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

"Wait, what's with those expressions on your faces, you two?"

"Rin, how could you allow Sakura-san to confess to Amane?"

Ichinose asked with an incredulous look on his face.

"Of course, I've accepted her ever since that quiz game. Whether Amane accepts her confession or not is none of my business. So what exactly are Amane and Sakura doing?"

"They seemed to have forgotten to put on their shoes in the rush..."

The reason for rushing out was no longer important at this moment, because Hui suddenly remembered something important: everyone had taken off their shoes in the entryway before entering the house. If it had been Amane who opened the door, she would have thought about putting on her shoes, but because Hui helped open the door, Amane reached the doorway and rushed out with Airi.

They are handsome enough, but if the two of them run out without shoes, people will definitely think there's something wrong with them, right?

"Honestly, they're all idiots."

Horikita picked up her phone to make a call, but then Amane's phone rang on the table.

Horikita glanced at the table and realized that not only Amane's phone, but also Airi's phone was left in the dormitory.

Even Ichinose Kazue couldn't help but look away from the table when she saw this.

"What a troublesome bunch... Oh well, I'll go find them... Hmm? Is this Sakura's camera? Why does she always carry a camera with her...?"

Horikita picked up Airi's camera and glanced at the album. There were more than 12,000 photos in it. This terrifying number startled Horikita. How much passion for photography must one have to achieve this?

But what surprised Horikita the most was...

All 12,000-plus photos were taken at Tianyin.

"..."

Chapter 260: They were in that...

Horikita wanted to exit the camera album, since it was, after all, Airi's personal privacy.

But the album contained photos of Amane in various occasions, with different outfits and expressions, which made Horikita unable to stop looking at them.

The most recent photos are Amane in her maid outfit, Amane struggling perfunctorily when Horikita kidnapped her, and then there are photos of Amane and Kamuro on a date when even she wasn't there.

Judging from the fact that the streetlights in the background are already on, it's likely that Airi bumped into Kamuro, Amane, and... Amasawa Ichika, the current class leader of Class 1-A, after school.

Amane's right hand was holding Kamuro's hand, and her left arm was held by Tenze. Amane's gaze was fixed on Kamuro. How could a first-year student suddenly appear on a date between two people?

Horikita put her doubts aside, but then she discovered another problem: judging from the angle of the photo, it should have been taken in the teaching building opposite the dormitory.

However, that building was an experimental building with an unfinished renovation plan, and basically no students would go in there. Moreover, it was obvious that Amane and the others were going back to their dormitories, which meant that Airi could not have rushed to the opposite experimental building to find a good shooting position to take pictures before seeing Amane.

It was actually a coincidence that Airi went there right after school and filmed Amane entering the dormitory building.

'So she had this kind of hobby?'

Horikita shook her head slightly and continued flipping through the photos.

Amane's happy appearance at her birthday party, the moment she knocked Masahiko to the ground with her last punch during the survival special exam, the moment Amane sprinted across the finish line as the first in the marathon during special training, various wonderful scenes of her defeating the instructor and Hayasaka in the forest special training, various messy photos of Amane's life, and the look of utter despair when Horikita dragged her for a morning run for the rare occasion she got up early.

Amane, who was holding Ichinose's hand at the forest school and demanding that he expel her too; Amane, who was happily eating while wearing a Christmas outfit; the dashing way she accepted Megumi's love letter; the thousands of photos of her dominating the sports festival...

The further she watched, the more uneasy she felt, because many of the scenes were things that even she, who had the most contact with Amane, had never seen.

Keep flipping to the first page at the back.

It looks like a selfie taken on the terrace of the school's outdoor swimming pool.

Amane hugged Airi, who was wearing a swimsuit, and took a selfie with one hand while her other hand was restlessly holding Airi's breasts. Airi blushed with embarrassment but still stiffly made a "V" sign at the camera.

The filming time seems to be around the time I first enrolled in school.

……

After looking at all the photos, Horikita silently exited the album.

If it weren't for her 'that incident', Ai might have entered Tianyin's life much earlier than them.

But at that time, her possessiveness in her first relationship had reached the point of being out of her mind. Even Horikita herself thought that she was hopelessly stupid back then.

However, since the deed was already done, there was no going back. All Horikita could do was try her best to make up for the hurt Airi had suffered.

