Can't We Skip Dating?

The gloomy sky finally opened up with rain.

Akira returned to the car while Sorata and Mashiro went into the nearby convenience store.

From the car window, he could see Sorata picking up a manga volume and saying something to Mashiro. 

But Mashiro only stood there, blankly staring at the voice acting agency—the place where Nanami was.

If Akira remembered correctly, the day of Nanami's voice acting presentation was also the release day of Mashiro's manga. 

The book Sorata held was probably it. Yet Mashiro, consumed by guilt over Nanami collapsing because of her, felt no joy over her own release.

Akira appreciated that sense of conscience. 

If Nanami had collapsed and Mashiro showed no remorse, even with how cute she was, he wouldn't have hesitated to call her out.

After all, Nanami was the very first girl Akira had looked at and thought: "Ah, this one's mine."

She was exactly the type he admired and loved most. 

And she perfectly fit his recent need for companionship—a warm, domestic life with someone to care for him instead of takeout. 

Two sources of happiness combined to create even greater joy.

What he hoped to gain was the blissful life of being spoiled into uselessness by a devoted maid.

So even if it cost more money and energy, Akira felt it was completely worth it.

Time flowed quietly in the curtain of rain. Though he was drowsy from waking up early, Akira didn't nap. 

From time to time, he glanced at the agency. When he saw someone come out, he grabbed his umbrella and stepped out of the car.

Just as he reached the entrance, Nanami, with her head lowered, walked out of the agency.

Sorata and Mashiro came running from the convenience store with umbrellas. 

Just as they were about to call out to her, a girl suddenly rushed out from behind Nanami and shouted angrily:

"Wait! Nanami! Do you know how much trouble you've caused everyone because of this?!"

Nanami stopped in her tracks. Her face was hidden beneath her bangs, making her expression hard to read. She simply replied in a flat voice, "I'm sorry."

"If I'd known this would happen! You should've just stayed at home—!"

The second half of the girl's sentence was cut off. Akira had stepped in front of Nanami and opened his umbrella for her. 

At the same time, he shot the girl a glance.

It was a calm gaze—but one so devoid of humanity, so cold and unfeeling, that it instantly scared the girl into silence. 

She bit her lip and ran off into the rain, fuming.

Only then did Akira look away and ask the girl beside him, who still had her head lowered: "You failed?"

"…Yeah. I couldn't hold on at the end."

Nanami's voice was slightly hoarse.

"Does it feel like all the effort you've put in up until now was meaningless?"

"…Yes."

"Good. Remember that feeling well. That's the taste of failure. Etch it into your memory, face it, and then overcome it."

Wearing a gentle smile, Akira flicked her forehead lightly.

"But let me correct one thing. Your efforts were not meaningless. 

The skills and knowledge you've gained from practicing day and night will never betray you. You've already grown stronger."

"And once you cross this hurdle called failure, you'll keep growing stronger—until nothing can stop you again."

Nanami slowly lifted her head.

Her once dull eyes gradually regained their shine. In the depths of her pupils, it was as if an unquenchable flame had been ignited.

In the very next second, her body gave out, and she collapsed.

Fortunately, Akira reacted quickly and caught her, preventing her from face planting into the pavement. 

Holding her limp body, he was stunned for a moment—this hadn't happened in the original story. Nanami didn't collapse at the door. 

She had rested early the night before and even had a sports drink this morning. So how had she ended up fainting?

"Nanami… burned herself out."

A small voice pointed out the truth.

And with that, Akira understood the problem.

"…Should I not have added fuel to the fire at a time like this?"

...

Everything needs moderation. Even the best chicken soup can become harmful if you drink too much of it—that's the classic case of overdoing something.

Constantly stroking someone's fighting spirit can burn them out completely, especially when they're already running a fever.

And so, after returning to Sakura Dorm, Nanami slept in a daze straight through to the next morning.

Notably, Mashiro stayed by her bedside from the very start, watching over her until morning, before collapsing asleep herself.

After another full day of rest, Nanami rang Akira's doorbell at noon on the third day.

As a proper maid reporting for duty—not an annoying one—Nanami, of course, didn't barge in uninvited. She waited at the door until Akira came to greet her.

"Are you sure you've recovered?" he asked, noting her now healthy complexion.

"Yes! I'm totally fine now. I could've come yesterday, honestly!"

Nanami had wanted to start working right after her fever broke the previous morning. But Akira insisted she take another day off and wrap up her previous part-time jobs. 

Though in reality, "wrapping up" just meant making a few phone calls—she ended up resting at Sakura Dorm for another full day.

The only problem was, when she told the others she'd be working at Akira's house going forward, she got some weird looks from the rest of the dorm.

They had this odd mix of "relieved" and "grateful" expressions.

Oh, and one inexplicably bitten handkerchief from the teacher.

"Seems like you haven't fallen into despair," Akira said with satisfaction. "Did you have a good cry?"

Being seen through so easily made Nanami drop her head in embarrassment again. She mumbled, "…Yes."

"Good. Then let's go. First day of work—you'll probably need to buy a lot of supplies, so it's going to be a bit busy."

He led Nanami through a lush garden and casually handed her a key. "There aren't many rules here, just one: any time you enter or pass through the garden, always carry the house key."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because I keep some strange insects in the garden. Without the special scent on this key, they'll attack."

"Eek!!"

Nanami jumped, looking around frantically. What had seemed like a charming garden now suddenly looked creepy and dangerous.

Akira wasn't trying to scare her—but once a person becomes aware of the world's hidden side and believes in it, they effectively enter that world.

Put simply: if someone truly believes in ghosts, their chances of encountering one increase drastically.

That's the trouble with idealism.

So rather than expose her to supernatural horrors directly, Akira chose this half-truth to keep her cautious. 

In fact, "get lost without the key" might've been a weaker excuse.

___

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