Chapter 323: No, you came at the right time
"Kei, you really like Kaguya-san, huh?" Sakurai Saki asked curiously.
"Yes yes! Kaguya-senpai is really famous in our middle school. Also… she often goes shopping with me too!" Kei recalled the time when she got to know Kaguya.
⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡
Almost every month, the two of them would go buy clothes, eat sweets — of course, not just the two of them, Chika and her little sister also joined.
"If Shinomiya can live like a normal person, that's really something to be happy about." Shirogane Miyuki sighed.
He felt like a father who had guided that stubborn girl onto the right path.
"Was Kaguya-senpai strange before?" Kei asked. When she got to know Kaguya, it was already the "Kaguya after the ice melted" period.
"I actually liked her more back then."
Sakurai Saki liked the "ice statue" version of Kaguya the most.
And now — this version of "cute silly Kaguya," cute is cute, but it's lost its flavor.
More importantly — now Sakurai can't scold her anymore.
Because Kaguya now no longer uses sarcastic words against him like before.
Sakurai had always believed in the principle of "an eye for an eye."
The ancients once said:
"Question: How to repay hatred with virtue?"
"Answer: Then how do you repay virtue?"
"Use frankness to respond to hatred, and virtue to repay virtue."
Meaning — when facing someone who irritates you, treat them fairly, without leniency.
Kaguya doesn't scold him, and he can't scold her either, Sakurai thought.
Honestly speaking… it's really frustrating.
It's been nearly half a year since he last had a verbal spar with Kaguya — ah, if you count "sparring with the body," there was one time, soft… and even a bit sweet.
"Sakurai, are you serious?" Shirogane looked at him, really unable to understand.
(·•᷄ࡇ•᷅ )
Is this guy an M? Does he like being scolded or what?
"This life is way too peaceful, not a single ripple. There has to be a bit of excitement."
"You should focus on sorting out your messy relationships first." Shirogane Miyuki said irritably.
"Let's stop talking about this. My head hurts."
Sakurai Saki raised his hand to his forehead.
"That's why I said, you really shouldn't—"
"Aniki, what have you two been talking about this whole time? I don't understand anything." Shirogane Kei cut in.
"We were talking about me… umm—?" Sakurai hadn't even finished speaking when Shirogane Miyuki covered his mouth.
"What were you planning to say to my little sister?"
After seeing Sakurai stop struggling, Shirogane Miyuki finally let go of him.
Letting his sister like Sakurai Saki was a no-go, but letting Sakurai's image collapse in Kei's heart was also a no-go! Shirogane Miyuki felt truly stuck — on one side was his best friend, on the other was his most beloved little sister.
In short, this conversation cannot continue!
"...Nothing. It's just that at school, there are always people sending me love letters, which is kind of annoying." Sakurai Saki smiled and said to Kei.
"Oh, I see. At my school too, there are often people…"
Kei hadn't even finished.
"Who!?" ×2
( ◺˰◿ )(◣ _ ◢)
Both guys shot up from their seats at the same time.
'Which bastard dares to go after my little sister?' Shirogane Miyuki gritted his teeth.
'Middle school boys dare to set their sights on Kei-chan?' Sakurai Saki's anger level instantly rose by 50%.
Kei blinked a few times, wondering why their reaction was so intense.
She explained, "I didn't agree to any of it. I threw all the letters away."
"Well done! Middle school students should focus on their studies, what love affairs are you talking about?" Sakurai Saki nodded in satisfaction.
"Exactly, Sakurai's totally right!"
Kei looked at the two of them making the exact same gesture and felt as if she really had gained another older brother.
...
After that, the three of them sat together drinking tea for a while.
When Sakurai Saki looked at the clock and saw it was getting late, he stood up to leave.
"Sakurai, you're really not staying for dinner?" Shirogane Miyuki asked.
"Didn't you say our new houses are only a few minutes' walk apart?"
"Yeah. But there are still people at my place." Sakurai Saki said as he walked to the door.
"Well then, I'll go cook dinner. Come over again next time."
Shirogane Miyuki said goodbye, then turned around.
Kei immediately said, "Saki-nii, can I come over to your house and take a look?"
Shirogane Miyuki stopped immediately.
Shirogane: ( ˶°ㅁ°) !!
"Sakurai, since your place is so close, I'll come take a look too." He changed his mind.
So, the three of them went downstairs together and headed toward Sakurai Saki's new house.
...
Sunlight outside the window shone through the balcony glass, casting its light into the living room.
Nakano Nino, lying on the sofa, turned over. Her sleepy eyes slowly opened, and her long eyelashes trembled lightly.
/ᐠ - ˕ -マ ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁
"...Haa~" Nino lazily stretched on the sofa. Unfortunately, no one was there to see that alluring figure.
She slipped on her slippers, glanced around, then—like a robot—suddenly froze.
Weird.
Where is this?
A few seconds later, Nino finally remembered.
"Right, this is his house."
More precisely, it was the new house of him and his girlfriend.
The reason why Nino was so sleepy was simply because she hadn't slept enough last night.
Once your biological clock is messed up, no amount of napping during the day can make up for it.
After washing her face and putting on makeup, Nino sat back down on the sofa and opened her phone to text and ask where Sakurai Saki was.
She had only typed a few words when she heard the sound of the elevator.
'Give him a surprise!'
Nino sprang up and walked to the door.
"Ding dong." The electronic lock was opened.
"You bastard! Welcome home!!"
(づ> v <)づ♡(´｡• ᵕ •｡ `)
The moment the door opened, Nino threw herself straight into Sakurai Saki's arms.
"Alright, alright, let go now." Sakurai Saki patted her head.
Seriously, she hadn't even tied up her hair yet.
'Did Nino just wake up?'
Nino wrapped her arms around his neck and whined: "No way~ Kiss me once, and I'll think about letting go."
"Okay~"
Sakurai Saki felt helpless yet amused, slightly bending down.
...
"Sakurai… huh?" Shirogane Miyuki saw Sakurai Saki frozen at the door, not moving, so he poked his head in to see.
And right after that, it was as if he'd been struck by lightning — he silently took a step back.
"Kei, looks like we didn't come at the right time."
Hearing Shirogane Miyuki's voice, Nino's body trembled slightly.
'Eh? There are guests?'
She quickly stepped out of Sakurai's arms.
Sakurai Saki wiped away the saliva at the corner of his mouth.
Then he turned to the girl who had just come from the hallway and said, "Kei, you came at the right time. This is Nakano Nino, one of the students I tutor. She came today to help me unpack."
Shirogane Kei looked at Nino — who was still holding onto Sakurai Saki's hand out of reflex — then tilted her head and asked, "Saki-nii and Nakano-senpai are really close, huh."
"Yes, that's right." Nino pretended to be calm as she let go of his hand.
"After all, he's been my tutor for a whole year already."
She might have looked calm on the outside, but inside, Nino was dying of embarrassment!
Getting caught by Shirogane the student council president while kissing!!!
He wouldn't spread this around… right?
…Probably not.
Shirogane Miyuki, who already knew how complicated Sakurai Saki's private life was, had an extremely high tolerance for this kind of thing.
Even if he heard Sakurai threw a crazy party at home, he would just smile and nod.
Never underestimate a man's tolerance!
Even so, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly:
'Kissing a student right in the new house… tsk tsk, that's bold.'
Shirogane suddenly felt a strange sense of pride.
Because this demon… was the one he had released!
"Alright, don't just stand at the door. Come in." Sakurai Saki invited.
"Umu."
Shirogane Miyuki pulled his little sister behind him and protectively led her inside.