I'm in a real religion, why are all the people who confess to me girls?

"whee……"

Arisu smiled sweetly, but did not answer Hoshinomiya's question. Suddenly remembering something, Arisu glanced at the time on her phone, then at Amane who had almost finished her buffet, and turned back to speak with a smile.

"It's getting late. I'm sure you, Mr. Hoshinomiya, are already very clear about my plan and motives. The choice is yours. If you agree, invite Mr. Chabashira to the open-air bar in the F5 area at eight o'clock and get him drunk. Then someone will tell you what to do next. Or, if you, Mr. Hoshinomiya, feel that this will damage your reputation, you can resign. However, I will guarantee to give you a big gift before you leave. I believe Mr. Chabashira will be interested in watching your disgraceful behavior. So, I'll take my leave now."

After saying that, Arisu picked up his cane and prepared to get up and leave.

"Are you threatening me, Sakayanagi-san?"

"...Sigh, I finally understand why Amane is interested in you old women. You guys are just good at playing childish tricks. So what if you record it? I'm threatening you, Hoshinomiya-sensei. Besides being Gao Yu's student and Amane's favorite girl, I have another identity: the daughter of Chairman Sakayanagi, the first in line to become the next head of the Sakayanagi family, and possibly the future mistress of the Miyako family. You should know that I don't like to use my power to oppress others, but that doesn't mean I won't use my power."

"The Sakayanagi family has cultivated a reputation in the education field for over a century. If even an ordinary teacher like you, Hoshinomiya-sensei, couldn't handle it, people would laugh their heads off, wouldn't you agree, Hoshinomiya-sensei?"

Arisu gave a cold laugh and turned to leave.

"Wait... I haven't..."

Hoshinomiya wanted to say that she hadn't made a choice yet, but Arisu's steps were so firm, as if she wasn't interested in Hoshinomiya's answer at all, or perhaps... in Arisu's eyes, the answer had already been determined from the beginning.

She believed that Hoshinomiya, being a smart person and whose relationship with Chabashira had deteriorated to the point of no return, would make a choice that would satisfy everyone.

"You guys eat so fast! Luckily I finished my business in time, otherwise were you going to leave me behind?"

Arisu smiled and came to Amane's side. Megumi quickly got up from Amane's arms to make room for Arisu. Arisu sat down next to Amane without ceremony and leaned against the spot where Megumi had been sitting.

"It was Honami who said that you and Hoshinomiya-sensei were going to talk for a long time and asked if we should go back first."

"I... I think Arisu and Hoshinomiya-sensei are definitely talking about serious matters, and it's impossible for them to finish so quickly. Besides! I was just making a suggestion! It's just that you're craving it again, Megumi."

"Liar! I wasn't craving...craving...I'm reporting you! Fanbo's trying to eat all by himself tonight!!!"

Following Megumi's report, everyone's attention turned to Ichinose.

"Hui! Cough cough, everyone, let me explain. I just made plans with Tianyin to go to... a hot spring! Yes, it feels like something's missing if we don't go to a hot spring together when we're at a hot spring hotel. I didn't have any other intentions!"

Ichinose's explanation only made things worse, and now even Horikita has joined in teasing Ichinose.

"By the way, Tianyin, I've prepared a small gift for you."

"A gift? What is it? Something to eat?"

Amane's curious gaze searched over Arisu's body.

"I guess it's food. I'll call you when it's ready."

"Alright then, Arisu, what would you like to eat? I'll get it for you."

"I'll eat whatever you bring. Hurry up and get it, my stomach is rumbling."

Amane gave an OK sign and then got up to scavenge for various foods. She then fed Arisu little by little by hand. Arisu was not shy at all and accepted Amane's feeding generously under everyone's gaze, which made Horikita a little jealous.

After finishing their meal, the group returned to their respective rooms. Ichinose had wanted to remind Amane about what happened that night, but seeing the teasing looks from Horikita and the others, she felt too embarrassed to bring it up again and could only watch as Amane helped Arisu walk toward their living area.

"If you really want to soak in the hot springs with Amane, why don't you just chase after her, Honami?"

Seeing Ichinose's reluctant expression, Megumi couldn't help but tease her. Ichinose blushed and glared back at her.

"It's all because of your lies, Hui! How can I possibly go to Tianyin now?"

"Then shall I speak to Tianyin for you?"

"This is none of your business, Hui! You should go back and rest! Don't sneak off to do it yourself later..."

"Huh? I'm not that kind of person!"

"Hmm~ That's hard to say, hahaha, stop, stop tickling me, I was wrong, hahaha, Megumi! Stop it! Rinne..."

