Chapter 75: The Knight with the Masked Face
"..."

Shimizu Ken was stunned. He really couldn't understand how Ayase Kotone could still accurately recognize him when her vision was completely blocked by the cardboard box.

Intuition? Guess? Or does she have some special perception ability?
"Sorry, you got the wrong person."

"Eh? Did I call you? I remember I called you Qingshui-san, right?"

"..."

It’s over, I’ve been fished.

Although there were not many people in the corridor after school, there were still occasional students passing by.

If it weren't for Shimizu Miki himself, the other students would have thought that Ayase Kotone was calling a stranger's name and ignored her and walked past.

In this situation, it is impossible to ignore it.

"It's the president. Sorry, I was distracted and didn't notice."

"Really? I thought if it was Qingshui-kun, he would definitely come and help."

"..."

What is this? Moral kidnapping?
Helplessly, Qing Shuijian sighed, pointed at the things in Ayase Kotone's hand, and said, "Where are you going to take it? Let me get it for you."

"No, it's just a small matter. Although I can't see the ground, it's not that pitiful."

"..."

In less than a minute, Qingshuijian experienced the wonderful feeling of a fish being caught, then being slapped twice, and then being thrown back into the pond mercilessly.

For a moment, he actually missed the Ayase Kotone who he had conquered.

"Can you really do this alone?"

"No problem. I've been the student council president for so long that I'm used to moving these things."

As if she was about to take back the flag she had just set, Ayase Kotone tripped over nothing right after she finished speaking.

Shimizu's heart tightened and she subconsciously wanted to step forward to support Ayase Kotone who was about to fall.

However, at that moment, he suddenly withdrew his hand.

What if Ayase Kotone recovered her memories of the first round after coming into contact with him? Wouldn't that mean there would be another yandere?
This was a disaster for both him and her.

However, Shimizu Miki could not just watch Ayase Kotone fall.

He quickly stepped in front of Ayase Kotone and skillfully helped her support the other side using the box between them.

But due to inertia, Ayase Kotone's weight pressed down through the box.

The box itself was not heavy, but combined with her weight, it still put some pressure on Shimizu.

Fortunately, he had been exercising regularly, so he was not overwhelmed all of a sudden.

Shimizu held the box steadily while keeping a certain distance from Ayase Kotone to ensure that he would not have direct contact with her.

Ayase Kotone also regained her balance thanks to Shimizumi's attack.

"President, are you okay?"

Ayase Kotone, who embarrassed herself right after she said she didn't need help, was obviously embarrassed to be seen by others and her face turned red.

As expected of one of the heroines, Ayase Kotone also has a very beautiful face.

Ayase Kotone has both a stern and cool temperament, and sometimes shows such a shy expression.

In a sense, this is also her charm.

"Although I am a little reluctant, can I ask for your help?"

"no problem."

Shimizumi took the things from Ayase Kotone and took a step forward.

Of course, Ayase Kotone followed as well.

"Why not call some friends to help?"

During the transportation process, Qingshuijian couldn't help but ask questions.

Although the box is not heavy, it blocks the view and is not very convenient to carry. If you are not careful, it may fall to the ground like Ayase Kotone just did.

"because there's none……"

Ayase Kotone's voice was so soft that it sounded like a whisper, but her words were extremely heartbreaking.

Although she is the student union president, she is not very good at interpersonal communication. Apart from communicating with other student union members at work, she rarely establishes real friendships with others.

Because of his calm appearance and the way he speaks, he gives people a cold impression, so he has almost no close friends around him.

At first, Shimizu Mi thought it was because Ayase Kotone was arrogant and looked down on others.

But in fact, she is simply not good at communicating with others.

If Shimizu Mi was right, Ayase Kotone was probably a potential social phobic...

Apart from necessary communication with student council members due to work needs, there are only a handful of people that Ayase Kotone can have normal conversations with.

This kind of personality can be quite troublesome sometimes. If you are approached by a thug on the street, it can turn into a very sticky situation.

Fortunately, she is a serious homebody. On weekends and holidays, she usually stays in her room to draw some erotic comics, so she doesn't have to worry about this happening.

"I heard Amamiya-kun say that before. I see. This is why you are so popular."

