Just after leaving Ako's place, Hayashi Maki instinctively stopped in his tracks.
A cute girl in a bunny outfit was squatting by the mouth of an alley, hugging her knees—basically right at his feet.
At the same time, her stomach let out a loud "gurgle~."
Hayashi Maki sighed, crouched down, and looked at her.
Sakurajima Mai lifted her eyes and met his gaze. She could clearly see her own reflection in his pupils. For no reason, a secret delight welled up—so he really could see her! This wasn't a coincidence.
Hayashi Maki gently patted her head. "If you don't mind, want to come sit at my place, Mai-senpai?"
Her eyes went wide. "Y-you know me?"
"Sure. You were a really famous star back in middle school—then in third year you announced an indefinite hiatus. I didn't expect you to be walking around school in a bunny suit. Some… special kink?"
"I do not have a kink!" Mai swatted his hand away, lowered her head, and looked dejected. "Don't worry about me. You'll just get yourself in trouble."
She knew her situation was unusual—maybe even some dangerous supernatural thing. Resigned to it, she didn't want to drag anyone in. If contact with her made him disappear from the world like she had, she'd feel terrible.
Hayashi Maki slid an arm under her knees and, with a light heave, scooped her up princess-style.
"Ah! W-what are you doing?" Mai blushed and glared at the man who'd picked her up without asking.
"Taking you home. If it's a problem I can solve, it's not a problem to me. And when I stumble on a famous beauty sitting curbside with nobody claiming her, I can't just walk away. If someone else picked you up, I'd be taking a huge loss."
Mai pressed her lips together. "You're sure you want to take me home?"
"I'm sure." He smiled and planted a straightforward kiss on her cheek. "As you can see, I'm a bad man who follows his desires. I'm not going to hide it, so steel yourself, Senpai."
"How do you know I'm your senpai? Maybe we're the same year." She covered the spot he'd kissed, muttering. Her heartbeat sped up, but unexpectedly she didn't struggle—she just let him hold her. She didn't have the strength anyway. She was too hungry.
After leaving the library at noon, she'd tried to buy bread at a convenience store. Even if no one could see her, she could take the bread and leave the money—no problem. But she suddenly found she couldn't touch the bread. If she couldn't touch it, she couldn't eat. She figured she could at least touch things at home, but her keycard no longer worked. She couldn't get in.
So she waited here for him, just to see. Yes—she'd been waiting on purpose.
"Then let's introduce ourselves properly, Miss Sakurajima Mai. I'm Hayashi Maki, Hakuo Academy, Year 1 Class B. You?"
While she was thinking, his gentle voice sounded at her ear.
"I'm Sakurajima Mai, Hakuo Academy, Year 2 Class D. Pleased to meet you, Pervert-san."
"Uh… why 'Pervert-san'?"
"Hmph. You grabbed a stranger's butt the first time you met her, you're carrying her now, and you kissed her without permission. Isn't that pervy?"
"Fine, call me whatever you want. Pervert-san is taking you home to bully you thoroughly—any objections?"
He grinned wickedly, tightening his hold a little.
"Would it help if I objected?" Mai rolled her eyes.
"Obviously not."
He chuckled and quickened his pace.
Back at the apartment, Hayashi Maki unlocked the door and stepped in. "I'm home."
"Welcome back, Maki-kun… huh? And who's this?" Mahiru Shiina frowned at the bunny girl in his arms. She wondered if he'd gone somewhere sketchy to pick up a woman—she couldn't accept that.
"A homeless girl. Mahiru, let her stay for now. By the way, she's Sakurajima Mai—ring a bell?"
"Sakurajima Mai? Mm… didn't she act in TV dramas?" Mahiru's eyes lit up—she remembered.
Mai was stunned—another person could see her. So was Hayashi Maki the special one? Earlier, it seemed only when he held the librarian's hand did the glasses girl notice her.
Shocked or not, Mai spoke up. "That's right—I'm that Sakurajima Mai. Nice to meet you, kouhai Shiina."
Of course she knew who Mahiru was; the "angel" all the classmates talked about shone brightly.
Mahiru smiled and nodded. "Nice to meet you. Anyway, come in."
Hayashi Maki set Mai gently on the sofa, handed her a few slices of baumkuchen. "Dinner will take a bit. Have some cake to tide you over, Senpai. I need to run out for a moment."
"…Thanks." Mai accepted the cake and nibbled. He thoughtfully gave her a bottle of water as well, then headed out with Rita, who emerged from the room with a wistful look.
He was taking Rita to the airport—she had to fly back to England.
Once outside, he didn't bother to hide his ability; holding her, he teleported straight to near the airport. After his tinkering, his teleportation magic had gotten much handier—he could choose exact destinations now. Great for time management.
At the terminal entrance, Rita suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. After a long kiss, her eyes smoldered. "I'll be back. Come pick me up then."
"No problem. Call me," Hayashi Maki said, giving her a big hug.
He watched her board and finally turned away. This parting was for a better reunion. Next time she came, she wouldn't be leaving again.
When he got home, he found Mai had changed out of the bunny suit and into Mahiru's clothes. And she looked good—her figure was similar to Mahiru's, so the fit was perfect.