Unexpected Visitor

At 10:00 AM on Saturday, sunlight leaking through the gap in the curtains fell right beside his pillow. Uesugi Hara finally threw off the quilt and sat up—had his internal clock not been urging him on, he probably could have spent until noon battling with this bed.

While washing up, he casually tapped open his terminal. In his message list, the chat box with Kushida Kikyo was still frozen on yesterday's exchange—the one about Ayanokouji asking her to invite those three idiots to Horikita's study group.

His fingertip paused when it slid over Karuizawa Kei's profile picture; the latest message was from a week ago, and the content was trivial.

Should I spend points to have someone "look after" her? The thought had barely surfaced before he suppressed it. He pursed his lips at his reflection in the mirror. Better to just let her be for now and wait for the plot to progress.

As he turned to wipe his face, the terminal vibrated. He opened Kushida's chat box and typed out a line first: "You agreed?"

The moment the terminal screen lit up with the notification, Uesugi Hara was draping a towel over his shoulder. Kushida Kikyo's reply carried her signature tone, one where even the text seemed to brim with a smile: "Of course I agreed! If Ayanokouji-kun asks, how could I possibly refuse?"

His fingertip hovered on the screen before he tapped out a line: "Horikita Suzune's study group? Do you really think it'll work out?"

The reply came faster this time, almost instantaneous: "Horikita-san might look a bit serious, but she's very earnest about her studies! Plus, with Ayanokouji-kun helping to coordinate, it should be fine~ What about you, Uesugi-kun? Want to come along? It might be more interesting with more people."

"No thanks." Uesugi Hara didn't hesitate. "It'll be a miracle if those three idiots can sit still for half an hour." He recalled the scene from the original plot where the red-haired ape had lost his temper.

"Oh, don't say that." Kikyo sent a winking emoji. "Maybe this time will be different? By the way, Horikita-san specifically mentioned reviewing math, so I've even prepared notes."

Uesugi Hara looked at the screen, suddenly recalling the image he'd glimpsed in the hallway yesterday—Horikita Suzune walking by with workbooks in her arms, her hair tips glowing with a cold, white luster in the sunlight. He casually replied with an "Oh," and as he exited the chat, his peripheral vision swept over Karuizawa Kei's profile picture. The gray chat box looked like a forgotten, worn-out eraser.

"Just keep watching," he whispered to the air, tucking the terminal into his pocket.

"Knock, knock, knock."

An abrupt rapping at the door shattered the room's silence. The force was perfectly measured—neither frivolous nor intrusive—with the three intervals spaced as if timed by a stopwatch. Even the angle of the knocks seemed rehearsed—steady, with a hint of deliberation.

Uesugi Hara had just hung up his towel when he heard the sound, his eyebrows twitching imperceptibly. He recognized this knock.

The moment he pulled the door open, a clear, slightly cunning voice drifted in: "Good day, Uesugi-kun."

It was that white-haired loli. Uesugi Hara looked down at the small girl before him, his mouth twitching. Nothing good ever came of her seeking him out this early in the morning.

"Morning... good day." Uesugi Hara stepped aside to clear the path, his tone as flat as if he were reciting a textbook. "What brings you to my place so suddenly today, Arisu-san?"

His gaze swept the empty hallway behind the girl, and he added, "Your little maid isn't following you? Usually, you two are inseparable."

Sakayanagi Arisu walked in, leaning on her cane. She paused at his words, then let out a soft laugh: "I have to give Kamuro some time to relax; she can't follow me everywhere."

Sakayanagi Arisu walked to the desk and sat down naturally, her fingertips sliding gently over the patterns on her cane.

Uesugi Hara closed the door behind him, leaning against the panel as he looked at her. He spoke as if something had just occurred to him: "Is that so? Kamuro actually gets time off?" His tone held a trace of subtle curiosity. "Come to think of it, she's always running errands and buying things for you—do you pay her a salary? Or at least reimburse her expenses?"

After all, he'd seen it so many times: Kamuro Masumi was either carrying snacks bought for Sakayanagi or being sent off to complete some task, looking like a spinning top that never stopped. He was genuinely curious if this pampered young lady had ever considered the concept of "compensation."

Sakayanagi's fingertips paused at the mention, then she curved her eyes into a smile: "As for Kamuro, I naturally pay her according to our agreement. Are you actually concerned about this, Uesugi-kun?" She tilted her head, her silver hair sliding over her shoulder. "Or are you implying that I'm the type to mistreat those around me?"

"Nothing, just suddenly curious." Uesugi Hara walked to the water dispenser to fill a cup, tapping his fingers against the rim. "You know how it's written in those stories—young ladies never pay for things themselves, right? It's always the servants following behind to settle the bill."

