The soccer club's ace walking side by side with the school's genius beauty—of course it drew attention.
As Shirase and Yukinoshita Yukino crossed the courtyard, he could practically feel the waves of curious stares rippling around them.
"Aren't you worried about causing rumors?" Yukino asked, her tone calm but her eyes sharp.
"Rumors about what?" Shirase asked lazily.
"Nakano," she replied simply.
He smiled. "Nino does get jealous easily—but that just makes her cuter."
"What nauseating words." Yukino's voice dripped disdain. "If possible, refrain from saying such things in front of me again."
"You can't restrict my freedom of speech."
"This isn't restriction. Consider it a friendly warning."
"But I don't feel any sincerity behind it…" Shirase abruptly changed topics. "By the way, aren't you looking a little tired today?"
"I am," Yukino admitted without hesitation. "I haven't been resting well lately. Just a little fatigue."
"Only a little?" he asked doubtfully.
Since running into her that morning, he'd noticed how pale she looked—how the exhaustion sometimes flickered behind her eyes.
But Yukino merely curved her lips in a small, amused smile. "Are you trying to show concern for me?"
"Is it wrong to be concerned about a classmate?"
"Oh, if that's all it is, then thank you," she said lightly. "For a second, I thought you had other intentions and was overthinking it."
"…Your expression doesn't really say 'overthinking.'"
"Some thoughts are meant to stay unsaid."
With that, they entered the classroom together. The murmuring glances aimed their way quickly died down. No one dared gossip about them openly—especially not about Shirase, the "transfer student who fought his way from the school gates on day one."
A short while later, Hayama Hayato and two other soccer club members arrived. Hayama simply nodded to Shirase before taking his seat, but the other two charged over, faces glowing with mischief.
"Shirase! Guess where we went last night!"
"Where?" he asked, though judging by their sleazy grins, he already had a rough idea. "Don't tell me you two went looking for those so-called 'homeless ladies.'"
Both of them froze, turning red. "Shh! Keep your voice down! You're only half-right—we just wandered around and ended up at Okubo Park."
Ah. Okubo Park—the infamous "fast-food culture" hub of Tokyo. Shirase had read enough online to know what that euphemism meant.
The shorter one leaned in conspiratorially. "We didn't actually do anything, but we watched for a bit. Those girls charge ten to twenty thousand yen each—and they're all gorgeous!"
"Are you sure they're gorgeous?" Shirase shot back instantly. "Or was it the masks making you think that?"
"Uh… now that you mention it, they were all wearing masks."
"Exactly. Here's some advice: if you're that desperate, you'd be better off chasing a normal girl from school. But don't mess with that kind of 'service.'"
"Why not?"
"You two seriously don't read the news? There's a syphilis outbreak going around right now. Get infected, and you can say goodbye to your lychees."
"…!"
The color drained from both their faces. Without another word, they slunk back to their seats in horrified silence.
And Shirase wasn't exaggerating—the health reports lately had been clear enough. No kidneys stolen, maybe, but losing your manhood was no less terrifying.
A few minutes later, Kirisu Mafuyu entered for morning homeroom, signaling the start of another Monday.
By second period, the sun was already blazing outside. Even a few laps on the track would leave you drenched.
When the class ended, Shirase glanced at Yukino again. She still hadn't regained any color; she was bent over her notebook, writing intently—probably working through extra practice problems.
After a moment, he realized why she might be overexerting herself.
Could it be… because I've been catching up to her academically?
The thought made him smile a little. It was oddly satisfying—but knowing Yukino's pride, she'd never allow herself to fall behind.
Still, maybe someone should remind her not to push so hard.
Shirase immediately thought of Hiratsuka Shizuka.
Besides that older, perpetually single teacher, no one in school had as close a connection with Yukinoshita Yukino.
Certainly not Kojima Kana—he couldn't even imagine asking Kana-nee to handle something so delicate. The woman could barely manage normal conversation without saying something weird.
By the time morning classes ended, the entire class was wilted from the heat.
Shirase wasn't bothered, but even he found it hard to muster up an appetite.
After a quick meal in the cafeteria, he bumped into Hayama Hayato and Miura Yumiko on their way out, both holding empty bento boxes.
"Shirase-kun, you don't bring your own lunch?" Yumiko asked curiously. "The bento you made for Hayato last time was incredible. Honestly, better than what my family's cook makes. So why not just make your own?"
Hayama chuckled, which for him was rare. "I thought the same thing. If you made bentos regularly, I'd steal bites whenever I could."
"It's too much work," Shirase replied plainly. "The cafeteria's fine—it fills me up, and it's cheap."
He wasn't the type to waste money. He carried only what he needed day-to-day.
Even the payment from his recent acting job—he'd handed all of it to Kojima Kana that morning.
And any tutoring fees from the Nakano household in the future? Those would probably end up with her too.
The woman might be a total airhead, but at least when it came to managing money, she was reliable.