Admittedly, Hiroshi Takeda was astonishingly handsome. His half-long hair didn't make him look effeminate; instead, his ordinary black hair and eyes somehow combined to create a striking visual appeal. His looks were on par with the average reader behind the screen. Perhaps his ability to make a living in this "profession" owed something to his face.
"For me…" Sora Ginko murmured.
"Yes… for Ginko," Hiroshi replied, his gentle smile like a cool summer breeze, refreshing and calming.
Ginko tried to steady herself, picking up the dropped piece and fan. She forced her eyes away from his face, focusing instead on the shogi board.
"You've said that so many times," she said, her voice tinged with exasperation.
"But it's the truth," he answered simply.
At that moment, her thoughts tangled like a spider's web. Earlier, Hiroshi had promised to tell her about his way of survival, but after all his words, she still couldn't see the connection. As she replayed his story in her mind, his gentle tone began to form a sentence in her head: Playing shogi with Ginko is my way of survival.
Startled by the thought, she snapped her head up to look at him and saw him smiling faintly at her.
"Stop looking at me like that," she muttered, lowering her eyes to avoid his gaze.
"Hm? Is Ginko shy?" he teased.
"B-Baka" she stammered, her face flushing.
That sentence lingered in her mind, refusing to fade. Distracted, she finished the game, losing in less than 60 moves.
"Again… let's play again," she insisted, unwilling to accept defeat. Her blush betrayed her attempt to brush off the earlier moment.
"Let's stop, Ginko. It's late," Hiroshi said, his refusal rare but gentle. "Besides, you're not in the right state to play now."
He smiled as he packed away the shogi board. Ginko watched, her hand hovering briefly before falling back to her side, not stopping him.
"By the way, when did you come out?" he asked casually while tidying up.
As someone in this "profession," Hiroshi had to protect his clients, bearing their troubles alone. Except for the clients themselves, no one knew of his similar dealings with others, except perhaps Sawamura Eriri, who remained oblivious to her own arrangement with him. He needed to know how much Ginko had seen. If it was something troublesome, he'd need an excuse.
"Hmph," she huffed, then softened, recalling his earlier words. "When that elementary school student climbed up using the rope."
Hiroshi sighed inwardly in relief, though he couldn't help but want to complain. 'Elementary school student? If Takanashi Rikka, the self-proclaimed "Evil King's True Eye," heard that, she'd probably assume someone had cast a shrinking spell on her. Then she'd cover her eye and declare, "Hmph! You think such tricks can defeat me, the Evil King's True Eye?" ' He shook off the thought, embarrassed by the mental image.
Hiroshi quickly banished the stray thoughts, wondering why his mind was wandering today. He blamed Ginko's earlier comment for sparking his imagination.
Despite his inner turmoil, years of professionalism kept his expression steady. "Alright, Ginko, you should go to bed," he said gently. "I'll make time to watch your match next Tuesday. Do your best."
In that moment, he used one of his "professional techniques" for managing clients: fulfilling a rare request to make them feel special. For Ginko, it was watching her matches; for Takanashi Rikka, it was indulging her chuunibyou antics in public. This tactic deepened their attachment to him. He still cringed at the memory of Rikka dragging him to Tokyo Square for one such performance.
Among his clients, Sawamura Eriri was the exception. He felt dependence from Ginko and Rikka, but not from Eriri. Whatever affection she might have had for him once was gone now.
…..
Toyosaki Academy stood as a prestigious institution in Japan known for its exceptional graduation rate.
Hiroshi paused at the school gates, taking in the familiar sight, before stepping forward. As he walked, his eyes caught a glimpse of Sawamura Eriri just ahead.
Two years of their unusual "arrangement" had honed his ability to pick her out of any crowd, even now that their contract had ended.
Feeling his stare, Sawamura Eriri glanced back instinctively.
Their gazes locked for a moment. Hiroshi gave her a faint smile, a quiet acknowledgment of the past. After all, her mother, Sayuri Sawamura, had been the one to fund him generously.
Though their deal was over, gratitude toward Sayuri lingered in his heart.
Eriri's coldness over the past two years? He didn't care. 'I got paid well for my efforts. A little indifference is nothing. Haven't you heard that the customer is always right?'
