Chapter 372: A Small Suggestion
Looking at Shirogane Miyuki, Kaede finished the food in his hand, picked up a French fry, dipped it in ketchup, and said, "Senpai, your usual range of activities, it can't just be limited to the Student Council, can it?"
"Emmm..."
"Alright, I get it."
Kaede raised his hand, feeling a slight toothache.
"Senpai, your situation is both easy to resolve and a little difficult."
"Huh? How so?" Shirogane Miyuki stared intently at Kaede, practically placing all his hopes on him.
There was no way around it; there were no other guys in school he could talk about this with. Heaven knows if he talked to someone else, the whole school would know within half an hour. Kaede was the more reliable choice.
"Before I give you a solution, Senpai, I want to ask what your goal is: which base do you want to reach? Or do you want to go straight for a home run?" Kaede held up his fingers, gesturing between first, second, and third. "Of course, this isn't something you can decide on your own. I'm also not sure of Shinomiya-senpai's acceptance level in this regard. Boys and girls naturally have different concerns in this area, and you must also consider individual personalities. My thought is that Shinomiya-senpai is a sheltered young lady; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she grew up in a birdcage. If your approach is too aggressive all at once, it might not be ideal."
"Mhm, Asakura, I know all that you've said."
Shirogane Miyuki nodded and said seriously, "Look, I've been dating Shinomiya for a few months now. A normal boyfriend and girlfriend at this stage should at least be reaching second or third base. I'm also a normal teenage guy, and it's natural for my thoughts to wander, especially after we started dating. But considering Shinomiya's personality, I haven't shown any of that, and I don't know how to proceed."
"So, Senpai, you want to proceed step by step, slowly?"
"Exactly." Clenching his fist, Shirogane Miyuki said, "I've already given up on the idea that I could successfully reach a base after just a few dates. That's simply unrealistic, even somewhat fantastical. It's better to go step by step."
"That way of thinking is correct," Kaede said approvingly. "Since Shinomiya-senpai and you are mutually in love, proceeding step by step will naturally lead to a happy ending. Since that's the case, let me tell you some safe methods, Senpai."
Waving him closer, Kaede narrowed the distance between himself and Shirogane Miyuki and whispered, "First, Senpai, you need to expand the scope of your interaction with Shinomiya-senpai beyond the fixed location of the school. Sneaking a kiss at school, or specifically in the Student Council room, is fine, but for anything else, it's best to move to a better environment, like your home."
"My home? That might not work."
Shirogane Miyuki pointed to himself and said helplessly, "Although Dad's live streaming performance is getting better and better, and he said we can move to a better apartment next month, Asakura, you need to know that whenever I'm home, Kei is definitely home too, not to mention Dad."
"Emm... Is Uncle Shirogane currently working exclusively in live streaming? What about other areas?"
"He's currently focused on live streaming. The income is good, and he's transitioned to full-time work, constantly planning content and so on." Scratching his head, Shirogane Miyuki said, "It's the first time I've realized he has this kind of ability."
Nodding, Kaede was also quite surprised by this.
"But that's not really a problem. After all, Uncle Shirogane can't stay home forever, right? As for Kei, I don't believe that with your capabilities, Senpai, finding the right opportunity for her not to be home would be difficult. Compared to external environments, being at home allows both you and Shinomiya-senpai to relax more, and it makes getting intimate much easier, right?"
"Emm... Can that work?"
"Why wouldn't it work?" Kaede said with a smile, "Senpai has been to your house before, right? So, compared to other environments, the atmosphere at your place can help her relax more. As for what to do next, don't tell me you don't know, Senpai. Plus, you're only planning to proceed step by step."
Pausing, Kaede glanced around the restaurant and muttered softly, "Hmm... I feel like discussing this in a fast-food restaurant is a bit strange."
"I noticed that too."
His face was slightly flushed, but after hearing Kaede's explanation, Shirogane Miyuki understood that it wasn't actually that complicated.
"However, we're moving soon. Wouldn't it be better to invite Shinomiya over once we've moved?"
Snapping his fingers, Kaede nodded, "Exactly, that makes sense. Also, I think you haven't been asking Shinomiya-senpai out on dates often enough. Given Senpai's current situation in the Shinomiya Family, she won't be restricted from going out much anymore. By reducing your part-time work by half a day on the weekend, you, Senpai, can totally ask her out on a date to better cultivate your relationship."
"Part-time work, huh..."
Although his family's financial situation was gradually improving, Shirogane Miyuki hadn't stopped working part-time; he had only reduced his hours by about thirty percent compared to before.
Now that Kaede suggested reducing his work hours, Shirogane Miyuki quickly took out his phone and started calculating.
"Hmm... it seems possible."
Seeing Shirogane Miyuki's expression change, Kaede smiled and said, "It looks like you haven't recovered from your previous workaholic state yet, Senpai. Now that you have a girlfriend, if you plan on continuing this relationship, you must make changes and properly adjust the balance in this area. Although Senpai might not mind in the short term, if this continues, not having enough time together will be detrimental. And yes, I'm talking about time spent outside of school, since you two can't always be alone on campus."
"Ah... I hadn't thought much about this. Thank you for the reminder, Asakura."
Grabbing his hair, Shirogane Miyuki said thankfully, "You're right. I definitely need to dedicate more time to Shinomiya. Ah, I need to completely redo the plan for the next month! Asakura, how did you and Sawamura arrange your time when you first started dating?"
"It was very simple."
Kaede took a sip of cola and counted on his fingers: "After club activities, I'd go shopping with Eriri, go to places she liked, finish my homework first when we got home in the evening. If Eriri had her own things to do, we'd focus on our own tasks, occasionally chatting on our phones to keep in touch. If we had nothing else to do, we'd play games together while on voice chat. On weekends, if the weather was nice, we'd go out, or we'd visit each other's homes. That's basically it. However, you and Senpai have much greater academic pressure than I do, and since you're both third-years now, it won't be exactly the same for you."
Nodding, Shirogane Miyuki looked at the schedule recorded on his phone and said, "Mhm, I generally understand."