Utaha's expression shifted the moment she heard Hakuto's words. Whatever had been troubling her vanished in an instant.
She gently placed a hand on his shoulder, leaned in close to his ear, and whispered,
"So, what are the odds of your choice, underclassman-kun?"
"Huh? Didn't I already say that? If I were the protagonist, whoever bids the highest wins."
"After two years of chasing love to no avail, have you now given your heart and soul entirely to money?"
"No... Actually, it's not really about that..."
To this day, Utaha still believed that it was the haunted house incident that had unlocked some hidden switch in Hakuto.
Little did she know, what seemed like an untraveled path to her had long been paved by those before her.
After helping Utaha move her things, Hakuto stretched his wrists. At the same time, he received a full set of Love Metronome—personally signed, of course—as a gift from her.
Just then, his gaze landed on Rikka, who was arranging a magical formation at the neighboring booth.
"Hohoho! Master! This time, I brought highly concentrated spirit stones!"
"Well done, Dekomori!"
Sanae pulled out a large pile of colorful stones from her pockets and carefully placed them on the ground.
Judging from her demeanor, she had meticulously selected each one.
It was hard to believe that a wealthy young lady would go around collecting stones for fun... No, wait...
Standing behind Rikka, Hakuto suddenly had a revelation! If Sanae was indeed a wealthy young lady… then these stones...
"M... Master... behind you..."
"Hm? What's behind me?"
Just as Rikka was about to turn her head to check, a merciless hand reached out and grabbed her ahoge.
"Eeek~!!"
"Dark Flame Master~ Didn't I tell you to prepare some sweets?"
Rikka shuddered all over. Now, she knew exactly who was behind her.
"H... Hero... I thought you weren't coming to this event..."
"The sweets?" Hakuto asked with a gentle smile, though his fingers slightly tightened around her ahoge.
"I brought them... Can you let me go first?" Rikka pleaded pitifully.
Hearing her response, Hakuto released his grip. He set aside his Love Metronome set, crossed his arms, and looked at Rikka expectantly.
Under his gaze, she hurriedly dragged over a thermal bag that was comically large compared to her petite frame.
"Shichimiya made a bunch, and she wouldn't even let me sneak a bite."
Hakuto opened the thermal bag to take a look. It was clear that Takanashi Touka had put a lot of thought into her little sister's event.
The assortment of sweets was impressive, and each piece was individually wrapped.
"They look quite appetizing."
"Has senpai already set up her booth?"
"Just going with the flow..."
Utaha glanced at the sweets inside the bag with great interest.
"Did Touka say how much each one costs?"
"She told me to set the price myself..."
"And how much are you planning to sell them for, Rikka?"
At that, Rikka suddenly put her hands on her hips, raised her chin slightly, and exuded an air of absolute confidence.
"Participate in the otherworld summoning ritual, and you'll receive one of Shichimiya's handmade sweets!"
Hearing her "offer," Hakuto and Utaha exchanged glances before sighing in unison.
In reality, Hakuto had already felt the urge to smack her with a karate chop before she even finished speaking.
But he held back. Fools have their own kind of luck. Who knew? Maybe today's youth were into this sort of thing. Perhaps Takanashi Touka's sweets would drive people crazy.
But Hakuto certainly wasn't one of those people. He had been prepared to make a purchase, yet here he was, forcibly turned away.
"What do you think, Hero?"
"I think it'll be very popular!"
"Right?! I knew you'd agree!"
"Hmph! Master! You're a genius!"
Hakuto sighed, handed the thermal bag back to Rikka, then scanned the area around him.
There was no sign of Hachiman or Houtarou. Those two slackers were probably waiting until the last minute to show up again...
"Senpai, I'll leave this to you. I have something to do."
"Hmm..." Utaha nodded. "Why don't you try participating in the summoning ritual?"
"Huh? Are you joking, senpai?"
"That shouldn't be too difficult for you, should it?"
"I don't want my reputation at school to crumble... If senpai wants the sweets that badly, you can wait for Hikigaya to show up and make him do it."
"He wouldn't care at all!"
And so, Hakuto delegated the responsibility to Hachiman before taking his leave.
Despite his shameless attitude most of the time, he still had some dignity.
Chuunibyou stuff was fine in private, but flaunting it in public was just plain embarrassing.
It was at that moment that Hakuto spotted two familiar figures.
"Oh! Speak of the devil!"
It was none other than Hachiman and Houtarou. Both wore exhausted expressions, their trademark dead-fish eyes brimming with lifelessness.
Just looking at them made Hakuto feel nourished.
He walked up and slung his arms around their shoulders.
"Hey, you two! Long time no see!"
Hachiman's dead-fish eyes finally regained a glimmer of light—as if his energy had been slightly drained.
"I heard from Hiratsuka-sensei that you'd be back, but I didn't think it was true."
"We're the Three Musketeers of Toyosaki, aren't we? Inseparable!"
Houtarou removed Hakuto's arm from his shoulder. It was summer, and this kind of close contact was way too hot.
"You took leave from Hoshino Umi just to attend this event?"
"Not exactly. Because of me, Hoshino Umi Academy set up a separate venue for the event."
Hachiman's expression darkened slightly upon hearing that.
Meanwhile, Houtarou remained indifferent. He couldn't comprehend why Hakuto was able to run between both schools with a smile. If it were him, he'd be utterly miserable.
"Enough about that. Come, come! As club members, I'll take you to experience the president's special event."
"Can I refuse?"
"There's nothing today that requires you to exert effort."
"Fine..." Houtarou sighed in resignation, agreeing to Hakuto's suggestion.
Little did he know, his club president's event would turn out to be a complete social disaster.
At this moment, Houtarou was already seated at the center of the magic formation arranged by Rikka.
Surrounded by colorful stones, he grumbled,
"Isn't there supposed to be a private booth for things like this?"
"The summoning ritual must be performed under the witness of onlookers!"
Hearing his club president's declaration, Houtarou instinctively shut his eyes.
He should never have napped during club activities the other day. If he had been paying attention, he wouldn't have fallen into Hakuto's trap.
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