Chapter 84: Shunsuke Stays Out All Night, Mai's Thoughts Run Wild
"You think I'll believe that?"
Mai was still a bit agitated.
"No, if I really had those kinds of thoughts, you'd be unable to close your legs by now," Shunsuke retorted as he opened the door. "I'll step out for a bit. Mai-san, calm yourself down."
A short while later, Shunsuke returned. The entranceway had already returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
"Mai-san, are you calm now?"
Mai glared at him fiercely. "Don't you have anything to say? How dare you joke about something like that! You're so mean!"
"Hmm, I didn't expect Mai-san's reaction to be so cute. I love this kind of contrast."
"I'm not asking for your thoughts on the matter!"
Feeling like she'd lost face in front of her junior, Mai was furious, but she held back, trying to maintain her fragile senior dignity.
Grrr~~~
And then, the next second, the sound from her stomach shattered that last shred of dignity completely.
Watching Mai teetering between holding her head in despair and having a hysterical meltdown, Shunsuke decided not to provoke her further.
Quietly, he walked into the kitchen and brought out a few Baumkuchen cakes.
Thanks to Mashiro, their house always had a stockpile of these cakes.
"Th-thanks," Mai muttered, lowering her head as she took the cakes, though she stubbornly added, "But I didn't come here to eat!"
"Of course. Yes, this is entirely my fault for asking you to eat. Mai-san, I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Consider this my apology gift."
After spending so much time with people who were stubborn but secretly grateful, Shunsuke was already used to it.
In fact, he found this kind of honest stubbornness far more endearing than certain other personalities.
If it were about something else, he might have teased her further.
However, given what had just happened, and considering how Mai had taken the initiative to approach someone she'd only met once, he could imagine just how difficult things had been for her.
With her personality, she probably hadn't eaten anything since her presence had been erased.
Stealing food while others weren't looking?
That was something Mai would never do.
Though clearly starving, Mai still ate her cake in small, delicate bites.
"Mai-san, how long have you been like this?"
"Since yesterday..." Mai's voice was low, tinged with a fear she couldn't hide. "This is the first time I've disappeared for so long at once, and on such a large scale. It's never lasted more than a day before."
"So, you haven't eaten for a day—no, two days?"
"I had some snacks at home, so at first, I didn't think much of it. But I finished them yesterday, and it still hasn't ended."
"I came over yesterday afternoon to find you, but..." Mai hesitated, coughing lightly as she changed the subject, avoiding her earlier embarrassment. "By the way, where were you yesterday? A top student like you staying out all night and even skipping school today…"
Halfway through her sentence, Mai realized how her words contradicted her earlier accusations, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
Quickly, she shifted the topic again, her gaze flickering to the suit Shunsuke had removed, her expression becoming a bit suspicious.
"I was out working."
"Working? It's not something… inappropriate, is it?"
Having spent time in the entertainment industry, Mai's mind wandered to some odd and unpleasant scenarios.
If it involved women, she could reluctantly accept it, but if it was men… her thoughts immediately drifted to a certain famous male idol who had reportedly developed a fistula.
That revelation had been a massive shock to a young Mai, and after being forced to take swimsuit photos herself, she had hysterically cut ties with her mother and quit the entertainment industry, even though her status far surpassed that of any idol.
"You might not know this, Mai-san, but I'm actually a bestselling novelist," Shunsuke said casually. "I've been branching into the manga industry lately. If everything goes well, you'll see my work in the next season of Shonen Jump."
"Eh? Shunsuke, you're that talented?"
Mai's attention was successfully diverted.
Shunsuke nodded with confidence, thinking, I never lied; she's the one misinterpreting.
After some time, once Mai had filled her stomach, Shunsuke decided to circle back to the main point. With a mischievous grin, he asked, "So, Mai-san, why did you come here?"
Still trying to keep up appearances, Mai stammered, "C-can't I just visit a junior for no reason?"
"Of course! I'm so moved that you care about me so much. I'm so excited I feel like confessing my love right now!"
Feeling increasingly flustered at Shunsuke's playful remarks, Mai shifted uncomfortably, her face turning bright red.
Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and lashed out.
Her foot, clad in black stockings, stomped on Shunsuke's slipper and began rubbing against it in frustration.
"My deepest gratitude," Shunsuke said, clasping his hands together in mock reverence.
"Don't thank me so seriously for something like this, you pervert!"
After a lengthy conversation with Mai, Shunsuke cleared his throat and finally stopped teasing her. "Mai-san, do you know Schrödinger's cat?"
The legendary "beast" of quantum physics? Of course, Mai… had no idea what it was.
Having been a child star from a young age, Mai's intelligence had helped her achieve good grades, even getting into a prestigious university.
However, when it came to extracurricular knowledge that wasn't tested, she hadn't had the time or energy to delve into such things.
Thus, Shunsuke had no choice but to painstakingly explain it.
Quantum mechanics wasn't exactly his forte either, and Mai's occasional questions made it even more challenging for him to keep up.
---Next time, I really need to bring Futaro along,
Shunsuke thought to himself as he struggled through the explanation.
Finally, he reached his conclusion. "So, Mai-san, your current situation is influenced not just by your own thoughts, but also by how others perceive you. Simply put, it comes down to… your reputation. Or, to be blunt—your lack of social connections."
"What do you mean, lack of social connections?!"
There it was—the sore spot of someone without friends.
One wrong step and it was bound to explode.
Shunsuke shrugged. "I mean, none of your classmates want to interact with you. You probably don't have a single friend at school, do you?"
"..."
A critical hit.
Mai fell silent.
Though she had long accepted that she didn't have any friends, it wasn't because it didn't bother her—it was just something she had grown used to, a habit formed since elementary school.
"Of course, this isn't your fault, Mai-san," Shunsuke said. "It's because you're so outstanding and dazzling. Combined with your cool and aloof appearance, most people don't dare to approach you. That's how things ended up this way. It's something that geniuses often face. Yukinoshita Yukino from our grade deals with something similar."
"So, what are you suggesting, Shunsuke?" Mai asked, her tone sharp. "That I should lower myself and deliberately try to please others? Spend my days wearing a fake smile, acting friendly with everyone, pretending to be close when in reality, it's all just an act? Caring for no one but myself? Is that the version of me you want to see?"
"No, let's not do that," Shunsuke rejected immediately. "If you changed like that, you wouldn't be the Mai-san I know. I much prefer the Mai-san as she is now."
"My, my, such arrogance from a mere junior," Mai said with a smirk, pinching Shunsuke's cheek. "So you'd rather I disappear than see me change?"
"No, that's not what I—"
Before he could finish, Mai twisted his cheek hard, pulling and stretching it mercilessly.
------------------
If you want to read 10 advance chapters ahead.
Visit my patreon: patreon.com/EggZy