Boys Need to Protect Themselves Too

KTV restroom.

Kamigami Haruo, desperate to pee after drinking too much water, could only let Kushida Kikyo and the others know before heading to the restroom.

Ah, that felt good~

As he zipped up and turned to leave, he failed to notice someone and accidentally knocked them over.

Looking down, why did this person seem a little familiar?

"Ah, sorry for bumping into you."

He had wanted to offer a hand and pull the other person up, but his hand was slapped away.

Since Kamigami Haruo had been the one to knock him down, he didn't argue and simply headed out of the restroom.

"You think apologizing after knocking me over is enough to earn my forgiveness? Dream on!"

After getting up, the man immediately shouted at Kamigami Haruo.

"Never mind what you want. I turned around in my own spot, and I could say you were standing there peeping while I was taking a leak. That's why I knocked you over the moment I turned around."

Kamigami Haruo gave him a disgusted look, as though he were looking at trash.

"Damn it, take this punch!"

After dodging the furious punch, Kamigami Haruo had no intention of fighting back, because quite a few onlookers had already gathered nearby.

If he fought back and it was classified as a public brawl, he would be finished once the school ordered him suspended. Even if neither side pursued the matter, it would be useless.

"Pervert! He peeped on a guy using the restroom! Everyone, be careful."

Kamigami Haruo tossed out that remark and left, leaving the man and a crowd of spectators behind.

"Damn it, just you wait!"

After getting up, the man headed toward the private room occupied by Class C.

On the way to Palette Restaurant.

"Hey, let me tell you something. I ran into a pervert when I went to the restroom just now. That guy was peeping while I was taking a leak. So perverted. When I caught him, he even tried to hit me. Boys need to protect themselves too these days."

Kamigami Haruo spoke mysteriously to the three girls.

"Eh?!" ×3

"Haruo-kun, daijoubu?"

"Yeah! Haruo-kun, are you okay?"

"K-Kamigami-kun should be okay, right?"

Kamigami Haruo stopped walking, spread his arms, and turned around on the spot to show that he was fine before continuing.

"And do you know? Class C is being ruled by a tyrant now. Anyone who disobeys gets taught a lesson."

"Eh?!" ×3

"That's so scary. Wouldn't it be better if everyone just got along? How sad..."

He didn't even need to look to know Kushida Kikyo had said that.

"But why doesn't Class C tell the teachers?"

Wang Meiyu asked that question, while Inogashira Kokoro was so frightened that she didn't dare say anything.

"Didn't you notice? The teachers don't care about the students at all. Class C's teacher is even helping Class C cover it up."

"Then we in Class D are pretty lucky."

Wang Meiyu spoke with a touch of emotion, but Kamigami Haruo replied thoughtfully.

"Who knows? I guess we are?"

As they chatted, they arrived at Palette Restaurant.

This time, Kamigami Haruo didn't order a sundae. Instead, he ordered a strawberry parfait. Maybe all that ice cream had given him a chill.

Just as everyone finished ordering, another group of students entered the café.

"Good evening, Kamigami-kun, Kushida-san, Mei-san, and Inogashira-san~"

The four of them looked up in unison.

"Good evening, Ichinose-san."

Kushida Kikyo responded.

"Ah, Ichinose, having dinner with your Class B classmates again?"

As he spoke, Kamigami Haruo looked at the boys and girls behind Ichinose.

"Yep. Though Haruo, you're really popular, aren't you? So many pretty classmates around you."

Ichinose teased him as she looked at the three girls around Kamigami Haruo.

"What are you talking about? They're all my good friends. Besties, you know? I'm their male bestie."

Just then, the guests at the table beside Class D's table happened to leave, so the Class B students naturally chose to sit there.

And so, Kushida Kikyo and Ichinose began introducing their respective companions to each other.

It was then that the boy beside Ichinose introduced himself to Kamigami Haruo.

"My name is Kanzaki Ryuji. Nice to meet you."

"Yeah. Kamigami Haruo."

Kamigami Haruo replied lazily, then began eating his strawberry parfait.

"Haruo-kun, it's rare for you not to go exercise at the track today."

Ichinose asked curiously. In her eyes, Kamigami Haruo went to the track to work out every day without fail, and she occasionally went running there with him.

"After all, a beauty invited me. I had no choice but to accept. If Ichinose invited me, I'd accept too."

"My, my. Does that mean I'm a beauty too? You really know how to flatter people, Haruo."

Hearing that, Ichinose immediately teased him.

"Yeah. You're a first-rate beauty, inside and out."

As he spoke, Kamigami Haruo scooped up half a strawberry with his small spoon and put it into his mouth.

"Even I'd get embarrassed being praised like that. You really know how to make girls happy, Haruo-kun."

"I learned it from scumbag pickup lines. So, Ichinose, don't fall in love with someone just because they say a few things and help you out a little. That kind of ending would be miserable."

Kamigami Haruo spoke with meaning, saying what he most wanted to tell Ichinose.

"Eh? Do I look that easy to fool in your eyes, Haruo-kun?"

Kamigami Haruo sighed. Wasn't she?

"You just sighed, didn't you, Haruo-kun? You definitely did."

"You're making it sound like I'm playing with your feelings. Are you going to eat the parfait you ordered? If not, I will."

"I'll eat it, I'll eat it..."

Kamigami Haruo looked at the parfait he had finished, then at the desserts that the three girls still had more than half of left, and went to the counter to order a chocolate parfait.

After returning to his seat, he chatted with Wang Meiyu and Inogashira Kokoro, while Kushida Kikyo chatted with everyone.

But Ichinose fell into deep thought as she watched Kamigami Haruo happily chatting with others.

It wasn't until around eight o'clock that the group heading back together parted ways at the elevator.

Not long after returning to his dorm, Kamigami Haruo finished washing up and received a message from Ichinose inviting him out for lunch tomorrow.

"No problem."

After replying, he sat at his desk and turned on the computer he hadn't used in nearly two weeks.

Even Kamigami Haruo was a little surprised. He had originally been half a shut-in, yet he had barely touched electronic products over the past two weeks.

Thinking he would play some games to kill time, he remembered only after downloading Steam that he couldn't register with his phone number.

Forget it. I'll just download something from a pirated site.

He downloaded I'm a Discount Spider-Man in the Middle Ages and played to his heart's content.

Time flowed like a stream. As Kamigami Haruo played, he suddenly looked up at the sunrise outside the window and thought, If I sleep now, I should still make it in time, right?

He then took out his phone and composed a text message.

"If I haven't messaged you by twelve, come wake me up in my room. I'll leave my key card in the door crack."

After sending Ichinose the message, he fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

Room 1201.

As Kamigami Haruo fell asleep, Horikita Suzune woke up.

Her delicate hand picked up the phone on her bedside table. She checked her messages, and only after confirming that nothing was wrong did she get up to wash up.

After washing up, she took out an onigiri she had bought yesterday from the refrigerator, heated it in the microwave, and ate it at an unhurried pace.

While eating breakfast, she looked over the schedule she had made yesterday and confirmed what she needed to do next.

After breakfast, she changed into a tracksuit, opened the door, and prepared to go running at the track.