The Gentle Giant Who Keeps Accidentally Winning Hearts

Yup, it's looking good today.

Bathed in warm spring sunlight, I couldn't help but smile at the lush green vegetables growing in front of me. To anyone watching, though, it probably looked more like a twisted grimace.

My name was Goro Fufudo, and I was sixteen years old. I had sharp, piercing eyes and a large scar running across my forehead.

The scar alone was intimidating enough, but to make matters worse, my build was massive even compared to other guys my age.

I stood at 205 centimeters tall and weighed 125 kilograms—the kind of physique that seemed tailor-made for sports.

My expressionless face didn't help either. People would often call me scary because I looked stone-faced all the time. Even when I wasn't trying to glare at anyone, I'd be told my gaze was always too intense.

Even when I tried my hardest to smile, countless children would burst into tears. I lost count of how many times the police had stopped me for questioning just for taking a walk through town.

Once, when I'd picked up a handkerchief a woman had dropped and called out to return it, she'd screamed. A police officer had emerged from a nearby police station, and I'd been taken in for questioning. The misunderstanding had quickly cleared up, and both the woman and officer had apologized, but it was nothing unusual for me.

And so, I, this scary-looking high school student, made it to my second year, finally with some first years to look after.

I was going through my usual morning routine of weeding the garden before heading to school.

Ever since middle school, I'd been growing vegetables in a small garden plot in the backyard.

Fortunately, the yard was spacious—actually, the entire property was large. I could create whatever kind of garden I wanted.

I should mention that I was living at my grandparents' house.

My father had already passed away, and since my mother's work often took her overseas, I'd been staying with my grandparents since sixth grade. It'd been my idea so that I could remain in Japan.

The cucumbers should be ready to harvest soon. And the spinach and onions look ready for picking.

I was growing various other vegetables too, but I'd grown so attached to them that it felt wrong to eat them. When harvest time rolled around, I always felt conflicted between joy and sadness.

Gorooo! Gorooo!

Suddenly, I heard a voice calling my name from inside the house.

Looking over, I saw my grandmother, Nene Fufudo, waving at me from the veranda.

She had a small, delicate frame and looked like a regular sweet grandmother, but her kendo skills, refined since childhood, were formidable.

You'd never guess from looking at her that she was a strong warrior once called the Prodigy of Kendo.

Could you come help me prepare breakfast soon?

As requested, I joined Grandma in the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

We cooked efficiently and carried the dishes to the dining table.

Grandpa was already up, absorbed in his newspaper.

Grandpa had a stocky build similar to mine. Like Grandma, his kendo skills showed no signs of decline even now. He swung his bamboo sword daily in our home's dojo, where the children who came to train called him "Master."

Though past his prime, he was still robust compared to others his age, with solid well-maintained muscles.

His name was Genji Fufudo. Even his name sounded strong.

Good morning, Grandpa.

Mm? Ah, morning, Goro. Beautiful weather today.

Yes, it's perfectly clear and sunny.

Starting today, you're a second year. Make sure those first years don't look down on you.

With these looks, I'd never been looked down upon in my life.

People meeting me for the first time almost always took a step back. Just recently, a tough-looking man in a white suit and sunglasses—clearly not your average law-abiding citizen—had approached me.

How'd you like to work for us?

That really rattled me.

Goro, could you go wake that kid up soon?

I immediately agreed to Grandma's request and left the room.

I headed to my bedroom, opened the door, and walked straight to the bed.

There lay a little girl, sleeping peacefully with soft, contented breaths.

She was my little sister, Tamano Fufudo. She was turning five soon.

As always, she had the face of an angel as she slept.

She was so precious I could've watched her forever. I was truly relieved that she'd fully inherited our beautiful mother's features, instead of resembling me.

Ah, I could watch her for hours.

But I'll save that for another time. Right now, I need to wake her up.

Come on, time to wake up.

As I gently shook her awake, Tamano made the most adorable sound.

Mmmyan . . . big . . . bro?

Yes. Good morning, Tamano.

Mawn . . . ing . . . hehe.

How could anyone manage such a sunflower-bright smile first thing in the morning?

With just this smile, I was sure all the world's wars would cease.

Big bro, huggy!

Okay. Up we go . . . Let's head to the bathroom first.

This was our usual routine.

I immediately took Tamano to the bathroom, then had her wash her face and brush her teeth at the sink.

After helping her get dressed, we headed to the dining table together.

Mawniiiiiing! Gwandma, Gwandpa!

