"Kawasaki-san…"
Nishimiya Shouko called softly.
She wanted to ask Are you okay?—but there was no point.
Anyone could see she was definitely not okay.
So instead, Shouko tried another approach:
"If you don't get up soon, the cafeteria's going to close."
In other words—'Stop crying, and let's go eat lunch together.'
She didn't want to part with it, but since Kawasaki was so upset for who-knows-what reason, Shouko was even willing to share one of the little octopus sausages Kyousuke-kun had made.
After all, as long as you eat, you'll grow strong—even bitter melon can thrive with a full belly!
Kawasaki Saki froze mid-motion, just about to slap away Shouko's handkerchief.
She lifted her head and stared in disbelief at this so-called "little demon" who served under the big demon himself.
'At a time like this, you're talking about the cafeteria?'
'You think I'm in the mood to eat? You think I could even swallow food right now?'
…Oh. She got it.
This demon must be trying to hint that she had other dirt on her.
Despite being poor, Kawasaki never packed her own lunch.
Even the cheapest homemade bento with a pickled plum couldn't beat the value of the school cafeteria.
A grilled meat set cost 400 yen, but if you ordered it without the meat, it was only 200.
You'd still get a big bowl of fluffy white rice, miso soup, and pickles.
Just 200 yen for a full meal—what greater happiness could there be in this world?
Others complained the cafeteria food was boring, the same every day. But Kawasaki wasn't like them.
Every time she said the words "Grilled meat set, no meat," she was one step closer to saving up her university tuition.
Every bite of steaming rice was like earning money.
Eating = saving = happiness!
That alone made the meal taste five hundred times better!
And more importantly, skipping the chore of making her own bento gave her extra time in the morning—time she used to braid her little sister Keika's hair more neatly, so her sister could be happier at kindergarten.
In short—white rice was the best thing ever!
And now… even that humble happiness was about to be stolen from her!?
Hands clenched behind her back, Kawasaki glared at Shouko, who wore a fake expression of confusion.
Her heart burned with despair and rage. But—
"Don't underestimate me! Loving plain rice isn't something to be ashamed of! There are countless people who pretend not to like grilled meat when they actually do. You can't use this against me!"
Her defiance was admirable.
"Eh? Threaten you? Why would I threaten you over that? Kawasaki-san, I think you've been misunderstanding me this whole time."
Shouko sighed, rubbing her temple.
Of course—she didn't need to use the grilled meat set as leverage.
The incident with the bra and hair tie was already enough to turn Saki into her prisoner.
"I get it now… You want to drag me to the cafeteria to humiliate me. You'll dump miso soup on my shoes and order me to lick them clean.
And just as I stick out my tongue, you'll shove your foot into my mouth, shredding my dignity piece by piece and using it as a side dish for your rice! Ugh—how cruel! How could someone in this world—"
"W-w-wait, wait! Kawasaki-san, what on earth are you even talking about!?"
Shouko's eyes widened in shock, her pure heart rattled to its core.
She thought her two housemates were already the peak of shamelessness, but clearly there was someone even worse.
If Eriri ever overheard this, inspiration would explode out of her on the spot.
And if Utaha heard it, well… then Eriri would be in trouble.
What Shouko didn't realize was that, while Eriri had long since dropped her "perfect lady" mask in the dorm and embraced her true otaku self.
She still restrained herself a little in front of friends to avoid looking like a total pervert.
Even Utaha who didn't care much about appearances wouldn't go that far in front of Shouko, who was as innocent as blank paper.
And yet, it was in this bizarre moment—on a rooftop, of all places that Shouko's missing "corruption arc" was being fulfilled… by a paranoid girl with persecution delusions.
"I get it… You rich types must look down on cafeteria miso soup. You probably buy a hundred-yen carton of Vegetable Life 100 Peach Yogurt instead."
Backed into a corner, Kawasaki's mind turned sharper than ever.
She instantly recalled the one time she'd seen Shouko buying that drink from a vending machine.
It was a luxury Kawasaki herself only dared to buy after gym class, when she absolutely needed it.
So… if not in the cafeteria, maybe in a private room…
If not cloth indoor shoes that juice could soak into, but waterproof ones instead…
Then maybe, maybe she could force herself to lick it clean.
Because if she didn't, there was no way this demon would let her go.
She factored in the place—too many people in the cafeteria, her sister's reputation could be affected.
She factored in the shoes—cloth would soak up juice and pick up foot odor…
…Wait.
Could that be part of Shouko's plan too?
Did she want Kawasaki to lick Peach Yogurt that had soaked up her foot's smell!?
