FFD 21

"Sure, I'll make sure Eriri finishes the poster on time. Your order is engraved in my heart, death."

"Let's all meet up at Eriri's place at 8 a.m. the day after tomorrow. No one should be late,"

...

After seeing Sanae safely home, Hayama made his way back to his own place. By the time he arrived, it was already late at night, around 11 p.m.

"Am I being too hard on this idiot?" he wondered, his thoughts filled with uncertainty. With that in mind, he sent a message to Sanae, "Don't forget to bring some extra candies when we meet up the day after tomorrow. They're really tasty."

When she received the message from him, a pout formed on her face. She couldn't help but feel disappointed. Not only had he devoured the materials for her Mjolnir Hammer, but now he was asking her to bring more.

"As expected of Hayama, the Great Demon Lord of the Universe!" Sanae muttered under her breath, "But the valiant wielder of Mjolnir Hammer shall never surrender, death!"

However...

"Consider it done, Hayama-sama," Sanae typed, "In my role as Death, I shall bring extra Fate Cubes for our perilous journey to Eriri's Vanguard Fortress, death!"

After reading Sanae's message, he received a sudden reply from Kato. "Sorry, Hayama-kun. I was busy assisting my sister with organizing some documents, so I didn't get a chance to check my phone."

"It's okay. Have you finished organizing them now?"

"Not yet. I'll wrap up the remaining work tomorrow night. For tonight, I really need some rest,"

Along with her message, Kato attached a selfie of herself lying on her bed. Hayama felt a jolt in his heart, as if it had been electrified. He couldn't deny that he was somewhat captivated by her expression in the photo.

Adrenaline overload!

"Well, you still have classes tomorrow, you know."

"The Golden Week starts the day after tomorrow. Hayama-kun, do you have any plans for the Golden Week?"

"I'm heading to a friend's place the day after tomorrow, and on May 1st, I'll be playing soccer at school. Other than that, I'm pretty much free."

"In that case, how about joining me for some shopping on April 30th?" Kato suggested.

"Unless something unexpected comes up, I should be able to go."

"Then, I'll take it as Hayama-kun's agreement."

He couldn't help but smile. The chance to go shopping with Kato depended on the speed at which Eriri completed the poster, adding a sense of anticipation to the situation.

As Kato read his message, a brief smile graced her face. She tucked her phone away and made her way into Kato Hiromi's room.

"Nee-san, I've completed today's tasks."

"Thank you for your help, Megumi," Hiromi replied, turning her head to offer a gentle smile before returning to her own works.

"Nee-san, did you forget something?" Kato approached the work desk, her head slightly lowered as she asked.

"Forget something? Oh, right! I completely forgot to have my coffee today! Thanks for reminding me, little Megumi," Hiromi exclaimed, preparing to leave the room. However, Kato gently held her hand, stopping her in her tracks.

"Nee-san, what about my reward?"

"Reward? What reward? Megumi, what are you talking about?" Hiromi pretended to be clueless.

"Nee-san, did you forget? The reward for helping you with the documents was 10,000 yen!" Kato insisted.

"What, It was clearly 1,000 yen!"

"Nee-san remembers now, huh?"

Reluctantly, Hiromi returned to her seat and retrieved 5,000 yen from the drawer. She handed it over to Kato, admitting defeat. "It's all because Megumi's presence is always so low that sister momentarily forgot."

"Although what nee-san said is true, it still doesn't sit well with me."

"Things have changed with Megumi. In the past, even if I forgot to compensate you, you never asked for it," Hiromi lamented, shaking her head with a tinge of disappointment.

"It's because nee-san was too much in the past!"

"Megumi, is it because you're planning to go on a date with a boy during Golden Week that you're saving up some pocket money in advance?" Hiromi leaned in closer to Kato's ear, whispering softly.

"Doesn't nee-san, who's going on a trip to Hokkaido with her boyfriend, have no right to ask such a thing?" Kato responded calmly.

"I'm just worried that by the time I return from Hokkaido, Megumi might not be a Kato anymore!"

"That's impossible!"

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely!"

...

As Hayama settled into his desk that morning, Tomoya sauntered over and leaned his hands on the table, catching his attention. "Hey, Hayama, do you have any free time during Golden Week?"

He studied Tomoya, noting the self-assured demeanor and detecting a hint of hidden agenda behind his question.

"Most likely not, sorry, Tomoya."

"Hayama!" Tomoya suddenly raised his voice. "You won't believe it! Sofmap is hosting this massive event during Golden Week. Wouldn't you want to go and see what it's all about?"

He felt a sense of bewilderment. What did Sofmap's event have to do with him? Hold on, what even was Sofmap again?

Tomoya leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Hayama, listen up. I've got some insider info. Word on the street is that on Greenery Day, Sofmap is organizing a doubles video game tournament! And get this, the grand prize is a luxurious trip for two to the hot springs in Hokkaido!"

Hayama blinked his eyes. He felt that Tomoya's level of disgust had increased a bit.

"Oh, and Hayama, there's another bit of news I've got to share... Guess who I heard will be participating in Sofmap's event? Eriri from Class G!"

As Eriri's name came up, a subtle gleam sparked in the corner of Kato's eye. She glanced at Hayama, her demeanor devoid of any chill but enough to send a spine-tingling shiver down one's back.

"Sorry, Tomoya, but I've already committed to a volunteer tree-planting event on Greenery Day! I appreciate the invitation, but my schedule is packed during Golden Week."

With a disappointed expression, Tomoya made his way back to his seat as the bell rang, and Hayama let out a relieved breath.

A moment later, a delicate paper airplane gracefully landed on Hayama's desk. Carefully written on it were the words, "Are you really going tree-planting on Greenery Day, Hayama-kun?"

Hayama turned his head in the direction the paper airplane had come from, catching Kato discreetly watching him.

"Tomoya can be quite persistent. If I don't come up with a convincing excuse, he won't let it slide," he whispered.

"Oh, I see," she replied, swiftly turning her gaze back to her studies, instantly morphing into a diligent and well-behaved student.

A peculiar sensation washed over him. He couldn't help but feel as though he had narrowly escaped a disaster, unintentionally dodging a calamity he didn't even see coming.

After school in the afternoon, students gathered in small groups, discussing their plans for Golden Week.

"I still haven't finished organizing the documents. I'm heading home first!" Kato announced, taking the lead and departing.

Hayama walked alone toward the soccer club, but he couldn't help but notice Eriri standing in front of the clubroom, appearing somewhat uncertain.

"Eriri, what are you doing here?" He approached her, offering a gentle pat on her shoulder.

She instinctively hugged her chest, resembling a startled rabbit, causing the paintbrush in her hand to slip and fall to the ground.

"You, you, you, you, you, Hayama! What do you think you're doing? How can you..." Eriri's face grew increasingly flushed as she spoke, her voice eventually fading into a faint murmur, like that of a mosquito.

"Eriri, why aren't you heading home? What brings you here to the soccer club?"

Upon hearing his question, she looked up and directed a resentful glare at him. "Isn't it obvious? It's all because of your stupid poster idea! Are you really that dense? How do you expect me to draw without any reference materials!"

...

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