Ms. Shizune had arrived. It looked like Yuri was finally heading home.
Seeing Yuri’s disgruntled expression as she let out a frustrated "Grrr," I felt a wave of relief.
However, Ms. Shizune looked between the two of us and—
"...The conversation seems quite lively. Itsuki-san, would you like to ride in the car with us as well?"
"Eh?"
An unexpected lifeline had been tossed my way.
Not for me, though—for Yuri.
Yuri flashed a mischievous, wicked grin.
"Let’s do that. Right, Itsukiiii...?"
"No, wait, hold on..."
◆
"Hmph... So, basically, you've just been approached by girls more often, but nothing major actually happened?"
"...Something like that."
Inside the roomy interior of the car, I secretly wiped cold sweat from my brow, making sure Yuri didn't see.
(...I managed to dodge that somehow.)
For the time being, I’d successfully kept Narika's confession a secret.
The car came to a stop. I’d been focusing so much energy on parrying Yuri’s relentless questioning that I hadn't noticed we’d already reached our destination.
After Yuri thanked the driver and stepped out, I followed her.
"I’ll see her home."
The driver gave a short, polite "Understood." There was no need for him to use such formal language with me, a mere caretaker... but that was the Konohana family for you. Even the driver was perfectly mannered.
When I stepped out, Yuri looked at me with a touch of surprise.
"You could’ve just said goodbye back there."
"No, since I’m here, I figured I’d take a quick look around the old neighborhood."
"What? Getting nostalgic?"
"I wonder. I was just here back in the summer, so I don't really feel a sense of longing, but..."
I gazed at the cityscape as we walked toward Yuri’s house.
"...It feels like a place where I used to belong."
Yuri tilted her head.
It was difficult to put into words, but to be more precise...
"I definitely grew up in this town... but I feel this sense of friction, like this isn't where I belong anymore."
"Hmm....Is that a good thing?"
"Probably."
I could also describe it as feeling like an outsider. While I felt a spark of nostalgia, it felt strangely odd for me to actually be standing here.
At the end of summer, I’d resolved to survive in the upper-class world where Hinako and the others lived. I’d pushed myself through the Management Game as if that resolution were driving me forward.
That was likely why. This was no longer my present... it was strictly my past.
As if to prove that, I now faced new troubles that the old me could never have imagined.
Narika....How was I supposed to answer that girl’s feelings?
I still didn't know if it was even okay for me to respond.
Back when I lived here, I’d been so focused on making ends meet that I couldn't even afford the luxury of worrying about romance. In fact, back in my freshman year, I’d turned down a confession simply because I "didn't want to drag someone into my family circumstances."
Now, I could no longer use that as an excuse.
That was why I was so conflicted.
(...Crap, Yuri’s right here.)
This wasn't the time to sink into silent contemplation. If I wasn't careful, my efforts to deflect her questions would be for nothing.
Reminding myself that I needed to choose the right time and place to brood, I searched for another topic.
"By the way, how did you feel about your exams?"
"Not bad, probably. I think I’ll be among the top scorers this time."
"That’s impressive. You're actually balancing your culinary studies and your schoolwork."
"Of course. I don't want anyone thinking I threw everything else away for cooking....Though I am causing a bit of trouble for people because of it. Apparently, the Konohana family chefs don't normally work just two days a week."
"Wait, really?"
"It’s usually a live-in position. There isn't anyone else like me who just works weekends, so I feel a bit guilty sometimes."
"...Well, you're also working at your family's diner, after all."
It wasn't just her studies. Yuri was juggling three major responsibilities: school, helping out at her family's diner, and her job as a chef for the Konohana family. Naturally, the time she could devote to each one was stretched thin.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I feel guilty, but I’m not agonizing over it."
"...Meaning?"
"I mean I understand that these are all choices I made myself. I'm greedy, so I’m going to live my life prioritizing myself to the very end."
Yuri said this with a fearless smile.
The reason her claim of "prioritizing herself" didn't come across as self-centered was because she had set such high goals. Expanding a local diner into a national chain was a dream for many chefs, a grand ambition that some might call overreaching. It was a goal that certainly couldn't be achieved without a healthy dose of self-interest.
However... I tilted my head at her words.
"...I wonder about that."
"Eh?"
"You might be greedy, Yuri... but in the end, you have a kindness that makes you yield."
"Really? I don't see myself that way."
"Back when we used to eat fried chicken together, you used to give me the last piece quite often, didn't you? Even though it was your favorite, you'd sense that I was still hungry."
"That's true, but that’s such a trivial example."
Was it?
I believed that a person's true nature revealed itself in precisely those small details.
"...It’s been a while since we've just talked like this," Yuri said, her voice tinged with a hint of sentimentality.
"You're right. We see each other every weekend, but there's rarely time to just relax."
