But those clothes... "thin" didn't even begin to cover it.
Her chest and the tops of her thighs were completely exposed. While the fluttering frills created a cute silhouette, the outfit barely covered the essentials. The skirt was so short the inside was visible—was this supposed to look like a swimsuit?
Actually, it wasn't so much that the fabric was thin as there was simply very little of it.
"Um, is it... really okay for me to take photos?"
"Yes."
"I mean, I feel like the level of exposure is a bit high..."
"It’s only us here, so you don't need to worry."
I'm the one worrying, though!
I didn't have the confidence to talk Shizune out of it. If things had already come to this, it was better to just finish the shoot quickly. I raised the camera and began.
"Itsuki-san, you mustn't rush. We have time, so please be thorough."
"Y-Yes..."
This was not a sight I should be looking at "thoroughly."
Besides, my break time was almost over. Shizune had completely forgotten the schedule.
(...Hold it together, my sanity.)
I liked to think I had a decent amount of self-control. I hadn't been bathing with Hinako every day for nothing. But seeing the usually guarded Shizune like this was enough to make anyone lose their composure.
Then, an even greater threat arrived.
Knock, knock. A sharp rap at the door.
"...Shizune, are you there?"
Hinako was here.
◇
2:30 PM.
Hinako set down her pen and stretched her stiff back.
"............Phew..."
The studying she had been doing since that morning had finally reached a stopping point.
The pace of the classes, which had slowed down for the Management Game, would likely return to normal soon. She had been diligently previewing and reviewing to prepare for that.
(Let's see... the remaining assignments are...)
She opened her laptop and checked her email. In her inbox was a message she had received from her father, Kegon.
Her father always provided a list of assignments at the start of the month.
Language and Culture, Logical Japanese, Classical Literature Inquiry, Geography, World History Inquiry, Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Public Studies, Ethics, Politics and Economics, Music, Art, Crafts, Calligraphy, English, Home Economics, Information Science... and even Agriculture, Industry, Commerce, Fisheries, Nursing, Welfare, and Physical Education.
Kegon always precisely indicated the fields Hinako needed to study most at the moment.
It wasn't that Hinako particularly liked studying. In fact, she hated it. To be honest, she wanted to turn all the time spent at her desk into time spent sleeping.
However, she didn't hate her father for forcing her to study.
Analyzing assignments in such detail was by no means easy. Her father was certainly working hard at it. Even with his busy schedule, he went out of his way to create these lists between business meetings.
Knowing that, she couldn't simply dismiss his efforts.
Besides—.
(............Hmph, this much is easy.)
Ever since Itsuki had become her caretaker, Hinako had been in top form.
She was exceeding even her father's expectations.
It was a strange thing. What she needed to keep solving difficult problems wasn't natural intelligence, physical strength, or obsession—it was the person she loved.
In a shoujo manga, the heroine had said: A girl in love is invincible.
She understood those words a little better now.
In this world, there are powers that defy logic.
(...Where did I put those documents?)
She searched her desk, but they were nowhere to be found.
She remembered having Shizune help her organize her bookshelves. When preparing the management reference books for Itsuki, they had found many documents that wouldn't be used for a while and cleared them away. Her prediction had been off, and she needed a few of them now.
She left the room to find Shizune. In the hallway, she saw a maid cleaning the carpet.
"Oh, Young Lady. Is something the matter?"
"Where's... Shizune?"
"The Head Maid? I saw her entering her room with Itsuki-san a moment ago."
Hinako's eyes widened.
"With Itsuki............ in her... room............?"
"Y-Yes....Um, is something wrong?"
The maid had forgotten to explain the crucial part—that they were just carrying leftover flowers.
"...Lead... the way."
"Y-Yes."
Seeing Hinako's expression and assuming it was some kind of emergency, the maid led her to Shizune's room with a tense look on her face.
"T-This is the room."
"Mm... thanks."
Arriving in front of Shizune's room, Hinako immediately knocked on the door.
"...Shizune, are you there?"
The moment she spoke, she heard a frantic, noisy shuffling sound from inside.
"Shizune-san! Hurry and change...!"
"I-Itsuki-san! It would be better not to speak right now...!?"
It was Itsuki's voice.
She turned the doorknob without hesitation. However, it was locked.
