On the rooftop bench.
Hayashi Maki was holding the silver-haired ponytailed beauty, his lips closely joined with hers.
Saki Kawasaki's body trembled slightly—she seemed a bit nervous. Her delicate cheeks were red to the tips of her ears. Honestly, she still wasn't used to it.
She'd seen Hayashi Maki rendezvous with pretty girls on this rooftop more than once: the somewhat airheaded Satania; the cool, high-on-a-pedestal Yukino Yukinoshita. Basically, most of the high-profile beauties at school seemed to have some connection to this philandering man.
She'd once sworn she would never get involved with a scumbag like him.
But now…
Fate had no bargains; a sudden accident forced her to cast aside her pride and ask this man for help—then become his lover.
Saki was very clear about her position. Though he'd said things like "we'll all get married," she still felt that being a lover was what fit her. At least until she paid off what she owed, there was no way she could stand tall.
Call it pretentious if you want; she had her own convictions.
Hayashi Maki didn't press. His feelings were all in that kiss.
After a long while, Saki, face flushed, pushed lightly at him.
"Hayashi Maki, I'm sorry—I'm not ready yet."
She'd felt him change. It was… scary.
"It's alright. I know you aren't ready. We'll take it slow."
He gently stroked her head, and the girl went soft despite herself. She wasn't ready—but as his lover, she couldn't just leave him frustrated.
So—
Saki bit her lip and held out a small hand to him. Remembering the things she'd looked up online, she focused on him seriously.
Watching Saki try—shy but determined—Hayashi Maki's lips lifted. He certainly wouldn't refuse the sweetness she offered.
Just before class, Saki hurried off to wash her hands and rinse the bento box. Honestly, even though his favor weighed heavily on her, being held and comforted by him slowly eased her nerves. Hayashi Maki truly was gentle—and that made Saki even more grateful.
To tell the truth, given her current situation, if Hayashi Maki had wanted to push her hard, she would have accepted it. But he treated her like a girlfriend, giving her an experience she'd never had before. Maybe she had been too prejudiced against him. A man loved by an "angel" like Mahiru Shiina—how bad could he be?
In fact, she'd gotten the better end. Without him, she could never have saved her parents. One should be grateful—so she had to put her heart into this boyfriend too.
After lunch, the first afternoon class was Mafuyu Kirisu's. Under Hayashi Maki's gaze, she felt uncomfortable all over—but still forced herself to calmly finish the lecture, then turned on her heel and hurried back to the office, as if someone were chasing her.
Watching her retreating back, Hayashi Maki smiled in satisfaction. He didn't believe she could escape him. Besides, it was time to give her that.
After the last PE class, Ako Tamaki dragged Hayashi Maki to the Electronic Network Communications Club to party up with Kyoh Goshoin and Akane Segawa for dungeon runs.
During a break, Akane got up to use the restroom. Kyoh and Hayashi Maki traded a look—then, in perfect sync, looked over at Akane's PC and took the mouse.
When Akane came back, she found her character wearing an adorable bunny mascot suit and wielding a giant leek as a weapon.
"W-w-what is that?!"
She complained—but couldn't help piloting the avatar to start mowing things down.
"Amazing! This leek even one-shots elite mobs! What's going on?"
Kyoh smiled smugly.
"Schwein, that's the power of whaling! That leek is a cash-shop limited item—max it out and it one-shots. Feels good, doesn't it?"
Akane was teary-eyed. "Damn it—it does feel good! But I don't have money to whale! President, stop trying to corrupt me!"
After a few more runs, Hayashi Maki looked at the now-hooked Akane and couldn't help admiring her love for games. A girl who'd rather give up having a boyfriend for gaming—rare, any way you look at it.
Ako, meanwhile, gazed at Hayashi Maki with adoration. "Hubby, you're amazing. You tanked for everyone again today—hee-hee, worthy of being my hubby!"
She stood and wrapped herself around his arm in her daily cuddle. Kyoh watched and sighed.
"So, has Ako changed at all?"
Hayashi Maki shook his head.
Akane pierced the point: "Not at all."
"And honestly," she added, "aren't we just playing games here every day? How is that supposed to cure her reality-vs-online confusion?"
Kyoh folded her arms—their fullness bouncing twice.
"Exactly. In that case, our club activities have no meaning. The Electronic Network Communications Club was founded for Ako; if there's no change, the club loses its purpose."
Hayashi Maki was staring at Kyoh; Ako, jealous, grabbed his face and shoved it down against her chest.
"Why change? Hubby is hubby. I don't think being with him is wrong! Sure, he's a flirt and makes me jealous—but as long as he doesn't abandon me, I can accept it!"
"The problem is, this is reality, Ako. You can't keep using in-game common sense to deal with real life. That'll end badly."
"Ako won't end badly. Worst case I'll just stay home and never go out—focus on taking care of hubby."
She pressed Hayashi Maki's head into her chest again, a spark of glee on her face.
Akane and Kyoh were both speechless. Ako was definitely happy about this. She already didn't like going out—days gaming or online at home had become a habit. And Hayashi Maki, being a light-novel author, didn't need to go out to work—he was Ako's perfect husband.
Of course, it'd be even better if this husband weren't quite so flirtatious.
~~~
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