[Warning 15+]
Part Three"―Seriously, Your Vibe Hasn't Changed a Bit Since the Old Days!"Chapter 119The Heck Exactly Do You Think You're Doin', Hayato-kun?
"Phew... ...a'ight, that should do it."
Hayato was back at the lockers in the changin' room, blowin' up a tube.
I mean, Hayato could've just waited until he met up with the others to pump it up, but he could already picture both Himeko and Haruki bitchin' at him if the thin' wasn't ready to go the second he got there.
Lookin' around, Hayato saw a bunch of other boys doin' the exact same thin', and they all looked hyped as heck. They were definitely lookin' forward to hittin' the water.
Of course, Hayato knew he was feelin' it too. But lookin' at 'em just made Haruki's face pop into his head naturally―and not just her face, he ended up rememberin' her body too.
"Right, they said the wave pool, I think."
Hayato said it out loud on purpose, tryin' like heck to shake off those dirty thoughts. Twirlin' the tube in one hand, he headed out of the changin' room and made a beeline for a nearby sign to double-check the map.
The sign was a map showin' the whole layout of the Kōjien pool with some simple-*ss illustrations.
It was set up right near the pool entrance, which was also close to both the boys' and girls' changin' rooms.
It was the perfect spot for a meet-up, which is why Hayato and the crew used it earlier.
Usually, the place would be buzzin', but for some reason, the voices around weren't hyped at all—they were a mix of shock and total confusion.
"Yo, that girl's been standin' there forever..."
"Is that girl gettin' stood up? She's fine as heck, but man, that vibe..."
"It feels like the girl'd legit k*ll you just for lookin' her way... ...wait, isn't she?"
"I feel like I've seen her somewhere before...?"
At the center of all that gossip was a single girl. She was flashy and totally stood out.
The girl had a k*ller body that could go toe-to-toe with Haruki's, hair styled to look pop even at a pool, and the girl was sittin' there with her legs crossed lookin' all regal, makin' her shine way brighter than anyone else.
Makes sense—when it comes to knowin' how to get eyes on the girl, she probably pulled way more attention than Haruki. And Hayato recognized the girl instantly.
(Satō Airi, I think...)
Normally, people would definitely be swarmin' Airi 'cause of how hot she was. But she was givin' off this "Don't mess with me" aura that she wasn't even tryin' to hide.
The air around Airi was straight-up toxic, and everyone was just watchin' her from a distance.
No matter how gorgeous a girl is, nobody's dumb enough to grab an unclothed blade when they know they're gonna get cut. Airi was exactly that type. And Hayato definitely didn't want any part of that.
"..."
But man, after seein' Airi's leg twitchin' like that and her face breakin' out in a cold sweat even though she was actin' cool, Hayato felt like a total d*ck if he just walked away—especially since he actually knew who she was.
Besides, if this was Tsukinose, turnin' a blind eye to someone hurt—even if you couldn't stand 'em—would basically get you exiled from the whole d*mn countryside.
Sigh. Hayato let out a long-*ss breath. He grabbed a sports drink from a nearby vendin' machine and, with heavy-*ss feet, walked up to Airi and spoke.
"That way you're sittin' is trash for your body. Stretch your legs out more. And here, drink this."
"Huh? I ain't lookin' to get hit on, so beat it."
"Your leg's crampin' up, ain't it?"
"~~~!?"
The second Hayato poked Airi's left leg with his tube, her whole body went stiff as a board. She snapped out of it instantly and glared at him with some serious k*ller eyes.
Hayato threw his hands up like he was surrenderin' right away, his face scrunched up like he was totally fed up with whatever was goin' on.
"Why you little... ...quit messin' aroun'―"
"You been in the water the whole d*mn time or what? Look, don't sit there with your legs crossed, stretch 'em out to get your blood flowin'. And here, get some fluids in you. You'd be surprised how easy it is to get dehydrated at a pool."
"Eh? Oh... ...f-fine, I get it, alright already... ...Man, what is with you..."
Hayato used the tube to poke at Airi's right leg—the one that wasn't crampin'—to keep nudgin' her to move. Even though she looked annoyed, she stretched her legs out and took a swig of the sports drink.
