She ran all the way out of the club building.
The sky wasn't raining, just filled with clouds that looked like heavy lead blocks. The breeze was slightly cool.
Phoenix Academy Maggie let out a sigh and loosened her right hand's grip on Hojo Tetsuji's shoulder.
He was a bit surprised. Phoenix Academy Maggie, who looked so delicate, could actually drag him—a guy who weighed at least two hundred pounds—around?
"Miss, you're really strong."
"It's alright. I've never slacked on my physical training."
Phoenix Academy Maggie replied casually, her mind on the scene she had just witnessed in the corridor. That back, that person.
"That was Aozawa just now, wasn't it? And who's that woman? Is she a girl from our class?"
Hojo Tetsuji scratched his head. He didn't really pay attention to his classmates; he was usually either sleeping or discussing manga plots with Aozawa and Phoenix Academy Maggie.
Phoenix Academy Maggie shook her head and said, "That wasn't Aozawa. As for that girl, she's the Hot Girl from our class."
"Not Aozawa? But the back looked so much like him."
"Wearing a kendo uniform, with the nape of the neck exposed, everyone looks the same. You can't just say everyone with short hair is Aozawa."
Phoenix Academy Maggie tried to deny that reality. Even if Ayatsuki Ayaka and Aozawa get along well, Hot Girls are the type of frivolous characters who don't care who they kiss. I can't just assume the person Ayatsuki Ayaka kissed was Aozawa simply because she kissed *someone*. Even she found this line of reasoning unconvincing. Deep down, she knew: It *was* Aozawa. But she refused to admit it. Her mind conjured ten thousand reasons to deny that it was him.
"Is that so?" Hojo Tetsuji scratched his head again.
He hadn't thought that much about it. He just noticed Phoenix Academy Maggie was acting clearly strange; she'd even elbowed him earlier. It hadn't hurt at all, but it still showed something was off with her.
"Miss, your expression is a bit odd."
"I always have this odd expression. See you tomorrow."
Phoenix Academy Maggie said hastily and then strode towards the school gates.
Hojo Tetsuji scratched his head again. The Miss really has gotten strange. The usually confident Miss seems to be running from something.
How strange, he thought for a moment, then took out his phone, intending to message Aozawa and ask if he'd been kissed on the cheek by the Hot Girl from their class.
…
Phoenix Academy Maggie swiftly walked out of the school gates.
A ghostly figure naturally appeared behind her. His tall frame moved as silently as a cat.
Phoenix Academy Maggie paid him no mind, her thoughts consumed by replaying the scene from the corridor. Lost in thought, she muttered, "Liar."
He clearly said there was no progress with Ayatsuki Ayaka, that he hadn't accepted Ayatsuki Ayaka as his girlfriend, yet he even let her kiss his cheek—is that not progress? Aozawa, that big pig-headed idiot, liar, scumbag! A series of such epithets flashed through her mind.
The more she thought, the angrier she became. But while waiting for the train at Ayase Station, her resentment suddenly dissipated, replaced by a profound sense of grievance.
Phoenix Academy Maggie was on the verge of tears. Head bowed, she asked, her voice full of unwillingness, "Where do I fall short of her?"
Her soft words, like a whisper of wind, drifted to Mike's ears three steps away, instantly piquing his gossipy interest.
Both men and women share a keen enthusiasm for listening to gossip.
He didn't remain three steps away but couldn't help moving closer. "Miss, you seem to be facing some troubles related to love. If you don't mind, let me be your strategist. I'm not bragging, but when it comes to romance, I'm quite confident in my expertise."
Phoenix Academy Maggie glanced at him sideways. She initially didn't want to speak, but clinging to a sliver of hope, she asked, "Then let me ask you: if a guy is maintaining an ambiguous relationship with one girl while telling another girl that there's nothing between them, that they're not boyfriend and girlfriend, what kind of mindset is that?"
Mike considered it from the guy's perspective and said honestly, "That sounds like a guy trying to two-time, but he's still a bit amateurish. If it were me, I'd never let one woman know I was involved with another."
"You think you're fit to be compared to him? You, with your married-women fetish! Disgusting! Get lost!"
It was rare for Phoenix Academy Maggie to swear. She could call Aozawa a scumbag, but no one else was allowed to say a word against him. In fact, in front of others, she felt compelled to defend Aozawa's image and insist he wasn't a scumbag.
Mike's warm approach was met with a cold shoulder, but he didn't look angry. Instead, he grew curious about the boy who could make the always composed and elegant Miss lose her cool like this. And supposedly two-timing as well? Who on earth could it be?
His mind flashed through the boys in their class, quickly settling on Hojo Tetsuji. In his view, Hojo Tetsuji was the most masculine guy in the class. The primitive aura he exuded was just like Mike himself in his younger days. Ah, youth!
Mike sighed inwardly. That bittersweet tang of youth seemed to seep from the distant past into his present self.
…
Setagaya District, the Phoenix Academy residence.