"We're both busy....And going back to what we were talking about, since I'm already being allowed to be selfish with my schedule, it's hard for me to just kick back too openly at the manor."
While everyone else lived on-site, she was the only one there on a part-time basis. She already felt apologetic enough, so Yuri seemed to think she couldn't show any weakness or take it easy in front of the others.
However, as someone who actually lived and worked at the manor, I thought her concerns were misplaced. The Konohana family provided an excellent working environment. The pay, the balance, and the relationships were all good. Everyone worked there because they wanted to, so they likely didn't envy Yuri's situation. If anything, they probably understood her struggle and were rooting for her.
Still, I could understand why she’d worry about appearances.
"...Then, do you want to come to my room next time?"
"...Hwah?"
When I voiced the idea, Yuri let out a strange, squeaky sound.
"If you want a place to rest where you don't have to worry about anyone else watching, you can use my room. You can find it by asking Ms. Shizune."
"...You idiot. That's not the kind of thing you say to just anyone."
"I know that. I'm only saying it to you, Yuri."
"～～～～～! Geez!!"
For some reason, Yuri got angry and started stomping her feet.
While we were bickering, we arrived in front of her house.
Yuri turned back to me, her face flushed red enough to be visible even in the dark of night.
"See ya! See you tomorrow!"
"See you tomorrow."
Yuri walked away with long, hurried strides.
I called out one last time to her retreating back.
"You can stop by anytime!"
"Aaaaaah! Shut up!! Thank you!!"
◇
Meanwhile, around the same time—
Hinako, having eaten her fill of dinner, would normally have dove straight into bed to sleep her heart out. Tonight, however, she was silently organizing her bookshelf.
She picked up several dust-covered volumes and carried them over to her desk.
"Phew... That should be all of them."
Feeling a slight sense of accomplishment, she wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.
She had retrieved the management textbooks Itsuki had asked for.
There were about fifty volumes in total. Since she had discarded many books or replaced them with digital versions, these were the only physical copies she had left on hand. Judging by the dust, she hadn't looked at them in ages, but they were books she had studied with frantic intensity in the past at her father's command. Thinking of it that way, a sense of attachment welled up... or perhaps not. It had simply been a tedious, exhausting chore.
"I wonder if Itsuki will be happy..."
In her mind, she imagined Itsuki’s reaction.
He would surely be pleased. Given Itsuki’s drive for self-improvement, he would undoubtedly get motivated the moment he saw this mountain of textbooks and glue himself to his desk.
Furthermore, it was for her sake.
He was going to study for her.
"...Hehe."
Realizing the strength of the bond between her and her caretaker, Hinako let out a soft, dreamy smile.
It was still a bit early for bed, but since there were so many books, she decided to wait until tomorrow to give them to him. Having finished her task, Hinako finally collapsed onto her bed and rolled over.
Clutching her pillow, she recalled her interaction with Itsuki earlier that day.
—There’s no way I’d forget.
It seemed that even if he became Vice President, he wouldn't forget his duties as her caretaker.
Hearing that serious tone in his voice had completely dispelled the lingering traces of anxiety in her heart.
(Itsuki was so cool today, too...)
She squeezed her pillow tight.
Itsuki was always cool. Every day, he showed her a different side of his charm.
The way he looked while taking classes seriously. The way he looked while chatting happily with friends. The way he looked when he would secretly slip out of the classroom so they could eat lunch together. The way he looked when he offered his own answer to the Student Council President. All of it was cool.
(...Why is Itsuki just so handsome...?)
She paused to think about it calmly.
It was truly a mystery.
Perhaps God had put a little extra effort into making him.
"But..."
Suddenly, a memory surfaced.
It was something she had heard today at Kikou Academy.
—Um, by any chance, Tennoji-san... weren't you on a date with Tomonari-kun during the Management Game...!?
What her classmate had said in the classroom.
—Eh, what’s with this atmosphere? Could it be that Tomonari-kun actually had something going on with Miyakojima-san instead of Tennoji-san?
What Asahi-san had suggested at the Tea Party.
"Muuu..."
She occasionally felt this way.
Lately, Itsuki... weren't there too many rumors about him and other women?
She hadn't gone out of her way to bring it up at the Tea Party, but she’d heard rumors about more than just Tennoji-san and Miyakojima-san. Rumors about him talking alone with Asahi-san at a cafe, or Suminoe-san bowing her head to him... whispers where it was impossible to tell where the truth ended and the fiction began.
And yet, she hadn't heard a single rumor about herself.
(I want to be rumored about, too...)
Hinako puffed out her cheeks.
(I want everyone to think that something is going on between me and Itsuki...!!)
Clutching her pillow, she got off the bed and sat at her desk.
During today's lunch break, Hinako had almost blurted out to the Vice President that she and Itsuki actually had lunch alone every day. Itsuki had hurriedly stopped her back then, but...
(...Maybe just a little bit would be okay?)
Just a little.
