Something more important than money

After Shiina and Ritsu agreed to join the literature club, Usa also joined without hesitation, so along with the three of them, Shishio also decisively asked both Mea and Maiko too.

"So Mea, Maiko, how about you take this chance to join the literature club too?" Shishio asked without hesitation.

But...

"No way!" 2x

Mea and Maiko shook their heads together.

"If we join, then we can't go back immediately," Mea said.

"Yeah, there's something that we need to do, you understand, right?" Maiko said with a smile.

"....." Shishio knew about their preference over a young boy and their obsession to stare over them, but as long as they didn't become criminals, he wouldn't say much about their hobby, and it was the luck of those young boys to be stared by two beautiful girls like Mea and Maiko, right?

Still, if there was a time, Shishio might as well, teaching them that there was something better than a young boy, such as him? Well, joke aside, he might try to cure their shotacon.

"But we'll still come and play from time to time," Mea said.

"Is that alright?" Maiko asked.

Shishio didn't answer, but he looked at Miu.

Miu noticed Shishio's gaze and nodded. "Of - Of course!"

"There you go," Shishio said.

"Still, don't cause a mess in this place Mea, Maiko," Nana said.

"I don't think you have a right to say that, Nana," Mea said in a pout.

"Yeah, who told us that you were going to bring a video game here?" Maiko said.

"Eh? Video game?" Hina was dumbfounded. "What do you mean by that?"

"..." Everyone was in silence so suddenly.

Hina was a teacher, after all, so she wasn't stupid, and when she thought about the television before, she quickly looked at Kiriya and asked, "Kiriya-sensei, did you give permission to bring a video game?"

Kiriya nodded and said, "Yes, a video game is a part of our club activity, and for the detailed reason, you can ask Oga-kun."

"Oga-kun." Hina then looked at Shihio, waiting for the answer.

"..." Shishio was lost for words at Kiriya. 'You're going to throw the problem at me?' Still, he could see Nana's expression, who hoped him to do something, and the expression of both Mea and Maiko who seemed very sorry, so he quickly explained. "Tachibana-sensei, in truth, a video game is a part of modern literature, that is developed...." He used bullshitting ability at this moment, and he also used various difficult words that were quite hard to understand, to give a smoke bomb to Hina, telling her that their intention to bring a video game wasn't to play around but to learn.

"I - I see..." Even though Hina only understood half of the thing that was explained by Shishio, she could tell that they were serious about their activity.

"So we have no slightest intention of playing around, our intention is purely to learn," Shishio said with a serious expression.

"...." Miu, Nana, Mea, and Maiko who knew the truth had never seen someone who was so good at bullshitting their entire lives, but on the other hand, Ritsu, Shiina, and Usa, who didn't know anything, thought that they were really using a video game to learn on the club activity.

Then after talking for a while, they decided to end their club activity, after all, there was nothing important to do, and it was already time to go back.

"Wait, Oga-kun!" Miu quickly stopped Shishio and brought him to the side.

"What's wrong, Senpai?" Shishio asked.

"I almost forgot to repay you before, but here you go." Miu took out an envelope and gave it to Shishio.

"Senpai, you don't need to think too much about it." Shishio didn't expect Miu to repay his money now.

Miu shook her head and said, "No, I believe that when someone owes something to someone, they need to repay them as soon as possible."

Shishio looked at Miu for a while then nodded. "Then I'll gratefully accept." He then took the envelope in Miu's hand without checking the content, put it inside his bag, and he had to admit that this girl was very sweet.

"Yes." Miu gave Shishio a sweet smile.

Shishio looked at Miu's smile for a bit, before he shook his head and said, "Senpai, let's go back."

"Um." Miu nodded.

Shishio and Miu also left and looked at everyone who seemed to be waiting for them.

"By the way, Kiriya-sensei, can I play from time to time here?" Hina asked.

"Sure, why not? You're always welcome here," Kiriya said with a smile.

Hina then looked at Shishio and said, "Let's see whether you're going to use the video game to learn or not."

