Lunch Break
Takumi Yuuya arrived at Yukino Yukinoshita's classroom door.
"小雪乃," he called softly.
The classroom was full of girls, and at the sound of Yuuya calling for Yukino, the chatter instantly quieted down.
Yukino stood up, carrying two lunchboxes.
She walked up to Yuuya and handed him one.
He took it and gently held her small hand.
Yukino glanced at him but didn't pull away.
The two of them left the classroom doorway.
A few seconds later, whispers rose inside the room.
"That must be Yuuya-kun, right?""He's definitely good-looking… but isn't he dating multiple girls?""I heard from his classmates that he admitted it himself…"
…
In the quiet hallway:
"What did your message mean?" Yukino asked.
"It's simple. I like you, but I spend every day teasing you. Do you think I like you, or just want to have you?"
"You're absolutely terrible," she said sharply.
"Answer my question, and I can still give you a top-ten spot," he teased.
"Yukino Yukinoshita disgust +30"
She snorted and turned her head.
Yuuya looked straight ahead.
"The elixir I mentioned before—my master gave me a small portion. The effect was too strong, so I divided it into ten portions. Last night, I gave the little maid one. If you want one, you'll have to pay a price."
"What price?"
"Simple. Something you must accomplish."
"I… I don't want your elixir anymore."
"Fine, then I'll ask Hiyono instead."
"You—"
"Yukino Yukinoshita disgust +30"
She clenched her small fists and stopped walking.
Yuuya, however, kept moving forward.
Yukino hesitated a few seconds, then stepped closer and grabbed his arm.
He turned to her.
"You get upset if I mention Hiyono… if I mentioned Mrs. Yukinoshita, would you want to hit me too?"
"You… stay away from her, and I'll agree to anything you want."
"Really?"
"I never lie."
"When I first met Mrs. Yukinoshita, I thought she was so elegant and graceful. Can you dress like her?"
"You… you're hopeless," Yukino said, half embarrassed, half angry.
Yuuya grinned.
"If you dress like her, tonight you can stay over at my place. I'll 'play' with you a little, and you'll get the elixir to improve your constitution. Sounds like a good deal, right?"
"Change the conditions."
"Sorry, no can do."
"…"
Yukino lowered her head.
"Yukino Yukinoshita disgust +50"
Seeing this, Yuuya knew she was genuinely angry.
"Fine. I'll make it easier. Just wear a kimono and say a few nice words while I tease you—that's it."
"Do you treat the others this harshly too?"
Yukino lifted her head slightly.
"No, because they didn't set conditions, so I don't make things difficult for them."
"I… I can…"
"You're not allowed to lower the conditions because you're the 'high peak' of Total Martial High—the first girl I ever liked. Your conditions are high, but I'm willing to meet them for you."
"Then can you treat me the same way you treat them?"
"Of course not. If I meet your conditions, I'll tease you every day. Making you angry will be routine. I love seeing angry little Yukino… and even more when you're mad and can't do anything about it."
"Terrible," she muttered.
Servant Clubroom
After lunch, Yuuya got up and locked the clubroom door.
Yukino's face turned bright red.
She picked up her teacup and sipped her black tea.
Yuuya walked over to her.
She put down the cup and tried to read her usual book, but she couldn't focus.
"Your book is upside down," Yuuya reminded her.
Her face flushed even more.
He placed the book on the table and picked up her tea, drinking it in one go.
Then, he lifted Yukino in his arms and sat down in her chair.
Yukino turned her head, a soft blush on her cheeks.
Yuuya didn't hesitate and kissed her.
"Yukino Yukinoshita favor +30""Yukino Yukinoshita favor +30""Yukino Yukinoshita favor +50"
Lunch Break Ends
In front of Yukino, Yuuya called Yaeko Nishinomiya.
He first checked on the housing situation.
Learning that cleaning was done and furniture was being selected, he felt satisfied.
Then he mentioned the kimono, asking her to pick one for both Yukino and Shouko Nishinomiya.
After hanging up, Yuuya looked at Yukino.
"I bought a house for Shouko, near Kaisou School."
"How much money do you have now?"
"Not much in cash. Mostly assets—4% of Fushikawa Bookstore, worth 20 billion yen."
"Looks like I don't need to worry much. You might not meet my goals, but if you don't, and you ask me to marry you, I'll consider it."
Yukino glanced at Yuuya.
He shook his head.
"All of this was a gift from my master. My business plan hasn't even started."
"No matter how good your business plan is, you can't have a trillion yen."
"At first, you didn't want me touching you, setting this condition. Now, it's about making me beg to marry you. Do you like me that much?"
"I just want you to take responsibility."
"Oh, I thought you liked me. Turns out you just want me responsible. Then once I meet the conditions, I won't be too polite."
"…"
Yukino opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't.
After School
Yuuya sent a message to Saki Kawasaki.
He told her that Yukino would be staying over tonight.
Saki's reply was simple:
"Take care of yourself."
Yuuya looked up at her.
She blushed, made eye contact, then left with her school bag.
It seemed she misunderstood something.
But Yuuya didn't bother clarifying.
He put away his phone, grabbed his bag, and headed to Yukino's classroom.
The other girls looked at Yukino as Yuuya entered.
Yukino stood, preparing to speak.
Then she saw him walking past.
She paused and looked toward the back row by the window.
Yuuya approached an ordinary-looking girl and extended his hand.
"My name's Takumi Yuuya. Nice to meet you, Katou-san."
Megumi Katou looked up at him, puzzled, but softly replied:
"Hello, Yuuya-kun."
Short hair, fair skin, balanced features.
Ordinary in appearance, yet Megumi possessed a unique aura.
Not the typical anime heroine aura, nor the feel of a real-life girl.