The kind of thing where only a few sharp-witted people would notice...
(For example, going out in matching outfits...)
She jotted down the idea in her notebook.
According to shoujo manga, there was a concept called "matching outfits." They couldn't wear casual clothes to Kikou Academy, but perhaps they could coordinate their clothes on their days off?
(Commuting in the same car once a week or so...)
Currently, they rode together until they were near the academy, then Itsuki would get out and walk to maintain his cover, while Hinako was driven all the way to the front. But if it was only once a week, maybe they could make it work?
Ultimately, as long as her image as a perfect lady wasn't compromised, it might be fine if she came up with a believable excuse each time.
"Hmmmm..."
She wanted to be the subject of the rumors.
—I heard Tomonari-kun and Konohana-san were on a date the other day!?
Something like that.
—Could those two actually be a couple...!?
Something like that.
She wanted to be talked about like that.
(Hehe... It’s okay. As long as we don't get caught...)
She’d start putting her plans into motion secretly starting from the next school day.
After brainstorming various strategies, Hinako closed the notebook and flopped back onto the bed.
As she closed her eyes and prepared to drift off—
"Excuse me."
The door opened, and Shizune entered the room.
"I heard it’s going to be cold tonight, so I’ve brought a winter blanket."
"Mm. Thanks."
Remaining lying down, Hinako kicked the duvet down to her feet.
"Tuck me in."
"Understood. It is still a bit early for sleep, though..."
Shizune placed the blanket over her, and then Hinako pulled the duvet back up over it.
Shizune was about to leave, but her eyes caught the desk.
Stacked there were the management textbooks Hinako had just gathered.
"Were you studying management?"
"...Not me. Itsuki said he wanted to borrow some books."
"I see."
Shizune picked up one of the volumes and flipped through the pages.
"I suggested that Itsuki-san spend his time relaxing until the election begins... but that earnest nature of his seems almost instinctive at this point."
"Mm....As expected of Itsuki."
However, it seemed that because of that nature, Itsuki had pushed himself too hard during the Management Game. And apparently, the one who had stopped him was Tennoji-san.
A oversight on her part....But Hinako admitted that Tennoji-san was probably the only one who could have pulled that off. Hinako recognized that Tennoji-san was more stoic than anyone else at the academy. Because of that, she must have been able to spot someone else failing because they were pushing themselves too hard.
(...I'm still not saying thank you.)
She knew she was being petty.
But it was frustrating, and she didn't think she could be honest about her gratitude for a while.
Because Tennoji-san had beaten her to the punch, the whole academy was buzzing with rumors about Itsuki and Tennoji-san.
Even as she rolled around on her bed, someone out there might be gossiping about them. The thought made her feel incredibly restless.
It should be me...
I’m the one who’s closest to Itsuki...
"...Oh? What is this notebook...?"
She heard Shizune’s voice from the desk.
Notebook? Had she left it out...?
"...Ah!?"
Hinako scrambled up, trying to stop Shizune.
But Shizune was already reading the contents.
It was the notebook where she had just summarized her "hinting" strategies.
Having read it, Shizune’s face stiffened, and she swallowed hard—
"...Young Lady. Is this... a plan to destroy Itsuki-san...?"
"N-No...!"
She would never want to destroy him.
But on second thought, it wasn't surprising it looked that way. Itsuki had blended in so well at the academy lately that she tended to forget he was hiding his identity.
If it were discovered that Itsuki was living at the Konohana manor, he would be fired as a caretaker immediately.
"Young Lady. Hinting is a forbidden move."
"...Hinting?"
Hinako tilted her head at the term.
"It refers to the act of subtly suggesting to those around you that you have a special relationship with someone, rather than coming out and saying it directly."
"I see....Hinting. So there’s a word for it."
She’d have to look it up later.
Maybe it was a term that would show up in her shoujo manga eventually.
"By the way, in shoujo manga, hinting is usually something only the villains do."
"Eh...!?"
"It’s a roundabout, underhanded way of doing things. I think it’s much better to act fair and square."
"Fair... and square..."
What was a method that wasn't roundabout, but fair and square?
Going on real dates, holding hands in public... things like that?
"T-That’s... a bit... It might be... too early for that..."
Her face grew hot.
Just thinking about it made her like this. It was definitely too early to actually do it.
Looking at Hinako, Shizune wore a grave expression.
"In any case, you must absolutely never carry out anything written in here."
"Okay..."
"Honestly... This is a situation where romantic hints are likely to pop up on their own even if you do nothing. If you start doing it intentionally, it’ll turn into a total disaster."
Shizune sighed, putting a hand to her forehead.
It was a shame her plans had been scrapped, but now that it was pointed out, she realized she might have been acting a bit like a villain.
She needed to study romance more.
With that thought, Hinako reached for the shoujo manga she’d borrowed from Yuri, which was waiting on her table.