Translator: Haruto.

Rina has something to talk to me about? What could…

“Ah, is it about Hibari?”

Maybe she only pretended to be fine when Yuito left and was actually insanely jealous? If that’s the case, she must want to get as much info on Hibari as she can… No, wait… Had she been jealous, I’m sure she’d just have prevented Yuito from leaving…

“Hibari? Ahh, that beautiful maid of yours?”

“Huh, so even you think she’s beautiful, Rina-san…”                                                                        

“What do you mean by ‘even you’? Anyone would think that girl is beautiful. Her hair is smooth, her skin is flawless and her nails are immaculate. You can tell at a glance how diligent she is every day taking care of her appearance. She’s the epitome of what a girl should strive to be.”

“You sure think highly of her.”

“…You two live together, right, Kasashima?”

“Yeah.” I spend my days alone with my beautiful maid in this apartment.  

“Is she the one teaching you how to take care of your skin?”

“Yeah, she shares her skin lotion, creams, and that kind of stuff with me, and shows me how to apply them properly.”

“No wonder your skin is so nice. If only you didn’t have that scary look in your eyes and those dark circles under them…”

“Oh, shush!”

Since I’m taking good care of my skin, I don’t have any acne and my skin is in pristine condition. Game characters don’t suffer from acne and their skin is always perfect, but in real life, you must make an effort to keep your skin healthy.

“By the way, Hibari is also a great cook. Her skills are on par with a professional chef,” I declare.  

“So she’s better than me?”

“…I mean, I’ve never tasted your cooking, so…”  

“The curry back at the school camp…”

“We made that together, remember? It was pretty good, though.”

“Thanks.”

“I think the fact that we were eating together made it taste even better… But anyway, what did you want to talk about?”

“Ah, right…”

It seems even Rina forgot about it for a second there… I doubt it concerns Yuito, then…

“About the school camp…”

“The school camp? Ah, you must be referring to what happened with Tajima’s ex. Has she done something to you again?”

“No, she hasn’t tried anything since then. I heard even her conduct in school has improved… I guess she’s learned her lesson. I still believe Mr. Whatshisface was the main cause of the problem, though.”  

“I agree.”

That girl must have loved Tajima a lot if she went as far as to confront Rina, so I can understand why she flipped her lid when he threw her aside. Trying to hurt others for something like that is still inexcusable, though.

I’m not saying Tajima should have stayed with her even if he didn’t want to, but he probably underestimated how much she actually loved him…

“Anyway, I, um… I’d like to do something to thank you…” Rina says.

“Hm? I’m not even sure I did something that deserves praise, let alone gratitude…”

“After the money disappeared, the blame could have been pushed on me, and then, the entire class would have treated me as a criminal… but you protected me and told her all those things for our sake. Thank you.”

Well, it is nice being thanked like this, but…  

“Rina-san, as I’m sure you know, I did all that simply because that was what I wanted to do. And honestly, my actions were far from laudable so you shouldn’t worry about doing something to thank me…”

I mean, I trapped a girl in a room and yelled angrily at her—exactly the type of reprovable behavior you’d expect from someone who looks like me. I just can’t bring myself to accept a gesture of gratitude for what I did back then.

In response, Rina…

“Hmm…”

“What…?”

She’s staring intently at me for some reason.

“A super cute girl says she wants to do something for you to thank you for what you’ve done and you still won’t accept her offer?”

“Again…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know what you’re going to say, but I still believe I should show you my gratitude somehow, so just accept it.”

“Wait, no, listen…”

“Or are you just acting like this because you feel nervous being alone with me? Don’t worry, I totally don’t think about you that way, okay?”

“Yeah, I know!!” She’s head over heels for Yuito! Everyone knows that!

As to tease me, Rina goes back to her usual devilish and foxy persona. She’ll probably keep this up until I stop refusing, so…

“…Alright, I humbly accept.”

“Great…! Now then, gimme…”

“Huh?”

Rina sticks her hand out for some reason.

“Aah, I see! You want me to pay you for your gesture of gratitude, right? Wait here. I left my wallet in my room so—”

“Of course not! Why would I make you pay me when I’m the one supposed to do something for you?!”

“I’m just messing with you. What do you need?”  

“Cell number.”

“Cell number? Whose?”

“Yours! I need to text you to set up the date and the time!”

“Ah, alright.” I don’t see a reason why not.

We scan each other’s QR codes, and a beat later, Rina’s contact info pops on my screen.

“Perfect. I’ll contact you later,” she says.                                                         

“Alright.”

“Make sure to keep this a secret from my sister and Yui-kun, okay?”

“Got it.”

With that done, Rina leaves the bathroom.

Now alone, I decide to take another look at my contact list… Yuito, Mahiro, and Rina, huh. I now have the numbers of the protagonist and the two heroines on my phone…

“I’m not heading towards the bad ending… am I?”

I’m starting to get worried for some reason.

***

Meanwhile…

“You would like to have a chat with me?” Hibari asks back.

She’s wearing the same deadpan expression she always does, but on the inside, she can’t help but think in bewilderment, “Why…?”

“Yes, with you, Hibari-san. Ah, before we do, though, I believe I should tell you a little about myself. I’m Yuuji-kun’s friend and my name is Saeki Yuito.”

“I have heard much about you from Yuuji-sama.”                  

“Yuuji-kun’s told you about me?!”

“Yes, he mentioned you were his first friend and a very good person.”

“Really?! He said that?!” There’s an expression of pure joy on Yuito’s face.

“Please let me formally introduce myself as well. My name is Hibari, I’m Yuuji-sama’s maid and, as such, I tend to his daily needs.”

“His daily needs… In that case…”

“?”

“Ah, um… O-Once again, it’s very nice to meet you!”

“Yes, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, too,” Hibari responds, but more and more questions keep piling up in her mind…

Yuito-sama appears to be a very pure-hearted person. I can just picture Yuuji-sama being constantly thrown off by his friend’s innocence.

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