Nishimiya Yuzuru's shimmering violet eyes stared fixedly at Sato for a long while. Finally, she let out a soft snort through her nose before sitting back down on the tatami, facing toward Sato's room. She picked up the orange juice with ice cubes in it and gazed at the distant sky.
"Onii-chan..."
Izumi Sagiri called out softly from behind.
Sato looked toward her and found the cute girl carefully glancing at Nishimiya Yuzuru, who had her back turned toward them. She then moved closer to him and whispered into his ear, "Why is this onee-chan here with you?"
The girl's delicate, soft whisper lingered beside his ear, accompanied by waves of warm, moist breath that made it difficult not to let one's thoughts wander.
"Her..."
Sato glanced at Nishimiya Yuzuru's seemingly aloof back and likewise spoke in a low voice. "Her grades are too poor, so I'm tutoring her."
Only then did Izumi Sagiri notice the homework on the table.
Soon, she realized that the two of them were sitting far too close to each other. A crystalline flush suddenly flashed across her earlobe, and she shyly took a step backward.
Sato noticed this and froze for a moment before laughing.
"By the way, speaking of which, how are your grades, Sagiri? If I remember correctly, you barely went to school at all during your first year of middle school. Have you been able to keep up with your studies now?"
Izumi Sagiri answered in a soft voice, "I ranked seventh in my grade in the final exams."
"Seventh in your grade? That's not bad... Hmm?!"
Sato suddenly realized what she had said and looked at the timid girl with a flash of surprise in his eyes.
If he remembered correctly, Izumi Sagiri had basically stayed at home throughout her first year of middle school. It was only after being persuaded by Aunt Izumi that she went back to school for half a semester. And yet she had actually managed to get such an excellent result, ranking seventh in her grade?
Sagiri was actually this talented academically too?!
"What have you two been whispering about this whole time?"
Nishimiya Yuzuru, sitting on the tatami, suddenly turned around impatiently and looked at the two of them, speaking without the slightest courtesy. "You're muttering like a couple of mosquitoes!"
Sato looked at her with a somewhat complicated expression. "I think you'd be better off not knowing."
Nishimiya Yuzuru furrowed her brows. "Why?"
Why?
Because I'm afraid it'll damage your self-confidence!
Sato silently said this to himself before turning to Izumi Sagiri and saying, "I'll probably take some time to carefully choose the illustrations. Do you want something to drink? I have barley tea, orange juice, cola..."
---
The cherry blossoms in the courtyard had withered, replaced by a tree full of fresh green leaves.
Time had unknowingly brought them close to Golden Week once again. It was also a rare long holiday.
Private Mixed High School, Light Music Club.
Ritsu lay sprawled across the table and let out a listless sigh. "It's so boring if we don't go out together during Golden Week!"
"Yeah, yeah!"
Yui likewise lay on the table and agreed with her.
Sato glanced at the two of them from his seat and said indifferently, "Even if I don't go, you guys can still go together, can't you? There are five of you, after all."
"Slap!"
Ritsu suddenly slapped the table and put on the imposing air of a club president before declaring righteously, "How could we do that! Our Light Music Club is a collective. If we're going somewhere, of course we should all go together!"
"Ritsu is usually a little unreliable, but she's absolutely right about this."
Mio agreed wholeheartedly. She took a light sip of her coffee before nodding.
There was even a hint of delight between her brows.
Afternoon tea had finally been switched to coffee today. Truly a cause for celebration!
"What do you mean! I've always been reliable!"
Ritsu looked at Mio indignantly. The long, straight-haired girl merely looked at her with a gentle smile.
Just how much mockery that smile contained was anyone's guess.
Knowing that she couldn't shake Mio, Ritsu immediately shifted her target. She looked pitifully at Sato and said, "Golden Week is an entire week long, you know. Sato, there's no way you're busy for the entire Golden Week, right?"
"Let me think."
Sato fell into thought.
First, he needed to go to the company and take a look around, while also finding out how the game's release was going. Then, on the novel side, he needed to start writing the contents of the next volume. Machida Sonoko had also mentioned that there was a gathering of authors he needed to attend. After that, he needed to go check on Kosaka Honoka's situation. Finally, he had to spend some time with Fujinomiya Konomi.
His schedule for Golden Week really did seem to be packed from beginning to end.
After thinking for a long while, Sato finally shook his head. "I really can't. I'm going to be busy throughout the entire Golden Week."
Ritsu naturally didn't believe him. She looked at him suspiciously. "How could you possibly be that busy? You don't even have a girlfriend!"
Sato gave her a sidelong glance. "Who says I don't?"
Huh?!
In an instant, countless pairs of eyes in the clubroom turned toward him, all filled with disbelief and astonishment.
Mio instinctively tightened her grip.
Even people from the Service Club not far away turned their gazes over, their eyes deep and slightly contemplative.
"Who? Nishimiya? Isshiki? Or that new transfer student, Yuuki?"
Ritsu stared at Sato in shock.
Sato felt that discussing this topic was making things a little embarrassing, so he gave an evasive answer. "What does that have to do with you?"
"How does it have nothing to do with me!"
Ritsu's voice rose considerably as she said loudly, "You're a member of the Light Music Club! Isn't caring about the happiness of our members' romantic lives something a club president should do?!"
Sato stared expressionlessly at Ritsu. "Why don't you put that strong sense of responsibility to better use?"
"Senpai really has a girlfriend?"
Nakano Azusa blinked her adorable black eyes as she looked at Sato.
Sato immediately smiled and teased Nakano Azusa. "What? Are you disappointed?"
In an instant, Nakano Azusa's face turned bright red.
She looked at Sato with embarrassment and indignation, lifting her adorable little face as she said, "Senpai, please be serious!"
Yui suddenly rushed over, hugged Nakano Azusa tightly, and pouted at Sato. "Azunyan is mine!"
"Yui-senpai!"
The adorable junior struggled desperately.
However, everyone seemed not to believe Sato's claim very much. Ritsu stared at Sato and said, "You can't possibly spend the entire week being lovey-dovey with your girlfriend!"
"That isn't necessarily the case!"
Sato rubbed his chin and thought about it.
Ritsu rolled her eyes and asked again, "Then what else do you have planned?"
"The other things? A school idol development project, and writing..."
"Wait! What development project?!"
Everyone immediately latched onto the unfamiliar term.