Tokyo: Idol Girls have absolutely no bad intentions!

She picked up her fork, ready to reach for the hamburger steak that she had specifically asked for to be pan-fried until the edges were slightly charred and that it emitted an enticing aroma.

It seems they intend to eat under Ito's gaze.

This seemingly provocative gesture made Ito's eyebrows involuntarily rise. If he actually let her eat the food, then his appearance would have been pointless.

"Asada." Just as the hamburger was about to be put into the other person's mouth, Ito finally spoke.

"W-What's wrong..." Forced to stop what she was doing, Asada looked around and held the fork to Ito's lips. "Hurry up and eat, don't let them find out."

"Sneaking food while working part-time will probably result in a deduction in pay. If Ito wants some, we can buy another serving and take it home to eat."

This guy...

"You said you were going to lose weight yesterday!" Ito couldn't get angry at Asada at all. "And what's this now?"

"Hamburger steak..." Asada's hand holding the fork trembled slightly. "Besides, this was ordered by Nai... I just... just wanted to let her taste it!"

She tried to shift the blame, her eyes filled with a pleading look of "Nai-chan, save me!"

If Ito hadn't heard every single word from the moment the other person placed their order, he might really have...

No, this guy's lies are full of flaws.

"Yes, I ordered it." Yoshida Nai was caught off guard and dragged into the mess, but she still managed to reply with a forced smile.

She was clearly unaware that she had already been betrayed by Asada.

Just as this minor chaos was unfolding and Ito was both annoyed and amused by Asada's twisted logic of "blaming Nai-chan for tasting,"...

Out of the corner of his eye, he once again keenly caught a very subtle but undeniable abnormality in Iketani Rin's expression.

Rin Iketani had already put down her fries sometime earlier.

Instead of burying herself in her own world with her head down as before, she turned her body slightly away from Asada at an extremely unnatural angle.

This is more like... an avoidance!

This reaction occurred in Rin Iketani, and it was directed at Sakura Asada.

Rin Iketani did not show such obvious avoidance towards anyone else.

Moreover, even when the two of them were together normally, they didn't show the slightest bit of strangeness.

But now... Considering the fact that the other party was following him, Ito had a guess in his mind.

He temporarily set aside his pursuit of Asada's "hamburger platoon sovereignty" and focused all his attention on Iketani Rin.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, carefully observing the other person's every move.

“Iketani-kun,” Ito’s voice suddenly rang out, his tone casual, “you seem…not feeling well?”

Rin Iketani's body visibly stiffened for a moment.

She didn't look up, but simply shook her head slightly.

"Is that so?" Ito didn't let it go easily. "I noticed that you've been avoiding Asada's direction since just now."

This question left both Asada Sakura and Yoshida Nai stunned.

Asada's eyes widened, and she pointed at herself with an incredulous look: "Eh? Me? I caused trouble for Iketani-kun?"

She couldn't understand what she had done at all.

Rin Iketani lowered her head even further, her wolf tail hair almost completely obscuring her profile.

“Rin Iketani,” Ito’s voice deepened, carrying a gentle yet undeniable pressure, “avoidance won’t solve the problem.”

"Tell me, why do you feel so uncomfortable about Asada Sakura's presence? Was your previous 'observation' of me related to Asada? Or... was it because of Asada that you were observing me?"

Time passed second by second.

After a few seconds of silence, the hand that had been under the table finally slowly and reluctantly rose and reached for the phone on the corner of the table.

Her movements were slow, tinged with resistance. She unlocked the screen, her fingertips moving slowly across the glass, as if each keystroke weighed a ton.

Ito, Mori, Asada, and Yoshida all focused their attention on the screen in her hand.

Finally, she stopped typing and very slowly flipped the phone screen over.

On the screen, a line of text was displayed:

"It's not a problem. It's just... we can't be together after school."

The answer was still vague, but at least it acknowledged that Asada was "not allowed to be contacted".

Ito pressed on: "What can't I touch? Her? Why is it after school?"

Seemingly worried that Iketani Rin wouldn't give a proper answer, Ito added, "I heard you quite enjoy school life. If your classmates find out you've been following me..."

Rin Iketani's finger hovered at the top of the screen, seemingly hesitating.

A few seconds later, she looked down and typed another line:

“It was my teacher who said that it’s not the right time yet.”

