Now That We're Done, We Should Get Some Proper Rest / He'd Mentioned It during the first period, but after realizing the real estate agent knew about this stuff, he didn't go into any more detail. ...

Sure enough, she really did look like a young lady from a distinguished family. Etiquette classes existed, but most girls forgot everything as soon as class was over. Only those from old families cared this much about manners.

Since Ayanokoji Kiyohime was going to become an artificially created genius, she had to look the part. Men could perhaps afford to be more casual, but women were held to much higher standards in this regard.

"Thank you for the meal."

"Won't you stay a little longer?"

"No, I promised Kushida I'd go out with her in a bit, so I should be going."

After a slight bow, Ayanokoji Kiyohime left. She had drifted in as lightly as a feather, and now she drifted away just as lightly, leaving not a single cloud behind... Though there weren't any clouds here, and she hadn't taken anything with her anyway.

After Ayanokoji Kiyohime left, Hoya went to the kitchen to serve some porridge.

When he'd returned earlier, he'd heard water running in the bathroom. Shiina was obviously giving Ryuen a bath, and by the time he'd seen Ayanokoji out, the water had stopped. They were probably almost done.

After putting the porridge and rice on the table, Hoya took a bottle of juice from the fridge. It was for Shiina. She'd come over to help, so he ought to show her some hospitality and take care of food and drinks.

"Ah, you've really been a big help, Shiina..."

Hearing the bathroom door open, Hoya spoke with a smile as he looked over, but his words gradually trailed off.

The sight of a beauty fresh from her bath left him dumbstruck.

Shiina, with her blue-gray hair, was supporting Ryuen, whose reddish-brown hair matched her complexion and whose body still hadn't recovered. The two beauties emerged from the bathroom with steam still drifting around them. They were both wearing their usual casual clothes, and their hair was still dripping wet, clinging to their bodies. Their long hair fell past their shoulders, seeming to outline their perfect figures.

"Hoya, you don't even have a hair dryer?"

"Ah, haha. I don't usually use one."

Hoya touched his own hair. He really didn't use the thing. He'd once grown his hair out just to see what it was like, but ever since then, he'd kept it short. Short hair was easy to wash, and he didn't need a hair dryer or anything.

Looks like I'll have to buy another one... Wait, why am I buying a hair dryer?

Oh, well. I'll get one.

Hoya thought more and more girls might start coming to his room, especially the bathroom. Two girls had bathed there this time, and who knew how many would come next time?

It'd been less than six days, for crying out loud!

No matter what Hoya thought, it really did seem likely that his room was gradually becoming less and less his own.

Without a hair dryer, even towels wouldn't be enough to dry both girls off. Shiina had a towel draped over her shoulders so her hair wouldn't get her clothes wet.

Ryuen was the same, though it seemed Shiina had done it for her. Otherwise, Ryuen probably wouldn't have let her.

"Never mind. I'll go back to my dorm and get mine."

"No, I'll buy one. I'll probably need it from now on, anyway."

"Eh, but do you know which ones are good?"

"Uh..."

"I'll get mine first. Once we've made sure Ryuen's all right, we can go together. How does that sound?"

"Sure."

The two of them settled the matter between them in just a few words. Their old-married-couple routine made Ryuen stare at Hoya.

You're something else, kid. You sure know how to charm the girls.

Chapter 62: Once the work was done, it was time to get some proper rest

Hoya had no idea what Ryuen Shoko was thinking. If he had, he would've started explaining himself again.

Could he really say he'd done it on purpose? Shiina and Ichinose were just kindhearted little angels, so it was easy to talk to them.

As for Kushida... He had leverage over her, so she had no choice but to work with him.

Hoya unconsciously ignored Kamuro. Her attitude toward him was strange, too, but he hadn't noticed.

Even if he had... he probably would've assumed they'd gotten closer after sharing a drink.

In a way, that was true, but what had really made Kamuro's feelings toward Hoya so complicated was his behavior.

His various actions had indeed made it hard for her to explain her feelings. So, for now, the two of them were more than friends, but still a long way from being lovers.

"Let's eat first. We've been busy until almost two. We should finish our meal before doing anything else."

"Mm... You're right. Ryuen, can you eat by yourself?"

"I can..."

Ryuen Shoko wanted to put on a strong front, but after Shiina had done all that for her, it was hard to act tough again.

She was starting to regret coming over to Hoya's place. She'd lost both her dignity and... No, not twice. She'd lost two things!

Hoya had more or less figured out what had happened the day before. Ryuen had been feeling unwell because her period had started, which was why she'd been so listless. Then her mood had soured, so she'd come to Hoya's place for a drink.

Having a cold beer during her period—there was no need to explain what would happen. Feeling unwell, she'd gone straight to sleep in Hoya's bed, and then she'd come down with a high fever.

That was what Hoya had found when he returned the previous night.

The mess on the table and the way she'd curled up into a ball were enough to show what had happened.

Hoya was a fairly reliable guy. He might've been a lecher, but when it came to handling serious matters, he instinctively put aside the awkwardness between men and women. Otherwise, he couldn't have taken care of everything so quickly.

But as the problems gradually got resolved, he started feeling a little flustered.

It was the kind of feeling a guy got when he was with a pretty girl: his heart started racing. Well... at least he didn't show it as much as he felt it.

