Tokyo Soft Rice King.

Everyone else stared at Kuroba Akira in disbelief. Wasn't this guy flustered at all?

He doesn't seem like he's caused any trouble at all. Could it be that there's really nothing between him and Tsukimi Ranyi, and that he's completely innocent?

Then why did Tsukimi Ran take the initiative to invite Kuroba Akira... and why did Anri Hitomi show such hostility...?

On one hand, there's love at first sight; on the other, there's sensing the other person's intentions.

Anyway, Kuroba Akira is definitely the key point... and he actually dared to bring both of them out, is he confident that he can resolve the conflict between them?

Kuroba Akira was certainly not confident; he just felt that 'family matters' couldn't be discussed in front of everyone.

There's no point in arguing or bickering here; we should go out and ask Yiyi why she did this.

"Let's go then, Tsukimi-san."

"Wow... Tsukimi-san..."

Lan Yi narrowed her eyes, somewhat dissatisfied with the downgrade in address.

But it's impossible to call you 'Yiyi' in front of everyone, right?

That wasn't a misunderstanding; the evidence was conclusive.

Anri Hitomi chimed in.

“Here, you are just ‘Tsukimi-kun’.”

"...Hmph, let's go then, Anri-kun, and... Akira~"

As if in retaliation, Lan Yi used a more intimate term of address and a smile that clearly showed affection, as if she was afraid others wouldn't know that in her eyes only Kuroba Akira was special.

This undoubtedly confirms to everyone that Tsukimi Ran is after Kuroba Akira, and perhaps even her sudden return to school is for him alone.

"Hey……"

Kuroba Akira sighed. He was now in a situation where he couldn't clear his name... He figured paparazzi would be swarming around him tomorrow.

Fortunately, although smartphones have appeared, not everyone has used them yet, otherwise they would be bombarded with unboxing videos online.

After the three of them went out, they headed straight for the club building. Of course, saying they were visiting the school was just an excuse. Their main goal was to find a place where they could have a private meeting, and the arts and literature department's activity room was the most suitable place.

Upon arriving at the activity room, Kuroba Akira sat down in his designated spot. As usual, Anri Hitomi went to make tea and poured a cup for Kuroba Akira, but not for Lan Yi.

It's obvious that it means 'you're not welcome here'.

Lan Yi also noticed that Zi Yin was in charge at home, but Tong was in charge at school, and her attitude was completely different from yesterday.

Is this the tigress whose territory has been invaded? She's really fierce...

Kuroba Akira pushed his tea towards Lan Yi, using this action to tell the class monitor not to harbor such hostility towards Lan Yi, and to leave the questioning to him.

Anri Hitomi didn't say anything, but poured Kuroba Akira another glass, which was her way of saying, "I understand."

If the class monitor were to ask, it would probably be an "interrogation" like yesterday, but Kuroba Akira felt that one such session was enough and there was no need to make things so difficult for Lan Yi.

"So, Yiyi, why did you suddenly come to school?"

"Is it Yiyi again this time...?"

"You should know why I called you Tsukimi-san just now, and why the class president was so angry."

"Alright, alright, I know it was wrong of me to come without telling you... But if I had told you beforehand, you would have definitely held another meeting to discuss my situation, right? So it's better to just do it first and ask later... Besides, I should be the one to decide my own affairs in the first place."

"That's right, but dragging me into this is a different story. Are you trying to tell everyone right now that I'm your fiancé?"

"No, anyway, from other people's perspectives, it's just me making advances towards you, right?"

"However, your identity is not as simple as that of an ordinary student. Just to see you, the school has become a complete mess. If everyone finds out that it was actually that big star who took a liking to me, my peaceful campus life can be declared over."

If Tsukimi Ryoui were just a moderately famous idol, that would be fine. However, she is now a top-tier star, whose fame surpasses that of veteran actors. She is a household name throughout Japan.

A celebrity of her caliber attracts attention with every move she makes, not to mention big news like 'having someone she likes,' which can make headlines.

After the various events of last month's semester, Kuroba Akira has become quite famous at school, but this is nothing compared to the celebrity effect caused by Tsukimi Ran. It's just a minor incident.

You're ruining our campus life.

"Therefore, the reasons are very important."

If someone comes to school without any reason, even if Kuroba Akira doesn't care, Anri Hitomi will definitely not let Tsukimi Rii off the hook.

Kuroba Akira quickly conveyed this message with her eyes... "Don't do anything rash, Yiyi. If the class monitor really wants to target you, she has every way to ruin your reputation..."

"I wanted to experience what it's like to be a student, but this answer... I know it won't convince you."

Lan Yi had only spoken halfway when she saw the 'you're kidding me' expressions on Hei Yuming and An Litong's faces, and she knew that the two of them wouldn't believe her story at all.

So Lan Yi sighed and said.

"Haha... half of it is true. I didn't study much before because I was always busy filming. Now that I've stopped all my acting activities, I have a lot of free time and I'm very idle. So I thought I'd find something to do... and then I remembered that I'm still a student, so I came to school."

Then she spread her hands and said.

"Even you guys, you already have jobs that can support yourselves, but you're still in school, aren't you? So what's so strange about me coming to school?"