However, Horikita did give Airi a chance later on. On the contrary, she created many opportunities for Airi to spend time with Amane. But for some reason, it seemed like Amane was deliberately avoiding Airi.

Why didn't Amane respond to Airi?

The answer to this question will probably only be found when Airi asks Amane herself.

……

"Slow down... slow down... I... I can't run anymore..."

Airi, who doesn't usually get much exercise, was out of breath after running up and down just a few flights of stairs with Amane. Now, seeing that Amane wanted to take her somewhere else, Airi quickly spoke up.

If she kept running, she really wouldn't be able to take it anymore.

"Hmm... Rin didn't say it, so let's rest here for a while."

Tenon glanced back at the stairs and elevator entrance, and after confirming that no one was chasing after her, she took Airi's hand and sat down to rest on a bench near the playground.

As the weather gradually turns cooler, and with each class preparing for the sports festival, no clubs are active on the playground even on weekends. Looking around, the entire playground is empty, and you can't see a single person.

"Oh dear! I was in such a rush that I forgot to put on my shoes... How about we sneak back to get them before running out again?"

Amane looked at her black stockings with a sense of relief. Luckily, she had chosen black stockings when she changed into her maid outfit. Otherwise, if she had run around in white stockings, Horikita's blood pressure would have definitely skyrocketed when they got back.

Uh... I'm sure I'll get some criticism if I wear black back home.

Seeing that Tianyin wanted to go back to get her shoes, Airi quickly grabbed Tianyin's arm to stop her from getting up.

"Let's skip the shoes. We're not going anywhere too far, and we can't stay outside for too long..."

Airi's tone began to become somewhat low.

She was afraid that Amane wouldn't be able to come back after she went back, and she was even more afraid of facing Horikita and the others when she went back. While it was certainly a brave act to express her feelings to Amane in front of them, Airi had gradually calmed down while running.

After calming down, Airi suddenly realized that her behavior was tantamount to saying in front of others that she liked her lover. Even the most good-tempered girl would not be able to resist scolding or insulting her in this situation.

A girl with a more volatile temper might resort to physical violence, such as beating her. While it might seem brave to her, it's nothing short of blatant provocation to others. Any girl would find it hard to forgive someone who said such a thing.

So once Amane returns to that dormitory, Horikita and the others will never allow Amane to come out and see her again, and will even demand that Amane completely sever ties with her... No, that's definitely going to happen... Although Airi had anticipated this outcome from the beginning and was mentally prepared, as the time before Amane was to sever ties and contact with her gradually shortened, Airi found herself so reluctant to let her go...

He couldn't bear to see Tianyin leave him.

"That makes sense... Let's rest here for a bit then. I'll call Rinne later to test the waters, and we'll go back once she's calmed down... Wait, my phone... Oh no! Airi, did you bring your phone with you?"

Tianyin instinctively reached into her pocket for her phone, but immediately realized what was happening when she touched her maid outfit.

When Hui urged her to change her clothes, she was afraid that her phone would fall on the ground and break, so she put it on the table for her. However, Amane pulled Airi and ran outside without taking the phone with her. This was a disaster. Without the phone, she couldn't risk her life to check if Horikita was still angry, could she?

That's so dangerous...

"I didn't bring my phone with me either..."

Airi rummaged through her pockets and shook her head. Now it was Tianyin's turn to be dumbfounded. Airi had just said that the two of them wouldn't go far anyway, and it turned out they really couldn't. Without their phones, it was difficult for them to even go shopping, let alone go to any shopping venues.

It seems the only option is to sit here for a while and then take Airi back to figure out a way to prevent the two from clashing.

If Horikita is still angry, then he'll have no choice but to... use his body.

Sigh, she's having such a hard time.

Tianyin sighed softly in her heart.

Airi looked at Tianyin, who was staring blankly at the ground beside her, and hesitated to speak. She really wanted to ask Tianyin why, despite telling her that she liked her so many times, Tianyin was never willing to give her a straight answer.

Even if she were rejected, Airi could at least find peace with herself. Otherwise, she would be lost in her own thoughts every day, and this feeling of being tormented was like being suspended in mid-air.

They can usually use excuses like Tianyin not having time or Tianyin being busy with important things to justify their cowardice.

But now that everything that needed to be said had been said, and Tianyin was right beside her, she should at least give her an answer. However, Tianyin just stood there in a daze, seemingly unmoved, as if she hadn't heard the word "like," which made Airi a little sad.

