Saturday morning.
Hayasaka Ai woke early.
A quick shower, a change of clothes, and the switch flipped. The gentle expression she wore in private moments vanished, replaced by the efficient, unreadable face of work mode.
Yesterday's ball games tournament had ended successfully. Both the boys' and girls' volleyball teams from Class 2-A had taken the championship. Kaguya Shinomiya had been excited for hours after returning home—her unspoken competition with Sakurai Saki continued, its endpoint nowhere in sight.
Hayasaka Ai, however, felt the weight of other pressures.
Dating Sakurai Saki had added a new layer to her already demanding daily routine. The endless tasks, the constant vigilance, the need to maintain multiple personas—it was exhausting. And now, on top of everything, she had to consider how to make her boyfriend happy.
Should I have to think this much?
The question lingered. But the answer was obvious: if she didn't put in the effort, if she let Sakurai Saki give unilaterally, he would eventually drift away. Relationships required maintenance. She knew this.
She sent her usual morning message to Sakurai Saki—good morning followed by a casually taken bath photo—then walked to Kaguya Shinomiya's bedroom door.
"Hayasaka~"
Her master's voice called from within.
Hayasaka entered.
Kaguya Shinomiya lay sprawled across her bed, a light novel clutched in both hands, utterly absorbed. The elite education that had once forbidden such entertainment had clearly created a rebound effect. Since emerging from her "Ice Shinomiya" phase, Kaguya had plunged headfirst into otaku culture with alarming enthusiasm.
Hayasaka was worried.
The Kaguya of a year ago—cold, unapproachable, but composed—had been replaced by... this.
"Hayasaka~ I finished this one!"
This.
"Kaguya-sama." Hayasaka chose her words carefully. "It may be presumptuous to say, but I hope you'll consider reading some... normal books."
Last month it had been shoujo manga. Innocent enough. But recently, the selections had grown strange. Love triangles. Twisted plots. Factional conflicts. Stories where everyone suffered.
"The second female lead in this one is incredibly cute!" Kaguya ignored the suggestion entirely, eyes sparkling as she held up the book. "Especially when she confesses and fails—the way she cries is amazing!"
See? Hayasaka's internal sigh was profound. This is what she's become.
"Hayasaka." Kaguya's tone shifted to something almost... wistful. "Why don't you cry a little? For me?"
"If you keep saying things like that, I really will cry." Hayasaka's voice was flat.
She wanted to quit. Some days, she really wanted to quit.
But quitting wasn't simple. Not with her history. Not with her obligations. And now, with Sakurai Saki in the picture, quitting would inevitably involve him too.
Is there no good way to relieve this stress?
The same morning. The Fujiwara residence.
Fujiwara Chika surfaced slowly from sleep.
Yesterday's cold had left her drained. She'd lain in the infirmary for hours, only regaining consciousness in the evening. Then: home, a long bath, and collapse into bed.
Now, awake, memories flooded back.
Her bold words. Her very bold actions. Sakurai Saki's responses on that infirmary bed.
She buried her face in the covers, face burning.
We agreed to be friends. No casual kissing...
But she hadn't been able to resist at the arcade.
And yesterday, fever-clouded and uninhibited, she'd almost—almost—
You don't show your whole hand at once when playing games. You keep something in reserve!
Thankfully... they hadn't gone all the way. Chika definitely didn't want her first time to be in the school infirmary.
But everything except the last step?
That had definitely happened.
She'd gone from second base to third base in one afternoon.
Am I even allowed to do these things when I'm not his girlfriend?
The question nagged.
And then there was Ai-chan. Their relationship—her relationship with Saki-kun, her relationship with Ai-chan—was getting... complicated.
Saki-kun's actions yesterday had seemed unpracticed. Hesitant, almost. Which meant he probably hadn't reached this stage with Ai-chan yet!
Which meant...
Saki-kun's first time is still intact?
...Wait. Did boys even have a concept of "first time" like that?
Chika emerged from under the covers, pink hair splayed across the pillow. Her face was still warm.
She missed him.
She reached for her phone. Dialed.
Ring. Ring.
"Hello~ Chika?" Sakurai Saki's voice came through, accompanied by the sizzle of cooking in the background. "What's up?"
"I miss you~" The words slipped out before she could filter them.
A pause. Then:
"Want to go on a date tomorrow?"
Chika's heart skipped. He was asking her?
"Really?"
"Yeah. Sunday's free." More sizzling. Was he making breakfast? "Where do you want to go? Amusement park?"
Chika considered. Then, deliberately:
"The movie theater."
Another pause.
"There's a detective movie out recently. Want to see it together?"
A small smile tugged at her lips.
He'd gone with Ai-chan last week.
She wanted the same treatment.
Sakurai Saki was silent on the phone for a few seconds.
Then, gently: "Of course we can."
A pause.
"Actually, even if you wanted to go to another world, I could take you there. It's very simple."
Chika blinked, momentarily stunned by the casual absurdity of the statement.
"Really? Very simple?"
He chuckled—a low, amused sound. "Just kidding. It's not that simple."
So... he really could do it?
The thought sparked something bright in her chest. A superpower user? That would be amazing!
Fujiwara Chika loved supernatural things. More accurately, she loved anything interesting. Her childhood—boring education, endless restrictions, rules upon rules—had left her ravenous for novelty, for wonder, for anything that broke the mundane mold.
But they'd agreed on the movie. She'd let this slide.
For now.
On the other end of the line.
Sakurai Saki ended the call and tucked his phone away.
The moment the screen went dark, a presence pressed against his back.
"Hamburger patty! Hamburger patty! Sakura-kun I'm hungry! I want to eat!"
Yakumo Shiro's voice was practically a whine, her chin hooked over his shoulder. Her gray eyes were fixed on the frying pan with an intensity usually reserved for prey.
Sizzling butter. The rich aroma of meat patties. Steam rising in the morning light.
Sakurai Saki wasn't sure, in that moment, whether she wanted him or the hamburger.
He remembered the favorability display from a while ago.
[Favorability: 90♦]
Higher than Fujiwara Chika's. Slightly.
He'd thought about it often since then—tried to piece together why this ghost girl had attached herself to him so thoroughly. White hair, gray eyes, exquisitely cute features. Proportionate figure, neither too much nor too little. Black thigh-high socks accenting long, slender legs. A graceful way of moving. A Western-style uniform, different from Shuchiin's, marking her as an outsider.
Aside from the whole not being human thing, her only apparent flaw was the clinginess.
But for most people, maybe that wasn't even a flaw?
"Sakura-kun!" Shiro's hands found her hips, indignant. "Stop spacing out! My hamburger patty is going to burn!"
He snorted. "A freeloading ghost dares to order me around?"
She leaned down—quick, deliberate—and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
"Here! This is the rent I'm paying Sakura-kun!" She pulled back, beaming. "A girl's loving kiss is very valuable, you know?"
He picked up a plate, transferred the perfectly cooked patty, added sauce and a careful garnish.
"Valuable?"
"Mm!" She was already reaching for the plate, knife and fork in hand. "Lots of boys don't get kissed by a girl until they're adults~"
Sakurai Saki ignored the sweeping generalization and turned back to tidy the kitchen.
He had places to be.
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