Truth is, it probably would've been better to give 'em a rub, but he wasn't about to go touchin' some girl's bare legs when he barely even knew her. Plus, he wasn't even interested in her like that, though.
After a bit, Airi seemed to be bouncing' back 'cause her face started lookin' a lot brighter.
Hayato figured Airi should just quit tryin' to act all tough for no reason, but thinkin' his job was done, he let out a huge-*ss sigh and gave his head a rough scratch.
"Looks like you're good now. Watch yourself next time."
"Hold up a sec!"
"Whoa!?"
Just as Hayato turned on his heel to bail.
Airi suddenly yanked on Hayato's tube with a ton of force, and since he was caught off guard, he totally lost his balance.
Hayato scrambled to steady himself by throwin' a hand onto the bench, but Airi didn't miss her chance and basically forced him to sit down right next to her.
Hayato shot a protestin' look sideways like "The heck's your problem?", but he legit choked on his breath when he saw those sharp-*ss eyes—more like a wild beast than a girl.
"...What's the deal here?"
"Deal? Nothin'. Just personal satisfaction... ...nah, I'm just bein' a busybody."
"Y'know who I am and you're still pullin' this?"
"You're Satō Airi, right? ...That fashion-model."
"If you know that, then what's your angle?"
"No angle at all. I just couldn't stand watchin' you cramp up like that. I ain't even into you like that. Honestly... ...if I hadn't heard about you from Kazuki, I would've just ignored you."
"!? Hold up, you...!"
"!? Whoa, hey, your face is way too close!"
For some reason, Airi's eyes went wide, and before Hayato knew it, she'd grabbed his face and was leanin' in, inspectin' him like a damn specimen.
Hayato had no idea what was goin' on.
Even if Airi was the type of person (a gyaru) Hayato couldn't stand, he was currently bein' forced to stare at a girl whose face and body were legit model-tier.
In more ways than one, Hayato's heart started poundin', and he was gettin' self-conscious about all the eyes on 'em from around the pool.
While Hayato was scowlin', the edge in Airi's face totally melted away, and she burst out laughin' like it was the funniest thin' ever.
"Wait, you're just Kazukichi's friend!"
"You just now figured that out!? Sorry my face is so plain and hard to remember."
"Kyaha! My bad, my bad. My eyes are trash, see—one of my daily contacts just washed away earlier."
"I see. That sucks for you. Well, I've got buddies waitin' on me, so I'm out―"
"Hey, hold on a sec!"
"...What now?"
Just as Hayato was about to stand up and bail for real this time, his arm got yanked hard, and Airi stood up right along with him.
Hayato gave Airi a look of pure annoyance, but she didn't seem to give a d*mn.
"I'm here with my crew too, y'know. Take me to the Riverside area—that's our meet-up spot in case we get split up."
"Huh? Just go by yourself... ...wait, is your vision so trashed you can't even walk straight?"
"Pretty much, yeah. My nearsightedness is no joke. Think of it as fate or somethin', right? Plus, hey, wanna hear some stories about Kazukichi's middle school days? Oh, and if you want, I'll even let you link arms with me as a 'Thank you,' kyaha!"
"I'm good. If you gotta grab somethin', grab the tube."
Hayato thought it over while nursin' a growin' headache.
Instead of bein' a j*rk to Airi while she was actin' all pushy, wouldn't it be faster just to drop her off and be done with it? Decidin' on that, Hayato quickly shoved the tube between 'em like a shield.
For some reason, that really tickled Airi, and she started crackin' up with an even bigger grin.
Hayato, havin' no clue what was so funny, just reminded himself that he really wasn't cut out for dealin' with these types (gyarus), and started headin' toward the Riverside area.
The Riverside area was the food court section on the outer edge of the lazy river.
It wasn't that far from the wave pool, and since Hayato figured it wouldn't waste too much time, that was why he agreed to lead Airi there.
Still, Hayato wanted to get this annoying-*ss errand over with ASAP. But then again, Airi had just had that cramp.
Even if it was supposed to be gone, it still bothered Hayato. He made sure to keep an eye on Airi, matchin' her pace and walkin' real slow.
