The final bell rang, and the school instantly came alive.
Just as I expected.
Around Hayato, the whole group started gathering again.
Miu was already animatedly telling some story, waving her arms around.
Satomi confidently suggested they get started on preparations right away.
Rin calmly held a notebook with the biology project plan in her hands.
Yuki stood next to Hayato with a faint smile, occasionally chiming in with her own ideas.
From the outside, they looked almost like a small study group.
“There he is…”
“Another mandatory event.”
According to the canon, they were supposed to meet up at Hayato’s house.
Do homework together.
Work on the project.
Drink tea.
It seemed like…
The most ordinary school gathering.
But it was from little things like these that the harem route eventually took shape.
Each girl got a little bit of time.
A little bit of attention.
A little bit of memories.
I just watched them from afar.
“Good luck.”
Today, I had nothing to do there.
I turned around and calmly headed toward the exit.
— Kurosaki.
A familiar voice called out from behind.
I turned around.
Aya was standing there, slinging her bag over her shoulder.
She looked… unusually quiet.
— Let’s go.
— We’re heading the same way anyway.
I nodded.
We left the school grounds in silence.
For several minutes, neither of us broke the quiet.
Aya kicked small pebbles on the road with the toe of her shoe.
Her mood was clearly not the best.
I smiled.
— Why are you so gloomy?
She gave me a dissatisfied look.
— I’m not gloomy.
— It’s just…
She clicked her tongue in irritation.
— It pisses me off.
I raised an eyebrow questioningly.
— What exactly?
She let out a loud sigh.
— Those… snakes.
I couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
— Snakes?
— Yeah!
She threw her hands up.
— Real ones!
— They just barged into the only place that used to be just me and Hayato!
I was still smiling.
— Dense.
She poked me in the shoulder with her finger.
— Don’t laugh!
— You don’t understand anything!
— That’s our house!
— Our habits!
— Our memories!
She turned away angrily.
— And now…
— Now they show up there almost every other day.
I looked at her calmly.
— Jealous?
She stopped abruptly.
— What?!
— Have you lost your mind?!
Her cheeks instantly flushed.
— I’m not jealous!
— It’s just…
She turned away again.
This time with less confidence.
— The house stopped being… just ours.
The last words came out much quieter.
I stayed silent for a few seconds.
There it is.
In the original novella, they barely paid attention to this.
But for Aya, it really mattered.
For the other girls, it was just another chance to spend time with Hayato.
For her, it was the feeling that her familiar world was gradually changing.
I smiled slightly.
— Don’t worry.
She glanced at me with displeasure.
— Why not?
— Because you have more important things to do now.
— Work.
— And a new house.
Aya snorted.
— Yeah, right…
— We’ll see if it’s worth all your big talk.
But from the way her mood gradually evened out, it was clear the conversation had helped distract her.

We turned off the main street into a quiet residential area.
At first, Aya didn’t even look around.
She walked with her hands in her pockets.
But the further we went…
The slower her steps became.
— Hey…
She lifted her head.
— This is…
I continued walking in silence.
We stopped in front of tall automatic gates.
I took out my phone and pressed a button.
The electric motor hummed quietly.
The gates smoothly slid apart.
Aya froze.
— …
A wide courtyard opened up before us.
A neat path made of light stone.
A small, well-kept garden near the entrance.
To the right — a spacious garage.
A bit further, the water in the pool sparkled.
The house itself looked modern, but without flashy luxury.
Large panoramic windows.
Two stories.
Calm, dark colors.
— This is…
Aya slowly turned to me.
— Don’t tell me…
I nodded calmly.
— My house.
She remained silent for a few more seconds.
Then she suddenly poked me hard in the chest with her finger.
— You…
— Are you completely insane?!
— How much did this even cost?!
I shrugged.
— Expensive.
— That’s not an answer!
I just smiled.
— Come on.
We went inside.
A spacious entryway.
High ceilings.
A large living room combined with the kitchen.