Hinako had been to Shizune's room several times. She knew that because of Shizune's position as Head Maid, she had many visitors, so she generally didn't lock her room while she was on duty.
The current Shizune was definitely hiding something.
"...Shizune?"
"Y-Young Lady, I am terribly sorry. I am currently... in the middle of changing...!"
"Even though Itsuki is inside?"
"................"
Shizune went silent.
What did that silence mean?
"...Open up."
Knock, knock. She tapped on the door.
"...Open up."
Knock, knock. She tapped on the door.
"...Open up."
Knock, knock. She tapped on the door.
"...Open up."
Knock, knock. She tapped on the door.
............
"...Shizune? You haven't... betrayed me, have you...?"
............
........................
Thump, thump. She banged on the door.
Behind her, the maid who had guided her was pale.
Thump, thump. Hinako pounded on the door.
The door began to creak, but she didn't care.
In a shoujo manga, the heroine had said: A girl in love is invincible.
If she had to destroy this door, she would.
"S-Sorry to keep you waiting, Young Lady."
Just as Hinako swung her fist back to strike even harder, Shizune emerged from the room.
At the same time, Itsuki came out as well.
The two looked frantic—and they were drenched in sweat.
"Actually, um, my maid uniform tore..."
"S-So I was... sewing it back together..."
"When I said I was changing, it was only the apron that can be detached from the uniform..."
"It's not as if Shizune-san was changing right in front of me or anything..."
The two were talking, but their words didn't reach Hinako at all.
The season was autumn. For this chilly time of year, both of them were unnaturally sweaty. Furthermore, Shizune's maid uniform was disheveled. Usually, she wore it perfectly, but it was coming apart around her chest.
Two people drenched in sweat. Shizune looking as though she had just hurriedly thrown on her clothes.
A scene from the shoujo manga she had borrowed from Yuri flashed through Hinako's mind.
It was a slightly different genre from the manga she had borrowed before.
'Konohana-san. About the manga I lent you today... actually, that one is a bit extreme, so it might be better not to show it to Shizune.'
'I understand. I'll take it back to my room secretly.'
Told that by Yuri, she had read it in secret.
From that manga, Hinako had learned about physical intimacy between a man and a woman for the first time. She had known such things existed, but the specific procedures—the movements—were new to her.
Her head had felt like it was going to explode as she read, but she had forced herself to finish it to prepare for her future.
That was why the two people before her now looked exactly as if they had just finished such an act.
The lock, the frantic behavior—it could only be that.
"..............................Kyuu."
Her mind refused to process the reality, and Hinako's eyes rolled back as she fainted.
"H-Hinako died—!?"
"There's no way, but let's carry her to the infirmary just in case!"
◆
3:00 PM.
"For now, it seems there is nothing to worry about."
Looking at Hinako sleeping on the infirmary bed, Ms. Shizune spoke.
According to the doctor, she was in perfectly good health, so Shizune and I breathed a sigh of relief. The cold sweat that had been dripping down finally settled.
As her caretaker, it might be better for me to stay here, but...
"............Nhehe, Itsukiii..."
Hinako was fast asleep.
She seemed fine. She had been groaning at first, but now she was sleeping happily as usual. I wondered what she was dreaming about. It seemed I was appearing in it, though...
"The Young Lady always takes a nap at this time, so she will likely sleep for a while. Shall we both return to work?"
"Yes."
I knew Hinako took naps, so I agreed that was for the best.
"I am sure you understand, but... please keep my hobby strictly confidential."
"...I am well aware."
I nodded deeply to Shizune, who was warning me with a serious expression. I had no interest in exposing people's secrets.
"Oh, that's right."
"W-What is it? Surely you aren't going to say there's a condition...?"
"No, that's not it."
I immediately denied it to the bracing Shizune. To her, her cosplay hobby seemed to be a weakness significant enough to make her paranoid.
I simply remembered something I wanted to ask.
"Shizune-san, could I have you resume my self-defense lessons? I don't know if I'll be able to continue them once things get busy again, but..."
"It will indeed become busy once the election period begins."
She was quick on the uptake.
Becoming a consultant. Becoming a student council officer. Those goals were my top priorities, so self-defense lessons weren't that high on the list. Even so, if I stopped now, I felt like the body I had finally managed to train would grow dull.
"Actually, I have just the right proposal," Shizune said.
