“No, President, listen to my explanation! Although that senior is indeed very beautiful, that’s not what I wanted to tell you. We know every beautiful senior in the Academy, but this one seemed to appear out of thin air. I went to investigate, and guess what?”
The News Club President tapped the member’s head with a rolled-up manuscript.
“Stop keeping me in suspense. Just say it.”
“Ouch! Don’t be so impatient. That beautiful senior really did just appear out of nowhere. She’s a transfer student!”
“Are you joking? How could that be possible?”
The News Club President had never heard of such a thing in her life.
Wasn’t Shengxiu Academy famous for how difficult it was to enter? They didn’t give anyone special treatment.
“It’s true! I even found a discussion about her on the forums. There’s a group photo of her right here!”
The member opened her phone and placed the photo she had found in front of the News Club President.
The image showed Yuriko surrounded by a group of girls, looking very harmonious.
The News Club President was certain that the girls in the picture were all seniors in Grade 5, but she had never seen the pink-haired girl in the center before.
“Something like this actually happened?! And she’s this beautiful!”
The News Club President suddenly perked up.
A transfer student—this was an unprecedented scoop!
She had a hunch that if she could interview this new senior, the next issue of the school newspaper would be a massive hit.
“You did well! We must interview this senior. I have a feeling this will be a big news story that shocks the entire Academy!”
—
The Grade 5 floor.
“Morning~”
Arriving at the classroom, Yuriko greeted everyone as usual.
Carmilla responded somewhat sleepily.
“Morning…”
She followed it with a yawn.
It seemed her sleep quality hadn’t been great last night.
“Did you stay up late?”
“Yes, I stayed up because of some family matters.”
Carmilla lied.
Nothing had happened at home yesterday; it was entirely the fault of that manga.
She had only intended to read a little bit before stopping, but she ended up getting sucked in.
By the time she finished the entire manga, Carmilla noticed it was already 3:00 AM.
However, Carmilla was too embarrassed to admit she had stayed up late because she was obsessed with a yuri manga.
“You don’t look very well. Do you want to try to catch up on some sleep before class starts?”
Carmilla shook her head.
“Actually, I’m okay. Besides, I’d have to lean against the desk in the classroom, and I can’t sleep like that.”
‘That’s debatable.’
Forget leaning against a desk; Yuriko was the type who could sleep standing up if she was tired enough.
However, sleep was a personal matter, so she patted her own thigh and said, “Then Carmilla can lie on my lap. My thighs should be pretty soft, right?”
“Eh?”
Carmilla’s consciousness sharpened at Yuriko’s words.
She looked at Yuriko’s legs covered by her skirt; under the pull of gravity, the fabric traced the shape of her thighs.
‘They look so soft.’
Carmilla immediately remembered what she had seen in the manga yesterday.
Wasn’t this the so-called lap pillow?
Lying on a girl’s soft thighs…
‘I really want to try lying there…’
But doing something like that in the classroom was far too bold, wasn’t it?
“Oh my, oh my. You two are bonding first thing in the morning~”
Yuli said as she arrived.
She hadn’t actually heard anything; she was just teasing Yuriko as usual.
But to Carmilla’s ears, those words took on a different meaning.
“No, it’s just that Ruri saw I was a bit tired, so she let me lie on her lap to rest for a bit!”
Yuli’s eyes lit up. “Wow, isn’t that a lap pillow? Has your relationship already progressed that far!”
Spurred by Yuli’s words, Yuriko also realized what she was doing.
Wasn’t she offering someone a lap pillow?
Yuriko saw that the other girls in the class got along very well and thought lying on a lap was no big deal.
But that depended on the person.
A quiet girl like Carmilla certainly wouldn’t play around like the others.
“There’s nothing wrong with friends lying on each other’s laps, right?”
“Then ‘exploring’ between best friends is also just a joke, right?”
Yuli held up her middle and ring fingers, pressing them together and making a curling motion.
‘What kind of vulgar nonsense is this!’
“Yuli, this is a public place. You should watch your language.”
“I was talking about buttons! What’s wrong with a best friend helping with buttons!”
Yuriko’s eyelid twitched.
She felt that Yuli was even more perverse than she was.
She couldn’t let her corrupt Carmilla.
Turning to look at Carmilla, Yuriko found that the girl’s face was completely flushed.
She had her head down and remained silent, looking like a ripe apple.
She was definitely blushing because of Yuli’s words.
These topics were forbidden for pure young girls—forbidden!
“Carmilla, don’t listen to Yuli’s nonsense. It’ll be bad if she corrupts you.”
“How is it corrupt? This is knowledge a normal girl should have! Since Yuriko thinks a lap pillow is no big deal, then I want one too!”
“You look very energetic. You don’t seem like you need a rest.”
“Biased! I think Carmilla looks pretty energetic now, too. If she asked you, I bet you wouldn’t refuse!”
“…”
‘What a headache.’
Why did someone like this have to sit right behind her?
“Ruri, someone asked me to deliver a letter to you.”
A classmate handed over an envelope.
Yuli immediately teased, “As expected of you! Someone’s confessing to you already?”
Even Carmilla turned to look.
She stared at the letter, and although she didn’t speak, her intense gaze made it obvious she cared about the contents.
“Cut it out. How could a love letter be in an envelope like this?”
The envelope was entirely blue with a smooth texture and a gradient effect.
It looked quite formal.
Yuriko didn’t think anyone would use such a thing for a love letter.
After all, if someone didn’t even dare to confess in person, why would they use such a flashy envelope?
Tearing the envelope open, Yuriko read the letter.
“The News Club is inviting me for an interview?”
Yuriko was quite surprised.
Had her existence become known to others so quickly?
But then again, she hadn’t exactly been keeping a low profile.
Even if the students didn’t talk, someone would eventually notice a new face in the Academy.
After all, there weren’t many people in Grade 5, and beautiful ones were even rarer.
“It looks like they invited others too. Let’s see… Carmilla, Yuli, Olesia, and Nomily. It’s actually everyone I know!”
Yuriko realized then that this News Club had been plotting for a long time.
They had already investigated her situation before sending the invite.
“They even invited me? Hehe, I’m really looking forward to what they’ll ask me~”
Yuli rubbed her hands together, looking very excited for the interview at noon.
Seeing her troublemaking expression, Yuriko really wished she could give her a good thwack so she would stay asleep until the afternoon.