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Sleeping and getting paid for it?
Holding the envelope Ayako Saionji handed him, Andrew felt like some pampered pretty boy living off a sugar mama.
But when he caught the soft, gentle look in her eyes, his guilt vanished in an instant, and he accepted it without hesitation.
Besides, just taking care of Sawatari had already freed her from her biggest crisis.
This money was more than deserved.
As Andrew and the girls walked away, Saionji's gaze lingered on him, reluctant to part.
Nibutani Shinka peeked into her own envelope, eyes sparkling at the sight of crisp bills.
What girl wouldn't be happy with a little extra spending money?
The only downside was that today's attempt to dig up information had been a complete bust.
After splitting ways with Mahiru Shiina and the others, Shinka glanced at Andrew and Shiina's backs, muttering under her breath.
"Why are those two walking together…? Don't tell me they're dating?"
"Because Shiina and Andrew live close by," a voice answered right in her ear.
"Ahhh!" Shinka jumped, heart racing. When she saw who it was, she smacked her chest to calm down and snapped,
"Geez, Kato, when did you get next to me? You scared me half to death popping out like that."
Kato Megumi gave her a helpless look. "I've been here the whole time. And it looks like we're headed the same way, too."
Shinka rolled her eyes, still patting her chest. "Well excuse me for not noticing you at all. Don't tell me you can turn invisible, Kato?"
"That's rude. I can't turn invisible. I just… tend to get overlooked, ever since I was little. I'm used to it."
"That's totally invisibility! Ugh, I want that skill too. Please, Kato, teach me your ways!"
Kato's expression twisted into resignation as Shinka grabbed her hand in a pleading gesture. "Sorry, can't be taught. Doctor's orders."
"Ehh? That's lame. Seriously, not even a single trick?"
"If there's a secret… it's probably just being plain. You stand out too much, Nibuya. There's no way anyone would ever overlook you."
That deflated Shinka instantly. She let out a sigh. "I only tried to stand out because I wanted to change myself. Even for me, it gets exhausting sometimes."
"Shiina's different though. That shine of hers is natural. She's like an angel to everyone. Honestly, I really admire her."
There's nothing wrong with wanting to be admired, wanting to be better.
Kato slipped in casually, "Yeah, Shiina really is dazzling."
"But you're not bad yourself, you know. I hear boys talk about you all the time—about wanting to date you and stuff."
Shinka waved her hands frantically, cheeks reddening. "Dating's way too soon! My goal is to surpass Shiina and claim the number one spot in the grade rankings!"
"But isn't number one Andrew?" Kato tilted her head in confusion.
"Hmph, he doesn't even look like he studies seriously. Next exams his scores are bound to drop. Which means my rival is still Shiina!"
Of course, by the next term, Shinka's rival would quietly shift over to Yukino Yukinoshita.
The two of them kept chatting until Shinka's curiosity suddenly turned on Kato.
"Hey, Kato, why'd you even join Andrew's club in the first place? At first I thought it was just gonna be a chill group to read manga and play games. I didn't expect him to drag us out to work part-time! The difference from what I imagined is insane."
Kato paused to think, then answered seriously, "Andrew probably started the club with an eye on the future—like finding an easier job after graduation. I heard his light novel already passed the editorial review at Fushikawa Publishing. It'll be on shelves soon."
"No way! He's that amazing?"
Shinka froze, jaw dropping.
Becoming a published light novelist at this age? That's insane.
Most high schoolers were still stuck in their chuunibyou phase, playing pretend and wasting their days away.
"I thought he just made the club to have fun… I didn't expect him to actually be so talented."
Her face turned red, embarrassment creeping in at how wrong her assumptions had been.
Kato nodded in agreement. "Yeah. In every sense, he's kind of unbelievable."
"He's the one who invited me into the club, after all. And unlike everyone else, he never overlooks me."
Shinka blinked at that, her expression twisting strangely.
Why was Kato's tone so calm, yet she couldn't help but hear a faint note of happiness in it?
Forget it. That doesn't matter right now.
What matters is getting information!
"Kato…" With that thought, Nibutani Shinka turned toward Kato with a sweet, almost mischievous smile.
"Kato, earlier I happened to overhear you and Andrew talking about… spirits, or something like that. Could you tell me a bit more?"
Kato Megumi gave a small nod. "Sure, I can."
After all, it wasn't anything that couldn't be said.
"He told me this world is filled with things we can't see. That the world itself is divided into black and white, separated by an invisible boundary…"
But before she could finish, Megumi noticed Nibutani covering her cheeks, shoulders trembling.
"Nibutani, are you… okay?"
"N-no, it's nothing! Hahaha… I just think it's, um, really interesting. Did Andrew ever mention where he got all this… knowledge from?"
Forcing a smile, Shinka managed to ask while fighting the suffocating mix of shame and secondhand embarrassment. If Kato weren't right there, she would've been rolling around on the floor by now, screaming into the carpet.
Because every word Megumi repeated was part of her old chuunibyou ramblings—her most shameful black history.
Just hearing them again made her want to dig a hole and disappear forever.
Kato tilted her head slightly, puzzled by Shinka's reaction, but she didn't try to hide anything.
"These past few days, Andrew's been talking to me about it nonstop. It feels like he's trying to feed me some strange ideas. He said he gathered all this knowledge from the 'Electronic Ocean,' that it comes from the classic teachings of 'Lord Mori Summer.' And apparently, he even organized everything into what he calls… the 'Japanese Dark Codex.' He says he's got it stored safely at his house."
At that, Shinka's eyes lit up.
So he actually printed it into a book? And he's keeping it at home?
That meant she absolutely had to find a way to sneak into Andrew's house and destroy every trace of her dark past!
Of course, it never crossed her mind that Andrew's home might be more like a dragon's lair than a safehouse—and that once she went in, she might never make it back out.
Watching Shinka's sudden, inexplicable excitement, Kato's expression softened into something unreadable.
Wait a second. Could it be that Nibutani also likes Andrew? That she's looking for an excuse to go over to his place… and maybe even get all close and cuddly with him?
The thought wasn't entirely ridiculous. Shinka, after all, was one of the most popular girls in class. Her joining their club had already felt unusual.
Megumi let the suspicion swirl in her head for a while, then calmly pushed it aside.
Well, whatever. It's not like Andrew's my boyfriend. It's not really my business what other girls do.
As long as she could stay by his side, in this little club he had created, that was enough for her.
—
Meanwhile, over at Andrew's place.
The moment he got home, he sprawled out on the couch, scrolling aimlessly on his phone.
Mahiru Shiina—the little angel herself—had already showered and was now busy in the kitchen making dinner.
Andrew lay there like a salted fish, waiting to be fed by his angel, growing lazier and more spoiled by the day.
Not that Mahiru seemed to mind. She seemed to actually enjoy it, fussing over him like he was a helpless child.
Of course, once night fell and they crawled into bed, that balance of power flipped instantly.
That was when she became the childish one—pressing herself into his chest, clinging to him, begging softly for comfort like a spoiled kitten.
And in those moments, it was clear just how deeply the little angel longed for his warmth.
Bored, Andrew fiddled with his phone, deciding to start pestering Yukino Yukinoshita.
He had just gotten her number. What a waste it would be not to use it!
He didn't dare call though; she'd probably hang up on him immediately. Texting was a much safer bet.
And he wasn't the least bit worried that the Second Ojou-sama would block him.
Heh. She wouldn't dare.
The thrill of playing the bad guy—it was way too much fun. He was starting to realize how much he enjoyed teasing Yukinoshita.
At that very moment, Yukino herself had just finished her bath and was now sitting at her desk in pajamas, making up for lost study time.
She'd fallen behind her classmates by over a month, and she was determined to catch up.
There was no way she could accept losing her rightful place at the top of the year rankings.
Just as she was scribbling away, her phone buzzed.
One glance at the screen—and Yukino's face darkened.
It was from the contact she'd reluctantly saved as "Demon Lord."
[Little Yukino, are you still awake?]
"..."
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