Translator: Silver

「37」

The salon was utterly deserted. Tachibana and Ariwara were already waiting for us at the greenhouse rest area.

“Yahoo! Mizuki.”

Ariwara stood up and waved towards us.

“Where's Chiaki?”

“I don't know. I didn't ask if she was coming or not.”

“I see. I haven't heard anything either.”」

“I wonder if she can find us here.”

There was something I wanted to ask her, but she wasn't here.

“Ah, well. I'm hungry, let's eat.”

They'd dutifully waited until we arrived. I probably would've started eating earlier.

Hayate but the two-person bento and thermos of tea we ordered on the table.

“Ah. Before that! Give me sweets! I won't trick you.”

Ariwara held out his hands and demanded treats. I unintentionally burst into laughter.

“You're telling me that, right off the bat? You aren't gonna play a trick.”

I took a piece of caramel candy from my box and dropped it into Ariwara's outstretched hand.

“Yup. Playing a trick on you? I could never do that to the one I love.”

“I see, thank you. Well, do you have any treats for me?”

Ariwara's “love” was of the familial variety. I held out my hand, confident that I wasn't mistaken in my a.s.sumptions.

“Yes, it's right here.”

Ariwara presented me with pink gummy candy.

“It's peach flavored. Therefore, it's pink.”

“Pretty. I fell at ease.”

“…… Especially made for Mizuki.”

Tachibana spoke that comment in a disgusted tone as examined the candy wrapped in a transparent baggie.

“One for me?”

“Yes. The other ones were failures.”

Ariwara made a teehee expression and started laughing. ()

The small basket at his side was filled with primary colored gummy candies.

“What wonderful colors.”

There was no other way to describe them. Even if you make a mistake, you couldn't call them cute or delicious. Why only primary colors, though?

No matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn't figure it out.

“Mizuki, didn't you use those colors for your lollipops?”

“Oh, I did. That's it.”

“I thought if I mixed that food coluring, I could make something beautiful.”

“……, I see.”

Now, I was interested in the whole story.

“When I put in a bit, I got some interesting results.”

“Did you add too much?”

“Correct!!”

I was right.

“I also put in the wrong amount of gelatin. Mizuki's one was the only success.”

“…… What about the rest?”

“They became stiff and rubbery.”

I don't want to eat that!!

What sort of punishment game was this? I'm glad he gave me the successful one, but I feel sorry for the other recipients.

“I couldn't help but laugh at the expected development. Ah, here's some of Ariwara's soup stock.”

Tachibana smiled wryly and offered me a thermos.

“Can I have one of your treats too?”

“Here you go.”

Hayate and I received some of Tachibana's caramel. Once they received their share of caremel and candies, we started eating.

Lunch had a friendly atmosphere. While I was used to eating with Hayate, have four people wasn't a bad thing. Having Chiaki and Chikage here would've made thing more hectic, but still fun nevertheless.

“What are you gonna do after lunch?”

Tachibana asked that before taking a bite of cake that we brought for dessert.

“That's right. Let's enjoy our relaxation a bit more before we leave.”

Since we only had morning cla.s.ses, people were already heading home.

Having a half-day was always lovely.

We could stay until the end of the day or go home without having to hand out anymore treats. After I gave Chiaki and Chikage their treats, I could hand out sweets or go home, it all depended on my mood. However, there was a clumsy guy that completely disregarded my schedule.

Stray footsteps echoed through the greenhouse. Hayate's expression became grim as the footsteps gradually approached.

“So this is where you were?”?”

Suwa was the one that appeared.

“This is for you, Sagara.”

He held up a small bag in front of me.

Suwa ignored everyone but me.

Even if he recognized where he was, he didn't seem worried about it.

“The other day, I stopped an adoption from the branch family from going through.  It was thanks to what you taught me.”

He spoke in a hushed tone and had a quiet expression.

There was a desperate air drifting off of him. If he didn't even have his father on his side, the pressure he felt must have been more than he could bear.

“I see.”

Ritsuko came to mind, as the child's education was left to the mother. If the child proved to be an unsuitable successor, they had to be cut off without hesitation.

But, I was the source of the current situation.

Every child in the world had a mother. If a child is raised with affection, they will grow up to be decent. How did you go about cutting off a problem child without neglecting one's role as a mother?

Three years ago, Ritsuko managed to save face since the Sagara family back off.

But there was no next time.

This time the fangs were out and come from all sides. They were holding on for now, but the wolves were waiting for the chance to pounce.

“I am the successor to the Suwa conglomerate. I'll take control of everything.”

Suwa definitely made that declaration.

All of the sweetness was stripped away from his face, revealing a harsh, raw expression.

He finally recognized the fragility of his footing. Now he had to start solidifying his position.

The greatest enemy was a mother that was supposed to protect you unconditionally. Suwa must've been undergoing a great deal of psychological pain. The only person he could have faith in was himself.

“I'll accept it,  Suwa. However, look!”

Don't look at me, just see.

My gaze was pointed straight ahead.

At first glance, it seemed like I had a come-back, but that wasn't the case.

It was a demand for Suwa to see what he wasn't aware of. With his good looks and lovely voice, any other girl in this situation would have red cheeks.

It was regrettable. The entire scene was ruined by our audience. Even if I try to stare at Suwa, my gaze returned to my friends.

I struggled to maintain my composure in front of Suwa as the laughter threatened to break free. Even Tachibana's expression changed when he realized what my look command meant.

Since my face remained blank, no one spoke out. My reaction could destroy the equilibrium. However, Suwa didn't wait for my response. Having done what he set out to do, he turned around and started walking away.

There was no helping him. I needed to repay him for the gift. I took out some sweets from my bag.

“Suwa!”

Suwa turned around just in time to catch the piece of candy I'd thrown to him.

“Thank you for the treat.”

With that, my attention returned to Hayate.

Suwa silently left afterward, and I had to place my hand of Hayate's shoulder to stop him from getting up.

Once it was clear Suwa had left, Tachibana and Ariwara shared a look.

“Mizuki, you just threw it to Suwa……”

“Eh? It was a bouquet of lollipops.”

Ariwara started laughing at my straightforward response to his question.

“Isn't that something for girls?”

“That's right.”

“He'll undoubtedly misunderstand it. You're only encouraging him!”

“It's just a bouquet.”

Who was the first to burst?

The laughter began simultaneously.

I don't know how long we laughed, but we eventually had to wipe the tears from our eyes.

“That's terrible, Mizuki. He's too handsome.”

“It's a pity that no one could compare to him.”

“Thanks for the compliment!”

I thanked everyone with a smile.

“It's not a compliment!”

“It's disappointing. I thought it was one.”

Another session of laughter followed.

“Suwa is truly pitiable. To say something like that in front of us.”

Tachibana smiled wryly as he spoke.

It was foolish to speak about family shame in front of other people. Doing so exposed weakness to predators.

That was what Tachibana meant.

I agreed.

Speaking secrets aloud would only ensure that people other than the intended person would hear that information. If he didn't understand that he was still immature.

While I shrugged and smiled at the thought, Hayate raised his hand.

Someone was coming.

That's what the gesture was telling us.

Shortly after that, I could faintly hear the sound of approaching footsteps.

“Good afternoon”

A slightly familiar face appeared from behind a persimmon tree.

They had a green strip under their badge.

Then another one appeared from behind them.

This one had a red strip under their badge.

“……President.”

The current student body president had arrived.