Once I’d finished giving Tanaka the full rundown, I hung up the call and stared at the photo that had been used to blackmail me.
"Now, what should I do with this?"
It was a picture of Rui and me together.
I’d managed to reclaim it from Himesaki, but I wasn't entirely sure how to handle it. Even though it had served as a tool for extortion, it still featured the two of us... tearing it up and tossing it in the trash felt almost wrong.
Besides, if things continued on their current trajectory, Rui was destined for stardom. Someday, I might actually be able to use this photo to brag to people.
"I might as well stick it in a frame and put it on display. It doesn't hurt to decorate with something like this once in a while."
Having made up my mind, I grabbed a photo frame that usually held a bonus illustration card from my favorite manga and swapped the card out for the photo.
"Wow, it actually looks surprisingly decent."
The blue frame complemented the photo of Rui and me perfectly. The image of me bowing my head in a desperate plea while Rui smiled and accepted it looked like a scene straight out of a bittersweet coming-of-age story.
My room usually reeked of otaku culture, overflowing with anime merch, but just having that photo there added a faint, refreshing scent of youth. It was more fragrant than any room freshener could ever be.
This was the kind of picture I’d love to show off to my older sister, who was still every bit as much of a Loner in university as she’d been in high school... except...
"Wait a minute. Speaking of my sister, lately, people like Tanaka and Rui have been barging into my room whenever they feel like it."
It would be one thing if Tanaka found it, since she already knew the circumstances, but things would definitely get ugly if Rui saw it. If she grilled me on who had taken the picture, I wouldn't have a clue how to answer.
"...I-It can't be helped. I won't throw it away, but I'd better keep it out of sight."
I slid the original illustration card back into the frame, layering it over the photo to hide it. Given the mess Himesaki had dragged me into, I realized I hadn't been nearly cautious enough lately. Better safe than sorry.
"Phew... I'm exhausted from overthinking everything. I should probably get some sleep."
And just like that, my chaotic day finally came to an end.
☆☆
The day after I officially became Himesaki’s dog.
"So, my life of being at Nozomi Himesaki's beck and call starts today..."
With a tiny spark of expectation and a massive amount of anxiety swirling inside me, I headed to school.
Himesaki had mentioned yesterday that she would mostly send her orders via LIME. For now, all I could do was wait for the chime.
"Good morning, Ryouta!"
"Morning, Ryouta."
While I was staring at my phone, waiting for Himesaki to summon me, Airi and Yuria arrived.
"O-Oh, morning, you two."
"Hmm? Ryouta, why are you staring so intently at your phone?"
Damn. I couldn't let them find out I’d become a junior’s lapdog. I had to play it cool.
"I-I'm just waiting for my stamina to recover in a mobile game! It'll hit enough to start a quest in two minutes!"
I quickly pulled up the game and showed it to them as a distraction.
"Hmph. I don't really get it, but whatever."
I wondered just who the hell 'YURI4' was—the level 800 top-tier player sitting right there in my friend list.
"Heh, a mobile game, huh? I'd love to try playing one if I had the time," Airi said.
"If you had the time? What’s that supposed to mean, Airi? Are you saying you’re too busy with your boyfriend?"
"Boyfriend...? A-Ah, right! I'm super busy with my boyfriend! Ahaha!"
It was a miracle her lie hadn't been exposed yet. Well, Yuria had seemed suspicious before, but she probably didn't feel like digging too deep.
"Honestly, this is why happy people are... man. I want a boyfriend too."
"Wait, Yuria, you want a boyfriend? You're way more popular than me, you could get one in a heartbeat!"
"I wonder."
As she talked to Airi, Yuria cast a subtle, sidelong glance toward me.
Why was she looking at me like that? Don't tell me... she’d realized I was hiding something.
"Hm? Hey, Ryouta, looks like you just got a LIME notification."
"Huh?"
I’d been so distracted by Yuria that I hadn’t even noticed the buzz until she pointed it out. Needless to say, it was from her—Himesaki.
The message contained no greeting or preamble. It simply read: 'Meet on the rooftop.'
It was the kind of blunt text a pissed-off coach would send to their team. What happened to all those heart emojis she used to tack onto the end of every sentence until yesterday?!
"Is it from Rui?"
"Ah, no, it's... it's from Tanaka! I've gotta go!"
"Wait, what?"
Leaving them behind, I hurried toward the rooftop.