It's fake. The worried look on Hakuto's face was all for Nao.
After all, in order to be flawless, Hakuto had even fooled himself, let alone Nao.
"My dear president, I've been working diligently for several months. Shouldn't you praise me a bit?"
Hakuto said innocently. He had thought that after overcoming this hurdle, Nao would give him a big hug.
But now, not only was there no hug, she was sitting on his shoulder, looking displeased.
"(눈_눈)? Are you joking?"
Nao was sitting on Hakuto's shoulder, her legs like tiger claws gripping around his neck.
She placed her stomach on the top of his head, extending her neck to look at his handsome face upside down.
(눈_눈)
(눈_눈)
The two of them stared at each other, a look they'd exchanged countless times, as if they would never get tired of it.
"If you keep doing this, be careful I deduct your salary."
"Ha~? You'll deduct my salary?"
"Now, are you the student council president, or am I the student council president?"
Hakuto couldn't help but tilt his head slightly. This was the first time he truly felt the power of authority!
Nao, in a certain sense, could be considered his client, but now, this client was being pinned under his power.
Oh~! What a new experience! So awesome!
Hakuto had never experienced this feeling.
If the five sisters gave him a sense of being a teacher due to the teacher-student relationship, then now, Nao made him experience what it's like to be a boss.
After all, even though the five sisters' salaries were directly linked to Hakuto, Nao was different.
If Hakuto got upset, he could really deduct Nao's salary.
Is this the joy of being a capitalist? So cool!
"You still haven't explained why you lied to me."
Hakuto stared at Nao's face as she hung upside down in front of him. After thinking for a while, he actually put on a worried expression.
After a long time, Hakuto sighed, and his eyes suddenly became misty.
"What's wrong?" Nao was taken aback by his sudden change and quickly asked.
"Nao..." Hakuto took a deep breath, shook his head, and said nothing.
Nao frowned slightly. Hakuto rarely called her "Nao."
Normally, he either called her "that person from the Tomori family" when there was nothing special, or "President" when something was going on.
It was rare for him to call her directly by name, and now, in this atmosphere, the sudden address made Nao feel something was off.
"Hakuto... What's wrong?"
"Is there a possibility that in some timeline, I've died many times...?"
Hakuto spoke in a sorrowful tone, very seriously, and with a hint of acceptance in his voice.
Hakuto, smiling with his eyes shining, looked at Nao: "I'm so glad that I can stand in front of you in one piece..."
Nao looked at Hakuto under her, not knowing what to say.
Having stayed in the base for several months, Nao knew nothing about the outside world.
Every night, Hakuto would roughly tell her about the things that had happened that day.
But Nao still didn't understand anything about the outside world, let alone the events before Otosaka Yuu's memory jump.
If what Hakuto said was true, that he had died many times in some unknown timeline...
Nao, hanging upside down, stared into Hakuto's bright eyes. After hesitating for a moment, she slowly held his head and whispered.
"Hakuto... I'm glad you're okay..."
Although Nao had been angry at Hakuto for keeping things from her, her worry over the past few months was no lie.
Every afternoon after school, she would sit at the base entrance just to see Hakuto safely return from school.
Now, seeing him in a state that seemed like he had survived a catastrophe, Nao felt a strange discomfort in her heart.
Nao had few friends, and Hakuto was one of them. There weren't many people she trusted, and Hakuto was one of the few...
"President, are you still going to give me a big hug~?"
"Ha~? Let's just say it's because you risked your life in your past life to save me..."
"Yeah?" Hakuto had never really taken the future events seriously.
The sad face he made after learning about his death was just for show.
But he didn't expect Nao to still hold onto this matter.
"By the way, was what you said just now true...?"
To Nao, if Hakuto had died in some timeline, and then Otosaka Yuu experienced a memory jump, it could be considered a true death...
Even though she hadn't experienced it, Nao was sure it wasn't something easy.
But who knows, after hearing Nao's question, Hakuto just rolled his eyes and didn't answer.
After all, how could Hakuto know if what he said was true or not!
He was really happy to stand in front of Nao in one piece, but as for the part about dying in some timeline...
Who knows if that was true!
After all, Hakuto didn't say that the timeline was the one after Otosaka Yuu's memory jump.
What if, in some parallel world, Hakuto had died due to some improper operation?
Who knows?
What is this? Schrödinger's Hakuto?
But vague answers were Hakuto's specialty! He loved being a riddle maker!
"Who knows, does the president want me to explain it to you in detail?"
"Forget it..."
Nao shook her head. She had no interest in making Hakuto relive painful memories.
"By the way, how is Otosaka Yuu's vision now?"
"Pobably... still okay, it doesn't affect life much..."
Of course, Otosaka Yuu had only undergone one memory jump, so his vision wasn't greatly affected.
However, to Nao, it sounded like Otosaka Yuu's vision was fine after wearing glasses.
Sigh! Hakuto hadn't said anything! He didn't even lie, since being vague doesn't count as lying.
It's all Nao's own assumptions, her own assumptions...
Speaking of which, Hakuto had been out for a few months, and suddenly he kind of missed school life.
In the Hoshino Umi, Hakuto spent every day in the office and hadn't experienced the fun of attending classes!
Fun? What fun!
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