It was already eight in the evening when Sakurai Saki returned home from the Nakano residence.
Today's tutoring session had been quite pleasant. Everything went according to his expectations—except for Yotsuba suddenly barging in at the very end. Still, he managed to conduct a baseline assessment of each sister, noting their learning habits and weaknesses.
Dinner, as expected, had been prepared by him. Ichika admitted she wasn't good at cooking, Yotsuba much preferred eating over making food, and as for Miku… Sakurai Saki would never again let her near a kitchen stove. He had already experienced her cooking during last year's cooking class. That dish—if it could even be called that—was a lethal concoction. One bite could send you straight to the hospital for a stomach pump.
This wasn't exaggeration. A boy in their group last year had eaten her curry and ended up lying in the infirmary for an entire afternoon. Luckily, he had been the first to taste it; otherwise, Sakurai Saki himself might have been the victim.
Since then, whenever he was paired with Miku in cooking class, he took full control of seasoning and cooking, relegating her only to washing and chopping vegetables. No one complained—after all, Sakurai Saki's cooking was genuinely delicious. Just earlier at the Nakano household, his food had earned unanimous praise. Yotsuba even went back for several extra bowls of rice.
At one point, though, he had asked a rather impolite question:
"You all look similar on the outside… are your weights also the same?"
Without hesitation, Yotsuba declared, "Yes! Our weights are all the same!"
Sakurai Saki could only tentatively believe her. After all, girls often said things like, 'Sweets don't count, they go into a different stomach.' Did anyone really believe that?
When he finally stepped into the entryway of his small bachelor apartment, he stretched. Tutoring had left him tired, but in a good way. He had managed to study while teaching, and his mysterious "superpower" hadn't shown any side effects today. He felt so healthy that even a doctor would find nothing wrong.
'Just keep tutoring, then surpass Kaguya Shinomiya…' The plan felt perfect.
When he worked as a rental boyfriend, he couldn't study properly. His previous part-time jobs had drained his time and energy too. But now, tutoring not only allowed him to study, it gave him a stage to compete academically—and internally—to death with Kaguya Shinomiya. His long-premeditated plan was finally in motion.
Kaguya Shinomiya, however, had never seemed fully convinced by him. He blamed this on their grades. Since Shirogane Miyuki consistently scored above her, Kaguya rarely gave him a hard time. Their cold war last year had been a rare exception, back when the Student Council had just changed members.
At that time, Sakurai Saki hadn't even joined yet. He was only inducted in early October, after the Student Council elections. Back then, he mostly spoke with Fujiwara Chika, who eagerly included him, and with Shirogane Miyuki. His relationship with Kaguya Shinomiya was… mutual non-interference.
It wasn't until Christmas that they exchanged a few words, and even then, it was brief. But starting this semester, her expression had softened noticeably. Perhaps that was what Shirogane Miyuki had wanted to see.
Shirogane admired her. He once told Sakurai Saki, "I want to be like her—doing the things others won't, helping people." But later, his words shifted: he wanted to change Kaguya Shinomiya.
"Isn't it better to act on your own ideals, not just for profit?" Sakurai Saki murmured to himself now.
Kaguya Shinomiya was still far from being just a "normal girl," but compared to a year ago… she had grown so much. So much that looking back, you couldn't even see the end of the road she had left behind.
After showering, Sakurai Saki settled onto the sofa in his living room with a light novel. He had a habit of reading before bed—it helped him relax.
'Tomorrow… I need to find Yotsuba. And then…'
His thoughts shifted. Ishigami Yu can't be let go either.
That guy was always saying he was useless. Sakurai Saki wanted him to see that there were people far worse than him!
Still… could he even compare the Nakano sisters with Ishigami Yu when it came to sheer cluelessness?
Sakurai Saki doubted it. Ishigami's life was just too rough. He had never tasted success, only failure after failure. That, perhaps, was why he had grown so decadent.
Although people always strive upward and water always flows downward, sometimes simply seeing someone weaker than yourself can be its own form of encouragement.
'If I use Ishigami Yu as a comparison,' Sakurai Saki thought, 'maybe I can stimulate the Nakano sisters' motivation to study.'
As long as it doesn't turn into them arguing, of course.
After finishing one volume of his light novel, Sakurai Saki stretched, then lay down. Sleep took him quickly, and for once, he drifted off in peace.
Tuesday.
For Hayasaka Ai, the morning was anything but peaceful.
She was tired. No—super tired. Her legs still felt weak whenever she remembered Sakurai Saki's confession yesterday.
When she had run out of the school gates yesterday, she hadn't even been aware of where she was going. Only later, when Kaguya told her, did she realize she had run all the way back to the Shinomiya estate… without stopping even once.
The shame was unbearable.
Knowing this, Hayasaka could hardly face Kaguya Shinomiya at all. When Kaguya asked why she was acting so strangely, Hayasaka had stammered, unable to answer. Kaguya had simply assumed her maid was sulking because their plan had failed, and didn't press further.
But last night, as Hayasaka lay in bed, she could only see his face. Sakurai Saki's face.
And so she didn't sleep. Not even a wink.
When the clock struck 5:30 the next morning, Hayasaka Ai dragged herself into the bathroom for a shower. The mirror reflected a girl with heavy, dreadful dark circles.
No amount of foundation could hide them.
Thinking about him so much that I lost an entire night's sleep… and now I have dark circles? Hayasaka buried her face in her hands. What if Sakurai Saki notices? What am I supposed to say? That I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking of him? That's too shameful!
She almost wanted to beg for leave.
But as Kaguya Shinomiya's attendant, her presence at school was mandatory. She was responsible for Kaguya's safety, her image, her every need. She couldn't just abandon her duties because of something like… this.
Besides, it wasn't as if she could hand in a medical note saying, "Reason: lovesick."
"To end up like this… just because someone confessed to me…" She slapped her own cheeks lightly, trying to shake the thoughts away.
How much do you even like him, Ai? Get a grip! You've had plenty of boys confess before. It's just Sakurai Saki. That's all. Just Sakurai Saki…
Yet even as she told herself this, her fingers reached instinctively for her concealer. She spent extra time applying makeup around her eyes, desperate to soften the shadows beneath them.
Once her face was at least somewhat presentable, she headed to prepare breakfast and attend to Kaguya's morning routine.
'I really do want to resign sometimes…' Hayasaka sighed inwardly. She thought about quitting at least ten times a day. And yet—she couldn't leave. Kaguya had no one else she could rely on.
To Hayasaka, Kaguya was more than a mistress—she was like a younger sister. That was why she spoiled her so much, no matter how unreasonable her requests were. If Kaguya asked her to pluck a star from the sky, Hayasaka would at least consider how to do it.
After all, this was a girl who had never known real affection. And as the "older sister," it was Hayasaka's job to dote on her.
At seven o'clock sharp, Hayasaka Ai entered Kaguya's room to wake her.
She helped her out of bed, assisted with her change of clothes, and thought the morning might pass quietly.
But halfway through, Kaguya suddenly spoke in a light, sing-song voice:
"Hayasaka Ai~ I want to go to karaoke today. Can I invite Sakurai from General Affairs and the others?"
Hayasaka froze.
"…"
Her hands trembled. Her face twitched.
Can I throw this sister away right now?
... patreon Rene_chan