My roommate turns out to be the heiress of a triad!

Ryoichi Sugawara—no, it should be the current Ryoichi Sugawara—had not felt so relaxed in a long time.

Before becoming this high school student, he was a beast of burden for a ruthless company.

When I open my eyes, it's time to go to work; when I close my eyes, it's time to sleep.

During the years he worked in that impressive office building, he never saw the sunrise or the sunset.

All that remains is the hustle and bustle of traffic on the way to work and the utter silence after working overtime.

Even on a rare holiday, I would just sleep in bed until the afternoon, then vaguely see the fiery clouds in the sky dyed blood red by the sunset through a corner of the window, and bear the loneliness of being abandoned by the whole world.

After washing up, you also need to prepare for work the next day.

After a day of classes, students who do not participate in departmental activities generally do not stay at school for long.

Young men and women walking along the main avenue on campus, either in twos and threes or with friends, were heading to a pre-arranged meeting place to enjoy their youth without restraint.

For them, wandering aimlessly with friends during this carefree age is something they can enjoy immensely.

Among the crowd were also members of the "Homecoming Club," like Ryoichi Sugawara, who wanted to go home even before the clouds on the horizon had turned orange.

There is no distinction of high or low status in how one spends their free time. This statement reflects the view of their class's teacher, Hirotaka Hasegawa.

It's hard to imagine that such enlightened words would come from the mouth of such a rigid and strict teacher.

I feel that adding the phrase "[only for those with excellent academic performance]" to this sentence would be more in line with his style.

Just as Sugawara Ryoichi was leisurely strolling along the asphalt road on campus, enjoying the various scenes of people after school, the thumping sound of school-standard round-toed leather shoes on the road came urgently from behind him.

As you listen to the sound, the person making that sound gets closer and closer.

He was about to turn around and move aside when the person slammed into his shoulder from behind. His backpack slipped off his shoulder as he lost his balance and fell to the ground.

However, the person made no attempt to stop and check on the injured person.

Without slowing down at all, he strode away angrily.

Judging from her graceful figure and her blonde hair, she knew that person must be her classmate, Yukiko Higuchi.

Are you in such a hurry to go on a date with someone else? And why are you so angry?

He muttered this to himself, not paying any attention to her bumping into him. He bent down and picked up his schoolbag that had fallen to the ground.

As soon as he squatted down, he noticed two female students standing not far behind him, looking in the direction where Yukiko Higuchi had left, with a helpless expression.

After noticing that Sugawara Ryoichi was watching them, he gave an apologetic smile. He clasped his hands together, as if apologizing on behalf of Higuchi Yukiko.

Ryoichi Sugawara knew both of these people.

They were the girls who shared a table with Yukiko Higuchi in the classroom for lunch today; they were members of Yukiko Higuchi's small circle.

Ryoichi Sugawara didn't think Yukiko Higuchi needed to apologize to him, so he naturally didn't take the incident of bumping into him to heart.

He nodded to the two of them like a gentleman, stirring their hearts. Then he continued walking towards the school gate.

When he arrived at the school gate, someone was already waiting for him.

The person stood still, holding the bag's handles behind their back, their black pleated skirt clinging to their school uniform.

Every now and then, they would tap the stone slabs with the tips of their leather shoes, making a soft thumping sound to relieve their anxiety while waiting.

Her beautiful black hair swayed in the gentle breeze. Occasionally, a few strands would slip down her sides and fly wildly in the wind.

Kujo Mayu stood at the school gate, as if waiting for someone, attracting the attention of everyone coming out of the school.

Occasionally, a few boys whom Kujo Mayu didn't know would greet her, and she would respond with a smile and a slight nod, making those boys feel as sweet as if they had eaten honey.

Upon seeing Sugawara Ryoichi emerge from the school gate, she first wore her usual smile and then quickly walked towards him.

But halfway there, as if she remembered something, her beautiful, smiling face immediately turned into one of resentment and anger. She stopped in her tracks and just stared at him.

Speaking of which, I made an appointment with her during the break between classes to meet at the school gate after school so I could go to the nearby shopping center with her.

I forgot about this because I went to the staff room to deliver some materials after the last class.

No, no, that's not right.

Strictly speaking, it was her decision unilaterally. I didn't agree to her suggestion on LINE. So it's not exactly late.

Sugawara Ryo thought to himself.

"Hey, Kujo-kun, what a coincidence to run into you at the school gate."

He waved with a grin and walked steadily to Kujo Mayu, showing no remorse for being late.

You need to apologize for at least two things.

Kujo Mayu's tone was displeased, and her stern face did not affect her good looks at all.

Her cheeks were slightly puffed out because she was angry, making you want to pinch them.

"An apology? Or twice?"

Kujo Mayu's words left him somewhat confused.

In an instant, he recalled all his conversations with Mayu Kujo over the past two days.

I feel that apart from being late, which is not due to personal reasons, there is nothing else I need to apologize to her for.

But then I realized something was wrong.

This is emotional bullying. It's definitely bullying.

I'm not your boyfriend, Miss. I'm just your friend. If you're being strict, I wouldn't even qualify as a friend.

There's no need for me to feel pressured by you.

Still the old saying.

If it were an inexperienced high school student, being intimidated like this, they might tell her everything they thought would anger her, only to have her find fault with them and then have to keep trying to appease her.

Ultimately, by placing themselves in a subservient position in the relationship, they completely relinquish control.

To summarize...

Self-defense is a trap.

Wow. I've noticed this woman is quite good at controlling people. Where did she learn that from?

Sugawara Ryo thought to himself.

"Although I can't recall what the problem was, I sincerely apologize to you, my lady."

He used humor to deflect Kujo Mayu's deadly question, and the effect was unexpectedly good.

When Kujo Mayu saw him apologize in this way, she knew that he completely misunderstood what she cared about.

But he still sighed helplessly, his brows relaxing slightly.

"You didn't explicitly agree to my suggestion on LINE, so it can't be considered that you were late. But wasn't your joke a bit too much?"

"Which one?"

Sugawara Ryoichi was somewhat confused and blurted out a question. Only after uttering the last syllable did he realize which joke Kujo Mayu was referring to.

However, before he could continue speaking, a blush appeared on Kujo Mayu's fair face, and she stammered out a sentence.

"That...that one, in neutral."

As she spoke, her voice grew softer, but remained at a level that Sugawara Ryoichi on the other side could hear.

Sure enough, it was exactly what I had in mind.

But Sugawara Ryoichi has something to say here.

"That was a joke you started. Saying you didn't change your girlfriend for days on end..."

thump.

Before she could finish speaking, Kujo Mayu's pink little fist weakly punched her own chest.

Although he couldn't feel any pain, he wisely kept his mouth shut.

"No wonder that girl said no girl would want to be your girlfriend."

This sentence was muttered quietly by Kujo Mayu, and Sugawara Ryoichi, who was standing so close, didn't hear a single word.

"What?!"

"It's nothing!"

The two of them kept talking, one after the other, completely disregarding the fact that this was the school gate, where all the students would leave the school.

To the students passing by, their interaction just now seemed like a typical scenario of a young couple arguing over trivial matters and eventually making up.

However, compared to other couples, these two might be more recognizable on campus.

She's just a handsome, academically gifted guy who transferred from Okayama this year, known to girls in the same grade, and whose fame is spreading to other grades. She's also a school beauty, Mayu Kujo, who's known to all the boys in the school.