The light drained from Kawasaki's blue eyes.
She felt like she was trapped in a whirlpool she couldn't escape, no matter which way she ran.
'I'm so stupid. Of course Hojou Kyousuke wouldn't surround himself with a pure-hearted girl. Her cunning is far beyond mine!'
Her mind spun into chaos.
"Kawasaki-san!"
Shouko snapped, grabbing Saki's shoulders and shaking her hard.
"First of all—I don't drink miso soup or Vegetable Life when I eat! I drink the herbal tea Kyousuke-kun makes for me!
Second—I would never stick my foot in your mouth! No one here would ever do something like that!
And finally, there's clearly a huge misunderstanding between us. Please, Kawasaki-san, calm down and talk to me properly!
Why did you even call me to the rooftop? And why are you saying all this nonsense?
What on earth is going on in your head?
I'm not going to hurt you! From the start, you've been the only one talking—I just wanted to escape!"
Shouko blurted everything out in a single breath, gasping for air at the end.
She couldn't dare pause, terrified Kawasaki would say something even scarier if she gave her the chance.
"Huh? I called you to the rooftop? Wasn't it you who found out my secret, dragged me up here, and tried to blackmail me into becoming your and Hojou's X-slave?"
Saki's voice was drained and lost.
"...Huh!?"
Shouko's jaw dropped.
She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
'Becoming Kyousuke-kun's slave? What fantasy world are you living in!?'
Did you even submit an application? Who approved it?
The Ruyi residents' dorm meeting hasn't even been held yet!
Her chest wasn't as big as hers.
Her legs weren't as long as Utaha's.
Her face wasn't as delicate as Eriri's.
Her craft skills couldn't compare to Naoka's, and her grades were nowhere near Yukinoshita-san's…
Ah—sorry, Yukinoshita-san. I didn't mean to think of you, but you've been showing up at the dorm so often lately that it just slipped out.
Aside from that little teardrop mole under her eye, did she even have any special trait?
Sure, there weren't any "gyaru-type" girls in the dorm right now, but even Yui fit that role way better than her.
"Kawasaki-san, just give it up already," Shouko said seriously. "You don't stand a chance at becoming Kyousuke-kun's… uh, servant."
"Huh?"
For the first time, a faint spark lit up in Saki's dull eyes.
"Why not?" she asked instinctively.
"The truth is… too cruel. I can't bring myself to say it out loud. Just know this: you could never become Kyousuke-kun's slave."
Shouko softened her tone, worried that the words would sting too much.
Kawasaki was already unstable; if she learned she could never be Kyousuke-kun's "slave," it might crush her completely.
"As if! A long-legged, big-breasted, silver-haired ponytail gyaru like me—of course that Hojou would want me as his slave!
He'd definitely make me lick the miso soup off his leather shoes!" Saki snapped indignantly.
"I told you already—we hardly ever drink miso soup! Kyousuke-kun makes soups a hundred times more delicious. And besides, everyone in our dorm respects food too much to waste it like that!"
Shouko's voice rose, irritated.
Even the wait for Kyousuke-kun's cooking was precious—how could anyone waste it on something so stupid?
If Yukinoshita had heard Saki say such a thing, she'd have blown her top immediately.
"Who are you calling wasteful! I'd lick it all clean—"
Saki bristled at the accusation.
To her, it was proof of how seriously she valued food.
(Why else had she even considered making Shouko switch to rain boots earlier?)
"Hold on—didn't you just say you wouldn't stick your foot in my mouth? Then why am I still licking stuff!?" The self-proclaimed "slave princess with silver hair" finally caught on.
"Yeah, I'd also like to know the answer to that," Shouko muttered with exasperation, her chest tight.
She desperately needed a sip of Kyousuke-kun's honeysuckle tea to calm down.
Saki glanced at the girl crouching in front of her.
Her black-and-white striped skirt—lifted by Saki earlier was now neatly tucked between her thighs, covering everything.
Her rumpled blouse had somehow been smoothed out, the dust from when she'd been pinned to the ground brushed away.
Wait.
Why had she lifted Shouko's skirt?
Why had she messed up her blouse?
Why had she pinned her to the ground?
Hadn't she been the one claiming Shouko was blackmailing her?
When in reality… wasn't she the one bullying Shouko instead?
With every new realization, the air seemed to thin.
Oxygen vanished from her lungs until she could hardly breathe.
And then, like a floodgate opening, the memories rushed back—
"You found out, didn't you?"
"I don't know anything."
