Princess Connect Academy: Hungry Hearts and Love Storms - The Student Council President's Overprotectiveness and a Small Incident in the Shopping District

"What did you do to Pecorine yesterday?" The top floor of the special building. Beyond the heavy wooden door, the same polished desk and silver-haired girl from yesterday awaited. Star-Rim Academy High School, second-year, Student Council President Kyaru. Her ice-blue eyes pierced through Yuuki. "Um... I just gave her a rice ball." Yuuki tilted his head. A cowlick of black hair bounced up. His deep brown eyes held a look of confusion. "You just gave her a rice ball, hm. And that made her burst into tears and cry out 'the taste I've been searching for'?" Kyaru's voice was quiet. But her fingers, clasped atop the desk, had gone slightly white. "I think so. I don't really understand it either..." "You don't understand? You're the one who made that rice ball." "The one who made it was the old man at my boarding house... ah, but he taught me how to shape them, so maybe half of it is my flavor?" Kyaru exhaled deeply. Her perfectly straight silver hair shimmered in the light from the window. She unconsciously stroked the white glove on her right hand with her left. "Listen. Yuuki. Starting today, you are under my supervision." "S-Supervision?" "Yes. Given yesterday's incident, the influence you've had on Pecorine cannot be overlooked. She is one of the most... delicate students in this academy. Your presence may be destabilizing her mental state." Yuuki blinked. Delicate? That girl who'd burst into the classroom shouting "I'm hungry!"? "So. Do not get unnecessarily close to other girls. Especially Pecorine. Before that... inexplicable constitution of yours has a negative effect on them." "Constitution...?" Yuuki started to speak, then stopped. He knew it well enough himself. For some reason, girls liked him. They flocked to him for no reason. Even he found it eerie. "Your answer?" "...I understand. I'll be careful." When Yuuki nodded obediently, Kyaru looked surprised for just a moment. She returned to her expressionless mask immediately, but Yuuki didn't miss the shift. It wasn't anger. This was something else entirely. Deep within Kyaru's blue eyes, Yuuki saw a fierce light. A desperate light, almost like fear. As if she were gripping something with both hands, refusing to let it slip away. "...I won't lose you again." It was a tiny, tiny voice. "What?" "Nothing. Come again after school today. You'll report your schedule to me." Kyaru stood and looked out the window. Her silver hair caught the spring light. Her back looked terribly small. Yuuki left the student council room and walked down the hallway, thinking. (Was she saying... she'd protect me?) He didn't understand what those words meant. But even as Kyaru said she'd monitor him, it seemed like she was really trying to protect him from something. And somehow, that felt... ticklish. After school. Star-Rim Ginza was bathed in the evening light. The two-hundred-meter shopping street was lined with about forty shops. A rice ball shop, a café, a used bookstore. Students from the academy drifted in twos and threes on their way home. Yuuki ducked under the noren curtain of "Musubi no Sato." "Hey, Yuuki. Sorry for making you help on short notice." The shopkeeper, Tanaka Tarou, poked his head out from behind the counter in his white apron. A sixty-year-old man with a kind, wrinkled face. He was the lifesaver who'd taken Yuuki in when he'd collapsed in this town. "No, not at all. I like helping out at the shop." Yuuki quickly tied on an apron. His hands shaping the white rice were strangely smooth, even to himself. He had no memories, yet his body remembered. "Huh, good as always. Have you remembered who taught you that grip?" "...No. Not yet. But when I shape them like this, somehow I feel calm." Yuuki smiled wryly. Tanaka didn't press further and started wiping the counter. Just before closing, a regular elderly woman left her wallet behind. Yuuki noticed it while he was putting away the shop's noren curtain. "Grandpa, this. Isn't this the old lady's from earlier?" Yuuki picked up the brown leather wallet. "Oh, my. Sorry, but could you chase after her and return it? She has bad legs, so she can't have gone far." "Yeah, I'll go." Yuuki clutched the wallet and ran out into the twilight shopping street. Beyond the arcade, a figure heading toward the station. Yuuki chased after her, out of breath. "Excuse me! You forgot your wallet!" When he called out, the elderly woman turned around and bowed again and again. "Thank you, dear. Thank you so much." Yuuki waved with a smile. (Good. It reached her.) Being useful to someone made him genuinely happy. On the way back. He was about to cut through a side path off the shopping street, a narrow alley with few passersby. "Yo, kid." A voice called out. He turned around to see three men standing there. Not students of Star-Rim Academy. Flashy shirts, pants hanging low. Around twenty years old, maybe. One blond, one with a shaved head, one with a face full of piercings. "Um, can I help you?" Yuuki took a step back. "Help you? Nah. You've got money, right? Lend us some." The blond grinned. The three slowly closed in, surrounding Yuuki. "Sorry, I don't have any on me..." "Liar. I saw you holding a wallet earlier." The shaved-head one shoved Yuuki's shoulder. Thud—his back hit the wall. (This is bad.) Deep in Yuuki's chest, his heart pounded like a drum. He wanted to run, but the three had him surrounded. "You're a Star-Rim student, right? I hear that academy's full of rich kids." "Come on, hand it over." The blond grabbed Yuuki by the collar. That's when it happened. "—That's far enough." A clear, commanding voice rang through the alley. The three turned around at once. A girl stood with the setting sun at her back, silver hair flowing. She wore the Star-Rim Academy uniform, yet her presence was sharp enough to feel out of place. A white glove on her right hand. Her left hand hung loosely at her side. "What's this, little lady? Come to