"....."

"Sensei, if you're acting like this, you'll be hated," Shishio said speechlessly.

"After all, I need to teach a student who is trying to deceive a teacher, right?" Hina said with a smile.

Shishio looked around warily, then took out something from his pocket and gave it to Hina. "Sensei, I hope that you can close your eyes, regarding this matter."

Hina looked at the candy in Shishio's hand and nodded. She then took the candy, and said, "Yes, I can't wait to see your progress to learn."

"Thank you, Sensei. I'm glad to have you as a teacher," Shishio said with a sincere smile.

"And I'm glad to have a student like you." Hina nodded with a smile, but somehow, there was some bitterness in her eyes. If she was still a student right now and there was him beside her at her high school life, then she might not be troubled like now and could have fun like this.

"Cough! Cough! Oga-kun, did you forget that there is another teacher here?" Kiriya suddenly interrupted.

"....."

Then everyone laughed at this moment.

---

Shishio and the rest of the members of the literature club also went back together, but then, Nana asked, "Shishio, you're going back with both Ritsu-senpai and Mashiro?"

"Um." Shishio nodded and said, "Yes, we're from the same dorm after all."

Nana was helpless, but there was nothing that she could do, but when she thought about the personality of both Ritsu and Nana, she felt that it was a bit too much to think of them as a rival, Shiina was one thing, since she could see that Shina was like a toddler, as for Ritsu, this girl's attitude was quite strange and it was hard to tell whether this girl had a feeling for Shishio, and she also knew that Usa had a feeling for Ritsu, how did she know? She wasn't blind, after all, and she could see how Usa kept glancing at Ritsu from time to time and how desperate he was to start a conversation with Ritsu.

'But...'

What if this guy was the one who started?

Nana looked at Shishio, and Shishio also looked at her, but one thing for sure, she knew that her most powerful competitor would be Miu.

"What's wrong, Nana?" Shishio asked.

"Well, don't forget about Saturday," Nana said and raised her voice slightly.

"Yes, I won't forget." Shishio nodded and didn't think too much even if his appointment was known by everyone.

"Don't tell anyone, alright?" Nana said with a mischievous smile, then left. "Then I'll go back first. Let's go, Mea, Maiko."

"Oh." 2x

Mea and Maiko looked at the three girls beside Shishio and knew that the three of them might be Nana's rivals.

When Nana left, she thought that she might as well ask about his feelings when they were going together on Saturday.

"..." Miu, Shiina, and Ritsu.

"What's wrong, Senpai?" Shishio looked at Miu who seemed to be flustered with a smile.

"Ah...!" Miu blushed, especially when she saw him, showing this mischievous smile. "Um, what kind of appointment?"

"You want to know, Senpai?" Shishio asked with a smile.

"Um..." Miu's face was very red and she felt her face was burning since she was very embarrassed and knew that she was being teased again, but she nodded regardless

Shishio smiled and said, "I want to tell you, but since Nana said that it was a secret, I can't tell you now, but I can assure you that you don't need to worry too much."

Miu looked at Shishio with a relieved smile and nodded. "Then I'll believe you."

Somehow those words were quite heavy in Shishio's ears.

Miu also said goodbye and left, leaving only Shiina, Usa, and Ritsu.

Usa seemed to be reluctant to leave them, but he didn't leave on the Sakurasou, after all.

"See you tomorrow, Usa," Shishio said.

"Um, see you tomorrow, Oga-kun." Usa nodded then looked at Ritsu and Shiina. "See you tomorrow too, Kawai-senpai, Shiina-san."

Ritsu and Shiina nodded when they heard Usa's words.

Usa nodded and felt better when he saw Ritsu gave him a nod before he walked toward the dorm where he lived.

When Usa had left, Ritsu wanted to ask Shishio something, but when she thought about her relationship with him, she knew that she didn't have a right to control him nor questioned him.

