Chapter 100: New semester ②

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Translator: Soafp

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Takagi filled me in on the details.

It hadn’t made national headlines, but several local newspapers and media outlets had apparently picked up the story about our school’s photography club.

Naturally, it was about Nagasawa-senpai.

“Apparently, the parents of club members, along with alumni, are making a huge fuss about it. In the end, the PTA decided to file an official complaint.”

Takagi pulled out his phone and showed me the screen.

The article had already spread nationwide through the internet.

It had exploded across social media and become the target of ridicule.

Ayumi-san had probably been helping spread it around.

“So that’s it? The club just gets shut down?”

“Nope. Sounds like Nagasawa-senpai is getting disciplinary action too. He was suspended before, and this time they’re saying he probably won’t avoid expulsion.”

Seriously, where did Takagi get all this information?

Maybe he was secretly a detective.

His sources were absurdly fast.

“I see.”

“What, that’s all? Your reaction’s pretty weak considering how much trouble that caused you.”

“Well, yeah. But somehow… I just don’t really care anymore.”

Honestly, I was surprised myself.

I’d expected to feel a strong sense of satisfaction, like they finally got what they deserved.

Maybe the trauma had faded more than I realized.

Maybe thanks to Nodoka and Airi, I’d gradually regained my confidence.

And even though it had taken a long detour, I’d ultimately avoided the NTR route too.

“Maybe it’s because I realized the real problem was never the photography club or Nagasawa-senpai in the first place.”

“I see. You seem like you’ve changed a bit over summer vacation too.”

“Not as much as you.”

“Hey, I haven’t changed! I just got a little tanned!”

I spent the rest of the day making fun of Takagi’s tan.

---

After school.

Nodoka, Yui, and I left the classroom together.

Apparently, Yui had already submitted her withdrawal form from the photography club.

Well, since the club was going to be dissolved anyway, it probably didn’t make much difference.

“Ren-kun.”

Airi was already waiting in the hallway.

Had her classes ended before ours?

That was what I thought, but the next moment Airi casually wrapped herself around one of my arms.

…As expected, Nodoka immediately latched onto my other arm.

“Let’s go home already.”

“Ren, let’s stop by my place. Nobody’s home anyway.”

Now that we’d officially gotten permission from her parents, she clearly intended to take full advantage of it.

“I don’t mind. What about Anna-chan?”

“Your mom said she’d handle all of Anna’s trips to and from school, so I don’t need to worry anymore. She even told me I’d had it rough all this time.”

“…She’s basically treating her like a daughter at this point.”

Apparently Mom was treating even her future daughter-in-law’s little sister like family.

Well, everyone seemed happy about it, so I didn’t really mind.

“Still, I should go visit Anna-chan sometimes.”

“Eh? Ren, are you actually a l0li-con…?”

“No, Nodoka-san. Ren-kun just has a very broad strike zone.”

“That’s not true.”

I really wished they’d stop accusing me of being some kind of l0li-con.

“Oh, right, Ren-kun.”

As we were about to pass through the school gate, Airi suddenly remembered something.

“My father sent me a letter.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes. He’s been indicted and is currently on trial.”

…She delivered that incredibly heavy topic with remarkable calmness.

Airi explained the details of Hideki-san’s case.

Surprisingly, after his arrest, he’d apparently confessed to everything without resistance.

Because of that, a verdict likely wasn’t far away.

“And he asked me for something.”

“Asked you?”

“You know my grandmother’s house that burned down in the arson fire? He plans to rebuild it next year. He said I can have it no matter who I live with. In exchange, he wants me to visit him occasionally.”

“…Oh.”

Airi intended to cut ties with her father completely.

But Hideki-san seemed desperate, offering everything he owned if she’d just come see him once in a while.

Maybe he’d only now realized how important his daughter was.

“What do you think, Ren-kun? An apartment isn’t bad, but if we’re thinking about children someday, maybe a house would be better.”

“Wait, you’ve already thought that far ahead?”

“What are you talking about, Ren-kun? We agreed children would be after graduation. That means once I graduate high school in March the year after next, we’re good, right?”

Airi giggled.

“So my diploma is basically a pregnancy permit.”

“…I won’t have graduated yet, so no, it isn’t.”

“S-See, Senpai!? We haven’t even decided whether we’ll get pregnant at the same time or take turns yet!”

