This discovery led Kai through a rollercoaster of emotions. A daily bonus of 3,000 yen is huge to a high schooler. Massive, even. So, he let the fantasies go to his head as he applied to work for every single day of GW. And that was that.
“I’ll, uh, take it a bit easier this time.”
Kai gave his answer as he turned on his PS4 and sat down next to Jun on the bed.
He survived last year’s eight straight days of mid-holiday work, sure, but it took its toll on his studies once the “vacation” ended. And, well, he wished he could’ve had some fun.
“I don’t think I can get the whole week off, though. I bet everyone’ll ask me to take their shifts.”
“Do you have to take them?”
Jun pursed her lips at the implication that a long-distance trip might not be in the cards again.
“All of my seniors there have partners. As a bachelor, I kinda have to be considerate.”
“Then how about I be your girlfriend just for the week?”
“?!?!?!?!”
“Kidding, but you should’ve seen your face.”
Jun teased him with a mischievous sneer. She continued peering into his widened, dumbstruck eyes.
“A-Anyway, I owe them for all the help they give me!”
They were good people who cleaned up after Kai’s many messes in his early days without so much as a complaint. If this was a way he could repay them, he’d gladly take the opportunity.
“Okay, fiiiine. You’re so eager to please. It’s cute that you are, though.”
“C-Cute isn’t a word you should use for a man!”
“Then how about you tell them no like a man?”
“Hewwo, I’m Kai the cutie-pie.”
Kai put on his best falsetto mascot character impression. Jun patted his head to comfort him.
“But oh well, I get it. How about we at least hang out together if we find the time for it?”
Jun tossed her controller to the side as she collapsed back onto the bed.
“Speaking of jobs, do you not work?”
“Nope, not a bit. Well, more like I can’t. My family’s all, ‘High schoolers have no business doing that’ and ‘If you’ve got time to work, you’ve got time to study’ whenever it comes up.”
“Ah, there are lots of families like that, yeah.”
Times like these made Kai grateful that his family’s parenting style was hands-off and valued personal responsibility.
“Though you sure seem like you’ve got deep pockets...” said Kai.
“What? I totally do not! I’m broke year-round!”
“Yeah, because you can’t keep your spending habits in check, right?”
Kai lost count of how often he’d seen Jun blow her money on gacha 10-rolls only to scream in agony after coming up empty. Meanwhile, Kai played his mobile games as though their “free-to-play” taglines were a challenge.
“So, does your family just give you a huge allowance?” Kai had been curious about this for a while, and now seemed like a good opportunity to ask.
“Well, not exactly.” Jun, apparently figuring it was nothing to hide, readily answered him. “I have four brothers who are a lot older than me.”
“Huh, that many?” He had assumed she was the youngest of her siblings from the way she acted, but he didn’t know how many there were or how old.
“And every single one is the doting type.”
“They all have a sister complex?”
“They give me money just to compete with each other.”
“And they’re terminal cases, to boot...” Kai sighed, but he understood. “Honestly, I’m jealous...”
He wondered if his own sister could get a job already so she could spot him some cash every now and then. Then he too could buy 10-rolls without a care in the world...
Okay, now we’re being unrealistic. His relationship with his sister wasn’t on thin ice, but she’d never dote on him like that.
“Honestly, I’m jealous.” So jealous that it bore repeating.
“Well, I won’t blame you, but that means having to listen to them nag, you know? Like about how I better not find a boyfriend or anything.”
“Y-You don’t say...”
“And that’s why I’ve never invited you to my place. I just know it’d be a headache. They’d definitely mistake you for a boyfriend. And then beat the crap out of you.”
“Yeah, I’d prefer to keep my crap inside me...” Definitely not the kind of house Kai would want to chill at. “But that explains a lot.”
Jun had spent so much time around Kai’s house that she was practically part of the family. But Jun never introduced Kai to her family, so he had a feeling there was a reason behind it.
“So that’s it, you’re like the Miyakawa family’s princess. I can see it.”
