"Thank you. I am happy, but I am sorry."
Mizuto apologized and said sincerely, "I can't accept your feelings since I want to focus on studying."
"But-But... you can focus on studying while we're dating! You don't even need to focus on me!"
As the girl tried to convey her words clumsily, trying to change his decision, Mizuto showed a gentle expression and said, "I can't do that, right? I can't be irresponsible to stop your happiness. I also don't want to become a reason for you to be unhappy. You are such a cute girl, and I am sure that you will find a better man than me soon."
"..."
The girl fell in silence for a while as she kept staring at him, then asked timidly, "Can-Can I kiss you?"
"...."
Mizuto fell in silence as he looked at the girl. She might not be as beautiful as Yume or Reina or even less cute than Akatsuki, but there was no doubt that she was attractive, especially her long, beautiful black hair, which she tied in a ponytail, showing the whiteness of her nape.
"Cough! Cough! Irido-kun, the teacher, is calling for you!"
Suddenly, a rough voice, as if trying to mask the origin of this voice, sounded out of nowhere.
"The teacher called me; I needed to go. I am sorry."
"Ah, wait a moment, Irido-kun! Just the cheek is enough!"
Using this chance, Mizuto left as soon as possible toward the source of the voice that helped him, but he tried to lower his speed as he knew the person who had helped him wanted to become an unsung hero, and he respected her decision. Still, wasn't this a private school? Why were many of the girls so bold?
As he returned to his class, he saw the three girls sitting on their seats as if they had never left their seats, talking to each other, but he noticed their breathing was quite hard, as if they had just done a strenuous exercise. However, as a gentleman, he didn't say anything and just sat in his seat before he continued to read his book quietly.
However, the three girls' eyes never left him as if waiting for him to say something, but no matter how they waited, he didn't plan to follow the script as if their obvious glances meant nothing to him.
"H-How is it?" Yume couldn't hold it anymore and took the initiative to ask.
"I rejected the girl."
"What a shame; she is such a cute girl." Yume shook her head regretfully.
"..."
Mizuto stared at Yume in silence, then suddenly stood up. "By the way, if the class starts, tell the teacher that I am going to be late."
"Huh? Where are you going?"
"I am going to that girl and accept her confession."
At that moment, Yume suddenly stood up and grasped his arm so strongly that her fingers dug deeply into his skin. "...you are joking, right?"
It was his first time to see how one could ask such a question in a cute-like voice yet with such a fierce expression.
"...of course, I was joking." Mizuto sat once again, ignoring the cold sweat on his back, then asked helplessly, "Though, why did you pretend to ask me such a question when you peeked at me before?"
"?!"
The three girls panicked and blushed.
"If you noticed, why didn't you say anything?!"
"Could you notice our good intentions by not mentioning how awkward it was?"
"Yeah, yeah. Irido-kun, if you keep doing that, you will become unpopular!"
Watching how three girls ganged up on him, he felt tired, and who the hell said that he would become unpopular?
"Though, are you really okay with our help? If we didn't say anything, you might be kissed by that girl, you know? She is such a cute girl, and it must be nice to be kissed by such a girl, right?" Akatsuki suddenly asked with a curious expression on her face.
Hearing that question, Yume and Reina looked at Mizuto at the same time.
"No, I am grateful for your help." His voice was sincere, and he showed a helpless expression. "While I admit that she might be cute, I don't think that it is appropriate to kiss someone whom I have just met."
While Yume and Reina nodded, Akatsuki's lips twitched as she looked at Mizuto, who could lie as smooth as he breathed, yet when he glanced in her direction with a playful smile, she directly lowered her head since she didn't dare to show her face as she knew how red and hot it was.
"I didn't expect that there would be such a shameless student in this school."
"I guess there must be one or two misfits in every place, right?"
"Don't say that. It isn't good to talk about other people."
By then, they continued to talk about other things, and naturally, there weren't any as bold girls who approached and confessed to him as before.
