Chapter 571: Mrs. Miura, the Master of Catching Cheaters
"Ha, a hero?!"
Upon hearing Hachiman's words, Yumiko froze for a moment before speaking up with some dissatisfaction.
"Do you take me for a fool?"
Hachiman wasn't surprised by her reaction. After all, the whole thing sounded so fantastical that it was hard to believe.
"I'm not lying to you."
To prove his point, he extended a hand, and a soft golden light began to glow in his palm.
"See? This is holy light."
Yumiko's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the light in Hachiman's hand, leaving her momentarily speechless.
"This... this... is this real?"
"Of course, it's real. If you don't believe me, you can touch it."
Half-skeptical, Yumiko took a step closer to Hachiman and slowly reached out toward the soft golden glow.
Naturally, the holy light wasn't something tangible to touch, but its warmth and sacredness were unmistakable.
Moreover, the light's purifying effect took hold as soon as Yumiko's hand made contact, instantly wiping away the fatigue of a long day at school.
Unable to contain herself, Yumiko exclaimed, "Ah... it feels so good. It's like my whole body is enveloped in warmth."
"So, it's real?"
"Of course, it's real."
Hachiman smiled as he answered her question.
"The power of the holy light was bestowed upon me by an angel."
"Wait, an angel too?"
Yumiko's eyes widened even further at his words.
"That's right, an angel." Hachiman nodded and once again recounted the story he'd told many times before about the descent of the angel who granted him the holy light.
"An angel... holy light... hero."
Just like others who had heard his story, Yumiko found herself murmuring these words, clearly overwhelmed by the fantastical elements and struggling to process it all.
However, Yumiko's ability to adapt was strong—after all, she had been influenced by ACG culture.
Angels and heroes frequently appeared in anime and novels, so while it was shocking to see it in real life, it was just taking her a moment to adjust.
"So, as a hero, do you have any special abilities?"
Having recovered, Yumiko's curiosity was piqued.
"Like flying or some kind of super powerful ultimate move?"
"Of course I do," Hachiman replied with a grin.
"I can condense the holy light into wings for flying, use it for healing, and enhance my physical stamina. It also speeds up my ability to master new skills, among other things."
"As for offensive moves, I haven't developed any yet. After all, this is a peaceful world—we're not exactly at war or anything."
"Oh, and I can make people smarter."
"Make people smarter?!"
Hearing this, Yumiko's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Did you use your hero powers to make Yui smarter?"
"That's one way to put it," Hachiman nodded.
"Then I want it too."
Yumiko excitedly grabbed Hachiman's hand. "Hurry up and make me smarter too."
Seeing her like this, Hachiman's lips curled into a mischievous smile.
"Sure, I can do that, but if you want to become smarter, you'll have to..."
He leaned in and whispered the "method" softly into Yumiko's ear.
"Wh-what?!"
Hearing his suggestion, Yumiko's eyes widened in shock, her cheeks turning crimson.
"Do-do we really have to do that? You're kidding, right?"
Unlike Yui, Yumiko wasn't so easy to fool and immediately voiced her doubts.
"It's absolutely true. You've seen for yourself that I'm a hero, and you've felt the holy light—it's not fake," Hachiman shrugged.
"Besides, why would I need to lie just to do something like that? If I really wanted to, I could probably just ask you directly, and you'd agree, right?"
"Well... when you put it that way..." Yumiko muttered, her face still flushed.
Hearing Hachiman's words, Yumiko instinctively nodded, but she quickly realized what she was agreeing to and spat in annoyance.
"Ugh, dream on! Who would agree to do something like that with you?"
"Wait..."
However, something seemed to occur to Yumiko, and she suddenly grabbed Hachiman's shirt.
"You made Yui smarter. Does that mean... you two already did that?!"
"That's right."
Hachiman didn't bother denying it and admitted it outright. After all, this was something that would eventually come to light.
Yumiko fell silent after his admission.
She lost...
She never expected to lose to Yui, of all people—not to Yukinoshita.