save your boyfriend?" The blond laughed. Kyaru stepped forward, expressionless. "I'll give you three seconds. Take your filthy hands off him." "Hah? You looking down on us?" The shaved-head one tried to grab Kyaru. In that instant. Kyaru's body moved, light as air. Her white-gloved right hand caught the shaved-head man's wrist. Then, spinning her body— Thwack. The shaved-head man's body slammed into the ground. "Gueh—" Yuuki couldn't process what had happened for a moment. "Two seconds left." Kyaru looked at the blond and the pierced one, still expressionless. "Y-You bitch!" The blond threw a punch. But Kyaru dodged it nimbly and swept his legs. As he lost balance, she drove her elbow into his back. Thud. "Gah—" The blond crumpled. "H-Hiii!" The pierced one collapsed onto his rear as if his legs had given out. "There won't be a next time. Never come near this shopping street again. And of course, never near Star-Rim Academy students. If you understand, take those two and disappear." Kyaru's voice was cold as ice. The three scrambled away into the depths of the alley. Silence. Yuuki, still leaning against the wall, stared at Kyaru dumbfounded. "That was amazing... What was that? Aikido? Karate?" "Self-defense. As student council president, this much is expected." Kyaru smoothed her disheveled silver hair with her hand. She wasn't even breathing hard. "Thank you. You really saved me." When Yuuki bowed his head, Kyaru looked slightly away. "...It's nothing. You went and got yourself into danger on your own, so I had no choice but to help. If my surveillance target gets hurt, it reflects poorly on me." "I see. But the fact is, you helped me." Yuuki smiled. The moment she saw that smile, Kyaru's expression wavered, just slightly. The next instant. Kyaru took one step, then two, toward Yuuki. And then. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. "Eh...?" Yuuki froze. Kyaru's silver hair brushed against his neck. Through the white gloves, he could feel the strength in her arms. She was trembling. "This time, for sure... I'll protect you." A small, hoarse voice. The moment he heard those words. Something flashed through Yuuki's mind. A sword. A silver sword. Roaring flames. And the back of a silver-haired girl, standing to shield him. "...!" His head throbbed. A pounding pain, as if the back of his skull were splitting open. But more than that— (Who is that?) The girl in that vision was, without a doubt, Kyaru. Kyaru suddenly came to her senses and pulled away from Yuuki. "I-It's not like it means anything weird! I just—you were unsteady, so I was just steadying you!" Kyaru went bright red and spoke rapidly. Her habit of tripping over her words when flustered was showing. "...Yeah. Thank you." Yuuki managed a smile through the lingering headache. "...Don't go disappearing on your own." Kyaru's voice was trembling. Looking at her, her blue eyes were moist with tears. "Kyaru-senpai...?" "I will protect you." With only that, Kyaru ran off. Yuuki watched her retreating figure, stunned. (Protect... this time for sure.) Those words. That scene. Somewhere, he'd seen it before. No—not seen. Felt. A deep fog settled over Yuuki's heart. The next morning. When Yuuki entered the classroom, a bundle sat on his desk. A light blue furoshiki cloth. Neatly tied. "Huh, what's this...?" The classmates around him murmured, glancing his way. "Hey Yuuki, that's from the student council president." "Lady Kyaru herself... what did you do?" Yuuki tilted his head and unwrapped the furoshiki. Inside was a two-tiered lacquered box. He opened the lid. Inside, colorful side dishes were beautifully arranged. Rolled omelet, salt-grilled salmon, spinach ohitashi, cherry tomatoes. On top of the rice, a single pickled plum. "Whoa, amazing! Did Kyaru-senpai make all of this?" Just as Yuuki raised his voice— "Of course. Who else would?" At some point, Kyaru had appeared at the classroom doorway. Silver hair, ice-blue eyes. A white glove on her right hand. A second-year appearing in a first-year classroom was unusual. Every eye in the room gathered on her. "Yuuki. Eat that every day. I made it with nutritional balance in mind. If something happens to you again after just yesterday, it'll be a problem for me." Kyaru crossed her arms and spoke in a commanding tone. "Every day...? A bento this elaborate?" "Do you have a complaint?" "No, no. Thank you. I'm happy." When Yuuki thanked her honestly, Kyaru turned her face away with a huff. That's when. "I'm hungryyy! Food! I smell fooood!" A cheerful voice came from the hallway. And the classroom door flew open. A girl with fluffy light-brown hair tied in two buns. Her large amber eyes sparkled. On her right wrist was an old silver bracelet shaped like a stalk of wheat. It was Pecorine. "Yuuki-kun! Good morning! Huh, that bento smells amazing! Who made it!?" Pecorine pressed her nose right up against the lacquered box on Yuuki's desk. "...I made it." "What!? Kyaru-chan did!? Kyaru-chan, you could cook!?" Pecorine's amber eyes went perfectly round. "I can. How rude." "Amazing! Hey hey, can I have some too!? Just one bite! Come on, Yuuki-kun!" Pecorine clung to Yuuki's arm. "Um, well... if Kyaru-senpai says it's okay." "...Do as you like. Just make sure you leave enough for yourself, Yuuki." Kyaru said it curtly. "Yay! Thank you for the food!" Pecorine picked up the chopsticks and stuffed a slice of rolled omelet into her mouth. Munch. Munch. The classroom went dead silent. Pecorine's movements stopped completely. And then. Drip. A large tear fell from her eye. "Eh...?" "This taste... Kyaru-chan's cooking... it's warm..." Tears streaming down her face, Pecorine put another bite of omelet into her mouth. "Somehow... it feels safe... like I've eaten this before, a long, long time ago..." At Pecorine's words, Kyaru's expression changed. Shock. Clear, unmistakable shock.

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Episode 2

Name: Princess Connect Academy: Hungry Hearts and Love Storms
Author: Novelia

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