After P.E. class ended, it was time for the always-welcome after-school club period.
Of course, Yukinoshita Yukino was still in the hospital.
The Service Club she had founded—which consisted of just one beautiful girl—didn't exist yet.
So Hayashi Maki stayed true to his identity as a proud member of the "Go-Home Club."
Like yesterday, he and Shiina Mahiru left the classroom one after the other.
Once they were out of sight from familiar classmates, they boarded the train home together.
The train was running normally today. No packed cars full of salarymen like yesterday.
Which meant Hayashi Maki didn't even get the chance to "protect" Mahiru with some well-timed closeness.
The ride passed in silence, and they went their separate ways when they reached their apartment doors.
Back in his room, Hayashi Maki sat down, opened his laptop, and started writing again.
For the sake of a little extra cash, he decided to behave himself tonight and not bother his angelic neighbor.
Can't keep bullying her every day.
She needed some space—time to cool down and breathe.
And honestly…
He had to admit it.
Things between them had moved way too fast.
They'd only known each other for a few days, and he'd already "succeeded" three times.
Of course she'd be feeling complicated.
Tonight, he'd power through and finish writing volume one of his light novel.
An hour passed, and Hayashi Maki stretched, stomach starting to grumble.
The thought of heading over to Mahiru's place for a free meal was very tempting…
But then another thought crossed his mind:
Mahiru had only moved out because she'd cut ties with her parents.
After being deeply hurt by the truth they told her, she probably didn't even want to touch their money anymore.
If Hayashi Maki were in her shoes, he'd probably be thinking about making his own money—working hard to repay the debt of raising her.
Repaying it with cash.
Her parents made it clear she wasn't wanted. She had no reason to rely on them ever again.
Until she figured out a way to earn for herself, she'd probably be living as frugally as possible.
If he kept eating her food, he'd just be putting more pressure on her.
Yeah. I need to make money. Fast.
The image of Mahiru curled up in his arms, eyes fragile like a hurt little animal, flashed through his mind.
Hayashi Maki tossed out the idea of mooching dinner for the night.
Still early. Might as well go stock up the fridge.
And hey, if I act like I'm sick, maybe Mahiru will come over and cook for me on her own?
A little underhanded, sure. But Hayashi Maki was a demon, after all.
If it got the job done, why not?
Without hesitation, he grabbed his wallet and headed to the nearby convenience store.
Meanwhile, over at Mahiru's apartment—
Hayashi Maki wasn't wrong.
Mahiru was staring at her bank account, sighing.
Even though she was still hurting over her parents' indifference, she was also… grateful in a way.
No matter how unwanted she might've been, they had raised her.
She'd never gone hungry or lacked clothing—thanks to Aunt Koyuki Kujikawa, the family caretaker who'd raised her.
Wasn't that a kind of fortune, too?
Still, she had already decided.
She didn't want to live in that house anymore—not with people who didn't love her.
She no longer wanted any ties to them.
Which meant—she needed to become independent.
She had to find a way to repay their "debt"… and stand on her own two feet.
The problem?
She was still just a high schooler.
How was she supposed to repay anything?
The only option was part-time work.
Thinking of that jerk next door who said he liked her, Mahiru touched her still-warm cheeks.
She tied her waist-length golden hair up into a high ponytail, slipped on an apron, and began making dinner.
Almost without realizing it, she made an extra portion again.
Whether it was out of habit… stubbornness… or because of him—she didn't know.
But she also knew one thing clearly:
She'd have to start working soon.
Back at the store, Hayashi Maki had no idea Mahiru was preparing another bento just for him.
He was too busy hunting through the shelves for discounted groceries.
Gotta stretch every yen...
His wallet was basically a deflated frog at this point.
As he stared at a "one per person" label on a bottle of coconut milk, he sighed.
"Why does it have to be limited? That's just cruel…"
Still, he grabbed one.
In a way, he and Mahiru were kind of alike.
Once they attached to someone, they naturally started thinking of that person first.
And in this world, the rarest thing was someone who genuinely cared about others—someone who thought from the heart.
With groceries in hand, Hayashi Maki stared at his thinning wallet and sighed again.
"Man… I really don't feel like a proper demon at all."
What kind of demon follows the rules, pays rent, and stresses over grocery bills?
He laughed at himself, but quickly let it go.
Hayashi Maki was someone who didn't like to overthink.
Sure, he had a weakness for cute girls—but when it came to life, he tried not to stress too much.
As he passed by a side alley on the way back—
He spotted a petite girl with glasses cornered by three sketchy-looking guys.
Seriously? A mugging? In broad daylight?
What year are we even in?!
So trash like this really existed, huh?
He set his grocery bags on the ground and began approaching quietly, listening in as he moved closer.
And now that he thought about it… that girl looked kinda familiar.