Chapter 336

"Thank you for your hard work."

"Get lost."

Heh. Even a polite greeting earns me a beating.

I let out a dry chuckle and stared intently at Renka. She flinched, quickly averting her gaze as she straightened her clothes.

"Why do you keep cursing at me?"

"Because I want to."

"You sure have an easy life."

"So what?"

"Are you going through puberty?"

"..."

Renka clamped her mouth shut.

She seemed embarrassed by her own childish retort.

Even so, she'd act the exact same way tomorrow.

Our Renka was a coward—a neurotic chihuahua who always tried to defy me first.

I stepped closer and patted her lower back as she flinched.

It was the attitude of a teacher who already understood everything.

She whipped around, shaking off my hand.

"Don't touch me. You're dirty."

"What are you doing today?"

"I'm hanging out with Chinami. Don't interfere."

"I wasn't planning on it."

"Good."

"Why are you being so prickly today? Do you want to be punished that badly?"

"What are you even saying...! If you're done here, get lost."

It was funny seeing how much Renka was starting to resemble me.

I was pondering how to punish Renka when Chinami emerged, clearing the air. I exchanged greetings with her and left the Club Room.

When I later met up with Miyuki after her Student Council duties ended, I heard some unexpected news.

"What should I do? I think I need to head down to the countryside right now."

Miyuki had suddenly dropped this on me.

"Why?"

"I don't know. Mom and Dad are on their way here right now."

Did something happen?

If it were bad news, Miyuki would have looked troubled, but her expression was as calm as always.

When something this sudden happened in a romantic comedy, it was highly likely to be nothing serious.

Still, I had to let her go. Midori and Wataru were coming in person, so I had no choice.

I slowly nodded and answered.

"All right. Let's wait for them together."

"You don't have to do that..."

"Be quiet, and let's go. It's been a while, so I should say hello."

Did she like my attitude?

The corners of Miyuki's lips curled into a bright smile.

I headed toward the main gate with her. It wasn't long before a white SUV pulled up in front of us, and I gave a polite bow.

Whir.

"Hello, Matsuda-kun."

Midori rolled down the passenger window and greeted me.

She wasn't alone; Wataru and Kanna were there, too.

All three of them were smiling, which only cemented my earlier assumption.

"Hello. Have you been well?"

"Of course. It's nice to see you after so long."

Midori was exactly as I remembered. Elegant and voluptuous.

How ecstatic would it be to spend a night with Midori, a woman who oozed elegance with every word she spoke?

I felt like I could keep going until my balls were completely drained.

After greeting Wataru, the luckiest man of this era, I flashed a grin at Kanna in the backseat.

"It's been a while for you too, Kanna."

"Hello."

Her bright, smiling face showed no trace of the embarrassment from when I had grabbed her waist before.

Usually, when you meet someone after a long time, doesn't an intense memory like that come to mind?

I wasn't sure if her adaptability was exceptional or if she was just carefree.

After promising to visit their house soon, I watched Miyuki wave frantically at me from the departing car before turning back toward the Academy.

I was stuck spending the day alone. If I had known this would happen, I would have told Renka to let me tag along.

No, I could just go and force my way in.

Should a master walk on eggshells around his slave?

Just as I was about to call Renka with that thought in mind... "Matsuda sunbae-nim?"

Hiyori's voice called out from behind me.

I turned around to see Hiyori walking my way, seemingly heading out of the school.

Was this the premonition of something good happening?

I guess there was a reason Miyuki had to leave.

"Are your club activities over?"

I gave a brief nod at Hiyori's follow-up question and answered.

"Yeah. Are you done too?"

"Yes."

"Are you on your way home?"

"No. I'm going out to hang out."

"I figured as much."

"What's that supposed to mean? That's so prejudiced."

"Go study instead. You're always wandering around in the heat; no wonder your skin is getting so dark."

Startled by my remark, Hiyori immediately checked her arms.

She was surprisingly naive. It was both dumbfounding and hilarious.

"What do you mean dark?! I'm perfectly pale!"

Hiyori scowled, her nose wrinkling as she argued back, and I replied nonchalantly.

"You'll end up that way soon enough. Make sure you put on sunscreen."

"I already do!"

"Stop talking back. Anyway, where are you hanging out?"

"Downtown."

"The main district?"

"Yeah."

"A cafe?"

"Probably?"

"What about Miho?"

"She left first. She said she had to drop by her house."

