"You two, why are you here?"
Nanami ran over to them, beaming with excitent.
She was genuinely thrilled—and truly happy to see them.
"Just finished grocery shopping and thought we'd drop by," Haru replied casually.
Nanami gave a slightly embarrassed smile. "Being watched while I'm working feels kind of weird, you know?"
Yukino, naturally, wasn't interested in entertaining such idle chatter. She studied the girl in front of her with a serious expression. "Are you still juggling other part-ti jobs?"
"No, I'm not. You were right—I really can't handle so many jobs at once…"
Nanami shook her head, then seed to rember sothing. She handed the two boxes in her hands to them. "Please take these."
"These treats are from a rather high-end brand," Yukino remarked knowingly.
Nanami smiled brightly. "They're not that expensive. Besides, I don't know how else to thank you."
Haru and Yukino didn't refuse the gesture.
When they accepted the boxes, Nanami visibly relaxed, though a hint of hesitation still lingered in her eyes. She glanced at Haru, unsure. "By the way, Amamiya-kun, about my salary…"
"What about it?"
"Isn't my salary a bit… too high? I an, I didn't ask around about what the others earn, but I can't help feeling like you're helping out behind the scenes."
"And?" Haru's face remained calm, utterly unbothered.
Nanami was taken aback by his nonchalant response, nearly losing her train of thought.
She had agonized over this question for quite so ti before finally summoning the courage to bring it up.
Of course, she had her suspicions—Haru was likely going out of his way to help her.
"My salary just feels too high," she repeated nervously.
Haru turned to Yukino. "You or ?"
"You," Yukino replied coolly.
Nanami looked at the two of them, utterly confused. "What are you talking about?"
Haru put on an overly serious expression. "We're deciding who gets to scold you."
"Huh?! Why would you scold ?"
Nanami was even more confused.
"Because what you're saying is ridiculous," Haru said with a chuckle. "You're overthinking it. You've already started the job, right? And you're feeling better, right? So just like I told you before—take it one step at a ti and focus on your dreams."
Nanami hesitated, her expression softening, but she muttered in a small voice, "But if I don't repay you sohow, it feels like I'm just racking up debt…"
Haru smirked knowingly. "So you really want to do sothing for ?"
Her reaction was instant—her eyes lit up, and she nodded furiously. "Yes! Anything I can do! Just say the word!"
"Anything?" Haru asked, raising an eyebrow.
Nanami froze, her face going red as her imagination montarily ran wild. But just as quickly, she snapped back to reality.
Wait, what am I thinking?! His girlfriend is standing right there! There's no way he'd ask for sothing inappropriate!
"Anything!" she declared, even more firmly this ti.
Haru leaned forward slightly and said, with absolute seriousness, "Then I command you to imdiately pass the Tokyo University entrance exam."
Nanami: "???"
University , University! Impossible, impossible!
Yukino, standing beside them, raised a hand to her forehead, as though warding off a headache.
The mont Haru had started emphasizing "anything," she had known he was about to say sothing absurd.
"Right now. Right here. Get into Tokyo University. Can you do it?" Haru pressed on.
"That's absolutely impossible!" Nanami practically wailed, her expression one of pure despair.
"My grades are decent, but there's no way I could just magically pass an entrance exam like that!"
"I might have an idea," Yukino suddenly interjected.
Nanami, as if clinging to a lifeline, turned to her eagerly. "What is it, Yukinoshita? What's your idea?"
Yukino gave her a calm, assessing look. "If doing sothing for him would make you feel better, we're working on a short film for the photography club. If you're free, you could help us carry equipnt."
She paused, her sharp eyes sweeping over Nanami. "And given your looks, you might even work as the lead actress."
Nanami froze, instinctively clutching her chest. "Uh… Can I ask what kind of film you're making?"
Yukino sighed deeply, her patience wearing thin. "An experintal short film for the photography club. What did you think it was?"
Nanami let out a nervous laugh. "S-sorry. I overthought it…"
Haru laughed quietly from the side. "See? You're way better at this than ."
Nanami didn't hesitate this ti. She imdiately agreed, even going so far as to promise that she'd co help anyti they needed her, regardless of the distance between their schools.
After parting ways with Nanami, Haru and Yukino walked down a quieter street and unexpectedly ca across so familiar faces.
The most recognizable figure was a young man wearing a bright red headband, grinning wildly in front of a streaming cara.
It was that group of high school graduates who had turned to livestreaming after failing to get into college.
This ti, however, there were only four of them. Haru figured the rest were probably off working part-ti jobs.
Their eyes briefly t, and Haru gave them a polite nod in acknowledgnt.
The group's leader returned a quick smile before focusing back on his stream.
"Haru, look over there," Yukino's voice interrupted, her tone unusually serious.
Haru followed her gaze to see a small crowd of five or six young n loitering outside a convenience store.
Among them, to his mild surprise, was Takano Hiroichi—the forr bully who had been thoroughly humiliated and left with bruises after a previous encounter.
Takano's injuries had healed, but his two usual lackeys were absent, replaced by several older, rougher-looking guys.
The group began crossing the street, and as always, Yukino's striking presence drew their attention imdiately.
Takano, recognizing Haru and Yukino, quickly averted his gaze, his body language radiating unease.
Just as the rumors suggested, the school principal's intervention had completely cowed him.
His nervous deanor didn't go unnoticed by his new companions.
"Hey, you know those two?" asked one of the n, a slim figure with a small black braid.
"Y-yeah… We've had so… incidents in the past, but it's all over now," Takano stamred.
The braided man smirked. "Why're you acting all scared? Didn't you use to lead the charge when we picked on others?"
"Yeah, Takano, don't wimp out now!" another added.
Despite their encouragent, Takano remained visibly rattled.
"Alright, fine. I'll go say hi to your old friends for you," the braided man said with a grin, motioning for the group to follow him.
Takano had no choice but to trail behind.
As the group approached, Yukino spoke in a low voice. "Should we call the police?"
"Not yet. Let's see what happens," Haru replied calmly.
His confidence wasn't baseless. With his [Fitness] nearing Level 8, he was more than prepared to handle himself in a fight while ensuring Yukino stayed safe.
Besides, Yukino was no pushover either—her mastery of aikido made her more than capable of dealing with most opponents.
"Hello there," the braided man greeted them, flashing a broad, casual smile. "I hear you've had so history with my friend here. Mind telling more about it?"
Haru's sharp eyes flicked to the man's watch—an expensive model, clearly not sothing an ordinary person could afford.
Then his gaze shifted briefly to Takano, who was trying his best to hide behind the others.
Haru chuckled inwardly. So that's how it is.
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