But if she were to muster the courage to ask Tianyin again... Airi didn't know how to start.

Should we ask Tianyin?

Do you like me or not?

Just saying those words in my mind makes me feel so ashamed, let alone what happens afterward.

Just as Airi was still struggling with her decision, footsteps came from afar.

Shiina was smiling and talking to Ibuki, who was eating an ice cream cone next to him. Every now and then, he would wave a frog plushie in front of Ibuki, as if trying to cheer her up.

Ibuki, on the other hand, had a gloomy expression throughout and ate her ice cream cone half-heartedly.

The two of them passed by Airi and Amane.

Then Shiina and Ibuki stopped in their tracks at the same time.

"Hiyori, did you see anything just now?"

Shiina answered Ibuki's question with a somewhat uncertain tone.

"I think I saw Amane dressed as a maid."

"Me too……"

As they spoke, the two took a few steps back in unison. After confirming that the person staring blankly at the air in front of them was indeed Tianyin, their expressions suddenly changed.

"Hey! You dressed like that in broad daylight, which girl are you trying to pick up? You're such a grown man, don't you know what shame is?"

Ibuki placed the ice cream cone in Amane's hand and immediately took off her school uniform and put it on Amane.

This behavior left Airi, who had been ignored, completely dumbfounded.

Why does Ibuki take off her school uniform and drape it over Amane's body? Isn't Amane's maid outfit more covered up than her school uniform?

On the other side, Shiina frantically rummaged through her bag, finally pulling out her phone with a happy expression. Without a word, she started snapping pictures of Amane, not even bothering to notice her bag falling to the ground.

Because the two people in front of her were so prominent, Tianyin snapped out of her daze. When she saw that she had somehow acquired an ice cream cone, a gift from nature, she took a bite without saying a word.

That one bite almost turned Ibuki into a steamed crayfish.

"That's something I ate! How could you do this? I kindly gave you my clothes, and you ate my ice cream cone? This is outrageous! Just wait and see..."

Ibuki instinctively rolled up her sleeves.

Then, glancing at Shiina, who was busy taking pictures of Amane, he coughed lightly twice.

However, Shiina, who was seeing Amane in her maid outfit for the first time, was completely captivated by it. She kept taking pictures of Amane and never took her eyes off her phone screen. She had no time to look at Ibuki.

"Cough cough."

Seeing Shiina so engrossed in it, Ibuki coughed a few times forcefully.

However, Shiina remained unmoved, which instead attracted Amane's attention.

Ibuki swallowed hard.

She was angry, but not to the point of actually fighting with Amane. Normally, if Shiina saw her about to argue or fight with someone, he would have already come over to mediate. But this time, Shiina didn't care about her, which made Ibuki, who had already rolled up her sleeves and pretended to want to cause trouble for Amane, feel a little embarrassed.

Tianyin stood up and calmly smoothed out the wrinkles on her maid outfit with one hand. Tianyin was already taller than the average girl, and the maid outfit made her look even taller. If it weren't for her face with a slightly dim-witted smile that ruined the overall atmosphere, Tianyin could totally play the role of a standard aloof maid.

"What...what do you want to do?"

Ibuki took a step back with some apprehension, but before she could make a move, Amane held the ice cream cone to Ibuki's lips.

"You're so stingy. I only ate one bite, you can have the rest."

"Huh?"

Ibuki was stunned when she received the ice cream cone. She thought Amane was going to teach her a lesson because she was getting a little cocky, but she didn't expect that Amane would just give the ice cream cone back to her.

"Tch! Who would want food you've already eaten?"

"If you don't want it, give it to me."

"Why should I give it to you because I bought it!"

When Ibuki saw that Amane actually wanted to reach out and snatch the ice cream cone, she quickly ate the ice cream cone in her hand clean in a few bites.

Only then did Shiina, who was completely satisfied with the photos, peek out and look at Ibuki.

"But didn't I buy you the ice cream cone to make Mio happy?"

"..."

Ibuki rolled her eyes at Shiina. Shiina was usually known for her cleverness, so why did she always expose her?

Shiina, seeing Ibuki's eye roll, belatedly realized that she had exposed Ibuki a little too quickly, so she playfully stuck out her tongue.

Just as Shiina was trying to find a topic to change Ibuki's awkward situation, she suddenly noticed that Amane was barefoot.