After breaking up, my ex asked me to win her back

"Ladies and gentlemen, are you believers in love?"

Ayakoji Chiyoko finally spoke up.

And when she did, it was an utterly incongruous topic.

It's not that discussing love in front of teachers during a speech in the school auditorium is out of place; there's always someone daring enough to do it.

But the word 'love' coming out of Ayakoji Chiyoko's mouth was the greatest incongruity of all!

Look at her ascetic face, hardly the countenance of someone interested in love.

Is this what they call 'gap moe'?

The students who knew her or had long heard of her fame were agape; their interest surged as they listened intently to what she had to say.

"Before we discuss the answer, let me tell you a story that happened during my middle school days, when I was in a girls' school in the Capital City."

Ayakoji Chiyoko smiled slightly, "Despite the strict rules of the school, there were loads of couples, even more than at Ugao High now—oh, of course, half of that can be attributed to Uka's excellent disciplinary management. They're known for nipping romances in the bud."

"Ha ha ha~"

The students burst into laughter, empathizing with the sentiment.

Indeed, they had seen many such examples around them.

Couples in class caught passing notes were summoned to the office and severely reprimanded, their parents called in—such stories were all too common.

Many couples were forcefully split apart or turned into secret underground relationships.

They were furious, but dared not express it.

Students could not resist the school; such was the plight of modern children.

"Back then, there was a girl dating a boy from another school. But, oh, you must think that because it happened off campus, it would not get exposed or stopped by teachers, right? Completely wrong, all wrong."

Ayakoji Chiyoko, her smile gone, continued, "The story I'm about to tell you is a very common, very ordinary tale of inevitable tragedy that might be happening around us."

So, the storytelling trick....

Even though Kiryu Hina knew it was a formidable speech technique of her opponent, she found herself involuntarily drawn in, perhaps tapping into one of humanity's psychological weaknesses.

Even she herself was no exception, not to mention the other students around her.

Even her own 'loyal dog' Hosaka Yui, sitting next to her, looked up at the stage with glazed eyes, listening patiently. Stay connected via empire

Everyone was indeed powerless against love stories, especially when they knew in advance it would be a sad one.

What a distorted psychological state.

"For ease of telling, let's just call the two main characters Student A and Student B. Student A was skilled in drawing. One afternoon, while painting outdoors, Student B recognized her as a somewhat famous artist online, and they struck up an acquaintance."

After a moment's silence, Ayakoji Chiyoko looked up at the ceiling then lowered her head again to continue, "However, their relationship was not blessed. One day, they were discovered at Student A's home. Student A's parents were very strict, disallowed early dating, and notified the school to handle it. Just like that, their relationship was exposed."

The audience was unusually quiet, more like a wake than a lecture, as they exchanged subdued murmurs, engrossed as if not merely listening to a speech.

The teachers standing at the sides of the auditorium had stern faces, unwilling to speak.

It seemed, by this point, everyone understood that the story was about to take a tragic turn.

"The middle school teachers made their relationship public in an attempt to shame them into parting ways and stop the inappropriate liaison. They even enlisted students to monitor them. But since we were all peers, no one disagreed. Knowing their difficulties, we instead began covering for them. With their classmates' help, they evaded the teachers' eyes, and Student A and Student B's relationship not only survived the incident but became stronger, making them a famously model couple in the school.

However, though secrecy was maintained at school, they could not hide it from their families, who knew the truth. Student A and her parents had a huge fight, and she ran to seek refuge with Student B. But Student B faced the same predicament. His parents, also strict, forbade him from dating due to its impact on his studies.

The two immature middle schoolers, pressured by both their parents and the school, chose to compromise—they broke up."

The students immediately voiced their disappointment.

This outcome was too realistic.

But because it was so, it resonated even more with their own experiences.

Many of them were also unable to be together for a variety of reasons.

"Love is truly hard, isn't it? If it's not recognized, it's like the sky falling down for teenagers."

Ayakoji Chiyoko smiled at them, "So, here's my answer. I am on the side of believing in love. Surprising, isn't it? After hearing such a story, I can still say this. The reason is simple—"

"After middle school, those two didn't abandon each other but instead enrolled in the same high school, which had more relaxed rules, and they are still dating now."

Upon hearing this, the students felt moved and excitedly clapped their hands.

It was the most enthusiastic applause since the speech had begun.

Ayakoji Chiyoko smiled as she scanned the audience, taking two seconds to locate the boy in the crowd.

He was clapping too, though his face still wore its usual calm expression, but Ayakoji Chiyoko could tell he was pleased.

So, her smile widened by a further five percent.

Well, even though the story was entirely fabricated.

But as long as it worked.

Her real speech content was only about to begin.