I'm in a real religion, why are all the people who confess to me girls?

"Rin, you're being way too forward today!"

Looking at Horikita clinging to her tightly, Amane felt that something was not right. Horikita was usually very reserved, even when she had desires. It couldn't be that the sun had suddenly risen in the west. Something must have happened.

"kiss Me."

"Huh?!"

Amane actually likes proactive girls, but Horikita's proactiveness today is obviously abnormal.

"kiss Me."

Horikita tiptoed slightly and deliberately brought herself to Amane's lips.

Since Horikita was in such a state, Amane felt it wouldn't be right not to respond, so Amane cupped Horikita's face, took a moment to look at her, and then slowly kissed her.

After a long while, Amane reluctantly parted ways. Just as Amane was about to ask Horikita what had happened that afternoon, she noticed that Horikita's gaze was very confused.

They didn't look like they were arguing.

"Tianyin, do you like me?"

"Lingyin, don't scare me. Why are you suddenly asking this question?"

Horikita's words startled Amane. Normally, if someone suddenly asks her partner, "Do you like me?" it's a sure sign that something big is about to happen.

"Please answer me."

"We've been together for so long, do we really still need to say it?"

Tianyin felt that the way the two of them interacted was almost the same as their married life. When they were in love, Tianyin would say "I like you" all the time. But after being together for a long time, it was really hard for Tianyin to say "I like you" to an acquaintance.

Just like how she rarely told Sakayanagi that she liked him.

Some things can be felt without being told.

"I want to hear it again, please tell me it again, okay?"

Horikita pleaded with Amane to repeat the words that had once charmed her so much.

"Okay...you just can't do anything with Rin~ I love Rin the most~ Is that alright?"

"Uh-huh."

Horikita, choking back tears, threw herself into Amane's arms.

When Amane saw that Horikita seemed to be crying, she realized that Horikita wasn't just being cute; something had really happened.

What could have turned Horikita into this...

Besides Horikita Manabu, it's probably Sakayanagi, right? Thinking about what happened this afternoon…

"I'm going out."

"Tianyin, where are you going at this time?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going out on a date. I've already prepared dinner. If you're hungry, Lingyin, you can eat by yourself first. I might be back a little late."

Amane's words instilled in Horikita an indescribable sense of panic.

"Can I come with you?"

"I'm planning to see Arisu. Suzune, are you sure you want to come along?"

"..."

Seeing Horikita's silent expression, Amane knew that her guess was correct.

"Sweetie~ I'll be back in a bit."

Tenon held Horikita and comforted her for a while before Horikita's emotions calmed down a bit. After kissing Horikita's forehead to reassure her, Tenon left the room.

Seeing that the elevator was taking a long time to arrive, Amane went directly up the stairs to Sakayanagi's room.

Just as she was about to knock on Sakayanagi's door, Amane suddenly realized something.

What is my purpose in coming here?

Was it to find out why Horikita was so badly hurt, or to vent Horikita's anger?

If you want to stand up for Horikita, the other party is Arisu...

Tianyin slowly lowered her raised hand.

"This is really difficult."

For the first time, Tianyin felt a sense of unease. Both the palm and the back of her hand were precious to her, and Tianyin couldn't bear to hurt either of them. But the problem was that it seemed like the palm and the back of her hand were about to separate. Wasn't this going to be fatal?

"Why have you been standing at the door for so long without coming in?"

Just as Amane was still struggling with her decision, Sakayanagi opened the door.

"How did Arisu know I was outside the door?"

Amane looked at Sakayanagi with surprise. He was only wearing a nightgown. It was clear that Sakayanagi had changed his clothes and was planning to go to sleep or take a bath. He had no intention of meeting anyone else.

In other words, Sakayanagi had no motive to walk to the door. So how did Sakayanagi discover that she was at the door?

"I can't really explain it, but I just had a feeling that you were right outside the door, so I got up and took a look. I didn't expect you to actually come. I know without even thinking that you're here to cause trouble for me because of Horikita, right?"

P.S.: This chapter was supposed to connect with the next one, but it reached its word limit and couldn't fit any more content in. Posting the remaining content separately would be too short. It's really not my intention to end it here, lol.

