The Handsome Boy I Saved from Getting Beaten on the Train… Turned Out to Be the “Prince” of an All-Girls School - V1 Chapter 09: Hm... He’s a Cute One

Chapter 09: Hm… He’s a Cute One

“Hey, Rei-kun—”

“Drop the ‘kun.’ Just call me Rei. It’s easier.”

“Alright then, just call me Saito too. So, Rei—why am I back at your place playing games again today?”

“Because you got all flirty with my mom and this is your punishment.”

“Seriously…? If it’s a penalty, shouldn’t it be no games allowed or something?”

After that chaotic back-and-forth between Rei and Suzune-san,

Things never really settled down—

So I tried stepping in to mediate, and somehow…

That ended up redirecting Rei’s frustration straight at me.

Sure, I apologized for having any weird thoughts about a friend’s mom.

I mean, yeah, fair point.

But Rei still wouldn’t forgive me unless I paid him back…

By spending another day hanging out.

For the record, Suzune-san had work this afternoon and had already left.

“It’s just… you called me cute and stuff. It’s embarrassing, so unless we’re playing games or something, I don’t think I could talk to you properly right now…”

“Huh? What was that?”

His mumbling got lost under the background music from the game.

“Nothing! Forget it! Anyway, Saito—that tracksuit looks kinda tight on you.”

Yeah, fair.

It’s already the next day, so I’d used his shower, and I was now borrowing one of Rei’s spare tracksuits.

But it was definitely a bit snug on me.

“Yeah, it’s kinda tight around the chest area.”

“Uh-huh… it’s really stretched out…”

Rei was staring at my pecs, eyes wide, breathing a little heavier than normal.

“Stop staring, you perv.”

“I-I’m not staring! I just mean—you’re pretty built, Saito. Do you work out or something?”

“I don’t do any sports clubs, But I go to the gym regularly.”

“Ohh, you’re a gym guy. There’s actually a private gym in our building—it’s only for residents and their guests. Wanna go sometime?”

“What!? That sounds awesome, I totally wanna check it out!”

A high-end tower apartment gym, huh…

Now I’m super curious what kind of machines they’ve got in there.

“Alright then, let’s go once the bruise on my face heals. It’s a promise, okay?”

“Deal! Man… Just hanging out at a friend’s place, playing games, and making plans for next time… It’s been a while since I’ve done something like this.”

“What, Saito—don’t tell me you’ve got no friends at school?”

Rei grinned mischievously as he said it.

“I started high school here from a different prefecture. Didn’t know anyone when I got here.”

“We’re already halfway to summer break, though.”

…Uh-oh.

Wicked Prince Mode: Activated.

Is he seriously enjoying the fact that I have no friends?

“Ugh… I mean, I do get along with the person who sits next to me, but it’s not like we hang out or anything.”

“Oh, so that’s why you were always going to the gym on your days off.”

“Shut up! Besides, the main reason I don’t have many friends at school… is because of the person sitting next to me!”

“Huh? What does your seatmate have to do with you not having friends?”

“She’s, like, one of the prettiest girls in school. Really fun to talk to, actually. But ever since the start of the year, we’ve gotten along pretty well—And apparently, that’s made me public enemy number one for a bunch of jealous guys.”

“…Pretty girl?”

Uh-oh.

Something about Rei’s vibe just suddenly took a sharp turn.

“So~The classmate you’re close with is a girl, huh…”

With that, Rei gently set his game controller down.

“Ah, Rei, your character just fell off a cliff.”

He’d let go of the controls, and his in-game character plunged straight into a pit—

But Rei didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

“I don’t care about the game right now! Do you have a photo of her or something?”

Ohhh.

So that’s what this is about.

He leaned in with this strangely intense expression,

And I realized—

Even if he’s a pretty boy with his own fan club,

Rei’s still a regular teenager after all.

“What, getting all curious just because she’s cute?”

“Just show me already!”

“Alright, alright. No need to get so desperate. Here—”

I pulled out my phone and showed Rei a photo of Rinna.

It was a shot I took on the school rooftop one day while we were eating lunch.

The sky was super clear, and the view was great, so I snapped a picture—

But Rinna had playfully photobombed it at the last second.

“Hmm… She’s cute. Gives off that calm, elegant vibe…”

Rei practically snatched the phone out of my hand and stared hard at the screen.

Then shot me a sharp, suspicious side glance.

Honestly, given his visual-kei look,

I figured Rei would be into the flashy, band-girl types.

But I guess he’s into the refined, quiet ones?

“She might look like that, but Rinna’s actually kinda wild. She throws around dirty jokes like it’s nothing—at least when she’s around me.”

“So her name’s Rinna-chan, huh… And you think she’s cute too, right, Saito?”

“Well, objectively speaking, I can’t exactly deny it.”

That is why all the other guys at school treat me like some kind of threat.

“S-So then… are you two, like, dating or anything…?”

“I literally told you yesterday that I don’t have a girlfriend. Were you even listening? Don’t tell me that train incident rattled your brain that hard.”

“That’s so mean! It’s not like that!”

Is it really that big a deal to him that I’ve got a cute female friend?

I mean, come on—he’s the one with a fan club and girls practically orbiting him.

Maybe Rinna’s just totally his type?

Yeah… probably.

Well, friendships often grow through mutual connections, right?

If I play this right, maybe I can get in good with some of Rei’s fangirls too.

A total win-win, if you ask me.

“…You’re thinking something weird, aren’t you, Saito?”

“Noooope. Come on, let’s get back to the game.”

I handed the controller back to Rei,

Who was clearly sulking—pout and all—even with the mask still on.

Alright then.

I’ll be your Cupid.

Let this nosy old auntie spirit inside me do its thing.

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