Chapter 368: Confrontation #3
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 368: Confrontation #3
“Why’s that?”
Miyuki blocked Hiyori from getting into the passenger seat, pointing to the back.
That was Hiyori’s question upon seeing Miyuki’s urgent expression.
“What do you mean, ‘why’s that’? It’s because I’m worried you’ll do something weird again.”
“Something weird?”
“Are you really asking because you don’t know? Who goes around sniffing other people’s boyfriends’ clothes?”
“Oh… is that considered weird?”
“Of course it is! Do you do that to other people?”
“Yes.”
“.....”
At Hiyori’s confident reply, Miyuki was left speechless.
It was an obvious lie, but my dear Miyuki’s weakness is that she’s too quick to believe even people she finds difficult.
No, it would be more accurate to say Hiyori’s acting was just that good.
“Ugh, whatever. Just get in.”
“But the back seat is uncomfortable...”
“It’s spacious, what’s so uncomfortable about it?! And don’t you know the person getting off first sits in the back?”
“Nope.”
“Well, you know now, so hurry up and get in...!”
Shoulders slumped as if all her energy had drained away, Hiyori opened the back door and slipped inside.
Then she took out a lollipop I’d bought to eat when I was bored and had left in the living room, and stuck it in her mouth.
Seeing this, Miyuki’s brow twitched.
It looked like she was about to scold her for taking the candy without permission.
I gently pulled her arm and said quietly.
“I told her she could have it.”
“...You did?”
“Yeah. Let’s drop her off and go get some ramen.”
“But it’s not raining.”
“Do we have to go only when it rains? We can just go and eat. The weather’s chilly, isn’t it perfect for it?”
“I guess, but… I only want to go there when it’s raining.”
“Then let’s stop by downtown on the way and get some pasta or something. Sound good?”
“Yeah.”
Miyuki nodded, her expression somewhere between pouting and not.
I reached down and patted her on the bottom, then headed for Hiyori’s house with the two of them.
The atmosphere in the car on the way there was incredibly solemn.
Except, that is, for the sound of Hiyori seeming to deliberately suck hard on her lollipop that broke the silence every now and then.
“Matsuken-senpai.”
It was Hiyori who finally broke the silence, apparently tired of the quiet ride.
I looked at her through the rearview mirror and answered.
“Yeah.”
“There’s a cafe before we get to my neighborhood, right? Please pull over there.”
“To get coffee?”
“Yep.”
“Just go home. If you drink coffee this late, you won’t be able to sleep.”
“I’m immune to caffeine, though?”
“No one who says that is actually immune.”
“Okay.”
If she was going to agree so meekly, why did she ask me to stop?
Was it just to show Miyuki how friendly we were and get under her skin?
It’s a thought I’ve had before, but I’d love to peek inside Hiyori’s head and see what’s in there.
When I arrived at Hiyori’s house and stopped the car, she got out of the back seat and tapped on the driver’s side window.
After I rolled down the window, she spoke with a bright face.
“Let’s work out again sometime.”
“Sure.”
“I’ll be in touch. Bye-bye!”
She said her goodbyes, turned, and went inside through the front door.
Miyuki stared intently at her.
Even though only the back of her head was visible, there was a menacing aura so strong that anyone could tell she was glaring.
She must have been bothered by the “I’ll be in touch” part.
“Should we look up a good place to eat, or just go into the first one we see?”
Miyuki only turned her head when she heard my voice, and instead of answering my question, she shared her impression of Hiyori.
“She’s weird.”
If Hiyori had been anyone else, she would have said something like ‘she’s so friendly,’ or ‘she’s so bright…’
For Miyuki, who rarely says a bad word about anyone, to call Hiyori weird…
It was proof that she was now on Miyuki’s watchlist.
“She’s a really fun kid once you get to know her… You don’t like her?”
At my cautious question, Miyuki sank back into her seat.
“I’m not sure yet.”
It was a surprisingly mild answer.
So much so that I never would have expected her to say something like that.
Is she confused about whether Hiyori is hitting on me or not?
No, Miyuki isn’t the type to miss something like that… There must be another reason.
Maybe she’s reacting this way because she knows I found Tetsuya really difficult at first but put up with him because of her.
Miyuki is very considerate, so it was entirely possible she was thinking that way.
“Still, it’s a little annoying.”
Just as I was thinking that, I heard Miyuki’s comment.
That wasn’t just about Hiyori; it was a statement and a warning to me as well.
A warning not to get too close to her.
It hits a little too close to home, but as I resolved a while ago, I need to be selfish to build my harem.
Still, it’s true that in this process, Miyuki is suffering more heartache than the other heroines.
So I have to appease her as best I can.
“Come to think of it, she reminds me a bit of you when I first met you, Matsuda-kun.”
“How so?”
“The atmosphere around her, her personality, things like that.”
“You felt that way?”
“Yeah. Is that why you have a good impression of Asahina, Matsuda-kun?”
“I am a bit worried she’ll go astray like I did… Ah!”
A sharp pain in my side.
Wondering what it was, I stopped talking and looked down to see Miyuki pinching my waist.
I get the strong feeling she has a lot to say but is settling for just a pinch today.
I pulled her hand away and placed it on her lap, then looked around and asked.
“There’s no pasta place nearby, but there’s a steakhouse. Want to go there?”
“No, I want pasta.”
Miyuki, indirectly expressing that she was angry.
I nodded obediently, turned on the hazard lights, pulled over to the shoulder, and picked up my phone.
“Okay, I’ll look one up.”
