Parasite

"So, what is it?"

Ayanokoji calmed his nerves. This guy Hirata...

If a girl had experienced that kind of scene just now, she probably would have been blushing and heart-pounding with nervousness.

After all, Hirata was handsome, gentle, and humble; he was not only popular among the boys but also exceptionally well-liked by the girls.

Seeing Ayanokoji waiting to listen with a serious expression, Hirata put away his earlier bashfulness.

He spoke slowly:

"Actually, I just received a confession from a girl, not long before you called me..."

Ayanokoji: "?"

Are you seriously trying to see how I'd react?

Is this some kind of lovers' game of testing each other?

Considering Hirata's behavior earlier, Ayanokoji couldn't rule out that possibility.

"Is there a problem with that? You're helpful and have a great personality, so your popularity with girls is bound to be high. It's only natural to get confessed to."

Ayanokoji continued in a flat tone.

Hearing this, Hirata forced a smile and sighed: "Actually, I don't have any obsession with romance. If it were a normal relationship, I could accept it, but..."

Hirata stopped mid-sentence, his conflicted expression clear on his face.

Ayanokoji recalled the relevant plot points; it seemed this really was a thing.

He closed his eyes slightly, opening them again two seconds later: "If you feel that providing her with protection is equivalent to deceiving everyone, there's no need to worry about that. As long as you can get past your own conscience, it's fine."

"Besides, you're the one making the biggest sacrifice. This way, you won't be able to pursue a normal romance."

Hirata looked surprised at these words.

He hadn't expected Ayanokoji to guess his worries before he even voiced them.

He felt even more admiration.

"Actually, I don't really care about romance." Hirata scratched his head and continued, "I've always wanted to create a harmonious class environment, so I try to meet everyone's needs as much as possible. I don't want any student to feel left out, so I often agree to people's requests."

"And that's how this confession came about."

Ayanokoji nodded.

"As long as you think it's fine, Hirata, then it's fine."

"Thank you, Ayanokoji-kun."

Hirata's eyes flickered, touched. This was the first time since arriving at this school that he had poured his troubles out to someone.

He let out a sigh of relief, then spoke slowly:

"As I thought, inviting Ayanokoji out to meet was the right choice~"

Looking at Ayanokoji's unchanging expression, Hirata flashed his signature sunny smile.

Don't mention it, we're bros.

As long as you don't have any ideas about me, that is.

Watching Hirata smile, Ayanokoji was genuinely happy for him.

Afterward, the two chatted about a few topics common among high school boys before rushing back before the dormitory curfew.

Back in his room, Ayanokoji took a hot shower. In the process, he marveled at his own tailbone, despite having seen it countless times.

Awesome!

Ayanokoji gave himself a thumbs-up while washing.

After washing up and lying on the bed, the mattress softness was just right. As expected of Advanced Nurturing, you're awesome too!

After a routine meditation, Ayanokoji fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, Ayanokoji arrived at the classroom early. As soon as he stepped through the door, he saw that girl who was like an iceberg.

She sat at her desk flipping through a book, her long hair black and silky, her skin as white as a snow lotus on an icy mountain.

"Morning."

Ayanokoji gave a polite greeting, though he was disappointed to receive no response.

He let out a helpless hum and sat down in his seat.

"What did you talk to Hirata about yesterday?"

? The girl sitting next to him threw out a question out of the blue, leaving Ayanokoji momentarily stunned.

Realizing Ayanokoji was hesitating, Horikita Suzune added: "I happened to see you when I walked by."

Obvious! That was way too obvious.

Combining his knowledge of psychological micro-expressions, Ayanokoji easily saw that this woman was lying.

She must have seen Hirata or him heading out in the middle of the night, decided on a whim to follow, and acted on it.

How incredibly tasteless!

Ayanokoji felt a bit speechless and said indifferently, "We talked about some things regarding the class."

Ayanokoji carefully filtered the content from last night; telling her about class matters was fine, but he chose to keep the details about Hirata a secret.

"Oh? What kind of things?"

Horikita continued flipping through the book in her hands, not even sparing him a glance, which made Ayanokoji feel like he was talking to thin air.

"You'll find out in a moment."

Ayanokoji didn't want to indulge her; since she didn't even have that much sincerity, why should he provide her with firsthand information?

He turned his head and began taking out the textbook for the first period. Horikita wanted to press him further, but with more and more students arriving in the classroom, she didn't want to strike up a conversation and invite gossip.

After all, this guy had ruined his own reputation with a single explosive self-introduction.

She didn't want to be the subject of discussion or disturbance because of him; she only wanted to move silently toward her own goals...

Not long after, most of the class had arrived. Many were still sharing their shopping experiences from yesterday, where they had thrown money around, claiming they had never spent money so freely before.

"Childish."

Horikita, sitting beside him, let out a cold sneer, though it was unclear who she was saying it to.

Seeing that the people in Class D had mostly arrived, the golden boy Hirata walked up to the podium.

Due to the popularity he had accumulated, many people shifted their wandering gazes toward him the moment he stepped up, followed by a series of curious questions:

"Yosuke, is there another activity?"

"Or is there some explosive good news?"

"Don't keep us in suspense, Yosuke, just spit it out~"

"Everyone, be quiet!" A command came from the mouth of a blonde girl. "Listen properly to what Hir... Yosuke has to say."

Hearing this, most of the girls quieted down, and the few boys stopped making a ruckus as well.

The blonde girl with the ponytail sat back down, ready to listen.

"Everyone, I have two things to tell you today. The first is about school rules, and the second..." Hirata nodded toward the blonde girl sitting obediently, "...the second is about Kei and me."

Explosive!

"Eh? Yosuke and Kei?"

"You two? What is it?"

"Idiot, it must be that!"

"No way, could it be..."

"Yes," Hirata Yosuke exhaled softly, revealing his signature smile, "just as you guessed, Kei and I have started dating."

You're not a good liar either, Hirata.

Ayanokoji muttered to himself. For some reason, he felt that Hirata Yosuke's smile wasn't as bright as it had been last night.

"No way, it's only been a few days since school started, are you two rushing to get a marriage license..."

"Congratulations, congratulations!"

"Damn it, I hadn't even had a chance to make a move yet—I mean, on Hirata."

"Dating after one week of school? What will it be like in a month?"

"Go explode, you normies!"

In an instant, an atmosphere of gossip and joy spread throughout the classroom.

Hirata was a good guy and the king of popularity, so it was only natural that his relationship received the blessings of most people.

As for the small minority of girls who had a crush on Hirata, they could only retreat in regret. After all, they weren't just less pretty than Kei, they were also slower to act.

However, what they didn't know was that they weren't inferior to Kei; their intentions were simply too pure—they just wanted to fall in love.

But some people, in order not to repeat the past and to ensure their nightmares never returned, fought with their lives to climb upward, to grasp, to cling, until no one could ever threaten them again.

In biology, there is a specific term that can be used to describe such a person: a parasite.