Hinako Konohana woke up early.
To be more precise, her mornings had become slightly earlier ever since she’d awakened to her feelings for Itsuki.
"...Mmph."
The alarm clock buzzed, and Hinako opened her eyes.
She had rarely used an alarm clock in the past. After a single attempt as a child where the noise proved far too jarring, she had made it a rule to have the servants wake her instead. Recently, however, she had begun relying on this clock every morning.
Oh no... I don't have much time.
After checking the clock, Hinako hurried to the washroom. Using a comb nearby, she fixed her hair while studying her reflection in the mirror.
...There.
Thanks to Shizune’s frequent lessons, she succeeded in smoothing out her bedhead. A few stray strands remained, but she didn’t have the time to be perfect.
Hinako crawled back into bed and began to feign sleep.
One minute until Itsuki arrives...
With a final glance at the clock, Hinako closed her eyes.
Ever since realizing her love for him, Hinako had been grappling with a massive contradiction.
I want to keep being pampered by Itsuki. But I don't want him to see me looking like a mess!
Consequently, Hinako now woke up on her own shortly before Itsuki arrived, secretly fixing her clothes and hair. Once, in the past, Itsuki had caught her sleeping with a trail of drool running down her chin. She never wanted him to see her like that again.
And yet... she was so happy when he came to wake her every morning. That was why she hadn't replaced him with Shizune.
A minute after she began playing possum, there was a reserved knock on the door.
"Hinako, it's morning."
He’s here!
Her heart racing, Hinako pulled the duvet up to hide her face—otherwise, she was sure she’d start grinning. Itsuki had come to wake her every morning for a while now, but ever since she’d accepted her feelings, her joy seemed to grow with every passing day.
"The second semester starts today. I’ve gotta gear myself up."
Itsuki muttered to himself while opening the curtains. It only then occurred to Hinako that today was the opening ceremony.
"Hinako, time to get up. You have school."
"...Nn."
Hinako replied as if she had only just woken. As she sat up, her eyes met Itsuki’s.
"Morning, Hinako."
"...Morning, Itsuki."
Fidgeting restlessly, Hinako waited for his reaction. She wanted him to tell her she was cute.
Perhaps sensing her expectation, Itsuki stared at her intently before finally speaking.
"...Is it just me, or has your hair been looking a lot neater when you wake up lately?"
"I-I-I have no idea... what you're talking about."
Hinako’s eyes darted around frantically.
It had been nearly half a year since Itsuki became her caretaker. Since he saw her first thing in the morning almost every day, he had noticed the change—though it seemed he felt more confusion than admiration.
But she wasn't finished yet. Hinako moved on to her next tactic.
"F-fix... my hair."
"Sure. Sit here."
When Hinako sat down on the vanity chair, Itsuki stood behind her with the comb.
Now, I show him the nape of my neck!
It was a classic move from the shojo manga she had borrowed from Yuri. Apparently, a glimpse of the nape was enough to make any man’s heart race. Hinako swept her hair up, exposing her neck to Itsuki.
She stole glances at him to see how he was taking it... but he didn't seem to react at all.
"...Itsuki."
"Hmm?"
"Do you... have anything to say?"
"Even if you ask me that..." Itsuki trailed off, sounding troubled. "Oh."
"W-what is it?"
"You’ve got a big patch of bedhead right here."
Itsuki reached out and touched the back of Hinako’s head.
"Muu..."
"Wh-what? Did I say something wrong?"
Hinako puffed out her cheeks, staring at him with protesting eyes.
She had been groomed by servants for as long as she could remember, and she simply couldn't do a good job on her own. She had considered asking Shizune for help, but she had refrained, knowing Shizune would inevitably ask why she was hiding her early wake-up calls from Itsuki. Even with Shizune, she was still too embarrassed to confess her feelings.
Just what do I have to do to make him fall for me?
She felt frustrated that her plan had failed. However, as Itsuki gently combed through her hair, her face relaxed into a smile of its own accord.
◆
Once Hinako had changed into her uniform, we both got into the black car.
Kikou Academy’s second semester began today. There was only the opening ceremony and homeroom, so we would be dismissed by noon. I had already coordinated with Tennoji-san and the others the day before to have a tea party with the usual group. Hinako would be coming along, of course.
For some reason, Hinako looked... a little alluring this morning.
As the car pulled away, I glanced at Hinako sitting beside me. She had been acting strange lately. I wasn't sure if "strange" was the right word, but she seemed more composed than before. Her bedhead was less frequent, and her table manners had become even more elegant. I’d wondered if she was just maturing in her own way, but...
"...Nn."
"Hinako? What's up?"
"I’m... sleepy."
With a somewhat awkward reply, Hinako leaned against me. I noticed her ears were tinged slightly red. Was she actually sleepy? Just when I thought she was becoming more proper, she would start acting spoiled like this, just like before.
Well, she looked happy, so I figured it wasn't a problem.
"Itsuki-san, we’re almost there."
"Right."
We couldn't let it be known that Hinako and I commuted in the same car. I always got out first, followed by her later. We’d been doing this since the first semester. I’d suggested once that we just take separate cars, but Hinako had flatly rejected the idea. Apparently, she wanted us to be together as much as possible, even if it was just during the commute.
However, perhaps because it was her first day back at the academy in a month, Hinako showed a rare bit of resistance today.
"Shizune. Is it really not okay... for me to walk in with Itsuki?"
Hinako voiced the dissatisfaction she had been bottling up.
Ms. Shizune wore an unusually grave expression. "Young Lady. While I understand your feelings, you must not be reckless."
"Nn. I was just checking, it's fine. After all, heroines who try to force a fait accompli usually end up unhappy anyway..."
She seemed to have reached a conclusion I didn't quite follow, but she appeared satisfied for now. A "fait accompli"... did Hinako even know what that meant? I didn't think she was well-versed in that kind of terminology, considering she didn't even know the three-second rule.
"...Um, Young Lady. Are you familiar with the Dunning-Kruger effect?"
"? You mean the cognitive bias where people with low ability tend to overestimate themselves?"
"Precisely. To put it in simpler terms, it is a phenomenon where the less skilled a person is, the more likely they are to be overconfident in their own abilities."
Ms. Shizune had suddenly pivoted to a very intellectual topic. I’d never taken a psychology class, but even I recognized the term, so it must be fairly well-known.
"Shizune... despite how I might appear, I am known as the perfect Young Lady."
"Yes."
"There is no way I would fall victim to such a cognitive bias!"
"........................Yes."
Ms. Shizune squeezed out an affirmation.
In the end, I didn't really understand what their conversation was about. As I tilted my head in confusion, Ms. Shizune cleared her throat with an exaggerated "Ahem."
"That reminds me," she said, gazing out at the passing city scenery. "The Management Game begins this semester, doesn't it?"