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“Eh? Hoshikawa-kun, what are you doing standing by the door?”
Coming back from the restroom, Chouko noticed Harutaki leaning against the doorframe, just lowering his phone from his ear.
Could it be… he got kicked out?
That thought crossed her mind, filling her with a mix of concern and, admittedly, a flicker of schadenfreude.
The ever-so-composed, seemingly unflappable Hoshikawa… finally got shut down right in front of her.
Serves you right for teasing me all the time, she thought smugly. Though, now that she pondered it, she couldn’t help but wonder what kind of trick senior Yobitani had used to kick him out.
“I just made a call. Thought I’d wait for you here.”
Before locking his screen, the last thing displayed on Harutaki’s phone was the dialer. Though he had already reported the incident to the police, it would take some time for them to arrive at this karaoke place, remote, inconvenient, and tucked away where vehicles couldn’t easily reach.
In the meantime, if Yobitani realized he’d been reported, things could turn very ugly.
For one, it could push him into doing something rash.
And two, the true deterrent of calling the police lies in preparing to call and when they arrive, not the act of calling itself, which would only provoke resistance.
“Um… Shihou-san. Do you remember what I reminded you about before coming here?”
Just as Chouko reached for the doorknob, Harutaki called out to stop her.
He decided to give the girl one last chance.
After all, both morally and rationally, since he had already witnessed enough to suspect danger, he couldn’t in good conscience let her walk in without warning. Still, he couldn’t hover around protecting her forever. If she ignored him again, then maybe she really did need to learn the hard way.
What a meddlesome idiot.
All he had to do was give a warning and walk away, but no, he had to overthink things, worrying about how to make sure she “learned her lesson deeply without actually getting hurt.”
Why was he doing this, anyway?
Was it really out of concern… or just a mix of self-interest and lust?
“The reminder from before… should be fine, right?”
Something playful flickered across her face as she suddenly remembered his words. Her amber eyes glimmered mischievously under the dim light.
“Fufu. Hoshikawa-kun, don’t tell me you’re jealous of Yobitani-senpai for trying to ask me out? If you want to get rid of a rival, you should use smarter tricks, spreading rumors behind people’s backs is no good, you know?”
She lifted her left hand, her delicate fingers splayed toward him.
“Minus five points.”
“…”
I’ll give you minus a hundred points, you airheaded, zero-sense-of-danger rich girl!
Sure, he had no right to tell her what to do, but watching someone openly flirt with the girl he liked right in front of him? What guy could stand that?
Still, whether gossiping was good or bad wasn’t the point here. The issue was, he wasn’t lying! He was trying to protect her!
Even if he’d said nothing, wasn’t it obvious? The guy was tall, athletic, good-looking, the ace of the soccer team, every red flag imaginable was plastered across his face!
Not every playboy deserved to be called Hoshikawa Harutaki.
“…Sigh.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to accept his confession just because I turned you down.”
Seeing his resigned sigh, Chouko felt a pang of guilt, then quickly consoled herself by thinking she’d just invite him out for some sweets later to make up for it. After all, she had dragged him here in her Onii’s place.
Even if his behavior was childish, jealous, territorial, and narrow-minded, she couldn’t help but feel… a little happy.
Especially when she recalled how jealous and frustrated Nogami had looked at lunch that day.
Heh, Nogami, look! The boy you wanted to keep close is jealous over me! For that “country bumpkin from Kyoto” you always mocked, he’s showing his true feelings!
“As long as you’re happy, Shihou-san.”
With a helpless sigh, Harutaki raised his phone again.
If she wouldn’t listen, then he’d just have to record the evidence, capture the exact moment she drank the drugged juice, so the police would have something airtight for trial.
Still, the legal issue that followed would be a mess.
Yobitani was a senior, probably eighteen at most, still legally a minor under Eastern law. The sentence for attempted assault on a minor? Lighter than it should be. Even with clear proof, maybe one or two years max.
Click.
The sound of the karaoke room door opening.
Chouko and Harutaki entered, one after another.
The moment Yobitani saw Chouko, his eyes brightened. He smiled broadly, offering her a cup of fruit juice laced with sleeping pills.
“Shihou-san, have a drink! We ordered way too many fruits and drinks from the counter, it’d be a waste not to.”