"Oh yeah? Want a ride?"

"Really?"

Hiyori's wide-eyed expression was incredibly cute.

Just seeing that face made it worth playing the chauffeur.

With that in mind, I pointed toward the Parking Lot.

"I'll go get the car, so either wait here or come with me."

"You aren't going to ask me for taxi fare, are you?"

"Just go by yourself."

"Ah, I'm joking...! Let's go together."

She quickly stepped up beside me and grabbed the shoulder strap of my bag.

Clicking my tongue as I looked down at the innocent Hiyori, I headed to the Parking Lot with her.

I had no idea what Hiyori had so much to talk about, but her mouth never stopped moving as she bombarded me with all sorts of questions.

I was glad she had opened up to me, but... it was a bit exhausting.

I glanced at her chattering away and spoke.

"Can't we ride in silence for a bit?"

"Nooo. I'm supposed to keep the driver company when I sit in the passenger seat."

"Who said that?"

"The internet. It keeps you awake, so isn't it nice?"

"I wasn't sleepy to begin with."

"Is that so? Sunbae-nim, what's your favorite food?"

"You really aren't listening to a word I say."

"So what is it?"

"I'm not picky. I eat just about anything, except for eggplant."

"Eggplant... the ultimate appetite killer."

Hiyori furrowed her brows in agreement, and the fresh lemon scent radiating from her body filled the car.

It was a wonderful scent. It made me want to eat something lemon-flavored.

Had she noticed how I felt? Hiyori rummaged through her bag, pulled out a Suichu, and held it out to me.

"Want some?"

"You look like you want it, though? You don't have to be shy; you can take it."

I did want it. But accepting it felt like losing somehow, so I was a bit reluctant.

I felt like she would praise me with a triumphant look on her face.

"Forget it. Where should I drop you off?"

"There's a cafe three blocks down. It's the one from back then."

"The one from back then?"

"The cat."

"Ah... I know it."

"Right? But are you going to leave immediately? Why don't you have a coffee with me?"

"I thought your friends were coming."

"They won't be here for a while. We still have about an hour until we're supposed to meet."

"Then you should have stopped by your house too. Why bother staying out by yourself?"

"Is that not allowed?"

"It's not that you can't... yeah, well... do whatever you want."

"You're going to get coffee, right? I'll buy it for you."

Since this forwardness was something I hadn't seen in the other heroines, it still felt a bit awkward.

But well... I had absolutely no intention of refusing.

It was my first time hanging out alone with Hiyori, after all.

I wasn't Tetsuya... There was no reason for me to back out.

"Sure. I'll park the car in the public lot, then."

"Yep."

I found a parking spot, left the car, and walked into the alleyway with Hiyori.

As we entered the alley, she glanced around at her surroundings.

She was looking to see if the cat she had sheltered with her umbrella was still there.

"It's not here..."

When she couldn't spot the cat no matter how much she looked, Hiyori let out a small sigh of disappointment.

She was surprisingly affectionate. Too kind for her own good...

"It's a stray cat, so it wouldn't stick around. Don't give it affection for no reason. You'll spoil it."

"Spoil who? The cat?"

"No. You."

"Ah, what's that supposed to mean...!"

Dumbfounded by my sudden teasing, Hiyori pushed me in the back.

The unconscious physical contact wasn't forceful, but it still made me highly aware of her.

Don't go around doing this to other guys.

The inside of the cafe had a bit of a social media vibe to it.

It was small but had a nice atmosphere. They also sold a wide variety of desserts.

"What do you want to drink?"

Hiyori asked as she pulled her wallet out of her bag.

Staring intently at the menu, I threw a question back at her.

"Have you ever tried grapefruit tea?"

"No. I've seen a friend drink it, though. When I asked if it was good, she said it was decent."

"I'll have that, then."

"Got it. Want to grab a seat on the second floor? I'll come up after ordering."

I agreed and headed up to the second floor.

It was about the same size as the first floor. However, since there was no counter, it felt much more spacious, and it was quite packed with customers.

It was popular despite the bad location.

I guess atmosphere really is half the battle for a cafe, huh?

Wandering around looking for an empty seat with that thought in mind, I ran into someone unexpected.

"Mmph?"

Chinami, who had been eating what looked like a slice of cake in a corner seat, noticed me.

"Uh...?"

And she was with Renka.

It seemed this cafe was where the two of them had decided to hang out today.