"The method is…"
Takumi Yuuya trailed off as he stopped in front of Sawamura Eriri.
"If you were ever caught in the hands of a bad guy, and Aki Tomoya still rushed in to save you, then there's still hope."
"'Caught in the hands of a bad guy'?" Eriri tilted her head, clearly not following his meaning.
"Let me put it simply," Yuuya continued, "imagine I became your boyfriend, but I kept being close to other girls. If Aki Tomoya found out and came running to warn you, that would mean he still cares."
"And after that?" Eriri asked nervously.
"If he cares about you—enough to actually take action for your sake—then I'll play the villain all the way through. That way, Aki Tomoya gets to be your hero."
"Can that really work?"
"At the very least, it'll test how much he cares about you."
"…Why are you willing to help me like this?"
"Because I want to be friends with you, Sawamura-san."
"…Then what's the first step?"
[Affinity with Sawamura Eriri +10]
Yuuya smiled faintly and pulled out his phone.
"First, we take a photo. Something that looks intimate enough for him to notice."
"…Alright."
Eriri nodded.
Yuuya placed one hand lightly on her shoulder.
Eriri lifted her face, forcing a cheerful expression.
Click.
The photo was taken.
Yuuya immediately set it as his phone's wallpaper.
"Step one, let him see the picture."
"Step two, you introduce me to him."
"Step three, I keep up my closeness with other girls, and Aki Tomoya sees it."
"Once all three steps are done, if Aki Tomoya still doesn't come to you, then it means…"
He trailed off deliberately.
Eriri already understood.
If Aki Tomoya didn't react, then it meant he didn't care at all.
The Service Club.
Yuuya slid the door open and stepped inside.
"Sorry, I'm late."
"…"
Yukinoshita Yukino didn't even look up at him.
Seeing this, Yuuya quietly moved to his seat.
His lunchbox was already placed neatly on the desk.
He opened it and began eating, commenting aloud as he did.
Snap!
The sharp sound of a book closing echoed.
Yukino turned her gaze toward him.
"Please eat quietly."
"I thought you were ignoring me completely, Yukino-chan."
Yuuya looked at her with a playful smile.
"I only wanted to read in peace," Yukino said flatly, withdrawing her eyes back to her book.
"Just reading books? You won't beat your sister that way. I can already picture your future. Yukinoshita Madam is far too strong-willed—she'll marry you off to some high-ranking heir, and you won't even have the right to refuse."
[Disgust from Yukinoshita Yukino +30]
"Who I marry has nothing to do with you."
"I've invested a hundred million yen already. I gave your sister a ten percent share. She hasn't inherited the family business yet, which means I still have a chance. Even if she does, I still have a backup plan…"
"…What do you mean?"
"Simple. With enough money, I can build ties with the Yukinoshita family. First, I'll try to pursue Haruno. If that doesn't work… well, then you'll have to do."
[Disgust from Yukinoshita Yukino +50]
Her eyes turned cold as ice.
Yuuya stood, walked directly up to her, and leaned in.
"Every disadvantage in this world comes from one thing: not being strong enough."
"So what if you get top grades?"
"When you face your mother, can you change the future already laid out for you?"
"No matter how much you hate me, understand this—your situation is the result of your own choices."
Yukino clenched her fists.
But she didn't lash out.
Because deep down, she knew he was right.
Her circumstances were the result of her own stubbornness.
Seeing that Yukino hadn't hit him, Yuuya smirked.
"Good. You didn't punch me. That means you know hitting me won't change anything."
"You said all that just to mock me?"
"Correct. You finally caught on."
"…Do you actually want to help me change my situation?"
"Clever girl, Yukino-chan."
"I don't need—"
"My game project is destined to succeed. If you hold shares in it, when it becomes a hit, even your mother will have to acknowledge you."
"…"
Yukino fell silent.
Yuuya extended a hand toward her.
"Thirty million yen. You should have that much. I'll sell you thirty percent of the shares. One condition—you have to go on a date with me once a week. Of course, if I'm already busy dating another girl that week, then you're off the hook."
"…Forty million. And cancel the condition."
"This is me helping you. A successful investment and proving you can form connections. Doesn't that show off your social ability?"
"…"
"Feeling powerless, huh? Hating me, but knowing I'm making some sense. Do you wonder how I knew you like cats? I know more about you than anyone."
"…When do you want the money?"
Yukino turned her head away, her voice low.
Yuuya said nothing.
Finally, she turned back toward him, looked at his hand, and reluctantly placed her own in his.
He smiled in satisfaction.
"No rush. Next week is fine."
Lunchtime ended.
The two left the clubroom together.
Yuuya glanced at Yukino with interest.
She suddenly turned her head toward him.
"…Do you have something wrong with your eyes?"
"I was just estimating the gap between you and her."
"Such a gap is meaningless."
"No. To me, it's crucial. Never starve yourself, never starve your child—"
"…Do you want to end up in the hospital?"
"Yukino-chan, will you give me some time?"
Yuuya stopped walking.
Yukino blinked in surprise.
"There are two months until summer break. Before then, I'll challenge you." His tone was dead serious.
"You… want to defeat me?" Yukino looked at him as though she'd misheard.
"Yes. If I win, you'll be my girlfriend until graduation—and you'll fulfill your duties as one. If I lose, I'll give you twenty percent of the company's shares for free, and I'll also tell you how I found out about your love for cats."
"…So confident, aren't you?"
"If you're scared, just pretend I never said it."
"I accept. But if you lose and try to back out, I reserve the right to kick you out of the Service Club."
Yuuya grinned, looking forward.
"Yukino-chan, you're guaranteed to lose."
"I don't see how you could possibly defeat me. You've never seen my true strength. And besides, you've never trained in combat. Two months? If you can beat me in that time, you'd have to be some kind of prodigy."
"In the face of true strength, martial arts mean nothing."
"…True strength?"
Yukino stared at him, skeptical.
The truth was simple:
If she wanted, she could knock Takumi Yuuya down three times in ten seconds.
Two months wasn't two years.
His improvement would be limited.
And yet…