My grandparents responded to Tamano's energetic greeting with beaming smiles.

The four of us were the only ones living in the house.

After we all ate together, it was time to leave for school, so I got ready.

Tamano went to kindergarten, but since the bus picked her up right at our door, I could leave first without worrying.

I got on my custom-made oversized bicycle with its large basket and securely fastened my helmet.

The sight of a boy with a wrestler's physique wearing a school uniform and helmet while pedaling a bicycle probably looked quite bizarre.

Well, no matter how bizarre it looked, I really wished people would stop taking photos of me with their smartphones.

Just recently, I'd been shocked to discover that someone had posted a video on Instant Memory (InMemo for short), a social media platform for sharing photos and videos, and it was clearly of me commuting to school.

The title was The Giant Races on Granny Bike.

Even though I wasn't racing or doing anything dangerous.

What was even more surprising was that five hundred people had somehow liked it.

They should get permission from the person before posting stuff like that.

Well then, safety first. Today is a new day.

The opening ceremony had been held just the other day, and today was our first real day of school for the new academic year.

The bright-eyed first years were buzzing with excitement and high expectations for their upcoming high school life, while the second years seemed excited about not being the youngest high schoolers anymore.

With less than a year left until the college entrance exams, some third years were probably feeling anxious or depressed.

In the midst of all this, I wasn't sure how I should spend my second year of high school.

During my first year, I felt like I spent all my time dodging sports club recruiters. After turning them down for a whole year, surely they wouldn't try to recruit me anymore.

Or rather, I wished they'd give up already.

Mashiba High School, which I attended in Kanagawa Prefecture, was located in a relatively urban area. It was built on top of a steep hill, making the commute quite grueling. The slope was so steep that even walking up it left you completely exhausted.

That was why many students took the bus to school. Even students who cycled to school mostly ended up walking and pushing their bicycles up the hill.

Among them all, I pedaled up the steep slope at a steady pace.

The weather was so nice today that I felt my spirits lifting. At times like this, I felt like humming a tune.

Actually, why not? I should just go for it and hum to my heart's content.

Hmm, hmm-hmm-hmm, hmm-hmm, la-la-la, la-la . . .

As I was humming contentedly . . .

Yo, look at that! Some super scary-looking guy is coming up the hill mumbling weird stuff!

No way! Look at the size of him! And those eyes—so scary!

And how can he pedal a granny bike up this road with such a casual expression? And at that speed!

But at least he's wearing a helmet, so maybe he's actually a decent guy . . . ?

The first years seem to be making quite a commotion. I wonder what's going on?

Curious, I looked around.

Whoa, he looked right at us! Look at that intense stare! Is he an assassin?!

Th-this is bad . . . Have I seriously ended up at some crazy school?

Th-that's the famous Giant for you. Making a huge scene right at the start of the new semester.

Yeah, and that scar on his forehead—rumor has it he got that fighting a hundred delinquents.

Apparently there's some noteworthy person around here.

Could it be a famous idol or actor passing through? I don't really keep up with that stuff, so I wouldn't know.

Personally, I get more excited about tokusatsu heroes than idols. The hero show I got to see on the rooftop of Daikaku Department Store recently was great. I remember getting excited despite being too old for it.

Still, it was disappointing that I had to watch from behind a building corner since the children would get scared if I got too close.

The fact that security spotted me afterward and it became a bit of an incident is something I'd rather forget.

Oh, I'm almost at the gate.

As the beautiful pink petals of cherry blossoms fell from the magnificent trees lining both sides of the path, I passed through the gate like everyone else and headed toward the bicycle parking area.

From the bicycle racks, I could see the sports ground where baseball and other athletic clubs were doing their morning practice, shouting as they trained.

The basketball and kendo clubs were particularly strong at this school.

Since my family ran a kendo dojo, the kendo club's recruitment efforts were the most intense last year.

While I'd been trained in kendo by my grandparents since childhood, I had no intention of diving into school club activities. There were other things I wanted to do more.

Oh, if it isn't Goro.

As I was locking up my bicycle, a clear voice suddenly reached my ears.

When I turned around, there stood a female student.

Good morning, Sai.

I bowed my head politely in greeting.

Yes, good morning.

Her name was Sai Takamachi. She was a third-year student who'd served on the student council since her first year, became student council president in her second year, and was continuing that role this year.

She was so stunning and captivating that she seemed to embody every cliché about being a beauty with brains.

