The Last Setup

Six days have passed since I made the deal with Kurumizawa-san.

Tomorrow it will all be over. Shiho should be recovering and coming to school soon, and since my phone will be back, I will be able to communicate with her more often.

 

In return, I should have little to do with Kurumizawa-san.

I've been put in the position of being the main character, and a lot has happened ..., but nothing has changed to the point of being critical.

 

One more day to go and it will all be over.

There were times when I was in a lot of doubt, but that's why I was able to confirm my love for the girl named Shiho.

 

And that was okay.

There were no peaks and valleys, and the romantic comedy may have been as calm and boring as the sea, but some hardship would have been a nice spice.

Even the romantic comedy god would have been satisfied.

So I don't think there is anything more to say.

 

Believing this, I was spending my sixth day as a tutor.

 

Well, to be precise, I am not a tutor, but merely a student of Kurumizawa-san's.

 

"The test is about to start, and you shouldn't skip it. Nakayama's grades aren't very good, and you have to work hard to get back in your mother's good graces."

 

But what is eerie is that there is no change in her attitude, either.

 

"As long as you don't let your guard down, I think you'll be fine now. You should be confident in your hopes, okay? Because I'm the one who taught you, so you should get at least an average score."

 

The sun had set.

It was almost time to go home.

No, I might be treated to dinner again today.

Still, the deal would be over by the end of tomorrow. With the end in sight, I was confident that I could endure whatever might happen.

 

"Oh, I am grateful to you for teaching me everything you have taught me about studying. I've learned a lot."

 

"... I didn't want you to praise me. Well... It's probably not too much to expect you to say so."

 

In spite of the fact that she was saying something not honest, she was not able to hide her emotions because of the grin on her face.

 

"I'm going to go home now."

 

I stood up and picked up my bag.

But Kurumizawa-san snatched it away from me.

 

"No. Why don't you have dinner again today? It will be our last dinner, and I have prepared a lot of delicious food for you. It will take a little time to prepare, but I would be happy if you would eat."

 

...I knew it was going to be like that.

I had expected it, for once, and had no choice but to nod with a wry smile.

 

"Since it's the last time... yeah, I'll be grateful for the treat."

 

I followed her lead and left Kurumizawa-san's room. Since I had already memorized the location of the dining room, I was able to arrive there without her leading the way.

 

However, the food was usually already cooked, but today it seemed to be carefully prepared, so the food was not yet ready.

 

"Well, I guess we are running a little late after all. Nakayama, will it be okay?"

 

"Yeah, it's fine."

 

In any case, a servant of the Kurumizawa family will take me home, so it doesn't matter what time I get home.

With that in mind, I decided to wait patiently.

 

I had a light chat with Kurumizawa-san, and it must have been about 30 minutes.

When I was getting hungry, the meal was finally ready.

 

“I heard that they got some really tasty crabs today. Oh, are you allergic to crustaceans?"

 

"No, I'm fine. But I haven't eaten crab in a long time."

 

When I lived with my parents as a child, we sometimes went out to eat.

I think I had eaten it a few times then, but I didn't have that taste in my memory.

 

They had also prepared a crab casserole, which I gratefully accepted. Since it was winter, warm food tastes really good.

However, crab takes a long time to eat, so by the time we finished our meal, it was just before 11:00 p.m. It was about an hour later than usual.

 

"Thank you for the meal"

 

"Yeah, thanks for your patience. Well, it's time to get ready for the ride home..."

 

I was completely caught off guard by the fact that Kurumiawa-san was so normal.

I thought the day would end without incident.

 

But there was only tomorrow left in the term of the agreement.

At a time like this, there was no way that Kurumizawa-san would not do something about it.

 

"... Eh? Oh my, I didn't know that was going to happen."

 

I came to the front door, thinking I was going home.

The servant who always drove me around was whispering something in Kurumizawa-san's ear.

 

It seemed unnatural to me..., and I raised an eyebrow at his somewhat theatrical behavior.

 

However, it was already too late to be alarmed.

 

"Nakayama, I'm sorry. The car seems to have suddenly broken down and won't start."

 

"…Eh?"

 

At the last minute, Kurumizawa-san made her move.

I fell right into it, and all I could do was gawk.

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