kun, you don't have a reason to give me a gift, do you?"

"Yes, you are my friend's sister, my friend's friend, and my friend's classmate."

The first friend is Hikawa Makoto, the second friend is Anri Hitomi, and the third friend is Murasomiya Shion.

Saionji Machen gave a wry smile.

"This is too convoluted... and with someone between us, the relationship isn't much different from that of strangers..."

"Yeah, so why don't we just become friends?"

"Hey?"

Kuroba Akira pointed to himself and her, and suggested with a smile.

"In this way, these shoes can serve as a gift for my friend when we first meet. Would that be acceptable to you?"

Seeing Saionji Makoto's 'moved' expression, Hikawa Makoto, as an observer, completely understood how she had 'fallen into the trap'.

This guy... he's really good at flirting. He always manages to say something memorable at the right moment...

Sentimental girls often enjoy immersing themselves in romance, so they automatically try to make their heart-fluttering memories even more perfect.