The deserted stairwell behind the teaching building, the quiet grove of trees, the secluded rooftop… they had explored every corner of the campus.
A little over an hour later, the two finally returned to the Service Clubroom.
Masao collapsed into a chair with a heavy sigh.
"Who knew there were so many hidden spots around school? It was a real eye-opener."
Yukinoshita nodded, a clear look of satisfaction on her face.
The highlight of their expedition had been a discovery common to nearly every school: a colony of stray cats. Life was comfortable for these felines on school grounds; they were well-fed and cared for, their coats clean and free of any obvious mats or dirt.
The sight of the adorable creatures made Yukinoshita's heart melt. She'd never noticed these little angels before. She found herself rooted to the spot, her eyes locked on the kittens with naked yearning, though she felt restrained by the presence of her companion.
Noticing her hesitation, Masao thoughtfully claimed a sudden stomachache and excused himself to the restroom, asking her to wait for him there.
The moment he was gone, Yukinoshita scanned the area to confirm that she was alone, then crouched down and began… meowing.
Masao, of course, had not gone to the bathroom. He had simply found a nearby hiding spot to observe the scene. A broad, knowing grin spread across his face.
'Wow. Yukinoshita is seriously cute. This is totally worth it.'
He pulled out his phone. While a photo might betray him with a shutter sound, a silent video was safe.
A moment this precious needed to be preserved for posterity. His only regret was the distance, which made the footage slightly blurry.
'If only I could get a close-up,' he mused.
After a few minutes, he pocketed his phone and emerged from his cover, deliberately rustling some leaves to announce his approach.
Hearing the noise, Yukinoshita instantly snapped back to her full height, adopting her usual prim and proper expression as if nothing in the world had happened.
—
Yukinoshita glanced at the clock; it was already past three.
"Let's finish the remaining chores quickly," she announced.
"Right."
After a brief rest, Masao pushed himself out of his chair and picked up a cleaning cloth. Yes, the wooden floor required a cloth. Using a mop risked water seeping into the seams and warping the wooden boards.
For proper wood care, hands-and-knees scrubbing was the only way.
Masao rinsed his cloth, wrung it out with force, and assumed the classic floor-cleaning posture: arms extended, rear end pointed to the ceiling, he pushed the cloth ahead of him like a plow.
Yukinoshita, constrained by her skirt, couldn't adopt such an indecorous stance. She could only bend over at the waist, wiping with far less efficient, careful strokes.
The floor was only lightly dusty. After two thorough passes by the pair, it was spotless. Even so, the effort left Masao utterly spent, his back aching so much he could barely stand straight.
He gripped his lower back and slumped back into his chair.
"Whew. I need a real break."
"You worked hard, Masao-kun. Please, rest," Yukinoshita said.
She had done her share and was also tired, though her more restrained technique had made her less efficient.
Slouching deeply, Masao looked over at her.
"Yukinoshita, since I worked so hard, don't I get a reward?"
"What kind of reward did you have in mind?" she asked, her voice level.
He met her gaze, a glint of hopeful mischief in his eyes. "Something like… a massage, maybe?"
"Impossible." Her refusal was swift and absolute.
"Yukinoshita, I think you've misunderstood. I didn't mean for me to give you a massage. I meant for you to give me one."
Yukinoshita blinked, the logic momentarily short-circuiting.
If she was rewarding him, then naturally, it would involve her massaging him. How would massaging her be a reward for him?
Her eyes narrowed as she finally deciphered his meaning. Surprisingly, she wasn't angry. Instead, she adopted an excessively gentle, almost maternal tone.
"I see. Our Masao-kun has reached that age, hasn't he? It's perfectly normal to have some… unrealistic fantasies at this stage in life."
Masao shuddered.
"Yukinoshita, please don't use that tone. It's embarrassing. It feels like being scolded by a parent."
The shame of having his wishful thinking exposed in such a condescending manner was…
A faint, cold smile touched her lips, her tone still cloyingly sweet.
"But isn't this exactly the kind of thing Masao-kun likes?"
"I was wrong! Please, go back to being the usual Yukinoshita!"
Seeing his surrender, she finally dropped the act and returned to her normal, cool demeanor.
'Hmph. Trying to trick me into giving you a massage? In your dreams.'
Had he simply asked for a massage from her from the start, she might have actually considered it, given how much he had helped.
(Masao, reading her mind: Wait, really? Can I take it back?
Yukinoshita, mentally: The opportunity has passed.)
Masao had just missed out on a fortune.
—
The two rested in the Service Clubroom a while longer, not starting for home until after five.
When they reached their usual parting point, Yukinoshita turned toward the direction of her own house.
Seeing this, Masao called out, "Yukinoshita, where are you going? My house is this way. You've been over enough times; you can't have forgotten already."
Yukinoshita was speechless. While her sense of direction wasn't the best, she certainly knew the way to her own home.
"I'm not lost. My home is this way."
"Why are you going home? Aren't you coming to my place first? I was going to walk you back later."
"Masao-kun," she said patiently, "the exams are over. We don't have tutoring sessions for now, so I'm going home. I told you this yesterday."
"I know that," Masao nodded.
"But didn't I tell you? To celebrate the end of exams, my mom took the day off to make a big dinner for us tonight."
Yukinoshita thought for a moment, then stated with absolute certainty, "You said no such thing."
Masao smacked his own forehead. "Ah! I must have forgotten with all the cleaning this afternoon. So, you see…"
He looked at her, his expression a mix of embarrassment and hopeful expectation. Yukinoshita hesitated.
The invitation was sudden, but he'd only forgotten because he was helping her. Refusing would mean spurning his mother's kindness and would leave her with a nagging sense of guilt.
Besides, she was tired from the cleaning. The thought of not having to cook for herself tonight was tempting.
'Just this once,' she told herself. 'It should be fine.'
'Hmm… have I had this thought before?'
A subtle, almost imperceptible shift occurred within her—a tiny, deliberate step away from her rigid routine.
[Ding.]
[Congratulations, Host, on obtaining 10 points of Corruption Value.]
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