The Heroines All Regretted It

After speaking, Yoru closed the door.

"You… why are you closing the door?!"

"What are you doing?!"

Eriri, immersed in fear, was suddenly jolted awake!

She thought Yoru was shutting her inside again!

No…!

No… I don't want this…

I'm going to die!

"Oh—sorry, my bad."

Yoru, not paying attention for a moment, had opened the door to Eriri's room again. He glanced at the seafood rice and the bottle of milk left on the floor, then stepped back out.

Click—

The door shut.

Eriri lay motionless on the bed, her lips pressed together tightly. Her big, teary eyes stared blankly at the door. She didn't make a sound for a long time.

Outside the room, Yoru didn't leave immediately.

He waited.

When no sound came from inside, he hesitated.

Maybe it was best not to provoke Eriri further—

With that thought, he slowly went downstairs, picked up his school bag, and quietly left Eriri's house.

At the entrance, he put on his shoes, glanced around the spacious and luxurious villa, and even took a moment to neatly line up Eriri's shoes before walking out.

The door could be opened from inside without a fingerprint—just unlock it and walk away.

Bright sunlight struck Yoru's face.

"Eriri's mouth is pretty foul, but she's still cute. Her figure isn't bad either."

"She might look small, but she's got a surprisingly strong will inside."

"Really makes you wonder who'll manage to tame that arrogant little bitch one day…"

"Hehehe…"

Yoru laughed out loud, clearly in an excellent mood.

In all his life, he had never felt so happy.

He passed through the villa's garden.

The blooming flowers gave off a gentle fragrance.

"Achoo—achoo—achoo—"

Yoru sniffled, sneezing three times in a row.

Rubbing his nose, he took a deep breath and walked into the little flower garden.

Glancing around casually, he spotted a small pink-and-white herb he'd used as a substitute for basil and cilantro in the seafood rice earlier.

It was tucked into a corner of the garden.

Yoru crouched down, picked one, and held it to his nose.

The scent was faint but refreshing.

"Smells nice."

Muttering to himself, Yoru turned and left Eriri's home.

He walked straight through the front gate, stepped onto the wide sidewalk outside.

It was still early—very early.

Yoru didn't even know what to do with himself. His mind wandered. He just wanted to walk without thinking.

He put aside the thoughts of revenge, the hatred toward Kaguya Shinomiya and Utaha Kasumigaoka, and strolled aimlessly.

He didn't know the streets and didn't care where he ended up.

He breathed in the fresh scent of the flower he held—

Though he didn't know it…

The flowers in Eriri's garden were all rare and expensive.

Sawamura Sayuri, Eriri's mother and a diplomat's wife, had no need to work and spent her free time tending to her garden with care and expertise.

The flower Yoru just picked had been carefully bred and nurtured by her for ten months.

It was extremely rare.

And now, it had been plucked and sniffed by a greasy otaku.

Even worse—he used it in cooking.

…

Not long after Yoru left—

Eriri painfully crawled out of bed, dragging herself to the door in a prone position.

Ignoring the aching pain all over her body, she pressed her elbow against the wall and twisted the door handle.

"That disgusting freak must be gone, right?"

Nervous, frightened, Eriri peeked her head out just slightly.

Her golden hair was a tangled mess…

The house was silent.

He was gone.

Yoru had left!

Eriri slumped to the floor in disbelief, covering her face.

She wanted to cry out, but her tears had already dried up, and her eyes still burned.

The aroma of seafood rice continued to drift from the edge of the pot's lid, teasing her nose and stirring her stomach.

"Like hell I'm eating food made by that disgusting, perverted pig!"

"Trying to win me over?"

"Drop dead!"

Eriri finally snapped.

She tried to kick the seafood rice away—but the moment she moved, pain surged through her.

"Cough… cough…"

Her throat, dry as sandpaper, burned as she suddenly started coughing violently, her face turning red.

With no other choice, she grabbed the bottle of milk from the floor—after all, it came from her own fridge.

She twisted off the cap and gulped it down desperately.

In mere seconds, she had drunk over half of the one-liter bottle.

But she drank too fast. Her throat couldn't handle it. She choked.

