Tsuruhana-san has been getting bolder and bolder by the day.80Please respect copyright.PENANAMvxkd0Pnya
It looks like she doesn’t even put me in her eyes anymore.80Please respect copyright.PENANAqh97np0jEv
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.80Please respect copyright.PENANAgs9J2bNpNX
And my group’s dissatisfaction has only been growing.80Please respect copyright.PENANAtra1lqHNa6
A number of times now, the strong-willed Serika-chan and Kikuno-chan have led my group to butt heads with them.80Please respect copyright.PENANA7YwhkyJAJA
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.80Please respect copyright.PENANAB3vA3n1hbM
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.80Please respect copyright.PENANAQr7VHdyRTA
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.80Please respect copyright.PENANAFexhD4B3RV
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.80Please respect copyright.PENANAzAtCziE9i1
This is badd…80Please respect copyright.PENANAgsKv8bZPhK
Isn’t there some way to settle things peacefully?80Please respect copyright.PENANAjch3IcIjuu
A few days later during a break, somebody stormed into our classroom to yell.80Please respect copyright.PENANARWkRr8ZNXE
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.80Please respect copyright.PENANAADBSLHE57v
It felt like the whole room let out a sigh of relief.80Please respect copyright.PENANAhXEFJIDmvh
My classmates started looking at the President with a gaze of respect.80Please respect copyright.PENANAjiBdK0C4YB
Yup, as expected of you, Silver-Haired Stuco Pres.80Please respect copyright.PENANAb4NIVt8WNp
While I was applauding him in my mind, Silver Hair turned my way.
“And do your job as class rep properly.”
I got scolded.80Please respect copyright.PENANAMpECE51VE3
Uu, sorry.80Please respect copyright.PENANAaI9kUqhf23
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.80Please respect copyright.PENANAs4yY8NVmlm
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.80Please respect copyright.PENANAOOsWG1UZgq
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.80Please respect copyright.PENANAdxJE0l1Cir
Everyone gaze me a surprised look, but of course I know him.80Please respect copyright.PENANAkU6FU9o8ZM
Because I’ve always secretly sympathised with him!80Please respect copyright.PENANA0SdkQsllx2
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!80Please respect copyright.PENANA6Hhnsk9zcQ
Arima(has a horse) is an Atema(stalking horse)? Pfftpfftpfft, so silly.80Please respect copyright.PENANAPdq67c2BGn
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.80Please respect copyright.PENANAnAnd4XdNp4
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!80Please respect copyright.PENANAysC1hMx1mr
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.80Please respect copyright.PENANAcDR5WqYUeE
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.80Please respect copyright.PENANAWsqH2Knsy4
You know, it really was cool seeing the manga cover with black-haired Emperor and the silver-haired President flanking the heroine.80Please respect copyright.PENANAoP3jvf00fz
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.80Please respect copyright.PENANA6B2up7fLRT
I smiled and pretended nothing happened.80Please respect copyright.PENANA12fZN0L7en
Fellow Stalking Horse’s warning was of no use because Tsuruhana-san and co. were indulging in Kaburagi appreciation as usual.80Please respect copyright.PENANAIJT5kKXNUU
And their hostility towards us became more and more obvious.80Please respect copyright.PENANASxUY0UDkST
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.80Please respect copyright.PENANArvoKVkv59O
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.80Please respect copyright.PENANA2InGCDzTpC
It looks like Serika-chan and the others are close to their limit.80Please respect copyright.PENANAoz0HAV4DKB
I guess I can’t hold on for much longer…80Please respect copyright.PENANAiGCTCS10uJ
Today I went to my favourite hair salon.80Please respect copyright.PENANAz9pkMFd933
Phew, I can finally relax. At Okaasama’s orders, I had the usual. Treatment for my hair, and a trim for its ends too.80Please respect copyright.PENANAF3n30V0MfS
I elegantly enjoyed the herb tea they brought out.
“Ah-, this is…”
The beautician was fiddling with my hair when her eyes went wide.80Please respect copyright.PENANAdAUUzR14nJ
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.80Please respect copyright.PENANAEbAfO8X2CJ
In the opposite mirror, there certainly was some white hair on the back of my head.80Please respect copyright.PENANAP2HbQTR7yR
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?80Please respect copyright.PENANA3MsVzgCdJp
It’s the stress. I grew white hair because of stress. Didn’t that happen to the Rococo Queen as well!80Please respect copyright.PENANAPuFq5C6Vw7
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.80Please respect copyright.PENANA4l4vqr89Ie
Trading the silver-haired President for the white-haired Queen…
I resolved myself and made my decision.
ns 172.69.59.178da2