Chapter 122: Provocation #2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 122: Provocation #2
“You head on in.”
“Okay. I have to stop somewhere tomorrow, so I’ll go by myself.”
“Oh yeah? Alright.”
“Thanks for the ride.”
Tetsuya got out of the car after thanking me in a monotone voice.
Thump! The back door slammed shut with considerable force.
He does that sometimes, but it was quite the coincidence for him to pull that stunt today of all days.
How can someone be so pathetic?
It solidifies my belief that he’s the kind of guy who would’ve just been left behind if I hadn’t set up these events for him.
A wave of irritation washed over me. I opened the window, about to lash out at him, but then I saw Miyuki’s face and let out a sigh, pretending to calm myself down.
At my reaction, Miyuki glanced between the back door and Tetsuya walking toward his house before speaking cautiously.
“Matsuda-kun… don’t be too angry. I’ll say something to Tetsuya-kun.”
“I’m not angry.”
“Liar… You’re mad because he slammed the door. It’s not even his car. I’d be pissed too if someone did that.”
“No, it’s fine. It’s not like it’s going to break. I should just let it go.”
Adopting a magnanimous attitude about these things is important.
It makes my own stock rise even higher, and it ensures the karma Tetsuya is building up will hit him that much harder.
“…You’re really nice, you know?”
“I beat him up a few times in my head.”
As I started the car with a joke, Miyuki giggled and placed her hand over mine, which was resting on the manual gear stick.
Then she began to gently scratch the back of my hand.
“Did something happen between you two?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well… the atmosphere in the car felt a little strange… A bit tense, maybe? That’s the feeling I got.”
“Really? Nothing happened.”
“That’s a relief, then… But Matsuda-kun… you’ve really grown up…”
“Are you trying to say something cheesy?”
“I’m only saying it because I like it…”
“You like it?”
“Yeah. A lot.”
“Then what should I do?”
“What?”
“I’m asking what I should do if you like it.”
“I wonder?”
It was absurd how she was playing dumb when she knew exactly what I meant.
What a sly fox…
Shaking my head, I pulled up in front of Miyuki’s house and stopped the car.
Miyuki grinned, unbuckled her seatbelt, leaned her upper body toward me, and pressed her lips against mine.
Her tongue peeked out from between those moist, plump, and soft lips.
As I felt it gently trace the inside of my own lips, I wrapped my arm around her slender waist and pulled her closer.
Feeling Miyuki’s hot breath tickle the space above my lip, we shared a brief but intense kiss.
Just as the air in the car was starting to heat up, I patted her on the butt.
Miyuki pulled her face away, her eyes looking dazed.
With an expression that showed she didn’t know what to do with herself out of embarrassment, she gave me one last kiss before grabbing her bag and opening the door.
“I’m going…”
“Alright. But aren’t you going to give me my prize?”
“Prize…?”
“For getting 14th on the midterms.”
“…I already praised you for doing well… and I sent you pictures while you were at the training camp…”
“How is that a prize? Should I just take it myself?”
“Wh-what are you going to take? How…?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
“……”
Miyuki’s eyes darted around before she obediently got out of the car.
She looked cute, not pestering me to tell her, seeming both anxious about what prank I might pull next and a little bit expectant.
“…Get home safe.”
“Okay.”
After dropping Miyuki off, I was on my way home.
I was carefully obeying the traffic signals, about to make a left turn into the alley that led to my neighborhood when—
Thud.
A heavy sound came from behind, and at the same time, my upper body lurched forward slightly. My breath caught in my throat.
“Ha…”
It was a minor collision.
Of all the days for this to happen… on the same day Tetsuya acted up…
It was suffocatingly frustrating.
God, what are you doing, bringing me an event like this? There isn’t even a heroine around right now.
Besides, a little tap would have been perfect, not a loud thud.
My faith is starting to waver. Are you married, by any chance?
No, wait. I should think positively.
God must have intervened to lessen what would have otherwise been an accident that half-destroyed my car.
Still, this was the first car I’d bought since coming here, and I’d grown attached to it… The ache in my heart wouldn’t go away.
I blew a raspberry to shake off my troubled thoughts and got out of the car.
“I-I’m so sorry… I’m truly sorry… Are you hurt anywhere…?”
The woman began apologizing profusely the moment she saw me.
Her face had the rich allure unique to attractive middle-aged women.
The wedding ring on her left ring finger was also noticeable. Why did it remind me of the drawn-out stories you see in NTR porn?
“I’m fine.”
I raised one hand with a neutral expression and checked my rear bumper.
It wasn’t severe, but it was definitely dented.
It was a popular car model, so parts should be easy to find. If I took it to a repair shop right away, they could probably fix it within a day.
I scratched the side of my head with my finger as I assessed the damage.
“This isn’t too bad. But why did you… did you not see the signal?”
“I was distracted. It’s my fault. I’m so sorry…”
Hmm… an honest person, a rare sight in these cynical times.
She’s pretty, too… so I’ll let it slide.
“I can’t just let it go completely. If you give me 20,000 yen, I’ll take care of it myself.”
“What…? It looks like it needs to be replaced… Isn’t that much more expensive than 20,000 yen?”
“I can just fit a used part on it.”
“Th-thank you so much…! Just a moment…”
The woman, who had been making a fuss while taking money out of her wallet, suddenly paused.
Her gaze was fixed on the uniform dress shirt I was wearing.
To be precise, on the name tag.
“Um… are you by any chance a student at Yebonie Academy? Your uniform…”
This was an unexpected reaction…
I had a feeling this was about to turn into some heartwarming story that would spread around.
