The Heroines Want to Confess.

Chapter 71 – Hayasaka Ai Wants to Quit Her Job

Leaving the Nakano sisters' house, it was already eight o'clock in the evening by the time Sakurai Saki got home.

Today's tutoring session was generally pleasant, except for the part where Yotsuba ran off and only returned at the very last minute. Everything else went just as he had expected.

He had done a preliminary assessment and identified each girl's study habits and weaknesses.

On a side note, dinner was cooked by Sakurai Saki.

Ichika said she wasn't good at cooking, Itsuki preferred eating to making food, and as for Miku… Sakurai Saki truly didn't dare let her near the kitchen.

Last year during cooking class, he'd already witnessed her skills — that level could literally kill someone. After eating her food, you'd probably have to go to the hospital for a stomach pump. Not exaggerating. One time, a male student who was in the same group as her took a bite of her curry and ended up in the infirmary for the whole afternoon.

Miku: (,,¬﹏¬,,)

Fortunately, he was the first one to try it. If not, the unlucky victim might have been Sakurai Saki himself.

From that point on, whenever he was grouped with Miku during cooking class, Sakurai Saki would immediately step up and take over all the seasoning and cooking. He only let Miku handle the simplest tasks like washing or chopping vegetables. No one had any objections, since his cooking was genuinely delicious. Just now at the Nakano house, he even received compliments from all three girls.

Itsuki even went back for several extra bowls of rice.

Sakurai Saki casually asked a rather awkward question:

[You girls look exactly the same on the outside, so are your weights the same too?]

Itsuki faced the question and responded without hesitation:

[That's right! We weigh exactly the same!]

Sakurai Saki temporarily chose to believe her.

Girls often say that sweets go into a different stomach. Do you believe that?

…

He opened the apartment door alone and stepped into the entryway.

Sakurai Saki stretched.

He had taken the opportunity to study while tutoring, and had even finished his own homework.

There were no side effects from his power today, so Sakurai Saki was currently in perfect health — so healthy that even if he called a doctor, they wouldn't be able to find a single issue.

'If I just keep tutoring like this, then surpass Shinomiya Kaguya…' Sakurai Saki felt this plan was flawless.

He couldn't study while working as a rental boyfriend, and he hadn't had time to study with his previous part-time jobs either. Now, after so much effort, he'd finally found a job where he could study and crush Shinomiya Kaguya with his academic performance. Sakurai Saki was determined to carry out the long-cherished plan.

Sakurai Saki had always felt that Shinomiya Kaguya didn't quite respect him, and he believed the reason lay in academic results.

Shirogane Miyuki had better grades than Shinomiya Kaguya, so she never really showed any attitude toward Shirogane. It was only at the beginning of last year, right after the student council changed hands, that she sulked with Shirogane for a while. Back then, Sakurai Saki hadn't been invited into the student council yet, so he didn't know the details.

The student council election was held in September, and Sakurai Saki joined at the beginning of October. At the time, he only talked to Fujiwara Chika and Shirogane Miyuki — the two who actively reached out to him. As for Shinomiya Kaguya, their relationship was practically nonexistent.

It wasn't until around Christmas that the two of them had a brief exchange.

Since the start of this semester, her expression had softened considerably — perhaps this was what that guy Shirogane wanted to see. To Shirogane Miyuki, Shinomiya Kaguya was someone to admire. He once told Sakurai Saki as much. He wanted to become someone like her — someone who would do the things others didn't want to do in order to help others.

But later on, Shirogane Miyuki also told Sakurai Saki that he wanted to change Shinomiya Kaguya.

"Not acting out of obligation, but acting based on her own thoughts — wouldn't that be better?" Sakurai Saki muttered.

Shinomiya Kaguya was still not quite like a normal person, but compared to a year ago… she had come a long, long way.

So far that, looking back, you couldn't even see where she had started.

After taking a shower, Sakurai Saki sat on the living room sofa and picked up a light novel to read. He had a habit of reading to relax before bed.

