When Hiratsuka Shizuka heard someone say that she and Shiro got along well, she immediately denied it without a second thought.
"Lala, you're overthinking it."
After saying that, Hiratsuka Shizuka deliberately took a sip of wine. At that moment, she looked completely relaxed, as if she were in her own home, without the slightest trace of discomfort.
Shiro was too lazy to argue with her, so he simply withdrew into himself and started chatting in the Chat Group. Of course, he mostly just bragged, but when he saw how absorbed everyone else was in the conversation, he couldn't help but ask one question.
"So, you told her everything?"
Shiro looked at the gathered group and asked curiously.
Mikan glanced at him, then openly nodded and admitted,
"Yes."
"Oh, oh, oh, then I suppose you also know that she'll be living here from now on, right?"
"I know."
Mikan looked completely calm, so much so that someone might have thought she was angry, but Shiro knew very well that she wasn't.
If someone troublesome had moved in, she certainly would have been upset, but this situation was different. There was a reason for all of it, so he believed everything was under control.
"Shiro, don't bully her."
Mikan looked him straight in the eyes and said those words seriously.
The moment he heard that, Shiro dismissed the accusation without hesitation.
"What do you mean bully her? Come on, tell me when I've ever bullied anyone."
"I'm obviously saving people, okay? How did I suddenly become the villain in your eyes?"
"You know yourself that it's rare for me to be a good person, and yet you're saying something like this. You're making me actually want to become a bad one."
Mikan smiled when she heard that.
Since she knew him very well, she immediately looked at him with a playful expression.
"Hehe, if Mahiru weren't beautiful, would you have helped her at all?"
Mikan asked the question that struck right at the heart of the matter.
After hearing it, Shiro gave her a thumbs-up.
"I have to admit, you know me best. Indeed, if she were even a little less beautiful, I definitely wouldn't have saved her."
Shiro admitted it completely openly.
"After all, you know what kind of person I am."
"Words like 'good person' will never have anything to do with me."
"If I help someone, I definitely have my own reason. Why would I sit when I can lie down? Why would I stand when I can sit? Saving people really isn't something I should be doing."
"And if I do help someone, then I certainly expect some kind of reward. If we're complete strangers, no one should even think they'll get anything from me for free."
Shiro nodded and openly admitted it, and his words left those present somewhat speechless. Was it really okay to admit something like that so openly?
Of course, not everyone thought that way. Some even seemed to agree with him.
"Shiro is right. If someone you don't know asks for help, it's perfectly normal for them to pay an appropriate price for it."
At that moment, a pink-haired princess openly supported Shiro.
Seeing that someone was backing him up, Shiro became even more pleased with himself.
"See, see? There are people who understand me after all. It's impossible for me to be the one constantly giving."
Mikan could only sigh helplessly in response.
Shiina Mahiru thought the two of them were about to start arguing, so she immediately tried to calm them down.
"Mikan-chan, please don't argue because of me. I know very well that Shiro is telling the truth. It's only natural for me to repay him for helping me."
During this time, Shiina Mahiru had calmed down and had already accepted her fate.
As soon as she said that, the two of them silently dropped the subject, because some things didn't need any further explanation.
When night fell and everyone either returned to their homes or went to their rooms to rest, Shiro's eyes suddenly became extremely alert.
After thinking for a moment, he headed toward one particular room. There wasn't much furniture or decoration inside. Everything was very simple, and it was immediately obvious that it was different from the other rooms.
Sitting on the bed with her knees drawn up was a girl with flax-colored hair.
The moment she saw Shiro, she froze completely, and her body trembled slightly, as though she were shaking with fear. If someone didn't know the real situation, they would certainly think that Shiro had been bullying her.
"Shiro..."
Shiina Mahiru called out to him in a voice filled with fear.
Shiro looked at her trembling and let out a helpless sigh.
"Tell me, Mahiru, do you really have to react like this every single time you see me? Seriously, sometimes I even think I'm doing something wrong, even though I haven't done anything at all."
Shiina Mahiru looked at his helpless expression and heard him speak like someone who was constantly misunderstood and suffering because of it, and she immediately felt a slight sense of discomfort. She really was on guard every time she saw him, and that didn't seem right.
Shiro noticed the discomfort appear on her face and was momentarily stunned.
"No way... Is this naive girl really that easy to fool? Is it practically over already?"
Of course, all of this was just Shiro's acting, but he hadn't expected her to be so sincere that she would immediately feel guilty. If he had been in her place, he probably would have already been celebrating with fanfare.
"Tsk... she's really innocent and falls for things so easily."
Shiro commented quietly.
Shiina Mahiru had no idea that she had just earned the remark that she was "far too easy to deceive."
Shiro then leaned over and sat beside her. Fortunately, the bed was large enough, and there was still plenty of space between them. She, however, remained silent, feeling extremely nervous, while her heart was filled with embarrassment and fear.
Shiina Mahiru was not an ignorant girl who knew nothing about relationships between men and women, so she thought Shiro intended to do something bad, especially after what had happened that afternoon.
However, Shiro did nothing she expected. Instead, with a smile, he took out a card and some cash and placed them on the bedside cabinet.
Shiina Mahiru looked at those things in confusion.
"Considering your current situation and the fact that your mother wants you to fend for yourself from now on, do you think you'll still have any source of income?"
"That's why I came to give you some money."
Shiro knew her situation very well. This naive girl probably only had the money in her wallet or a small amount of savings she had collected over the years, but certainly not much.
He couldn't just bring her here and then completely neglect her. There's a saying that money isn't everything, but without money, it's truly impossible to live.