Chapter 12: The Trash Scion Dumps a Girl

June had arrived, and the Founding Anniversary Party was fast approaching. As Class Representatives, our days were busy with preparations.

That day, Mao and I submitted the draft for the Freshman Representative Keynote to Futaba-sensei. It was the speech we would be reading on stage in front of all the attendees at the party.

After reading through it, our teacher nodded.

"This is very well written. Did you come up with the contents of this speech, Hoshimiya-kun?"

"Mizuki-san wrote almost all of it. I just threw out a few ideas," I replied.

Mao bashfully lowered her eyes.

"No, I couldn't have written it alone. Hoshimiya-kun was the one who came up with the core theme of 'finding ourselves through learning at this school.'"

"In that case, this is a joint effort between the two of you."

At the mention of a joint effort, Mao's cheeks flushed red.

After much agonizing over the contents of the speech, I had decided to talk about a theme of my own.

As a shadow double, it might have been better to boldly declare myself a harem king in true Eitarou-san fashion.

However, I simply didn't have the guts to do that in front of the entire student body and numerous business moguls. A half-baked performance might actually arouse more suspicion.

Besides, I had already settled into this school as Hoshimiya Eitarou. So, acting a little more like myself shouldn't cast any doubt on my true identity.

It was also good that Mao had put the draft together for me. As expected of a young lady from a distinguished family, her words carried a resolute and powerful conviction.

After leaving the staff room, Mao and I walked down the hallway toward our classroom.

"Am I really speaking in front of the whole school? I'm getting nervous."

"You sure are. There will be plenty of business elites among the parents, too. If you mess up, you'll bring shame to the Hoshimiya family."

"Ugh, don't put so much pressure on me."

"Hehe. Don't be nervous. Just treat the speech like you're seducing a girl."

"It's rare for you to say something like that, Mao."

"I'm not telling you to actually seduce anyone! I just mean you should take it easy!"

"I know, I know. I'll take it on with the spirit of seducing the entire student body and all the business elites at once."

We arrived at the classroom and headed to our respective seats.

It was already after school. All that was left was to grab my school bag and head home.

Just as I said my goodbyes to Mao and was about to leave the classroom, she called out to stop me.

"Hoshimiya-kun... Um, do you want to walk home together today...?"

She averted her gaze, her face flushed red, and she looked a little anxious.

Of course, I knew. She had feelings for me.

Or rather, to be precise, she was in love with Hoshimiya Eitarou.

"Sorry, I have some urgent business to attend to today."

I replied, pretending not to notice anything.

I was a shadow double. No matter how much I was loved, I couldn't get involved in a romantic relationship.

"I see... Well, see you tomorrow, then."

Mao dropped her shoulders in disappointment and started walking toward the door.

I was lying. I was claiming to be someone else and deceiving her.

So, at the very least—

"Mao! I'm looking forward to continuing our Class Representative duties together!"

When I called out to her back, she turned around.

"Of course. I won't let you off the hook if you slack off!"

A smile returned to Mao's face, and she left the classroom with a slightly lighter step.

At the very least, as a Class Representative, I would do everything I could to meet her expectations.

During lunch break one day, I stepped out of the classroom and stopped in the hallway with my bento box in hand.

Where should I eat today...?

Even now, I spent my days wandering the school looking for inconspicuous places to eat my lunch.

While I was trying to think of a good spot, someone called out to me.

"Are you heading to lunch, Eitarou-kun? If you'd like, would you care to join me?"

It was Uine. She was holding a fancy pink bento box.

"You want to eat with me?"

"Yes. I thought it would be nice for us to take our time and have a proper chat for once."

For a moment, I was on guard, wondering if she was going to try to seduce me again... but something seemed different about her.

Uine's face was faintly flushed, and she was smiling bashfully.

At the very least, the malicious intent she used to harbor—aiming for the Hoshimiya status—was gone.

Or rather, I could strongly feel an overwhelmingly pure affection from her...

Did my words about love and whatever else from the other day really strike that much of a chord with her?

"Ah, well, um... I actually have prior plans today. It's tough being such a popular guy, turning down an invitation from Uine and all."

When I made up a random excuse to decline, Uine looked a little disappointed.

"Then I suppose it can't be helped. I will invite you another time when you are alone, Eitarou-kun."

"Yeah. Catch you later."

I watched Uine's back as she turned and walked away.

Just as I thought, I was lying.

And I had to keep lying. If she found out I was a shadow double, if she knew she had been deceived, Uine, who had feelings for Hoshimiya Eitarou, would be hurt.

I had to continue being Hoshimiya Eitarou from here on out.

Suddenly, I caught the students' gossip from around me.

"Did you see that? Hoshimiya just rejected Hiou-san's invitation."

"Unbelievable... To think the womanizing harem king would turn down such a cute girl..."