Her beautiful black hair flowed like silk down to her waist. Her features were refined enough to rival any top model, enhanced by subtle, natural makeup. Just one look from her almond-shaped eyes would probably make any guy's heart skip a beat.

She had the kind of slender figure that would make other girls jealous, and incredibly long, elegant legs that extended from her skirt, wrapped in black stockings—absolutely stunning.

On top of all that, though it was only a rumor, her family was supposedly incredibly wealthy and even owned their own private jet. She was like a young lady straight out of an anime or manga.

Sai was truly what you'd call absolute perfection—a flawless beauty.

Hehe, you're as big as ever today. I think it'd be nice if you had some smaller days too, don't you?

I don't think my size changes so dramatically from day to day . . .

Oh really? That'd be more interesting though.

What am I supposed to say to that . . . ? As usual, I didn't really understand her.

I figured she was teasing me, but maybe her conversational level was just too sophisticated—there were times when I simply couldn't keep up.

Anyway, Goro. Have you finished writing the next chapter?

Um, what—

You weren't about to ask "what next chapter," were you?

Er . . . oh, that again?

I'm obviously talking about that, aren't I? Oh, you really are such a tease. You've completely captured my heart.

Uh, um . . .

And you still have that clueless look on your face. Then let me be perfectly clear.

Ahem.

After clearing her throat theatrically, Sai smoothly extended her right hand toward me.

Alright then, hand over the next chapter of that novel you wrote—no excuses.

Right, she wants the novel I wrote.

Oh, come on! I've been thinking about it non-stop since yesterday, I couldn't even sleep! If my skin breaks out, it's your fault!

But, that’s . . .

Isn't she being completely unreasonable?

But seriously, why did you have to end it at such a cliffhanger?! I was already frustrated that the protagonist and heroine who loved each other became enemies, and then you ended it right when they reunited on the battlefield—that's totally unfair!

I-I'm sorry . . .

I instinctively bowed my head.

For about a year now, I'd been using a novel-posting website called Become a Novelist! to write and post stories for free under the pen name Goro Fudo—which was practically my real name.

I'd been winning awards for haiku, tanka, and essays since childhood, and after a certain incident in middle school, I'd started writing my own novels in notebooks for fun.

When I became a high school student, I'd learned about this site and decided to try it out of curiosity.

What had previously been a solitary creative process suddenly became one where I received real-time reactions from readers, which was pretty shocking.

The first time I'd received a comment, I'd been so excited I'd hummed to myself all day long.

Hanahana, who'd left the very first comment, kept responding enthusiastically to every chapter I posted. I was incredibly grateful for that.

I'd been writing my own novels for the past year now.

My encounter with Sai had happened one day during lunch break. I was sitting at the far left end of a bench in one corner of the rooftop, phone in hand, looking at my profile page on the site so I could jot down some ideas for future story plots.

I suddenly felt someone's presence to my left. When I turned my head, there she was—Sai.

Seeing the student council president, one of the school's most popular students, standing right there, I completely froze.

But she looked even more surprised than I was.

C-could it be . . . ? Are you F-Goro Fudo?!

She practically yelled it loud enough for everyone in the area to hear.

Since she wasn't wrong, I answered her honestly.

I'm Goro Fufudo, a second year.

But Sai pointed directly at my phone.

That's not what I mean! I'm asking if you're the Goro Fudo who posts novels on Become a Novelist!

My profile page was clearly showing the pen name Goro Fudo. Only someone who knew the password—namely, me—could access this page.

So, when Sai saw me on this page, she realized I was the person in question.

Since I'd been found out, there was no point in denying it.

That's right.

Right after I confirmed it, Sai quickly pulled out her own phone, tapped at it for a moment, then thrust the screen toward me.

Her screen showed the same layout as the page I'd been looking at, with Hanahana displayed in the username field.

Huh? Are you . . . Hanahana?

Though I could hardly believe it, Sai nodded enthusiastically.

It had been an unbelievable coincidence—discovering that Hanahana was actually Sai. Even though people always said I rarely showed emotion, I must've looked completely shocked in that moment.

After that strange encounter, we had started talking to each other.

And at every opportunity, Sai would pester me for more of my story. She'd beg me to let her read the chapters I'd written ahead of what I'd posted online.

It was true that I'd already written about two or three extra chapters beyond what I'd posted.

I wrote them as backup during my free time in case something came up and I couldn't write more.

After learning this, Sai started demanding to read the next parts of my novels before anyone else.

