The Heroines All Regretted It

Back home.

It seemed like San-san had forgotten how Yoru had forcibly given it a bath and dewormed it earlier.

It affectionately rubbed up against Yoru's pant leg.

Cats don't understand human society or behavior. Everything is seen from a cat's perspective.

To San-san, Yoru leaving early and coming back late every day, only to have food ready when he returned, could only mean one thing:

Yoru must have been out hunting for food.

"Hehe."

Yoru changed into his slippers, picked up San-san, and went back to his room.

After putting down his backpack, he turned on the bathroom heater.

He played with San-san for a while, then started preparing dinner.

Opening the fridge, he saw that there wasn't much left.

Most of what he'd bought at the market street yesterday were fruits and some clean, ready-to-eat canned goods.

Fresh vegetables were running low.

He dug out a bag of leftover potatoes, planning to make some mashed potatoes.

Potatoes are high-quality carbs, even better than rice.

But boiling them in plain water doesn't make them taste good.

He washed, peeled, and sliced them, then steamed them over high heat for ten minutes.

While waiting, Yoru mashed a fresh tomato, added a bit of olive oil and some bottled ketchup, then added soy sauce to make a quick sauce.

When the potatoes were done and cooled, he mashed them with a spoon, put them into a ziplock bag, and flattened them with the back of a knife...

Thump, thump, thump...

The sound echoed in the kitchen for over ten minutes.

By the end of it, Yoru's arm was sore.

He carefully stored the dinner without eating any of it.

Yoru went back to his room to grab his phone, planning to head out.

"Be good while I'm gone. I'll open a can of food for you when I get back."

He gave San-san's round little head a good rub and stepped outside.

"Aoyama-san, you're going out too?"

On the stairs, Yoru ran into Nanami Aoyama, who was dressed in plain clothes.

"Yeah, I'm heading to the supermarket."

As usual, Nanami was off to grab discounted vegetables and meat.

"Want to go together?"

Yoru followed behind her.

"Sure."

Nanami agreed without hesitation.

The two walked out of the apartment and headed toward the nearest station.

'Come to think of it, Yoru looks a bit thinner than before...'

'It really wasn't right of me to doubt him earlier...'

Nanami glanced sideways at Yoru, remembering past events.

A pang of guilt rose in her heart, and she noticed that he really did look thinner.

"By the way, Aoyama-san, do you think someone like me could get a part-time job?"

Yoru suddenly asked.

Nanami turned to look at him, distracted, not paying attention to where she was stepping.

Her foot caught awkwardly, and she stumbled forward.

Fortunately, Yoru had been watching her closely. He quickly reached out and grabbed Nanami's small hand, pulling her back upright with his chubby fingers.

"That... that scared me..."

Nanami glanced down nervously at the ground and her feet.

"As long as you're okay."

Yoru said.

"Thanks. I totally spaced out—would've fallen if not for you."

Nanami let out a sigh of relief and patted her chest.

Helped again by Yoru.

At that moment, Yoru let go of her soft, delicate hand.

Nanami suddenly pulled her hand back, embarrassed, and looked away.

Yoru didn't notice anything strange. He was lost in his thoughts.

Soon, they arrived at the station.

Nanami finally remembered what Yoru had asked earlier but now felt unsure whether to answer.

Japan discriminates against overweight people.

'Yoru is still pretty fat. It'll be hard for him to get a job—no one's going to want to hire him.'

'How should I say this...?'

'Well, maybe being fat means he's stronger?'

Nanami struggled to find a way to answer without hurting Yoru.

In the end, she gave a vague, half-hearted response.

Then she asked curiously,

"Your family's doing pretty well, right? Why get a part-time job?"

"There's something I want to buy, but it's expensive. I can't just keep asking my parents for money, right?"

Yoru answered casually, hands behind his head.

That one sentence hit Nanami right in the heart.

She instantly felt a deep sense of understanding.

Yeah, her own family was pretty average.

Her dad insisted she inherit the family's doll shop, refusing to support her dreams.

She really envied people who came from well-off families, especially in a materialistic city like Tokyo.

She was just a country girl.

Studying at the elite Shuchiin Academy as a 'impure' student.

She had no friends in her class.

She worked hard at her part-time jobs, studied, and trained her voice acting skills—there was barely any time left for fun.

The girls in her class were on a whole different level.

The things they talked about, the places they hung out at, the makeup and clothes they used...

