Chapter 17: Chapter 17

[Kenichi’s side]

“Okay, I’ll go first.”

“Ah, Kudo! Let’s go home together. We can go to a café if you want. Just me, Rino, and you!”

“Hn… I’m glad you invited me, but I have to go do some shopping for my mom.”

I am grateful to my mother after all.

Earlier, while I was on the way back to class, my mom called me to buy some more sesame oil because we were out of it.

I’m going on a date with Ayane today. So it would be good to take on the challenge in perfect condition.

And also, look.

They are the two who reign at the top of the girl’s hierarchy. Uchida is the school’s madonna.

So yeah… and if Hashimoto or the guys from the same school saw us in uniform talking at the café, it would be a problem.

“Later.”

“Y-yeah… see you tomorrow.”

“……”

I smiled and waved my hand, and Kirishima, slightly confused, waved back.

But…

Uchida was…

She just looked at me sadly.

I honestly don’t understand why she had such an expression.

Did I do something wrong?

But she never said anything to me.

I know she has something meaningful and thought-provoking to say, but if she doesn’t say it in words that I can understand properly, I’m going to get another weird thought on my part again.

So I walked out of class as fast as I could with the girls behind me, ignoring Uchida.

(Minami Kirishima looked at Kenichi and a dejected Rino alternately with narrowed eyes)

X X X

Residential area

After leaving school, I am currently passing through a residential area.

This is also the place where I saved Yuna Hiragi from a pick-up guy before.

In the end, even though I helped her, that girl, Hiragi, was still pretty hard on me and kept shitting on me.

“I wish she could take a little bit of a cue from the other Hiragi-san~ she’s got a really pretty face. Well, I don’t really care.”

Comparing those two, who look alike but have very different personalities, I chuckled and raised the corners of my mouth slightly.

Then I heard a familiar voice that seemed to be looking down at me, from behind me.

“What about this other Hiragi-san?”

Yeah, bad timing.

I stopped and turned around.

Then, as expected, there was Yuna Hiragi, a beautiful, healthy wheat-colored girl with dominating blonde hair, looking at me jitterily.

“Ah, you again.”

I chuckled and muttered to myself, she crossed her arms and glared at me sharply. Her  marshmallows were so big that it made it hard for me to look at her face.

Only her appearance is top-level though.

She has a pretty bad personality after all.

“You’re being cheeky, you know that? You should know your place.”

If I say a word here that offends her, it could get me in trouble.

The old me would have definitely lost my temper and gotten angry, but now I’m extremely calm. It’s probably thanks to Ayane-san and Natsuko-san.

“Yeah. I’m sorry.”

I say in a voice only she can hear, and I start walking briskly.

But…

“What the h**l is that? That’s super annoying you know? The way you said that!”

And Hiragi tugged on my sleeve as she said so.

“Huh!”

Startled, I turned around again.

I don’t know why she’s always so pissed off.

“What do you want me to do then?”

“Don’t apologize to me.”

“Huh?”

I gave her a “seriously, what’re you talking about?” look as Hiragi said more and more nonsensical words.

Hiragi looked brazen and opened her mouth again.

“I’ve been stressed out because you’re so ugly and pathetic.”

I can’t believe she would say words that would hurt my character… If you said that to a new employee at work, you’d get sued for power harassment. I’m in high school, so I don’t know much about it, but anyway, Hiragi’s attitude is really rude.

I asked, holding my face.

“What’s with the stress?”

Hiragi replied with a confident look on her face, her chest munched back.

“I’m super cute and beautiful. But you don’t match up to me and you’re not good looking, so that’s stressful in itself already. So if you are sorry, I’ll make you my servant. Wouldn’t that be an honor?”

“……”

Another condescending look.

But it’s not good to be angry.

She’s just a high school kid.

I might not be an adult like Ayane-san and Natsuko-san.

But even I can give this arrogant lady a little dose of reality.

I’m sure it’ll break her heart, but, uh, I don’t care.

I just want her to hate me more and stay away from me.

“Hey, don’t get too carried away.”

“Eh?”

“Hiragi, you sure are beautiful and pretty. I bet you get confessions from guys all the time.”

“Yeah. Indeed. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

I can tell she’s in a good mood because of the pliment.

“But there are a lot of women who are more beautiful, prettier, have a better personality and a nicer body than you. So stop acting like a narcissist. It’s disgusting. If you keep acting like that, you’re going to get your feet scooped off the ground.”

“!!!!!!”

I took one look at her, her mouth half open and frozen, then turned and walked at a brisk pace, turning on my heel.

X*X

[Yuna Hiragi side]

Yuna muttered as she watched his back as he left.

“Why is that… he’s… totally different from other guys… really out of tune…”

She said in a trembling voice, then shook her body.

The moment she heard his words, she felt a strong surge of electricity in her head.

She had never felt such stimulation.

She was always begged to go out with the model handsome guys, so she had no choice but to mount them and go out with them, but all of them in the end, just wanted her body. So of course, she dumped them without mercy if they showed even the slightest ulterior motive, and so she’s still a virgin.

In other words, for her, the men of the world are nothing but beasts, just like her own father.

Despite having a beautiful and respectable woman like mom, he cheated on her, two-timed her, three-timed her, and eventually he got sick and died.

All men are sub-par to my father.

But all my life I’ve been searching for my perfect man.

All men are less than garbage, industrial waste, and all my boyfriends are like my father.

I’m disgusted by such contradictions and now I’m free.

“……”

Kenichi Kudo.

He’s unlike any man I’ve ever seen.

He doesn’t look at me in a naughty way,

Above all.

He’s very mature.

He says and does things that make you wonder if he’s really a high school student…

“That Kudo…”

He’s a pudgy, old-looking boy his age, so why is he such a…

“Nn…”

“But you know, there are women who are more beautiful, prettier, have better personalities, and have nicer bodies than you. So stop acting like a narcissist. It’s disgusting. If you keep acting like that, you’re going to get your feet scooped off the ground.”

I’m not at all sickened by all the preachy things he said to me.

Rather…

“Uhh… That Kudo…”

The electricity coursed through Yuna’s entire body.

They began to gather on her stomach.

And her cheeks took on a pinkish tinge.

X X X

Evening

At a bar.

“……”

I came to the bar and found two people (Ayane-san and Natsuko-san) staring at me so hard.

Come to think of it, Ayane-san said she’s a regular here.

So I thought, maybe she’s good friends with Natsuko-san.

Which probably means that…

I hooked up with someone who was a friend of Ayane-san’s.

Why did I have to realize it now…

“Kenichi-kun.”

“Kenichi.”

“Y-yes…”

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” x2

Yabai!!

[Postscript]

It’s getting interesting…