Um, Sai, I'm posting the next chapter tonight at seven.

I can't wait! You have it saved on your phone, don't you? Hand it over right now.

It was true that I had emailed myself the text I'd written on my computer so I could check for typos and other errors when I had time.

But we have class and stuff.

If I can read your novel, classes are of no use to me.

So she's planning to read it during class? That doesn't seem right for a student.

More importantly, how can the student council president be talking about ditching class . . .

That was when I noticed the people around us starting to get restless.

If the beloved student council president was seen alone with someone as unfriendly and intimidating-looking as me, it'd obviously lead to terrible misunderstandings. At worst, someone might call the police.

Um, Sai, let's talk about this later.

Huh? Why . . . ? Oh fine, I suppose there's no other choice.

My glances toward our surroundings seemed to cause her to look around too, cooling down her excitement. Having this scene turn into a spectacle would be troublesome for her as well.

Previously, when Sai had come directly to my classroom to demand more of my novel, it had caused quite an uproar.

Given how intimidating I looked, nobody had approached me, but Sai had apparently gotten bombarded with questions from everyone around her. Because of that, she'd felt more exhausted than usual—probably ten times worse.

That was why she'd been trying to keep a low profile as much as possible. Though she did tend to get carried away and forget about it when we were together.

After school then. Don't you dare run away.

With a hint of displeasure in her voice, she left me with those parting words and walked away.

Good grief . . . Sai really is enthusiastic.

I was honestly happy that she was interested in my novel. However, as someone who already stood out, I really didn't want to become even more of a topic of conversation.

If possible, I'd rather not meet with Sai in person and just stick to email or something. That way, she can be at peace too.

Well, there's no point dwelling on it now. I should get to my classroom.

Because of the class shuffle, all my classmates were different from those in my first year.

But as expected, when I walked into the classroom, I immediately became the center of attention.

Even though I was used to it, it definitely didn't feel good.

What was really jarring was seeing that some of the girls looked genuinely frightened.

I followed the seating chart on the blackboard to find my seat. Fortunately, it was in the very back row, which was a relief.

If I sat toward the front, I'd end up blocking the view for anyone sitting behind me.

Since there seemed to be some time before the teacher arrived, I took my seat and pulled out a light novel from my bag.

The light novels I was currently hooked on were romantic comedies.

Put it this way—I didn't really read much battle fantasy.

Even though I exclusively wrote battle fantasy, for some reason, I only read romantic comedies and slice-of-life stories—peaceful tales where people didn't die if possible.

Battle stories inevitably involved people getting hurt or dying, so reading them made my chest tighten with pain and filled me with sadness.

Even so, that was what I wrote . . . or rather, it was all I could write.

Well, maybe that was exactly why my soul craved peaceful romantic comedies.

My Little Sis Has Gotta Be the Cutest in the World

Lately, I'd been particularly drawn to sister-themed stories.

This light novel series, so popular that it was being adapted into an anime, was about a little sister character who was super adorable and heartwarming.

Well, the world's cutest little sister was definitely our Tamano, but this character would easily rank second—that was how much I liked her.

The older brother character was self-conscious about being short, yet he worked hard and dreamed of becoming a professional basketball player.

Setting aside the basketball part, his height complex—though the opposite of mine—somehow felt relatable, making it easy for me to get into the story.

They had released ten volumes, and the anime's first and second seasons had been hugely successful. I was hoping for a third season.

Then, some commotion stirred around me, so I looked up, thinking it was about me again.

But no one was looking at me.

All eyes were on a single girl who'd just entered the classroom.

She had cherry-pink hair tied in a side ponytail that swayed as she walked. Her appearance was gyaru-like, with flashy makeup and accessories. Her ears were adorned with glinting earrings. She was flashing cheerful smiles at everyone.

The boys who caught sight of that smile were blushing and looking thrilled. Her slightly revealing neckline probably wasn't hurting their enthusiasm either.

Heyaaa! Another year together, eh!

The gyaru girl waved as she joined a group of female students. Judging from what she said, those girls had been her classmates last year too.

Yes! We're so lucky to be in the same class as Momori Momonomori!

Right, right! Man, I wanna get close to her this year and make her my girlfriend!

Idiot! What's a background character like you getting all cocky about?!

What'd you say?!

The boys were getting all riled up.

I wondered if she really was such a celebrity. Curious about this girl who was getting all the attention, I glanced over to get a look at her.