Shimizu Mi didn't know how Amemiya Iori evaluated him to Ayase Kotone, so he just replied that he didn't know.

Personally, this was the first time he talked to Ayase Kotone.

Shimizu Miki originally didn't intend to say anything, but as they were still some distance away from the student union office, it would be awkward for the two of them to remain silent, so he asked this question.

"President, you don't seem to come to see Youyi much recently?"

In recent days, Ayase Kotone rarely comes to the classroom to find Kondo Yuichi.

At the beginning of the game, Ayase Kotone has always regarded Kondo Yuichi as a junior and friend who can open her heart. As time goes by, this feeling may slowly sublimate into a romantic relationship.

But now, Amamiya Iori has deviated from the path of the heroine. I wonder if the "butterfly effect" will have an impact on the other heroines.

"What happened?"

"Actually, a few days ago, Kondo-san said I was in the way..."

"Yuichi? You said you were in the way?"

Shimizu was a little surprised. Kondo Yuichi didn't seem like the kind of person who would say such a thing.

"Well, I don't really believe it myself. But I feel like Kondo-san has become a little different lately. He's become... a little scary."

Thinking about it carefully, Shimizu Mi believed that Kondo Yuichi was most likely stimulated by what happened a few days ago.

For him, Amamiya Iori is his childhood sweetheart whom he has always been thinking about, so it should not be so easy to give up.

And Shimizu Mi was his best friend. No, perhaps in Kondo Yuichi's current view, Shimizu Mi was just a bastard who stole his beloved away.

"President, why did you choose to talk to Yuichi in the first place?"

Shimizu asked curiously.

As a result, when asked this question, Ayase Kotone seemed to have pressed the pause button, her pupils shrank slightly, as if this question had never been carefully thought about in her mind.

She pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Because he is not as strong as others?"

For people with social phobia, people with Kondo Yuichi's personality are more likely to open up to them. But Ayase Kotone used a rhetorical tone, as if she herself was not sure.

This attitude made Shimizu Miki somewhat concerned. If Amemiya Iori was unable to get rid of Kondo Yuichi because of her childhood sweetheart character, then what about Ayase Kotone?

Why did she establish a connection with Kondo Yuichi?
Shimizu was about to ask more questions, but they had already arrived at the student council room.

"President, where should we put the box?"

"Thank you for your hard work. Just put it in the corner."

Qing Shuijian put down the box in the corner and when he stood up, he accidentally glanced at a blank college application form on the table. "President, have you chosen the university you want to attend?"

Ayase Kotone is good at integrating organizations, as can be seen from her role as student union president. She also has excellent grades and should be able to get into a good university.

However, in the original storyline of the game, Ayase Kotone deliberately chose to attend an ordinary university nearby because of Kondo Yuichi.

However, in the first round, because Shimizu Kengyu left her, the story line was changed and Ayase Kotone was able to successfully enter the University of Tokyo.

However, Shimizu Mi guessed that Ayase Kotone might say to him, "What an arrogant junior" or "This has nothing to do with you" when he was pointing fingers at the student council president's future plans.

But Ayase Kotone just smiled.

"That's right. After all, there's no need to limit your future possibilities for anyone else... I understand that. Well, this is something that should be carefully considered."

Looking at Ayase Kotone saying this, Shimizu Mi felt more and more that she really had the temperament of a white-collar worker, just like the beautiful boss that appeared in comics.

This reminded Shimizu of Ayase Kotone who worked at a company after graduation.

"By the way, Shimizu-san is such a wonderful person. When I talk to you, it feels like I'm talking to a much older person."

"is it?"

Shimizu was surprised at Ayase Kotone's sharp intuition.

To be honest, he was indeed older before than he is now.

“Although it’s not very clear, it feels very reliable.”

"Really? Thanks."

Although it was pleasing to be praised by a woman like this, Hoshinomiya Mitsuki was still waiting for him in the office, so he said goodbye to Ayase Kotone first.

……

Shimizumi walked out of the faculty office and was scolded by Hoshinomiya Mitsuki for forgetting to complete his weekend homework.