Snapped!

Anri Hitomi slammed her hands on the table, causing some of the tea in her teacup to spill.

"That's so naive! Don't tell me you still want to experience the life of a normal student at this point. You should know very well that you can never be a normal student again in your life."

"..."

Unless they go abroad to study, or change their name and attend a high school in a remote town, they can forget about escaping the celebrity effect.

The saying "People fear becoming famous, just as pigs fear growing fat" perfectly applies to Lan Yi in the story.

Even if she announces her retirement now, it will probably take three to five years for Tsukimi Rii to fully return to normal life.

Minor stars fade away easily, but major stars who leave a deep impression are remembered and talked about over time.

Because everyone likes to discuss the 'possibilities of illusion,' such as what would have happened if Tsukimi Rii hadn't retired...

In other words, she already has the qualities to become a 'legend'.

"So hurry up and tell me your reasons for being your partner."

"...It's for Plan B. What I'm trying to say is that if I can't see Kikuri even if I marry him, I should just be a student and attend the graduation ceremony normally. Kikuri should then show up."

To prepare for both possibilities, that was Lan Yi's reason for coming to school, but An Litong was still not convinced and continued to ask.

"Why? Isn't marriage all you need to do? Don't you want to marry a wise and benevolent ruler?"

That's great, at least you know your place.

Anri Tong didn't say it aloud, but her anger subsided somewhat, and her gaze conveyed the same meaning, which made Lan Yi very unhappy.

Hmph, even if it's just to annoy you all, I won't give up on marrying this guy! Lan Yi was determined to prove herself.

"Marriage can meet the requirements, but will I be able to see Kikuri if I really get married?"

"What do you mean? Isn't this the condition for finding a partner that you saw?"

"The conditions are as described, but if you're only getting married to see Kikuri again, it's like putting on a show for Kikuri, isn't it?"

Kuroba Akira and Anri Hitomi exchanged a glance, then looked back at Lan Yi, their expressions suggesting, 'Wasn't this all just a show?'

That's right, it was just a fake marriage.

It should be said that the marriage process was real, and the result was real, but the motivation was not based on feelings.

Getting married shortly after meeting someone is like having a whirlwind marriage after a blind date. 99.99% of the time, it's due to other motives, and only the 0.01% chance that they really hit it off as soon as they met.

"Although this is just my personal feeling, I don't think Kikuri would attend this obviously staged, fake wedding, and..."

Lan Yi paused for a moment, then rested her chin on her hand and turned her face away as she spoke.

"The one thing I don't want to 'act' with Kikuri is..."

Despite having starred in numerous excellent and even famous works, Tsukimi Ayane always wears a mask, even in real life.

However, when it comes to people who are truly important, sincerity is the most important thing.

This is something Lan Yi only realized through the bond between Hei Yuming and them.

Moreover, through Ziyin yesterday, Lanyi learned that Kuroba Akira also had some feelings for her, and it wasn't entirely out of gratitude... This made her suddenly feel that marrying Kuroba Akira just to see Kikuri again would make her feel very uncomfortable, because it would be a waste of the other person's feelings.

Lan Yi herself also felt like she had cheated, as if she had used a cheat code in a game, making her victory unfair.

"So when I got home last night, after thinking it over carefully, I thought... maybe we should just call off the wedding."

Tsukimi Ran-i came to inform us that the wedding was canceled.

I initially thought they came to declare war, but it turned out they came to announce that they were giving up their position as the legal wife, which was truly unexpected.

It seems that yesterday's warning was effective, and surprisingly so.

But Tsukimi Ran-i wasn't there to back down, so she spoke righteously.

"Let me make this clear! This has nothing to do with public opinion or your threats. I just feel that there's no point in having a wedding just for show. But I don't intend to give up on the wedding plan entirely."

Tsukimi Ryou took out a folded piece of paper and placed it on the table. When she unfolded it, she found that it was actually a marriage application form.

"Anyway, fill out this marriage application form first. Although you can't submit it yet, as long as you sign it and both sets of parents approve, it's the same as being married."

Kuroba Akira glanced at the marriage application form, which was filled out in advance except for the part that required his signature, and said.

"If you think this is good enough, then I have nothing to say... But will this alone be enough to make Kikuhime appear?"

"I don't know either... so I thought, if this doesn't work, I'll still attend the graduation ceremony. And as long as I've been a proper high school student, instead of just attending the graduation ceremony to see Kikuri, at least I won't be putting on a show for Kikuri."

I'll definitely still see Kikuri, but Lan Yi isn't in such a hurry anymore.

Anyway, we haven't seen each other for more than ten years, so what's two more years?

Kuroba Akira smiled and signed his name on the marriage application form; he found the reason perfectly acceptable.

"I see... It seems you've improved too, Yiyi. This is a decision you made after careful consideration."

"Hmph, I won't be stubborn forever, okay?"

Lan Yi crossed her arms and raised her head, pretending to be impatient, but she was actually very happy to be praised by Hei Yuming, and also a little shy.

"Thanks to you, I've come to understand that blind obsession and relentless pursuit won't lead me to the person I want..."

And they can't get the person they want.

"So you need to get to know the other person, and then use sincerity to win sincerity in return."