She certainly had eye-catching looks. It was like she had some charismatic aura. Her voice, in particular, had a pleasant quality that was easy on the ears. I could see why boys would find it appealing.

Hmm. I can understand why the boys are making such a fuss, but . . . yeah, Tamano wins by a mile.

My little sister was a hundred times cuter, especially with those cheerful gestures she'd been showing me lately.

Hehe! Taaa~manonnon!

When I'd seen that gesture—her beaming that radiant, sunny smile while shaking her little head from side to side—I'd literally collapsed to my knees from the sheer adorableness of it all.

Apparently, this was the phrase the protagonist said when transforming into a magical girl in that anime that was hugely popular with kids—Magical Girl Magical Macaron—which Tamano was obsessed with.

Maaa~caronron!

The original went something like that.

When Tamano struck the same pose as that adorable character, her sweetness could surely transport anyone who saw her straight to heaven.

Basically, my little sister was the cutest in the world, hands down.

Having reached that conclusion, I was about to return to my reading when the gyaru girl started looking around the classroom, and her gaze landed on me.

For some reason, she came walking straight over to me . . .

Hey, you're the rumored Giant, right?

Huh?

The word "giant" made me automatically look up.

I was even more surprised to find the gyaru girl standing right beside me.

Hey, could you stand up for me?

Um, I guess.

I stood up from my seat.

Whoa! You're seriously huge! How tall are you?

Two hundred and five centimeters.

Wow! Over two meters—that's totally wild!

I wasn't sure what she found so wild about it, but I noticed people around us were getting worked up.

H-hey, Momori! What if he gets mad at you, idiot?! You gotta stop!

Ahaha, you worry too much, Rina!

Yeah, Rina's right! He might snap and hurt you!

Her friends were frantically warning her, panic written all over their faces. Rina, who spoke up first and looked remarkably similar to the gyaru girl, seemed the most worried of them all.

Just how exactly do people perceive me around here?

Actually, the sad truth was I already knew the answer without having to think about it.

Um, are we done here?

Huh?

Can I sit back down now? I'd like to get back to my book.

The gyaru girl looked completely shocked.

H-hey, you know who I am, right?

No, I don't.

Wh . . . what?

It wasn't just the gyaru girl—even my classmates were staring wide-eyed.

Huh, is it weird that I don't know her? Is she really that much of a . . . celebrity?

You seriously don't know who I am? I was pretty active at last year's Cultural Festival too.

Oh. I'm sorry. I was busy taking care of my little sister during the Cultural Festival.

This school's Cultural Festival was a large-scale event that allowed outside guests.

Wanting to make sure my sister had fun, I'd spent the entire Cultural Festival escorting her around.

Even if there'd been any notable events, I didn't remember them.

O-oh . . . that's kinda shocking.

I'm sorry. But if I'm not interested in something, I just don't pay attention to it.

N-not interested . . . That's the first time anyone's ever said that to me . . . !

The gyaru girl looked absolutely stunned. Maybe I'd said too much.

Ah, I'm sorry for being so rude. Um . . . I'd like to get back to my book, so may I sit down now?

Huh? Oh, y-yeah. That's . . . fine.

Since our conversation seemed to be over, I focused on reading again.

I could feel eyes on me, but unlike before, silence filled the room until the door opened and our teacher walked in.

And so our first homeroom as second years began.

Today's class just involved deciding on class matters and representatives, plus a brief orientation to help everyone get acquainted.

So our schedule would end at noon. Real classes would begin tomorrow.

Right after homeroom, orientation began, and we started selecting the various committee members our class needed.

Now, lastly, I'd like us to decide on the animal care committee members.

The gyaru girl, who'd become our class representative thanks to overwhelming popularity, stood at the blackboard leading the proceedings.

Hmm, I guess we'll have to pick this one by drawing lots too.

No one had volunteered for the beautification or health committees either, so those had ended up being decided by drawing lots too.

As for the class representative position, that went to the gyaru girl after virtually everyone in class had nominated her.

That was when I—having remained silent until then—quietly raised my hand.

What?! Um . . . The Giant's going to . . . do it?

Everyone stared at me with expressions of disbelief.

But there was nothing strange about it. What everyone probably didn't know was that I'd actually served on the animal care committee last year too.

This school kept many animals. Apparently, the principal believed that interacting with animals nurtured students' compassion.

There were cows, horses, rabbits, birds, dogs, cats, and so on. It was like a small zoo.

I'd never been popular with people, but animals were always fond of me. You'd think small animals would be frightened by my build, but for some reason, even when I was outside, stray cats and other animals would often come up to me.

