I Don't Want An Ordinary Life

Chapter 24: I'm Too Old to Call a Thief My Mother

"Speaking of which, Treasurer Ronan, you must have enrolled from outside, right? At first, I thought you came from a poor family like mine, but now it seems that's not the case."

This was a question Shirogane had wanted to ask for a long time.

To have a grudge against the Shinomiya family and openly show disdain for the members of the Shuchiin Club Federation, his background couldn't be as simple as he claimed—"My father is just a farmer."

"What kind of background do you think I have, President?"

"A son of a big entrepreneur… or something like that."

"I really wasn't lying when I said my old man is a farmer, and I'm not particularly good at lying either," Ronan said helplessly. "The reason you think my background is unusual is just that my dad has a lot of connections, so I can get by pretty much anywhere."

"Then what about your usual expenses? Does your family provide for you?"

"They cover part of it, but I try to earn my own money by working part-time as much as possible."

"Part-time work is a good habit. It's all valuable social experience," Shirogane nodded.

He himself enjoyed working part-time, partly to help support his family.

"Where do you usually work?"

"Abroad."

"Abroad? Oh, right, you're an international student. That must be tough work."

"Yeah, it's pretty exhausting. At our age, making money isn't easy. It's not like when we were kids."

"Huh?" Shirogane looked surprised. "You were earning money as a kid?"

"Yeah, I think I was around five at the time."

"That young!?"

"It was pretty early, yeah."

Ronan lifted his head slightly, as if recalling something from the past.

"Back then, my dad's farm had just started up, and there were always some really pretty ladies dropping by our house for no particular reason. Whenever they saw me, they'd secretly tell me that if I called them 'Mom,' they'd give me pocket money. I didn't really understand why at the time, but since there was money involved, I went along with it."

"You just gave in like that!?"

"It's business. Making money isn't shameful."

"…I don't even know what to say to you."

"I'm only telling you this because we're friends, President. Don't go spreading it around. Not even my old man knows about it."

"I promise I won't say a word."

"Either way, things aren't like they used to be. I'm too old to be calling random people 'Mom' for cash."

"..."

Looking at Ronan, the newly recruited student council accountant, Shirogane was at a genuine loss for words.

"Anyway, President, do you need my help or not?"

"Uh… well…"

"Why not just drop it? Getting involved with the Shinomiya heiress just to handle students' love consultations—honestly, that's a losing deal." Ronan advised.

Though, deep down, he actually wanted Shirogane to dive headfirst into this mess. If he really ended up in a relationship with Kaguya, the Shinomiya family would definitely step in to interfere.

When that happened, as the president's friend, Ronan would have a justified reason to get involved and stir things up for the Shinomiyas.

But still…

"You probably just admire Shinomiya Kaguya, President. If it's just for handling student consultations, there's no need to throw yourself in completely."

"Well… about that…"

However, Shirogane himself was very tempted.

Setting aside whether Ronan could actually hold his ground against the Shinomiya family, the fact that he was willing to help push Kaguya into confessing first was already an incredibly enticing offer.

"Hmm… For the sake of this school's students, I'll risk it all!"

"Do you really need to go this far?"

"Of course!"

Shirogane stood tall, chest puffed out, eyes filled with righteous determination.

"This is all to help the students of this school."

That excuse was riddled with holes. No normal person would buy it.

Luckily, Ronan was not a normal person.

"As expected of you, President. In that case, I'll provide you with regular intelligence on Shinomiya Kaguya for the time being. Just let me know what you need, and I can arrange for someone to gather the info."

"Arrange for someone? You actually have people working for you?"

"Oh, I hold a position assigned by my organization's headquarters here in Japan. So, I have access to a few people with too much free time on their hands." Ronan said casually.

"…You really aren't simple, are you?"

...

"Miss, please get in the car."

"Mm."

Standing by the door of a luxurious stretch limousine, Ai Hayasaka opened the back seat for Shinomiya Kaguya. As Kaguya stepped inside, Hayasaka followed and shut the door behind them.

Leaning back against the plush leather seat, Kaguya let out a long sigh.

"Sigh… I actually ran into that demon."

"Miss, are you talking about Ronan Yao?"

"It's him. I never expected even he would end up at Shuchiin."

A hint of concern clouded Kaguya's face as memories of a bloodstained night resurfaced in her mind.

"He claims he's just here to study, but… his real purpose is still unclear."

"Are you worried he'll harm you?" Hayasaka asked, seated beside her.

"For now, he doesn't seem to have any such intentions… but… but—"

Kaguya's body trembled slightly, and her fists clenched involuntarily.

"He actually… actually told the President not to confess first!! That demon… is this even something a human being could do?!"

Hayasaka Ai: "..."

"This must be his way of getting revenge on me… that guy…"

"But Miss, didn't you say you had no interest in the President?"

"Of course, I don't have any interest in him!"

Kaguya turned her head away with a haughty pout.

"B-but, well… if the President were to lower himself and confess to me… I might consider it."

"…What a hassle."

Throughout the conversation, Hayasaka maintained the same expression. It seemed to be her habit—just like how she deliberately acted as a fashionable gyaru at school. Very few had ever seen her true emotions surface.

"In the end, isn't it your fault for rejecting him back then?" Kaguya suddenly turned the tables.

"How is that my fault? Am I not allowed to reject a guy?"

"If you truly didn't like him, of course, you could reject him. But I distinctly remember you crying for ages after coming back, and it took you days to pull yourself together."

"..."

"And these past few years, you've been secretly looking up information on him. Are you really saying you don't like him?"

"No, Miss," Hayasaka replied.

"I do like him. I like him very much."

"…Then why?"

"Because I know my position. If I had accepted his confession back then, what do you think the Shinomiya family would have done to him? Even if it was just a naive childhood confession, the Shinomiya family eliminates all unfavorable elements."

"…That's true."

Kaguya let out a sigh and shook her head.

She understood better than anyone what the Shinomiya family was capable of.

"So, in the end… it's because of me, isn't it?"

"It has nothing to do with you, Miss."

"By the way, Hayasaka, why did you even like him? He's just a guy with nothing but a pretty face and a collection of bizarre behaviors." Kaguya asked, genuinely curious.

"Because he's different from us. He never hides behind a heavy mask of pretense."

"..."

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