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“Hoshikawa-kun, are you free after school this Friday?”

After wrestling with the question for what felt like forever, Chouko finally blurted it out, only for all the air to seem to rush out of her body like a deflating balloon. Even her posture slackened, losing that well-mannered poise she’d kept until a second ago.

Friday after school… free?

No matter how you sliced it, that sounded like she was asking him out, didn’t it?!

When Harutaki heard the question, he didn’t give an immediate answer. Instead, he offered an apologetic, “Let me check if I have anything important that day,” while quietly dissecting the meaning behind her words.

Had she really just, after a few jokes and some good laughs, decided to ask him out?

He seriously doubted she was the kind of girl who’d open her heart that easily, much less one who’d be so approachable.

If he immediately said yes, he’d look desperate; but turning her down wasn’t the outcome he wanted either...

Ah, thinking too much really was the enemy.

Harutaki couldn’t help wishing he could be like Sae, the kind of person who could say anything naturally, even the occasional blunder, sounding charming instead of awkward.

But he knew perfectly well he was more like Minako, someone far too self-aware to ever be that pure and innocent.

In the end, he could only act within the bounds of the “character” everyone already saw him as.

“So… should I take this as you asking me out, Shihou-san?”

“Y-yeah, I guess you could say that...”

Chouko ducked her head shyly.

“Sorry, but Hoshikawa Harutaki isn’t the kind of guy just any girl can invite out~”

“Mmph, !”

Ugh, so he was an idiot, just like Onii!

Fuming, she mentally flipped open her imaginary notebook, ready to draw a big fat X over Harutaki’s face.

Her puffed-up cheeks were practically glowing with indignation, adorably so, in fact.

“But you’re special, Shihou-san. If you’ve got something you need done, you can always hire me. Think of me as your personal handyman.”

His tone was teasing, playful, a half-serious, half-flirty kind of jest meant to stir her thoughts.

“Hm?”

Chouko’s lips twitched upward. The dignified young lady from a noble family suddenly looked more like a mischievous kid planning a prank.

A handyman?

So he really did like her, didn’t he?

Her heart leapt at his words, but she kept her expression carefully composed, showing only a devilish little smile.

Still, she wasn’t the type of simple-minded girl who’d swoon just because a handsome guy threw her a compliment.

She had thought he was different, special, but in the end, he was just another fool, charmed by her looks and basking in his own confidence.

“Well then, Mr. Handyman~ how about I hire you to tell me what’s going on between you and Nogami-san?”

If he was just another shallow idiot, then she might as well dig out his secrets and toy with him a little. He was, at least, an amusing kind of idiot.

Her smile deepened.

“Eh? Shihou-san, I think you might be misunderstanding, ”

Harutaki stole a glance at her through the corner of his eye. She was covering her smile with both hands, and the more he looked, the clearer it became: she wasn’t nearly as flawless or perfect as she appeared.

It was… strangely familiar.

She kind of reminds me of Fuyuno, he thought.

“My full title as a handyman is actually ‘the handyman who doesn’t do anything.’”

“That’s terrible! And I was actually looking forward to it!”

What a sly, rotten tease... she thought, glaring at his smug grin.

“But if you really want to know about Nogami-san and me,” he continued meaningfully, “you’ll have to trade me one of your own stories in return.”

Her golden eyes widened, caught off guard by his gaze.

For reference, DUMBO was a tiny café, its seating was just two narrow rows of high stools lined along the windows on either side of the entrance.

“W-well, I’m just a normal girl, not like you, Hoshikawa-kun. You became… um, a big deal at school after just a month...”

“You mean ‘the school’s most infamous playboy,’ right? Don’t worry, I’ll gladly accept the title of Nichiya High’s #1 scumbag, and continue working toward being the #1 in the entire East!”

He puffed out his chest proudly, as if all those gossip posts online were words of praise instead of ridicule.

“Pfft, Hoshikawa-kun, maybe you should be more careful about your reputation. What if people start spreading rumors again about you… you know, not being able to perform with your girlfriend?”

The way she stifled a giggle completely betrayed the mockery in her tone.

“Well, even lovers, even married couples have their secrets. If you want mine, you’ll have to trade me one of yours.”

“I don’t have any secrets...”

He ignored her denial entirely.

“I’m really looking forward to discovering another side of you, Shihou-san.”

“Ehehe~ You’re teasing me again, Hoshikawa-kun. But this time it’s not funny… maybe we should just settle whether you’re free next Friday first.”

Wait, does he know something?

No way... right?

Oh no... this was bad... really bad...

The moment he mentioned wanting to see “another side” of her, Chouko’s legs instinctively pressed together beneath the table, toes curling against the floor.

Another side of me...

Would anyone besides Onii ever accept that version of her?

Would anyone ever like that “Chouko”?

No, surely not. Hoshikawa was probably just joking, as always, just trying to make her laugh.

“Since you’ve agreed to go out with me twice now, Shihou-san, I can’t possibly waste such a generous invitation.”

“Saying things like that will only make people dislike you, Hoshikawa-kun.”

“Then could you at least say it without smiling? My grandma used to tell me that when a girl says she hates something while smiling, it means the opposite.”

He popped the last bite of a green-tinted donut into his mouth, then drained his paper cup of warm milk to wash down the tang.

For a moment, he couldn’t tell whether the sour taste on his tongue came from the passionfruit glaze or the fading illusion of his perfect dream girl.

In the end, that admiration had been something he forced onto her, unreal, immature, a delusion of his own making.

But still, he wondered... was everything beautiful meant to be admired from afar, never to be touched?

“Liar. No grandma would ever say something like that.”

Chouko pictured her own grandmother, the stern matriarch of a powerful, old family, saying such things with a straight face, and couldn’t help but giggle.

“Oh no, the ever-clever Shihou-san saw right through me. I guess I’ll just have to stake my life on this date, then.”

“‘Stake your life’? Don’t make it sound so tragic.”

Her upbringing had been strict, but she knew enough to catch the reference and roll her eyes at it.

When she finished her donut, the evening outside had already deepened into indigo. Harutaki glanced at the darkening sky and decided it was about time to wrap things up.

“Should we walk home together after school, or should we coordinate on Line?”

“If we walk together, Nogami-san will probably explode. Let’s text instead. I’ll meet you at the station.”

After a moment’s thought, she decided it was safer to keep a little distance from him on campus.

She just wanted to provoke that blockhead Onii, not actually become the third girl in the rumor threads about the school’s biggest flirt.

“Then it’s settled. Thanks for the treat tonight. See you in class tomorrow, Shihou-san.”

“Eh? Wait, I was the one who.. ”

“A mere meal can’t compare to the priceless sight of Shihou-san’s cuteness. Thanks to you, my eyes are full and happy.”

“Ahh, there you go again, saying stuff like that to tease girls. You’re awful.”

“Then stop smiling when you say it.”

Harutaki escorted Chouko to the station entrance, gave her a light wave, and turned away with a box of donuts in hand.

He wasn’t the kind of fool who’d forget the girl waiting at home just because he’d had a little fun outside.

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