CH 33

33 - The 3rd member

Then, when the door is αbout to be opened――――.

"Huh? Whαt are you guys doing here?"

Then a third party has appeared.

I'm familiar with that cute yet powerful voice.

"Isn't it Kurumizaka Nana! Whαt are you doing in a plαce like this?"

The man raises his voice in surprise. I knew it's Kurumizaka-san.

"Me? I was, you know, practicing my dαncing. Because no one comes neαr here....... Ah, please don't tell αnyone!" (Nana)

"Of course not! I'm a big fαn of yours, Nana-chan! Please shαke my hand!"

The boy chαnges his charαcter very fast!

"Ahahaha...... your girlfriend next to you looks terrifying, do you know?" (Nana)

I quickly look through the αir hole into the classroom.

Right at the moment, the girl grabs the boy's arm and forcibly tαkes him away from the clαssroom.

"......Looks like we survived." (Kazuto)

"You're right. Thanks to Nana." (Rinka)

We both breathe a sigh of relief.

I don't want to imagine what will have happened if Kurumizaka-san hadn't shown up.

"Excuse me~. Kazu-kun and Rin-chan? It's okαy to come out now." (Nana)

I push open the locker door and get out into the classroom. The fresh air is delightful.

"Are you okay, Kazu-kun?" (Nana)

"Ah...... Kurumizaka-san." (Kazuto)

I look up and recognize the girl in front of me.

Her hair is above her shoulders, and her face is cute and well-groomed even though she looks young. She has a cheerful smile that puts people at ease, and her name is Kurumizaka Nana. She is the leader of the popular idol group, Star☆Mines. She's a best friend of Rinka, and she's also a friend of mine on the online game. We're close enough that we can talk in real life as well.

"Thank you, Nana. You saved us from a critical situation." (Rinka)

"Don't mind, it's okay! It's for the sake of Rin-chan and Kazu-kun!" (Nana)

"I see....... By the way, why is Nana here?" (Rinka)

"Umm, that's because....... I happened to see Rin-chan heading towards the old school building, so I chased after her." (Nana)

"Nana...... stalking is not good, you know." (Rinka)

"Ehehe, sorry about that. But it saved your life, didn't it?" (Nana)

Kurumizaka-san apologizes with a cute put tongue out pose. Rinka lightly shakes her head as if amazed.

"Haa...... That's right, though. I appreciate it. But please don't do that next time. It doesn't feel good to be spied on when I'm meeting with Kazuto-kun." (Rinka)

"Ye~s, Sowwie." (Nana)

"...... I wonder if you really get to what I'm talking about." (Rinka)

Rinka furrows her eyebrows when she looks at Kurumizaka-san's light reply.

"I know I'm a little late, but why are you both drenched in sweat? Could it be that in the locker you guys are already............ Gosh, Kazu-kun is a perv!" (Nana)

"You're here in time! I didn't do anything to her, really!" (Kazuto)

"Really? You've been in a locker with Rin-chan, who is overly cute. It is strange that you didn't do anything to her, right~. Probably you've been accidentally touching some weird places.......Gosh, Kazu-kun is really a perv!" (Nana)

"Look in the mirror, Kurumizaka-san. You look just like a sexual harassment uncle!" (Kazuto)

Deliberately, Kurumizaka-san is grinning at me.

This is the true nature of popular idols, huh.......!

"Nana, Kazuto-kun is a sincere boy. No matter how closely we've been together, he won't make a move on me as easily as those terrible guys." (Rinka)

"Is it right, Kazu-kun?" (Nana)

"What? No, well, I guess so." (Kazuto)

I have to affirm it. If I deny it here, I'm going to be identified as a pervy boy.

"Ah, I was just thinking about it now. But did you two need to get into the locker together? If only Rin-chan stayed in the classroom, she could lie to them said that she was practicing for the dance, am I right." (Nana)

"......" (Kazuto)

If you ask me, that's totally right.

Was it's because I was in a panic so I couldn't make proper decisions.

I decide to make a suggestion to the girls to cover up this mistake of mine.

"Shouldn't we leave now? It'll be too much trouble if someone comes again." (Kazuto)

"Don't worry. People don't come here that often." (Nana)

"Are you sure with that? That's a line I've heard a while ago." (Kazuto)

"............You're right. Shall we get out of here. I'm wondering about it, is there really no place in the school where Kazuto-kun and I can talk calmly." (Rinka)

Rinka looks down sadly, then she goes to get her lunch from her desk.

She has been looking forward to this lunch break, so the shock must have been great.

"Rin-chan looks sad. I wonder if there is anything I can do to help?" (Nana)

"Do you have any suggestions of a place where we can meet in peace, perhaps?" (Kazuto)

"Emmm, how about the rooftop landing?" (Nana)

"We were up there yesterday and almost got caught." (Kazuto)

"I see....... Mmm, as the commander of Rin-chan and Kazu-kun's Befriending Operation, this is a situation I can't overlook!" (Nana)

"Huh......?" (Kazuto)

"Okay! I'll do something about it and find a place where the two of you can meet in peace!" (Nana)

What a reassuring reply. But it might not be too promising.

Kurumizaka-san is a wild boar-like type, so to speak, whose momentum precedes her.

In the game battles, she just rushes in and hits her skills.

As proof of her personality, she was called a "suicide attack idol" by some people.

Well, it's also true that her cheerfulness and energy inspire everyone.

And so the leader of Star☆Mines can only be Kurumizaka Nana.

"............ Senior Nana and Senior Rinka? What are you doing here?" (???)

"Eh――――." (Kazuto)

How long she's been here.

A girl is suddenly standing there at the entrance of the classroom.

The impression I got at first glance is that of a neat and tidy young lady.

She has a half-up hairstyle with the top half of her hair is braided up, and she has a beautiful face that exudes a certain elegance.

Her appearance, as well as the way she stands with strong willingness, exudes an atmosphere of neatness.

"Why are you with this gentleman......?"

The innocent girl is stunned, as if she can't not believe her own eyes.

But what is this?

I've seen this girl somewhere before.

To be more specific, she was from a place out of my reach...... Right, it's in the music video.

And the only music video I watch is Star☆Mines'.

I only pay attention to Rinka, so I don't remember much about the other members.

But vaguely, some information about the girl in front of me is pulled out from a corner of my mind.

"Ah, Ayane-chan! Why are you here!" (Nana)

I remember clearly when I hear Kurumizaka-san's panicked voice calling her name.

Right, Ayane...... Kiyokawa Ayane.

She is one of the Star☆Mines' members, and her neat and tidy young lady character is her main selling point.

She is a freshman in high school, one year younger than the two. And it seems she comes from a very rich family.

......This is trivia, but she has the smallest brεasts in the group.

She's now staring at us, showing her unhappiness by wrinkling her brows.

"This is...... what kind of situation is this? We idols should be, prohibited to be close to certain gentlemen, am I right?" (Ayane)

"U-umm, you know. Will you listen to what we're going to say?" (Nana)

"Okay, I shall hear. Until we reach a satisfactory conclusion......." (Ayane)

Kiyokawa's soft eyes narrowed tightly as she said that.

Seeing this, I remember one more thing.

This girl, Kiyokawa Ayane, is also the leash for Kurumizaka-san, who is the leader of the group but tends to get ahead of her own momentum, and she is known as the leader behind the scenes of Star☆Mines......