"Do you remember when you were about to be dismissed as the caretaker and you defeated the manor guards?"
"I wouldn't say 'defeated'... I don't remember going that far, but well."
That was when I had forced my way into the manor to see Hinako. Half a year had already passed since then.
"I told you that ever since then, the guards have been fired up and have been training even more seriously, didn't I? Recently, they requested to confirm the results of their training."
"Results?"
"It seems they want a revenge match."
"...Eh?"
"Itsuki-san. Would you mind doing some sparring with them?"
◆
4:00 PM.
In the Konohana family dojo, I was facing three guards.
"Osu! We look forward to working with you!!"
"L-Likewise..."
I bowed awkwardly at the loud voices of the burly men in gi.
I was the one who said I wanted to resume self-defense lessons, but I didn't think an actual battle would start so suddenly.
My opponents were the three Konohana family guards I had beaten half a year ago. The two who had been gatekeepers and the one who had been guarding the interior. Looking back, I really wasn't holding anything back then. That was just how much I wanted to see Hinako again.
"Itsuki-kun. Do you remember me?" one of the guards asked.
"Um, you're the gatekeeper, aren't you?"
"That's right."
"...Oh, but I haven't seen you much lately."
I knew from working at the manor for half a year that servants' stations were mostly fixed. This man should have been a gatekeeper, but despite that, I hadn't seen him recently.
To my question, the guard replied, "I was secluding myself in the mountains."
...Pardon?
"I was secluding myself in the mountains."
I shouldn't have asked.
"...I'm, uh, sorry about that."
"It's not your fault. If anything, thanks to you, I was able to realize my own weakness. I bowed my head to the Head Maid and have spent half a year training in the mountains. I'll have you experience my evolution."
When I glanced at Shizune, she was placing a hand on her forehead and sighing. It seemed she had given permission for the mountain seclusion, but was exasperated by it.
"That said, I heard from the Head Maid that you haven't been moving your body much lately. We were the ones who requested the revenge, but is it okay to have a match so suddenly?"
"For now, I've practiced with Shizune-san for about an hour to get my intuition back, so..."
As a warm-up, I had Shizune help me review self-defense. I could remember the techniques I had been taught for the most part, and my body was moving surprisingly well.
"...I think it should be fine."
When I said that, the two guards widened their eyes and then smiled defiantly.
"Hmph... this aura, it seems defeating us wasn't a fluke after all."
"He appears humble, but in truth, he is overflowing with fighting spirit. We fell for this before."
I feel like I'm being intensely misunderstood. When I said I was fine, I only meant "I'm fine to the extent that I won't get injured," not "I can handle you guys easily."
"Are both sides ready?"
I faced Guard A in the center of the dojo. Shizune, acting as the referee, looked at us.
The rules were simple. Attacks to vital points were prohibited. The victory condition was making the opponent surrender, or scoring an ippon based on Judo or Karate rules.
As Guard A and I took our stances, Shizune lowered her hand.
"First match—begin!"
As if saying the first strike wins, Guard A lunged at me. I retreated quickly, but he seemed to have read that movement and dove into my chest with a large step.
(Bad—!)
For me, who was aiming for a reset, that rapid approach was unexpected. My posture was poor right after retreating. The gatekeeper pushed me away with a palm strike.
Guard A immediately applied a ground technique. I tried to push him away, but I couldn't get out.
"G-Gi... Give up..."
"That's enough!"
When I tapped Guard A's back, Shizune announced the end of the match.
"I won! I wonnnnnnn!!"
"Uoooooh! Revenge achieved!!"
The guards were sharing their joy. As expected, the opponent was a professional. I couldn't stand a chance when they got serious.
But... what was this? Being rejoiced over so obviously...
(Phew...)
I quietly exhaled to cool my head.
"Itsuki-san, you make faces like that too," Shizune murmured, but I couldn't hear it well. I silently stared at the guards.
"Itsuki-san, would you like to take a break?"
"...No, I want to start right away."
Since I lost in an instant, I had plenty of energy. Besides, although I had cooled my head, I didn't want to cool the feeling burning in my chest.
"Alright! I'll go next!"
Guard B stood in the center of the dojo with high spirits. He had also been a gatekeeper. I stood in front of him and regulated my breathing.
"Second match—begin!"
