Tsuruhana-san has been getting bolder and bolder by the day.84Please respect copyright.PENANAO4NINFtqWb
It looks like she doesn’t even put me in her eyes anymore.84Please respect copyright.PENANAp0AAE52PsJ
She and her friends always kick up a huge fuss to gain Kaburagi’s attention. Annoying to the extreme. How on earth could Kaburagi hold any interest towards her because of something like this.84Please respect copyright.PENANAq3vvfe2HLS
And my group’s dissatisfaction has only been growing.84Please respect copyright.PENANAj6QQXzbSJB
A number of times now, the strong-willed Serika-chan and Kikuno-chan have led my group to butt heads with them.84Please respect copyright.PENANA7YPtBCPZG9
And apparently each time, they’d be mocked “Woww~ These goodie two shoes are soooo scaryyy~” which just angered them more.
“I cannot stand this any longer! They just keep getting noisier and don’t reflect on how they’re bothering Kaburagi-sama at all! Reika-sama, please say something to them as well!”
“Yeah! Even Tsuruhana-san shouldn’t be able to stand up to you, Reika-sama!”
Whoawhoa, I don’t have that kind of power, okay? Tsuruhana-san completely looks down on me.84Please respect copyright.PENANAcCj6bVNZxp
After all, I’m pretty sure when we went on that excursion and she saw me struggling to climb the mountain, she decided that I was nothing to fear.84Please respect copyright.PENANAWayQg5WPyA
I really struggled that day. Around the time I was only halfway up the mountain, she and her friends had apparently already been kicking a fuss around Enjou and Kaburagi on the summit.84Please respect copyright.PENANAGWZLNgfAr2
In the end Kaburagi snapped and yelled “Shut up!” though. And while all this was happening, I was getting the label of ‘totally useless’ stuck to me.84Please respect copyright.PENANAsUv3tIN1g2
This is badd…84Please respect copyright.PENANAeRTdQNSINl
Isn’t there some way to settle things peacefully?84Please respect copyright.PENANAXp58vkmBVh
A few days later during a break, somebody stormed into our classroom to yell.84Please respect copyright.PENANAbpx82tVujx
It was the new Student Council President.
“Oi, Tsuruhana! Stop barging into other people’s classes! You’re causing trouble for the students here!”
“Hahh? Who do you think you are, External?”
“I don’t want to be told that by vacuum-brains like you. Do as I say and come back. And also, don’t think I can’t see those piercings through your hair. They’re against school regulations. Take them off.”
“What did you say!”
Although a group of girls started glaring at him, he showed no signs of budging.
“Don’t make me repeat myself. Take out your piercings, and get out of this classroom. We’ve received a flood of complaints about you.”
Maybe they were pressured because he was a whole head taller than them, but they harrumphed and then left.84Please respect copyright.PENANAfDGBFs0IU1
It felt like the whole room let out a sigh of relief.84Please respect copyright.PENANA4W8Cxv7Hau
My classmates started looking at the President with a gaze of respect.84Please respect copyright.PENANAEZDGkOWorG
Yup, as expected of you, Silver-Haired Stuco Pres.84Please respect copyright.PENANAESy2cm2GN0
While I was applauding him in my mind, Silver Hair turned my way.
“And do your job as class rep properly.”
I got scolded.84Please respect copyright.PENANAWfNZEvgbce
Uu, sorry.84Please respect copyright.PENANAVeTNUhl3UB
Having said all that he needed to, the Student Council President left as well.
“This new Student Council President might be a little cool.”
“Yeah, he’s so manly. Ah! But he was so rude to Reika-sama. How unforgivable.”
“No, I did not mind at all.”
The girls who were in a daze suddenly followed up on their comments to appease me.84Please respect copyright.PENANA2QO5jSimBB
I really don’t mind. Instead, I’m thankful for his rescue. Yepyep, you really were a righteous guy, weren’t you, Silver Hair-kun.84Please respect copyright.PENANAkHnYvMaG3v
But wow, good job seeing those tiny piercings beneath the hair. Or was it that somebody tattled?
“As I recall, it was this Student Council President that went head to head with Emperor in last year’s cavalry battle, wasn’t it.”
“Actually, I thought he was cool too…”
“Eh-, actually, so did I…”
Oh ho~? It looks like he already has a number of fans. And he’s more approachable than the unattainable Kaburagi and Enjou duo.
“What was his name again?”