“That’s not the important part, Nodoka.”

Setting family planning aside, Airi had a point.

And having the house next door would certainly be convenient for Nodoka too.

“Any other conditions? Like asking you to withdraw the petition to strip him of parental rights?”

“No. Nothing like that. He said he’d accept all of it. He just wants to see my face occasionally. And if possible, he’d like to see his grandchildren someday.”

“…”

Even after everything, a parent was still a parent.

Maybe he understood his daughter’s feelings after all.

Most fathers would never say something like that to a teenage daughter.

To be honest, the offer was tempting.

The location wasn’t bad. The size wasn’t bad either.

And if it was rebuilt, it would be brand new.

More importantly, Hideki-san genuinely seemed remorseful.

(The real problem is the debt collectors.)

People who held grudges against Hideki-san—like the arsonist—might target us unfairly.

Of course, my precognitive ability would help avoid some danger.

But was there any reason to deliberately take on that risk?

And legally speaking, accepting a house directly from someone drowning in debt felt questionable.

“What do you want to do, Airi?”

“Either option is fine with me. That’s why I asked you. I’ll do whatever you decide. After all, I’m your slave.”

“…Could you maybe not say things like that in public?”

“Why? Honestly, I feel like climbing onto the rooftop and shouting it.”

For a moment, I imagined it.

The image was so horrifying that I instinctively shook my head.

I thought it over carefully.

What would be best for Airi?

And then I realized the issue wasn’t whether she lived in that house.

As long as Hideki-san still had debts, debt collectors might still come after Airi and pressure her to pay.

“In the end, we should probably sort out Hideki-san’s debts properly.”

“True. Honestly, it’d be easier if he just died. Then I could reject the inheritance and be done with it.”

“…”

Legally speaking, that would be the cleanest solution.

But honestly, people willing to resort to arson weren’t likely to back off just because an inheritance had been renounced.

In the end, I’d have to step in myself.

Airi wasn’t a stranger to me anymore.

“Alright. Then let’s do this. I’ll go to Hideki-san’s creditors and buy the debts.”

“Huh? You will?”

“I’ll become Hideki-san’s sole creditor. That way, shady people won’t keep showing up. And Hideki-san won’t be able to pull anything strange with you or me anymore, right?”

Honestly, I didn’t believe gambling addiction was something that disappeared overnight.

He might be remorseful now, but once he served his sentence and got out, there was every chance he’d relapse.

If that happened, Airi could be dragged back into misery.

So we needed some kind of safeguard.

“I’ll take responsibility for all the debt myself.”

Airi’s eyes widened briefly.

Then she gently rested her head against my shoulder.

“How am I supposed not to fall for you when you do things like that?”

I’d only intended to play the hero half-jokingly.

Why did that hit her right in the heart?

I genuinely didn’t understand what made Airi tick.

◇

We spent the afternoon at Nodoka’s house.

Today, Airi had convinced Nodoka to wear a cheerleader outfit she’d bought earlier.

…And Yui, as usual, remained nearby in her maid outfit under the pretense of “punishment.”

“Ugh… I want to get better at cooking, but I just can’t seem to improve…”

“D-Don’t worry! Everyone starts somewhere!”

“This isn’t actually my first time, though…”

We ended up staying for dinner as well.

Recently, Yui had apparently been learning cooking from Nodoka, but it wasn’t going as smoothly as she’d hoped.

Airi chuckled.

“Yui-san, sometimes life is easier if you just give up on things you’re not good at.”

“B-But I’m supposed to be a maid…”

“Nodoka-san is much stricter about cooking than you’d think. Can you handle it? She’s practically like one of those famous sharp-tongued celebrity chefs.”

“Senpai, I’m not that bad!”

I had no idea what had happened between Nodoka and Airi.

Though it seemed Airi had already half-given up on improving her own cooking.

Not that she was completely incapable.

(Maybe I should learn a little too.)

Relying entirely on Nodoka didn’t seem right.

That was when—

Ring! Ring!

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

I pulled it out.

The caller was the detective.

Come to think of it, it was about time for a progress report.

Taking a small breath and bracing myself, I answered.

“Is now a good time to talk?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

“I’d like to provide an interim report. I’ll get straight to the point. Regarding that talent agency…”

The detective paused briefly.

“—We have discovered something suspicious.”