Nanami couldn't even imagine that kind of lifestyle—didn't dare to.

Back in first year, people had even made fun of her Kansai accent.

That's why she became so self-conscious about it.

They reached the supermarket.

Yoru and Nanami split up. One went for discounted meat, the other for fresh vegetables.

"Mackerel... chicken wings..."

They'd arrived in time.

Plenty of discounted goods were still available.

After grabbing enough for two, Yoru also picked up a few small items for himself. They checked out and left together.

Naturally, they paid separately.

On the way back, the evening sun was warm and gentle.

They chatted and laughed along the way.

Once home, Yoru kept his promise and opened a can of food for San-san.

He put his own food in the fridge, then went to take a shower.

About ten minutes later—

Yoru walked out shirtless, tugging at his pants with both hands.

Looked like he'd slimmed down a bit again.

Really... it was starting to get tight.

Without a dedicated machine, the mashed potatoes didn't come out super smooth, but the flavor was still solid.

After eating, Yoru turned on his desk lamp and studied using Yukino's meticulously organized notes.

She must've gone through a few pens writing them. Yukino was exactly the type who followed through on her promises—serious and precise.

What used to be a torturous period of study had now become enjoyable thanks to the tenfold experience buff. A certain slacker was now fully immersed.

Why do people love games?

Because in games, effort always leads to reward. In games, you can afford to buy your dream home.

Yoru extended his study session by half an hour before finally switching off the lamp.

After a short break, he pulled out his yoga mat.

Time to go for it.

Summer break would be over soon. He had to make every day count.

...

In the blink of an eye, it was Thursday.

Not counting today, there was only one day left before final exams.

Time was incredibly tight.

During morning homeroom, Hiratsuka-sensei came in to make an announcement.

"Everyone quiet down. I have something to say."

"All eyes on me, eyes over here, stop writing for a moment."

The beautiful, still-single teacher tapped the podium, and the classroom immediately fell silent.

Yoru thought Hiratsuka-sensei was kind, warm, and good-hearted—but not everyone saw her that way.

"Tomorrow, Friday afternoon, you'll have a half-day off to rest. Exams start the day after."

"Just like before, exams will be spread out over four days, with morning and afternoon sessions. The seating chart will be posted in tomorrow's school newsletter..."

"It'll also be on the bulletin board, the school forum, and the official website. Don't get it mixed up."

"Make sure you note the time and set it as your phone's lock screen if you have to—don't forget it."

"Every year, there's always one or two unlucky students who mess up the schedule."

Hiratsuka gave a heartfelt reminder.

Shuchiin Academy took final exams very seriously.

Midterms and monthly tests were relaxed, but the finals were on par with college entrance exams.

Not only were there two teachers patrolling the classroom, but students were also scanned with detectors. Classes were shuffled across all grades, mixing students up.

After finishing her announcement, Hiratsuka didn't stay long and left.

'Sawamura still hasn't come.'

Yoru was distracted, his thoughts elsewhere.

It had been five days already. Surely she'd had enough time to recover?

Yoru was desperate to know what Eriri was thinking and how she was doing now.

While he was thinking about Eriri, she was worrying about him too.

Edogawa Ward.

Izumi Sagiri's home.

Eriri was once again trapped in the same tormenting nightmare.

Her eyes tightly shut, brows furrowed, her body twitched occasionally, her breathing was erratic, and she was drenched in sweat.

Sagiri, who was already in a light doze, was awakened by Eriri's unrest.

"It's okay now, Eriri-nee."

Sagiri yawned, gently held her sister-figure's hand, and softly comforted her.

"...Sagiri… mm… mm…"

Eriri calmed down, opened her eyes, and dove into Sagiri's arms.

She hadn't slept properly in days.

Every time she closed her eyes, horrifying scenes would resurface in her mind.

"It's okay, it's okay. I'm here with you."

Sagiri stroked Eriri's head gently. Her soft, baby-fat cheeks showed a rare flash of anger.

That disgusting fat loser actually dared to do something so vile to her Eriri-nee.

Unforgivable!

Though not related by blood, Eriri and Sagiri were closer than sisters.

They knew everything about each other.

Whenever something happened, Eriri always confided in Sagiri.

"Eriri-nee…"

Sagiri tried to soothe her, gently urging her not to cry.

She knew the whole story.

Honestly, it had been Eriri's fault—she had gone too far.