"Calm down, you've misunderstood."
"Please let me go."
From beginning to end, it had all been her.
She was the one talking nonsense.
She was the one threatening.
She was the one bullying Nishimiya Shouko—until the poor girl cried and tried to escape.
And she was the one who pinned her down, her hand slipping beneath Shouko's skirt.
Ah… damn it all.
'Kawasaki Saki, what the hell have you done?'
With an older sister like this, Keika would surely be ashamed.
I was supposed to be the kind of sister she could be proud of.
Instead, I've become the kind she'd wish she never had.
Even with Shouko's dusty footprints still smudged across her face, the color of Saki's cheeks was plain to see—white as a sheet, then bright red, then ghostly pale again.
'No. I can't let it end like this. Keika must never find out what happened here!'
Grinding her teeth, Saki hardened her expression and glared fiercely at Shouko.
"W-what now, Kawasaki-san? You're making a really scary face again… You're not thinking up more weird stuff, are you?" Shouko whispered nervously.
A moment ago, she thought the misunderstanding was finally clearing up.
But now… it looked like it was getting worse.
"Nishimiya-san," Saki said in a low, grim voice. "You don't want what just happened to be known by anyone else… right?"
"???"
A storm of question marks popped up in Shouko's head.
"Wait, Kawasaki-san, what exactly are you talking about? Do you mean the part where you flipped my skirt, grabbed my thigh, and pinned me to the ground?
And also—Eriri told me once that's not something decent people say.
Maybe watch your phrasing a little, okay?
I don't mind as much, but if another classmate overheard, your reputation would tank even further.
At the very least, Mimiko would cry through four straight classes—maybe even from morning homeroom until lunch break.
That's terrible for her health, you know."
Her gentle voice, her sincerity—it shattered the half-baked scheme Saki had just thought up.
She'd been planning to volunteer herself as a slave in exchange for Shouko keeping quiet about what just happened.
This time it wouldn't be forced—she would willingly submit.
Before, her "master" would have been a wicked demon.
But this time… it would be a kindhearted angel.
Maybe there were other ways to deal with this, but for some reason, all she could think about right now was the word "slave."
Her whole mind had been reshaped into that pitiful image, as if she herself had been molded into a slave.
"So… Nishimiya-san, you're not planning to tell anyone about me using underwear as a hair tie? You won't let my little sister be shamed because of her big sister's stupidity, right?"
Feeling ashamed of her own petty heart, Kawasaki Saki asked cautiously.
"No! Of course not! I wasn't planning to tell anyone from the very beginning—I was just going to pretend I never saw it!
Besides, this is the first time I've even heard you have a younger sister."
Shouko's reply was firm, careful to avoid any misleading words.
But to her horror, as soon as she finished speaking, Kawasaki's expression twisted again, looking even stranger than before.
Ahh, give me a break… I'm starving here.
"Hm!?"
With a soulful grunt, Kawasaki whipped out her phone at lightning speed, her fingers tapping furiously across the screen.
"Kawasaki Keika, my little sister! Four years old, goes to Kawakawa Kindergarten!"
The next second, she shoved her phone screen right up against Nishimiya Shouko's face.
Shouko understood the feeling all too well—Kyousuke-kun was the same whenever he talked about his little sister. But still…
"Too close, too close! I can't even see the screen," she protested softly.
"Oh, sorry, sorry! I just really wanted you to feel Keika's cuteness up close. Of course, she's ridiculously cute even from afar—but since this is the very first time I'm introducing Keika to you, Shou-chan, I had to do it with the utmost sincerity!"
The moment she mentioned her adorable sister, Kawasaki Saki seemed like a completely different person.
All her gloom and despair vanished in an instant.
She even changed the way she addressed Nishimiya, skipping straight to the friendly "Shou-chan."
"I have a little sister too, so I do get what you mean," Shouko said with a smile.
Luckily, Nishimiya Yuzuru wasn't around to hear that—otherwise, she'd be rolling her eyes so hard.
After all, who was it that ruthlessly hung up on her to call her sister the moment she got her number?
Who kicked her out of the room just so she could call Kyousuke?
Who shamelessly called her back after chatting with her sister, only to ask her to tuck said sister into bed?
Ahhh… this poor, adorable, and very cool little sister was going to explode one of these days.
"Wow, Shou-chan, you have a sister too!? That's amazing! Sisters are the cutest beings in the entire world, right?
You agree, don't you? Keika is just too cute—like, ridiculously, impossibly cute!"
The instant she learned Shouko also had a sister, Kawasaki grew even more excited.
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