Guard B closed the distance immediately. He must have read that taking the initiative would lead to victory.
(—Don't underestimate me.)
I slapped away the hand he extended.
He reached out with his right arm and left arm alternately, but I parried and deflected them all. He was trying to grab me at any cost.
Elbow, belt, collar... if he was using Jujutsu, the places to grab were limited. As long as I could predict where he was aiming, I could endure by matching the timing.
"Take this!!"
Guard B, showing his irritation, extended his arm.
I was waiting for that. I grabbed Guard B's straightly extended arm.
I was also fairly good at Jujutsu. The reason I had been deflecting his arms was to lower his guard. I grabbed the defenselessly extended arm and sharply twisted the joint outward.
"Ow ow ow ow!?"
In the opening when Guard B's posture collapsed, I applied an osoto-gari.
Thump! Guard B's back was slammed against the tatami.
"That's enough!"
Guard B hung his head on the spot.
"I-Impossible, I lost...!?"
"Techniques applied at a speed faster than the eye can follow, and complex, overlapping feints... and that man handled them coolly. Could it be that he surpasses our skill at that young age...!?"
The other guards were astonished. I knew that feints were mixed in. I couldn't explain it well... when I observed the opponent's face, I could somehow see through it. It was a similar sensation to when I looked at the face of a manager behind data during the Management Game.
"Itsuki-san, are you okay for a break?"
"...Sorry, I'll rest for just a bit."
I wiped the sweat from my forehead.
"Honestly, it was close. I barely won through the psychological game, but next time..."
"...The fact that you're winning against professionals is already quite strange, though," Shizune said, looking somewhat taken aback.
Guard B seemed to be taking his defeat hard and had to be carried to the edge of the dojo by the other guards.
"Then, let's start the final match."
I stood in the center of the dojo. In front of me stood Guard C.
"I am the one in charge of the manor's security," Guard C said. "I wonder if Itsuki-san even remembers me... My back, which you kicked, is still aching even now."
Guard C wore a defiant smile. But I stared straight back.
"...No, I remember you. You're the one who tackled me, right?"
He was the man who had mercilessly tackled me after I entered the manor. I avoided it by a hair's breadth and kicked him away, but if I had made one mistake, I would have lost. If that had happened, I wouldn't have reached Hinako.
"...We're both the same, aren't we?"
"...Fufu, that's right."
"Third match—begin!"
At the signal, Guard C and I stepped forward.
Merceless thrusts were unleashed, but I avoided them. Palm strikes, roundhouse kicks, hooks, straights. He unleashed various martial arts techniques.
Considering he had tackled me half a year ago, he likely still had cards hidden. It would be troublesome if those were submissions or throwing techniques, so it was hard to close the distance.
(—It seems his goal is to make me think that.)
He wanted me to keep my distance while he could continue attacking from a safe zone. He was likely expecting me to lose my posture.
Taking distance with footwork—I pretended to do so and stepped forward.
"!?"
Guard C widened his eyes but instantaneously raised his right knee. A good guard. I was planning to drive in a palm strike, but that knee didn't look like it would break. The distance was taken again.
"Fufufu..." Guard C laughed. "Shall I let you fall into despair first? I have a 50% win rate against the Head Maid."
At the point where a professional can only win 50% of the time, the question becomes just what kind of person Shizune is... but that was impressive.
However, Shizune spoke up.
"Itsuki-san is stronger than me."
"..................Yes?"
"In the sparring during the warm-up, he had a 60% win rate against me."
No, I think that was just by chance...
But certainly, compared to when I had just become the caretaker, I had become able to win a few times. I feel like I've become better at psychological games.
"Fu, fufufufu..." Guard C laughed. "S-Still... there is no way... I will lose..."
Cold sweat was forming on his forehead. He had received an unexpected counter and his spirit was shrinking.
Guard C closed in. Perhaps he was becoming half-desperate, as there were many openings. But his momentum was increasing. I couldn't fully parry a front kick, and I retreated while losing my posture.
"There—!!"
Guard C lunged for a tackle.
A tackle is a difficult technique. If you perform it poorly, you'll receive a counter with a knee. But seeing my posture collapse, he must have judged that he could close the distance at once.
However—.
(I lured you into that—!)
Losing my posture was a bluff.
