An older sister sacrificing herself for her younger siblings—that's something you see everywhere.
No matter how good or strained the relationship is, being the eldest always seems to come with that instinct to protect.
Even someone like Miyamizu Mitsuha, who usually acts carefree and scatterbrained, was the same.
No matter how much she hated her little countryside town, no matter how much she longed for the outside world.
She never once thought about selfishly abandoning her responsibility as the Miyamizu family's eldest daughter.
Even when Yotsuba kept loudly declaring she wanted to usurp her role and revive the Miyamizu shrine's glory.
Mitsuha would just laugh, knock her on the head, and scold her with a playful "You're still way too young, brat."
It was because Mitsuha so desperately wanted to escape that she understood better than anyone just how suffocating the crown of "family successor" really was.
Only those who put on the crown realize its crushing weight.
If even Mitsuha carried that burden, then Ueno Naoka's situation was all the more dire.
Her parents had already pass away, forced to raise her little brothers and live with her grandfather, sending every yen she earned from part-time jobs back home just to keep them afloat.
With friends like that, Shouko couldn't help but sympathize with Kawasaki Saki's struggles.
And in truth, her problem wasn't unsolvable.
Unlike Naoka, Kawasaki wasn't burdened with overwhelming expenses.
What she lacked was simply the money for cram school.
If Kyousuke-kun knew, he'd probably settle it with just one line:
"Why don't you ask Doraemon?"
That guy who always claimed the Service Club "only teaches you how to fish," acting cold on the surface but soft-hearted underneath.
If he heard about Kawasaki's worries, he might just lose control and hand over his entire bank card.
Still, it was more likely that he'd simply help tutor her himself.
Not that Shouko could ever stoop to stealing Kyousuke-kun's time so brazenly… If she did, they might end up with another resident moving into the Ruyi Dorm.
But tutoring… yes. Shouko remembered someone who could help.
Someone who could only be described as the "Cram School King."
Kisaki Tetta.
In elementary school, he met his first love in cram school and set his life's course because of her.
In middle school, even when someone else forcibly altered his dreams, he still clung to cram schools—attending himself while also working part-time as a teaching assistant.
By high school, he was already planning his own private cram school exclusively for the "Biker Rampaging Angels" gang.
Whether his teaching was effective or not was debatable, but no one could deny he was serious.
Shouko had heard about his romantic misadventures from Kyousuke-kun.
Boys couldn't hide things like that forever; once the secret was out, there would be some teasing, but at least the weight of it wouldn't last a lifetime.
As for his cram school side job, that she'd heard from Mitsuha.
Back when Kyousuke and Mitsuha first swapped bodies, Kyousuke hadn't started writing yet.
His finances were dire—deep in the red.
Kisaki suggested he join a cram school, where the bonuses alone would be enough to stuff his wallet full.
Mitsuha, a country girl who had never even stepped foot in a cram school, had been shocked.
"Wait, you can get paid for going to cram school?!"
Even later, while eating luxury meals thanks to Kyousuke's royalties, she'd still grumble to Shouko and the others, "This guy has no idea the value of money. He turned down free cash!"
If only her brain worked better when she was in Kyousuke's body, Mitsuha would've cashed in herself just to prove everyone wrong about her being useless.
The memory of Mitsuha gnashing her teeth in jealousy was so funny that Shouko never forgot it.
Thanks to Kisaki Tetta, finding a cram school that let Kawasaki offset tuition with performance bonuses would be easy.
Even if Kawasaki couldn't win the bonus, Kisaki could at least pull strings to get her a discount.
That would be enough to let Kawasaki afford a sizzling yakiniku set meal—or even a couple of proper hair ties.
"Still… I can't help feeling weird whenever I think about your hair ties and bracelets being made from underwear, Saki. Do you feel weird about it too?"
Shouko asked after explaining everything.
The gratitude and near-reverence on Kawasaki's face instantly shattered.
"What's weird about it?! Nothing! Absolutely nothing! I'm not some pervert who gets off on exposing secrets for kicks!" she yelled.
"Ohh, so it does feel stimulating?"
Shouko nodded in sudden understanding.
Sometimes when Kyousuke secretly fed her food at a company dinner, or when his hand brushed against her leg under the table.
She too had felt a sort of… stimulating embarrassment.
"Don't call it stimulating! Poor people just reuse things, okay? Turning old T-shirts into rags is normal. At first, I even thought about using panties—"
Kawasaki muttered under her breath, flustered.
