Chapter 124: A Backstab from the Sister-in-Law

The bell for the end of class rang. As the homeroom teacher left, the brief silence in the classroom was instantly replaced by a buzz of activity. Many students crowded around the new transfer student, Saori Amamiya, eager to strike up a conversation. Some asked her age, others inquired about her hobbies or her relationship status, and some wanted to know which school she had attended previously. Most girls might have felt overwhelmed in such a situation, but Saori remained remarkably composed, chatting and laughing with the others within moments. Perhaps, as Sagiri had said, someone like Saori would be popular anywhere she went.

Just as An He was pondering this, the voice of Keiko Kitajima sounded from beside him. "An He-kun, do you know the new student, Amamiya-san?"

"Hmm?" An He turned to see her looking at him with undisguised curiosity. He simply nodded. "Yes, I know her."

"Are you close?" Keiko blinked, her breathing quickening almost imperceptibly.

An He, oblivious to her reaction, looked toward Saori, who was surrounded by admirers. He felt a surge of pride and chuckled to himself: *Close? We’re close enough to share a bed.*

Of course, he didn't say that out loud. Instead, he stood up, gave Keiko a look that suggested she should wait and see, and headed toward Saori. He intended to prove his point by inviting her out for a walk and, incidentally, getting the details on her sudden transfer, which he had known nothing about.

Across the room, Saori, who was growing weary of the barrage of questions, suddenly noticed An He walking toward her. Her eyes lit up, but she didn't react immediately. She waited until he had pushed through the crowd and stood before her desk before looking up, her delicate face wearing a mask of confusion. "Is there something you need, fellow student?"

The question left An He’s hand frozen in mid-air and his intended words caught in his throat. He stared at her in disbelief, his eyelid twitching, as if to say, *Are you kidding me?*

Saori, however, acted as if she hadn't noticed, keeping her head tilted and her large eyes wide with feigned bewilderment. When An He remained silent, she politely asked again, "Excuse me, is there something you need?"

*[The foolish woman is attempting to use this little trick to make you look bad as revenge for keeping her awake at night, but she clearly didn't realize that you, with your skin as thick as a city wall, wouldn't care at all.]*

The sudden appearance of the narrator solved the mystery for An He. So, that was it—she was jealous. An He felt a pang of guilt. Perhaps because of the move to the new house and the fact that Sagiri Amamiya was busy dealing with the affairs of the Amamiya Group, he had been a bit indulgent lately and hadn't considered Saori's feelings.

Saori didn't know what An He was thinking, but seeing the shift in his expression, her heart skipped a beat, and she felt a sudden, inexplicable regret. *They say boys care a lot about their pride. Was I too harsh to treat An He-kun like that in front of everyone?*

Just as she was about to explain and ease the tension, An He turned and walked away. Before she could call out to him, the other students swarmed back in. With no other choice, Saori had to continue fielding questions, though her gaze kept drifting toward the corner where An He had returned, leaving her feeling uneasy.

Meanwhile, back at his seat, An He began to think about how to appease a girl. He had never had to do this before and was at a loss. Flowers were too cliché, and Saori didn't lack perfume or cosmetics. As he struggled with the problem, he felt a tap on his arm. He turned to find Keiko leaning in, looking concerned. "An He-kun, are you alright?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." An He shook his head. He was about to look away when an idea struck him. His eyes brightened, and he looked at Keiko expectantly. "Keiko, do you know how to make it up to a girl if you've made her angry?"

"Make it up to a girl?" Keiko paused. She glanced at An He, then toward Saori, who was still the center of attention. Guessing the situation, she replied softly, "If she has feelings for you, An He-kun, then a formal apology is probably all she needs. Of course, a small gift would make it even better."

"I see!" An He had an epiphany. He stood up and hurried toward the door, calling back to Keiko without looking back, "Thanks for the help, Keiko-chan! I’ll bring you something delicious later!"

With that, he vanished from the classroom. It wasn't until he had been gone for a long time that Keiko looked away. "I’d rather have a treat..." she whispered to herself. She lowered her head and slowly pulled a pink, heart-shaped bento box from her desk, stroking it gently, her eyes flickering with unreadable thoughts.

An He headed straight for the campus convenience store. Saori loved chocolate ice cream, so he planned to use that as a peace offering. To his frustration, none of the three campus stores carried it. He had no choice but to seek outside help.

He went to Class 2-C and called out to the hallway. A moment later, a chubby, yawning figure emerged—Nanahara Eicho, whom he hadn't seen in a month. An He patted his round stomach. "You really need to lose some weight, man."

"I want to, don't you think I know that? You think everyone has your build?" Nanahara rolled his eyes, his tone tinged with envy.

"Fair point." An He didn't bother to be modest. Seeing the little guy getting impatient, he coughed and changed his tone. "Listen, brother, do you know any way to get things from outside the school?"