Aiming for the moment Guard C came to take my torso, I covered his body from above. The next moment, I rolled backward and threw Guard C over my head.
"Gua!?"
Guard C's back was slammed onto the dojo tatami. It was a Judo technique called tawara-gaeshi.
"That's enough!"
Shizune announced the end of the match. While the guard stared up at the ceiling in a daze, the others clenched their fists in frustration.
(Two wins and one loss, huh...)
For me, who was prepared for a total defeat, it was a good result.
"...Itsuki-san," Shizune said. "To be honest... you are more suited to being a bodyguard than a consultant."
"..."
"Of course you have talent as a consultant... but regarding being a bodyguard, it seems you have the talent to reach the top of the world."
"...Please stop."
You'll make me waver...
◆
7:00 PM.
After the matches, I went back to my duties. It was soon dinner time. Hinako, who had completely woken up by then, headed to the dining hall with me.
"Say 'ahhh'."
I fed the carpaccio to Hinako, who was sitting next to me. Today's dinner was Italian.
"Is it good?"
"Mm... it's delicious."
As her caretaker, I take my meals in the Konohana dining hall while I'm with Hinako. Usually, I would eat the menu intended for servants, but while I'm with Hinako, I can eat the same thing as her.
At first, I felt guilty, but these meals lead to learning etiquette. Since I appear at Kikou Academy and in social circles, I have many opportunities to demonstrate etiquette in public. These meals are rehearsals for that.
Well... at the point where I'm feeding Hinako, the etiquette is already destroyed. I adjusted the orientation of my own cutlery.
"...By the way, Itsuki."
"What is it?"
"Do you know if anything... happened at noon today?"
I dropped the fork I was holding onto the table.
"I'm sure I went to Shizune's room... but my memory after that is fuzzy."
"I-Is that so? But I don't know anything~..."
"Hmm... I feel like something happened..."
"Y-You're just imagining things, aren't you? You're always napping then, right? There's a possibility you were just seeing a dream."
Conveniently, Hinako had forgotten that I was in Shizune's room. However, her memory hadn't completely disappeared. I wouldn't let her remember—.
"L-Look, Hinako! The next dish is here! Say 'ahhh'!"
"Mm..."
A soup-filled minestrone arrived. Hinako's face relaxed.
"As usual, you two are close."
Suddenly, a voice called out from behind. Turning around, I almost sprayed my soup.
"Ah... Papa."
"Kagon-sama—!?"
It had been a while since I'd seen him.
"Shizune. I will eat here today too."
"Understood. I will prepare the food immediately."
Kegon sat in front of me.
"What's wrong, Itsuki-kun? You should eat with my daughter as usual, just as usual."
He spoke with a gentle smile, but his eyes weren't smiling.
"Itsuki... next, I want to eat this..."
Hinako pointed to the pasta.
I beg of you... Hinako............ Just for now, eat by yourself...!
◆
Tense, we finished dinner. Hinako began to look drowsy.
"Hinako, are you sleepy?"
"Mmm..."
She had been looking sleepy since the tiramisu. I thought I should carry her to her room, when...
"Shizune, take Hinako to her room."
"As you wish."
As Shizune tried to take Hinako away, she looked at me.
"Itsuki, come with me..."
"Itsuki-kun and I have something to talk about."
Kegon's words made Hinako let out a small pout, but she disappeared down the hallway with Shizune.
With Shizune gone, it was just Kegon and me. He was still eating his pasta, and only the small clinking of dishes echoed. His superior etiquette was beautiful to look at.
"Now that I think about it, you've had those eyes from the beginning," Kegon said. "Eyes that honestly respect others and look to emulate them. It's no wonder you're quick to learn. Your etiquette has improved considerably, hasn't it?"
"...Thank you."
In the solemn atmosphere, I didn't know how to react.
"Maybe because you've been through so many situations, you don't even look nervous."
"...No, I am nervous."
When I answered honestly, Kegon rounded his eyes and then laughed lightly.
"...It doesn't go quite like Takuma, then."
What did he mean? But if the person sitting in front of me wasn't Kegon but Takuma-san... he surely would have seen through me in an instant.
"I'm truly glad I didn't fire you," Kegon said, scooping some tiramisu. "I'm wondering if I should say that so easily. Since you came, Hinako has started to show expressions she never had before. As a father, that is something I should welcome. But, I am the chairman of the Konohana Group. To be honest, looking at Hinako recently makes me anxious."