“Let’s look together. And I’m staying over tonight.”
“Wasn’t that the plan all along?”
“Originally, I was just coming to get a book I left here.”
How could I not find her adorable, telling me so clearly—without saying it outright—that she was jealous?
I placed a hand on Miyuki’s thigh as she searched for a restaurant on her phone and said.
“But I told you to call if you were coming over.”
“I walked over for some exercise after dinner.”
She walked all that way?
Honestly, it’s not that far, but still, that’s impressive.
So that’s why Miyuki was struggling during the workout.
I’ll have to give her a proper massage tonight.
“Next time, make sure you call. I don’t know how many times I have to say this.”
“Okay.”
“You’re good at saying that. Even though you won’t do it.”
“I will from now on.”
“Didn’t you say the exact same thing last time?”
“Did I?”
“You did. But you already had dinner, and you’re going to eat again?”
“I’m hungry after working out.”
I slipped my hand under Miyuki’s T-shirt and placed it on her stomach.
She didn’t stop me, just gave me a quick glance before tapping on her phone again.
She kept a straight face, but it was cute how she’d flinch and tremble every time I gently tickled her stomach with my fingertips, trying hard not to laugh.
“Aren’t you going to look for a restaurant?”
Miyuki chided, the corners of her mouth threatening to curl up.
Confirming that the affection in her voice hadn’t changed, I felt a sense of relief and silently continued to toy with her soft skin.
* * *
The next day.
The moment we got out of the car in the parking lot, Miyuki not only intertwined her fingers with mine but also stuck close to my side as we walked toward the building.
Her mindset has opened up quite a bit since she started dating me.
Meaning, this kind of skinship had become quite common.
However, that was limited to inside the classroom where everyone knew we were dating, or in situations where there weren’t many people around.
In a situation like this, during the morning commute to school with so many students around, she usually avoided skinship because of her position on the student council.
But seeing her so proactively approach me, as if to announce our relationship to the entire academy, yesterday’s events must have really stayed on her mind.
Receiving subtle glances from other students, I chatted with Miyuki until we reached the classroom. I left her there as she warmly greeted the vice class president and stepped back outside.
Afterward, I was heading to the school store to buy some jelly to eat secretly during class when I ran into Hiyori coming out of the building.
“Hey, Matsumatsuken.”
“Yeah. Where are you off to?”
“The school store.”
“Why?”
“To buy snacks.”
It seems we had the same idea.
I think I know exactly why Miyuki said Hiyori and I were similar.
“See you later, then. Bye-bye.”
Hiyori said her goodbyes and zipped off.
I called out to her as she strode away on her long legs.
“Hey.”
Hiyori turned her head halfway and answered.
“What.”
“Come here.”
I pointed down with my finger, and Hiyori sauntered over with an arrogant swagger and stood in front of me.
The dress shirt she was wearing had two buttons undone.
I looked down at it and scowled, displeased.
“Aren’t you going to button that up?”
“It’s hot.”
“What’s so hot? It’s perfectly cool.”
“It’s hoooot.”
Judging by that shameless look in her eyes, she was planning to play dumb.
“Button it.”
“Don’t wanna.”
“And stop with the informal speech.”
“Don’t wanna do that either.”
What’s with her today?
Shifting her weight to one leg, spouting a barrage of informal speech right from the start… This is absurd.
When I made a flicking gesture with my middle finger at Hiyori, she quickly covered her forehead with both hands.
“Ah, no...! Don’t hit me...!”
It was ridiculous how she was trying to get out of the situation by pretending to be all innocent and weak.
I snorted. Hiyori, back to her usual self, started massaging her thigh, and I asked.
“Sore?”
“Yeah. I think I overdid it yesterday. But doesn’t it look super soft?”
She lifted her skirt halfway and pulled at her inner thigh to show me.
I watched her, her actions even bolder than yesterday, and simply accepted it as I replied.
“That’s because you have no muscle.”
“Is Hanazawa-senpai’s like this too?”
“Why are you curious about that?”
“Want to compare?”
She’s sitting there telling me to touch it.
As if her face wouldn’t explode if I actually did.
I glanced around and saw that the school grounds were pretty empty as class time approached.
The perfect environment to teach this tail-wagging Hiyori a lesson.
I snorted and said.
“Just button your shirt.”
“You do it for me.”
“Alright, I will.”
“Huh...?”
I strode up to Hiyori, who looked bewildered as if she hadn’t expected my answer, and reached for the buttons on her shirt, where her cleavage was showing.
My eyes met hers as she instinctively gulped, and I carefully fastened the buttons, making sure not to touch her chest.
“Try to be more modest.”
“Why...?”
“People will see you as easy.”
“No one does that...?”
“They just don’t show it on the outside.”
“What’s it to you, senpai...!”
“I’m worried about you, so don’t act up.”
“...Okay...”
As expected, Hiyori’s face was beet red, like a volcano about to erupt.
Acting all open-minded when her pathetic body can’t even handle this much.
I clicked my tongue, took the completely drained Hiyori by the shoulders, and turned her toward the school store.
“Let’s go. I’ll buy you that Suichu you like.”
“What’s the occasion? Are you buying it for me because you touched my chest?”
“And cut it out with the loose talk. It’s fine in front of me, but don’t do it in front of other people.”
“Why? Why is it okay in front of you, senpai?”
Her earlier shyness completely gone, Hiyori’s eyes sparkled as she pressed for an answer.
I answered by giving her a gentle push on the back, leaving things open-ended, and started walking toward the school store with her as she began to chatter away.