"...Hey, are you like, used to this? I mean, used to dealin' with girls?"
"Huh? Not even a little. I told you, I'm a countryside boy, right? The only girls our age I ever knew were my little sis and her bestie."
"Oh, really...?"
"What?"
Just as Hayato thought Airi was done talkin', she started smirkin' all of a sudden. After noddin' to herself like she'd just figured somethin' out, she flashed this dark-*ss, wicked grin.
"Kazukichi, y'know... ...back in middle school, he was a total player, datin' multiple girls at once. I think I was like, the third one he had on the hook?"
"...What?"
That was a heck of a topic change.
But it was way too shockin' to just blow off—no way Hayato could ignore that.
Hayato's body went stiff from the shock, and when Airi felt that through the tube, she let out a delighted-*ss laugh.
"See, Kazukichi... ...he's got the looks, and Momocchi—his big sis—basically 'trained' him, or more like she treated him like a toy and taught him all sorts of stuff. Combine that with bein' athletic, and obviously, he was gonna be popular. Some girls even came at him real aggressive."
"...You mean like you did?"
"Look at you, talkin' big. Anyway, Kazukichi... ...he was great at the whole 'gentleman' act, but he sucked at sayin' no. He was too vague, so a bunch of girls started claimin' to be his girl. Well, I guess askin' a 13 or 14-year-old brat to handle that is a tall order."
"So, basically... ...you're sayin' Kazuki has been a dumb*ss since way back then?"
"!"
Even though Hayato was all shook, when Hayato thought back to how Kazuki is now and that monologue from the other day, Hayato ended up reachin' the same conclusion. Once those words slipped out of Hayato's mouth, Airi just lost it, grabbin' her stomach and laughin' her *ss off. She started whackin' Hayato's shoulder without holdin' back.
"Kyahahahaha, oh man, that's gold! But for real though, you're spot on! Yeah, Kazukichi really is a total dumb*ss!"
"Whoa, hey, cut it out!"
"Man, that's hilarious... ...True though, Kazukichi is an idiot, and a cruel one at that... ...Hey, let me ask you somethin'."
"...What?"
"What if, like, a bunch of girls all confessed to you at the same time? What would you do?"
"Huh? Like that'd ever happen. I have no clue."
"...Just give me an answer, even if it's just a 'What if'."
"...Even if you put it that way, I still..."
Then, in a total 180, Airi's face went from grins to dead-serious—so intense that Hayato actually flinched. His confusion was red-linin' now.
To begin with, Hayato didn't really get the whole "Datin' someone" thin'. Much less the idea of someone actually confessin' to him—he'd never even thought about it, let alone imagined it.
It's not like Hayato wasn't interested in girls. But with Haruki on his mind right now, the honest truth was that he just didn't really know.
Seein' the look of total confusion on Hayato's face, Airi suddenly switched to a flirty-*ss look and, catchin' him off guard, she grabbed his arm and leaned her whole weight against him.
"!?"
It all happened in a split second.
Hayato's hand, his leg, the whole left side of his body—it was like he was bein' swallowed up and taken over by Airi's slightly chilled skin.
While forcing Hayato to feel a texture, a warmth, and a softness totally different from Haruki's, Airi leaned in close to Hayato's ear and whispered somethin' absolutely insane.
"Hey, I'll do all kinds of stuff for ya, so just be my boyfriend for the day, okay?"
"Wh-a―!?"
Hayato's brain was about to red-line in an instant, but for better or worse, the heat didn't get a chance to make him lose his cool.
"—And just what exactly 'kind of stuff' are we talkin' about?"
""!!??""
A chill shot straight down their spines, makin' 'em shudder uncontrollably.
Their consciousness, their emotions, and their very survival instincts were all screamin' that this was a code-red danger zone.
"And here I was wonderin' what was takin' you so long... ...just what the heck do you think you're doin', Hayato-kun?"
"H-Haruki..."
As Hayato slowly turned toward the voice, there she was—the gorgeous and dainty Nikaidō Haruki, wrapped in an aura so cold and sharp it felt like she was literally freezin' out the whole area.
