Prologue
Konohana Hinako’s mornings are early.
To be precise, they’ve become just a tad earlier ever since she realized her feelings for Izuki.
“…Mmm.”
The alarm clock rings, and Hinako wakes up.
She’s hardly ever used an alarm clock before. As a child, she tried it once, but the sound was so loud that she decided to have the servants wake her up from then on.
Recently, though, she’s been waking up to this clock.
(Oh no… I don’t have much time!)
Checking the time, Hinako hurries to the bathroom.
She grabs a comb nearby and, while looking in the mirror, quickly fixes her hair.
(…Alright.)
Thanks to Shizune’s repeated lessons, she manages to tame her bedhead. There are still a few messy spots, but with no time to spare, it’ll have to do.
Hinako slips back into bed.
And then, she pretends to sleep.
(One more minute… until Izuki comes.)
After a final glance at the clock, Hinako closes her eyes.
Since realizing her feelings, Hinako is grappling with a major contradiction.
—I want to keep relying on Izuki.
—But I don’t want him to see me looking weird…!
So, Hinako has been waking up a little before Izuki comes to rouse her, secretly fixing her clothes and hair.
Once, he saw her with drool all over her face.
She never wants him to see her like that again.
But… she’s happy that he comes to wake her up in the morning.
That’s why she hasn’t switched the servant who wakes her to Shizune—she’s kept it as Izuki.
A minute after she starts pretending to sleep, there’s a gentle knock at the door.
“Hinako, it’s morning.”
(He’s here…!)
Heart pounding, Hinako hides her face in the blankets. …She has to, or she might end up grinning like an idiot. Izuki comes to wake her every morning, but ever since she realized her feelings, it feels like the joy keeps growing day by day.
“Second semester starts today, huh… Gotta get pumped.”
Izuki mutters to himself as he opens the curtains.
Come to think of it, today’s the opening ceremony. Hinako only now remembers.
“Hinako, time to get up. We’ve got school today.”
“…Mm.”
As if she’s just woken up, Hinako responds.
She sits up, and her eyes meet Izuki’s.
“Morning, Hinako.”
“…Morning, Izuki.”
Fidgeting nervously, Hinako waits for his reaction.
…She wants him to say she’s cute.
As if sensing her thoughts, Izuki stares at her and opens his mouth—
“…Isn’t your hair, like, way too neat for just waking up?”
“W-w-w-what are you talking about… I don’t know what you mean!”
Hinako’s eyes dart around frantically.
Now that she thinks about it, it’s been nearly half a year since Izuki became her caretaker. During that time, he’s seen her just-woken-up look almost every day, so he might have noticed the change but felt more confused than impressed.
But… it’s not over yet.
Hinako moves to her next strategy.
“M-my hair… fix it.”
“Sure. Sit there.”
As Hinako settles into a chair, Izuki grabs a comb and stands behind her.
(Now, show him my nape…!)
She read it in a shoujo manga she borrowed from Yuri. —Men get flustered when they see a girl’s nape.
Hinako sweeps her hair up, exposing her nape to Izuki.
She sneaks glances at him, but… there’s no real reaction.
“…Izuki.”
“Hm?”
“Is there… anything?”
“Anything, you say…”
At Hinako’s question, Izuki lets out a troubled sound,
“Ah.”
“W-what…?”
“You’ve got a huge bedhead right here.”
He says, touching the back of her head.
“Muu…”
“W-what? Did I get it wrong…?”
Hinako puffs out her cheeks, glaring at Izuki in protest.
Since she was little, servants have always taken care of her appearance. She knew she couldn’t fix it perfectly on her own. She considered asking Shizune for help, but Shizune would definitely ask, “Why do you have to wake up secretly without Izuki-san knowing?” So she held back. …Even if it’s Shizune, admitting these feelings is still too embarrassing.
How on earth can she get Izuki to like her…?
She feels frustrated that her plan didn’t work.
But as Izuki gently combs her hair, her face softens into a smile despite herself.
◆
Hinako, now in her uniform, rides with me in a sleek black car.
The second semester at Kiou Academy starts today. It’s just the opening ceremony and homeroom, so we’ll be done by noon, but I coordinated with Tennouji-san and the others yesterday to have tea with the usual group afterward. Of course, Hinako’s coming along.
(Man, Hinako today… she seemed kinda alluring.)
As the car starts moving, I steal a glance at Hinako sitting next to me.
Lately, something’s been off about her.
I’m not sure if “off” is the right word, but… she seems more put-together than before. Less bedhead, and her manners at meals have gotten more refined.
Maybe she’s growing up in her own way… I’ve thought that before, but,
“…Mm.”
“Hinako, what’s up?”
“I’m… sleepy.”
With a slightly awkward reply, Hinako leans toward me.
Her ears are faintly red. …Is she really sleepy?
Just when I think she’s gotten more polished, she does something like this, clinging to me like she used to.
Well, she seems happy, so I guess it’s fine…
“Izuki-san, we’re almost there.”
“Got it.”
No one can know that Hinako and I ride to school together. So I get out of the car first, and then Hinako follows. It’s been like this since the first semester.
Once, I suggested we take separate cars, but Hinako shot that down. Even if it’s just in the car, she wants to go to school together as much as possible.
Maybe because it’s the first day back after a month, Hinako shows a bit of resistance today.
“Shizune, is it really not okay… to go to school with Izuki?”
Hinako voices her frustration about having to hold back.
Shizune-san makes an unusually stern face.
“Ojou-sama. I… understand how you feel, but you mustn’t be too reckless.”
“Mm. I was just checking, so it’s fine. …Heroines who try to force a fait accompli usually don’t get rewarded, anyway…”
She’s reached some odd conclusion, but she seems to have accepted it for now.
Fait accompli… Does Hinako even know what that means? This is the girl who didn’t know about the three-second rule, so I doubt she’s well-versed in that kind of thing.
“…Um, Ojou-sama. Have you heard of the Dunning-Kruger effect?”
“? The cognitive bias where less competent people overestimate their abilities?”
“Exactly. To put it simply, it’s when amateurs get overly confident.”
Shizune-san suddenly starts talking about something complicated.
I’ve never taken a psychology class, but I’ve heard of the term. It must be fairly well-known.
“Shizune… I’ll have you know, I’m called the perfect Ojou-sama.”
“Yes.”
“There’s no way I’d fall for a cognitive bias like that…!”
“…………………………Yes.”
Shizune-san affirms in a strained voice.
In the end, I couldn’t make sense of their conversation.
As I tilt my head, Shizune-san clears her throat with an exaggerated “Ahem.”
“By the way,”
She says, gazing out at the passing city scenery.
“The Management Game starts this second semester, doesn’t it?”
