"Ish… Ishigami, I'm right, aren't I?"

"Yes, Hayasaka-senpai."

At Rinji's house, Hayasaka sat at the dining table drinking coffee, while Ishigami sat opposite her, looking a bit tense.

The reason Ishigami had suddenly come to Rinji's house was mainly because of what had happened after school that day.

With final exams approaching, some teachers wanted to hand out lecture materials to students so they could study at home, as this was the last semester of first year.

Being the only student who knew where Rinji lived, Ishigami naturally took on the responsibility of keeping the lecture materials for him.

Originally, he had intended to wait for Rinji to return home to hand them over, but on second thought, it was just a set of materials. Dropping it in Rinji's mailbox or under the door wouldn't take much time.

After all, Rinji's house was not far from the station, so it wasn't a big deal.

After school, Ishigami came straight to Rinji's house to put the lecture materials in the mailbox.

Then…

He happened to run into Hayasaka, who was returning home.

'So Rinji is already living with his girlfriend…'

"Are you just here to deliver the lecture materials this time?"

"Ah, yes. Since someone else was collecting it for him, I thought I'd just…"

"Wait."

Just as Ishigami was about to leave, Hayasaka called him back.

"Is there anything else?"

"About me living with Rinji, please don't tell anyone."

"Oh, of course."

"Good."

Satisfied, Hayasaka nodded.

Although she didn't know Ishigami very well, from the little she had heard from Kaguya, it was clear that Ishigami was someone who could keep a secret.

"I heard you're pursuing third-year student Tsubame-senpai?"

"Eh? Hayasaka-senpai knows about this?"

"What you did at the Hoshin Festival—confessing to Tsubame-senpai—has already become known across the school," Hayasaka said. "Rinji seems particularly concerned about this too."

"Rinji… he really has helped me a lot," Ishigami said with a smile.

"Whether it was helping me review lessons or helping me plan how to be popular with girls… he's just always supporting me, and I don't want to fail."

"You probably know a little about Tsubame-senpai. She finds it hard to see someone as a romantic partner."

"Hayasaka-senpai, you know Tsubame-senpai well?"

"Enough to understand her."

Of course, Hayasaka knew well. When she was Kaguya's attendant, she gathered information on students with high popularity in the school to assist Kaguya when needed.

Students like Tsubame, who were extremely popular throughout Shuchiin, naturally had their information in Hayasaka's hands.

"To girls like her, a confession is undoubtedly a form of pressure," Hayasaka said.

"Fear of an uncertain future, fear of not being able to maintain the current relationship, fear of whether the boy she trusts can be by her side for life—fear of the future in general. Put simply, it's over-cautiousness leading to fear."

"This…"

Although Ishigami didn't understand why Hayasaka was telling him this, it did describe the current problem with Tsubame.

Their relationship was clearly more than friendship but couldn't be called romance.

"Ishigami, what you need to do now isn't a sincere confession to Tsubame-senpai, but manage the time to maintain and gradually deepen your current relationship."

"I understand what you're saying, but… I don't have much time."

"Tsubame-senpai… is graduating soon. I only have less than a month left to spend with her."

While a relationship requires a lot of time, time was exactly what Ishigami lacked most.

One would graduate soon, the other still in second year next semester. There was no room to waste.

"Then we need another method."

"What method?"

"Blur the relationship." Hayasaka said.

Just as a gambler bets only when money's value is uncertain, you manipulate perception in romance too—making the other party unsure whether it's love or friendship, or both.

"This… what exactly does that mean?"

"It means establishing the relationship without flashy confessions or lifelong promises, which would pressure Tsubame-senpai. Specifically, it's a 'common-sense confession'—letting her know it will last until she finds her ideal boyfriend—giving her the right to regret."

It's like telling a gambler risking a huge bet that they can reclaim their money if they lose, letting them gamble with peace of mind.

"This… isn't it…"

"I know it seems unfair to you, Ishigami, but romance isn't about fairness. This is just a strategy to prolong contact with Tsubame-senpai. Whether you end up together depends on how well you manage your time from now on."

"…"

"I came up with this method because I saw Rinji worrying about this recently. Whether you use it is up to you, and please forgive my meddling."

"No, thank you very much, Hayasaka-senpai." Ishigami smiled.

"Even though Rinji has a bet hanging over him, Hayasaka-senpai is still willing to help me…"

"Hmm?"

Hayasaka was slightly surprised.

"What bet?"

"The bet where Rinji said if I really started dating Tsubame-senpai, he'd cross-dress for a week. He actually hates that."

"…"

Cold sweat ran down Hayasaka's forehead instantly.

'I screwed up!'

---

"Dad, didn't you say you'd take me to see my sister?"

"Yes, and here we are."

"But this place…"

Rinji's father drove him a few kilometers to a research facility and led him into the basement.

Looking at the dim basement, Rinji didn't think anyone would be here.

"We're here."

"Ah?"

Rinji's father stopped suddenly.

Rinji looked in the same direction and saw a huge glass container in the center of the basement.

It was filled with liquid, and inside floated a girl with long blonde hair.

Or rather, a girl who looked strikingly similar to Rinji.

"What… is this?"

Rinji stepped closer and touched the glass, staring at the blonde girl who resembled him.

Behind him, his father said, "This is your sister."

"I never knew… why is she in that container? Is she still alive?"

"She's alive," Rinji's father said, smiling.

"And she'll wake up soon."

---

Rinji now stood before the mysterious glass container, the weight of the revelation settling in.

"Ah?"

Pfft—

Before Rinji could react, his father struck from behind, his entire arm piercing Rinji's back in an instant.

"Ugh…"

At the moment his back was pierced, Rinji's eyes went blank.

His father then withdrew his bloodstained hand.

In his hand lay a small red gemstone.