[After thinking about it, she still hadn't found a long-term goal but she had made up her mind.]
[She wanted to go to university. Preferably, the sa one as you.]
[Because aside from her parents, her aunt—Matsuzaka Sayuri had sacrificed a great deal for her.]
[After her parents passed away, Sayuri had dropped out of university to raise her.]
[Lying in the dimly lit tent, Matsuzaka Satou moved closer to you, her voice full of quiet guilt.]
[Even though Sayuri had caused her emotional deficiency, she had still given up so much to raise her. That was a debt Satou couldn't ignore.]
[Now that Sayuri had cut ties with her past and was working odd jobs to support herself, Satou wanted to relieve so of that burden.]
[She spoke of her future with determination, and as she did—her hand, hidden within the sleeping bag, gently tightened around yours.]
[You were her support, the only person she could confide in.]
[As she gazed into your eyes, it was as if she saw light shining within them.]
[You pressed a soft kiss to her cheek, not refuting her words but instead affirming them.]
[Shuka High was an excellent preparatory school—if she worked hard, getting into a reputable public university in Tokyo wouldn't be a problem.]
[But she still lacked confidence. Her grades were only above average within her class, and even though she had two years left, she couldn't say for sure whether she'd be able to reach her goal.]
[Sensing her unease, you turned on the light, gently took her hand, and traced circles in her palm with your fingertips.]
[Watching her face turn red, flustered as she tried to pull her hand away, you finally smiled.]
[You told her that if she managed to get into a good public university, you would give her a reward.]
[Your tone was teasing, and your gaze was locked onto her face.]
[This made her mind wander, filling with endless possibilities of what that 'reward' might be.]
[Her uncertainty was gradually replaced by eager anticipation.]
"Reward?"
The word itself was far too tempting.
Even in reality, as Minami lay beside Nishikigi Chisato, his thoughts montarily drifted in a dangerous direction.
But—
He was not a man who easily succumbed to temptation.
Especially not when Chisato-san was sleeping right next to him.
So after entertaining the thought for a brief mont, he shook his head, pushing aside any reckless ideas.
[Your encouragent had undoubtedly worked.]
[After returning from the camping trip, Matsuzaka Satou began studying alongside Kessoku Band.]
[Originally, your tutoring sessions were for four people—but now, they had increased to five.]
[Even though you were talented at teaching, tutoring one-on-one still took a toll on you at tis.]
[Fortunately, Futaba Rio and Shinjo Akane stepped in, offering to help with the lessons.]
"Futaba Rio and Shinjo Akane?"
As those nas appeared in the simulation, Minami's eyes lit up.
Of course!
Why hadn't he thought of this earlier?
After days of tutoring, Kessoku Band's overall academic performance had improved—
But Gotoh Hitori and Yamada Ryo were still struggling at a snail's pace.
It was exhausting.
Even though this was happening in the simulation—
In reality, he could ask Futaba Rio and Shinjo Akane for help.
That would significantly ease his burden.
After all—
Futaba Rio was a genius in the sciences with qualifications for research work.
And Shinjo Akane was ranked second in their grade—just behind him.
If the two of them worked together to tutor Gotoh Hitori and Yamada Ryo...
Wouldn't that be the perfect solution?
It was flawless!
Minami nodded in satisfaction.
This was the power of girls helping girls.
But for now, he set that idea aside, focusing on the simulation as it continued.
[With Shinjo Akane and Futaba Rio helping, your workload for tutoring Kessoku Band and Matsuzaka Satou significantly decreased.]
[This gave you the ti to focus on sothing else.]
[While Satou's academic journey was sothing only she could walk, you could at least provide guidance.]
[You couldn't change her academic abilities—but you could lay the groundwork for her future, ensuring she had the necessary resources.]
[Because even if she got into a good public university, the tuition fees alone would be overwhelming for the current Matsuzaka household.]
[After cutting ties with her past associates, Matsuzaka Sayuri's only source of inco ca from part-ti jobs.]
[She was already struggling to cover Satou's current high school tuition—let alone her future university expenses.]
[The financial burden was too much for a woman nearing forty.]
[So, you decided to visit the izakaya where Matsuzaka Sayuri worked at night.]
[It was one of the many ordinary izakayas scattered throughout Tokyo—dim yellow lighting, a row of red lanterns hanging outside.]
[A cold wind pushed against your back as you slid open the entrance. The navy noren curtain lifted slightly.]
[Inside, a commotion caught your attention.]
[Following the noise, you spotted a custor harassing a female server wearing a navy headscarf.]
[The man was clearly drunk, slurring his words—and then, in his intoxicated stupor, he suddenly raised his hand and slapped the woman across the face.]
[Her headscarf fell to the ground, and that's when you saw—]
[The server with violet hair was none other than Matsuzaka Sayuri.]
[Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth, and the drunkard had grabbed a fistful of her hair.]
[Anger imdiately surged through you.]
[Without hesitation, you stepped forward—not only stopping the man but delivering a brutal beating in return.]
[Your years of training made it easy to take down a middle-aged drunkard.]
[Then, you used your status as a minor and the fact that the man had caused a public disturbance to threaten him with police intervention.]
[Faced with a choice between dealing with law enforcent or paying you off, the drunkard had no choice but to hand over a significant amount of money before storming out in frustration.]
[And of course—you still reported the incident to the police afterward.]
[Seeing that you were acquainted with Matsuzaka Sayuri, the izakaya manager arranged for both of you to talk in the employee break room.]
Inside the dimly lit break room—
The air was heavy with silence.
Outside, the izakaya owner was busy cleaning up the ss left behind.
Minami sat on the right.
Beside him, Matsuzaka Sayuri—now without her headscarf pressed an ice pack to her swollen, bleeding lip.
"...I didn't expect you to see like this, Minami-kun. I must be such an embarrassnt as an aunt."
Sayuri chuckled awkwardly, clearly embarrassed.
"...Sayuri-san, does this happen to you often?"
Minami turned to her, concern in his voice.
"Ah... no, not often."
Sayuri shook her head.
"There are troubleso drunks sotis, but usually, if I talk them down, they'll leave alone."
Her voice faltered for a mont.
Then, she added—
"But that man... was soone I used to know."
Soone from her past.
That was all Minami needed to understand how this situation had started.
A forr acquaintance.
One of those n she used to bring ho.
He must not have been able to accept her sudden change—so he had co here to cause trouble.
"...What should I do now...?"
Sayuri muttered.
"Satou still needs tuition... and now this happened... I guess this ans I'm about to lose this job, too."
Of course.
That drunk had exposed her past in front of everyone.
Even if the izakaya owner hadn't spoken yet, it was clear—he wasn't planning to keep her employed.
She was lost.
She had tried so hard to change for Satou's sake.
Yet, her past continued to haunt her—like shadows she could never escape.
The ghosts of her past whispered in her ear, mocking her.
Telling her that she could never live a stable life.
That everything she worked for would be taken away.
Her hard-earned job.
The peaceful life she had tried to create for Satou.
All of it—gone in an instant.
"...I can't even hold onto a simple job..."
Sayuri whispered.
"...But if I can't do this... what can I do?"
A bitter expression settled on her lips.
But at that mont—
"...I'll help you, Sayuri-san."
A voice rang out beside her.
Sayuri instinctively turned her head—
And under the dim light, she saw Minami's face.
"...Help ? You an working part-ti? But, Minami-kun... don't you have your own studies to focus on?"
Minami smiled.
"It's fine. My grades are already high enough to get into the university I want. Right now—I'd rather help you and Satou."
"But Minami-kun, wasting your precious study ti on soone like ..."
Matsuzaka Sayuri lifted her head.
Half of her life had already passed.
The first half was filled with regrets and mories she wished she could erase.
For Minami to spend his ti on soone as worthless as her—
It was nothing but a waste.
She stood up, wanting to continue speaking.
But before she could fully rise, Minami gently pressed her shoulders down, stopping her.
"What do you an by 'soone like '?"
Minami shook his head, correcting her.
"To , Sayuri-san, you are without a doubt a wonderful aunt—both to Satou and to ."
His voice was calm.
His words were steady—completely free of embellishnt.
Yet, those simple words—
Made Matsuzaka Sayuri speechless.
Her blue eyes instantly filled with tears.
And in that mont—
She realized sothing.
All this ti, she had been trying so hard to walk the right path—
Maybe it was all just to hear those words.
She wanted to be acknowledged.
By Satou.
By Minami.
Even when people ridiculed her at work, even when she had to endure humiliation—like today, being harassed—
She endured it all.
And so—
"You don't have to endure it anymore, Sayuri-san."
"If there's anything you want to say—if you've been holding back any pain—now's the ti to let it all out."
Minami spoke, his palm resting on her shoulder.
And at that mont—
For the first ti, Matsuzaka Sayuri felt the warmth of his touch.
That warmth...
That sa warmth had saved Satou from her emotional detachnt.
And now—
That warmth... was about to save her, too.
[After that heartfelt conversation, your relationship with Matsuzaka Sayuri deepened.]
[At the sa ti, you learned from her just how dire the Matsuzaka family's financial situation was.]
[Even though Sayuri had so savings from the past,]
[That money was only enough to cover Satou's high school tuition for one more year.]
[In reality, the Matsuzaka household had almost no usable funds left.]
[And that's not even considering the cost of Satou's dream of attending university—which would require an enormous amount of money.]
[The financial problems of the Matsuzaka family could no longer be ignored.]
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