Of course, I had to keep playing the part of a trash scion so my true identity wouldn't be discovered.

As I started walking, I overheard some female students gossiping.

"Hoshimiya-kun has really changed lately, hasn't he? He's been doing a proper job as a Class Representative, too."

"Right! Even Mizuki-san seems to have accepted him."

"But, I wonder what made him change?"

With their voices at my back, I walked away with my bento box.

☆

That day, I ultimately decided to eat my lunch in the Equipment Storage Room.

As always, Touka was sitting on the round stool by the window, eating her bento off a small shelf.

Perhaps because I had a somewhat gloomy expression, she asked in a concerned tone.

"You don't look so good. Did something happen?"

"Uine invited me to eat with her, and I turned her down. I need to sever any romantic feelings quickly. But, I kinda feel like I did a bad thing."

"You don't need to turn down eating lunch with me?"

"Well, that's because you know about my circumstances, Touka."

"Your circumstances... The complicated scion who can't fall in love, right. Do you have any intention of telling Mizuki-san or Hiou-san about that?"

"No. The only reason I told you, Touka, was because you suspected my true identity, so I judged it would be better to explain my position."

Touka listened and fell silent for a moment in thought before speaking.

"Are you Hoshimiya Eitarou-kun?"

"...Yeah. I am Hoshimiya Eitarou."

She stared at me for a while, then gave a gentle smile.

"Then I will leave it at that. Hoshimiya Eitarou-kun, who goes by the nickname Kei-kun."

She continued to eat her bento while gazing out the window.

I ate in silence as well, and the quiet moments ticked by.

For someone who spent every day of their school life drawing unwanted attention as a scion, this kind of relaxing time was precious.

Come to think of it, it was the exact opposite of my middle school days, where I barely had any presence.

That said, it wasn't exactly a glamorous everyday life either, just a constant string of different headaches.

The doorknob of the Equipment Storage Room let out a click.

The sudden noise made both Touka and me stiffen.

The door opened, and a first-year female student poked her head in.

"Ah..."

Perhaps it was unexpected for her too, as she froze in surprise upon seeing us.

"I was just, looking for some duct tape."

Offering that excuse, she walked in with an awkward smile.

She peered into a cardboard box on the shelf and started rummaging around inside.

I was tense. Could she have heard our conversation just now?

Once the girl pulled the duct tape from the cardboard box, she immediately headed back to the door to leave.

I called out to her.

"Um, about me..."

"It's fine, it's fine. I understand, Hoshimiya-kun. Take your time."

With a meaningful smirk, she closed the door and disappeared.

Beyond the closed door, the sound of her footsteps faded away.

I was relieved for the time being. It seemed she hadn't heard any conversation that would blow my cover.

"'I understand,' what does she understand?"

Touka voiced her displeasure. Her face was red, so she probably grasped the implication.

Spending time alone, practically hiding, with a womanizing scion... anyone would assume an intimate relationship.

"Sorry, Touka. We got caught in a rather compromising situation."

"It can't be helped. But we talk a lot in the classroom, and everyone knows Hoshimiya-kun has tried to seduce me multiple times, so they probably won't think anything strange of it now."

Touka kept a straight face.

"I'll stop coming here from tomorrow on."

"Then how about we just eat lunch together where everyone can see us?"

"Won't that make it look like I finally successfully seduced you, Touka?"

"Wouldn't that make things easier for you, instead? You just have to make them think, 'Hoshimiya Eitarou is so crazy about Rindou Touka that he isn't hitting on other girls.'"

"Even so, making you cooperate that much..."

"Then even if you really seduce me... N-No, never mind."

She closed her mouth for a second and corrected herself.

"I'm staying quiet despite knowing your circumstances, so I've long since been your accomplice."

The next day during lunch break, Touka and I had lunch together in the School Cafeteria.

The sudden appearance of the two of us caused a stir among the surrounding students.

"When did Hoshimiya and Rindou get so close?"

"Hoshimiya was hitting on Rindou quite a bit, wasn't he. He finally managed to seduce her, huh..."

"Damn it!! Our Rindou-san..."

"But Rindou is quite the young lady. Hoshimiya's about the only one who's a match for her."

...And so on, as if we were celebrities whose relationship had just been discovered.

Amidst all that, I also heard voices saying this.

"I wonder if the reason Hoshimiya-kun changed is because he met Rindou-san."

"Looking at them like this, those two really make a good couple."

Of course, the romance between Touka and me wasn't real. We were deceiving the whole school.

At a distant table in the cafeteria, Mao and Uine wore complicated expressions.

I might be causing them sadness. But it was for their own good to have them give up cleanly before they got too deeply involved.

Elsewhere, Kaede was watching with a slightly worried look. I hoped she understood that this thing with Touka was just an act.

There was no "Hoshimiya Eitarou" here.