“Mizusaki-kun. Mizusaki Arima-kun,”
I answered fluently.84Please respect copyright.PENANANFlBRXDHKx
Everyone gaze me a surprised look, but of course I know him.84Please respect copyright.PENANAbpRSwX6z4q
Because I’ve always secretly sympathised with him!84Please respect copyright.PENANAZjIXenvyjB
As for why, it’s because he was in Kimidol, and as Emperor’s love rival who lost in the end, to me, he’s a fellow stalking horse!84Please respect copyright.PENANAmKiUabMsOS
Arima(has a horse) is an Atema(stalking horse)? Pfftpfftpfft, so silly.84Please respect copyright.PENANAxbUYtW5pg4
But although we’re both stalking horses, his position was decisively different to Kisshouin Reika’s. He never did anything dirty like Reika did, and fought Emperor head-on until the end. Because of that, he even formed a friendship between men with Emperor.84Please respect copyright.PENANA9RdlzIID8h
After spending all that time expressing your love for her, in the end you have your heroine snatched away? Truly a stalking horse! If I’m the evil stalking horse, then you’re the good stalking horse! We’re stalking horse comrades!84Please respect copyright.PENANAxSFD7XgNCh
You had silver hair in the manga, so it feels a little odd that your hair is black, but I think you look great like this too, Fellow Stalking Horse.84Please respect copyright.PENANAifB4gCMHNU
And well, to begin with nobody in Japan, or rather, nobody on earth actually grows silver hair. I think you’d look good if you dyed it silver too, but you definitely wouldn’t, would you.84Please respect copyright.PENANAEfFwHzZm4h
You know, it really was cool seeing the manga cover with black-haired Emperor and the silver-haired President flanking the heroine.84Please respect copyright.PENANAmABoYGQLoF
But anyway, I’m your ally, Fellow Stalking Horse. I’ll watch over you, so feel free to head straight down your stalking horse highway!
“Reika-sama? Is something the matter?”
“No, nothing of the sort.”
Everybody watched me with strange expressions. No good, no good.84Please respect copyright.PENANABNfo6uBuw3
I smiled and pretended nothing happened.84Please respect copyright.PENANA8QF3TVf7Xs
Fellow Stalking Horse’s warning was of no use because Tsuruhana-san and co. were indulging in Kaburagi appreciation as usual.84Please respect copyright.PENANAcErHrSSgX4
And their hostility towards us became more and more obvious.84Please respect copyright.PENANAm05wzTgJZa
Just recently, Tsuruhana-san finally knocked into me on purpose.
“My, I’m so sorry, Kisshouin-san. Are you okayy?”
“…Yes.”
“You’re not very athletic and you’re slow too, so you really need to take more care of yourself.”
TWITCH.84Please respect copyright.PENANAdvPtjRZdC0
Tsuruhana-san and a few girls were snickering, but the other girls around realised things were bad and exchanged a look.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing to Reika-sama!”
“It was an accident, I said. You’re so annoying.”
“Whatt did you sayy!”
Oh crap, it’s turning into an issue. I stopped them in a panic.84Please respect copyright.PENANAwmrWbKc6ZZ
It looks like Serika-chan and the others are close to their limit.84Please respect copyright.PENANAAVJsXTU5Tq
I guess I can’t hold on for much longer…84Please respect copyright.PENANAyuVXAJlcmx
Today I went to my favourite hair salon.84Please respect copyright.PENANAbzOLWanshp
Phew, I can finally relax. At Okaasama’s orders, I had the usual. Treatment for my hair, and a trim for its ends too.84Please respect copyright.PENANAOi3owsfFQy
I elegantly enjoyed the herb tea they brought out.
“Ah-, this is…”
The beautician was fiddling with my hair when her eyes went wide.84Please respect copyright.PENANAOZ7izctOpP
Mn? What’s wrong?
“Reika-sama, you have a white hair back here.”
EEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
“W-, White hair!?”
“Yes. It’s the middle so it isn’t very noticeable though. See?”
It felt like my heart would stop from the shock.84Please respect copyright.PENANAT0BgVWqS0l
In the opposite mirror, there certainly was some white hair on the back of my head.84Please respect copyright.PENANARWAlne7CfU
Speaking of which, lately the back of my head has been feeling a little funny. I thought that perhaps a spirit was possessing me, but that was me growing white hair?84Please respect copyright.PENANA9dFxSf2MqB
It’s the stress. I grew white hair because of stress. Didn’t that happen to the Rococo Queen as well!84Please respect copyright.PENANAf9Jor2PGzs
A maiden in her third year of middle school with white hair…
“It’s okay, Reika-sama. It’ll go back to normal in no time. It wouldn’t be good to pluck it, so I’ll snip it at the base. And let’s give you a head spa too. It’s not too good to be too tense.”
“…Please.”
I walked unsteadily over to the shampoo stand.
I’m done. At this rate, my whole head will turn white.84Please respect copyright.PENANAaNIC1j36a3
Trading the silver-haired President for the white-haired Queen…
I resolved myself and made my decision.
ns 172.70.100.161da2