“Oh, please. Don’t laugh at me.”
“Believe me, I’m not. But Jun, it’s not like you’re all that opposed to being the center of attention, right? Given they’re your brothers, I bet they’re all pretty boys.”
“Oh, no way! None of them are all that hot!”
While still lying in bed, Jun denied the accusation and made an X with her arms.
“Is that so? Well, I know you can be pretty superficial. I know your standards are off the charts. And I know I haven’t forgiven you for calling my Little War Office and Fox Waifu ‘ugly.’”
“Huh? But they are ugly.”
“You wanna take this outside?”
“How about you get your eyes checked first, huh? If you want beauty, you need to be on Catalanta’s or Shuten’s level.”
“You’ve got that wrong! Nightingale and Tamamo and Atalanta and Shuten Douji are all cute!”
They had a quick spat over an incredibly frivolous subject. Kai, eventually noticing the futility of this digression, started thinking of a way to drop it and get back on track. Jun, on the other hand, felt a need to double down on her position.
“Boo, Kai! Boo, boo, boo, boo!”
Suddenly, she appeared to have a eureka moment.
“By the way, Kai, what exactly was it that made you think my brothers were pretty, anyway? What exactly did you mean by ‘Given they’re my brothers’?”
Jun rolled around on the bed as she taunted him with puppy-dog eyes.
“...Darn you.”
“Could it be that you think my brothers and I look alike? Why, wouldn’t that mean you think my brothers are pretty... because you think I’m pretty? Hmmmm?”
“Aw, shut it... You clearly don’t need me to spell it out, so quit asking...”
“Well, well, well, so Kai thinks I’m pretty, eh?”
That mischievous sneer snuck up again, making Kai feel like he was being looked down upon. And she had to rub it in by laying her head on his lap, too.
Kai had to struggle not to keel over from the unimaginably pleasant weight placed upon his thighs. Ah, lying in the lap of a fair maiden may be the dream of any man, but to think that being the pillow for a girl could be so bittersweet!
“Okay, okay, I give. You got me. Uncle, uncle.”
“Heh. You’re cute when you’re struggling.”
“Okay, okay, you’re pretty. You’re a total hottie. You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve laid eyes upon. The cutest girl in the world. A goddess among mortals.”
“Huh? Uh, wha?”
“I’m admitting it. Your face is totally my type. A total bullseye on everything I look for. My platonic ideal.”
“Whaaaaaaaa?!”
Jun shouted in bewilderment. She turned red down to the collarbones peeking out from her blouse as her triumphant grin vanished. Her expression was now completely contorted. The girl whose teasing seemed so self-assured was shrinking back after just one move.
...Well, shrinking back won’t get her far when her head’s on my lap. If anything, she’s just wriggling into me.
“...Is not something I’d ever say, but I wonder how you’d feel if I did. For reference, how do you feel right now?”
“Y-You’re messing with me!”
“Heh, heh, heh. Fool ya once, shame on you!”
It was Kai’s turn to sneer at the cute critter who had willingly hopped into his trap, putting herself in a position she couldn’t retreat from.
“Kai, you jerk!”
Jun had finally sunk to sulking and digging her nails into Kai’s thighs, but the spots she struck didn’t hurt a bit!
“Bwahahah, you won’t always get the upper hand against me!”
“Fine. I’ll just go to bed. Right here. Right now.”
“...Um?”
“I won’t move no matter how bored you get or how quickly your legs fall asleep. Be a good pillow, now.”
“Wha, wait...”
“Zzzzz.”
“Don’t pretend to fall asleep on me, dammit!”
Jun expressed her commitment to not moving a muscle as her face was buried between Kai’s thighs. She was on the verge of using the weekend as an excuse to stay the entire night, but Kai did everything he could to walk her away from the brink.
Well, with that said...
Days like these might seem chaotic, but in the end, Kai couldn’t deny that they were fun. A day off spent with Jun was like nothing else. No matter what Reina said, Kai had no intention of letting his best friend or their time together slip away. He was now more certain of that than ever.