"For you, is Hinako changing for the worse?"
"It's troubling because I can't say that across the board. There are times when I feel she is more immature than I thought, but recently, more than that, I am surprised by her unexpected growth. It seems she is easily handling the study assignments I give every month too. She herself is pretending it's the limit, perhaps so I won't increase the assignments."
Hinako, were you doing something like that...?
"However, not being able to honestly rejoice at that unexpectedness is my position. If Hinako becomes uncontrollable like this, I might not be able to raise her into a human being suitable for the Konohana Group. In terms of ease of handling the reins alone, it was overwhelmingly easier when you weren't here."
I felt that an apology was not being sought, so I didn't apologize.
Kegon was just wavering. Seeing Hinako's recent changes, he was confused. He was exposing an ordinary, human worry. Perhaps because the trigger for that change was me, he confided in me.
"...I don't know what kind of hardships you've been through, Kagon-sama."
"But I think it's not too late to be released from that position."
Previously, Kegon had said that he prioritized the house over his daughter. That he was also a gear of the Konohana family.
"Returning from a gear of the Konohana family to just a father... it's still not too late."
Kegon widened his eyes.
"...You've started to step in, haven't you?"
"Because I've experienced many problems that couldn't be helped unless I stepped in."
The past half year has been an intensely dense time for me. Kegon was likely one of those with problems.
"If there is anything I can do..."
"—It's still too early."
Kegon said clearly. "It's different from the Management Game. For you to step into the Konohana family—it's still too early."
The distance was clearly taken. I've lived with the family for half a year, but I might not know anything about them at all yet.
"...If you can get into the Kikou Academy Student Council, I'll think about it."
I involuntarily widened my eyes. That was a statement Kegon would never have said before. This person is also looking at me. He is acknowledging my changes too.
"...Understood."
I hardened my resolve. Get into the student council and become more deeply involved.
"Excuse me during your meal."
Shizune returned. "Kagon-sama, there was a request from the Young Lady to go out tomorrow. It seems there was an invitation to a study session from Mirei Tennoji-sama."
"Have it here," Kegon said. "They visited there before, didn't they? It would be good to invite them here once in a while."
◆
Sunday.
Tennoji-san came to the manor.
"We have been waiting for you, Tennoji-sama."
"Yes!"
Tennoji-san puffed out her chest with a very cheerful look.
"I—have come!"
The participants in today's study session were only three: Tennoji-san, Hinako, and me.
"Welcome, Tennoji-san."
"Fufufu... Hinako Konohana, we shall make today a meaningful day!"
At the entrance, Hinako and Tennoji-san met. Then Tennoji-san looked at me.
"...You really are living together."
She gave a wry laugh. Seeing me naturally in the manor like this, she seemed to have second thoughts.
"Then, Tennoji-sama. I will guide you."
Tennoji-san darted her gaze around. "S-So this is Hinako Konohana's home... As expected, only first-rate things are gathered here..."
"...By the way, this is the villa."
"The villa!?"
I whispered that to supplement, and Tennoji-san was astonished.
"Where am I being guided to now?"
"One of the guest rooms."
"Is Hinako Konohana's room not acceptable?"
"...I am terribly sorry. The Young Lady's room is currently undergoing renovations," Shizune said.
In reality, we just couldn't let her in because it would expose her true nature.
"Then, how about Tomonari-san's room?"
Shizune glanced at me.
"I don't mind particularly, but wouldn't a more proper room be better?"
"Oh, I'm bored with studying in that 'proper room' you're imagining. Since it's a rare opportunity, it's not bad to change the mood."
"Then, shall we go to my room?"
I hadn't prepared for guests, but there was a table the three of us could use.
"Then, I will go prepare some drinks."
Shizune tried to leave, but Hinako spoke up.
"Shizune, I'll help too. Since Tennoji-san is usually friendly with me, I want to brew it."
"H-Hinako Konohana...!!"
Tennoji-san was deeply moved. Tears were welling in the corners of her eyes. Recently, brewing black tea had been becoming Hinako's hobby. It was likely one of the changes Kegon mentioned.
Since Shizune and Hinako headed to the kitchen, I guided Tennoji-san.
"This is my room."