Shishio could see Ritsu's complicated expression, but he didn't talk with her, or rather, he talked with Shiina, who seemed to be looking at him all the time. "What's wrong, Mashiro?"

"Do they love you, Shishio?" Shiina asked.

"What?!" Ritsu was dumbfounded by Shiina's question.

"..." Shishio was lost for words, but he still answered. "I'm not sure, after all, I'm not an esper, I can't read their minds."

"But you're so close to them," Shiina said, and there was a trace of jealousy in her words.

Shishio smiled and said, "I'm also close with you, though."

Shiina somehow felt a bit better when she heard those words, but then, she asked, "Shishio."

"Hmm?"

"Why do you want to become a tycoon?" Shiina asked.

Shishio looked at Shiina and asked, "You don't think that I'm joking?"

Shiina shook her head.

"What about you, Senpai?" Shishio asked.

"I'm not sure, but do you like money that much, Oga-kun?" Ritsu asked, after all, if someone wanted to become a tycoon, then it was because they wanted money, right?

"Hmm... it'll be a lie if I say that I don't like money, but rather than that, I like the sense of security that money can give me," Shishio said.

"Sense of security?" 2x

Shiina and Ritsu looked at Shishio curiously.

"You should know that a human is very fragile, sometimes, we might go sick and need to go to the hospital, sometimes, our family might have an accident, etc, etc. There are a lot of things that can harm us, and money is something that can protect us, after all, even though money might not be able to buy us everything, it can do a lot of things." Shishio looked at both of them and said, "But of course, I'm not saying that money is everything in this world, but money can protect ourselves and the people that we care about."

"So you want to become a tycoon because you want to protect the one that you care about, Shishio?" Shiina asked.

"If you say something like that, it makes me embarrassed Mashiro." Shishio blushed since it felt like he was a shonen protagonist character or something. "Still, even though I have said that money is important, I don't think that money is the most important thing."

"What is the most important thing?" Ritsu asked.

"If I have to say, the most important thing is something that can't be seen by eyes, only with your heart." Shishio looked at both Shiina and Ritsu and said, "Such as a relationship."

"Relationship?" 2x

Shiina and Ritsu looked at Shishio curiously again, since they had to admit that every word that came out from his mouth was really interesting.

"Yes." Shishio nodded and said, "I'll explain. To me, you two are just a girl like any other, like a hundred million other girls. I have no need for you and you have no need for me. For you, I am just like a boy like any other, like a hundred million other boys. But if we talk, become closer, we will have created a relationship, and so we will need one another. You two will be unique in the world to me."

"....." Ritsu and Shiina were in a daze.

"Shishio, are you confessing to us?" Shiina asked.

"Wha--?!" Ritsu was startled, and her face blushed instantly.

"It was just an example and a relationship that I mean before doesn't mean that it has to be a lover." Shishio was speechless.

"So you want both of us together?" Shiina asked.

"...." Shishio stared at Shiina for a while and said, "If I could have two of you in my whole life, then I might be the happiest guy on earth."

"..." Ritsu felt her face burning in shyness, but she felt a bit complex about the "two of you" part on the other hand, even though Shiina couldn't understand her feeling, she felt like her chest was about to burst because of happiness.

"I was joking. I mean, are there any girls in this world that want to share their man together?" Shishio shook his head and said, "Let's go back, what do you want for dinner?"

Shiina tilted her head and didn't understand much, after all, as long as she could be with Shishio, she felt that was enough, so she answered what she wanted to eat tonight. "Baumkuchen."

"That's not dinner, though," Shishio said.

Ritsu didn't join their conversation since the words that came out from Shishio's mouth still reverberated through her mind, but when she saw both Shiina and Shishio who started to bicker to each other, feeling quite warm on her heart, then decided to join them. "How about omurice?" Those words came out from her mouth naturally and there was no awkwardness from it.

"Well, let's have omurice tonight.

"I want a Baumkuchen."

"As I said, that's not dinner."

Happiness was just like this, with you standing beside me, talking without any goals or purpose, was enough to bring a smile.