And so, the problem was solved:
Shouko gained another prop for flaunting her happiness, Kawasaki gained her first true high school friend and a shot at eating yakiniku meals… though at the cost of future stomach ulcers.
———————————————————————
After going back to their class—
The group began discussing how Hojou Kyousuke had challenged the Yamazakura gang over the sakura tree incident.
Naturally, they turned to Kawasaki Saki, the so-called delinquent girl, for insider info.
Half-asleep and completely lost, Kawasaki could only stare blankly and glance pleadingly at the only person who knew she spent her evenings working part-time, not fighting—Nishimiya Shouko.
"Hehe~ Saki's little sister wasn't feeling well last night. She spent the whole evening taking care of her, so she wouldn't know anything about that."
Shouko smiled gently, backing her up.
The girls around them nodded in unison.
'Ah, makes sense.'
'The delinquent couldn't show up to fight because she was busy caring for her sister.'
'No wonder she looks grumpy today.'
'Better not provoke her or we'll all be crying through three periods.'
Kawasaki's reputation immediately softened, and she shot Shouko a grateful look.
"Hojou's still as reckless as ever. Doing something so dangerous—he should worry about his own safety more…" muttered Yuigahama Yui, recalling the time he'd saved her and her beloved cream bun.
"Yeah. he has always been like that."
Shouko lowered her gaze. She often worried too.
When Kyousuke told her about his last trip to Itomori to face the comet, the first thought that flashed through her mind wasn't about Mitsuha or the thousands of villagers—it was:
'If Mitsuha's body dies… will Kyousuke's soul ever come back?'
Even though everything was long over and Mitsuha was alive, and Kyousuke was sitting safe in front of her—Shouko still shivered at the memory, her breath catching in fear.
Compared to Kyousuke, Mitsuha and Itomori didn't matter at all.
That was also why she, Sakura, and the others had agreed to hide the truth of Itomori's destruction.
"Don't be so reckless… Couldn't you think about me, just once?"
She had wanted to say it countless times while cooking beside him.
But guilt always silenced her—because she, too, had been saved by Kyousuke's recklessness.
If back then he'd hesitated for Sakura's sake, she would still be drowning in darkness.
"Kyousuke-kun… he's not a hero."
Shouko let out a soft sigh.
Deep down, she only hoped that Kyousuke could continue moving forward guided by his own will, his own passions, and his own happiness.
"What the hell is that brat thinking?! Does he think pulling reckless stunts makes him look cool? Is he trying to be some kind of superhero?
We're talking about yakuza here—yakuza! What if they pulled a gun on him? Does he think he's a Saint Seiya or something, trying to awaken his Cosmo?
Honestly, he has absolutely no sense of being a student at all! Yukari, can't you at least act like a teacher for once?
Forget the little things, but in situations like this, you should've stopped him properly!"
Inside the art club's activity room, Hiratsuka Shizuka white coat swaying dramatically—was shaking Yukari back and forth with both hands, her voice echoing with frustration and despair.
"I was all ready to scold him properly this morning, but the brat had the nerve to just skip school! I told him, 'No approval for leave!' No! And yet he still dares not to show up? This time, I swear I'm going to call his parents in!"
Hiratsuka-sensei was fuming.
Just last night, she had ranted several times in their gaming group chat:
Don't these kids realize they have school tomorrow?
Why are they still messing around in the middle of the night?
And now she knew—the little brats had just taken the day off.
It was infuriating.
Look at her, Hiratsuka Shizuka!
Even if she stayed up all night gaming and cleaning up her students' messes, she still showed up for work.
Even if she wasted every gacha pull or got dragged into solving her students' crises, she still showed up for work.
That's what society really needs!
"Shizuka… maybe you should take the afternoon off and get some rest. Your dark circles are already so heavy it looks like you put on smoky eye makeup. I honestly thought you were going to collapse at the podium earlier," Yukari said, worried.
"I refuse!"
Hiratsuka puffed her cheeks and buried her face into Yukari's chest, mumbling like a spoiled child.
"You need to scold that brat too! That's your duty as a teacher!"
Yukari's lips curved into a small smile at the sleepy tone of her friend's voice.
She knew the truth—Shizuka had approved not only Kyousuke's leave, but also Kisaki and the others'.
Her current ranting and raging was nothing but genuine worry for their safety.
