Friday night.
Sakurai Saki lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Beside him, the white-haired cat-eared girl panted softly, savoring the lingering aftertaste. Her body occasionally trembled slightly, her mind a blank slate after being washed over by pleasure.
"My mother is staying here next Monday," Sakurai brought up.
He had asked his mother on the phone a few days ago if she wanted to stay in a hotel, but she refused. She said she wanted to stay together.
"Oh." Hayasaka Ai's mind was empty at the moment.
A few seconds later, she reacted. "Your mother?!"
"No. Our mother. The Sports Festival is next Tuesday. Many parents will come to watch their children."
Hayasaka Ai's white ears on top of her head trembled slightly.
I'm just a cat, and you're telling me this? Daytime is for the main body's activities. It has nothing to do with me.
"You'd better not come over on Monday and Tuesday nights," Sakurai Saki said sincerely.
Sakurai General Affairs's mother was not an ordinary person. She used to be a miko at an Inari Shrine—she could definitely sense anomalies. Even the president of the Supernatural Studies Club, Atami Yumemi, could detect Yakumo Shiro, so his mother probably could too. Besides that, there was also Shinobu's matter…
It was already troublesome enough. There was no need to add Hayasaka Ai to the mix.
"Heartless man…" Hayasaka Ai rolled her eyes at him.
After just finishing an intimate moment, you tell me not to contact you next week? That's too much.
"Don't worry." Sakurai Saki smiled, pressing her beneath him. "If we can't relieve stress on Monday and Tuesday, we can work hard now."
"…" Hayasaka Ai lay still, giving up the struggle.
Monday. Daytime classes ended.
In the afternoon, Sakurai Saki went to the library to prepare for today's teaching session. Nakano Ichika had finished filming her movie and recently had some free time. This time, the Five Sisters could probably all gather.
Hmm?
Walking into the library, Sakurai Saki saw Shijo Maki lying motionless on the floor between the bookshelves.
Why is this embarrassing person always in such a weak position every time I see her?
"What's wrong?" Sakurai Saki kicked her a few times. "Hey, loser. Wake up. You're not dead, are you?"
Under his gentle shouts, Shijo Maki came back to her senses. She looked at Sakurai Saki with a tear-streaked face.
"Big dummy! I want to study! I want to be the top student in the grade!"
Which Mitsui Hisashi are you? This isn't the set of Slam Dunk.
"Loser-kun, you finally understand." Sakurai Saki nodded with gratification. "Yes, studying is the only way out for humans."
"Loser?" Shijo Maki tilted her head, her twin tails swaying a few times, looking silly.
"Maki, what are you doing lying here?" He sighed. It's not good to just lie down in the middle of the floor. It's fortunate that I was the one who found you—it would be bad if someone else stepped on you.
"Yeah…" Shijo Maki showed a pathetic, weak expression. "What exactly am I doing? I saw Nagisa and—"
"Alright, don't say anymore." Sakurai Saki interrupted her. "The teaching is about to begin, Shijo-kun. Can we finish our work first before we talk?"
Shijo Maki stared at him.
I remember you asked me to be a teaching assistant to help me with my relationships. Are you sure you're not just taking advantage of my labor for free?
In the study room.
"Teacher-chan~ How do you solve this problem?" Nakano Ichika leaned on Sakurai Saki, her voice ambiguous.
She had been meeting Sakurai Saki frequently in private recently, and they had filmed many kissing scenes, so their feelings had warmed up considerably—at least, Ichika herself thought so.
"Ichika, I know this problem. Let me teach you." Nino saw this and sat next to Ichika.
If I can't win Sakurai-kun's favor, then none of the other sisters should either. No one wins!
Nakano Nino transformed into a demon at this moment, preparing to drag everyone into a late-game team fight. But while it was called "late game," there might only be a month left.
Nino had considered doing poorly on exams to lower her grades, because Sakurai Saki had said he would only resign when all five sisters' grades reached the middle. As long as everyone kept doing badly, he wouldn't leave her.
However, in the end, Nino decided to study hard—because she didn't want to disappoint Sakurai's expectations. She also wanted to leave the deepest impression on him. Even if she couldn't become his girlfriend in the end, she wanted to be his most accomplished student.
Ichika reluctantly listened to her explanation. Recently, filming had taken up a lot of her time, and she had attended fewer study sessions. She couldn't balance her grades. Though she had passed last time, her score was the worst among the five sisters.
Teaching ended.
Sakurai kept Ichika behind.
"Ichika, your work will become busier and busier in the future. Have you considered your future development?" As a teacher, it was very necessary to have heart-to-heart talks with students.
"Not yet." Nakano Ichika had considered temporarily suspending her studies to focus solely on acting, but she couldn't make up her mind.
Her career had improved, but she wasn't sure about its future. Ichika never thought of herself as the protagonist, nor did she have such blind confidence. Unlike Sakurai Saki's arrogant personality, her self-awareness was very clear.
Without Sakurai Saki, she might still be shooting magazine covers and taking minor roles. Her agent, Ueno Yoko, taking notice of her and poaching her from her original agency had a lot to do with him—she understood this very well. Therefore, Ichika didn't want to make things difficult for Sakurai Saki. He was her tutor, responsible for her studies, not her work.
"...Do you think you can balance both?" Sakurai Saki neatly packed his things into his bag.
"I think I can for now," Ichika said softly.
"No, you can't." Sakurai Saki was blunt. "You know your grades yourself. That's the reality. Feelings can deceive you, but grades won't. You missed five classes last month. I think it's a miracle you even passed."
Nakano Ichika stopped speaking.
After a long pause—"I will try my best."
Sakurai Saki looked up at her. "I hope you can."
Around 6 PM. Tokyo Airport, arrival area.
Sakurai Saki waited for his mother.
The crowd was bustling with many travelers. The first thing people did when they exited the aisle was to unconsciously shift their gaze to Sakurai General Affairs. Simply standing there silently, he was a memorable sight.
After waiting a few minutes, amidst the many tourists, Sakurai Saki finally saw her.
She was wearing a black kimono with butterfly patterns—her waist slender, her figure well-proportioned, her chest full. Her long, black hair cascaded like a waterfall. Her eyes were amber, and a tear mole at the corner of her left eye added a touch of allure to her already beautiful, flawless face. Her movements were elegant, exuding mature charm at all times.
This was his adoptive mother: Jinguji Tamaki.
Her name meant "a princess like beautiful jade," and she lived up to it.
Sakurai Saki took a few steps forward.
"Long time no see, Mother." His voice was gentle.
He rarely revealed his true self to others, and even less so his gentle side. His mother was the only woman with whom he could completely drop his guard.
"Baby! Mommy missed you so much!"
Ms. Jinguji, who had just been exuding the aura of a Yamato Nadeshiko, immediately broke character. She reached out, wanting to embrace Sakurai.
Sakurai Saki gently pushed her away, looking troubled. "Mother, there are many people here…"
"Call me Mommy."
"Mommy." He sighed. "Can't that title be changed?"
Sakurai General Affairs felt the surrounding gazes and was, for once, embarrassed.
"You don't like it?" Jinguji Tamaki gently stroked his profile, her face full of conflict. "How about 'baby,' then?"
This one isn't bad either.
"…Let's stick with the previous one." Sakurai Saki sighed—feeling helpless yet amused—and took her suitcase.
"Baby, Mommy wants to eat your udon." Ms. Jinguji took his arm.
"Mm."
He had already bought the ingredients.
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