"I think you should train with us. That way, you can exercise and also lead by example, earning their trust even more," Ai suggested, referring to Hiko's weak physique.
"A good two-birds-with-one-stone idea, but I refuse!" Hiko rejected her proposal without hesitation. "If I train with them, aren't you afraid I might develop feelings for them over time?"
"You wouldn't," Ai said after thinking about his past actions.
"But a heart is made of flesh. What if I really do fall for them while training?" Hiko felt Ai trusted him a little too much, so he continued teasing, "Even if I don't develop feelings for them, what if they develop feelings for me? What if they start pursuing me instead?"
Ai tried to picture that scenario...
The other members spending time with Hiko, realizing he was academically excellent, intelligent, handsome, held a high position, and was the president's nephew.
His personality was also good. If they spent enough time together... even Arisa, who disliked him, might fall for him.
Or rather, precisely because Arisa disliked him, she might be the first to fall.
Arisa fit that type: at first, she'd dislike someone, only to later discover they were kind, and that her dislike was just a misunderstanding, falling even faster than a normal person.
Then Ai imagined the other members one by one... and found that, indeed, it was as Hiko said. If he spent enough time with them, they'd probably fall for him.
"Since you're unwilling to exercise, I won't force you," Ai said at last, giving up on the idea.
"But you don't need to worry too much about my weak physique," Hiko hinted, implying that his body wasn't as bad as she thought.
However, Ai, bound by her preconceived notions, thought he was just trying to cover up his poor health.
She couldn't help recalling how he'd been sweating on the train yesterday, it must have been because he was too weak, sweating from just a bit of exertion.
'This can't go on.' He needs to exercise to improve his health, otherwise his body will only get worse.
Ai felt Hiko was on the path to becoming one of those highly intelligent but physically frail people, and she pondered how to make him train more.
But the thought of making him train with the group, and possibly having the girls develop feelings for him, made her feel frustrated.
Indeed, she couldn't let that happen.
After thinking it through, Ai said again, "Since you said so, then let's just drop it."
As Ai and Hiko walked along the streets of Shibuya, she discreetly studied his face, still thinking about their conversation.
She noticed dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't rested properly for a long time, and quickly asked, "Why do you look so pale?"
'Pale?'
Saito Hiko was puzzled by Ai's words; he felt perfectly fine. He wasn't tired, if anything, he felt a little excited.
"Why do I look pale? I feel great right now," Hiko said.
"Haven't you had a proper rest in a while?" Ai pressed.
Hiko didn't answer directly. Instead, he deflected, "When you said I look pale, you meant the dark circles, didn't you?"
Ai instinctively wanted to reply, but just as she opened her mouth, she remembered how every time she answered one of his questions, he'd end up changing the topic.
She couldn't let him get away with it this time.
"You answer me first," Ai said firmly.
"Two days? Three days?" Hiko replied uncertainly.
He hadn't rested properly for a while, spending every night researching or reviewing documents sent by Hasegawa.
The previous two nights, he'd even stayed up late writing project outlines for the president and designing training methods for the Idol group.
Ai didn't believe his answer.
His tone alone gave it away. And if he'd really only gone without rest for two or three days, he wouldn't have such heavy dark circles.
'No wonder he slept so deeply at the live concert yesterday despite the noise, and needed me to wake him up afterward.'
'No wonder he sweated so much from such little exercise on the train.'
'He clearly hadn't been resting well lately, and his physical condition had worsened.' Ai recalled their past interactions.
When she first met him, he hadn't had dark circles. But ever since they started going to school together, they'd gradually appeared. She'd asked him once before, but he'd brushed it off.
Now that she thought about it... his dark circles had deepened right around the time he started helping her.
'Could it be that he's been staying up late just to prepare for my tutoring?'
'Previewing lessons after going home at night?'
'Then staying up again to act as a coach and write plans?'
'And yesterday... he finally couldn't keep it up anymore?'
The more Ai thought about it, the more plausible it seemed, though it was still just a guess.
So she straightened up and asked seriously, "Tell me the truth. How long exactly have you not had a proper rest? Don't try to gloss it over!"
"Not long, just these two... Ha~ah~..."
Hiko was answering when a sudden yawn escaped him. He blinked, a little dazed.
...He was speechless. Of all times to yawn, it had to be now.
'Great. Now she's definitely going to make me go home and sleep.'
Ai, meanwhile, listened to his excuse, knowing he was still trying to downplay it.
But seeing him yawn mid-sentence only confirmed what she suspected, he really hadn't slept well for far too long.
'Make him go home to rest?'
Ai thought about it. If she told him to go home, he'd probably just stay up again.
And she couldn't exactly go to his place to make sure he slept.
If only she had a phone, she could at least call to check if he was in bed...
Then she suddenly remembered how he'd fallen asleep at the concert yesterday.
'Just let him rest like yesterday.'
But would that really work?
"Ha~ah~..." Hiko finished another yawn right after.
Ai sighed inwardly. She had told him to rest yesterday, yet he'd obviously stayed up again last night.
Hearing him yawn again, she made up her mind, she'd make sure he rested tonight.
She smiled at him and said, "Let's go. Didn't you say you wanted to rest?"
Hiko noticed her subtle smile. He'd just yawned twice, was she laughing at him?
Never mind. No point guessing. If she had something to say, she would've said it.
So, without overthinking, Hiko nodded and led Ai to the highly rated coffee shop.
After ordering, he noticed Ai still watching him, her gaze steady, as if she had something to say.