Milk spurted back out through her nose, covering her cute little face in white.

"Cough… cough…"

"Damn it… damn bastard…"

Holding her stomach, Eriri felt the nausea rising and couldn't stop herself from dry heaving.

…

A long time passed before she finally wiped her face clean and froze in place again.

Even she didn't know what she wanted to do now.

A gentle breeze blew through the balcony, carrying a faint floral scent.

Eriri caught a whiff and turned her head—only to see the pot of seafood rice.

To eat… or not to eat?

She couldn't even walk properly.

She had been exhausted the entire day and hadn't eaten a single bite. The fridge probably didn't have anything ready to eat either.

The seafood rice in front of her looked irresistible—golden and rich in aroma.

Even someone who wasn't hungry would've drooled at the sight.

After a long silence, Eriri slowly crawled over and removed the pot lid.

The fragrance hit her hard, overwhelming her senses.

She couldn't resist anymore.

She picked up the spoon and began shoveling it into her mouth.

That proud, arrogant girl—who used to call Yoru a disgusting freak—was now stuffing her cheeks full with his cooking.

And it was delicious. Incredibly so.

The sound of chewing echoed through the room.

This—this was what Yoru had wanted.

You could understand a person's thoughts through their behavior and expressions.

Like an interrogator or a therapist—same principle.

The fact that Eriri was willing to eat the rice meant that, from now on, as long as Yoru didn't cross the line again…

She wouldn't dare go against him.

She swallowed a huge spoonful, then unexpectedly chuckled to herself and took another. But her tears were falling, soaking the floor.

She knew it deep down—she didn't deserve someone like Tomoya anymore.

Her life had been shattered. She would live in this shadow forever…

…

"Where am I?"

Yoru had no idea how long he'd been walking when he finally stopped and looked around.

The sun was beginning to set.

There weren't any tall office buildings around, so he knew this wasn't one of the wealthy districts like Minato or Chiyoda.

"Guess I'll head home."

His legs ached. He pulled out his phone and opened the map app.

"Let's see… nearest station…"

He zoomed in and moved the map around.

Edogawa Ward.

He confirmed his location and started heading toward the station.

As he passed a corner store, he stepped inside and browsed a bit. Eventually, he bought a can of black coffee.

After paying, he stepped outside and stood at the door, taking big gulps.

Once finished, he casually tossed the empty can toward the garbage bin outside.

It flew through the air in a nice arc but bounced off the rim and landed on the ground.

It bounced once again—

Right at that moment, a little girl came running out from a blind spot in Yoru's field of view.

The can hit her arm.

It wasn't serious.

In fact, she didn't even seem to notice the impact. Otherwise, she would've stopped and looked.

"Ah—s-sorry, little girl."

"My bad. I didn't get it in the bin. I really apologize…"

Yoru quickly approached and apologized to what looked like an elementary schooler who had just started first grade.

Even if she wasn't hurt and the can didn't hit her hard, it still felt right to apologize.

The little girl continued sobbing as if she hadn't heard Yoru's words.

Yoru didn't dare get too close. He was fully aware of how he looked—an unkempt, overweight guy with long hair.

If he got any nearer and a passerby saw, they'd definitely misunderstand. It'd be impossible to explain.

"Hey, don't cry, okay? What's wrong?"

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

Yoru anxiously glanced around while trying to calm the little girl.

He wasn't familiar with this neighborhood.

It was his first time here.

He'd just wandered aimlessly for so long, taking breaks now and then, and somehow ended up here.

"I… I lost my stuff…"

"And… and I don't know how to get back…"

"Ugh… One… Onee-chan…"

The little girl looked up at Yoru and cried even harder.

She had lost something, had an argument with her sister, and ran away.

Her home was somewhere nearby—not too far—but she didn't clearly remember the way back.

She had a vague sense of direction, but she kept running in circles and ended up lost.

"Hey hey hey, it's okay, don't cry."

"I can call the police for you. They'll help take you home."

Yoru took out his phone and tried to comfort her.

After speaking gently, he dialed the police.

As the call connected, Yoru lightly tapped the back of his phone to make some sound.

