The next morning.
When Mahiru Shiina woke up, she found herself lying beside Hayashi Maki.
At some point in the night, a certain sneaky "pet girl" had shoved her out of his arms and was now hogging his chest all to herself.
"Honestly, Mashiro…"
Mahiru puffed out her cheeks and muttered with a hint of grievance, though she wasn't actually mad.
She reached out and pinched Mashiro's cheek, smiling to herself, then got up to start making breakfast.
Mashiro didn't show the slightest sign of waking.
Curled up against Hayashi Maki, she looked completely at ease.
She really was just like a pet—of course she liked sleeping in.
A little while later, the door opened and another curvy, golden-haired beauty stepped inside.
Seeing Mashiro nestled in Hayashi Maki's arms, Rita let out a helpless sigh.
"Mashiro, you snuck into his bed again? Honestly, you know you've still got me right here."
She grumbled softly, eyes flickering with a hint of embarrassment.
If Mashiro was going to be that bold, she couldn't let herself fall behind.
So instead of dragging Mashiro out of bed like she'd planned, Rita lifted the edge of the blanket and slipped in as well.
She snuggled up against him, breathing in that distinctly masculine scent, and her pretty face flushed bright red.
"Kya—"
The moment she scooted in, Hayashi Maki's arm moved on instinct, sliding firmly around her waist.
He opened his eyes and stared at the blushing girl with an amused look, clearly in a great mood.
Rita's face burned, but she didn't try to pull away.
Instead she pressed closer, rubbing her cheek against him.
She hadn't come here planning to leave quickly this time anyway, so a little cuddling with Mashiro's fiancé was hardly a problem.
He didn't push things any further—just stroked her hair and went back to sleep with her in his arms.
Eventually he had to get up.
Mahiru had breakfast ready.
On his way out, he pinched the still-sleepy Mashiro's cheek to wake her. Under her slightly sulky gaze, he stole a kiss and successfully soothed her.
He sat down at the table just as the front door opened.
Sparkling, radiant Gabriel drifted in and took a seat without a word, ready to be fed.
Mai Sakurajima, wrapped in casual clothes and black tights, sauntered in right after and sat down like she owned the place.
She'd long since treated this place as her second home and freeloaded meals with zero shame.
Mahiru, who'd been forced to scale up breakfast portions, didn't complain; if anything, she felt oddly satisfied.
For her, cooking for the people in this house—making sure everyone left the table full—was one of her greatest joys. It never felt like a chore.
Hayashi Maki, who was getting more and more spoiled by her cooking, was starting to look like a proper pampered layabout. The others weren't far behind.
"Well then, let's eat."
After his polite cue, everyone dug in happily.
Once they'd finished, Mai volunteered to do the dishes and shooed Mahiru and the others off to school.
She wasn't going out much these days, and she wasn't attending classes either—plenty of free time.
Before long, Mai had reinvented herself as a face-cam singing streamer.
And she blew up fast.
Between her looks, acting chops, and pleasant voice, she managed to live quite comfortably off donations alone.
Hayashi Maki was genuinely happy for her.
Mai wasn't like Mashiro with her pure pet-like dependence—she'd always had dreams of being an actress.
With her current "erased by the world" condition, she couldn't work in showbiz for now, so streaming was a decent compromise.
After washing up, Mai sprawled lazily on Hayashi Maki's sofa, flipping through the news and daydreaming.
She lay there like it was her own living room.
She'd start her stream later.
As a former star, she had no trouble singing a few songs for her audience.
Meanwhile, Hayashi Maki headed to school with Mahiru and the others.
Now that exams were over, the class atmosphere had relaxed again.
After all, enjoying youth was the main job of high schoolers.
The morning flew by.
When the bell rang, Hayashi Maki strolled around the campus and stopped at a vending machine for something to drink.
There he spotted a pink-haired girl standing in front of the machine, lost in thought.
He slipped a 100-yen coin in, bought two cans, and held one out to her.
"Here you go, Katsura-senpai. My treat."
She blinked, startled, but took it automatically and gave him a polite nod.
"Thank you."
He smiled and pointed at a nearby bench.
"Want to sit for a bit?"
Hinagiku Katsura studied his face for a moment, then hesitated and nodded.
They sat down together. Hayashi Maki popped his can open and took a casual sip.
"So, Katsura-senpai—what's wrong? You look pretty out of it. If there's something bothering you… would you mind letting me hear it? Maybe I can help."
At his gentle question, Hinagiku sighed and forced a smile.
"Thank you, Hayashi Maki-kun."
"It's nothing special… I'm just feeling lost about the future."
"Everyone sees me as the student council president they admire, but I'm graduating from Hakuo this year. I still haven't figured out what I want to do."
"I see." Hayashi Maki nodded. "Honestly, with how capable you are, I don't think you need to overthink it. Just go on to university, right? Who knows, three years from now you might naturally find the job that really fits you."
Hinagiku shook her head and let out another breath.
"If it were that easy…"
He blinked, then asked seriously, "So what's making you think it won't go smoothly?"
She dropped her gaze and stayed silent.
But the pressure in her chest only grew.
As she stewed, Hayashi Maki reached out and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"In my opinion, any problem that can be solved with money isn't really a problem at all. So, go ahead and tell me. Who knows, maybe I can help."
She was moved in spite of herself.
They barely knew each other, but after seeing him rescue the cat from the tree last time, she'd already pegged him as a kind, gentle person.
Still, she didn't want to drag him into her mess.
So she forced a teasing smile and said, "What are you, some kind of rich kid, Hayashi Maki-kun? Saying things like 'if money can fix it, it's not a problem'?"
"Please. I'm a self-made rich guy." He grinned. "Guess I never told you, huh, Katsura-senpai? I'm already a published author. Just had a signing event for my series yesterday. You could say I'm doing pretty well."
"So right now, I'm really not hurting for cash. If you need help, just say so."
Hinagiku's eyes widened.
"You're amazing, Hayashi Maki-kun. Compared to you, I really am just a useless student council president."
No matter how impressive you look at school, if you can't earn money, you can't pay back the foster parents who raised you—or do anything about the mountain of debt your birth parents left behind.