Driving License Training Camp
Gokado Hanako had parted ways with Taira Ryuta and the others during lunch and had been a little upset with Kagawa Umi. She was annoyed that Umi had made drinking plans without consulting her first, forcing her to go along with it so as not to ruin the mood.
“Umi-chan! You should have asked me before setting up a drinking date~!”
“Hehe, sorry, Hanako-chan. But I really like that Kazuhiro guy, you know? Can you help me out a bit?”
Even when Hanako complained, Umi kept begging for help to meet the guy. As her friend, it felt awkward to stay angry, so Hanako reluctantly agreed and called her boyfriend, Honjo Tokiatsu. For someone who prided herself on being proper and refined like Gokado Hanako, drinking with another man without telling her boyfriend was simply unthinkable.
“Hanako? What’s up?”
“Mmm, I just finished lunch and wanted to hear your voice, so I called. Have you eaten yet, Tokiatsu?”
“Yeah! Just something light. How was your morning class? I saw the photo you sent earlier—your eyes looked really red. Did something happen?”
They had been dating for a long time, so Honjo Tokiatsu noticed even the smallest changes in Gokado Hanako. She thought she had hidden it perfectly, yet he picked up on it anyway. Her heart swelled with warmth at how attentive he was. That only made her feel a little more guilty about going out drinking.
“No, nothing happened. Something just got in my eye, that’s all.”
She didn’t want to worry him by mentioning the sexual harassment. Thinking back on that moment brought up the image of the reliable Taira Ryuta, but Gokado Hanako shook her head hard, forcing his face from her mind.
“Ah, that’s a relief! I was worried for nothing.”
“By the way, Umi says she likes a guy, so we’re grabbing a casual drink tonight. Is that okay with you?”
“…Is there another guy going too?”
Honjo Tokiatsu’s voice suddenly dropped. This was the one flaw Gokado Hanako saw in him. He didn’t trust her enough—or rather, he hated the idea of her going anywhere with other men.
“There is, but I already told them I have a boyfriend. Nothing you need to worry about, Toki-chan.”
“Sigh… Okay. I trust you, Hanako.”
Only when she used his childhood nickname, Toki-chan, did his mood finally lighten. Hanako felt stifled having to explain herself like this every single time. If they got married, would he really expect her to just be a housewife?
Marrying Tokiatsu, whom she had liked since kindergarten, was one of Gokado Hanako’s dreams. But she didn’t want to waste a brain sharp enough to get into Edo University. She dreamed of becoming a confident career woman, or perhaps a lawyer or prosecutor to match her academic path. Being a housewife was definitely not part of that dream.
“Thanks! I’ve got afternoon classes now, so I’ll hang up~”
“Okay! Study hard. You got this!”
After ending the call, Gokado Hanako headed to the practice area. During one of the breaks, she accidentally witnessed an obscene scene involving Taira Ryuta. The sight was so explicit that afterward she found it a little difficult to look him in the face.
I can’t drink with Ryuta-kun while feeling like this. Sorry, Umi, but maybe I should just let her go alone?
Toki-chan would be thrilled if she said she wasn’t going, right? Thinking about how happy it would make her boyfriend, Gokado Hanako called Honjo Tokiatsu again. But the person who answered wasn’t him—it was a woman.
“Oh my~! Hanako-chan! What’s going on?”
The voice belonged to Yamanaka Mikuni, another childhood friend of Honjo Tokiatsu’s. In high school the two girls had been rivals fighting over him. In the end, Gokado Hanako had won his heart, but Yamanaka Mikuni still hovered around him, constantly looking for any chance to steal him away.
“Why are you answering Toki-chan’s phone?”
“Toki-chan’s in the bathroom. We’re having dinner together tonight. I got some fancy restaurant vouchers, you see~♪”
Gokado Hanako fought down the rage boiling inside her. He had complained when she wanted to drink with another man, yet here he was having dinner with Mikuni—who still clearly had feelings for him—without a word? Before her reason completely snapped from anger, Hanako forced out a goodbye.
“I see. Enjoy your meal, you two. I’m hanging up now.”
Gokado Hanako’s expression was complicated. It was a messy swirl of betrayal toward her boyfriend, fury, and wariness toward her childhood friend and romantic rival.
###
“By the way, you two said you’re friends, so why does Kazuhiro-chan call Taira-san ‘hyung’?”
