3. What a Pain-in-the-Ass Girl
With my expression set in stone, I walked out through the back door and started down the hallway. The students around me glanced my way, then slowly edged off. Yeah, this was normal. Ever since I started high school, the boys had found it hard to even meet my eyes when I so much as frowned.
But that bastard...
No matter how I thought about it, he still pissed me off.
Thud. Thud.
I could hear his leisurely footsteps trailing behind me. I kept walking until I reached a far corner of the academy's main building, where neither students nor teachers would see us, then stopped.
There was a staircase leading up to the roof here, so students rarely came by. It was usually quiet.
I spun around, folded my arms, shifted my weight onto one leg, and glared at him.
"That should be far enough."
"What should?"
Far from looking flustered, he flashed a grin like he was having the time of his life and gazed down at me. I hated having to look up at him because of our height difference. My neck's gonna hurt. Why's this punk so damn tall?
"Calling me out alone on the first day for a little private rendezvous. You've got a bold side, huh? You didn't even look at me in class earlier. Maybe you were just too shy?"
"Quit talking shit. Fuck."
"Wow. You've got a pretty tough mouth. You sure you're a girl, Nishino?"
...Huh. Why did that piss me off? It was true that I was a man on the inside.
I gritted my teeth slightly and said,
"You. What was your angle, hitting on Michiru and Reika earlier?"
"Hitting on them? That's harsh. I just wanted to get along with my classmates as the new transfer student."
"Yeah, right."
Get along, my ass. He'd even flirted with Michiru.
"Cut the crap, Kurosawa. Since your little act didn't work on me, you figured you'd mess with my friends to get a rise out of me."
"Hm?"
One of his eyebrows rose slightly at my blunt accusation. I didn't back down. I pointed a finger at him.
"You slimy bastard. Is that the kind of shit you pulled at your old academy, too? Is that why you transferred?"
I saw his expression stiffen and the corner of his eye twitch. He looked like I'd hit the mark. This bastard was definitely riled. I laughed to myself. How long did he think he could keep acting so smug in front of me? What a punk. He stood there, his expression still hardened.
Now for the finishing blow. As an adult, I couldn't resist lecturing a delinquent. I lifted my chin and said,
"Anyway, your tricks won't work on me. So don't come near—"
"Ha. You're even crazier than I thought."
"What?"
"Usually, people just stop at something like, 'Don't hit on my friends~' But you're going on about how it's some ploy to get a rise out of you. Honestly, that's kind of hilarious."
He slowly closed the distance between us.
The physical pressure of his big frame hit me all at once. W-what the hell? This guy. Startled, I unconsciously took a small step backward. The cold wall was just a short distance behind me, and his massive shadow blocked my view.
"Don't you think you're a little full of yourself?"
"..."
Full of myself? Take a look at your own face and the way you act. With your delinquent getup, and the status screen warning me about you, of course I was right to be wary. Sure, if that was all there was to it, you could say I was overreacting, but...
If it had only been his looks and behavior, maybe I would've just brushed him off. But the status screen clearly said he'd make me fall, and now look at him, hitting on Michiru and Reika already.
If that doesn't make him a punk who casually goes after a bunch of girls, then what does? This absolutely wasn't me being full of myself.
"Or are you actually jealous?"
"What the hell are you—"
Swoosh.
He stretched out a long finger and poked me just above the solar plexus. I stumbled back in surprise, bumping against the wall. Then he planted his palm against it, trapping me completely and pressing in close. It was the classic wall-pinning pose.
You son of a bitch. I never thought I'd be on the receiving end of this shit!
'You crazy bastard...!'
The pleasant expression on his face—the one that had looked so nicely riled up a moment ago—was gone. In its place was a deep amusement, along with the smug ease of someone who was completely playing me.
Crack.
Fine. If you're asking to die, then... I reached out at once and grabbed his wrist, ready to throw him to the floor. I'd used that throw on a disgusting old creep who'd clung to me while hitting on me on the street. I'd been going easy on him because he was just a kid, but he'd crossed the line.
From now on, every time you see me, I'll make you piss yourself—
[ Warning: Close-Contact Event with Kurosawa Ren! ]
[ Current Fall Progress: 1% (+1%) ]
'...What the hell is this now? Fall Progress? Did it just go up?'
The status screen appeared before my eyes again. A close-contact event? I'd only called this guy aside to beat the shit out of him. Was I falling for him just because we'd gotten close and touched? That made no sense.
I wasn't falling for him—I was boiling with rage. I was even on the verge of slamming this bastard into the floor.
[ Warning: Kurosawa Ren's 'desire to conquer' has been stimulated. ]
Desire to conquer, my ass. Fuck!
A chill ran down my spine. I shoved him hard in the chest. I still didn't know why my Fall Progress had gone up, but my instincts were warning me not to let this bastard touch me again. This was seriously dangerous.
"Don't get the wrong idea."
I pointed at him, breathing hard.