Even though Yumiko had long accepted that Hachiman wouldn't only have feelings for her, the idea of someone else beating her to it still left a bitter feeling in her heart.
But soon, she thought of something and spoke up again.
"What about Yukinoshita? Have you..."
"Not yet," Hachiman shook his head. "Nothing's happened with Yukino."
Hearing this, Yumiko unexpectedly let out a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness—Hachiman and Yukinoshita hadn't reached that stage yet. She hadn't lost entirely.
But as for Yui...
Thinking of her close friend, Yumiko couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness.
She never would have imagined that her silly, clueless best friend would beat her to it.
Then again, it made sense upon closer consideration. Yui was so naïve—she would likely fall for something like this easily.
Moreover, her feelings for Hachiman were just as strong as Yumiko's, if not stronger.
Coupled with the allure of becoming smarter, it wasn't surprising that such a thing had happened.
Yumiko kept trying to comfort herself, but deep down, she couldn't deny the frustration bubbling up inside.
No, she couldn't afford to wait any longer. If Yukinoshita got ahead of her, it would be game over.
Despite Yukinoshita's cold demeanor, who could say what she was like in private? What if she turned out to be secretly aggressive and seized the opportunity?
With this thought, Yumiko took a deep breath, as if steeling herself for something big.
Raising her head again, she spoke with newfound determination.
"I want to become smarter too."
Yumiko had finally realized one crucial thing—being tsundere wasn't going to get her anywhere.
If she kept playing coy, someone else would swoop in and take the lead, leaving her with nothing but regret.
Hachiman was genuinely surprised by her sudden declaration.
Is this... because she feels provoked? he wondered.
Of course, Hachiman wouldn't refuse such a good thing and immediately nodded.
"Alright."
"Let's go, to my room."
Seeing Hachiman agree, Yumiko grabbed his hand and started heading toward the stairs leading to the second floor.
After all, how could something like this possibly be done in the living room?
However, just then, the sound of the front door slamming shut echoed through the house.
Standing at the doorway, wearing a casual cotton dress and looking like an older version of Yumiko, was none other than Mrs. Miura.
At that moment, Yumiko and Hachiman were just at the base of the stairs, not having gone up yet.
They were perfectly positioned to be caught in the act as Mrs. Miura entered the living room.
Glancing at the pair, clearly about to head upstairs together, Mrs. Miura raised an elegant eyebrow.
"Oh my, Yumiko, have you finally come to your senses?"
"Mom... Mom?!"
Yumiko froze in place at the familiar voice, her body stiff with embarrassment.
"Didn't you say the event wouldn't end until five o'clock?"
"Yes, that was the plan," Mrs. Miura said lightly, her tone calm and composed. "But the event ended earlier than expected."
"How could this happen..." Yumiko muttered, her face filled with disbelief.
"Don't mind me, you two. Go ahead and head back to your room," Mrs. Miura said casually, waving her hand dismissively.
"Oh, and remember to take proper precautions. While the chances of a one-shot success are low, it's still possible. I'm not ready to be a grandmother just yet."
Mrs. Miura, clearly understanding what the two were planning to do in the room—because, really, studying wasn't on the agenda—couldn't resist offering some advice from her experienced perspective.
However, Yumiko exploded at her mother's words.
"What are you even thinking?! Who would do something like that?"
Even though Yumiko had mentally prepared herself earlier, that was when no one was around.
Now that her mother had caught them red-handed, there was no way she could go through with it.
Flustered and utterly embarrassed, she shook off Hachiman's hand and bolted up to her room on the second floor, leaving the two of them in the living room.
Now, only Hachiman and Mrs. Miura remained, exchanging awkward glances.
Looking at Mrs. Miura standing not far away, Hachiman forced a wry smile.
Mrs. Miura, are you some sort of master at catching people red-handed? Why do you always show up at the most crucial moments?
This time, his attempt had failed. Who knew when Yumiko would muster up the courage to try again?
Meanwhile, Mrs. Miura showed no hint of embarrassment for interrupting them. Instead, she greeted Hachiman as cheerfully as ever.
"Good afternoon, Hachiman-chan."
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