After confirming that his objective had been achieved, Hakuto had no intention of staying any longer—especially since there was still a certain girl sitting on his shoulders.
"I've said everything I needed to say. What you choose to do with it is up to you. I'll be taking my leave now."
"I understand..."
Seeing that his "persuasion" had worked, Hakuto felt a sense of pride deep in his heart.
"I'll do as you said and hold back."
"That's good to hear. In that case, see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow?"
Hakuto didn't bother explaining. He simply turned and left without another word.
The moment he stepped outside, he immediately shrugged Nao off his shoulders.
"You sure make yourself comfortable, huh?"
Nao landed steadily on the ground thanks to her agility, then adjusted her shoes.
"Perfect! The plan went off without a hitch."
"What plan? I was improvising the whole time."
"Hah? That was my plan all along."
"Can I hit you?"
"Sorry, but no!"
Hakuto seriously regretted believing in Nao's nonsense and following her into this mess.
He hadn't even finished his meal before coming here, and now he was starving to the point where he felt like he might pass out on the street any second.
"Let's go."
"Where to this time? Do I have more work?"
"We're getting food."
"Oh... alright!"
The moment he heard the word "food," Hakuto's energy returned in an instant.
"Wait, does the student council provide free meals?"
"No."
"Then why are you calling me to eat?!"
"I'm treating."
"Oh, got it, President!"
"Hah?"
Nao was speechless. She truly believed Hakuto had fallen into a pit of stinginess so deep that not even a crowbar could pry him out.
"I know a really good night market. Come on, President, I'll take you there."
"Can you... not get so close to me?"
"Hmm?"
"I suspect there's some kind of spirit controlling your thoughts. Or is this a side effect of your ability?"
"..."
"..."
"I finally say something nice to you, and you can't handle it?"
"Oh, see! There it is again! It must be a side effect!"
Hakuto really didn't know how to deal with Nao.
Despite all the unexpected turns, the two still managed to make their way to the night market Hakuto had mentioned.
"Why is it so far away?!"
"Didn't I give you a ride on my bike? What are you so tired about?!"
This night market was quite a distance from Otosaka Yuu's house.
Due to its prime location, the market had developed into a thriving hub.
The surrounding residential properties were so expensive that any one of them could completely drain Hakuto's savings—and even that wouldn't be enough.
Since Nao was the one paying, Hakuto had no financial concerns and ate to his heart's content.
"Seriously? You finally come to a night market, and you buy instant food?"
"What do you know?! This is beef tongue rice! The kind that heats up on its own when you pull the string on the box!"
Nao was holding a rather plain-looking packaged meal, but despite its unassuming appearance, she couldn't hide her excitement.
"I thought you could only find these at train stations. I can't believe they sell them here!"
As she spoke, she pulled the white string attached to the box.
The sealed beef tongue rice slowly opened, and before long, steam began rising from it.
"Look, look! Isn't it amazing?"
"Yeah, yeah, very amazing."
Hakuto really didn't get her excitement. It was just a self-heating meal—there were tons of them online for a few bucks.
He ate them all the time since they were convenient and cheap, though they did have some safety concerns.
Nao eagerly took a bite of the freshly heated beef tongue rice.
"This is so good!"
"You actually make that face, huh..."
Nao was in such a good mood that she didn't want to argue with Hakuto and instead continued talking to herself.
"By the way, this night market is pretty far from your house, isn't it? Do you really come all the way here just for a midnight snack?"
"Oh, that... It's a little-known story... No, wait, actually, it's a story that everyone knows!"
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Check out the other translations too: [Mash-Up: I'm Not A Substitute]
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