However, Hoshinomiya Mitsuki's anger seemed to stem more from Shimizumi forgetting the agreement between them -

Originally, he was going to go to her house this weekend to pick up some psychology books he had borrowed before, but because of what happened to Amamiya Iori, Shimizu had already forgotten about it.

Therefore, Shimizu Mi once again made an appointment for this weekend.

When I walked out of the school, it was already dark.

Under the orange street lights, Qingshuijian was walking alone on his way home.

Generally speaking, night is when the streets really start to bustle.

During the day, they close their eyes and rest, and at night they unveil their true colors. People come here like insects attracted to the light, rushing to crash into the hot electric lights.

On his way home, Shimizu would inevitably pass by a commercial street in Shibuya, where he could often see drunk men and women soliciting customers.

Just as I was thinking this, I happened to catch a glimpse of a girl being harassed by a drunk man.

The girl had long peach-colored hair and was wearing the same school uniform as Shimizu. It looked like she was passing by here after school and had the misfortune of running into trouble.

Pretend you didn't see it...

Qingshuijian originally thought so, but just by looking at the back he could tell that the girl was in a difficult situation, and passers-by pretended not to see anything and no one was willing to come forward to help.

In the end, Qingshuijian couldn't overcome his conscience, he sighed softly, and picked up the thing that caught his sight.

"Excuse me, how much is this?"

……

"Um, please really don't do this."

"Don't be afraid. It's just the first time I've seen a girl as beautiful as you, so I want to get to know you."

The drunk man, who was about 30 years old, blocked the girl's way and seemed to be asking for her contact information. The girl was obviously resisting, but he kept pestering her.

Even if the girl wanted to escape, her arm was grabbed by the other party.

He looked around for help, but the passers-by just glanced at him and then looked away, as if they didn't want to get him into trouble.

Why is no one helping me...

The girl gradually became desperate. Apart from her family, she rarely had the opportunity to interact with men. She also attended a girls' school before high school, so she was very afraid of the men in front of her.

Recently, because her mother's birthday was coming up, she went to the street to buy gifts, but she didn't expect something like this to happen.

"Please, please let me go!"

After a slightly louder shout, the drunk's grip on her arm loosened.

However, the other party did not seem to intend to let her go.

He smacked his lips, anger showing on his face.

Girls are overwhelmed with fear that they might be subjected to violence.

"You bastard……?!"

The girl subconsciously turned her face away, avoiding the drunk man's outstretched arm.

But miraculously, nothing touched her body.

The girl was thinking what had happened and when she looked up she saw a tall figure.

"If she doesn't want to, forget it."

"You, who are you? What do you want to do?"

Looking at the tall figure appearing in front of her, the girl was confused, but her intuition told her that this person was protecting her.

Perhaps because his hand was grabbed so forcefully, the drunk's face soon twisted in pain.

"Don't bother me anymore, uncle. You'll regret it when you sober up, you know."

This type of news is often reported on TV, and the criminals often give excuses such as they don't remember or were drunk.

But even if the person himself does not remember, the victims will not forget, and the crimes he committed cannot be erased.

A young couple passing by stopped to watch the fun and took pictures, probably wanting to upload the scene to an online forum.

At this time, the drunkard sobered up a little. He shook off his hand, muttered some strange words, and walked away quickly.

"Ah, that..."

The girl behind shouted, and the person in the silhouette turned around.

However, the girl's eyes widened immediately because the man was wearing a mask.

"……mask?"

"Don't worry about it. Are you okay?"

There was a gentleness in his voice that comforted a girl.

The sudden appearance of the masked man made the girl a little confused, but when she saw that he was safe and sound, she sighed softly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, um...thank you."

The girl thanked him and lowered her head, and the boy waved his hand and said no thanks.

"That's it, let's go back before dark."

The boy waved his hand gently and walked away.

For some reason, the girl tilted her head and looked at the hand that was suddenly extended to her. Then she put her hand on her chest, her heart beating violently.

“…Who is that person?”

Of course I don’t know his name… I just know he’s a man wearing a mask.

The girl stared at the direction the man left for a while, and heard him say, "Go back early."

The girl's uniform has her name embroidered on the chest——【Reina Shimizu】

(End of this chapter)