A fine, hazy rain began to fall, but it had little to do with Phoenix Academy Maggie.
She sat in the car, gazing at the front courtyard, her heart heavy.
The more I try to forget that image, the more clearly it returns. Even Ayatsuki Ayaka's original action of closing her eyes seems to have transformed in my constant mental replays—now she's opening them, flashing a provocative smile right at me. That stupid woman… Phoenix Academy Maggie clenched her fists, a fierce determination not to lose welling up inside her.
Miwa Kazuki drove into the underground garage, turned off the engine, got out of the driver's seat, and opened Phoenix Academy Maggie's car door.
She unclenched her fists, got out of the back seat, and headed straight for the dining room.
Miwa Kazuki followed behind and whispered, "Miss, has something happened?"
"Why do you ask?" Phoenix Academy Maggie replied offhandedly.
Miwa Kazuki whispered, "The Miss's expression looks a bit unhappy, different from usual."
"Is that so, Miwa? It seems you've been with me so long you can read my moods at any given moment."
"I am very sorry, Miss."
"Don't let it happen again."
When Phoenix Academy Maggie was in a bad mood, she became extremely aggressive. Even she herself wasn't aware of this, but Miwa Kazuki knew it well. He had served the Miss for some years and had rarely seen her like this.
A flicker of worry crossed his eyes, but he didn't press further. The Miss's stance was clear: if he continued to investigate the reason for her bad mood, his position as butler would be forfeit.
…
Phoenix Academy Maggie entered the dining room.
Light from the crystal chandelier cascaded down, illuminating the exquisite dishes on the table. A high-backed chair stood ready.
Miwa Kazuki pulled out the chair. Phoenix Academy Maggie sat down, but the gourmet food tasted like ash in her mouth. She forced down a few bites, barely enough to sate her hunger, then stopped eating.
She forcibly composed herself, determined to fully concentrate on her upcoming tutoring session.
While studying, she did manage to forget those things.
After studying, before bed, she always prioritized a bath, which would last half an hour at most.
But the Phoenix Academy residence had no bathtub, only a bathing pool—a very large one, the size of a swimming pool.
The water in the pool was always kept warm. Each time she or Kochou finished bathing, the water was replaced to ensure its cleanliness.
Such a luxurious lifestyle wasn't environmentally friendly. However, environmentalism was largely a concept meant to constrain the other ninety percent of the world. For Phoenix Academy Maggie, part of the top ten percent financial class, such thoughts never even occurred; she never considered the waste her daily life generated.
In her view, compared to others, the Phoenix Academy family's lifestyle was already quite frugal.
Phoenix Academy Maggie soaked in the bathing pool, the warm water seeping into her skin. She tilted her head back. What should I do?
Alone, that image would flood her mind again. She let her body float on the water's surface, motionless, like a log adrift. I was there first, and Aozawa even touched…
Phoenix Academy Maggie suddenly recalled that afternoon, when she had delivered the braised pork with preserved vegetables. She remembered every detail clearly, including Aozawa pressing down on her.
She hugged her chest, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. Unable to maintain her balance floating, she quickly began to sink.
Warm water enveloped her face. Eyes open, she gazed through the clear water at the ceiling, a new resolve forming within her. If I back down now, I'll just be letting Ayatsuki Ayaka win. The only option is to go on the offensive. I *will* fight back.
…
The next day, in the classroom of 2C.
Phoenix Academy Maggie had, uncharacteristically, changed her hairstyle. Her long golden hair was coiled up at the back of her head, exposing her snow-white nape, while curled sidelocks cascaded over her shoulders.
"Maggie, did something happen to make you suddenly change your hairstyle?"
Yoshikawa Sayuri knew well that girls didn't usually change their hairstyles without a reason. If they did, it was like a boy suddenly quitting video games and starting to groom himself—most likely, they were preparing for a romantic offensive.
Phoenix Academy Maggie didn't hide it from them, stating seriously, "Today, it's time to lay my cards on the table! I absolutely must find out what Aozawa is really thinking!"
"Oh, Maggie, you finally get it! Love is like shopping. Instead of just wondering where to go, the most important thing is to actually go out! Only when you're out can you figure out where you want to shop!"
Nomura True Wave looked pleased, then asked with a hint of curiosity, "So, how do you plan to ask him?"
Phoenix Academy Maggie pondered for a moment, then smiled. "That's a secret. If I succeed, I'll tell you all the details. If I fail, just have a soda ready for me!"
Yoshikawa Sayuri looked shocked. "Maggie, you're really going in with that much resolve?"
Phoenix Academy Maggie didn't answer, merely walking towards her seat, her right hand making a very classic gesture. If she were in Germany, it would undoubtedly unleash a storm of public condemnation.
Nomura True Wave quipped, "Since when did she become a failed artist?"
"That's Maggie's resolve!" Yoshikawa Sayuri exclaimed, clenching her fists and silently cheering for Phoenix Academy Maggie in her heart.