"Aunt, I've recently made a few close female friends."
Hoshimi carefully chose his words, speaking cautiously: "One of them is Yukinoshita Yukino. She's my classmate and sits next to me. When I first transferred to Sobu High, she helped me a lot. We even teamed up and won the mixed doubles tennis championship during the sports festival."
"So my relationship with her..." Hoshimi paused, his gaze evasive, and continued, "We're quite close..."
"And then there's Kasumigaoka Utaha. She's also a high school student and a rising popular light novel author. I met her online through her work."
The existence of the dream world couldn't be disclosed, so he had to adjust some details.
Saying they met online was reasonable enough since he had spent most of his time online while staying at home, getting involved in various anime subcultures. This was something Aunt Arisugawa was aware of.
"I had a lot of conversations with Utaha online, and I gave her many suggestions for her writing."
This was true. The third volume of Kasumigaoka's "Love Metronome" was essentially written through their heated discussions.
In a sense, it could be considered giving her advice, right?
"As we talked more, Utaha and I naturally became closer... A few days ago, she suggested we meet in person, and I agreed."
"I took the day off today to go to Tokyo and meet Utaha..."
At this point, Hoshimi paused, discreetly glancing at Aunt Arisugawa.
Seeing that she remained silent, calmly sipping her tea, Hoshimi pursed his lips and decided to mention Kotoko as well.
"And finally, there's Kotoko Iwanaga. She's a junior at our school, and I also met her online. It was a surprise to find out we attended the same school, so we became close quickly."
After finishing, Hoshimi added in a somewhat sulky tone, "That's it. Just these three. There's no one else."
Looking at Hoshimi, who appeared slightly aggrieved, Aunt Arisugawa put down her teacup, clasped her hands gracefully on her lap, and asked in a gentle tone, "Kiyokawa, who left the mark on your neck?"
"..." Hoshimi turned his head slightly, mumbling, "It was Yukino, the girl who sits next to me."
"Alright." Aunt Arisugawa nodded slightly.
She continued to smile softly without saying anything, leaving her thoughts unknown.
The room grew silent, the only sound being the faint hum of the central air conditioning.
Hoshimi kept his head down, waiting in silence for Aunt Arisugawa's next question, or perhaps, punishment.
To be honest, someone like Aunt Arisugawa, who rarely showed her emotions, was difficult to deal with. Without prolonged interaction, it was almost impossible to guess what she was thinking.
At this point, Hoshimi, who didn't fully understand Aunt Arisugawa yet, could only rely on his 'youth' and use some simple strategies.
"Kiyokawa, do you know the backgrounds of their families?" Aunt Arisugawa suddenly asked.
Hoshimi was taken aback.
He feigned a gloomy expression and replied solemnly, "I do, but it's not what you're thinking, Aunt."
The reason she asked this was simple—she was worried that someone might be approaching him with ulterior motives.
The inheritance his parents left was too vast, enough to tempt some people to ignore the Arisugawa family's influence and get close to him.
Among the inheritance, the billions in bank deposits and properties across the country were just the tip of the iceberg. The real treasure lay in the shares of top-tier venture capital companies!
These companies' annual dividends were substantial, and it was a steady, long-term income, year after year!
Such considerable and sustainable wealth was bound to attract attention.
If someone could lure him away from the Arisugawa family's protection using a honey trap, many noble families wouldn't hesitate to use their eligible young women.
This was what Aunt Arisugawa was worried about.
But he knew better than anyone that Yukino, Kotoko, and Utaha weren't trying to trap him.
And if someone did try to use a honey trap on him...
Heh, his dream world abilities weren't to be trifled with!
He was confident he could take full advantage of the trap without paying any price, and maybe even swallow the bait and the person behind it whole!
"Is that so? Kiyokawa, think it over yourself." Aunt Arisugawa didn't press further.
Hoshimi was a smart child, fully aware of his situation and capable of looking out for himself.
A gentle reminder was enough. Saying too much might provoke his rebelliousness, which would be counterproductive.
"Yes, I understand, Aunt." Hoshimi maintained his gloomy expression.
"Good." Aunt Arisugawa glanced at Hoshimi and then asked, "Kiyokawa, what do you think is the primary duty of a student?"
Upon hearing this, Hoshimi felt a headache coming on and instinctively replied, "Aunt, a student's primary duty is to study."
"Exactly. So, do you know what I'm going to say next?" Aunt Arisugawa smiled faintly, looking at Hoshimi.
"..." Hoshimi winced, nodding first, then shaking his head.
He knew Aunt Arisugawa was going to use academics to curtail his fun, but he wasn't sure how far she would go.
Aunt Arisugawa smiled a little wider, "Kiyokawa, your father graduated from Tokyo University's law department, and your mother from Tokyo University's philosophy department. I hope you can follow in their footsteps and get into Tokyo University. Is that okay?"
Hoshimi silently nodded. That wasn't a problem.
If he put in the effort, getting into Tokyo University would be no issue.
Of course, that was assuming he actually put in the effort...
But even if he didn't study hard, he could still get into Tokyo University easily, especially if Yukino or Utaha helped him cheat. Getting into Tokyo University would be a piece of cake.
Yes, his dream world ability was just that practical.
Seeing Hoshimi nod, Aunt Arisugawa's smile deepened, and she continued, "Kiyokawa, have you been sleeping in class every day recently?"
Hoshimi's expression froze.
Damn it! Who tattled?! Who was it?!
Hiratsuka-sensei! It must be you! It can only be you!
"Kiyokawa, young people need to learn self-control. Don't ruin your health at such a young age," Aunt Arisugawa said with a meaningful tone.
"..." Hoshimi was speechless.
From Aunt Arisugawa's perspective, he was entangled with three girls, came home with hickeys, and slept during the day at school.
It was obvious what she misunderstood.
But he couldn't refute it because, with all these signs, anyone would draw that conclusion.
Hoshimi sighed inwardly, nodding helplessly.
No, being falsely accused made him uncomfortable. He had to confirm Aunt Arisugawa's suspicions soon to feel better!
===
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