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The sounds of strokes on a keyboard echoed through the room. Mixed into said sound was a gentle tap on the room’s window.

“Kanata… is now a good time?”

Sakura, who had changed out of her school uniform into her normal clothes, was about to enter the boy’s room, thinking of spending time together with him. In a rare event, Kanata didn’t look at her and just gave her a quick “ok” sign with one hand, before placing it back on the keyboard.

“What are you doing?” she asked him, after closing the window through which she had entered.
“Investment,” he replied without looking at her.
“Huh… I see. But why do that right away after… you didn’t even take off your uniform…”
“I didn’t want to miss out on a chance… that’s what I thought.” Kanata vigorously pressed the enter key and then finally turned to look at Sakura. “If I sell everything I just bought three hours and 12 minutes from now, I’ll rake it in like crazy. The current time was the point when the shares were cheapest today.”
“Really…? I can’t say I get it. The way you talk, you make it sound as if you know the future,” Sakura replied. The moment the words left her mouth, she suddenly seemed to realize. “Don’t tell me…”
“Ha-ha-ha. It’s exactly that.”

Leaving the computer running, Kanata showed a cherubic smile.

“Isn’t… isn’t that cheating?”
“It’s not. After all, this isn’t a game. And those are listed businesses. Why should I go out of my way and let that opportunity slip away?”
“I-I see… But what if the future changes and you make a huge loss…?”
“I’ve calculated it properly, so everything should work out. Things are developing exactly how I remember them from the news¹.”

And that’s why you don’t need to worry, was what he communicated to Sakura without saying it.

She took a long sigh. “Well… no matter what mess you’re getting yourself into…”
“It won’t bother you?”
“Of… of course it would bother me! I-If you do something dangerous… uhm… I’ll stop you…”
“Ha-ha… thank you.”

Kanata’s cheeks were tinged slightly red. Sakura’s face, on the other hand, turned bright red like a tomato.

“At any rate, today sure was one turbulent day.”
“Y-Yeah…”
“Everyone was surprised that you look so… awfully cute without your glasses, Sakura.”

On this day, while they were at school, Kanata and Sakura became the main topic, mainly among their classmates, especially Sakura, since very few people knew how she looked without her glasses (she’d been stuck with the “Bottle-Bottom Glasses Chairwoman” nickname). Both girls who used to have their sights on Kanata and boys talked in whispers about her.

“Th-That’s true. All kinds of people commented on how cute I am…! It was exhausting.”
“But that’s a good thing, right? I mean, it’s true.”

As she heard that, Sakura, who looked troubled and was fanning² her flushed face with her hand, seemed to get even more embarrassed.

“…Recently, you often say this kind of stuff, Kanata.”
“Yep, I do. We’re dating, so I can tell you how I really feel.”
“Uh… gah… I-It’s fine, but… please don’t say such things in front of others, alright?”
“I got you!”

He drew closer until he was next to her and stroked her head. At the mercy of his caress, Sakura didn’t show any signs of discomfort.

“You’ve changed too, Sakura.”
“In what way? Do you mean how I look without my glasses?”
“No, that’s not it. I mean how you no longer hate it when I pat your head.”

Her eyes snapped open in surprise, and after looking between the arm held over her head and Kanata’s face, she blushed again.

“Uh… I guess. After all, we’re dating now… uhm, it’s not like I hated it before! I didn’t, but… uhm… I…”
“You were embarrassed because you had feelings for me?”

She reacted to his question with a nod while turning even redder. Kanata smiled contently when he saw that.

“I see… gotcha.”
“Uhm… I’m sorry. Kinda.”
“What for?”

The boy stopped caressing her head and gazed at her face.

“Well… I just thought… the way I kept refusing might’ve made you uncomfortable,” Sakura replied somewhat timidly.
“It’s fine.”
“Are you sure…? That’s a relief.”

Kanata suddenly stood up while smiling at Sakura, who was looking at him anxiously.

“Now, time for studying. There are still two hours and 50 minutes until the planned time.”
“Huh… oh, hang on! I just had a thought,” she exclaimed while getting up, as if to chase after him.
“What is it?”
“Wouldn’t it be better if we did our studies in Anazumu? Look, we could ask Ayu-nii to make a magic room in which time passes faster³, plus the textbooks and reference materials we use in this world…”
“Really?”

Kanata reacted with a blank look, as if he found the idea disappointing.

“Is there something weird about my idea?”
“N-No. I just thought it sounded like cheating.”
“It’s not cheating! This isn’t a game, after all. We should take any chance we get!” Sakura replied with a proud look.

Kanata seemed to hold back the urge to impulsively burst into laughter. Sakura looked puzzled when she saw him like that.

“Did I say something strange?”
“No… I was actually thinking of suggesting the same thing, but you seemed so serious, Sakura. You see, I was pondering how to put it into words, so you’d agree with it. I didn’t expect you to have the same idea.”
“Th-That’s because… I want to… spend lots of time with you in this world… Until now, I could only spend three to five days per week with you because of my committee activities and studying, right?”
“Sakura…!”

Kanata hugged her.

1. So, he’s not only super-smart but also has a photographic memory? Or how else would he remember the stock courses down to the minute at some random day three months ago?
2. The original is 仰ぐ (“to look up”). I assume that’s as error and meant to be the homophone 扇ぐ (to fan”)
3. The original is “where time passes slower”, but you need it to be faster than the outside if you want more study time.

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