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While Mahiru Shiina was chatting with a few of the prettiest girls in class, Andrew was on the other side of the gym playing volleyball with Hachiman Hikigaya.
It wasn't exactly a heated match—just a lazy "you hit it over, I hit it back" kind of thing to kill time.
Hachiman, with his trademark dead-fish eyes, stared across the net at Andrew, his expression somewhere between confusion and mild resentment.
He couldn't figure out why a popular typical guy like Andrew would want to team up with him of all people.
And honestly? Hachiman kind of looked down on Andrew's habit of casually poking the waist of the girl who sat in front of him… but deep down, he was also insanely jealous.
A girl who didn't even mind a guy touching her?
That's basically a giant neon sign for "she likes you."
He could practically smell the stench of teenage romance wafting through the air.
Andrew was handsome—different from Hayama, but still solidly in the "popular crowd" category.
No matter how he looked at it, Hachiman couldn't wrap his head around why someone like that would go out of their way to get along with him.
Then, right in the middle of the game, Andrew casually tossed out a sentence that immediately put Hachiman on alert.
"Hey, Hikigaya-kun, that cute little girl who came to school two days ago to bring you lunch—she's your sister, right?"
Huh?
We're playing volleyball—why are we suddenly talking about my sister?
Irritation prickled in Hachiman's chest, and he narrowed his dead-fish eyes at Andrew.
"So what if she is?"
Andrew smiled faintly. "Nothing much. I just envy guys who have a little sister, that's all."
Really? That's it?
Hachiman raised an eyebrow, still suspicious.
Something about that smile didn't sit right with him.
And this—this was exactly why he hated hanging out with normal people. It made him feel like his own thoughts were too cynical.
PE class eventually ended, and it was time for the much more pleasant after-school club activities.
But since Mahiru Shiina and Kato Megumi were heading to Ayako Saionji's shop to work part-time, Andrew would've been stuck with nothing to do in the clubroom.
So, he decided to tag along.
After all, Ayako had told him before that he was always welcome to pick up a shift whenever he felt like it.
Today, he figured he'd moonlight as their unofficial bodyguard.
The part-time job was just a side quest—the real fun was spending time with Mahiru and the others.
Besides, he'd almost finished writing the second volume of his light novel yesterday, so all that was left was a few days of editing. No pressure at all.
Unlike authors who had to grind their brains for original ideas, he had the massive advantage of knowing an entire other world's worth of stories.
Okay, maybe "entire world" was a bit of an exaggeration, but he had read plenty of light novels and watched anime that didn't exist in this one.
A little cut-and-paste here, mix-and-match there—combine settings and plot points from different works—and brand new light novel.
When Andrew walked into the shop, Ayako Saionji's eyes lit up.
"Abdrew, now that you're here, you'd better not quit halfway. You have to stick it out till the end!"
"No problem, Ayako. I'll definitely see it through to the end."
…Wait, why did that sound kind of weird?
It wasn't until after he'd replied on reflex that Andrew realized there might've been a double meaning in her words.
Ayako Saionji was a mature, beautiful woman—and maybe she wasn't just talking about work.
Still, he didn't dwell on it. He quickly changed into the store uniform and got started.
It'd be a nice change of pace.
And with Mahiru Shiina, Kato Megumi, Nanami Aoyama, and Asada Shino —four fair-skinned, gorgeous girls—working alongside him, this was shaping up to be a pretty sweet gig.
If, by some stroke of luck, a cliché "accidental pervert" moment happened… well, that'd be the cherry on top.
He had just stepped out of the break room in his uniform when a soft, petite figure came barreling straight toward him, colliding right into his chest.
"Ah!"
The girl yelped, losing her balance and about to land on the floor, but Andrew reacted quickly, grabbing her slender arm and helping her stand upright.
"You okay?"
"The girl—with a single strand of hair sticking up from her head and wearing a Suikou Academy uniform—looked up into Andrew's handsome face, and her heart skipped a beat."
A blush crept across her cheeks.
"I'm fine! Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going."
Once she'd steadied herself, she bowed deeply in apology.
Andrew waved it off with a smile.
"As long as you're not hurt."
Taking in her delicate features and generally cute vibe, Andrew tilted his head.
"Are you working here too? A new hire?"
She shook her head, looking a little embarrassed.
"I'm Sekai Saionji. I'm just here to help my mom out—but I guess you could call it a part-time job."
After all, whenever she helped out, her mom would slip her a little extra pocket money.
When Andrew heard the name, his eyebrows went up slightly—
Sekai Saionji?
The one who stabbed that cheating jerk Makoto?
But she still looks… untouched. Guess she's not so bad after all.
"Oh, so you're the manager's daughter? No wonder you look so much like her. You're just as cute as Miss Youko."
While Andrew was mulling it over, the words slipped out naturally.
"Nice to meet you, Saionji. I'm Andrew. Just a part-timer here—hope we get along."
"Mm, same here, Andrew."