“Yobitani-senpai, um…”
Facing his practiced, polite smile, Chouko suddenly remembered Harutaki’s repeated warnings. Moments ago, she hadn’t wanted to listen, but now her confidence faltered. Maybe she could say she’d already had a bottle of Calpis earlier and politely refuse?
“Turned down my offer to sing earlier, and now you won’t even have a drink?”
Still smiling, Yobitani’s tone carried an unmistakable note of criticism.
In this country, junior-senior hierarchy was a big deal. Plenty of students, fresh into the workforce, got drunk at company parties because they couldn’t refuse seniors’ “kind offers.” Every year, someone ended up hospitalized, or worse.
Refusing a senior was considered rude.
And she had already dodged his singing request earlier. If she refused his drink now, she’d be embarrassing him in front of everyone.
Even if she disliked such outdated customs, her upbringing as a “Shihou-family daughter” wouldn’t let her behave impolitely in public. She had to maintain the image of a perfect lady.
“...Ahem, Shihou-san.”
Looking up from his phone, pretending to type, Harutaki met her eyes one last time, a silent plea.
But...
She turned her head away in defiance and took several big gulps.
“‘Good words can’t persuade a damned soul,’ huh…”
He gritted his teeth.
How many times do I have to warn you before it sinks in!? Throwing a tantrum like a kid at a time like this!?
Just like Nogami, another girl in desperate need of a lesson.
Fine, he thought bitterly, if she’s going to drag me into this kind of trouble, I’m damn well collecting my “compensation” later, from her chest and her ass both!
After all, by her own admission, if he hadn’t agreed to come along, she would’ve gone to this mixer alone. Which meant she’d have fallen straight into Yobitani’s trap, just like the other girls he’d preyed on.
When he thought of it that way, he figured rubbing her a little after saving her life would only be fair.
“Don’t drink so fast, Shihou-san. Come on, cheers.”
Watching her drain the glass, Yobitani’s smile turned genuine for the first time. His glance toward Harutaki even softened a little.
To him, it must’ve looked like Harutaki had helped convince her to drink.
“Thank you, Senpai…”
Facing him now, Chouko’s polite facade relaxed into a real smile, as if to say, See? Nothing happened.
If the juice really were suspicious, surely her middle school friends, Ryoka and Rie, would’ve stopped her, right?
There’s no way anything could happen, she thought, sneaking a glance at the two girls she hadn’t seen in years except online.
Though honestly… their taste in boyfriends was atrocious.
Her eyes drifted toward the guys sitting beside them, and a flicker of disgust passed through her golden irises.
Hoshikawa might be petty at times, but at least he wasn’t that.
She recalled their two “dates.” Even if she could sense he wasn’t being completely sincere, unlike senior Yobitani, Harutaki never forced her into anything she didn’t want to do.
That gentleness alone… even her Onii couldn’t compare.
Tch.
Thinking of Sato Kaoru, probably cramming at some prep school right now, she puffed up proudly in her heart.
Onii, are you watching? Chouko turned down even Hoshikawa-kun! She’s still waiting for your confession!
“Excuse me, I’ll go to the restroom.”
“Take your time~”
Yobitani waved after Harutaki with a grin, his tone suddenly sweet and amiable, completely different from before.
Chouko didn’t know what had caused the change, but assumed he was simply pleased at having “won” in front of Harutaki.
If only Hoshikawa-kun could be a bit more magnanimous…
Normally he seemed so composed, mature, even dependable. But in moments like this, he got all sulky and childish, just like Onii back when they were kids.
Every time he was bullied, she had to step in, comfort him, and then bully his bullies for him.
Sometimes, she wished Onii could stand in front of her instead, chasing away all the people who made her do things she didn’t want to do.
But with his bookish build? He could barely handle kids his own size, let alone a tall, athletic soccer ace like the one standing before her.
“Shihou-san, aren’t you going to have a few more sips? Does it not taste good? If you have a preferred flavor, I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”
“Thank you for your concern, Yobitani-senpai,” she replied with a polite little smile. “I actually drank a bottle on the way here, so I’m a bit…”
She trailed off, the corners of her lips trembling under the weight of that forced politeness, while inwardly scoffing at him.
Next time you’ll keep that in mind? Please. If it weren’t for wanting to tease Onii and not embarrass my old middle school friends, why would I even come to this farce of a mixer?
…