Kinryuji Kaien's Resolution

"Oh, Kaien~ Your dear Seira is here!"

A moment of stunned silence passed, then chaos broke out, flipping the whole cafeteria upside down. All eyes whipped toward Kaien, some skeptical and others intrigued.

"Did she just really say that? To Kinryuji, of all people?"

"Are they together now?!"

"No way. Airin has always been like that. Don't you remember?"

Yume looked tense and a bit pale. Seira appeared prouder than ever.

Kaien, for his part, was unamused.

He knew it was just one huge farce, though it did throw him off guard. Then again, it had been a while since Seira behaved this way. For a second, he even thought that the real Seira was back.

'Her acting has gotten that good, huh? Or maybe…’ His breath hitched as he met her gaze. '...They're the same person after all?'

The same golden hair, sapphire eyes, and radiant smile—despite everything she claimed herself to be, she was still that terrible, frustrating girl in his memories.

He wondered what he truly felt about her. Where people tried not to get near her or lock eyes with her like this, only he would dare look straight at her. If it was just because he did not approve of her actions, he would have stopped looking the instant she changed.

In the first place, the reason Kaien kept involving himself with such an unlikeable person was that he was protecting Yume and the others, so then, 'Why couldn't I take my eyes off Airin even after she distanced herself from them?'

He shouldn't have watched her from the window, shouldn't have read her journal. He shouldn't have cared at all.

Yet here Kaien was, still looking at Seira.

"If you don't do as I say, I'll tell everybody here about your most embarrassing moments from first grade!" she announced, earning a chorus of "Ohhh!" from the audience.

"What do you even want from me?" he asked warily, frowning.

She smiled sweetly. “What I've always wanted, darling~"

'...Maybe do a sexy pose with Sakura for her to draw?'

"Go out with me, Kaien! Be the bee that gets this pollen!"

He grimaced, and he was sure everyone else did too. That was horrible. 

Now, his head was aching. He drew in a deep breath before exhaling out loud.

"Airin, I think you should calm down first," he told her, but what his expression said was, 'Are you crazy? Didn't you forget we were even classmates back then? What 'embarassing moments' can you tell them?'

'Watch me,' she seemed to say in response as she smirked at him, and with that, she turned to the crowd. “So, it happened when we were in first grade. Someone in class was picking on me..."

He arched a brow, knowing she was the one picking on the other children all the time. 'Ah, of course. She'd make things up. The gall.'

"...Kaien came to save me, but he got so frightened by the boy, who's much bigger than he was, and ended up screaming, 'Mommy! Mommy!' with snot all over his face!"

'Wha-?! That's awful, even for a lie!'

"And there was a time when he bodyslammed a classmate who was throwing a tantrum! All the kids were calling him tough and macho and stuff, but I saw him crying his eyeballs out and-"

"Airin."

Before Kaien knew it, he had gotten up from his seat and was now standing right behind Seira, who noticed too late.

One hand reached up to cover her mouth. The other wrapped around her waist.

He felt her flinch at the contact of their skin, but he kept holding her as he leaned closer and whispered, his breath ruffling the strands of hair by her ear, “Let me see. You’re trying to make Sakura jealous so she'll reveal what she feels for me, aren't you?"

She gave out a muffled sound, which may have meant, ‘Yes! So, get off me and let me do my thing!’

He glanced at the audience to find them watching intently, their eyes darting between his hands and her face. “What a sight this must be. Have any idea what they think of us now, Airin? Did you hope for this to happen too?”

Some had brought out their phones, but the chatters and camera shutters were faint compared to the pounding in his chest. Seira, meanwhile, had gone still in his arms. Despite her defiant expression, it seemed she was not ready to face the consequences of their actions either.

With his nose and lips brushing against her hair, he continued, “Hey, what if I really do as you say?”

Kaien made his decision.

For once, he would do as she told. He would cooperate. This time, she could get what she wanted.

“What if I agree to be… What did you call it again? 'The bee that gets the pollen'?”

She shivered, or more like cringed from her own not-so-witty pickup line. Her brows knitted together, and she peered at him from the corners of her eyes. 

"What? Did not plan that far ahead?"

The expression Seira had now reminded him of when she punched a boy that was trying to hit on her and get all handsy. Ever since, he had viewed her as a little bit of a tomboy. 

But there was no sign of her turning aggressive at the moment. 

This Seira, though wearing the exact same feral look, was tamed. Even when she was displeased, she did not break free from his arms and resort to roughhousing.

‘The same, yet also different.'

Kaien was glad he was not going to be punched, at least.  Also, the throbbing in his head had eased slightly, soothed by her scent and softness. Seira smelled like vanilla, and she was light to hold. 

‘This is surprisingly nice. Have I ever touched a girl like this before?'

"K-Kinryuji!"

To everyone's surprise, Yume stepped forward and called out to Kaien. She was clutching her chest tightly, as though she was in unbearable pain. From behind her, Nao watched with concern, and even Minato had come to her. 

"Ummm... I-I..." 

Like last time, she could not finish her words. Her cheeks were flushed red, and there were tears in her eyes. Though he felt bad, this was what he decided to do. 

"Airin." Kaien smiled, and Seira froze, quickly catching on. "Let's go out."

Seira seemed close to fainting.

Yume looked devastated.

The rest of the students in the cafeteria lost it, and everything spiraled out of control. 

Kaien was unbothered through it all. It's not that hard to lie, he realized, and in fact, he did not even mind. That's because, at some point, he learned that his attention had only ever been on Seira. 

She was the one he had his eyes on the entire time, though he was not sure why. She had drawn him in from the start, yet he could not figure out how. 

'That being the case, I don't think this is the love she talks on and on about.' Kaien glanced back at Seira, who appeared to have passed out in his arms.'But I wonder if this is like in 'shoujo' too, and if so, maybe she can tell me what it is?'

---

"Miss Airin Seira, I hope you understand why we are here now."

Seira slumped in her seat, wishing to just disappear. 

In front of her was the student council president, Shirakawa Nao. Beside her was her classmate, who may or may not be her boyfriend now too, Kinryuji Kaien. 

After the commotion in the cafeteria, both Seira and Kaien had been dragged away to the student council room. 

She remembered catching a glimpse of Yume crying. But at least, her boys were there to comfort her. She, on the other hand, would be suffering alone under Nao. 

Hanazono High School's number one role model student was smiling like always, but she could tell he was furious.

Seira sniffled pathetically. "We are here to condemn the foolish villainess and sentence her either to banishment or death-"

"I knew you won't be in the right state of mind," Kaien sighed before addressing Nao. "Won't you let this slide? I intervened, and nothing happened to Sakura."

"Right, before all else, I shall ask," Nao muttered and looked back to Kaien. "Were you serious about earlier, Kinryuji? Or did you just intervene, like what you said?"

"Uh, you're referring to...?"

"About you and Miss Airin."

"We're not a couple!" Seira cried in a panic, having just realized how this could affect Yume and Kaien's relationship. "None of it was real! It was all fake! Isn't that right, Kinryuji Kaien?!"

Yet to Seira's dismay, Kaien said nothing and merely looked at her as if she was indeed a foolish villainess deserving of either banishment or death.