The last class of the morning on the second day.

"It seems like I still want to go to the rooftop and take a look. Maybe high school will be different?" Aomatsu thought, so after class, he said to Tomoki, "I need to go somewhere for a bit. You can eat by yourself, don't worry about me."

"What a fool... Who would worry about you..." Tomoki, with a deadpan expression, scoffed inwardly.

Just like yesterday, Tomoko vigorously blew into the inflatable stool with all her might. Suddenly, footsteps were approaching, getting closer to the top floor! Tomoko's hand trembled, and she accidentally dropped the stool to the ground, causing all the air she had just blown in to leak out, turning it into a deflated blob with emoticons printed on it.

"Oh no, if someone sees me eating lunch here..." The consequences were unimaginable! Just thinking about it was embarrassing! So Tomoko quickly put her lunchbox and the deflated stool in the corner and started to think of excuses.

"Huh?" Aomatsu walked to the stairs and saw the back of a black-haired girl, feeling a bit unsure.

Is he here? Is it too late to hide?

Trembling, Tomoko slowly turned her head to take a peek, only to see a familiar yet unfamiliar face of a boy wearing glasses—surprisingly, it was him, the underclassman she had teased on the rooftop all those years ago.

Well, if it's come to this, might as well continue spewing nonsense to get through this, right?

"Oh my, who are you?" Tomoko turned around with a cold look, staring at the newcomer. "Foolish mortal, how dare you trespass into this forbidden place alone."

"You, you are—" Aomatsu was dumbfounded.

"Hmm? If you're trying to flirt, spare me." Tomoko raised an eyebrow. "But young man, you seem somewhat familiar."

Aomatsu suddenly knelt down on one knee and said respectfully, "I have offended you. My name is Aomatsu, and we had a brief encounter in middle school. I am now a first-year high school student."

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Tomoko widened her eyes in disbelief, staring at Aomatsu. What on earth is going on with this plot?! Did I miss a few episodes?! This is too immersive, isn't it? Well, since I started this, might as well keep pretending.

"I see. Then I shall forgive your rudeness. Please rise." Tomoko forced a smile. "The crisis here has been resolved, and the rooftop has been sealed by me. But just to be safe, I will continue to patrol here daily."

"Thank you..." As Aomatsu stood up, he noticed the lunchbox in the corner. "Is that...?"

Tomoko's mouth twitched slightly, and she continued to lie flawlessly, "Unfortunately, I, like a mere mortal, also need to eat. For the sake of patrolling..."

"I understand. I'm sorry for disturbing you while you're having lunch here. I really appreciate it!" Aomatsu bowed sincerely.

"N-no, it's nothing. It's been peaceful lately. Almost boring, even." Tomoko quickly stepped back, her voice getting quieter and quieter—

"Actually, it's nice to have someone to talk to occasionally."

"Then let me be the one to talk to you!" Aomatsu looked into Tomoko's eyes, firm and sincere.

"Huh? But—"

Tomoko wanted to say that it would be boring to talk to her, but she was interrupted.

"It's okay. I know there might be danger at any time. I understand that I look like just a weak high school student, but it's okay. Isn't life boring when it's always the same? Besides, there's still you, right? You must be strong, right? I'm in the soccer club, and I can run pretty fast, so if there's any trouble, I can escape..."

What's with this guy... Tomoko was a bit stunned, unsure how to respond. She found it somewhat amusing yet her heart was beating a little faster.

"Anyway, it's decided like this! I'll come here for lunch starting tomorrow too!" Aomatsu continued, "Someone is waiting for me today, so I can't stay, but see you tomorrow! Good luck!"

Before she could respond, Aomatsu waved goodbye and ran down the stairs, disappearing.

"What a strange person... Although I guess I'm not in a position to say that about him. After all, he's the one who has someone waiting for him to eat lunch with." Tomoko came to her senses and thought to herself. She touched her face and found it a little warm.

"What's wrong? Haven't you seen someone with dark circles before?" Tomoki asked irritably.

"Hey, Tomoko, do you have any siblings?"

Tomoko nearly choked on her food: "Why are you suddenly asking that?"

"Just curious." Aomatsu shook his head and said, "Just felt like a girl with dark circles like you should be pretty cute."

Tomoko was speechless, looking up at the sky. Inner thoughts: What? Are you a dark circles enthusiast? You said that because you haven't seen my sister, right?

"Haha—achoo!" Tomoko suddenly sneezed. "Strange, am I catching a cold?" She thought.