Catching his subtle smile, Eriri returned a polite nod, her movements laced with a distant air.
Hiroshi shrugged it off. She'd always been this way with him. Besides, with the contract dissolved, they were nothing to each other. A bit of aloofness suited him just fine.
The thought of how much he'd earned from Sayuri in just two years nearly made him burst into laughter right there.
Inside the classroom, Hiroshi settled into his seat and opened a book. His quiet demeanor stood out, enough to make his desk mate, Hachiman Hikigaya, raise an eyebrow.
'At this time... Hiroshi should've already run off to deliver breakfast to Sawamura Eriri.'
Hachiman stole a glance at Hiroshi, absorbed in his reading, then turned away. He considered nudging the sleeping "energy conservationist" behind them awake but hesitated and let it go.
Maybe Hiroshi had bumped into Eriri on the way and handed over the food already. It hadn't happened before, but there was a first time for everything.
Satisfied with that explanation, Hachiman dropped the matter, his dead-fish eyes drifting back to their usual blank stare.
Not long after, Takanashi Rikka marched into the classroom.
Today, however, the promise of breakfast had pulled her away from her usual distractions, bringing her in early.
She strode up to Hiroshi's desk, hands planted firmly on her hips, and fixed her gaze on him.
"Hmph! Hero, I, the Evil King's True Eye, have set aside countless critical tasks to receive your energy supply!"
Her declaration silenced the bustling classroom in an instant, the stillness so profound that even Shizuka Hiratsuka might've thought she'd entered the wrong room.
The hush wasn't just from Rikka's chuunibyou flair. No, the real shock came from the boy sitting across from her, Hiroshi.
Though only a month into the school year, plenty of students at Toyosaki Academy had known Hiroshi from junior high.
Word had spread fast, fueled by his relentless pursuit of Eriri over the past month. He'd earned a reputation as her "devoted admirer" or, more bluntly, a simp.
That reputation meant no one had seen him talk to any girl besides Eriri since the term began, not even for schoolwork.
Even the love letters he'd gotten for his looks early on? He didn't answer them or toss them out.
Instead, the fool dumped them into the school chapel's suggestion box, a stunt that shot him to instant fame across campus!
That move killed any chance of more letters coming his way. And no one was more stunned than Hachiman. Unlike Houtarou Oreki, still dozing behind them, Hachiman's dead-fish eyes widened to their limit.
(●—●)
He could hardly believe it: after Rikka's words, Hiroshi reached into his bag, pulled out two lunch boxes, and handed them to her without a second thought.
'What's this? What's Hiroshi playing at? Is Rikka some kind of go-between?'
Having known Hiroshi since junior high, Hachiman couldn't fathom that a guy who'd chased Eriri for two years would just quit today. Surely Rikka was just a courier.
Rikka, meanwhile, tore into one of the lunch boxes with glee. It had been two full years since she'd felt this kind of excitement.
Her sister, Takanashi Touka, made her lunches regularly, but Rikka always knew what to expect before opening them.
"Wow! Dessert too!"
"Ahem... I mean, Hero's energy supply, accepted by the Evil King's True Eye!"
She plopped back into her seat, leaving the second lunch box unopened, partly to keep it warm, partly to prolong the thrill.
Hiroshi's breakfast was basic: two fried eggs, a grilled fish, two rice balls, and a serving of almond tofu.
Meals were often simple like that, but with enough cash, Hiroshi could turn those staples into something special.
No need to worry about leftovers either; a small crowd was already forming around Rikka's desk.
Hiroshi didn't realize that his actions were the draw. He figured it was just the food's aroma pulling them in.
The scene sparked a wildfire of chatter among the class.
"Huh? Did Sawamura-san dye her hair or something?"
"No chance!"
"Didn't you say Hiroshi chased her for two years back in junior high?"
"Maybe the new school flipped a switch in him..."
"Flipped nothing! I saw him bring her lunch just yesterday."
"Did he finally wise up? Done chasing after one girl?"
"So, I've got a shot now?"
"What? You think you can measure up to Hiroshi?"
"He's good-looking, tops the grades, and dominates in sports. Without Sawamura-san in the picture, you wouldn't stand a chance."
Hiroshi, flipping through his math book, nearly lost it when he overheard that last bit from a girl nearby.