”Ready?” I asked.
”Yes, I’m so sorry, Master ♡” Noel replied, her voice sweet.
So—I’m getting ready for school with Noel, the girl I spent all night with—well, until morning, really. I figured skipping class together two days in a row was pushing it. For the record, I used [Regeneration] to recover her stamina… though she doesn’t know that. And thanks to [Body Enhancement], I could run a full marathon and not break a sweat.
”I’m so sorry I passed out halfway through, Master,” she said apologetically.
”Nah, don’t worry about it. I went too hard—my first time and all. My bad,” I replied.
”No, no! I’m your s*x slave, Master! Your pleasure comes first! Even if I pass out, please keep using me!” she insisted earnestly.
”Uh… look, Noel. Don’t call me ‘Master’ outside, alright?” I said nervously.
”Huh?” she blinked in confusion.
”Don’t ‘huh’ me—wait, you were actually planning to?” I asked, alarmed.
”Of-of course! //// You’re my Master, after all ♡” she said, her cheeks flushing.
Yeah, that’s a problem. My school reputation’s already in the gutter. If the most beautiful girl in school starts calling me “Master” in public… yeah, just thinking about it makes me want to die.
”Noel—no ‘Master’ outside. Period,” I said firmly.
”But—” she started.
”No buts. You know what people say about me, right?” I asked.
”Yes, but! After you held me, I understood! You’re not the person everyone says you are!” she protested.
”Look, I appreciate you saying that. Really. But that’s just how you see me. Everyone else at school? Not so much. And if you’re calling me ‘Master’ in front of them… you know what’ll happen,” I explained.
”…I see. I’m sorry—that was shortsighted of me,” she said, her expression falling.
She’s smart—she gets it right away. Guess she was just caught up in the moment earlier. That said, if I keep my distance from her at school, it’s probably gonna stress her out.
(If Noel can’t approach Hayato, she will experience significant stress—100% probability.)
Welp. Appraisal says so, so what can I do?
”Noel—at school, let’s say, uh… you’re my girlfriend. I can’t exactly go around calling you my s*x slave,” I said.
”Ehh? R-really? You’d let me be your girlfriend?” she asked, her eyes lighting up.
”Look, that’s the normal option. The ‘s*x slave’ thing is the weird one, alright?” I said with a sigh.
”Uuu… I’m so happy ♡ Master! ♡♡ …Ah! Outside, then, um… Hayato-kun ♡ Is that okay?” she asked hopefully.
”Yeah. Go with that. ////” I replied, my face heating up.
Man, this is embarrassing. Also—looking at her again, she’s way too cute. Guess that’s why she’s the school’s number-one beauty.
”Um—can I still call you Master when we’re alone?” she asked quietly.
”Yeah, sure,” I said.
”Hehe ♡” she giggled happily.
”Anyway—let’s head to school. You’ve got perfect attendance, right?” I reminded her.
”Ah, that’s right! Let’s go!” she said, nodding.
So—walking to school, we’re getting stared at like crazy. I mean, obviously. The school’s number-one beauty—no, a girl so stunning she gets scouted constantly—is hanging off some guy’s arm. And not just any guy—me. The guy who never had any girl near him. Of course people are staring.
”No way… that can’t be…” someone whispered.
”Why her? Why that senpai?” another voice murmured.
”Why is Hinomiya-sama with a loser like him?!” a third student hissed.
”She’s obviously being threatened!” someone else muttered.
Harsh. I saw this coming, but still—once we pass through the gate, the whispers get even louder. The combination of a celebrity in the best way and a celebrity in the worst way, and the girl every guy in school got rejected by is clinging to him. And she looks absolutely radiant doing it.
”♪ Hayato-kun ♡♡” Noel sang happily.
”Ha ha…” I laughed nervously.
Noel doesn’t seem to care about the stares. Strong. And when we reach the classroom…
”Uuu, I don’t wanna go!” she whined.
”Come on, we don’t have a choice. Different classes,” I said.
I’m in 3-B. Noel’s in 3-C. They’re right next to each other, so splitting up here is just how it is.
”Uuu… can I come see you every break?” she asked, her eyes pleading.
”Yeah, sure—if you can make it,” I said.
”I will! Oh! And lunch—definitely together!” she declared.
”Yeah, I got it,” I nodded.
With that, Noel reluctantly headed into her classroom. The second she did, I heard a flood of voices asking her questions. She’s probably getting grilled right now. Probably won’t be able to come see me today.
”Hey… Hayato,” a hesitant voice called out.
”Huh?” I turned around to see someone I didn’t expect calling out to me.
My voice went cold without me meaning it to—colder than when I talk to my stepsister.
”M-morning,” she stammered.
”Yeah? You’ve never so much as greeted me before, let alone come talk to me. What’s this about?” I asked flatly.
”I… I’m sorry,” she said.
”Sigh… so what do you want?” I asked impatiently.
It was Kisaragi Chitose. My childhood friend—and my ex-girlfriend.
”Um… I heard you were walking arm-in-arm with Hinomiya-san. Are you… are you two dating?” she asked hesitantly.
I could feel the whole class leaning in to eavesdrop. I mean, I get it—she’s basically the goddess of the school.
”Yeah, we’re dating. That answer your question?” I said bluntly.
”Ah! I-I see… um, since when…?” she pressed.
”Yesterday. What’s it to you?” I shot back.
”T-that’s…” she faltered.
”And besides—you’ve got your handsome boyfriend you love so much, right? What’s any of this got to do with you?” I asked coldly.
”That’s not…” she started.
She was about to say something else, but the teacher walked in. Even she wouldn’t ignore the teacher, so she quietly went back to her seat.
What was that about? After all this time ignoring me, now she wants to talk? Should I use [Appraisal]? Nah—that’d be a waste. As for the rest of the day, Noel couldn’t come see me during breaks, and she complained non-stop at lunch.
Summary:
Hayato and Noel head to school together, and Noel’s affectionate “Master” calls and clingy behavior cause a stir among students. Hayato warns her to use “Hayato-kun” in public to avoid further damaging his reputation. In class, his ex-girlfriend Chitose unexpectedly confronts him about his relationship with Noel, but the teacher interrupts before she can finish her thought.
Trivia:
- Hayato used [Regeneration] on Noel without telling her to recover her stamina.
- Hayato’s voice goes colder when speaking to Chitose than when talking to his stepsister.
- Noel has perfect attendance at school.
- Hayato chooses not to use [Appraisal] on Chitose, dismissing it as a waste.
- The Appraisal system predicted 100% stress for Noel if she can’t approach Hayato.
- Noel is in class 3-C while Hayato is in 3-B.
- Chitose is currently dating a handsome boyfriend she supposedly loves.
- Hayato’s school reputation is described as “rock bottom” or “in the gutter.”
- Noel gets swarmed with questions immediately upon entering her classroom.
- The author’s note reveals this chapter achieved 6th place in daily rankings.