Under Hayashi Maki's appraising gaze, Sakurajima Mai pinched the hem of her clothes, a little uneasy, and shot him a glare.
"Had enough, you lech?"
Hayashi Maki smiled and shook his head. "Clearly, not yet."
"Hmph—move those eyes somewhere else." As a former well-known actress, she wasn't unfamiliar with people staring at her—but they usually sneaked looks. This guy was blatantly sizing her up.
Meeting her annoyed gaze, Hayashi Maki just chuckled, stepped in close, boldly brushed her thigh, and flopped down on the sofa like it was nothing.
"I picked you up off the street. Letting me look isn't going to cost you a pound of flesh."
"Y-you can look without touching!"
Where he'd touched felt hot; her cheeks flushed on their own.
"Because I'm a man who's faithful to his desires. I thought you'd already steeled yourself."
Mai didn't answer. She sat two seats away, hugged her knees, and looked dejected.
It was humiliating to admit, but she had nowhere to go now. If he really did try something, she probably couldn't refuse. From what she'd observed at school, he was the only one who could see her—and people who had contact with him started being able to see her, too.
Seeing her downcast, Hayashi Maki didn't try to comfort her. It wasn't the time.
Mahiru came over with a smile, untying her apron. "Maki-kun, dinner's ready. Go call Mashiro."
"No problem!" Hayashi Maki headed to the room to fetch Mashiro.
Mahiru watched Mai gently. "Senpai, come sit—we're eating."
"Mm. Um… thank you," Mai said, embarrassed as she bowed her head again.
Mahiru smiled and shook her head. "No need to be formal. Since you're here, let us look after you. And if you've got nowhere to go, it's fine to stay here for now."
Looking at the angelic, soft-spoken girl in front of her, Mai couldn't help asking, "Shiina, you really don't mind? I'm just some stranger showing up out of nowhere, bringing you trouble…"
"Don't worry. No matter how big the trouble, Maki-kun will figure something out. Besides, having a big star like you visit my home? I'm thrilled."
Mai stared at her for a moment, sighed, and murmured, "I'm not a big star anymore—more like a washed-up actress."
Because she refused to play along with the casting couch, she'd started resisting roles and got blacklisted by her agency. Her mother—who was also her manager—blamed her for being naive, and they fell out. The online comments about her grew so toxic that she began to hate people's eyes on her. She wished she could disappear.
Then she actually started disappearing. In a dream, she seemed to enter a shop run by a woman who called herself a witch…
"Okay—come on over." While Mai was lost in thought, Mahiru had already taken her hand and gently tugged her up from the sofa.
Mai didn't overthink it, and sat properly at the table to wait.
A minute later, Hayashi Maki led Shiina Mashiro out and everyone took their seats.
"Let's eat!"
Savoring the "Angel's" home-cooked dinner, Hayashi Maki's mood soared. Seeing how happily he ate, Mahiru smiled in satisfaction. The sight and smell of the food made Mai's mouth water; she stopped overthinking and started eating, too.
At the same time, she covertly studied this strange household: one lech, two Shiina girls. And earlier there'd been a blonde beauty, too. So… are those three cute blonde girls all this scoundrel Hayashi Maki's girlfriends? Living together?
…
After dinner, Hayashi Maki lounged on the sofa with his phone, mainly keeping up with his "retinue."
He texted Mafuyu Kirisu first: "Kirisu-sensei, have you had dinner?"
Then he messaged Eriri: "Eriri, swing by tomorrow. I want to talk about the manga adaptation of the light novel."
Heh—manga was just the pretext. Mainly, he wanted to "see" her.
Eriri replied almost instantly: "Really? You'll let me handle the adaptation? I'll come tomorrow afternoon!"
Then Mafuyu: "I just finished. What do you want?"
She hadn't wanted to answer that rotten student, but she was afraid he'd pester her tomorrow… so, holding back her irritation, she replied.
Hayashi Maki: "Nothing major. Just checking in on you. Make sure you eat properly. If you need help with anything, ask me."
Mafuyu: "Hmph. I'm an adult. What would I need from a kid like you? Stay away from me. Get rid of those improper thoughts—that would help me most!"
Hayashi Maki: "Can't do that. I'm a man who takes responsibility. Since I kissed you, I'll see it through."
Mafuyu: " … "
She was speechless. She had no idea how to respond.
Hayashi Maki: "Moved, right?"
Mafuyu: "Moved my foot. More like I've got a headache. What's it going to take for you to drop those thoughts about me?"
Hayashi Maki: "If you got a little uglier, I'd back off immediately."
Mafuyu: "That's unreasonable! Who would make themselves ugly on purpose?"
Hayashi Maki: "Exactly. Since you're so cute, I have to take responsibility."
Mafuyu: "Pervert! Lech! I despise you!"
Hayashi Maki: "Thanks for the compliment. Also, I love that look you get when you despise me."
Mafuyu: "Pervert!"
She stomped in frustration. How could someone be this shameless? She was condemning him, and he treated it like praise.
Hayashi Maki: "Tell me to my face next time. I'll listen to every word."
Mafuyu: "I'm done with you. I'm washing up and going to bed."
Hayashi Maki: "'Night. I'll show up in your dreams!"
Mafuyu: "Don't bother. I absolutely won't dream about you!"
Hayashi Maki: "We'll see. Look forward to our meeting in dreamland."
Mafuyu: " … "
She sent a "silent" sticker and ended the chat.
Putting down her phone, she glanced at the takeout boxes scattered around her room and blushed. "Tch. I am not going to dream about a rotten student like you!"
She stuffed the boxes into a black trash bag at random, but when she lay down she just couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, that handsome, wickedly smiling face of Hayashi Maki's popped into her mind.
~~~
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