You Have to Pay Just to Have Tea?

The scene looked wrong no matter how you looked at it.

Sakura Airi instantly froze in the doorway, her cheeks flushing bright red, the crimson spreading to her ears. At a loss, she lowered her head and covered her eyes, whispering in a voice as faint as a mosquito, "S-sorry! I interrupted you! I came at a bad time!"

With that, she turned to flee, afraid she had stumbled onto something she should not have seen.

"No, no! Not at all! Please don't misunderstand! You came at just the right time!" Kazami Saku instantly snapped out of it and hurriedly shouted an explanation.

Haruka Hasebe also hurried to straighten her skirt, both angry and flustered. They had just been cleaning, so how had things ended up like this?

"Get off! Hurry up and get off!" Hasebe's face darkened as she shoved Kazami Saku away from her, embarrassed and angry.

With the addition of a third variable, Miss Sakura, the incident finally came to an end.

As Sakura helped clean, she cautiously watched the two of them.

Hasebe sighed helplessly. "Sakura, I already explained. It was all a misunderstanding."

Sakura nodded like a hamster. "Mm-hm, I believe you."

Hasebe did not want to talk. The way Sakura looked, she clearly did not believe a word of it. It was all that bastard Kazami's fault. At that thought, she turned and glared viciously at the source of all evil.

Kazami Saku mopped the floor. "Don't be so angry. Girls get wrinkles easily when they get too worked up. You'll get more wrinkles, you know. It's not worth it!"

Not only did this well-meaning, earnest attempt at consolation fail to quell her anger, it pushed Hasebe past her last limit.

"You still have the nerve to talk! You haven't reflected on this at all."

Hasebe raised the broom in her hands and charged straight at Kazami Saku, chasing him and swinging.

The broom swished through the air, making her fury plain.

"Damn it!"

Kazami Saku let out a miserable cry and turned to flee. Once again, a full-blown fight played out in the spacious indoor pool.

The girls at Advanced Nurturing were all too violent. Couldn't they talk things over properly? They didn't have the slightest bit of feminine gentleness. Couldn't Hasebe and Horikita learn a little more from Kushida?

After an arduous bout of cleaning, the indoor pool was finally spotless.

Today's haul: two new contacts, Hasebe and Sakura. Counting Ayanokoji and Kushida, he already had four friends. Even with such a dismal start, his charm was still irresistible.

They had also set up a little group chat for the three of them, named Humble Kazami's Little Group. Kazami had protested, but without any authority, it had done no good. Hasebe had shot him down outright.

Sakura was different online, though, and was quite active there. In person, it was usually Kazami and Hasebe doing the talking.

After finishing his classes for the day, Kazami Saku planned to buy some snacks and drinks at the convenience store to take back to his dorm, only to stumble upon a scene.

Beside the store's alcohol shelves, a girl stood with her back to the aisle. Her movements were practiced as she reached up, quickly took a can of fruit wine from the shelf, and swiftly slipped it into the inside pocket of her jacket. Her practiced speed made it clear this was not her first time doing such a thing.

Kazami Saku did not call out to alert the clerk. He simply walked over, lowered his voice, and gently warned her, "You'd better not do that."

The unexpected voice made Kamuro Masumi stiffen and instantly tense up. She turned, a trace of wariness and panic in her eyes. When she saw that it was only a student, her taut nerves relaxed a little.

Kazami Saku said nothing further that was harsh and simply turned and left the convenience store. Kamuro Masumi remained where she was and hesitated for a moment. In the end, she decided not to risk it, returned the fruit wine in her pocket to the shelf, and quickly followed him out.

Stepping out through the convenience store's doors, Kamuro Masumi caught up to Kazami. "Why did you stop me?"

Rather than answer, Kazami Saku asked, "Why were you doing it? Were you running short on points?"

But Kamuro Masumi gave a soft laugh and shook her head. "No, I have plenty of points. I just like doing it."

Kazami Saku had not expected that answer.

"You really do have an unusual hobby," he could not help remarking. Other people spent their free time playing ball or reading, but this girl was different. Her hobby was stealing alcohol. What a niche interest.

Kamuro Masumi looked up at him, a probing look in her eyes. "What, are you going to tell a teacher? Report me for breaking the rules?"

"No." Kazami Saku shook his head. "Since I didn't report you just now, I'm even less likely to do it later."

He paused, his tone growing a little more serious. "I just hope you won't do this again. Throwing away your future for a moment's amusement isn't worth it."

His sincere advice left Kamuro Masumi momentarily taken aback. She had expected him to either mock her or threaten to report her, but she had not expected him to offer advice purely out of kindness. He was much better than that bastard princess of hers.

She looked Kazami Saku up and down with an odd look in her eyes. "Where did a goody-two-shoes like you come from?"

"It was hardly any trouble. Just think of it as doing a good deed while I was at it." Kazami Saku shrugged.

"Honestly, what am I supposed to do with you?"

Kamuro Masumi muttered under her breath, her tone brimming with reluctance. She looked entirely unappreciative, but the wariness in her eyes had completely vanished.

After a few seconds of silence, she turned her face away, lowered her voice, and added indistinctly, "But anyway, thanks."

If she had actually succeeded just now and been caught, even if it had only been a whim, it would definitely have left a disciplinary record and affected her evaluation. The consequences would have been unthinkable. She still understood that much.

As the atmosphere briefly eased, Kazami decided to build a little rapport and offer some more advice, taking the initiative to invite her. "Anyway, after all that fuss just now, want to have some tea together for a change of pace?"

"Hmm? Hmmm~~~~?"

As Kazami offered the invitation, the girl peered up at his face from below, continually changing her angle and distance as she studied him.

Her close scrutiny made Kazami Saku a little uncomfortable, and he asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

Kamuro Masumi straightened up and waved a hand casually, looking as though she was reluctantly doing him a favor. "Mm, all right. Since you didn't report me just now, I'll make a special exception and have tea with you for free."

"Huh? Wait." Kazami Saku looked astonished. "You have to pay just to have tea?"

Seeing his shocked expression, Kamuro Masumi proudly puffed out her chest. "Of course. I'm a beautiful girl, after all. Having tea with me costs money."

"Can you really give yourself that title? You've got some thick skin," Kazami Saku could not help muttering. Sure enough, it was not just Class D that was strange. The whole school was strange.

Grumbling aside, he still took the opportunity to extend the invitation. "All right, all right. Let's go."

"Mm, fine, stop rushing me. I heard you." Kamuro Masumi feigned impatience, but her feet were far more honest as she took the lead toward the street.