……

Hearing the sounds of laughter and playfulness coming from behind her, Tianyin couldn't help but turn around and take a look.

"They all seem to be quite happy."

"Isn't it natural to be happy when you're with someone you like? Tianyin, don't you feel happy being with us?"

Arisu deliberately tickled Amane's palm with her fingers, the soft touch making her feel itchy.

"Of course I'm happy to be with you all. I wish we could always be like this in the future."

Tenon's pointed remark made Arisu stop in her tracks.

"Coming to test the waters so early is unlike you, Tianyin. Someone must have sent you to ask, right? I bet it was Fanbo, wasn't it?"

Exposed to her face by Arisu, Amane smiled helplessly, then reached out and gently scratched the tip of Arisu's pen.

"My Arisu is still the best."

"Stop, stop, stop. Do you think I don't know what they're thinking? Tell them that as long as they make you happy, Tianyin, I'll still consider them my friends even after graduation."

After getting the answer from Arisu, Amane finally smiled. After all, her plan was mostly wishful thinking from the beginning. Generally speaking, romantic relationships formed by high school students will disappear on graduation day, so some people call graduation season the breakup season.

However, Tianyin doesn't intend to just walk this short journey with everyone for a few years. Tianyin wants to hold everyone's hand and walk on and on...

In order to achieve this goal, in addition to her own determination and ability, Arisu's approval is also indispensable. If Arisu does not agree, there will be great resistance to pushing this matter forward, and it may even lead to a fierce conflict, causing the hard-won friendly relationship to break down and be lost.

Fortunately, Arisu agreed.

This should put the others at ease.

……

The deep blue, satin-like night sky was silently dotted with silver flakes, and the warm orange hanging lamps of the open-air bar cast a hazy glow through the snow.

Hoshinomiya sat hunched over in the wicker chair, her fingertips slowly tracing the rim of a glass. Water droplets condensed on the rim meandered down her sliding fingertips, leaving tear-like streaks on the clear glass.

In the distance, the neon lights outside the hotel lobby shimmered into hazy, colorful clusters in the snow and mist, while nearby, the empty rattan chairs were adorned with snowflakes like lace.

When the new snow fell on her hair, Hoshinomiya shivered slightly, not from the cold, but more like an instinctive reflex. She glanced subconsciously at her phone on the table not far away, which was still making a constant buzzing sound.

The screen, which shone brightly in the night, displayed the name of the caller as Chabashira Sae.

That's right.

As Arisu had predicted, Hoshinomiya agreed to Arisu's plan.

As planned, Hoshinomiya called to invite Chabashira over for drinks. Unsurprisingly, Chabashira refused. Hoshinomiya then tearfully said that Amane had bullied her and that she had originally wanted to drink with her to vent her frustrations. Since Chabashira didn't want to come, she would just stay here and drown her sorrows in alcohol.

After hanging up the phone, Hoshinomiya put his phone on silent and left it on the table. Then he started pouring himself drinks and creating the illusion that he was drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

As for the alcohol... it's beer, of course. The reason for pouring it into a glass is to create the atmosphere of drinking whiskey or something similar. Although Hoshinoguchi's drinking habits are hard to describe, his alcohol tolerance is quite good.

Of course, this only applies to beer.

Hoshinomiya drank her drink while staring intently at her phone screen. About five minutes after she hung up, her phone started vibrating non-stop. Chabashira kept calling her, seemingly wanting to talk to her about something urgent.

But Hoshinomiya remained unmoved, only taking sips of sake as he waited for the tea pillar to arrive.

Tap, tap, tap!

The sound of high heels clicking on the wooden planks came from behind her. Hoshinomiya slightly raised her head; even without turning around, she knew it was Chabashira.

Because at this time, there were no pedestrians on the streets of the hot spring hotel. Apart from the huge Christmas tree decorated in the distance and the orange lantern behind him, the entire hot spring hotel had lost all color under the snow, as if it had blended into the snow.

"Hoshinomiya Chie!!! Why aren't you answering my calls?!"

Chazuki walked aggressively to Hoshinomiya, grabbed her by the collar, and lifted her off the wicker chair.

"Hehe...sorry, I thought you weren't going to care about me anymore..."

Hoshino Palace revealed a few simple smiles.

"you……"

Seeing that Hoshinomiya was still grinning foolishly at this hour, Chabashira was furious and was about to give Hoshinomiya a good scolding. However, when he saw Hoshinomiya's red eyes, his heart softened.

Chashu released his grip on Hoshinomiya's collar.