"Sniff… sniff…"

The little girl wiped her eyes and looked up at Yoru. "Thank you… mister…"

Yoru almost choked on his own breath.

You're probably a first grader, and I'm a high school student.

Did you just call me mister?!

After explaining the situation to the operator, Yoru hung up and took a closer look at the girl. She actually seemed kind of familiar.

"It's all good now. Someone will be here soon to take you home."

Yoru kept his distance, not daring to approach.

"Okay."

The girl nodded obediently.

Yoru didn't leave. He stayed nearby, and after about ten minutes—

A community patrol officer from the police station rode up on a bicycle and stopped in front of the convenience store.

"I'm the one who called."

Yoru stepped up and spoke.

The officer gave Yoru a once-over before hurrying over to check on the girl.

"Sigh… no matter where you go, this world judges by appearances."

Yoru sighed quietly.

He still had a bit over a month left in summer vacation. Hopefully, he could slim down by then.

That gold chest gave him a "tenfold reward return on effort" bonus—it definitely wasn't just fluff.

"I really want to see what I'd look like thinner. There aren't even any childhood photos for reference."

"Mom's beautiful, so hopefully I won't turn out too ugly…"

Yoru stood quietly to the side, letting the officer do his job, all the while daydreaming.

His only wish—

That after a lifetime of being overweight, he wouldn't end up looking worse after slimming down.

He wasn't hoping to suddenly look like some handsome manga protagonist or anything.

That would just be delusional.

Just then, the officer's radio crackled with several voices, followed by a soft and anxious girl's voice.

"Onee-chan… sniff… I'm over here…"

The little girl suddenly perked up.

"Looks like her sister called the police too. They got connected."

Yoru let out a breath of relief. He watched the girl for a moment, then stayed put.

A few minutes later—

Another patrol officer arrived with the girl's older sister.

"…That's her?!"

Yoru narrowed his eyes slightly as he recognized her.

It was Ichinose Honami.

He first thought of his fat cat, San-san, and then recalled Tokisaki Kurumi—Honami's close friend.

Back at Shuchiin Academy, near the vending machines.

While lining up, Yoru had overheard that beautiful girl with peach-colored hair and a shockingly generous figure calling her bestie "San-san."

Same name as his cat.

It all came back now.

"Thank you so much. You're… You're Kitakami-san from school, right?"

Ichinose, dressed casually in a loose shirt, relaxed visibly once she saw her little sister safe.

Then she turned to Yoru and thanked him politely.

She clearly recognized him.

The guy with a bad reputation at school—the one rumored to have stolen Kasumigaoka-senpai's stockings and panties.

"You're probably thinking right now, 'He's that disgusting guy from school, the thief,' right?"

"Miss Ichinose?"

Yoru caught the flicker in Ichinose's expression and replied flatly.

He didn't need mind-reading powers. It was written all over her face.

Even if he had psychic abilities, Yoru wasn't the type to abuse them.

"Ah?!"

Ichinose's eyes widened in shock, her lips parting, chest slightly jolting.

"Forget it, I'm leaving."

Yoru didn't look particularly upset.

He was just waiting for Eriri to go confess to Kasumigaoka Utaha.

"Y-yes, I'm sorry. Truly, I'm very sorry about those thoughts in my head…"

"I… I couldn't help it. I apologize…"

Ichinose quickly stepped in front of him, bowing in apology.

"But please don't misunderstand. I know my sister ran off on her own. It had nothing to do with you. You actually helped her, and I'm grateful."

The busty girl in front of him hurried to explain herself, her voice sincere, her eyes darting about with some embarrassment.

"Alright."

Yoru said calmly.

"Thanks again. I'm Ichinose Honami, from Class 2-E."

Ichinose smiled gently and introduced herself.

Was this… good luck?

A rare bit of fortune?

He'd met one of the cutest, curviest girls at school?

Could a beautiful girl actually… end up liking him?

Nah. Too unrealistic.

Yoru left, quietly roasting himself in his head.

Honami watched him go and muttered to herself, "Come to think of it, wasn't it here that San-san's pudding got ruined? A loose dog scared her away and she ran off. We looked everywhere and never found her…"

…

By the time Yoru got home, it was nearly dark.

