[Warning 15+]
Part Three"―Seriously, Your Vibe Hasn't Changed a Bit Since the Old Days!"Chapter 120And That's Why Haruki Screams and Lets Her Hands Fly
When Haruki showed up, for some reason she was in total "good girl" mode (actin' all fake-innocent).
Scrunched up Haruki's pretty brows, put a finger to her chin, and tilted her head all cute-like—lookin' straight-up darlin'.
But man, even so, a chill shot right down Hayato's spine, makin' him shudder.
If you looked close, Haruki's eyes weren't smilin' at all, and her gaze was locked dead-on Airi right next to Hayato.
"Well, don't you two look cozy? Did Hayato-kun just ditch the rest of us to go on a little date with the lady over there?"
"!? N-No, that ain't it... ...L-Look, Satō-san's just someone I ran into the other day for a sec, and since she said her leg was crampin' and she lost a contact lens, I was just..."
"Hey! Watch it!"
Thanks to Haruki pointin' it out, that was the exact moment Hayato realized Airi had been clingin' to him the whole time. He panicked and ripped himself away from Airi real rough.
"Oh, an 'acquaintance,' huh? Guess you went and met such a flashy, gorgeous girl without me even knowin'. I had no idea Hayato-kun was such a fa-a-ast worker."
"Eh, well, I mean, the other day Kazuki―"
"I see, I see. So you used Kaidō-san as bait to slide into her DMs."
"...Oh, look, d*mn it!!"
There was just no easy way to explain Hayato's situation with Airi.
It's not like Hayato could just broadcast to the whole d*mn crowd that Airi was Kazuki's ex-girlfriend.
Watchin' Hayato struggle for words, Haruki's face shifted into somethin' even more suspicious—who knows what she was thinkin'.
Then, just as Haruki's fake-*ss smile faded away, she hung her head like she was totally crushed.
Clutchin' Hayato's tube all shaky-like as if she was heart-broken, Haruki whispered in a voice that was legit pitiful.
"...Are you... ...throwin' me away?"
"Whoa, hey, watch your mouth! That's a heck of a way to put it!?"
Hayato knew it was an act.
But man, Haruki was sellin' it so hard it felt real.
From an outsider's POV, it totally looked like Hayato was dumpin' the pure and darlin' Haruki just to upgrade to the flashy and gorgeous Airi.
I mean, both Haruki and Airi had looks that were legit leagues above any other girls at the pool, even if their vibes were totally different. There was no way they weren't gonna stand out. Plus, Haruki's voice—all clear but soundin' totally heartbroken—was carryin' way too well through the crowd.
"Yo, look at that boy..."
"The boy's dumpin' a girl like THAT to switch sides? ...Wait, hold up."
"That girl, doesn't she look just like Satō Airi? Like, a total twin!?"
"Is that actually her!? Well, if it is, I guess I get it... ...but who the heck is that boy!?"
Naturally, all the nosy-*ss stares from the crowd started lockin' onto 'em. The bystanders were startin' to get loud.
Hearin' the convo around 'em, Haruki gripped Hayato's tube even harder.
If you looked close, you could see Haruki's shoulders shakin'. But since she was lookin' down, you couldn't tell what kind of face she was makin'.
"...Haruki?"
"Heh, this girl's a total cutie! Hey, is she like, your girlfriend or somethin'?"
""!!""
Airi, who'd been standin' there stunned until now, suddenly cut right in.
Maybe 'cause Airi's nearsighted, Airi shoved her face right up to Haruki's, lookin' Haruki up and down like she was gradin' a specimen.
"Yeah, yeah, your face is definitely top-tier or better... ...wait, no way, you're basically wearin' zero makeup!? I know we're at a pool and all, but for real, lookin' this good without it is legit impossible!"
"M-Mya!?"
Airi was just straight-up ignorin' boundaries. This is exactly the kind of girl Hayato can't stand.
Maybe Airi actually thinks gettin' scouted by a celeb like her is some kind of honor or somethin'.