He placed the cup by Sakayanagi's hand. "Besides, Kamuro is busy running around for you all day, doing errands and organizing things—it looks exhausting." He withdrew his gaze, his tone devoid of emotion. "If she even has to pay for the shopping out of her own pocket, that'd be too much of a loss."

No sooner had he finished than Sakayanagi traced a circle on the rim of the cup and let out a laugh: "Uesugi-kun is quite the busybody. But rest assured, I settle Kamuro's accounts every time and provide extra subsidies. I couldn't have her working for nothing, could I?"

"And besides," Sakayanagi Arisu said, resting her chin on her fingertips, her ice-blue eyes sparkling with mischief, "if you really think Kamuro is that tired, you could always volunteer to share the burden—like running to buy me a coffee?"

Uesugi Hara took half a step back almost immediately, waving his hands as if swatting a mosquito: "I'll pass on that." He thought of Kamuro's busy figure and his tone became firm. "Instead of bothering me, you'd better keep putting Kamuro-san through the wringer. She looks like she's used to it anyway."

"How cold," Sakayanagi chuckled, covering her mouth as her silver hair swayed with the movement. "But then again, Uesugi-kun is too lazy to worry about his own affairs, so why would he care about someone else's trouble?"

Seeing the conversation veer toward himself, Uesugi Hara quickly waved his hand to cut it off: "Anyway, Arisu-san, you didn't come all this way just for idle chatter, did you?"

He deliberately drew out his tone, the latter half carrying a hint of a tone one might use to coax a child. "I have to head to the study group this afternoon; I don't have time to play with you."

Sakayanagi Arisu was twisting a lock of silver hair near her ear. Hearing this, she looked up at him, the smile in her eyes rippling like water disturbed by a breeze.

She slowly straightened up, the chair legs scraping against the floor with a soft sound: "Is Uesugi-kun trying to chase me away?" The end of her sentence rose slightly, carrying a playful, rhetorical tone. "But—a study group? Is it the one in class, or one you found elsewhere?"

"It's the class study group, obviously. Do I look like the type to go looking for other connections?" Uesugi Hara's tone was dismissive.

He intentionally said "other connections" with a casual air, but his peripheral vision caught Sakayanagi Arisu's fingertips pause—the white-haired loli had likely sensed the evasion in his words.

No matter. As long as he could pin the conversation to the study group, it was better than being pestered by her about other nonsense.

"Is that so? And the study group?" She tapped her fingers on the desk, her gaze sweeping over the open workbooks before landing on Uesugi Hara with a hint of mischief: "Would you like me to help you? Uesugi-kun?"

Uesugi Hara paused, lowering his eyes to ponder for a moment, as if weighing the feasibility of the matter or the weight of her words.

"Are you sure?" When he looked up, his tone still held a trace of cautious uncertainty.

"Of course." Sakayanagi Arisu tilted her head slightly, the smile at the corners of her eyes becoming more pronounced. "Do you think I would lie to you?"

"I suppose I could bring you along." Uesugi Hara traced a shallow line on the desk with his fingertip, his tone shifting slightly—"But you have to listen to me once we're there."

Sakayanagi Arisu had been spinning her cane with her fingers; at his words, she stopped. "Very well."

The agreement was so crisp that Uesugi Hara was taken aback. He looked at her, seeing her hands resting on her over-the-knee socks, her fingers still touching the cane, her expression devoid of any jest. He couldn't help but press, "Really?" The disbelief in his tone was almost impossible to hide.

"Yes, of course." Sakayanagi Arisu nodded slightly, her eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath her eyes. Her voice was soft but clear: "Since it is Uesugi-kun leading the way, I shall naturally follow your arrangements."

Uesugi Hara stared at her for two seconds, unable to find a single flaw in that calm expression. Finally, he just rubbed his finger against the edge of the desk and mumbled, "Fine."

Deep down, however, he couldn't help but wonder—her submissive demeanor was even more unsettling than her usual prickly self.

"Time's about up, let's go eat." Uesugi Hara glanced at the time flickering on his terminal screen, tapped the edge of the desk, and spoke with an emotionless but unquestionable suggestion. (I am serious about eating!)

"I'll leave it to you, Uesugi-kun." Sakayanagi Arisu replied gently, her tone carrying a faint, lingering hint of a smile.

She didn't move after speaking, simply looking up at him, her eyelashes casting fine shadows. Her eyes held a silent signal—the look clearly saying, "Come and help me up."

Uesugi Hara paused, only then remembering that she rarely walked on her own.

As he stood up, the chair legs scraped against the floor. When he reached her side, he heard her add softly: "After all, I must listen to Uesugi-kun's arrangements now, and I shouldn't keep you waiting too long, should I?"