"Aw, what a shame. I thought I might be gaining another cute girlfriend."
"Since Segawa-san refused, how about you, Goshoin-senpai?"
Hayashi Maki immediately switched targets, ignoring Ako's pouting lips.
Kyoh Goshoin brushed her hair back and answered matter-of-factly: "If Innocent-kun can actually make my heart flutter, it's not impossible. But if you want to date me, you'll have to convince my family."
"Bold question: what's your family situation? The very rich kind?"
Hayashi Maki asked, curious.
Kyoh waved a hand, modestly: "Not that rich. My family just owns a few schools and companies, that's all. We're not some storied noble house—just modest assets."
"At the very least, nowhere near the ojou-sama who casually tipped you 20 million."
Akane couldn't help snarking: "That's already the level of a zaibatsu heiress! I think I get why you don't have friends—there just aren't enough ojou-samas at our school."
"You should transfer to Hakuo Academy—plenty of heiresses there, and easier to make friends."
Kyoh shook her head sharply. "No way. Hakuo already has a very capable Student Council President. If I went there and got outshone, my family wouldn't like it."
Akane thought that over; it made sense. At their school, Kyoh's father was a board chairman; being president at their own school was much more convenient.
"Uuu… Innocent Hubby, how could you? Flirting with the president and Schwi-chan right in front of Ako!"
Ako's eyes were teary again.
Hayashi Maki stroked her hair helplessly. "I'm kidding. I'm just trying to help us all be friends longer."
"I think you're serious, Scumbag-san!" Akane folded her arms and shot back.
Kyoh only smiled. She didn't mind this sort of joke—this is the kind of teasing and banter only friends share. She'd long hoped for this—friends to chat with, to rip on each other. Today it finally happened, and her new friends were fun. She was in high spirits.
Hayashi Maki spread his hands. "Even if I am serious, didn't Segawa-san already turn me down? You're very practiced at rejecting boys. How many confessions have you turned down?"
Blushing, Akane tilted her chin tsun-derely.
"Dunno. Lost count. Dozens, probably."
Hayashi Maki glanced at her petite, flat figure.
"Guess all those boys are lolicons."
"W-who's a loli?! I'm just a bit small now—I'll grow!"
She glared, then couldn't help eyeing Kyoh and Ako's figures— a wave of defeat washed over her. To cover the awkwardness, she coughed twice and turned to Kyoh:
"What about you, President? You're so pretty, with a great figure. I don't believe no boys have confessed to you."
Kyoh lifted her hands helplessly. "At first they did, but my family's strict. After one boy who handed me a love letter got 'disciplined,' I stopped having anyone around."
Akane gaped. "They discipline boys for confessing? What do your folks do?!"
Kyoh waved it off calmly. "Just run a handful of schools and companies."
Hayashi Maki, meanwhile, had a thoughtful look. Everything about Kyoh screamed mob-family princess… or maybe arms dealing? Just a guess—and nothing he feared. Maybe find time to flirt with this ojou-sama?
Akane still looked dubious, but dropped it and turned to Hayashi Maki:
"Innocent scumbag, how many girlfriends do you have anyway?"
"Mm, how many? Let me count…"
He started on his fingers. Ako's eyes brimmed again. What to do—her in-game husband was a two-timing playboy! And yet he was so exceptional, so gentle, so masculine—she couldn't let go.
"Haha, kidding. Not that many. And even if there are, like my 'angel' at home, they're all very excellent people."
Once under his wing, even an ordinary beauty wouldn't stay ordinary. So "excellent" wasn't a lie.
Hearing that, Ako finally smiled, then declared resolutely: "I'll do my best to get along with them. Innocent Hubby, Ako will show you my resolve!"
"Yes, yes—do your best. Anyway, if you run into problems, come to me. Now that we've met, even setting the game aside, I consider you all good friends."
"Even though Tenshin didn't come, I'll introduce her to you next time," he added.
"Tenshin? You mean that self-proclaimed angel priest? She plays way better than Ako," Akane muttered.
Ako's face fell. "Sorry for causing trouble."
Kyoh waved it off, then looked at Hayashi Maki in surprise. "You know Tenshin-san in real life?"
("Tenshin" here being their guildmate's IGN.)
"Yeah—she lives in the apartment above mine. Like you, Guildmaster, she loves to whale on games," Hayashi Maki said. "She's a cute girl, too."
Ako stared. "So all the other members are girls? Innocent Hubby's the only boy?"
"That's right. Why?"
"N-nothing…"
Just afraid they'll steal you and you won't like Ako anymore…
Hayashi Maki patted her head, reassuring. Akane's mouth twitched; she turned away. This guy was too smooth. Too dangerous—she needed to keep her distance, or she might fall for him and get played.
Kyoh, on the other hand, watched with interest. Given her family, her boyfriend couldn't be ordinary. She was quietly hoping for a boy brave enough to stand up to her family and whisk her off to have fun. Ordinary boys? Pass.
All told, she was very satisfied with this offline meetup. The only shame was that Hayashi Maki wasn't at her school, but at Hakuo.
~~~
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