Chapter 198: Miyako Arisu (6K)

"How could that be? I didn't come here to cause trouble for you, Arisu."

Amane was clearly not very confident. She had come here initially to find out what had happened between Sakayanagi and Horikita, but when she arrived at Sakayanagi's door, she realized a very serious problem.

Even without deliberately guessing, the fact that two girls with the qualities of class leaders, Horikita and Sakayanagi, could clash outside of a special exam, meant that Amane could only guess that it was related to her.

This makes the problem very complicated.

It doesn't matter who tries to reconcile the two, but that person absolutely cannot be Amane. If she were to stand up for Horikita, she would inevitably be suspected of taking sides. Moreover, the one who clashed with Horikita was Sakayanagi. This left Amane feeling somewhat helpless and unsure how to handle this thorny issue.

"Then what brings you here? You can't just be... passing by, can you?"

Sakayanagi leaned against the door, watching Amane with a mischievous look. Under Sakayanagi's gaze, Amane became increasingly embarrassed. Only Sakayanagi could make Amane show such an embarrassed yet resolute expression.

Seeing Amane's flustered appearance, Sakayanagi didn't intend to tease her any further. Mainly, since they had been talking outside, the temperature felt a bit chilly tonight, and although Sakayanagi knew Amane was in good health, he didn't want to see her freezing outside.

"Let's come in first and talk about it later."

Sakayanagi stepped aside to allow Amane to enter the room.

Even though she had been to Sakayanagi's dormitory so many times that she could hardly remember, Amane realized how difficult it was to get in this place after entering the door this time.

Tianyin sat obediently at the table. Compared to her usual lazy state, Tianyin was quite pleased with herself in every way, and she seemed a little restrained.

Normally, Amane would probably come in, take off her shoes, roll along the floor to the table, and then lie there waiting for Sakayanagi to prepare food for her.

Today, for some reason, she actually seemed to have the air of a well-bred lady who was no less elegant than Sakayanagi. If someone familiar with Amane saw this, they might be shocked.

Before Amane could wait long, Sakayanagi came over with two drinks.

Throughout the entire process, Sakayanagi did not ask Amane what she wanted to drink. Amane originally thought that Sakayanagi would prepare tea or other beverages for her. Although it was unlikely that there would be tomato juice, Amane could accept it.

But when she saw the light brown liquid, her expression froze. Just as she was about to explain that she didn't want coffee, Sakayanagi seemed to know what she was going to say and spoke first.

"I know you don't like coffee, so I prepared coffee for myself and hot cocoa for you."

So it was Cocoa...

The mention of Coco reminded Amane of something, and she was about to make another suggestion, but this time Sakayanagi interrupted her first.

"Milk was added to it."

……

Tenon was speechless for a moment and could only silently accept the cocoa. Just as she was about to use drinking the cocoa to cover up her embarrassment, Sakayanagi reached out and stopped her.

"The water is freshly boiled, it will be very hot."

Hearing this, Tianyin could only put the cocoa on the table and stare at the hot cocoa in the cup. For a moment, Tianyin didn't know what she wanted to say.

"You don't have to be so formal. You're making me a little nervous. Just say what you want to say. I'm not a child who will get angry because of what you say."

Seeing that Amane's overly formal demeanor meant that she hadn't figured out how to start, Sakayanagi simply gave up on kneeling and chose a sitting posture that seemed completely out of character for her.

Sakayanagi knew that only if he broke the oppressive atmosphere could Amane feel more comfortable.

Sure enough, after she abandoned her dignified image, Amane also changed to a more casual cross-legged sitting posture, with a relieved expression on her face, looking like a novice who was overwhelmed by Sakayanagi's aura.

But sitting opposite her was Amane. Sakayanagi didn't think that the negotiation skills he used would have any effect on Amane. However, that was Amane under normal circumstances. Now, Amane's every move showed that her mind was in turmoil. If they started talking like this, Amane would definitely be led by the nose.

After all... this idiot has always been like this. She has never even raised her voice to her. No matter how much Sakayanagi complains about Amane, Amane will always accommodate her without reservation. Just like now, Amane knows that even if she meets her, she can't say anything harsh, but she is still willing to accommodate Horikita.