Author's Notes:
Hiss... (Intimidation mode.)
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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"Phew... ...a'ight, that should do it."
Hayato was back at the lockers in the changin' room, blowin' up a tube.
I mean, Hayato could've just waited until he met up with the others to pump it up, but he could already picture both Himeko and Haruki bitchin' at him if the thin' wasn't ready to go the second he got there.
Lookin' around, Hayato saw a bunch of other boys doin' the exact same thin', and they all looked hyped as heck. They were definitely lookin' forward to hittin' the water.
Of course, Hayato knew he was feelin' it too. But lookin' at 'em just made Haruki's face pop into his head naturally―and not just her face, he ended up rememberin' her body too.
"Right, they said the wave pool, I think."
Hayato said it out loud on purpose, tryin' like heck to shake off those dirty thoughts. Twirlin' the tube in one hand, he headed out of the changin' room and made a beeline for a nearby sign to double-check the map.
The sign was a map showin' the whole layout of the Kōjien pool with some simple-*ss illustrations.
It was set up right near the pool entrance, which was also close to both the boys' and girls' changin' rooms.
It was the perfect spot for a meet-up, which is why Hayato and the crew used it earlier.
Usually, the place would be buzzin', but for some reason, the voices around weren't hyped at all—they were a mix of shock and total confusion.
"Yo, that girl's been standin' there forever..."
"Is that girl gettin' stood up? She's fine as heck, but man, that vibe..."
"It feels like the girl'd legit k*ll you just for lookin' her way... ...wait, isn't she?"
"I feel like I've seen her somewhere before...?"
At the center of all that gossip was a single girl. She was flashy and totally stood out.
The girl had a k*ller body that could go toe-to-toe with Haruki's, hair styled to look pop even at a pool, and the girl was sittin' there with her legs crossed lookin' all regal, makin' her shine way brighter than anyone else.
Makes sense—when it comes to knowin' how to get eyes on the girl, she probably pulled way more attention than Haruki. And Hayato recognized the girl instantly.
(Satō Airi, I think...)
Normally, people would definitely be swarmin' Airi 'cause of how hot she was. But she was givin' off this "Don't mess with me" aura that she wasn't even tryin' to hide.
The air around Airi was straight-up toxic, and everyone was just watchin' her from a distance.
No matter how gorgeous a girl is, nobody's dumb enough to grab an unclothed blade when they know they're gonna get cut. Airi was exactly that type. And Hayato definitely didn't want any part of that.
"..."
But man, after seein' Airi's leg twitchin' like that and her face breakin' out in a cold sweat even though she was actin' cool, Hayato felt like a total d*ck if he just walked away—especially since he actually knew who she was.
Besides, if this was Tsukinose, turnin' a blind eye to someone hurt—even if you couldn't stand 'em—would basically get you exiled from the whole d*mn countryside.
Sigh. Hayato let out a long-*ss breath. He grabbed a sports drink from a nearby vendin' machine and, with heavy-*ss feet, walked up to Airi and spoke.
"That way you're sittin' is trash for your body. Stretch your legs out more. And here, drink this."
"Huh? I ain't lookin' to get hit on, so beat it."
"Your leg's crampin' up, ain't it?"
"~~~!?"
The second Hayato poked Airi's left leg with his tube, her whole body went stiff as a board. She snapped out of it instantly and glared at him with some serious k*ller eyes.
Hayato threw his hands up like he was surrenderin' right away, his face scrunched up like he was totally fed up with whatever was goin' on.
"Why you little... ...quit messin' aroun'―"
"You been in the water the whole d*mn time or what? Look, don't sit there with your legs crossed, stretch 'em out to get your blood flowin'. And here, get some fluids in you. You'd be surprised how easy it is to get dehydrated at a pool."
"Eh? Oh... ...f-fine, I get it, alright already... ...Man, what is with you..."
Hayato used the tube to poke at Airi's right leg—the one that wasn't crampin'—to keep nudgin' her to move. Even though she looked annoyed, she stretched her legs out and took a swig of the sports drink.