That was just the kind of teacher she was.
Even Yukari, who shamelessly favored Kyousuke above anyone else, couldn't help but feel a spark of admiration.
So she said softly, "Do you really want to call in his parents? As it happens… Hojou-kun's mother is in Tokyo right now."
"…Huh!?"
At those words, Hiratsuka's head shot up, her smoky eyes swirling wildly with excitement.
"Ha ha ha ha! Hojou, you little brat—you've finally fallen into my hands!"
She let out a maniacal laugh.
In her mind's eye, she could already see the glorious scene:
Giving Kyousuke a tongue-lashing right in front of his mother.
'Let's see how cocky you are when Mommy's watching.'
And maybe, just maybe… if his mother turned her back for a second, she'd sneak in a solid punch.
'That'll teach him my college MMA lessons weren't for nothing.'
Now she just had to decide which day would be the most perfect, the most crowded.
The day when everyone could witness her putting Hojou Kyousuke in his place.
She'd need to book the counseling room too—wouldn't want someone else using it.
Or… maybe that was good.
If they had to wait, she could savor the brat squirming under her gaze a little longer.
Oh, this was going to be so much fun.
Tonight, she'd definitely celebrate with Yukari, Miki, and Haruno over drinks.
"When I see Hojou—"
"Yukari!" Hiratsuka suddenly interrupted, lifting her head with a solemn look.
"Stop with the constant 'Hojou-kun this, Hojou-kun that!' You're coming with me to the counseling room. Once you see the brat groveling, you'll realize there's nothing impressive about him!"
She was determined to break the spell her friend was under.
Yukari blinked, lips parting as if to speak, but then thought better of mentioning how lovely her time with Aunt Mikiko had been.
Still, there was one thing she couldn't hold back:
"…Alright. But, um—about Hojou-kun's mother." She lowered her voice. "She might not be exactly what you're imagining, Shizuka."
"Don't worry. I've been in this profession for years. I don't tremble at the sight of parents anymore! Even if she's a high-ranking bureaucrat, I'll still scold her son to her face. That's my principle as a teacher!"
The exhaustion melted from Hiratsuka's face, replaced with blazing determination.
Yukari quickly added, "It's not about that—Mikiko-san is actually very easy to get along with—"
"Mikiko-san!?"
Shizuka's eyes nearly popped out of her head.
"What's with that kind of address?! Get a grip, Yukari! You're Hojou Kyousuke's teacher. Teacher! You should be on the same level as his parents!"
"Ahaha… You just don't get it, Shizuka…"
Yukari's cheeks flushed as she turned her head slightly, unable to hide her embarrassment.
That quiet happiness practically radiated from her.
And at that sight, Hiratsuka's expression crumbled.
Her lips trembled, and for once, no words came out.
•﹏•
Having been in the art club since middle school, Yukari quickly sketched a portrait of her friend's expression. Well… a "sketch." It was practically identical.
With Shizuka still silent, Yukari seized the moment to finish what she'd been trying to say.
"If you're not mentally prepared, seeing Hojou-kun's mother will shock you. You might even think he brought a friend to pretend as his parent. To save you from that embarrassment, I'll show you a picture of Mikiko-san first."
Shizuka leaned in, wordlessly, as Yukari held out her phone.
The thumbnail revealed it was a recent photo—probably from that morning.
Under the cherry blossoms, Yukari, dressed in a neat brown suit, stood arm-in-arm with a beautiful woman in casual home clothes.
Shizuka's first instinct was to ask if Yukari had pulled up the wrong picture.
Because no way did that look like Hojou Kyousuke's mother.
But then her body froze.
Her eyes darted back to Yukari, who nodded in confirmation.
And in that moment, all of Shizuka's fire drained away.
Her proud shoulders—the very picture of a "reliable young teacher of the new generation" slumped in defeat.
…Maybe calling in the parent wasn't such a great idea after all.
The woman in the photo looked about her own age, yet she already had a son in high school.
What if, during their meeting, she casually asked, "And where's your husband working these days?"
How the hell was she supposed to answer that?
Seeing her friend's defeated back, Yukari's heart softened.
She hurried to comfort her.
"It's okay, Shizuka. As his teacher, you are on the same level as Hojou-kun's parents. Even if you're not married, you can still scold him as much as you like.
Mikiko-san may look young, but she's already a mother of two. Honestly, she's more childish than you sometimes. There's still plenty she could learn from you."