"I'm heading to school."
Jaden stood by the door and watched Erina, already in her school uniform with her bag slung over her shoulder.
He briefly sensed the surroundings.
Confirmed the bodyguards.
Then he nodded.
Erina turned and left, and Jaden casually closed the door behind her.
These days, Erina would come over every morning.
Sometimes she made breakfast at his place.
Sometimes she brought one she had already prepared.
After that, she went to school.
As for Jaden-
He had dropped out of Totsuki.
He was completely idle.
When there was nothing to do, he stayed at home.
Although recently, "nothing to do" had become rare.
Jaden opened the lunch box Erina had left for him.
He smiled faintly.
The contents were nutritionally balanced, and-clearly intentional-there was extra seafood.
"...Come to think of it."
"I really never imagined that someone like me, who likes staying at home and hates socializing with strangers when I'm free..."
"...would end up developing a-well, a friend-to this extent in just one week."
"Even with all the incidents in between, I never expected our relationship to reach this point."
He ate while thinking about Erina.
He remembered that from the very first meeting, he had felt a sense of closeness toward her.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought a complete stranger into his home.
Back then, he didn't really understand what kind of person Erina was.
His impression of her was shallow.
And yet, he already felt a certain fondness.
"...Is this the privilege of a beautiful girl?"
He paused.
"...Well. It's not bad."
What Jaden didn't know was that Erina felt the same.
From the first time she saw him-no, from their very first interaction that day-she felt an inexplicable sense of security whenever she was near him.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been the one to suggest going to his house to test recipes.
Their relationship began with that subtle feeling.
And then it developed into what it was now.
That initial sensation was an indispensable part of everything that followed.
So even if Jaden told himself it was because Erina was beautiful-
The girls he met afterward were also beautiful.
Kaguya Shinomiya.
Akemi.
Sakura Ogami.
Even Kure Karura.
Yet none of them gave him the same feeling Erina did.
Part of it was because Erina came first.
But more importantly-
That initial flutter wasn't there.
So when facing the others, Jaden naturally reverted to his usual self.
Gloomy.
Withdrawn.
A person who disliked interacting with strangers.
With that thought, Jaden finished eating.
He washed the lunch box Erina had brought, set it neatly on the table, and put on his coat.
He glanced at the message from Machida on his phone.
Today, they were going to discuss the illustrations for A Certain Magical Index.
And then-
"Master Jaden-!"
Just after Jaden left the apartment building, Sakura Ogami ran up from behind him.
Jaden sighed internally.
Although he himself was lazy, Jack Hanma's memories were extremely detailed when it came to training.
So at a glance, Jaden could tell-
Ogami had just finished her morning workout.
And not light training.
It was intense muscle conditioning.
If she kept this up...
Before long, the beautiful girl in front of him would probably turn into one of those muscle-packed figures from Shiragane Gym.
With that thought, Jaden sighed and shook his head.
After greeting him, Sakura Ogami moved closer.
"Master Jaden! Did you also finish your morning training just now?"
Jaden had long realized that correcting her on calling him "Master" was basically impossible.
So he waved his hand listlessly.
And told the truth.
"No."
"I never work out."
He had already tried firm rejection.
It didn't work.
So this time, he chose a different approach.
After all, he was lazy.
Living up to expectations was hard.
But disappointing people?
That was something he was very good at.
He could even say-
His laziness had never failed to disappoint anyone.
Compared to being ignored outright, this was a much more familiar battlefield.
When Sakura Ogami heard him say he never worked out, her reaction was clearly different from usual.
Never... works out...
-So Master Jaden means that a truly strong person doesn't need to work out?
Yes.
Just like the strongest beasts-
Does a lion deliberately train its muscles?
No.
A strong being is simply strong.
Had Master Jaden already reached that level of existence!?
Jaden had no idea what kind of pure explosion was happening in Ogami's head.
He simply continued.
"Not only do I not work out."
"I stay up late."
"My sleep and meals are irregular."
"I don't eat particularly nutritious food."
"In the past, I basically lived on carbonated drinks."
"When I'm free, I stay home."
"And if something troublesome happens, I do my best to make it go away."
He glanced at Sakura Ogami.
"That's the kind of guy I am."
He saw her freeze completely.
Jaden sighed inwardly.
He didn't want to see a beautiful girl turn into a walking mass of muscle.
But he wasn't close to Ogami.
He had no right to interfere with her path.
He was absolutely not her master.
Still-
Pointing her toward a reasonable option was fine.
"By the way."
"If you want high-intensity muscle training, there's a Shiragane Gym over there."
"There's a coach named Machio."
"If you go find him, you might get something unexpected."
Thinking about Ogami possibly becoming a demonic muscle monster in the future, Jaden shook his head slightly.
He left her standing there and headed toward his appointment with Machida.
Sakura Ogami remained frozen for a moment.
Then-
Her eyes lit up.
"Yes!"
"What I seek is Martial Arts!"
"It is Strength!"
"It is not muscle training done in a gym!"
"It is not fitness or bodybuilding!"
"Muscles..."
"...Useless!"
In that instant, all the martial arts she had encountered before-previously scattered and incompatible-suddenly aligned.
She experienced a moment of enlightenment.
And grasped something new.
"As expected of Master Jaden!"
"I understand!"
"Thank you for your guidance!"
Sakura Ogami declared this loudly.
But Jaden was already long gone.
Seeing the empty street, Ogami wasn't discouraged.
She was energized.
Because-
She had found the direction for her future progress.
If Jaden were still there, he would probably be thinking-
You beast, what did you even understand!?
But Jaden wasn't there.
He had already arrived at the café where he was supposed to meet Machida.
He immediately spotted her.
And-
A girl with golden twin tails sitting beside her.
A large elementary school student?
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