Papaya

Not bothering to tidy up her books, Tsukimi Chifuyu hastily stuffed them into her backpack and then ran to Sasaki's side and the latter naturally took her backpack from her.

Enjoying Fuyumi's small gesture of care, the lighthearted girl smiled and followed him, looking around the empty library, she couldn't help but ask, "Has Fuyumi's senior already left?"

Having already checked the tables, chairs, doors, and windows, Sasaki didn't do anything extra and headed straight outside, explaining, "Previously, I always left first, so it's my turn to lock up this time."

This was just an excuse to placate the stupid Chifuyu.

In reality, Serizawa wanted to wait for him so they could go home together.

After all, the girl who gave her oral virginity for the first time was naturally feeling a bit clingy.

However, knowing that she only had a few friends she walked home with, Sasaki didn't agree to her request.

Of course, it wasn't that he was turning his back on others after putting on his pants.

Rather, he didn't want Serizawa to neglect her already small social circle because of him.

Afterall she had a quiet temperament and didn't have many friends to begin with.

If she even distanced herself from her friends because she was always clinging to him, it wouldn't be good for her.

If Sasaki were devoted to just one person, it wouldn't matter if she always stuck to him since he would take good care of her and not make her sad by flirting with others.

But he couldn't do that.

And since he couldn't, he naturally didn't want to disrupt her social circle.

A wonderful romance can be more dangerous than poison to a pure-hearted girl.

If Sasaki treated her exceptionally well, making her eyes only see him, it would indeed be beneficial for him after they broke up because it would be very easy to win her back.

But that's only the ideal scenario.

What if it's not ideal?

If he made her so infatuated that she had no close friends to talk to, she wouldn't even have anyone to cry to or vent about him being a scum.

Would that really be good for her?

Sasaki was looking for a lover, not a possession.

He didn't think of himself as superior, believing others couldn't live without him.

If he did, Sasaki would think there was something wrong with his mindset.

A person who doesn't see their lover as a person—is that really a normal person?

Perhaps such people exist, but he didn't want to be one of them.

As for whether Serizawa would be in danger going home with her friends, Sasaki had no such concerns.

Though the nourishment given to Serizawa wasn't as much as that given to the Otome, it was more practical since Serizawa was neat and didn't want to get her clothes or the ground dirty, making the nourishment .. buffs... very effective.

One large injection was enough for her to protect herself.

In addition they had made a hook agreement before wo Sasaki was not worried about her safety.

Compared to the quiet Serizawa, the stupid Chifuyu beside him was more worrisome.

In need of a shot...

Chatting with the silly girl as they walked out of the school slowly, Sasaki shifted the topic to her club.

"Chifuyu, you're in the yoga club, right?"

"Yes." With her hands placed neatly in front of her, obediently and sweetly like a newlywed wife, Tsukimi Chifuyu nodded, "Why do you ask?"

"I heard from Ayato that the girls in the yoga club are all very pretty. Is that true?"

"How do they compare to you, Chifuyu?"

"Eh!?"

Feeling that he was complimenting her, the girl shyly placed a hand over her chest, then softly responded to Sasaki's question.

"Everyone is very beautiful, but the most beautiful one is the vice president...no, now she's the president. Her name is Sakuragi..."

Knowing that the Otome was indeed very beautiful, the boy smiled and didn't interrupt her.

He continued to listen as she enthusiastically introduced her club.

When Chifuyu had almost finished, Sasaki asked, "How does she treat you? There's no one bullying you in the club, right?"

Understanding that he asked this out of concern for her, Tsukimi Chifuyu felt her heart warm as if it was soaking in a hot spring.

This was a feeling that Takagi had never given her, making her naturally want to get closer to Sasaki.

Responding truthfully to his caring question, she said, "No, there's no one bullying me. Although I don't talk much with the others in the club, they are all very nice. For instance, yesterday..."

As she softly explained, Sasaki understood why Rinka had been watching him.

Just as he had suspected.

Otome had sensed something from Chifuyu, and Rinka had sensed something from the otome, leading them to connect to him.

Yes... they would make excellent detectives.

Thinking this, Sasaki waited until Chifuyu finished praising Otome before smiling and saying, "Since the president is a nice person, you should try to interact with her more and become friends. That way, I won't have to worry about you."

"Become friends..."

Seeing the hesitant and thoughtful expression on Chifuyu's adorable face, Sasaki gently took her soft, tender hand. "If she's willing to help you, it means she's a nice person and doesn't dislike you. I may not know how girls make friends, but buying some snacks as a thank-you should be a good start."

"Okay~"

Though feeling a bit shy, Tsukimi Chifuyu nodded to reassure hom. But then, she frowned slightly, looking troubled. "But I don't know what to buy..."

