Ema Aizawa's Outrageous School Romantic Comedy ~Devil's Smile Falls in Love~ - The Adulterous Cat of the School Broadcast, and the First Fever

The midday light streaming through the classroom window illuminated the two lunch boxes sitting on the desk. "Itadakimaasu!" Before even putting her hands together, Ema reached her chopsticks toward the rolled omelet. A bench in the courtyard. This had recently become Ema and Riku's regular lunch spot. "Hold up. The way you hold chopsticks is seriously weird." Riku kept his own lunch on his lap, staring intently at Ema's hands. "It's fine! As long as I can eat, who cares!" "And your parents don't get mad at you for that?" "Shut up! What about you—why don't you do something about that hair?" "The fact that you don't get my hairstyle means you've got no taste~" Riku made a show of running his hand through his hair. The silver piercing in his right ear glinted. Ema gave him a flat stare. (*Why is he always like this?*) And yet, somehow, she was never bored. When Riku was beside her, her chest felt restless and unsettled. But she didn't dislike it. (*I really must be coming down with something...*) Ema let out a quiet sigh. The spring breeze swayed the trees in the courtyard. Someone's laughter echoed in the distance. Just another ordinary lunch break. A normal day, nothing out of the ordinary. —That was when it happened. *Ksssh.* The school broadcast speaker spat out static. It wasn't the usual chime. It was the kind of noise you hear when someone switches on a microphone. "...Huh?" Ema looked up. Riku also stopped moving. The voice that came through the speaker was a girl's. "Second-year Aizawa Ema." A chill ran down Ema's spine. "You are a thieving cat who has seduced Kazama Riku." The students in the courtyard all stirred at once. "She doesn't seem to realize it herself, but everyone, please be careful." The voice continued. It was laughing. Even through the speaker, it was unmistakable—a triumphant voice. "Hah!?" Riku shot to his feet. The lunch box on his lap fell, its contents spilling everywhere. "Wh-what is this—wait, what is she saying!" Ema's face turned bright red. Her hands trembled with rage. "The broadcast room!" Riku grabbed Ema's hand and broke into a run. "H-hey, let go!" "Shut up! That's Akane, I know it!" The two of them sprinted down the hallway. Students they passed turned around with startled faces. They bounded up the stairs three steps at a time, heading for the third-floor broadcast room. Riku threw the door open. Standing in front of the microphone was a tall female student with perfectly styled long black hair. Her sharp, narrow eyes fixed on the two who had just entered. Honjou Akane. A third-year known throughout the school as the "Empress." She claimed to be Riku's ex-girlfriend—Ema's natural enemy. "Oh my, here comes the flaming trash." Akane covered her mouth with her hand and giggled. Her eyes weren't smiling at all. "You—what the hell do you think you're doing!" "So noisy. I was just making a little announcement." Akane set down the microphone and walked slowly toward Ema. The sound of her heels echoed through the quiet broadcast room. "You've got some nerve, messing around with my Riku." "I-I told you, she's not my ex! Hell, we never even dated!" Riku shouted. "I was hurt, you know." Akane made an exaggerated sad face. But her eyes remained fixed on Ema. Like a snake eyeing its prey, she smiled coldly. "You..." Ema's fists clenched tight. Her mind went blank with fury. "What the hell are you after!" "What am I after? Isn't it obvious?" Akane brought her face close to Ema's ear and whispered. "I just wanted to see if you were a match worthy of flaming trash. But—you're not just some brat, are you?" "Don't screw with me! I'll crush you!" The moment Ema screamed— Her dark brown eyes flared crimson. *Crack.* A sound rang out, and a fissure ran through the broadcast room window. One crack, then another—spreading like a spider's web. Akane's movements stopped. Her perfect smile stiffened for just an instant. Her narrow eyes stared hard at Ema's red gaze. (*What... was that?*) For the first time—fear ran down Akane's spine. "...I see. So that's how it is." But immediately, the triumphant smile returned to her face. "How interesting. You really aren't ordinary after all." Ema realized her own body was trembling. She didn't even understand what had just happened. She'd just been so angry, and then—and then, something had felt like it was about to explode. "Ema!" Riku grabbed Ema's shoulders. "Calm down! It's okay!" At the sound of his voice, the red light in Ema's eyes vanished. Seeing that, Akane turned on her heel and walked out of the broadcast room. "See you later, little thieving cat. I'm looking forward to after school." Leaving only those parting words, the door closed. Ema stood frozen in place. "...What was that just now?" Her voice trembled. "Don't worry about it. She's always been like that." Riku kept holding Ema's hand and spoke firmly. —But this wasn't the end of it. After school. The atmosphere in the classroom was completely different from that morning. The moment Ema opened the classroom door, the classmates who had been buzzing with chatter all fell silent at once. (*...Huh?*) Feeling something was off, Ema headed toward her seat. Every classmate she passed averted their eyes. Girls who had been laughing and talking just moments ago suddenly fell silent when they saw Ema. "Why is everyone avoiding me!" When Ema called out, one girl flinched, her shoulders trembling. "...Well, they said you broke the glass in the broadcast room, Aizawa-san." "And there was a post on social media saying you assaulted Honjou-senpai." "Scary..." Ema was speechless. (*Assault? Me?*) She hurriedly pulled out her phone. When she opened social media, there it was— *'Aizawa Ema screamed at me in the broadcast room and nearly shattered the window. It was terrifying.'