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After P.E. class, it was time for the most enjoyable part of the day—club activities.
But right now, Yukinoshita Yukino was still lying in a hospital bed.
And since the Service Club she founded had only ever had one gorgeous girl in it—herself—it basically didn't exist anymore.
So Andrew went back to being a proud member of the "Go Home Club."
Same as yesterday, he and Shiina Mahiru left the classroom one after the other.
Once they were away from any classmates, they hopped on the train home together.
Unlike yesterday, the train was running normally today—no crazy mob of office workers cramming in.
So Andrew didn't even get the chance to "protect" Mahiru like before.
They didn't talk much on the way, and when they got back, they each went to their own rooms.
Andrew sat down in his chair, pulled out his laptop, and got back to writing.
For the sake of that sweet, sweet cash, he decided not to bother the little angel Mahiru tonight.
He couldn't keep picking on her forever.
She needed a breather—a bit of space to calm down.
He had to admit it…
Things between him and Shiina Mahiru had moved way too fast.
They'd only known each other a few days, and he'd already scored three times.
No way a girl wouldn't be feeling at least a little hurt or conflicted inside.
So tonight, he figured he'd work overtime and finish the entire first volume of his light novel.
About an hour in, Andrew stretched and yawned.
His stomach was growling.
For a second, he thought about heading over to Mahiru's place for a free meal.
But then something hit him.
Shiina Mahiru was only living alone because she'd finally stood up to her parents.
That truth they dropped on her must've cut deep. She probably didn't even want to live off their money anymore.
If it were him in her shoes, he'd probably be thinking about earning his own money too—paying back their "kindness" with cash, just to be done with it.
After all, if your parents think you're just a burden, there's no reason to keep living under their roof or off their wallet.
And until she figures out how to make her own money, she's definitely going to be super frugal.
If he kept mooching food off her, that'd just put more financial pressure on her.
So yeah, time to start making serious money ASAP.
With the image of Mahiru curled up in his arms flashing through his mind—those big, sad, hurt-animal eyes—Andrew decided not to go bother her for food.
It was still early. He might as well go stock up the fridge.
And hey, if he pretended to be sick later, maybe Mahiru would offer to come over and cook for him?
Kinda shady?
Sure.
But Andrew was a devil, after all. As long as he got what he wanted, what was the problem?
Once he made up his mind, he grabbed his wallet and headed out toward the nearest convenience store.
Meanwhile, over at Shiina Mahiru's place—
Turns out, Andrew's guess wasn't wrong.
Mahiru was currently staring at the balance in her bank account and sighing.
Even though her parents had never really cared about her, it still hurt deep down.
But at the same time, she was grateful.
No matter how much they resented her for being a child that was never supposed to be born…
They did raise her, didn't they?
Thanks to Auntie Koyuki, the maid who took care of her, she'd never gone hungry or cold. Her childhood was comfortable.
And that was a kind of luck too, wasn't it?
Still, Mahiru had made up her mind—she was going to cut ties with her parents for good.
She didn't want to live with people who didn't love her. She didn't want any more connections to them.
That meant she had to stand on her own two feet, figure out a way to repay that so-called kindness.
But no matter how capable she was, she was still just a high schooler. What could she really do?
If she didn't want to rely on their money anymore, she'd have to get a job.
Thinking of that annoying guy next door who said he liked her, Mahiru touched her flushed cheeks, tied her long golden hair into a high ponytail…
Then put on her apron and started cooking.
Almost without thinking about it, she made an extra serving again.
Whether it was for her own pride… or for him, she had to try working part-time.
Back at the convenience store—
Andrew had no idea Mahiru had made him another burger.
He was too busy hunting for discounted stuff.
He didn't have much cash on him, so he had to go cheap wherever he could.
He spotted a shelf with coconut milk that was limited to one per customer and sighed.
"Why do they have to be so cruel with the limits?" he grumbled, grabbing one anyway.
In a way, he and Shiina Mahiru were actually pretty similar.
Once they decided to care about someone, they'd go all in and start thinking about that person first.
The rarest thing in this world is someone who truly puts themselves in other people's shoes—who thinks about family before themselves.
With the groceries in hand, Andrew looked down at his now-flat frog-shaped wallet and let out a deep sigh.
"Man… I'm really not much of a proper devil, am I?"
What kind of devil plays by the rules and busts his ass to make money?
Chuckling at himself, Andrew relaxed.
He was the type to be easily satisfied. Sure, he was greedy when it came to cute girls, but he wasn't the type to mentally drain himself for no reason.
As he walked past a dark alleyway—
He saw a petite girl with glasses surrounded by three sketchy-looking guys.
Were they trying to rob her?
Seriously? Stuff like this still happens?
Guess trash exists no matter where you are.
Andrew put his grocery bag down, quietly listening and getting closer to the scene.
Actually… that glasses girl looked kinda familiar.
"..."
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