Such treatment was once reserved for Sakayanagi Arisu alone; even Kaede had never been treated like this by Amane.

Horikita-kun, aren't you satisfied yet?

"On the way here, I thought of many things I wanted to ask, but after seeing you, Arisu, I didn't know how to start the conversation."

Amane frankly told Sakayanagi about her current situation, and Sakayanagi was not at all surprised by Amane's reaction.

There was no way they could have argued. In the past, even when they had disagreements, Amane would always speak gently and discuss things with her. Now, asking Amane to ask Sakayanagi for an explanation on behalf of another girl was really putting Amane in a difficult position.

"Did Horikita-kun go back and throw a tantrum at you?"

"No, she just looked a little wronged, and it seemed like she was crying, so I..."

"You softened your heart and came here to interrogate me?"

"No, no, how could I possibly be here to confront you, Arisu?"

Amane waved her hands frantically. She had never intended to cause trouble when she came here. If Banyan misunderstood her, she would never be able to explain herself.

"Isn't that still being too soft-hearted? You're being far too gentle with girls you know."

Sakayanagi looked at Amane with a hint of disappointment.

Amane is not a kind-hearted person at all. To be honest, Amane is completely unrelated to "good". For personal gain and selfish desires, Amane can manipulate others without any sense of guilt. Even if the other party is a girl, Amane will choose to destroy her. It can be said that in Sakayanagi's mind, it is almost impossible to find someone who fits the image of "evil" better than Amane.

However, Tianyin also has her weaknesses. As long as the other party is very close to Tianyin, Tianyin will let down her guard and unconditionally help and trust the other party.

This is what Sakayanagi is most worried about Amane: besides her, are there really any girls who would not use Amane to achieve certain goals?

“After all, it’s Rinne, so…”

Tianyin couldn't say much in this situation, so she could only smile awkwardly.

"Be more careful with the people you are closest to, because if someone close to you wants to stab you in the back, you won't even have time to react."

"Rin is not that kind of person. Besides, Arisu, you and I are very close. I don't believe you would be willing to stab me in the back."

"you……"

Sakayanagi was speechless for a moment after being refuted by Amane, not knowing what to say. In fact, just as Amane said, Sakayanagi would never be willing to stab Amane in the back. Even if she wanted Amane to learn a lesson, she would not want Amane to learn a lesson by being hurt.

"See, I told you, Arisu, you're the one who wouldn't bear to hurt me."

Tianyin revealed a smug smile.

Sakayanagi glanced at Amane, who was grinning foolishly.

"Hmph, who said I wouldn't bear to hurt you? Tianyin, don't forget, I swore an oath to defeat you, Tianyin! No matter what means I use!"

This wasn't something Sakayanagi made up out of thin air. It was because she, who was considered a genius at the time, was completely defeated by Amane. Her mental defenses crumbled, and Sakayanagi immediately made a vow to defeat Amane. She even said that she would spend her whole life to fulfill her vow.

Well, if she can't defeat Tianyin, she'll be stuck with Tianyin for the rest of her life.

Thinking about it now, Sakayanagi actually thinks he was quite clever back then.

"Huh?! You still remember something from so long ago, Arisu. I thought you had given up long ago."

Amane blinked in surprise. Back then, Sakayanagi was like a madman, always wanting to compete with Amane in everything. Amane, who had no friends at the time, was somewhat disgusted by the little girl who challenged her every day and cried every time she lost, but she still patiently played challenge games with her. After Amane won the challenge, she was responsible for coaxing the little girl, and then she would deliberately say goodbye to her with a disgusted look in the evening.

"I lost today because I was careless, but I'll definitely beat you tomorrow! Remember to wait for me!"

Every time the little one finished saying that, he would blush and turn around, trying to leave quickly with the help of others.

Tianyin would also watch with a cold face as the small figure disappeared into the afterglow of the setting sun.

The last person sat in the courtyard, waiting for tomorrow to arrive.

This kind of life lasted for about a year, until that day came.

You seem a little unhappy?

This was the first time Tianyin spoke to the little guy while she was seriously playing chess.