* It was a post from Akane. A photo of the cracked window was attached. The likes had already surpassed three hundred. "Th-that's... that's not true! I didn't do anything—" Ema looked around. But no one would meet her eyes. "She's scary to get involved with." She heard that voice from somewhere. Ema sat down at her desk. Her body felt heavy. Her heart shrank, cold and tight. (*Kaede...*) She searched for her best friend. But Kaede seemed to still be in the library. She'd said she was helping Hayato organize books today. —I'm alone. Ema curled up into a small ball. She'd never felt like this before. Normally, Riku would be right beside her. But now, Riku wasn't at his seat either. Where had he gone? (*Maybe he got scared of me too.*) The moment that thought crossed her mind— You guys—don't screw with me!! The classroom door burst open and Riku charged in. He had his phone in his hand. Akane's post was displayed on the screen. Riku walked up to the podium and slammed his fist against the desk with a *bang!* "There's no way she would do something like that!" The entire classroom fell dead silent. "I was right next to her the whole time! That glass thing—she only did it because that woman harassed her first! Why the hell are you all believing this when you don't know anything!" Riku's voice was shaking. With anger—or maybe with sadness. "But, on social media..." "What about social media! Won't you even check with your own eyes whether it's true!" At Riku's words, the classroom stirred. But even so—no one tried to take her side. "...That's enough." Ema murmured quietly. Riku turned around and grabbed Ema's hand. "You don't need to be in a place like this." "Eh—" Riku pulled Ema by the hand and dashed out of the classroom. They ran down the hallway. Down the stairs. They didn't stop until they reached the courtyard behind the school building. No one was there. It was quiet. "Let go! Why are you—" Ema tried to shake him off. But Riku wouldn't let go. "I believe you." Riku turned around and looked straight into Ema's eyes. "Because I know—you're so annoyingly straightforward that you'd never deliberately bully someone." Ema's heart skipped a beat. "I... I didn't do anything..." Her voice trembled. "Why... why would everyone..." Heat welled up behind her eyes. She couldn't believe it herself. Tears were spilling over. For the first time in her life, Ema wanted to cry this badly. "I... I..." The tears fell. They wouldn't stop. "It's okay." Riku squeezed Ema's hand tightly. "I'm here. I'm the one person who will definitely, absolutely be on your side." Those words slowly warmed the depths of Ema's chest, which had gone so cold. (*—I... about him...*) Ema looked up at Riku with her tear-streaked face. His gentle, slightly droopy eyes gazed straight at her. Not his usual flippant grin, but a serious expression. (*I didn't know he had this face.*) Her heartbeat quickened. But—she still couldn't put a name to what that feeling was. The library after school. The sunset streaming through the window dyed the bookshelves orange. Shirosaki Kaede stared hard at the open page of her book. But the words weren't sinking in at all. "Ema-chan..." Kurose Hayato, who had been reading in the seat next to her, looked up. Wordlessly, he watched Kaede's profile. "Ema-chan isn't the kind of girl who would do something like that... and I couldn't do anything." Kaede closed her book. Her long silver hair slipped off her shoulder. Without saying anything, Hayato held out the book he had been reading. Kaede looked at it. *Anne of Green Gables*— The pages were open, a bookmark tucked inside. Still holding it out, Kaede read the bookmarked passage. Written there were Marilla's lines about believing in her best friend. Hayato wasn't using words. He was trying to convey it through this book. —That he believed in her, too. "...Hayato-kun." Kaede's blue eyes wavered with tears. "Thank you. I will definitely protect Ema-chan." It was a quiet, but powerful vow. The rooftop. Alone, Akane leaned against the fence and looked down. In the courtyard below, Riku and Ema were sitting side by side. She could see Riku's arm around Ema's shoulders. "What do you see in a brat like that..." Akane took out her phone. On the screen, the messages Riku had sent her back in middle school were still there. *'I like you. I'm serious.'* Back then—both of them could still smile. "I'm not wrong." Akane closed the screen. For just a moment, a lonely shadow fell over her narrow eyes. But it quickly turned back into a cold light. Night at Kagari Beach. On the deserted sandy shore, only the sound of the waves could be heard. Ema sat alone, staring at the dark sea. The events of the day kept spinning around in her head. The pounding of her heart when Riku pulled her by the hand. That cold loneliness when she was all alone in the classroom. "What do I... think about him?" For the first time, she tried to face her feelings for Riku. But— "But he's so flirty and weird! I don't—I definitely don't like him!" Ema flopped onto her back in the sand and shouted. Then, to hide her embarrassment, she kicked up the sand. The sand scattered down, landing in her hair. She stayed like that for a while—then murmured in a small voice. "...But, it might be nice if he's next to me again tomorrow." Her face grew hot, and Ema buried it in the sand. (*This is definitely a cold. It has to be a cold.*) Even as she made excuses in her heart, deep in her chest, it was much warmer than before. —A figure watched her from a distance. An investigator from the Alchemia Agency. He operated his terminal and muttered quietly. "Subject A: Dimensional fluctuation value due to emotional response has risen from 0.3 to 0.8. Continuing observation." On the terminal screen, photos of Ema and Kaede were displayed. And—next to them, a new photo had been added. Honjou Akane. "Low-level, but reacting to spiritual residue. Worth investigating." The investigator closed his terminal and vanished into the

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Episode 3

Name: Ema Aizawa's Outrageous School Romantic Comedy ~Devil's Smile Falls in Love~
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