He'd eaten a big meal of seafood rice at Eriri's house, so he wasn't hungry now.

He picked up San-san and placed her on his lap, petting her from head to tail.

"Want me to give you a bath later?" Yoru said, holding the cat up.

She was so round!

Humans got judged for being chubby—ugly, creepy, gross.

But when a cat's chubby, it's just adorable.

"Meow meow~"

"Meooow—"

San-san batted her paw gently at Yoru.

Then, sensing what was coming, she started to squirm unhappily.

"Don't fuss. You haven't had a bath in forever. You only look clean…"

"You need flea treatment too…"

Yoru held her firmly, preventing escape.

Despite the protesting meows, Yoru carried her into the bathroom, ignoring her will entirely.

After a thorough wash, towel-dry, and a blow-dry using a rib comb, San-san sulked off to her favorite corner of the living room couch.

"Sigh—"

Cleaning up the bath supplies, Yoru returned to his room and opened a study notebook made specially for him by Yukino.

It was a math notebook—his weakest subject.

He read carefully, studying hard.

And without even noticing, for the first time in a long while, he didn't feel tired at all.

On the contrary, he was genuinely excited.

The math that had once given him so much headache had now become a breeze, thanks to the "Tenfold Effort Return" buff. It was like he'd turned into a math genius. His learning efficiency had skyrocketed, and everything just clicked.

Math wasn't something you had to memorize endlessly. As long as you remembered formulas and solution methods, you could easily extrapolate and solve similar problems.

Yoru exhaled with delight. This miraculous buff was even more powerful than he'd imagined.

And it wasn't just math.

Even if he started practicing soccer now—the world's number one sport, which required years of cultivated ball sense and technique—he might rapidly improve under the effect of this buff.

"A year of effort is equal to ten years."

Yoru turned off the desk lamp and leaned back in his chair.

He wasn't thinking about picking up soccer. What he was focused on was losing weight over the summer.

If he trained for a month, the return would be equivalent to ten months. That should be enough time to slim down, right?

If all went well, he could completely transform during this summer break, returning to school with a new face and finally shaking off that stolen-panties reputation.

Final exams were coming up next Saturday and Sunday.

So at most, he had five days.

After the exams, they'd get a short break, followed by a commendation ceremony for top students at Shuchiin Academy—then summer vacation would officially begin.

Starting from today, he had about two months to lose weight.

Getting up from the chair, Yoru saw that it was already 9 p.m.

He had studied for two hours straight.

Usually, after just 30 minutes, his brain would feel like dried-out fruit pulp—completely drained.

But with his energy high, Yoru put on his sneakers, unrolled his yoga mat, and began his aerobic workout.

"If I slim down a little more, I can start running stairs. That'd boost efficiency."

Holding a plank on the mat, Yoru thought optimistically.

He kept at it for a full hour.

That was enough for today.

It was Sunday tomorrow, no need to stay up late.

He put away the yoga mat and went to the shower, rinsing off with cold water to soothe his aching muscles.

Meanwhile—

In a luxurious mansion, Eriri had just finished the seafood rice Yoru had made for her. She'd forced herself to drink the nauseating milk, taken some painkillers, and finally recovered after lying down since the afternoon.

Gurgle—

Holding her small belly, Eriri swallowed another pill and stared silently out at the balcony.

The house was huge, but she was all alone.

She wanted to cry, but no tears came. She had already cried too much.

After completely destroying the packaging—leaving no trace—Eriri fought off the chill in her body and sank into a cold bath.

"So cold… I can't take it…"

Back in his own place, Yoru quickly toweled off the cold water and slipped into the small bathtub.

His skin, chilled and then exposed to warmth, erupted in goosebumps.

Yoru grimaced. "Damn it…"

After finishing a not-so-comfortable bath, he ate a raw cucumber and a tomato as a light midnight snack, then lay down in bed.

He hesitated, but ultimately didn't open LINE.

Everyone was probably busy preparing for finals. If he messaged someone and distracted them while they were studying, that would be bad.

So Yoru just scrolled through news instead.

