[Warning 15+]
Part Three"―Seriously, Your Vibe Hasn't Changed a Bit Since the Old Days!"Chapter 87Give Me a Break
Lunch break finally rolled around.
The classroom suddenly buzzed with life as everyone started doing their own thing.
Usually, Hayato would've headed straight for the Secret Base, but today he was having a hard time deciding what to do. The reason? Haruki.
All day, Haruki had this look like she was deep in thought, letting out these heavy, melancholic sighs every now and then.
As for Haruki, she'd actually gotten way closer to the girls in class lately than she ever used to be.
At least inside the classroom, people didn't see her as that "Unattainable Flower" anymore. You'd hear stuff like, "What's wrong, Nikaidō-san?" or "If something's up, we're here for ya!"—half out of genuine worry, half out of pure nosiness. Leading the pack was Isami Ema, Mori Iori's childhood buddy and girlfriend.
'I'm fine, really, it's nothing at all.'
Every time Haruki answered them, she just gave this awkward, forced smile to brush it off.
To anyone else, Haruki looked exactly like a girl caught up in some romantic drama, but as Hayato watched her from the side, all he felt was a bad vibe crawling up his spine.
Hayato took another look at Haruki.
Even now, Haruki was absentmindedly twirling the ends of her long hair while letting out another heavy sigh.
Every once in a while, Haruki'd steal a glance toward Hayato, and if their eyes met, she'd put on this pained little smile. A few sharp-eyed girls caught on to what was happening and were already huddling up in the corner of the room to gossip.
(Man, what should I do...?)
Hayato let out a sigh, feeling totally stuck, when Mori Iori strolled up with that goofy-*ss grin of his.
"Yo, Kirishima. Rare to see you like this. Haven't decided on lunch yet?"
"Mori... ...Yeah, I didn't bring a lunchbox today, so I'm kinda weighing my options. I'm too late for the store, and the cafeteria's probably packed right now."
That was low-key a message for Haruki, letting her know Hayato'd be late since he had to go hunt for food. Mori Iori, catching that quick glance Hayato shot toward Haruki, narrowed his eyes with a mischievous look.
"Anyway, I heard you were walking all close and cozy with Nikaidō this morning?"
"!? Oh—well, eh, about that..."
Hayato could feel everyone's eyes locked on him in an instant.
The stuff from this morning was already making the rounds as a rumor, and with Haruki acting all weird, there was no way people weren't gonna dig for tea.
Hayato started racking his brain like crazy. If he didn't come up with something that sounded legit, it wasn't hard to imagine that Mori Iori—or someone else—would keep grilling Hayato.
Hayato's eyes met Haruki's, who was knitting her brows, and Hayato just scratched his head and let out a sigh.
"The truth is, eh..."
"...The truth is?"
"I-I was teaching Nikaidō a secret trick to stop serows from stealing dog food back in the countryside."
"Wait, dog food? Stolen by... ...serows...?"
"Pffft! Cough, cough cough... ...ngh... ...pffft-hehehe..."
At Hayato's lame excuse, Haruki accidentally lost it and buried her face on her desk. Her shoulders were shaking violently as she desperately tried to hold back her laughter. Looks like he hit her funny bone perfectly.
The vibe in the room went dead silent for a second as everyone stood there stunned. But watching Haruki's reaction, the mood slowly shifted into one of understanding.
"O-Oh, I see. Man, that sounds like a pain."
"Yeah, they're national monuments, so we can't exactly get rid of 'em. Plus, they're weirdly friendly and smart—they don't mess with the crops, but they're always gunning for the pet food."
Suddenly, Hayato's story grabbed everyone's interest in a totally different way. As he spun a funny tale that was actually a running joke back in Tsukinose, their curiosity shifted toward the wildlife drama. Meanwhile, Haruki was still struggling not to crack up.
(...Did I actually pull it off?)
Just as Hayato was feeling a wave of relief, a face that had been popping up more and more in this classroom lately strolled in.
"That sounds like a pretty hilarious story, Hayato-kun."
"Kazuki... ...It's nothing special, just typical stuff that happens in the countryside."