Haruki was totally caught off guard, leanin' back and tryin' to retreat, but Airi wasn't lettin' Haruki off the hook and closed the gap instantly.
Hayato tried to find a way to shield Haruki, but he was hesitant to wedge himself between two girls.
"Your body looks solid too. If I had to nitpick, I'd say you just need a bit more height? If you actually did your makeup, you'd pop even more—I might actually get a little jelly. How do you even take care of your hair?"
Airi was straight-up losin' all sense of boundaries. Guess she was just that hooked on Haruki.
But Haruki definitely wasn't feelin' it. Her "good girl" mask was startin' to crack as she twisted her body away.
"Yo, hold up a sec, you―"
"Hmm... ...Oh, I know! How 'bout I get you an intro at my agency―"
"―!"
Just as Hayato was about to step in and shut it down, and Airi reached a hand out toward Haruki.
All of a sudden, the vibe around Haruki shifted. It was like she'd been swapped out for somethin' else entirely.
"'―Don't touch me. Get lost.'"
""!!??""
Smack! A crisp, dry sound echoed through the area, instantly suckin' the life out of the crowd's convo.
It happened in a blink. Everybody there couldn't believe their own d*mn eyes.
Standin' there was a master-tier swordsman. Haruki had swiped the hand away in a counter-move, posin' like she'd just pulled off an Iai draw—and for real, people actually hallucinated that she was holdin' a katana.
Airi kept touchin' her own neck, blinkin' like crazy and goin', "Huh? Wait, what?"
Hayato kept lookin' back and forth between Haruki's right hand and Airi's neck. Both he and Airi weren't the only ones stunned, either. Even the bystanders thought they'd legit seen Airi get slashed.
"You get it now, little girl?"
"~!! ~~!! ~~!!"
"Eh, oh, that's..."
That voice didn't belong to no 15-year-old girl; Haruki sounded like a battle-hardened warrior who'd survived a thousand hecks.
Hayato was the only one who realized Haruki was just mimickin' an anime character she'd been watchin' with Himeko lately.
But when Haruki thrust that imaginary katana right in front of her face, Airi couldn't do a d*mn thing but nod like a bobblehead.
"...Let's go, Hayato."
"Eh, oh, right."
And just like that, Haruki flipped back to the usual Haruki, shoved Hayato's back real hard, and hauled him outta there.
The people left behind could only stand there in total shock, stunned by how Haruki's vibe kept switchin' back and forth like some damn kaleidoscope.
Airi kept tiltin' her head and touchin' her neck to check if she was still in one piece, but she finally snapped out of it when a voice called her name.
"Yo, Airi! There you are, I've been lookin' everywhere for ya!"
"Oh, Momocchi-senpai."
"What's up with you, just spacin' out like that? Did you happen to run into my little bro or somethin'?"
"Ahaha, it wasn't Kazukichi, but... ...that girl..."
"...Hmm?"
"No, it's nothin'."
Then Airi just gave a vague-*ss smile back to Kaidō Momoka, who'd just come runnin' over.
◇◇◇
After leavin' the Riverside area, Hayato was busy chasin' after Haruki, who wasn't even tryin' to hide how pissed she was, walkin' with her shoulders all hunched up.
"Haruki, wait up! Look, I'm sorry about... ...well, everything."
"Sorry for what? I mean, Hayato's a boy too, right? Guess it's only natural for you to get all thirsty when a flashy, cute girl starts clingin' all over you!"
"I wasn't gettin' 'thirsty' or whatever."
"Yeah, right! Doesn't change the fact that you ditched us to go get all cozy with that girl, does it?"
"We weren't gettin' 'cozy'... ...like I said, Satō-san's just an acquaintance, and she seemed like she was in trouble."
"That's exactly what's so sketchy! I mean, a model? A celeb? How the heck do you even meet a girl like that? It makes zero sense!"
"That's, eh..."
"Hmph!"
No matter how much Hayato tried to explain, Haruki wasn't givin' him an inch. Thinkin' about the whole deal with Kazuki made Hayato overthink his words, and even Hayato realized he was startin' to sound like he was just makin' excuses.