After Hoya and Shiina Hiyori finished their meal, they coaxed Ryuen Shoko, who'd finished her porridge too, into bed for another nap. Then they headed out to buy a hair dryer.

Mm... Why did it feel like a married couple putting their daughter to bed before heading off to work?

Had Ryuen Shoko gradually become their daughter?!

"Welcome..."

The supermarket clerk saw Hoya coming back again, and her expression changed slightly.

Hadn't he just bought something? Why was he back?

Well, any shopkeeper would be delighted if a customer came in to buy things several times. The clerk didn't think much of it and said nothing more.

Hoya and Shiina Hiyori started picking out hair dryers. He knew absolutely nothing about them, so he left the whole thing to Shiina.

"This style should be fine... Hoya, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to decide which towel to buy."

"?"

"You've seen Ryuen. She keeps coming to my dorm, so I need to get some toiletries for her, too."

"Ah, that's true."

Shiina Hiyori had noticed that Hoya's room only had the toiletries he used himself. And from the way Ryuen Shoko had casually picked up Hoya's towel to dry herself, it seemed she really didn't care about that sort of thing.

So, had nothing really happened between the two of them?

Shiina Hiyori was a little curious.

"So, are you going to buy everything?"

"Yeah. Shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, toothbrushes, cups, towels... I should get a set of everything. No, I'll buy two sets, so I have a spare."

"You want a spare, too?"

"Yeah. Otherwise, if I need something, it'll be too late to buy it. Who knew my high school life would turn out like this?"

Hoya was a bit of a hoarder. If he could stock up now, while he still had some money, he ought to do it. He might not have as much money later.

Maybe he'd have plenty in the future? But who could say what the future held? After all, the more you earned, the more you spent. Ryuen had also said the class would start collecting class funds next month, so they wouldn't be caught short when the class needed money.

But if they were going to collect class funds anyway, they might as well divide the class into groups, too.

With his head down, thinking it over, Hoya continued shopping with Shiina Hiyori.

"Aren't you buying conditioner?"

"Huh?"

Hoya was taken aback by Shiina's question.

"Conditioner. You're a boy, so you don't need it, but most girls do."

"Is that so? But I don't think Ryuen really... You know."

"..."

Silence. Complete silence.

Hoya didn't seem to be wrong.

His words left Shiina deep in thought. After all, Ryuen Shoko's usual appearance...

It was fair to say she did the bare minimum to tidy herself up. Anything beyond that—forget it.

So whether she used conditioner really was a question.

"Never mind. It's not that expensive. Let's buy it."

Hoya picked a well-known brand and took everything to the checkout.

The two of them carried their plastic bags back, chatting as they went. Once they got to the dorm, they put everything in the bathroom. Hoya sneaked a glance at Ryuen Shoko in the bedroom.

Mm... Looks like she's still asleep.

Let her sleep.

After quietly picking up the books he'd left in the dorm, Hoya asked Shiina, "Want to go to the library together?"

He didn't know much about how to get along with girls, but appealing to their interests was always a good idea.

"Sure! How was the book I lent you last time?"

"I finished it, I finished it. They're both about physics, after all, and a lot of the material overlaps, so it was pretty quick."

Hoya didn't only read after school. He also read during breaks and sometimes in class when he was really bored.

As for the teachers on patrol outside, all they could see was Hoya with his head down, reading. And the teachers giving lessons...

Kazuma Sakagami naturally wouldn't say anything about it. Mashima Tomoya also turned a blind eye to a good student like Hoya.

He'd brought it up during the first class, but after realizing Hoya already knew the material, he hadn't said anything further.

After all, he was teaching physics, and the books Hoya was reading, Arrow of Time and A Brief History of Time, were about physics, too.

Chapter 63: I even added a fried egg!

"Hoya, what are you looking for now?"

At the library, Shiina Hiyori watched Hoya search the shelves for another book.

"Ah, I was trying to find a book you haven't read."

"Why do you want to know that?"

"I thought we could recommend books to each other. I'd like to recommend one to you, too, but I haven't read many mystery novels."

Hoya scratched his head, feeling rather stumped. Still, whether he'd done it on purpose or not, his words moved Shiina even more.

Shiina had always wanted a friend she could trade book recommendations with. Hoya was even willing to read mystery novels that didn't interest him just so he could recommend a book to her. That was just...

So Hoya really was a lady-killer!

Appealing to someone's interests was an easy way to win a girl's favor. Right now, he was quietly increasing Shiina Hiyori's affection for him.

If he'd had some sort of system, he might've seen a 'Favorability Up' icon flashing above Shiina Hiyori's head.

"Have you read this one?"

"Mm... No."

Looking at the mystery novel in his hands, Hoya nodded. "All right, then. I'll give this one a try."

As he spoke, he took the book off the shelf. Its title was easy to make out.

The Ex-Boyfriend's Last Will and Testament.

He didn't stop at one. After looking around some more, he picked out three books in all.

Besides The Ex-Boyfriend's Last Will and Testament, the other two were The Name of the Rose and The Man Who Died Seven Times.

The Name of the Rose was written by an Italian author; the other two were both written by Japanese authors.

Books written in Japanese had one advantage: they didn't need to be translated. Translation was the easiest way to distort the original text. Put simply, you were reading a 'secondhand book'.