The Mascot Girl

"First, please don't use words that are so easy to misunderstand." Toru Hasegawa paused, then cautiously took his phone from his pocket and handed it to Ran Morishita. "Second, I'm done using my phone, so you don't have any reason to keep hanging around here, do you?"

"I see. Well, then, let's be on our way."

Ran Morishita took the phone and stepped back a few paces, but showed no sign of leaving.

Toru Hasegawa couldn't help asking, "What are you doing?"

"As you can see, I'm going on an adventure." Ran Morishita's expression didn't change. Her moral standards seemed remarkably low—or should he say, did she even have any?

Toru Hasegawa had no way of dealing with this kind of relentless behavior.

Just like Miyabi Nagumo spying on Manabu Horikita, as long as she explained it away as "coincidence" or "chance," the other person had no way to refute her.

Even if most people wouldn't want their every move watched.

"Forget it." Ignoring Ran Morishita, who seemed to defy common sense, and paying no attention to Suzune Horikita, who was hesitating nearby, Toru Hasegawa turned to Airi Sakura. "What are you planning to do next?"

"No, nothing." Airi Sakura's gaze darted away. She clearly wasn't telling the truth.

"In that case, would you come somewhere with me?" Toru Hasegawa thought about his physical condition. "Of course, as payment, I could cover some of today's expenses."

"You don't have to cover the expenses or anything. I've already..." Airi Sakura's voice grew quieter and quieter, until it was barely audible.

"Let's go." Toru Hasegawa couldn't quite make out what she'd said, but he understood what she meant.

He deliberately ignored both Suzune Horikita and Ran Morishita, and started walking out.

Suzune Horikita didn't follow them, but Ran Morishita stuck to him like glue.

Toru Hasegawa could only choose to ignore what he didn't want to see.

At the school store, he picked out a sports watch that could monitor his heart rate and blood oxygen levels in real time. It even displayed more abstract things, like stress.

He wasn't sure how accurate it was, though.

"Do you want to get one too? It might be surprisingly good for keeping yourself motivated to exercise." Toru Hasegawa paid with his student ID. The receipt showed his remaining personal points.

But Airi Sakura clearly didn't notice. At that moment, she was locked in an internal struggle.

Should she buy one? Or not?

No, that had never been the question.

The question was the word "date" in what Ran Morishita had said earlier.

A-a date?!

Were they really on a date right now?

Could it be... that Hasegawa-kun was interested in me too...?

Airi Sakura completely tuned out what Toru Hasegawa was saying, her expression full of uncertainty.

"Hello? Hello?" Toru Hasegawa waved his hand in front of Airi Sakura's eyes, and only then did her attention return to the present. "Mm, I was asking if you wanted to buy one too. I'd like to hear what you think."

He didn't wait for her to apologize, and simply steered the conversation back on track.

"I'll get one too." Airi Sakura sneaked a glance at the watch in Toru Hasegawa's hand, then picked out the same model and paid for it.

Toru Hasegawa glanced at the receipt the clerk handed her. The number of personal points Airi Sakura had left was highly unusual.

I see. So this is the final piece of the puzzle.

Even though the answer was already right in front of him, the pleasure of figuring out how he'd arrived at it still lifted his spirits.

"Could you put it on for me?"

"Huh?" Airi Sakura was startled by the sudden request. "Why do you want me to help?"

"Don't you want to?" Toru Hasegawa didn't answer her question, instead approaching it from another angle.

Airi Sakura immediately gave in. "I-I'd be happy to."

As she spoke, her slender fingers touched the elegant packaging. Airi Sakura carefully peeled it open, without the slightest hint of enthusiasm for unwrapping a present.

Toru Hasegawa watched her with interest.

She really was just like a mascot. She made him want to tease her.

But...

His body reacted to her, but she didn't seem to be what he was looking for.

What was missing?

Toru Hasegawa quietly felt the distinct softness of a girl's skin against his wrist and wondered.

"Hasegawa-kun's hands... are really pretty..."

"Huh?"

He hadn't expected Airi Sakura to say something like that, and for a moment, his train of thought was interrupted.

"Did I say something wrong?" Airi Sakura waited anxiously for his reply.

But what caught Toru Hasegawa's attention wasn't that. It was...

She was looking right at him as she spoke.

"No, I felt really good hearing that. It's only natural to be happy when someone compliments you, right?" Toru Hasegawa smiled.

Seeing her face turn bright red, Toru Hasegawa could barely hold it together.

How innocent was this girl, anyway...?

He glanced almost imperceptibly at Ran Morishita, who had entered the store with them and was standing a short distance away. Toru Hasegawa gave up on making any more moves here and said, "It's getting late. We should think about dinner... Oh, right. Airi Sakura, can you cook?"

"...Yes."

"Great. Could I try your cooking?"

Toru Hasegawa wanted to see how Airi Sakura would respond to his forceful intrusion into her personal space.

"W-would it be in the dormitory?"

"Yeah. Though which dormitory we go to could be an issue. Where would you prefer, Airi Sakura?"

By treating her agreement as a given, Toru Hasegawa pushed the conversation forward, like a vicious wolf devouring the girl before him.

"Hasegawa-kun's room... I guess."

Compared to the girls' dormitory, the boys' dormitory might surprisingly be easier to accept.

"In that case, let's hurry to the supermarket and buy some ingredients."

It was difficult to get Airi Sakura to move a conversation forward on her own, so Toru Hasegawa had to proceed in this awkward way. Fortunately, she didn't seem displeased by it, or he would have felt awkward too.

No, it wasn't luck.

He should have known from the start.

This was what he wanted.

With Ran Morishita, their self-appointed shadow, in tow, the two of them bought a suitable amount of groceries at the supermarket.

They could get vegetables for free, but they had to use personal points to buy meat.

Toru Hasegawa easily carried the two large plastic bags back to Dormitory 301. Ran Morishita tried to follow them inside, but Toru Hasegawa was quick enough to shut the door in her face.

She even wants to come into the dorm? Not a chance!

"Is that okay?" Airi Sakura asked, a little worried.

Toru Hasegawa shook his head. "It's fine. Learning to say no can make things a lot easier sometimes. Besides, the dormitory is a private space. Wouldn't it be a problem if someone came in without permission?"

"Y-yeah, I suppose you're right."

"Oh, right. Do you usually bring your own lunch or eat in the cafeteria?"

"I don't really do well in crowded places, so I bring my own..." Airi Sakura nervously twisted a lock of hair around her finger.

Toru Hasegawa said seriously, "In that case, I'll leave these things to you."

He pointed to one of the plastic bags. Airi Sakura had already guessed what he meant, but she still panicked a little.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she couldn't help asking, voicing the question she most wanted answered.

With just the two of them alone in the room, it was a very dangerous question.