The panoramic windows looked straight out into the courtyard.
The house still had that new furniture smell.
Aya slowly turned her head.
— Holy shit…
She walked over to the window.
Then to the sofa.
Ran her hand across the countertop.
— You…
She still couldn’t find the right words.
— Are you really going to live here?
— Yep.
She whistled quietly.
— Wow…
— You really struck it rich…
I smiled calmly.
— Let’s go further.
We went up to the second floor.
I opened the first door.
— This is my room.
Aya peeked inside.
Huge bed.
Work desk.
Minimal unnecessary items.
She just nodded.
— Looks like you.
— Everything’s boring and practical.
— Exactly.
We continued down the hallway.
I stopped at the next door and opened it.
— And this…
— Is yours.
At first, she didn’t even understand.
— …
— Whose?
— Yours.
Aya looked at me in confusion.
— Wait…
— What do you mean, mine?
I calmly stepped inside.
— This is the workroom.
— It’s empty for now.
Aya frowned, not understanding.
— Workroom?
I nodded.
— Right now you’ll be helping me around the house and sometimes appearing in videos…
— So after school, you can come straight here.
— You can change clothes, rest, work, edit something, or just wait until evening.
She looked around the room again.
— But…
— It’s way too big.
I just shrugged.
— For now.
— When you find your direction in content creation, we’ll completely redo it.
She raised her eyebrows in surprise.
— Redo it?
— Of course.
I stepped inside.
— If you start doing cooking — we’ll set up a kitchen for filming.
— If you want to stream — we’ll put in computers, cameras, and lighting.
— If you want to do cosplay — we’ll make a wardrobe and photo zone.
— It all depends only on what path you choose.
Aya was silent for a few seconds.
Then she smiled softly.
— You…
— You already thought this through?
— Yep.
— It’s much easier to leave space for future growth than to tear everything down and rebuild later.
She slowly walked around the room.
Ran her hand along the windowsill.
Stopped by the window.
— So…
She turned to me.
— This isn’t a bedroom.
— This is…
— My workspace?
— Exactly.
I took a small key out of my pocket and placed it in her palm.
— If I’m not home and you need to film a video or work — you can come by yourself.
Aya stared at the key for a few seconds.
Then at me.
— You…
— Do you really trust people that easily?
I smiled calmly.
— No.
— I’m just good at choosing who I can trust.
She didn’t reply.
She just slowly closed her fingers around the key.
And for the second time since they had met, a very quiet, almost imperceptible smile appeared on her face instead of her usual sharp smirk or irritation.

Aya looked around the room once more.
Then she suddenly slapped her own cheeks.
— Alright!
She rolled up the sleeves of her shirt.
— Enough standing around.
— Boss, show me where the mess is.
I smirked.
— Now I recognize Aya.
She snorted.
— Less talking.
— The boxes won’t unpack themselves.

The next hour flew by surprisingly fast.
We opened box after box.
I assembled the computer desk.
Aya arranged books on the shelves.
Then we switched places.
— Hey!
She lifted a heavy box.
— Did you seriously bring all this stuff?
— Yep.
— You’re insane.
— Possibly.
She rolled her eyes.
— No sense of moderation at all…
Despite her grumbling, she worked quickly.
Even faster than I expected.
She periodically commented on things.
Teased me.
Sometimes laughed when she found another weird item.
— Why do you have three identical chargers?
— Because I’ll definitely lose two.
— What kind of stupid logic…
— But it works.
She chuckled softly.
After some time, there were almost no boxes left in the living room.
The computer was in place.
The books filled the shelves.
The kitchen looked lived-in.
Aya had even rearranged the sofa cushions to her liking for some reason.
I looked around.
— Not bad.
She smiled with satisfaction.
— Of course.
— Who do you think did half the work?
I nodded calmly.
— Then you’ll write yourself half the salary too?
She immediately punched me in the shoulder.
— Cheapskate.
I laughed quietly.
