After being mysteriously ambushed—or something like it—by Rui Kuroki, I ended up walking to school with her.
Walking beside me in her summer uniform, Rui let her signature black hair flutter in the breeze as she always did, putting her stunning profile on full display.
I’d grown too accustomed to Miyama and Yuria, so her chest and thighs felt a little underwhelming by comparison, but there was no denying that Rui Kuroki was impossibly beautiful.
She was a paragon of academics, athletics, and looks... Having someone like her go out of her way just to pick me up made me happy, sure, but it was also a bit daunting.
Her reason for being so persistent with someone like me was pure perfectionism; I was the only boy from our junior high class who had never confessed his feelings to her.
Her obsession with "perfection"—the need to conquer even a guy like me—was truly on another level.
"............"
"............"
(But we haven't said a word to each other for a while...)
For the time being, should I be the one to start a conversation?
If I did, should it be about the Cultural Festival? But that felt too cliché, and more than anything, I didn't want to be the one to bring up the Snow White topic.
(In that case...)
I stared intently at Rui’s uniform.
"K-Kuroki... That summer uniform looks cute on you."
This situation was far too heavy a burden for a loner who was deathly bad at making small talk.
After desperate thought, I ended up blurting out a comment that made me sound like a total creep.
(Crap, I blew it.)
The weight of the word "cute" differs greatly depending on whether it's coming from an attractive guy or an otaku.
If a handsome guy says it, it comes across as a sincere compliment, but if a creepy guy like me says it, it wouldn't be surprising if it was translated as, "Heh heh... That summer uniform is pretty cute, kek... lick lick—"
"Huh? Oh, thank you, Ryouta-kun. I didn't think you’d ever compliment me... I might be a little embarrassed."
Rui looked surprised, blinking her eyes as she spoke.
I fully expected her to be repulsed, but... did she just genuinely act sweet?
"Hehe... I see. So you do think I'm cute, Ryouta-kun."
"W-Well, obviously you are..."
"I am?"
"...Y-Yeah, you're cute."
Skillfully led by her words, I was forced into saying it.
"Hehe, oh Ryouta-kun."
I didn't really want to say it to her face because it was embarrassing, but...
"Look forward to the Cultural Festival, okay?"
"Eh?"
The Cultural Festival suddenly came up.
And she didn't say she was looking forward to it; she told me to look forward to it?
"By the way, Ryouta-kun, why did you decide to play Snow White for the school play?"
The conversation shifted completely toward the Cultural Festival, the very topic I wanted to avoid.
I figured she'd ask that eventually.
I mean, from Rui’s perspective as the Prince, she’d naturally be curious why I ended up playing Snow White opposite her.
After all, I had been curious enough about why Rui became the Prince that I'd asked Miyama about it.
"It's not like I did it because I wanted to. Hino forced it on me, so I had no choice."
"No choice?"
"Of course. Normally, a guy wouldn't volunteer to play Snow White, would he?"
"I see. Is that so? I honestly thought you might have those kinds of tastes, Ryouta-kun."
"As if!"
Apparently, for some reason, Rui thought I had a cross-dressing fetish.
I don't have a single trace of that in me.
"Hehe. But regardless of the reason, I’m relieved. I’m glad you’re the one who became Snow White."
"W-Why's that?"
"That's... a secret."
Rui smiled, bringing her index finger to the bridge of her nose.
What was that supposed to mean? Now I was incredibly curious.
"Hey, Rui—! Wait, Ryouta!?"
As we got closer to the high school, Yuria Ichinose approached us from behind.
"W-Why are you two walking to school together?"
Yuria glared first at me, not Rui.
"Ah, no, this is..."
"We're playing the Prince and Snow White, so I just thought we needed to communicate a little. It's not Ryouta-kun's fault, so please don't glare at him."
Rui stepped between us and apologized with her hands pressed together.
"............"
Yuria looked grumpy but muttered a single word. "Fine."
It seemed the misunderstanding had been cleared up.
"Then I'll start picking you up in the morning, too."
"Huh?"
"I'm playing a Prince role, too. So from now on, I'll be picking you up as well. I'll make sure to 'communicate' with you, Ryouta."
"That's a great idea! Isn't it, Ryouta-kun?"
"U-Uh, yeah..."
Were these two really going to pick me up every single morning from now on?