Parasite

"So, what is it?"

Ayanokoji calmed himself down. Hirata, that guy...

If a girl had experienced that whole scene just now, she'd probably be blushing and flustered.

After all, Hirata was handsome, gentle, and humble. He was popular not just with the boys, but especially with the girls.

Seeing Ayanokoji waiting attentively, Hirata put his earlier awkwardness aside.

He began slowly:

"Actually, a girl just asked me out. It happened shortly before you called..."

Ayanokoji: "?"

You're not trying to see how I'll react, are you?

Some kind of lovers' game where you test each other?

Given how Hirata had acted earlier, Ayanokoji couldn't rule out the possibility.

"Is there a problem, Hirata? You're considerate and good-natured, so I'm sure you're popular with the girls. It's only natural that someone would confess to you."

Ayanokoji kept his tone even.

After hearing that, Hirata managed a strained smile and sighed. "Actually, I'm not particularly fixated on romance. I'd be fine with a normal relationship, but..."

Hirata trailed off. The conflicted look on his face said it all.

Ayanokoji thought back to the relevant events. Something like this really had happened.

He closed his eyes slightly, then opened them again two seconds later. "If you think sheltering her would mean deceiving everyone, you don't need to worry about that. As long as you can live with yourself, that's all that matters."

"Besides, you're the one making the biggest sacrifice. You won't be able to have a normal romantic relationship either."

Hirata looked surprised.

He hadn't expected Ayanokoji to guess what was troubling him before he'd even said it.

He admired him even more.

"Honestly, 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 and make sure no one feels left out. I often agree to other people's requests."

"That's how I ended up being asked out."

Ayanokoji nodded.

"If Hirata thinks it's fine, then it's fine."

"Thank you, Ayanokoji-kun."

Hirata's eyes flickered. He felt touched. This was the first time since coming to this school that he'd confided his worries in someone else.

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

"Sure enough, inviting you out to meet was the right choice~"

Looking at Ayanokoji's unchanged expression, Hirata flashed his trademark sunny smile.

Don't mention it, man.

As long as you're not into me, we're good.

Looking at Hirata's smile, Ayanokoji was genuinely happy for him.

After that, the two chatted a little more about the kinds of things high school boys talked about, then made it back before the dorm curfew.

Back in his room, Ayanokoji took a hot shower. During it, he once again marveled at the tailbone in front of him, even though he'd seen it countless times.

Awesome!

As he washed, Ayanokoji gave little Ayanokoji a thumbs-up.

When he finished, he lay down in bed. The mattress was just the right softness. Advanced Nurturing really was top-notch!

After his usual bout of meditation, Ayanokoji fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, Ayanokoji arrived in the classroom early. As soon as he stepped inside, he spotted the girl who was like an iceberg.

She sat at her desk, reading a book. Her long hair was smooth and jet-black, and her skin was as white as a snow lotus atop an iceberg.

"Morning."

Ayanokoji greeted her politely, but, unfortunately, got no reply.

He let out a helpless sigh and went to his seat.

"What did you and Hirata talk about yesterday?"

The question came out of nowhere from the girl beside him, catching Ayanokoji off guard.

Noticing Ayanokoji's hesitation, Horikita Suzune added, "I happened to see you while I was passing by."

Obvious! Far too obvious.

With the little knowledge he'd picked up about microexpressions and psychology, Ayanokoji could easily tell she was lying.

She'd probably seen either Hirata or him go out late at night, then decided on the spur of the moment to follow them.

How mischievous!

Ayanokoji felt a little speechless. "We talked about some class-related matters."

Ayanokoji picked and chose what to tell her about the previous night. There was no harm in telling her about the class, but he decided to keep Hirata's personal business private.

"Oh? What matters?"

Horikita kept reading the book in her hands. She wouldn't even spare him a glance, making Ayanokoji feel as though he were talking to thin air.

"You'll find out in a bit."

Ayanokoji didn't feel like indulging her. If she couldn't even show him that much sincerity, why should he give her the inside scoop?

He turned away and took out the textbook for his first class. Horikita had wanted to press him further, but with more and more classmates arriving, she didn't want to strike up a conversation and give people something to gossip about.

After all, this guy had already ruined his reputation with one outrageous self-introduction.

She didn't want to invite gossip or bother with distractions. She only wanted to quietly move toward her goal...

Before long, almost everyone in class had arrived. Quite a few were still sharing stories about their extravagant shopping sprees the day before, saying they'd never enjoyed spending money so much.

"Childish."

Horikita scoffed from beside him. It wasn't clear who she was talking to.

Once most of Class D had arrived, Hirata walked up to the podium.

Thanks to the popularity he'd built up over time, many people turned their wandering gazes toward him the moment he stepped up. Curious questions followed one after another:

"Yosuke, is there another event coming up?"

"Or do you have some exciting news?"

"Come on, Yosuke, stop keeping us in suspense and give us the goods~"

"Quiet down!" ordered a blonde girl. "Listen to what Yosuke has to say."

At that, most of the girls quieted down, and a few of the boys stopped making a fuss too.

The blonde girl with a ponytail sat down as well, ready to listen.

"Everyone, I have two things to tell you today. The first is about the school rules, and the second..." Hirata nodded to the well-behaved blonde girl. "The second is about Karuizawa and me."

What a bombshell!

"Eh? Yosuke and Kei?"

"You two? What is it?"

"Dummy, obviously it's that!"

"No way. Don't tell me..."

"That's right." Hirata Yosuke let out a soft breath and flashed his trademark smile. "Just as you guessed, Karuizawa and I have started dating."

You're not a very good liar either, Hirata.

Ayanokoji muttered to himself. For some reason, Hirata Yosuke's smile didn't seem as carefree as it had the night before.

"No way, it's only been a few days since school started. Are you two rushing off to get married or something..."

"Congratulations!"

"Damn, I didn't get a chance to make a move. I mean on Hirata."

"You started dating after just one week. What's going to happen after a month?"

"Go explode, lovebirds!"

Gossip and cheerful chatter spread through the classroom.

Hirata was a good guy and the class's most popular boy. It was only natural that most people congratulated him on getting a girlfriend.

As for the few girls who had a crush on Hirata, they could only swallow their disappointment and give up. After all, they weren't as pretty as Karuizawa, and they hadn't made their move as quickly as she had.

What they didn't know was that it wasn't because they were inferior to Karuizawa. Their intentions were simply too pure—they just wanted to fall in love.

But some people, determined not to repeat the past or let their nightmare happen again, fought desperately to climb higher, to seize their chance and cling on until no one could threaten them again.

In biology, there was a specific term that could be used to describe people like that: parasite.