After chatting for a bit, the train reached the stop.
Katsura Kotonoha, a little embarrassed, said to Hayashi Maki:
"Um, Hayashi-san, th-this is my stop."
"Mm. Then you get off first, Katsura-san. Let's keep in touch by phone. See you."
Hayashi Maki nodded with a smile.
Fighting her shyness, Kotonoha nodded hard, stole a glance at him, and got off.
On the walk to school she lowered her head, a little vexed. The whole time, it had been Hayashi Maki carrying the conversation. She'd just nodded shyly like a fool—would Hayashi-san think she was dumb? Would he think poorly of her? Would he really keep in touch?
Replaying the scene in her head, she let out a deep sigh and grew anxious. A handsome guy like Hayashi Maki had come up to her on his own; his eyes were clear, not leering at her chest. Of course that made her happy. But she'd acted so clueless—she felt so unwilling to leave it at that. Why had she been so stiff? Her mind had gone blank; she had no idea what to say to him. With zero experience making friends, she didn't know how to find topics—especially with a boy. She couldn't exactly chat about private girl stuff.
Back with Hayashi Maki, he'd already returned to Shiina Mahiru and Gabriel.
"Well? Finished chatting with your elementary-school sweetheart?" Mahiru pouted.
"She's not a sweetheart," Hayashi Maki said helplessly. "Katsura didn't even remember me from grade school."
"So you struck out? Need my help?" Mahiru asked, amused. She was at ease about it; rather than let Hayashi Maki fool around outside with random women, she'd rather vet people herself and get along with the ones who wouldn't break the harmony.
"If you're willing to help, even better. She's pretty shy, and because she's introverted her classmates think she's aloof and exclude her."
Mahiru clapped a hand over her mouth in surprise. "That bad? I thought Yukino's situation was already outrageous—so pretty and still ostracized—and now there's another one!"
Hayashi Maki shrugged. "Right? It's like a light-novel heroine setup."
(And, wasn't Mahiru the same? As cute as an angel—and yet with two awful parents. Shiina Asahi and Shiina Sayo were truly top-tier bad parents.)
"Then next time I'll find a chance to meet this Katsura-san. Mu-kun, some things are easier for us girls to suss out."
"Then I'm counting on you, My Angel."
Their banter didn't interest Gabriel—except that "My Angel" made her eyebrow twitch. Otherwise she stayed her usual lazy, languid self.
Mostly she was broke; no money to whale in games, no money for food—she was stressed. She could only hope to try the convenience-store part-time job Mahiru mentioned this afternoon.
Before long, Saionji Youko's shop had become the part-time spot for pretty girls. Youko was exasperated—one lovely girl after another kept showing up, most of them Hayashi Maki's classmates and friends. The pressure made her feel like even her own "assets" had swelled from worry.
In class, Hayashi Maki glanced at the shy Nibutani Shinka and the conflicted Miura Yumiko, smiled, and took his seat. The bonds had formed; next came steady time together—let things progress naturally to the next base.
Yumiko no longer admired Hayato Hayama—very satisfying. Such a good girl, and she'd been a "shield" for him? Wasteful. Those adoring eyes should be turned on Hayashi Maki instead.
In his seat, he did the usual—poked Kato Megumi's slim waist—earning a quietly reproachful look.
He grinned. "Morning, Megumi. Your waist feels even softer."
"Morning. Also, that's harassment. Keep it up and I really will call the police."
"Haha. Even if you call the police I'll still do it. Accept your fate, Kato-san!"
He was about to bring up kissing when Satania suddenly ran over rubbing her eyes to complain:
"Uuu, Senpai—Satania's melon-pan got stolen by that dog again!"
Vignette came over, exchanged an exasperated look with Gabriel, and both sighed. Hayashi Maki's mouth twitched.
"Satania, didn't your mana increase a ton? How did you lose to an ordinary white dog again?"
"Uuu—I don't know. I just lost, and it took my melon-pan…"
After Hayashi Maki's coaching, Satania had wanted to redeem herself and faced off against the dog again—only to have her bread stolen once more.
Hayashi Maki got it. Satania might say she's a demon, but she was a softhearted girl who couldn't hurt small animals. So even with power, she instinctively held back—and lost. Add in the black-bellied angel Raphiel snickering in the shadows at her expense… who knew how many melon-pans Satania would lose in the future.
Seeing her teary eyes, Hayashi Maki ruffled her hair. "Alright, alright. I've got another melon-pan—this one's yours. Next time call me; I want to see what kind of animal dares bully my cute junior."
"Thank you, Senpai!"
Satania's smile returned at once. Gabriel, meanwhile, stared at Hayashi Maki's pocket—she hadn't sorted lunch yet. Seeing him generously hand out bread, she wanted one too. Sure, mooching off Vignette's lunch worked—but remembering Hayashi Maki having her run errands before, she decided to mooch off him this time.
Noticing her gaze, Hayashi Maki promptly pulled out another melon-pan. "Want one, Gabriel? I've got an extra."
"Yes—thank you!" She accepted it at once, looking at him with gratitude. What a nice guy—he'd noticed her predicament.
Vignette could only stare, lines forming on her face. It's just bread—no need to get that moved. She cleaned Gabriel's place and kept her on task all the time; she'd never gotten that kind of gratitude. Hmph… why did she feel a little sour?
While she was thinking, Hayashi Maki pulled out another melon-pan and held it out. "Want one, Vignette?"
"Uh… no thanks. Also, where are you pulling these from, and how many melon-pans do you even have?"
He grinned. "As many as I need. Faced with cute girls, I feel like I can do anything."
Vignette gave up and returned to her seat. Gabriel promptly snagged the "extra" bread—if Vignette didn't want it, she did. As for where Hayashi Maki was pulling them from… she didn't care.