All skill, no sense. Tsk, tsk.
He'd nearly bullied her into a complete shutdown.
"Where's the shooting mode? Where is it..."
Watching Ryuen Shoko search for the shooting mode, Hoya couldn't help rubbing his chin and wondering if things could really go on like this.
"How about... we play co-op instead?"
"Tch... I guess we have to."
Ryuen Shoko looked thoroughly displeased. Watching Hoya start playing again with his clumsy controls, she began to suspect co-op might be a real problem.
As expected, they didn't even make it past the second level in their first game.
"Why'd you rush out just now? Hold your ground, hold your ground."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it."
Scratching his head, Hoya felt like he was starting to figure out how to play.
And so, when they got to their third game...
"Damn it, wait for me!"
"Don't rush. I'll clear a path for you first. Hey, watch your right!"
As he spoke, Hoya controlled his little character and shot the enemies beside Ryuen Shoko, then continued charging forward.
"Hmm..."
Although they scored much higher this time, Ryuen Shoko still felt pretty unsatisfied.
Hmm, she'd been carried. There'd been no sense of actually playing the game.
"Another round?"
"I'm done. It's boring."
"Then want to try something else?"
"Whatever."
Well, she was throwing a little tantrum now.
Hoya sighed. All he could do was keep placating her and let her vent.
A short distance away, several Class D students were watching Hoya.
"Is that the scumbag?"
"Looks like it. What right does he have to be so close to Kushida?"
The ones whispering here were none other than Yamauchi Haruki, Kanji Ike, and Ken Sudō—the Three Idiots.
Of course, the most sensible of the three was Ken Sudō, while the two discussing things here were Ike and Yamauchi. Sudō was simply bad at studying and hot-tempered.
"Not just Ike. I remember he's close with Karuizawa and Ayanokoji too, right? I heard he went to karaoke with a whole bunch of girls on Friday."
"Huh? He's got it that good?"
That was true, though plenty of people overlooked Albert and Shibata Sou. It couldn't be helped: Albert looked exactly like a bodyguard, while Shibata Sou was overlooked because he didn't stand out much.
He wasn't someone who usually faded into the background, but what could he do when everyone around him stood out so much? By comparison, he ended up practically invisible.
Naturally, the one who drew the most attention—and envy—was Hoya.
"Ugh, I'm so jealous. He's friends with Kushida, boo-hoo."
Kanji Ike pretended to sob. He really wanted to get along with Kushida, but he hadn't expected someone from another class to get there first.
If he hadn't asked her several times and heard her say she didn't have a boyfriend, he might have been even more troubled.
"By the way, Sudō, you're still playing basketball over there? Don't you care about his relationship with Ayanokoji?"
"Care... Why would I care about him?"
Sudō Ken scratched his head, having been dragged into the conversation for no reason. In this world, he did have a little bit of a different kind of interest in Ayanokoji.
Chapter 70: You Dare?! (4/10)
On the first day after school, he'd forgotten his phone and couldn't pay, so Ayanokoji had helped him out.
If Ayanokoji had been a boy, that would've been one thing. But she was a girl—and a pretty one who didn't even realize it—so naturally, Sudō Ken had been drawn to her.
But that was all it was. He'd never dared to actually approach her, and could only watch her quietly from afar.
So Yamauchi's words had hit a sore spot. Sudō was shooting hoops, but he missed the basket.
"No, I don't care. The basketball club is recruiting next week, and I'm joining then."
"Quit obsessing over your stupid basketball. Keep it up and Ayanokoji will get snatched away before you know it."
"You guys are overthinking it. If you really want to pursue her, then go ahead and ask her out. What's the point of just talking about it here?"
Sudō pretended to toss the basketball again. This time, it went straight through the hoop.
His words naturally hurt Ike, who touched his chest and felt a pang of distress.
"That was harsh. Boo-hoo."
Kanji Ike, one of the Three Idiots, really wanted a girlfriend, but his personality made him too afraid to ask someone out.
What if he got rejected? Could they still be friends afterward?
They probably could... Kushida was so kind and gentle, after all.
If Hoya had heard what Kanji Ike was thinking, he definitely would've let out a couple of scornful laughs.
Kind? You don't even know what Kushida's really like, and you still want to pursue her?
What a shallow man. Shallow, so shallow.
Hoya prided himself on not being that shallow, but right now he had a headache. He couldn't understand what Ryuen Shoko was thinking at all. It had taken ages to cheer her up.
"All right, all right, let's stop playing. Want to go get some milk tea?"
"Mm."
