I became the emperor in the comic book series.

Akira Higashino casually led the now-out-of-control Saki Kawasaki away, pressed the down button on the elevator, easily avoiding running into Yukino Yukinoshita and the others, and left the hotel directly.

After all, a hotel won't only have one door.

Akira Higashino neither liked nor disliked Yukino Yukinoshita, and had never thought of taking the initiative to approach her before.

Unexpectedly, I ended up having some interaction with her.

Chapter Eighteen: A Bet's a Bet

Yukino Yukinoshita sat with Yui Yuigahama in the lobby lounge area, oblivious to the seriousness of the situation and still excitedly looking around at the bright and elegant decor. As Yui Yuigahama whispered in her ear in surprise, Yukino's heart gradually sank down.

According to information gathered at the school, the girl named Kawasaki Saki has been acting strangely for a long time.

She used to always look tired, often arriving late or leaving early, and even when she did arrive at school, she would often doze off in class.

As a result, around this month, Kawasaki Saki, who was originally a cold and aloof delinquent girl who dared not speak in the eyes of her classmates, suddenly became a good student. Although she was still not very talkative, she never slept in class again, listened to lectures and completed her homework very seriously, and even her lunch became much more substantial.

According to Kawasaki Saki's younger brother, his family's financial situation has not improved much, his father's career has not progressed, and his mother has to work part-time to supplement the family income.

In addition, it's common for girls from ordinary families to suddenly stay out all night and enter and leave high-end hotels, yet the front desk can't find any record of their stay.

There shouldn't be any other possibility.

Given Japan's unique national circumstances, it's not uncommon for some students to engage in prostitution; it's hardly surprising.

From Yukino Yukinoshita's perspective, this kind of thing is undoubtedly wrong. It leads people astray, causing them to sink deeper and deeper into the abyss, making it difficult for them to extricate themselves. It is a completely personified behavior.

Not to mention, the Service Club also accepted a request from Saki Kawasaki's younger brother.

However, considering the positive feedback from teachers and students at the school about Saki Kawasaki's noticeably improved reputation and her genuinely better grades, she was hesitant.

Has she really fallen?

She later became a diligent student again and a good older sister who spent more time with her family.

She has a very good reputation among her family and friends. If this is considered moral depravity, then what is the reason for all of this?

Could it be that Saki Kawasaki actually enjoys doing this kind of thing?

No, that's not her problem.

Yukino Yukinoshita found the answer; the question pointed to society, to the world, and even to Yukino Yukinoshita herself.

As a beneficiary of this social environment, she received a good education and lived in a family where she had no worries about food and clothing. However, she believed that Kawasaki Saki was wrong to gain the opportunity to be a good student by selling her body for profit.

That night, Yukino Yukinoshita reflected for a long time.

Saki Kawasaki is not actually wrong. The wrong ones are the employees who work hard but only earn a meager salary to support their families, the education they have to pay for cram schools if they want to continue their studies, and the government that caused all of this.

In the end, Yukino Yukinoshita understood many things, including the fact that she couldn't change anything on her own.

The ideal of changing the world seems so naive in the face of stark reality.

One's perceived talent does not make one omnipotent.

If it were the older sister, how would she handle this situation?

Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but think this.

She couldn't think of an answer.

On the other side, Kawasaki Taishi insisted on coming along because he was worried about his sister, but because it was so late, his head was starting to doze off.

At the very least, don't tarnish the noble image he had of his sister.

Yukino Yukinoshita handed over the key to the suite she had just opened. "Hachigaya-kun, it's getting late. You should take him to rest first. We'll wait for you."

"That…"

"I'll book another room later, and we can rest when we get tired. You can come down and take over the watch then."

Hachiman Hikigaya nodded in agreement. Actually, he didn't want to come looking for Saki Kawasaki, nor did he want to know what she was doing.

If he hadn't been forced to join the club by that teacher, he should be at home right now, listening to Komachi sweetly say "Goodnight, Onii-chan," and then falling asleep peacefully.

Hurry up and marry her, then you won't have to keep her watching you.

The group that followed the phone's location tracking did not see any updated location information on Kawasaki Saki's brother's phone after he fell asleep.

Little did they know, the person they were waiting for had already left.

Walking down the street at night, watching the oddly dressed passersby and the noisy bars and nightclubs on both sides of the road, Akira Higashino suddenly realized that today was Halloween.

Higashino Akira glanced at Kawasaki Saki, who was following closely behind him with her cat, and thought for a moment.

Are you still sleepy?

Saki Kawasaki shivered from the cold and shook her head.

Seeing this, Higashino Akira opened his coat, pulled her inside, and hugged her.

"Then don't rush home, come with me."

With the girl, who looked like a silly penguin, Higashino Akira turned and headed toward the nearest movie theater.

When we arrived, I casually bought two movie tickets and handed them to her.

"I'm going to buy some snacks and drinks. You go find a seat first."

Soon, Akira Higashino finished buying his things, went into the screening room, found Saki Kawasaki, sat down next to her, and put the popcorn bucket in her lap.

As the movie progressed, Saki Kawasaki gradually became immersed in it and relaxed a bit.

The two watched the entire movie in silence, and then Akira Higashino took out his phone.

"Kawasaki."

Still somewhat immersed in the movie's plot, Kawasaki Saki unconsciously uttered a question, "Hmm?"

Was this movie good?

"Didn't you watch it too?"

I'd like to know your opinion.

"Me?" Kawasaki Saki frowned. "It's alright. The plot isn't very original, but the feeling of romance is strong, and the male and female leads' acting is quite good."

