The Handsome Boy I Saved from Getting Beaten on the Train… Turned Out to Be the “Prince” of an All-Girls School - V1 Chapter 16: I Told You That Was a Secret, Mom!

Chapter 16: I Told You That Was a Secret, Mom!

“Good morning. I’m here to see Rei Hoshina.”

“Of course, Kujou-sama.”

As usual, I’d come by Rei’s apartment this morning so we could walk to school together.

It was part of my apology for accidentally ghosting her yesterday.

By now, I’d been to Rei’s place so many times that the concierge had memorized both my name and face.

Honestly, I was starting to feel weirdly at home here.

“Kujou-sama.”

“Y-Yes!? What is it!?”

Okay, sorry—guess I’m not that used to it yet.

“Miss Suzune Hoshina has left a message for you. She says you’re welcome to come inside today. Please take the elevator over there.”

“From Suzune-san!? Uh—got it! Thank you!”

Startled, I followed the concierge’s gesture and hurried into the elevator.

Why would Rei’s mom, Suzune-san, be calling me over first thing in the morning?

Still, since I’d arrived early and had some time, I figured I might as well head up to the Hoshina apartment like she asked.

“Good morning, Kujou-kun.”

“Good morning, Suzune-san.”

Today, she greeted me at the door in casual loungewear—

Maybe it was her day off?

Her face looked a little tired.

She must be busy with work—she is an actress, after all.

“Sorry, Kujou-kun. I really appreciate you coming to pick her up, but I’m afraid Rei-chan will be using our car today for school.”

“Mom! Don’t just decide that on your own!”

Rei stormed over in her school uniform—still wearing the same girly version as yesterday—her face clearly annoyed.

“I told you, Rei-chan! You went out dressed like that yesterday, and now your adorable look is all over the internet! There’s no way I’m letting you take the train again!”

“I don’t care! Even if something happens, I’ve got Saito with me—he’ll protect me just fine! Let’s go, Saito!”

Rei grabbed my arm once again and started dragging me toward the front door.

“You can’t, Rei-chan! If you go out now, you might put Saito-kun in danger too! At least wait until we’ve properly dealt with the people involved in this whole mess!”

Suzune-san usually gave off this warm, fluffy vibe,

But now, her voice carried a sharp firmness—like she absolutely wouldn’t back down.

“Ugh… But Mom, you know this is one of the only chances I get to spend time with Saito outside of school. Don’t take that away from me…”

Even Rei, bold as she usually was, hesitated in front of this version of her mother.

“I never said never. I’m just saying now isn’t the right time. Wait until things calm down a bit.”

“…Is it really that bad online? Like, Rei’s pictures and everything?”

Last night, I was so wiped out from that long, drawn-out call where I had to calm Rei down that I ended up crashing without doing any research on the situation.

“Yes. It wasn’t a video this time, but images of Rei in her skirted uniform have been spreading online.”

“Whoa… you’re right.”

I pulled out my phone and searched “Whoa-Whoa Dude”…

And right at the top of the results was a huge article—

Complete with a picture of me and Rei sitting close together on the train.

‘Wait—what!? I thought the victim was a guy, but it was actually a girl!? For real!?’

‘Didn’t notice with that hoodie over the uniform… But the earrings match the one in the video.’

‘Hold up, isn’t that the elite girls’ school uniform from Eio High?’

‘Just the side profile and you can tell. She’s super cute.’

‘I thought she was a handsome dude, but she’s actually a beautiful girl!? Feels like something straight out of a light novel.’

‘So the guy from that video actually punched a girl? Yikes.’

‘That jumpsuit guy who acted all tough just beat up a girl. What a loser’

‘He probably thought he could win since it was a girl—but then Whoa-Whoa Dude showed up with that solid build and scared him off.’

‘Even from the pic, you can tell—this girl’s totally head over heels for Whoa-Whoa Dude.’

‘For real. Look at that melting ‘girl in love’ face.’

‘She’s clinging to his arm, and you can see Whoa-Whoa Dude kinda pulling away. Bet he only just found out she was a girl.’

‘That awkward reaction confirms it. No doubt about it—Whoa-Whoa Dude’s totally a virgin’

‘Breaking news: Whoa-Whoa Dude is one of us.’

Just when the whole “Whoa-Whoa Dude” thing had finally started to calm down…

This dropped like a giant log onto the fire—and now it was raging harder than ever.

Yeah, I get it.

“The victim was actually a girl in disguise!?”

It’s a wild twist, so of course people are freaking out.

But seriously—

Why are they out here analyzing me like I’m some case study and calling me a virgin!?

That has nothing to do with this!!

“I see. So that’s the situation.”

“Which is why I’ve already called for a car today. You’ll both be taking a hired ride to school. Yes, both of you, Kujou-kun.”

“Ah, well… I was just gonna take the train—”

“No. Get in the car. Until this dies down, I’ll be handling your transportation. Understood?”

“…Yes, ma’am.”

Before I could get a word in, Suzune-san steamrolled me.

As expected… a mother’s will is terrifying when it comes to protecting her kid.

“Sorry, Saito… It’s all because I went out dressed like this…”

Rei looked down, clearly upset as she apologized.

“You don’t need to say sorry. You wore what you wanted to wear. There’s nothing wrong with that. No matter what outfit you’re in, you’re still you, Rei.”

“…Saito…”

Whether she’s wearing pants or a skirt—

Rei is Rei.

And honestly, both looked good on her.

Besides, the real problem is the jerk who took that photo and threw it online without permission.

But I’ve got a feeling…

That a certain angry actress-mom named Suzune-san is going to track them down—and deal out some justice in style.

“Good for you, Rei-chan.”

“Huh!? W-What are you talking about!?”

Rei snapped back with that classic teenage-attitude tone,

While Suzune-san just smiled at her, clearly enjoying the moment.

“You were debating whether to go back to your usual outfit today, right? But just like I said—Kujou-kun accepted you either way.”

“I-I told you that was supposed to be a secret, Mom!”

Rei panicked and lunged to cover Suzune-san’s mouth.

Yep—definitely a close mother-daughter pair.

Honestly, I was kind of jealous.

They had a really good relationship.

“Alright, alright. Now hurry up, you two—You’ll be late if you don’t leave soon. The concierge already called the car.”

“Yeah, we’re heading out!”

“S-Sorry for the trouble! I’ll ride along with Rei, then. Thank you, Suzune-san.”

After that little back-and-forth in front of the door,

We were definitely cutting it close on time.

Rei and I rushed toward the elevator hall,

While behind us, Suzune-san shouted something very mom-like—

“Don’t run in the hallway! It’s dangerous!”

And with that, we made our way to school.

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