Chapter 59

Ririna completely ignored my advice and apparently continues to try to get closer to Hayashiki. However, she seems to be having trouble due to the barrier created by the upperclassmen.

Thanks to this, I heard from a first-year Pivoine member that Ririna is causing trouble. When I asked, "Is Ririna causing any problems?" she replied, "It's fine," but I could tell from her face that she was troubled. I apologized, saying, "I'm sorry. I'll talk to her too," and the girl, though flustered, promised to let me know if Ririna caused any more trouble. I need to keep an eye on what she's doing without my knowledge.

One time, she even ambushed me as I was heading to the salon and tried to force me to go with her. Even when I refused, saying it was impossible, she wouldn't listen. It was only when Aira-sama, who happened to arrive just then, gently advised her that she finally backed off. Later, I got a call: "Who was that beautiful person!"

In the end, Ririna's argument is that her mother was also a Pivoine member, and she had heard stories about it since childhood. If she had lived closer and could have attended the elementary school, she would have definitely joined Pivoine! But in reality, since Ririna is an external student starting from the middle school, she doesn't have the qualifications to join, so it's impossible.

It seems that her delusion that she should be a Pivoine member is the source of her overconfidence. How foolish.

Manka-san even said to me, "You have quite a cute cousin, don't you?" I had no response to that. I was almost at my breaking point with stress.

So, I ended up at a fast food restaurant. Until now, I had hesitated to enter for fear of being seen, but I couldn't care about that anymore. This pent-up stress can only be relieved by eating! I ordered my first fast food meal in this life with excitement: a cheeseburger with large fries and a cup of oolong tea.

I sat in a corner to avoid being seen, though I felt a bit out of place. I took a bite of the cheeseburger. Wow, it's nostalgic! This is the taste! The thin, flat hamburger patty with lots of ketchup, pickles, onions, and cheese! What a cheap taste! Maybe because I usually eat good food, I was surprised by how cheap it tasted, but that's what fast food is.

The fries are delicious too. Ketchup is amazing. As my stomach was satisfied, I felt my stress easing. Ah, I'm glad I came.

But what should I do about Ririna? When I think about it calmly, she and I have similar tastes in who we like. She loves her older brother, but the people she likes are completely different types, like Tomegumi-senpai and Hayashiki, and she even idolizes Aira-sama. Wow, I definitely don't want to be like her.

But I used to loiter around Tomegumi-senpai too. After Aira-sama, I apologized endlessly. "Rika-chan, it's tough for you. If there's anything I can do, let me know," she said kindly, but it made me feel even more guilty. I'm too scared to face Hayashiki. Just thinking about how angry he might be makes me shudder. But perhaps I should gather my courage and properly apologize to him.

Ah, why did that girl have to pass the entrance exam for Ruiran? I sipped my light oolong tea.

Thanks to Aira-sama's warning, Ririna no longer barges into the salon. However, she still clings to Hayashiki. My group's members are starting to frown. This is bad... If this continues, my position will be in danger. When I apologize, they say, "It's not your fault, Rika-sama," but I don't know how long this will last. Recently, I've been getting stomachaches a lot during the first class. I can't do without stomach medicine. It's too much.

Maybe I should just snap.

One day, Ririna finally angered Hayashiki. Apparently, she approached Hayashiki and Yurie-sama when Hayashiki was about to see Yurie-sama off. According to the rule, when Hayashiki is with Yurie-sama, no one should interfere. Hayashiki is generally indifferent to the girls who make a fuss around him, but if Yurie-sama is involved, it's a different story. He shows his emotions and loses his usual calm demeanor. Knowing this, the girls never approach when he's with Yurie-sama. But Ririna didn't know this. Seeing no one around, she saw it as an opportunity and ran up to Hayashiki, who was about to get into his car, and started talking to him. Despite Yurie-sama's prep school schedule, Ririna kept talking, and Hayashiki finally snapped. He yelled, "Cut it out! Never come near me again!" and left the scene with Yurie-sama, who was trying to calm him down.

When I heard this from Ririna over the phone, I felt dizzy. What have you done...? She asked me to do something, but there's nothing I can do. She was told to stay away by the person himself, so I advised her to give up, but she doesn't seem to be ready to do so. Someone, please help me.

The rumor that Ririna had angered Hayashiki spread quickly, and I felt the pressure. While it hasn't become a big issue because girls often anger Hayashiki by being too noisy, it's still a relief. Manka-san's gaze is painful.

When I went to the Pivoine salon and saw Hayashiki and Enjo, I decided to apologize. "I'm really sorry for the trouble my cousin caused yesterday." I bowed deeply. There were other members in the salon, but I couldn't care less. Hayashiki was silent for a while, then sighed and said, "It's fine." Really?

"It's not your fault," he added.

"But she's my cousin."

"Then do something about it."

"I'm trying, but it's not easy."

"You're useless."

Hayashiki chuckled. He really didn't seem angry anymore. I was relieved and thought about having some tea to change my mood when Enjo dropped a bomb: "Your cousin is here to see you."

I rushed out to the hallway, and Ririna said she wanted to apologize directly and asked me to mediate. How stupid can this girl be! I told her to leave, but she wouldn't listen. After a few exchanges, the salon door opened, and Enjo came out.

"Hey, cut it out. Do you know what will happen if you anger Hayashiki any further? Your cousin, Kishijo, has been bowing to everyone for your sake. If you knew that, you wouldn't act so shamelessly. The reason you're still safe despite making so many enemies is because Kishijo has been apologizing nonstop. That's why Hayashiki has been silent. But it's reaching its limit."

Enjo's cold gaze pierced Ririna. A usually gentle person can be truly terrifying when they're quietly angry. I remember that in the manga, Rika often received Enjo's anger.

Ririna's face turned red, and she ran away like she was escaping. At least bow before you leave.

"I'm really sorry, Enjo-sama. I caused you trouble too."

"We were also troubled by her. We thought it was time to do something about it."

"Is that so?"

Ririna, you were on the edge.

"But Kishijo, I'll remember this as a favor."

"Huh?"

"Did you think you could get help for free? That's naive."

Enjo smiled and said, "I'll ask you to return the favor someday, so don't forget," before returning to the salon.

What!