A notification popped up a while later—it was from the police.

Yoru assumed it was about Honami Ichinose's incident from earlier that day, but it wasn't.

It was about a lost-and-found report from the time he went to Akihabara with Megumi. They had picked up a lost bag with a transit card and a fancy sketchbook.

At first, he thought it was just a beautifully illustrated notebook—but it turned out to be a doujin artist's sketchbook.

"That guy must be loaded… who uses luxury sketchbooks for that kind of stuff…"

Yoru muttered to himself.

"Didn't he come looking for it?"

"Maybe he figured it wasn't worth much, and thought no one would turn it in, so he didn't bother checking with any local stations?"

"Whatever, I'll pick it up when I have time."

After reading a few more articles, Yoru switched to a shopping site.

Since the day Fujiwara took him to the hospital, he'd only thanked her once. He hadn't seen her again.

But then again, he hadn't been back at school for very long.

"What should I get her as thanks?"

"And then there's Hiratsuka-sensei, and Yukino… the semester's ending soon…"

He aimlessly browsed while the algorithm pushed him products he might like.

But honestly, he didn't know what Fujiwara, Hiratsuka, or Yukino would like at all.

Sigh—

He couldn't just give San-san to Yukinoshita as a gift, could he?

Definitely not.

Hiratsuka-sensei was apparently going on arranged dates, but he didn't know any high-quality guys to introduce her to.

Wait—guys. Right.

If he remembered correctly, Hiratsuka-sensei drove a red Aston Martin DB11. She taught at the elite Shuchiin Academy. She had high standards, high social status.

She was gorgeous, kind, and had a good heart.

Probably just too picky—that's why she hadn't gotten married yet.

As for Fujiwara…

Yoru's head hurt even more. He really didn't know what to do.

They were all women—his biggest weakness—and none of them lacked money.

This was seriously difficult.

Since he couldn't come up with anything for now, he gave up and put his phone away. No point staying up.

…

It was Sunday.

Yoru got up later than usual, made breakfast, filled San-san's food and water, then unrolled his yoga mat again for his daily aerobic session.

After sweating for a full hour—more than usual—he took a cold shower.

Shirtless, he stood in front of the mirror, checking himself out a little before heading to breakfast.

Knock knock.

"Who is it?"

Surprised, Yoru went to open the door.

"Morning~ Haah—"

Gabriel stood at his door in pajamas, heavy dark circles under her eyes as she greeted him.

She didn't notice—or didn't care—that Yoru was shirtless.

"Morning, Gabriel."

Yoru nodded, instinctively covering his chest.

She didn't care, but he sure did. It was kind of embarrassing.

"I ran out of food at home. Mind if I crash your breakfast?"

Gabriel asked, a little sheepishly.

"Come in, I'll make something."

Yoru sighed and stepped aside.

"You stayed up late playing games again, didn't you?"

"Gabriel, the finals are coming up…"

"Nope. I didn't stay up."

Gabriel replied flatly and walked in, skillfully changing into house slippers.

"I don't believe you. Finals are right around the corner. Aren't you nervous?"

Yoru went to the living room and quickly put on a shirt.

"Not really."

Gabriel shook her head softly.

She wasn't joking. After all, she was an angel—why would she worry about human exams?

What actually bothered her more was that she hadn't finished her Genshin Impact dailies.

And she wasn't lying—last night, she had slept a whole hour and a half!

"I'll make your breakfast. Just wait a bit."

Yoru didn't mind cooking. In fact, he'd grown to enjoy the process—and the results.

San-san, who had been dozing, climbed onto Gabriel's lap.

So boring…

Soon, Yoru brought out breakfast.

For himself: a glass of milk with oats, an apple, and a boiled egg.

Gabriel's was a little more luxurious—but not by much.

"Thanks for the food. Aah~"

Gabriel put San-san down and started eating like a typical gaming addict.

"Come to think of it, I am kind of like Gabriel's guardian, huh?"

Yoru chewed his oats and swallowed.

Should he try helping Gabriel get over her gaming addiction?

After breakfast—

Gabriel didn't leave. She sprawled on the couch with San-san in her arms, eyes closed, resting.