"Oh my, isn't this Asakura…?"
Yukinoshita Haruno scrutinized Asakura with keen interest, her eyes full of the mischievousness of a cat toying with its prey, "Isn't this quite handsome?"
"Thank you for the compliment, Miss Haruno."
Asakura acted as if he hadn't heard the teasing in her words, his face bearing a formal, professional smile, and he gestured politely, "Welcome to Soubu High School's Founders' Festival. Please come in."
Soubu High School's auditorium, after all, was built to accommodate thousands of students, so the interior was quite spacious. When the entire student body and faculty gathered inside for the opening ceremony, there was still plenty of room.
However, at this time, because it was filled with buffet tables, the interior looked much narrower. Considering that they needed to ensure that guests attending the Founders' Festival would not feel crowded or cramped, Amakusa Shino estimated that the total number of guests that could be accommodated at one time was directly reduced to about five or six hundred.
Fortunately, although theoretically any Soubu High School graduate could attend the Founders' Festival, in reality, graduates who received invitations from the school were either celebrities or public figures who had made significant achievements in certain fields, or wealthy magnates who controlled a certain amount of wealth—the Founders' Festival itself also aimed to form a small circle, providing a platform for those who graduated from Soubu High School to connect and build relationships. This part was not the function of the Student Council but was entirely decided by the school's high-level management.
So, in fact, not many invitations were sent out. Asakura heard Amakusa Shino say there were only about three hundred, and even with some uninvited graduates, it shouldn't exceed five hundred people, which was completely within the manageable range.
"It's a rare opportunity. It feels good to chat with Asakura here."
Yukinoshita Haruno narrowed her eyes, revealing a harmless alpaca-like smile.
If Asakura hadn't vaguely seen through her disguise after their last encounter, he might have been fooled by her harmless appearance.
Similarly, Asakura also felt that her attitude this time was significantly gentler and more cautious than last time, likely because the bug or tracker she had secretly planted, whatever it was, was discarded by him as soon as he left, making Yukinoshita Haruno realize he wasn't so easy to fool.
"Are you and Yukino going to wear these outfits for your performance later?"
Yukinoshita Haruno looked like an excited, innocent young woman, her eyes fluttering as she asked.
"That depends on the specific circumstances—"
Asakura continued with a businesslike smile, "After all, during the second stage transformation, the clothes might rip."
"Uh… I remember you two were performing a stage play like a prince and princess, weren't you?"
Yukinoshita Haruno asked with some surprise: Had the script been secretly changed without her knowledge?
"No one said a prince can't have a second stage transformation, right? After all, these days there are even stories of a stylish prince wandering with three companions."
Asakura said without changing his expression, so self-righteously that even Yukinoshita Haruno couldn't help but suspect that she, as an investor, had read a fake script.
"That's truly something to look forward to."
Yukinoshita Haruno shifted her attack, not falling into Asakura's playful rhythm, but said with a smile, "Ripping clothes on a stage with so many people watching… even though it's a boy, it will definitely be quite a talking point."
As she spoke, she even seriously appraised Asakura's physique: "However, Asakura seems to have trained well; perhaps he can attract some children who like muscles."
Damn it, if only Totsuki Academy didn't exist in this world, I'd definitely put some of Yukihira Soma's failed dishes (like peanut butter octopus legs or something) in your food to see you rip your clothes.
Asakura grumbled inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged; he simply said calmly, "It's just one of the options, please don't have too high expectations."
"Speaking of which, I'm still curious about Asakura and Yukino's stage play…"
Yukinoshita Haruno continued.
"Oh my? Miss Haruno came over so early?"
Just as Asakura began to feel a bit annoyed, Amakusa Shino's voice came from behind him.
"Amakusa-chan looks a bit listless, are you too tired from preparing for the Founders' Festival?"
Yukinoshita Haruno then shifted her attention from Asakura to Amakusa Shino: "If you have any troubles, you can tell me~"
"I've been troubled lately by insufficient breast development."
Amakusa Shino said seriously.
"Sorry, I can't help with that."
Yukinoshita Haruno replied with a smile.
"Quick answer?!"
Amakusa Shino retorted, then nodded in sudden realization as if remembering something: "That's right, if Miss Haruno knew anything, then Miss Yukino wouldn't still be my comrade to this day."
"That's quite rude to Yukino, but honestly, even if I really had a way to solve that problem, I wouldn't give it to Yukino—"
Yukinoshita Haruno said cheerfully: "Don't you think Yukino-chan is especially cute when she occasionally pouts about development issues and gulps down milk~"
"I feel like the Yukino Miss Haruno is talking about isn't the same species as the Yukino we usually know."
Amakusa Shino retorted.
"Oh? What's the usual Yukino-chan like in your eyes, Amakusa?"
Yukinoshita Haruno asked with interest.
"Charming, intelligent, elegant, aloof yet quite kind…"
Amakusa Shino said, "Oh, if I were to compare her to something from fantasy, she's an Elf!"
"Like a Goblin?"
Yukinoshita Haruno asked, unsure.
"Like an Elf."
Amakusa Shino replied decisively.
Yukinoshita Haruno nodded in satisfaction, seemingly agreeing with Amakusa Shino's analogy.
By the way, Goblin is commonly known as goblin, and Elf is the kind common in Japanese fantasy, living in forests with long pointed ears and golden hair, close to nature, usually using bows and arrows as their means of attack, and their entire race consists of handsome men and beautiful women.
But Asakura, looking at Amakusa Shino's peculiar smile, felt that she used Elf as a metaphor purely because she had read too many adult comics, so she subconsciously thought of those common characters who are either violated by goblins or orcs…
"By the way, Asa…"
Yukinoshita Haruno seemed to want to say something else to Asakura.
But Amakusa Shino interrupted her first: "Asakura-kun, could you please go check the backstage situation? I want to chat with Miss Haruno a bit longer here."
Asakura looked at the Student Council Vice President; the girl winked at him from an angle Yukinoshita Haruno couldn't see, apparently sensing that Yukinoshita Haruno had some ill intentions toward Asakura, so she decided to keep her occupied here, creating an opportunity for him to leave.
Asakura kept the girl's kindness in mind, then nodded silently: "Okay, I'll hand over the reception duties to President Amakusa."
After saying that, he quickly left the entrance reception area without waiting for Yukinoshita Haruno to try and keep him.