Love Hotel

Sunday.

For students, it is a pure day of rest, naturally becoming the most precious time of the week.

Everyone spends it in their own way—some stay home all day reading manga, some go shopping with friends, and others wander alone to enjoy good food.

And right now, I find myself in just such a scene...

"Hehe... Hachiman."

"What is it?"

"Can I act spoiled for a little longer?"

"As you like."

"Thank you... heehee."

On the bed in my room, Hiyori is acting spoiled toward me without reservation. Although it is already ten in the morning, nearly three hours since we woke up, this girl still shows no sign of tiring, rubbing her cheek against mine incessantly.

It is simply cute to the point of being a crime. Even after being spoiled for three hours, I don't feel bored in the slightest.

However...

"Sorry Hiyori, shouldn't we get up? I'm getting a bit hungry."

After all, now that it's past ten, the hunger is starting to urge me to eat.

"That's true, I'm a little hungry too. Then I'll leave it to you, Hachiman~"

As Hiyori says this, she sticks out her forehead as usual, and I give her a light kiss on the brow, just as is our custom. Immediately, she returns the gesture with a sweet smile and a kiss of her own.

Morning kisses and goodnight kisses, along with post-meal hugs of gratitude, have long since become a daily ritual. While the power of habit is frightening, who can blame me when Hiyori is excessively cute? It's an unavoidable situation.

After finishing breakfast, we set off for the shopping mall. We need to add quite a few items to our collection, the primary goal being to purchase a DVD player so we can rent discs to watch movies. Furthermore, I have been feeling sluggish lately, so if the price of a massage chair is reasonable, I am considering buying one of those as well.

(Come to think of it, is it possible to upgrade to a more spacious room using private points?)

If that were possible, it would be worth saving up for. Recently, personal belongings have been increasing, and Hiyori and Sakanayanagi have also moved in quite a few things. Although there is still room to spare, reaching this point only three months after enrollment, the speed of expansion is truly astonishing.

For now, let's deal with the DVD player first.

"Hiyori, is it alright if we go to the electronics section first?"

"Of course, no problem."

The girl holding my arm readily agrees. As we head toward the electronics section, however, we run into three classmates at the entrance.

"Ah, Hikigaya-kun, good afternoon!"

Coming toward us is the strange combination of Kushida, Ayanokoji, and Sakura.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"I accidentally broke Sakura's digital camera earlier, so we're on our way to get it repaired."

Kushida points to Sakura beside her. Ah, that incident. Actually, I was also responsible since I was walking while looking at my terminal at the time.

Thinking of this, I tear a page from my notebook, write down my terminal number, and hand it to Sakura:

"Although you said not to worry about it last time, I am also responsible for this. If the repair requires points, use this number to contact me and let me know the amount and the account."

I stuff the slip of paper into Sakura's hand almost forcefully. Given her personality, she will likely still decline, but for me, this is a debt that must be repaid.

"We'll be going now."

"Eh? So soon?"

"I'm not good at group activities. Let's go, Hiyori."

After responding to Kushida's question, I take Hiyori's hand and head toward the audio-visual section. I find an affordable DVD player marked at ten thousand points and buy it immediately—as long as it can play, cost-effectiveness is the priority.

"Hiyori, is there any electronic appliance you want to buy?"

"Not really. The only things I want are books, and... the time spent with Hachiman."

"..."

That, that's a foul, isn't it! Saying something like that while acting shy is just too embarrassing.

"...Thank you."

After a vague response, I turn to the massage chair display area, where price tags range from as low as one hundred thousand to as high as three hundred thousand points.

(Let's put this on hold for now; I'll consider the three-hundred-thousand-point tier once I've saved up three million.)

My goal is to accumulate three million points before the second semester. In this school, everything can be traded, even exam scores can be bought, so naturally, the more reserves, the better.

I estimate there should be special exams during the summer vacation that allow for obtaining a large number of class points and private points, so reaching the goal shouldn't be difficult. As for the class level, it's hard to count on them—currently, Class D lacks both strength and cohesion: Class B is both united and capable, Class C, though under Ryuen's dictatorship, is highly unified, and Class A, despite its factions, possesses strength far exceeding our own. By comparison, focusing on individual performance to obtain private points is more practical.

"Hachiman?"

Hiyori speaks up with a puzzled look. It seems she is thinking about more than I imagined.

"Ah, it's nothing. Anyway, let's go buy that DVD player first."