"That's exactly why it's so interesting, though."
"...Mmph!"
Kazuki flashed a friendly, warm grin and planted himself right next to Hayato like he owned the place.
Suddenly, Haruki, who'd been face-down on her desk until now, bolted upright with a look of pure annoyance on her face.
Kazuki had been dropping by to see Hayato every now and then, so the sight itself was pretty normal. But for some reason today, it felt like Kazuki was being way too close for comfort.
A few people seemed to pick up on the subtle shift between the two of them, and Mori Iori stepped up as the spokesperson for the group to grill them.
"So it's 'Hayato-kun' and 'Kazuki' now, huh...? Since when did you guys get so buddy-buddy?"
"Haha, well, y'know. We hung out, and Hayato-kun totally swooped in and saved my b*tt when I was in a pinch, and that was that."
"The heck? I can't even picture that..."
"Hayato-kun was actually pretty bad*ss."
"...Shut up, I didn't really do anything, and it wasn't even like that."
Even though Hayato answered with a scowl, Kazuki looked like he was in a great mood. It was obvious Kazuki'd totally opened up. If Kazuki were a dog, he'd probably be waggin' his tail like crazy. You could tell Kazuki was really attached to Hayato.
Most people around them were digging the vibe, and some of the girls were even squealing—emitting a scent of rot—uh, I mean, a "fragrant" aroma. But there was one person who wasn't having any of it.
"Kaidō, just because you've gotten a bit close doesn't mean you should crowd Hayato-kun like that. You're making him uncomfortable, don't you think?"
"Wait, ...oh, Nikaidō-san...?"
Haruki slid right in between Hayato and Kazuki, all while keeping that stiff, plastered-on grin. Her movement was smooth as silk.
Then, Haruki and Kazuki's eyes locked.
Haruki with her threateningly cheerful smile, and Kazuki with a grin that showed he was having the time of his life. The whole room felt like it was being swallowed by the heavy tension radiating from the two biggest celebs in the first-year students.
"Is it really that close? I just wanna get even tighter with Hayato-kun, y'know?"
"I think there's such a thing as boundaries. Look, you're even catching Hayato-kun off guard. Right?"
"Haha, if you wanna get closer too, Nikaidō-san, maybe you should just be more honest—"
"Kaidō!!"
"—Ow, hey!"
In the middle of that, Haruki suddenly puffed out her cheeks and kicked Kazuki right in the shin. She was acting like a total brat throwing a tantrum. But instead of getting mad, Kazuki's grin just got even wider.
Probably annoyed by Kazuki's reaction, Haruki turned away and pouted. When her eyes met Hayato's, Hayato just pressed a hand to his aching forehead. A sigh of pure exhaustion escaped his lips.
"Kazuki, you're a total moron... ...and besides, Nikaidou—"
"Haruki."
"Nikaidou..."
"Ha-ru-ki—!"
"Haruki-san..."
"Mm-hmm, that's more like it."
As Haruki kept acting like a total brat throwing a tantrum, everyone else—including Mori Iori—was just left in the dust, staring blankly at the sheer amount of chaos unfolding.
While Hayato was racking his brain on how to clean up this mess, a face wearing a desperate expression—something rare for this classroom—came charging in.
"N-Nikaidou-san!"
"Mitake-san...?"
Everyone's eyes instantly snapped toward the sudden intruder, but Mitake Minamo either didn't notice or was just too overwhelmed to care. Minamo rushed over to Haruki, looking like Minamo was at the end of her rope.
The petite Mitake Minamo had her fists clenched tight against her chest, her curly hair bouncing as she moved. There was something about how hard she was trying that just made you wanna protect her; It was honestly kinda sweet.
"E-Eh, so, um!"
"Y-Yeah? What's up?"
"F-Finals are coming up really soon, right?"
"Yeah, they start next week, I think?"
"So, eh... ...ugh..."
"Mitake-san...?"
After taking a huge deep breath, Mitake Minamo pumped herself up with a quick "Alright!" and turned back to Haruki.
"U-Um, would you wanna study for finals together?!"
