Chapter 16: Lala's Return
Following the voice, what entered Franklin's sight was a short-haired girl with blue bob-cut hair.
"Hmm… Haruna Sairenji, right? Or should I say, Class Rep? If I remember correctly, we were classmates back in junior high, and we even went out together with Risa a few times."
Not expecting Franklin to be so unfamiliar with her, Haruna Sairenji was momentarily at a loss for words. Franklin also quickly realized that what he'd just said was rather inappropriate.
"Sorry. I used to be a bit of a loner, so I rarely bothered to remember my classmates. That's why I don't know you too well, Sairenji. By the way, was there something you wanted to talk to me about?"
Seeing the awkward expression on Haruna Sairenji's face, Franklin felt a wave of helplessness. If it weren't for the girl's unusually colored hair, her delicate yet somewhat familiar face, and the fact that they'd gone out together quite a few times, he probably wouldn't have even remembered her name.
"N-No, nothing really. I just didn't expect to run into you here, Franklin."
Hearing such a flimsy excuse made Franklin feel a bit embarrassed. As the girl's face grew redder and redder, just as Franklin was about to say something to ease the tension, a gust of wind rushed past him.
"Pervert! What are you trying to do to Haruna?"
Dodging the flying kick with ease, Franklin caught the attacker — Risa Momioka — in a princess carry.
"Pervert! Put me down! I'll never forget what you did to me! Now let me go!"
"Didn't I already compensate you — mentally and materially? Why are you still holding such a grudge?"
As soon as he set her down, Risa Momioka swung a punch straight at Franklin's face. "What do you mean by that? You think what you did can be brushed aside so easily?"
Franklin caught her fist effortlessly. When her other hand flew toward his face as well, he grabbed that too.
Holding both of Risa's hands with just one of his own, Franklin noticed that as she struggled violently, her face grew increasingly flushed in an unusual way.
Realizing this, Franklin quickly released her and stepped back. Just then, another girl — petite, with dark green hair — approached. If he remembered correctly, she was Mio Sawada, another girl who used to hang out with Risa Momioka back then.
"Risa, what did you just say? You and Franklin did those things? And he even paid you?"
Franklin definitely didn't want that kind of misunderstanding spreading around.
"That's not what happened. Don't get the wrong idea. There's nothing between me and Risa. The compensation wasn't for that."
"Tch, like I'd believe that. Men's words are always just sweet talk."
Franklin had no way to refute Mio Sawada's words — no matter what he said, it would sound like a worthless excuse.
"Risa, tell me the truth. Did he force you to do anything? If he did, we should tell Lala. We can't let this pervert ruin her too."
As the question was thrown at Risa Momioka, Franklin looked toward her as well. Seeing the lingering signs of Stockholm syndrome in her eyes, he was once again reminded of just how much of a beast — a pervert — he had been back then.
When Risa looked at him, Franklin awkwardly turned his head away, unable to meet her gaze. After all, it really was all his fault.
"Mio, it's not like that. I meant he used to bully me all the time in junior high. When I saw Haruna's expression just now, I thought this guy was trying to bully her too, so I lost my temper."
Mio Sawada's expression grew more puzzled. She glanced suspiciously at Franklin, then at Risa Momioka.
"Then what about that talk of 'transactions' and 'compensation'? You made it sound like there was some secret between you two. I remember you two always stuck together at lunchtime in junior high — not a couple, but basically acting like one. And even later, when we all hung out together, you always dragged Franklin along. What happened between you two? How did you go from that to being enemies? And how did Franklin suddenly end up engaged to Lala?"
Franklin felt utterly helpless. The more they tried to sort things out, the messier everything became. Explaining further would just make it worse, but not explaining would cause even more trouble.
"Alright, let me explain. Back then, my parents disappeared. To distract myself from that, Risa and I made a deal — she'd pretend to be my girlfriend. Not a physical relationship, just a girlfriend in a mental sense. It was a paid arrangement. In the end, I got better, but Risa got too involved. That led to a very awkward situation — which is why things are like this now. Isn't that right, Risa?"
Risa Momioka looked astonished, clearly not expecting Franklin to phrase it so shamelessly. But at this point, she ground her teeth and said, "Everything he said is true. That's exactly what happened. And don't you dare call me 'Risa' again. Come on, Haruna — let's go."
As Haruna Sairenji and Mio Sawada were pulled away by Risa Momioka, Franklin sighed and shook his head helplessly. Lies piled on top of lies would only hurt Risa even more. Even though it was just an E-rank mission, the longer it dragged on, the harder it was becoming.
When the school bell rang, Franklin stared at Lala's empty seat, lying face-down on his desk, thinking about what You Wange had said about his "bottleneck." But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't make sense of it.
Just then, a familiar voice echoed through the classroom amid the startled cries of his classmates. Franklin lifted his head and saw Lala, wearing that same strange white skintight outfit, running into the room.
"Lin! Come with me, now!"
In front of the entire class, Franklin was yanked up like a piece of paper and dragged out of the classroom by Lala. He didn't resist and was soon taken straight to the home economics room.
When he saw Lala's body glow with white light again — about to transform — Franklin suddenly realized something and immediately cast a Micro Fireball Spell, blasting the classroom's security cameras.
As the white light faded, Lala's transformation was revealed: a naked apron outfit. Franklin sighed helplessly, but then his expression turned serious — he needed to break her of this habit.
"Lala, changing outfits so casually is a bad habit. I hope you can stop doing that. At the very least, talk to me or someone at home before you transform. If anyone else saw you like this, I'd feel really awful."
Apparently not expecting Franklin to be upset about this, Lala's body flashed again, and her school uniform reappeared — with an apron worn over it.
"Sorry, Lin. I thought you'd like it. I'll be more careful from now on."
Seeing Lala look so dejected, Franklin gently patted her head.
"I do like you, Lala. I like you no matter how you dress. What I don't like is the thought of other men seeing you like that. So just be mindful of that when we're outside. At home, you can wear whatever you want."
Understanding what Franklin meant, the gloom on Lala's face instantly vanished, replaced by a bright smile.
"I understand, Lin. I'll keep that in mind. Also — about yesterday. After you left, I started thinking that Risa and the others were right. So I decided I absolutely must make you a homemade lunch myself."
As she spoke, Lala pulled out a smartphone-like device. With the press of a button, a massive refrigerator appeared out of thin air.
"Freezy Fridge-kun! One of my old inventions. I forgot what it was originally for, but now it's perfect for storing frozen alien ingredients. I'm going to make a traditional dish from my home planet for you, Lin!"
"Frozen…? Then what are those tentacles sticking out?"
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