Still, as the school ended, it might be the first time that he didn't leave with Yume as he went to the driving school. While he didn't mind, she felt slightly uncomfortable, but she was afraid of being called clingy, so she endured it and tried to communicate with her classmates who wished to become friends with her.
Frankly, it was hard for the other classmates to approach them, especially when Mizuto, Reina, Yume, and Akatsuki gathered together. It felt like they felt inferior for some reason. Yet, it only happened to a few people, especially the guys, but the girls didn't mind at all since they thought by knowing Yume, they could get close to her stepbrother by using Yume, which made her feel speechless.
Still, unlike guys, who were clumsy with their emotions, girls were more subtle, and many of them also wished to get to know Yume as an individual.
Naturally, there were guys who wished to get to know this group of beautiful girls, yet it was hard since their reactions were so cold!
Yume didn't care much about the guys and quickly went home when she felt that it was time. She might have changed, and she tried to act like a good girl on the outside, but inwardly, she was still introverted and loved to spend her time quietly at home, either reading or studying.
Still, she realized how much his presence had changed her since she felt empty without him. When he wasn't there by her side, she realized that there was nothing that she could do; everything was so boring, and she felt that the time moved slowly that she didn't want to do anything besides lying on the sofa absentmindedly, waiting for him.
"Yume, what are you doing here? Why didn't you turn on the light?"
"M-Mom!"
Yume was startled when she saw her mother and realized that the time had passed quite a while.
"Geez, if you are there, answer me, okay?" Yuni sighed helplessly as her daughter seemed to be absentminded. "By the way, is Mizuto-kun going to driving school?"
"Ah, um."
"I see." Yuni nodded, then said, "Then, I should prepare a lot of dinner for him since I am sure that he must be exhausted."
Hearing that, Yume was stunned, and somehow, she imagined how Mizuto would cry in happiness as she made dinner for him. Thinking about such a future, she couldn't help but smile and then say something that wasn't of her character. "Ah, Mom, can I help you cook dinner?"
"Huh? Do you want to cook dinner? Are you serious? Are you not sick?"
"What were you talking about?!" Yume was angry at her mother.
"But I didn't expect that there would be a day for you to ask me to teach you how to cook, you know?"
"It-It doesn't matter, right?" Yume suddenly felt like her secret was being exposed and wanted to run away for now. "If-If I can't, then that's it!"
"No, no! Please help me! I want to cook dinner with Yume!"
"Really? Then, it can't be helped..." Yume sighed helplessly as if she was forced to help her mother.
Staring at her daughter, Yuni felt helpless, but inwardly, she knew the change in her daughter was caused by her stepson. While she didn't mind for them to date each other, she felt a little guilty since she knew the reason why her daughter hesitated was because of her.
So, when they cooked together, Yuni said, "Say, Yume."
"Hmm?"
Yume frowned as she tried to remember every step of the cooking process so that in the future, she could cook for him.
"Whatever your wish is, mom will support you, you know?"
"Huh-Huh?"
"You don't need to feel scared, okay? It isn't forbidden, and I think he is a great catch," Yuni said softly.
"...."
Yume stared at her mother for a while as her eyes reddened. "...thank you, mom."
"Geez, how old are you? Why are you crying?"
"Aren't you crying, too?"
As Yuni and Yume had a mother-and-daughter conversation, Mizuto also finished driving school today. It was his first day at the school, and there was nothing special except that the women in that school seemed to be interested in him, but when he used his "Identify" skill on them, he felt that it might be better for him to skip on them.
Rejecting them with his usual standard template, he continued to study as he didn't wish to waste his money.
The rest was the same since the driving school wasn't cheap.
Still, when he went home, he saw someone unexpected.
"Hey, Irido-kun, it's a coincidence to meet you here."
Under the street lamp, a small figure greeted him cheerfully as she approached him, but no matter how great her acting skill was, her movement was quite unnatural.
Watching Akatsuki, who approached him like it was a coincidence, Mizuto knew that it was time for the showdown.
"Did you follow me, Minami-san?"
---
Only one, okay?