My older sister is a villainous rich girl.

Separated by a wall, Wayne was filled with questions.

What the heck?! Is female friendship really this scary?!

He slightly raised his gaze and glanced at the minister, only to find that the minister was also slumped over the table with a complex expression on his face.

Now there's no way to avoid it.

Ugh! Why did I have to get involved in such a complicated situation? Does the president of the Lily Club see the craft club as a third party who stole her love?

Over there, Ge Li spoke.

I understand your reasons, but—I refuse.

She said, "I want to win fair and square, based on my own abilities!"

Sofia asked in surprise, "Are you sure?"

"You may not know this, but with the support of Duke Elliott Winchester, His Majesty the King has decided to meet with Pokran at a later date. At that time, all of his plays will be performed at the Court Theatre, including the one Chris is involved in, 'Superhero Poppy'."

Sophia paused for a moment, then said, "If I'm not mistaken, there's at least a 90% chance that the craft club's entry for this year's school festival will be related to 'Superhero Poppy.' With Pokran's reputation backing them, the orchestra... is very likely to lose."

Ge Li's expression faltered slightly, and he muttered under his breath, "Chris is indeed despicable."

"No, I also need to find a famous music master to tailor-make a score for the orchestra and build up the hype in advance." She couldn't sit still any longer, so she quickly finished her dessert in a few bites and stood up.

"I won't tell anyone about what happened today. But please don't do anything unnecessary."

After giving Sophia a deep look, Ge Li hurriedly left.

"Wait, wait a minute..." Sophia tried to persuade them to stay.

But amidst the crisp sound of the wind chimes colliding, Ge Li had already disappeared through the doorway without looking back.

President Sophia's hand, which she had just raised, fell limply to her side.

"Even if you've mentally prepared for the worst, in the end you still can't even take the first step?"

She muttered to herself.

"I guess I'm just not the type to do everything well."

Suddenly, the head of the handicraft department slammed his hand on the table, making a loud "bang!" sound.

Wayne's heart stopped, and his eyes widened.

With a look of grim determination, she rushed to the other side of the partition.

"Sophia!" she called out.

President Sophia was utterly astonished: "Mei...Mei...what are you doing here?!"

"Sofia Patrick—"

Minister of Crafts, May Jones, read her name again.

"Join our crafts department!" she said earnestly.

"Let's preserve the memories of fooling around in the craft club."

There was a distance of about one meter between the two people.

They sat across the table, their eyes meeting, their gazes brimming with unspoken understanding.

Wayne: ...

He really wanted to complain, wondering if he should sing a line like, "I should be in the car, not here... seeing how sweet you two are?"

Please, could you consider the feelings of unrelated people?

Sofia's tears fell drop by drop.

"Eh—Eh? Eh? Eh? Eh?" The minister panicked and was at a loss for what to do: "You, you don't cry."

"I...I did so many things that I'm so sorry for..."

"Ah, well," the minister said, scratching his head, "because Sophia isn't a bad person."

"Sophia is gentle, hardworking, and forgivable even for mistakes like this to me..."

"My most important friend."

She gazed at the girl sitting in the sunlight.

Sofia covered her mouth, her silent tears turning into loud sobs: "Waaah...waaaah..."

She cried her heart out, completely losing her composure, and was breathless.

"Uh..." May Jones looked helpless and leaned over to gently pat her back.

"I've always thought Sofia is an outstanding person, very outstanding, unlike me, who just gets by in everything," she said.

"I'm sorry, I've been neglecting your feelings all this time, I won't do it again."

Meanwhile, Wayne, using a flowerpot to shield his head, knelt on one knee on the long sofa, staring in disbelief.

Good heavens! Minister, you absolutely must teach me this trick!

But if he had a choice, he still felt that it would have been better if he hadn't shown up here today.

That's incredibly embarrassing.

……

"So, you used the 'spirit of love and justice' of the Handicraft Club to influence the president of the Lily Club, making her want to join the Handicraft Club even in her last semester when she could participate in club activities?"

In the activity room of the handicraft department.

Chris was sitting in the head chair, looking at the two men who had returned to report with a suspicious expression.

Wayne and the minister exchanged a glance, then nodded vigorously, "Mmm-hmm."

After some back-and-forth, they decided to keep the part about their encounter with Ge Li and Sophia a secret.

After all, President Sofia and the minister had reconciled, and no major damage was caused.

There was a moment of silence in the activity room.

"Well, never mind, it's just a minor detail."

Chris said, "So, what were the results of this search? Did you find any soft, comfortable fabrics that make you want to fall asleep just by touching them?"

"No," they both answered in unison.

Hearing this, Chris looked disappointed, but she still comforted her, "Finding something that perfectly suits your taste isn't easy. Take your time."

On the carriage home, Chris casually glanced at Wayne again and again.

Wien felt like he had a thorn in his side.

"W-what's wrong?" he asked.

"Wayne's been acting a bit strange lately," Chris pouted. "He seems to have a lot of secrets."

shock!

Is the protagonist's sixth sense really that sharp?

"Perhaps there's a little secret," Wayne said.

"Hmm? What is it?" Chris asked instinctively when she saw how honest he was.

"Yes... a friend of mine has recently run into some problems." Wayne pretended to be someone who had a lot to say and didn't know where to begin.

"oh--"

Chris pretended to listen attentively, but in her heart she was thinking: Is he troubled by love again?

"I have a friend who was recently betrayed by her best friend," Wayne said.

"Um."

The carriage was very quiet, with only the occasional vibrations from the wheels rolling over small pebbles.

Chris waited for a long time, but received no further news.

"And then?" she asked.

"And then...they made up again."

"That's it?"

"That's all."

"this one?"

"That's it."

"Wayne! How dare you play me! I'll show you why flowers are so red!"

Chris clenched her fists angrily and grabbed Wayne's head.

"Hey hey hey—it really is like that, I'm not lying to you—"

On the way back from the academy to the Duke's mansion, screams faded into the distance along with the rolling wheels of the carriage.