"Get things from outside?" Nanahara blinked his beady eyes in disbelief. "You aren't trying to smuggle in contraband, are you?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" An He made a hushing gesture. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he explained, "It's nothing like that. I just want some chocolate ice cream, and they don't sell it here."

"That's it?" Nanahara’s mouth twitched.

It took several minutes of persuasion before Nanahara agreed to skip out to buy the ice cream. Naturally, it wasn't for free. The price was an autographed copy of a manga by Sensei Kuroko—the "unsavory" kind. Nanahara mentioned that since her new work, *Attack on Titan*, had become a massive hit, her earlier, more explicit works had surged in value as well. Some signed copies were selling for as much as 100,000 yen on special websites.

An He was stunned. If he’d known, he would have had Kuroko-sensei sign everything she wrote. "What a fortune missed!" he muttered with a wry smile.

When he returned to the classroom, Saori was still surrounded. A third of the crowd were boys now. An He had sent Nanahara out specifically because he was worried about someone else "stealing the prize." While he knew Saori wouldn't allow it, one could never be too careful.

He squeezed through the crowd and subtly nudged the other boys away. Some resisted at first, but upon seeing it was An He, they quickly backed off. After swatting a stray mosquito and ensuring no other males were near her, he returned to his seat, satisfied.

Keiko leaned in again, teasing, "An He-kun, you really do care about Amamiya-san, don't you?"

"Is that so?" An He raised an eyebrow without denying it, instead pulling a lollipop from his pocket and handing it to her. "Here, have a treat."

"Thank you." Keiko accepted it with a smile. She didn't open it immediately, instead holding it to her nose and sniffing. "This smells amazing. I can even smell a rich, milky scent through the wrapper."

"Huh? Really?" An He scratched his head in embarrassment, realizing he must have grabbed the wrong one from his pocket. If he wasn't mistaken, that scent didn't come from the candy, but from someone's lingerie...

The morning classes continued. During every break, Saori was surrounded by students, and An He couldn't find a chance to speak to her. Luckily, halfway through the last period, Saori raised her hand to ask to use the restroom and left.

An He didn't waste the opportunity and immediately asked for permission to leave as well. The teacher found it slightly odd but didn't stop him.

As soon as he stepped out of the classroom and closed the door, a soft body embraced him from behind. He turned to see long golden hair shimmering in the sunlight. "You, weren't you going to the restroom?"

Saori looked up, her watery eyes sparkling as she gave a smug smile. "I knew you’d follow me." She buried her face in his back, her voice muffled and laced with a hint of pleading. "Can you please not be angry with me?"

"Angry with you?" An He was taken aback. He turned around, cupped her small face in his hands, and asked, "Why would I be angry with you, Saori?"

Saori lowered her head, her small hands clutching his shirt tighter until she was pressed against his chest. "I shouldn't have pretended not to know you in front of everyone."

"Oh, that." An He chuckled and tilted her face up, locking eyes with her deep green ones. "Well, I *am* angry now. How do you plan to compensate me?"

"I... this..." Saori’s face flushed a deep crimson, and she avoided his gaze for a long time before whispering, "Somewhere else."

"Deal!" An He agreed instantly and led her toward the infirmary. Since the previous nurse had resigned so suddenly, the room was vacant. An He had kept a spare key from a previous arrangement, which now came in handy.

As soon as he closed the infirmary door, Saori lunged at him, clinging to him like a koala. Surrounded by her unique scent and the softness of her lips, An He didn't hold back. Saori was light, and hugging her felt like holding a soft, warm teddy bear.

After lingering for quite a while, they finally pulled apart, though Saori didn't let go of him. She rested her chin on his shoulder, her eyes hazy, and whispered into his ear, "I'm in my safe period today..."

"Safe my foot." An He gave her a firm swat on the behind and dropped her onto the bed, laughing helplessly. "What are you thinking? This is a school!"

"As long as... as long as we stay quiet, isn't it fine?" Saori rubbed her behind, sniffing with a pout.

The room was small, and An He heard her clearly. He sat on the edge of the bed, pinched her chubby cheeks, and said patiently, "Saori, you're still young. That sort of thing is too early for you."

"But I asked my sister, and I'm only six months younger than you..." Saori pouted, still unconvinced.

Seeing her stubbornness, An He leaned in and silenced her with a kiss. That did the trick; Saori finally settled down.

Time passed until the final bell rang, and An He’s phone vibrated in his pocket. It was Nanahara.

"Where are you? I bought the ice cream and lunch, and I'm at your classroom door!"

An He looked at Saori, who was breathless and flushed, and gave her a "wait a moment" look before heading out of the infirmary. He walked to the classroom door, where Nanahara was indeed standing with several bags, the scent of food wafting from them.

"Reliable as always!" An He took the bags and gave him a thumbs-up.