But even with all that, Hayato couldn't for the life of him figure out why Haruki was bein' so stubborn and throwin' such a fit.
Hayato scrambled to keep up with Haruki, whose pace was gettin' faster by the second.
"Hey, Haruki, come on!"
"Hayato, you're such a countryside boy, you should just get scammed by some honey trap and learn your lesson the hard way!"
"I mean, yeah, I'm a countryside boy, but I'm not gonna get scammed that easily. Do people even do that?"
"You seriously don't get how scary girls can be!"
"...Are both you and Himeko scary too, Haruki?"
"Argh! Shut up! Just shut up and go away!"
"...Eh."
For a second, Hayato just froze.
Those words... ...they were the exact same ones Haruki used to say back when they were kids, the ones that'd been buried deep in Hayato's heart forever.
But since Hayato was older now, he legit got that Haruki didn't mean 'em. He understood what was hidden behind that wall she'd built up.
Hayato thought back to what he'd said at Shine Spirits City the other day. Scratchin' his head like a madman, he reached out.
"Haruki."
"!?"
Before Hayato even realized it, he'd grabbed Haruki's hand, just as forcefully as he'd done back then.
"My bad. I'm sorry for makin' you worry."
"~~~!!"
The second Haruki turned around, her face flushed a deep-*ss red.
Haruki's mouth kept openin' and closin' like she was tryin' to snap back, but for some reason, the words just wouldn't come out.
"...Ha-"
"Ha-?"
"Hayato, you DUMBASS!!!!"
"OW!?"
And then, right along with all those exploded-*ss emotions, a slap came flyin' straight at Hayato.
Author's Notes:
Bein' a pain is fine, but if you go and make her worry, this "cat" is gonna resort to straight-up force.
My bad for the messy update schedule.
Part Three is finally hittin' the home stretch, but just when I thought I'd killed one deadline, another one popped up to wreck me, so the updates are gonna be a bit hit-or-miss for a little longer...
Oh, and if you leave a "Meow!" in the comments, it'll totally boost my motivation to work my *ss off on all kinds of stuff!
Meow!
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.
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When Haruki showed up, for some reason she was in total "good girl" mode (actin' all fake-innocent).
Scrunched up Haruki's pretty brows, put a finger to her chin, and tilted her head all cute-like—lookin' straight-up darlin'.
But man, even so, a chill shot right down Hayato's spine, makin' him shudder.
If you looked close, Haruki's eyes weren't smilin' at all, and her gaze was locked dead-on Airi right next to Hayato.
"Well, don't you two look cozy? Did Hayato-kun just ditch the rest of us to go on a little date with the lady over there?"
"!? N-No, that ain't it... ...L-Look, Satō-san's just someone I ran into the other day for a sec, and since she said her leg was crampin' and she lost a contact lens, I was just..."
"Hey! Watch it!"
Thanks to Haruki pointin' it out, that was the exact moment Hayato realized Airi had been clingin' to him the whole time. He panicked and ripped himself away from Airi real rough.
"Oh, an 'acquaintance,' huh? Guess you went and met such a flashy, gorgeous girl without me even knowin'. I had no idea Hayato-kun was such a fa-a-ast worker."
"Eh, well, I mean, the other day Kazuki―"
"I see, I see. So you used Kaidō-san as bait to slide into her DMs."
"...Oh, look, d*mn it!!"
There was just no easy way to explain Hayato's situation with Airi.
It's not like Hayato could just broadcast to the whole d*mn crowd that Airi was Kazuki's ex-girlfriend.
Watchin' Hayato struggle for words, Haruki's face shifted into somethin' even more suspicious—who knows what she was thinkin'.
Then, just as Haruki's fake-*ss smile faded away, she hung her head like she was totally crushed.
Clutchin' Hayato's tube all shaky-like as if she was heart-broken, Haruki whispered in a voice that was legit pitiful.
"...Are you... ...throwin' me away?"
"Whoa, hey, watch your mouth! That's a heck of a way to put it!?"
Hayato knew it was an act.