She gave him a quick handshake, then almost jumped back like she'd been shocked.
"Uh… I'm gonna go change."
"Go ahead, don't mind me. I'll head out and get to work."
Andrew waved casually and turned away first.
Sekai, however, couldn't help thinking about how she'd just bumped into him earlier, and how his arm had slipped around her waist to steady her.
Her hand went to her slim little waist, still tingling.
Her cheeks flushed as she shook her head hard.
" Sekai Saionji! What are you even thinking? Shame on you! It was just an accident!"
Still…
Andrew's scent… it's really nice.
So this is what people mean by "a man's smell"?
And he's ridiculously handsome.
Even better-looking than the best-looking guy from the class next door—and his voice earlier was so gentle.
The more she thought about it, the hotter her face felt.
She had just finished changing when she spotted her mom, Youko Saionji, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, smiling in that "I know something" way.
"Ah—Mom! When did you—?"
"Heh. I was wondering why you were taking so long. Thought maybe you'd fallen asleep in the changing room."
"No way! I just… spaced out for a second, that's all! Totally didn't fall asleep! You're exaggerating!"
Youko just tilted her head with a knowing little smile.
"So… you've met Andrew, right? What do you think of him?"
Sekai's face went crimson. "Wh-what do you mean, what do I think? I literally just met him! What am I supposed to say?"
But Youko clasped her hands together, eyes sparkling like a lovestruck teenager.
"Of course I mean—do you think his personality would go well with mine?"
Sekai's brain froze.
"Mom, what the heck are you saying?! He literally called me classmate! And now you're asking if you two would make a good couple? Absolutely not!"
Youko pouted. "What, are you saying he'd think I'm too old?"
Sekai groaned. "I never said that! Can you not get weird ideas, please? And we're at work! You're the store manager—at least try to act like it!"
Youko gave her daughter a wounded look, straightened her posture so her generous chest stood out, and swept off to "display the dignity of the store manager."
As for Andrew, the whole Sekai thing was just a tiny blip in his day—not something he'd dwell on.
If anything, he was way more interested in meeting Setsuna. She looked like she'd be fun to mess with.
The job itself was easy. All he had to do was tidy shelves after customers messed them up and walk around a bit.
Youko's store was in a busy part of Anryou… but there wasn't a single other male employee besides him.
If things kept going like this, he had a feeling some shady people might eventually show up just to stir trouble.
When the shift ended, Youko handed out pay envelopes to the staff with a warm smile.
"Good work, everyone. Go home and rest up—and be safe."
After saying their goodbyes, Andrew headed out with a few of the girls.
Youko, however, couldn't take her eyes off his back, her face glowing red.
What was she going to do?
The more she looked at Andrew, the more her heart skipped.
She could picture it already—starting a happy little family with him.
No way she'd be sleeping tonight.
Andrew, of course, had no idea the beautiful store owner was fantasizing about him. At the moment, he was strolling down the street with Asada Shino.
As for Shiina Mahiru, she'd gone shopping with Aoyama Nanami.
There was a supermarket running a big discount event today, and with Nanami's tight budget and Mahiru's thrifty nature, the two weren't about to miss it.
So Mahiru had asked Andrew to walk Shino home instead.
After these past few days, the girls had all become good friends.
Shiina Mahiru's charm wasn't just obvious to Aoyama Nanami—Asada Shino liked her too. The girls got along surprisingly well.
Ah, right. Almost forgot.
There was also Kato Megumi.
Sure enough, her "low presence" passive skill was still as unshakable as ever.
Even as a time traveler, he sometimes forgot she was there.
Guess they just didn't have much of a bond yet.
If they had a direct contract or something, there's no way he'd overlook her.
Right now, Kato Megumi was already on a train heading home.
With her personality, there was really no need to worry about her getting… followed.
If someone did try, they'd probably lose track halfway through.
Walking beside Andrew, Asada Shino's cheeks were faintly red. She felt shy but had no idea what to say, so she just kept her head down and walked, sneaking glances at him from time to time.
This boy had helped her more than once, and now he was even walking her home. Of course she liked him.
She even had some feelings she couldn't quite name.
But… he still called her "Asada," while he addressed Shiina Mahiru by her first name.
Shiina was so dazzling that it made Asada feel insecure and afraid of losing what little closeness she had.
After Andrew dropped her off at her building, he turned to leave.
Standing at the entrance, Asada clutched her chest, watching his back disappear. Her heart ached faintly.
Why was she always so timid?
She clearly wanted to get closer to him, to have him call her by her first name.
But she could never work up the courage to ask.
Maybe it was just a girl's pride holding her back, making it impossible to be too forward with her feelings.
After all, no girl wants to seem cheap in the eyes of someone she likes.
She was still stewing in self-reproach over her own cowardice when a voice suddenly sounded behind her.
"Asada, what a coincidence! Didn't think I'd run into you at this hour."
Asada turned automatically—and her expression changed instantly.
"Shinkawa… it's you!"
"..."
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