I'm in Tokyo, and I'm a professional boyfriend.

Whether it's confessing to someone you like in front of everyone, complaining about the amount of homework your teachers assign, apologizing to a friend, or bragging to the whole school... you can go on stage for almost anything.

Moreover, precisely because it is done at will, as long as many people talk about it, there will always be one or two that attract attention.

At least after watching the spectacle from below for quite some time, Shiina Iori's smile never stopped.

Who doesn't enjoy watching the drama unfold?

As for how many of them are scripted and how many are genuinely there to complain?

What does that have to do with him!

Just clap along.

The troubles of teenagers in their second year of middle school are just so interesting.

One after another, middle school boys and girls went on and off the stage. Just as Shiina Iori, who was happily preparing to switch to the swimming club performance, turned around, she saw that there seemed to be a small argument going on.

Not sure what happened.

Just as Shiina was about to leave, he noticed a new piece of gossip and immediately stopped, curiously looking up at the scene.

After watching for a short while, his facial expression suddenly stiffened, as if he had been frozen.

Under the watchful eyes of hundreds of teachers and students, a lovely girl with waist-length hair, dressed in casual autumn clothes, and with a face as exquisite as sculpted jade, mustered her courage and slowly walked onto the stage.

The students who had been watching the drama unfold below seemed to notice something was amiss and began to murmur amongst themselves in confusion.

"Hey, do we really have such cute girls in our school?"

"I don't think I've ever seen this before..."

"Yeah, yeah, and they're not wearing school uniforms either, that won't do, will it?"

"But it looks like it should be about the same age as us."

"Is he from another school? Or a new teacher?"

"I do not know."

Among the crowd, only Shiina Iori had a strange expression, her eyes, visible outside her mask, staring wide-eyed at the girl on the platform.

He had an incredulous expression on his face.

How to do?

How did she get up there?

It seems like the gossip is about to spill over onto me?!

Where is my phone?

......

Meanwhile, on one side of the platform, some members of the production team were also worried: "Supervisor, this girl probably hasn't been approved, right? Is it really okay?"

The middle-aged supervisor, with a round belly, looked unconcerned, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. He pointed at the girl on stage and said matter-of-factly, "You couldn't find a girl of this caliber even if you walked the streets all day! She finally came to me on her own, are you expecting me to kick her off the stage?!"

"These are all viewership ratings, Hayata!"

"But......"

"No buts! I'll take responsibility."

Chiho Aiba, standing on the high platform, appeared to be shivering because her clothes were rather thin.

After standing on the high platform, even Chiho herself couldn't tell whether she was trembling from the cold or from nervousness.

She looked down at the dense crowd below, which looked no different from ants, and took a deep breath.

The cool air filled her mouth, stimulating every cell and giving her a feeling as if she had come back to life.

I could faintly hear the 'thump-thump' of a heartbeat in my ears.

The blood in my body was burning and boiling as I gritted my teeth.

The girl clenched her fists tightly.

She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but when she looked down at the faces on the ground that she couldn't even make out, she had the strange feeling that Iori was staring at her.

"Hiss...whoosh."

Take a deep breath in and out.

After countless practices, the vocal cords vibrate almost instinctively.

Those previously difficult, challenging, and disjointed problems no longer seemed to be obstacles at this moment.

Under everyone's gaze, the cowardice, fear, speechlessness, and hesitation she thought she would feel vanished.

My mind was almost blank; I was simply following the voice of my heart.

So, Aiba Chiho held the microphone high and spoke at the top of her lungs, almost shouting:

"Shiina Iori—!!!"

"oh--!!"

The mere mention of the name was enough to make all the students on the ground cheer and shout it out loudly, fanning the flames.

But the voice that followed from the microphone stunned everyone.

"Idiot! Scoundrel! Fool! The black lumps on the bottom of the pot that can't be wiped off! The earthworms on the outside of the TV! The insatiable greedy devil!"

The almost cathartic roar not only quieted everyone down, but also relieved Aiba, who was on the platform and regarded everyone as potatoes, tomatoes and watermelons. It was as if he had shouted out all the pressure he had been under for a while, and his speech was more fluent than he had ever been in recent years.

That is something that no amount of stumbling practice can compare to.

However, it's not over yet.

She took a deep breath, her chest heaving, and her face, which had been frozen white in the cold wind, suddenly flushed red, even her eyes turning red.

"I..."

I love you the most!!!

I love you the most!

After venting all her feelings, the emptiness that had surged like a tidal wave as she walked alone at the school gate finally surfaced uncontrollably, her voice trembling and the red marks around her eyes becoming more and more obvious.

"No, don't leave me alone."

"I beg you."

---Aside---

I've been working on finishing this these past few days, but I keep feeling like the writing isn't going smoothly. Something just doesn't feel right, which has led to inconsistent updates. I'm really sorry, otiz.

【514】Hmm?

"oh--!!!"

The cheers and jeers downstairs grew even louder.

The noise and merriment were like a festival.

However, for Aiba Chiho, who was standing at the very top of the rooftop, her heart was racing to its limit and her mind was so hot that she couldn't think straight.

It wasn't until she shouted out the voices that were truly hidden deep within her heart that she realized what she had just said in front of the cameras, and she had no idea how the production crew, who were broadcasting live behind the cameras, were commenting.

Most importantly...

Could Iori actually hear me? Could he really have heard me?

Extremely contradictory and complex emotions surged and mingled within the girl's chest, leaving Aiba Chiho unsure whether to feel ashamed or anxious. Her smooth legs were tightly pressed together, trembling uncontrollably, whether from the cold or excitement.

Even my breathing became rapid.

"sure!"

Whether it was her imagination or not, Aiba Chiho felt as if she heard a familiar voice.

The quiet yet talkative girl was startled at first, then suddenly lowered her head, her entire upper body almost climbing over the railing, but she was firmly held back by the restraint rope hanging around her waist.

A pair of eyes, seemingly shining brightly, looked around in the direction of the sound.

They didn't even bother with the staff who rushed over to pull the ropes.

Looking down, one could see a tall, slender man in the center of the crowd. He was wearing a mask, had changed his glasses, and had even messed up his hair. His appearance was completely different from his usual self. He was standing in the dense crowd, squeezing through the crowd to pick up a megaphone from the very front.

Chiho Aiba recognized him at a glance.

Shiina Iori stood at the bottom of the building, her head held high, as if afraid the girl hadn't heard her clearly, and shouted loudly towards the rooftop again.

I said, "Yes!"

"Oh oh oh oh!!!"

The students below became even more excited, shouting and making a ruckus around him.

Their eyes seemed to reflect only each other's image as they gazed at each other.

Chiho Aiba was momentarily lost in thought.

She didn't even notice when the staff pulled her back behind the railing; she just pursed her lips and bit them tightly, as if afraid of making some embarrassing sound.

"But next time, could you say it secretly when it's just the two of us?"

"You came so suddenly, I'm a little embarrassed!"

Hearing his relaxed tone, Aiba Chiho felt as if she had suddenly returned to reality from a light dream. She felt her whole body relax, and then her nose started to sting. She didn't know whether it was from happiness or grievance.

Hearing what Shiina Iori said, he could only nod repeatedly.

So silly.

The little incident on the rooftop passed quickly. Because it was outside the original program, even though the supervisors had considerable power, they were only given less than five minutes during the intermission.

Others are still waiting in line to confess their feelings.

......

"That just gave me a real fright."

Even after the two came down from the school building where the filming was taking place, Shiina Iori still looked surprised and said in an exaggerated tone, "They suddenly called out my name! I thought it was someone else recording it."

Chiho walked alongside him.