But man, Haruki was sellin' it so hard it felt real.
From an outsider's POV, it totally looked like Hayato was dumpin' the pure and darlin' Haruki just to upgrade to the flashy and gorgeous Airi.
I mean, both Haruki and Airi had looks that were legit leagues above any other girls at the pool, even if their vibes were totally different. There was no way they weren't gonna stand out. Plus, Haruki's voice—all clear but soundin' totally heartbroken—was carryin' way too well through the crowd.
"Yo, look at that boy..."
"The boy's dumpin' a girl like THAT to switch sides? ...Wait, hold up."
"That girl, doesn't she look just like Satō Airi? Like, a total twin!?"
"Is that actually her!? Well, if it is, I guess I get it... ...but who the heck is that boy!?"
Naturally, all the nosy-*ss stares from the crowd started lockin' onto 'em. The bystanders were startin' to get loud.
Hearin' the convo around 'em, Haruki gripped Hayato's tube even harder.
If you looked close, you could see Haruki's shoulders shakin'. But since she was lookin' down, you couldn't tell what kind of face she was makin'.
"...Haruki?"
"Heh, this girl's a total cutie! Hey, is she like, your girlfriend or somethin'?"
""!!""
Airi, who'd been standin' there stunned until now, suddenly cut right in.
Maybe 'cause Airi's nearsighted, Airi shoved her face right up to Haruki's, lookin' Haruki up and down like she was gradin' a specimen.
"Yeah, yeah, your face is definitely top-tier or better... ...wait, no way, you're basically wearin' zero makeup!? I know we're at a pool and all, but for real, lookin' this good without it is legit impossible!"
"M-Mya!?"
Airi was just straight-up ignorin' boundaries. This is exactly the kind of girl Hayato can't stand.
Maybe Airi actually thinks gettin' scouted by a celeb like her is some kind of honor or somethin'.
Haruki was totally caught off guard, leanin' back and tryin' to retreat, but Airi wasn't lettin' Haruki off the hook and closed the gap instantly.
Hayato tried to find a way to shield Haruki, but he was hesitant to wedge himself between two girls.
"Your body looks solid too. If I had to nitpick, I'd say you just need a bit more height? If you actually did your makeup, you'd pop even more—I might actually get a little jelly. How do you even take care of your hair?"
Airi was straight-up losin' all sense of boundaries. Guess she was just that hooked on Haruki.
But Haruki definitely wasn't feelin' it. Her "good girl" mask was startin' to crack as she twisted her body away.
"Yo, hold up a sec, you―"
"Hmm... ...Oh, I know! How 'bout I get you an intro at my agency―"
"―!"
Just as Hayato was about to step in and shut it down, and Airi reached a hand out toward Haruki.
All of a sudden, the vibe around Haruki shifted. It was like she'd been swapped out for somethin' else entirely.
"'―Don't touch me. Get lost.'"
""!!??""
Smack! A crisp, dry sound echoed through the area, instantly suckin' the life out of the crowd's convo.
It happened in a blink. Everybody there couldn't believe their own d*mn eyes.
Standin' there was a master-tier swordsman. Haruki had swiped the hand away in a counter-move, posin' like she'd just pulled off an Iai draw—and for real, people actually hallucinated that she was holdin' a katana.
Airi kept touchin' her own neck, blinkin' like crazy and goin', "Huh? Wait, what?"
Hayato kept lookin' back and forth between Haruki's right hand and Airi's neck. Both he and Airi weren't the only ones stunned, either. Even the bystanders thought they'd legit seen Airi get slashed.
"You get it now, little girl?"
"~!! ~~!! ~~!!"
"Eh, oh, that's..."
That voice didn't belong to no 15-year-old girl; Haruki sounded like a battle-hardened warrior who'd survived a thousand hecks.
Hayato was the only one who realized Haruki was just mimickin' an anime character she'd been watchin' with Himeko lately.
But when Haruki thrust that imaginary katana right in front of her face, Airi couldn't do a d*mn thing but nod like a bobblehead.