With a thud.

Hoshinomiya slumped back into her wicker chair, the movement so violent that she knocked over a clear wine glass on the table.

The aroma of beer filled the air.

Chashu looked at Hoshinomiya, who was drunk and dizzy, with a look of disappointment, and then sat down on the rattan chair on the other side.

"How many times have I told you not to go near that guy! You just wouldn't listen, and now look what happened? You've gotten yourself into this mess."

"Hey hey hey..."

Should we call the police?

"Hey hey hey..."

"What can you do besides grin like an idiot? Ji-hye! Wake up!"

Chabashira saw Hoshinomiya grinning foolishly and felt a surge of anger rising within him. Just as Chabashira was about to vent his anger on the pathetic Hoshinomiya, Hoshinomiya picked up a can of beer from the ground, poured it into a glass, and handed it to Chabashira.

Would you like a drink?

"..."

Chazhu remained silent for a moment, then picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing this, Hoshinomiya chuckled a few times, then poured himself another full cup and drank it down in one gulp, before continuing to pour sake for the tea pillar.

The two of them drank one cup after another, without saying a word. They just kept pouring and drinking, looking like pitiful people who were heartbroken and drowning their sorrows in alcohol.

Clang.

The aluminum can made a crisp sound as it fell to the ground.

"The wine's gone... hiccup... I'll go find some more... hiccup..."

"Don't drink anymore."

When Chabashira saw Hoshinomiya trying to get up to find some sake, he quickly pulled her back, despite already feeling a bit tipsy.

"But I didn't drink enough..."

As he spoke, Hoshinomiya exhaled a breath full of alcohol-smelling air towards the tea pillar.

Chabashira waved his hand dismissively to drive away the pungent smell of alcohol, while simultaneously using all his strength to hold onto Hoshinomiya, afraid that she might fall to the ground in that state.

"That's enough. If I drink any more... I can't take it..."

As Chazhu spoke, he suddenly stumbled and fell to the floor.

When Hoshinomiya saw Chabashira fall, she didn't reach out to help him up. Instead, she coldly watched as Chabashira's clothes were gradually soaked by the falling snow.

After confirming that Chashu had passed out, Hoshinomiya's drunken expression vanished, and she picked up her phone to make that call.

After the call connected, Hoshinomiya spoke coldly to the person on the other end of the line.

"She's drunk."

Chapter 331: The Player

"Thank you for your hard work, Hoshinomiya-sensei. I'll have Amane go over and help right away. Please wait a moment."

As soon as Arisu finished speaking, the phone went dead. It was clear that Hoshinomiya didn't want to talk to Arisu any longer. Arisu didn't mind Hoshinomiya's bad attitude and instead looked at Amane, who was giving her a leg massage.

"A call from Hoshinomiya-sensei? She wants me to come over? Is this the gift you mentioned, Arisu? But what kind of gift would require Hoshinomiya-sensei's help to prepare? In my memory, Hoshinomiya-sensei doesn't seem to have any particularly noteworthy skills, does she?"

After recalling the information about the Star Palace for a long time, Tianyin showed a face full of doubt.

According to Ichinose, Hoshinomiya-sensei's skill level in cooking and dessert making should be about the same as hers, which means that this gift may not necessarily be food. So what could Arisu ask Hoshinomiya-sensei to prepare...? Suddenly, Amane seemed to realize something and lightly slapped her palm with her fist.

"I understand! Arisu, you didn't ask Hoshinomiya-sensei to bring me a gift from outside, did you? That's too much trouble. I like any gift you give me, Arisu."

"Really? But you've refused my gifts several times, haven't you? Like that time with Asahina-senpai?"

"That can't really be considered a gift, and I don't like taking advantage of others when they're vulnerable..."

"...Anyway, you'll definitely like this gift. Hurry up and go get it from Hoshinomiya-sensei."

After glancing at the limited time available, Arisu hurriedly urged Amane to go find Hoshinomiya-sensei.

"Okay, I'll be right back. You can take a shower first, Arisu~"

"Hmph! Who agreed to let you spend the night here?"

"Huh?!!"

Amane's expectant look at the gift immediately fell, and Amane's dejected appearance successfully amused Arisu.

"Stop fooling around and get down to business. I'll reward you handsomely when you get your gift back!"

As Arisu touched her lips, she gave Amane an extremely ambiguous look. Upon hearing Arisu's words, Amane immediately put on her clothes, asked Arisu for the location of Hoshinomiya-sensei, and hurriedly went to meet up with Hoshinomiya-sensei.