Hozuki Nozomi had no idea yet. The boy he helped, Kanda Kota, had just unknowingly given him a huge assist. He had directly solved the matter of getting Aoyama Nanami to move into Sakurasou.
Meanwhile, Nozomi had returned to the classroom and settled into his seat.
He wasn't the type to actively greet his classmates. He simply gave a brief nod to Hikigaya Hachiman, who had glanced at him, before sitting down quietly. No one approached him to chat, and he was more than happy to enjoy the silence.
If he were like Hayama Hayato, always smiling and greeting everyone with that friendly, perfect demeanor…
That would just be exhausting.
In life, the most important thing is to stay true to yourself. Some people are simply destined to be fleeting passersby. There was no need to waste energy on unnecessary interactions.
That being said…
He had no problem going out of his way to greet the beautiful girls he cared about. Hehe.
His dream was to keep expanding Sakurasou, gradually inviting all the girls he liked to live there. Eventually, Sakurasou would be renamed—
Summer Palace.
"Hmph~"
Hearing him chuckle to himself, Shiina Mahiru, who was seated nearby, furrowed her brows in irritation and let out a small huff. It was just loud enough for him to hear.
Nozomi blinked, turning his head toward the beautiful blonde.
"Shiina-san, I have a question."
Mahiru didn't respond, only continuing to glare at him subtly from the corner of her eye.
"Since this morning, you and Sumireko have been sneaking glances at me from time to time," he continued. "Did I do something to offend you?"
Mahiru clenched her fists slightly and turned to face him.
How dare he ask?
Last night, he had gone up to the third floor of Sakurasou and never came back down. Shortly after, Ogihara Sayu also went up. And she didn't come down either.
Thinking about the way Sayu had spoken about him before, there was no way Mahiru couldn't guess what had happened between them.
"...Uh, are you looking down on me?" Nozomi asked, feeling slightly exasperated.
Mahiru scoffed. Then, she averted her gaze and answered casually, "No, you're mistaken. I just had a stuffy nose, so I snorted."
Nozomi: "..."
Good grief.
That excuse was even worse than the one he gave Sumireko last time.
A stuffy nose? So she snorted in frustration? Wouldn't blowing her nose with a tissue make more sense?
He stared at her for a moment longer before finally sighing and looking away. Still, deep inside, he was amused.
He had a good idea of what was going on.
Shiina Mahiru had noticed his 'romantic ventures' last night. And she was angry about it.
That was a good sign.
Because if she didn't care, she wouldn't have any emotional reaction at all.
Then again, it was only natural for her to find out since she lived right next door to him.
But… what about Sanshokuin Sumireko?
Was she jealous that he had walked to school with Mahiru this morning?
What Nozomi didn't know was that the black-bellied beauty actually owned a telescope—and she wasn't above using it to spy on Sakurasou when she felt like it.
Before class started, Nozomi pulled out his phone and sent a message to Sumireko.
Nozomi: "Sumireko, want to meet up at noon?"
Sumireko: "No."
Nozomi: "Huh? Why not?"
Sumireko: "Because your hands aren't honest."
Nozomi was speechless.
Hey now, I only hugged your waist because you let me!
Nozomi: "But yesterday, you told Oga that you were too busy hanging out with me to watch his baseball game. Aren't you worried he'll look for me and realize I'm not with you?"
Sumireko: "It's fine. I'll just go home directly after school. The baseball game is in the afternoon, so he won't have time to bother me."
Nozomi: "Sumireko… you've changed. I miss the warm bench from yesterday's lunch."
Seeing this, Sumireko chuckled and covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.
Sumireko: "Fufu~ Let's skip today. Besides, I can see that Shiina is very upset. Are you sure you don't want to go coax her?"
Nozomi: "She just snorted and glared at me. I don't even know how I offended her."
Sumireko: "Think about it yourself, dummy Nozomi."
Nozomi sighed and put his phone away.
Damn.
Looks like he wouldn't be able to wrap his arms around Sumireko's slender waist at lunchtime today.
Oh well, no rush.
He secretly peeked at Mahiru's expression beside him but decided against talking to her. At school, it was best not to get too close.
