Afterward.
Hayashi Maki held the flushed-cheeked Asada Shino, quietly savoring the warmth of the moment.
Being leaned on by a beautiful woman often gives a man a real sense of accomplishment.
As for the blow-up doll under the bed—that was just his mischievous streak flaring up. He put it there on purpose to see how Megumi and Shinka would react.
It was basically laying his cards on the table: "I have those kinds of thoughts about you."
If they still didn't quit the club after that, it would mean there was a chance to take things further.
And Nibutani Shinka… just thinking about her reaction made Hayashi Maki want to laugh.
Maybe tomorrow he could threaten her a little with that embarrassing past of hers?
He was a demon, after all—methods like that suited him just fine.
"Mori Summer-sama, you wouldn't want your chūnibyō posts exposed to the world, would you?"
Meanwhile—
Nibutani Shinka couldn't sleep.
Suddenly Hayashi Maki felt dangerous to her.
He'd actually hidden secretly taken photos of her under his bed, printed as a life-size image, and stuck them on a blow-up doll.
What a total perv!
Didn't that mean he had those lewd ideas about her?
For a beauty like her, if she kept staying in his club, wouldn't that be risky?
But if she didn't stay, how was she supposed to find and destroy her black-history evidence?
So annoying!
Is forgetting the past, dumping her old chūnibyō self, and starting a bright, normie life really that hard?
When will I, Nibutani Shinka, finally dominate Hakuo Academy and become the student council president everyone respects?
Uuu, it's all Hayashi Maki's fault!
If he hadn't said the word "Mori Summer," how would I be this flustered?
"O spirits wandering the world, heed my command and make Hayashi Maki forget everything about Mori Summer!"
Uuu… this spell needs to be chanted a hundred times to work!
Shinka flopped onto her bed in defeat—she had zero patience to chant it a hundred times. Besides, she'd already "graduated" from chūnibyō and knew even a thousand repetitions wouldn't do a thing.
Elsewhere—
Kato Megumi also tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
She certainly knew what a blow-up doll was.
After all, she was an ordinary, unremarkable girl people often overlooked.
Megumi used her phone online a lot, and that low-presence "talent" actually made it easy for her to chat up classmates and trade gossip.
So she knew far more than Shinka and Yukinoshita Yukino ever did.
No one remembered her after the gossip ended anyway, and she enjoyed it—calmly gathering all kinds of tidbits.
Even so, today really surprised her.
Hayashi-kun's blow-up doll didn't just have a life-size image of Nibutani Shinka—it had hers too.
Did that mean she wasn't so worthless after all?
That there was at least one man who remembered her, thought about her—
Who even used her as the object of his fantasies for… naughty things?
Honestly?
She'd bolted at the time, but she wasn't as panicked as she'd imagined. If anything, she was a little happy.
So quitting the club wasn't on the table. She'd keep staying by Hayashi Maki's side.
Even knowing he was close with Shiina Mahiru, if she edged a little nearer, he'd notice her sooner or later.
I, Kato Megumi, will win quietly.
Slow, steady companionship is the real endgame. Megumi, ganbatte!
The next morning.
Hayashi Maki was jolted awake by the doorbell. When he opened the door, it was Gabriel.
"Uh, morning, Gabriel. What's up?"
Gabriel gave a sweet smile, almost glowing with holy light. "Good morning, Hayashi-san. I'm just on my way to take out some trash—do you have any piled up at home? I can drop it off for you."
"Uh, I do, but won't that be too much trouble? You're already carrying three big bags!"
They can't be the neighbors' trash, right?
Does she have to be this helpful? This diligent?
"It's fine! It's no big deal for me. Helping everyone makes me feel happy."
Smiling, Gabriel took the bag he handed over and headed downstairs with steady steps.
Watching her petite frame, Hayashi Maki worried the heavy bags might crush her. Then he remembered—she was an angel. He was worrying for nothing.
He should cherish this shining version of her while it lasted.
He probably wouldn't see it again later.
…
That morning, as usual, Shiina Mahiru brought Hayashi Maki a boxed breakfast.
Looking at the gentle, golden-haired beauty before him, Hayashi Maki opened his arms and hugged her tight.
"Mahiru, I'm so glad I have you."
Mahiru narrowed her eyes, trying to steady her racing heart, and hugged his waist just as hard.
"If you know how good I am, then you'd better take responsibility."
She finally blurted it out—then her cheeks went scarlet. She'd said before he didn't have to take responsibility. But after tasting sweetness, she couldn't leave him now.
"Sure. I'll take full responsibility. My angel—please stay by my side."
Hayashi Maki murmured, naturally lowering his head to kiss her lips.
Mahiru returned the kiss softly.
After a long moment, she shot him a playful look. "I told you not to call me an angel. Compared to me, Gabriel is more like an angel, isn't she?"
"First thing in the morning she cheerfully helped me with the garbage, and didn't ask for anything in return."
"Kindness that asks for nothing—that's a true angel. But me… I'm actually pretty greedy."
Hearing that, Hayashi Maki gently stroked Mahiru's golden hair and said earnestly:
"Gabriel really is angelic like that—but it's a kindness she shows to everyone equally. In my heart, the Mahiru who's gentle only to me is my angel."
"So you deserve that title. Who knows—maybe someday you'll become a literal angel."
"Mm? What do you mean, a 'literal' angel?" she asked, puzzled.
Hayashi Maki didn't explain. He just smiled. "You'll find out later."
"Ugh, hate it when you keep me in suspense."
Pouting, Mahiru shouldered her bag, and the two of them headed out to catch the train together.
…
"Yo, morning, Nibutani-san."
When Hayashi Maki entered the classroom, he greeted the people he knew as usual. His easygoing air and handsome face made a few girls who snuck a glance blush in an instant.
Shinka nodded back a bit stiffly. "Ah… morning…"
After seeing that blow-up doll yesterday, she couldn't look Hayashi Maki straight in the eye.
She'd never even dated a guy.
Faced with a handsome, talented, gentle man who might be thinking indecent thoughts about her, she had no idea what to do.
And she still hadn't cleared up the whole black-history problem.
Annoying.
All that fuss and not a bit of progress.
Compared with Shinka's awkwardness, Kato Megumi remained calm.
After greeting Hayashi Maki, she went straight back to her seat—without mentioning yesterday at all.
Why is she called the perfect girlfriend?
At root, it's because once she likes someone, she stays by their side unwaveringly—attentive, steadfast, and never leaving.
Just like Mahiru—both are good women.
So using that blow-up doll to signal his interest had worked pretty well on her.
All it would take was a catalyst to push their relationship a step further.
A scheming demon—that was Hayashi Maki to a tee.
His little calculations hummed along.
Before you knew it, the cute girls would fall into his net.
The scheming demon cast his lines—now it was just a matter of who would bite first.
And that slightly absent-minded Shinka looked very likely to bite.
Hayashi Maki glanced over in Nibutani Shinka's direction and couldn't help letting a wicked smile creep across his face.