After finally managing to cheer her up, Hoya breathed a sigh of relief. He and Ryuen Shoko went to a milk tea shop, ordered two drinks, and sat at a table to enjoy them.
'Is that the big sister and her strategist?'
'Looks like it.'
For a moment, Hoya thought he heard someone talking about him and Ryuen.
He looked up and scanned the shop. It didn't take long to spot some Class C students inside.
He just greeted them, then paid them no more attention. They were only classmates, after all. They weren't all that close, so a quick hello was enough.
So why was he so close with students from other classes?
"Well, if it isn't Hoya. What a coincidence, running into you again."
At some point, Sakayanagi Arisu had appeared again. This time, though, she had a different bodyguard with her. It wasn't Kamuro.
"What are you doing at a milk tea shop?"
"Is there a problem with me coming here to get a cup of milk tea?"
"Did you drink so much coffee you couldn't sleep, so you switched to milk tea?"
"..."
Hoya's words left Sakayanagi Arisu with a silent smile plastered on her face. What could she even say?
Just how much did this guy know? Or did he know nothing at all? Why did he keep hinting about what the coffee meant?
"This must be Ryuen from Class C, right? Chukai-kun has told me a lot about you."
Sakayanagi Arisu sat down as if she owned the place, just like she had in the cafeteria yesterday.
"Oh? And you are?"
"Sakayanagi Arisu. Chukai-kun must have told you about me, right?"
"Oh, yeah. He said you're just a tiny runt."
Hoya broke into a cold sweat at Ryuen Shoko's words.
He could clearly see the veins about to pop on Sakayanagi Arisu's forehead.
So she hadn't slept at all last night? No wonder she looked so awful.
"Is that so, Hoya? Did you really say that about me?"
Sakayanagi Arisu's change in address showed just how upset she was. She narrowed her eyes at Hoya, her words gritted out through her teeth. Hoya whistled and said, "Of course not. Don't get the wrong idea, young lady."
Had he said it? No. But even if he hadn't, he had to act as if maybe he had, maybe he hadn't.
Otherwise, with Ryuen Shoko saying that, this petty woman would hold it against him forever. She might even pull out a dagger one day and stab her in the waist.
"Is that so? I don't like people who say one thing to my face and another behind my back, Chukai-kun."
She gritted out Hoya's name at the end. Hoya stared at the ceiling, refusing to look Sakayanagi Arisu in the eye. "All right, all right. I got it."
"Then why won't you look at me?"
"Ahem, I don't think it matters."
"I think it matters a lot."
"Fine, I'll look at you. I got it."
After Sakayanagi Arisu kept pestering him, Hoya suddenly turned his gaze toward her. He looked right at her and said, "I got it."
That sudden move surprised Sakayanagi. The astonishment on her face was unmistakable. Ryuen Shoko, watching the show beside them, couldn't help laughing. "Heh. So you can be surprised after all."
"What, Ryuen? Do you think I'm a robot who can't be surprised?"
"Yeah. You're an elegant young lady, after all. You're not supposed to act like that. Speaking of which, what's with a young lady like you always trying to steal other people's men?"
"Oh? Are you saying I'm... the other woman?"
Sakayanagi Arisu found this woman incredibly annoying.
Not only was the way she spoke unpleasant, she always liked causing trouble.
"Hey, Big Sis."
But just then, Hoya spoke up. "You have to be rough with her. She likes that."
"What do you mean, I like it rough?"
"Are you not a masochist?"
"?"
Sakayanagi Arisu realized Hoya's personality seemed to change all the time. Yesterday he'd been one way, and today he was another.
Yesterday, he'd been murderous too, but at least they'd kept up appearances and gotten along. What was with him today? Was he trying to pick a fight with her right here and now?
Could it be... because he had a different female companion with him yesterday and today?
"Hoya, could you explain exactly who's lying here?"
"If you're not a masochist, why do you drink coffee?"
So you knew all along, then! Why'd you say I couldn't sleep?
Sakayanagi Arisu had a weak heart and, in theory, shouldn't drink coffee. But she loved it, as if she wanted to torture herself that way.
She hated her own frail body and had a tendency toward self-destruction.
It was an illness, and it needed treatment. But she didn't want to be treated. She thought she was fine this way.
Hoya didn't know if it was fine or not, but he still had to call her out. Ryuen was here to back him up, after all. What was there to be afraid of?
"Then tell me. How do you suggest being rough?"
"Pin her down on the table and smack her butt. That'd definitely be rough."
"You dare!"
Chapter 71: Putting on a Show in Front of Koenji (5/10)
Sakayanagi Arisu glared at Hoya. Her gaze looked as if it could devour him.
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