Iroha's voice wasn't loud, but it was just enough for everyone present to hear clearly.
Yui, perhaps sensing what might happen next, instinctively covered her mouth with her hand.
Yukino's expression also became slightly more serious, though overall, her demeanor hadn't changed much.
She was quite interested in seeing what Iroha would do next.
In her view, her junior had finally seen the true colors of this guy who played with girls' feelings.
Now, before completely giving up, she was planning to expose the truth to Kazusa, who was still in the dark.
From any perspective, this was a good thing.
The only one who felt an extreme sense of crisis was Chisato. Although he managed to control his expression, his pupils dilated unnaturally for a split second.
Fortunately, Kazusa didn't immediately notice his lapse. Her attention was firmly drawn to the suddenly approaching Iroha.
She wasn't sure what the girl intended by saying this out of nowhere, but she couldn't deny that her curiosity had been piqued.
Since it was about her boyfriend, she couldn't ignore it.
Kazusa glanced at Chisato, who was looking at her with a helpless smile, showing no particular reaction.
She then turned back to Iroha and forced a polite smile.
"I'm quite interested. What secret?"
Iroha casually withdrew her gaze from Chisato.
Kazusa had missed his fleeting reaction, but she saw it all too clearly.
That was unmistakably fear.
And that reaction could only mean one thing—guilt.
Iroha thought back to everything that had happened from their chance encounter until now.
Throughout this entire period, Chisato had remained calm and composed, never showing a moment of panic in front of her.
He had always been the one in control of their interactions.
But now, because of a single sentence from her, he had lost his cool.
For the first time, she had seen an expression on him that she had never seen before.
He was afraid—afraid that she would reveal the truth to Kazusa.
And that very reaction confirmed that Kazusa's situation was entirely different from that of Sawamura Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha.
Suzumiya-senpai hadn't told her anything yet!
Kazusa was his biggest weakness!
This small, casual probe had given Iroha such a significant discovery. Chisato's response was amusing to her.
Although she knew that this also proved how much he valued Kazusa, for some reason, that realization made her feel a little irritated.
At the same time, however, a sense of inexplicable joy welled up inside her.
At this moment, the next development was entirely in her hands.
Suzumiya-senpai, you wouldn't want…
Immersed in the thrill of controlling the situation, Iroha found her emotions shifting.
And so, she made up her mind.
She was going to deviate from her original plan and go with an entirely new idea.
"Actually, rather than calling it a secret, it's more of a piece of advice. You see, Suzumiya-senpai…"
Iroha leaned closer to Kazusa's ear, lowering her voice just enough for everyone present to still hear clearly.
"Back in the day, he was really popular. Tons of girls chased after him."
"So, what I wanted to tell you, Touma-senpai, is to be extra careful—don't let any girls with ulterior motives take advantage of an opportunity."
While saying this, because she was close to Kazusa's ear, she was in a position where the others couldn't see her expression.
So, she made no effort to hide the look she sent Chisato.
She curved her lips into a playful smile, giving him a look that said, Relax, I won't spill anything.
And at the end of her words, she even playfully winked her left eye at him.
This exchange was seen by both Yui and Yukino.
Yui looked completely confused, unable to make sense of it, but Yukino seemed to have realized something and furrowed her brows slightly while looking at Iroha.
"Thank you. I'll be careful."
Kazusa, who was highly uncomfortable with interacting with unfamiliar people—let alone having them invade her personal space—instinctively took a step back as soon as Iroha finished speaking, widening the distance between them.
Chisato, meanwhile, felt increasingly uneasy after receiving Iroha's silent message.
But there was at least one silver lining.
Though he still didn't understand why she had done it, he could at least be sure that, by some stroke of luck, the biggest crisis had been averted.
"Iroha tends to exaggerate. It's not that dramatic."
Chisato whispered as he moved beside Kazusa.
Kazusa looked at him for a moment, blinking thoughtfully. She wasn't sure what she was thinking, but she eventually nodded slightly.
"We won't disturb your date any longer. See you another time."
Iroha waved lightly before returning to her friends.
"Mm, bye-bye."
"Wait a moment, Touma-san."
Just as Chisato was about to leave with Kazusa, Yukino suddenly called out.
Everyone was caught off guard.
Kazusa, who had already turned around, looked at her with a puzzled expression. They hadn't spoken a single word to each other the entire time.
She had no idea why the girl was suddenly addressing her.
Chisato's heart started racing.
But someone else's reaction was even stronger than his.
Iroha almost desperately grabbed Yukino's hand.
Secrets only had value when they remained hidden.
If everything was revealed here, she would lose all control over how things unfolded.
"Um, Yukinoshita-senpai, let's not hold them up from their date. Let's hurry up and get something to eat. We've been walking for so long—I feel exhausted."
Iroha's tone remained the same as before, but the adorable face turned away from Kazusa now showed a pitiful expression, as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment.
She frantically signaled to Yukino with her eyes.
It was a plea—for her not to say what she was about to.
Yukino couldn't understand.
Based on her personal principles, in this situation, both Chisato, who was deceiving Kazusa, and Iroha, who knew the truth but still chose to hide it for him, were undoubtedly in the wrong.
Originally, she had chosen to remain a bystander, believing it wasn't her place to interfere.
But after being drawn into the situation once again, she felt this mistake shouldn't continue.
She had made up her mind to correct it—only to be blocked by Iroha.
Not far away, Kazusa, completely unaware of the situation, was still looking at her with a puzzled expression.
Yukino averted her gaze from Kazusa's face, glanced briefly at Chisato, and then heard Iroha's barely audible, pleading words: "Please, Senpai..."
After careful consideration, she finally spoke in a cold voice.
"Your piano performance just now was truly outstanding."
...That's what you wanted to tell me?
Kazusa showed no change in expression and lightly shook her head.
"You're giving me too much credit."
With that, she took the initiative to hold onto Chisato's arm and quietly walked away.
_______
50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
_______
If any of you noticed an error, please point it out in comments!