"Study together?"
"Is that... ...a no...?"
"Not at all. I'd love to do it together."
"Yay!"
Once Haruki gave her the green light, Mitake Minamo broke out into a massive, beaming grin.
Maybe it was because the tension was so thick just a second ago, but everyone else started smiling too, like they were watching a toddler pull off their very first errand. The whole vibe in the room instantly turned all warm and fuzzy.
"And, um..."
"...Yeah?"
But looks like there was still something else. Mitake Minamo started stumbling over her words, her face getting even redder as she began to fidget.
With her guard totally down thanks to how cute Minamo was being, Haruki gave Minamo a sweet smile and nudged Minamo to keep going—but the response Haruki got was totally out of left field.
"U-Um, the clothes you left at my place, and eh... ...the lingerie... ...the kinda sexy ones... ...ugh, what should I do with those..."
"Mya?!"
"I-I mean, bringing them to school might be a bit too much of a—mmph?!"
"Mi-Mitake-san! L-Let's go talk over there for a sec! Okay?! Let's go!"
Haruki panicked, covered Minamo's mouth, and practically dragged Minamo out of the classroom.
After a split second of dead silence, the boys in the class started hooting and hollering like crazy.
Hayato just stared at the ceiling in disbelief, while Kazuki, who was clutching his stomach from laughing so hard, gave Hayato a gentle pat on the shoulder.
"Man, hanging out with you guys is never a dull moment."
"...Give me a break."
Hayato let out an exhausted sigh, but even so, a small smile was playing on his lips.
Author's Notes:
Dog-like Kazuki-kun is seriously filling that heroine slot.
Wait, you're saying in a way he’s actually a cat? Whoa, hey, stop it, don't go any further, Mr. Admin, what are you do—MEOW!!
Meow?
／l、
("゜. 。 フ
」 "ヽ
()ιし(~)～
Oh, for the feedback, just a "Meow!" is totally fine by me!!
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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Donations are very much appreciated.
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Lunch break finally rolled around.
The classroom suddenly buzzed with life as everyone started doing their own thing.
Usually, Hayato would've headed straight for the Secret Base, but today he was having a hard time deciding what to do. The reason? Haruki.
All day, Haruki had this look like she was deep in thought, letting out these heavy, melancholic sighs every now and then.
As for Haruki, she'd actually gotten way closer to the girls in class lately than she ever used to be.
At least inside the classroom, people didn't see her as that "Unattainable Flower" anymore. You'd hear stuff like, "What's wrong, Nikaidō-san?" or "If something's up, we're here for ya!"—half out of genuine worry, half out of pure nosiness. Leading the pack was Isami Ema, Mori Iori's childhood buddy and girlfriend.
'I'm fine, really, it's nothing at all.'
Every time Haruki answered them, she just gave this awkward, forced smile to brush it off.
To anyone else, Haruki looked exactly like a girl caught up in some romantic drama, but as Hayato watched her from the side, all he felt was a bad vibe crawling up his spine.
Hayato took another look at Haruki.
Even now, Haruki was absentmindedly twirling the ends of her long hair while letting out another heavy sigh.
Every once in a while, Haruki'd steal a glance toward Hayato, and if their eyes met, she'd put on this pained little smile. A few sharp-eyed girls caught on to what was happening and were already huddling up in the corner of the room to gossip.
(Man, what should I do...?)
Hayato let out a sigh, feeling totally stuck, when Mori Iori strolled up with that goofy-*ss grin of his.
"Yo, Kirishima. Rare to see you like this. Haven't decided on lunch yet?"
"Mori... ...Yeah, I didn't bring a lunchbox today, so I'm kinda weighing my options. I'm too late for the store, and the cafeteria's probably packed right now."
That was low-key a message for Haruki, letting her know Hayato'd be late since he had to go hunt for food. Mori Iori, catching that quick glance Hayato shot toward Haruki, narrowed his eyes with a mischievous look.
"Anyway, I heard you were walking all close and cozy with Nikaidō this morning?"
"!? Oh—well, eh, about that..."
