Chapter 55: Satoru Isn't That Kind of Person... Right?
"Ahaha~ I-it was only a few times, really~"
Seeing everyone looking at her with somewhat strange expressions, Mei blinked her innocent eyes dryly and awkwardly looked away.
Driven by an inexplicable sense of rivalry, she had suddenly blurted out something shocking. Now that she had calmed down, she suddenly felt a bit embarrassed!
"O-of course, I always went with Ayano~"
So she quickly explained the rest, which made everyone feel a bit more relieved.
If she went together with Ayano, then it was just a group activity for the Service Club.
...But Nia showed a look of keen interest.
She had never met Mei's parents because they were very busy and usually only came home on weekends.
And on weekends, she mostly preferred to stay at home, so she naturally never saw them.
But that didn't mean she was unaware of the situation.
That passionate couple now treats Satoru as if he were their own son, often urging Mei to let Satoru visit their home alone...
The reason is quite obvious.
In their eyes, he's an outstanding young man whom their daughter clearly has feelings for—someone they can treat as a future son-in-law.
Even knowing he has a girlfriend doesn't necessarily rule him out, since both Mei and Ayano have complained in front of them about how Satoru has "countless girlfriends" and seems to like every cute girl he meets.
Yet despite this, they've still become good friends with him, which shows the boy's character must be genuinely good. Most importantly, their daughter really likes him.
So they're quite supportive of this...
Well, though in her opinion, Mei-chan hasn't quite reached that point yet, she's really just one step away. Even if she were to fall hopelessly for Satoru, it would only take the slightest push~
"I was dragged along by you, Yuigahama-san. Actually, you could have just taken Satoru home by yourself, right?"
At this moment, the named Ayano unexpectedly teased without giving any room to save face.
"Eh? N-no, that's not true! Don't say such things, Aya-chan!"
Mei's face immediately flushed bright red as she frantically waved her hands in denial.
But seeing her flustered, gesturing wildly like this didn't make her denial very convincing.
"Whether I'm saying nonsense or not, everyone knows the truth. I think being a bit more honest wouldn't be a bad thing."
Ayano said calmly, completely unconvinced by Mei's protests.
Though her own words weren't very convincing either.
Because she was currently gently holding an adorable black kitten, skillfully and tenderly stroking its entire body with practiced movements.
Despite previously acting completely unwilling to admit it, she had now completely transformed into a cat slave. With her like this, what right did she have to accuse others of not being honest?
"Ahem, right, Tokisaki-san?"
Perhaps sensing that everyone's attention had shifted to her, Ayano, still holding the kitten, quickly passed the topic to Kurumi beside her.
After all, they were both in the same boat now—if she was going to die of embarrassment, Tokisaki-san shouldn't think she could escape either!
"Indeed, if everyone could be more sincere and honest, the world would become much more harmonious~"
Kurumi, at this moment, appeared extremely serene as she gently stroked a kitten in her arms, speaking more tenderly than usual.
...But these people were truly becoming more and more unbelievable. After all, everyone knew what Kurumi had been like before.
The Worst Spirit, a terrifying existence who had killed at least thousands of people—for someone like that to now appear so harmonious was really beyond words.
Of course, they weren't at the point of criticizing Kurumi for her past actions.
Those were her own choices, and she carried that heavy burden herself.
On the contrary, their relationship with Kurumi was actually quite good now.
Though she hadn't joined the Service Club, she often visited to sit with them. If she didn't frequently have to go home early to cook and do housework, she might have wanted to join as well.
"Everyone's starting to become so laid-back these days, and honestly that's quite nice. Someone might actually prefer you all this way."
"What are you talking about, Nia-chan? Speaking of which, isn't your publishing house holding a welcome party? Aren't you going?"
"Not going. There are only two or three people I know anyway, and I'm not really fond of that kind of atmosphere. It's probably the same for Satoru too—he'll likely wrap things up after submitting his manuscript to the new editor for approval. But never mind him, I'm sure he'll end up going on a date with some cute girl later."
"Ahaha~ That's not likely! Satoru isn't that kind of person~"
"Then let's make a bet! I guarantee that after leaving the publishing house, he'll immediately go find some girl—maybe even before that. If I win, Mei-chan has to wear a maid outfit in the Service Club next time~"
"Eh? Why should I... Well, but it does sound kind of fun, and I believe in Sawa!"
"Is that so? Then let's see~ Rasiel."
Nia smiled and extended her right hand, materializing her Angel. She once again activated the "live stream mode" above it, and everyone gathered around curiously, beginning to pay attention to this live broadcast.
But she didn't think too much about it. After all, it hadn't been that long since Satoru went to the publishing company for official business. It shouldn't be that fast...
"Hey~ So Satoru-sensei's drawing skills are this good too? What a shame you're not becoming a manga artist~"
"I'm too lazy to spend much time on manga. Typing is easier. Speaking of which... um, Miss Iris, could you not speak so close to me? It feels a bit strange."
"Ahaha~ Sorry, sorry. It's just that I finally got to meet the teacher I've admired for so long, so I got a bit too excited. I'm really glad I could come work as an editor~"
"..." xN
How accurate.
Looking at the familiar young man on the screen and the stunning silver-haired woman standing very close to him, everyone present couldn't help but silently complain in their hearts.
Even Nia herself couldn't help twitching at the corner of her mouth.
He actually really found a woman, and one they don't even know!
Speaking of which, is this woman really the new editor?!
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