Tennoji-san took a quick look at the interior.
"As expected, it's beautiful compared to the room you showed me during summer vacation."
"Well, even though this is a servant's room, it's part of the Konohana family manor after all."
"Itsuki-san."
The signal. We're alone now.
"What is it?"
"Fufu, I just wanted to call your name. I was wondering what I would do if you had forgotten the signal."
"It's been a while since we've talked alone like this."
"Has it? We went out together during the Management Game..."
"That was already half a month ago."
Was it that long ago...?
"It's being alone for the first time in half a month. Moreover, in Itsuki-san's room..."
Tennoji-san's cheeks flushed.
"...In Itsuki-san's room... alone together............"
"...Oh?" Suddenly, she looked at her feet. "............Two pairs of slippers?"
Cold sweat broke out. What she was looking at were two pairs of slippers. One pair was clearly for a woman and was quite cute. They were Hinako's.
Tennoji-san then moved her gaze to the bed. "A woman's... blanket..................?"
Of course, that was also Hinako's.
This was bad. I had to distract her.
"O-Oh, that's right! How much of the Self-Interview Report have you written!?"
I forcibly changed the subject. Tennoji-san opened her bag.
"It's mostly filled. It's like this."
She had brought her report. I was shown the content.
—7:00 AM, Wake up!! —Drink early morning tea!!
The writing was flashy too. It seemed she drank tea and then went for a walk in the garden.
"How is it!? My elegant day!?"
"Um... it's full of spirit."
"Right, right!"
"By any chance, Tennoji-san, do you write like this even for your usual submissions?"
"Yes! I try to make it as flashy as possible!"
Are you serious...?
"I know what Itsuki-san wants to say, you know? But I think this is also a technique to catch people's eyes."
"Even if you don't do that, I think you catch everyone's eyes, Tennoji-san."
Tennoji-san suddenly went silent. Her cheeks were flushed.
"I-Is that so...?"
"Yeah."
"In your..." she looked at me and said. "In your eyes too, do I catch them?"
She asked nervously. But the answer was already decided in my mind.
"Of course."
When I answered clearly, Tennoji-san puffed out her cheeks.
"Muu~"
"W-What is it?"
"What you just said wasn't a question that could be answered so easily!"
"Itsuki-san, is your report already finished?"
"No, I intend to fill it out tonight."
"Miyakojima-san might also be writing her report right about now," Tennoji-san said in a small voice.
"As expected, are you concerned?"
"Of course. We are rivals aiming for Student Council President together."
Tennoji-san had always regarded Hinako as her rival. But in this upcoming election, Narika was her rival.
"Itsuki-san," Tennoji-san looked at me with a solemn expression. "Itsuki-san, whose side are you—"
"—Excuse me."
The door opened and Shizune came in. "Itsuki-san. The Young Lady is looking for black tea leaves..."
"Tea leaves? I'm sure they were in the back of the shelf..."
I feigned composure. To be honest, I was saved by Shizune coming.
"...They're in a bit of a complicated place, so I'll go."
"Tennoji-san, I'm sorry. I'll step out for a bit."
"Yes, I'll be waiting leisurely."
Tennoji-san smiled softly.
◇
After Itsuki and the others left the room.
Mirei let out a small sigh.
(I wanted him to say he was on my side... but not saying that is what's good about Itsuki-san.)
She had come to like his sincerity.
(Now then...)
Mirei looked around the room. She was alone. So she—boldly expressed her current feelings.
(As planned, I've managed to enter Itsuki-san's room—!)
She made a strong fist pump. From the moment it was decided that the study session would be at the manor, Mirei had planned to enter Itsuki's room.
(If you want to know about the person you love, you must see their private space. That's what it said in the book!)
It was something written in her favorite book, Gender Relations for Dummies.
She immediately observed the room.
(Itsuki-san studies here...)
Not a single speck of dust.
(Is he studying like this?)
She sat down on the chair.
(When he's tired... he rests like this...)
She stood up and sat down on the carpet.
Does he always sleep like this here...?
When she took a quiet breath, it was full of scents that weren't her own.
(I-Itsuki-san's scent.............................. No, wait, isn't this Hinako Konohana's scent?)
Thinking there was no way, Mirei buried her face in the covers and checked the scent.
...There was no mistake.
This was the scent of Hinako Konohana.