Truth is, it probably would've been better to give 'em a rub, but he wasn't about to go touchin' some girl's bare legs when he barely even knew her. Plus, he wasn't even interested in her like that, though.
After a bit, Airi seemed to be bouncing' back 'cause her face started lookin' a lot brighter.
Hayato figured Airi should just quit tryin' to act all tough for no reason, but thinkin' his job was done, he let out a huge-*ss sigh and gave his head a rough scratch.
"Looks like you're good now. Watch yourself next time."
"Hold up a sec!"
"Whoa!?"
Just as Hayato turned on his heel to bail.
Airi suddenly yanked on Hayato's tube with a ton of force, and since he was caught off guard, he totally lost his balance.
Hayato scrambled to steady himself by throwin' a hand onto the bench, but Airi didn't miss her chance and basically forced him to sit down right next to her.
Hayato shot a protestin' look sideways like "The heck's your problem?", but he legit choked on his breath when he saw those sharp-*ss eyes—more like a wild beast than a girl.
"...What's the deal here?"
"Deal? Nothin'. Just personal satisfaction... ...nah, I'm just bein' a busybody."
"Y'know who I am and you're still pullin' this?"
"You're Satō Airi, right? ...That fashion-model."
"If you know that, then what's your angle?"
"No angle at all. I just couldn't stand watchin' you cramp up like that. I ain't even into you like that. Honestly... ...if I hadn't heard about you from Kazuki, I would've just ignored you."
"!? Hold up, you...!"
"!? Whoa, hey, your face is way too close!"
For some reason, Airi's eyes went wide, and before Hayato knew it, she'd grabbed his face and was leanin' in, inspectin' him like a damn specimen.
Hayato had no idea what was goin' on.
Even if Airi was the type of person (a gyaru) Hayato couldn't stand, he was currently bein' forced to stare at a girl whose face and body were legit model-tier.
In more ways than one, Hayato's heart started poundin', and he was gettin' self-conscious about all the eyes on 'em from around the pool.
While Hayato was scowlin', the edge in Airi's face totally melted away, and she burst out laughin' like it was the funniest thin' ever.
"Wait, you're just Kazukichi's friend!"
"You just now figured that out!? Sorry my face is so plain and hard to remember."
"Kyaha! My bad, my bad. My eyes are trash, see—one of my daily contacts just washed away earlier."
"I see. That sucks for you. Well, I've got buddies waitin' on me, so I'm out―"
"Hey, hold on a sec!"
"...What now?"
Just as Hayato was about to stand up and bail for real this time, his arm got yanked hard, and Airi stood up right along with him.
Hayato gave Airi a look of pure annoyance, but she didn't seem to give a d*mn.
"I'm here with my crew too, y'know. Take me to the Riverside area—that's our meet-up spot in case we get split up."
"Huh? Just go by yourself... ...wait, is your vision so trashed you can't even walk straight?"
"Pretty much, yeah. My nearsightedness is no joke. Think of it as fate or somethin', right? Plus, hey, wanna hear some stories about Kazukichi's middle school days? Oh, and if you want, I'll even let you link arms with me as a 'Thank you,' kyaha!"
"I'm good. If you gotta grab somethin', grab the tube."
Hayato thought it over while nursin' a growin' headache.
Instead of bein' a j*rk to Airi while she was actin' all pushy, wouldn't it be faster just to drop her off and be done with it? Decidin' on that, Hayato quickly shoved the tube between 'em like a shield.
For some reason, that really tickled Airi, and she started crackin' up with an even bigger grin.
Hayato, havin' no clue what was so funny, just reminded himself that he really wasn't cut out for dealin' with these types (gyarus), and started headin' toward the Riverside area.
The Riverside area was the food court section on the outer edge of the lazy river.
It wasn't that far from the wave pool, and since Hayato figured it wouldn't waste too much time, that was why he agreed to lead Airi there.
Still, Hayato wanted to get this annoying-*ss errand over with ASAP. But then again, Airi had just had that cramp.
Even if it was supposed to be gone, it still bothered Hayato. He made sure to keep an eye on Airi, matchin' her pace and walkin' real slow.
