Chapter 3: “At Himesaki Nozomi’s Command”

──The next day.

At the 7 a.m. mark, the only ones at school were students doing morning practice for their clubs, so everywhere aside from the grounds and gymnasium was dead silent.

Clutching the letter tight, I climb the stairs toward the rooftop, one step at a time.

Getting a love letter—this is a first for me.

Whether it’s a lie or the real deal, I still don’t know, but my anticipation just keeps building higher and higher.

“…I’m here.”

Suppressing my racing heart, I turn the doorknob to the rooftop.

And then…

“Hm? Wait, is that—”

Having rushed up to the rooftop all giddy, a strange sense of déjà vu washes over me.

The figure of a female student gazing up at the morning sun, her crimson hair fluttering in the breeze.

It was the same vivid red that had overlapped with the sunset on my way back from cheering on Rui.

“Geez. You kept me waiting for two whole minutes, you know? Ryouta-senpai♡”

“…Wha—H-Himesaki!?”

The one who’d called me out was the most popular girl among the first-years… Himesaki Nozomi.

Reddish half-up hair and a refined nose bridge with adorably droopy eyes.

For her slender frame, she had a modest chest… if my eyes aren’t mistaken, bigger than Rui’s but more restrained than Yuria’s, I’d say.

It’s been a while since that time she called out to me on my way back, but as expected, her style, face, looks—every single aspect of her is top-class.

“Himesaki… you need something from me again?”

“My, my. Ryouta-senpai, you actually remembered me? I’m honored.”

Himesaki said it coyly, flashing a bashful smile.

I talked to Himesaki for the first time when I bumped into her at the Inter-High venue, and then she suddenly called out to me again on the way back from Inter-High—so we’ve talked twice.

Himesaki’s been calling me by my first name ever since our first meetings, and on the way back from Inter-High, she was saying stuff like she knew something about me and Rui… could this be related to that?

“Why did you remember me? Could it be you’re interested in me, Ryouta-senpai?”

“Well, when someone says something about a ‘puppy,’ you tend to remember them. Plus, I thought you were cute when I saw you before, so I remembered. That’s all.”

“Hmm… I see. So you butter them up with ‘cute this’ and ‘cute that,’ then use your silver tongue to make girl after girl fall for you.”

“Wh—! What’s that supposed to mean! That’s such a terrible thing to say!”

That makes it sound like I’m some scumbag player seducing women left and right!

Sure, I’ll admit I’m close with the beauty trio, but it’s not like I’m doing anything shady with them… W-well, I guess the boob dive and raw-boob touch can be categorized as lucky pervert moments.

“M-more importantly, tell me what you want! You called me here ’cause you have something to say, right?”

Given that the one who called me out was Himesaki Nozomi, who’d threatened me before, I can’t imagine she’d confess her love to me.

Is she trying to threaten me again? But when it comes to my relationship with Rui, she only has rumor-level material without any proof.

I’d been totally elated since yesterday thinking an underclassman girl was going to confess to me, but now that it’s come to this, I need to wipe my mind clean and start thinking.

“My, my. Ryouta-senpai, your guard is maxed out, isn’t it?”

“Of course it is! After getting threatened with god-knows-what by an underclassman, and then getting called out again—no way I wouldn’t be on guard! What are you after anyway!”

“I see. In that case, before I get to the point, how about I reintroduce myself?”

“Hah? Reintroduce?”

A reintroduction at this point? That’s pretty random…

“I’m Himesaki Nozomi, a first-year. You might already know this, but I lived overseas until high school because of my parents’ jobs, so I’m totally fluent in English! I’m also top of my class among the first-years, and since my looks and personality are perfect too, when I was overseas, I even got proposed to by a prince from a certain country, and—”

“H-hold up!”

“Yes? Is something the matter, Ryouta-senpai?”

“Look… how much longer is this bragging session of yours gonna take?”

The bragging just kept coming one after another, so I got impatient and ended up cutting her off.

“Geez, Ryouta-senpai? When a girl’s bragging, you’re supposed to smile and say ‘Ohhh, that’s amazing~’ while tuning her out. That’s a no-no, you know.”

“What’s that. Is that the prelude to ‘I’m putting it in, okay’?”

“Putting what? I don’t really understand, but if you’re going to say that much, I’ll wrap up my introduction here. Now it’s your turn, Ryouta-senpai!”

“M-me?”

Even if you tell me to introduce myself, I’ve got nothing to say besides my name.

“Um, I’m… Izumiya Ryouta. Second-year, not in any clubs in particular… and, uh, well…”

C-crap… I’m such an introvert I have nothing to say in a self-introduction!

The reality that it’s basically unchanged from when I introduced myself at the start of first year.

Behind the scenes, I’ve been touching bare thighs and bare breasts, basking in the superiority of it all, but that’s just my own interpretation (status).

The me right now, seen from others’ perspective, hasn’t grown at all—Coach Anzai would be shocked…

“Is that all? Ryouta-senpai?”

“…Y-yeah. Sorry, but unlike you, I don’t really have anything to brag about…”

“My, my. Lying again.”

“Huh? I-I’m not lying. I’m not—”

“Then, from here, I’ll introduce you, Ryouta-senpai.”

“Me? What are you even—”

“You are Izumiya Ryouta. At first glance, an ordinary male student in Class 2-B, but at this year’s culture festival you nailed the role of Snow White and became a celebrity overnight. Furthermore, behind the scenes, you’ve been spotted hanging out after school with Ichinose Yuria-senpai, Miyama Airi-senpai, and that Kuroki Rui. And with Kuroki Rui especially, there are whispered rumors that you two are dating… am I wrong?”

Me and Rui…?

Here she goes again, blindly believing that wrong rumor.

That’s just a baseless rumor, but the part about hanging out after school with Yuria and Airi is true.

For her to know even that… she knows way too much about me.

“Well, Ryouta-senpai, what do you think of my research skills?”

“I’ll be honest—I’m impressed you know that much. But I’m not dating Rui, and I’m not dating Airi or Yuria either. I just started talking to those three because our seats we close to each other.”

“I see. So you’re going to keep playing dumb.”

“I-I’m not lying! We’re really not dating!”

Against Himesaki laying out rumors to shake me up, I firmly deny everything.

“I said this when we met last time too—show me the proof. You don’t have any, right?”

“Then what’s this, I wonder~?”

“This?”

Himesaki casually pulled a single photo from her skirt pocket and held it up toward me.

A-a photo…? What’s she thinking… hm?

That remarkably high-resolution photo showed me and Rui… wait, this is—

In the photo, there I was, bowing my head with all my might, pleading for something—and Rui, accepting it with a gentle smile.

This is from when I asked to become vice president…

“I could’ve shown you this when we met before, but my phone was dead. This is the proof.”

So that’s why she was so confident—she had evidence!

“By the way, this is the moment Ryouta-senpai confessed his feelings and Rui-senpai accepted them.”

“C-Confessed!? That’s not what this is! You’re embellishing way too much!”

“Well, that might be how you see it in your head, Ryouta-senpai, but how do you think it looks objectively? At least to me… it looks like Ryouta-senpai is confessing and Rui-senpai is accepting it with a smile. Am I wrong?”

Of course I want to deny it.

But when she puts it like that, without knowing the conversation we were having at that moment, I can see how it would look that way.

“On top of the rumors that Ryouta-senpai is dating Rui-senpai, if I were to, say, lose this photo…”

“So you’re threatening me again… is that it?”

“Threatening? I have no such intentions. It’s just—”

“Just?”

“There’s something I want to ask of you again. If you do this for me, I promise to tear up this photo, delete every copy, and bury this entire matter into the depths of oblivion.”

Himesaki suddenly narrowed those droopy eyes of hers and directed a sharp gaze my way.

This girl… she’s dead serious.

Whether she’ll actually delete it after threatening me like this, I have no guarantee of that… but the one thing I do know is that if I resist poorly here, the damage could extend to Rui.

I decided to become vice president because I wanted to support Rui’s perfection.

And yet, because I was careless, the perfect image Rui’s built up might come crashing down—I absolutely… have to prevent that!

For now, I have no choice but to hear what she wants.

“F-fine. If hearing your request is all it takes, I’ll do whatever. So, what’s this request of yours, Himesaki?”

Don’t tell me it’s that ‘puppy’ thing again.

“Become my puppy♡”

Th-there it iiiiis.

“Won’t you literally become my dog♡”

Wearing a calm smile, yet making a request unbelievably brutal for that face—that’s Himesaki for you.

The gaze coming from those gentle eyes of hers has something similar to Rui about it.

So you’re on that side too, huh… (a total S).

“If Ryouta-senpai becomes my puppy, the scandalous photo of Rui-senpai gets deleted, and everything’s solved, right?”

While completely ignoring what happens to me as a dog, what do you mean ‘solved.’

Being told to become a dog without knowing how I’ll be treated—normally speaking, that’s just humiliating.

But even in a situation like this, if I shift my perspective, there should be advantages.

For example, since I’m a dog, I’d be allowed to do anything “in a sense,” which means I’d be forgiven for licking her hands and feet like a proper dog, wouldn’t it…?

Himesaki’s… hands, and feet… gulp.

“What’s wrong, Ryouta-senpaaai? Are you shocked by this terribly humiliating demand~?”

Whether I’d be allowed to lick her if I became a dog.

And which body parts would be permitted.

I can’t refuse to become her dog if it means protecting Rui. Then at least I should get that much of a reward, right? Isn’t that normal?

“Hey, how long are you going to mull this over? If you don’t decide soon, the photo with Rui-senpai will—”

“Aaagh, fine! I get it! I get it, so just let me lick you already, damn it!”

“Wh— L-lick!? That’s gross!”

C-crap. I was thinking too hard and my pervy side slipped out as usual!

Now it looks like I want to lick Himesaki under the guise of being a dog! (Which is exactly what I want.)

“I-I’m not going to give you such an inhumane order like licking! In the first place, by ‘puppy,’ I just mean you follow me obediently like a loyal dog, come running when I call, and hang out with me. That’s all.”

“…Haah, so that’s what it is. Boring. If I’m gonna be a dog anyway, I was hoping for surveillance● play or getting watched while I p●ss myself in front of you.”

“S-Surveillance●? P●ssing yourself? Um, wait a moment. What have you been talking about this whole time, Ryouta-senpai?”

“Crap…! Damn it! It’s your fault for acting all villain-like but only giving orders that are, like, barely R-14 kiddie stuff! What’s with ‘hang out with me’? Demand something more extreme (pervy)! You’re throwing off my rhythm!”

“Uh, umm…”

If you’re gonna do it, I’m expecting something way more hardcore… what’s with this underclassman. Total disappointment.

“I don’t really get what Ryouta-senpai’s been saying, but… anyway! Ryouta-senpai, you agree to become my puppy, right?”

“I-I don’t have a choice… do I. Given how things are, I’ve got no other option if I want to keep that photo from getting out.”

Being this cute underclassman beauty’s puppy…

Th-this is purely to protect Rui, and since she’s got leverage on me, I have no choice but to accept her terms.

It’s definitely not because I want a cute female underclassman to pet me like a good boy or take me on walkies or anything!

“My, my. Ryouta-senpai, accepting this so readily… you’re an interesting person.”

“What now. You got something else?”

“No, no. More importantly—”

Himesaki held out the photo in her hand toward me, and even handed over her phone.

“I’m giving you this photo, Ryouta-senpai. And feel free to check the photos on my phone for proof.”

“H-hah? Showing me the photos on your phone, are you for real? If there’s like, any embarrassing sexy selfies you took on a whim, I’m totally gonna look at them!”

“S-sexy selfies!? What’s that! Are you talking about naughty photos? I don’t have any!”

Himesaki’s face turned beet red and she denied it, loud enough that spit flew my way.

Oh dear… this tastes like… tastes like a liar…

But at her age, she doesn’t even know about sexy selfies…

Come to think of it, earlier she seemed totally lost about surveillance● and p●ssing-yourself-play too… I see. So this is the failure of compulsory education.

“I don’t care, just hurry up and check.”

“O-oh, right.”

I do feel bad peeking at a girl’s photos… but well, for Rui’s sake, I’ll confirm what’s inside.

I open Himesaki’s phone’s photo app and look through it.

Let’s see… ah, hmm.

All the photos were just food pics taken at places like Starbucks.

The rest were selfies with tourist spots in the background, or fashion selfies using a mirror to capture her outfits—and surprisingly, there weren’t any photos taken with other people.

Huh? Himesaki’s supposed to be as popular among the first-years as Rui, right?

For someone like that, she doesn’t have a lot of photos with friends…

“…Mm, thanks, Himesaki.”

Still feeling somewhat uneasy, I handed the phone back to Himesaki as soon as I finished checking.

“Well, there’s still a chance you got backups on your home computer or something, but at least I know they’re not on her phone.”

“What a suspicious senpai you are~”

“Like I want to hear that from someone who took creepshots! Anyway, even if I don’t really get why, all you need is for me to become your so-called dog, right?”

“Yes!”

Asking for something this shady yet wearing that beaming smile.

Just like Rui, is this girl also someone on the S-side?

I might seriously need to brace myself for this.

“Alright then, Ryouta-senpai. From now on, you’re my puppy, so make sure you properly follow my orders, okay♡”

And so began my days of being pushed around by my underclassman.

☆☆

Threatened with that scandalous photo of Rui, I became Himesaki’s puppy (dog).

After that, we exchanged LINE info, and she told me to respond whenever she calls… but.

What kind of orders am I going to get? It was half anticipation, half anxiety—even after I got home, my head was full of nothing but this.

“An beautiful underclassman puppy, huh…”

While gazing at the photo of me and Rui that Himesaki gave me, I let my thoughts wander.

Back at Inter-High, I told Rui I wanted to become vice president, and apparently that looked like a confession to Himesaki… who knew.

“Me confessing to Rui… L-like I could ever do that.”

Sure, I’m confident that among all the guys, I know Rui the best.

I know about her perfectionist side, and in the past, I even helped Rui out of a tight spot. Plus I’ve been getting her risqué selfies.

And precisely because I’m that kind of person, I thought if I became vice president and could help Rui, that would be… it’s not like I have the kind of feelings Himesaki was misunderstanding, or at least I don’t think so…

“…Hm? A phone call?”

When I checked my phone for the incoming call, it was from Tanaka.

Since I’d told Tanaka about the letter, it must be about that.

“Yeah, hello?”

‘Well hellooo, Ryouta-kuuun! Are you doing weeeell?’

Tanaka’s voice was creepily upbeat.

Did something good happen? No, wait—she’s definitely planning to tease me.

‘Weeell, knowing you, Ryouta-kun, the letter wasn’t a love letter after all, and I was thinking you must be pretty down about it, but how’d it go?’

“Pretty much what you said. It wasn’t a love letter.”

‘Oh… So it really wasn’t a love letter. Sorry about that… rubbing salt in the wound and all.’

“Sh-shut up! There’s more to this story! Just listen!”

I silenced Tanaka, who was consoling-slash-mocking me, and got to the main point.

“Actually…”

From there, I told Tanaka about how the one who called me out was Himesaki, and about how she threatened me with that photo of me and Rui together.

‘I see… I can’t believe that Himesaki-chan would do something like that.’

“Right? I was surprised too.”

‘So you became Himesaki-chan’s dog, Ryouta-kun?’

“Y-yeah. For Rui’s sake, it was the only option.”

‘But being a dog… that means you’re doing naughty stuff, right? Like, licking?’

“No, licking is apparently not allowed.”

‘Whoa, you actually asked if you could lick her? Ryouta-kun, you’re super gross.’

This girl—she brought up licking first, and now she’s doing a complete one-eighty.

‘But well, if it’s for Kuroki-san’s sake, I guess it can’t be helped. You did show some backbone there, Ryouta-kun. I’m a little impressed.’

“Being impressed by you doesn’t make me happy at all though.”

‘Hey! Why not!’

Tanaka said, slightly pissed off.

I mean, even if Tanaka praises me… y’know.

“Anyway, how’d things go on your end, Tanaka? You got called in by the teacher, right?”

‘Oh, that? Weeell, the world’s finally starting to recognize me, I suppose~’

“Hah?”

‘Confidentiality obligations prevent me from saying more, but I’m destined to become rule the world, so you’d better start sending me tribute now while you can, Ryouta-kun.’

I don’t really get it, but when Tanaka gets carried away like this, she’s never thinking anything good—so I’ll just let it slide for now.

Having finished reporting everything to Tanaka, I ended the call and found myself staring at that threatening photo.

“So… what do I do with this?”

This photo of Rui and me together.

I did manage to recover it from Himesaki, but how should I handle it?

Even if it was used as blackmail material, it does have the two of us in it… it’d feel wrong to just tear it up and throw it away.

Plus, if things keep going well, Rui’s going to be a super-famous celebrity. Maybe someday I can use this photo to brag.

“Alright, might as well put it in a photo frame and display it. Can’t hurt to have something like this on display once in a while.”

Making up my mind, I grabbed a photo frame that had been holding a bonus illustration card from a manga I like, and swapped out the card for the photo.

“Ohhh, looking at it like this, it’s surprisingly picture-perfect.”

The photo of me and Rui, framed in blue.

Me bowing my head to make a request, and Rui accepting it with a smile—it looks like one sweet page from youth.

My room’s usually nothing but anime merch and reeks of otaku, but just having this photo gives it a hint of youthful fragrance.

Just displaying this one photo makes it smell better than any room fragrance could.

This is a photo I’d love to show off to my sister, who’s still an introvert even in college… but wait.

“Hold on. Speaking of my sister, lately my room’s been invaded by Tanaka and Rui barging in without permission.”

If Tanaka found it, she knows the situation, so that’d still be fine—but if Rui found it, things would get messy for sure.

If she grilled me on who took it, what would I even say?

“…G-guess I have no choice. I won’t throw it away, but I should hide it after all.”

I decided to layer that illustration card I’d removed back on top of the photo and hide it.

Between getting threatened by Himesaki and everything else, I’ve been way too careless lately. This is the definition of better safe than sorry.

“Haah… thinking about all this has worn me out. Time to go to bed.”

And so, my turbulent day came to a close.

☆☆

The day after becoming Himesaki’s puppy.

“So starting today, my life of taking orders from Himesaki Nozomi begins…”

With a mix of slight anticipation and considerable anxiety, I head to school.

Himesaki said yesterday that orders would basically come through LINE chat.

Guess I just have to wait for those.

“Mornin’, Ryouta!”

“Morning, Ryouta.”

While I was looking down at my phone waiting for Himesaki’s instructions, Airi and Yuria arrived at school.

“O-oh, morning you two.”

“Hm? Ryouta, why are you staring at your phone?”

C-crap. I can’t let them find out I’ve become an underclassman’s puppy.

I’ve gotta play it cool here.

“I-I’m waiting for my stamina to refill on a gacha game right now! Just two more minutes until I have enough stamina to do a quest!”

I quickly opened a gacha game and showed it to the two of them.

“Hmm, I don’t really get it, but okay.”

I wonder who this ‘YURI4’ person in my friend list is—the Level 800 top ranker.

“Ohhh, a gacha game~ Airi’d love to play if she had the time~”

“If she had the time~? What, are you busy with your boyfriend or something, Airi?”

“Boyfriend…? Oh, y-yeah! Airi’s busy with her boyfriend! Ahahaha!”

Seriously, it’s a miracle she hasn’t been found out yet.

Well, Yuria was suspicious of her before too, but it seems like she’s not planning to dig any deeper.

“Seriously, you happy people… Ugh. I want a boyfriend too.”

“Huh, Yuria saying she wants a boyfriend… Y-Yuria, you’re way more popular than Airi, so you’ll get one right away!”

“You think so~”

While having that conversation with Airi, Yuria glanced sideways at me.

W-why’s she looking at me? Don’t tell me… she’s caught on to what I’m hiding.

“Hm? Hey Ryouta, looks like you got a LINE notification on your phone?”

“Huh?”

I’d been so distracted by Yuria that I didn’t even notice the LINE notification that had come in at some point.

Needless to say, it was from that girlr.

The message had no greeting or preamble—just ‘Rooftop. Now.’

A message like an enraged sports club coach. What happened to all those heart marks at the end yesterday!

“From Rui?”

“N-no, it’s not… That’s right! It’s from Tanaka! I gotta step out for a sec.”

“Oh, okay.”

I hurried toward the rooftop.

☆☆

When I rushed to the rooftop, Himesaki was standing alone in the center, just like yesterday.

What kind of order am I going to get?

“Geez, Ryouta-senpai? Don’t they say in Japan that you’ll be cursed if you make a lady wait?”

“‘Make you wait’—you’re the one who called me here.”

When I argued back, Himesaki’s face shifted from a smile to a composed, serious expression in an instant, and she reached a hand toward my chin.

“Nwhoa! Wh-what’re you—”

With those long fingers, Himesaki started scratching under my chin like she was taming a cat.

“O-ohh! S-stop it!”

“Just so you know, I like smart puppies. Someone as accomplished as you, Ryouta-senpai, whom even Kuroki Rui has acknowledged—surely you can anticipate when I’ll show up and act accordingly, right♡”

“Like I’m some kind of psychic. Don’t be unreasonable…”

I let out a sigh while getting my chin scratched and feeling strangely good.

“So, the fact that you called me here means you’ve got some kind of order, right? Should I get on all fours and be your chair or something? Or is it morning licks?”

“I told you I’m not giving those kinds of orders! What do you think I am!”

“An underclassman who ruthlessly threatens people with creepshot photos but won’t give any genuinely pervy orders, looks cute on the outside but is kinda annoying on the inside.”

“C-cute…!”

“Don’t just pick out that part! You’re trying to ignore the fact that you took creepshots!”

“…What a petty puppy, holding onto every little thing. What’s done is done, isn’t it?”

Himesaki made an annoyed face and muttered her complaints.

It’s because of that photo that I became her puppy, so nothing’s ‘done’ about it.

“Back to the orders—let’s have lunch together, just the two of us. The rooftop gets boring, so let’s do it in the courtyard.”

“Lunch? That’s your order?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“No, but if you’re giving orders about lunch, just call me on LINE at lunchtime. Why call me here first thing in the morning to give the order?”

“Th-that’s… because if I called you at lunch and you already had plans with someone else, I’d feel bad about it. So I figured I’d order you in the morning. But I thought you might refuse over text, so I did it face-to-face like this—”

“H-huh, is that so.”

Himesaki went on explaining her long-winded reasoning.

For calling it an ‘order,’ it’s surprisingly considerate.

Her orders are less like orders and more like promises between friends. Does this girl even actually want to keep me as a dog?

“I don’t really get it, but if lunch together is your order, I don’t mind… should I run and grab your food from the cafeteria too?”

“What do you think I am! R-rather, I’ve prepared food for my puppy, so you don’t need to bring anything, Ryouta-senpai?”

“Is that so? Then I’ll head to the courtyard at lunch.”

“Yes! I’ll be waiting!”

Somehow… I’m getting treated way too well here.

Feeling strangely off about not getting harsher orders than I expected, I left the rooftop behind.

☆☆

Having made lunch plans (orders) with Himesaki, I spent the rest of the morning classes spacing out.

Himesaki Nozomi, who won’t give me a single dirty order even though she made me her dog.

I can’t tell what she’s thinking and that’s what feels so unsettling.

If her goal was to shake Rui’s perfect image, she could’ve just leaked the photo and been done with it.

That’s precisely why Himesaki even bothered to negotiate—it must’ve been because she wanted to get her hands on a guy who’s close to Rui. In other words, me, right?

Sure, I did become her dog… but the orders from Himesaki are dull as a knife that can’t cut anything.

And lunch together… sigh. Does this girl think I’m her friend or something?

No… but there’s still a possibility. Maybe Himesaki’s trying to lull me into a false sense of security, and then at lunch, in the courtyard in front of everyone, she’ll hit me with some incredibly pervy order.

Yeah, that must be it.

Nice try, Himesaki… making me let my guard down like this…

“Hehe… Ryouta-kun? Why are you grinning like that?”

When fourth period ended and I was packing up, Rui’s voice came from beside me as I sat there grinning to myself.

I can’t let Rui catch on to any of this.

“Huh, n-no, it’s… Th-the light novel! Man, today’s update of Breasts Sucking was hilarious~”

“…Hmm. Is that so.”

Rui directed a cold stare at me while giving a completely emotionless response.

“Wh-what, Rui. If you’ve got something to say, j-just say it.”

Don’t tell me… she’s found out I’ve become Himesaki’s dog?

“Ryouta-kun, you know.”

No, even Rui couldn’t know… because she’s Kuroki Rui.

“I’ve been wondering for a while now.”

“…Y-yeah.”

“There’s… some garbage on your shoulder, Ryouta-kun.”

“Huh?”

G-garbage? On my shoulder?

After pointing it out, Rui gently reached toward my shoulder.

Wh-what, I was concerned for a moment, but… it was just garbage.

I’d been squinting at her weird looks, wondering if she’d seen through everything again… but Rui was just looking at the garbage on my shoulder.

Good thing I was overthinking. Even Rui couldn’t possibly know about this one…

“——A bright red, and rather long strand of hair. For such ‘garbage’ to end up on you, this girl must have been really close to you, huh~”

“……!”

Completely at a loss for words.

This girl… seriously.

That was the only reaction I could muster—my thoughts ground to a halt… N-no, don’t stop now! If I don’t deny this, it’ll just look even more suspicious!

Even for Rui, she’s probably still just testing me at this point.

Yeah, this is just her probing—has to be.

“Red hair? I don’t know anyone like that. None of my acquaintances have that.”

“…Is that sooo.”

“M-more importantly, I’ve got something to do at lunch! I gotta go! Sorry, Rui!”

Saying that, I bolted out of the classroom.

Th-that was close… but somehow, based on everything so far, I can’t shake the feeling that Rui already knows.

But… becoming my underclassman’s dog is also for Rui’s sake. I’ve got nothing to feel guilty about.

I just need to proudly be my underclassman’s puppy.

“Heh… me, working behind the scenes to protect Rui. I’m pretty cool, huh.”

“Why are you laughing to yourself, Ryouta-senpai?”

“Whoa—H-Himesaki…”

While I was getting full of myself on my way to the courtyard, Himesaki called out from behind.

“Don’t tell me you were going the wrong way, Ryouta-senpai? And that laugh—were you imagining me eating lunch all alone!”

“I-I was just about to head there! Jeez, everyone’s so suspicious of me. What did I do?!”

“I don’t really know what’s going on, but… anyway, if you were planning to come properly, then good job. Let’s head to the courtyard together, shall we?”

“Y-yeah, fine by me.”

Himesaki began walking ahead with light steps, swinging the large bento bag she was holding with both hands.

She seems awfully cheerful.

Does she really want to eat with her puppy (me) that badly?

Well, I’m not really expecting much anymore, but… guess I’ll humor my master’s lunch.

On the way to the courtyard with Himesaki Nozomi, students we passed stopped in their tracks and turned around with wide eyes.

Since I’m always with the beauty trio, I’m used to this kind of attention, but this just confirms that Himesaki is on par with those three.

As Tanaka had passionately explained before, I’ll admit Himesaki’s looks do rival Rui’s.

But unlike looks alone, Rui has that consistently mature demeanor, the grace of a Yamato Nadeshiko, and an absolute charisma… Himesaki, though, is different.

I glance at Himesaki walking beside me.

Being a returnee, Himesaki may look perfect, but honestly, everything else about her is a mess.

She threatened a near-stranger with a photo, told him to become her dog but her orders are weak, and on top of that, she’s now asking to eat lunch together…

Above all, nothing I say about pervy things gets through to her.

Even Airi, who didn’t know what ●●● was on the bus before, still reacts to mild dirty jokes with embarrassment—but with Himesaki, it seems like she genuinely doesn’t know.

If she isn’t curvy, she hasn’t even reached the “knowing that you don’t know” stage… even Socrates would be shocked at how pure this returnee is.

Speaking of which, in Western high school movies, overseas kids should have way more explicit dirty talk… didn’t she ever joke around about that with friends?

“Ryouta-senpai, you’ve been staring at me this whole time. What’s up?”

“Ah… no, well—”

“Yes?”

“You lived overseas, right, Himesaki? What was life like there? Was it more fun than here?”

I honestly asked what I’d been curious about.

Himesaki suddenly stopped walking and stared out the hallway window.

“…It’s the same.”

“Hm? The same?”

“Exactly the same as now… I never really thought it was fun, you know?”

Though smiling, Himesaki answered somewhat flatly.

Crap… did I step on a landmine?

“More importantly, Ryouta-senpai. What do you like in a bento?”

“In a bento!? Oh, uh, we’re talking about bento here.”

“What else would we be talking about? Haah, Ryouta-senpai, you’re really weird.”

Himesaki sighed in exasperation as she said it.

Damn it! This girl really throws me off.

☆☆

When we arrived at the courtyard, we took a seat on an empty bench.

Maybe because the blazing sun was so hot, there weren’t many students in the courtyard.

That’s convenient for us, but… it’s insanely hot outside.

“Ryouta-senpai, shall we eat our bento?”

“Y-yeah.”

Himesaki cheerfully opened the bento wrapping she’d brought.

And yet, why isn’t Himesaki sweating at all in this heat?

“…Wait, hm? Hold on, what is that bento box.”

I’d thought it was a normal bento box, but when she opened the wrapping, a mysterious huge black box appeared out of nowhere. And when she opened the lid, absurdly huge sandwiches were crammed inside, each roughly the size of fists.

“Ta-daaa, today’s lunch is sandwiches! I woke up early this morning to make them.”

“…They’re way too huge.”

Even the fillings—egg, ham—looked like they were about to burst out of the plastic wrap.

Don’t tell me this is the standard size overseas…?

“Is something wrong? Ryouta-senpai, is there something you don’t like?”

“No, nothing, but… aren’t they too big?”

“Really? If you think this is big, you must be a light eater, Ryouta-senpai.”

“My sense of portions is normal! Seriously, what’s going on.”

Complaining all the while, I picked up one of the huge sandwiches with both hands and took a bite.

“Oh, they’re actually pretty good.”

“What do you mean ‘actually’! That’s rude!”

“No, I just had this image of you being cute on the outside but totally useless on the inside, Himesaki. And you won’t give any pervy orders at all.”

“What’s that supposed to mean! F-for your information, I’m top of my class among first-years! And I don’t really get this ‘pervy order’ thing, but anyway, I’m talented!”

Himesaki puffed out her chest and flared her nostrils, wearing a smug expression.

“For being so ‘talented,’ threatening someone with a photo only to end up having lunch with them—that’s your goal?”

“…I-I’m fine with this. This is what I want.”

“Really… well, if I were in your position, I’d be doing this and that, you know.”

“This and that? Like board games?”

“Why is your brain always so peaceful?”

I sighed in exasperation while finishing the sandwich in my hands.

“There’s three more, so here’s another one, Ryouta-senpai?”

“O-okay.”

Just one had filled me up pretty good, but… I can’t turn down something a beautiful girl made for me. Hold out, my stomach…!

“…Ryouta-senpai, is Rui-senpai really that important to you?”

“Wh-! What’s with that all of a sudden!”

“I mean, you’re properly following my orders for Rui-senpai’s sake, and honestly, I thought you wouldn’t show up for lunch.”

“You thought I’d bail?”

“I mean, the photo in question has already been deleted, and a promise to become my puppy—you could break it without consequence, right?”

“Look, keeping a promise is just basic stuff, right? Or what—did you want me to break it?”

“Of course not! But… aren’t you actually unhappy about this, Ryouta-senpai?”

Saying that, Himesaki pursed her lips and furrowed her brows.

I don’t get why she’s suddenly saying this, but… guess I’ll be honest with her.

“Well, honestly, that promise doesn’t matter to me. Simple as that—eating alone is one thing, but if I can eat with a cute underclassman like you, Himesaki, the food tastes better. That’s why I came. That’s all.”

“A-again with that!”

“You can think I’m just smooth-talking if you want, but I’m actually having fun right now.”

“Ryouta… senpai…”

Himesaki put down the sandwich she’d been holding and gazed my way.

A stare hotter than the blazing sun.

“Though it’d be more fun if there were some pervy orders.”

“What even is a pervy order! I don’t even know what ‘pervy’ means!”

This girl, seriously…

Not knowing what ‘pervy’ means… Himesaki must really be going through a lot.

“Ugh! You ruined the mood…”

“Huh… so if the mood had been right, would there have been a pervy development?”

“What even is ‘pervy’?!”

After that, we went back and forth arguing, and lunch break flew by in no time.

☆☆

With my stomach stuffed from lunch with Himesaki, I welcomed the afternoon classes, and despite fighting off the drowsiness, by around sixth period my head was barely functioning.

Jeez, that owner feeds her pet way too much…

“Ryouta-kun, class is almost over.”

A soft whisper came from my right, jolting me back just as I was about to doze off.

“R-Rui…”

Looks like Rui woke me up.

Rubbing my eyes and looking around, as usual, the contrarian-duo Airi and Yuria were also sleeping, but… why’d she only wake me up?

“Hehe, Ryouta-kun dozing off is pretty rare, isn’t it? And during Tanabe-sensei’s class too—the bombshell popular female teacher. That’s not like you at all.”

“Sh-shut up, some days are like that.”

“……”

Rui suddenly went quiet and directed a cold stare my way.

Her humidity’s been high all day today.

Oh wait, it’s always high.

“…Your noticeably fuller belly compared to usual, and your uncharacteristic drowsiness. There’s a chance it’s just lack of sleep, but you had no bags under your eyes today, Ryouta-kun, and you didn’t even yawn once during the morning—so that hypothesis is rejected. That leaves a blood sugar spike causing focus issues and drowsiness, but given that the Ryouta-kun who usually makes do with just one onigiri and fiber-rich zero-calorie soda for lunch—skimping to save money—I can’t imagine you eating enough to cause a blood sugar spike.”

Wh-what’s with this analysis that sounds like mathematical proof… seriously, what is this.

“…In conclusion, someone intervened in Ryouta-kun’s lunch and forced him to eat a large amount of food. And that person is someone other than the three of us… Q.E.D., right, Ryouta-kun?”

Sweat that had been beading on my skin from sleeping instantly vanished, replaced by chilling shivers.

A feeling mixing the sensation of watching a horror movie with the uncomfortable tension of a midday drama’s messy scene.

That’s how much the bottomless insight she possessed had terrified me.

This is bad… between the incident before lunch and now, Rui’s definitely onto me.

She knows everything, or at least almost everything, and Rui’s shaking me up for fun. No doubt about it.

But I can’t tell her everything about Himesaki… S-so here, I’ve gotta—

“Look, Rui, I think you’ve got the wrong idea here… I haven’t done anything I need to feel guilty about. Please, just trust me.”

“Hehe… sounds like an excuse from a cheating boyfriend.”

“H-hey! Cheating? I’m doing all this for you, Rui—”

“For me?”

Crap… my tongue slipped.

“Hmm… so that’s how it is after all.”

Her skeptical stare from moments ago did a complete 180, and now Rui was looking at me with a grin.

“Wh-why are you just accepting that?”

“No, it’s nothing. That’s right, isn’t it—after telling me something that sounded like a confession before, there’s no way you’d betray me, right, Ryouta-kun?”

“Wh-what’s that even supposed to mean!”

Rui seemed to have come to her own conclusions about her own analysis.

Well, if I told Rui everything about being threatened by Himesaki, who knows what Rui might do to her—so in a way, it’s convenient that Rui’s figured things out on her own to some extent.

“Hehe… Ryouta-kun, you’re such a tsundere.”

I-is it just me, or does it feel like she’s wildly misinterpreting things…

☆☆

When sixth period ended and school ended, I got another LINE from Himesaki.

‘Class is almost over, so would you like to walk home together today? Maybe hang out around the station, what do you think?’

It’s not even in command form anymore.

At this point, I can’t tell who’s the dog here. Is this some kind of play she wants?

“Sorry, Ryouta—I’ve got to rush off to meet my boyfr—I-I mean, stuff today.”

So it’s her part-time job. Got it.

“I’ve got to get home too ’cause a new baby bot—I mean, package is being delivered. My family has zero qualms about opening other people’s packages, so I can’t let my guard down.”

It’s definitely that new baby bottle from the recently released 《Chichi-kyun》 character.

With Airi and Yuria heading home early, Rui went off to club activities as usual.

This is actually convenient for walking home with Himesaki.

I headed to the entrance hall where we’d agreed to meet.

Come to think of it, I’m usually walking home with one of those three—I really am a normie, aren’t I.

Yet nothing romantic ever happens, and everyone still treats me as a pervert—guess that’s just the introvert life.

Well, I enjoy getting pushed around by those three, so I’m not really complaining about the lack of romance.

Occasionally I get to stare at thighs and boobs, and Rui sends me selfies—but it’s not like I have ulterior motives (said twice).

It’s the same with Himesaki… though in her case, she doesn’t genuinely intend to treat me like a dog.

Being pushed around by the beauty trio every day has left me feeling a bit unsatisfied with Himesaki.

“…I know. Since we’re walking home together anyway, might as well go pick her up at the first-year classrooms as her loyal dog.”

That way, maybe Himesaki will be like, “What a naughty puppy, not waiting at the meeting spot like a good boy,” and scold me, naturally leading to an S&M development… pretty likely scenario.

With that faint hope, I headed to the fourth floor where the first-year classrooms are… but I don’t actually know which class Himesaki’s in.

As I wandered around, students started pouring out of what was probably a classroom still in the middle of HR.

Crap! Maybe Himesaki’s coming out now with her obviously popular girl-friends.

If it got out that she’s meeting up with an introverted guy like me, that’d be bad for Himesaki.

While I was thinking that near the classroom entrance, a group that looked exactly like top-tier gyaru girls walked by right in front of me.

Himesaki wasn’t among them, so I guess she’s not in that group.

“…Whoa, no way. That guy standing there—isn’t he that super famous senpai from second year?”

“Oh yeah, I know. He played the heroine in the culture festival, right?”

“More than that, the rumor is he’s in some spicy relationship with Rui-paisen.”

“””For real~? That’s crazyyy.”””

Apparently I’m recognized even by underclassman gyaru girls I don’t know.

Also, my relationship with Rui is more ero than spicy… well, whatever.

Then a somewhat quieter group of girls passed by.

A group with that had an “obviously in a cultural club” vibe, but Himesaki wasn’t among them either.

“Hey, isn’t that Izumiya Ryouta-senpai from second year?”

“I knew it. The first-year guys call him a living legend.”

“I heard his overwhelming aura keeps everyone away except girls.”

What kind of aura is that. Is this the Grand Line or something?

If you’re a loner but hang out with the beauty trio, that’s how it gets interpreted, huh… quite a spiritual world we live in. Also, don’t gossip at normal volume.

“Huh, Ryouta-senpai?”

While I was lost in thought, Himesaki’s voice suddenly came from the side.

Himesaki, having come out of the classroom alone, was looking at me with a surprised expression.

“Oh, Himesaki. You finally came out.”

“Um… Ryouta-senpai, you came all the way up to the fourth floor for me—did I keep you waiting?”

“N-no, that’s not it.”

I’d expected her to come out chatting with friends or followers, but… Himesaki was surprisingly alone.

Himesaki stared at me, furrowing her brows slightly.

That expression—could it be… she’s mad.

“U-um! Sorry for coming all the way to your classroom. Even if we’re in this master-dog relationship, for someone like me to walk you home—if your friends found out, that’d be the worst. Are you mad?”

“N-no… I’m not. I’m… happy, actually.”

“Happy?”

“Oh! Never mind! A-anyway! We don’t have much time, so let’s go! I’m going to make you keep me company all evening ♡”s

Himesaki’s expression suddenly brightened, and she set off with light steps.

…Nothing happened!!!

No S&M development… happened!

In stark contrast to the delighted Himesaki, I followed along, biting my lip in frustration.

☆☆

After meeting up with Himesaki at the first-year classrooms, we left the school together.

Being with Himesaki meant piercing stares from people around us during the walk, but after all my experience with the beauty trio, it didn’t bother me much anymore.

More than that, what concerned me was…

“H-hey Himesaki. You said we’d hang out, but what exactly are we doing?”

“Huh? Oh, right.”

“‘Right’—look, I’m basically an introvert, so I don’t know anything about how popular kids hang out.”

“You say that with such pride.”

Honestly, even though I get along well with the beauty trio, that doesn’t mean we do popular-kid activities.

Airi always wants to do childish stuff, Yuria’s an otaku, and Rui’s always busy.

So honestly, I’m not confident I can keep up with what Himesaki wants to do.

Himesaki’s a returnee, so she must’ve done flashy stuff overseas. If she says she wants to go to a disco or club, what do I do…?

“…But then again, places like that might have a chance of getting picked up by some super hot older ladies.”

“Haah… you’re thinking about something stupid again, aren’t you. Your muttering’s leaking out, Ryouta-senpai.”

“Alright! Let’s go to a disco, Himesaki!”

“D-disco!? We’re not going!”

“Aww, I was hoping to get picked up and taken home.”

“Picked up? You mean like takeout?”

“No, not that… Hmm, I guess in overseas terms it’d be like a pervy takeout.”

“That makes even less sense.”

So dirty jokes don’t work after all… English is hard.

“Anyway, back to the point—where do you want to go, Himesaki?”

“Um, well… embarrassingly, even though I invited you, Ryouta-senpai, I don’t really have a specific place in mind.”

Himesaki said it with an embarrassed, shy smile.

I’d assumed she had a destination and planned to drag her dog around for walkies, but apparently not.

Well, since she only came to Japan for high school, she probably doesn’t know this area well—can’t really blame her.

“If there’s nowhere specific, want to just browse around the shopping center by the station? They’ve got arcades, an Animate, all sorts of stuff.”

“Arcade? Animate?”

“Right, we’d have to start from there. Those are just examples—they’ve got cosmetic shops that cute girls like you probably visit, plus capsule toy shops and stuff. It should be fun.”

“I see… I commute from my grandparents’ house in the opposite direction from the station, so this might be my first time there.”

“Huh, really?”

The shopping center in the station is so packed with students from the local high schools every evening that it’s basically a hangout spot for teenagers…

“You don’t go there with friends? I mean, your class has tons of gyarus and stuff.”

“……”

“Hime, saki?”

When I asked, Himesaki clammed up with an uncomfortable expression.

“The thing is… Ryouta-senpai, you might have the wrong idea about me.”

“Wrong idea?”

“The truth is… I don’t actually have any friends yet.”

More than surprised, it was a moment of things clicking into place.

The fact that Himesaki has no friends.

I’d picked up on it from Himesaki’s behavior so far and how she came out of the classroom alone.

“So, the no-friends thing… has it been like that since you enrolled?”

“Y-yes… embarrassingly so.”

Himesaki said it with a pained expression.

Yeah, I figured as much.

It was strange from the start that she’d bother with an introvert like me, and even though Tanaka’s info made her sound like a popular kid, the real Himesaki was just cute with no ‘substance.’

Despite threatening me with the photo, she had no real obsession with Rui, and despite saying I’d be her puppy, all her orders were pure and innocent.

She lacked the intense sense of purpose that Kuroki Rui, who supposedly rivals her in beauty, possesses.

“When I first enrolled, people were curious about me being a returnee, so classmates and even students from other classes came to see me or talk to me.”

“Whoa, how famous can you get.”

Even Rui didn’t have that level of attention, I think… well, definitely not something that would happen to an ordinary student.

“But that’s all temporary. Gradually, fewer people talked to me, and I started feeling distance from everyone.”

“Distance? Did they start avoiding you?”

“…It’s more like, how do I put it, emotional distance.”

Himesaki stopped in front of a roadside vending machine and, inserting a 1000-yen bill, bought two bottles of green tea.

“Here, Ryouta-senpai.”

“O-oh. Thanks.”

I took it gratefully and was about to twist off the cap when… Himesaki stared at me intently.

“Wh-what?”

“…How did you feel just now, getting this tea?”

“How? That you’re being considerate, I guess.”

“I see… but other people are different.”

“Huh? Different? Hey, wait—”

Himesaki snatched the tea right out of my hands and chugged it down.

“H-hey! My tea!”

“Pwaah… other people would return even a bottle of tea like this to me!”

“Huh…?”

With frustration seeping through her expression, Himesaki drained the stolen tea and turned to face me.

“Earlier I said I had no friends, but right after I enrolled, I did get accepted into a cheerful group of girls in my class. But… they wouldn’t genuinely accept anything I did for them out of goodwill.”

Saying that, Himesaki continued with eyes that looked lonelier than usual.

“Like when I offered to save seats in a different classroom, they’d say ‘We couldn’t possibly let Himesaki-san do that,’ and when I tried to give spare chopsticks to a girl who forgot hers, she said ‘I couldn’t accept them from Himesaki-san’ and borrowed from someone else… They always treated me like I was on some higher level, acting all reverent. It’s hard! I’m just a normal student like everyone else!”

Emotions laid bare more than ever, Himesaki poured everything out.

Watching her, I felt a mix of sympathy for her and her classmates.

Sure, if you had a classmate as beautiful as Himesaki, with that face plus the returnee status, it would be hard to see her as an equal.

So I can’t say those classmates are entirely in the wrong.

But Rui, who’s in a similar position, has Yuria and Airi—people who don’t treat her specially—in her class, so she doesn’t deal with this.

Whether or not you have those kinds of friends can make such a difference.

I realized that being popular comes with their own problems

“So you left the group because you hated that, Himesaki?”

“…It wasn’t so much that I left—they gradually distanced themselves from me. Our conversations didn’t click either, and in the end, the emotional distance was just too different from the physical one. Before I knew it, I ended up alone.”

“I see… I think I kind of understand what you mean by ’emotional distance.'”

I’d never really thought about it before, but the reason Rui treasures Yuria and Airi so much isn’t just because they’re friends—they’re precious to her because they’re people who interact with her on equal footing.

And… does that include me too, receiving selfies from Rui almost every day?

“I’d heard that Ryouta-senpai has connections with many girls, starting with Rui-senpai. So I thought maybe you, Ryouta-senpai, would treat me normally too.”

“Hah? So threatening me with Rui was all just to get close to me?”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

“Y-you—wanting an equal relationship but then telling me to be your puppy? That’s completely contradictory.”

“That’s because! I heard rumors that Rui-senpai has Ryouta-senpai trained like a dog. So I thought taming you was the only approach, Ryouta-senpai!”

“As if!!”

Seriously, she’s way too gullible about rumors.

“But I… when I was overseas, people would approach me first and we’d become friends right away. I don’t know how to start a conversation and become friends on my own. It feels weird to just suddenly talk to someone, and after agonizing over it, this was the only method I could come up with.”

More than that emotional-distance stuff, Himesaki just seems plain awkward to me.

As an introverted otaku like me, I’m always waiting for the classic romcom development where a beautiful girl talks to me first—if she’d just approached normally, there was no need for all this roundabout stuff.

Well, I don’t have many friends myself, so I can’t really talk, but… as someone in a similar boat, there’s something I can say.

“Haah… look, Himesaki. Why don’t we just drop this dog-and-master thing?”

“…!”

“It’s not gonna become the relationship you want… and honestly, it’s not satisfying for me as the dog either.”

Having learned all this about Himesaki, I felt like we should dissolve this relationship first.

And then, properly this time—

“I-I knew it! Of course that’s how it would go. I’m gross, aren’t I? I’ve been dragging Ryouta-senpai around and just pushing my ideal of what a friend should be onto you… I’m sorry! I won’t do this again, and from now on I’ll make sure not to bother you, Ryouta-sen—”

“No, that’s not it.”

I cut off Himesaki’s spiraling negativity and looked straight into her eyes.

“From now on, let’s be friends. Okay, Himesaki?”

“F-friends…?”

“Yeah. From now on, we’re not puppy and master—we’re friends. You don’t have to force yourself to give orders anymore.”

“…Is it really okay? After all the terrible things I did to you, Ryouta-senpai—friends?”

“What you did barely counts as terrible. Now that we’re friends, I’m gonna teach you what true perviness really means.”

“…Y-yes! I still don’t really get what ‘pervy’ means, but from now on, as friends, please take care of me, Ryouta-senpai!”

A smile returned to Himesaki’s face.

“Alright, enough with the heavy talk—let’s go check out the station.”

“Wait! How is that heavy talk!”

“Because it was heavy, obviously. C’mon, let’s go already.”

☆☆

After that, Himesaki and I explored the shopping center at the station together.

At the variety shop, Himesaki excitedly showed me all the trending products. Normally, I’d have zero interest in that stuff, but watching Himesaki talk about it so happily somehow made it fun.

Before we knew it, our fun time with Himesaki flew by, and by the time we left the station, the sun had completely set.

I couldn’t let Himesaki walk home alone on these dark streets when she attracts so much attention, so I walked her all the way home before finally heading back myself.

“Today was really… a lot happened, huh…”

I’m glad I got to hear Himesaki’s true feelings, but at the same time, I can’t help but worry about what she’ll do going forward.

Being worried about by a perverted loner introverted otaku like me might be a disgrace to Himesaki, though.

“Friends, huh…”

Come to think of it, I’ve never consciously tried to make friends before.

Tanaka, my best friend, naturally became close in middle school, and we just always hung out together. Same with the beauty trio—despite some initial bumps, we naturally became friends.

But that might be a blessing in itself.

If I’d never met Tanaka, I would’ve been a loner forever.

Same goes for the beauty trio.

If I’d never met Yuria, I might never have learned about wax or trendy fashion. If I’d never met Rui, I wouldn’t have become this much of an M. And meeting Airi is what made me truly appreciate the glory of huge boobs.

What can I do for Himesaki as her friend?

I pulled out my phone and opened LINE.

Right then, a message from Himesaki had just arrived.

‘Himesaki: Thank you so much for today, Ryouta-senpai! It was really fun. By the way, what kind of materials do I need to study perviness?’

What a hopeless underclassman.

Study materials… might as well lend her some. I’ve got endless amounts.