I took out my phone, opened the banking app.
A few seconds later, the transfer went through.
Aya’s phone vibrated almost immediately.
She glanced at the screen automatically.
And froze.
— …
Then she looked again.
Back at the screen.
Only then did she slowly raise her head.
— Kurosaki…
— This is…
— A mistake?
— No.
— This is an advance.
She was silent for a few seconds.
— But…
— This is way too much.
I shrugged calmly.
— Consider it payment not just for today.
— There’s going to be a lot of work in the near future.
— I don’t want you worrying about every little thing.
She gripped her phone tighter.
The usual sharpness disappeared from her eyes.
— I…
She looked away.
— Thank you.
Very quietly.
Almost a whisper.
I looked at her for a while, then said calmly:
— I hope this money really helps you.
She nodded.
— It will.
— A lot.
I smiled slightly.
— Just remember one thing.
She looked at me questioningly.
— With money, you can buy a nice house.
— Good equipment.
— Beautiful clothes.
— Almost anything.
I paused briefly.
— But it doesn’t buy feelings.
— Or family.
Aya froze.
For a second, her gaze trembled.
She immediately understood what I was talking about.
About her own home.
About her father.
About how she was trying to fix with money what money couldn’t fix.
Her cheeks turned slightly pink.
She turned away and, as usual, tried to hide her embarrassment behind sharpness.
— Y-you…
— Sometimes you actually say something smart…
She coughed.
— Anyway…
— Thank you.
And so I wouldn’t see her face, she quickly turned toward the window, pretending to examine the courtyard very carefully. But from the corners of her lips, it was clear — she would remember those words.

Aya put her phone back in her pocket.
Her mood changed so sharply it was almost funny to watch.
Half an hour ago she had walked here gloomier than a storm cloud.
And now she was literally glowing.
I walked her to the gates.
The automation quietly opened the passage.
She took a few steps onto the street.
And then suddenly…
She dashed off.
— Hey.
I smiled.
— At least say thank you one more time.
— Already running off to spend it all?
She didn’t even turn around.
She just raised her hand above her head.
— Idiot musclehead!
There was laughter in her voice.
— I’m rich now!
— And I’m never coming back!
I laughed.
— You little…
She laughed even louder and disappeared around the corner.
I watched her go for a few more seconds.
Mood improved.
That’s good enough.
I turned around, about to head back into the courtyard.
And…
I almost flinched.
Yuki was standing right in front of me.
So close that I hadn’t noticed her at all.
She looked at me silently.
And…
Smiled.
With a very strange smile.
Too calm.
Too wide.
There was something about her that gave off the atmosphere of a cheap horror movie.
— …
I exhaled.
— Phew…
— Don’t scare me like that, Amano-san.
She laughed brightly.
— It worked!
Yuki clapped her hands in satisfaction.
— I finally managed to scare you, Kurosaki-kun!
— You even flinched.
I smirked.
— I’ll count that as a win.
She smiled contentedly for a few more seconds.
But then her gaze slowly slid toward the open gates.
To where Aya had just disappeared.
Her smile became calmer.
— What was Sakurai-san doing here?
I answered just as calmly:
— She helped me unpack after the move.
— She was looking for a part-time job.
— I offered her a position as my house assistant.
— We also managed to unpack a large part of the boxes together today.
Yuki listened attentively.
Without interrupting.
Then she smiled again.
Only…
The smile became completely different.
— So that’s how it is…
She quietly clapped her hands together.
— Kurosaki-kun…
— You’re so kind.
— You help everyone.
I noticed a barely perceptible pause before the word “everyone.”
Hmm…
Jealousy?
Or…
For now, it was simply a sense of possessiveness that she had never shown before.
Yuki, as if nothing had happened, walked into the courtyard first.
— Well?
She glanced back over her shoulder.
Already with her usual gentle smile.
— Will you show me the house?
— And…
She looked away shyly.
— My room too, Kurosaki-kun? I stepped