I liked animals too, so I'd been serving on animal care committees since elementary school.

It'd be nice if I could write a novel about animals someday.

Is that not allowed?

Huh? N-no, of course it's allowed! Okay, so the Giant will be our male animal care committee member! Everyone, let's give him a round of applause!

Scattered applause broke out.

However, if you listened closely, you could hear whispers among the students.

Hey, he's not planning to eat the animals, is he . . . ?

Or maybe taxidermize them to sell? Like at some underground auction?

I can't imagine someone looking like that looking after animals.

Everyone said what was on their minds.

Haahhh . . . The way they're all looking at me . . .

My shoulders slumped under everyone's harsh judgment.

Now for the female animal care committee member . . .

Um, excuse me . . .

Hm? Whoa! Are you going to do it, Itona?

Well . . . um . . . y-yes.

The one who raised her hand was a quiet-looking girl whose braided pigtails suited her perfectly.

She was clearly nervous, but she'd managed to work up the courage to raise her hand.

Wait? That girl . . .

I was pretty sure she had introduced herself as Itona Mayuhara when we did introductions earlier.

I remembered being struck by her soft, timid way of speaking.

Her long bangs covered her eyes too, so I couldn't get a clear look at her face—that image also stuck with me.

But . . . I definitely feel like I've seen her somewhere before.

Ever since the introductions, I had this feeling that I'd met her somewhere.

But I couldn't quite place it. Maybe we'd just passed each other somewhere.

While I was looking at Itona, she turned around from her seat diagonally in front of me, and our eyes met.

Immediately after, Itona quickly looked away and cast her gaze down.

Oh no, did I frighten her . . . ?

With my size and sharp eyes, I probably scared someone as timid as her.

I resolved to avoid eye contact with Itona from now on.

Figuring that would be better for her, I let out a heavy sigh and looked straight ahead.

The orientation finally came to an end, and school was over.

Ready to head home, I was making my way to the shoe lockers when . . .

Um, excuse me . . .

A voice called out from behind me. Wondering if they were talking to me, I turned around.

It was a female student.

Huh? Oh, it's . . .

Light blue braided hair, a reserved demeanor—I immediately recognized my classmate Itona Mayuhara.

Are you talking to me?

Uh, um . . . well . . .

She was muttering something quietly, but I couldn't make it out.

When I stepped closer to hear better, Itona took a step back.

I'd better stop trying to get closer to her.

Can I help you with something?

I . . . I-I'm sorry!

I didn't understand why she was apologizing, but before I could ask, Itona spun around and walked away.

Did she want something from me?

Maybe she needed to use the shoe lockers but got scared by my intimidating size and ran off. If that's the case, I feel bad.

I should get out of here.

Having decided that, I changed my shoes and was about to head home when something interrupted my plans.

On the way from the shoe lockers to the bicycle area, I was intercepted by the student council president, who had a pouting expression on her face.

I told you not to run away after school, didn't I?

Right, I had completely forgotten.

Um, Sai, I was planning to post it tonight . . .

Oh, I don't care about that right now.

The next chapter of the novel . . . Wait, what?

Isn't she here to ask me about the next chapter . . . ?

Well, it's not exactly fine, but that's not what matters right now. Could you spare some time to help me with something?

Well, I guess.

I didn't have anything urgent to do.

Following Sai, we arrived at a warehouse behind the sixth building.

Incidentally, this school was quite large, with seven buildings total. The sixth building primarily contained clubrooms for cultural activities.

The warehouse door was open, and a large cart sat alone near the entrance.

Two students were standing in front of the warehouse.

I brought backup.

Good work, President.

Wow! You really brought the rumored guy!

One of them was a sharp, secretary-like female student with glasses, and the other was a somewhat dreamy, soft-spoken female student. They shared the same reddish-brown hair, and their facial features looked somewhat similar too.

Let me introduce you. This is Goro Fufudo.

Hello.

Goro, these are my fellow student council officers—Vice President Natsuhi Shibataki and Secretary Akihi Shibataki.

You both have the same last name . . . ?

As you've probably guessed, they're sisters. Natsuhi is a classmate of mine.

And I'm in the same grade as you, the rumored Giant!

It was the younger sister who spoke up.

Come on, Akihi, it's not "the Giant," it's Goro.

When Sai corrected her, Akihi responded immediately.

Sorryyy!

She delivered the apology in a lighthearted manner.