After seriously advising the little succubus, Sasaki hugged her soft little body and got close for a while.
Holding her small hand, which fit perfectly in his palm, they started walking out of the woods.
"When we have time, would it be convenient for me to visit your sister?"
Is this what humans mean by "food delivered to your door"?
Feeling delighted, Iga Sutora nodded her little head and happily responded, "Of course! Anytime you want to visit, just let me know~"
"Great~"
Nodding in agreement, as they were about to leave the woods, Sasaki let go of her hand, allowing her to go ahead.
There was still a little time left before the bell rang for class, so there were quite a few students around the campus.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, it was better for them not to leave together.
After the little succubus walked away, Sasaki glanced around, ensuring that the students who had just passed by were far enough away before he casually strolled out of the woods, pretending he had just woken up.
After buying a bottle of water from the vending machine, he returned to his classroom.
There were still five minutes before class started, and the students who had been outside were gradually returning to the classroom.
The noise they made woke up the dazed-looking Haruno Ayato.
"Stop daydreaming and go wash your face. We've got a test coming up."
"Yeah, yeah."
The boy responded absentmindedly, took a deep breath, and headed out.
By the time he returned, the teacher carrying the test papers had already entered the classroom.
Afternoon classes were shorter, and the lessons were brief.
If it was a test, it felt even shorter.
After completing two relatively simple test papers, it was already time for dismissal.
It's worth noting that the last class was an English test, and during the monitoring, their English teacher, Hibari Satou, spent most of the time standing by Sasaki's side, watching him work on the test.
The boy couldn't figure out why she was paying so much attention to him.
Even after thinking about it, he couldn't find a reasonable explanation.
However, since it wasn't convenient to ask during the test, he forced himself not to think about it.
And so, it was time to leave.
After packing the stationery on his desk into his pencil case and putting it in his bag, Sasaki, following the same route as yesterday, headed to the library, where he once again snuggled up with Yukiha, who never resisted him.
Unlike his leisurely and pleasant mood, Katase Shouya, who had just arrived at the baseball club's locker room, felt a bit heavy-hearted.
His usually close friend seemed to be eyeing his position as the top player in the baseball club.
And the coach, who had always valued and cared for him, might be eyeing his girlfriend...
Anyone who discovered that the people around them who treated them well had ulterior motives would feel uncomfortable.
Not wanting to face the darkness of being surrounded by schemes, Shouya hoped that the coach was innocent... but ultimately, it wasn't up to him. It all depended on the results of the test...
'I hope it's just Akane being overly sensitive...'
Bang—
After closing his locker, Shouya joined the other team members who had changed and headed to the baseball field.
As usual, the baseball team manager, his beautiful girlfriend, Nanao Akane, who had arrived a bit earlier, stood on the field and greeted them with a gentle smile.
"Good afternoon, everyone."
Without showing any favoritism, she didn't appear to be particularly close to anyone, including himself.
Because of this, from the time they agreed to become official lovers after the big tournament, no one in the club noticed anything unusual about their relationship.
This was partly due to Akane's equal treatment of everyone and partly because he himself didn't dare to be too forward.
Just like now.
Unlike himself, who felt embarrassed and hesitant to greet her, the other club members warmly responded to Akane's greeting.
"Good afternoon, Nanao-senpai."
"Nanao-senpai, you're as beautiful as ever today."
…..
Watching them gather around his girlfriend, enthusiastically greeting her, Katase Shouya felt a mix of pride and jealousy.
He was proud that others admired his girlfriend, but he was also envious of the attention she received from other men.
Usually, at this point, he would step forward and remind everyone to line up.
Today was no different.
"Alright, everyone, the coach will be here soon. Let's get in line."
Katase Shouya was well-respected by the coach, and few in the baseball club dared to disobey him.
So, after his words, the members quickly lined up.
Turning around, Shouya, with an uncertain gaze, said to Nanao Akane:
"Manager Nanao, please start the roll call."
"Mm~"
Though she didn't like those boys surrounding her in their sweaty baseball uniforms, this was the moment she cherished most.
Because it was one of the few times in the baseball club where she could feel her boyfriend's protective nature.
So, even though she disliked being surrounded by them, her smile remained awkward but not resentful.
However, if Shou-kun weren't there, she wouldn't have considered joining the club at all.
Given that most girls dislike the smell of sweat and stinky socks…
Akane Nanao let out the breath she had been holding, lowered her head to glance at the attendance sheet in her hand, and started roll call for the day.
"Harukami..."
"Here!"
"Ida..."
"Here!"
"Murashita..."
"Here!"
...
"Haruta..."
"Here!"
Holding a pen, Akane Nanao ticked the box next to Haruta's name and then called out the next name.
"Tanabe..."
As expected, there was no response.
The girl raised her head to look at where Tanabe should have been standing and called out again.
"Tanabe."
The spot where Tanabe usually stood was empty.
Noticing his absence, Akane Nanao, who was in the same class as Tanabe, seemed to remember something and casually explained in a voice that everyone could hear:
"It seems like Tanabe-san has some family matters to attend to, so he took leave from the teacher."
Ignoring the curious looks from the other members, she continued to call the roll as usual.
After she finished the roll, Coach Tougou Toshizuo arrived at the baseball field right on time.
With a furrowed brow and a long, stern face that could only be described as ugly, his white baseball uniform clung tightly to his bulky frame.
These traits alone were enough to intimidate most students.
Add to that his reputation as the coach of the baseball team, and it's fair to say he held the fate of every baseball club member in his hands.
Therefore, the members of the baseball team were as docile and helpless as little chickens in front of him.
As soon as he arrived, the field fell silent.
Akane Nanao took this opportunity to hand the attendance sheet to him.
"Coach Tougou here's today's attendance sheet. One member is absent."
Maintaining a flawless demeanour in front of the team, Tougou Toshizuo cast his eyes downward, focusing on the sheet handed to him without even glancing at the "flower" of the baseball team, Akane Nanao and then reached out to take the sheet.
"Who's absent?"
"The first baseman, Tanabe."
"Got it."
Without further comment, he nodded, folded up the attendance sheet, and said in a deep voice:
"Haruta, fill in for Tanabe during practice."
"Alright, let's get started with today's training. Warm up with two laps around the field."
"Yes, Coach!"
Led by Shouya Katase, today's training began.
...