The next day, when Hayashi Maki arrived at school, Katsura Yukiji blocked his path.
"Hey kid, come with me a sec!"
Under the curious stares of Shiina Mahiru and the others, the third-year history teacher tugged Hayashi Maki into a corner.
Hayashi Maki eyed the smiling woman with interest. She was attractive—better developed than her younger sister—and her neat short hair framed a refined face. Easily an 8/10… docked points entirely for her hopeless adult habits: drinking, laziness, and loving money. She still owed Hinagiku 40,000 and had borrowed from every relative in orbit.
No wonder Katsura Hinagiku had said she wasn't close to her family. With a relative like this, who keeps "borrowing," anyone would keep their distance.
"What can I do for you, Yukiji-sensei?"
Yukiji flashed a grin and pulled a photo from her pocket.
"Got something good to show you."
Hayashi Maki leaned in—and his heart skipped.
"Ah—this… this is… Hinagiku-senpai's after-bath shot? And the tub pic! Phew… adorable!"
(He wanted to say tempting, but for image control, he settled on adorable.)
"Heehee, well? Want it?"
She flicked the photo in her fingers. "I'll give you a friends-and-family price since you helped me yesterday—how's 1 million?"
Hayashi Maki rolled his eyes. "Ten thousand. That's the cap."
"And you're going to be honest and tell me—who else have you sold pics like this to?"
His gaze went sharp. Hinagiku's photos could not leak.
Yukiji's mouth twitched. "Only ten thousand? You think I'm a beggar? One hundred thousand each, I'll include the negatives!"
"And no—aside from you, I haven't officially sold any yet. So if you pay up, all of Hinagiku-chan's shots will belong to you from now on!"
Hayashi Maki rolled his eyes again. "Money's not the problem. Your ethics are. What's to stop you from taking my cash and flipping more to someone else?"
"I swear, okay?" Yukiji glared, offended he'd question her character. Honestly, if he wasn't handsome and loaded, she'd have decked him already. What a cheapskate!
"Heh. And a gambler's oath is what I'm supposed to trust? Here's the deal—sign a contract. From now on, any Hinagiku photos you take can only be sold to me. Otherwise we're done. And I'll be telling Hinagiku you're selling candids."
Before he finished, Yukiji shoved the photo into his hand. "Deal!"
Hayashi Maki pocketed it, slid an arm around her waist, and—
—kissed her.
She jolted, eyes wide. "Ah!"
"You—you—you—what are you doing?!"
He stayed blithe. "Making it binding insurance. Check your hand. That mark is proof. If you sell Hinagiku's photos to anyone else, the contract will punish you."
Yukiji glanced at the back of her hand—sure enough, a sigil had appeared. She glared, furiously scrubbing her lips.
Damn it—she hadn't planned to sell that first kiss!
She thrust out a palm. "Another million. That's the price of my first kiss! You little punk—remember this!"
Hayashi Maki happily paid. To him, anything money could fix wasn't a problem. And with the initial contract in place, he could now check on Yukiji via his "god's-eye view." Win-win.
Her anger evaporated fast. Staring at the stack of bills, her eyes glittered. This kid really was flush with cash. Stingy, sure—but he paid.
Thank you, Hinagiku-chan! Yukiji decided it was totally in her interest to push Hinagiku toward Hayashi Maki. That way, she could borrow from him all the time.
Hayashi Maki slipped away with Hinagiku's photos, very pleased with himself. Unethical? Maybe. But her sister sold them—better he buy them than some rando.
—Noon—
After passing the clinging Ako to Goshoin Kyoh and Segawa Akane to grind dungeons, Hayashi Maki headed to the quiet back hill behind the school. This was where he'd first met Katsura Hinagiku—she, too afraid of heights to climb, fretting for a cat stuck in a tree—when he showed up and brought it down.
After a short wait, Hinagiku appeared in her uniform.
"Um, did I keep you long?"
Hands behind her back, nervously pinching her skirt, cheeks faint pink—just thinking of what came next made her shy.
"I just got here."
He took her hand. "Let's sit over there. There's a bench."
She looked at their joined hands, cheeks heating, a soft feeling blooming in her chest. Then she noticed the bench.
"…Why is there a bench here?"
"Because we needed one, obviously. In light-novels, when the leads need something, it just… appears."
"This isn't a light-novel world. Is that your superpower?"
She grumbled, but sat anyway.
Hayashi Maki flopped down and laid his head across her thighs. "Don't mind if I do, Senpai."
His head rested on her black-stockinged lap—silky and soft; his heart kicked.
Hinagiku shivered, looking away, then covered his eyes with her palm. "Don't look at me from that angle. It's embarrassing."
"Okay, okay. I'll keep them shut."
He obeyed, and Hinagiku—unable to resist—peeked down at his handsome face. Her heart picked up speed.
"I ran into my sister. She looked very happy—and was skulking around with a camera behind me. I can't imagine what she's plotting this time."
Taking in his warm presence, Hinagiku found herself confiding like last time.
Hayashi Maki chuckled and pulled out the glossy prints. "What else could she be plotting? Selling your candid 'beauty shots' for cash."
Hinagiku snatched the photo and jumped up. "—Ah!"
"Y-you… you saw them?"
He rubbed his head where she'd jolted him off her lap, and pouted. "Of course I saw them. I bought them. Very cute, by the way."
"Y-you… pervert!"
She could only sputter, but there wasn't much genuine anger behind it.
"My lap pillow wasn't long enough. Senpai, how can you quit halfway?"
He tugged her into sitting again and pillowed his head back on her thighs.
"Relax—your sister promised to sell only to me. No one else will get those photos."
Hinagiku was speechless.
Oh, so it's fine as long as it's in your hands? You really don't consider yourself an outsider, do you.