[Warning 15+]
Part Five
―Even If, I Can't Treat You with That Same Energy Anymore
Chapter 205
D*mmit, Just You Wait!
―Even If, I Can't Treat You with That Same Energy Anymore
Chapter 205
D*mmit, Just You Wait!
Everyone was completely dumbfounded by Kazuki's move.
Only the boy who got punched immediately flew into a rage and swung back.
A dull crack echoed as bone hit bone.
"You b*stard, the heck do you think you're doing?!"
"That's my line!"
"Gah... ...Don't get cocky with me!"
Even though Kazuki took a hard hit straight to the side of his face, he didn't flinch one bit, grabbin' the boy back by his collar and drivin' a headbutt into him.
"I've been thinkin' about this forever! First off, what the heck do you mean by 'Traitor', though!? If you liked Takakura-senpai that d*mn much, you should've been the one puttin' in the work and talkin' to her!"
"! What the heck would a privileged b*stard like y'know?!"
"I wouldn't know jack sh*t! How the heck should I know what goes through the mind of some boy who blames me for gettin' rejected?!"
"~~Ugh, stop screwin' around!"
"You're the one screwin' around!"
They tussled while slingin' insults back and forth.
Before long, a worked-up Kazuki turned his wrath not just on him, but on the other five boys too, shoutin' at the top of his lungs.
"Stole the girl you liked? Me, cheatin'? Back then, do you have any idea how much it hurt when I raised my voice shoutin' that it wasn't true?! Oh, I feel so d*mn relieved now that I've cut ties with envious b*stards like you guys, you bunch of losers!"
"Gasp! Shut the heck up!"
"Shut your d*mn mouth!"
"Just Kaidō gettin' fresh!"
"Ugh!"
When Kazuki provoked them, the enraged bullies shoved him, sendin' him tumblin' awkwardly to the ground. Maybe because he took a hard blow to the chest, he started coughin' violently.
(—What the heck is that idiot doin'?!)
Hayato swore in his head despite himself. There was no way Kazuki didn't know that sayin' stuff like that would lead to this.
But when Kazuki suddenly raised his face right then, despite the situation, he had a refreshed smile on his face—and before Hayato knew it, he was dashin' forward.
"Kazuki!"
"Hayato-kun!?"
"!?" "What the heck is your deal!"
Hayati tackled the boy who was about to kick Kazuki while he was down. Then Hayato stood in the way, shieldin' Kazuki.
Naturally, their piercin' glares jabbed straight into Hayato as well.
Laden with clear malice, it was the first time in Hayato's life havin' a look like that directed at him.
A shiver ran down Hayato's spine and he almost took a step back, but he held his ground by grittin' his molars tightly.
Because if Hayato backed down even a single step here, he'd never be able to stand proudly beside Kazuki—beside his buddy—ever again.
Hayato couldn't accept a version of himself like that at all.
(—Gasp)
Suddenly, Haruki's face crossed Hayato's mind.
Haruki, who had malice hurled at her by her Mom, her Grandparents, and everyone around her, yet still plastered on a mask of smiles. And then Hayato realized somethin'.
That's why Hayato laughed.
Wearin' a ferocious smirk like Kazuki's earlier, Hayato snorted out a loud "Ha!"—and laughed it all off.
Feelin' mocked by Hayato's attitude, they tried to shove him just like they did with Kazuki—
"You b*stard, what the heck are you laughin'—"
"Whoops!"
"Gah!?" "Iori-kun!" "Iori!?"
Iori swooped in from the side, grabbin' the outstretched hand and twistin' it upward.
Both Hayato and Kazuki were shocked.
Naturally, hostile glares were hurled at Iori too.
But Iori brushed it off with his usual easygoin' grin, puttin' on a front.
"Hey, Kazuki, Hayato, if you guys are doin' somethin' fun, count me in too."
"Iori-kun... ...Pfft."
"Haha... ...Ahahaha!"
Both Hayato and Kazuki burst out laughin' despite themselves.
They wondered what the heck they were even doin'.
They were hopelessly outnumbered, and they'd never even been in a fight before. This wouldn't even count as a real match.
And yet, for some reason, they found this entire situation ridiculously hilarious.
"Huh!?"
"Tch, what the heck are you laughin' at?!"
"D*mn, so freakin' annoyin'..."
Seein' Hayato and the boys like that, the bullies didn't even bother hidin' their irritation anymore.
They were just waitin' for the right moment to pounce and start throwin' punches.
The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife.
Hayato had already made up his mind.
But Hayato had one concern. He couldn't afford to get Saki, Himeko, Ema, and Haruki wrapped up in this.
So Hayato shot a look at Haruki, silently askin' her to take the girls and get out of there somehow, and she gave a firm nod.
However, Haruki grabbed her own yukata and obi—
"Eek~~ H-He-Help...! Those boys are gonna ravage me~~!"
""""""!?"""""""
Then, lettin' out a blood-curdlin' shriek, Haruki clung desperately to Hayato.
Haruki's clear, bell-like voice was normally bright and carryin'. Even more so when it was a tearful scream.
On top of that, Haruki's appearance right now was totally disheveled—her yukata slipped down exposing her shoulder, and her obi sash was half-untied.
Haruki looked straight-up like someone who had just escaped a sexual assault attempt.
Everyone's eyes swarmed onto them.
To pour fuel on the fire, Haruki pointed her finger straight at the bullies and raised her voice to a yell.
"Th-Those boys, they suddenly started callin' me a b*tch and sayin' they were gonna mess around with me... ...ugh... ...ugh...!"
The crowd around them, who had been watchin' from a distance to avoid gettin' dragged into the mess, started buzzin', realizin' this was way beyond normal.
"Hey, look at that girl..."
"That's terrible... ...Did they gang up on her...?"
"Now that you mention it, I think I heard them sayin' sh*t like 'Easy', 'B*tch', and 'Let's play' earlier..."
"There's a freakin' line to what you do as a human bein'..."
"I-I'm gonna go find a security guard and bring them here!"
It was a stunnin'ly convincin' performance.
No matter how you looked at it, Haruki had created a scene where she was bein' attacked by them and cryin' out to Hayato and the boys for help.
As for Haruki herself, despite buryin' her face in Hayato's chest, she had a mischievous, malicious smirk on her face, sticking out the tip of her pink tongue as if to say "Gotcha."
"No, wait, that's not it!"
"That chick's just makin' sh*t up!"
They desperately tried to make excuses to the crowd, but it only made everyone look at them even more like straight-up criminals.
A little ways off, Saki stood frozen while Himeko clung to her.
That only added to the realism of Haruki's act, making the bullies look even more sinister.
Apparently, even they weren't dumb enough to not realize how f*cked the situation was. Their faces turned pale in a flash.
Before long, the moment a voice soundin' like a security guard yelled "'What's goin' on here?!'", they scattered toward the woods like roaches.
"G-Gettin' cocky, are ya?!"
"D*mmit, just you wait!"
Watchin' their retreatin' backs, Haruki, who had gone back to a straight face, muttered under her breath.
"I can't believe there are actual people who say such cliché partin' villain lines..."
"""...Pfft."""
And then Hayato and the others looked at each other and straight-up burst out laughin'.
Author's Notes:
Meow~!
Next up: The end of Part 5!