While cloaked in the glamorous, attention-grabbing appearance of a scion, I would continue to live my life as a shadow.

★

A few days later at night, having finished dinner alone at home, Touka was lost in thought.

Lately, she had been playing the part of being good friends with "Hoshimiya Eitarou" at school.

To her, it was purely an act of "reluctantly entertaining his advances."

However, more than a few students believed the two were dating.

She didn't particularly mind if they thought that, but she still felt a bit conflicted.

It isn't "Eitarou-kun" that I like, after all...

If only the time they spent at school was time spent with his true self...

Her heart pounded at the imagination, but she sighed wistfully as she reminded herself it was only a fantasy.

Touka didn't know his true identity either.

She simply realized that he was a different person from the real Hoshimiya Eitarou.

Do I even know the real him...?

She suddenly felt anxious.

Not out of doubt. She had certainly felt "his" presence.

But at the same time, it was a fact that she still didn't even know his real name.

All she knew was his middle school nickname, "Kei"...

Her smartphone's ringtone echoed. It was her mother.

"Hello, yes, this is Touka. —A dress?"

The call was regarding the Meika Academy High School Founding Anniversary Party, coming up next week.

Touka's parents would also be attending the party. Her mother was calling to inform her that she had mailed the dress Touka would wear.

"Thank you. Of course I will wear that dress on the day of."

With her business concluded, Touka was about to end the call when her mother continued, "And also—"

Touka was surprised to hear an unexpected name come out of her mother's mouth.

"Huh, Hoshimiya-kun? Yes, well... He's been good to me at school..."

When she heard her mother's next words, Touka was left dumbfounded.

For a moment, she couldn't comprehend what she was being told.

Even after she somehow processed it, she couldn't believe it.

As she stood speechless, her mother's voice urged her for a reply.

Her mother sounded bouncy, clearly overjoyed.

Touka couldn't object to those emotions.

A sense of duty arose in her heart—that it was for the sake of the Rindou family.

"Yes. —I gladly accept."

Contrary to her words, only Touka realized her feelings were sinking.

★

On a weekend night while I was relaxing at home, I received a phone call from Chairman Genzou.

"Good evening. It's me, Kei."

"It's been a while. Is school life going smoothly?"

"It's tough sometimes, but I'm managing. Right now we're in the final stages of preparing for the Founding Anniversary Party... You'll be coming to the party too, right, Chairman?"

"I'll be attending as well. I'm looking forward to hearing your speech, Kei-kun."

"I'm already nervous... I practice every night."

"Hahaha..." Chairman Genzou laughed amiably.

Our conversation proceeded peacefully, and when we reached a stopping point,

The tone of the Chairman's voice took on a slightly more serious edge.

"The truth is, I have something to discuss with you, Kei-kun."

"What is it about?"

"Your request as a shadow double might be coming to an end soon."

"Huh...?"

I couldn't find the words right away.

The mission ending... In other words, I'd be quitting as Hoshimiya Eitarou's shadow double.

"Was there some kind of problem with the way I was doing things?"

"Not at all. In fact, you've done a more splendid job than I could have imagined. Of course, even after the contract ends, our support for you will continue. We will still cover all your tuition and living expenses. And we will help you secure your future."

"Then why all of a sudden..."

Chairman Genzou replied, seemingly unable to hide his joy.

"A marriage proposal came in for Eitarou."

"An engagement?"

"It is fantastic news for us as well, and we fully intend to accept it. Settling down should cure Eitarou of his womanizing ways."

"Oh... Well, congratulations."

"However, if you remain his shadow double even after he's engaged, it would cause all sorts of contradictions, wouldn't it? Therefore, I would like you to transfer to another school under the pretext of studying abroad. I want you to spend your school life anew there as yourself, Kei-kun. I will of course introduce you to a prestigious school, and as I said, cover all the costs."

Looking at the terms alone, it wasn't a bad deal by any means. I'd be freed from my duties as a shadow double while retaining the benefits of having my tuition and living expenses covered.

But if I left my current school, I would be saying goodbye to Touka, Mao, and Uine, who didn't know my true identity.

It was probably unavoidable. After all, if I hadn't become a shadow double in the first place, I wouldn't have even met them.

"...Understood."

"I know this was abrupt and threw you for a loop. I am truly grateful to you, Kei-kun. The only reason this engagement was brought up for Eitarou is because you did such an admirable job at school and gained the other party's trust."

"At school? Wait, is it someone from Meika Academy High School?"

"Are you acquainted with the Rindou family's young lady?"

"Touka-san? Yeah, we're in the same class..."

As I spoke, I felt my mouth rapidly go dry.

"Um, Chairman. The person you have an engagement talk for with Eitarou-san is..."

"It is Rindou Touka-san."

This time, I was completely at a loss for words.