"Do you feel like you're in love?"

"?"

The girl tilted her head in confusion, looked at him, and thought: Why don't you look at the movie title on the ticket before you say that?

"I mean, I didn't feel the feeling of being in love just now."

"so what?"

"So, while there's still a surprise, I want to experience what it feels like to be in love."

"There are no Easter eggs in this movie, I heard it from a friend."

"Yes," Higashino Akira said calmly, looking at her.

Kawasaki Saki blinked. "Really, no, the official footage didn't include it."

"Let's make a bet. If there's a surprise later, you have to kiss me."

Saki Kawasaki nodded in agreement, certain that she would not lose.

Sure enough, no post-credits scene appeared until the end of the movie, after all the credits and credits had been played.

Kawasaki Saki's lips curled up slightly as she looked at this guy who hadn't believed her from the beginning. "I told you so."

"I lost."

Higashino Akira calmly accepted everything, watching the girl whose emotions were finally no longer hesitant. He casually leaned down slightly and gently kissed the girl's pink lips.

They parted at the first touch.

Click...

As the flash went off, the camera shutter suddenly clicked.

"If you're willing to accept a bet, then it's my turn to kiss you."

Chapter Nineteen: I Might Not Fall in Love with You

Kawasaki Saki was stunned by the sudden attack, her mind went blank, and she blankly reached out and gently touched her lips, taking a long time to react.

“Eh…!!!!!!!”

The girl's cheeks flushed bright red, and even her earlobes turned pink, making her look as if her light blue ponytail was about to float up. If this were a cute anime style, she would probably have turned into a steampunk princess.

"Let's go, the movie's over, what are we waiting for?"

The sound came from the direction of the cinema entrance.

Kawasaki Saki, who had just come to her senses, quickly jogged after him.

Higashino Akira still pulled her under his oversized long trench coat, his arm draped over her shoulder, hanging down in front of her, his fists outstretched.

"Here."

"sugar?"

"Halloween gifts for well-behaved kids."

"I'm not a child."

Saki Kawasaki blushed and accepted it shyly.

Then, out of curiosity, she asked, "At this time of day, movie theaters only sell drinks and popcorn, right? Where does this candy come from?"

"It came from the little demon who was fighting the magical girl Meruru when I passed by the movie theater entrance."

Kawasaki Saki's eyes widened. "Robbed?"

“I usually call this ‘getting loot from defeating a monster.’” Higashino Akira glanced at her. “I used three buckets of large popcorn with different flavors to beat that evil and greedy little bastard to a pulp, and then I got my spoils.”

"Oh, right, and this too."

Akira Higashino took out another candy, this time a toffee, the previous one being a liqueur-filled chocolate.

"This is a reward from the magical girl for helping me defeat the evil me by standing up for justice."

"what?"

"This one is for your sisters; you all have one."

"Sisters?" Kawasaki Saki instinctively thought of her younger sister, then suddenly realized that he didn't know Jinghua at all and was talking about the cat she was holding. For a moment, she found it somewhat amusing.

"Um... never mind."

As she laughed, Kawasaki Saki suddenly spoke, but hesitated before continuing.

The guy who used to just sleep with her one after another whenever they met suddenly took her to see a movie, and was completely out of character, not talking to her like he usually did.

Saki Kawasaki didn't understand what kind of crazy thing he was doing.

I felt like I was woken up in the middle of the night by him saying that my younger brother and classmates were downstairs. My mind went blank and I left the hotel in a daze. Everything after that felt like a dream.

He's nothing like himself.

Feeling the faint heat on my cheeks despite the cold night wind and the joyful beating of my heart, I thought about how I had originally decided to treat this as a transaction destined to end and that I would never be tempted.

Even I feel like I'm not myself anymore.

It must have been a dream.

Dreams don't really make sense, like your younger brother coming to find you in the middle of the night.

Akira Higashino sent the photo of the two kissing, which they had just taken at the movie theater, to Saki Kawasaki's phone.

"Don't overthink it. As I said, you can treat this relationship as a normal one. As my girlfriend, you can openly show this relationship to others."

“I don’t deny that. If necessary, I can even accompany you to deal with friends and parents. Apart from not marrying anyone or being devoted to anyone, we are no different from ordinary couples. We do what other lovers do, but we have an additional layer of mutual benefit.”

"Feelings are just fleeting and unstable sensations; stable interests are the foundation for a lasting and stable relationship."

"Emotions always change and fade over time. They are just a windfall that is received by chance. Foolish people treat them as a regular salary. So, after not getting enough of the expected return, too many people end up with broken relationships and go their separate ways in their later years. I don't like that."

"The relationship in the movie is beautiful. The male and female protagonists broke up and got back together several times, but in the end they overcame the difficulties and came together. But what the movie didn't show, in reality, how long can such a bumpy and forced marriage last? And how many people like that can truly stay together for a lifetime?"

“We are different. Our relationship is based on a visible, stable, and quantifiable economic foundation. It starts with my appreciation for you. Occasional feelings of attraction are just that—occasional. Even if they don't happen, it doesn't affect the minimum value guarantee I provide for you. You can even proactively take out another insurance policy to prevent me from abandoning you one day and cutting off this basic value supply. I'm waiting for the day you're willing to be a mother. Compared to other people's fragile and sensitive relationships, barring any unforeseen circumstances, our relationship will last a lifetime.”

Kawasaki Saki stared at her reflection on her phone screen, frozen in shock at being suddenly kissed in the movie theater. She pursed her lips, as if she could still faintly smell the popcorn aroma.

"Your emotional world is too pessimistic."