Disappointment and Severance

After a short while, Karuizawa finally calmed down.

Just as Chiba Yu prepared to speak, Karuizawa's eyes, still glistening with traces of tears, glared at him, and she said fiercely, "What are you doing wandering around in the middle of the night instead of sleeping!"

However, looking at her expression—where she was clearly terrified yet still trying to maintain a fierce front—Chiba Yu felt no sense of intimidation at all; in fact, he even found it rather cute.

"I just couldn't sleep, so I decided to get up and use the restroom."

"Besides, if you're allowed to be up in the middle of the night, why shouldn't I be?"

"Ugh! Well, at least don't be so scary! I thought I'd run into a ghost!"

No matter how powerful a person or animal may be, when encountering things beyond their understanding—such as ghosts or the supernatural—they will always feel fear. It is a human instinct that cannot be completely eradicated.

I, too, once thought that if I became strong enough, I would be immune to such things, until I experienced it myself, which changed my perspective to a certain extent.

"Are you very afraid of ghosts?"

Faced with Chiba Yu's question, Karuizawa was speechless for a moment, then turned her head away, blushing, her voice trembling slightly, "A... a little, I suppose."

That was clearly more than just a little, wasn't it?

"If you're really that scared, you should at least find someone to come out with you."

"...I didn't want to disturb anyone else's rest. Everyone is already asleep, so it wouldn't be right to wake them up like that."

"...It seems you still have a conscience."

"What is that supposed to mean? You won't win any girls over talking like that!"

"I'm sorry, but I have no intention of finding a girlfriend, so that doesn't work on me."

"There you go again! If you just cleaned yourself up and acted a bit more cheerful, girls would be flocking to you, but you're always so lifeless!"

Watching Karuizawa start to sulk on her own, Chiba Yu was stunned for a moment, not understanding why his words had triggered such a strong reaction.

Deep down, a voice warned him not to provoke Karuizawa at this moment.

Adhering to the principle of self-preservation, Chiba Yu chose to heed his inner warning.

Seeing Karuizawa turn away and ignore him, Chiba Yu didn't know how to break the deadlock.

The next second, an idea popped into his head.

"Hey, Karuizawa."

"What?" Karuizawa squinted at him, wanting to see what else this guy could possibly say.

"I have something I want to ask you."

"..." Karuizawa sighed, finally choosing to go along with him. "Go ahead."

"May I ask, what style of underwear do you usually buy?"

Chiba Yu could clearly feel that the moment he said those words, Karuizawa's eyes widened in disbelief, as if she were seeing this man for the first time.

The next second, her cheeks turned bright red, her hands clenched involuntarily, and her whole body seemed to be trembling as she fought for control.

"Go to hell!"

Slap!!!

With the stinging pain on his face and the clear handprint left on his right cheek, Chiba Yu suddenly realized that what he had just said might have been ambiguous.

So, he rephrased his words, "No, what I meant was, what kind of patterns are usually printed on your underwear..."

Slap!!!

Now, both cheeks were perfectly aligned. Chiba Yu stopped speaking and watched in silence as the girl moved further and further away from him.

"Pervert!"

"Lecher!"

"Scum!"

"Social disgrace!"

"Chiba Yu!"

"...I don't agree with that last one. My name shouldn't really be appearing after those words, should it?"

"It's all your fault for suddenly asking such weird questions!"

"Tsk~ things seem to have gotten more troublesome." Chiba Yu sighed. The situation was even more complicated than he had imagined; he just wanted to finish this quickly and go back to sleep.

"Forget it, I won't ask. Take a look at this and see if you recognize whose it is."

With that, Chiba Yu took the underwear out of his pocket and held it out for Karuizawa to see.

But the moment Karuizawa saw what he was holding in the moonlight, the playful atmosphere vanished instantly. It was replaced by her deathly pale face and the blood draining from her cheeks.

"Th-this... how is this with you?!"

At that moment, Karuizawa looked as if she had seen a monster. She snatched her undergarment away and immediately backed away from him.

So, you are that kind of person too? I knew it. I've always known. Nothing has changed after all; you are just like them!

Karuizawa gritted her teeth, clutching the clothing in her hands tightly. Her head was bowed so low that her expression remained hidden.

Chiba Yu sensed something was wrong immediately. Just as he was about to offer an explanation, Karuizawa turned and bolted.

Chiba Yu knew that he absolutely could not let Karuizawa leave right now; otherwise, there would likely be even more severe consequences later.

Having made his decision in an instant, Chiba Yu sprinted after her. In less than half a minute, he caught up to Karuizawa and reached out to grip her shoulder, hoping to make her calm down and listen to his explanation.

Yet, Karuizawa gave him no chance at all. She struggled incessantly, her only desire at this moment to escape this place.

"Karuizawa, listen to me..."

The moment Chiba Yu turned Karuizawa around to face him, a side of her he had never seen before was revealed.

Her bloodshot eyes, the tears on the verge of spilling over, and the trembling of her body all served to highlight the fear and disappointment of the girl standing before him.

This was the perfect opportunity to destroy someone—to destroy the girl named Karuizawa Kei.

Chiba Yu set aside his usual, ever-present flippant expression. He no longer appeared indifferent to everything as he usually did; in its place were eyes that were unnervingly calm, yet exceptionally earnest.

"I want you to hear me out first. Once you've listened, I believe you will be able to make your own judgment."