"It sounds like lunch break was pretty wild for you, Tachibana..."

At the regular secret strategy meeting after school by the boys-only entrance, Princess Kaguya muttered that quietly.

"Yeah. I’m not good with NTR stuff... and of all things, I ended up on the side doing the stealing..."

I buy a doujin thinking it’s going to be a sweet childhood friend lovey-dovey story, and then if some flashy upperclassman guy suddenly shows up halfway through, I throw it away immediately.

And yet I ended up becoming the kind of guy I despise...

I seriously feel pretty bad for Toramine.

In the end, after that, Toramine broke down crying, and Arasaki, the Class 3 class representative, just said in a businesslike tone, “We’ll have him leave early. It’s unfortunate, but the escort will be another time,” and took him away.

"I’ve acted in NTR roles in dramas too, but I didn’t really like it either."

"Huh. Looks like we actually share tastes there, Princess Kaguya."

"I’m not happy just because I share tastes with you."

"Still, Haruto... just because he doesn’t like Toramine, to crush him in such a cruel way..."

"It seems Haruto-sama is quite attached to you."

"Did he think Toramine would steal the ‘close male friend’ position from him?"

"A male friend from a man’s perspective... this is worth analyzing... If I handle it well, it could broaden my acting range... but that attachment just now felt less like friendship and more like..."

Muttering to herself, Princess Kaguya continues thinking things through.

As a famous actress, that earlier scene might be good material for inspiration.

Well, even I’ve never seen a former female mercenary taking punches to the stomach while crying and still making a smug face in any anime or manga from my past life.

"More importantly, what about the strategy meeting to win over Haruto? It’s just the two of us right now."

"...Ah! That’s right!"

At lunch, since the girls from Class 2 and Toramine—who was still in decent shape back then—were around, we couldn’t really talk openly about this topic.

"So? What are we doing to win over Haruto?"

"Wait, you don’t have any ideas, Tachibana?"

"You’ve got some nerve saying that after you destroyed my love letter plan."

"Forget about that already! More importantly, you cleared up Haruto-sama’s misunderstanding after that, right?"

"Eh? Ah... no, I didn’t."

"What have you been doing!?"

"It couldn’t be helped. With the Toramine situation, things were hectic and I missed the chance."

As Princess Kaguya lightly punches my shoulder, I line up my excuses.

Seriously, hitting a man is considered a grave sin in this world, yet she does it so casually.

She really lets her guard down around me.

"Anyway! Events are important if you want to get closer! And the next big event is the one-night, two-day class camp!"

"Ah, that thing."

It’s the big April event Tatara-hama mentioned too.

The purpose is to strengthen the bond of a class that’s just been formed.

"At the class camp, I absolutely have to make Kannonzaki Haruto-sama notice me!"

"Yeah, do your best. I’m in a different class, so I probably won’t be able to do much on the day."

Like the name suggests, it’ll probably be mostly class-based activities.

"Looks like even the lodging floors are separate. I can relax knowing you won’t steal Haruto-sama from me."

"Is that so~ Wait, you’ve read that camp handbook thoroughly. What are you, bored?"

"I-I’m trying in my own way!"

Clutching the already worn-out camp handbook, Princess Kaguya protests with a bright red face.

"Usually students like you who work in entertainment skip these overnight school events or join late, but you’re attending the whole thing? Are you actually free despite being a popular actress? Did you lose work?"

"It’s the result of properly adjusting my schedule! At my level as an actress, I can arrange things to some extent!"

"Huh. But you won’t be able to keep attending school like this all the time, right?"

"That’s... I try to concentrate work during summer vacation as much as possible, but I’ll still have to miss school sometimes... That’s why I don’t have much time!"

"I see. So that’s why you’re rushing things with Haruto."

"Y-yeah... is that bad?"

Right there wasn’t Iriyamasu Kaguya the famous actress, but just an ordinary girl worrying about love.

"Not really. So even Funyuto-chan works hard behind the scenes."

"My surname is Iriyamasu! How many times do I have to tell you!?"

"Sorry, sorry. I just thought it was cute seeing that side of you, Princess Kaguya."

"Man... I can be myself without overthinking things when I’m with you..."

Saying that, Princess Kaguya looks at me like I’m something disappointing.

"So basically, I get full marks as a male friend, thanks. That works for me too, it’s easier."

Saying that, I look back at her in the same disappointed way.

"Hmph. Be grateful you were born a man, Tachibana. It’s only because you’re a man that you can stand on equal footing with a great actress like me."

"Oh, you’re saying that? I was thinking of giving you some support during the class camp, but I guess a great actress like you doesn’t need it~"

"Eh!? What’s that supposed to mean? Hey, tell me more."

"No no, it would be presumptuous for a lucky guy like me, who was just born male, to assist the great actress Iriyamasu Kaguya-sama~"

"Stop being mean and tell me already!"

Princess Kaguya desperately starts hitting me again.

—Even in my past life, a female friend you can trade dumb jokes with like this was rare, but in this world with a 1:99 ratio, it’s even more precious.

Thinking that, I felt a certain sense of satisfaction in having built such a stable relationship.