'Tomorrow... I should go find Yotsuba, and then…'

Ishigami Yuu — That brat can't be allowed to slip Away either!

Doesn't he call himself useless every single day? Sakurai Saki really wanted to show him — there's someone even worse off than you!

Between the Nakano sisters and Ishigami Yuu, it was hard to say who was the bigger idiot.

Sakurai Saki felt that Ishigami Yuu had just had too rough a life. He had never experienced much success, always living in failure, and that was why he had become so dispirited.

Though people tend to aim high and water flows downward, sometimes, just seeing someone even more pathetic than yourself can boost your confidence a bit.

'And I could even use Ishigami to motivate the Nakano sisters to study harder.'

As long as they didn't start arguing when that happened.

After finishing the volume, Sakurai Saki climbed into bed and peacefully drifted off to sleep.

————

Tuesday.

The morning of Hayasaka Ai could hardly be described as smooth.

She was currently exhausted — no, super exhausted.

Hayasaka: (* ´ ﹃｀*)

The incident from yesterday, when Sakurai Saki got close and confessed to her, still left her legs feeling like jelly just thinking about it.

When she had run out of the school gate yesterday, she didn't even clearly remember how she got back to the Shinomiya estate. It was only after Kaguya told her that she found out she had apparently run all the way home without stopping for a single second!

It was truly embarrassing beyond belief!

( //>///

After finding out about that, Hayasaka Ai didn't even have the face to look at Shinomiya Kaguya anymore.

When Kaguya asked her what had happened, Hayasaka Ai fumbled and stammered, unable to get a word out.

Shinomiya Kaguya just assumed she was upset over the failed plan yesterday and didn't think much of it.

So last night, Hayasaka Ai lay in bed, her mind filled with Sakurai Saki's face.

As a result, she suffered a full-blown insomnia — not even a minute of sleep!

Tuesday morning, 5:30 a.m. After finishing her shower, Hayasaka Ai stared into the bathroom mirror, where a face with serious dark circles under the eyes stared back at her.

(≖_≖ )

No amount of foundation could cover it.

'Thinking about someone so much that it causes insomnia and gives you dark circles…' Hayasaka Ai didn't even dare imagine what she would say if Sakurai Saki asked her about it today.

It was just too humiliating!

She seriously wanted to take a day off right now!

But as Kaguya's bodyguard and maid, Hayasaka Ai had to be responsible for Shinomiya Kaguya's safety at school. Of course, she couldn't just take time off so easily.

It's not like she could go to the hospital and get a doctor's note that said [insomnia caused by love] as the reason for leave, right?

"Just because of a simple 'I like you,' and I end up like this..." Hayasaka Ai patted her cheeks.

How much do you like that guy, Hayasaka Ai!!

Can't you have a little more of your usual rationality?

There are tons of guys who like you — it's just one average Sakurai Saki!

She did a quick round of makeup, paying special attention to the corners of her eyes so the dark circles wouldn't stand out too much, and then Hayasaka Ai got ready to wake up Shinomiya Kaguya.

Before that, she still had to arrange breakfast and take care of various other chores.

'I really want to quit this job...'

"( – ⌓ – )

Hayasaka Ai thought about quitting at least ten times a day, but she couldn't bring herself to leave Kaguya alone here.

Because the only person Kaguya could rely on — was her.

Hayasaka Ai had always treated Shinomiya Kaguya like a younger sister, so she spoiled her in every way, no matter how difficult the request.

Even if Kaguya asked for a star from the sky, Hayasaka Ai would at least consider how she could make it happen.

Because this was a little sister who had never known love.

And an older sister must dote on her little sister.

One hour later.

At 7:00 a.m., Hayasaka Ai helped Shinomiya Kaguya get out of bed.

While she was halfway through helping the young lady change, Shinomiya Kaguya suddenly spoke up:"Hayasaka~ I want to go to karaoke today. Can I invite Sakurai-san and the others to come along?"

Hayasaka Ai: (ಠ_ಠ)

This little sister… Can I sell her off to Southeast Asia right now?