I spotted a cute girl being hit on by two upperclassmen on the stair landing, and on top of that, she was the Oguma-san we were looking for.

Even though Ayase is the “Prince” of the all-girls school, it seems she’s understandably scared of those kinds of guys, so at this point, I have no choice but to go.

“Saijou-kun, I know I’m not in a position to say this since I can’t do anything, but… keep it peaceful, okay?”

“Of course. I’ve never been in a fight anyway.”

“Eh… now I’m kind of getting worried after all.”

“Hey, you’re the one who said to keep it peaceful!”

Well, it’s true I’ve never fought before, but the reason I’m confident is because I have one secret plan.

It’ll be fine. This should probably work.

I’m scared too since they’re third-year upperclassmen, but running away when there’s a girl in trouble right in front of me would be way too lame.

Besides, there’s a move that works precisely because they’re third-years.

“…Alright.”

After taking a breath, I dashed toward the pickup scene.

“Um! Senpais! Sorry to interrupt while you’re busy!”

I ran up the stairs and suddenly called out loudly from behind the three of them.

“Huh?”

“What do you want, brat?”

As expected, the two upperclassmen, clearly annoyed at being interrupted, glared at me.

“Uh, well. T-this is bad, senpais! I heard earlier in the hallway in front of the staff room, but it seems someone reported that you two are hitting on a girl here—”

“Huh? Reported?”

“So what?”

“The P.E. head, Yamada, is heading this way!”

““What!?””

The moment I mentioned Yamada, the muscle-bound P.E. teacher and head of the department, their expressions changed instantly.

Yes, this was my aim.

“You two are third-years, right? If that Yamada, who’s also the third-year grade head, catches you, I figured your future prospects could be in serious trouble, so I came to warn you!”

“W-wait, that’s…”

“Yeah, that’s bad… but…”

The oppressive aura they had earlier clearly disappeared, dropping from something like a Doberman to a Chihuahua.

“For now! I’ll stay here and somehow cover things up, so you senpais should quickly head down using the stairs on the opposite side of the building and go home! Hurry!”

“G-got it. We’re aiming for recommendation admission, so you seriously saved us, underclassman.”

“If Yamada had caught us here, it would’ve been over. Seriously, thanks.”

The intimidating-looking upperclassmen who were just hitting on her moments ago hurriedly changed color, rushed toward the opposite staircase, and went down just like that.

“Looks like they’re gone… huh. Phew.”

I let out a sigh of relief.

Seems like my bluff about Yamada coming worked pretty well.

Even back in the boys’ school, Yamada was said to have more authority than the principal, the top P.E. teacher.

For third-years aiming for designated school recommendations or school referrals, getting on his bad side would basically mean the end of their future.

Even if they weren’t aiming for recommendations, getting caught by Yamada could lead to an unfair suspension anyway, so either way, it was effective.

It’s a tactic you can only use if you understand just how powerful the P.E. head is in a boys’ school, but for now, it led to a peaceful resolution. All’s well that ends well.

“U-um… thank you very much!”

The Oguma-san I saved bowed deeply to me as she spoke.

She had a very slender build, and her twin tails drooped down like rabbit ears, giving her a soft and gentle cute-girl look.

Her large eyes were captivating like an idol’s, and her mannerisms gave off a sense of elegance and calmness.

She’s a different kind of cute beauty compared to Ayase… the girls in my class are seriously high level.

Wait, now’s not the time to be staring at her appearance!

“Thank you so much for helping me!”

“I just bluffed and chased them off, it wasn’t anything special.”

“That’s not true! I was so scared I couldn’t even run away… you really saved me. I’ll never forget this kindness for as long as I live.”

Oguma-san, seemingly relieved, gradually showed a smile.

Oh, this feels like a pretty good flow, doesn’t it?

At this rate, I might even be able to exchange lime contacts.

“Um, it’s not like I’m asking for a reward, but if you’re okay with it, maybe we could exchange lime—”

“Saijou-kun!”

“Eh, Reiya-sama!?”

Just as I was about to bring up exchanging contact information, I was interrupted by that big-boobed Prince who came out from behind the stairs.

Damn… that was a perfect moment!!

“Reiya-sama, you were here too?”

“Yeah. Satou-san was worried that Oguma-san hadn’t come back, so I came to look for her with Saijou-kun here…”

Then the two of them stared at me.

O-oh… being looked at by two beautiful girls at once isn’t bad at all.

“So Saijou-san found me together with Reiya-sama, and then helped me, right?”

“W-well, yeah, I guess.”

“Hehe… then Saijou-san is a proper Prince too, isn’t he?”

“Huh? M-me?”

Me, a Prince?

I don’t have huge boobs like Ayase, I’m not qualified for that.

Being praised by a girl for the first time made me flustered.

“Saijou-san, thank you very much for today. I will definitely repay this someday.”

R-repay!? What does that mean, can I look forward to it?

“Well then, Reiya-sama. Satou-san and the others are waiting, so shall we head back to the classroom?”

“Ah, yeah. But before that, can I talk with Saijou-kun alone for a bit?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Saying that, Ayase beckoned me to a slightly distant spot and began speaking in a quiet voice.

“Sorry, Saijou-kun. You ended up saving Oguma-san for me.”

“It’s fine. I’m used to pulling cheap bluffs and jokes like that.”

“………”

“H-hey, Ayase? That was supposed to be the part where you laugh.”

Ayase looked unusually down.

Maybe she regrets not being able to do anything because she was scared.

“I’m called a Prince by everyone, and they expect things from me, yet I couldn’t even save a single girl. I’m unfit to be a Prince, and it’s lame, right?”

“A-Ayase…”

Hearing that, I felt like this Prince was carrying too much on her shoulders.

She has a good face, she’s tall, and she has impressive boobs, but inside, she’s clearly just a pure girl.

And yet, because of her refined looks and the environment she’s been in, she’s probably bound by being the Prince.

It’s not like that’s a bad thing, but still.

“Hey, Ayase. I don’t think you need to force yourself to act manly or try to look cool. From my perspective, you looked cute when you were scared, you know?”

“C-cute… eh!? Cute!? Me?”

“Yeah. It made me realize you’re properly a girl too.”

Ayase blinked rapidly, her well-shaped face turning bright red like an apple.

“H-hey, Ayase? What’s wrong? You’re acting strang—”

“Um… thank you.”

I’m not really sure why, but she thanked me.

Did she thank me for complimenting her?

But wouldn’t calling her a “girl” be something she doesn’t like, since she wants to be more manly… well, whatever.

“Well, I’m heading home now. I don’t think there are guys like earlier anymore, but just in case, be careful, okay?”

“…”

“Ayase?”

“Ah, yeah… bye, Saijou-kun.”

For some reason, Ayase looked dazed, lightly blushing as she gave me a small wave.

What’s up with her?

Her Prince aura had completely disappeared all at once…

Well, she said she’s going to the salon today, so by tomorrow her hair will be refreshed, and her Prince aura will probably be even more polished.

But in the end, I didn’t manage to exchange contact info with anyone on the first day…

With a boyish “Prince” from a girls’ school sitting next to me who’s way better-looking than me, no one’s going to take interest in me at this rate.

Thinking about nothing but that, I headed home.

I had no way of knowing that “something like that” would happen the next day…