In front of the station.
"I'll walk you this far. After this, I'm heading to work."
"Alright."
Masuzu nodded, pulling a small black notebook from her pocket. She scribbled something inside before tucking it away again.
"I won't go with you, even though I'm your girlfriend."
Hearing that, Yuu asked, confused: "Our cover is only at school, right? We don't need to extend it to private life?"
"Unlike you, I like doing things perfectly. I don't want to leave even the smallest loophole."
Masuzu raised one finger and said seriously, "Whenever we're out in public—anywhere there's a chance of running into others—we should maintain the awareness that we're a couple, to avoid careless mistakes. I can't threaten you anymore, but for the sake of this request, I hope you'll keep that in mind."
Yuu didn't mind. "Fine. You're more serious about this than I expected. Paying attention to details like this."
Hearing that, Masuzu gave a faint smile, her tone laced with mockery:
"Precisely because I hate it, I must do it better."
Yuu didn't yet understand the true meaning behind those words.
Masuzu quickly composed her expression, gracefully waved, and turned halfway.
"Then I'll be going. See you tomorrow, Yuu."
"See you tomorrow, Masuzu… By the way, can we change that way of calling me?"
Pressing the corner of her lips, Masuzu tilted her head. "Why? I'm quite comfortable calling you that."
"There's a guy friend who calls me the same… Never mind, forget it." Yuu sighed. "I'll just have to try to keep him from showing up."
Masuzu shrugged. "How weird~"
They bid each other farewell and exchanged contacts.
Masuzu then walked into the station, quickly blending into the crowd until she disappeared.
After glancing at his new chat contact, Yuu turned and headed toward Angel Coffee.
Ever since he'd trained the new staff to independence, he'd been visiting the café less and less. A while ago, because he had to accompany Asuna to a tutoring session, he'd even taken an indefinite leave—free to return whenever he pleased, far more liberated than the manager himself.
Besides, now he essentially only came to train new employees or help out casually. His responsibilities were minimal. The manager no longer saw him as an employee either, assuming he'd already quit, and welcomed him back anytime. If Yuu was willing to help, the manager wouldn't skimp on pay, desserts, or anything else.
Before this summer vacation, Angel Coffee had almost been his second home.
Though his first thought upon receiving the system had been to free himself from part-time work, that didn't mean Yuu would immediately abandon his past—whether it was painful, joyful, or regretful.
Some things, he always remembered clearly.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
In the late afternoon, the streetlights hadn't turned on yet.
Only a few paper lanterns swayed gently, emitting a soft red glow, waiting for nightfall.
Yuu walked down the increasingly busy shopping street, turned at the intersection past the shoe store that had closed a year ago, greeted the yellow-and-black striped cat strolling lazily atop the half-height wall—only to be scornfully rebuffed with a haughty flick of its tail.
Yuu brushed the cat's fur from his hand, washed his hands at the faucet in the corner of the wall, then pushed open the door and entered Angel Coffee.
As the clear chime of the bell rang, a sweet, childish voice followed.
"Welcome—haaa~ It's Senpai."
Her cheerful tone instantly dropped. The blonde girl lazily slumped over the wooden counter, her usually bright and mischievous eyes now lifeless, like a fish stranded on dry land.
"Your disappointment is way too obvious. Careful, I might give you trouble." Yuu closed the door and glanced around the shop. "No customers today?"
"Not just today—it's been like this for three days straight."
Iroha sighed deeply, her soft, pale cheeks squishing against the table as she lamented, "I can already smell bankruptcy. What should we do, Senpai~? I really love this place. At this rate, we're going under!"
"Don't worry. The manager's family is extremely wealthy. Whether this shop stays open or not depends on his mood, not the balance sheet."
Yuu walked toward the back kitchen. He noticed the "In Use" sign hanging on the storage room door and immediately understood why Iroha dared to say such things.
Inside the storage room were the manager's favorite coffee beans, stored in a soundproof container. While he was organizing them, he wouldn't hear anything from outside unless someone knocked.
"Really? Thank goodness—he's actually a reliable uncle after all!" Relieved, Iroha patted her budding chest and struggled to rise from her chair. "But being too relaxed isn't good either, Senpai… Can I play on my phone?"
Yuu wasn't fazed by her cutesy tone at all. He said firmly, "No. If you're bored, just clean."
"Tch, knew you'd say that… Stone-headed Senpai."
Pouting, Iroha obediently picked up the cleaning supplies.
Meanwhile, Yuu went to the storage room to chat with the manager, then helped check inventory in the back kitchen before returning to the café counter.
Iroha was wiping a window that was already spotless, out of sheer boredom.
She stood on tiptoe, slightly bending forward. The black-and-white uniform skirt rode up, revealing more of her smooth, firm thighs. Her legs were tightly pressed together—no gap at all. If one looked higher, one could almost guess just how beautifully shaped the girl's ribbon-adorned backside was, just by sight.
Yuu calmly averted his gaze.
Nothing special. Totally normal.
He wasn't particularly interested in this cute-looking, cute-acting junior of his. More accurately, he preferred girls with bigger chests, mature, gentle… and also those he'd accidentally come to like.
Unless she wore fishnet stockings and a black garter belt, her panties wouldn't even budge.
"Senpai, are you done?"
The girl's voice suddenly broke in. Without thinking, Yuu replied, "Not yet… Wait, done with what?"
"Of course, done talking with the manager. What else?" Confused, Iroha stepped away from the window and approached, holding the cloth. "If you're done, I have a shameless request—I hope Senpai will agree to it~"
Blinking her bright, dewy eyes, she set the cloth aside and twirled the soft ends of her hair.
Striking her cutest pose and expression, she blushed shyly.
Unfortunately, Yuu just stared at her with a completely blank expression—as if watching a man acting cute.
"If it's a shameless request, don't say it."
"Cruel!"
Shocked, Iroha's eyes widened. She collapsed weakly onto the counter like a deflated doll.
She sighed in resignation, then quickly bounced back up, planting her hands firmly on the table and leaning across the counter.
Her bright brown eyes locked seriously onto Yuu's.
"Senpai, let's end the joke here."
"I'm not joking."
"Go back to being the Senpai who fulfills every junior's wish."
"In which world line does that exist? I'll go kill him."
Iroha ignored it all. She remained firm, speaking bluntly: "Anyway, your cool look yesterday impressed me so much that some of my friends want to meet you. So, we're going on a group blind date!"
"No."
Her determination lasted less than a second. The pretty girl, a head shorter than him, immediately began tugging at his sleeve, whining, "Pleeease~ I've already given so much fanservice in this uniform. It's just meeting a few cute girls—you won't get eaten~"
Yuu sneered in disgust, glancing at her skirt. "What fanservice? Are you calling your safety shorts fanservice?"
Iroha instantly covered her backside with both hands, as if catching a pervert, though her cheeks flushed slightly. Still, she wore a proud, triumphant smile.
"Hehe—So you did look! Senpai, you're a skirt-peeping pervert. Now you have to go on that group blind date with me!"
"You're the one who showed it to me. What's it got to do with me?" Yuu rolled his eyes mercilessly. After a moment's thought, he raised both hands and said honestly, "To be honest, I already have a girlfriend. How could I go on a blind date with you?"
"What?! You already have a girlfriend??"
Hands still covering her backside, Iroha stared at him in shock, disbelief written all over her face.
"Wait… Did Senpai really start dating Yukinoshita-senpai? I thought that was just a rumor…"
His expression froze. Yuu's cheek twitched.
"…Has this weird rumor already spread throughout the entire school?"