"...Let's go, Hayato."
"Eh, oh, right."
And just like that, Haruki flipped back to the usual Haruki, shoved Hayato's back real hard, and hauled him outta there.
The people left behind could only stand there in total shock, stunned by how Haruki's vibe kept switchin' back and forth like some damn kaleidoscope.
Airi kept tiltin' her head and touchin' her neck to check if she was still in one piece, but she finally snapped out of it when a voice called her name.
"Yo, Airi! There you are, I've been lookin' everywhere for ya!"
"Oh, Momocchi-senpai."
"What's up with you, just spacin' out like that? Did you happen to run into my little bro or somethin'?"
"Ahaha, it wasn't Kazukichi, but... ...that girl..."
"...Hmm?"
"No, it's nothin'."
Then Airi just gave a vague-*ss smile back to Kaidō Momoka, who'd just come runnin' over.
◇◇◇
After leavin' the Riverside area, Hayato was busy chasin' after Haruki, who wasn't even tryin' to hide how pissed she was, walkin' with her shoulders all hunched up.
"Haruki, wait up! Look, I'm sorry about... ...well, everything."
"Sorry for what? I mean, Hayato's a boy too, right? Guess it's only natural for you to get all thirsty when a flashy, cute girl starts clingin' all over you!"
"I wasn't gettin' 'thirsty' or whatever."
"Yeah, right! Doesn't change the fact that you ditched us to go get all cozy with that girl, does it?"
"We weren't gettin' 'cozy'... ...like I said, Satō-san's just an acquaintance, and she seemed like she was in trouble."
"That's exactly what's so sketchy! I mean, a model? A celeb? How the heck do you even meet a girl like that? It makes zero sense!"
"That's, eh..."
"Hmph!"
No matter how much Hayato tried to explain, Haruki wasn't givin' him an inch. Thinkin' about the whole deal with Kazuki made Hayato overthink his words, and even Hayato realized he was startin' to sound like he was just makin' excuses.
But even with all that, Hayato couldn't for the life of him figure out why Haruki was bein' so stubborn and throwin' such a fit.
Hayato scrambled to keep up with Haruki, whose pace was gettin' faster by the second.
"Hey, Haruki, come on!"
"Hayato, you're such a countryside boy, you should just get scammed by some honey trap and learn your lesson the hard way!"
"I mean, yeah, I'm a countryside boy, but I'm not gonna get scammed that easily. Do people even do that?"
"You seriously don't get how scary girls can be!"
"...Are both you and Himeko scary too, Haruki?"
"Argh! Shut up! Just shut up and go away!"
"...Eh."
For a second, Hayato just froze.
Those words... ...they were the exact same ones Haruki used to say back when they were kids, the ones that'd been buried deep in Hayato's heart forever.
But since Hayato was older now, he legit got that Haruki didn't mean 'em. He understood what was hidden behind that wall she'd built up.
Hayato thought back to what he'd said at Shine Spirits City the other day. Scratchin' his head like a madman, he reached out.
"Haruki."
"!?"
Before Hayato even realized it, he'd grabbed Haruki's hand, just as forcefully as he'd done back then.
"My bad. I'm sorry for makin' you worry."
"~~~!!"
The second Haruki turned around, her face flushed a deep-*ss red.
Haruki's mouth kept openin' and closin' like she was tryin' to snap back, but for some reason, the words just wouldn't come out.
"...Ha-"
"Ha-?"
"Hayato, you DUMBASS!!!!"
"OW!?"
And then, right along with all those exploded-*ss emotions, a slap came flyin' straight at Hayato.
Author's Notes:
Bein' a pain is fine, but if you go and make her worry, this "cat" is gonna resort to straight-up force.
My bad for the messy update schedule.
Part Three is finally hittin' the home stretch, but just when I thought I'd killed one deadline, another one popped up to wreck me, so the updates are gonna be a bit hit-or-miss for a little longer...
Oh, and if you leave a "Meow!" in the comments, it'll totally boost my motivation to work my *ss off on all kinds of stuff!
Meow!
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: