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

Well……

Perhaps she's an elder, and as for maturity... maybe she's comparable to Kaede. Is this the typical attitude of everyone from the Kiryuin family?

After thinking for a moment, Tianyin decided to prove her approval of the girl in the most straightforward way possible.

"Manager Kiryuin, come and take a look at this."

Amane handed a photo of herself and Horikita to Marina Kiryuin.

This photo was taken when Amane insisted on taking it with Horikita when they first enrolled. Back then, Horikita was much more arrogant than she is now, and even when taking photos, she had a cold face. In the end, she could only manage a smile under Amane's tearful gaze.

Amane captured the moment Horikita smiled.

"Wow! So cute! She's very pretty. You can tell she's a well-educated girl; she gives off an intellectual and composed vibe. What's her name?"

When Amane showed her the photos of those girls, Marina Kiryuin released her grip on Amane's ear and came closer.

The moment she saw Horikita, she couldn't help but fall in love with this girl. She seemed perfect, and she would be a great match for Amane.

but……

"Her name is Horikita Suzune, and we've been living together for almost a year now. Isn't she cute? And Suzune is not only good at studying, but she also has a great figure!"

Marina Kiryuin nodded, but then her brows furrowed slightly.

Tianyin quickly captured this scene.

Is there something wrong?

"You can see cherry blossoms in the background of this photo, which means it's not from this year. This means it's probably a photo from when you first entered this school, when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. The girl named Horikita looks like she's forcing a smile, and there's a cold and aloof feeling in her eyes. She's probably a girl with a very strong sense of self-esteem. Don't you two usually have any conflicts?"

Kiryuin Marina could tell at a glance that Horikita was the kind of girl who was not to be trifled with.

Perhaps her appearance and figure are also advantages, but Kiryuin Marina keenly sensed from a single photo that Horikita was an arrogant girl.

Such a girl is hard to be subservient to. In Kiryuin Marina's eyes, Amane is an excellent girl. Being with Amane would put a lot of pressure on anyone, no matter who they are. People with a strong sense of self-esteem would find it hard to overcome their own hurdle. Being with Amane would mean that their own brilliance would be overshadowed. This is a situation that no one with a strong sense of self-esteem, pride, and certain abilities could accept.

If there are conflicts between the two, things might be better. But if there are no conflicts, this girl named Horikita might try to prove her excellence in other ways, which would probably give Amane a headache in the end.

"A contradiction? I don't think so."

Amane thought about it and realized that she and Horikita usually didn't have any conflicts, and they rarely even argued, let alone had any conflicts.

"I see... Then you should pay more attention to her... Do you have any other photos?"

Kiryuin Marina could only subtly remind Amane to be careful, but Amane clearly didn't listen to her words and only heard that she wanted to see other people's photos.

So Tianyin decisively changed to another one.

It was a photo taken on a high platform, showing a girl in a school uniform but wearing a swimsuit, her arms outstretched somewhat awkwardly.

The background photo was taken at dusk, when the sunset painted the entire school beautifully. However, when Kiryuin Marina saw the photo, she had no time to notice the scenery.

"So big..."

Even as an adult woman, Kiryuin Marina couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

She never expected that a high school freshman could be so well-developed. She looks like a college student, no... even more than 99% of adult women would feel inferior and jealous upon seeing her, right?

"This girl's name is Sakura Airi. Well, now you can prove my judgment!"

Kiryuin Marina bit her lip in frustration. She found that she really didn't have a good way to refute Amane, since the girls she had chosen all seemed to have their own unique characteristics.

However, she was still unconvinced and asked Amane to show her the next one. This continued until the last one was turned, at which point Kiryuin Marina finally showed a satisfied expression.

It seems that Tianyin is surrounded by good girls.

There shouldn't be any major problems.

Apart from the girl named Kushida who seemed a bit scheming and the girl named Karuizawa Megumi who appeared very flamboyant but gave off a feeling of inferiority, there weren't any other major problems.

When Kiryuin Marina saw the last picture, she couldn't help but call out the other person's surname.

"That girl from the Sakayanagi family?"

"Eh? Kiryuin, you actually know Arisu?"

Tenon was somewhat surprised to hear the other person call out Sakayanagi's surname so readily.

“Maple often told me about you and Sakayanagi, and even showed me photos, which is why I remember you.”

However, in reality, Kiryuin Fuka regarded Sakayanagi Arisu as her most important rival during that period, and even hung her photo on the wall to motivate herself.

As the teacher who taught Kiryuin Fuuka martial arts techniques, Kiryuin Marina naturally saw that photo every day, and over time she learned that Amane and a girl named Sakayanagi Arisu from the Sakayanagi family got along well.

"That's really rare."

“It’s rare… Oh, yes, it is quite a coincidence. I didn’t expect that Maple would have told you about Arisu.”

That's something truly rare.

Marina Kiryuin smiled very happily.

It seems someone has taken her place and accompanied Tianyin all the way.

However, she doesn't know the specifics of this girl named Sakayanagi. It seems she needs to meet with this girl named Sakayanagi Arisu.

Seeing that Kiryuin Marina was laughing very happily, Amane felt a little puzzled, but since she was laughing, there should be no problem.

Just as the two were discussing and admiring the photos, the kitchen door was suddenly and roughly opened.

"Miss Marina, why are you suddenly closed today... Amane, what are you doing here?"

"Marina?"

Tianyin looked suspicious.

It seems to be different from the name of the shopkeeper, Kiryuin, that she remembers.

Kiryuin Marina glanced at Kiryuin Kaede.

Kiryuin Kaede shivered as if she had been electrocuted. Even if she was slow to react, she knew that if she couldn't smooth things over today, she would probably suffer in the future.

In order to avoid being physically eliminated, Kiryuin Kaede, whose brain had become somewhat rusty from staying in her dorm all day, began to rack her brains.

Got it!

"What do you mean, 'really'?"

"Didn't you just say..."

"Huh? You're only sixteen and your ears are like an old person's? I was talking about Miss Nanami, wasn't I? Don't tell me... Amane, you didn't remember her name?"

Kiryuin Fuka suddenly turned on her, catching Amane off guard.

Amane, who was already a little confused about the name of the shopkeeper Kiryuin, was unsure whether she had really mixed it up or misheard it. But... why did the name Marina also sound so familiar?

It seems like someone mentioned it...

"I knew it! Just look at your idiot face. By the way, what are you guys doing? Making chocolate?"

Kiryuin Fuka saw that Amane was taken aback by her and quickly tried to change the subject.

But unexpectedly, Tianyin seemed to have actually remembered something.

“Your mother, Marina, left after giving birth to you. I tried to dissuade her, but she insisted on leaving and refused to explain why. In desperation, I even used you as a threat, but at that time she said something about not compromising with an old man like me anymore and left without looking back. Your name, Amane, is probably the last gift she left for you.”

Kuninori Miyako's words suddenly echoed in Tenon's ears.

Chapter 203: What I swallowed was—

'Maria, no, it should be...'

Amane subconsciously raised her head and met the gaze of Kiryuin Marina. Her eyes, which had been shining brightly just moments before, dimmed in an instant.

At the same time, a happy expression appeared on his face.

"Oh, I must have misheard. I was wondering why it was different from what I remembered. Maple, since you're here too, would you like to try my liqueur-filled chocolates? They're absolutely delicious!"

As she spoke, Tenon picked up a plate and placed a few chocolate-covered liqueurs on it, handing them to Kiryuin Fuka. It seemed she intended for Kiryuin Fuka to taste them. Kiryuin Fuka's expression changed slightly. Normally, if she were to drink alcohol, she would only drink two cans at most. Now, she was being asked to eat chocolate-covered liqueurs. She might embarrass herself on the spot if she wasn't careful.

It's not a big deal if she makes a fool of herself in private, but in this situation, if she says something disastrous because her mind is in a mess, she has no idea how to clean up the mess.

