Excuses and Lies

Lunchtime, on the school rooftop.

The clear sky was brilliantly blue, unlike the gloomy day before, with the radiant sunlight streaming through gaps in the wire fence, casting organized beams of light that highlighted the girl sitting beside Sasaki, making her appear even more radiant.

The wind was strong up high.

The breeze from afar, carrying a faint scent of fragrance, fluttered the girl's hair.

The light black hair that swayed lightly in the wind, like a small hand tugging at Sasaki's heartstrings, was tucked behind the ear by the girl's snow-white little hand.

Noticing Sasaki's intense gaze beside her, Haruno Kasumi, who thought she might have rice stuck on her face after eating, touched the corners of her mouth shyly.

And not wanting to be stared at by Sasaki,

The girl, while looking for something to divert Sasaki's gaze, suddenly thought of her brother who went downstairs to buy water.

"Is Ayato taking this long just to buy water?"

Sitting less than half a meter away from her,

Sasaki turned his head and looked at the sunlight falling from the wire mesh, shining on the girl's face.

Her skin was as dazzling and moist as translucent white jade exposed to the sunlight.

After hearing what Kasumi said, Sasaki, who knew that Ayato might not come up, tilted his head and smiled: "It will probably take a while."

Knowing the deep bond between the siblings,

But for the good of both,

Sasaki pretended to hesitate before continuing:

"You've been taking care of Ayato-kun diligently, haven't you?"

"Isn't it hard for you to take care of him all the time?"

Hearing the boy's words and thinking of how she worried and took care of everything for Ayato not to be bullied in school, clubs, or outside,

A flicker of tiredness crossed Haruno Kasumi's delicate brows.

But before she could speak,

Sasaki, who already knew her answer, said: "No matter what, Ayato is a high school sophomore now; he's not as fragile as you think."

"Allowing him some independence can also give you some relief."

"I know you're afraid he might be bullied, but things are different now, aren't they? I'll help you look after him."

Looking into Sasaki's sincere and gently smiling eyes, hearing his slightly different words from the past few days,

Haruno Kasumi, with thoughts unknown to others, turned her blushing, fair face towards him and quietly expressed her gratitude.

"Then thank you Sasaki-kun~"

Facing her thanks, the boy's face bore an inscrutable smile as he shifted closer to her:

"Verbal thanks lack sincerity, you know~"

Listening to Sasaki's meaningful words, coupled with his movement towards her.

Haruno Kasumi, misunderstanding something, placed her hands in front of her chest, nervously fidgeting with her fingers:

"Then what should I..."

"Can you grant me a request?"

Hearing those words, her heart, hidden behind her chest, seemed to leap to her throat.

And the girl tightly pressed her creamy, smooth legs together under her skirt, anxiously and nervously fiddling with the button on her collar.

"A request?"

"Yes."

Shifting slightly again, Sasaki moved closer to the girl's side and extended his hand.

And to his response, without moving her body seated on the picnic blanket,

Haruno Kasumi's rosy lips tightly pressed together into a faint pink line, her gaze fixed nervously on the hand that loomed large in her vision.

Looking at the palm that was about to touch her cheek,

Feeling that things were progressing a bit fast.

But not wanting to affect his relationship with Ayato, Kasumi Haruno, under a complex and somewhat despondent mood, trembled her delicate lashes and slowly closed her eyes.

However, the anticipated touch never came.

Feeling the warmth of a palm fitting against her cheek and the gentle kneading at the corner of her eye,

The girl's confusion had just begun to rise.

Then she heard Sasaki's soft voice: "From now on, don't make lunch for me without my permission, okay~."

Due to the nervous anticipation dissipating, leaving her somewhat dazed, the girl unconsciously opened her eyes, questioning in response.

"Why not?"

Hearing her confused and eager counter-question,

Afraid that Sasaki might overthink, and also afraid to speak out now and possibly be misunderstood…

Thus, Haruno Kasumi, with her face flushed, opened and closed her mouth a few times, unsure of what to say.

After hesitating for a short while, she no longer struggled with this issue.

Compared with this, what was more concerning was why he didn't want her to make lunch for him anymore.

"Is it because my cooking doesn't taste good?"

Because she had specifically asked Sasaki about his preferences yesterday.

So today's lunch was entirely made according to his tastes.

But now he was asking her not to make it anymore, which meant it wasn't good, right?

Having her effort to express gratitude rejected,

Even if Haruno Kasumi wasn't a particularly sensitive girl, at this moment, she still felt a strong urge to cry.

But her fondness for Sasaki made her believe he wasn't that kind of cruel person.

Therefore, even though she felt aggrieved and confused, Kasumi did not react like other girls might have, running away while clutching her lunchbox.

Instead, she stubbornly raised her round and chubby face, waiting for Sasaki's answer.

"It's not that, it was very good, didn't you see I finished everything?"

Pointing to the empty lunch box next to him, Sasaki looked directly into the girl's eyes that were filled with moisture because of grievance:

"Do you remember what I just told you?"

"I want to help you take care of Ayato, not cause you trouble."

"Making three portions of lunch every morning... and tailoring them to taste is too much hassle and too hard."

Gently rubbing the teardrop mole under Kasumi's eye, watching the delicate corner of her eye morph under his fingers into various shapes.

Sasaki, observing the very faint dark circles under her eyes, held her soft cheeks with both hands: "So, my request is for you not to make my lunch anymore."

If I continue like this, I'm going to capsize.

Thinking of the excuse he previously told Otome,

Sasaki couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.

That kind of excuse can only be used once a week.

If he uses it every day but his grades don't improve, Otome would definitely notice something was off.

And once she accidentally discovers that he's using studying as an excuse to flirt with other girls, she would likely ignore him for a long time.

Whether she'd be mad about him cheating is uncertain, but she would definitely be angry about being lied to.

So, without a reasonable excuse,

Sasaki would never just fabricate a reason to deceive Otome.

It's not just unwillingness on his part but also his responsibility towards Otome.

In fact, not just towards Otome.

If other girls were involved with him in the future, Sasaki wouldn't deceive them for no reason either.

The damage caused by deception can be significant.

Sometimes, the harm caused by a lie can even surpass the damage of the truth you're trying to hide.

If he can't even be honest with them, then what's the point of having a harem? What's the point of expecting harmony in a harem?

Just moving from one girl to the next, discarding them after use, making him deserving of contempt and a scumbag who should be chopped up.

So, unable to deceive Otome, Sasaki could only use this method to reduce the number of times Kasumi made lunch for herself.

Lies can be exposed.

But excuses won't be.

He's merely claiming he needs to study well, so he can't have lunch with Otome on test days.

But after studying, having a meal with a friend isn't too much, right?

And it wouldn't be too much if that friend brought along his sister, right?

And tasting the lunch made by his friend's sister wouldn't be too much either, right?

So, with a good excuse ready, even if Otome burst in on them, Sasaki could explain everything clearly.

Because he wasn't lying...

Unaware of Sasaki's inner calculations,

Feeling the boy's care for her, Haruno Kasumi's fingers pressing her collar became even more forceful:

"It's okay, I... mm~"

Before she could finish speaking,

Sasaki, not allowing her to refuse, used both hands to press her pouting, moist lips into a 'fish mouth'.

"Is this your way of thanking me? Do you want to make me feel bad by not receiving your gratitude?"

With her cheeks pinched by Sasaki, the girl looked at his furrowed brows, pouting her 'fish mouth,' and hurriedly spoke vague words of defense.

"It's okay, not because of this…"

Halfway through the words, feeling her speech lacked the dignity befitting a senior, she tried to free herself from Sasaki's grasp on her cheeks.

But the boy was reluctant to let go of the soft jade that felt so good in his hands:

"There are no buts. This is the thanks I want. I said I'd help you, which naturally includes letting you rest properly."

"Do you want me to go back on my word?"

Saying so, Sasaki continued to knead her collagen-filled tender cheeks.

Knowing she couldn't resist, the girl stopped struggling.

Although she felt very happy and shy because of his words, Haruno Kasumi still felt something was wrong.

'I promised to make a bento to thank him...but...'

Looking at Kasumi's eyebrows furrowed out of reluctance, Sasaki felt it was about time and released his hands:

"Of course, Of course, the bento you made is so delicious, Kasumi-san.

If it were up to me, I'd love to have your delicious lunches every day. But I can'r let my selfishness interfere with your rest."

"Let's do this; you can make lunch for me once a week on Wednesdays. That way, I can still enjoy them without overburdening you."

A great person once said, if someone doesn't want to open a window, just say you want to take off the roof, and they'll agree to open the window.

The reverse is also true; when you propose a condition that is very difficult or impossible for someone to accept.

Next, as long as you make the conditions a little more relaxed, they are much more likely to agree.

So, of course, Haruno Kasumi agreed to Sasaki's proposal.

"Alright then."

Rubbing her red face, the girl felt happy and helpless at the same time.

Happy because he praised the delicious food she cooked and cared about her.

But helpless because she, a senior of a higher grade, was being completely manipulated by a younger student.

This was really...

She wanted to assert her seniority and scold him a bit.

But considering he was thoughtful towards her and also helped take care of Ayato,

She ended up just glaring fiercely at Sasaki a few times..

Seeing Haruno Kasumi furrow her delicate eyebrows, her almond-shaped eyes turning downward and her cheeks flushing red as she stared at him with dissatisfaction, the latter couldn't help but laugh.

He then put his hands behind his head, leaned against the wall behind him, and looked up at the blue, cloudless sky.

Such days are truly wonderful~

Sighing in hs heart.

Sasaki sniffed the faint fragrance coming from beside him and slowly closed his eyelids.

.

.