"I hate your type more than anything in the world. You delinquent piece of shit who treats people like they're nothing. Kurosawa. Stay out of my sight. Don't talk to me just because we sit next to each other. And if I catch you trying anything with Michiru and Reika, I'll kill you."
"We'll see."
He brushed at his chest with one hand and said,
"I think we'll be seeing each other again soon."
"What?"
With an expression that showed he hadn't been fazed at all, he muttered something cryptic and brushed past me. What was that supposed to mean? I really was going to ignore him from now on. I'd warn Michiru and Reika, too. Sorry, but I wasn't going to let him push me around like earlier again.
Just then, before he'd quite passed me, he stopped briefly, leaned his face toward my ear, and murmured in a low voice,
"This is going to be fun. I look forward to working with you, Nishino Yuka."
Thud, thud.
Ugh, fuck. Creepy as hell. I watched his back as he headed down the hallway toward the classroom, his steps as leisurely as ever, and ground my teeth.
What a fucking asshole.
**
As soon as he rounded the corner, Ren slipped both hands into his pockets and slowly rotated his right wrist. The force with which Yuka had grabbed it earlier still left it aching.
"...This is ridiculous."
Ren let out a hollow laugh.
First day as a transfer student. Give the class a half-assed greeting, find a cute girl and mess with her for a while, then ditch her once he got bored. It was the same dull, everyday routine he'd always followed.
In that regard, his seatmate, Nishino Yuka, was a fine toy. She was pretty, even without looking like she'd put on much makeup, and she was tall for a girl, with a nicely proportioned figure. Judging from her personality, she didn't seem like she'd cling to him and become a nuisance like the other girls. Maybe he could play with her for quite a while.
He'd approached Hondo Michiru and Tachibana Reika during the break for roughly the same reason. His seatmate seemed extremely wary, so why not have a little fun with her friends instead? Well, getting Yuka's attention in the process was an unexpected bonus.
Michiru was the classic airhead type. A few remarks about makeup and nail art had her grinning like an idiot in no time, and even Reika, who seemed so taciturn, perked up when he brought up fashion trends. And despite how wary both girls had been at first, neither had turned down his offer to buy them dessert.
With a few topics that girls had in common, it was only a matter of time before they let their guard down. Bring up something they liked, and anyone would get excited and start chatting away. Once that happened, their judgment tended to get a little fuzzy.
And a decent face like his was a bonus. Once he'd lowered their guard, handling girls his age was easy.
But Nishino Yuka was a complete exception from the start.
'You slimy bastard. Is that the kind of shit you pulled at your old academy, too? Is that why you transferred?'
Ren's eyes turned cold for a moment.
His expression hadn't stiffened because she'd hit the mark. Yuka's words had reminded him of the unpleasant people at his previous academy: the ones who'd been clingy, inside and out, trying to use him, and the ones who'd spread rumors in an effort to drag him down.
He had, in fact, gotten a little heated at her sarcastic attitude, as if she knew everything when she knew nothing. She'd even said the same thing as that damn 'woman' who'd sent him here. But what had truly caught Ren off guard was what Yuka did next.
Usually, if a man used his height and build to crowd a woman and pin her against a wall, she'd hesitate or get flustered. But this bitch didn't so much as flinch. Her eyes widened, and she immediately grabbed his wrist.
The way she lowered her center of gravity slightly and moved inward, trying to throw him off balance, along with the movement of her whole body—it wasn't the work of a total amateur. And her grip was strong for a girl, too...
'Is she on the judo team?'
Ren clicked his tongue to himself. Her form was far too good to be the result of learning a few self-defense moves. She'd genuinely meant to throw him down and slam him into the floor. Well, of course, he wasn't about to be taken down that easily. If she'd really tried to throw him, he would've immediately turned the tables and put her in her place.
Ren brushed at the chest where Yuka had touched him. On the outside, she was a pretty schoolgirl with a ponytail, but her behavior, personality, and way of speaking were rough enough to make her seem like a tomboy. Was she even a girl?
She'd definitely been involved in sports for a while. He'd heard that the only sports club at this backwater academy was judo, so he was bound to run into her if he joined. He'd only planned to play with her for a while and then toss her aside, but now he was more interested than he'd expected.
"Interesting."
Grin.
Ren's lips curled up. While going through the transfer process, he'd already arranged to join the judo club as part of his athletic specialization and extracurricular activities.
After making such a fuss as if they'd never see each other again, how would she look when they met again at the club? Since his after-school plans had fallen through anyway... He'd been thinking of showing up at the judo club tomorrow, but maybe he'd go today instead.
The thought of seeing that catlike glare again made his pent-up desire to dominate surge fiercely. Let's see if she can keep making that face when she's sprawled on the dojo floor, pinned beneath him.
Oh, right. Ren smacked his lips slightly, fixed his twisted expression, and headed toward the classroom's back door. For the first time in ages, academy life—usually nothing but boring—seemed like it was about to get pretty fun.