Just as Kiryuin Fuka was about to find an excuse to shirk responsibility, she noticed that Amane seemed to be looking at her expectantly. When Amane looked at her like that, Kiryuin Fuka immediately knew that Amane was in high spirits.

If you reject Tenon, she might start worrying again about whether she just called out the name Nanami.

Left with no other choice, Kiryuin Fuka picked up a chocolate bar with a look of resignation.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Kiryuin Kaede closed her eyes and put the chocolate in her mouth. As soon as she took it out, the bitter taste of the chocolate shell made her want to spit it out, but if she spat out the food she made in front of Amane...

It seems no different from being killed by Marina.

'Sigh, what sins did I commit in my past life to get involved in this mother and daughter's affair?'

After silently lamenting his somewhat tragic life, Kiryuin decided to bite into the chocolate shell.

The rich aroma made Kiryuin Fuka feel a little tipsy for a moment, and the spicy and tingling sensation continued to ferment in her mouth, while a strange feeling rushed straight to her brain.

Kiryuin Kaede, who was already feeling dizzy just from having the alcohol in her mouth, couldn't stand the high concentration of alcohol and wanted to spit it out, but Amane covered her mouth with her hand.

"Swallow it."

"???"

When Tenon gave this order, countless lines from manga and doujinshi she had treasured flashed through her mind.

And she went from being a spectator to becoming the 'humiliated' female protagonist in those scenes.

Kiryuin Kaede admits that she wants to be the female lead at least once in her life.

But the problem is...

She definitely doesn't want to be the heroine in a doujinshi!

Just as Kiryuin Kaede was about to speak, who was about to resist, Amane lifted her neck.

The spicy, stinging sensation actually flowed down my throat and into my stomach.

Tenon was very grateful to see that Kiryuin Fuka had drunk so much, and then patted Kiryuin Fuka's head with satisfaction.

"Maple Flower has grown up now."

"Pah!! Don't say weird lines at a time like this! Ugh, never mind that, where's the water? I feel like my throat is on fire, no, my stomach, I feel like my stomach is on fire! Get me some water right now!!"

While watching Kiryuin Kaeda jump around anxiously, Amane remained remarkably calm.

"How should I say this? There's not a single bit left. Maple is such a good girl."

"Eh!!!"

Kiryuin Fuka let out a piercing scream.

Immediately, her face, which was already slightly flushed from the alcohol, turned bright red.

"Kiryuin... Shopkeeper, the liquor you bought seems to have a rather high alcohol content."

Amane ignored Kiryuin Kaede, who was standing still, and instead picked up the sake bottle and looked at Kiryuin Marina. This was the first time the two had made eye contact since Kiryuin Kaede came in.

"I asked Principal Fujiwara for help, and sure enough, that guy is even more unreliable than me."

Marina Kiryuin shook her head bitterly.

"So it was Ms. Fujiwara who helped with the purchase, no wonder..."

Ms. Fujiwara is very particular about the quality of ingredients, so she was asked to...

As for where she bought the ingredients, heaven knows.

Normally, lower-quality liqueur-filled chocolates are made with off-brand beer, wine, etc. Although the taste is average, they are popular among students because of their low price.

The types of drinks specifically given to girls are mostly mixed drinks, such as fruit wines, which have a low alcohol content and a fruity aroma, making them popular as desserts among girls.

Slightly more upscale chocolates use rum, whiskey, or brandy, which significantly alters the flavor of the liqueur-filled chocolates.

In fact, most liqueur-filled chocolates are made with low-alcohol rum and fruit wine. Both of these are time-tested ingredients that best suit the taste and acceptance of the general public, both in terms of cost and taste.

But... perhaps because Amane emphasized that she wanted a stronger drink... Ms. Fujiwara probably bought baijiu (Chinese white liquor).

It's a customized, high-end product.

While it's quite normal to use baijiu (Chinese white liquor) to make liqueur-filled chocolates in some places, these high school girls here simply can't enjoy the spicy taste of baijiu.

"So we really have to redo it? There probably isn't enough time."

Even if we replace time with beer now, it's completely too late.