After all, she was ridiculously popular. If they interacted too much, it would only cause her trouble.
Hehe. Well, she lives right next door in Sakurasou anyway. And Sayu is good friends with her.
My lunchbox even has dishes made by her.
I'm not panicking at all.
And just like that, the morning passed in the blink of an eye.
When lunchtime arrived, Nozomi naturally didn't stay in the classroom to eat alone.
After finishing his bento in record time, he made his way to the vending machine, pulling out a few coins to buy a can of MAX Coffee. One sip, and an instant jolt of energy surged through him.
"Ahh~ This stuff never fails."
As he strolled around the courtyard, he spotted an interesting scene near the flower bed. A nervous-looking boy, clad in the football club's sportswear, was standing in front of Shiina Mahiru. His face was flushed red, and he fidgeted as he struggled to meet her gaze.
Nozomi's instincts tingled.
"A confession, huh?" he muttered to himself, leaning casually against a nearby pillar to observe.
Just as expected, the boy took a deep breath, straightened his back, and extended his hand towards Shiina Mahiru.
"I-I like you, Shiina-san! Please go out with me!"
A classic, straightforward confession.
Shiina Mahiru remained calm, her soft yet firm voice carrying a quiet finality. "I'm sorry, senpai, but I don't have any plans to date anyone."
The boy's face twitched as if he hadn't expected rejection. His shoulders slumped, and his expression darkened momentarily before he forced a stiff smile.
"I see… Sorry for bothering you."
And just like that, he turned on his heel and walked away—though Nozomi didn't miss the flicker of frustration in his eyes before he left.
Shiina let out a small sigh, clearly accustomed to this kind of situation. When her gaze landed on Nozomi, however, her expression hardened instantly.
"You saw that?"
"Yup." Nozomi shrugged and strolled over, taking another sip of his coffee.
She seemed a little flustered, crossing her arms. "And? What do you want to say?"
Nozomi gave her a thumbs-up, his grin mischievous. "Nice rejection! For guys you're not interested in, you gotta shut them down hard."
Shiina raised an eyebrow, a small smirk tugging at her lips. "You seem oddly happy about this."
"Of course! I'm a guy too, y'know? I wouldn't exactly enjoy watching my beautiful deskmate get snatched away."
"Hmph." She scoffed, but there was a hint of amusement in her voice. "Well, if you confessed to me, I'd reject you just the same."
Nozomi blinked. "Yeah, I figured. That's why I won't confess."
Her smirk disappeared, replaced by a slightly annoyed pout. "You… Hmph! Pervert."
With that, she turned sharply and walked away, leaving Nozomi standing there with a wry smile.
'So she really was mad at me last night…' he mused.
Not that he could help it. The senior had been relentless, and Sayu had joined in later. What was he supposed to do? Refuse? Back down? No way.
Wait a second…
His thoughts drifted to last night, and a detail clicked into place.
He remembered hearing soft footsteps outside his door.
Could it be… Shiina Mahiru was eavesdropping?
His expression twisted into something unreadable. 'Oi oi… This is getting interesting.'
For the rest of the afternoon, Shiina Mahiru barely spoke to him. Even after school, she outright ignored his casual offer to walk home together. Nozomi sighed in defeat.
Just as he was about to leave, a sudden notification rang in his mind.
[Ding! Mission Triggered: Shiina Mahiru's Crisis.]
[The senior from the football club, enraged by his rejection, has decided that if he can't have Shiina Mahiru, he'll make sure no one else will. He has gathered a group of five local delinquents and plans to teach the 'stuck-up' girl a painful lesson.]
[Mission: Rescue Shiina Mahiru and resolve the crisis.]
[Rewards: A random skill or item, plus a fixed reward of 1,000,000 yen.]
Nozomi's expression darkened instantly.
"That bastard…"
His casual demeanor vanished as his body tensed. He didn't need to think twice.
"System, show me the location!"
A glowing arrow appeared in his vision, guiding him toward the crisis. Without hesitation, he broke into a sprint, racing toward Shiina Mahiru's location.
No way in hell was he going to let some lowlife punks lay a finger on her.