"So… writing a love letter was your method of luring Eriri Spencer Sawamura out here?"
On the rooftop of Toyosaki Academy, Luo Shu sat on a bench, munching on the pork cutlet bento that Kasumigaoka Utaha had bought for him. Beside him, Utaha stirred her tuna salad with a fork, a satisfied smirk on her face that clearly said, "Prank successful."
"You only said getting her here was my job. You didn't specify how I should do it," she said sweetly.
"I guess I didn't." Luo Shu sighed, admitting he had been too careless and allowed her to exploit a loophole. "So then, whose name did you use for the love letter? Don't tell me it was mine?"
"Of course not," Utaha replied as if that were the most obvious thing in the world, her voice laced with teasing sarcasm. "If I'd written your name on it, Sawamura would probably have never shown up."
Luo Shu let out a helpless chuckle. "All I did was beat up those guys who tried to bully me back in first year. Has the rumour really lasted three whole years?"
"Please try to understand the rotten senpai-kōhai hierarchy of Japan, noble exchange student," Utaha said, eating another bite of salad before continuing with a wry tone. "To students raised in Japan, your act of defying upperclassmen was about as shocking as someone walking into a kindergarten with a gun."
Luo Shu could only respond with a blank expression. But before he could say more, his awakened senses suddenly picked up the sound of approaching footsteps.
"Someone's coming up the stairs," he murmured.
Utaha paused, then smiled faintly. "Looks like our future club member has arrived."
———
At the same time, on the staircase leading to the rooftop, Eriri Spencer Sawamura held the letter in her hand, her expression a mixture of annoyance and pride.
"Another confession letter… Seriously. Whether it's middle school or high school, there are way too many boring guys like this."
Though she secretly drew explicit doujinshi under a pen name, on the surface, Eriri Spencer Sawamura was the textbook ojou-sama—a flawless, elegant honor student. Her father was with the British Foreign Office, from the noble Spencer family with minor fame in England, while her mother came from the prestigious Japanese Sawamura household.
A blonde-haired beauty of British-Japanese descent with refined features and an impeccable public image, she fit the role of "untouchable school idol" perfectly. Despite her mediocre English skills, she excelled in all other subjects and possessed a wide range of talents—especially in art.
Naturally, someone like her was constantly surrounded by female friends eager to be close to her and male classmates who mistook their lust for love at first sight. Over time, she had perfected the art of rejecting people with tact and elegance.
"So, what should I go with this time? 'You're a really nice person, but I don't think we're compatible'? Or maybe, 'I'm not looking to date until after I get into college'?" she muttered to herself, lazily twirling the envelope in her hand as she reached the corner near the rooftop entrance.
"But why the rooftop?" she mused. "Isn't that territory claimed by the upperclassmen? A confession in a place like this… don't tell me the person is a senior?"
That thought made her nervous. What if the guy got rejected and did something drastic?
"…Whatever. I'll just check quickly. If no one's around, I'm leaving."
With that, Eriri climbed the final steps and peeked through the small glass window in the rooftop door—only to widen her eyes in disbelief.
"That girl… that's Kasumigaoka Utaha, second year. And she's sitting next to… a guy?"
"Wait a sec—this morning's rumor in the classroom, about 'Utaha-senpai finally having a boyfriend'—was that true?"
"Who's the guy? Can't really see his face from this angle… she's blocking him."
Just as she leaned in for a better look, a calm voice from the rooftop called out, "Since you're already here, you might as well come over."
"Eek!" Eriri yelped in surprise, nearly stumbling right there at the door.
Steadying herself, she instinctively opened the rooftop door. Half her body now visible, she found herself at a loss.
What do you do when you get caught spying on a couple? Asking for a friend. Urgently.
But before her flustered thoughts could spiral further, Luo Shu's voice rang out again, calm as ever. "Eriri Spencer Sawamura. Close the door and come have a seat."
"Ah..." Eriri looked up at both Luo Shu and Utaha, then quickly bowed her head. "I'm terribly sorry, senpai. I wasn't trying to spy on you!"
"Spy on what, exactly?" Luo Shu blinked, then turned to Utaha. "So, the subway rumor's already spread, huh?"
Utaha giggled lightly. "Looks like you really don't have any friends in class."
After all, if he had friends, someone would've mentioned it by now. The fact that he'd heard nothing meant no one dared bring it up to him.
Understanding her implication, Luo Shu let out a defeated sigh. "Why does it feel like I've become Toyosaki's delinquent boss or something…"
Shaking his head, he pointed to the empty bench nearby. "Alright, go ahead and sit down. No need to wonder why the person who wrote the love letter isn't here. That was us."
He placed deliberate emphasis on "us." Thanks to Utaha's earlier warning, he was aware of his "scary transfer student" reputation and was slightly worried Eriri would run off if she thought he'd written the letter alone.
Unfortunately, Utaha had gone the extra mile—crafting the love letter entirely in a male's tone and style—making it impossible for him to shift the blame onto her.
"You two arranged it?" Eriri repeated, visibly stunned.
How did a love letter turn into a setup between one guy and one girl?
Hesitating for a moment, she glanced between them. Ultimately, with another girl present, Eriri decided it was safe enough and walked over, sitting on the bench next to them. "So… what exactly do you want from me, senpai?"
Now that she had taken a seat, Luo Shu smiled and said, "We're planning to start an astronomy club, and we happen to need one more member."
"…Huh?" Eriri stared blankly. You lured me here with a love letter… for this?*
Are you brain-damaged?!
She instinctively wanted to refuse. After all, she was already a member of the art club. And while students could join up to three clubs, she honestly didn't feel like spreading herself any thinner.
Just as she opened her mouth to decline, Luo Shu added casually, "It's just a minor request. I'm sure Miss Eri Kashiwagi wouldn't say no."