"I'll go with you, but are you really sure about the massage chair?"

"We'll talk about that next time."

As I said that and walked toward the register, I saw Ayanokoji and the others also waiting in line. Just as I got in line behind them, Ayanokoji suddenly began filling out paperwork at an astonishing speed.

"Please contact me once the repairs are finished."

"W-wait a second. The owner of this camera is the girl over there, right?"

"The manufacturer's warranty only requires confirmation of the retail store and the date of purchase, which the clerk has already verified. There's no legal issue, is there? Or are you saying—there's a reason it must be her in person?"

"No... I understand... It's fine."

A few minutes after hearing this exchange, Ayanokoji and his group handed the digital camera to the clerk, nodded at us, and fled the store as if escaping.

The reason likely lay with that clerk. The clerk in front of us, whether it was Kushida or Sakura, was currently staring at us with an unsettling gaze.

Just as I was thinking this, the clerk seemed to notice us. He turned his head and immediately began sizing up Hiyori with a licking, predatory look.

At the same time, Hiyori trembled slightly. A murderous intent surged from the depths of my heart, but I forcibly suppressed it with reason and pushed the DVD player onto the counter. To be honest, the way this man looked at Hiyori was so disgusting that I wanted to leave immediately.

After finishing the transaction and walking quickly out of the store, I spoke to Hiyori:

"Hiyori, are you okay?"

"Yes. But that clerk's gaze was creepy."

"Tell me about it."

No kidding. And Hiyori had it easy; the way that clerk looked at Kushida or Sakura was even more revolting. Judging by Ayanokoji's conversation earlier, it was likely Sakura who had been targeted.

(She might become a direct target... Anyway, I'll start by collecting the debt for the broken camera.)

Thinking this, I posted on the school forum to warn everyone about the name on that clerk's name tag, and I posted the same content on the teacher consultation board. This way, the teachers should pay closer attention, which might reduce the danger to some extent.

"Anyway, I've taken the minimum precautions, so it should be fine."

"Did you do something?"

"Spreading information. Shall we head to the bookstore next?"

"Yes!"

Seeing Hiyori nod, we headed toward the bookstore. On the way, we passed by the convenience store and saw Hoshinomiya-sensei walking out with a shopping bag.

"Oh my~? Hikigaya-kun and Shiina-san, you two are getting along so well on a Sunday date~"

"It's not a date. More importantly, how much alcohol did you buy, Sensei?"

The shopping bag in Hoshinomiya-sensei's hand was stuffed with beer cans. The sheer volume looked like the haul of an alcoholic uncle.

"Alcohol is delicious, you know~ You should try it once you turn twenty."

While I wasn't uninterested in alcohol, I had no intention of drinking this much. I absolutely didn't want to turn into a drunken uncle.

"I'll consider it... By the way, there's something I'd like to ask you, Sensei."

"What is it? You can't have my phone number, okay?"

"Not interested. To ask straight out, regarding the dorms, can you get a larger room if you use private points?"

Hoshinomiya-sensei paused for a moment, then laughed: "Hahaha! As expected, Hikigaya-kun is quite interesting. The answer is yes. Several graduates have expanded their dorm rooms, and those rooms are currently vacant."

It seems private points really are omnipotent. The problem is...

"What's the price?"

"1.5 times the standard area is 2 million points, 2 times is 3 million points, and 3 times is 5 million points."

As expected, it's expensive.

"I see, thank you."

"You're welcome~ And keep the impure cross-gender relationships in check, okay?"

The teacher left after saying that. It seems the fact that Hiyori and I are living together has already been exposed.

"...It seems the teacher knows."

"Yeah. But since she said 'keep it in check,' I doubt there will be any punishment."

The girls' dorm has a curfew, but there are no such restrictions for the boys' dorm.

"I'm relieved, but it's a bit surprising. The school is really lenient."

"Well, the convenience store sells contraceptives, and the school-issued terminals can access adult websites, so as long as you don't do anything crazy, it's probably fine."

Although there are no love hotels, there are rumors of underground shops that sell 18+ books and DVDs.

Just as I was thinking about this...

"Hachiman-kun, looking at adult websites isn't good."

Hiyori applied pressure with a sweet smile. Damn it, I let it slip.

After that, I apologized desperately and finally earned her forgiveness, but I was teased and pestered for a long time before I could go back to my room to sleep.