Hayato could feel everyone's eyes locked on him in an instant.
The stuff from this morning was already making the rounds as a rumor, and with Haruki acting all weird, there was no way people weren't gonna dig for tea.
Hayato started racking his brain like crazy. If he didn't come up with something that sounded legit, it wasn't hard to imagine that Mori Iori—or someone else—would keep grilling Hayato.
Hayato's eyes met Haruki's, who was knitting her brows, and Hayato just scratched his head and let out a sigh.
"The truth is, eh..."
"...The truth is?"
"I-I was teaching Nikaidō a secret trick to stop serows from stealing dog food back in the countryside."
"Wait, dog food? Stolen by... ...serows...?"
"Pffft! Cough, cough cough... ...ngh... ...pffft-hehehe..."
At Hayato's lame excuse, Haruki accidentally lost it and buried her face on her desk. Her shoulders were shaking violently as she desperately tried to hold back her laughter. Looks like he hit her funny bone perfectly.
The vibe in the room went dead silent for a second as everyone stood there stunned. But watching Haruki's reaction, the mood slowly shifted into one of understanding.
"O-Oh, I see. Man, that sounds like a pain."
"Yeah, they're national monuments, so we can't exactly get rid of 'em. Plus, they're weirdly friendly and smart—they don't mess with the crops, but they're always gunning for the pet food."
Suddenly, Hayato's story grabbed everyone's interest in a totally different way. As he spun a funny tale that was actually a running joke back in Tsukinose, their curiosity shifted toward the wildlife drama. Meanwhile, Haruki was still struggling not to crack up.
(...Did I actually pull it off?)
Just as Hayato was feeling a wave of relief, a face that had been popping up more and more in this classroom lately strolled in.
"That sounds like a pretty hilarious story, Hayato-kun."
"Kazuki... ...It's nothing special, just typical stuff that happens in the countryside."
"That's exactly why it's so interesting, though."
"...Mmph!"
Kazuki flashed a friendly, warm grin and planted himself right next to Hayato like he owned the place.
Suddenly, Haruki, who'd been face-down on her desk until now, bolted upright with a look of pure annoyance on her face.
Kazuki had been dropping by to see Hayato every now and then, so the sight itself was pretty normal. But for some reason today, it felt like Kazuki was being way too close for comfort.
A few people seemed to pick up on the subtle shift between the two of them, and Mori Iori stepped up as the spokesperson for the group to grill them.
"So it's 'Hayato-kun' and 'Kazuki' now, huh...? Since when did you guys get so buddy-buddy?"
"Haha, well, y'know. We hung out, and Hayato-kun totally swooped in and saved my b*tt when I was in a pinch, and that was that."
"The heck? I can't even picture that..."
"Hayato-kun was actually pretty bad*ss."
"...Shut up, I didn't really do anything, and it wasn't even like that."
Even though Hayato answered with a scowl, Kazuki looked like he was in a great mood. It was obvious Kazuki'd totally opened up. If Kazuki were a dog, he'd probably be waggin' his tail like crazy. You could tell Kazuki was really attached to Hayato.
Most people around them were digging the vibe, and some of the girls were even squealing—emitting a scent of rot—uh, I mean, a "fragrant" aroma. But there was one person who wasn't having any of it.
"Kaidō, just because you've gotten a bit close doesn't mean you should crowd Hayato-kun like that. You're making him uncomfortable, don't you think?"
"Wait, ...oh, Nikaidō-san...?"
Haruki slid right in between Hayato and Kazuki, all while keeping that stiff, plastered-on grin. Her movement was smooth as silk.
Then, Haruki and Kazuki's eyes locked.
Haruki with her threateningly cheerful smile, and Kazuki with a grin that showed he was having the time of his life. The whole room felt like it was being swallowed by the heavy tension radiating from the two biggest celebs in the first-year students.
"Is it really that close? I just wanna get even tighter with Hayato-kun, y'know?"
"I think there's such a thing as boundaries. Look, you're even catching Hayato-kun off guard. Right?"
"Haha, if you wanna get closer too, Nikaidō-san, maybe you should just be more honest—"
"Kaidō!!"
