I Accidentally Said “I Want a S○x Partner” in the Class Group on LINE, and the School Idol Responded

After school.

I wanted to find out why Shinozaki couldn’t go on the trip. When I got home, I sent her a message, [Do you want to have dinner at my place again today?] I hoped it would give me a chance to ask her.

She replied,

[If I come tonight, it’ll be after 9, so I’ll skip dinner. But my pain’s gone, so I’ll come just to keep our agreement.]

If she was coming, that was fine. I replied, [Okay. I’ll wait.] For now, I decided to make dinner for myself.

I cut some vegetables and stir-fried them with pork, just adding some yakiniku sauce for a simple vegetable stir-fry. I also made miso soup and put it on the table with some cooked white rice. It wasn’t fancy, but it was enough. I even took a photo and sent it to my mom. The rice was a little soft, but everything else was fine.

Still, I was a little bothered by Shinozaki’s message saying she’d only come after 9. Why is she so late? Thinking back, the first time she came for our arrangement, it was also past 9.

…Maybe she’s working a part-time job?

If that’s the case, it’s not strange. But I was curious why she was working.

Anyway, what I really wanted to know was why she couldn’t go on the trip. Depending on the reason, if I could help her, I wanted to make it possible for her to join.

If we could go together, it would definitely be better.

※

Around 9 p.m., Shinozaki showed up as planned.

“―Good evening, Hashiguchi-kun.”

As expected, she was still in her school uniform. It looked like she hadn’t gone home at all after school, which made me think even more that she had been working a part-time job until now.

Shinozaki came into the living room and asked, “Can I use your shower?” Since she was here to keep our agreement, it made sense.

I was about to nod, but I decided to ask my question first. It felt more honest to ask before anything else happened. Asking afterward would have felt awkward.

“I’m sorry, Shinozaki. I don’t mind letting you use the shower, but I want to talk first.”

“…Talk?”

“You’re not going on the mountain trip, right?”

“Ah… yeah, I’m not going.”

She nodded while looking away.

“Is it a problem if I ask why?”

I decided to be direct. It might end our arrangement, since this was supposed to be a stress-relief thing, and I was prying.

“…Why do you want to know that?”

“I thought maybe you can’t go because of your family. If that’s the case, I want to help if I can. Since I’ve been restricted by my own parents, I can’t just ignore someone in a similar situation.”

I said it honestly. Shinozaki smiled and looked a little troubled.

“You’re kind… or maybe just curious. You really stick your nose in where it’s complicated.”

“You can call it curiosity if you want. Anyway, if it’s not a problem, can you tell me why you can’t go? I might be able to help.”

“…It’s my part-time job.”

“Part-time job…?”

“Yes, that’s why I can’t go on the trip. Yuna and the others asked too, but this is the first time I’ve told anyone… It’s funny, I didn’t plan to say it, but it just slipped out. Maybe you have a talent for getting people to talk?”

…She’d only told me.

That probably meant… she trusted me in some way.

I wasn’t sure, but I needed to ask a bit more.

“What kind of part-time job? Is that why you came so late tonight?”

“…Yes, I work at a family restaurant near the station.”

“Even so, nobody’s ever seen you there…”

“I’m not working in the hall.”

“…Ah, I see.”

So she’s in the kitchen… that would explain why she’s good at cooking too.

“But wait… why would you choose your part-time job over the mountain trip?”

“It’s simple… I just don’t have the freedom to go. It’s better for me to work full shifts for those two days and earn money than to spend time on the trip.”

…If she was telling the truth, that meant her life was such that she had to work to earn money and couldn’t just skip it for fun… Was it really that serious…

“Not everyone is lucky… I can’t have a normal youth like other people.”

From what I’d learned in the past few days.

She grew up in a home where her parents don’t worry if she goes out at night, she works at a family restaurant several times a week, and she wants to focus on earning money, even if it means skipping some classes not related to studying. In short, she’s struggling financially.

…This wasn’t normal.

I felt I should ask more about her family, but I didn’t want to be annoying. I was stuck between wanting to know and worrying about prying too much…

Then Shinozaki quietly said,

“…I really want to go on the trip, though.”

…That was probably her true feeling.

“If that’s the case…”

Before I knew it, I blurted out what came to mind.

“…I’ll pay for your part-time job shifts.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll cover the money for your shifts for those two days. Then you can go on the trip, right?”

“N-No… I can’t do that.”

Shinozaki looked down and was troubled. I knew a serious person like her wouldn’t easily agree. Still, I decided to push a little. This seemed like the most practical way to make sure she could go on the trip.

“…You don’t have to feel bad. I’ve been doing cryptocurrency as a little break from studying. I don’t really have a hobby, so my allowance just keeps piling up, and it’s actually making me a profit. But since I don’t have a hobby, I don’t know what to spend it on, so it just sits there.”

“…So you want to use that money for me?”

“Exactly. It’s my money. I can do what I want with it. Instead of buying useless things, it’s better to help someone I know.”

“…Why… would you even care about someone like me?”

I didn’t have a perfect answer for that.

After thinking for a bit, I said,

“…Let’s just call it noblesse oblige. My parents force me to do a lot, and if I complained about it, I’d probably get laughed at.”

“…I don’t like being shown pity.”

“Yeah… I figured, but this isn’t a pity. I just want to do it, that’s all.”

The noblesse oblige excuse was just a cover.

Honestly, I probably just wanted to look good in front of Shinozaki.

“Anyway, this time I want you to accept it quietly… It’s a special trip, and I want you to come with me.”

“…”