Monday, during lunch break.
Sakurai Saki arrived at the broadcasting room, located on the top floor of the school building.
Every Monday, the Media Department broadcast school-wide announcements here—topics of interest, recent gossip, trendy subjects. In short, anything and everything.
Sakurai Saki didn't have a high opinion of the Media Department. Nor was it particularly low. They were the ones constantly concocting gossip about him, Fujiwara Secretary, and Hayasaka Ai. Stories about him sneaking into the Fujiwara residence to elope with Chika. Chika stealing Hayasaka Ai's affection. Occasionally, they even dragged Shinomiya Kaguya into the mess.
Clearly, this club was unreliable.
He pushed open the broadcasting room door. Two girls were inside preparing—one adjusting equipment, the other chatting with Itsuki.
The one with long black hair and straight bangs was Kyose Erika from the Media Department, reportedly a fervent fan of Kaguya Shinomiya. Her mind seemed a bit off, Sakurai Saki thought. But she was much sharper than the Five Sisters.
The other, with long tea-brown hair, carried an air of refinement—Ki Karen. She was the mastermind behind all those fan-fiction pieces the Media Department produced, pairing him with various romantic interests.
She had once asked Sakurai Saki if he would accept a CP story involving Shirogane Miyuki. His vehement refusal had been emphatic.
Normal male-female pairings were one thing. Pairing him with another man? Absolutely not.
By the way, she was apparently a "Sakurai All" partisan. Meaning she could accept Sakurai Saki with anyone. Including herself.
"Sakurai-kun~" Ki Karen waved cheerfully. "Today's broadcast is about dieting. Want to join us?"
"I just came to take a look." Before Sakurai could finish, Itsuki grabbed his arm and yanked him out the door.
The two girls pressed themselves against the wall by the door, eavesdropping immediately.
"What's wrong?" Sakurai asked, feigning confusion.
He had been looking forward to this moment since last Friday. Her embarrassed, conflicted expression. Being forced to carry out the task he had assigned.
It felt a little thrilling.
"Can I not say it?" Itsuki's voice was small, pleading. She really didn't want to announce her weight to the entire school.
"Can't you do something this simple?"
"But... but it's really embarrassing."
"What are they talking about?" Kyose Erika crouched beside Ki Karen, their black and tea-brown hair mingling, faces nearly pressed together.
"Something embarrassing," Ki Karen murmured.
Something Sakurai-kun had asked the Media Department to arrange. Something very embarrassing...
"I can't take it anymore. Stop, Sakurai-kun."
"Can't take this? What will you do when you encounter even harder things later? Give up?"
"I... I want to do it. But doing something like this for the first time... it's hard."
Ki Karen stood up abruptly, face flushed.
These two are playing master-servant!
Enduring pleasure while broadcasting with us... how exciting.
"Ah!!"
The sudden movement sent Kyose Erika, still crouched beside her, sprawling forward—half her body in the broadcasting room, half in the corridor.
Sakurai Saki turned.
"What are you doing?"
"...Ehehe. Just curious." Erika scrambled up with an awkward smile.
"Curious?" Sakurai's smile was pleasant but sharp. "My relationship with this person is quite ordinary. Simple tutor-student relationship."
Tutor? Ki Karen pressed against the door, a bold idea taking shape.
[My Secret with the Tutor ♦ Master-Servant Relationship]
Coming soon! Please look forward to the Media Department's new issue!
Sakurai Saki's frown deepened. His radar had detected something.
He walked to the door and preemptively addressed Ki Karen, whose face had turned a suspicious shade of red.
"Karen. I don't mind if you write stories about me and Chika, or me and Hayasaka. But don't include this one."
His voice was serious.
Ki Karen nodded with equal seriousness.
Whether she had actually listened was another matter. The young ladies of Shuchiin Academy were notoriously self-willed. They would nod politely at advice and then do exactly as they pleased.
"Alright. Start your broadcast. I'm heading back."
Sakurai Saki descended from the top floor and returned to the classroom. There was still time before class. The broadcast was scheduled for the latter half of lunch—a moment of relaxation.
"Hello everyone! It's time for the Media Department's weekly broadcast! This is Erika!"
"Good afternoon, this is Ki Karen."
"Today's topic—ta-da! Summer weight loss!"
"Summer is already here If you want to wear cute swimsuits or summer clothes, you definitely need to lose weight Otherwise, it'll be hard to catch the opposite sex's attention. 'Ah~ Erika, your thighs are so thick. Let's break up!'—that kind of situation could happen!"
"Erika." A stage whisper. "We still have a guest to introduce~"
In the classroom, Sakurai Saki shook his head, a helpless smile tugging at his lips.
Here we go.
Everyone treated the weekly broadcast like a comedy show. The two hosts seemed to have a natural talent for entertainment.
"H-hello everyone~ I'm today's guest, Nakano Itsuki."
Itsuki's voice wavered audibly. The confidence she usually projected had completely evaporated.
Sakurai Saki listened, mentally categorizing. Her nervousness reminded him of Miko. And Shijo Maki. They all shared something in common: they were very much like small fries.
Itsuki is probably the small fry of the Five Sisters.
He ran through the lineup in his head. Nino was the tsundere. Ichika was the sleepwalker—or rather, the one who slept through her responsibilities. Miku was the silent one. Yotsuba was the airhead. And Itsuki was the small fry.
Perfectly sorted. Not a single normal person among them.
"Sakura-chan~" Hayasaka Ai's voice pulled him from his thoughts. "Where did you go just now?"
She had returned to her seat beside him, looking as composed as ever.
"I went to see Karen for a bit."
Hayasaka Ai's expression flickered almost imperceptibly. She was well acquainted with the Media Department's publications. As an intelligence agent, she should have been keeping a low profile. But ever since she'd gotten closer to Sakurai Saki, her visibility had skyrocketed.
Before, she could walk down the street without attracting attention. Now, almost everyone recognized her. It was causing significant trouble for her intelligence gathering work.
She still had to monitor Kaguya Shinomiya's situation—one of her primary duties as a close attendant. Dispelling bad rumors about Kaguya was just the baseline. There were other tasks, more troublesome ones. In short, it was a high-stress job.
But today...
She felt remarkably relaxed. Since waking up that morning, her body had felt energized, her mind clearer than usual. The constant weight she carried seemed... lighter.
She assumed she had simply slept well last night and didn't think much more about it.
On the broadcast, Itsuki was stumbling through her introduction.
"I-I'm here today to talk about... about..."
"About weight loss!" Ki Karen's cheerful voice filled the gap. "Nakano-san is going to share her personal experience with our listeners!"
A collective murmur rippled through the school. Students in classrooms across the campus exchanged curious glances.
Sakurai Saki leaned back in his chair, a small smile playing at his lips.
This is going to be good.
Beside him, Hayasaka Ai watched his expression with quiet interest. She didn't know what he had planned, but she recognized that look.
He was enjoying himself far too much.
"What's this about?" she asked.
"Just a little... public service announcement." He didn't elaborate.
Ai-chan's eyes narrowed slightly, but she let it go. She was too comfortable today to muster real suspicion. The sunlight streaming through the classroom windows felt pleasant. Her limbs felt light. The usual tension coiled in her shoulders was absent.
It was nice.
She didn't question it.