It was Kagawa Umi’s question. It must have sounded strange after hearing their story. When asked, Kazuhiro launched into the tale. It was perfect material for raising favorability. He talked about how he had been bullied, which awakened her maternal instincts, then how he had grown bigger and stronger and turned into a delinquent bad boy, only to be straightened out by Ryuta and become an upright young man. From Jin Yong-tae’s memories, he had used this story on girls at least three times already.
This bastard isn’t calling me hyung on purpose just so he can tell this story, is he?
“…And that’s why I call him hyung. If hyung hadn’t set me straight, I probably would’ve become a half-gangster and kept doing bad things.”
There it was—the misty, teary-eyed look. In Ryuta’s opinion, the guy would make more money acting in America than playing soccer.
“Oh my, what a wonderful story.”
Kagawa Umi gazed at Kazuhiro with moved eyes, while Gokado Hanako looked at Ryuta—the one who had reformed Kazuhiro—with an expression that said, What a good guy.
After the Kazuhiro reformation story, the alcohol kept flowing and the atmosphere gradually turned sticky and heated. Before long, the two of them were openly sharing a deep, passionate kiss right in front of Ryuta and Hanako. Even while kissing, Kazuhiro shot Ryuta a look that clearly said, Leave us alone. He was obviously planning to go all the way in this very room.
Ryuta grabbed the shoulder of Gokado Hanako, who was swaying drunkenly in her seat, and helped her up.
“I’ll walk you back to your room. Kazuhiro will take Kagawa-san.”
“Liar.”
Of course it was a lie. Kazuhiro’s eyes were already glazed over, and his hand was planted firmly on Kagawa Umi’s breast.
“Let’s head out first.”
In truth, he had already relieved himself three times during practice earlier, and since Hanako had a boyfriend, he wasn’t particularly eager to sleep with her right now. He wouldn’t say no if offered, of course.
His main focus was simply helping his friend Kazuhiro seal the deal. As Hanako staggered along, she suddenly told him to wait, straightened up with some effort, and started making a call. Probably to her boyfriend.
“Hellooo?”
Her tongue was completely twisted. On top of that, she must have accidentally hit the speakerphone button while drunk, because her boyfriend’s voice came through loud and clear.
“Yeah, Hanako-chan. Still drinking?”
“I’m about to head back. Did you have a nice dinner with Mikuni-chan?”
So her boyfriend really was out with another woman. Even with her slurred speech, the slight anger she was trying to suppress was obvious.
“We just got to a bar with Mikuni-chan. She treated me to such an expensive restaurant that I felt bad, so I offered to repay her. She said she wanted me to buy her drinks instead. So here we are at a place nearby.”
Hmm… There was a slight slur in her boyfriend’s voice too. It was clear that this Mikuni woman was trying to get Hanako’s boyfriend drunk and have her way with him.
“Okay. Don’t drink too much~ I’m going to sleep at the dorm.”
“Got i—”
Gokado Hanako hung up before he could even finish. Then she turned her hazy, drunken eyes toward Ryuta. There was something subtly seductive in that gaze, and before he knew it, his cock was already reacting.
“Since Toki-chan betrayed me, I’m going to do the same thing to him.”
It didn’t sound like her boyfriend had actually betrayed her yet, but from the phone call it was obvious he had no idea about Mikuni’s ulterior motives. She was probably planning to get “Toki-chan” blackout drunk, sleep with him, and have him wake up naked beside her the next morning.
I don’t know what you look like, but thank you, Mikuni-san.
Gokado Hanako took Ryuta’s hand and staggered toward her dorm room on unsteady legs. As expected of the girls’ floor, the room was a bit more cute and cozy. And sure enough, the single room was noticeably smaller than the doubles.
“Sit here.”
While Ryuta was looking around the room, Gokado Hanako sat on the edge of the bed and patted the spot beside her. Since going back now would mean walking in on Kazuhiro and Umi going at it, he obediently sat down next to her.
“Make me feel good, just like you did to that female instructor who was in charge of you.”
She had seen that? No wonder her expression had been weird when they met after practice. Hmm. Giving it to her right away would make him look desperate. He should tease her a little first.
“Even if that Mikuni woman and your boyfriend end up doing it tonight, you’ll regret it if you sleep with me just to get revenge.”
Gokado Hanako stared into his steady gaze for a moment, then suddenly leaned in and kissed him. Her kiss tasted of alcohol and the cherry flavor from the snacks they had eaten earlier.
Let me say it again—great assist, Mikuni-san!