"...Hey, are you like, used to this? I mean, used to dealin' with girls?"
"Huh? Not even a little. I told you, I'm a countryside boy, right? The only girls our age I ever knew were my little sis and her bestie."
"Oh, really...?"
"What?"
Just as Hayato thought Airi was done talkin', she started smirkin' all of a sudden. After noddin' to herself like she'd just figured somethin' out, she flashed this dark-*ss, wicked grin.
"Kazukichi, y'know... ...back in middle school, he was a total player, datin' multiple girls at once. I think I was like, the third one he had on the hook?"
"...What?"
That was a heck of a topic change.
But it was way too shockin' to just blow off—no way Hayato could ignore that.
Hayato's body went stiff from the shock, and when Airi felt that through the tube, she let out a delighted-*ss laugh.
"See, Kazukichi... ...he's got the looks, and Momocchi—his big sis—basically 'trained' him, or more like she treated him like a toy and taught him all sorts of stuff. Combine that with bein' athletic, and obviously, he was gonna be popular. Some girls even came at him real aggressive."
"...You mean like you did?"
"Look at you, talkin' big. Anyway, Kazukichi... ...he was great at the whole 'gentleman' act, but he sucked at sayin' no. He was too vague, so a bunch of girls started claimin' to be his girl. Well, I guess askin' a 13 or 14-year-old brat to handle that is a tall order."
"So, basically... ...you're sayin' Kazuki has been a dumb*ss since way back then?"
"!"
Even though Hayato was all shook, when Hayato thought back to how Kazuki is now and that monologue from the other day, Hayato ended up reachin' the same conclusion. Once those words slipped out of Hayato's mouth, Airi just lost it, grabbin' her stomach and laughin' her *ss off. She started whackin' Hayato's shoulder without holdin' back.
"Kyahahahaha, oh man, that's gold! But for real though, you're spot on! Yeah, Kazukichi really is a total dumb*ss!"
"Whoa, hey, cut it out!"
"Man, that's hilarious... ...True though, Kazukichi is an idiot, and a cruel one at that... ...Hey, let me ask you somethin'."
"...What?"
"What if, like, a bunch of girls all confessed to you at the same time? What would you do?"
"Huh? Like that'd ever happen. I have no clue."
"...Just give me an answer, even if it's just a 'What if'."
"...Even if you put it that way, I still..."
Then, in a total 180, Airi's face went from grins to dead-serious—so intense that Hayato actually flinched. His confusion was red-linin' now.
To begin with, Hayato didn't really get the whole "Datin' someone" thin'. Much less the idea of someone actually confessin' to him—he'd never even thought about it, let alone imagined it.
It's not like Hayato wasn't interested in girls. But with Haruki on his mind right now, the honest truth was that he just didn't really know.
Seein' the look of total confusion on Hayato's face, Airi suddenly switched to a flirty-*ss look and, catchin' him off guard, she grabbed his arm and leaned her whole weight against him.
"!?"
It all happened in a split second.
Hayato's hand, his leg, the whole left side of his body—it was like he was bein' swallowed up and taken over by Airi's slightly chilled skin.
While forcing Hayato to feel a texture, a warmth, and a softness totally different from Haruki's, Airi leaned in close to Hayato's ear and whispered somethin' absolutely insane.
"Hey, I'll do all kinds of stuff for ya, so just be my boyfriend for the day, okay?"
"Wh-a―!?"
Hayato's brain was about to red-line in an instant, but for better or worse, the heat didn't get a chance to make him lose his cool.
"—And just what exactly 'kind of stuff' are we talkin' about?"
""!!??""
A chill shot straight down their spines, makin' 'em shudder uncontrollably.
Their consciousness, their emotions, and their very survival instincts were all screamin' that this was a code-red danger zone.
"And here I was wonderin' what was takin' you so long... ...just what the heck do you think you're doin', Hayato-kun?"
"H-Haruki..."
As Hayato slowly turned toward the voice, there she was—the gorgeous and dainty Nikaidō Haruki, wrapped in an aura so cold and sharp it felt like she was literally freezin' out the whole area.
Author's Notes:
Hiss... (Intimidation mode.)
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: