Chapter 528

"Mr. Talent..."

Yuihama Yui puffed out her cheeks and stared at him like an angry hamster.

As a friend, how could you just sit idly by and not speak up for Little Yukino! That was the meaning behind her gaze.

Sakurakoji Talent helplessly, "Why are you looking at me? I think Kawasaki has a good point."

"Huh?"

Kawasaki Saki glanced at him in surprise. Weren't they on the same side? Why were they still speaking up for her?

"Cough~"

Faced with the questioning and skeptical looks from the others, he had no choice but to express his thoughts. "Isn't it fine? Kawasaki -kun earns his own living and hasn't done anything immoral. I think that's a great quality that should be encouraged and promoted, isn't it?"

In another place, this would be Good Child praised by everyone; how could anyone criticize them?

That is...

Yuihama Yui had no idea what he was up to.

"So, what is the reason we're here in the first place, Classmate Yuihama?"

He posed the question to her.

"To get Kawasaki- Kawasaki back on track, so he doesn't come home late?"

Yuihama Yui head and guessed.

After this interruption, the atmosphere improved considerably compared to the tense standoff that had just occurred.

"No, we're the Service Club. Of course, we're gathered here to fulfill the clients' requests, right? In other words, we're here to help Taishi Kawasaki achieve his wish."

Upon hearing her younger brother's name, Kawasaki Saki's heart skipped a beat, but she said nothing.

"I need to correct you, Sakurakoji,"

Yukino Shita Yukino coldly replied, "You are not a member of the Service Club, and you are not even a member of our school."

"They're all the same, all the same..."

He coughed softly and continued, "Even if I'm not from your school, Kawasaki -san, right? So, shouldn't you address her problem first, rather than dealing with Taishi Kawasaki, who's not from your school?"

Yuihama Yui, puzzled, "Huh? But we're dealing with Kawasaki..."

Yukino Shita Yukino seemed thoughtful. "You mean... what we're doing now is fulfilling Kawasaki's younger brother's request, not Kawasaki's request?"

That's it.

He snapped his fingers as usual, then pointed at Kawasaki Saki: "Kawasaki -san, make a request to the Club President of the Service Club, and we can grant your seemingly difficult wish."

Are you Aladdin's Lamp?

Kawasaki Saki gave a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth.

"If it's not such a difficult wish, it should be about the same."

Yukino Shita Yukino took a deep breath and added, "I won't accept requests that don't involve the client's own will and effort, but..."

She looked at the person in front of her with a slightly complicated expression. "Since Kawasaki -kun has the willpower to work here all night every day, that already meets this requirement."

"So?"

"Accept."

"Very good,"

He nodded in satisfaction, raising his chin at Kawasaki Saki. "Now it's Kawasaki's turn. Tell me your question."

"Hey, I didn't say I wanted to ask you to do anything..."

Kawasaki Saki glanced at the three somewhat eccentric individuals in front of her with an indescribable expression.

"Oh, don't worry about it, we just wanted to help you out."

"Why?"

"They did it out of obligation for club activities, and I did it because... well, it's more of a coincidence with your surname."

Maybe I really am destined to be with Kawasaki!

Huh?

Kawasaki Saki was dumbfounded. "What nonsense are you talking about..."

"It's so tiring talking to you arrogant girls..."

Seeing that she always avoided the topic, he frowned in distress and, with no other choice, improvised. "Since you don't want to say, let me guess."

"As you just said, it's really hard for people like me and Yukino Shita, who have never experienced being short of money in our lives, to understand your situation... but I truly understand your circumstances."

"... Are you here to show off?"

"That's a bit contradictory."

Kawasaki Saki and Yuihama Yui their feelings.

"There is a contradiction, but you don't need to delve into the specific reasons. Now, I'm going to start the analysis!"

After all, who would believe something like a past life story?

"The reasons why ordinary high school students urgently need money are nothing more than food, drink and entertainment, family reasons, health reasons, being threatened by school bullies to take money, wanting to improve themselves, being addicted to bad habits... and so on. Each of these categories can be further divided into many sub-options."

"Kawasaki just rejected the idea of eating, drinking, and having fun. Taishi didn't mention family reasons either. Soubu High School is a good school with a high college entrance rate, so the chances of it producing a school bully are slim. Besides Classmate Yuihama said you usually keep to yourself."

"Judging from your condition, the probability of it being due to physical reasons or addiction to bad habits is not high... Unless you have an incurable disease and want to save money for your family, that's probably not it, right?"

Kawasaki Saki shook her head with a gloomy expression.

"That's what you call being ambitious? This category can be further divided into saving for tuition, attending tutoring classes, paying for each university entrance exam, studying abroad, and so on."

"School trips are also considered fun, so that's fine. Second-year tuition was just paid, and there's still over a year until the entrance exams, so there's no need to rush into night shifts. That means..."

Without him saying anything, the other two understood.

"Is that so, Kawasaki -kun?"

Yuihama Yui looked at her expectantly.

Kawasaki Saki exhaled a suppressed breath, staring intently at him. "Who exactly are you?"

"An ambitious young person who is happy to help those who pursue their dreams."

"..."

Kawasaki Saki shook her head in disbelief. "Anyway, just like you said, I started working here to pay for my summer tutoring."

"There are four siblings in my family. Taishi is about to start high school and has been enrolled in tutoring classes. My family can't afford to send me to a well-known tutoring center."

Wow~

Yuihama Yui looked at him with admiration; he had actually guessed correctly!

"I never imagined Kawasaki -kun was working part-time to save up for tuition! That's amazing!"

When they met again, her eyes held a hint of respect.

She definitely couldn't do something like working all night to earn tuition fees; she wasn't even very motivated to study.

"You're really good at analyzing these things."

Yukino Shita Yukino recalled the time when they first met, when she asked him to guess the activities of the Service Club.

"It's nothing, just basic stuff."

You know the plot, so you can do it too.

He took a sip of non-alcoholic Cuba Libre and rinsed his mouth with the Happy Water.

Wow, you have four children! Your family is truly a model family in this era of declining birth rates...

"Now it's up to you, Club President. How do you plan to resolve this?"

The other two men's eyes were fixed on her, wanting to see how she would respond.

Yukino Shita Yukino rested her chin on her hand, pondering seriously. Of all the cases she had accepted so far, this was the most practical one.

No matter how clever she was, it would all be for nothing if she couldn't get the tutoring center's approval. And she couldn't actually hire a college student from a prestigious university to tutor her... Although she did know one, she would never ask that person for help.

Giving her money directly would be easy for her, but it goes against the Service Club's philosophy of "giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him how to fish."

Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind, and she remembered the scene from earlier that afternoon Hikigaya Hachiman was discussing how to use the "Scholarship" system to get extra allowance from his parents—

"Kawasaki -kun, how are your grades doing at the cram school? Your younger brother said they're pretty good?"

"It's alright, it's in a slightly forward position, what's wrong?"

"Have you ever heard of a 'Scholarship'?"

The corners of her mouth turned up, exuding a sense of composure as if she had everything under control.

Kawasaki Saki blinked. "You mean the cram school that waives tuition for students with excellent grades? I've heard of that. What's up?"

"..."

Yukino Shita Yukino's smile froze.

"Although that's what I said, I chose to work because I wasn't entirely confident that I could get that qualification. After all, there's only one summer break after my junior year of high school. If I don't get it, I can't just wait until next year, can I?"

"..."

"Hmm, hmph~"

Sakurakoji Talent suppressed the trembling of his body, but the sound, neither too loud Yukino Shita Yukino's soft ear, causing her snow-white skin to change color instantly.

Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. Kawasaki Saki and Hikigaya Hachiman's cram school are in the same building. If he knows something, how could she, who is more sensitive to money and more concerned about getting into a good school, not know it?

The reason she initially agreed to the proposal was probably 80% due to her unspoken "control" over her younger siblings.

Unfortunately, there was no Komachi Hikigaya here, no one who could make her understand her younger siblings' worries.

Therefore, Yukino Shita's plan failed...

Hearing his mockery, Yukino Shita Yukino and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Then what good ideas do you have, Sakura-kun?!"

Yes, there is.

He casually propped his chin on his arm, chuckling, "Besides the one you mentioned, there are probably at least three or four other methods. Which one do you want to hear?"

"..."

X 3.

The three of them looked astonished, as if they had seen a white cat speaking human language.

"... You tell me first."

Yukino Shita Yukino's mouth was dry. "However, it should be made clear beforehand that direct financial assistance is not included in this agreement, as that would go against the Service Club's original intention."

"I know, if that's the case, I have dozens of ways to do it."

"..."

"First,"

He held up his left index finger, gesturing to count, "It's actually very simple, Yukino Shita- kun. Have you forgotten about your other unfinished request?"

"Hmm? You mean...?"

"Regarding the work I did for Starry, although you might have forgotten about it because you didn't want it, I did say that the person who covered my shift would receive my share of the salary, right?"

"Ah..."

Yukino Shita Yukino paused, then suddenly remembered that there seemed to be such a thing.

But because she wasn't short of money, she didn't care.

"Although the commute is tiring and time-consuming, it's still much better than working part-time here, right?"

He chuckled softly, a hint of smugness in his eyes. "Don't let my appearance fool you, my salary is still quite high, you know?"

"Even if I only work one week a month, and continue until summer vacation, I think I'll be able to afford the tuition for regular tutoring classes."

"Of course, that's on the premise that you can teach her the job duties there in a short time, but that shouldn't be difficult for you."

"..."

Yukino Shita Yukino and Yuihama Yui glances, never expecting such a solution.