Let's do it again, Yukino.

"Do you think that a meal's worth of kindness can be bought with money? You are insulting my dignity."

"...So what do you want?"

The man grabbed the hem of the girl's pajamas.

Although there weren't many pedestrians around, and it could even be described as deserted, she didn't want to be mistaken for a quarreling couple and taken to the police station by passing patrolling police officers. She had seen that kind of scene far too many times in comics.

"Two... no, three is too few. Yes, five. I want five of your little yellow books as payment."

The boy first held up two fingers, but after careful consideration, he spread them all out, and earnestly pleaded with the girl.

"Are you an idiot? The kind of idiotic second male lead character you only see in light comedy anime?"

"By the way, don't you, this 'popular guy,' have a girlfriend?"

Having a girlfriend and collecting things are two different things, right?

Once you have a girlfriend, there's almost no need to collect those things anymore.

Or are you saying you don't even want your girlfriend's body? Are you a eunuch?

The girl's mind wandered for a while.

Please spare me.

The little lion in front of her felt a twitch in her stomach after eating, and she wanted to squat down and rest for a while.

I shouldn't have run away from home in a fit of anger.

If they hadn't run away, they wouldn't be homeless on the streets.

If I hadn't run into the street, I wouldn't have run into this guy.

On such an unlucky night,

I encountered such a bizarre and dim-witted teenager.

You idiot who already has a girlfriend but still asks me for erotic novels...

"I would like to have all of Little Lion's previous and subsequent doujinshi reviewed and collected free of charge, please!!!"

"..."

Mom, help! I've encountered a weirdo.

The girl, who had always been reluctant to spend time with her mother, began to hope that her mother would appear here like an angel at this moment.

Chapter Thirty-One: What an adorable boy!

"Little lion, I didn't expect your house to be so big..."

In the dead of night, Chunri's bicycle finally stopped in front of the gate of this somewhat overly luxurious villa.

Unlike his own third-rate apartment,

The villa, beautiful, elegant, and noble like a small museum, exudes the tranquility and magnificence befitting a wealthy household, with its unnamed potted plants at the entrance.

"Your family is clearly so rich, why do you still come out so late to do that kind of thing?"

Chunri frowned as she looked at the villa, which was completely different in style from her own apartment, with an expression of incomprehension.

"I told you I wasn't doing that kind of thing, why won't you believe me? It was just for some personal reasons that I ran away from home—ugh, what the hell! Why should I explain the reasons to someone like you?!"

The girl grumbled and lightly jumped off the back seat of the car in the spring sunshine. It was already late at night, but the villa not far away was still brightly lit.

"Do you want to come along? I used to keep all my collection in my bedroom."

Because it's summer vacation, even though she's back so late, the girl doesn't need to worry about her schedule tomorrow.

"Never mind, I'm not mentally prepared for that yet. I'll just wait for you here."

Despite being tempted by the girl's invitation—whether a female artist's bedroom was indeed the kind of paradise for anime otaku that Yoshiaki had once described—Haruhi, subconsciously somewhat averse to the idea of ​​a rich young lady, ultimately declined the invitation.

"Then I'm going upstairs. You wait for me here at the door for a while."

Just ten minutes ago, unable to resist the boy's almost tearful plea, the proud little lion reluctantly agreed to his wish.

Anyway, my own collection is full of materials and previous works, so just taking out a few is enough to deal with this clueless guy.

"Um, little lion."

But before the blonde girl could open the door, Kasuga called out to her after much deliberation.

"What else do you want? Do you want to increase the quantity?"

"No, you're the fourth person to sit on my 'Snow Mountain' ship, so don't let me down. That's our agreement."

If this girl, who is from a wealthy and noble family, breaks her promise at a crucial moment, the boy will be powerless to do anything about it...

"..."

"You, besides being a simple-minded, delinquent idiot, do you also have a natural airhead side?"

Shaking her head helplessly, the girl's petite figure skipped and hopped away behind the villa gate, and with a click, the door slowly closed.

……

Not long after,

The door that was originally closed slowly opened again under the expectant gaze of spring.

Bright light shone from inside the door, and a delicate figure walked out.

However, the person who came out was not...

Bathed in light, a woman with long purple hair and captivating purple eyes stood by the doorway, wearing a purple-black kimono and an elegant, dignified smile that was quite different from the lion cub's irritability.

That stunningly beautiful face, somewhat resembling the little lion, swept its gaze across the room until it spotted Chunri pushing her bicycle by the door.

At that moment, the paper fan held firmly in the woman's hand covered her nose and lips, and something extraordinary seemed to flash in her eyes.

The woman in the kimono walked gracefully and elegantly toward the boy.

So you really did call your family...

Just as Chunri was about to turn and run away, a soft yet deep voice called out to the boy.

"Running away from a woman is absolutely ungentlemanly behavior..."

"...As expected, women are all jerks no matter what their backstory is like, this little lion who doesn't keep her word..."

The boy stood frozen on the roadside and muttered a complaint under his breath.

"Little Lion... Well, this is the first time I've heard someone call that child by such a nickname, but it does seem quite cute."

"The little lion you mentioned rushes straight to the bedroom as soon as it gets home without saying a word..."

"..."

Springtime's gaze seemed to fall on the booklets in the woman's other hand.

That gives people a sense of awe and wonder.

"You really want this?"

The elegant woman also noticed that the boy's shifty gaze kept lingering on the booklets in her hands.

Although he wasn't sure what the woman in front of him had to do with the little lion, the words "forbidden for minors" were all too familiar to Kasuga.

He had seen the exact same logo in the little yellow book at the Hachiman family's house.

"Um, what you have in your hand... is that the little lion... asking you to give it to me?"

Chunri's excited voice trembled slightly.

I understand now. The little lion must have been too embarrassed to hand these notebooks to me in person, so she had her family give them to me instead. That must be it, right...?

Thinking about this, Haruhi couldn't help but feel ashamed for having misunderstood the blonde girl.

Indeed, the most important thing in this world is trust between people. Being a jerk is just an occasional dark side; trust is what matters most.

"You want these? Are you sure?"

The woman seemed hesitant, and to make sure Chunri wasn't joking, she asked again.

"I'm sure, so what, is it not okay?"

Springtime nodded without hesitation.

Do you expect me to pay rent?

Are there such rules in the doujinshi (fan-made comics) world?

"...Well, it's not that it's impossible. No, to be precise, I should be a little happy to meet a fellow enthusiast like you who is so genuine. Well, since you like it, then take it."

Seeing how persistent Haruhi was, the elegant purple-haired woman did not refuse and handed all the books in her hand to Haruhi.

"Although these are all outstanding books from exhibitions a few years ago, the art style of these books should be quite suitable for a high school student like you."

Just a glance at the cover, and although she couldn't see the specific content, the exposed skin made Chunri understand something.

It's definitely a genuine doujinshi!

The boy accepted it with the solemnity of someone holding a sacred object.

Although it didn't reach five books, three books are still quite a lot, so why would I need a watch?

As for why such a noble and elegant woman would understand the meaning of a notebook, Haruhi subconsciously attributed it to the fact that they were all family.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome. If you need anything else in the future, feel free to come to me again."

The purple-haired woman also looked happy and cheerful, having met a kindred spirit, and playfully winked at Chunri.

"I also quite like your straightforward personality."

"Then I'll take my leave. Please tell the little lion for me that she does have some lovely qualities. At least I will never forget this promise."

Wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, Chunri tucked the precious little yellow book into her coat.

"Have a safe journey, young man."

"Just call me Haruhi, pretty sister, goodbye."