"So… Ishigami, how do you feel after reading it?"

"Feels like falling in love…"

"Mm."

"Feels like having a sweet romance with Tsubame-senpai!!"

"You already wanted that before reading. Now it's just worse."

"Maybe so."

Ishigami wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with tissues from the table.

The student council table always had tissues prepared. As for why… that was something only a certain Shijo classmate could answer.

Sweet Words indeed carried a strange power, inspiring yearning for romance thanks to the author's ability to express emotions.

Rinji glanced at the cover and said, "Maybe I should just hand this to the Disciplinary Committee. According to school rules, manga isn't allowed on campus."

Ishigami: "Smoking isn't allowed on campus either."

Rinji: "The student council building belongs to the OB Association, not under Shuchiin's jurisdiction. Smoking here doesn't count. You're the one who taught me that, Ishigami."

"Wow, now you're pinning it on me?" Ishigami said, sweating a little. "Besides, it's just manga. Students reading manga doesn't hurt you."

"It doesn't hurt me, but according to my research, a lot of students feel the urge to start dating after reading it. If the number of couples keeps rising, it has to be controlled."

"That's too much! I won't even bring up first semester, but now you've defected yourself and have a girlfriend."

"I've fought half a lifetime of battles, what's wrong with having a girlfriend?"

"You're only sixteen, where did half a lifetime come from? Talking like you've gone to war." Ishigami retorted mercilessly. "Besides, you don't just have a girlfriend, you have two, my friend."

"Stop nitpicking me. Look at yourself after reading the manga."

"Actually, not much. Just that for a moment the whole world felt pink…"

"A hostess club's color?"

"The color of love!!" Ishigami shouted. "Only a heartless harem guy like you could read such a moving story and feel nothing!"

"No need for personal attacks. Besides, why should a macho man like me understand a shoujo manga?"

"Haa… anyway, after reading it, I did feel like my heart was cleansed."

Ishigami looked dreamy.

"Tsubame-senpai looks even more beautiful in my eyes now."

"A girlfriend filter?"

"Not exactly. You look beautiful in my eyes too, Rinji." Ishigami gave a deadpan thumbs up.

"Ishigami, are you looking to get beaten up?"

"In any case…"

Ishigami took the manga from Rinji and waved it in front of him.

"The tropes are obvious. Anyone who's read manga before might feel like falling in love for a second, but that's it."

"And for someone who hasn't read much manga?"

"Then yeah, they'll definitely get symptoms. But who could that possibly be…"

"Shinomiya."

Kaguya was the quintessential sheltered young lady. Even in high school she didn't know the basics of health education, let alone read manga often.

"Shinomiya-senpai…"

Ishigami lowered his head in thought, then chuckled.

"No way Shinomiya-senpai would ever read something like this. She hardly reads manga at all, why would she specifically pick a niche shoujo one?"

"True enough."

Click.

At that moment, the student council office door opened carefully.

Kaguya walked in, face slightly flushed, her crimson eyes sparkling more than usual.

She seemed shy, but clasped her hands at her chest and asked in a soft tone, "Excuse me… is the President here?"

"..."

Sitting on the sofa, Ishigami and Rinji stiffened, their faces hardening as they looked at this unusually girlish Kaguya.

'She definitely already read the manga.' x2

"Ah… the President is probably talking with a teacher right now," Rinji said.

At the same time he exchanged looks with Ishigami.

'Doesn't Shinomiya look really off to you?'

'She must've read it. Her whole vibe changed.'

"Shinomiya."

"Eh? What is it?"

Kaguya looked at Rinji with moist, glistening eyes, making him feel uneasy.

Still, he picked up the manga from the table and asked, "Did you read this last night?"

"Eh? You guys have it too?"

"Yeah."

"I read it at home last night," Kaguya said with a soft laugh, covering her mouth. "Hayasaka lent it to me."

"..."

The culprit was found.

After reading, Kaguya was clearly showing symptoms.

For example, the filter.

In her eyes, Ishigami was no longer the gloomy loner but a cool, gentle underclassman (capturable character). And Rinji, usually smoking and fighting, had become a delinquent reformed by her love (capturable character).

In short, her whole world had turned into shoujo manga.

As Kaguya's head seemed about to sprout flowers, Rinji exchanged looks again with Ishigami.

'Ishigami, what do you think of Shinomiya right now?'

'Thanks for asking, I find it gross.'

'Retreat?'

'Good idea.'

They both stood up almost simultaneously.

Ishigami: "Ah, suddenly I really need to use the restroom."

Rinji: "I feel hungover, need to vomit in the bathroom."

Click.

Before they could escape, Shirogane walked in holding a stack of documents.

"Sorry, I'm late today."

"President…"

Kaguya quickly turned toward him.

Through her shoujo manga filter, Shirogane looked more handsome than ever. When he walked in, it even seemed like flowers bloomed around him.

After all, he was the male lead.

"President, you don't look so good," Rinji said, noticing his darkened eye bags.

"Yeah, the second-year school trip is coming up, so there are things to handle."

"I see."

Rinji walked up to him, smiling as he held out a hand.

"Split the documents with me."

"No, it's fine, I can—"

"No!!"

Suddenly Kaguya rushed forward, spreading her arms to block between Shirogane and Rinji. She looked at Rinji with a mix of grievance and stubbornness.

"..."

In her eyes, once Rinji touched the male lead, his role changed—into the villain standing in the way of the hero and heroine's love.