A teacher? And related to Asada?

First, exclude teachers in schools, as they have neither the authority nor the reason to issue such an order.

That leaves only Ikeya Rin's personal tutor.

He immediately turned his sharp gaze to Asada Sakura, trying to find a clue on her face.

However, the moment his gaze fell upon Asada—

"Pfft! Cough cough cough cough!!"

Seemingly startled by Ito's sudden turn of his head, Asada, who was secretly drinking a chocolate milkshake, choked.

She frantically patted her chest with one hand and frantically grabbed the glass of ice water on the table with the other.

With a loud crash, Yoshida Nana's half-finished glass of lemonade was knocked over, and the pale yellow liquid quickly spread across the table.

"Watch out!" Yoshida Nai jumped up to avoid the water.

"I'm so sorry." Asada frantically tried to wipe it with a tissue, but the more she wiped, the more messy it became, and the water stains spread even wider.

The scene instantly descended into chaos.

Clumsy...

Ito grabbed a few clean napkins from the side, went around the table, and deftly helped to block the water flow, preventing it from dripping onto the floor.

Everyone's attention was completely drawn to the sudden "flood" at the table and the disastrous cleanup work done by Asada Sakura.

Asada stood there helplessly, like a child who had done something wrong, clutching a wet tissue in her hand, her face full of guilt.

The chaos lasted for about a minute.

"Phew...finally..." Yoshida Nai wiped away non-existent sweat.

Ito straightened up and tossed the soaked tissue into the empty tray. He glanced subconsciously in the direction of Iketani Rin's seat.

empty.

Ito's pupils contracted as Iketani Rin's figure completely disappeared, leaving only the almost empty glass of sparkling water.

Water droplets condensed on the glass slowly slid down, with a few unfinished fries scattered nearby.

Ito's gaze quickly swept around the restaurant; the person had indeed vanished!

"Where's Ikeya-kun?" Asada Sakura asked quietly, belatedly noticing.

There was a barely perceptible hint of...relief in her tone.

"Ah... they ran away." Mori blinked his violet eyes. "Running away in the chaos, were you afraid of something?"

Ito stared at the empty seat with a deep look in his eyes.

This act of fleeing silently confirmed his suspicions.

She didn't want to, or rather, couldn't stay here any longer, especially in front of Asada, especially after his secret about "teachers" and "school bans" was accidentally exposed.

He withdrew his gaze, glanced one last time at Asada Sakura who was still clueless, and then glanced at the empty seat.

Feeling like he'd missed something, a flash of inspiration struck him, and just as Ito was about to grab it, a bank card suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Here, take it." Asada tilted her head. "I didn't spend any money inside!"

"So..." Asada's voice was soft, with a hint of tentative excitement, "Can you be a little happier now, Ito?"

That bank card, containing five million yen, became her clumsy tool for making peace.

He looked down at the card, then looked up at Asada's innocent face, which seemed to say, "Don't be angry anymore."

What are you trying to hide?

Chapter 189 Sweet Soufflé

The sudden question caught Asada off guard, and her mind went blank for a moment.

He kept his mouth half-open, without uttering a single word.

"Hey, Ito." Yoshida Nai couldn't stand the atmosphere anymore, she frowned, "Stop bullying Sakura."

"She just ordered a hamburger and spilled a glass of water, why is she being so aggressive? Iketani left on her own, what does it have to do with Sakura? I've returned your bank card, what more do you want?"

It was a terrible scene, as if Ito was venting his anger for no reason, directing his anger at the weak Asada.

Therefore, Ito can understand Yoshida Nai's actions in standing up for Asada.

but........

Asada is covering it up!

All her actions, from Iketani Rin's violent reaction to the mention of "teacher," the chaos she created, to her current act of offering her bank card to beg for reconciliation, all point to the same core issue.

She was desperately trying to cover up a secret related to Rin Iketani's "teacher".

He admitted that he wasn't exactly gentle, and could even be somewhat aggressive. He understood that Asada had secrets, and as long as they didn't cross his bottom line, he wasn't intolerant.

Even if the other party kept it from him, he didn't really feel much.

But all of this is predicated on the premise that it does not involve him personally.

"Ito, how long are you planning to keep this up!" After saying this, Yoshida Nai intended to take Asada away.