Hayashi Maki felt a little shameless.
Selling pity just to win sympathy from the class Angel? Really?
But… it worked.
Even though Mahiru hadn't spoken to him all morning, she still came over at lunch to check on him.
And she even asked if he was eating properly.
She probably hadn't even realized it herself—but she already saw him as someone special.
In front of the rest of the class, Mahiru always wore that polite, approachable smile.
She gracefully navigated conversations, carefully maintaining her perfect "angel" image.
But with him, she let her guard down.
She wasn't that always-perfect honor student. She could show her real self—mild temper and all.
And that just made Hayashi Maki even more convinced that starting things off by "taking" her had been the right call.
If he hadn't… how else could he become someone truly special to her?
That afternoon was the midterm quiz.
Kato Megumi handed him the paper, then turned back to begin answering.
Hayashi Maki got to work too.
It was a math test. Maybe the old him would've struggled—but now? With all his memories awakened? Child's play.
The math really wasn't hard. The curriculum moved at a slow pace.
Of course, that assumes you actually paid attention in high school and weren't taught math by the PE teacher…
Earlier that morning, the English teacher had gone over a few grammar points, had them memorize a couple vocab words, then said:
"Alright, now try having a conversation."
Classes were… extremely chill.
Still, for the naturally hopeless, no amount of effort could help.
When the test ended, most of the students started swapping answers, checking their work.
Then, right on cue, Tobe Kakeru let out a wail.
"Crap! I picked the wrong one—AGHHH!"
Hayashi Maki didn't bother checking answers.
Instead, he pulled out the laptop he bought with part-time money and logged into an online game.
He'd recently read about a guy named Akihiko Kayaba developing a VR game.
Still in development. No testers yet.
The game he was currently playing was an adventure MMO where you teamed up to fight monsters and farm gear.
At least, it should've been relaxing.
Until a certain priest healed the boss halfway back to full HP and got his party wiped.
Hayashi Maki stared at the screen, deadpan.
Then he looked at the female mage's username:
"Tamaki Ako?"
No way.
Was it really that Ako? From And You Thought There Is Never a Girl Online?
The girl who confused video games with reality—an extreme shut-in who fully believed her online husband was real?
He glanced at his own character name:
"Innocent Hayashi."
Yeah, he remembered now. He used to be very chuunibyou.
That name was a little tribute to those days.
Well… I've graduated now. I'm not "Innocent" anymore. I'm a demon.
He stared at the in-game messages from "Ako Wife" begging him to keep raiding.
He closed the game without replying.
Gaming was supposed to help him unwind.
But seriously, Ako!
They almost had the boss down. And then she healed the damn thing back up!
Now he was just annoyed.
Also—whoever designed this game—
Why can players heal enemy monsters?!
It made him want to start a troll alt just to ruin other people's runs.
Last period ended.
Classmates chatted as they packed up. Some headed off to their clubs.
Hayama Hayato was part of the soccer team, so naturally, he went off to practice.
Hayashi Maki quietly followed behind Mahiru—who, like him, didn't participate in any after-school activities.
They boarded the train together.
Living next door to each other, their commute was the same.
Unfortunately, this was also rush hour.
A flood of office workers crammed into the train, making the air thick and hard to breathe.
Hayashi Maki frowned. Instinctively, he reached out, pulled Mahiru close, and placed her in the corner behind him—shielding her from the crowd.
Mahiru's cheeks turned red. She glanced at him, then looked away.
"…Thanks."
She wasn't stupid. She knew exactly why he did it—so creeps wouldn't take advantage of the crowd to get too close.
Hayashi Maki gave a small nod in reply.
But the train kept filling up.
Even though the car was already packed, the white-gloved attendant kept shoving people inside.
Japan, seriously…
Thanks to the "assistance," Hayashi Maki and Mahiru were soon pressed tightly together.
She blushed even more, placing her small hands on his chest, breathing a little unevenly.
"Sorry, Shiina-san. This really wasn't on purpose."
"It's fine… I know."
Her voice was small—but being this close, surrounded by his scent, made her feel dizzy.
Images from that night—and that morning—flashed in her mind, making her entire body burn with embarrassment.
Still, she didn't push him away.
Better to be held by him than crushed by strangers, right?
Ugh… why's the train so packed today?! It's never this bad!
Hayashi Maki looked down at Mahiru leaning against his chest, blushing quietly.
Her small, delicate face—smooth skin, soft pink lips—was right there, inches away.
If he leaned down just a little, he could kiss her.
Taste that sweetness again.
He took a deep breath, reining himself in.
Instead, he focused on shielding her from the crowd behind.
No way I'm letting anyone else touch her. Ever.
At the next stop, the train finally cleared out a bit.
Hayashi Maki reluctantly let go of her waist and stepped back to a safer distance.
Keep holding her, and… well, let's just say his little brother was going to start a protest.
Mahiru lowered her head, clutching her bag, too flustered to meet his eyes.
She thought he was mad at her.
After all, she'd ignored him all day—only talked to him briefly during lunch.
But just now, he'd instinctively reached out to protect her.
And that… really touched her.
Hayashi Maki glanced around.
Seeing no classmates nearby, he reached out and gently patted her head.
"No need to thank me. It's only right to protect you."
Mahiru felt the warmth on her head, eyes misting slightly.
She turned her back to him.
After a while, she turned around, looked him straight in the eyes, and said seriously:
"It's not just something you should do. I'll… repay you."
Hayashi Maki smiled.
"I'll be looking forward to it, Angel-san."
At that, Mahiru's cheeks puffed up.
"Don't call me that! I hate it."
"Huh? You're super popular. Everyone admires you. Isn't it a compliment?"
Hayashi Maki pretended to be confused. In reality, he was carefully peeling away her defenses.
The "angel" persona was just how she acted around others. Only with people she truly trusted did she show her real personality.
The perfect, elegant girl everyone admired… was actually just someone quietly hoping to be cared for.
Her "angelic" presence brought light and calm to everyone around her.
But that kind of emotional labor must've been exhausting.
Just like Hayama Hayato, who forced himself to be kind to everyone—always smiling, always composed.
It was a mask. A trained persona.
Mahiru's gentle smile belonged to everyone.
But the real her—the stubborn, blunt, awkward girl—was something only Hayashi Maki got to see.
And he wanted that.
He wanted her to feel safe enough to be selfish with him.
To drop the act and just be… Mahiru.
She stayed quiet for a moment, then looked away and muttered:
"…Whatever. Just don't call me that again. I'm not an angel."
Hayashi Maki shrugged.
"Alright, then I'll call you Shiina-san."
"Whatever you want. Just not that."
She gave him a sideways glance, then looked away again.
She had no idea how to talk to him.
With other classmates, it was easy—she always had something to say.
Even if she didn't, a simple smile would keep the conversation going.
But with Hayashi Maki?
He'd seen her at her worst. He knew things no one else did.
He'd touched her.
Even though she told herself she wanted to forget it all and never speak to him again…
He kept showing up. Protecting her. Getting closer.
She didn't know how to deal with that.
Her thoughts were in chaos when his voice pulled her back.
"Shiina-san, this is our stop."
"Oh—right."
She snapped out of it and quickly followed him off the train, walking together toward their apartments.
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then thought to herself:
...I'll make extra dinner tonight.
She remembered his sad little lunch of just a sausage and some bread.
And for some reason… she just couldn't let that slide.