Angel's Stairway—Haruno Yukinoshita's Bar
The moment Su Yu stepped into the bar with Haruno Yukinoshita, his gaze immediately landed on the girl behind the counter—
Saki Kawasaki.
Yes, this was the very bar from the anime.
The place where Kawasaki secretly worked, hiding her job from her family.
She wasn't just working for pocket money—her goal was to save up for university.
At school, Kawasaki had the aura of a delinquent, but in reality, she was incredibly hardworking.
Just as Su Yu was observing her, Haruno pouted dramatically.
"Su Yu-kun, you're so mean. Even though I'm right beside you, you're staring at another girl? That's too much~."
She clung to his arm, feigning hurt.
"She's my classmate," Su Yu replied flatly.
"Ohh, I see." Haruno chuckled. "Well, I'm off to the restroom. You two have fun chatting~."
She let go of his arm and walked away gracefully.
Before she left, she added, "Once I'm back, I'll take you to my private lounge. I have plenty of drinks there. Since I'm in a great mood today, I might just let you drink a little."
Su Yu watched her go before approaching the counter.
Encounter with Saki Kawasaki
"Welcome. What would you like to dri—"
Kawasaki stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening slightly.
"…Su Yu?"
"Good evening, Kawasaki-san."
Her expression turned unreadable.
"…Evening."
"Just make me something non-alcoholic."
Kawasaki hesitated for a second before nodding. "Got it. One moment."
She skillfully began preparing a drink.
Su Yu watched, silently memorizing her techniques.
This was a useful skill.
A few minutes later, a glass filled with a striking blue liquid was placed before him.
Su Yu took a sip—
His eyes lit up.
"This is really good."
"Thanks," Kawasaki responded coolly. She didn't seem particularly flattered by his praise.
Su Yu took another sip, studying her carefully.
At school, she rarely showed her full face.
During breaks, she was always resting with her head down.
During lunch, she was nowhere to be found.
Honestly, in terms of looks, Kawasaki was just as attractive as Yumiko Miura.
And while she wasn't as well-endowed as Yui, she still had a figure that surpassed most girls.
Suddenly, Kawasaki broke the silence.
"…You're not going to tell anyone about this, right?"
"I won't say a word."
She let out a small breath of relief.
"…Thanks."
"No problem."
Su Yu took another sip, then added, "I assume you're working for an important reason. If money is the issue, I can offer you a job—one that doesn't interfere with school. Plus, it comes with two hours of tutoring."
Kawasaki narrowed her eyes slightly. "How much?"
"How much do you make here?"
"1,500 yen per hour."
"How many hours do you work per day?"
"About eight. On weekends, I stay home to look after my sister."
"So… that's about 250,000 yen per month?"
Kawasaki nodded.
Su Yu thought for a moment.
"I'll offer you 200,000 yen per month. Your job? Cleaning my apartment and cooking meals. I'll provide free housing. Hiratsuka-sensei also lives there, and for tutoring, sometimes it'll be me, sometimes Yukinoshita."
"…If Yukinoshita is tutoring me, 150,000 yen is enough."
Her words were direct.
Su Yu smirked.
"Well, Yukinoshita is busy right now. So I'd be handling most of your tutoring. While I am confident in my academics, I won't claim to be better than her—"
"Can I join the Service Club?" Kawasaki interrupted.
"…Huh?"
"During lunch, I want to ask Yukinoshita questions directly."
Su Yu laughed. "Sure. We already have three people needing tutoring, so adding one more isn't a problem."
Kawasaki paused, then asked the most important question.
"…Why are you helping me?"
Su Yu drained the rest of his drink.
Then, he stood up.
"With the hours you're working and how you act at school, it's only a matter of time before you collapse."
"And since I can help you—why wouldn't I?"
Kawasaki was stunned.
She watched as Su Yu turned and walked away.
"…Is there really someone that kind?"
Just as she was processing this, she saw her.
Haruno Yukinoshita.
Wrapping herself around Su Yu's arm.
And leading him into a private lounge.
Kawasaki's eyes instantly darkened.
She knew Su Yu was dating Yui Yuigahama.
Yet here he was—cozying up to another woman.
And now, he suddenly offers me a job?
"What a scumbag."
Her voice was laced with disdain.
Inside the Private Lounge
Su Yu sighed, watching Haruno practically cling to him.
He didn't even need to turn around to know how Kawasaki had definitely misunderstood the situation.
Fortunately, she wasn't the type to gossip.
She'd just silently judge him from now on.
Honestly, he could live with that.
He had three reasons for offering her the job:
He wanted to help one of his favorite anime heroines.Sakura Dormitory needed someone to clean and cook.The system might mark Kawasaki as a new heroine.
At this rate, considering how the system loved to mess with him, he knew she'd show up in next month's list.
And if that happened…
Her opinion of me is already in the negatives…
Su Yu sighed inwardly.
If he had known this would happen, he definitely wouldn't have spoken to her.
Haruno's Amusement
"Su Yu-kun, what's wrong?" Haruno smirked as she poured him a drink.
"Because of you, some girl just labeled me as a scumbag."
"Ohh?" Haruno giggled. "Who?"
"Kawasaki."
"Ahhh~ I see." Haruno clearly wasn't sorry. "Well, I was just being affectionate. No harm done, right?"
"You did it on purpose."
Haruno smiled innocently.
"Fine, fine~ I'll apologize." She raised her glass. "Here, I'll drink first as a peace offering."
"…You just want to drink."
Still, Su Yu picked up his glass.
They drank together.
Unlike Haruno, who downed hers in one go, Su Yu sipped his slowly.
Minutes passed.
Haruno finished an entire bottle of alcohol.
She swayed slightly, leaning against his shoulder.
"…Su Yu-kun, between me and Yukino, who's prettier?"
"Yukino."
Haruno smirked. "If you say me, I'll grant you one request. Anything you want. No one will know what happens in this room~."
"Oh? I still think Yukino's prettier."
"Su Yu-kun, you idiot. I'm not talking to you anymore."
Haruno wobbled to the opposite couch.
And—
Thud.
She collapsed onto it.