"—Ow, hey!"
In the middle of that, Haruki suddenly puffed out her cheeks and kicked Kazuki right in the shin. She was acting like a total brat throwing a tantrum. But instead of getting mad, Kazuki's grin just got even wider.
Probably annoyed by Kazuki's reaction, Haruki turned away and pouted. When her eyes met Hayato's, Hayato just pressed a hand to his aching forehead. A sigh of pure exhaustion escaped his lips.
"Kazuki, you're a total moron... ...and besides, Nikaidou—"
"Haruki."
"Nikaidou..."
"Ha-ru-ki—!"
"Haruki-san..."
"Mm-hmm, that's more like it."
As Haruki kept acting like a total brat throwing a tantrum, everyone else—including Mori Iori—was just left in the dust, staring blankly at the sheer amount of chaos unfolding.
While Hayato was racking his brain on how to clean up this mess, a face wearing a desperate expression—something rare for this classroom—came charging in.
"N-Nikaidou-san!"
"Mitake-san...?"
Everyone's eyes instantly snapped toward the sudden intruder, but Mitake Minamo either didn't notice or was just too overwhelmed to care. Minamo rushed over to Haruki, looking like Minamo was at the end of her rope.
The petite Mitake Minamo had her fists clenched tight against her chest, her curly hair bouncing as she moved. There was something about how hard she was trying that just made you wanna protect her; It was honestly kinda sweet.
"E-Eh, so, um!"
"Y-Yeah? What's up?"
"F-Finals are coming up really soon, right?"
"Yeah, they start next week, I think?"
"So, eh... ...ugh..."
"Mitake-san...?"
After taking a huge deep breath, Mitake Minamo pumped herself up with a quick "Alright!" and turned back to Haruki.
"U-Um, would you wanna study for finals together?!"
"Study together?"
"Is that... ...a no...?"
"Not at all. I'd love to do it together."
"Yay!"
Once Haruki gave her the green light, Mitake Minamo broke out into a massive, beaming grin.
Maybe it was because the tension was so thick just a second ago, but everyone else started smiling too, like they were watching a toddler pull off their very first errand. The whole vibe in the room instantly turned all warm and fuzzy.
"And, um..."
"...Yeah?"
But looks like there was still something else. Mitake Minamo started stumbling over her words, her face getting even redder as she began to fidget.
With her guard totally down thanks to how cute Minamo was being, Haruki gave Minamo a sweet smile and nudged Minamo to keep going—but the response Haruki got was totally out of left field.
"U-Um, the clothes you left at my place, and eh... ...the lingerie... ...the kinda sexy ones... ...ugh, what should I do with those..."
"Mya?!"
"I-I mean, bringing them to school might be a bit too much of a—mmph?!"
"Mi-Mitake-san! L-Let's go talk over there for a sec! Okay?! Let's go!"
Haruki panicked, covered Minamo's mouth, and practically dragged Minamo out of the classroom.
After a split second of dead silence, the boys in the class started hooting and hollering like crazy.
Hayato just stared at the ceiling in disbelief, while Kazuki, who was clutching his stomach from laughing so hard, gave Hayato a gentle pat on the shoulder.
"Man, hanging out with you guys is never a dull moment."
"...Give me a break."
Hayato let out an exhausted sigh, but even so, a small smile was playing on his lips.
Author's Notes:
Dog-like Kazuki-kun is seriously filling that heroine slot.
Wait, you're saying in a way he’s actually a cat? Whoa, hey, stop it, don't go any further, Mr. Admin, what are you do—MEOW!!
Meow?
／l、
("゜. 。 フ
」 "ヽ
()ιし(~)～
Oh, for the feedback, just a "Meow!" is totally fine by me!!
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
If you like our work, please consider supporting us on Ko-fi. 🙏
Support Us: https://ko-fi.com/ninjacross
Donations are very much appreciated.
Your donations really support us to finish this novel from here until the end, so please consider to support us.
Follow Our Official WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaRa6nHCsU9OAB0U370F
Read in other languages: