"1.5 billion yen?"
Kirisu Mafuyu was stunned. That figure was far beyond what she had expected.
Yukino watched her forr teacher's expression with a soft chuckle. She had rarely seen Kirisu-sensei look surprised—during her school days, Mafuyu-sensei had been the epito of stoic professionalism.
"Is he the heir of so conglorate?" Yukino asked, curious. "Soone like him... Even the Shinomiya family's successors might pale in comparison."
Kirisu shook her head firmly. "No. He's not part of any family like that. He's completely independent—just an ordinary person who made everything happen by himself."
She didn't go into details about Yukima Azuma's past. That was for him to share, not her. But she wanted Yukino to understand one thing clearly: Azuma had made it all on his own.
"No family. No backing. Nothing but himself," Mafuyu added.
Yukino's eyes widened slightly.
He's really... alone?
"He once ntioned founding a company," Yukino murmured. "But I didn't expect it to be that successful."
"He earned the seed money by making gas in middle school," Mafuyu explained. "He's never had anyone to rely on. He's always been on his own."
A wave of shock surged in Yukino's heart.
She had always assud Azuma ca from a distinguished background—soone with extraordinary talent nurtured by wealth and power. It made sense. People like that weren't uncommon in elite circles.
But no.
He did it all himself. From nothing.
He was younger than her, yet had already carved a place for himself in Tokyo.
That ant... he wasn't tied down by anyone either.
For the first ti in her life, Yukinoshita Yukino felt sothing entirely new: admiration. Not the shallow kind offered by classmates or adults who saw her as perfect—but real, overwhelming awe.
And once soone like her—a girl used to being admired—started admiring soone else...
That feeling was dangerously strong.
The conversation ended there, and Yukino quietly returned to her room, her thoughts spinning.
Downstairs, a small gathering had ford.
"Why is Kirisu-sensei living here now?!" Eriri asked, outraged.
"Her rental lease expired," Azuma replied nonchalantly.
"More like she's here to spy on us," Utaha muttered.
"Huh? Why would she—"
"Maybe she's just concerned her students might get into trouble," Azuma shrugged.
"Don't dodge the question! What about Yukinoshita?" Utaha cut in sharply.
"Yukinoshita? Who?" Eriri asked blankly.
"She was apparently a top student at Toyogasaki," gumi explained.
"Why do you all know this except ?!"
"Because you're the only one who doesn't bother knowing things," Utaha said flatly.
"She also moved here because her lease ran out," Azuma added.
Three pairs of suspicious eyes zeroed in on him.
"Ahem... She's working at my company now. HR departnt. She's recruiting programrs."
"Wow, wow," Utaha said sarcastically. "Not just school and ho life—now you've got office drama too?"
Azuma raised three fingers solemnly. "I swear to heaven, it's all innocent!"
"Hmph. I'll let it go this ti," Utaha said. "But no more strangers moving in!"
Eriri nodded vigorously, completely forgetting she had moved in herself just the night before.
"I already asked the agency to delist the property," Azuma said, aligning himself with them like a fellow gatekeeper.
Later, after breakfast, the day passed peacefully.
Kirisu mostly stayed in her room.
Yukino left early each day and ca back only in the evening. Her hours seed longer than standard business ti, which confused Azuma—his company was 9 to 5, after all.
Kasumigaoka was swamped too, working on both novel scripts and preparing Volu 5 of The trono in Love.
Outside school, Azuma's shogi tournant had ended.
He had gone undefeated and was promoted to 7-dan, making him the youngest player in history to reach that rank.
News of his rise exploded across shogi headlines.
anwhile, Kita Ikuyo had settled into her band and grown close to Bocchi. Kessoku Band was preparing for their first live show at STARRY next week.
At school, the monthly exams ca and went.
Azuma scored first place again, as expected.
Eriri, however, failed English and math, earning a stern scolding from Kirisu-sensei. Her British heritage cried in sha. She had been too busy with her illustration work to study.
Even gumi barely passed.
Kirisu Mafuyu confronted Azuma directly, demanding he ensure the girls studied harder.
If they failed the sumr exams, they'd be stuck in redial classes.
Azuma nodded obediently, promising to help them review during breaks.
A few days later...
"My mom got these movie tickets from a friend, but she didn't want to go, so she gave them to ," Eriri said, handing Azuma a ticket.
"If you're free... I'm not saying you have to go! But it'd be a waste not to use them!"
Azuma took the ticket, smirking inwardly.
"Her mom," huh? Most likely, she bought them herself—or maybe Sayuri-obasan pulled so strings to set her up.
Either way, Titanic tickets were nearly impossible to get.
Even as an investor, he'd only received a handful.
He carefully tucked the ticket into his chest pocket and smiled. "Umu, I'm looking forward to it."
Eriri's face turned crimson.
At that mont, Kita Ikuyo happened to walk by. Eriri seized her and fled toward the restroom.
Just then, Kato gumi returned and nearly bumped into them—then sidestepped at the last mont with elegant precision.
Azuma clapped slowly. "As expected of gumi-sama. Not only Toyogasaki's top assassin but also its dodge master."
gumi gave him a flat look and poked his side with her finger.
He instantly straightened up.
"Did sothing good happen with Sawamura-san?" she asked softly.
"She's not exactly subtle," Azuma said with a vague smile.
To shift the mood, he reached into his bag and took out two more Titanic tickets.
gumi blinked.
"Watch a movie? Last ti I went to the theater, the ticket checker ignored . I haven't gone back since."
Azuma felt a pang of guilt—but before he could say anything, gumi snatched one ticket out of his hand.
"Just kidding. Of course I'll get my revenge. I'm looking forward to it!"
Her mischievous smile made his heart skip a beat.
Yeah.
Kato gumi really was the cutest in the world.
After school, Azuma returned ho.
"I'm back."
"Welco ho," Kasumigaoka Utaha said, glancing up from the couch.
Shiratamaru was curled up on her lap, thumping his tail lazily.
Azuma walked over, picked up the smug little fluffball, and tossed him gently onto the sofa.
"Abandoned," Shiratamaru muttered, scratching the couch in protest before hopping off.
"Lonely-kun, back at it again?" Utaha said, folding her arms over her chest—an action that emphasized her considerable assets.
Azuma gave her a playful look. "If that's the case, senpai, what will you do about it?"
Utaha sighed. "Well, resistance would be futile. Physically speaking, I can't overpower you."
She tapped her chin in thought.
"Maybe I'll report you to the police, wait a few years for you to finish reform school, and then co pick you up."
Azuma put on a comically pitiful expression.
She burst out laughing despite herself and pulled him into a tight hug.
They both collapsed onto the sofa, tangled together.
As he felt the softness beneath him, Azuma marveled at how perfectly proportioned Utaha was. Eriri called her chubby—but her waist was slim, and everything else was... just right.
After a long silence, Azuma pulled out a slightly crumpled movie ticket from his pocket.
"Senpai, let's go watch a movie."
Utaha glanced at the ticket.
"So, all this affection was just an invitation?"
Azuma nodded.
In response, Kasumigaoka Utaha kicked him off the sofa.
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