Knowing that she rarely interacted with other girls and wasn't familiar with their preferences, Sasaki led her towards a nearby convenience store.

"I heard from Ayato what girls usually like. I'll help you pick something."

No one knew better than him what Otome liked, so Sasaki picked things that both Otome and Rinka loved to eat.

She preferred milder flavors, while Rinka, like him, enjoyed spicy food.

After picking out and purchasing everything at the convenience store, Sasaki felt a gentle tug on his clothes from behind and turned around.

What he saw was idiot Chifuyu holding a small pink wallet she had taken out from her skirt, along with a 10,000 yen bill.

"Fuyumi, um... for the snacks..."

Switching the snacks from his right hand to his left, the boy flicked her forehead lightly.

"Are you a fool? Do we need to be so particular? It's just a few bags of snacks; no need to split the cost."

Having said that, he didn't look at the money she was holding up but instead gestured with his head.

"Let's go, I have to go to work. If we drag on too long, I will be scolded by the store manager."

"Oh..." Looking at the back of Fuyumi walking in front, Chifuyu Tsukimi subconsciously covered her chest and responded in a voice as small as a mosquito's buzz.

Not caring about what thoughts his words might stir in the silly Chifuyu, Sasaki's reason for not accepting her money was simple.

To him, these snacks were merely passing from his left hand to his right after all, it would eventually end up at his place.

Taking Chifuyu's money would make it seem like he was swindling an innocent girl out of her money.

Was it money he was after?

Besides, how much was a bag of snacks worth?

Though Sasaki had observed that people here generally preferred splitting the bill, whether male or female, he wasn't the type to be so meticulous with girls, splitting the cost for meals or snacks.

If he had to be that precise... he'd be too frugal...

Walking beside the idiot Chifuyu, who was now closer and almost shoulder-to-shoulder with him, Sasaki chatted about his daily experiences as he escorted her home, just as he had in the past few days.

After that, he went to work at the Clover convenience store, and like the previous day, he then took Shinomiya home after her training.

By the time Sasaki got home, it was already 7:30.

After changing his shoes at the entrance and carrying his backpack into the living room, he heard the gentle voice of Otome greeting him.

"You're back~ Dinner will take a little longer. Fuyumi, you can take a bath or watch TV for a while."

"Okay."

Listening to the soft, soothing voice that made him want to lie on the sofa and relax, Sasaki responded with a gentle smile and then looked towards the sofa.

There, he saw Rinka sitting cross-legged on the sofa, her delicate and pretty face showing a distressed expression as she stared at the orange-yellow drink in her hand.

"Drink it. Why are you looking at me?"

As he approached the sofa and was about to sit down, he saw the girl, torn and troubled, looking up at him.

Not understanding the reason behind her complicated expression, Sasaki put his backpack aside, sat down next to her, and touched the glass of water.

"It's not too cold or hot. Isn't it just right?"

Puzzled, he glanced at Ri'ka, who seemed reluctant to drink but didn't want to let go of the glass.

Just as he was about to ask what it was, the girl gritted her teeth, glanced at her feet, then, with a determined look, tilted her head back and gulped it down in one go.

"Gag~"

After finishing the glass of water, Okino Rinka gagged and then threw her arms around Sasaki's neck, burying her head in his shoulder and crying out,

"Fuyumi-nii, this stuff is so awful~"

Taking the glass from the table, Sasaki sniffed it.

Hmm... a mixture of papaya and milk...

No wonder Rinka was so resistant; she hated the taste of papaya.

Just as he was about to smile and comfort her, saying, "If you don't want to drink it, you don't have to. It's not like there's no..." The words barely left his mouth, and a smile started to form.

Feeling the small, flat chest against his shoulder, Sasaki's intended comforting words turned into a hesitant suggestion:

"Otome got through it like this too. How about... you drink a few more glasses?"

"A few more glasses?"

Rinka Okino straightened up abruptly, her hair bristling like a cat encountering a dog, and her voice raised sharply in disbelief as she looked at the boy she liked, who usually pampered her the most.

Her dear brother knew she hated papaya the most.

Yet she still heard such a cruel suggestion.

Though she understood that she needed to put in the effort; otherwise, she wouldn't be competitive in front of Otome nee or others.

But secretly drinking it herself was one thing and being urged to drink it out of disdain was another.

Upon hearing this, before she could turn away and ignore this guy who both despised her and wanted to eat her, she was pulled into an embrace.

Before she could pretend to be angry and push Sasaki away, saying 'don't touch me' or something similar, a voice as tempting as a devil's whisper reached her ears.

"I heard that besides drinking milk, massages also work."