But feelings weren't something you could control, and Sagiri would always side with Eriri. She wasn't about to sympathize with that disgusting fat guy, nor would she blame Eriri for her current state.

"I should go out less too. It's just too dangerous out there…"

Sagiri silently reaffirmed her resolve.

A troubling thought crossed her mind.

Could her own "unlucky" nature have caused all of this?

What if staying with her had brought misfortune to Eriri, and that sicko went after her again?

No. No, no, no. That's ridiculous.

She quickly shook off the thought, but her mood darkened again.

On that soft pink bed, the two cute, delicate girls clearly needed comfort.

A long while later, Eriri finally relaxed. Her expression still bitter, she pulled Sagiri out of bed.

"I'll make breakfast. Get up."

Eriri had come over the night before and eaten some instant noodles with Sagiri.

"Okay."

Sagiri nodded cheerfully.

"Oh yeah. Smell my feet. Do they stink?"

Eriri dragged Sagiri out of bed, slipped her soft feet into slippers, then suddenly froze.

Her expression turned fierce and vengeful.

Did she want revenge on Yoru?

Of course.

But she didn't dare.

Part of it was guilt—she had been in the wrong first, which had led to Yoru thinking she was a thief. Then he ended up getting hospitalized, which only deepened her regret.

"If only I had a way… I can't confront him head-on, but maybe I can get back at him in a sneakier way."

Eriri's expression twisted again as she raised her foot toward Sagiri.

It was small, delicate, snow-white, with curled pink toes—an absolutely perfect little foot.

"Doesn't smell. Smells nice actually."

Sagiri sniffed and tilted her head, puzzled.

"It's fine. I bought a ton of groceries."

Eriri shook her head and pushed the nasty thoughts away for now. She brought Sagiri to the bathroom to wash up.

Sagiri was just too adorable. Even though Eriri hoped she'd live a normal life, the outside world was too dangerous.

She had to protect her sweet Sagiri from the filthy world.

After washing up, the big and little duo headed to the kitchen, hand in hand.

Eriri took out the eggs, bacon, toast, butter...

She was going to make a hearty English breakfast.

"I think it goes like this..."

Eriri was ready—until she got stuck at the first step of her memory.

She had absolutely no cooking skills. She'd been a disaster during home economics class.

Meanwhile, Sagiri was mixing up milk nearby, watching Eriri with suspicion.

Not wanting to be looked down on, Eriri straightened her back and acted confident.

Usually, Sagiri just ate canned food or instant meals. She even avoided delivery out of fear of going outside.

Since she was here, Eriri wanted to give Sagiri something fresh and fulfilling.

The pan heated up. The butter started to melt. Eriri tossed in a huge slice of frozen bacon.

The icy bacon immediately clashed with the hot butter—

Pop!

It exploded!

Eriri, terrified, instinctively jumped back toward Sagiri.

"Eriri-nee, you have to defrost it and lay it in gently, one slice at a time."

Sagiri frowned, calmly instructing her.

The cooking skills she had taught herself were far better than Eriri-nee's.

"Oh, it's fine, it's fine. Don't worry."

"You go wait outside. I've got this."

The exploding oil sounds slowly settled down. Eriri took a breath and sent Sagiri out of the kitchen. No way she'd give up.

Sagiri, a little worried, kept glancing back as she left.

With the kitchen quiet again, Eriri went back to the stove and quickly pulled out her phone to search for a tutorial.

With step-by-step guidance, she managed to avoid more disasters.

About ten minutes later.

She came out with a plate of food and sat beside Sagiri.

"Is this really edible?"

Sagiri had a milk mustache and eyed the plate doubtfully.

The bacon was almost black. The egg had eggshell pieces in it. The sausage looked chewed up.

It probably hadn't cooked through the first time. She must've recooked it after slicing it open and seeing it was still frozen.

"This is awful."

Eriri immediately spit it out, laughing awkwardly.

That disgusting fat guy's seafood rice had actually been amazing.

Ugh… you fat freak. If I ever get the chance, I'll get back at you.

And…

How was she going to come clean to that woman, Kasumigaoka Utaha?

Aki...

"Let me make breakfast instead, Eriri-nee."

Sagiri helplessly picked up the breakfast, which looked good but was inedible.

A glass of milk, one egg dipped in egg wash and fried in a pan—that alone would've been fine.

Or something more elaborate: tomato slices, lettuce, a slice of bacon or ham, all tucked into a toasted sandwich.