Is she the principal’s daughter?
“Yes. Why?”
“Oh, it’s nothing… Thank you so much… Here…”
The woman handed me the money with both hands and bowed her head deeply.
Taking it, I said, “Well then, take care. And drive safely.”
“Ah, yes…! Thank you…!”
* * *
“Why did you suddenly ask to meet at the station? Are you… planning on getting that ‘prize’?”
The next morning, Miyuki asked me this as we met in front of the station.
I found it funny how she was lost in her own delusions and chuckled, shaking my head.
“It’s not that. My car’s in the shop. They said it’ll take a day to fix.”
“The shop? Did it break down?”
“No. Because of a fender bender.”
“Whaaat…?”
Miyuki’s eyes went wide.
She stood there stunned for a moment, then, seeing my serious expression, she bit her lip.
Then she smacked me on the chest.
“You should have told me sooner if something like that happened…! Why are you only telling me now?”
“It wasn’t a big accident…”
“How can you be so nonchalant…? Matsuda-kun, you’re strange sometimes… like an idiot.”
“An idiot couldn’t have gotten 14th place.”
“That damn 14th place… I wonder if you’re going to milk it until the final exams… Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I told you, it was a fender bender. A minor one.”
“So you handled it through insurance?”
“No. She readily admitted it was her fault and apologized, so I just took a little money and let her go.”
“Oh, really…? What’s gotten into you lately…? Did you eat something weird?”
I do a good deed, and instead of praising me, she asks if I ate something weird…
I’m going to punish her this weekend.
“Let’s just go. We’ll be late.”
“Okay… You’re really not hurt, right?”
“I said I’m fine.”
Waving my hand to dismiss the topic, I put my arm around Miyuki’s shoulder.
She flinched in surprise and quickly slipped out from under my arm.
“What are you doing…!”
“Is it something to be that shocked about? Can’t we even put our arms around each other’s shoulders?”
“N-no… that’s not the problem…”
“Then what is?”
“……”
Miyuki glanced around before lowering her voice.
“It’s touching…!”
“What’s touching?”
“Your arm is too long, Matsuda-kun… so your hand touches my chest…”
So she wasn’t embarrassed by the gesture itself, but because of that.
I guess my hand resting on her large chest would draw some attention.
“N-no arm around the shoulder. Just hold my hand…”
At Miyuki’s continued words, I grinned and asked, “Is it okay to hold hands? We’ll get demerit points, won’t we?”
“You only get those for delinquent behavior…! And if you’re going to be like that, putting your arm around my shoulder is also grounds for demerits… Just give me your hand.”
With that, Miyuki snatched my hand as if taking something from me and laced her fingers with mine.
Her face flushed, she glanced back and forth between our joined hands and me, then took the lead and started walking down the station stairs.
There were quite a few Yebonie Academy students here… Is she okay with this level of skinship out in the open now?
The cliché of a sweet couple heading to school together… not bad.
It’s a crying shame Tetsuya isn’t here to see this.
* * *
The train was packed with people commuting to work and school.
I cornered Miyuki and shielded her with my body. Then, I playfully picked something white off her bangs.
“You have dandruff.”
Miyuki, who was pressed up against me while still holding my hand, lightly punched my stomach with her free hand.
“What do you mean, dandruff…? Stop with the childish pranks… Is it fun?”
“Yeah.”
“I should just stop reacting…”
Her voice trailed off as she fidgeted with our hands.
She tugged on my pinky finger, then lifted our clasped hands and pressed her lips firmly against the back of mine, showing her innocent affection.
It was far sweeter than doing anything lewd, so I smiled softly and quietly accepted her aegyo.
When we arrived at the station near the academy, I got off the train with Miyuki.
Afterward, I excused myself and went to the restroom.
When I came out after finishing my business, I saw Miyuki talking with a familiar-looking guy at the bottom of the station stairs.
It was Tetsuya, the one who said he had to stop somewhere and would go by himself today.
“Hey, is that the notebook I like?”
“Yeah. The one we bought together last time. I happened to run out too, so I stopped by the stationery store and bought one. Yours too, of course.”
“Oh, really? I’ll pay you back when we get to the classroom.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll get it this time, you can get it next time. But what are you doing on the train? Where’s Matsuda?”
Listening to their conversation, I got the gist of it.
He didn’t like that Miyuki was using the notebook and pens I bought for her, so he was trying to replace them.
When it comes to being insidious, he’s even better than me.
Seeing him pull such a useless stunt made me frown.
It seems he ran into Miyuki by chance… and a thought flashed through my mind.
Could it be that God caused yesterday’s accident as a sign for me to act on what I’m thinking right now?
That’s probably it.
Right. As the protagonist of DokiAka, tasked with the mission of stealing the heroines from the pathetic Tetsuya, an event like this is a must.
I strode toward Miyuki, who was talking with him, slung my arm around her shoulder, and greeted him nonchalantly.
“Miura? When did you get here?”
“Huh…?”
Tetsuya’s jaw dropped as he saw the muscular arm wrapped around his childhood friend’s shoulder, the large hand resting lightly on her upper chest.
He couldn’t hide his bewilderment. It seemed the provocation had landed perfectly.
“Matsuda-kun…! I told you not to do this…!”
“Sorry, sorry.”
I moved away from Miyuki and headed down the station stairs, avoiding her.
Miyuki, who had been fuming, told Tetsuya to hurry up and started chasing after me.
The heroine, about to scold the protagonist for his mischievous prank.
It’s an essential cliché in a love comedy with a playful male lead.
The only difference in this situation…
…is that there’s an extra hanging around, giving it a slight NTL vibe.